TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Parameters: The membrane can be bound to battery electrode by heat-activation at a 35-125 degrees C and 0.5-100 psi. The microporous membrane has a porosity of 25-75 (preferably 45-70)%.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Materials: The hot-melt adhesive is poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) or poly (ethylene-alkyl acrylate), preferably 1-5C alkyl. The engineering plastics may contain polysulfone, polycarbonate, and/or poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate).Preferred Compositions: The poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate) comprises styrene:methyl methacrylate ratio of 9:1 to 1:1. The layer(s) comprises hot-melt adhesive (2-50 wt.%), tackifier (2-30 wt.%), and filler (5-30 wt.%); preferably poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) or poly(ethylene- alkyl acrylate) (10-15 wt.% ), tackifier (5-10 wt.%), polysulfone, polycarbonate, and/or poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate) (50-60 wt.%) and silica (15-25 wt.%).Preferred Components: The tackifier is aromatic modified aliphatic hydrocarbon resins, aliphatic resins, hydrogenated cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon resins, rosin resin, polyterpene resin, and/or poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropene (PVdF-HFP). The PVdF-HFP contains 5-12% hexafluoropropene. The filler can be polytetrafluoroethylene.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The filler is fumed silica, alumina, titanium dioxide, molecular sieve, calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, glass, ceramic material and/or polytetrafluoroethylene. The filler is in the form of powder having average particle size of less than 25 micrometers (preferably less than 10 micrometers).    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - Preferred Components: The filler can be glass and/or ceramic material. EXAMPLE - Poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) (0.90 g) containing vinyl acetate (50 wt.%), Escorez 5690 (RTM; cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon resins) (0.36 g), and polysulfone (4.14 g) were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (40 g). To this solution, fumed silica (1 g) was added. The mixture was stirred overnight and then lithium bromide (7 g) was added. The slurry was cast at 20 micrometers thickness to a film substrate. The resulting membrane was soaked in water, washed with fresh water, and allowed to dry. The thickness of the microporous membrane was 1 mm thick and was found to be uniform, homogeneous and mechanically strong.