Plasmid DNA processing for gene therapy and vaccination: Studies on the membrane sterilisation filtration step

Membrane filtration through 0.2 μm pores is typically the last operation in the production of pharmaceutical grade plasmid DNA. The membrane sterilisation of purified DNA solutions containing plasmids and bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) is investigated in this paper. A linear relationship between total DNA transmission and vector size was observed when filtering through 0.2 μm polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. The percentage of DNA transmission assessed spectrophotometrically varied from 98 to 13% for vector sizes ranging from 6 to 116 kb. There was no significant change in transmission during filtration when controlled flux was increased from 0.1 to 2.3 mL/min cm² or DNA concentration changed from 25 to 100 μg/mL. For vectors ≥20 kb; (i) the level of backbone breakage increased with molecular weight, flux and number of filtration passes; (ii) consecutive filtration experiments indicated that greater DNA loss occurred during the first pass of filtration; and (iii) the use of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes with asymmetrical pores improved DNA transmission and decreased DNA damage. The addition of 150 mM NaCl in the formulation buffer improved filtration transmission by 47 and 11% for the 72 and 116 kb vectors, respectively. Complexation with polyethylenimine (PEI) and a lipid–integrin binding peptide (LI) complex did not improve product transmission.     

BPA transfer rate increase using molecular imprinted polyethersulfone hollow fiber membrane

Bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membrane was spun using a dry–wet spinning method, the membrane was then prepared as a filter with an effective area of 200 cm². The hollow fiber filter was employed to study the BPA transport behavior. The transport ability of the prepared hollow fiber membrane was measured using 100 μmol/l BPA aqueous solutions at a flow flux of 50 and 75 ml/min, respectively. The BPA transfer rate increased for the imprinted hollow fiber membranes due to the larger amount of binding sites, comparing with the non-imprinted one. In the present study, hollow fiber membrane and the molecular imprinting technique were combined for advanced separation and the data suggested that small molecules could transfer in the direction opposite to the concentration gradient due to different pH.     

Improved protein-adsorption resistance of polyethersulfone membranes via surface segregation of ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)

A styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) alternating copolymer with ultrahigh molecular weight (M_w > 10⁶) synthesized in super critical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) medium was used as hydrophilic polymeric additive in the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. The PES/SMA blend membranes were prepared by immersion precipitation process. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirmed that the hydrolyzed SMA preferentially segregated to membrane–coagulant interface during membrane formation. For the PES/SMA blend membranes, no big change was observed in the cross-sectional structure and the mechanical properties were well maintained after SMA addition except that a thicker top layer was formed. The surface morphology analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the membrane surface roughness increased with the added SMA amount. The results of water contact angle, water absorbance measurements and static protein adsorption experiments revealed that the surface enrichment of SMA endowed PES/SMA blend membranes with significantly improved surface hydrophilicity and protein-adsorption resistance.     

Novel CO2 selectively permeating membranes containing PETEDA dendrimer

Pentaerythrityl tetraethylenediamine (PETEDA) dendrimer was synthesized from pentaerythrityl tetrabromide and ethylenediamine. Its molecular structure was characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared resonance (FT-IR) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. The composite membranes for selectively permeating CO₂ were prepared by using PETEDA-PVA blend polymer as the active layer and polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membrane as the support layer and their permselectivity was tested by pure CO₂ and CH₄ gases and the gas mixture containing 10 vol.% CO₂ and 90 vol.% CH₄, respectively. For pure gases, the membrane containing 78.6 wt% PETEDA and 21.4 wt% PVA in the blend has a CO₂ permeance of 8.14 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 52 at 143.5 cmHg feed gas pressure. While feed gas pressure is 991.2 cmHg, CO₂ permeance reaches 3.56 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity is 19. For the gas mixture, the membrane has a CO₂ permeance of 6.94 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ with a CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 33 at 188.5 cmHg feed gas pressure, and a CO₂ permeance of 3.29 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ with a CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 7.5 at a higher feed gas pressure of 1164 cmHg. A possible gas transport mechanism in the composite membranes is proposed by investigating the permeating behavior of pure gases and the gas mixture and analyzing possible reactions between CO₂/CH₄ gases and the PETEDA-PVA blend polymer. The effect of PETEDA content in the blend polymer on permselectivity of the composite membranes was investigated, presenting that CO₂ permeance and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity increase and CH₄ permeance decreases, respectively with PETEDA content. This is explained by that with increasing PETEDA content, the carrier content increases, and the crystallinity and free volume of the PETEDA-PVA blend decrease that were confirmed by the experimental results of X-ray diffraction spectra (XRD) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS).     

Pd encapsulated and nanopore hollow fiber membranes: Synthesis and permeation studies

New types of supported Pd membranes were developed for high temperature H₂ separation. Sequential combinations of boehmite sol slip casting and film coating, and electroless plating (ELP) steps were designed to synthesize “Pd encapsulated” and “Pd nanopore” membranes supported on -Al₂O₃ hollow fibers. The permeation characteristics (flux, permselectivity) of a series of unaged and aged encapsulated and nanopore membranes with different Pd loadings were compared to those of a conventional 1 μm Pd/4 μm γ-Al₂O₃/-Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membrane. The unaged encapsulated membrane exhibited good performance with ideal H₂/N₂ separation factors of 3000–8000 and H₂ flux 0.4 mol/m² s at 370 °C and a transmembrane pressure gradient of 4 × 10⁵ Pa. The unaged Pd nanopore membranes had a lower initial flux and permselectivity, but exhibited superior performance with extended use (200 h). At the same conditions the unaged 2.6 μm Pd nanopore membrane had a H₂ flux of 0.16 mol/m² s and separation factor of 500 and the unaged 0.6 μm Pd nanopore membrane had a H₂ flux of 0.25 mol/m² s and separation factor of 50. Both nanopore membranes stabilized after 40 h of operation, in contrast to a continued deterioration of the permselectivity for the other membranes. An analysis of the permeation data reveals a combination of Knudsen and convective transport through membrane defects. A phenomenological, qualitative model of the synthesis and resulting structure of the encapsulated and nanopore membranes is presented to explain the permeation results.     

Pervaporation performance of crosslinked polyethylene glycol membranes for deep desulfurization of FCC gasoline

An crosslinked polyethylene glycol (PEG) membrane was prepared for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline desulfurization. Sulfur enrichment factor come to 4.75 and 3.51 for typical FCC gasoline feed with sulfur content of 238.28 and 1227.24 μg/g, respectively. Pervaporation performance of membranes kept stable within the long time run of 500 h, which indicated that crosslinked PEG membranes had the property of resisting pollution. Judging from chromatographic analysis, the membranes were more efficient for thiophene species. Effects of operation conditions including permeate pressure, feed temperature, feed flow rate and feed sulfur content level on the pervaporation performance were investigated. Permeation flux decreased with increasing permeate pressure while increased with the operating temperature increase. Sulfur enrichment factor increased firstly and decreased then when permeate pressure and temperature rose. The peak value occurred at 10.5 mm Hg and 358 K for model compounds feed (378 K for FCC gasoline feed). Arrhenius relationship existed between flux and operating temperature. Both sulfur enrichment factor and flux were shown to increase with increasing feed flow rate. Permeation flux increased while sulfur enrichment factor decreased as the feed sulfur content increased, but the influence of increasing sulfur content on pervaporation performance weakened when sulfur content come to 600 μg/g.     

Blended chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol membranes for the pervaporation dehydration of isopropanol

Homogeneous membranes were prepared by casting the solution of blended chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on a glass plate. The percent weight of chitosan in the membrane was varied from 0 to 100%. The membrane thickness was in the range of 15–30 μm. The membranes were heat treated at 150 °C for an hour. After that the membranes were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde and sulfuric acid in acetone aqueous solution. The membranes were tested at 30–60 °C for dehydration performance of 50–95% isopropanol aqueous solutions. At around 90% of isopropanol in the feed mixture, permeate flux increased whereas the percent of water in permeate tended to decrease when the feed temperature increased for all membranes, except that the water content in permeate from the membrane containing 75 wt.% chitosan remained constant. The swelling degree in water and the total flux increased with increasing chitosan content in membranes. The effect of temperature on permeate flux followed the Arrhenius relationship. The permeate flux decreased when isopropanol in the feed increased for all membranes. However, water content in permeate and isopropanol concentration in the feed formed complex relationship for different chitosan content membranes. Sorption did not appear to have significant effects on separation. The membrane containing chitosan 75% performed the best. For a feed solution containing 90% isopropanol at 60 °C, the permeate flux was 644 g/m² h with water content of nearly 100% in the permeate. At 55% isopropanol in the feed at 60 °C, the permeate flux was 3812 g/m² h. In the range of 55–95% of isopropanol in the feed, the water content in permeate was more than 99.5%. This membrane showed very excellent performance with good mechanical strength. It is promising to develop this membrane for industrial uses.     

Electrochemical characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/formyl methyl pyridinium (PVA-FP) anion-exchange membranes

To explore electrodialysis for purification of negatively charged large organic molecules (e.g., amino acids and medicine), water-swollen formyl methyl pyridinium-immobilized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA-FP) anion-exchange membranes were prepared and characterized in terms of their electrochemical properties. The PVA-FP membranes exhibited low electrical resistance (1.0–3.0 Ω cm²), high swelling properties (water content ratio, 0.62–0.73), and reasonable transport number ( for Cl⁻). For glutamic acid solutions, the electrical resistance of the PVA-FP membrane was low (1.0–3.0 Ω cm²) in a wide pH range, with no membrane fouling. Since the resonance effect of quaternary aromatic ammonium contributed to the structural stability of the PVA-FP membrane, the water-splitting with the PVA-FP membrane was approximately one order of magnitude lower than that with a commercial ion-exchange membrane at a same current density.     

Preparation and characterization of sulfated zirconia (SO4/ZrO2)/Nafion composite membranes for PEMFC operation at high temperature/low humidity

Fine particle superacidic sulfated zirconia (SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂, S-ZrO₂) was synthesized by ameliorated method, and composite membranes with different S-ZrO₂ contents were prepared by a recasting procedure from a suspension of S-ZrO₂ powder and Nafion solution. The physico-chemical properties of the membranes were studied by ion exchange capacity (IEC) and liquid water uptake measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, thermogravimetry–mass spectrometry (TG–MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The results showed that the IEC of composite membrane increased with the content of S-ZrO₂, S-ZrO₂ was compatible with the Nafion matrix, the incorporation of the S-ZrO₂ could increase the crystallinity and also improve the initial degradation temperature of the composite membrane. The performance of single cell was the best when the S-ZrO₂ content was 15 wt.%, and achieved 1.35 W/cm² at 80 °C and 0.99 W/cm² at 120 °C based on H₂/O₂ and at a pressure of 2 atm, the performance of the single cell with optimized S-ZrO₂ was far more than that of the Nafion at the same condition (e.g. 1.28 W/cm² at 80 °C, 0.75 W/cm² at 120 °C). The 15 wt.% S-ZrO₂/Nafion composite membrane showed lower fuel cell internal resistance than Nafion membranes at high temperature and low relative humidity (RH).     

Gas transport property of polyallylamine–poly(vinyl alcohol)/polysulfone composite membranes

Polyallylamine (PAAm) was synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized by Fourier transform infrared resonance (FT-IR) spectroscopy, hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The composite membranes were prepared by using PAAm–poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend polymer as the separation layer and polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration membranes as the support layer. The surface and cross-section morphology of the membrane was inspected by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The gas transport property of the membranes, including gas permeance, flux and selectivity, were investigated by using pure CO₂, N₂, CH₄ gases and CO₂/N₂ gas mixture (20 vol% CO₂ and 80 vol% N₂) and CO₂/CH₄ gas mixture (10 vol% CO₂ and 90 vol% CH₄). The plots of gas permeance or flux versus feed gas pressure imply that CO₂ permeation through the membranes follows facilitated transport mechanism whereas N₂ and CH₄ permeation follows solution–diffusion mechanism. Effect of PAAm content in the separation layer on gas transport property was investigated by measuring the membranes with 0–50 wt% PAAm content. With increasing PAAm content, gas permeance increases initially, reaches a maximum, and then decreases gradually. For CO₂/N₂ gas mixture, the membranes with 10 wt% PAAm content show the highest CO₂ permeance of about 1.80 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ KPa⁻¹ and CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 80 at 0.1 MPa feed gas pressure. For CO₂/CH₄ gas mixture, the membranes with 20 wt% PAAm content display the highest CO₂ permeance of about 1.95 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ KPa⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 58 at 0.1 MPa feed gas pressure. In order to explore the possible reason of gas permeance varying with PAAm content, the crystallinity of PVA and PAAm–PVA blend polymers was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The experimental results show an inverse relationship between crystallinity and gas permeance, e.g., a minimum crystallinity and a maximum CO₂ permeance are obtained at 20 wt% PAAm content, indicating that the possibility of increasing CO₂ permeance with PAAm content due to the increase of carrier concentration could be weakened by the increase of crystallinity.     

Polymer evolution of a sulfonated polysulfone membrane as a function of ion beam irradiation fluence

Ion beam irradiation was used to modify the surface of a sulfonated polysulfone water treatment membrane. A beam of 25 keV H⁺ ions with three irradiation fluences (1 × 10¹³ ions/cm², 5 × 10¹³ ions/cm², and 1 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm²) was used for membrane irradiation. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analyses were performed on the virgin and irradiated membranes in order to determine the changes to chemical structure incurred by ion beam irradiation. The results show that some of the sulphonic and CH bonds were broken and new CS bonds were formed after irradiation. Atomic force microscope (AFM) analyses show that membrane roughness decreased after irradiation. A significant increase in flux after ion beam irradiation was also observed, while the amount of cake accumulation on the membrane was decreased after ion beam irradiation. Hydrophobicity, pore size distribution and selectivity of the membrane were not affected by ion beam irradiation.     

An NMR study of methanol diffusion in polymer electrolyte fuel cell membranes

Methanol diffusion in two polymer electrolyte membranes, Nafion 117 and BPSH 40 (a 40% disulfonated wholly aromatic polyarylene ether sulfone), was measured using a modified pulsed field gradient NMR method. This method allowed for the diffusion coefficient of methanol within the membrane to be determined while immersed in a methanol solution of known concentration. A second set of gradient pulses suppressed the signal from the solvent in solution, thus allowing the methanol within the membrane to be monitored unambiguously. Over a methanol concentration range of 0.5–8 M, methanol diffusion coefficients in Nafion 117 were found to increase from 2.9 × 10⁻⁶ to 4.0 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹. For BPSH 40, the diffusion coefficient dropped significantly over the same concentration range, from 7.7 × 10⁻⁶ to 2.5 × 10⁻⁶cm² s⁻¹. The difference in diffusion behavior is largely related to the amount of solvent sorbed by the membranes. Increasing the methanol concentration results in an increase in solvent uptake for Nafion 117, while BPSH 40 actually excludes the solvent at higher concentrations. In contrast, diffusion of methanol measured via permeability measurements (assuming a partition coefficient of 1) was lower (1.3 × 10⁻⁶ and 6.4 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹ for Nafion 117 and BPSH 40 respectively) and showed no concentration dependence. The differences observed between the two techniques are related to the length scale over which diffusion is monitored and the partition coefficient, or solubility, of methanol in the membranes as a function of concentration. For the permeability measurements, this length is equal to the thickness of the membrane (178 and 132 μm for Nafion 117 and BPSH 40 respectively) whereas the NMR method observes diffusion over a length of approximately 4–8 μm. Regardless of the measurement technique, BPSH 40 is a greater barrier to methanol permeability at high methanol concentrations.     

Polymer blend membranes of sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone) for direct methanol fuel cell

The blend membranes of sulfonated poly(arylene ether ketone) (sPAEK) (IEC = 1.0 mequiv./g)/Nafion^® and the blend membranes of sPAEK (IEC = 1.0 mequiv./g)/sPAEK (IEC = 1.7 mequiv./g) were prepared. sPAEK with low IEC was introduced to reduce the methanol permeability through the membrane. Morphology, water uptake, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the blend membranes were investigated by SEM, AFM, AC impedance spectroscopy and permeability measuring instrument. The cross-sections of blend membranes showed phase-separated morphologies. The effect of phase-separated morphology on the properties of blend membranes was investigated. The properties like water uptake, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of sPAEK/Nafion^® blend membranes showed similar values with sPAEK and properties of sPAEK/sPAEK blend membranes showed intermediate values of two polymers due to the difference in morphology of the blend membranes. sPAEK/sPAEK blend membranes showed relatively high proton conductivity and lowered methanol permeability compared to Nafion^®. sPAEK/sPAEK blend membranes could be a competent substitution for Nafion^®.     

Silicalite-filled poly(siloxane imide) membranes for removal of VOCs from water by pervaporation

Silicalite-filled poly(siloxane imide) (PSI) membranes were prepared for the separation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water via pervaporation. PSI copolymer was synthesized by polycondensation of 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) with a siloxane-containing diamine, e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane), bis(3-aminopropyl) terminated (PSX), added with 3,3-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). 2,4,6-Triamine pyrimidine (TAP) was added into the casting solution in order to enhance the compatibility between the polymeric matrix and the filler, silicalite. The PSI membranes were characterized by SEM. The surface morphology for the membrane with the addition of TAP differs from that without TAP. The latter seems to be consisting of particles in the membrane surface. The sorption selectivity of the PSI membranes for chloroform/water solutions was investigated, and there was a highest value for it around 50 wt.% of PSX content. The pervaporation performance of the membranes was studied with the separation of chloroform/water mixture. The silicalite-filled membrane with 120 μm thickness exhibit a high total permeation flux of 280 g m⁻² h⁻¹ with separation factor of 52.2 for 1.2 wt.% of the chloroform/water mixture.     

Novel photochemical surface functionalization of polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes for covalent immobilization of biomolecules

The major objective of the work was to develop a heterogeneous modification method for attachment of reactive groups, suitable for covalent immobilization of active biomolecules on the surface of polysulfone ultrafilters without loss of membrane selectivity. For applying a polymer specific activation chemistry, the materials of commercial “polysulfone” UF membranes were identified using elemental analysis along with ¹H NMR, FTIR-ATR and UV spectroscopy. Heterogeneous photoinitiated graft polymerization was realized using acrylic acid (AA) as model monomer and as carrier of reactive groups. Polymer structure (polysulfone, PSf, or polyethersulfone, PESf), coating with photoinitiator (benzophenone, BP, or benzoylbenzoic acid, BPC) and UV excitation energy (λ_exc220> 300 or 350 nm) were the major parameters. Grafted polyAA (g-PAA) could be obtained under almost all conditions but with largely varying yields (DG). However, only with λ_exc350 nm, polymer and pore degradation could be excluded. A new selective initiation of graft polymerization onto PSf, H-abstraction by photoexcited BP derivatives from the methyl side groups, thus avoiding polymer chain scission, was proved indirectly. Modified structures were characterized spectroscopically, including visualization with SFM of laterally patterned surfaces generated by UV irradiation through a mask. UF tests of PSf-g-PAA and PESf-g-PAA UF membranes (DG 100…150 μg/cm²), prepared under “mildly degrading” conditions (λ_exc300 nm), indicated only slight permeability and selectivity changes compared with unmodified samples. Selective PSf functionalization (BPC coating, λ_exc350 nm; DG 5 μg/cm²) caused flux reductions and dextran selectivity increases by factors of 1.3. Covalent immobilization onto g-PAA-functionalized and carbodiimide-activated PSf or PESf membrane surfaces was studied with a protein (BSA), an enzyme (invertase, INV), an antibody-enzyme (IgG-POD) conjugate, and a peptide (“PC1”) as specific antigen of a monoclonal antibody. High binding capacities, up to 40 fold compared with a flat unmodified surface, were detected either directly (BSA) or indirectly via specific activity/binding assays (INV, IgG-POD, “PC1”). This indicated an increased outer membrane surface area due to multifunctional reactive and hydrophilic grafted polymer chains.     

Simultaneous derivative spectrophotometric determination of thorium and uranium in a micellar medium

Derivative photometric methods for trace analysis of Th(IV) and UO₂(II), and their simultaneous determination in mixtures using 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone in a micellar medium are reported. Molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of 1:2 Th(IV) and 1:1 UO₂(II) complexes at their λ_max, 614.5 nm and 637.0 nm are, 1.19 × 10⁴ 1/mol/cm and 1.12 × 10⁴ 1/mol/cm and 1.95 × 10⁻² μg/cm² and 2.13 × 10⁻² μg/cm² μg/cm², respectively. Calibration graph is linear over the range 9.28 × 10⁻²−18.56 μg/ml of Th(IV) and 9.52 × 10⁻²−19.04 μg/ml of UO₂(II). Though presence of Th(IV) and UO₂(II) causes interference in each others determination, 9.28 × 10⁻¹−9.28 μg/ml Th(IV) and 9.52 × 10⁻¹−9.52 μg/ml UO₂(II) when present together, can be simultaneously determined using derivative spectra.     

Preparation of ultrafiltration membranes of HCEC and CTA blend, and studies of resistance to microbiological degradation and other properties

Blends of high cyanoethylated cellulose (HCEC) (D_s = 2.5) and cellulose triacetate (CTA) (D_s = 2.8) were prepared for evaluation as ultrafiltration membranes. The rejection R_a and water permeability (P_w) of these membranes with respect to bovine serum albumin (BSA), were measured with the variations in composition and conditions of preparation. It was possible to define the reaction conditions and compositions that offered optimum performance with respect to R_a and J_w, and resistance to microbial degradation as well as acid and alkali hydrolysis. The morphology of membrane thereby obtained was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The UF membrane cast from a solution of 1,4-dioxane: 12.5 g, acetone: 12.5 g, HCEC: 1.5 g, CTA: 3 g and PEG (MW = 1000): 10.5 g showed the optimum performance of P_w = 10 × 10⁻¹⁰ m³/(m² s Pa), BSA Rejection (R_a) = 99%, (J_w = 17.3 m³/(m² day) at ΔP = 0.2 MPa) and a molecular weight cut off at 4.9 × 10⁴ Da. After immersion in mud for 170 days, reduction of R_a was only 8% for UF membrane containing 10 wt% HCEC blend, and was not observed to be obviously different from the membrane containing more than 30 wt% HCEC blend. The higher permeability and rejection of blend membrane may be attributable to the network structure formed via CTA and HCEC penetration.     

Preparation and characterization of CPPO/BPPO blend membranes for potential application in alkaline direct methanol fuel cell

A series of hydroxyl-conducting anion-exchange membranes were prepared by blending chloroacetylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (CPPO) with bromomethylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (BPPO), and their fuel cell-related performances were evaluated. The resulting membranes exhibited high hydroxyl conductivities (0.022–0.032 S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C) and low methanol permeability (1.35 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.46 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹). All the blend membranes proved to be miscible or partially miscible under the investigations of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimeters (DSC). By condition optimization, the blend membranes with 30–40 wt% CPPO are recommended for application in direct methanol alkaline fuel cells because they showed low methanol permeability, excellent mechanical properties and comparatively high hydroxyl conductivity.     

Hydrophobic modification of poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) hollow fiber membrane for vacuum membrane distillation

New hydrophobic poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) hollow fiber composite membranes coated with silicone rubber and with sol–gel polytrifluoropropylsiloxane were obtained by surface-coated modification method. The effects of coating time, coating temperature and the concentration of silicone rubber solution on the vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) properties of silicone rubber coated membranes were investigated. It was found that high water permeate flux could be gotten in low temperature and low concentration of silicone rubber solution. When the coating temperature is 60 °C, the coating time is 9 h and the concentration of silicone rubber solution is 5 g L⁻¹ the water permeate flux of the silicone rubber coated membrane is 3.5 L m⁻² h⁻¹. The prepolymerization time influence the performance of polytrifluoropropylsiloxane coated membranes, and higher prepolymerization time decrease the water permeate flux of the membrane. The water permeate flux and the salt rejection was 3.7 L m⁻² h⁻¹ and 94.6%, respectively in 30 min prepolymerization period. The VMD performances of two composite membranes during long-term operation were studied, and the results indicated that the VMD performances of two composite membranes are quite stable. The salt rejection of silicone rubber coated membrane decreased from 99 to 95% and the water permeate flux fluctuated between 2.0 and 2.5 L m⁻² h⁻¹. The salt rejection of polytrifluoropropylsiloxane coated membrane decreased from 98 to 94% and the water permeate flux fluctuated in 1 L m⁻² h⁻¹ range.     

Surface chemistry of nanoporous carbon and the effect of pH on adsorption from aqueous phenol and 2,3,4-trichlorophenol solutions

Granular nanoporous activated carbon prepared from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was investigated as a means of removing weak aromatic acids from aqueous solutions. This carbon is highly nanoporous, the BET surface area being 544 m²/g with V_tot=0.278 cm³/g, and V_micro=0.266 cm³/g. Aqueous treatment reduced the surface area to 364 m²/g.

Granular nanoporous carbon prepared from PAN contains O and N related surface functional groups. The surface concentration of both oxygen and nitrogen atoms was found by XPS to be 5.3%. Surface groups containing these hetero atoms are responsible for the acid–base character of this carbon in aqueous solutions. The pH_PZC of the carbon is 8.4. The microporous pore network produces a wide hysteresis loop, observed when the granular carbon was studied by continuous titration. This loop, which was found to diminish, but not to disappear completely when the particle size was reduced, is attributed to irreversible hydrolysis of surface esters and/or lactones. The surface concentration of the functional groups titrated by the equilibrium Boehm method is 449.2 μeq./g, of which 112.9 μeq./g have acidic and 336.3 μeq./g have basic character. Within the acidic species three subgroups, namely the regions pK_a<6.37, 6.37K_a<10.25 and 10.25K_a<15.74.

The acid–base behavior influences the adsorption performance of the granular carbon in aqueous solutions of weak aromatic acids, in this case phenol and 2,3,4-trichlorophenol. Both the adsorption capacity and the overall interaction parameter, K (both derived from a fit to the Langmuir equation) depend on the adsorbed species and on the pH. The former is a consequence of the different water solubilities of the solute molecules, while the latter stems from the pH sensitivity of both the surface functional groups and these weak acids. The K values show a sequence pH=3K values indicate different adsorption mechanisms. The effect of pH is more marked for 2,3,4-trichlorophenol.