Nana Li

Evolution of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Hierarchical Morphology during Slow Gelation Process and Its Superhydrophobicity

In the paper, we proposed an evolution process of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) macromolecular aggregation in a mixed solvent through the simple and slow gelation process at room temperature. The mixed solvent is prepared with a room-temperature solvent and a high-temperature solvent. The evolution process can be terminated by quenching and exchanging with nonsolvent in a nonsolvent coagulation bath properly, and then the vivid petal-like nanostructure and microspherulite is formed simultaneously. This hierarchical morphology endows PVDF with superhydrophobic and self-cleaning properties, which is useful to PVDF coating and membrane materials. The evolution processes are investigated through the measurements of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the rheological properties of solution, dry gel and wet gel, are explored.

Superlight Adsorbent Sponges Based on Graphene Oxide Cross-Linked with Poly(vinyl alcohol) for Continuous Flow Adsorption

In this study, superlight adsorbent sponges (bulk density 0.016-0.049 g·cm-3) were developed based on graphene oxide (GO) cross-linked with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The interlayer spacing of the GO nanosheets was increased by the insertion of PVA, and good mechanical integrity was attained by the cross-linked structure. They showed excellent continuous flow adsorption capacity (CFAC) when methylene blue (MB) was used as a model contaminant; a water flux of 396 L·m-2·h-1 through a 2 cm thick adsorbent sponge was achieved at a hydraulic head of only 10 cm water, with an almost complete retention of MB. They corresponded to a water permeability of 4.0 × 105 L·m-2·h-1·MPa-1, which was several orders of magnitudes higher than GO-based membranes for similar applications reported in the literature. The GO nanosheets were completely immobilized in the sponge by cross-linking with PVA, and thus, there was no GO nanoparticle leaching or flushing out into the treated permeate water, which was another advantage over direct use of GO powders in water treatment. Because of the high water permeability and CFAC, the cross-linked GO/PVA sponges have a great potential for wastewater treatment.