This invention relates to a hydrophilic polymer and membrane for oil-water separation. More particularly, this invention relates to a super hydrophilic polymer and membrane with zwitterionic property for oil-water separation, and method of producing the same. The hydrophilic polymer comprises polymer repeat units, each unit having at least one negatively charged carboxylic functional group and at least one positively charged amine functional group; and a monomer having a single aromatic ring and an imide functional group.

A porous membrane separator for a secondary battery, comprising a separator substrate, a porous membrane formed on at least one surface of the separator substrate, and an adhesive layer formed on the porous membrane, wherein: the porous membrane contains non-conductive particles and a water-soluble maleimide-maleic acid copolymer including a specific structural unit (a) a structural unit (b); and the adhesive layer contains a particulate polymer having a glass transition temperature of 10? C. or higher and 110? C. or lower.

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

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.

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.

The present invention provides a separation membrane that is usable at a high temperature and a high pressure. The solvent-resistant separation membrane of the present invention has an average pore diameter of the separation membrane surface of 0.005 to 1 ?m and includes a portion where a degree of cyclization (I.sub.1600/I.sub.2240) as measured by the total reflection infrared absorption spectroscopy is 0.5 to 50.

This application relates to a separator for a rechargeable battery. The separator includes a porous substrate and a coating layer on at least one surface of the porous substrate. The coating layer includes a binder including a fluorine-based binder and a (meth)acryl-based binder, and a filler. The fluorine-based binder includes a first structural unit derived from vinylidene fluoride and a second structural unit derived from at least one monomer of hexafluoropropylene, chlorotrifluoroethylene, trifluoroethylene, ethylene tetrafluoride, and ethylene monomers, and the second structural unit is included in an amount of 10 wt % or less with respect to the fluorine-based binder. The fluorine-based binder includes a first fluorine-based binder having a weight average molecular weight of 800,000 to 1,500,000 and a second fluorine-based binder having a weight average molecular weight of less than or equal to 600,000. The (meth)acryl-based binder has pencil hardness of 5H or higher.

A composite ion exchange membrane comprising a cationically-charged membrane and an oppositely charged compound covalently bound thereto, the composite ion exchange membrane having: (i) a zeta-potential lower than ?8 mV; and (ii) an effective charge lower than 20 ?mol/m.sup.2.

A graphene-based membrane and a method of producing the same are disclosed. The graphene-based membrane may include a graphene-polymer composite, wherein the graphene-polymer composite may consist of an amine functionalized graphene and a polymer containing an anhydride group as a linker for linking the amine functionalized graphene to the polymer. The graphene-based membrane may be constructed of a single-layer. A method may include reacting a polymer containing an anhydride with an amine functionalized graphene in presence of a solvent to form an intermediate product; and thermal imidizing the intermediate product to form a graphene grafted polymer composite for use in fabricating a graphene-based membrane.

The invention relates to a method for creating a porous film through aqueous phase separation, the method comprising: i) providing an aqueous solution comprising a responsive copolymer, and optionally a charged polymer, wherein at least one of the monomers in the responsive copolymer is a responsive monomer; ii) forming the aqueous solution into a thin layer and contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the responsive copolymer is not soluble, or contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which a complex comprising the responsive copolymer and the charged polymer is not soluble; and iii) allowing solvent exchange between the aqueous solution and the aqueous coagulation solution to produce a porous film. The invention further relates to porous films or membranes thus obtained.