Disclosed are nanocomposite membranes and methods for making and using same. In one aspect, the nanocomposite membrane comprises a film comprising a polymer matrix and nanoparticles disposed within the polymer matrix, wherein the film is substantially permeable to water and substantially impermeable to impurities. In a further aspect, the membrane can further comprise a hydrophilic layer. In a further aspect, the nanocomposite membrane comprises a film having a face, the film comprising a polymer matrix, a hydrophilic layer proximate to the face, and nanoparticles disposed within the hydrophilic layer, wherein the film is substantially permeable to water and substantially impermeable to impurities. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Nanocomposite membranes and methods of making and using same

Disclosed are compaction resistant thin film composite membranes having a porous polymeric support; a semi-permeable polymer film polymerized on the porous polymeric support; and particles, of a size in the range of microparticles and nanoparticles, dispersed in the porous polymeric support. Also disclosed are methods of making compaction resistant membranes by polymerizing a polymer film on a porous polymeric support with particles of a size in the range of microparticles and nanoparticles dispersed therein, the particles having been selected to improve flux flow characteristics over time of the semi -permeable membrane. Also disclosed are methods of purifying water using the disclosed membranes. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Micro-and nanocomposite support structures for reverse osmosis thin film membranes

An interfacial polymerization process (IFP) for preparing a highly permeable TFC RO membrane by contacting on a porous support membrane for IFP, a polyfunctional acyl halide monomer and a polyamine monomer and recovering a highly permeable thin film (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. At least one of solutions may contain nanoparticle additives which may release ions into solution and at least one of the solutions may contain additional ions from a second additive. The presence of the nanoparticle additives during IFP may increase the hydrophilicity and/or permeability of the recovered membrane compared to a control membrane. The presence of the additional ions from the second additive may also increase the permeability of the recovered membrane.

Reverse osmosis membranes

A system (10) for the management of thermal transfer in a gas turbine engine (14) includes a heat generating sub-system disposed in operable communication with the engine (14), a fuel source (18) configured to supply a fuel, a fuel stabilization unit (16) configured to receive the fuel from the fuel source (18) and to provide the fuel to the engine (14), and a heat exchanger disposed in thermal communication with the fuel to effect the transfer of heat from the heat generating sub-system to the fuel. A method of managing such thermal transfer includes removing oxygen from the fuel in the fuel atabilization unit (16), transferring heat from the heat generating sub-system to the fuel, and combusting the fuel in gas turbine engine (14). System (10) can be used for the thermal management of an aircraft.

System and method for thermal management

The invention features integrated membrane assemblies for selectively transferring a constituent to or from a fluid. The assemblies include two or more flat sheet membrane elements and at least one common manifold connected to the interior regions of the membrane elements.

Membrane modules and integrated membrane cassettes

A porous hollow fiber membrane having a particle cutoff within the range of 1 to 10 µm and a pure water permeate flow equal to or higher than 30,000 L/m2/hr/100 kPa. This porous hollow fiber membrane can be prepared by a method including, while a spinning dope containing a base polymer as a material for forming the porous hollow fiber membrane, an additive used for facilitating a phase separation of the spinning dope, a solvent compatible with both the base polymer and the additive and a mass of microparticles insoluble to the compatible solvent and uniformly dispersed in a liquid medium and having an average particle size within the range of 1 to 20 µm, and a coagulating liquid for forming the hollow fiber membrane is used, a step of forming the hollow fiber membrane according to a dry-wet spinning method or a wet spinning method, and a step of extracting and removing the microparticles by immersing the hollow fiber membrane, which has been spun, into an extracting solution effective to dissolve the microparticles, but ineffective to dissolve the base polymer.

Porous hollow fiber membranes and method of making the same

PURPOSE:To provide a polysulfone hollow fabric membrane superior in suitability for the living body, having degradation of water permeability after drying and being especially suitable for a blood treatment and the manufacturing method. CONSTITUTION:The membrane is the hollow fabric membrane consisting of a polysulfone polymer and having an asymmetric structure having a dense layer at the inside surface, and the hollow fabric membrane incorporates >=1wt.% a polyglycol group and 1-8wt.% a vinyl pyrrolidone polymer, and also the weight ratio of the polysulfone polymer present on the dense layer of the inside surface of the hollow fabric membrane to the vinyl-pyrrolidone polymer is (90:10)-(60:40) and the weight ratio of the vinyl pyrrolidone polymer present on the dense layer of the inside layer of the hollow fabric membrane is at least 1.1 times the weight ratio of the vinyl pyrrolidone polymer present on the outside surface layer.

Polysulfone hollow fabric membrane and production therefor

PURPOSE: To obtain a hydrophilic hollow fiber membrane having high water permeability, excellent fractionating property and small reduction of flux by forming such a porous structure comprising a dense layer of the inner surface and a reticular structure in a manner that the reticular structure partially has openings to give pores to the outer surface, and specifying the permeation rate for pure water to a certain value or larger. CONSTITUTION: The porous hollow fiber membrane contains 0.5-10% hydrophilic polymers (e.g. polyvinylpyrrolidone) to hydrophobic polymers (preferably, polysulfone or polyethersulfone). This membrane has a porous structure comprising 0.5-5μm-thick dense layer having fine pores of various shapes with 10-50% porosity and a reticular structure formed continuously to the dense layer. The outer surface of the membrane has pores with the maximum pore diameter of 0.5-5μm which are formed by partial opening of the reticular structure. The permeation rate for pure water of the membrane at 25°C is specified to ≥800l/m 2 .hr.kg/cm 2 . The obtd. porous hollow fiber membrane is excellent in water permeability and fractionating property, and moreover, it is hydrophilic. COPYRIGHT: (C)1991,JPO&Japio

Porous hollow fiber membrane

A polyvinyl alcohol-based hollow fiber membrane having a ratio between the size of particles of 90% rejection and that of particles of 10% rejection of not more than 5, thus proving to have a sharp fractionating property, is produced by a process which comprises, on producing a polyvinyl alcohol-based hollow fiber membrane by dry-jet wet spinning or wet spinning, using a spinneret having heat insulating structure.

Polyvinyl alcohol-based hollow fiber membrane and process for producing the same

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fluorinated vinylidene resin porous film which is excellent in mechanical strength, heat resistance, and chemical resistance, has a large size of pores, is permeable for a large amount of water, has high separative faculty, and excellent in pore formation; and a method for producing the same by using the heat inducible phase separation method. SOLUTION: The fluorinated vinylidene resin porous film has circular or elliptic micropores having an average pore size of 3μm or more on the film surface, has a permeation velocity for pure water of 30,000 L/m 2 /hr/98kPa or more, and has a fractionated particle size of 1 μm or more. The porous film is formed by heat inducible phase separation of the fluorinated vinylidene resin in a solvent. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Kensaku Komatsu

Papers

Porous hollow fiber membranes and method of making the same

Polysulfone hollow fabric membrane and production therefor

Porous hollow fiber membrane

Polyvinyl alcohol-based hollow fiber membrane and process for producing the same

Fluorinated vinylidene resin porous film and method for producing the same