A new route for the fabrication of TiO2 ultrafiltration membranes with suspension derived from a wet chemical synthesis

Titania ultrafiltration membranes were successfully fabricated by a new route, which was directly derived from the nanoparticles suspension that was the intermediate product prior to dry and calcine in the synthesis of nanoparticle by a wet chemical method. The morphology and the crystal structure of the prepared membrane were analyzed by SEM and XRD. The effect of various dipping time on the membrane thickness was investigated. The rejection of the bovine serum albumin (BSA, 67,000 Da) was used to evaluate the separation characteristics of these membranes, and the relationship between the dipping time and the optimization thickness of the membrane was built on the base of the data of the pure water flux. SEM images showed that the surface of the membrane was defect-free and XRD revealed that the titania crystalline phase was pure anatase. The membrane thickness increased linearly with the square root of the dipping time and the dipping time of 30 s was necessary to form a defect-free titania layer on the top of supports. The titania layer derived from the dipping time of 30 s could be of thickness of 5.9 μm and an average pore size of 60 nm. The pure water permeability of the membrane was 860 × 10⁻⁵ L/(m² h Pa) (860 L/(m² h bar)), and the BSA rejections of the membranes prepared reached to 90% after 20 min running.     

Synthesis of industrial scale NaY zeolite membranes and ethanol permeating performance in pervaporation and vapor permeation up to 130 °C and 570 kPa

NaY zeolite tubular membranes in an industrial scale of 80 cm long were synthesized on monolayer and asymmetric porous supports. The quality of synthesized membranes were evaluated by pervaporation (PV) experiments in 80 cm long at 75 °C in a mixture of water (10 wt.%)/ethanol (90 wt.%), resulting in higher permeation fluxes of 5.1 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ in the monolayer type membrane and of 9.1–10.1 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ in the asymmetric-type membranes, respectively. The uniformity with small performance fluctuation in longitudinal direction of the membranes were observed by PV for 10–12 cm long samples at 50 °C in a mixture of methanol (10 wt.%)/MTBE (90 wt.%). The ethanol single component permeation experiments in PV and vapor permeation (VP) up to 130 °C and 570 kPa were performed to determine the relations between the ethanol flux and the ethanol pressure difference across the membrane which is represented by permeance (Π, mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹) for estimate of potential of ethanol extraction through the present NaY zeolite membranes applying feasible studies. Results indicate that (1) the permeation fluxes are linearly proportional to the driving force of vapor pressure for each sample in VP and PV. The permeances through an asymmetric support type membrane were rather constant of 0.6–1.2 × 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ in the wide temperature range of 90–130 °C in PV and VP, indicating that the ethanol permeances have weak temperature dependency with the feed at the saturated vapor pressure.

The results of superheating VP experiments showed that ethanol permeation fluxes are increased with increasing of the degree of superheating at a given constant feed vapor pressure. The ethanol permeances are increased with increasing of temperature at a given feed vapor pressure. The superheating VP could be a feasible process in industry.     

Hydrothermally stable silica–alumina composite membranes for hydrogen separation

A thin layer (30–40 nm) of a dual-element silica–alumina composition was deposited on a porous alumina support by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in an inert atmosphere at high temperature. Prior to CVD, an intermediate layer of γ-alumina was coated on the macroporous alumina support. The intermediate layer was prepared by the dip-coating and calcination of boehmite sols of different sizes to give a graded structure that was substantially free of defects. The resulting supported composite membrane had high permeance for hydrogen in the order of 2–3 × 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ at 873 K with selectivities of H₂ over CH₄, CO and CO₂ of 940, 700 and 590, respectively. The membrane operated by a hopping mechanism involving jumps of permeating molecules between solubility sites. The presence of aluminum improved the hydrothermal stability of the membranes for periods in excess of 500 h at 873 K in 16% steam, allowing the permeance to remain above 10⁻⁷ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹, although with decreased selectivities.     

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.     

A photocatalytic membrane reactor for VOC decomposition using Pt-modified titanium oxide porous membranes

Porous titanium oxide membranes with pore sizes in the range of 2.5–22 nm were prepared by a sol–gel procedure, and were applied for decomposition of methanol and ethanol as model volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a photocatalytic membrane reactor, where oxidation reaction occurs both on the surface and inside the porous TiO₂ membrane while reactants are permeating via one-pass flow. Methanol was completely photo-oxidized by black-light irradiation to CO₂ when methanol at a concentration of 100 ppm was used at a feed flow rate of 500 × 10⁻⁶ m³/min, but the conversion decreased when the MeOH concentration in the feed was increased. Pt-modification was carried out by photo-deposition, and led to a decrease in pore diameter. Using Pt-modified membranes, a nearly complete oxidation of methanol up to 10,000 ppm at a feed flow rate of 500 × 10⁻⁶ m³/min was observed. Thus, such membranes would be effective for purifying a permeate stream after one-pass permeation through the TiO₂ membranes. The decomposition of ethanol is also discussed.     

Experimental study of a dynamic filtration system with overlapping ceramic membranes and non-permeating disks rotating at independent speeds

In a previous paper [Ding et al., J. Membr. Sci. 276 (2006) 232], we have investigated the performance in microfiltration of mineral suspensions of a novel filtration pilot consisting in overlapping ceramic membranes disks rotating at same speed on two parallel shafts. In this paper, we investigate a modification of this concept in which the ceramic disks of one shaft were replaced by non-permeating metal disks of same size rotating at a speed different from that of membranes. We also operated the pilot without disks on the 2nd shaft in order to eliminate membrane overlapping. When using metal disks with radial vanes, permeate fluxes were found to be 50–60% higher than those obtained in the same conditions with the previous design using only ceramic disks. By comparing permeate fluxes in different configurations, membranes on both shafts, membranes on the 1st shaft with and without metal disks on the 2nd shaft, we showed that, at a feed concentration of 200 g L⁻¹, the effect on permeate flux J, of shear rate increment due to membrane overlapping, could be completely offset by the high concentration increase between two adjacent and overlapping membranes. Raising the ceramic disks rotation speed N_c had a larger effect on J than increasing the metal disks speed N_m. For N_c = 32.16 Hz (1930 rpm) and N_m = 2.4 Hz (144 rpm), J reached 1790 L h⁻¹ m⁻² at 310 kPa, versus 1100 L h⁻¹ m⁻² for N_c = 12.3 Hz (738 rpm) and N_m = 22.26 Hz (1336 rpm) (for the same total sum N_c + N_m). Measurements of electrical power consumed by friction on rotating disks showed that the energy spent per m³ of permeate was lowest when using metal disk with vanes rotating at low speed and ceramic disks rotating at high speed.     

Membrane reactor performance of steam reforming of methane using hydrogen-permselective catalytic SiO2 membranes

Hydrogen production by steam reforming of methane using catalytic membrane reactors was investigated first by simulation, then by experimentation. The membrane reactor simulation, using an isothermal and plug-flow model with selective permeation from reactant stream to permeate stream, was conducted to evaluate the effect of permselectivity on membrane reactor performance – such as methane conversion and hydrogen yield – at pressures as high as 1000 kPa. The simulation study, with a target for methane conversion of 0.8, showed that hydrogen yield and production rate have approximately the same dependency on operating conditions, such as reaction pressure, if the permeance ratio of hydrogen over nitrogen ((H₂/N₂)) is larger than 100 and of H₂ over H₂O is larger than 15. Catalytic membrane reactors, consisting of a microporous Ni-doped SiO₂ top layer and a catalytic support, were prepared and applied experimentally for steam reforming of methane at 500 °C. A bimodal catalytic support, which allows large diffusivity and high dispersion of the metal catalyst, was prepared for the enhancement of membrane catalytic activity. Catalytic membranes having H₂ permeances in the range of 2–5 × 10⁻⁶ m³ m⁻² s⁻¹ kPa⁻¹, with H₂/N₂ of 25–500 and H₂/H₂O of 6–15, were examined for steam reforming of methane. Increased performance for the production of hydrogen was experimentally obtained with an increase in reaction-side pressure (as high as 500 kPa), which agreed with the theoretical simulation with no fitting parameters.     

Silicalite-filled poly(siloxane imide) membranes for removal of VOCs from water by pervaporation

Silicalite-filled poly(siloxane imide) (PSI) membranes were prepared for the separation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from water via pervaporation. PSI copolymer was synthesized by polycondensation of 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) with a siloxane-containing diamine, e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane), bis(3-aminopropyl) terminated (PSX), added with 3,3-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). 2,4,6-Triamine pyrimidine (TAP) was added into the casting solution in order to enhance the compatibility between the polymeric matrix and the filler, silicalite. The PSI membranes were characterized by SEM. The surface morphology for the membrane with the addition of TAP differs from that without TAP. The latter seems to be consisting of particles in the membrane surface. The sorption selectivity of the PSI membranes for chloroform/water solutions was investigated, and there was a highest value for it around 50 wt.% of PSX content. The pervaporation performance of the membranes was studied with the separation of chloroform/water mixture. The silicalite-filled membrane with 120 μm thickness exhibit a high total permeation flux of 280 g m⁻² h⁻¹ with separation factor of 52.2 for 1.2 wt.% of the chloroform/water mixture.     

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 and characterization of CPPO/BPPO blend membranes for potential application in alkaline direct methanol fuel cell

A series of hydroxyl-conducting anion-exchange membranes were prepared by blending chloroacetylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (CPPO) with bromomethylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (BPPO), and their fuel cell-related performances were evaluated. The resulting membranes exhibited high hydroxyl conductivities (0.022–0.032 S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C) and low methanol permeability (1.35 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.46 × 10⁻⁷ cm² s⁻¹). All the blend membranes proved to be miscible or partially miscible under the investigations of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimeters (DSC). By condition optimization, the blend membranes with 30–40 wt% CPPO are recommended for application in direct methanol alkaline fuel cells because they showed low methanol permeability, excellent mechanical properties and comparatively high hydroxyl conductivity.     

Fundamental studies of novel inorganic–organic charged zwitterionic hybrids: 3. New hybrid charged mosaic membranes prepared by modified metal alkoxide and zwitterionic process

A series of novel hybrid charged mosaic membranes have been prepared through a coupling reaction and zwitterionic process. This kind of coupling reaction was conducted between phenylaminomethyl trimethoxysilane (PAMTMS) and Ti(O-nBu)₄ modified by acetylacetone, which was proved by FTIR spectra and the conventional properties of the membranes. Ion-exchange capacity (IEC) measurements indicate that both anion-exchange capacities (an-IECs) and cation-exchange capacities (cat-IECs) of the membranes coated one to three times are in the range of 4.62 × 10⁻⁴ to 1.48 × 10⁻² and 1.57 × 10⁻² to 3.2 × 10⁻² meq. cm⁻², respectively; while these IECs increase with the elevating Ti-content. Streaming potentials exhibit that the isoelectric points (IEPs) of the membranes coated one time are in the range of pH 6–7.5 and decrease with the increasing Ti-content; but for those coated two times, the IEPs are in the range of pH 6–7.0 and increase with the rising Ti-content. Water content demonstrates a decline tendency with the rising pH whether for the membranes coated one or two times. Pure water flux reveals a downward trend with both the increasing coating times and the ingredients of hybrid precursors. The surface morphologies of the membranes coated three times show that the membrane microstructures can be affected by the compositions of coating solutions, while cross-section SEM images suggests that the membrane thickness elevates with the increasing coating times.     

Sulfonated polysulfone with 1,3-1H-dibenzimidazole-benzene additive as a membrane for direct methanol fuel cells

1,3-1H-Dibenzimidazole-benzene (DBImBenzene) has been synthesized using phosphorus pentoxide-methanesulfonic acid (PPMA) as a solvent and dehydration agent and investigated as an additive (up to 2.0 wt.%) in sulfonated polysulfone (SPSf) membranes to promote proton conduction via acid–base interactions. The SPSf/DBImBenzene blend membranes with various DBImBenzene contents (0–2.0 wt.%) have been prepared and characterized by proton conductivity measurement and electrochemical polarization and methanol crossover measurements in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The blend membranes with DBImBenzene content of 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% show higher proton conductivities (3.4 and 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm, respectively) than plain SPSf (2.4 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm) even though the blend membranes have lower ion exchange capacity (0.81 and 0.75 mequiv./g, respectively) than plain SPSf (0.86 mequiv./g). The blend membranes exhibit better electrochemical performance in DMFC than plain SPSf membrane due to an enhancement in proton conductivity through acid–base interactions and lower methanol crossover.     

Gas transport property of polyallylamine–poly(vinyl alcohol)/polysulfone composite membranes

Polyallylamine (PAAm) was synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized by Fourier transform infrared resonance (FT-IR) spectroscopy, hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The composite membranes were prepared by using PAAm–poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend polymer as the separation layer and polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration membranes as the support layer. The surface and cross-section morphology of the membrane was inspected by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The gas transport property of the membranes, including gas permeance, flux and selectivity, were investigated by using pure CO₂, N₂, CH₄ gases and CO₂/N₂ gas mixture (20 vol% CO₂ and 80 vol% N₂) and CO₂/CH₄ gas mixture (10 vol% CO₂ and 90 vol% CH₄). The plots of gas permeance or flux versus feed gas pressure imply that CO₂ permeation through the membranes follows facilitated transport mechanism whereas N₂ and CH₄ permeation follows solution–diffusion mechanism. Effect of PAAm content in the separation layer on gas transport property was investigated by measuring the membranes with 0–50 wt% PAAm content. With increasing PAAm content, gas permeance increases initially, reaches a maximum, and then decreases gradually. For CO₂/N₂ gas mixture, the membranes with 10 wt% PAAm content show the highest CO₂ permeance of about 1.80 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ KPa⁻¹ and CO₂/N₂ selectivity of 80 at 0.1 MPa feed gas pressure. For CO₂/CH₄ gas mixture, the membranes with 20 wt% PAAm content display the highest CO₂ permeance of about 1.95 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ KPa⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 58 at 0.1 MPa feed gas pressure. In order to explore the possible reason of gas permeance varying with PAAm content, the crystallinity of PVA and PAAm–PVA blend polymers was measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra. The experimental results show an inverse relationship between crystallinity and gas permeance, e.g., a minimum crystallinity and a maximum CO₂ permeance are obtained at 20 wt% PAAm content, indicating that the possibility of increasing CO₂ permeance with PAAm content due to the increase of carrier concentration could be weakened by the increase of crystallinity.     

Novel CO2 selectively permeating membranes containing PETEDA dendrimer

Pentaerythrityl tetraethylenediamine (PETEDA) dendrimer was synthesized from pentaerythrityl tetrabromide and ethylenediamine. Its molecular structure was characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared resonance (FT-IR) and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy. The composite membranes for selectively permeating CO₂ were prepared by using PETEDA-PVA blend polymer as the active layer and polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membrane as the support layer and their permselectivity was tested by pure CO₂ and CH₄ gases and the gas mixture containing 10 vol.% CO₂ and 90 vol.% CH₄, respectively. For pure gases, the membrane containing 78.6 wt% PETEDA and 21.4 wt% PVA in the blend has a CO₂ permeance of 8.14 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 52 at 143.5 cmHg feed gas pressure. While feed gas pressure is 991.2 cmHg, CO₂ permeance reaches 3.56 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity is 19. For the gas mixture, the membrane has a CO₂ permeance of 6.94 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ with a CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 33 at 188.5 cmHg feed gas pressure, and a CO₂ permeance of 3.29 × 10⁻⁵ cm³ (STP) cm⁻² s⁻¹ cmHg⁻¹ with a CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of 7.5 at a higher feed gas pressure of 1164 cmHg. A possible gas transport mechanism in the composite membranes is proposed by investigating the permeating behavior of pure gases and the gas mixture and analyzing possible reactions between CO₂/CH₄ gases and the PETEDA-PVA blend polymer. The effect of PETEDA content in the blend polymer on permselectivity of the composite membranes was investigated, presenting that CO₂ permeance and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity increase and CH₄ permeance decreases, respectively with PETEDA content. This is explained by that with increasing PETEDA content, the carrier content increases, and the crystallinity and free volume of the PETEDA-PVA blend decrease that were confirmed by the experimental results of X-ray diffraction spectra (XRD) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS).     

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.     

Asymmetric membranes with modified gold films as selective gates for metal ion separations

Thin layers of gold (700 Å) were deposited on manufactured alumina pourous supports to yield nanopores with openings of <7 nm. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of alkyl thiols was then attached to provide a hydrophobic support for trialkyl phosphine oxide-based metal ion carriers. The resulting gated membranes provided a barrier to ions including H⁺, and Ca²⁺, NO₃⁻, and CH₃COO⁻. When an aqueous feed solution of 4.2 mM uranyl nitrate and 1 M lithium nitrate pH 4, and a receiving solution of 1 M sodium acetate pH 5.5 were used 100% of the metal was transported across the membrane by facilitated transport via the phosphate or phosphine oxide carrier. The thin gates transported metal ions as neutral nitrate complexes with fluxes high enough to be limited by the alumina support. The flux rates of 200,000 metal ions per pore per second are only a factor of 5 below that observed for the potassium channel. High selectivity of U over Eu is observed until the [U] is <0.84 mM in the feed solution, despite the fact the Eu actually transports faster when U is not present. This work demonstrates that selectivity can be added without impeding transport by using thin selective layers.     

Synthesis and characterization of MCM-48 tubular membranes

MCM-48 membranes have been prepared on alumina supports of different pore sizes. A battery of characterization techniques has been used to study the physical properties and the quality of the membranes prepared. The highest quality membranes were prepared on supports with pore size of up to 60 nm. The MCM-48 membranes were tested in the separation of gas phase mixtures and a cyclohexane/O₂ selectivity higher than 270 was obtained. The selective separation of organic compounds from inert components is a result of the cooperative effects of capillary condensation in MCM-48 pores and of the specific interactions of the permeating compounds and the membrane material.     

Tailoring pore size and pore size distribution of kidney dialysis hollow fiber membranes via dual-bath coagulation approach

Polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membranes for kidney dialysis application were prepared by the dry-jet wet-spinning method. A dual-coagulation bath technology was first time employed for fabricating the kidney dialysis membranes with a tight inner skin and loose outer supporting layer structure. A weak coagulant isopropanol (IPA) was served as the first external coagulation bath, while water as the second bath. Experiments demonstrate their advantages of better controlling both inner and outer skin morphology. The as-spun fibers have a higher mean effective pore size (μ_p), pure water permeation flux (PWP) and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) with an increase in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) percentage in bore fluid (i.e., internal coagulant). After being treated in 8000 ppm NaOCl solution for 1 day, fibers show larger pore sizes and porosity in both inner and outer surfaces, and thinner inner and outer layers than their as-spun counterparts. Among them, the bleached fibers spun with 50 wt.% NMP in bore fluid have the MWCO (43 kDa) and PWP (40 × 10⁻⁵ L m⁻² Pa⁻¹ h⁻¹) suitable for kidney dialysis application. Based on SEM observations and solute rejection performance, the further heat treated fibers in an aqueous solution is found to be an effective way to fine tune membranes morphology and MWCO for kidney dialysis application. The solute rejection performance data of the hollow fiber membranes spun with 55 wt.% NMP in bore fluid after heat treated at 90 °C in water for 2 h were found to be very appropriate for the kidney dialysis application.     

Two components of boundary potentials at the lipid membrane surface: electrokinetic and complementary methods studies

Bilayer lipid membranes (BLM) are commonly used as models for cell membranes to study their interactions with inorganic ions and molecules of biological importance. In this work the principal electrostatic effects at the BLM surface are demonstrated by two methods: by the inner membrane field compensation (IFC) which is applied to planar BLM and sensitive to changes in the total boundary potential; and by electrokinetic measurements in liposome suspensions, sensitive to diffuse (surface) component of this potential. The difference in these two potentials allows us to conclude on changes in the dipole component of the boundary potential caused by structural changes at the membrane–water interface. No difference in the experimental data of both methods was observed for Be²⁺ and other divalent cation adsorption to unchanged phosphatidyl choline (PC) membranes. These data are in a good agreement with the Gouy–Champan–Stern (GCS) theory of diffuse double layer. This theory gives the value of binding constants for Be²⁺ about 400 M⁻¹ and 10⁴ M⁻¹ for DPPC liposomes in the liquid and solid states of the lipids, respectively. Clear isotope effects for normal and heavy water solutions of Be²⁺ were observed both by the electrostatic measurements and by differential scanning calorimetry. In contrast to PC, the electrostatic potentials induced by Be²⁺ and Gd³⁺ adsorption to membranes from phosphatidyiserine (PS) show the difference between the data of mentioned methods — total boundary potential changes are much higher in comparison to the surface potential. Dipole potential changes (about 150 mV) caused by changes in PS head group orientation may be more important in this specific case.     

Synthesis, characterization and gas permeation properties of a silica membrane prepared by high-pressure chemical vapor deposition

Cylindrical silica membranes with dead-end structure were prepared by an extended counter-diffusion chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, in which a tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS) silica source was fed from the outside of a cylindrical membrane support with γ-alumina interlayer (the membrane side), and oxygen gas was fed from the inside (the support side). Extended counter-diffusion CVD is a method of depositing silica films under highly pressurized conditions applied to the membrane side where TMOS is supplied. Two silica membranes were deposited for 10 h at 573 K under differential pressures of 0.1 MPa and 0.0 MPa applied between the cylindrical membranes. The hydrogen permeances for these silica membranes were unaffected (5 × 10⁻⁸ mol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ at 573 K), although the methane and carbon dioxide permeances were greatly reduced for dense silica films prepared by high-pressure CVD (HPCVD). Therefore, the selectivity of hydrogen over methane and carbon dioxide was 24,000, and 1200, respectively. It is suggested from energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) observations in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) results that this high selectivity was due to the reduced number of defects and/or pinholes formed in the dense silica membranes by HPCVD.