A composite membrane comprising: a) a porous support; b) a gutter layer; and c) a discriminating layer; wherein at least 10% of the discriminating layer is intermixed with the gutter layer.

A composite membrane comprising: a) a porous support; b) a gutter layer, a portion of which is present within the support and a portion of which is outside of the support; and c) a discriminating layer on the gutter layer; wherein: (i) the portion of the gutter layer outside of the support has an average thickness (GL.sub.e) of 10 nm to 900 nm; and (ii) the portion of the gutter layer present within the support has an average thickness (GL.sub.i) of 10% to 350% of GL.sub.e.

A composite membrane comprising: (a) a porous support; (b) a gutter layer; (c) a discriminating layer having an average thickness of at most 90 nm; and (d) a protective layer having an average thickness 150 nm to 600 nm comprising dialkylsiloxane groups.

A structure and method for carbon capture, e.g., in flue gas. An oxygen-terminated crown pore in graphene can be provided. Exposed carbon atoms on the pore edge can be bonded with oxygen to make a crown pore. When the CO.sub.2 is inside the pore, the electrostatic interaction becomes attractive because the positively charged carbon atom in CO.sub.2 is now exposed to negatively charged oxygen atoms on the crown pore edge. A favorable interaction between CO.sub.2 and the crown pore can be expected.

A process for preparing a composite membrane comprising the steps: a) applying a radiation-curable composition to a porous support; b) irradiating the composition and thereby forming a gutter layer of cured polymer; and c) forming a discriminating layer on the gutter layer; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises a partially crosslinked, radiation-curable polymer comprising epoxy groups and siloxane groups, a photoinitiator and is substantially free from mono-epoxy compounds. Composite membranes and gas separation cartridges are also claimed.

Methods herein disclosed include methods of producing a nanoporous membrane by coating a planar substrate (204) with a solution (solution tank 201) containing a reactive metal adatom. The coated planar substrate can then be perforated by initiating a redox reaction between the reactive metal adatom and the planar substrate that causes the reactive metal adatom to remove material, forming nanoscale pores in the planar substrate that result in a nanoporous planar material. This nanoporous planar material can be formed into a nanoporous membrane.

A process for preparing a composite membrane comprising the steps of: a) applying a radiation-curable composition to a porous support; b) irradiating the composition and thereby forming a layer of cured polymer of thickness 20 to 400 nm on the support; c) forming a discriminating layer on the layer of cured polymer; and d) optionally forming a protective layer on the discriminating layer; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises a partially crosslinked, radiation-curable polymer comprises dialkylsiloxane groups. Composite membranes are also claimed.

A method for making a nanoporous membrane is disclosed. The method provides a composite film comprising an atomically thin material layer and a polymer layer, and then bombarding the composite film with energetic particles to form a plurality of pores through at least the atomically thin material layer. The nanoporous membrane also has a atomically thin material layer with a plurality of apertures therethrough and a polymer film layer adjacent one side of the graphene layer. The polymer film layer has a plurality of enlarged pores therethrough, which are aligned with the plurality of apertures. All of the enlarged pores may be concentrically aligned with all the apertures. In one embodiment the atomically thin material layer is graphene.

A fluid deionizer includes at least one graphene sheet perforated with apertures dimensioned to allow a flow of fluid and to disallow at least one particular type of ion contained in the flow of fluid. A purge valve is placed in an open position so as to collect the at least one particular type of ion disallowed by the graphene sheet so as to clean off the at least one graphene sheet. Another embodiment provides a deionizer with graphene sheets in cylindrical form. A separation apparatus is also provided in a cross-flow arrangement where a pressurized source directs a medium along a path substantially parallel to at least one sheet of graphene from an inlet to an outlet. The medium flows through the plural perforated apertures while a remaining portion of the medium and the disallowed components in the medium flow out the outlet.

The present disclosure provides a rigid self-supporting MXene separation membrane and a preparation method and use thereof, belonging to the technical field of membranes. In the present disclosure, a MXene material is mixed with an aluminum salt powder to conduct one-step membrane formation by hot-pressing. The pressure forms the powder into a membrane and imparts rigidity, enabling a self-supporting structure; the heating breaks an ionic bond of an inorganic metal salt to reach a molten ionic state, and free metal cations react with active oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of the MXene to form new chemical bonds (such as an AlO bond); such a chemical bond has higher energy, achieving a desirable anti-swelling effect to improve the membrane stability. The separation membrane further has excellent conductivity and hydrophilicity.