Preparation and properties of natural rubber/rectorite nanocomposites

Natural rubber (NR)/rectorite nanocomposite was prepared by co-coagulating NR latex and rectorite aqueous suspension. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize the microstructure of the nanocomposite. The results showed that the nanocomposite exhibited a higher glass transition temperature, lower tan δ peak value and slightly broader glass transition region compared with pure NR. The gas barrier properties of the NR/rectorite nanocomposites were remarkably improved by the introduction of nanoscale rectorite because of the increased tortuosity of the diffusive path for a penetrant molecule. The nanocomposites have a unique stress-strain behavior due to the reinforcement and the hindrance of rectorite layers to the tensile crystallization of NR.     

聚氨酯聚二甲基硅氧烷半IPN透气性研究

近年来,互穿聚合物网络(IPN)的开发受到了广泛的关注。以聚氨酯为一组分,聚丙烯腈、聚酯及环氧树脂等为另一组分的IPN体系的研究已有报道,而聚氨酯与有机硅的IPN体系的研究报道很少。在本文中,我们对聚氨酯(PU)与聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)半IPN的透气性与结构的关系进行了研究。     

Influence of Cd and Cr substitutions on the magnetization and permeability of magnesium ferrites

Magnetization and permeability of polycrystalline ferrites with general formula Cd_xMg_1−xFe_2−yCr_yO₄ (x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0; y=0, 0.05 and 0.10) were studied. Study of saturation magnetization reveals that the Neel's two-sublattice model exists upto x=0.4, for y=0, 0.05 and 0.1 and a three-sublattice model (YK-model) is predominant for x>0.4 and y=0, 0.05 and 0.10. The saturation magnetization and magnetic moment were found to decrease with the increase in Cr³⁺ contents, which is attributed to the dilution of B–B site interaction. Variation of initial permeability with temperature revealed the long-range ferromagnetic ordering in the compounds with x=0.4. The sample with x?0.4 and y=0, 0.05 and 0.10 showed peaking behavior near Curie temperature, which is attributed to the decrease of anisotropy constant K₁ to zero. Low-frequency dispersion of initial permeability suggests domain wall displacement. Addition of Cd²⁺ resulted in a sharp decrease in Curie temperature. With the addition of Cr³⁺, initial permeability was found to decrease.     

Removal of acidic dyestuffs in aqueous solution by nanofiltration

Separation of acidic dyestuffs, including Acid red 4, Acid orange 10, and Acid red 27, from aqueous solution by nanofiltration (NF) was shown to be a feasible process to accomplish an effective removal over a broad operational range. For most experiments conducted in this study, dyestuff rejections of greater than 98% were achieved. The permeate flux for experiments conducted with various dyestuffs was increased with increasing operating pressure and solution temperature. The permeability was increased and the rejection of dyestuffs was slightly decreased with increasing cross-flow velocity of solution. The effect of solution pH on the rejection of dyestuff was elucidated by the electrostatic characteristics between the species of dyestuff and the membrane surface. Maximum permeability was obtained for experiments operated in aqueous solution of pH 5, which was close to the isoelectric point of the membrane.     

Methods for engineering therapeutic peptides

This review discussed recent advancements related to therapeutic peptide engineering.     

Performance improvement of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane by blending with polyaniline nanofibers

Polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers were used to improve hydrophilic property and permeability of polysulfone (PS) membrane. PS membrane and PS/PANI nanofibers blended membranes with different PANI–PS mass ratios (1, 5, 10, and 15 wt.%) were prepared by phase inversion process. The blended membranes showed similar bovine serum albumin (BSA) and albumin egg (AE) rejections to PS membrane. The blended membranes had larger porosity and better hydrophilic property than PS membrane, which caused the improvement of their permeability. Pure water fluxes of the blended membranes with PANI–PS mass ratios of 1 and 15 wt.% were 1.6 and 2.4 times that of PS membrane, respectively. During the filtration of BSA solution, the blended membranes had slower flux decline rate than PS membrane. Moreover, stable permeate fluxes of the blended membranes with PANI–PS mass ratios of 1 and 15 wt.% were 2.0 and 2.5 times that of PS membrane, respectively. Compared with PS membrane, mechanical property and thermal stability of the blended membranes with less PANI–PS mass ratio, e.g. 1 wt.%, had no obvious change. For the blended membrane with PANI–PS mass ratio of 15 wt.%, breaking strength increased 28% and elongation at break decreased 30.6%.     

Effects of several different flux enhancing chemicals on filterability and fouling reduction of membrane bioreactor (MBR) mixed liquors

The main objective of this work was to determine the effectiveness of various chemicals on filterability and fouling reduction in MBR mixed liquors. Different lab-scale experiments were conducted with a total of 7 different additives (3 cationic polymers (MPL30, MPE50, KD452), a biopolymer (Chit), a starch (Sta), and 2 metal salts (FeCl₃, PACl)). Initially, batch shaker tests were performed for each additive to determine the optimum dosages in terms of soluble microbial products (SMP) removal. Then, short-term filtration trials and critical flux tests were performed. All tested additives were able to remove SMP, but at different extent; 33, 45, 51, 36, 38, 54, and 56% for MPL30, MPE50, KD452, FeCl₃, PACl, Chit, and Sta, respectively. The cationic polymer KD452 exhibited the best performance in terms of the extent of SMP removal and the required dosage. All tested cationic polymers, starch and chitosan significantly reduced fouling rates and increased permeability values. At their optimum dosages, the cationic polymers MPE50, MPL30 and KD452 provided 96, 80 and 74% reductions in fouling rates, respectively. The enhancements in critical flux achieved by MPL30, MPE50, KD452, FeCl₃, PACl, Chit, and Sta were 38, 46, 38, 14, 14, 0, and 22% in comparison with raw mixed liquor. Cationic polymers increased critical flux values to levels above 50 L m⁻² h⁻¹. SMP removal from MBR mixed liquors and further improvement in filtration performance and fouling control did not always correlate. Overall, based on the lab-scale tests conducted, cationic polymeric additives were found to be favorable over the other additives due to their steady and successful performance in fouling control. The performance of cationic polymers was independent of small variations in dosing, while for other additives over- or under-dosing showed detrimental effects on filterability.     

A parametric study of CO2/N2 gas separation membrane processes for post-combustion capture

Capture of CO₂ from flue gases produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass in air is referred to as post-combustion capture. Chemisorbent processes are considered to be the most feasible method and are already at an advanced stage of development, but gas separation membranes are attracting more and more attention as a possible alternative. This paper describes a detailed parametric study of mass and energy balances for a simulated single membrane process. Typical operating conditions (CO₂ concentration in the flue gas, pressure and temperature, etc.) together with the influence of the membrane quality (permeability, selectivity) and membrane area on membrane performance (CO₂ separation degree and CO₂ purity) are simulated over a wide range of parameters.     

Structure and sorption characteristics of bioaffinity membranes

The new bioaffinity membranes comprise mammalian blood and tissue cells immobilized in the polymer matrix. The method of immobilization does not assume the retention of physiological and enzymatic activity of immobilized cells, but it ensures the safety of cellular membrane receptors that are used as specific ligands. Macroporous polymer carriers based on polyacrylonitrile maintain the accessibility of the cellular receptors for all blood plasma components including immunoglobulins and viral particles. The sorption capacity of membranes with respect to model substances in a batchwise technique is evaluated. Although the results are of a preliminary nature, the membranes may be used in crossflow modules for selective blood plasma correction of endogenous substances.     

硅橡胶(PDMS)—聚砜(PS)复合渗透膜的氧氮透气性和渗透过程

用扫描电镜观察了多孔PS膜和PDMS—PS复合膜的断面结构形态,认为复合膜中的PS柱状孔是支撑层,PS界面的微孔层和PMDS的均质涂层组成的双层结构是影响复合膜透气性的主要结构。提出了理论分析的模型与透气量的计算公式,计算结果与实测值基本相符。测定了氧、氮、空气在不同温度下透过PDMS均质膜和PDMS—PS复合膊的透过系数P或透气速率J,给出了lgP或lgJ与1/T符合Arrhenius公式的线性关系。研究了操作参数对复合膜富集空气中氧的影响规律。