The invention relates to a device, a method, and a kit for separating particles of different sizes in a liquid. The invention additionally relates to applications of the device. The device and the method involve the capability of binding particles to solid phase particles with different diameters in a liquid, whereby the hydrodynamic diameter of the solid-phase particles determines whether the particles can pass through pores of a filter element, the diameter of said pores being modifiable in a controlled manner (e.g., the diameter can be increased or decreased). Thus, particles of equal size (e.g., B-cells and T-cells) of a liquid can be separated from one another with a high degree of separation efficiency, wherein the particles can be separated simply, quickly, and inexpensively. High yields can be produced, and the particles can be provided in a therapeutically applicable liquid.

A filtration cell (10) for a biological sample including an upper chamber for receiving the biological sample to be filtered, a lower chamber in fluid communication with the upper chamber, and a filtration membrane (14) positioned between the upper chamber and the lower chamber is disclosed. A surface of the filtration membrane has a contact angle >90. The flow of the biological sample through the upper chamber may be tangential to the filtration membrane and a filtrate passing through the filtration membrane may be collected in the lower chamber. Also, a method of filtering a biological sample including passing the biological sample through an upper chamber of a filtration cell as described above and collecting a filtrate in the lower chamber is disclosed.

Proposed is a reliable and cost-effective universal material tester with reduced cross-talk between the sensors. The sensor unit consists of a pressure-sensor unit that measures a vertical force applied to the test probe during movement of the test probe relative to the test specimen and a horizontal force sensor unit for measuring the horizontally directed friction force. The horizontal force sensor unit is made in the form of a flexible parallelogram consisting of two sensor-holding plates interconnected through flexible beams, wherein one end of the first beam is attached to the upper sensor-holding plate and the opposite end to the lower sensor-holding plate, while one end of the second beam is attached to the lower sensor-holding plate and the other to the upper one. The beams are installed with gaps relative to both plates. The tester has a quick-release test probe that incorporates a soft-touch feature.

A method for fabricating a nanopore at a particular location in a membrane includes controlling a dielectric strength of the membrane at a particular location on the membrane while applying one of an electric potential or an electric current to the membrane, monitoring an electrical property across the membrane while one of the electric potential or the electric current is being applied across the membrane, detecting an abrupt change in the electrical property across the membrane while one of the electric potential or the electric current is being applied across the membrane; and removing the electric potential or the electric current from the membrane in response to detecting the abrupt change in the electrical property.

Filtering systems, methods, and devices, particularly adapted for apheresis of cellular bodies and more specifically for apheresis of circulating tumor cell bodies (CTCs) employs a cross-flow channel. Systems and methods as well as devices for such a system are described. Embodiments include a cylindrical filter that employs a thin micro-machined porous filter membrane with a regular array of pores and reliably pass blood while trapping CTCs.

The present disclosure provides a device for separating cells in fluid, comprising a first driving pump, a separation column, a detection column, a second driving pump, and several three-way valves and secondary driving pumps; one end of the separation column is connected with the first driving pump through a first three-way valve; the other end is connected with the second driving pump through a second three-way valve; the separation column includes at least five sub filtration columns in parallel; the sub filtration column comprises a fixing bracket and a track-etched membrane of polycarbonate or polyester material attached to the bottom of and the side surfaces all around the fixing bracket, wherein the pore diameter of the track-etched membrane is 5-25 m. The device of the present disclosure not only provides a new method for accurately determining whether there are circulating tumor cells in the blood of the living animal and provides a new method for sorting and counting the circulating tumor cells in the blood of the living animal, but also provides a pioneering new method and new device for therapy of the tumor transfer and removal of the tumor cells inside the body, and has extremely high economic and social values.

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.

A method providing direct access to porous three-dimensionally (3D) continuous polymer network structures and shapes by combining BCP-resol co-assembly with CO.sub.2 laser-induced transient heating. The CO2 laser source transiently heats the BCP-directed resol hybrid films to high temperatures at the beam position, inducing locally controlled resol thermopolymerization and BCP decomposition in ambient conditions. This enables shaping of BCP-directed porous resin structures with tunable 3D interconnected pores in a single process. Pore size can be varied from 10 nm to about 600 nm.

A system for separating, isolating, and concentrating extracellular vesicles (EVs) is provided. The system comprises an ultrafiltration device; an isoporous membrane configured for use in the ultrafiltration device; and a collection container for collecting filtrate from the ultrafiltration device. The ultrafiltration device may be configured to perform diafiltration. The ultrafiltration device may comprise a fixed-volume ultrafiltration device. The ultrafiltration device may comprise a tangential flow filtration device. The system may be scalable.

Filtration membrane with improved mechanical stability and increased resistance to pressure is provided. The filtration membrane is useful for in vivo implantable filtration devices, such as, an artificial kidney. In vivo implantable filtration devices are also provided.