A membrane assembly for separating a feed liquid into a permeate and a retentate includes a semipermeable membrane and conductive members for applying a voltage effective for charging a semipermeable surface of the membrane, thereby reducing or preventing fouling or scaling of the membrane. The conductive members may be positioned adjacent to the semipermeable membrane, and may be configured as feed spacers or permeate spacers. Alternatively or additionally, the membrane may be electrically conductive. Power from an external source may be supplied to one or more of the conductive members, or also the membrane if conductive, which may be done wirelessly. One or more membrane assemblies may be provided in a container. One or more membrane assemblies may be provided in a stacked configuration, or wrapped around a tube in a spiral configuration.

Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a blend polymeric membrane to provide the separation of CO.sub.2 from a gaseous mixture. The blend polymeric membrane comprises a blend of polyphosphazene and polymers of intrinsic microporosity. Further, the present disclosure also provides a method of use for the blend polymeric membrane for the separation of gases in a gaseous mixture.

Accordingly, it is an object of this disclosure to provide a blend polymeric membrane to provide the separation of CO.sub.2 from a gaseous mixture. The blend polymeric membrane comprises a blend of polyphosphazene and polymers of intrinsic microporosity. Further, the present disclosure also provides a method of use for the blend polymeric membrane for the separation of gases in a gaseous mixture.

The present disclosure provides the synthesis of an imidazolium-based functional ionic liquid copolymer (PMMA-b-PIL-R*) and a preparation method of an alloy ultra-filtration membrane. Firstly, PMMA-b-PIL-R* is prepared from methyl methacrylate (MMA) and polymerizable imidazolium-based functional ionic liquid (IL-R*) containing double bonding as the reactive monomers through sequential radical polymerization. With the use of a non-solvent induced phase separation method, PMMA-b-PIL-R* is introduced into the body of a polymeric membrane material, so as to prepare an alloy ultra-filtration membrane. A hydrogen-bond interaction is generated between the carbonyl in the molecular chain of PMMA-b-PIL-R* and the H . . . C—Cl structure in the molecular chain of the polymeric membrane material, which enhances the compatibility between the molecular chains of PMMA-b-PIL-R* and the polymeric membrane material, so that it can be stable in the ultra-filtration membrane; the imidazole groups and functional groups in the molecular chain of PMMA-b-PIL-R* can provide a good hydrophilicity.

The invention relates to a method for creating a porous film through aqueous phase separation, the method comprising: i) providing an aqueous solution comprising a responsive copolymer, and optionally a charged polymer, wherein at least one of the monomers in the responsive copolymer is a responsive monomer; ii) forming the aqueous solution into a thin layer and contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the responsive copolymer is not soluble, or contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which a complex comprising the responsive copolymer and the charged polymer is not soluble; and iii) allowing solvent exchange between the aqueous solution and the aqueous coagulation solution to produce a porous film. The invention further relates to porous films or membranes thus obtained.

The invention relates to a method for creating a porous film through aqueous phase separation, the method comprising: i) providing an aqueous solution comprising a responsive copolymer, and optionally a charged polymer, wherein at least one of the monomers in the responsive copolymer is a responsive monomer; ii) forming the aqueous solution into a thin layer and contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the responsive copolymer is not soluble, or contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which a complex comprising the responsive copolymer and the charged polymer is not soluble; and iii) allowing solvent exchange between the aqueous solution and the aqueous coagulation solution to produce a porous film. The invention further relates to porous films or membranes thus obtained.

Cationic polymers are provided that comprise monomeric units of Formula (V). (V) Each asterisk (*) indicates an attachment position to another monomeric unit; R is hydrogen or methyl; each R.sup.2 is each independently an alkyl, aryl, or a combination thereof; L is a linking group comprising an alkylene group; and +R.sup.3 is a cationic nitrogen-containing group free of any N—H bonds. Membranes formed from said cationic polymers, devices including such membranes, and methods of making such cationic polymers are also provided.

Provided is a porous membrane which has a high water permeability performance, a high blocking performance, and a durability performance against loads of long-term and high operation pressures, which are suitable for filtering applications. The porous membrane includes one surface to be on a side of a filtrate; and the other surface to be on a side of a liquid to be filtered, wherein a surface pore diameter index of the one surface is 2.5 or more, the surface pore diameter index being determined by dividing a pore diameter in a top surface by a pore diameter in a second top surface.

Provided by the present invention is a method for preparing a porous polymer semipermeable membrane, wherein a hydrophobic polynorbornene polymer and a hydrophilic small-molecule crosslinking agent containing a thiol functional group are mixed and dissolved in a solvent capable of dissolving both of them to obtain a coating solution; the coating solution is applied onto the surface of a biosensor electrode and dried such that the hydrophobic component and the hydrophilic component undergo phase separation; then, a membrane is formed and crosslinking is carried out, the unreacted hydrophilic small-molecule crosslinking agent is removed, and re-drying is carried out to obtain a porous polymer semipermeable membrane; also disclosed is a product. For the product obtained by the preparation method of the present invention, the hydrophobicity of the polymer enables good adhesion of the porous polymer semipermeable membrane to the surface of the biosensor, and the porous structure ensures the diffusion of biological substances to the surface of the biosensor, and regulates the diffusion rate of the biological substances in the semipermeable membrane without changing the thickness of the polymer membrane significantly.

According to the present invention, there are provided a chamber for transplantation, including a membrane for immunoisolation including a porous membrane at at least part of a boundary between an inside and an outside of the chamber for transplantation, in which the porous membrane contains a polymer and has a layered compact portion where a pore diameter is the smallest within the membrane, a pore diameter continuously increases in a thickness direction from the compact portion toward both one surface A and the other surface B of the porous membrane, a porosity in a vicinity of the surface A is 65% or more, an average pore diameter of the surface A is larger than an average pore diameter of the surface B, and the surface B is disposed on the inside of the chamber for transplantation; and a device for transplantation including the chamber for transplantation enclosing a biological constituent therein. In the chamber for transplantation of the present invention, angiogenesis in a recipient is induced and a deterioration in substance permeability is unlikely to occur.