The present disclosure is related to porous media with adjustable fluid permeabilities and related systems and methods. In certain cases, the fluid permeability of a porous medium can be adjusted by applying an electrical potential to the porous medium. In some such cases, the application of the electrical potential to the porous medium results in the deposition of material over or the removal of material from the porous medium. Also disclosed herein are systems and methods for capturing species (e.g., acid gases) in which porous media with adjustable fluid permeabilities are used, for example, to control the flow of fluid into and out of a medium used to capture the species.

The inventions discloses a method for reducing fouling on the surface of a ceramic membrane or filter with a recalcitrant filtration cake thereon that is non-responsive to regular back-flushing or other physical means of removal, where the ceramic membrane or filter is subjected to steam fast-flushing by injecting steam directly in feed channel of the ceramic membrane or filter while back-flushing the ceramic membrane or filter at the same time to heat and remove fouled layer on the ceramic membrane or filter while cooling a selective layer of the ceramic membrane or filter to avoid thermal shocking of the ceramic membrane or filter, the surface is cleaned with the ceramic membrane or filter being stationary.

Nano-structured anodic aluminum oxide ceramic films and membranes doped with chelated metals for fluorescence enhancement. Controlled doping during production steps results in the inclusion of traces of ions in the finished materials while maintaining high control over the film structure. This approach yields products suitable for optical applications, including fluorescence enhancement. The nano-structured anodic aluminum oxide ceramic films and membranes are particularly useful for in vitro diagnostics, drug discovery, DNA sequencing, proteomics, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, biosensing, and bio-assay fluorescence technologies such as time resolved Forster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET), Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), Fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), Fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA), Fluorescence anisotropy or fluorescence polarization, Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), Fluorescence Loss in Photobleaching (FLIP), Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), and Falck-Hillarp fluorescence (F-H).

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to systems, apparatus, and methods for fluid purification (e.g., water) with a ceramic membrane. For example, the present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to a cross-flow fluid filtration assembly comprising (a) membrane housing comprising a plurality of hexagonal prism shaped membranes (b) an inlet configured to receive the contaminated fluid and to channel a contaminated fluid to the first end of the plurality of hexagonal prism shaped membranes, and (c) an outlet configured to receive a permeate released from the second end of the plurality of hexagonal shaped membranes. The present disclosure also relates to a cross-flow fluid filtration module comprising a fluid path defined by a contaminated media inlet chamber, a fluid filtration assembly positioned in a permeate chamber and a concentrate chamber.

A carbon dioxide separation membrane according to the present invention includes: an ionic liquid affinitive porous layer (C) having an ionic liquid-containing liquid (A) retained in voids; and an ionic liquid non-affinitive porous layer (B). The ionic liquid affinitive porous layer (C) may contain inorganic materials (for example, metal oxide particles having an average particle size of about 0.001 to 5 μm on a number basis). An average thickness of the ionic liquid affinitive porous layer (C) may be about from 0.01 to 10 μm. The ionic liquid affinitive porous layer (C) may include the ionic liquid-containing liquid (A) at a ratio from 0.1 to 99 parts by volume with respect to 100 parts by volume of voids. It may be a carbon dioxide separation membrane for fertilizing plants with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide separation membrane can reduce a size of the carbon dioxide concentrating device and enables smooth operation of the device.

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.

Processes for manufacturing continuous laterally graded porous membranes are disclosed. Such processes utilize freeze casting techniques with a continuous varying solids loading method to make laterally graded porous membranes. Also disclosed are laterally graded porous membranes.

A two-reactor catalytic system including a catalytic membrane gasification reactor and a catalytic membrane water gas shift reactor. The catalytic system, for converting biomass to hydrogen gas, features a novel gasification reactor containing both hollow fiber membranes that selectively allow O.sub.2 to permeate therethrough and a catalyst that facilitates tar reformation. Also disclosed is a process of converting biomass to H2. The process includes the steps of, among others, introducing air into a hollow fiber membrane; mixing the O.sub.2 permeating through the hollow fiber membrane and steam to react with biomass to produce syngas and tar; and reforming the tar in the presence of a catalyst to produce more syngas.

A ceramic membrane filter includes a porous substrate including cells through which a fluid flows, an intermediate membrane formed on the porous substrate, and a separation membrane formed on the intermediate membrane. In this ceramic membrane filter, the percentage of the number of cells having cracks with a size of 4 μm or less relative to the total number of cells is 9% or less.

The present invention relates to modified ceramic membranes for the treatment of water. The invention discloses a modified ceramic membrane, comprising: a ceramic membrane, and an outer surface of said ceramic membrane is grafted by a hydrophilic organosilane, wherein said organosilane is selected from the group consisting of: CH30(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH3)3, where x is >4 and y is >0; CH30(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH2CH3)3, where x is >4 and y is >0; (CH30)3Si(CH2)yO(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH3)3, N where x is >4 and y is >0; and (CH3CH20)3Si(CH2)yO(C2H40)x(CH2)ySi(OCH2CI-13)3, where x is >4 and y is >0.