This paper reports the synthesis and use of a novel metal-organic framework (MOF), named Zr-BADS, within the thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for reverse osmosis (RO) applications. Two types of zirconium-based MOFs, Zr-BADS-1 and Zr-BADS-2, were synthesized via a solvothermal method using bicinchoninic acid disodium salt as a linker and either dimethylformamide or ethanol as solvent, respectively. TFN membranes were prepared by embedding these MOFs within the polyamide thin film supported by a polysulfone support sheet. The specific surface area of Zr-BADS-1 and Zr-BADS-2 was determined to be 396.1 and 278.6 m2/g, respectively, indicating significant surface area conducive to water permeation. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed a uniform distribution of Zr-BADS nanoparticles (NPs) with particle sizes ≤ 100 nm within the TFN membranes. TEM images confirmed the dense packing of NPs within the membranes, influencing their texture and enhancing performance. FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of characteristic peaks corresponding to MOFs within the TFN membranes, with changes observed at higher loading ratios. The observed contact angle decreased with increasing MOF loadings, indicating an enhancement in the hydrophilicity. Zr-BADS-1 NPs increased water flux at its optimal loading of 0.3%, and the flux raised to 5.4 L/m2 h bar. Salt rejection slightly decreased at low concentrations but improved at higher loading ratios, indicating the interplay between porosity and charge effects. Zr-BADS-1 outperformed other MOFs in salt rejection and water flux, suggesting it is a remarkable RO membrane filler. This study demonstrates the potential of Zr-BADS MOFs for future membrane applications in the environment.
Alumina thin films have significant applications in the areas of optoelectronics, optics, electrical insulators, sensors and tribology. The novel aspect of this work is that the homogeneous alumina thin films were prepared in several stages to generate a plasma jet. In this paper, aluminium nanoparticles suspended in vinyl alcohol were prepared using exploding wire plasma. TEM analysis was used to determine the size and shape of particles in aluminium and vinyl alcohol suspensions; the TEM images showed that the particle size is 17.2 nm. Aluminium/poly vinyl alcohol (Al/PVA) thin films were prepared using this suspension on quartz substrate by plasma jet technique at room temperature with an argon gas flow rate of 1 L/min. The Al/PV
... Show MoreThis research focuses on the synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) and Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) (pristine polymer) with Ag doped (CNT/ P3HT@Ag) nanocomposite thin films to be utilised in various practical applications. First, four samples of CNT solution and different ratios of the polymer (P3HT) [0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 wt.%] are prepared to form thin layer of P3HT@CNT nanocomposites by dip-coating method of Ag. To investigate the absorption and conductivity properties for use in various practical applications, structure, morphology, optical, and photoluminescence properties of CNT/P3HT @Ag nanocomposite are systematically evaluated in this study. In this regard, the UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 350 to 7
... Show MoreCopper Telluride Thin films of thickness 700nm and 900nm, prepared thin films using thermal evaporation on cleaned Si substrates kept at 300K under the vacuum about (4x10-5 ) mbar. The XRD analysis and (AFM) measurements use to study structure properties. The sensitivity (S) of the fabricated sensors to NO2 and H2 was measured at room temperature. The experimental relationship between S and thickness of the sensitive film was investigated, and higher S values were recorded for thicker sensors. Results showed that the best sensitivity was attributed to the Cu2Te film of 900 nm thickness at the H2 gas.
In this research PbS and PbS:Cu films were prepered with thicknesses (0.85±0.05)?m and (0.55±0.5)?m deposit on glass and silicon substrate respectively using chemical spray pyrolysis technique with a substrate temperature 573K, from lead nitrate salt, thiourea and copper chloride. Using XRD we study the structure properties for the undoped and doped films with copper .The analysis reveals that the structure of films were cubic polycrystalline FCC with a preferred orientation along (200) plane for the undoped films and 1% doping with copper but the orientation of (111) plane is preferred with 5% doping with the rest new peaks of films and appeared because of doping. Surface topography using optical microscope were be checked, it was found
... Show MorePMMA/TiO2 homogeneous thin films were deposited by using plasma jet system under normal atmospheric pressure and room temperature. PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite thin film synthesized by plasma polymerization. Titanium oxide was mixed with Methyl Methacrylate Monomer (MMA) with specific weight ratios (1, 3 and 5 grams of TiO2 per 100 ml of MMA). Optical properties of PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films were characterized by UV-Visible absorption spectra using a double beam UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer. The thin films surface morphological analysis is carried out by employing SEM. The structure analysis are achieved by X-ray diffraction. UV-Visible absorption spectra shows that the increasing the concentration of titanium oxide added to the polym
... Show MoreThe increasing drinking water demand in many countries leads to an increase in the use of desalination plants, which are considered a great solution for water treatment processes. Reverse osmosis (RO) and electro-dialysis (ED) systems are the most popular membrane processes used to desalinate water at high salinity. Both systems work by separating the ionic contaminates and disposing of them as a brine solution, but ED uses electrical current as a driving force while RO uses osmotic pressure. A direct comparison of reverse osmosis and electro-dialysis systems is needed to highlight process development similarities and variances. This work aims to provide an overview of previous studies on reverse osmosis and electro-dial
... Show MoreSolar cells thin films were prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a thin film, with extract of natural pigment from local flower. A concentration of 0.1g/ml of polyvinyl alcohol solution in water was prepared for four samples, with various concentrations of plant pigment (0, 15, 25 and 50) % added to each of the four solutions separately for preparing (PVA with low concentrated dye , PVA with medium concentrated dye and PVA with high concentrated dye ) thin films respectively . Ultraviolet absorption regions were obtained by computerized UV-Visible (CECIL 2700). Optical properties including (absorbance, reflectance, absorption coefficient, energy gap and dielectric constant) via UV- Vis were tested, too. Fourier transform infra
... Show MoreIn this study tungsten oxide and graphene oxide (GO-WO2.89) were successfully combined using the ultra-sonication method and embedded with polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) to prepare novel low-fouling membranes for ultrafiltration applications. The properties of the modified membranes and performance were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle (CA), water permeation flux, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection. It was found that the modified PPSU membrane fabricated from 0.1 wt.% of GO-WO2.89 possessed the best characteristics, with a 40.82° contact angle and 92.94% porosity. The permeation flux of the best membrane was the highest. The pure water permeation f
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