A study of the photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanopowders

Photodestruction and adsorption of dyes in aqueous suspensions of nanopowders of titanium dioxide of anatase modification was studied. The photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanopowders was examined in relation to the dispersity of particles and pH of the medium.     

Selective recognition of organic pollutants in aqueous solutions with composite imprinted membranes

In this work, thin-layer composite membranes imprinted with desmetryn or ibuprofen were prepared and studied for selective recognition of the template compounds in aqueous solutions. The imprinted membranes were developed using photoinitiated copolymerization of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulphonic acid and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide, in the presence of desmetryn or via copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, and trimethylopropane trimethacrylate, in the presence of ibuprofen, followed by deposition of the imprinted layers on the surface of porous microfiltration supports of various chemical nature. Atomic force microscopy was used to study the surface morphological characteristics of the developed membranes. Molecularly recognition properties of imprinted membranes were evaluated by measuring their capability to bind the template molecules from polycomponent aqueous solutions. It was shown that obtained membranes may be used as selective recognising elements of portative differential capacitor sensor device for express monitoring of the target molecules in water. The sensor performance is based on registration of the alteration of dielectric permeability of composite imprinted membrane at selective binding of template molecules, when the analyzed feed solution is filtered through the membrane sample.     

Nanofiltration treatment of aqueous solutions to remove triazine herbicides

Nanofiltration treatment of aqueous solutions to remove triazine herbicides (terbumetone, desmetrine, atrazine) with an OPMN-P membrane was studied. The effect of the molecular mass of herbicides, working pressure, and extent of permeate removal on the retention of solutes was analyzed.     

Use of titanium dioxide for surface modification of polymeric membranes to diminish their biological contamination

Adhesion of microorganisms to the surface of polymeric membranes and the efficiency of modification of the membrane surface by deposition of titanium dioxide to diminish biological overgrowth were studied.     

Polymeric membranes: Surface modification for minimizing (bio)colloidal fouling

This paper presents an overview on recent developments in surface modification of polymer membranes for reduction of their fouling with biocolloids and organic colloids in pressure driven membrane processes. First, colloidal interactions such as London–van der Waals, electrical, hydration, hydrophobic, steric forces and membrane surface properties such as hydrophilicity, charge and surface roughness, which affect membrane fouling, have been discussed and the main goals of the membrane surface modification for fouling reduction have been outlined. Thereafter the recent studies on reduction of (bio)colloidal of polymer membranes using ultraviolet/redox initiated surface grafting, physical coating/adsorption of a protective layer on the membrane surface, chemical reactions or surface modification of polymer membranes with nanoparticles as well as using of advanced atomic force microscopy to characterize (bio)colloidal fouling have been critically summarized.     

XPS and material properties of raw and oxidized carbide-derived carbon and their application in antifreeze thermal fluids/nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this study, the stability, thermal conductivity and viscosity of carbide-derived carbon antifreeze thermal fluids were explored. The study also...     

Thin layer molecularly imprinted microfiltration membranes by photofunctionalization using a coated alpha-cleavage photoinitiator.

A novel approach towards thin-layer molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) composite membranes was developed based on using benzoin ethyl ether (BEE), a very efficient alpha-scission photoinitiator. The triazine herbicide desmetryn was used as the template, and a mixture of the functional monomer 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and the cross-linker N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAA) in methanol was copolymerised via photoinitiation followed by deposition on the surface of either hydrophobic or hydrophilically precoated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes. Blanks were prepared under identical conditions, but without the template. Especially, the degree of functionalization (DF) of the PVDF membranes with poly(AMPS-co-MBAA), the membrane permeabilities and non-specific vs. MIP-specific template binding from aqueous solutions during fast filtration were studied in detail to evaluate the effects of the preparation conditions, in particular the coating of the membrane surface with the photoinitiator prior to UV irradiation and the influence of the precoated hydrophilic layer on PVDF. Significant template specificities of the MIP membranes compared with the blanks were only achieved for the preparations including coating the two types of PVDF membranes with BEE. In contrast, a homogeneous photoinitiation of the copolymerisation in the membrane pore volume yielded functional layers with similar DF but with only non-specific desmetryn binding. All data clearly indicate the significant contribution of MIP stabilization by the support material in layers of optimum thickness to the MIP specificity. Main advantages of the novel approach are the potential to synthesize MIP composite membranes by controlled deposition onto any kind of polymer support, and the very fast MIP preparations due to a very efficient photoinitiator and small MIP layer thickness. Due to the mechanical and chemical stability in combination with high permeabilities, thin-layer MIP composite membranes have a large application potential, e.g., in solid phase extraction.     

Removal of humic substances from aqueous solutions with a photocatalytic membrane reactor

The process of extraction of humic substances from aqueous solutions in a photocatalytic membrane reactor is studied. It is established that, under optimum conditions, humic substances are removed almost completely. The effect of different grades and concentrations of the catalyst (TiO₂), the oxidant, UV irradiation time, and the pH value of the solution on the degree of purification is investigated. The possibility of using sunlight as the source of radiation in the process of photocatalytic purification is shown.     

Effect of the surface modification of polymer membranes on their microbiological fouling

Composite polymer membranes with chemically different surfaces are prepared by the photochemical modification of Millipore microfiltration poly(vinylidene fluoride) and polysulfone membranes using 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate quaternized with methyl chloride. It is shown that, during the filtration of an E. coli suspension, the membrane flux substantially decreases with time owing to the fouling of the membrane surface by bacterial cells. The membranes with the hydrophilic surface are less susceptible to fouling than hydrophobic membranes, while the ability to recover the performance upon washing is higher for the membranes with a chemically neutral surface than for charged membranes. It is shown that the susceptibility of membranes to microbiological fouling reduces with a decrease in the roughness of the membrane surface. It is established that the membranes modified with the quaternized 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate possess antibacterial properties. These membranes proved to be the most efficient in the filtration of natural surface water in a noncontinuous regime, a result that is explained by the ability of membranes to prevent the formation of a fouling biofilm on their surfaces.