Development of TiO2-coated YSZ/silica nanofiber membranes with excellent photocatalytic degradation ability for water purification

Numerous reports have elucidated that TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) exhibit respectable photocatalytic degradation capacities due to their high specific surface areas. However, the current recovery process leads to a loss of TiO2-NPs; therefore, there is a need to immobilize TiO2-NPs on the substrate used. Herein, TiO2-coated yttria-stabilized zirconia/silica nanofiber (TiO2-coated YSZ/silica NF) was prepared by coating TiO2 on the surface of YSZ/silica NF using a sol–gel process. The TiO2 coating layer on the nanofiber surface improved the separation ability of the membrane as well as the photocatalytic degradation ability. The pore size of the TiO2-coated YSZ/silica NF membrane was less than that of the pristine YSZ/silica NF membrane, and it rejected over 99.6% of the 0.5 μm polymeric particles. In addition, the TiO2-coated YSZ/silica NF membrane showed excellent adsorption/degradation of humic acid (HA, 88.2%), methylene blue (MB, 92.4%), and tetracycline (TC, 99.5%). Six recycling tests were performed to evaluate the reusability of the TiO2-coated YSZ/silica NF membrane. The adsorption/degradation efficiency for HA, MB, and TC decreased by 3.7%, 2.8%, and 2.2%, respectively. We thus verified the high separation ability, excellent photocatalytic degradation ability, and excellent reusability of the TiO2-coated YSZ/silica NF membranes.

Bi-Functional Composting the Sulfonic Acid Based Proton Exchange Membrane for High Temperature Fuel Cell Application

Although sulfonic acid (SA)-based proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) dominate fuel cell applications at low temperature, while sulfonation on polymers would strongly decay the mechanical stability limit the applicable at elevated temperatures due to the strong dependence of proton conduction of SA on water. For the purpose of bifunctionally improving mechanical property and high-temperature performance, Nafion membrane, which is a commercial SA-based PEM, is composited with fabricated silica nanofibers with a three-dimensional network structure via electrospinning by considering the excellent water retention capacity of silica. The proton conductivity of the silica nanofiber–Nafion composite membrane at 110 °C is therefore almost doubled compared with that of a pristine Nafion membrane, while the mechanical stability of the composite Nafion membrane is enhanced by 44%. As a result, the fuel cell performance of the silica nanofiber-Nafion composite membrane measured at high temperature and low humidity is improved by 38%.

Tapered optical fiber for Micro-Newton force sensor

We used Brillouin scattering in silica nanofiber to demonstrate a microNewton force sensor having weak optical losses and using only one access of the nanofiber. The measurements are in good agreement with the theoretical model.

Electrospun silica nanofiber mats functionalized with ceria nanoparticles for water decontamination

This study demonstrates the fabrication of nanoceria-immobilized silica nanofibers for efficient water decontamination with easy reuse and regeneration properties.