Evaluation of adsorption and coagulation characteristics of humic acids preceded by alternative advanced oxidation techniques

Humic substances mainly humic acids constitute the major fraction of natural organic matter in water supplies. Humics express diverse actions primarily related to the formation of potentially harmful disinfection by products (DBPs). Therefore, the removal of DBP precursors through numerous treatment techniques gains high importance. Besides the conventional treatment processes, the applications of advanced oxidation techniques are considered as effective tools for the elimination of humic acids (HAs) from natural waters. In the present study, both the adsorption and coagulation characteristics of humic acid samples are evaluated subsequent to pretreatment by photocatalytic oxidation and ozonation. The changes in preoxidized humic acid solutions are assessed in relation to the alterations induced in the UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic properties. The removal efficiency of color in terms of Color₄₃₆ and aromaticity with respect to UV₂₅₄ are presented relevant to each treatment step. Major key parameters such as the selection of coagulant types (alum and ferric chloride), coagulant aids (ionic and non-ionic polyelectrolyte) and optimum coagulant dose were comparatively discussed. The adsorption characteristics of powdered activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were investigated.     

Selective sensing of Fe3+ at pico-molar level with ethyl cellulose based electrospun nanofibers

In this work, a new procedure for the direct determination of picomolar levels of iron in water is presented. Ethyl cellulose (EC) based nano-fibers were fabricated by electrospinning technique. The limit of detection for Fe³⁺ is 0.07 pM (based on 3 s of the blank, n = 4). A fluorescent chromoionophore and an ionic liquid were used together as sensing agent and signal stabilizer additives, respectively. The offered composite displayed a sensitive response for Fe³⁺ ions over a wide concentration range [1.0 × 10^?12–1.0 × 10^?6 M]. The sensing design exhibited a response time of less than 30 s which is one of the shortest reported responses among similar solid state sensing agents. The sensor was fully reversible and regeneration time was shorter than 60 s. Preliminary results show that sensitivity and selectivity of the nanofibrous membranes to detect Fe³⁺ ions are higher than those reported previously. Additionally, the exploited nanostructures provided faster sensor dynamics in applications.     

Bond strength of short-pulsed laser-irradiated zirconia to veneer ceramic

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of 1064 nm Yb-doped fiber-based nanosecond pulsed laser on surface roughness and bond strength between veneer ceramic and zirconia. Material and methods: Zirconia discs were divided into three groups: sandblasted (SB), laser irradiated (YL), and control (n?=?12). YL group was treated with ytterbium laser with the setting of 85 W/25 kHz. Sandblasting was done using 50 μm Al₂O₃ particles from a distance of 10 mm for 20 s under 3.5 atm. No surface treatment was applied to the control group. The surface roughness values and SEM images of the groups were obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis was applied to a spare sample of each group to determine the monoclinic phase ratio. The samples were subjected to shear bond strength (SBS) test with a cross-head speed of 1 mm/min after being veneered. The fracture modes were evaluated. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s HSD tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: The YL group had higher surface roughness than the control (p?≤?0.0001) and the SB group (p?=?0.007) with a mean value of 2.90 μm. The SEM images of the groups supported this result, but formation of the microcracks was more intense for the YL group. The monoclinic phase ratio was highest for the SB group. However, the differences of SBS between SB and YL groups were not statistically significant. Mostly the combined failure of samples was observed. Conclusions: Ytterbium laser treatment increased the surface roughness of zirconia, but the SBS was not higher than sandblasting. Surface roughness results did not correlate with the SBS results.     

Autonomic self-healing in covalently crosslinked hydrogels containing hydrophobic domains

Self-healing hydrogels suffer from low mechanical strength due to their reversible breakable bonds which may limit their use in any stress-bearing applications. This deficiency may be improved by creating a hybrid network composed of a combination of a physical network formed via reversible crosslinks and a covalent network. Here, we prepared a series of hybrid hydrogels by the micellar copolymerization of acrylamide with 2 mol % stearyl methacrylate (C18) as a physical crosslinker and various amounts of N,N′-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BAAm) as a chemical crosslinker. Rheological measurements show that the dynamic reversible crosslinks consisting of hydrophobic associations surrounded by surfactant micelles are also effective within the covalent network of the hybrid hydrogels. A significant enhancement in the compressive mechanical properties of the hybrid gels was observed with increasing BAAm content. The existence of an autonomous self-healing process was also demonstrated in hybrid gels formed at low chemical crosslinker ratios. The largest self-healing efficiency in hybrids was observed in terms of the recovered elastic modulus, which was about 80% of the original value.     

Thermo-physiological comfort properties of double-face knitted fabrics made from different types of polyester yarns and cotton yarn

Double-face knitted fabrics with hydrophobic inner and hydrophilic outer layers are characterised by their advantageous thermo-physiological comfort property that facilitates the transport of sweat from skin to outer fabric layer where it can be evaporated easily. In this study, for the production of double-face knitted fabrics, cotton yarn as hydrophilic yarn type and five different polyester filament yarns consisting of standard polyester, hollow polyester, micro polyester, textured polyester and textured micro polyester as hydrophobic yarn type were used. In order to determine the thermo-physiological comfort properties of the fabrics, air permeability, water vapour permeability, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance and overall moisture management capacity were measured. The results were comparatively analysed using statistical methods. The experimental results demonstrated that the polyester-type yarns and the combinations of them with the cotton yarn in fabric layers affected the thermo-physiological comfort properties significantly. The fabrics with polyester-type inner face and cotton outer face showed the best moisture transmission properties.