skip to main content


Title: On the Behavior of the Ethylene Glycol Components of Polydisperse Polyethylene Glycol PEG200
Award ID(s):
1953428
NSF-PAR ID:
10393137
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
American Chemical Society
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume:
127
Issue:
5
ISSN:
1520-6106
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. 1178-1196
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    There has been a lot of attention on water pollution by dyes in recent years because of their serious toxicological implications on human health and the environment. Therefore, the current study presented a novel polyethylene glycol-functionalized graphene oxide/chitosan composite (PEG-GO/CS) to remove dyes from aqueous solutions. Several characterization techniques, such as SEM, TEM, FTIR, TGA/DTG, XRD, and XPS, were employed to correlate the structure–property relationship between the adsorption performance and PEG-GO/CS composites. Taguchi’s (L25) approach was used to optimize the batch adsorption process variables [pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of methyl orange (MO)] for maximal adsorption capacity. pH = 2, contact time = 90 min, adsorbent dose = 10 mg/10 mL, and MO initial concentration = 200 mg/L were found to be optimal. The material has a maximum adsorption capacity of 271 mg/g for MO at room temperature. With the greatest R2 = 0.8930 values, the Langmuir isotherm model was shown to be the most appropriate. Compared to the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.9685), the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.9707) better fits the kinetic data. Electrostatic interactions were the dominant mechanism underlying MO sorption onto the PEG/GO-CS composite. The as-synthesized composite was reusable for up to three adsorption cycles. Thus, the PEG/GO-CS composite fabricated through a simple procedure may remove MO and other similar organic dyes in real contaminated water.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    Ethylene glycol is a widely utilized commodity chemical, the production of which accounts for over 46 million tons of CO2emission annually. Here we report a paired electrocatalytic approach for ethylene glycol production from methanol. Carbon catalysts are effective in reducing formaldehyde into ethylene glycol with a 92% Faradaic efficiency, whereas Pt catalysts at the anode enable formaldehyde production through methanol partial oxidation with a 75% Faradaic efficiency. With a membrane-electrode assembly configuration, we show the feasibility of ethylene glycol electrosynthesis from methanol in a single electrolyzer. The electrolyzer operates a full cell voltage of 3.2 V at a current density of 100 mA cm−2, with a 60% reduction in energy consumption. Further investigations, using operando flow electrolyzer mass spectroscopy, isotopic labeling, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, indicate that the desorption of a *CH2OH intermediate is the crucial step in determining the selectively towards ethylene glycol over methanol.

     
    more » « less
  3. Tiina Reponen (Ed.)
    Airborne murine coronavirus was assessed for its sensitivity to the vapors of chemicals commonly used to disinfect indoor surfaces. As a model for the chemical sensitivity of airborne SARS-CoV-2, the infectious potential of airborne Mouse Hepatitis Virus (MHV) was tracked in the presence of the following pure chemical vapors, each of which was below its permissible exposure limit (PEL) as regulated by the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): <50ppmv for glycol; <1ppmv for HOCl; and <1ppmv for H2O2. Along with its growth media, infectious MHV was aerosolized in a particle size distribution between 0.5 l/m and 3.2 l/m into a sealed, dark, 9m3 chamber maintained at 22 C and 60% RH, including levels of chemical vapors maintained below their respective PELs. As judged by the TCID50 of airborne MHV collected by condensation, this airborne virus was rapidly inactivated by HOCl vapor, incurring an average of 99% infectious potential loss after 16 ± 4 min exposure to <0.2 ppmv HOCl. Airborne MHV responded with a 99% loss of infectious potential in 38 ± 10 min of exposure to <0.9ppmv H2O2; and, a 99% loss of infectious potential in 33 ± 15 min when exposed to a gas-phase dipropylene glycol blend <20ppmv as TVOC. The juxtaposition of quantitative RT-PCR and TCID50 responses suggest that even low levels of gas-phase HOCl exposures can damage the genome of airborne coronavirus in relatively short time frames (c.a. < 5 mins). 
    more » « less