Hydrophobic Cross-Linked Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-Based Sorbents for Oil Spill Applications

With the increase of industrialization and urbanization, humankind faces massive oil-based pollution due to tanker accidents, human error, and natural disasters. For this, hydrophobic sorbents are fabricated and their applications for the removal of oil from polluted water sources are investigated. These hydrophobic sorbents are prepared by the condensation reaction of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and tris[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]isocyanurate cross-linker via bulk polymerization. The obtained sorbents exhibit high oil sorption capacity, fast absorption–desorption kinetics, and great reusability. Moreover, they can selectively absorb oil from the water surface, thus making them practical for water clean-up applications.     

发动机尾气余热驱动的吸附式空调系统仿真与测试

针对在高太阳辐射地区，柴油车驾驶室内使用车载空调会增加车辆发动机的耗油量、降低柴油车经济效益的问题，搭建了一套由发动机尾气余热驱动的吸附式车载空调系统。系统由填充有氯化钙/氯化锰/硫化膨胀石墨复合吸附剂的吸附床、蒸发器、冷凝器、储液罐和阀门组成，使用氨作为制冷剂，利用车辆在行驶时接触到的自然风为吸附床冷却，在发动机尾气余热的驱动下，为驾驶室内提供连续的制冷效果。结合仿真和实验测试，对所设计系统的制冷性能进行了分析，仿真结果表明，系统最优循环时间为45 min，系统的理论平均制冷功率可达3.5 kW以上，系统COP处于0.2~0.25之间。实验结果表明，在230℃的尾气温度条件下，系统能产生3 kW的平均制冷量。在40℃环境温度条件下，系统在蒸发器进出口处的平均温差为6.5℃，平均制冷量为3.2 kW。     

Reasons for breaking of chemical bonds of gas molecules during movement of explosion products in cracks formed in rock mass

The purpose of this study was to develop a physico-mathematical model and technique for estimation of chemical bond stability depending on electric field intensity of an external point charge. A hypothesis for a possible physico-chemical mechanism of the formation of additional harmful gases in the rock destruction by blasting was proposed. The theoretical basis of the hypothesis is the method of theretical evaluation of bond energy depending on the distance to a point charge, the third Coulomb centre. The quantum-mechanical model for calculating the electronic terms of molecules makes it possible to solve problems associated with the determination of parameters of molecules under the action of various physical fields on the system under consideration. The model was approved for some diatomic molecules. The discrepancy between the experimental data and calculated data did not exceed 14%, which proves accuracy of the obtained results. The model can be used in the field of research into the causes of gas-dynamic phenomena in underground coal mines, in studies of the degree of stability of nanostructured components of coal under physical influences, and in the theoretical design of new compounds and structures in the field of nanomaterial science and nanotechnology.     

放射性核素在矿物表面的吸附微观结构分析进展

放射性核素在矿物表面的吸附行为是影响其在环境中的浓度、迁移、转化及毒性的重要过程。本文简要介绍了放射性核素在吸附剂表面的吸附、沉淀、氧化还原反应的作用机理，针对放射性核素在矿物表面的微观吸附形态的研究中所使用的一些先进的实验分析方法，重点介绍了同步辐射X射线吸收精细结构（XAFS）技术、荧光分析以及理论计算等技术，并展望了放射性核素在矿物表面微观反应机制的研究趋势。     

Comparative analysis of formaldehyde and toluene sorption on indoor floorings and consequence on Indoor Air Quality

Indoor surfaces may be adsorptive sinks with the potential to change Indoor Air Quality. To estimate this effect, the sorption parameters of formaldehyde and toluene were assessed on five floorings by an experimental method using solid-phase microextraction in an airtight emission cell. Adsorption rate constants ranged from 0.003 to 0.075 m·h⁻¹, desorption rate constants from 0.019 to 0.51 h⁻¹, and the partition coefficient from 0.005 to 3.9 m, and these parameters vary greatly from one volatile organic compound/material couple to another indicating contrasted sorption behaviors. A rubber was identified as a sink of formaldehyde characterized by a very low desorption constant close to 0. For these sorbent floorings identified, the adsorption rates of formaldehyde are from 2 to 4 times higher than those of toluene. Two models were used to evaluate the sink effects of floorings on indoor pollutant concentrations in one room from different realistic conditions. The scenarios tested came to the conclusion that the formaldehyde sorption on one rubber (identified as a sink) has a maximum contribution from 15% to 21% for the conditions of low air exchange rate. For other floorings, the sorption has a minor contribution less than or equal to 5%, regardless of the air exchange rate.     

Crystal violet dye sorption and transport in/through biobased PVA cryogel membranes

Cryogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) [PVA] and three types of bioinsertions such as scleroglucan, cellulose microfibers, and zein, respectively, have been prepared using capacity of PVA to crosslink by repeated freezing–thawing cycles. The effect of the incorporation of biopolymers on the properties of PVA cryogel has been studied by using several techniques such as: scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared studies. The obtained biobased cryogel membranes were subjected to sorption and to diffusion experiments using Crystal Violet (CV), a dye commonly used in the textile industry and in medicine. Image analysis with CIELAB system was used both to monitor the cryogels loading with CV and to gain insight in the dye state into the gel, in correlation with the bioinsertion type and gels morphology. Dye diffusion but also sorption capacity of the cryogels was found to be closely related to the type of biopolymer. In this article the equilibrium (sorption isotherms) and transport properties (diffusion and permeability coefficients) of CV, in/through physical cross‐linked PVA hydrogel membranes with bioinsertions has been reported. The highest efficiency for the CV removal from aqueous solutions was obtained for the PVA/Scl cryogels. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41838.     

The control of paracetamol particle size and surface morphology through crystallisation in a spray dryer

The parameters governing the crystallisation of paracetamol using various conventional techniques has been extensively studied, however the factors influencing the drug crystallisation using spray drying is not as well understood. The aim of this work was to investigate the crystallisation of an active pharmaceutical ingredient through evaporative crystallisation using a spray dryer to study the physicochemical properties of the drug and to use semi-empirical equations to gain insight into the morphology and particle size of the dried powder. Paracetamol solutions were spray dried at various inlet temperatures ranging from 60 °C to 120 °C and also from a series of inlet feed solvent compositions ranging from 50/50% v/v ethanol/water to 100% ethanol and solid-state characterisation was done. The size and morphology of the dried materials were altered with a change in spray drying parameters, with an increase in inlet temperature leading to an increase in particle Sauter mean diameter (from 3.0 to 4.4 µm) and a decrease in the particle size with an increase in ethanol concentration in the feed (from 4.6 to 4.4 µm) as a result of changes in particle density and atomised droplet size. The morphology of the dried particles consisted of agglomerates of individual crystallites bound together into larger semi-spherical agglomerates with a higher tendency for particles having crystalline ridges to form at higher ethanol concentrations of the feed.     

Hydrogen sorption properties of V85Ni15

An alloy with nominal composition V₈₅Ni₁₅ was prepared in a vacuum induction melting apparatus. The chemical analysis of the sample showed a V (Ni) content of 82.63 (15.68) at% and small contaminations by carbon and aluminum. XRD measurements confirmed that the bcc Ni-V solid solution phase is the main constituent of the sample. However, a minor impurity (approximately 6.5 wt%) due to the precipitation of the sigma NiV_3-x phase is present in the sample.Hydrogen sorption measurements extending from 150 °C up to 400 °C in a wide pressure range (up to 90 bar) were performed. Upon hydrogenation below 250 °C, one observes the subsequent presence of an α phase and of two hydride phases with different values of dehydrogenation enthalpy: ΔH_dehydr = 21 ± 1 kJ/mol for 0.15 ≤ H/M ≤ 0.30 and ΔH_dehydr = 26 ± 2 kJ/mol for 0.53 ≤ H/M ≤ 0.59. Above 300 °C, there is no evidence of the formation of hydrides and only an α phase is present up to the maximum measured composition, with a hydrogenation enthalpy ΔH_hydr = 10.0 ± 0.5 kJ/mol.