A PVC-based pentathia-15-crown-5 membrane potentiometric sensor for mercury(II)

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)-based membrane of pentathia-15-crown-5 exhibits good potentiometric response for Hg²⁺ over a wide concentration range (2.51 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.00 × 10⁻¹ mol dm⁻³) with a slope of 32.1 mV per decade of Hg²⁺ concentration. The response time of the sensor is as fast as 20 s. The electrode has been used for a period of six weeks and exhibits fairly good discriminating ability towards Hg²⁺ in comparison to alkali, alkaline and some heavy metal ions. The electrode can be used in the pH range from 2.7 to 5.0.     

含VE微胶囊的制备及其控制释放性能研究

以天然维生素E（VE）为芯材，利用Shirasu porous glass (SPG) 膜乳化结合液中干燥法，制备了粒径单分散的聚苯乙烯（PS）微胶囊.微胶囊的粒径为膜孔径的4倍，粒径单分散系数CV小于0.2.考察了改变PS和VE的比例及微胶囊的粒径对控制释放性能的影响.     

Elaboration and characterisation of PDMS-HTiNbO5 nanocomposite membranes

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-HTiNbO₅ nanocomposite membranes with various HTiNbO₅ nanofiller content were prepared by melt intercalation. WAXS diffraction measurements and TEM observations have suggested that the HTiNbO₅ mineral was exfoliated in the PDMS matrix. The influence of the filler in the membrane was evaluated by water diffusion, gas permeation (CO₂, N₂, O₂, ethane and ethylene), toluene pervaporation and by CO₂ sorption measurements.A filler content of only 2 wt.% in PDMS-HTiNbO₅ nanocomposite membranes slows down the water diffusion significantly, and a filler content of 5 wt.% reduces also the permeability of the films for toluene. The addition of a filler content up to 10 wt.% do not significantly influences the gas permeability (P) except for CO₂. The PDMS matrix appears to be highly permeable and, therefore, a decreasing effect on P is only marked for a very high HTiNbO₅ content. This effect is more pronounced for CO₂, the P value of which decreases by 80% when the amount of nanofiller is 40 wt.%. The sorption measurements show that the interaction between CO₂ and PDMS is weak (isotherms agree with Henry’s law). The filler decreases the solubility of CO₂ in the films (S = 7.94 × 10⁻³ and S = 5.44 × 10⁻³ cm³ STPcm⁻³ film cmHg⁻¹ for PDMS and PDMS-HTiNbO₅ 40 wt.%, respectively).     

GAS SORPTION AND TRANSPORT IN POLY (PHENYLENE OXIDE)(PPO)AND ARYL-BROMINATED PPO MEMBRANES

The apparent solubility (S), concentration-average diffusivity (D), and permeability (P), for C0_2, CH_4 and N_2 through PPO and aryl-brominated PPO at 35℃for pressure ranging from 1 to 26 atm are reported. It is found that P, D, and S of the membranes to all the three gases vary with the extent of bromination. S increases with the increase of the percent of bromine in each case, but D to CO_2 increases remarkably only at higher degree of brominafion, and therefore, P to CO_2 is increased by more than 100% over a wide range ofpressure in the case. The solubility data are well described by the dual mode sorption model. It is found that the gas molecules sorbed by the Langmuir mode are relatively more immobilized and the contribution of the nonequilibrinm character of the polymer to gas permeation increases obviously for CO_2 and is hardly changed for CH_4 with increasing bromine content. These observations are interpreted in terms of changes in specific free volume (SFV)and the cohesive energy density (CED) of the polymers.     

非低温法的稀有气体纯化技术概述

稀有气体广泛应用于工业生产中,如离子刻蚀、检漏等。但是它们在地球上的含量比较少,属于稀有资源,因此需要对它们进行纯化以循环再利用。首先介绍了不同气体纯化的原理,然后以实际生产中的不同稀有气体使用范围为例,说明纯化装置的设计方法和需要考虑的问题。为以后气体纯化装置的设计提供借鉴。     

A Novel Enzyme Membrane Electrode for Oxalate Determination in Foodstuffs

Abstract

An enzyme membrane electrode usable for the assay of oxalate in foodstuffs is described. A commercially available preactivated polyamide membrane was used for the immobilization of oxalate oxidase. The bioactive disk thus obtained was associated with an amperometric transducer. The resulting self-contained enzyme electrode wich allows oxalate determination in various materials with minimal pretreatment exhibits a linear calibration ranging from 10–7 M and 10–4 M in the cell. The response-time was comprised between 20 seconds and 1 minute, depending on the oxalate content in the sample. The electrode-response was very stable for at least 4 months, a period during which more than 150 assays were performed.

The results obtained with several food materials were in good agreement with those obtained with the conventional spectrophotometric method. Assays were also performed with a microprocessor-based analyzer normally used for glucose measurements with a glucose oxidase electrode When the analyzer is equipped with an oxalate oxidase membrane, without further setting, oxalate can be determined in the range 5 10^?3 M-10^?1 M in the sample.     

Continuum theory of swelling material surfaces with applications to thermo-responsive gel membranes and surface mass transport

Soft membranes are commonly employed in shape-morphing applications, where the material is programmed to achieve a target shape upon activation by an external trigger, and as coating layers that alter the surface characteristics of bulk materials, such as the properties of spreading and absorption of liquids. In particular, polymer gel membranes experience swelling or shrinking when their solvent content change, and the non-homogeneous swelling field may be exploited to control their shape. Here, we develop a theory of swelling material surfaces to model polymer gel membranes and demonstrate its features by numerically studying applications in the contexts of biomedicine, micro-motility, and coating technology. We also specialize the theory to thermo-responsive gels, which are made of polymers that change their affinity with a solvent when temperature varies.     

Nondimensional frequency scaling of aerodynamically-tensioned membranes

Membrane wings have applications that involve low Reynolds number flyers such as micro air vehicles. The time-averaged and time-dependent deformations of the membrane affect the aerodynamic characteristics of the wing, primarily in the region beyond the maximum aerodynamic efficiency of the wing. This paper investigates an appropriate nondimensional vibration frequency scaling of a spanwise tensioned membrane with free (unattached) leading and trailing edges at low Reynolds numbers relative to nondimensional aeroelastic parameters. Silicone rubber membranes with varying spanwise pre-tension, aerodynamic tension (due to wing angle-of-attack and flow dynamic pressure), modulus of elasticity, span, and thickness are studied. Experimental results are compared to a proposed scaling that simplifies the aerodynamic loading as a uniform pressure distribution acting on the membrane. Data is further compared and discussed relative to previous published results of membrane wings with finite wing spans (three-dimensional flow) and fixed (rigid) leading edges.     

Membranes,peptides, and disease: Unraveling the mechanisms of viral proteins with solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The interplay between peptides and lipid bilayers drives crucial biological processes. For example, a critical step in the replication cycle of enveloped viruses is the fusion of the viral membrane and host cell endosomal membrane, and these fusion events are controlled by viral fusion peptides. Thus such membrane-interacting peptides are of considerable interest as potential pharmacological targets. Deeper insight is needed into the mechanisms by which fusion peptides and other viral peptides modulate their surrounding membrane environment, and also how the particular membrane environment modulates the structure and activity of these peptides. An important step toward understanding these processes is to characterize the structure of viral peptides in environments that are as biologically relevant as possible. Solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) is uniquely well suited to provide atomic level information on the structure and dynamics of both membrane-associated peptides as well as the lipid bilayer itself; further ssNMR can delineate the contribution of specific membrane components, such as cholesterol, or changing cellular conditions, such as a decrease in pH on membrane-associating peptides. This paper highlights recent advances in the study of three types of membrane associated viral peptides by ssNMR to illustrate the more general power of ssNMR in addressing important biological questions involving membrane proteins.     

Treatment by serum up-conversion nanoparticles in the fluoride matrix changes the mechanism of cell death and the elasticity of the membrane

Nanoparticles are increasingly being used for treatment and diagnostic purposes, but their effects on cells is not fully understood. Here, the interaction of fluorescent up-conversion nanoparticles (UpC-NPs) with neutrophils was investigated by imaging and measurement of membrane-cytosceletal elasticity by atomic force microscopy. It was found that UpC-NPs induce the death of neutrophils mainly by necrosis, and to a smaller extent by a novel process called ‘mummification'. Necrosis occurs by gradual loss of intracellular contents and nuclei, 45–110 min after exposure to UpC-NPs. Mummification is apparent as an increase in the rigidity of the neutrophils' membrane and acquisition of a characteristic bumpy shape with numerous protrusions; this structure does not change during atomic force microscopy scanning. Coating UpC-NPs with protein by incubation with serum leads to (1) formation of nanoparticle aggregates in the nm and μm size range, (2) a reduction in toxicity, (3) reduced mummification of neutrophils, and (4) no significant reduction of the elasticity of the membrane-cytoskeletal complex of neutrophils 30 min after exposure to coated UpC-NPs. The study shows that serum proteins greatly curb the toxicity of nanoparticles and reveals mummification as a novel mechanism of UpC-NP-induced cell death.