Improved blending strategy for membrane modification virtue of surface segregation using surface-tailored amphiphilic nanoparticles

Membrane modification is one of the most feasible and effective solutions to membrane fouling proble.m which tenaciousl.y hampers .the furher au .gmentation of me .rnbrane sep.aration technology.Blending modification with nanoparticles （NPs）, owing to the convenience of being incorporated in established membrane.p.rodu. ction lines, possesses an advantag, eous viability in practical applications.However, the existing blending strategy suffers from a low utilization efficiency due to NP encasement by membrane matrix. The current study proposed an improved blending modification approach with amphiphilic NPs （aNPs）, which were prepared through silanization using 3-（Trimethoxysilyl）propyl methacrylate （TMSPMA） as coupling agents and ZnO or SiO2 as pristine NPs （pNPs）, respectively.The Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses revealed thepresence of appropriate organic components in both the ZnO and SiO2 aNPs, which verified the success of the silanization process. As compared with the pristine and conventional pNP-blended membranes, both the ZnO aNP-blended and SiO2 aNP-blended membranes with proper silanization （100% and 200% w/w） achieved a significantly increased blending efficiency with more NPs scattenng on the internal and external membrane surfaces under scanning electron microscope observation. This improvement contributed to the increase of membrane hydrophilicity. Nevertheless, an extra dosage of the TMSPMA led to an encasement of NPs, thereby adversely affecting the properties of the resultant membranes. On the basis of all the tests, 100% （w/w） was selected as the optimum TMSPMA dosage for blending modification for both the ZnO and SiO2 types.

A novel approach for Apocynum venetum/cotton blended fabrics modification by cationic polymer nanoparticles

Apocynum venetum/cotton blended fabrics have been subjected to treat with cationic polymer nanoparticles followed by dyeing with Acid Red B,and then studied for their dyeing performance and morphology.The investigation on the effect of modification factors on the blended fabrics indicated that the 0.5 g/L nanoparticles concentration,60 min treating time,60 ℃ treating temperature and pH 6-8 are the optimum modification process to improve the dyeability of acid dye.In addition,the SEM images show that nanoparticles can be adsorbed on the surface of modified A.venetum or cotton fibers,and the two different fibers could have the same adsorption ability to Acid Red B.

Uncovering the effect of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)molecular weight and vinyl alcohol content on morphology,antifouling,and permeation properties of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane:thermodynamic and formation hydrodynamic behavior

Various hydrophilic poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)(EVOH)were used herein to precisely control the structure and hydrodynamic properties of polysulfone(PSF)membranes.Particularly,to prepare pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends with increasing vinyl alcohol(VOH:73%,68%,56%),the non-solvent-induced phase separation(NIPS)technique was used.Polyethylene glycol was used as a compatibilizer and as a porogen in N,Ndimethylacetamide.Rheological and ultrasonic separation kinetic measurements were also carried out to develop an ultrafiltration membrane mechanism.The extracted membrane properties and filtration capabilities were systematically compared to the proposed mechanism.Accordingly,the addition of EVOH led to an increase in the rheology of the dopes.The resulting membranes exhibited a microporous structure,while the finger-like structures became more evident with increasing VOH content.The PSF/EVOH behavior was changed from immediate to delayed segregation due to a change in the hydrodynamic kinetics.Interestingly,the PSF/EVOH32 membranes showed high hydrophilicity and achieved a pure water permeability of 264 L·m^(–2)·h^(–1)·bar^(–1),which was higher than that of pure PSF membranes(171 L·m^(–2)·h^(–1)·bar^(–1)).In addition,PSF/EVOH32 rejected bovine serum albumin at a high rate(>90%)and achieved a significant restoration of permeability.Finally,from the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic results,valuable insights into the selection of hydrophilic copolymers were provided to tailor the membrane structure while improving both the permeability and antifouling performance.