Chuanfang Yang

Enhanced chromium (VI) adsorption using nanosized chitosan fibers tailored by electrospinning

Stacked chitosan nanofibers with an average diameter of 75 nm were successfully produced by electrospinning using 5 wt% chitosan in acetic acid as the spinning solution. The fibers were then cross-linked with glutaraldehyde to remove chromium [Cr(VI)] from water via static adsorption. It was found that the adsorption correlated well with pseudo-second order kinetic model, and followed a mixed isotherm of Freundlich and Langmuir. The maximum nanofibers adsorption capacity was 131.58 mg/g, more than doubled that of chitosan powders. Common co-ions such as Cl(-), NO3(-), Na(+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) had little or no effect on the adsorption but SO4(2-) was an exception. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer analyses indicated that both amino and hydroxyl groups of chitosan were engaged in the adsorption.

In situ growing directional spindle TiO2 nanocrystals on cellulose fibers for enhanced Pb2+ adsorption from water

TiO2/cellulose nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ generation of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocrystals on cellulose fibers (CF) via facile hydrolysis of TiOSO4. Cellulose was intended as a scaffold to immobilize TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), but turned out surprisingly to be also a chemical template that directed the crystal growth. As a result, spindle rutile TiO2 crystals were nicely formed on the surface of cellulose. These crystals were further controlled to disperse uniformly without agglomeration for better use of their surface area to adsorb heavy metals. The TiO2/CF composite showed enhanced adsorption capacity, good regenerability and selectivity for lead (Pb(2+)) removal. In addition, the composite fibers were readily fabricated into a nonwoven filter bed through which dynamic filtration experiment was conducted. A 12-fold increase in filtered bed volume was achieved for TiO2/CF bed compared with pure CF bed before breakthrough took place. This work provides a green pathway for fabricating low cost, high efficiency and engineering application possible nanosorbents for water decontamination.

Sensitivity of coalescence separation of oil–water emulsions using stainless steel felt enabled by LBL self-assembly and CVD

Commercial stainless steel felt was endowed with LBL self-assembly of dual size nano-SiO2 particles to have a hierarchical micro/nano surface structure. The pore size of the felt was tailored at the same time by tuning the assembling cycles. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) at two concentration levels was applied to the roughened felt to render it both hydrophobic/superhydrophobic and oleophobic. The felt thus prepared was wettable by oil underwater, which allowed it to be effective as a coalescing material for separating 4 kinds of oil-in-water emulsions. The nanometer-thick POTS coating was durable for months. The coalescence separation efficiency was found to be dependent on both pore size and surface wettability of the felt in air. It was less sensitive to pore size change when the surface was more hydrophobic and oleophobic (amphiphobic). When the pore size was kept constant, more amphiphobic felt was less efficient for separation. When the surface turned superhydrophobic, the separation became better as the pore size was reduced. These findings provide new insights for designing better coalescence materials, especially when the effects of surface wettability and pore size are intermingled.

Three-layer composite filter media containing electrospun polyimide nanofibers for the removal of fine particles

Polyimide (P84) nanofibers of 200-500 nm were deposited uniformly on needle punched aramid felt with basis weight of 260-350 g/m2 by optimized electrospinning. High temperature adhesive was then electro-sprayed on the nanofiber side deliberately to bind a thin protective layer made of temperature-resistant non-wovens. The three layer structure was afterwards enforced by hot pressing to form composite filter media. The application of the adhesive was tailored not to affect the permeability of the substrate felt while exerting adhesion strength of over 1000 kPa for the media to be suitable for flue gas dust treatment under 240 ºC. When 0.3-10 μm NaCl aerosols were used as the simulated dusts, it was found that even a small amount of P84 nanofibers could obviously elevate the filtration efficiency. The composite showed 100 % removal efficiency of particles equal and greater than 2.0 μm, and 99.5 % for particles 1.0-2.0 μm in diameter.

Surface Wetting-Driven Separation of Surfactant-Stabilized Water–Oil Emulsions

Four fluorocarbon polymers including polytetrafluoroethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride were coated on a stainless steel felt to separate emulsified water droplets from ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuels. The original fuel treated with clay to remove additives was additized again with four known surfactants including pentaerythrityoleate, (octadecadienoic acid) dipolymer, (octadecadienoic acid) tripolymer, and monoolein individually. The different surfactants adsorbed on the fuel-water interface reduce the interfacial intension with different intensities. The separation efficiency at various surfactant concentrations was used to evaluate the coalescence effect exerted by these coatings. It was found the separation was both surfactant- and coating-dependent. A fluoro-polyurethane coating (FC1) stood out to counteract the adverse effect of all the surfactants. Solid free energy was then measured using acid-base and Kaelble-Uy adhesion theories for all the coatings, but its correlation with coalescence was not found at all. Coating aging in surfactant-additized fuel on the coatings water wettability was also examined to better understand how historical wetting affects separation. A tumbled model for fluorocarbons was identified that well-explained the continuous decline of the water contact angle on the FC1 coating in fuel. Subject to the challenge of the foreign environment, the fluoroalkyl chains of the polymer tilt to expose the carbonyl groups underneath, resulting in favored coalescence separation in the presence of surfactants.