Development and Characterization of Functionalized Titanium Dioxide-Reinforced Sulfonated Copolyimide (SPI/TiO2) Nanocomposite Membranes with Improved Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrochemical Properties

Cellulose/inorganic nanoparticles-based nano-biocomposite for abatement of water and wastewater pollutants

Nanostructured materials offer a significant role in wastewater treatment with diminished capital and operational expense, low dose, and pollutant selectivity. Specifically, the nanocomposites of cellulose with inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have drawn a prodigious interest because of the extraordinary cellulose properties, high specific surface area, and pollutant selectivity of NPs. Integrating inorganic NPs with cellulose biopolymers for wastewater treatment is a promising advantage for inorganic NPs, such as colloidal stability, agglomeration prevention, and easy isolation of magnetic material after use. This article presents a comprehensive overview of water treatment approaches following wastewater remediation by green and environmentally friendly cellulose/inorganic nanoparticles-based bio-nanocomposites. The functionalization of cellulose, functionalization mechanism, and engineered hybrid materials were thoroughly discussed. Moreover, we also highlighted the purification of wastewater through the composites of cellulose/inorganic nanoparticles via adsorption, photocatalytic and antibacterial approach.

Separation and remediation of environmental pollutants using metal-organic framework-based tailored materials

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a polymer hybrid family of compounds comprising metal ions that have been deliberately incorporated in organic ligands to form several multi-dimensional structures with unique structural and functional attributes. They have the typical properties of brittleness, major porosity, and randomly crystalline. These three factors hampered their potential incorporation into modern technologies. However, with the discovery of their polymers, hope was rekindled. Polymers, unlike their counterparts, are versatile and malleable and can be tailored into solids with a wide range of technical applications. MOFs can be effectively incorporated into polymer structures, resulting in polymers with enhanced properties and increased demand, according to recent studies. This review focuses on the synthetic procedures of MOFs used to create hybrid materials, as well as their potential environmentally related applications. Desalination, hazardous heavy metal removal and mitigation, gas and liquid separations and purifications, and dye removal will all be extensively discussed as applications. To assemble this review, we will add insight from recent papers and discoveries, as well as seminal reports from experts on the advancement of MOF-polymers.

Sulfonated Polysulfone/TiO2(B) Nanowires Composite Membranes as Polymer Electrolytes in Fuel Cells

New proton conducting membranes based on sulfonated polysulfone (sPSU) reinforced with TiO₂(B) nanowires (1, 2, 5 and 10 wt.%) were synthesized and characterized. TiO₂(B) nanowires were synthesized by means of a hydrothermal method by mixing TiO₂ precursor in aqueous solution of NaOH as solvent. The presence of the TiO₂(B) nanowires into the polymer were confirmed by means of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction. The thermal study showed an increase of almost 20 °C in the maximum temperature of sPSU backbone decomposition due to the presence of 10 wt.% TiO₂(B) nanowires. Water uptake also is improved with the presence of hydrophilic TiO₂(B) nanowires. Proton conductivity of sPSU with 10 wt.% TiO₂(B) nanowires was 21 mS cm⁻¹ (at 85 °C and 100% RH). Under these experimental conditions the power density was 350 mW cm⁻² similar to the value obtained for Nafion 117. Considering all these obtained results, the composite membrane doped with 10 wt.% TiO₂(B) nanowires is a promising candidate as proton exchange electrolyte in fuel cells (PEMFCs), especially those operating at high temperatures.