Claims
- 1. A fluid membrane comprising a fluid layer contained between two gas permeable electrodes thereby forming a sandwich-like fluid membrane separating distinct volumes containing diffusant species, said fluid comprising a fluid capable of exhibiting electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow, said electrodes capable of being accessed by the diffusant species, and means for applying an electric field to the fluid layer, said electric field inducing an EHD flow within the fluid layer, said flow altering the passage of diffusant species across the fluid membrane.
- 2. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said electrodes are comprised of electrically conducting solid material.
- 3. The electrodes of claim 2 wherein said electrically conducting solid material is comprised of a sintered metallic plate.
- 4. The electrodes of claim 2 wherein said electrically conducting solid material is comprised of a porous insulating solid plate coated with an electrically conducting layer.
- 5. The electrodes of claim 4 wherein said porous insulating solid plates are comprised of a silicon rubber film.
- 6. The electrodes of claim 4 wherein said sintered metallic plates are porous silver filters.
- 7. The electrodes of claim 2 wherein said electrically conducting solid material is brass.
- 8. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said fluid layer is in the nematic phase.
- 9. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said fluid layer is in a lyotropic phase.
- 10. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said diffusant species are in a gaseous phase.
- 11. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said fluid layer is a liquid crystal film.
- 12. The membrane of claim 1 wherein said liquid crystal film is N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline (MBBA).
- 13. A method for controlling the transport of compounds across a membrane by applying an electric field to a fluid membrane to induce an electrohydrodynamic flow, said fluid membrane comprising a fluid layer contained between two gas permeable electrodes thereby forming a sandwich-like fluid membrane separating distinct volumes containing diffusant species, said fluid comprising a fluid capable of exhibiting electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow, said electrodes capable of being accessed by the diffusant species, and means for applying an electric field to the fluid layer.
- 14. A method for separating molecules by applying an electric field to a fluid membrane to induce an electrohydrodynamic flow, said fluid membrane comprising a fluid layer contained within two gas permeable electrodes thereby forming a sandwich-like fluid membrane separating distinct volumes containing diffusant species, said fluid comprising a fluid capable of exhibiting electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow, said electrodes capable of being accessed by the diffusant species, and means for applying an electric field to the fluid layer.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the molecules to be separated are selected from the group consisting of the following gases: N.sub.2, O.sub.2, H.sub.2, CH.sub.4, CO.sub.2, CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3, CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.3, CH.sub.3 CH.sub.2 OH, CH.sub.3 OH, ClCH=CCl.sub.2, HCOOH, or CH.sub.3 COOH.
Government Interests
This work was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The United States Government may have certain rights in this work.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4775479 |
Schugerl et al. |
Oct 1988 |
|