Novel compaction resistant and ductile nanocomposite nanofibrous microfiltration membranes

Despite promising filtration abilities, low mechanical properties of extraordinary porous electrospun nanofibrous membranes could be a major challenge in their industrial development. In addition, such kind of membranes are usually hydrophobic and non-wettable. To reinforce an electrospun nanofibrous membrane made of polyethersulfone (PES) mechanically and chemically (to improve wettability), zirconia nanoparticles as a novel nanofiller in membrane technology were added to the nanofibers. The compressive and tensile results obtained through nanoindentation and tensile tests, respectively, implied an optimum mechanical properties after incorporation of zirconia nanoparticles. Especially compaction resistance of the electrospun nanofibrous membranes improved significantly as long as no agglomeration of the nanoparticles occurred and the electrospun nanocomposite membranes showed a higher tensile properties without any brittleness i.e. a high ductility. Noteworthy, for the first time the compaction level was quantified through a nanoindentation test. In addition to obtaining a desired mechanical performance, the hydrophobicity declined. Combination of promising properties of optimum mechanical and surface chemical properties led to a considerably high water permeability also retention efficiency of the nanocomposite PES nanofibrous membranes. Such finding implies a longer life span and lower energy consumption for a water filtration process.     

Biocatalytic nylon nanofibrous membranes

Nylon-6 nanofibrous membranes (NFM) have been prepared, characterized and used to build-up electrochemical biosensing devices. The assembly and the functioning of biocatalytic NFM are described in connection with the physical and the covalent immobilization of glucose oxidase for the detection of glucose. Effects of the enzyme loading, the mediator, the pH, the surface acidity and the kinetic of the catalysis have been thoroughly investigated. The results show that NFM allow the binding of proteins without the need for the hydrolysis step, in contrast to the nylon film. Furthermore, the high surface-to-volume ratio of the NFM allow superior loading of the enzyme with respect to thin film technology. The immobilization step does not affect the permeability of the coating to the mediator used. These results give evidence that NFM are a promising and inexpensive coating for a novel electrochemical transducer.     

Lipid barrier layers on surfaces of synthetic water permeable membranes

Barrier layers (area 0.79 cm²) from oxidized cholesterol or mixtures of oxidized cholesterol with phosphatidyl serine or phosphatidyl ethanol amine were formed on surfaces of different water-permeable synthetic membranes in 0.1 M NaCl as models of biological membranes. Ionic conductivity across the membranes decreased from 10⁻²-10⁻³ to 10⁻⁷-10⁻⁸ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻² when the barrier layers were formed on their surfaces. Average thicknesses of barrier layers 4.5–11 nm were estimated from electric capacitance. The layers were unstable with lifetimes ranging from several minutes to 50 hr according to the support membrane used. The interfacial tension between synthetic membrane surface and either water or lipid solution was calculated from contact angle measurement. The relation between barrier layer stability and hydrophobic and polar interaction of lipids with support surface was studied. The most stable barrier layers (lifetimes 30–50 hr) were formed on cellophane and gelatin membranes with surfaces hydrophobized by reaction with palmytoyl chloride.     

Sound absorption behavior of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membranes

The acoustical damping property of electrospun polyacrylonitrile(PAN) nanofibrous membranes with different thicknesses and porosities was investigated.The sound absorption coefficients were measured using the impedance tube instrument based on ISO 10534-2:1998(E).Results indicate that the first resonance absorption frequency of nanofibrous membranes shifts to the lower frequency with the increase of the back cavity or the thickness of membranes.Moreover,the sound absorption performance of the perforated panel can be greatly improved by combination with a thin layer of PAN nanofibrous membrane.Traditional acoustical damping materials(foam,fiber) coated with nanofibrous membranes have better acoustical performance in the low and medium frequency range than that of acoustical materials alone.All of the results demonstrate the PAN nanofibrous membrane is a suitable candidate for noise reduction.     

静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜在痕量爆炸物检测中的应用

爆炸物检测作为打击爆炸恐怖主义的重要措施之一,正日益彰显出广阔的应用前景.其中,静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜在爆炸物检测领域已展现出其独特的优点,可满足爆炸物检测所需的检测速度快、检测灵敏度高等要求.本文总结了近年来静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜在爆炸物检测中的代表性成果,简要介绍了爆炸物荧光传感机理、静电纺丝技术原理、静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜的制备方法及其爆炸物检测性能的影响因素;系统、重点梳理了有机小分子体系、共轭聚合物体系、聚集诱导发光体系及其他荧光材料体系的静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜在爆炸物检测中的应用,并针对该领域尚未解决的问题和未来可能的发展方向进行了展望,可为实际爆炸物检测中静电纺荧光纳米纤维膜的设计提供指导.     

Immobilization of cellulase in nanofibrous PVA membranes by electrospinning

Electrospinning is a nanofiber-forming process by which either polymer solution or melt is charged to high voltages. With high specific surface area and porous structure, electrospun fibrous membranes are excellent candidates for immobilization of enzymes. In this paper, immobilization of cellulase in nanofibrous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes was studied by electrospinning. PVA and cellulase were dissolved together in an acetic acid buffer (pH 4.6) and electrospun into nanofibers with diameter of around 200 nm. The nanofibrous membranes were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde vapor and examined catalytic efficiency for biotransformations. The activity of immobilized cellulase in PVA nanofibers was over 65% of that of the free enzyme. Nanofibers were superior to casting films from the same solution for immobilization of cellulase. The activity of immobilized cellulase descended with ascending in enzyme loading efficiency and crosslinking time, which retained 36% its initial activity after six cycles of reuse.     

温敏性丙烯腈共聚物纳米纤维膜的制备与性能

采用可逆加成断裂链转移可控/活性聚合方法合成了丙烯腈与N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(NIPAM)的嵌段共聚物,通过调控嵌段聚合反应时间可以获得一系列不同嵌段链长的共聚物,分子量分布在1.3左右.运用静电纺丝技术制备了所合成嵌段共聚物的纳米纤维膜,扫描电镜照片表明纳米纤维膜较为均匀且直径可调.研究了纳米纤维膜表面水接触角与荧光标记牛血清清蛋白的吸附现象,接触角结果证实共聚物纳米纤维膜具有一定的温度响应性,且疏水性嵌段的引入导致响应温度较PNIPAM有所降低;蛋白质吸附结果则表明温度较低时纳米纤维膜表面更亲水,蛋白质吸附较少.所制备的温敏性纳米纤维膜可望用作智能分离与吸附材料.     

Preparation and properties of photochromic bacterial cellulose nanofibrous membranes

The photochromic bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibrous membranes containing 1′,3′,3′-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro(2H-1-benzopyran-2,2′-indoline) (NO₂SP) were successfully prepared by surface modification of BC nanofibers with spiropyran photochromes, and their physical and photochromic properties were characterized. The FTIR spectra indicated the interaction between BC and NO₂SP which leads to the uniform dispersion of NO₂SP in the nanofibrous membrane. SEM results demonstrated that the introduction of NO₂SP maintains the nanofibrous network structure of BC. UV/vis spectrometry of the resulting BC-NO₂SP revealed that the membranes show reversible photochromic property by changing their color from colorless to pink forming a merocyanine structure upon UV irradiation, and returning back again to colorless spiropyran structure by visible light. The contact angle of the BC-NO₂SP with water was found to be reversibly regulated due to the reversible isomerization of the spiropyran moieties in BC-NO₂SP. The result indicates that the surface modification with spiropyran photochromes expands new applications of BC nanofibers and such photochromic nanofibers with excellent photosensitivity have great potentials for sensitive displays, biosensors and other optical devices.     

Polyacrylate/silica nanocomposite materials prepared by sol-gel process

Polyacrylate/silica nanocomposite was prepared by sol-gel process via in situ emulsion polymerization. The influence of the synthetic conditions, such as the ratio of different monomers and the contents of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (Z-6030), diethanolamine (DAM) and ammonium persulfate (APS) on the physical mechanical properties of polyacrylate/silica nanocomposite was investigated in details. Dynamics Laser Scattering (DLS) indicated that the average diameter of the polyacrylate/silica latex particles (177 nm) was bigger than that of the pure polyacrylate latex particles (105.3 nm), but the ζ potential of polyacrylate/silica was decreased respectively in contrast to that of the polyacrylate. Differential Scanning Calorimeters (DSC) analysis confirmed that the glass transition temperature of polyacrylate/nano-SiO₂ (T_g = −24 °C) was higher than that of polyacrylate (T_g = −36 °C). UV analysis showed that the UV absorbency of polyacrylate/silica was improved evidently in contrast to that of polyacrylate.     

The electric transport of proton-bound water in MF-4SK/PAni nanocomposite membranes

Electrochemical characteristics of MF-4SK/PAni nanocomposite membranes prepared at different times of chemical polymerization of aniline are studied. Electroosmotic permeability and conductivity of membranes in solutions of acids and sodium chloride are determined. It is revealed that the conductivity of nanocomposites in the proton form at 30-day synthesis is approximately 3 times as low as that of the base membrane and composite membrane formed at 5-h synthesis. The transport number of water slightly depends on the structural type of membrane and changes from 3.3 to 2 mol H₂O/mol H⁺ with an increase in the concentration of HCl solution from 0.1 to 3 M. The ratio of transport number to the water content rises about twofold in composites as compared to the initial membrane. It is shown that water is transferred with proton as hydronium structures [H₅O₂]⁺ and [H₉O₄]⁺ by the migration mechanism whose contribution to the total proton transfer in composite membranes increases.     

Properties of proton-conducting materials formed by the sol-gel method

Proton-conducting materials produced by the sol-gel method were studied by spectroscopic methods. Films and xerogels were formed from silica sols modified with orthophosphoric and sulfuric acids, as well as with a mixture of these acids, with subsequent drying at room temperature and 150°C. The ionic conductivity of the xerogels and IR transmission of the films were examined.     

Cellulose acetate nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes tailored with hydrous manganese dioxide nanoparticles for water treatment applications

Hydrous manganese dioxide (HMO) nanoparticles incorporated cellulose acetate (CA) composite ultrafiltration (UF) membranes are prepared with the aim of improving the water permeation and BSA contaminant removal. The HMO nanoparticles are synthesized from manganese ion and characterized by FT‐IR, XRD, and FESEM. The effect of variation of HMO on CA membranes is probed using FT‐IR, EDAX, contact angle, SEM, and AFM analysis to demonstrate their chemical functionality, hydrophilicity, and morphology. CA/HMO membranes are showing the enhancement in pure water flux (PWF), water uptake, porosity, hydrophilicity, fouling resistance, BSA rejection, and flux recovery ratio (FRR). CA‐1 membrane displayed higher PWF (143.6 Lm²h^?1), BSA rejection (95.9%), irreversible fouling (93.3%), and FRR (93.3%). Overall results confirmed that the CA/HMO nanocomposite UF membranes overcome the bottlenecks and shows potential for water treatment applications.     

Polymer-silica nanocomposite membranes for CO2 capturing

Reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an area of great interest in current international efforts geared toward lowering emissions and combating global warming. In this work, amino-silica composite membranes were prepared and used to capture carbon dioxide. The surface of silica particles was chemically modified with amine to efficiently capture carbon dioxide. The phase separation technique was used to prepare the membranes from a composite containing polyvinylidene-fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP), amino-silica particles, acetone and water. SEM images revealed that the membranes composed of multilayers of porous polymer uniformly impregnated with silica particles. Both XRD and FTIR results have validated the perfect integration of silica particles within the polymeric network. The mechanical properties of the membrane are improved by the presence of silica particles as proved by the high tensile strength value (1.5 N/cm²) obtained for the PVDF-HFP/SiO₂ membrane compared to 0.9 N/cm² obtained for bare PVDF-HFP membrane. Also, we succeeded in recording SEM images to show that the plastic deformation of the film is associated with the formation of macro-holes. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time for such results to be monitored with SEM to observe the macroscopic evolution of the structure. Additionally, the surface area was significantly increased from 3.8 m²/g for bare PVDF-HFP membrane to 116.4 m²/g for PVDF-HFP impregnated with silica particles. Moreover, the CO₂ separation efficiency depends on both surface area and the quantity of amino-SiO₂ added to the membrane. The addition of amino-silica particles leads to a significant uptake of carbon dioxide compared to non-modified polymer membrane. The results obtained indicated that combing the phase separation with amino silica particles provided a cost-effective route to scaling up the synthesis of membranes that were mechanically stable and highly efficient at CO₂ capture.     

Diffusion in the presence of periodically spaced permeable membranes

The diffusion of molecules in biological tissues and some other microheterogeneous systems is affected by the presence of permeable barriers. This leads to the slowdown of diffusion at long times as compared to barrier-free diffusion. At short times the effect of barriers is weak. In consequence, the diffusion coefficient D(t) decreases as a function of time. We derive an exact solution for the Laplace transform of D(t) for diffusion in a space separated into layers by equally spaced, parallel identical planes of arbitrary permeability. Additionally, we give an approximation to D(t) which is reasonably accurate over the whole range of the partition permeability from zero (the case of isolated layers) to infinity (the case of no barriers).     

Nafion-MPMDMS nanocomposite membranes with low methanol permeability

In this work Nafion nancomposite membranes have been synthesised using a directed sol–gel synthesis technique with (3-mercaptopropyl) methyldimethoxysilane as the silicon alkoxide precursor. The resulting membranes with 16.7 wt% inorganic content showed a 89% reduction in methanol permeability compared to Nafion 117 at 50 °C. Small angle X-ray scattering data profiles for the nanocomposite membranes were distinctly different to those of unmodified Nafion 117 and showed a distinct upturn at low q. The slope of the curves was approximately −3.5 over the range 0.01 < q < 0.015, suggesting the presence of scattering objects with a mass fractal structure in the range 40–60 nm. Such objects were directly observed by transmission electron microscopy, and indicate an interpenetrated network of inorganic agglomerates and the host Nafion polymer, which significantly decreases the methanol permeability. The membranes may be suitable candidates for use in direct methanol fuel cells.     

Thermal stability of proton-conducting silicophosphate materials formed by sol-gel method

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - This work estimated ionic conductivity and studied thermal stability of proton-conducting xerogel materials and films formed from sol-gel system based on...     

Titania nanocomposite films derived by modified sol-gel process for photovoltaic application

Titania nanocomposite films were fabricated by spin-coating from sol-gel derived pastes of TiO₂ powder in titanium isopropoxide sol. The thin films were characterized for structural, optical and hydrophilic properties and evaluated as electrodes in a photoelectrochemical cell. Addition of TiO₂ powder increased film thickness, reduced transmittance, water contact angle and electrochemical impedance, and promoted photocurrent generation. Increasing Triton X-100 surfactant loading in the composite slurry influenced film texture and transmittance, and the resultant films exhibited a lower photocurrent yield but were more hydrophilic to favor charge transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The aggregation of TiO₂ particles of different sizes in the composite film facilitates light-scattering and electron transport to enhance quantum efficiency. The addition of Triton X-100 surfactant influences the distribution of scattering centers to increase transparency.     

Novel thin film nanocomposite membranes incorporated with polyoxovanadate nanocluster for high water flux and antibacterial properties

Using interfacial polymerization (IP) of m-phenylenediamine aqueous solution containing polyoxovanadate nanoclusters (POV) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in organic solution, we fabricated a novel polyamide (PA)- polyoxovanadate nanocluster (POV) nanocomposite membranes (PA-POV TFN). The chemical structures and morphologies of the synthesized membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water contact angle measurements. Experimental results showed that the performances of PA-POV TFN membranes are remarkably dependent on POV incorporation in the membranes, which could be controlled by using different amounts of POV particles. Moreover, the PA-POV TFN membranes illustrated outstanding antibacterial properties against Gram-negative E. coli. On the other hand, the incorporation of various amounts of POV in the membranes improved the membrane separation performances (water flux and salt rejection) as well as the antibacterial activity in FO process as compared to the original thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membrane.