Membranes

2658 KiB

Open AccessReview

Functionality in Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes Based on Fiber’s Size, Surface Area, and Molecular Orientation

by Hidetoshi Matsumoto and Akihiko Tanioka

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 249-264; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030249 - 26 Aug 2011

Cited by 158 | Viewed by 16476

Electrospinning is a versatile method for forming continuous thin fibers based on an electrohydrodynamic process. This method has the following advantages: (i) the ability to produce thin fibers with diameters in the micrometer and nanometer ranges; (ii) one-step forming of the two- or [...] Read more.

Electrospinning is a versatile method for forming continuous thin fibers based on an electrohydrodynamic process. This method has the following advantages: (i) the ability to produce thin fibers with diameters in the micrometer and nanometer ranges; (ii) one-step forming of the two- or three-dimensional nanofiber network assemblies (nanofibrous membranes); and (iii) applicability for a broad spectrum of molecules, such as synthetic and biological polymers and polymerless sol-gel systems. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have received significant attention in terms of their practical applications. The major advantages of nanofibers or nanofibrous membranes are the functionalities based on their nanoscaled-size, highly specific surface area, and highly molecular orientation. These functionalities of the nanofibrous membranes can be controlled by their fiber diameter, surface chemistry and topology, and internal structure of the nanofibers. This report focuses on our studies and describes fundamental aspects and applications of electrospun nanofibrous membranes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)

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2564 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Trends in Nanofibrous Membranes and Their Suitability for Air and Water Filtrations

by Ramalingam Balamurugan, Subramanian Sundarrajan and Seeram Ramakrishna

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 232-248; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030232 - 22 Aug 2011

Cited by 161 | Viewed by 14379

Abstract

In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of [...] Read more.

In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of membrane technology is the fact that it works without the addition of any chemicals, with relatively high efficiency and low energy consumption with well arranged process conductions. Hence they are widely utilized in biotechnology, food and drink manufacturing, air filtration and medical uses such as dialysis for kidney failure patients. Membranes from nanofibrous materials possess high surface area to volume ratio, fine tunable pore sizes and their ease of preparation prompted both industry and academic researchers to study their use in many applications. In this paper, modern concepts and current research progress on various nanofibrous membranes, such as water and air filtration media, are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)

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564 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nickel (II) Preconcentration and Speciation Analysis During Transport from Aqueous Solutions Using a Hollow-fiber Permeation Liquid Membrane (HFPLM) Device

by Ana Nelly Bautista-Flores, Eduardo Rodríguez De San Miguel, Josefina de Gyves and Jan Åke Jönsson

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 217-231; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030217 - 18 Aug 2011

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7237

Abstract

Nickel (II) preconcentration and speciation analysis using a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) device was studied. A counterflow of protons coupled to complexation with formate provided the driving force of the process, while Kelex 100 was employed as carrier. The influence of [...] Read more.

Nickel (II) preconcentration and speciation analysis using a hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) device was studied. A counterflow of protons coupled to complexation with formate provided the driving force of the process, while Kelex 100 was employed as carrier. The influence of variables related to module configuration (acceptor pH and carrier concentration) and to the sample properties (donor pH) on the preconcentration factor, E, was simultaneously studied and optimized using a 3 factor Doehlert matrix response surface methodology. The effect of metal concentration was studied as well. Preconcentration factors as high as 4240 were observed depending on the values of the different variables. The effects of the presence of inorganic anions (NO₂^-, SO₄^2-, Cl^-, NO₃^-, CO₃^2-, CN^-) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the form of humic acids were additionally considered in order to carry out a speciation analysis study. Nickel preconcentration was observed to be independent of both effects, except when cyanide was present in the donor phase. A characterization of the transport regime was performed through the analysis of the dependence of E on the temperature. E increases with the increase in temperature according to the equation E(K) = -8617.3 + 30.5T with an activation energy of 56.7 kJ mol^-1 suggesting a kinetic-controlled regime. Sample depletion ranged from 12 to 1.2% depending on the volume of the donor phase (100 to 1000 mL, respectively). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Membranes)

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552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring Protein Fouling on Polymeric Membranes Using Ultrasonic Frequency-Domain Reflectometry

by Elmira Kujundzic, Alan R. Greenberg, Robin Fong and Mark Hernandez

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 195-216; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030195 - 10 Aug 2011

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 7612

Abstract

Novel signal-processing protocols were used to extend the in situ sensitivity of ultrasonic frequency-domain reflectometry (UFDR) for real-time monitoring of microfiltration (MF) membrane fouling during protein purification. Different commercial membrane materials, with a nominal pore size of 0.2 µm, were challenged using bovine [...] Read more.

Novel signal-processing protocols were used to extend the in situ sensitivity of ultrasonic frequency-domain reflectometry (UFDR) for real-time monitoring of microfiltration (MF) membrane fouling during protein purification. Different commercial membrane materials, with a nominal pore size of 0.2 µm, were challenged using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and amylase as model proteins. Fouling induced by these proteins was observed in flat-sheet membrane filtration cells operating in a laminar cross-flow regime. The detection of membrane-associated proteins using UFDR was determined by applying rigorous statistical methodology to reflection spectra of ultrasonic signals obtained during membrane fouling. Data suggest that the total power reflected from membrane surfaces changes in response to protein fouling at concentrations as low as 14 μg/cm², and results indicate that ultrasonic spectra can be leveraged to detect and monitor protein fouling on commercial MF membranes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Technology for Food and Bioprocessing Applications)

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651 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electroformation of Giant Vesicles on a Polymer Mesh

by Yukihisa Okumura and Takuya Sugiyama

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 184-194; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030184 - 15 Jul 2011

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6361

Abstract

Electroformation of cell-sized lipid membrane vesicles (giant vesicles, GVs) from egg yolk phosphatidylcholine under applied electric voltage was examined on a substrate of a polymer mesh placed between two planar indium tin oxide coated glass electrodes. Under appropriate conditions, GVs were formed in [...] Read more.

Electroformation of cell-sized lipid membrane vesicles (giant vesicles, GVs) from egg yolk phosphatidylcholine under applied electric voltage was examined on a substrate of a polymer mesh placed between two planar indium tin oxide coated glass electrodes. Under appropriate conditions, GVs were formed in good yield on meshes of various polymer materials, namely, hydrophobic poly(propylene), poly(ethylene terephthalate), a carbon fiber/nylon composite, and relatively hydrophilic nylon. Arranging threads in a mesh structure with appropriate openings improved GV formation compared to simply increasing the number of threads. For optimal electroformation of GVs, the size and shape of a mesh opening were crucial. With a too large opening, GV formation deteriorated. When the sides of an opening were partially missing, GV formation did not occur efficiently. With an adequate opening, a deposited lipid solution could fill the opening, and a relatively uniform lipid deposit formed on the surface of threads after evaporation of the solvent. This could supply a sufficient amount of lipids to the opening and also prevent a lipid deposit from becoming too thick for electroformation. As a result, good GV formation was often observed in openings filled with swelled lipid. Full article

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1280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thinking in Terms of Structure-Activity-Relationships (T-SAR): A Tool to Better Understand Nanofiltration Membranes

by José F. Fernández, Bernd Jastorff, Reinhold Störmann, Stefan Stolte and Jorg Thöming

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 162-183; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030162 - 15 Jul 2011

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 10537

Abstract

A frontier to be conquered in the field of membrane technology is related to the very limited scientific base for the rational and task-specific design of membranes. This is especially true for nanofiltration membranes with properties that are based on several solute-membrane interaction [...] Read more.

A frontier to be conquered in the field of membrane technology is related to the very limited scientific base for the rational and task-specific design of membranes. This is especially true for nanofiltration membranes with properties that are based on several solute-membrane interaction mechanisms. “Thinking in terms of Structure-Activity-Relationships” (T-SAR) is a methodology which applies a systematic analysis of a chemical entity based on its structural formula. However, the analysis become more complex with increasing size of the molecules considered. In this study, T-SAR was combined with classical membrane characterization methods, resulting in a new methodology which allowed us not only to explain membrane characteristics, but also provides evidence for the importance of the chemical structure for separation performance. We demonstrate an application of the combined approach and its potential to discover stereochemistry, molecular interaction potentials, and reactivity of two FilmTec nanofiltration membranes (NF-90 and NF-270). Based on these results, it was possible to predict both properties and performance in the recovery of hydrophobic ionic liquids from aqueous solution. Full article

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176 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Peptide Fractions Obtained by Ultrafiltration of Egg Yolk Protein Enzymatic Hydrolysates

by Bertrand P. Chay Pak Ting, Yoshinori Mine, Lekh R. Juneja, Tsutomu Okubo, Sylvie F. Gauthier and Yves Pouliot

Membranes 2011, 1(3), 149-161; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030149 - 06 Jul 2011

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 12259

Abstract

The objective of the study was to compare the antioxidant activity of two distinct hydrolysates and their peptide fractions prepared by ultrafiltration (UF) using membranes with molecular weight cut-off of 5 and 1 kDa. The hydrolysates were a delipidated egg yolk protein concentrate [...] Read more.

The objective of the study was to compare the antioxidant activity of two distinct hydrolysates and their peptide fractions prepared by ultrafiltration (UF) using membranes with molecular weight cut-off of 5 and 1 kDa. The hydrolysates were a delipidated egg yolk protein concentrate (EYP) intensively hydrolyzed with a combination of two bacterial proteases, and a phosphoproteins (PPP) extract partially hydrolyzed with trypsin. Antioxidant activity, as determined by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, was low for EYP and PPP hydrolysates with values of 613.1 and 489.2 µM TE×g⁻¹ protein, respectively. UF-fractionation of EYP hydrolysate increased slightly the antioxidant activity in permeate fractions (720.5–867.8 µM TE×g⁻¹ protein). However, ORAC values were increased by more than 3-fold in UF-fractions prepared from PPP hydrolysate, which were enriched in peptides with molecular weight lower than 5 kDa. These UF-fractions were characterized by their lower N/P atomic ratio and higher phosphorus content compared to the same UF-fractions obtained from EYP-TH. They also contained high amounts of His, Met, Leu, and Phe, which are recognized as antioxidant amino acids, but also high content in Lys and Arg which both represent target amino acids of trypsin used for the hydrolysis of PPP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membrane Technology for Food and Bioprocessing Applications)

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Membranes, Volume 1, Issue 3 (September 2011) – 7 articles , Pages 149-264

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