Patents by Inventor Xiaodan Gu

Xiaodan Gu has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20260061373
    Abstract: A porous composite ultrafiltration membrane including a block copolymer layer having (a) one or more soft block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of greater than about 50%, as measured by ASTM D638 and an elastic modulus of between 10 MPa to 3 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test; and (b) one or more hard block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of less than about 65%, as measured by ASTM D638, and an elastic modulus of higher than 1 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test, and a macroporous support layer having a pore size larger than a pore size of the block copolymer layer. Also described is a method for making the porous composite membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2025
    Publication date: March 5, 2026
    Applicant: The University of Southern Mississippi
    Inventors: Xiaodan GU, Daniel Weller
  • Patent number: 12496555
    Abstract: A porous composite ultrafiltration membrane including a block copolymer layer having (a) one or more soft block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of greater than about 50%, as measured by ASTM D638 and an elastic modulus of between 10 MPa to 3 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test; and (b) one or more hard block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of less than about 65%, as measured by ASTM D638, and an elastic modulus of higher than 1 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test, and a macroporous support layer having a pore size larger than a pore size of the block copolymer layer. Also described is a method for making the porous composite membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2025
    Inventors: Xiaodan Gu, Daniel Weller
  • Patent number: 12259365
    Abstract: The invention provides for a material characterization system, method, and instrumentation for measuring the mechanical properties of nano-scale thin films. The thin film mechanical characterization system, method, and instrumentation of the present invention for ultra-thin films includes a motor and load cell. The instrumentation device includes a bath that can be filled or used with liquid so that a thin film can float via the surface tension and can be stretched until permanent deformation occurs, while recording the amount of force applied by the motor and other parameters. Further, the invention provides a process that transfers the nano-scale thin film to the tensile testing instrument and a process to obtain the physical mechanical properties of thin films that are at the nanoscale level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: The University of Southern Mississippi
    Inventors: Xiaodan Gu, Dakota F. Ehlenberg, Song Zhang
  • Publication number: 20220241731
    Abstract: A porous composite ultrafiltration membrane including a block copolymer layer having (a) one or more soft block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of greater than about 50%, as measured by ASTM D638 and an elastic modulus of between 10 MPa to 3 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test; and (b) one or more hard block polymer(s) having an elongation at break of less than about 65%, as measured by ASTM D638, and an elastic modulus of higher than 1 GPa as measured by the ASTM D638 tensile test, and a macroporous support layer having a pore size larger than a pore size of the block copolymer layer. Also described is a method for making the porous composite membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
    Inventors: Xiaodan GU, Daniel Weller
  • Publication number: 20190339180
    Abstract: The invention provides for a material characterization system, method, and instrumentation for measuring the mechanical properties of nano-scale thin films. The thin film mechanical characterization system, method, and instrumentation of the present invention for ultra-thin films includes a motor and load cell. The instrumentation device includes a bath that can be filled or used with liquid so that a thin film can float via the surface tension and can be stretched until permanent deformation occurs, while recording the amount of force applied by the motor and other parameters. Further, the invention provides a process that transfers the nano-scale thin film to the tensile testing instrument and a process to obtain the physical mechanical properties of thin films that are at the nanoscale level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Xiaodan Gu, Dakota F. Ehlenberg, Song Zhang