This paper reports the fabrication of photothermal cryogels for freshwater production the solar-driven evaporation of seawater. Photothermal cryogels were prepared oxidative polymerization of pyrrole with ammonium persulfate on preformed poly(sodium acrylate) (PSA) cryogels. We found that the pyrrole concentration used in the fabrication process has a significant effect on the final PSA/PPy cryogels (PPCs), causing the as-formed polypyrrole (PPy) layer on the PPC to evolve from nanoparticles to lamellar sheets and to consolidated thin films.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver the years, the management of early breast cancer has evolved by leaps and bounds, as has the concept of axillary staging and armpit surgical management. Five randomised studies exist that evaluate the possibility of omitting regional locus surgical axillary treatment in patients with early breast cancer and positive sentinel lymph nodes without it having an impact on the prognosis of the disease in selected cases. A review of the literature on the management of the axilla in early breast cancer is presented.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe accelerated increase in freshwater demand, particularly among populations displaced in remote locations where conventional water sources and the infrastructure required to produce potable water may be completely absent, highlights the urgent need in creating additional freshwater supply from untapped alternative sources via energy-efficient solutions. Herein, we present a hydrophilic and self-floating photothermal foam that can generate potable water from seawater and atmospheric moisture via solar-driven evaporation at its interface. Specifically, the foam shows an excellent solar-evaporation rate of 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
August 2019
Herein, expanded graphite is successfully combined with waterborne polyurethane to develop porous foams with underwater oleophobic properties for the separation of surfactant-free, oil-in-water mixtures and emulsions. To obtain foams with different pore sizes and therefore with different performances in the oil-water filtration process, two solvent-free fabrication processes are adopted. In the first one, the expanded graphite granules are mixed with the waterborne polyurethane (PUEGr), and in the second method, calcium carbonate is introduced to the two-component mixture (PUEGr_t).
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