Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation Method Research Articles

High-flux PSF/PES-COOH hollow fiber loose nanofiltration membrane for high-efficiency dye-salt separation

Loose nanofiltration membranes show great potential to realize the effective separation of dyes and salts but still show low capacity for treating textile wastewater due to low membrane flux. In this work, a high-flux hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane (HFNFM) for the separation of dyes and salts was fabricated through a simple one-step non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. A carboxylated polyethersulfone (PES-COOH) was synthesized by the polycondensation based on Williamson reaction using diallyl bisphenol sulfur as a commoner followed by the thio-ene reaction with thioglycolic acid. Then PES-COOH was blended with polysulfone (PSF) for hollow fiber spinning based on the NIPS method. The effects of the ratio of PSF to PES-COOH on the membrane structure and performance were studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), water contact angle and zeta potential measurements. Upon optimization, the PSF/PES-COOH HFNFM displayed a water flux of 159.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and a rejection of 99.2 % for Congo red at a dye concentration of 100 mg/L and operating pressure of 0.1 MPa. With the effective dye-salt fractionation which was comparative to literature reports, the membrane showed unprecedentedly high flux, which can be attributed to the double layer finger-like structure and hydrophilic PES-COOH as additives. The membrane also presented excellent stability and antifouling property during the treatment of simulated textile wastewater.

Doubly modified MWCNTs embedded in polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membrane and its anti-fouling performance

Abstract Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are often used to modify polymer membranes as additives, however, MWCNTs are easy to agglomerate and entangle in polymer matrix due to their own strong van der Waals force. MWCNTs were doubly modified by bonding octadecylamine (ODA) and SiO2 through the respective amidation and esterification reactions to prepare SiO2-MWCNT-ODA nanocomposites. The amino groups on ODA were amidated with the carboxyl groups on MWCNT-COOH. Then the hydroxyl groups on SiO2 were bonded to MWCNT-COOH through esterification to obtain SiO2-MWCNT-ODA nanocomposites. PES/SiO2-MWCNT-ODA composite ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. SiO2-MWCNT-ODA nanocomposites and PES/SiO2-MWCNT-ODA membrane were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, and SEM, etc. The results showed that PES/SiO2-MWCNT-ODA membrane had significantly improved permeability, rejection, and antifouling properties for comparison with PES membrane. The pure water flux of PES/Nano.2-0.5 reached 212.5 L m−2 h−1, which was approximately 2.6 times than that of PES membrane, and the rejection of BSA protein for composite membrane was as high as 94.2%. PES/SiO2-MWCNT-ODA composite membrane had excellent antifouling performance and the flux recovery rate (FRR) of PES/Nano.2-0.5 membrane could still maintain at higher value of 84.82% after two cycles in the antifouling test.

Lightweight and tough multilayered composite based on poly(aryl ether nitrile)/carbon fiber cloth for electromagnetic interference shielding

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are of vital importance in solving increasingly serious electromagnetic pollution. Currently, metal-based EMI shielding materials (ESMs) are ubiquitously used, however, their drawbacks of high density, low corrosion resistance, and poor flexibility restrict their application scenarios. By contrast, polymer-based composite materials have superior properties such as light weight, great shock absorption performance, and high corrosion resistance, which makes them promising electromagnetic interference shielding materials. In this work, an asymmetric network of the impedance matching layer and conductive shielding layer is constructed by coupling carbon fiber cloth (CFC) with magnetic porous poly(aryl ether nitrile) (PEN) polymer composite. Scanning electron microscopy confirms the alternating layered structure of the composites and the porous structure of the polymer layer. The unique designed composites achieve the highest EMI total shielding effectiveness (SET) of 37.76 dB and absorption shielding effectiveness (SEA) of 35.33 dB, which represents the successful preparation of a type of EMI material following an absorption-dominated mechanism. The CFC-3/PEN-Fe3O4 @PEI-25 demonstrates a satisfying EMI-SE/density/thickness (SSE/t) value of 543 dB·cm2·g−1, higher than most porous polymer-based EMI composites currently. In addition, the mechanical strength of composites is enhanced due to the unique alternating multilayered structure, with the highest tensile strength of 39.03 MPa, which is much higher than the obtained porous PEN membranes via the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPs) method. This work proposes a novel approach to the construction of lightweight and resistant to secondary contamination ESMs with high performance, exerting enormous potential for wide application.

Optimization type of filler on electrochemical and thermal properties of gel polymer electrolytes membranes for safety lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride-based polymer matrix of different filler types such as nano-clay, ZnO, and SiO2 extracted from fly ash is produced using the non-solvent induced phase separation method. Moreover, the electrochemical properties, electrode compatibility, and the batteries performance are investigated using these gel electrolyte membranes. It is observed that gel electrolytes with nano-clay filler exhibited more stable ionic conductivity and charge–discharge performance than those containing ZnO and SiO2 extracted from fly ash. A maximum ionic conductivity of 5.62 × 10–3 S cm−1 was obtained with the addition of 8 wt% nano-clay filler at room temperature. The LiFePO4 performance assembled with these membranes is examined using coin cells (LiFePO4/GPE/graphite). After 50 cycles with a rate of 0.2 C, the battery with a different filler retained 97.7% of its initial capacity. It should be noted that this type of filler influences the electrolyte absorption, electrochemical properties, and performance of the LiFePO4.

Fabrication of polysulfone membrane with sponge-like structure by using different non-woven fabrics

The porous support layer with sponge-like structure has been widely used in thin-film composite (TFC) membranes. A series of polysulfone (PSf) support membranes with different sponge-like structure were fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The influences of membrane fabrication parameters including coagulation bath temperature, relative humidity, pre-evaporation time and membrane thickness on PSf membrane properties were systematically explored. The sponge-like-structured PSf membranes were formed while the coagulation bath temperature, relative humidity, pre-evaporation time and membrane thickness were 60 °C, 20%, 30 s, and 60 μm, respectively. Additionally, three types of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) non-woven fabrics (NWFs) with different properties were selected to study the influencing mechanism on PSf membrane with sponge-like structure. It was found that the PSf membrane (PSf-NWF-01) formed on more hydrophilic PET NWFs exhibited higher porosity (63%) and excellent performances (with a pure water flux of 463.69 L/(m2·h) and the BSA rejection of 97.58%), which was caused by a higher adhesion existed between more hydrophilic NWF surface and PSf casting solution. Moreover, the PSf-NWF-01 membrane also exhibited the highest flux recovery ratio of 88.59% and the lowest irreversible fouling of 11.41%. This work academically clarified the influence mechanism of PET NWFs properties on spongy-like PSf membranes, which also had theoretical guidance for selecting appropriate PET NWFs for the preparation of PSf membranes in industry.

Explorations of complex thermally induced phase separation (C-TIPS) method for manufacturing novel diphenyl ether polysulfate flat microporous membranes

A complex thermally induced phase separation (C-TIPS) method combining the advantages of non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) was proposed to prepare novel diphenyl ether polysulfate (De-PSE) flat membranes, using a good solvent Dimethyl acetamide (DMAC) and a neutral solvent Triethyl phosphate (TEP) as mixed solvents and a non-solvent Polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) as additive. The competition between NIPS and TIPS processes was regulated by adjusting the composition and temperature of quenching bath, so as to achieve fine tuning of membrane surface pore size, morphology, as well as permeability and mechanical property. The membrane cross section exhibited the coexistence of bi-continuous and finger-like pore structures. Compared with membranes prepared by the mainstream NIPS method, the pure water flux improved from 187.62 to 945.27 L m−2 h−1·bar−1 with a mean pore size increased from 30 nm to 195 nm, while the tensile strength enhanced from 2.31 to 5.89 MPa. This work demonstrated a simple strategy to improve the comprehensive performances of De-PSE membranes. Coupled with the strong acid-alkali resistance of the membrane, it greatly expanded the membrane application prospect, especially in the treatment of high polymer textile and papermaking wastewater with large volumes and strong alkalinity.

Polytriazole membranes with ultrathin tunable selective layer for crude oil fractionation.

The design of materials and their manufacture into membranes that can handle industrial conditions and separate complex nonaqueous mixtures are challenging. We report a versatile strategy to fabricate polytriazole membranes with 10-nanometer-thin selective layers containing subnanometer channels for the separation of hydrocarbons. The process involves the use of the classical nonsolvent-induced phase separation method and thermal cross-linking. The membrane selectivity can be tuned to the lower end of the typical nanofiltration range (200 to 1000 gram mole-1). The polytriazole membrane can enrich up to 80 to 95% of the hydrocarbon content with less than 10 carbon atoms (140 gram mole-1). These membranes preferentially separate paraffin over aromatic components, making them suitable for integration in hybrid distillation systems for crude oil fractionation.

Functionalization of PEG-AgNPs Hybrid Material to Alleviate Biofouling Tendency of Polyethersulfone Membrane.

Membrane-based processes are a promising technology in water and wastewater treatments, to supply clean and secure water. However, during membrane filtration, biofouling phenomena severely hamper the performance, leading to permanent detrimental impacts. Moreover, regular chemical cleaning is ineffective in the long-run for overcoming biofouling, because it weakens the membrane structure. Therefore, the development of a membrane material with superior anti-biofouling performance is seen as an attractive option. Hydrophilic-anti-bacterial precursor polyethylene glycol-silver nanoparticles (PEG-AgNPs) were synthesized in this study, using a sol-gel method, to mitigate biofouling on the polyethersulfone (PES) membrane surface. The functionalization of the PEG-AgNP hybrid material on a PES membrane was achieved through a simple blending technique. The PES/PEG-AgNP membrane was manufactured via the non-solvent induced phase separation method. The anti-biofouling performance was experimentally measured as the flux recovery ratio (FRR) of the prepared membrane, before and after incubation in E. coli culture for 48 h. Nanomaterial characterization confirmed that the PEG-AgNPs had hydrophilic-anti-bacterial properties. The substantial improvements in membrane performance after adding PEG-AgNPs were evaluated in terms of the water flux and FRR after the membranes experienced biofouling. The results showed that the PEG-AgNPs significantly increased the water flux of the PES membrane, from 2.87 L·m−2·h−1 to 172.84 L·m−2·h−1. The anti-biofouling performance of the PES pristine membrane used as a benchmark showed only 1% FRR, due to severe biofouling. In contrast, the incorporation of PEG-AgNPs in the PES membrane decreased live bacteria by 98%. It enhanced the FRR of anti-biofouling up to 79%, higher than the PES/PEG and PES/Ag membranes.

Photocatalytic self-cleaning EVAL membrane by incorporating bio-inspired functionalized MIL-101(Fe) for dye/salt separation

This work was expected to develop a new loose NF membrane with facile materials to conduct dye/salt separation and endow it with versatile capacities to offer an applicable solution to treat textile wastewater. Ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVAL) was first chosen to fabricate loose nanofiltration (NF) membrane through non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. Besides, MIL-101(Fe) showed outstanding photocatalytic capacity in degrading organic molecules while a low-cost bio-inspired coating, catechol, was utilized to modify MIL-101(Fe). A combination of modified MIL-101(Fe) and EVAL could have a high water permeability (43.2 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1) with superior rejection to small molecule negative charged dyes (Chlorazol black T: 99.8%, Congo Red: 99.7%, Eriochrome black T: 98.4%) and low rejection to various salts (Na2SO4: 4.8 %, NaCl: 2.1 %, MgCl2: 2.9%, MgSO4: 4.9% and CaCl2: 3.3%). Meanwhile, the EVAL loose NF membrane with the best performance had excellent antifouling capacity and long-term stability in EBT/Na2SO4 separation. Moreover, the membrane could degrade dyes to self-clean the membrane surface through photocatalytic process, which originated from the Fe-O clusters in MIL-101(Fe).

Rapid and selective recycling of Ag(I) from wastewater through an allylrhodanine functionalized micro-filtration membrane

Balance between membrane flux and ion rejection rate of filtration membranes is an important crucial technology to achieve an efficient wastewater treatment. In this work, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with 3-allylrhodanine (3-AR) modified composite 3-AR/PVDF membrane was fabricated by non-solvent induced phase separation method. Some parameters, such as water flux, selectivity and rejection, were investigated during the membrane treatment. Morphology characterizations, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption and contact angle techniques confirmed 3-AR/PVDF had hydrophilic surface and uniform porous structure with average pore size about 65.67 ∼ 39.32 nm. Surface chemical structure characterizations, such as Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) uncovered that the retention of Ag+ was mainly relied on the chemical bonding of C = S and C-S groups on 3-AR. 3-AR/PVDF-0.130 membrane exhibited excellent performance in adsorption (46.42 mg cm−2), water flux (196.04 L m-3 h−1), rejection (8.75 mg), and selectivity (β > 10). Membrane thickness exhibited good linear relationships with water flux and interception (R2 > 0.94), which could be regulated by the thickness of membrane. The membranes maintained excellent stability in wide pH range 1 ∼ 5, and retained >95% rejection and water flux after 6 cycles. Most important, the costs of membrane and operation were assessed during the long-term filtration, which is of significance for practical applications.

Tailoring the micro-structure of PVC/SMA-g-PEG blend ultrafiltration membrane with simultaneously enhanced hydrophilicity and toughness by in situ reaction-controlled phase inversion

An in-situ reaction controlled non-solvent induced phase separation (RC-NIPS) method was developed to tailor the morphology of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) (SMA-g-PEG) blend ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. Herein, PVC and SMA was dissolved in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solvent to prepare a casting solution (16 wt% polymer concentration) at 50 °C. Subsequently, PEG (20 kDa) as an additive and reactant was added to the casting solution at a mass ratio of PEG to the polymer 1/1 wt/wt. to enhance the hydrophilicity and mechanical elongation of the membrane. Results demonstrated that the casting solution with PVC/SMA = 3/1 wt/wt. was an entirely compatible system. The viscosity of the casting solution with adding PEG gradually increased from 692 mPa s to 1880 mPa s at the initial stage and 4780 mPa s at 42 h, then rose sharply to 27,320 mPa s at 84 h. This behavior was ascribed to the esterification reaction between PEG and SMA, leading to pre-gelation and gelation of the system. Whereafter, SMA-g-PEG graft polymers were obtained. Meanwhile, the degree of grafting (DG) increased from 0.40% at 12 h of the reaction to 2.61% at 42 h. Afterwards, a phase inversion using water as coagulation was used to prepare PVC/SMA-g-PEG blend membrane after a certain time of the esterification reaction. It was found that the morphology of resultant membranes systematically changed from asymmetric structure with a dense top layer and finger-like sublayer at the initial stage to a dense layer with a fully sponge-like structure after 18–42 h reaction. The PVC/SMA-g-PEG membrane obtained after the reaction of 42 h demonstrated better hydrophilicity, high pure water permeance and excellent toughness due to the internal plasticization of water molecules. The membrane also exhibited a high BSA rejection (>95%) and fouling recovery rate (FRR) (85.9%). Our work provides some insights on tailoring the UF membrane structure and simultaneously enhancing permeability, antifouling performance and toughness.

The Application of a Modified Polyacrylonitrile Porous Membrane in Vanadium Flow Battery.

Vanadium flow battery (VFB) is one of the most promising candidates for large-scale energy storage. A modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous membrane is successfully applied in VFB. Herein, a simple solvent post-processing method is presented to modify PAN porous membranes prepared by the traditional nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. In the design, polymer PAN is chosen as the membrane material owing to its low cost and high stability. The large-size pores from NIPS method are well optimized by the solvent swelling and shrinking during the solvent post-processing. Meanwhile, the interconnectivity of pores is maintained well. As a result, the ion selectivity of PAN porous membranes is dramatically improved, and the CE of a VFB with PAN porous membranes rises from 68% to 93% after the solvent post-processing process. A VFB with the modified PAN porous membranes is capable of delivering a limiting current density of 900 mA cm−2, and a high peak power density of 650 mW cm−2, which is very competitive among the various flow batteries.

Mechanism of sodium-hypochlorite-induced degradation of cellulose acetate and the enhancement of its degradation resistance by chemical modification

Cellulose acetate, when used in the form of hollow fibers in the ultrafiltration stage of water treatment, is occasionally treated with sodium hypochlorite to remove organic particles such as humic acids. However, prolonged use of sodium hypochlorite reduces the strength of the membrane and facilitates its breakage. The present study was designed to reveal the degradation mechanism of cellulose acetate caused by aqueous sodium hypochlorite and to improve its resistance to this chemical. Filaments of cellulose acetate, prepared using a nonsolvent-induced phase separation method, were exposed to 2000 ppm aqueous sodium hypochlorite at 25°C for 13 days to allow for evaluation of the changes in their tensile strength, elongation at break, molecular weight, degree of substitution, and chemical structure. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and molecular weight decreased as the duration of exposure to sodium hypochlorite increased. No significant changes in the degree of substitution were observed by one-dimensional hydrogen 1 nuclear magnetic resonance, and cleavages of both glycoside bonds and carbon–carbon bonds were detected by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, revealing that base-catalyzed hydrolysis of ester groups did not play an important role in degradation. The chemical modifications of the cellulose esters, such as the introduction of pentanoyl, stearoyl, and benzoyl groups, were studied in accordance with the degradation mechanism, and cellulose esters with bulky substituents such as benzoyl groups were found to exhibit improved chlorine resistance. Perbenzoylated cellulose, which exhibited high resistance to sodium hypochlorite, is considered to be a potential membrane material for the filtration of foulant-rich raw water.

Antifouling PVDF membranes fabricated via progressive potassium ion-π assembly of dopamine

Mussel-inspired surface modification draws a lot of attention for improving membrane antifouling property. However, it remains a serious challenge to fabricate a strong hydrophilic layer on the rough surface, preventing the pollutants to adhere to them during the filtration process. Here, a progressive cation-π assembly of polydopamine (PDA) was introduced to boost the antifouling property of the rough polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, which was fabricated by the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method using alcohol as the non-solvent. Afterward, dopamine and 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (SMPS) were co-deposited on the rough membranes via K+-π interactions, leading to >20% increment in graft yield compared with DA layer at the same deposition time. In addition, spin–spin relaxation time (T2) of water of DS modified membrane characterized by relaxation NMR decreased 484.9 ms, revealing strong hydration capability on the membrane surface and excellent water hydrophilicity. Benefited by the hydration capability, improved antifouling performance was obtained against natural organic polymers and crude oil, and good oil-in-water emulsions separation property without pressure. The K+-π interactions assistance dopamine assembly indicated a convenient technique for improving the antifouling performance of the rough membrane with a thick and strong hydrophilic layer.

Robust Preparation and Pore Structure Design of Homogeneous Braid‐Reinforced PVDF Hollow Fiber Membrane

AbstractIn this work, the homogeneous braid‐reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane with multiple pore structure is prepared successfully based on a nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS) method by adding different dioctyl phthalate (DOP) contents into the casting solution. The addition of DOP will restrict the phase separation process to avoid forming finger‐like macropores, while the placeholder and movement of DOP are conducive to the formation of more microporous and through holes. It is found that when the DOP content is 13%, the membrane has a porous surface layer with large surface pores and a cross section with bicontinuous structure. Compared with the membrane prepared without DOP, the separation flux of the membrane increases by 407% while maintaining a higher separation efficiency. Moreover, the prepared membranes reveal outstanding mechanical properties, and their tensile strength all exceeds 100 MPa. These findings indicate that the method may open more opportunities for the pore structure design based on the NIPS method.

Superhydrophobic porous polyvinylidene fluoride monolith with outstanding environmental suitability for high-efficient continuous oil/water separation under harsh conditions

The actual cleanup of oil spill and chemical leakage is usually implemented in harsh environments, thus oil absorbents possessing excellent environmental suitability are urgently required for high-efficiency oil/water separation. Herein, a novel three-dimensional porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) monolith with multi-environmental tolerance was facilely prepared via thermally impacted nonsolvent-induced phase separation method. In view of its unique pore structure and low surface energy, the PVDF monolith owned super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle = 154°) and super-oleophilicity (oil contact angle = 0°) without any modification. As an oil absorbent, the porous monolith exhibited outstanding oil/water separation performance for various oils/organic solvents, such as preeminent separation efficiency, high saturation absorption capacity (21.3 g g−1) and rapid absorption speed (reaching saturation state within 15 s). More importantly, the monolith revealed stable and prominent oil/water separation capability under harsh conditions involving intense ultraviolet radiation (72 h), rapidly alternating temperature (−20 to 65 °C), extreme pH, oil-water emulsion, strongly turbulent water, suspended solids (sand and tea leaf). It is worth noting that the monolith was capable of continuously and efficiently separating oil/organic solvent from water by a simple pump-assisted system (soybean oil flux reached 3520 L m−2 h−1 at 0.06 MPa). A small piece of PVDF monolith (0.132 g) was able to continuously separate at least 16,000 times its own weight of soybean oil and could be reused for 5 cycles. Based on the superior environmental suitability and continuous oil/water separation capability, the porous PVDF monolith has a tremendous potential to clean up large-scale oil contaminants in leakage accidents.

Asymmetric 5-sulfosalicylic acid-PVA catalytic pervaporation membranes for the process intensification in the synthesis of ethyl acetate

A kind of novel catalytic pervaporation membrane was fabricated for the process intensification of the synthesis of ethyl acetate. Firstly, asymmetric PVA pervaporation membranes (AMs) were prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method, then the asymmetric membranes were modified with 5-sulfosalicylic acid for the grafting of sulfonic acid group to form the asymmetric 5-sulfosalicylic acid - PVA catalytic pervaporation membranes (CMs). For the separation performances of CMs, in the pervaporation of 2 wt% water - ethyl acetate, water flux and separation factor of CMs with the 8 wt% PVA could reach 756.2 g/(m2·h) and 592.87 respectively. For the catalytic performance of CMs, final acetic acid conversion rate reached 63.5% in the synthesis of ethyl acetate. Furthermore, for the coupling experiments of catalysis with pervaporation, the conversion rate was 20% higher than that of ordinary catalytic reaction and the CMs showed excellent reusability that the conversion rate still reached 87% after 5 runs.

Bicontinuous porous membranes with micro-nano composite structure using a facile atomization-assisted nonsolvent induced phase separation method

Bicontinuous porous membranes with micro-nano composite structure using a facile atomization-assisted nonsolvent induced phase separation method

Porous cellulose acetate mixed-matrix membrane adsorbents for efficient clearance of p-cresol and creatinine from synthetic serum

BackgroundCombining hemodialysis treatment with hemoperfusion (HP) can lower the cardiovascular-related mortality rate of patients with kidney failure. MethodsIn this study, we have developed porous cellulose acetate mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) with a series of adsorbents—activated carbon (AC), zeolite (ZO), and graphene oxide (GO)—and explored the possibility of using them as the HP treatment units for the removal of uremic toxins. We used a non-solvent induced phase separation method to prepare adsorbent-incorporated MMMs and then characterized them based on their pore structures and physicochemical properties. Batch adsorption experiments of the prepared MMMs for p-cresol (PC) and creatinine (CRT) were conducted to reveal their adsorption capacities, kinetics, and mechanisms within 24 h. Significant findingsThe highest adsorption capacity per gram of AC-incorporated MMMs for PC and CRT at 37 °C (calculated by the Langmuir model) was 103.0 and 137.0 mg, respectively. The closed-loop dynamic tests were used to evaluate the clearance efficiency of PC and CRT from their binary solutions at 37 °C. The result demonstrated that the preferential ability of the AC-incorporated membrane to adsorb 73.8% of PC (initially 50 mg/L) and only 6.7% of CRT (initially 150 mg/L) within 4 h. Time-course measurements of the cellular viability of fibroblast NIH/3T3 and leukemic THP1 cells and the hemolysis tests in the presence of the prepared MMMs suggested that these biocompatible MMMs were promising and potential materials for HP treatment.

Customizable assembly of free-standing integrated electronics for wearables by phase separation.

The non-solvent induced phase separation method is utilized to produce a free-standing electrode with good conductivity retention during 1000 bending/stretching cycles. The as-prepared electrode has been fabricated for an integrated device consisting of an ethanol fuel cell, a supercapacitor and a motion sensor. This method for fabricating free-standing electronics reveals a cost-effective approach towards wearable devices.