A nanocomposite membrane includes a macroporous polymer membrane having a plurality of pores. A plurality of metal nanoparticles are synthesized and immobilized within those plurality of pores. The nanoparticles are reduced and capped with a green reducing and capping agent such as green tea extract.

Disclosed is a method for producing a palladium-based permeation membrane which is suitable for the separation of hydrogen from gas-gas or liquid-gas mixtures. The permeation membrane is produced by applying a palladium complex, dissolved in a solvent, to a nanoporous support system having pores in a size range of from 0.5 nm to 50 nm, removing the solvent by drying, removing of organic constituents of the palladium complex by a heat treatment, and carrying out a final heat treatment under reducing conditions at a temperature ranging from about 300? C. to about 900? C.

Hydrogen-producing fuel processing systems and related methods. The systems include a hydrogen-producing region configured to produce a mixed gas stream from a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-separation membrane module having at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and configured to separate the mixed gas stream into a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream, and an oxidant delivery system configured to deliver an oxidant-containing stream to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to increase hydrogen permeance of the hydrogen-selective membrane. The methods include operating a hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a hydrogen-producing regime, and subsequently operating the hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a restoration regime, in which an oxidant-containing stream is delivered to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to expose the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane to the oxidant-containing stream to increase the hydrogen permeance of the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane.

An inorganic structure body has a free-standing structure including a fibrous member and/or a shell. The fibrous member and/or the shell include a metal and/or an inorganic material and have a three-dimensionally continuous configuration. The free-standing structure may have a structure that is based on a nonwoven fabric or a porous membrane used as a substrate.

In a cell-capturing filter including a metal porous membrane, degradation over time is determined earlier. A cell-capturing filter includes a metal porous membrane having a plurality of through-holes that penetrate between two principal surfaces facing each other. The metal porous membrane is made of an alloy of nickel and an element selected from the group consisting of gold, platinum, and palladium, or a metal containing nickel as a main component. A metal containing copper as a main component is attached to a part of either one of the principal surfaces of the metal porous membrane. By checking a state change of the metal containing copper as a main component, degradation over time of the metal porous membrane can be determined earlier

A mixed matrix membrane which is porous and has a cross section resembling a sponge. The membrane includes nanoparticle fillers which are also porous. The membrane may be freestanding or supported on a substrate. Methods of making the membrane by spin casting or solvent casting are described. Methods of separating a gas/organic vapor using the membrane are described.

A method for filtering gas includes providing a membrane, wherein the membrane includes a porous support, a hydrogen permeation layer on the porous support, and a calcinated layered double hydroxide (c-LDH) layer on the hydrogen permeation layer. The method also provides a hydrogen-containing mixture gas on the c-LDH layer, and collects hydrogen under the porous support, in which the hydrogen sequentially permeates through the c-LDH layer, the hydrogen permeation layer, and the porous support.

A transfer line between the outlet of a steam cracker and the inlet for the quench system has metallic or ceramic inserts having a pore size from about 0.001 to about 0.5 microns inside the line forming a gas tight barrier with the inner surface of the line and having a vent for the resulting gas tight pocket are used to separate H.sub.2, CH.sub.4, CO and CO.sub.2 from cracked gases reducing the load on the down-stream separation train of the steam cracker.

A method for filtering gas includes providing a gas filtration structure, and the gas filtration structure includes a porous support and a first gas filtration film pair on the porous support, wherein the first gas filtration film pair includes a first hydrogen permeation layer and a first calcinated layered double hydroxide (c-LDH) layer, and the first hydrogen permeation layer is disposed between the porous support and the first c-LDH layer. The method also provides a hydrogen-containing mixture gas over the first gas filtration film pair, and collects hydrogen under the porous support.

A membrane assembly for the permeative separation of a fluid from fluid mixtures includes a porous, fluid-permeable, metallic support substrate, a membrane that is disposed on the support substrate and is selectively permeable to the fluid to be separated off, and a connecting part which is formed, at least on the surface, of a fluid-tight, metallic material. The support substrate is cohesively bonded along a peripheral section thereof to the connecting part. A ceramic, fluid-permeable, porous, first intermediate layer is disposed between the support substrate and the membrane. At least one ceramic bonding layer is disposed directly on the connecting part and the material bond and extends at least over the cohesive material bond and an adjoining section of the connecting part. The first intermediate layer ends on the bonding layer and has a greater average pore size than the bonding layer.