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Membranes
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Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications
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Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2011) | Viewed by 61423

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Benjamin S. Hsiao

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, NY 11794-3400, USA
Interests: polymers; polymer crystallization; nanocomposites; synchrotron x-ray scattering; nanofiber; nanocellulose; membrane; water purification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Bin Ding

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Nanomaterials Research Center, Research Institute of Donghua University, 1882 West Yan-an Road, Shanghai, 200051, China
Interests: functional nanofibrous materials designed as catalysts, catalyst supports, gas and liquid filters, dye-sensitized solar cells, sound insulation materials, super-hydrophilic/hydrophobic materials, chemical/biological sensors, protein crystal collecting; high efficient catalysts comprising cheap metal oxide nanoparticles for the removal of poisonous gas containing sulfur, CxHy and CO; synthesis and application of the biodegradable monomers and polymers as surgical sutures, drug delivery templates, biological tissue engineering, wound dressing, etc; fabrication and application of ultrathin nanofilms by electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly method as the anti-reflective films, conductive films, super-hydrophilic/hydrophobic films, catalytic films, sensing films, filtration films, etc

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are very pleased to invite you to submit a paper to the special issue “membranes for health and environmental applications” of a new journal Membranes.

Membranes for health and environmental applications are playing an essential role in our daily life. For example, membranes are routinely used for medical care and individual protection, such as wound dressing, dialysis, tissue engineering, and controlled release of drugs. Membranes are also used for environmental cleaning and protection, such as filtration media for water purification (e.g., microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) and air filtration. With rapid population growth and increasing environmental concerns on earth, the future applications of membrane materials for health and environmental protection will be even more important.

There are different kinds of membrane materials, including inorganic membranes (e.g., ceramic and metal), organic membranes (e.g., polymer) and hybrid membranes containing both inorganic and organic components.  The structures of these membranes can also be different, ranging from non-directional structures (e.g., bi-continuous spinodal and non-woven fibrous structures, or nonporous membranes by means of solution and diffusion mechanism) to directional structures (e.g., microphases in block copolymer and directional cavity in nanocomposites) at different length scales.  The two most important properties of a membrane are selectivity and permeation rate.  At times, these two properties seem to be at opposing ends, but recent studies indicate that some membranes with high permeability can also retain good selectivity.  Such advances can greatly improve the efficiency of separation leading to breakthroughs in performance and operations.

This special issue will focus on the recent research and development of advanced membranes for health and environmental applications with the following themes:

  • new process development of advanced membranes for health and environmental applications
  • new membrane materials for water purification (e.g., microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and antifouling membranes)
  • new membrane materials for air filtration (e.g., industrial air filtration, face masks)
  • new membrane materials for medical care (e.g., wound dressing, antimicrobial scaffolds, dialysis, blood filtration, tissue engineering and drug delivery)

However, we strongly encourage the manuscripts to emphasize one or more of the following aspects of the studies:

  • synthesis or fabrication of new membrane materials with controlled nanostructures and porosity
  • theoretical development or simulation of membranes formation or transport phenomena
  • experimental results on membrane performance (e.g., permeation and selectivity) in relevant conditions for health and environmental applications
  • membrane structures determined with advanced characterization tools
  • relationships between process, structure and property in membrane fabrication
  • tailored membrane functionality in biomedical applications
  • molecular and scaffold interactions and issues of fouling

Prof. Dr. Benjamin S. Hsiao
Prof. Dr. Bin Ding
Guest Editors

Keywords

  • nanostructured materials
  • membrane fabrication
  • membrane fouling
  • water purification
  • air filtration
  • biomedical applications

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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3411 KiB  
Article
Self-Assembling Peptide Surfactants A6K and A6D Adopt a-Helical Structures Useful for Membrane Protein Stabilization
by Furen Zhuang, Kamila Oglęcka and Charlotte A. E. Hauser
Membranes 2011, 1(4), 314-326; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1040314 - 21 Oct 2011
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6726 | Correction
Abstract
Elucidation of membrane protein structures have been greatly hampered by difficulties in producing adequately large quantities of the functional protein and stabilizing them. A6D and A6K are promising solutions to the problem and have recently been used for the [...] Read more.
Elucidation of membrane protein structures have been greatly hampered by difficulties in producing adequately large quantities of the functional protein and stabilizing them. A6D and A6K are promising solutions to the problem and have recently been used for the rapid production of membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). We propose that despite their short lengths, these peptides can adopt α-helical structures through interactions with micelles formed by the peptides themselves. These α-helices are then able to stabilize α-helical motifs which many membrane proteins contain. We also show that A6D and A6K can form β-sheets and appear as weak hydrogels at sufficiently high concentrations. Furthermore, A6D and A6K together in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can form expected β-sheet structures via a surprising α-helical intermediate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
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1894 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and Biocompatibility of Electrospun Silk Biocomposites
by Kai Wei, Byoung-Suhk Kim and Ick-Soo Kim
Membranes 2011, 1(4), 275-298; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1040275 - 10 Oct 2011
Cited by 39 | Viewed by 10153
Abstract
Silk fibroin has attracted great interest in tissue engineering because of its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability and minimal inflammatory reaction. In this study, two kinds of biocomposites based on regenerated silk fibroin are fabricated by electrospinning and post-treatment processes, respectively. Firstly, regenerated silk fibroin/tetramethoxysilane [...] Read more.
Silk fibroin has attracted great interest in tissue engineering because of its outstanding biocompatibility, biodegradability and minimal inflammatory reaction. In this study, two kinds of biocomposites based on regenerated silk fibroin are fabricated by electrospinning and post-treatment processes, respectively. Firstly, regenerated silk fibroin/tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) hybrid nanofibers with high hydrophilicity are prepared, which is superior for fibroblast attachment. The electrospinning process causes adjacent fibers to ‘weld’ at contact points, which can be proved by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The water contact angle of silk/tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) composites shows a sharper decrease than pure regenerated silk fibroin nanofiber, which has a great effect on the early stage of cell attachment behavior. Secondly, a novel tissue engineering scaffold material based on electrospun silk fibroin/nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) biocomposites is prepared by means of an effective calcium and phosphate (Ca–P) alternate soaking method. nHA is successfully produced on regenerated silk fibroin nanofiber within several min without any pre-treatments. The osteoblastic activities of this novel nanofibrous biocomposites are also investigated by employing osteoblastic-like MC3T3-E1 cell line. The cell functionality such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is ameliorated on mineralized silk nanofibers. All these results indicate that this silk/nHA biocomposite scaffold material may be a promising biomaterial for bone tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
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Review

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216 KiB  
Review
Development of Hydrogels and Biomimetic Regulators as Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
by Junbin Shi, Malcolm M. Q. Xing and Wen Zhong
Membranes 2012, 2(1), 70-90; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes2010070 - 14 Feb 2012
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 8117
Abstract
This paper reviews major research and development issues relating to hydrogels as scaffolds for tissue engineering, the article starts with a brief introduction of tissue engineering and hydrogels as extracellular matrix mimics, followed by a description of the various types of hydrogels and [...] Read more.
This paper reviews major research and development issues relating to hydrogels as scaffolds for tissue engineering, the article starts with a brief introduction of tissue engineering and hydrogels as extracellular matrix mimics, followed by a description of the various types of hydrogels and preparation methods, before a discussion of the physical and chemical properties that are important to their application. There follows a short comment on the trends of future research and development. Throughout the discussion there is an emphasis on the genetic understanding of bone tissue engineering application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
2658 KiB  
Review
Functionality in Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes Based on Fiber’s Size, Surface Area, and Molecular Orientation
by Hidetoshi Matsumoto and Akihiko Tanioka
Membranes 2011, 1(3), 249-264; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030249 - 26 Aug 2011
Cited by 157 | Viewed by 16448
Abstract
Electrospinning is a versatile method for forming continuous thin fibers based on an electrohydrodynamic process. This method has the following advantages: (i) the ability to produce thin fibers with diameters in the micrometer and nanometer ranges; (ii) one-step forming of the two- or [...] Read more.
Electrospinning is a versatile method for forming continuous thin fibers based on an electrohydrodynamic process. This method has the following advantages: (i) the ability to produce thin fibers with diameters in the micrometer and nanometer ranges; (ii) one-step forming of the two- or three-dimensional nanofiber network assemblies (nanofibrous membranes); and (iii) applicability for a broad spectrum of molecules, such as synthetic and biological polymers and polymerless sol-gel systems. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have received significant attention in terms of their practical applications. The major advantages of nanofibers or nanofibrous membranes are the functionalities based on their nanoscaled-size, highly specific surface area, and highly molecular orientation. These functionalities of the nanofibrous membranes can be controlled by their fiber diameter, surface chemistry and topology, and internal structure of the nanofibers. This report focuses on our studies and describes fundamental aspects and applications of electrospun nanofibrous membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
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2564 KiB  
Review
Recent Trends in Nanofibrous Membranes and Their Suitability for Air and Water Filtrations
by Ramalingam Balamurugan, Subramanian Sundarrajan and Seeram Ramakrishna
Membranes 2011, 1(3), 232-248; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes1030232 - 22 Aug 2011
Cited by 161 | Viewed by 14348
Abstract
In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of [...] Read more.
In recent decades, engineered membranes have become a viable separation technology for a wide range of applications in environmental, food and biomedical fields. Membranes are now competitive compared to conventional techniques such as adsorption, ion exchangers and sand filters. The main advantage of membrane technology is the fact that it works without the addition of any chemicals, with relatively high efficiency and low energy consumption with well arranged process conductions. Hence they are widely utilized in biotechnology, food and drink manufacturing, air filtration and medical uses such as dialysis for kidney failure patients. Membranes from nanofibrous materials possess high surface area to volume ratio, fine tunable pore sizes and their ease of preparation prompted both industry and academic researchers to study their use in many applications. In this paper, modern concepts and current research progress on various nanofibrous membranes, such as water and air filtration media, are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
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Other

Jump to: Research, Review

134 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Self-Assembling Peptide Surfactants A6K and A6D Adopt a-Helical Structures Useful for Membrane Protein Stabilization. Membranes 2011, 1, 314-326
by Kamila Oglęcka, Furen Zhuang and Charlotte A. E. Hauser
Membranes 2012, 2(2), 214-215; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes2020214 - 02 May 2012
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5025
Abstract
We would like to request a correction to the author listing. The following changes should be made in respect to the original publication of this article [1]. [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Membranes for Health and Environmental Applications)
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