Study of a new pervaporation membrane Part 2. Performance test and analysis of the new membrane

The compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol)—chitosan blends was tested and analyzed by their glass transition temperatures with differential scanning calorimetry with a DSC-7 (Epson). Highest selectivity, promising permeability and good mechanical strength for the dehydration of alcohol—water mixtures were obtained at a 4:1 composition of the blend.

The chemical composition, physical structure and morphology of this blended composite membrane were studied by a variety of surface science techniques, including infrared spectrometry (IR), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface investigation is needed for the study of the blended composite membrane, and the results confirm well with the characteristics of the new membrane.     

Transport of Na2SO4 and MgSO4 solutions through a composite membrane

Retention curves with a composite membrane (HR 95) have been measured for different solutions of Na₂SO₄ and MgSO₄. Salt permeabilities in the skin and the porous layer of the composite membrane have been calculated. The results show that the salt permeability in the skin layer is 15% of that corresponding to the porous layer. Electrical resistances for the composite membrane and another membrane similar to the supported membrane (without skin layer) have been measured using both direct and alternating current. From the a.c. values, assuming that no concentration polarization exists at the skin-porous layer interface, the electrical resistance for the skin layer at different concentrations was estimated. The membrane resistance values were also determined by impedance spectroscopy measurements, and the results agree with those previously found by a.c. measurements.     

Sol-gel polyimide-silica composite membrane: gas transport properties

The effect of introduction of silica particles prepared by the sol-gel technique on the gas transport properties of a polyimide film was studied. The sorption and permeation of N₂, O₂, CO₂, H₂ and CH₄ were studied and correlated with morphological changes in the polymer structure. From sorption isotherms, we observed that the composite membrane presents higher solubility coefficients than the polyimide one. The solubility coefficient ratio between the composite and the polyimide is about 1.5–2.0. The isotherms were analyzed in terms of the dual mode sorption. The Henry's coefficient and the Langmuir's affinity and saturation constants were obtained allowing to calculate the Langmuir to Henry concentration ratios as function of the gas pressure. These ratios decrease until zero within a certain pressure range as long as the Langmuir's mode is acting and they are higher for the polyimide membrane when compared with the composite one. This study was completed with calorimetric measurements during the sorption. The gas interaction energy in kJ/mol decreases within the same pressure range as previously described. The measured energies are higher for the polyimide film when compared with the composite one because the polyimide membrane presents a stronger energetic effect caused by a higher Langmuir's contribution. From permeation studies at 3.15⁵ Pa, the composite membrane showed higher permeability coefficients and permselectivities than the polyimide one. All these results were explained, taking into account the difference on the imidization degree of both membranes and the morphological changes which may be induced by the silica nodules in the organic/inorganic interphases.     

Fabrication of a thin palladium membrane supported in a porous ceramic substrate by chemical vapor deposition

A thin, gas-tight palladium (Pd) membrane was prepared by the counter-diffusion chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process employing palladium chloride (PdCl₂) vapor and H₂ as Pd precursors. A disk-shaped, two-layer porous ceramic membrane consisting of a fine-pore γ-Al₂O₃ top layer and a coarse-pore -Al₂O₃ substrate was used as Pd membrane support. A 0.5–1 μm thick metallic membrane was deposited in the γ-Al₂O₃ top layer very close to its surface, as verified by XRD and SEM with a backscattered electron detector. The most important parameters that affected the CVD process were reaction temperature, reactants concentrations and top layer quality. Deposition of Pd in the γ-Al₂O₃ top layer resulted in a 100- to 1000-fold reduction in He permeance of the porous substrate. The H₂ permeation flux of these membranes was in the range 0.5–1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ at 350–450°C. The H₂ permeation data suggest that surface reaction steps are rate-limiting for H₂ transport through such thin membranes in the temperature range studied.     

Preparation of water and alkali durable porous glass membrane coated on porous alumina tubing by sol-gel method

Composite porous glass membranes were prepared by the sol-gel method. A thin porous glass layer, about 2 μm thick, was coated on the surface of the porous ceramic tubing (Al₂O₃:99.9 wt.%, pore diameter: 200 nm). The composition of the porous glass layer of the composite membrane was SiO₂-ZrO₂. Considering from the fact that the desalination ratio of the feed aqueous NaCl solution (NaCl 0.5 wt.%) was about 90% by use of these membranes, they were defect-free. The best composition of the porous glass layer was 70 SiO₂-30 ZrO₂ from the standpoint of preparing membranes. These membranes had a large water and alkali durability. These membranes can be expected to apply to recovering dyes and paints from organic solvents and to be used as a gas separation membrane.     

Preparation and characterization of mono-valent ion selective polypyrrole composite ion-exchange membranes

Polypyrrole composite cation- and anion-exchange membranes (CEM and AEM), in which polypyrrole (PPY) coated on one surface of the membrane as a thin layer, were prepared by chemical polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of high oxidant concentration (Na₂S₂O₈). Existence of polypyrrole layer on the both types of ion-exchange membranes were confirmed by recording their coating density, SEM images and conductivity. These membranes were extensively characterized by recording their properties such as water uptake, ion-exchange capacity, contact angle, permselectivity and membrane conductivity as a function of polymerization time such as. It was observed that due to coating of PPY for 2 h, membrane permselectivity of CEM for NaCl (0.907) was reduced to 0.873, while it was increased from 0.747 to 0.889 in the case of AEM. Similar behaviors were also obtained for bi-valent electrolytes. Electrodialysis experiments were also conducted with polypyrrole composite ion-exchange membranes using mixed electrolytic systems. Relative dialytic rates for NaCl with respect to other bi-valent electrolyte were varied in between 5 and 8 (depending on bi-valent electrolyte), which suggested the feasible and efficient separation of mono-valent from bi-valent electrolyte. Slower electro-migration of bi-valent electrolyte (CaCl₂, MgCl₂ and CuCl₂) in comparison to NaCl was explained on the basis of synergetic effect of sieving of bulkier bi-valent cations by tight and rigid polypyrrole layer and the difference in electrostatic and hydrophobic–hydrophilic repulsion force between bi-valent cations and mono-valent cation. It was concluded that these composite membranes are suitable for the efficient separation of same type of charged ions by electro-driven separation techniques.     

An NMR and SAXS investigation of DMFC composite recast Nafion membranes containing ceramic fillers

Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations of recast composite and bare Nafion membranes have been carried out. The self-diffusion coefficients of water and methanol have been determined over a wide temperature range by PFGSE ¹H NMR method. The transport mechanism appears to be influenced by surface properties of inorganic fillers. Acidic silica filler appears to promote proton transport in the membrane with respect to basic alumina. An interaction of the silica surface with methanol molecules is also envisaged from the analysis of proton self diffusion coefficients of methanol. The SAXS analysis revealed a modification of the polymer structure immersed in pure methanol or methanol solution with respect to water. A significant increase of the average ion clusters dimension is observed for the composite SiO₂ membrane.     

无额外供氢体下负载型MoFeO_x催化剂催化甘油制丙烯醇

采用浸渍法制备MoFe/X(X=SnO_2,ZrO_2,CeO_2,TiO_2,CNTs,MgO)以及MoFe氧化物催化剂用于甘油气-固相催化转化制丙烯醇。通过XRD、BET、XPS、H_2-TPR和NH_3-TPD表征,MoFe主要由晶相Fe_2O_3和Fe_2(MoO_4)_3组成而MoFe/X主要为高分散态的Fe、Mo氧化物(Fe~(3+)、Mo~(6+)),其表面均只存在弱酸中心;所采用载体由于自身性质(比表面积和酸碱性)差异与Mo、Fe氧化物之间存在不同的相互作用,进而有效地调控了MoFe/X的表面弱酸强度、酸浓度和可还原性能。所制备催化剂对甘油制丙烯醇的催化性能(收率)依次为:MoFe/TiO_2MoFe/CeO_2MoFe/ZrO_2MoFe/CNTsMoFe/SnO_2MoFeMoFe/MgO。340°C时,MoFe/TiO_2上甘油的转化率达到83.4%,丙烯醇的选择性和收率分别达到26.7%和22.3%;同时其展现出优于MoFe/CeO_2、MoFe/ZrO_2和MoFe/CNTs的稳定性。甘油转化率与催化剂表面弱酸中心浓度呈正相关性,而丙烯醇的生成则与氧化中心(非酸中心)密切相关。甘油转化率和丙烯醇选择性在MoFe/X上随反应温度变化而呈现相悖的变化趋势。     

MFI型分子膜的制备与H2S/CH4分离性能

采用二次生长法在多孔α-Al₂O₃载体上制备MFI型（ZSM-5和silicate-1）分子筛膜;通过XRD和SEM检测,证明所合成的分子筛膜为致密、交联和无取向的MFI型分子筛膜,厚度为5 μm;单组分气体渗透实验检测中,所制备样品膜的N₂渗透量均小于10^-11 mol/（m²·s·Pa）,可认为其无缺陷;同时,考察了样品分子筛膜对H₂S/CH₄混合气的分离效果,在渗透压分别为0.3和0.5 MPa时,silicate-1分子筛膜的H₂S/CH₄的分离因子分别为1.99和4.44,而ZSM-5分子筛膜的CH₄/H₂S的分离因子分别为6.71和12.85。     

Gas permeation characteristics of a hydrogen selective supported silica membrane

A highly hydrogen permeable silica membrane, referred to as Nanosil, was obtained by chemical vapor deposition of a thin SiO₂ layer on a porous Vycor glass support. This composite membrane showed good permeance (10⁻⁸ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹) for the small gas molecules (He, Ne, and H₂) at 873 K with high selectivity (10⁴) over other larger gas molecules (CO₂, CO, and CH₄). The characteristics of gas transport on the Vycor and Nanosil membrane were investigated with several gas diffusion models. The experimental gas permeation data on Vycor glass could be explained by the occurrence of Knudsen diffusion in parallel with surface diffusion. The permeance of the small gas molecules (He, Ne, and H₂) on the Nanosil membrane was activated, and increased as temperature increased. However, this permeance was limited at high temperature because of the limited permeance on the Vycor support. The gas permeance on the deposited silica layer was obtained by applying a series analysis of gas permeation on the combined silica layer and Vycor support composite system. The order of permeance through the silica layer was He>H₂>Ne which was the same as that through vitreous silica glass, but occurred with lower activation energies. The order of permeation of these small gas molecules did not follow either mass or molecular size but could be explained using a statistical gas permeance model.     

H4SiW12O40/乙烯-乙烯醇共聚物复合纳米纤维膜的制备及光催化性能

利用静电纺丝技术制备了H₄SiW₁₂O₄₀(SiW₁₂)/乙烯-乙烯醇共聚物(EVOH)复合纳米纤维膜. X射线能谱(EDX)和红外光谱(IR)表征结果表明, SiW₁₂负载到EVOH纤维膜中, 且其Keggin结构完好无损. SiW₁₂/EVOH复合纳米纤维膜在氙灯光源照射下对甲基橙(MO)表现出优异的光催化活性. 当EVOH与SiW₁₂的质量比为2:1时, MO降解率可达96.3%. 复合纳米纤维膜优异的光催化活性主要归于EVOH与SiW₁₂的协同相互作用. 复合纤维膜具有良好的可重复使用性, 循环使用3次后, 其光催化活性没有明显下降. 因此, SiW₁₂/EVOH复合纳米纤维膜在去除废水中有机染料方面具有广阔的应用前景.     

Surface modification of mesoporous membranes by fluoro-silane coupling reagent for CO2 separation

The potential of hybrid organic–inorganic membranes for separating organic molecules from air, based on solubility selective mechanism, was evaluated. Alumina and titana membranes with average pore size near 4 nm were surface modified using trimethoxysilane fluorinated coupling reagent. The permeabilities to helium, nitrogen, methane, ethane, propane, butane and carbon dioxide were evaluated at feed pressures lying between (1.5 × 10⁵ and 3.5 × 10⁵ Pa) 1.5 and 3.5 bar and permeate outlet near 1 × 10⁵ Pa (1 bar). The permeabilities of the grafted membranes generally decreased by about two to three orders of magnitude compared with the untreated membranes. The CO₂/N₂ permselectivity increased significantly in the case of the TiO₂ grafted membrane. The membranes performances were compared and the TiO₂ grafted membrane exhibits higher permselectivity and permeability, so that, it is a good candidate for CO₂ to N₂ separation and CO₂ to hydrocarbon separation.     

Preparation and characterization of N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC)/polysulfone (PS) composite nanofiltration membranes

N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC) composite nanofiltration membranes having a polysulfone (PS) UF membrane as the substrate were prepared using a method of coating and cross-linking, in which a glutaraldehyde (GA) aqueous solution was used as the cross-linking agent. Attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) was employed to characterize the resulting membrane. The effects of the composition of the casting solution of the active layer, the concentration of the cross-linking agent, and the membrane preparation techniques on the performance of the composite membrane were investigated. At 13–15 °C and 0.40 MPa the rejections of the resulting membrane to Na₂SO₄ and NaCl solutions (1000 mg L⁻¹) were 92.7 and 30.2%, respectively, and the permeate fluxes were 3.0 and 5.1 kg m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively. The rejection of this kind of membrane to the electrolyte solutions decreased in the order of Na₂SO₄, NaCl, MgSO₄, and MgCl₂. This suggests that the membrane active layer acquires a negative surface charge distribution by the adsorption of anions from the electrolyte solution and this charge distribution mainly determines the membrane performance.     

Deactivation dynamics of vibrationally excited nitrogen molecules by nitrogen atoms. Effects on non-equilibrium vibrational distribution and dissociation rates of nitrogen under electrical discharges

The non-equilibrium vibrational distribution and the dissociation kinetics of N₂ in electrical discharges has been calculated by solving an appropriate vibrational master equation. Attention has been devoted to the role of nitrogen atoms in deactivation the vibrational distribution. To this end, a complete set of V—T (vibration—translation) deactivation rates of vibrationally excited molecules by nitrogen atoms has been calculated using a quasiclassical trajectory technique. The results show that nitrogen atoms formed by electron impact are able to deactive the high vibrational levels (v > 25) of N₂ strongly affecting the heavy particle dissociation kinetics of N₂.     

Regioselective addition of chalcogenol to an η-propargyl/allenyl complex via formation of the carbon-chalcogen bond leading to new chalcogenoxyallyl species

Regioselective addition of chalcogenol to an ν³-propargyl complex Pt(PPh₃)₂(η³-C₃H₃)](BF₄) (2) via the formation of the C---O, C---S, or C---Se bond generates new cationic chalcogenoxyallyl species {Pt(PPh₃)₂[η³CH₂C(ER)CH₂]}(BF₄) (E = O, R = Me 4(a), Et (4b, ⁱPr (4c), ¹Bu (4d), Ph (4e); E=S, E=Et (5b), ^tBu (5d, Ph (5e); E=Se, R=Ph (6e )) respectively in good yields. Thiol and selenol react with complex 2 much faster than alcohol; and 2 reacts with p-(HO)C₆H₄(SH) to exclusively yield the thioxyallyl product {Pt(PPh₃)₂[η³-CH₂C(SC₆H₄OH)CH₂]}(BF₄) (5f). Among the alcoh and phenol, thereactivity follows the order MeOH > EtOH >, ⁱPrOH >, ^tBuOH > PhOH. A mechanism comprising a preceding coordination step is postulated. The X-ray structures of 4b, 4e, 5b, 5e and 6e are provided.     

Synthesis of small crystal polycrystalline mordenite membrane

Mordenite membrane was prepared on -Al₂O₃ tube by in situ hydrothermal synthesis with tetraethylammonium bromide (TEABr) as template agent. By the application of aging process of the parent solution, the size of mordenite crystals could be remarkably reduced from 20–30 (without aging) to 4–5 μm. The small crystal mordenite membrane had higher performance of pure gas permeation than big crystal mordenite membrane. The ideal selectivity of H₂/N₂ was 9.80, much higher than 3.82 of big crystals mordenite membrane. The membrane displayed high water-permselective performance in pervaporation (PV) test toward water/organic liquid mixtures. The highest separation factors achieved toward water/methanol, water/ethanol, water/n-propanol and water/i-propanol were 2600 (X_W=50%, T=323 K), 5500 (X_W=50%, T=343 K), 6000 (X_W=15%, T=343 K) and 6800 (X_W=50%, T=343 K), respectively.     

Effect of separating layer in pervaporation composite membrane for MTBE/MeOH separation

The composite membranes with polyvinylalcohol (PVA) as separating layer material and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) or cellulose acetate (CA) as supporting layer material were prepared for separating methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)/MeOH mixture by pervaporation (PV). The results showed that PV performance of the composite membrane with PVA membrane as separating layer was superior to that with CA membrane as separating layer, and the PV performance of PVA/CA composite membrane with CA membrane as supporting layer was better. The parameters to prepare the composite membrane remarkably affected PV performance of the composite membrane. The permeate flux of both composite membranes of PVA/PAN and PVA/CA was over 400 g/m² h, and the concentration of MeOH in the permeate reached over 99.9 wt.% for separating MTBE/MeOH mixture.     

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.     

The mechanism of lipopolysaccharide infiltration through HUVEC membrane surface in direct endotoxin injury

In this study, the HUVEC's cellular biomechanical properties of HUVEC (elastic modulus K₁, K₂ and viscoefficient μ) were determined with micropipette aspiration system and analyzed after being directly damaged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The phospholipid compositions of HUVEC membrane were analyzed with high-performance capillary electrophoresis and PLA₂ activity was determined to research the modification and metabolism of HUVEC membrane phospholipid. Infiltration of LPS on HUVEC membrane was studied by observation with confocal microscopy and fluorescent microscopy. Results showed that LPS direct injuring HUVEC can cause the changes of HUVEC biomechanical properties and membrane lipid contents; HUVEC directly damage by LPS could also activate HUVEC phospholipase A₂ (PLA₂), influencing membrane lipid metabolism; LPS could directly infiltrate and intercalate HUVEC membrane, causing and membrane contents variation. Based on these experimental results, the mechanism of lipopolysaccharide infiltration VEC membrane surface in direct LPS injury was studied and analyzed in view of the cellular biomechanical mechanism.     

A rugged lead-ruthenate pyrochlore membrane catalyst for highly selective oxidation of alcohols

A rugged lead-ruthenate pyrochlore (Py, Pb₂Ru₂O₇) Nafion 417 membrane catalyst (|NPy|) has been demonstrated for highly efficient and fully selective oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. Under a triphasic condition of CH₂Cl_2(org)//|NPy|_(s)//NaOCl-pH 11_(aq), the |NPy| can be recycled and reused effectively on oxidations of alcohols. Using a same piece of |NPy|, similar reaction yields were obtained by repeating benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction for 20 times. Electrochemical mechanistic investigation indicated that the perruthenate ion (RuO₄⁻) intermediate was responsible for selective mediation of the alcohol oxidation.