We developed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers embedded with various commercially available metal oxide particles (Fe2O3, TiO2, MnO2, Co3O4, CoFe2O4, ZnFe2O4) via electrospinning for the removal of uranium (U(VI)) from aqueous systems. We compared the performance of composites electrospun with and without the inclusion of phthalic acid (PTA), building on our prior evidence that PTA can promote particle dispersion in precursor sol–gels. Characterization using SEM, TEM, XPS, and BET confirmed that PTA results in improved metal oxide distribution within the polymer fiber, promotes enrichment of metal oxides on the nanofiber surface, and increases composite surface area and porosity. In batch sorption experiments, PTA-containing composites consistently exhibited greater U(VI) uptake than those without PTA, producing more than 2- and 3-fold increases for top-performing Fe2O3 and TiO2 composites, respectively. For Fe2O3 and TiO2 composites with PTA, U(VI) uptake increased from pH 2 to 7, suggesting a contribution from retained phthalic acid (as phthalate), and isotherm studies revealed sorption capacities exceeding ∼8 mg U/g (corresponding to >90% of U(VI) removal) at environmentally relevant concentrations (∼1 μM). These composites are offer a simple, one-pot fabrication route to high-performing U(VI) sorbents in which PTA improves metal oxide distribution, surface area and pore volume of the polymer–metal oxide composites while also contributing to U(VI) uptake via cooperative binding with embedded metal oxides.

In this study, a dopamine derivative was synthesized and employed to yield self-adhering coatings that enabled both strong bacteria resistance and the fabrication of stable liquid-infused membranes (L...

Surface conductive, graphene membrane electrodes (grMEs) can be highly effective for electrochemical applications that combine molecular separation and current collection. However, it is important to ...

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been proposed as a route to improve circularity in plastics through local recycling by consumers of their plastic waste into filaments for 3D printing. Polypropylene (PP) would be a promising feedstock in this scenario as PP is one of the largest plastic waste streams and historically has a low recycling rate. However, PP is challenging to accurately print into useable objects due to crystallization-induced warping and delamination during printing. Here, the objective is to overcome these challenges to enable the printability of recycled PP with transferable approaches to the 3D printing user community for sustainable filaments. We demonstrate a simple approach that is translatable to virgin and recycled PP through the inclusion of a natural rod-like clay, sepiolite, and maleated PP compatibilizer to improve the printability of PP through material extrusion AM. Inclusion of 10 wt % sepiolite leads to improvements to the printability, dimensional accuracy, and strength of the printed parts for both virgin and recycled PP resins. Higher filler loading can lead to backflow in the hot end from high viscosity of the nanocomposite. Lower filler content reduces warping and distortions from crystallization of PP relative to the neat PP, but the dimensional accuracy generally improves with increasing sepiolite loading. The broad compositional range for sepiolite to enhance printability provides an opportunity for admixes for recycling PP into filaments through concentrated master batching of sepiolite with PP for consumers wishing to upcycle their PP waste through 3D printing.

Job no: R-0000002388 Position Title: Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Behavior Work Type: Faculty Full time In-Person Start Date: 07/01/2026 Job Description: The Department of Neuroscience and ...