Water vapor sorption in naphthalenic sulfonated polyimide membranes

The water vapor uptake of sulfonated polyimides (SP) was investigated by electronic microbalance (IGA, Hiden) from 15 to 55°C. The sigmoïdal isotherms obtained (BET II type) are considered as dual sorption (concave part) plus clustering (convex part) and are fitted with good agreement by Park’s equation. Zimm–Lundberg’s method is used to study the clustering process of water molecules: limit clustering activity, a^*, and the number of molecules per cluster are estimated.

To obtain a better understanding of polymer structure and isotherm analysis, H⁺ (counter-ions of sulfonic groups) were replaced by ions with a smaller hydration shell (Cs⁺ and EDAH⁺). Comparison of the three isotherms shows no significant difference in the water affinity of the cations. This is attributed to a partial control of the sorption by microcavities existing in the membrane.     

Electrolysis of sodium chloride using composite poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) cation exchange membranes

Composite cation exchange membranes are prepared from cross-linked styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers for the electrolysis of sodium chloride to produce sodium hydroxide and chlorine by selective removal of sodium ions. It is prepared from a syrup of the polymer using dual initiating system and is modified with chloroacetic acid to introduce acid functional groups (COO⁻) on its surface. The effect of the modification is confirmed by FTIR, SEM, contact angle, water content, and ion exchange capacity measurements. The performance of the membrane has been evaluated in terms of current efficiency and power consumption and the effect of current density, salt concentration and flow rate on efficiency has been studied. Our membrane has an ion exchange capacity of 0.833 meq./g which is close to that of the commercially available Nafion-117 membrane having an ion exchange capacity 0.9 meq./g. The Nafion-117 used for electrodialysis of sodium sulfate has a current efficiency of around 90% and specific energy consumption of 0.1 kW/mol at 2N concentration of the salt at 1000 A/m². Our membrane used for electrodialysis of sodium chloride has a current efficiency of 93% and a power consumption of around 0.3122 kW/mol at the same concentration of salt and at a current density of 254 A/m². The two-dimensional space-charge model in cylindrical coordinates has been solved semi-analytically to obtain the effective wall potential and pore size of the membrane which are difficult to measure directly. The experimentally obtained solute flux and current density have been fitted to the model and optimum values of effective wall potential and pore diameter have been determined to be 98.5 mV and 0.8 nm, respectively.     

Equilibrium of ion-exchange polymeric membrane with aqueous salt solution and its thermodynamic modeling

A thermodynamic model is proposed to describe distribution of the components between a liquid solution and a swollen membrane undergoing structural transformations. Free energy contributions related to formation of solution-filled micro-cavities in the membrane interior are estimated. Formation of the cavities of different shape is accounted for by using the Helfrich expressions for the bending energy of a curved interface. Three adjustable parameters of the model are related to the hydrophobic polymer matrix of the membrane, while the electrostatic contribution is estimated explicitly. Structural changes in the membrane are described as a transition from spherical to cylindrical cavities. Predominance of cavities having definite shape (spheres, cylinders) results in a specific shift of the Donnan equilibrium, which thus, becomes dependent on the structure of the membrane on the mesoscale. The results of model calculations are compared with the experimental data on the distribution of ions (H⁺, Li⁺, Cs⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) between the aqueous solution and the membrane. Different types of predicted thermodynamic behavior of the membrane in the liquid solution, including the hysteresis of ion-exchange equilibrium curves, are discussed. The model takes into account the effect of micro-inhomogeneties and helps to establish a link between molecular characteristics of the perfluoropolymer membrane and its macroscopic behavior in the liquid solution.     

RbCl和CsCl水溶液结构的X射线散射及经验势结构精修模拟

采用X射线散射法研究了RbCl和CsCl水溶液的结构,利用基于经验势的结构精修(EPSR)方法获得了溶液中的水合Cl^-、Rb⁺、Cs⁺、离子缔合及本体水的对径向分布函数、配位数分布及空间密度分布(3D结构)等结构信息。在水溶液中,Cl^-具有相对稳定的6水合结构,其水合距离为0.321 nm,外加阳离子对其水合作用的影响不明显。7.3 ± 1.4个水分子与Rb⁺水合,其特征水合距离为0.297 nm,8.4 ± 1.6个水分子与Cs⁺水合其水合距离为0.312 nm。Cs⁺不具有第二水合层,而Rb⁺表现出了更强的水合能力,具有较明显的第二水合层。Cl^-、Rb⁺及Cs⁺常被认为是“结构破坏”型离子。从微观角度来看这种所谓的“结构破坏”主要体现在破坏了本体水分子的第二水合层保持四面体构型的趋势。RbCl和CsCl水溶液中部分存在着Rb-Cl和Cs-Cl直接接触离子对,在1.0 mol·dm^-3的溶液中Rb-Cl及Cs-Cl的特征距离分别为0.324和0.336 nm,溶剂分割离子对的距离则都在0.6 nm左右。相对于Cs⁺,Rb⁺与Cl^-离子之间表现出了更强的缔合能力。     

Interaction and aggregation of lipid vesicles (DLVO theory versus modified DLVO theory)

Interaction and aggregation of acidic phospholipid (phosphatidylserine) vesicles were studied with variation of cation species and their concentrations in vesicle suspensions, and of vesicle sizes. Aggregation was determined by measuring turbidity of vesicle suspension. The experimental results of aggregation of vesicles induced by monovalent cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺ and TMA⁺) were explained well in terms of the interaction energy of two interacting vesicles using the ordinary Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory for both small and large lipid vesicles. However, the experimental results of aggregation of vesicles induced by divalent cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ba²⁺) were not explained by the ordinary DLVO theory. In order to explain the experimental results of these vesicle aggregation phenomena, it was necessary to modify the theory by including hydration interaction energies which are due to hydrated water at membrane surfaces, and their magnitude and sign depend upon the nature (hydrophobicity) of the membrane surface.     

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.     

溶液中杯[4]芳烃双冠-6与Cs~+配位化学研究

研究了溶液中杯[4]芳烃双冠-6(BisC₆)与Cs⁺配位行为.常温下,BisC₆/NPME(邻硝基苯甲醚)体系单级萃铯百分率达99.36%,模拟料液中,Cs⁺/Na⁺和Cs⁺/K²⁺分离系数分别为3.92×10⁴和2.21×10⁴.局域结构模型实验表明,配合物分子中可能存在水或(和)硝酸(根).ESI-MS谱表明,NPME体系中,铯离子与BisC₆同时形成1:1(单核)和2:1(双核)的配合物,并且存在[BisC₆·H₂O],[BisC₆·Cs⁺]⁺,[BisC₆·2Cs⁺·H₂O]₂+和[BisC₆·2Cs₁₀⁺·No₁₀^-3]10⁺等多种配合物分子.EXAFS实验表明,溶液中铯离子的配位数为7,形成7个氧配位的稳定结构,ADF计算验证了EXAFS实验结果.     

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.     

Fundamental equilibrium analysis on the ion-pair extraction of dibenzo-18-crown-6 complex of alkali metal ions with picrate ion into 1,2-dichloroethane

The ion-pair extraction equilibria of dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) complexes of Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ (M⁺) with picrate ion (Pic⁻) into 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCE) have been studied at 25.0°C. In the case of the Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ systems, the extraction results were interpreted by taking into consideration the formation of a (DB18C6)₂ -M⁺ complex in 1,2-DCE. The thermodynamic constants of extraction, , and ion-pair formation in 1,2-DCE, , of ion pairs of the DB18C6-M⁺ complexes with Pic⁻ were determined. By using the distribution coefficient of M⁺·Pic⁻ the thermodynamic formation constants of the DB18C6-M⁺ complexes in 1,2-DCE, , were evaluated. Consequently the component equilibrium constants of the ion-pair extraction were completely determined and a contribution of these constants to the difference of value was discussed. The value in 1,2-DCE is quite high compared with that in solvating solvents and log decreases linearly with increasing Gutmann donor number of solvents.     

Ab initio study on the structures, energies, and vibrational frequencies of acetone complexes with metal monocations and dications

The structures, interaction energies, and vibrational frequencies of acetone and its complexes with proton and various metal monocations/dications such as H⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, Be²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Zn²⁺ have been investigated from the ab initio calculations. The linear or bent structure for the cation-acetone complexes has been found to be deeply influenced by the amount of charge transfer. The amount of red-shift of CO stretching frequencies of acetone is almost equivalent regardless of the kind of alkali metal monocations. This behavior can be attributed to the electrostatic nature of the interactions rather than orbital interactions. This phenomenon has been supported by the highest occupied molecular orbitals of the acetone complexes investigated, charge transfer based on natural bond orbital (NBO) atomic charges, and the inversely proportional behavior of the interaction energies to the interatomic distances r(M⁺O).     

Determination of pK(a)'s for thymol blue in aqueous medium: evidence of dimer formation

Formation constants for recrystallized thymol blue were determined in water, using the SQUAD and SUPERQUAD programs. The best model correlating spectrophotometric, potentiometric and conductimetric data was fitted with the dissociation of HL⁻=L²⁻+H⁺−log K=8.918±0.070 and H₃L₂⁻=2L²⁻+3H⁺−log K=29.806±0.133 with the SUPERQUAD program at variable low ionic strength (1.5×10⁻⁴–3.0×10⁻⁴ M); and HL=L²⁻+H⁺−log K=8.9±0.000, H₃L₂⁻ =2L²⁻+3H⁺−log K=30.730±0.032, H₄L₂=2L²⁻+4H⁺−log K=32.106±0.033 with SQUAD at 1.1 M ionic strength.     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation for the Impact of External Electric Fields on CaCl2 Aqueous Solution

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics(MD) simulations were performed according to the electronic anti-fouling technology, and some structural parameters and dynamic parameters of CaCl₂ aqueous solution were taken as indicators to compare the different effect on the anti-fouling performance by applying different electric fields. The results show that electric fields can effectively decrease the viscosity of CaCl₂ aqueous solution and enhance the ionic activity by enlarging the self-diffusion coefficient. In addition, with the same electric field strength, the electrostatic field is more effective at decreasing the viscosity of CaCl₂ aqueous solution and increasing the self-diffusion coefficient of water molecules, while the alternating electric field is more effective at increasing the self-diffusion coefficient of Ca²⁺. Furthermore, an alternating electric field with different frequencies was applied; the results show that an 800 kHz frequency is most effective to decrease the viscosity, and a 700 kHz frequency is most effective to enhance the self-diffusion coefficient of water molecule. Otherwise, 400 kHz is most effective to enhance the self-diffusion coefficient of Ca²⁺. Additionally, by studying the change of structure parameters, it was concluded that an external electric field can enhance the hydration between Ca²⁺ and coordinated water molecules, and the alterna- ting electric field is more effective in this respect.     

离子交换树脂去除模拟放射性废液中的铯

核电站放射性废液组成复杂,其中¹³⁷Cs、⁹⁰Sr和⁶⁰Co是放射性废液处理的主要目标。 本文采用稳定同位素模拟放射性废液,研究了Cs⁺离子在强酸性阳离子树脂IRN97中的交换等温线、动力学特性以及固定床穿透行为,探讨了共存的硼酸和Sr²⁺、Co²⁺等核素离子对Cs⁺离子交换行为的影响。 结果表明,废液中存在的高浓度硼酸在一定程度上会减小树脂对Cs⁺的交换量;与共存的Sr²⁺和Co²⁺离子相比,虽然Cs⁺的交换速率快,但树脂对Sr²⁺和Co²⁺的选择性更高,因此在达到交换平衡状态下,Sr²⁺和Co²⁺的交换容量大于Cs⁺;在采用固定床吸附柱进行的动态吸附中,提高Cs⁺的进水浓度可以提高树脂的利用率。     

Kinetics and mechanisms of the redox reaction of hexaaquotitanium(III) and the ethylenediamine tetraacetato titanium(III) complex by aqueous solutions of bromine

At 25°C, I = 1.0 M (CF₃SO₃⁻Li⁺+CF₃SO₃H), [H⁺] = 0.034–0.274 M and λ = 453 nm, the rate equation for the oxidation of Ti(H₂O), ₆³⁺ by bromine was found to be: −d/[Br₂]T/dt=kK/[Br₂][Ti^III]/[H⁺]+K+kK/[Br₃⁻][Ti^III]/[H⁺+K, where k = 9.2 × 10⁻³ M ⁻¹ s ⁻¹ and K = 4.5 × 10⁻³ M. At [H⁺] = 1.0 M, [Br⁻] = 0.05–0.4 M, the apparent second-order rate constant decreases as [Br⁻] increases.

The pH-dependence of the oxidation of Ti^III-edta by bromine is interpreted in terms of the change in identity of the Ti^III-edta species as the pH of the reaction medium changes. The second-order rate constants were fitted using a non-linear least-square computer program with (1/k₀^edta)² weighting into an equation of the form: k₀^edta =k₁+k₂K₁[H⁺]⁻¹+k₃K₁K₂[H⁺]^−2/1+K₁[H⁺[H⁺⁻¹+K₁K₂[H⁺]⁻², with K₁ and K₂ fixed as earlier determined at 9.55 × 10⁻³ and 2.29 × 10⁻⁹ M, respectively, for the oxidation of bromine. k₁=k₂=(3.1±0.32)×10³M⁻¹s⁻¹ k₃=(2.3±0.45)×10⁶N⁻¹s⁻¹.

It is proposed that these electron transfer reactions proceed by univalent changes with the production of Br₂^.− as a transient intermediate. An outer-sphere mechanism is proposed for these reactions. The homonuclear exchange rate for Ti^III-edta+Ti^IV-edta is estimated at 32 M⁻¹ s⁻¹.     

Ionic dissociation of CsBr induced by collisions with Hg: Molecular beam investigation

The total and double differential cross sections of the reaction Hg+CsBr→Hg+Cs⁺+Br⁻ were measured using a molecular-beam technique. The excitation function is similar to that obtained earlier for the collision-induced dissociation of alkali halides by inert gases. The angular distribution of Cs⁺ becomes broader as the collision energy increases. The energy distribution of Cs⁺ at small scattering angles has two distinct peaks which are drawn together as the angle increases. This leads to the horseshoe-like shape of the contour plots (velocity-angle) of the intensity of Cs⁺ scattered. The structure of the double differential cross section is connected with the orientation effects.     

Highly Uniform Alkali Doped Cobalt Oxide Derived from Anionic Metal-Organic Framework: Improving Activity and Water Tolerance for CO Oxidation

A sequence of alkali metal cation-exchanged Co metal-organic frameworks(Co-MOFs), therein after denoted as M@Co-MOF, M=Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺, was prepared and used as the precursors to obtain the corresponding alkali doped cobalt oxide(defined as M/Co₃O₄, M=Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, and Cs⁺) through calcination under air atmosphere. The cobalt oxide modified by uniform alkali metals exhibited a significant promotion of catalytic activity for CO oxidation. The activity of M/Co₃O₄ decreased in the order of Cs⁺ > Na⁺ > K⁺ > Rb⁺. Experimental and theoretical results revealed that the anionic skeleton of Co-MOF could facilely adsorb alkali metal cations and play a crucial role in the formation of highly uniform alkali doped cobalt oxide. The further characterizations, such as temperature-programmed reduction of H₂(H₂-TPR), oxygen temperature-programmed desorption(O₂-TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform(DRIFT) spectra demonstrated that the enhanced catalytic activity is originated from the interfacial electron transfer as well as weakened the Co-O bond strength, which promoted oxygen desorption from Co₃O₄ and formation of cobalt species with the lower valence state. The Cs/Co₃O₄ catalyst was maintained for 60 h without deactivation and still showed a high activity in the presence of water.     

Transport and separation of Ag(+) and Zn(2+) by donnan dialysis through a monovalent cation selective membrane

Donnan Dialysis of Ag⁺ and Zn²⁺ was investigated through a cation exchange membrane (CMS Neosepta) when a proton concentration difference was maintained between the two sides of the membrane. Developed for the production of brine from sea water, CMS Neosepta showed a higher permeability to monovalent than to bivalent cations. Several physico-chemical parameters have been determined (electrical resistance, membrane potential, sorption of electrolytes, Zn²⁺ and Ag⁺ diffusion coefficients). The flux of Ag⁺ and the diffusion potential in the membrane increase with HNO₃ concentrations. Ag⁺ and Zn²⁺ can be separated because of the preferential membrane transfer for Ag⁺.     

X-ray diffraction, Raman study and electrical properties of the new mixed compound [Rb0.44(NH4)0.56]2HgCl4 · H2O

Differential scanning calorimetry of [Rb_0.44(NH₄)_0.56]₂HgCl₄ · H₂O material showed three anomalies at 340, 355 and 424 K, respectively. The room temperature phase has space group Pcma (a=8.433(1) Å, b=9.1817(9) Å and c=11.954(1)). Phase II (T=350 K) is disordered and exhibits orthorhombic symmetry (a=8.456(13), b=9.202(9) and c=12.011(10) Å). Hydrogen bonding, the nature and the degree of structure (dis)order and the mechanisms of the transitions are discussed. The dielectric constant ^′ at different frequencies and temperature revealed a phase transition at T=340 K related to NH₄⁺ reorientation and H⁺ diffusion, and a characteristic increase above 355 K, which might be due to loss of water of crystallization. Transport properties in this compound appear to be due to an Rb⁺/NH₄⁺ and H⁺ ions hopping mechanism.     

双冠醚研究(Ⅴ)——Schiff碱型和仲胺型双-(苯并-18-冠-6)对碱金属苦味酸盐的萃取性质

用两类结构不同的Schiff碱型、仲胺型双-(苯并-18-冠-6)在氯仿-水体系中对碱金属苦味酸盐进行萃取,测量了配合物组成比和萃取平衡常数。     

Exchange constants of Al(III) and Fe(III) on Dowex 50W-X8

The exchange constants tor Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions on the cation-exchange resin Dowex 50W-X8 (H⁺-form) are reported. A batch method of equilibrium at room temperature was used to determine these constants, which are Al³⁺ + 3HR AIR₃ + 3H⁺, K = 1·66 Fe³⁺ + 3HR FeR₃ + 3H⁺, K = 2·19 R denoting the resin.