The present disclosure concerns a micromechanical device and a method for manufacturing the same. The micromechanical device may comprise a membrane structure suspended on a substrate. The membrane structure may comprise a perforated gas permeable membrane comprising a plurality of perforations, and a reinforcement structure being coupled with the perforated membrane for stiffening the perforated membrane and/or for increasing the mechanical stability of the perforated membrane in order to attenuate an oscillation of the perforated membrane.

Microstructure separation filters are provided herein, as well as chromatography and other separation devices. An exemplary filter device includes a microstructure filter has a plurality of layers of alternating sacrificial and/or structural material which have been etched to create inlet channels and outlet channels. Adjacent ones of the inlet channels and the outlet channels are spaced apart from one another by cross channels that filter a fluid from the inlet channels to the outlet channels. The cross channels include filter features formed by etching away of a portion of the layers. The device also includes a housing configured to receive the microstructure filter.

The present disclosure relates to a membrane extraction apparatus for extracting a component from a first liquid. The apparatus may incorporate a housing comprised of first and second mating housing halves, with each housing half having an open faced channel formed therein such that the channels at least partially overlay one another when the two housing halves are secured together. A membrane filter is disposed between the two housing halves to overlay the open faced channels. The membrane filter extracts the component from the first liquid and transfers the component into the second liquid as the first and second liquids flow through the first and second housing halves.

A method for fabricating calcite channels in a nanofluidic device is described. A porous membrane is attached to a substrate. Calcite is deposited in porous openings in the porous membrane attached to the substrate. A width of openings in the deposited calcite is in a range from 50 to 100 nanometers (nm). The porous membrane is etched to remove the porous membrane from the substrate to form a fabricated calcite channel structure. Each channel has a width in the range from 50 to 100 nm.

A monolayer membrane containing gelling polymer particles having at least one of a basic functional group and an acidic functional group, and having a thickness of less than 5 μm. A composite having a porous carrier and gelling polymer particles having at least any one of a basic functional group and an acidic functional group and filling up the surface pores of the porous carrier. The invention can provide a novel material capable of efficiently separating an acid gas from a mixed gas.

Methods for forming porous or nanoporous semiconductor materials are described. The methods allow for the formation of arrays pores or nanopores in semiconductor materials with advantageous pore size, spacing, pore volume, material thickness, and other aspects. Porous and nanoporous materials also are provided.

A method for fabricating calcite channels in a nanofluidic device is described. A porous membrane is attached to a substrate. Calcite is deposited in porous openings in the porous membrane attached to the substrate. A width of openings in the deposited calcite is in a range from 50 to 100 nanometers (nm). The porous membrane is etched to remove the porous membrane from the substrate to form a fabricated calcite channel structure. Each channel has a width in the range from 50 to 100 nm.

Embodiments of the present disclosure feature an intrinsically microporous ladder-type Trger's base polymer including a repeat unit based on a combination of W-shaped CANAL-type and V-shaped Trger's base building blocks, methods of making the intrinsically microporous ladder-type Trger's base polymer, and methods of using the intrinsically microporous ladder-type Trger's base polymer to separate a chemical species from a fluid composition including a mixture of chemical species. Embodiments of the present disclosure further include ladder-type diamine monomers for reacting to form a Trger's base in situ, and methods of making the ladder-type diamine monomers using catalytic arene-norbornene annulation.

The present invention relates to a layered semipermeable membrane satisfying the conditions below. (A) The maximum peak intensity between 3700 and 2900 cm.sup.1 is 0.08 or greater in the difference spectrum between an IR spectrum measured at 25 C. and 97% relative humidity and an IR spectrum measured at 25 C. and 3% relative humidity. (B) The peak top wavenumber between 3700 and 2900 cm.sup.1 of the aforementioned difference spectrum is 3400 cm.sup.1 to 3550 cm.sup.1. (C) The N1s peak has a maximum value at 401 eV or greater in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in which X-rays are radiated to a coat layer.

A hardness reduction filter is provided. The hardness reduction filter may include a filter housing having a space formed therein, a filter provided in the space of the filter housing to filter out foreign materials from water flowing into the filter housing, and hardness reduction catalysts provided between the filter housing and the filter and configured to perform at least one of removing a hard water material contained in the water or preventing formation of a scale inducing material in the water flowing into the filter housing.