Characterization of acrylic acid‐grafted PP membranes prepared by plasma‐induced graft polymerization

Acrylic acid (AA)‐g‐polypropylene (PP) membranes were prepared by grafting AA on to a microporous PP membrane via plasma‐induced graft polymerization. The grafting of AA to the PP membrane was investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Pore‐filling of the membranes was confirmed by field emission‐scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersing X‐ray (EDX). Ion exchange capacity (IEC), membrane electric resistance, transport number and water content were measured and analyzed as a function of grafting reaction time. The prepared AA‐g‐PP membranes showed moderate electrochemical properties as a cation‐exchange membrane. In particular, membranes with a degree of grafting of 155% showed good electrical properties, with an IEC of 2.77 mmol/g dry membrane, an electric resistance of 0.4 Ω cm² and a transport number of 0.96. Chronopotentiometric measurements indicated that AA‐g‐PP membranes, with a high IEC had a sufficient conducting region in the membrane. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Pervaporation separation of water/isopropanol mixtures through crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan/polysulfone hollow‐fiber composite membranes

Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)/polysulfone (PS) hollow‐fiber composite membranes were prepared through glutaraldehyde (GA) as the crosslinking agent and PS hollow‐fiber ultrafiltration membrane as the support. The permeation and separation characteristics for dehydration of isopropanol were investigated by the pervaporation method. Pure chitosan, carboxymethyl chitosan, and crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) to study the crosslinking reaction mechanism and degree of crystallinity, respectively. The effects of feed composition, crosslinking agent, membrane thickness, and feed temperature on membrane performance were investigated. The results show that the crosslinked CMCS/PS hollow‐fiber composite membranes possess high selectivity and promising permeability. The permeation flux and separation factor for isopropanol/water is 38.6 g/m²h and 3238.5, using 87.5 wt % isopropanol concentration at 45°C, respectively. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1959–1965, 2007     

Fabrication of hollow and porous polystyrene fibrous membranes by electrospinning combined with freeze-drying for oil removal from water

A novel method was proposed to fabricate hollow and surface porous polystyrene (PS) fibrous membranes for the removal of oil from water. Spinning solutions were prepared by using camphene and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as pore-forming agents, and hollow PS fibers with 100–400 nm pores on the surface were fabricated by electrospinning and freeze-drying. The distribution and volatilization of camphene and TEOS, as well as the drying behavior of solvents in high relative humidity, were important factors in forming the porous structure of PS fibers. The specific surface area of obtained PS fibrous membranes was twice that of conventional electrospun PS fibrous membranes and displayed superhydrophobic properties. Moreover, the large adsorption storage space was formed due to the hollow structure and porous surface of PS fibers. The maximum oil adsorption capacity of the porous PS fibrous membrane was 105.4 g g⁻¹, and was larger than that of the conventional PS fibrous membrane after repeated five times, thus making it a promising tool for oil spill cleanups. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47262.     

碳纳米管-石墨烯气凝胶制备及其对水中乳化油的吸附特性

以改进的Hummers-Offeman法制备出的氧化石墨（GO）与羧基化多壁碳纳米管（CNTs-COOH）为原料,聚乙烯吡咯烷酮（PVP）为交联剂,乙二胺（EDA）为还原剂,水热还原法制得羧基碳纳米管-石墨烯复合气凝胶（CGA）。调整GO与CNTs-COOH的质量比获得密度在8.40～14.42 mg·cm^-3之间的气凝胶,并确定在GO：CNTs-COOH=3：1（质量）时得到的气凝胶的机械强度最优。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）对所制备的CGA进行表征,得知GO与CNTs-COOH已成功还原组装成多孔状三维气凝胶结构。以水中乳化柴油作为研究对象,考察CGA样品在不同温度下对乳化柴油的吸附特性。结果表明,CGA的吸附量在前6 min迅速上升,在30 min左右达到吸附平衡,且平衡吸附量随温度升高而增加。吸附过程遵循准二级动力学模型,体系表观活化能为7.10 kJ·mol^-1。利用颗粒内扩散模型分析得出,CGA对乳化油的吸附分为外表面吸附过程和内部孔道吸附过程（内部大孔道吸附、中孔道和微孔道内扩散3个阶段）。     

Modified polydimethylsiloxane/polystyrene blended IPN pervaporation membrane for ethanol/water separation

In this article a modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) blended polystyrene (PS) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes supported by Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) ultrafiltration membrane were prepared for the separation of ethanol in water by pervaporation application. The relationship between the surface characteristics of the surface‐modified PDMS membranes and their permselectivity for aqueous ethanol solutions by pervaporation are discussed. The IPN supported membranes were prepared by sequential IPN technique. The IPN supported membrane were tested for the separation performance on 10 wt % ethanol in water and were characterized by evaluating their mechanical properties, swelling behavior, density, and degree of crosslinking. The results indicated that separation performance, mechanical properties, density, and the percentage of swelling of IPN membranes were influenced by degree of crosslink density. Depending on the feed temperature, the supported membranes had separation factors between 2.03 and 6.00 and permeation rates between 81.66 and 144.03 g m^?2 h^?1. For the azeotropic water–ethanol mixture (10 wt % ethanol), the supported membrane had at 30°C a separation factor of 6.00 and a permeation rate of 85 g m^?2 h^?1. Compared to the PDMS supported membranes, the PDMS/PS IPN supported blend membrane ones had a higher selectivity but a somewhat lower permeability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)/silica composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

A series of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES)/silica composite membranes were prepared by sol–gel method using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis. Physico–chemical properties of the composite membranes were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X‐ray (SEM–EDX), and water uptake. Compared to a pure SPES membrane, SiO₂ doping in the membranes led to a higher thermal stability and water uptake. SEM–EDX indicated that SiO₂ particles were uniformly embedded throughout the SPES matrix. Proper silica loadings (below 5 wt %) in the composite membranes helped to inhibit methanol permeation. The permeability coefficient of the composite membrane with 5 wt % SiO₂ was 1.06 × 10^?7 cm²/s, which was lower than that of the SPES and just one tenth of that of Nafion® 112. Although proton conductivity of the composite membranes decreased with increasing silica content, the selectivity (the ratio of proton conductivity and methanol permeability) of the composite membrane with 5 wt % silica loading was higher than that of the SPES and Nafion® 112 membrane. This excellent selectivity of SPES/SiO₂ composite membranes could indicate a potential feasibility as a promising electrolyte for direct methanol fuel cell. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Pervaporation separation of water–isopropyl alcohol mixture by PVA/LiBr membrane

Hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol membranes, modified by lithium bromide, were prepared with glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking reagent. The membranes were investigated for the pervaporation dehydration of a water–isopropyl systems. The effect of the feed temperature on permeation flux and membrane selectivity was studied. The characterization of modified membranes was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and X‐ray diffraction. It was observed that the crystallinity of membranes increased as lithium bromide was added to the polymer. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze water content and isopropyl alcohol in the feed and permeate samples The pervaporation tests also confirmed an enhancement in water permeability through adding LiBr to the polymer, because of the high hydrophilic properties of this salt. According to pervaporation experiments conducted at 50°C, the water flux increased from 0.1049 kg/ m² hr to 0.1114 kg/ m² hr as 0.5 wt% of LiBr was added to the polymer matrix. Furthermore, an addition of 1 wt% of LiBr compared to homogeneous PVA membrane increased selectivity from 76 to 779. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E101–E111, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

甘蔗渣纤维素基碳气凝胶的制备及吸附性能研究

通过对甘蔗渣进行碱/酸处理提取甘蔗渣纤维素,采用氢氧化钠/脲溶液将纤维素溶解,并通过在水中再生、冷冻干燥及在不同温度下碳化,制备具有优异疏水吸油性能的甘蔗渣纤维素基碳气凝胶。采用扫描电镜（SEM）、红外光谱（FT-IR）、X射线衍射（XRD）、BET法比表面积、水接触角（WCA）等测试方法对制备的甘蔗渣纤维素基碳气凝胶进行分析表征,并进行不同油类和有机溶剂的吸附、解吸实验。结果表明,制备的甘蔗渣纤维素基碳气凝胶拥有不规则的片-孔式网络状三维结构,具有轻质、高疏水、高比表面积等特性。高温碳化不仅可以改善碳气凝胶的轻质抗压性能、比表面积和孔径,还可以增强其疏水性及吸附性能。当碳化温度为800 ℃时,制备的CA-2-800表现出较好的轻质性（密度为33.4 mg/cm³）、高疏水性（水接触角为136°）和高比表面积（468.24 m²/g）。CA-2-800对柴油、汽油、泵油、正己烷、甲苯、三氯甲烷具有较好的吸附能力（20.2~66.3 g/g）。吸附动力学研究表明,CA-2-800在30 s内对汽油、柴油均能达到吸附平衡,且对三氯甲烷进行10次吸附-解吸循环吸附实验仍保留97%的吸附性能。     

Pervaporation separation of IPA‐water mixtures through 4A zeolite‐filled sodium alginate membranes

Incorporation of zeolites into natural polymers has been shown experimentally to enhance both the flux and selectivity in pervaporative dehydration separation of organic compounds. Pervaporation is a promising membrane technique for separation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)/water mixtures. In this study, hydrophilic sodium alginate (SA) mixed membranes were prepared using solution casting technique by incorporating zeolites into the polymer matrix. The prepared membranes were characterized by ATR‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were tested in a laboratory scale pervaporation experimental set‐up. The effect of experimental parameters such as the type and composition of zeolites on permeation flux and selectivity was investigated. When tested on IPA‐water mixtures, the zeolite‐filled membrane was found to give much higher selectivity. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis and characterization of hybrid membranes using poly(vinyl alcohol) and tetraethylorthosilicate for the pervaporation separation of water–isopropanol mixtures

Hybrid membranes were prepared using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) via hydrolysis and cocondensation reaction for the pervaporation separation of water‐isopropanol mixtures. The resulting membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry. The glass transition temperature of these membranes varied from 100 to 120°C with increasing TEOS content. Effects of crosslinking density and feed compositions on the pervaporation performances of the membranes were studied. The membrane containing 1.5:1 mass ratio of TEOS to PVA gave the highest separation selectivity of 900 at 30°C for 10 mass % of water in the feed mixture. It was found that the separation selectivity and permeation flux data are strongly dependent on the water composition of the feed and operating temperature. However, the membrane with the highest crosslinking density showed unusual pervaporation properties. The overall activation energy values were calculated using the Arrhenius‐type equation. The activation energy values for the permeation and diffusion varied from 49.18 to 64.96 and 55.13 to 67.31 kJ/mol, respectively. Pervaporation data have also been explained on the basis of thermodynamic quantities. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 1304–1315, 2004     

Polypropylene fibers fabricated via a needleless melt‐electrospinning device for marine oil‐spill cleanup

Ultrafine polypropylene (PP) fibers as oil sorbents were fabricated via a needleless melt‐electrospinning device and were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and contact‐angle analysis. PP fibers of various diameters and porosities were obtained by the manipulation of the applied electrical field. The effects of the fiber diameter and porosity on the oil‐sorption capacity and oil‐retention behavior were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that for fiber diameter on the microscale, the porosity played a paramount role in determining the oil‐sorption capacities. The maximum oil‐sorption capacity of the resulting PP fibers with regard to motor oil and peanut oil were 129 and 80 g/g, respectively; these values were approximately six to seven times that of commercial PP nonwoven fabricated through the melt‐blown method. In addition, even after seven sorption/desorption cycles, the oil‐sorption capacity of the chosen sample was still maintained around 80 g/g, and above 97%, oil could be recovered. This indicated excellent reusability and recoverability. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40080.     

Electrospun nanofibrous polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene membranes for oil–water separation

Effective separation of oil from water is of significant importance globally for various applications such as wastewater treatment, oil spill cleanup, and oil purification. Among the numerous approaches for oil removal, membrane separation is considered one of the most promising approaches due to its selectivity and ease of operation. Electrospinning is a promising technique for producing polymeric membranes with tunable structures with interconnected pores, large surface area, and high porosity. In this study, hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibrous membranes were electrospun and used for this purpose. The effects of various parameters (e.g., polymer concentration, applied voltage, tip to collector distance, and feed rate) were investigated to find the optimum electrospinning conditions. Further, the electrospun membranes were characterized according to average fiber diameter, morphology, average pore size, and wettability to identify the combinations most likely to succeed in oil–water filtration. The physical–chemical properties of the membranes (i.e., thickness, areal density, porosity, average pore size, water/oil contact angle, hydrostatic pressure head, and oil filtration flux) were studied based on standard test methods. The separation efficiency of eight electrospun membranes with various pore sizes and average fiber diameters were tested for diesel/water mixtures. A linear relation was found between the initial oil flux and the average pore size of the membranes. The maximum oil filtration flux of about 224 L/m²/h, achieving over 75% oil recovery in 10 min, was obtained for the electrospun membrane with the average pore size of 4.5 μm. The membranes were successfully used for eight consecutive oil–water separation cycles without noticeable loss of flux.     

Separation of oil/water emulsions using nano MgO anchored hybrid ultrafiltration membranes for environmental abatement

This work focuses on utilizing the dual role of sulfonated polyphenyl sulfone (SPPSU) as both an anchoring agent and an interlayer modifying agent in the preparation of nano MgO/SPPSU/PPSU membranes for oil removal from water. These asymmetric membranes were prepared using the phase inversion technique. The dispersed nano MgO was observed in the membrane matrix as seen by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. The reduction in contact angle value establishes the increases in hydrophilicity. An increase in SPPSU (wt %) loosens the nano MgO/SPPSU/PPSU membrane packing as exhibited by the increase of d‐spacing by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The antifouling properties were tested using humic acid, as a model foulant. Further, in castor oil/water emulsion separation, it was found that the membrane with 25 wt % anchored moiety SPPSU/nano MgO produced a greater flux recovery ratio of 94.9% (±0.3) without compromising the oil rejection of 99% (±0.4) and better oleophobic surfaces for oil. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 132, 42848.     

Hierarchical amphiphilic high-efficiency oil–water separation membranes from fermentation derived cellulose and recycled polystyrene

A high-efficiency separation of oil and water can be achieved by using specially designed amphiphilic porous membrane. However, the preparation of such membranes often involves complex multistep chemical processes. Herein, we report an amphiphilic composite membrane (polystyrene [PS]/bacterial cellulose [BC] membrane) consisting of hydrophobic recycled PS and hydrophilic BC, fabricated by a facile in situ fermentation process. Not only these membranes exhibit a combination of contrasting wettability but also comprise of a hierarchical network of microfibers and nanofibers, which makes them ideal for oil–water separation. The structural and morphological properties of as-produced BC, recycled PS membrane, and PS/BC composite membrane were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The ability of the membranes to separate oil and water was tested by using an emulsion of hexane-in-water as the feed and the collected filtrates were characterized by optical microscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. PS membranes were unable to separate oil and water, while the PS/BC membrane efficiently separated water from the emulsion. PS/BC composite membranes showed a high water recovery of more than 90%, against only 57% recovery shown by BC. Mechanisms of oil–water separation for each membrane are discussed. The reusability of the PS/BC composite membrane was also demonstrated.     

木质素复合细菌纤维素材料的制备及其吸油性能研究

为制备低成本且绿色环保的新型吸 油材料，本文以细菌纤维素（BC）为基质，脱碱木质素(DL)为疏水改性剂，通过低温浸渍法制备木质素复合细菌纤维素材料（BC-DL）；考察了原料预处理、反应时间、温度以及物料比等对BC-DL疏水及吸油性能的影响。利用FTIR、XPS、SEM、BET、接触角仪对材料的化学结构及微观形貌进行表征。结果表明，与改性前相比，DL改性后BC的比表面积由33.15 m2/g提升至71.09 m2/g，水接触角由未改性BC的19.5°增大到116.8°。吸油实验结果显示，BC-DL对花生油、柴油、真空泵废油的吸油量（OCA）分别为34.8 g/g、33.7 g/g、34.6 g/g；在经过8次循环后，OCA保留在19.1 g/g、18.3 g/g和18.8 g/g，BC-DL对三种油品均有良好的吸附性能和循环利用性。     

粗甘油生物基聚氨酯材料的制备及吸附性能研究

以生物质基粗甘油为主要原料,采用一锅法合成粗甘油基多元醇,进一步发泡制备了聚氨酯泡沫材料。在此基础上,利用甲基三氯硅烷对泡沫材料进行疏水改性,制备出改性聚氨酯吸油材料。采用傅里叶红外光谱仪、扫描电镜和热重分析对改性前后泡沫的结构形貌、热稳定性和接触角进行表征,测试了改性聚氨酯吸油材料吸油性能。结果表明：经疏水改性后在泡沫表面合成了聚硅氧烷,水接触角由130°增大至140°,提高了吸油材料疏水性能。改性聚氨酯吸油材料对乙醇、甲醇、氯仿等8种有机物的吸附量范围为16.7～45.2 g/g。经循环使用50次后,吸油材料对柴油和大豆油的吸附量分别为最高吸附量的95.8%和97.6%,表现出优异的吸油性能。     

疏水花生壳/聚氨酯复合泡沫的制备与油水分离性能

为提高聚氨酯泡沫（PUF）的疏水性能，首先，采用十六烷基三甲氧基硅烷（HDTMS）对花生壳粉末（PSP）进行改性，得到疏水改性花生壳粉末（H-PSP）。水接触角测试结果表明，改性后H-PSP的水接触角由PSP的0°提高至145.2°。然后，采用预聚体法制备了PUF负载H-PSP复合材料[H-PSP-PUF-n,n为H-PSP占聚氨酯预聚体（PPU）质量的百分数]。对H-PSP-PUF-n的结构和性能进行了表征与测试。结果表明，H-PSP的负载提高了泡沫材料的表面粗糙度和力学性能，H-PSP的最佳负载量为PPU质量的10%（标记为H-PSP-PUF-10）。与PUF相比，H-PSP-PUF-10的静态水接触角达到142.4°，较PUF提高了50.4°。对二氯甲烷、石油醚、煤油、二甲苯、环己烷进行油水分离实验，结果表明，H-PSP-PUF-10对石油醚、煤油、二甲苯、环己烷的吸油倍率在7～9 g/g，而且具有良好的油水选择性。经15次吸附-脱附循环后，H-PSP-PUF-10对各油品的吸油倍率在6.5～8.0 g/g，具有良好的循环利用性。     

聚丙烯腈/聚砜共混膜的制备及其结构表征

采用粘度法和红外光谱法研究聚丙烯腈(PAN)/聚砜(PS)的相容性,研究聚合物组成,共混物浓度,添加剂,凝胶浴等对PAN/PS共混膜的水通量和截留率的影响.采用扫描电镜分析PAN/PS共混膜的显微结构.结果表明:PAN/PS共混膜与PAN膜具有相似的化学稳定性,但较PAN膜具有更好的分离和透过特性.     

Montmorillonite-perlite-iron ceramic membranes for the adsorption/removal of As(III) and other constituents from surface water

In this study, ceramic membranes made of montmorillonite, perlite and iron were used to remove As(III) from water. Membranes prepared with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% of iron content were used to filtrate As(III) synthetic water and surface water solutions. As(III) adsorption capacity and removal efficiency, and other parameters such as cations and anions content, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity were used to evaluate the membranes' performance. Results show that the As(III) adsorption/removal capacity of membranes was improved by the addition of iron. Adsorption capacity of 7.5 μg As(III)/g and removal efficiency of 97% can be achieved in membranes with 1.0 wt% of iron filings content for surface water; however, a greater amount of iron in the membrane structure limits the adsorption capacity of As(III). Besides the capacity of ceramic membranes to adsorb/remove As(III), membranes were also effective to remove other ions, turbidity, and electrical conductivity from the surface water. The addition of iron to the ceramic membranes enhanced their capacity to remove such surface water constituents. These results are important from the practical viewpoint showing the potential of ceramic membranes for the removal of metalloids and other water constituents. Langmuir isotherm model best described the adsorption process in ceramic membranes, suggesting that adsorption of As(III) happened on a monolayered surface of the ceramic membrane.     

疏水花生壳/聚氨酯复合泡沫的制备与油水分离性能

为提高聚氨酯泡沫（PUF）的疏水性能,首先采用十六烷基三甲氧基硅烷（HDTMS）对花生壳粉末（PSP）进行改性,得到疏水改性花生壳粉末（H-PSP）。水接触角测试结果表明,改性后H-PSP的水接触角由PSP的0°提高至145.2°。然后采用预聚体法制备了PUF负载H-PSP复合材料（H-PSP-PUF-n,n为H-PSP占聚氨酯预聚体PPU的质量分数）。对H-PSP-PUF-n的结构和性能进行了表征与测试。结果表明,H-PSP的负载提高了泡沫材料的表面粗糙度和力学性能,H-PSP的最佳负载量为PPU质量的10%（H-PSP-PUF-10）。与PUF相比,H-PSP-PUF-10的静态水接触角达到142.4°,较PUF提高了50.4°。对二氯甲烷、石油醚、煤油、二甲苯、环己烷五种油品进行油水分离实验,结果表明,H-PSP-PUF-10对不同油品的吸油倍率在7~9 g/g,而且具有良好的油水选择性。经15次吸附-脱附循环后,H-PSP-PUF-10对各油品的吸油倍率在6.5~8.0 g/g,具有良好的循环利用性。