Investigating the Sulfonated Chitosan/Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Based Proton Exchange Membrane with fSiO as Filler in Microbial Fuel Cells.

Chitosan (CS), a promising potential biopolymer with exquisite biocompatibility, economic viability, hydrophilicity, and chemical modifications, has drawn interest as an alternative material for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fabrication. However, CS in its original form exhibited low proton conductivity and mechanical stability, restricting its usage in PEM development. In this work, chitosan was functionalized (sulfonic acid (-SOH) groups)) to enhance proton conductivity.

Fabrication of Cellulose Acetate-Based Proton Exchange Membrane with Sulfonated SiO and Plasticizers for Microbial Fuel Cell Applications.

Developing a hybrid composite polymer membrane with desired functional and intrinsic properties has gained significant consideration in the fabrication of proton exchange membranes for microbial fuel cell applications. Among the different polymers, a naturally derived cellulose biopolymer has excellent benefits over synthetic polymers derived from petrochemical byproducts. However, the inferior physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of biopolymers limit their benefits.

Effect of Sulfonated Inorganic Additives Incorporated Hybrid Composite Polymer Membranes on Enhancing the Performance of Microbial Fuel Cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) provide considerable benefits in the energy and environmental sectors for producing bioenergy during bioremediation. Recently, new hybrid composite membranes with inorganic additives have been considered for MFC application to replace the high cost of commercial membranes and improve the performances of cost-effective polymers, such as MFC membranes. The homogeneous impregnation of inorganic additives in the polymer matrix effectively enhances the physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical stabilities and prevents the crossover of substrate and oxygen through polymer membranes.

Modified Cellulose Proton-Exchange Membranes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

A direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is an excellent energy device in which direct conversion of methanol to energy occurs, resulting in a high energy conversion rate. For DMFCs, fluoropolymer copolymers are considered excellent proton-exchange membranes (PEMs). However, the high cost and high methanol permeability of commercial membranes are major obstacles to overcome in achieving higher performance in DMFCs.

Sonocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin and organic pollutant by 1T/2H phase MoS in Polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposite membrane.

The development of recyclable catalysts with effective properties and stable reusability is great importance for the removal of different types of pollutants in wastewater. Herein, we have synthesized Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer and mixed-phase 1T/2H MoS for immobilizing the sonocatalyst material. Techniques such as FESEM, XRD, FTIR, XPS, and UV-vis spectra have been used for analyzing the structural, and morphological properties.

TiO Containing Hybrid Composite Polymer Membranes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries.

In recent years, vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) have captured immense attraction in electrochemical energy storage systems due to their long cycle life, flexibility, high-energy efficiency, time, and reliability. In VRFB, polymer membranes play a significant role in transporting protons for current transmission and act as barriers between positive and negative electrodes/electrolytes. Commercial polymer membranes (such as Nafion) are the widely used IEM in VRFBs due to their outstanding chemical stability and proton conductivity.

Utilization of coconut oil cake for the production of lipase using Bacillus coagulans VKL1.

The overproduction of enzymes was performed by manipulating the medium components. In our study, solvent-tolerant thermophilic lipase-producing Bacillus coagulans was isolated from soil samples and a stepwise optimization strategy was employed to increase the lipase production using coconut oil cake basal medium. In the first step, the influence of pH, temperature, carbon source, nitrogen source and inducers on lipase activity was investigated by the One-Factor-At-A-Time (OFAT) method.