Membranes and nanotechnologies

TLDR: In the former USSR, research and development in this field was coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Scientific-Technological Corporation "Membranes", and now these activities are supported on a competitive basis by the Federal Agency for Science and Innovations in accordance with the State Program of Research and Development “Industry of Nanosystems and Materials,” within the subprogram “Technology of Membranes and Catalytic Systems.” It should be emphasized that membrane technologies were in high demand even during the industrial crisis of the 1990s, and numerous small and medium level

Abstract: Modern membranes are advanced technological products used in various fields of industry and science, and they are one of the necessary prerequisites for the development of these fields and for solving important social and ecological problems. It is difficult today to find a field of human activity that can exist without membranes. For this reason, membrane science and technology has always been given much attention at the federal level in the former USSR and now in Russia. In the USSR, research and development in this field was coordinated by the Interdisciplinary Scientific-Technological Corporation “Membranes,” and now these activities are supported on a competitive basis by the Federal Agency for Science and Innovations in accordance with the State Program of Research and Development “Industry of Nanosystems and Materials,” within the subprogram “Technology of Membranes and Catalytic Systems.” It should be emphasized that membrane technologies were in high demand even during the industrial crisis of the 1990s, and numerous small and medium level businesses engaged in the production of membranes and related devices. Presently, more than 50 domestic companies operate on the Russian membrane market, many of which (e.g., Voronezh-Akva Co. [1], GRASYS Co. [2], Aspekt Co. [3], and Ceramic Filter Co. [4]) have been created and managed by high-quality specialists of former military enterprises. Among the domestic manufacturers of membrane gas separation devices, GRASYS Co. [2] is also the most successful competitor on the international market, being one of the biggest suppliers of this equipment in Europe. The products from this company are fully adapted for use in all climate belts of Russia. The compact design of the gas separation units makes it possible to combine them with compression stations on the platforms of freight vehicles or in special containers. Stationary and mobile membrane nitrogen liquefaction plants are employed at oil and gas deposits and used to help extinguish fires in the coal, chemical, and petrochemical industries, and in various other fields (museums, exhibitions, archives, banks, computer centers, rooms with advanced electronic equipment, etc.). Since the beginning of the 1990s, the conversion