Hydrophobizing polyether sulfone membrane by sol-gel for water desalination using air gap membrane distillation

ABSTRACT

The hydrophobic polyether sulfone membranes were prepared by the sol-gel method to be applied in an air gap membrane distillation setup for desalination. The surface modifications were carried out using Trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSCl) and Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) solutions. The membranes were characterized using Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Optical Contact Angle (OCA) methods. The effects of membrane preparation as well as operating conditions such as temperature difference, salt concentration, feed rotation speed, and cold-side temperature on membrane performance were investigated using central composite design method. It was found that feed temperature has the largest effect among the parameters on the permeation flux. The flow rate and salt rejection of the membrane in the optimum conditions were 4.47 Kg m^?2 h^?1 and 99.37%, respectively.     

High dielectric constant of NiFe2O4–LaFeO3 nanocomposite: Interfacial conduction and dielectric loss

Materials exhibiting colossal dielectric constant are the most sought-after materials due to their variety of applications in various electronics industries. NiFe₂O₄ and LaFeO₃ belonging to the spinel and perovskite structures, respectively, were coupled into a nanocomposite by adapting a one-pot sol-gel synthesis. The ratio of NiFe₂O₄:LaFeO₃ was varied and the synthesized materials were studied for their dielectric behaviors. Interestingly, among the samples studied, the nanocomposite with the ratio of 1:2 of NiFe₂O₄–LaFeO₃ exhibited a high dielectric constant value of 10390 at a frequency of 1 kHz with a several-fold increase in conductivity. The high conductivity resulted in a high dielectric loss. The origin of such a high dielectric constant and loss have been attributed to the Maxwell-Wagner type space charge polarization arising from the microstructure that consists of large and continuous grain boundaries, and the conducting phase at the interface, respectively.     

Characterization,in vitro bioactivity and biological studies of sol-gel-derived TiO2 substituted 58S bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been used for bone formation and bone repair processes in recent years. This study investigated the titanium substitution effect on 58S BGs (Ti-BGs) 60SiO₂-(36 − X)CaO-4P₂O₅-XTiO₂ (X = 0, 3, and 5 mol.%) prepared by the sol-gel technique, and the main goal was to find the optimum amount of titanium in Ti-BGs. Synthesized BGs, which were investigated after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), were tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and antibacterial studies were employed to investigate the biological properties of Ti-BGs. According to the FTIR and XRD test results, hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on Ti-BGs surfaces was confirmed. Meanwhile, the presence of 5 mol.% compared to 3 mol.% increased the HA grain distribution and their size on the Ti-BGs surface. Additionally, MTT and ALP results confirmed that the optimal amount of titanium substitution in BG was 5 mol.%. Since 5 mol.% Ti incorporated BG (BG-5) had the highest biocompatibility level, antibacterial properties, maximum cell proliferation, and ALP activity among the synthesized Ti-BGs, it is presented as the best candidate for further in vivo investigations.     

Structure and electrical properties of Zn-doped BiFeO3 films

BiFe_1−xZn_xO₃ (x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 mol%) (BFZO) films were prepared on ITO/glass substrates by a sol-gel method. The effects of different Zn contents on the structures and electrical properties of the BFZO films were investigated. From X-ray diffraction (XRD), microstructure and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) results, the BFZO films with a Zn content of 1 mol% showed a better crystal structure and grain development, and the Fe²⁺ and oxygen vacancy concentrations in this sample were the lowest among all the evaluated BFZO films. The P-E hysteresis loop indicated that the BFZO films with 1 mol% Zn had the highest remanent polarization (2Pr), which was 82.4 μC/cm², along with a coercive field (2E_c) of 887 kV/cm at the tested electric field of 857 kV/cm. The BFZO film with 1 mol% Zn had the lowest leakage current density, which was 3.54 × 10⁻⁷ A/cm² at the tested electric field of 200 kV/cm. Both at high and low electric fields, the space charge-limited current (SCLC) conduction mechanism was the main leakage mechanism. When the test frequency was 10⁵ Hz, the dielectric constant was 133, and the dissipation factor was 0.015.     

New iron-doped multilayer ceramic scaffold with noncontinuous bioactive behavior

New multilayer porous ceramic scaffolds, constituted by a core covered with external layers, are proposed as future bone tissue implants. The core with composition SiO₂ - 25P₂O₅ – 68CaO–6Li₂O (mol%) provided suitable compressive strength (0.9–1.6 MPa) to act as an initial support during bone tissue regeneration. The external layers with composition 29SiO₂ - 3P₂O₅ - (68-x) CaO - xFe₂O₃ (mol%) (x = 0.3 and 1) (samples C/EL-1Fe and C/EL-3Fe, respectively) conferred a bioactive character to scaffolds. The surfaces of both samples showed apatite precipitates after coming into contact with simulated body fluid (SBF). Sample C/EL-1Fe exhibited noncontinuous bioactive behavior, with precipitates of apatite that precipitated and dissolved between days 1 and 28. Sample C/EL-3Fe showed precipitates after 8 days that remained until the end of the study time. This variation in material, achieved by modifying the amounts of iron in external layers, represents an important advance in the ability to control an implant's bioactivity in line with requirements of future applications.     

A comparative study on in vitro behavior of calcium silicate ceramics synthesized from biowaste resources

Calcium silicate ceramics have received significant attention for biomedical applications for their excellent bioactivity and osteoconduction properties. Sol-gel process is extensively used for the fabrication of calcium silicates. In sol-gel process, calcium nitrate tetra hydrate (Ca(NO₃)₂·4H₂O) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) are used as precursors. However, these precursors are expensive. The objective of this work was to compare in vitro behavior of calcium silicate (CaSiO₃) produced using biowaste such as rice husk ash (RHA) and eggshells (coded; NCS) with CaSiO₃ prepared using TEOS and Ca(NO₃)₂·4H₂O (coded; CCS). Thermal investigation results revealed that the crystallization temperature for NCS is relatively lower (772°C) than for CCS (870°C). Bioactivity was studied in vitro using simulated body fluid (SBF) with respect to mineralization rate of hydroxyapatite. Mineralization of a greater hydroxyapatite was observed on NCS ceramics than CCS ceramics after incubation for 3, 7, 14 days in SBF solution, which was confirmed using X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy. Degradation studies were conducted in Tris-HCl solution and the test results revealed that NCS ceramics has lower dissolution rate than CCS ceramics. The antimicrobial assay has shown that NCS samples exhibit significant zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus which confirmed that the CaSiO₃ prepared from RHA and eggshell can prevent bacteria from adhering to the surface. In addition cell culture studies revealed that NCS ceramics possess good cytocompatibility with MG-63 cells and significantly promoted cell proliferation.     

A comparative study on citrate sol-gel and combustion synthesis methods of CoAl2O4 spinel

CoAl₂O₄ spinel was successfully synthesized by combustion synthesis method using glycine and urea by 1:1 molar ratio as fuels and sol-gel process using citric acid as a chelating agent. The as-synthesized powders were calcined at desired temperatures to obtain CoAl₂O₄ spinel as a single phase. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric, and differential thermal analysis results revealed that the formation of CoAl₂O₄ spinel in combustion method needs 300°C higher temperatures than those of sol-gel. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis results revealed that “sol-gel spinel” had nanometric particle size which was smaller than those of “combustion spinel.” Temperature programed reduction with hydrogen and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results declared that there was a little residual cobalt oxide in combustion spinel while there is no oxide resided in “sol-gel spinel.” Consequently, the sol-gel method has more benefit in synthesizing spinel with sulfate precursors than combustion.     

Fabrication of TiO2 photocatalytic electrode and contamination control with atmospheric pressure O2 plasma jet

In this study, we demonstrate the fabrication of TiO₂ photocatalytic electrode by sol-gel and electrospinning technique. The anatase TiO₂ nanofiber is successfully formed after thermal annealing at 260°C. As-prepared TiO₂ photocatalytic electrode contains surface contamination, which includes a polymer binder such as ethyl cellulose, carbon by carbonization of polyvinylpyrrolidone, and residue polyvinylpyrrolidone. To efficiently remove the surface contaminants from the TiO₂ photocatalytic electrode, we employ an atmospheric-pressure O₂ plasma jet and the exposure time is controlled by the scanning rate. As the results, photodegradation efficiency of methylene blue is significantly enhanced with a scanning rate in the range of 100-500 μm/s and was saturated with a scanning rate in the range of 10-100 μm/s.     

Effect of apple cider vinegar agent on the microstructure,phase evolution,and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles

In the present study, spinel structure CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by the sol-gel auto-combustion technique. The effect of apple cider vinegar (ACV) addition as an organic biocompatible agent on the size, morphology, and magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles was investigated in detail. The phase evolution, particle size, and lattice parameter changes of the synthesized phase have been estimated by using Rietveld structure refinement analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data. Also, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) of the samples verified the presence of two expected bands correspond to tetrahedral and octahedral metal-oxygen complexes within the spinel structure. Furthermore, microstructural observations revealed that ultrafine particles have a semi-spherical morphology. It was shown that the particles size decreased from ~45 to ~17 nm with an increase in the amount of ACV. Magnetic properties were carried out by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) at room temperature. Both the saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercivity (H_c) were found to be significantly dependent on the crystallite size and the amount of ACV.     

Impact of texturing on the phase transitions in sol–gel-processed Bi(Sm)FeO3 thin films on LaNiO3-buffered silicon

The orientation modulation of ferroelectric materials is a suitable method to optimize material performance. Textured Bi_1-xSm_xFeO₃ thin films (near the rhombohedral-orthorhombic (R-O) phase boundary, that is, x = 0, 0.1, 0.12, 0.14, and 0.16) were fabricated using the sol-gel process by introducing a LaNiO₃ (LNO) seed layer. Structural and ferroelectric characterizations were used to investigate the effect of texturing on the Sm doping-induced R-O phase transition of the BiFeO₃ thin films. It was found that a phase transition occurred from the rhombohedral to the orthorhombic structure with increasing Sm content in the nontextured polycrystalline films, resulting in an R-O phase boundary at x = 0.12. In contrast, the R-O phase boundary in the textured films was more diffuse, indicating a two-phase coexistence in a boarder range of Sm doping levels (x = 0.12-0.16). This discrepancy was attributed to the complexity of the stress status in thin films. The dielectric and electrical properties of the nontextured and textured samples were investigated. The current study shows that the phase boundary in ferroelectric thin films can be altered by diverse means, thus providing insights into potential applications.