In this paper, the adsorption removal characteristic for 10 species of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was investigated using GAC and modified GAC (GAC-Cu). After modification with Cu(II), the amount of copper was to 1.93 and 4.73 mg/g for GAC and GAC-Cu, respectively. The total amount of 10 species of PFAS per specific area was obtained to 0.548 and 0.612 ng/m2 for GAC and GAC-Cu, respectively. A series of batch test confirmed lower efficiency was observed with a smaller number of carbon chain length and the removal efficiency of PFCA (perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids) was lower than that of PFSA (perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids) with the same carbon chain length. Regarding the pH effect, the adsorption capacity was decreased with increase of pH due to the increase of electrostatic repulsion. According to pseudo first and second order (PFO and PSO) kinetic models, while the values of equilibrium uptake and time did not show significant difference, a difference in uptake was observed between 24-48h. Furthermore, based on correlation analysis, Log Kow and uptake have a high correlation with molecular weight (M.W.) and initial concentration, respectively. These results show that long-chain PFAS have higher removal efficiency due to their increased hydrophobicity.

Carbon chain inserted carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been experimentally proven having undergone pronounced property change in terms of electrical conductivity compared with pure CNTs. This paper simulates the geometry of carbon chain inserted CNTs and analyzes the mechanism for conductivity change after insertion of carbon chain. The geometric simulation of Pt doped CNT was also implemented for comparison with the inserted one. The results indicate that both modification by Pt atom on the surface of CNT and addition of carbon chain in the channel of the tube are effective methods for transforming the electrical properties of the CNT, leading to the redistribution of electron and thereby causing the conductivity change in obtained configurations. All the calculations were obtained based on density functional theory method.

Dielectrophoretic filtering and alignment of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were tested using deuterium oxide as a solvent. A solution of deuterium oxide-SWCNTs was dropped on top of a silicon chip and an ac electric field was applied between pre-defined electrodes. Deuterium oxide was found to be a better solvent than hydrogen oxide for the dielectrophoresis process with higher efficiency of filtering. This was demonstrated by comparing Raman spectra measured on the initial solution with those measured on the filtered solution. We found that the aligned nanotubes along the electric field were not deposited on the substrate but suspended in solution, forming chain-like structures along the field lines. This so-called pearl chain formation of CNTs was verified by electrical measurements through the aligned tubes. The solution was frozen in liquid nitrogen prior to the electrical measurements to maintain the chain formation. The current-voltage characteristics for the sample demonstrate the existence of conduction channels in the solution, which are associated with the SWCNT chain structures.