Papers by Keyword: Polyethylene Glycol

Abstract: The increasing demand for clean water necessitates the development of advanced and cost-effective treatment technologies. Nanofiltration (NF) membranes offer high efficiency in removing divalent ions, but their application is often limited by membrane fouling and stability issues. While various polymer blends have been studied to address these limitations, the effect of incorporating chitosan (CS) into polyethylene glycol/cellulose acetate (PEG/CA) membranes for treating calcium-rich water remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CS incorporation on the performance of PEG/CA NF membranes, specifically focusing on water flux and salt rejection in the removal of calcium carbonate from simulated groundwater. Membranes with 1–3 wt % CS were fabricated and compared to unmodified PEG/CA membranes. Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed CS presence, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed morphological changes. Performance testing showed that the 1 % CS membrane had the highest water flux, whereas the 3 % CS membrane achieved the highest salt rejection. An inverse relationship between flux and rejection was observed with increasing CS content. Statistical analysis confirmed significant performance differences between modified and unmodified membranes. These results indicate that chitosan incorporation enhances NF membrane performance, offering a promising approach for improving water purification systems, particularly for hard water treatment.

Abstract: Paper-based cultural heritage is highly sensitive to cleaning processes, requiring materials that are mechanically safe, precisely applicable, and capable of preserving fiber and surface integrity. Conventional poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels often exhibit poor dimensional stability, leading to spreading outside the targeted treatment area, and high tackiness, which can damage paper surfaces. This study presents an optimized PVA-based hydrogel incorporating cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and tartaric acid (TA), with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a plasticizer and borax as a crosslinker. The effects of different compositions and gelation methods on viscoelasticity, swelling, and water release were investigated. The abundant hydroxyl groups of CNF enhanced solvent absorption, increased swelling capacity, reduced tackiness, and improved the storage modulus of the hydrogel, while TA improved dimensional stability and PEG balanced stiffness with controlled water release. The formulation containing 4 wt% PVA, 0.3% CNF, 25% TA, 10% borax, and 1% PEG exhibited superior performance, with a storage modulus within the suitable range for cleaning (1,000–20,000 Pa), moderate swelling, low tackiness, and no residue on paper. These results highlight the contribution of nanoscale technology to hydrogel design and demonstrate the potential of the developed material as a safe and effective cleaning system for paper conservation.

Abstract: The flexibility and durability of biopolymers are enhanced by the supplementation of plasticizers. Various types of plasticizers are commonly utilized. This research aims to investigate the effects of different plasticizer types on the characteristics of biopolymer films prepared from tamarind kernel powder (TKP) and gelatin crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. Three types of plasticizers were examined: glycerol, sorbitol, and polyethylene glycol. The concentration of plasticizers was controlled at 1% w/w. The chemical and mechanical properties of the films were analyzed. The results indicated that the plasticizers differentially improved the mechanical properties of the biopolymer films. Additionally, the opacity, color, and water solubility of the films were influenced by the type of plasticizer used. The TKP-gelatin film supplemented with sorbitol exhibited improved mechanical properties, as indicated by both higher tensile strength and elongation at break, compared with that supplemented with glycerol and polyethylene glycol.

Abstract: Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have been the most important in the field of nanotechnology these days, which have many enormous advantages, such as non-toxic compounds, high static physical capacity as well, carrying lipophilic drugs, and advantages like controlled drug release and targeted drug delivery with increased stability. Moreover, polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been used to increase the stability of the (SLNs). In this research describes the modification of the coating of (PEG) on the surface of (SLNs) to improve the efficiency of drug delivery to target cells in the body. However, (PEG-SLNs) were prepared by the ultrasonication/high-speed homogenization method. In contrast, the physical characterization of (PEG-SLNs) was studied by viscosity measurement at 37°C, which was developed by using stearic acid as a lipid matrix in ethanol as the dispersion medium. At that point, we noticed there was a decrease in relative viscosity (η_r) and dynamic viscosity (η) with the increasing of the weight of stearic acid, due to the result of the creation of (SLNs) that was coated by (PEG) which was modified by ultrasonication. Through Flory-Fox's theory treated the viscosity data to obtain the hydrodynamic radius (R_H), which was decreased from 100 to 50 nm, while the diffusion coefficient was (D) and mobility (μ) that has increased. Moreover, the zeta potential value was (ζ) > 30 mv, at 0.5 g cm^-3 concentration of (PEG) with 2.5 g of stearic acid, this result was the best value of the stability of the solution. In this case, this study will use synthesized (PEG-SLNs) in the future for drug delivery to target cells in the body.

Abstract: Textile dyes waste can cause a big problem for the environment. Adsorption is a simple approach in treatment of textile dyes waste. On the other hand, the use of disposable adsorbents also creates production cost problems because they are less economic. Currently, research on adsorbents is forwarded to the use of biopolymers such as chitosan, chitin, and cellulose. This research studied the use of cellulose beads, made from cellulose acetate (CA) blended with polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG200), as adsorbent in removing cationic dye of methylene blue (MB). Adsorption performance of cellulose beads was evaluated and optimized under variation of adsorption conditions (pH, beads dose, dye concentration) and PEG200 content. Optimization was carried out by using response surface methodology (RSM) with a face-centered central composite design (FCCD) model. The results showed that the optimum condition was obtained at pH of 7, beads dose of 2 g/L, dye concentration of 20 mg/L for bead composition of CA/PEG200 (90/10). The optimum % dye removal predicted by the design model was 52.4706 %.

Abstract: Polysulfone (PSf) is a high-performance polymer often used in water treatment applications. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Nanozeolite (NZ) were used as additives to improve the membrane’s porosity, chemistry, and overall performance in ion adsorption. PSf, PSf with PEG, and PSf with PEG and varying concentrations of Nanozeolite were prepared via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and tested using: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for the surface morphology, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for the chemical composition, Contact Angle Goniometer for the wettability, Zeta Potential for the stability, and conductivity test through salt-water bath for ion adsorption application.

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to develop a new type of environmentally friendly container which has thermostatic effect and is biodegradable. This study is based on polylactic acid (PLA) and maleic anhydride grafted polybutylene succinate (MAPBS). Subsequently, the diatomite which adsorbed polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added to prepare a thermostatic biodegradable composite. The addition of MAPBS is to improve the compatibility between PLA and diatomite. In addition, the thermostatic effect, tensile strength, thermal deformation temperature and impact strength of the composite were investigated.

Abstract: Areca nut extract provides a variety of pharmacological effects that are beneficial for skincare applications. A nanoemulsion of areca nut extract was developed to mask the intense color and to improve the water solubility of the extract. This work studied the impact of a co-solvent on the characteristics and stability of the nanoemulsion. Our former optimized nanoemulsion was modified by adding a common co-solvent, propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), to the formula. Phase separation, particle characteristics, antioxidant activity, in vitro cytotoxicity, and stability of the modified nanoemulsion were evaluated. This work has shown the successful encapsulation of areca nut extract with a great improvement of stability, well-maintained antioxidant activity and low toxicity on normal human skin fibroblast.

Abstract: Conventionally, chromium is deposited from hexavalent chromium baths containing extremely toxic compounds of Cr (VI). Due to serious health and environmental concerns of Cr (VI), trivalent chromium bath is proposed as a counter approach towards greener and safer chromium plating. In the present work, chromium coatings were electrodeposited onto copper substrate using a modified trivalent chromium electroplating bath with addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG 1500). The effects of PEG on the Cr coating were investigated. The crystalline structure, composition and surface morphology of the deposits were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface roughness of the coatings were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). With addition of PEG, the surface roughness of Cr coating decreased by 44.5 % and the corrosion rate decreased by 23.3 % compared to that of without PEG. Meanwhile, the hardness increased by 22.7 %.

Abstract: Polylactic acid (PLA) has recently given a huge attention because of its mechanical properties and good physical like good biodegradability and processability, high tensile modulus and strength. In the current research, the researchers utilized sesame oil (SO) and low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) as hydrophobic and hydrophilic plasticizers, towards improvise the ductility and toughness of PLA. The researchers synthesized nanocomposites by solution casting of the neat PLA/HNTs and PLA blends with weight ratio of (0,10, 20 and 30 wt%) for PEG and (0, 5 and 10 wt%) for SO. The influence of both plasticizers on chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. Characterization of the systems was achieved by mechanical testing and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR analyses confirmed the existing of hydrogen bonding between PLA and both PEG and SO. significant improvement was shown by the plasticized nanocomposites in elongation at break with the adding of PEG and SO, meanwhile, the plasticized films’ strength were decreased. For the thermal analyses, all the films exhibited lower thermal stability compared to PLA/HNTs film.