Rare earth europium recovery using selective metal-organic framework incorporated mixed-matrix membrane.

Rare-earth elements (REEs) play a crucial role in state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable energy generation. However, conventional production methods of REE often instigate detrimental impacts on environment. Hence, the development of efficient and sustainable hydrometallurgical methods for REE recovery from complex solution has become a crucial research focus.

Selective recovery of europium from real acid mine drainage using modified Cr-MIL and SBA15 adsorbents.

The successful adoption and widespread implementation of innovative acid mine drainage treatment and resource recovery methods hinge on their capacity to demonstrate enhanced performance, economic viability, and environmental sustainability compared to conventional approaches. Here, an evaluation of the efficacy of chromium-based metal-organic frameworks and amine-grafted SBA15 materials in adsorbing europium (Eu) from actual mining wastewater was conducted. The adsorbents underwent comprehensive characterization and examination for their affinity for Eu.

Chemically Cross-Linked Graphene Oxide as a Selective Layer on Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Membrane for Nanofiltration Application.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were utilized as a selective layer on a highly porous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber support via a pressure-assisted self-assembly technique to synthesize composite nanofiltration membranes. The GO layer was rendered stable by cross-linking the nanosheets (GO-to-GO) and by linking them onto the support surface (GO-to-PVA) using glutaraldehyde (GA). The amounts of GO and GA deposited on the PVA substrate were varied to determine the optimum nanofiltration membrane both in terms of water flux and salt rejection performances.

Laser-based three-dimensional manufacturing technologies for rechargeable batteries.

Laser three-dimensional (3D) manufacturing technologies have gained substantial attention to fabricate 3D structured electrochemical rechargeable batteries. Laser 3D manufacturing techniques offer excellent 3D microstructure controllability, good design flexibility, process simplicity, and high energy and cost efficiencies, which are beneficial for rechargeable battery cell manufacturing. In this review, notable progress in development of the rechargeable battery cells via laser 3D manufacturing techniques is introduced and discussed.

Miscible Polyether/Poly(ether-acetal) Electrolyte Blends.

This study shows that it is possible to obtain homogeneous mixtures of two chemically distinct polymers with a lithium salt for electrolytic applications. This approach is motivated by the success of using mixtures of organic solvents in modern lithium-ion batteries. The properties of mixtures of a polyether, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), a poly(ether-acetal), poly(1,3,6-trioxocane) (P(2EO-MO)), and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt were studied by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and electrochemical characterization in symmetric cells.

Sustainable manufacturing of sensors onto soft systems using self-coagulating conductive Pickering emulsions.

Compliant sensors based on composite materials are necessary components for geometrically complex systems such as wearable devices or soft robots. Composite materials consisting of polymer matrices and conductive fillers have facilitated the manufacture of compliant sensors due to their potential to be scaled in printing processes. Printing composite materials generally entails the use of solvents, such as toluene or cyclohexane, to dissolve the polymer resin and thin down the material to a printable viscosity.

High Performance Nanofiltration Membrane for Effective Removal of Perfluoroalkyl Substances at High Water Recovery.

We demonstrate the fabrication of a loose, negatively charged nanofiltration (NF) membrane with tailored selectivity for the removal of perfluoroalkyl substances with reduced scaling potential. A selective polyamide layer was fabricated on top of a poly(ether sulfone) support via interfacial polymerization of trimesoyl chloride and a mixture of piperazine and bipiperidine. Incorporating high molecular weight bipiperidine during the interfacial polymerization enables the formation of a loose, nanoporous selective layer structure.

Janus Graft Block Copolymers: Design of a Polymer Architecture for Independently Tuned Nanostructures and Polymer Properties.

The graft-through synthesis of Janus graft block copolymers (GBCPs) from branched macromonomers composed of various combinations of homopolymers is presented. Self-assembly of GBCPs resulted in ordered nanostructures with ultra-small domain sizes down to 2.8 nm (half-pitch).

Pathway-engineering for highly-aligned block copolymer arrays.

While the ultimate driving force in self-assembly is energy minimization and the corresponding evolution towards equilibrium, kinetic effects can also play a very strong role. These kinetic effects, such as trapping in metastable states, slow coarsening kinetics, and pathway-dependent assembly, are often viewed as complications to be overcome. Here, we instead exploit these effects to engineer a desired final nano-structure in a block copolymer thin film, by selecting a particular ordering pathway through the self-assembly energy landscape.

Flat Drops, Elastic Sheets, and Microcapsules by Interfacial Assembly of a Bacterial Biofilm Protein, BslA.

Protein adsorption and assembly at interfaces provide a potentially versatile route to create useful constructs for fluid compartmentalization. In this context, we consider the interfacial assembly of a bacterial biofilm protein, BslA, at air-water and oil-water interfaces. Densely packed, high modulus monolayers form at air-water interfaces, leading to the formation of flattened sessile water drops.

Controlling orientational order in block copolymers using low-intensity magnetic fields.

The interaction of fields with condensed matter during phase transitions produces a rich variety of physical phenomena. Self-assembly of liquid crystalline block copolymers (LC BCPs) in the presence of a magnetic field, for example, can result in highly oriented microstructures due to the LC BCP's anisotropic magnetic susceptibility. We show that such oriented mesophases can be produced using low-intensity fields (<0.

Highly stiff yet elastic microcapsules incorporating cellulose nanofibrils.

Microcapsules with high mechanical stability and elasticity are desirable in a variety of contexts. We report a single-step method to fabricate such microcapsules by microfluidic interfacial complexation between high stiffness cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and an oil-soluble cationic random copolymer. Single-capsule compression measurements reveal an elastic modulus of 53 MPa for the CNF-based capsule shell with complete recovery of deformation from strains as large as 19%.

Isomeric Effect Enabled Thermally Driven Self-Assembly of Hydroxystyrene-Based Block Copolymers.

We demonstrate through isomeric effect the modulation of thermal properties of poly(hydroxystyrene) (PHS)-based block copolymers (BCPs). A minimal structural change of substituting 3HS for 4HS in the BCP results in a drastic decrease in , which in turn enables the thin film assembly of the BCP via thermal annealing. We synthesized a series of poly(3-hydroxystyrene---butylstyrene) [P(3HS--BuSt)] and poly(4-hydroxystyrene---butylstyrene) [P(4HS--BuSt)] BCPs by sequential anionic polymerization of protected 3HS/4HS monomer and BuSt followed by deprotection.

Strong Orientational Coupling of Block Copolymer Microdomains to Smectic Layering Revealed by Magnetic Field Alignment.

We elucidate the roles of the isotropic-nematic (I-N) and nematic-smectic A (N-SmA) transitions in the magnetic field directed self-assembly of a liquid crystalline block copolymer (BCP), using in situ X-ray scattering. Cooling into the nematic from the disordered melt yields poorly ordered and weakly aligned BCP microdomains. Continued cooling into the SmA, however, results in an abrupt increase in BCP orientational order with microdomain alignment tightly coupled to the translational order parameter of the smectic layers.

Elements Provide a Clue: Nanoscale Characterization of Thin-Film Composite Polyamide Membranes.

In this study, we exploit the nitrogen-sulfur elemental contrast of thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes and present, for the first time, the application of two elemental analysis techniques, scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) C60+ ion-beam sputtering, to elucidate the nanoscale structure and chemical composition of the polyamide-polysulfone interface. Although STEM-EDX elemental mapping depicts the presence of a dense polyamide layer at the interface, it is incapable of resolving the elemental contrast at nanoscale resolution at the interfacial zone. Depth-resolved XPS C60+ ion-beam sputtering enabled nanoscale characterization of the polyamide-polysulfone interface and revealed the presence of a heterogeneous layer that contains both polyamide and polysulfone signatures.

Physical Continuity and Vertical Alignment of Block Copolymer Domains by Kinetically Controlled Electrospray Deposition.

The fabrication of block copolymer (BCP) thin films is reported with vertically aligned cylindrical domains using continuous electrospray deposition onto bare wafer surfaces. The out-of-plane orientation of hexagonally packed styrene cylinders is achieved in the "fast-wet" deposition regime in which rapid evaporation of the solvent in deposited droplets of polymer solution drives the vertical alignment of the self-assembled structure. Thermally activated crosslinking of the polybutadiene matrix provides kinetic control of the morphology, freezing the vertical alignment and preventing relaxation of the system to its preferred parallel orientation on the nontreated substrate.

Scalable fabrication of polymer membranes with vertically aligned 1 nm pores by magnetic field directed self-assembly.

There is long-standing interest in developing membranes possessing uniform pores with dimensions in the range of 1 nm and physical continuity in the macroscopic transport direction to meet the needs of challenging small molecule and ionic separations. Here we report facile, scalabe fabrication of polymer membranes with vertically (i.e.

Thermally switchable aligned nanopores by magnetic-field directed self-assembly of block copolymers.

A scalable approach for developing large area polymer films, with stimuli responsive vertically aligned nanopores is reported. Magnetic fields are used to create highly aligned hexagonally packed block copolymer cylindrical microdomains with order parameters exceeding 0.95.

Molecular Design of Liquid Crystalline Brush-Like Block Copolymers for Magnetic Field Directed Self-Assembly: A Platform for Functional Materials.

We report on the development of a liquid crystalline block copolymer with brush-type architecture as a platform for creating functional materials by magnetic-field-directed self-assembly. Ring-opening metathesis of -alkyloxy cyanobiphenyl and polylactide (PLA) functionalized norbornene monomers provides efficient polymerization yielding low polydispersity block copolymers. The mesogenic species, spacer length, monomer functionality, brush-chain length, and overall molecular weight were chosen and optimized to produce hexagonally packed cylindrical PLA domains which self-assemble and align parallel to an applied magnetic field.

Order-disorder transition and alignment dynamics of a block copolymer under high magnetic fields by in situ x-ray scattering.

We examine the influence of magnetic fields on the order-disorder transition (ODT) in a liquid crystalline block copolymer. This is motivated by a desire to understand the dynamics of microstructure alignment during field annealing as potentially dictated by selective destabilization of nonaligned material. Temperature resolved scattering across the ODT and time-resolved measurements during isothermal field annealing at sub-ODT temperatures were performed in situ.