Stable and effective super-hydrophilic polysulfone nanofiber mats for oil/water separation

Obaid, M.,Barakat, Nasser A.M.,Fadali, Olfat A.,Al-Meer, Saeed,Elsaid, Khalid,Khalil, Khalil Abdelrazek Elsevier 2015 Polymer Vol.72 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Hydrophobicity of polysulfone is the main constraint facing wide application in the most important field; water treatment, although this polymer shows promising characteristics to be used in different separation technologies. In this study, super-hydrophilic polysulfone nanofiber mats are introduced using novel modifications. The introduced nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning of polysulfone/NaOH/DMF electrospun solution. The prepared electrospun nanofibers have been activated by deposition of a polyamide layer using interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction between m-phenylenediamine and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride. Three different heat treatment methodologies were investigated to enhance the characteristics of the activated nanofiber mats; normal drying at 70 °C, and soaking in boiled water followed by either normal drying at 70 °C or storing in the water. Investigation of the mechanical properties indicated that incorporation of NaOH improves the tensile stress by 40% compared to the pristine polysulfone nanofibers. Interestingly, treatment of the activated nanofiber mats in the boiled water followed by storing in water led to produce super-hydrophilic mats with water contact angle of 3° due to enhancing the IP reaction on the surface of the individual nanofibers. In oil/water separation process, the proposed heat treatment for the modified nanofiber mats resulted in increase the water flux from 8 to 12.21 m<SUP>3</SUP>/m<SUP>2</SUP> day with oil rejection of 99.976%.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Super-hydrophilic membrane based on PSF nanofibers is introduced. </LI> <LI> The membrane was modified using simple and effective heat treatment process. </LI> <LI> The corresponding water flux is very high; 12.21 m<SUP>3</SUP>/m<SUP>2</SUP> day. </LI> <LI> The fabrication process is simple, cheap and applicable. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Novel 4-substituted-2(1H)-phthalazinone derivatives: synthesis, molecular modeling study and their effects on a-receptors

Nadia A. Khalil,Eman M. Ahmed,Hosam A. Elshihawy,Sawsan A. Zaitone 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.6

Novel 4-(4-bromophenyl)phthalazine derivativesconnected via an alkyl spacer to amine or N-substitutedpiperazine were designed and synthesized as promising aadrenoceptorantagonists. The structures of the phthalazinederivatives were established using elemental and spectralanalyses. Twelve of the tested compounds displayed significanta-blocking activity. Molecular modeling studieswere performed to rationalize the biological results. Amongthe tested compounds, 7j displayed the best-fitting score andthe highest in vitro activity.

NiCu bimetallic nanoparticle-decorated graphene as novel and cost-effective counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells and electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation

Motlak, M.,Barakat, N.A.M.,El-Deen, A.G.,Hamza, A.M.,Obaid, M.,Yang, O.B.,Akhtar, M.S.,Khalil, K.A. Elsevier 2015 Applied Catalysis A Vol.501 No.-

NiCu bimetallic nanoparticle-decorated graphene was prepared by hydrothermal treatment to be utilized as an efficient and alternative Pt-free counter electrode (CE) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The results indicated that the performance of the introduced modified graphene as CE strongly depends on the composition of the metallic nanoparticles. Typically, Ni-, Ni<SUB>0.25</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.75</SUB>-, Ni<SUB>0.6</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.4</SUB>- and Ni<SUB>0.75</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.25</SUB>-decorated graphene were synthesized. Investigation of the electrochemical characteristics indicated that the graphene decorated by Ni<SUB>0.75</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.25</SUB> nanoparticles shows the highest catalytic activity and conductivity compared to the other prepared formulations as well as pristine graphene. In DSSC, Ni<SUB>0.75</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.25</SUB> nanoparticle-decorated graphene can remarkably improve the catalytic activity toward triiodide reduction and lower the resistance at the electrolyte-CE interface. Accordingly, the obtained energy conversion efficiencies were 1.72%, 2.39%, 1.24%, 2.87% and 5.1% for pristine, Ni-, Ni<SUB>0.25</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.75</SUB>-, Ni<SUB>0.6</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.4</SUB>- and Ni<SUB>0.75</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.25</SUB>-decorated graphene, respectively. The obtained efficiency for Ni<SUB>0.75</SUB>Cu<SUB>0.25</SUB>-decorated graphene is comparable with Pt-based DSSC fabricated by the same procedure (5.9%) which recommends exploiting the introduced modified graphene as efficient and cost-effective CE for the large-scale fabrication of photovoltaic devices. The catalytic performance of the best formulation was examined toward methanol electrooxidation; the results indicated effective and stable electrocatalytic activity.

Amorphous SiO₂ NP-Incorporated Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for High Flux Forward Osmosis Desalination

Obaid, M.,Ghouri, Zafar Khan,Fadali, Olfat A.,Khalil, Khalil Abdelrazek,Almajid, Abdulhakim A.,Barakat, Nasser A. M. American Chemical Society 2016 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.8 No.7

<P>Novel amorphous silica nanoparticle-incorporated poly(vinylidine fluoride) electrospun nanofiber mats are introduced as effective membranes for forward osmosis desalination technology. The influence of the inorganic nanoparticle content on water flux and salt rejection was investigated by preparing electrospun membranes with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 wt % SiO2 nanoparticles. A laboratory-scale forward osmosis cell was utilized to validate the performance of the introduced membranes using fresh water as a feed and different brines as draw solution (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M NaCl). The results indicated that the membrane embedding 0.5 wt % displays constant salt rejection of 99.7% and water flux of 83 L m(-2) h(-1) with 2 M NaCl draw solution. Moreover, this formulation displayed the lowest structural parameter (S = 29.7 mu m), which represents approximately 69% reduction compared to the pristine membrane. Moreover, this study emphasizes the capability of the electrospinning process in synthesizing effective membranes as the observed water flux and average salt rejection of the pristine poly(vinylidine fluoride) membrane was 32 L m(-2) h(-1) (at 2 M NaCl draw solution) and 99%, respectively. On the other hand, increasing the inorganic nanoparticles to 5 wt % showed negative influence on the salt rejection as the observed salt flux was 1651 mol m(-2) h(-1) Besides the aforementioned distinct performance, studies of the mechanical properties, porosity, and wettability concluded that the introduced membranes are effective for forward osmosis desalination technology.</P>

Economic Assessment of Using Booster Pumps and Hydrant Sectoring in Pressurized Irrigation Networks (Case Study: Kostol Area, Egypt)

Engy M. Khalil,Farouk A. El-Fitiany,Mohammed A. Abourohiem,Ahmed M. Abdelrazek 대한토목학회 2024 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.28 No.1

For pressurized irrigation networks, the pump station is usually designed to guarantee the required operation head at all hydrants. Such a design usually results in a considerable waste of energy. Significant energy saving may be achieved by using booster pumps at critical hydrants. However, this will increase total capital cost and reduces the net economic benefit. A lot of research work has been carried out to minimize energy consumption, but no comprehensive economic study is available, which includes booster pumps. In the current study, an economic analysis of using a booster pump is carried out. Additional energy savings may be realized by dividing the hydrants into sectors. Four different scenarios are investigated. The proposed methodology is applied to a drip irrigation network at Kostol area, Egypt. The total capital cost increased by about 15.90%. However, this increase can be recovered in about five years through energy saving. Annual energy consumption is reduced by up to 35.6%. It is well understood that these results are constrained by temporal and spatial variations of field data. However, accumulated experience gained by similar studies for different networks and varying costs will provide valuable guidelines for the designers. Research may be extended to include additional operation and maintenance costs, water costs, and crop return value.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Activity of Certain Novel Quinoxalines

Refaat, Hanan-M.,Moneer, Ashraf-A.,Khalil, Omneya-M. The Pharmaceutical Society of Korea 2004 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.27 No.11

In this study, certain 3-methyl-2-[4-(substituted amino carbonyl)anilino] quinoxalines, (2a-d) and (3a-d), were synthesized from the new key compound 2-[4-(ethoxycarbonyl)anilino]-3-methyl quinoxaline (1). In addition, a series of 2-[4-(arylidene hydrazinocarbonyl)anilino]-3-methyl quinoxalines (5a-e), as well as their cyclized oxadiazolinyl derivatives (6a-e), and a series of 2-[4-$N^2$-acylhydrazinocarbonyl)anilino]-3-methyl quinoxalines (7a-d), as well as their cyclized oxadiazolyl derivatives (8a-d) were also prepared. Some of these derivatives were evaluated for antimicrobial activity in vitro. It was found that all the selected compounds exhibit antimicrobial activity and that compound 5b had a broad spectrum of activity.

Sedative, analgesic, behavioral and clinical effects of intravenous nalbuphine-xylazine combination in camels (Camelus dromedarius)

Ahmed H. Khalil,Atef S. Abd Al-Galil,Ahmed A. Sabek,Mohamed M. Zeineldin,Seham Y. Abo-Kora 대한수의학회 2019 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.20 No.5

This study examined the sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of a combination of xylazine (XY) and nalbuphine-xylazine (NA-XY) in camels. A total of five adult camels were used in a prospective randomized cross-over design with a wash out period of two weeks. Camels were allocated randomly to two treatment groups: the XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV) and the NA-XY group (xylazine, 1.1mL/100 kg IV and nalbuphine, 1 mg/kg IV). The sedative, analgesic, behavioral, and clinical effects of XY and NA-XY combination were evaluated prior to administration (baseline) and at 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 120 minutes post-administration. The results showed that the NA-XY combination accelerates the onset of sedation and analgesia and prolongs the durations of both sedation (p < 0.001) and analgesia (p < 0.01). The behavioral parameters showed higher scores with a NA-XY combination than xylazine alone. Although a XY injection resulted in a significant decline in the heart and respiratory rate, the NA-XY combination group revealed a non-significant change in both clinical parameters compared to the baseline. In conclusion, the use of a NA-XY combination in camels improved the sedative and analgesic onset and duration with an improved outcome in the behavioral scores, as well as in both the heart and respiratory rates compared to XY alone.

Synthesis of Novel Isatin-Thiazoline and Isatin-Benzimidazole Conjugates as Anti-Breast Cancer Agents

Azza T. Taher,Nadia A. Khalil,Eman M. Ahmed 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.10

A series of new isatin-thiazoline 3a-h and isatin-benzimidazole 4a-h derivatives were synthesized via condensation of isatin Mannich bases 2a-h with either 2-aminothiazoline or 2-aminobenzimidazole. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were characterized by spectral data. The anti-breast cancer activity of some of the synthesized compounds was assessed in the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. The results showed that compounds 4b, 4d and 4g possess significant antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 cells.

Physiological and molecular evaluation of ten Egyptian barley cultivars under salt stress conditions

Khalil Shaimaa R. M.,Ashoub Ahmed,Hussein Basita A.,Brüggemann Wolfgang,Hussein Ebtissam H. A.,Tawfik Mohamed S. 한국작물학회 2022 Journal of crop science and biotechnology Vol.25 No.1

Ten Egyptian barley cultivars (Giza 129, 132, 123, 127, 2000, 130, 126, 135, 128 and 133) were assessed under 0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl. The cultivars performance under salinity was measured in open feld conditions using the Fv/Fm and Performance Index. Measurements of growth parameters as well as other chlorophyll fuorescence parameters (RC/CS, TFm, RC/ABS and ABS/RC) were also included. Giza 129 is considered salt-tolerant, and Giza 123 is salt sensitive cultivar. Both cultivars, along with Giza 132 (moderately salt tolerant), were used to evaluate the relative expression of the B2 and shmt genes at 0,100 and 200 mM NaCl. The expression of both genes increased in the tested cultivars upon salinity treatment. At 200 mM NaCl, B2 and shmt genes relative expression reached 1.9- and 1.5-folds in the salt-tolerant cultivar (Giza 129); while getting 1.6 and 1.2 folds in the sensitive cultivar (Giza 123). Repeating the same experiment for Giza 129, 132, and 123 under the growth chamber conditions revealed that the efect of salinity was more vigorous at the physiological and morphological levels. In addition, the gene expression was generally higher than that of the open feld conditions, although exhibiting a similar trend of results. Our results under the present study indicate that Giza 129 is a candidate for further salinity-breeding studies. Furthermore, a comparison between growth chamber and open feld conditions revealed a kind of adaptation of barley PSII to the continuous salt stress in the open feld conditions.

3-[(6-Arylamino)pyridazinylamino]benzoic acids: design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation of anticancer activity

KhaledA.M.Abouzid,Nadia A. Khalil,Eman M. Ahmed,Khaled Omar Mohamed 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.1

A series of novel substituted 3,6-disubstitutedpyridazines based on the structure of vatalanib (PTK787)were designed and synthesized. The cytotoxicity of thefinal compounds was tested in vitro on HT-29 colon cancercell line. Compounds 2a and 2b with 4-chlorophenylaminomoiety, exerted the highest cytotoxic activity with IC50values equal to 15.3 and 3.9 lM respectively. The mostpromising compound, 2b, was found to be about fivefoldmore active than vatalanib against HT-29 colon cancer cellline.