An asymmetric hollow fiber (CMS) carbon molecular sieve is made by providing a dope solution comprised of a polvimide and a solvent, at a temperature greater than 250 C. that is less than the storage modulus at a temperature of 250 C., but no more than ten times less as measured using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis from 250 C. to a temperature where the polyimide carbonizes. The polvimide is shaped into a hollow polvimide fiber, the solvent removed and the polyimide hollow fiber is heated to pyroiyze the polvimide and form the asymmetric hollow carbon molecular sieve. The asymmetric hollow fiber carbon molecular sieve has a wall that is defined by an inner surface and outer surface of said fiber and the wall has an inner porous support region extending from the inner surface to an outer raicroporous separation region that extends from the inner porous support region to the outer surface. Surprisingly, when the polyimide has the particular storage modulus characteristics, the method allows for the hollow fiber CMS to be made without any pre-treatmenis or additives to inhibit stractural collapse of the inner microporous region.

Provided is a vinylidene fluoride porous hollow fiber membrane excellent in fouling resistance due to reduced organic substance absorbance, preferably having preferable pore structures to enable to have high permeability, high fractionation performance, and good process controllability. The membrane includes a vinylidene fluoride resin and 0.5 to 10% by weight of a hydrophilic resin, having a ratio Pi/Po of 2.5 to 50 where Pi and Po denote an average pore size on inner surface and an average pore size on outer surface, respectively, and having a pure water permeation rate satisfying the following formula:
(FLUX.sub.d/FLUX.sub.w)10040.0 wherein FLUX.sub.d represents a pure water permeation rate (L/m.sup.2/hr/98 kPa) of the hollow fiber membrane in a dry state, and FLUX.sub.w represents a pure water permeation rate (L/m.sup.2/hr/98 kPa) of the hollow fiber membrane in a wet state.

Hierarchical porous membranes suitable for use in oil/water separation processes are provided. The membranes described herein are particularly well suited for separating trace amounts of water (e.g., no greater than 3 wt % water content, no greater than 1 wt % water content, or 50-1000 ppm water) from oil. The membranes have a wide range of applications, including deep seep oil exploration, oil purification, and oil spill cleanup.

A polymer ultrafiltration membrane with a bicontinuous highly interconnected porous structure, a preparation method and applications thereof are provided. The ultrafiltration membrane has a bottom layer and a polymer layer. The polymer layer is divided into a sublayer and a surface layer. The surface layer is of a uniform small pore structure with a narrow pore size distribution. The sublayer is of a bicontinuous highly interconnected three-dimensional network porous structure. The bicontinuous highly interconnected porous structure of the bicontinuous highly interconnected porous ultrafiltration membrane is characterized as follows: in the thickness direction of the sublayer, the cross-sectional porosity on any XY cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction is 40-90%, preferably 60-90%, and further preferably 70-90%; and the difference in the cross-sectional porosities between any two XY cross-sections does not exceed 10%, preferably not exceed 8%, and also preferably not exceed 5%.

Described are porous sintered metal membranes that include multiple layers made from different metal particles, that may be useful as filter membranes, and methods of making and using the porous sintered metal membranes.

A method of making a ceramic honeycomb article which includes: applying at least one green membrane coating layer on a green substrate, the green substrate comprising a plurality of cells comprised of a plurality of interior channels and a plurality of porous interior walls between the channels; drying the at least one green membrane coating layer on the green substrate to produce a green coated substrate; and firing the green coated substrate into a porous substrate, wherein applying the at least one green membrane coating layer and the drying the at least one green membrane coating layer are repeated from 2 to 10 times prior to firing to form multiple green membrane coating layers on the green substrate and wherein the firing the green coated substrate forms a ceramic honeycomb article comprised of the porous substrate and multiple fired coating layers on the porous substrate.

A separation membrane has high strength and low leakage property while maintaining high gas permeability using poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) excellent in chemical resistance and gas permeability. The separation membrane contains poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) as a main component, in which a ratio RA of a rigid amorphous of poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) in the separation membrane is 43% or more and 60% or less, a porosity is 30% or more and 70% or less, and a dense layer is provided on at least one surface.

Provided are a hydrophilic porous membrane including a porous membrane and a hydroxyalkyl cellulose retained in the porous membrane, in which the average pore size differs between two surfaces of the porous membrane, the hydroxyalkyl cellulose distributed in the thickness direction of the hydrophilic porous membrane exhibits two or more peaks of detection intensity in GPC, and the weight-average molecular weight Mw.sub.min of the peak that is detected latest among the above-mentioned peaks is less than 100,000; and a method for producing a hydrophilic porous membrane, the method including separately preparing a hydrophilizing liquid including a hydroxyalkyl cellulose having a smaller weight-average molecular weight and a hydrophilizing liquid including a hydroxyalkyl cellulose having a larger weight-average molecular weight, and applying each of the hydrophilizing liquids on two surfaces of the porous membrane or sequentially on one surface thereof.

Hydrophobic poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) hollow fiber membrane for retention of anesthetic agents with an inner and an outer surface and between inner and outer surface an essentially isotropic support layer with a sponge-like, open-pored, microporous structure free of macrovoids and adjacent to this support layer on the outer surface a dense separation layer with a thickness between 1.0 and 3.5 ?m. The membrane has a porosity in the range of greater than 35% to less than 50% by volume and a permeance for CO.sub.2 of IN 20-60 mol/(h.Math.m.sup.2.Math.bar), a gas separation factor ?(CO.sub.2/N.sub.2) of at least 5 and a selectivity CO.sub.2/anesthetic agents of at least 150. The process of for producing this membrane is based on a thermally induced phase separation process in which process a homogeneous solution of a poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) in a solvent system containing components A and B is formed, wherein component A is a strong solvent and component B a weak non-solvent for the polymer component. After formation of a hollow fiber the hollow fiber is cooled in a liquid cooling medium to form a hollow fiber membrane. The concentration of the polymer component in the solution may be in the range from 42.5 to 45.8 wt.-% and the hollow fiber leaving the die runs through a gap between die and cooling medium with a gap length in the range of 5-30 mm.

A system for degassing a hydrocarbon fluid from a hydrocarbon liquid has a plurality of hollow tube membranes. The hollow tube membranes are formed of a plastic providing an inner support body and an outer selective layer which is denser than the inner support body. The inner support body is formed of spherulitic structures. A fuel supply system and a method ae also disclosed.