A method for processing a fluid with forward osmosis process includes providing one or more tubular membranes each including a tubular nonwoven base layer on the outside of the tubular membrane forming an outer shell of the tubular membrane and providing a lumen for feed flow; a polymer substrate layer on the lumen-side of the tubular membrane comprising three regions, including a region where the polymer substrate layer is partially intruded into the tubular base layer, a region with an open macrovoid structure and a region with an asymmetrical foamy layer, where the partially intruded region forms an intermediate layer; and a functional top layer on the polymer substrate layer. The tubular base layer comprises a longitudinal weld. The method includes providing the feed flow through the lumen and providing a draw solution on the outer shell side of the tubular membrane; and processing the feed flow with the membrane.

The present invention relates to a serial arrangement comprising n plies of asymmetric filter media, wherein n is at least two and the pore size of the n plies substantially continuously decreases in the thickness direction of the serial arrangement, to a production method for the serial arrangement, to a filtration unit comprising the serial arrangement, to the use of the serial arrangement, and to a method for characterizing the pores of a filter medium.

A reverse osmosis membrane of the present invention includes a porous support substrate (2) and a separation active layer (3) formed on a surface of the porous support substrate (2) and formed of a carbon film containing organized carbon.

Provided are a composite forward osmosis membrane and a membrane module containing same. The composite forward osmosis membrane reduces salt back-diffusion and has high water-permeability, or is made of readily available materials and can be easily manufactured. Even when used at high pressure, separation between a substrate membrane support layer and an active separation layer does not occur in the composite forward osmosis membrane, and thus the composite forward osmosis membrane exhibits stable high performance.

A separation membrane sheet that causes a specific fluid component to selectively permeate therethrough, comprises: a first porous layer; and a resin composition layer formed on the first porous layer. The resin composition layer has a filtration residue fraction of greater than or equal to 20% and less than or equal to 90%; and contains a resin having an ionic group or a salt thereof, and has an ion exchange capacity of greater than or equal to 1 millimole equivalent per 1 g of a dry resin in a filtration residue.

A layered electroosmotic structure for transporting fluid by electroosmotic transport includes a porous layer; a first electrode located on a first side of the porous layer; and a second electrode located on a second side of the porous layer. The first electrode may include a first surface that faces the porous layer, wherein the first surface of the first electrode includes a region that is electrically insulating. The first electrode and/or the second electrode may not be in electrical contact with an edge region of the porous layer. Methods of manufacturing the layered electroosmotic structures are also provided.

The filter medium of the present disclosure includes a base layer having air permeability, and the base layer has a modified surface by fibrils of polytetrafluoroethylene. The modified surface of the base layer may be exposed. A modification amount of the fibrils in the modified surface is, for example, less than 0.5 g/m.sup.2. The base layer may include a fiber material, and an example of the base layer including a fiber material is a non-woven fabric. In the filter medium of the present disclosure, permeation of water into the inside of the medium can be inhibited.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite articles that have a macro textured surface. The composite articles include at least two different PTFE membranes in a layered or stacked configuration. The composite article has a macro textured surface characterized by a plurality of strands raised from the surface of the PTFE membrane. The strands may be formed of either interconnected nodes of PTFE or of at least one nodal mass of PTFE and have a length equal to or greater than about 1.5 mm. The macro textured surface provides a topography to the first PTFE membrane. The composite articles have a bubble point from about 3.0 psi to about 200 psi, a thickness from about 0.01 to about 3.0 mm, and a bulk density from about 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to about 1.0 g/cm.sup.3.

A supported carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membrane is made by contacting a film of a carbon forming polymer on a polymer textile to form a laminate. The laminate is then heated to a temperature for a time under an atmosphere sufficient to carbonize the film and polymer textile to form the supported CMS membrane. The supported CMS membrane formed is a laminate having a carbon separating layer graphitically bonded to a carbon textile, wherein the carbon separating layer is a continuous film. The supported CMS membranes are particularly useful for separating gases such as olefins from their corresponding paraffins.

This application is directed to new and/or improved MD and/or TD stretched and optionally calendered membranes, separators, base films, microporous membranes, battery separators including said separator, base film or membrane, batteries including said separator, and/or methods for making and/or using such membranes, separators, base films, microporous membranes, battery separators and/or batteries. For example, new and/or improved methods for making microporous membranes, and battery separators including the same, that have a better balance of desirable properties than prior microporous membranes and battery separators. The methods disclosed herein comprise the following steps: 1.) obtaining a non-porous membrane precursor; 2.) forming a porous biaxially-stretched membrane precursor from the non-porous membrane precursor; 3.) performing at least one of (a) calendering, (b) an additional machine direction (MD) stretching, (c) an additional transverse direction (TD) stretching, and (d) a pore-filling on the porous biaxially stretched precursor to form the final microporous membrane. The microporous membranes or battery separators described herein may have the following desirable balance of properties, prior to application of any coating: a TD tensile strength greater than 200 or 250 kg/cm2, a puncture strength greater than 200, 250, 300, or 400 gf, and a JIS Gurley greater than 20 or 50 s.