Organic solvent and thermal resistant polytriazole membranes with enhanced mechanical properties cast from solutions in non-toxic solvents

Polytriazole membranes with ultrathin tunable selective layer for crude oil fractionation

The design of materials and their manufacture into membranes that can handle industrial conditions and separate complex nonaqueous mixtures are challenging. We report a versatile strategy to fabricate polytriazole membranes with 10-nanometer-thin selective layers containing subnanometer channels for the separation of hydrocarbons. The process involves the use of the classical nonsolvent-induced phase separation method and thermal cross-linking. The membrane selectivity can be tuned to the lower end of the typical nanofiltration range (200 to 1000 gram mole^-1). The polytriazole membrane can enrich up to 80 to 95% of the hydrocarbon content with less than 10 carbon atoms (140 gram mole^-1). These membranes preferentially separate paraffin over aromatic components, making them suitable for integration in hybrid distillation systems for crude oil fractionation.

Enantiomeric Separation of Racemic Mixtures Using Chiral-Selective and Organic-Solvent-Resistant Thin-Film Composite Membranes

Membrane-based chiral separation has emerged as a promising method for the efficient separation of chiral molecules. Ideally, the membranes should be able to achieve good enantioselectivity, while maintaining high stability in harsh solvents. However, engineering membranes for chiral molecular separation in harsh organic solvent environments is still a big challenge. In this study, we fabricated a novel thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane composed of (2-hydroxypropyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as the chiral selector for the enantiomeric separation of racemic 1-phenylethanol chiral compounds in organic solvents. The fabricated membrane achieved 60-80% enantioselectivity of R-phenylethanol over S-phenylethanol in nonpolar n-hexane. It was found that HP-β-CD played a critical role in the enantioselective performance, as the membrane without HP-β-CD showed no chiral selectivity. Molecular docking calculations substantiate the experiments by showing that the average free binding energy of S-phenylethanol with HP-β-CD is stronger than that of R-phenylethanol, indicating that the complex of S-phenylethanol with HP-β-CD has a higher thermodynamic stability and greater interaction. Furthermore, the crosslinked network between HP-β-CD and the polyamide layer conferred the membrane with solvent stability in nonpolar solvents. Moreover, this new membrane exhibited good solvent permeance and a molecular weight cutoff of around 650 g mol^-1.

Toxicity Assessment of a Single Dose of Poly(ethylene glycol) Diglycidyl Ether (PEGDE) Administered Subcutaneously in Mice

Poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) is widely used to cross-link polymers, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biomaterial sectors. However, the subcutaneous toxicity of PEGDE has not yet been assessed. PEGDE samples (500–40,000 μg/mouse) were subcutaneously injected into the paraspinal dorsum of BALB/c male mice. Cage-side observations were carried out with measurement of organ weight, body weight variation, and feed intake, as well as histopathological characterization on day 28 post-exposure. Mice that received 40,000 μg of PEGDE showed severe toxic response and had to be euthanized. Subcutaneous injection of PEGDE did not alter feed intake and organ weight; however, the body weight variation of mice injected with 20,000 μg of PEGDE was significantly lower than that of the other groups. Exposure to 10,000 and 20,000 μg of PEGDE induced epidermal ulcer formation and hair loss. The histology of skin tissue in mice administered with 20,000 μg of PEGDE showed re-epithelialized or unhealed wounds. However, the liver, spleen, and kidneys were histologically normal. Collectively, PEGDE, particularly above 10,000 μg/mouse, caused subcutaneous toxicity with ulceration, but no toxicity in the other organs. These results may indicate the optimal concentration of subcutaneously injected PEGDE.

Naturally Extracted Hydrophobic Solvent and Self-Assembly in Interfacial Polymerization

Pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries are actively implementing membrane nanofiltration modules in their processes to separate valuable products and recover solvents. Interfacial polymerization (IP) is the most widely used method to produce thin-film composite membranes for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes. Although membrane processes are considered green and environmentally friendly, membrane fabrication has still to be further developed in such direction. For instance, the emission of volatile solvents during membrane production in the industry has to be carefully controlled for health reasons. Greener solvents are being proposed for phase-separation membrane manufacture. For the IP organic phase, the proposition of greener alternatives is in an early stage. In this work, we demonstrate the preparation of a high-performing composite membrane employing zero vapor pressure and naturally extracted oleic acid as the IP organic phase. Its long hydrophobic chain ensures intrinsic low volatility and acid monomer dissolution, while the polar head induces a unique self-assembly structure during the film formation. Membranes prepared by this technique were selective for small molecules with a molecular weight cutoff of 650 g mol^-1 and a high permeance of ∼57 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1.

Solid State NMR Spectroscopy a Valuable Technique for Structural Insights of Advanced Thin Film Materials: A Review

Solid-state NMR has proven to be a versatile technique for studying the chemical structure, 3D structure and dynamics of all sorts of chemical compounds. In nanotechnology and particularly in thin films, the study of chemical modification, molecular packing, end chain motion, distance determination and solvent-matrix interactions is essential for controlling the final product properties and applications. Despite its atomic-level research capabilities and recent technical advancements, solid-state NMR is still lacking behind other spectroscopic techniques in the field of thin films due to the underestimation of NMR capabilities, availability, great variety of nuclei and pulse sequences, lack of sensitivity for quadrupole nuclei and time-consuming experiments. This article will comprehensively and critically review the work done by solid-state NMR on different types of thin films and the most advanced NMR strategies, which are beyond conventional, and the hardware design used to overcome the technical issues in thin-film research.

Polytriazole resins toughened by an azide-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OADTP)

An azido-terminated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) compound, octakis(azidopropyl-3-oxycarbonyl-1-decyl-10-thiopropyl-3-)POSS (OADTP), is synthesized and characterized. POSS-polytriazole (PTA) resins are prepared from an azide, an alkyne monomer, and OADTP. The toughening effect of OADTP on PTA resins is analyzed by impact performance test and electronic microscope characterization, and the thermal performance of resins is measured by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results show that the addition of the POSS can improve the mechanical properties of PTA resins. The impact strength of POSS-PTA resins first increases and then decreases with the increase in the POSS compound, and the maximum one arrives at 54.8 kJ m−2 which increases by 44.2% as compared to 38 kJ m−2 of the PTA resin. A good thermal stability remains in POSS-PTA resins.

Cross-Linked Polycarbonate Microfiltration Membranes with Improved Solvent Resistance

In this study, we report a facile preparation of an organic solvent-resistant membrane through the formation of urethane bonds between polycarbonate and polyethyleneimine groups. The modified membrane was further cross-linked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDG) to enhance its solvent resistance as well as its thermal and mechanical stability. The cross-linked polycarbonate membranes exhibited improved solvent resistance with various organic solvents, giving a maximum swelling degree of 6%. It also showed better mechanical and thermal stability, as well as excellent permeance and rejection performance. This study demonstrates BDG as an attractive cross-linker for polycarbonate microfiltration membranes to transform them toward organic solvent filtration applications.

Functions of Ionic Liquids in Preparing Membranes for Liquid Separations: A Review

Membranes are widely used for liquid separations such as removing solute components from solvents or liquid/liquid separations. Due to negligible vapor pressure, adjustable physical properties, and thermal stability, the application of ionic liquids (ILs) has been extended to fabricating a myriad of membranes for liquid separations. A comprehensive overview of the recent developments in ILs in fabricating membranes for liquid separations is highlighted in this review article. Four major functions of ILs are discussed in detail, including their usage as (i) raw membrane materials, (ii) physical additives, (iii) chemical modifiers, and (iv) solvents. Meanwhile, the applications of IL assisted membranes are discussed, highlighting the issues, challenges, and future perspectives of these IL assisted membranes in liquid separations.