The present invention relates to a method of filtering an oil, the method including the following steps (A) and (B): (A) allowing a hydrophobic gas to permeate through a porous membrane including a hydrophobic polymer as a main component; and (B) allowing an oil to permeate through the porous membrane, in which the step (B) is performed after the hydrophobic gas that has permeated through the porous membrane is confirmed to have a relative humidity of 0 to 60% in the step (A).

An oxygenator has a plurality of porous hollow fiber membranes comprising polypropylene for gas exchange, wherein each hollow fiber membrane has an inner surface that forms a lumen and an outer surface. The oxygenator is manufactured using a method which involves preparing a coating solution containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of dopamine, salt of dopamine, and oligomer of dopamine; and bringing the inner surface or the outer surface of the hollow fiber membranes into contact with the coating solution for less than ten hours while blowing oxygen gas in the coating solution to form a dopamine polymer layer containing a polymer of the compound on the inner surface or the outer surface.

A composite semipermeable membrane includes a porous support membrane, a separation functional layer containing a polyamide disposed on the porous support membrane, and a coating layer disposed on the separation functional layer, wherein a water contact angle of a surface of the coating layer is 40° or less, and a protein adsorption force of the surface of the coating layer is 0.4 nN or less.

Disclosed are devices, methods and/or systems for use in protecting items and/or structures that are exposed to, submerged and/or partially submerged in aquatic environments from contamination and/or fouling due to the incursion and/or colonization by specific types and/or kinds of biologic organisms and/or plants, including the protection from micro- and/or macro-fouling for extended periods of time of exposure to aquatic environments.

A bilayer electrospun membranes for treating hydraulic fracking wastewater via membrane distillation, and more particularly to bilayer electrospun membranes having an omniphobic layer to prevent low-surface tension solution wicking and an oleophobic antifouling surface to prevent foulant depositing on the membrane. Nanoparticles are decorated on the omniphobic surface through electrochemical interaction, which is coated with a fluorine monomer on the nanoparticles. A zwitterionic co-polymer is grafted using self-assembly between hydroxy groups on the antifouling surface generated by alkaline treatment and anchor segment epoxy groups on zwitterionic co-polymer.

The present invention provides an antifouling ability-imparting agent that adheres well to a variety of water treatment membranes such as reverse osmosis membranes and imparts excellent antifouling ability to the water treatment membranes. The present invention relates to an antifouling ability-imparting agent containing a copolymer, the copolymer containing: a structural unit (I) represented by the following formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R.sup.2 is a direct bond, —CH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, or —CO—; R.sup.3s are the same as or different from each other and are each a C1-C20 alkylene group; X is —CH.sub.2CH(OH)CH.sub.2(OH) or —CH(—CH.sub.2OH).sub.2; and n is a number of moles of oxyalkylene groups added and is 0 to 100; and a structural unit (II) represented by the following formula (2):

##STR00002##

wherein R.sup.4 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R.sup.5 is a direct bond, —CH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, or —CO—; R.sup.6s are the same as or different from each other and are each a C1-C20 alkylene group; R.sup.7 is a hydrogen atom or a C1-C20 alkyl group; and m is a number of moles of oxyalkylene groups added and is 1 to 100.

Various systems and processes are directed to filtering organic compounds using nanoporous membranes and osmosis. In various implementations, the nanoporous membrane can be trained on one or more organic compounds such that the nanoporous membrane preferentially allows the one or more organic compounds to permeate the nanoporous membrane to the exclusion of other compounds. In some implementations, the nanoporous membrane is trained on ethanol such that the nanoporous membrane preferentially allows ethanol to permeate the nanoporous membrane to the exclusion of other compounds, such as water or other compounds or mixtures. In some implementations, the selective ethanol permeation of the nanoporous membrane may occur even where the other compounds have smaller molecules than ethanol.

A separation membrane (10) of the present disclosure includes: a separation functional layer (30) composed of a polyamide; and a coating (40) covering the separation functional layer (30) and containing a polymer having a repeating unit represented by the following formula (1). In the formula (1), N.sup.+ is a nitrogen atom constituting a quaternary ammonium cation, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each independently a substituent containing a carbon atom bonded to the nitrogen atom. ##STR00001##

The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery self-lubricating polymers. Lubricating liquids with affinities to polymers can be utilized to get absorbed within the polymer and form a lubricant layer (of the lubricating liquid) on the polymer. The lubricant layer can repel a wide range of materials, including simple and complex fluids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and bodily fluids), restore liquid-repellency after physical damage, and resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion. Some exemplary applications where self-lubricating polymers will be useful include energy-efficient, friction-reduction fluid handling and transportation, medical devices, anti-icing, optical sensing, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments.

The present invention relates to a method of filtering an oil, the method including the following steps (A) and (B): (A) allowing a hydrophobic gas to permeate through a porous membrane including a hydrophobic polymer as a main component; and (B) allowing an oil to permeate through the porous membrane, in which the step (B) is performed after the hydrophobic gas that has permeated through the porous membrane is confirmed to have a relative humidity of 0 to 60% in the step (A).