Electrical Detection of Vibrations of Electrospun PVDF Membranes.

We prepared electroactive PVDF membranes, which were subjected to mechanical as well as dual electro-mechanical signals and their responses were detected by the evoked electrical pulses. The aim was to obtain primarily electric energy that could be used for light signalling, sensing of the membrane properties and membrane motion detection. The obtained data showed the unique as well as usable properties of PVDF membranes.

Investigation of arsenic removal from aqueous solution through selective sorption and nanofiber-based filters.

Background: This research paper focuses on removing of arsenic from contaminated water via a nanofibrous polymeric microfiltration membrane, applied in prospective combination with an inorganic sorbent based on iron oxide hydroxide FeO(OH).

Materials And Methods: Nanofibrous materials were prepared by electrospinning from polyurethane selected by an adsorption test. The chemical composition (FTIR), morphology (SEM, porometry) and hydrophilicity (contact angle) of the prepared nanostructured material were characterized.

The adsorption, kinetics, and interaction mechanisms of various types of estrogen on electrospun polymeric nanofiber membranes.

This study focuses on the adsorption kinetics of four highly potent sex hormones (estrone (E1), 17-estradiol (E2), 17-ethinylestradiol (EE2), and estriol (E3)), present in water reservoirs, which are considered a major cause of fish feminization, low sperm count in males, breast and ovarian cancer in females induced by hormonal imbalance. Herein, electrospun polymeric nanostructures were produced from cellulose acetate, polyamide, polyethersulfone, polyurethanes (918 and elastollan), and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to simultaneously adsorbing these estrogenic hormones in a single step process and to compare their performance. These nanofibers possessed an average fiber diameter in the range 174-330 nm and their specific surface area ranged between 10.

Resazurin assay for assessment of antimicrobial properties of electrospun nanofiber filtration membranes.

We developed a simple and fast microplate assay for evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of electrospun nanofiber filtration membranes or similar porous materials for water treatment technologies. Resazurin (alamarBlue) was used as an indicator of the amount of viable experimental microorganisms Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Gram-positive Enterococcus faecalis, and natural wastewater treatment plant effluent bacteria. A bacterial inoculum of concentration 1-3 × 10 CFU mL was pipetted onto the surface of assessed both functionalized and respective control membranes and incubated in 12-well plates for 4 h at 37 °C.

Polyethylene/Organo-Inorgano Vermiculites and Their Antimicrobial Properties.

Clay mineral vermiculite was treated with silver and copper nitrate solutions and samples were subsequently modified with organic compound (dodecylamine) via solid-solid melt intercalation. Prepared organo-inorgano vermiculites were used as nanofillers to the polyethylene matrix. Mixtures of polyethylene with vermiculite nanofillers, prepared by melt compounding technique, were pressed into thin plates.

A novel electrospun polyurethane nanofibre membrane--production parameters and suitability for wastewater (WW) treatment.

The aim of this study was to investigate the suitability of a novel electrospun polyurethane nanofibre material for water-treatment purposes. Bacterial removal efficiency was tested in the laboratory by filtering artificial water spiked with Escherichia coli through a 0.25 µm nanofibre membrane.