Fiber Dimensions Research Articles

Dimensional determinants for the carcinogenic potency of elongate amphibole particles

Context Carcinogenic properties of particulates depend, among other factors, on dimensional characteristics that affect their ability to reach sensitive tissue, to be removed or retained, and to interact with the cells. Objective To model mesothelioma and lung cancer potency of amphibole particles based on their dimensional characteristics and mineral habit (asbestiform vs. nonasbestiform) utilizing epidemiological data and detailed size information. Methods The datasets from recently created depository of dimensional information of elongate mineral particles were used to correlate mesothelioma and lung cancer potency with the fraction of particles in a specific size range and the ratio of length and width in different powers. In addition, the cancer potency factors were estimated and compared for 30 asbestiform, 15 nonasbestiform, and 10 mixed datasets. Results For particles longer than 5 µm, the highest correlation with mesothelioma potency was achieved for width <0.22 µm, and with lung cancer <0.28 µm. The statistical power of the correlation was observed to lose significance at a maximum width of 0.6–0.7 µm. Mesothelioma potency correlated with length in the power of 1.9 divided by width in the power of 2.97, lung cancer potency with length in the power of 0.4 divided by width in the power of 1.17. The predicted cancer potencies of asbestiform, nonasbestiform, and mixed categories were significantly different. Conclusion While additional studies in this direction are warranted, this paper should serve as an additional confirmation for the role of fiber dimensions in the carcinogenicity of amphibole elongate mineral particles (EMPs).

Precise Tuning of Polymeric Fiber Dimensions to Enhance the Mechanical Properties of Alginate Hydrogel Matrices.

Hydrogels based on biopolymers, such as alginate, are commonly used as scaffolds in tissue engineering applications as they mimic the features of the native extracellular matrix (ECM). However, in their native state, they suffer from drawbacks including poor mechanical performance and a lack of biological functionalities. Herein, we have exploited a crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) methodology to prepare well-defined one-dimensional micellar structures with controlled lengths to act as a mimic of fibrillar collagen in native ECM and improve the mechanical strength of alginate-based hydrogels. Poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)-b-poly(N, N-dimethyl acrylamide) triblock copolymers were self-assembled into 1D cylindrical micelles with precise lengths using CDSA epitaxial growth and subsequently combined with calcium alginate hydrogel networks to obtain nanocomposites. Rheological characterization determined that the inclusion of the cylindrical structures within the hydrogel network increased the strength of the hydrogel under shear. Furthermore, the strain at flow point of the alginate-based hydrogel was found to increase with nanoparticle content, reaching an improvement of 37% when loaded with 500 nm cylindrical micelles. Overall, this study has demonstrated that one-dimensional cylindrical nanoparticles with controlled lengths formed through CDSA are promising fibrillar collagen mimics to build ECM scaffold models, allowing exploration of the relationship between collagen fiber size and matrix mechanical properties.

Characterization of mineral wool waste chemical composition, organic resin content and fiber dimensions: Aspects for valorization.

Despite mineral wool waste is only a small fraction of total construction and demolition waste (CDW) by mass, it requires large transportation and landfilling capacities due to its low bulk density, and its utilization remains low compared to other CDW types. It is essential to understand the physical and chemical properties of this waste fraction in order to utilize it, e.g. as fiber reinforcement in composites or as supplementary cementitious material. Here, we provide a chemical and physical characterization of 15 glass wool and 12 stone wool samples of different ages collected from various locations across Europe. In addition, the chemical compositions of 61 glass and stone wool samples obtained from the literature are presented. Glass wool samples show little variation in their chemical composition, which resembles the composition of typical soda-lime silicate glass. Stone wool presents a composition similar to basaltic glass but with variability between samples in terms of calcium, magnesium, and iron content. Potentially toxic elements, such as Cr, Ba, and Ni, are present in mineral wools, but in low concentrations (<0.2%). Both wool types contain organic resin, which may decompose into smaller molecular fragments and ammonia upon heating or contact with alkaline solution. Mineral wool wastes have relatively similar length and width distributions, despite the age and type of the mineral wool. Overall, both mineral wool waste types have homogenous chemical and physical properties as compared to many other mineral wastes which makes their utilization as a secondary raw material promising.

Efficient utilization of corn stalk and poplar planer shavings in manufacturing particleboard

In this study, particleboards were manufactured using a mixture of corn stalks and poplar wood particles at different ratios utilizing 10 % urea-formaldehyde adhesive. Panels with a density of 0,70 g/cm3 were manufactured using various amount of corn stalks and poplar wood from 100 to 25 %. Manufactured panels were tested the mechanical properties including modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and internal bond and the water absorption and thickness swelling. In addition, the chemical properties and fiber dimensions of poplar wood and corn stalks were also evaluated. Some properties of the manufactured panels increased with the content of poplar particles. The addition of wood poplar particles resulted in a significant increase of some properties of particleboards. From this study, it can be concluded that the combination of poplar particles and corn stalks resulted in particleboards acceptable for interior applications due to low water absorption and thickness swelling. The internal bond strength, the most serious deficiency of stalks, was upgraded sufficiently by increasing the content of wood poplar particles. This study demonstrate that corn stalks may be considered as a charger for wood poplar particleboards manufacturer in region where wood is not abundant. unusual to wood material in the production of particleboards

An Intrinsically Micro-/Nanostructured Pollen Substrate with Tunable Optical Properties for Optoelectronic Applications.

There is broad interest in developing photonically active substrates from naturally abundant, minimally processed materials that can help to overcome the environmental challenges of synthetic plastic substrates while also gaining inspiration from biological design principles. To date, most efforts have focused on rationally engineering the micro- and nanoscale structural properties of cellulose-based materials by tuning fibril and fiber dimensions and packing along with chemical modifications, while there is largely untapped potential to design photonically active substrates from other classes of natural materials with distinct morphological features. Herein, the fabrication of a flexible pollen-derived substrate is reported, which exhibits high transparency (>92%) and high haze (>84%) on account of the micro- and nanostructure properties of constituent pollen particles that are readily obtained from nature and require minimal extraction or processing to form the paper-like substrate based on colloidal self-assembly. Experiments and simulations confirm that the optical properties of the pollen substrate are tunable and arise from light-matter interactions with the spiky surface of pollen particles. In a proof-of-concept example, the pollen substrate is incorporated into a functional perovskite solar cell while the tunable optical properties of the intrinsically micro-/nanostructured pollen substrate can be useful for a wide range of optoelectronic applications.

Cellulose Microfibers from Salacca Midrib Fiber Isolated by the Mechanical Treatment

Salacca midrib fibers are abundant natural waste in Turi, Sleman Regency, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Cellulose Microfibers from the salacca midrib fiber has been isolated by mechanical treatment and successfully has good physical characteristics. Cellulose fibers with micro sizes can strengthen the bond effect between the matrix and the fiber due to the vast contact area. The method for isolated cellulose microfibers by mechanical treatment for speed rotation of 5000, 10000 and 15000 rpm. Mechanical stirrer treatment aims to fibrillation and reduces fiber dimensions because of their high rotation. The characterization by XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The XRD results showed that the mechanical stirrer treatment did not damage the crystallinity index of cellulose microfibers. The crystallinity index of the raw material is 64.3%, increased to 79.1% for the microfiber cellulose crystallinity index. Identification of functional groups using FTIR did not show changes in cellulose compounds resulting from mechanical treatment. Morphological observation of fibers by SEM shows that the diameter cellulose microfibers size obtained from salacca midrib fiber ranges 5-10 µm with 100-300 µm in length. Cellulose microfibers have potential materials as reinforcement in the micro composite and extraction into nanocellulose materials.

SOME WOOD PROPERTIES OF MELIAa AZEDARACH L. TREES GROWN IN DUHOK PROVINCE

Melia azedarach L. was introduced into Kurdistan region and planted as an ornamental tree at the nurseries, parks and streets. This study investigated the quality of wood of 9 year old M. azedarach trees grown in Duhok province. Samples of wood from five trees were taken at breast height diameter; and their wood quality was studied in terms of morphological, physical and anatomical properties. Results revealed that the values of morphological properties were: the Heartwood percentage (69.01%), Sapwood percentage (12.93%), Bark percentage (8.06%) and Annual Ring Width (7.74mm). While, the values of the physical properties were: specific gravity (0.42), basic density of wood (0.36g/cm3), annual ring growth width (7.74cm), moisture content (44.46%), maximum moisture content (208.36%), volumetric shrinkage (13.18%), volumetric swelling (16.25%), fiber saturation point (36.34%), cell wall (28.05%) and porosity (71.94%). The values of anatomical properties were: fiber length (0.792 mm), fiber diameter at the mid- point of the fiber (17.75 μm), fiber double cell wall thickness (9.67 μm), fiber lumen width (8.07μm), runkel ratio (1.55), flexibility ratio (47.17), slenderness ratio (47.58), vessel length (241.57μm), vessel diameter at the mid- point of the vessel (169.09μm), and vessel lumen diameter (158.26μm). All properties showed a significant variation from pith to bark and between the trees. The results equip a basis for determining management planning opportune to production wood of M. azedarach plantation trees in Kurdistan region. Also M. azedarach is characterized by low strength resistance and perhaps low pulping production too, therefore according to its low wood quality for some properties, is not recommended for structural purposes. While anatomical properties, showed medium values of fiber dimensions which could be used for production of special type of paper

Coaxial electrospun membranes of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/poly(lactic acid) with reverse core‐shell structures loaded with curcumin as tunable drug delivery systems

AbstractNano fibrous membranes core‐shell of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), encapsulating 1 wt% of curcumin, are fabricated by coaxial electrospinning technique. Morphology and physical properties, as well as the release of curcumin, are studied and compared with neat PLA and PCL individually spinned. Morphological analysis shows for all the samples the obtainment of fiber oriented in random way, without defect and with a narrow distribution of the fiber dimensions (344 nm for PCL fibers and 450 nm for PLA fibers). Mechanical performances and barrier properties are evaluated on all membranes and found to be dependent on the fibers' composition and morphology. Water contact angle for all membranes is found higher than 90° (from 103° for PLA‐Curc to 128° for PCL‐Curc), expected since the hydrophobic behavior of the micro/nano electrospun morphology. The curcumin release from the coaxial fibers, modeled with a modified Weibull equation, shows the possibility of a fine tuning of drug release (up to 15 days) for the produced materials, depending on the required application.

SUN-MKL1 Crosstalk Regulates Nuclear Deformation and Fast Motility of Breast Carcinoma Cells in Fibrillar ECM Microenvironment.

Aligned collagen fibers provide topography for the rapid migration of single tumor cells (streaming migration) to invade the surrounding stroma, move within tumor nests towards blood vessels to intravasate and form distant metastases. Mechanisms of tumor cell motility have been studied extensively in the 2D context, but the mechanistic understanding of rapid single tumor cell motility in the in vivo context is still lacking. Here, we show that streaming tumor cells in vivo use collagen fibers with diameters below 3 µm. Employing 1D migration assays with matching in vivo fiber dimensions, we found a dependence of tumor cell motility on 1D substrate width, with cells moving the fastest and the most persistently on the narrowest 1D fibers (700 nm–2.5 µm). Interestingly, we also observed nuclear deformation in the absence of restricting extracellular matrix pores during high speed carcinoma cell migration in 1D, similar to the nuclear deformation observed in tumor cells in vivo. Further, we found that actomyosin machinery is aligned along the 1D axis and actomyosin contractility synchronously regulates cell motility and nuclear deformation. To further investigate the link between cell speed and nuclear deformation, we focused on the Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton (LINC) complex proteins and SRF-MKL1 signaling, key regulators of mechanotransduction, actomyosin contractility and actin-based cell motility. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset showed a dramatic decrease in the LINC complex proteins SUN1 and SUN2 in primary tumor compared to the normal tissue. Disruption of LINC complex by SUN1 + 2 KD led to multi-lobular elongated nuclei, increased tumor cell motility and concomitant increase in F-actin, without affecting Lamin proteins. Mechanistically, we found that MKL1, an effector of changes in cellular G-actin to F-actin ratio, is required for increased 1D motility seen in SUN1 + 2 KD cells. Thus, we demonstrate a previously unrecognized crosstalk between SUN proteins and MKL1 transcription factor in modulating nuclear shape and carcinoma cell motility in an in vivo relevant 1D microenvironment.

Improving ballistic performance of Kevlar fabrics by resin treatment

The aims of our investigation are to increasing inter-yarn friction by using polyurethane resin for superior ballistic protection without affecting the weight. In our concentration, we have used three different resin impregnated (25 × 25 cm) (Type-A), (4.5 × 4.5 cm) (Type-B), (9 × 9 cm) (Type-C) structure to treat our Kevlar fabrics and 12% wt. PU solution as resin. Grounded on our three different resin-impregnated fabric, we have been evaluated the weight increase percentage to analyze our core objectives maintaining the less weight escalation ratio with better ballistic performance. As the resin impregnation amount increases, the yarn or fiber dimensions lead to fabric stiffness. Later on, the yarn pull-out installation was created and the yarn (single and multiple) pullout tests were performed on both plain and resin impregnated structures to find the differentiation. The result of the investigation shows high-density resin-impregnated fabric indicates a higher pull-out force contrasted with those of low-resin impregnated fabric structure. Fabric displacement at max. Force during multiple-end pull-out indicated a higher fabric displacement (mm) rate contrasted with that of the single pull-out. Optical microscopic examination is done to observe the progressions on pulled out regions. During our observation, no implication variety was found in the surface at a specified loading rate except adjacent yarn displacement grounded on the amount of yarn pulled out. Utilization of resin impregnation builds the commitment of more yarns as the slippage of yarns is limited thus leads to the higher energy required rate. Finally, by ballistic perforated impact parameters, it is affirmed that expanding inter-yarn friction can improve ballistic performance of fabrics. Ultimately, it is concluded in the way that these new ballistic resin-impregnated structures come up with higher inter yarn friction, low expense, less weight, considerable stiffness of the fabric and the reliable ballistic performance on the finished result.

Trends in the Design of Intensity-Based Optical Fiber Biosensors (2010-2020).

There exists an increasing interest in monitoring low concentrations of biochemical species, as they allow the early-stage detection of illnesses or the monitoring of the environment quality. Thus, both companies and research groups are focused on the development of accurate, fast and highly sensitive biosensors. Optical fiber sensors have been widely employed for these purposes because they provide several advantages for their use in point-of-care and real-time applications. In particular, this review is focused on optical fiber biosensors based on luminescence and absorption. Apart from the key parameters that determine the performance of a sensor (limit of detection, sensibility, cross-sensibility, etc.), other features are analyzed, such as the optical fiber dimensions, the sensing set ups and the fiber functionalization. The aim of this review is to have a comprehensive insight of the different aspects that must be taken into account when working with this kind of sensors.

The combination of smoking with vitamin D deficiency impairs skeletal muscle fiber hypertrophy in response to overload in mice.

Vitamin D deficiency, which is highly prevalent in the general population, exerts similar deleterious effects on skeletal muscles to those induced by cigarette smoking. We examined whether cigarette smoke (CS) exposure and/or vitamin D deficiency impairs the skeletal muscle hypertrophic response to overload. Male C57Bl/6JolaH mice on a normal or vitamin D-deficient diet were exposed to CS or room air for 18 wk. Six weeks after initiation of smoke or air exposure, sham surgery or denervation of the agonists of the left plantaris muscle was performed. The right leg served as internal control. Twelve weeks later, the hypertrophic response was assessed. CS exposure instigated loss of body and muscle mass, and increased lung inflammatory cell infiltration (P < 0.05), independently of diet. Maximal exercise capacity, whole body strength, in situ plantaris muscle force, and key markers of hypertrophic signaling (Akt, 4EBP1, and FoxO1) were not significantly affected by smoking or diet. The increase in plantaris muscle fiber cross-sectional area in response to overload was attenuated in vitamin D-deficient CS-exposed mice (smoking × diet interaction for hypertrophy, P = 0.03). In situ fatigue resistance was elevated in hypertrophied plantaris, irrespective of vitamin D deficiency and/or CS exposure. In conclusion, our data show that CS exposure or vitamin D deficiency alone did not attenuate the hypertrophic response of overloaded plantaris muscles, but this hypertrophic response was weakened when both conditions were combined. These data suggest that current smokers who also present with vitamin D deficiency may be less likely to respond to a training program.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Plantaris hypertrophy caused by compensatory overload after denervation of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles showed increased mass and fiber dimensions, but to a lesser extent when vitamin D deficiency was combined with cigarette smoking. Fatigue resistance was elevated in hypertrophied plantaris, irrespective of diet or smoking, whereas physical fitness, hypertrophic markers, and in situ plantaris force were similar. These data showed that the hypertrophic response to overload is attenuated when both conditions are combined.

Direct FE2 for simulating strain-rate dependent compressive failure of cylindrical CFRP

In this study, the strain-rate dependent compressive failure of cylindrical carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is simulated by using Direct FE2. The Direct FE2 method can reduce the computational cost compared with conventional FE2 multiscale simulation. It can be implemented with commercial FE code, without the complicated coding usually required for conventional FE2. At the microscale level, the true dimension of the individual fibers, failure of the fiber/matrix interface, and the strain-rate dependence of failure strength of the matrix material are modeled. These microscale characteristics are used to directly model the macroscale strain-rate dependent failure of a cylindrical CFRP specimen subjected to the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) test. The obtained FE2 numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Familiness and R&D investments

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate R&D investments in family firms.Design/methodology/approachThe socio-emotional wealth (SEW) perspective, considered as a dominant paradigm in the family business field, is the theoretical framework used to report different behaviors ascertained within family firms. This paper focuses on two dimensions of the SEW, namely, family control and influence and family identity. A suspected moderating role played by the firm’s life cycle stage on the dimensions is also investigated using panel data. To analyze the results, this paper uses the Smart PLS software on secondary data collected for 76 German family firms.FindingsThe empirical results reveal a negative influence of SEW on R&D investments. The prominent effect of the family control and influence dimension on R&D is higher in the first part of a firm life cycle.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis of this study is subject to several caveats. First, to measure the R&D investment, this paper used R&D intensity computed as the total annual R&D expenses by total sales. Except for the fact that the use of proxies received several criticizes from scholars (Berrone et al., 2012) claiming how they do not directly relate to the essence of the dimensions measured. Second, this paper used two out of five FIBER dimensions only in the study. This paper took the right direction, but still, the complexity of SEW may not be fully captured following this approach (Berrone et al., 2012).Originality/valueThis study could be considered as an important extension of prior research investigating R&D in family firms. The authors provide a valid empirical construct, the FIBER scale, to capture non-monotonic behaviors in family firms and an enlargement of the family firms and innovation management field of research.

The asymptotic of curvature of direct image bundle associated with higher powers of a relatively ample line bundle

Let pi :mathcal {X}rightarrow M be a holomorphic fibration with compact fibers and L a relatively ample line bundle over mathcal {X}. We obtain the asymptotic of the curvature of L^2-metric and Qullien metric on the direct image bundle pi _*(L^kotimes K_{mathcal {X}/M}) up to the lower order terms than k^{n-1}, for large k. As an application we prove that the analytic torsion tau _k(bar{partial }) satisfies partial bar{partial }log (tau _k(bar{partial }))^2=o(k^{n-1}), where n is the dimension of fibers.

Independent sets in algebraic hypergraphs

In this paper we study hypergraphs definable in an algebraically closed field. Our goal is to show, in the spirit of the so-called transference principles in extremal combinatorics, that if a given algebraic hypergraph is “dense” in a certain sense, then a generic low-dimensional subset of its vertices induces a subhypergraph that is also “dense.” (For technical reasons, we only consider low-dimensional subsets that are parameterized by rational functions.) Our proof approach is inspired by the hypergraph containers method, developed by Balogh, Morris, and Samotij and independently by Saxton and Thomason (although adapting this method to the algebraic setting presents some unique challenges that do not occur when working with finite hypergraphs). Along the way, we establish a natural generalization of the classical dimension of fibers theorem in algebraic geometry, which is interesting in its own right.

Evaluation of Papermaking Potentials of Three Plant Taxa from the Euphorbiaceae in Nigeria

The fibre morphometrics are of great significance due to their strong correlation with the strength properties of wood and paper. The fibre characteristics of Bridelia ferruginea, Hura crepitans and Ricinodendron heudelotii were investigated to determine their pulp and papermaking potentials. Ten wood samples were collected randomly from their natural regions of provenance namely: Obudu (Tropical Rainforest), Nsukka (Derived Savanana) and Suleja (Guinea Savanna), along the merchantable length of each felled taxon, representing three ecological zones in Nigeria. The dimensions measured were the fibre length, fibre diameter, lumen diameter and cell wall thickness while the coefficient of flexibility, Runkel ratio and slenderness ratio were derived from the measured fibre dimensions. The fibre lengths showed no significant difference (p &gt; 0.05). The mean values of Runkel ratio ranged from 0. 183 in B. ferruginea to 5.271 in R. heudelotii among the taxa. The mean values of fibre length, cell wall thickness, coefficient of flexibility and Runkel ratio revealed that H. crepitans and R. heudelotii are potential sources of fibrous raw materials for paper-making.&nbsp;

Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Carbon Nanofiber for Supercapacitor Application: A Review

The need for the development of renewable energy harvesting and storage devices is on the front as the world is facing an environmental crisis due to the consumption of gallons of fossil fuels. One of the promising solutions on which many researchers are concentrating is supercapacitor as it possesses high energy and power density. Current literature study focusing on developments already had in the field of manufacturing of supercapacitors using different precursors, testing conditions, fiber dimensions, and their performance analysis. Most of the studies found that Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based electrospun carbon fiber webs is a potential electrode material for supercapacitors. The information gathered in this article is about the electrospinning technique, Surface and electrochemical characterization methods, and recent advances in their performance are highlighted. Also, enhancement in electrochemical performance through optimization of electrospinning parameter, a precursor modification by the addition of active materials (such as carbon nanotubes, metal oxides, and catalysts), heat and surface treatment followed, and optimum fibrous structures are summarized.

The characteristics of insoluble softwood substrates affect fungal morphology, secretome composition, and hydrolytic efficiency of enzymes produced by Trichoderma reesei

BackgroundOn-site enzyme production using Trichoderma reesei can improve yields and lower the overall cost of lignocellulose saccharification by exploiting the fungal gene regulatory mechanism that enables it to continuously adapt enzyme secretion to the substrate used for cultivation. To harness this, the interrelation between substrate characteristics and fungal response must be understood. However, fungal morphology or gene expression studies often lack structural and chemical substrate characterization. Here, T. reesei QM6a was cultivated on three softwood substrates: northern bleached softwood Kraft pulp (NBSK) and lodgepole pine pretreated either by dilute-acid-catalyzed steam pretreatment (LP-STEX) or mild alkaline oxidation (LP-ALKOX). With different pretreatments of similar starting materials, we presented the fungus with systematically modified substrates. This allowed the elucidation of substrate-induced changes in the fungal response and the testing of the secreted enzymes’ hydrolytic strength towards the same substrates.ResultsEnzyme activity time courses correlated with hemicellulose content and cellulose accessibility. Specifically, increased amounts of side-chain-cleaving hemicellulolytic enzymes in the protein produced on the complex substrates (LP-STEX; LP-ALKOX) was observed by secretome analysis. Confocal laser scanning micrographs showed that fungal micromorphology responded to changes in cellulose accessibility and initial culture viscosity. The latter was caused by surface charge and fiber dimensions, and likely restricted mass transfer, resulting in morphologies of fungi in stress. Supplementing a basic cellulolytic enzyme mixture with concentrated T. reesei supernatant improved saccharification efficiencies of the three substrates, where cellulose, xylan, and mannan conversion was increased by up to 27, 45, and 2800%, respectively. The improvement was most pronounced for proteins produced on LP-STEX and LP-ALKOX on those same substrates, and in the best case, efficiencies reached those of a state-of-the-art commercial enzyme preparation.ConclusionCultivation of T. reesei on LP-STEX and LP-ALKOX produced a protein mixture that increased the hydrolytic strength of a basic cellulase mixture to state-of-the-art performance on softwood substrates. This suggests that the fungal adaptation mechanism can be exploited to achieve enhanced performance in enzymatic hydrolysis without a priori knowledge of specific substrate requirements.

Ultra-strong polymeric hollow fiber membranes for saline dewatering and desalination

Osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) has become an emerging membrane technology to tackle the limitations of a reverse osmosis (RO) process for water desalination. A strong membrane that can withstand a high hydraulic pressure is crucial for the OARO process. Here, we develop ultra-strong polymeric thin film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membranes with exceptionally high hydraulic burst pressures of up to 110 bar, while maintaining high pure water permeance of around 3 litre/(m2 h bar) and a NaCl rejection of about 98%. The ultra-strong TFC hollow fiber membranes are achieved mainly by tuning the concentration of the host polymer in spinning dopes and engineering the fiber dimension and morphology. The optimal TFC membranes display promising water permeance under the OR and OARO operation modes. This work may shed new light on the fabrication of ultra-strong TFC hollow fiber membranes for water treatments and desalination.