Silver Membranes: Your last line of defense?

We ran across an interesting patent that involves silver membranes – As part of a system designed to detect and identify chemical and biological contaminants in the air!  In the proposed sampling method and system, the silver membrane is used to capture liquid, solid, and gas constituents that would then be analyzed by means of spectroscopy for contaminants. 

For more versatility, the surface of the membrane can be modified physically or chemically in order to increase the surface area and/or provide specific affinity towards analytes of interest.   For instance, a pure length of silver membrane would trap solid particulate materials while a silver membrane treated with a metal oxide such as magnesium oxide would adsorb volatile organic compounds from a gas or liquid state.   The suitable thickness for the silver membranes is between 10 - 50 microns, with 30 microns being the preferred thickness.  The standard thickness for Sterlitech silver membranes is between 30 - 50 microns.   
         
The implications for this patent are intriguing to say the least.  It’s nice to know that there’s a possibility of our silver membranes being used to save lives…

You can look at the full patent here.