Membrane-water structural interactions in reverse osmosis transport

Reverse-osmotic water permeabilities, equilibrium water sorption levels, and rates of approach to sorption equilibrium were measured for a series of polymers, including hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), copolymers of HEMA and ethyl methacrylate (EMA), cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, and poly(urethans). Pronounced equilibrium solvent clustering behavior was observed for these systems as vapor saturation was approached in sorption experiments. However, clustering tendency was not found to be a function of total membrane water content at saturation but rather appears to be a function of the chemical nature of the polymer in question. Moreover, clustering of water molecules in (relatively) hydrophobic membranes resulted in low effective diffusivities (reverse osmotic permeability divided by equilibrium water content) whereas clustering in hydrophilic membranes led to higher effective water diffusivities. Clustering tendency was not as strong in the case of the weakly interacting membranes (i.e., the cellulose acetates). These conclusions were supported by theoretical diffusivity calculations. Predictions were based on analyses of transient sorption data, employing a dual-mode sorption model, and considering ordinary Fickian diffusion with simultaneous first-order reversible penetrant localization at water-binding sites in the polymer matrices. Means were found for correcting these diffusivity predictions to those values obtained experimentally under reverse osmosis conditions by accounting for the nonideality of the water flux under the latter conditions.     

Effect of 300 and 500 MPa pressure treatments on starch–water adsorption/desorption isotherms and hysteresis

Pressure treatments of 300 and 500?MPa during 15?min were found to change starch–water sorption (adsorption and desorption) isotherms and the hysteresis effect, particularly the 500?MPa. This last treatment shifted the adsorption/desorption isotherms downward, compared with non-treated starch and starch treated at 300?MPa. The observed hysteresis effect decreased with the increase in pressure level in the whole a_w range, indicating that adsorption and desorption isotherms became closer. Guggenheim–Anderson–De Boer and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model parameters Cb, Cg, K and Mm also showed changes caused by pressure, the latter being lower in the pressure-processed samples, thus indicating possible changes on microbial and (bio)chemical stabilities of pressure-processed food products containing starch.     

Surface nano/micro functionalization of PMMA thin films by 157 nm irradiation for sensing applications

Laser irradiation at 157 nm of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) thin films induces major variations of polymer film thicknesses from sorption (absorption/desorption) of methanol and ethanol analytes in the gas phase as much as 400%, in comparison to the film thickness variation of the non-irradiated areas. The structural changes of irradiated areas involve scission of polymeric chains, cross-linking and formation of new bonds. In addition, 157 nm induces surface and volume morphological changes in the nano/micro domain, with different shapes, depending on the irradiation conditions. The reversibility of the sorption processes suggests that the polymer swelling has its origin at the tendency of the system to increase its volume during sorption. The internal forces from sorption are higher than the weak dipole interactions between the polymer and the analytes and they are amplified following 157 nm irradiation. A simple qualitative model explains adequately the experimental results. 157 nm laser treatment forms the basis to engineer a novel class of polymer sensor arrays with enhanced detection efficiency of liquid/gas analytes.     

Sorption and Diffusion of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide in a Biodegradable Polymer

A gravimetric method was used to study the sorption and diffusion of supercritical carbon dioxide in a temperature range from 40°C to 80°C and a pressure range from 8.0 to 18.0 MPa in a biodegradable polymer, namely poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT). The PBAT presented Fickian behavior and Fick's diffusion model was applied to determine the amount of carbon dioxide present in the samples after a predetermined exposure time as well as the diffusion coefficients. The variations of diffusion coefficients of CO₂ for the sorption under supercritical conditions and desorption at ambient conditions as well as equilibrium sorption amounts of CO₂ with variations of pressure and temperature were determined and compared.     

Small Molecule Sorption and Desorption in and Out of Iota‐Carrageenan Gels

Small molecule sorption and desorption in and out of Iota‐Carrageenan was studied by using steady‐state fluorescence (SSF) technique. Pyranine dissolved in water used as fluorescence probe. Fluorescence emission intensity, I _p from pyranine was monitored for studying sorption and desorption processes at various temperatures. The Fickian model was applied to produce sorption, D_s, early desorption, D_ed, and desorption, D_d, coefficients. Corresponding activation energies were obtained and found to be 20.5 kJ mol^?1, 7.0 kJ mol^?1 and 34.9 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The observed D_ed value is an order of magnitude smaller than the D_s and D_d coefficients. On the other hand, sorption processes were shown to be twice as fast as desorption processes.     

Repeated sorption of water in SBA-15 investigated by means of in?situ small-angle x-ray scattering

The effect of repeated cycles of water adsorption/desorption on the structural stability of ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 is studied by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). In?situ sorption measurements are conducted using a custom-built sorption apparatus in connection with a laboratory SAXS setup. Two striking irreversible changes are observed in the sorption isotherms as derived from the integrated SAXS intensity. First, the capillary condensation pressure shifts progressively to lower relative pressure values with increasing number of sorption cycles. This effect is attributed to chemisorption of water at the silica walls, resulting in a change of the fluid-wall interaction. Second, the sorption cycles do not close completely at vanishing vapour pressure, suggesting that progressively more water remains trapped within the porous material after each cycle. This effect is interpreted to be the result of an irreversible collapse of parts of mesopores, originating from pore wall deformation due to the large Laplace pressure of water acting on the pore walls at capillary condensation and capillary evaporation.     

Diffusion hysteresis in mesoporous materials

The pulsed field gradient NMR method has been used to study molecular diffusion of adsorbate molecules in mesoporous materials with different pore morphologies as a function of the external gas pressure. The obtained experimental results reveal that in line with the adsorption hysteresis, the measured diffusivities as well exhibit a history-dependent behavior, i.e. diffusivities on the adsorption branch do not follow those measured on the desorption branch. Particular details of the diffusion hysteresis loop depend on the structure of the used porous material. New insight into the mechanisms of adsorption hysteresis, namely indication of two-step relaxation process in the hysteresis region, is gained by comparing the dynamical properties of the adsorbate obtained under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions.     

Cu/PMMA复合材料的声速与冲击响应行为

基于熔融共混法,制备了一系列不同配比且随机分散的Cu/PMMA复合材料,重点研究了Cu颗粒含量对PMMA基体声速与冲击压缩行为的影响。超声测试结果表明,随着Cu颗粒含量的增加,声波的衰减使材料的横、纵波声速皆呈缓慢下降趋势,由此使体积声速亦呈减小趋势。基于平板撞击实验,获得了冲击压力在1.1~6.0 GPa范围内各复合材料的冲击波速度-粒子速度方程。Cu/PMMA复合材料声阻抗的升高使Hugoniot参数λ逐渐增大,而零压体积声速减小,与常压体积声速所表现出的变化趋势一致。结合已有的压力-粒子速度关系模型,对各材料的压力-粒子速度曲线进行了讨论。在此基础上,归纳出一种基于上述模型的用于预测金属粒子填充聚合物基复合材料压力-密度关系的可靠方法。     

Molecular mechanism of adsorption/desorption hysteresis: dynamics of shale gas in nanopores

Understanding the adsorption and desorption behavior of methane has received considerable attention since it is one of the crucial aspects of the exploitation of shale gas. Unexpectedly, obvious hysteresis is observed from the ideally reversible physical sorption of methane in some experiments. However, the underlying mechanism still remains an open problem. In this study, Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are carried out to explore the molecular mechanisms of adsorption/desorption hysteresis. First, a detailed analysis about the capillary condensation of methane in micropores is presented. The influence of pore width, surface strength, and temperature on the hysteresis loop is further investigated. It is found that a disappearance of hysteresis occurs above a temperature threshold. Combined with the phase diagram of methane, we explicitly point out that capillary condensation is inapplicable for the hysteresis of shale gas under normal temperature conditions. Second, a new mechanism, variation of pore throat size, is proposed and studied. For methane to pass through the throat, a certain energy is required due to the repulsive interaction. The required energy increases with shrinkage of the throat, such that the originally adsorbed methane cannot escape through the narrowed throat. These trapped methane molecules account for the hysteresis. Furthermore, the hysteresis loop is found to increase with the increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. We suggest that the variation of pore throat size can explain the adsorption/desorption hysteresis of shale gas. Our conclusions and findings are of great significance for guiding the efficient exploitation of shale gas.     

Monohydric alcohol transport in a rubbery poly(urethan)

Steady-state permeation rates and equilibrium sorption measurements were made as a function of temperature for a series of alcohols in a polybutylene adipate polyurethan. The alcohol series included methanol; ethanol; n-propanol; n-, iso-, sec-, and t-butanol; n-pentanol, n-hexanol, and n-heptanol (all at unit activity). Calculated integral diffusivities of the various penetrants correlated well with effective penetrant size. The solubility coefficients for the various alcohols increased as the difference between the solubility parameters of the polymer and penetrant decreased for the normal alcohol series. The solubility coefficients for the branched alcohol isomers were characterized by values lower than those predicted by the correlation for the normal alcohols; possibly steric hindrance limits sorption on specific polymer sites. A detailed analysis of the system ethanol/poly(butylene adipate-polyurethan) revealed a sigmoidal increase of the diffusion coefficient with increasing penetrant concentration, suggesting a competition between penetrant clustering and polymer plasticization. The diffusion process appears to be time dependent as well as concentration dependent. Anomalies in the diffusion behavior that can reasonably be related to polymer segmental relaxation are present to a much larger degree as temperature is increased. Ethanol sorption was further complicated by positive deviation from Henry's law at activities in excess of 0.2.     

Morphology,miscibility and mechanical properties of PMMA/PC blends

This study deals with some results on morphology, miscibility and mechanical properties for polymethyl methacrylate/polycarbonate (PMMA/PC) polymer blends prepared by solution casting method at different concentration between 0 and 100 wt%. Dynamic storage modulus and tan δ were measured in a temperature range from 30 to 180°C using dynamical mechanical analyzer (DMA). The value of the storage modulus was found to increase with the addition of the PC in the matrix. Transition temperature of pure PMMA and pure PC is found to be 83.8 and 150°C, respectively. The result shows that the two polymers are miscible for whole concentration of PC in PMMA. The distribution of the phases in the blends was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Also the mechanical properties like elongation at break and fracture energy of the PMMA/PC blends increase with the increase in concentration of PC in PMMA.     

Sorption of methylene chloride in semicrystalline polyethylene terephthalate

Differential sorption has been used to obtain diffusivities and solubilities of methylene chloride vapor in semicrystalline polyethylene terephthalate (PET) up to moderately high activities. The results show that clusters form. In one instance pseudo-Fickian diffusion is observed.     

Generation of microcellular poly(methyl methacrylate) by compressed gases

Abstract

Generation of microcellular poly(methy1 methacrylate) (PMMA) was studied in CO₂ and N₂O at pressures from 2 to 15MPa at three temperatures, 293.2K, 308.2K, and 323.2 K. The average diameter d and average number density N of voids generated by a rapid expansion of compressed gases in PMMA were measured by use of an optical microscope. Effects of gases, temperature, and pressure on the d and N values were examined. Even at pressure below glass transition pressure of PMMA with both gases, voids of diameter being as small as those found at high pressure, 15MPa, were obtained at each temperature. However, the void density of PMMA at lower pressure by both gases was not so good as those obtained at high pressures.     

Artificial versus natural ageing of paper. Water role in degradation mechanisms

The cellulose–water system was traced down by the in situ transmission FTIR spectroscopy upon water desorption/sorption cycles at various conditions (dry air, humid air, water vapour) and temperatures. The results provide the information on the changes of the hydrogen bonds network during water desorption from paper and the changes in water sorption capacity of paper in the cycles.     

Concentration-dependent self-diffusion of adsorbates in mesoporous materials

The pulsed-field gradient NMR method has been applied to study self-diffusion of liquids in mesoporous materials with different pore sizes and morphologies as a function of pore loading. It is found that the effective diffusivities of adsorbate molecules in mesopores at partial loadings are related to two mechanisms, the Knudsen diffusion through the gaseous phase in the pore space and the diffusion within the layer of molecules adsorbed on the pore walls. The relative contributions of these modes, which are determined by the details of the interphase equilibrium, change with variation of the pore loading, leading to a complex behavior of the effective self-diffusion coefficient. The impact of the pore size and the adsorbate-surface interaction on self-diffusion is elucidated. Possible reasons for an experimentally obtained hysteresis in the diffusivities measured on adsorption and desorption in mesopores are discussed.     

Sorption and Desorption of PVA-Pyrene Chains in and out of Agarose Gel

In situ steady-state fluorescence (SSF) measurement technique was applied to investigation of pyrene labeled Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA-Py) molecules diffusion in and out of agarose gels. Gel samples with four different concentration of agarose were prepared. PVA-Py was synthesized by "click" chemistry method and dissolved in water to use in diffusion experiments. The results were analyzed by using Fickian type diffusion model, and it was found that sorption and desorption processes of PVA-Py molecules in and out of agarose gel have two distinct regions for short and long diffusion times. Sorption and desorption coefficients were measured and it was seen that the diffusion rates were much larger at short times and at lower agarose concentrations.     

Preparation and Characterization of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Coated TiO2 Nanoparticles

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles were modified with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to improve the dispersion stability of the nanoparticles in a dielectric medium and to reduce the density mismatch between TiO₂ and a dielectric medium for a microcapsule‐type electrophoretic display application. Nanoparticles were coated with PMMA by in situ dispersion polymerization. The PMMA‐coated TiO₂ nanoparticles were characterized by fourier transform‐infrared spectrometrey (FT‐IR), electrophoretic light scattering (ELS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Density of PMMA‐coated TiO₂ nanoparticles was found to be dependent on the thickness of the PMMA coating on the nanoparticles. An increase of thermal stability of the PMMA layer and the contents of PMMA on the surface of the nanoparticles were measured via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Conductivity and thermal stability of proton-conducting electrolytes at confined geometry of polymeric gel

The proton-conducting gel electrolytes based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) doped by acid solutions in aprotic solvents were synthesized and discussed in this work. The gel conductivity as a function on concentrations of acid and polymer as well as of molecular mass of PMMA has been analyzed. The thermal stability of electrolytes was estimated and discussed. Extreme dependence of the conductivity on concentration is found to be for the gel (at a concentration of PMMA from 5 to 15 wt.%). The increase of electrical conductivity in the concentration range from 5 to 10 wt.% of PMMA with an increase in viscosity of the system is discussed as an indication of an involvement of the polymer matrix in increasing the mobility of the charge carriers in frame of Grotthuss mechanism.     

High-pressure elasticity of poly(methyl methacrylate) up to 31.5 GPa studied by Brillouin spectroscopy

High-pressure acoustic properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated up to 31.5 GPa by using a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a diamond anvil cell. Both backscattering and forward, symmetric scattering geometries were used to derive the pressure dependences of the longitudinal sound velocity, the refractive index, and the density over the investigated pressure range. These physical properties showed rapid increases upon compression up to ∼5 GPa, above which they exhibited sluggish increases upon further increase. The crossover behavior at ∼5 GPa was attributed to the change in the densification of PMMA caused by complete collapse of free volume in this polymeric material.     

Adsorption and diffusion of cyclopentane in silicalite-1: a thermodynamic and kinetic study

The adsorption isotherm, differential thermal gravimetry (DTG), thermal gravimetry (TG), diffusion and thermodynamic parameters of cyclopentane at various adsorption coverages have been investigated using microgravimetric technique over a range of temperature. The differences in equilibrium adsorption capacity and in diffusion coefficient at different temperature are discussed in terms of the characteristics of silicalite-1 and the features of cyclopentane molecule. The heat of sorption Q_st varies significantly with sorption coverage indicating that the adsorption and diffusion mechanism is complex. The dependences of thermodynamic properties like free energy change (ΔG) and entropy change (ΔS) on sorption coverage show a sharp decrease and increase suggesting that the adsorption sites of the silicalite-1 are not energetically uniform to cyclopentane. Two desorption peaks in the DTG and TG curves suggest that two heterogenous binding sites surely exist in silicalite-1 to cyclopentane.