Simple fabrication of superhydrophobic PLA with honeycomb-like structures for high-efficiency oil-water separation

Polylactic acid(PLA) is one of the most suitable candidates for environmental pollution treatment because of its biodegradability which will not cause secondary pollution to the environment after application.However,there is still a lack of a green and facile way to prepare PLA oil-water separation materials.In this work,a water-assisted thermally induced phase separation method for the preparation of superhydrophobic PLA oil-water separation material with honeycomb-like structures is reported.The PLA material shows great ability in application and could adsorb 27.3 times oil to its own weight.In addition,it could also be applicated as a filter with excellent efficiency(50.9 m^3 m^-2 h^-1).     

Facile fabrication of porous oil‐absorbent microspheres with high oil absorbency and fast oil absorption speed

A novel type of porous oil‐absorbent microspheres based on poly(stearyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate) was prepared via suspension polymerization. By investigating the effects of the cross‐linking agent, monomer ratio, initiator, stabilizer, water/oil ratio, and porogen agent on the oil absorbency of the prepared oil‐absorbents, an optimized oil‐absorbent microsphere OAM‐T was obtained, and characterized by FT‐IR and SEM. The oil absorbencies of OAM‐T toward chloroform, toluene, gasoline, and diesel were measured to be 61.9, 32.6, 28.8, and 28.2 g/g respectively, with oil absorption saturation time being 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 hr. The oil retention of OAM‐T toward the four oils is all above 95%. Besides in pure oils, OAM‐T also has high oil absorbencies in oil–water mixture. It can be reused at least 12 times with little change in oil absorbency. Owing to its excellent oil absorption performance, OAM‐T might find applications for removing oil spills and organic pollutants from water. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Atom-by-atom fabrication of metal clusters for efficient selective hydrogenation

Supported metal catalysts,in which the metal is usually finely dispersed into nanoparticles(NPs)in size of a few nanometers on high-surface-area materials,are the workhorses in heterogeneous catalysis and have been extensively used in various key industrial processes[1].However,the surface heterogeneity arising from the uneven size distribution as well as the lower atomic efficiency derived from the presence of unexposed interior atoms of metal NPs often leads to inferior activity/selectivity.     

Facile electrochemical fabrication of polymeric templates for spatially selective deposition of metals

Here, we report on a simple and general approach to fabricate polymeric (poly(2-methoxyaniline)) templates for deposition of silver in the form of micro islands on the electrode surface. The method is based on the application of electrochemically generated hydrogen microbubbles to locally block polymerization of monomers on the surface. This yields micrometer-sized holes within the forming polymeric film, which act as gate sites enabling further selective deposition of the metal on the surface.     

A mathematical model for predicting oil-water separation efficiency in a de-oiling hydrocyclone

The de-oiling hydrocyclone is among the most effective devices to recover oil from oily wastewater. In this work, a new model is theoretically developed to predict the separation efficiency of oil droplets in hydrocyclones. According to the analysis of the flow pattern, the droplet dynamics, and oil concentration distribution in the de-oiling hydrocyclone, the differential equation for the new model is established based on the principle of the mass balance of oil droplet. The proposed model can be finally expressed as a simple explicit function including the main geometrical dimensions and operating parameters. The availability of this model is validated by comparison of the calculated grade efficiency with experimental data and other theoretical separation model.     

Bio-based polybenzoxazine composites for oil-water separation,sound absorption and corrosion resistance applications

In the present work, an attempt has been made to develop bio-based composites using cardanol and eugenol based benzoxazine matrices with bio-silica as well as natural fibrous materials (coir felt, kapok fabric, jute felt and rice husk) as reinforcements. The bio-composites developed were studied for different applications viz., dielectric, water repellent, oil-water separation, sound-absorption including corrosion resistance use. Among the bio-silica reinforced benzoxazine composites, 7 wt% bio-silica reinforced cardanol composites possesses the highest value of water contact angle (147°) and the lowest value of dielectric constant (2.0) than those of other bio-silica reinforced composites. Further, the cotton fabric was coated with cardanol and eugenol based polybenzoxazines separately, whose values of water contact angles are found to be 159° and 157° with oil-water separation efficiency as 96% and 95% respectively. Furthermore, the cardanol based benzoxazine was separately reinforced with jute felt, coir felt, kapok fabric and rice-husk. The corresponding sound absorption efficiency was found to increase in the following order, Neat polybenzoxazine < rice husk < coir felt < kapok fabric < jute felt. Data resulted from corrosion studies, it was noticed that the mild steel specimen coated with bio-based benzoxazine matrices and bio-silica reinforced benzoxazine composites coated specimens exhibit an excellent resistance to corrosion. Data resulted from different studies, it is suggested that the cardanol and eugenol based bio-composites can be considered as an effective materials for microelectronics insulation, water repellent, oil-water separation, sound absorption and corrosion resistant applications.     

Facile synthesis of aminophenylboronic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles for selective separation of glycopeptides and glycoproteins

In this work, aminophenylboronic acid-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized, and applied to selective separation of glycopeptides and glycoproteins.     

Facile fabrication of large area of aggregated gold nanorods film for efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering

An effective and facile method for fabrication of large area of aggregated gold nanorods (AuNRs) film was proposed by self-assembly of AuNRs at a toluene/water interface for the first time. It was found that large area of aggregated AuNRs film could be formed at the interface of toluene and water due to the interfacial tension between the two phases. The obtained large area of aggregated AuNRs film exhibits strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity with 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) and 2-aminothiophenol (2-ATP) as the probe molecules based on the strong electromagnetic coupling effect between the very adjacent AuNRs. Enhancement factors (EF) were used to estimate the SERS activity of the aggregated AuNRs film, which is obtained to be 1.7x10(5) for 7a vibration of 4-ATP. SERS intensity is compared with AuNRs deposited directly on glass, indicating high SERS activity and reproducibility of the aggregated AuNRs film. In addition, SERS activity has also been successfully demonstrated for dye molecule (Rhodamin 6G (R6G)) and biological small molecule (adenine) on the aggregated AuNRs film, showing great potential of the aggregated AuNRs film as a convenient and powerful SERS substrate for biological tags and biological molecular detection.     

Facile fabrication of superhydrophobic SiO2-coated mesh used for corrosive and hot water/oil separation

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Oil pollution has been a worldwide problem. Most of the superhydrophobic materials lose their superhydrophobicity when exposed to hot water (e.g.,...     

Facile fabrication of novel cobalt-based carbonaceous coatings on nickel-titanium alloy fiber substrate for selective solid-phase microextraction

Fabrication of selective adsorption coatings plays a crucial role in solid-phase microextraction(SPME).Herein, new strategies were developed for the in-situ fabrication of novel cobalt-based carbonaceous coatings on the nickel-titanium alloy(Ni Ti) fiber substrate using ZIF-67 as a precursor and template through the chemical reaction of ZIF-67 with glucose, dopamine(DA) and melamine, respectively. The adsorption performance of the resulting coatings was evaluated using representative aromatic co...     

多巴胺和L-精氨酸制备超轻氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶吸油性能的研究

采用水热法制备了超轻氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶。分析表征结果表明,多巴胺不仅为还原剂而且提供氮源,石墨烯溶液前躯体的pH值对水热法制备超轻氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶很大的影响,通过调节多巴胺和L-精氨酸在石墨烯溶液前躯体的浓度,可制备密度为2.54 mg/cm³超轻氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶,由于氮掺杂、低密度和大的比表面积,超轻氮掺杂石墨烯气凝胶对各种油品都有良好的吸附性能。     

Robust superhydrophobic candle soot and silica composite sponges for efficient oil/water separation in corrosive and hot water

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - The superhydrophobic sponges were fabricated through dip-coating candle soot (?CS) and SiO2 nanoparticles on polyurethane (P?U) sponges....     

A facile fabrication of MOF for selective removal of chromium (III) from aqueous solution

A simple method for fabricating a metal organic framework (MOF: HKUST-1) as sorbent for selective removal of chromium (III) from aqueous solution is discussed. The structure and morphology of HKUST-1 was identified by fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N₂ adsorption-desorption (BET) analysis. Its removal process of chromium (III) and chromium (VI) on HKUST-1 was assessed systematically under various conditions such as pH value, shaking time and initial concentration of chromium (III). At pH 6.0–8.0, HKUST-1 were selective towards chromium (III) but hardly chromium (VI). Kinetic parameters fitted well with pseudo-second-order model and adsorption progress was described by Langmuir isotherm equations and spontaneous and endothermic according to the results of thermodynamics studies (?G?<?0, ?H?>?0, ?S?>?0).     

Facile preparation of superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic mesh for oil/water separation in harsh environments

An effective solution to separate oil and water is urgently needed owing to the increasingly serious problem of oil pollution. Numerous studies have been done to endow ordinary materials with extreme wettability for oil/water separation. Unfortunately, most of these materials cannot work in harsh environments, resulting in the low stability and practicability in practice. Herein, a facile method was proposed to fabricate superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic mesh by immersing ordinary mesh in a mixture of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and chromium trioxide (CrO₃). After immersing for just 1?min, the mesh was endowed with superhydrophilicity (CA?=?0°) and underwater superoleophobicity (hexane CA?=?151°, SA?=?14°). Increasing the immersion time to 3?min, the prepared mesh exhibited better superoleophobicity. A separation device was developed based on the prepared mesh and the separation efficiencies for diverse oil/water mixtures containing acid, alkaline, salt and hot water were above 95%. The device retained a high efficiency after being reused for 20 times and the prepared mesh maintained superoleophobicity after immersing underwater for 72?h and abrasion test of 100 cycles. This oil/water separation method is easy-to-use, inexpensive, power-free and it can be used to separate caustic oil/water mixtures.     

A novel composite microsphere as a highly efficient absorbent for oils and organic solvents

A novel composite oil‐absorbent microsphere poly(stearyl methacrylate‐co‐butyl acrylate) (PSB)‐SiO₂ was prepared by introducing hydrophobic nano‐silica Aerosil R812 into the suspension polymerization system of stearyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate and was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy energy‐dispersive spectrometer. PSB‐SiO₂ has a loose network structure and exhibits remarkably fast oil absorption speed in relatively high saturated oil absorbency. Besides, PSB‐SiO₂ has good oil retention and reusability. Moreover, the saturated oil absorbencies of PSB‐SiO₂ toward toluene, gasoline, and diesel over water are roughly equivalent to that in pure oil. Owing to its excellent oil absorption performances, PSB‐SiO₂ will find applications in removing oil spills and organic pollutants over water. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Designing magnetic and superhydrophobic cellulose nanofibers based-aerogel for efficient oil water separation

In this work, we used cellulose nanofibers (CNF) as the skeleton, Fe₃O₄@ZnO composite particles as magnetic synergist particles, 3-(2-aminoethylamino) propyltrimethoxysilane (AS) and trimethoxy(octyl)silane (OTMS) as water-based hydrophobic modifiers to prepare magnetic and superhydrophobic cellulose nanofibers based-aerogel with low density and intricate three-dimensional structure. Fe₃O₄@ZnO confers magnetic properties (3.82 emu/g) and exceptional thermal stability (water contact angle of 150.1° at 200 °C) to the system, while the combination with OTMS/AS endows the system superhydrophobic (157.5°) and excellent mechanical properties (stress of 96.95 kPa at 80% strain). It is worth noting that in the process of modifying the system with OTMS/AS, no organic solvents and acidic substances are used in the solution. Benefiting from their synergies, the system demonstrates a notable oil absorption capacity (12.31–41.91 g/g) and outstanding oil selectivity (exceeding 90%), driven by gravity alone. Interestingly, this system, marked by its cost-effectiveness, simplicity, eco-friendliness, and heightened efficiency, holds promising prospects for diverse applications in different oil–water separation behavior and purifying industrial oil wastewater, as well as oil flooding incidents.     

Fabrication of magnesium bentonite hollow fibre ceramic membrane for oil-water separation

In this study, low-cost magnesium bentonite (MB) was used for the fabrication of bentonite hollow fibre (BHF) membrane with high pure water flux. MB powder was initially characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), particle size distribution (PSD) analyser, Brunnauer -Emmett- Teller (BET) method, and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The BHF membrane obtained was then fabricated through dope suspension mixing, phase inversion and sintering process. The dope suspension was prepared by mixing MB, dispersant, polymer binder, and solvent using a planetary ball mill. While the spinning process was carried out at the extrusion rate of 8 mL/min, a fluid bore rate of 10 mL/min and air gap of 5 cm, and this was followed by sintering operation at 950 °C, 1000 °C, 1050 °C, and 1100 °C. The resulting BHF membrane was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and XRD; the porosity test, water flux and oil rejection were also examined. The SEM surface morphology of BHF at sintering temperature of 950 °C showed spongy-like and nested macrovoids structure; the porosity was 49.09% with a mean pore size of 3.9 µm. The performance test on the bentonite-based hollow fibre membrane showed that the membrane prepared at 20 wt% and sintering temperature of 1000 °C, which induced high and stable permeate water flux and oil rejection of BHFC membrane were 544 L/m² h and 97%, respectively. The results have shown that the presence of magnesium in bentonite can enhance and promote the needed support material for the fabrication of hollow fibre ceramic membrane.     

Robust and easily retrievable Pd/Ti_3C_2T_x■graphene hydrogels for efficient catalytic hydrogenation of nitroaromatic compounds

Ti_3C_2T_x has been emerging as an attractive platform to prepare composite catalysts,and their assembly into integrated catalytic mate rials repre sents a key step forward toward practical applications.Howeve r,the swelling behavior of Ti_3C_2T_x leads to significant structure change,which challenges the stability of Ti_3C_2T_x-based integrated functional materials for catalytic applications.Here we report a facile synthesis of Pd/Ti_3C_2T_x■graphene hydrogels in which Pd/Ti_3C_2T_x are spatially encapsulated in the 3 D porous graphene framework.The porous interconnected structure not only affords efficient mass transfer and desirable functional accessibility to catalytic active sites,but also effectively buffers the swelling behavior of Ti_3C_2T_x.When applied for catalytic hydrogenation of nitroaromatic compounds,the mechanically robust Pd/Ti_3C_2T_x■graphene hydrogels exhibit efficient activities,easy separability,and good cyclability.This work is expected to promote the application of Ti_3C_2T_x-based functional materials for practical applications involving interactions with salt solutions,such as supercapacitors,catalysis,and water purification.     

Facile and efficient fabrication of g-C3N4 quantum dots for fluorescent analysis of trace copper(II) in environmental samples

The facile preparation of g-C₃N₄ QDs with high fluorescent performance has become an important direction in the last decade. Herein, we develop a facile, rapid approach to synthesize highly fluorescent QDs based on recrystallization and ultrasonic exfoliation. Size-controllable graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) QDs can be obtained from the precursor of recrystallized dicyandiamide, only 90 min is needed and the size of QDs is adjusted from 5 nm to 200 nm by controlling the ultrasonic time. Moreover, better fluorescent efficiency is also obtained comparing to traditional g-C₃N₄ QDs. The obtained g-C₃N₄ QDs responds to Cu(II) in the 0.5 nmol/L to 30 μmol/L concentration range, with a 0.3 nmol/L detection limit. The method was applied to the determination of Cu(II) in different environmental water samples.     

Continuous separation of oil from water surface by a novel tubular unit based on graphene coated polyurethane sponge

We develop a new strategy for the continuous separation of oil from water surface using a novel tubular unit based on graphene coated polyurethane (P‐GEPU) sponge, and the P‐GEPU sponge was fabricated by a simple dip‐coating method; the as‐prepared sponges could adsorb different kinds of oil and organic liquids while repelling water. Moreover, the tubular unit was assembled by wrapping the P‐GEPU sponge on a porous PU hollow tube and combined with the accessories including pipes and joints. The tubular unit could float on the surface of water, and a continuous oil collection from water surface through vacuum pressure could be fulfilled, showing a high oil‐water separation efficiency (>96%). Finally, oil‐water separation efficiency remains above 93% after 10 cycles, exhibiting excellent reusability. In addition, our findings are easily scaled up, showing a great promise for large‐scale oil spill remediation.