Abstract: A process is provided for modifying the properties of a hydrophobic microporous membrane which includes the steps of first providing a hydrophobic microporous membrane, treating it with a surfactant to render the membrane hydrophilic, wetting the membrane with an aqueous solution of a polyol such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and divinyl sulfone (DVS) or a precursor thereof, washing the membrane with water to displace the polyol/DVA from the exterior of the membrane while retaining it in the pores of the membrane, and crosslinking the polyol/DVS into an aqueous gel to yield a hydrophilic microporous membrane having pores filled with an aqueous polyol/DVS gel, the exterior of the membrane being unobstructed by gel. The modified membranes produced according to the process are useful in carrying out chromatographic separations.

Abstract: The present invention is a single-ply immobilized liquid membrane comprising an aqueous liquid membrane immobilized within a hydrophobic microporous support.

Abstract: A composite membrane is disclosed having a microporous support which is coated with a UV curable polymer composition having a sufficiently high viscosity to prevent pore filling upon coating and curing. A process for making and a process for using the membrane is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for predetermining maximum pressure differentials for particular microporous hollow fiber membranes and essentially immiscible feed and extractant liquids to be employed in liquid-liquid extractions include a test module having a number of such fibers formed into a loop between the opposing ends thereof. A tubular sleeve element encompasses these opposing ends, and a potting compound positionally retains the opposing ends within the tubular sleeve. The hollow fiber lumens are fluid-connected to a reservoir containing a pressurized feed liquid, and the loops of hollow fiber are immersed in an essentially unpressurized extractant liquid. The pressure of the feed liquid is continually increased until there is an incipient presence of the feed liquid in the extractant liquid. The pressure of the feed liquid at that incipient presence may therefore be used to calculate a maximum pressure differential tolerated by the microporous hollow fibers for the feed and extractant liquids used.

Abstract: A composite membrane is disclosed having a microporous support which is coated with a UV curable polymer composition having a sufficiently high viscosity to prevent pore filling upon coating and curing. A process for making and a process for using the membrane is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention is a single-ply immobilized liquid membrane comprising an aqueous liquid membrane immobilized within a hydrophobic microporous support, and a method of preparing such an immobilized liquid membrane. The present invention also includes a method of preparing an ultrathin single-ply immobilized liquid membrane.

Abstract: A battery separator includes a porous substrate and a thermal fuse material adhered to at least one surface of said porous substrate. The thermal fuse material is adhered to the substrate surface in a predetermined geometric array thereupon so as to establish open areas of the at least one substrate surface to thereby allow ionic migration therethrough. The thermal fuse material forming the geometric array on the substrate surface may itself define open pores to further facilitate such ionic migration. The thermal fuse material melts at or near a predetermined threshold temperature so that the substrate's permeability irreversibly becomes significantly decreased and thus interrupts the chemical reaction in an electrochemical battery. In such a manner, batteries of improved safety may be provided using the separators of this invention.

Abstract: The rate of mass transfer in liquid/liquid extractions can be increased by the appropriate selection of a solubilizing liquid to wet a microporous membrane. A solute is transferred between immiscible liquids across the membrane where and interface between the liquids is immobilized at a surface of the membrane.

Abstract: Liquid chromatography separations of solutes are achieved using porous hollow fibers. The pores of the hollow fibers immobilize a solute-absorbing phase (preferably organic) which has a greater absorbance affinity towards at least one solute in a mixture of solutes. By passing the solute mixture through the central lumen of the hollow fibers, chromatographic separation are realized due to the greater retention time of that solute with which the immobilized phase has greater absorbance affinity. The immobilized phase may be a liquid organic which may contain a surfactant so as to form reversed micelles or it may be in the form of a polymeric gel. Separations of biological species (e.g., proteins) may thus be accomplished by means of the present invention.

Abstract: Trickle bed reactors are prone to channelling, flooding, and similar flow problems. It has been found that these problems can be avoided by the use of a microporous membrane to separate a reactant fluid phase from a catalysis fluid phase surrounding a catalyst bed. An advantage of such a reactor is that the fluid flows can be separately controlled. An apparatus useful as a trickle bed reactor can include a plurality of microporous hollow fibers arranged in a shell-and-tube configuration within a housing. Such an apparatus is operated with a reactant fluid phase flowing through the fibers and with a catalyst bed on the shell-side of the arrangement.

Abstract: A new reforming process employs a new rhenium-platinum catalytic composite having a rhenium to platinum weight ratio in the range of not less than 2 to about 5, whereby longer relative cycle length is obtained when reforming a naphtha having less than about 0.5 ppm by weight of sulfur than if the rhenium-platinum ratio is outside of such range.

Abstract: A high-speed transplanter is described for mechanical transplanting of seedlings in grow blocks formed into easily handled modules. The transplanter includes cutting blades for separating the modules into files, delivery tubes for downwardly moving the files into spaced-apart positions above furrows, wheels for pulling off individual blocks and placing them at zero ground speed within the furrows, and an assembly for detecting dud blocks (having no seedling) and advancing a file by an extra block length to provide a seedling block for the wheels. This system depends on the probability that finding two non-germinated seeds in consecutively linear sequence is much lower than the percentage of non-germinated seeds within a pattern of randomly distributed seeds.

Abstract: Aqueous dispersions of mixed resins are prepared by polymerizing in the presence of an aminoplast resin a mixture of polymerizable carboxylic acid monomers and other monomers, adding to the polymerization product an epoxy resin, adding ammonia or an amine to salt the acid groups and dispersing the resin mixture in water. The aqueous dispersions are useful as can coatings.

Abstract: This invention provides an aqueous gel composition which is adapted for application on the surface of articles to achieve a sharply defined multicolor pattern effect.The aqueous gel composition consists of an aqueous gel matrix which has dispersed therein one or more immiscible colorant gel phases.

Abstract: A powder composition having good melt flow under zero shear conditions is disclosed. A process for preparing this powder composition is also disclosed. The composition comprises a thermoplastic elastomer such as a block copolymer of styrene and hydrogenated butadiene as well as a melt flow modifier. The melt flow modifier is preferably a partially hydrogenated styrene/alpha methylstyrene random copolymer. The composition may additionally contain adhesion promoters and stabilizers against oxidation and ultraviolet light. A process for coating substrates such as a glass bottle with this composition, as well as the coated glass bottle, is also disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a two component industrial maintenance coating. The first component is a polyamine terminated epoxy resin which is end capped with a monoepoxide. The second component is a low molecular weight polyepoxide crosslinker. When salted with an acid, the adduct can be dissolved or dispersed in water. The polyepoxide crosslinker can then be microemulsified in the system. When coated on a substrate, the two component mixture cures at room temperature producing coatings having excellent balance of chemical and physical properties.

Abstract: An improved thermoplastic nylon molding resin comprising intimately mixed nylon molding resin and glass reinforcing agents in the presence of polyethylene terephthalate resin.

Abstract: A flotation process is provided for beneficiating phosphate ores in at least two floats after conditioning with 0.1-1.5 pound per ton of fuel oil and adding 0.025-0.1 pound per ton of a frother and 0.2-0.5 pound per ton of a polyamine cationic collector to remove silica in the froth (tails) and obtain 75-84% recoveries of phosphate in the concentrate (sink) which contains no more than about 6% insol. For some ores, the floats can be made on each fraction, after desliming thereof, which are obtained by screening over a 35 mesh screen. For other ores, desliming and a rougher flotation are initially needed. The silica froths (rougher tails) from this float are then cleaned and recleaned in separate floats, without additional conditioning or addition of collector to produce tails which are discarded and a combined sink which is screened over a 48 mesh screen to produce a +48 mesh fraction which is discarded and a -48 mesh fraction which is concentrate (product).

Abstract: Polyepoxide resins are reacted with a molar excess of a primary amine to form an amine terminated resin, the amine groups of which are then reacted with a monoepoxide. The primary amine is a mixture of an aliphatic monoamine and an aliphatic diamine which contains one primary amine group and one tertiary amine group. The resinous reaction products can be salted with an acid and can be dissolved or dispersed in water. The aqueous dispersions or solutions can then be formulated into primer coatings for metal objects.

Abstract: Polyepoxide resins are reacted in approximately equivalent ratios with primary amines to form cationic resinous compositions. The primary amine is a mixture of an aliphatic monoamine and an aliphatic diamine which contains one primary amine group and one tertiary amine group. The resinous reaction products can be salted with an acid and can be dissolved or dispersed in water. The aqueous dispersions or solutions can then be formulated into primer coatings for metal objects.