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Inorganic material-incorporated cation exchange membranes (CEMs) with improved properties have drawn attention for reverse electrodialysis (RED). This paper deals with improving CEMs properties by incorporating silica–magnetite inorganic materials from natural resources. First, silica and magnetite were extracted from rice husk and iron sand, respectively. CEMs were prepared using the phase inversion method by incorporating various ratios. The results showed that both silica and magnetite were in micron size with yields of 76.6% and 59.2% wt., respectively. The CEMs containing magnetite materials showed higher ion exchange capacity (IEC) and ionic conductivity than PVC membranes. However, they had a greater swelling degree. The presence of silica reduced the swelling degree from 18.38% to 7.15% leading to membrane strengthening. A maximum IEC and conductivity of CEMs of 0.26 meq/g and 0.524 S/cm were obtained for the membrane prepared with a SiO2/Fe3O4 ratio of 0:4, respectively. However, considering all aspects, the addition of a SiO2/Fe3O4 ratio of 1:3 was the most significant for increasing the fixed cation density and conductivity by 27.49% and 2815%, respectively, compared to other ratios. Thus, this SiO2/Fe3O4 ratio (1:3) should be considered for practical implementation. Performance examination using RED confirmed that the PVC/SiO2/Fe3O4 can be used as CEM for power generating and had comparable performance to commercial membrane.

Kaolin has been found to be a more economical alternative in ceramic hollow membrane fabrication compared to alumina, silica, and zirconia despite having similar properties. However, it was discovered that apart from having high mechanical strength and the ability to withstand high operational temperature, the kaolin membrane has the tendency to dissolve in a high alkaline solution. Hence, in this study, zirconia (ZrO2) was imposed to kaolin suspension as co-starting material due to its stable hexagonal properties with kaolin to overcome this drawback. To study the dissolution property of the modified kaolin-based membrane, a phase inversion technique was used to fabricate zirconia-kaolin hollow fiber membrane (ZKHFM) followed by immersion in ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) as an alkaline solution. Ammonia was aptly chosen for it being considered as one of the pollutants to be removed from wastewater. The mechanism, morphology and properties of the membrane were investigated in terms of sintering temperature, morphology, mechanical strength, pore size and porosity The results showed that ZKHFM with 10 wt% (ZK-10) with sintering temperature of 1,200 °C had the best performance in terms of having high mechanical strength (21MPa), excellent permeation flux (∼1,600 Lm2/h) and lowest dissolution (0.01 g dissolute) at pH 13, indicating the ability of ZKHFM to be used in alkaline solution.

In this study, polyethylene oxide/bentonite/polyaniline (PEO/Bentonite/PANI) composite membrane with enhanced dye rejection and adsorption was constructed by phase inversion technique for the first time. The prepared membranes (PEO, PEO/Bentonite, and PEO/Bentonite/PANI) are characterized using XRD, FTIR, FESEM, and contact angle. These samples were tested as both filtration and adsorptive membranes. Comparative study for simultaneous removal for methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) in a mixed dye solution using PEO, PEO/Bentonite, and PEO/Bentonite/PANI membranes was investigated. The FESEM analysis showed that the surface of the composite membrane became uniform, free of agglomerates, and its pores became smaller after hybridization with bentonite and PANI proving the well compatibility between membrane constituents. Additionally, FTIR results demonstrated the good interaction between PEO, bentonite, and PANI in the composite membrane. The dye adsorption performance of the PEO/Bentonite/PANI membrane toward decolorization of MO and MB was studied under various conditions; the adsorbent dose ranged from 1.5 to 3 g/L, dye concentration (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 mg/L), and pH (3, 5, 7, 9, 11). The results revealed that the composite can remove 94% of MO and 96% of MB. Finally, the rejection of MO and MB through the prepared composite membrane was 83% and 85%, respectively. These results suggest that PEO/Bentonite/PANI membrane can be applied as a pressure filtration and/or adsorption membrane for the removal of other pollutants from wastewater.

PURPOSE: Effective remedy to gastrointestinal (GI) side effects caused by poorly water-soluble drugs remains a challenge. Researching for novel techniques to reduce these side effects and increase patient adherence to medical treatment is of interest. The current study aims to develop an innovative nano-sized gastro-retentive drug delivery for better management of poorly water-soluble drugs. METHOD: A non-disintegrating ibuprofen-asymmetric membrane floating nanoparticle (Ibuprofen-AMFNP) was prepared by phase inversion technique to increase the gastric residence of the drug. Powder characterization, solubility, in vitro buoyancy, effect on in vivo inflammatory markers, and polymer diffusibility studies were conducted on the prepared formulation. All UV-spectrophotometric analysis was accomplished through a fiber optic system. RESULTS: The prepared Ibuprofen-AMFNPs were in the nano range of 114.45 nm ±1.31 nm. The formulation was buoyant for 12 h in the dissolution media indicating increased gastric residence, had better solubility and powder characteristics compared to the pure drug. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an outer non-porous and inner porous asymmetric membrane. Ibuprofen-AMFNP followed Higuchi drug release kinetics (p=0.9925) and had a Fickian diffusion release mechanism (n=0.05). Polymer diffusibility study showed that the 24 h stored formulation had faster drug release with no lag time (−923.08 nm/h) compared to a fresh formulation (2526.32 nm/h). The prepared nano-formulation showed a higher percentage of anti-inflammatory (85.144%) effect compared to the pure drug (78.336%). CONCLUSION: Ibuprofen-AMFNP is envisioned to help reduce drug-related GI side effects, improve drug delivery, and thereby increase patient adherence to medical treatment. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text]

Aims: To understand about the nanoemulsion types and the process formation of spontaneous emulsification method by phase inversion. Then to test the different combinations of Oil, Surfactants and Co-surfactants for formation of suitable nanoemulsions for phenytoin drug loading. Study Design: Spontaneous emulsification method by phase inversion used to form the nanoemulsions. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. Methodology: Phenytoin is a widely used drug in anticonvulsants class for epilepsy which comes under BCS Class II of drug category. Phenytoin has high permeability property but it also shows low solubility property which makes it difficult to absorb from GI tract hence make a poor penetration into the brain to target disease in the CNS. To overcome the situation of poor delivery of phenytoin, the requirement of nanoparticulate drug delivery as an innovative and effective drug delivery system from nose to brain raised. The objective of our study was to find the best combination of oil and Smix (surfactant and co-surfactant mixture) to form o/w (Oil in Water) nanoemulsions suitable for loading phenytoin drug using spontaneous emulsification method for brain targeting. Results: Based on different compositions of oil (sunflower), surfactants (Tween-20), and co-surfactants (Transcutol P), forty-five test mixtures were made, water titration technique was employed for preparing the pseudo-ternary-phase diagrams. On the basis of these phase diagrams twenty-five phenytoin loaded nanoemulsions were formulated and further examined. After physicochemical characterization of these formulations the viscosity, pH, RI and % transmittance was found (6.149 ± 0.084 to 9.114 ± 0.027), (6.546 ± 0.018 to 6.656 ± 0.017), (1.395 ± 0.003 to 1.41 ± 0.005) and (94.53 ± 1.4% to 95.58 ± 1.2%) respectively. The release rate of phenytoin was found very satisfactory i.e., 98.51 ± 0.25 % to 99.82 ± 0.28 % after 24 hrs. The four formulations showed best release rate had further taken for particle size analysis. The particle size analysis showed that all the properties were in the desired range i.e., droplet size (18.9 to 21.9), zeta potential (-12.4 to -28.8), PDI (0.334 to 0.363). The study shows that the phenytoin loaded nanoemulsion is possible to make by water titration method and shall have a good drug release rate. Conclusion: The nanoemulsion formulations passed through stress testing had also showed good release rate of phenytoin. Also, the other parameters like viscosity, pH, RI and percentage transmittance were in a quit satisfactory range to proceed further with these formulations. The particle size analysis confirms the formation of nanoemultions which had very good drug release rates.

Hybrid organic–inorganic membranes which called as mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) based on Poly(ether-sulfone) (PES) and Materials Institute Lavoisier (MIL-53) (Al) are successfully prepared through a phase inversion method. The XRD and FTIR analyses confirm the formation of MIL-53 (Al) and classified as a mesoporous material with irregular morphology according to nitrogen sorption isotherm and SEM analysis. The loading of MIL-53 (Al) into PES varies from 10, 20, 30, and 40% (w/w). No chemical interaction is observed between MIL-53 (Al) and PES in MMMs based on FTIR analysis. Agglomeration in MMMs is observed at the addition of 40% (w/w) MIL-53 (Al) with an increase in the thermal stability of MMMs up to 50 °C. The gas separation is tested by calculating the gas permeability of N2, O2, and CO2 and reached optimum condition in the addition of MIL-53 (Al) 30% (w/w) with increasing permeability values, respectively, 4, 6, and 8 times higher than the pristine PES membrane. The optimum selectivity of CO2/N2 and CO2/O2 is achieved in the addition of MIL-53 (Al) by 30 and 40% (w/w) with an increase in selectivity values 62.58 and 26.70%, respectively, compared to the selectivity of net PES membrane.

Thick electrode design with a high mass loading of active materials is a promising strategy to increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the development toward thick electrode is severely limited by electrode mechanical instability and sluggish electronic/ionic transport (causing especially rate capability). Herein, ultrahigh-capacity thick LiFePO4 (UCT-LFP)-based freestanding electrodes with vertically-aligned channels are prepared by a phase inversion method. Their porous yet conductive matrix provides the high electronic conductivity and facilitates the permeation of liquid electrolyte, while the unique vertically-aligned micro-channels serve as the fast ion/electron transport pathways. Consequently, the UCT-LFP electrode with a high mass loading of 20 mg cm−2 shows a superior rate capability (110 mA h g−1 at 10 C) and an enhanced cycling performance. Notably, an ultra-thick LFP electrode (1.3 mm thick) with a remarkably high areal capacity (15.1 mA h cm−2) has been successfully achieved. This study provides a novel strategy for constructing thick electrodes toward high energy density LIBs.

Two simple model aqueous foams, one made from a perfluoroalkyl surfactant and one from a silicone polyether surfactant, are compared with regard to their stability in contact with heptane as a model fuel oil. The observed foam stabilities are explained in terms of the equilibrium phase behavior of the system water-surfactant-heptane. It is demonstrated that the fundamental enabling factor that makes perfluoroalkyl surfactant perform exceedingly well in stabilizing foams on hydrocarbon fuel oil is its oleophobicity. For hydrocarbon or silicone surfactants, the propensity for the surfactant phase to solubilize hydrocarbon oil and be solubilized in the oil destabilizes the foam. This is particularly so if the surfactant's phase inversion by temperature (PIT) range falls within the application temperature range.

The effect of chloroform as co-solvent, in polysulfone/NMP/water mixtures, on the morphology of membranes fabricated by the phase inversion method is reported. This was studied by preparing four solutions of 10% w/w polysulfone in NMP with 0, 15, 30, and 45% w/w chloroform as a co-solvent. The presence of chloroform affects the membrane morphology, deterring the formation of finger-like macrovoids. On the other hand, Ruaan’s parameter (Φ), turbidity tests, and the linearized method for the binodal curve were proposed to predict the variation in the membrane morphology, which was verified by direct observation through an optical microscope. Hence, in the presence of chloroform, a reduction of 50% in the homogeneous region on the ternary diagram was perceived, suggesting delayed precipitation of the polymer. Furthermore, the increment in the apparent diffusivity value (from 6.25 × 10−6 to 5.62 × 10−4 cm2/s with 30% w/w of CHCl3) was determined from the measurement of the water penetration distance as a function of time.

Polysulfones are hydrophobic which can reduce membrane permeability. Permeability can be increased through the application of hydrophilic materials such as GO-Fe 3 O 4 to the polysulfone membrane so that the membrane is hydrophilic. The riset purpose to determine the effect of the percentage weight of different material compositions on the hydrophilicity properties of the polysulfone membrane. Membrane fabrication is carried out using the phase inversion method where the polymer solution is molded in a place and immersed in a coagulation bath containing non-solvent. This solvent exchange causes the polymer to form a solid matrix and become a membrane. The results showed that GO particles were successfully doped with Fe 3 O 4 material shown by XRD analysis at a peak of 35.61˚ with a magnetite phase, while FTIR analysis showed that there was an absorption band characteristic of Fe-O streching vibrations. The results of the contact angle test on the GO-Fe 3 O 4 /PSF membrane 0.75 wt per cent were around 73.17˚ which showed the smallest hydrophobic value and the membrane surface morphology had an average pore size of 333.61 nm so that the addition of GO-Fe 3 O 4 composites could increase membrane hydrophilicity. DOI: 10.17977/um024v6i22021p055

The efficacy of anisotropic particles in Pickering emulsion stabilization, attributed to shape-induced capillary interactions, is well-documented in the literature. In this contribution, we show that the surface of hematite ellipsoids can be modified in situ by the addition of oleic acid to effect transitional phase inversion of Pickering emulsions. Interestingly, incorporation of oleic acid results in the formation of nonspherical emulsion drops. The phase inversion of oil-in-water to water-in-oil and the transition in shape of emulsion drops from spherical to nonspherical is observed in two different particle systems, namely, nanoellipsoids and microellipsoids. The surface of spherical emulsion drops stabilized by particles or particles along with high concentration of oleic acid is found to consist of ellipsoids arranged in a close-packed configuration with their major axis parallel to the interface. In contrast, at intermediate oleic acid concentration, the surface of nonspherical emulsion drops is observed to be covered with loosely packed particle monolayer, with the ellipsoids at the oil/water interface taking up many different orientations. Using contact angle goniometry, the change in the wettability of hematite particles due to adsorption of oleic acid is established to be the mechanism responsible for the phase inversion of Pickering emulsions.

Polyimides are widely utilized engineering polymers due to their excellent balance of mechanical, dielectric, and thermal properties. However, the manufacturing of polyimides into complex multifunctional designs can be hindered by dimensional shrinkage of the polymer upon imidization and post processing methods and inability to tailor electronic or mechanical properties. In this work, we developed methods to three-dimensional (3D) direct ink write polyimide closed-cell stochastic foams with tunable densities. These polyimide structures preserve the geometrical fidelity of 3D design with a linear shrinkage value of

Phosphate recovery is essential due to the depletion of phosphate resources and the phosphate loss by surface run-off. Membrane distillation crystallization (MDC) system with macroporous membrane provides a large interfacial surface for water removal at low temperature and phosphate concentration for crystal growth in the phosphate recovery strategy. However, the water vapour removal rate is limited by the membrane porosity and pore size. Membrane wetting and fouling on the hydrophobic membrane surface further reduce phosphate recovery in the long operation. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane was enhanced by adding micro fibrillated cellulose (MFC) filler to enhance phosphate recovery through struvite precipitation in MDC. The membrane was further modified by non-fluorinated silane (hexadecyltrimethoxysilane or octadecyltrichlorosilane) after phase inversion to attain superhydrophobicity. MFC promoted pore growth and porosity creation in PVDF/MFC membrane as the solvent-non-solvent exchange rate was boosted during phase inversion. In silane modification, abundant moieties of MFC further promoted vertical polymerization for creating superhydrophobic surface. The PVDF/MFC membrane modified with octadecyltrichlorosilane obtained the highest water contact angle of 154.4°, liquid entry pressure of 1.51 bar, relatively large pore size of 0.40 μm and satisfactory porosity of 45.1%, resulting in the stable permeate flux in MDC. The needle-like struvite crystals formed after pH adjustment and the modified membrane surface was not fouled even after 24 h of operation.

Diamine-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are known as desirable adsorbents that can capture CO2 even at low pressures, but the humidity instability of bare MOF powders as well as their shaping have not yet adequately addressed for practical applications. Herein, we report an effective synthetic strategy for fabricating millimeter-sized MOF/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite beads with different amounts of PVDF binders (30, 40, and 50 wt %) via a phase inversion method, followed by the postfunctionalization of 1-ethylpropane-1,3-diamine (epn). Compared with the pristine MOF powder, the diamine-grafted bead, epn-MOF/PVDF40, upon mixing with 40% binder polymers, exhibited a superior long-term performance without structural collapse for up to 1 month. The existence of the hydrophobic PVDF polymer in the composite material is responsible for such durability. This work provides a promising preparative route toward developing stable and shaped MOFs for the removal of indoor CO2.

Characterizing the relationships between the water repellency and moisture permeability (breathability) of hydrophilic polyurethane and its supramolecular structure, including the phase inversion t...

In this paper, environment friendly adsorbent material was successfully synthesized by plant (Euphorbia Hirta) mediated green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs), which was further incorporated into mixed matrices of cellulose acetate (CA) and polyether sulfone (PES) using the phase inversion method, and the efficiency of adsorbent materials was compared with the efficiency of those with incorporated CuO NPs and without CuO NPs in CA/PES polymer membrane. XRD, FTIR, FESEM-EDX, BET, contact angle and adsorption studies have characterized the prepared membrane. The structure, resulting from the formation of hydrogen bonds between the components were suggested by the FTIR and XRD analysis. The resulting contact angle measurements explain the essence of the membrane’s hydrophilicity. According to the resulting adsorption studies there is no adsorption ability against MB for the membrane without CuO NPs, but the incorporation of CuO NPs to the polymer membrane resulted in superior performance (removal efficiency 99%) in the removal of MB dye from water under room temperature. The most effective pH, temperature and initial dye concentration in adsorption process were found to be pH 7, 273 K and 2.5 × 10–5 M respectively. These results revealed that due to its adsorption properties prepared CA/PES@CuO membrane is a promising candidate for the dye removal application. Moreover, this work is expected to extend the scope of various applications of these systems.

This paper investigates the effectiveness of a viscosity ratio model to predict phase inversion in poly(lactic acid)/poly(caprolactone) (PLA/PCL) blends. From capillary rheometry measurements, the ...

In this research, the traditional version of the phase inversion method was used to fabricate a flat sheet of a blended membrane. The method was involved using a polymer that blends polyether sulfone (PES) varied proportions (0,3,4 and 5 wt.%), and polyphenyl sulfone (PPSU) was 20wt%. It was found that with the addition of PES, the membrane properties increased, the best properties were with 4%wt. The ratio was chosen PES 4wt% to study the effect of time, temperature, and pressure on the rejection of heavy and radioactive elements. The increase in the porosity was with the addition of 4% PES. The rejection of heavy and radioactive elements for thUF membrane increases with increasing of the operating pressure and time. While by increasing the temperature, the rejection of heavy and radioactive elements for thUF membrane decreased. The rejection of K, Th, and Pb are higher than other elements, the order of the rejection is K˃Th˃Pb˃U˃Cd˃Zn˃Cu>Ni.

Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) [EVA] and silver-calcined scallop shell powder (Ag-CS) based composite (EVA/Ag-CS) films were synthesized by wet phase inversion method. The composite films were characterized by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), water sorption test, and contact angle measurement. The functional properties such as photocatalytic and antibacterial properties were also studied in detail. Calcined scallop shell powder, which mainly contains CaO and Ca(OH)2 was prepared from a naturally occurring scallop shell by the sol–gel method. Silver-calcined scallop shell powder was prepared by the reduction of silver nitrate solution in the presence of calcined scallop shell powder. It was found that composite with a 6 wt% Ag-CS showed 5% better tensile strength and improved thermal properties than the pristine EVA. The incorporation of Ag-CS imparts photocatalytic property to EVA polymer matrix. Kinetics study showed that the photocatalytic process takes place through a pseudo-first-order manner. The antibacterial study of the prepared samples was tested by the agar-disc diffusion method. The composites are found to be good antibacterial material against Staphillococus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria.

With the rapid development of electronic devices, it is urgent to design and fabricate lightweight and effective electromagnetic absorption materials. Here, the graphene nanosheets/carbon nanotube/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (GNS/CNT/PVDF) composites with three-dimensional interconnected hierarchically porous networks have been successfully prepared via a facile solution mixing and followed by phase inversion method. The specific hierarchically porous structure in the composites possesses interconnected pores with various sizes. The open micro-scale pores on the top side give much smaller permittivity, which makes it less resistive to the incident microwave in a wide frequency range and is advantageous for multiple reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves (EMW). The relatively smooth and dense bottom prevents EMW passing through the composites, which endows the prepared composites with a high EMW absorption. The as-prepared porous composites with 3.5 mm thickness exhibit a maximum absorption value of as high as − 32.7 dB at 11.50 GHz and display an ultra-wide efficient absorption bandwidth (entire X-band). Therefore, our work sheds light on a feasible strategy for designing and fabricating high-efficient EMW absorption materials.

A ceramic material, Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3, is used for both cathode and current collector, aiming to lower the interface barrier. The current collector is prepared by phase inversion combined with laser scanning technique to obtain a novel microstructure featured by highly oriented finger-like pores inside and an array of hump-like tips on surface. The pores and surface two-dimensional trench network serve as micro-channels for gas transport, while the hump-like micro-points function as current collecting tips. The mean distance between the adjacent tips is about 50 μm, which significantly decreases the migration distance of electrons. The polarization resistance of symmetrical cell with the as-prepared current collector is only 20% of that with Ag collector, and the corresponding value in single cell decreases about 40% at 800 °C. The underlying mechanism for the impact of the ceramic current collector is discussed by revealing the correlation between the unique microstructure and the electrochemical performance.

Due to the increased potential for application of natural biopolymers in the food industry, the goal of this study was to prospectively produce antimicrobial films using asparagus residue. In this study, cellulose was extracted from asparagus residue, and then 3 cellulose solutions of 0.008, 0.01 and 0.025 g/mL were applied to prepare films using a phase inversion process. Films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The film produced by 0.01 g/mL asparagus cellulose solution exhibited a swelling ratio of 125.4% and excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using the disk agar diffusion method. This study presents a promising method for producing antimicrobial films with asparagus residue.

Designing photocatalytic membranes with excellent photocatalytic and self-cleaning ability based on the synergistic effect between the crystal structure of membrane matrix and photocatalyst is highly desirable. Herein, Z-scheme 2D/3D g-C3N4/BiOI heterojunction blended in beta-phase polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (β-phase PVDF) was prepared via solvent crystallization and phase inversion technique. As expected, the designed g-C3N4/BiOI/β-phase PVDF photocatalytic membranes (CN/BI/β-phase PVDF PMs) achieved exceptional photocatalytic degradation efficiency for tetracycline (94.6%) as compared to the CN/BI heterojunction power (84.0%) and two other control membrane matrixes (CN/BI/PAN and CN/BI/CA PMs) within 120 min. Meanwhile, the dynamic cyclic degradation system of CN/BI/β-phase PVDF PMs was also investigated that reached to be 94.8% in 80 min. Besides, the CN/BI/β-phase PVDF PMs not only had outstanding self-cleaning activity and remarkable permeability (up to 30,688 L·m−2·h−1) but also had high stability and reusability even after five runs. Importantly, the hydroxyl radical detection and ESR analysis identified that the β-phase PVDF membrane could promote photoinduced carrier separation efficiency of 2D/3D g-C3N4/BiOI heterojunction. This work may open up a novel strategy for designing and constructing high-efficient photocatalytic membranes for water treatment.

Liquid-liquid flow in the pipeline transportation system can consume large energy due to high frictional drop which can be decreased by adding some chemical additives. The effect of these additives is different from type to type and most of them used only for single phase flow. This work focuses on reducing the pump energy requirements of two-phase flow (oil–water) by using three types of additives, anionic surfactant (sodium lignosulfonate (SLS)), cationic surfactant (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) and titanium nanoparticles. An energy analysis in case of varying the type of additives, mixture velocity, and oil fraction are presented. The results showed that the power consumption is reduced significantly and maximum reduction (84%) was gained by using CTAB. The results also confirm that less value of oil fraction is required to phase inversion point after using CTAB, while SLS and nanoparticle cause an increase in the required value of oil fraction.

Presenting a combination of sustainability and environmental friendliness, a new class of green and non-petroleum-based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) was successfully developed from silica-filled silicone rubber (FSR) and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) via dynamic vulcanization. The phase morphology, interfacial compatibilization, and microstructural properties of FSR/PBS TPVs were investigated. Notably, a large number of FSR microparticles were observed and were dispersed in the continuous PBS phase, indicating complete phase inversion during the dynamic vulcanization. The fine phase morphology of FSR/PBS TPVs was achieved by a fine phase morphology of the SR/PBS premix, the good interfacial compatibility between the PBS phase and the cross-linked FSR phase, and complete phase inversion. The as-prepared TPVs possessed high tensile strength, good elastic behavior, easy processability, and reprocessability. These novel non-petroleum-based TPVs have potential applications in packagings, biomedical devices, and three-dimensional (3D) printing materials.

Embedded 3D printing has demonstrated fabricating freeform structures of curable polymer resins in microparticulate hydrogels. This method is, however, not compatible with thermoplastics extruded a...

Porous ceramics have attracted considerable attention owing to the increased interest in their applications. Porous Al2O3–MgO–TiO2 ceramic monoliths were synthesized using nanoemulsion templating and temperature-induced forming method. The nanoemulsion (NE) is prepared by the phase inversion composition method. The ceramic slurry was dispersed by ammonium citrate trihydrate (ACT), and polyacrylic acid was used to induce gelling. The effect of different nanoemulsions and different metal oxide ratios on the fired monoliths were studied. The suspended ceramic, green bodies and fired monoliths were characterized by different characterization techniques. The combination of NE with ACT increases the zeta potential of ceramic slurries to ∼−28 mV. The combined routes successfully resulted in porous monoliths with an ironic microstructure with a homogenous distribution of pores. The apparent porosity increased to 57 % that in turn increased resistivity to 4.41E + 10 Ω.cm. The fired monoliths have corundum, rutile, spinel and aluminum titanate phases.

In this study, we report the synergistic role of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) functionalization of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and low-temperature phase-inversion for boosting the pola...

A comprehensive study from Curcuma longa to powder nano curcuminoids has been carried out. Combining both a low-energy method (phase inversion temperature) and a high-energy method (ultrasonication), a series of narrow size curcuminoid nanoemulsions with average diameters (Z-average) from 10.3 to 27.5 nm and a polydispersity index (PDI) from 0.103 to 0.330 (a.u.) have been prepared. The antioxidant activity of the prepared nano curcuminoid nanoemulsions (NCEs) was investigated. The permeabilities via Frank-cell membrane have been tested and reached a maximum of 85.57% after 90 min. The accumulation of curcuminoids in intestinal rats has been checked and achieved saturated values from 124.97 to 153.56 μg cm−2 after 90 min. All NCEs were stable at the NaCl solution concentration of 0.1–1.0 M. After 60 days of cold-storage, the Z-averages have changed slightly. Moreover, NCEs have been used to prepare instant drinking powder by the spray-drying method.

Polysulfone is among the polymers known for excellent electrical resistivity, elongation capacity, transparency and thermal resistance. Polysulfone is being used in battery caps, oil pumps, oil control pistons, transmission parts, water treatment, etc. The focus of the presented work is to control the porosity level of polysulfone membranes through plasma treatment for water treatment application. Polysulfone membrane was fabricated using phase inversion method and treated with microwave plasma of oxygen under fixed plasma conditions. The membrane samples were plasma treated for 15 s to 30 s and analyzed for surface morphology, pore size distribution and functional groups. Presence of benzene rings, sulfonic groups and phenols groups in the samples were observed in a range of 855–1000 cm−1, 1290–1360 cm−1 and 3250–3420 cm−1, respectively. The blank sample had wider pore size distribution (3–18 µm) while plasma treated samples exhibited narrow pore size distribution. The pore size distribution after 15 s and 30 s of treatment ranged from 3 to 9 µm and 3 to 5 µm, respectively. Conclusively, uniform pore size distribution was possible after 30 s of plasma treatment.

This study investigate the performance and physical properties of polymer mixed membrane integrated with the microflower of titanium dioxide (TiO2) that synthesized at different temperature value. Microflower TiO2 has been prepared by hydrothermal method with variation of synthesized temperature at 120 °C, 150 °C and 180 °C and the polymer flat sheet membranes were fabricated via phase inversion technique. In this present work, TiO2 was used as photocatalytic, antifouling and hydrophilicity improvement. Synthesized microflower TiO2 via hydrothermal method offer higher surface area that able to speed up any chemical reaction of TiO2. Prior to the fabrication of polymer mixed matric membrane, the characterization of TiO2 have been conducted to determine the optimum synthesize temperature. Then this was followed by the measurement of properties and performance of the polymer mixed matric membrane. Further observation on the self-cleaning test at different concentration of TiO2 wt (%) of the membranes were conducted. The results obtained showed that membrane at temperature of 150 °C with 2.5% of TiO2 wt (%) shows a better result than others with the highest rejection rate of 99.43% that probably due to small finger like structure. Meanwhile for self- cleaning test, membrane with synthesized temperature of 150 °C showed a better result than others with the highest of retention rate before and after being exposed to UV light which were 99.42% and 98.66% respectively. Humic acid flux recovery ratio (FRR) showed a better performance for membrane at synthesized temperature of 120 °C that may relate to the effect of higher surface area that TiO2 that able to attract more water. As conclusion, PSf/TiO2 membrane at synthesized temperature of 150 °C with 2.5% of TiO2 wt (%) shows an excellent result that possessed a strong hydrophilic property by lowering the fouling effect and give higher retention value.

The potential window plays an important role in the performance of a supercapacitor and the gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is the widespread interest in this context. GP electrolytes have high ionic conductivity, excellent electrochemical stability, and suitable ion transfer. So, in this work, the porous poly(acrylonitrile-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane) (P(A-POS)) membrane electrolyte has been proposed for the metal oxide-based supercapacitors. The porous membrane was synthesized via the phase inversion process and after the liquid organic electrolyte uptake, it was used as GPE in Co3O4 nanoribbon/activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitor. The positive electrode based on Co3O4 nanoribbon (NR-Co3O4) offered a high specific capacitance of 2380.4 mF cm−2 at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 and the organic liquid electrolyte uptake of (P(A-POS)) membrane was 405%. The results indicated that the supercapacitor with NR-Co3O4 positive electrode and (P(A-POS)) porous membrane shows wide potential window of 4 V and low charge transfer resistance of 1.1 Ω in a solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor.

A Good's buffer ionic liquid (GB-IL) composed of quaternary ammonium cations and Good's buffer anions is first introduced into a microemulsion system as a self-buffering and biocompatible electrolyte. The effects of the constituting ions of a GB-IL and their concentrations on the phase behavior of the anionic surfactant SDBS stabilized n-octane–H2O microemulsion system were studied for the first time using the e–β fish-like phase diagram method. The result indicates that the phase behavior of the above microemulsion system is greatly affected by GB-IL cations with a longer alkyl chain on the cation being more favorable for phase inversion. Compared with NaCl, a GB-IL of the same concentration is more efficient for achieving phase inversion, due to the dual role of an electrolyte and a co-alcohol. In addition to the phase behavior, the stability of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) solubilized in an SDBS stabilized bicontinuous microemulsion is also affected by a GB-IL. It is found that the variation of the cationic alkyl chain has a negligible effect on the microemulsion microstructure, but has a significant influence on the stability of the solubilized HRP. At a fixed concentration of the GB-IL, the quaternary ammonium cation with a longer alkyl chain is better for the stabilization of the HRP activity. For a given GB-IL, a higher level of the GB-IL results in a better HRP stability. More importantly, the GB-IL-buffered microemulsion, at the same level of the buffering salt, is more advantageous than the phosphate-buffered one for the stabilization of the HRP activity. This advantage is more pronounced for higher concentrations of the GB-IL. This difference in the HRP stability, caused by the buffering salts, should be ascribed to the microemulsion microstructure effect as well as the Hofmeister effect. The present study provides a guideline for the construction of a bicontinuous microemulsion with a simplified composition and stabilizing effect on the solubilized enzyme.