Search

In this study, the potential of LaPO4 foam as a heterogeneous catalyst to produce biodiesel from highly acidic waste cooking oil (WCO) was investigated. The LaPO4 supported nickel foam was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray mapping analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). In addition, the effect of different parameters such as the molar ratio of feedstock to methanol, contact time and the reaction temperature. Under the study conditions, with methanol to oil molar ratio of 5:1, and a reaction temperature of 90 °C, 91% FAME yield was obtained within 120 min with 2.5 wt % of LaPO4. The obtained results demonstrated that LaPO4 foam can be used effectively as a heterogeneous catalyst with superior catalytic efficiency (>90%) with easy separation and excellent stability.

Poly(urethane-malonic-esteramide) (PUMEA), a novel resin synthesized from corn oil-based fatty amide, malonic acid, and isophorone diisocynate, was modified by introducing different amounts of mult...

As a result of the involvement of pollutants in water, there is the need to develop a facile and effective membrane technology that can not only treat dyes, but also kill bacteria in wastewater. In this work, a facile strategy is proposed for the preparation of a nanostructured hybrid membrane based on Polyphenylsulfone containing different ZnO nanoparticle contents. The results confirm that ZnO nanoparticle plays a key role in achieving the efficient removal of soluble anionic dyes from aqueous solution. The optimal membrane exhibits excellent dye rejection approximately 98% with impeccable water flux 19 L/m²h; and exhibits antifouling properties, presenting dye‐fouled flux recovery ratio> 90%. Moreover, an investigation of antibacterial properties of the material showed that the nanostructured hybrid membrane has good antibacterial properties (nearly 6.2 and 6.8) against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the proposed nanostructured hybrid membrane may provide an efficient for treating dye and bacteria in wastewater.

In this study, for the first time, a highly permeable composite membrane was constructed by incorporating a zinc-based metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF) in a polyphenylsulfone matrix for the elevation of antifouling properties. Owing to the hydrophilic nature and high surface charge, this membrane demonstrated effective bovine serum albumin (a model protein) rejection and antifouling characteristics.

This study focuses on selective ion removal and antibacterial applications of silver-doped multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanocomposite membranes. The prepared Ag-doped MWCNTs are characterized according to their particle size distribution and specific surface area. Further, they are examined using transmission electron microscopy and several spectroscopic techniques; their morphology, topography, surface charge, porosity, and contact angles are reported. A performance evaluation demonstrates that the Ag-MWCNT/PPSU nanocomposite membrane exhibits unique properties and achieves optimal performance. The nanocomposite membrane exhibits significantly improved selective removal of Na2HAsO4, Na2Cr2O7, Na2SO4, NaCl, MgSO4, and MgCl2 ions from aqueous solutions compared to the pristine PPSU membrane. The antibacterial activity is evaluated using Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and is found to be enhanced by the presence of Ag-MWCNTs, which endow the nanocomposite membrane with excellent antibacterial activity. Hence, the developed Ag-MWCNT/PPSU nanocomposite membrane with improved ion removal performance and antibacterial activity could be suitable for use in potable water applications.

Incense sticks ash is one of the most unexplored by-products generated at religious places and houses obtained after the combustion of incense sticks. Every year, tonnes of incense sticks ash is produced at religious places in India which are disposed of into the rivers and water bodies. The presence of heavy metals and high content of alkali metals challenges a potential threat to the living organism after the disposal in the river. The leaching of heavy metals and alkali metals may lead to water pollution. Besides this, incense sticks also have a high amount of calcium, silica, alumina, and ferrous along with traces of rutile and other oxides either in crystalline or amorphous phases. The incense sticks ash, heavy metals, and alkali metals can be extracted by water, mineral acids, and alkali. Ferrous can be extracted by magnetic separation, while calcium by HCl, alumina by sulfuric acid treatment, and silica by strong hydroxides like NaOH. The recovery of such elements by using acids and bases will eliminate their toxic heavy metals at the same time recovering major value-added minerals from it. Here, in the present research work, the effect on the elemental composition, morphology, crystallinity, and size of incense sticks ash particles was observed by extracting ferrous, followed by extraction of calcium by HCl and alumina by H2SO4 at 90–95 °C for 90 min. The final residue was treated with 4 M NaOH, in order to extract leachable silica at 90 °C for 90 min along with continuous stirring. The transformation of various minerals phases and microstructures of incense sticks ash (ISA) and other residues during ferrous, extraction, calcium, and alumina and silica extraction was studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). DLS was used for analyzing the size during the experiments while FTIR helped in the confirmation of the formation of new products during the treatments. From the various instrumental analyses, it was found that the toxic metals present in the initial incense sticks ash got eliminated. Besides this, the major alkali metals, i.e., Ca and Mg, got reduced during these successive treatments. Initially, there were mainly irregular shaped, micron-sized particles that were dominant in the incense sticks ash particles. Besides this, there were plenty of carbon particles left unburned during combustion. In the final residue, nanosized flowers shaped along with cuboidal micron-sized particles were dominant. present in If, such sequential techniques will be applied by the industries based on recycling of incense sticks ash, then not only the solid waste pollution will be reduced but also numerous value-added minerals like ferrous, silica, alumina calcium oxides and carbonates can be recovered from such waste. The value-added minerals could act as an economical and sustainable source of adsorbent for wastewater treatment in future.

The acid-mediated (oxalic acid [OXA], cinnamic acid [CA], and itaconic acid [IA]) SnO2 nanorods were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The synthesized SnO2 nanorods, in turn, were analyzed with various physico-chemical techniques such as the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of the different SnO2 nanorods was investigated with the malachite green (MG) dye under visible light illumination. The OXA-SnO2 nanorods displayed an excellent degradation performance with observed value at 91% and it was compared to CA and IA-SnO2 nanomaterials. This tetragonal phase was identified and confirmed by XRD studies. In this regards, obtained band gap energy is low then optimally performed to the photocatalytic evolution. The OXA-SnO2 materials were tested for antibacterial and antifungal studies; this was as shown in good biological activities with admire to the different bacterial strains. The Candida albicans (antifungal) and Enterococcus faecalis (Gram-positive) bacteria were not affected in the microbial studies.

Nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) was extracted by a chemical method involving alkali and acid hydrolysis. The characterisation of the citrus sinensis fruit peel bran and nano-fibrillated cellulose was performed by XRD, FTIR, TEM, and FESEM. XRD confirmed the phase of NFC which showed monoclinic crystal with spherical to rod shape morphology with a size of 44&ndash, 50 nm. The crystallinity index of treated NFC increased from 39% to 75%. FTIR showed the removal of lignin and hemicellulose from waste peels due to the alkaline treatment. Silver nanoparticles were also synthesised by utilizing extract of citrus sinensis skins as a reducing agent. Pharmaceutical effluent samples from an industrial area were tested by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Out of the four metals obtained, cadmium and chromium were remediated by silver nanoparticles with nano-fibrillated cellulose via simulated method in 100 mg/L metal-salt concentrations over a time period of 160 min. The highest removal efficiency was found for cadmium, i.e., 83%, by using silver and NFC together as adsorbents. The second highest was for chromium, i.e., 47%, but by using only NFC. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were well fitted for the sorption of Cd (II) and Cr (II) with suitable high R2 values during kinetic simulation. Thus, the isolation of NFC and synthesis of silver nanoparticles proved efficient for heavy metal sorption by the reuse of waste skins.

We fabricated a nanofiltration membrane consisting of a polyaniline (PANI) film on a polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) substrate membrane. The PANI film acted as a potent separation enhancer and antimicrobial coating. The membrane was analyzed via scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to examine its morphology, topography, contact angle, and zeta potential. We aimed to investigate the impact of the PANI film on the surface properties of the membrane. Membrane performance was then evaluated in terms of water permeation and rejection of methylene blue (MB), an organic dye. Coating the PPSU membrane with a PANI film imparted significant advantages, including finely tuned nanometer-scale membrane pores and tailored surface properties, including increased hydrophilicity and zeta potential. The PANI film also significantly enhanced separation of the MB dye. The PANI-coated membrane rejected over 90% of MB with little compromise in membrane permeability. The PANI film also enhanced the antimicrobial activity of the membrane. The bacteriostasis (BR) values of PANI-coated PPSU membranes after six and sixteen hours of incubation with Escherichia coli were 63.5% and 95.2%, respectively. The BR values of PANI-coated PPSU membranes after six and sixteen hours of incubation with Staphylococcus aureus were 70.6% and 88.0%, respectively.

In this study, a simple environmentally greener “in situ” chemical synthesis has been developed to prepare silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) from chemically reduced AgNO3 in an aqueous media of thermo-responsive microgel, using glucose as a reducing agent and by adopting a microwave irradiation technique. The thermo-responsive microgel poly-N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, poly (NIPAM-co-HEA) 200 nm in size was prepared by surfactant free emulsion polymerisation of a selected mixture of N-isopropylacrylamide, methylene-bis-acrylamide and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate. This microgel acts as a mere support to immobilize Ag NPs. The formation of Ag NPs and the thermo-responsive properties of the mixture were studied using UV–visible Spectroscopy. Their structures were characterised by FE-SEM and TEM. The Ag NPs prepared by this approach appear to be monodispersed with sizes which are

We investigate the removal of heavy metal ions from synthetic contaminated water on a laboratory scale using a carboxylated-graphene oxide (GO)-incorporated polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanofiltration membrane (the so called PPSU/carboxylated-GO nanocomposite membrane). The prepared membranes were characterized with respect to the rheology of the doping solutions and based on the morphology, topography, and charge density of the membranes. Spectroscopic analysis of the membranes was also performed. The nanofiltration performance was demonstrated by the removal of five heavy metal ions (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead, and zinc). The effects of carboxylated-GO on the membrane molecular weight cut-off, hydraulic permeability, and heavy metal ion removal performance were investigated with respect to different factors, including feed concentration from single ions, transmembrane pressure (TMP) with mixed ions, and permeate flux. The addition of carboxylated-GO produced a membrane with enhanced properties that exhibited superior performance. Increasing the feed concentration and TMP did not affect the removal of anions; however, the removal of cations slightly decreased with the resulting membrane. The maximum removal rates of heavy metal ions were >98% and ∼80% for the anions and cations, respectively, and an enhanced volumetric flux of 27 ± 3 L m−2 h−1 was observed. This result is based on the Donnan exclusion principle, which is attributable to the surface charge of −70 mV and the order of the hydrated metal radii. The prepared PPSU/carboxylated-GO nanocomposite membrane provided impressive heavy metal ion removal and showed an acceptable volumetric flux under the applied parameters; this work demonstrates very economically advantageous conditions for heavy metal ion removal.

A biopolymer, κ-carrageenan, was investigated as a pore-former for preparing highly porous polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) membranes. The prepared membranes were characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle zeta-potential, porosity, mean pore diameter, and water permeability. The results demonstrated that the pure membrane’s finger-like structure was replaced by a continuous porous structure with uniformly distributed pores when κ-carrageenan was added. More importantly, the membrane porosity and mean pore diameter increased from 48 ± 3% to 78 ± 2% and from ∼2 nm to 1.1 µm, respectively, demonstrating the strong potential of κ-carrageenan as a pore-former.

The production of hydrogen from glucose by using Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048 (E. aerogenes) in an immobilized cell reactor (ICR) was investigated. The effect of several factors, such as the glucose concentration, feed flow rate, and fermentation time were examined. The highest amount of hydrogen (9.44 mmol H2/g glucose) was obtained at a glucose concentration of 8 g/L, flow rate of 0.5 mL/min, retention time of 24 h and at a temperature of 30 °C. Meanwhile, the highest amount of carbon dioxide (1.68 mmol CO2/g glucose) was obtained at a glucose concentration of 10 g/L, flow rate of 0.7 mL/min, hydraulic retention time of 24 h and at a temperature of 30 °C. The hydrogen and carbon dioxide production were affected by glucose concentration, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and fermentation time. This study showed that the ICR was a very efficient method for the production of hydrogen and carbon dioxide gases.

As a tool for mitigating water scarcity, membrane technologies have attracted much attention in the field of industrial effluent treatment. Notably, standard membranes suffer rejection issues that lead to short membrane life and high operational costs. Thus, better rejection-resistant materials (e.g., polyethersulfone (PES) membrane blended with carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (carboxylated-MWCNT)) have been developed via a phase-inversion process. Fabricated nanocomposite membranes are characterized in terms of physico-chemical characteristics and permeation properties. The removal performance of nanocomposite membranes is evaluated via the filtration of 1000 mg/L electroneutral bromothymol blue and anionic methyl orange dyes. According to the results, the optimum blending of 0.2 wt% carboxylated-MWCNTs exhibits an increase in surface properties and thermo-mechanical properties. Moreover, carboxylated-MWCNT/PES nanocomposites exhibit the highest pure-water permeability at 20.0 L/m2.h.bar and superior removal of dyes (greater than 95%) with different charges at an operating pressure of 3 bar. The carboxylated-MWCNTs/PES are promising nanocomposite membranes that exhibit favorable removal performance when dealing with industrial effluent.

Chromium (Cr) is a trace element critical to human health and well-being. In the last few decades, its contamination, especially hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] form in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, has amplified as a result of various anthropogenic activities. Chromium pollution is a significant environmental threat, severely impacting our environment and natural resources, especially water and soil. Excessive exposure could lead to higher levels of accumulation in human and animal tissues, leading to toxic and detrimental health effects. Several studies have shown that chromium is a toxic element that negatively affects plant metabolic activities, hampering crop growth and yield and reducing vegetable and grain quality. Thus, it must be monitored in water, soil, and crop production system. Various useful and practical remediation technologies have been emerging in regulating chromium in water, soil, and other resources. A sustainable remediation approach must be adopted to balance the environment and nature.

Polymer mixed matrix membranes are the state-of-the-art materials for membrane based pharmaceuticals and bio-macromolecule separation applications. The present work demonstrates the fabrication of PPSu (polyphenylsulfone) and SPPSu (Sulfonated polyphenylsulfone)/nanoparticle titanium oxide (TiO2) hollow fiber membranes by phase inversion technique. SPPSu/TiO2 hollow fiber membranes resulted on higher flux about 25.5% compare to neat membrane, and with improved thermal and mechanical properties. The tethered of nanoparticle TiO2 and sulfonation on polymer matrix tailors the surface chemistry of the composite hollow fiber membrane by altering the morphology and water permeability. Cross section morphology was analyzed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surface topography were scanned using atomic force microscope (AFM) and nanocomposite membrane resulted with smooth surfaces. The pH-dependent surface charge properties of the prepared hollow fibers were determined through electro kinetic analyzer, demonstrating that the sulfonated PPSu blend membrane surface was negatively charged. The prepared membranes were also subjected to rejection ability of varying molecular weights of proteins and assigned the molecular weight cut-off of the membranes. SPPSu/TiO2 mixed matrix membranes resulted in improved (Rt ≈ 22%) antifouling properties.

Ethno-pharmacological relevance Picrosides I, II and apocynin are the main active principles present in the roots and rhizomes of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex. Benth (Kutki). Ethno-medicinally, the plant is used for the treatment of liver, upper respiratory tract disorders and dyspepsia, since long in Ayurveda. Aim of the study This study attempts to determine the pharmacokinetic profile of picrosides I, II and apocynin in rats after oral administration of iridoid enriched fraction (IRF) and to recognize the pattern of its metabolites as such in IRF and in plasma. Materials and methods A simple, precise, specific and sensitive RP-HPLC method was developed for simultaneous quantification of picrosides I, II and apocynin in rat plasma and in plant extract. Acetonitrile (ACN) and water was used as a solvent system with a gradient elution for pharmacokinetic studies using HPLC-PDA (Flow rate: 1.0 mL/min) and metabolic profiling through UPLC-MS (Flow rate: 0.5 mL/min) in selected reaction monitoring. A comparative study was performed in order to recognize the pattern and fate of metabolites in rat plasma up to 24 h after single oral administration of IRF. Results Developed method produced more than 85% recovery of the targeted metabolites in rat plasma. The content of picrosides I, II and apocynin in IRF were found 5.7%, 18.3% and 27.3% w/w, respectively. The mean plasma concentration versus time profiles of picroside I, II and apocynin resulted in peak plasma concentration (C max ) 244.9, 104.6 and 504.2 ng/mL with half-life (t 1/2 ) 14, 8 and 6 h, respectively. Other pharmacokinetic parameters such as time to reach C max (t max ), area under curve (AUC), absorption (k a ) and elimination (k e ) constant, volume of distribution (V d ) were also determined. Pattern recognition analysis showed fate of 18 metabolites in rat plasma up to 24 h out of 26 present in IRF. Conclusion The information gained from this study postulates the basic pharmacokinetic profiling of picroside I, II and apocynin as well as fate of other metabolites after oral administration of IRF, demonstrating scientific basis of its traditional use in Ayurveda.

In the current study, poly(orthotoluidine) (POT), which is a polyaniline derivative, was used as a novel organic nanoadditive for the preparation of a polysulfone–POT nanocomposite membrane with an improved separation performance. The effect of different concentrations of POT (0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt%) on the membrane properties was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, tensile measurement, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle meter, and zeta potential. The performance of the membranes was evaluated in terms of the water flux and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection and adsorption. The irreversible flux decline ratio (Rir) and the flux recovery rate (FRR%) were calculated to evaluate the fouling-resistant ability of the prepared membranes. All of the membranes that consisted of the POT nanomaterials exhibited improved membrane performances (i.e., water flux, BSA adsorption resistance, rejection, and mechanical and thermal properties) compared with the neat polysulfone membrane. A considerable improvement in the membrane performance was observed for the nanocomposite membrane that had a POT content of 1 wt% because of its membrane morphology, which has a typical asymmetric structure and suitable surface characteristics, including surface roughness and charge. The 1 wt% POT-added nanocomposite membrane, which exhibited the highest FRR value of 87.95% and the lowest irreversible fouling resistance (Rir) value of 12.04%, could be used as a preferential membrane in ultrafiltration applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:E157–E166, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers

Refereed/Peer-reviewed A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a device for the simultaneous treatment of wastewater and the generation of electricity with the aid of microorganisms as a biocatalyst. Membranes play an important role in the power generation of microbial fuel cells. Nafion 117, the most common proton exchange membrane (PEM), is expensive and this is the main obstacle for commercialization of MFC. In this study, four kinds of sulphonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) with different degrees of sulphonation (DS) referred to hereafter as SPEEK 1 (Ds = 20.8%), SPEEK 2 (Ds = 41%), SPEEK 3 (Ds = 63.6%), and SPEEK 4 (DS = 76%), were fabricated, characterized and applied in an MFC. The membranes were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and their morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The degree of sulphonation was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Then the membranes were applied to the MFC system. The results indicated that the power produced by MFG with SPEEK 3 (68.64 mW/m(2)) was higher than with the other SPEEK membranes while it was lower than with Nafion 117 (74.8 mW/m(2)). SPEEK3 also had the highest chemical oxygen demand removal (91%) and coulombic efficiency (26%) compared to other SPEEK membranes. The cost evaluation suggests that application of SPEEK 3 is more cost effective than applications of the other types of SPEEK and Nafion 117, due to its high power density generation per cost. Copyright (c) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. usc

Refereed/Peer-reviewed The PS (Polysulfone)/SPEEK (sulfonated poly ether ether ketone) hybrid membranes were fabricated and modified with low and high DS (degrees of sulfonation) for the desalination of brackish water and proton exchange membrane in microbial fuel cell. The results illustrated that SPEEK has changed the morphology of membranes and increase their hydrophilicity. PS/SPEEK with lower DS (29%) had the rejection percentage of 62% for NaCl and 68% for MgSO4; while it was 67% and 81% for PS/SPEEK (76%) at 4 bars. Furthermore, the water flux for PS at 10 bar was 12.41 L m(-2) h(-1). It was four times higher for PS/SPEEK (29%) which means 49.5 L m(-2) h(-1) and 13 times higher for PS/SPEEK (76%) with means 157.76 L m(-2) h(-1). However, in MFC (microbial fuel cell), the highest power production was 97.47 mW/m(2) by PS/SPEEK (29%) followed by 41.42 mW/m(2) for PS/SPEEK (76%), and 9.4 mW/m(2) for PS. This revealed that the sulfonation of PEEK (poly ether ether ketone) made it a better additive for PS for desalination, because it created a membrane with higher hydrophilicity, better pore size and better for salt rejection. Although for the separator, the degree of sulfonation was limited; otherwise it made a membrane to transfer some of the unwanted ions. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Poly(lactic acid)/epoxidized soybean oil/carbon nanotubes (PLA/ESO/CNTs) nanocomposites were prepared by the solution blending process, and the influence of ESO on the properties of the composites was studied. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction revealed that the addition of CNTs improved the crystallinity of the nanocomposites. The modulus increased with the addition of CNTs content in the composites. Morphological characterizations were done by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Electrical conductivity of PLA/ESO/CNT composites increased with the addition of CNTs. This study revealed that the addition of ESO facilitated the dispersion of the CNTs in the PLA matrix.

In this paper, we report an easy route for preparing new metal nanorod-polymer composites consisting of gold nanorods, Au NRs, and temperature responsive copolymer "microgel" particles. The microgel particles of ~200 nm in size, which contain carboxylic acid groups, were prepared by surfactant-free emulsion polymerization of a selected mixture made of N-isopropylacylamide and acrylic acid in the presence of a cross-linker N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide. The electrostatic interactions between the cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) stabilized Au NRs and anionic microgel particles were expected to occur in order to prepare stable Au NRs-microgel composite particles. The optical and structural characterization of the composite was achieved using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). TEM image shows that Au NRs are attached on the surface of the microgel particles. Dynamic light scattering measurements prove that the composite particles are temperature responsive, which means the particles undergo a decrease in size as the temperature increases above its phase transition temperature. In vitro cytotoxicity of the composite materials were tested by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and hemolysis assay, which showed non-toxicity (biocompatibility).

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) have essential role in the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs). They act as a separator and separate anode and cathode compartments and they also transfer protons between anode and cathode. In this study three types of PEMs (Nafion 112, SPEEK and Nafion 117) have been applied to MFC and the amount of produced bioenergy with the feed of a wastewater in 5000 m/l chemical oxygen demand (COD) have been reported. It has been observed that the MFC working with Nafion 117 as separator produced the highest power among the other MFCs. Also It was found that the produced power was 179.7 mW/m2 for Nafion 117 while it was 126.1 for SPEEK and 19.7 for Nafion 112. Moreover it has been concluded that the low power production of Nafion 112 was due to the diffusion of oxygen from the cathode chamber to the anode chamber that disturb the microorganism's metabolism for degradation of organic compounds. Generally we have found a new economic PEM for using in MFCs.

This study presents the possibility of generating electricity from a single culture microbial fuel cell (MFC), using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/Nafion composite membranes. Electrospun PVDF nanofibres were fabricated using an electrospinning method. The membranes were prepared by combining different amounts of Nafion (0.2 g, 0.4 g, 0.6 g) with high porosity electrospun PVDF nanofibres. The characteristics of the PVDF nanofibres and the membrane, such as morphology, thermal stability, structure and the power generated by the different PEMs, were investigated. Ribbon shaped PVDF nanofibres were preserved in a membrane, as shown by the Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) cross sectional image. Results from Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis show an increase in the thermal stability of the membrane due to the presence of the electrospun PVDF nanofibres. Consequently, the structure of the nanofibres was saved within the membrane. The results show that the membrane prepared using PVDF and 0.4 g Nafion had the highest power generation and coulombic efficiency of all membranes, with 4.9 mW/m 2 and 12.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the membrane prepared using PVDF and 0.2 g Nafion had the lowest power generation of 2.9 mW/m 2 and a coulombic efficiency of 4.4%.

Biopolymer k-carrageenan (kCg) was used as a hydrophilic polymer additive to develop a novel polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite membrane. The effect of kCg content (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 wt%) on membrane morphology and porosity, membrane hydrophilicity and surface charge, viscosity of casting solutions was investigated. The membrane performance attributes were evaluated by the water permeability, and rejection of methyl orange dye. We observed in the results that, with the addition of kCg, an asymmetric membrane structure was formed owing to the accelerated demixing process that resulted from the increase in hydrophilicity of the composite PVDF/kCg. The smooth surface, increased hydrophilicity, and negatively charged surface of the composite PVDF/kCg membrane resulted in strong resistance in adhering to a dye; therefore, the resulting composite membranes had a higher dye rejection and water permeability. Hence, the developed composite PVDF/kCg membrane could be considered as a potential membrane material for separation applications.

Anode materials are important in the power generation of microbial fuel cell. In this study, polyaniline was used as a conducting polymer anode in two chambers MFC. XPS and SEM were used for the characterization of functional groups of anode materials and the morphology. The power generation of microbial fuel cell was elevated by the modification of anode by nitric acid, ethylenediamine, and diethanolamine. The time that MFC reaches its maximum power generation was shortened by modification. Moreover the SEM photos prove that, it causes better attachment of microorganisms as biocatalysts on electrode surface. The best performance of among the MFCs with different anode electrodes, was the system working by polyaniline modified by ethylenediamine as that generated power of 136.2 mW/m2 with a 21.3% Coulombic efficiency.

In the present study, graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated as a nanoadditive into a polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) to develop a PPSU/GO nanocomposite membrane with enhanced antifouling properties. A series of membranes containing different concentrations (0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 wt.%) of GO were fabricated via the phase inversion method, using N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent, deionized water as the non-solvent, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a pore forming agent. The prepared nanocomposite membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and were also characterized with respect to contact angle, zeta potential and porosity, mean pore radius, tortuosity and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing were used to measure thermal and mechanical properties. The membrane performance was evaluated by volumetric flux and rejection of proteins, and antifouling properties. According to the results, the optimum addition of 0.5 wt% GO resulted in a membrane with an increased flux of 171 ± 3 Lm−2h−1 with a MWCO of ~40 kDa. In addition, the GO incorporation efficiently inhibited the interaction between proteins and the membrane surface, thereby improving the fouling resistance ability by approximately 58 ± 3%. Also, the resulting membranes showed a significant improvement in mechanical and thermal properties.

Dried rhizome ofBergenia ligulata(pashanbhed) is commonly used as a traditional herbal medicine with a wide range of therapeutic applications including urolithiasis. Aqueous extract ofB. ligulatawas prepared through maceration followed by decoction (mother extract, 35.9% w/w). Further, polarity based fractions were prepared successively from mother extract which yielded 3.4, 2.9, 5.4, 7.5, and 11.3% w/w of hexane, toluene, dichloromethane (DCM),n-butanol, and water fractions, respectively. The in vitro, ex vivo, and real-time antiurolithiasis activity of mother extract and fractions were carried out using aggregation assay in synthetic urine and in rat plasma. The study revealed that DCM fraction has significantly (p<0.05) greater inhibitory potential than other fractions. Ethylene glycol in drinking water (0.75%, v/v) for 28 days was used for induction of urolithiasis and the curative effects of mother extract and DCM fraction were checked for the level of oxalate, calcium, creatinine, uric acid, and urea of both urine and serum. Treatment with mother extract and DCM fraction at a dose of 185 mg/kg and 7 mg/kg, respectively, in ethylene glycol induced rats resulted in a significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum and urine markers. Histological study revealed lower number of calcium oxalate deposits with minimum damage in the kidneys of mother extract and DCM fraction treated rats. This result provides a scientific basis for its traditional claims.

Proton exchange membranes play a critical role in the performance of Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) but their high price was always a big deal for commercialization of MFCs. In the present study, doped and undoped polyaniline nanoparticles/polysulfone nanocomposites membranes as a new type of PEM, were fabricated and applied in the MFC and their performance was compared with Nafion 117 as a traditional and expensive PEM. The obtained results show that MFC working by undoped Pani/Ps generated 78.1 mW/m2 which is higher than doped Pani/Ps system with 62.5 mW/m2. However, Naion 117 generated the highest power than other types of membrane by 93 mW/m2. It means that undoped Pani/Ps can compete in power generation with Nafion 117 and this is an outlook toward commercialization of MFC.

In the present investigation, polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles were used to improve the separation figures of merit of polysulfone (PSu) membrane. Polyaniline nanoparticles were dispersed into polysulfone matrix for the development of PSu/PANI nanocomposites through solution blending. A wet phase inversion method was used to fabricate a flat sheet polysulfone (PSu) and PSu/PANI nanocomposite membranes. The structure and characteristic properties of the membranes were investigated in terms of the surface and cross-section morphologies, roughness, and hydrophilicity, which were interpreted by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and water contact angle meter, respectively. Apart from these, the uniform dispersion of polyaniline nanoparticles (

Processibility is one of the important requirements for the commercial utilization of conducting polymers. Studies on composites and blends based on nano polyaniline (PANI) dispersions have become the subject of scientific curiosity with regard to their morphology, stability, and electron transport properties. In general, polymer nanocomposites are made by dispersing inorganic or organic nanoparticles into either a conventional thermoplastic or thermoset polymer. The present study reports the synthesis of nanostructured MO-PANI and castor oil polyurethane (COPU)–based composites. The effect of loading of nanostructured MO-PANI in COPU on the spectral, physicochemical and morphological properties has been analyzed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 28:26–31, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20143

The growing environmental concerns have led to the formulation of new coating strategies by employing inherently conductive polymers (ICPs) as a key component in order to eliminate the toxic heavy metals from protective coatings. Also, the renewable resources are given increasing priority within chemical industry and the energy community. Emphasis is therefore, processing of polymers from renewable resources which show advantages when compared with petrochemical raw materials and are regarded as an ideal raw material. The present work reports the investigations on the corrosion-resistance performance of soya oil alkyd, containing nano polyaniline (PANI) against mild steel (MS). The corrosion-protective performance was evaluated in terms of physico-mechanical properties, corrosion rate, open circuit potential measurements (OCP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. The performance was compared to the reported PANI coatings.

Iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles prepared using co-precipitation method have been dispersed in chitosan (CH) solution to fabricate nanocomposite film on indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass plate. Glucose oxidase (GOx) has been immobilized onto this CH-Fe(3)O(4) nanocomposite film via physical adsorption. The size of the Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles estimated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been found to be approximately 22 nm. The CH-Fe(3)O(4) nanocomposite film and GOx/CH-Fe(3)O(4)/ITO bioelectrode have been characterized using UV-visible and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, respectively. This GOx/CH-Fe(3)O(4)/ITO nanocomposite bioelectrode has response time of 5s, linearity as 10-400 mgdL(-1) of glucose, sensitivity as 9.3 microA/(mgdLcm(2)) and shelf life of about 8 weeks under refrigerated conditions. The value of Michaelis-Menten (K(m)) constant obtained as 0.141 mM indicates high affinity of immobilized GOx towards the substrate (glucose).

Studies on composites and blends based on nanostructured polyaniline (PANI) have become the subject of scientific curiosity with regard to their morphology, stability, and electronic properties. Nanocomposites of conducting polymers display improved mechanical, electrical, optical, and catalytic properties owing to their remarkable nanostructure. The present study reports the synthesis of nanostructured PANI and its composites based on soy oil alkyd. The effect of loading of nanostructured PANI on the physiochemical, physicomechanical, morphological, and thermal properties of the composite has been analyzed. POLYM. COMPOS., 2010. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

Modern engineering science and nanotechnology have hastened the development of high performance corrosion-resistant coatings having a broad spectrum of effectivity under a wider range of hostile environments. The formulation of such coating systems is expected to cause a major revolution in the corrosion world. Conducting polymers have recently proved to be an effective alternative to phosphate–chromate pretreatment that is hazardous due to toxic hexavalent chromium. Moreover, improvements in environmental impact can be achieved by utilizing nanostructured particulates in coating and eliminating the requirement of toxic solvents. The paper reports some preliminary investigations on the corrosion resistance performance of nanostructured methyl orange (MO)-doped polyaniline (PANI)/castor oil polyurethane (COPU) composite coatings on mild steel (MS). The nanostructure of the MO-PANI was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The corrosion protective performance was evaluated by physico-mechanical properties, corrosion rate, and open circuit potential measurements. These coatings were found to act as “corrosion sensors” by exhibiting different colors when placed in acid as well as alkaline media. The protective behavior of coatings was attributed to the formation of a passive iron oxide/dopant layer at the metal-coating interface that impedes the penetration of the corrosive ions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The application of nanotechnology in the corrosion protection of metals has recently gained momentum. A polymer nanocomposite coating can effectively combine the benefits of organic polymers, such as elasticity and water resistance, to that of advanced inorganic materials, such as hardness and permeability. Environmental impact can also be improved by utilizing nanostructure particulates in coatings and eliminating the requirement of toxic solvents. Nanocomposites have also proven to be an effective alternative to phosphate-chromate pretreatment of metallic substrate, which is hazardous due to the presence of toxic hexavalent chromium. This article reports some of the preliminary investigations on the corrosion-resistance performance of soya oil alkyd, containing polyaniline/ferrite nanocomposite. The corrosion-protective performance was evaluated in terms of physico-mechanical properties, corrosion rate, and SEM studies. The polyaniline/ferrite nanocomposite coatings were found to show a far superior corrosion-resistance performance compared to that of a pure PANI/alkyd system.

By exploiting the templating ability, wetting properties and the capability of the ionic liquid, 1-ethyl,3-methylimidazolium bromide to furnish the anionic dopant, nanostructured thin films of polyaniline (PANI) have been fabricated from an aqueous solution of the monomer encompassing this organic moiety by electropolymerization. These films have been compared to films synthesized from a medium based on a conventional polymeric surfactant, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG). The template/dopant controls pore structure and assembly patterns as an interconnected network of nanofibrils of 50–500 nm in length and 10–40 nm in diameter constitutes the PANI films derived from the ionic liquid-based solution whereas the dominant microstructural attribute of the PANI films obtained from the PEG-containing formulation are abutting nanoparticles with elongated shapes. The effect of the different thin film nanostructures on their electrochromic properties is evident from the higher coloration efficiency, transmission modulation (in the NIR region), larger charge capacity, enhanced cycling stablity and faster color-bleach rates observed for the PANI films obtained from the ionic liquid medium as compared to that shown by the PANI films fabricated from the PEG solution. The outstanding optical and electrochemical behavior of the films, in particular, for the film derived from the ionic liquid-based solutions indicate that such recyclable and environmentally benign reaction media are most useful especially for transposing PANI films to large area substrates for electrochromic window applications.

Magnetic nanocomposites can be controlled and tailored to provide the desired mechanical, physical, chemical, and biomedical properties depending on the final applications. The coating of ferrite nanoparticles with polymers affords the possibility of minimizing agglomeration in large-scale commercial synthesis of nanocomposite materials. The process of coating not only provides effective encapsulation of individual nanoparticles, but also controls the growth in size, thus, yielding a better overall size distribution. In this paper, in-situ polymerization of aniline was carried out in different concentration of the ferrofluid with the aim to obtain agglomerate free nanocomposites. The role of the ferrite concentration was investigated by the spectral, morphological, conductivity, and magnetic properties of Fe 3 O 4 /polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites. XRD revealed the presence of spinel phase of Fe 3 O 4 and the particle size was calculated to be 14.3 nm. Spectral analysis confirmed the formation of PANI encapsulated Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite. Conductivity of the nanocomposites was found to be in the range of 0.001–0.003 S/cm. Higher saturation magnetization of 3.2 emu/g was observed at 300 K, revealing a super paramagnetic behavior of this nanocomposite.

Shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposites with a fast electro-actuation speed were prepared by dispersing Cu-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (Cu-CNTs, 1 wt %, 2 wt %, and 3 wt %) in a polylactic acid (PLA)/epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) blend matrix. The shape memory effect (SME) induced by an electrical current was investigated by a fold-deploy “U”-shape bending test. In addition, the Cu-CNT dispersed PLA/ESO nanocomposite was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile and electrical measurements. The results demonstrated that the SME was dependent on the Cu-CNT content in the nanocomposites. When comparing the SMEs of the nanocomposite specimens with different Cu-CNT contents, the 2 wt % Cu-CNT dispersed system exhibited a shape recovery as high as 98% within 35 s due to its higher electrical conductivity that results from uniform Cu-CNT dispersion. However, the nanocomposites that contained 1 wt % and 3 wt % Cu-CNTs required 75 s and 63 s, respectively, to reach a maximum recovery level. In addition, the specimens exhibited better mechanical properties after the addition of Cu-CNTs.

Wound healing is a consequence of a complex process involving inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases. Naringin, a flavanone glycoside, is associated with modulation of various oxido-inflammatory and growth factors.The aim of this study is to evaluate the wound-healing activity of naringin ointment formulation (NOF) on experimental wound models.A soft paraffin-based cream containing 1, 2, and 4% (w/w) naringin was formulated and evaluated for physicochemical characters. Excision wounds and incisions wounds were used to study the topical effect of NOF for 20 d (once a day) on various biochemical, molecular, and histological parameters.NOF (2 and 4%, w/w) treatment showed a significant decrease (p 0.05) in wound area and epithelization period whereas the rate of wound contraction increased significantly (p 0.05). The altered levels of oxido-nitrosative stress (SOD, GSH, MDA, MPO, and NO) were significantly (p 0.05) restored by NOF. Treatment produced a significant increase (p 0.05) in tensile strength, hydroxyproline content, and protein content. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, NF-κB, smad-7, and Bax mRNA expression were significantly down-regulated (p 0.05) by NOF, whereas polymerase gamma (pol-γ), smad-3, VEGF and TGF-β, and collagen-1 mRNA expressions were significantly up-regulated (p 0.05) by NOF. Histological alterations in wound skin were also restored by NOF.NOF exerts wound healing potential via down-regulated expression of inflammatory (NF-κB, TNF-α, and ILs), apoptotic (pol-γ and Bax), and up-regulated growth factor (VEGF and TGF-β) expression, thus modulating collagen-1 expression to induce angiogenesis leading to wound healing.

A mixed matrix membrane consisting of a polysulfone and nano-ZnO particles has been fabricated by a combination of solution dispersion blending and phase-inversion method. The study is focused on the influence of ZnO on membrane morphology, surface roughness, and hydrophilicity, which were investigated through the methods of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and contact angle meter, respectively. In addition, the changes in membrane characteristics with the addition nano-ZnO particles were examined by pure water flux, water content and porosity, and salts rejection including NaCl and MgSO4. From the results, it was revealed that nano-ZnO particles constructed a membrane having more hydrophilic, smooth, and tightly packed surface, which offered a high flux and an effective permeability barrier. Moreover, it was observed that nano-ZnO particles produced spongy a membrane with uniform and well-interconnecting pores. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Technol 2013, 32, 21369; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21369

The characteristics of four new proton-conducting membranes, Nafion112/polyaniline composite membranes of various compositions, are studied for application as membrane separators in microbial fuel cells. The composite membranes are made by immersing Nafion-112 membranes in a solution containing aniline for different immersion times. The presence of polyaniline and sulfonic functional groups in the composite membranes is confirmed by means of Fourier transform infrared analysis while their surface roughness is determined by using atomic force microscopy prior to microbial fuel cell operation. Biofouling on the membranes' surface is also examined by using a scanning electron microscope after microbial fuel cell operation. The polarization curves and, hence, the power density curves are measured by varying the load's resistance. The power density of the microbial fuel cell with the Nafion/polyaniline composite membranes improves significantly as the amount of polyaniline increases because the interaction between sulfonic groups in the Nafion matrix and polyaniline in the polyaniline domains increases proton conductivity. However, it declines after more polyaniline is added because of less conjugated bonding of polyaniline and sulfonic acid groups for larger polyaniline domains in the Nafion matrix. The voltage overpotential is also smaller as the amount of polyaniline increases. Biofouling also decreases with increasing polyaniline in the Nafion/polyaniline composite membranes because they have smoother surfaces than Nafion membranes. The results show that the maximum power generated by the microbial fuel cells with Nafion112-polyaniline composite membrane is 124.03 mV m−2 with a current density of 454.66 mA m−2, which is approximately more than ninefold higher than that of microbial fuel cells with neat Nafion-112. It can be concluded that the power density of the microbial fuel cell can be increased by modifying the Nafion membrane separators with more conductive polymers that are less susceptible to biofouling to improve its proton conductivity.

In the study, polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles were used as polymeric additives in order to improve polyethersulfone (PES) structure and performance. A major role of PANI nanoparticles in PES membranes is to improve the hydrophilic properties and permeability of the substrate membrane. The central composite design (CCD) of the response surface method (RSM) was used for the optimisation of blended PES/PANI membranes. The objectives were to obtain the optimum operating variables and to observe interactions among the variables. The factors considered were the PES concentration, PANI concentration and evaporation time during the casting process, while pure water permeability, salt rejection and contact angle values were considered as the responses. The design of experiment (DoE) managed to develop models that related the responses with the operating variables which were further analysed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The optimal conditions were 18.33 wt.% PES, 0.75 wt.% PANI and 1.34 min of evaporation time with the predicted results of water permeability, salt rejection and contact angle of 62.2 L/m 2 h bar, 32.4% and 54.95°, respectively. The interaction graph shows that there was a strong interaction between the variables of PES concentration (A), PANI concentration (B) and evaporation time (C). With additional characterisation, the optimised membrane showed an improvement in the membrane structure when observed by SEM. The addition of nanoparticles evidently increased the membrane surface roughness, as observed in the AFM images. The membrane pore size distribution was also obtained from the AFM images which showed a difference between the control (1–6 nm) and blended (2–40 nm) membranes. The membrane surface charge showed that the blended membrane has the highest charge at low and high pH with iso-electric point at pH 3 while there is no iso-electric point obtained for a controlled membrane.

Reactions of M(2)(CO)(10) (M = Re, Mn) with pyrimidine-2-thiol (pymSH) in the presence of Me(3)NO afford the tetranuclear square-type complexes [M(4)(CO)(12)(micro-kappa(3)-pymS)(4)] (, M = Re; , M = Mn). Both consist of four M(CO)(3) (M = Re, Mn) units, pairs of which are joined by tridentate pyrimidine-2-thiolate ligands. Treatment of with a variety of donor ligands results in cleavage of the square to afford mononuclear species with either a mono- or bidentate pyrimidine-2-thiolate ligand. Triphenylphosphine reacts with to give [Mn(CO)(3)(PPh(3))(kappa(2)-pymS)] () in which the pyrimidine-2-thiolate coordinates in a bidentate fashion. With diamines [M(CO)(3)(kappa(2)-L)(kappa(1)-pymS)] () (M = Re, Mn; L = 2,2'- bipy, 1,10-phen, en) result in which the pyrimidine-2-thiolate binds in a monodentate fashion through sulfur. With diphosphines, complexes with different stoichiometries and pyrimidine-2-thiolate binding modes are obtained depending on the nature of the metal and diphosphine. With dppm and dppe, gives [Re(CO)(2)(kappa(1)-pymS)(kappa(2)-dppm)] () and [Re(CO)(2)(kappa(2)-pymS)(kappa(1)-dppe)(2)] (), respectively, whereas affords [Mn(CO)(2)(kappa(2)-pymS)(kappa(1)-dppm)(2)] () and [Mn(CO)(2)(kappa(2)-pyS)(kappa(2)-dppe)] () under similar conditions. Reactions of with [Os(3)(CO)(10)(NCMe)(2)] affords mixed-metal butterfly clusters [MOs(3)(CO)(13)(micro(3)-kappa(2)-pymS)] () in which the group 7 metal occupies a wing-tip position and the pyrimidine-2-thiolate ligand caps a triangular Os(2)M face. With Ru(3)(CO)(12), carbon-sulfur bond cleavage occurs to give the tetranuclear clusters [MRu(3)(CO)(14)(micro(4)-S)(micro-kappa(1):eta(1)-pym)] () bearing both the extruded sulfur and the heterocyclic ring. The molecular structures of , and have been established by X-ray diffraction allowing the binding mode of the pyrimidine-2-thiolate ligands to be probed.