A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a separation membrane having excellent separation performance, having high membrane strength and high permeation performance, and mainly including a cellulose-based resin. The present invention is concerned with a separation membrane including a cellulose ester, having, in the interior thereof, voids each having a specified structure, and having a tensile elasticity of 1,000 to 6,500 MPa.

A rotatable filtration apparatus includes a partially submergeable, rotatable filter in a shape of a torus having a central axis of rotation, the filter comprising an upper half and a lower half, with the lower half comprising a permeable membrane, the permeable membrane comprising at least one pore configured to pass a filtrate while excluding solids, a rotation motor configured to rotate the filter about the central axis of rotation, an anchor configured to anchor the rotatable filter in a body of liquid, and a pump to extract the filtrate from the filtrate chamber into a filtrate line.

Methods and apparatus for forming apertures in a solid state membrane using dielectric breakdown are provided. In one disclosed arrangement a plurality of apertures are formed. The membrane comprises a first surface area portion on one side of the membrane and a second surface area portion on the other side of the membrane. Each of a plurality of target regions comprises a recess or a fluidic passage opening out into the first or second surface area portion. The method comprises contacting all of the first surface area portion of the membrane with a first bath comprising ionic solution and all of the second surface area portion with a second bath comprising ionic solution. A voltage is applied across the membrane via first and second electrodes in respective contact with the first and second baths comprising ionic solutions to form an aperture at each of a plurality of the target regions in the membrane.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for composite materials, methods of making composite materials, methods of using composite materials, and the like. In particular, the present application relates to hollow fibers and to pressure-retarded osmosis systems comprising said fibers. The hollow fibers have an inside layer and an outside layer, wherein the outside layer covers an outside surface of the inside layer, wherein the inside layer forms a boundary around the lumen, wherein the inside layer includes a bi-layer structure, wherein the bi-layer structure includes a sponge-like layer and a finger-like layer, wherein the sponge-like layer is disposed closer to the lumen of the hollow fiber and the finger-like layer is disposed on the sponge-like layer on the side opposite the lumen, wherein the outside layer includes a polyamide layer.

A membrane includes a plurality of nanopores, each nanopore including a first opening on a first side of the membrane, a second opening on a second side of the membrane, and an inner surface that extends between the first and second openings, wherein at least one nanopore comprises a positive surface charge zone extending along a portion of a length of the nanopore and a negative surface charge zone extending along a different portion of the length of the nanopore, wherein the inner surface of the nanopore has high-density positive surface charges within the positive surface charge zone and high-density negative surface charges within the negative surface charge zone.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a separation membrane having excellent separation performance, having high membrane strength and high permeation performance, and mainly including a cellulose-based resin. The present invention is concerned with a separation membrane including a cellulose ester, having, in the interior thereof, voids each having a specified structure, and having a tensile elasticity of 1,000 to 6,500 MPa.

The present invention relates to the use of a porous polymer etched ion-track membrane as separator for batteries comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a liquid electrolyte comprising at least one salt of a cationic ion in solution in a solvent, and to batteries comprising such a membrane as porous separator.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

A porous electrolyte membrane including a first main surface and a second main surface that are separated by a thickness, where carbon nanotubes, defining through-pores or through-channels that are open at their two ends, have a diameter smaller than or equal to 100 nm, are oriented in the direction of the thickness of the membrane, and are all substantially parallel over the entire thickness of the membrane, connect the first main surface and the second main surface; the carbon nanotubes are separated by a space, and the space between the carbon nanotubes is completely filled with at least one solid material, and an electrolyte is confined inside the carbon nanotubes. A method for preparing the membrane and an electrochemical device, such as a lithium accumulator or battery, including the electrolyte membrane.

Methods and apparatus for forming apertures in a solid state membrane using dielectric breakdown are provided. In one disclosed arrangement a plurality of apertures are formed. The membrane comprises a first surface area portion on one side of the membrane and a second surface area portion on the other side of the membrane. Each of a plurality of target regions comprises a recess or a fluidic passage opening out into the first or second surface area portion. The method comprises contacting all of the first surface area portion of the membrane with a first bath comprising ionic solution and all of the second surface area portion with a second bath comprising ionic solution. A voltage is applied across the membrane via first and second electrodes in respective contact with the first and second baths comprising ionic solutions to form an aperture at each of a plurality of the target regions in the membrane.