Preparation of PVDF/FMBO composite electrospun nanofiber for effective arsenate removal from water

In this study, novel electrospun nanofibers (NFs) composed of organic polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) and inorganic Fe–Mn binary oxide (FMBO) nanoparticles were fabricated using an electrospinning technique for adsorptive decontamination of As(v) from polluted water. The NFs were prepared with doped solutions consisting of different weight ratios of PVDF/FMBO, in a NF matrix, ranging from 0 to 0.5. SEM, XRD, FTIR and TEM then characterized the NFs and FMBO particles. The XRD analysis indicated successful impregnation of FMBO nanoparticles in the NF matrix of the NFs investigated. An As(v) adsorption capacity as high as around 21.32 mg g⁻¹ was obtained using the NF containing the highest amount of FMBO nanoparticles (designated as PVDF/FMBO 0.5). Furthermore, the adsorptive performance of the PVDF/FMBO 0.5 nanofiber could be easily regenerated using diluted alkaline solution (NaOH and NaOCl).

In this study, novel electrospun nanofibers composed of organic polyvinylidine fluoride and inorganic Fe–Mn binary oxide nanoparticles were fabricated using an electrospinning technique for adsorptive removal of As(v) from polluted water.     

Preparation and modification of cellulose sponge and application of oil/water separation

This work presents a facile preparation and modification of cellulose sponge with hydrophobic/oleophilic surface wetting properties. The modification method included several steps: sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and urea were introduced to dissolve cellulose, after which calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) and epichlorohydrin were added into the solution for formation of a hydrogel. Finally, the cellulose sponge was obtained through hydrochloric acid (HCl) etching of CaCO₃, and octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembly modification. The prepared cellulose sponge exhibited hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 153.5°, and oleophilicity with an oil contact angle of 0°. The prepared cellulose sponge demonstrated a separation efficiency as high as 92% for various types of oil/water mixtures. The prepared cellulose sponge could achieve continuous separation with the assistance of a peristaltic pump. The material will be a promising candidate to be used in oil/water separation.

This work presents a facile preparation and modification of cellulose sponge with hydrophobic/oleophilic surface wetting properties.     

Fabrication and catalytic performance of a novel tubular PMIA/Ag@RGO nanocomposite nanofiber membrane

A novel tubular poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) nanofiber membrane decorated with Ag nanoparticles was fabricated via a simple method in this study. First, Ag@RGO nanocomposites were prepared via a mussel-inspired method. Then, a tubular PMIA/Ag@RGO nanocomposite nanofiber membrane (T-PMIA/Ag@RGO NNM) was prepared by adding Ag@RGO nanocomposites to the electrospining solution. In particular, hollow braided rope was used as the collector and reinforcement during the electrospinning process. T-PMIA/Ag@RGO NNM exhibits an excellent catalytic efficiency as most of the Ag nanoparticles were exposed to the surface of the nanofiber and because of the fast mass transfer in continuous catalysis process. T-PMIA/Ag@RGO NNM can be easily recycled from the reaction solution and exhibits good reusability. The degradation rate for 4-NP could still remain 98.7% after ten consecutive cycles. The results might advance the real applications of the nanofiber membrane in the continuous catalysis process.

A novel tubular PMIA/Ag@RGO composite nanofiber membrane, which could be used in continuous catalysis process was fabricated via a facile and effective method.     

静电纺丝聚乳酸-羟基乙酸纳米纤维膜与磷酸钙骨水泥复合物力学性能的研究

目的模仿天然骨同心圆的结构,制备静电纺丝聚乳酸-羟基乙酸共聚物[Poly（1actide—co—glycolideacid）,PL-GA]纳米纤维膜／磷酸钙骨水泥（calciumphosphatecement,CPC）复合物,通过力学实验初步探讨静电纺丝PLGA纳米纤维膜改善CPC韧性强度的效果。方法实验分为两组：实验组为CPC／PLGA复合物、对照组为单纯的CPC,将CPC复合物或单纯的CPC制备6mm×6mm×20mm的长方体试件,进行三点弯曲试验测试材料的韧性强度、弯曲强度和弹性模量。结果与CPC组相比较,CPC／PLGA组的韧性强度提高了71．4倍,差异具有统计学意义（P=0．00）;弯曲强度提高28．8％,弹性模量降低37．8％,差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论静电纺丝PLGA纳米纤维膜可以改善CPC的韧性,静电纺丝PLGA纳米纤维膜／CPC复合物具有较好的力学特性。     

Superhydrophobic cotton fabric membrane prepared by fluoropolymers and modified nano-SiO2 used for oil/water separation

At present, the preparation methods of oil–water separation membranes include chemical vapor deposition, electrospinning, atom transfer radical polymerization, etc. Basically, they all have issues of low recycling rate and incontinuous use. In this paper, the epoxy polymer P(GMA-r-MMA) obtained by traditional radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) monomer and methacrylic acid (MMA) monomer, and pentafluoropropionic acid (PFPA) is used to modify polymer P(GMA-r-MMA) to obtain fluorine-containing epoxy polymer P(GMA-r-MMA)-g-PFPA. Secondly, fluorine-containing epoxy polymer P(GMA-r-MMA)-g-PFPA and amino-modified nano SiO₂ is blended, and the cotton fabric is dip-coated to obtain a superhydrophobic surface, thereby preparing an oil–water separation membrane. By controlling the solution concentration, dipping time, drying time and other conditions, the superhydrophobic performance of the separation membrane was characterized, and the best construction conditions for the superhydrophobic surface were obtained: 0.3 mg mL⁻¹ polymer concentration, immersion time 6 h, drying temperature 120°, and drying time 4 h, and the maximum water contact angle can reach to 150° ± 2°. Finally, the cotton fabric was modified under the best dipping conditions, and used as an oil–water separation membrane to study the oil–water separation performance of n-hexane, n-octane, kerosene, chloroform and water mixtures in batch operation and continuous operation. In batch operations, the separation efficiency can reach 99% and can achieve 5 consecutive high-efficiency separations without intermittent drying. In continuous flow operation, oil–water separation can last for more than 12 hours and the separation efficiency can reach 98%. It also has stable oil–water separation performance for oil–water emulsion.

Cotton modified with polymer P(GMA-r-MMA)-g-PFPA and modified silica can obtain super-hydrophobic surfaces, and can be used as oil–water separation membrane for hexane, octane, kerosene, chloroform and water mixtures in batch and continuous operation.     

Preparation of super-hydrophilic polyphenylsulfone nanofiber membranes for water treatment

Electrospun nanofiber membrane-supported thin film composite (TFC) membranes exhibit great potential in water purification. In this work, electrospun polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanofiber membranes were prepared and modified by heat and plasma treatments. The resulting membranes were used as support layers for biomimetic TFC-based forward osmosis membranes. Thermal treatment transformed a loose non-woven nanofiber structure into a robust interconnected 3-dimensional PPSU network displaying a 930% increase in elastic modulus, 853% increase in maximum stress, and two-fold increase in breaking strain. Superior hydrophilicity of PPSU nanofiber membranes was achieved by low-pressure plasma treatment, changing the contact angle from 137° to 0°. The fabricated exemplary TFC-based forward osmosis membrane showed an osmotic water flux J_w > 14 L m⁻² h⁻¹ with a very low reserve salt flux J_s (J_s/J_w = 0.08 g L⁻¹) demonstrating the potential for making high quality membranes for water treatment using PPSU-based support layers for TFC membranes.

A 3-dimensional nanofiber membrane with superior hydrophilicity and mechanical properties significantly improves flux and salt rejection in thin film forward osmosis.     

静电纺丝纳米纤维组织工程支架的研究进展

背景：静电纺丝纳米纤维具有促进细胞生长的作用。目的：描述静电纺纳米支架对细胞生长的促进作用以及静电纺纳米支架孔径大小、机械强度缺陷改进的研究进展。方法：检索数据库为CNKI数字图书馆全文、PubMed数据库2001至2011年有关静电纺丝和组织工程支架的文献。检索关键词为“组织工程,静电纺丝,支架;electrospinning,tissue engineering scaffolds,nanofiber”。结果与结论：静电纺丝纳米纤维直径、孔径大小及纤维表面对细胞生长行为有重要影响,小孔径静电纺丝纳米纤维支架不利于细胞浸润生长,且用单一电纺技术制备得到的纳米纤维支架机械性能较差,如何增加静电纺丝纳米纤维支架孔径大小以提高细胞的浸润以及提高其机械性能强度,是目前应用研究应解决的问题。     

Preparation of an (inorganic/organic) hybrid hydrogel from a peptide oligomer and a tubular aluminosilicate nanofiber

‘Imogolite’, a tubular inorganic nanotube surface, was modified with a peptide oligomer to prepare a hybrid hydrogel. The formation of the gels was confirmed by conducting a vial inversion test and rheological measurements. The surface modification of imogolite with the peptide oligomer was verified by performing thermogravimetric analysis and circular dichroism measurements. Furthermore, the formation of the network-like morphology of the prepared hydrogel was confirmed by scanning force microscopy.

‘Imogolite’, a tubular inorganic nanotube surface, was modified with a peptide oligomer to prepare a hybrid hydrogel.     

Relationship between surface hydrophobicity and flux for membrane separation

Surface hydrophobicity of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes was controlled via carbon coating using the CVD method or O₂ plasma treatment with insignificant changes of pore diameter. This study first demonstrated that a larger hydrophobic pore surface and hydrophilic membrane surface are favorable for developing high performance membranes.

This study demonstrated that hydrophobic pore surfaces and hydrophilic membrane surfaces are more favorable in enhancing water flux, providing an important insight into the development of high performance membranes.

Membrane technology is widely used for liquid separation and purification, such as in various water treatments, protein purification, virus removal, and artificial organs.¹ Despite great progress in membrane development, it is still challenging to increase both flux and rejection, which overcome the ‘trade-off’ line,² and to prevent membrane fouling.³ Although strategies for antifouling membranes, including the role of surface chemistry, such as hydrophobicity, charge, and roughness, have been well established,^4,5 it is still challenging to develop membranes that have faster water permeability with reasonable rejection.Because conventional polymers rely on the ‘trade-off’ phenomenon, carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO)/reduced GO (rGO), have been attractive for overcoming the limitation of polymer-based membranes.^6,7 The strategies for CNT-based membranes and GO/rGO-based membranes to achieve high flux are using fast transport of water molecules through the pore''s hydrophobic surface and/or a very thin active layer for GO/rGO membranes.^8–11 For example, GO membranes also showed increased flow allowed by a thin active layer (i.e., flux is inversely proportional to the length of the pore) by applying various membranes,¹² whereas rGO membranes have been applied only to a water vapor passing-through process (i.e., membrane distillation).¹³ Additionally, the water flow through the inner wall of CNTs is several hundreds to thousands times faster than the theoretical flow because of the low interaction force between water molecules and CNT''s hydrophobic wall.^14,15 However, the energetic requirements, found by using molecular dynamic simulation, needed to pass water molecules through the hydrophobic CNT end were several hundred atm of applied pressure.¹⁶ Lee et al.¹⁷ reported that CNT wall membranes showed approximately 30 000 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar of water permeability using O₂ plasma etching (to use the inner pores of CNT by removing the its fullerene cap and possibly to introduce the hydrophilic surface) and densification technique (to increase pore density and to use the outer wall as pores). Given the results from previous studies, it is still unclear how the hydrophobicity of the pore surface affects both flux and rejection behaviors.In this study, we experimentally demonstrate that the surface hydrophobicity of an AAO membrane affects the flow behavior, distinguished to the membrane surface and pore surface; it is more favorable to transport water through the membranes having a hydrophilic membrane surface and a hydrophobic pore surface.We fabricated anodized alumina oxide (AAO) membranes and controlled their hydrophobicity by using carbon coating via a CVD method (more details are described in the ESI; ^† digital pictures of AAO and C-AAO membranes are provided in Fig. S1^†). Fig. 1 shows the hydrophobicity and surface chemistry of the AAO membrane and carbon-coated AAO (C-AAO) membrane with 60 nm of pore diameter. As shown in Fig, 1a and b, the contact angle of the AAO membrane of 19° ± 2°, is in good agreement with the values in the literature for non-porous alumina (∼12°).¹⁸ The membrane surface became more hydrophobic, to 65° ± 3° in the C-AAO membrane (Fig. 1b).Open in a separate windowFig. 1The surface analysis of AAO and carbon-coated AAO membranes. (a)The image of a pristine AAO membrane and (b) a C-AAO membrane by contact angle. (c) C 1s and (d) O 1s XPS spectrum of C-AAO. (e) Optical image of C-AAO cross-section, and (f) Raman microscopy (λ = 514 nm) of each position.XPS spectra of carbon (Fig. 1c) and oxygen (Fig. 1d) obtained from a C-AAO membrane indicate successful carbon deposition on the AAO membrane. According to the XPS spectrum of C 1s (Fig. 1c), the graphitic sp² carbon shows C–C bonding (284.6 eV), C–O bonding (286.5 eV), a C O group (288.0 eV), and an O–C O group (289.4 eV).^19–22The O 1s spectrum of C-AAO in Fig. 1d shows Al–O bonding (531.6 eV) and C–O bonding (533.2 eV),^22,23 whereas that of AAO had only Al–O bonding (Fig. S2^†). These Al–OH groups chemically reacted with carbon in a high-temperature CVD process, eventually forming the thin carbon layer.²⁴ Additionally, we used cross-sectional Raman spectroscopy to evaluate carbon coating on the pore surfaces, where the positions are marked in Fig. 1e. We observed typical Raman spectra of an amorphous carbon through each point, shown in Fig. 1f. The D-band at 1350 cm⁻¹ and the G-band at 1580 cm⁻¹ represent the sp³ bonds and sp² bond, respectively. The ratio of I_D/I_G at five points was approximately 1.3 (Fig. 1e and f), consistent with graphene oxide.^19,25,26 These results indicate that C-AAO membranes were more hydrophobic, not only on the top surface (i.e., membrane surface), but also on the pore surface of the membranes.We evaluated the water flow velocities of AAO and C-AAO membranes with 40–80 nm of pore diameter using a dead-end filtration system (Fig. S3^†), with results shown in Fig. 2. The flow velocity increased with increasing pore diameter of both AAO and C-AAO membranes, as expected. However, the flow velocity of C-AAO membranes was faster in all ranges of pore diameter than that of AAO membranes, almost consistent with the theoretical flow velocity calculated from the Hagen–Poiseuille (H–P) equation in the no-slip condition (eqn (1) in ESI^†); the water flow velocity of C-AAO membranes increases from 0.7 × 10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹ to 3.5 × 10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹, whereas that of AAO membranes increases from 0.3 × 10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹ to 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ m s⁻¹ as pore diameter varies from 40 nm to 80 nm. Note that the changes of pore diameter and membrane thickness were negligible after carbon coating and an average pore diameter and pore density, used as 1.02 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² of all membranes, were measured from SEM images using a ‘Measure IT’ program (Fig. S4^†). Since the physical properties (e.g. pore diameter, pore density, and membrane thickness) of both AAO and C-AAO membranes were the same, the faster flow in C-AAO membranes can be explained by the hydrophobic surface, consistent with previous studies which showed that water molecules rapidly pass through the hydrophobic wall surface of carbon nanotubes.^17,27,28 It is well known that hydrophobic pore surfaces lead to a frictionless flow and weaken interfacial force between water molecules and carbon-coated surface, resulting in faster flow.^19,29,30 Note that the adhesion energy of water on alumina is ∼800 mJ m⁻²,³¹ whereas that of water on graphite is about 100 mJ m⁻².³²Open in a separate windowFig. 2Flow velocities with various pore diameters depending on the surface chemistry. The theoretical flow velocity (black line) as a function of pore diameter. The blue dot is the flow velocity of a hydrophilic surface (AAO membrane), and the red dot is that of a hydrophobic surface (C-AAO membrane) by experimental water velocity.To find the extent of faster flow for C-AAO membranes, enhancement factor (ε) and slip length (L_s) along with the experimental flux (Q_exp) with a unit of L m⁻² h⁻¹, and theoretical flux (Q_HP, calculated from H–P eqn) are represented in †); more details are described in the ESI.^† Enhancement factor increased from 1.2 to 3.6, which also affected the increased slip length, from 3.1 nm to 15.2 nm when the pore diameter decreased from 80 nm to 40 nm. These results indicate that water flow velocity increases with smaller pore diameter because of the larger hydrophobic effects.Theoretical and experimental water flux of C-AAO membrane with 40–80 nm of pore diameter and its calculated enhancement factor and slip length

A flexible Ti3C2Tx (MXene)/paper membrane for efficient oil/water separation

The scalable fabrication of flexible membranes for efficient oil/water separation is in high demand but still significantly underdeveloped. Here, we present a flexible membrane using Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) as the functional layer on conventional print paper as the substrate. With a simple coating process using MXene ink, we developed a highly hydrophilic and oleophobic membrane with an underwater oil contact angle of 137°. Such a simple membrane shows outstanding flexibility and robustness, and demonstrates a facile approach for membrane scale-up using MXene ink on low-cost print paper. The membrane shows high separation efficiency for oil/water emulsions, of over 99%, and a high water permeation flux of over 450 L per m² per h per bar. We demonstrate the excellent anti-fouling property of this membrane by cleaning the membranes without chemicals. These low-cost, highly efficient, anti-fouling membranes can provide new opportunities for industrial oil/water separation applications.

A highly hydrophilic and oleophobic membrane based on Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene) coated paper demonstrated high separation efficiency for oil/water emulsions with excellent antifouling properties.     

A glucose modified filter paper for effective oil/water separation

Efficient and low-cost oil/water separation remains a great challenge for industries. Natural cellulose-based filter paper, because of its abundance, low cost, biodegradability and excellent chemical stability, has been developed as an oil/water separator in recent years. In the present study, a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic filter paper is successfully prepared by an aldol condensation reaction to crosslink glucose molecules with filter paper. The prepared filter paper is characterized by IR-spectroscopy, SEM spectroscopy and wettability measurements, and it has high underwater oil contact angles of over 162° for hexane, toluene and petroleum ether. It is shown that the modified filter paper has high water recovery from various oil/water mixtures, not only in a gentle environment but also in acidic, alkaline, and salty environments and at different temperatures. Moreover, the glucose modified filter paper shows excellent oil/water emulsion separation efficiency (>99%) and good recycling performance. The preparation is economic and could be easily scaled up, suggesting its great potential for large-scale industrial applications.

Toluene/water emulsion cannot be separated by the un-treated filter paper. In comparison, toluene/water emulsion could be efficiently separated by the glucose (GLC) treated filter paper.     

Corrosion resistance for superwetting immiscible oil/water separation porous materials

In this paper, we first fabricate a 3D porous FZCF (FAS-modified ZnO-grown copper foam) with robust superhydrophobicity in air and superoleophilicity under water and the repeatable superwettability, and then mainly explore and analyze its corrosion resistance. The superhydrophobic–superoleophilic FZCF as an immiscible oil/organic solvent separation material shows high adsorption capacity and separation efficiency due to its heterogeneous micro–nano structures and low surface energy. It has excellent corrosion resistance under various pH conditions, and can serve as a corrosion protective barrier that prevents metal from contacting corrosive seawater in marine applications. Adsorbed oils also make superoleophilic FZCF keep its durability and stability after suffering attack in strong acid and alkali environments for a long time. Superwetting porous FZCF material that possesses outstanding excellent corrosion resistance demonstrates potential applications in many industrial fields such as oily wastewater treatment and marine oil spill accidents.

Superwetting porous FZCF as immiscible oil/organic solvents separation material that possesses excellent corrosion resistance can be widely applied in many industrial fields such as oily wastewater treatment and marine oil spill accidents.     

Self-assembly modification of polyurethane sponge for application in oil/water separation

A polyurethane (PU) sponge with excellent oil/water separation property has been successfully prepared by modifying with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assemblies. The chemical structure, surface topography, and surface wettability of the sponge were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle experiments, respectively. The prepared sponge could completely absorb oil within a few seconds. In addition, it also possessed excellent selectivity for oil, high absorption capacity (25 times the self-weight), high oil retention (92.6%), and good recyclability. The sponge was synthesized by a facile, mild and inexpensive method, and has excellent potential for use in practical applications because of its desirable property of oil/water separation.

A polyurethane (PU) sponge with excellent oil/water separation property has been successfully prepared by modifying with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assemblies.     

聚酯酰胺静电纺纳米纤维膜的制备及其生物相容性

采用静电纺技术制备聚酯酰胺纳米纤维膜,用扫描电镜观察纳米纤维的表面形貌,发现随着纺丝液质量浓度的增加,纤维的直径由10%时的180 nm递增到20%时的350 nm;用红外光谱表征聚酯酰胺的化学结构,结果表明化学结构在纺丝前后没有发生明显变化;X射线衍射法测试表明聚酯酰胺在经过溶剂处理和纺丝后,结晶度下降;差示扫描量热法表征了热力学特性,发现聚酯酰胺经过溶剂处理和纺丝后,结晶度下降;力学性能测试表明平均厚度为(0.50±0.05)mm的聚酯酰胺纳米纤维膜的平均断裂强度和平均断裂伸长率分别达到(1.00±0.18)MPa和(18.20±2.86)%;MTT结果表明内皮细胞在聚酯酰胺纳米纤维膜上增殖活跃,内皮细胞在纤维表面黏附并显示出良好的生长形态.     

Underwater superoleophobic polyurethane-coated mesh with excellent stability for oil/water separation

Oil/water separation has been a challenge in chemical engineering for various applications. There are numbers of studies on using coated metal meshes as a filter for oil/water separation. However, water resistance, chemical (such as: acid, base, and fouling) resistance and heat resistance for coating materials need further exploration, especially in terms of the durability of the coating materials. In this study, we synthesized a new coating material, hydrophilic polycarbonate polyurethane (HPCPU). We used HPCPU to chemically modify a steel mesh, and the mesh exhibits superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties. The HPCPU coated mesh shows excellent capacity for oil/water separation with a separation efficiency higher than 99.99% even after 40 cycles of separation. The coating material also exhibits excellent properties of water resistance, heat resistance, and chemical resistance. Moreover, the HPCPU-coated mesh exhibits a strong durability. For example, the separation efficiency for various oil/water mixtures remains higher than 99.7% after the HPCPU-coated mesh has been soaked in water for 30 days, hot water for 5 days, oils for 5 days, 0.5 M HCl solution, 0.5 M NaOH solution and 0.5 M NaCl solution for 24 hours.

Oil/water separation has been a challenge in chemical engineering for various applications.     

Preparation of fluorine-free superhydrophobic and wear-resistant cotton fabric with a UV curing reaction for self-cleaning and oil/water separation

A durable superhydrophobic, self-cleaning cotton fabric prepared with UV curing was prepared by a simple method and used for oil/water separation. Firstly, sulfhydryl silica nanoparticles on the fabric surface were prepared by the Stöber reaction (SiO₂–SH@cotton). Then, the side chain hydroxyl terminated PDMS was reacted with isocyanate to form an isocyanate terminated prepolymer. The prepolymer terminated by HEMA (vinyl-terminated PDMS (PIH)) was sprayed on the fabric surface, and then the superhydrophobic coating (SiO₂–S–PIH@cotton) was formed using UV curing. A series of characterization methods were used to demonstrate the properties of the modified cotton fabric. When the weight gain after PIH spraying was 1.8 wt%, the fabric reaches an optimal state (water contact angle (WCA) of 153° and a sliding angle of 7°). When used in an oil–water separation test, the highest separation efficiency reached 99.1%. In particular, the as-prepared fabric has excellent wear resistance. Compared with that before spraying, the superhydrophobicity of the as-prepared fabric has no obvious decrease after 300 cycles under 200 g of weight or after 100 cycles under 500 g of circular friction. This indicated that surface sprayed polymers have two functions: providing low surface tension and protecting the rough surface formed by silica particles. This process was time-saving, energy-saving, protected the environment, had a low material cost and a strong performance stability. It is hoped that this fabric can be used in the large-scale industrialization of oil–water separation.

A durable superhydrophobic, self-cleaning cotton fabric based on UV curing was prepared and used in the field of oil/water separation.     

A review of recent progress in polymeric electrospun nanofiber membranes in addressing safe water global issues

With rapid advancement in water filtration materials, several efforts have been made to fabricate electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs). ENMs play a crucial role in different areas of water treatment due to their several advantageous properties such as high specific surface area, high interconnected porosity, controllable thickness, mechanical robustness, and wettability. In the broad field of water purification, ENMs have shown tremendous potential in terms of permeability, rejection, energy efficiency, resistance to fouling, reusability and mechanical robustness as compared to the traditional phase inversion membranes. Upon various chemical and physical modifications of ENMs, they have exhibited great potential for emerging applications in environment, energy and health sectors. This review firstly presents an overview of the limiting factors influencing the morphology of electrospun nanofibers. Secondly, it presents recent advancements in electrospinning processes, which helps to not only overcome drawbacks associated with the conventional electrospinning but also to produce nanofibers of different morphology and orientation with an increased rate of production. Thirdly, it presents a brief discussion about the recent progress of the ENMs for removal of various pollutants from aqueous system through major areas of membrane separation. Finally, this review concludes with the challenges and future directions in this vast and fast growing area.

This review provides an overview of recent advances and developments in electrospinning technology and the recent progress and applications of electrospun nanofiber membranes to expel various pollutants from water.     

聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞的生物相容性

背景：电纺丝技术能够使许多高分子材料制备出与细胞外基质相似的三维纳米纤维支架。聚乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维复合支架材料能够克服材料的不足,提高组织工程支架生物相容性。目的：评价聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞的生物相容性。方法：电纺丝技术制备聚左旋乳酸,壳聚糖,聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖的纳米纤维支架,扫描电镜观察其形貌结构。纳米纤维支架与内皮祖细胞进行复合培养后,观察细胞在不同材料上的黏附率、一氧化氮分泌,生长特征和在聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架上的细胞表型特征。结果与结论：聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架比聚左旋乳酸、壳聚糖具有更合适的纤维直径,具有与细胞外基质相似的纳米纤维三维多孔结构。聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖纳米纤维支架能够促进内皮祖细胞黏附率和细胞的一氧化氮分泌（P〈0.05,P〈0.01）。内皮祖细胞能够在聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖复合材料膜上融合成片,保持了细胞的完整形态和分化功能,显示了内皮细胞特异性的vWF表型。提示聚左旋乳酸/壳聚糖电纺丝纳米纤维支架与兔内皮祖细胞具有良好的生物相容性。     

Synchronous oil/water separation and wastewater treatment on a copper-oxide-coated mesh

Despite remarkable progress in oil/water separation and wastewater treatment, the ability to carry out the two processes in a synchronous manner has remained difficult. Here, synchronous oil/water separation and wastewater treatment were proposed on mesh surfaces coated with copper-oxide particles, which possess superwetting and catalytic properties. The superwetting performance generates additional pressure to achieve the permselectivity of the designed mesh, on which the oil phase is selectively repelled while the water phase passes though easily. Moreover, the catalytic performance of the copper oxide forms reactive oxygen species to purify the water during oil/water separation process. We show that the oil/water separation and catalytic degradation efficiencies for organic pollutants can reach more than 99% by adjusting the content of copper oxide on the mesh surfaces. Such a unique design for integrating multifunctionality on single mesh surfaces strongly underpins the synchronization of oil/water separation and wastewater treatment, which will provide a new insight for separating pure water from industrial oil/water mixtures.

An integrated multifunctional copper-oxide-coated mesh was designed via facile immersing and burning methods, which manifests synchronous oil/water separation and wastewater treatment.     

Preparation of high permeable alumina ceramic membrane with good separation performance via UV curing technique

The traditional dip-coating method for preparation of ceramic membranes requires a long drying time and easily produces drying defects. In this work, an improved dip-coating process was proposed. The UV curing technique was utilized to avoid crack formation and agglomeration of ceramic particles, for drying to be completed in a few minutes. Photosensitive resin and a photoinitiator were added into the aqueous ceramic suspension. Under the action of free radicals excited by ultraviolet light, a giant network formed in the green membrane within a short time which limits the migration of membrane particles. Experiments were performed to explore the influence of UV curing process on membrane properties and the optimum preparation conditions were obtained. Following a rapid drying treatment and firing, crack-free membranes were prepared, which exhibited a narrow pore size distribution centered at approximately 65.2 nm and a water permeance of 887 ± 48 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹. The largest pore size of the membrane was 85.7 nm while it could filter out 98.2% of the 100 nm monosize PS microsphere and the 60.1% of 60 nm, indicating its potential application in both membrane production efficiency and separation accuracy improvements.

The traditional dip-coating method for preparation of ceramic membranes requires a long drying time and easily produces drying defects. In this work, an improved dip-coating process was proposed.