Improving dielectric permittivity by incorporating PDMS-PEG block copolymer into PDMS network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Szabo, Peter; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

introduces different properties in terms of contact angles, dielectric permittivity and rheological behaviour. All morphologies of PDMS-PEG block copolymer in this study exhibit high storage permittivity; at the same time the loss permittivity is even higher which implies that the synthesized PDMS-PEG block...

Photonic devices prepared by embossing in PDMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jandura, D., E-mail: jandura@fyzika.uniza.sk; Pudis, D.; Berezina, S.

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Fabrication technology of photonic devices based on embossing in PDMS is presented. • Analysis of morphological properties of prepared devices in PDMS by CLSM and AFM. • Spectral characterization of PDMS ring resonator proved the resonator functionality. - Abstract: In this paper, we present useful technique for fabrication of novel photonic devices created in the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We use combination of direct laser writing in thin photoresist layer with embossing process of liquid PDMS. We prepared ring resonator and Mach-Zehnder interferometer in PDMS. The shape of prepared PDMS photonic devices was analyzed by confocal laser microscope and atomic force microscope. Optical characterization of these devices reveals extinction ratios of up to 20 dB.

Influence of Bulk PDMS Network Properties on Water Wettability

Science.gov (United States)

Melillo, Matthew; Walker, Edwin; Klein, Zoe; Efimenko, Kirill; Genzer, Jan

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is one of the most common elastomers, with applications ranging from sealants and marine antifouling coatings to absorbents for water treatment. Fundamental understanding of how liquids spread on the surface of and absorb into PDMS networks is of critical importance for the design and use of another application - medical devices. We have systematically studied the effects of polymer molecular weight, loading of tetra-functional crosslinker, and end-group chemical functionality on the mechanical and surface properties of end-linked PDMS networks. Wettability was investigated through the sessile drop technique, wherein a DI water droplet was placed on the bulk network surface and droplet volume, shape, surface area, and contact angle were monitored as a function of time. Various silicone substrates ranging from incredibly soft and flexible materials (E' 50 kPa) to highly rigid networks (E' 5 MPa) were tested. The dynamic behavior of the droplet on the surfaces demonstrated equilibration times between the droplet and surface on the order of 5 minutes. Similar trends were observed for the commercial PDMS material, Sylgard-184. Our results have provided new evidence for the strong influence that substrate modulus and molecular network structure have on the wettability of PDMS elastomers. These findings will aid in the design and implementation of efficient, accurate, and safe PDMS-based medical devices and microfluidic materials that involve aqueous media.

Quantitative Studies on PDMS-PDMS Interface Bonding with Piranha Solution and its Swelling Effect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Choon-Lai Chiang

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a low-cost yet effective method of irreversible bonding between two elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS interfaces using Piranha solution is investigated. Piranha solutions at a weight ratio of 3:1 using different acids and hydrogen peroxide were attempted. The average tensile strengths of the device bonded with concentrated sulfuric acid-based piranha solution and nitric acid-based piranha solution were found to be 200 ± 20 kPa and 100 ± 15 kPa respectively. A PDMS surface treated with Piranha Solution demonstrated an increase in hydrophilicity. In addition, relatively straightforward swelling studies of PDMS using a weight loss method with common organic solvents were also investigated. Experimental results show that hexane, toluene, ethyl acetate, n-propyl alcohol and acetone swell PDMS significantly over a duration of up to 1 h and above; PDMS samples reached a steady state of swelling only after 5 min of immersion in other solvents. This will enable researchers to develop devices for the future according to the interaction between the material and the solvents in contact.

Friction, adhesion and wear properties of PDMS films on silicon sidewalls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penskiy, I; Gerratt, A P; Bergbreiter, S

2011-01-01

This paper demonstrates the first tests of friction, adhesion and wear properties of thin poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films on the sidewalls of silicon-on-insulator structures. The test devices were individually calibrated using a simple method that included optical and electrical measurements. The static coefficient of friction versus normal pressure curves were obtained for PDMS–PDMS, PDMS–silicon and silicon–silicon sidewall interfaces. The effects of aging on friction and adhesion properties of PDMS were also evaluated. The results of friction tests showed that the static coefficient of friction follows the JKR contact model, which means that the friction force depends on the apparent area of contact. The wear tests showed high resistance of PDMS to abrasion over millions of cycles.

A simple method for fabricating multi-layer PDMS structures for 3D microfluidic chips

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Mengying

2010-01-01

We report a simple methodology to fabricate PDMS multi-layer microfluidic chips. A PDMS slab was surface-treated by trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl) silane, and acts as a reusable transferring layer. Uniformity of the thickness of the patterned PDMS layer and the well-alignment could be achieved due to the transparency and proper flexibility of this transferring layer. Surface treatment results are confirmed by XPS and contact angle testing, while bonding forces between different layers were measured for better understanding of the transferring process. We have also designed and fabricated a few simple types of 3D PDMS chip, especially one consisting of 6 thin layers (each with thickness of 50 μm), to demonstrate the potential utilization of this technique. 3D fluorescence images were taken by a confocal microscope to illustrate the spatial characters of essential parts. This fabrication method is confirmed to be fast, simple, repeatable, low cost and possible to be mechanized for mass production. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010.

Anti-stiction coating of PDMS moulds for rapid microchannel fabrication by double replica moulding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhuang, Guisheng; Kutter, Jörg Peter

2011-01-01

), which resulted in an anti-stiction layer for the improved release after PDMS casting. The deposition of FDTS on an O2 plasma-activated surface of PDMS produced a reproducible and well-performing anti-stiction monolayer of fluorocarbon, and we used the FDTS-coated moulds as micro-masters for rapid......In this paper, we report a simple and precise method to rapidly replicate master structures for fast microchannel fabrication by double replica moulding of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). A PDMS mould was surface-treated by vapour phase deposition of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS...

3D Printing PDMS Elastomer in a Hydrophilic Support Bath via Freeform Reversible Embedding

OpenAIRE

Hinton, Thomas J.; Hudson, Andrew; Pusch, Kira; Lee, Andrew; Feinberg, Adam W.

2016-01-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is used in a wide range of biomaterial applications including microfluidics, cell culture substrates, flexible electronics, and medical devices. However, it has proved challenging to 3D print PDMS in complex structures due to its low elastic modulus and need for support during the printing process. Here we demonstrate the 3D printing of hydrophobic PDMS prepolymer resins within a hydrophilic Carbopol gel support via freeform reversible embedding (FRE). In...

Novel anti-flooding poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) catalyst binder for microbial fuel cell cathodes

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang

2012-11-01

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was investigated as an alternative to Nafion as an air cathode catalyst binder in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Cathodes were constructed around either stainless steel (SS) mesh or copper mesh using PDMS as both catalyst binder and diffusion layer, and compared to cathodes of the same structure having a Nafion binder. With PDMS binder, copper mesh cathodes produced a maximum power of 1710 ± 1 mW m -2, while SS mesh had a slightly lower power of 1680 ± 12 mW m -2, with both values comparable to those obtained with Nafion binder. Cathodes with PDMS binder had stable power production of 1510 ± 22 mW m -2 (copper) and 1480 ± 56 mW m -2 (SS) over 15 days at cycle 15, compared to a 40% decrease in power with the Nafion binder. Cathodes with the PDMS binder had lower total cathode impedance than those with Nafion. This is due to a large decrease in diffusion resistance, because hydrophobic PDMS effectively prevented catalyst sites from filling up with water, improving oxygen mass transfer. The cost of PDMS is only 0.23% of that of Nafion. These results showed that PDMS is a very effective and low-cost alternative to Nafion binder that will be useful for large scale construction of these cathodes for MFC applications. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Suspended liquid subtractive lithography: printing three dimensional channels directly into uncured PDMS

Science.gov (United States)

Helmer, D.; Voigt, A.; Wagner, S.; Keller, N.; Sachsenheimer, K.; Kotz, F.; Nargang, T. M.; Rapp, B. E.

2018-02-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the most widely used polymers for the generation of microfluidic chips. The standard procedures of soft lithography require the formation of a new master structure for every design which is timeconsuming and expensive. All channel generated by soft lithography need to be consecutively sealed by bonding which is a process that can proof to be hard to control. Channel cross-sections are largely restricted to squares or flat-topped designs and the generation of truly three-dimensional designs is not straightforward. Here we present Suspended Liquid Subtractive Lithography (SLSL) a method for generating microfluidic channels of nearly arbitrary three-dimensional structures in PDMS that do not require master formation or bonding and give circular channel cross sections which are especially interesting for mimicking in vivo environments. In SLSL, an immiscible liquid is introduced into the uncured PDMS by a capillary mounted on a 3D printer head. The liquid forms continuous "threads" inside the matrix thus creating void suspended channel structures.

Microheater based on magnetic nanoparticle embedded PDMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jeong Ah; Lee, Seung Hwan; Park, Tai Hyun; Park, Hongsuk; Kim, Jong Hyo

2010-01-01

A microheater was established by embedding magnetic nanoparticles into PDMS (MNP-PDMS). MNP-PDMS generated heat under an AC magnetic field and the temperature was controlled by varying the magnetic particle content and the magnetic field intensity. In this study, the MNP-PDMS chip was demonstrated to amplify the target DNA (732 bp) with > 90% efficiency compared to the conventional PCR thermocycler, and exhibited good performance in regards to temperature control. This system holds great promise for reliably controlling the temperature of thermal processes on an integrated microchip platform for biochemical applications.

Microheater based on magnetic nanoparticle embedded PDMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jeong Ah; Lee, Seung Hwan; Park, Tai Hyun [School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hongsuk [Interdisciplinary Program of Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong Hyo, E-mail: thpark@snu.ac.kr [Department of Radiology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 110-744 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-04-23

A microheater was established by embedding magnetic nanoparticles into PDMS (MNP-PDMS). MNP-PDMS generated heat under an AC magnetic field and the temperature was controlled by varying the magnetic particle content and the magnetic field intensity. In this study, the MNP-PDMS chip was demonstrated to amplify the target DNA (732 bp) with > 90% efficiency compared to the conventional PCR thermocycler, and exhibited good performance in regards to temperature control. This system holds great promise for reliably controlling the temperature of thermal processes on an integrated microchip platform for biochemical applications.

A novel method for transferring graphene onto PDMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiranyawasit, Witchawate; Punpattanakul, Krirktakul; Pimpin, Alongkorn; Kim, Houngkyung; Jeon, Seokwoo; Srituravanich, Werayut

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A novel method for graphene transfer onto PDMS substrates established. • SU-8 layer is used to strengthen the adhesion between graphene and PDMS substrate. • A great potential for the development of graphene-based microfluidic devices. - Abstract: Graphene has been attracting great attention from scientific community due to its astonishing mechanical, optical, and electrical properties, especially, graphene films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method are large, uniform and high-quality. CVD-grown graphene films have been successfully transferred onto various kinds of substrates such as SiO 2 /Si, quartz, PET, and plastics. However, graphene transfer onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates for device development has been limited due to the very low surface energy of PDMS. Here, we present a novel method to transfer graphene onto PDMS substrates by utilizing a thin layer of SU-8 as an adhesion layer. The SU-8 adhesion layer significantly improves the adhesion between the graphene layer and the PDMS substrate resulting in successful graphene transfer onto the PDMS substrate. This opens up a great potential of using graphene on PDMS substrates for the development of a wide range of graphene-based transparent and flexible devices.

A novel method for transferring graphene onto PDMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hiranyawasit, Witchawate; Punpattanakul, Krirktakul; Pimpin, Alongkorn [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand); Kim, Houngkyung; Jeon, Seokwoo [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Srituravanich, Werayut, E-mail: werayut.s@chula.ac.th [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 (Thailand)

2015-12-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A novel method for graphene transfer onto PDMS substrates established. • SU-8 layer is used to strengthen the adhesion between graphene and PDMS substrate. • A great potential for the development of graphene-based microfluidic devices. - Abstract: Graphene has been attracting great attention from scientific community due to its astonishing mechanical, optical, and electrical properties, especially, graphene films synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method are large, uniform and high-quality. CVD-grown graphene films have been successfully transferred onto various kinds of substrates such as SiO{sub 2}/Si, quartz, PET, and plastics. However, graphene transfer onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates for device development has been limited due to the very low surface energy of PDMS. Here, we present a novel method to transfer graphene onto PDMS substrates by utilizing a thin layer of SU-8 as an adhesion layer. The SU-8 adhesion layer significantly improves the adhesion between the graphene layer and the PDMS substrate resulting in successful graphene transfer onto the PDMS substrate. This opens up a great potential of using graphene on PDMS substrates for the development of a wide range of graphene-based transparent and flexible devices.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) modulates CD38 expression, absorbs retinoic acid and may perturb retinoid signalling.

Science.gov (United States)

Futrega, Kathryn; Yu, Jianshi; Jones, Jace W; Kane, Maureen A; Lott, William B; Atkinson, Kerry; Doran, Michael R

2016-04-21

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most commonly used material in the manufacture of customized cell culture devices. While there is concern that uncured PDMS oligomers may leach into culture medium and/or hydrophobic molecules may be absorbed into PDMS structures, there is no consensus on how or if PDMS influences cell behaviour. We observed that human umbilical cord blood (CB)-derived CD34(+) cells expanded in standard culture medium on PDMS exhibit reduced CD38 surface expression, relative to cells cultured on tissue culture polystyrene (TCP). All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) induces CD38 expression, and we reasoned that this hydrophobic molecule might be absorbed by PDMS. Through a series of experiments we demonstrated that ATRA-mediated CD38 expression was attenuated when cultures were maintained on PDMS. Medium pre-incubated on PDMS for extended durations resulted in a time-dependant reduction of ATRA in the medium and increasingly attenuated CD38 expression. This indicated a time-dependent absorption of ATRA into the PDMS. To better understand how PDMS might generally influence cell behaviour, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was used to identify potential upstream regulators. This analysis was performed for differentially expressed genes in primary cells including CD34(+) haematopoietic progenitor cells, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), and keratinocytes, and cell lines including prostate cancer epithelial cells (LNCaP), breast cancer epithelial cells (MCF-7), and myeloid leukaemia cells (KG1a). IPA predicted that the most likely common upstream regulator of perturbed pathways was ATRA. We demonstrate here that ATRA is absorbed by PDMS in a time-dependent manner and results in the concomitant reduced expression of CD38 on the cell surface of CB-derived CD34(+) cells.

Porous PDMS structures for the storage and release of aqueous solutions into fluidic environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Thurgood, Peter; Baratchi, Sara; Szydzik, Crispin; Mitchell, Arnan; Khoshmanesh, Khashayar

2017-07-11

Typical microfluidic systems take advantage of multiple storage reservoirs, pumps and valves for the storage, driving and release of buffers and other reagents. However, the fabrication, integration, and operation of such components can be difficult. In particular, the reliance of such components on external off-chip equipment limits their utility for creating self-sufficient, stand-alone microfluidic systems. Here, we demonstrate a porous sponge made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which is fabricated by templating microscale water droplets using a T-junction microfluidic structure. High-resolution microscopy reveals that this sponge contains a network of pores, interconnected by small holes. This unique structure enables the sponge to passively release stored solutions very slowly. Proof-of-concept experiments demonstrate that the sponge can be used for the passive release of stored solutions into narrow channels and circular well plates, with the latter used for inducing intracellular calcium signalling of immobilised endothelial cells. The release rate of stored solutions can be controlled by varying the size of interconnecting holes, which can be easily achieved by changing the flow rate of the water injected into the T-junction. We also demonstrate the active release of stored liquids into a fluidic channel upon the manual compression of the sponge. The developed PDMS sponge can be easily integrated into complex micro/macro fluidic systems and prepared with a wide array of reagents, representing a new building block for self-sufficient microfluidic systems.

Benchtop fabrication of PDMS microstructures by an unconventional photolithographic method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Chang Mo; Sim, Woo Young; Lee, Seung Hwan; Foudeh, Amir M; Bae, Hojae; Khademhosseini, Ali; Lee, Sang-Hoon

2010-01-01

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microstructures have been widely used in bio-microelectromechanical systems (bio-MEMS) for various types of analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. However, PDMS-based soft lithographic techniques still use conventional microfabrication processes to generate a master mold, which requires access to clean room facilities and costly equipment. With the increasing use of these systems in various fields, the development of benchtop systems for fabricating microdevices is emerging as an important challenge in their widespread use. Here we demonstrate a simple, low-cost and rapid method to fabricate PDMS microstructures by using micropatterned poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) master molds. In this method, PEGDA microstructures were patterned on a glass substrate by photolithography under ambient conditions and by using simple tools. The resulting PEGDA structures were subsequently used to generate PDMS microstructures by standard molding in a reproducible and repeatable manner. The thickness of the PEGDA microstructures was controllable from 15 to 300 μm by using commonly available spacer materials. We also demonstrate the use of this method to fabricate microfluidic channels capable of generating concentration gradients. In addition, we fabricated PEGDA microstructures by photolithography from the light generated from commonly available laminar cell culture hood. These data suggest that this approach could be beneficial for fabricating low-cost PDMS-based microdevices in resource limited settings.

Study of Different Sol-Gel Coatings to Enhance the Lifetime of PDMS Devices: Evaluation of Their Biocompatibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Aymerich, María; Gómez-Varela, Ana I; Álvarez, Ezequiel; Flores-Arias, María T

2016-08-25

A study of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) sol-gel-coated channels fabricated using soft lithography and a laser direct writing technique is presented. PDMS is a biocompatible material that presents a high versatility to reproduce several structures. It is widely employed in the fabrication of preclinical devices due to its advantages but it presents a rapid chemical deterioration to organic solvents. The use of sol-gel layers to cover the PDMS overcomes this problem since it provides the robustness of glass for the structures made with PDMS, decreasing its deterioration and changing the biocompatibility of the surface. In this work, PDMS channels are coated with three different kinds of sol-gel compositions (60MTES/40TEOS, 70MTES/30TISP and 80MTES/20TISP). The endothelial cell adhesion to the different coated devices is evaluated in order to determine the most suitable sol-gel preparation conditions to enhance cellular adhesion.

Photonic crystal and photonic quasicrystal patterned in PDMS surfaces and their effect on LED radiation properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suslik, Lubos [Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Univerzitna 1, 010 26, Zilina (Slovakia); Pudis, Dusan, E-mail: pudis@fyzika.uniza.sk [Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Univerzitna 1, 010 26, Zilina (Slovakia); Goraus, Matej [Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Univerzitna 1, 010 26, Zilina (Slovakia); Nolte, Rainer [Fakultät für Maschinenbau FG Lichttechnik Ilmenau University of Technology, Ilmenau (Germany); Kovac, Jaroslav [Inst. of Electronics and Photonics, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 812 19, Bratislava (Slovakia); Durisova, Jana; Gaso, Peter [Dept. of Physics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Zilina, Univerzitna 1, 010 26, Zilina (Slovakia); Hronec, Pavol [Inst. of Electronics and Photonics, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 812 19, Bratislava (Slovakia); Schaaf, Peter [Chair Materials for Electronics, Institute of Materials Engineering and Institute of Micro- and Nanotechnologies MacroNano, TU Ilmenau, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Str. 5, 98693 Ilmenau (Germany)

2017-02-15

Graphical abstract: Photonic quasicrystal patterned in the surface of polydimethylsiloxane membrane (left) and radiation pattern of light emitting diode with patterned membrane applied in the surface (right). - Highlights: • We presented fabrication technique of PDMS membranes with patterned surface by photonic crystal (PhC) and photonic quasi-crystal (PQC). • Presented technique is effective for preparation PhC and PQC PDMS membranes easily implementing in the LED chip. • From the goniophotometer measurements, the membranes document effective angular emission due to the diffraction on patterned surfaces. • 12 fold symmetry PQC structure shows homogeneous radiation pattern, while the 2 fold symmetry of square PhC shows evident diffraction lobes. - Abstract: We present results of fabrication and implementation of thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes with patterned surface for the light emitting diode (LED). PDMS membranes were patterned by using the interference lithography in combination with embossing technique. Two-dimensional photonic crystal and photonic quasicrystal structures with different period were patterned in the surface of thin PDMS membranes with depth up to 550 nm. Patterned PDMS membranes placed on the LED chip effectively diffracted light and increased angular emission of LED radiation pattern. We presented effective technique for fabrication of patterned PDMS membranes, which could modify the emission properties of optoelectronic devices and can be applied directly on surface LEDs and small optical devices.

Applying the vantage PDMS to jack-up drilling ships

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Peng; Chen, Yuan-Ming; Cui, Tong-Kai; Wang, Zi-Shen; Gong, Li-Jiang; Yu, Xiang-Fen

2009-09-01

The plant design management system (PDMS) is an integrated application which includes a database and is useful when designing complex 3-D industrial projects. It could be used to simplify the most difficult part of a subsea oil extraction project—detailed pipeline design. It could also be used to integrate the design of equipment, structures, HVAC, E-ways as well as the detailed designs of other specialists. This article mainly examines the applicability of the Vantage PDMS database to pipeline projects involving jack-up drilling ships. It discusses the catalogue (CATA) of the pipeline, the spec-world (SPWL) of the pipeline, the bolt tables (BLTA) and so on. This article explains the main methods for CATA construction as well as problem in the process of construction. In this article, the authors point out matters needing attention when using the Vantage PDMS database in the design process and discuss partial solutions to these questions.

Study of PDMS conformation in PDMS-based hybrid materials prepared by gamma irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lancastre, J.J.H.; Fernandes, N.; Margaça, F.M.A.; Miranda Salvado, I.M.; Ferreira, L.M.; Falcão, A.N.; Casimiro, M.H.

2012-01-01

Polydimethylsiloxane-silicate based hybrid materials have recognized properties (high flexibility, low elastic modulus or high mechanical strength) for which there are a large number of applications in development, such as for the bioapplications field. The hybrids addressed in the present study were prepared by gamma irradiation of a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and zirconium propoxide (PrZr) without addition of any solvent or other product. The materials are homogeneous, transparent, monolithic and flexible. The structure dependence on the PrZr content is addressed. A combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) was used. The results reveal that the polymer in the hybrids prepared with PrZr, in a content≤5 wt%, shows a structure similar to that in the irradiated pure polymer sample. In these samples the presence of ordered polymer regions is clearly found. For samples prepared with higher content of Zr almost no ordered polymer regions are observed. The addition of PrZr plays an important role on polymer conformation in these hybrid materials. - Highlights: ► PDMS-based hybrid materials were prepared by γ-irradiation. ► FTIR, ATR/FT-IR and XRD techniques were used to characterize the materials. ► Changes in FTIR bands reflect growth of crosslinking network. ► Above certain Zr concentration regions of Zr-silicate oxide are formed. ► Zr content determines conformation of the polymer chain network.

Encapsulated PDMS microspheres with reactive handles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gonzalez, Lidia; Ma, Baoguang; Li, Li

2014-01-01

, cured PDMS microspheres are coated with poly(methyl methacrylate) using a chemical process (solvent evaporation technique). Three solvents are used in three different experiments: dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, and acetone. The composition and morphology of the cured PDMS microspheres and PMMA coated...

Culture of bovine embryos on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microwell plate.

Science.gov (United States)

Akagi, Satoshi; Hosoe, Misa; Matsukawa, Kazutsugu; Ichikawa, Akihiko; Tanikawa, Tamio; Takahashi, Seiya

2010-08-01

We fabricated a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microwell plate (PDMS-MP) containing 100 microwells with a rounded bottom and examined whether it can be used for culture of individual in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos or parthenogenetically activated zona-free embryos in cattle. In Experiment 1, we examined the in vitro developmental ability of IVF embryos cultured individually on PDMS-MP. After IVF, 20 embryos were transferred into 100 microl drops on PDMS-MP and cultured individually in each well of PDMS-MP (PDMS group). After 7 days of culture, the embryos in the PDMS group developed to the blastocyst stage at the same rate of those in the control group cultured in a group of 20 embryos without PDMS-MP. There were no differences in total number of cells and the ratio of inner cell mass to total cells between the PDMS and control groups. In Experiment 2, we examined the in vitro developmental ability of parthenogenetically activated zona-free bovine embryos cultured individually on PDMS-MP. The zona-free embryos were cultured individually in each well of a PDMS-MP or in each well produced by pressing a darning needle onto the bottom of a culture dish (WOW group). After 7 days of culture, the blastocyst formation rate and cell number of blastocysts in the PDMS group did not differ from those of the zona-intact embryos in the control group. Also, there were no differences in the blastocyst formation rate and cell number of blastocysts between the WOW and PDMS groups. These results suggest that the culture system using PDMS-MP is useful for individual embryos or zona-free embryos in cattle.

Time-Dependent Wetting Behavior of PDMS Surfaces with Bio-Inspired, Hierarchical Structures

KAUST Repository

Mishra, Himanshu

2015-12-28

Wetting of rough surfaces involves time-dependent effects, such as surface deformations, non-uniform filling of surface pores within or outside the contact area, and surface chemistries, but the detailed impact of these phenomena on wetting is not entirely clear. Understanding these effects is crucial for designing coatings for a wide range of applications, such as membrane-based oil-water separation and desalination, waterproof linings/windows for automobiles, aircrafts, and naval vessels, and antibiofouling. Herein, we report on time-dependent contact angles of water droplets on a rough polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface that cannot be completely described by the conventional Cassie-Baxter or Wenzel models or the recently proposed Cassie-impregnated model. Shells of sand dollars (Dendraster excentricus) were used as lithography-free, robust templates to produce rough PDMS surfaces with hierarchical, periodic features ranging from 10-7-10-4 m. Under saturated vapor conditions, we found that in the short-term (<1 min), the contact angle of a sessile water droplet on the templated PDMS, θSDT = 140° ± 3°, was accurately described by the Cassie-Baxter model (predicted θSDT = 137°); however, after 90 min, θSDT fell to 110°. Fluorescent confocal microscopy confirmed that the initial reduction in θSDT to 110° (the Wenzel limit) was primarily a Cassie-Baxter to Wenzel transition during which pores within the contact area filled gradually, and more rapidly for ethanol-water mixtures. After 90 min, the contact line of the water droplet became pinned, perhaps caused by viscoelastic deformation of the PDMS around the contact line, and a significant volume of water began to flow from the droplet to pores outside the contact region, causing θSDT to decrease to 65° over 48 h on the rough surface. The system we present here to explore the concept of contact angle time dependence (dynamics) and modeling of natural surfaces provides insights into the design and

Time-Dependent Wetting Behavior of PDMS Surfaces with Bio-Inspired, Hierarchical Structures

KAUST Repository

Mishra, Himanshu; Schrader, Alex M.; Lee, Dong Woog; Gallo, Adair; Chen, Szu-Ying; Kaufman, Yair; Das, Saurabh; Israelachvili, Jacob N.

2015-01-01

Wetting of rough surfaces involves time-dependent effects, such as surface deformations, non-uniform filling of surface pores within or outside the contact area, and surface chemistries, but the detailed impact of these phenomena on wetting is not entirely clear. Understanding these effects is crucial for designing coatings for a wide range of applications, such as membrane-based oil-water separation and desalination, waterproof linings/windows for automobiles, aircrafts, and naval vessels, and antibiofouling. Herein, we report on time-dependent contact angles of water droplets on a rough polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface that cannot be completely described by the conventional Cassie-Baxter or Wenzel models or the recently proposed Cassie-impregnated model. Shells of sand dollars (Dendraster excentricus) were used as lithography-free, robust templates to produce rough PDMS surfaces with hierarchical, periodic features ranging from 10-7-10-4 m. Under saturated vapor conditions, we found that in the short-term (<1 min), the contact angle of a sessile water droplet on the templated PDMS, θSDT = 140° ± 3°, was accurately described by the Cassie-Baxter model (predicted θSDT = 137°); however, after 90 min, θSDT fell to 110°. Fluorescent confocal microscopy confirmed that the initial reduction in θSDT to 110° (the Wenzel limit) was primarily a Cassie-Baxter to Wenzel transition during which pores within the contact area filled gradually, and more rapidly for ethanol-water mixtures. After 90 min, the contact line of the water droplet became pinned, perhaps caused by viscoelastic deformation of the PDMS around the contact line, and a significant volume of water began to flow from the droplet to pores outside the contact region, causing θSDT to decrease to 65° over 48 h on the rough surface. The system we present here to explore the concept of contact angle time dependence (dynamics) and modeling of natural surfaces provides insights into the design and

Fabrication of Photonic Crystal Structures on Flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes by Using Nano-Imprint and PDMS Mold

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Ting-Lin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, nanoimprint lithography was used to create a photonic crystals structure film in organic light-emitting diode (OLED component, and then compare the efficiency of components whether with nanostructure or not. By using two different kinds of mold, such as silicon mold and PDMS mold, the nano structures in PMMA (molecular weight of 350K were fabricated. Nanostructures in period of 403.53nm with silicon mold and nano structures in period of 385.64nm with PDMS mold as photonic crystal films were fabricated and were integrated into OLED. In experimental results, the OLED without photonic crystal films (with packing behaves 193.3cd/m2 for luminous intensity, 3.481cd/A for lightening efficiency (ηL and 0.781 lm/W for lightening power (ηP where V is 14V and I is 5.5537mA; the OLED with photonic crystal films (with packing behaves 241.6cd/m2 for luminous intensity, 4.173cd/A for lightening efficiency (ηL and 0.936 lm/W for lightening power (ηP where voltage of 14V and current (I of 5.7891mA, which shows that the latter perform is well.

Adhesion enhancement by a dielectric barrier discharge of PDMS used for flexible and stretchable electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morent, R; Geyter, N De; Axisa, F; Smet, N de; Gengembre, L; Leersnyder, E De; Leys, C; Vanfleteren, J; Rymarczyk-Machal, M; Schacht, E; Payen, E

2007-01-01

Currently, there is a strong tendency to replace rigid electronic assemblies by mechanically flexible and stretchable equivalents. This emerging technology can be applied for biomedical electronics, such as implantable devices and electronics on skin. In the first step of the production process of stretchable electronics, electronic interconnections and components are encapsulated into a thin layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Afterwards, the electronic structures are completely embedded by placing another PDMS layer on top. It is very important that the metals inside the electronic circuit do not leak out in order to obtain a highly biocompatible system. Therefore, an excellent adhesion between the 2 PDMS layers is of great importance. However, PDMS has a very low surface energy, resulting in poor adhesion properties. Therefore, in this paper, PDMS films are plasma treated with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) operating in air at medium pressure (5.0 kPa). Contact angle and XPS measurements reveal that plasma treatment increases the hydrophilicity of the PDMS films due to the incorporation of silanol groups at the expense of methyl groups. T-peel tests show that plasma treatment rapidly imparts adhesion enhancement, but only when both PDMS layers are plasma treated. Results also reveal that it is very important to bond the plasma-treated PDMS films immediately after treatment. In this case, an excellent adhesion is maintained several days after treatment. The ageing behaviour of the plasma-treated PDMS films is also studied in detail: contact angle measurements show that the contact angle increases during storage in air and angle-resolved XPS reveals that this hydrophobic recovery is due to the migration of low molar mass PDMS species to the surface

Atomic structure in black hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagatani, Yukinori

2006-01-01

We propose that any black hole has atomic structure in its inside and has no horizon as a model of black holes. Our proposal is founded on a mean field approximation of gravity. The structure of our model consists of a (charged) singularity at the center and quantum fluctuations of fields around the singularity, namely, it is quite similar to that of atoms. Any properties of black holes, e.g. entropy, can be explained by the model. The model naturally quantizes black holes. In particular, we find the minimum black hole, whose structure is similar to that of the hydrogen atom and whose Schwarzschild radius is approximately 1.1287 times the Planck length. Our approach is conceptually similar to Bohr's model of the atomic structure, and the concept of the minimum Schwarzschild radius is similar to that of the Bohr radius. The model predicts that black holes carry baryon number, and the baryon number is rapidly violated. This baryon number violation can be used as verification of the model. (author)

Modulation of hepatocarcinoma cell morphology and activity by parylene-C coating on PDMS.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nazaré Pereira-Rodrigues

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The ability to understand and locally control the morphogenesis of mammalian cells is a fundamental objective of cell and developmental biology as well as tissue engineering research. We present parylene-C (ParC deposited on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS as a new substratum for in vitro advanced cell culture in the case of Human Hepatocarcinoma (HepG2 cells. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our findings establish that the intrinsic properties of ParC-coated PDMS (ParC/PDMS influence and modulate initial extracellular matrix (ECM; here, type-I collagen surface architecture, as compared to non-coated PDMS substratum. Morphological changes induced by the presence of ParC on PDMS were shown to directly affect liver cell metabolic activity and the expression of transmembrane receptors implicated in cell adhesion and cell-cell interaction. These changes were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM, which elucidated differences in HepG2 cell adhesion, spreading, and reorganization into two- or three-dimensional structures by neosynthesis of ECM components. Local modulation of cell aggregation was successfully performed using ParC/PDMS micropatterns constructed by simple microfabrication. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrated for the first time the modulation of HepG2 cells' behavior in relation to the intrinsic physical properties of PDMS and ParC, enabling the local modulation of cell spreading in a 2D or 3D manner by simple microfabrication techniques. This work will provide promising insights into the development of cell-based platforms that have many applications in the field of in vitro liver tissue engineering, pharmacology and therapeutics.

Softlithographic partial integration of surface-active nanoparticles in a PDMS matrix for microfluidic biodevices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demming, Stefanie; Buettgenbach, Stephanus [Institute for Microtechnology (IMT), Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Alte Salzdahlumer Strasse 203, 38124 Braunschweig (Germany); Hahn, Anne; Barcikowski, Stephan [Nanotechnology Department, Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH), Hollerithallee 8, 30419 Hannover (Germany); Edlich, Astrid; Franco-Lara, Ezequiel; Krull, Rainer [Institute of Biochemical Engineering (IBVT), Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Gaussstrasse 17, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany)

2010-04-15

The mergence of microfluidics and nanocomposite materials and their in situ structuring leads to a higher integration level within microsystems technology. Nanoparticles (Cu and Ag) produced via laser radiation were suspended in Poly(dimethylsiloxane) to permanently modify surface material. A microstructuring process was implemented which allows the incorporation of these nanomaterials globally or partially at defined locations within a microbioreactor (MBR) for the determination of their antiseptic and toxic effects on the growth of biomass. Partially structured PDMS with nanoparticle-PDMS composite. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

3D Printing PDMS Elastomer in a Hydrophilic Support Bath via Freeform Reversible Embedding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Thomas J; Hudson, Andrew; Pusch, Kira; Lee, Andrew; Feinberg, Adam W

2016-10-10

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is used in a wide range of biomaterial applications including microfluidics, cell culture substrates, flexible electronics, and medical devices. However, it has proved challenging to 3D print PDMS in complex structures due to its low elastic modulus and need for support during the printing process. Here we demonstrate the 3D printing of hydrophobic PDMS prepolymer resins within a hydrophilic Carbopol gel support via freeform reversible embedding (FRE). In the FRE printing process, the Carbopol support acts as a Bingham plastic that yields and fluidizes when the syringe tip of the 3D printer moves through it, but acts as a solid for the PDMS extruded within it. This, in combination with the immiscibility of hydrophobic PDMS in the hydrophilic Carbopol, confines the PDMS prepolymer within the support for curing times up to 72 h while maintaining dimensional stability. After printing and curing, the Carbopol support gel releases the embedded PDMS prints by using phosphate buffered saline solution to reduce the Carbopol yield stress. As proof-of-concept, we used Sylgard 184 PDMS to 3D print linear and helical filaments via continuous extrusion and cylindrical and helical tubes via layer-by-layer fabrication. Importantly, we show that the 3D printed tubes were manifold and perfusable. The results demonstrate that hydrophobic polymers with low viscosity and long cure times can be 3D printed using a hydrophilic support, expanding the range of biomaterials that can be used in additive manufacturing. Further, by implementing the technology using low cost open-source hardware and software tools, the FRE printing technique can be rapidly implemented for research applications.

Nanoporous polymeric nanofibers based on selectively etched PS-b-PDMS block copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Demirel, Gokcen B; Buyukserin, Fatih; Morris, Michael A; Demirel, Gokhan

2012-01-01

One-dimensional nanoporous polymeric nanofibers have been fabricated within an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane by a facile approach based on selective etching of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) domains in polystyrene-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS-b-PDMS) block copolymers that had been formed within the AAO template. It was observed that prior to etching, the well-ordered PS-b-PDMS nanofibers are solid and do not have any porosity. The postetched PS nanofibers, on the other hand, had a highly porous structure having about 20-50 nm pore size. The nanoporous polymeric fibers were also employed as a drug carrier for the native, continuous, and pulsatile drug release using Rhodamine B (RB) as a model drug. These studies showed that enhanced drug release and tunable drug dosage can be achieved by using ultrasound irradiation. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Mechanically compliant electrodes and dielectric elastomers from PEG-PDMS copolymers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Madsen, Frederikke Bahrt; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

2016-01-01

Soft conducting elastomers have been prepared from polydimethylsiloxane-polyethyleneglycol (PDMS-PEG) copolymer and surfactant-stabilized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The copolymer was chain-extended with PDMS of molecular weight 17.2 kg mol-1 in order to obtain a crosslinkable PDMS...... showed high conductivity combined with inherent softness. The high conductivity and softness, PDMS-PEG copolymers with incorporated MWCNTs hold great promises as compliant and highly stretchable electrodes for stretchable devices such as electro-mechanical transducers....

Biofunctionalization of PDMS-based microfluidic systems

OpenAIRE

sprotocols

2015-01-01

Authors: Bergoi Ibarlucea, Cesar Fernández-Sánchez, Stefanie Demming, Stephanus Büttgenbach & Andreu Llobera ### Abstract Three simple approaches for the selective immobilization of biomolecules on the surface of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic systems that do not require any specific instrumentation, are described and compared. They are based in the introduction of hydroxyl groups on the PDMS surface by direct adsorption of either polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polyvinyl alc...

Stretchable Metamaterial Absorber Using Liquid Metal-Filled Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyeongseob Kim

2016-04-01

Full Text Available A stretchable metamaterial absorber is proposed in this study. The stretchability was achieved by liquid metal and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS. To inject liquid metal, microfluidic channels were fabricated using PDMS powers and microfluidic-channel frames, which were built using a three-dimensional printer. A top conductive pattern and ground plane were designed after considering the easy injection of liquid metal. The proposed metamaterial absorber comprises three layers of PDMS substrate. The top layer is for the top conductive pattern, and the bottom layer is for the meandered ground plane. Flat PDMS layers were inserted between the top and bottom PDMS layers. The measured absorptivity of the fabricated absorber was 97.8% at 18.5 GHz, and the absorption frequency increased from 18.5 to 18.65 GHz as the absorber was stretched from its original length (5.2 cm to 6.4 cm.

Low cost fabrication of polymer composite (h-ZnO + PDMS) material for piezoelectric device application

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Akanksha; Das, Sonatan; Bharathkumar, Mareddi; Revanth, D.; Karthik, ARB; Sudhakara Sastry, Bala; Ramgopal Rao, V.

2016-07-01

Flexible piezoelectric composites offer alternative and/or additional solutions to sensor, actuator and transducer applications. Here in this work, we have successfully fabricated highly flexible piezoelectric composites with poly dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) using herbal zinc oxide (h-ZnO) as filler having weight fractions up to 50 wt.% by solution casting of dispersions of h-ZnO in PDMS. Excellent piezo properties (Resonant frequency 935 Hz, d*33 29.76 pm V-1), physiochemical properties (Wurtzite structure ZnO, 380 nm absorbance) and mechanical properties (Young modulus 16.9 MPa) have been optimized with theoretical simulations and observed experimentally for h-ZnO + PDMS. As such, the demonstrated piezoelectric PDMS membranes combined with the excellent properties of these composites open new ways to ‘soft touch’ applications and could serve as a variety of soft and sensitive electromechanical transducers, which are desired for a variety of sensor and energy harvesting applications.

Design and fabrication of microfluidic mixer from carbonyl iron–PDMS composite membrane

KAUST Repository

Li, Jiaxing; Zhang, Mengying; Wang, Limu; Li, Weihua; Sheng, Ping; Wen, Weijia

2010-01-01

This paper introduces a carbonyl iron-PDMS (CI-PDMS) composite magnetic elastomer in which carbonyl iron (CI) particles are uniformly distributed in a PDMS matrix. The CI particles and the PDMS were mixed at different weight ratios and tested

Osteogenic differentiation on DLC-PDMS-h surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Soininen, Antti; Kaivosoja, Emilia; Sillat, Tarvo; Virtanen, Sannakaisa; Konttinen, Yrjö T; Tiainen, Veli-Matti

2014-10-01

The hypothesis was that anti-fouling diamond-like carbon polydimethylsiloxane hybrid (DLC-PDMS-h) surface impairs early and late cellular adhesion and matrix-cell interactions. The effect of hybrid surface on cellular adhesion and cytoskeletal organization, important for osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC), where therefore compared with plain DLC and titanium (Ti). hMSCs were induced to osteogenesis and followed over time using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), immunofluorescence staining, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and hydroxyapatite (HA) staining. SEM at 7.5 hours showed that initial adherence and spreading of hMSC was poor on DLC-PDMS-h. At 5 days some hMSC were undergoing condensation and apoptotic fragmentation, whereas cells on DLC and Ti grew well. DAPI-actin-vinculin triple staining disclosed dwarfed cells with poorly organized actin cytoskeleton-focal complex/adhesion-growth substrate attachments on hybrid coating, whereas spread cells, organized microfilament bundles, and focal adhesions were seen on DLC and in particular on Ti. Accordingly, at day one ToF-SIMS mass peaks showed poor protein adhesion to DLC-PDMS-h compared with DLC and Ti. COL1A1, ALP, OP mRNA levels at days 0, 7, 14, 21, and/or 28 and lack of HA deposition at day 28 demonstrated delayed or failed osteogenesis on DLC-PDMS-h. Anti-fouling DLC-PDMS-h is a poor cell adhesion substrate during the early protein adsorption-dependent phase and extracellular matrix-dependent late phase. Accordingly, some hMSCs underwent anoikis-type apoptosis and failed to complete osteogenesis, due to few focal adhesions and poor cell-to-ECM contacts. DLC-PDMS-h seems to be a suitable coating for non-integrating implants/devices designed for temporary use. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multi-layered fabrication of large area PDMS flexible optical light guide sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Robert; Knopf, George K.; Bordatchev, Evgueni V.

2017-02-01

Large area polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flexible optical light guide sheets can be used to create a variety of passive light harvesting and illumination systems for wearable technology, advanced indoor lighting, non-planar solar light collectors, customized signature lighting, and enhanced safety illumination for motorized vehicles. These thin optically transparent micro-patterned polymer sheets can be draped over a flat or arbitrarily curved surface. The light guiding behavior of the optical light guides depends on the geometry and spatial distribution of micro-optical structures, thickness and shape of the flexible sheet, refractive indices of the constituent layers, and the wavelength of the incident light. A scalable fabrication method that combines soft-lithography, closed thin cavity molding, partial curing, and centrifugal casting is described in this paper for building thin large area multi-layered PDMS optical light guide sheets. The proposed fabrication methodology enables the of internal micro-optical structures (MOSs) in the monolithic PDMS light guide by building the optical system layer-by-layer. Each PDMS layer in the optical light guide can have the similar, or a slightly different, indices of refraction that permit total internal reflection within the optical sheet. The individual molded layers may also be defect free or micro-patterned with microlens or reflecting micro-features. In addition, the bond between adjacent layers is ensured because each layer is only partially cured before the next functional layer is added. To illustrate the scalable build-by-layers fabrication method a three-layer mechanically flexible illuminator with an embedded LED strip is constructed and demonstrated.

Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems using a PDMS/polymer tape composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jungkyu; Surapaneni, Rajesh; Gale, Bruce K

2009-05-07

Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems using a combination of double-sided tape and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) is introduced. PDMS is typically difficult to bond using adhesive tapes due to its hydrophobic nature and low surface energy. For this reason, PDMS is not compatible with the xurography method, which uses a knife plotter and various adhesive coated polymer tapes. To solve these problems, a PDMS/tape composite was developed and demonstrated in microfluidic applications. The PDMS/tape composite was created by spinning it to make a thin layer of PDMS over double-sided tape. Then the PDMS/tape composite was patterned to create channels using xurography, and bonded to a PDMS slab. After removing the backing paper from the tape, a complete microfluidic system could be created by placing the construct onto nearly any substrate; including glass, plastic or metal-coated glass/silicon substrates. The bond strength was shown to be sufficient for the pressures that occur in typical microfluidic channels used for chemical or biological analysis. This method was demonstrated in three applications: standard microfluidic channels and reactors, a microfluidic system with an integrated membrane, and an electrochemical biosensor. The PDMS/tape composite rapid prototyping technique provides a fast and cost effective fabrication method and can provide easy integration of microfluidic channels with sensors and other components without the need for a cleanroom facility.

PDMS as a sacrificial substrate for SU-8-based biomedical and microfluidic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Jasbir N; Kaminska, Bozena; Gray, Bonnie L; Gates, Byron D

2008-01-01

We describe a new fabrication process utilizing polydimethylesiloxane (PDMS) as a sacrificial substrate layer for fabricating free-standing SU-8-based biomedical and microfluidic devices. The PDMS-on-glass substrate permits SU-8 photo patterning and layer-to-layer bonding. We have developed a novel PDMS-based process which allows the SU-8 structures to be easily peeled off from the substrate after complete fabrication. As an example, a fully enclosed microfluidic chip has been successfully fabricated utilizing the presented new process. The enclosed microfluidic chip uses adhesive bonding technology and the SU-8 layers from 10 µm to 450 µm thick for fully enclosed microchannels. SU-8 layers as large as the glass substrate are successfully fabricated and peeled off from the PDMS layer as single continuous sheets. The fabrication results are supported by optical microscopy and profilometry. The peel-off force for the 120 µm thick SU-8-based chips is measured using a voice coil actuator (VCA). As an additional benefit the release step leaves the input and the output of the microchannels accessible to the outside world facilitating interconnecting to the external devices

Design and fabrication of microfluidic mixer from carbonyl iron–PDMS composite membrane

KAUST Repository

Li, Jiaxing

2010-10-12

This paper introduces a carbonyl iron-PDMS (CI-PDMS) composite magnetic elastomer in which carbonyl iron (CI) particles are uniformly distributed in a PDMS matrix. The CI particles and the PDMS were mixed at different weight ratios and tested to determine the influence of CI concentration. The magnetic and mechanical properties of the magnetic elastomers were characterized, respectively, by vibrating-sample magnetometer and by tensile testing using a mechanical analyzer. The elastomer was found to exhibit high magnetization and good mechanical flexibility. The morphology and deformation of the CI-PDMS membrane also were observed. A magnetically actuated microfluidic mixer (that is, a micromixer) integrated with CI-PDMS elastomer membranes was successfully designed and fabricated. The high efficiency and quality of the mixing makes possible the impressive potential applications of this unique CI-PDMS material in microfluidic systems. © Springer-Verlag 2010.

Investigation on the mechanism of nitrogen plasma modified PDMS bonding with SU-8

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Chengxin; Yuan, Yong J., E-mail: yongyuan@swjtu.edu.cn

2016-02-28

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Different nitrogen plasma processes modified PDMS bonding with SU-8 had been studied. • The effect of nitrogen plasma modification would produce the best result and the recovery of PDMS hydrophobicity could be delayed. - Abstract: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and SU-8 are both widely used for microfluidic system. However, it is difficult to permanently seal SU-8 microfluidic channels using PDMS with conventional methods. Previous efforts of combining these two materials mainly employed oxygen plasma modified PDMS. The nitrogen plasma modification of PDMS bonding with SU-8 is rarely studied in recent years. In this work, the mechanism of nitrogen plasma modified PDMS bonding with SU-8 was investigated. The fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle of a water droplet were used to analyze the nitrogen plasma modified surface and the hydrophilic stability of PDMS samples. Pull-off tests were used for estimating the bonding effect of interface between nitrogen plasma modified PDMS and SU-8.

Controlled Contamination of Epoxy Composites with PDMS and Removal by Laser Ablation

Science.gov (United States)

Palmieri, Frank; Ledesma, Rodolfo; Cataldo, Daniel; Lin, Yi; Wohl, Christopher; Gupta, Mool; Connell, John

2016-01-01

Surface preparation is critical to the performance of adhesively bonded composites. During manufacturing, minute quantities of mold release compounds are inevitably deposited on faying surfaces and may compromise bond performance. To ensure safety, mechanical fasteners and other crack arrest features must be installed in the bondlines of primary structures, which negates some advantages of adhesively bonded construction. Laser ablation is an automated, repeatable, and scalable process with high potential for the surface preparation of metals and composites in critical applications such as primary airframe structures. In this study, laser ablation is evaluated on composite surfaces for the removal of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a common mold release material. Composite panels were contaminated uniformly with PDMS film thicknesses as low as 6.0 nm as measured by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. Bond performance was assessed by mechanical testing using a 250 F cure, epoxy adhesive and compared with pre-bond surface inspection results. Water contact angle, optically stimulated electron emission, and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy were used to characterize contaminated and laser ablated surfaces. The failure mode obtained from double cantilever beam tests correlated well with surface characterization data. The test results indicated that even low levels of PDMS were not completely removed by laser ablation.

Fabrication of a 3D active mixer based on deformable Fe-doped PDMS cones with magnetic actuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riahi, Mohammadreza; Alizadeh, Elaheh

2012-01-01

In this paper an active 3D mixer for lab-on-chip applications is presented. The micrometer size cone shape holes are ablated on a PMMA sheet utilizing a CO 2 laser. The holes are filled with Fe micro-particles and the whole structure is molded with PDMS which cause the Fe micro-particles to be trapped in a PDMS cone structure. These Fe-doped PDMS cones are placed in a PMMA micro-channel structure fabricated by CO 2 laser machining. By applying an external periodic magnetic field, the cones periodically bend in the micro-channel and stir the fluid. The fabrication method and the effect of the magnetic field on the bending of the cones with different aspect ratios is also discussed utilizing computer simulation. Doping the polymers with micro- and nano-metallic particles has been carried out by different research groups before, but according to our knowledge, application of such structures for the fabrication of a 3D active mixer has not been presented before. (paper)

PDMS/PVDF hybrid electrospun membrane with superhydrophobic property and drop impact dynamics for dyeing wastewater treatment using membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

An, Alicia Kyoungjin

2016-10-21

Fouling in membrane distillation (MD) results in an increase in operation costs and deterioration in a water quality. In this work, a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP) electrospun (E-PH) membrane was fabricated by hybridizing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymeric microspheres with superhydrophobicity onto the E-PH membrane via electrospinning. The resulting hybrid PDMS with E-PH (E-PDMS) membrane showed a significant enhancement in surface hydrophobicity (contact angle, CA = 155.4°) and roughness (Ra = 1,285mm). The zeta potential of E-PDMS membrane surface showed a higher negative value than that of a commercial PVDF (C-PVDF) membrane. These properties of E-PDMS membrane provided an antifouling in treating of differently-charged dyes and generated a flake-like dye–dye (loosely bound foulant) structure on the membrane surface rather than in the membrane pores. This also led to a high productivity of E-PDMS membrane (34 Lm-2h-1, 50% higher than that of C-PVDF membrane) without fouling or wetting. In addition, complete color removal and pure water production were achieved during a long-term operation. An application of intermittent water flushing (WF) in direct contact MD (DCMD) operation led to a 99% CA recovery of E-PDMS membrane indicating its sustainability. Therefore, the E-PDMS membrane is a promising candidate for MD application in dyeing wastewater treatment.

Fs-laser processing of medical grade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atanasov, P.A., E-mail: paatanas@ie.bas.bg [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsaridradsko shose Blvd., Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Stankova, N.E.; Nedyalkov, N.N. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsaridradsko shose Blvd., Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Fukata, N. [International Centre for Materials for NanoArchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044 (Japan); Hirsch, D.; Rauschenbach, B. [Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification (IOM), Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany); Amoruso, S.; Wang, X. [Dipartimento di Fisica Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and CNR-SPIN, Complesso Universitario di Monte S.Angelo, Via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); Kolev, K.N.; Valova, E.I.; Georgieva, J.S.; Armyanov, St.A. [Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 11, Sofia 1113 (Bulgaria)

2016-06-30

Highlights: • Fs-laser (263, 527 and 1055 nm) processing of PDMS-elastomer is studied. • High quality trenches are produced on the PDMS surface. • The trenches are analyzed by Laser Microscope and by μ-Raman spectrometry. • Selective Ni metallization of the trenches is accomplished via electro-less plating. • The metalized trenches are studied by SEM. - Abstract: Medical grade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is a biomaterial widely used in medicine and high-tech devices, e.g. MEMS and NEMS. In this work, we report an experimental investigation on femtosecond laser processing of PDMS-elastomer with near infrared (NIR), visible (VIS) and ultraviolet (UV) pulses. High definition trenches are produced by varying processing parameters as laser wavelength, pulse duration, fluence, scanning speed and overlap of the subsequent pulses. The sample surface morphology and chemical composition are investigated by Laser Microscopy, SEM and Raman spectroscopy, addressing the effects of the various processing parameters through comparison with the native materials characteristics. For all the laser pulse wavelengths used, the produced tracks are successfully metalized with Ni via electro-less plating method. We observe a negligible influence of the time interval elapsed between laser treatment and metallization process. Our experimental findings suggest promising perspectives of femtosecond laser pulses in micro- and nano-fabrication of hi-tech PDMS devices.

Rapid prototyping of microstructures in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by direct UV-lithography

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scharnweber, Tim; Truckenmüller, R.K.; Schneider, Andrea M.; Welle, Alexander; Reinhardt, Martina; Giselbrecht, Stefan

2011-01-01

Microstructuring of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a key step for many lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. In general, the structure is generated by casting the liquid prepolymer against a master. The production of the master in turn calls for special equipment and know how. Furthermore, a given

Viscoelastic nature of Au nanoparticle–PDMS nanocomposite gels

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A stable gel of Au nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite is prepared by employing the curing agent of PDMS elastomer as a reducing agent for the formation of Au nanoparticles by an in-situ process. The viscoelastic nature of these gels is very sensitive to the Au nanoparticle loading and the ...

Laser-induced superhydrophobic grid patterns on PDMS for droplet arrays formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farshchian, Bahador [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Gatabi, Javad R. [Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Bernick, Steven M.; Park, Sooyeon [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Lee, Gwan-Hyoung [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722 (Korea, Republic of); Droopad, Ravindranath [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States); Kim, Namwon, E-mail: n_k43@txstate.edu [Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666 (United States)

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Superhydrophobic grid patterns were processed on the surface of PDMS using a pulsed nanosecond laser. • Droplet arrays form instantly on the laser-patterned PDMS with the superhydrophobic grid pattern when the PDMS sample is simply immersed in and withdrawn from water. • Droplet size can be controlled by controlling the pitch size of superhydrophobic grid and the withdrawal speed. - Abstract: We demonstrate a facile single step laser treatment process to render a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface superhydrophobic. By synchronizing a pulsed nanosecond laser source with a motorized stage, superhydrophobic grid patterns were written on the surface of PDMS. Hierarchical micro and nanostructures were formed in the irradiated areas while non-irradiated areas were covered by nanostructures due to deposition of ablated particles. Arrays of droplets form spontaneously on the laser-patterned PDMS with superhydrophobic grid pattern when the PDMS sample is simply immersed in and withdrawn from water due to different wetting properties of the irradiated and non-irradiated areas. The effects of withdrawal speed and pitch size of superhydrophobic grid on the size of formed droplets were investigated experimentally. The droplet size increases initially with increasing the withdrawal speed and then does not change significantly beyond certain points. Moreover, larger droplets are formed by increasing the pitch size of the superhydrophobic grid. The droplet arrays formed on the laser-patterned PDMS with wettability contrast can be used potentially for patterning of particles, chemicals, and bio-molecules and also for cell screening applications.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Kyung Hong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seong Kyung; Yang, Seongjin; Cho, Seong J; Jeon, Hyungkook; Lim, Geunbae

2018-04-12

This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS) sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Physico-chemical properties of PDMS surfaces suitable as substrates for cell cultures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raczkowska, Joanna, E-mail: joanna.raczkowska@uj.edu.pl [The Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-428 Kraków (Poland); Prauzner-Bechcicki, Szymon [Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków (Poland); Lukes, Jaroslav; Sepitka, Josef [Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technicka 4, 16607 Prague (Czech Republic); Bernasik, Andrzej [Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH - University of Science and Technology, Reymonta 19, 30-049 Kraków (Poland); Awsiuk, Kamil [The Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-428 Kraków (Poland); Paluszkiewicz, Czesława; Pabijan, Joanna; Lekka, Małgorzata [Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków (Poland); Budkowski, Andrzej [The Marian Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, Łojasiewicza 11, 30-428 Kraków (Poland)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Series of PDMS substrates with monotonically tuned elasticity were produced. • Method to estimate PDMS stiffness based on AFM force-distance curves was shown. • No change in surface properties of PDMS other than elasticity was demonstrated. • MTT performed for cancer cells showed impact of PDMS elasticity on cells behavior. - Abstract: Elastic properties of the substrate have profound effect on adhesion and proliferation of cells. Here, we introduce a method to produce polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates with stiffness tuned monotonically from 1.67 to 0.24 MPa, by the time of UV irradiation adjusted up to 5 h. The Young’s modulus (determined by using nanoindenter) scales linearly with stiffness calculated using AFM-based force spectroscopy data. Such a relation enables the determination of the Young modulus from AFM force – distance curves also when the Herz model is not applicable. Our findings demonstrate that surface properties of PDMS substrates are not affected by the applied methodology of tuning substrate elasticity. Finally, the colorimetric proliferation assay (MTT) carried out for non-malignant (HCV29) and cancerous (T24) bladder cancer cells depicted a significant contribution of PDMS substrate elasticity to the behavior of cells. The softer PDMS substrate demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility whereas the stiff one is more cell-repellent.

Internal structure of black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cvetic, Mirjam

2013-01-01

Full text: We review recent progress that sheds light on the internal structure of general black holes. We first summarize properties of general multi-charged rotating black holes both in four and five dimensions. We show that the asymptotic boundary conditions of these general asymptotically flat black holes can be modified such that a conformal symmetry emerges. These subtracted geometries preserve the thermodynamic properties of the original black holes and are of the Lifshitz type, thus describing 'a black hole in the asymptotically conical box'. Recent efforts employ solution generating techniques to construct interpolating geometries between the original black hole and their subtracted geometries. Upon lift to one dimension higher, these geometries lift to AdS 3 times a sphere, and thus provide a microscopic interpretation of the black hole entropy in terms of dual two-dimensional conformal field theory. (author)

Soft lithography of ceramic microparts using wettability-tunable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Bo; Zhang, Aijun; Meng, Junhu; Zhang, Zhaozhu

2016-01-01

Green alumina microparts were fabricated from a high solid content aqueous suspension by microtransfer molding using air plasma-treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molds. The wettability of the air plasma-treated PDMS molds spontaneously changed between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic states during the process. Initial hydrophilicity of the air plasma-treated PDMS molds significantly improved the flowability of the concentrated suspension. Subsequent hydrophobic recovery of the air plasma-treated PDMS molds enabled a perfect demolding of the green microparts. Consequently, defect-free microchannel parts of 60 μ m and a micromixer with an area of several square centimeters were successfully fabricated. In soft lithography, tuning the wetting behavior of PDMS molds has a great effect on the quality of ceramic microparts. Using wettability-tunable PDMS molds has great potential in producing complex-shaped and large-area ceramic microparts and micropatterns. (paper)

Visualization of the distribution of surface-active block copolymers in PDMS-based coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Noguer, A. Camós; Latipov, R.; Madsen, F. B.

2018-01-01

the distribution and release of these block copolymers from PDMS-based coatings has been previously reported. However, the distribution and behaviour of these compounds in the bulk of the PDMS coating are not fully understood. A novel fluorescent-labelled triblock PEG-b-PDMS-b-PEG copolymer was synthesized...... results in non-specific protein adsorption and wettability issues. Poly(ethylene glycol)-based surface-active block copolymers and surfactants have been added to PDMS coatings and films to impart biofouling resistance and hydrophilicity to the PDMS surface with successful results. Information regarding...

Lifetime of Nano-Structured Black Silicon for Photovoltaic Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plakhotnyuk, Maksym; Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk

2016-01-01

In this work, we present recent results of lifetime optimization for nano-structured black silicon and its photovoltaic applications. Black silicon nano-structures provide significant reduction of silicon surface reflection due to highly corrugated nanostructures with excellent light trapping pro......, respectively. This is promising for use of black silicon RIE nano-structuring in a solar cell process flow......In this work, we present recent results of lifetime optimization for nano-structured black silicon and its photovoltaic applications. Black silicon nano-structures provide significant reduction of silicon surface reflection due to highly corrugated nanostructures with excellent light trapping...

Acrylic acid grafted PDMS preliminary activated by Ar{sup +}beam plasma and cell observation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kostadinova, A.; Zaekov, N. [Institute of Biophysics, BAS, Sofia (Bulgaria); Keranov, I. [Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM), Sofia (Bulgaria)

2007-07-01

Plasma based Ar{sup +} beam performed in RF (13.56 MHz) low-pressure (200 mTorr) glow discharge (at 100 W, 1200 W and 2500 W) with a serial capacitance was employed for surface modification of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) aimed at improvement of its interactions with living cells. The presence of a serial capacitance ensures arise of an ion-flow inside the plasma volume directed toward the treated sample and the vary of the discharge power ensures varied density of the ion-flow The initial adhesion of human fibroblast cells was studied on the described above plasma based Ar{sup +}beam modified and acrylic acid (AA) grafted or not fibronectin (FN) pre-coated or ba resurfaces. The cell response seem sto be related with the peculiar structure and wettability of the modified PDMS surface layer after plasma based Ar{sup +} beam treatment followed or not by AA grafting. Key words: Biomaterials; Surface treatment of PDMS; Plasma based Ar{sup +} beam; Acrylic acid grafting; Fibroblast cells.

A facile route for irreversible bonding of plastic-PDMS hybrid microdevices at room temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Linzhi; Lee, Nae Yoon

2010-05-21

Plastic materials do not generally form irreversible bonds with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) regardless of oxygen plasma treatment and a subsequent thermal process. In this paper, we perform plastic-PDMS bonding at room temperature, mediated by the formation of a chemically robust amine-epoxy bond at the interfaces. Various plastic materials, such as poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were adopted as choices for plastic materials. Irrespective of the plastic materials used, the surfaces were successfully modified with amine and epoxy functionalities, confirmed by the surface characterizations such as water contact angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and chemically robust and irreversible bonding was successfully achieved within 1 h at room temperature. The bonding strengths of PDMS with PMMA and PC sheets were measured to be 180 and 178 kPa, respectively, and their assemblies containing microchannel structures endured up to 74 and 84 psi (510 and 579 kPa) of introduced compressed air, respectively, without destroying the microdevices, representing a robust and highly stable interfacial bonding. In addition to microchannel-molded PDMS bonded with flat plastic substrates, microchannel-embossed plastics were also bonded with a flat PDMS sheet, and both types of bonded assemblies displayed sufficiently robust bonding, tolerating an intense influx of liquid whose per-minute injection volume was nearly 1000 to 2000 times higher than the total internal volume of the microchannel used. In addition to observing the bonding performance, we also investigated the potential of surface amine and epoxy functionalities as durable chemical adhesives by observing their storage-time-dependent bonding performances.

Design and Fabrication of a PDMS Microchip Based Immunoassay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shao, Guocheng; Wang, Wanjun; Wang, Jun; Lin, Yuehe

2010-07-01

In this paper, we describe the design and fabrication process of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchip for on-chip multiplex immunoassay application. The microchip consists of a PDMS microfluidic channel layer and a micro pneumatic valve control layer. By selectively pressurizing the pneumatic microvalves, immuno reagents were controlled to flow and react in certain fluidic channel sites. Cross contamination was prevented by tightly closed valves. Our design was proposed to utilize PDMS micro channel surface as the solid phase immunoassay substrate and simultaneously detect four targets antigens on chip. Experiment result shows that 20psi valve pressure is sufficient to tightly close a 200µm wide micro channel with flow rate up to 20µl/min.

Preparation and Characterizing of PANI/PDMS Elastomer for Artificial Muscles

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yiyang; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Genlin; Zhang, Ming; Luo, Zhiwei

2018-01-01

A dielectric elastomer has been synthesized using organic soluble PANI and PDMS through solution blending method for applications as artificial muscles. The dielectric constant of PANI/PDMS composite reached 4.82 with a filling amount of 0.8 wt.%, which was 2.24 times of pure silicone, due to the dipole polarization in matrix network and electron polarization in conductive polyaniline. The actuated strain of 0.8w.t % PANI/PDMS was 16.57% compared to 8.52% of pure silicone at an electric field of 10V/μm, and can be applied as a soft actuator.

Carbon doped PDMS: conductance stability over time and implications for additive manufacturing of stretchable electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavakoli, Mahmoud; Rocha, Rui; Osorio, Luis; Almeida, Miguel; De Almeida, Anibal; Ramachandran, Vivek; Tabatabai, Arya; Lu, Tong; Majidi, Carmel

2017-01-01

Carbon doped PDMS (cPDMS), has been used as a conductive polymer for stretchable electronics. Compared to liquid metals, cPDMS is low cost and is easier to process or to print with an additive manufacturing process. However, changes on the conductance of the carbon based conductive PDMS (cPDMS) were observed over time, in particular after integration of cPDMS and the insulating polymer. In this article we investigate the process parameters that lead to improved stability over conductance of the cPDMS over time. Slight modifications to the fabrication process parameters were conducted and changes on the conductance of the samples for each method were monitored. Results suggested that change of the conductance happens mostly after integration of a pre-polymer over a cured cPDMS, and not after integration of the cPDMS over a cured insulating polymer. We show that such changes can be eliminated by adjusting the integration priority between the conductive and insulating polymers, by selecting the right curing temperature, changing the concentration of the carbon particles and the thickness of the conductive traces, and when possible by changing the insulating polymer material. In this way, we obtained important conclusions regarding the effect of these parameters on the change of the conductance over time, that should be considered for additive manufacturing of soft electronics. Also, we show that these changes can be possibly due to the diffusion from PDMS into cPDMS. (paper)

Design and fabrication of PMMA-micromachined fluid lens based on electromagnetic actuation on PMMA–PDMS bonded membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, June Kyoo; Park, Kyung-Woo; Choi, Ju Chan; Kim, Hak-Rin; Kong, Seong Ho

2012-01-01

The fabrication of a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-micromachined fluid lens with an optimally designed built-in electromagnetic actuator was demonstrated in this study. Through a finite element method, the number of winding turns and the distance between magnetic moments were estimated to design an effective and miniaturized electromagnetic actuator. The lens body composed of PMMA structures was simply and rapidly micromachined using computer numerical control micro-milling. The poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes for electromagnetic actuation were bonded to the PMMA structures by using the proposed PMMA–PDMS bonding technique, which uses an SiO 2 intermediate layer. A physical repulsive force produced by the electromagnetic actuator applies a controllable fluidic pressure to a fluidic chamber that is sealed with the PDMS membrane, thus allowing dynamic focusing. The focus tunability of the fabricated lens was 67 diopters with a focus hysteresis of less than 1 mm and a response time of 2 ms. The solenoid of the built-in actuator showed negligible thermal crosstalk to the lens. (paper)

Soft and flexible conductive PDMS/MWCNT composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassouneh, Suzan Sager; Yu, Liyun; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

2017-01-01

(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, was used to pre-disperse MWCNT in a MWCNT/IL-gel that was used for preparation of MWCVNT/PDMS composites. The method was seen to be effective at low levels of MWCNT, but required combination with a roll mill to obtain a stable dispersion at 4 wt % MWCNT. With higher amounts of MWCNT a reduction...... for preparation of MWCNT/PDMS composites. Composites prepared by use of the IL dispersion method, use of a roll mill or by use of the f-MWCNT all had conductivities around 0.005–0.01 s/cm and retained conductivity upon extension....

Novel method to prepare multiwalled carbon nanotube/poly(dimethyl siloxane) (MWCNT/PDMS) non-conducting composites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Goswami, Kaustav; Daugaard, Anders Egede; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

In this study a new method of carbon nanotube (CNT) incorporation was employed for the preparation of ultraviolet (UV) curable CNT filled poly (dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) composites. The composites were designed to contain loadings of CNT above the percolation threshold without becoming conductive...... due to a localized distribution of CNT. Ultrasonicated and dispersed multiwalled CNTs were mixed with short chain ,- vinyl terminated PDMS. When the whole mixture containing dispersed CNT and short chain PDMS was irradiated with UV radiation in presence of deficient amount of hexa functional thiol...... PDMS crosslinker and a photoinitiator, hyperbranced PDMS layer was formed over the CNTs. The prepared hyperbranched CNTs were mixed in different weight ratios (0.33%, 0.66%, 1%) with long chain ,- vinyl terminated PDMS and crosslinked subsequently with the same hexa functional thiol PDMS via UV...

Prediction of Partition Coefficients of Organic Compounds for SPME/PDMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liao Hsuan-Yu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The partition coefficients of 51 organic compounds between SPME/PDMS and gas were compiled from the literature sources in this study. The effect of physicochemical properties and descriptors on the partitioning process of partition coefficients was explicated by the correlation analysis. The PDMS-gas partition coefficients were well correlated to the molecular weight of organic compounds (r = 0.832, p < 0.05. An empirical model, consisting of the molecular weight and the polarizability, was developed to appropriately predict the partition coefficients of organic compounds. The empirical model for estimating the PDMS-gas partition coefficient will contribute to the practical applications of the SPME technique.

PDMS membranes as sensing element in optical sensors for gas detection in water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefania Torino

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS has been introduced the first time about 20years ago. This polymer is worldwide used for the rapid prototyping of microfluidic device through a replica molding process. However, the great popularity of PDMS is not only related to its easy processability, but also to its chemical and physical properties. For its interesting properties, the polymer has been implied for several applications, including sensing. In this work, we investigated how to use functionalized PDMS membranes as sensing elements in optical sensors for gas detection in water samples. Keywords: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR sensors, Gas sensor

Structural and magnetic properties of Fe{sub 2-x}CoSm{sub x}O{sub 4}-nanoparticles and Fe{sub 2-x}CoSm{sub x}O{sub 4}-PDMS magnetoelastomers as a function of Sm content

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz, Mariano M.; Mietta, Jose L.; Soledad Antonel, P. [Instituto de Quimica Fisica de Materiales, Ambiente y Energia (INQUIMAE), Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Analitica y Quimica Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Cantilo s/n (1428), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Perez, Oscar E. [Departamento de Industrias, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Cantilo s/n (1428), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Martin Negri, R. [Instituto de Quimica Fisica de Materiales, Ambiente y Energia (INQUIMAE), Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Analitica y Quimica Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Cantilo s/n (1428), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Jorge, Guillermo, E-mail: gjorge@df.uba.ar [Instituto de Fisica de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Cantilo s/n (1428), Buenos Aires (Argentina); Instituto de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento, J.M. Gutierrez 1150 (1613), Los Polvorines, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2013-02-15

We have synthesized magnetic Fe{sub 2-x}CoSm{sub x}O{sub 4} nanoparticles (NPs) by means of the coprecipitation method, varying Sm content from x=0 to x=0.5. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed agreement between the metal proportion of the obtained nanoparticles and the stoichiometric mixture of cations used for the synthesis. Part of the particles were heated at 800 Degree-Sign C, and both were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope imaging and magnetization measurements. Physical and magnetic properties were analyzed as a function of Sm content, before and after the heating treatment. A phase segregation is found for the calcined nanoparticles with large Sm content. The magnetic remanence, saturation and coercive field were investigated as a function of Sm content for both heated and unheated (as-prepared) particles. Polydimethylsiloxane-NPs magnetoelastomers were prepared and cured under an external uniform magnetic field, obtaining structured anisotropic composites, in which inorganic needles (columnar micrometric structures) oriented in the direction of the magnetic field are formed. Young modulus and remanent magnetic moment were measured and magnetization time relaxation experiments were performed in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the needles in order to determine the magnetic and elastic anisotropy of the composites. The elastic modulus measured parallel to the needles resulted almost twice in magnitude with respect to the perpendicular modulus. The measured magnetic anisotropy of the composites is probably due to the enhanced interparticle interaction within a needle and the freezing of an preferred easy axis distribution among the particles at the curing process. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We study magnetic and physical properties of Sm-substituted Fe{sub 2}CoO{sub 4} nanoparticles. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by the coprecipitation method. Black

The Fabrication and Application of a PDMS Micro Through-Holes Mask in Electrochemical Micromanufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaolei Chen

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The electrochemical micromanufacturing process, as a key micromanufacturing technology, plays an important role in diverse industries. In this paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS is employed as a mask in the electrochemical micromanufacture of microstructures because of its chemical resistance, low cost, flexibility, and high molding capability. A new method for fabricating a PDMS micro through-holes mask is proposed. In this method, a thin resist film is employed to enhance the adhesion between the substrate and the SU-8 pillar array which is used as a mold. A vacuum-aided process is used to inject the PDMS gel into the SU-8 mold and the PDMS micro through-holes mask can be peeled off from the SU-8 mold when the gel is cured. Experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach and PDMS microholes of various shapes were obtained. The PDMS mask can then be successfully applied in the electrochemical micromanufacturing process to generate microstructures and microdimple and embossment arrays have been successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, the PDMS mask can be reused, as it is not damaged during the manufacturing process.

Route to one-step microstructure mold fabrication for PDMS microfluidic chip

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xiaoqing; Geng, Zhaoxin; Fan, Zhiyuan; Wang, Shicai; Su, Yue; Fang, Weihao; Pei, Weihua; Chen, Hongda

2018-04-01

The microstructure mold fabrication for PDMS microfluidic chip remains complex and time-consuming process requiring special equipment and protocols: photolithography and etching. Thus, a rapid and cost-effective method is highly needed. Comparing with the traditional microfluidic chip fabricating process based on the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), this method is simple and easy to implement, and the whole fabrication process only requires 1-2 h. Different size of microstructure from 100 to 1000 μm was fabricated, and used to culture four kinds of breast cancer cell lines. Cell viability and morphology was assessed when they were cultured in the micro straight channels, micro square holes and the bonding PDMS-glass microfluidic chip. The experimental results indicate that the microfluidic chip is good and meet the experimental requirements. This method can greatly reduce the process time and cost of the microfluidic chip, and provide a simple and effective way for the structure design and in the field of biological microfabrications and microfluidic chips.

Surface studies on benzophenone doped PDMS microstructures fabricated using KrF excimer laser direct write lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kant, Madhushree Bute; Shinde, Shashikant D.; Bodas, Dhananjay; Patil, K.R.; Sathe, V.G.; Adhi, K.P.; Gosavi, S.W.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Use of KrF Laser micromachining for Lab-On-Chip applications at lower fluence. • Addition of Benzophenone in PDMS enhances its self development sensitivity. • Benzophenone helps efficient energy transfer for equal density of bond scissioning. • Correlation of chemical composition with laser dose and microstructure. • Microstructures with well defined clean sidewalls. - Abstract: This paper discusses microfabrication process for benzophenone doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using laser lithography. KrF excimer laser of 248 nm with 20 ns pulse width at repetition rate of 1 Hz was used for microfabrication of undoped and benzophenone doped PDMS. The doped-PDMS shows sensitivity below 365 nm, permitting processing under ambient light. The analysis of etch depth revealed that doped PDMS shows self developable sensitivity at lower fluence of ∼250 mJ/cm 2 . The unexposed and exposed surface was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Spectrocopic analysis indicated increase in C-O, C=O, Si-O 3 and Si-O 4 bonding at the expense of Si-C and Si-O 2 bonds of PDMS. In case of laser exposed doped-PDMS, removal of benzophenone from probe depth of spectroscopy was observed. Whereas the surface morphology of exposed and unexposed doped-PDMS was observed to be same, indicating clean development of PDMS micropatterns. The present study indicates that addition of 3.0 wt.% benzophenone in PDMS enhance self development sensitivity of PDMS. The self developable results on doped-PDMS are quite encouraging for its potential use in point of care Lab-On-Chip applications, for fabricating micropatterns using direct write laser lithography technology

Enhancing relative permittivity by incorporating PDMS-PEG multi block copolymers in binary polymer blends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Szabo, Peter; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

Polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are well-known to actuate with relatively large strains due to low modulus, but they possess lowpermittivity. Contrary, polyethyleneglycols (PEG) are not stretchable but possess high permittivity. Combination of the two polymers in a block copolymer depicts a possibil......Polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) are well-known to actuate with relatively large strains due to low modulus, but they possess lowpermittivity. Contrary, polyethyleneglycols (PEG) are not stretchable but possess high permittivity. Combination of the two polymers in a block copolymer depicts...... a possibility for substantial improvement of properties such as high permittivity, stretchability and non-conductivity – if carefully designed. The objective is to synthesize PDMS-PEG multiblock copolymer assembling into discontinuous morphologies in PEG based on variation of volume fractions of PDMS....... The utilized synthesis of PDMS-PEG multiblock copolymer is based on hydrosilylation reaction, which is amended from Klasner et al.1 and Jukarainen etal.2 Variation in the ratio between the two constituents introduces distinctive properties in terms of dielectric permittivity and rheological behaviour. PDMS...

PZT-5A4/PA and PZT-5A4/PDMS piezoelectric composite bimorphs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babu, I; Hendrix, M M R M; De With, G

2014-01-01

Disc type reinforced piezoelectric composite bimorphs with series connection were designed and the performance was investigated. The composite bimorphs (PZT/PA and PZT/PDMS (40/60 vol%)) were successfully fabricated by a compression molding and solution casting technique. The charge developed at an applied force of 150 N is 18150 pC (PZT/PA) and 2310 pC (PZT/PDMS), respectively. Electric force microscopy (EFM) is used to study the structural characterization and piezoelectric properties of the materials realized. A clear inverse piezoelectric effect was observed when the bimorphs were subjected to an electric field stepped up through 2, 6 and 10 V, indicating the net polarization direction of the different ferroelectric domains. The as-developed bimorphs have the basic structure of a sensor and actuator, and, since they do not use any bonding agent for bonding, they can provide a valuable alternative to the present bimorphs where bonding processes are required for their realization that can limit their application at high temperature. (paper)

Surface studies on benzophenone doped PDMS microstructures fabricated using KrF excimer laser direct write lithography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kant, Madhushree Bute; Shinde, Shashikant D. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Bodas, Dhananjay [Centre for Nanobioscience, Agharkar Research Institute, Agharkar road, Pune 411004 (India); Patil, K.R. [Center for Materials Characterization, National Chemical Laboratories, Pune 411008 (India); Sathe, V.G. [UGC DAE Inter University Consortium, Indore 452017 (India); Adhi, K.P. [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India); Gosavi, S.W., E-mail: swg@physics.unipune.ac.in [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune 411007 (India)

2014-09-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Use of KrF Laser micromachining for Lab-On-Chip applications at lower fluence. • Addition of Benzophenone in PDMS enhances its self development sensitivity. • Benzophenone helps efficient energy transfer for equal density of bond scissioning. • Correlation of chemical composition with laser dose and microstructure. • Microstructures with well defined clean sidewalls. - Abstract: This paper discusses microfabrication process for benzophenone doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using laser lithography. KrF excimer laser of 248 nm with 20 ns pulse width at repetition rate of 1 Hz was used for microfabrication of undoped and benzophenone doped PDMS. The doped-PDMS shows sensitivity below 365 nm, permitting processing under ambient light. The analysis of etch depth revealed that doped PDMS shows self developable sensitivity at lower fluence of ∼250 mJ/cm{sup 2}. The unexposed and exposed surface was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Spectrocopic analysis indicated increase in C-O, C=O, Si-O{sub 3} and Si-O{sub 4} bonding at the expense of Si-C and Si-O{sub 2} bonds of PDMS. In case of laser exposed doped-PDMS, removal of benzophenone from probe depth of spectroscopy was observed. Whereas the surface morphology of exposed and unexposed doped-PDMS was observed to be same, indicating clean development of PDMS micropatterns. The present study indicates that addition of 3.0 wt.% benzophenone in PDMS enhance self development sensitivity of PDMS. The self developable results on doped-PDMS are quite encouraging for its potential use in point of care Lab-On-Chip applications, for fabricating micropatterns using direct write laser lithography technology.

The quantum structure of black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathur, Samir D

2006-01-01

We give an elementary review of black holes in string theory. We discuss black hole entropy from string microstates and Hawking radiation from these states. We then review the structure of two-charge microstates and explore how 'fractionation' can lead to quantum effects over macroscopic length scales of the order of the horizon radius. (topical review)

fs- and ns-laser processing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer: Comparative study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stankova, N.E., E-mail: nestankova@yahoo.com [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko Shose, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Atanasov, P.A.; Nedyalkov, N.N.; Stoyanchov, T.R. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko Shose, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Kolev, K.N.; Valova, E.I.; Georgieva, J.S.; Armyanov, St.A. [Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 11, Sofia 1113 (Bulgaria); Amoruso, S.; Wang, X.; Bruzzese, R. [CNR-SPIN, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Complesso Universitario di Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia, I-80126 Napoli (Italy); Grochowska, K.; Śliwiński, G. [Photophysics Department, The Szewalski Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 14 Fiszera St., 80-231 Gdańsk (Poland); Baert, K.; Hubin, A. [Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Faculty of Engineering, Research group, SURF “Electrochemical and Surface Engineering” (Belgium); Delplancke, M.P.; Dille, J. [Université Libre de Bruxelles, Materials Engineering, Characterization, Synthesis and Recycling (Service 4MAT), Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, 1050 Brussels (Belgium)

2015-05-01

Highlights: • fs- and ns-laser (266 and 532 nm) processing of PDMS-elastomer, in air, is studied. • High definition tracks (on the PDMS-elastomer surface) for electrodes are produced. • Selective Pt or Ni metallization of the tracks is produced via electroless plating. • Irradiated and metallized tracks are characterized by μ-Raman spectrometry and SEM. • DC resistance of Pt and Ni tracks is always between 0.5 and 15 Ω/mm. - Abstract: Medical grade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is a widely used biomaterial as encapsulation and/or as substrate insulator carrier for long term neural implants because of its remarkable properties. Femtosecond (λ = 263 and 527 nm) and nanosecond (266 and 532 nm) laser processing of PDMS-elastomer surface, in air, is investigated. The influence of different processing parameters, including laser wavelength, pulse duration, fluence, scanning speed and overlapping of the subsequent pulses, on the surface activation and the surface morphology are studied. High definition tracks and electrodes are produced. Remarkable alterations of the chemical composition and structural morphology of the ablated traces are observed in comparison with the native material. Raman spectra illustrate well-defined dependence of the chemical composition on the laser fluence, pulse duration, number of pulses and wavelength. An extra peak about ∼512–518 cm{sup −1}, assigned to crystalline silicon, is observed after ns- or visible fs-laser processing of the surface. In all cases, the intensities of Si−O−Si symmetric stretching at 488 cm{sup −1}, Si−CH{sub 3} symmetric rocking at 685 cm{sup −1}, Si−C symmetric stretching at 709 cm{sup −1}, CH{sub 3} asymmetric rocking + Si−C asymmetric stretching at 787 cm{sup −1}, and CH{sub 3} symmetric rocking at 859 cm{sup −1}, modes strongly decrease. The laser processed areas are also analyzed by SEM and optical microscopy. Selective Pt or Ni metallization of the laser processed

The study of PDMS surface treatment and it's applications by using proton beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, J. Y.; Kim, J. Y.; Kwon, K. H.; Park, J. Y.

2007-04-01

PDMS(Polydimethylsiloxane) is mainly used as a material to do lab on a chip for biochemical analysis. PDMS has many applicability at the Bio-Technology(BT) field, because it is flexible, biocompatible and has good oxygen permeability. In this study, we have investigated to physical and chemical changes of PDMS surface by proton beam radiation conditions. The used kind of ion were Ar and N, beam energy was 30keV, 60keV, 80keV, total fluence was 1E10 to 1E16 [ions/cm 2 ]. PDMS membrane was produced as 150 μm thick on the 3' silicon wafer. We inquired into physical and chemical changes up to beam radiation conditions through the investigate the change of surface roughness by AFM(Atomic Force Microscope), the change of surface morphology by SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) and the change of chemical composition by FT-IR(Fourier Transform Infrared Raman spectroscopy) and XPS(X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy). From these basic data to we set up the proton beam radiation conditions to secure metal layer and PDMS adhesion. This enables to produce the electrode at the PDMS material lab on a chip. From now on, we'll investigate the cell patterning possibility after carry out of cell culture with mouse fibroblast at PDMS surface what is surface modification by using of proton beam radiation and apply this to produce lab on a chip. Physical property: Surface roughness of PDMS membrane was observed using AFM, after exposure of proton beam on it. The roughness increased as the power level of proton beam increase. This phenomena was caused by the kinetic energy of particle. Chemical property: Long term observation was conducted on the contact angles of the samples made by the proton beam exposure or oxygen plasma treatment; the hydrophilicity was found to be stronger in the samples made by the proton beam exposure. We found the reason of this was the destruction of polymer chains by proton beam. Feasibility of Through-hole: Considering that comparatively high level energy beam

PDMS/glass microfluidic cell culture system for cytotoxicity tests and cells passage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ziolkowska, K.; Jedrych, E.; Kwapiszewski, R.

2010-01-01

In this paper, hybrid (PDMS/glass) microfluidic cell culture system (MCCS) integrated with the concentration gradient generator (CGG) is presented. PDMS gas permeability enabled cells' respiration in the fabricated microdevices and excellent glass hydrophilicity allowed successful cells' seeding...

Stretchable and bendable carbon nanotube on PDMS super-lyophobic sheet for liquid metal manipulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Daeyoung; Jung, Daewoong; Yoo, Jun Hyeon; Lee, Gil S; Lee, Jeong-Bong; Lee, Yunho; Choi, Wonjae; Yoo, Koangki

2014-01-01

We report a vertically-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forest on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheet as a novel widely stretchable and bendable anti-wetting super-lyophobic surface for naturally oxidized gallium-based liquid metals. The vertically-aligned CNT has inherent chemical inertness and a hierarchical texture combining micro/nanoscale roughness; these two characters render the developed sheet as a super-lyophobic substrate against gallium-based liquid metals. The vertically-aligned CNT forest was first grown on Si substrate and then transferred onto a PDMS sheet by imprinting. It was found that the transferred CNT on the PDMS sheet maintained its vertically-aligned nature as well as hierarchical micro/nano surface morphology. It was found that the static contact angles of the gallium-based liquid metal droplet on the CNT on Si and on the CNT on PDMS were both greater than 155° and the contact angle hysteresis on the CNT on Si was 4° and that on the transferred CNT on PDMS was 19°. These measurement results showed that the surface retains a super-lyophobic property before and after the CNT transfer onto PDMS. We tested the CNT on PDMS sheet for its mechanical flexibility using stretching (50% and 100%) and bending (curvature of 0.1 and 0.4 mm −1 ). We carried out a bouncing test and a rolling test on the stretched/bent CNT on the PDMS sheet and the results confirmed that the flexible sheet maintains anti-wetting characteristics under bending or stretching conditions. (paper)

Poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based micro-reactors for steam reforming of methanol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Ji Won; Kundu, Arunabha; Jang, Jae Hyuk

2010-11-15

A miniaturized methanol steam reformer with a serpentine type of micro-channels was developed based on poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material. This way of fabricating micro-hydrogen generator is very simple and inexpensive. The volume of a PDMS micro-reformer is less than 10 cm{sup 3}. The catalyst used was a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} reforming catalyst from Johnson Matthey. The Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} reforming catalyst particles of mean diameter 50-70 {mu}m was packed into the micro-channels by injecting water based suspension of catalyst particles at the inlet point. The miniaturized PDMS micro-reformer was operated successfully in the operating temperatures of 180-240 C and 15%-75% molar methanol conversion was achieved in this temperature range for WHSV of 2.1-4.2 h{sup -1}. It was not possible to operate the micro-reformer made by pure PDMS at temperature beyond 240 C. Hybrid type of micro-reformer was fabricated by mixing PDMS and silica powder which allowed the operating temperature around 300 C. The complete conversion (99.5%) of methanol was achieved at 280 C in this case. The maximum reformate gas flow rate was 30 ml/min which can produce 1 W power at 0.6 V assuming hydrogen utilization of 60%. (author)

PDMS Based Thermopnuematic Peristaltic Micropump for Microfluidic Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamanee, W; Tuantranont, A; Afzulpurkar, N V; Porntheerapat, N; Rahong, S; Wisitsoraat, A

2006-01-01

A thermopnuematic peristaltic micropump for controlling micro litters of fluid was designed and fabricated from multi-stack PDMS structure on glass substrate. Pump structure consists of inlet and outlet, microchannel, three thermopneumatic actuation chambers, and three heaters. In microchannel, fluid is controlled and pumped by peristaltic motion of actuation diaphragm. Actuation diaphragm can bend up and down by exploiting air expansion that is induced by increasing heater temperature. The micropump characteristics were measured as a function of applied voltage and frequency. The flow rate was determined by periodically recording the motion of fluid at Nanoport output and computing flow volume from height difference between consecutive records. From the experiment, an optimum flow rate of 0.82 μl/min is obtained under 14 V three-phase input voltages at 0.033 Hz operating frequency

Synthesis of Ru/PDMS nano-composites via supercritial deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ge, Minglan [Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617 (China); Bozbag, Selmi E. [Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Koç University, 34450 Sariyer, Istanbul (Turkey); Ayala, Christian J.; Aindow, Mark [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269 (United States); Erkey, Can, E-mail: cerkey@ku.edu.tr [Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Koç University, 34450 Sariyer, Istanbul (Turkey); Koç University TÜPRAŞ Energy Center (KUTEM), Koç University, 34450 Sariyer, Istanbul (Turkey)

2016-09-01

Nanomaterials consisting of Ru nanoparticles dispersed in polydimethylsiloxane films were synthesized by supercritical deposition. The films were impregnated with the organometallic precursor bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato) (1,5-cyclooctadiene) ruthenium (II) under thermodynamic control in the presence of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO{sub 2}) at 40 °C and 10.34 MPa. The precursor molecules were then converted to metallic Ru by thermal treatment in flowing N{sub 2} at ambient pressure, resulting in well-dispersed nanoparticles with diameters of ≈2 nm. - Highlights: • PDMS-Ru nanoparticle composites were prepared using supercritical deposition. • PDMS-Ru nanoparticle composites were prepared without using an immobilization agent. • PDMS films were impregnated with Ru(cod)(tmhd){sub 2} in supercritical CO{sub 2}. • The impregnated Ru(cod)(tmhd){sub 2} was then reduced to metallic Ru in flowing N{sub 2}. • The resulting Ru nanoparticles were well-dispersed and had diameters of ≈2 nm.

Microphase separation behavior on the surfaces of PEG-MDI-PDMS multiblock copolymer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Hongxia; Zhou Shuxue; Wu Limin

2006-01-01

A series of poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-4,4'-diphenylmethanediisocyanate(MDI)-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) multiblock copolymers were synthesized by employing two-step growth polymerization technique. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observed nanoscopically well-organized phase-separated surfaces consisting of hydrophilic domain from PEG and MDI segments and hydrophobic domain from PDMS segments even with 50 wt.% PDMS in the copolymer, and the multiblock copolymer coatings presented a surface free energy of as low as 6-8 mN m -1

Simple and fast polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) patterning using a cutting plotter and vinyl adhesives to achieve etching results.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyun Kim; Sun-Young Yoo; Ji Sung Kim; Zihuan Wang; Woon Hee Lee; Kyo-In Koo; Jong-Mo Seo; Dong-Il Cho

2017-07-01

Inhibition of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymerization could be observed when spin-coated over vinyl substrates. The degree of polymerization, partially curing or fully curing, depended on the PDMS thickness coated over the vinyl substrate. This characteristic was exploited to achieve simple and fast PDMS patterning method using a vinyl adhesive layer patterned through a cutting plotter. The proposed patterning method showed results resembling PDMS etching. Therefore, patterning PDMS over PDMS, glass, silicon, and gold substrates were tested to compare the results with conventional etching methods. Vinyl stencils with widths ranging from 200μm to 1500μm were used for the procedure. To evaluate the accuracy of the cutting plotter, stencil designed on the AutoCAD software and the actual stencil widths were compared. Furthermore, this method's accuracy was also evaluated by comparing the widths of the actual stencils and etched PDMS results.

Surface tension-induced high aspect-ratio PDMS micropillars with concave and convex lens tips

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei; Fan, Yiqiang; Yi, Ying; Foulds, Ian G.

2013-01-01

This paper reports a novel method for the fabrication of 3-dimensional (3D) Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars with concave and convex lens tips in a one-step molding process, using a CO2 laser-machined Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mold with through holes. The PDMS micropillars are 4 mm high and have an aspect ratio of 251. The micropillars are formed by capillary force drawing up PDMS into the through hole mold. The concave and convex lens tips of the PDMS cylindrical micropillars are induced by surface tension and are controllable by changing the surface wetting properties of the through holes in the PMMA mold. This technique eliminates the requirements of expensive and complicated facilities to prepare a 3D mold, and it provides a simple and rapid method to fabricate 3D PDMS micropillars with controllable dimensions and tip shapes. © 2013 IEEE.

Surface tension-induced high aspect-ratio PDMS micropillars with concave and convex lens tips

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei

2013-04-01

This paper reports a novel method for the fabrication of 3-dimensional (3D) Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars with concave and convex lens tips in a one-step molding process, using a CO2 laser-machined Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mold with through holes. The PDMS micropillars are 4 mm high and have an aspect ratio of 251. The micropillars are formed by capillary force drawing up PDMS into the through hole mold. The concave and convex lens tips of the PDMS cylindrical micropillars are induced by surface tension and are controllable by changing the surface wetting properties of the through holes in the PMMA mold. This technique eliminates the requirements of expensive and complicated facilities to prepare a 3D mold, and it provides a simple and rapid method to fabricate 3D PDMS micropillars with controllable dimensions and tip shapes. © 2013 IEEE.

Rapid selective metal patterning on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fabricated by capillarity-assisted laser direct write

KAUST Repository

Lee, Ming-Tsang

2011-08-12

In this study we demonstrate a novel approach for the rapid fabricating micro scale metal (silver) patterning directly on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate. Silver nanoparticles were sintered on PDMS to form conductive metal films using laser direct write (LDW) technology. To achieve good metal film quality, a capillarity-assisted laser direct writing (CALDW) of nanoparticle suspensions on a low surface energy material (PDMS) was utilized. Experimental results showed controllable electrical conductivities and good film properties of the sintered silver patterns. This study reveals an advanced method of metal patterning on PDMS, and proposes a new research application of LDW in a nanoparticle colloidal environment. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Prediction of Partition Coefficients of Organic Compounds for SPME/PDMS

OpenAIRE

Liao Hsuan-Yu; Huang Miao-Ling; Lu Yu-Ting; Chao Keh-Ping

2016-01-01

The partition coefficients of 51 organic compounds between SPME/PDMS and gas were compiled from the literature sources in this study. The effect of physicochemical properties and descriptors on the partitioning process of partition coefficients was explicated by the correlation analysis. The PDMS-gas partition coefficients were well correlated to the molecular weight of organic compounds (r = 0.832, p < 0.05). An empirical model, consisting of the molecular weight and the polarizability, was ...

Performance evaluation of carbon black based electrodes for underwater ECG monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Reyes, Bersain A; Posada-Quintero, Hugo F; Bales, Justin R; Chon, Ki H

2014-01-01

Underwater electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring currently uses Ag/AgCl electrodes and requires sealing of the electrodes to avoid water intrusion, but this procedure is time consuming and often results in severe irritations or even tearing of the skin. To alleviate these problems, our research team developed hydrophobic electrodes comprised of a mixture of carbon black powder (CB) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that provide all morphological waveforms without distortion of an ECG signal for dry and water-immersed conditions. Performance comparison of CB/PDMS electrodes to adhesive Ag/AgCl hydrogel electrodes was carried out in three different scenarios which included recordings from a dry surface, water immersion, and post-water immersion conditions. CB/PDMS electrodes were able to acquire ECG signals highly correlated with those from adhesive Ag/AgCl electrodes during all conditions. Statistical reduction in ECG amplitude (pelectrodes when compared to Ag/AgCl electrodes sealed with their waterproof adhesive tape. Besides this reduction readability of the recordings was not obscured and all morphological waveforms of the ECG signal were discernible. The advantages of our CB/PDMS electrodes are that they are reusable, can be fabricated economically, and most importantly, high-fidelity underwater ECG signals can be acquired without relying on the heavy use of waterproof sealing.

Neutron scattering analysis of rubber carbon black composite structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelm, R.P. Jr.; Wampler, W.A.; Gerspacher, M.

1994-01-01

We explore the uses of small-angle neutron scattering to dissect component form, structure and distribution in carbon black-reinforced rubber by varying the contrast of the system relative to some fluid by changing the fluid scattering-length density. This is the method of contrast variation. Contrast variation allows us to separate scattering contributions from the different components. Here, we extend our studies on high surface area (HSA) carbon black suspended in cyclohexane/deuterocyclohexane to HSA mixed with polyisoprene as a gel of ''bound'' rubber swollen with the same solvent mixtures. Contrast variation of swollen composite gels shows that there are two length scales in the gel structure. Above 1 nm fluctuations in the carbon black predominate. Interactions with elastomer hold the HSA aggregates appart. Below 1 nm the scattering is largely from the elastomer. The smooth surface structure of the carbon black is unaltered by the interactions with elastomer and appears smooth over length scales above about 1 nm. These results show that contrast variation can provide information on composite structure that is not available by other means. This information relates to the reinforcement mechanism of elastomers by carbon blacks

Novel anti-flooding poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) catalyst binder for microbial fuel cell cathodes

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang; Chen, Guang; Hickner, Michael A.; Logan, Bruce E.

2012-01-01

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) was investigated as an alternative to Nafion as an air cathode catalyst binder in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Cathodes were constructed around either stainless steel (SS) mesh or copper mesh using PDMS as both catalyst

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Based Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Chen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available There is growing attention and rapid development on flexible electronic devices with electronic materials and sensing technology innovations. In particular, strain sensors with high elasticity and stretchability are needed for several potential applications including human entertainment technology, human–machine interface, personal healthcare, and sports performance monitoring, etc. This article presents recent advancements in the development of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors for wearable applications. First of all, the article shows that PDMS-based stretchable resistive strain sensors are successfully fabricated by different methods, such as the filtration method, printing technology, micromolding method, coating techniques, and liquid phase mixing. Next, strain sensing performances including stretchability, gauge factor, linearity, and durability are comprehensively demonstrated and compared. Finally, potential applications of PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors are also discussed. This review indicates that the era of wearable intelligent electronic systems has arrived.

Virtual Black Holes and Space-Time Structure

Science.gov (United States)

't Hooft, Gerard

2018-01-01

In the standard formalism of quantum gravity, black holes appear to form statistical distributions of quantum states. Now, however, we can present a theory that yields pure quantum states. It shows how particles entering a black hole can generate firewalls, which however can be removed, replacing them by the `footprints' they produce in the out-going particles. This procedure can preserve the quantum information stored inside and around the black hole. We then focus on a subtle but unavoidable modification of the topology of the Schwarzschild metric: antipodal identification of points on the horizon. If it is true that vacuum fluctuations include virtual black holes, then the structure of space-time is radically different from what is usually thought.

Direct transfer of multilayer graphene grown on a rough metal surface using PDMS adhesion engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Heejun; Kang, Il-Suk; Lee, Youngbok; Cha, Yun Jeong; Yoon, Dong Ki; Ahn, Chi Won; Lee, Wonhee

2016-09-01

The direct transfer of graphene using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamping has advantages such as a ‘pick-and-place’ capability and no chemical residue problems. However, it is not easy to apply direct PDMS stamping to graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition on rough, grainy metal surfaces due to poor contact between the PDMS and graphene. In this study, graphene consisting of a mixture of monolayers and multiple layers grown on a rough Ni surface was directly transferred without the use of an adhesive layer. Liquid PDMS was cured on graphene to effect a conformal contact with the graphene. A fast release of graphene from substrate was achieved by carrying out wet-etching-assisted mechanical peeling. We also carried out a thermal post-curing of PDMS to control the level of adhesion between PDMS and graphene and hence facilitate a damage-free release of the graphene. Characterization of the transferred graphene by micro-Raman spectroscopy, SEM/EDS and optical microscopy showed neither cracks nor contamination from the transfer. This technique allows a fast and simple transfer of graphene, even for multilayer graphene grown on a rough surface.

The fabrication and performance of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microreformer for application to electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Ji Won [Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005 (United States); Hyuck Jang, Jae; Hyoung Gil, Jae; Kim, Sung-Han [Micro-Fuel Cell Team, Electro-Material and Device Laboratory, Central R and D Institute, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Maetan 3-Dong, Yeoungtong-Gu, Suwon 442-838 (Korea)

2008-04-15

A miniaturized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based methanol steam reformer having a serpentine microchannel for application in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been developed. The fabricated PDMS microreformer consists of four layers, and a commercial thin-flexible heater for reforming reaction is embedded in the PDMS layers. The volume of a PDMS microreformer is about 10cm{sup 3}. The commercial Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} reforming catalyst was used and the Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} reforming catalyst particles of mean diameter 50-70{mu} m was packed into the microchannels by fluidized method. In this study, the miniaturized PDMS microreformer was operated successfully in the operating temperatures of 180-240 C and 30-40% molar methanol conversion was achieved in the temperature range for the feed rate of 10 and 50{mu} l-{sup -1}. (author)

Fouling release nanostructured coatings based on PDMS-polyurea segmented copolymers

KAUST Repository

Fang, Jason

2010-05-01

The bulk and surface characteristics of a series of coatings based on PDMS-polyurea segmented copolymers were correlated to their fouling release performance. Incorporation of polyurea segments to PDMS backbone gives rise to phase separation with the extensively hydrogen bonded hard domains creating an interconnected network that imparts mechanical rigidity. Increasing the compositional complexity of the system by including fluorinated or POSS-functionalized chain extenders or through nanoclay intercalation, confers further thermomechanical improvements. In analogy to the bulk morphology, the surface topography also reflects the compositional complexity of the materials, displaying a wide range of motifs. Investigations on settlement and subsequent removal of Ulva sporelings on those nanostructured surfaces indicate that the work required to remove the microorganisms is significantly lower compared to coatings based on standard PDMS homopolymer. All in all, the series of materials considered in this study demonstrate advanced fouling release properties, while exhibiting superior mechanical properties and, thus, long term durability. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Surface tension-induced PDMS micro-pillars with controllable tips and tilt angles

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei; Fan, Yiqiang; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Foulds, Ian G.

2013-01-01

This paper reports a novel method to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-pillars using a CO2 laser-machined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mold with through-holes. This method eliminates the requirements of expensive and complicated facilities to fabricate a 3D mold. The micro-pillars were formed by the capillary force that draws PDMS into the through-holes of the PMMA mold. The tilt angles of the micro-pillars depend on the tilt angles of the through-holes in the mold, and the concave and convex micro-lens tip shapes of the PDMS micro-pillars can be modified by changing the surface wettability of the PMMA through-holes.

Surface tension-induced PDMS micro-pillars with controllable tips and tilt angles

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei

2013-12-21

This paper reports a novel method to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-pillars using a CO2 laser-machined poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mold with through-holes. This method eliminates the requirements of expensive and complicated facilities to fabricate a 3D mold. The micro-pillars were formed by the capillary force that draws PDMS into the through-holes of the PMMA mold. The tilt angles of the micro-pillars depend on the tilt angles of the through-holes in the mold, and the concave and convex micro-lens tip shapes of the PDMS micro-pillars can be modified by changing the surface wettability of the PMMA through-holes.

Structure aggregation of carbon black in ethylene-propylene diene polymer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The modulus of filled and unfilled Ethylene-propylene diene rubber (EPDM vulcanizates was used to predict the shape-factor of carbon black aggregation in the polymer. Four types of carbon black that vary in particle size and structure were used in this study. Quadratic curves relating the carbon black volume concentration and the modulus ratio of filled and unfilled rubber vulcanizates were used to adopt the shape factor of certain carbon black type. The shape factor of MT, HAF, SRF and Lampblack were 3, 3.75, 4 and 4.25 respectively. X-ray diffraction technique (XRD was also used to evaluate the relative size of crystallite on the filler surface to that of the rubber and correlating it to the shape factor of carbon black aggregation in the polymer. Effect of the pH values and structure of carbon blacks used on the shape factor of filler aggregates were also studied. It was found that the shape factor is independent on the particle size while it is dependent on the pH value and structure of carbon black. Also the crystallites size of the filler is proportional to the shape factor.

Sub-15nm Silicon Lines Fabrication via PS-b-PDMS Block Copolymer Lithography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasappa, Sozaraj; Schulte, Lars; Borah, Dipu

2013-01-01

-b-PDMS (33 k–17 k) was conditioned by applying solvent and solvothermal annealing techniques. BCP nanopatterns formed after the annealing process have been confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) after removal of upper PDMS wetting layer by plasma etching. Silicon nanostructures were obtained...

Atomic and electronic structure of exfoliated black phosphorus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Ryan J.; Topsakal, Mehmet; Jeong, Jong Seok; Wentzcovitch, Renata M.; Mkhoyan, K. Andre; Low, Tony; Robbins, Matthew C.; Haratipour, Nazila; Koester, Steven J.

2015-01-01

Black phosphorus, a layered two-dimensional crystal with tunable electronic properties and high hole mobility, is quickly emerging as a promising candidate for future electronic and photonic devices. Although theoretical studies using ab initio calculations have tried to predict its atomic and electronic structure, uncertainty in its fundamental properties due to a lack of clear experimental evidence continues to stymie our full understanding and application of this novel material. In this work, aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and ab initio calculations are used to study the crystal structure of few-layer black phosphorus. Directly interpretable annular dark-field images provide a three-dimensional atomic-resolution view of this layered material in which its stacking order and all three lattice parameters can be unambiguously identified. In addition, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is used to measure the conduction band density of states of black phosphorus, which agrees well with the results of density functional theory calculations performed for the experimentally determined crystal. Furthermore, experimental EELS measurements of interband transitions and surface plasmon excitations are also consistent with simulated results. Finally, the effects of oxidation on both the atomic and electronic structure of black phosphorus are analyzed to explain observed device degradation. The transformation of black phosphorus into amorphous PO 3 or H 3 PO 3 during oxidation may ultimately be responsible for the degradation of devices exposed to atmosphere over time

The study of PDMS surface treatment and it's applications by using proton beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baek, J. Y.; Kim, J. Y.; Kwon, K. H.; Park, J. Y. [Korea Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2007-04-15

PDMS(Polydimethylsiloxane) is mainly used as a material to do lab on a chip for biochemical analysis. PDMS has many applicability at the Bio-Technology(BT) field, because it is flexible, biocompatible and has good oxygen permeability. In this study, we have investigated to physical and chemical changes of PDMS surface by proton beam radiation conditions. The used kind of ion were Ar and N, beam energy was 30keV, 60keV, 80keV, total fluence was 1E10 to 1E16 [ions/cm{sup 2}]. PDMS membrane was produced as 150 {mu}m thick on the 3' silicon wafer. We inquired into physical and chemical changes up to beam radiation conditions through the investigate the change of surface roughness by AFM(Atomic Force Microscope), the change of surface morphology by SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope) and the change of chemical composition by FT-IR(Fourier Transform Infrared Raman spectroscopy) and XPS(X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy). From these basic data to we set up the proton beam radiation conditions to secure metal layer and PDMS adhesion. This enables to produce the electrode at the PDMS material lab on a chip. From now on, we'll investigate the cell patterning possibility after carry out of cell culture with mouse fibroblast at PDMS surface what is surface modification by using of proton beam radiation and apply this to produce lab on a chip. Physical property: Surface roughness of PDMS membrane was observed using AFM, after exposure of proton beam on it. The roughness increased as the power level of proton beam increase. This phenomena was caused by the kinetic energy of particle. Chemical property: Long term observation was conducted on the contact angles of the samples made by the proton beam exposure or oxygen plasma treatment; the hydrophilicity was found to be stronger in the samples made by the proton beam exposure. We found the reason of this was the destruction of polymer chains by proton beam. Feasibility of Through-hole: Considering that comparatively high

Engineers are from PDMS-land, Biologists are from Polystyrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Berthier, Erwin; Young, Edmond W K; Beebe, David

2012-04-07

As the integration of microfluidics into cell biology research proceeds at an ever-increasing pace, a critical question for those working at the interface of both disciplines is which device material to use for a given application. While PDMS and soft lithography methods offer the engineer rapid prototyping capabilities, PDMS as a material has characteristics that have known adverse effects on cell-based experiments. In contrast, while polystyrene (PS), the most commonly used thermoplastic for laboratory cultureware, has provided decades of grounded and validated research conclusions in cell behavior and function, PS as a material has posed significant challenges in microfabrication. These competing issues have forced microfluidics engineers and biologists to make compromises in how they approach specific research questions, and furthermore, have attenuated the impact of microfluidics on biological research. In this review, we provide a comparison of the attributes of PDMS and PS, and discuss reasons for their popularity in their respective fields. We provide a critical evaluation of the strengths and limitations of PDMS and PS in relation to the advancement and future impact on microfluidic cell-based studies and applications. We believe that engineers have a responsibility to overcome any challenges associated with microfabrication, whether with PS or other materials, and that engineers should provide options and solutions that assist biologists in their experimental design. Our goal is not to advocate for any specific material, but provide guidelines for researchers who desire to choose the most suitable material for their application, and suggest important research directions for engineers working at the interface between microfabrication technology and biological application. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012

Does introduction of a Patient Data Management System (PDMS) improve the financial situation of an intensive care unit?

Science.gov (United States)

Castellanos, Ixchel; Schüttler, Jürgen; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich; Bürkle, Thomas

2013-09-16

Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS) support clinical documentation at the bedside and have demonstrated effects on completeness of patient charting and the time spent on documentation. These systems are costly and raise the question if such a major investment pays off. We tried to answer the following questions: How do costs and revenues of an intensive care unit develop before and after introduction of a PDMS? Can higher revenues be obtained with improved PDMS documentation? Can we present cost savings attributable to the PDMS? Retrospective analysis of cost and reimbursement data of a 25 bed Intensive Care Unit at a German University Hospital, three years before (2004-2006) and three years after (2007-2009) PDMS implementation. Costs and revenues increased continuously over the years. The profit of the investigated ICU was fluctuating over the years and seemingly depending on other factors as well. We found a small increase in profit in the year after the introduction of the PDMS, but not in the following years. Profit per case peaked at 1039 € in 2007, but dropped subsequently to 639 € per case. We found no clear evidence for cost savings after the PDMS introduction. Our cautious calculation did not consider additional labour costs for IT staff needed for system maintenance. The introduction of a PDMS has probably minimal or no effect on reimbursement. In our case the observed increase in profit was too small to amortize the total investment for PDMS implementation.This may add some counterweight to the literature, where expectations for tools such as the PDMS can be quite unreasonable.

Tunable, flexible antireflection layer of ZnO nanowires embedded in PDMS.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min Kyu; Yi, Dong Kee; Paik, Ungyu

2010-05-18

In this article, we report the fabrication of ordered hybrid structures composed of ZnO nanowires and a polymeric matrix with a polymer precursor infiltrating the nanowire arrays. The antireflective properties of the resulting ZnO nanowire-embedded polydimethylsiloxane composite (ZPC) were investigated at various ZnO nanowire lengths and ZPC bending angles. Interestingly, we found that whereas the antireflective properties showed a strong dependence on the length of the embedded ZnO nanowires in PDMS, the bending of ZPC has little effect on the antireflective properties.

Viscoelastic nature of Au nanoparticle–PDMS nanocomposite gels

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

1Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research,. Bangalore ... enhanced thermal stability.3 These unique properties have ..... (loss modulus) and G (storage modulus) for plain PDMS gel.

Green silicone elastomer obtained from a counterintuitively stable mixture of glycerol and PDMS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazurek, P.; Hvilsted, S.; Skov, A. L.

2016-01-01

A green and cheap silicone-based elastomer has been developed. Through the simple mixing-in of biodiesel-originating glycerol into commercially available polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pre-polymer, a glycerol-in-PDMS emulsion was produced. This counterintuitively stable mixture became a basis...... for obtaining elastomeric composites with uniformly distributed glycerol droplets. Various compositions, containing from 0 to 140 parts of glycerol per 100 parts of PDMS by weight, were prepared and investigated in terms of ATR-FTIR, broadband dielectric spectroscopy, mechanical properties as well as optical......, even in the presence of very high loadings. The conducted experiments highlight the great potential of this new type of elastomer and reveal some possible applications....

Enhancing relative permittivity by incorporating PDMS-PEG multiblock copolymers in binary polymer blends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Szabo, Peter; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers are well-known to be soft and highly stretchable, yet they never achieve maximum elongation when utilised as dielectric elastomers, simply because their dielectric permittivity remains rather low. Conversely, polyethyleneglycols (PEG) are not stretchable......, but they do possess high permittivity. Combining two such polymers in a block copolymer allows for further crosslinking and presents the possibility of substantial improvements in the actuation response of the resulting dielectric elastomer – if carefully designed. The objective is to synthesise a PDMS......, the discontinuity in PEG can be acquired and the relative permittivity (ε’) is significantly enhanced (60%) with 5wt% of PDMS-PEG block copolymer incorporated into the silicone elastomer....

Sub-100 nm gold nanohole-enhanced Raman scattering on flexible PDMS sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seunghyun; Ongko, Andry; Kim, Ho Young; Yim, Sang-Gu; Jeon, Geumhye; Jeong, Hee Jin; Lee, Seungwoo; Kwak, Minseok; Yang, Seung Yun

2016-08-01

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a highly sensitive vibrational spectroscopy technique enabling detection of multiple analytes at the molecular level in a nondestructive and rapid manner. In this work, we introduce a new approach to fabricate deep subwavelength-scaled (sub-100 nm) metallic nanohole arrays (quasi-3D metallic nanoholes) on flexible and highly efficient SERS substrates. Target structures have been fabricated using a two-step process consisting of (i) direct pattern transfer of spin-coated polymer films onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates by plasma etching with transferred anodic aluminum oxide masks, and (ii) producing SERS-active substrates by functionalization of the etched polymeric films followed by Au deposition. Such an all-dry, top-down lithographic approach enables on-demand patterning of SERS-active metallic nanoholes with high structural fidelity even onto flexible and stretchable substrates, thus making possible multiple sensing modes in a versatile fashion. For example, metallic nanoholes on flexible PDMS substrates are highly amenable to their integration with curved glass sticks, which can be used in optical fiber-integrated SERS systems. Au surfaces immobilized by probe DNA molecules show a selective enhancement of Raman scattering with Cy5-labeled complementary DNA (as compared to flat Au surfaces), demonstrating the potential of using the quasi-3D Au nanohole arrays for bio-sensing applications.

Atomic and electronic structure of exfoliated black phosphorus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Ryan J.; Topsakal, Mehmet; Jeong, Jong Seok; Wentzcovitch, Renata M.; Mkhoyan, K. Andre, E-mail: mkhoyan@umn.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States); Low, Tony; Robbins, Matthew C.; Haratipour, Nazila; Koester, Steven J. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 (United States)

2015-11-15

Black phosphorus, a layered two-dimensional crystal with tunable electronic properties and high hole mobility, is quickly emerging as a promising candidate for future electronic and photonic devices. Although theoretical studies using ab initio calculations have tried to predict its atomic and electronic structure, uncertainty in its fundamental properties due to a lack of clear experimental evidence continues to stymie our full understanding and application of this novel material. In this work, aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and ab initio calculations are used to study the crystal structure of few-layer black phosphorus. Directly interpretable annular dark-field images provide a three-dimensional atomic-resolution view of this layered material in which its stacking order and all three lattice parameters can be unambiguously identified. In addition, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is used to measure the conduction band density of states of black phosphorus, which agrees well with the results of density functional theory calculations performed for the experimentally determined crystal. Furthermore, experimental EELS measurements of interband transitions and surface plasmon excitations are also consistent with simulated results. Finally, the effects of oxidation on both the atomic and electronic structure of black phosphorus are analyzed to explain observed device degradation. The transformation of black phosphorus into amorphous PO{sub 3} or H{sub 3}PO{sub 3} during oxidation may ultimately be responsible for the degradation of devices exposed to atmosphere over time.

CNT/PDMS composite flexible dry electrodes for long-term ECG monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Ha-Chul; Moon, Jin-Hee; Baek, Dong-Hyun; Lee, Jae-Hee; Choi, Yoon-Young; Hong, Joung-Sook; Lee, Sang-Hoon

2012-05-01

We fabricated a carbon nanotube (CNT)/ polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite-based dry ECG electrode that can be readily connected to conventional ECG devices, and showed its long-term wearable monitoring capability and robustness to motion and sweat. While the dispersion of CNTs in PDMS is challenging, we optimized the process to disperse untreated CNTs within PDMS by mechanical force only. The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the CNT/PDMS electrode were tested according to the concentration of CNTs and its thickness. The performances of ECG electrodes were evaluated by using 36 types of electrodes which were fabricated with different concentrations of CNTs, and with a differing diameter and thickness. The ECG signals were obtained by using electrodes of diverse sizes to observe the effects of motion and sweat, and the proposed electrode was shown to be robust to both factors. The CNT concentration and diameter of the electrodes were critical parameters in obtaining high-quality ECG signals. The electrode was shown to be biocompatible from the cytotoxicity test. A seven-day continuous wearability test showed that the quality of the ECG signal did not degrade over time, and skin reactions such as itching or erythema were not observed. This electrode could be used for the long-term measurement of other electrical biosignals for ubiquitous health monitoring including EMG, EEG, and ERG.

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Son, Myoungwoo [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Ham, Moon-Ho [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Woong [School of Nano and Advanced Materials Engineering, Changwon National University, 9 Sarim-Dong, Changwon, Gyeongnam 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Surface-textured AZO films were achieved by combining PDMS method with wet etching. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The AZO film deposited at 230 Degree-Sign C by PDMS exhibited the best performance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is due to the higher plasma density supplied from PDMS system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wet etching of the films produces a crater-like rough surface morphology. - Abstract: A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 Degree-Sign C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm{sup 2}/V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

A PDMS-Based Microfluidic Hanging Drop Chip for Embryoid Body Formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Huei-Wen; Hsiao, Yi-Hsing; Chen, Chih-Chen; Yet, Shaw-Fang; Hsu, Chia-Hsien

2016-07-06

The conventional hanging drop technique is the most widely used method for embryoid body (EB) formation. However, this method is labor intensive and limited by the difficulty in exchanging the medium. Here, we report a microfluidic chip-based approach for high-throughput formation of EBs. The device consists of microfluidic channels with 6 × 12 opening wells in PDMS supported by a glass substrate. The PDMS channels were fabricated by replicating polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) from SU-8 mold. The droplet formation in the chip was tested with different hydrostatic pressures to obtain optimal operation pressures for the wells with 1000 μm diameter openings. The droplets formed at the opening wells were used to culture mouse embryonic stem cells which could subsequently developed into EBs in the hanging droplets. This device also allows for medium exchange of the hanging droplets making it possible to perform immunochemistry staining and characterize EBs on chip.

A PDMS-Based Microfluidic Hanging Drop Chip for Embryoid Body Formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huei-Wen Wu

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The conventional hanging drop technique is the most widely used method for embryoid body (EB formation. However, this method is labor intensive and limited by the difficulty in exchanging the medium. Here, we report a microfluidic chip-based approach for high-throughput formation of EBs. The device consists of microfluidic channels with 6 × 12 opening wells in PDMS supported by a glass substrate. The PDMS channels were fabricated by replicating polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS from SU-8 mold. The droplet formation in the chip was tested with different hydrostatic pressures to obtain optimal operation pressures for the wells with 1000 μm diameter openings. The droplets formed at the opening wells were used to culture mouse embryonic stem cells which could subsequently developed into EBs in the hanging droplets. This device also allows for medium exchange of the hanging droplets making it possible to perform immunochemistry staining and characterize EBs on chip.

Minimizing residues and strain in 2D materials transferred from PDMS

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Achint; Bharadwaj, Palash; Heeg, Sebastian; Parzefall, Markus; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Novotny, Lukas

2018-06-01

Integrating layered two-dimensional (2D) materials into 3D heterostructures offers opportunities for novel material functionalities and applications in electronics and photonics. In order to build the highest quality heterostructures, it is crucial to preserve the cleanliness and morphology of 2D material surfaces that come in contact with polymers such as PDMS during transfer. Here we report that substantial residues and up to ∼0.22% compressive strain can be present in monolayer MoS2 transferred using PDMS. We show that a UV-ozone pre-cleaning of the PDMS surface before exfoliation significantly reduces organic residues on transferred MoS2 flakes. An additional 200 ◦C vacuum anneal after transfer efficiently removes interfacial bubbles and wrinkles as well as accumulated strain, thereby restoring the surface morphology of transferred flakes to their native state. Our recipe is important for building clean heterostructures of 2D materials and increasing the reproducibility and reliability of devices based on them.

Enhanced protection of PDMS-embedded palladium catalysts by co-embedding of sulphide-scavengers.

Science.gov (United States)

Comandella, Daniele; Ahn, Min Hyung; Kim, Hojeong; Mackenzie, Katrin

2017-12-01

For Pd-containing hydrodechlorination catalysts, coating with poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) was proposed earlier as promising protection scheme against poisoning. The PDMS coating can effectively repel non-permeating poisons (such as SO 3 2- ) retaining the hydrodechlorination Pd activity. In the present study, the previously achieved protection efficiency was enhanced by incorporation of sulphide scavengers into the polymer. The embedded scavengers were able to bind permeating non-ionic poisons (such as H 2 S) during their passage through PDMS prior to Pd contact which ensured an extended catalyst lifetime. Three scavenger types forming non-permeable sulphur species from H 2 S - alkaline, oxidative or iron-based compounds - were either incorporated into single-layer coats around individual Pd/Al 2 O 3 particles or into a second layer above Pd-containing PDMS films (Pd-PDMS). Hydrodechlorination and hydrogenation were chosen as model reactions, carried out in batch and continuous-flow reactors. Batch tests with all scavenger-containing catalysts showed extended Pd protection compared to scavenger-free catalysts. Solid alkaline compounds (Ca(OH) 2 , NaOH, CaO) and MnO 2 showed the highest instantaneous scavenger efficiencies (retained Pd activity=30-60%), while iron-based catalysts, such as nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) or ferrocene (FeCp 2 ), proved less efficient (1-10%). When stepwise poisoning was applied, the protection efficiency of iron-based and oxidizing compounds was higher in the long term than that of alkaline solids. Long-term experiments in mixed-flow reactors were performed with selected scavengers, revealing the following trend of protection efficiency: CaO 2 >Ca(OH) 2 >FeCp 2 . Under field-simulating conditions using a fixed-bed reactor, the combination of sulphide pre-oxidation in the water phase by H 2 O 2 and local scavenger-enhanced Pd protection was successful. The oxidizing agent H 2 O 2 does not disturb the Pd-catalysed reduction, while the

Fabrication and characterization of a magnetic micro-actuator based on deformable Fe-doped PDMS artificial cilium using 3D printing

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fengli; Alici, Gursel; Zhang, Binbin; Beirne, Stephen; Li, Weihua

2015-03-01

This paper proposes the use of a 3D extrusion printer to fabricate artificial magnetic cilium. The cilia are fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) doped with iron particles so that they remain slender and flexible. They can be driven by a magnetic field to closely mimic the behaviour of biological cilia. Doping iron particles to the polymers has already been done; however, to the best of our knowledge, printing such active and soft magnetic structures has not. The existing methods for manufacturing magnetic polymeric structures are complex and difficult to use for the fabrication of micro-sized high-aspect-ratio cilia. The 3D printing technique we propose here is simple and inexpensive compared to previously suggested fabrication methods. In this study, free-standing magnetic PDMS cilia were fabricated in different sizes up to 5 mm in length and 1 mm in width. The stress-strain curves of the PDMS cilia were experimentally obtained to quantify the effect of the concentration of the iron particles on the modulus of elasticity of the cilia. The higher the iron concentration, the higher the modulus of elasticity. We have quantified the characteristics of the cilia made of 40% w/w iron particles in PDMS. A single cilium (5 × 1 × 0.0035 mm) can output up to 27 μN blocking force under a magnetic field of 160 mT. These cilia can be used as a mixer in lap-on-chip applications and as the anchoring and propulsion legs of endoscopic capsule robots operating within the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Analytical expressions estimating the blocking force are established and compared with the experimental results.

Fabrication and characterization of a magnetic micro-actuator based on deformable Fe-doped PDMS artificial cilium using 3D printing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Fengli; Alici, Gursel; Li, Weihua; Zhang, Binbin; Beirne, Stephen

2015-01-01

This paper proposes the use of a 3D extrusion printer to fabricate artificial magnetic cilium. The cilia are fabricated using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) doped with iron particles so that they remain slender and flexible. They can be driven by a magnetic field to closely mimic the behaviour of biological cilia. Doping iron particles to the polymers has already been done; however, to the best of our knowledge, printing such active and soft magnetic structures has not. The existing methods for manufacturing magnetic polymeric structures are complex and difficult to use for the fabrication of micro-sized high-aspect-ratio cilia. The 3D printing technique we propose here is simple and inexpensive compared to previously suggested fabrication methods. In this study, free-standing magnetic PDMS cilia were fabricated in different sizes up to 5 mm in length and 1 mm in width. The stress-strain curves of the PDMS cilia were experimentally obtained to quantify the effect of the concentration of the iron particles on the modulus of elasticity of the cilia. The higher the iron concentration, the higher the modulus of elasticity. We have quantified the characteristics of the cilia made of 40% w/w iron particles in PDMS. A single cilium (5 × 1 × 0.0035 mm) can output up to 27 μN blocking force under a magnetic field of 160 mT. These cilia can be used as a mixer in lap-on-chip applications and as the anchoring and propulsion legs of endoscopic capsule robots operating within the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Analytical expressions estimating the blocking force are established and compared with the experimental results. (paper)

Graphene-Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Hybrid on PDMS as Stretchable Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Junjun; Fu, Shichen; Zhang, Runzhi; Boon, Eric Peter; Lee, Woo; Fisher, Frank T; Yang, Eui-Hyeok

2017-09-11

Stretchable electrodes are a critical component for flexible electronics such as displays, energy devices, and wearable sensors. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been considered for flexible electrode applications, due to their mechanical strength, high carrier mobility, and excellent thermal conductivity. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) provide the possibility to serve as interconnects to graphene sheets as stretchable electrodes that could maintain high electrical conductivity under large tensile strain. In this work, a graphene oxide (GO) -VACNT hybrid on a PDMS substrate was demonstrated. Here, 50 μm long VACNTs were grown on a Si/SiO2 wafer substrate via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD). VACNTs were directly transferred by delamination from the Si/SiO2 to a semi-cured PDMS substrate, ensuring strong adhesion between VACNTs and PDMS upon full curing of the PDMS. GO ink was then printed on the surface of the VACNT carpet and thermally reduced to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The sheet resistance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was measured under uniaxial tensile strains up to 300% applied to the substrate. Under applied strain, the rGO-VACNT hybrid maintained a sheet resistant of 386±55 Ω/sq. Cyclic stretching of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was performed with up to 50 cycles at 100% maximum tensile strain, showing no increase in sheet resistance. These results demonstrate promising performance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid for flexible electronics applications. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Graphene—vertically aligned carbon nanotube hybrid on PDMS as stretchable electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Junjun; Fu, Shichen; Zhang, Runzhi; Boon, Eric; Lee, Woo; Fisher, Frank T.; Yang, Eui-Hyeok

2017-11-01

Stretchable electrodes are a critical component for flexible electronics such as displays, energy devices, and wearable sensors. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been considered for flexible electrode applications, due to their mechanical strength, high carrier mobility, and excellent thermal conductivity. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) provide the possibility to serve as interconnects to graphene sheets as stretchable electrodes that could maintain high electrical conductivity under large tensile strain. In this work, a graphene oxide (GO)-VACNT hybrid on a PDMS substrate was demonstrated. Here, 50 μm long VACNTs were grown on a Si/SiO2 wafer substrate via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. VACNTs were directly transferred by delamination from the Si/SiO2 to a semi-cured PDMS substrate, ensuring strong adhesion between VACNTs and PDMS upon full curing of the PDMS. GO ink was then printed on the surface of the VACNT carpet and thermally reduced to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The sheet resistance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was measured under uniaxial tensile strains up to 300% applied to the substrate. Under applied strain, the rGO-VACNT hybrid maintained a sheet resistant of 386 ± 55 Ω/sq. Cyclic stretching of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was performed with up to 50 cycles at 100% maximum tensile strain, showing no increase in sheet resistance. These results demonstrate promising performance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid for flexible electronics applications.

Patterning conductive PDMS nanocomposite in an elastomer using microcontact printing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chao-Xuan; Choi, Jin-Woo

2009-01-01

This paper introduces a simple method of embedding conductive and flexible elastomer micropatterns into a bulk elastomer. Employing microcontact printing and cast molding techniques, patterns consisting of conductive poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) composites mixed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are embedded into bulk PDMS to form all-elastomer devices. To pattern conductive composites, a micromachined printing mold is utilized to transfer composite ink from a spin-coated thin layer to another substrate. Distinct from previously reported approaches, the printing mold in this technique, once fabricated, can be repeatedly used to generate new patterns and therefore greatly simplifies the device fabrication process and improves its efficiency. Manufactured devices with embedded conductive patterns exhibit excellent mechanical flexibility. With characterization of printing reliability, electrical conductivity of the composites is also shown with different loading percentages of MWCNTs. Furthermore, a simple strain gauge was fabricated and tested to demonstrate the potential applications of embedded conductive patterns. Overall, this approach demonstrates feasibility to be a simple method to pattern conductive elastomers that work as electrodes or sensing probes in PDMS-based devices. With further development, this technology yields many potential applications in lab-on-a-chip systems

Irreversible bonding of polyimide and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based on a thiol-epoxy click reaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoang, Michelle V; Chung, Hyun-Joong; Elias, Anastasia L

2016-01-01

Polyimide is one of the most popular substrate materials for the microfabrication of flexible electronics, while polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used stretchable substrate/encapsulant material. These two polymers are essential in fabricating devices for microfluidics, bioelectronics, and the internet of things; bonding these materials together is a crucial challenge. In this work, we employ click chemistry at room temperature to irreversibly bond polyimide and PDMS through thiol-epoxy bonds using two different methods. In the first method, we functionalize the surfaces of the PDMS and polyimide substrates with mercaptosilanes and epoxysilanes, respectively, for the formation of a thiol-epoxy bond in the click reaction. In the second method, we functionalize one or both surfaces with mercaptosilane and introduce an epoxy adhesive layer between the two surfaces. When the surfaces are bonded using the epoxy adhesive without any surface functionalization, an extremely small peel strength (<0.01 N mm −1 ) is measured with a peel test, and adhesive failure occurs at the PDMS surface. With surface functionalization, however, remarkably higher peel strengths of ∼0.2 N mm −1 (method 1) and  >0.3 N mm −1 (method 2) are observed, and failure occurs by tearing of the PDMS layer. We envision that the novel processing route employing click chemistry can be utilized in various cases of stretchable and flexible device fabrication. (paper)

PCL-PDMS-PCL copolymer-based microspheres mediate cardiovascular differentiation from embryonic stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Liqing

Poly-epsilon-caprolactone (PCL) based copolymers have received much attention as drug or growth factor delivery carriers and tissue engineering scaffolds due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tunable biophysical properties. Copolymers of PCL and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) also have shape memory behaviors and can be made into thermoresponsive shape memory polymers for various biomedical applications such as smart sutures and vascular stents. However, the influence of biophysical properties of PCL-PDMS-PCL copolymers on stem cell lineage commitment is not well understood. In this study, PDMS was used as soft segments of varying length to tailor the biophysical properties of PCL-based co-polymers. While low elastic modulus (affected cardiovascular differentiation of embryonic stem cells, the range of 60-100 MPa PCL-PDMS-PCL showed little influence on the differentiation. Then different size (30-140 mum) of microspheres were fabricated from PCL-PDMS-PCL copolymers and incorporated within embryoid bodies (EBs). Mesoderm differentiation was induced using bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4 for cardiovascular differentiation. Differential expressions of mesoderm progenitor marker KDR and vascular markers CD31 and VE-cadherin were observed for the cells differentiated from EBs incorporated with microspheres of different size, while little difference was observed for cardiac marker alpha-actinin expression. Small size of microspheres (30 mum) resulted in higher expression of KDR while medium size of microspheres (94 mum) resulted in higher CD31 and VE-cadherin expression. This study indicated that the biophysical properties of PCL-based copolymers impacted stem cell lineage commitment, which should be considered for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.

A soft and conductive PDMS-PEG block copolymer as a compliant electrode for dielectric elastomers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Szabo, Peter; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

Conductive PDMS-PEG block copolymers (Mn = 3 – 5 kg/mol) were chain-extended (Mn = 30 – 45 kg/mol) using hydrosilylation reaction as presented in figure 1. Subsequently, the extended copolymers were added to a conductive nano-filler (multi-walled carbon nanotubes – MWCNTs) in order to enhance...... conductivity. The combination of soft chainextended PDMS-PEG block copolymers and conductive MWCNTs results in a soft and conductive block copolymer composite which potentially can be used as a compliant and highly stretchable electrode for dielectric elastomers. The addition of MWCNTs into the PDMS-PEG matrix...... MWCNTs is 10-3 S/cm compared to 10-1 S/cm of a non-stretchable reference conducting silicone elastomer (LR3162 from Wacker). Furthermore, PDMS-PEG block copolymer with 4 phr MWCNTs (Young’s modulus, Y = 0.26 MPa) is softer and more stretchable thanLR3162 (Y = 1.17 MPa)....

Passivation of black phosphorus saturable absorbers for reliable pulse formation of fiber lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Dongsoo; Park, Kichul; Park, Ki-Hwan; Song, Yong-Won

2017-11-24

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted increasing attention due to its unique electrical properties. In addition, the outstanding optical nonlinearity of BP has been demonstrated in various ways. Its functionality as a saturable absorber, in particular, has been validated in demonstrations of passive mode-locked lasers. However, normally, the performance of BP is degraded eventually by both thermal and chemical damage in ambient conditions. The passivation of BP is the critical issue to guarantee a stable performance of the optical devices. We quantitatively characterized the mode-locked lasers operated by BP saturable absorbers with diversified passivation materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or Al 2 O 3 , considering the atomic structure of the materials, and therefore the hydro-permeability of the passivation layers. Unlike the BP layers without passivation, we demonstrated that the Al 2 O 3 -passivated BP layer was protected from the surface oxidation reaction in the long-term, and the PDMS-passivated one had a short-term blocking effect. The quantitative analysis showed that the time-dependent characteristics of the pulsed laser without passivation were changed with respect to the pulse duration, spectral width, and time-bandwidth product displaying 550 fs, 2.8 nm, and 0.406, respectively. With passivation, the changes were limited to <43 fs, <0.3 nm, and <0.012, respectively.

Passivation of black phosphorus saturable absorbers for reliable pulse formation of fiber lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Dongsoo; Park, Kichul; Park, Ki-Hwan; Song, Yong-Won

2017-11-01

Black phosphorus (BP) has attracted increasing attention due to its unique electrical properties. In addition, the outstanding optical nonlinearity of BP has been demonstrated in various ways. Its functionality as a saturable absorber, in particular, has been validated in demonstrations of passive mode-locked lasers. However, normally, the performance of BP is degraded eventually by both thermal and chemical damage in ambient conditions. The passivation of BP is the critical issue to guarantee a stable performance of the optical devices. We quantitatively characterized the mode-locked lasers operated by BP saturable absorbers with diversified passivation materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or Al2O3, considering the atomic structure of the materials, and therefore the hydro-permeability of the passivation layers. Unlike the BP layers without passivation, we demonstrated that the Al2O3-passivated BP layer was protected from the surface oxidation reaction in the long-term, and the PDMS-passivated one had a short-term blocking effect. The quantitative analysis showed that the time-dependent characteristics of the pulsed laser without passivation were changed with respect to the pulse duration, spectral width, and time-bandwidth product displaying 550 fs, 2.8 nm, and 0.406, respectively. With passivation, the changes were limited to <43 fs, <0.3 nm, and <0.012, respectively.

PDMS-based triboelectric and transparent nanogenerators with ZnO nanorod arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Yeong Hwan; Nagaraju, Goli; Lee, Soo Hyun; Yu, Jae Su

2014-05-14

Vertically-grown ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET), as a top electrode of nanogenerators, were investigated for the antireflective property as well as an efficient contact surface in bare polydimethysiloxane (PDMS)-based triboelectric nanogenerators. Compared to conventional ITO-coated PET (i.e., ITO/PET), the ZnO NRAs considerably suppressed the reflectance from 20 to 9.7% at wavelengths of 300-1100 nm, creating a highly transparent top electrode, as demonstrated by theoretical analysis. Also, the interval time between the peaks of generated output voltage under external pushing forces was significantly decreased from 1.84 to 0.19 s because the reduced contact area of the PDMS by discrete surfaces of the ZnO NRAs on ITO/PET causes a rapid sequence for triboelectric charge generation process including rubbing and separating. Therefore, the use of this top electrode enabled to operate the transparent PDMS-based triboelectric nanogenerator at high frequency of external pushing force. Under different external forces of 0.3-10 kgf, the output voltage and current were also characterized.

The influence of the PDMS technique in the study of the induced modifications of polymers used in nuclear environment; Apport de la technique PDMS a l`etude des modifications induites dans des polymeres utilises en ambiance nucleaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nsouli, B [Lyon-1 Univ., 69 - Villeurbanne (France). Inst. de Physique Nucleaire

1995-07-20

The PDMS technique (Particle Induced Desorption Mass Spectrometry) combined with a TOF detection (Time of Flight) is the main tool used in this study of polymer degradation in nuclear environment. Ar{sup 3+} ions with a 9 MeV energy have been used to induce the secondary ion emission, and the study was devoted to two stresses typical of this type of environment. The first part of the work concerned with the structural modifications induced by gamma irradiation on ion exchange resin, used for nuclear effluents reprocessing, namely the poly(4-vinylpyridine), or P-4PV. For such a material, the negative fragment emission is particularly sensitive to structural modifications. Difficult physical measurements in such an insoluble and infusible material (IR, UV - Vis, EPR, TGA, dielectric measurements) became consistent after the degradation mechanisms were elucidated. These effects, interpreted in terms of scissions and recombinations, enabled us to explicit different modes of energy deposition, and shed light on some discrepancies between SIMS and PDMS. The second part of the study is devoted to the thermal ageing of an elastomer, used in fabrication of valve gaskets submitted to high temperatures. First of all, we studied the constituents of the polymeric material, i. e. copolymer, homo polymers, and also additives. This last component proved useful to analyze, as a superficial lubricant layer can mask the conformational rearrangements which seem to occur after few hours of thermal treatment (PE blocks are prevailing at the surface). Here too, the PDMS information is important to account for static SIMS and ESCA results, as its probed layer thickness lies in-between. (author) 187 refs.

Surface morphology of PS-PDMS diblock copolymer films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, T.H.; Tougaard, S.; Larsen, N.B.

2001-01-01

Spin coated thin films (∼400 Å) of poly(styrene)–poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS–PDMS) diblock copolymers have been investigated using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy. Surface segregation of the poly(dimethylsiloxane) blocks was studied for five diblock copolymers which ra...

Cleaning of nanopillar templates for nanoparticle collection using PDMS

Science.gov (United States)

Merzsch, S.; Wasisto, H. S.; Waag, A.; Kirsch, I.; Uhde, E.; Salthammer, T.; Peiner, E.

2011-05-01

Nanoparticles are easily attracted by surfaces. This sticking behavior makes it difficult to clean contaminated samples. Some complex approaches have already shown efficiencies in the range of 90%. However, a simple and cost efficient method was still missing. A commonly used silicone for soft lithography, PDMS, is able to mold a given surface. This property was used to cover surface-bonded particles from all other sides. After hardening the PDMS, particles are still embedded. A separation of silicone and sample disjoins also the particles from the surface. After this procedure, samples are clean again. This method was first tested with carbon particles on Si surfaces and Si pillar samples with aspect ratios up to 10. Experiments were done using 2 inch wafers, which, however, is not a size limitation for this method.

Mesomorphic phase behaviour of low molar mass PEP-PDMS diblock copolymers synthesized by anionic polymerization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigild, M.E.

1997-10-01

The phase behaviour of low molar mass poly(ethylene-alt-propylene) -poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PEP-PDMS) is investigated in this thesis by the combination of dynamical mechanical spectroscopy (rheology) to measure phase transition temperatures, and small-angle x-ray scattering to identify the morphology of encountered phases. Samples of PEP-PDMS in the range of 0.2-0.7 in volume fraction of PEP are studied. This diblock copolymer system exhibits the three classical phases of lamellar sandwich structure (LAM), hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX), and spheres arranged on a body centered cubic lattice (BCC). Furthermore the gyroid phase (Ia3d symmetry) of two interpenetrating networks was also identified as a stable phase of the PEP-PDMS system. Time resolved measurements of small-angle neutron scattering in tandem with simultaneous in-situ rheological measurements are performed on samples showing transitions between different ordered phases. The identification of especially the BCC and gyroid phases from scattering experiments is treated. By performing mesoscopic crystallographic measurements using a custom built goniometer it was unambiguously shown that the application of shear to an unoriented powder-like sample introduces uniaxial orientation of the gyroid phase. The orientation of the ordered phase is otherwise random, causing a two-dimensional powder. Finally this dissertation presents a discussion of relevant parameters for the description of diblock copolymer phase behaviour together with descriptions of anionic polymerization for the synthesis of copolymers, and various experimental techniques for the characterization of diblocks. (au)

Mesomorphic phase behaviour of low molar mass PEP-PDMS diblock copolymers synthesized by anionic polymerization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vigild, M.E.

1997-10-01

The phase behaviour of low molar mass poly(ethylene-alt-propylene) -poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PEP-PDMS) is investigated in this thesis by the combination of dynamical mechanical spectroscopy (rheology) to measure phase transition temperatures, and small-angle x-ray scattering to identify the morphology of encountered phases. Samples of PEP-PDMS in the range of 0.2-0.7 in volume fraction of PEP are studied. This diblock copolymer system exhibits the three classical phases of lamellar sandwich structure (LAM), hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX), and spheres arranged on a body centered cubic lattice (BCC). Furthermore the gyroid phase (Ia3d symmetry) of two interpenetrating networks was also identified as a stable phase of the PEP-PDMS system. Time resolved measurements of small-angle neutron scattering in tandem with simultaneous in-situ rheological measurements are performed on samples showing transitions between different ordered phases. The identification of especially the BCC and gyroid phases from scattering experiments is treated. By performing mesoscopic crystallographic measurements using a custom built goniometer it was unambiguously shown that the application of shear to an unoriented powder-like sample introduces uniaxial orientation of the gyroid phase. The orientation of the ordered phase is otherwise random, causing a two-dimensional powder. Finally this dissertation presents a discussion of relevant parameters for the description of diblock copolymer phase behaviour together with descriptions of anionic polymerization for the synthesis of copolymers, and various experimental techniques for the characterization of diblocks. (au). 9 tabs., 40 ills., 81 refs.

Black holes and structure in an oscillating universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saslaw, W.C.

1991-01-01

If black holes exist in the contracting phase of a closed universe, they will give rise to a pressure and entropy catastrophe. First, the black holes absorb all the radiation; then their apparent horizons merge, and coalesce with the cosmological apparent horizon. All external observers become internal observers. It is possible that the internal metric of some of the merging black holes will be contracting, and others expanding. I suggest here that the resulting violent inhomogeneities can lead to a re-expansion in a significant portion of the universe. Global re-expansion, prompted by the merging of black holes, may thus begin in a semi-classical rather than fully quantum gravitational era, at densities greater than those at which nucleosynthesis occurs. Surviving black holes and inhomogeneities could initiate the formation of structures such as galaxies in the 'new' universe. The behaviour of such an oscillating universe would differ in detail from cycle to cycle. (author)

Functionalized PDMS with versatile and scalable surface roughness gradients for cell culture

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Bingpu

2015-07-21

This manuscript describes a simple and versatile approach to engineering surface roughness gradients via combination of microfluidics and photo-polymerization. Through UV-mediated polymerization, N-isopropylacrylamide with concentration gradients are successfully grafted onto PDMS surface, leading to diverse roughness degrees on the obtained PDMS substrate. Furthermore, the extent of surface roughness can be controllably regulated via tuning the flow rate ratio between the monomer solution and deionized water. Average roughness ranging from 8.050 nm to 151.68 nm has well been achieved in this work. Such PDMS samples are also demonstrated to be capable of working as supporting substrates for controlling cell adhesion or detachment. Due to the different degrees of surface roughness on a single substrate, our method provides an effective approach for designing advanced surafecs for cell culture. Finally, the thermosensitive property of N-isopropylacrylamide makes our sample furnish as another means for controlling the cell detachment from the substrates with correspondence to the surrounding temperature.

Functionalized PDMS with versatile and scalable surface roughness gradients for cell culture

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Bingpu; Gao, Xinghua; Wang, Cong; Ye, Ziran; Gao, Yibo; Xie, Jiao; Wu, Xiaoxiao; Wen, Weijia

2015-01-01

This manuscript describes a simple and versatile approach to engineering surface roughness gradients via combination of microfluidics and photo-polymerization. Through UV-mediated polymerization, N-isopropylacrylamide with concentration gradients are successfully grafted onto PDMS surface, leading to diverse roughness degrees on the obtained PDMS substrate. Furthermore, the extent of surface roughness can be controllably regulated via tuning the flow rate ratio between the monomer solution and deionized water. Average roughness ranging from 8.050 nm to 151.68 nm has well been achieved in this work. Such PDMS samples are also demonstrated to be capable of working as supporting substrates for controlling cell adhesion or detachment. Due to the different degrees of surface roughness on a single substrate, our method provides an effective approach for designing advanced surafecs for cell culture. Finally, the thermosensitive property of N-isopropylacrylamide makes our sample furnish as another means for controlling the cell detachment from the substrates with correspondence to the surrounding temperature.

Influence of crosslinking process on the mechanical behavior of Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandes, Barbara Monteiro Pessoa; Weber, Ricardo Ponde; Elzubair, Amal; Suarez, Joao Carlos Miguez

2010-01-01

In the present work was studied the influence of the crosslinking process on the mechanical behavior of a composite with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) matrix filled with inorganic particles, used as dental impression material. The material was crosslinked chemically and by exposition to 400kGy gamma radiation dose. The material properties, before and after crosslinking, were analyzed through physical chemical and mechanical tests and microscopic exam. The results showed that the gamma irradiation, as compared to chemical cure process, produced higher degree of crosslinking, better wettability, adjusted hardness and low fragility. However, the microscopic exam showed that the gamma irradiated PDMS presents, as compared with the chemical cure, a greater number of defaults which resulted from the large concentration of released gases. The results allowed us to conclude that gamma irradiation is an adequate process to crosslink the studied PDMS composite, since we can reduce the quantity of gases formed in this process. (author)

Structure of Black Male Students Academic Achievement in Science

Science.gov (United States)

Rascoe, Barbara

Educational policies and practices have been largely unsuccessful in closing the achievement gap between Black and White students "Schwartz, 2001". This achievement gap is especially problematic for Black students in science "Maton, Hrabrowski, - Schmitt, 2000. Given the fact that the Black-White achievement gap is still an enigma, the purpose of this article is to address the Black female-Black male academic achievement gap in science majors. Addressing barriers that Black male students may experience as college science and engineering majors, this article presents marketing strategies relative to politics, emotional intelligence, and issues with respect to how science teaching, and Black male students' responses to it, are different. Many Black male students may need to experience a paradigm shift, which structures and enhances their science achievement. Paradigm shifts are necessary because exceptional academic ability and motivation are not enough to get Black males from their first year in a science, technology, education, and mathematics "STEM" major to a bachelor's degree in science and engineering. The conclusions focus on the balance of truth-slippery slopes concerning the confluence of science teachers' further ado and Black male students' theories, methods, and values that position their academic achievement in science and engineering majors.

Monolithic PDMS Laminates for Dielectric Elastomer Transducers through Open-Air PlasmATreatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hassouneh, Suzan Sager; Oubæk, Jakob; Daugaard, Anders Egede

2016-01-01

The present study investigates the use of an open-air plasma-treatment system for the surface modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), in order to improve layer-to-layer adhesion. The procedure presented herein is more cost efficient compared to conventional vacuum-based plasma-treatment, and......The present study investigates the use of an open-air plasma-treatment system for the surface modification of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), in order to improve layer-to-layer adhesion. The procedure presented herein is more cost efficient compared to conventional vacuum-based plasma...

Motor Skill Performance by Low SES Preschool and Typically Developing Children on the PDMS-2

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ting; Hoffmann, Chelsea; Hamilton, Michelle

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the motor skill performance of preschool children from low socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds to their age matched typically developing peers using the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2). Sixty-eight children (34 low SES and 34 typically developing; ages 3-5) performed the PDMS-2. Standard scores…

Adhesive Stretchable Printed Conductive Thin Film Patterns on PDMS Surface with an Atmospheric Plasma Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chun-Yi; Liao, Ying-Chih

2016-05-11

In this study, a plasma surface modification with printing process was developed to fabricate printed flexible conductor patterns or devices directly on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface. An atmospheric plasma treatment was first used to oxidize the PDMS surface and create a hydrophilic silica surface layer, which was confirmed with photoelectron spectra. The plasma operating parameters, such as gas types and plasma powers, were optimized to obtain surface silica layers with the longest lifetime. Conductive paste with epoxy resin was screen-printed on the plasma-treated PDMS surface to fabricate flexible conductive tracks. As a result of the strong binding forces between epoxy resin and the silica surface layer, the printed patterns showed great adhesion on PDMS and were undamaged after several stringent adhesion tests. The printed conductive tracks showed strong mechanical stability and exhibited great electric conductivity under bending, twisting, and stretching conditions. Finally, a printed pressure sensor with good sensitivity and a fast response time was fabricated to demonstrate the capability of this method for the realization of printed electronic devices.

Rapid and low-cost fabrication of polystyrene-based molds for PDMS microfluidic devices using a CO2 laser

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei; Fan, Yiqiang; Foulds, Ian G.

2011-01-01

In this article, we described a rapid and low-cost method to fabricate polystyrene molds for PDMS microfluidic devices using a CO2 laser system. It takes only several minutes to fabricate the polystyrene mold with bump pattern on top of it using a CO2 laser system. The bump pattern can be easily transferred to PDMS and fabricate microchannles as deep as 3μm on PDMS. © (2012) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Rapid and low-cost fabrication of polystyrene-based molds for PDMS microfluidic devices using a CO2 laser

KAUST Repository

Li, Huawei

2011-11-01

In this article, we described a rapid and low-cost method to fabricate polystyrene molds for PDMS microfluidic devices using a CO2 laser system. It takes only several minutes to fabricate the polystyrene mold with bump pattern on top of it using a CO2 laser system. The bump pattern can be easily transferred to PDMS and fabricate microchannles as deep as 3μm on PDMS. © (2012) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings and study of its wetting behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakradhar, R.P.S.; Kumar, V. Dinesh; Rao, J.L.; Basu, Bharathibai J.

2011-01-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings are demonstrated by a simple, facile, time-saving, wet chemical route. ZnO nanopowders with average particle size of 14 nm were synthesized by a low temperature solution combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction results confirm that the nanopowders exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure and belong to space group P63mc. Field emission scanning electron micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are connected to each other to make large network systems consisting of hierarchical structure. The as formed ZnO coating exhibits wetting behaviour with Water Contact Angle (WCA) of ∼108 o , however on modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), it transforms to superhydrophobic surface with measured contact and sliding angles for water at 155 o and less than 5 o respectively. The surface properties such as surface free energy (γ p ), interfacial free energy (γ pw ), and the adhesive work (W pw ) were evaluated. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on superhydrophobic coatings revealed that the surface defects play a major role on the wetting behaviour. Advantages of the present method include the cheap and fluorine-free raw materials, environmentally benign solvents, and feasibility for applying on large area of different substrates.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings and study of its wetting behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Chakradhar, R. P. S.; Kumar, V. Dinesh; Rao, J. L.; Basu, Bharathibai J.

2011-08-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings are demonstrated by a simple, facile, time-saving, wet chemical route. ZnO nanopowders with average particle size of 14 nm were synthesized by a low temperature solution combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction results confirm that the nanopowders exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure and belong to space group P63 mc. Field emission scanning electron micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are connected to each other to make large network systems consisting of hierarchical structure. The as formed ZnO coating exhibits wetting behaviour with Water Contact Angle (WCA) of ˜108°, however on modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), it transforms to superhydrophobic surface with measured contact and sliding angles for water at 155° and less than 5° respectively. The surface properties such as surface free energy ( γp), interfacial free energy ( γpw), and the adhesive work ( Wpw) were evaluated. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on superhydrophobic coatings revealed that the surface defects play a major role on the wetting behaviour. Advantages of the present method include the cheap and fluorine-free raw materials, environmentally benign solvents, and feasibility for applying on large area of different substrates.

Interior structure of rotating black holes. I. Concise derivation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, Andrew J. S.; Polhemus, Gavin

2011-01-01

This paper presents a concise derivation of a new set of solutions for the interior structure of accreting, rotating black holes. The solutions are conformally stationary, axisymmetric, and conformally separable. Hyper-relativistic counter-streaming between freely-falling collisionless ingoing and outgoing streams leads to mass inflation at the inner horizon, followed by collapse. The solutions fail at an exponentially tiny radius, where the rotational motion of the streams becomes comparable to their radial motion. The papers provide a fully nonlinear, dynamical solution for the interior structure of a rotating black hole from just above the inner horizon inward, down to a tiny scale.

Flexible electret energy harvesters with parylene electret on PDMS substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Yi; Wu, Shih-Hsien

2013-01-01

Currently, most vibrational energy harvesters have rigid and resonant structures to harvest energy from periodic motions in specific directions. However, in some situations the motion is random and aperiodic; or the targeted energy source is the strain energy in deformation, rather than the kinetic energy in vibration. Therefore we propose and demonstrate a PDMS-based flexible energy harvester with parylene-C electret that can be attached to any deformable surfaces to harvest the stain energy caused by external deformation. The proposed flexible harvester was fabricated and characterized. The measured power at 20 Hz is 0.18 μW and 82 nW in the compression and bending modes, respectively. Such a harvester has the potential for wearable and implantable electronics applications

Holographic shell model: Stack data structure inside black holes?

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Aharon

2014-03-01

Rather than tiling the black hole horizon by Planck area patches, we suggest that bits of information inhabit, universally and holographically, the entire black core interior, a bit per a light sheet unit interval of order Planck area difference. The number of distinguishable (tagged by a binary code) configurations, counted within the context of a discrete holographic shell model, is given by the Catalan series. The area entropy formula is recovered, including Cardy's universal logarithmic correction, and the equipartition of mass per degree of freedom is proven. The black hole information storage resembles, in the count procedure, the so-called stack data structure.

P.D.M.S. a cad software for the design of new power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Lous, Y.

1982-01-01

P.D.M.S. (''Plant Design Management System'') is a computer based management system designed to assist the engineer, with no previous computer knowledge, to solve the problems associated with plant and piping design. The essential feature of P.D.M.S. is that it provides the user with the ability to create a 3D model of his complete plant, by making use of a graphic terminal connected to a computer. The system gives the engineer the powerful advantage over existing techniques that any part of the plant information, which may be required for a specific function, may be retrieved and presented to him in the form most suited to his requirements (i.e. lists of items or fully annotated drawings). P.D.M.S. incorporates advanced facilities to enable engineers to analyse the information for design accuracy and consistency. The project manager can ensure that no errors in the total design due to integration of disciplines within the project, or due to the amalgamation of the work of many designers, who possibly operate in different design centres. P.D.M.S., implemented on an IBM machine of the computer center of Clamart, is being used by the equipment Direction of EDF for the design of new power plants [fr

The Factor Structure of the Vocational Preference Inventory for Black and White College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Yom, B. Lee; And Others

1975-01-01

In the present study, the Vocational Preference Inventory scores for a group of black students and white students were factor analyzed and the black structure was rotated to correspond to the white structure. The correspondence between the variables for black and white students was found to be very similar. (Author)

Structure and properties of carbon black particles

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wei

Structure and properties of carbon black particles were investigated using atomic force microscopy, gas adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Supplementary information was obtained using TEM and neutron scattering. The AFM imaging of carbon black aggregates provided qualitative visual information on their morphology, complementary to that obtained by 3-D modeling based on TEM images. Our studies showed that carbon black aggregates were relatively flat. The surface of all untreated carbon black particles was found to be rough and its fractal dimension was 2.2. Heating reduced the roughness and fractal dimension for all samples heat treated at above 1300 K to 2.0. Once the samples were heat treated rapid cooling did not affect the surface roughness. However, rapid cooling reduced crystallite sizes, and different Raman spectra were obtained for carbon blacks of various history of heat treatment. By analyzing the Raman spectra we determined the crystallite sizes and identified amorphous carbon. The concentration of amorphous carbon depends on hydrogen content. Once hydrogen was liberated at increased temperature, the concentration of amorphous carbon was reduced and crystallites started to grow. Properties of carbon blacks at high pressure were also studied. Hydrostatic pressure did not affect the size of the crystallites in carbon black particles. The pressure induced shift in Raman frequency of the graphitic component was a result of increased intermolecular forces and not smaller crystallites. Two methods of determining the fractal dimension, the FHH model and the yardstick technique based on the BET theory were used in the literature. Our study proved that the FHH model is sensitive to numerous assumptions and leads to wrong conclusions. On the other hand the yardstick method gave correct results, which agreed with the AFM results.

PDMS-modified poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)s as water-borne coatings based on surfactant-free latexes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gunbas, I.D.; Wouters, M.E.L.; Benthem, R.A.T.M. van; Koning, C.E.; Noordover, B.A.J.

2013-01-01

In this work, two series of PDMS-modified poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)s (PSMA) were prepared by the partial imidization of their anhydride groups with mono-functional, amine-terminated polydimethyl siloxanes (PDMS-NH2) with two different molecular weights. Subsequently, surfactant-free

Cage and linear structured polysiloxane/epoxy hybrids for coatings: Surface property and film permeability.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yanli; He, Ling; Jia, Mengjun; Zhao, Lingru; Zuo, Yanyan; Hu, Pingan

2017-08-15

Three polysiloxane/epoxy hybrids obtained by evolving cage- or linear-structured polysiloxane into poly glycidyl methacrylate (PGMA) matrix are compared used as coatings. One is the cage-structured hybrid of P(GMA/MA-POSS) copolymer obtained by GMA and methacrylisobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MA-POSS) via free radical polymerization, the other two are PGMA/NH 2 -POSS and PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS hybrids by cage-structured aminopropyllsobutyl POSS (NH 2 -POSS) or linear-structured diamino terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (NH 2 -PDMS) to cure PGMA. The effect of MA-POSS, NH 2 -POSS and NH 2 -PDMS on polysiloxane/epoxy hybrid films is characterized according to their surface morphology, transparency, permeability, adhesive strength and thermo-mechanical properties. Due to caged POSS tending to agglomerate onto the film surface, P(GMA/MA-POSS) and PGMA/NH 2 -POSS films exhibit much more heterogeneous surfaces than PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS film, but the well-compatibility between epoxy matrix and MA-POSS has provided P(GMA/MA-POSS) film with much higher transmittance (98%) than PGMA/NH 2 -POSS film (24%), PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS film (27%) and traditional epoxy resin film (5%). The introduction of polysiloxane into epoxy matrix is confirmed to create hybrids with strong adhesive strength (526-1113N) and high thermos-stability (T g =262-282°C), especially the cage-structured P(GMA/MA-POSS) hybrid (1113N and 282°C), but the flexible PDMS improves PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS hybrid with much higher storage modulus (519MPa) than PGMA/NH 2 -POSS (271MPa), which suggests that PDMS is advantage in improving the film stiffness than POSS cages. However, cage-structured P(GMA/MA-POSS) and PGMA/NH 2 -POSS indicate higher permeability than PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS and traditional epoxy resin. Comparatively, the cage-structured P(GMA/MA-POSS) hybrid is the best coating in transparency, permeability, adhesive strength and thermostability, but linear-structured PGMA/NH 2 -PDMS hybrid behaviors the best coating in

Novel cross-linkers for PDMS networks for controlled and well distributed grafting of functionalities by click chemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahrt, Frederikke; Dimitrov, Ivaylo; Daugaard, Anders Egede

2013-01-01

by 35%. The contact angle of PDMS films was increased from 108° to 116° by the introduction of a small poly(pentafluorostyrene) chain. Finally, 17α-ethynyl-1,3,5(10)-estratriene-3,17β-diol and 1-ethynyl-3,5- bis(trifluoromethyl)benzene were incorporated as examples of other functional groups. © 2013......-linkers have been utilized to prepare novel polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks. All functional cross-linkers were successfully incorporated into the networks and were demonstrated to be well distributed within the PDMS films. This was substantiated by fluorescence microscopy of a film prepared with the 4...

The phase structure of higher-dimensional black rings and black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emparan, Roberto; Harmark, Troels; Niarchos, Vasilis; Obers, Niels A.; RodrIguez, Maria J.

2007-01-01

We construct an approximate solution for an asymptotically flat, neutral, thin rotating black ring in any dimension D ≥ 5 by matching the near-horizon solution for a bent boosted black string, to a linearized gravity solution away from the horizon. The rotating black ring solution has a regular horizon of topology S 1 x S D-3 and incorporates the balancing condition of the ring as a zero-tension condition. For D = 5 our method reproduces the thin ring limit of the exact black ring solution. For D ≥ 6 we show that the black ring has a higher entropy than the Myers-Perry black hole in the ultra-spinning regime. By exploiting the correspondence between ultra-spinning black holes and black membranes on a two-torus, we take steps towards qualitatively completing the phase diagram of rotating blackfolds with a single angular momentum. We are led to propose a connection between MP black holes and black rings, and between MP black holes and black Saturns, through merger transitions involving two kinds of 'pinched' black holes. More generally, the analogy suggests an infinite number of pinched black holes of spherical topology leading to a complicated pattern of connections and mergers between phases

High quality sub-10 nm graphene nanoribbons by on-chip PS-b-PDMS block copolymer lithography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasappa, Sozaraj; Caridad, Jose; Schulte, Lars

2015-01-01

block and the graphene under PS. Raman analysis supports the formation of graphene nanoribbons with an average distance between defects corresponding to the oxidized PDMS pitch, with no sign of defects generated in the ribbon channel. This suggests a high degree of protection of the nanoribbons...... by the hard oxidized PDMS mask formed in situ during oxygen plasma etching....

Optical properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) during nanosecond laser processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stankova, N.E., E-mail: nestankova@yahoo.com [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsaridradsko shose Boul., Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Atanasov, P.A.; Nikov, Ru.G.; Nikov, R.G.; Nedyalkov, N.N.; Stoyanchov, T.R. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsaridradsko shose Boul., Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Fukata, N. [International Center for Materials for NanoArchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba 305-0044 (Japan); Kolev, K.N.; Valova, E.I.; Georgieva, J.S.; Armyanov, St.A. [Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 11, Sofia 1113 (Bulgaria)

2016-06-30

Highlights: • Ns-laser (266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm) processing of medical grade PDMS is performed. • Investigation of the optical transmittance as a function of the laser beam parameters. • Analyses of laser treated area by optical & laser microscope and μ-Raman spectrometry. • Application as (MEAs) neural interface for monitor and stimulation of neural activity. - Abstract: This article presents experimental investigations of effects of the process parameters on the medical grade polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer processed by laser source with irradiation at UV (266 and 355 nm), VIS (532 nm) and NIR (1064 nm). Systematic experiments are done to characterize how the laser beam parameters (wavelength, fluence, and number of pulses) affect the optical properties and the chemical composition in the laser treated areas. Remarkable changes of the optical properties and the chemical composition are observed. Despite the low optical absorption of the native PDMS for UV, VIS and NIR wavelengths, successful laser treatment is accomplished due to the incubation process occurring below the polymer surface. With increasing of the fluence and the number of the pulses chemical transformations are revealed in the entire laser treated area and hence decreasing of the optical transmittance is observed. The incubation gets saturation after a certain number of pulses and the laser ablation of the material begins efficiently. At the UV and VIS wavelengths the number of the initial pulses, at which the optical transmittance begins to reduce, decreases from 16 up to 8 with increasing of the laser fluence up to 1.0, 2.5 and 10 J cm{sup −2} for 266, 355 and 532 nm, respectively. In the case of 1064 nm the optical transmittance begins to reduce at 11th pulse incident at a fluence of 13 J cm{sup −2} and the number of the pulses decreases to 8 when the fluence reaches value of 16 J cm{sup −2}. The threshold laser fluence needed to induce incubation process after certain

Evaluation and characterization of ceramic membranes based on Pdms/SiC containing phosphotungstic acid as electrolytes for PEM-FC; Avaliacao e caracterizacao de membranas ceramicas condutoras a base de PDMS/SiC contendo acido fosfotungstico como eletrolito para PEM-FC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, Marcelo de Oliveira; Guimaraes, Danilo Hansen; Boaventura Filho, Jaime Soares; Jose, Nadia Mamede [Universidade Federal da Bahia (IQ/UFBA), Salvador, BA (Brazil). Inst. de Quimica. Grupo de Energia e Ciencias dos Materiais; Barbosa, Diego Augusto Batista; Paschoal, Carlos William de Araujo [Universidade Federal do Maranhao (DF/UFMA), Sao Luis, MA (Brazil). Dept. de Fisica; Almeida, Rafael Mendonca; Tanaka, Auro Atsushi [Universidade Federal do Maranhao (DQ/UFMA), Sao Luis, MA (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica

2009-07-01

This work presents the development of membranes with potential use in Proton Exchange Fuel Cells (PEM-FC), consisting of hybrid materials based on poly(dimethylsiloxane), crosslinked with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and reinforced with silicon carbide and phosphotungstic acid. The membrane series PDMS/TEOS/SiC/PWA were prepared by the reaction of PDMS and TEOS, 70/30% proportions in mass, catalyzed by dibutyltin dilaurate. SiC was incorporated in a 25% proportion, and PWA in varied proportions (5, 10, 15 and 20%), by weight. The membranes were characterized by Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. SiC and PWA addition to the membrane increased both structure organization and material crystallinity. The insertion of PWA provided an increase in the conductivity. However, maximum conductivity was obtained with concentration levels above 10%. The insertion of SiC associated with the PWA did not influence the conductivity for concentrations between 10 and 20%. (author)

Investigation Into Accessible Surface Vinyl Concentrations of Nonstoichiometric PDMS Microspheres from Hydrosilylation Reactions and Their Further Crosslinking Reactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Baoguang; Hansen, Jens Henrik; Hvilsted, Søren

2015-01-01

The introduction of surface vinyl groups to PDMS microspheres broadens the latter's applicability range since the microspheres can be further functionalized or crosslinked into elastomers. Quantification of the surface vinyl concentration of PDMS microspheres is therefore essential. Here, a novel...

A PDMS Device Coupled with Culture Dish for In Vitro Cell Migration Assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Xiaoqing; Geng, Zhaoxin; Fan, Zhiyuan; Wang, Shicai; Pei, WeiHua; Chen, Hongda

2018-04-30

Cell migration and invasion are important factors during tumor progression and metastasis. Wound-healing assay and the Boyden chamber assay are efficient tools to investigate tumor development because both of them could be applied to measure cell migration rate. Therefore, a simple and integrated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device was developed for cell migration assay, which could perform quantitative evaluation of cell migration behaviors, especially for the wound-healing assay. The integrated device was composed of three units, which included cell culture dish, PDMS chamber, and wound generation mold. The PDMS chamber was integrated with cell culture chamber and could perform six experiments under different conditions of stimuli simultaneously. To verify the function of this device, it was utilized to explore the tumor cell migration behaviors under different concentrations of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) at different time points. This device has the unique capability to create the "wound" area in parallel during cell migration assay and provides a simple and efficient platform for investigating cell migration assay in biomedical application.

The causal structure of dynamical charged black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Sungwook E; Hwang, Dong-il; Stewart, Ewan D; Yeom, Dong-han

2010-01-01

We study the causal structure of dynamical charged black holes, with a sufficient number of massless fields, using numerical simulations. Neglecting Hawking radiation, the inner horizon is a null Cauchy horizon and a curvature singularity due to mass inflation. When we include Hawking radiation, the inner horizon becomes space-like and is separated from the Cauchy horizon, which is parallel to the out-going null direction. Since a charged black hole must eventually transit to a neutral black hole, we studied the neutralization of the black hole and observed that the inner horizon evolves into a space-like singularity, generating a Cauchy horizon which is parallel to the in-going null direction. Since the mass function is finite around the inner horizon, the inner horizon is regular and penetrable in a general relativistic sense. However, since the curvature functions become trans-Planckian, we cannot say more about the region beyond the inner horizon, and it is natural to say that there is a 'physical' space-like singularity. However, if we assume an exponentially large number of massless scalar fields, our results can be extended beyond the inner horizon. In this case, strong cosmic censorship and black hole complementarity can be violated.

The causal structure of dynamical charged black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Sungwook E; Hwang, Dong-il; Stewart, Ewan D; Yeom, Dong-han, E-mail: eostm@muon.kaist.ac.k, E-mail: enotsae@gmail.co, E-mail: innocent@muon.kaist.ac.k [Department of Physics, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-02-21

We study the causal structure of dynamical charged black holes, with a sufficient number of massless fields, using numerical simulations. Neglecting Hawking radiation, the inner horizon is a null Cauchy horizon and a curvature singularity due to mass inflation. When we include Hawking radiation, the inner horizon becomes space-like and is separated from the Cauchy horizon, which is parallel to the out-going null direction. Since a charged black hole must eventually transit to a neutral black hole, we studied the neutralization of the black hole and observed that the inner horizon evolves into a space-like singularity, generating a Cauchy horizon which is parallel to the in-going null direction. Since the mass function is finite around the inner horizon, the inner horizon is regular and penetrable in a general relativistic sense. However, since the curvature functions become trans-Planckian, we cannot say more about the region beyond the inner horizon, and it is natural to say that there is a 'physical' space-like singularity. However, if we assume an exponentially large number of massless scalar fields, our results can be extended beyond the inner horizon. In this case, strong cosmic censorship and black hole complementarity can be violated.

The influence of the PDMS technique in the study of the induced modifications of polymers used in nuclear environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nsouli, B.

1995-01-01

The PDMS technique (Particle Induced Desorption Mass Spectrometry) combined with a TOF detection (Time of Flight) is the main tool used in this study of polymer degradation in nuclear environment. Ar 3+ ions with a 9 MeV energy have been used to induce the secondary ion emission, and the study was devoted to two stresses typical of this type of environment. The first part of the work concerned with the structural modifications induced by gamma irradiation on ion exchange resin, used for nuclear effluents reprocessing, namely the poly(4-vinylpyridine), or P-4PV. For such a material, the negative fragment emission is particularly sensitive to structural modifications. Difficult physical measurements in such an insoluble and infusible material (IR, UV - Vis, EPR, TGA, dielectric measurements) became consistent after the degradation mechanisms were elucidated. These effects, interpreted in terms of scissions and recombinations, enabled us to explicit different modes of energy deposition, and shed light on some discrepancies between SIMS and PDMS. The second part of the study is devoted to the thermal ageing of an elastomer, used in fabrication of valve gaskets submitted to high temperatures. First of all, we studied the constituents of the polymeric material, i. e. copolymer, homo polymers, and also additives. This last component proved useful to analyze, as a superficial lubricant layer can mask the conformational rearrangements which seem to occur after few hours of thermal treatment (PE blocks are prevailing at the surface). Here too, the PDMS information is important to account for static SIMS and ESCA results, as its probed layer thickness lies in-between. (author)

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings and study of its wetting behaviour

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakradhar, R.P.S., E-mail: chakra@nal.res.in [Surface Engineering Division, National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR), Bangalore 560017 (India); Kumar, V. Dinesh [Surface Engineering Division, National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR), Bangalore 560017 (India); Rao, J.L. [Department of Physics, S.V. University, Tirupathi 517502 (India); Basu, Bharathibai J., E-mail: bharathi@nal.res.in [Surface Engineering Division, National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR), Bangalore 560017 (India)

2011-08-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings are demonstrated by a simple, facile, time-saving, wet chemical route. ZnO nanopowders with average particle size of 14 nm were synthesized by a low temperature solution combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction results confirm that the nanopowders exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure and belong to space group P63mc. Field emission scanning electron micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are connected to each other to make large network systems consisting of hierarchical structure. The as formed ZnO coating exhibits wetting behaviour with Water Contact Angle (WCA) of {approx}108{sup o}, however on modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), it transforms to superhydrophobic surface with measured contact and sliding angles for water at 155{sup o} and less than 5{sup o} respectively. The surface properties such as surface free energy ({gamma}{sub p}), interfacial free energy ({gamma}{sub pw}), and the adhesive work (W{sub pw}) were evaluated. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on superhydrophobic coatings revealed that the surface defects play a major role on the wetting behaviour. Advantages of the present method include the cheap and fluorine-free raw materials, environmentally benign solvents, and feasibility for applying on large area of different substrates.

Stretchable gold conductors embedded in PDMS and patterned by photolithography: fabrication and electromechanical characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adrega, T; Lacour, S P

2010-01-01

Stretchable gold conductors embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were successfully prepared using standard photolithography. The minimum feature sizes patterned in the metal film and PDMS encapsulation are 10 µm and 20 µm, respectively. The micro-patterned conductors are robust to uni-axial (1D) and radial (2D) stretching with applied strains of tens of percent. The electrical response of the conductors follows a nonlinear increase with strain, and is reversible. The extensive stretchability of the conductors relies on a randomly and independently distributed network of micro-cracks (∼100 nm long) in the metal film on PDMS. The micro-cracks elongate to a few microns length both in the stretching and normal directions in 1D stretching but during 2D stretching, the micro-cracks grow and form 'dry mud' islands leaving the gold microstructure inside the islands intact. Patterning metallic thin films directly onto elastomeric substrates opens a promising route for microelectrodes and interconnects for soft and ultra-compliant MEMS and electronic devices.

Ultra-soft PDMS-based magnetoactive elastomers as dynamic cell culture substrata.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Mayer

Full Text Available Mechanical cues such as extracellular matrix stiffness and movement have a major impact on cell differentiation and function. To replicate these biological features in vitro, soft substrata with tunable elasticity and the possibility for controlled surface translocation are desirable. Here we report on the use of ultra-soft (Young's modulus <100 kPa PDMS-based magnetoactive elastomers (MAE as suitable cell culture substrata. Soft non-viscous PDMS (<18 kPa is produced using a modified extended crosslinker. MAEs are generated by embedding magnetic microparticles into a soft PDMS matrix. Both substrata yield an elasticity-dependent (14 vs. 100 kPa modulation of α-smooth muscle actin expression in primary human fibroblasts. To allow for static or dynamic control of MAE material properties, we devise low magnetic field (≈40 mT stimulation systems compatible with cell-culture environments. Magnetic field-instigated stiffening (14 to 200 kPa of soft MAE enhances the spreading of primary human fibroblasts and decreases PAX-7 transcription in human mesenchymal stem cells. Pulsatile MAE movements are generated using oscillating magnetic fields and are well tolerated by adherent human fibroblasts. This MAE system provides spatial and temporal control of substratum material characteristics and permits novel designs when used as dynamic cell culture substrata or cell culture-coated actuator in tissue engineering applications or biomedical devices.

PMMA highlights the layering transition of PDMS in Langmuir films

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernardini, C.; Stoyanov, S.D.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Arnaudov, L.N.; Leermakers, F.A.M.

2011-01-01

We report a system consisting of a mixed Langmuir monolayer, made of water-insoluble, spreadable, fluid-like polymers polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) with a minority P(DMS-b-MMA) copolymer. We have performed both Langmuir trough pressure/area isotherm measurements and

Geometric study of transparent superhydrophobic surfaces of molded and grid patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)

Science.gov (United States)

Davaasuren, Gaasuren; Ngo, Chi-Vinh; Oh, Hyun-Seok; Chun, Doo-Man

2014-09-01

Herein we describe an economical method to fabricate a transparent superhydrophobic surface that uses grid patterning, and we report on the effects of grid geometry in determining the wettability and transparency of the fabricated surfaces. A polymer casting method was utilized because of its applicability to economical manufacturing and mass production; the material polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was selected because of its moldability and transparency. PDMS was replicated from a laser textured mold fabricated by a UV nanosecond pulsed laser. Sapphire wafer was used for the mold because it has very low surface roughness (Ra ≤0.3 nm) and adequate mechanical properties. To study geometric effects, grid patterns of a series of step sizes were fabricated. The maximum water droplet contact angle (WDCA) observed was 171°. WDCAs depended on the wetting area and the wetting state. The experimental results of WDCA were analyzed with Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations. The designed grid pattern was suitably transparent and structurally stable. Transmittance of the optimal transparent superhydrophobic surface was measured by using a spectrophotometer. Transmittance loss due to the presence of the grid was around 2-4% over the wavelength region measured (300-1000 nm); the minimum transmittance observed was 83.1% at 300 nm. This study also demonstrates the possibility of using a nanosecond pulsed laser for the surface texturing of a superhydrophobic surface.

Global structure of exact scalar hairy dynamical black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Zhong-Ying [Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University,No. 5 Yiheyuan Rd, Beijing, 100871 P.R. (China); Chen, Bin [Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University,No. 5 Yiheyuan Rd, Beijing, 100871 P.R. (China); Department of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology,Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Rd, Beijing, 100871 P.R. (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter,No. 5 Yiheyuan Rd, Beijing, 100871 P.R. (China); Lü, H. [Center for Advanced Quantum Studies, Department of Physics, Beijing Normal University,Beijing, 100875 P.R. (China)

2016-05-30

We study the global structure of some exact scalar hairy dynamical black holes which were constructed in Einstein gravity either minimally or non-minimally coupled to a scalar field. We find that both the apparent horizon and the local event horizon (measured in luminosity coordinate) monotonically increase with the advanced time as well as the Vaidya mass. At late advanced times, the apparent horizon approaches the event horizon and gradually becomes future outer. Correspondingly, the space-time arrives at stationary black hole states with the relaxation time inversely proportional to the 1/(n−1) power of the final black hole mass, where n is the space-time dimension. These results strongly support the solutions describing the formation of black holes with scalar hair. We also obtain new charged dynamical solutions in the non-minimal theory by introducing an Maxwell field which is non-minimally coupled to the scalar. The presence of the electric charge strongly modifies the dynamical evolution of the space-time.

Dipolar cross-linkers for PDMS networks with enhanced dielectric permittivity and low dielectric loss

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bahrt, Frederikke; Daugaard, Anders Egede; Hvilsted, Søren

2013-01-01

-(4-((4-nitrophenyl)diazenyl)phenoxy)-prop-1-yn-1-ylium, with a synthesized silicone compatible azide-functional cross-linker by click chemistry. The thermal, mechanical and electromechanical properties were investigated for PDMS films with 0 to 3.6 wt% of dipole-cross-linker. The relative dielectric permittivity......Dipole grafted cross-linkers were utilized to prepare polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers with various chain lengths and with various concentrations of functional cross-linker. The grafted cross-linkers were prepared by reaction of two alkyne-functional dipoles, 1-ethynyl-4-nitrobenzene and 3...

Ultrasonic and dielectric studies of polymer PDMS composites with ZnO and onion-like carbons nanoinclusions

OpenAIRE

Samulionis, Vytautas; Macutkevič, Jan; Banys, Jūras; Shenderova, Olga

2015-01-01

The ultrasonic and dielectric temperature investigations were performed in polydi-methylsiloxane (PDMS) with zinc oxide (ZnO) and onion-like carbon (OLC) nanocomposites. In the glass transition region, the ultrasonic velocity dispersion and large ultrasonic attenuation maxima were observed. The positions of ultrasonic attenuation peaks were slightly shifted to higher temperatures after doping PDMS with OLC and ZnO nanoparticles. The ultrasonic relaxation was compared to that of dielectric and...

Contemporary genetic structure and postglacial demographic history of the black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus, in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.

Science.gov (United States)

Boissin, E; Micu, D; Janczyszyn-Le Goff, M; Neglia, V; Bat, L; Todorova, V; Panayotova, M; Kruschel, C; Macic, V; Milchakova, N; Keskin, Ç; Anastasopoulou, A; Nasto, I; Zane, L; Planes, S

2016-05-01

Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity in the light of past demographic events linked with climatic shifts will help to forecast evolutionary trajectories of ecosystems within the current context of climate change. In this study, mitochondrial sequences and microsatellite loci were analysed using traditional population genetic approaches together with Bayesian dating and the more recent approximate Bayesian computation scenario testing. The genetic structure and demographic history of a commercial fish, the black scorpionfish, Scorpaena porcus, was investigated throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The results suggest that the species recently underwent population expansions, in both seas, likely concomitant with the warming period following the Last Glacial Maximum, 20 000 years ago. A weak contemporaneous genetic differentiation was identified between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. However, the genetic diversity was similar for populations of the two seas, suggesting a high number of colonizers entered the Black Sea during the interglacial period and/or the presence of a refugial population in the Black Sea during the glacial period. Finally, within seas, an east/west genetic differentiation in the Adriatic seems to prevail, whereas the Black Sea does not show any structured spatial genetic pattern of its population. Overall, these results suggest that the Black Sea is not that isolated from the Mediterranean, and both seas revealed similar evolutionary patterns related to climate change and changes in sea level. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Flexible Pressure Sensor with Ag Wrinkled Electrodes Based on PDMS Substrate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianli Cui

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Flexible pressure sensors are essential components of electronic skins for future attractive applications ranging from human healthcare monitoring to biomedical diagnostics, robotic skins, and prosthetic limbs. Here we report a new kind of flexible pressure sensor. The sensors are capacitive, and composed of two Ag wrinkled electrodes separated by a carbon nanotubes (CNTs/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS composite deformable dielectric layer. Ag wrinkled electrodes were formed by vacuum deposition on top of pre-strained and relaxed PDMS substrates which were treated using an O2 plasma, a surface functionalization process, and a magnetron sputtering process. Ultimately, the developed sensor exhibits a maximum sensitivity of 19.80% kPa−1 to capacitance, great durability over 500 cycles, and rapid mechanical responses (<200 ms. We also demonstrate that our sensor can be used to effectively detect the location and distribution of finger pressure.

Low cost fabrication and assembly process for re-usable 3D polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic networks

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Land, K

2011-09-01

Full Text Available and assembly process for re-usable 3D polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic networks Kevin J. Land, Mesuli B. Mbanjwa, Klariska Govindasamy, and Jan G. Korvink Citation: Biomicrofluidics 5, 036502 (2011); doi: 10.1063/1.3641859 View online: http... polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic networks Kevin J. Land,1,2,a) Mesuli B. Mbanjwa,1,3 Klariska Govindasamy,1 and Jan G. Korvink2,4 1Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa 2University of Freiburg, Department...

Quantitative Determination of Nicotine in a PDMS Microfluidic Channel Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Jae Hyun; Choo, Jae Bum [Hanyang University, Ansan (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Duck Joong [Dankook University, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Hoon [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2006-02-15

Rapid and highly sensitive determination of nicotine in a PDMS microfluidic channel was investigated using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A three-dimensional PDMS microfluidic channel was fabricated for this purpose. This channel shows a high mixing efficiency because the transverse and vertical dispersions of the fluid occur simultaneously through the upper and lower zig zag-type blocks. A higher efficiency of mixing could also be obtained by splitting each of the confluent streams into two sub-streams that then joined and recombined. The SERS signal was measured after nicotine molecules were effectively adsorbed onto silver nanoparticles by passing through the three-dimensional channel. A quantitative analysis of nicotine was performed based on the measured peak area at 1030 cm{sup -1}. The detection limit was estimated to be below 0.1 ppm. In this work, the SERS detection, in combination with a PDMS microfluidic channel, has been applied to the quantitative analysis of nicotine in aqueous solution. Compared to the other conventional analytical methods, the detection sensitivity was enhanced up to several orders of magnitude.

Evaluation and characterization of ceramic membranes based on Pdms/SiC containing phosphotungstic acid as electrolytes for PEM-FC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Marcelo de Oliveira; Guimaraes, Danilo Hansen; Boaventura Filho, Jaime Soares; Jose, Nadia Mamede; Barbosa, Diego Augusto Batista; Paschoal, Carlos William de Araujo; Almeida, Rafael Mendonca; Tanaka, Auro Atsushi

2009-01-01

This work presents the development of membranes with potential use in Proton Exchange Fuel Cells (PEM-FC), consisting of hybrid materials based on poly(dimethylsiloxane), crosslinked with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and reinforced with silicon carbide and phosphotungstic acid. The membrane series PDMS/TEOS/SiC/PWA were prepared by the reaction of PDMS and TEOS, 70/30% proportions in mass, catalyzed by dibutyltin dilaurate. SiC was incorporated in a 25% proportion, and PWA in varied proportions (5, 10, 15 and 20%), by weight. The membranes were characterized by Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. SiC and PWA addition to the membrane increased both structure organization and material crystallinity. The insertion of PWA provided an increase in the conductivity. However, maximum conductivity was obtained with concentration levels above 10%. The insertion of SiC associated with the PWA did not influence the conductivity for concentrations between 10 and 20%. (author)

Fabrication and characterization of Aerogel-Polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) Insulation Film

Science.gov (United States)

Noh, Yeoung ah; Song, Sinae; Taik Kim, Hee

2018-03-01

The building has a large impact on the space heating demand and the indoor environment is affected by climate or daylight. Hence, silica aerogel has generally used as a film to reduce the coefficient of the window in the building. Silica aerogel is a suitable material to apply for insulation material with lower thermal conductivity than that of air to save interior energy. However expensive precursor and drying process were the main issue of the silica aerogel synthesis and practical usage. We attempt to fabricate aerogel insulation film for energy saving through the economic process under ambient pressure. Silica aerogel was synthesized from rice husk ash, which was an agricultural waste to be able to recycle. Taguchi design was used to optimize the parameters (amount of rice husk ash, pH, aging time) controlling the surface area of silica aerogel. The silica aerogel is prepared by sol-gel processing through acidic treatment and aging. The silica aerogel was obtained by modification of silica hydrogel surface and dry at ambient pressure. Finally, aerogel film was respectively fabricated by the different content of aerogel in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Silica aerogel obtained 21 – 24nm average particle size was analyzed by SEM and silica aerogel with high surface area (832.26 m2/g), pore size ( 3.30nm ) was characterized by BET. Then silica Aerogel – PDMS insulation film with thermal conductivity (0.002 W/mK) was analyzed by thermal wave system. The study demonstrates an eco-friendly and low-cost route toward silica – PDMS insulation film with low thermal conductivity (0.002 W/mK).

Friction and adhesion of gecko-inspired PDMS flaps on rough surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Jing; Chary, Sathya; Das, Saurabh; Tamelier, John; Turner, Kimberly L; Israelachvili, Jacob N

2012-08-07

Geckos have developed a unique hierarchical structure to maintain climbing ability on surfaces with different roughness, one of the extremely important parameters that affect the friction and adhesion forces between two surfaces. Although much attention has been paid on fabricating various structures that mimic the hierarchical structure of a gecko foot, yet no systematic effort, in experiment or theory, has been made to quantify the effect of surface roughness on the performance of the fabricated structures that mimic the hierarchical structure of geckos. Using a modified surface forces apparatus (SFA), we measured the adhesion and friction forces between microfabricated tilted PDMS flaps and optically smooth SiO(2) and rough SiO(2) surfaces created by plasma etching. Anisotropic adhesion and friction forces were measured when sliding the top glass surface along (+y) and against (-y) the tilted direction of the flaps. Increasing the surface roughness first increased the adhesion and friction forces measured between the flaps and the rough surface due to topological matching of the two surfaces but then led to a rapid decrease in both of these forces. Our results demonstrate that the surface roughness significantly affects the performance of gecko mimetic adhesives and that different surface textures can either increase or decrease the adhesion and friction forces of the fabricated adhesives.

Three-dimensional spheroid culture targeting versatile tissue bioassays using a PDMS-based hanging drop array.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Ching-Te; Wang, Jong-Yueh; Lin, Yu-Fen; Wo, Andrew M; Chen, Benjamin P C; Lee, Hsinyu

2017-06-29

Biomaterial-based tissue culture platforms have emerged as useful tools to mimic in vivo physiological microenvironments in experimental cell biology and clinical studies. We describe herein a three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture platform using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based hanging drop array (PDMS-HDA) methodology. Multicellular spheroids can be achieved within 24 h and further boosted by incorporating collagen fibrils in PDMS-HDA. In addition, the spheroids generated from different human tumor cells exhibited distinct sensitivities toward drug chemotherapeutic agents and radiation as compared with two-dimensional (2D) cultures that often lack in vivo-like biological insights. We also demonstrated that multicellular spheroids may enable key hallmarks of tissue-based bioassays, including drug screening, tumor dissemination, cell co-culture, and tumor invasion. Taken together, these results offer new opportunities not only to achieve the active control of 3D multicellular spheroids on demand, but also to establish a rapid and cost-effective platform to study anti-cancer therapeutics and tumor microenvironments.

Processing of Al2O3/SrTiO3/PDMS Composites With Low Dielectric Loss

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, J. L.; Guo, M. J.; Qi, Y. B.; Zhu, H. X.; Yi, R. Y.; Gao, L.

2018-05-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is widely used in the electrical and electronic industries due to its excellent electrical insulation and biocompatible characteristics. However, the dielectric constant of pure PDMS is very low which restricts its applications. Herein, we report a series of PDMS/Al2O3/strontium titanate (ST) composites with high dielectric constant and low loss prepared by a simple experimental method. The composites exhibit high dielectric constant (relative dielectric constant is 4) after the composites are coated with insulated Al2O3 particles, and the dielectric constant gets further improved for composites with ST particles (dielectric constant reaches 15.5); a lower dielectric loss (tanδ= 0.05) is also found at the same time which makes co-filler composites suitable for electrical insulation products, and makes the experimental method more interesting in modern teaching.

A robust and stretchable superhydrophobic PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane for oil/water separation and flame retardancy.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Deke; Gou, Xuelian; Wu, Daheng; Guo, Zhiguang

2018-04-05

The wide application of superhydrophobic membranes has been limited due to their complicated preparation technology and weak durability. Inspired by the mechanical flexibility of nanofibrous biomaterials, nanofibrils have been successfully generated from Kevlar, which is one of the strongest synthetic fibers, by appropriate hydrothermal treatment. In this study, a robust superhydrophobic PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane is prepared via a simple one-step process and subsequent curing without combination with inorganic fillers. The as-prepared PDMS/PVDF@KNFs membrane not only shows efficient oil/water separation ability and oil absorption capacity but also has excellent superhydrophobicity stability after deformation. The resultant membrane shows stretchability, flexibility and flame retardance because of the reinforcing effect and the excellent flame retardancy of Kevlar. We believe that this simple fabrication of PDMS/PVDF@KNFs has promising applications in filtering membranes and wearable devices.

PDMS/PVDF hybrid electrospun membrane with superhydrophobic property and drop impact dynamics for dyeing wastewater treatment using membrane distillation

KAUST Repository

An, Alicia Kyoungjin; Guo, Jiaxin; Lee, Eui-Jong; Jeong, Sanghyun; Zhao, Yanhua; Wang, Zuankai; Leiknes, TorOve

2016-01-01

.4°) and roughness (Ra = 1,285mm). The zeta potential of E-PDMS membrane surface showed a higher negative value than that of a commercial PVDF (C-PVDF) membrane. These properties of E-PDMS membrane provided an antifouling in treating of differently-charged dyes

A superhydrophobic EP/PDMS nanocomposite coating with high gamma radiation stability

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Ren, Fule; Liu, Yujian

2018-04-01

The superhydrophobic coatings with high gamma radiation stability were prepared by using epoxy/polydimethylsiloxane (EP/PDMS) resins as the matrix and silica nanoparticles as the fillers. The nanocomposite coatings exhibit superhydrophobicity with a high water contact angle (WCA) of 154° and a low sliding angle of 7°. With the amount of SiO2 increasing from 0 to 30%, the surface shows the hierarchically structure gradually and its roughness raised from 4 nm to 278 nm. And little change in the WCA of the coatings (from 155° to 149°) was observed when the pH of the droplets varied from 2 to 14. In addition, the coatings also show good adhesion grade (5B), high hardness (6H) and outstanding stability for high dose gamma radiation.

Facile Fabrication of a PDMS@Stearic Acid-Kaolin Coating on Lignocellulose Composites with Superhydrophobicity and Flame Retardancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhe Wang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The disadvantages such as swelling after absorbing water and flammability restrict the widespread applications of lignocellulose composites (LC. Herein, a facile and effective method to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces with flame retardancy on LC has been investigated by coating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS and stearic acid (STA modified kaolin (KL particles. The as-prepared coatings on the LC exhibited a good repellency to water (a contact angle = 156°. Owing to the excellent flame retardancy of kaolin particles, the LC coated with PDMS@STA-KL displayed a good flame retardancy during limiting oxygen index and cone calorimeter tests. After the coating treatment, the limiting oxygen index value of the LC increased to 41.0. Cone calorimetry results indicated that the ignition time of the LC coated with PDMS@STA-KL increased by 40 s compared with that of uncoated LC. Moreover, the peak heat release rate (PHRR and the total heat release (THR of LC coated with PDMS@STA-KL reduced by 18.7% and 19.2% compared with those of uncoated LC, respectively. This LC coating with improved water repellency and flame retardancy can be considered as a potential alternative to protect the lignocellulose composite.

Study on the Optimum Cutting Parameters of an Aluminum Mold for Effective Bonding Strength of a PDMS Microfluidic Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caffiyar Mohamed Yousuff

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Master mold fabricated using micro milling is an easy way to develop the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS based microfluidic device. Achieving high-quality micro-milled surface is important for excellent bonding strength between PDMS and glass slide. The aim of our experiment is to study the optimal cutting parameters for micro milling an aluminum mold insert for the production of a fine resolution microstructure with the minimum surface roughness using conventional computer numerical control (CNC machine systems; we also aim to measure the bonding strength of PDMS with different surface roughnesses. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the cutting parameters in order to obtain high surface smoothness. The cutting parameters were demonstrated with the following combinations: 20,000 rpm spindle speed, 50 mm/min feed rate, depth of cut 5 µm with tool size 200 µm or less; this gives a fine resolution microstructure with the minimum surface roughness and strong bonding strength between PDMS–PDMS and PDMS–glass.

Contact angle studies on PDMS surfaces fouled by bovine serum albumin

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Windvoel, VT

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has a hydrophobic surface, forming a contact angle of around 110º with deionised water. It is due to its hydrophobic nature that the elastomer is prone to bio-fouling, such as non-specific adsorption of biomaterials like...

Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of zinc molybdate nanocrystals and molybdate-doped epoxy/PDMS nanocomposite coatings for Mg alloy protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Eduok, Ubong; Szpunar, Jerzy

2018-06-01

Zinc molybdate (ZM) is a safer anticorrosive additive for cooling systems when compared with chromates and lead salts, due to its insolubility in aqueous media. For most molybdate pigments, their molybdate anion (MoO 4 -2 ) acts as an anionic inhibitor and its passivation capacity is comparable with chromate anion (CrO 4 -2 ). To alleviate the environmental concerns involving chromates-based industrial protective coatings, we have proposed new alternative in this work. We have synthesized ZM nanocrystals via ultrasound-assisted process and encapsulated them within an epoxy/PDMS coating towards corrosion protection. The surface morphology and mechanical properties of these ZM doped epoxy/PDMS nanocomposite coatings is exhaustively discussed to show the effect of ZM content on protective properties. The presence of ZM nanocrystals significantly contributed to the corrosion barrier performance of the coating while the amount of ZM nanocrystals needed to prepare an epoxy coating with optimum barrier performance was established. Beyond 2 wt% ZM concentration, the siloxane-structured epoxy coating network became saturated with ZM pigments. This further broadened inherent pores channels, leading to the percolation of corrosion chloride ions through the coating. SEM evidence has revealed proof of surface delamination on ZM3 coating. A model mechanism of corrosion resistance has been proposed for ZM doped epoxy/PDMS nanocomposite coatings from exhaustive surface morphological investigations and evidence. This coating matrix may have emerging applications in cooling systems as anticorrosive surface paints as well as create an avenue for environmental corrosion remediation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of wettability and surface roughness on the adhesion properties of collagen on PDMS films treated by capacitively coupled oxygen plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juárez-Moreno, J.A. [Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Col. Chuburna de Hidalgo C.P., 97200 Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico); Ávila-Ortega, A. [Facultad de Ingeniería Química—UADY, Periférico Norte Kilómetro 33.5, Col. Chuburna de Hidalgo Inn, C.P. , 97203 Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico); Oliva, A.I. [Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN–Unidad Mérida, Km. 6 Antigua carretera a Progreso Apdo. Postal 73, Cordemex, 97310 Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico); Avilés, F. [Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Col. Chuburna de Hidalgo C.P., 97200 Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico); Cauich-Rodríguez, J.V., E-mail: jvcr@cicy.mx [Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Calle 43 No. 130, Col. Chuburna de Hidalgo C.P., 97200 Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico)

2015-09-15

Highlights: • Plasma treatment was used as an adhesive tool for PDMS/collagen composite preparation. • Response surface methodology was used for statistical optimization. • A microscopic roughness can also lead to a mechanical interlocking between materials. • Hydroxyl groups on the PDMS surface contribute to the enhanced chemical interactions. • PDMS/collagen composite obtained by plasma treatment exhibited higher peel strength. - Abstract: Direct chemical bonding of biomolecules to the surface of chemically inert polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is not easily achieved. Therefore, pre-activation of such materials, followed by attachment of the biomolecule is necessary. This paper describes a procedure to functionalize a PDMS surface by oxygen-based plasma followed by the adhesion of collagen type I for the preparation of adhesive-free bilayer composite intended as skin substitute. Plasma treatments between 40 and 120 W for 5 to 15 min were used and the extent of surface modification was followed by contact angle, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and adhesion test. It was found that as the plasma power and time were increased, PDMS contact angle decreased while surface roughness increased as revealed by SEM and AFM. The formation of oxygen-containing functional groups at the surface was detected by FTIR. T-peel tests, performed on PDMS treated at 80 W/13 min and covered with collagen showed maximum peel strength of 0.1 N/mm which was 3 times higher than that measured for the untreated bilayer composite. The observed enhancement in the adhesion strength was attributed to the increased mechanical interlocking driven by the increased roughness and the formation of hydrophilic functional groups.

Effect of wettability and surface roughness on the adhesion properties of collagen on PDMS films treated by capacitively coupled oxygen plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juárez-Moreno, J.A.; Ávila-Ortega, A.; Oliva, A.I.; Avilés, F.; Cauich-Rodríguez, J.V.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Plasma treatment was used as an adhesive tool for PDMS/collagen composite preparation. • Response surface methodology was used for statistical optimization. • A microscopic roughness can also lead to a mechanical interlocking between materials. • Hydroxyl groups on the PDMS surface contribute to the enhanced chemical interactions. • PDMS/collagen composite obtained by plasma treatment exhibited higher peel strength. - Abstract: Direct chemical bonding of biomolecules to the surface of chemically inert polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is not easily achieved. Therefore, pre-activation of such materials, followed by attachment of the biomolecule is necessary. This paper describes a procedure to functionalize a PDMS surface by oxygen-based plasma followed by the adhesion of collagen type I for the preparation of adhesive-free bilayer composite intended as skin substitute. Plasma treatments between 40 and 120 W for 5 to 15 min were used and the extent of surface modification was followed by contact angle, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and adhesion test. It was found that as the plasma power and time were increased, PDMS contact angle decreased while surface roughness increased as revealed by SEM and AFM. The formation of oxygen-containing functional groups at the surface was detected by FTIR. T-peel tests, performed on PDMS treated at 80 W/13 min and covered with collagen showed maximum peel strength of 0.1 N/mm which was 3 times higher than that measured for the untreated bilayer composite. The observed enhancement in the adhesion strength was attributed to the increased mechanical interlocking driven by the increased roughness and the formation of hydrophilic functional groups

Horizon structure of rotating Bardeen black hole and particle acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Sushant G.; Amir, Muhammed

2015-01-01

We investigate the horizon structure and ergosphere in a rotating Bardeen regular black hole, which has an additional parameter (g) due to the magnetic charge, apart from the mass (M) and the rotation parameter (a). Interestingly, for each value of the parameter g, there exists a critical rotation parameter (a = a E ), which corresponds to an extremal black hole with degenerate horizons, while for a < a E it describes a non-extremal black hole with two horizons, and no black hole for a > a E . We find that the extremal value a E is also influenced by the parameter g, and so is the ergosphere. While the value of a E remarkably decreases when compared with the Kerr black hole, the ergosphere becomes thicker with the increase in g.We also study the collision of two equal mass particles near the horizon of this black hole, and explicitly show the effect of the parameter g. The center-of-mass energy (E CM ) not only depend on the rotation parameter a, but also on the parameter g. It is demonstrated that the E CM could be arbitrarily high in the extremal cases when one of the colliding particles has a critical angular momentum, thereby suggesting that the rotating Bardeen regular black hole can act as a particle accelerator. (orig.)

Study of the structure of the particles of channel black of phase-contrasting electron microscopy of high resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varlakov, V.P.; Fialkov, A.S.; Smirnov, B.N.

1981-01-01

The structure of channel black, DG-100, in the initial and graphitized states has been studied by phase-contrasting electron microscopy with a direct resolution of the carbon layers. An individual carbon layer is the main structural element of carbon black. The structure of channel black in the graphitized state looks like a hollow closed polyhedron made up of bundles of continuous carbon layers which can bend and become deformed to a great extent, testifying to the polymeric nature of the structure of channel black. The authors give an interpretation of the roentgen values of the 'dimensions of crystallites' in channel black.

A multi-scale PDMS fabrication strategy to bridge the size mismatch between integrated circuits and microfluidics.

Science.gov (United States)

Muluneh, Melaku; Issadore, David

2014-12-07

In recent years there has been great progress harnessing the small-feature size and programmability of integrated circuits (ICs) for biological applications, by building microfluidics directly on top of ICs. However, a major hurdle to the further development of this technology is the inherent size-mismatch between ICs (~mm) and microfluidic chips (~cm). Increasing the area of the ICs to match the size of the microfluidic chip, as has often been done in previous studies, leads to a waste of valuable space on the IC and an increase in fabrication cost (>100×). To address this challenge, we have developed a three dimensional PDMS chip that can straddle multiple length scales of hybrid IC/microfluidic chips. This approach allows millimeter-scale ICs, with no post-processing, to be integrated into a centimeter-sized PDMS chip. To fabricate this PDMS chip we use a combination of soft-lithography and laser micromachining. Soft lithography was used to define micrometer-scale fluid channels directly on the surface of the IC, allowing fluid to be controlled with high accuracy and brought into close proximity to sensors for highly sensitive measurements. Laser micromachining was used to create ~50 μm vias to connect these molded PDMS channels to a larger PDMS chip, which can connect multiple ICs and house fluid connections to the outside world. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we built and demonstrated an in-flow magnetic cytometer that consisted of a 5 × 5 cm(2) microfluidic chip that incorporated a commercial 565 × 1145 μm(2) IC with a GMR sensing circuit. We additionally demonstrated the modularity of this approach by building a chip that incorporated two of these GMR chips connected in series.

Fabrication of the replica templated from butterfly wing scales with complex light trapping structures

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhiwu; Li, Bo; Mu, Zhengzhi; Yang, Meng; Niu, Shichao; Zhang, Junqiu; Ren, Luquan

2015-11-01

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) positive replica templated twice from the excellent light trapping surface of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana wing scales was fabricated by a simple and promising route. The exact SiO2 negative replica was fabricated by using a synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. Afterwards, a vacuum-aided process was introduced to make PDMS gel fill into the SiO2 negative replica, and the PDMS gel was solidified in an oven. Then, the SiO2 negative replica was used as secondary template and the structures in its surface was transcribed onto the surface of PDMS. At last, the PDMS positive replica was obtained. After comparing the PDMS positive replica and the original bio-template in terms of morphology, dimensions and reflectance spectra and so on, it is evident that the excellent light trapping structures of butterfly wing scales were inherited by the PDMS positive replica faithfully. This bio-inspired route could facilitate the preparation of complex light trapping nanostructure surfaces without any assistance from other power-wasting and expensive nanofabrication technologies.

Anti-icing properties of superhydrophobic ZnO/PDMS composite coating

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chao; Wang, Fajun; Li, Wen; Ou, Junfei; Li, Changquan; Amirfazli, Alidad

2016-01-01

We present the excellent anti-icing performance for a superhydrophobic coating surface based on ZnO/polydimethylsiloxane (ZnO/PDMS) composite. The superhydrophobic ZnO/PDMS coating surface was prepared by a facile solution mixing, drop coating, room-temperature curing and surface abrading procedure. The superhydrophobic ZnO/PDMS composite coating possesses a water contact angle of 159.5° and a water sliding angle of 8.3° at room temperature (5 °C). The anti-icing properties of the superhydrophobic coating were investigated by continuously dropping cold-water droplets (about 0 °C) onto the pre-cooled surface using a home-made apparatus. The sample was placed at different tilting angle (0° and 10°) and pre-cooled to various temperatures (-5, -10 and -15 °C) prior to measure. The pure Al surface was also studied for comparison. It was found that icing accretion on the surface could be reduced apparently because the water droplets merged together and slid away from the superhydrophobic surface at all of the measuring temperatures when the surface is horizontally placed. In addition, water droplet slid away completely from the superhydrophobic surface at -5 and -10 °C when the surface is tilted at 10°, which demonstrates its excellent anti-icing properties at these temperatures. When the temperature decreased to -15 °C, though ice accretion on the tilted superhydrophobic coating surface could not be avoided absolutely, the amount of ice formed on the surface is very small, which indicated that the coating surface with superhydrophobicity could significantly reduce ice accumulation on the surface at very low temperature (-15 °C). Importantly, the sample is also stable against repeated icing/deicing cycles. More meaningfully, once the superhydrophobic surface is damaged, it can be repaired easily and rapidly.

Ethanol fermentation integrated with PDMS composite membrane: An effective process.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Chaohui; Cai, Di; Hu, Song; Miao, Qi; Wang, Yong; Qin, Peiyong; Wang, Zheng; Tan, Tianwei

2016-01-01

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, prepared in water phase, was investigated in separation ethanol from model ethanol/water mixture and fermentation-pervaporation integrated process. Results showed that the PDMS membrane could effectively separate ethanol from model solution. When integrated with batch ethanol fermentation, the ethanol productivity was enhanced compared with conventional process. Fed-batch and continuous ethanol fermentation with pervaporation were also performed and studied. 396.2-663.7g/m(2)h and 332.4-548.1g/m(2)h of total flux with separation factor of 8.6-11.7 and 8-11.6, were generated in the fed-batch and continuous fermentation with pervaporation scenario, respectively. At the same time, high titre ethanol production of ∼417.2g/L and ∼446.3g/L were also achieved on the permeate side of membrane in the two scenarios, respectively. The integrated process was environmental friendly and energy saving, and has a promising perspective in long-terms operation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facile Fabrication and Characterization of a PDMS-Derived Candle Soot Coated Stable Biocompatible Superhydrophobic and Superhemophobic Surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, R; Majhy, B; Sen, A K

2017-09-13

We report a simple, inexpensive, rapid, and one-step method for the fabrication of a stable and biocompatible superhydrophobic and superhemophobic surface. The proposed surface comprises candle soot particles embedded in a mixture of PDMS+n-hexane serving as the base material. The mechanism responsible for the superhydrophobic behavior of the surface is explained, and the surface is characterized based on its morphology and elemental composition, wetting properties, mechanical and chemical stability, and biocompatibility. The effect of %n-hexane in PDMS, the thickness of the PDMS+n-hexane layer (in terms of spin coating speed) and sooting time on the wetting property of the surface is studied. The proposed surface exhibits nanoscale surface asperities (average roughness of 187 nm), chemical compositions of soot particles, very high water and blood repellency along with excellent mechanical and chemical stability and excellent biocompatibility against blood sample and biological cells. The water contact angle and roll-off angle is measured as 160° ± 1° and 2°, respectively, and the blood contact angle is found to be 154° ± 1°, which indicates that the surface is superhydrophobic and superhemophobic. The proposed superhydrophobic and superhemophobic surface offers significantly improved (>40%) cell viability as compared to glass and PDMS surfaces.

Experimental and Modeling Study of Solvent Diffusion in PDMS for Nanoparticle-Polymer Cosuspension Imprint Lithography.

Science.gov (United States)

Gervasio, Michelle; Lu, Kathy; Davis, Richey

2015-09-15

This study is the first that focuses on solvent migration in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp during the imprint lithography of ZnO-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) hybrid suspensions. Using suspensions with varying solids loading levels and ZnO/PMMA ratios, the uptake of the anisole solvent in the stamp is evaluated as a function of time. Laser confocal microscopy is employed as a unique technique to measure the penetration depth of the solvent into the stamp. The suspension solids loading affects the anisole saturation depth in the PDMS stamp. For the suspensions with low solids loading, the experimental data agree with the model for non-Fickian diffusion through a rubbery-elastic polymer. For the suspensions with high solids loading, the data agree more with a sigmoidal diffusion curve, reflecting the rubbery-viscous behavior of a swelling polymer. This difference is due to the degree of swelling in the PDMS. Higher solids loadings induce more swelling because the rate of anisole diffusing into the stamp is increased, likely due to the less dense buildup of the solids as the suspension dries.

Insight into the microscopic structure of an AdS black hole from a thermodynamical phase transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Shao-Wen; Liu, Yu-Xiao

2015-09-11

Comparing with an ordinary thermodynamic system, we investigate the possible microscopic structure of a charged anti-de Sitter black hole completely from the thermodynamic viewpoint. The number density of the black hole molecules is introduced to measure the microscopic degrees of freedom of the black hole. We found that the number density suffers a sudden change accompanied by a latent heat when the black hole system crosses the small-large black hole coexistence curve, while when the system passes the critical point, it encounters a second-order phase transition with a vanishing latent heat due to the continuous change of the number density. Moreover, the thermodynamic scalar curvature suggests that there is a weak attractive interaction between two black hole molecules. These phenomena might cast new insight into the underlying microscopic structure of a charged anti-de Sitter black hole.

Separación de mezclas agua-propanol usando membranas de preevaporación PDMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahacine Amrani

2008-05-01

Full Text Available La recuperación y purificación de disolventes orgánicos en la química farmacéutica resulta de gran importancia pa-ra la economía y el medio ambiente. La separación de mezclas de agua/alcohol por el proceso de pervaporación se llevó a cabo a través de membranas hidrofóbicas. En este trabajo se estudia el rendimiento de las membranas de polidimetilsiloxano (PDMS para la deshidratación de mezclas agua/propanol por el proceso de preevaporación. El PDMS es reconocido por su selectividad de permeabilidad al alcohol preferentemente en mezclas de agua/alcohol durante el preevaporación debido a su tamaño molecular, aunque aún se presente penetración de agua a través de la membrana hidrofóbica. Se utilizó una unidad de preevaporación a escala de laboratorio para el estudio de esta membrana de separación evaluando características en términos de pervaporación como el flujo y la selectivi-dad de los canales con un contenido máximo de masa de agua y de 30 °C a 50 °C. El flujo de propanol/agua fue observado al variar la temperatura. A pesar que el PDMS presentó buenas características para la separación de mezclas de agua/propanol, el factor de separación y el flujo de pervaporación disminuyen a medida que el contenido de agua en la carga aumenta. La membrana PDMS resultó ser muy eficiente para concentraciones de a-gua de menos de 0.3, lo que corresponde al total del flujo de transferencia máxima.

Left ventricular structure and function in black normotensive type 2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Keywords: Black normotensive patients, left ventricular function, type 2 DM. Résumé ... sickle cell disease and structural heart disease were excluded ... Pulmonary venous flow (PVF) velocity ... had abnormal ECG pattern compared with 30%.

Structural Properties and Antifungal Activity against Candida albicans Biofilm of Different Composite Layers Based on Ag/Zn Doped Hydroxyapatite-Polydimethylsiloxanes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreea Groza

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Modern medicine is still struggling to find new and more effective methods for fighting off viruses, bacteria and fungi. Among the most dangerous and at times life-threatening fungi is Candida albicans. Our work is focused on surface and structural characterization of hydroxyapatite, silver doped hydroxyapatite and zinc doped hydroxyapatite deposited on a titanium substrate previously coated with polydimethylsiloxane (HAp-PDMS, Ag:HAp-PDMS, Zn:HAp-PDMS by different techniques: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR. The morphological studies revealed that the use of the PDMS polymer as an interlayer improves the quality of the coatings. The structural characterizations of the thin films revealed the basic constituents of both apatitic and PDMS structure. In addition, the GD depth profiles indicated the formation of a composite material as well as the successful embedding of the HAp, Zn:HAp and Ag:HAp into the polymer. On the other hand, in vitro evaluation of the antifungal properties of Ag:HAp-PDMS and Zn:HAp-PDMS demonstrated the fungicidal effects of Ag:HAp-PDMS and the potential antifungal effect of Zn:HAp-PDMS composite layers against C. albicans biofilm. The results acquired in this research complete previous research on the potential use of new complex materials produced by nanotechnology in biomedicine.

Increased adhesion of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to acrylic adhesive tape for medical use by surface treatment with an atmospheric pressure rotating plasma jet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jofre-Reche, José Antonio; Martín-Martínez, José Miguel; Pulpytel, Jérôme; Arefi-Khonsari, Farzaneh

2016-01-01

The surface properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were modified by treatment with an atmospheric pressure rotating plasma jet (APPJ) and the surface modifications were studied to assess its hydrophilicity and adhesion to acrylic adhesive tape intended for medical applications. Furthermore, the extent of hydrophobic recovery under different storage conditions was studied. The surface treatment of PDMS with the APPJ under optimal conditions noticeably increased the oxygen content and most of the surface silicon species were fully oxidized. A brittle silica-like layer on the outermost surface was created showing changes in topography due to the formation of grooves and cracks. A huge improvement in T-peel and the shear adhesive strength of the APPJ-treated PDMS surface/acrylic tape joints was obtained. On the other hand, the hydrophilicity of the PDMS surface increased noticeably after the APPJ treatment, but 24 h after treatment almost 80% hydrophobicity was recovered and the adhesive strength was markedly reduced with time after the APPJ treatment. However, the application of an acrylic adhesive layer on the just-APPJ-treated PDMS surface retained the adhesive strength, limiting the extent of hydrophobic recovery. (paper)

Novel silicone compatible cross-linkers for controlled functionalization of PDMS networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Frederikke Bahrt; Daugaard, Anders Egede; Hvilsted, Søren

2013-01-01

. In order to improve the dielectric properties of PDMS a novel system is developed where push-pull dipoles are grafted to a new silicone compatible cross-linker. The grafted cross-linkers are prepared by reaction of two different push-pull dipole alkynes as well as a fluorescent alkyne with the new azide...

Fabrication of PDMS through-holes using the MIMIC method and the surface treatment by atmospheric-pressure CH4/He RF plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jongchan; Lee, Kyeong-Hwan; Yang, Sung

2011-09-01

This note presents a simple fabrication process for patterning micro through-holes in a PDMS layer by a combination of the micromolding in capillaries (MIMIC) method and the surface treatment by atmospheric-pressure CH4/He RF plasma. The fabrication process is confirmed by forming micro through-holes with various shapes including circle, C-shape, open microfluidic channel and hemisphere. All micro through-holes of various shapes in a wide range of diameters and heights are well fabricated by the proposed method. Also, a 3D micromixer containing a PDMS micro through-hole layer formed by the proposed method is built and its performance is tested as another practical demonstration of the proposed fabrication method. Therefore, we believe that the proposed fabrication process will build a PDMS micro through-hole layer in a simple and easy way and will contribute to developing highly efficient multi-layered microfluidic systems, which may require PDMS micro through-hole layers.

Analyticity of event horizons of five-dimensional multi-black holes with nontrivial asymptotic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Masashi

2008-01-01

We show that there exist five-dimensional multi-black hole solutions which have analytic event horizons when the space-time has nontrivial asymptotic structure, unlike the case of five-dimensional multi-black hole solutions in asymptotically flat space-time.

Near horizon structure of extremal vanishing horizon black holes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sadeghian

2015-11-01

Full Text Available We study the near horizon structure of Extremal Vanishing Horizon (EVH black holes, extremal black holes with vanishing horizon area with a vanishing one-cycle on the horizon. We construct the most general near horizon EVH and near-EVH ansatz for the metric and other fields, like dilaton and gauge fields which may be present in the theory. We prove that (1 the near horizon EVH geometry for generic gravity theory in generic dimension has a three dimensional maximally symmetric subspace; (2 if the matter fields of the theory satisfy strong energy condition either this 3d part is AdS3, or the solution is a direct product of a locally 3d flat space and a d−3 dimensional part; (3 these results extend to the near horizon geometry of near-EVH black holes, for which the AdS3 part is replaced with BTZ geometry. We present some specific near horizon EVH geometries in 3, 4 and 5 dimensions for which there is a classification. We also briefly discuss implications of these generic results for generic (gauged supergravity theories and also for the thermodynamics of near-EVH black holes and the EVH/CFT proposal.

LEO resistant PI-B-PDMS block copolymer films for solar array applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lonkhuyzen, H. van; Bongers, E.; Fischer, H.R.; Dingemans, T.J.; Semprimoschnig, C.

2013-01-01

Due to their low atomic oxygen erosion yields PI-b-PDMS block copolymer films have considerable potential for application onto space exposed surfaces of satellites in low earth orbit. On solar arrays these materials might be used as electrical electrical insulation film, flexprint outer layer,

Viscoelasticity of Brownian Carbon Nanotubes in PDMS Semidilute Regime

OpenAIRE

MARCEAU, Sandrine; DUBOIS, Philippe; FULCHIRON, René; CASSAGNAU, Philippe

2009-01-01

The objective of the present paper is to investigate the linear viscoelasticity of diluted suspension of MWNT spread in PDMS. Specifically, we focus our attention on both the CNT relaxation in semidilute conditions and the concept of percolation threshold for such system. Finally, the results, and mainly the concentration dependence of the zero-shear viscosity and mean relaxation time, will be discussed within the Doi−Edwards theory framework on molecular dynamic of rigid rods in a semi...

Fabrication of hemispherical liquid encapsulated structures based on droplet molding

Science.gov (United States)

Ishizuka, Hiroki; Miki, Norihisa

2015-12-01

We have developed and demonstrated a method for forming spherical structures of a thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane encapsulating a liquid. Liquid encapsulation can enhance the performance of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices by providing deformability and improved dielectric properties. Parylene deposition and wafer bonding are applied to encapsulate liquid into a MEMS device. In parylene deposition, a parylene membrane is directly formed onto a liquid droplet. However, since the parylene membrane is stiff, the membrane is fragile. Although wafer bonding can encapsulate liquid between two substrates, the surface of the fabricated structure is normally flat. We propose a new liquid encapsulation method by dispensing liquid droplets. At first, a 20 μl PDMS droplet is dispensed on ethylene glycol. A 70 μl glycerin droplet is dispensed into a PDMS casting solution layer. The droplet forms a layer on heated ethylene glycol. Glycerin and ethylene glycol are chosen for their high boiling points. Additionally, a glycerin droplet is dispensed on the layer and surrounded by a thin PDMS casting solution film. The film is baked for 1 h at 75 °C. As the result, a structure encapsulating a liquid in a flexible PDMS membrane is obtained. We investigate the effects of the volume, surface tension, and guide thickness on the shape of the formed structures. We also evaluated the effect of the structure diameter on miniaturization. The structure can be adapted for various functions by changing the encapsulated liquid. We fabricated a stiffness-tunable structure by dispensing a magnetorheoligical fluid droplet with a stiffness that can be changed by an external magnetic field. We also confirmed that the proposed structure can produce stiffness differences that are distinguishable by humans.

Preparation and Property Research of Strain Sensor Based on PDMS and Silver Nanomaterials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lihua Liu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the advantages and broad applications of stretchable strain sensors, this study reports a simple method to fabricate a highly sensitive strain sensor with Ag nanomaterials-polydimethylsiloxane (AgNMs-PDMS to create a synergic conductive network and a sandwich-structure. Three Ag nanomaterial samples were synthesized by controlling the concentrations of the FeCl3 solution and reaction time via the heat polyols thermal method. The AgNMs network’s elastomer nanocomposite-based strain sensors show strong piezoresistivity with a high gauge factor of 547.8 and stretchability from 0.81% to 7.26%. The application of our high-performance strain sensors was demonstrated by the inducting finger of the motion detection. These highly sensitive sensors conform to the current trends of flexible electronics and have prospects for broad application.

Horizon structure of rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black holes and shadow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Atamurotov, Farruh [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Inha University in Tashkent, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ghosh, Sushant G. [Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for Theoretical Physics, New Delhi (India); University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Astrophysics and Cosmology Research Unit, School of Mathematical Sciences, Private Bag 54001, Durban (South Africa); Ahmedov, Bobomurat [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Ulugh Beg Astronomical Institute, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

2016-05-15

We investigate the horizon structure of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld solution which goes over to the Einstein-Maxwell's Kerr-Newman solution as the Born-Infeld parameter goes to infinity (β → ∞). We find that for a given β, mass M, and charge Q, there exist a critical spinning parameter a{sub E} and r{sub H}{sup E}, which corresponds to an extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with degenerate horizons, and a{sub E} decreases and r{sub H}{sup E} increases with increase of the Born-Infeld parameter β, while a < a{sub E} describes a non-extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with outer and inner horizons. Similarly, the effect of β on the infinite redshift surface and in turn on the ergo-region is also included. It is well known that a black hole can cast a shadow as an optical appearance due to its strong gravitational field. We also investigate the shadow cast by the both static and rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole and demonstrate that the null geodesic equations can be integrated, which allows us to investigate the shadow cast by a black hole which is found to be a dark zone covered by a circle. Interestingly, the shadow of an Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole is slightly smaller than for the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole, which consists of concentric circles, for different values of the Born-Infeld parameter β, whose radius decreases with increase of the value of the parameter β. Finally, we have studied observable distortion parameter for shadow of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole. (orig.)

Horizon structure of rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black holes and shadow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atamurotov, Farruh; Ghosh, Sushant G.; Ahmedov, Bobomurat

2016-01-01

We investigate the horizon structure of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld solution which goes over to the Einstein-Maxwell's Kerr-Newman solution as the Born-Infeld parameter goes to infinity (β → ∞). We find that for a given β, mass M, and charge Q, there exist a critical spinning parameter a E and r H E , which corresponds to an extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with degenerate horizons, and a E decreases and r H E increases with increase of the Born-Infeld parameter β, while a < a E describes a non-extremal Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole with outer and inner horizons. Similarly, the effect of β on the infinite redshift surface and in turn on the ergo-region is also included. It is well known that a black hole can cast a shadow as an optical appearance due to its strong gravitational field. We also investigate the shadow cast by the both static and rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole and demonstrate that the null geodesic equations can be integrated, which allows us to investigate the shadow cast by a black hole which is found to be a dark zone covered by a circle. Interestingly, the shadow of an Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole is slightly smaller than for the Reissner-Nordstrom black hole, which consists of concentric circles, for different values of the Born-Infeld parameter β, whose radius decreases with increase of the value of the parameter β. Finally, we have studied observable distortion parameter for shadow of the rotating Einstein-Born-Infeld black hole. (orig.)

Rapid selective metal patterning on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fabricated by capillarity-assisted laser direct write

KAUST Repository

Lee, Ming-Tsang; Lee, Daeho; Sherry, Alexander; Grigoropoulos, Costas P

2011-01-01

direct write (LDW) technology. To achieve good metal film quality, a capillarity-assisted laser direct writing (CALDW) of nanoparticle suspensions on a low surface energy material (PDMS) was utilized. Experimental results showed controllable electrical

Self-cleaning poly(dimethylsiloxane) film with functional micro/nano hierarchical structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiao-Sheng; Zhu, Fu-Yun; Han, Meng-Di; Sun, Xu-Ming; Peng, Xu-Hua; Zhang, Hai-Xia

2013-08-27

This paper reports a novel single-step wafer-level fabrication of superhydrophobic micro/nano dual-scale (MNDS) poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) films. The MNDS PDMS films were replicated directly from an ultralow-surface-energy silicon substrate at high temperature without any surfactant coating, achieving high precision. An improved deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process with enhanced passivation steps was proposed to easily realize the ultralow-surface-energy MNDS silicon substrate and also utilized as a post-treatment process to strengthen the hydrophobicity of the MNDS PDMS film. The chemical modification of this enhanced passivation step to the surface energy has been studied by density functional theory, which is also the first investigation of C4F8 plasma treatment at molecular level by using first-principle calculations. From the results of a systematic study on the effect of key process parameters (i.e., baking temperature and time) on PDMS replication, insight into the interaction of hierarchical multiscale structures of polymeric materials during the micro/nano integrated fabrication process is experimentally obtained for the first time. Finite element simulation has been employed to illustrate this new phenomenon. Additionally, hierarchical PDMS pyramid arrays and V-shaped grooves have been developed and are intended for applications as functional structures for a light-absorption coating layer and directional transport of liquid droplets, respectively. This stable, self-cleaning PDMS film with functional micro/nano hierarchical structures, which is fabricated through a wafer-level single-step fabrication process using a reusable silicon mold, shows attractive potential for future applications in micro/nanodevices, especially in micro/nanofluidics.

Interior structure of rotating black holes. III. Charged black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, Andrew J. S.

2011-01-01

This paper extends to the case of charged rotating black holes the conformally stationary, axisymmetric, conformally separable solutions presented for uncharged rotating black holes in a companion paper. In the present paper, the collisionless fluid accreted by the black hole may be charged. The charge of the black hole is determined self-consistently by the charge accretion rate. As in the uncharged case, hyper-relativistic counterstreaming between ingoing and outgoing streams drives inflation at (just above) the inner horizon, followed by collapse. If both ingoing and outgoing streams are charged, then conformal separability holds during early inflation, but fails as inflation develops. If conformal separability is imposed throughout inflation and collapse, then only one of the ingoing and outgoing streams can be charged: the other must be neutral. Conformal separability prescribes a hierarchy of boundary conditions on the ingoing and outgoing streams incident on the inner horizon. The dominant radial boundary conditions require that the incident ingoing and outgoing number densities be uniform with latitude, but the charge per particle must vary with latitude such that the incident charge densities vary in proportion to the radial electric field. The subdominant angular boundary conditions require specific forms of the incident number- and charge-weighted angular motions. If the streams fall freely from outside the horizon, then the prescribed angular conditions can be achieved by the charged stream, but not by the neutral stream. Thus, as in the case of an uncharged black hole, the neutral stream must be considered to be delivered ad hoc to just above the inner horizon.

The structure of carbon black-elastomer composites by small-angle neutron scattering and the method of contrast variation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelm, R.P.; Wampler, W.; Gerspacher, M.

1996-01-01

We have been exploring the use of small-angle neutron scattering and the method of contrast variation to give a new look at a very old problem: reinforcement of elastomers by carbon black in durable rubber products. Carbon black has a hierarchy of structures consisting of particles covalently bound into aggregates, which in turn associate by weak interactions into agglomerates. We found that in one carbon black, HSA, the aggregates are rodlike, containing an average of 4-6 particles. The aggregates have an outer graphitic shell and an inner core of lower density carbon. The core is continuous throughout the carbon black aggregate. Contrast variation of swollen HSA-polyisoprene gels shows that the HSA is completely embedded in polyisoprene and that the agglomerates are formed predominantly by end on associations of the rodlike aggregates. The surface structure of the carbon black appears smooth over length scales above about 10 angstrom. Further studies using production carbon blacks suggest that these structural characteristics are generally present in commercial rubber composites

A quasi-static approach to structure formation in black hole universes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durk, Jessie; Clifton, Timothy

2017-01-01

Motivated by the existence of hierarchies of structure in the Universe, we present four new families of exact initial data for inhomogeneous cosmological models at their maximum of expansion. These data generalise existing black hole lattice models to situations that contain clusters of masses, and hence allow the consequences of cosmological structures to be considered in a well-defined and non-perturbative fashion. The degree of clustering is controlled by a parameter λ, in such a way that for λ ∼ 0 or 1 we have very tightly clustered masses, whilst for λ ∼ 0.5 all masses are separated by cosmological distance scales. We study the consequences of structure formation on the total net mass in each of our clusters, as well as calculating the cosmological consequences of the interaction energies both within and between clusters. The locations of the shared horizons that appear around groups of black holes, when they are brought sufficiently close together, are also identified and studied. We find that clustering can have surprisingly large effects on the scale of the cosmology, with models that contain thousands of black holes sometimes being as little as 30% of the size of comparable Friedmann models with the same total proper mass. This deficit is comparable to what might be expected to occur from neglecting gravitational interaction energies in Friedmann cosmology, and suggests that these quantities may have a significant influence on the properties of the large-scale cosmology.

A quasi-static approach to structure formation in black hole universes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durk, Jessie; Clifton, Timothy, E-mail: j.durk@qmul.ac.uk, E-mail: t.clifton@qmul.ac.uk [School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London (United Kingdom)

2017-10-01

Motivated by the existence of hierarchies of structure in the Universe, we present four new families of exact initial data for inhomogeneous cosmological models at their maximum of expansion. These data generalise existing black hole lattice models to situations that contain clusters of masses, and hence allow the consequences of cosmological structures to be considered in a well-defined and non-perturbative fashion. The degree of clustering is controlled by a parameter λ, in such a way that for λ ∼ 0 or 1 we have very tightly clustered masses, whilst for λ ∼ 0.5 all masses are separated by cosmological distance scales. We study the consequences of structure formation on the total net mass in each of our clusters, as well as calculating the cosmological consequences of the interaction energies both within and between clusters. The locations of the shared horizons that appear around groups of black holes, when they are brought sufficiently close together, are also identified and studied. We find that clustering can have surprisingly large effects on the scale of the cosmology, with models that contain thousands of black holes sometimes being as little as 30% of the size of comparable Friedmann models with the same total proper mass. This deficit is comparable to what might be expected to occur from neglecting gravitational interaction energies in Friedmann cosmology, and suggests that these quantities may have a significant influence on the properties of the large-scale cosmology.

A quasi-static approach to structure formation in black hole universes

Science.gov (United States)

Durk, Jessie; Clifton, Timothy

2017-10-01

Motivated by the existence of hierarchies of structure in the Universe, we present four new families of exact initial data for inhomogeneous cosmological models at their maximum of expansion. These data generalise existing black hole lattice models to situations that contain clusters of masses, and hence allow the consequences of cosmological structures to be considered in a well-defined and non-perturbative fashion. The degree of clustering is controlled by a parameter λ, in such a way that for λ ~ 0 or 1 we have very tightly clustered masses, whilst for λ ~ 0.5 all masses are separated by cosmological distance scales. We study the consequences of structure formation on the total net mass in each of our clusters, as well as calculating the cosmological consequences of the interaction energies both within and between clusters. The locations of the shared horizons that appear around groups of black holes, when they are brought sufficiently close together, are also identified and studied. We find that clustering can have surprisingly large effects on the scale of the cosmology, with models that contain thousands of black holes sometimes being as little as 30% of the size of comparable Friedmann models with the same total proper mass. This deficit is comparable to what might be expected to occur from neglecting gravitational interaction energies in Friedmann cosmology, and suggests that these quantities may have a significant influence on the properties of the large-scale cosmology.

About the optical properties of oxidized black silicon structures

Science.gov (United States)

Pincik, E.; Brunner, R.; Kobayashi, H.; Mikula, M.; Kučera, M.; Švec, P.; Greguš, J.; Vojtek, P.; Zábudlá, Z.; Imamura, K.; Zahoran, M.

2017-02-01

The paper deals with the optical and morphological properties of thermally oxidized black silicon (OBSi) nano-crystalline specimens produced by the surface structure chemical transfer method (SSCT). This method can produce a nano-crystalline Si black color layer on c-Si with a range of thickness of ∼50 nm to ∼300 nm by the contact of c-Si immersed in chemical solutions HF + H2O2 with a catalytic mesh. We present and discuss mainly the photoluminescence properties of both polished c-Si and OBSi structures, respectively. The similar photoluminescence (PL) behaviors recorded at liquid helium (6 K) and room temperatures on both polished crystalline Si and OBSi samples, respectively, indicate the similar origin of recorded luminescence light. As the positions of PL maxima of OBSi structures are mainly related to the size of Si nanocrystallites and SiO(x), we therefore suppose that the size of the dominant parts of the luminated OBSi nanostructure is pre-determined by the used polishing Si procedure, and/or the distribution function of the number of formed crystallites on their size is very similar. The blue shift of both PL spectra reaching almost value of 0.40 eV observed after the decrease of the sample temperature to 6 K we relate also with the change of the semiconductor band gap width.

Event-horizon-scale structure in the supermassive black hole candidate at the Galactic Centre.

Science.gov (United States)

Doeleman, Sheperd S; Weintroub, Jonathan; Rogers, Alan E E; Plambeck, Richard; Freund, Robert; Tilanus, Remo P J; Friberg, Per; Ziurys, Lucy M; Moran, James M; Corey, Brian; Young, Ken H; Smythe, Daniel L; Titus, Michael; Marrone, Daniel P; Cappallo, Roger J; Bock, Douglas C-J; Bower, Geoffrey C; Chamberlin, Richard; Davis, Gary R; Krichbaum, Thomas P; Lamb, James; Maness, Holly; Niell, Arthur E; Roy, Alan; Strittmatter, Peter; Werthimer, Daniel; Whitney, Alan R; Woody, David

2008-09-04

The cores of most galaxies are thought to harbour supermassive black holes, which power galactic nuclei by converting the gravitational energy of accreting matter into radiation. Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the compact source of radio, infrared and X-ray emission at the centre of the Milky Way, is the closest example of this phenomenon, with an estimated black hole mass that is 4,000,000 times that of the Sun. A long-standing astronomical goal is to resolve structures in the innermost accretion flow surrounding Sgr A*, where strong gravitational fields will distort the appearance of radiation emitted near the black hole. Radio observations at wavelengths of 3.5 mm and 7 mm have detected intrinsic structure in Sgr A*, but the spatial resolution of observations at these wavelengths is limited by interstellar scattering. Here we report observations at a wavelength of 1.3 mm that set a size of 37(+16)(-10) microarcseconds on the intrinsic diameter of Sgr A*. This is less than the expected apparent size of the event horizon of the presumed black hole, suggesting that the bulk of Sgr A* emission may not be centred on the black hole, but arises in the surrounding accretion flow.

Seguimiento por espectroscopia infrarroja (FT-IR de la copolimerización de TEOS (tetraetilortosilicato y PDMS (polidimetilsiloxano en presencia de tbt (tetrabutiltitanio

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Téllez, L.

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Hybrid materials have been prepared in this work through the reactions of Si and Ti alkoxides (TEOS and TBT, respectively and polydimethil siloxane (PDMS. These reactions have been studied by means of FT-IR spectroscopy during the whole reaction time. The hydrolysis of TEOS molecule has been followed by the 880 cm-1 band, and the self-condensation reactions through the 1180 and 1150 cm-1 bands. Polycondesation reaction between Si-OH groups and PDMS molecules has been followed by the 850 cm-1 band. On the other hand, the hydrolysis reaction of TBT and the self-condensation of Ti-OH groups have been followed by the 1130 and 770-510 cm-1 bands, respectively. Finally the condensation reaction between Si-OH and Ti-OH groups have been studied by the 936 cm-1 band. Results have shown that hydrolysis and condensation reactions are depending on TBT concentration. The formation of Si-O-Si cross-linked structures increases with the TBT concentrations in the reaction. The selfcondensation reaction of Si-OH grups or Ti-OH grous is very reapid forming Si-O-Si and Ti-O-Ti bonds, respectively. However, the Si-O-Ti bonds which are formed during the first moments of reaction are also rapidly broken due to H2O molecules or the reaction medium. The evolution of PDMS linear and cyclic molecules is also studied.

Se han preparado materiales híbridos por medio de reacciones de hidrólisis y condensación de alcóxidos de Si y Ti (TEOS y TBT, respectivamente y de reacciones de copolimerización de éstos con polidimetilsiloxano (PDMS. Se han estudiado las citadas reacciones mediante espectroscopia FT-IR, desde el mismo comienzo hasta la obtención del material final. La hidrólisis del TEOS así como la autocondensación del os grupos Si-OH generados tanto para formar cadenas entrecruzadas como lineales se han seguido mediante las bandas situadas a 880, 1180 y 1150 cm-1, respectivamente. La policondensación de dichos grupos con PDMS se ha seguido por la banda a

Synthesis of Polydimethylsiloxane-Modified Polyurethane and the Structure and Properties of Its Antifouling Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhan-Ping Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS could be used to improve the antifouling properties of the fouling release coatings based on polyurethane (PU. A series of polydimethylsiloxane-modified polyurethane coatings were synthesized with various PDMS contents, using the solvent-free method. The effects of PDMS content and seawater immersion on the chain structure and surface morphology were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM, atomic force microscopy (AFM, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA and X-ray diffraction (XRD. Based on the measurements of contact angles of deionized water and diiodomethane, surface free energies of the coatings were estimated according to the Owens two-liquid method. The PDMS-modified polyurethane exhibited lower surface free energy and a lower glass transition temperature than polyurethane. The presence of PDMS increased the degree of microphase separation, and enhanced the water resistance of the coatings. The optimum amount of PDMS reduced the elastic modulus and increased the ductility of the coating. The presence of PDMS benefited the removal of weakly attached organisms. Panel tests in the Yellow Sea demonstrated the antifouling activity of the PDMS-modified polyurethane.

Numerical study of acoustophoretic motion of particles in a PDMS microchannel driven by surface acoustic waves.

Science.gov (United States)

Nama, Nitesh; Barnkob, Rune; Mao, Zhangming; Kähler, Christian J; Costanzo, Francesco; Huang, Tony Jun

2015-06-21

We present a numerical study of the acoustophoretic motion of particles suspended in a liquid-filled PDMS microchannel on a lithium niobate substrate acoustically driven by surface acoustic waves. We employ a perturbation approach where the flow variables are divided into first- and second-order fields. We use impedance boundary conditions to model the PDMS microchannel walls and we model the acoustic actuation by a displacement function from the literature based on a numerical study of piezoelectric actuation. Consistent with the type of actuation, the obtained first-order field is a horizontal standing wave that travels vertically from the actuated wall towards the upper PDMS wall. This is in contrast to what is observed in bulk acoustic wave devices. The first-order fields drive the acoustic streaming, as well as the time-averaged acoustic radiation force acting on suspended particles. We analyze the motion of suspended particles driven by the acoustic streaming drag and the radiation force. We examine a range of particle diameters to demonstrate the transition from streaming-drag-dominated acoustophoresis to radiation-force-dominated acoustophoresis. Finally, as an application of our numerical model, we demonstrate the capability to tune the position of the vertical pressure node along the channel width by tuning the phase difference between two incoming surface acoustic waves.

Functionalization of PDMS modified and plasma activated two-component polyurethane coatings by surface attachment of enzymes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kreider, Alexej; Richter, Katharina; Sell, Stephan; Fenske, Mandus; Tornow, Christian; Stenzel, Volkmar; Grunwald, Ingo

2013-01-01

This article describes a new strategy for coupling the enzyme horseradish peroxidase to a two-component polyurethane (2C-PUR) coating. A stable polymer conjugate was achieved by combining the enzyme and the 2C-PUR coating which was modified with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), located at the surface. An atmospheric pressure plasma jet system was used to convert alkyl groups from the PDMS into polar silanol functionalities. This conversion was proven by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and dynamic contact angle measurements. In addition, the stability of the activated 2C-PUR surface containing silanol groups was determined by measuring the contact angle as a function of time. Compared to the non-modified 2C-PUR systems the one with PDMS displayed a higher stability over a time period over 28 h. In a silanization process the coating was treated with (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane and the enzyme was subsequently immobilized to the coating via the cross linker glutaraldehyde to receive new biomimetic catalytic/enzymatic functions. The chemical immobilization (chemisorption) of the enzyme to the surface showed statistically significant higher biological activity as compared to references samples without using a cross linker (physisorption). The presented technique offers the opportunity to design new and smart multifunctional surface coatings which employ biomimetic capabilities.

Functionalization of PDMS modified and plasma activated two-component polyurethane coatings by surface attachment of enzymes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreider, Alexej; Richter, Katharina; Sell, Stephan; Fenske, Mandus; Tornow, Christian; Stenzel, Volkmar [Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials - IFAM, Wiener Strasse 12, 28359 Bremen (Germany); Grunwald, Ingo, E-mail: ingo.grunwald@ifam.fraunhofer.de [Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials - IFAM, Wiener Strasse 12, 28359 Bremen (Germany)

2013-05-15

This article describes a new strategy for coupling the enzyme horseradish peroxidase to a two-component polyurethane (2C-PUR) coating. A stable polymer conjugate was achieved by combining the enzyme and the 2C-PUR coating which was modified with poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), located at the surface. An atmospheric pressure plasma jet system was used to convert alkyl groups from the PDMS into polar silanol functionalities. This conversion was proven by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and dynamic contact angle measurements. In addition, the stability of the activated 2C-PUR surface containing silanol groups was determined by measuring the contact angle as a function of time. Compared to the non-modified 2C-PUR systems the one with PDMS displayed a higher stability over a time period over 28 h. In a silanization process the coating was treated with (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane and the enzyme was subsequently immobilized to the coating via the cross linker glutaraldehyde to receive new biomimetic catalytic/enzymatic functions. The chemical immobilization (chemisorption) of the enzyme to the surface showed statistically significant higher biological activity as compared to references samples without using a cross linker (physisorption). The presented technique offers the opportunity to design new and smart multifunctional surface coatings which employ biomimetic capabilities.

Nanoparticle-Incorporated PDMS Film as an Improved Performance SPME Fiber for Analysis of Volatile Components of Eucalyptus Leaf

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parviz Aberoomand Azar

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A new fabrication strategy was proposed to prepare polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS- coated solid-phase microextraction (SPME on inexpensive and unbreakable Cu fiber. PDMS was covalently bonded to the Cu substrate using self-assembled monolayer (SAM of (3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (3MPTS as binder. To increase the performance of the fiber, the incorporation effect of some nanomaterials including silica nanoparticles (NPs, carbon nanotubes (CNTs, and carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNT-COOH to PDMS coating was compared. The surface morphology of the prepared fibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and their applicability was evaluated through the extraction of some volatile organic compounds (VOCs of Eucalyptus leaf in headspace mode, and parameters affecting the extraction efficiency including extraction temperature and extraction time were optimized. Extracted compounds were analyzed by GC-MS instrument. The results obtained indicated that prepared fibers have some advantages relative to previously prepared SPME fibers, such as higher thermal stability and improved performance of the fiber. Also, results showed that SPME is a fast, simple, quick, and sensitive technique for sampling and sample introduction of Eucalyptus VOCs.

PZT-5A4/PA and PZT-5A4/PDMS piezoelectric composite bimorphs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Babu, I.; Hendrix, M.M.R.M.; With, de G.

2014-01-01

Disc type reinforced piezoelectric composite bimorphs with series connection were designed and the performance was investigated. The composite bimorphs (PZT/PA and PZT/PDMS (40/60 vol%)) were successfully fabricated by a compression molding and solution casting technique. The charge developed at an

Hydrophilic Surface Modification of PDMS Microchannel for O/W and W/O/W Emulsions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shazia Bashir

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A surface modification method for bonded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS microchannels is presented herein. Polymerization of acrylic acid was performed on the surface of a microchannel using an inline atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier microplasma technique. The surface treatment changes the wettability of the microchannel from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This is a challenging task due to the fast hydrophobic recovery of the PDMS surface after modification. This modification allows the formation of highly monodisperse oil-in-water (O/W droplets. The generation of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W double emulsions was successfully achieved by connecting in series a hydrophobic microchip with a modified hydrophilic microchip. An original channel blocking technique to pattern the surface wettability of a specific section of a microchip using a viscous liquid comprising a mixture of honey and glycerol, is also presented for generating W/O/W emulsions on a single chip.

Polymer (PDMS-Fe3O4) magneto-dielectric substrate for a MIMO antenna array

Science.gov (United States)

Alqadami, Abdulrahman Shueai Mohsen; Jamlos, Mohd Faizal; Soh, Ping Jack; Kamarudin, Muhammad Ramlee

2016-01-01

This paper presents the design of a 2 × 4 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna array fabricated on a nanocomposite magneto-dielectric polymer substrate. The 10-nm iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite is used as substrate to enhance the performance of a MIMO antenna array. The measured results showed up to 40.8 % enhancement in terms of bandwidth, 9.95 dB gain, and 57 % of radiation efficiency. Furthermore, it is found that the proposed magneto-dielectric (PDMS-Fe3O4) composite substrate provides excellent MIMO parameters such as correlation coefficient, diversity gain, and mutual coupling. The prototype of the proposed antenna is transparent, flexible, lightweight, and resistant against dust and corrosion. Measured results indicate that the proposed antenna is suitable for WLAN and ultra-wideband biomedical applications within frequency range of 5.33-7.70 GHz.

Methodical evaluation and improvement of matrix compatible PDMS-overcoated coating for direct immersion solid phase microextraction gas chromatography (DI-SPME-GC)-based applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Souza-Silva, Érica A; Gionfriddo, Emanuela; Shirey, Robert; Sidisky, Len; Pawliszyn, Janusz

2016-05-12

The main quest for the implementation of direct SPME to complex matrices has been the development of matrix compatible coatings that provide sufficient sensitivity towards the target analytes. In this context, we present here a thorough evaluation of PDMS-overcoated fibers suitable for simultaneous extraction of different polarities analytes, while maintaining adequate matrix compatibility. For this, eleven analytes were selected, from various application classes (pesticides, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals) and with a wide range of log P values (ranging from 1.43 to 6). The model matrix chosen was commercial Concord grape juice, which is rich in pigments such as anthocyanins, and contains approximately 20% of sugar (w/w). Two types of PDMS, as well as other intrinsic factors associated with the PDMS-overcoated fiber fabrication are studied. The evaluation showed that the PDMS-overcoated fibers considerably slowed down the coating fouling process during direct immersion in complex matrices of high sugar content. Longevity differences could be seen between the two types of PDMS tested, with a proprietary Sylgard(®) giving superior performance because of lesser amount of reactive groups and enhanced hydrophobicity. Conversely, the thickness of the outer layer did not seem to have a significant effect on the fiber lifetime. We also demonstrate that the uniformity of the overcoated PDMS layer is paramount to the achievement of reliable data and extended fiber lifetime. Employing the optimum overcoated fiber, limits of detection (LOD) in the range of 0.2-1.3 ng/g could be achieved. Additional improvement is attainable by introducing washing of the coatings after desorption, so that any carbon build-up (fouling) left on the coating surface after thermal desorption can be removed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid fabrication of microfluidic polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell in PDMS by surface patterning of perfluorinated ion-exchange resin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Yong-Ak; Han, Jongyoon [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States); Batista, Candy [Roxbury Community College, 1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120 (United States); Sarpeshkar, Rahul [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2008-09-01

In this paper we demonstrate a simple and rapid fabrication method for a microfluidic polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which has become the de facto standard material in BioMEMS. Instead of integrating a Nafion sheet film between two layers of a PDMS device in a traditional ''sandwich format,'' we pattern a perfluorinated ion-exchange resin such as a Nafion resin on a glass substrate using a reversibly bonded PDMS microchannel to generate an ion-selective membrane between the fuel-cell electrodes. After this patterning step, the assembly of the microfluidic fuel cell is accomplished by simple oxygen plasma bonding between the PDMS chip and the glass substrate. In an example implementation, the planar PEM microfluidic fuel cell generates an open circuit voltage of 600-800 mV and delivers a maximum current output of nearly 4 {mu}A. To enhance the power output of the fuel cell we utilize self-assembled colloidal arrays as a support matrix for the Nafion resin. Such arrays allow us to increase the thickness of the ion-selective membrane to 20 {mu}m and increase the current output by 166%. Our novel fabrication method enables rapid prototyping of microfluidic fuel cells to study various ion-exchange resins for the polymer electrolyte membrane. Our work will facilitate the development of miniature, implantable, on-chip power sources for biomedical applications. (author)

Primordial Black Holes as Generators of Cosmic Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Bernard; Silk, Joseph

2018-05-01

Primordial black holes (PBHs) could provide the dark matter in various mass windows below 102M⊙ and those of 30M⊙ might explain the LIGO events. PBHs much larger than this might have important consequences even if they provide only a small fraction of the dark matter. In particular, they could generate cosmological structure either individually through the `seed' effect or collectively through the `Poisson' effect, thereby alleviating some problems associated with the standard CDM scenario. If the PBHs all have a similar mass and make a small contribution to the dark matter, then the seed effect dominates on small scales, in which case PBHs could generate the supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei or even galaxies themselves. If they have a similar mass and provide the dark matter, the Poisson effect dominates on all scales and the first bound clouds would form earlier than in the usual scenario, with interesting observational consequences. If the PBHs have an extended mass spectrum, which is more likely, they could fulfill all three roles - providing the dark matter, binding the first bound clouds and generating galaxies. In this case, the galactic mass function naturally has the observed form, with the galaxy mass being simply related to the black hole mass. The stochastic gravitational wave background from the PBHs in this scenario would extend continuously from the LIGO frequency to the LISA frequency, offering a potential goal for future surveys.

Fabrication and characterization of artificial hair cell sensor based on MWCNT-PDMS composite

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chi Yeon; Lee, Hyun Sup; Cho, Yo Han; Joh, Cheeyoung; Choi, Pyung; Park, Seong Jin

2011-06-01

The aim of this work is to design and fabricate a flow sensor using an artificial hair cell (AHC) inspired by biological hair cells of fish. The sensor consists of a single cilium structure with high aspect ratio and a mechanoreceptor using force sensitive resistor (FSR). The cilium structure is designed for capturing a drag force with direction due to flow field around the sensor and the mechanoreceptor is designed for sensing the drag force with direction from the cilium structure and converting it into an electric signal. The mechanoreceptor has a symmetric four electrodes to sense the drag force and its direction. To fabricate the single cilium structure with high aspect ratio, we have proposed a new design concept using a separated micro mold system (SMS) fabricated by the LIGA process. For a successful replication of the cilium structure, we used the hot embossing process with the help of a double-sided mold system. We used a composite of multiwall carbon nanotube and polydimethylsiloxane (MWCNT-PDMS). The performance of the mechanoreceptors was measured by a computer-controlled nanoindenter. We carried out several experiments with the sensor in the different flow rate and direction using the experimental test apparatus. To calibrate the sensor and calculate the velocity with direction based the signal from the sensor, we analyzed the coupled phenomena between flow field and the cilium structure to calculate the deflection of the cilium structure and the drag force applying to the cilium structure due to the flow field around sensor.

Ultrasonic and dielectric studies of polymer PDMS composites with ZnO and onion-like carbons nanoinclusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samulionis, V; Macutkevic, J; Banys, J; Belovickis, J; Shenderova, O

2015-01-01

The ultrasonic and dielectric temperature investigations were performed in polydi- methylsiloxane (PDMS) with zinc oxide (ZnO) and onion-like carbon (OLC) nanocomposites. In the glass transition region, the ultrasonic velocity dispersion and large ultrasonic attenuation maxima were observed. The positions of ultrasonic attenuation peaks were slightly shifted to higher temperatures after doping PDMS with OLC and ZnO nanoparticles. The ultrasonic relaxation was compared to that of dielectric and such behaviour was described by Vogel- Fulcher law. The upshift of the glass transition temperature with addition of nanoparticles was confirmed by both methods. The additional increase of ultrasonic attenuation in composites doped with OLC and ZnO was observed at room temperature and such behaviour we attributed to ultrasound-nanofiller interaction in polymer matrix. (paper)

Ultrasonic and dielectric studies of polymer PDMS composites with ZnO and onion-like carbons nanoinclusions

Science.gov (United States)

Samulionis, V.; Macutkevic, J.; Banys, J.; Belovickis, J.; Shenderova, O.

2015-07-01

The ultrasonic and dielectric temperature investigations were performed in polydi- methylsiloxane (PDMS) with zinc oxide (ZnO) and onion-like carbon (OLC) nanocomposites. In the glass transition region, the ultrasonic velocity dispersion and large ultrasonic attenuation maxima were observed. The positions of ultrasonic attenuation peaks were slightly shifted to higher temperatures after doping PDMS with OLC and ZnO nanoparticles. The ultrasonic relaxation was compared to that of dielectric and such behaviour was described by Vogel- Fulcher law. The upshift of the glass transition temperature with addition of nanoparticles was confirmed by both methods. The additional increase of ultrasonic attenuation in composites doped with OLC and ZnO was observed at room temperature and such behaviour we attributed to ultrasound-nanofiller interaction in polymer matrix.

A minimally invasive micro sampler for quantitative sampling with an ultrahigh-aspect-ratio microneedle and a PDMS actuator.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Long; Wang, Yan; Yao, Jinyuan; Yang, Cuijun; Ding, Guifu

2016-08-01

This study describes a novel micro sampler consisting of an ultrahigh-aspect-ratio microneedle and a PDMS actuator. The microneedle was fabricated by a new method which introduced reshaped photoresist technology to form a flow channel inside. The microneedle includes two parts: shaft and pedestal. In this study, the shaft length is 1500 μm with a 45° taper angle on the tip and pedestal is 1000 μm. Besides, the shaft and pedestal are connected by an arc connection structure with a length of 600 μm. The microneedles have sufficient mechanical strength to insert into skin with a wide safety margin which was proved by mechanics tests. Moreover, a PDMS actuator with a chamber inside was designed and fabricated in this study. The chamber, acting as a reservoir in sampling process as well as providing power, was optimized by finite element analysis (FEA) to decrease dead volume and improve sampling precision. The micro sampler just needs finger press to activate the sampling process as well as used for quantitative micro injection to some extent. And a volume of 31.5 ± 0.8 μl blood was successfully sampled from the ear artery of a rabbit. This micro sampler is suitable for micro sampling for diagnose or therapy in biomedical field.

Self-organized, effective medium black silicon antireflection structures for silicon optics in the mid-infrared

Science.gov (United States)

Steglich, Martin; Käsebier, Thomas; Kley, Ernst-Bernhard; Tünnermann, Andreas

2016-09-01

Thanks to its high quality and low cost, silicon is the material of choice for optical devices operating in the mid-infrared (MIR; 2 μm to 6 μm wavelength). Unfortunately in this spectral region, the refractive index is comparably high (about 3.5) and leads to severe reflection losses of about 30% per interface. In this work, we demonstrate that self-organized, statistical Black Silicon structures, fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma Reactive Ion Etching (ICP-RIE), can be used to effectively suppress interface reflection. More importantly, it is shown that antireflection can be achieved in an image-preserving, non-scattering way. This enables Black Silicon antireflection structures (ARS) for imaging applications in the MIR. It is demonstrated that specular transmittances of 97% can be easily achieved on both flat and curved substrates, e.g. lenses. Moreover, by a combined optical and morphological analysis of a multitude of different Black Silicon ARS, an effective medium criterion for the examined structures is derived that can also be used as a design rule for maximizing sample transmittance in a desired wavelength range. In addition, we show that the mechanical durability of the structures can be greatly enhanced by coating with hard dielectric materials like diamond-like carbon (DLC), hence enabling practical applications. Finally, the distinct advantages of statistical Black Silicon ARS over conventional AR layer stacks are discussed: simple applicability to topological substrates, absence of thermal stress and cost-effectiveness.

Fabrication of a roller type PDMS stamp using SU-8 concave molds and its application for roll contact printing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jongho; Kim, Beomjoon

2016-01-01

Continuous fabrication of micropatterns at low-cost is attracting attention in various applications within industrial fields. To meet such demands, we have demonstrated a roll contact printing technique, using roller type polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps with roll-to-flat and roll-to-roll stages. Roller type PDMS stamps for roll contact printing were fabricated using a custom-made metal support and SU-8 microstructures fabricated on concave substrates as a mold. The molding/casting method which we developed here provided faster and easier fabrication than conventional methods for roller type stamps. Next, roll contact printing was performed using fabricated roller type PDMS stamps with roll-to-flat and roll-to-roll stages. Patterns with minimum widths of 3 μm and 2.1 μm were continuously fabricated for each stage, respectively. In addition, the relationship between applied pressures and dimensional changes of roll contact printed patterns was investigated. Finally, we confirmed that roll contact printing and the new fabrication method for roller stamps presented in this study demonstrated the feasibility for industrial applications. (paper)

Fracto-mechanoluminescent light emission of EuD4TEA-PDMS composites subjected to high strain-rate compressive loading

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Donghyeon; Castaño, Nicolas; Bhakta, Raj; Kimberley, Jamie

2017-08-01

The objective of this study is to understand light emission characteristics of fracto-mechanoluminescent (FML) europium tetrakis(dibenzoylmethide)-triethylammonium (EuD4TEA) crystals under high strain-rate compressive loading. As a sensing material that can play a pivotal role for the self-powered impact sensor technology, it is important to understand transformative light emission characteristics of the FML EuD4TEA crystals under high strain-rate compressive loading. First, EuD4TEA crystals were synthesized and embedded into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer to fabricate EuD4TEA-PDMS composite test specimens. Second, the prepared EuD4TEA-PDMS composites were tested using the modified Kolsky bar setup equipped with a high-speed camera. Third, FML light emission was captured to yield 12 bit grayscale video footage, which was processed to quantify the FML light emission. Finally, quantitative parameters were generated by taking into account pixel values and population of pixels of the 12 bit grayscale images to represent FML light intensity. The FML light intensity was correlated with high strain-rate compressive strain and strain rate to understand the FML light emission characteristics under high strain-rate compressive loading that can result from impact occurrences.

First principles investigation of structural, vibrational and thermal properties of black and blue phosphorene

Science.gov (United States)

Arif Khalil, R. M.; Ahmad, Javed; Rana, Anwar Manzoor; Bukhari, Syed Hamad; Tufiq Jamil, M.; Tehreem, Tuba; Nissar, Umair

2018-05-01

In this investigation, structural, dynamical and thermal properties of black and blue phosphorene (P) are presented through the first principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT). These DFT calculations depict that due to the approximately same values of ground state energy at zero Kelvin and Helmholtz free energy at room-temperature, it is expected that both structures can coexist at transition temperature. Lattice dynamics of both phases were investigated by using the finite displacement supercell approach. It is noticed on the basis of harmonic approximation thermodynamic calculations that the blue phase is thermodynamically more stable than the black phase above 155 K.

Brans-Dicke Theory with Λ>0: Black Holes and Large Scale Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Sourav; Dialektopoulos, Konstantinos F; Romano, Antonio Enea; Tomaras, Theodore N

2015-10-30

A step-by-step approach is followed to study cosmic structures in the context of Brans-Dicke theory with positive cosmological constant Λ and parameter ω. First, it is shown that regular stationary black-hole solutions not only have constant Brans-Dicke field ϕ, but can exist only for ω=∞, which forces the theory to coincide with the general relativity. Generalizations of the theory in order to evade this black-hole no-hair theorem are presented. It is also shown that in the absence of a stationary cosmological event horizon in the asymptotic region, a stationary black-hole horizon can support a nontrivial Brans-Dicke hair. Even more importantly, it is shown next that the presence of a stationary cosmological event horizon rules out any regular stationary solution, appropriate for the description of a star. Thus, to describe a star one has to assume that there is no such stationary horizon in the faraway asymptotic region. Under this implicit assumption generic spherical cosmic structures are studied perturbatively and it is shown that only for ω>0 or ω≲-5 their predicted maximum sizes are consistent with observations. We also point out how, many of the conclusions of this work differ qualitatively from the Λ=0 spacetimes.

Broadband energy harvesting using acoustic black hole structural tailoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Liuxian; Semperlotti, Fabio; Conlon, Stephen C

2014-01-01

This paper explores the concept of an acoustic black hole (ABH) as a main design framework for performing dynamic structural tailoring of mechanical systems for vibration energy harvesting applications. The ABH is an integral feature embedded in the host structure that allows for a smooth reduction of the phase velocity, theoretically approaching zero, while minimizing the reflected energy. This mechanism results in structural areas with high energy density that can be effectively exploited to develop enhanced vibration-based energy harvesting. Fully coupled electro-mechanical models of an ABH tapered structure with surface mounted piezo-transducers are developed to numerically simulate the response of the system to both steady state and transient excitations. The design performances are numerically evaluated using structural intensity data as well as the instantaneous voltage/power and energy output produced by the piezo-transducer network. Results show that the dynamically tailored structural design enables a drastic increase in the harvested energy as compared to traditional structures, both under steady state and transient excitation conditions. (papers)

Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) Affects Gene Expression in PC12 Cells Differentiating into Neuronal-Like Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lopacinska, Joanna M.; Emnéus, Jenny; Dufva, Martin

2013-01-01

Introduction: Microfluidics systems usually consist of materials like PMMA - poly(methyl methacrylate) and PDMS - poly(dimethylsiloxane) and not polystyrene (PS), which is usually used for cell culture. Cellular and molecular responses in cells grown on PS are well characterized due to decades...

Black holes in binary stars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijers, R.A.M.J.

1996-01-01

Introduction Distinguishing neutron stars and black holes Optical companions and dynamical masses X-ray signatures of the nature of a compact object Structure and evolution of black-hole binaries High-mass black-hole binaries Low-mass black-hole binaries Low-mass black holes Formation of black holes

Engineering of PDMS surfaces for use in microsystems for capture and isolation of complex and biomedically important proteins: epidermal growth factor receptor as a model system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Aaron M; Ozer, Byram H; Wiepz, Gregory J; Bertics, Paul J; Abbott, Nicholas L

2008-08-01

Elastomers based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) are promising materials for fabrication of a wide range of microanalytical systems due to their mechanical and optical properties and ease of processing. To date, however, quantitative studies that demonstrate reliable and reproducible methods for attachment of binding groups that capture complex receptor proteins of relevance to biomedical applications of PDMS microsystems have not been reported. Herein we describe methods that lead to the reproducible capture of a transmembrane protein, the human epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, onto PDMS surfaces presenting covalently immobilized antibodies for EGF receptor, and subsequent isolation of the captured receptor by mechanical transfer of the receptor onto a chemically functionalized surface of a gold film for detection. This result is particularly significant because the physical properties of transmembrane proteins make this class of proteins a difficult one to analyze. We benchmark the performance of antibodies to the human EGF receptor covalently immobilized on PDMS against the performance of the same antibodies physisorbed to conventional surfaces utilized in ELISA assays through the use of EGF receptor that was (32)P-radiolabeled in its autophosphorylation domain. These results reveal that two pan-reactive antibodies for the EGF receptor (clones H11 and 111.6) and one phosphospecific EGF receptor antibody (clone pY1068) capture the receptor on both PDMS and ELISA plates. When using H11 antibody to capture EGF receptor and subsequent treatment with a stripping buffer (NaOH and sodium dodecylsulfate) to isolate the receptor, the signal-to-background obtained using the PDMS surface was 82 : 1, exceeding the signal-to-background measured on the ELISA plate (<48 : 1). We also characterized the isolation of captured EGF receptor by mechanical contact of the PDMS surface with a chemically functionalized gold film. The efficiency of mechanical transfer of the

Holographic entanglement entropy and the extended phase structure of STU black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caceres, Elena; Nguyen, Phuc H.; Pedraza, Juan F.

2015-01-01

We study the extended thermodynamics, obtained by considering the cosmological constant as a thermodynamic variable, of STU black holes in 4-dimensions in the fixed charge ensemble. The associated phase structure is conjectured to be dual to an RG-flow on the space of field theories. We find that for some charge configurations the phase structure resembles that of a Van der Waals gas: the system exhibits a family of first order phase transitions ending in a second order phase transition at a critical temperature. We calculate the holographic entanglement entropy for several charge configurations and show that for the cases where the gravity background exhibits Van der Waals behavior, the entanglement entropy presents a transition at the same critical temperature. To further characterize the phase transition we calculate appropriate critical exponents and show that they coincide. Thus, the entanglement entropy successfully captures the information of the extended phase structure. Finally, we discuss the physical interpretation of the extended space in terms of the boundary QFT and construct various holographic heat engines dual to STU black holes.

Black-hole horizons in modified spacetime structures arising from canonical quantum gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bojowald, Martin; Paily, George M; Reyes, Juan D; Tibrewala, Rakesh

2011-01-01

Several properties of canonical quantum gravity modify spacetime structures, sometimes to the degree that no effective line elements exist to describe the geometry. An analysis of solutions, for instance in the context of black holes, then requires new insights. In this paper, standard definitions of horizons in spherical symmetry are first reformulated canonically, and then evaluated for solutions of equations and constraints modified by inverse-triad corrections of loop quantum gravity. When possible, a spacetime analysis is performed which reveals a mass threshold for black holes and small changes to Hawking radiation. For more general conclusions, canonical perturbation theory is developed to second order to include back-reaction from matter. The results shed light on the questions of whether renormalization of Newton's constant or other modifications of horizon conditions should be taken into account in computations of black-hole entropy in loop quantum gravity.

Flexible Piezoelectric Touch Sensor by Alignment of Lead-Free Alkaline Niobate Microcubes in PDMS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deutz, D.B.; Mascarenhas, N.T.; Schelen, J.B.J.; de Leeuw, D.M.; van der Zwaag, S.; Groen, W.A.

2017-01-01

A highly sensitive, lead-free, and flexible piezoelectric touch sensor is reported based on composite films of alkaline niobate K_0.485Na_0.485Li_0.03NbO₃ (KNLN) powders aligned in a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. KNLN powder is fabricated by

A simple and cost-effective method for fabrication of integrated electronic-microfluidic devices using a laser-patterned PDMS layer

KAUST Repository

Li, Ming

2011-12-03

We report a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating integrated electronic-microfluidic devices with multilayer configurations. A CO 2 laser plotter was employed to directly write patterns on a transferred polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, which served as both a bonding and a working layer. The integration of electronics in microfluidic devices was achieved by an alignment bonding of top and bottom electrode-patterned substrates fabricated with conventional lithography, sputtering and lift-off techniques. Processes of the developed fabrication method were illustrated. Major issues associated with this method as PDMS surface treatment and characterization, thickness-control of the transferred PDMS layer, and laser parameters optimization were discussed, along with the examination and testing of bonding with two representative materials (glass and silicon). The capability of this method was further demonstrated by fabricating a microfluidic chip with sputter-coated electrodes on the top and bottom substrates. The device functioning as a microparticle focusing and trapping chip was experimentally verified. It is confirmed that the proposed method has many advantages, including simple and fast fabrication process, low cost, easy integration of electronics, strong bonding strength, chemical and biological compatibility, etc. © Springer-Verlag 2011.

The Structural Relationship between Out-of-School Time Enrichment and Black Student Participation in Advanced Science

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Jamaal; Young, Jemimah

2018-01-01

The researchers tested a model of the structural relationship between Black student engagement in out-of-school time (OST) science enrichment and participation in advanced science courses in high school. The participants in the sample were Black students (N = 3,173) who participated in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009/2012. The student…

A novel DC microplasma sensor constructed in a cavity PDMS chamber with needle electrodes for fast detection of methanol-containing spirit.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Dai-bing; Duan, Yi-xiang; He, Yi; Gao, Bo

2014-12-12

A novel microplasma device, for the first time, was constructed in a cavity Poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) chamber with two normal syringe needles serve as both the gas channels and the electrodes. This device employs argon plasma with direct current for molecular fragmentation and excitation. The microplasma is generated at atmospheric pressure in the PDMS chamber of 0.5 mL (5 × 10 × 10 mm(3)) volume with a sealable plug. Since the microplasma is maintained in a chamber by separation of the discharge zone and the substrate, stability for a long time of the microplasma is realized which could be observed by argon background emission fluctuation and SEM characterization. This property is beneficial for spectrometric detection of many volatile organics in this chamber. Besides, this kind of microplasma sensor has advantages such as flexibility in replacement of electrodes, convenience in clearance of the discharge chamber, small instrument volume, simple structure, and ease of operation. In addition, methanol-containing spirit samples were chosen to estimate the detecting performance of this microplasma for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) analysis by molecular emission spectrometry. Significant differences are observed upon the introduction of the spirit and the methanol-containing spirit samples. A detection limit of 0.3% is obtained on this microplasma device.

A planar PDMS micropump using in-contact minimized-leakage check valves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ni, Junhui; Li, Beizhi; Huang, Fengliang; Wang, Bin; Lin, Qiao

2010-01-01

We present a micropump with a simple planar design featuring compliant in-contact check valves in a single layer, which allows for a simple structure and easy system integration. The micropump, based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), primarily consists of a pneumatically driven thin membrane, a pump chamber, and two in-plane check valves. The pair of check valves is based on an in-contact flap–stopper configuration and is able to minimize leakage flow, greatly enhancing the reliability and performance of the micropump. Systematic experimental characterization of the micropump has been performed in terms of the frequency response of the pumping flow rate with respect to factors including device geometry (e.g. chamber height) and operating parameters (e.g. pneumatic driving pressure and backpressure). The results demonstrate that this micropump is capable of reliably generating a maximum flow rate of 41 µL min −1 and operating against a high backpressure of up to 25 kPa. In addition, a lumped-parameter theoretical model for the planar micropump is also developed for accurate analysis of the device behavior. These results demonstrate the capability of this micropump for diverse applications in lab-on-a-chip systems.

ZnO–PDMS Nanohybrids: A Novel Optical Sensing Platform for Ethanol Vapor Detection at Room Temperature

KAUST Repository

Klini, Argyro; Pissadakis, Stavros; Das, Rabindra N.; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.; Anastasiadis, Spiros H.; Anglos, Demetrios

2015-01-01

O-PDMS system as an optical gas sensing device. The interaction of the ZnO nanoparticles with molecular oxygen plays an essential role on the overall performance of the sensor, as shown in comparative experiments performed in the presence and absence

Influence of black carbon addition on phenanthrene dissipation and microbial community structure in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Ping; Wang Haizhen; Wu Laosheng; Di Hongjie; He Yan; Xu Jianming

2012-01-01

Biodegradation processes and changes in microbial community structure were investigated in black carbon (BC) amended soils in a laboratory experiment using two soils (black soil and red soil). We applied different percentages of charcoal as BC (0%, 0.5% and 1% by weight) with 100 mg kg −1 of phenanthrene. Soil samples were collected at different incubation times (0, 7, 15, 30, 60, 120 d). The amendment with BC caused a marked decrease in the dissipation (ascribed to mainly degradation and/or sequestration) of phenanthrene residues from soil. Extracted phenanthrene in black soil with 1% BC were higher, oppositely in red soil, 0.5% BC amendments were higher. There were significant changes in the PLFA pattern in phenanthrene-spiked soils with time but BC had little effect on the microbial community structure of phenanthrene-spiked soils, as indicated by principal component analysis (PCA) of the PLFA signatures. - Highlights: ► Extracted phenanthrene increased substantially as the BC amount increased. ► Extracted phenanthrene in black soil with 1% BC were higher, oppositely in red soil. ► BC caused a marked decrease in the dissipation of phenanthrene from soil. ► PLFA pattern in phenanthrene-spiked soils with time had significant changes. - BC amendments on phenanthrene extraction were different for two soils and time was a more effective factor in microbial community changes.

Analysis of internal structure changes in black human hair keratin fibers resulting from bleaching treatments using Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzuhara, Akio

2013-09-01

In order to investigate in detail the internal structure changes in virgin black human hair keratin fibers resulting from bleaching treatments, the structure of cross-sections at various depths of black human hair, which had been impossible due to high melanin grande content, was directly analyzed using Raman spectroscopy. The gauche-gauche-gauche (GGG) content of the sbnd SSsbnd groups existing from the cuticle region to the center of cortex region of the virgin black human hair remarkably decreased, while the gauche-gauche-trans and trans-gauche-trans contents were not changed by performing the excessive bleaching treatment. In particular, it was found that not only the β-sheet and/or random coil content, but also the α-helix content existing throughout the cortex region of virgin black human hair decreased. In addition, the transmission electron microscope observation shows that the proteins in the cell membrane complex, the cuticle and cortex of the virgin black human hair were remarkably eluted by performing the excessive bleaching treatment. From these experiments, the author concluded that the sbnd SSsbnd groups, which have a GGG conformation were decomposed and finally converted to cysteic acid, and the α-helix structure of some of the proteins existing in the keratin was changed to the random coil structure, or eluted from the cortex region, thereby leading to the reduction in the protein density of the virgin human hair after the excessive bleaching treatment.

Enhancement of dielectric permittivity by incorporating PDMS-PEG multiblock copolymers in silicone elastomers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A Razak, Aliff Hisyam; Szabo, Peter; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

2015-01-01

A silicone elastomer from PDMS-PEG multiblock copolymer has been prepared by use of silylation reactions for both copolymer preparation and crosslinking. The dielectric and mechanical properties of the silicone elastomers were carefully investigated, as well as the morphology of the elastomers wa...... to a significantly increased dielectric permittivity. The conductivity also remained low due to the resulting discontinuity in PEG within the silicone matrix....

Comparison of three different scales techniques for the dynamic mechanical characterization of two polymers (PDMS and SU8)

Science.gov (United States)

Le Rouzic, J.; Delobelle, P.; Vairac, P.; Cretin, B.

2009-10-01

In this article the dynamic mechanical characterization of PDMS and SU8 resin using dynamic mechanical analysis, nanoindentation and the scanning microdeformation microscope have been presented. The methods are hereby explained, extended for viscoelastic behaviours, and their compatibility underlined. The storage and loss moduli of these polymers over a wide range of frequencies (from 0.01 Hz to somekHz) have been measured. These techniques are shown fairly matching and the two different viscoelastic behaviours of these two polymers have been exhibited. Indeed, PDMS shows moduli which still increase at 5kHz whereas SU8 ones decrease much sooner. From a material point of view, the Havriliak and Negami model to estimate instantaneous, relaxed moduli and time constant of these materials has been identified.

Testing the Association Between Traditional and Novel Indicators of County-Level Structural Racism and Birth Outcomes among Black and White Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Brittany D; Erausquin, Jennifer Toller; Tanner, Amanda E; Nichols, Tracy R; Brown-Jeffy, Shelly

2017-12-07

Despite decreases in infants born premature and at low birth weight in the United States (U.S.), racial disparities between Black and White women continue. In response, the purpose of this analysis was to examine associations between both traditional and novel indicators of county-level structural racism and birth outcomes among Black and White women. We merged individual-level data from the California Birth Statistical Master Files 2009-2013 with county-level data from the United States (U.S.) Census American Community Survey. We used hierarchical linear modeling to examine Black-White differences among 531,170 primiparous women across 33 California counties. Traditional (e.g., dissimilarity index) and novel indicators (e.g., Black to White ratio in elected office) were associated with earlier gestational age and lower birth weight among Black and White women. A traditional indicator was more strongly associated with earlier gestational age for Black women than for White women. This was the first study to empirically demonstrate that structural racism, measured by both traditional and novel indicators, is associated with poor health and wellbeing of infants born to Black and White women. However, findings indicate traditional indicators of structural racism, rather than novel indicators, better explain racial disparities in birth outcomes. Results also suggest the need to develop more innovative approaches to: (1) measure structural racism at the county-level and (2) reform public policies to increase integration and access to resources.

Using Black Hole Mergers to Explore Structure Formation

Science.gov (United States)

Alicea-Munoz, E.; Miller, M. Coleman

2009-01-01

Observations of gravitational waves from massive black hole mergers will open a new window into the era of structure formation in the early universe. Past efforts have concentrated on calculating merger rates using different physical assumptions, resulting in merger rate estimates that span a wide range (0.1 - 10(exp 4) mergers/year). We develop a semi-analytical, phenomenological model of massive black hole mergers that includes plausible combinations of several physical parameters, which we then turn around to determine how well observations with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will be able to enhance our understanding of the universe during the critical z approximately equal to 5-30 epoch. Our approach involves generating synthetic LISA observable data (total BH masses, BH mass ratios, redshifts, merger rates), which are then analyzed using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, thus finding constraints for the physical parameters of the mergers. We find that our method works well at estimating merger parameters and that the number of merger events is a key discriminant among models, therefore making our method robust against observational uncertainties. Our approach can also be extended to more physically-driven models and more general problems in cosmology. This work is supported in part by the Cooperative Education Program at NASA/GSFC.

Abundance of Black-backed woodpeckers and other birds in relation to disturbance and forest structure in the Black Hills and Bear Lodge Mountains of South Dakota and Wyoming

Science.gov (United States)

Elizabeth A. Matseur

2017-01-01

Natural disturbances, such as wildfire and mountain pine beetle (Dentroctonus ponderosae, hereafter MPB) infestations, are two sources of large-scale disturbance that can significantly alter forest structure in the Black Hills. The Black Hills has recently experienced one of the largest MPB outbreaks in the last 100 years, along with varying levels of wildfires...

Differing patterns of brain structural abnormalities between black and white patients with their first episode of psychosis.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Morgan, K D

2010-07-01

African-Caribbean and black African people living in the UK are reported to have a higher incidence of diagnosed psychosis compared with white British people. It has been argued that this may be a consequence of misdiagnosis. If this is true they might be less likely to show the patterns of structural brain abnormalities reported in white British patients. The aim of this study therefore was to investigate whether there are differences in the prevalence of structural brain abnormalities in white and black first-episode psychosis patients.

STABILITY OF MFI ZEOLITE-FILLED PDMS MEMBRANES DURING PERVAPORATIVE ETHANOL RECOVERY FROM AQUEOUS MIXTURES CONTAINING ACETIC ACID

Science.gov (United States)

Pervaporation is potentially a cost-effective means of recovering biofuels, such as ethanol, from biomass fermentation broths for small- to medium-scale applications (~2 - 20 million liters per year). Hydrophobic zeolite-filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes have been sho...

Characterization of the nanosized porous structure of black Si solar cells fabricated via a screen printing process

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Tang Yehua; Fei Jianming; Cao Hongbin; Zhou Chunlan; Wang Wenjing; Zhou Su; Zhao Yan; Zhao Lei; Li Hailing; Yan Baojun; Chen Jingwei

2012-01-01

A silicon (Si) surface with a nanosized porous structure was formed via simple wet chemical etching catalyzed by gold (Au) nanoparticles on p-type Cz-Si (100).The average reflectivity from 300 to 1200 nm was less than 1.5％.Black Si solar cells were then fabricated using a conventional production process.The results reflected the output characteristics of the cells fabricated using different etching depths and emitter dopant profiles.Heavier dopants and shallower etching depths should be adopted to optimize the black Si solar cell output characteristics.The efficiency at the optimized etching time and dopant profile was 12.17％.However,surface passivation and electrode contact due to the nanosized porous surface structure are still obstacles to obtaining high conversion efficiency for the black Si solar cells.

Fabrication and characterization of bending and pressure sensors for a soft prosthetic hand

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Rui Pedro; Alhais Lopes, Pedro; de Almeida, Anibal T.; Tavakoli, Mahmoud; Majidi, Carmel

2018-03-01

We demonstrate fabrication, characterization, and implementation of ‘soft-matter’ pressure and bending sensors for a soft robotic hand. The elastomer-based sensors are embedded in a robot finger composed of a 3D printed endoskeleton and covered by an elastomeric skin. Two types of sensors are evaluated, resistive pressure sensors and capacitive pressure sensors. The sensor is fabricated entirely out of insulating and conductive rubber, the latter composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer embedded with a percolating network of structured carbon black (CB). The sensor-integrated fingers have a simple materials architecture, can be fabricated with standard rapid prototyping methods, and are inexpensive to produce. When incorporated into a robotic hand, the CB-PDMS sensors and PDMS carrier medium function as an ‘artificial skin’ for touch and bend detection. Results show improved response with a capacitive sensor architecture, which, unlike a resistive sensor, is robust to electromechanical hysteresis, creep, and drift in the CB-PDMS composite. The sensorized fingers are integrated in an anthropomorphic hand and results for a variety of grasping tasks are presented.

Spacetime structure of an evaporating black hole in quantum gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonanno, A.; Reuter, M.

2006-01-01

The impact of the leading quantum gravity effects on the dynamics of the Hawking evaporation process of a black hole is investigated. Its spacetime structure is described by a renormalization group improved Vaidya metric. Its event horizon, apparent horizon, and timelike limit surface are obtained by taking the scale dependence of Newton's constant into account. The emergence of a quantum ergosphere is discussed. The final state of the evaporation process is a cold, Planck size remnant

XPS and μ-Raman study of nanosecond-laser processing of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Armyanov, S., E-mail: armyanov@ipc.bas.bg [Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 11, Sofia 1113 (Bulgaria); Stankova, N.E.; Atanasov, P.A. [Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko Shose, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Valova, E.; Kolev, K.; Georgieva, J. [Rostislaw Kaischew Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 11, Sofia 1113 (Bulgaria); Steenhaut, O.; Baert, K.; Hubin, A. [Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Faculty of Engineering, Research Group, SURF “Electrochemical and Surface Engineering” (Belgium)

2015-10-01

Data about the chemical status of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) after nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG laser treatment with near infrared, visible and ultraviolet radiation are presented. The μ-Raman spectroscopy analyses reveal as irradiation result a new sharp peak of crystalline silicon. In addition, broad bands appear assigned to D band of amorphous carbon and G band of microcrystalline and polycrystalline graphite. The μ-Raman spectra are variable taken in different inspected points in the trenches formed by laser treatment. The XPS surface survey spectra indicate the constituent elements of PDMS: carbon, oxygen and silicon. The spectra of detail XPS scans illustrate the influence of the laser treatment. The position of Si 2p peaks of the treated samples is close to the value of non-treated except that irradiated by 1064 nm 66 pulses, which is shifted by 0.9 eV. Accordingly, a shift by 0.4 eV is noticed of the O 1s peak, which reflects again a stronger oxidation of silicon. The curve fitting of Si 2p and O 1s peaks after this particular laser treatment shows the degree of conversion of organic to inorganic silicon that takes place during the irradiation.

Electronic structure and the properties of phosphorene and few-layer black phosphorus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuoka, Shuhei; Taen, Toshihiro; Osada, Toshihito

2015-01-01

A single atomic layer of black phosphorus, phosphorene, was experimentally realized in 2014. It has a puckered honeycomb lattice structure and a semiconducting electronic structure. In the first part of this paper, we use a simple LCAO model, and qualitatively discuss the electronic structure of phosphorene systems under electric and magnetic fields, especially noting their midgap edge states. The next part is devoted to the review of the progress in research on phosphorene over the past one year since its realization in 2014. Phosphorene has been a typical material to study the semiconductor physics in atomic layers. (author)

Wrinkled, dual-scale structures of diamond-like carbon (DLC) for superhydrophobicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahmawan, Yudi; Moon, Myoung-Woon; Kim, Kyung-Suk; Lee, Kwang-Ryeol; Suh, Kahp-Yang

2010-01-05

We present a simple two-step method to fabricate dual-scale superhydrophobic surfaces by using replica molding of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) micropillars, followed by deposition of a thin, hard coating layer of a SiO(x)-incorporated diamond-like carbon (DLC). The resulting surface consists of microscale PDMS pillars covered by nanoscale wrinkles that are induced by residual compressive stress of the DLC coating and a difference in elastic moduli between DLC and PDMS without any external stretching or thermal contraction on the PDMS substrate. We show that the surface exhibits superhydrophobic properties with a static contact angle over 160 degrees for micropillar spacing ratios (interpillar gap divided by diameter) less than 4. A transition of the wetting angle to approximately 130 degrees occurs for larger spacing ratios, changing the wetting from a Cassie-Cassie state (C(m)-C(n)) to a Wenzel-Cassie state (W(m)-C(n)), where m and n denote micro- and nanoscale roughness, respectively. The robust superhydrophobicity of the Cassie-Cassie state is attributed to stability of the Cassie state on the nanoscale wrinkle structures of the hydrophobic DLC coating, which is further explained by a simple mathematical theory on wetting states with decoupling of nano- and microscale roughness in dual scale structures.

Fabrication of Graphene Oxide Dispersed DLC/PDMS Substrates and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture(Researches)

OpenAIRE

伴, 雅人; Masahito, Ban

2016-01-01

Graphene Oxide (GO) dispersed DLC (diamond-like carbon) thin film deposited PDMS substrates were fabricated with plasma treatments and dip coating methods. It was found from cell culture tests using the substrates as scaffolds human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) indicated larger F-actin areas compared with the substrates without GO and/or DLC.

Effect of repeated contact on adhesion measurements involving polydimethylsiloxane structural material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroner, E; Arzt, E; Maboudian, R

2009-01-01

During the last few years several research groups have focused on the fabrication of artificial gecko inspired adhesives. For mimicking these structures, different polymers are used as structure material, such as polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS), polyurethanes (PU), and polypropylene (PP). While these polymers can be structured easily and used for artificial adhesion systems, the effects of repeated adhesion testing have never been investigated closely. In this paper we report on the effect of repeated adhesion measurements on the commercially available poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer kit Sylgard 184 (Dow Corning). We show that the adhesion force decreases as a function of contact cycles. The rate of change and the final value of adhesion are found to depend on the details of the PDMS synthesis and structuring.

Phase structure of the Born-Infeld-anti-de Sitter black holes probed by non-local observables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zeng, Xiao-Xiong [Chongqing Jiaotong University, School of Material Science and Engineering, Chongqing (China); Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Beijing (China); Liu, Xian-Ming [Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Hubei University for Nationalities, Center for Theoretical Physics, School of Sciences, Enshi, Hubei (China); Li, Li-Fang [Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Beijing (China)

2016-11-15

With the non-local observables such as two point correlation function and holographic entanglement entropy, we probe the phase structure of the Born-Infeld-anti-de Sitter black holes. For the case bQ > 0.5, where b is the Born-Infeld parameter and Q is the charge of the black hole, the phase structure is found to be similar to that of the Van der Waals phase transition, namely the black hole undergoes a first order phase transition and a second order phase transition before it reaches a stable phase. While for the case bQ < 0.5, a new phase branch emerges besides the Van der Waals phase transition. For the first order phase transition, the equal area law is checked, and for the second order phase transition, the critical exponent of the heat capacity is obtained. All these results are found to be the same as that observed in the entropy-temperature plane. (orig.)

Phase structures of the black Dp-D(p+4)-brane system in various ensembles II: electrical and thermodynamic stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao, Zhiguang; Zhou, Da

2015-01-01

By incorporating the electrical stability condition into the discussion, we continue the study on the thermodynamic phase structures of the Dp-D(p+4) black brane in GG, GC, CG, CC ensembles defined in our previous paper http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP07(2015)134. We find that including the electrical stability conditions in addition to the thermal stability conditions does not modify the phase structure of the GG ensemble but puts more constraints on the parameter space where black branes can stably exist in GC, CG, CC ensembles. In particular, the van der Waals-like phase structure which was supposed to be present in these ensembles when only thermal stability condition is considered would no longer be visible, since the phase of the small black brane is unstable under electrical fluctuations. However, the symmetry of the phase structure by interchanging the two kinds of brane charges and potentials is still preserved, which is argued to be the result of T-duality.

Characterizing the Secondary Protein Structure of Black Widow Dragline Silk Using Solid-State NMR & X-ray Diffraction

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Janelle E.; Sampath, Sujatha; Butler, Emily; Kim, Jihyun; Henning, Robert W.; Holland, Gregory P.; Yarger, Jeffery L.

2013-01-01

This study provides a detailed secondary structural characterization of major ampullate dragline silk from Latrodectus hesperus (black widow) spiders. X-ray diffraction results show that the structure of black widow major ampullate silk fibers is comprised of stacked β-sheet nanocrystallites oriented parallel to the fiber axis and an amorphous region with oriented (anisotropic) and isotropic components. The combination of two-dimensional (2D) 13C-13C through-space and through-bond solid-state NMR experiments provide chemical shifts that are used to determine detailed information about amino acid motif secondary structure in black widow spider dragline silk. Individual amino acids are incorporated into different repetitive motifs that make up the majority of this protein-based biopolymer. From the solid-state NMR measurements, we assign distinct secondary conformations to each repetitive amino acid motif and hence to the amino acids that make up the motifs. Specifically, alanine is incorporated in β-sheet (poly(Alan) and poly(Gly-Ala)), 31-helix (poly(Gly-Gly-Xaa), and α-helix (poly(Gln-Gln-Ala-Tyr)) components. Glycine is determined to be in β-sheet (poly(Gly-Ala)) and 31-helical (poly(Gly-Gly-Xaa)) regions, while serine is present in β-sheet (poly(Gly-Ala-Ser)), 31-helix (poly(Gly-Gly-Ser)), and β-turn (poly(Gly-Pro-Ser)) structures. These various motif-specific secondary structural elements are quantitatively correlated to the primary amino acid sequence of major ampullate spidroin 1 and 2 (MaSp1 and MaSp2) and are shown to form a self-consistent model for black widow dragline silk. PMID:24024617

A hierarchical structure through imprinting of a polyimide precursor without residual layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pai, I-Ting; Hon, Min-Hsiung; Leu, Ing-Chi

2008-01-01

A patterned polyimide without a residual layer is obtained by imprinting with the assistance of a residual solvent. The effects of the wetting behaviors of the poly-amic acid (PAA) solution coated on various surfaces are examined and the formation of hierarchical patterns without residual layers is demonstrated. polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PEI/PDMS are used as imprinting molds with Si and 300 nm SiO 2 /Si as substrates. The results indicate that the various ambits of patterns without a residual layer are formed due to the dewetting phenomena caused by surface tension (Suh 2006 Small 2 832). During imprinting, PDMS with a low surface energy makes the PAA solution flow away from its surface exposing the contact area due to dewetting. Self-organized hierarchical structures are also obtained from this process due to effective dewetting. The present study provides a new approach for fabricating patterns without residual layers and the consequent preparation of hierarchical structures, which is considered to be impossible using the lithographic technique

Black Holes and Exotic Spinors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Hoff da Silva

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Exotic spin structures are non-trivial liftings, of the orthogonal bundle to the spin bundle, on orientable manifolds that admit spin structures according to the celebrated Geroch theorem. Exotic spin structures play a role of paramount importance in different areas of physics, from quantum field theory, in particular at Planck length scales, to gravity, and in cosmological scales. Here, we introduce an in-depth panorama in this field, providing black hole physics as the fount of spacetime exoticness. Black holes are then studied as the generators of a non-trivial topology that also can correspond to some inequivalent spin structure. Moreover, we investigate exotic spinor fields in this context and the way exotic spinor fields branch new physics. We also calculate the tunneling probability of exotic fermions across a Kerr-Sen black hole, showing that the exotic term does affect the tunneling probability, altering the black hole evaporation rate. Finally we show that it complies with the Hawking temperature universal law.

Phases of Kaluza-Klein Black Holes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harmark, Troels; Obers, N. A.

2005-01-01

We review the latest progress in understanding the phase structure of static and neutral Kaluza-Klein black holes, i.e. static and neutral solutions of pure gravity with an event horizon that asymptote to a d-dimensional Minkowski-space times a circle. We start by reviewing the (mu,n) phase diagram...... and the split-up of the phase structure into solutions with an internal SO(d-1) symmetry and solutions with Kaluza-Klein bubbles. We then discuss the uniform black string, non-uniform black string and localized black hole phases, and how those three phases are connected, involving issues such as classical...... instability and horizon-topology changing transitions. Finally, we review the bubble-black hole sequences, their place in the phase structure and interesting aspects such as the continuously infinite non-uniqueness of solutions for a given mass and relative tension....

Fabricating small-scale, curved, polymeric structures with convex and concave menisci through interfacial free energy equilibrium.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Chao-Min; Matsuura, Koji; Wang, I-Jan; Kuroda, Yuka; LeDuc, Philip R; Naruse, Keiji

2009-11-21

Polymeric curved structures are widely used in imaging systems including optical fibers and microfluidic channels. Here, we demonstrate that small-scale, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based, curved structures can be fabricated through controlling interfacial free energy equilibrium. Resultant structures have a smooth, symmetric, curved surface, and may be convex or concave in form based on surface tension balance. Their curvatures are controlled by surface characteristics (i.e., hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) of the molds and semi-liquid PDMS. In addition, these structures are shown to be biocompatible for cell culture. Our system provides a simple, efficient and economical method for generating integrateable optical components without costly fabrication facilities.

Diameter structure modeling and the calculation of plantation volume of black poplar clones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrašev Siniša

2004-01-01

Full Text Available A method of diameter structure modeling was applied in the calculation of plantation (stand volume of two black poplar clones in the section Aigeiros (Duby: 618 (Lux and S1-8. Diameter structure modeling by Weibull function makes it possible to calculate the plantation volume by volume line. Based on the comparison of the proposed method with the existing methods, the obtained error of plantation volume was less than 2%. Diameter structure modeling and the calculation of plantation volume by diameter structure model, by the regularity of diameter distribution, enables a better analysis of the production level and assortment structure and it can be used in the construction of yield and increment tables.

A confirmatory test of the underlying factor structure of scores on the collective self-esteem scale in two independent samples of Black Americans.

Science.gov (United States)

Utsey, Shawn O; Constantine, Madonna G

2006-04-01

In this study, we examined the factor structure of the Collective Self-Esteem Scale (CSES; Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992) across 2 separate samples of Black Americans. The CSES was administered to a sample of Black American adolescents (n = 538) and a community sample of Black American adults (n = 313). Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), however, did not support the original 4-factor model identified by Luhtanen and Crocker (1992) as providing an adequate fit to the data for these samples. Furthermore, an exploratory CFA procedure failed to find a CSES factor structure that could be replicated across the 2 samples of Black Americans. We present and discuss implications of the findings.

Facile fabrication of functional PDMS surfaces with tunable wettablity and high adhesive force via femtosecond laser textured templating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanlei Hu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Femtosecond laser processing is emerged as a promising tool to functionalize surfaces of various materials, including metals, semiconductors, and polymers. However, the productivity of this technique is limited by the low efficiency of laser raster scanning. Here we report a facile approach for efficiently producing large-area functional polymer surfaces, by which metal is firstly textured by a femtosecond laser, and the as-prepared hierarchical structures are subsequently transferred onto polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS surfaces. Aluminum pieces covered by laser induced micro/nano-structures act as template masters and their performance of displaying diverse colors are investigated. Polymer replicas are endowed with tunable wetting properties, which are mainly attributed to the multi-scale surface structures. Furthermore, the surfaces are found to have extremely high adhesive force for water drops because of the high water penetration depth and the resultant high contact angle hysteresis. This characteristic facilitates many potential applications like loss-free tiny water droplets transportation. The reusability of metal master and easiness of soft lithography make it to be a very simple, fast and cost-efficient way for mass production of functional polymeric surfaces.

Truncated acoustic black hole structure with the optimized tapering shape and damping coating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ih, Jeong-Guon; Kim, Miseong; Lee, Ik Jin

2016-01-01

The acoustic black hole (ABH) structure can be an option as a vibration damper by providing a tapered wedge at the end of a beam or plate. However, not much work has been done on design to yield an effective ABH design for such a plate. We attempt to optimize the shape of the ABH to effectively...

Small-angle scattering, contrast variation and the study of complex composite materials: A study of the structure of carbon black

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelm, R.P. Jr.; Seeger, P.A.; Wampler, W.A.

1993-01-01

Detailed studies are presented on the structure and aggregation of an experimental high surface area carbon black (HSA) using small-angle neutron scattering and the method of contrast variation. We find that the approximately 27 mn HSA particle form small, linear aggregates of average aggregation number 5 when suspended in cyclohexane. There is considerable density fluctuation in the interior of these particles, with the denser regions being toward the outer part of the spherically-averaged structure. This information would not have been obtained from studies of carbon black without solvent. The results will be applied to similar scattering studies on solvent-swollen bound rubber gels made from HSA-polyisoprene. These result show, however, that the strong internal fluctuations of the carbon black will limit the information that can be obtained on the structure and conformation of the elastomer in the gel. There are additional limitation from compositional heterogeneity of the sample

Why Blue-Collar Blacks Help Less

OpenAIRE

Smith, Sandra Susan; Young, Kara Alexis

2013-01-01

Why are blue-collar blacks less likely to help jobseekers than jobholders from other ethnoracial groups or even than more affluent blacks? Drawing from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 97 black and Latino workers at one large, public sector employer, we find that blue-collar black workers both helped less proactively and rejected more requests for assistance than did blue-collar Latino and white-collar black workers. We attribute blue-collar blacks’ more passive engagement to their...

Self-diffusion investigations on a series of PEP-PDMS diblock copolymers with different morphologies by pulsed field gradient NMR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rittig, F.; Karger, J.; Papadakis, C.M.

1999-01-01

We report on temperature-dependent self-diffusion measurements of compositionally different and non-entangled poly(ethylene-co-propylene)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) PEP-PDMS diblock copolymers in the melt above and below the order-to-disorder transition temperature. Depending on the dimensionality...

Fabrication of super-hydrophobic duo-structures

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X. Y.; Zhang, F.; Jiang, Y. J.; Wang, Y. Y.; Shi, Z. W.; Peng, C. S.

2015-04-01

Recently, super-hydrophobicity has attracted increasing attention due to its huge potential in the practical applications. In this paper, we have presented a duo-structure of the combination of micro-dot-matrix and nano-candle-soot. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was used as a combination layer between the dot-matrix and the soot particles. Firstly, a period of 9-μm dot-matrix was easily fabricated on the K9 glass using the most simple and mature photolithography process. Secondly, the dot-matrix surface was coated by a thin film of PDMS (elastomer: hardener=10:1) which was diluted by methylbenzene at the volume ratio of 1:8. Thirdly, we held the PDMS modified surface over a candle flame to deposit a soot layer and followed by a gentle water-risen to remove the non-adhered particles. At last, the samples were baked at 85°C for 2 hours and then the duo-structure surface with both micro-size dot-matrix and nano-size soot particles was obtained. The SEM indicated this novel surface morphology was quite like a lotus leaf of the well-know micro-nano-binary structures. As a result, the contact angle meter demonstrated such surface exhibited a perfect super-hydrophobicity with water contact angle of 153° and sliding angle of 3°. Besides, just listed as above, the fabrication process for our structure was quite more easy, smart and low-cost compared with the other production technique for super-hydrophobic surfaces such as the phase separation method, electrochemical deposition and chemical vapor deposition etc. Hence, this super-hydrophobic duo-structure reported in this letter was a great promising candidate for a wide and rapid commercialization in the future.

Physical effects in gravitational field of black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frolov, V.P.

1986-01-01

A large number of problems related to peculiarities of physical processes in a strong gravitational field of black holes has been considered. Energy shift and the complete structure of physical fields for charged sources near a black hole have been investigated. Density matrix and generating functional for quantum effects in stationary black holes have been calculated. Contributions of massless and massive fields to vacuum polarization in black holes have been investigated and influence of quantum effects on the global structure of a black hole has been discussed

Black theology in South Africa – A theology of human dignity and black identity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy van Aarde

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Black theology in South Africa is still relevant 20 years after the apartheid regime ended. It is a theology that gave to Black South Africans human dignity and a black identity. Black theology in South Africa confronted the imbalances of power and abusive power structures through an affirmation of human dignity and the uniqueness of the identity of black people. The biblical narrative of the Exodus is a definitive narrative in American black theology and liberation theology in overcoming oppression understood as political victimisation. Black theology in South Africa is not primarily about power and economics but also about the rediscovery of human dignity and black identity and to a lesser extent about victimisation. A third generation of black theology in South Africa will gain impetus through a rediscovery of human dignity and identity as its core values instead of a Black American liberation theology of victimisation or a Marxist liberation theology of the eradication of all power or economic imbalances.

Structure and stability of accretion-disk around a black-hole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shibazaki, N; Hoshi, R [Rikkyo Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Dept. of Physics

1975-09-01

Structure and stability of a stationary thin-disk formed around a black-hole are studied using the conventional formula for the viscous stress. The disk is classified into an optically thick case, an optically thin case and an intermediate case in which the comptonization plays an important role. Thermal and secular stabilities are examined in each of the above three cases. High temperatures in excess of 10sup(9 0)K are expected in the optically thin case and in the comptonization dominant case. However, it is shown that in these cases the disk is unstable for the thermal perturbation.

Surface buckling of black phosphorus: Determination, origin, and influence on electronic structure

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Zhongwei; Jin, Wencan; Yu, Jie-Xiang; Grady, Maxwell; Sadowski, Jerzy T.; Kim, Young Duck; Hone, James; Dadap, Jerry I.; Zang, Jiadong; Osgood, Richard M.; Pohl, Karsten

2017-12-01

The surface structure of black phosphorus materials is determined using surface-sensitive dynamical microspot low energy electron diffraction (μ LEED ) analysis using a high spatial resolution low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) system. Samples of (i) crystalline cleaved black phosphorus (BP) at 300 K and (ii) exfoliated few-layer phosphorene (FLP) of about 10 nm thickness which were annealed at 573 K in vacuum were studied. In both samples, a significant surface buckling of 0.22 Å and 0.30 Å, respectively, is measured, which is one order of magnitude larger than previously reported. As direct evidence for large buckling, we observe a set of (for the flat surface forbidden) diffraction spots. Using first-principles calculations, we find that the presence of surface vacancies is responsible for the surface buckling in both BP and FLP, and is related to the intrinsic hole doping of phosphoresce materials previously reported.

In vitro blood flow in a rectangular PDMS microchannel: experimental observations using a confocal micro-PIV system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Rui; Wada, Shigeo; Tanaka, Shuji; Takeda, Motohiro; Ishikawa, Takuji; Tsubota, Ken-ichi; Imai, Yohsuke; Yamaguchi, Takami

2008-04-01

Progress in microfabricated technologies has attracted the attention of researchers in several areas, including microcirculation. Microfluidic devices are expected to provide powerful tools not only to better understand the biophysical behavior of blood flow in microvessels, but also for disease diagnosis. Such microfluidic devices for biomedical applications must be compatible with state-of-the-art flow measuring techniques, such as confocal microparticle image velocimetry (PIV). This confocal system has the ability to not only quantify flow patterns inside microchannels with high spatial and temporal resolution, but can also be used to obtain velocity measurements for several optically sectioned images along the depth of the microchannel. In this study, we investigated the ability to obtain velocity measurements using physiological saline (PS) and in vitro blood in a rectangular polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) microchannel (300 microm wide, 45 microm deep) using a confocal micro-PIV system. Applying this combination, measurements of trace particles seeded in the flow were performed for both fluids at a constant flow rate (Re = 0.02). Velocity profiles were acquired by successive measurements at different depth positions to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) information on the behavior of both fluid flows. Generally, the velocity profiles were found to be markedly blunt in the central region, mainly due to the low aspect ratio (h/w = 0.15) of the rectangular microchannel. Predictions using a theoretical model for the rectangular microchannel corresponded quite well with the experimental micro-PIV results for the PS fluid. However, for the in vitro blood with 20% hematocrit, small fluctuations were found in the velocity profiles. The present study clearly shows that confocal micro-PIV can be effectively integrated with a PDMS microchannel and used to obtain blood velocity profiles along the full depth of the microchannel because of its unique 3-D optical sectioning ability

Assembly of live micro-organisms on microstructured PDMS stamps by convective/capillary deposition for AFM bio-experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dague, E; Jauvert, E; Laplatine, L; Thibault, C; Viallet, B; Ressier, L

2011-01-01

Immobilization of live micro-organisms on solid substrates is an important prerequisite for atomic force microscopy (AFM) bio-experiments. The method employed must immobilize the cells firmly enough to enable them to withstand the lateral friction forces exerted by the tip during scanning but without denaturing the cell interface. In this work, a generic method for the assembly of living cells on specific areas of substrates is proposed. It consists in assembling the living cells within the patterns of microstructured, functionalized poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps using convective/capillary deposition. This versatile approach is validated by applying it to two systems of foremost importance in biotechnology and medicine: Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts and Aspergillus fumigatus fungal spores. We show that this method allows multiplexing AFM nanomechanical measurements by force spectroscopy on S. cerevisiae yeasts and high-resolution AFM imaging of germinated Aspergillus conidia in buffer medium. These two examples clearly demonstrate the immense potential of micro-organism assembly on functionalized, microstructured PDMS stamps by convective/capillary deposition for performing rigorous AFM bio-experiments on living cells.

Electronic structure and STM images simulation of defects on hBN/ black-phosphorene heterostructures: A theoretical study

Science.gov (United States)

Ospina, D. A.; Cisternas, E.; Duque, C. A.; Correa, J. D.

2018-03-01

By first principles calculations which include van der Waals interactions, we studied the electronic structure of hexagonal boron-nitride/black-phosphorene heterostructures (hBN/BP). In particular the role of several kind of defects on the electronic properties of black-phosphorene monolayer and hBN/BP heterostructure was analyzed. The defects under consideration were single and double vacancies, as well Stone-Wale type defects, all of them present in the phosphorene layer. In this way, we found that the electronic structure of the hBN/BP is modified according the type of defect that is introduced. As a remarkable feature, our results show occupied states at the Fermi Level introduced by a single vacancy in the energy gap of the hBN/BP heterostructure. Additionally, we performed simulations of scanning tunneling microscopy images. These simulations show that is possible to discriminate the kind of defect even when the black-phosphorene monolayer is part of the heterostructure hBN/BP. Our results may help to discriminate among several kind of defects during experimental characterization of these novel materials.

Micro-wrinkling and delamination-induced buckling of stretchable electronic structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyewole, O. K.; Yu, D.; Du, J.; Asare, J.; Fashina, A.; Oyewole, D. O.; Anye, V. C.; Zebaze Kana, M. G.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical/computational micro-wrinkles and buckling on the surfaces of stretchable poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated with nano-scale Gold (Au) layers. The wrinkles and buckles are formed by the unloading of pre-stretched PDMS/Au structure after the evaporation of nano-scale Au layers. They are then characterized using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The critical stresses required for wrinkling and buckling are analyzed using analytical models. The possible interfacial cracking that can occur along with film buckling is also studied using finite element simulations of the interfacial crack growth. The implications of the results are discussed for potential applications of micro-wrinkles and micro-buckles in stretchable electronic structures and biomedical devices

ZnO–PDMS Nanohybrids: A Novel Optical Sensing Platform for Ethanol Vapor Detection at Room Temperature

KAUST Repository

Klini, Argyro

2015-01-08

© 2014 American Chemical Society. A new optical gas sensor platform based on highly luminescent ZnO-polymer nanohybrids is demonstrated. The nanohybrids consist of ZnO nanoparticles, typically 125 (±25) nm in size, dispersed in an inert cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. Upon exposure to ethanol-enriched air at room temperature, the nanocomposites exhibit a clear increase in their photoluminescence (PL) emission, which shows a nearly Langmuir dependence on the alcohol vapor pressure. The response time is on the order of 50 s, particularly at low ethanol concentrations. The limit of ethanol vapor detection (LOD) is as low as 0.4 Torr, while the sensor remains unaffected by the presence of water vapor, demonstrating the potential of the ZnO-PDMS system as an optical gas sensing device. The interaction of the ZnO nanoparticles with molecular oxygen plays an essential role on the overall performance of the sensor, as shown in comparative experiments performed in the presence and absence of atmospheric air. Notably, O2 was found to be quite effective in accelerating the sensor recovery process compared to N2 or vacuum.

Candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane composites for laser ultrasound transducers

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Wei-Yi; Huang, Wenbin; Kim, Jinwook; Li, Sibo; Jiang, Xiaoning

2015-10-01

Generation of high power laser ultrasound strongly demands the advanced materials with efficient laser energy absorption, fast thermal diffusion, and large thermoelastic expansion capabilities. In this study, candle soot nanoparticles-polydimethylsiloxane (CSNPs-PDMS) composite was investigated as the functional layer for an optoacoustic transducer with high-energy conversion efficiency. The mean diameter of the collected candle soot carbon nanoparticles is about 45 nm, and the light absorption ratio at 532 nm wavelength is up to 96.24%. The prototyped CSNPs-PDMS nano-composite laser ultrasound transducer was characterized and compared with transducers using Cr-PDMS, carbon black (CB)-PDMS, and carbon nano-fiber (CNFs)-PDMS composites, respectively. Energy conversion coefficient and -6 dB frequency bandwidth of the CSNPs-PDMS composite laser ultrasound transducer were measured to be 4.41 × 10-3 and 21 MHz, respectively. The unprecedented laser ultrasound transduction performance using CSNPs-PDMS nano-composites is promising for a broad range of ultrasound therapy applications.

Effects of strain rate, mixing ratio, and stress-strain definition on the mechanical behavior of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material as related to its biological applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Khanafer, Khalil; Duprey, Ambroise; Schlicht, Marty; Berguer, Ramon

2009-04-01

Tensile tests on Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) materials were conducted to illustrate the effects of mixing ratio, definition of the stress-strain curve, and the strain rate on the elastic modulus and stress-strain curve. PDMS specimens were prepared according to the ASTM standards for elastic materials. Our results indicate that the physiological elastic modulus depends strongly on the definition of the stress-strain curve, mixing ratio, and the strain rate. For various mixing ratios and strain rates, true stress-strain definition results in higher stress and elastic modulus compared with engineering stress-strain and true stress-engineering strain definitions. The elastic modulus increases as the mixing ratio increases up-to 9:1 ratio after which the elastic modulus begins to decrease even as the mixing ratio continues to increase. The results presented in this study will be helpful to assist the design of in vitro experiments to mimic blood flow in arteries and to understand the complex interaction between blood flow and the walls of arteries using PDMS elastomer.

String-Corrected Black Holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hubeny, V.

2005-01-12

We investigate the geometry of four dimensional black hole solutions in the presence of stringy higher curvature corrections to the low energy effective action. For certain supersymmetric two charge black holes these corrections drastically alter the causal structure of the solution, converting seemingly pathological null singularities into timelike singularities hidden behind a finite area horizon. We establish, analytically and numerically, that the string-corrected two-charge black hole metric has the same Penrose diagram as the extremal four-charge black hole. The higher derivative terms lead to another dramatic effect--the gravitational force exerted by a black hole on an inertial observer is no longer purely attractive. The magnitude of this effect is related to the size of the compactification manifold.

Are the program packages for molecular structure calculations really black boxes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ANA MRAKOVIC

2007-12-01

Full Text Available In this communication it is shown that the widely held opinion that compact program packages for quantum–mechanical calculations of molecular structure can safely be used as black boxes is completely wrong. In order to illustrate this, the results of computations of equilibrium bond lengths, vibrational frequencies and dissociation energies for all homonuclear diatomic molecules involving the atoms from the first two rows of the Periodic Table, performed using the Gaussian program package are presented. It is demonstrated that the sensible use of the program requires a solid knowledge of quantum chemistry.

A facile approach to fabricate hierarchically structured poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Weihua; Zong, Chuanyong; Xie, Jixun

2017-01-01

Microstructured surfaces have great potentials to improve the performances and efficiency of optoelectronic devices. In this work, a simple robust approach based on surface instabilities was presented to fabricate poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) films with ridge-like/wrinkled composite...... microstructures. Namely, the hierarchically patterned films were prepared by spin coating the P3HT/tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate to form stable ridge-like structures, followed by solvent vapor swelling to create surface wrinkles with the orientation guided by the ridge......-like structures. During spin coating of the P3HT/THF solution, the ridge-like structures were generated by the in-situ template of the THF swelling-induced creasing structures on the PDMS substrate. To our knowledge, it is the first report that the creasing structures are used as a recoverable template...

Investigation of PDMS as coating on CMUTs for Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

la Cour, Mette Funding; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Laursen, Mads Bjerregaard

2014-01-01

A protective layer is necessary for Capacitive Mi- cromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs) to be used for imaging purpose. The layer should both protect the device itself and the patient while maintaining the performance of the device. In this work Sylgard 170 PDMS is tested as coating material...... for CMUTs through comparison of transmit pressure and receive sensitivity in immersion of coated and uncoated elements. It is seen that the transmitted pressure decreases with 27% and the receive sensitivity decreases 35 % when applying the coating using a dam and fill principle. This matches well...... with the estimated value of 31 %. With the coating, the center frequency was found to be decreased from 4.5 MHz to 4.1 MHz and the fractional bandwidth was increased from 77 % to 84 % in transmit. In receive the center frequency was found to decrease from 4.4 MHz to 3.9 MHz and the fractional bandwidth was decreased...

A PDMS-based cylindrical hybrid lens for enhanced fluorescence detection in microfluidic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Bor-Shyh; Yang, Yu-Ching; Ho, Chong-Yi; Yang, Han-Yu; Wang, Hsiang-Yu

2014-02-13

Microfluidic systems based on fluorescence detection have been developed and applied for many biological and chemical applications. Because of the tiny amount of sample in the system; the induced fluorescence can be weak. Therefore, most microfluidic systems deploy multiple optical components or sophisticated equipment to enhance the efficiency of fluorescence detection. However, these strategies encounter common issues of complex manufacturing processes and high costs. In this study; a miniature, cylindrical and hybrid lens made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to improve the fluorescence detection in microfluidic systems is proposed. The hybrid lens integrates a laser focusing lens and a fluorescence collecting lens to achieve dual functions and simplify optical setup. Moreover, PDMS has advantages of low-cost and straightforward fabrication compared with conventional optical components. The performance of the proposed lens is first examined with two fluorescent dyes and the results show that the lens provides satisfactory enhancement for fluorescence detection of Rhodamine 6G and Nile Red. The overall increments in collected fluorescence signal and detection sensitivity are more than 220% of those without lens, and the detection limits of Rhodamine 6G and Nile red are lowered to 0.01 μg/mL and 0.05 μg/mL, respectively. The hybrid lens is further applied to the detection of Nile red-labeled Chlorella vulgaris cells and it increases both signal intensity and detection sensitivity by more than 520%. The proposed hybrid lens also dramatically reduces the variation in detected signal caused by the deviation in incident angle of excitation light.

Estudio por espectroscopía infrarroja de la reacción de hidrólisis y policondensación del IEOS en presencia de PDMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Velasco, M. J.

2001-02-01

Full Text Available In this work, we have studied, by FT-IR Spectroscopy, the influence of the molecular weight of organic polymers (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS in the hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions of tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS in acid medium. Following of the bands located at 880, 1180 and 850 cm- 1, the hydrolysis and selfcondensation of TEOS process and copolymerization between TEOS and PDMS respectively can be studied. The rates of hydrolysis and self-condensation of TEOS are not affected by the presence of the polymer. However , the reaction of copolymerization between TEOS and PDMS decreases when the molecular weight of polymer increase, and this is due to both the diferences in the concentration of silanol end groups of polymer and polymer viscosity. The materials obtained from high molecular weight (18000 and 26000 g/mol have gelification times as TEOS. On the other hand the gelification time decreases when polymers of lower molecular weight ( 550 and 1700 g/mol are used. This work shows that FT-IR Spectroscopy can be applied to investigate the sol-gel reactions.

En este trabajo se ha estudiado mediante Espectroscopía Infrarroja por transformada de Fourier la influencia del peso molecular de polímeros orgánicos (PDMS en la velocidad de hidrólisis y policondensación de Tetraetilortosilicato (TEOS en medio acuoso ácido. La evolución de las bandas situadas a 880, 1180 y 850 cm- 1 permite estudiar los procesos de hidrólisis, autocondensación y copolimerización respectivamente. La velocidad de hidrólisis y la autocondensación de TEOS no se afecta por la presencia de polímero. Sin embargo la reacción de copolimerización TEOS-PDMS disminuye al aumentar el peso molecular del polímero lo que es debido a diferencias en la concentración de grupos -OH de final de cadena del polímero y a la viscosidad de dichos polímeros. Los materiales obtenidos a partir de PDMS de alto peso molecular (18000 y 26000 g/mol presentan tiempos de

Black holes and the multiverse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garriga, Jaume; Vilenkin, Alexander; Zhang, Jun

2016-01-01

Vacuum bubbles may nucleate and expand during the inflationary epoch in the early universe. After inflation ends, the bubbles quickly dissipate their kinetic energy; they come to rest with respect to the Hubble flow and eventually form black holes. The fate of the bubble itself depends on the resulting black hole mass. If the mass is smaller than a certain critical value, the bubble collapses to a singularity. Otherwise, the bubble interior inflates, forming a baby universe, which is connected to the exterior FRW region by a wormhole. A similar black hole formation mechanism operates for spherical domain walls nucleating during inflation. As an illustrative example, we studied the black hole mass spectrum in the domain wall scenario, assuming that domain walls interact with matter only gravitationally. Our results indicate that, depending on the model parameters, black holes produced in this scenario can have significant astrophysical effects and can even serve as dark matter or as seeds for supermassive black holes. The mechanism of black hole formation described in this paper is very generic and has important implications for the global structure of the universe. Baby universes inside super-critical black holes inflate eternally and nucleate bubbles of all vacua allowed by the underlying particle physics. The resulting multiverse has a very non-trivial spacetime structure, with a multitude of eternally inflating regions connected by wormholes. If a black hole population with the predicted mass spectrum is discovered, it could be regarded as evidence for inflation and for the existence of a multiverse

Black holes and the multiverse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garriga, Jaume [Departament de Fisica Fonamental i Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona, Marti i Franques, 1, Barcelona, 08028 Spain (Spain); Vilenkin, Alexander; Zhang, Jun, E-mail: jaume.garriga@ub.edu, E-mail: vilenkin@cosmos.phy.tufts.edu, E-mail: jun.zhang@tufts.edu [Institute of Cosmology, Tufts University, 574 Boston Ave, Medford, MA, 02155 (United States)

2016-02-01

Vacuum bubbles may nucleate and expand during the inflationary epoch in the early universe. After inflation ends, the bubbles quickly dissipate their kinetic energy; they come to rest with respect to the Hubble flow and eventually form black holes. The fate of the bubble itself depends on the resulting black hole mass. If the mass is smaller than a certain critical value, the bubble collapses to a singularity. Otherwise, the bubble interior inflates, forming a baby universe, which is connected to the exterior FRW region by a wormhole. A similar black hole formation mechanism operates for spherical domain walls nucleating during inflation. As an illustrative example, we studied the black hole mass spectrum in the domain wall scenario, assuming that domain walls interact with matter only gravitationally. Our results indicate that, depending on the model parameters, black holes produced in this scenario can have significant astrophysical effects and can even serve as dark matter or as seeds for supermassive black holes. The mechanism of black hole formation described in this paper is very generic and has important implications for the global structure of the universe. Baby universes inside super-critical black holes inflate eternally and nucleate bubbles of all vacua allowed by the underlying particle physics. The resulting multiverse has a very non-trivial spacetime structure, with a multitude of eternally inflating regions connected by wormholes. If a black hole population with the predicted mass spectrum is discovered, it could be regarded as evidence for inflation and for the existence of a multiverse.

Novel platinum black electroplating technique improving mechanical stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Raeyoung; Nam, Yoonkey

2013-01-01

Platinum black microelectrodes are widely used as an effective neural signal recording sensor. The simple fabrication process, high quality signal recording and proper biocompatibility are the main advantages of platinum black microelectrodes. When microelectrodes are exposed to actual biological system, various physical stimuli are applied. However, the porous structure of platinum black is vulnerable to external stimuli and destroyed easily. The impedance level of the microelectrode increases when the microelectrodes are damaged resulting in decreased recording performance. In this study, we developed mechanically stable platinum black microelectrodes by adding polydopamine. The polydopamine layer was added between the platinum black structures by electrodeposition method. The initial impedance level of platinum black only microelectrodes and polydopamine added microelectrodes were similar but after applying ultrasonication the impedance value dramatically increased for platinum black only microelectrodes, whereas polydopamine added microelectrodes showed little increase which were nearly retained initial values. Polydopamine added platinum black microelectrodes are expected to extend the availability as neural sensors.

Black to Black

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langkjær, Michael Alexander

2012-01-01

Pop musicians performing in black stage costume take advantage of cultural traditions relating to matters black. Stylistically, black is a paradoxical color: although a symbol of melancholy, pessimism, and renunciation, black also expresses minimalist modernity and signifies exclusivity (as is hi...

Interior design of a two-dimensional semiclassical black hole

Science.gov (United States)

Levanony, Dana; Ori, Amos

2009-10-01

We look into the inner structure of a two-dimensional dilatonic evaporating black hole. We establish and employ the homogenous approximation for the black-hole interior. Two kinds of spacelike singularities are found inside the black hole, and their structure is investigated. We also study the evolution of spacetime from the horizon to the singularity.

Interior design of a two-dimensional semiclassical black hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levanony, Dana; Ori, Amos

2009-01-01

We look into the inner structure of a two-dimensional dilatonic evaporating black hole. We establish and employ the homogenous approximation for the black-hole interior. Two kinds of spacelike singularities are found inside the black hole, and their structure is investigated. We also study the evolution of spacetime from the horizon to the singularity.

Dilatonic BTZ black holes with power-law field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendi, S.H., E-mail: hendi@shirazu.ac.ir [Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71454 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha P.O. Box 55134-441 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Eslam Panah, B., E-mail: behzad.eslampanah@gmail.com [Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71454 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha P.O. Box 55134-441 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Panahiyan, S., E-mail: sh.panahiyan@gmail.com [Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71454 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Physics Department, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 19839 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Sheykhi, A., E-mail: asheykhi@shirazu.ac.ir [Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71454 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM), Maragha P.O. Box 55134-441 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-04-10

Motivated by low energy effective action of string theory and numerous applications of BTZ black holes, we will consider minimal coupling between dilaton and nonlinear electromagnetic fields in three dimensions. The main goal is studying thermodynamical structure of black holes in this set up. Temperature and heat capacity of these black holes are investigated and a picture regarding their phase transitions is given. In addition, the role and importance of studying the mass of black holes is highlighted. We will see how different parameters modify thermodynamical quantities, hence thermodynamical structure of these black holes. In addition, geometrical thermodynamics is used to investigate thermodynamical properties of these black holes. In this regard, the successful method is presented and the nature of interaction around bound and phase transition points is studied.

Dilatonic BTZ black holes with power-law field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendi, S.H.; Eslam Panah, B.; Panahiyan, S.; Sheykhi, A.

2017-01-01

Motivated by low energy effective action of string theory and numerous applications of BTZ black holes, we will consider minimal coupling between dilaton and nonlinear electromagnetic fields in three dimensions. The main goal is studying thermodynamical structure of black holes in this set up. Temperature and heat capacity of these black holes are investigated and a picture regarding their phase transitions is given. In addition, the role and importance of studying the mass of black holes is highlighted. We will see how different parameters modify thermodynamical quantities, hence thermodynamical structure of these black holes. In addition, geometrical thermodynamics is used to investigate thermodynamical properties of these black holes. In this regard, the successful method is presented and the nature of interaction around bound and phase transition points is studied.

Dilatonic BTZ black holes with power-law field

Science.gov (United States)

Hendi, S. H.; Eslam Panah, B.; Panahiyan, S.; Sheykhi, A.

2017-04-01

Motivated by low energy effective action of string theory and numerous applications of BTZ black holes, we will consider minimal coupling between dilaton and nonlinear electromagnetic fields in three dimensions. The main goal is studying thermodynamical structure of black holes in this set up. Temperature and heat capacity of these black holes are investigated and a picture regarding their phase transitions is given. In addition, the role and importance of studying the mass of black holes is highlighted. We will see how different parameters modify thermodynamical quantities, hence thermodynamical structure of these black holes. In addition, geometrical thermodynamics is used to investigate thermodynamical properties of these black holes. In this regard, the successful method is presented and the nature of interaction around bound and phase transition points is studied.

The influence of climatic oscillations during the Quaternary Era on the genetic structure of Asian black bears in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohnishi, N; Uno, R; Ishibashi, Y; Tamate, H B; Oi, T

2009-06-01

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) inhabits two of the main islands, Honshu and Shikoku, in Japan. To determine how climatic oscillations during the Quaternary Era affected the genetic structure of the black bear populations in Japan, we examined their phylogeographic relationships and compared their genetic structure. We analysed an approximately 700-bp sequence in the D-loop region of mitochondrial DNA collected from 589 bears in this study with 108 bears from a previous study. We observed a total of 57 haplotypes and categorized them into three clusters (Eastern, Western and Southern) based on the spatial distribution of the haplotypes. All but 2 of the 41 haplotypes in the Eastern cluster were distributed locally. Genetic diversity was generally low in northern Japan and high in central Japan. Demographic tests rejected the expansion model in northern populations. Haplotypes of the Western and Southern clusters were unique to local populations. We conclude that the extant genetic structure of the Asian black bear populations arose as follows: first, populations became small and genetic drift decreased genetic diversity in the northern area during the last glacial period, whereas large continuous populations existed in the southern part of central Japan. These patterns were essentially maintained until the present time. In western and southern Japan, the effects of climatic oscillations were smaller, and thus, local structure was maintained.

Black Hole Monodromy and Conformal Field Theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Castro, A.; Lapan, J.M.; Maloney, A.; Rodriguez, M.J.

2013-01-01

The analytic structure of solutions to the Klein-Gordon equation in a black hole background, as represented by monodromy data, is intimately related to black hole thermodynamics. It encodes the "hidden conformal symmetry" of a nonextremal black hole, and it explains why features of the inner event

Post Curing as an Effective Means of Ensuring the Long-term Reliability of PDMS Thin Films for Dielectric Elastomer Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zakaria, Shamsul Bin; Madsen, Frederikke Bahrt; Skov, Anne Ladegaard

2017-01-01

’s moduli at 5% strain increase with post curing. Furthermore, the determined dielectric breakdown parameters from Weibull analyses showed that greater electrical stability and reliability could be achieved by post curing the PDMS films before usage, and this method therefore paves a way toward more...

On black hole horizon fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuchin, K.L.

1999-01-01

A study of the high angular momentum particles 'atmosphere' near the Schwarzschild black hole horizon suggested that strong gravitational interactions occur at invariant distance of the order of 3 √M [2]. We present a generalization of this result to the Kerr-Newman black hole case. It is shown that the larger charge and angular momentum black hole bears, the larger invariant distance at which strong gravitational interactions occur becomes. This invariant distance is of order 3 √((r + 2 )/((r + - r - ))). This implies that the Planckian structure of the Hawking radiation of extreme black holes is completely broken

Thermodynamics of Accelerating Black Holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Appels, Michael; Gregory, Ruth; Kubizňák, David

2016-09-23

We address a long-standing problem of describing the thermodynamics of an accelerating black hole. We derive a standard first law of black hole thermodynamics, with the usual identification of entropy proportional to the area of the event horizon-even though the event horizon contains a conical singularity. This result not only extends the applicability of black hole thermodynamics to realms previously not anticipated, it also opens a possibility for studying novel properties of an important class of exact radiative solutions of Einstein equations describing accelerated objects. We discuss the thermodynamic volume, stability, and phase structure of these black holes.

Tree spatial structure, host composition and resource availability influence mirid density or black pod prevalence in cacao agroforests in Cameroon.

Science.gov (United States)

Gidoin, Cynthia; Babin, Régis; Bagny Beilhe, Leïla; Cilas, Christian; ten Hoopen, Gerben Martijn; Bieng, Marie Ange Ngo

2014-01-01

Combining crop plants with other plant species in agro-ecosystems is one way to enhance ecological pest and disease regulation mechanisms. Resource availability and microclimatic variation mechanisms affect processes related to pest and pathogen life cycles. These mechanisms are supported both by empirical research and by epidemiological models, yet their relative importance in a real complex agro-ecosystem is still not known. Our aim was thus to assess the independent effects and the relative importance of different variables related to resource availability and microclimatic variation that explain pest and disease occurrence at the plot scale in real complex agro-ecosystems. The study was conducted in cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforests in Cameroon, where cocoa production is mainly impacted by the mirid bug, Sahlbergella singularis, and black pod disease, caused by Phytophthora megakarya. Vegetation composition and spatial structure, resource availability and pest and disease occurrence were characterized in 20 real agroforest plots. Hierarchical partitioning was used to identify the causal variables that explain mirid density and black pod prevalence. The results of this study show that cacao agroforests can be differentiated on the basis of vegetation composition and spatial structure. This original approach revealed that mirid density decreased when a minimum number of randomly distributed forest trees were present compared with the aggregated distribution of forest trees, or when forest tree density was low. Moreover, a decrease in mirid density was also related to decreased availability of sensitive tissue, independently of the effect of forest tree structure. Contrary to expectations, black pod prevalence decreased with increasing cacao tree abundance. By revealing the effects of vegetation composition and spatial structure on mirids and black pod, this study opens new perspectives for the joint agro-ecological management of cacao pests and diseases at the

Black holes in brane worlds

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. A Kerr metric describing a rotating black hole is obtained on the three brane in a five-dimensional Randall-Sundrum brane world by considering a rotating five-dimensional black string in the bulk. We examine the causal structure of this space-time through the geodesic equations.

Structural analysis of an HLA-B27 functional variant, B27d detected in American blacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rojo, S.; Aparicio, P.; Hansen, J.A.; Choo, S.Y.; Lopez de Castro, J.A.

1987-01-01

The structure of a new functional variant B27d has been established by comparative peptide mapping and radiochemical sequencing. This analysis complete the structural characterization of the six know histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 subtypes. The only detected amino acid change between the main HLA-B27.1 subtype and B27d is that of Try 59 to His 59 . Position 59 has not been previously found to vary among class I HLA or H-2 antigens. Such substitution accounts for the reported isoelectric focusing pattern of this variant. HLA-B27d is the only B27 variant found to differ from other subtypes by a single amino acid replacement. The nature of the change is compatible with its origin by a point mutation from HLB-B27.1. Because B27d was found only American blacks and in no other ethnic groups, it is suggested that this variant originated as a result of a mutation of the B27.1 gene that occurred within the black population. Structural analysis of B27d was done by comparative mapping. Radiochemical sequencing was carried out with 14 C-labeled and 3 H-labeled amino acids

Bumpy black holes

OpenAIRE

Emparan, Roberto; Figueras, Pau; Martinez, Marina

2014-01-01

We study six-dimensional rotating black holes with bumpy horizons: these are topologically spherical, but the sizes of symmetric cycles on the horizon vary non-monotonically with the polar angle. We construct them numerically for the first three bumpy families, and follow them in solution space until they approach critical solutions with localized singularities on the horizon. We find strong evidence of the conical structures that have been conjectured to mediate the transitions to black ring...

Spinning, structure and properties of PP/CNTs and PP/carbon black composite fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Marcincin, A.; Hricova, M.; Ujhelyiova, A.

2014-08-01

In this paper, the effect of the compatibilisers-dispersants and other nanofillers on melt spinning of the polypropylene (PP) composites, containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon black pigment (CBP) has been investigated. Further, the structure and selected properties of composite fibers, such as mechanical and electrical have been studied. The results revealed, that percolation threshold for PP/CBP composite fibres was situated within the concentration of 15 - 20 wt%, what is several times higher than for PP/CNTs fibers.

Fabrication of biomimetic dry-adhesion structures through nanosphere lithography

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, P. C.; Chang, N. W.; Suen, Y.; Yang, S. Y.

2018-03-01

Components with surface nanostructures suitable for biomimetic dry adhesion have a great potential in applications such as gecko tape, climbing robots, and skin patches. In this study, a nanosphere lithography technique with self-assembly nanospheres was developed to achieve effective and efficient fabrication of dry-adhesion structures. Self-assembled monolayer nanospheres with high regularity were obtained through tilted dip-coating. Reactive-ion etching of the self-assembled nanospheres was used to fabricate nanostructures of different shapes and aspect ratios by varying the etching time. Thereafter, nickel molds with inverse nanostructures were replicated using the electroforming process. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanostructures were fabricated through a gas-assisted hot-embossing method. The pulling test was performed to measure the shear adhesion on the glass substrate of a sample, and the static contact angle was measured to verify the hydrophobic property of the structure. The enhancement of the structure indicates that the adhesion force increased from 1.2 to 4.05 N/cm2 and the contact angle increased from 118.6° to 135.2°. This columnar structure can effectively enhance the adhesion ability of PDMS, demonstrating the potential of using nanosphere lithography for the fabrication of adhesive structures.

Nonviolent unitarization: basic postulates to soft quantum structure of black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Giddings, Steven B.

2017-12-01

A first-principles approach to the unitarity problem for black holes is systematically explored, based on the postulates of 1) quantum mechanics 2) the ability to approximately locally divide quantum gravitational systems into subsystems 3) correspondence with quantum field theory predictions for appropriate observers and (optionally) 4) universality of new gravitational effects. Unitarity requires interactions between the internal state of a black hole and its surroundings that have not been identified in the field theory description; correspondence with field theory indicates that these are soft. A conjectured information-theoretic result for information transfer between subsystems, partly motivated by a perturbative argument, then constrains the minimum coupling size of these interactions of the quantum atmosphere of a black hole. While large couplings are potentially astronomically observable, given this conjecture one finds that the new couplings can be exponentially small in the black hole entropy, yet achieve the information transfer rate needed for unitarization, due to the large number of black hole internal states. This provides a new possible alternative to arguments for large effects near the horizon. If universality is assumed, these couplings can be described as small, soft, state-dependent fluctuations of the metric near the black hole. Open questions include that of the more fundamental basis for such an effective picture.

Tunnelling from Goedel black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerner, Ryan; Mann, R. B.

2007-01-01

We consider the spacetime structure of Kerr-Goedel black holes, analyzing their parameter space in detail. We apply the tunnelling method to compute their temperature and compare the results to previous calculations obtained via other methods. We claim that it is not possible to have the closed timelike curve (CTC) horizon in between the two black hole horizons and include a discussion of issues that occur when the radius of the CTC horizon is smaller than the radius of both black hole horizons

Manufacturing PDMS micro lens array using spin coating under a multiphase system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Rongrong; Yang, Hanry; Rock, D Mitchell; Danaei, Roozbeh; Panat, Rahul; Kessler, Michael R; Li, Lei

2017-01-01

The development of micro lens arrays has garnered much interest due to increased demand of miniaturized systems. Traditional methods for manufacturing micro lens arrays have several shortcomings. For example, they require expensive facilities and long lead time, and traditional lens materials (i.e. glass) are typically heavy, costly and difficult to manufacture. In this paper, we explore a method for manufacturing a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro lens array using a simple spin coating technique. The micro lens array, formed under an interfacial tension dominated system, and the influence of material properties and process parameters on the fabricated lens shape are examined. The lenses fabricated using this method show comparable optical properties—including surface finish and image quality—with a reduced cost and manufacturing lead time. (paper)

Sediment pore water distribution coefficients of PCB congeners in enriched black carbon sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, Andres; O'Sullivan, Colin; Reible, Danny; Hornbuckle, Keri C.

2013-01-01

More than 2300 sediment pore water distribution coefficients (K PCBids ) of 93 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured and modeled from sediments from Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. K PCBids were calculated from previously reported bulk sediment values and newly analyzed pore water. PCBs in pore waters were measured using SPME PDMS-fiber and ∑PCB ranged from 41 to 1500 ng L −1 . The resulting K PCBids were ∼1 log unit lower in comparison to other reported values. A simple model for the K PCBid consisted of the product of the organic carbon fraction and the octanol–water partition coefficient and provided an excellent prediction for the measured values, with a mean square error of 0.09 ± 0.06. Although black carbon content is very high in these sediments and was expected to play an important role in the distribution of PCBs, no improvement was obtained when a two-carbon model was used. -- Highlights: •PCB sediment-pore water distribution coefficients were measured and modeled. •Distribution coefficients were lower in comparison to other reported values. •Organic carbon fraction times the K OW yielded the best prediction model. •The incorporation of black carbon into a model did not improve the results. -- The organic carbon fraction times the octanol–water partition coefficient yielded the best prediction model for the sediment pore water distribution coefficient of PCBs

Black p-branes versus black holes in non-asymptotically flat Einstein-Yang-Mills theory

Science.gov (United States)

Habib Mazharimousavi, S.; Halilsoy, M.

2016-09-01

We present a class of non-asymptotically flat (NAF) charged black p-branes (BpB) with p-compact dimensions in higher-dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills theory. Asymptotically the NAF structure manifests itself as an anti-de sitter spacetime. We determine the total mass/energy enclosed in a thin shell located outside the event horizon. By comparing the entropies of BpB with those of black holes in the same dimensions we derive transition criteria between the two types of black objects. Given certain conditions satisfied, our analysis shows that BpB can be considered excited states of black holes. An event horizon r+ versus charge square Q2 plot for the BpB reveals such a transition where r+ is related to the horizon radius rh of the black hole (BH) both with the common charge Q.

Nonsingular black hole

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chamseddine, Ali H. [American University of Beirut, Physics Department, Beirut (Lebanon); I.H.E.S., Bures-sur-Yvette (France); Mukhanov, Viatcheslav [Niels Bohr Institute, Niels Bohr International Academy, Copenhagen (Denmark); Ludwig-Maximilians University, Theoretical Physics, Munich (Germany); MPI for Physics, Munich (Germany)

2017-03-15

We consider the Schwarzschild black hole and show how, in a theory with limiting curvature, the physical singularity ''inside it'' is removed. The resulting spacetime is geodesically complete. The internal structure of this nonsingular black hole is analogous to Russian nesting dolls. Namely, after falling into the black hole of radius r{sub g}, an observer, instead of being destroyed at the singularity, gets for a short time into the region with limiting curvature. After that he re-emerges in the near horizon region of a spacetime described by the Schwarzschild metric of a gravitational radius proportional to r{sub g}{sup 1/3}. In the next cycle, after passing the limiting curvature, the observer finds himself within a black hole of even smaller radius proportional to r{sub g}{sup 1/9}, and so on. Finally after a few cycles he will end up in the spacetime where he remains forever at limiting curvature. (orig.)

Microbial Fuel Cell Cathodes With Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Diffusion Layers Constructed around Stainless Steel Mesh Current Collectors

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang; Saito, Tomonori; Cheng, Shaoan; Hickner, Michael A.; Logan, Bruce E.

2010-01-01

A new and simplified approach for making cathodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was developed by using metal meshcurrent collectorsandinexpensive polymer/carbon diffusion layers (DLs). Rather than adding a current collector to a cathode material such as carbon cloth, we constructed the cathode around the metal mesh itself, thereby avoiding the need for the carbon cloth or other supporting material. A base layer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and carbon black was applied to the air-side of a stainless steel mesh, and Pt on carbon black with Nafion binder was applied to the solutionside as catalyst for oxygen reduction. The PDMS prevented water leakage and functioned as a DL by limiting oxygen transfer through the cathode and improving coulombic efficiency. PDMS is hydrophobic, stable, and less expensive than other DL materials, such as PTFE, that are commonly applied to air cathodes. Multiple PDMS/carbon layers were applied in order to optimize the performance of the cathode. Two PDMS/ carbon layers achieved the highest maximum power density of 1610 ± 56 mW/m 2 (normalized to cathode projected surface area; 47.0 ± 1.6 W/m3 based on liquid volume). This power output was comparable to the best result of 1635 ± 62 mW/m2 obtained using carbon cloth with three PDMS/carbon layers and a Pt catalyst. The coulombic efficiency of the mesh cathodes reached more than 80%, and was much higher than the maximum of 57% obtained with carbon cloth. These findings demonstrate that cathodes can be constructed around metal mesh materials such as stainless steel, and that an inexpensive coating of PDMS can prevent water leakage and lead to improved coulombic efficiencies. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Microbial Fuel Cell Cathodes With Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Diffusion Layers Constructed around Stainless Steel Mesh Current Collectors

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang

2010-02-15

A new and simplified approach for making cathodes for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was developed by using metal meshcurrent collectorsandinexpensive polymer/carbon diffusion layers (DLs). Rather than adding a current collector to a cathode material such as carbon cloth, we constructed the cathode around the metal mesh itself, thereby avoiding the need for the carbon cloth or other supporting material. A base layer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and carbon black was applied to the air-side of a stainless steel mesh, and Pt on carbon black with Nafion binder was applied to the solutionside as catalyst for oxygen reduction. The PDMS prevented water leakage and functioned as a DL by limiting oxygen transfer through the cathode and improving coulombic efficiency. PDMS is hydrophobic, stable, and less expensive than other DL materials, such as PTFE, that are commonly applied to air cathodes. Multiple PDMS/carbon layers were applied in order to optimize the performance of the cathode. Two PDMS/ carbon layers achieved the highest maximum power density of 1610 ± 56 mW/m 2 (normalized to cathode projected surface area; 47.0 ± 1.6 W/m3 based on liquid volume). This power output was comparable to the best result of 1635 ± 62 mW/m2 obtained using carbon cloth with three PDMS/carbon layers and a Pt catalyst. The coulombic efficiency of the mesh cathodes reached more than 80%, and was much higher than the maximum of 57% obtained with carbon cloth. These findings demonstrate that cathodes can be constructed around metal mesh materials such as stainless steel, and that an inexpensive coating of PDMS can prevent water leakage and lead to improved coulombic efficiencies. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Black Phosphorus: Critical Review and Potential for Water Splitting Photocatalyst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tae Hyung Lee

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A century after its first synthesis in 1914, black phosphorus has been attracting significant attention as a promising two-dimensional material in recent years due to its unique properties. Nowadays, with the development of its exfoliation method, there are extensive applications of black phosphorus in transistors, batteries and optoelectronics. Though, because of its hardship in mass production and stability problems, the potential of the black phosphorus in various fields is left unexplored. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of crystal structure, electronic, optical properties and synthesis of black phosphorus. Recent research works about the applications of black phosphorus is summarized. Among them, the possibility of black phosphorous as a solar water splitting photocatalyst is mainly discussed and the feasible novel structure of photocatalysts based on black phosphorous is proposed.

Black hole as a wormhole factory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung-Won Kim

2015-12-01

Full Text Available There have been lots of debates about the final fate of an evaporating black hole and the singularity hidden by an event horizon in quantum gravity. However, on general grounds, one may argue that a black hole stops radiation at the Planck mass (ħc/G1/2∼10−5 g, where the radiated energy is comparable to the black hole's mass. And also, it has been argued that there would be a wormhole-like structure, known as “spacetime foam”, due to large fluctuations below the Planck length (ħG/c31/2∼10−33 cm. In this paper, as an explicit example, we consider an exact classical solution which represents nicely those two properties in a recently proposed quantum gravity model based on different scaling dimensions between space and time coordinates. The solution, called “Black Wormhole”, consists of two different states, depending on its mass parameter M and an IR parameter ω: For the black hole state (with ωM2>1/2, a non-traversable wormhole occupies the interior region of the black hole around the singularity at the origin, whereas for the wormhole state (with ωM2<1/2, the interior wormhole is exposed to an outside observer as the black hole horizon is disappearing from evaporation. The black hole state becomes thermodynamically stable as it approaches the merging point where the interior wormhole throat and the black hole horizon merges, and the Hawking temperature vanishes at the exact merge point (with ωM2=1/2. This solution suggests the “Generalized Cosmic Censorship” by the existence of a wormhole-like structure which protects the naked singularity even after the black hole evaporation. One could understand the would-be wormhole inside the black hole horizon as the result of microscopic wormholes created by “negative” energy quanta which have entered the black hole horizon in Hawking radiation process; the quantum black hole could be a wormhole factory! It is found that this speculative picture may be consistent with the

Multi-Cohort Stand Structural Classification: Ground- and LiDAR-based Approaches for Boreal Mixedwood and Black Spruce Forest Types of Northeastern Ontario

Science.gov (United States)

Kuttner, Benjamin George

Natural fire return intervals are relatively long in eastern Canadian boreal forests and often allow for the development of stands with multiple, successive cohorts of trees. Multi-cohort forest management (MCM) provides a strategy to maintain such multi-cohort stands that focuses on three broad phases of increasingly complex, post-fire stand development, termed "cohorts", and recommends different silvicultural approaches be applied to emulate different cohort types. Previous research on structural cohort typing has relied upon primarily subjective classification methods; in this thesis, I develop more comprehensive and objective methods for three common boreal mixedwood and black spruce forest types in northeastern Ontario. Additionally, I examine relationships between cohort types and stand age, productivity, and disturbance history and the utility of airborne LiDAR to retrieve ground-based classifications and to extend structural cohort typing from plot- to stand-levels. In both mixedwood and black spruce forest types, stand age and age-related deadwood features varied systematically with cohort classes in support of an age-based interpretation of increasing cohort complexity. However, correlations of stand age with cohort classes were surprisingly weak. Differences in site productivity had a significant effect on the accrual of increasingly complex multi-cohort stand structure in both forest types, especially in black spruce stands. The effects of past harvesting in predictive models of class membership were only significant when considered in isolation of age. As an age-emulation strategy, the three cohort model appeared to be poorly suited to black spruce forests where the accrual of structural complexity appeared to be more a function of site productivity than age. Airborne LiDAR data appear to be particularly useful in recovering plot-based cohort types and extending them to the stand-level. The main gradients of structural variability detected using Li

Black hole evaporation: a paradigm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashtekar, Abhay; Bojowald, Martin

2005-01-01

A paradigm describing black hole evaporation in non-perturbative quantum gravity is developed by combining two sets of detailed results: (i) resolution of the Schwarzschild singularity using quantum geometry methods and (ii) time evolution of black holes in the trapping and dynamical horizon frameworks. Quantum geometry effects introduce a major modification in the traditional spacetime diagram of black hole evaporation, providing a possible mechanism for recovery of information that is classically lost in the process of black hole formation. The paradigm is developed directly in the Lorentzian regime and necessary conditions for its viability are discussed. If these conditions are met, much of the tension between expectations based on spacetime geometry and structure of quantum theory would be resolved

Effect of black silicon disordered structures distribution on its wideband reduced reflectance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saab, D Abi; Mostarshedi, S; Basset, P; Protat, S; Angelescu, D; Richalot, E

2014-01-01

We present a simple and accurate model for the reflectance simulation of black silicon (BSi) based on the finite element method (FEM). Normalized-root-mean-square error (NRMSE) with experimental measurements below 0.25% has been obtained for wavelength range between 450 and 950 nm. The model is made of a four basic shape cell whose dimensions are extracted from an accurate topography of the BSi obtained by FIB-SEM tomography. Additional BSi modelling techniques were studied, which take into account the BSi irregular topography, demonstrating an important influence of the local structure height variation in the BSi surface spectral reflectance. (paper)

Orbital resonances around black holes.

Science.gov (United States)

Brink, Jeandrew; Geyer, Marisa; Hinderer, Tanja

2015-02-27

We compute the length and time scales associated with resonant orbits around Kerr black holes for all orbital and spin parameters. Resonance-induced effects are potentially observable when the Event Horizon Telescope resolves the inner structure of Sgr A*, when space-based gravitational wave detectors record phase shifts in the waveform during the resonant passage of a compact object spiraling into the black hole, or in the frequencies of quasiperiodic oscillations for accreting black holes. The onset of geodesic chaos for non-Kerr spacetimes should occur at the resonance locations quantified here.

Comparison of structural health assessment capabilities in epoxy – carbon black and epoxy – carbon nanotube nanocomposites

OpenAIRE

F. Inam; B. R. Bhat; N. Luhyna; T. Vo

2014-01-01

A novel method for comparing structural health of different types of brittle epoxy nanocomposites filled with carbon nanostructured fillers is presented. Epoxy – 0.2 vol% carbon black (CB) and epoxy – 0.2 vol% carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite bars were prepared by calendering and thermal curing. Nanocomposite bars were subjected to Vickers diamond indentation to produce sub-surface damage. Electrical conductivities were analysed by 4-point method to estimate the structural damage caused by...

Solving the shrinkage-induced PDMS alignment registration issue in multilayer soft lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moraes, Christopher; Sun, Yu; Simmons, Craig A

2009-01-01

Shrinkage of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) complicates alignment registration between layers during multilayer soft lithography fabrication. This often hinders the development of large-scale microfabricated arrayed devices. Here we report a rapid method to construct large-area, multilayered devices with stringent alignment requirements. This technique, which exploits a previously unrecognized aspect of sandwich mold fabrication, improves device yield, enables highly accurate alignment over large areas of multilayered devices and does not require strict regulation of fabrication conditions or extensive calibration processes. To demonstrate this technique, a microfabricated Braille display was developed and characterized. High device yield and accurate alignment within 15 µm were achieved over three layers for an array of 108 Braille units spread over a 6.5 cm 2 area, demonstrating the fabrication of well-aligned devices with greater ease and efficiency than previously possible

Virtual Black Holes

OpenAIRE

Hawking, Stephen W.

1995-01-01

One would expect spacetime to have a foam-like structure on the Planck scale with a very high topology. If spacetime is simply connected (which is assumed in this paper), the non-trivial homology occurs in dimension two, and spacetime can be regarded as being essentially the topological sum of $S^2\\times S^2$ and $K3$ bubbles. Comparison with the instantons for pair creation of black holes shows that the $S^2\\times S^2$ bubbles can be interpreted as closed loops of virtual black holes. It is ...

Structural and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Silver Doped Hydroxyapatite-Polydimethylsiloxane Thin Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. L. Iconaru

2017-01-01

Full Text Available An Ag:HAp (xAg = 0.5 powder was deposited by thermal evaporation technique as coating on a silicon substrate previously covered with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS layer. The Ag:HAp-PDMS layers were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR. By infrared spectroscopy analysis, the phase composition of the Ag:HAp-PDMS layers was investigated. The antimicrobial activity of Ag:HAp-PDMS layers was tested against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans microbial strains. The microbial activity decreases significantly for the surveyed time intervals on Ag:HAp-PDMS layers.

Spacetime and orbits of bumpy black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigeland, Sarah J.; Hughes, Scott A.

2010-01-01

Our Universe contains a great number of extremely compact and massive objects which are generally accepted to be black holes. Precise observations of orbital motion near candidate black holes have the potential to determine if they have the spacetime structure that general relativity demands. As a means of formulating measurements to test the black hole nature of these objects, Collins and Hughes introduced ''bumpy black holes'': objects that are almost, but not quite, general relativity's black holes. The spacetimes of these objects have multipoles that deviate slightly from the black hole solution, reducing to black holes when the deviation is zero. In this paper, we extend this work in two ways. First, we show how to introduce bumps which are smoother and lead to better behaved orbits than those in the original presentation. Second, we show how to make bumpy Kerr black holes--objects which reduce to the Kerr solution when the deviation goes to zero. This greatly extends the astrophysical applicability of bumpy black holes. Using Hamilton-Jacobi techniques, we show how a spacetime's bumps are imprinted on orbital frequencies, and thus can be determined by measurements which coherently track the orbital phase of a small orbiting body. We find that in the weak field, orbits of bumpy black holes are modified exactly as expected from a Newtonian analysis of a body with a prescribed multipolar structure, reproducing well-known results from the celestial mechanics literature. The impact of bumps on strong-field orbits is many times greater than would be predicted from a Newtonian analysis, suggesting that this framework will allow observations to set robust limits on the extent to which a spacetime's multipoles deviate from the black hole expectation.

Relationship of Cure Temperature to Mechanical, Physical, and Dielectric Performance of PDMS Glass Composite for Electric Motor Insulation

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Sandi G.; Becker, Kathleen; Williams, Tiffany S.; Scheiman, Daniel A.; McCorkle, Linda S.; Heimann, Paula J.; Ring, Andrew; Woodworth, Andrew

2017-01-01

Achieving NASAs aggressive fuel burn and emission reduction for N-plus-3 aircraft will require hybrid electric propulsion system in which electric motors driven by either power generated from turbine or energy storage system will power the fan for propulsion. Motors designed for hybrid electric aircraft are expected to operate at medium to high voltages over long durations in a high altitude service environment. Such conditions have driven research toward the development of wire insulation with improved mechanical strength, thermal stability and increased breakdown voltage. The silicone class of materials has been considered for electric wire insulation due to its inherent thermal stability, dielectric strength and mechanical integrity. This paper evaluates the dependence of these properties on the cure conditions of a polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) elastomer; where both cure temperature and base-to-catalyst ratio were varied. The PDMS elastomer was evaluated as a bulk material and an impregnation matrix within a lightweight glass veil support. The E-glass support was selected for mechanical stiffness and dielectric strength. This work has shown a correlation between cure conditions and material physical properties. Tensile strength increased with cure temperature whereas breakdown voltage tended to be independent of process variations. The results will be used to direct material formulation based on specific insulation requirements.

Simple and cost-effective fabrication of microvalve arrays in PDMS using laser cut molds with application to C. elegans manipulation in microfluidics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel, R; Gale, B K; Thacker, C M; Maricq, A V

2014-01-01

We present a new fabrication protocol for fabricating pneumatically controlled microvalve arrays (consisting of 100 s of microvalves) in PDMS substrates. The protocol utilizes rapid and cost-effective fabrication of molds using laser cutting of adhesive vinyl tapes and replica molding of PDMS. Hence the protocol is fast, simple and avoids cleanroom use. The results show that effective doormat-style microvalves can be easily fabricated in arrays by manipulating the stiffness of the actuating membrane through varying the valve-chamber area/shape. Three frequently used valve-chamber shapes (circle, square and capsule) were tested and all showed advantages in different situations. Circular valve chambers were best for small valves, square valves were best for medium-sized valves, and the capsule valves were best for larger valves. An application of this protocol has been demonstrated in the fabrication of a microfluidic 32-well plate for high-throughput manipulation of C. elegans for biomedical research. (paper)

Acceleration of black hole universe

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, T. X.; Frederick, C.

2014-01-01

Recently, Zhang slightly modified the standard big bang theory and developed a new cosmological model called black hole universe, which is consistent with Mach's principle, governed by Einstein's general theory of relativity, and able to explain all observations of the universe. Previous studies accounted for the origin, structure, evolution, expansion, and cosmic microwave background radiation of the black hole universe, which grew from a star-like black hole with several solar masses through a supermassive black hole with billions of solar masses to the present state with hundred billion-trillions of solar masses by accreting ambient matter and merging with other black holes. This paper investigates acceleration of the black hole universe and provides an alternative explanation for the redshift and luminosity distance measurements of type Ia supernovae. The results indicate that the black hole universe accelerates its expansion when it accretes the ambient matter in an increasing rate. In other words, i.e., when the second-order derivative of the mass of the black hole universe with respect to the time is positive . For a constant deceleration parameter , we can perfectly explain the type Ia supernova measurements with the reduced chi-square to be very close to unity, χ red˜1.0012. The expansion and acceleration of black hole universe are driven by external energy.

Graft polymerization of vynil monomers at carbon black surface (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haryono Arumbinang.

1976-01-01

Effect of aromatic condensates containing functional group on carbon black surface, effect of pH condensates on carbon black chemisorption, analysis and configuration of functional group, the crystal structure, property measurement standard, particle diameter measurement, oil adsorption, colour capacity, volatile acid content, electric resistence and the volume of the granular or carbon black dust, are given. Electron paramagnetic resonance determination of the amount of free radicals on carbon black surface, its oxidation and effects on the surface and inner structure of carbon black, and graft polymerization by radiation copolymerization, are discussed. Experiments on radiation graft copolymerization by acrylic acid, methacrylate, and glycidol methacrylate, in a vacuum condition, have been carried out. It is concluded that further research on the modification and configuration of carbon black should be developed. (author)

Micro-patterned ZnO semiconductors for high performance thin film transistors via chemical imprinting with a PDMS stamp.

Science.gov (United States)

Seong, Kieun; Kim, Kyongjun; Park, Si Yun; Kim, Youn Sang

2013-04-07

Chemical imprinting was conducted on ZnO semiconductor films via a chemical reaction at the contact regions between a micro-patterned PDMS stamp and ZnO films. In addition, we applied the chemical imprinting on Li doped ZnO thin films for high performance TFTs fabrication. The representative micro-patterned Li doped ZnO TFTs showed a field effect mobility of 4.2 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) after sintering at 300 °C.

Synthesis, morphological, electromechanical characterization of (CaMgFex)Fe1-xTi3O12-δ/PDMS nanocomposite thin films for energy storage application

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathy, Ashis; Sharma, Priyaranjan; Sahoo, Narayan

2018-03-01

At the present time, flexible and stretchable electronics has intended to use the new cutting-edge technologies for advanced electronic application. Currently, Polymers are being employed for such applications but they are not effective due to their low dielectric constant. To enhance the dielectric properties of polymer for energy storage application, it is necessary to add ceramic material of high dielectric constant to synthesize a polymer-ceramic composite. Therefore, a novel attempt has been made to enhance the dielectric properties of the Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer by adding (CaMgFex)Fe1-xTi3O12-δ(0ceramic powder. The newly developed CMFTO2/PDMS composite based thin film shows a higher dielectric constant (ε‧) value (~350), extremely low tangent loss (tanδ) ( 90%), which can make it a potential material for advanced flexible electronic devices, energy storage and biomedical applications.

Greybody factors for d-dimensional black holes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harmark, Troels; Natário, José; Schiappa, Ricardo

2010-01-01

Gravitational greybody factors are analytically computed for static, spherically symmetric black holes in d-dimensions, including black holes with charge and in the presence of a cosmological constant (where a proper definition of greybody factors for both asymptotically de Sitter and anti...... of the details of the black hole. For asymptotically de Sitter black holes the greybody factor is different for even or odd spacetime dimension, and proportional to the ratio of the areas of the event and cosmological horizons. For asymptotically Ads black holes the greybody factor has a rich structure in which...... universality is hidden in the transmission and reflection coefficients. For either charged or asymptotically de Sitter black holes the greybody factors are given by non-trivial functions, while for asymptotically Ads black holes the greybody factor precisely equals one (corresponding to pure blackbody emission)....

Surface restructuring behavior of various types of poly(dimethylsiloxane) in water detected by SFG.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chunyan; Wang, Jie; Chen, Zhan

2004-11-09

Surface structures of several different poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) materials, tetraethoxysilane-cured hydroxy-terminated PDMS (TEOS-PDMS), platinum-cured vinyl-terminated PDMS (Pt-PDMS), platinum-cured vinyl-terminated poly(diphenylsiloxane)-co-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDPS-co-PDMS), and PDMS-co-polystyrene (PDMS-co-PS) copolymer in air and water have been investigated by sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The SFG spectra collected from all PDMS surfaces in both air and water are dominated by methyl group stretches, indicating that all the surfaces are mainly covered by methyl groups. Other than surface-dominating methyl groups, some -Si-CH2-CH2- moieties on the Pt-PDMS surface have also been detected in air, which are present at cross-linking points. Information about the average orientation angle and angle distribution of the methyl groups on the PDMS surface has been evaluated. Surface restructuring of the methyl groups has been observed for all PDMS surfaces in water. Upon contacting water, the methyl groups on all PDMS surfaces tilt more toward the surface. The detailed restructuring behaviors of several PDMS surfaces in water and the effects of molecular weight on restructuring behaviors have been investigated. For comparison, in addition to air and water, surface structures of PDMS materials mentioned above in a nonpolar solvent, FC-75, have also been studied. By comparing the different response of phenyl groups to water on both PDPS-co-PDMS and PS-co-PDMS surfaces, we have demonstrated how the restructuring behaviors of surface phenyl groups are affected by the structural flexibility of the molecular chains where they are attached.

Structural inequalities drive late HIV diagnosis: The role of black racial concentration, income inequality, socioeconomic deprivation, and HIV testing

Science.gov (United States)

Ransome, Yusuf; Kawachi, Ichiro; Braunstein, Sarah; Nash, Denis

2017-01-01

In the United States, research is limited on the mechanisms that link socioeconomic and structural factors to HIV diagnosis outcomes. We tested whether neighborhood income inequality, socioeconomic deprivation, and black racial concentration were associated with gender-specific rates of HIV in the advanced stages of AIDS (i.e., late HIV diagnosis). We then examined whether HIV testing prevalence and accessibility mediated any of the associations above. Neighborhoods with highest (relative to lowest) black racial concentration had higher relative risk of late HIV diagnosis among men (RR=1.86; 95%CI=1.15, 3.00) and women (RR=5.37; 95% CI=3.16, 10.43) independent of income inequality and socioeconomic deprivation. HIV testing prevalence and accessibility did not significantly mediate the associations above. Research should focus on mechanisms that link black racial concentration to HIV diagnosis outcomes. PMID:27770671

Looking for the invisible universe - Black matter, black energy, black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elbaz, David

2016-01-01

As the discovery of the expansion of the universe and of black holes put the study of cosmology into question again because it now refers to invisible things such as black holes, black energy and black matter, the author proposes an other view on the universe within such a context. He first discusses these three enigmas of black matter, black energy and black holes. In a second part, he addresses, discusses and comments five illusions: the Uranian illusion (questions of the existence of an anti-world, of black matter temperature), the Mercurian illusion (quantum gravity, the string theory), the Martian illusion (a patchwork universe, the illusion of the infinite), the cosmic Maya (the John Wheeler's cup, the holographic universe), and the narcissistic illusion

The Dimensions of Subjective Well-Being among Black Americans: A Structural Model Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Thanh V.; And Others

1994-01-01

Analysis of data from 668 black adult respondents to the 1980 National Survey of Black Americans suggests that subjective well-being among black Americans is multidimensional. A three-factor model of subjective well-being encompassing strain (depressive symptoms), life satisfaction, and self-esteem was empirically supported and consistently…

Small-scale structure and 21cm fluctuations by primordial black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Jinn-Ouk; Kitajima, Naoya, E-mail: jinn-ouk.gong@apctp.org, E-mail: kitajima.naoya@f.mbox.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Pohang 37673 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-08-01

We discuss early structure formation of small scales sourced by primordial black holes (PBHs) which constitute a small part of present cold dark matter component. We calculate the mass function and power spectrum of haloes originated from the Poisson fluctuations of PBH number and show that the number of small haloes is significantly modified in the presence of PBHs even if their fraction accounts for only 10{sup −4}–10{sup −3} of total dark matter abundance. We then compute the subsequent 21cm signature from those haloes. We find that PBHs can provide major contributions at high redshifts within the detectability of future experiments such as Square Kilometer Array, and provide a forecast constraint on the PBH fraction.

A crossed dodecagonal deployable polarizer on textile and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Mirza, Hidayath; Soh, Ping Jack; Jamlos, Mohd Faizal; Hossain, Toufiq Md; Ramli, Muhammad Nazrin; Al-Hadi, Azremi Abdullah; Sheikh, R. Ahmad; Hassan, Emad S.; Yan, Sen

2018-02-01

This paper presents the design of a flexible using two set of flexible material classes: polymer and textiles. ShieldIt Super conductive fabric and felt are used as the textile material, and its performance is compared with another version designed on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymeric substrate. They are both built using a 4 × 4 dodecagonal unit element array backed by a rectangular patch, each sized at 54 × 64 × 3.34 mm3 (0.40 λ × 0.34 λ × 0.02λ) and 62 × 52 × 3.34 mm3 (0.35λ × 0.41λ × 0.02 λ). Both of them are validated to be operational centered at 2.2 GHz with a measured conversion efficiency of more than 90% from 1.578 to 2.578 GHz (48.12%) for the textile prototype. The results of the bending investigations suggest that the deployment mechanism must ensure a flat polarizer condition to enable its optimal performance.

Research on micro-structure and hemo-compatibility of the artificial heart valve surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Xia; Shao Yunliang; Zhou Ming; Li Jian; Cai Lan

2009-01-01

In order to seek the method to improve the hemo-compatibility of artificial mechanical heart valve, the surface of rabbit's heart valve was observed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the dual-scale structure which consists of cobblestones-like structure of 8 μm in underside diameter and 3 μm in height, and the fine cilia of about 150 nm in diameter, was helpful to the hemo-compatibility of the heart valve. Therefore, the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface with hierarchical micro-structure was fabricated using femtosecond laser fabrication technique and soft lithography. At the same time, the tests of apparent contact angle and platelet adhesion on both smooth and textured PDMS surfaces were carried out to study their wettability and hemo-compatibility. The results demonstrated that the surface with textured structure displayed more excellent wettabililty and anti-coagulation property than that of smooth surface. The apparent contact angle of textured surface enhanced from 113.1 deg. to 163.6 deg. and the amount of adsorbed platelet on such surface was fewer, no distortion and no activation were found.

Probing the Magnetic Field Structure in Sgr A* on Black Hole Horizon Scales with Polarized Radiative Transfer Simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gold, Roman; McKinney, Jonathan C. [Department of Physics and Joint Space-Science Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Johnson, Michael D.; Doeleman, Sheperd S. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2017-03-10

Magnetic fields are believed to drive accretion and relativistic jets in black hole accretion systems, but the magnetic field structure that controls these phenomena remains uncertain. We perform general relativistic (GR) polarized radiative transfer of time-dependent three-dimensional GR magnetohydrodynamical simulations to model thermal synchrotron emission from the Galactic Center source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). We compare our results to new polarimetry measurements by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) and show how polarization in the visibility (Fourier) domain distinguishes and constrains accretion flow models with different magnetic field structures. These include models with small-scale fields in disks driven by the magnetorotational instability as well as models with large-scale ordered fields in magnetically arrested disks. We also consider different electron temperature and jet mass-loading prescriptions that control the brightness of the disk, funnel-wall jet, and Blandford–Znajek-driven funnel jet. Our comparisons between the simulations and observations favor models with ordered magnetic fields near the black hole event horizon in Sgr A*, though both disk- and jet-dominated emission can satisfactorily explain most of the current EHT data. We also discuss how the black hole shadow can be filled-in by jet emission or mimicked by the absence of funnel jet emission. We show that stronger model constraints should be possible with upcoming circular polarization and higher frequency (349 GHz) measurements.

Phases of Kaluza-Klein black holes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elvang, Henriette; Obers, Niels; Harmark, Troels

2004-01-01

We review the latest progress in understanding the phase structure of static and neutral Kaluza-Klein black holes, i.e. static and neutral solutions of pure gravity with an event horizon and with asymptotics Md × S1, Md being d-dimensional Minkowski space.......We review the latest progress in understanding the phase structure of static and neutral Kaluza-Klein black holes, i.e. static and neutral solutions of pure gravity with an event horizon and with asymptotics Md × S1, Md being d-dimensional Minkowski space....

Dynamical black rings with a positive cosmological constant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, Masashi

2009-01-01

We construct dynamical black ring solutions in the five-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell system with a positive cosmological constant and investigate the geometrical structure. The solutions describe the physical process such that a thin black ring at early time shrinks and changes into a single black hole as time increases. We also discuss the multiblack rings and the coalescence of them.

Bringing Black History Home: Oral Sketches of the Black Experience from Africa to Montgomery to Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Richard

This guide describes how to implement an interdisciplinary black history project designed to explore black experiences through a combination of personal anecdotes and text research. The program was designed by a teacher at Satellite East Junior High School in Brooklyn (New York). An introduction gives an overview of the structure and aims of the…

The Crisis in Black and Black.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchinson, Earl Ofari

These essays explore why the historic conflict between blacks and whites in the United States has become a crisis that divides many African Americans. The changing racial dynamic is not marked by conflicts. between the black middle class and the poor, black men and women, the black intellectual elite and rappers, black politicians and the urban…

Deforming black hole and cosmological solutions by quasiperiodic and/or pattern forming structures in modified and Einstein gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Bubuianu, Laurenţiu; Vacaru, Sergiu I.

2018-05-01

We elaborate on the anholonomic frame deformation method, AFDM, for constructing exact solutions with quasiperiodic structure in modified gravity theories, MGTs, and general relativity, GR. Such solutions are described by generic off-diagonal metrics, nonlinear and linear connections and (effective) matter sources with coefficients depending on all spacetime coordinates via corresponding classes of generation and integration functions and (effective) matter sources. There are studied effective free energy functionals and nonlinear evolution equations for generating off-diagonal quasiperiodic deformations of black hole and/or homogeneous cosmological metrics. The physical data for such functionals are stated by different values of constants and prescribed symmetries for defining quasiperiodic structures at cosmological scales, or astrophysical objects in nontrivial gravitational backgrounds some similar forms as in condensed matter physics. It is shown how quasiperiodic structures determined by general nonlinear, or additive, functionals for generating functions and (effective) sources may transform black hole like configurations into cosmological metrics and inversely. We speculate on possible implications of quasiperiodic solutions in dark energy and dark matter physics. Finally, it is concluded that geometric methods for constructing exact solutions consist an important alternative tool to numerical relativity for investigating nonlinear effects in astrophysics and cosmology.

Quantitative Analysis of Major Factors Affecting Black Carbon Transport and Concentrations in the Unique Atmospheric Structures of Urban Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Marissa Shuang

Black carbon (BC) from vehicular emission in transportation is a principal component of particulate matters ≤ 2.5 mum (PM2.5). PM2.5 and other diesel emission pollutants (e.g., NOx) are regulated by the Clean Air Act (CAA) according to the National Ambient Air Quality standards (NAAQS). This doctoral dissertation details a study on transport behaviors of black carbon and PM2.5 from transportation routes, their relations with the atmospheric structure of an urban formation, and their relations with the use of biodiesel fuels. The results have implications to near-road risk assessment and to the development of sustainable transportation solutions in urban centers. The first part of study quantified near-roadside black carbon transport as a function of particulate matter (PM) size and composition, as well as microclimatic variables (temperature and wind fields) at the interstate highway I-75 in northern Cincinnati, Ohio. Among variables examined, wind speed and direction significantly affect the roadside transport of black carbon and hence its effective emission factor. Observed non-Gaussian dispersion occurred during low wind and for wind directions at acute angles or upwind to the receptors, mostly occurring in the morning hours. Meandering of air pollutant mass under thermal inversion is likely the driving force. In contrary, Gaussian distribution predominated in daytime of strong downwinds. The roles of urban atmospheric structure, wind fields, and the urban heat island (UHI) effects were further examined on pollutant dispersion and transport. Spatiotemporal variations of traffic flow, atmospheric structure, ambient temperature and PM2.5 concentration data from 14 EPA-certified NAAQS monitoring stations, were analyzed in relation to land-use in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The results show a decade-long UHI effects with higher interior temperature than that in exurban, and a prominent nocturnal thermal inversion frequent in urban boundary layer. The

Mechanical properties and filler distribution as a function filler content in silica filled PDMS samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawley, Marilyn E.; Wrobleski, Debra A.; Orler, E. Bruce; Houlton, Robert J.; Chitanvis, Kiran E.; Brown, Geoffrey W.; Hanson, David E.

2004-01-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) phase imaging and tensile stress-strain measurements are used to study a series of model compression molded fumed silica filled polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) samples with filler content of zero, 20, 35, and 50 parts per hundred (phr) to determine the relationship between filler content and stress-strain properties. AFM phase imaging was used to determine filler size, degree of aggregation, and distribution within the soft PDMS matrix. A small tensile stage was used to measure mechanical properties. Samples were not pulled to break in order to study Mullins and aging effects. Several identical 35 phr samples were subjected to an initial stress, and then one each was reevaluated over intervals up to 26 weeks to determine the degree to which these samples recovered their initial stress-strain behavior as a function of time. One sample was tested before and after heat treatment to determine if heating accelerated recovery of the stress-strain behavior. The effect of filler surface treatment on mechanical properties was examined for two samples containing 35 phr filler treated or untreated with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ), respectively. Fiduciary marks were used on several samples to determine permanent set. 35 phr filler samples were found to give the optimum mechanical properties. A clear Mullins effect was seen. Within experimental error, no change was seen in mechanical behavior as a function of time or heat-treatment. The mechanical properties of the sample containing the HDMZ treated silica were adversely affected. AFM phase images revealed aggregation and nonuniform distribution of the filler for all samples. Finally, a permanent set of about 3 to 6 percent was observed for the 35 phr samples.

The renaissance of black phosphorus.

Science.gov (United States)

Ling, Xi; Wang, Han; Huang, Shengxi; Xia, Fengnian; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

2015-04-14

One hundred years after its first successful synthesis in the bulk form in 1914, black phosphorus (black P) was recently rediscovered from the perspective of a 2D layered material, attracting tremendous interest from condensed matter physicists, chemists, semiconductor device engineers, and material scientists. Similar to graphite and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), black P has a layered structure but with a unique puckered single-layer geometry. Because the direct electronic band gap of thin film black P can be varied from 0.3 eV to around 2 eV, depending on its film thickness, and because of its high carrier mobility and anisotropic in-plane properties, black P is promising for novel applications in nanoelectronics and nanophotonics different from graphene and TMDs. Black P as a nanomaterial has already attracted much attention from researchers within the past year. Here, we offer our opinions on this emerging material with the goal of motivating and inspiring fellow researchers in the 2D materials community and the broad readership of PNAS to discuss and contribute to this exciting new field. We also give our perspectives on future 2D and thin film black P research directions, aiming to assist researchers coming from a variety of disciplines who are desirous of working in this exciting research field.

Familial Influences on Poverty Among Young Children in Black Immigrant, U.S.-born Black, and Nonblack Immigrant Families

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Kevin J. A.

2014-01-01

This study examines how familial contexts affect poverty disparities between the children of immigrant and U.S.-born blacks, and among black and nonblack children of immigrants. Despite lower gross child poverty rates in immigrant than in U.S.-born black families, accounting for differences in family structure reveals that child poverty risks among blacks are highest in single-parent black immigrant families. In addition, within two-parent immigrant families, child poverty declines associated with increasing assimilation are greater than the respective declines in single-parent families. The heads of black immigrant households have more schooling than those of native-black households. However, increased schooling has a weaker negative association with child poverty among the former than among the latter. In terms of racial disparities among the children of immigrants, poverty rates are higher among black than nonblack children. This black disadvantage is, however, driven by the outcomes of first-generation children of African and Hispanic-black immigrants. The results also show that although children in refugee families face elevated poverty risks, these risks are higher among black than among nonblack children of refugees. In addition, the poverty-reducing impact associated with having an English-proficient household head is about three times lower among black children of immigrants than among non-Hispanic white children of immigrants. PMID:21491186

Improvement in current density of nano- and micro-structured Si solar cells by cost-effective elastomeric stamp process

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Kiseok; Jee, Hongsub; Lim, Sangwoo; Park, Min Joon; Jeong, Chaehwan

2018-03-01

Effective incident light should be controlled for improving the current density of solar cells by employing nano- and micro-structures on silicon surface. The elastomeric stamp process, which is more cost effective and simpler than conventional photolithography, was proposed for the fabrication of nano- and micro-structures. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was poured on a mother pattern with a diameter of 6 μm and a spacing of 2 μm; then, curing was performed to create a PDMS mold. The regular micropattern was stamped on a low-viscosity resin-coated silicon surface, followed by the simple reactive ion etching process. Nano-structures were formed using the Ag-based electroless etching process. As etching time was increased to 6 min, reflectance decreased to 4.53% and current density improved from 22.35 to 34.72 mA/cm2.

Structural inequalities drive late HIV diagnosis: The role of black racial concentration, income inequality, socioeconomic deprivation, and HIV testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ransome, Yusuf; Kawachi, Ichiro; Braunstein, Sarah; Nash, Denis

2016-11-01

In the United States, research is limited on the mechanisms that link socioeconomic and structural factors to HIV diagnosis outcomes. We tested whether neighborhood income inequality, socioeconomic deprivation, and black racial concentration were associated with gender-specific rates of HIV in the advanced stages of AIDS (i.e., late HIV diagnosis). We then examined whether HIV testing prevalence and accessibility mediated any of the associations above. Neighborhoods with highest (relative to lowest) black racial concentration had higher relative risk of late HIV diagnosis among men (RR=1.86; 95%CI=1.15, 3.00) and women (RR=5.37; 95%CI=3.16, 10.43) independent of income inequality and socioeconomic deprivation. HIV testing prevalence and accessibility did not significantly mediate the associations above. Research should focus on mechanisms that link black racial concentration to HIV diagnosis outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

VIOLENT BLACK MAN AND THE MYTH OF BLACK MACHO IN EUGENE O’NEILL’S "THE DREAMY KID"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Łobodziec

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article is the investigation of the extent to which Eugene O’Neill, in his drama "The Dreamy Kid", (reconstructs, or employs, the black macho myth, which negatively images black men as marginalized and violent. This undertaking questions O’Neill’s self-proclaimed progressive racial attitudes and stated focus on the universal nature of human existence, which he professed to express through drama. Moreover, the article challenges the mainstream view of "The Dreamy Kid" as progressive. Although the play focalizes the experience of a marginalized black man, which could be interpreted as the playwright’s concern with the unjust racial and class stratification of American society, O’Neill’s production, unfortunately, contains a number of pervasive stereotypes relative to black people’s alleged moral degeneracy, primitiveness, and violent behavior, which threatens the white dominated constructed order. In terms of gendered racial politics, in the article attention is given to O’Neill’s presentation of black male negotiations with the white patriarchal power structure, embodied by the police forces, and with black matriarchy, represented by O’Neill’s stereotypical character portrayal of a dominant elderly black woman. Lastly, an overall analysis is performed in light of the call for an autonomous black art, which emerged among black artists in opposition to the demeaning, unrealistic, stereotypical portrayals of black victims of oppression by white American writers.

PDMS-SiO{sub 2}-TiO{sub 2}-CaO hybrid materials – Cytocompatibility and nanoscale surface features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almeida, J. Carlos [CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Wacha, András [Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2, Budapest 1117 (Hungary); Gomes, Pedro S.; Fernandes, M. Helena R. [Laboratory for Bone Metabolism and Regeneration, Faculdade de Medicina Dentária, Universidade do Porto (Portugal); Fernandes, M. Helena Vaz [CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal); Salvado, Isabel M. Miranda, E-mail: isabelmsalvado@ua.pt [CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro (Portugal)

2016-07-01

Two PDMS-SiO{sub 2}-TiO{sub 2}-CaO porous hybrid materials were prepared using the same base composition, precursors, and solvents, but following two different sol-gel procedures, based on the authors' previous works where for the first time, in this hybrid system, calcium acetate was used as calcium source. The two different procedures resulted in monolithic materials with different structures, microstructures, and surface wettability. Even though both are highly hydrophobic (contact angles of 127.2° and 150.6°), and present different filling regimes due to different surface topographies, they have demonstrated to be cytocompatible when tested with human osteoblastic cells, against the accepted idea that high-hydrophobic surfaces are not suitable to cell adhesion and proliferation. At the nanoscale, the existence of hydrophilic silica domains containing calcium, where water molecules are physisorbed, is assumed to support this capability, as discussed. - Highlights: • Two hybrid materials were prepared following two different sol-gel procedures. • Both are highly hydrophobic but demonstrated to be cytocompatible. • Different filling regimes were observed.

Thermoelastic expansion vs. piezoelectricity for high-frequency, 2-D arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Buma, Takashi; Spisar, Monica; O'Donnell, Matthew

2003-08-01

Optical generation using the thermoelastic effect has traditionally suffered from low conversion efficiency. We previously demonstrated increased efficiency of nearly 20 dB with an optical absorbing layer consisting of a mixture of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and carbon black spin coated onto a glass microscope slide. In this paper we show that the radiated power from a black PDMS film is comparable to a 20 MHz piezoelectric two-dimensional (2-D) array element. Furthermore, we predict that a thermoelastic array element can produce similar acoustic power levels compared to ideal piezoelectric 2-D array elements at frequencies in the 100 MHz regime. We believe these results show that thermoelastic generation of ultrasound is a promising alternative to piezoelectricity for high-frequency, 2-D arrays.

Black Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials in Photocatalysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaodong Yan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Titanium dioxide (TiO2 nanomaterials are widely considered to be state-of-the-art photocatalysts for environmental protection and energy conversion. However, the low photocatalytic efficiency caused by large bandgap and rapid recombination of photo-excited electrons and holes is a challenging issue that needs to be settled for their practical applications. Structure engineering has been demonstrated to be a highly promising approach to engineer the optical and electronic properties of the existing materials or even endow them with unexpected properties. Surface structure engineering has witnessed the breakthrough in increasing the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 nanomaterials by creating a defect-rich or amorphous surface layer with black color and extension of optical absorption to the whole visible spectrum, along with markedly enhanced photocatalytic activities. In this review, the recent progress in the development of black TiO2 nanomaterials is reviewed to gain a better understanding of the structure-property relationship with the consideration of preparation methods and to project new insights into the future development of black TiO2 nanomaterials in photocatalytic applications.

Dynamic molecular structure of plant biomass-derived black carbon (biochar)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keiluweit, M.; Nico, P.S.; Johnson, M.G.; Kleber, M.

2009-11-15

Char black carbon (BC), the solid residue of incomplete combustion, is continuously being added to soils and sediments due to natural vegetation fires, anthropogenic pollution, and new strategies for carbon sequestration ('biochar'). Here we present a molecular-level assessment of the physical organization and chemical complexity of biomass-derived chars and, specifically, that of aromatic carbon in char structures. BET-N{sub 2} surface area, X-ray diffraction (XRD), synchrotron-based Near-edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy are used to show how two plant materials (wood and grass) undergo analogous, but quantitatively different physical-chemical transitions as charring temperature increases from 100 to 700 C. These changes suggest the existence of four distinct categories of char consisting of a unique mixture of chemical phases and physical states: (i) in transition chars the crystalline character of the precursor materials is preserved, (ii) in amorphous chars the heat-altered molecules and incipient aromatic polycondensates are randomly mixed, (iii) composite chars consist of poorly ordered graphene stacks embedded in amorphous phases, and (iv) turbostratic chars are dominated by disordered graphitic crystallites. The molecular variations among the different char categories translate into differences in their ability to persist in the environment and function as environmental sorbents.

The research and development of module 3D designing system for nuclear power project based on the PDMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Qinwu; Li Yi; Wu Xiangyong

2012-01-01

In order to meet the demand of implementing Modularization design in CPR1000 nuclear power projects, this study aims to develop, relying on CPR1000 nuclear power project, the self-reliant module 3D design system based on the PDMS. so as to offer a convenient and effective module 3D design tool for the designers. Satisfactory results have been achieved through the test and application of two design projects. The research and application have entered the domestic advanced level. (authors)

Nine optical black-box experiments for lower-secondary students

Science.gov (United States)

Rode, Henning; Friege, Gunnar

2017-05-01

In this paper a sequence of nine, easy to manufacture optical black-box experiments with increasing levels of difficulty, and supportive frameworks for physics classes are introduced. They have been evaluated in a lower-secondary school at the end of optics lessons. A black-box is a kind of experimental task where the inner structure is not visible to the experimenter. Using mirrors, beam-splitters, and blockers in a black-box to manipulate the light beam’s direction through this specific experiment, students are instructed to vary input and observe the output of light to get an idea of the possible inner structure. The presented sequence of black-box experiments requires a basic knowledge of the linear propagation of light and is suitable for beginner physics. Furthermore a framework for concrete implementation to physics classes is given, which covers suitable structure of class, examples for helpful worksheets, and authentic students’ solutions. The difficulty of the specific black-box experiments is given by the students’ success within observing input-output correlation and conclusion of an inner structure. The experiments’ implementation to physics classes may cover elaboration, practice, and aspects of the nature of science even in a beginner’s class. Evaluation has been conducted with students of young age (11-12 years old), however they are suitable for older students also. Although dealing with a time extensive sequence of experiments, students showed a high level of motivation throughout. Overall, implementing this sequence of black-box experiments is seen as valuable and helpful for physics classes.

Thermodynamic geometry and phase transitions of AdS braneworld black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaturvedi, Pankaj, E-mail: cpankaj@iitk.ac.in; Sengupta, Gautam, E-mail: sengupta@iitk.ac.in

2017-02-10

The thermodynamics and phase transitions of charged RN–AdS and rotating Kerr–AdS black holes in a generalized Randall–Sundrum braneworld are investigated in the framework of thermodynamic geometry. A detailed analysis of the thermodynamics, stability and phase structures in the canonical and the grand canonical ensembles for these AdS braneworld black holes are described. The thermodynamic curvatures for both these AdS braneworld black holes are computed and studied as a function of the thermodynamic variables. Through this analysis we illustrate an interesting dependence of the phase structures on the braneworld parameter for these black holes.

Black Feminism: An Integrated Review of Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Katie L

2016-01-01

This study presents a systematic literature review exploring the uses and potential benefits of Black Feminism in nursing research. Black Feminism may benefit knowledge development for nursing in a variety of ways, such as illuminating the multifaceted factors of Black women's identities in helping scholars move away from generalization of experiences, to improve understanding of health disparities, and making such changes by broadening the social consciousness of the nurse researchers, who are predominantly White. Discrimination in health disparities may be deconstructed if the focus is placed on asking different research questions and offering different interventions with the social structures that contributes to such actions. When Black Feminism guides the research method (including research questions and analysis), the accuracy of representing the experiences of Black women is increased. In this research, Black Feminism highlights experience, coping mechanisms, spiritual values, a tradition of strength, and a holistic view of identity.

Cancer Research Participation Beliefs and Behaviors of a Southern Black Population: A Quantitative Analysis of the Role of Structural Factors in Cancer Research Participation.

Science.gov (United States)

Farr, Deeonna E; Brandt, Heather M; Comer, Kimberly D; Jackson, Dawnyéa D; Pandya, Kinjal; Friedman, Daniela B; Ureda, John R; Williams, Deloris G; Scott, Dolores B; Green, Wanda; Hébert, James R

2015-09-01

Increasing the participation of Blacks in cancer research is a vital component of a strategy to reduce racial inequities in cancer burden. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is especially well-suited to advancing our knowledge of factors that influence research participation to ultimately address cancer-related health inequities. A paucity of literature focuses on the role of structural factors limiting participation in cancer research. As part of a larger CBPR project, we used survey data from a statewide cancer needs assessment of a Black faith community to examine the influence of structural factors on attitudes toward research and the contributions of both structural and attitudinal factors on whether individuals participate in research. Regression analyses and non-parametric statistics were conducted on data from 727 adult survey respondents. Structural factors, such as having health insurance coverage, experiencing discrimination during health care encounters, and locale, predicted belief in the benefits, but not the risks, of research participation. Positive attitudes toward research predicted intention to participate in cancer research. Significant differences in structural and attitudinal factors were found between cancer research participants and non-participants; however, directionality is confounded by the cross-sectional survey design and causality cannot be determined. This study points to complex interplay of structural and attitudinal factors on research participation as well as need for additional quantitative examinations of the various types of factors that influence research participation in Black communities.

A PDMS/paper/glass hybrid microfluidic biochip integrated with aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide nano-biosensors for one-step multiplexed pathogen detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Peng; Li, XiuJun; Dominguez, Delfina C; Ye, Bang-Ce

2013-10-07

Infectious pathogens often cause serious public health concerns throughout the world. There is an increasing demand for simple, rapid and sensitive approaches for multiplexed pathogen detection. In this paper we have developed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/paper/glass hybrid microfluidic system integrated with aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) nano-biosensors for simple, one-step, multiplexed pathogen detection. The paper substrate used in this hybrid microfluidic system facilitated the integration of aptamer biosensors on the microfluidic biochip, and avoided complicated surface treatment and aptamer probe immobilization in a PDMS or glass-only microfluidic system. Lactobacillus acidophilus was used as a bacterium model to develop the microfluidic platform with a detection limit of 11.0 cfu mL(-1). We have also successfully extended this method to the simultaneous detection of two infectious pathogens - Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica. This method is simple and fast. The one-step 'turn on' pathogen assay in a ready-to-use microfluidic device only takes ~10 min to complete on the biochip. Furthermore, this microfluidic device has great potential in rapid detection of a wide variety of different other bacterial and viral pathogens.

Winding strings and AdS3 black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troost, Jan

2002-01-01

We start a systematic study of string theory in AdS 3 black hole backgrounds. Firstly, we analyse in detail the geodesic structure of the BTZ black hole, including spacelike geodesics. Secondly, we study the spectrum for massive and massless scalar fields, paying particular attention to the connection between Sl(2,R) subgroups, the theory of special functions and global properties of the BTZ black holes. We construct classical strings that wind the black holes. Finally, we apply the general formalism to the vacuum black hole background, and formulate the boundary spacetime Virasoro algebra in terms of worldsheet operators. We moreover establish the link between a proposal for a ghost free spectrum for Sl(2,R) string propagation and the massless black hole background, thereby claryfing aspects of the AdS 3 /CFT correspondence. (author)

Black holes with surrounding matter in scalar-tensor theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Vitor; Carucci, Isabella P; Pani, Paolo; Sotiriou, Thomas P

2013-09-13

We uncover two mechanisms that can render Kerr black holes unstable in scalar-tensor gravity, both associated with the presence of matter in the vicinity of the black hole and the fact that this introduces an effective mass for the scalar. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the structure of spacetime in realistic, astrophysical black holes in scalar-tensor theories.

Stationary black holes as holographs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Racz, Istvan [Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-01 (Japan); MTA KFKI, Reszecske- es Magfizikai Kutatointezet, H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Thege Miklos ut 29-33 (Hungary)

2007-11-21

Smooth spacetimes possessing a (global) one-parameter group of isometries and an associated Killing horizon in Einstein's theory of gravity are investigated. No assumption concerning the asymptotic structure is made; thereby, the selected spacetimes may be considered as generic distorted stationary black holes. First, spacetimes of arbitrary dimension, n {>=} 3, with matter satisfying the dominant energy condition and allowing a non-zero cosmological constant are investigated. In this part, complete characterization of the topology of the event horizon of 'distorted' black holes is given. It is shown that the topology of the event horizon of 'distorted' black holes is allowed to possess a much larger variety than that of the isolated black hole configurations. In the second part, four-dimensional (non-degenerate) electrovac distorted black hole spacetimes are considered. It is shown that the spacetime geometry and the electromagnetic field are uniquely determined in the black hole region once the geometry of the bifurcation surface and one of the electromagnetic potentials are specified there. Conditions guaranteeing the same type of determinacy, in a neighbourhood of the event horizon, on the domain of outer communication side are also investigated. In particular, they are shown to be satisfied in the analytic case.

The Effectiveness of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) As Compatibilizer on the Preparation of Betel Nut Fiber (BNF) and Polypropylene (PP) /Polystyrene (PS) Wood Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurul Izzaty Khalid; Azizah Baharum; Siti Sarah Ramli; Siti Norhana Mohd Nor

2014-01-01

This research was carried out to investigate the effectiveness of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as compatibilizing agent in producing wood composites of betel nut fiber/ polypropylene (BNF/ PP) and betel nut fiber/ polystyrene (BNF/ PS). Wood composite was prepared by blending 40 % of matrix polymer and 60 % of treated and untreated BNF using internal mixer Brabender Plasticoder at 170 degree Celsius with 50 rpm rotor speed for 13 minutes. The treatment was done prior to blending the materials by immersing the BNF in PDMS and HMDSO solutions with 1 %, 3 % and 5 % of concentrations for 24 hours. The effects of 1 % HMDSO treatment on BNF/ PP composite contributed to high flexure strength and impact strength which are 19.2 MPa and 7.9 kJ/M2 respectively while the percentage of water absorption showed the minimum value of 6.7%. The impact strength of BNF/ PS composite treated with 3% HMDSO showed maximum value that is 4.7 kJ/ M 2 and minimum percentage of water absorption, 6.8 %. However, the flexure strength of untreated BNF/ PS composite is higher than treated BNF/ PS composite with value of 4.7 MPa. The morphology of treated BNF/ PP composites from SEM micrographs showed better interface interaction between fibers and matrices. FTIR spectra showed the presence of siloxane groups such as Si-O, Si-CH 3 , Si-(CH 3 ) and Si(CH 3 ) as a result of HMDSO and PDMS treatment. Based on the characterization analysis, HMDSO treated composite of BNF/ PP showed more effective interfacial interaction between BNF and matrices. (author)

Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Black Hole Accretion

Science.gov (United States)

Avara, Mark J.

Black holes embody one of the few, simple, solutions to the Einstein field equations that describe our modern understanding of gravitation. In isolation they are small, dark, and elusive. However, when a gas cloud or star wanders too close, they light up our universe in a way no other cosmic object can. The processes of magnetohydrodynamics which describe the accretion inflow and outflows of plasma around black holes are highly coupled and nonlinear and so require numerical experiments for elucidation. These processes are at the heart of astrophysics since black holes, once they somehow reach super-massive status, influence the evolution of the largest structures in the universe. It has been my goal, with the body of work comprising this thesis, to explore the ways in which the influence of black holes on their surroundings differs from the predictions of standard accretion models. I have especially focused on how magnetization of the greater black hole environment can impact accretion systems.

A PDMS/paper/glass hybrid microfluidic biochip integrated with aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide nano-biosensors for one-step multiplexed pathogen detection

OpenAIRE

Zuo, Peng; Li, XiuJun; Dominguez, Delfina C.; Ye, Bang-Ce

2013-01-01

Infectious pathogens often cause serious public health concerns throughout the world. There is an increasing demand for simple, rapid and sensitive approaches for multiplexed pathogen detection. In this paper we have developed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/paper/glass hybrid microfluidic system integrated with aptamer-functionalized graphene oxide (GO) nano-biosensors for simple, one-step, multiplexed pathogen detection. The paper substrate used in this hybrid microfluidic system facilitated ...

Structuring of Interface-Modified Polymer Blends

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyngaae-Jørgensen, Jørgen

1999-01-01

The paper treats the case where blends of polystyrene (PS), poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a diblock copolymer of PS and PDMS are used as model materials. This modelsystem is predicted to be "stable" in discrete blends in simple shear flow. Stable in the sence that the block copolymer can not...

Temperature-tunable wettability on a bioinspired structured graphene surface for fog collection and unidirectional transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yun-Yun; Liu, Yan; Jiang, Hao-Bo; Li, Shu-Yi; Kaya, Cigdem; Stegmaier, Thomas; Han, Zhi-Wu; Ren, Lu-Quan

2018-02-22

We designed a type of smart bioinspired wettable surface with tip-shaped patterns by combining polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and graphene (PDMS/G). The laser etched porous graphene surface can produce an obvious wettability change between 200 °C and 0 °C due to a change in aperture size and chemical components. We demonstrate that the cooperation of the geometrical structure and the controllable wettability play an important role in water gathering, and surfaces with tip-shaped wettability patterns can quickly drive tiny water droplets toward more wettable regions, so making a great contribution to the improvement of water collection efficiency. In addition, due to the effective cooperation between super hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions of the special tip-shaped pattern, unidirectional water transport on the 200 °C heated PDMS/G surface can be realized. This study offers a novel insight into the design of temperature-tunable materials with interphase wettability that may enhance fog collection efficiency in engineering liquid harvesting equipment, and realize unidirectional liquid transport, which could potentially be applied to the realms of microfluidics, medical devices and condenser design.

Hawking radiation from AdS black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubeny, Veronika E; Rangamani, Mukund; Marolf, Donald

2010-01-01

We study Hartle-Hawking-like states of quantum field theories on asymptotically AdS black hole backgrounds, with particular regard to the phase structure of interacting theories. By a suitable analytic continuation we show that the equilibrium dynamics of field theories on large asymptotically AdS black holes can be related to the low-temperature states of the same field theory on the AdS soliton (or pure AdS) background. This allows us to gain insight into Hartle-Hawking-like states on large-radius Schwarzschild- or rotating-AdS black holes. Furthermore, we exploit the AdS/CFT correspondence to explore the physics of strongly coupled large N theories on asymptotically AdS black holes. In particular, we exhibit a plausibly complete set of phases for the M2-brane world-volume superconformal field theory on a BTZ black hole background. Our analysis partially resolves puzzles previously raised in connection with Hawking radiation on large AdS black holes.

Dynamical 3-Space: Black Holes in an Expanding Universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rothall D. P.

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Black holes are usually studied without including effects of the expanding universe. However in some recent studies black holes have been embedded in an expanding universe, in order to determine the interplay, if any, of these two dynamical processes. Dynamical 3-space theory contains time independent solutions for black holes, which are spatial in-flows, and separately the time dependent Hubble expansion. This theory has explained numerous puzzles in observational astrophysics and contains 3 constants; G, - which from experimental data turns out to be the fine structure constant, and - which is a small but nonzero distance, possibly a Planck-type length. The Hubble expansion in the dynamical 3-space theory cannot be “switched o”, forcing the study, first, of isolated black holes coexisting with the expanding universe. It is shown that a time dependent black hole and expanding universe solution exists. The nature and implications of these solutions are discussed as they evolve over time. A dynamical network of black holes and induced linking cosmic filaments forming bubble structures is discussed, as a consequence of dynamical 3-space undergoing a dynamical breakdown of homogeneity and isotropy, even in the absence of baryonic matter.

A New Cosmological Model: Black Hole Universe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang T. X.

2009-07-01

Full Text Available A new cosmological model called black hole universe is proposed. According to this model, the universe originated from a hot star-like black hole with several solar masses, and gradually grew up through a supermassive black hole with billion solar masses to the present state with hundred billion-trillion solar masses by accreting ambient mate- rials and merging with other black holes. The entire space is structured with infinite layers hierarchically. The innermost three layers are the universe that we are living, the outside called mother universe, and the inside star-like and supermassive black holes called child universes. The outermost layer is infinite in radius and limits to zero for both the mass density and absolute temperature. The relationships among all layers or universes can be connected by the universe family tree. Mathematically, the entire space can be represented as a set of all universes. A black hole universe is a subset of the en- tire space or a subspace. The child universes are null sets or empty spaces. All layers or universes are governed by the same physics - the Einstein general theory of relativity with the Robertson-walker metric of spacetime - and tend to expand outward physically. The evolution of the space structure is iterative. When one universe expands out, a new similar universe grows up from its inside. The entire life of a universe begins from the birth as a hot star-like or supermassive black hole, passes through the growth and cools down, and expands to the death with infinite large and zero mass density and absolute temperature. The black hole universe model is consistent with the Mach principle, the observations of the universe, and the Einstein general theory of relativity. Its various aspects can be understood with the well-developed physics without any difficulty. The dark energy is not required for the universe to accelerate its expansion. The inflation is not necessary because the black hole universe

Acoustic black holes: recent developments in the theory and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Krylov, Victor

2014-08-01

Acoustic black holes are relatively new physical objects that have been introduced and investigated mainly during the last decade. They can absorb almost 100% of the incident wave energy, and this makes them very attractive for such traditional engineering applications as vibration damping in different engineering structures and sound absorption in gases and liquids. They also could be useful for some ultrasonic devices using Lamb wave propagation to provide anechoic termination for such waves. So far, acoustic black holes have been investigated mainly for flexural waves in thin plates, for which the required gradual changes in local wave velocity with distance can be easily achieved by changing the plates' local thickness. The present paper provides a brief review of the theory of acoustic black holes, including their comparison with optic black holes introduced about five years ago. Review is also given of the recent experimental work carried out at Loughborough University on damping structural vibrations using the acoustic black hole effect. This is followed by the discussion on potential applications of the acoustic black hole effect for sound absorption in air.

Black Holes and Quantum Theory: The Fine Structure Constant Connection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cahill R. T.

2006-10-01

Full Text Available The new dynamical theory of space is further confirmed by showing that the effective “black hole” masses M BH in 19 spherical star systems, from globular clusters to galaxies, with masses M , satisfy the prediction that M BH = α 2 M , where α is the fine structure constant. As well the necessary and unique generalisations of the Schr ̈ odinger and Dirac equations permit the first derivation of gravity from a deeper theory, showing that gravity is a quantum effect of quantum matter interacting with the dynamical space. As well the necessary generalisation of Maxwell’s equations displays the observed light bending effects. Finally it is shown from the generalised Dirac equation where the spacetime mathematical formalism, and the accompanying geodesic prescription for matter trajectories, comes from. The new theory of space is non-local and we see many parallels between this and quantum theory, in addition to the fine structure constant manifesting in both, so supporting the argument that space is a quantum foam system, as implied by the deeper information-theoretic theory known as Process Physics. The spatial dynamics also provides an explanation for the “dark matter” effect and as well the non-locality of the dynamics provides a mechanism for generating the uniformity of the universe, so explaining the cosmological horizon problem.

Post-Kerr black hole spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Glampedakis, Kostas; Pappas, George; Silva, Hector O.; Berti, Emanuele

2017-09-01

One of the central goals of the newborn field of gravitational wave astronomy is to test gravity in the highly nonlinear, strong field regime characterizing the spacetime of black holes. In particular, "black hole spectroscopy" (the observation and identification of black hole quasinormal mode frequencies in the gravitational wave signal) is expected to become one of the main tools for probing the structure and dynamics of Kerr black holes. In this paper we take a significant step toward that goal by constructing a "post-Kerr" quasinormal mode formalism. The formalism incorporates a parametrized but general perturbative deviation from the Kerr metric and exploits the well-established connection between the properties of the spacetime's circular null geodesics and the fundamental quasinormal mode to provide approximate, eikonal limit formulas for the modes' complex frequencies. The resulting algebraic toolkit can be used in waveform templates for ringing black holes with the purpose of measuring deviations from the Kerr metric. As a first illustrative application of our framework, we consider the Johannsen-Psaltis deformed Kerr metric and compute the resulting deviation in the quasinormal mode frequency relative to the known Kerr result.

[Analysis of the population structure of the Black Forest Draught Horse].

Science.gov (United States)

Aberle, Kerstin; Wrede, Jörn; Distl, Ottmar

2003-01-01

Gene contributions of foreign populations as well as coefficients of inbreeding and relationship were evaluated in 699 Black Forest Draught horses of Baden-Württemberg actually registered in the year 2002. Based on nearly complete 5-generation-pedigrees and after taking into account the remaining incompleteness, the mean coefficient of inbreeding for the total population was 6.5%. The recently by incrossing with different breeds newly established lines of stallions showed significantly lower mean coefficients of inbreeding. High rates of inbreeding of about 1.6% in the last five generations could also be faced by incrossing stallions of foreign coldblooded populations what resulted in a decrease of inbreeding in the last generation. In the total population the mean degree of relationship was 16%. The mean degree of relationships within lines of stallions was between 18.3 and 26.8%. The coefficients of relationships between lines of stallions varied between 5.1 and 16.6%. Especially, the newly established lines of stallions showed a lower mean degree of relationships to the other different lines of stallions. The proportion of purebred Black Forest Draught horses in the total population was nearly 70%. Assuming that most animals of unknown origin were purebred, the proportion of purebred Black Forest Draught horses reached about 90%. Austrian Noric, Swiss Freiberg and South German Coldblood stallions were the most important contributors to the Black Forest Draught horse population.

Electric field modulation of electronic structures in InSe and black phosphorus heterostructure

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yi-min; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Xia, Congxin; Wu, Meng; Wang, Hui; Cen, Yu-lang; Pan, Shu-hang

2018-01-01

The electronic structures of InSe and black phosphorus (BP) heterostructure modulated by an external electric field (E⊥) have been investigated based on first-principles calculations. We find that InSe/BP has type II band offset with a direct band gap of 0.39 eV, and the electrons (holes) are spatially located in InSe (BP) layer. Meanwhile, the band structures of InSe/BP can be effectively modulated by E⊥. The band gap shows linear variation with E⊥ and its maximum of 0.69 eV is observed when E⊥ is 0.4 V / Å. The InSe/BP experiences a transition from semiconductor to metal with E⊥ of -0.6 and 0.8 V / Å. The band offsets are also modulated by E⊥, resulting in different spatial distribution of electron-hole pairs. Most importantly, the high carrier mobility can be preserved well under E⊥. Our results show that the novel InSe/BP heterostructure has great potential application in electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Gamma ray bursts of black hole universe

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, T. X.

2015-07-01

Slightly modifying the standard big bang theory, Zhang recently developed a new cosmological model called black hole universe, which has only a single postulate but is consistent with Mach's principle, governed by Einstein's general theory of relativity, and able to explain existing observations of the universe. In the previous studies, we have explained the origin, structure, evolution, expansion, cosmic microwave background radiation, quasar, and acceleration of black hole universe, which grew from a star-like black hole with several solar masses through a supermassive black hole with billions of solar masses to the present state with hundred billion-trillions of solar masses by accreting ambient matter and merging with other black holes. This study investigates gamma ray bursts of black hole universe and provides an alternative explanation for the energy and spectrum measurements of gamma ray bursts according to the black hole universe model. The results indicate that gamma ray bursts can be understood as emissions of dynamic star-like black holes. A black hole, when it accretes its star or merges with another black hole, becomes dynamic. A dynamic black hole has a broken event horizon and thus cannot hold the inside hot (or high-frequency) blackbody radiation, which flows or leaks out and produces a GRB. A star when it collapses into its core black hole produces a long GRB and releases the gravitational potential energy of the star as gamma rays. A black hole that merges with another black hole produces a short GRB and releases a part of their blackbody radiation as gamma rays. The amount of energy obtained from the emissions of dynamic star-like black holes are consistent with the measurements of energy from GRBs. The GRB energy spectra derived from this new emission mechanism are also consistent with the measurements.

Measuring the spins of accreting black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClintock, Jeffrey E; Narayan, Ramesh; Gou, Lijun; Kulkarni, Akshay; Penna, Robert F; Steiner, James F; Davis, Shane W; Orosz, Jerome A; Remillard, Ronald A

2011-01-01

A typical galaxy is thought to contain tens of millions of stellar-mass black holes, the collapsed remnants of once massive stars, and a single nuclear supermassive black hole. Both classes of black holes accrete gas from their environments. The accreting gas forms a flattened orbiting structure known as an accretion disk. During the past several years, it has become possible to obtain measurements of the spins of the two classes of black holes by modeling the x-ray emission from their accretion disks. Two methods are employed, both of which depend upon identifying the inner radius of the accretion disk with the innermost stable circular orbit, whose radius depends only on the mass and spin of the black hole. In the Fe Kα method, which applies to both classes of black holes, one models the profile of the relativistically broadened iron line with a special focus on the gravitationally redshifted red wing of the line. In the continuum-fitting (CF) method, which has so far only been applied to stellar-mass black holes, one models the thermal x-ray continuum spectrum of the accretion disk. We discuss both methods, with a strong emphasis on the CF method and its application to stellar-mass black holes. Spin results for eight stellar-mass black holes are summarized. These data are used to argue that the high spins of at least some of these black holes are natal, and that the presence or absence of relativistic jets in accreting black holes is not entirely determined by the spin of the black hole.

On explicit thermodynamic functions and extremal limits of Myers-Perry black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaman, Jan E.; Pidokrajt, Narit

2013-01-01

We study thermodynamic geometries of Myers-Perry (MP) black holes with arbitrary number of angular momenta. This geometric method allows us to visualize thermodynamic state spaces of the MP black holes as wedges embedded in a Minkowski-like parameter space. The opening angles of these wedges are uniquely determined by the number of spacetime dimensions d, and the number of angular momenta associated with the MP black holes, n. The geometric structure captures extremal limits of the MP black holes, and hence serves as a method for identifying the black hole's extremal limit. We propose that classification of the MP black hole solutions should based on these uncovered structures. In order for the ultraspinning regime to exist, at least one of the angular momenta has to be set to zero. Finally, we conjecture that the membrane phase of ultraspinning MP black holes is reached at the minimum temperature in the case where 2n< d-3 based on the thermodynamic curvature obtained. (orig.)

Black hole equations of motion in the quasistationary approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhdanov, V.I.; Shtelen', V.M.

1980-01-01

Black hole motion is considered under the effect of external actions from the point of view of a remoted observer. The shift of the black hole and the metrix structure are found at the presence of other gravitational bodies using the Zerilli equation. It is shown that in the region, where the space curvature is small, the contribution of the field of the black hole, moving with acceleration, coincides in configuration with the field of usual body, black hole motion in quasistationary approximation occuring according to laws of Newtonian dynamics

Event Horizon Telescope observations as probes for quantum structure of astrophysical black holes

Science.gov (United States)

Giddings, Steven B.; Psaltis, Dimitrios

2018-04-01

The need for a consistent quantum evolution for black holes has led to proposals that their semiclassical description is modified not just near the singularity, but at horizon or larger scales. If such modifications extend beyond the horizon, they influence regions accessible to distant observation. Natural candidates for these modifications behave like metric fluctuations, with characteristic length scales and timescales set by the horizon radius. We investigate the possibility of using the Event Horizon Telescope to observe these effects, if they have a strength sufficient to make quantum evolution consistent with unitarity, without introducing new scales. We find that such quantum fluctuations can introduce a strong time dependence for the shape and size of the shadow that a black hole casts on its surrounding emission. For the black hole in the center of the Milky Way, detecting the rapid time variability of its shadow will require nonimaging timing techniques. However, for the much larger black hole in the center of the M87 galaxy, a variable black-hole shadow, if present with these parameters, would be readily observable in the individual snapshots that will be obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Lee–Wick black holes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cosimo Bambi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We derive and study an approximate static vacuum solution generated by a point-like source in a higher derivative gravitational theory with a pair of complex conjugate ghosts. The gravitational theory is local and characterized by a high derivative operator compatible with Lee–Wick unitarity. In particular, the tree-level two-point function only shows a pair of complex conjugate poles besides the massless spin two graviton. We show that singularity-free black holes exist when the mass of the source M exceeds a critical value Mcrit. For M>Mcrit the spacetime structure is characterized by an outer event horizon and an inner Cauchy horizon, while for M=Mcrit we have an extremal black hole with vanishing Hawking temperature. The evaporation process leads to a remnant that approaches the zero-temperature extremal black hole state in an infinite amount of time.

Single particle studies of black liquor gasification under pressurized conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitty, K; Backman, R; Hupa, M; Backman, P; Ek, P; Hulden, S T; Kullberg, M; Sorvari, V

1997-10-01

The purpose of this project is to provide experimental data relevant to pressurized black liquor gasification concepts. Specifically, the following two goals will be achieved: Data on swelling, char yields and component release during pressurized pyrolysis of small samples of black liquor will be obtained. The reactivity and physical behavior of single black liquor droplets during simultaneous pyrolysis and gasification will be investigated. The structure and composition of black liquor char during formation and conversion will be studied. (orig.)

Optimization of the Surface Structure on Black Silicon for Surface Passivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xiaojie; Zhou, Chunlan; Wang, Wenjing

2017-12-01

Black silicon shows excellent anti-reflection and thus is extremely useful for photovoltaic applications. However, its high surface recombination velocity limits the efficiency of solar cells. In this paper, the effective minority carrier lifetime of black silicon is improved by optimizing metal-catalyzed chemical etching (MCCE) method, using an Al 2 O 3 thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a passivation layer. Using the spray method to eliminate the impact on the rear side, single-side black silicon was obtained on n-type solar grade silicon wafers. Post-etch treatment with NH 4 OH/H 2 O 2 /H 2 O mixed solution not only smoothes the surface but also increases the effective minority lifetime from 161 μs of as-prepared wafer to 333 μs after cleaning. Moreover, adding illumination during the etching process results in an improvement in both the numerical value and the uniformity of the effective minority carrier lifetime.

Exploratory factor structure of the neurological evaluation scale in black africans with first episode schizophrenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akin Ojagbemi

2016-03-01

Full Text Available While the organization of neurological soft signs (NSS in schizophrenia into Sensory integration, Motor coordination, and Motor sequencing, is functionally ‘meaningful’, it has not been confirmed by empirical methods such as factor analysis. Data on the exploratory factor analysis of the Neurological Evaluation scale in Black Africans with first episode schizophrenia are presented in this report. Data on the confirmatory factor structure of NSS in this population as well as their interpretation can be found in the work by Ojagbemi et al. (2015 [7].

New poly(dimethylsiloxane)/poly(perfluorooctylethyl acrylate) block copolymers: structure and order across multiple length scales in thin films

KAUST Repository

Martinelli, Elisa; Galli, Giancarlo; Krishnan, Sitaraman; Paik, Marvin Y.; Ober, Christopher K.; Fischer, Daniel A.

2011-01-01

Three sets of a new class of low surface tension block copolymers were synthesized consisting of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) block and a poly(perfluorooctylethyl acrylate) (AF8) block. The polymers were prepared using a bromo-terminated PDMS macroinitiator, to which was attached an AF8 block grown using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) in such a designed way that the molecular weight and composition of the two polymer blocks were regularly varied. The interplay of both the phase separated microstructure and the mesomorphic character of the fluorinated domains with their effect on surface structure was evaluated using a suite of analytical tools. Surfaces of spin-coated and thermally annealed films were assessed using a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) studies. Both atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) studies were carried out to evaluate the microstructure of the thin films. Even in block copolymers in which the PDMS block was the majority component, a significant presence of the lower surface energy AF8 block was detected at the film surface. Moreover, the perfluorooctyl helices of the AF8 repeat units were highly oriented at the surface in an ordered, tilted smectic structure, which was compared with those of the bulk powder samples using wide-angle X-ray powder diffraction (WAXD) studies. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Black Silicon Solar Cells with Black Ribbons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Tang, Peter Torben; Mizushima, Io

2016-01-01

We present the combination of mask-less reactive ion etch (RIE) texturing and blackened interconnecting ribbons as a method for obtaining all-black solar panels, while using conventional, front-contacted solar cells. Black silicon made by mask-less reactive ion etching has total, average...... in the range 15.7-16.3%. The KOH-textured reference cell had an efficiency of 17.9%. The combination of black Si and black interconnecting ribbons may result in aesthetic, all-black panels based on conventional, front-contacted silicon solar cells....... reflectance below 0.5% across a 156x156 mm2 silicon (Si) wafer. Black interconnecting ribbons were realized by oxidizing copper resulting in reflectance below 3% in the visible wavelength range. Screen-printed Si solar cells were realized on 156x156 mm2 black Si substrates with resulting efficiencies...

Visualizing tissue molecular structure of a black type of canola (Brassica) seed with a thick seed coat after heat-related processing in a chemical way.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Peiqiang

2013-02-20

Heat-related processing of cereal grains, legume seeds, and oil seeds could be used to improve nutrient availability in ruminants. However, different types of processing may have a different impact on intrinsic structure of tissues. To date, there is little research on structure changes after processing within intact tissues. The synchrotron-based molecular imaging technique enables us to detect inherent structure change on a molecular level. The objective of this study was to visualize tissue of black-type canola (Brassica) seed with a thick seed coat after heat-related processing in a chemical way using the synchrotron imaging technique. The results showed that the chemical images of protein amides were obtained through the imaging technique for the raw, wet, and dry heated black type of canola seed tissues. It seems that different types of processing have a different impact on the protein spectral profile in the black type of canola tissues. Wet heating had a greater impact on the protein α-helix to β-sheet ratio than dry heating. Both dry and wet heating resulted in different patterns in amide I, the second derivative, and FSD spectra. However, the exact differences in the tissue images are relatively difficult to be obtained through visual comparison. Future studies should focus on (1) comparing the response and sensitivity of canola seeds to various processing methods between the yellow-type and black-type of canola seeds; (2) developing a sensitive method to compare the image difference between tissues and between treatments; (3) developing a method to link images to nutrient digestion, and (4) revealing how structure changes affect nutrient absorption in humans and animals.

Stratigraphy and structure of the northern and western flanks of the Black Hills Uplift, Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, C.S.; Mapel, W.J.; Bergendahl, M.H.

1981-01-01

This report describes the stratigraphy and structure of an area of about 5000 square miles in northeastern Wyoming and adjacent parts of Montana and South Dakota. The area includes the northern end and part of the western side of the Black Hills Uplift and the adjoining part of the Powder River Basin. About 11,000 ft of sedimentary rocks ranging in age from Mississippian to Early Tertiary are exposed in the area, not including surficial deposits of Tertiary (.) and Quaternary age. Oil is produced from several fields on the wet side of the Black Hills Uplift in Wyoming. Bentonite is mined at many places. The Fort Union and Wasatch Formations contain large reserves of sub-bituminous coal, and Lakota Formation contains some bituminous coal

Spontaneous Self-Formation of 3D Plasmonic Optical Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Inhee; Shin, Yonghee; Song, Jihwan; Hong, SoonGweon; Park, Younggeun; Kim, Dongchoul; Kang, Taewook; Lee, Luke P

2016-08-23

Self-formation of colloidal oil droplets in water or water droplets in oil not only has been regarded as fascinating fundamental science but also has been utilized in an enormous number of applications in everyday life. However, the creation of three-dimensional (3D) architectures by a liquid droplet and an immiscible liquid interface has been less investigated than other applications. Here, we report interfacial energy-driven spontaneous self-formation of a 3D plasmonic optical structure at room temperature without an external force. Based on the densities and interfacial energies of two liquids, we simulated the spontaneous formation of a plasmonic optical structure when a water droplet containing metal ions meets an immiscible liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interface. At the interface, the metal ions in the droplet are automatically reduced to form an interfacial plasmonic layer as the liquid PDMS cures. The self-formation of both an optical cavity and integrated plasmonic nanostructure significantly enhances the fluorescence by a magnitude of 1000. Our findings will have a huge impact on the development of various photonic and plasmonic materials as well as metamaterials and devices.

Cancer through black eyes - The views of UK based black men towards cancer: A constructivist grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulugeta, Betselot; Williamson, Susan; Monks, Rob; Hack, Thomas; Beaver, Kinta

2017-08-01

Little is known about black African (BA) and black African-Caribbean (BAC) men's views towards cancer; yet culture and acculturation can contribute to the way in which people understand, explain and develop their attitudes towards cancer. Hence, cancer prevention and early detection strategies may not be sensitive to United Kingdom (UK)-based black men's views, affecting their awareness of risk factors and early detection services. This study explored the views of UK-based BA and BAC men towards cancer. In collaboration with black community organisations based in four major cities in the UK, 25 participants were recruited using convenience and theoretical sampling methods. Data were collected using 33 semi-structured interviews, and analysed using grounded theory analytic procedures. One core category (cancer through black eyes) and seven sub-categories emerged; 'cultural views', 'religious beliefs', 'avoiding Babylon', 'alienation', 'suspicious mind', 'advertisements and information influence very little', and 'gap in service provision (bridging the gap)'. Participants' views towards cancer were linked to socially constructed perspectives, linked with cultural and religious beliefs, and shaped by what being a black male means in society. Risk factors such as smoking and obesity had different meanings and symbolisation through black eyes. There were macro- and micro-level similarities and differences between BA and BAC men. Cancer services and related public-health campaigns aimed at black men need to understand cancer through black eyes. Public health campaigns based solely on the clinical meaning of cancer are incongruent with black men's understandings of cancer, and therefore ineffective at reducing health inequality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Black holes or firewalls: A theory of horizons

Science.gov (United States)

Nomura, Yasunori; Varela, Jaime; Weinberg, Sean J.

2013-10-01

We present a quantum theory of black hole (and other) horizons, in which the standard assumptions of complementarity are preserved without contradicting information theoretic considerations. After the scrambling time, the quantum mechanical structure of a black hole becomes that of an eternal black hole at the microscopic level. In particular, the stretched horizon degrees of freedom and the states entangled with them can be mapped into the near-horizon modes in the two exterior regions of an eternal black hole, whose mass is taken to be that of the evolving black hole at each moment. Salient features arising from this picture include (i) the number of degrees of freedom needed to describe a black hole is eA/2lP2, where A is the area of the horizon; (ii) black hole states having smooth horizons, however, span only an eA/4lP2-dimensional subspace of the relevant eA/2lP2-dimensional Hilbert space; (iii) internal dynamics of the horizon is such that an infalling observer finds a smooth horizon with a probability of 1 if a state stays in this subspace. We identify the structure of local operators responsible for describing semiclassical physics in the exterior and interior spacetime regions and show that this structure avoids the arguments for firewalls—the horizon can keep being smooth throughout the evolution. We discuss the fate of infalling observers under various circumstances, especially when the observers manipulate degrees of freedom before entering the horizon, and we find that an observer can never see a firewall by making a measurement on early Hawking radiation. We also consider the presented framework from the viewpoint of an infalling reference frame and argue that Minkowski-like vacua are not unique. In particular, the number of true Minkowski vacua is infinite, although the label discriminating these vacua cannot be accessed in usual nongravitational quantum field theory. An application of the framework to de Sitter horizons is also discussed.

The Black Sea one decade after the Bucharest Convention an overview of the international activities in the Black Sea region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goektepe, G.

2002-01-01

The catastrophic degradation of the Black Sea in a period of four decade has been the major concern of the Black Sea countries and international communities since Bucharest Convention signed in 1992. The Black Sea Region has became a challenging international arena for political scientific and socio-economic activities. Intensive international programmes and establishment of governmental and Non Governmental Organizational structures of the 1990s including Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Black Sea Environmental Programme(BSEP), Environmental Programme for the Danube River Basin, Marine Environmental Assessment of the Black Sea Region Technical Cooperation Programme by the IAEA and establishment of the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat are some of the major international efforts of the past decade that emphasizes the multi-nationality and large dimension of the Black Sea environmental management issues. The environmental degradation of the Black Sea is briefly reviewed based on the BSEP reports and data available for land based pollution sources. The environmental risk of marine vessel accidents are indicated and environmental safety concern is emphasized under the current conditions of intense energy transportation projects in the Black Sea and Caspian regions. The international policy actions, co-operation issues and scientific programmes of the past decade are overviewed with emphasis on the international achievements. Concluding remarks include the vital importance of continuation of the international commitments and sharing the political, scientific and socio-economic responsibility on the transboundary environmental pollution, rehabilitation and the safety issues of the Black Sea

Chemical Bonding and Structural Information of Black CarbonReference Materials and Individual Carbonaceous AtmosphericAerosols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hopkins, Rebecca J.; Tivanski, Alexei V.; Marten, Bryan D.; Gilles, Mary K.

2007-04-25

The carbon-to-oxygen ratios and graphitic nature of a rangeof black carbon standard reference materials (BC SRMs), high molecularmass humic-like substances (HULIS) and atmospheric particles are examinedusing scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) coupled with nearedge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. UsingSTXM/NEXAFS, individual particles with diameter>100 nm are studied,thus the diversity of atmospheric particles collected during a variety offield missions is assessed. Applying a semi-quantitative peak fittingmethod to the NEXAFS spectra enables a comparison of BC SRMs and HULIS toparticles originating from anthropogenic combustion and biomass burns,thus allowing determination of the suitability of these materials forrepresenting atmospheric particles. Anthropogenic combustion and biomassburn particles can be distinguished from one another using both chemicalbonding and structural ordering information. While anthropogeniccombustion particles are characterized by a high proportion ofaromatic-C, the presence of benzoquinone and are highly structurallyordered, biomass burn particles exhibit lower structural ordering, asmaller proportion of aromatic-C and contain a much higher proportion ofoxygenated functional groups.

Cosmic microwave background radiation of black hole universe

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, T. X.

2010-11-01

Modifying slightly the big bang theory, the author has recently developed a new cosmological model called black hole universe. This new cosmological model is consistent with the Mach principle, Einsteinian general theory of relativity, and observations of the universe. The origin, structure, evolution, and expansion of the black hole universe have been presented in the recent sequence of American Astronomical Society (AAS) meetings and published recently in a scientific journal: Progress in Physics. This paper explains the observed 2.725 K cosmic microwave background radiation of the black hole universe, which grew from a star-like black hole with several solar masses through a supermassive black hole with billions of solar masses to the present universe with hundred billion-trillions of solar masses. According to the black hole universe model, the observed cosmic microwave background radiation can be explained as the black body radiation of the black hole universe, which can be considered as an ideal black body. When a hot and dense star-like black hole accretes its ambient materials and merges with other black holes, it expands and cools down. A governing equation that expresses the possible thermal history of the black hole universe is derived from the Planck law of black body radiation and radiation energy conservation. The result obtained by solving the governing equation indicates that the radiation temperature of the present universe can be ˜2.725 K if the universe originated from a hot star-like black hole, and is therefore consistent with the observation of the cosmic microwave background radiation. A smaller or younger black hole universe usually cools down faster. The characteristics of the original star-like or supermassive black hole are not critical to the physical properties of the black hole universe at present, because matter and radiation are mainly from the outside space, i.e., the mother universe.

The MaBwana Black men's study: community and belonging in the lives of African, Caribbean and other Black gay men in Toronto.

Science.gov (United States)

George, Clemon; Adam, Barry A; Read, Stanley E; Husbands, Winston C; Remis, Robert S; Makoroka, Lydia; Rourke, Sean B

2012-01-01

In Canada, there is a paucity of research aimed at understanding Black gay men and the antecedents to risk factors for HIV. This study is an attempt to move beyond risk factor analysis and explore the role of sexual and ethnic communities in the lives of these men. The study utilized a community-based research and critical race theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight key informants to augment our understanding of Black gay men and to facilitate recruitment of participants. In-depth interviews were done with 24 Black gay men. Our data showed that the construction of community for Black gay men is challenged by their social and cultural environment. However, these men use their resilience to navigate gay social networks. Black gay men expressed a sense of abjuration from both gay and Black communities because of homophobia and racism. It is essential for health and social programmers to understand how Black gay men interact with Black and gay communities and the complexities of their interactions in creating outreach educational, preventive and support services.

Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiuming Zhang

Full Text Available The composition and structure of humic acid (HA can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M, inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK, manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK, and a no-fertilizer control (CK. The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850 was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720. Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500, but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an

Effects of long-term fertilization on soil humic acid composition and structure in Black Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiuming; Wang, Jingkuan; An, Tingting; Wei, Dan; Chi, Fengqin; Zhou, Baoku

2017-01-01

The composition and structure of humic acid (HA) can be affected by fertilization, but the short-term effects are difficult to detect using traditional analysis methods. Using a 35-year long-term experiment in Black Soil, the molecular structure of HA was analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and fluorescence spectroscopy. Variation in HA was analyzed after long-term fertilization, including fertilization with manure (M), inorganic N, P and K fertilizer (NPK), manure combined with inorganic N, P, and K fertilizer (MNPK), and a no-fertilizer control (CK). The application of each fertilizer treatment increased crop yields compared with the CK treatment, and the MNPK treatment increased crop yield the most. The ratio of main IR absorption peak of HA at 2,920 cm-1 compared with the peak at 2,850 cm-1 (2920/2850) was higher in the NPK and MNPK treatments compared with the CK treatment. The application of manure (MNPK and M treatments) increased the ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C) in HA, and raised the ratio of the main IR absorption peak of HA at 2920 cm-1 to that at 1720 cm-1 (2920/1720). Manure treatments also raised the ratio of aliphatic carbon (C) to aromatic C, alkyl C to alkoxy C and hydrophobic C to hydrophilic C and the fluorescence index (f 450/500), but decreased the degree of aromatization of HA, when compared with the CK treatment. The ratio between each type of C in HA was similar among all the fertilizer treatments, but NPK had a lower ratio of H/C and a lower content of aliphatic C compared with the CK treatment. These results indicated that the molecular structure of HA in Black Soil tends to be aliphatic, simpler, and younger after the application of manure. While the application of inorganic fertilizers increased in the degree of condensation of HA and made HA structure complicated. The application of manure alone or combined with inorganic fertilizers may be an effective way

Black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feast, M.W.

1981-01-01

This article deals with two questions, namely whether it is possible for black holes to exist, and if the answer is yes, whether we have found any yet. In deciding whether black holes can exist or not the central role in the shaping of our universe played by the forse of gravity is discussed, and in deciding whether we are likely to find black holes in the universe the author looks at the way stars evolve, as well as white dwarfs and neutron stars. He also discusses the problem how to detect a black hole, possible black holes, a southern black hole, massive black holes, as well as why black holes are studied

Low-temperature plasma etching of high aspect-ratio densely packed 15 to sub-10 nm silicon features derived from PS-PDMS block copolymer patterns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zuwei; Sassolini, Simone; Olynick, Deirdre L; Gu, Xiaodan; Hwu, Justin

2014-01-01

The combination of block copolymer (BCP) lithography and plasma etching offers a gateway to densely packed sub-10 nm features for advanced nanotechnology. Despite the advances in BCP lithography, plasma pattern transfer remains a major challenge. We use controlled and low substrate temperatures during plasma etching of a chromium hard mask and then the underlying substrate as a route to high aspect ratio sub-10 nm silicon features derived from BCP lithography. Siloxane masks were fabricated using poly(styrene-b-siloxane) (PS-PDMS) BCP to create either line-type masks or, with the addition of low molecular weight PS-OH homopolymer, dot-type masks. Temperature control was essential for preventing mask migration and controlling the etched feature’s shape. Vertical silicon wire features (15 nm with feature-to-feature spacing of 26 nm) were etched with aspect ratios up to 17 : 1; higher aspect ratios were limited by the collapse of nanoscale silicon structures. Sub-10 nm fin structures were etched with aspect ratios greater than 10 : 1. Transmission electron microscopy images of the wires reveal a crystalline silicon core with an amorphous surface layer, just slightly thicker than a native oxide. (paper)

Aspects of noncommutative (1+1)-dimensional black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mureika, Jonas R.; Nicolini, Piero

2011-01-01

We present a comprehensive analysis of the spacetime structure and thermodynamics of (1+1)-dimensional black holes in a noncommutative framework. It is shown that a wider variety of solutions are possible than the commutative case considered previously in the literature. As expected, the introduction of a minimal length √(θ) cures singularity pathologies that plague the standard two-dimensional general relativistic case, where the latter solution is recovered at large length scales. Depending on the choice of input parameters (black hole mass M, cosmological constant Λ, etc.), black hole solutions with zero, up to six, horizons are possible. The associated thermodynamics allows for the either complete evaporation, or the production of black hole remnants.

Bond and CDS Pricing via the Stochastic Recovery Black-Cox Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albert Cohen

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Building on recent work incorporating recovery risk into structural models by Cohen & Costanzino (2015, we consider the Black-Cox model with an added recovery risk driver. The recovery risk driver arises naturally in the context of imperfect information implicit in the structural framework. This leads to a two-factor structural model we call the Stochastic Recovery Black-Cox model, whereby the asset risk driver At defines the default trigger and the recovery risk driver Rt defines the amount recovered in the event of default. We then price zero-coupon bonds and credit default swaps under the Stochastic Recovery Black-Cox model. Finally, we compare our results with the classic Black-Cox model, give explicit expressions for the recovery risk premium in the Stochastic Recovery Black-Cox model, and detail how the introduction of separate but correlated risk drivers leads to a decoupling of the default and recovery risk premiums in the credit spread. We conclude this work by computing the effect of adding coupons that are paid continuously until default, and price perpetual (consol bonds in our two-factor firm value model, extending calculations in the seminal paper by Leland (1994.

Black silicon with black bus-bar strings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt; Tang, Peter Torben; Mizushima, Io

2016-01-01

We present the combination of black silicon texturing and blackened bus-bar strings as a potential method for obtaining all-black solar panels, while using conventional, front-contacted solar cells. Black silicon was realized by mask-less reactive ion etching resulting in total, average reflectance...... below 0.5% across a 156x156 mm2 silicon wafer. Black bus-bars were realized by oxidized copper resulting in reflectance below 3% in the entire visible wavelength range. The combination of these two technologies may result in aesthetic, all-black panels based on conventional, front-contacted solar cells...

Bionic Duplication of Fresh Navodon septentrionalis Fish Surface Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bing Qu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Biomimetic superhydrophobic surface was fabricated by replicating topography of the fresh fish skin surface of Navodon septentrionalis with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS elastomer. A two-step replicating method was developed to make the surface structure of the fresh fish skin be replicated with high fidelity. After duplication, it was found that the static contact angle of the replica was as large as 173°. Theoretic analysis based on Young's and Cassie-Baxter (C-B model was performed to explain the relationship between structure and hydrophobicity.

Thermodynamical and dynamical properties of charged BTZ black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Zi-Yu; Wang, Bin [Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Shanghai (China); Zhang, Cheng-Yong [Peking University, Center for High-Energy Physics, Beijing (China); Kord Zangeneh, Mahdi [Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Shanghai (China); Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ahvaz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics of Maragha (RIAAM)-Maragha, P. O. Box: 55134-441, Maragha (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shiraz University, Physics Department and Biruni Observatory, College of Sciences, Shiraz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Saavedra, Joel [Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Instituto de Fisica, Valparaiso (Chile)

2017-06-15

We investigate the spacetime properties of BTZ black holes in the presence of the Maxwell field and Born-Infeld field and find rich properties in the spacetime structures when the model parameters are varied. Employing Landau-Lifshitz theory, we examine the thermodynamical phase transition in the charged BTZ black holes. We further study the dynamical perturbation in the background of the charged BTZ black holes and find different properties in the dynamics when the thermodynamical phase transition occurs. (orig.)

Capillary Self-Alignment of Microchips on Soft Substrates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Chang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Soft micro devices and stretchable electronics have attracted great interest for their potential applications in sensory skins and wearable bio-integrated devices. One of the most important steps in building printed circuits is the alignment of assembled micro objects. Previously, the capillary self-alignment of microchips driven by surface tension effects has been shown to be able to achieve high-throughput and high-precision in the integration of micro parts on rigid hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned surfaces. In this paper, the self-alignment of microchips on a patterned soft and stretchable substrate, which consists of hydrophilic pads surrounded by a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS background, is demonstrated for the first time. A simple process has been developed for making superhydrophobic soft surface by replicating nanostructures of black silicon onto a PDMS surface. Different kinds of PDMS have been investigated, and the parameters for fabricating superhydrophobic PDMS have been optimized. A self-alignment strategy has been proposed that can result in reliable self-alignment on a soft PDMS substrate. Our results show that capillary self-alignment has great potential for building soft printed circuits.

Tidal events and salt-marsh structure influence black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) recruitment across an ecotone.

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Jennifer M; Bell, Susan S

2012-07-01

Field experiments were conducted at a black mangrove-salt-marsh ecotone in southwest Florida (U.S.A.) to investigate retention of propagules of the black mangrove, Avicennia germinans, by salt-marsh plants as a mechanism of facilitation operating on recruitment success at landward boundaries. Buoyant A. germinans propagules are dispersed by tides, and stranding is required for establishment; therefore, processes that enable stranding should facilitate mangrove recruitment. We expected the physical structure of salt-marsh vegetation to define propagule retention capacity, and we predicted that salt-marsh plants with distinct growth forms would differentially retain propagules. Experimental monoculture plots (1 m2) of salt-marsh plants with different growth forms (Sporobolus virginicus [grass], Sesuvium portulacastrum [succulent forb], and Batis maritima [succulent scrub]) were created, and A. germinans propagules were emplaced into these plots and monitored over time. For comparison, propagules were also placed into natural polyculture plots (1 m2). Polyculture plots contained at least two of the salt-marsh plant taxa selected for monoculture treatments, and S. virginicus was always present within these polyculture plots. Natural polyculture plots retained 59.3% +/- 11.0% (mean +/- SE) of emplaced propagules. Monocultures varied in their propagule retention capacities with plots of S. virginicus retaining on average 65.7% +/- 11.5% of transplanted propagules compared to 7.2% +/- 1.8% by B. maritima and 5.0% +/- 1.9% by S. portulacastrum. Plots containing S. virginicus retained a significantly greater percentage of emplaced propagules relative to the two succulent salt-marsh taxa. Furthermore, propagule entrapment, across all treatments, was strongly correlated with salt-marsh structure (r2 = 0.6253, P = 0.00001), which was estimated using an indirect quantitative metric (lateral obstruction) calculated from digital images of plots. Overall, our findings imply that

Analysis of using PDMS polymer as the sensors of the pressure or weight

Science.gov (United States)

Jargus, Jan; Nedoma, Jan; Fajkus, Marcel; Novak, Martin; Mec, Pavel; Cvejn, Daniel; Bujdos, David; Vasinek, Vladimir

2017-10-01

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be used for its optical properties, and its composition offers the possibility of use in the diverse environments (industry, photonics, medicine applications, security devices and etc.). Therefore authors of this article focused on more detailed working with this material. This material could be use for the sensory applications such as the sensor of pressure or weight, which may find use also in the field of security and defense. The article describes the process of making the prototype of the sensor and its verification based on laboratory results. Measurement methodology is based on the determination of the change of optical power at the output of the sensor prototype depending on the change in pressure or weight. We estimate the maximum load of the sensor on the basis of the laboratory results in the units of tons. Using a calibration measurement can determine the amount of pressure and weight with an accuracy of +/- 2 %.

Three-charge black holes on a circle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmark, Troels; Obers, Niels A.; Roenne, Peter B.; Kristjansson, Kristjan R.

2007-01-01

We study phases of five-dimensional three-charge black holes with a circle in their transverse space. In particular, when the black hole is localized on the circle we compute the corrections to the metric and corresponding thermodynamics in the limit of small mass. When taking the near-extremal limit, this gives the corrections to the finite entropy of the extremal three-charge black hole as a function of the energy above extremality. For the partial extremal limit with two charges sent to infinity and one finite we show that the first correction to the entropy is in agreement with the microscopic entropy by taking into account that the number of branes shift as a consequence of the interactions across the transverse circle. Beyond these analytical results, we also numerically obtain the entire phase of non- and near-extremal three- and two-charge black holes localized on a circle. More generally, we find in this paper a rich phase structure, including a new phase of three-charge black holes that are non-uniformly distributed on the circle. All these three-charge black hole phases are found via a map that relates them to the phases of five-dimensional neutral Kaluza-Klein black holes

Black holes in loop quantum gravity.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez, Alejandro

2017-12-01

This is a review of results on black hole physics in the context of loop quantum gravity. The key feature underlying these results is the discreteness of geometric quantities at the Planck scale predicted by this approach to quantum gravity. Quantum discreteness follows directly from the canonical quantization prescription when applied to the action of general relativity that is suitable for the coupling of gravity with gauge fields, and especially with fermions. Planckian discreteness and causal considerations provide the basic structure for the understanding of the thermal properties of black holes close to equilibrium. Discreteness also provides a fresh new look at more (at the moment) speculative issues, such as those concerning the fate of information in black hole evaporation. The hypothesis of discreteness leads, also, to interesting phenomenology with possible observational consequences. The theory of loop quantum gravity is a developing program; this review reports its achievements and open questions in a pedagogical manner, with an emphasis on quantum aspects of black hole physics.

Education and black-white interracial marriage.

Science.gov (United States)

Gullickson, Aaron

2006-11-01

This article examines competing theoretical claims regarding how an individual's education will affect his or her likelihood of interracial marriage. I demonstrate that prior models of interracial marriage have failed to adequately distinguish the joint and marginal effects of education on interracial marriage and present a model capable of distinguishing these effects. I test this model on black-white interracial marriages using 1980, 1990, and 2000 U.S. census data. The results reveal partial support for status exchange theory within black male-white female unions and strong isolation of lower-class blacks from the interracial marriage market. Structural assimilation theory is not supported because the educational attainment of whites is not related in any consistent fashion to the likelihood of interracial marriage. The strong isolation of lower-class blacks from the interracial marriage market has gone unnoticed in prior research because of the failure of prior methods to distinguish joint and marginal effects.

Black Holes and Galactic Density Cusps III From Black Hole to Bulge

CERN Document Server

Henriksen, Richard N; Macmillan, Joseph D

2011-01-01

Aims. In this paper we continue our study of density cusps that may contain central black holes. Methods. We recall our attempts to use distribution functions with a memory of self-similar relaxation, but mostly they apply only in restricted regions of the global system. We are forced to consider related distribution functions that are steady but not self-similar. Results. One remarkably simple distribution function that has a filled loss cone describes a bulge that transits from a near black hole domain to an outer 'zero flux' regime where$\\rho\\propto r^{-7/4}$. The transition passes from an initial inverse square profile through a region having a 1/r density profile. The structure is likely to be developed at an early stage in the growth of a galaxy. A central black hole is shown to grow exponentially in this background with an e-folding time of a few million years. Conclusions. We derive our results from first principles, using only the angular momentum integral in spherical symmetry. The initial relaxatio...

Black rings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emparan, Roberto; Reall, Harvey S

2006-01-01

A black ring is a five-dimensional black hole with an event horizon of topology S 1 x S 2 . We provide an introduction to the description of black rings in general relativity and string theory. Novel aspects of the presentation include a new approach to constructing black ring coordinates and a critical review of black ring microscopics. (topical review)

"Black Like Me": Reframing Blackness for Decolonial Politics

Science.gov (United States)

Dei, George J. Sefa

2018-01-01

From a particular vantage point, as an African-born scholar with a politics to affirm my Black subjectivity and Indigeneity in a diasporic context, my article engages a (re)theorization of Blackness for decolonial politics. Building on existing works of how Black scholars, themselves, have theorized Blackness, and recognizing the fluid,…

Structural and sensory characterization of key pungent and tingling compounds from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Dawid, Corinna; Henze, Andrea; Frank, Oliver; Glabasnia, Anneke; Rupp, Mathias; Büning, Kirsten; Orlikowski, Diana; Bader, Matthias; Hofmann, Thomas

2012-03-21

To gain a more comprehensive knowledge on whether, besides the well-known piperine, other compounds are responsible for the pungent and tingling oral impression imparted by black pepper, an ethanol extract prepared from black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) was screened for its key sensory-active nonvolatiles by application of taste dilution analysis (TDA). Purification of the compounds perceived with the highest sensory impact, followed by LC-MS and 1D/2D NMR experiments as well as synthesis, led to the structure determination of 25 key pungent and tingling phytochemicals, among which the eight amides 1-(octadeca-2E,4E,13Z-trienyl)piperidine, 1-(octadeca-2E,4E,13Z-trienyl)pyrrolidine, (2E,4E,13Z)-N-isobutyl-octadeca-2,4,13-trienamide, 1-(octadeca-2E,4E,12Z-trienoyl)-pyrrolidine, 1-(eicosa-2E,4E,15Z-trienyl)piperidine, 1-(eicosa-2E,4E,15Z-trienyl)pyrrolidine, (2E,4E,15Z)-N-isobutyl-eicosa-2,4,15-trienamide, and 1-(eicosa-2E,4E,14Z-trienoyl)-pyrrolidine were not yet reported in literature. Sensory studies by means of a modified half-tongue test revealed recognition thresholds ranging from 3.0 to 1150.2 nmol/cm² for pungency and from 520.6 to 2162.1 nmol/cm² for the tingling orosensation depending on their chemical structure.

Horizons of radiating black holes in Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, S. G.; Deshkar, D. W.

2008-01-01

A Vaidya-based model of a radiating black hole is studied in a 5-dimensional Einstein gravity with Gauss-Bonnet contribution of quadratic curvature terms. The structure and locations of the apparent and event horizons of the radiating black hole are determined

Hawking radiation in a d-dimensional static spherically symmetric black hole surrounded by quintessence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Songbai; Wang Bin; Su Rukeng

2008-01-01

We present a solution of Einstein equations with quintessential matter surrounding a d-dimensional black hole, whose asymptotic structures are determined by the state of the quintessential matter. We examine the thermodynamics of this black hole and find that the mass of the black hole depends on the equation of state of the quintessence, while the first law is universal. Investigating the Hawking radiation in this black hole background, we observe that the Hawking radiation dominates on the brane in the low-energy regime. For different asymptotic structures caused by the equation of state of the quintessential matter surrounding the black hole, we learn that the influences by the state parameter of the quintessence on Hawking radiation are different

Black holes in a box: Toward the numerical evolution of black holes in AdS space-times

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witek, Helvi; Nerozzi, Andrea; Cardoso, Vitor; Herdeiro, Carlos; Sperhake, Ulrich; Zilhao, Miguel

2010-01-01

The evolution of black holes in ''confining boxes'' is interesting for a number of reasons, particularly because it mimics the global structure of anti-de Sitter geometries. These are nonglobally hyperbolic space-times and the Cauchy problem may only be well defined if the initial data are supplemented by boundary conditions at the timelike conformal boundary. Here, we explore the active role that boundary conditions play in the evolution of a bulk black hole system, by imprisoning a black hole binary in a box with mirrorlike boundary conditions. We are able to follow the post-merger dynamics for up to two reflections off the boundary of the gravitational radiation produced in the merger. We estimate that about 15% of the radiation energy is absorbed by the black hole per interaction, whereas transfer of angular momentum from the radiation to the black hole is observed only in the first interaction. We discuss the possible role of superradiant scattering for this result. Unlike the studies with outgoing boundary conditions, both of the Newman-Penrose scalars Ψ 4 and Ψ 0 are nontrivial in our setup, and we show that the numerical data verifies the expected relations between them.

Microscopic origin of black hole reentrant phase transitions

Science.gov (United States)

Zangeneh, M. Kord; Dehyadegari, A.; Sheykhi, A.; Mann, R. B.

2018-04-01

Understanding the microscopic behavior of the black hole ingredients has been one of the important challenges in black hole physics during the past decades. In order to shed some light on the microscopic structure of black holes, in this paper, we explore a recently observed phenomenon for black holes namely reentrant phase transition, by employing the Ruppeiner geometry. Interestingly enough, we observe two properties for the phase behavior of small black holes that leads to reentrant phase transition. They are correlated and they are of the interaction type. For the range of pressure in which the system underlies reentrant phase transition, it transits from the large black holes phase to the small one which possesses higher correlation than the other ranges of pressures. On the other hand, the type of interaction between small black holes near the large/small transition line differs for usual and reentrant phase transitions. Indeed, for the usual case, the dominant interaction is repulsive whereas for the reentrant case we encounter an attractive interaction. We show that in the reentrant phase transition case, the small black holes behave like a bosonic gas whereas in the usual phase transition case, they behave like a quantum anyon gas.

Reconstructing the massive black hole cosmic history through gravitational waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sesana, Alberto; Gair, Jonathan; Berti, Emanuele; Volonteri, Marta

2011-01-01

The massive black holes we observe in galaxies today are the natural end-product of a complex evolutionary path, in which black holes seeded in proto-galaxies at high redshift grow through cosmic history via a sequence of mergers and accretion episodes. Electromagnetic observations probe a small subset of the population of massive black holes (namely, those that are active or those that are very close to us), but planned space-based gravitational wave observatories such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) can measure the parameters of 'electromagnetically invisible' massive black holes out to high redshift. In this paper we introduce a Bayesian framework to analyze the information that can be gathered from a set of such measurements. Our goal is to connect a set of massive black hole binary merger observations to the underlying model of massive black hole formation. In other words, given a set of observed massive black hole coalescences, we assess what information can be extracted about the underlying massive black hole population model. For concreteness we consider ten specific models of massive black hole formation, chosen to probe four important (and largely unconstrained) aspects of the input physics used in structure formation simulations: seed formation, metallicity ''feedback'', accretion efficiency and accretion geometry. For the first time we allow for the possibility of 'model mixing', by drawing the observed population from some combination of the 'pure' models that have been simulated. A Bayesian analysis allows us to recover a posterior probability distribution for the ''mixing parameters'' that characterize the fractions of each model represented in the observed distribution. Our work shows that LISA has enormous potential to probe the underlying physics of structure formation.

Unique electron transport in ultrathin black phosphorene: Ab-initio study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, Anurag; Khan, Md. Shahzad; Gupta, Sanjeev Kumar; Pandey, Ravindra

2015-01-01