Preparation and characterization of Nafion/SPEEK layered composite membrane and its application in vanadium redox flow battery

In order to reduce the cost of membrane used in vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) system while keeping its chemical stability, Nafion/sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) layered composite membrane (N/S membrane) consisting of a thin layer of recast Nafion membrane and a layer of SPEEK membrane were prepared by chemical crosslink the sulfonic acid groups of different ionomer membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and IR spectra analysis of the membrane showed that Nafion layer was successfully deposited on the SPEEK membrane surface and an integral layered membrane structure was formed. The area resistance and permeability of vanadium ions of membrane were also measured. It was found that N/S membrane have a very low permeability of vanadium ions accompanied by a little higher area resistance compared with Nafion membrane. As a result, the VRB single cell with N/S membrane exhibited higher coulombic efficiency and lower voltage efficiency compared with VRB single cell with Nafion membrane. Although N/S membrane delivered relatively lower energy efficiency compared with Nafion membrane, its good chemical stability and low cost make it a suitable substitute for Nafion membrane used in VRB system.     

Biosynthesis of the Purple Membrane of Halobacteria

Halobacteria are extremely specialized organisms. They live exclusively in saturated solutions of common salt. The cell membrane of these bacteria exhibit insular regions which can be isolated by membrane fractionation. These regions consist of a lipid matrix containing bateriorhodopsin molecules in a hexagonal crystalline arrangement. Bacteriorhodopsin is a deep purple retinal-protein complex (“purple membrane”). The purple membrane functions as a light energy converter.—How can such a differentiated membrane region arise? In vivo studies on the biosynthesis of the purple membrane showed another cell membrane fraction, the so-called brown membrane, to be a biosynthetic precursor. Bacterioopsin (the retinal-free protein) is initially incorporated into the brown membrane and can only form the purple membrane by crystallization in an energy-dependent reaction after prior reaction with retinal. This reaction is reversible. Removal of the retinal by formation of retinal oxime causes the purple membrane regions to disappear. Reconstitution of the bacteriorhodopsin by addition of retinal regenerates the purple membrane.     

Experimental evidence to support a theory of lipid membrane fusion

Membrane fusion between two lipid membranes with different curvatures was measured by using a fluorescence fusion assay for lipid vesicle systems and was also obtained by measuring lipid monolayer surface tension upon the fusion of vesicles to monolayer membranes. For such membrane systems, it was found that when lysolipid was incorporated only in the membrane with a greater curvature, membrane fusion was more suppressed than those for the case where the same amount (molar ratio of lysolipid to non-lysolipids) of lysolipid was incorporated only in the membrane with a lower curvature. When lysolipid was incorporated only in a flat membrane (e.g., monolayer) and the fusion of small vesicles (SUV) to the monolayer was measured, suppression of membrane fusion by lysolipid was minimal. It is known that lysolipid lowers the surface energy of curved membranes, which stabilizes energetically such membrane surfaces, and thus suppresses membrane fusion. Our results support our theory of lipid membrane fusion where the membrane fusion occurs through the most curved membrane region at the contact area of two interacting membranes.     

Designing synthetic vesicles that engulf nanoscopic particles

We examine the interaction of a lipid bilayer membrane with a spherical particle in solution using dissipative particle dynamics, with the aim of controlling the passage of foreign objects into and out of vesicles. Parameters are chosen such that there is a favorable adhesive interaction between the membrane and the particle. Under these conditions, the membrane wraps the particle in a process resembling phagocytosis in biological cells. We find that, for a homogeneous membrane with a uniform attraction to the particle, the membrane is unable to fully wrap the particle when the adhesion strength is below a certain value. This is observed even in the limit of zero membrane tension. When the adhesion strength is increased above the threshold value, the membrane fully wraps the particle. However, the wrapped particle remains tethered to the larger membrane. We next consider an adhesive domain, or raft, in an otherwise nonadhesive membrane. We find that, when the particle is wrapped by the raft, the line tension at the raft interface promotes fission, allowing the wrapped particle to detach from the larger membrane. This mechanism could be used to allow particles to cross a vesicle membrane.     

聚偏氟乙烯膜蒸馏技术在水处理中的应用研究进展

膜蒸馏是一种以膜为介质,利用传统蒸发工艺开发的新型膜分离技术。随着高分子材料行业的进步和制膜工艺的成熟,膜蒸馏技术取得了巨大的进展,在水处理领域拥有十分广阔的市场前景。膜蒸馏技术的核心是膜的通量和使用寿命,而性能优良的膜材料是膜蒸馏技术发展的关键。聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)因具有成膜性能好、表面张力大、化学稳定性强等优点,在膜蒸馏技术应用研究中备受青睐。同时PVDF与其他聚合物具有良好的相容性,为膜的改性研究奠定了基础,极大地扩展了应用范围。本文介绍了膜蒸馏技术的工作原理及工艺特点以及PVDF膜材料的特点及改性方法,重点对PVDF膜蒸馏技术在水处理领域的应用进行了梳理和总结,讨论了该技术亟待研究和解决的问题,以期为该工艺技术的进一步发展提供科学支撑和理论依据。     

Reverse permeation of sodium ions driven by pH difference across a liquid membrane: time dependencies of membrane resistance and membrane potential in a reverse permeation system

The diffusional flux of sodium ions across a liquid membrane was observed as a reverse permeation phenomenon: sodium ions were transported across the membrane against their own concentration difference. A supported liquid membrane having stearic acid as an ionic carrier was used. The internal aqueous phase contained NaCl and HCl and the external aqueous phase contained NaOH of the same initial concentration as NaCl in the internal aqueous phase. The reverse permeation occurred with a long time delay. During the delay, sodium ions flowed from the acidic to alkaline solution. The diffusion coefficient of sodium ion estimated from the flux equation taking into account the Donnan equilibrium at the interface was found to be much greater than that in the membrane solvent, 1-octanol. In the same membrane system as for the flux measurement, the membrane conductance and the membrane potential were measured as a function of time. The time dependence of the membrane potential in the presteady state showed a biphasic behavior. The initial rapid phase could be attributed to the change in the phase boundary potential and the subsequent slow step to the change in the diffusion potential within the membrane. Before the steady membrane potential had been reached, the reverse permeation of sodium ions against their own concentration difference was not observed. During the slow relaxation process of the membrane potential, the membrane resistance decreased to approach the steady state. Moreover, the oscillation of membrane potential abruptly started at a time in the slow step of the potential change and continued during the steady state. It was suggested that, at the presteady state, the increase in the amount of water in the membrane would drive a drastic change in the state of the liquid membrane in the filter pore, e.g. an inverted micellar structure making.     

Dielectric analysis of nanofiltration membrane in electrolyte solutions: influences of electrolyte concentration and species on membrane permeation

Dielectric properties of a nanofiltration membrane immersed in dilute aqueous electrolyte solutions were measured, and frequency dependence of capacitance and conductance of the systems was analyzed, based on the interfacial polarization theory, giving values of permittivity and conductivity of the membrane and the solutions. Permittivity, epsilon m, of the membrane slightly decreased whereas conductivity, km, of the membrane increased with increasing electrolyte concentration, as a result of entrance of ions into the membrane. The ratio of membrane/solution conductivity, km/kw, also depended on the electrolyte concentration, showing that distribution of ions in the membrane and in solutions follow Donnan equilibrium, due to the presence of negative fixed charges in the membrane. New expressions were derived from Donnan equilibrium principle to explain this phenomenon, and negative fixed charge concentration ce of the membrane was obtained; thus the Donnan potential, DeltaPhi Don, of the membrane in solutions at various concentrations could be calculated. The new expressions could be expected to be usable to analyze ion permeation property through membrane.     

A NEW METHOD TO PREPARE BLUE MEMBRANE BY REMOVING THE CATIONS FROM THE PURPLE MEMBRANE BY ELECTROLYSIS

The purple membrane of Halobacterium halobium will change to the blue membrane when the cations bound to the membrane are removed. Here we introduce a new method to remove the cations by applying a moderate potential (20 V) between two platinum electrodes in a chamber containing a purple membrane solution. The purple membrane is deposited on the anode where the cations are removed by the low pH near this electrode due to the electrolysis of water. The blue membrane made by this method seems identical with blue membrane made by other methods but it can be made more quickly and in large quantities.     

Dynamics and instabilities of lipid bilayer membrane shapes

Biological membranes undergo constant shape remodeling involving the formation of highly curved structures. The lipid bilayer represents the fundamental architecture of the cellular membrane with its shapes determined by the Helfrich curvature bending energy. However, the dynamics of bilayer shape transitions, especially their modulation by membrane proteins, and the resulting shape instabilities, are still not well understood. Here, we review in a unifying manner several theories that describe the fluctuations (i.e. undulations) of bilayer shapes as well as their local coupling with lipid or protein density variation. The coupling between local membrane curvature and lipid density gives rise to a ‘slipping mode’ in addition to the conventional ‘bending mode’ for damping the membrane fluctuation. This leads to a number of interesting experimental phenomena regarding bilayer shape dynamics. More importantly, curvature-inducing proteins can couple with membrane shape and eventually render the membrane unstable. A criterion for membrane shape instability is derived from a linear stability analysis. The instability criterion reemphasizes the importance of membrane tension in regulating the stability and dynamics of membrane geometry. Recent progresses in understanding the role of membrane tension in regulating dynamical cellular processes are also reviewed. Protein density is emphasized as a key factor in regulating membrane shape transitions: a threshold density of curvature coupling proteins is required for inducing membrane morphology transitions.     

Osmotically induced membrane tension facilitates the triggering of living cell electropermeabilization

Very little is known about the molecular mechanisms supporting living cell membrane electropermeabilization. This concept is based on the local membrane permeability induced by cell exposure to brief and intense external electric field pulses. During the electric field application, an electro-induced membrane electric potential difference is created that is locally associated with the dielectric properties of the plasma membrane. When the new membrane electric potential difference locally reaches a critical value, a local alteration of the membrane structure is induced and leads to reversible permeabilization. In our study, we attempted to determine whether mechanical tension could modulate the triggering of membrane electropermeabilization. Change in lateral tension of Chinese Hamster Ovary cell membrane has been osmotically induced. Cell electropermeabilization was performed in the minute time range after the osmotic stress, i.e., before the regulatory volume decrease being activated by the cell. Living cell electropermeabilization was analyzed on cell population using flow cytometry. We observed that electropermeabilization triggering was significantly facilitated when the lateral membrane tension was increased. The main conclusion is that the critical value of transmembrane potential needed to trigger membrane electropermeabilization, is smaller when the membrane is under lateral mechanical constraint. This supports the hypothesis that both mechanical and electrical constraints play a key role in transient membrane destabilization.     

Dense ceramic catalytic membranes and membrane reactors for energy and environmental applications

Catalytic membrane reactors which carry out separation and reaction in a single unit are expected to be a promising approach to achieve green and sustainable chemistry with less energy consumption and lower pollution. This article presents a review of the recent progress of dense ceramic catalytic membranes and membrane reactors, and their potential applications in energy and environmental areas. A basic knowledge of catalytic membranes and membrane reactors is first introduced briefly, followed by a short discussion on the membrane materials including their structures, composition and strategies for material development. The configuration of catalytic membranes, the design of membrane reaction processes and the high temperature sealing are also discussed. The performance of catalytic membrane reactors for energy and environmental applications are summarized and typical catalytic membrane reaction processes are presented and discussed. Finally, current challenges and difficulties related to the industrialization of dense ceramic membrane reactors are addressed and possible future research is also outlined.     

Effect of the langmuir-type ion adsorption on the membrane potential of a non-charged membrane

Membrane potential is determined by the combination of the properties of ions and of the membrane. There is, therefore, a possibility that the properties of ions can be reflected on the membrane potential more effectively by artificially modifying the membrane properties. In this paper, the membrane is assumed to have no charge but to adsorb cations or anions selectively, and the effect of Langmuir-type adsorption of ions on the membrane potential is investigated theoretically. The variation of the amount of adsorbed ions affects not only the surface potential but also the diffusion potential within the membrane. The membrane potential shows a minimum or a maximum with the variation of the ion concentration in the bulk solution. This phenomenon results from the variation of the amount of ions adsorbed onto the membrane surfaces. Therefore, information on both the adsorption coefficient of a given ion and the amount of saturation of absorption of the ion is obtained from an analysis of the membrane potential. The theory is applied to the analysis of the affinity membrane potential, which can be used for the determination of blood type, and it is shown that the theory is in good agreement with experimental data.     

镧在细胞膜上键合形态研究

研究了一种简单快速的富膜细胞组分的提取和分离方法，并运用这种方法研究了大豆幼苗根细胞膜上La结合形态，La末与膜蛋白结合，而是与一非膜蛋白组分呈优势结合。     

荷电膜的研究进展

荷电膜以其特殊的分离机理,使之与电中性膜相比在分离性能、通量及膜的使用寿命等方面具有不可比拟的优势.大多数的荷电膜是经过一系列物理化学改性制得的,荷电膜材料的研究为新型膜材料的开发拓宽了领域,随着对膜性能要求的日益提高,荷电膜的研究具有重要的意义.本文首先介绍了荷电膜所用到的材料及其用途,并对所用到的材料进行分类,然后重点论述了荷电膜的制备及其表征方法(膜电位的测试方法),最后指出荷电膜需要进一步深入研究的内容.     

Membrane-based techniques for sample enrichment

Sample preparation techniques based on non-porous membrane extraction generally offer a high degree of selectivity and enrichment power, together with convenient possibilities for direct and automated connections to chromatographic and other analytical instruments. In this review principles and applications for techniques as supported liquid membrane extraction, microporous membrane liquid-liquid extraction, polymeric membrane extraction and membrane extraction with a sorbent interface are described and compared.     

Modification of membrane surface for anti-biofouling performance: Effect of anti-adhesion and anti-bacteria approaches

Membrane biofouling refers to the undesirable accumulation (attachment and growth) of microorganisms on a membrane surface, and has been a major problem in the application of membrane technology in water and wastewater treatment. In this study, the surface of a base membrane made of chitosan/cellulose acetate blend was modified by reacting with heparin, quaternary ammonium or being immobilized with silver ions. The purpose of the modifications was to increase the surface hydrophilicity, alter the surface charge property or endue the surface with anti-bacteria function. The modified membranes were then examined for their anti-biofouling performance in terms of the anti-adhesion and anti-bacteria effects, with Escherichia coli pure culture and mixed culture bacteria in a bioreactor that simulated the activated sludge wastewater treatment process. The results clearly show that the hydrophilicity of a membrane, although important, is not an effective indicator for the tendency of membrane biofouling but the nature of the surface charges of the membrane also plays a very important role. It was found that the anti-adhesion approach that prevents the initial attachment of bacteria on a membrane surface is a more effective method than the anti-bacteria approach that aims at killing bacteria already attached on the membrane surface. The best performance for minimizing membrane biofouling has, however, been realized through a modified membrane surface that has effective anti-adhesion property plus additional anti-bacteria function, with the latter as a safe guard in case some bacteria do attach to the surface of a membrane.     

壳聚糖交联膜结构及性能的研究

壳聚糖是一种天然生物高分子聚合物，是甲壳素脱乙酰化产物，具有很好的成膜特性．用一种金属离子把壳聚糖分子中的螫合基团络合保护后，用戊二醛交联，并在酸性条件下将该金属离子洗脱，得到了螯合基团依然保留的壳聚糖交联膜．对壳聚糖交联膜的结构及性能进行了研究．结果表明：金属离子有效地保护了壳聚糖分子上的络合基因，该膜的性能较好，对阴离子的选择透过性比较好，并将其应用于元素的分离．     

Modeling and optimization of membrane lifetime in dead-end ultra filtration

In this paper, a membrane lifetime model is developed and experimentally validated. The lifetime model is based on the Weibull probability density function. The lifetime model can be used to determine an unambiguous characteristic membrane lifetime. Experimental results showed that membrane lifetime shortens if the average membrane fouling status increases. The lifetime modeling results are then used to determine the economic lifetime of membranes. Subsequently, the economic lifetime of a membrane is used to optimize membrane lifetime, i.e. minimizing the total costs. Based on the experimental results it can be concluded that the total costs are minimal if the average membrane fouling status is approximately 1.7× the membrane resistance.     

纳滤膜的研究进展

纳滤膜是一种新型分离膜,其截流分子量介于反渗透膜和超滤膜之间,且对无机盐有一定的截流率。国内外纳滤膜制备方法有L-S相转化法、复合法、荷电化法和无机改性等。纳滤膜研究中存在着膜通量小、膜制作成本较高及抗污染性差等问题,因此选择和制备纳滤膜的材料,优化纳滤技术水处理工艺设计,提高纳滤性能,降低制膜成本,减轻膜污染等已成为当今科学研究的重要课题。     

Polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration hollow fiber membranes applied in forward osmosis process

For the first time, the potential of polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanofiltration membrane as a forward osmosis membrane has been investigated. PBI was chosen mainly because of its unique nanofiltration characteristics, robust mechanical strength and excellent chemical stability. The MgCl₂ solutions with different concentrations and other different salt solutions were employed as draw solutions to test the water permeation flux through the PBI membrane during forward osmosis. High water permeation flux and excellent salt selectivity were achieved by using the PBI nanofiltration membrane which has a narrow pore size distribution. Effects of membrane morphology, operation conditions and flowing patterns of two feed streams within the membrane module on water transport performance have been investigated. It may conclude that PBI nanofiltration membrane is a promising candidate as a forward osmosis (FO) membrane.