A method for preparing a porous-polymer-modified metal carbon nanotube membrane includes: preparing an acidified carbon nanotube membrane; preparing a modification solution; heating the acidified carbon nanotube membrane in the modification solution and reacting to obtain a metal carbon nanotube membrane; conducting a polymerization reaction to obtain a crude polymer product; coating the metal carbon nanotube membrane with a polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDEG) solution; coating the metal carbon nanotube membrane with a porous polymer solution; and heating the metal carbon nanotube membrane to obtain the porous-polymer-modified metal carbon nanotube membrane. A porous-polymer-modified metal carbon nanotube membrane is prepared according to this method.

The present invention provides a separation membrane that is suitable for separating an acid gas from a gas mixture containing the acid gas and has a high acid gas permeability. A separation membrane (10) of the present invention includes: a separation functional layer (1); a porous support member (3) supporting the separation functional layer (1); and an intermediate layer (2) disposed between the separation functional layer (1) and the porous support member (3), and including a matrix (4) and nanoparticles (5) dispersed in the matrix (4).

The present invention provides a separation membrane that is suitable for separating an acid gas from a gas mixture containing the acid gas and has a high acid gas permeability. A separation membrane (10) of the present invention includes: a separation functional layer (1); a porous support member (3) supporting the separation functional layer (1); and an intermediate layer (2) disposed between the separation functional layer (1) and the porous support member (3), and including a matrix (4) and nanoparticles (5) dispersed in the matrix (4).

Embodiments include nanofilms comprising the reaction product of a natural building block type A including at least two functional groups and a natural building block type B including at least three functional groups, wherein the natural building block type A and the natural building block type B react to form a branched polymer network including solvent-resistant bonds.

A desalination system, including a membrane distillation portion, a solar power concentration portion, and a thermal vapor compression portion operationally connected to the membrane distillation portion and to the solar power concentration portion. The membrane distillation portion includes a first vessel having a first portion and a second portion separated by a hydrophobic membrane operationally connected therebetween and oriented to pass water from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hydrophobic membrane further comprises a hydrophilic membrane and an air blocking layer connected to the hydrophilic membrane and disposed in the first portion, a vacuum gap adjacent the hydrophobic membrane and disposed in the second portion, a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet operationally connected to the first portion, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet operationally connected to the second portion. The solar power concentration portion includes a pump having a pump outlet and a pump inlet operationally connected to a water line and to the vacuum gap, a linear Fresnel mirror collector for collecting and focusing sunlight, and an outlet line operationally connected to the pump outlet and positioned to receive focused sunlight from linear Fresnel mirror collector. The thermal vapor compression portion includes an ejector having an ejector inlet portion and an ejector outlet portion, wherein the ejector inlet portion is operationally connected to the outlet line and to the vacuum gap, a second vessel fluidically connected to the outlet portion and further including a heat exchanger operationally connected to the ejector outlet portion and to a water pipe, a feed spray operationally connected to the second outlet and positioned to spray into the heat exchanger, and a collection portion for receiving concentrated feed spray. The heat exchanger receives desalinated water from the ejector and from the feed spray. The water line carries desalinated water from the heat exchanger. The first outlet passes concentrated brine, and the first inlet receives feed water to be desalinated.

A desalination system, including a membrane distillation portion, a solar power concentration portion, and a thermal vapor compression portion operationally connected to the membrane distillation portion and to the solar power concentration portion. The membrane distillation portion includes a first vessel having a first portion and a second portion separated by a hydrophobic membrane operationally connected therebetween and oriented to pass water from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the hydrophobic membrane further comprises a hydrophilic membrane and an air blocking layer connected to the hydrophilic membrane and disposed in the first portion, a vacuum gap adjacent the hydrophobic membrane and disposed in the second portion, a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet operationally connected to the first portion, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet operationally connected to the second portion. The solar power concentration portion includes a pump having a pump outlet and a pump inlet operationally connected to a water line and to the vacuum gap, a linear Fresnel mirror collector for collecting and focusing sunlight, and an outlet line operationally connected to the pump outlet and positioned to receive focused sunlight from linear Fresnel mirror collector. The thermal vapor compression portion includes an ejector having an ejector inlet portion and an ejector outlet portion, wherein the ejector inlet portion is operationally connected to the outlet line and to the vacuum gap, a second vessel fluidically connected to the outlet portion and further including a heat exchanger operationally connected to the ejector outlet portion and to a water pipe, a feed spray operationally connected to the second outlet and positioned to spray into the heat exchanger, and a collection portion for receiving concentrated feed spray. The heat exchanger receives desalinated water from the ejector and from the feed spray. The water line carries desalinated water from the heat exchanger. The first outlet passes concentrated brine, and the first inlet receives feed water to be desalinated.

A multidimensional printer makes a multidimensional structure from a liquid composition and includes: an energetic crosslinking particle source; a vacuum chamber that receives energetic crosslinking particles from the energetic crosslinking particle source; a membrane that transmits the energetic crosslinking particles; and a sample chamber that: receives a liquid composition that includes a solvent and polymers, the polymers including a cross-linkable moiety subjected to the energetic crosslinking particles such that portions of the polymers proximate to the cross-linkable moieties subjected to the energetic crosslinking particles crosslink to form a solid crosslinked polymer structure, wherein the membrane isolates a vacuum of the vacuum chamber from vapor of the liquid composition in the sample chamber.

There is provided a carbon capture mixed matrix membrane comprising: a polymeric support layer; and a carbon dioxide capture layer in contact with the polymeric support layer, the carbon dioxide capture layer comprising solid porous material with at least one carbon dioxide adsorption site, wherein the polymeric support layer comprises spatially ordered uniform sized pores. The polymeric support layer may be patterned by micro-molding, nanoimprinting, mold-based lithography or other suitable lithographic process. The carbon dioxide capture layer may comprise amine-functionalised material, metal-organic frameworks such as zeolite imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8) or copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) which may or may not be amine modified. There is also provided a membrane module comprising at least one carbon capture mixed matrix membrane and a method of forming the carbon capture mixed matrix membrane.

A battery and a method of fabricating a porous membrane are disclosed. The battery includes an anode, a cathode, and a battery separator. The battery separator is positioned between the anode and the cathode and includes a macroporous substrate and a mesoporous silica thin film (MSTF) with perpendicular mesopore channels. The MSTF is positioned on the macroporous substrate. The method includes the following steps. A polymer film is formed on a macroporous substrate. A MSTF with perpendicular mesopore channels is grown on the polymer film. The polymer film is removed to form the porous membrane.

A method providing direct access to porous three-dimensionally (3D) continuous polymer network structures and shapes by combining BCP-resol co-assembly with CO.sub.2 laser-induced transient heating. The CO.sub.2 laser source transiently heats the BCP-directed resol hybrid films to high temperatures at the beam position, inducing locally controlled resol thermopolymerization and BCP decomposition in ambient conditions. This enables shaping of BCP-directed porous resin structures with tunable 3D interconnected pores in a single process. Pore size can be varied from 10 nm to about 600 nm.