1
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Higaki Y, Masuda T, Shiomoto S, Tanaka Y, Kiuchi H, Harada Y, Tanaka M. Pronounced Cold Crystallization and Hydrogen Bonding Distortion of Water Confined in Microphases of Double Zwitterionic Block Copolymer Aqueous Solutions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:19612-19618. [PMID: 39227353 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c02254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Advanced materials leveraging water control are garnering considerable interest, with the state of water emerging as a critical aspect of material design. This study explored the impact of microphase separation on water using aqueous solutions of double zwitterionic diblock copolymers, specifically poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) and poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PCB2-b-PSB4). These copolymers form a mesoscale periodic ordered lattice structure consisting of two distinct aqueous phases. Through differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray emission spectroscopy, it was found that water in these PCB2-b-PSB4 aqueous solutions exhibits pronounced cold crystallization and subtle distortions in hydrogen-bonding configurations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuji Higaki
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Oita University, 700 Dannoharu, Oita 870-1192, Japan
| | - Takumi Masuda
- Graduate School of Engineering, Oita University, 700 Dannoharu, Oita 870-1192, Japan
| | - Shohei Shiomoto
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Yukiko Tanaka
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Hisao Kiuchi
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
- Synchrotron Radiation Research Organization, The University of Tokyo, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Harada
- Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8581, Japan
- Synchrotron Radiation Research Organization, The University of Tokyo, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Masaru Tanaka
- Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
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2
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Paineau E, Teobaldi G, Jiménez‐Calvo P. Imogolite Nanotubes and Their Permanently Polarized Bifunctional Surfaces for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production. GLOBAL CHALLENGES (HOBOKEN, NJ) 2024; 8:2300255. [PMID: 38868604 PMCID: PMC11165560 DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202300255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
To date, imogolite nanotubes (INTs) have been primarily used for environmental applications such as dye and pollutant degradation. However, imogolite's well-defined porous structure and distinctive electro-optical properties have prompted interest in the system's potential for energy-relevant chemical reactions. The imogolite structure leads to a permanent intrawall polarization arising from the presence of bifunctional surfaces at the inner and outer tube walls. Density functional theory simulations suggest such bifunctionality to encompass also spatially separated band edges. Altogether, these elements make INTs appealing candidates for facilitating chemical conversion reactions. Despite their potential, the exploitation of imogolite's features for photocatalysis is at its infancy, thence relatively unexplored. This perspective overviews the basic physical-chemical and optoelectronical properties of imogolite nanotubes, emphasizing their role as wide bandgap insulator. Imogolite nanotubes have multifaceted properties that could lead to beneficial outcomes in energy-related applications. This work illustrates two case studies demonstrating a step-forward on photocatalytic hydrogen production achieved through atomic doping or metal co-catalyst. INTs exhibit potential in energy conversion and storage, due to their ability to accommodate functions such as enhancing charge separation and influencing the chemical potentials of interacting species. Yet, tapping into potential for energy-relevant application needs further experimental research, computational, and theoretical analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwan Paineau
- CNRSLaboratoire de Physique des SolidesUniversité Paris‐SaclayOrsay91405France
| | - Gilberto Teobaldi
- Scientific Computing DepartmentSTFC UKRIRutherford Appleton LaboratoryHarwell CampusDidcotOX11 0QXUK
| | - Pablo Jiménez‐Calvo
- Chair of Thin Film MaterialsIZNFFriedrich‐Alexander‐ Universität Erlangen‐NürnbergCauerstraße 391058ErlangenGermany
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3
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Jahinge TL, Payne MK, Unruh DK, Jayasinghe AS, Yu P, Forbes TZ. Characterization of Water Structure and Phase Behavior within Metal-Organic Nanotubes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:18899-18908. [PMID: 38081592 PMCID: PMC10753883 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Water behavior under nanoconfinement varies significantly from that in the bulk but also depends on the nature of the pore walls. Hybrid compound offers the ideal system to explore water behavior in complex materials, so a model metal-organic nanotube (UMONT) material was utilized to explore the behavior of water between 100 and 293 K. Single-crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction revealed the formation of a filled Ice-I arrangement that was previously predicted to only occur under high pressures. 17O NMR spectra suggest that the onset of melting for the water in the UMONT channels occurs at 98 K and the presence of ice-like water up to 293 K, indicating that the complete ice-water transition does not occur before dehydration of the material. Overall, the water behavior differs significantly from hydrophobic single-walled carbon nanotubes indicating precise control over water can be achieved through rational design of hybrid materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiron
H. L. Jahinge
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Maurice K. Payne
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Daniel K. Unruh
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Ashini S. Jayasinghe
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Ping Yu
- Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance Facility, University
of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Tori Z. Forbes
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
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4
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Martin-Gassin G, Paineau E, Launois P, Gassin PM. Water Organization around Inorganic Nanotubes in Suspension Probed by Polarization-Resolved Second Harmonic Scattering. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:6883-6888. [PMID: 35862242 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c01392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Imogolite nanotube (INT) is a fascinating one-dimensional (1D) material that can be synthesized in the liquid phase. Its behavior in solution is crucial for many applications and depends on the organization of water at the liquid-wall interface. We study here this water organization by using the nonlinear optical technique of polarization-resolved second harmonic scattering (SHS). A microscopic model is proposed to interpret the origin of the coherent SHS signal recovered in this 1D colloidal system. This work demonstrates that the SHS technique is able to probe the shell of water molecules oriented around the nanotubes. Water organization results from the electric field induced by the nanotube walls, and it is strongly dependent on the ionic strength of the suspension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erwan Paineau
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - Pascale Launois
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, 91405 Orsay, France
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Le Caër S, Pignié MC, Berrod Q, Grzimek V, Russina M, Carteret C, Thill A, Zanotti JM, Teixeira J. Dynamics in hydrated inorganic nanotubes studied by neutron scattering: towards nanoreactors in water. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:789-799. [PMID: 36133838 PMCID: PMC9417873 DOI: 10.1039/d0na00765j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Water dynamics in inorganic nanotubes is studied by neutron scattering technique. Two types of aluminosilicate nanotubes are investigated: one is completely hydrophilic on the external and internal surfaces (IMO-OH) while the second possesses an internal cavity which is hydrophobic due to the replacement of Si-OH bonds by Si-CH3 ones (IMO-CH3), the external surface being still hydrophilic. The samples have internal radii equal to 7.5 and 9.8 Å, respectively. By working under well-defined relative humidity (RH) values, water dynamics in IMO-OH was revealed by quasi-elastic spectra as a function of the filling of the interior of the tubes. When one water monolayer is present on the inner surface of the tube, water molecules can jump between neighboring Si-OH sites on the circumference by 2.7 Å. A self-diffusion is then measured with a value (D = 1.4 × 10-5 cm2 s-1) around half of that in bulk water. When water molecules start filling also the interior of the tubes, a strong confinement effect is observed, with a confinement diameter (6 Å) of the same order of magnitude as the radius of the nanotube (7.5 Å). When IMO-OH is filled with water, the H-bond network is very rigid, and water molecules are immobile on the timescale of the experiment. For IMO-OH and IMO-CH3, motions of the hydroxyl groups are also evidenced. The associated relaxation time is of the order of 0.5 ps and is due to hindered rotations of these groups. In the case of IMO-CH3, quasi-elastic spectra and elastic scans are dominated by the motions of methyl groups, making the effect of the water content on the evolution of the signals negligible. It was however possible to describe torsions of methyl groups, with a corresponding rotational relaxation time of 2.6 ps. The understanding of the peculiar behavior of water inside inorganic nanotubes has implications in research areas such as nanoreactors. In particular, the locking of motions inside IMO-OH when it is filled with water prevents its use under these conditions as a nanoreactor, while the interior of the IMO-CH3 cavity is certainly a favorable place for confined chemical reactions to take place.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Le Caër
- NIMBE, UMR 3685 CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
| | - Marie-Claire Pignié
- NIMBE, UMR 3685 CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
| | - Quentin Berrod
- CNRS, CEA, Université Grenoble Alpes SyMMES 38000 Grenoble France
| | - Veronika Grzimek
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1 14109 Berlin Germany
| | - Margarita Russina
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1 14109 Berlin Germany
| | | | - Antoine Thill
- NIMBE, UMR 3685 CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
| | - Jean-Marc Zanotti
- Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, CEA-CNRS (UMR-12), CEA Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
| | - José Teixeira
- Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, CEA-CNRS (UMR-12), CEA Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
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6
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Termination Effects in Aluminosilicate and Aluminogermanate Imogolite Nanotubes: A Density Functional Theory Study. CRYSTALS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cryst10111051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We investigate termination effects in aluminosilicate (AlSi) and aluminogermanate (AlGe) imogolite nanotubes (NTs) by means of semi-local and range-corrected hybrid Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations. Following screening and identification of the smallest finite model capable of accommodating full relaxation of the NT terminations around an otherwise geometrically and electrostatically unperturbed core region, we quantify and discuss the effects of physical truncation on the structure, relative energy, electrostatics and electronic properties of differently terminated, finite-size models of the NTs. In addition to composition-dependent changes in the valence (VB) and conduction band (CB) edges and resultant band gap (BG), the DFT simulations uncover longitudinal band bending and separation in the finite AlSi and AlGe models. Depending on the given termination of the NTs, such longitudinal effects manifest in conjunction with the radial band separation typical of fully periodic AlSi and AlGe NTs. The strong composition dependence of the longitudinal and radial band bending in AlSi and AlGe NTs suggests different mechanisms for the generation, relaxation and separation of photo-generated holes in AlSi and AlGe NTs, inviting further research in the untapped potential of imogolite compositional and structural flexibility for photo-catalytic applications.
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7
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Cobeña-Reyes J, Sahimi M. Rheology of water in small nanotubes. Phys Rev E 2020; 102:023106. [PMID: 32942370 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.102.023106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The properties of water in confinement are very different from those under bulk conditions. In some cases the melting point of ice may be shifted and one may find either ice, icelike water, or a state in which freezing is completely inhibited. Understanding the dynamics and rheology of water in confined media, such as small nanotubes, is of fundamental importance to the biological properties of micro-organisms at low temperatures, to the development of new devices for preserving DNA samples, and for other biological materials and fluids, lubrication, and development of nanostructured materials. We study rheology and dynamics of water in small nanotubes using extensive equilibrium and nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The results demonstrate that in strong confinement in nanotubes at temperatures significantly below and above bulk freezing temperature water behaves as a shear-thinning fluid at shear rates smaller than the inverse of the relaxation time in the confined medium. In addition, our results indicate the presence of regions in which the local density of water varies significantly over the same range of temperature in the nanotube. These findings may also have important implications for the design of nanofluidic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Cobeña-Reyes
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA
| | - M Sahimi
- Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1211, USA
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8
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Monet G, Paineau E, Chai Z, Amara MS, Orecchini A, Jimenéz-Ruiz M, Ruiz-Caridad A, Fine L, Rouzière S, Liu LM, Teobaldi G, Rols S, Launois P. Solid wetting-layers in inorganic nano-reactors: the water in imogolite nanotube case. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2020; 2:1869-1877. [PMID: 36132525 PMCID: PMC9419085 DOI: 10.1039/d0na00128g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
By combined use of wide-angle X-ray scattering, thermo-gravimetric analysis, inelastic neutron scattering, density functional theory and density functional theory molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the structure, dynamics and stability of the water wetting-layer in single-walled aluminogermanate imogolite nanotubes (SW Ge-INTs): an archetypal system for synthetically controllable and monodisperse nano-reactors. We demonstrate that the water wetting-layer is strongly bound and solid-like up to 300 K under atmospheric pressure, with dynamics markedly different from that of bulk water. Atomic-scale characterisation of the wetting-layer reveals organisation of the H2O molecules in a curved triangular sublattice stabilised by the formation of three H-bonds to the nanotube's inner surface, with covalent interactions sufficiently strong to promote energetically favourable decoupling of the H2O molecules in the adlayer. The evidenced changes in the local composition, structure, electrostatics and dynamics of the Ge-INT's inner surface upon the formation of the solid wetting-layer demonstrate solvent-mediated functionalisation of the nanotube's cavity at room temperature and pressure, suggesting new strategies for the design of nano-rectors towards potential control of chemical reactivity in nano-confined volumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Monet
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
| | - Erwan Paineau
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
| | - Ziwei Chai
- Beijing Computational Science Research Centre 100193 Beijing China
| | - Mohamed S Amara
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
| | - Andrea Orecchini
- Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, CNR-IOM, Università di Perugia Via Pascoli s.n.c I-06123 Perugia Italy
| | | | - Alicia Ruiz-Caridad
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
- Institut Laue-Langevin BP 156 38042 Grenoble France
| | - Lucas Fine
- Institut Laue-Langevin BP 156 38042 Grenoble France
| | - Stéphan Rouzière
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
| | - Li-Min Liu
- Beijing Computational Science Research Centre 100193 Beijing China
- School of Physics, Beihang University 100191 Beijing China
| | - Gilberto Teobaldi
- Beijing Computational Science Research Centre 100193 Beijing China
- Scientific Computing Department, STFC Harwell Campus OX11 0QX Didcot UK
- School of Chemistry, University of Southampton SO17 1BJ Southampton UK
- Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy, Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool L69 3BX Liverpool UK
| | | | - Pascale Launois
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay 91405 Orsay Cedex France
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Giussani L, Tabacchi G, Coluccia S, Fois E. Confining a Protein-Containing Water Nanodroplet inside Silica Nanochannels. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E2965. [PMID: 31216631 PMCID: PMC6627703 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20122965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Incorporation of biological systems in water nanodroplets has recently emerged as a new frontier to investigate structural changes of biomolecules, with perspective applications in ultra-fast drug delivery. We report on the molecular dynamics of the digestive protein Pepsin subjected to a double confinement. The double confinement stemmed from embedding the protein inside a water nanodroplet, which in turn was caged in a nanochannel mimicking the mesoporous silica SBA-15. The nano-bio-droplet, whose size fits with the pore diameter, behaved differently depending on the protonation state of the pore surface silanols. Neutral channel sections allowed for the droplet to flow, while deprotonated sections acted as anchoring piers for the droplet. Inside the droplet, the protein, not directly bonded to the surface, showed a behavior similar to that reported for bulk water solutions, indicating that double confinement should not alter its catalytic activity. Our results suggest that nanobiodroplets, recently fabricated in volatile environments, can be encapsulated and stored in mesoporous silicas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Giussani
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia and INSTM udr Como, Insubria University, Via Valleggio 9, I-22100 Como, Italy.
| | - Gloria Tabacchi
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia and INSTM udr Como, Insubria University, Via Valleggio 9, I-22100 Como, Italy.
| | - Salvatore Coluccia
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Turin University, Via P. Giuria 7, I-10125 Turin, Italy.
| | - Ettore Fois
- Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia and INSTM udr Como, Insubria University, Via Valleggio 9, I-22100 Como, Italy.
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10
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Shi SJ, Pan YH, Wang SF, Dai ZW, Gu L, Wu QY. Aluminosilicate Nanotubes Embedded Polyamide Thin Film Nanocomposite Forward Osmosis Membranes with Simultaneous Enhancement of Water Permeability and Selectivity. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:E879. [PMID: 31091763 PMCID: PMC6572521 DOI: 10.3390/polym11050879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanocomposite membranes are strongly desired to break a trade-off between permeability and selectivity. This work reports new thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis (FO) membranes by embedding aluminosilicate nanotubes (ANTs) into a polyamide (PA) rejection layer. The surface morphology and structure of the TFN FO membranes were carefully characterized by FTIR, XPS, FESEM and AFM. The ANTs incorporated PA rejection layers exhibited many open and broad "leaf-like" folds with "ridge-and-valley" structures, high surface roughness and relatively low cross-linking degree. Compared with thin film composite (TFC) membrane without ANTs, the TFN membrane with only 0.2 w/v% ANTs loading presented significantly improved FO water permeability, selectivity and reduced structural parameters. This promising performance can be mainly contributed to the special ANTs embedded PA rejection layer, where water molecules preferentially transport through the nanochannels of ANTs. Molecular dynamic simulation further proved that water molecules have much larger flux through the nanotubes of ANTs than sodium and chloride ions, which are attributed to the intrinsic hydrophilicity of ANTs and low external force for water transport. This work shows that these TFN FO membranes with ANTs decorated PA layer are promising in desalination applications due to their simultaneously enhanced permeability and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- She-Ji Shi
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Ye-Han Pan
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Shao-Fei Wang
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Zheng-Wei Dai
- College of Material and Textile Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China.
| | - Lin Gu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Ningbo 315201; China.
| | - Qing-Yun Wu
- Faculty of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
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11
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Imogolite Nanotubes: A Flexible Nanoplatform with Multipurpose Applications. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/app8101921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Among a wide variety of inorganic nanotubes, imogolite nanotubes (INTs) represent a model of nanoplatforms with an untapped potential for advanced technological applications. Easily synthesized by sol-gel methods, these nanotubes are directly obtained with a monodisperse pore size. Coupled with the possibility to adjust their surface properties by using straightforward functionalization processes, INTs form a unique class of diameter-controlled nanotubes with functional interfaces. The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with an overview of the synthesis and functionalization of INTs. The properties of INTs will be stated afterwards into perspective with the recent development on their applications, in particular for polymer/INTs nanocomposites, molecular confinement or catalysis.
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