A nonwoven web obtained by electrospinning, suitable for the filtration of nano- and/or submicron aerosols, including a multiplicity of fibers of composition C1, the composition C1 including at least 50% by weight of at least one polymer P1 based on the repeat unit resulting from vinylidene fluoride (VDF), the fibers of composition C1 having a degree of crystallinity in polar phase(s), preferentially in solely beta phase, of at least 65% by weight, with respect to their total weight. Also, a process for the manufacture of the web, to a membrane including the web and also to a process for the washing/sterilization of the web or of the membrane.

The problem is to provide a porous membrane with a reduced phenomenon in which membranes firmly adhere to one another during production of the porous membrane (membrane adhesion). The problem is solved by a porous membrane comprising a hydrophobic polymer and a hydrophilic polymer, wherein an average value T of ratios of the number of counts of ions derived from the hydrophilic polymer to the number of counts of ions derived from the hydrophobic polymer is 1.0 or more when a surface of the porous membrane is measured by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).

Gas separation membranes as may be used in separating gaseous materials from one another and methods of forming the membranes are described. The separation membranes include polymer-grafted nanoparticles (GNPs) as a platform and a relatively small amount of free polymer. The free polymer and the polymer grafted to the nanoparticles have the same chemical structure and similar number average molecular weights. The gas separation membranes can exhibit high ideal selectivity and can be used in a variety of applications, such as carbon capture.

Described herein are methods and compositions relating to tunable nanoporous coatings. In certain aspects, described herein are methods and compositions wherein a tunable nanoporous coating comprises a tunable nanoporous membrane which transitions from opaque to transparent upon the application of force, and from transparent to opaque after washing with a solvent.

A separation membrane module includes a separation membrane including a hydrophobic polymer, a hydrophilic polymer, and polymer A, wherein the polymer A includes a hydrophilic unit and a hydrophobic unit, and is a copolymer having an alkyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms at a side-chain terminal of the hydrophobic unit, the separation membrane module having a retention rate of an albumin sieving coefficient of 86% or more at 60 minutes after circulation start relative to an albumin sieving coefficient at 10 minutes after circulation start when 2 L of bovine blood containing 50 U/ml of heparin, and having a hematocrit of 30% by volume and a total protein concentration of 6 to 7 g/dl is circulated at a flow rate of 100 ml/min at 37° C. and a filtration flow rate of 10 ml/(min.Math.m.sup.2).

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a microporous separator with a pore geometry that creates a low or no tortuosity architecture. In one embodiment, a battery cell may comprise of an anode layer, a cathode layer, and a separator layer positioned between the cathode layer and the anode layer. The separator layer may be comprised of one or more block copolymers. The block copolymers that make up the separator layer may be materials that self-align into a vertical nanostructure. The vertical nanostructures may allow ions within the battery cell to flow in a vertical path between the cathode and anode. This vertical path my create a low or no tortuosity environment within the battery cell.

Provided is a an amphiphilic diblock copolymer including from 40 to 60% by weight, relative to the weight of the copolymer, of a hydrophilic block including a unit derived from an n-butyl acrylate monomer and a derived from a hydroxyethyl methacrylate monomer. The copolymer also includes from 40 to 60% by weight, relative to the weight of the copolymer, of a hydrophobic block including at least one unit derived from a methyl methacrylate monomer. Also provided is a polymeric membrane that includes the block copolymer and a hydrophobic polymeric matrix. This membrane is useful for treating an effluent, for example, water.

Described herein are methods and compositions relating to tunable nanoporous coatings. In certain aspects, described herein are methods and compositions wherein a tunable nanoporous coating comprises a tunable nanoporous membrane which transitions from opaque to transparent upon the application of force, and from transparent to opaque after washing with a solvent.

The present invention discloses a nanofiltration composite membrane, a preparation method and application thereof. The preparation method comprises: A) preparing 2D nano-material dispersion; B) first preparing a solution of a polymer material with a certain concentration, continuously adding a poor solvent under stirring conditions to subject the polymer material to chemical reaction to obtain a dispersion containing negatively charged polymer gel particles; C) subjecting the nano-material dispersion in step A) and the dispersion prepared in step B) to blending, membrane preparation and drying, and then placing the membrane into an alkaline solution with a certain concentration and pure water for soaking to obtain a nanofiltration composite membrane. The nanofiltration composite membrane can efficiently remove heavy metal complex ions through the synergistic effect of pore size screening and charge repulsion. Moreover, the rejection rate and flux of the nanofiltration composite membrane have not changed obviously after use for a long time.

The present invention provides a porous hollow fiber membrane suitable for the removal of minute substances, e.g., viruses, contained in a liquid. The present invention relates to a porous hollow fiber membrane which is provided with a separation-functioning layer containing a fluororesin, has a gas diffusion amount of 0.5 to 5.0 mL/m.sup.2/hr as measured in a diffusion test, and also has foaming points at a density of 0.005 to 0.2 point/cm.sup.2 as measured in a foaming test under the immersion in 2-propanol.