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Preparation of Polystyrene Microsphere-Templated Porous Monolith for Wastewater Filtration. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14237165. [PMID: 34885320 PMCID: PMC8658112 DOI: 10.3390/ma14237165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Porous monoliths prepared using templates are highly sought after for filtration applications due to their good mass transport properties and high permeability. Current templates, however, often lead to the formation of dead-end pores and irregular pore distributions, which reduce the efficiency of the substrate flow across the monolith column. This study focused on the preparation of a microsphere-templated porous monolith for wastewater filtration. The optimal template/monomer ratio (50:50, 60:40, 70:30) was determined, and appropriate template removal techniques were assessed for the formation of homogenous pores. The physicochemical characteristics and pore homogeneity of the monoliths were examined. The 60:40 ratio was determined to result in monoliths with homogeneous pore distributions ranging from 1.9 μm to 2.3 μm. SEM and FTIR investigations revealed that solvent treatment was effective for removing templates from the resulting solid monolith. The water quality assessments revealed reductions in the turbidity and the total number of suspended particles in the tested wastewater of up to 96–99%. The findings of this study provide insightful knowledge regarding the fabrication of monoliths with homogenous pores that are beneficial for wastewater treatment.
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Ibadat NF, Ongkudon CM, Saallah S, Misson M. Synthesis and Characterization of Polymeric Microspheres Template for a Homogeneous and Porous Monolith. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:3639. [PMID: 34771196 PMCID: PMC8588115 DOI: 10.3390/polym13213639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Monolith is an emerging technology applicable for separation, filtration, and chromatography due to its interconnected pore structure. However, the current templates used to form monolith pores are associated with poor heat dissipation, uneven pore size distribution, and relatively low mechanical strength during monolith scale-up. Templates made from polymeric microsphere particles were synthesized via a solvent evaporation technique using different types of polymer (polystyrene, polycaprolactone, polypropylene, polyethylene, and poly (vinyl-alcohol) at varied polymer (10-40 wt%) and surfactant (5-10%) concentrations. The resulting microsphere particles were tested as a monolith template for the formation of homogenous pores. Among the tested polymers, polystyrene at 10 wt% concentration demonstrated good particle morphology determined to around 1.94-3.45 µm. The addition of surfactant at a concentration of 7-10 wt% during microsphere synthesis resulted in the formation of well-shaped and non-aggregating microsphere particles. In addition, the template has contributed to the production of porous monoliths with enhanced thermal stability. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated monolith degradation between 230 °C and 450 °C, implying the material excellent mechanical strength. The findings of the study provide insightful knowledge on the feasibility of polymeric microsphere particles as a pore-directing template to fabricate monoliths with desired pore structures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mailin Misson
- Bioprocess Engineering Research Groups, Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (N.F.I.); (C.M.O.); (S.S.)
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Kamin Z, Abdulrahim N, Misson M, Chiam CK, Sarbatly R, Krishnaiah D, Bono A. Use of melt blown polypropylene nanofiber templates to obtain homogenous pore channels in glycidyl methacrylate/ethyl dimethacrylate-based monoliths. CHEM ENG COMMUN 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/00986445.2020.1715958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zykamilia Kamin
- Oil and Gas Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Energy Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - N. Abdulrahim
- Chemical Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - M. Misson
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - C. K. Chiam
- Oil and Gas Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - R. Sarbatly
- Chemical Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - D. Krishnaiah
- Chemical Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - A. Bono
- Chemical Engineering Programme, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
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Acquah C, Chan YW, Pan S, Yon LS, Ongkudon CM, Guo H, Danquah MK. Characterisation of aptamer-anchored poly(EDMA-co-GMA) monolith for high throughput affinity binding. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14501. [PMID: 31601836 PMCID: PMC6787036 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50862-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immobilisation of aptameric ligands on solid stationary supports for effective binding of target molecules requires understanding of the relationship between aptamer-polymer interactions and the conditions governing the mass transfer of the binding process. Herein, key process parameters affecting the molecular anchoring of a thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) onto polymethacrylate monolith pore surface, and the binding characteristics of the resulting macroporous aptasensor were investigated. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the TBA-thrombin binding indicated enhanced Guanine 4 (G4) structural stability of TBA upon interaction with thrombin in an ionic environment. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses were used to characterise the available functional groups and thermo-molecular stability of the immobilised polymer generated with Schiff-base activation and immobilisation scheme. The initial degradation temperature of the polymethacrylate stationary support increased with each step of the Schiff-base process: poly(Ethylene glycol Dimethacrylate-co-Glycidyl methacrylate) or poly(EDMA-co-GMA) [196.0 °C (±1.8)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine [235.9 °C (±6.1)]; poly(EDMA-co-GMA)-Ethylenediamine-Glutaraldehyde [255.4 °C (±2.7)]; and aptamer-modified monolith [273.7 °C (±2.5)]. These initial temperature increments reflected in the associated endothermic energies were determined with differential scanning calorimetry. The aptameric ligand density obtained after immobilisation was 480 pmol/μL. Increase in pH and ionic concentration affected the surface charge distribution and the binding characteristics of the aptamer-modified disk-monoliths, resulting in the optimum binding pH and ionic concentration of 8.0 and 5 mM Mg2+, respectively. These results are critical in understanding and setting parametric constraints indispensable to develop and enhance the performance of aptasensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb Acquah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Sarawak, 98009, Malaysia.,School of Nutrition Science, Faculty of Health Science, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yi Wei Chan
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88400, Malaysia
| | - Sharadwata Pan
- School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, 85354, Germany
| | - Lau Sie Yon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Sarawak, 98009, Malaysia
| | - Clarence M Ongkudon
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 88400, Malaysia
| | - Haobo Guo
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, United States.,SimCenter, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, United States
| | - Michael K Danquah
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, United States.
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