The present invention relates to the development and fabrication of thin-film polymer composite materials containing vertically aligned nanopores. The present invention provides methods of aligning nanopores in a polymeric film. The present invention also provides composite materials and methods of fabricating composite materials containing vertically aligned nanopores.

Provided is a scale inhibitor for RO membranes which effectively inhibits the precipitation of calcium carbonate in an RO membrane treatment without increasing the phosphorus concentration in effluent and which can be used even in the RO membrane treatment of feed in which high-M-alkalinity concentrate having a calcium hardness level of 100 to 600 mg/L-CaCO.sub.3 and an M alkalinity of 1000 to 16000 mg-CaCO.sub.3/L is produced. A scale inhibitor for reverse osmosis membranes which inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate scale in an RO membrane treatment, the scale inhibitor including components (A) and (B) below. An RO membrane treatment method including adding the scale inhibitor for RO membranes to RO feed. Component (A): Terpolymer of maleic acid, an acrylic acid alkyl ester, and vinyl acetate, Component (B): Homopolymer of carboxylic acid

A surface-modified filter membrane for filtering blood, in particular for separating blood plasma and blood serum, and a method for the production thereof, a filter provided therewith and the use thereof.

The invention provides polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membranes adapted for use in bioseparation processes, the membranes including a nonwoven web of polyester fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than about 1.5 microns, each of the plurality of polyester fibers having grafted thereon a plurality of polymer segments constructed of a methacrylate polymer, each polymer segment carrying a functional group adapted for binding to a target molecule. The invention also provides a method of bioseparation comprising passing a solution comprising the target molecule, such as a protein, through the nonwoven membrane of the invention such that at least a portion of the target molecule in the solution binds to the nonwoven membrane. A method for preparing a polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membrane adapted for use in bioseparation processes is also provided.

The present invention aims to provide a gas-selective permeable membrane that has gas permeability and gas selectivity capable of highly separating a target gas from other gases, is less likely to be influenced by the temperature condition employed, and is excellent in strength and handleability. The invention uses at least one or more polymerizable compounds to provide a gas-selective permeable film that contains a polymer having an optically uniaxial or multiaxial molecular alignment and to provide a laminate including a gas-permeable substrate and the permeable membrane laminated thereon.

Electrospun poly(acrylic) acid (PAA)/poly(vinyl) alcohol PVA nanofibers and integrated filtration membranes generated therefrom are disclosed herein. The membranes are suitable for use in selectively removing heavy metals such as lead and cadmium from water. The surface of the nanofibers is preferably functionalized with one or more chelating agents. The membranes have a high removal efficiency and adsorption capacity with well-distributed high-density heavy metal adsorption sites with strong binding affinities for targeted heavy metals.

A composite material is described that is an effective filter to separate oil from an oil and water emulsion or other mixtures of oil and water. The composite material has a permeable substrate, such as fabric, that is coated with a selectively-permeable coating. The composite material allows only oil to pass through, while water is prevented from passing through. The composite material has two main components, a hydrophobic component and an emulsion-destabilizing component.

Disclosed is a composite material comprising a support member that has a plurality of pores extending therethrough, which pores are durably filled or coated with a non-crosslinked gel polymer. Also disclosed is a process for the preparation of the composite material, use of the composite material as a separation medium, and a filtering apparatus comprising the composite material.

The invention is in the field of methods for preparing polymer films, and of such polymer films. The method involves phase separation and requires only aqueous solution, eliminating the need for organic solvents. The aqueous phase separation involves contacting a polymer solution comprising a trigger-responsive polymer with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the trigger-responsive polymer is not soluble.

A functional polymer membrane including a porous support and a crosslinked polymer electrolyte, in which the film thickness of the functional polymer membrane is smaller than 100 ?m, the crosslinked polymer electrolyte is a crosslinked polymer formed by subjecting a composition including a monomer having a (meth)acrylamide skeleton to a polymerization curing reaction, and the proportion of elemental oxygen in the elemental composition excluding elemental hydrogen and helium at the surface of the porous support is from 14.0 atom % to 25.0 atom %; and a method for producing the same are provided.