Cleaning UF membranes with simple and formulated solutions

The ultrafiltration membranes fouled by proteins are typically cleaned by consecutive soaking in alkali, surfactant and oxidizing solutions. We combined all three chemicals into a formulated cleaning agent and examined its efficiency to restore the water flux without damaging the membrane or enhancing protein fouling. Lower concentrations of ingredients in the composite were required to restore the water flux to the initial level. The membrane after the cleaning remained intact and subsequent filtration left trace protein amount on the membrane surface. We propose a mechanism of cleaning based on a fast penetration of alkali and oxidizing ingredients through a fouling layer and efficient micellation of detached foulants with surfactant.     

Raman Spectroscopy of Nanocrystalline Ceria and Zirconia Thin Films

The results of Raman-scattering studies of nanocrystalline CeO₂ and ZrO₂:16% Y (YSZ) thin films are presented. The relationship between the lattice disorder and the form of the Raman spectra is discussed and correlated with the microstructure. It is shown that the Raman line shape results from phonon confinement and spatial correlation effects and yields information about the material nonstoichiometry level.     

Grafting of titanium dioxide microspheres with a temperature‐responsive polymer via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization without the use of silane coupling agents

Titania microspheres with narrow size distribution and diameters of about 1 µm were prepared and subsequently functionalized using surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N‐isopropylacrylamide. The ATRP initiator was immobilized on the particle surface via acylation of surface hydroxyl groups with α‐bromoisobutyryl bromide. Subsequently, an established ATRP reaction system was used for the preparation of titania surface‐grafted poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAAm). Characterization was performed with electron microscopies, X‐ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. It was found that the particle size in aqueous dispersions changed reversibly with temperature as expected for a shell of PNiPAAm, a polymer with a lower critical solution temperature at 32 °C. This confirmed the successful preparation of functional, stimuli‐responsive TiO₂ microparticles via a straightforward controlled surface‐initiated polymerization method.     

Role of membrane pore size in tertiary flocculation/adsorption/ultrafiltration treatment of municipal wastewater

Flocculation, adsorption onto powered activated carbon (PAC), and ultrafiltration (UF), alone and in combination, were tested for tertiary treatment of the secondary effluent from municipal wastewater treatment at the Ashkelon plant (in southern Israel). Encouraging and reliable results of total organic carbon (TOC) of <3 mg/l were achieved with a combination of 130 mg/l FeCl₃, 0.6 g/l PAC and UF. The relative contribution of the UF membrane to the reduction of TOC changed with the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of the membrane, from a negligible 2.9% for a 100-kDa-MWCO membrane to 17% for 10- and 2-kDa membranes. The latter membranes, however, developed significant fouling, with a 35% drop in flux during first 30 min of the filtration cycle. The flux drop for the 50- and 100-kDa membranes was in the low range of 3%. The optimal MWCO interval of 20- to 50-kDa in combination with flocculation/PAC pretreatment gave a significant reduction in organic content with minimal membrane fouling. Detailed GC–MS analysis showed that the combined treatment gave very efficient retention of organic compounds with molecular weights below 800 Da, with the consequent absence of harmful compounds in the tertiary effluent. It was therefore concluded that the recommended flocculation/adsorption protocol constitutes an effective pretreatment for UF and that the obtained tertiary effluent can be used for unrestricted irrigation.     

Defect engineering of ZnO: Review on oxygen and zinc vacancies

ZnO is an important material which has been widely applied in photodetector, catalyst, gas sensor, field emitter, etc. Yet, its inability to absorb visible light, poor charge transport, and low conductivity limit the application of these devices. Recently, it was discovered that introduction of defects such as oxygen and zinc vacancies into ZnO can effectively improve the existing properties or lead to new and unexpected yet highly desirable characteristics. Herein, we present a systematic review on the available approaches to synthesize oxygen- and/or zinc-deficient ZnO with emphasis on their chemical, structural, and electrical particularities. Furthermore, applications of defective ZnO in various nanoscale devices are discussed in terms of their functionality, reliability, and performance. Finally, we summarize major challenges and offer perspectives for further research in this field. We hope that this review would make a valuable contribution to broaden the knowledge of defective ZnO.     

The specific heat of the cuticle and the morphological differences between the brown and yellow cuticles of hornets

The morphology and thermophysical properties of stripes of brown and yellow cuticle collected from specimens of the Oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis (Hymenoptera, Vespinae), were analysed and compared by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. In the brown cuticle the colour stems from incrustation of the pigment melanin. In the yellow cuticle the yellow coloured pigment is concentrated in pockets between two layers of cuticle and its colour shows through the transparent cuticle. Both brown and yellow cuticles are composed of more than 30 layers. The upper layers are about 1-4 microm thick and as we proceed inwards, they become thinner so that the deepest ones that can still be discerned are thinner than the upper-most layer by one or two orders of magnitude (i.e., x 1/10 - x 1/100). The brown and yellow cuticles are each about 20 microm thick, but owing to the yellow pigment inserted in pockets of the yellow cuticle the total thickness of the latter is about 45 microm. The morphology of the yellow granules that contain the yellow pigment is shown and discussed. Below 20 degrees C and above 40 degrees C the specific heat (Cp) readings for both types of cuticle coincide, their values lying between approximately 1.55 and 1.60 J kg(-1), but in the temperature range 20-40 degrees C, the specific heat of the yellow strips displays a sharply non-monotonic behaviour, attaining a value of Cp = 1.8 J / Kg at 30 degrees, which contrasts with the relatively smooth curve shown by the brown strips. This anomaly (hump) does not occur following preheating of the samples to 70 degrees C. The shape of the repeated (annealed) 'yellow' curve is basically the same as that of the brown curve. The pockets of yellow pigment and their thermal contribution can be evaluated quantitatively by integration and correspond to an enthalpy of H = 3.5 J g(-1). The difference between the two types of hornet cuticle and the significance of this difference is discussed.     

Coupled multipolar interactions in small-particle metallic clusters

We propose a new formalism for computing the optical properties of small clusters of particles. It is a generalization of the coupled dipole-dipole particle-interaction model and allows one in principle to take into account all multipolar interactions in the long-wavelength limit. The method is illustrated by computations of the optical properties of N = 6 particle clusters for different multipolar approximations. We examine the effect of separation between particles and compare the optical spectra with the discrete-dipole approximation and the generalized Mie theory.     

Method of spectral compensation and its application in the ultraviolet for sulfur dioxide control with a gas-filter correlation instrument

Changes in structureless spectra that are due to the presence of interfering absorbers or light source instabilities, changes in the spectral transfer function of the optics, and changes in the detector's spectral responsivity degrade measurement accuracy. A method of compensating for changes in structureless spectra is developed for a gas-filter correlation instrument. It is shown that there are points in the spectrum where the effect of the interfering component's having a structureless spectrum on the measurement can be drastically reduced.     

Ontogenesis of peripheral electromagnetic receptors in hornets

This article traces the ontogenesis of peripheral electromagnetic receptors (PER) in the cuticle of the Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis). In the abdominal cuticle of adult hornets, the PERs are densely distributed throughout, but there are even more than 30 at the margins of the segments. These organelles develop as a network in the hornet cuticle immediately upon its completion. Briefly, from each basic cell of a PER grows a bulge towards the exterior, that is, towards the illuminated region of the cuticle. This bulge develops rapidly and as it grows it starts to push out and lift up the various layers of the cuticle, the while pressing them together. By a spiraling movement, the bulge insinuates itself between the layers, whereupon it dissolves and punctures its way through all the layers of the hypocuticle, via the endocuticle up to the exocuticle. The only cuticular layer that remains intact is the epicuticle, but even that undergoes change, assuming the shape of a smooth surface with a depression at its center. The indented part in the epicuticle is circular, approximately 2.5 microm in diameter and enables the entry of radiation (illumination) from the outside into the PER, which is located half-way down the cuticle, with the distance from the exterior to the base of the PER being approximately 25 microm. The numerous lamellae of the cuticle run parallel to one another, but in the region of the bulge they are either perpendicular or directed upwards. This ontogeny of the PERs lends the cuticle a sandwich-like shape, being radically perforated by the PERs bulges, yet covered at the top by the epicuticle and at the bottom by basal cells. The PERs also extend shoots into the cuticular layer and these further perforate the cuticle but also interlink the various PERs. From all the above, it is clear that the cuticle forms first and only subsequently does the network of PERs develop and interpenetrate its various layers.     

Ultraviolet-visible imaging acousto-optic tunable filters in KDP

There is a need to develop large-aperture acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) in the UV region for applications in astronomy, environmental sciences, biology, etc. We have developed a high-quality noncollinear AOTF cell that uses a single crystal of KDP that has nearly a four times larger acousto-optic figure of merit, M2, than quartz. The linear and angular apertures of this cell are 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm and 1.2 degrees, respectively. The spectral range is 220-480 nm, with 160-cm(-1) spectral resolution and high transmission in the UV. We present an analysis of the design and describe the characterization results.