Increase In Water Content Research Articles

Activation of chloride channels and promotion of bowel movements by heat-killed Bifidobacterium longum CLA8013.

Constipation is strongly associated with the deterioration of quality of life (QOL), and patients with constipation desire clear spontaneous defecation without the feeling of incomplete evacuation, rather than improved defecation frequency. The use of common osmotic or stimulant laxatives has not been shown to lead to a satisfactory improvement of bowel movements. In addition, softening of stools by increasing their water content has been reported to increase the frequency of spontaneous defecation and improve hard stools, straining during defecation, and abdominal symptoms, such as abdominal bloating, thereby leading to improvement of QOL deterioration caused by constipation. Thus, the present study screened bacterial strains in vitro using intestinal epithelial T84 cells, aiming to identify one that activates chloride channels involved in water secretion into the intestinal tract. As a result, the conditioned medium of Bifidobacterium longum CLA8013 was found to induce ion transport. Also, this effect was suppressed by cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) (inh)-172, a CFTR chloride channel inhibitor. Furthermore, both live and heat-killed CLA8013 similarly induced ion transport, suggesting that bacterial cell components are responsible for the effect. In addition, the administration of heat-killed CLA8013 to loperamide-induced constipation rats resulted in an increase in fecal water content and promoted defecation. These results suggest that the active components in CLA8013 act on CFTR chloride channels in the intestinal tract, promote water secretion into the intestinal tract, and soften stools, thereby promoting bowel movements.

Droplet Growth or Evaporation Does Not Buffer the Variability in Supersaturation in Clean Clouds

Abstract Water vapor supersaturation in clouds is a random variable that drives activation and growth of cloud droplets. The Pi Convection–Cloud Chamber generates a turbulent cloud with a microphysical steady state that can be varied from clean to polluted by adjusting the aerosol injection rate. The supersaturation distribution and its moments, e.g., mean and variance, are investigated for varying cloud microphysical conditions. High-speed and collocated Eulerian measurements of temperature and water vapor concentration are combined to obtain the temporally resolved supersaturation distribution. This allows quantification of the contributions of variances and covariances between water vapor and temperature. Results are consistent with expectations for a convection chamber, with strong correlation between water vapor and temperature; departures from ideal behavior can be explained as resulting from dry regions on the warm boundary, analogous to entrainment. The saturation ratio distribution is measured under conditions that show monotonic increase of liquid water content and decrease of mean droplet diameter with increasing aerosol injection rate. The change in liquid water content is proportional to the change in water vapor concentration between no-cloud and cloudy conditions. Variability in the supersaturation remains even after cloud droplets are formed, and no significant buffering is observed. Results are interpreted in terms of a cloud microphysical Damköhler number (Da), under conditions corresponding to , i.e., the slow-microphysics regime. This implies that clouds with very clean regions, such that is satisfied, will experience supersaturation fluctuations without them being buffered by cloud droplet growth. Significance Statement The saturation ratio (humidity) in clouds controls the growth rate and formation of cloud droplets. When air in a turbulent cloud mixes, the humidity varies in space and time throughout the cloud. This is important because it means cloud droplets experience different growth histories, thereby resulting in broader size distributions. It is often assumed that growth and evaporation of cloud droplets buffers out some of the humidity variations. Measuring these variations has been difficult, especially in the field. The purpose of this study is to measure the saturation ratio distribution in clouds with a range of conditions. We measure the in-cloud saturation ratio using a convection cloud chamber with clean to polluted cloud properties. We found in clouds with low concentrations of droplets that the variations in the saturation ratio are not suppressed.

On the dual behaviour of water in octanol-rich aqueous n-octanol mixtures: an X-ray scattering and computer simulation study.

Aqueous n-octanol (n = 1, 2, 3, and 4) mixtures from the octanol rich side are studied by X-ray scattering and computer simulation, with a focus on structural changes, particularly in what concerns the hydration of the hydroxyl-group aggregated chain-like structures, under the influence of various branching of the alkyl tails. Previous studies have indicated that hydroxyl-group chain-cluster formation is hindered in proportion to the branching number. Here, water mole fractions up to x = 0.2 are examined, i.e. up to the miscibility limit. It is found that water molecules within the hydroxyl-chain domains participate in the chain formations in a different manner for 1-octanol and the branched octanols. The hydration of the octanol hydroxyl chains is confirmed by the shifting of the scattering pre-peak position kPP to smaller values, both from measured and simulated X-ray scattering intensities, which corresponds to an increased size of the clusters. Experimental pre-peak amplitudes are seen to increase with increasing water content for 1-octanol, while this trend is reversed in all branched octanols, with the amplitudes decreasing with the increase of the branching number. Conjecturing that the amplitudes of pre-peaks are related to the density of the corresponding aggregates, these results are interpreted as water breaking large OH hydroxyl chains in 1-octanol, hence increasing the density of aggregates, while enhancing hydroxyl aggregates in branched alcohols by inserting itself into the OH chains. The analysis of the cluster distributions from computer simulations provide more details on the role of water. For cluster sizes smaller than dc = 2π/kPP, water is found to always play the role of a structure enforcer for all n-octanols, while for clusters of size dc water is always a destructor. For cluster sizes larger than dc, the role of water differs from 1-octanol and the branched ones: it acts as a structure maker or breaker in inverse proportion to the hindering of OH hydroxyl chain structures arising from the topology of the alkyl tails (branched or not).

Ion effects on minimally hydrated polymers: hydrogen bond populations and dynamics.

Compared to bulk water, the effect of ions in confined environments or heterogeneous aqueous solutions is less understood. In this study, we characterize the influence of ions on hydrogen bond populations and dynamics within minimally hydrated polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) solutions using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopies. We demonstrate that hydrogen bond populations and lifetimes are directly related to ion size and hydration levels within the polymer matrix. Specifically, larger monovalent cation sizes (Li+, Na+, K+) as well as anion sizes (F-, Cl-, Br-) increase hydrogen bond populations and accelerate hydrogen bond dynamics, with anions having more pronounced effects compared to cations. These effects can be attributed to the complex interplay between ion hydration shells and the polymer matrix, where larger ions with diffuse charge distributions are less efficiently solvated, leading to a more pronounced disruption of the local hydrogen bonding network. Additionally, increased overall water content results in a significant slowdown of dynamics. Increased water content enhances the hydrogen bonding network, yet simultaneously provides greater ionic mobility, resulting in a delicate balance between stabilization and dynamic restructuring of hydrogen bonds. These results contribute to the understanding of ion-specific effects in complex partially-hydrated polymer systems, highlighting the complex interplay between ion concentration, water structuring, and polymer hydration state. The study provides a framework for designing polymer membrane compositions with ion-specific properties.

Influence of nanocarrier additives on biomechanical response of a rat skin.

Skin health monitoring focuses on identifying diseases through the assessment of the mechanical properties of the skin. These properties may degrade with time, which can alter the skin's natural frequencies and the form of the modes associated with those frequencies. Exploring the skin's mechanical properties can enhance our understanding of its dynamics, improving clinical trials and diagnostics. In this work, the dynamics of the skin were measured using a laser-based non-invasive optical sensor experiment. We measured the skin's mechanical properties over time by analyzing its resonant frequencies and mode shapes. A nanocarrier gel and ketoconazole cream were topically applied to keep the skin hydrated and facilitate deeper penetration of the additives in the skin. Time-based research was used to assess the effect of different formulations on skin elasticity. Experimental results for the modulus of elasticity were compared with those obtained using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations. We observed a reduction in frequencies of cream and gel-treated skin by 29.98% and 44.029% respectively compared to normal skin (frequency: 263.3 ± 1.18 Hz and Modulus of elasticity: 7.56 ± 2.60 MPa). A decrease in stiffness (function of frequency) attributed to increased water content, was observed in cream- and nanocarrier gel-treated skin compared to normal skin. Experimental and numerical results are found to be consistent with one another. This optical sensor-based approach has the potential for studying diseased skin mechanics and its response to gel and cream treatments, aiming to reduce skin disorder morbidity and severity.

Water detection in organic solvents using a copolymer membrane immobilised with a fluorescent intramolecular charge transfer-type dye: effects of intramolecular hydrogen bonds.

Numerous fluorescent dye-based optical sensors have been developed to detect water in organic solvents. However, only a few such sensors can detect water in polar solvents such as methanol or dimethyl sulfoxide, and their detection range is generally narrow. Therefore, in this study, a copolymer membrane incorporated with a pyridinium betaine dye (denoted PB1), which exhibited intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics, was developed to realise simple water detection in organic solvents. The pyridinium betaine structure, comprising intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the oxygen in the maleimide moiety and the hydrogen in the pyridinium, was vital for achieving efficient fluorescence emission. The membrane was prepared by copolymerising PB1 with the N,N-dimethyl acrylamide/acrylamide monomer on a glass plate, and the fluorescence in water-mixed organic solvents was investigated (λabs = 490 nm, λfl = 630 nm). The fluorescence intensity of the dye-immobilised membrane decreased with increasing water content of the organic solvents. The detection ranges in tetrahydrofuran, ethanol, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide were approximately <40, <40, <40, and <60 vol% water, respectively. In contrast, membranes based on a quaternary pyridinium dye (without intramolecular hydrogen bonds) did not detect water in methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide, although it was more sensitive than PB1 in the narrow region of low water concentration in THF. Theoretical calculations corroborated the importance of the pyridinium betaine structure in detecting water in organic solvents, with the increase in polarity and the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between PB1 and water found to induce molecular rotation and fluorescence quenching.

Overcoming passivation through improved mass transport in dense ionic fluids.

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) have recently been shown to be part of a dense ionic fluid continuum between ionic liquids and concentrated aqueous brines. Charge transport was shown to be governed by fluidity, with no discontinuity between molar conductivity and fluidity irrespective of cation, charge density or ionic radius. By adjusting the activity of water and chloride ions, mass transport, speciation and reactivity can be altered. It has been shown that while brines provide a high chloride content at a lower viscosity than DESs, unlike DESs, brines are unable to prevent metal passivation due to their high water content. This results in the possibility to impart a level of selectivity towards metal dissolution (or passivation) when processing mixed metal materials. Forced convection can be used to avoid the issue of slow mass transport in viscous media, and the use of jets or targeted ultrasound are effective methods for overcoming this issue. High-powered ultrasound was applied to copper, cobalt, and aluminium electrodes undergoing anodic dissolution, and linear sweep voltammetry showed a linear current-voltage response at potentials anodic of the oxidation potential under sonication, with total charge passed being 5 to 134 times greater than under silent conditions. Application of ultrasound to silver and nickel electrodes displayed an initial linear current-voltage response, but the increased water content of the brines resulted in passivation. Mass transport throughout the bulk solution is governed by the forced convection imparted by the ultrasound and ionic species must only migrate across the electrical double layer. It is shown that the anodic dissolution of a range of metals classically expected to passivate, e.g. aluminium, can be significantly accelerated under insonation conditions.

Optimization of Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus Pelamis) Quality Factors in Chilled Box Storage Using Taguchi Method

Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) is one of tuna fish species in Indonesia,which is perishable and must be kept its freshness by chilling. Aim of this research were to optimize influenced quality factors and to find the best method for reduce deterioration process. The research was conducted by using Taguchi Method, which was used quality robustness concept and multi-performance characteristics to achieve optimal combination of factors. Controlled factors during chilled storage were; weight ratio of ice and fish (A), box size (B), time replacing ice (C), ice form (D), concentration of added salt (E), fish form (F) and number of fishes per kg (G). Quality responses for assessing the freshness were; peroxide value (POV), water content (WC), pH value, texture and Total Plate Count (TPC). The result showed, increase of peroxide value was affected by A of 26.52% and C of 26.52%. Increase of water content was influenced by F of 37.25%. Fluctuation of pH was affected by G of 59.58%. Decrease of texture was influenced by A of 40.47%. Increase of TPC was influenced by A of 31.20%. Priority Scale of factors during storage were A, E, D, G, F, B, and C. Result of analysis muli-performance characteristics gave a conclusion that factors A1, B1, C1, D2, E2, F2 and G2 are the best chilling storage methods.

Synthesis of Ca-based metal–organic frameworks from carbide slag for CO2 adsorption

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a promising material for CO2 adsorption because of their great specific surface area, well-ordered porous structures ordered porous structure and various means available for functionalization. In this work, the calcium squarate (UTSA-280) was synthesized from carbide slag without pretreatment at room temperature by a rapid mechanochemical method, and then was further functionalized with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) to prepare CO2 adsorbents. The effects of water content, ball milling frequency, adsorption temperature, and TEPA loading on CO2 adsorption performance of various adsorbents were investigated. The results showed that the CO2 adsorption of the synthesized MOFs increased firstly and then decreased with increasing water content and ball milling frequency. The synthesized MOFs with water content of 300 mmol and ball milling frequency of 15 HZ exhibited the best crystallinity. The addition of TEPA provided additional adsorption sites and led to the increase of CO2 adsorption capacity. The UTSA-280–300-15-40TEPA demonstrated the highest CO2 adsorption capacity (2.89 mmol/g) at 25 °C. The CO2 adsorption kinetics analysis showed that the Avrami model fitted well with the experimental results. Furthermore, the UTSA-280–300-15-40TEPA exhibited excellent chemical stability during the adsorption–desorption cycles, with only a 14.53 % decrease in adsorption capacity after 10 cycles. This work demonstrated the possibility of preparing UTSA-280 using carbide slag for effective CO2 adsorption.

Study of Modified Primary Compression Index Tests and a Regression Model for Municipal Solid Waste Considering the Temperature Effect

The modified primary compression index (MPCI) of municipal solid waste (MSW) is an important parameter for describing the primary consolidation settlement of MSW. It is beneficial to calculate the settlement and storage capacity of landfills accurately by calculating the MPCI of MSW correctly. This article studies the primary consolidation compression characteristics and influencing factors of MSW through a consolidation experiment considering temperature control. The experimental results show that the MPCI increases with an increase in temperature, decreases with an increase in dry weight, increases with an increase in water content, and increases with an increase in organic matter content. According to the above findings, an MPCI regression fitting model was established. The reliability and accuracy of the model was validated by the experimental results of the indoor bioreactor test considering temperature control.

Predicting Sandstone Brittleness under Varying Water Conditions Using Infrared Radiation and Computational Techniques

The brittleness index is one of the most integral parameters used in assessing rock bursts and catastrophic rock failures resulting from deep underground mining activities. Accurately predicting this parameter is crucial for effectively monitoring rock bursts, which can cause damage to miners and lead to the catastrophic failure of engineering structures. Therefore, developing a new brittleness index capable of effectively predicting rock bursts is essential for the safe and efficient execution of engineering projects. In this research study, a novel mathematical rock brittleness index is developed, utilizing factors such as crack initiation, crack damage, and peak stress for sandstones with varying water contents. Additionally, the brittleness index is compared with previous important brittleness indices (e.g., B1, B2, B3, and B4) predicted using infrared radiation (IR) characteristics, specifically the variance of infrared radiation temperature (VIRT), along with various artificial intelligent (AI) techniques such as k-nearest neighbor (KNN), extreme gradient boost (XGBoost), and random forest (RF), providing comprehensive insights for predicting rock bursts. The experimental and AI results revealed that: (1) crack initiation, elastic modulus, crack damage, and peak stress decrease with an increase in water content; (2) the brittleness indices such as B1, B3, and B4 show a positive linear exponential correlation, having a coefficient of determination of R2 = 0.88, while B2 shows a negative linear exponential correlation (R2 = 0.82) with water content. Furthermore, the proposed brittleness index shows a good linear correlation with B1, B3, and B4, with an R2 &gt; 0.85, while it shows a poor negative linear correlation with B2, with an R2 = 0.61; (3) the RF model, developed for predicting the brittleness index, demonstrates superior performance when compared to other models, as indicated by the following performance parameters: R2 = 0.999, root mean square error (RMSE) = 0.383, mean square error (MSE) = 0.007, and mean absolute error (MAE) = 0.002. Consequently, RF stands as being recommended for accurate rock brittleness prediction. These research findings offer valuable insights and guidelines for effectively developing a brittleness index to assess the rock burst risks associated with rock engineering projects under water conditions.

The role of hydrogen bonding in solubilizing camptothecin in hydrophilic and hydrophobic ionic liquids

Utilizing ionic liquid (IL)-water mixtures as selective extraction solvents for raw materials from natural sources represents an efficacious approach; however, elucidating the underlying mechanisms inherent in various types of IL-aqueous solutions continues to pose a significant challenge. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations are employed to illuminate the influence of the functional anion within ILs and the water content on the solvation mechanism and phase separation phenomena observed during the extraction of camptothecin (CPT) using aqueous IL solutions. The simulation results show that the anions in ILs preferentially dissolve CPT through hydrogen bonding at low water concentrations. As the water concentration increases, the hydrophobic IL binds more tightly to CPT, enabling the water to self-aggregate. The anions in hydrophilic IL form hydrogen bonds with water instead, further enhancing the dissolution of CPT. This work reveals the mechanism of phase separation and solvation of different types of IL aqueous solutions, which is helpful in developing new drug extraction and purification technologies.

Importance of both leached and residual starch molecular structures in determining cooked rice texture at different rice-to-water cooking ratios

Although texture of cooked rice has been investigated with regard to its relation to starch structure, it remains unclear how starch molecular structure and water content together affect its texture. Thus, the texture, and starch molecular structure of 10 rice varieties and their leachates during cooking were studied with a range of rice-to-water ratios. Although hardness of cooked rice decreased, no trend for the alteration of stickiness observed over the increase of water content. Generally, more amylopectin with DP 12–36 and amylose with DP 5000–20,000 in leachate, less starch molecules with DP > 36 in residual materials resulted in a higher stickiness of cooked rice, which is rationalized by their slower retrogradation tendency and higher amount of non-reducing ends available for binding to textural probe. Rice-to-water ratio was another crucial factor in determining relations between starch structures and cooked rice texture. For example, more leached amylopectin with DP 12–100 resulted in a higher stickiness of cooked rice, while this was not the case for rice cooked at rice-to-water ratios of 1: 1.2 and 1: 1.4. These results give new insights on the effects of starch molecular structure and water content on the cooked rice texture.

Influence of free water on compressive fatigue properties of ECC

Engineered cementitious composites (ECC) with strain hardening characteristics have potential applications in hydraulic structures subjected to repeated or fatigue loads. In order to clarify the effect of free water on the compressive fatigue performance of ECC, the compressive fatigue tests of dry, saturated and water-submerged ECC under different stress levels were carried out. The failure mode and S-N curve of ECC were determined, and the fatigue life of ECC decreased in turn under dry, saturated, and water-submerged conditions. The strain rate of the second stage of ECC compression fatigue increases with the increase of water content and stress level. The failure strain of ECC fatigue increases with the decrease of stress level, and the fatigue failure strain of saturated and immersed specimens is larger than that of dry specimens at the same stress level. In addition, the stress level-fatigue failure strain (P-S-ε) equation considering the failure probability is established. To improve the credibility of this equation, the confidence γ is considered, and the γ-P-S-ε curves of all samples are obtained, which can predict the fatigue failure strain of ECC at a specific stress level.

Consistency Analysis of Rendement and Quality of CPO (Crude Palm Oil) Palm Oil Processing at PT. Agricinal North Bengkulu

The yield and quality of CPO is influenced by the condition of unripe and overripe FFB (fresh fruit bunches), which can cause an increase in ALB, water content and dirt content. The quality of CPO is also influenced by FFB from the community. Analysis of the consistency of the yield and quality of CPO was carried out due to the age of the plants that were too old and the performance of the factory machines decreased due to the age of the machines. Analysis of yield consistency and quality was carried out using statistical quality control methods, namely quality control using a statistical approach using control charts and causal diagrams. This study uses secondary data on the yield and quality of CPO for the past year (July 2021-June 2022). The research results show, there are data that are outside the upper control limit, yield in July 2021, free fatty acid content in May 2022 and dirt content in October 2021. While the water content is statistically controlled (in statistical control). The yield and quality of ALB are influenced by type of raw material, production capacity and oil losses. Moisture content and dirt content are affected by treatment of production process and machine conditions.

Synthesis of Poly[N‐(2‐((3‐Morpholino‐3‐Oxopropyl)Thio)Ethyl)Methacrylamide]: A New Thermoresponsive Polymer with Tunable LCST‐ and UCST‐Type Phase Transition in Aqueous and Alcoholic Solutions

AbstractA novel monomer, N‐(2‐((3‐morpholine‐3‐isopropyl)thio)ethyl)methacrylamide (MTMA), is synthesized and polymerized by reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization to give a thermoresponsive polymer poly[N‐(2‐((3‐morpholino‐3‐oxopropyl)thio)ethyl)methacrylamide] (PMTMA). PMTMA exhibits reversible thermoresponsive phase transitions of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type in water and the upper critical solution temperature (UCST) type in ethanol and methanol. The degree of polymerization and concentration of PMTMA, and solvent type have a significant influence on the transition temperature. PMTMA shows complicated thermoresponse in water–alcohol mixtures. In water–ethanol mixtures, the phase diagram of PMTMA can be divided into three regions according to ethanol volume percentages, φ: 0 ≤ φ &lt; 15% for an LCST region; 15% ≤ φ &lt; 91.5% for a complete dissolution region; 91.5% ≤ φ ≤ 100% for a UCST region. At high water content, the LCST increases with increasing ethanol content; and at high ethanol content, the UCST decreases with increasing water content. In water–methanol mixtures, PMTMA shows more complex thermoresponse. In the range of 0–50 °C, the phase diagram can be divided into five regions, depending on the methanol volume percentages φ: 0 ≤ φ &lt; 15% for LCST region; 15% ≤ φ &lt; 25% for immiscible region; 25% ≤ φ &lt; 85% for UCST region; 85% ≤ φ &lt; 95% for fully dissolved region; 95% ≤ φ ≤ 100% for another UCST region.

Application of Citric Acid and Packaging Type Selection in Preserving Stability of Homemade Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes are horticultural product widely grown in Indonesia and consumed by societies. They contain minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds beneficial for health. Unfortunately, tomatoes quickly decline in quality, causing their post-harvest shelf life to be short. One attempt to prevent the wastage of tomatoes is to process them into sauce products. To extend the stability of tomato sauce, food-grade preservatives such as citric acid need to be added. Furthermore, different packaging also affects the stability of tomato sauce. This study used citric acid with varying concentrations of 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.15%. The packaging used included Clear Glass Bottles, Dark Glass Bottles, Clear Plastic Bottles, and Dark Plastic Bottles. The tomato sauce was evaluated by room storage for 30 days to investigate the stability of water content, acidity level, and total microbes. Adding 0.15% citric acid may be considered in preserving tomato sauce with a difference in increasing water content of 1.7%, a difference in decreasing pH of 0.1, and a difference in increasing total microbes of 1.4 cfu/g. Using a dark glass bottle may better protect tomato sauce from quality degradation.

Mussel-inspired modification of 2D MoS2 to construct a hybrid nanocomposite membrane with enhanced pervaporation dehydration of isopropanol

In this work, a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane was constructed using a hybrid polydopamine (PD)-MoS2 (MoS2@PD) filler for pervaporation dehydration of isopropanol. The exfoliated MoS2 was first modified through bio-inspired coating of PD. The resulting MoS2@PD with different weight ratio with respect to PEI was then deposited into the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile support through pressure-assisted filtration, followed by crosslinking with trimesoyl chloride. Characterization experiments were performed with the membranes using Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and water contact angle analyses. The PD serves as a bridging agent between MoS2 and the crosslinked PEI, enhancing the membrane’s physicochemical properties, including surface morphology and hydrophilicity. For membrane performance on pervaporation dehydration of 70/30 wt% isopropanol/water mixture at 25 °C, the addition of MoS2@PD led to a simultaneous increase in permeation total flux and water content in the permeate. Notably, MoS2@PD0.3-TFN membrane demonstrated a permeation flux of 2870.10 g∙m−2∙h−1 and 0.86/99.14 wt% isopropanol/water permeate mixture. The membrane also maintained stable performance under varying feed concentration, feed temperature, and long-term operations. This study contributes valuable insights into the development of MoS2-based membrane with enhanced pervaporation separation performance.

Molecular dynamics investigation on structural and interfacial characteristics of aerosol particles containing mixed organic components

Microscopic morphology plays a significant role in the description of aerosol particle evolution, but the knowledge on particles containing mixed organic matters is insufficient. In this study, molecular simulation (MD) method is employed to investigate the morphologies of particles containing two or three of malonic acid (MA), adipic acid (AA) and eicosane (C20). The key point is the effects of organic species and water content on structural and interfacial characteristics of particles. Results show that all dry particles exhibit the approximate core-shell structure with the shell composed of organic with longer hydrocarbon chain. With water content increasing from 100 to 1000, MA + AA + H2O particles present the core-shell structure with decreasing MA in the core, while particles containing C20 successively exhibit the core-shell structure and the ball-cap structure with three layers. These structural differences are caused by the surface propensity of organics, which is positively correlated with both the length of hydrocarbon chain and the water content. At the particle surface, hydrophobic groups of organic molecules direct towards the gas phase. MA (AA) located between water droplet and C20 cluster orient their hydrophobic groups toward C20. Furthermore, ratios of hydrophilic and hydrophobic atoms (K) at the surface of all studied particles increases with increasing water content, and at each water content the order is K(MA + AA) > K(MA + AA + C20) > K(AA + C20) > K(MA + C20). These findings provide microscopic information support for the development of theoretical model for the particle formation and growth.

Comparative Experimental Study on Strength Properties of Red Clay Modified by Cement and Industrial Solid Waste Powder

Because of the existence of clay minerals such as montmorillonite in red clay, the strength of red clay decreases significantly as water content increases. This study aims to improve the strength of red clay by using three different kinds of industrial solid waste powder, i.e., steel slag (SS) powder, fly ash (FA), and ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). At the same time, the ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was selected as a comparison of the improvement effect on the strength of red clay modified by the aforementioned industrial solid waste powder. The properties of the red clay and the industrial solid waste powder were documented comprehensively. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were conducted on the specimens of the red clay and the red clay modified by the OPC, SS, FA, and GGBS, which had been cured for 3, 7, and 21 days at a temperature of 25°C, respectively. The results showed that the strength of red clay can be significantly improved by the three kinds of industrial solid waste powder. After a 21-day curing period, the experimental results showed that the UCS of the red clay modified by 7% SS, 5% FA, and 5% GGBS increased by 252%, 131%, and 140% compared to that of the red clay without modification. However, the modification effects of the SS, FA, and GGBS on the red clay were generally inferior to that of the OPC. By observing the microstructures of the modified clay, the mechanism of industrial solid waste powder and cement improving the strength of the red clay was analyzed. The findings in this study can provide a reference for improving subgrade strength by a soil-modification method in road constructions.