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.

Bioartificial ultrafiltration devices comprising a scaffold comprising a population of cells enclosed in a matrix and disposed adjacent a plurality of channels are provided. The population of cells provides molecules such as therapeutic molecules to a subject in need thereof and is supported by the nutrients filtered in an ultrafiltrate from the blood of the subject. The plurality of channels in the scaffold facilitate the transportation of the ultrafiltrate and exchange of molecules between the ultrafiltrate and the population of cells.

Provided is a water-treatment filter module, an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a helical strand for a water-treatment filter module, and a method for manufacturing a spacer. Also provided is a water-treatment filter module comprising a membrane for filtering raw water, and a spacer laminated to the membrane and providing a plurality of passages for passing the raw water through to the membrane, wherein the spacer includes a first member extending in a first direction and a second member extending in a second direction that is different from the first direction and disposed so as to form spacer cells by intersecting with the first member, and at least one of the first member and the second member is wound in a spiral shape having a predetermined pitch of a predetermined radius around a central axis.

The present disclosure relates to a transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a fluid. The transport mechanism may have an inlet, an outlet and an engineered cellular structure forming a periodic nodal surface, which may include a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure. The structure is formed in a layer-by-layer three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include non-intersecting, continuously curving wall portions having openings, and where the opening in the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism from the inlet to the outlet, and where portions of the cells form the inlet and the outlet.

Provided is a porous membrane which has a high water permeability performance, a high blocking performance, and a durability performance against loads of long-term and high operation pressures, which are suitable for filtering applications. The porous membrane includes one surface to be on a side of a filtrate; and the other surface to be on a side of a liquid to be filtered, wherein a surface pore diameter index of the one surface is 2.5 or more, the surface pore diameter index being determined by dividing a pore diameter in a top surface by a pore diameter in a second top surface.

The present disclosure provides an improved filtration membrane suitable for filtration of blood in vivo. The improved filtration membrane is resistant to breakage with minimal areal penalty due to presence of a system of supports on the backside of the membrane. The minimal areal penalty is achieved by using supports that provide a hierarchical scaffolding that comprises ribs of two different heights as disclosed herein.

A method for making a filter membrane includes: forming a polymer layer; applying a plurality of nanoparticles on the polymer layer, the nanoparticles being self-assembled to form a closed pack arrangement on the polymer layer; heating the nanoparticles such that a portion of the polymer layer contacting the nanoparticles is softened so that the nanoparticles are sunk into the polymer layer; and removing the nanoparticles from the polymer layer so that the polymer layer is formed with a plurality of pores penetrating the polymer layer and being arranged in a honeycomb pattern.

A method for forming an isoporous graded film comprising multiblock copolymers and isoporous graded films. The films have a surface layer and a bulk layer. The surface layer can have at least 1×10.sup.14 pores/m.sup.2 and a pore size distribution (d.sub.max/d.sub.min)) of less than 3. The bulk layer has an asymmetric structure. The films can be used in filtration applications.

In particles removal with extremely high filtration efficiency and the ability to block submicron airborne particles by a sieving mechanism is provided. This novel nanoporous filter advantageously combines extremely high transmittance for visible light and ultraviolet light, reusability after cleaning or disinfection by ultraviolet irradiation or simple washing, a customizable sieving pore size ranging from a few nanometers to 500 nanometers, and the ability to carry bactericidal, virucidal or other reagents or particles on the nano or micro scale.

The invention provides systems and methods for substantially improving the compaction resistance of isoporous block copolymer (BCP) film by adding a high molecular weight hydrophilic additive in the casting dope formulation. Systems and methods disclosed also disclose several other multifunctional enhancements to film properties including: low fouling propensity, improved permeability, improved permeability retention upon drying, and ability to tune the substructure and pore size of these novel BCP films. These porous BCP films are useful in filtration and separations applications and are amenable to standard manufacturing practices.