Immobilization of cellulase using polyurethane foam

Cellulase was covalently immobilized using a hydrophilic polyurethane foam (Hypol®FHP 2002). Compared to the free enzyme, immobilized cellulase showed a dramatic decrease (7.5-fold) in the Michaelis constant for carboxymethylcellulose. The immobilized enzyme also had a broader and more basic pH optimum (pH 5.5–6.0), a greater stability under heat-denaturing or liquid nitrogen-freezing conditions, and was relatively more efficient in utilizing insoluble cellulose substrates. High molecular weight compounds (Blue Dextran) could move throughout the foam matrix, indicating permeability to insoluble celluloses; activity could be further improved 2.4-fold after powdering, foams under liquid nitrogen. The improved kinetic and stability features of the immobilized cellulase combined with advantageous properties of the polyurethane foam (resistance to enzymatic degradation, plasticity of shape and size) suggest that this mechanism of cellulase immobilization has high potential for application in the industrial degradation of celluloses.     

Quantitative separation of zinc traces from cadmium matrices by solid-phase extraction with polyurethane foam

A system for separation of zinc traces from large amounts of cadmium is proposed in this paper. It is based on the solid-phase extraction of the zinc in the form of thiocyanate complexes by the polyurethane foam. The following parameters were studied: effect of pH and of the thiocyanate concentration on the zinc extraction, shaking time required for quantitative extraction, amount of PU foam necessary for complete extraction, conditions for the separation of zinc from cadmium, influence of other cations and anions on the zinc sorption by PU foam, and required conditions for back extraction of zinc from the PU foam. The results show that zinc traces can be separated from large amounts of cadmium at pH 3.0±0.50, with the range of thiocyanate concentration from 0.15 to 0.20 mol l⁻¹, and the shaking time of 5 min. The back extraction of zinc can be done by shaking it with water for 10 min. Calcium, barium, strontium, magnesium, aluminum, nickel and iron(II) are efficiently separated. Iron(III), copper(II) and cobalt(II) are extracted simultaneously with zinc, but the iron reduction with ascorbic acid and the use of citrate to mask copper(II) and cobalt(II) increase the selectivity of the zinc extraction. The anions nitrate, chloride, sulfate, acetate, thiosulphate, tartarate, oxalate, fluoride, citrate, and carbonate do not affect the zinc extraction. Phosphate and EDTA must be absent. The method proposed was applied to determine zinc in cadmium salts using 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) as a spectrophotometric reagent. The result achieved did not show significant difference in the accuracy and precision (95% confidence level) with those obtained by ICP–AES analysis.     

一种纳米TiO2粉体防团聚的新方法

开发了一种新的低成本防团聚方法——泡沫悬浮法。对泡沫悬浮法和共沸蒸馏法的防团聚效果进行了系统比较。结果表明，泡沫悬浮法可以有效抑制煅烧过程中纳米TiO₂晶粒的粗化和一次粒径的长大。泡沫悬浮法所得纳米TiO₂的粉体还具有团聚粒径小、粒度分布窄以及比表面积大的优点。通过FTIR、TG、DTA和松装密度实验对泡沫悬浮法的防团聚机理进行了研究，提出了纳米TiO₂防团聚模型。     

Thermal characteristics of polyurethane foams incorporated with phase change materials

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in heat management because of the demand for developed energy conservation, and has applications in diverse areas, from building heating/cooling systems which enable solar energy incorporation into the structure, to textiles and clothings providing an enhanced thermal comfort. In this study, we aimed to improve thermal characteristics of polyurethane rigid foams that have been widely used for thermal insulation as the ultimate energy savers due to their ability to form sandwich structures with various facer materials. Through a laboratory-scale work, two paraffin waxes acting as phase change materials, namely n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, each of which is capable of managing large heat storage/release, were directly incorporated into the polyurethane foams at different ratios. Polymerization modified by means of n-alkane addition could be achieved without any adverse effect. In order to determine both structural and thermal characteristics, seven types of foams produced were examined by FT-IR, SEM, DSC analyses, calorimeter bomb and mechanical tests. Results show that polyurethane foams can be designed as thermal insulators equipped with an improved buffering function against temperature changes.     

Broad spectrum and mode of action of an antibiotic produced byScytonema sp. TISTR 8208 in a seaweed-type bioreactor

A photobioreactor was constructed using anchored polyurethane foam strips (1 x 1 x 40 cm) fixed onto a stainless-steel ring to prevent flotation, as a biomass support material (BSM). This type of reactor was named a seaweed-type bioreactor. A filamentous cyanobacterium, Scytonema sp. TISTR 8208, which produces a novel cyclic dodecapeptide antibiotic, was immobilized in seaweed-type photobioreactor and cultivated with air containing 5% CO₂ sparged at a gas flow rate of 250 mL/min under illumination at a light intensity of 200 μmol photon m^-2s^-1. The antibiotic produced in the seaweed-type photobioreactor was purified by HPLC and examined regarding its spectrum and mode of action. The antibiotic effectively inhibited the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, pathogenic yeasts, and filamentous fungi, but it had only a weak effect on Gram-negative bacteria. Scanning electron micrograph analysis showed that the most characteristic change was swelling of the cells after exposure to the antibiotic. The antibiotic seems to alter the conformation of the microbial cell membrane, thereby changing its permeability, leading to osmotic shock.     

多壁碳纳米管-炭复合泡沫材料的制备和吸附性能

通过在聚氨酯泡沫模板中沉积多壁碳纳米管，用炭的预制体酚醛树酯将碳纳米管粘接固定在一起，经过高温碳化过程制备了碳纳米管-炭复合泡沫材料。红外光谱结果表明利用浓硫酸和浓硝酸的混合溶液处理可以使复合泡沫表面活化形成羧基和羟基，从而使复合泡沫具备较强的分子吸附能力。扫描电镜和氮吸附实验表明这种复合泡沫同时具备大孔和介孔，大孔能够满足流体自由流动的通畅性，介孔可以满足中分子的吸附需要。对标定物维生素B12的吸附实验证明这种复合泡沫对中分子量的生化分子具有有效的吸附能力。这种宏观尺寸的泡沫材料与传统的颗粒状活性炭相比具有简化工艺，提高吸附效率的应用潜力。     

Time‐resolved in situ tomography for the analysis of evolving metal‐foam granulates

An experimental setup has been developed that allows for capturing up to 25 tomograms s^?1 using the white X‐ray beam at the experimental station EDDI of BESSY II, Berlin, Germany. The key points are the use of a newly developed, precise and fast rotation stage, a very efficient scintillator and a fast CMOS camera. As a first application, the foaming of aluminium alloy granules at 923 K was investigated in situ. Formation and growth of bubbles in the liquid material were observed and found to be influenced by the limited thermal conductivity in the bulk granules. Changes that took place between two tomographic frames separated in time by 39 ms could be detected and analysed quantitatively.     

改性二氧化硅纳米颗粒提高二氧化碳泡沫稳定性的研究

通过纳米二氧化硅的硅烷化改性, 使其在高矿化度盐水中可以稳定存在的前提下, 研究了改性纳米颗粒与阳离子表面活性剂十二烷基三甲基氯化铵混合体系的溶液稳定性及协同稳定CO₂泡沫的效果. 研究结果表明, 无机盐离子对改性纳米颗粒与阳离子表面活性剂间的静电吸引力具有屏蔽作用, 且矿化度越高, 屏蔽效果越明显, 从而混合溶液更易于在高盐水中稳定; 纳米颗粒表面的活性剂吸附层受二者浓度的影响, 进而影响了颗粒的亲/疏水性; 当混合体系中的表面活性剂浓度低于临界胶束浓度(CMC)时, 混合溶液与CO₂的界面张力高于单独活性剂溶液, 而当活性剂浓度高于CMC时, 对CO₂-溶液界面张力几乎无影响, 最低界面张力可降至6 mN/m左右; 改性纳米颗粒的加入可以进一步提高CO₂体相泡沫半衰期一倍以上, 但受二者浓度比例的影响; 纳米颗粒的加入有效提高了多孔介质中泡沫的表观黏度, 最大增幅由20 mPa·s增至55 mPa·s左右, 泡沫黏度增加接近3倍, 增强了CO₂泡沫驱的封堵作用.