The present invention discloses high selectivity copolyimide membranes for gas, vapor, and liquid separations. Gas permeation tests on these copolyimide membranes demonstrated that they not only showed high selectivity for CO.sub.2/CH.sub.4 separation, but also showed extremely high selectivities for H.sub.2/CH.sub.4 and He/CH.sub.4 separations. These copolyimide membranes can be used for a wide range of gas, vapor, and liquid separations such as separations of CO.sub.2/CH.sub.4, He/CH.sub.4, CO.sub.2/N.sub.2, olefin/paraffin separations (e.g. propylene/propane separation), H.sub.2/CH.sub.4, He/CH.sub.4, O.sub.2/N.sub.2, iso/normal paraffins, polar molecules such as H.sub.2O, H.sub.2S, and NH.sub.3 mixtures with CH.sub.4, N.sub.2, H.sub.2. The high selectivity copolyimide membranes have UV cross-linkable sulfonyl functional groups and can be used for the preparation of UV cross-linked high selectivity copolyimide membranes with enhanced selectivities. The invention also includes blend polymer membranes comprising the high selectivity copolyimide and polyethersulfone. The blend polymer membranes comprising the high selectivity copolyimide and polyethersulfone can be further UV cross-linked under UV radiation.

The invention relates to a filter for separating hydrophilic from hydrophobic fluids, wherein the filter comprises an oleophobic polymer, consists thereof or is coated therewith, and wherein the filter exhibits hydrophilic and oleophobic properties, wherein at least some of the repetitive units of the oleophobic polymer can be traced back to a fluorine-containing monomer which is an ionic organic molecule that has an ionic group, a cross-linkable group and a fluorine-containing group. The invention further relates to a method for producing such a filter and to a method for separating hydrophilic and hydrophobic fluids by using such a filter.

The present invention relates to synthetic membranes and use of these synthetic membranes for isolation of volatile organic compounds and purification of water. The synthetic membrane includes a hydrophobic polymer layer located on a polymeric membrane support layer. The invention includes a method of isolating volatile organic compounds with the synthetic membrane by contacting a volatile organic mixture with the hydrophobic polymer layer of the synthetic membrane and removing volatile organic compounds from the polymeric membrane support layer of the synthetic membrane by a process of pervaporation. The invention also includes a method of purifying water with the synthetic membrane by contacting an ionic solution with the hydrophobic polymer layer of the synthetic membrane and removing water from the polymeric membrane support layer of the synthetic membrane by a process of reverse osmosis. The invention also relates to methods of isolating non-polar gases by gas fractionation.

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.

Processes for the preparation of composite membranes are disclosed, as well as the composite membranes obtainable by these processes. The processes employ a step of roller coating a porous support substrate with an essentially solventless coating mixture containing a cationically UV curable compound, which can then be cured in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. The process thereby dispenses withor greatly reduces the impact ofa number of the prominent processing constraints of prior art techniques, thereby affording a more streamlined and less energetically burdensome membrane manufacturing process.

An article that can be used for biomaterial capture comprises (a) a porous substrate; and (b) borne on the porous substrate, a polymer comprising interpolymerized units of at least one monomer consisting of (1) at least one monovalent ethylenically unsaturated group, (2) at least one monovalent ligand functional group selected from acidic groups, basic groups other than guanidino, and salts thereof, and (3) a multivalent spacer group that is directly bonded to the monovalent groups so as to link at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and at least one ligand functional group by a chain of at least six catenated atoms.

A radiation curable composition for preparing a polymeric membrane includes a) a membrane polymer selected from the group consisting of a polysulfone (PSU), a polyether sulfone (PES), a polyether etherketone (PEEK), a polyvinylchloride (PVC), a polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a polyimide (PI), a polyamide (PA) and copolymers thereof; b) a hydrophobic monomer or oligomer having at least two free radical polymerizable groups independently selected from the group consisting of an acrylate group, a methacrylate group, an acrylamide group, a methacrylamide group, a styrene group, a vinyl ether group, a vinyl ester group, a maleate group, a fumarate group, an itaconate group, and a maleimide group; and c) an organic solvent for the membrane polymer and the hydrophobic monomer. A polymeric membrane and a method for manufacturing the membrane are also disclosed.

A method for manufacturing a self-healing hydrogel-filled separation membrane for water treatment includes soaking a porous support comprising pores in a monomer solution to fill the pores with the solution, removing the excessively filled monomer solution from the porous support, and forming a hydrogel in the pores by crosslinking the monomer. The separation membrane does not require an additional repair process when damage occurs to the separation membrane and can exhibit superior self-healing effect and physical stability.

A separation membrane for selectively separating (e.g., pervaporating) a first fluid (e.g., a first liquid) from a mixture comprising the first fluid (e.g., first liquid) and a second fluid (e.g., second liquid), wherein the separation membrane includes a polymeric ionomer that has a highly fluorinated backbone and recurring pendant groups according to the following formula (Formula I): OR.sub.f[SO.sub.2N.sup.(Z+)SO.sub.2R].sub.m[SO.sub.2].sub.n-Q wherein: R.sub.f is a perfluorinated organic linking group; R is an organic linking group; Z.sup.+ is H.sup.+, a monovalent cation, or a multivalent cation; Q is H, F, NH.sub.2, NH.sub.2, O.sup.Y.sup.+, or C.sub.xF.sub.2x+1; Y.sup.+ is H.sup.+, a monovalent cation, or a multivalent cation; x=1 to 4; m=0 to 6; and n=0 or 1; with the proviso that at least one of morn must be non-zero.

A method of separating gas and a method of making a gas separation membrane. The method of separating gas includes flowing a gas stream through a membrane, in which the membrane comprises a crosslinked mixture of a poly(ether-b-amide) copolymer and an acrylate-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) according to formula (I) or formula (II); and separating the gas stream via the membrane.

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In formulas (I) and (II), each n is of from 2 to 30; and each R is independently H or CH.sub.3.