Soh-Fong Lim

Organic Arsenic Adsorption onto a Magnetic Sorbent

The adsorption of organic arsenate, monomethylarsonate (MMA), onto a calcium alginate encapsulated magnetic sorbent is studied in this paper. A novel alginate encalsulated magnetic sorbent was used in the experiments on adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and pH effect. It was found that the equilibrium sorption can be attained within 25 h. Solution pH plays a key role in the removal of MMA from the solution. A greater adsorption can be achieved at pH 4 and below. The maximum sorption capacity of MMA was 8.57 mg As/g, which is slightly higher than the reported adsorbents. The interaction characteristics between the organic arsenate and magnetic sorbent were elucidated by applying FT-IR and XPS analyses. It is shown that the -COOH and Fe-O groups in the sorbent are involved in the adsorption process. The appearance of As-CH(3) and alkane C-H groups in the FT-IR spectrum reveals the binding of the organic arsenate to the sorbent. The XPS analysis indicates that reduction of organic arsenate to organic arsenite on the sorbents surface happens through solid state redox reaction via charge transport from Fe(II) and C-O species in the sorbent. The XPS results also show the disappearance of C-OH and formation of As-O. It is deduced from the spectral results that mechanisms of organic arsenate adsorption involve C-OH, As-O, and Fe-O groups with the solid state redox process.

Preparation and characterization of zirconium-based magnetic sorbent for arsenate removal.

In this study, a zirconium-based magnetic sorbent is developed by a coprecipitation technology. The characterization of the sorbent and its adsorption behavior are systematically investigated. It is shown that the sorbent has a small mean diameter of 543.7 nm, a specific surface area of 151 m(2)/g, and a pH(zpc) of 7. The sorbent has a rough surface and many pores developed on the surface. It has a molecular formula of ZrO(OH)(2) x 1.6 Fe(3)O(4) x 2.5 H(2)O, which was determined by the thermal gravimetric analysis, the elemental analysis, and the digestion experiments. The sorption equilibrium can be reached within 25 h. Better adsorption can be obtained at lower pH, and the optimal initial pH is from 2.6 to 3.3. The maximum adsorption capacity of 45.6 mg-As/g is achieved, which is much higher than many reported sorbents. FTIR spectra analysis indicates that -OH groups play an important role in the uptake. Some of the arsenate are reduced to arsenite after its adsorption onto the magnetic sorbent; the divalent iron in the sorbent may provide electrons for the reduction. A conceptual model for the adsorption of arsenate by the magnetic sorbent is proposed to illustrate the mechanism.

Electrically Bistable Thin-Film Device Based on PVK and GNPs Polymer Material

We present an electrical-bistability device based on MIM-sandwiched structure. Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) mixed with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) serve as the active layer between two metal electrodes. After applying a voltage, the as-fabricated device can transit from low conductivity state to high conductivity state. By simply using a reverse bias, the high conductivity state can return to the low conductivity state. An on/off current ratio as high as 105 at room temperature has been achieved. The memory effect is attributed to electric-field-induced charge transfer complex formed between the PVK and the GNPs. The device shows a good stability under stress test for both states and exhibits a high potential on Flash-type memory applications

Uptake of arsenate by an alginate-encapsulated magnetic sorbent: process performance and characterization of adsorption chemistry.

Arsenate removal by a calcium alginate-encapsulated magnetic sorbent was studied. The morphology, microstructure, and composition properties of the sorbent were explored using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The SEM study demonstrates that there are many protuberances and pores on the sorbent surface; the XRD analysis reveals that the sorbent consists of Fe(3)O(4). The EDX analysis indicates that the adsorption on the surfaces of sorbent is highly location dependent. The interaction characteristics between the arsenic and the functional groups on the sorbent were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These studies indicate that the lattice oxygen in magnetite and the oxygen in hydroxyl of the calcium alginate play important roles in the sorption of arsenate ions onto the sorbent. More importantly, the XPS analysis demonstrates that the arsenate is reduced to arsenite after its adsorption onto the sorbent. It is proposed that divalent iron and the alcoholic group in alginate provide electrons to arsenate. A conceptual model for the adsorption is proposed to illustrate the mechanisms.

Interactions of evaporated aluminum atoms with polyaniline films: An x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed for the in situ study of the interactions between thermally deposited Al atoms and polyaniline films of different intrinsic oxidation states. Quantitative changes in the N 1s core-level line shape, the evolution of the Al 2p core-level spectra, and the changes in surface stoichiometry of these films throughout the Al deposition process were carefully tracked. Although the nitrogen sites appear to be more attractive to the incoming Al atoms and the emeraldine and nigraniline films undergo an apparent decrease in intrinsic oxidation state ([=N–]/[–NH–] ratio) as a result of Al deposition, there is no direct interaction between the two species, and the adsorbed oxygen from the bulk of the polymer film plays a dominant role in the interfacial interactions between the polymer and the metal.

Emerging Biosorption, Adsorption, Ion Exchange, and Membrane Technologies

In the last 20 yr, the water industry has been faced with a series of great challenges. Industries have discharged wastewater that contains various new compounds. In addition, the demand for high-quality water has been significantly increasing. As a result, new water treatment technologies have been developed. In this chapter, three novel technologies are introduced. The emerging technologies for the removal of heavy metals, disinfection byproducts, total organic carbons (TOC), and arsenic are illustrated.

A WORM-Type Memory Device with Rectifying Effect Based on a Conjugated Copolymer of PF6Eu on Si Substrate

We report a non-volatile, write-once-read-many times (WORM) memory device based on a simple organic-inorganic heterojunction. The organic film used is 9, 9-dihexylfluorene and Eu-complexed benzoate (PF6Eu (DBM)), which contains both electron-donor (9, 9-dihexylfluorene) and electron-acceptor (europium complex) groups. The inorganic n-type silicon substrate is used as the bottom electrode, while the Al is used as the top electrode. Under current-voltage testing, the device is able to switch from one initial non-conducting state (OFF) to a conducting state (ON) once a threshold voltage is reached under the first positive sweep. The “OFF” state is not recoverable with subsequent negative sweep after the device is turned “ON”. The ON/OFF current ratio is around 4×10 4 . Diode rectifying characteristics is also observed for the turned-on device with a current ratio of 7×10 4 , which is essential to address one memory cell in large passive matrix circuits. Reliability test is carried out and the device is able to sustain its “ON” state for at least 12 hours without any external bias.