Synthesis and characterization of silver-nanoparticle-impregnated fiberglass and utility in water disinfection.

A number of researchers have deployed silver (Ag) nanoparticles through a number of techniques on various substrates including carbon, zeolites and polymers for water disinfection applications. However, Ag impregnated on an inorganic fiberglass surface through a simple electroless process was only recently reported for the first time. Fiberglass impregnated with Ag nanoparticles displays superior performance over carbon-based silver support systems but little is known about the factors that affect the architecture of the system, its interfacial properties and its consequent bactericidal activity. In this study, Ag content and particle size on a fiberglass substrate were manipulated by adjusting the AgNO(3) concentration, immersion time, temperature, solution pH and reduction temperature. The reduction chemistry of the Ag-nanoparticle-impregnated fiberglass is described and supported with thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The Ag content along with the particle size and particle size distribution were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The Ag content on the fiberglass mats ranged from 0.04 to 4.7 wt% Ag/g-fiber with a size distribution of 10-900 nm under standard processing conditions. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to analyze the Ag desorption from the fiberglass substrate, while the bactericidal properties were evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Continuous nanoscale carbon fibers with superior mechanical strength.

Continuous nanoscale carbon fibers can be developed by stabilization and carbonization of highly aligned and extensively stretched electrospun polyacrylonitrile copolymer nanofiber precursor under optimal tension. These carbon fibers, with diameters of tens of nanometers, are expected to possess a superior mechanical strength that is unlikely to be achieved through conventional approaches. This is because i) the innovative precursor, with a fiber diameter approximately 100 times smaller than that of conventional counterparts, possesses an extremely high degree of macromolecular orientation and a significantly reduced amount of structural imperfections, and ii) the ultrasmall fiber diameter also effectively prevents the formation of structural inhomogeneity, particularly sheath/core structures during stabilization and carbonization.

Removal of chromium Cr(VI) by low-cost chemically activated carbon materials from water.

Low-cost, chemically activated carbon materials, Pellet-600 and PVA-300, were prepared at relatively low temperatures and show more effective removal efficiency of Cr(VI) from water than commercially available activated carbons tested. The Pellet-600 is a pelletized carbon material with high mesoporous volumes and surface area, and the PVA-300 is composed of a high surface area carbon coating on a fiberglass mat substrate. A much faster adsorption kinetics and a much higher adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) are achieved by the Pellet-600. At very low concentrations of Cr(VI), the PVA-300 displays a strong adsorption ability for Cr(VI). XPS data show an increase in the atomic ratio of Cr/C and oxidation of carbon materials after adsorption of Cr(VI). These results suggest that a high content of mesopores with a high surface area and surface functional groups greatly improve the Cr(VI) removal efficiency from water.

Effects of powdered activated carbon pore size distribution on the competitive adsorption of aqueous atrazine and natural organic matter.

The pore size distribution (PSD) of adsorbents has been found to be an important factor that affects adsorption capacity for organic compounds; consequently, it should influence competitive adsorption in multisolute systems. This research was conducted to show howthe PSD of activated carbon affects the competition between natural organic matter (NOM) and the trace organic contaminant atrazine, with a primary emphasis on quantifying the pore blocking mechanism of NOM competition. Isotherm tests were performed for both atrazine and NOM from a groundwater on five powdered activated carbons (PACs) with widely different PSDs. The capacity for NOM correlated best with the surface area of pores in the diameter range of 15-50 A, although some NOM also adsorbed in the smaller pores as evidenced by a reduction in capacity for atrazine when NOM was present. Kinetic tests for atrazine on PACs with various levels of preadsorbed NOM showed that the magnitude of the pore blockage effect by NOM was lower for PACs with higher surface area of pores with diameter in the range of 15-50 A. Therefore increasing pores in the size range where NOM adsorb can reduce the extent of the pore blockage competitive effect on the target compound atrazine. The effect of PSD was further studied with a flow-through PAC-membrane hybrid watertreatment system, in which experimental results successfully verified model simulations by the COMPSORB model.