An Eco-Friendly Manner to Prepare Superwetting Melamine Sponges with Switchable Wettability for the Separation of Oil/Water Mixtures and Emulsions.

Oil/water separation processes have garnered significant global attention due to the quick growth in industrial development, recurring chemical leakages, and oil spills. Hence, there is a significant demand for the development of inexpensive superwetting materials in an eco-friendly manner to separate oil/water mixtures and emulsions. In this study, a superwetting melamine sponge (SMS) with switchable wettabilities was prepared by modifying melamine sponge (MS) with sodium dodecanoate. The as-prepared SMS exhibited superhydrophobicity, superoleophilicity, underwater superoleophobicity, and underoil superhydrophobicity. The SMS can be utilized in treating both light and heavy oil/water mixtures through the prewetting process. It demonstrated fast permeation fluxes (reaching 108,600 L m-2 h-1 for a light oil/water mixture and 147,700 L m-2 h-1 for a heavy oil/water mixture) and exhibited good separation efficiency (exceeding 99.56%). The compressed SMS was employed in separating surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions (SWOEs), as well as surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions (SOWEs), giving high permeation fluxes (reaching 7210 and 5054 L m-2 h-1, respectively). The oil purity for SWOEs' filtrates surpassed 99.98 wt% and the separation efficiencies of SOWEs exceeded 98.84%. Owing to their remarkable capability for separating oil/water mixtures and emulsions, eco-friendly fabrication method, and feasibility for large-scale production, our SMS has a promising potential for practical applications.

LSPR Sensing of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecules through Sphere and Cavity Plasmons of a Composite Ring Array of Poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]/Gold Nanoparticles.

Self-organization facilitates the formation of specific structures as a result of constituent interactions. In this study, the bottom of a 600 nm hole array photoresist template, which was deposited with a hydrophobic atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator, was wetted by treatment with oxygen plasma. After the removal of the photoresist template, ring patterns of the ATRP initiator were formed at the interface between the hydrophobic and wetting regions. Poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) was grafted from the ring array of the initiator to immobilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a uniform ring array on a silicon substrate via repeated swelling/shrinking cycles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of the PDMAEMA-AuNP hybrid ring (PAHR) red-shifted after 12 swelling/shrinking cycles. In comparison to gold nanoparticles, scalable gold nanorings can effectively develop a variety of nanostructures to design LSPR-based sensors and optimize the sensing accuracy and stability. To detect epithelial cell adhesion molecules (EpCAM) during the structural change from a ring to a disk, antiEpCAM was anchored onto the PAHR as a biosensor during swelling/shrinking. The coupling of antiEpCAM and EpCAM led to asymptotical convergence from rings to disks as well as blue shifts of the LSPR peaks. Linear correlation between the blue shift and EpCAM concentration showed a limit of detection of ∼27 pg mL-1 and a linear range of 25-200 pg mL-1 for the detection of EpCAM within 30 min. The simple method of combining lithography and plasma technology provides a versatile platform for developing the scalable ring structure of AuNPs for highly sensitive and selective biosensing.

Sofosbuvir-based regimen for genotype 2 HCV infected patients in Taiwan: A real world experience.

BACKGROUND: Sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens achieve excellent efficacy and safety in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with various genotypes. There are few real-world instances of the use of SOF-based regimens to treat genotype 2 CHC. This study determines the effectiveness and safety of SOF/Ribavirn (RBV), SOF/Daclatasvir (DCV) and SOF/DCV/RBV in the treatment of genotype 2 CHC patients in Taiwan. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients with genotype 2 CHC were treated for 12 weeks with SOF/RBV, SOF/DCV or SOF/DCV/RBV under the National Health Insurance reimbursement program in three hospitals in Taiwan. The sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12) was determined. Adverse events were recorded for a safety analysis. RESULTS: A total of 467 genotype 2 CHC patients were enrolled from January to October 2018. One hundred and eleven patients (24%) had cirrhosis, including 10 patients (2.1%) with hepatic decompensation. Fifty-five patients (12%) had already experienced interferon-alpha/RBV treatment. Forty-two patients (9%) had a history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the baseline. Three hundred and fifty-five patients received SOF/RBV, forty-seven patients received SOF/DCV and sixty-two patients received SOF/DCV/RBV. The SOF/DCV group featured a greater HCV viral load than the SOF/RBV or SOF/DCV/RBV groups. SVR12 was achieved in 94.6% of the SOF/RBV group, 95.7% of the SOF/DCV group and 96.8% of then SOF/DCV/RBV group (P = NS). Thirteen out of 352 patients (3.7%) in the SOF/RBV group, 1 out of 62 patients (1.6%) in the SOF/DCV/RBV group and 1 out of 47 patients (2.1%) in the SOF/DCV group developed virological failure. There are no differences in virological failure between the three groups (P = NS). Multi-variate analysis shows that history of HCC is an independent factor that is associated with the failure of treatment in the SOF/RBV group (odds ratio:4.905, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.321-18.205, P = 0.017). Hemoglobin levels at 12 weeks are significantly lower in the SOF/RBV and the SOF/RBV/DCV group than in the SOF/DCV group (P<0.05). Serious adverse events (SAE) occurred in six patients (1.6%) in the SOF/RBV group and in one patient (1.6%) in the SOF/RBV/DCV group. No patients in the SOF/DCV group experienced SAE. CONCLUSIONS: SOF/RBV, SOF/DCV or SOF/DCV/RBV for 12 weeks all achieve very high SVR rates and are equally effective in the treatment of genotype 2 CHC patients in the real world in Taiwan. Patients in the SOF/RBV group who have a history of HCC exhibit a lower SVR rate.

Biocompatible Meshes with Appropriate Wettabilities for Underwater Oil Transportation/Collection and Highly Effective Oil/Water Separation.

In this study, we prepared biocompatible superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic tannic acid (TA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-coated stainless-steel meshes that mediated extremely efficient separations of mixtures of oil and water. These TA/PVP-coated stainless-steel meshes displayed excellent antifouling properties and could be used to separate oil/water mixtures continuously for up to 24 h. Moreover, a funnel-like TA/PVP-coated stainless-steel mesh device could be used for underwater oil transportation and collection. In conjunction with our continuous oil removal system, this device allowed for the continuous collection and removal of oil pollutants from underwater environments. The high performance of these TA/PVP-coated stainless-steel meshes and their green, low-energy, cost-effective preparation suggests great potential for practical applications.

Preparation of Superwetting Porous Materials for Ultrafast Separation of Water-in-Oil Emulsions.

Functional materials with a superwetting surface property have been extensively explored to achieve emulsion separation. In this paper, we report a simple and inexpensive method for fabricating superhydrophobic/superoleophilic porous materials from polymeric sponges. These microstructured porous materials, which do not contain any fluorinated compounds, maintain their superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity after long-term organic solvent immersion and display environmental stability. These superhydrophobic porous materials can effectively separate a wide range of water-in-oil emulsions including surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with high efficiency (>99.98%) and high flux (up to 155 000 L m-2 h-1 bar-1). Meanwhile, these materials exhibited excellent pH resistance and antifouling properties. The high performance of our superhydrophobic porous materials and their efficient, low-energy, cost-effective preparation suggest that they have a great potential for practical applications.

Eco-Friendly Superwetting Material for Highly Effective Separations of Oil/Water Mixtures and Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

Because the treatment of oily wastewater, generated from many industrial processes, has become an increasing environmental concern, the search continues for simple, inexpensive, eco-friendly, and readily scalable processes for fabricating novel materials capable of effective oil/water separation. In this study we prepared an eco-friendly superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-modified cotton that mediated extremely efficient separations of mixtures of oil/water and oil/corrosive solutions. This PVP-modified cotton exhibited excellent antifouling properties and could be used to separate oil/water mixtures continuously for up to 20 h. Moreover, the compressed PVP-modified cotton could separate both surfactant-free and -stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with fluxes of up to 23,500 L m-2 h-1 bar-1-a level one to two orders of magnitude higher than that possible when using traditional ultrafiltration membranes having similar rejection properties. The high performance of our PVP-modified cotton and its green, low-energy, cost-effective preparation suggest its great potential for practical applications.

Protonated Melamine Sponge for Effective Oil/Water Separation.

In this study, we fabricated a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic protonated melamine sponge for effective separation of water-rich immiscible oil/water mixtures with extremely high separation efficiency. This protonated melamine sponge exhibited excellent antifouling properties and could be used to separate oil/water mixtures continuously for up to 12 h without any increase in the oil content in filtrate. Moreover, our compressed protonated melamine sponge could separate both surfactant-free and -stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high separation efficiencies. The high performance of this protonated melamine sponge and its efficient, energy- and cost-effective preparation suggest that it has great potential for use in practical applications.

Robust superhydrophobic/superoleophilic sponge for effective continuous absorption and expulsion of oil pollutants from water.

With the growth of oil production and transportation, there is greater potential for accidental oil spills. Here we fabricated a robust superhydrophobic and superoleophilic carbon nanotube/poly(dimethylsiloxane)-coated polyurethane sponge for the continuous absorption and expulsion of oils and organic solvents from water surfaces. When applied in conjunction with a vacuum system, this sponge could separate great amounts of oils-up to 35000 times its own weight-from water in a one-step process and could also separate surfactant-free water-in-oil emulsions with high efficiency (oil purity: >99.97 wt %), making it a promising candidate material for use in oil-spill cleanups.

Ultraviolet-durable superhydrophobic zinc oxide-coated mesh films for surface and underwater-oil capture and transportation.

In this paper, we report a simple and an inexpensive method for fabricating superhydrophobic/superoleophilic mesh films from microstructured ZnO coatings. The microstructured ZnO coatings, which do not contain any fluorinated compounds, maintain their superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity after ultraviolet irradiation and display environmental stability. Furthermore, those microstructured ZnO-coated mesh films exhibit good selectivity (even underwater) and excellent recyclability, making them promising candidates for many potential applications, including liquid-liquid separation, water treatment, and liquid transportation.