A method for enhancing sorption performance of a sorbent material includes the step of increasing a surface area of the sorbent material for adsorption of a fluid at an interface between the fluid and the sorbent material by arranging one or more apertures to be disposed on the sorbent material, wherein each of the one or more apertures is further arranged to define an interior space for absorption of the fluid.

Disclosed is a composite adsorbent material comprising three components, including a porous media, a hygroscopic material, and graphite flakes. Among the many different possibility considered, it may be advantageous for the porous media to be mesoporous silica or the hygroscopic materials to be calcium chloride, lithium bromide, or lithium chloride. It is considered that the graphite flakes may comprise 50 percent or less of the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition, and certain embodiments may utilize between 15 and 30 percent graphite in the graphite flake-hygroscopic material composition. It is still further considered that the graphite flakes may advantageously be less than 300 microns in size, or may have an average number of carbon planes that is 100 or less. Additional materials may also be incorporated, including biologics, polymers, and catalysts.

A system and method for distilling water is disclosed. The system comprises a heat source, and a plurality of open-cycle adsorption stages, each stage comprising a plurality of beds and an evaporator and a condenser between a first bed and a second bed, wherein each bed comprises at least two vapor valves, a plurality of hollow tubes, a plurality of channels adapted for transferring water vapor to and from at least one of the condenser or the evaporator, a porous media, a hygroscopic material, and a plurality of graphite flakes, and wherein each vapor valve connects a bed to either the condenser or the evaporator. The method utilizes a number of open-cycle adsorption stages operate in an alternating cycle of forcing and relaxing, whereby both the latent heat of vaporization and the latent heat of adsorption are multiply reused to distill water.

A device and system for providing low concentration solar collection is disclosed. The device comprises a reflective parabolic trough, an evacuated tube collector, and a geared element for enabling the trough to utilize one-axis solar tracking. The system utilizes arrays of the solar collection devices, connected to a motor or actuator, to synchronize the tracking of each of the solar collection devices in the array. The heated fluid in each solar collection device is then transferred to a fluid flowing in a fluid transfer tube, where the fluid can be transported to a storage system for future power generation.

A superabsorbent material generally free of organic solvents and having a high overall porosity and a high percentage of micropores are provided. The superabsorbent material is formed from a high-molecular weight linear water-soluble absorbent polymer, and contains a plurality of micropores having a size of about 150 m or less.

An enhanced capture structure is disclosed, including a sorbent structure having a CO.sub.2 sorbent material. The capture structure also includes a plurality of barriers extending outward from the sorbent structure, each sized and positioned such that as an airflow passes along the sorbent structure, a high pressure region forms proximate the sorbent structure on a first side of the barrier facing into the airflow and a low pressure region forms proximate the sorbent structure on a second side of the barrier facing away from the airflow. The barriers on one side of the sorbent structure are staggered with respect to barriers on the other side such that a plurality of high and low pressure regions are formed, each high pressure region being formed opposite a low pressure region on the other side of the structure, creating a pressure differential that promotes CO.sub.2 mass transfer into the sorbent material via convection.

The present disclosure relates to a method and a solid phase microextraction sampling instrument for inserting into or through a solid or semisolid material to extract a component of interest from a sample, comprising a support structure at least partially coated with an extraction phase for extracting the component of interest, a protrusion that shields the coating during insertion, where the distances within a cross-sectional plane of the sampling instrument are greater than or equal to the corresponding distances in all of the cross-sectional planes located between the cross-sectional plane of interest and the insertion end of the sampling instrument. The present disclosure also discusses methods of making the instrument, desorption chambers, and methods for desorbing a component of interest from the instrument.

The invention described herein teaches methods of removing microvesicular particles, which include but are not limited to exosomes, from the systemic circulation of a subject in need thereof with the goal of reversing antigen-specific and antigen-nonspecific immune suppression. Said microvesicular particles could be generated by host cells that have been reprogrammed by neoplastic tissue, or the neoplastic tissue itself. Compositions of matter, medical devices, and novel utilities of existing medical devices are disclosed.

A carbon filter is disclosed. Such a carbon filter includes a carbon-based core having a central cavity, a layer of a polymer-based filter material surrounding the carbon-based core, and at least one end cap fixedly attached to the carbon-based core.

An adsorption material is provided, which includes a graphene scroll of a graphene sheet wrapping along an axis. The graphene scroll has a spiral shape at a cross-section perpendicular to the axis. A modifier is grafted on an interlayer and outside of the graphene scroll, and the modifier has a hydrophilic group.