A method providing direct access to porous three-dimensionally (3D) continuous polymer network structures and shapes by combining BCP-resol co-assembly with CO.sub.2 laser-induced transient heating. The CO.sub.2 laser source transiently heats the BCP-directed resol hybrid films to high temperatures at the beam position, inducing locally controlled resol thermopolymerization and BCP decomposition in ambient conditions. This enables shaping of BCP-directed porous resin structures with tunable 3D interconnected pores in a single process. Pore size can be varied from 10 nm to about 600 nm.

Described are devices for purifying a liquid that is contained in a sealable container, to storage systems for containing and purifying a liquid, and to related methods.

An asymmetric hydrophobic polyolefin hollow fiber membrane includes a support layer and a separation layer, the separation layer including an outer surface, the outer surface including a quantity of first pores with a certain pore size; presence of the first pores facilitates an anesthetic gas such as sevoflurane and remifentanil to permeate through the hollow fiber membrane into the human blood, allowing for the patient to maintain sedated throughout a surgical process; meanwhile, the first pores facilitate reduction of dosage of the anesthetic in the surgery, thereby reducing surgical costs and avoid overdosage of the anesthetic causing secondary impairment to the patient; in addition, the hollow fiber membrane offers a long plasma permeation duration, a high tensile strength and a high elongation at break to satisfy application needs, particularly suitable for human blood oxygenation including anesthetic gas and the gas-liquid separation areas.

A universal, scalable, solvent-free, one-step method for thermal annealing a stainless steel membrane to create a superhydrophilic surface. The superhydrophilic membrane itself, and methods for using it to separate oil and water in an oil and water mixture or for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and other organic contaminants.

A filter device includes one or more filter membranes, and a filter housing enclosing the one or more filter membranes. Each of the filter membranes includes a base membrane made of a ceramic material, and a plurality of through holes. The base membrane is coated with a coating material.

Methods of making blended, isoporous, asymmetric (graded) films (e.g. ultrafiltration membranes) comprising two or more chemically distinct block copolymers and blended, isoporous, asymmetric (graded) films (e.g. ultrafiltration membranes) comprising two or more chemically distinct block copolymers. The generation of blended membranes by mixing two chemically distinct block copolymers in the casting solution demonstrates a pathway to advanced asymmetric block copolymer derived films, which can be used as ultrafiltration membranes, in which different pore surface chemistries and associated functionalities can be integrated into a single membrane via standard membrane fabrication, i.e. without requiring laborious post-fabrication modification steps. The block copolymers may be diblock, triblock and/or multiblock mixes and some block copolymers in the mix may be functionally modified. Triblock copolymers comprising a reactive group (e.g., sulfhydryl group) terminated block and films comprising the triblock copolymers.

Described are platforms, systems, media, and methods for maintaining a database of items associated with one or more skill requirements and a visit duration; maintaining a database of experts associated with one or more skill proficiencies, a location, and a schedule; receiving a request from a consumer for delivery by an expert of one or more items in the database to a consumer address; identifying experts in the database having skill proficiencies matching the skill requirements of the one or more items and available in a timeslot for the visit duration of the one or more items; presenting timeslots for which one or more experts are identified to the consumer and allowing the consumer to select a timeslot; and selecting an expert from among the identified experts in the selected timeslot based on shortest travel time; provided that utilization of the selected expert exceeds a predetermined utilization threshold.

The present invention relates to a purification/filtration system using reverse electro-osmotic flow through a composite or hybrid membrane element. The invention also relates to a process for purifying an electrolyte solution using such system. The invention further relates to a water purification system, a water desalination system and an implantable artificial kidney, comprising a reverse electro-osmotic filtration system according to the invention.

A universal, scalable, solvent-free, one-step method for thermal annealing a stainless steel membrane to create a superhydrophilic surface. The superhydrophilic membrane itself, and methods for using it to separate oil and water in an oil and water mixture or for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and other organic contaminants.

In particles removal with extremely high filtration efficiency and the ability to block submicron airborne particles by a sieving mechanism is provided. This novel nanoporous filter advantageously combines extremely high transmittance for visible light and ultraviolet light, reusability after cleaning or disinfection by ultraviolet irradiation or simple washing, a customizable sieving pore size ranging from a few nanometers to 500 nanometers, and the ability to carry bactericidal, virucidal or other reagents or particles on the nano or micro scale.