Crystal violet–ZnO mixtures were incorporated into PDMS by a simple two step method. The modified polymer demonstrated significant antibacterial activity againstE. coliandS. aureus, showing possibly the most potent light-induced antibacterial polymer reported to date.

Efficient oil–water separation is achieved using an optimized superhydrophobic material, generated by the zeolitic roughening and subsequent hydrophobic surface treatment of silica filter membranes. The material is both highly rough and intrinsically hydrophobic, resulting in superhydrophobic membranes which show a substantial affinity for hydrophobic solvents and oils. The membranes are syringe-mounted, suction pressure is applied and the selective collection of oil is achieved. The membranes are extremely robust, which is a result of the zeolitic roughening process, they possess small pores (0.7 μm), as a result these devices can perform complete separation and operate at a range of suction pressures. The devices could be readily used in a range of real-world applications, including oil spill clean-up and industrial filters.

The preparation, characterization and pure gas permeation of sol-gel derived alumina membranes were investigated in this work. The effects of acid concentration/type and water content on the particle size in the sols and pore size distributions of the unsupported membrane were investigated by N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherms and Dynamic Light Scattering. Increasing the H +

Silicalite-1 (S1) coatings were prepared on silica wool substrates by hydrothermal synthesis and subsequently immersed into a Ti-containing sol at a steady rate of 30 cm min−1.