7 research outputs found
Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil–Water Separation
A worldwide steady increase in oily wastewater, due to
oil spillage
and various industrial discharges, requires immediate efforts toward
development of an effective strategy and materials to preserve the
natural water bodies. Designing a superwettable fibrous membrane of
robust structure and anti-fouling property for efficient separation
of oil-water mixtures and emulsions is therefore highly demanding.
The electrospun fibrous membrane, which possesses porosity and flexibility
and properties including superwettability and tunable functionality,
can be considered as apposite materials for this cause. In this approach,
we combined two strategies, viz., Pickering emulsion and near gel
resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning together to produce a fibrous
nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil–water separation and
demulsification. nGR Pickering emulsions were stabilized using hydrophilic
SiO2 nanoparticles and successfully optimized for fabricating
the crosslinked core sheath-structured fibrous membrane. The prepared
membrane provided twofold functionality due to the core sheath structure
of the fibers. The crosslinked polystyrene core offered high oil adsorption
capacity, whereas SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl
alcohol sheath provided a rough, superhydrophilic surface with underwater
oleophobic behavior to the membrane. The optimized SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane demonstrated
excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ∼148°)
with efficient oil–water separation capacity of more than 99%
and separation flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m–2 h–1. The membrane was evaluated against various oil–water
emulsions and found to have a superior separation efficiency. Moreover,
excellent anti-oil adhesion property provided the intact membrane,
where consistent separation performance was achieved up to 10 separation
cycles without any loss. The membrane was used for separation of hot
oil–water emulsions and showed no structural disintegration
or loss in separation performance when exposed to elevated temperatures.
The developed nanocomposite membranes could efficiently be used for
separation and demulsification, and their applications can be explored
in various other fields including selective sorption, catalysis, and
storage in future
Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil–Water Separation
A worldwide steady increase in oily wastewater, due to
oil spillage
and various industrial discharges, requires immediate efforts toward
development of an effective strategy and materials to preserve the
natural water bodies. Designing a superwettable fibrous membrane of
robust structure and anti-fouling property for efficient separation
of oil-water mixtures and emulsions is therefore highly demanding.
The electrospun fibrous membrane, which possesses porosity and flexibility
and properties including superwettability and tunable functionality,
can be considered as apposite materials for this cause. In this approach,
we combined two strategies, viz., Pickering emulsion and near gel
resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning together to produce a fibrous
nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil–water separation and
demulsification. nGR Pickering emulsions were stabilized using hydrophilic
SiO2 nanoparticles and successfully optimized for fabricating
the crosslinked core sheath-structured fibrous membrane. The prepared
membrane provided twofold functionality due to the core sheath structure
of the fibers. The crosslinked polystyrene core offered high oil adsorption
capacity, whereas SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl
alcohol sheath provided a rough, superhydrophilic surface with underwater
oleophobic behavior to the membrane. The optimized SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane demonstrated
excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ∼148°)
with efficient oil–water separation capacity of more than 99%
and separation flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m–2 h–1. The membrane was evaluated against various oil–water
emulsions and found to have a superior separation efficiency. Moreover,
excellent anti-oil adhesion property provided the intact membrane,
where consistent separation performance was achieved up to 10 separation
cycles without any loss. The membrane was used for separation of hot
oil–water emulsions and showed no structural disintegration
or loss in separation performance when exposed to elevated temperatures.
The developed nanocomposite membranes could efficiently be used for
separation and demulsification, and their applications can be explored
in various other fields including selective sorption, catalysis, and
storage in future
Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil–Water Separation
A worldwide steady increase in oily wastewater, due to
oil spillage
and various industrial discharges, requires immediate efforts toward
development of an effective strategy and materials to preserve the
natural water bodies. Designing a superwettable fibrous membrane of
robust structure and anti-fouling property for efficient separation
of oil-water mixtures and emulsions is therefore highly demanding.
The electrospun fibrous membrane, which possesses porosity and flexibility
and properties including superwettability and tunable functionality,
can be considered as apposite materials for this cause. In this approach,
we combined two strategies, viz., Pickering emulsion and near gel
resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning together to produce a fibrous
nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil–water separation and
demulsification. nGR Pickering emulsions were stabilized using hydrophilic
SiO2 nanoparticles and successfully optimized for fabricating
the crosslinked core sheath-structured fibrous membrane. The prepared
membrane provided twofold functionality due to the core sheath structure
of the fibers. The crosslinked polystyrene core offered high oil adsorption
capacity, whereas SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl
alcohol sheath provided a rough, superhydrophilic surface with underwater
oleophobic behavior to the membrane. The optimized SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane demonstrated
excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ∼148°)
with efficient oil–water separation capacity of more than 99%
and separation flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m–2 h–1. The membrane was evaluated against various oil–water
emulsions and found to have a superior separation efficiency. Moreover,
excellent anti-oil adhesion property provided the intact membrane,
where consistent separation performance was achieved up to 10 separation
cycles without any loss. The membrane was used for separation of hot
oil–water emulsions and showed no structural disintegration
or loss in separation performance when exposed to elevated temperatures.
The developed nanocomposite membranes could efficiently be used for
separation and demulsification, and their applications can be explored
in various other fields including selective sorption, catalysis, and
storage in future
Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil–Water Separation
A worldwide steady increase in oily wastewater, due to
oil spillage
and various industrial discharges, requires immediate efforts toward
development of an effective strategy and materials to preserve the
natural water bodies. Designing a superwettable fibrous membrane of
robust structure and anti-fouling property for efficient separation
of oil-water mixtures and emulsions is therefore highly demanding.
The electrospun fibrous membrane, which possesses porosity and flexibility
and properties including superwettability and tunable functionality,
can be considered as apposite materials for this cause. In this approach,
we combined two strategies, viz., Pickering emulsion and near gel
resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning together to produce a fibrous
nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil–water separation and
demulsification. nGR Pickering emulsions were stabilized using hydrophilic
SiO2 nanoparticles and successfully optimized for fabricating
the crosslinked core sheath-structured fibrous membrane. The prepared
membrane provided twofold functionality due to the core sheath structure
of the fibers. The crosslinked polystyrene core offered high oil adsorption
capacity, whereas SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl
alcohol sheath provided a rough, superhydrophilic surface with underwater
oleophobic behavior to the membrane. The optimized SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane demonstrated
excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ∼148°)
with efficient oil–water separation capacity of more than 99%
and separation flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m–2 h–1. The membrane was evaluated against various oil–water
emulsions and found to have a superior separation efficiency. Moreover,
excellent anti-oil adhesion property provided the intact membrane,
where consistent separation performance was achieved up to 10 separation
cycles without any loss. The membrane was used for separation of hot
oil–water emulsions and showed no structural disintegration
or loss in separation performance when exposed to elevated temperatures.
The developed nanocomposite membranes could efficiently be used for
separation and demulsification, and their applications can be explored
in various other fields including selective sorption, catalysis, and
storage in future
Pickering Emulsion-Templated Nanocomposite Membranes for Excellent Demulsification and Oil–Water Separation
A worldwide steady increase in oily wastewater, due to
oil spillage
and various industrial discharges, requires immediate efforts toward
development of an effective strategy and materials to preserve the
natural water bodies. Designing a superwettable fibrous membrane of
robust structure and anti-fouling property for efficient separation
of oil-water mixtures and emulsions is therefore highly demanding.
The electrospun fibrous membrane, which possesses porosity and flexibility
and properties including superwettability and tunable functionality,
can be considered as apposite materials for this cause. In this approach,
we combined two strategies, viz., Pickering emulsion and near gel
resin (nGR) emulsion electrospinning together to produce a fibrous
nanocomposite membrane for efficient oil–water separation and
demulsification. nGR Pickering emulsions were stabilized using hydrophilic
SiO2 nanoparticles and successfully optimized for fabricating
the crosslinked core sheath-structured fibrous membrane. The prepared
membrane provided twofold functionality due to the core sheath structure
of the fibers. The crosslinked polystyrene core offered high oil adsorption
capacity, whereas SiO2-functionalized crosslinked polyvinyl
alcohol sheath provided a rough, superhydrophilic surface with underwater
oleophobic behavior to the membrane. The optimized SiO2-Pickering emulsion-templated nanocomposite membrane demonstrated
excellent underwater anti-oil adhesion behavior (UWOCA ∼148°)
with efficient oil–water separation capacity of more than 99%
and separation flux up to 3346 ± 91 L m–2 h–1. The membrane was evaluated against various oil–water
emulsions and found to have a superior separation efficiency. Moreover,
excellent anti-oil adhesion property provided the intact membrane,
where consistent separation performance was achieved up to 10 separation
cycles without any loss. The membrane was used for separation of hot
oil–water emulsions and showed no structural disintegration
or loss in separation performance when exposed to elevated temperatures.
The developed nanocomposite membranes could efficiently be used for
separation and demulsification, and their applications can be explored
in various other fields including selective sorption, catalysis, and
storage in future
Facile Fabrication of Composite Electrospun Nanofibrous Matrices of Poly(ε-caprolactone)–Silica Based Pickering Emulsion
Functionalized matrices have been
sought for their application in sensors, filtration, energy storage,
catalysis, and tissue engineering. We report formation of an inorganic–organic
composite matrix based on polyÂ(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) functionalized
with hydrophobically modified silica (m-silica) fabricated with reduced
organic solvent usage. The matrix was obtained via electrospinning
of a water-in-oil emulsion of PCL that was stabilized by judicious
choice of m-silica as a Pickering agent resulting into an emulsifier
free matrix. Inclusion of m-silica in PCL matrix resulted in enhancing
tensile properties and cell proliferation efficiency. The electrospun
composite matrix was free from any emulsifier or template polymer;
thus any abrupt loss in mechanical properties was prevented when the
matrix was subjected to aqueous conditions. The inorganic–organic
biodegradable composite matrices thus produced using an emulsifier
free emulsion find applications in tissue engineering and may further
be evaluated for other areas including selective sorption and separation
Calixarene-Grafted Adsorbent from Polypropylene Waste for Selective Removal of Strontium Ion from Water
Radioactive pollutants from nuclear
reactors have always been an
unprecedented risk and pose a significant hazard to all life forms
if an unrestrained spillage happens. Strontium (90Sr) is
the second largest radioactive discharge from nuclear plants, and
it can cause osteosarcoma, birth defects, and damage to the immune
system. A polypropylene (PP) waste-based emulsion templated porous
scaffold functionalized with chemically modified calixarene (CMC)
was developed in the present work for efficient strontium ion (Sr2+) adsorption. Grafting of CMC on PP was achieved via the
Fenton reaction at a yield of 22%. A high adsorption capacity of 27.20
mg/g for Sr2+ ions was achieved selectively in the presence
of different competitive ions. The Langmuir and Freundlich models
were used to study the adsorption isotherm, and the maximum adsorption
capacity was found to be 131.74 mg/g. The Freundlich model favored
the physisorption process for Sr2+ ion due to the pores
present in the scaffold. A pseudo second order kinetic model, based
on the best fit of the data, suggested chemisorption of Sr2+ ions by the hydroxyl groups of CMC grafted on the PP scaffold. Based
on the high surface area of the scaffold and the functional groups
grafted on the scaffold, the approach can be further explored for
other toxic heavy metals and numerous applications for selective sorption,
purification, and filtration