Membrane support structure

For Eurodif and for Pierrelatte, the supports were made by private industrial companies, the final separating layer by SPEC and the CEA developed the process and had the overall technical responsibility. A handful of companies were competing to manufacture the membrane support structure. Finally, two companies proposing ceramic oxide based supports, Ceraver (the new name of CGEC) and Euroceral (a 50/50 joint venture between Norton and Desmarquest) each won 50% of the market. This happened in 1975. Within a matter of 6 years, each company had to deliver more than 2,000,000 m of supports which SPEC would convert into more than 4,000,000 m of membranes (Charpin and Rigny 1990). Special plants were built at a very rapid pace. These were close to Tarbes for Ceraver, close to Montpellier for Euroceral and close to the Eurodif site for SPEC. 

With anodic oxidation very controlled and narrow pore size distributions can be obtained. These membranes mounted in a small module may be suitable for ultrafiltration, gas separation with Knudsen diffusion and in biological applications. At present one of the main disadvantages is that the layer has to be supported by a separate layer to produce the complete membrane/support structure. Thus, presently applications are limited to laboratory-scale separations since large surface area modules of such membranes are unavailable. 

Figure 3.9 Pressure drop profile across the membrane/support structure during dip coating process [Leenaars and Burggraaf t985]...

For multi-layered asymmetric or composite membranes where the pore sizes between layers are widely different, the analysis gives the pore size distribution of the densest layer (membrane) even if they may be only a small volume or weight fraction of the total membrane/support structure. Shown in Figures 4.14 (a) and (b) are the pore size distributions of two very similar multi-layered alumina membranes prepared by the sol-gel process and two distinctively different alumina membranes made by the anodic oxidation process. The comparison of pore size distributions in each case reflects the similarities and differences of the membrane samples. 

An ion-exchange membrane structure which has charged functionalities mixed into the membrane support structure. This structure gives the membrane an ionic character throughout the membrane backbone as opposed to being on the surface of the membrane only. 

Fig. 5.29 The fine structure of a FBI asymmetric membrane is shown in TEM micrographs of cross sections. A dense surface layer (arrows) is observed in a nucrograph (A) taken with the high brightness lanthanum hexa-boride gun which shows no pores are resolved in the top 50 nm of the dense surface layer. Pores on the order of about 0.05 //m are clearly shown (B) within the membrane support structure.

The hollow fine fiber configuration (refer to Figure 51) consists of a bundle of porous hollow fine fibers. These fibers are externally coated with the actual membrane and form the support structure for it. Both ends of each fiber are set in a single epoxy tube sheet, which includes an 0-ring seal to match the inside diameter of the pressure vessel. 

In supported liquid membranes, a chiral liquid is immobilized in the pores of a membrane by capillary and interfacial tension forces. The immobilized film can keep apart two miscible liquids that do not wet the porous membrane. Vaidya et al. [10] reported the effects of membrane type (structure and wettability) on the stability of solvents in the pores of the membrane. Examples of chiral separation by a supported liquid membrane are extraction of chiral ammonium cations by a supported (micro-porous polypropylene film) membrane [11] and the enantiomeric separation of propranolol (2) and bupranolol (3) by a nitrate membrane with a A/ -hexadecyl-L-hydroxy proline carrier [12]. 

VIII. S-LAYER AS SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR FUNCTIONAL LIPID MEMBRANES... 

The use of Upid bilayers as a relevant model of biological membranes has provided important information on the structure and function of cell membranes. To utilize the function of cell membrane components for practical applications, a stabilization of Upid bilayers is imperative, because free-standing bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) typically survive for minutes to hours and are very sensitive to vibration and mechanical shocks [156,157]. The following concept introduces S-layer proteins as supporting structures for BLMs (Fig. 15c) with largely retained physical features (e.g., thickness of the bilayer, fluidity). Electrophysical and spectroscopical studies have been performed to assess the appUcation potential of S-layer-supported lipid membranes. The S-layer protein used in aU studies on planar BLMs was isolated fromB. coagulans E38/vl. 

Efforts to overcome the limitations of the fragile membranes (as delicate as soap bubbles) have evolved with the use of membrane supports, such as polycarbonate filters (straight-through pores) [543] or other more porous microfilters (sponge-like pore structure) [545-548]. 

Novel Processing Schemes Various separators have been proposed to separate the hydrogen-rich fuel in the reformate for cell use or to remove harmful species. At present, the separators are expensive, brittle, require large pressure differential, and are attacked by some hydrocarbons. There is a need to develop thinner, lower pressure drop, low cost membranes that can withstand separation from their support structure under changing thermal loads. Plasma reactors offer independence of reaction chemistry and optimum operating conditions that can be maintained over a wide range of feed rates and H2 composition. These processors have no catalyst and are compact. However, they are preliminary and have only been tested at a laboratory scale. 

Pore size plays a key role in determining permeability and permselectivity (or retention property) of a membrane. The structural stability of porous inorganic membranes under high pressures makes them amenable to conventional pore size analysis such as mercury porosimetry and nitrogen adsor-ption/desorption. In contrast, organic polymeric membranes often suffer from high-pressure pore compaction or collapse of the porous support structure which is typically spongy . 

Figure 3a. SEM photomicrographs of composite membranes surface structure of microporous polysulfone support material.

Extracellular Matrix A meshwork-hke substance found within the extracellular space and in association with the basement membrane of the cell surface. It promotes cellular proliferation and provides a supporting structure to which cells or cell lysates in cultiu-e dishes adhere. [NIH]... 

Comparson of the transitions observed by differential scanning calorimetry in membranes of M. laidlawii and in water dispersions of the lipids from the membranes support the concept that most of the lipids exist as a smectic mesophase in the membranes. The evidence for a bilayer structure is straightforward in this case. Lipid transition temperatures are a function of fatty acid composition and correlate well with biological properties. The calorimeter possesses advantages over high resolution NMR for M. laidlawii, and perhaps in many other systems, because the data can be interpreted less ambiguously. In M. laidlawii membranes the bilayer appears to be compatible with the same physical properties observed in other membranes—a red-shifted ORD, lack of ft structure in the infrared, reversible dissociation by detergents, and poorly... 

The poly(ether/amide) thin film composite membrane (PA-100) was developed by Riley et al., and is similar to the NS-101 membranes in structure and fabrication method 101 102). The membrane was prepared by depositing a thin layer of an aqueous solution of the adduct of polyepichlorohydrin with ethylenediamine, in place of an aqueous polyethyleneimine solution on the finely porous surface of a polysulfone support membrane and subsequently contacting the poly(ether/amide) layer with a water immiscible solution of isophthaloyl chloride. Water fluxes of 1400 16001/m2 xday and salt rejection greater than 98% have been attained with a 0.5% sodium chloride feed at an applied pressure of 28 kg/cm2. Limitations of this membrane include its poor chemical stability, temperature limitations, and associated flux decline due to compaction. 

Hollow-fiber membranes form a tubular structure which is usually arrayed as a parallel fiber bundle within a cylindrical container. The cells are trapped on the shell side of the hollow fibers while aerated nutrient medium is rapidly recirculated through the fibers. This type of membrane support can provide extra protection against contamination. However, the major disadvantages of membrane... 

This so-called "active" layer has characteristics similar to those of cellulose acetate films but with a thickness of the order of 0.1 micrometer (jjm) or less, whereas the total membrane thickness may range from approximately 75 to 125 ym (see Figure 1). The major portion of the membrane is an open-pore sponge-like support structure through which the gases flow without restriction. The permeability and selectivity characteristics of these asymmetric membranes are functions of casting solution composition, film casting conditions and post-treatment, and are relatively independent of total membrane thickness. 

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