A blood purification membrane capable of adsorbing creatinine which is a uremic toxin in the blood and purifying the blood, the blood purification membrane including fibers and particles adhered to the aforementioned fibers, wherein the aforementioned fibers are composed of a polymer insoluble in water, the aforementioned particles contain SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and pores capable of incorporating at least a portion of the aforementioned uremic toxin are provided in the aforementioned particles.

A desalination performance restoration agent for a cellulose acetate membrane contains: a solvent; and a modified polyvinyl alcohol mixed in the solvent. The modified polyvinyl alcohol has an acetyl group structure in at least part of polyvinyl alcohol.

A CO.sub.2 separation membrane can include a CO.sub.2-philic layer comprising one or more mobile CO.sub.2 carriers and one or more immobile CO.sub.2 carriers and a blended CO.sub.2-permeable and CO.sub.2-selective matrix that hosts the immobile or mobile CO.sub.2 carriers and porous nanostructures that adsorb water vapors. The CO.sub.2-philic layer can be disposed upstream of the CO.sub.2-permeance layer such that a flow of source gas to be separate enters the membrane from a feed side at which the CO.sub.2-philic layer is present and CO.sub.2 exits the membrane at a permeate side after passing through both the CO.sub.2-philic layer and the CO.sub.2-permeance layer.

A novel or improved base film for impregnation, impregnated base film, product incorporating the impregnated base film, and/or related methods as shown, claimed or described herein.

A composite separation membrane is disclosed prepared by forming a separation layer on a surface of a porous support membrane, characterized in that the porous support membrane contains 50% by mass or more of polyphenylene ether; that the separation layer is constituted from a first separation layer and a second separation layer; that the first separation layer is formed with a thickness of from 50 nm to 1 ?m on the surface of the porous support membrane and is a sulfonated polyarylene ether copolymer which comprises a repeated structure of a specific hydrophobic segment and a specific hydrophilic segment; and that the second separation layer is formed with a thickness of from 1 nm to less than 50 nm on a surface of the first separation layer and is an alternately-layered product constituted from one or more kinds of ionomers.

This invention provides a new high flux reverse osmosis (RO) membrane comprising a nanoporous polyethersulfone (PES)/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane (PEO-Si) blend support membrane (PES/PEO-Si) comprising a polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane (PEO-Si) polymer and a polyethersulfone (PES) polymer, a hydrophilic polymer inside the pores on the skin layer surface of the polyethersulfone/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane blend support membrane, and a thin, nanometer layer of cross-linked polyamide on the skin layer surface of said polyethersulfone/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane blend support membrane, and a method of making such a membrane. This invention also provides a method of using the new high flux reverse osmosis membrane comprising nanoporous PES/PEO-Si blend support membrane for water purification.

Membranes, methods of making the membranes, and methods of using the membranes are described. The membranes can comprise a support layer, and a selective polymer layer disposed on the support layer. The selective polymer layer can comprise an oxidatively stable carrier dispersed within a hydrophilic polymer matrix. The oxidatively stable carrier can be chosen from a quaternary ammonium hydroxide carrier (e.g., a mobile carrier such as a small molecule quaternary ammonium hydroxide, or a fixed carrier such as a quaternary ammonium hydroxide-containing polymer), a quaternary ammonium fluoride carrier (e.g., a mobile carrier such as a small molecule quaternary ammonium fluoride, or a fixed carrier such as a quaternary ammonium fluoride-containing polymer), and combinations thereof. The membranes can exhibit selective permeability to gases. The membranes can selectively remove carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide from hydrogen and/or nitrogen. Further, the membranes can exhibit oxidative stability at temperatures above 100? C.

Membranes of the present disclosure possess very thin barrier layers, with high selectivity, high throughput, low fouling, and are long lasting. The membranes include graphene and/or graphene oxide barrier layers on a nanofibrous supporting scaffold. Methods for forming these membranes, as well as uses thereof, are also provided. In embodiments, an article of the present disclosure includes a nanofibrous scaffold; at least a first layer of nanoporous graphene, nanoporous graphene oxide, or combinations thereof on at least a portion of a surface of the nanofibrous scaffold; an additive such as crosslinking agents and/or particles on an outer surface of the at least first layer of nanoporous graphene, nanoporous graphene oxide, or combinations thereof.

The present disclosure relates to a semipermeable membrane. The present disclosure aims to provide a semipermeable membrane having tolerance against a decrease over time in substance permeability. The present disclosure provides a semipermeable membrane containing a resin. The permeation rate of albumin in the semipermeable membrane is no lower than 30%. The albumin adsorption amount obtained when the semipermeable membrane measuring 1 cm on each side is immersed in a 0.1% albumin solution for 90 minutes is no greater than 10 ?g/cm.sup.2. The water permeation amount obtained when water is sucked through the semipermeable membrane at a negative pressure of 3?0.2 kPa is expressed by no smaller than 1,000 L/(m.sup.2.Math.hour). The semipermeable membrane can isolate a cell from an external environment.

A method is disclosed for preventing carbon nanotube degradation in ionizable environments. The method includes immersing a porous thin-film nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite Joule heating element in an ionizable environment; and applying an alternating current at a frequency of at least 100 Hz to the porous thin-film nanotube (CNT)/polymer composite Joule heating element in the ionizable environment.