The invention concerns a method for producing a superhydrophobic membrane or surface coating of a substrate from an aqueous phase comprising the following steps: a) Preparing an aqueous dispersion by dispersing particles of hydrophobic polymer(s) in an aqueous solution of protic polymer(s), wherein the protic polymer(s) and the hydrophobic polymer(s) are present in a weight ratio of protic polymer(s):hydrophobic polymer(s) in a range of 5:95 to 22:78, b) electrospinning the dispersion of step a) onto a carrier for producing the membrane or onto the surface for producing the surface coating thereby producing at least one fiber and a nonwoven fabric from the fiber, c) subjecting the nonwoven fabric to a sol-gel process, wherein a precursor/precursors of the sol-gel comprise(s) an alkoxysilane, and d) curing the nonwoven fabric obtained by step c) at a temperature in a range of 50 C. to 150 C.

The present disclosure relates to a scaling-resistant and yellowing-resistant composite reverse osmosis membrane and a preparation method thereof. By modifying the stability and yellowing of a coating of the reverse osmosis membrane, and grafting 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)dimethyl-3-sulphoproyl) ammonium hydroxide (MEDSAH) and ethylene glycol methacrylate (EGMA) as amphoteric monomers and N-(isobutoxymethyl)acrylamide (IBMA) as yellowing-resistant particles on a surface of the reverse osmosis membrane using active polymerization, the present disclosure forms a three-network high-performance PMEDSAH/PEGMA/PIBMA composite coating. By active regulation of a polyamide (PA) layer through the three systems, the reverse osmosis membrane has high compatibility due to PMEDSAH, and stability, high hydrophilicity and anti-protein fouling property due to PEGMA, as well as yellowing-resistant property by coating PIBMA on the surface. The test results show that the reverse osmosis membrane prepared by the present disclosure has excellent stability and yellowing-resistant property. And the flux and salt rejection are also higher than those of the existing reverse osmosis membranes.

The present invention provides a preparation method for a composite porous structure, comprising the following steps: step (a): preparing a porous substrate having multiple pores, a first surface and a second surface; and step (b): continuously feeding a cooling fluid to contact the first surface and to flow continuously to the second surface through the pores of the porous substrate, and heating a coating material to multiple molten particles by a heat source and spraying the molten particles onto the second surface of the porous substrate, so as to form a coating layer having multiple micropores on the second surface of the porous substrate and obtain the composite porous structure formed. Besides, also provided is a composite porous structure prepared by the preparation method.

A method for manufacturing a hollow fiber membrane wherein a spinning stock solution containing 10 mass % or more and 40 mass % or less of a polysulfone-based resin, 1 mass % or more and 30 mass % or less of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and 1 mass % or more and 80 mass % or less of N,N-dimethylformamide is discharged together with a core liquid from a double-ring nozzle to produce a hollow fiber membrane by dry-wet spinning, and then the hollow fiber membrane is subjected to a dry heat treatment at a temperature of 80? C. or higher and 100? C. or lower for 48 hours or longer and 168 hours or shorter.

A support nanofunctionalised with photocatalytic nanoparticles made of polymeric material, preferably transparent or translucid, characterised by a nanoroughness, measured by means of an electron microscope, comprised between 10 and 150 nm and a macroroughness, measured by means of an electron microscope, comprised between 100 and 600 ?m, wherein said nano and macro-roughness are diffused internally and/or superficially. A process for preparing the nanofunctionalised support is also described. Further, an use of the nanofunctionalised support as a photocatalyst activated by UV and/or visible light, for the decontamination of a fluid, preferably air and/or water, from organic contaminants, bacteria, moulds, odours and a combination thereof is described. Finally, a filtration device comprising at least one nanofunctionalised support of the invention associated with at least one source of UV and/or visible light configured to irradiate said at least one nanofunctionalised support is described.

A washing machine includes a filter that is operably connected to a water circulation system to filter water. The filter may include a mesh filter element and a porous membrane whereby water passes through the mesh element and then through the porous membrane prior to exiting the washing machine. The porous membrane may include a plurality of openings of about 5 microns to about 100 microns to capture microparticles.

A porous membrane comprising a thermoplastic resin, and having a densely structured layer, wherein the ratio of crystal strength to crystal strength of the thermoplastic resin in the densely structured layer is 5.0 or more.

The present invention provides a composite semipermeable membrane which has practicable water permeability and high acid resistance. The present invention relates to a composite semipermeable membrane including a supporting membrane and a separation functional layer disposed on the supporting membrane, in which the separation functional layer includes a crosslinked aromatic polyamide and has a protuberance structure including protrusions and recesses, a proportion in number of protrusions each having a height of 100 nm or larger is 80% or larger in the protrusions of the protuberance structure, and the separation functional layer contains amino groups, carboxy groups, and amide groups and satisfies y/x0.81, in which x is the molar ratio of carboxy groups/amide groups and y is the molar ratio of amino groups/amide groups.

A method for increasing the thickness of a sheet of CNTs (146, 147, 246, 346), comprising: providing a wet sheet of CNTs, wherein the sheet of CNTs is either a continuous sheet of CNTs or a portion of sheet of CNTs, wherein the wet sheet of CNTs is the result of applying a process for manufacturing a sheet of CNTs; separating the wet sheet of CNTs from any filter or support element; drying the wet sheet of CNTs (146, 147, 246, 346) by applying heat (15, 25, 35) from a heat source (12, 22, 32). A method for manufacturing a continuous sheet of CNTs, comprising: in a container (41) filled with a liquid solution (42) comprising CNTs at certain concentration, submerging a vacuum tank (43) having a lower surface forming a grillage; moving an elongated filtering membrane (44) along the lower surface of the vacuum tank (43) while vacuum is applied on the elongated filtering membrane (44) in such a way that in the surface of the filtering membrane (44) opposed to the surface in contact with the lower surface of the vacuum tank (43) CNTs are deposited forming a continuous sheet of CNTs (45) of constant thickness; taking the filtering membrane (44) together with the continuous sheet of CNTs (45) out of the container (41); washing the continuous sheet of CNTs (55) disposed on the filtering membrane or on a support element (54) in a second container (51) filled with cleaning solution (52); taking the continuous sheet of CNTs (55) together with the filtering membrane or the support element (54) out of the second container (51); separating the continuous sheet of CNTs (55) from the filtering membrane or the support element (54); drying the continuous sheet of CNTs (55) by applying the method for increasing the thickness of a sheet of CNTs.

The present disclosure relates to improved semipermeable membranes based on acrylonitrile copolymers for use in dialyzers for the extracorporeal treatment of blood in conjunction with hemodialysis, hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration. The present disclosure further relates to methods of producing such membranes.