University of Colorado

John Pellegrino

Richard Daniel Noble

Carl A Koval

Alan R Greenberg

Yifu Ding

Sajjad Maruf

Robert Rabago

A membrane for fluid transfer includes a base membrane and a pattern, that covers a working area of a surface thereof, formed of a compatible material. The pattern has periodicity and/or amplitude that do not exceed 1 micrometer. A method of filtering a component from a solution includes passing the solution comprising the component through a membrane that includes a base membrane. The base membrane and a pattern that covers a working area of a surface thereof are formed of materials compatible with the solution. The pattern has periodicity and/or amplitude that do not exceed 1 micrometer, and reduces mass transfer of surface-accumulative soluble and/or suspended species and particulates from the solution to the membrane while the solution is passed through the membrane. A method of producing a membrane for fluid transfer includes forming a nanoscale pattern over a working area of a polymer membrane.

Filtration membranes with nanoscale patterns

The present invention describes a perfluorinated ionomer membrane having a improved transport characteristics. A surfactant species is added to a polymer mixture prior to film casting. The resulting membranes have a measurably altered membrane microstructure and improved transport characteristics over prior art membranes. The present invention describes the method of producing the improved membranes. The membranes of the present invention are useful in a number of separation processes, including the separation of NH.sub.3 from gaseous and liquid mixtures, in the production of NaOH and Cl.sub.2 gas from the electrolytic dissolution of NaCl, in the separation of toxic and radioactive metals from aqueous streams, and in solid polymer electrolyte H.sub.2 /O.sub.2 fuel cells.

Enhancing performance of perfluorinated ionomer membranes via dopant

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

John Pellegrino