A series of thermoresponsive gating membranes, with a wide range of grafting yields, were
prepared by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) onto porous poly(vinylidene fluoride)
(PVDF) membrane substrates with a plasma-induced pore-filling polymerization method. The
effect of grafting yield on the gating characteristics of thermoresponsive gating membranes was
investigated systematically. The results showed that the grafting yield heavily affected both
the water flux responsiveness coefficient and the thermoresponsivity of the membrane pore size.
When the grafting yield was smaller than 2.81%, both the flux responsiveness coefficient and
the thermoresponsivity of the membrane pore size increased with an increase in the grafting
yield; however, when the grafting yield was higher than 6.38%, both the flux responsiveness
coefficient and the thermoresponsivity of the membrane pore size were always equal to 1; i.e.,
no gating characteristics existed anymore. Diffusional permeation experiments showed that two
distinct types of temperature responses were observed, depending on the grafting yield. The
diffusional coefficient of a solute across membranes with low grafting yields increased with
temperature, while that across membranes with high grafting yields decreased with temperature.
To get a desired or satisfactory thermoresponsive gating performance, the membranes should
be designed and prepared with a proper grafting yield.
A wet scrubber technique was studied for the separation of particles < 2.5 μm from exhaust gas by a gas-liquid cross-flow array. The cleaning water of the separator flows vertically down along many regularly configured wires and the generated water film acts as an independent sink for particle collection. Due to the surfaceorientated horizontal particle movement caused by diffusio-(DP) and thermophoresis (TP), the particles can be captured by the water films. Since wastewater from the same production process can be used, the necessary cleaning water recycling costs can be saved due to the already available water treatment device. Experiments on a laboratory-scale test rig show the particle grade removal efficiency (PGRE) for different inlet gas-water temperature gradients and for a constant vapor injection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.