The polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/Fe 3+ -TiO2 catalytic membrane was prepared by sol-gel method. It was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FT-IR spectrum (FT-IR), mechanics capability, water flux, pepsin retention, porosity and contact angle etc. The catalytic activity of PVDF/Fe 3+ -TiO2 catalytic membrane was evaluated by the degradation of refracto...

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a biocompatible material with excellent electroactive properties. Nonelectroactive α-PVDF and electroactive β-PVDF were used to investigate the substrate polarization and polarity influence on the focal adhesion (FA) size and number as well as on human adipose stem cells (hASCs) differentiation. hASCs were cultured on different PVDF surfaces adsorbed with fib...

Membranes with more resilience to abrasive wear are highly desired in water treatment, especially for seawater desalination. Nanocomposite poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/nanoclay membranes were prepared by phase inversion and then tested for abrasion resistance. Their material properties were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),...

This work reports on the nucleation of the β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) by incorporating CoFe(2)O(4) and NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles, leading in this way to the preparation of magnetoelectric composites. The fraction of filler nanoparticles needed to produce the same β- to α-phase ratio in crystallized PVDF is 1 order of magnitude lower in the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. The inte...

Electrospinning was employed to prepare new multi-functional nanowebs. Cyclodextrin based inclusion complex (CD-IC) was used to disperse multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) within electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous membranes (PVdF-NFM). Subsequently, MWNT(CD-IC)/PVdF-NFM was loaded with gold (Au) particles. The morphology, structure and thermal properties of Au/MWNT(CD-IC)/PVdF-NFM...

In nature, microscopic surface textures impact useful function, such as the drag reduction of shark skin (Dean & Bhushan, 2010) and superhydrophobicity of the lotus leaf(Pan, Kota, Mabry, & Tuteja, 2013). In this study, we explore these phenomena by re-creating microscopic surface textures via the method of interfacial flow instability in drying polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) acetone solutions....

Steroidal estrogens are a representative type of endocrine-disrupting chemical contaminant that has been detected in surface water. In this paper, modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were prepared by adding different amounts of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and nano-TiO2 particles. PVDF-PVP membrane adsorption, UV photolysis and PVDF-PVP-TiO2 membrane photocatalysis performance were...

Dialysis is the single most important therapy for chronic kidney disease. However, protein adsorption onto hemodialysis membranes promotes clot formation. The aim of the present study was to develop a surface-modified membrane which suppresses protein adsorption. Using plasma polymerization, hydrophilic N-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) and acryloyl morpholine (ACMO) were polymerized on hydrophobic poly...

A new touch sensor device has been demonstrated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) field effect transistors stacked with a piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE). The performance of two device stack structures, metal/PVDF-TrFE/MoS2 (MPM) and metal/PVDF-TrFE/Al2O3/MoS2 (MPAM), were compared as a function of the thickness of PVDF-TrFE and Al2O3. The sensitivity...

Fluorescent pseudomonads produce yellow-green siderophores when grown under conditions of iron starvation. Here, the characterization of the pvdF gene, which is required for synthesis of the siderophore pyoverdine by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1, is described. A P. aeruginosa pvdF mutant was constructed and found to be defective for production of pyoverdine, demonstrating the involvement ...