Cation exchange membranes and materials including silica-based ceramics, and associated methods, are provided. In some aspects, cation exchange membranes that include a silica-based ceramic that forms a coating on and/or within a porous support membrane are described. The cation exchange membranes and materials may have certain structural or chemical attributes (e.g., pore size/distribution, chemical functionalization) that, alone or in combination, can result in advantageous performance characteristics in any of a variety of applications for which selective transport of positively charged ions through membranes/materials is desired. In some embodiments, the silica-based ceramic contains relatively small pores (e.g., substantially spherical nanopores) that may contribute to some such advantageous properties. In some embodiments, the cation exchange membrane or material includes sulfonate and/or sulfonic acid groups covalently bound to the silica-based ceramic.

A method for manufacturing an ion exchange membrane is provided. The method for manufacturing an ion exchange membrane, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises the step of electrospinning a support fiber producing solution and an ion exchange fiber producing solution respectively to prepare a laminate in which a support fiber mat consisting of a support fiber and an ion exchange fiber mat consisting of an ion exchange fiber are alternatively laminated. According to the present invention, it is possible to simply control factors, such as the thickness, electroconductivity and mechanical strength of the membrane, and the diameter/ratio of a pore, etc. to be suitable for the use of ion exchange membrane during the manufacturing process, to simplify the manufacturing process. As such, the ion exchange membrane manufactured by the method can be utilized as a universal ion exchange membrane which has a large ion exchange capacity, a small electrical resistance, and a small diffusion coefficient as well as excellent mechanical strength and durability.

The present invention relates to an ionic liquid-containing structure including an ionic liquid composed of a pair of a cation and an anion, in which a HOMO energy level of the anion is higher than an LUMO energy level of the cation, and a difference between the HOMO energy level of the anion and the LUMO energy level of the cation is 0.2 a.u. or more.

A macromolecule membrane structure (2) comprises a membrane (3) with water-channeling integral membrane proteins (IMPS) (1) and is coated, on a first surface, with a silica layer (4). The silica layer (4) stabilizes the macromolecule membrane structure (2) and the water-channeling IMPS (1) while maintaining the water-channeling function of the water-channeling IMPs (1). As a consequence of this stabilization, the macromolecule membrane structure (2) may be used in a filtration device (5) for various filtration operations, including water purification.

A microporous structure includes an array of nano wires and a coating about the nano wires of the array. The coating defines pores between the nano wires.

A thin film composite gas separation membrane comprising a polyether block amide copolymer coating layer and a nanoporous asymmetric support membrane with nanopores on the skin layer surface of the support membrane and gelatin polymers inside the nanopores on the skin layer surface of the support membrane. A method for making the thin film composite gas separation membrane is provided as well as the use of the membrane for a variety of separations such as separations of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from natural gas, carbon dioxide removal from flue gas, fuel gas conditioning, hydrogen/methane, polar molecules, and ammonia mixtures with methane, nitrogen or hydrogen and other light gases separations, but also for natural gas liquids recovery and hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide removal from natural gas in a single step.

A method for making a membrane includes buffing a first set of graphene platelets onto a surface of a porous substrate to force the graphene platelets into the pores of the substrate, to yield a primed substrate. The method further includes applying a fluid to the primed substrate. The method further includes forcing the fluid through the primed substrate while retaining at least a first portion of the graphene platelets of the first set on the substrate within the pores, to yield a graphene membrane comprising the substrate and a graphene layer platelets lodged within the pores of the substrate.

A zeolite membrane complex includes a porous support and a zeolite membrane provided on the support and composed of RHO-type zeolite. In a case where a surface of the zeolite membrane is measured by an X-ray diffraction method, a peak intensity derived from a (310) plane of RHO-type zeolite is not higher than 0.4 times a peak intensity derived from a (110) plane thereof and a peak intensity derived from a (211) plane thereof is not higher than 0.3 times the peak intensity derived from the (110) plane.

Provided is a zeolite membrane composite used for separation of a mixture, which has a high separation factor and is easily produced while maintaining a practically usable permeation flow rate. The zeolite membrane composite includes: a porous support; and an aluminosilicate zeolite membrane formed on a surface of the porous support and having a framework density of 10 or more and 17 or less. A Si/Al molar ratio of a surface of the zeolite membrane is 5 or more, and a ratio (A.sub.e/A.sub.0) of a developed membrane area A.sub.e in consideration of unevenness on the surface of the zeolite membrane to an apparent membrane area A.sub.0 not in consideration of the unevenness on the surface of the zeolite membrane is 2 or more and 20 or less.

Provided are a monovalent anion selective ion exchange membrane and a method of manufacturing the ion exchange membrane. In regard to the monovalent anion selective ion exchange membrane, a surface portion thereof has a high amount ratio of a cation exchange polymer electrolyte, a central portion thereof has a high amount ratio of an anion exchange polymer electrolyte, and an amount ratio of the anion exchange polymer electrolyte with respect to the cation exchange polymer electrolyte continuously increases in the thickness direction thereof from the surface toward the center. Due to this structure, compared to monovalent anions, polyvalent anions may permeate much less through the exchange membrane. Thus, high selectivity for monovalent anions may be obtained.