• Computers and Concrete
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2016

Currently, most of the investigations on chloride diffusion were based on the experiments and simulations concerning single cation type chlorides. Chloride diffusion associated with dual or multi cation types was rarely studied. In this paper, several groups of diffusion experiments are conducted using chloride solutions containing single, dual and multi cation types. A multi-ionic model is also proposed to simulate the chloride diffusion behavior in the experimental tests. The MATLAB software is used to numerically solve the nonlinear PDEs in the multi-ionic model. The experimental and simulated results show that the chloride diffusion behavior associated with different cation types is significantly different. When the single cation type chlorides are adopted, it is found that the bound rates of chloride ions combined with divalent cations are greater than those combined with monovalent cations. When the dual/multi cation type chlorides are adopted, the chloride bound rates increase with the $Ca^{2+}/Mg^{2+}$ percentage in the source solutions. This evidence indicates that the divalent cations would markedly enhance the chloride binding capacity and reduce the chloride diffusivity. Moreover, on the basis of the analysis, it is also found that the complicated cation types in source solutions are beneficial to reducing the chloride diffusivity.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.139-158
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• 2010

This work focuses on the application of nanofiltration (NF) to the concentration of a pharmaceutical product, Clavulanate ($CA^-$), from clarified fermentation broths, which show a complex composition with six main identified ions ($K^+$, $Cl^-$, ${NH_4}^+$, $H_2{PO_4}^-$, ${SO_4}^{2-}$ and $CA^-$), glucose and glycerol. The solutes transport through the NF membrane pores was investigated using the SEDE (Steric, Electric and Dielectric Exclusion) model. This model was applied to predict the rejection rates of the initial feed solution and the final concentrated solution (10-fold concentrated solution). The best results were achieved with a single fitted parameter, ${\varepsilon}_p$ (the dielectric constant of the solution inside pores) and considering that the membrane selectivity is governed by steric, electric (Donnan) and Born dielectric exclusion mechanisms. While the predicted intrinsic rejections of solutions comprising up to six ions and uncharged solutes were in good agreement with the experimental values, the deviations were much larger for the 10-fold concentrated solution.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.498-505
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• 2007

This study demonstrated the in-situ functionalization with polymers of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) via emulsion polymerization. Polystyrene-functionalized MWNTs were prepared in an aqueous solution containing styrene monomer, non-ionic surfactant and a cationic coupling agent ([2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trime-thylammonium chloride (MATMAC)). This process produced an interesting morphology in which the MWNTs, consisting of bead-string shapes or MWNTs embedded in the beads, when polymer beads were sufficiently large, produced nanohybrid material. This morphology was attributed to the interaction between the cationic coupling agent and the nanotube surface which induced polymerization within the hemimicellar or hemicylindrical structures of surfactant micelles on the surface of the nanotubes. In a solution containing MATMAC alone without surfactant, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were not well-dispersed, and in a solution containing only surfactant without MATMAC, polymeric beads were synthesized in isolation from CNTs and continued to exist separately. The incorporation of MATMAC and surfactant together enabled large amounts of CNTs (> 0.05 wt%) to be well-dispersed in water and very effectively encapsulated by polymer chains. This method could be applied to other well-dispersed CNT solutions containing amphiphilic molecules, regardless of the type (i.e., anionic, cationic or nonionic). In this way, the solubility and dispersion of nanotubes could be increased in a solvent or polymer matrix. By enhancing the interfacial adhesion, this method might also contribute to the improved dispersion of nanotubes in a polymer matrix and thus the creation of superior polymer nanocomposites.