Development of novel highly productive track etch membranes for forward osmosis process

Forward osmosis (FO) process has gained vast popularity in recent years. FO has the potential advantages of low energy demand, insignificant membrane fouling, and as result rare membrane cleaning is required [1]. Despite that nowadays different research groups from around the world [2] working on development of highly productive membranes for direct osmosis process, water flux of FO membranes is far away from water flux of reverse osmosis membranes. With reference to that it can be claimed that development of the new generation of forward osmosis membrane is of high importance

Impact of testing temperature on the structure and catalytic properties of au nanotubes composites

In the paper, the catalytic activity of composites based on gold nanotubes and ion track membranes was studied using bench reaction of the p-nitrophenol (4-NP) reduction in the temperature range of 25-40 °C. The efficiency of the prepared catalysts was estimated on the rate constant of the reaction and by conversion degree of 4-NP to p-aminophenol (4-AP). The comprehensive evaluation of the structure was performed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A decreasing of the composites activity was observed when the reaction were carried out at the temperature over 35 °C, due to an increased average crystallite size from 7.31±1.07 to 10.35±3.7 nm (after 1st run). In temperature range of 25-35 °C the efficiency of the composite catalyst was unchanged in 3 runs and decreases by 24-32 % after the 5th run. At the high temperature of 40 °C after the 5th run the composite become completely catalytically inert. Copyright © 2018 BCREC Group. All rights reserved.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan: АP05130797This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan under project АP05130797

Study of helium swelling in nitride ceramics at different irradiation temperatures

This paper presents the results of a systematic study of helium swelling and the subsequent process of degradation of the near-surface layer of aluminum-based nitride ceramics. The samples were irradiated with 40 keV He2+ ions at temperatures of 300 and 1000 K with a fluence of 1 × 1017-5 × 1017 ions/cm2. The choice of radiation doses and temperature conditions was due to the possibility of simulating reactor tests of structural materials. It has been established that an increase in the irradiation fluence leads to the formation of large agglomerates of clusters of helium bubbles, as well as an increase in the degree of roughness and waviness of the surface with the formation of crater-like inclusions. In the case of irradiation at high temperatures, there was a slight decrease in the average size of helium inclusions compared with irradiation at room temperature. However, the density of inclusions and surface roughness were much higher. It is established that irradiation at room temperatures leads to a sharp decrease in ceramics density, as well as deformation of the crystal structure due to an increase in the density of dislocations and macrostresses in the structure. The decrease in ceramics density due to the formation of helium inclusions led to an increase in porosity and a defective fraction in the structure of the surface layer of ceramics. © 2019 by the authors

Synthesis of Cu/CuO nanostructures obtained by electrochemical deposition

Unique physical-chemical properties of nanostructured materials are explained by the crystal structure, geometry and conductive properties that can be controlled by changing the synthesis conditions of nanostructures. In turn, the process of electrochemical deposition makes it possible to control the formation of nanostructures and their physical-chemical properties with high accuracy. Electrochemical synthesis in tracks of the template was carried out in potentiostatic mode at a voltage of 0.5 to 1.5 V. The electrolyte temperature was 25, 35, 50 °C. The composition of the electrolyte solution: CuSO4·5H2O (238g/l), H2SO4 (21g/l). The yield of copper by current from the sulfuric acid solutions of electrolytes is 100%. The growth of nanostructures was monitored by the chronoamperometry method with the "Agilent 34410A" multimeter. Since the template PET matrices are dielectric, a layer of gold with a thickness of no more than 10 nm, which is further a working electrode (cathode) during electrochemical deposition, was deposited to create a conductive layer by magnetron sputtering in a vacuum. By controlling the deposition time, the difference in the applied potentials, the electrolyte temperature, we can change the geometric parameters of synthesized nanostructures. All possible reactions associated with the synthesis process are listed below

Phase transformations and photocatalytic activity of nanostructured Y2O3/TiO2-Y2TiO5 ceramic such as doped with carbon nanotubes

This work is devoted to the study of phase transition processes in nanostructured ceramics of the Y2O3/TiO2-Y2TiO5 type doped with carbon nanotubes as a result of thermal annealing, as well as to the assessment of the prospects of the effect of phase composition on photocatalytic activity. By the method of X-ray phase analysis, it was found that an increase in the annealing temperature leads to the formation of the orthorhombic phase Y2TiO5, as well as structural ordering. Based on the obtained UV spectra, the band gap was calculated, which varies from 2.9 eV (initial sample) to 2.1 eV (annealed at a temperature of 1000 ◦C). During photocatalytic tests, it was established that the synthesized nanostructured ceramics Y2O3/TiO2-Y2TiO5 doped CNTs show a fairly good photocatalytic activity in the range of 60–90% decomposition of methyl orange. © 2020 by the authors.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan: BR05235921This study was funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (grant BR05235921)

Investigation of the influence of irradiation on Structural properties of AlN ceramics

One of the essential tasks of modern materials science is the studying of the interaction of various types of ionizing radiation with structural materials that have a promising application in reactor engineering [1-3]. Moreover, the creation of new radiation-resistant materials must take into account the effect of ionizing radiation on the resistance to defects formation in the structure and their subsequent evolution, which can lead to deterioration in operational properties of materials. Also, the energy losses of incident ions in matter directly affect defects formation in ceramic materials. Ionizing radiation can initiate dynamic processes associated with the violation of the atomic structure of ceramics, as well as the formation of metastable phases that can lead to partial amorphization and structural failure. The appearance of new metastable phases and the subsequent amorphization of the structure are the most common effects in irradiation of ceramic materials: AlN, TiO2, Si3N4, and SrO2

Synthesis and properties of Ferrite-based nanoparticles

The work is dedicated to the study of the structural and optical characteristics, as well as the phase transformations, of ferrite nanoparticles of CeO2-Fe2 O3 . To characterize the results obtained, the methods of scanning and transmission microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy were applied. It was found that the initial nanoparticles are polycrystalline structures based on cerium oxide with the presence of X-ray amorphous inclusions in the structure, which are characteristic of iron oxide. The study determined the dynamics of phase and structural transformations, as well as the appearance of a magnetic texture depending on the annealing temperature. According to the Mossbauer spectroscopy data, it has been established that a rise in the annealing temperature gives rise to an ordering of the magnetic properties and a decrease in the concentration of cationic and vacancy defects in the structure. During the life test of synthesized nanoparticles as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the dependences of the cathode lifetime on the phase composition of nanoparticles were established. It is established that the appearance of a magnetic component in the structure result in a growth in the resource lifetime and the number of operating cycles. The results show the prospects of using these nanoparticles as the basis for lithium-ion batteries, and the simplicity of synthesis and the ability to control phase transformations opens up the possibility of scalable production of these nanoparticles for cathode materials. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Cu/cuo composite track-etched membranes for catalytic decomposition of nitrophenols and removal of as(III)

One of the promising applications of nanomaterials is to use them as catalysts and sorbents to remove toxic pollutants such as nitroaromatic compounds and heavy metal ions for environmental protection. This work reports the synthesis of Cu/CuO-deposited composite track-etched membranes through low-temperature annealing and their application in catalysis and sorption. The synthesized Cu/CuO/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites presented efficient catalytic activity with high conversion yield in the reduction of nitro aryl compounds to their corresponding amino derivatives. It has been found that increasing the time of annealing raises the ratio of the copper(II) oxide (CuO) tenorite phase in the structure, which leads to a significant increase in the catalytic activity of the composites. The samples presented maximum catalytic activity after 5 h of annealing, where the ratio of CuO phase and the degree of crystallinity were 64.3% and 62.7%, respectively. The catalytic activity of pristine and annealed composites was tested in the reduction of 4-nitroaniline and was shown to remain practically unchanged for five consecutive test cycles. Composites annealed at 140 °C were also tested for their capacity to absorb arsenic(III) ions in cross-flow mode. It was observed that the sorption capacity of composite membranes increased by 48.7% compared to the pristine sample and reached its maximum after 10 h of annealing, then gradually decreased by 24% with further annealing. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan: AP05130797Funding: A.M. gratefully acknowledges the funding of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Project AP05130797)

Functionalization of PET track-etched membranes by UV-induced graft (co)polymerization for detection of heavy metal ions in water

Nowadays, water quality monitoring is an essential task since environmental contamination and human exposure to heavy metals increased. Sensors that are able to detect ever lower concentrations of heavy metal ions with greater accuracy and speed are needed to effectively monitor water quality and prevent poisoning. This article shows studies of the modification of flexible track-etched membranes as the basis for the sensor with various polymers and their influence on the accuracy of detection of copper, cadmium, and lead ions in water. We report the UV-induced graft (co)polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and 4-vinylpyridine (4-VPy) on poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membrane (PET TeMs) and use them after platinum layer sputtering in square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SW-ASV) for detection of Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+. Optimal conditions leading to functionalization of the surface and retention of the pore structure were found. Modified membranes were characterized by SEM, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and colorimetric analysis. The dependence of the modification method on the sensitivity of the sensor was shown. Membrane modified with polyacrylic acid (PET TeMs-g-PAA), poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PET TeMs-g-P4VPy), and their copolymer (PET TeMs-g-P4VPy/PAA) with average grafting yield of 3% have been found to be sensitive to μg/L concentration of copper, lead, and cadmium ions. Limits of detection (LOD) for sensors based on PET TeMs-g-PAA are 2.22, 1.05, and 2.53 μg/L for Cu2+, Pb2+, and Cd2+, respectively. LODs for sensors based on PET TeMs-g-P4VPy are 5.23 μg/L (Cu2+), 1.78 μg/L (Pb2+), and 3.64 μg/L (Cd2+) μg/L. PET TeMs-g-P4VPy/PAA electrodes are found to be sensitive with LODs of 0.74 μg/L(Cu2+), 1.13 μg/L (Pb2+), and 2.07 μg/L(Cd2+). Thus, it was shown that the modification of membranes by copolymers with carboxylic and amino groups leads to more accurate detection of heavy metal ions, associated with the formation of more stable complexes. © 2019 by the authors.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of KazakhstanMinistry of Education and Science of the Republic of KazakhstanFunding: The research was funded by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (technological program, #74 on 02.04.2018).Acknowledgments: The research was funded by the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan (technological program, #74 on 02.04.2018)