•Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized in situ in polyacrylamide/chitosan hydrogels.•Magnetic hydrogels can adsorb methylene blue with a high adsorption capacity of 1603 mg/g.•Kinetics and isotherm ...models of adsorption process can be better described.•Adsorption mechanism is mainly based on electrostatic attraction.
In this study, Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized in situ in the polyacrylamide/chitosan (PAAm/CS) hydrogel networks. The obtained hydrogels are characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results confirm that the three-dimensional network structure of the hydrogels is incorporated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The adsorption properties of PAAm/CS/Fe3O4 hydrogels for methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution were studied using Ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV–vis). The results show that when compared to PAAm/CS hydrogels, PAAm/CS/Fe3O4 hydrogels can adsorb MB with higher adsorption capacities of approximately 1603 mg/g, and the kinetics and isotherm models of the adsorption process could be better described by the pseudo-first order model and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. Due to the facile preparation, high adsorption capacity, and low cost, the PAAm/CS/Fe3O4 hydrogels are good adsorbents for MB and exhibit significant potential in the treatment of sewage.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The main problem of manufacturing with traditional biodegradable plastics is that it is more expensive than manufacturing with polymers derived from petroleum, and the application scope is currently ...limited due to poor comprehensive performance. In this study, a novel biodegradable poly(butylene adipic acid/terephthalate-co-glycolic acid) (PBATGA) copolyester with 25–60% glycolic acid units was successfully synthesized by esterification and polycondensation using cheap coal chemical byproduct methyl glycolate instead of expensive glycolic acid. The structure of the copolyester was characterized by ATR-FTIR, 1H NMR, DSC, and XRD; and its barrier property, water contact angle, heat resistance, and mechanical properties were tested. According to the experiment result, the PBATGA copolyesters showed improved oxygen (O2) and water vapor barrier character, and better hydrophilicity when compared with PBAT. The crystallization peaks of PBATGAs were elevated from 64 °C to 77 °C when the content of the GA unit was 25 mol %, meanwhile, the elongation at the break of PBATGA25 was more than 1300%. These results indicate that PBATGA copolyesters have good potentiality in high O2 and water vapor barrier and degradable packaging material.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Porous carbon materials (PCs) were prepared via hydrothermal carbonization from calcium lignosulfonate (CL) based on enzymatic hydrolysis and alkali activation. The effects of enzymatic hydrolysis ...and different KOH feeding ratios on the structure and electrochemical properties of enzymatic hydrolysis CL (EHCL)-derived PCs were evaluated in detail. The results showed that the EHCL-derived PCs showed a higher SSA than that of CL. When the mass ratio of KOH/EHCL was 3/2, the PCs exhibited a honeycomb-like microscopic morphology with a specific surface area of up to 1771 m2/g and a 3D hierarchical porous structure composed of abundant micropores, mesopores, and macropores. As an electrode in a supercapacitor, the highest specific capacitance was 147 F/g at a current density of 0.25 A/g, and it maintained 78% of the initial value at a high current density of 10 A/g. The excellent electrochemical cycle and structural stability were confirmed on the condition of a higher capacitance retention of 95.2% after 5000 times of galvanostatic charge/discharge. This work provides a potential application of CL in high-performance supercapacitors.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The formation of PP microporous membrane and the contact angle of PP microporous membranes: (a) with no modifier and (b) with 8wt.% PP/NVP/PEGMA=100/30/15.
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•An amphiphilic modifier ...was prepared by melt grafting polymerization successfully.•Blending the modifier into PP membranes increased the hydrophilicity without changing the surface pore structures.•The membrane blending with the modifier showed the better thermostability compared with pure PP membrane.
An amphiphilic polypropylene-g-polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PP-g-(NVP-co-PEGMA)) modifier was prepared by melt grafting polymerization using N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) as the grafting monomer and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGMA) as the comonomer. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis showed that the hydrophilic branched chains (NVP-g-PEGMA) were successfully grafted to polypropylene (PP) macromolecular chains. The largest NVP grafting degree for PP-g-(NVP-co-PEGMA) (up to 20.4%) was obtained when the mass ratio of PP/NVP/PEGMA was 100/30/15. Hydrophilic PP microporous membranes were prepared by stretching cast films of PP/PP-g-(NVP-co-PEGMA) blends. The membrane thermostability (including the modifier) was better than that of the pure PP membrane with a similar surface pore structure. The porosity of the modified membranes was only slightly lower than that of the pure PP membranes. Contact angle measurements were used to examine the hydrophilicity of the membranes. The water contact angle of the membranes decreased when PP-g-(NVP-co-PEGMA) was added, and the minimum contact angle was 64.5°. Therefore, this work provides a good application for stretched hydrophilic PP membrane fabrication.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The inherent strong hydrophobicity of Polytetrafluoroetylene (PTFE) microfiltration membranes results in low separation efficiency and easy contamination. In order to enhance its hydrophilic and ...antifouling properties, we first modified the PTFE microfiltration membrane by using Polyethylene glycol laurate (PEGML) for first layer deposition and then used Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/citric acid (CA) cross-linked coatings for second layer deposition. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) results showed that the fibers and nodes of the modified PTFE microfiltration membrane were coated with PVA/CA hydrophilic coating. FT-IR Spectromete and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) analysis results confirmed that crosslinking of PVA and CA occurred and that PEGML and PVA/CA were successfully deposited onto the membrane surface. The modification conditions were optimized by hydrophilicity testing, and the best hydrophilicity of the modified membrane was achieved when the crosslinking content of PEGML was 2 g·L−1, PVA was 5 g·L−1, and CA was 2 g·L−1. PTFE microfiltration membranes modified by the optimal conditions achieved a water flux of 396.9 L·m−2·h−1 (three times that of the original membrane) at low operating pressures (0.05 MPa), and the contact angle decreased from 120° to 40°. Meanwhile, the modified PTFE microfiltration membrane has improved contamination resistance and good stability of the hydrophilic coating.
The charge storage mechanism and capacity of supercapacitors completely depend on the electrochemical and mechanical properties of electrode materials. Herein, continuously reinforced carbon nanotube ...film (CNTF), as the flexible support layer and the conductive skeleton, was prepared via the floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method. Furthermore, a series of novel flexible self-supporting CNTF/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite electrode materials were prepared by cyclic voltammetry electrochemical polymerization (CVEP), with aniline and mixed-acid-treated CNTF film. By controlling the different polymerization cycles, it was found that the growth model, morphology, apparent color, and loading amount of the PANI on the CNTF surface were different. The CNTF/PANI-15C composite electrode, prepared by 15 cycles of electrochemical polymerization, has a unique surface, with a "sea-cucumber-like" 3D nanoprotrusion structure and microporous channels formed via the stacking of the PANI nanowires. A CNTF/PANI-15C flexible electrode exhibited the highest specific capacitance, 903.6 F/g, and the highest energy density, 45.2 Wh/kg, at the current density of 1 A/g and the voltage window of 0 to 0.6 V. It could maintain 73.9% of the initial value at a high current density of 10 A/g. The excellent electrochemical cycle and structural stabilities were confirmed on the condition of the higher capacitance retention of 95.1% after 2000 cycles of galvanostatic charge/discharge, and on the almost unchanged electrochemical performances after 500 cycles of bending. The tensile strength of the composite electrode was 124.5 MPa, and the elongation at break was 18.9%.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with hollow nanochannels have attracted much attention in preparing high-performance water treatment membranes. In this paper, the grafting polymer chains, including alkynyl ...terminated poly(methyl methacrylate) methacrylate (PMMA) single chain and PMMA-b-poly (ethylene glycol) methacrylate P(PEGMA) diblock molecular chains, were synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. A UV-induced click reaction was used to graft different linear polymers onto the surface of magnetic thiol-functionalized carbon nanotubes (mCNTs-SH). The poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite ultrafiltration membrane within the oriented nanochannels was prepared using phase inversion and magnetic field orientation. TEM and XRD results confirmed that the magnetic carbon nanotubes grafted with a diblock molecular chain had good nano-dispersion and orientation array effects in PVDF composite ultrafiltration membrane. The water contact angle of the array mCNT-g-diblock molecular chain-based composite membrane was 48.5°, significantly enhancing the PEGMA chain segments. The composite membrane with CTNs’ nanochannels attained a higher water flux. As the diblock molecular chain grafted mCNTs oriented in the membrane, the water flux reached 17.6 LMH (five times greater than the pure PVDF membrane), while the molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) for PEG1400 rejection could reach higher than 80%.
An efficient synthesis route was developed for the preparation of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanohybrids using azide-terminated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) via a combination of ...reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) and the click reaction. A novel azido-functionalized chain transfer agent (DMP-N3) was prepared and subsequently employed to mediate the RAFT polymerizations of methyl methacrylate (MMA). The RAFT polymerizations exhibited first-order kinetics and a linear molecular weight dependence with the conversion. The kinetic results show that the grafting percentage of PMMA on the MWCNTs surface grows along with the increase of the reaction time. Even at 50 °C, the grafting rate of azide-terminated PMMA is comparatively fast in the course of the click reaction, with the alkyne groups adhered to MWCNTs in less than 24 h. The successful functionalization of PMMA onto MWCNT was proved by FTIR, while TGA was employed to calculate the grafting degree of PMMA chains (the highest GP = 21.9%). Compared with the pristine MWCNTs, a thicker diameter of the MWCNTs-g-PMMA was observed by TEM, which confirmed the grafted PMMA chain to the surface of nanotubes. Therefore, the MWCNTs-g-PMMA could be dispersed and stably suspended in water.