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Background: adequacy of dialysis is very important and has a major impact on morbidity as well as mortality among hemodialysis (HD) children. Many researchers have reported that high flux membrane (HFM) enhances the medium-sized molecules removal while other reports revealed no remarkable effect on them. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of high-flux hemodialysis (HFHD) versus low-flux hemodialysis (LFHD) in HD children. Patients and methods: In the period from June to December 2023,50 caseson regular HD for end-stage renal disease included in this retrospective cohort study at the Pediatric nephrology unit, Zagazig University Children's Hospital. Blood samples were collected pre- and post-dialysis and forwarded to the lab for analysis. To evaluate dialysis effectiveness, we employed KT/V, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), as well as urea reduction ratio (URR) parameters. Results: Post dialysis, a significant difference between the groups concerning the adequacy of HD was found according to URR and KT/V(p<0.001, p=0.008 respectively). According to having URR (≥65%), 56% within HF group versus 24% had adequate HD. While according to KT/V (≥1.2), 72% versus 20% within HFHD and LFHD groups respectively had adequate HD. There was a notable variation between the tested groups in terms of HD sufficiency according to URR and KT/V (p=0.041, p<0.001 respectively). Conclusion: High-flux hemodialysis demonstrates more successful efficacy in improving biochemical parameters, including URR and KT/V, compared to low-flux hemodialysis in pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate interplay between chemical composition and the incorporation of functional fillers plays a pivotal role in shaping the structural attributes and separation efficacy of mixed matrix ultrafiltration membranes. In this work, we report the utilization of a novel organic filler of hydrophilic modified polyimide particles (PI‐SO3) for the first time in the preparation of mixed matrix ultrafiltration membranes. A series of ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated using polysulfone as the matrix material and PI‐SO3 as the additive. The addition of PI‐SO3 to the mixed matrix membrane effectively enhanced both water flux and antifouling ability. The ultrafiltration membrane with 0.2% particle content exhibited the highest pure water flux at 535.5 L h−1 m−2, owing to the synergistic regulation of pore structures and surface hydrophilicity. The ultrafiltration membrane with 0.5% PI‐SO3 particles demonstrated the highest flux recovery rate at 76.8%, attributed to the superior hydrophilicity displayed by the added particles within the ultrafiltration membrane. The increased particles content correlated with improved hydrophilicity on the membrane surface, resulting in enhanced antifouling performance. The hydrophilic modified particles effectively regulated pore structures, surface hydrophilicity, and surface charge, ultimately enhancing the performance of mixed matrix ultrafiltration membranes for wastewater purification. Therefore, the use of modified polyimide particles as fillers introduces an innovative method to economically enhance ultrafiltration membranes, providing a potential solution to mitigate the economic costs associated with trade‐off effects during the modification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration membranes (NF) have been widely used in the field of water treatment because of their advantages of high separation precision, easy operation, and no phase change. Conventional NF membranes, ensnared by the "trade-off" effect, grapple with the challenge of achieving breakthroughs in both separation efficacy and stability. Recent advancements in research have unveiled the potential of nanoscale porous two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by their atomic thinness and superlative mechanical strength. These materials, crafted into nanofiltration membranes as thin as a single atom, boast minimal transport resistance and maximal permeation flux, thereby facilitating the highly discerning transport of water, and are heralded as the quintessential materials for fabricating ultra-thin membranes. This comprehensive review delves into the latest advancements in the research on 2D material NF membranes. A range of performance aspects related to 2D-material-modified NF membranes, including water flux, permeability, pollutant retention rates, and anti-pollution performance, were evaluated, and this review covers the impact of and major approaches to optimizing membrane performance in recent years, providing valuable insights into potential future developments in NF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of dual-layer fibrous membranes with asymmetric wettability is gaining growing interest. Here, we conceive a novel composite fibrous membrane base on cellulose acetate (CA), characterized by a hydrophobic-on-hydrophilic configuration, using a designed co-electrospinning system. A thin layer of hydrophobic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) side is overlaid onto a hydrophilic CA/TPU membrane to achieve directional water transport and oil–water separation. The core–shell CA/TPU bicomponent fibers exhibit a much higher tensile stress (3.6 MPa) and tensile strain (72.15%), when compared with CA fibrous membrane. The TPU membrane displays beads-on-string morphology, which promote the directional water transport capacity, and the possible mechanism is discussed. The measurements show that our composite membrane can effectively separate various oil–water mixtures, solely driven by gravity. Interestingly, the membrane shows high oil–water separation flux (up to 109,918 Lm−2 h−1). This study expands the range of potential applications for CA fibrous membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a new 3D porous PVDF-foam-imprinted membrane (PPIM) for the selective separation of artemisinin (ART) was first prepared via the dopamine adhesion of pre-synthesized MIPs into the interior of the PPIM. In the PPIM, the pre-synthesized molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with artesunate (ARU) as a dummy template were uniformly loaded on the interior of the membrane, avoiding the defects of recognition site encapsulation found in the conventional membrane. This membrane also exhibited excellent flux, which is beneficial in practical separation applications. The PPIM was systematically characterized via FT-IR, SEM, pore-size distribution analysis, water contact angle test, membrane flux, and mechanical performance analysis, respectively. In the static adsorption experiment, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model better fitted the rebinding data of ART. Under dynamic conditions, the ART adsorption capacity of the PPIM could be further remarkably improved by tailoring the flow rate to 3 mL min−1. In the selective separation experiment, with artemether (ARE) as the competition substrate, the selective separation ability (α) of the PPIM towards ART/artemether (ARE) reached its peak value (3.16) within only 10 min at this flow rate, which is higher than that of porous PVDF foam non-imprinted membranes (PPNM) (ca. 1.5), showing great separation efficiency in a short time. Moreover, the PPIM can be reused five times without a significant decrease in its adsorption capacities, showing good regeneration performance. This work highlights a simple strategy for constructing new MIMs with high flux and great mechanical strength to achieve the efficient selective separation of ART and ARE in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pervaporation (PV) of membrane separation technology has become an efficient approach to separate alcohols from aqueous solution. In this study, focusing on increasing the total flux and breaking the trade‐off in PV, an ultra‐thin and high flux poly‐dimethyldiethoxysilane (PDMDES)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composite membrane was prepared. By employing various means, the characterizations of PDMDES/PVDF composite membrane were extensively investigated and the promising results indicated the high hydrophobicity and good affinity to alcohols. To be specific, PDMDES selective layer with different thicknesses, the thinnest of which was approximately 265 nm, were fabricated, and better PV performance can be achieved in a thickness range of 1.10 ~ 1.69 μm. The optimal PV performance of PDMDES/PVDF composite membrane was obtained in separating methanol from 5 wt% methanol/water solution at 40°C, resulting in a total high permeation flux of 5.38 kg m−2 h−1 and a higher pervaporation separation index (PSI) of 18.63 kg m−2 h−1. Highlights: The ultra‐thin and high flux composite membranes for alcohols recovery via pervaporation (PV) are prepared by using monomer in membrane preparation through a simple fabrication method.The trade‐off is broken in the ultra‐thin composite membrane compared with traditional composite membrane.The influence between membrane thickness and PV performance is investigated through experimental tests, and the results show that the ultra‐thin composite membrane has a total high permeation flux of 5.38 kg m−2 h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and Aim Maintenance haemodialysis patients have increased morbidity and mortality which is mainly driven by an elevated inflammation level due to the uraemic milieu. A major part of this increased inflammation level is the degree of oxidative stress which can be assessed by albumin redox state (ARS). Aim of this study was to evaluate how the ARS is affected by a haemodialysis treatment and different dialyzer properties. Methods ARS was determined before and after haemodialysis treatment by fractionating it into reduced human mercaptalbumin (HMA), reversibly oxidized human non-mercaptalbumin 1 (HNA-1), and irreversibly oxidized human non-mercaptalbumin 2 (HNA-2) by high-performance liquid chromatography. In healthy individuals, albumin circulates in the following proportions: HMA 70–80%, HNA-1 20–30% and HNA-2 2–5%. High flux (FX 100 [Fresenius Medical Care], BG 1.8 [Toray], Xevonta Hi 18 [B. Braun], CTA-2000 [Kawasumi]) and low flux FX10 [Fresenius Medical Care] dialyzers were used. Results 58 patients (59% male, median age 68 years, median time on haemodialysis 32 month) were included in the study. Before haemodialysis treatment, HMA (median 55.9%, IQR 50.1–61.2%) was substantially lower than in healthy individuals. Accordingly, oxidized albumin fractions were above the level of healthy individuals (median HNA-1 38.5%, IQR 33.3–43.2%; median HNA-2 5.8%, IQR 5.1–6.7%). Before haemodialysis treatment HMA was significantly higher in patients usually treated with high flux membranes (p

Background and Aim: Maintenance haemodialysis patients have increased morbidity and mortality which is mainly driven by an elevated inflammation level due to the uraemic milieu. A major part of this increased inflammation level is the degree of oxidative stress which can be assessed by albumin redox state (ARS). Aim of this study was to evaluate how the ARS is affected by a haemodialysis treatment and different dialyzer properties. Methods: ARS was determined before and after haemodialysis treatment by fractionating it into reduced human mercaptalbumin (HMA), reversibly oxidized human non-mercaptalbumin 1 (HNA-1), and irreversibly oxidized human non-mercaptalbumin 2 (HNA-2) by high-performance liquid chromatography. In healthy individuals, albumin circulates in the following proportions: HMA 70–80%, HNA-1 20–30% and HNA-2 2–5%. High flux (FX 100 [Fresenius Medical Care], BG 1.8 [Toray], Xevonta Hi 18 [B. Braun], CTA-2000 [Kawasumi]) and low flux FX10 [Fresenius Medical Care] dialyzers were used. Results: 58 patients (59% male, median age 68 years, median time on haemodialysis 32 month) were included in the study. Before haemodialysis treatment, HMA (median 55.9%, IQR 50.1–61.2%) was substantially lower than in healthy individuals. Accordingly, oxidized albumin fractions were above the level of healthy individuals (median HNA-1 38.5%, IQR 33.3–43.2%; median HNA-2 5.8%, IQR 5.1–6.7%). Before haemodialysis treatment HMA was significantly higher in patients usually treated with high flux membranes (p < 0.01). After haemodialysis treatment there was a significant increase of HMA and a decrease of HNA-1 and HNA-2 (p < 0.01). These effects were more pronounced in patients treated with high flux dialyzers (p < 0.01). There were no differences of ARS alteration with regard to the dialyzer´s sterilization mode or the presence of diabetes. Conclusion: The study confirms that the ARS is positively altered by haemodialysis and shows for the first time that this effect depends on dialyzer properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration membranes (NF) have been widely used in the field of water treatment because of their advantages of high separation precision, easy operation, and no phase change. Conventional NF membranes, ensnared by the “trade-off” effect, grapple with the challenge of achieving breakthroughs in both separation efficacy and stability. Recent advancements in research have unveiled the potential of nanoscale porous two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by their atomic thinness and superlative mechanical strength. These materials, crafted into nanofiltration membranes as thin as a single atom, boast minimal transport resistance and maximal permeation flux, thereby facilitating the highly discerning transport of water, and are heralded as the quintessential materials for fabricating ultra-thin membranes. This comprehensive review delves into the latest advancements in the research on 2D material NF membranes. A range of performance aspects related to 2D-material-modified NF membranes, including water flux, permeability, pollutant retention rates, and anti-pollution performance, were evaluated, and this review covers the impact of and major approaches to optimizing membrane performance in recent years, providing valuable insights into potential future developments in NF membranes.

Semi-insulating CdTe and CdZnTe crystals fabricated into pixelated sensors and integrated into radiation detection modules have demonstrated a remarkable ability to operate under rapidly changing X-ray irradiation environments. Such challenging conditions are required by all photon-counting-based applications, including medical computed tomography (CT), airport scanners, and non-destructive testing (NDT). Although, maximum flux rates and operating conditions differ in each case. In this paper, we investigated the possibility of using the detector under high-flux X-ray irradiation with a low electric field satisfactory for maintaining good counting operation. We numerically simulated electric field profiles visualized via Pockels effect measurement in a detector affected by high-flux polarization. Solving coupled drift–diffusion and Poisson's equations, we defined the defect model, consistently depicting polarization. Subsequently, we simulated the charge transport and evaluated the collected charge, including the construction of an X-ray spectrum on a commercial 2-mm-thick pixelated CdZnTe detector with 330 µm pixel pitch used in spectral CT applications. We analyzed the effect of allied electronics on the quality of the spectrum and suggested setup optimization to improve the shape of the spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design concept of a Small High-flux Multipurpose LBE(Lead Bismuth Eutectic) cooled Fast Reactor (SHMLFR) was proposed in the paper. The primary cooling system of the reactor is forced circulation, and the fuel element form is arc-plate loaded high enrichment MOX fuel. The core is cylindrical with a flux trap set in the center of the core, which can be used as an irradiation channel. According to the requirements of the core physical design, a series of physical design criteria and constraints were given, and the steady and transient parameters of the reactor were calculated and analyzed. Regarding the thermal and hydraulic phenomena of the reactor, a simplified model was used to conduct a preliminary analysis of the fuel plates at special positions, and the temperature field distribution of the fuel plate with the highest power density under different coolant flow rates was simulated. The results show that the various parameters of SHMLFR meet the requirements and design criteria of the physical design of the core and the thermal design of the reactor. This implies that the conceptual design of SHMLFR is feasible.

Increasing the water flux of nanofiltration membrane is of great significance for expanding the application field of nanofiltration membrane, reducing energy consumption and building a conservation-oriented society. Polyamide nanofiltration membrane prepared by traditional interfacial polymerization has many problems, such as dense internal structure and poor water permeability. In this study, polyacrylic acid (PAA) was introduced into the interfacial polymerization. There are electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions between PAA and piperazine (PIP). At the same time, the polymer properties of PAA increase the viscosity of aqueous solution. Under the joint action of two factors, the diffusion of PIP to the organic phase was effectively restricted. A thin (~62 nm) separation layer was prepared to improve the water flux of the nanofiltration membrane. In addition, the introduction of PAA also enhanced the hydrophilicity and electronegativity of the membrane surface. The results showed that the optimum addition of PAA was 0.15 wt.%, and under the working condition of 25°C and 0.5 MPa, the pure water flux of the PAA_0.15@PA membrane is 80.18 L·m–2·h–1, which is nearly 25% higher than that of pristine PA membrane. The salt rejection order is Na2 SO4 > MgSO4 > NaCl > MgCl2, which is a typical negatively charged nanofiltration membrane. The PAA_0.15@PA membrane has a narrow pore-size distribution, has a high rejection rate for small molecule (180–400 Da) organics while maintaining a high flux, and has good separation stability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of reverse osmosis membranes (RO) has attracted significant attention, which is pivotal to addressing the water shortage. Superior permeability and high selectivity are extremely critical criteria for RO membranes. Therefore, in this study, we reported a novel strategy: pressure spray interface polymerization (PSIP) to prepare ultrathin RO composite membranes. In the approach, besides the developed novel technique, highly permeable holey graphene oxide (HGO) containing nanopores was also used to refine the size of the transport nanochannels during the reaction of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and the trimethyl chloride (TMC). Meanwhile, the electrostatic interaction between the HGO and MPD provided a solid guarantee for good dispersion in the composite membrane. The resultant pressure spray interface polymerization-highly permeable holey graphene oxide (PSIP-HGO) composite membrane displayed high salt rejection and water permeance, which showed high water permeance of 4.0 Lm−2h−1bar−1 and Na 2 SO 4 rejection of 95% in a concentration of 2000 ppm under 5 bar. Moreover, the PSIP-HGO membrane showed outstanding long-term stability and high chemical stability. Therefore, our work may provide a feasible pathway for designing advanced RO membranes for water desalination. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low dialysis and blood incompatibility efficiency are key issues to be addressed for polymeric hemodialysis membranes. To improve the comprehensive performance of hemodialysis membranes, polyethersulfone (PES)/tannic acid (TA) coblended ultrafiltration membranes were prepared and modified with a heparin‐like functionalized TA coating. The coblended TA improved the pore structure of the PES ultrafiltration membrane. And it could also undergo π‐π conjugation with the heparin‐like functionalized TA in the modified solution, resulting in a greater abundance of modified groups loaded on the membrane surface and pores close to the surface. The modified coating further improved the membrane performance. The physicochemical properties, solute filtration, and blood compatibility properties of the membrane were tested. The effect of TA on the pore structure of the membrane and the presence of modified layers were demonstrated by morphological and chemical structure analyses. The final modified membrane had an ultrahigh water flux (1053 L/m2·h), improved dialysis performance (BSA retention >99%, Lysozyme clearance >30% and Urea clearance >90%), and excellent hemocompatibility (The hemolysis rate was 1.31%, and APTT, PT, and TT values were increased by 40.8%, 74.2%, and 85.9%, respectively). This study shows that TA has great potential for improving the pore structure of polymeric membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: L-lysine is widely used in the feed, food, and pharmaceutical industries, and screening for high L-lysine-producing strains has become a key goal for the industry.Methods: We constructed the rare L-lysine codon AAA by corresponding tRNA promoter replacement in C. glutamicum. Additionally, a screening marker related to the intracellular L-lysine content was constructed by converting all L-lysine codons of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into the artificial rare codon AAA. The artificial EGFP was then ligated into pEC-XK99E and transformed into competent Corynebacterium glutamicum 23604 cells with the rare L-lysine codon. After atmospheric and room-temperature plasma mutation and induction culture, 55 mutants (0.01% of total cells) with stronger fluorescence were sorted using flow cytometry, and further screened by fermentation in a 96-deep-well plate and 500 mL shaker.Results: The fermentation results showed that the L-lysine production was increased by up to 9.7% in the mutant strains with higher fluorescence intensities, and that the highest screening positive rate was 69%, compared with that in the wild-type strain.Conclusion: The application of artificially constructed rare codons in this study represents an efficient, accurate, and simple method for screening other amino acid-producing microorganisms.

In this study, a new 3D porous PVDF-foam-imprinted membrane (PPIM) for the selective separation of artemisinin (ART) was first prepared via the dopamine adhesion of pre-synthesized MIPs into the interior of the PPIM. In the PPIM, the pre-synthesized molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with artesunate (ARU) as a dummy template were uniformly loaded on the interior of the membrane, avoiding the defects of recognition site encapsulation found in the conventional membrane. This membrane also exhibited excellent flux, which is beneficial in practical separation applications. The PPIM was systematically characterized via FT-IR, SEM, pore-size distribution analysis, water contact angle test, membrane flux, and mechanical performance analysis, respectively. In the static adsorption experiment, the pseudo-second-order kinetic model better fitted the rebinding data of ART. Under dynamic conditions, the ART adsorption capacity of the PPIM could be further remarkably improved by tailoring the flow rate to 3 mL min−1. In the selective separation experiment, with artemether (ARE) as the competition substrate, the selective separation ability (α) of the PPIM towards ART/artemether (ARE) reached its peak value (3.16) within only 10 min at this flow rate, which is higher than that of porous PVDF foam non-imprinted membranes (PPNM) (ca. 1.5), showing great separation efficiency in a short time. Moreover, the PPIM can be reused five times without a significant decrease in its adsorption capacities, showing good regeneration performance. This work highlights a simple strategy for constructing new MIMs with high flux and great mechanical strength to achieve the efficient selective separation of ART and ARE in practical applications.

Membrane technology is a promising method for wastewater treatment, and the balancing between high water flux and high rejection is crucial but extremely challengeable. Herein, an advanced polypyrrole@cellulose fibrous membrane with a hollow structure was prepared through electrospinning followed by a dip-coating process. The sustainable and low-cost cellulose was applied as the raw material while the nontoxic and environmentally stable polypyrrole was chosen as the active layer. Benefiting from the unique hollow structure and the abundant adsorption sites from the polypyrrole, the resulting membrane achieved 99.4 % rejection of anionic Congo red, along with a water flux of 3025.5 L m−2 h−1, which was 4–140 times higher than that of the previously reported membranes. Moreover, it could also efficiently separate cationic methylene blue (a rejection ratio of >96.0 %). This work confirmed the feasibility of hollow electrospun membrane with high dye rejection at ultrahigh water flux, and offered new possibilities to overcome the conflicts between permeation and selectivity in dyeing wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • An electrospun hollow fibrous membrane is prepared by a facile strategy. • A new strategy was proposed to overcome the permeation-selectivity trade-off. • The membrane shows an ultrahigh water flux and high dye rejection. • Cationic dye and anionic dye can be removed by the membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stagnation of Dennard scaling along with the move towards heterogeneous 2.5D and 3D ICs is increasing the thermal design power (TDP) envelopes of general-purpose CPUs. With conventional cooling approaches such as air-cooling and cold plates, it is challenging to meet these increased requirements. Moreover, these increasing cooling requirements necessitate larger thermal management overheads in datacenter settings. All these trends point towards the need for a more aggressive and efficient cooling solutions. Monolithic microfluidic cooling, where silicon micropin-fins or microchannels are etched directly into the backside of the functional silicon, has shown great potential in this regard. In this work, we use micropin-fins etched directly on the back of an Intel Core i7-8700K CPU and overclocked it to dissipate up to 215W of power while being cooled by room temperature de-ionized (DI) water. We demonstrate up to 44.4% reduction in junction-to-inlet thermal resistance while using only $0.3\times $ of volumetric coolant flow per Watt of power dissipated in the CPU compared to a conventional cold-plate. Furthermore, we demonstrate higher sustained core frequencies even when being cooled with elevated inlet temperatures, showing the potential for more efficient datacenter operations without the need for expensive and energy intensive refrigeration loops. The scalability towards heterogeneous 2.5D and 3D devices is also discussed. These results point towards a more scalable, efficient cooling solution, which can unlock higher power, more efficient compute systems, while minimizing the environmental impacts by reducing the thermal management overheads.

3D superwetting materials struggle to maintain high-flux steady-state demulsification for oil-in-water emulsions because the accumulated oil within the material is difficult to discharge rapidly. The water flow shear force can swiftly remove the oil from the anti-fouling surface. In this study, by introducing nanofibers and carbon nanotubes and chemical modification, a superhydrophilic-oleophobic copper foam with pores of several micrometers is prepared, which can achieve a continuous demulsification process with steady-state flux over 57000 L m -2  h -1 for oil-in-water emulsions and rapid hydraulic-driven oil release under an additional pressure of 5 kPa. Thanks to the ultra-small pores of the copper foam, the steady-state demulsification efficiency can be still maintained at over 97.5%. During the demulsification process, the accumulation of oil and surfactants within the copper foam can be maintained at low levels, achieving dynamic equilibrium. With the aid of second-stage superhydrophilic copper mesh, the demulsified oil-water mixtures can be rapidly separated. This high-flux, steady-state, and efficient demulsification process shows great potential for industrial applications., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Ethanol, which can be scalable produced from fermented plant materials, is a promising candidate to gasoline as the next-generation liquid fuel. As an energy-efficient alternative to distillation, membrane-based strategies including pervaporation and reverse osmosis have been developed to recover ethanol from fermentation broths. However, these approaches suffer the drawback of low separation flux. Herein, we report a superwetting membrane system to enrich ethanol from water in a high-flux manner. By synergistically regulating surface energy of the solid porous membrane and hydration between an additive inorganic potassium salt and water, concentrated ethanol can rapidly wetting and permeate the porous membrane, with the salt solution being blocked. Using this newly developed superwetting membrane system, we can achieve fast enrichment of ethanol from water, with flux of two orders magnitude higher than that of pervaporation and reverse osmosis membranes.

Semi-insulating CdTe and CdZnTe crystals fabricated into pixelated sensors and integrated into radiation detection modules have demonstrated a remarkable ability to operate under rapidly changing X-ray irradiation environments. Such challenging conditions are required by all photon-counting-based applications, including medical computed tomography (CT), airport scanners, and non-destructive testing (NDT). Although, maximum flux rates and operating conditions differ in each case. In this paper, we investigated the possibility of using the detector under high-flux X-ray irradiation with a low electric field satisfactory for maintaining good counting operation. We numerically simulated electric field profiles visualized via Pockels effect measurement in a detector affected by high-flux polarization. Solving coupled drift–diffusion and Poisson’s equations, we defined the defect model, consistently depicting polarization. Subsequently, we simulated the charge transport and evaluated the collected charge, including the construction of an X-ray spectrum on a commercial 2-mm-thick pixelated CdZnTe detector with 330 µm pixel pitch used in spectral CT applications. We analyzed the effect of allied electronics on the quality of the spectrum and suggested setup optimization to improve the shape of the spectrum.

Super strong, highly flexible ceramic nanofiber membranes (CNFMs) with amorphous SiO2 and small-sized zirconia grains were prepared, and then hydrophobic CNFMs (SCNFMs) were obtained by impregnating vinyl silicone resins. SCNFMs had high strength (6.0–11.4 MPa), ultrahigh flexibility, and water and chemical resistance. These characteristics enabled them to be used in a variety of water and oil environments and to rapidly separate oil slicks, dispersed oils, and emulsified oils on demand. SCNFMs not only had excellent selective adsorption and high adsorption capacity (28–57 g g–1) but also had high resilience, high temperature resistance, and flame retardancy, which enabled them to remove contaminants by squeezing and combustion, with a reuse efficiency of 100%. Only by gravity, the SCNFMs could effectively separate oil/water mixtures and surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with a flux of up to 6.7 × 105 and 2.5 × 105 L m–2 h–1, respectively. The ultrafast separation speed was on the order of magnitude of that obtained for many separation materials reported so far. The recyclable and environmentally friendly separation material, with excellent mechanical properties, high adsorption capacity, and separation efficiency, had potential applications in the fields of oil/water separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Polyethyleneimine grafting confers film-forming ability to ZIF-8 nanoparticles. • PEI-ZIF-8 can be crosslinked into a selective layer with trimesoyl chloride. • A ZIF-8-matrix nanocomposite membrane with ZIF-8 as the main matrix was developed. • The membranes show a good balance between permeability and selectivity. Hybrid metal–organic framework (MOF)-polymer membranes are promising for addressing the permeability-selectivity tradeoff in membrane applications. The key challenges for achieving high-efficiency separation performance have been identified as increasing the MOF loading while maintaining interfacial compatibility with polymeric matrices. Herein, a novel design of ZIF-8 matrix nanocomposite membrane, with ZIF-8 nanoparticles (NPs) serving as the main matrix, was prepared by functionalizing the external surface of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) NPs with polyethyleneimine and subsequent crosslinking into the selective layer using trimesoyl chloride as a crosslinking agent via confined interfacial polymerization. The content of ZIF-8 NPs in the selective layer was up to about 70 wt%, resulting in superior permeability (＞ 43.6 LMH bar−1) for desalination due to the large number of transport channels, which was several folds as compared to most of the reported membranes. Meanwhile, a reasonably high Na 2 SO 4 rejection (∼95.1 %) was maintained as the polyamide fragments formed during interfacial polymerization, which filled defects among the ZIF-8 NPs. Overall, such strategy paves the way for the design of efficient MOF-based membranes for balancing between permeability and selectivity in desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SPES inhibits piperazine diffusion. • SPES interlayer reduces polyamide layer thickness to 21 nm. • SPES interlayer increases water flux by 173%. The "trade-off" effect of nanofiltration membranes may lead to problems of lower flux and higher energy cost, which limit their applications. In this work, an ultra-thin polyamide selective layer (34 nm in thickness, much lower than the conventional polyamide selective layer) was prepared by constructing a sulfonated polyethersulfone interlayer on the surface of polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes by liquid-phase deposition, taking advantage of the inhibitory effect of sulfonated polyethersulfone nanoparticles on the diffusion of piperazine. The prepared nanofiltration membrane exhibits a water flux per unit pressure of 33.2 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, which is more than 2.5 times higher than that of the nanofiltration membrane without the introduction of the interlayer (12.2 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1). Additionally, it has a high rejection of 98.8 % for Na 2 SO 4 , which surpasses the upper limit of the equilibrium of trade-off. The study also delves into the modulation mechanism of the interfacial polymerization process by the presence of a sulfonated polyethersulfone interlayer and explores the potential reasons for the water flux enhancement. This research will likely provide theoretical support and practical experience for further optimization of nanofiltration membrane performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes are envisioned as promising materials for precise molecular separations. The manipulation of interlayer spacing to offer additional mass transfer channels in COF membranes may be an effective way towards high-flux separation processes but still challenging. Herein, the COF membranes with 1D/2D mixed-dimensional channels are explored by the intercalation of MXene for high-flux dye separations. Thereinto, porous TpPa-SO 3 H nanosheets offer the 1D in-plane channels, and smaller-sized Ti 3 C 2 T x -NH 2 nanosheets serve as the intercalators to generate 2D interlayer channels. By tuning the content of Ti 3 C 2 T x -NH 2 , the interlayer spacing is enlarged from 0.32 nm to 0.46 nm, affording low diffusion energy barrier and ultrafast diffusion kinetics. Compared to the pristine TpPa-SO 3 H membrane, the COF/Mx-8 membrane exhibits an 90 % increase in water flux to 375.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, while maintaining high rejections toward various dye molecules. The strategy of MXene-intercalated mixed-dimensional channels is suitable for diverse types of 2D COF membranes. A mixed-dimensional channel strategy is developed by interlayer intercalation for fabricating high-flux COF membranes towards nanofiltration. The 1D in-plane channels and 2D interlayer channels are constructed simultaneously by actively manipulating interlayer-enlarging effect and pore-blocking effect, which affords significantly improved water flux. [Display omitted] • Interlayer manipulation is implemented in COF membranes by the intercalation of MXene nanosheets, affording mixed-dimensional channels. • The 2D interlayer spacing can be enlarged from 0.32 nm to 0.46 nm while maintaining the 1D in-plane channel size above 1.21 nm. • Compared with the pristine TpPa-SO 3 H membrane, the COF/Mx-8 membrane exhibits an 90 % increase in water flux to 375.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. • The strategy of MXene-intercalated mixed-dimensional channels is suitable for other types of 2D COF membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient oil-water separation has always been a research hotspot in the field of environmental studies. Employing a one-step hydrothermal approach, NiFe-layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheets were synthesized on nickel foam substrates. The resulting NiFe-LDH/NF membrane exhibited rejection rates exceeding 99% across six diverse oil-water mixtures, concurrently demonstrating a remarkable ultra-high flux of 1.4 × 106 L·m−2·h−1. This flux value significantly surpasses those documented in existing literature, maintaining stable performance over 1000 manual filtration cycles. These breakthroughs stem from the synergistic interplay among the three-dimensional channels of the nickel foam, the nanosheets, and the hydration layer. By leveraging the pore size of the foam to enhance the functionality of the hydration layer, the conventional trade-off between permeability and selectivity was transformed into a balanced force relationship between the hydration layer and the oil phase. The operational and failure mechanisms of the hydration layer were examined using the prepared NiFe-LDH/NF membrane, validating the correlation between oil phase viscosity and density with hydration layer rupture. Additionally, an extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was employed to investigate changes in interaction energy, further reinforcing the study's findings. This research contributes novel insights and assistance to the comprehension and application of hydration layers in other membrane studies dedicated to oil-water separation. [Display omitted] • Novel NiFe-LDH nanosheets grown on nickel foam was produced for oil/water separation. • Unprecedented flux of 1.4 × 106 L·m−2·h−1 was achieved due to synergistic effect. • Exceptional durability with no deterioration after 1000 circulation was achieved. • The modified membrane exhibited an oil interception/removal rate exceeding 99%. • Fracture factor of hydration layer was influenced by oil viscosity and density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TFC-PA NF membrane with in-situ formed cellulose nanofibers as interlayer is prepared via interfacial polymerization. • The membrane exhibits a pure water permeance up to 35.7 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1 and a high Na 2 SO 4 rejection >97%. • The membrane shows a high stability to applied pressure and long filtration time. • The membrane shows an obvious improvement of antifouling performance. Improving the water permeance of polyamide nanofiltration (NF) membranes without the simultaneous loss of rejection is highly desired but remains a challenge. In this work, we prepared an ultrapermeable polyamide NF membrane containing an in-situ -formed cellulose nanofibre (CN) interconnected network film between a polyamide active layer and ultrafiltration (UF) membrane support through direct addition of the CN to a piperazine aqueous solution for interfacial polymerization. Such in-situ -formed CN interlayer with high porosity can provide a large number of channels for water transport. Compared with the polyamide active layer directly supported by the UF support, the polyamide active layer supported by the CN interlayer can contribute a more effective area for water permeation. Consequently, the polyamide NF membrane exhibited a pure water permeance up to 35.7 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 while maintaining salt rejection to Na 2 SO 4 of >97%. This permeance is 2.5 times greater than that of the membrane without the CN interlayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical design and performance of the recently opened 13A biological small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) beamline at the 3.0 GeV Taiwan Photon Source of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center are reported. The beamline is designed for studies of biological structures and kinetics in a wide range of length and time scales, from angstrom to micrometre and from microsecond to minutes. A 4 m IU24 undulator of the beamline provides high‐flux X‐rays in the energy range 4.0–23.0 keV. MoB4C double‐multilayer and Si(111) double‐crystal monochromators (DMM/DCM) are combined on the same rotating platform for a smooth rotation transition from a high‐flux beam of ∼4 × 1014 photons s−1 to a high‐energy‐resolution beam of ΔE/E ≃ 1.5 × 10−4; both modes share a constant beam exit. With a set of Kirkpatrick–Baez (KB) mirrors, the X‐ray beam is focused to the farthest SAXS detector position, 52 m from the source. A downstream four‐bounce crystal collimator, comprising two sets of Si(311) double crystals arranged in a dispersive configuration, optionally collimate the DCM (vertically diffracted) beam in the horizontal direction for ultra‐SAXS with a minimum scattering vector q down to 0.0004 Å−1, which allows resolving ordered d‐spacing up to 1 µm. A microbeam, of 10–50 µm beam size, is tailored by a combined set of high‐heat‐load slits followed by micrometre‐precision slits situated at the front‐end 15.5 m position. The second set of KB mirrors then focus the beam to the 40 m sample position, with a demagnification ratio of ∼1.5. A detecting system comprising two in‐vacuum X‐ray pixel detectors is installed to perform synchronized small‐ and wide‐angle X‐ray scattering data collections. The observed beamline performance proves the feasibility of having compound features of high flux, microbeam and ultra‐SAXS in one beamline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar power generation plays an increasingly important role in the context of the energy revolution. Apart from the widely used crystalline silicon photovoltaic (c-Si PV) cells and flat plate vacuum solar thermal collectors for decentralized energy generation, concentrating solar power systems are on the rise due to their ability to reach high process temperatures and/or high photovoltaic (PV) efficiencies. In order to push technological advancements in this field, high-flux solar simulators are required for development and testing of components and modules under reproducible conditions. This paper describes the design process, manufacturing and commissioning of a versatile, low-cost, high-flux solar simulator for the investigation of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells or other parts and modules used in concentrating solar systems. The design and development process of the solar simulator is described in detail, starting with the compilation of the requirement list, followed by the selection of the correct light source, all the way to the measurement technology and graphic user interface. The solar simulator is also characterized based on IEC and ASTM standards regarding spectral mismatch, concentration factor, temporal stability, as well as adjustability for a variety of measurement tasks. It can reach adjustable concentration factors of more than 200 suns in an area of 50 x 50 mm and the cost was kept below 5000 €. Finally, exemplary test results of an Azurspace 3C44 multi-junction cell under different concentration factors are presented. • A comprehensive analysis of solar simulators available in academia and industry. • Detailed presentation of a versatile low-cost, high-flux solar simulator design. • Solar simulator for investigation of CPV solar cells and entire CSP absorber modules. • Improvement of spectral fidelity by light source and reflective materials selection. • Characterization of low-cost solar simulator according to ASTM/IEC standards. • Presentation of representative test results, characterizing a multi-junction PV-cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the emergence of two-dimensional (2D) branching fractal structures (BFS) in the nanoconfinement between the active and the support layer of a thin-film-composite polyamide (TFC-PA) nanofiltration membrane. These BFS are crystal dendrites of NaCl formed when salts are either added to the piperazine solution during the interfacial polymerization process or introduced to the nascently formed TFC-PA membrane before drying. The NaCl dosing concentration and the curing temperature have an impact on the size of the BFS but not on the fractal dimension (~1.76). The BFS can be removed from the TFC-PA membranes by simply dissolving the crystal dendrites in deionized water, and the resulting TFC-PA membranes have substantially higher water fluxes (three-to fourfold) without compromised solute rejection. The flux enhancement is believed to be attributable to the distributed reduction in physical binding between the PA active layer and the support layer, caused by the exertion of crystallization pressure when the BFS formed. This reduced physical binding leads to an increase in the effective area for water transport, which, in turn, results in higher water flux. The BFS-templating method, which includes the interesting characteristics of 2D crystal dendrites, represents a facile, low-cost, and highly practical method of enhancing the performance of the TFC-PA nanofiltration membrane without having to alter the existing infrastructure of membrane fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the effluent standards or water purification, many water-treatment methods including membrane separation have been applied to separate the oily contaminations and clean water. However, most of the membranes displayed a low separation efficiency or poor reusability due to the functional group loss or their surface adhesion of contaminations including oil and biofoulings. Thus, in this work, a hydrophilic crosslinked PVP membrane was facilely prepared via the electrospinning and crosslinking. Crosslinking solves the problem of loss of hydrophilic components in the separation process, and the cPVP-PAN membrane has high hydrophilicity and excellent pollution resistance. The cPVP-PAN membrane showed a high separation flux (20,610 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and an excellent separation efficiency (above 97%) for the oil–water mixtures. At the same time, the membrane has good separation capacities for different oil–water mixtures. Importantly, it shows high separation flux of O/W emulsion (569 L m−2 h−1) only under gravity conditions and a low flux-loss (8.08% after 10-cycle filtration). Furthermore, the membrane could effectively resist the contamination of BSA protein and oil, the flux recovery rates (FRRs) were more than 87.6%. Such membrane shows a broad application prospect in the complex water environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tremendous efforts have been exerted to develop effective and ecofriendly materials for separation of oil/water mixtures and emulsions. However, porous materials with superwettability for oil/water separation are usually fabricated from nonrenewable precursors, which contradicts with the concept of green development. Inspired by the cellular porosity and hierarchical organization of wood, biodegradable cut and sawed wood slices with different pore sizes were separately machined by a razor blade and a fine-toothed saw. The cut and sawed slices separately possessed rough single- and double-layer structures. After silylation with MTCS, both machined slices repelled water entirely but allowed the complete permeation of oils. The fragment-free cut slice with relatively large pore size was able to separate immiscible oil/water mixtures, while the fragment-covered sawed slice with relatively small pore size could separate water-in-oil emulsions. Compared with other wood slice by sawing, the section structure and superoleophilic property made the slices have a high oil flux for a series of mixtures and emulsions, which reached 72 kL m−2 h−1 and 464 L m−2 h−1, respectively. The flux was high even after 10 cycles, exhibiting favorable recyclable stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazardous dye substances discharged from the textile and dyestuff industries not only threaten local the surrounding ecosystems but are also hard to degraded. We report the preparation of process for a photocatalytic membrane device that can degrade dye pollution under visible light. This filtration membrane, with a well-organized multilayer structure, simultaneously achieves continuous and flow-through separation of degradation products. Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were used as a template for nanosheet C3N4 (NS C3N4) preparation; the performance for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes improved as the morphology changed from bulking to nanosheet. NS C3N4 was then attached to the surface of a prepared CNF membrane via vacuum filtration. This device exhibited high efficiency (the degradation rates of both Rhodamine B and Methylene blue both reached 96%), high flux (above 160 L·h−1·m−2·bar−1) and excellent stability (maintaining steady flux and high separation were maintained after 4 h). This easy-preparation, easy-scale-up, and low-cost process provides a new method of fabricating photocatalytic membrane devices for dye wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteremia in dialysis patients is a major risk factor of mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of dialysis with high-flux versus low-flux dialyzer regarding risk of bacteremia in dialysis patients. This was a retrospective cohort study that included dialysis patients who underwent dialysis therapy at old dialysis center where old low-flux dialyzers were used and the new dialysis center where high-flux dialyzers were used. The rate of positive culture was more in high-flux group (37.0%) compared to low-flux group (24.5%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.13). The vascular access was mostly permanent catheter in high-flux group compared to low-flux group (48.9% vs. 28.6%, respectively; P = 0.06), while arteriovenous (AV) fistula was more prominent in low-flux group compared to high-flux group (65.3% vs. 47.8%, respectively; P = 0.06). This was reflected in the type of bacteria, which was mostly from Gram-positive family (Staphylococcus). The results showed higher risk of bacteremia in high-flux group as compared to low-flux group; however, permanent catheters were more prominent in high-flux group.

Tight ultra-filtration (TUF) membranes were constructed by in situ growing zinc imidazole frameworks micro-crystalline leaves (ZIF-L) in polyethylene imine (PEI) and polydopamine (PDA) deposit layers on porous polyethylene (PE) substrates. The effects of preparation conditions on the surface physical and chemical structures as well as on the dye/salt separation performance of the formed TUF membranes were systematically investigated. By inserting selective water permeation channels and increasing contacting surface areas, in situ-grown ZIF-L arrays tightly cross-linked in the coating matrix greatly increased water permeation without trading off dye/salt retention selectivity. The morphology of the included ZIF-L particles could be varied by adjusting the ligand/Zn molar ratio (α) in the preparation processes. Optimized PDA-PEI/ZIF-L@PE TUF membranes containing ZIF-L of cross-cross block morphology showed very high pure water permeability of 180 ± 20 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 (LMHB) and retention selectivity (S CR/Na2SO4 and S MB/Na2SO4) of 267 and 43, respectively, as well as excellent stability and anti-fouling properties. [Display omitted] • Lower cost-based TUF membranes were prepared for effective dye/salt separation. • In situ-grown ZIF-L increased water flux without losing dye retention selectivity. • PEI and PDA coating greatly enhanced the stability of ZIF-L in water. • Morphology of ZIF-L was tuned for improving membrane performance. • Protonation of the -NH- groups increased positive charge and water flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel membrane was fabricated by a simple one-step electrospun blending method. • It exhibited excellent anti-fouling and photocatalytic self-cleaning performances. • It has excellent separation ability and high permeation flux. • It has high flux recovery rate and stable reusability after repeated test. Membrane separation technology is a vital method for separating oil/water emulsions. However, membrane fouling caused by repeated use has brought a series of problems such as reduced permeation flux and poor recycling. Herein, we fabricated a high-flux and self-cleaning electrospinning nanofiber membrane Polyacrylonitrile-NH 2 -MIL-88B(PAN-NH 2 -M88B) by a facile one-step electrospinning blending method for highly efficient oil/water emulsion separation. Benefit from the constructed micro/nano rough structure and hydrophilic surface of NH 2 -MIL-88B(NH 2 -M88B), the PAN-NH 2 -M88B membrane exhibited excellent separation performances, high wettability and permeation flux after multiple oil/water emulsion separation tests under visible light irradiation. The fabricated nanofiber membrane can achieve a high separation efficiency of 99.5 % and a high flux of 5095–7662 L m−2h−1 respectively for five types of oil-in-water emulsions. More importantly, the flux of the fabricated nanofiber membrane is 2–3 times that of the membrane prepared by the traditional phase conversion method, which greatly reduces the separation time and improves the separation efficiency. Moreover, the flux of the oil-contaminated membrane can be restored by simple visible light irradiation, demonstrating excellent photocatalytic self-cleaning property. Therefore, the membrane has good stability and can be reused for many times with little change in separation efficiency and flux. Owing to the facile preparation method and the excellent performances, the developed nanofiber membrane was expected to be an ideal candidate for industrial oil–water emulsion separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first report of separating CH 3 CN/water by superwetting membranes. • Porous membranes with suitable surface energy combined with proper inductive agents. • This strategy shows very high separation flux, 3–4 orders higher than pervaporation. Efficient recovery of acetonitrile from its aqueous solution is quite important for both cost reduction and avoiding environmental pollution. The current main strategies including pervaporation, absorptive separation, and extractive distillation are limited by their low separation-flux, low separation-capacity, or high energy-consumption. Herein, we combine the design of superwetting membrane and salt-induced phase separation to propose a new approach for purification of acetonitrile from its aqueous solution, which possesses the advantages of high throughput, continuity, and energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant progress has been made in designing advanced membranes; however, persistent challenges remain due to their reduced permeation rates and a propensity for substantial fouling. These factors continue to pose significant barriers to the effective utilization of membranes in the separation of oil-in-water emulsions. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered promising materials for such applications; however, they encounter three key challenges when applied to the separation of oil from water: (a) lack of water stability; (b) difficulty in producing defect-free membranes; and (c) unresolved issue of stabilizing the MOF separating layer on the ceramic membrane (CM) support. In this study, a defect-free hydrolytically stable zirconium-based MOF separating layer was formed through a two-step method: first, by in situ growth of UiO-66-NH 2 MOF into the voids of polydopamine (PDA)-functionalized CM during the solvothermal process, and then by facilitating the self-assembly of UiO-66-NH 2 with PDA using a pressurized dead-end assembly. A stable MOF separating layer was attained by enriching the ceramic support with amines and hydroxyl groups using PDA, which assisted in the assembly and stabilization of UiO-66-NH 2 . The PDA-s-UiO-66-NH 2 -CM membrane displayed air superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity, demonstrating its oil resistance and high antifouling behavior. The PDA-s-UiO-66-NH 2 -CM membrane has shown exceptionally high permeability and separation capacity for challenging oil-in-water emulsions. This is attributed to numerous nanochannels from the membrane and its high resistance to oil adhesion. The membranes showed excellent stability over 15 continuous test cycles, which indicates that the developed MOFs separating layers have a low tendency to be clogged by oil droplets during separation. Machine learning-based Gaussian process regression (GPR) models as nonparametric kernel-based probabilistic models were employed to predict the performance efficiency of the PDA-s-UiO-66-NH 2 -CM membrane in oil-in-water separation. The outcomes were compared with the support vector machine (SVM) and decision tree (DT) algorithm. This efficiency includes various metrics related to its separation accuracy, and the models were developed through feature engineering to identify and utilize the most significant factors affecting the membrane's performance. The results proved the reliability of GPR optimization with the highest prediction accuracy in the validation phase. The average percentage increase of the GPR model compared to the SVM and DT model was 6.11 and 42.94%, respectively.

A novel polyamide (PA) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane modified with Beta (β) zeolite was prepared by interfacial polymerization on a poly (ether sulfone) (PES) ultrafiltration membrane. Compared with the PA thin film composite (TFC) membrane, the introduction of β zeolite with porous structure notably increased the water flux of TFN membrane. Because the β zeolite with tiny-sized and well-defined inner-porous acted as prior flow channels for water molecules and a barrier for the sulfate ions. The successful introduction of β zeolite into the (PA) selective layer and their dispersion in the corresponding layer were verified by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Water contact angle, zeta potential measurements were used to characterize the changes of membrane surface properties before and after incorporating the β zeolite. With the β zeolite introducing, the water contact angle of modified TFN membrane was decreased to 47.8°, which was benefited to improve the water flux. Meanwhile, the negative charges of the modified TFN membrane was increased, resulting in an enhancement of separation effect on SO 4 2− and Cl−. In term of nanofiltration (NF) experiments, the highest pure water flux of the TFN membranes reached up to 81.22 L m−2 hr−1 under operating pressure of 0.2 MPa, which was 2.5 times as much as the pristine TFC membrane. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Singapore's first 28-kW e high-flux solar simulator was designed and characterized. • Precise and flexible adjustment frameworks were employed. • The electricity-to-target transfer efficiency in a Ø60-mm target area is 29.6%. • A peak radiative flux of 7740 kW m−2 was measured. Singapore's first multi-source high-flux solar simulator (HFSS) that comprises an array of seven 4-kW e xenon short-arc lamps close-coupled with ellipsoidal reflectors is designed, constructed, and characterized. An indirect mapping system that consists of a water-cooled Lambertian target, a CMOS camera, and a heat-flux gauge is adopted herein to experimentally characterize the performance of the developed HFSS. A calibration constant of 192.8 ± 9.6 kW m−2 (GS µs−1)–1 is determined and used to transform the raw-flux maps with grayscale values to the absolute-flux maps. Utilizing a series of flexible and precise adjusters, the variability of ± 1 mm in the x- and y- directions of the peak flux points of the radiation modules is measured. A peak flux of 7740 kW m−2 is measured for the sum of all 7 radiation modules. Average radiative fluxes of 4191 kW m−2 and 2933 kW m−2 can be observed from circular target areas of Ø40 mm and Ø60 mm, respectively, associated with promising electricity-to-target transfer efficiencies of 18.8% and 29.6%. A Monte Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) model is calibrated by the experimental data. Based on the minimum root-mean-standard deviation between the measured and simulated results of the radiative power on the target, the optimal parameters of the MCRT model include the arc radius of 3.4 mm and the reflector surface error of 1.1 mrad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

⬢ The P-PHBA membranes were prepared by incorporating para hydroxybenzoate alumoxane (PHBA) filler into PES membranes. ⬢ The P-PHBA membranes possessed more populated micro voids, higher porosity and hydrophilicity than PES. ⬢ The P-PHBA membranes showed high dye (Direct Red 16 and for Methylene Blue) rejection. ⬢ The P-PHBA membranes exhibited more permeation flux and outstanding antifouling behavior. The PES nanofiltration membranes incorporated with hydrophilic para hydroxybenzoate alumoxane (PHBA) filler were prepared with enhanced pure water flux, dye removal, and antifouling property. The fabricated membranes were characterized in terms of average pore radius, porosity, surface roughness, water contact angle, active layer thickness, and zeta potential. The surface roughness of the nanofiltration membranes decreased and the surface hydrophilicity of the nanofiltration membranes increased with the increase of the PHBA content. According to nanofiltration experiments, the highest pure water flux of the PES membranes incorporated with PHBA reached up to 80.47 kg/m2h under operation pressure of 0.4 MPa, which was nearly 5.8 times as much as that of the neat PES membrane. The PES membranes incorporated with PHBA filler also exhibited excellent antifouling performance and dye removal capability. In the best PHBA content with the P-PHBA 0.3 % membrane, the highest rejection of 99.21 and 98.53% were achieved for DR 16 and MB, respectively. Furthermore, the P-PHBA membranes exhibited good long-term operational pH stability for DR 16 rejection. P-PHBA 0.3 % membrane also exhibited the highest flux recovery ratio (98.50%) and the lowest irreversible fouling ration (1.50%). Moreover, the dominant fouling mechanism was determined using Hermia–"s model. This superior antifouling behavior and relatively high dye rejection combined with remarkable stability show the potential of the organic-inorganic fillers embedded nanofiltration membranes in sustainable water treatment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ ionic permeabilities through a Nafion 115 membrane, containing sulfonate functional groups capable of cation exchange with metal ions, were measured in this work. Single and binary salt mixtures were prepared at 10, 100, and 1000 ppm concentrations, and the ionic permeabilities and selectivities (α) were measured. The ionic permeabilities were in the 10−6–10−5 cm2/s range, and the order of ion permeability depends on the ionic concentration. At low (10 ppm) concentration, the smaller Ni2+ transported faster than the other two ions and the permeability was dominated by the ionic diffusivity. As the concentration was increased to 100 and 1000 ppm, the ion permeability was increased because more ions were exchanged onto the sulfonate groups. Moreover, Zn2+ became the fastest ion among the three as the ion transport became solubility-controlled at the medium and high concentrations. In spite of the ion permeability order being dependent upon the feed concentration, the separation selectivity was not affected by the presence of co-ions in the tested conditions. The separation selectivity from a binary mixture could be estimated from the permeability ratio obtained from single solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To solve the difficulty in balancing adsorption capacity and flux in the field of protein separation. • Composite aerogels (CCS-NFAs) with 3D lamellar structure were developed for adsorptive separation of protein. • Aerogels are obtained by simple freeze-drying method with inexpensive materials. • The obtained aerogel has good static/dynamic adsorption effect and high throughput. • The CCS-NFAs exhibited good under water strength and underwater superelasticity. High-performance and environmentally compatible chromatographic media with superb adsorption capacity and large processing throughput is key to efficient protein separation. Herein, composite aerogels (CCS-NFAs) of cellulose nanofibrous and chitosan (CCS) with 3D lamellar structure were developed by freeze-drying method for adsorptive separation of protein. The CCS-NFAs exhibited good under water strength (25.2 kPa at 60 % compression strain) and underwater superelasticity despite being highly porous (over 98%) and lightweight (10.94 mg cm−3). The maximum adsorption capacity for bovine serum albumin (BSA) was calculated to be about 1269 mg g−1, and the corresponding dynamic adsorption capability was as high as 914 mg g−1 with a filling mass of 20 mg at a flow rate of 30 mL h−1, compared favorably against the state-of-the-art ion-exchange chromatography materials. The superb adsorptive capacity was due to the involvement of chemical adsorption as confirmed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model fitting of the experimental data. Additionally, the highly oriented large open-cells in the material enabled ultrahigh water flux at about 2.2 × 104 L m-2h−1, which showed no significant attenuation in flux or removal efficiency. The successful preparation of CCS-NFAs contributes to protein purification engineering by offering an eco-friendly high-performance chromatographic media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional covalent triazine framework material (2D-CTF) is a kind of covalent organic framework material with triazine ring structure consisting of C and N elements, which is considered to be a type of ideal membrane material due to its excellent structural stability and adjustable in-plane nanopore. In this study, few-layers 2D-CTF-1 nanomaterials were prepared using a micro-interface method based on the polymerization of 1,4-dicyanobenzene. The resulting few-layers 2D-CTF-1 nanosheets were used as building blocks to construct 2D-CTF-1 membrane via a layer-bylayer assembly method. The structure and morphology of the prepared 2D-CTF-1 nanosheets and membrane were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pure water flux under different pressures and the separation performances of 2D-CTF-1 membrane for small organic dye molecules were tested. The results show that 2D- CTF-1 membrane possesses high pure water flux(153.7 L/(m2·h)) (25 °C, 0.1 MPa), and the in-plane nanopores of 2D-CTF-1 are proposed as the main transport channels for water molecules. Besides, the 2D-CTF-1 membrane exhibits high flux (132.5 L/(m2·h)) (25 °C, 0.1 MPa) and high rejection rate (98.3%) for separation of organic dye (Congo red). The membrane still shows high flux and rejection after a long-term operation. Thus, 2D-CTF-1 is a promising 2D separation membrane material for high efficient molecular separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TiO 2 /PEI was anchored on a PDA-coated membrane through vacuum filtration. • The membrane has an excellent water permeability of 40.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. • Silver nanoparticles enabled a high antibacterial activity (BR = 99.7%). • An ultra-high dyes retention (e.g., reactive black 5: 99.4%) was obtained. The use of engineered nanomaterials in membrane design has proved promising to enhance the membrane separation performance and confer additional specific functionalities to a membrane. Enlightened by the robust adhesion of bioinspired coatings, super-hydrophilic titanium dioxide (TiO 2) coupled with polyethylenimine (PEI) was stably anchored on the surface of a polydopamine (PDA)-coated membrane through vacuum filtration. The combination of organic-inorganic hybrid layer with PDA coating endowed the composite membrane with an excellent separation performance. Further in-situ formation of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) onto the composite membrane enabled the membrane with a high antibacterial activity. The effect of TiO 2 concentration on membrane separation performance was studied. The results demonstrated that PEI plays a key role to achieve a superior dye rejection, although it resulted in a distinctly decrease of water permeability. As the TiO 2 loading amount increases, the water permeability notably enhanced with an overall high rejection of dye solutions. The optimal composite membrane had a quite high water permeability of 40.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and an excellent dye rejection. Plate counting method results showed that the Ag decorated composite membrane had a high bacteriostatic rate of 99.7%. This facile fabrication procedure and outstanding separation performance suggest that the modified membranes have a high potential in treating dye wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]