A process for the preparation of a filtration membrane, which includes providing an aqueous suspension of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, the vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer having reactive end groups; providing a porous support; functionalizing a surface of the porous support to introduce reactive groups on the surface which are capable of reacting with the reactive end groups of the amphiphilic block copolymers of the vesicles; depositing said suspension of vesicles on a surface of the porous support; and providing reaction conditions such that covalent bonds are formed between the vesicles and the surface.

A method for coating hollow fiber membranes is disclosed. The method includes preparing a continuous circulating circuit, which includes a membrane contactor module, two liquid reservoirs containing a solvent, two pipeline paths, and at least one injector. The membrane module include a plurality of hollow fiber membranes with an inside area and an outside area, and a housing, where the plurality of hollow fiber membranes are extended inside the housing. The method further include forming a plurality of wetted hollow fiber membranes with the solvent by circulating the solvent through the continuous circulating circuit, filling at least one of the two liquid reservoirs with a coating solution, forming a coating layer on a surface of at least one of the inside area or the outside area of the plurality of wetted hollow fiber membranes by circulating the coating solution through the continuous circulating circuit, and forming a uniform coating layer by injecting the coating solution by the injector for intrusion of the coating solution through the coating layer.

An electrochemical compressor utilizes an anion conducting layer disposed between an anode and a cathode for transporting a working fluid. The working fluid may include carbon dioxide that is dissolved in water and is partially converted to carbonic acid that is equilibrium with bicarbonate anion. An electrical potential across the anode and cathode creates a pH gradient that drives the bicarbonate anion across the anion conducting layer to the cathode, wherein it is reformed into carbon dioxide. Therefore, carbon dioxide is pumped across the anion conducting layer. The compressor may be part of a refrigeration system that pumps the working fluid in a closed loop through a condenser and an evaporator.

This invention discloses a membrane composition, a method of making, and applications for a new type of high selectivity, high plasticization-resistant and solvent-resistant, both chemically and UV cross-linked polyimide membranes. Gas permeation tests on these membranes demonstrated that they not only showed high selectivities, but also showed extremely high CO.sub.2 plasticization resistance under CO.sub.2 pressure up to 4923 kPa (700 psig). This new type of high selectivity, high plasticization-resistant and solvent-resistant, both chemically and UV cross-linked polyimide membranes can be used for a wide range of gas separations such as separations of H.sub.2/CH.sub.4, He/CH.sub.4, CO.sub.2/CH.sub.4, CO.sub.2/N.sub.2, olefin/paraffin separations (e.g. propylene/propane separation), 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, and other light gases separations. The membranes can also be used for liquid separations such as in the removal of organic compounds from water.

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.

Methods of producing an ion exchange membrane support are disclosed. The methods include saturating a polymeric microporous substrate with a charged monomer solution comprising at least one functional monomer, a cross-linking agent, and an effective amount of at least one photopolymerization initiator and polymerizing the at least one functional monomer by exposing the saturated polymeric microporous substrate to ultraviolet light under conditions effective to cross-link the at least one functional monomer and produce the ion exchange membrane support. Methods of producing a monovalent selective ion exchange membrane are also disclosed. The methods include functionalizing an exterior surface of the ion exchange membrane support with a charged compound layer, drying the ion exchange membrane support and soaking the ion exchange membrane support in a solution comprising an acid or a base for an amount of time effective to produce the monovalent selective ion exchange membrane.

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.

The present invention relates to CO.sub.2 capture from gas mixtures by use of gas separation membranes. In particular, the invention relates to a gas separation membrane comprising: a gas permeable or porous support layer; and at least one CO.sub.2 selective polymer layer comprising carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzymes fixed within the at least one CO.sub.2 selective polymer layer. The present invention also relates to the method of separating CO.sub.2 from a gas and to the use of the gas separation membrane.

Disclosed herein are boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes and methods of manufacturing boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes. In an embodiment, a boron-nitride nanoparticle membrane includes a matrix and a plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles disposed within the matrix, where he plurality of boron-nitride nanoparticles are configured for selective molecular transport through each of the plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles.

The present disclosure provides a gas separation membrane using a ladder-structured polysilsesquioxane in which organic functional groups are attached to a long siloxane chain and a method for fabricating the same. In accordance with the present disclosure, a free-standing ladder-structured polysilsesquioxane-based membrane with various functional groups can be fabricated for gas separations. The performance of the gas separation membrane can be controlled through a variety of combinations of the organic functional groups linked to the siloxane chain. In addition, by controlling the molecular structure of the gas separation membrane through mixing of the ladder-structured polysilsesquioxane with an amine compound or conventional glassy or rubbery polymers or through thermal/UV-curing, the permeability and selectivity of the gas separation membrane can be controlled selectively.