Pervaporation of ethanol-water mixtures through temperature-sensitive poly(vinyl alcohol-g-N-isopropyacrylamide) membranes

Novel temperature-sensitive membranes have been synthesized by grafting poly(N-isopropyacrylamide) (poly(NIPAAm)) onto a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) backbone using hydrogen peroxide-ferrous ion as initiator. Due to the grafting of poly(NIPAAm), the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and the polarity of the pendent groups within the membranes are modified. Significant temperature sensitivity of the grafted membranes is observed close to the LCST of linear poly(NIPAAm) in the pervaporation processes for ethanol-water separation. Both the pervaporation and sorption selectivities for water show a maximum value in the vicinity of 30–32°C for an ethanol content of 75 and 80%. The temperature sensitivity of the grafted membranes also depends on the ethanol concentration. The maxima of pervaporation and sorption selectivities disappear when the ethanol content is lower than 75% because the much larger degree of swelling reduces the size screening effect of the membranes.     

Effect of solution chemistry on the surface charge of polymeric reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes

A streaming potential analyzer has been used to investigate the effect of solution chemistry on the surface charge of four commercial reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes. Zeta potentials of these membranes were analyzed for aqueous solutions of various chemical compositions over a pH range of 2 to 9. In the presence of an indifferent electrolyte (NaCl), the isoelectric points of these membranes range from 3.0 to 5.2. The curves of zeta potential versus solution pH for all membranes display a shape characteristic of amphoteric surfaces with acidic and basic functional groups. Results with salts containing divalent ions (CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄, and MgSO₄) indicate that divalent cations more readily adsorb to the membrane surface than divalent anions, especially in the higher pH range. Three sources of humic acid, Suwannee River humic acid, peat humic acid, and Aldrich humic acid, were used to investigate the effect of dissolved natural organic matter on membrane surface charge. Other solution chemistries involved in this investigation include an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and a cationic surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide). Results show that humic substances and surfactants readily adsorb to the membrane surface and markedly influence the membrane surface charge.     

Sol-gel processing of inorganic membranes

Basic principles involved in sol-gel processing of ceramic membranes are described. This process has been applied to ceramic ultrafiltration membranes and is now investigated to prepare ceramic nanofilters. In this paper special emphasis is put on new developments concerning microporous zirconia membranes obtained by the polymeric route. A zirconium alkoxide precursor modified with an acetylacetone ligand has been used in order to control particle growth in the sols and pore size distribution in the membranes. N₂ adsorption and X-ray diffraction analysis have been performed on membrane materials showing the influence of process parameters (molar ratio r = acacH/Zr and sintering temperature T) on membrane structural evolution.     

Absolute Rate Constants for the Addition of the 1‐(tert‐Butoxy)carbonylethyl Radical onto Cyclic Alkenes in Solution

Absolute rate constants are reported for the addition of the 1‐[(tert‐butoxy)carbonyl]ethyl (= 2‐(1,1‐dimethylethoxy)‐1‐methyl‐2‐oxoethyl) radical ^.CHMeCO₂(t‐Bu) to several cyclic and monosubstituted alkenes in MeCN as obtained by time‐resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The activation energies for the addition of this alkyl radical are mainly governed by the addition enthalpy but are also substantially lowered by the ambiphilic effect and by relief of cyclic strain.     

Electrochemistry of capillary systems with narrow pores. IV. Dialysis potentials

The dialysis potentials of different collodion membranes with graded pore sizes and electrochemical activities have been measured in dilute aqueous KCl solutions as functions of concentration. It is possible to predict the value of the diffusion potential within a few millivolts on the basis of electrical conductivity data obtained with the same membranes. In general, the measured values are lower than those calculated. It is assumed that this difference is caused by the membranes having a distribution of pore sizes.     

CCl2自由基与H2O分子反应动力学研究

用213 nm激光光解CCl4产生CCl2自由基，用LP LIF技术测定了室温下基态CCl2自由基与H2O分子的反应速率常数为(5.45±0.95)×10－14 cm3•molecule－1•s－1.在G2MP2理论水平上计算了CCl2＋H2O反应的最低单重态势能面，揭示了插入与加成 消除两种反应机理，得到了三个可能的产物通道:HCl＋HClCO、HCl＋trans ClCOH以及HCl＋cis ClCOH.并用RRKM TST和传统过渡态理论计算了这三个通道的分支比及其温度效应.结果说明在低温下（273 K），插入机理的产物通道的分支比远大于加成 消除机理的产物通道， HCl＋HClCO是主要产物，分支比为77.4％，其次是HCl＋cis ClCOH，分支比为22.6％.而在高温下（3000 K），加成 消除机理的反应通道大于插入机理， HCl＋trans ClCOH分支比为82.3％.     

Microfiltration of protein solutions at thin film composite membranes

An experimental study of the interaction of the enzyme yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) with polysulfone thin film composite microfiltration membranes (Dow-Danmark) has been carried out. It was found that the membranes adsorbed only 3/4 of a monolayer of the enzyme under the conditions studied. Even so, under filtration conditions, the membrane permeation rate decreased continuously with time. This decrease in permeation rate was due neither to concentration polarisation nor to protein adsorption alone. However, it could be quantified using the standard blocking filtration law, which describes a decrease in pore volume due to deposition of protein in the interior structure of the membrane. Reversal of the membrane, so that the supporting matrix faced the feed solution, gave more stable permeation rates. Implications for the microfiltration of industrial fermentation broths are discussed.     

Proton ionizable crown compounds. 18. Comparison of alkali metal transport in a H2O-CH2Cl2-H2O liquid membrane system by four proton-ionizable macrocycles containing the dialkylhydrogenphosphate moiety

The macrocycle-mediated fluxes of alkali, alkaline earth, and several transition metal cations have been determined and compared in a H₂O-CH₂Cl₂-H₂O liquid membrane system using four water-insoluble macrocycles containing a dialkylhydrogenphosphate moiety. Transport of alkali metal cations by these ligands was greatest from a source phase pH = 12 or above into an acid receiving phase (pH = 1.5). Very low fluxes were observed for the transport of the alkaline earth cations and all transition metal ions studied except Ag⁺ and Pb²⁺ which were transported reasonably well by these new macrocycles.Deceased: September 5, 1987.     

Fouling and protein adsorption effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of membrane surfaces

Adsorption of proteins and the effect of the chemical nature of membrane surfaces on protein adsorption were investigated using¹⁴C-tagged albumin and several microporous membranes (polyvinilydene fluoride, PVDF; nylon; polypropylene, PP; and polycarbonate, PC). The membrane surfaces were modified by exposing them to low-temperature plasma of several different monomers (n-butane, oxygen, nitrogen alone or as mixtures) in a radiofrequency plasma reactor. Transients in the permeability of albumin solutions through the membranes and changes in flux of distilled water through the membranes before and after adsorption of albumin were used to investigate the role of protein adsorption on membrane fouling. The results show that the extent of adsorption of albumin on hydrophobic membranes was considerably more than that on hydrophilic membranes. The hydrophilic membranes were susceptible to electrostatic interactions and less prone to fouling. A pore-blocking model was successfully used to correlate the loss of water flux through pores of defined geometry     

MORPHOLOGIES AND GAS SEPARATION PROPERTIES OF MELT-SPUN ASYMMETRIC POLY(4-METHYL-1-PENTENE)HOLLOW FIBER MEMBRANES*

Poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) hollow fiber membranes were prepared by the melt-spun and cold-stretch(MSCS) method. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the section and surface structures of themembranes with special asymmetric structure. The preliminary results of gas permeation measurements indicated that the resultant hollow fiber membranes have the potential ability for oxygen/nitrogen separation.