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Zhang T, Meng L, Chen C, Du L, Wang N, Xing L, Tang C, Hu J, Ye S. Similarities and Differences between Gas Diffusion Layers Used in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Water Electrolysis for Material and Mass Transport. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2309440. [PMID: 38889307 PMCID: PMC11348238 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202309440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and water electrolysis (PEMWE) are rapidly developing hydrogen energy conversion devices. Catalyst layers and membranes have been studied extensively and reviewed. However, few studies have compared gas diffusion layers (GDLs) in PEMWE and PEMFC. This review compares the differences and similarities between the GDLs of PEMWE and PEMFC in terms of their material and mass transport characteristics. First, the GDL materials are selected based on their working conditions. Carbon materials are prone to rapid corrosion because of the high anode potential of PEMWEs. Consequently, metal materials have emerged as the primary choice for GDLs. Second, the mutual counter-reactions of the two devices result in differences in mass transport limitations. In particular, water flooding and the effects of bubbles are major drawbacks of PEMFCs and PEMWE, respectively; well-designed structures can solve these problems. Imaging techniques and simulations can provide a better understanding of the effects of materials and structures on mass transfer. Finally, it is anticipated that this review will assist research on GDLs of PEMWE and PEMFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Zhang
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Ling Meng
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Chengcheng Chen
- China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Testing Research Institute (CEPREI)Guangzhou510610China
| | - Lei Du
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Ning Wang
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Lixing Xing
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Chunmei Tang
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
| | - Jian Hu
- School of Light Industry and EngineeringSouth China University of TechnologyGuangzhou510640China
| | - Siyu Ye
- Huangpu Hydrogen Energy Innovation CenterSchool of Chemistry and Chemical EngineeringGuangzhou UniversityGuangzhou510006China
- SinoHykey Technology Company, Ltd.Guangzhou510 760China
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Filice S, Scuderi V, Scalese S. Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymer (Nexar TM) for Water Remediation and Other Applications. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:2009. [PMID: 39065326 PMCID: PMC11280590 DOI: 10.3390/polym16142009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on the use of a sulfonated pentablock copolymer commercialized as NexarTM in water purification applications. The properties and the use of sulfonated copolymers, in general, and of NexarTM, in particular, are described within a brief reference focusing on the problem of different water contaminants, purification technologies, and the use of nanomaterials and nanocomposites for water treatment. In addition to desalination and pervaporation processes, adsorption and photocatalytic processes are also considered here. The reported results confirm the possibility of using NexarTM as a matrix for embedded nanoparticles, exploiting their performance in adsorption and photocatalytic processes and preventing their dispersion in the environment. Furthermore, the reported antimicrobial and antibiofouling properties of NexarTM make it a promising material for achieving active coatings that are able to enhance commercial filter lifetime and performance. The coated filters show selective and efficient removal of cationic contaminants in filtration processes, which is not observed with a bare commercial filter. The UV surface treatment and/or the addition of nanostructures such as graphene oxide (GO) flakes confer NexarTM with coating additional functionalities and activity. Finally, other application fields of this polymer are reported, i.e., energy and/or gas separation, suggesting its possible use as an efficient and economical alternative to the more well-known Nafion polymer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Filice
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy;
| | | | - Silvia Scalese
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy;
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Noura Z, Shah I, Aziz S, Ahmed A, Jung DW, Brahim L, ElMostafa R. Wearable Healthcare Monitoring Based on a Microfluidic Electrochemical Integrated Device for Sensing Glucose in Natural Sweat. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:8971. [PMID: 36433566 PMCID: PMC9698867 DOI: 10.3390/s22228971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Wearable sweat sensors offer the possibility of continuous real-time health monitoring of an individual at a low cost without invasion. A variety of sweat glucose sensors have been developed thus far to help diabetes patients frequently monitor blood glucose levels through sweat glucose as a surrogate marker. The present study demonstrates the development and characterization of a three-dimensional paper-based microfluidic electrochemical integrated device (3D PMED) for measuring glucose concentration in sweat in real-time via simple, non-invasive, capillary-action-based sample collection. The device was selective for glucose, and it detected glucose accurately in the clinically relevant range (0~2 mM) in an off-body setup. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time NEXAR™ has been used for biosensing applications. Further, the developed glucose sensor has acceptable sensitivity of 16.8 µA/mM/cm2. Importantly, in an on-body setup, the device achieved a significant amperometric response to sweat glucose in a very short amount of time (a few seconds). With detailed investigations, this proof-of-concept study could help further the development of sensitive and selective sweat-based glucose sensing devices for real-time glucose monitoring in diabetes patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zouaghi Noura
- National School of Applied Sciences, LISA Laboratory, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
- Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research, Digitalization & Microelectronics Smart Devices Laboratory, Rabat 10100, Morocco
| | - Imran Shah
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, College of Aeronautical Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, Risalpur 24090, Pakistan
| | - Shahid Aziz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju-si 63243, Republic of Korea
| | - Aamouche Ahmed
- National School of Applied Sciences, LISA Laboratory, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
| | - Dong-Won Jung
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju-si 63243, Republic of Korea
| | - Lakssir Brahim
- Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research, Digitalization & Microelectronics Smart Devices Laboratory, Rabat 10100, Morocco
| | - Ressami ElMostafa
- Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research, Digitalization & Microelectronics Smart Devices Laboratory, Rabat 10100, Morocco
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Filice S, Scuderi V, Libertino S, Zimbone M, Galati C, Spinella N, Gradon L, Falqui L, Scalese S. Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymer Coating of Polypropylene Filters for Dye and Metal Ions Effective Removal by Integrated Adsorption and Filtration Process. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911777. [PMID: 36233077 PMCID: PMC9570310 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, we coated polypropylene (PP) fibrous filters with sulfonated pentablock copolymer (s-PBC) layers and tested them for the removal of cationic organic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), and heavy metal ions (Fe3+ and Co2+) from water by adsorption and filtration experiments. Some of the coated filters were irradiated by UV light before being exposed to contaminated water and then were tested with unirradiated filters in the same adsorption and filtration experiments. Polymer-coated filters showed high efficiency in removing MB from an aqueous solution in both absorption and filtration processes, with 90% and 80% removal, respectively. On the other hand, for heavy metal ions (Fe3+ and Co2+), the coated filters showed a better removal performance in the filtration process than for the adsorption one. In fact, in the adsorption process, controlled interaction times allow the ionic species to interact with the surface of the filters leading to the formation and release of new species in solution. During filtration, the ionic species are easily trapped in the filters, in particular by UV modified filters, and we observed for Fe3+ ions a total removal (>99%) in a single filtration process and for Co2+ ions a larger removal with respect to the untreated filter. The mechanisms involved in the removal of the contaminants processes were investigated by characterizing the filters before and after use by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Filice
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Viviana Scuderi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy
- Correspondence: (V.S.); (S.S.)
| | - Sebania Libertino
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Massimo Zimbone
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Clelia Galati
- STMicroelectronics Stradale Primosole 50, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Leon Gradon
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Luciano Falqui
- Plastica Alfa SpA, Zona Industriale, C.da S.M.Poggiarelli, 95041 Caltagirone (CT), Italy
| | - Silvia Scalese
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, 95121 Catania, Italy
- Correspondence: (V.S.); (S.S.)
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Yang Y, Tocchetto R, Nixon K, Sun R, Elabd YA. Dehumidification via polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis with sulfonated pentablock terpolymer. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Antimicrobial s-PBC Coatings for Innovative Multifunctional Water Filters. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25215196. [PMID: 33171674 PMCID: PMC7664665 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25215196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological contamination is a typical issue in water treatment. Highly concentrated microbial suspensions in a water flow may cause filter occlusion and biofilm formation, affecting the lifespan and quality of water purification systems and increasing the risk of nosocomial infections. In order to contrast the biofilm formation, most of the conventional strategies rely on the water chemical modification and/or on the use of filters functional coatings. The former is unsafe for huge chemicals spilling required; therefore, we focus on the second approach and we propose the use of a sulfonated pentablock copolymer (s-PBC, commercially named Nexar™) as innovative multifunctional coating for improving the performance of commercial water filters. S-PBC-coated polypropylene (PP) samples were tested against the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The covering of PP with s-PBC results in a more hydrophilic, acid, and negatively charged surface. These properties avoid the adhesion and proliferation attempts of planktonic bacteria, i.e., the biofilm formation. Inhibition tests were performed on the as-modified filters and an evident antibacterial activity was observed. The results point out the possibility of using NexarTM as coating layer for filters with antifouling properties and a simultaneous ability to remove bacteria and cationic dyes from water.
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Filice S, Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka M, Malolepszy A, Stobinski L, Kwiatkowski R, Boczkowska A, Gradon L, Scalese S. Sulfonated Pentablock Copolymer Membranes and Graphene Oxide Addition for Efficient Removal of Metal Ions from Water. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 10:E1157. [PMID: 32545577 PMCID: PMC7353454 DOI: 10.3390/nano10061157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays heavy metals are among the higher environmental priority pollutants, therefore, the identification of new, effective, reusable and easy-to-handle adsorbent materials able to remove metal ions from water is highly desired. To this aim, in this work for the first time, sulfonated pentablock copolymer (s-PBC, Nexar™) membranes and s-PBC/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite membranes were investigated for the removal of heavy metals from water. Membranes were prepared by drop casting and their chemical, structural and morphological properties were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The adsorption abilities and adsorption kinetics of both the polymer and the s-PBC/GO nanocomposite were investigated for the removal of different heavy metal ions (Ni2+, Co2+, Cr3+ and Pb2+) from aqueous solutions containing the corresponding metal salts at different concentrations. The investigated s-PBC membrane shows a good efficiency, due to the presence of sulfonic groups that play a fundamental role in the adsorption process of metal ions. Its performance is further enhanced by embedding a very low amount of GO in the polymer allowing an increase by at least three times of the adsorption efficiencies of the polymer itself. This can be ascribed to the higher porosity, higher roughness and higher lamellar distances introduced by GO in the s-PBC membrane, as evidenced by the SEM and SAXS analysis. Both the polymeric materials showed the best performance in removing Pb2+ ions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Filice
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Marta Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.-P.); (A.M.); (L.S.); (L.G.)
| | - Artur Malolepszy
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.-P.); (A.M.); (L.S.); (L.G.)
| | - Leszek Stobinski
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.-P.); (A.M.); (L.S.); (L.G.)
- NANOMATERIALS LS, Wyszogrodzka 14/38, 03-337 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ryszard Kwiatkowski
- Institute of Textile Engineering and Polymer Materials, University of Bielsko-Biała, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała, Poland;
| | - Anna Boczkowska
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Leon Gradon
- Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warsaw, Poland; (M.M.-P.); (A.M.); (L.S.); (L.G.)
| | - Silvia Scalese
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-IMM), Ottava Strada n.5, I-95121 Catania, Italy
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