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Bilal A, Yasin M, Akhtar FH, Gilani MA, Alhmohamadi H, Younas M, Mushtaq A, Aslam M, Hassan M, Nawaz R, Aqsha A, Sunarso J, Bilad MR, Khan AL. Enhancing Water Purification by Integrating Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes into Polyethersulfone Membranes for Improved Hydrophilicity and Anti-Fouling Performance. MEMBRANES 2024; 14:116. [PMID: 38786950 PMCID: PMC11123263 DOI: 10.3390/membranes14050116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Water pollution remains a critical concern, one necessitated by rapidly increasing industrialization and urbanization. Among the various strategies for water purification, membrane technology stands out, with polyethersulfone (PES) often being the material of choice due to its robust mechanical properties, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. However, PES-based membranes tend to exhibit low hydrophilicity, leading to reduced flux and poor anti-fouling performance. This study addresses these limitations by incorporating titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO2NTs) into PES nanofiltration membranes to enhance their hydrophilic properties. The TiO2NTs, characterized through FTIR, XRD, BET, and SEM, were embedded in PES at varying concentrations using a non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS) method. The fabricated mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were subjected to testing for water permeability and solute rejection capabilities. Remarkably, membranes with a 1 wt% TiO2NT loading displayed a significant increase in pure water flux, from 36 to 72 L m2 h-1 bar-1, a 300-fold increase in selectivity compared to the pristine sample, and a dye rejection of 99%. Furthermore, long-term stability tests showed only a slight reduction in permeate flux over a time of 36 h, while dye removal efficiency was maintained, thus confirming the membrane's stability. Anti-fouling tests revealed a 93% flux recovery ratio, indicating excellent resistance to fouling. These results suggest that the inclusion of TiO2 NTs offers a promising avenue for the development of efficient and stable anti-fouling PES-based membranes for water purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Bilal
- Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Yasin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.M.); (M.A.)
| | - Faheem Hassan Akhtar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore 54792, Pakistan;
| | - Mazhar Amjad Gilani
- Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Hamad Alhmohamadi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mohammad Younas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical, Chemical and Industrial Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan;
| | - Azeem Mushtaq
- Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.M.); (M.A.)
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Muhammad Aslam
- Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.M.); (M.A.)
| | - Mehdi Hassan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Baltistan, Skardu 16100, Pakistan
| | - Rab Nawaz
- Center for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB), Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally 32093, Kuwait;
| | - Aqsha Aqsha
- Department of Bioenergy Engineering and Chemurgy, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institute Teknologi Bandung, Bandung 40132, Indonesia;
| | - Jaka Sunarso
- Research Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching 93350, Sarawak, Malaysia;
| | - Muhammad Roil Bilad
- Faculty of Integrated Technologies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong BE 1410, Brunei
| | - Asim Laeeq Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia;
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Zhao H, He T, Yao S, Tao L, Zhang X, Wang Z, Cui Z, Chen R. Improved Protein Removal Performance of PES Hollow-Fiber Ultrafiltration Membrane with Sponge-like Structure. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:1194. [PMID: 38732663 PMCID: PMC11085754 DOI: 10.3390/polym16091194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The research used polyethersulfone (PES) as a membrane material, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) k30 and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) as water-soluble additives, and dimethylacetamide (DMAc) as a solvent to prepare hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membranes through a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) process. The hydrophilic nature of PVP-k30 and PEG caused them to accumulate on the membrane surface during phase separation. The morphology, chemical composition, surface charge, and pore size of the PES membranes were evaluated by SEM, FTIR, zeta potential, and dextran filtration experiments. The paper also investigated how different spinning solution compositions affected membrane morphology and performance. The separation efficiency of membranes with four different morphologies was tested in single-protein and double-protein mixed solutions. The protein separation effectiveness of the membrane was studied through molecular weight cutoff, zeta potential, and static protein adsorption tests. In addition, the operating pressure and pH value were adjusted to improve ultrafiltration process conditions. The PES membrane with an intact sponge-like structure showed the highest separation factor of 11, making it a prime candidate membrane for the separation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LYS). The membrane had a minimal static protein adsorption capacity of 48 mg/cm2 and had excellent anti-fouling properties. When pH = 4, the BSA retention rate was 93% and the LYS retention rate was 23%. Furthermore, it exhibited excellent stability over a pH range of 1-13, confirming its suitability for protein separation applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huyang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ting He
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Shuang Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Long Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Xinhai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zhaohui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zhaoliang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Rizhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China; (H.Z.); (T.H.); (L.T.); (X.Z.); (R.C.)
- National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
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Fazekas ÁF, Gyulavári T, Pap Z, Bodor A, Laczi K, Perei K, Illés E, László Z, Veréb G. Effects of Different TiO 2/CNT Coatings of PVDF Membranes on the Filtration of Oil-Contaminated Wastewaters. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:812. [PMID: 37887984 PMCID: PMC10608089 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13100812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Six different TiO2/CNT nanocomposite-coated polyvinylidene-fluoride (PVDF) microfilter membranes (including -OH or/and -COOH functionalized CNTs) were evaluated in terms of their performance in filtering oil-in-water emulsions. In the early stages of filtration, until reaching a volume reduction ratio (VRR) of ~1.5, the membranes coated with functionalized CNT-containing composites provided significantly higher fluxes than the non-functionalized ones, proving the beneficial effect of the surface modifications of the CNTs. Additionally, until the end of the filtration experiments (VRR = 5), notable flux enhancements were achieved with both TiO2 (~50%) and TiO2/CNT-coated membranes (up to ~300%), compared to the uncoated membrane. The irreversible filtration resistances of the membranes indicated that both the hydrophilicity and surface charge (zeta potential) played a crucial role in membrane fouling. However, a sharp and significant flux decrease (~90% flux reduction ratio) was observed for all membranes until reaching a VRR of 1.1-1.8, which could be attributed to the chemical composition of the oil. Gas chromatography measurements revealed a lack of hydrocarbon derivatives with polar molecular fractions (which can act as natural emulsifiers), resulting in significant coalescent ability (and less stable emulsion). Therefore, this led to a more compact cake layer formation on the surface of the membranes (compared to a previous study). It was also demonstrated that all membranes had excellent purification efficiency (97-99.8%) regarding the turbidity, but the effectiveness of the chemical oxygen demand reduction was slightly lower, ranging from 93.7% to 98%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ákos Ferenc Fazekas
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Environmental Sciences, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Tamás Gyulavári
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsolt Pap
- Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Szeged, Rerrich Béla Sq. 1, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Centre of Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano Interfaces, Institute for Interdisciplinary, Research on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Treboniu Laurian 42, RO-400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- STAR-UBB Institute, Mihail Kogălniceanu 1, RO-400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Attila Bodor
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, Hungarian Research Network, Temesvári Blvd. 62, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Krisztián Laczi
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Katalin Perei
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology, University of Szeged, Közép Alley 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Erzsébet Illés
- Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Mars Sq. 7, H-6724 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna László
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Veréb
- Department of Biosystem Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai Blvd. 9., H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
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Casetta J, Pochat-Bohatier C, Cornu D, Bechelany M, Miele P. Enhancing Water Treatment Performance of Porous Polysulfone Hollow Fiber Membranes through Atomic Layer Deposition. Molecules 2023; 28:6133. [PMID: 37630385 PMCID: PMC10458008 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28166133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Polysulfone (PSF) is one of the most used polymers for water treatment membranes, but its intrinsic hydrophobicity can be detrimental to the membranes' performances. By modifying a membrane's surface, it is possible to adapt its physicochemical properties and thus tune the membrane's hydrophilicity or porosity, which can achieve improved permeability and antifouling efficiency. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) stands as a distinctive technology offering exceedingly even and uniform layers of coatings, like oxides that cover the surfaces of objects with three-dimensional (3D) shapes, porous structures, and particles. In the context of this study, the focus was on titanium dioxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and alumina (Al2O3), which were deposited on polysulfone hollow fiber (HF) membranes via ALD using TiCl4, diethyl zinc (DEZ), and trimethylamine (TMA), respectively, and H2O as precursors. The morphology and mechanical properties of membranes were changed without damaging their performances. The deposition was confirmed mainly by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). All depositions offered great performances with a maintained permeability and BSA retention and a 20 to 40° lower water contact angle (WCA) than the raw PSF HF membrane. The deposition of TiO2 offered the best results, showing an enhancement of 50% for the water permeability and 20% for the fouling resistance of the PSF HF membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne Casetta
- Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; (J.C.); (D.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Céline Pochat-Bohatier
- Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; (J.C.); (D.C.); (P.M.)
| | - David Cornu
- Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; (J.C.); (D.C.); (P.M.)
| | - Mikhael Bechelany
- Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; (J.C.); (D.C.); (P.M.)
- Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB), Gulf University for Science and Technology—GUST, Kuwait City 32093, Kuwait
| | - Philippe Miele
- Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France; (J.C.); (D.C.); (P.M.)
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5
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Al-Senani GM, Nasr M, Zayed M, Ali SS, Alshaikh H, Abd El-Salam HM, Shaban M. Fabrication of PES Modified by TiO 2/Na 2Ti 3O 7 Nanocomposite Mixed-Matrix Woven Membrane for Enhanced Performance of Forward Osmosis: Influence of Membrane Orientation and Feed Solutions. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:654. [PMID: 37505020 PMCID: PMC10383846 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13070654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Water treatment is regarded as one of the essential elements of sustainability. To lower the cost of treatment, the wastewater volume is reduced via the osmotic process. Here, mixed-matrix woven forward osmosis (MMWFO) PES membranes modified by a TiO2/Na2Ti3O7 (TNT) nanocomposite were fabricated for treating water from different sources. Various techniques were used to characterize the TNT nanocomposite. The crystal structure of TNT is a mix of monoclinic Na2Ti3O7 and anorthic TiO2 with a preferred orientation of (2-11). The SEM image shows that the surface morphology of the TNT nanocomposite is a forked nano-fur with varying sizes regularly distributed throughout the sample. The impact of TNT wt.% on membrane surface morphologies, functional groups, hydrophilicity, and performance was investigated. Additionally, using distilled water (DW) as the feed solution (FS), the effects of various NaCl concentrations, draw solutions, and membrane orientations on the performance of the mixed-matrix membranes were tested. Different water samples obtained from various sources were treated as the FS using the optimized PES/TNT (0.01 wt.%) MMWFO membrane. Using textile effluent as the FS, the impact of various NaCl DS concentrations on the permeated water volume was investigated. The results show that the MMWFO membrane generated with the TNT nanocomposite at a 0.01 wt.% ratio performed better in FO mode. After 30 min of use with 1 M NaCl and various sources of water as the FS, the optimized MMWFO membrane provided a steady water flow and exhibited antifouling behavior. DW performed better than other water types whenever it was used owing to its greater flow (136 LMH) and volume reduction (52%). Tap water (TW), textile industrial wastewater (TIWW), gray water (GW), and municipal wastewater (MW) showed volume reductions of 41%, 34%, 33%, and 31.9%, respectively. Additionally, when utilizing NaCl as the DS and TIWW as the FS, 1 M NaCl resulted in more permeated water than 0.25 M and 0.5 M, yet a higher volume reduction of 41% was obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghadah M Al-Senani
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mervat Nasr
- Nanophotonics and Applications (NPA) Lab, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Zayed
- Nanophotonics and Applications (NPA) Lab, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt
| | - Sahar S Ali
- Chemical Engineering and Pilot-Plant Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
| | - Hind Alshaikh
- Chemistry Department, Science and Arts College, Rabigh Campus, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 344, Jeddah 21911, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hanafy M Abd El-Salam
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Shaban
- Nanophotonics and Applications (NPA) Lab, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, P.O. Box 170, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia
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Suhalim NS, Kasim N, Mahmoudi E, Shamsudin IJ, Jamari NLA, Mohamed Zuki F. Impact of Silver-Decorated Graphene Oxide (Ag-GO) towards Improving the Characteristics of Nanohybrid Polysulfone Membranes. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:602. [PMID: 37367806 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13060602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The utilization of membranes has been extensively employed in the treatment of water and wastewater. Membrane fouling, attributed to the hydrophobic nature of membranes, constitutes a noteworthy concern in the realm of membrane separation. The mitigation of fouling can be achieved through the modification of membrane characteristics, including but not limited to hydrophilicity, morphology, and selectivity. In this study, a nanohybrid polysulfone (PSf) membrane embedded with silver-graphene oxide (Ag-GO) was fabricated to overcome problems related to biofouling. The embedment of Ag-GO nanoparticles (NPs) is the aim towards producing membranes with antimicrobial properties. The fabricated membranes at different compositions of NPs (0 wt%, 0.3 wt%, 0.5 wt%, and 0.8 wt%) are denoted as M0, M1, M2, and M3, respectively. These PSf/Ag-GO membranes were characterized using FTIR, water contact angle (WCA) goniometer, FESEM, and salt rejection. The additions of GO significantly improved the hydrophilicity of PSf membranes. An additional OH peak at 3380.84 cm-1 of the nanohybrid membrane from FTIR spectra may be related to hydroxyl (-OH) groups of GO. The WCA of the fabricated membranes decreased from 69.92° to 54.71°, which confirmed the improvement in its hydrophilicity. In comparison to the pure PSf membrane, the morphology of the finger-like structure of the fabricated nanohybrid membrane slightly bent with a larger bottom part. Among the fabricated membranes, M2 achieved the highest iron (Fe) removal, up to 93%. This finding proved that the addition of 0.5 wt% Ag-GO NPs enhanced the membrane water permeability together with its performance of ionic solute removal (Fe2+) from synthetic groundwater. In conclusion, embedding a small amount of Ag-GO NPs successfully improved the hydrophilicity of PSf membranes and was able to achieve high removal of Fe at 10-100 mg L-1 towards purification of groundwater for safe drinking water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Syahirah Suhalim
- Faculty of Defence Science and Technology, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kem Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
| | - Norherdawati Kasim
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Centre for Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kem Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
| | - Ebrahim Mahmoudi
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
| | - Intan Juliana Shamsudin
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Centre for Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kem Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
| | - Nor Laili-Azua Jamari
- Department of Chemistry & Biology, Centre for Defence Foundation Studies, National Defence University of Malaysia, Kem Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
| | - Fathiah Mohamed Zuki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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Goncearenco E, Morjan IP, Fleaca CT, Dumitrache F, Dutu E, Scarisoreanu M, Teodorescu VS, Sandulescu A, Anastasescu C, Balint I. Titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of ethanol under simulated solar light. BEILSTEIN JOURNAL OF NANOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 14:616-630. [PMID: 37284551 PMCID: PMC10241093 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.14.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by laser pyrolysis from TiCl4 vapor in air in the presence of ethylene as sensitizer at different working pressures (250-850 mbar) with and without further calcination at 450 °C. The obtained powders were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Also, specific surface area and photoluminescence with optical absorbance were evaluated. By varying the synthesis parameters (especially the working pressure), different TiO2 nanopowders were obtained, whose photodegradation properties were tested compared to a commercial Degussa P25 sample. Two series of samples were obtained. Series "a" includes thermally treated TiO2 nanoparticles (to remove impurities) that have different proportions of the anatase phase (41.12-90.74%) mixed with rutile and small crystallite sizes of 11-22 nm. Series "b" series represents nanoparticles with high purity, which did not require thermal treatment after synthesis (ca. 1 atom % of impurities). These nanoparticles show an increased anatase phase content (77.33-87.42%) and crystallite sizes of 23-45 nm. The TEM images showed that in both series small crystallites form spheroidal nanoparticles with dimensions of 40-80 nm, whose number increases with increasing the working pressure. The photocatalytic properties have been investigated regarding the photodegradation of ethanol vapors in Ar with 0.3% O2 using P25 powder as reference under simulated solar light. During the irradiation H2 gas production has been detected for the samples from series "b", whereas the CO2 evolution was observed for all samples from series "a".
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Affiliation(s)
- Evghenii Goncearenco
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Iuliana P Morjan
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Claudiu Teodor Fleaca
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Florian Dumitrache
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Elena Dutu
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Monica Scarisoreanu
- National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 409, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Valentin Serban Teodorescu
- National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 405A, 077125, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania
| | - Alexandra Sandulescu
- Romanian Academy, Inst. Phys. Chem. Ilie Murgulescu, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Crina Anastasescu
- Romanian Academy, Inst. Phys. Chem. Ilie Murgulescu, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ioan Balint
- Romanian Academy, Inst. Phys. Chem. Ilie Murgulescu, 202 Spl. Independentei, 060021, Bucharest, Romania
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Grochowska K, Haryński Ł, Karczewski J, Jurak K, Siuzdak K. Scanning with Laser Beam over the TiO 2 Nanotubes Covered with Thin Chromium Layers towards the Activation of the Material under the Visible Light. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:2572. [PMID: 37048866 PMCID: PMC10095246 DOI: 10.3390/ma16072572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
This work presents pulsed UV laser treatment (355 nm, 2 Hz) of TiO2 nanotubes decorated with chromium oxides. The modification was performed in a system equipped with a beam homogenizer, and during the irradiation, the samples were mounted onto the moving motorized table. In such a system, both precisely selected areas and any large area of the sample can be modified. Photoelectrochemical tests revealed photoresponse of laser-treated samples up to 1.37- and 18-fold under the illumination with ultraviolet-visible and visible light, respectively, in comparison to bare titania. Optimal beam energy fluence regarding sample photoresponse has been established. Scanning electron microscopy images, X-ray diffraction patterns, along with Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra, suggest that the enhanced photoresponse results from changes solely induced in the layer of chromium oxides. It is believed that the results of the present work will contribute to a wider interest in laser modification of semiconductors exhibiting improved photoelectrochemical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Grochowska
- Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences, Fiszera 14 Street, 80-231 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Łukasz Haryński
- Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences, Fiszera 14 Street, 80-231 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Jakub Karczewski
- Faculty of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Institute of Nanotechnology and Materials Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12 Street, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Kacper Jurak
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12 Street, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Siuzdak
- Centre for Plasma and Laser Engineering, Institute of Fluid-Flow Machinery, Polish Academy of Sciences, Fiszera 14 Street, 80-231 Gdańsk, Poland
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9
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Chakachaka V, Mahlangu O, Tshangana C, Mamba B, Muleja A. Highly adhesive CoFe2O4 nanoengineered PES membranes for salts and Naproxen removal and antimicrobial activities. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
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10
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Fabrication of antifouling two-dimensional MoS2 layered PVDF membrane: Experimental and density functional theory calculation. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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11
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Ndlovu LN, Malatjie KI, Donga C, Mishra AK, Nxumalo EN, Mishra SB. Catalytic degradation of methyl orange using beta cyclodextrin modified polyvinylidene fluoride mixed matrix membranes imbedded with in‐situ generated palladium nanoparticles. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.53270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lloyd N. Ndlovu
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology University of South Africa Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Kgolofelo I. Malatjie
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology University of South Africa Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Cabangani Donga
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology University of South Africa Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Ajay K. Mishra
- College of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering Hebei University of Science and Technology Shijiazhuang China
- Academy of Nanotechnology and Wastewater Innovations Johannesburg South Africa
- Department of Chemistry Durban University of Technology Durban South Africa
| | - Edward N. Nxumalo
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology University of South Africa Johannesburg South Africa
| | - Shivani B. Mishra
- College of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering Hebei University of Science and Technology Shijiazhuang China
- Academy of Nanotechnology and Wastewater Innovations Johannesburg South Africa
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12
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Textured ceramic membranes for desilting and deoiling of produced water in the Permian Basin. iScience 2022; 25:105063. [PMID: 36157574 PMCID: PMC9490591 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Oil production in the Permian Basin gives rise to large volumes of produced water contaminated by silt, emulsified oil, and additives used for enhanced oil recovery. There is intense interest in the design of membrane modules as sustainable alternatives for produced water treatment to enable the reuse of produced water for agricultural applications, injection into aquifers, and redeployment in oil recovery. Here, we report a hierarchically textured cement-based membrane exhibiting orthogonal wettability, specifically, superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic characteristics. The in situ formation of ettringite needles accompanied by embedding of glass spheres imbues multiscale texturation to stainless-steel mesh membranes, enabling the separation of silt and oil from produced water at high flux rates (1600 L h−1۰m−2, at ca. 2.7 bar). Oil concentration is reduced as low as 1 ppb with an overall separation efficiency of 99.7% in single-pass filtration. The membranes show outstanding mechanical resilience and retention of performance across multiple cycles. Multiscale 3D texturation of a metal mesh membrane engenders orthogonal wettability High separation efficiency of ca. 99% was achieved for produced water Oil concentration reduced to ≤1 ppb in a single pass at a high flux rate Desiliting and deoiling demonstrated for real produced water streams
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13
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Tailoring the substrate of thin film reverse osmosis membrane through a novel β-FeOOH nanorods templating strategy: An insight into the effects on interfacial polymerization of polyamide. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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14
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Nirmal KA, Nhivekar GS, Khot AC, Dongale TD, Kim TG. Unraveling the Effect of the Water Content in the Electrolyte on the Resistive Switching Properties of Self-Assembled One-Dimensional Anodized TiO 2 Nanotubes. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:7870-7880. [PMID: 35979996 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The applied potential, time, and water content are crucial factors in the electrochemical anodization process because the growth of one-dimensional nanotubes can be accelerated by enhancing the corrosive effect. We investigated the effect of the water content on the resistive switching (RS) properties of Ti foils by anodizing the foils and varying the water content in an electrolyte (1-10 vol %). By increasing the water content, we facilitated a slow transition from nanopores to nanotubes and realized an increase in the tube wall diameter and tube length. All of the fabricated memristive devices exhibited a reliable and reproducible bipolar resistive switching effect. The optimized device exhibited bipolar RS properties with good dc endurance (104 cycles) and data retention capability (105 s). Our results suggest that as the water content increases to 5 vol %, the RS process improves; further increases in the water content impair the RS process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran A Nirmal
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Ganesh S Nhivekar
- Department of Electronics, Yashavantrao Chavan Institute of Science, Satara 415 001, India
| | - Atul C Khot
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Tukaram D Dongale
- Computational Electronics and Nanoscience Research Laboratory, School of Nanoscience and Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416 004, India
| | - Tae Geun Kim
- School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-ro 145, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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15
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Hydrothermal modification of TiO2 nanotubes in water and alkali metal electrolytes (LiNO3, NaNO3, KNO3) - direct evidence for photocatalytic activity enhancement. Electrochim Acta 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2022.140802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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16
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Iqbal A, Jalees MI, Farooq MU, Cevik E, Bozkurt A. Superfast adsorption and high-performance tailored membrane filtration by engineered Fe-Ni-Co nanocomposite for simultaneous removal of surface water pollutants. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.129751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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17
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Visible light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 with carbon-fluorine heteroatoms simultaneously introduced by CF4 plasma. KOREAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11814-022-1128-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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18
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Al-Araji DD, Al-Ani FH, Alsalhy QF. Modification of polyethersulfone membranes by Polyethyleneimine (PEI) grafted Silica nanoparticles and their application for textile wastewater treatment. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2022:1-17. [PMID: 35244524 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2049890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In the current work, a novel nanocomposite membrane for wastewater treatment applications has been synthesized. A hydrophilic nature nanoadditive comprised grafting polyethylenimine (PEI) molecules onto the surfaces of silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) was synthesized then entrapped within a polyethersulfone polymeric matrix at disparate ratios via the classical phase inversion technique. A series of experimental tools were employed to probe the influence of SiO2-PEI on the surface topography and morphological changes, hydrophilicity, porosity, surface chemistry as well as permeation and dyes retention characteristics of the new nanocomposite. Upon increasing the nanoadditives content (up to 0.7 wt. % SiO2- PEI), clear cross-sectional changes were depicted along with a noticeable decline in the water contact angle by 29.7%. Performance evaluation measurements against synthetic dye solutions were disclosed explicit enhancement in both; retention and permeation characteristics of the nanocomposite membranes. Besides, prolonged permeation test has maintained high flux stability against real textile wastewater; implying better resistance and self-cleaning characteristics have been achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalya D Al-Araji
- Civil Engineering Department, University of Technology-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Faris H Al-Ani
- Civil Engineering Department, University of Technology-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Qusay F Alsalhy
- Membrane Technology Research Unit, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Technology-Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq
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19
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Liu X, Feng S, Wang C, Yan D, Chen L, Wang B. Wettability Improvement in Oil-Water Separation by Nano-Pillar ZnO Texturing. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12050740. [PMID: 35269229 PMCID: PMC8911716 DOI: 10.3390/nano12050740] [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: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The nanostructure-based surface texturing can be used to improve the materials wettability. Regarding oil−water separation, designing a surface with special wettability is as an important approach to improve the separation efficiency. Herein, a ZnO nanostructure was prepared by a two-step process for sol−gel process and crystal growth from the liquid phase to achieve both a superhydrophobicity in oil and a superoleophobic property in water. It is found that the filter material with nanostructures presented an excellent wettability. ZnO-coated stainless-steel metal fiber felt had a static underwater oil contact angle of 151.4° ± 0.8° and an underoil water contact angle of 152.7° ± 0.6°. Furthermore, to achieve water/oil separation, the emulsified impurities in both water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsion were effectively intercepted. Our filter materials with a small pore (~5 μm diameter) could separate diverse water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions with a high efficiency (>98%). Finally, the efficacy of filtering quantity on separation performance was also investigated. Our preliminary results showed that the filtration flux decreased with the collection of emulsified impurities. However, the filtration flux could restore after cleaning and drying, suggesting the recyclable nature of our method. Our nanostructured filter material is a promising candidate for both water-in-oil and oil-in-water separation in industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Liu
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China; (X.L.); (S.F.); (C.W.)
| | - Shaotong Feng
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China; (X.L.); (S.F.); (C.W.)
| | - Caihua Wang
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China; (X.L.); (S.F.); (C.W.)
| | - Dayun Yan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Correspondence: (D.Y.); (B.W.)
| | - Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
| | - Bao Wang
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China; (X.L.); (S.F.); (C.W.)
- State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
- Correspondence: (D.Y.); (B.W.)
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20
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Woo G, Lee DH, Heo Y, Kim E, On S, Kim T, Yoo H. Energy-Band Engineering by Remote Doping of Self-Assembled Monolayers Leads to High-Performance IGZO/p-Si Heterostructure Photodetectors. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2107364. [PMID: 34731908 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202107364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Metal oxide semiconductors are of great interest for enabling advanced photodetectors. However, operational instability and the absence of an appropriate doping technique hinder practical development and commercialization. Here, a strategy is proposed to dramatically increase the conventional photodetection performance, having superior stability in operational and environmental atmospheres. By performing energy-band engineering through an octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) self-assembled-monolayer-based doping treatment, the proposed indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO)/p-Si heterointerface devices exhibit greatly enhance the photoresponsive characteristics, including a photoswitching current ratio with a 100-fold increase, and photoresponsivity and detectivity with a 15-fold increase each. The observed ODPA doping effects are investigated through comprehensive analysis with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Furthermore, the proposed photodetectors, fabricated at a 4 in. wafer scale, demonstrate its excellent operation robustness with consistent performance over 237 days and 20 000 testing cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunhoo Woo
- SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Lee
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Seongnam, 13120, Korea
| | - Yeri Heo
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Seongnam, 13120, Korea
| | - Eungchul Kim
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Sungmin On
- XFEL Accelerator Department, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Taesung Kim
- SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Korea
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Korea
| | - Hocheon Yoo
- Department of Electronic Engineering, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-daero, Seongnam, 13120, Korea
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21
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Douglas L, Rivera-Gonzalez N, Cool N, Bajpayee A, Udayakantha M, Liu GW, Anita, Banerjee S. A Materials Science Perspective of Midstream Challenges in the Utilization of Heavy Crude Oil. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:1547-1574. [PMID: 35071852 PMCID: PMC8772305 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
An increasing global population and a sharply upward trajectory of per capita energy consumption continue to drive the demand for fossil fuels, which remain integral to energy grids and the global transportation infrastructure. The oil and gas industry is increasingly reliant on unconventional deposits such as heavy crude oil and bitumen for reasons of accessibility, scale, and geopolitics. Unconventional deposits such as the Canadian Oil Sands in Northern Alberta contain more than one-third of the world's viscous oil reserves and are vital linchpins to meet the energy needs of rapidly industrializing populations. Heavy oil is typically recovered from subsurface deposits using thermal recovery approaches such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). In this perspective article, we discuss several aspects of materials science challenges in the utilization of heavy crude oil with an emphasis on the needs of the Canadian Oil Sands. In particular, we discuss surface modification and materials' design approaches essential to operations under extreme environments of high temperatures and pressures and the presence of corrosive species. The demanding conditions for materials and surfaces are directly traceable to the high viscosity, low surface tension, and substantial sulfur content of heavy crude oil, which necessitates extensive energy-intensive thermal processes, warrants dilution/emulsification to ease the flow of rheologically challenging fluids, and engenders the need to protect corrodible components. Geopolitical reasons have further led to a considerable geographic separation between extraction sites and advanced refineries capable of processing heavy oils to a diverse slate of products, thus necessitating a massive midstream infrastructure for transportation of these rheologically challenging fluids. Innovations in fluid handling, bitumen processing, and midstream transportation are critical to the economic viability of heavy oil. Here, we discuss foundational principles, recent technological advancements, and unmet needs emphasizing candidate solutions for thermal insulation, membrane-assisted separations, corrosion protection, and midstream bitumen transportation. This perspective seeks to highlight illustrative materials' technology developments spanning the range from nanocomposite coatings and cement sheaths for thermal insulation to the utilization of orthogonal wettability to engender separation of water-oil emulsions stabilized by endogenous surfactants extracted during SAGD, size-exclusion membranes for fractionation of bitumen, omniphobic coatings for drag reduction in pipelines and to ease oil handling in containers, solid prills obtained from partial bitumen solidification to enable solid-state transport with reduced risk of damage from spills, and nanocomposite coatings incorporating multiple modes of corrosion inhibition. Future outlooks for onsite partial upgradation are also described, which could potentially bypass the use of refineries for some fractions, enable access to a broader cross-section of refineries, and enable a new distributed chemical manufacturing paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lacey
D. Douglas
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Natalia Rivera-Gonzalez
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Nicholas Cool
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Aayushi Bajpayee
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Malsha Udayakantha
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Guan-Wen Liu
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Anita
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
| | - Sarbajit Banerjee
- Department
of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77842-3012, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3003, United States
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22
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Navidpour AH, Hosseinzadeh A, Zhou JL, Huang Z. Progress in the application of surface engineering methods in immobilizing TiO 2 and ZnO coatings for environmental photocatalysis. CATALYSIS REVIEWS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/01614940.2021.1983066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amir H. Navidpour
- Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Ahmad Hosseinzadeh
- Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - John L. Zhou
- Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Zhenguo Huang
- Centre for Green Technology, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
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23
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Fabrication and Characterization of Sulfonated Graphene Oxide (SGO) Doped PVDF Nanocomposite Membranes with Improved Anti-Biofouling Performance. MEMBRANES 2021; 11:membranes11100749. [PMID: 34677515 PMCID: PMC8540047 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11100749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Emergence of membrane technology for effective performance is qualified due to its low energy consumption, no use of chemicals, high removal capacity and easy accessibility of membrane material. The hydrophobic nature of polymeric membranes limits their applications due to biofouling (assemblage of microorganisms on surface of membrane). Polymeric nanocomposite membranes emerge to alleviate this issue. The current research work was concerned with the fabrication of sulfonated graphene oxide doped polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and investigation of its anti-biofouling and anti-bacterial behavior. The membrane was fabricated through phase inversion method, and its structure and morphology were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-rays diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Performance of the membrane was evaluated via pure water flux; anti-biofouling behavior was determined through Bovine Serum albumin (BSA) rejection. Our results revealed that the highest water flux was shown by M7 membrane about 308.7 Lm−2h−1/bar having (0.5%) concentration of SGO with improved BSA rejection. Furthermore, these fabricated membranes showed high antibacterial activity, more hydrophilicity and mechanical strength as compared to pristine PVDF membranes. It was concluded that SGO addition within PVDF polymer matrix enhanced the properties and performance of membranes. Therefore, SGO was found to be a promising material for the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes.
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24
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Kumar V, Kumar A, Song M, Lee DJ, Han SS, Park SS. Properties of Silicone Rubber-Based Composites Reinforced with Few-Layer Graphene and Iron Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:1550. [PMID: 34066158 PMCID: PMC8151798 DOI: 10.3390/polym13101550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing demand for polymer composites with novel or improved properties requires novel fillers. To meet the challenges posed, nanofillers such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and titanium dioxide (TiO2) have been used. In the present work, few-layer graphene (FLG) and iron oxide (Fe3O4) or TiO2 were used as fillers in a room-temperature-vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber (SR) matrix. Composites were prepared by mixing RTV-SR with nanofillers and then kept for vulcanization at room temperature for 24 h. The RTV-SR composites obtained were characterized with respect to their mechanical, actuation, and magnetic properties. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed to investigate the composite raw materials and finished composites, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was used to study composite surface elemental compositions. Results showed that mechanical properties were improved by adding fillers, and actuation displacements were dependent on the type of nanofiller used and the applied voltage. Magnetic stress-relaxation also increased with filler amount and stress-relaxation rates decreased when a magnetic field was applied parallel to the deformation axes. Thus, this study showed that the inclusion of iron oxide (Fe3O4) or TiO2 fillers in RTV-SR improves mechanical, actuation, and magnetic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vineet Kumar
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (V.K.); (D.-J.L.)
| | - Anuj Kumar
- School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (A.K.); (S.-S.H.)
| | - Minseok Song
- Graduate School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea;
| | - Dong-Joo Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (V.K.); (D.-J.L.)
| | - Sung-Soo Han
- School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (A.K.); (S.-S.H.)
| | - Sang-Shin Park
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; (V.K.); (D.-J.L.)
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