Membranes and methods of making and using the membranes are described herein. The membranes can include a foamed polymeric support and a plurality of inorganic particles disposed within the foamed polymeric support. The foamed polymeric support can contain a hydrophilic polymer such as polyethersulfone. The plurality of inorganic particles can include hydrophilic particles such as zeolite particles. In certain embodiments, the membrane can be used in humidifiers, such as those used in fuel cell systems. In some aspects, the membrane can be used for separating a fluid mixture comprising water. The membranes described herein are stable for high temperature applications.

A method for preparing a nanoporous membrane includes alternatively repeating, on the surface of a porous substrate, the laminating of a hydrophilic homopolymer and the laminating of an amphiphilic block or graft copolymer to provide a polymer multilayer film in which the alternative laminate of the hydrophilic homopolymer and the amphiphilic block or graft copolymer is formed. The polymer multilayer film is annealed to form a microphase separated polymeric membrane. The laminating of a hydrophilic homopolymer and the laminating of a supramolecular structure compound are alternatively repeated, on the surface of the polymeric membrane, to form the alternative laminate of the hydrophilic homopolymer and the supramolecular structure compound.

An object of the present invention is to provide a porous support-zeolite membrane composite ensuring that at the time of separation or concentration with a zeolite membrane, both sufficient throughput and high separation performance are achieved in practice and the present invention relates to a porous support-zeolite membrane composite having a porous support and a zeolite membrane formed on the porous support, wherein part of the zeolite membrane penetrates into the inside of the porous support and the distance from the surface of the porous support to the inside into which the zeolite film penetrates is 5.0 μm or less on average.

A method for preparing a thin or thick film, including the aligning non-spherical seed crystals on a flat portion of at least one surface of the substrate such that an a-axis, a b-axis, and/or a c-axis are oriented according to a certain rule; and exposing the aligned seed crystals to a solution for enabling the growth of the seed crystals to thereby form and grow a film from the seed crystals using a secondary growing technique.

The present disclosure discloses a method for preparing a metal-organic framework filter comprising the steps of bringing metal sources into contact with organic ligands and forming a metal-organic framework filter on substrates by a hot-pressing method. By the method of the present disclosure, a large amount of metal-organic framework filters with high purity can be obtained quickly and easily, thereby realizing industrialized production and application and the method has such advantages as low cost, simple operation, rapid production, batch product and high purity.

Embodiments include methods of fabricating a zeolite-like metal-organic framework with an ana-topology (ana-ZMOF) thin film membrane, the methods comprising: (1) modifying a substrate with ana-ZMOF crystal precursors in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone; and (2) intergrowing the ana-ZMOF crystal precursors in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone to form a continuous defect-free thin film of an ana-ZMOF intergrown on the substrate. Embodiments further include methods of separating chemical species comprising contacting an ana-ZMOF thin film membrane with a fluid composition containing one or more chemical species and separating at least one of the chemical species.

The present invention relates to a method of fabricating an organic structure directing agent-free CHA type zeolite membrane and a membrane fabricated thereby, and more particularly to a method of fabricating a continuous CHA type zeolite membrane, which exhibits CO.sub.2/N.sub.2 and CO.sub.2/CH.sub.4 separation performances comparable with those of conventional membranes, in a cost-effective manner without a calcination process by hydrothermal synthesis using an alkali metal hydroxide without using an organic structure directing agent, and to a membrane fabricated thereby.

System and method for producing 1-butene are disclosed. The method includes dehydrogenating butane to form a mixture comprising butene isomers. 1-butene is separated from the mixture using a system that includes a membrane. The system also includes an isomerizing unit for isomerizing cis-2-butene and trans-2-butene to form additional 1-butene.

Disclosed are methods of manufacturing a zeolite membrane, comprising: providing at least one porous substrate; and coating the at least one porous substrate with a membrane. In some embodiments, the method further comprises hydrothermally treating the membrane with a first hydrothermal treatment step with tetrapropylammonium fluoride (TPAF) and a second hydrothermal treatment step with tetraethammonium hydroxide (TEAOH). In some embodiments, coating the substrate with a membrane comprises surrounding at least a portion of the at least one porous substrate with a precursor gel, the gel comprising a gel phase and a plurality of CHA or MFI crystals; heating the at least one porous substrate and the precursor gel; washing the at least one porous substrate; drying the at least one porous substrate; and calcining the at least one porous substrate.

The present disclosure provides a carbon material including a carbon-containing layer having opening parts; and a solid body provided so as to cover the opening parts of the carbon-containing layer, in which the solid body has hole parts communicating with the opening parts.