An ion-exchange membrane is disclosed here including ion-permeable layers impregnated with an ion-exchange material and arranged in an order from one face of the membrane to the opposite face of the membrane such that opposing layers in the supporting membrane substrate provide sufficiently identical physical properties to substantially avoid irregular expansion when in a salt solution. The ion-permeable layers including at least one non-woven layer and at least one reinforcing layer.

Disclosed are a copolymer, porous membranes made from the copolymer, and a method of treating fluids using the porous membranes to remove metal ions, for example, from fluids originating in the microelectronics industry, wherein the copolymer includes polymerized monomeric units I and II, wherein monomeric unit I is of the formula A-XCH.sub.2B, wherein A is Rf(CH.sub.2)n, Rf is a perfluoro alkyl group of the formula CF.sub.3(CF.sub.2).sub.x, wherein x is 3-12, n is 1-6, X is O or S, and B is vinylphenyl, the monomeric unit II is haloalkyl styrene, and optionally wherein the halo group of haloalkyl is replaced with an optional substituent, for example, ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, iminodiacetic acid, or iminodisuccinic acid.

Provided are a photon up-conversion film, which is capable, of high-efficiency up-conversion even in air and even when low-intensity light is used, and a simple method of producing the film. The photon up-conversion film according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a matrix including a resin; and a pore portion, wherein the photon up-conversion film includes at least a sensitizing component capable of absorbing light in a first wavelength region ?1, and a light-emitting component capable of radiating light in a second wavelength region ?2 including wavelengths shorter than those of the first wavelength region ?1, and wherein the sensitizing component and the light-emitting component are present at an interface between the matrix and the pore portion.

A polymer film comprising anionic groups and 0.008 to 25 mg/g of each of components (a) and (b): (a) a crosslinking agent which is free from fluoro groups and comprises a group of Formula (I); and (b) a non-ionic crosslinking agent; Formula (I) wherein M.sup.+ is a cation and * indicates the attachment points to other elements of the crosslinking agent.

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Water electrolysis systems that operate at intermediate temperature (i.e., between about 100? C. and about 300? C.) are described. At least some aspects of the present disclosure relate to proton exchange membrane steam electrolysis (PEMSE) systems including a polymer electrolyte comprising at least one phosphorus atom. In at some examples, the polymer electrolyte my comprise phosphonic acid.

A mesoporous organic material which makes it possible to extract, using the liquid-solid extraction technique, the uranium(VI) contained in an aqueous medium including phosphoric acid, with high efficiency and high selectivity for the iron that the medium can likewise contain. The material is likely to be obtained by cross-linking polymerisation of a monomer of formula (I) below, wherein: R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are, independently from one another, H, a C.sub.1 to C.sub.12 saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon group, or a polymerisable group, with the condition that at least one of R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is a polymerisable group; R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are, independently from one another, H or a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon group; the cross-linking polymerisation being carried out in the presence of a cross-linking agent and one or more pore-forming agents.

A process of curing a photo-curable material includes dispersing a microcapsule in a material that includes a photo-initiator and a photo-curable material. The process also includes applying a stimulus to the microcapsule to trigger a chemiluminescent reaction within the microcapsule. The chemiluminescent reaction generating a photon having a wavelength within a particular emission range that is consistent with an absorption range of the photo-initiator. The photon exits the microcapsule to trigger the photo-initiator to initiate or catalyze curing of the photo-curable material.

A surface treatment liquid capable of making a surface of a treatment target hydrophilic or hydrophobic without including a resin having a coating film formation property, and a surface treatment method using the surface treatment liquid. The surface treatment liquid includes a resin, a solvent and a strong acid having a pKa of 1 or less. The resin includes a functional group I that is at least one of a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, and a carboxyl group, and a functional group II that is a hydrophilic group or a hydrophobic group other than the functional group I.

A method for manufacturing a fullerence/PEDOT:PSS mixed solution includes the following steps: Step 1, preparing a fullerence solution by mixing fullerence molecules and water or a strong polar solvent, wherein the fullerence molecules are fullerence or fullerence derivants and the fullerence derivants are water-soluble fullerence derivants or water-insoluble fullerence derivants; and Step 2, mixing the fullerence solution and a PEDOT:PSS dilute solution of a certain concentration at a mass ration of 1:100 to 100:1 via mechanical agitation or ultrasonication to form a fullerence/PEDOT:PSS mixed solution in homogeneous dispersions.

Polymer composite materials are disclosed containing one or more chemical scavengers. The polymer composites are porous and are configured to be contacted with a liquid for removing trace amounts of metals, proteins, polypeptides, polyphenols, other organic compounds, and the like. In order to produce the porous composite polymer product, one or more chemical scavengers are combined with high density polyethylene particles and sintered into a shape. The polyethylene resin acts as a binder trapping or encasing the one or more chemical scavengers in the porous structure.