Photocatalytic and Antimicrobial Properties of Electrospun TiO2-SiO2-Al2O3-ZrO2-CaO-CeO2 Ceramic Membranes.

In this study, TiO2-based ceramic nanofiber membranes in the system of TiO2-SiO2-Al2O3-ZrO2-CaO-CeO2 were synthesized by combining sol-gel and electrospinning processes. In order to investigate the thermal treatment temperature effect, the obtained nanofiber membranes were calcined at different temperatures ranging from 550 to 850 °C. Different characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) were conducted on the obtained membranes to investigate the structural and morphological properties of the nanofibers. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of the nanofiber membranes was very high (46.6-149.2 m2/g) and decreased with increasing calcination temperature as expected. Photocatalytic activity investigations were determined using methylene blue (MB) as a model dye under UV and sunlight irradiation. High degradation performances were achieved with the calcination temperatures of 650 and 750 °C because of the high specific surface area and the anatase structure of the nanofiber membranes. Moreover, the ceramic membranes showed antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli as a Gram-negative bacterium and Staphylococcus aureus as a Gram-positive bacterium. The superior properties of the novel TiO2-based multi-oxide nanofiber membranes proved as a promising candidate for various industries, especially the removal of textile dyes from wastewater.

Fabrication of nanocomposite mat through incorporating bioactive glass particles into gelatin/poly(ε-caprolactone) nanofibers by using Box-Behnken design.

The current research was conducted to propose a nanocomposite material, which could be suitable to be used as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering applications. For this purpose, nanocomposite fibers of gelatin, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), and bioactive glass were successfully fabricated via electrospinning process. In this context, response surface methodology based on a three-level, four-variable Box-Behnken design was adopted as an optimization tool to choose the most appropriate parameter settings to obtain the desired fiber diameter. The investigation, based on a second order polynomial model, focused on the analysis of the effect of both solution and processing parameters on the fiber diameter and its standard deviation. In optimum conditions (bioactive glass content of 7.5% (w/v), applied voltage of 25kV, tip-to-collector distance of 12.5cm, and flow rate of 1mL/h), the fiber diameter was found to be 584±337nm which was in good agreement with the predicted value by the developed models (523±290nm). Analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential thermal analyzer were used for further evaluation of the optimized nanocomposite mat. The overall results showed that nanocomposite scaffolds could be promising candidates for tissue engineering applications.

Evaluation of the factors influencing the resultant diameter of the electrospun gelatin/sodium alginate nanofibers via Box-Behnken design.

This article presented a study on the effects of solution properties (i.e., gelatin concentration, alginate concentration, content of alginate solution in the blend solution, and content of acetic acid in the solvent of gelatin solution) on the average diameter of electrospun gelatin/sodium alginate nanofibers, as well as its standard deviation. For this purpose, blend solutions of two natural polymers (gelatin and sodium alginate) were prepared both in the absence and presence of ethanol. Response surface methodology based on a three-level, four-variable Box-Benkhen design was employed to define quadratic relationships between the responses and the solution properties. The individual and interactive effects of the solution properties were determined. Moreover, the adequacy of the models was verified by the validation experiments. Results showed that the average diameters of the resultant nanofibers were 68-166 nm and 90-155 nm in the absence and presence of ethanol, respectively. The experimental results were in good agreement with the predicted response values. Hence, this study provides an overview on the fabrication of gelatin/sodium alginate nanofibers with targeted diameter, which may have potential to be used in the field of tissue engineering.

The recycling of the coal fly ash in glass production.

The recycling of fly ash obtained from the combustion of coal in thermal power plant has been studied. Coal fly ash was vitrified by melting at 1773 K for 5 hours without any additives. The properties of glasses produced from coal fly ash were investigated by means of Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. DTA study indicated that there was only one endothermic peak at 1003 K corresponding to the glass transition temperature. XRD analysis showed the amorphous state of the glass sample produced from coal fly ash. SEM investigations revealed that the coal fly ash based glass sample had smooth surface. The mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the glass sample were also determined. Recycling of coal fly ash by using vitrification technique resulted to a glass material that had good mechanical, physical and chemical properties. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results showed that the heavy metals of Pb, Cr, Zn and Mn were successfully immobilized into the glass. It can be said that glass sample obtained by the recycling of coal fly ash can be taken as a non-hazardous material. Overall, results indicated that the vitrification technique is an effective way for the stabilization and recycling of coal fly ash.