A comparative study for petroleum removal capacities of the bacterial consortia entrapped in sodium alginate,sodium alginate/poly(vinyl alcohol),and bushnell haas agar

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the degradation efficiencies of free and entrapped bacterial consortia(Staphylococcus capitis CP053957.1 and Achromobacter marplatensis MT078618.1)to different polymers such as Sodium Alginate(SA),Sodium Alginate/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)(SA/PVA),and Bushnell Haas Agar(BHA).In addition to SA and SA/PVA,which are cost-effective,non-toxic and have different functional groups,BHA,which is frequently encountered in laboratory-scale studies but has not been used as an entrapment material until now.Based on these,the polymers with different surface morphologies and chemical compositions were analyzed by SEM and FT-IR.While the petroleum removal efficiency was higher with the entrapped bacterial consortia than with the free one,BHA-entrapped bacterial consortium enhanced the petroleum removal more than SA and SA/PVA.Accordingly,the degradation rate of bacterial consortia entrapped with BHA was 2.039 day^(-1),SA/PVA was 1.560,SA was 0.993,the half-life period of BHA-entrapped bacterial consortia is quite low(t_(1/2)=0.339)compared with SA(t_(1/2)=0.444)and SA/PVA(t_(1/2)=0.697).The effects of the four main factors such as:amount of BHA(0.5,1,1.5,2,2.5,3 g),disc size(4,5,6,7,8 mm),inoculum concentration(1,2.5,5,7.5,10 mL),and incubation period on petroleum removal were also investigated.The maximum petroleum removal(94.5%)was obtained at≥2.5 mL of bacterial consortium entrapped in 2 g BHA with a 7 mm disc size at 168 h and the results were also confirmed by statistical analysis.Although a decrease was observed during the reuse of bacterial consortium entrapped in BHA,the petroleum removal was still above 50%at 10th cycle.Based on GC-MS analysis,the removal capacity of BHA-entrapped consortium was over 90%for short-chain n-alkanes and 80%for medium-chain n-alkanes.Overall,the obtained data are expected to provide a potential guideline in cleaning up the large-scale oil pollution in the future.Since there has been no similar study investigating petroleum removal with the bacterial consortia entrapped with BHA,this novel entrapment material can potentially be used in the treatment of petroleum pollution in advanced remediation studies.

Graphene quantum dots doped poly(vinyl alcohol)hybrid membranes for desalination via pervaporation

Pervaporation desalination by highly hydrophilic materials such as poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)based separation membrane is a burgeoning technology of late years.However,the improvement of membrane flux in pervaporation desalination has been a difficult task.Here,a novel hybrid membrane with doped graphene oxide quantum dots(GOQDs)which is rich in hydrophilic groups and small size into the matrix of PVA was prepared to improve the membrane flux.The membranes structures were described by field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),atomic force microscopy(AFM),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR),differential scanning calorimetry(DSC),thermogravimetric analysis(TGA)and X-ray diffraction(XRD).And more,Water contact angle,swelling degree,and pervaporation properties were carried out to explore the effect of GOQDs in PVA matrix.In addition,GOQDs content in the hybrid membrane,NaCl concentration,and feed temperature were investigated accordingly.Moreover,the hydrogen bonds between PVA chains were weakened by the interaction between GOQDs and PVA chains.Significantly,the hybrid membrane with optimized doped GOQDs content,200 mg·L^(-1),displays a high membrane flux of 17.09 kg·m^(-2)·h^(-1)and the salt rejection is consistently greater than 99.6%.

Improving physical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels via the Hofmeister effect

Hydrogel is a kind of three-dimensional crosslinked polymer material with high moisture content.However,due to the network defects of polymer gels,traditional hydrogels are usually brittle and fragile,which limits their practical applications.Herein,we present a Hofmeister effect-aided facile strategy to prepare high-performance poly(vinyl alcohol)/montmorillonite nanocomposite hydrogels.Layered montmorillonite nanosheets can not only serve as crosslinking agents to enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel but also promote the ion conduction.More importantly,based on the Hofmeister effect,the presence of(NH_(4))_(2)SO_(4)can endow nanocomposite hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties by affecting PVA chains'aggregation state and crystallinity.As a result,the as-prepared nanocomposite hydrogels possess unique physical properties,including robust mechanical and electrical properties.The as-prepared hydrogels can be further assembled into a high-performance flexible sensor,which can sensitively detect large-scale and small-scale human activities.The simple design concept of this work is believed to provide a new prospect for developing robust nanocomposite hydrogels and flexible devices in the future.

Compatibility and Properties of Biodegradable Blend Films with Gelatin and Poly(vinyl alcohol)

The blend films with gelatin and poly（vinyl alcohol） （PVA） were prepared by a solution casting method. The compatibility between gelatin and PVA in the blend films was investigated. The transmittance, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, x-ray diffraction （XRD）, thermogravimetry analysis （TG）, and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） were employed to characterize the resultant blend films. According to optic result, the opacity of the blend film at the ratio of 20/80 （w/w, Gel to PVA） was the lowest, indicating the best compatibility between Gel and PVA at the ratio. The results oflR, XRD, DSC, and TG revealed an intensive interaction and good compatibility between them in the blend film at the ratio. The mechanical properties and solubility showed that PVA content in the blend films obviously affected the elongation at break and solubility. The mechanical properties and water resistance of gelatin film may be improved by the introduetion of PVA.

Preparation and Swelling Behavior of Physically Crosslinked Hydrogels Composed of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Chitosan

The physically crosslinked poly（vinyl alcohol）/chitosan （CS） composite hydrogels were prepared by cyclic freezing/thawing techniques, and the microstructure and swelling behavior of the hydrogels in the simulated gastric （pH 1.0） and intestinal （pH 7.4） media were investigated. The experimental results of infrared spectra （IR）, scanning electron microscope （SEM） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） demonstrated that poly（vinyl alcohol） and chitosan had good miscibility in the composite hydrogels, and the addition of chitosan perturbed the formation of poly（vinyl alcohol） crystallites. The swelling kinetics results indicated that the composite hydrogels had good pH sensitive properties to the acidic environments, and with the increase of chitosan content in the blend, the maximum swelling degreed and the swelling rate both increased, but it led to more dissolution at pH 1.0. And the composite hydrogels also exhibited good reversible swelling behavior with pH value of the swelling medium altering between 1.0 and 7.4. In addition, the higher freezing/thawing cycle times resulted in the lower swelling rate. Therefore, the swelling behavior of the composite hydrogels could be adjusted by changing the chitosan contents and the freezing/thawing cycle times.

DEVELOPMENT OF A CATALYST FOR SOLUTION OF POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) IN NON-AQUEOUS MEDIUM

Chloro ethane dimethyl sulfoxide,C_2H_5Cl·DMSO(ECI·DMSO)was prepared by interaction of acrylic acid with conc.Hydrochloric acid in dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)and subsequent decarboxylation with H_2O_2 solution.The formation of the compound was confirmed by spectral and analytical methods;the molecular weight was determined by cryoscopic method.The solubility of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)in different solvents or mixed solvents at 40℃,50℃and 60℃temperature in the presence of 0.01% of EC1·-DMSO was determined.It tu...

Polyurethane/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel coating improves the cytocompatibility of neural electrodes

Neural electrodes,the core component of neural prostheses,are usually encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane（PDMS）.However,PDMS can generate a tissue response after implantation.Based on the physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility of polyurethane（PU）and poly（vinyl alcohol）（PVA）when used as coating materials,we synthesized PU/PVA hydrogel coatings and coated the surface of PDMS using plasma treatment,and the cytocompatibility to rat pheochromocytoma（PC12）cells was assessed.Protein adsorption tests indicated that the amount of protein adsorption onto the PDMS substrate was reduced by 92%after coating with the hydrogel.Moreover,the PC12 cells on the PU/PVA-coated PDMS showed higher cell density and longer and more numerous neurites than those on the uncoated PDMS.These results indicate that the PU/PVA hydrogel is cytocompatible and a promising coating material for neural electrodes to improve their biocompatibility.

Facile preparation of methylcellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol)physical complex hydrogels with tunable thermosensitivity

Novel complex hydrogels of methylcellulose （MC） and poly（vinyl alcohol） （PVA） with wide-spectrum thermoresponsivity were prepared via physical and mild process. Thermal phase transition of MC/PVA hydrogels exhibited two forms including sol/sol to gel/sol and sol/gel to gel/gel. The phase transition temperature of MC/PVA solution ranged from 38,7 to 60.6 ℃ and was able to be adjusted by simply changing the feeding ratios of two components. The interior morphology of MC/PVA gels was examined with fluorescence analysis and scanning electron microscopy analysis, which showed that MC was well dispersed in matrix before and after thermally gelling.

Solvent-free esterification of poly(vinyl alcohol) and maleic anhydride through mechanochemical reaction

A solid-state mechanochemical processing, that is, pan-milling, was used to conduct the esterification of poly（vinyl alcohol） （PVA） with maleic anhydride （MA） through stress-induced reaction. FTIR spectrum study indicated the presence of ester linkages and olefinic double bonds in maleic anhydride cross-linked PVA. Thermal properties of the cross-linked product were characterized by DSC. The results showed its glass transition temperature was 20 ℃ higher than the original linear PVA and the thermal stability was also improved.

Synthesis and Characterization of a HydrophilicHydrophobic IPN Composed of Poly(vinyl alcohol)and Polystyrene

A hydrophilic/hydrophobic interpenetrating polymer network （IPN） of poly （vinyl alcohol） / polystyrene was prepared by conversion of the IPN of poly （vinyl acetate）/polystyrene. The hydrophilic/hydrophobic IPN was characterized by FT-IR and DSC, and the swelling ratios of the IPN in different solvents were measured.

Controlled delivery of ibuprofen from poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly(ethylene glycol) interpenetrating polymeric network hydrogels

Hydrogels composed of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) and poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG) were synthesized using glutaraldehyde as crosslinker and investigated for controlled delivery of the common anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen(IBF). To regulate the drug delivery, solid inclusion complexes(ICs) of IBF in β–cyclodextrin(β–CD) were prepared and added to the hydrogels. The ICs were prepared by the microwave irradiation method, which is more environmentally benign. The formation of IC was confirmed by various analytical techniques and the synthesized hydrogels were also characterized. Controlled release of drug was achieved from the hydrogels containing the ICs in comparison to the rapid release from hydrogels containing free IBF.The preliminary kinetic analysis emphasized the crucial role of β–CD in the drug release process that influences the polymer relaxation, thereby leading to prolonged release. The cytotoxicity assay validated the hydrogels as non-toxic in nature and hence can be utilized for controlled delivery of IBF.

A Hybrid Membrane of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Phosphotungstic Acid for Fuel Cells

Proton conducting membranes composed of phosphotungstic acid (PWA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)were prepared. Conductivity and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR) measurements show that most ofthe acid embedded are stable in the PVA matrix when the membrane is immerged in water or methanol solution atroom temperature. Conductivity of the composite membranes scatters around 10-3 S.cm-1 at room temperature.The methanol crossover through the membranes is about an order of magnitude lower than that through Nafion117 membrane.

Effect of Polyvinyl Alcohol with a Thiol End Group on the Properties of Polyacrylic Dispersions and Spray-dried Powder

The emulsion polymerization of highly shear-stable copolymer dispersions of methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate were carried out using poly （vinyl alcohol） with a thiol end group （PVA-SH） as protective colloid. The dispersions can be transformed into corresponding redispersible powder via a spray dryingcooling process. On-line FT-IR monitoring shows that grafting polymer of PVA-g-PMMA was formed mainly at the stage-1 of the emulsion polymerization. TEM images show, the PVA-SH shell was fragmentary when adding SDS at initial stage and integrated when adding at particle growing or final stage. The particle size turns to be smaller when delayed adding SDS surfactant. Triethanolamine, a co-regulator of PVA-SH, controlled the M to 50 000-70 000 and reduced the PDI to 1.5-1.7. The acrylic dispersions with 0.8wt%-1.5wt% PVA-SH1 can be spray-dried into super dispersible polymer powder （SDPP）, which can easily disperse in water and form recon- stituted dispersions with an average particle size smaller than 1 micron.

Synthesis and properties of physically crosslinked poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels

The present study is an investigation of the properties of poly(vinyl alcohol),which would be a better contact lens mate- rial than conventional HEMA in some ways.A transparent PVA hydrogel was prepared from a PVA solution in a mixed solvent consisting of water and a water-miscible organic solvent,DMSO,by the freezing-thawing method.The water content,visible light transmittance,mechanical and swelling properties of the hydrogels were evaluated as a function of PVA concentration and number of freeze-thaw cycles.The results show that the properties of PVA hydrogels depend on the polymer concentration,the number of freeze-thaw cycles and the addition of the organic solvent.

Research on the Long Time Swelling Properties of Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Hydroxylapatite Composite Hydrogel

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxylapatite(PVA/HA)composite hydrogel was prepared by repeated freezing and thawing.The water loss properties of the resultant hydrogel were investigated by using optical microscope.Long time immersion tests of PVA/HA composite hydrogel were carried out in the diluted calf serum solution to study the change laws of swelling properties with the freezing-thawing cycles and HA content.The micro-morphologies of PVA/HA composite hydrogel after long time immersion were observed by means of the high-accuracy 3D profiler.The results show that the swelling process of PVA/HA composite hydrogel is the converse process of its water loss.Long time swelling ratio curves of PVA/HA composite hydrogel in the calf serum solution are manifested as four stages of quick increase,decrease,slow decrease and stable balance,and its equilibrium swelling ratio decreases with the increase of freezing-thawing cycles and HA content.It is revealed that the network structure of the composite hydrogel immersed for a long period is significantly improved with the increase of HA content. Perfect network structures of PVA/HA composite hydrogel as well as full and equilibrium tissues after swelling equilibrium are obtained when the HA content is 3% and the number of freezing-thawing cycles is 7.

Miscibility of Poly(hydroxybutyrate)/Poly(vinyl alcohol)Melt Blends Plasticized With Glycerol

Poly(hydroxybutyrate)/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PHB/PVA)blends plasticized with glycerol were prepared by melt blending of PHB and glycerol plasticized PVA.The PHB/PVA-glycerol compositions were 90:10,75:25 and 50:50 w/w,being the concentration of glycerol in the PVA mixture of 10 wt%.The blends were characterized by infrared spectroscopy,dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis,and scanning electron microscope of the fragile fractured surface.The results showed one single phase blend,indicating miscibility corroborated by the presence of a single glass transition temperature.The blending method proved to be an efficient way to tune PHB properties keeping its biodegradable nature since both PVA and glycerol are fully biodegradable materials.

Thermal and structural studies of poly (vinyl alcohol) and hydroxypropyl cellulose blends

Polymers and polymeric composites have steadily reflected their importance in our daily life. Blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with a potentially useful natural biopolymers such as hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) seems to be an interesting way of preparing a polymeric blends. In the present work, blends of PVA/HPC of compositions (100/0, 90/10, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100 wt/wt%) were prepared to be used as bioequivalent materials. Thermal analyses [differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)], and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize and reveal the miscibility map and the structural properties of such blend system. The obtained results of the thermal analyses showed variations in the glass transition temperature (Tg) indicating the miscibility of the blend systems. Moreover, the changes in the melting temperature (Tm), shape and area were attributed to the different degrees of crystallinity and the existence of polymer-polymer interactions between PVA and HPC molecules. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed broadening and sharpening of peaks at different HPC concentrations with PVA. This indicated changes in the crystallinity/amorphosity ratio, and also suggested that the miscibility between the amorphous components of homo-polymers PVA and HPC is possible. The results showed that HPC doped in PVA film can improve the thermal stability of the film under investigation, leading to interesting technological applications.

Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetric Study of the Enhancement of Copper(Ⅱ) by Poly(vinyl alcohol), Starch and Polyallylamine

Adsorptive enhancements of several water-soluble polymers on copper(Ⅱ) were studied by adsorptive stripping voltammetry with a hanging mercury drop electrode. Increases in peak current of cu(Ⅱ) were observed in alkaline carbonate media. The enhancing power of poly(vinyl alcohol), starch and polyallylamine is 15, 4. 1, and 2.5 times, repectively

Optimization of the Electrospinning Conditions by Box-Behnken Design to Prepare Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan Crosslinked Nanofibers

Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan nanofibers had their solution and process parameters optimized using a Box-Behnken design and desirability function. Four factors (applied voltage, flow rate, distance tip-to-plate and amount of chitosan) were varied to produce electrospun mats with a low fiber diameter. An empirical model was developed for each response using response surface methodology (RSM), which revealed that flow rate had no significant influence on the assessed responses. With desirability function, the optimal conditions to produce the nanofibers were applied voltage of 13.1 kV, 30% chitosan concentration and distance tip-to-plate of 10 cm. The fiber diameter and standard deviation were 196.5 ± 28.3 nm, compared to the predicted values of 185.9 ± 26.8 nm. The desirability function allied with Box-Benhken design proved themselves important tools to predict process parameters for the development of nanofibers. The mats were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde for 24 h and 48 h and presented good water stability and enhanced mechanical properties.

Functionalised Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Graphene Oxide as Polymer Composite Electrolyte Membranes

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)based composite films were prepared as polyelectrolyte membranes for low temperature direct ethanol fuel cells(DEFC).The membranes were functionalised by means of the addition of graphene oxide(GO)and sulfonated graphene oxide(SGO)and crosslinked with sulfosuccinic acid(SSA).The chemical structure was corroborated and suitable thermal properties were found.Although the addition of GO and SGO slightly decreased the proton conductivity of the membranes,a significant reduction of the ethanol solution swelling and crossover was encountered,more relevant for those functionalised with SGO.In general,the composite membranes were stable under simulated service conditions.The addition of GO and SGO particles permitted to buffer the loss and almost retain similar proton conductivity than prior to immersion.These membranes are alternative polyelectrolytes,which overcome current concerns of actual commercial membranes such as the high cost or the crossover phenomenon.