To sustain high performance of osmotic power generation by pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) processes, fouling on PRO membranes must be mitigated. This is especially true for the porous support of PRO membranes because its porous structure is very prone to fouling by feeding river water. For the first time, we have successfully designed antifouling PRO thin-film composite (TFC) membranes by synthesizing a dendritic hydrophilic polymer with well-controlled grafting sites, hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG), and then grafting it on poly(ether sulfone) (PES) hollow fiber membrane supports. Compared to the pristine PES membranes, polydopamine modified membranes, and conventional poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted membranes, the HPG grafted membranes show much superior fouling resistance against bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption, E. coli adhesion, and S. aureus attachment. In high-pressure PRO tests, the PES TFC membranes are badly fouled by model protein foulants, causing a water flux decline of 31%. In comparison, the PES TFC membrane grafted by HPG not only has an inherently higher water flux and a higher power density but also exhibits better flux recovery up to 94% after cleaning and hydraulic pressure impulsion. Clearly, by grafting the properly designed dendritic polymers to the membrane support, one may substantially sustain PRO hollow fiber membranes for power generation.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es5017262 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Super-strong hydrogel reinforced by an interconnected hollow microfiber network via regulating the water-cellulose-copolymer interplay.
Sci Bull (Beijing)
January 2025
Hubei Biomass-Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology Key Laboratory, Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Emerging Functional Coating Materials, School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China. Electronic address:
The discontinuous fiber reinforced hydrogels are easy to fail due to the fracture of the fiber matrix during load-bearing. Here, we propose a novel strategy based on the synergistic reinforcement of interconnected natural fiber networks at multiple scales to fabricate hydrogels with extraordinary mechanical properties. Specifically, the P(AA-AM)/Cel (P(AA-AM), poly(acrylic acid-acrylamide); Cel, cellulose) hydrogel is synthesized by copolymerizing AA and AM on a substrate of paper with an interconnected hollow cellulose microfiber network.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh-Performance Polyolefin Material: Synthesis, Properties, and Application of Poly(4-Methyl-1-pentene).
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, PCFM Lab, GD HPPC Lab, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
As a kind of high-performance thermoplastic crystalline resin, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) is characterized by its low density, low dielectric constant, exceptional mechanical and chemical properties, high transparency, and gas permeability. PMP has recently received more attention since COVID-19, because it is used as a hollow-fiber membrane for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) based on its high permeability and excellent biocompatibility. This review summarizes the chemical structure, synthesis, properties, and application of PMP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Precessing-Coin-like Rotary Actuator for Distal Endoscope Scanners: Proof-of-Concept Study.
Micromachines (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
This paper presents, for the first time, a rotary actuator functionalized by an inclined disc rotor that serves as a distal optical scanner for endoscopic probes, enabling side-viewing endoscopy in luminal organs using different imaging/analytic modalities such as optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy. This scanner uses a magnetic rotor designed to have a mirror surface on its backside, being electromagnetically driven to roll around the cone-shaped hollow base to create a motion just like a precessing coin. An optical probing beam directed from the probe's optic fiber is passed through the hollow cone to be incident and bent on the back mirror of the rotating inclined rotor, circulating the probing beam around the scanner for full 360° sideway imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntra- and Interspecies Conjugal Transfer of Plasmids in Gram-Negative Bacteria.
Biomedicines
January 2025
Department of Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics, Gause Institute of New Antibiotics, 11 Bolshaya Pirogovskaya Street, 119021 Moscow, Russia.
Plasmid-mediated resistance is a significant mechanism that contributes to the gradual decrease in the efficacy of antibiotics from various classes, including carbapenems. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of transfer of carbapenemase-encoding plasmids from to and . Matings were performed on agar with subsequent isolation of transconjugant, recipient, and donor colonies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecovery of Iodine in the Gaseous Phase Using the Silicone Hollow Fiber Membrane Module.
Membranes (Basel)
January 2025
Godo Shigen Co., Ltd., 1545-1 Nanaido, Chosei-mura, Chiba 299-4333, Japan.
Iodine, being an important resource, must be recovered and reused. Iodine is not only attracted to the hydrophobic silicone membrane but also easily vaporized. In this study, we explored the use of five types of silicone hollow fiber membrane modules (SFMMs) for separating iodine in the gaseous phase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!