Osmotic energy can be effectively harvested through pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) which is the most widely investigated technology due to its greater efficiency and higher power density output and effective membranes are the heart of the PRO technology. This book will cover a broad range of topics, including PRO membranes, fouling, module fabrication, process design, process operation and maintenance. It summarizes the progress in PRO researches in the last decade, and points out the directions for future R&D and commercialization of PRO. It will be of great interest to membrane researcher, company and operators to understand and get insights into the state-of-the-art PRO technologies.

Liquid crystal polymers are sometimes called super polymers--with good reason. Their wide range of exceptional properties and ease of processing make them design candidates for many demanding applications. This new book provides a thorough review of LCP technology with the emphasis on the chemistry, synthesis and characterization of the material in its many variants. Additional chapters cover processing and applications.

From the Editor's Preface

The field of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers has grown substantially in the last two decades, with fundamental research, publications, commercial products, and patents. In the 1980's, Dr. Ralph Miano led my colleagues and me at Hoechst Celanese in commercializing the first thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers, based on Dr. Gordon Calundann's composition patents. Today, more than seven companies have produced thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer materials, with at least 50 variants available. Hence, it is timely to compile a comprehensive review on the nature of this type of material and the ongoing progress in this field…. The goals of this book are to summarize previous work, provide new insights into this class of polymers, and add to the understanding of the formation of liquid crystallinity.

This book covers a wide range of topics and addresses different disciplines in the field. The chapters are arranged as a learning scheme for the professional, from basic science to applied engineering. The first few chapters summarize the syntheses of various polyester, polyester-amid, and polyimide liquid crystalline polymers. The science and origins of liquid crystal formation are revealed. Next, we introduce the characterizations of these materials by their different chemical and physical aspects.

Because most commercially available thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers have been used in the form of composites, we have also incorporated a chapter on polymer blends, detailing blending mechanisms and resultant properties. Two chapters on thermosetting liquid crystalline polymers integrate them with other topics, because of their unique importance and their applications for microelectronics and packaging. The final chapter deals with the engineering and processing aspects of thermoplastic liquid crystalline polymers for a variety of applications.

This book aims to elaborate the basics and recent advances of membrane distillation (MD) as the same shows promise for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. Starting with fundamentals of MD processes, including the heat and mass transfer analysis, energy evaluation and mathematical modelling, text includes engineering and molecular design of MD membranes. Various types of hybrid systems, including freeze desalination (FD)-MD, MD-crystallization (MDC), pressure retarded osmosis (PRO)-MD and forward osmosis (FO)-MD, will be discussed in this book. Further, it summarizes the future of MD from both industrial and academic perspectives along with energy sources and economic analysis.

Hollow Fiber Membranes: Fabrication and Applications focuses on the fabrication and applications of hollow fiber membranes. The book amply discusses the fundamental theories and practical applications of hollow fiber membranes, covering membrane formation mechanisms, hollow fiber spinning techniques, and spinneret design and module fabrication. In addition, novel membrane processes and applications of hollow fiber membranes are introduced.

Osmotic energy can be effectively harvested through pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) which is the most widely investigated technology due to its greater efficiency and higher power density output and effective membranes are the heart of the PRO technology. This book will cover a broad range of topics, including PRO membranes, fouling, module fabrication, process design, process operation and maintenance. It summarizes the progress in PRO researches in the last decade, and points out the directions for future R&D and commercialization of PRO. It will be of great interest to membrane researcher, company and operators to understand and get insights into the state-of-the-art PRO technologies.