Disclosed herein are composite films comprising a plurality of nanostructured metal oxide crystals dispersed within a proton conducting polymer phase, wherein the plurality of nanostructured metal oxide crystals have an average particle size of from 1 nm to 20 nm, and wherein the composite film comprises from 20% to 90% by volume of the plurality of nanostructured metal oxide crystals relative to the composite film. The composite film can have a proton conductivity of 10.sup.−8 S/cm or more at a temperature of 100° C. or more.

The present disclosure relates to a composite membrane formed by lamination of two or more separate porous polymeric layers, as well as to a method and system for lamination. Advantageously, the resulting composite is a single layer, being difficult to separate into its component layers, yet effectively maintains the filtering capabilities of the component layers when not laminated.

Provided is a water treatment membrane including: a porous support; and a polyamide active layer provided on the porous support, in which the polyamide active layer includes one or more units selected from among a unit of Chemical Formula 1: ##STR00001##
a unit of Chemical Formula 2; ##STR00002##
a unit of Chemical Formula 3; ##STR00003##
and a unit of Chemical Formula 4; ##STR00004##
and a manufacturing method thereof.

Barriers including molecules covalently bonded to amphiphilic molecules, and methods of making the same, are provided herein. In some examples, a barrier between first and second fluids includes one or more layers comprising a plurality of amphiphilic molecules; and a first layer comprising a plurality of molecules covalently bonded to amphiphilic molecules of the plurality of amphiphilic molecules.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules. Also a stabilized surfactant mesostructure coating for a porous material and filters made therefrom. The coating can simultaneously improve both the permeability and the filtration characteristics of the porous material.

Disclosed are a method of manufacturing a polyethylene membrane comprising: stretching a polyethylene film in a first direction during a first stretching; attaching a plurality of rods on side edges of the polyethylene film; attaching a tape on the polyethylene film; stretching the polyethylene film having the rods attached thereto in a second direction during a second stretching; and annealing the polyethylene film after the second stretching. The second direction can be a transverse direction of the first direction, and the first stretching and the second stretching can be performed at the same (or higher) temperature and the same stretching speed as each other.

A support is a porous ceramic support for supporting a zeolite membrane. The hydraulic conductivity of the support is less than or equal to 1.1×10.sup.−3 m/s. In the support, the total content of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal in a surface part within 30 μm from a surface in a depth direction perpendicular to the surface is less than or equal to 1% by weight.

An array of discrete nanofiber films that are physically separated from one another are described. Techniques for forming the nanofiber film array are also described. Techniques for forming these structures include placing a suspension of nanofibers and/or nanoparticles on a patterned substrate. A pressure differential is applied, drawing the solvent of the suspension through holes in a mask. The nanofibers collect on an impermeable layer on the mask in a pattern corresponding to the negative features (grooves, holes, trenches) of the mask as the solvent is flowed through the holes.

A hydrogen-selective membrane including a metal leaf applied to a substrate. A system and method for fabricating a hydrogen-selective membrane, including applying a metal leaf to a substrate, annealing the metal leaf, applying a hydrogen-permeable metal to the annealed metal leaf on the substrate, and annealing the hydrogen-permeable metal and the annealed metal leaf to give an alloy of the hydrogen-permeable metal and the metal leaf. A system and method for repairing a hydrogen-selective membrane having defects including applying a metal leaf to an external surface of membrane material of the hydrogen-selective membrane, annealing the metal leaf and metal of the membrane material to form an alloy of the metal leaf and the metal to repair the defects.

A thin micro-porous membrane sheet and filtering device using it is presented. The membrane sheet includes a thin porous metal sheet of thickness between 20 and 200 μm with a porous ceramic coating of thickness less than 25 μm on at least one of its surfaces. The porous metal sheet has mean pore sizes at micro and sub-micrometer level and has a surface substantially free of pores greater than 10 micrometers. The ceramic coating layer may be made of particles with a mean particle size in a range of 10 to 300 nm and contains certain sintering promoters. The ceramic coating is sintered with the metal sheet in non-oxidizing environment at lower temperatures than typical ceramic membranes. The thin membrane sheet is used to filter fine particulates from micrometers to nanometers from a liquid or gas stream. The thin membrane sheet may be assembled into a filter device having high surface area packing density and straight mini-flow channels.