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.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a polymeric membrane having a homogeneous porosity throughout the entire polymeric phase. The method comprises the steps of dissolving at least one amphiphillic block copolymer in a solvent to form a casting solution of the block copolymer, and contacting the extruded solution with non-solvent to induce phase separation and thereby producing an integral asymmetric polymeric membrane, wherein the amphiphillic block copolymer is an amphiphillic diblock copolymer, containing blocks of a polar copolymer and blocks of a benzocyclobutene copolymer, and wherein the integral asymmetric polymeric membrane is crosslinked by application of heat or radiation thereby producing a membrane having a homogeneous porosity throughout the entire polymeric phase.

Provided is a method of producing a composite membrane in the form of laminated membranes in which a plurality of isoporous membranes are laminated, wherein the plurality of membranes laminated have through-holes having different sizes from each other and each membrane have the through-holes having the same size.

The invention provides polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membranes adapted for use in bioseparation processes, the membranes including a nonwoven web of polyester fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than about 1.5 microns, each of the plurality of polyester fibers having grafted thereon a plurality of polymer segments constructed of a methacrylate polymer, each polymer segment carrying a functional group adapted for binding to a target molecule. The invention also provides a method of bioseparation comprising passing a solution comprising the target molecule, such as a protein, through the nonwoven membrane of the invention such that at least a portion of the target molecule in the solution binds to the nonwoven membrane. A method for preparing a polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membrane adapted for use in bioseparation processes is also provided.

A composite membrane for selectively pervaporating a first liquid from a mixture comprising the first liquid and a second liquid. The composite membrane includes a porous substrate comprising opposite first and second major surfaces, and a plurality of pores. A PVP- or PVL-containing polymer is disposed in at least some of the pores so as to form a layer having a thickness within the porous substrate and/or disposed on top of the pores to form a layer.

A method for making a gas separation membrane comprises dissolving and mixing poly(ether-b-amide) (Pebax) copolymer and acrylate-terminated polyethylene glycol oligomers (PEGDA) in a solvent, casting the polymer solution into a mold, removing the solvent to form a film, adding a photoinitiator to the film and irradiating the film with ultraviolet radiation to induce crosslinking of the PEGDA in the film, producing XLPEGDA, and submerging the film after exposure in a crosslinking solution to form crosslinked Pebax (XLPebax) in the film, wherein the crosslinking solution comprises one of a diisocyanate, a diisocyanate derivative and a combination of a diiscyanate and a diisocyanate derivative.

The invention proceeds from a filter device which is provided for stabilising a liquid, having at least one filter unit, a membrane filter unit, which has at least one filter element and at least one integrated stabiliser. It is proposed that the filter unit has at least one further integrated stabiliser. It is proposed in a further aspect of the invention that the filter device comprises at least one first precursor which is provided for forming the filter element at least partially, and the same first precursor is provided for forming the stabiliser at least partially.

The invention relates to dense synthetic membranes made from polymerised phosphonium-based ionic liquids which were found to be particularly suitable for use in gas separation. The membranes are obtainable by copolymerization via UV-curing of a composition comprising a phosphonium-based ionic liquid monomer, a co-monomer, a cross-linker, a surfactant and a photo-initiator, the remainder of the polymerization mixture consisting of water.

The invention also relates to a process of manufacturing said membranes, resulting in solid, dense and mechanically stable membranes, and to the use of the membranes so produced in the separation of gas mixtures, particularly gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide.

A thin film composite membrane (TFC) includes an active layer on a support. The active layer includes at least 8 barrier layers of star-polymers each having at least three linear polymers attached at a central core. Each of the barrier layers has a thickness between 5 and 50 nm, and the barrier layers have alternating charge.

An isoporous membrane includes a multiblock copolymer film. The multiblock copolymer is crosslinked, and the film has a toughness of at least 50 kJ/m.sup.3 as a free-standing film when wet, as measured by integrating the area under a stress-strain curve for the film. Methods of forming isoporous membranes are also included.