A hydrocarbon adsorbent, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises a copper-containing ZSM-5 zeolite, wherein a Si/Al molar ratio of the ZSM-5 zeolite may be 11.5 to 40, and the amount of the copper included is 1 wt % to 10 wt %.

Porous polymer microsphere having radial optical anisotropy and diverse swelling states when dispersed in different solvents, which have ability to well swell the porous microspheres. A method for preparing the porous polymer microspheres, including: forming a homogeneous liquid crystal mixture; dispersing the liquid crystal mixture into a continuous phase to form a emulsion of liquid crystal droplets; polymerizing the at least one reactive liquid crystal to form intermediate microspheres; removing the at least one non-reactive liquid crystal compound to form the porous polymer microspheres; separating, washing and dispersing or drying the porous polymer microspheres. The polymer microspheres can be used as the stationary phase in chromatograph separation, improving separation efficiency and column packing efficiency.

A method and system for manufacturing and using a self-supporting structure in processing unit for adsorption or catalytic processes. The self-supporting structure has greater than 50% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure to provide an open-celled structure providing access to the active material. The self-supporting structures, which may be disposed in a processing unit, may be used in swing adsorption processes and other processes to enhance the recovery of hydrocarbons.

Embodiments of templated polymeric materials capable of binding lysophosphatidic acids (LPAs) are disclosed. Methods of making and using the templated polymeric materials also are disclosed. The disclosed templated polymeric materials are molecularly imprinted polymers that bind LPAs and facilitate the production of lysophosphatidic acid-enriched samples, for instance through extraction of lysophosphatidic acids from biological samples, such as plasma or serum samples.

Porous hybrid inorganic/organic materials comprising ordered domains are disclosed wherein the ordered domains are ordered radially, and having the formula (A).sub.x(B).sub.y(C).sub.z (Formula I) or the formula [A].sub.y[B].sub.x (Formula III), wherein A, B, C, x, y and z in Formula I and A, B, x and y in Formula III are further defined herein, and wherein diffraction peak maxima observed for the material exhibit a 2 position that excludes diffraction peaks resulting from atomic-range order that are associated with amorphous material. Methods of making the materials and use of the materials for chromatographic applications are also disclosed.

A system and method for synthesizing a nanoparticle material includes dissolving a metal nitrate in deionized water, adding a hydrogel precursor in the deionized water containing the dissolved metal nitrate to create an aqueous solution, heating the aqueous solution, cooling the aqueous solution to create a solid gel, and calcinating the solid gel to create a metal oxide nanoparticle material. The metal oxide nanoparticle material may include a zinc oxide-based nanoparticle material. The hydrogel precursor may include an agarose gel. The solid gel may be calcinated at approximately 600 C. The solid gel may be calcinated for approximately five hours in the presence of air. The aqueous solution may be heated to a boil. The aqueous solution may be heated at a temperature of 100 C.

A method and system for manufacturing and using a self-supporting structure in processing unit for adsorption or catalytic processes. The self-supporting structure has greater than 50% by weight of the active material in the self-supporting structure to provide an open-celled structure providing access to the active material. The self-supporting structures, which may be disposed in a processing unit, may be used in swing adsorption processes and other processes to enhance the recovery of hydrocarbons.

Methods and devices for molecular imprinting include a molecular imprinting synthesis and matching a physiological pH of a template utilized in the molecular imprinting synthesis to achieve molecular imprinting. Molecular imprinting can be achieved by matching the physiological pH of the template used in a molecular imprinting synthesis. Furthermore, electrostatic charges can be complementary matched to the template, by obtaining crystallographic data of a protein template. Particularly, positively and negatively charged amino acids can be counted and matched by an oppositely charged monomer. For hydrophobic amino acids, isoleucin, leucin, and valine amino acids are counted. Since not all hydrophobic amino acids are exposed, the hydrophobic amino acid and hydrophobic monomer ratio can be determined experimentally by varying ratios from 1:1 to 1:10.

The present invention relates to a method for producing biocidal, porous particles of a cross-linked polymer, and to the porous particles that can be produced according to the method of the invention. The invention further relates to porous particles of an amino-group-containing polymer (polyamine) having a relatively low swelling factor. The porous particles according to the invention are used to remove biological contaminants from water and to bind metal-containing ions from solutions. The present invention further relates to a filter cartridge which contains the porous cross-linked polymer particles according to the invention.

The invention relates to a porous hydrogel matrix having substantially interconnected tunnel-shaped micropores with a three-dimensional configuration of an interconnected hollow tetrapod network. Such matrices may be used to entrap motile cells that migrate into the micropores of said matrix. The matrices of the invention are formed by a method comprising the steps of providing a solution of a hydrogel-forming material, providing a template material with a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the negative configuration of the desired interconnected porous structure of the hydrogel material, said template material comprising interconnected zinc oxide tetrapod (t-ZnO) networks, casting the solution of hydrogel-forming material onto the template and removing the template material from the hydrogel material by acid hydrolysis of the template material.