Plasma-activated zeolites were used in the removal of diclofenac sodium (DCF) via adsorption in an aqueous solution. The natural zeolites were exposed to 13.56 MHz radio frequency-driven plasma discharge using argon as the working gas. Results have shown an increase in adsorption capacity of DCF to 64% from 52% using the plasma-treated and untreated zeolites, respectively. Further analysis showed no significant changes in the bulk properties of the zeolite after plasma exposure. However, an apparent increase in surface porosity was observed after treatment due to etching and ablation effects of the impinging energetic particles from the discharge. The adsorption of DCF followed the Freundlich isotherm model suggesting that the modified surface is heterogeneous allowing multilayer adsorption. This work realized the enhancement of adsorption capacity of natural zeolites via plasma treatment. The plasma-treated zeolites are inexpensive candidates for the removal of emerging pharmaceutical wastes in wastewater such as DCF.
Copper (Cu) ions were successfully loaded in a bentonite matrix via ion-exchange method producing the Cu-Bentonite nanocomposites. Samples were treated using 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) plasma system with argon (Ar) and oxygen (O2) gases at varying input power (30 and 80 W) and constant treatment time of 10 min. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the presence of Cu metal after the plasma treatment of samples. SEM images confirmed the changes onthe surface of the nanocomposites after plasma treatment. The untreated and treated Cu-bentonite nanocomposites showed effective antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The nanocomposite can be used for biological as well as biomedical applications due to its antibacterial capabilities.
Cheri Anne M. Dingle, Julius Federico M. Jecong, Frederick C. Hila, Ma. Elina Salvacion V. Ramo, Neil Raymund D. Guillermo, Magdaleno R. Vasquez Jr, and Vallerie Ann I. Samson. 2019. “
Determination of the REE content, geological age, and absorbed alpha dose of allanite mineral from Palawan, Philippines.” X-Ray Spectrometry, 48, 5, Pp. 513-521.
Publisher's Version Abstract Allanite is a common accessory mineral in igneous rocks that contains significant amounts of rare-earth elements (REEs), thorium (Th), and uranium (U). The presence of Th and U in the allanite exposes it to radiation resulting in radiation damage in its crystal structure and further leads to metamictization. Hence, allanite can be used as a natural analogue to assess the long-term radiation effects in materials for high-level nuclear waste disposal. It provides information on the effect of α-decay on the crystal structure including the stability and integrity of the material. In this study, the absorbed α-dose of allanite from Ombo, Palawan, Philippines, was estimated from the Th and U content and geological age of the mineral using X-ray fluorescence and gamma-ray spectrometry. The amount of Th and REE was measured to be around 1.37 and 30.4 wt.%, respectively. Radiometric dating using gamma-ray spectrometry estimated the age of the allanite mineral to be around 24–35 million years. Having obtained the amount of radioactivity and the time of exposure, the corresponding absorbed α-dose was estimated to be at 2.84 × 1014 α-decays/mg. Results suggest that the allanite mineral studied has not accumulated significant radiation damage to cause amorphization and still exhibit a crystalline structure. This study may provide data on the properties of allanite or silicate matrices as part of the ongoing studies on silicate minerals as natural analogues.
A heterojunction device was fabricated via oxidation of a thin film and spray pyrolysis. In this work, a copper oxide (CuO) film was grown via magnetron sputtering of Cu film deposited on pre-cut glass substrates and subsequent oxidation at 450 °C in air. A titanium dioxide (TiO2) film was deposited on the CuO film via spray pyrolysis of titanium (IV) isopropoxide precursor at 200 °C. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of monoclinic CuO film and tetragonal anatase TiO2 film. Scanning electron microscopy images showed agglomerated grains for both films with TiO2 grains larger than CuO grains. I-V characteristic of the CuO-TiO2 heterojunction film exhibited a rectifying behavior with a turn-on voltage of around 1.3 V and an ideality factor of around 1.96. The heterojunction revealed an open circuit voltage of around 0.59 V and a short circuit current of 0.3 mA under 100 mW/cm2 solar light irradiation.
A fast, facile, nonhazardous, environment-friendly, and high yield process was developed for the plasma treatment of graphite particles and the production of plasma-functionalized multilayered graphene (pf-MLG). Graphite particles (<20 μm) were functionalized using a subatmospheric 13.56 MHz radio frequency-excited oxygen plasma followed by liquid-phase exfoliation to produce pf-MLG with a high aspect ratio (>2585) with <20 graphene layers. The exfoliated graphene also exhibited high dispersibility in water after plasma functionalization without the use of surfactants. The pf-MLG nanoflakes were incorporated into a cement mixture with 0.1 and 0.5 wt% pf-MLG loading. A 56% increase in compressive strength of cement mortars was achieved for the 0.5 wt% pf-MLG after 28 days curing. This is attributed to the strong interfacial interaction between graphene and the cement matrix and the promotion of hydration. The highly scalable process of pf-MLG-reinforced cement will make a positive impact on the environment, especially in the construction industry.