Capacitance-voltage analysis of electrical properties for WSe2 field effect transistors with high-k encapsulation layer

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Seung-Pil; Shin, Jong Mok; Jang, Ho Kyun; You, Min Youl; Jin, Jun-Eon; Choi, Miri; Cho, Jiung; Kim, Gyu-Tae

2018-02-01

Doping effects in devices based on two-dimensional (2D) materials have been widely studied. However, detailed analysis and the mechanism of the doping effect caused by encapsulation layers has not been sufficiently explored. In this work, we present experimental studies on the n-doping effect in WSe2 field effect transistors (FETs) with a high-k encapsulation layer (Al2O3) grown by atomic layer deposition. In addition, we demonstrate the mechanism and origin of the doping effect. After encapsulation of the Al2O3 layer, the threshold voltage of the WSe2 FET negatively shifted with the increase of the on-current. The capacitance-voltage measurements of the metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) structure proved the presence of the positive fixed charges within the Al2O3 layer. The flat-band voltage of the MIS structure of Au/Al2O3/SiO2/Si was shifted toward the negative direction on account of the positive fixed charges in the Al2O3 layer. Our results clearly revealed that the fixed charges in the Al2O3 encapsulation layer modulated the Fermi energy level via the field effect. Moreover, these results possibly provide fundamental ideas and guidelines to design 2D materials FETs with high-performance and reliability.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers using catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sungwoo; Park, Jeongju; Cho, Jinhan

2010-01-01

We introduce a novel and versatile approach for the preparation of multilayers, based on catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (CAT-Au NP ), allowing electrostatic charge reversal and structural transformation through pH adjustment. CAT-Au NP , which are synthesized directly from CAT stabilizer, can be electrostatically assembled with anionic and cationic PEs as a result of the charge reversal of the catalase stabilizers through pH control. In particular, at pH 5.2, near the pI of catalase, dispersed CAT-Au NP are structurally transformed into colloidal or network CAT-Au NP nanocomposites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the layer-by-layer assembled multilayers composed of PEs and CAT-Au NP induce an effective electron transfer between CAT and the electrode as well as a high loading of CAT and Au NP , and resultantly exhibit a highly catalytic activity toward H 2 O 2 .

Block copolymer/homopolymer dual-layer hollow fiber membranes

KAUST Repository

Hilke, Roland

2014-12-01

We manufactured the first time block copolymer dual-layer hollow fiber membranes and dual layer flat sheet membranes manufactured by double solution casting and phase inversion in water. The support porous layer was based on polystyrene and the selective layer with isopores was formed by micelle assembly of polystyrene-. b-poly-4-vinyl pyridine. The dual layers had an excellent interfacial adhesion and pore interconnectivity. The dual membranes showed pH response behavior like single layer block copolymer membranes with a low flux for pH values less than 3, a fast increase between pH4 and pH6 and a constant high flux level for pH values above 7. The dry/wet spinning process was optimized to produce dual layer hollow fiber membranes with polystyrene internal support layer and a shell block copolymer selective layer.

Layered plasma polymer composite membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Babcock, Walter C.

1994-01-01

Layered plasma polymer composite fluid separation membranes are disclosed, which comprise alternating selective and permeable layers for a total of at least 2n layers, where n is .gtoreq.2 and is the number of selective layers.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers using catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sungwoo; Park, Jeongju [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-702 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jinhan, E-mail: jinhan71@korea.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-17

We introduce a novel and versatile approach for the preparation of multilayers, based on catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (CAT-Au{sub NP}), allowing electrostatic charge reversal and structural transformation through pH adjustment. CAT-Au{sub NP}, which are synthesized directly from CAT stabilizer, can be electrostatically assembled with anionic and cationic PEs as a result of the charge reversal of the catalase stabilizers through pH control. In particular, at pH 5.2, near the pI of catalase, dispersed CAT-Au{sub NP} are structurally transformed into colloidal or network CAT-Au{sub NP} nanocomposites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the layer-by-layer assembled multilayers composed of PEs and CAT-Au{sub NP} induce an effective electron transfer between CAT and the electrode as well as a high loading of CAT and Au{sub NP}, and resultantly exhibit a highly catalytic activity toward H{sub 2}O{sub 2}.

Role of an encapsulating layer for reducing resistance drift in phase change random access memory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Jin

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Phase change random access memory (PCRAM devices exhibit a steady increase in resistance in the amorphous phase upon aging and this resistance drift phenomenon directly affects the device reliability. A stress relaxation model is used here to study the effect of a device encapsulating layer material in addressing the resistance drift phenomenon in PCRAM. The resistance drift can be increased or decreased depending on the biaxial moduli of the phase change material (YPCM and the encapsulating layer material (YELM according to the stress relationship between them in the drift regime. The proposed model suggests that the resistance drift can be effectively reduced by selecting a proper material as an encapsulating layer. Moreover, our model explains that reducing the size of the phase change material (PCM while fully reset and reducing the amorphous/crystalline ratio in PCM help to improve the resistance drift, and thus opens an avenue for highly reliable multilevel PCRAM applications.

Effect of layer-by-layer coatings and localization of antioxidant on oxidative stability of a model encapsulated bioactive compound in oil-in-water emulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yuanjie; Nitin, N

2015-11-01

Oxidation of encapsulated bioactives in emulsions is one of the key challenges that limit shelf-life of many emulsion containing products. This study seeks to quantify the role of layer-by-layer coatings and localization of antioxidant molecules at the emulsion interface in influencing oxidation of the encapsulated bioactives. Oxidative barrier properties of the emulsions were simulated by measuring the rate of reaction of peroxyl radicals generated in the aqueous phase with the encapsulated radical sensitive dye in the lipid core of the emulsions. The results of peroxyl radical permeation were compared to the stability of encapsulated retinol (model bioactive) in emulsions. To evaluate the role of layer-by-layer coatings in influencing oxidative barrier properties, radical permeation rates and retinol stability were evaluated in emulsion formulations of SDS emulsion and SDS emulsion with one or two layers of polymers (ϵ-polylysine and dextran sulfate) coated at the interface. To localize antioxidant molecules to the interface, gallic acid (GA) was chemically conjugated with ϵ-polylysine and subsequently deposited on SDS emulsion based on electrostatic interactions. Emulsion formulations with localized GA molecules at the interface were compared with SDS emulsion with GA molecules in the bulk aqueous phase. The results of this study demonstrate the advantage of localization of antioxidant at the interface and the limited impact of short chain polymer coatings at the interface of emulsions in reducing permeation of radicals and oxidation of a model encapsulated bioactive in oil-in-water emulsions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficient, air-stable colloidal quantum dot solar cells encapsulated using atomic layer deposition of a nanolaminate barrier

KAUST Repository

Ip, Alexander H.; Labelle, André J.; Sargent, Edward H.

2013-01-01

Atomic layer deposition was used to encapsulate colloidal quantum dot solar cells. A nanolaminate layer consisting of alternating alumina and zirconia films provided a robust gas permeation barrier which prevented device performance degradation over a period of multiple weeks. Unencapsulated cells stored in ambient and nitrogen environments demonstrated significant performance losses over the same period. The encapsulated cell also exhibited stable performance under constant simulated solar illumination without filtration of harsh ultraviolet photons. This monolithically integrated thin film encapsulation method is promising for roll-to-roll processed high efficiency nanocrystal solar cells. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Efficient, air-stable colloidal quantum dot solar cells encapsulated using atomic layer deposition of a nanolaminate barrier

KAUST Repository

Ip, Alexander H.

2013-12-23

Atomic layer deposition was used to encapsulate colloidal quantum dot solar cells. A nanolaminate layer consisting of alternating alumina and zirconia films provided a robust gas permeation barrier which prevented device performance degradation over a period of multiple weeks. Unencapsulated cells stored in ambient and nitrogen environments demonstrated significant performance losses over the same period. The encapsulated cell also exhibited stable performance under constant simulated solar illumination without filtration of harsh ultraviolet photons. This monolithically integrated thin film encapsulation method is promising for roll-to-roll processed high efficiency nanocrystal solar cells. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Water transport and desalination through double-layer graphyne membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhavan, Mojdeh; Schofield, Jeremy; Jalili, Seifollah

2018-05-16

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of water-salt solutions driven through single and double-layer graphyne membranes by a pressure difference created by rigid pistons are carried out to determine the relative performance of the membranes as filters in a reverse osmosis desalination process. It is found that the flow rate of water through a graphyne-4 membrane is twice that of a graphyne-3 membrane for both single and double-layer membranes. Although the addition of a second layer to a single-layer membrane reduces the membrane permeability, the double-layer graphyne membranes are still two or three orders of magnitude more permeable than commercial reverse osmosis membranes. The minimum reduction in flow rate for double-layer membranes occurs at a layer spacing of 0.35 nm with an AA stacking configuration, while at a spacing of 0.6 nm the flow rate is close to zero due to a high free energy barrier for permeation. This is caused by the difference in the environments on either side of the membrane sheets and the formation of a compact two-dimensional layer of water molecules in the interlayer space which slows down water permeation. The distribution of residence times of water molecules in the interlayer region suggests that at the critical layer spacing of 0.6 nm, a cross-over occurs in the mechanism of water flow from the collective movement of hydrogen-bonded water sheets to the permeation of individual water molecules. All membranes are demonstrated to have a high salt rejection fraction and the double-layered graphyne-4 membranes can further increase the salt rejection by trapping ions that have passed through the first membrane from the feed solution in the interlayer space.

Layer-by-Layer Assembly for Preparation of High-Performance Forward Osmosis Membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Libin; Zhang, Jinglong; Song, Peng; Wang, Zhan

2018-01-01

Forward osmosis (FO) membrane with high separation performance is needed to promote its practical applications. Herein, layer-by-layer (LbL) approach was used to prepare a thin and highly cross-linked polyamide layer on a polyacrylonitrile substrate surface to prepare a thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC-FO) membrane with enhanced FO performance. The effects of monomer concentrations and assembly cycles on the performance of the TFC-FO membranes were systematically investigated. Under the optimal preparation condition, TFC-FO membrane achieved the best performance, exhibiting the water flux of 14.4/6.9 LMH and reverse salt flux of 7.7/3.8 gMH under the pressure retarded osmosis/forward osmosis (PRO/FO) mode using 1M NaCl as the draw against a DI-water feed, and a rejection of 96.1% for 2000 mg/L NaCl aqueous solution. The result indicated that layer-by-layer method was a potential method to regulate the structure and performance of the TFC-FO membrane.

Controlling the Growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis by Layer-By-Layer Encapsulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jonas, Alain M; Glinel, Karine; Behrens, Adam; Anselmo, Aaron C; Langer, Robert S; Jaklenec, Ana

2018-05-16

Commensal skin bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis are currently being considered as possible components in skin-care and skin-health products. However, considering the potentially adverse effects of commensal skin bacteria if left free to proliferate, it is crucial to develop methodologies that are capable of maintaining bacteria viability while controlling their proliferation. Here, we encapsulate S. epidermidis in shells of increasing thickness using layer-by-layer assembly, with either a pair of synthetic polyelectrolytes or a pair of oppositely charged polysaccharides. We study the viability of the cells and their delay of growth depending on the composition of the shell, its thickness, the charge of the last deposited layer, and the degree of aggregation of the bacteria which is varied using different coating procedures-among which is a new scalable process that easily leads to large amounts of nonaggregated bacteria. We demonstrate that the growth of bacteria is not controlled by the mechanical properties of the shell but by the bacteriostatic effect of the polyelectrolyte complex, which depends on the shell thickness and charge of its outmost layer, and involves the diffusion of unpaired amine sites through the shell. The lag times of growth are sufficient to prevent proliferation for daily topical applications.

Effect of piroxicam on lipid membranes: Drug encapsulation and gastric toxicity aspects.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkosz, Natalia; Rissanen, Sami; Cyza, Małgorzata; Szybka, Renata; Nowakowska, Maria; Bunker, Alex; Róg, Tomasz; Kepczynski, Mariusz

2017-03-30

Uptake of piroxicam, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, from the intestines after oral intake is limited due to its low solubility and its wide use is associated with several side effects related to the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and fluorescent spectroscopy were employed to investigate the interaction of piroxicam in neutral, zwitterionic, and cationic forms with lipid bilayers composed of phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and PEGylated lipids. Our study was aimed to assess the potential for encapsulation of piroxicam in liposomal carriers and to shed more light on the process of gastrointestinal tract injury by the drug. Through both the MD simulations and laser scanning confocal microscopy, we have demonstrated that all forms of piroxicam can associate with the lipid bilayers and locate close to the water-membrane interface. Conventional liposomes used in drug delivery are usually stabilized by the addition of cholesterol and have their bloodstream lifetime extended through the inclusion of PEGylated lipids in the formulation to create a protective polymer corona. For this reason, we tested the effect of these two modifications on the behavior of piroxicam in the membrane. When the bilayer was PEGylated, piroxicam localize to the PEG layer and within the lipid headgroup region. This suggests that PEGylated liposomes are capable of carrying a larger quantity of piroxicam than the conventional ones. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Acoustically excited encapsulated microbubbles and mitigation of biofouling

KAUST Repository

Qamar, Adnan

2017-08-31

Provided herein is a universally applicable biofouling mitigation technology using acoustically excited encapsulated microbubbles that disrupt biofilm or biofilm formation. For example, a method of reducing biofilm formation or removing biofilm in a membrane filtration system is provided in which a feed solution comprising encapsulated microbubbles is provided to the membrane under conditions that allow the encapsulated microbubbles to embed in a biofilm. Sonication of the embedded, encapsulated microbubbles disrupts the biofilm. Thus, provided herein is a membrane filtration system for performing the methods and encapsulated microbubbles specifically selected for binding to extracellular polymeric substances (EFS) in a biofilm.

Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition of Al(2)O(3) and parylene C bi-layer encapsulation for chronic implantable electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Xianzong; Rieth, Loren; Merugu, Srinivas; Tathireddy, Prashant; Solzbacher, Florian

2012-08-27

Encapsulation of biomedical implants with complex three dimensional geometries is one of the greatest challenges achieving long-term functionality and stability. This report presents an encapsulation scheme that combines Al(2)O(3) by atomic layer deposition with parylene C for implantable electronic systems. The Al(2)O(3)-parylene C bi-layer was used to encapsulate interdigitated electrodes, which were tested invitro by soak testing in phosphate buffered saline solution at body temperature (37 °C) and elevated temperatures (57 °C and 67 °C) for accelerated lifetime testing up to 5 months. Leakage current and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were measured for evaluating the integrity and insulation performance of the coating. Leakage current was stably about 15 pA at 5 V dc, and impedance was constantly about 3.5 MΩ at 1 kHz by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for samples under 67 °C about 5 months (approximately equivalent to 40 months at 37 °C). Alumina and parylene coating lasted at least 3 times longer than parylene coated samples tested at 80 °C. The excellent insulation performance of the encapsulation shows its potential usefulness for chronic implants.

New method for fabrication of loaded micro- and nanocontainers: emulsion encapsulation by polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition on the liquid core.

Science.gov (United States)

Grigoriev, D O; Bukreeva, T; Möhwald, H; Shchukin, D G

2008-02-05

A novel approach to the emulsion encapsulation was developed by combining the advantages of direct encapsulation of a liquid colloidal core with the accuracy and multifunctionality of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte deposition. Experimental data obtained for the model oil-in-water emulsion confirm unambiguously the alternating PE assembly in the capsule shell as well as the maintenance of the liquid colloidal core. Two different mechanisms of capsule destruction upon interaction with the solid substrate were observed and qualitatively explained. The proposed method can be easily generalized to the preparation of oil-filled capsules in various oil/water/polyelectrolyte systems important in the field of pharmacy, medicine, and food industry.

Block copolymer/homopolymer dual-layer hollow fiber membranes

KAUST Repository

Hilke, Roland; Neelakanda, Pradeep; Behzad, Ali Reza; Nunes, Suzana Pereira; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2014-01-01

We manufactured the first time block copolymer dual-layer hollow fiber membranes and dual layer flat sheet membranes manufactured by double solution casting and phase inversion in water. The support porous layer was based on polystyrene

Characterization of a bonding-in-liquid technique for liquid encapsulation into MEMS devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okayama, Yoshiyuki; Nakahara, Keijiro; Arouette, Xavier; Ninomiya, Takeshi; Matsumoto, Yasuaki; Orimo, Yoshinori; Hotta, Atsushi; Omiya, Masaki; Miki, Norihisa

2010-01-01

We demonstrate and characterize a new bonding-in-liquid technique (BiLT) for the encapsulation of liquids in MEMS devices. Liquid encapsulation enables innovative MEMS devices with various functions exploiting the unique characteristics of liquids, such as high deformation and spherical shape due to surface tension. Interfusion of air bubbles, variation of the liquid quantity and leakage of the encapsulated liquid must be avoided, or device performance will deteriorate. In BiLT, two structural layers are passively aligned and brought into contact in a solution, and the encapsulation cavities are filled uniformly with liquid, without air bubbles. A UV-curable resin is used as an adhesive that does not require heat or vacuum to bond the layers, but UV irradiation. DI water, glycerin and phosphate buffer saline were successfully encapsulated in silicon structural layers with PDMS membranes. We experimentally evaluated the bond strengths and alignment accuracy of BiLT in order to provide crucial information for the application of this process to the packaging and/or manufacturing of MEMS devices. Since conventional aligners are not applicable to BiLT, we experimentally evaluated the accuracy of an in-solution passive alignment process, which made use of matching concave and convex structures.

Prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion by bi-layer electrospun membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shichao; Wang, Wei; Yan, Hede; Fan, Cunyi

2013-06-04

The aim of this study was to compare the anti-adhesion efficacy of a bi-layer electrospun fibrous membrane consisting of hyaluronic acid-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibrous membrane as the inner layer and PCL fibrous membrane as the outer layer with a single-layer PCL electrospun fibrous membrane in a rat cecum abrasion model. The rat model utilized a cecal abrasion and abdominal wall insult surgical protocol. The bi-layer and PCL membranes were applied between the cecum and the abdominal wall, respectively. Control animals did not receive any treatment. After postoperative day 14, a visual semiquantitative grading scale was used to grade the extent of adhesion. Histological analysis was performed to reveal the features of adhesion tissues. Bi-layer membrane treated animals showed significantly lower adhesion scores than control animals (p compared with the PCL membrane. Histological analysis of the bi-layer membrane treated rat rarely demonstrated tissue adhesion while that of the PCL membrane treated rat and control rat showed loose and dense adhesion tissues, respectively. Bi-layer membrane can efficiently prevent adhesion formation in abdominal cavity and showed a significantly decreased adhesion tissue formation compared with the control.

Graphitic Layer Encapsulated Iron Based Non‐precious Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhong, Lijie

consisting of uniform metallic nanoparticles encapsulated in graphitic layers. The thesis work is conducted aiming at three major objectives: further optimization of the pyrolysis to achieve improved performance of catalysts, investigation of the complex Fe-containing components, and exploration...... of the nitrogen functionalities. Two anions in the electrolyte are used to probe the iron containing active sites towards the ORR, cyanide (CN-) in alkaline and thiocyanate (SCN-) in acidic medium, which seem supporting the above conclusions. These findings provide new insights to the encapsulation structure...

Membrane filtration device for studying compression of fouling layers in membrane bioreactors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mads Koustrup Jørgensen

Full Text Available A filtration devise was developed to assess compressibility of fouling layers in membrane bioreactors. The system consists of a flat sheet membrane with air scouring operated at constant transmembrane pressure to assess the influence of pressure on resistance of fouling layers. By fitting a mathematical model, three model parameters were obtained; a back transport parameter describing the kinetics of fouling layer formation, a specific fouling layer resistance, and a compressibility parameter. This stands out from other on-site filterability tests as model parameters to simulate filtration performance are obtained together with a characterization of compressibility. Tests on membrane bioreactor sludge showed high reproducibility. The methodology's ability to assess compressibility was tested by filtrations of sludges from membrane bioreactors and conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants from three different sites. These proved that membrane bioreactor sludge showed higher compressibility than conventional activated sludge. In addition, detailed information on the underlying mechanisms of the difference in fouling propensity were obtained, as conventional activated sludge showed slower fouling formation, lower specific resistance and lower compressibility of fouling layers, which is explained by a higher degree of flocculation.

Synthesis and characterization of a stable humic-urease complex: application to barley seed encapsulation for improving N uptake.

Science.gov (United States)

Mvila, Beaufray G; Pilar-Izquierdo, María C; Busto, María D; Perez-Mateos, Manuel; Ortega, Natividad

2016-07-01

Most N fertilizers added to soil are not efficiently used by plants and are lost to the atmosphere or leached from the soil, causing environmental pollution and increasing cost. Barley seed encapsulation in calcium alginate gels containing free or immobilized urease to enhance plant utilization of soil N was investigated. Urease was immobilized with soil humic acids (HA). A central composite face-centered design was applied to optimize the immobilization process, reaching an immobilization yield of 127%. Soil stability of urease was enhanced after the immobilization. Seed encapsulation with free urease (FU) and humic-urease complex (HUC) resulted in a urease activity retention in the coating layer of 46% and 24%, and in germination rates of 87% and 92%, respectively. Under pot culture conditions, the pots planted with seeds encapsulated with FU and HUC showed higher ammonium N (NH4 (+) -N) (26% and 64%, respectively) than the control soil at 28 days after planting (DAP). Moreover, the seed encapsulation with FU and HUC increased the N uptake 83% and 97%, respectively, at 35 DAP. Seed encapsulation with urease could substantially contribute to enhancing plant N nutrition in the early stages of seedling establishment. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Layer by Layer Composite Membranes of Alginate-Chitosan Crosslinked by Glutaraldehyde in Pervaporation Dehydration of Ethanol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Rokhati

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Hydrophilicity of membrane causing only water can pass through membrane. Pervaporation process using organophilic membrane has been offered as alternative for ethanol dehydration. This paper investigate pervaporation based biopolymer composite membrane from alginate-chitosan using layer by layer method prepared by glutaraldehyde as crosslinking agent and polyethersulfone (PES as supported membrane. Characterization of crosslinked of composite membrane by FTIR helped in identification of sites for interaction between layers of membrane and support layer (PES. The SEM showed a multilayer structure and a distinct interface between the chitosan layer, the sodium alginate layer and the support layer. The coating sequence of membranes had an obvious influence on the pervaporation dehydration performance of membranes. For the dehydration of 95 wt% ethanol-water mixtures, a good performance of PES-chitosan-alginate-chitosan (PES/Chi/Alg/Chi composite membrane was found in the pervaporation dehydration of ethanol. Article History: Received April 12nd , 2016; Received in revised form June 25th , 2016; Accepted July 1st , 2016; Available online How to Cite This Article: Rokhati, N., Istirokhatun, T. and Samsudin, A.M. (2016 Layer by Layer Composite Membranes of Alginate-Chitosan Crosslinked by Glutaraldehyde in Pervaporation Dehydration of Ethanol. Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 5(2, 101-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.5.2.101-106 

Thin-film encapsulation of organic electronic devices based on vacuum evaporated lithium fluoride as protective buffer layer

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Yingquan; Ding, Sihan; Wen, Zhanwei; Xu, Sunan; Lv, Wenli; Xu, Ziqiang; Yang, Yuhuan; Wang, Ying; Wei, Yi; Tang, Ying

2017-03-01

Encapsulation is indispensable for organic thin-film electronic devices to ensure reliable operation and long-term stability. For thin-film encapsulating organic electronic devices, insulating polymers and inorganic metal oxides thin films are widely used. However, spin-coating of insulating polymers directly on organic electronic devices may destroy or introduce unwanted impurities in the underlying organic active layers. And also, sputtering of inorganic metal oxides may damage the underlying organic semiconductors. Here, we demonstrated that by utilizing vacuum evaporated lithium fluoride (LiF) as protective buffer layer, spin-coated insulating polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and sputtered inorganic material Er2O3, can be successfully applied for thin film encapsulation of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)-based organic diodes. By encapsulating with LiF/PVA/LiF trilayer and LiF/Er2O3 bilayer films, the device lifetime improvements of 10 and 15 times can be achieved. These methods should be applicable for thin-film encapsulation of all kinds of organic electronic devices. Moisture-induced hole trapping, and Al top electrode oxidation are suggest to be the origins of current decay for the LiF/PVA/LiF trilayer and LiF/Er2O3 bilayer films encapsulated devices, respectively.

Soil Plasticity Model for Analysis of Collapse Load on Layers Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Nujid Masyitah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Natural soil consist of soil deposits which is a soil layer overlying a thick stratum of another soil. The bearing capacity of layered soil studies have been conducted using different approach whether theoretical, experimental and combination of both. Numerical method in computer programme has become a powerful tool in solving complex geotechnical problems. Thus in numerical modelling, stress-strain soil behaviour is well predicted, design and interpreted using appropriate soil model. It is also important to identify parameters and soil model involve in prediction real soil problem. The sand layer overlaid clay layer soil is modelled with Mohr-Coulomb and Drucker-Prager criterion. The bearing capacity in loaddisplacement analysis from COMSOL Multiphysics is obtained and presented. In addition the stress distribution and evolution of plastic strain for each thickness ratio below centre of footing are investigated. The results indicate the linear relation on load-displacement which have similar trend for both soil models while stress and plastic strain increase as thickness ratio increase.

Layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte-polyester hybrid microcapsules for encapsulation and delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Rongcong; Venkatraman, Subbu S; Neu, Björn

2013-07-08

A two-step process is developed to form layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte microcapsules, which are able to encapsulate and deliver hydrophobic drugs. Spherical porous calcium carbonate (CaCO3) microparticles were used as templates and coated with a poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) layer containing hydrophobic compounds via an in situ precipitation gelling process. PLGA layers that precipitated from N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) had a lower loading and smoother surface than those precipitated from acetone. The difference may be due to different viscosities and solvent exchange dynamics. In the second step, the successful coating of multilayer polyelectrolytes poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) onto the PLGA coated CaCO3 microparticles was confirmed with AFM and ζ-potential studies. The release of a model hydrophobic drug, ibuprofen, from these hybrid microcapsules with different numbers of PAH/PSS layers was investigated. It was found that the release of ibuprofen decreases with increasing layer numbers demonstrating the possibility to control the release of ibuprofen with these novel hybrid microcapsules. Besides loading of hydrophobic drugs, the interior of these microcapsules can also be loaded with hydrophilic compounds and functional nanoparticles as demonstrated by loading with Fe3O4 nanoparticles, forming magnetically responsive dual drug releasing carriers.

Development and characterization of a new membrane system for the environmental control of biopiles used for the treatment of contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoefs, O.; Deschenes, L.; Samson, R.

1997-01-01

Four biopiles containing soils contaminated with diesel oil were used in a study to evaluate whether or not to use solar energy to heat up the soil. Temperature is an important factor that controls biodegradation in biopile degradation. Extreme hot and cold temperatures make biopile treatments ineffective. A new membrane system for the environmental control of biopiles has been developed which is capable of maintaining the temperature inside the biopiles at a level where biodegradation can occur even in cold temperatures. The commonly used semi-permeable black membrane was compared to a double polyethylene membrane sealed system which had an insulating layer that at times acted as a heating layer. Probes were placed in the biopiles to monitor the temperature and water content. The study showed that solar radiation had a big impact on the soil temperature and the use of a double polyethylene membrane system increased the temperature of the biopiles to allow for an extended biopile treatment during winter and also in cold regions. A mathematical model to simulate the temperature profile inside the biopile was also developed

Human T-cell line (Jurkat cell) encapsulation by nano-organized polyelectrolytes and their response assessment in vitro and in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pandey, Siddharth [Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Research Group (India); Afrin, Fahrat [Jamia Hamdard, Department of Biotechnology (India); Tripathi, R. P.; Gangenahalli, Gurudutta, E-mail: gugdutta@rediffmail.com [Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Research Group (India)

2013-07-15

Single living Jurkat cells have been encapsulated through polyelectrolytes nanoparticles poly(allyl amine hydrochloride) size 15.6 nm and poly(styrene-co-sulfonic acid sodium salt) size 30.2 nm, through layer by layer coating of oppositely charged plasma membrane. Confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy results showed complete shielding of Jurkat cells, and no changes in cell surface morphology of encapsulated cells were observed. Cell viability was not affected after encapsulation and no toxicity was found. In vivo studies demonstrated no significant changes in hematological and biochemical parameters of blood serum at day 1 and 7 in mice. Histopathological analyses of liver and spleen tissues showed nontoxic nature of prepared formulations.

Filter Membrane Effects on Water-Extractable Phosphorus Concentrations from Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Norby, Jessica; Strawn, Daniel; Brooks, Erin

2018-03-01

To accurately assess P concentrations in soil extracts, standard laboratory practices for monitoring P concentrations are needed. Water-extractable P is a common analytical test to determine P availability for leaching from soils, and it is used to determine best management practices. Most P analytical tests require filtration through a filter membrane with 0.45-μm pore size to distinguish between particulate and dissolved P species. However, filter membrane type is rarely specified in method protocols, and many different types of membranes are available. In this study, three common filter membrane materials (polyether sulfone, nylon, and nitrocellulose), all with 0.45-μm pore sizes, were tested for analytical differences in total P concentrations and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations in water extracts from six soils sampled from two regions. Three of the extracts from the six soil samples had different total P concentrations for all three membrane types. The other three soil extracts had significantly different total P results from at least one filter membrane type. Total P concentration differences were as great as 35%. The DRP concentrations in the extracts were dependent on filter type in five of the six soil types. Results from this research show that filter membrane type is an important parameter that affects concentrations of total P and DRP from soil extracts. Thus, membrane type should be specified in soil extraction protocols. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Novel Electrospun Dual-Layered Composite Nanofibrous Membrane Endowed with Electricity-Magnetism Bifunctionality at One Layer and Photoluminescence at the Other Layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zijiao; Ma, Qianli; Dong, Xiangting; Li, Dan; Xi, Xue; Yu, Wensheng; Wang, Jinxian; Liu, Guixia

2016-10-05

Dual-layered composite nanofibrous membrane equipped with electrical conduction, magnetism and photoluminescence trifunctionality is constructed via electrospinning. The composite membrane consists of a polyaniline (PANI)/Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) tuned electrical-magnetic bifunctional nanofibrous layer at one side and a Eu(TTA) 3 (TPPO) 2 /polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) photoluminescent nanofibrous layer at the other side, and the two layers are tightly combined face-to-face together into the novel dual-layered composite membrane with trifunctionality. The electric conductivity and magnetism of electrical-magnetic bifunctionality can be respectively tunable via modulating the respective PANI and Fe 3 O 4 NPs contents, and the highest electric conductivity approaches the order of 1 × 10 -2 S cm -1 . Predominant red emission at 615 nm can be obviously observed in the photoluminescent layer under 366 nm excitation. Moreover, the luminescent intensity of photoluminescent layer is almost unaffected by the electrical-magnetic bifunctional layer because of the fact that the photoluminescent materials have been successfully isolated from dark-colored PANI and Fe 3 O 4 NPs. The novel dual-layered composite nanofibrous membrane with trifunctionality has potentials in many fields. Furthermore, the design philosophy and fabrication method for the dual-layered multifunctional membrane provide a new and facile strategy toward other membranes with multifunctionality.

Double layer mixed matrix membrane adsorbers improving capacity and safety hemodialysis

Science.gov (United States)

Saiful; Borneman, Z.; Wessling, M.

2018-05-01

Double layer mixed matrix membranes adsorbers have been developed for blood toxin removal by embedding activated carbon into cellulose acetate macroporous membranes. The membranes are prepared by phase inversion method via water vapor induced phase separation followed by an immersion precipitation step. Double layer MMM consisting of an active support and a separating layer. The active support layer consists of activated carbon particles embedded in macroporous cellulose acetate; the separating layer consists of particle free cellulose acetate. The double layer membrane possess an open and interconnected macroporous structure with a high loading of activated carbon available for blood toxins removal. The MMM AC has a swelling degree of 6.5 %, porosity of 53 % and clean water flux of 800 Lm-2h-1bar-1. The prepared membranes show a high dynamic Creatinine (Crt) removal during hemodilysis process. The Crt removal by adsorption contributes to amore than 83 % of the total removal. The double layer adsorptive membrane proves hemodialysis membrane can integrated with adsorption, in which blood toxins are removed in one step.

Preparation and characterization of composite membrane via layer by layer assembly for desalination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wasim, Maria, E-mail: maria-be24@hotmail.co.uk; Sabir, Aneela; Shafiq, Muhammad; Islam, Atif; Jamil, Tahir

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Cellulose acetate based polymer composite membranes were formed via layer by layer assembly for nanofiltration. • Modified membranes shown improved MgSO{sub 4} salt rejection property up to 98.9%. • Surface roughness and antibacterial property of fabricated membrane were successfully studied. - Abstract: Cellulose acetate (CA) incorporated with sepiolite and Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) multilayer composite on Polysulfone (PSf) substrate have been prepared by layer by layer (LbL) assembly method. Fourier TransformInfrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) results verified the hydrogen bonding among the components of composite membrane. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) was carried out for the determination and elucidation of roughness and morphology of the fabricated membranes on PSf substrate. The AFM and SEM results showed the increased surface roughness with the porous and spongy structure. The performance results verified that the successful incorporation of sepiolite in membranes showed maximum MgSO{sub 4} rejection (98.9%) and flux of 38.7 L/m{sup 2} h. Whereas, in case of NaCl the rejection is 98.3% and flux is 34.9L/m{sup 2} h. The modification was evidenced to be effective in increasing the surface hydrophilicity that led to increase in surface roughness. The chlorine resistivity is improved by dropping the active sites for chlorine attack and protecting the underlying PSf substrate.

FEM Simulation of Influence of Protective Encapsulation on MEMS Pressure Sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yao, Qingshan; Janting, Jakob; Branebjerg, Jens

2003-01-01

The objective of the work is to evaluate the feasibility of packaging a MEMS silicon pressure sensor by using either a polymer encapsulation or a combination of a polymer encapsulation and a metallic protection Membrane (fig. 1). The potential application of the protected sensor is for harsh...... environments. Several steps of simulation are carried out:1) Comparisons of the sensitivities are made among the non-encapsulated silicon sensor, the polymer encapsulated and polymer with metal encapsulated sensor. This is for evaluating whether the encapsulating materials reduce the pressure sensitivity...... whether the metallic membrane / coating will peel off when applying the maximum pressure, which is 4000 bar leading to high shear stress between the metallic membrane and the polymer encapsulation material.3) Thermal calculations are made to evaluate the influence of the environment on the packaged sensor...

POROUS MEMBRANE TEMPLATED SYNTHESIS OF POLYMER PILLARED LAYER

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Zhong-wei Niu; Dan Li; Zhen-zhong Yang

2003-01-01

The anodic porous alumina membranes with a definite pore diameter and aspect ratio were used as templates to synthesize polymer pillared layer structures. The pillared polymer was produced in the template membrane pores, and the layer on the template surfaces. Rigid cured epoxy resin, polystyrene and soft hydrogel were chosen to confirm the methodology. The pillars were in the form of either tubes or fibers, which were controlled by the alumina membrane pore surface wettability. The structural features were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy results.

Micro-fabricated Liquid Encapsulated Energy Harvester with Polymer Barrier Layer as Liquid Electret Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bu, L; Xu, H Y; Xu, B J; Song, L

2014-01-01

This paper addresses the electret discharge issue for liquid based electret energy harvesters. An interface structure of PDMS/PTFE polymer barrier layer between liquid and electrets is introduced, achieving 75% charge retain rate over 100h, compared with 0% without the proposed layer over 100h. Further, the PDMS/PTFE layer is introduced into liquid encapsulated energy harvester (LEEH) and is compatible with micro-fabrication process. The retain rate of device voltage is about 47%∼65% over 100h. At 100h after corona charging, the device generates maximally 3.7V, 0.55μW @1Hz rotation

Estimation of apparent soil resistivity for two-layer soil structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nassereddine, M.; Rizk, J.; Nagrial, M.; Hellany, A. [School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, University of Western Sydney (Australia)

2013-07-01

High voltage (HV) earthing design is one of the key elements when it comes to safety compliance of a system. High voltage infrastructure exposes workers and people to unsafe conditions. The soil structure plays a vital role in determining the allowable and actual step/touch voltage. This paper presents vital information when working with two-layer soil structure. It shows the process as to when it is acceptable to use a single layer instead of a two-layer structure. It also discusses the simplification of the soil structure approach depending on the reflection coefficient. It introduces the reflection coefficient K interval which determines if single layer approach is acceptable. Multiple case studies are presented to address the new approach and its accuracy.

Structural Study and Modification of Support Layer for Forward Osmosis Membranes

KAUST Repository

Shi, Meixia

2016-06-01

Water scarcity is a serious global issue, due to the increasing population and developing economy, and membrane technology is an essential way to address this problem. Forward osmosis (FO) is an emerging membrane process, due to its low energy consumption (not considering the draw solute regeneration). A bottleneck to advance this technology is the design of the support layer for FO membranes to minimize the internal concentration polarization. In this dissertation, we focus on the structural study and modification of the support layer for FO membranes. Firstly, we digitally reconstruct different membrane morphologies in 3D and propose a method for predicting performance in ultrafiltration operations. Membranes with analogous morphologies are later used as substrate for FO membranes. Secondly, we experimentally apply substrates with different potentially suitable morphologies as an FO support layer. We investigate their FO performance after generating a selective polyamide layer on the top, by interfacial polymerization. Among the different substrates we include standard asymmetric porous membranes prepared from homopolymers, such as polysulfone. Additionally block copolymer membrane and Anodisc alumina membrane are chosen based on their exceptional structures, with cylindrical pores at least in part. 3D digitally reconstructed porous substrates, analogous to those investigated for ultrafiltration, are then used to model the performance in FO operation. Finally, we analyze the effect of intermediate layers between the porous substrate and the interfacial polymerized layer. We investigate two materials including chitosan and hydrogel. The main results are the following. Pore-scale modeling for digital membrane generation effectively predicts the velocity profile in different layers of the membrane and the performance in UF experiments. Flow simulations confirm the advantage of finger-like substrates over sponge-like ones, when high water permeance is sought

Micro-Encapsulation of Probiotics

Science.gov (United States)

Meiners, Jean-Antoine

Micro-encapsulation is defined as the technology for packaging with the help of protective membranes particles of finely ground solids, droplets of liquids or gaseous materials in small capsules that release their contents at controlled rates over prolonged periods of time under the influences of specific conditions (Boh, 2007). The material encapsulating the core is referred to as coating or shell.

Hierarchical Composite Membranes with Robust Omniphobic Surface Using Layer-By-Layer Assembly Technique

KAUST Repository

Woo, Yun Chul

2018-01-17

In this study, composite membranes were fabricated via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of negatively-charged silica aerogel (SiA) and 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H – Perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (FTCS) on a polyvinylidene fluoride phase inversion membrane, and interconnecting them with positively-charged poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) via electrostatic interaction. The results showed that the PDDA-SiA-FTCS coated membrane had significantly enhanced the membrane structure and properties. New trifluoromethyl and tetrafluoroethylene bonds appeared at the surface of the coated membrane, which led to lower surface free energy of the composite membrane. Additionally, the LBL membrane showed increased surface roughness. The improved structure and property gave the LBL membrane an omniphobic property, as indicated by its good wetting resistance. The membrane performed a stable air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) flux of 11.22 L/m2h with very high salt rejection using reverse osmosis brine from coal seam gas produced water as feed with the addition of up to 0.5 mM SDS solution. This performance was much better compared to those of the neat membrane. The present study suggests that the enhanced membrane properties with good omniphobicity via LBL assembly make the porous membranes suitable for long-term AGMD operation with stable permeation flux when treating challenging saline wastewater containing low surface tension organic contaminants.

New type of chitosan/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin composite membrane for gallic acid encapsulation and controlled release.

Science.gov (United States)

Paun, Gabriela; Neagu, Elena; Tache, Andreia; Radu, G L

2014-01-01

A new type of chitosan/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin composite membrane have been developed for the encapsulation and controlled release of gallic acid. The morphology of the composite membrane was investigated by infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas swelling gallic acid and release properties were investigated by UV-visible spectroscopy. The release behavior with pH changes was also explored. The composite membrane based on chitosan/2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin with gallic acid included showed improved antioxidant capacities compared to plain chitosan membrane. The information obtained in this study will facilitate the design and preparation of composite membrane based on chitosan and could open a wide range of applications, particularly its use as an antioxidant in food, food packaging, biomedical (biodegradable soft porous scaffolds for enhance the surrounding tissue regeneration), pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Ceramic nanostructure materials, membranes and composite layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Burggraaf, A.J.; Keizer, Klaas; van Hassel, B.A.

1989-01-01

Synthesis methods to obtain nanoscale materials will be briefly discussed with a focus on sol-gel methods. Three types of nanoscale composites (powders, membranes and ion implanted layers) will be discussed and exemplified with recent original research results. Ceramic membranes with a thickness of

Thin film Encapsulations of Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsai Fa-Ta

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Various encapsulated films for flexible organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs were studied in this work, where gas barrier layers including inorganic Al2O3 thin films prepared by atomic layer deposition, organic Parylene C thin films prepared by chemical vapor deposition, and their combination were considered. The transmittance and water vapor transmission rate of the various organic and inorgabic encapsulated films were tested. The effects of the encapsulated films on the luminance and current density of the OLEDs were discussed, and the life time experiments of the OLEDs with these encapsulated films were also conducted. The results showed that the transmittance are acceptable even the PET substrate were coated two Al2O3 and Parylene C layers. The results also indicated the WVTR of the PET substrate improved by coating the barrier layers. In the encapsulation performance, it indicates the OLED with Al2O3 /PET, 1 pair/PET, and 2 pairs/PET presents similarly higher luminance than the other two cases. Although the 1 pair/PET encapsulation behaves a litter better luminance than the 2 pairs/PET encapsulation, the 2 pairs/PET encapsulation has much better life time. The OLED with 2 pairs/PET encapsulation behaves near double life time to the 1 pair encapsulation, and four times to none encapsulation.

Electrical Resistance and Transport Numbers of Ion-Exchange Membranes Used in Electrodialytic Soil Remediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Henrik; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Villumsen, Arne

1999-01-01

Electrodialytic soil remediation is a recently developed method to decontaminate heavy metal polluted soil using ion-exchange membranes. In this method one side of the ion-exchange membrane is in direct contact with the polluted soil. It is of great importance to know if this contact with the soil...... different electrodialytic soil remediation experiments. The experiments showed that after the use in electrodialytic soil remediation, the ion-exchange membranes had transport numbers in the same magnitude as new membranes. The electrical resistance for six membranes did not differ from that of new...

Anti-fouling and high water permeable forward osmosis membrane fabricated via layer by layer assembly of chitosan/graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Hasan; Rastgar, Masoud; Shakeri, Alireza

2017-08-01

To date, forward osmosis (FO) has received considerable attention due to its potential application in seawater desalination. FO does not require external hydraulic pressure and consequently is believed to have a low fouling propensity. Despite the numerous privileges of FO process, a major challenge ahead for its development is the lack of high performance membranes. In this study, we fabricated a novel highly-efficient FO membrane using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of positive chitosan (CS) and negative graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets via electrostatic interaction on a porous support layer. The support layer was prepared by blending hydrophilic sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) into polyethersulfone (PES) matrix using wet phase inversion process. Various characterization techniques were used to confirm successful fabrication of LbL membrane. The number of layers formed on the SPES-PES support layer was easily adjusted by repeating the CS and GO deposition cycles. Thin film composite (TFC) membrane was also prepared by the same SPES-PES support layer and polyamide (PA) active layer to compare membranes performances. The water permeability and salt rejection of the fabricated membranes were obtained by two kinds of draw solutions (including Na2SO4 and sucrose) under two different membrane orientations. The results showed that membrane coated by a CS/GO bilayers had water flux of 2-4 orders of magnitude higher than the TFC one. By increasing the number of CS/GO bilayers, the selectivity of the LbL membrane was improved. The novel fabricated LbL membrane showed better fouling resistance than the TFC one in the feed solution containing 200 ppm of sodium alginate as a foulant model.

Polypyrrole layered SPEES/TPA proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neelakandan, S.; Kanagaraj, P. [PG & Research Department of Chemistry, Polymeric Materials Research Lab, Alagappa Government Arts College, Karaikudi 630003 (India); Sabarathinam, R.M. [Functional Material Division, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi 630006 (India); Nagendran, A., E-mail: nagimmm@yahoo.com [PG & Research Department of Chemistry, Polymeric Materials Research Lab, Alagappa Government Arts College, Karaikudi 630003 (India)

2015-12-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A series of Ppy layered SPEES/TPA composite membranes were prepared. • SPEES/TPA-Ppy hybrid membranes displayed efficient methanol resistance than Nafion 117. • SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membrane exhibits highest relative selectivity of 2.86 × 104 S cm{sup 3} s. • Increasing Ppy layer on membrane surface reduces the leaching out of tungstophosphoric acid. - Abstract: Hybrid membranes based on sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether ether sulfone) (SPEES)/tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) were prepared. SPEES/TPA membrane surfaces were modified with polypyrrole (Ppy) by in situ polymerization method to reduce the TPA leaching. The morphology and electrochemical property of the surface coated membranes were studied by SEM, AFM, water uptake, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity, methanol permeability and tensile strength. The water uptake and the swelling ratio of the surface coated membranes decreased with increasing the Ppy layer. The surface roughness of the hybrid membrane was decreased with an increase in Ppy layer on the membrane surface. The methanol permeability of SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 hybrid membrane was significantly suppressed and found to be 2.1 × 10{sup −7} cm{sup 2} s{sup −1}, which is 1.9 times lower than pristine SPEES membrane. The SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membrane exhibits highest relative selectivity (2.86 × 10{sup 4} S cm{sup −3} s) than the other membrane with low TPA leaching. The tensile strength of hybrid membranes was improved with the introduction of Ppy layer. Combining their lower swelling ratio, high thermal stability and selectivity, SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membranes could be a promising material as PEM for DMFC applications.

Polypyrrole layered SPEES/TPA proton exchange membrane for direct methanol fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neelakandan, S.; Kanagaraj, P.; Sabarathinam, R.M.; Nagendran, A.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A series of Ppy layered SPEES/TPA composite membranes were prepared. • SPEES/TPA-Ppy hybrid membranes displayed efficient methanol resistance than Nafion 117. • SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membrane exhibits highest relative selectivity of 2.86 × 104 S cm"3 s. • Increasing Ppy layer on membrane surface reduces the leaching out of tungstophosphoric acid. - Abstract: Hybrid membranes based on sulfonated poly(1,4-phenylene ether ether sulfone) (SPEES)/tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) were prepared. SPEES/TPA membrane surfaces were modified with polypyrrole (Ppy) by in situ polymerization method to reduce the TPA leaching. The morphology and electrochemical property of the surface coated membranes were studied by SEM, AFM, water uptake, ion exchange capacity, proton conductivity, methanol permeability and tensile strength. The water uptake and the swelling ratio of the surface coated membranes decreased with increasing the Ppy layer. The surface roughness of the hybrid membrane was decreased with an increase in Ppy layer on the membrane surface. The methanol permeability of SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 hybrid membrane was significantly suppressed and found to be 2.1 × 10"−"7 cm"2 s"−"1, which is 1.9 times lower than pristine SPEES membrane. The SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membrane exhibits highest relative selectivity (2.86 × 10"4 S cm"−"3 s) than the other membrane with low TPA leaching. The tensile strength of hybrid membranes was improved with the introduction of Ppy layer. Combining their lower swelling ratio, high thermal stability and selectivity, SPEES/TPA-Ppy4 membranes could be a promising material as PEM for DMFC applications.

Encapsulation of curcumin in polyelectrolyte nanocapsules and their neuroprotective activity

Science.gov (United States)

Szczepanowicz, Krzysztof; Jantas, Danuta; Piotrowski, Marek; Staroń, Jakub; Leśkiewicz, Monika; Regulska, Magdalena; Lasoń, Władysław; Warszyński, Piotr

2016-09-01

Poor water solubility and low bioavailability of lipophilic drugs can be potentially improved with the use of delivery systems. In this study, encapsulation of nanoemulsion droplets was utilized to prepare curcumin nanocarriers. Nanosize droplets containing the drug were encapsulated in polyelectrolyte shells formed by the layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of biocompatible polyelectrolytes: poly-L-lysine (PLL) and poly-L-glutamic acid (PGA). The size of synthesized nanocapsules was around 100 nm. Their biocompatibility and neuroprotective effects were evaluated on the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line using cell viability/toxicity assays (MTT reduction, LDH release). Statistically significant toxic effect was clearly observed for PLL coated nanocapsules (reduction in cell viability about 20%-60%), while nanocapsules with PLL/PGA coating did not evoke any detrimental effects on SH-SY5Y cells. Curcumin encapsulated in PLL/PGA showed similar neuroprotective activity against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cell damage, as did 5 μM curcumin pre-dissolved in DMSO (about 16% of protection). Determination of concentration of curcumin in cell lysate confirmed that curcumin in nanocapsules has cell protective effect in lower concentrations (at least 20 times) than when given alone. Intracellular mechanisms of encapsulated curcumin-mediated protection engaged the prevention of the H2O2-induced decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) but did not attenuate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) formation. The obtained results indicate the utility of PLL/PGA shell nanocapsules as a promising, alternative way of curcumin delivery for neuroprotective purposes with improved efficiency and reduced toxicity.

Ultrasonographic findings of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jong Kyu; Lee, Hae Kyung; Moon, Chul; Hong, Hyun Sook; Kwon, Kwi Hyang; Choi, Deuk Lin [Soonchunhyangi University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2001-03-15

To evaluate the ultrasonographic findings of the patients with sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP). Thirteen patients with surgically confirmed sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis were involved in this study. Because of intestinal obstruction, all patients had received operations. Among 13 patients, 12 cases had continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for 2 months-12 years and 4 months from (mean; 6 years and 10 months), owing to chronic renal failure and one patient had an operation due to variceal bleeding caused by liver cirrhosis. On ultrasonographic examination, all patients showed loculated ascites which were large (n=7) or small (n=6) in amount with multiple separations. The small bowel loops were tethered posteriorly perisaltic movement and covered with the thick membrane. The ultrasonographic of findings of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis were posteriorly tethered small bowels covered with a thick membrane and loculated ascites with multiple septa. Ultrasonographic examination can detect the thin membrane covering the small bowel loops in the early phase of the disease, therefore ultrasonography would be a helpful modality to diagnose SEP early.

Preparation of Two-Layer Anion-Exchange Poly(ethersulfone Based Membrane: Effect of Surface Modification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucie Zarybnicka

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present work deals with the surface modification of a commercial microfiltration poly(ethersulfone membrane by graft polymerization technique. Poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene-co-4-vinylbenzylchloride surface layer was covalently attached onto the poly(ethersulfone support layer to improve the membrane electrochemical properties. Followed by amination, a two-layer anion-exchange membrane was prepared. The effect of surface layer treatment using the extraction in various solvents on membrane morphological and electrochemical characteristics was studied. The membranes were tested from the point of view of water content, ion-exchange capacity, specific resistance, permselectivity, FT-IR spectroscopy, and SEM analysis. It was found that the two-layer anion-exchange membranes after the extraction using tetrahydrofuran or toluene exhibited smooth and porous surface layer, which resulted in improved ion-exchange capacity, electrical resistance, and permselectivity of the membranes.

High voltage photo-switch package module having encapsulation with profiled metallized concavities

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, James S; Sanders, David M; Hawkins, Steven A; Sampayan, Stephen A

2015-05-05

A photo-conductive switch package module having a photo-conductive substrate or wafer with opposing electrode-interface surfaces metalized with first metallic layers formed thereon, and encapsulated with a dielectric encapsulation material such as for example epoxy. The first metallic layers are exposed through the encapsulation via encapsulation concavities which have a known contour profile, such as a Rogowski edge profile. Second metallic layers are then formed to line the concavities and come in contact with the first metal layer, to form profiled and metalized encapsulation concavities which mitigate enhancement points at the edges of electrodes matingly seated in the concavities. One or more optical waveguides may also be bonded to the substrate for coupling light into the photo-conductive wafer, with the encapsulation also encapsulating the waveguides.

Adsorption of pharmaceuticals onto isolated polyamide active layer of NF/RO membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yan-Ling; Wang, Xiao-Mao; Yang, Hong-Wei; Xie, Yuefeng F

2018-06-01

Adsorption of trace organic compounds (TrOCs) onto the membrane materials has a great impact on their rejection by nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. This study aimed to investigate the difference in adsorption of various pharmaceuticals (PhACs) onto different NF/RO membranes and to demonstrate the necessity of isolating the polyamide (PA) active layer from the polysulfone (PS) support layer for adsorption characterization and quantification. Both the isolated PA layers and the PA+PS layers of NF90 and ESPA1 membranes were used to conduct static adsorption tests. Results showed that apparent differences existed between the PA layer and the PA+PS layer in the adsorption capacity of PhACs as well as the time necessary to reach the adsorption equilibrium. PhACs with different physicochemical properties could be adsorbed to different extents by the isolated PA layer, which was mainly attributed to electrostatic attraction/repulsion and hydrophobic interactions. The PA layer of ESPA1 exhibited apparently higher adsorption capacities for the positively charged PhACs and similar adsorption capacities for the neutral PhACs although it had significantly less total interfacial area (per unit membrane surface area) for adsorption compared to the PA layer of NF90. The higher affinity of the PA layer of ESPA1 for the PhACs could be due to its higher capacity of forming hydrogen bonds with PhACs resulted from the modified chemistry with more -OH groups. This study provides a novel approach to determining the TrOC adsorption onto the active layer of membranes for the ease of investigating adsorption mechanisms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pervaporation dehydration of ethanol by hyaluronic acid/sodium alginate two-active-layer composite membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Chengyun; Zhang, Minhua; Ding, Jianwu; Pan, Fusheng; Jiang, Zhongyi; Li, Yifan; Zhao, Jing

2014-01-01

The composite membranes with two-active-layer (a capping layer and an inner layer) were prepared by sequential spin-coatings of hyaluronic acid (HA) and sodium alginate (NaAlg) on the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support layer. The SEM showed a mutilayer structure and a distinct interface between the HA layer and the NaAlg layer. The coating sequence of two-active-layer had an obvious influence on the pervaporation dehydration performance of membranes. When the operation temperature was 80 °C and water concentration in feed was 10 wt.%, the permeate fluxes of HA/Alg/PAN membrane and Alg/HA/PAN membrane were similar, whereas the separation factor were 1130 and 527, respectively. It was found that the capping layer with higher hydrophilicity and water retention capacity, and the inner layer with higher permselectivity could increase the separation performance of the composite membranes. Meanwhile, effects of operation temperature and water concentration in feed on pervaporation performance as well as membrane properties were studied. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ultimate capacity of piles penetrating in weak soil layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Obaidi Ahmed

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A pile foundation is one of the most popular forms of deep foundations. They are routinely employed to transfer axial structure loads through the soft soil to stronger bearing strata. Piles generally used to increase the load carrying capacity of the foundation and reduce the settlement of the foundation. On the other hand, many cases in practice where piles pass through different layers of soil that contain weak layers located at different depths and extension, also some time cavities with a different shape, size, and depth are found. In this study, a total of 96 cases is considered and simulated in PLAXIS 2D program aiming to understand the influence of weak soil on the ultimate pile capacity. The piles embedded in the dense sand with a layer of weak soil at different extension and location. The cross section of the geometry used in this study was designed as an axisymmetric model with the 15-node element; the boundary condition recommended at least 5D in the horizontal direction, and (L+5D in the vertical direction where D and L are the diameter and length of pile, respectively. The soil is modeled as Mohr-Coulomb, with five input parameters and the behavior of pile material represented by the linear elastic model. The results of the above cases are compared with the results found in a pile embedded in dense soil without weak layers or cavities. The results indicated that the existence of weak soil layer within the surrounding soil around the pile decreases the ultimate capacity. Furthermore, it has been found that increase in the weak soil width (extension leads to reduction in the ultimate capacity of the pile. This phenomenon is applicable to all depth of weak soil. The influence of weak layer extension on the ultimate capacity is less when it is presentin the upper soil layers.

Effects of europium polyoxometalate encapsulated in silica nanoparticles (nanocarriers) in soil invertebrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bicho, Rita C., E-mail: ritabicho@ua.pt; Soares, Amadeu M.V.M. [Universidade de Aveiro, Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Portugal); Nogueira, Helena I.S. [Universidade de Aveiro, Departamento de Química & CICECO (Portugal); Amorim, Mónica J.B. [Universidade de Aveiro, Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Portugal)

2016-12-15

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are metal oxo clusters that have been investigated for several applications in material sciences, catalysis, and biomedicine; these gained increasing interest in the field of nanotechnology as nanocarriers for drug delivery. Associated to the increasing applications, there is the need for information regarding the effects on the environment of these compounds, which is completely absent in the literature. In the present study, the effects of europium polyoxometalates encapsulated into silica nanoparticles (Eu-POM/SiO{sub 2} NPs) were assessed on the soil representative Enchytraeus crypticus. The individual materials were also assessed (Eu-POMs and SiO{sub 2} NPs). Toxicity was evaluated in various test media with increasing complexity: water, soil/water extracts, and soil. Toxicity was only observed for Eu-POM/SiO{sub 2} NPs and in the presence of soil components. Despite the fact that effects were observed for concentrations higher than current predicted environmental concentration (PEC), attention should be given to the growing use of these compounds. The present study shows the importance of assessing the effects in soil media, also compared to water. Moreover, results of “no effect” are critically needed and often unpublished. The present study can contribute to the improvement of the OECD guidelines for safety of manufactured nanomaterials on environmental toxicity in the soil compartment providing an improved test alternative.

Effects of europium polyoxometalate encapsulated in silica nanoparticles (nanocarriers) in soil invertebrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicho, Rita C.; Soares, Amadeu M.V.M.; Nogueira, Helena I.S.; Amorim, Mónica J.B.

2016-01-01

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are metal oxo clusters that have been investigated for several applications in material sciences, catalysis, and biomedicine; these gained increasing interest in the field of nanotechnology as nanocarriers for drug delivery. Associated to the increasing applications, there is the need for information regarding the effects on the environment of these compounds, which is completely absent in the literature. In the present study, the effects of europium polyoxometalates encapsulated into silica nanoparticles (Eu-POM/SiO 2 NPs) were assessed on the soil representative Enchytraeus crypticus. The individual materials were also assessed (Eu-POMs and SiO 2 NPs). Toxicity was evaluated in various test media with increasing complexity: water, soil/water extracts, and soil. Toxicity was only observed for Eu-POM/SiO 2 NPs and in the presence of soil components. Despite the fact that effects were observed for concentrations higher than current predicted environmental concentration (PEC), attention should be given to the growing use of these compounds. The present study shows the importance of assessing the effects in soil media, also compared to water. Moreover, results of “no effect” are critically needed and often unpublished. The present study can contribute to the improvement of the OECD guidelines for safety of manufactured nanomaterials on environmental toxicity in the soil compartment providing an improved test alternative.

The performance of double layer structure membrane prepared from flowing coagulant

Science.gov (United States)

Mieow Kee, Chan; Xeng, Anthony Leong Chan; Regal, Sasiskala; Singh, Balvinder; Raoo, Preeshaath; Koon Eu, Yap; Sok Choo, Ng

2017-12-01

Membrane with double layer structure is favourable as it exhibits smooth surface and macrovoids free structure. However, its’ performance in terms of permeability, porosity and strength has not been studied thoroughly. Additionally, the effect of flowing coagulant on the formation of double layer membrane has not been reported. Thus, the objective of this study is to investigate the performance of double layer membranes, which were prepared using flowing coagulant. Results showed that when the coagulant flow changed from laminar to turbulent, the pure water permeation of the membrane increased. It was due to the higher porosity in the membrane, which prepared by turbulent flow (CA-Turbulent) compared to the membrane which fabricated under laminar condition (CA-Laminar). This can be explained by the rapid solvent-coagulant exchange rate between the polymer solution and the turbulent coagulant. In term of strength, the tensile strength of the CA-Turbulent was ~32 MPa, which was 100% higher compared to CA-Laminar. This may due to the presence of large amount of nodules on its surface, which reduced the surface integrity. In conclusion, flowing coagulant altered the membrane properties and adopting turbulent coagulant flow in membrane fabrication would improve the porosity, surface roughness and the strength of the membrane.

Numerical modeling of solute transport in deformable unsaturated layered soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheng Wu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The effect of soil stratification was studied through numerical investigation based on the coupled model of solute transport in deformable unsaturated soil. The theoretical model implied two-way coupled excess pore pressure and soil deformation based on Biot's consolidation theory as well as a one-way coupled volatile pollutant concentration field developed from the advection-diffusion theory. Embedded in the model, the degree of saturation, fluid compressibility, self-weight of the soil matrix, porosity variance, longitudinal dispersion, and linear sorption were computed. Based on simulation results of a proposed three-layer landfill model using the finite element method, the multi-layer effects are discussed with regard to the hydraulic conductivity, shear modulus, degree of saturation, molecular diffusion coefficient, and thickness of each layer. Generally speaking, contaminants spread faster in a stratified field with a soft and highly permeable top layer; soil parameters of the top layer are more critical than the lower layers but controlling soil thicknesses will alter the results. This numerical investigation showed noticeable impacts of stratified soil properties on solute migration results, demonstrating the importance of correctly modeling layered soil instead of simply assuming the averaged properties across the soil profile.

Layer-by-layer assembly of graphene oxide on polypropylene macroporous membranes via click chemistry to improve antibacterial and antifouling performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zhen-Bei, E-mail: 1021453457@qq.com [The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, Anhui Key Laboratory of Molecular-Based Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, East Beijing Rd. 1, Wuhu, Anhui 241000 (China); Wu, Jing-Jing, E-mail: 957522275@qq.com [The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, Anhui Key Laboratory of Molecular-Based Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, East Beijing Rd. 1, Wuhu, Anhui 241000 (China); Su, Yu, E-mail: 819388710@qq.com [The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, Anhui Key Laboratory of Molecular-Based Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, East Beijing Rd. 1, Wuhu, Anhui 241000 (China); Zhou, Jin, E-mail: zhoujin_ah@163.com [Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chizhou University, Muzhi Rd. 199, Chizhou, Anhui 247000 (China); Gao, Yong, E-mail: 154682180@qq.com [School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou 213001 (China); Yu, Hai-Yin, E-mail: yhy456@mail.ahnu.edu.cn [The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, Anhui Key Laboratory of Molecular-Based Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, East Beijing Rd. 1, Wuhu, Anhui 241000 (China); Gu, Jia-Shan, E-mail: jiashanG@mail.ahnu.edu.cn [The Key Laboratory of Functional Molecular Solids, Ministry of Education, Anhui Key Laboratory of Molecular-Based Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal University, East Beijing Rd. 1, Wuhu, Anhui 241000 (China)

2015-03-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Clickable membrane prepared by photo bromination and S{sub N}2 nucleophilic substitution. • Azide graphene oxide prepared by ring-opening reaction. • Alkyne graphene oxide was prepared via esterification reaction. • Layer-by-layer assembly of graphene oxide on membrane by click chemistry. • Antibacterial and antifouling characteristics were enhanced greatly. - Abstract: Polypropylene is an extensively used membrane material; yet, polypropylene membranes exhibit extremely poor resistance to protein fouling. To ameliorate this issue, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were used to modify macroporous polypropylene membrane (MPPM) via layer-by-layer assembly technique through click reaction. First, alkyne-terminated GO was prepared through esterification between carboxyl groups in GO and amide groups in propargylamine; azide-terminated GO was synthesized by the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups in GO with sodium azide. Second, GO was introduced to the membrane by click chemistry. Characterizations of infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the modification. The sharply decreasing of static water contact angle indicated the improvement of the surface hydrophilicity for GO modified membrane. Introducing GO to the membrane results in a dramatic increase of water flux, improvements in the antifouling characteristics and antibacterial property for the membranes. The pure water flux through the 5-layered GO modified membrane is 1.82 times that through the unmodified one. The water flux restores to 43.0% for the unmodified membrane while to 79.8% for the modified membrane. The relative flux reduction decreases by 32.1% due to GO modification. The antibacterial property was also enhanced by two-thirds. These results demonstrate that the antifouling and antibacterial characteristics can be raised by tethering GO to the membrane surface.

Layer-by-layer assembly of graphene oxide on polypropylene macroporous membranes via click chemistry to improve antibacterial and antifouling performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Zhen-Bei; Wu, Jing-Jing; Su, Yu; Zhou, Jin; Gao, Yong; Yu, Hai-Yin; Gu, Jia-Shan

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Clickable membrane prepared by photo bromination and S N 2 nucleophilic substitution. • Azide graphene oxide prepared by ring-opening reaction. • Alkyne graphene oxide was prepared via esterification reaction. • Layer-by-layer assembly of graphene oxide on membrane by click chemistry. • Antibacterial and antifouling characteristics were enhanced greatly. - Abstract: Polypropylene is an extensively used membrane material; yet, polypropylene membranes exhibit extremely poor resistance to protein fouling. To ameliorate this issue, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were used to modify macroporous polypropylene membrane (MPPM) via layer-by-layer assembly technique through click reaction. First, alkyne-terminated GO was prepared through esterification between carboxyl groups in GO and amide groups in propargylamine; azide-terminated GO was synthesized by the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups in GO with sodium azide. Second, GO was introduced to the membrane by click chemistry. Characterizations of infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the modification. The sharply decreasing of static water contact angle indicated the improvement of the surface hydrophilicity for GO modified membrane. Introducing GO to the membrane results in a dramatic increase of water flux, improvements in the antifouling characteristics and antibacterial property for the membranes. The pure water flux through the 5-layered GO modified membrane is 1.82 times that through the unmodified one. The water flux restores to 43.0% for the unmodified membrane while to 79.8% for the modified membrane. The relative flux reduction decreases by 32.1% due to GO modification. The antibacterial property was also enhanced by two-thirds. These results demonstrate that the antifouling and antibacterial characteristics can be raised by tethering GO to the membrane surface

Considerations for successful transplantation of encapsulated pancreatic islets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vos, P; Hamel, AF; Tatarkiewicz, K

Encapsulation of pancreatic islets allows for transplantion in the absence of immunosuppression. The technology is based on the principle that transplanted tissue is protected for the host immune system by an artificial membrane. Encapsulation offers a solution to the shortage of donors in clinical

S-layer and cytoplasmic membrane – exceptions from the typical archaeal cell wall with a focus on double membranes

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Andreas eKlingl

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The common idea of typical cell wall architecture in archaea consists of a pseudo-crystalline proteinaceous surface layer (S-layer, situated upon the cytoplasmic membrane. This is true for the majority of described archaea, hitherto. Within the crenarchaea, the S-layer often represents the only cell wall component, but there are various exceptions from this wall architecture. Beside (glycosylated S-layers in (hyperthermophilic cren- and euryarchaea as well as halophilic archaea, one can find a great variety of other cell wall structures like proteoglycan-like S-layers (Halobacteria, glutaminylglycan (Natronococci, methanochondroitin (Methanosarcina or double layered cell walls with pseudomurein (Methanothermus and Methanopyrus. The presence of an outermost cellular membrane in the crenarchaeal species Ignicoccus hospitalis already gave indications for an outer membrane similar to Gram-negative bacteria. Although there is just limited data concerning their biochemistry and ultrastructure, recent studies on the euryarchaeal methanogen Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, cells of the ARMAN group, and the SM1 euryarchaeon delivered further examples for this exceptional cell envelope type consisting of two membranes.

Soil physico-chemical characterization in the different soil layers of National Maize Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dinesh Khadka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Soil pit digging and their precise study is a decision making tool to assess history and future of soil management of a particular area. Thus, the present study was carried out to differentiate soil physico-chemical properties in the different layers of excavated pit of the National Maize Research Program, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal. Eight pits were dug randomly from three blocks at a depth of 0 to 100 cm. The soil parameters were determined in-situ, and in laboratory for texture, pH, OM, N, P (as P2O5, K (as K2O, Ca, Mg, S, B, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn of collected soils samples of different layers following standard analytical methods at Soil Science Division, Khumaltar. The result revealed that soil structure was sub-angular in majority of the layers, whereas bottom layer was single grained. The value and chrome of colour was increasing in order from surface to bottom in the majority pits. Similarly, the texture was sandy loam in majority layers of the pits. Moreover, four types of consistence (loose to firm were observed. Furthermore, mottles and gravels were absent in the majority layers. Likewise, soil was very to moderately acidic in observed layers of majority pits, except bottom layer of agronomy block was slightly acidic. Regarding fertility parameters (OM, macro and micronutrients, some were increasing and vice-versa, while others were intermittent also. Therefore, a single layer is not dominant for particular soil physico-chemical parameters in the farm. In overall, surface layer is more fertile than rest of the layers in all the pits.

[Soil basal respiration and enzyme activities in the root-layer soil of tea bushes in a red soil].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shen; He, Zhenli; Zhang, Rongguang; Chen, Guochao; Huang, Changyong

2003-02-01

Soil basal respiration potential, metabolic quotient (qCO2), and activities of urease, invertase and acid phosphomonoesterase were investigated in the root-layer of 10-, 40-, and 90-yr-old tea bushes grown on the same type of red soil. The soil daily basal respiration potential ranged from 36.23 to 58.52 mg.kg-1.d-1, and the potentials in the root-layer of 40- or 90-yr-old were greater than that of 10-yr old tea bushes. The daily qCO2, ranging from 0.30 to 0.68, was in the reverse trend. The activities of test three enzymes changed differently with tea bushes' age. Urease activity in the root-layer of all age tea bushes ranged from 41.48 to 47.72 mg.kg-1.h-1 and slightly decreased with tea bushes' age. Invertase activity was 189.29-363.40 mg.kg-1.h-1 and decreased with tea bushes' age, but its activity in the root-layer of 10-year old tea bushes was significantly greater than that in the root-layer soil of 40- or 90-year old tea bushes. Acid phosphomonoesterase activity (444.22-828.32 mg.kg-1.h-1) increased significantly with tea bushes' age. Soil basal respiration potential, qCO2 and activities of 3 soil enzymes were closely related to soil pH, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen and C/N ratio, total soluble phenol, and microbial biomass carbon, respectively.

Experimental study on the membrane electrode assembly of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell: effects of microporous layer, membrane thickness and gas diffusion layer hydrophobic treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, Rui B.; Falcão, D.S.; Oliveira, V.B.; Pinto, A.M.F.R.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • EIS is employed to investigate the MEA design of a PEM fuel cell. • Effects of MPL, membrane thickness and GDL hydrophobic treatment are studied. • MPL increases cell output at low to medium currents but reduces it at high currents. • Better results are obtained when employing a thinner Nafion membrane. • GDL hydrophobic treatment improves the cell performance. - Abstract: In this study, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is employed to analyze the influence of microporous layer (MPL), membrane thickness and gas diffusion layer (GDL) hydrophobic treatment in the performance of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Results show that adding a MPL increases cell performance at low to medium current densities. Because lower ohmic losses are observed when applying a MPL, such improvement is attributed to a better hydration state of the membrane. The MPL creates a pressure barrier for water produced at the cathode, forcing it to travel to the anode side, therefore increasing the water content in the membrane. However, at high currents, this same phenomenon seems to have intensified liquid water flooding in the anode gas channels, increasing mass transfer losses and reducing the cell performance. Decreasing membrane thickness results into considerably higher performances, due to a decrease in ohmic resistance. Moreover, at low air humidity operation, a rapid recovery from dehydration is observed when a thinner membrane is employed. The GDL hydrophobic treatment significantly improves the cell performance. Untreated GDLs appear to act as water-traps that not only hamper reactants transport to the reactive sites but also impede the proper humidification of the cell. From the different designs tested, the highest maximum power density is obtained from that containing a MPL, a thinner membrane and treated GDLs.

Membranes having aligned 1-D nanoparticles in a matrix layer for improved fluid separation

Science.gov (United States)

Revanur, Ravindra; Lulevich, Valentin; Roh, Il Juhn; Klare, Jennifer E.; Kim, Sangil; Noy, Aleksandr; Bakajin, Olgica

2015-12-22

Membranes for fluid separation are disclosed. These membranes have a matrix layer sandwiched between an active layer and a porous support layer. The matrix layer includes 1-D nanoparticles that are vertically aligned in a porous polymer matrix, and which substantially extend through the matrix layer. The active layer provides species-specific transport, while the support layer provides mechanical support. A matrix layer of this type has favorable surface morphology for forming the active layer. Furthermore, the pores that form in the matrix layer tend to be smaller and more evenly distributed as a result of the presence of aligned 1-D nanoparticles. Improved performance of separation membranes of this type is attributed to these effects.

Encapsulation methods for organic electrical devices

Science.gov (United States)

Blum, Yigal D.; Chu, William Siu-Keung; MacQueen, David Brent; Shi, Yijian

2013-06-18

The disclosure provides methods and materials suitable for use as encapsulation barriers in electronic devices. In one embodiment, for example, there is provided an electroluminescent device or other electronic device encapsulated by alternating layers of a silicon-containing bonding material and a ceramic material. The encapsulation methods provide, for example, electronic devices with increased stability and shelf-life. The invention is useful, for example, in the field of microelectronic devices.

Multilayer emulsions as a strategy for linseed oil and α-lipoic acid micro-encapsulation: study on preparation and in vitro characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Juan; Wang, Qiang; Li, Tong; Xia, Nan; Xia, Qiang

2018-01-04

Linseed oil and α-lipoic acid are bioactive ingredients, which play an important role in human nutrition and health. However, their application in functional foods is limited because of their instabilities and poor solubilities in hydrophilic matrices. Multilayer emulsions are particularly useful to protect encapsulated bioactive ingredients. The aim of this study was to fabricate multilayer emulsions by a high-pressure homogenization method to encapsulate linseed oil and α-lipoic acid simultaneously. Tween 20 and lecithin were used as surfactants to stabilize the oil droplets of primary emulsions. Multilayer emulsions were produced by using an electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition process of lecithin-chitosan membranes. Thermal treatment exhibited that chitosan encapsulation could improve the thermal stability of primary emulsions. During in vitro digestion, it was found that chitosan encapsulation had little effect on the lipolysis of linseed oil and bioaccessibility of α-lipoic acid. The oxidation stability of linseed oil in multilayer emulsions was improved effectively by chitosan encapsulation and α-lipoic acid. Chitosan encapsulation could inhibit the degradation of α-lipoic acid. A physical stability study indicated that multilayer emulsions had good centrifugal, dilution and storage stabilities. Multilayer emulsion is an effective delivery system to incorporate linseed oil and α-lipoic acid into functional foods and beverages. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nanoporous layered silicate AMH-3/cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for gas separations

KAUST Repository

Kim, Wun-gwi

2013-08-01

Nanoporous layered silicate/polymer composite membranes are of interest because they can exploit the high aspect ratio of exfoliated selective flakes/layers to enhance molecular sieving and create a highly tortuous transport path for the slower molecules. In this work, we combine membrane synthesis, detailed microstructural characterization, and mixed gas permeation measurements to demonstrate that nanoporous flake/polymer membranes allows significant improvement in gas permeability while maintaining selectivity. We begin with the primary-amine-intercalated porous layered silicate SAMH-3 and show that it can be exfoliated using a high shear rate generated by a high-speed mixer. The exfoliated SAMH-3 flakes were used to form SAMH-3/cellulose acetate (CA) membranes. Their microstructure was analyzed by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), revealing a high degree of exfoliation of AMH-3 layers in the CA membrane with a small number of layers (4-8) in the exfoliated flakes. TEM analysis visualized the thickness of the flakes as 15-30nm, and is consistent with the SAXS analysis. The CO2/CH4 gas separation performance of the CA membrane was significantly increased by incorporating only 2-6wt% of SAMH-3 flakes. There was a large increase in CO2 permeability with maintenance of selectivity. This cannot be explained by conventional models of transport in flake-containing membranes, and indicates complex transport paths in the membrane. It is also in contrast to the much higher loadings of isotropic particles required for similar enhancements. The present approach may allow avoidance of particle aggregation and poor interfacial adhesion associated with larger quantities of inorganic fillers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Relating performance of thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes to support layer formation and structure

KAUST Repository

Tiraferri, Alberto

2011-02-01

Osmotically driven membrane processes have the potential to treat impaired water sources, desalinate sea/brackish waters, and sustainably produce energy. The development of a membrane tailored for these processes is essential to advance the technology to the point that it is commercially viable. Here, a systematic investigation of the influence of thin-film composite membrane support layer structure on forward osmosis performance is conducted. The membranes consist of a selective polyamide active layer formed by interfacial polymerization on top of a polysulfone support layer fabricated by phase separation. By systematically varying the conditions used during the casting of the polysulfone layer, an array of support layers with differing structures was produced. The role that solvent quality, dope polymer concentration, fabric layer wetting, and casting blade gate height play in the support layer structure formation was investigated. Using a 1M NaCl draw solution and a deionized water feed, water fluxes ranging from 4 to 25Lm-2h-1 with consistently high salt rejection (>95.5%) were produced. The relationship between membrane structure and performance was analyzed. This study confirms the hypothesis that the optimal forward osmosis membrane consists of a mixed-structure support layer, where a thin sponge-like layer sits on top of highly porous macrovoids. Both the active layer transport properties and the support layer structural characteristics need to be optimized in order to fabricate a high performance forward osmosis membrane. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Assessing the dynamics of the upper soil layer relative to soil management practices

Science.gov (United States)

Hatfield, J.; Wacha, K.; Dold, C.

2017-12-01

The upper layer of the soil is the critical interface between the soil and the atmosphere and is the most dynamic in response to management practices. One of the soil properties most reflective to changes in management is the stability of the aggregates because this property controls infiltration of water and exchange of gases. An aggregation model has been developed based on the factors that control how aggregates form and the forces which degrade aggregates. One of the major factors for this model is the storage of carbon into the soil and the interaction with the soil biological component. To increase soil biology requires a stable microclimate that provides food, water, shelter, and oxygen which in turn facilitates the incorporation of organic material into forms that can be combined with soil particles to create stable aggregates. The processes that increase aggregate size and stability are directly linked the continual functioning of the biological component which in turn changes the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Soil aggregates begin to degrade as soon as there is no longer a supply of organic material into the soil. These processes can range from removal of organic material and excessive tillage. To increase aggregation of the upper soil layer requires a continual supply of organic material and the biological activity that incorporates organic material into substances that create a stable aggregate. Soils that exhibit stable soil aggregates at the surface have a prolonged infiltration rate with less runoff and a gas exchange that ensures adequate oxygen for maximum biological activity. Quantifying the dynamics of the soil surface layer provides a quantitative understanding of how management practices affect aggregate stability.

Encapsulation process for diffraction gratings.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratzsch, Stephan; Kley, Ernst-Bernhard; Tünnermann, Andreas; Szeghalmi, Adriana

2015-07-13

Encapsulation of grating structures facilitates an improvement of the optical functionality and/or adds mechanical stability to the fragile structure. Here, we introduce novel encapsulation process of nanoscale patterns based on atomic layer deposition and micro structuring. The overall size of the encapsulated structured surface area is only restricted by the size of the available microstructuring and coating devices; thus, overcoming inherent limitations of existing bonding processes concerning cleanliness, roughness, and curvature of the components. Finally, the process is demonstrated for a transmission grating. The encapsulated grating has 97.5% transmission efficiency in the -1st diffraction order for TM-polarized light, and is being limited by the experimental grating parameters as confirmed by rigorous coupled wave analysis.

A novel pulsed drug-delivery system: polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer coating of chitosan–alginate microgels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou GC

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Guichen Zhou,1,2,* Ying Lu,1,* He Zhang,1,* Yan Chen,1 Yuan Yu,1 Jing Gao,1 Duxin Sun,3 Guoqing Zhang,2 Hao Zou,1 Yanqiang Zhong1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, East Hospital of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: The aim of this report was to introduce a novel “core-membrane” microgel drug-delivery device for spontaneously pulsed release without any external trigger.Methods: The microgel core was prepared with alginate and chitosan. The semipermeable membrane outside the microgel was made of polyelectrolytes including polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride and sodium polystyrene sulfonate. The drug release of this novel system was governed by the swelling pressure of the core and the rupture of the outer membrane.Results: The size of the core-membrane microgel drug-delivery device was 452.90 ± 2.71 µm. The surface charge depended on the layer-by-layer coating of polyelectrolytes, with zeta potential of 38.6 ± 1.4 mV. The confocal microscope exhibited the layer-by-layer outer membrane and inner core. The in vitro release profile showed that the content release remained low during the first 2.67 hours. After this lag time, the cumulative release increased to 80% in the next 0.95 hours, which suggested a pulsed drug release. The in vivo drug release in mice showed that the outer membrane was ruptured at approximately 3 to 4 hours, as drug was explosively released.Conclusion: These data suggest that the encapsulated substance in the core-membrane microgel delivery device can achieve a massive drug release after outer membrane rupture. This device was an effective system for pulsed drug delivery.Keywords: polyelectrolyte, chitosan–alginate, microgels, layer-by-layer, pulsed

Multi-layered nanoparticles for penetrating the endosome and nuclear membrane via a step-wise membrane fusion process.

Science.gov (United States)

Akita, Hidetaka; Kudo, Asako; Minoura, Arisa; Yamaguti, Masaya; Khalil, Ikramy A; Moriguchi, Rumiko; Masuda, Tomoya; Danev, Radostin; Nagayama, Kuniaki; Kogure, Kentaro; Harashima, Hideyoshi

2009-05-01

Efficient targeting of DNA to the nucleus is a prerequisite for effective gene therapy. The gene-delivery vehicle must penetrate through the plasma membrane, and the DNA-impermeable double-membraned nuclear envelope, and deposit its DNA cargo in a form ready for transcription. Here we introduce a concept for overcoming intracellular membrane barriers that involves step-wise membrane fusion. To achieve this, a nanotechnology was developed that creates a multi-layered nanoparticle, which we refer to as a Tetra-lamellar Multi-functional Envelope-type Nano Device (T-MEND). The critical structural elements of the T-MEND are a DNA-polycation condensed core coated with two nuclear membrane-fusogenic inner envelopes and two endosome-fusogenic outer envelopes, which are shed in stepwise fashion. A double-lamellar membrane structure is required for nuclear delivery via the stepwise fusion of double layered nuclear membrane structure. Intracellular membrane fusions to endosomes and nuclear membranes were verified by spectral imaging of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between donor and acceptor fluorophores that had been dually labeled on the liposome surface. Coating the core with the minimum number of nucleus-fusogenic lipid envelopes (i.e., 2) is essential to facilitate transcription. As a result, the T-MEND achieves dramatic levels of transgene expression in non-dividing cells.

Effects of forest conversion on soil microbial communities depend on soil layer on the eastern Tibetan Plateau of China.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruoyang He

Full Text Available Forest land-use changes have long been suggested to profoundly affect soil microbial communities. However, how forest type conversion influences soil microbial properties remains unclear in Tibetan boreal forests. The aim of this study was to explore variations of soil microbial profiles in the surface organic layer and subsurface mineral soil among three contrasting forests (natural coniferous forest, NF; secondary birch forest, SF and spruce plantation, PT. Soil microbial biomass, activity and community structure of the two layers were investigated by chloroform fumigation, substrate respiration and phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA, respectively. In the organic layer, both NF and SF exhibited higher soil nutrient levels (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen, microbial respiration, PLFA contents as compared to PT. However, the measured parameters in the mineral soils often did not differ following forest type conversion. Irrespective of forest types, the microbial indexes generally were greater in the organic layer than in the mineral soil. PLFAs biomarkers were significantly correlated with soil substrate pools. Taken together, forest land-use change remarkably altered microbial community in the organic layer but often did not affect them in the mineral soil. The microbial responses to forest land-use change depend on soil layer, with organic horizons being more sensitive to forest conversion.

Kinematic seismic response of piles in layered soil profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Khan, A.N.

2006-01-01

This paper is aimed at highlighting the importance of Kinematic Seismic Response of Piles, a phenomenon often ignored in dynamic analysis. A case study is presented where the end bearing pile is embedded in two layer soil system of highly contrasting stiffnesses; a typical case where kinematic loading plays important role. The pile soil system is modeled as continuous system and as discrete parameter system; both are based on BDWF (Beam on Dynamic Winkler Foundation) formulation. For discrete parameter system, a finite element software SAP2000 is used and the modeling technique of kinematic interaction in finite element software is discussed. For pile soil system modeled as continuous system, a general MATLAB code is developed capable of performing elastic site response analysis in two layer soil system, solving differential equation governing kinematic interaction, and giving as output the maximum ground displacement, maximum pile displacement, rotation, moment and shear distribution along pile length. The paper concludes that kinematic seismic actions must be evaluated particularly at the interface of soil layers of significantly differing soil stiffnesses. (author)

Impact of culture conditions on β-carotene encapsulation using Yarrowia lipolytica cells

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Tran Hai; Minh, Ho Thi Thu; Van Nhi, Tran Nguyen; Ngoc, Ta Thi Minh

2017-09-01

Yeast cell was reported as an effective natural preformed material for use in encapsulation of hydrophobic compounds. The encapsulation process was normally considered as passive transfer through cellular wall and cellular membrane. Beside solubility of hydrophobic compound in phospholipid membrane or plasmolysis, membrane characteristics of yeast cell which are differed between strains and influenced by culture conditions are main factors involving the accumulation of hydrophobic compound into yeast cell. In this study, the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica was used as micro-container shell to encapsulate a high hydrophobic compound - β-carotene. Yeast cell was cultured under different conditions and wet yeast biomass was incubated with β-carotene which was dissolved in soybean oil overnight. β-carotene accumulation was then extracted and evaluated by UV-VIS spectrometry. Optimization of culture condition was investigated using the Box-Behnken model. β-carotene encapsulation efficiency in Y. lipolytica was showed to be affected by both pH of medium and agitation conditions. The highest β-carotene encapsulation efficiency was optimized at 42.8 μg/g with Y. lipolytica cultured at pH 4.5, medium volume equal to 115 ml and agitation speed at 211 rpm.

Graphene layer encapsulated metal nanoparticles as a new type of non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hu, Yang; Zhong, Lijie; Jensen, Jens Oluf

2016-01-01

Cheap and efficient non-precious metal catalysts for oxygen reduction have been a focus of research in the field of low-temperature fuel cells. This review is devoted to a brief summary of the recent work on a new type of catalysts, i.e., the graphene layer encapsulated metal nanoparticles....... The discussion is focused on the synthesis, structure, mechanism, performance, and further research....

Compressibility of the fouling layer formed by membrane bioreactor sludge and supernatant

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Mads Koustrup; Poorasgari, Eskandar; Christensen, Morten Lykkegaard

Membrane bioreactors (MBR) are increasingly used for wastewater treatment as they give high effluent quality, low footprint and efficient sludge degradation. However, the accumulation and deposition of sludge components on and within the membrane (fouling) limits the widespread application of MBR....... Compressibility of the gel layer was studied in a dead-end filtration system, whereas the compressibility of a fouling layer formed by MBR sludge was studied in a submerged system hollow sheet membrane by TMP stepping. It was shown that the fouling layer formed by the MBR sludge was highly compressible within....... Hence, for MBR systems operated at constant flux mode, the applied pressure should be increased over time, to compensate for the lower permeability. Increasing applied pressure causes compression of the fouling layer and results in a more severe permeability decline [1]. In a general view, the fouling...

Environmental Decontamination of a Chemical Warfare Simulant Utilizing a Membrane Vesicle-Encapsulated Phosphotriesterase.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Nathan J; Moore, Martin; Johnson, Brandy J; Dean, Scott N; Turner, Kendrick B; Medintz, Igor L; Walper, Scott A

2018-05-09

While technologies for the remediation of chemical contaminants continue to emerge, growing interest in green technologies has led researchers to explore natural catalytic mechanisms derived from microbial species. One such method, enzymatic degradation, offers an alternative to harsh chemical catalysts and resins. Recombinant enzymes, however, are often too labile or show limited activity when challenged with nonideal environmental conditions that may vary in salinity, pH, or other physical properties. Here, we demonstrate how phosphotriesterase encapsulated in a bacterial outer membrane vesicle can be used to degrade the organophosphate chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulant paraoxon in environmental water samples. We also carried out remediation assays on solid surfaces, including glass, painted metal, and fabric, that were selected as representative materials, which could potentially be contaminated with a CWA.

Enhanced performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell by introducing nitrogen-doped CNTs in both catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hou, S

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The performance of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is significantly improved through introducing nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs) into the catalyst layer (CL) and microporous layer (MPL) of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA...

Sputtered Encapsulation as Wafer Level Packaging for Isolatable MEMS Devices: A Technique Demonstrated on a Capacitive Accelerometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azrul Azlan Hamzah

2008-11-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses sputtered silicon encapsulation as a wafer level packaging approach for isolatable MEMS devices. Devices such as accelerometers, RF switches, inductors, and filters that do not require interaction with the surroundings to function, could thus be fully encapsulated at the wafer level after fabrication. A MEMSTech 50g capacitive accelerometer was used to demonstrate a sputtered encapsulation technique. Encapsulation with a very uniform surface profile was achieved using spin-on glass (SOG as a sacrificial layer, SU-8 as base layer, RF sputtered silicon as main structural layer, eutectic gold-silicon as seal layer, and liquid crystal polymer (LCP as outer encapsulant layer. SEM inspection and capacitance test indicated that the movable elements were released after encapsulation. Nanoindentation test confirmed that the encapsulated device is sufficiently robust to withstand a transfer molding process. Thus, an encapsulation technique that is robust, CMOS compatible, and economical has been successfully developed for packaging isolatable MEMS devices at the wafer level.

Effect of enzyme location on activity and stability of trypsin and urease immobilized on porous membranes by using layer-by-layer self-assembly of polyelectrolyte

OpenAIRE

Guedidi, Sadika; Yürekli, Yılmaz; Deratani, André; Déjardin, Philippe; Innocent, Christophe; Altınkaya, Sacide; Roudesli, Sadok; Yemenicioğlu, Ahmet

2010-01-01

The layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly of polyelectrolyte is one of the simplest ways to immobilize enzyme on membrane. In this paper, the immobilization of trypsin (TRY) and urease (URE) on polyacrylonitrile based membranes using the LbL assembly technique was presented. The studied systems consisted in bilayered assemblies with the enzyme layer as the outer layer and trilayered assemblies with the enzyme layer as the inner sandwiched layer. The membrane pore size was chosen so that the smal...

Technology of mammalian cell encapsulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Uludag, H; De Vos, P; Tresco, PA

2000-01-01

Entrapment of mammalian cells in physical membranes has been practiced since the early 1950s when it was originally introduced as a basic research tool. The method has since been developed based on the promise of its therapeutic usefulness in tissue transplantation. Encapsulation physically isolates

[Soil organic carbon mineralization of Black Locust forest in the deep soil layer of the hilly region of the Loess Plateau, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xin-Xin; Xu, Ming-Xiang; Yang, Kai

2012-11-01

The deep soil layer (below 100 cm) stores considerable soil organic carbon (SOC). We can reveal its stability and provide the basis for certification of the deep soil carbon sinks by studying the SOC mineralization in the deep soil layer. With the shallow soil layer (0-100 cm) as control, the SOC mineralization under the condition (temperature 15 degrees C, the soil water content 8%) of Black Locust forest in the deep soil layer (100-400 cm) of the hilly region of the Loess Plateau was studied. The results showed that: (1) There was a downward trend in the total SOC mineralization with the increase of soil depth. The total SOC mineralization in the sub-deep soil (100-200 cm) and deep soil (200-400 cm) were equivalent to approximately 88.1% and 67.8% of that in the shallow layer (0-100 cm). (2) Throughout the carbon mineralization process, the same as the shallow soil, the sub-deep and deep soil can be divided into 3 stages. In the rapid decomposition phase, the ratio of the mineralization or organic carbon to the total mineralization in the sub-deep and deep layer (0-10 d) was approximately 50% of that in the shallow layer (0-17 d). In the slow decomposition phase, the ratio of organic carbon mineralization to total mineralization in the sub-deep, deep layer (11-45 d) was 150% of that in the shallow layer (18-45 d). There was no significant difference in this ratio among these three layers (46-62 d) in the relatively stable stage. (3) There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the mineralization rate of SOC among the shallow, sub-deep, deep layers. The stability of SOC in the deep soil layer (100-400 cm) was similar to that in the shallow soil layer and the SOC in the deep soil layer was also involved in the global carbon cycle. The change of SOC in the deep soil layer should be taken into account when estimating the effects of soil carbon sequestration in the Hilly Region of the Loess Plateau, China.

Fluid-membrane tethers: minimal surfaces and elastic boundary layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Thomas R; Huber, Greg; Goldstein, Raymond E

2002-04-01

Thin cylindrical tethers are common lipid bilayer membrane structures, arising in situations ranging from micromanipulation experiments on artificial vesicles to the dynamic structure of the Golgi apparatus. We study the shape and formation of a tether in terms of the classical soap-film problem, which is applied to the case of a membrane disk under tension subject to a point force. A tether forms from the elastic boundary layer near the point of application of the force, for sufficiently large displacement. Analytic results for various aspects of the membrane shape are given.

The study of stress-strain state of stabilized layered soil foundations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokolov Mikhail V.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Herein presented are the results of modeling and analysis of stress-strain state of layered inhomogeneous foundation soil when it is stabilised by injection to different depths. Produced qualitative and quantitative analysis of the components of the field of isolines of stresses, strains, stress concentration and the difference between the strain at the boundary of different elastic horizontal layers. Recommendations are given for the location of stabilised zones in relation to the border of different elastic layers. In particular, it found that stabilization of soil within the weak layer is inappropriate, since it practically provides no increase in the stability of the soil foundation, and when performing stabilisation of soil foundations, it is recommended to place the lower border of the stabilisation zone below the border of a stronger layer, at this the distribution of stresses and strains occurs more evenly, and load-bearing capacity of this layer is used to the maximum.

Encapsulated Islet Transplantation: Where Do We Stand?

Science.gov (United States)

Vaithilingam, Vijayaganapathy; Bal, Sumeet; Tuch, Bernard E

2017-01-01

Transplantation of pancreatic islets encapsulated within immuno-protective microcapsules is a strategy that has the potential to overcome graft rejection without the need for toxic immunosuppressive medication. However, despite promising preclinical studies, clinical trials using encapsulated islets have lacked long-term efficacy, and although generally considered clinically safe, have not been encouraging overall. One of the major factors limiting the long-term function of encapsulated islets is the host's immunological reaction to the transplanted graft which is often manifested as pericapsular fibrotic overgrowth (PFO). PFO forms a barrier on the capsule surface that prevents the ingress of oxygen and nutrients leading to islet cell starvation, hypoxia and death. The mechanism of PFO formation is still not elucidated fully and studies using a pig model have tried to understand the host immune response to empty alginate microcapsules. In this review, the varied strategies to overcome or reduce PFO are discussed, including alginate purification, altering microcapsule geometry, modifying alginate chemical composition, co-encapsulation with immunomodulatory cells, administration of pharmacological agents, and alternative transplantation sites. Nanoencapsulation technologies, such as conformal and layer-by-layer coating technologies, as well as nanofiber, thin-film nanoporous devices, and silicone based NanoGland devices are also addressed. Finally, this review outlines recent progress in imaging technologies to track encapsulated cells, as well as promising perspectives concerning the production of insulin-producing cells from stem cells for encapsulation.

Encapsulation of strontium aluminate phosphors to enhance water resistance and luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yong; Zeng Jianghua; Li Wenyu; Xu Li; Guan Qiu; Liu Yingliang

2009-01-01

Strontium aluminate SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ phosphors are chemically unstable against water or even moisture. To enhance the water resistance of the phosphors, an encapsulation was performed by direct surface reactions with phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ). The morphology, surface structure, surface element composition, water resistance, luminescence, and photoacoustic spectrum of the phosphors before and after encapsulation were discussed. Experimental results showed that phosphors were perfectly encapsulated by amorphous layers in nanoscale and crystalline layers in microscale under different conditions. The water resistance of phosphors was greatly enhanced by the two types of layer. More importantly, the amorphous layers enhanced the luminescence of phosphors markedly. The possible mechanism for the enhancements was also proposed.

Ion Transport through Diffusion Layer Controlled by Charge Mosaic Membrane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akira Yamauchi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The kinetic transport behaviors in near interface of the membranes were studied using commercial anion and cation exchange membrane and charge mosaic membrane. Current-voltage curve gave the limiting current density that indicates the ceiling of conventional flux. From chronopotentiometry above the limiting current density, the transition time was estimated. The thickness of boundary layer was derived with conjunction with the conventional limiting current density and the transition time from steady state flux. On the other hand, the charge mosaic membrane was introduced in order to examine the ion transport on the membrane surface in detail. The concentration profile was discussed by the kinetic transport number with regard to the water dissociation (splitting on the membrane surface.

Remote Multi-layer Soil Temperature Monitoring System Based on GPRS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Kuo CHEN

2014-02-01

Full Text Available There is the temperature difference between the upper and lower layer of the shallow soil in the forest. It is a potential energy that can be harvested by thermoelectric generator for the electronic device in the forest. The temperature distribution at different depths of the soil is the first step for thermoelectric generation. A remote multi-layer soil temperature monitoring system based on GPRS is proposed in this paper. The MSP430F149 MCU is used as the main controller of multi-layer soil temperature monitoring system. A temperature acquisition module is designed with DS18B20 and 4 core shielded twisted-pair cable. The GPRS module sends the measured data to remote server through wireless communication network. From the experiments in the campus of Beijing Forestry University, the maximum error of measured temperature in this system is 0.2°C by comparing with professional equipment in the same condition. The results of the experiments show that the system can accurately realize real-time monitoring of multi-layer soil temperature, and the data transmission is stable and reliable.

⁵⁷Fe-Mössbauer spectroscopy and electrochemical activities of graphitic layer encapsulated iron electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhong, Lijie; Frandsen, Cathrine; Mørup, Steen

2018-01-01

Graphitic layer encapsulated iron based nanoparticles (G@FeNPs) have recently been disclosed as an interesting type of highly active electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the complex composition of the metal-containing components and their contributions in catalysis r...

Effect of Plasma Membrane Semipermeability in Making the Membrane Electric Double Layer Capacitances Significant.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Shayandev; Sachar, Harnoor Singh; Das, Siddhartha

2018-01-30

Electric double layers (or EDLs) formed at the membrane-electrolyte interface (MEI) and membrane-cytosol interface (MCI) of a charged lipid bilayer plasma membrane develop finitely large capacitances. However, these EDL capacitances are often much larger than the intrinsic capacitance of the membrane, and all of these capacitances are in series. Consequently, the effect of these EDL capacitances in dictating the overall membrane-EDL effective capacitance C eff becomes negligible. In this paper, we challenge this conventional notion pertaining to the membrane-EDL capacitances. We demonstrate that, on the basis of the system parameters, the EDL capacitance for both the permeable and semipermeable membranes can be small enough to influence C eff . For the semipermeable membranes, however, this lowering of the EDL capacitance can be much larger, ensuring a reduction of C eff by more than 20-25%. Furthermore, for the semipermeable membranes, the reduction in C eff is witnessed over a much larger range of system parameters. We attribute such an occurrence to the highly nonintuitive electrostatic potential distribution associated with the recently discovered phenomena of charge-inversion-like electrostatics and the attainment of a positive zeta potential at the MCI for charged semipermeable membranes. We anticipate that our findings will impact the quantification and the identification of a large number of biophysical phenomena that are probed by measuring the plasma membrane capacitance.

Characteristics of water infiltration in layered water repellent soils

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrophobic soil can influence soil water infiltration, but information regarding the impacts of different levels of hydrophobicity within a layered soil profile is limited. An infiltration study was conducted to determine the effects of different levels of hydrophobicity and the position of the hyd...

Dissolution of Monocrystalline Silicon Nanomembranes and Their Use as Encapsulation Layers and Electrical Interfaces in Water-Soluble Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yoon Kyeung; Yu, Ki Jun; Song, Enming; Barati Farimani, Amir; Vitale, Flavia; Xie, Zhaoqian; Yoon, Younghee; Kim, Yerim; Richardson, Andrew; Luan, Haiwen; Wu, Yixin; Xie, Xu; Lucas, Timothy H; Crawford, Kaitlyn; Mei, Yongfeng; Feng, Xue; Huang, Yonggang; Litt, Brian; Aluru, Narayana R; Yin, Lan; Rogers, John A

2017-12-26

The chemistry that governs the dissolution of device-grade, monocrystalline silicon nanomembranes into benign end products by hydrolysis serves as the foundation for fully eco/biodegradable classes of high-performance electronics. This paper examines these processes in aqueous solutions with chemical compositions relevant to groundwater and biofluids. The results show that the presence of Si(OH) 4 and proteins in these solutions can slow the rates of dissolution and that ion-specific effects associated with Ca 2+ can significantly increase these rates. This information allows for effective use of silicon nanomembranes not only as active layers in eco/biodegradable electronics but also as water barriers capable of providing perfect encapsulation until their disappearance by dissolution. The time scales for this encapsulation can be controlled by introduction of dopants into the Si and by addition of oxide layers on the exposed surfaces.The former possibility also allows the doped silicon to serve as an electrical interface for measuring biopotentials, as demonstrated in fully bioresorbable platforms for in vivo neural recordings. This collection of findings is important for further engineering development of water-soluble classes of silicon electronics.

Migration of cesium-137 through sandy soil layer effect of fine silt on migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Wadachi, Yoshiki

1983-01-01

The migration of 137 Cs through sandy soil layer was studied with consideration of the migration of fine silt by column method. It was found that a portion of fine silt migrated through the soil layer accompanying with 137 Cs. The mathematical migration model of 137 Cs involved the migration of fine silt through such soil layer was presented. This model gave a good accordance between calculated concentration distribution curve in sandy soil layer and effluent curve and observed those. So, this model seems to be advanced one for evaluating migration of 137 Cs in sandy soil layer with silt. (author)

Encapsulation of pancreatic islets for transplantation in diabetes : the untouchable islets

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vos, P; Marchetti, P

The aim of encapsulation of pancreatic islets is to transplant in the absence of immunosuppression. It is based on the principle that transplanted tissue is protected from the host immune system by an artificial membrane. Encapsulation allows for application of insulin-secreting cells of animal or

Incorporation of layered double nanomaterials in thin film nanocomposite nanofiltration membrane for magnesium sulphate removal

Science.gov (United States)

Hanis Tajuddin, Muhammad; Yusof, Norhaniza; Salleh, Wan Norharyati Wan; Fauzi Ismail, Ahmad; Hanis Hayati Hairom, Nur; Misdan, Nurasyikin

2018-03-01

Thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane with copper-aluminium layered double hydroxides (LDH) incorporated into polyamide (PA) selective layer has been prepared for magnesium sulphate salt removal. 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 wt% of LDH were dispersed in the trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in n-hexane as organic solution and embedded into PA layer during interfacial polymerization with piperazine. The fabricated membranes were further characterized to evaluate its morphological structure and membrane surface hydrophilicity. The TFN membranes performance were evaluated with divalent salt magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) removal and compared with thin film composite (TFC). The morphological structures of TFN membranes were altered and the surface hydrophilicity were enhanced with addition of LDH. Incorporation of LDH has improved the permeate water flux by 82.5% compared to that of TFC membrane with satisfactory rejection of MgSO4. This study has experimentally validated the potential of LDH to improve the divalent salt separation performance for TFN membranes.

Incorporation of layered double nanomaterials in thin film nanocomposite nanofiltration membrane for magnesium sulphate removal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tajuddin Muhammad Hanis

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Thin film nanocomposite (TFN membrane with copper-aluminium layered double hydroxides (LDH incorporated into polyamide (PA selective layer has been prepared for magnesium sulphate salt removal. 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 wt% of LDH were dispersed in the trimesoyl chloride (TMC in n-hexane as organic solution and embedded into PA layer during interfacial polymerization with piperazine. The fabricated membranes were further characterized to evaluate its morphological structure and membrane surface hydrophilicity. The TFN membranes performance were evaluated with divalent salt magnesium sulphate (MgSO4 removal and compared with thin film composite (TFC. The morphological structures of TFN membranes were altered and the surface hydrophilicity were enhanced with addition of LDH. Incorporation of LDH has improved the permeate water flux by 82.5% compared to that of TFC membrane with satisfactory rejection of MgSO4. This study has experimentally validated the potential of LDH to improve the divalent salt separation performance for TFN membranes.

Performance enhancement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells by dual-layered membrane electrode assembly structures with carbon nanotubes.

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Dong-Won; Kim, Jun-Ho; Kim, Se-Hoon; Kim, Jun-Bom; Oh, Eun-Suok

2013-05-01

The effect of dual-layered membrane electrode assemblies (d-MEAs) on the performance of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was investigated using the following characterization techniques: single cell performance test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). It has been shown that the PEMFC with d-MEAs has better cell performance than that with typical mono-layered MEAs (m-MEAs). In particular, the d-MEA whose inner layer is composed of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) showed the best fuel cell performance. This is due to the fact that the d-MEAs with MWCNTs have the highest electrochemical surface area and the lowest activation polarization, as observed from the CV and EIS test.

Irreversible fouling of membrane bioreactors due to formation of a non-biofilm gel layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poorasgari, Eskandar; Larsen, Poul; Zheng, Xing

2014-01-01

Extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS), known to contribute to fouling in membrane bio-reactors (MBRs), are generally divided into bound and free EPS. The free EPS are able to form a gel layer on the membrane active surface. The mechanisms involved in formation of such layer and its effects...... on performance of the MBR membranes were studied. The free EPS, extracted by centrifugation and microfiltration, contained a significant amount of humic-like substances. Under static contact to the membrane, adsorption of humic-like substances to the membrane occurred and could be explained by conventional...... adsorption kinetics. Due to static adsorption, surface roughness of the membrane declined significantly, indicating that adsorbed matters to the membranefilled the cavities of the membrane surface. Filtration of the free EPS caused 50% waterflux decline. The fouling resistance linearly increased...

Development of DBD plasma actuators: The double encapsulated electrode

Science.gov (United States)

Erfani, Rasool; Zare-Behtash, Hossein; Hale, Craig; Kontis, Konstantinos

2015-04-01

Plasma actuators are electrical devices that generate a wall bounded jet without the use of any moving parts. For aerodynamic applications they can be used as flow control devices to delay separation and augment lift on a wing. The standard plasma actuator consists of a single encapsulated (ground) electrode. The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of varying the number and distribution of encapsulated electrodes in the dielectric layer. Utilising a transformer cascade, a variety of input voltages are studied for their effect. In the quiescent environment of a Faraday cage the velocity flow field is recorded using particle image velocimetry. Through understanding of the mechanisms involved in producing the wall jet and the importance of the encapsulated electrode a novel actuator design is proposed. The actuator design distributes the encapsulated electrode throughout the dielectric layer. The experiments have shown that actuators with a shallow initial encapsulated electrode induce velocities greater than the baseline case at the same voltage. Actuators with a deep initial encapsulated electrode are able to induce the highest velocities as they can operate at higher voltages without breakdown of the dielectric.

Increase of rotation angle of soil layers during plow operation

Science.gov (United States)

Vasilenko, VV; Afonichev, D. N.; Vasilenko, S. V.; Khakhulin, A. N.

2018-03-01

One of the advantages of plowing is the ability of the plow to hide the weed seeds deep into the soil. The depth of the embankment exceeds 10-12 cm, from there the weeds can not rise to the surface of the soil. They perish halfway. But for this, it is necessary to wrap the soil layers at an angle close to 180 °. Modern ploughs can not turn the layers of soil at an angle of more than 135 °, therefore the plow is required to be equipped with additional working elements. The aim of the study is to create an adaptation to the plow to expand the furrow before laying the next soil layer. In a wide furrow, the formation will completely tip, the previous layer will not interfere with it. The device is a set of vertical shields. Each shield is fixed behind the working body of the plow. It is installed with an angle of attack of 20-25 ° to move the previous layer to expand the furrow by 10-12 cm. The model and industrial samples of the plow have shown improved agrotechnical indicators. The average angle of the formation rotation was 177 °, the burial of plant residues in the soil increased from 61 to 99%. The field surface with blocks more than 5 cm decreased from 36.3 to 13.4%, the height of the ridges decreased from 7 to 4 cm. The force of soil pressure on the shield was measured by a strain gage. It is 130-330 N depending on the depth of processing and the speed of movement. The increase in power costs for the four-hull plow was 190-750 W. The coulters on the plow are unnecessary, and this saves energy more than its increase for shields.

Chlorine-Resistant Polyamide Reverse Osmosis Membrane with Monitorable and Regenerative Sacrificial Layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hai; Lin, Saisai; Zhang, Lin; Hou, Li'an

2017-03-22

Improving chlorine stability is a high priority for aromatic polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes especially in long-term desalination. In this Research Article, PA RO membranes of sustainable chlorine resistance was synthesized. Glycylglycine (Gly) was grafted onto the membrane surface as a regenerative chlorine sacrificial layer, and the zeta-potential was used to monitor the membrane performance and to conduct timely regeneration operations for chlorinated Gly. The Gly-grafted PA membrane exhibited ameliorative chlorine resistance in which the N-H moiety of glycylglycine served as sacrificial pendants against chlorine attacks. Cyclic chlorination experiments, combined with FT-IR and XPS analysis, were carried out to characterize the membrane. Results indicated that the resulting N-halamines could be fast regenerated by a simple alkaline reduction step (pH 10). A synchronous relationship between the zeta-potential and the chlorination extent of the sacrificial layer was observed. This indicated that the zeta-potential can be used as an on-site sensor to conduct a timely regeneration operation. The intrinsic mechanism of the surface sacrificial process was also studied.

Effects of a layer of vegetative ash layer on wettable and water repellent soil hydrology

Science.gov (United States)

Bodí, Merche B.; Doerr, Stefan H.; Cerdà, Artemi; Mataix-Solera, Jorge

2010-05-01

Following a wildfire, a layer of vegetative ash often covers the ground until it is dissolved or redistributed by wind and water erosion. Much of the existing literature suggests that the ash layer temporally reduces infiltration by clogging soil pores or by forming a surface crust (Mallik et al., 1984; Onda et al., 2008). However, an increasing number of field-based studies have found that, at least in the short term, ash increases infiltration by storing rainfall and protecting the underlying soil from sealing (Cerdà and Doerr, 2008; Woods and Balfour, 2008). On the other hand, after a fire the soil may have produced, enhanced or reduced its water repellency (Doerr et al., 2000). Very few studies have been taken into account the interaction of the ash and the repellent soil. The layer of ash may have similar role as a litter layer in delaying runoff and reducing erosion by storing water. In order to examine this interaction, it was been made a series of experiments using a laboratory rainfall simulation. It has been assessed the effects of an ash layer i) on a wettable and water repellent soil (WDPT > 7200s), ii) with different ash thicknesses (bare soil and 5 mm, 15 mm and 30 mm of ash), iii) preceding and following the first rain after a fire when the ground is still wetted and after being partially dried. Three replicates were done, being a total of 40 simulations. The ash used was collected from a Wildfire in Teruel (Spain) during summer of 2009. The simulations were conducted in metal boxes of 30x30 cm and filled with 3 cm of soil. The slope of the box was set at 10° (17%) and the intensity applied was 78-84 mm h-1during 40 minutes. The splash detachment was determined also using four splash cups. Overland flow and subsurface drainage was collected at 1-minute intervals and the former stored every 5 min to allow determination of sediment concentrations, yield and erosion rates. Each sample was examined at the end in terms of water repellency, infiltration

A membrane film sensor with encapsulated fluorescent dyes towards express freshness monitoring of packaged food.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiryukhin, Maxim V; Lau, Hooi Hong; Goh, Seok Hong; Teh, Cathleen; Korzh, Vladimir; Sadovoy, Anton

2018-05-15

A new Membrane Film Sensor (MFS) has been developed to measure pH of fluids. MFS comprises a polyelectrolyte multilayer film with uniformly distributed compartments (microchambers) where a fluorescent sensing dye is encapsulated. Fabricated film is sealed onto a polyethylene film for a future use. MFS was applied to report changes in golden pomfret fillet upon its storage at 5 °C. MFS pH readings were correlated to bacteriological analysis of fish samples. A hike in pH of fish juices happens after 10 days of storage signaling bacterial spoilage of fish. The design of developed MFS allows easy integration with transparent packaging materials for future development of "SMART" packaging sensing food freshness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sorption and movement of pesticides on thin layer plates of Brazilain soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lord, K.A.; Helene, C.G.; Andrea, M.M. de; Ruegg, E.F.

1979-01-01

The sorption from aqueous solution, and movement in water on thin layers plates of 7 soils of 3 organochlorine, 2 organophosphorus and 1 carbamate insecticide was determined in the laboratory. Generally, all substances were sorbed most and moved least on soils richest in organic matter. However, sorption was not a function of organic matter content alone. Aldrin and DDT were most strongly sorbed and did not move from the point of application on the thin layer plates of any soil. On all 7 soils, carbaryl was the least strongly sorbed insecticide. On 5 soils, lindane, parathion and malathion were increasingly strongly sorbed, but on the other 2 soils lindane was mostly strongly sorbed. The apparent greater mobility of 14 C-labelled malathion on thin layers of soils repeatedly leached could be explained by the formation of more polar substances. (author) [pt

Improving gas sensor properties of encapsulated ZnO nanorods for ethanol detection using ZnO:Cr layer as an encapsulated layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Safa

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, encapsulated ZnO nanorods with different amount of chromium (Cr dopant (0-4.5 at.% were prepared with hydrothermal method, and their sensitivities as gas sensors against ethanol vapor were investigated. Morphologies of samples were explored by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM which showed that encapsulation process increased the diameter of ZnO nanorods. Existence of Cr in ZnO nanorods structures was confirmed by Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD analysis, the ZnO:Cr nanorods had wurtzite crystal structure, and adding Cr did not alter the crystal structure of ZnO. Electrical measurements revealed that current levels of samples were decreased by adding Cr, while the current level of the sample with 4.5 at.% was increased. This reduction could be attributed to the presence of Cr3+ ions, which led to decrease of charge carriers. Besides, due to the catalytic properties of Cr and its lower ionization energy than Zn, it was observed that Cr dopant improved the detection sensitivity of samples, and decreased the optimum operating temperature of samples. Among all samples, the most sensitivity (14 was obtained based on the sample with 1.5 at.% of Cr for 500 ppm ethanol vapor at the optimum temperature (250 . In fact, by encapsulating the samples, they became rougher, so the appropriate places to absorb and decompose of gas molecules are increased.

Surface charges promote nonspecific nanoparticle adhesion to stiffer membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Shayandev; Jing, Haoyuan; Sachar, Harnoor Singh; Das, Siddhartha

2018-04-01

This letter establishes the manner in which the electric double layer induced by the surface charges of the plasma membrane (PM) enhances the nonspecific adhesion (NSA) of a metal nanoparticle (NP) to stiffer PMs (i.e., PMs with larger bending moduli). The NSA is characterized by the physical attachment of the NP to the membrane and occurs when the decrease in the surface energy (or any other mechanism) associated with the attachment process provides the energy for bending the membrane. Such an attachment does not involve receptor-ligand interactions that characterize the specific membrane-NP adhesion. Here, we demonstrate that a significant decrease in the electrostatic energy caused by the NP-attachment-induced destruction of the charged-membrane-electrolyte interface is responsible for providing the additional energy needed for bending the membrane during the NP adhesion to stiffer membranes. A smaller salt concentration and a larger membrane charge density augment this effect, which can help to design drug delivery to cells with stiffer membranes due to pathological conditions, fabricate NPs with biomimetic cholesterol-rich lipid bilayer encapsulation, etc.

High-permeance crosslinked PTMSP thin-film composite membranes as supports for CO2 selective layer formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stepan D. Bazhenov

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In the development of the composite gas separation membranes for post-combustion CO2 capture, little attention is focused on the optimization of the membrane supports, which satisfy the conditions of this technology. The primary requirements to the membrane supports are concerned with their high CO2 permeance. In this work, the membrane supports with desired characteristics were developed as high-permeance gas separation thin film composite (TFC membranes with the thin defect-free layer from the crosslinked highly permeable polymer, poly[1-(trimethylsilyl-1-propyne] (PTMSP. This layer is insoluble in chloroform and can be used as a gutter layer for the further deposition of the СО2-selective materials from the organic solvents. Crosslinking of PTMSP was performed using polyethyleneimine (PEI and poly (ethyleneglycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE as crosslinking agents. Optimal concentrations of PEI in PTMSP and PEGDGE in methanol were selected in order to diminish the undesirable effect on the final membrane gas transport characteristics. The conditions of the kiss-coating technique for the deposition of the thin defect-free PTMSP-based layer, namely, composition of the casting solution and the speed of movement of the porous commercial microfiltration-grade support, were optimized. The procedure of post-treatment with alcohols and alcohol solutions was shown to be crucial for the improvement of gas permeance of the membranes with the crosslinked PTMSP layer having thickness ranging within 1–2.5 μm. The claimed membranes showed the following characteristics: CO2 permeance is equal to 50–54 m3(STP/(m2 h bar (18,500–20,000 GPU, ideal CO2/N2 selectivity is 3.6–3.7, and their selective layers are insoluble in chloroform. Thus, the developed high-permeance TFC membranes are considered as a promising supports for further modification by enhanced CO2 selective layer formation. Keywords: Thin-film composite membrane

Cationic membranes complexed with oppositely charged microtubules: hierarchical self-assembly leading to bio-nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raviv, Uri; Needleman, Daniel J; Safinya, Cyrus R

2006-01-01

The self-assembly of microtubules and charged membranes has been studied, using x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Polyelectrolyte lipid complexes usually form structures templated by the lipid phase, when the polyelectrolyte curvature is much larger than the membrane spontaneous curvature. When the polyelectrolyte curvature approaches the membrane spontaneous curvature, as in microtubules, two types of new structures emerge. Depending on the conditions, vesicles either adsorb onto the microtubule, forming a 'beads on a rod' structure, or coat the microtubule, which now forms the template. Tubulin oligomers then coat the external lipid layer, forming a lipid protein nanotube. The tubulin oligomer coverage at the external layer is determined by the membrane charge density. The energy barrier between the beads on a rod and the lipid-protein nanotube states depends on the membrane bending rigidity and membrane charge density. By controlling the lipid/tubulin stoichiometry we can switch between lipid-protein nanotubes with open ends to lipid-protein nanotubes with closed end with lipid cups. This forms the basis for controlled drug encapsulation and release

Pore Pressure Response to Groundwater Fluctuations in Saturated Double-Layered Soil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwei Ying

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Analytical solutions are developed for one-dimensional consolidation of double-layered saturated soil subjected to groundwater fluctuations. The solutions are derived by an explicit mathematical procedure using Duhamel’s theorem in conjunction with a Fourier series, when groundwater fluctuation is described by a general time-dependent function and assumed to be the pore water pressure variations at the upper boundary. Taking as an example the harmonic groundwater fluctuation, the relevant response of the excess pore water pressure is discussed in detail, and the main influencing factors of the excess pore pressure distribution are analyzed. A dimensionless parameter θ has been introduced because it significantly affects the phase and the amplitude of excess pore pressures. The influences of the coefficients of permeability and compressibility of soil on the excess pore pressure distribution are different and cannot be incorporated into the coefficient of consolidation in double-layered soil. The relative permeability ratio of two clayey soils also plays an important role on the curves of the distributions of the excess pore pressures. The effects of the thickness of the soil layer on the excess pore pressure distribution should be considered together with the dimensionless parameter θ and the permeability and compressibility of the double-layered soil system.

Modelling and sequential simulation of multi-tubular metallic membrane and techno-economics of a hydrogen production process employing thin-layer membrane reactor

KAUST Repository

Shafiee, Alireza

2016-09-24

A theoretical model for multi-tubular palladium-based membrane is proposed in this paper and validated against experimental data for two different sized membrane modules that operate at high temperatures. The model is used in a sequential simulation format to describe and analyse pure hydrogen and hydrogen binary mixture separations, and then extended to simulate an industrial scale membrane unit. This model is used as a sub-routine within an ASPEN Plus model to simulate a membrane reactor in a steam reforming hydrogen production plant. A techno-economic analysis is then conducted using the validated model for a plant producing 300 TPD of hydrogen. The plant utilises a thin (2.5 μm) defect-free and selective layer (Pd75Ag25 alloy) membrane reactor. The economic sensitivity analysis results show usefulness in finding the optimum operating condition that achieves minimum hydrogen production cost at break-even point. A hydrogen production cost of 1.98 $/kg is estimated while the cost of the thin-layer selective membrane is found to constitute 29% of total process capital cost. These results indicate the competiveness of this thin-layer membrane process against conventional methods of hydrogen production. © 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC

Nanoporous layered silicate AMH-3/cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for gas separations

KAUST Repository

Kim, Wun-gwi; Lee, Jong Suk; Bucknall, David G.; Koros, William J.; Nair, Sankar

2013-01-01

Nanoporous layered silicate/polymer composite membranes are of interest because they can exploit the high aspect ratio of exfoliated selective flakes/layers to enhance molecular sieving and create a highly tortuous transport path for the slower

Well-constructed cellulose acetate membranes for forward osmosis: Minimized internal concentration polarization with an ultra-thin selective layer

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Sui

2010-09-01

The design and engineering of membrane structure that produces low salt leakage and minimized internal concentration polarization (ICP) in forward osmosis (FO) processes have been explored in this work. The fundamentals of phase inversion of cellulose acetate (CA) regarding the formation of an ultra-thin selective layer at the bottom interface of polymer and casting substrate were investigated by using substrates with different hydrophilicity. An in-depth understanding of membrane structure and pore size distribution has been elucidated with field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). A double dense-layer structure is formed when glass plate is used as the casting substrate and water as the coagulant. The thickness of the ultra-thin bottom layer resulted from hydrophilic-hydrophilic interaction is identified to be around 95nm, while a fully porous, open-cell structure is formed in the middle support layer due to spinodal decomposition. Consequently, the membrane shows low salt leakage with mitigated ICP in the FO process for seawater desalination. The structural parameter (St) of the membrane is analyzed by modeling water flux using the theory that considers both external concentration polarization (ECP) and ICP, and the St value of the double dense-layer membrane is much smaller than those reported in literatures. Furthermore, the effects of an intermediate immersion into a solvent/water mixed bath prior to complete immersion in water on membrane formation have been studied. The resultant membranes may have a single dense layer with an even lower St value. A comparison of fouling behavior in a simple FO-membrane bioreactor (MBR) system is evaluated for these two types of membranes. The double dense-layer membrane shows a less fouling propensity. This study may help pave the way to improve the membrane design for new-generation FO membranes. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

Sintering process optimization for multi-layer CGO membranes by in situ techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaiser, Andreas; Prasad, A.S.; Foghmoes, Søren Preben Vagn

2013-01-01

The sintering of asymmetric CGO bi-layers (thin dense membrane on a porous support; Ce0.9Gd0.1O1.95-delta = CGO) with Co3O4 as sintering additive has been optimized by combination of two in situ techniques. Optical dilatometry revealed that bi-layer shape and microstructure are dramatically...... changing in a narrow temperature range of less than 100 degrees C. Below 1030 degrees C, a higher densification rate in the dense membrane layer than in the porous support leads to concave shape, whereas the densification rate of the support is dominant above 1030 degrees C, leading to convex shape. A fiat...... bi-layer could be prepared at 1030 degrees C, when shrinkage rates were similar. In situ van der Pauw measurements on tape cast layers during sintering allowed following the conductivity during sintering. A strong increase in conductivity and in activation energy E-a for conduction was observed...

Recent advances in multi-layer composite polymeric membranes for CO2 separation: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongde Dai

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The development of multilayer composite membranes for CO2 separation has gained increasing attention due to the desire for energy efficient technologies. Multilayer composite membranes have many advantages, including the possibility to optimize membrane materials independently by layers according to their different functions and to reduce the overall transport resistance by using ultrathin selective layers, and less limitations on the material mechanical properties and processability. A comprehensive review is required to capture details of the progresses that have already been achieved in developing multilayer composite membranes with improved CO2 separation performance in the past 15–20 years. In this review, various composite membrane preparation methods were compared, advances in composite membranes for CO2/CH4 separation, CO2/N2 and CO2/H2 separation were summarized with detailed data, and challenges facing for the CO2 separation using composite membranes, such as aging, plasticization and long-term stability, were discussed. Finally the perspectives and future research directions for composite membranes were presented. Keywords: Composite membrane, CO2 separation, Membrane fabrication, Membrane aging, Long-term stability

Irreversible fouling of membrane bioreactors due to formation of a non-biofilm gel-like layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poorasgari, Eskandar; Larsen, Poul; Zheng, Xing

2013-01-01

Extra-cellular polymeric substances (EPS), known to contribute to fouling in membrane bio-reactors (MBR)s, are generally divided into bound and free EPS. The free EPS are able to form a gel-like layer on the membrane active surface. The mechanisms involved in formation of such layer and its effects...... on performance of the MBR membranes were studied. The free EPS, extracted by centrifugation and microfiltration, contained a significant amount of humic-like substances. Under static contact to the membrane, adsorption of humic-like substances to the membrane occurred and could be explained by conventional...... adsorption kinetics. Due to static adsorption, surface roughness of the membrane declined significantly indicating that adsorbed matters to the membrane filled the cavities of the membrane surface. Filtration of the free EPS caused 50% water flux decline. The fouling resistance linearly increased...

A new insight into membrane fouling mechanism in submerged membrane bioreactor: osmotic pressure during cake layer filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Meijia; Peng, Wei; Chen, Jianrong; He, Yiming; Ding, Linxian; Wang, Aijun; Lin, Hongjun; Hong, Huachang; Zhang, Ye; Yu, Haiying

2013-05-15

Big gap between experimental filtration resistance of cake layer formed on membrane surface and the hydraulic resistance calculated through the Carman-Kozeny equation, suggested the existence of a new membrane fouling mechanism: osmotic pressure during cake layer filtration in SMBR system. An osmotic pressure model based on chemical potential difference was then proposed. Simulation of the model showed that osmotic pressure accounted for the major fraction of total operation pressure, and pH, applied pressure and ionic strength were the key determining factors for osmosis effect. It was found that, variations of osmotic pressure with pH, applied pressure and added ionic strength were well coincident with perditions of model's simulation, providing the first direct evidences of the real occurrence of osmosis mechanism and the feasibility of the proposed model. These findings illustrate the essential role of osmotic pressure in filtration resistance, and improve fundamental understanding on membrane fouling in SMBR systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrical evaluation of crack generation in SiN_x and SiO_xN_y thin-film encapsulation layers for OLED displays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Eun Kil; Kim, Sungmin; Heo, Jaeyeong; Kim, Hyeong Joon

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Crack generation in encapsulation layers were detected by leakage current. • Atomic concentration of SiO_xN_y films affected the bending reliability. • The shapes of the crack tips were affected by the stoichiometry of the SiO_xN_y films. - Abstract: By measuring leakage current density, we detected crack generation in silicon nitride (SiN_x) and silicon oxynitride (SiO_xN_y) thin-film encapsulation layers, and correlated with the films’ water vapor permeability characteristics. After repeated bending cycles, both the changes in water vapor transmission rate and leakage current density were directly proportional to the crack density. Thick SiN_x films had better water vapor barrier characteristics in their pristine state, but cyclic loading led to fast failure. Varying the atomic concentration of the SiO_xN_y films affected their bending reliability. We attribute these differences to changes in the shape of the crack tip as the oxygen content varies.

Research on the Horizontal Displacement Coefficient of Soil Surrounding Pile in Layered Foundations by Considering the Soil Mass’s Longitudinal Continuity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yao Wen-Juan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available When utilizing the p-y curve to simulate the nonlinear characteristics of soil surrounding pile in layered foundations, due to having not taken into account the soil mass’s longitudinal continuity, the calculation deviation of horizontal displacement increases with the growth of a load. This paper adopted the layered elasticity system theory to consider the soil mass’s longitudinal continuity, as well as utilizing the research method for layered isotropic bodies, assuming that the horizontal resistance is evenly distributed around the perimeter of the pile's cross-section. Then an appropriate transfer matrix method of horizontal displacement coefficient for the soil surrounding pile in layered foundations was established. According to the calculation principle of finite element equivalent load, the horizontal displacement coefficient matrix was deduced as well as providing a corrected formula for the horizontal displacement of soil surrounding pile through the p-y curve method when the external load was increased. Following the established model, a program was created which was used for calculating and analyzing the horizontal displacement coefficient matrix of three-layered soil in order to verify this method’s validity and rationale. Where there is a relatively large discrepancy in the soil layers’ properties, this paper’s method is able to reflect the influence on the layered soil’s actual distributional difference as well as the nearby soil layers’ interaction.

Removal of nitrogen by a layered soil infiltration system during intermittent storm events.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Kang Woo; Song, Kyung Guen; Cho, Jin Woo; Kim, Tae Gyun; Ahn, Kyu Hong

2009-07-01

The fates of various nitrogen species were investigated in a layered biological infiltration system under an intermittently wetting regime. The layered system consisted of a mulch layer, coarse soil layer (CSL), and fine soil layer (FSL). The effects of soil texture were assessed focusing on the infiltration rate and the removal of inorganic nitrogen species. The infiltration rate drastically decreased when the uniformity coefficient was larger than four. The ammonium in the synthetic runoff was shown to be removed via adsorption during the stormwater dosing and nitrification during subsequent dry days. Stable ammonium adsorption was observed when the silt and clay content of CSL was greater than 3%. This study revealed that the nitrate leaching was caused by nitrification during dry days. Various patterns of nitrate flushing were observed depending on the soil configuration. The washout of nitrate was more severe as the silt/clay content of the CSL was greater. However, proper layering of soil proved to enhance the nitrate removal. Consequently, a strictly sandy CSL over FSL with a silt and clay content of 10% was the best configuration for the removal of ammonium and nitrate.

Modeling Encapsulated Microbubble Dynamics at High Pressure Amplitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Heyse, Jan F.; Bose, Sanjeeb; Iaccarino, Gianluca

2017-11-01

Encapsulated microbubbles are commonly used in ultrasound contrast imaging and are of growing interest in therapeutic applications where local cavitation creates temporary perforations in cell membranes allowing for enhanced drug delivery. Clinically used microbubbles are encapsulated by a shell commonly consisting of protein, polymer, or phospholipid; the response of these bubbles to externally imposed ultrasound waves is sensitive to the compressibility of the encapsulating shell. Existing models approximate the shell compressibility via an effective surface tension (Marmottant et al. 2005). We present simulations of microbubbles subjected to high amplitude ultrasound waves (on the order of 106 Pa) and compare the results with the experimental measurements of Helfield et al. (2016). Analysis of critical points (corresponding to maximum and minimum expansion) in the governing Rayleigh-Plesset equation is used to make estimates of the parameters used to characterize the effective surface tension of the encapsulating shell. Stanford Graduate Fellowship.

Encapsulation Efficiency, Oscillatory Rheometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Mohammad Hassani

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Nanoliposomes are one of the most important polar lipid-based nanocarriers which can be used for encapsulation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic active compounds. In this research, nanoliposomes based on lecithin-polyethylene glycol-gamma oryzanol were prepared by using a modified thermal method. Only one melting peak in DSC curve of gamma oryzanol bearing liposomes was observed which could be attributed to co-crystallization of both compounds. The addition of gamma oryzanol, caused to reduce the melting point of 5% (w/v lecithin-based liposome from 207°C to 163.2°C. At high level of lecithin, increasing of liposome particle size (storage at 4°C for two months was more obvious and particle size increased from 61 and 113 to 283 and 384 nanometers, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency of gamma oryzanol increased from 60% to 84.3% with increasing lecithin content. The encapsulation stability of oryzanol in liposome was determined at different concentrations of lecithin 3, 5, 10, 20% (w/v and different storage times (1, 7, 30 and 60 days. In all concentrations, the encapsulation stability slightly decreased during 30 days storage. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM images showed relatively spherical to elliptic particles which indicated to low extent of particles coalescence. The oscillatory rheometry showed that the loss modulus of liposomes were higher than storage modulus and more liquid-like behavior than solid-like behavior. The samples storage at 25°C for one month, showed higher viscoelastic parameters than those having been stored at 4°C which were attributed to higher membrane fluidity at 25°C and their final coalescence.Nanoliposomes are one of the most important polar lipid based nanocarriers which can be used for encapsulation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic active compounds. In this research, nanoliposomes based on lecithin-polyethylene glycol-gamma oryzanol were prepared by using modified thermal method. Only one

Encapsulation of high temperature molten salts

Science.gov (United States)

Oxley, James D.; Mathur, Anoop Kumar

2017-05-16

The present disclosure relates to a method of encapsulating microcapsules containing relatively high temperature phase change materials and the microcapsules so produced. The microcapsules are coated with an inorganic binder, film former and an inorganic filler. The microcapsules may include a sacrificial layer that is disposed between the particle and the coating. The microcapsules may also include an inner coating layer, sacrificial layer and outer coating layer. The microcapsules are particularly useful for thermal energy storage in connection with, e.g., heat collected from concentrating solar collectors.

Flat-plate solar array project. Volume 7: Module encapsulation

Science.gov (United States)

Cuddihy, E.; Coulbert, C.; Gupta, A.; Liang, R.

1986-01-01

The objective of the Encapsulation Task was to develop, demonstrate, and qualify photovoltaic (PV) module encapsulation systems that would provide 20 year (later decreased to 30 year) life expectancies in terrestrial environments, and which would be compatible with the cost and performance goals of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project. The scope of the Encapsulation Task included the identification, development, and evaluation of material systems and configurations required to support and protect the optically and electrically active solar cell circuit components in the PV module operating environment. Encapsulation material technologies summarized include the development of low cost ultraviolet protection techniques, stable low cost pottants, soiling resistant coatings, electrical isolation criteria, processes for optimum interface bonding, and analytical and experimental tools for evaluating the long term durability and structural adequacy of encapsulated modules. Field testing, accelerated stress testing, and design studies have demonstrated that encapsulation materials, processes, and configurations are available that meet the FSA cost and performance goals.

Improved antifouling properties of polymer membranes using a ‘layer-by-layer’ mediated method

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lin

2013-01-01

Polymeric reverse osmosis membranes were modified with antifouling polymer brushes through a \\'layer by layer\\' (LBL) mediated method. Based on pure physical electrostatic interaction, the attachment of LBL films did not alter separation performance of the membranes. In addition, the incorporation of an LBL film also helped to amplify the number of potential reaction sites on the membrane surfaces for attachment of antifouling polymer brushes, which were then attached to the surface. Attachment of the brushes included two different approaches, grafting to and grafting from. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle measurements showed successful growth of the LBL films and subsequently the polymer brushes. Using this method to modify reverse osmosis membranes, preliminary performance testing showed the antifouling properties of the as-modified membranes were much better than the virgin membrane with no significant loss in water flux and salt rejection. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Mechanics of Lipid Bilayer Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Thomas R.

All cells have membranes. The plasma membrane encapsulates the cell's interior, acting as a barrier against the outside world. In cells with nuclei (eukaryotic cells), membranes also form internal compartments (organelles) which carry out specialized tasks, such as protein modification and sorting in the case of the Golgi apparatus, and ATP production in the case of mitochondria. The main components of membranes are lipids and proteins. The proteins can be channels, carriers, receptors, catalysts, signaling molecules, or structural elements, and typically contribute a substantial fraction of the total membrane dry weight. The equilibrium properties of pure lipid membranes are relatively well-understood, and will be the main focus of this article. The framework of elasticity theory and statistical mechanics that we will develop will serve as the foundation for understanding biological phenomena such as the nonequilibrium behavior of membranes laden with ion pumps, the role of membrane elasticity in ion channel gating, and the dynamics of vesicle fission and fusion. Understanding the mechanics of lipid membranes is also important for drug encapsulation and delivery.

Asymmetrical Polyhedral Configuration of Giant Vesicles Induced by Orderly Array of Encapsulated Colloidal Particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Natsume, Yuno; Toyota, Taro

2016-01-01

Giant vesicles (GVs) encapsulating colloidal particles by a specific volume fraction show a characteristic configuration under a hypertonic condition. Several flat faces were formed in GV membrane with orderly array of inner particles. GV shape changed from the spherical to the asymmetrical polyhedral configuration. This shape deformation was derived by entropic interaction between inner particles and GV membrane. Because a part of inner particles became to form an ordered phase in the region neighboring the GV membrane, free volume for the other part of particles increased. Giant vesicles encapsulating colloidal particles were useful for the model of "crowding effect" which is the entropic interaction in the cell.

Anion-exchange membranes derived from quaternized polysulfone and exfoliated layered double hydroxide for fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Wan; Liang, Na; Peng, Pai; Qu, Rong; Chen, Dongzhi; Zhang, Hongwei, E-mail: hanqiujiang@163.com

2017-02-15

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are prepared by controlling urea assisted homogeneous precipitation conditions. Morphology and crystallinity of LDHs are confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. After LDHs are incorporated into quaternized polysulfone membranes, transmission electron microscope is used to observe the exfoliated morphology of LDH sheets in the membranes. The properties of the nanocomposite membranes, including water uptake, swelling ratio, mechanical property and ionic conductivity are investigated. The nanocomposite membrane containing 5% LDH sheets shows more balanced performances, exhibiting an ionic conductivity of 2.36×10{sup −2} S cm{sup −1} at 60 °C. - Graphical abstract: Anion-exchange membrane based on quaternized polysulfone and exfoliated layered double hydroxide is optically transparent and has good ionic properties.

Prediction of unsaturated flow and water backfill during infiltration in layered soils

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Guotao; Zhu, Jianting

2018-02-01

We develop a new analytical infiltration model to determine water flow dynamics around layer interfaces during infiltration process in layered soils. The model mainly involves the analytical solutions to quadratic equations to determine the flux rates around the interfaces. Active water content profile behind the wetting front is developed based on the solution of steady state flow to dynamically update active parameters in sharp wetting front infiltration equations and to predict unsaturated flow in coarse layers before the front reaches an impeding fine layer. The effect of water backfill to saturate the coarse layers after the wetting front encounters the impeding fine layer is analytically expressed based on the active water content profiles. Comparison to the numerical solutions of the Richards equation shows that the new model can well capture water dynamics in relation to the arrangement of soil layers. The steady state active water content profile can be used to predict the saturation state of all layers when the wetting front first passes through these layers during the unsteady infiltration process. Water backfill effect may occur when the unsaturated wetting front encounters a fine layer underlying a coarse layer. Sensitivity analysis shows that saturated hydraulic conductivity is the parameter dictating the occurrence of unsaturated flow and water backfill and can be used to represent the coarseness of soil layers. Water backfill effect occurs in coarse layers between upper and lower fine layers when the lower layer is not significantly coarser than the upper layer.

Thickness-Dependent Strain Effect on the Deformation of the Graphene-Encapsulated Au Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuangli Ye

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The strain effect on graphene-encapsulated Au nanoparticles is investigated. A finite-element calculation is performed to simulate the strain distribution and morphology of the monolayer and multilayer graphene-encapsulated Au nanoparticles, respectively. It can be found that the inhomogeneous strain and deformation are enhanced with the increasing shrinkage of the graphene shell. Moreover, the strain distribution and deformation are very sensitive to the layer number of the graphene shell. Especially, the inhomogeneous strain at the interface between the graphene shell and encapsulated Au nanoparticles is strongly tuned by the graphene thickness. For the mono- and bilayer graphene-encapsulated Au nanoparticles, the dramatic shape transformation can be observed. However, with increasing the graphene thickness further, there is hardly deformation for the encapsulated Au nanoparticles. These simulated results indicate that the strain and deformation can be designed by the graphene layer thickness, which provides an opportunity to engineer the structure and morphology of the graphene-encapsulated nanoparticles.

Enhanced structural stability of DNA origami nanostructures by graphene encapsulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matković, Aleksandar; Vasić, Borislav; Pešić, Jelena; Gajić, Radoš; Prinz, Julia; Bald, Ilko; Milosavljević, Aleksandar R

2016-01-01

We demonstrate that a single-layer graphene replicates the shape of DNA origami nanostructures very well. It can be employed as a protective layer for the enhancement of structural stability of DNA origami nanostructures. Using the AFM based manipulation, we show that the normal force required to damage graphene encapsulated DNA origami nanostructures is over an order of magnitude greater than for the unprotected ones. In addition, we show that graphene encapsulation offers protection to the DNA origami nanostructures against prolonged exposure to deionized water, and multiple immersions. Through these results we demonstrate that graphene encapsulated DNA origami nanostructures are strong enough to sustain various solution phase processing, lithography and transfer steps, thus extending the limits of DNA-mediated bottom-up fabrication. (paper)

Polymer supported ZIF-8 membranes by conversion of sputtered zinc oxide layers

KAUST Repository

Neelakanda, Pradeep; Barankova, Eva; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2015-01-01

ZIF-8 composite membranes were synthesized at room temperature from aqueous solution by a double-zinc-source method on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous supports. The support was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) by magnetron sputtering prior to ZIF-8 growth to improve the nucleation as well as the adhesion between the ZIF-8 layer and support. By this method, we were able to grow a continuous, dense, very thin (900 nm) and defect free ZIF-8 layer on a polymeric support. The developed ZIF-8 membranes had a gas permeance of 1.23 x 10-7 mol m-2 sec-1 Pa-1 for hydrogen and a selectivity of 26 for hydrogen/propane gases which is 5 times higher than the Knudsen selectivity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were done to characterize the membranes.

Polymer supported ZIF-8 membranes by conversion of sputtered zinc oxide layers

KAUST Repository

Neelakanda, Pradeep

2015-09-05

ZIF-8 composite membranes were synthesized at room temperature from aqueous solution by a double-zinc-source method on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous supports. The support was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) by magnetron sputtering prior to ZIF-8 growth to improve the nucleation as well as the adhesion between the ZIF-8 layer and support. By this method, we were able to grow a continuous, dense, very thin (900 nm) and defect free ZIF-8 layer on a polymeric support. The developed ZIF-8 membranes had a gas permeance of 1.23 x 10-7 mol m-2 sec-1 Pa-1 for hydrogen and a selectivity of 26 for hydrogen/propane gases which is 5 times higher than the Knudsen selectivity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were done to characterize the membranes.

Catalytic, Conductive Bipolar Membrane Interfaces through Layer-by-Layer Deposition for the Design of Membrane-Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Michael B; Freund, Michael S; Hammond, Paula T

2017-11-23

In the presence of an electric field, bipolar membranes (BPMs) are capable of initiating water disassociation (WD) within the interfacial region, which can make water splitting for renewable energy in the presence of a pH gradient possible. In addition to WD catalytic efficiency, there is also the need for electronic conductivity in this region for membrane-integrated artificial photosynthesis (AP) systems. Graphene oxide (GO) was shown to catalyze WD and to be controllably reduced, which resulted in electronic conductivity. Layer-by-layer (LbL) film deposition was employed to improve GO film uniformity in the interfacial region to enhance WD catalysis and, through the addition of a conducting polymer in the process, add electronic conductivity in a hybrid film. Three different deposition methods were tested to optimize conducting polymer synthesis with the oxidant in a metastable solution and to yield the best film properties. It was found that an approach that included substrate dipping in a solution containing the expected final monomer/oxidant ratio provided the most predictable film growth and smoothest films (by UV/Vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy/scanning electron microscopy, respectively), whereas dipping in excess oxidant or co-spraying the oxidant and monomer produced heterogeneous films. Optimized films were found to be electronically conductive and produced a membrane ohmic drop that was acceptable for AP applications. Films were integrated into the interfacial region of BPMs and revealed superior WD efficiency (≥1.4 V at 10 mA cm -2 ) for thinner films (<10 bilayers≈100 nm) than for either the pure GO catalyst or conducting polymer individually, which indicated that there was a synergistic effect between these materials in the structure configured by the LbL method. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Membrane interactions and antimicrobial effects of layered double hydroxide nanoparticles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malekkhaiat Häffner, S; Nyström, L; Nordström, R

2017-01-01

Membrane interactions are critical for the successful use of inorganic nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents and as carriers of, or co-actives with, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In order to contribute to an increased understanding of these, we here investigate effects of particle size (42-208 nm...... into size-dependent synergistic effects with the antimicrobial peptide LL-37. Due to strong interactions with anionic lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan layers, direct membrane disruption of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria is suppressed. However, LDH nanoparticles cause size-dependent charge...

Multi-layer membrane model for mass transport in a direct ethanol fuel cell using an alkaline anion exchange membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Bahrami, Hafez; Faghri, Amir

2012-11-01

A one-dimensional, isothermal, single-phase model is presented to investigate the mass transport in a direct ethanol fuel cell incorporating an alkaline anion exchange membrane. The electrochemistry is analytically solved and the closed-form solution is provided for two limiting cases assuming Tafel expressions for both oxygen reduction and ethanol oxidation. A multi-layer membrane model is proposed to properly account for the diffusive and electroosmotic transport of ethanol through the membrane. The fundamental differences in fuel crossover for positive and negative electroosmotic drag coefficients are discussed. It is found that ethanol crossover is significantly reduced upon using an alkaline anion exchange membrane instead of a proton exchange membrane, especially at current densities higher than 500 A m

High Resolution NMR Studies of Encapsulated Proteins In Liquid Ethane

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Ronald W.; Lefebvre, Brian G.; Wand, A. Joshua

2005-01-01

Many of the difficulties presented by large, aggregation-prone, and membrane proteins to modern solution NMR spectroscopy can be alleviated by actively seeking to increase the effective rate of molecular reorientation. An emerging approach involves encapsulating the protein of interest within the protective shell of a reverse micelle, and dissolving the resulting particle in a low viscosity fluid, such as the short chain alkanes. Here we present the encapsulation of proteins with high structural fidelity within reverse micelles dissolved in liquid ethane. The addition of appropriate co-surfactants can significantly reduce the pressure required for successful encapsulation. At these reduced pressures, the viscosity of the ethane solution is low enough to provide sufficiently rapid molecular reorientation to significantly lengthen the spin-spin NMR relaxation times of the encapsulated protein. PMID:16028922

Characterizing free volumes and layer structures in polymeric membranes using slow positron annihilation spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jean, Y C; Chen Hongmin; Awad, Somia; Zhang Sui; Chen Hangzheng; Lau, Cher Hon; Wang Huan; Li Fuyun; Chung, Tai-Shung; Lee, L James; Huang, James

2011-01-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy coupled with a newly built slow positron beam at National University of Singapore has been used to study the free volume, pore, and depth profile (0 - 10 μm) in cellulose acetate polymeric membrane at the bottom and top sides of membranes for ionic separation in water purification applications. The S and R parameters from Doppler broadening energy of annihilation radiation representing free volumes (0.1-1 nm size) and pores (>1 nm-μm) as a function of depth have been analyzed into multilayers, i.e. skin dense, transition, and porous layers, respectively. The top side of membrane has large free volumes and pores and the bottom side has a skin dense layer, which plays a key role in membrane performance. Positron annihilation lifetime results provide additional information about free-volume size and distribution at the atomic and molecular scale in polymeric membrane systems. Doppler broadening energy and lifetime spectroscopies coupled with a variable mono-energy slow positron beam are sensitive and novel techniques for characterization of polymeric membrane in separation applications.

Protein encapsulation via porous CaCO3 microparticles templating.

Science.gov (United States)

Volodkin, Dmitry V; Larionova, Natalia I; Sukhorukov, Gleb B

2004-01-01

Porous microparticles of calcium carbonate with an average diameter of 4.75 microm were prepared and used for protein encapsulation in polymer-filled microcapsules by means of electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly (ELbL). Loading of macromolecules in porous CaCO3 particles is affected by their molecular weight due to diffusion-limited permeation inside the particles and also by the affinity to the carbonate surface. Adsorption of various proteins and dextran was examined as a function of pH and was found to be dependent both on the charge of the microparticles and macromolecules. The electrostatic effect was shown to govern this interaction. This paper discusses the factors which can influence the adsorption capacity of proteins. A new way of protein encapsulation in polyelectrolyte microcapsules is proposed exploiting the porous, biocompatible, and decomposable microparticles from CaCO3. It consists of protein adsorption in the pores of the microparticles followed by ELbL of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and further core dissolution. This resulted in formation of polyelectrolyte-filled capsules with protein incorporated in interpenetrating polyelectrolyte network. The properties of CaCO3 microparticles and capsules prepared were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, microelectrophoresis, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Lactalbumin was encapsulated by means of the proposed technique yielding a content of 0.6 pg protein per microcapsule. Horseradish peroxidase saves 37% of activity after encapsulation. However, the thermostability of the enzyme was improved by encapsulation. The results demonstrate that porous CaCO3 microparticles can be applied as microtemplates for encapsulation of proteins into polyelectrolyte capsules at neutral pH as an optimal medium for a variety of bioactive material, which can also be encapsulated by the proposed method. Microcapsules filled with encapsulated material may find applications in the field of

Polycaprolactone Thin-Film Micro- and Nanoporous Cell-Encapsulation Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Nyitray, Crystal E; Chang, Ryan; Faleo, Gaetano; Lance, Kevin D; Bernards, Daniel A; Tang, Qizhi; Desai, Tejal A

2015-06-23

Cell-encapsulating devices can play an important role in advancing the types of tissue available for transplantation and further improving transplant success rates. To have an effective device, encapsulated cells must remain viable, respond to external stimulus, and be protected from immune responses, and the device itself must elicit a minimal foreign body response. To address these challenges, we developed a micro- and a nanoporous thin-film cell encapsulation device from polycaprolactone (PCL), a material previously used in FDA-approved biomedical devices. The thin-film device construct allows long-term bioluminescent transfer imaging, which can be used for monitoring cell viability and device tracking. The ability to tune the microporous and nanoporous membrane allows selective protection from immune cell invasion and cytokine-mediated cell death in vitro, all while maintaining typical cell function, as demonstrated by encapsulated cells' insulin production in response to glucose stimulation. To demonstrate the ability to track, visualize, and monitor the viability of cells encapsulated in implanted thin-film devices, we encapsulated and implanted luciferase-positive MIN6 cells in allogeneic mouse models for up to 90 days. Lack of foreign body response in combination with rapid neovascularization around the device shows promise in using this technology for cell encapsulation. These devices can help elucidate the metrics required for cell encapsulation success and direct future immune-isolation therapies.

Buried straw layer and plastic mulching increase microlfora diversity in salinized soil

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LI Yu-yi; PANG Huan-cheng; HAN Xiu-fang; YAN Shou-wei; ZHAO Yong-gan; WANG Jing; ZHAI Zhen; ZHANG Jian-li

2016-01-01

Salt stress has been increasingly constraining crop productivity in arid lands of the world. In our recent study, salt stress was aleviated and crop productivity was improved remarkably by straw layer burial plus plastic iflm mulching in a saline soil. However, its impact on the microlfora diversity is not wel documented. Field micro-plot experiments were conducted from 2010 to 2011 using four tilage methods: (i) deep tilage with plastic iflm mulching (CK), (i) straw layer burial at 40 cm (S), (ii) straw layer burial plus surface soil mulching with straw material (S+S), and (iv) plastic iflm mulching plus buried straw layer (P+S). Culturable microbes and predominant bacterial communities were studied; based on 16S rDNA, bacterial com-munity structure and abundance were characterized using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results showed that P+S was the most favorable for culturable bacteria, actinomyces and fungi and induced the most diverse genera of bacteria compared to other tilage methods. Soil temperature had signiifcant positive correlations with the number of bacteria, actinomyces and fungi (P<0.01). However, soil water was poorly correlated with any of the microbes. Salt content had a signiifcant negative correlation with the number of microbers, especialy for bacteria and fungi (P<0.01). DGGE analysis showed that the P+S exhibited the highest diversity of bacteria with 20 visible bands folowed by S+S, S and CK. Moreover, P+S had the highest similarity (68%) of bacterial communities with CK. The major bacterial genera in al soil samples wereFirmicutes,Proteobacteria andActinobacteria. Given the considerable increase in microbial growth, the combined use of straw layer burial and plastic iflm mulching could be a practical option for aleviating salt stress effects on soil microbial community and thereby improving crop production in arid saline soils.

Response of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer and Soil Layer to a High Altitude, Dense Aerosol Cover.

Science.gov (United States)

Garratt, J. R.; Pittock, A. B.; Walsh, K.

1990-01-01

The response of the atmospheric boundary layer to the appearance of a high-altitude smoke layer has been investigated in a mesoscale numerical model of the atmosphere. Emphasis is placed on the changes in mean boundary-layer structure and near-surface temperatures when smoke of absorption optical depth (AOD) in the, range 0 to 1 is introduced. Calculations have been made at 30°S, for different soil thermal properties and degrees of surface wetness, over a time period of several days during which major smoke-induced cooling occurs. The presence of smoke reduces the daytime mixed-layer depth and, for large enough values of AOD, results in a daytime surface inversion with large cooling confined to heights of less than a few hundred meters. Smoke-induced reductions in daytime soil and air temperatures of several degrees are typical, dependent critically upon soil wetness and smoke AOD. Locations near the coast experience reduced cooling whenever there is a significant onshore flow related to a sea breeze (this would also be the case with a large-scale onshore flow). The sea breeze itself disappears for large enough smoke AOD and, over sloping coastal terrain, a smoke-induced, offshore drainage flow may exist throughout the diurnal cycle.

Fabrication and characterization of two-layered nanofibrous membrane for guided bone and tissue regeneration application.

Science.gov (United States)

Masoudi Rad, Maryam; Nouri Khorasani, Saied; Ghasemi-Mobarakeh, Laleh; Prabhakaran, Molamma P; Foroughi, Mohammad Reza; Kharaziha, Mahshid; Saadatkish, Niloufar; Ramakrishna, Seeram

2017-11-01

Membranes used in dentistry act as a barrier to prevent invasion of intruder cells to defected area and obtains spaces that are to be subsequently filled with new bone and provide required bone volume for implant therapy when there is insufficient volume of healthy bone at implant site. In this study a two-layered bioactive membrane were fabricated by electrospinning whereas one layer provides guided bone regeneration (GBR) and fabricated using poly glycerol sebacate (PGS)/polycaprolactone (PCL) and Beta tri-calcium phosphate (β-TCP) (5, 10 and 15%) and another one containing PCL/PGS and chitosan acts as guided tissue regeneration (GTR). The morphology, chemical, physical and mechanical characterizations of the membranes were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), tensile testing, then biodegradability and bioactivity properties were evaluated. In vitro cell culture study was also carried out to investigate proliferation and mineralization of cells on different membranes. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and SEM results indicated agglomeration of β-TCP nanoparticles in the structure of nanofibers containing 15% β-TCP. Moreover by addition of β-TCP from 5% to 15%, contact angle decreased due to hydrophilicity of nanoparticles and bioactivity was found to increase. Mechanical properties of the membrane increased by incorporation of 5% and 10% of β-TCP in the structure of nanofibers, while addition of 15% of β-TCP was found to deteriorate mechanical properties of nanofibers. Although the presence of 5% and 10% of nanoparticles in the nanofibers increased proliferation of cells on GBR layer, cell proliferation was observed to decrease by addition of 15% β-TCP in the structure of nanofibers which is likely due to agglomeration of nanoparticles in the nanofiber structure. Our overall results revealed PCL/PGS containing 10% β-TCP could be selected as the optimum GBR membrane

Inorganic Substrates and Encapsulation Layers for Transient Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

as substrates and encapsulating materials, with demonstrated options that range from films of silk fibroin, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyglycolic...PDMS) (Dow Corning , USA) coated on glass slides to facilitate processing. SiO2 (~1 μm) was deposited by PECVD on these foils for electrical...with laminating the foils Fe, Mo, W, and Zn, ~10 μm thick (Goodfellow, USA) on glass slides coated with PDMS (Dow Corning Co., USA) as temporary

Improved antifouling properties of polymer membranes using a ‘layer-by-layer’ mediated method

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lin; Thé rien-Aubin, Hé loï se; Wong, Mavis C. Y.; Hoek, Eric M. V.; Ober, Christopher K.

2013-01-01

Polymeric reverse osmosis membranes were modified with antifouling polymer brushes through a 'layer by layer' (LBL) mediated method. Based on pure physical electrostatic interaction, the attachment of LBL films did not alter separation performance

Polymeric membranes modulate human keratinocyte differentiation in specific epidermal layers.

Science.gov (United States)

Salerno, Simona; Morelli, Sabrina; Giordano, Francesca; Gordano, Amalia; Bartolo, Loredana De

2016-10-01

In vitro models of human bioengineered skin substitutes are an alternative to animal experimentation for testing the effects and toxicity of drugs, cosmetics and pollutants. For the first time specific and distinct human epidermal strata were engineered by using membranes and keratinocytes. To this purpose, biodegradable membranes of chitosan (CHT), polycaprolactone (PCL) and a polymeric blend of CHT-PCL were prepared by phase-inversion technique and characterized in order to evaluate their morphological, physico-chemical and mechanical properties. The capability of membranes to modulate keratinocyte differentiation inducing specific interactions in epidermal membrane systems was investigated. The overall results demonstrated that the membrane properties strongly influence the cell morpho-functional behaviour of human keratinocytes, modulating their terminal differentiation, with the creation of specific epidermal strata or a fully proliferative epidermal multilayer system. In particular, human keratinocytes adhered on CHT and CHT-PCL membranes, forming the structure of the epidermal top layers, such as the corneum and granulosum strata, characterized by withdrawal or reduction from the cell cycle and cell proliferation. On the PCL membrane, keratinocytes developed an epidermal basal lamina, with high proliferating cells that stratified and migrated over time to form a complete differentiating epidermal multilayer system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) membranes for electric double layer capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Wan Ju; Kim, Dong-Won

2008-01-01

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (S-PEEK) with different degree of sulfonation (DS) has been prepared and evaluated as a proton conducting membrane for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC). The polymer electrolytes prepared with S-PEEK membrane exhibited ionic conductivities about 1.2 x 10 -3 -4.5 x 10 -3 S cm -1 at room temperature, which depended on both soaking solvent and degree of sulfonation. The quasi-solid-state EDLCs consisted of activated carbon electrodes and S-PEEK membrane were assembled, and their electrochemical characteristics were studied by cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge cycle tests. The effect of DS on the electrochemical performances of EDLCs has been investigated

Recent progress in the applications of layer-by-layer assembly to the preparation of nanostructured ion-rejecting water purification membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanyal, Oishi; Lee, Ilsoon

2014-03-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are the two dominant membrane separation processes responsible for ion rejection. While RO is highly efficient in removal of ions it needs a high operating pressure and offers very low selectivity between ions. Nanofiltration on the other hand has a comparatively low operating pressure and most commercial membranes offer selectivity in terms of ion rejection. However in many nanofiltration operations rejection of monovalent ions is not appreciable. Therefore a high flux high rejection membrane is needed that can be applied to water purification systems. One such alternative is the usage of polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes that are prepared by the deposition of alternately charged polyelectrolytes via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly method. LbL is one of the most common self-assembly techniques and finds application in various areas. It has a number of tunable parameters like deposition conditions, number of bilayers deposited etc. which can be manipulated as per the type of application. This technique can be applied to make a nanothin membrane skin which gives high rejection and at the same time allow a high water flux across it. Several research groups have applied this highly versatile technique to prepare membranes that can be employed for water purification. Some of these membranes have shown better performance than the commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. These membranes have the potential to be applied to various different aspects of water treatment like water softening, desalination and recovery of certain ions. Besides the conventional method of LbL technique other alternative methods have also been suggested that can make the technique fast, more efficient and thereby make it more commercially acceptable.

A study on water infiltration barriers with compacted layered soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umeda, Y.; Komori, K.; Fujiwara, A.

1993-01-01

In shallow-ground disposal of low-level radioactive wastes, water movements due to natural processes in the soil covering the disposal facility must be properly controlled. A capillary barrier with compacted layered soils can provide an effective means of controlling water movement in the soil covering placed on a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. An experiment was performed to determine the effectiveness of a full-scale fill as a capillary barrier. The fill used in the experiment was constructed of compacted layers of clay, fine sand, and gravel. Man-made rain was caused to fall on the surfaces of the fill to observe the infiltration of rainwater into the fill and to measure the amount of water drained from within. The experiment established the effectiveness of the capillary barrier

Apparatus for plasma surface treating and preparation of membrane layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

1990-01-01

An apparatus suitable for plasma surface treating (e.g., forming a membrane layer on a substrate surface) comprises a plasma generation section which is operable at least at substantially atmospheric pressure and is in communication via at least one plasma inlet (e.g., a nozzle) with an enclosed

Update on cellular encapsulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Kate E; Johnson, Robert C; Papas, Klearchos K

2018-05-06

There is currently a significant disparity between the number of patients who need lifesaving transplants and the number of donated human organs. Xenotransplantation is a way to address this disparity and attempts to enable the use of xenogeneic tissues have persisted for centuries. While immunologic incompatibilities have presented a persistent impediment to their use, encapsulation may represent a way forward for the use of cell-based xenogeneic therapeutics without the need for immunosuppression. In conjunction with modern innovations such as the use of bioprinting, incorporation of immune modulating molecules into capsule membranes, and genetic engineering, the application of xenogeneic cells to treat disorders ranging from pain to liver failure is becoming increasingly realistic. The present review discusses encapsulation in the context of xenotransplantation, focusing on the current status of clinical trials, persistent issues such as antigen shedding, oxygen availability, and donor selection, and recent developments that may address these limitations. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Collecting soil vapor from the Vadose Zone with an instrumented membrane system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, S.A.

1992-07-01

As part of an on-going program to monitor ground water pollution, the SEAMIST instrumented membrane system was purchased and installed in two boreholes at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). SEAMIST is a flexible, removable, polyvinylchloride-coated, nylon membrane tube used to seal the sides of a borehole and to which sampling devices and other types of instrumentation may be attached. This paper describes a method to sample soil vapor (a component of soil gas) with the SEAMIST system from a borehole at several depths simultaneously. The cryotraps used with this technique were tested for their collection efficiency, and those data are presented. Data on the integrity of the SEAMIST borehole seal are also reported

A Study on Organic-Metal Halide Perovskite Film Morphology, Interfacial Layers, Tandem Applications, and Encapsulation

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Dallas A.

decreased drastically due to poor band alignment. Fe2O3 appears to be better suited to a narrower band gap material than methylammonium lead iodide perovskite. Finally, encapsulation of perovskite devices with epoxy coatings is explored as a method to improve long-term stability. Perovskites are sensitive to a variety of conditions, but most importantly water and polar molecules. Encapsulants act as a moisture/oxygen barrier, but also prevent outgassing of the organic components. Three epoxies were tested in high heat and high humidity conditions. Important factors in the curing process were uncovered such as the sensitivity of UV-epoxies to amine functional groups found in common p-type dopants and perovskite layers. Moisture ingress was the failure point for high-humidity/heat devices which was confirmed through conversion to yellow lead iodide. A revised device fabrication method is proposed to reduce moisture ingress for future experiments.

Gel layer formation on membranes in Membrane Bioreactors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van den Brink, P.F.H.

2014-01-01

The widespread application of membrane bioreactors (MBRs) for municipal wastewater treatment is hampered by membrane fouling. Fouling increases energy demand, reduces process performance and creates the need for more frequent (chemical) membrane cleaning or replacement. Membrane fouling in MBRs is

Instabilities and diffusion in a hydrodynamic model of a fluid membrane coupled to a thin active fluid layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, N; Basu, A

2012-11-01

We construct a coarse-grained effective two-dimensional (2d hydrodynamic theory as a theoretical model for a coupled system of a fluid membrane and a thin layer of a polar active fluid in its ordered state that is anchored to the membrane. We show that such a system is prone to generic instabilities through the interplay of nonequilibrium drive, polar order and membrane fluctuation. We use our model equations to calculate diffusion coefficients of an inclusion in the membrane and show that their values depend strongly on the system size, in contrast to their equilibrium values. Our work extends the work of S. Sankararaman and S. Ramaswamy (Phys. Rev. Lett., 102, 118107 (2009)) to a coupled system of a fluid membrane and an ordered active fluid layer. Our model is broadly inspired by and should be useful as a starting point for theoretical descriptions of the coupled dynamics of a cell membrane and a cortical actin layer anchored to it.

Ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography for encapsulation quality inspection

KAUST Repository

Czajkowski, Jakub

2011-08-28

We present the application of ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) in evaluation of thin, protective films used in printed electronics. Two types of sample were investigated: microscopy glass and organic field effect transistor (OFET) structure. Samples were coated with thin (1-3 μm) layer of parylene C polymer. Measurements were done using experimental UHR-OCT device based on a Kerr-lens mode locked Ti: sapphire femtosecond laser, photonic crystal fibre and modified, free-space Michelson interferometer. Submicron resolution offered by the UHR-OCT system applied in the study enables registration of both interfaces of the thin encapsulation layer. Complete, volumetric characterisation of protective layers is presented, demonstrating possibility to use OCT for encapsulation quality inspection. © Springer-Verlag 2011.

Encapsulation and Nano-Encapsulation of Papain Active Sites to Enhance Radiolityc Stability and Decrease Toxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lugão, A. B.; Varca, G. H.C.; Mathor, M. B.; Santos Lopes, P.; Rogero, M. S.S.; Rogero, J.R., E-mail: ablugao@ipen.br [Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242 Cidade Universitaria, 05508-000 Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2010-07-01

Papain is used as an ingredient in various enzymatic debridement preparations. Those paste-like preparations are based on water solution and usually are sterilized by radiation. As a consequence, there is a major decrease in papain activity. Papain containing preparations are used in chronic wounds treatment in order to clean and remove the necrotic tissue. However FDA (2008) is taking an action against such products due to severe adverse events reported in patients submitted to papain treatments. Thus, the main goal of this proposal is to develop encapsulated papain containing membranes based on hydrogels and silicone rubber in an attempt to achieve a controllable distribution of size and delivery profile, a toxicity reduction and provide stability towards radiation processing through molecular encapsulation with β-cyclodextrin, which may also provide protection to the enzyme against radiation induced radiolysis. (author)

Encapsulation and Nano-Encapsulation of Papain Active Sites to Enhance Radiolityc Stability and Decrease Toxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lugão, A.B.; Varca, G.H.C.; Mathor, M.B.; Santos Lopes, P.; Rogero, M.S.S.; Rogero, J.R.

2010-01-01

Papain is used as an ingredient in various enzymatic debridement preparations. Those paste-like preparations are based on water solution and usually are sterilized by radiation. As a consequence, there is a major decrease in papain activity. Papain containing preparations are used in chronic wounds treatment in order to clean and remove the necrotic tissue. However FDA (2008) is taking an action against such products due to severe adverse events reported in patients submitted to papain treatments. Thus, the main goal of this proposal is to develop encapsulated papain containing membranes based on hydrogels and silicone rubber in an attempt to achieve a controllable distribution of size and delivery profile, a toxicity reduction and provide stability towards radiation processing through molecular encapsulation with β-cyclodextrin, which may also provide protection to the enzyme against radiation induced radiolysis. (author)

Method for plasma surface treating and preparation of membrane layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

1992-01-01

The invention relates to an apparatus suitable for plasma surface treating (e.g. forming a membrane layer on a substrate) which comprises a plasma generation section (2) which is in communication via at least one plasma inlet means (4) (e.g. a nozzle) with an enclosed plasma treating section (3)

Asymmetric polymeric membranes containing a metal-rich dense layer with a controlled thickness and method of making same

KAUST Repository

Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor; Villalobos, Vazquez De La Parra Luis Francisco

2016-01-01

A structure, and methods of making the structure are provided in which the structure can include: a membrane having a first layer and a second layer, the first layer comprising polymer chains formed with coordination complexes with metal ions, and the second layer consisting of a porous support layer formed of polymer chains substantially, if not completely, lacking the presence of metal ions. The structure can be an asymmetric polymeric membrane containing a metal-rich layer as the first layer. In various embodiments the first layer can be a metal-rich dense layer. The first layer can include pores. The polymer chains of the first layer can be closely packed. The second layer can include a plurality of macro voids and can have an absence of the metal ions of the first layer.

Asymmetric polymeric membranes containing a metal-rich dense layer with a controlled thickness and method of making same

KAUST Repository

Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2016-01-21

A structure, and methods of making the structure are provided in which the structure can include: a membrane having a first layer and a second layer, the first layer comprising polymer chains formed with coordination complexes with metal ions, and the second layer consisting of a porous support layer formed of polymer chains substantially, if not completely, lacking the presence of metal ions. The structure can be an asymmetric polymeric membrane containing a metal-rich layer as the first layer. In various embodiments the first layer can be a metal-rich dense layer. The first layer can include pores. The polymer chains of the first layer can be closely packed. The second layer can include a plurality of macro voids and can have an absence of the metal ions of the first layer.

Safety evaluation for packaging (onsite) singly encapsulated cesium chloride capsules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smyth, W.W.

1997-01-01

Three nonstandard Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) cesium chloride capsules are being shipped from WESF (225B building) to the 324 building. They would normally be shipped in the Beneficial Uses Shipping System (BUSS) cask under its US Department of Energy (DOE) license (DOE 1996), but these capsules are nonstandard: one has a damaged or defective weld in the outer layer of encapsulation, and two have the outer encapsulation removed. The 3 capsules, along with 13 other capsules, will be overpacked in the 324 building to meet the requirements for storage in WESF's pool

The Impact of Wet Soil and Canopy Temperatures on Daytime Boundary-Layer Growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Segal, M.; Garratt, J. R.; Kallos, G.; Pielke, R. A.

1989-12-01

The impact of very wet soil and canopy temperatures on the surface sensible heat flux, and on related daytime boundary-layer properties is evaluated. For very wet soils, two winter situations are considered, related to significant changes in soil surface temperature: (1) due to weather perturbations at a given location, and (2) due to the climatological north-south temperature gradient. Analyses and scaling of the various boundary-layer properties, and soil surface fluxes affecting the sensible beat flux, have been made; related evaluations show that changes in the sensible heat flux at a given location by a factor of 2 to 3 due to temperature changes related to weather perturbations is not uncommon. These changes result in significant alterations in the boundary-layer depth; in the atmospheric boundary-layer warming; and in the break-up time of the nocturnal surface temperature inversion. Investigation of the impact of the winter latitudinal temperature gradient on the above characteristics indicated that the relative increase in very wet soil sensible heat flux, due to the climatological reduction in the surface temperature in northern latitudes, moderates to some extent its reduction due to the corresponding decrease in solar radiation. Numerical model simulations confirmed these analytical evaluations.In addition, the impact of synoptic temperature perturbations during the transition seasons (fall and spring) on canopy sensible heal fluxes, and the related boundary-layer characteristics mentioned above, was evaluated. Analogous features to those found for very wet soil surfaces occurred also for the canopy situations. Likewise, evaluations were also carried out to explore the impact of high midlatitude foreste areas on the boundary-layer characteristics during the winter as compared to those during the summer. Similar impacts were found in both seasons, regardless of the substantial difference in the daily total solar radiation.

Multifunctional-layered materials for creating membrane-restricted nanodomains and nanoscale imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Srinivasan, P., E-mail: prasri@ece.ucsb.edu, E-mail: srinivasan@lifesci.ucsb.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA and Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 (United States)

2016-01-18

Experimental platform that allows precise spatial positioning of biomolecules with an exquisite control at nanometer length scales is a valuable tool to study the molecular mechanisms of membrane bound signaling. Using micromachined thin film gold (Au) in layered architecture, it is possible to add both optical and biochemical functionalities in in vitro. Towards this goal, here, I show that docking of complementary DNA tethered giant phospholiposomes on Au surface can create membrane-restricted nanodomains. These nanodomains are critical features to dissect molecular choreography of membrane signaling complexes. The excited surface plasmon resonance modes of Au allow label-free imaging at diffraction-limited resolution of stably docked DNA tethered phospholiposomes, and lipid-detergent bicelle structures. Such multifunctional building block enables realizing rigorously controlled in vitro set-up to model membrane anchored biological signaling, besides serving as an optical tool for nanoscale imaging.

Chemical composition of the humus layer, mineral soil and soil solution of 200 forest stands in the Netherlands in 1995

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leeters, E.E.J.M.; Vries, de W.

2001-01-01

A nationwide assessment of the chemical composition of the soil solid phase and the soil solution in the humus layer and two mineral layers (0-10 cm and 10-30 cm) was made for 200 forest stands in the year 1995. The stands were part of the national forest inventory on vitality, included seven tree

Preparation and evaluation of PEGylated phospholipid membrane coated layered double hydroxide nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Yan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to develop layered double hydroxide (LDH nanoparticles coated with PEGylated phospholipid membrane. By comparing the size distribution and zeta potential, the weight ratio of LDH to lipid materials which constitute the outside membrane was identified as 2:1. Transmission electron microscopy photographs confirmed the core-shell structure of PEGylated phospholipid membrane coated LDH (PEG-PLDH nanoparticles, and cell cytotoxicity assay showed their good cell viability on Hela and BALB/C-3T3 cells over the concentration range from 0.5 to 50 μg/mL.

Improved Seasonal Prediction of European Summer Temperatures With New Five-Layer Soil-Hydrology Scheme

Science.gov (United States)

Bunzel, Felix; Müller, Wolfgang A.; Dobrynin, Mikhail; Fröhlich, Kristina; Hagemann, Stefan; Pohlmann, Holger; Stacke, Tobias; Baehr, Johanna

2018-01-01

We evaluate the impact of a new five-layer soil-hydrology scheme on seasonal hindcast skill of 2 m temperatures over Europe obtained with the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). Assimilation experiments from 1981 to 2010 and 10-member seasonal hindcasts initialized on 1 May each year are performed with MPI-ESM in two soil configurations, one using a bucket scheme and one a new five-layer soil-hydrology scheme. We find the seasonal hindcast skill for European summer temperatures to improve with the five-layer scheme compared to the bucket scheme and investigate possible causes for these improvements. First, improved indirect soil moisture assimilation allows for enhanced soil moisture-temperature feedbacks in the hindcasts. Additionally, this leads to improved prediction of anomalies in the 500 hPa geopotential height surface, reflecting more realistic atmospheric circulation patterns over Europe.

Responses of plant available water and forest productivity to variably layered coarse textured soils

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Mingbin; Barbour, Lee; Elshorbagy, Amin; Si, Bing; Zettl, Julie

2010-05-01

Reforestation is a primary end use for reconstructed soils following oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada. Limited soil water conditions strongly restrict plant growth. Previous research has shown that layering of sandy soils can produce enhanced water availability for plant growth; however, the effect of gradation on these enhancements is not well defined. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soil texture (gradation and layering) on plant available water and consequently on forest productivity for reclaimed coarse textured soils. A previously validated system dynamics (SD) model of soil moisture dynamics was coupled with ecophysiological and biogeochemical processes model, Biome-BGC-SD, to simulate forest dynamics for different soil profiles. These profiles included contrasting 50 cm textural layers of finer sand overlying coarser sand in which the sand layers had either a well graded or uniform soil texture. These profiles were compared to uniform profiles of the same sands. Three tree species of jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), white spruce (Picea glauce Voss.), and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) were simulated using a 50 year climatic data base from northern Alberta. Available water holding capacity (AWHC) was used to identify soil moisture regime, and leaf area index (LAI) and net primary production (NPP) were used as indices of forest productivity. Published physiological parameters were used in the Biome-BGC-SD model. Relative productivity was assessed by comparing model predictions to the measured above-ground biomass dynamics for the three tree species, and was then used to study the responses of forest leaf area index and potential productivity to AWHC on different soil profiles. Simulated results indicated soil layering could significantly increase AWHC in the 1-m profile for coarse textured soils. This enhanced AWHC could result in an increase in forest LAI and NPP. The increased extent varied with soil

Design and Test of a Soil Profile Moisture Sensor Based on Sensitive Soil Layers

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cheng; Qian, Hongzhou; Cao, Weixing; Ni, Jun

2018-01-01

To meet the demand of intelligent irrigation for accurate moisture sensing in the soil vertical profile, a soil profile moisture sensor was designed based on the principle of high-frequency capacitance. The sensor consists of five groups of sensing probes, a data processor, and some accessory components. Low-resistivity copper rings were used as components of the sensing probes. Composable simulation of the sensor’s sensing probes was carried out using a high-frequency structure simulator. According to the effective radiation range of electric field intensity, width and spacing of copper ring were set to 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. A parallel resonance circuit of voltage-controlled oscillator and high-frequency inductance-capacitance (LC) was designed for signal frequency division and conditioning. A data processor was used to process moisture-related frequency signals for soil profile moisture sensing. The sensor was able to detect real-time soil moisture at the depths of 20, 30, and 50 cm and conduct online inversion of moisture in the soil layer between 0–100 cm. According to the calibration results, the degree of fitting (R2) between the sensor’s measuring frequency and the volumetric moisture content of soil sample was 0.99 and the relative error of the sensor consistency test was 0–1.17%. Field tests in different loam soils showed that measured soil moisture from our sensor reproduced the observed soil moisture dynamic well, with an R2 of 0.96 and a root mean square error of 0.04. In a sensor accuracy test, the R2 between the measured value of the proposed sensor and that of the Diviner2000 portable soil moisture monitoring system was higher than 0.85, with a relative error smaller than 5%. The R2 between measured values and inversed soil moisture values for other soil layers were consistently higher than 0.8. According to calibration test and field test, this sensor, which features low cost, good operability, and high integration, is qualified for

Asymmetric bi-layer PFSA membranes as model systems for the study of water management in the PEMFC.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Z; Peng, A Z; Morin, A; Huguet, P; Lanteri, Y; Deabate, S

2014-10-14

New bi-layer PFSA membranes made of Nafion® NRE212 and Aquivion™ E79-05s with different equivalent weights are prepared with the aim of managing water repartition in the PEMFC. The membrane water transport properties, i.e. back-diffusion and electroosmosis, as well as the electrochemical performances, are compared to those of state-of-art materials. The actual water content (the inner water concentration profile across the membrane thickness) is measured under operation in the fuel cell by in situ Raman microspectroscopy. The orientation of the equivalent weight gradient with respect to the water external gradient and to the proton flow direction affects the membrane water content, the water transport ability and, thus, the fuel cell performances. Higher power outputs, related to lower ohmic losses, are observed when the membrane is assembled with the lower equivalent weight layer (Aquivion™) at the anode side. This orientation, corresponding to enhanced water transport by back-flow while electroosmosis remains unaffected, results in the higher hydration of the membrane and of the anode active layer during operation. Also, polarization data suggest a different water repartition in the fuel cell along the on-plane direction. Even if the interest in multi-layer PFSA membranes as perspective electrolytes for PEMFCs is not definitively attested, these materials appear to be excellent model systems to establish relationships between the membrane transport properties, the water distribution in the fuel cell and the electrochemical performances. Thanks to the micrometric resolution, in situ Raman microspectroscopy proves to be a unique tool to measure the actual hydration of the membrane at the surface swept by the hydrated feed gases during operation, so that it can be used as a local probe of the water concentration evolution along the gas distribution channels according to changing working conditions.

Applied satellite remote sensing to runoff analysis: Through the effective depth of soil layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Kondoh, T.; Kida, T.; Nishikawa, H.

2002-01-01

The thickness of the soil layers in which tree roots are able to develop freely influences forest composition and growth. Trees growing in shallow soil are usually less well supplied with water and mineral nutrients than those growing in deeper soil. A soil may be deep in an absolute sense but, because of a relatively impervious layer, such as hardpan or because of a high water-table, may be shallow in a physiological sense. Penetrability measurements have been found useful in evaluating the influence of different forest types on the physical properties of soils. Commonly the penetrability of soils can be measured by using the Hasegawa-formed soil penetrometer and can be judged as the soil softness content (SSC). Previous studies report soil with more than 1.9 cm/drop of SSC to be highly permeable and therefore roots are more likely to be extensively developed. Based upon this theory the depth of soil layer with more than 1.9 cm/drop of SSC can be defined as the Effective Depth of Soil Layer (EDSL). We examined the relationship between the Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) and the EDSL and established a 'Runoff Simulation Model (RSM)' based upon the theory of the Storage Function Model method. The conclusions are that (1) a strong positive correlation between the RVI (ground measured) and the EDSL was given, (2) applying results of conclusion (1) to satellite analysis a similar correlation between the RVI (satellite analysis of JERS 1/OPS data) and the EDSL was observed and (3) the simulated storm-runoff hydro graph coincides with the observed one well

Relating performance of thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes to support layer formation and structure

KAUST Repository

Tiraferri, Alberto; Yip, Ngai Yin; Phillip, William A.; Schiffman, Jessica D.; Elimelech, Menachem

2011-01-01

the technology to the point that it is commercially viable. Here, a systematic investigation of the influence of thin-film composite membrane support layer structure on forward osmosis performance is conducted. The membranes consist of a selective polyamide

Plantlets from encapsulated shoot buds of Catalpa ovata G. Don

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Halina Wysokińska

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Shoot buds isolated from in vitro shoot cultures of Catalpa ovata G. Don were encapsulated using 3% sodium alginate with sucrose (3% and 50 mM calcium chloride. The morphogenic response of encapsulated buds was affected by such factors, like composition of the media and the presence of growth regulators. The highest frequency of plantlet germination from encapsulated buds (70% within 4 weeks was obtained on Woody Plant medium (WP (Lloyd and McCown 1980 containing indole-3-butyric acid (IBA (1 mg/l. The process was substantially inhibited by cold-storage (4oC of encapsulated buds. In this case, the frequency response ranged from 3% to 22% dependent on storage period (28 or 42 days and the presence of the paraffin coat covering the alginate capsules. The plantlets developed from both unstored and stored encapsulated buds of C. ovata were transplanted to soil and grew in pots to phenotypically normal plants.

Encapsulation method for atom probe tomography analysis of nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, D.J.; Giddings, A.D.; Wu, Y.; Verheijen, M.A.; Prosa, T.J.; Roozeboom, F.; Rice, K.P.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Geiser, B.P.; Kelly, T.F.

2015-01-01

Open-space nanomaterials are a widespread class of technologically important materials that are generally incompatible with analysis by atom probe tomography (APT) due to issues with specimen preparation, field evaporation and data reconstruction. The feasibility of encapsulating such non-compact matter in a matrix to enable APT measurements is investigated using nanoparticles as an example. Simulations of field evaporation of a void, and the resulting artifacts in ion trajectory, underpin the requirement that no voids remain after encapsulation. The approach is demonstrated by encapsulating Pt nanoparticles in an ZnO:Al matrix created by atomic layer deposition, a growth technique which offers very high surface coverage and conformality. APT measurements of the Pt nanoparticles are correlated with transmission electron microscopy images and numerical simulations in order to evaluate the accuracy of the APT reconstruction. - Highlights: • Pt nanoparticles were analyzed using atom probe tomography and TEM. • The particles were prepared by encapsulation using atomic layer deposition. • Simulation of field evaporation near a void results in aberrations in ion trajectories. • Apparent differences between TEM and APT analyses are reconciled through simulation of field evaporation from a low-field matrix containing high-field NPs; ion trajectory aberrations are shown to lead to an apparent mixing of the matrix into the NPs.

Theoretical Modeling and Analysis of L- and P-band Radar Backscatter Sensitivity to Soil Active Layer Dielectric Variations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyang Du

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Freeze-thaw (FT and moisture dynamics within the soil active layer are critical elements of boreal, arctic and alpine ecosystems, and environmental change assessments. We evaluated the potential for detecting dielectric changes within different soil layers using combined L- and P-band radar remote sensing as a prerequisite for detecting FT and moisture profile changes within the soil active layer. A two-layer scattering model was developed and validated for simulating radar responses from vertically inhomogeneous soil. The model simulations indicated that inhomogeneity in the soil dielectric profile contributes to both L- and P-band backscatter, but with greater P-band sensitivity at depth. The difference in L- and P-band responses to soil dielectric profile inhomogeneity appears suitable for detecting associated changes in soil active layer conditions. Additional evaluation using collocated airborne radar (AIRSAR observations and in situ soil moisture measurements over alpine tundra indicates that combined L- and P-band SAR observations are sensitive to soil dielectric profile heterogeneity associated with variations in soil moisture and FT conditions.

How Do Polyethylene Glycol and Poly(sulfobetaine) Hydrogel Layers on Ultrafiltration Membranes Minimize Fouling and Stay Stable in Cleaning Chemicals?

KAUST Repository

Le, Ngoc Lieu

2017-05-18

We compare the efficiency of grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) and poly(sulfobetaine) hydrogel layer on poly(ether imide) (PEI) hollow-fiber ultrafiltration membrane surfaces in terms of filtration performance, fouling minimization and stability in cleaning solutions. Two previously established different methods toward the two different chemistries (and both had already proven to be suited to reduce fouling significantly) are applied to the same PEI membranes. The hydrophilicity of PEI membranes is improved by the modification, as indicated by the change of contact angle value from 89° to 68° for both methods, due to the hydration layer formed in the hydrogel layers. Their pure water flux declines because of the additional permeation barrier from the hydrogel layers. However, these barriers increase protein rejection. In the exposure at a static condition, grafting PEG or poly(sulfobetaine) reduces protein adsorption to 23% or 11%, respectively. In the dynamic filtration, the hydrogel layers minimizes the flux reduction and increases the reversibility of fouling. Compared to the pristine PEI membrane that can recover its flux to 42% after hydraulic cleaning, the PEG and poly(sulfobetaine) grafted membranes can recover their flux up to 63% and 94%, respectively. Stability tests show that the poly(sulfobetaine) hydrogel layer is stable in acid, base and chlorine solutions, whereas the PEG hydrogel layer suffers alkaline hydrolysis in base and oxidation in chlorine conditions. With its chemical stability and pronounced capability of minimizing fouling, especially irreversible fouling, protective poly(sulfobetaine) hydrogel layers have great potential for various membrane-based applications.

Robust microfluidic encapsulation of cholesteric liquid crystals toward photonic ink capsules.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sang Seok; Kim, Bomi; Kim, Su Kyung; Won, Jong Chan; Kim, Yun Ho; Kim, Shin-Hyun

2015-01-27

Robust photonic microcapsules are created by microfluidic encapsulation of cholesteric liquid crystals with a hydrogel membrane. The membrane encloses the cholesteric core without leakage in water and the core exhibits pronounced structural colors. The photonic ink capsules, which have a precisely controlled bandgap position and size, provide new opportunities in colorimetric micro-thermometers and optoelectric applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Theory of the formation of the electric double layer at the ion exchange membrane-solution interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Moya, A A

2015-02-21

This work aims to extend the study of the formation of the electric double layer at the interface defined by a solution and an ion-exchange membrane on the basis of the Nernst-Planck and Poisson equations, including different values of the counter-ion diffusion coefficient and the dielectric constant in the solution and membrane phases. The network simulation method is used to obtain the time evolution of the electric potential, the displacement electric vector, the electric charge density and the ionic concentrations at the interface between a binary electrolyte solution and a cation-exchange membrane with total co-ion exclusion. The numerical results for the temporal evolution of the interfacial electric potential and the surface electric charge are compared with analytical solutions derived in the limit of the shortest times by considering the Poisson equation for a simple cationic diffusion process. The steady-state results are justified from the Gouy-Chapman theory for the diffuse double layer in the limits of similar and high bathing ionic concentrations with respect to the fixed-charge concentration inside the membrane. Interesting new physical insights arise from the interpretation of the process of the formation of the electric double layer at the ion exchange membrane-solution interface on the basis of a membrane model with total co-ion exclusion.

Membrane proteins involved in transport, vesicle traffic and Ca(2+) signaling increase in beetroots grown in saline soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Lino, Bárbara; Chagolla, Alicia; E González de la Vara, Luis

2016-07-01

By separating plasma membrane proteins according to their hydropathy from beetroots grown in saline soils, several proteins probably involved in salt tolerance were identified by mass spectrometry. Beetroots, as a salt-tolerant crop, have developed mechanisms to cope with stresses associated with saline soils. To observe which plasma membrane (PM) proteins were more abundant in beet roots grown in saline soils, beet root plants were irrigated with water or 0.2 M NaCl. PM-enriched membrane preparations were obtained from these plants, and their proteins were separated according to their hydropathy by serial phase partitioning with Triton X-114. Some proteins whose abundance increased visibly in membranes from salt-grown beetroots were identified by mass spectrometry. Among them, there was a V-type H(+)-ATPase (probably from contaminating vacuolar membranes), which increased with salt at all stages of beetroots' development. Proteins involved in solute transport (an H(+)-transporting PPase and annexins), vesicle traffic (clathrin and synaptotagmins), signal perception and transduction (protein kinases and phospholipases, mostly involved in calcium signaling) and metabolism, appeared to increase in salt-grown beetroot PM-enriched membranes. These results suggest that PM and vacuolar proteins involved in transport, metabolism and signal transduction increase in beet roots adapted to saline soils. In addition, these results show that serial phase partitioning with Triton X-114 is a useful method to separate membrane proteins for their identification by mass spectrometry.

A novel catalyst layer structure based surface-patterned Nafion® membrane for high-performance direct methanol fuel cell

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Ming; Wang, Meng; Ding, Xianan

2018-01-01

.5% respectively, compared with the conventional catalyst layer. Performance improvement is attributed to the fact that the novel catalyst layer structure optimizes the electrolyte membrane/catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer/catalyst layer interfacial structure, which increases the electrochemical reaction......Conventional catalyst layer with a smooth surface exists the larger area of“catalytic dead zone” and reduces the utilization of catalyst. Based on this, a novel catalyst layer structure based surface-patterned Nafion® membrane was designed to achieve more efficient electrochemical reaction...... to prepare the novel catalyst layer, and the effect of pressure on the performance of MEA was investigated. The results suggested that the peak power density of DMFC with optimal novel catalyst layer structure increased by 28.84%, the charge transfer resistances of anode and cathode reduced by 28.8% and 26...

Experimental study of soil-structure interaction for proving the three dimensional thin layered element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuwabara, Y.; Ogiwara, Y.; Suzuki, T.; Tsuchiya, H.; Nakayama, M.

1981-01-01

It is generally recognized that the earthquake response of a structure can be significantly affected by the dynamic interaction between the structure and the surrounding soil. Dynamic soil-structure interaction effects are usually analyzed by using a lumped mass model or a finite element model. In the lumped mass model, the soil is represented by springs and dashpots based on the half-space elastic theory. Each model has its advantages and limitations. The Three Dimensional Thin Layered Element Theory has been developed by Dr. Hiroshi Tajimi based on the combined results of the abovementioned lumped mass model and finite element model. The main characteristic of this theory is that, in consideration and can be applied in the analysis of many problems in soil-structure interaction, such as those involving radiation damping, embedded structures, and multi-layered soil deposits. This paper describes test results on a small scale model used to prove the validity of the computer program based on the Thin Layered Element Theory. As a numerical example, the response analysis of a PWR nuclear power plant is carried out using this program. The vibration test model is simplified and the scale is 1/750 for line. The soil layer of the model is made of congealed gelatine. The test soil layer is 80 cm long, 35 cm wide and 10 cm thick. The super structure is a one mass model made of metal sheet spring and solid mass metal. As fixed inputs, sinusoidal waves (10, 20 gal level) are used. The displacements of the top and base of the super structure, and the accelerations and the displacements of the shaking table are measured. The main parameter of the test is the shear wave velocity of the soil layer. (orig./RW)

Layer-by-layer assembled biopolymer microcapsule with separate layer cavities generated by gas-liquid microfluidic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yifeng; Zhou, Jing; Guo, Xuecheng; Hu, Qian; Qin, Chaoran; Liu, Hui; Dong, Meng; Chen, Yanjun

2017-12-01

In this work, a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled biopolymer microcapsule with separate layer cavities is generated by a novel and convenient gas-liquid microfluidic approach. This approach exhibits combined advantages of microfluidic approach and LbL assembly method, and it can straightforwardly build LbL-assembled capsules in mild aqueous environments at room temperature. In particular, using this approach we can build the polyelectrolyte multilayer capsule with favorable cavities in each layer, and without the need for organic solvent, emulsifying agent, or sacrificial template. Various components (e.g., drugs, proteins, fluorescent dyes, and nanoparticles) can be respectively encapsulated in the separate layer cavities of the LbL-assembled capsules. Moreover, the encapsulated capsules present the ability as colorimetric sensors, and they also exhibit the interesting release behavior. Therefore, the LbL-assembled biopolymer capsule is a promising candidate for biomedical applications in targeted delivery, controlled release, and bio-detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of magnetically enhanced buried soil layer in arid environment

Science.gov (United States)

Petrovsky, E.; Grison, H.; Kapicka, A.; Silva, P. F.; Font, E.

2011-12-01

Magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soils, reflecting the presence of magnetite/maghemite, can be used in several environmental applications. Magnetic topsoil mapping is often used to outline areas polluted by atmospherically deposited dust. However, in these studies, the magnetically enhanced layer is usually shallow, some 5-6 cm under the surface. In our contribution, we present the case when the magnetic susceptibility is enhanced in deeper soil layers. Investigated soils are mostly sandy soils, from several localities in Portugal, in a zone with arid climate. Sample profiles were collected always in forests or forest stands with pines, cork oaks or eucalyptus trees in two areas: around the city of Sines (on the coast south of Lisbon) and around the city of Abrantes (inland, north-east of Lisbon). Both areas are presumably affected by one major source of pollution - power plant. Surface magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed by Bartington MS2D loop; values vary from 10 to 300 x 10-5 SI units. Vertical distribution of magnetic susceptibility was measured already in situ using the SM400 (ZHInstruments) on profiles about 40cm in length. Mass-specific MS was determined using Bartington MS2B dual frequency meter and Agico MFK1. Nine vertical profiles were selected for detailed analyses including the ARM, IRM and hysteresis measurements. Distinctly enhanced magnetic layers were detected in deeper horizons. This enhancement can be ascribed to several mechanisms. Migration of magnetic particles seems to be probable, as observed in our model experiments with sand columns. In coastal areas, the enhanced layer could be due to tsunami deposits, as described in other areas. Finally, in particular at sites close to power plants, the construction works followed by surface remediation have to be also considered as one of the possible mechanisms.

Encapsulation of aluminium in geopolymers produced from metakaolin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuenzel, C. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London (United Kingdom); Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics, Department of Materials, Imperial College London (United Kingdom); Neville, T.P. [Centre for CO_2 Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London (United Kingdom); Omakowski, T. [Flowcrete, Group Ltd., Cheshire (United Kingdom); Vandeperre, L. [Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics, Department of Materials, Imperial College London (United Kingdom); Boccaccini, A.R. [Institute of Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany); Bensted, J.; Simons, S.J.R. [Centre for CO_2 Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London (United Kingdom); Cheeseman, C.R., E-mail: c.cheeseman@imperial.ac.uk [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London (United Kingdom)

2014-04-01

Magnox swarf contaminated with trace levels of Al metal is an important UK legacy waste originated from the fuel rod cladding system used in Magnox nuclear power stations. Composite cements made from Portland cement and blast furnace slag form a potential encapsulation matrix. However the high pH of this system causes the Al metal to corrode causing durability issues. Geopolymers derived from metakaolin are being investigated as an alternative encapsulation matrix for Magnox swarf waste and the corrosion kinetics and surface interactions of Al with metakaolin geopolymer are reported in this paper. It is shown that the pH of the geopolymer paste can be controlled by the selection of metakaolin and the sodium silicate solution used to form the geopolymer. A decrease in pH of the activation solution reduces corrosion of the Al metal and increases the stability of bayerite and gibbsite layers formed on the Al surface. The bayerite and gibbsite act as a passivation layer which inhibits further corrosion and mitigates H{sub 2} generation. The research shows that optimised metakaolin geopolymers have potential to be used to encapsulate legacy Magnox swarf wastes.

How different is the composition of the fouling layer of wastewater reuse and seawater desalination RO membranes?

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad; Busch, Markus; Molina, Veró nica Garcí a; Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Aubry, Cyril; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2014-01-01

To study the effect of water quality and operating parameters on membrane fouling, a comparative analysis of wastewater (WW) and seawater (SW) fouled reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was conducted. Membranes were harvested from SWRO and WWRO pilot plants located in Vilaseca (East Spain), both using ultrafiltration as pretreatment. The SWRO unit was fed with Mediterranean seawater and the WWRO unit was operated using secondary effluent collected from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Lead and terminal SWRO and WWRO modules were autopsied after five months and three months of operation, respectively. Ultrastructural, chemical, and microbiological analyses of the fouling layers were performed. Results showed that the WWRO train had mainly bio/organic fouling at the lead position element and inorganic fouling at terminal position element, whereas SWRO train had bio/organic fouling at both end position elements. In the case of WWRO membranes, Betaproteobacteria was the major colonizing species; while Ca, S, and P were the major present inorganic elements. The microbial population of SWRO membranes was mainly represented by Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria. Ca, Fe, and S were the main identified inorganic elements of the fouling layer of SWRO membranes. These results confirmed that the RO fouling layer composition is strongly impacted by the source water quality. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

How different is the composition of the fouling layer of wastewater reuse and seawater desalination RO membranes?

KAUST Repository

Khan, Muhammad

2014-08-01

To study the effect of water quality and operating parameters on membrane fouling, a comparative analysis of wastewater (WW) and seawater (SW) fouled reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was conducted. Membranes were harvested from SWRO and WWRO pilot plants located in Vilaseca (East Spain), both using ultrafiltration as pretreatment. The SWRO unit was fed with Mediterranean seawater and the WWRO unit was operated using secondary effluent collected from the municipal wastewater treatment plant. Lead and terminal SWRO and WWRO modules were autopsied after five months and three months of operation, respectively. Ultrastructural, chemical, and microbiological analyses of the fouling layers were performed. Results showed that the WWRO train had mainly bio/organic fouling at the lead position element and inorganic fouling at terminal position element, whereas SWRO train had bio/organic fouling at both end position elements. In the case of WWRO membranes, Betaproteobacteria was the major colonizing species; while Ca, S, and P were the major present inorganic elements. The microbial population of SWRO membranes was mainly represented by Alpha and Gammaproteobacteria. Ca, Fe, and S were the main identified inorganic elements of the fouling layer of SWRO membranes. These results confirmed that the RO fouling layer composition is strongly impacted by the source water quality. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Occurrence and distribution of tetraether membrane lipids in soils: implications for the use of the TEX86 proxy and the BIT index

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weijers, J.W.H.; Schouten, S.; Spaargaren, O.C.; Sinnige Damsté, J.S.

2006-01-01

A diverse collection of globally distributed soil samples was analyzed for its glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) membrane lipid content. Branched GDGTs, derived from anaerobic soil bacteria, were the most dominant and were found in all soils. Isoprenoid GDGTs, membrane lipids of Archaea,

Enhanced lifetime characteristics in flexible polymer light-emitting devices by encapsulation of epoxy/silica-coated gold nanoparticles resin (ESGR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Pin-Hsiang; Huang, Chien-Jung; Yang, Cheng-Fu; Meen, Teen-Hang; Wang, Yeong-Her

2010-01-01

This paper reports the effects of a new multilayer encapsulation for the lifetime of flexible PLEDs on plastic substrate. The multilayer encapsulation consisted of a novel epoxy/silica-coated gold nanoparticles resin (ESGR) as the pre-encapsulation layer and a SiO 2 layer as the encapsulation cap. The ESGR was prepared by mixing UV-curable epoxy resin and powders of silica-coated gold nanoparticles. The silica-coated gold nanoparticles is a necessity because the epoxy resin is not a good moisture barrier. The flexible PLEDs with multilayer encapsulation exhibited no dark spots after being stored for over 300 h at 25 deg. C and 60% relative humidity. Also, the operational half-luminance decay time of device was 1360 h, seven times longer than that of a device without encapsulation. These results confirmed that the multilayer encapsulation, which restricted the moisture that penetrated into the devices, could be applied to the encapsulation of flexible PLEDs.

Encapsulating peritonitis: computed tomography and surgical correlation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadow, Juliana Santos; Fingerhut, Carla Jeronimo Peres; Fernandes, Vinicius de Barros; Coradazzi, Klaus Rizk Stuhr; Silva, Lucas Marciel Soares; Penachim, Thiago Jose, E-mail: vinicius.barros.fernandes@gmail.com [Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Campinas, SP (Brazil). Hospital e Maternidade Celso Pierro

2014-07-15

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis is a rare and frequently severe entity characterized by total or partial involvement of small bowel loops by a membrane of fibrous tissue. The disease presents with nonspecific clinical features of intestinal obstruction, requiring precise imaging diagnosis to guide the treatment. The present report emphasizes the importance of computed tomography in the diagnosis of this condition and its confirmation by surgical correlation. (author)

The evaluation method of soil-spring for the analyses of foundation structures on layered bedsoil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, S.; Sasaki, F.

1985-01-01

When performing the finite element method analysis of foundation structures, such as mat slab of reactor buildings and turbine buildings, it is very important to evaluate and model the soil-spring mechanism between foundation and soil correctly. In this model, this paper presents the method in which soil-spring mechanism is evaluated from the theoretical solution. In this theory the semi-infinite elastic solid is assumed to be made of multi-layered soil systems. From the analytical example, it is concluded that the stress analysis of foundation structures on multi-layered soil systems cannot be evaluated by the conventional methods. (orig.)

Preparation and structure of carbon encapsulated copper nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao Chuncheng; Xiao Feng; Cui Zuolin

2008-01-01

Carbon-encapsulated copper nanoparticles were synthesized by a modified arc plasma method using methane as carbon source. The particles were characterized in detail by transmission electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected-area electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry. The encapsulated copper nanoparticles were about 30 nm in diameter with 3-5 nm graphitic carbon shells. The outside graphitic carbon layers effectively prevented unwanted oxidation of the copper inside. The effect of the ratio of He/CH 4 on the morphologies and the formation of the carbon shell were investigated

Electrical evaluation of crack generation in SiN{sub x} and SiO{sub x}N{sub y} thin-film encapsulation layers for OLED displays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Eun Kil [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Display Research Center, Samsung Display Co., Ltd., Yongin-City, Gyeonggi-Do 446-711 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sungmin [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of); Heo, Jaeyeong, E-mail: jheo@jnu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Optoelectronics Convergence Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyeong Joon, E-mail: thinfilm@snu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-01

Highlights: • Crack generation in encapsulation layers were detected by leakage current. • Atomic concentration of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} films affected the bending reliability. • The shapes of the crack tips were affected by the stoichiometry of the SiO{sub x}N{sub y} films. - Abstract: By measuring leakage current density, we detected crack generation in silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}) and silicon oxynitride (SiO{sub x}N{sub y}) thin-film encapsulation layers, and correlated with the films’ water vapor permeability characteristics. After repeated bending cycles, both the changes in water vapor transmission rate and leakage current density were directly proportional to the crack density. Thick SiN{sub x} films had better water vapor barrier characteristics in their pristine state, but cyclic loading led to fast failure. Varying the atomic concentration of the SiO{sub x}N{sub y} films affected their bending reliability. We attribute these differences to changes in the shape of the crack tip as the oxygen content varies.

Transport Asymmetry of Novel Bi-Layer Hybrid Perfluorinated Membranes on the Base of MF-4SC Modified by Halloysite Nanotubes with Platinum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anatoly Filippov

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Three types of bi-layer hybrid nanocomposites on the base of perfluorinated cation-exchange membrane MF-4SC (Russian analogue of Nafion®-117 were synthesized and characterized. It was found that two membranes possess the noticeable asymmetry of the current–voltage curve (CVC under changing their orientation towards the applied electric field, despite the absence of asymmetry of diffusion permeability. These phenomena were explained in the frame of the “fine-porous model” expanded for bi-layer membranes. A special procedure to calculate the real values of the diffusion layers thickness and the limiting current density was proposed. Due to asymmetry effects of the current voltage curves of bi-layer hybrid membranes on the base of MF-4SC, halloysite nanotubes and platinum nanoparticles, it is prospective to assemble membrane switches (membrane relays or diodes with predictable transport properties, founded upon the theory developed here.

Conformally encapsulated multi-electrode arrays with seamless insulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tabada, Phillipe J.; Shah, Kedar G.; Tolosa, Vanessa; Pannu, Satinderall S.; Tooker, Angela; Delima, Terri; Sheth, Heeral; Felix, Sarah

2016-11-22

Thin-film multi-electrode arrays (MEA) having one or more electrically conductive beams conformally encapsulated in a seamless block of electrically insulating material, and methods of fabricating such MEAs using reproducible, microfabrication processes. One or more electrically conductive traces are formed on scaffold material that is subsequently removed to suspend the traces over a substrate by support portions of the trace beam in contact with the substrate. By encapsulating the suspended traces, either individually or together, with a single continuous layer of an electrically insulating material, a seamless block of electrically insulating material is formed that conforms to the shape of the trace beam structure, including any trace backings which provide suspension support. Electrical contacts, electrodes, or leads of the traces are exposed from the encapsulated trace beam structure by removing the substrate.

Development and evaluation of a two-level functional structure for the thin film encapsulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae-Wung; Sharma, Jaibir; Singh, Navab; Kwong, Dim-Lee

2013-01-01

This paper reports a two level capping structure for encapsulating micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices. The two level capping solves the main issue of the longer release time as well as safe sealing in thin film encapsulation (TFE). In this technique, the first cap layer has many etch holes, which were uniformly distributed on it to enhance the removal of the sacrificial layer. The second cap layer forms a cap on every etch hole in the first cap layer to protect the mass loading on MEMS devices. This technique was found to be very effective in reducing the release time of the TFE. For the 1200 µm × 1200 µm sized cavity encapsulation, this technique decreases the release time of the TFE by a factor of 24 in comparison to the sidewall located channel scheme. The presented technique also helps in reducing the size of TFE as the etch holes are uniformly distributed on the TFE itself. Wide seal rings were not required to accommodate sidewall channels. (paper)

Biological activity of soddy-calcareous soils and cultural layers in Alanian settlements of the Kislovodsk basin

Science.gov (United States)

Chernysheva, E. V.; Kashirskaya, N. N.; Korobov, D. S.; Borisov, A. V.

2014-09-01

Microbiological investigations of cultural layers were performed in a settlement of the Alanian culture—Podkumskoe-2 (the 2nd-4th centuries AD). The present-day soddy-calcareous soils (rendzinas) used for different purposes were also studied near this settlement. The most significant changes in the initial characteristics of the soil microbial communities occurred under the residential influence more than 1500 years ago; these changes have been preserved until the present time. In the areas subjected to the anthropogenic impact, the total microbial biomass (the weighted average of 3720 μg C/g soil) was lower than that in the background soil. The minimal values of the microbial biomass were found in the soil of the pasture—2.5 times less than in the background soil. The urease activity of the cultural layer was higher than that of the soils nearby the settlement. Elevated values of the cellulose activity were also recorded only in the cultural layers. The current plowing has led to a significant decrease in the mycelium biomass of the microscopic fungi. In the soil of the fallow, the weighted average value of the fungal hyphae biomass along the profile was twice lower than that in the background soil and cultural layers of the settlement. The pasture first affected the active microbial biomass and, to a lesser extent, the amount of microscopic fungi.

Soils and cultural layers of ancient cities in the south of European Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Aleksandrovskii, A. L.; Aleksandrovskaya, E. I.; Dolgikh, A. V.; Zamotaev, I. V.; Kurbatova, A. N.

2015-11-01

Antique cities in the south of European Russia are characterized by a considerable thickness of their cultural layers (urbosediments) accumulated as construction debris and household wastes. Under the impact of pedogenesis and weathering in dry climate of the steppe zone, these sediments have acquired the features of loesslike low-humus calcareous and alkaline deposits. They are also enriched in many elements (P, Zn, Ca, Cu, Pb, As) related to the diverse anthropogenic activities. The soils developed from such urbosediments can be classified as urbanozems (Urban Technosols), whereas chernozems close to their zonal analogues have developed in the surface layer of sediments covering long-abandoned ancient cities. Similar characteristics have been found for the soils of the medieval and more recent cities in the studied region. Maximum concentrations of the pollutants are locally found in the antique and medieval urbosediments enriched in dyes, handicrafts from nonferrous metals, and other artifacts. Surface soils of ancient cities inherit the properties and composition of the cultural layer. Even in chernozems that developed under steppe vegetation on the surface of the abandoned antique cities of Phanagoria and Tanais for about 1000—1500 years, the concentrations of copper, zinc, and calcium carbonates remain high. Extremely high phosphorus concentrations in these soils should be noted. This is related to the stability of calcium phosphates from animal bones that are abundant in the cultural layer acting as parent material for surface soils.

Soil and surface layer type affect non-rainfall water inputs

Science.gov (United States)

Agam, Nurit; Berliner, Pedro; Jiang, Anxia

2017-04-01

Non-rainfall water inputs (NRWIs), which include fog deposition, dew formation, and direct water vapor adsorption by the soil, play a vital role in arid and semiarid regions. Environmental conditions, namely radiation, air temperature, air humidity, and wind speed, largely affect the water cycle driven by NRWIs. The substrate type (soil type and the existence/absence of a crust layer) may as well play a major role. Our objective was to quantify the effects of soil type (loess vs. sand) and surface layer (bare vs. crusted) on the gain and posterior evaporation of NRWIs in the Negev Highlands throughout the dry summer season. Four undisturbed soil samples (20 cm diameter and 50 cm depth) were excavated and simultaneously introduced into a PVC tube. Two samples were obtained in the Negev's Boker plain (loess soil) and two in the Nizzana sand dunes in the Western Negev. On one sample from each site the crust was removed while on the remaining one the natural crust was left in place. The samples were brought to the research site at the Jacob Bluestein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel (31˚08' N, 34˚53' E, 400 meter above the sea level) where they were exposed to the same environmental conditions. The four samples in their PVC tubes were placed on top of scales and the samples mass was continuously monitored. Soil temperatures were monitored at depths of 1, 2, 3, 5 and10 cm in each microlysimeter (ML) using Copper-Constantan thermocouples. The results of particle size distribution indicated that the crust of the loess soil is probably a physical crust, i.e., a crust that forms due to raindroplets impact; while the crust on the sand soil is biological. On most days, the loess soils adsorbed more water than their corresponding sand soil samples. For both soils, the samples for which the crust was removed adsorbed more water than the samples for which it was intact. The difference in daily water adsorption amount between crusted

Determining time-weighted average concentrations of nitrate and ammonium in freshwaters using DGT with ion exchange membrane-based binding layers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Jianyin; Bennett, William W.; Welsh, David T.

2016-01-01

Commercially-available AMI-7001 anion exchange and CMI-7000 cation exchange membranes were utilised as binding layers for DGT measurements of NO3-N and NH4-N in freshwaters. These ion exchange membranes are easier to prepare and handle than DGT binding layers consisting of hydrogels cast with ion...... exchange resins. The membranes showed good uptake and elution efficiencies for both NO3-N and NH4-N. The membrane-based DGTs are suitable for pH 3.5-8.5 and ionic strength ranges (0.0001-0.014 and 0.0003-0.012 mol L−1 as NaCl for the AMI-7001 and CMI-7000 membrane, respectively) typical of most natural...... freshwaters. The binding membranes had high intrinsic binding capacities for NO3-N and NH4-N of 911 ± 88 μg and 3512 ± 51 μg, respectively. Interferences from the major competing ions for membrane-based DGTs are similar to DGTs employing resin-based binding layers but with slightly different selectivity...

Cell-free system for synthesizing membrane proteins cell free method for synthesizing membrane proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Laible, Philip D; Hanson, Deborah K

2013-06-04

The invention provides an in vitro method for producing proteins, membrane proteins, membrane-associated proteins, and soluble proteins that interact with membrane-associated proteins for assembly into an oligomeric complex or that require association with a membrane for proper folding. The method comprises, supplying intracytoplasmic membranes from organisms; modifying protein composition of intracytoplasmic membranes from organism by modifying DNA to delete genes encoding functions of the organism not associated with the formation of the intracytoplasmic membranes; generating appropriate DNA or RNA templates that encode the target protein; and mixing the intracytoplasmic membranes with the template and a transcription/translation-competent cellular extract to cause simultaneous production of the membrane proteins and encapsulation of the membrane proteins within the intracytoplasmic membranes.

Erythrocyte membrane-encapsulated celecoxib improves the cognitive decline of Alzheimer's disease by concurrently inducing neurogenesis and reducing apoptosis in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jing-Wen; Guan, Pei-Pei; Ding, Wei-Yan; Wang, Si-Ling; Huang, Xue-Shi; Wang, Zhan-You; Wang, Pu

2017-11-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the loss of neurogenesis and excessive induction of apoptosis. The induction of neurogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis may be a promising therapeutic approach to combating the disease. Celecoxib (CB), a cyclooxygenase-2 specific inhibitor, could offer neuroprotection. Specifically, the CB-encapsulated erythrocyte membranes (CB-RBCMs) sustained the release of CB over a period of 72 h in vitro and exhibited high brain biodistribution efficiency following intranasal administration, which resulted in the clearance of aggregated β-amyloid proteins (Aβ) in neurons. The high accumulation of the CB-RBCMs in neurons resulted in a decrease in the neurotoxicity of CB and an increase in the migratory activity of neurons, and alleviated cognitive decline in APP/PS1 transgenic (Tg) mice. Indeed, COX-2 metabolic products including prostaglandin E2 (PGE 2 ) and PGD 2 , PGE 2 induced neurogenesis by enhancing the expression of SOD2 and 14-3-3ζ, and PGD 2 stimulated apoptosis by increasing the expression of BIK and decreasing the expression of ARRB1. To this end, the CB-RBCMs achieved better effects on concurrently increasing neurogenesis and decreasing apoptosis than the phospholipid membrane-encapsulated CB liposomes (CB-PSPD-LPs), which are critical for the development and progression of AD. Therefore, CB-RBCMs provide a rational design to treat AD by promoting the self-repairing capacity of the brain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Análises do comportamento físico de um solo contaminado por borra oleosa ácida e encapsulado com cimento Portland Analyses of physical behavior of a soil contaminated by acidic oily sludge and encapsulated with cement Portland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Waldomiro Jiménez Rojas

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho tem como objetivo aplicar a técnica de encapsulamento em um solo contaminado com crescentes quantidades do resíduo industrial borra oleosa ácida, utilizando como agente encapsulante o cimento Portland CP-V ARI. A aplicação da técnica de encapsulamento consistiu na realização de estudos pós-tratamento, analisando fisicamente o solo contaminado através de ensaios de resistência à compressão simples e durabilidade. Os resultados apontam que quanto maior a quantidade de borra oleosa ácida presente no solo encapsulado, menor a resistência à compressão simples e maior a perda de massa.The objective of this study is applying the encapsulation technique in soil contaminated with increasing amounts of acidic oily sludge industrial residues, using Portland cement CP-V ARI as the encapsulating agent. The application of the encapsulation technique consisted in the accomplishment of post-treatment studies, analyzing the contaminated soil physically through unconfined compressive strength and durability tests. The results showed that an increasing amount of acidic oily sludge in the encapsulated soil ends up lowering the unconfined compressive strength as well as increasing the mass loss.

Hexagonal Boron Nitride assisted transfer and encapsulation of large area CVD graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Shautsova, Viktoryia; Gilbertson, Adam M.; Black, Nicola C. G.; Maier, Stefan A.; Cohen, Lesley F.

2016-07-01

We report a CVD hexagonal boron nitride (hBN-) assisted transfer method that enables a polymer-impurity free transfer process and subsequent top encapsulation of large-area CVD-grown graphene. We demonstrate that the CVD hBN layer that is utilized in this transfer technique acts as a buffer layer between the graphene film and supporting polymer layer. We show that the resulting graphene layers possess lower doping concentration, and improved carrier mobilities compared to graphene films produced by conventional transfer methods onto untreated SiO2/Si, SAM-modified and hBN covered SiO2/Si substrates. Moreover, we show that the top hBN layer used in the transfer process acts as an effective top encapsulation resulting in improved stability to ambient exposure. The transfer method is applicable to other CVD-grown 2D materials on copper foils, thereby facilitating the preparation of van der Waals heterostructures with controlled doping.

Properties of Lactobacillus reuteri chitosan-calcium-alginate encapsulation under simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hui-Ying; Tang, Yi-Ju; King, V An-Erl; Chou, Jen-Wei; Tsen, Jen-Horng

2015-03-01

The protective effects of encapsulation on the survival of Lactobacillus reuteri and the retention of the bacterium's probiotic properties under simulated gastrointestinal conditions were investigated. Viable counts and the remaining probiotic properties of calcium (Ca)-alginate encapsulated (A group), chitosan-Ca-alginate encapsulated (CA group), and unencapsulated, free L. reuteri (F group) were determined. Encapsulation improved the survival of L. reuteri subjected to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, with the greatest protective effect achieved in the CA group. The degree of cell membrane injury increased with increasing bile salt concentrations at constant pH, but the extent of injury was less in the encapsulated than in the free cells. Adherence rates were, in descending order: CA (0.524%)>A (0.360%)>F (0.275%). Lactobacillus reuteri cells retained their antagonistic activity toward Listeria monocytogenes even after incubation of the lactobacilli under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Displacement of the pathogen by cells released from either of the encapsulation matrices was higher than that by free cells. The safety of L. reuteri was demonstrated in an in vitro invasion assay. Copyright© by the Spanish Society for Microbiology and Institute for Catalan Studies.

Solid-state membrane module

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, John Howard [Salt Lake City, UT; Taylor, Dale M [Murray, UT

2011-06-07

Solid-state membrane modules comprising at least one membrane unit, where the membrane unit has a dense mixed conducting oxide layer, and at least one conduit or manifold wherein the conduit or manifold comprises a dense layer and at least one of a porous layer and a slotted layer contiguous with the dense layer. The solid-state membrane modules may be used to carry out a variety of processes including the separating of any ionizable component from a feedstream wherein such ionizable component is capable of being transported through a dense mixed conducting oxide layer of the membrane units making up the membrane modules. For ease of construction, the membrane units may be planar.

Enhancing the platinum atomic layer deposition infiltration depth inside anodic alumina nanoporous membrane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaish, Amit, E-mail: anv@udel.edu; Krueger, Susan; Dimitriou, Michael; Majkrzak, Charles [National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8313 (United States); Vanderah, David J. [Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, NIST, Rockville, Maryland 20850 (United States); Chen, Lei, E-mail: lei.chen@nist.gov [NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-8313 (United States); Gawrisch, Klaus [Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (United States)

2015-01-15

Nanoporous platinum membranes can be straightforwardly fabricated by forming a Pt coating inside the nanopores of anodic alumina membranes (AAO) using atomic layer deposition (ALD). However, the high-aspect-ratio of AAO makes Pt ALD very challenging. By tuning the process deposition temperature and precursor exposure time, enhanced infiltration depth along with conformal coating was achieved for Pt ALD inside the AAO templates. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering were employed to analyze the Pt coverage and thickness inside the AAO nanopores. Additionally, one application of platinum-coated membrane was demonstrated by creating a high-density protein-functionalized interface.

Enhanced biogeochemical cycling and subsequent reduction of hydraulic conductivity associated with soil-layer interfaces in the vadose zone

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, David J.; McGuire, Jennifer T.; Mohanty, Binayak P.

2013-01-01

Biogeochemical dynamics in the vadose zone are poorly understood due to the transient nature of chemical and hydrologic conditions, but are nonetheless critical to understanding chemical fate and transport. This study explored the effects of a soil layer on linked geochemical, hydrological, and microbiological processes. Three laboratory soil columns were constructed: a homogenized medium-grained sand, a homogenized organic-rich loam, and a sand-over-loam layered column. Upward and downward infiltration of water was evaluated during experiments to simulate rising water table and rainfall events respectively. In-situ collocated probes measured soil water content, matric potential, and Eh while water samples collected from the same locations were analyzed for Br−, Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, NH4+, Fe2+, and total sulfide. Compared to homogenous columns, the presence of a soil layer altered the biogeochemistry and water flow of the system considerably. Enhanced biogeochemical cycling was observed in the layered column over the texturally homogeneous soil columns. Enumerations of iron and sulfate reducing bacteria showed 1-2 orders of magnitude greater community numbers in the layered column. Mineral and soil aggregate composites were most abundant near the soil-layer interface; the presence of which, likely contributed to an observed order-of-magnitude decrease in hydraulic conductivity. These findings show that quantifying coupled hydrologic-biogeochemical processes occurring at small-scale soil interfaces is critical to accurately describing and predicting chemical changes at the larger system scale. Findings also provide justification for considering soil layering in contaminant fate and transport models because of its potential to increase biodegradation and/or slow the rate of transport of contaminants. PMID:22031578

Interaction of Peat Soil and Sulphidic Material Substratum: Role of Peat Layer and Groundwater Level Fluctuations on Phosphorus Concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benito Heru Purwanto

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Phosphorus (P often becomes limiting factor for plants growth. Phosphorus geochemistry in peatland soil is associated with the presence of peat layer and groundwater level fluctuations. The research was conducted to study the role of peat layer and groundwater level fluctuations on P concentration in peatland. The research was conducted on deep, moderate and shallow peat with sulphidic material as substratum, peaty acid sulphate soil, and potential acid sulphate soil. While P concentration was observed in wet season, in transition from wet to dry season, and in dry season. Soil samples were collected by using peat borer according to interlayer and soil horizon. The results showed that peat layer might act as the main source of P in peatland with sulphidic material substratum. The upper peat layer on sulphidic material caused by groundwater level fluctuations had no directly effect on P concentration in the peat layers. Increased of P concentration in the lowest sulphidic layer might relate to redox reaction of iron in the sulphidic layer and precipitation process. Phosphorus concentration in peatland with sulphidic material as substratum was not influenced by peat thickness. However, depletion or disappearance of peat layer decreased P concentration in soil solution. Disappearance of peat layer means loss of a natural source of P for peatland with sulphidic material as substratum, therefore peat layer must be kept in order to maintain of peatlands.

Pressure retarded osmosis dual-layer hollow fiber membranes developed by co-casting method and ammonium persulfate (APS) treatment

KAUST Repository

Fu, Fengjiang; Sun, Shipeng; Zhang, Sui; Chung, Neal Tai-Shung

2014-01-01

Delamination and low water permeability are two issues limiting the applications of dual-layer hollow fiber membranes in the pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process. In this work, we first developed a universal co-casting method that is able to co-cast highly viscous dope solutions to form homogeneous dual-layer flat sheet membranes. By employing this method prior to the tedious dual-layer hollow fiber spinning process, both time and material consumptions are significantly saved. The addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is found to eliminate delamination at the sacrifice of water flux. A new post-treatment method that involves flowing ammonium persulfate (APS) solution and DI water counter-currently is potentially to remove the PVP molecules entrapped in the substrate while keeps the integrity of the interface. As the APS concentration increases, the water flux in the PRO process is increased while the salt leakage is slightly decreased. With the optimized APS concentration of 5wt%, the post-treated membrane shows a maximum power density of 5.10W/m2 at a hydraulic pressure of 15.0bar when 1M NaCl and 10mM NaCl were used as the draw and feed solutions, respectively. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the best phase inversion dual-layer hollow fiber membrane with an outer selective layer for osmotic power generation. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Pressure retarded osmosis dual-layer hollow fiber membranes developed by co-casting method and ammonium persulfate (APS) treatment

KAUST Repository

Fu, Fengjiang

2014-11-01

Delamination and low water permeability are two issues limiting the applications of dual-layer hollow fiber membranes in the pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) process. In this work, we first developed a universal co-casting method that is able to co-cast highly viscous dope solutions to form homogeneous dual-layer flat sheet membranes. By employing this method prior to the tedious dual-layer hollow fiber spinning process, both time and material consumptions are significantly saved. The addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is found to eliminate delamination at the sacrifice of water flux. A new post-treatment method that involves flowing ammonium persulfate (APS) solution and DI water counter-currently is potentially to remove the PVP molecules entrapped in the substrate while keeps the integrity of the interface. As the APS concentration increases, the water flux in the PRO process is increased while the salt leakage is slightly decreased. With the optimized APS concentration of 5wt%, the post-treated membrane shows a maximum power density of 5.10W/m2 at a hydraulic pressure of 15.0bar when 1M NaCl and 10mM NaCl were used as the draw and feed solutions, respectively. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the best phase inversion dual-layer hollow fiber membrane with an outer selective layer for osmotic power generation. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.

Influence of PEDOT:PSS on the effectiveness of barrier layers prepared by atomic layer deposition in organic light emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wegler, Barbara, E-mail: barbara.wegler@siemens.com [Siemens AG, Corporate Technology, Guenther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany and Center for Medical Physics and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Henkestrasse 91, 91052 Erlangen (Germany); Schmidt, Oliver [Siemens AG, Corporate Technology, Guenther-Scharowsky-Strasse 1, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Hensel, Bernhard [Center for Medical Physics and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Henkestrasse 91, 91052 Erlangen (Germany)

2015-01-15

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are well suited for energy saving lighting applications, especially when thinking about highly flexible and large area devices. In order to avoid the degradation of the organic components by water and oxygen, OLEDs need to be encapsulated, e.g., by a thin sheet of glass. As the device is then no longer flexible, alternative coatings are required. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a very promising approach in this respect. The authors studied OLEDs that were encapsulated by 100 nm Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} deposited by ALD. The authors show that this coating effectively protects the active surface area of the OLEDs from humidity. However, secondary degradation processes still occur at sharp edges of the OLED stack where the extremely thin encapsulation layer does not provide perfect coverage. Particularly, the swelling of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) mixed with poly(styrenesulfonate), which is a popular choice for the planarization of the bottom electrode and at the same time acts as a hole injection layer, affects the effectiveness of the encapsulation layer.

Polymer encapsulated dopaminergic cell lines as "alternative neural grafts".

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeger, C B; Greene, L A; Tresco, P A; Winn, S R; Aebischer, P

1990-01-01

Our preliminary findings (Jaeger et al., 1988; Aebischer et al., 1989; Tresco et al., 1989) and the studies in progress show that encapsulated dopaminergic cell lines survive enclosure within a semi-permeable membrane. The encapsulated cells remained viable for extended time periods when maintained in vitro. Moreover, encapsulated PC12 and T28 cells have the potential to survive following their implantation into the forebrain of rats. Cell lines are essentially "immortal" because they continue to divide indefinitely. This property allows perpetual "self-renewal" of a given cell population. However, the capacity of continuous uncontrolled cell division may also lead to tumor formation. This in fact is the case for unencapsulated PC12 cell implants placed into the brain of young Sprague Dawley rats (Jaeger, 1985). Cell line encapsulation has the potential to prevent tumor growth (Jaeger et al., 1988). Survival for 6 months in vitro suggests that encapsulation does not preclude long-term maintenance of an homogeneous cell line like PC12 cells. The presence of mitotic figures in the capsules further supports the likelihood of propagation and self renewal of the encapsulated population. Another significant property of cell lines is that they consist of a single, genetically homogeneous cell type. They do not require specific synaptic interactions for their survival. In the case of PC12 and T28 lines, the cells synthesize and release neurotransmitters. Our data show that PC12 and T28 cells continue to release dopamine spontaneously and to express specific transmitters and enzymes following encapsulation. Thus, cell lines such as these may constitute relatively simple "neural implants" exerting their function via humoral release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Predicting Subsurface Soil Layering and Landslide Risk with Artificial Neural Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Farrokhzad, Farzad; Barari, Amin; Ibsen, Lars Bo

2011-01-01

This paper is concerned principally with the application of ANN model in geotechnical engineering. In particular the application for subsurface soil layering and landslide analysis is discussed in more detail. Three ANN models are trained using the required geotechnical data obtained from...... networks are capable of predicting variations in the soil profile and assessing the landslide hazard with an acceptable level of confidence....

In situ observation of the growth of biofouling layer in osmotic membrane bioreactors by multiple fluorescence labeling and confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Bo; Wang, Xinhua; Tang, Chuyang; Li, Xiufen; Yu, Guanghui

2015-05-15

Since the concept of the osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) was introduced in 2008, it has attracted growing interests for its potential applications in wastewater treatment and reclamation; however, the fouling mechanisms of forward osmosis (FO) membrane especially the development of biofouling layer in the OMBR are not yet clear. Here, the fouled FO membranes were obtained from the OMBRs on days 3, 8 and 25 in sequence, and then the structure and growing rule of the biofouling layer formed on the FO membrane samples were in-situ characterized by multiple fluorescence labeling and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). CLSM images indicated that the variations in abundance and distribution of polysaccharides, proteins and microorganisms in the biofouling layer during the operation of OMBRs were significantly different. Before the 8th day, their biovolume dramatically increased. Subsequently, the biovolumes of β-d-glucopyranose polysaccharides and proteins continued increasing and leveled off after 8 days, respectively, while the biovolumes of α-d-glucopyranose polysaccharides and microorganisms decreased. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) played a significant role in the formation and growth of biofouling layer, while the microorganisms were seldom detected on the upper fouling layer after 3 days. Based on the results obtained in this study, the growth of biofouling layer on the FO membrane surface in the OMBR could be divided into three stages. Initially, EPS was firstly deposited on the FO membrane surface, and then microorganisms associated with EPS located in the initial depositing layer to form clusters. After that, the dramatic increase of the clusters of EPS and microorganisms resulted in the quick growth of biofouling layer during the flux decline of the OMBR. However, when the water flux became stable in the OMBR, some microorganisms and EPS would be detached from the FO membrane surface. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Presence of Fe-Al binary oxide adsorbent cake layer in ceramic membrane filtration and their impact for removal of HA and BSA.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyung-Jo; Jang, Am

2018-04-01

To enhance the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) in ceramic (Ce) membrane filtration, an iron-aluminum binary oxide (FAO) was applied to the ceramic membrane surface as the adsorbent cake layer, and it was compared with heated aluminum oxide (HAO) for the evaluation of the control of NOM. Both the HAO and FAO adsorbent cake layers efficiently removed the NOM regardless of NOM's hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics, and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal in NOM for FAO was 1-1.12 times greater than that for HAO, which means FAO was more efficient in the removal of DOC in NOM. FAO (0.03 μm), which is smaller in size than HAO (0.4 μm), had greater flux reduction than HAO. The flux reduction increased as the filtration proceeded because most of the organic foulants (colloid/particles and soluble NOM) were captured by the adsorbent cake layer, which caused fouling between the membrane surface and the adsorbent cake layer. However, no chemically irreversible fouling was observed on the Ce membrane at the end of the FAO adsorbent cake layer filtration. This means that a stable adsorbent cake layer by FAO formed on the Ce membrane, and that the reduced pure water flux of the Ce membrane, resulting from the NOM fouling, can easily be recovered through physicochemical cleaning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Encapsulation of TRISO particle fuel in durable soda-lime-silicate glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heath, Paul G.; Corkhill, Claire L.; Stennett, Martin C.; Hand, Russell J.; Meyer, Willem C.H.M.; Hyatt, Neil C.

2013-01-01

Tri-Structural Isotropic (TRISO) coated particle-fuel is a key component in designs for future high temperature nuclear reactors. This study investigated the suitability of three soda lime silicate glass compositions, for the encapsulation of simulant TRISO particle fuel. A cold press and sinter (CPS) methodology was employed to produce TRISO particle–glass composites. Composites produced were determined to have an aqueous durability, fracture toughness and Vickers’ hardness comparable to glasses currently employed for the disposal of high level nuclear wastes. Sintering at 700 °C for 30 min was found to remove all interconnected porosity from the composite bodies and oxidation of the outer pyrolytic carbon layer during sintering was prevented by processing under a 5% H 2 /N 2 atmosphere. However, the outer pyrolytic carbon layer was not effectively wetted by the encapsulating glass matrix. The aqueous durability of the TRISO particle–glass composites was investigated using PCT and MCC-1 tests combined with geochemical modelling. It was found that durability was dependent on silicate and calcium solution saturation. This study provides significant advancements in the preparation of TRISO particle encapsulant waste forms. The potential for the use of non-borosilicate sintered glass composites for TRISO particle encapsulation has been confirmed, although further refinements are required

Encapsulation of TRISO particle fuel in durable soda-lime-silicate glasses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heath, Paul G.; Corkhill, Claire L.; Stennett, Martin C.; Hand, Russell J. [Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert Hadfield Building, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom); Meyer, Willem C.H.M. [Necsa, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, PO Box 582, Pretoria, Gauteng (South Africa); Hyatt, Neil C., E-mail: n.c.hyatt@sheffield.ac.uk [Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert Hadfield Building, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2013-05-15

Tri-Structural Isotropic (TRISO) coated particle-fuel is a key component in designs for future high temperature nuclear reactors. This study investigated the suitability of three soda lime silicate glass compositions, for the encapsulation of simulant TRISO particle fuel. A cold press and sinter (CPS) methodology was employed to produce TRISO particle–glass composites. Composites produced were determined to have an aqueous durability, fracture toughness and Vickers’ hardness comparable to glasses currently employed for the disposal of high level nuclear wastes. Sintering at 700 °C for 30 min was found to remove all interconnected porosity from the composite bodies and oxidation of the outer pyrolytic carbon layer during sintering was prevented by processing under a 5% H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} atmosphere. However, the outer pyrolytic carbon layer was not effectively wetted by the encapsulating glass matrix. The aqueous durability of the TRISO particle–glass composites was investigated using PCT and MCC-1 tests combined with geochemical modelling. It was found that durability was dependent on silicate and calcium solution saturation. This study provides significant advancements in the preparation of TRISO particle encapsulant waste forms. The potential for the use of non-borosilicate sintered glass composites for TRISO particle encapsulation has been confirmed, although further refinements are required.

Numerical combination for nonlinear analysis of structures coupled to layered soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wagner Queiroz Silva

Full Text Available This paper presents an alternative coupling strategy between the Boundary Element Method (BEM and the Finite Element Method (FEM in order to create a computational code for the analysis of geometrical nonlinear 2D frames coupled to layered soils. The soil is modeled via BEM, considering multiple inclusions and internal load lines, through an alternative formulation to eliminate traction variables on subregions interfaces. A total Lagrangean formulation based on positions is adopted for the consideration of the geometric nonlinear behavior of frame structures with exact kinematics. The numerical coupling is performed by an algebraic strategy that extracts and condenses the equivalent soil's stiffness matrix and contact forces to be introduced into the frame structures hessian matrix and internal force vector, respectively. The formulation covers the analysis of shallow foundation structures and piles in any direction. Furthermore, the piles can pass through different layers. Numerical examples are shown in order to illustrate and confirm the accuracy and applicability of the proposed technique.

Modelling of the interface between the geosphere and the biosphere: discharge through a soil layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elert, M.; Argaerde, A.C.; Ericsson, A.M.

1988-12-01

Radionuclides released from an underground repository can be transported by deep groundwater to the biosphere. The deep groundwater can be discharged to an agricultural area or a bog. In this report an evaluation is made of the resulting distribution of radionuclides in the upper soil and the release of radionuclides to a creek. From these environments, radionuclides can follow different exposure pathways to man. In order to evaluate the radionuclide movement to and retention in the soil surface, the hydrology in the superficial layers has been studied with the help of computer models. The chemical environment in soil was studied with special emphasis on radionuclide mobility. Examples of parameters which affect this mobility and which were studied are mineral composition, content of organic material, pH and redox potential. The chemical behaviour of the radionuclides iodine, cesium, radium, uranium, neptunium and americium was the topic of a literature survey. For the work in this report, radionuclide mobility in soils is represented by the equilibrium distribution coefficient, K d . The radionuclide transport calculations showed that only those radionuclides which are sorbed strongly in the soil (i.e. radium, cesium and americium) have retention times longer than the expected lifetime of the soil layer itself. This would also be the case for neptunium and uranium if reducing conditions are found at the base of the soil column. For only slightly sorbing nuclides no important retention was found. The retarding effects of the soil layer is less than that of a sediment layer in a lake (the subject of a previous study). because of the greater water turnover in the soil. Several limitations to current knowledge and modelling techniques have been identified, and suggestion for possible improvement have been made. (85 refs.) (au)

Development of membrane filters with nanostructured porous layer by coating of metal nanoparticles sintered onto a micro-filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Seok Joo; Park, Young Ok; Lee, Dong Geun; Ryu, Jeong In

2008-01-01

The membrane filter adhered with nanostructured porous layer was made by heat treatment after deposition of nanoparticle-agglomerates sintered in aerosol phase onto a conventional micron-fibrous metal filter as a substrate filter. The Sintered-Nanoparticle-Agglomerates-coated NanoStructured porous layer Membrane Filter (SNA-NSMF), whose the filtration performance was improved compared with the conventional metal membrane filters, was developed by adhesion of nanoparticle-agglomerates of dendrite structure sintered onto the micron-fibrous metal filter. The size of nanoparticle-agglomerates of dendrite structure decreased with increasing the sintering temperature because nanoparticle-agglomerates shrank. When shrinking nanoparticle-agglomerates were deposited and treated with heat onto the conventional micron-fibrous metal filter, pore size of nanostructured porous layer decreased. Therefore, pressure drops of SNA-NSMFs increased from 0.3 to 0.516 KPa and filtration efficiencies remarkably increased from 95.612 to 99.9993%

Lifetime Improvement of Organic Light Emitting Diodes using LiF Thin Film and UV Glue Encapsulation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jian-Ji; Su, Yan-Kuin; Chang, Ming-Hua; Hsieh, Tsung-Eong; Huang, Bohr-Ran; Wang, Shun-Hsi; Chen, Wen-Ray; Tsai, Yu-Sheng; Hsieh, Huai-En; Liu, Mark O.; Juang, Fuh-Shyang

2008-07-01

This work demonstrates the use of lithium fluoride (LiF) as a passivation layer and a newly developed UV glue for encapsulation on the LiF passivation layer to enhance the stability of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Devices with double protective layers showed a 25-fold increase in operational lifetime compared to those without any packaging layers. LiF has a low melting point and insulating characteristics and it can be adapted as both a protective layer and pre-encapsulation film. The newly developed UV glue has a fast curing time of only 6 s and can be directly spin-coated onto the surface of the LiF passivation layer. The LiF thin film plus spin-coated UV glue is a simple packaging method that reduces the fabrication costs of OLEDs.

Apparatus suitable for plasma surface treating and process for preparing membrane layers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

1988-01-01

The invention relates to an apparatus suitable for plasma surface treating (e.g. forming a membrane layer on a substrate) which comprises a plasma generation section (2) which is in communication via at least one plasma inlet means (4) (e.g. a nozzle) with an enclosed plasma treating section (3)

Predicting bioavailability of PAHs in field-contaminated soils by passive sampling with triolein embedded cellulose acetate membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tao Yuqiang [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China); Zhang Shuzhen [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China)], E-mail: szzhang@rcees.ac.cn; Wang Zijian [State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing 100085 (China); Christie, Peter [Queen' s University Belfast, Agricultural and Environmental Science Department, Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5PX (United Kingdom)

2009-02-15

Triolein embedded cellulose acetate membrane (TECAM) was used for passive sampling of the fraction of naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene in 18 field-contaminated soils. The sampling process of PAHs by TECAM fitted well with a first-order kinetics model and PAHs reached 95% of equilibrium in TECAM within 20 h. Concentrations of PAHs in TECAM (C{sub TECAM}) correlated well with the concentrations in soils (r{sup 2} = 0.693-0.962, p < 0.001). Furthermore, concentrations of PAHs determined in the soil solution were very close to the values estimated by C{sub TECAM} and the partition coefficient between TECAM and water (K{sub TECAM-w}). After lipid normalization nearly 1:1 relationships were observed between PAH concentrations in TECAMs and earthworms exposed to the soils (r{sup 2} = 0.591-0.824, n = 18, p < 0.01). These results suggest that TECAM can be a useful tool to predict bioavailability of PAHs in field-contaminated soils. - Triolein embedded cellulose acetate membranes can be a useful tool to predict bioavailability of PAHs in field-contaminated soils.

Hemocompatibility of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane grafted with network-like and brush-like antifouling layer controlled via plasma-induced surface PEGylation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yung; Shih, Yu-Ju; Ko, Chao-Yin; Jhong, Jheng-Fong; Liu, Ying-Ling; Wei, Ta-Chin

2011-05-03

In this work, the hemocompatibility of PEGylated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) microporous membranes with varying grafting coverage and structures via plasma-induced surface PEGylation was studied. Network-like and brush-like PEGylated layers on PVDF membrane surfaces were achieved by low-pressure and atmospheric plasma treatment. The chemical composition, physical morphology, grafting structure, surface hydrophilicity, and hydration capability of prepared membranes were determined to illustrate the correlations between grafting qualities and hemocompatibility of PEGylated PVDF membranes in contact with human blood. Plasma protein adsorption onto different PEGylated PVDF membranes from single-protein solutions and the complex medium of 100% human plasma were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal antibodies. Hemocompatibility of the PEGylated membranes was evaluated by the antifouling property of platelet adhesion observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the anticoagulant activity of the blood coagulant determined by testing plasma-clotting time. The control of grafting structures of PEGylated layers highly regulates the PVDF membrane to resist the adsorption of plasma proteins, the adhesion of platelets, and the coagulation of human plasma. It was found that PVDF membranes grafted with brush-like PEGylated layers presented higher hydration capability with binding water molecules than with network-like PEGylated layers to improve the hemocompatible character of plasma protein and blood platelet resistance in human blood. This work suggests that the hemocompatible nature of grafted PEGylated polymers by controlling grafting structures gives them great potential in the molecular design of antithrombogenic membranes for use in human blood.

Influence of Surface Properties of Filtration-Layer Metal Oxide on Ceramic Membrane Fouling during Ultrafiltration of Oil/Water Emulsion.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croué, Jean-Philippe

2016-05-03

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. A distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e., surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). Consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides is quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides toward oil droplets, consistent with the irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with the lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei; Zhang, Tao; Gutierrez, Leo; Ma, Jun; Croue, Jean-Philippe

2016-01-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Influence of surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxide on ceramic membrane fouling during ultrafiltration of oil/water emulsion

KAUST Repository

Lu, Dongwei

2016-04-01

In this work, ceramic ultrafiltration membranes deposited with different metal oxides (i.e., TiO2, Fe2O3, MnO2, CuO, and CeO2) of around 10 nm in thickness and similar roughness were tested for O/W emulsion treatment. Distinct membrane fouling tendency was observed, which closely correlated to the properties of the filtration-layer metal oxides (i.e. surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity, surface charge, and adhesion energy for oil droplets). In consistent with the distinct bond strength of the surface hydroxyl groups, hydrophilicity of these common metal oxides are quite different. The differences in hydrophilicity consequently lead to different adhesion of these metal oxides towards oil droplets which consists very well with irreversible membrane fouling tendency. In addition, the surface charge of the metal oxide opposite to that of emulsion can help to alleviate irreversible membrane fouling in ultrafiltration. Highly hydrophilic Fe2O3 with lowest fouling tendency could be a potential filtration-layer material for the fabrication/modification of ceramic membranes for O/W emulsion treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study clearly showing the correlations between surface properties of filtration-layer metal oxides and ceramic membrane fouling tendency by O/W emulsion.

Modeling of 1-D nitrate transport in single layer soils | Dike | Journal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The transport of nitrate in laboratory single soil columns of sand, laterite and clay were investigated after 21 days. The 1-D contaminant transport model by Notodarmojo et al (1991) for single layer soils were calibrated and verified using field data collected from a refuse dump site at avu, owerri, Imo state. The experimental ...

Production and Characterization of a Novel, Electrospun, Tri-Layer Polycaprolactone Membrane for the Segregated Co-Culture of Bone and Soft Tissue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sasima Puwanun

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Composite tissue-engineered constructs combining bone and soft tissue have applications in regenerative medicine, particularly dentistry. This study generated a tri-layer, electrospun, poly-ε-caprolactone membrane, with two microfiber layers separated by a layer of nanofibers, for the spatially segregated culture of mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs and fibroblasts. The two cell types were seeded on either side, and cell proliferation and spatial organization were investigated over several weeks. Calcium deposition by MPCs was detected using xylenol orange (XO and the separation between fibroblasts and the calcified matrix was visualized by confocal laser scanning microscopy. SEM confirmed that the scaffold consisted of two layers of micron-diameter fibers with a thin layer of nano-diameter fibers in-between. Complete separation of cell types was maintained and calcified matrix was observed on only one side of the membrane. This novel tri-layer membrane is capable of supporting the formation of a bilayer of calcified and non-calcified connective tissue.

Comparative study of encapsulated blebs following Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation and trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Kunho; Suh, Wool; Kee, Changwon

2012-08-01

To compare the histopathologic and morphologic findings of encapsulated blebs following Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation and primary standard trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C. We reviewed the records of patients with otherwise uncontrollable glaucoma who had undergone Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation or trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C. Five eyes that underwent Ahmed valve implantation and three eyes that underwent trabeculectomy needed surgical revision of the initial surgery due to encapsulated bleb development with total loss of function. The surgically removed encapsulated blebs were analyzed macroscopically and microscopically. Removal of the encapsulated bleb was performed at a mean follow-up time of 26.6 ± 19.4 weeks in the Ahmed valve implantation group and 12.0 ± 11.4 weeks in the trabeculectomy group. The fibrotic wall of the encapsulated blebs had an overall thickness of 2.48 ± 0.42 mm in the Ahmed valve implantation group and 1.62 ± 0.37 mm in the trabeculectomy group. Macroscopically, the coconut flesh-like smooth surface was split into two layers, and the wall of the capsule was thicker in the Ahmed valve implantation group than in the trabeculectomy group. Histopathologically, the fibrotic capsule was composed of an inner fibrodegenerative layer and an outer fibrovascular layer, and there were no histopathological differences between the two groups. The fibrotic capsule wall was thicker in the Ahmed valve group, but there were no differences in histological findings between the two groups.

Fabrication of nanopores in multi-layered silicon-based membranes using focused electron beam induced etching with XeF_2 gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liebes-Peer, Yael; Bandalo, Vedran; Sökmen, Ünsal; Tornow, Marc; Ashkenasy, Nurit

2016-01-01

The emergent technology of using nanopores for stochastic sensing of biomolecules introduces a demand for the development of simple fabrication methodologies of nanopores in solid state membranes. This process becomes particularly challenging when membranes of composite layer architecture are involved. To overcome this challenge we have employed a focused electron beam induced chemical etching process. We present here the fabrication of nanopores in silicon-on-insulator based membranes in a single step process. In this process, chemical etching of the membrane materials by XeF_2 gas is locally accelerated by an electron beam, resulting in local etching, with a top membrane oxide layer preventing delocalized etching of the silicon underneath. Nanopores with a funnel or conical, 3-dimensional (3D) shape can be fabricated, depending on the duration of exposure to XeF_2, and their diameter is dominated by the time of exposure to the electron beam. The demonstrated ability to form high-aspect ratio nanopores in comparably thick, multi-layered silicon based membranes allows for an easy integration into current silicon process technology and hence is attractive for implementation in biosensing lab-on-chip fabrication technologies. (author)

Design of bioartificial pancreas with functional micro/nano-based encapsulation of islets.

Science.gov (United States)

Kepsutlu, Burcu; Nazli, Caner; Bal, Tugba; Kizilel, Seda

2014-01-01

Type I diabetes mellitus (TIDM), a devastating health issue in all over the world, has been treated by successful transplantation of insulin secreting pancreatic islets. However, serious limitations such as the requirement of immunosuppressive drugs for recipient patients, side effects as a result of long-term use of drugs, and reduced functionality of islets at the transplantation site remain. Bioartificial pancreas that includes islets encapsulated within semi-permeable membrane has been considered as a promising approach to address these requirements. Many studies have focused on micro or nanobased islet immunoisolation systems and tested the efficacy of encapsulated islets using in vitro and in vivo platforms. In this review, we address current progress and obstacles for the development of a bioartificial pancreas using micro/nanobased systems for encapsulation of islets.

Encapsulation of phytosterols and phytosterol esters in liposomes made with soy phospholipids by high pressure homogenization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fan C; Acevedo, Nuria; Marangoni, Alejandro G

2017-11-15

Phytosterols and phytosterol esters were encapsulated within large unilamellar liposomes prepared with soy phospholipids using a microfluidizer. The average particle diameter of these liposomal vesicles increased with increasing amounts of encapsulated phytosterols, especially with increasing free sterol content. The phytosterol content, liposomal particle size, and phytosterol encapsulation efficiency started to plateau when liposomes were prepared with MOPS buffer dispersions that contained 50 mg ml -1 soy phospholipid and more than 4% phytosterol blend, suggesting the saturation of phytosterol encapsulation. We proposed an encapsulation mechanism of free sterols and phytosterol esters in liposomes, where free sterols were mainly encapsulated within the lumen of these liposomes as crystals, and sterol esters and some free sterols were incorporated within the phospholipid bilayer of the liposomal membrane. The results from this work could provide the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries a practical method to produce loaded liposomes using inexpensive phospholipid mixtures for the delivery of bioactive ingredients.

Method for Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Prepared through Low Temperature Atomic Layer Deposition for Encapsulating Organic Electroluminescent Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hui-Ying Li

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Preparation of dense alumina (Al2O3 thin film through atomic layer deposition (ALD provides a pathway to achieve the encapsulation of organic light emitting devices (OLED. Unlike traditional ALD which is usually executed at higher reaction n temperatures that may affect the performance of OLED, this application discusses the development on preparation of ALD thin film at a low temperature. One concern of ALD is the suppressing effect of ambient temperature on uniformity of thin film. To mitigate this issue, the pumping time in each reaction cycle was increased during the preparation process, which removed reaction byproducts and inhibited the formation of vacancies. As a result, the obtained thin film had both high uniformity and density properties, which provided an excellent encapsulation performance. The results from microstructure morphology analysis, water vapor transmission rate, and lifetime test showed that the difference in uniformity between thin films prepared at low temperatures, with increased pumping time, and high temperatures was small and there was no obvious influence of increased pumping time on light emitting performance. Meanwhile, the permeability for water vapor of the thin film prepared at a low temperature was found to reach as low as 1.5 × 10−4 g/(m2·day under ambient conditions of 25 °C and 60% relative humidity, indicating a potential extension in the lifetime for the OLED.

Electrochemical analysis of ion-exchange membranes with respect to a possible use in electrodialytic decontamination of soil polluted with heavy metals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Henrik; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Laursen, Søren

1997-01-01

Transport numbers in different metal chloride solutions were estimated using the emf method for two ion-exchange membranes: Ionics CR67 HMR412 (cation-exchange membrane) and Ionics AR204 SXRA 7639 (anion-exchange membrane). The cation-exchange membrane was found to work nearly ideally for Na...... experiments taken as a simplified simulation of the electrokinetic decontamination method showed that it was possible to remove all ions in the simulated soil volume, with a sharp increase in the potential difference over the soil volume as a result, and that it was possible to control the metal content...

Comparative Study of MIL-96(Al) as Continuous Metal-Organic Frameworks Layer and Mixed-Matrix Membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Knebel, Alexander; Friebe, Sebastian; Bigall, Nadja Carola; Benzaqui, Marvin; Serre, Christian; Caro, Jürgen

2016-03-23

MIL-96(Al) layers were prepared as supported metal-organic frameworks membrane via reactive seeding using the α-alumina support as the Al source for the formation of the MIL-96(Al) seeds. Depending on the solvent mixture employed during seed formation, two different crystal morphologies, with different orientation of the transport-active channels, have been formed. This crystal orientation and habit is predefined by the seed crystals and is kept in the subsequent growth of the seeds to continuous layers. In the gas separation of an equimolar H2/CO2 mixture, the hydrogen permeability of the two supported MIL-96(Al) layers was found to be highly dependent on the crystal morphology and the accompanied channel orientation in the layer. In addition to the neat supported MIL-96(Al) membrane layers, mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs, 10 wt % filler loading) as a composite of MIL-96(Al) particles as filler in a continuous Matrimid polymer phase have been prepared. Five particle sizes of MIL-96(Al) between 3.2 μm and 55 nm were synthesized. In the preparation of the MIL-96(Al)/Matrimid MMM (10 wt % filler loading), the following preparation problems have been identified: The bigger micrometer-sized MIL-96(Al) crystals show a trend toward sedimentation during casting of the MMM, whereas for nanoparticles aggregation and recrystallization to micrometer-sized MIL-96(Al) crystals has been observed. Because of these preparation problems for MMM, the neat supported MIL-96(Al) layers show a relatively high H2/CO2 selectivity (≈9) and a hydrogen permeance approximately 2 magnitudes higher than that of the best MMM.

Structure-property relationships in flavour-barrier membranes with reduced high-temperature diffusivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heitfeld, Kevin A.; Schaefer, Dale W.

2009-01-01

Encapsulation is used to decrease the premature release of volatile flavour ingredients while offering protection against environmental damage such as oxidation, light-induced reactions, etc. Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) is investigated here as a 'smart,' temperature responsive membrane for flavour encapsulation and delivery. Gel films were synthesized and characterized by diffusion and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering techniques. Increasing temperature typically increases the diffusion rate across a membrane; HPC, however, can be tailored to give substantially improved elevated temperature properties. Scattering results indicate processing conditions have a significant impact on membrane morphology (micro phase separation). Under certain synthetic conditions, micro phase separation is mitigated and the membranes show temperature-independent diffusivity between 25 C and 60 C.

Compost quality and its function as a soil conditioner of recultivation layers - a critical review

Science.gov (United States)

Beck-Broichsitter, Steffen; Fleige, Heiner; Horn, Rainer

2018-01-01

During a period of 4 years, soil chemical and physical properties of the temporary capping system in Rastorf (Northern Germany) were estimated, whereby compost was partly used as soil improver in the upper recultivation layer. The air capacity and the available water capacity of soil samples were first determined in 2013 (without compost), and then in 2015 (with compost) under laboratory conditions. Herein, the addition of compost had a positive effect on: the air capacity up to 13.4 cm3 cm-3; and the available water capacity up to 20.1 cm3 cm-3 in 2015, in the recultivation layer (0-20 cm). However, taking into account the in situ results of the tensiometer and frequency domain reflectometry measurements, the addition of compost had a negative effect. The soil-compost mixture led to restricted remoistening even after a normal summer drying period in autumn and induced more negative matric potentials in the recultivation layer. In summary, the soil-improving effect of the compost addition, in conjunction with an increased water storage capacity, is undeniable and was demonstrated in a combined field and laboratory study. Therefore, intensive hydrophobicity can inhibit the homogeneous remoistening of the soil, resulting in a decreased hydraulic effectiveness of the sealing system.

Influence of Active Layer on Separation Potentials of Nanofiltration Membranes for Inorganic Ions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wadekar, Shardul S; Vidic, Radisav D

2017-05-16

Active layers of two fully aromatic and two semi-aromatic nanofiltration membranes were studied along with surface charge at different electrolyte composition and effective pore size to elucidate their influence on separation mechanisms for inorganic ions by steric, charge, and dielectric exclusion. The membrane potential method used for pore size measurement is underlined as the most appropriate measurement technique for this application owing to its dependence on the diffusional potentials of inorganic ions. Crossflow rejection experiments with dilute feed composition indicate that both fully aromatic membranes achieved similar rejection despite the differences in surface charge, which suggests that rejection by these membranes is exclusively dependent on size exclusion and the contribution of charge exclusion is weak. Rejection experiments with higher ionic strength and different composition of the feed solution confirmed this hypothesis. On the other hand, increase in the ionic strength of feed solution when the charge exclusion effects are negligible due to charge screening strongly influenced ion rejection by semi-aromatic membranes. The experimental results confirmed that charge exclusion contributes significantly to the performance of semi-aromatic membranes in addition to size exclusion. The contribution of dielectric exclusion to overall ion rejection would be more significant for fully aromatic membranes.

Atomically Precise Nanocluster Assemblies Encapsulating Plasmonic Gold Nanorods.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Amrita; Fernandez, Ann Candice; Som, Anirban; Mondal, Biswajit; Natarajan, Ganapati; Paramasivam, Ganesan; Lahtinen, Tanja; Häkkinen, Hannu; Nonappa, Nonappa; Pradeep, Thalappil

2018-04-01

We present the self-assembled structures of atomically precise, ligand-protected noble metal nanoclusters leading to encapsulation of plasmonic gold nanorods (GNRs). Unlike highly sophisticated DNA nanotechnology, our approach demonstrates a strategically simple hydrogen bonding-directed self-assembly of nanoclusters leading to octahedral nanocrystals encapsulating GNRs. Specifically, we use the p-mercaptobenzoic acid (pMBA) protected atomically precise nanocluster, Na4[Ag44(pMBA)30] and pMBA functionalized GNRs. High resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron tomographic reconstructions suggest that the geometry of the GNR surface is responsible for directing the assembly of silver nanoclusters via H-bonding leading to octahedral symmetry. Further, use of water dispersible gold nanoclusters, Au~250(pMBA)n and Au102(pMBA)44 also formed layered shells encapsulating GNRs. Such cluster assemblies on colloidal particles present a new category of precision hybrids with diverse possibilities. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In-situ Growth of Biocidal AgCl Crystals in the Top Layer of Asymmetric Polytriazole Membranes

KAUST Repository

Villalobos, Luis Francisco; Chisca, Stefan; Cheng, Hong; Hong, Pei-Ying; Nunes, Suzana Pereira; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2016-01-01

Scalable fabrication strategies to concentrate biocidal materials in only the surface of membranes are highly desirable. In this letter, tight-UF polytriazole membranes with a high concentration of biocide silver chloride (AgCl) crystals dispersed in only their top layer are presented. They were made following a simple dual-bath process that is compatible with current commercial membrane casting facilities. These membranes can achieve a 150-fold increase in their antimicrobial character compared to their silver-free counterpart. Moreover, fine-tuning of their properties is straightforward. A change in the silver concentration in one of the baths is enough to tune the permeance, molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and silver loading of the final membrane.

In-situ Growth of Biocidal AgCl Crystals in the Top Layer of Asymmetric Polytriazole Membranes

KAUST Repository

Villalobos, Luis Francisco

2016-05-06

Scalable fabrication strategies to concentrate biocidal materials in only the surface of membranes are highly desirable. In this letter, tight-UF polytriazole membranes with a high concentration of biocide silver chloride (AgCl) crystals dispersed in only their top layer are presented. They were made following a simple dual-bath process that is compatible with current commercial membrane casting facilities. These membranes can achieve a 150-fold increase in their antimicrobial character compared to their silver-free counterpart. Moreover, fine-tuning of their properties is straightforward. A change in the silver concentration in one of the baths is enough to tune the permeance, molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and silver loading of the final membrane.

Modelling desiccation cracking in a homogenous soil clay layer: comparison between different hypotheses on constitutive behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jommi Cristina

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Desiccation cracks are usually thought to start from the surface of an evaporating soil layer, and the available simplified models for crack initiation and propagation are based on this hypothesis. On the contrary, experimental results on a Dutch river clay showed that cracks in an evaporating soil layer may start and propagate below the surface, confirming earlier findings by other researchers. A simple one-dimensional model was set up to analyse the consequences of different hypotheses about the material behaviour on the crack onset in a homogenous soil layer undergoing surface drying. The results of the model show that dependence of the material behaviour on the rate of water content change is a necessary requirement for cracks to initiate below the surface. The conclusion suggests that, to properly understand cracking in an evaporating soil layer, an intrinsic time scale for the mechanical response must be accounted for, among all the other factors which were previously highlighted by other researchers. The key factor to predict crack onset below the surface is the dependence of the drying branch of the water retention curve of the compressible soil on the rate of drying, which would be justified by a rate dependent fabric evolution.

On the resistances of membrane, diffusion boundary layer and double layer in ion exchange membrane transport

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Długołȩcki, P.; Ogonowski, P.; Metz, S.J.; Saakes, M.; Nijmeijer, K.; Wessling, M.

2010-01-01

Membrane resistances are often measured under direct current conditions using a standard 0.5 M NaCl characterization solution, although several electro-membrane processes (e.g. reverse electrodialysis, electrodialysis, fuel cells, microbial fuel cells and membrane capacitive deionization) operate in

Influence of nanoparticle-membrane electrostatic interactions on membrane fluidity and bending elasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Santhosh, Poornima Budime; Velikonja, Aljaž; Perutkova, Šarka; Gongadze, Ekaterina; Kulkarni, Mukta; Genova, Julia; Eleršič, Kristina; Iglič, Aleš; Kralj-Iglič, Veronika; Ulrih, Nataša Poklar

2014-02-01

The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of electrostatic interactions between the nanoparticles and the membrane lipids on altering the physical properties of the liposomal membrane such as fluidity and bending elasticity. For this purpose, we have used nanoparticles and lipids with different surface charges. Positively charged iron oxide (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles, neutral and negatively charged cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles were encapsulated in neutral lipid 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-L-serine lipid mixture. Membrane fluidity was assessed through the anisotropy measurements using the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene. Though the interaction of both the types of nanoparticles reduced the membrane fluidity, the results were more pronounced in the negatively charged liposomes encapsulated with positively charged iron oxide nanoparticles due to strong electrostatic attractions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results also confirmed the presence of significant quantity of positively charged iron oxide nanoparticles in negatively charged liposomes. Through thermally induced shape fluctuation measurements of the giant liposomes, a considerable reduction in the bending elasticity modulus was observed for cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. The experimental results were supported by the simulation studies using modified Langevin-Poisson-Boltzmann model. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in encapsulation technologies for the management of mercury-contaminated hazardous wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Randall, Paul; Chattopadhyay, Sandip

2004-01-01

Although industrial and commercial uses of mercury have been curtailed in recent times, there is a demonstrated need for the development of reliable hazardous waste management techniques because of historic operations that have led to significant contamination and ongoing hazardous waste generation. This study was performed to evaluate whether the U.S. EPA could propose treatment and disposal alternatives to the current land disposal restriction (LDR) treatment standards for mercury. The focus of this article is on the current state of encapsulation technologies that can be used to immobilize elemental mercury, mercury-contaminated debris, and other mercury-contaminated wastes, soils, sediments, or sludges. The range of encapsulation materials used in bench-scale, pilot-scale, and full-scale applications for mercury-contaminated wastes are summarized. Several studies have been completed regarding the application of sulfur polymer stabilization/solidification, chemically bonded phosphate ceramic encapsulation, and polyethylene encapsulation. Other materials reported in the literature as under development for encapsulation use include asphalt, polyester resins, synthetic elastomers, polysiloxane, sol-gels, Dolocrete TM , and carbon/cement mixtures. The primary objective of these encapsulation methods is to physically immobilize the wastes to prevent contact with leaching agents such as water. However, when used for mercury-contaminated wastes, several of these methods require a pretreatment or stabilization step to chemically fix mercury into a highly insoluble form prior to encapsulation. Performance data is summarized from the testing and evaluation of various encapsulated, mercury-contaminated wastes. Future technology development and research needs are also discussed

Quantification of functional groups and modeling of their ionization behavior in the active layer of FT30 reverse osmosis membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Coronell, Orlando; Mariñas, Benito J; Zhang, Xijing; Cahill, David G

2008-07-15

A new experimental approach was developed to measure the concentration of charged functional groups (FGs) in the active layer of thin-film composite reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes as a function of solution pH. FT30 RO membrane, with a fully aromatic polyamide (PA) active layer sandwiched between a polysulfone support and a coating layer, was used. The experiments consisted of saturating charged FGs with heavy ion probes, and determining the ion probe concentration by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Deprotonated carboxylic groups were saturated with Ag+, and protonated amine groups with W04(2-). The ionization behavior of carboxylic and amine groups was modeled based on acid-base equilibrium theory. While the ionization behavior of amine groups was satisfactorily described by one dissociation constant (pKa = 4.74), two pKa values (5.23 and 8.97) were necessary to describe the titration curve of carboxylic groups. These results were consistent with the bimodal pore size distribution (PSD) of FT30 active layer reported in the literature. The calculated total concentrations of carboxylic and amine groups in the active layer of the FT30 RO membrane studied were 0.432 and 0.036 M, respectively, and the isoelectric point (IEP) was 4.7. The total concentration of carboxylic and amine groups revealed that the degree of cross-linking of the PA active layer of the FT30 RO membrane studied was 94%.

Preparation and evaluation of tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained-release pellets modified by two-layered membrane techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingmin Wang

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to develop tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained-release pellets using two-layered membrane techniques. Centrifugal granulator and fluidized-bed coater were employed to prepare drug-loaded pellets and to employ two-layered membrane coating respectively. The prepared pellets were evaluated for physicochemical characterization, subjected to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and in vitro release of different pH. Different release models and scanning electron microscopy (SEM were utilized to analyze the release mechanism of Harnual® and home-made pellets. By comparing the dissolution profiles, the ratio and coating weight gain of Eudragit® NE30D and Eudragit® L30D55 which constitute the inside membrane were identified as 18:1 and 10%–11%. The coating amount of outside membrane containing Eudragit® L30D55 was determined to be 0.8%. The similarity factors (f2 of home-made capsule and commercially available product (Harnual® were above 50 in different dissolution media. DSC studies confirmed that drug and excipients had good compatibility and SEM photographs showed the similarities and differences of coating surface between Harnual® and self-made pellets before and after dissolution. According to Ritger-Peppas model, the two dosage form had different release mechanism.

Dark gray soils on two-layered deposits in the north of Tambov Plain: Agroecology, properties, and diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Zaidelman, F. R.; Nikiforova, A. S.; Stepantsova, L. V.; Volokhina, V. P.

2012-05-01

Dark gray soils in the Tambov Plain are developed from the light-textured glaciofluvial deposits underlain by the calcareous loam. Their morphology, water regime, and productivity are determined by the depth of the slightly permeable calcareous loamy layer, relief, and the degree of gleyzation. The light texture of the upper layer is responsible for its weak structure, high density, the low content of productive moisture, and the low water-holding capacity. If the calcareous loam is at a depth of 100-130 cm, dark gray soils are formed; if it lies at a depth of 40-70 cm, temporary perched water appears in the profile, and dark gray contact-gleyed soils are formed. Their characteristic pedofeatures are skeletans in the upper layers, calcareous nodules in the loamy clay layer, and iron nodules in the podzolized humus and podzolic horizons. The appearance of Fe-Mn concretions is related to gleyzation. The high yield of winter cereals is shown to be produced on the dark gray soils; the yields of spring crops are less stable. Spring cereals should not be grown on the contact-gleyed dark gray soils.

Aerosolized liposomes with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine enhance pulmonary absorption of encapsulated insulin compared with co-administered insulin.

Science.gov (United States)

Chono, Sumio; Togami, Kohei; Itagaki, Shirou

2017-11-01

We have previously shown that aerosolized liposomes with dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) enhance the pulmonary absorption of encapsulated insulin. In this study, we aimed to compare insulin encapsulated into the liposomes versus co-administration of empty liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin, where the DPCC liposomes would serve as absorption enhancer. The present study provides the useful information for development of noninvasive treatment of diabetes. Co-administration of empty DPPC liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin was investigated in vivo to assess the potential enhancement in protein pulmonary absorption. Co-administration was compared to DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin, and free insulin. DPPC liposomes enhanced the pulmonary absorption of unencapsulated free insulin; however, the enhancing effect was lower than that of the DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin. The mechanism of the pulmonary absorption of unencapsulated free insulin by DPPC liposomes involved the opening of epithelial cell space in alveolar mucosa, and not mucosal cell damage, similar to that of the DPPC liposomes encapsulating insulin. In an in vitro stability test, insulin in the alveolar mucus layer that covers epithelial cells was stable. These findings suggest that, although unencapsulated free insulin spreads throughout the alveolar mucus layer, the concentration of insulin released near the absorption surface is increased by the encapsulation of insulin into DPPC liposomes and the absorption efficiency is also increased. We revealed that the encapsulation of insulin into DPPC liposomes is more effective for pulmonary insulin absorption than co-administration of DPPC liposomes and unencapsulated free insulin.

Mechanical properties and osteogenic activity of poly(l-lactide) fibrous membrane synergistically enhanced by chitosan nanofibers and polydopamine layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hua; Li, Wenling; Wen, Wei; Luo, Binghong; Liu, Mingxian; Ding, Shan; Zhou, Changren

2017-12-01

To synergistically improve the mechanical properties and osteogenic activity of electrospinning poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) membrane, chitosan (CS) nanofibers were firstly introduced to prepare sub-micro and nanofibers interpenetrated PLLA/CS membrane, which was further surface modified with a polydopamine (PDA) layer to obtain PLLA/CS-PDA. Surface morphology, porosity, surface area and hydrophilicity of the obtained fibrous membranes were studied in detail. As compared to pure PLLA, the significant increase in the mechanical properties of the PLLA/CS, and especially of the PLLA/CS-PDA, was confirmed by tensile testing both in dry and wet states. Cells culture results indicated that both the PLLA/CS and PLLA/CS-PDA membranes, especially the latter, were more beneficial to adhesion, spreading and proliferation, as well as up-regulating alkaline phosphate activity and calcium deposition of MC3T3-E1 cells than PLLA membrane. Results suggested there was a synergistic effect of the CS nanofibers and PDA layer on the mechanical properties and osteogenic activity of PLLA membrane. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thin-film Nanofibrous Composite Membranes Containing Cellulose or Chitin Barrier Layers Fabricated by Ionic Liquids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

H Ma; B Hsiao; B Chu

2011-12-31

The barrier layer of high-flux ultrafiltration (UF) thin-film nanofibrous composite (TFNC) membranes for purification of wastewater (e.g., bilge water) have been prepared by using cellulose, chitin, and a cellulose-chitin blend, regenerated from an ionic liquid. The structures and properties of regenerated cellulose, chitin, and a cellulose-chitin blend were analyzed with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The surface morphology, pore size and pore size distribution of TFNC membranes were determined by SEM images and molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) methods. An oil/water emulsion, a model of bilge water, was used as the feed solution, and the permeation flux and rejection ratio of the membranes were investigated. TFNC membranes based on the cellulose-chitin blend exhibited 10 times higher permeation flux when compared with a commercial UF membrane (PAN10, Sepro) with a similar rejection ratio after filtration over a time period of up to 100 h, implying the practical feasibility of such membranes for UF applications.

Comparative studies on osmosis based encapsulation of sodium diclofenac in porcine and outdated human erythrocyte ghosts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bukara, Katarina; Drvenica, Ivana; Ilić, Vesna; Stančić, Ana; Mišić, Danijela; Vasić, Borislav; Gajić, Radoš; Vučetić, Dušan; Kiekens, Filip; Bugarski, Branko

2016-12-20

The objective of our study was to develop controlled drug delivery system based on erythrocyte ghosts for amphiphilic compound sodium diclofenac considering the differences between erythrocytes derived from two readily available materials - porcine slaughterhouse and outdated transfusion human blood. Starting erythrocytes, empty erythrocyte ghosts and diclofenac loaded ghosts were compared in terms of the encapsulation efficiency, drug releasing profiles, size distribution, surface charge, conductivity, surface roughness and morphology. The encapsulation of sodium diclofenac was performed by an osmosis based process - gradual hemolysis. During this process sodium diclofenac exerted mild and delayed antihemolytic effect and increased potassium efflux in porcine but not in outdated human erythrocytes. FTIR spectra revealed lack of any membrane lipid disorder and chemical reaction with sodium diclofenac in encapsulated ghosts. Outdated human erythrocyte ghosts with detected nanoscale damages and reduced ability to shrink had encapsulation efficiency of only 8%. On the other hand, porcine erythrocyte ghosts had encapsulation efficiency of 37% and relatively slow drug release rate. More preserved structure and functional properties of porcine erythrocytes related to their superior encapsulation and release performances, define them as more appropriate for the usage in sodium diclofenac encapsulation process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Implement of a Multi-layer Frozen Soil Scheme into SSiB3 and its Evaluation over Cold Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Q.

2016-12-01

The SSiB3 is a biophysics-based model of land-atmosphere interactions and is designed for global and regional studies. It has three soil layers, three snow layers, as well as one vegetation layer. Soil moisture of the three soil layers, interception water store for the canopy, subsurface soil temperature, ground temperature, canopy temperature and snow water equivalent are all predicted based on the water and energy balance at canopy, soil and snow. SSiB3 substantially enhances the model's capability for cold season studies and produces reasonable results compared with observations. However, frozen soil processes are ignored in the SSiB3 and may have effects on the interannual variability of soil temperature and deep soil memory. A multi-layer comprehensive frozen soil scheme (FSM), which is developed for climate study has been implemented into the SSiB3 to describe soil heat transfer and water flow affected by frozen processed in soil. In the coupled SSiB3-FSM, both liquid water and ice content have been taken into account in the frozen soil hydrologic and thermal property parameterization. The maximum soil layer depth could reach 10 meters thick depending on land conditions. To better evaluate the models' performance, the coupled offline SSiB3-FSM and SSiB3 have been driven from 1948 to 1958 by the Princeton global meteorological data set, respectively. For the 10yrs run, the coupled SSiB3-FSM almost captures the features over different regions, especially cold regions. In order to analysis and compare the differences of SSIB3-FSM and SSIB3 in detail, monthly mean surface temperature for different regions are compared with CAMS data. The statistical results of surface skin temperature show that high latitude regions, Africa, Eastern Australia, and North American monsoon regions have been greatly improved in SSIB3-FSM. For the global statistics, the RMSE of the surface temperature simulated by SSiB3-FSM can be improved about 0.6K compared to SSiB3. In this study

Electrodeposition to construct free-standing chitosan/layered double hydroxides hydro-membrane for electrically triggered protein release.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Pengkun; Zhao, Yanan; Xiao, Ling; Deng, Hongbing; Du, Yumin; Chen, Yun; Shi, Xiaowen

2017-10-01

In this study, we report the electrodeposition of a chitosan/layered double hydroxides (LDHs) hydro-membrane for protein release triggered by an electrical signal. The electrodeposition was performed in a chitosan and insulin loaded LDHs suspension in the absence of salt. A free-standing chitosan/LDHs hydro-membrane was generated on the electrode with improved mechanical properties, which is dramatically different from the weak hydrogel deposited in the presence of salt. The amount of LDHs in the hydro-membrane affects the optical transmittance and multilayered structure of the hybrid membrane. Compared to the weak chitosan/LDHs hydrogel, the hydro-membrane has a higher insulin loading capacity and the release of insulin is relatively slow. By biasing electrical potentials to the hydro-membrane, the release behavior of insulin can be adjusted accordingly. In addition, the chitosan/LDHs hydro-membrane showed no toxicity to cells. Our results provide a facile method to construct a chitosan/LDHs hybrid multilayered hydro-membrane and suggest the great potential of the hydro-membrane in controlled protein release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling and sequential simulation of multi-tubular metallic membrane and techno-economics of a hydrogen production process employing thin-layer membrane reactor

KAUST Repository

Shafiee, Alireza; Arab, Mobin; Lai, Zhiping; Liu, Zongwen; Abbas, Ali

2016-01-01

reforming hydrogen production plant. A techno-economic analysis is then conducted using the validated model for a plant producing 300 TPD of hydrogen. The plant utilises a thin (2.5 μm) defect-free and selective layer (Pd75Ag25 alloy) membrane reactor

Ameliorating effects of designer biochars in a hard-setting subsoil layer: soil fertility and plant biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Soils in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain region have meager soil fertility and frequently have compacted subsoil layers (E horizon). Designer biochar has gained global interest as an amendment to improve the fertility, chemical, and physical properties of degraded agricultural soils. We hypothes...

Microscopic Characterization of Individual Submicron Bubbles during the Layer-by-Layer Deposition: Towards Creating Smart Agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riku Kato

2015-07-01

Full Text Available We investigated the individual properties of various polyion-coated bubbles with a mean diameter ranging from 300 to 500 nm. Dark field microscopy allows one to track the individual particles of the submicron bubbles (SBs encapsulated by the layer-by-layer (LbL deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes (PEs. Our focus is on the two-step charge reversals of PE-SB complexes: the first is a reversal from negatively charged bare SBs with no PEs added to positive SBs encapsulated by polycations (monolayer deposition, and the second is overcharging into negatively charged PE-SB complexes due to the subsequent addition of polyanions (double-layer deposition. The details of these phenomena have been clarified through the analysis of a number of trajectories of various PE-SB complexes that experience either Brownian motion or electrophoresis. The contrasted results obtained from the analysis were as follows: an amount in excess of the stoichiometric ratio of the cationic polymers was required for the first charge-reversal, whereas the stoichiometric addition of the polyanions lead to the electrical neutralization of the PE-SB complex particles. The recovery of the stoichiometry in the double-layer deposition paves the way for fabricating multi-layered SBs encapsulated solely with anionic and cationic PEs, which provides a simple protocol to create smart agents for either drug delivery or ultrasound contrast imaging.

Microscopic Characterization of Individual Submicron Bubbles during the Layer-by-Layer Deposition: Towards Creating Smart Agents

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Riku; Frusawa, Hiroshi

2015-07-01

We investigated the individual properties of various polyion-coated bubbles with a mean diameter ranging from 300 to 500 nm. Dark field microscopy allows one to track the individual particles of the submicron bubbles (SBs) encapsulated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes (PEs). Our focus is on the two-step charge reversals of PE-SB complexes: the first is a reversal from negatively charged bare SBs with no PEs added to positive SBs encapsulated by polycations (monolayer deposition), and the second is overcharging into negatively charged PE-SB complexes due to the subsequent addition of polyanions (double-layer deposition). The details of these phenomena have been clarified through the analysis of a number of trajectories of various PE-SB complexes that experience either Brownian motion or electrophoresis. The contrasted results obtained from the analysis were as follows: an amount in excess of the stoichiometric ratio of the cationic polymers was required for the first charge-reversal, whereas the stoichiometric addition of the polyanions lead to the electrical neutralization of the PE-SB complex particles. The recovery of the stoichiometry in the double-layer deposition paves the way for fabricating multi-layered SBs encapsulated solely with anionic and cationic PEs, which provides a simple protocol to create smart agents for either drug delivery or ultrasound contrast imaging.

3D morphological characterization of the polyamide active layer of RO and NF membranes using TEM and soft X-ray scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Culp, Tyler; Paul, Mou; Roy, Abhishek; Rosenberg, Steve; Behr, Michael; Kumar, Manish; Gomez, Enrique; Penn State Team; Dow Team

Polyamide-based thin-film composite (TFC) membranes used for reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) separation processes are at the forefront of water desalination and purification technologies due to their high salt rejection, high energy efficiency, and ease of operation. Nevertheless, in spite of the benefits of RO and NF membranes, many open questions about the internal nanostructure of the membrane active layer remain, such as the dispersion and distribution of acid functional groups. We demonstrate that resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSOXS), where the X-ray energy is tuned to absorption edges of the constituent materials, is a powerful tool to examine the microstructure of the polyamide layer. In conjunction with complementary techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), where tomography is used to obtain a 3D reconstruction of the polyamide active layer, the effect of cross-linking can be quantified in 3D for a systematic series of membranes. This relationship can then be applied to a series of commercially available RO and NF membranes where the effect of polyamide cross-linking on their respective structure and water transport properties can be evaluated. The combination of RSOXS with traditional characterization tools provides a strategy for linking the chemical structure to the morphology and water transport properties of RO and NF membranes.

Computed tomography appearances of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, C.; Al-Zwae, K.; Nair, S.; Cast, J.E.I.

2007-01-01

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) characterized by thickened peritoneal membranes, which lead to decreased ultra-filtration and intestinal obstruction. Its early clinical features are nonspecific, and it is often diagnosed late following laparotomy and peritoneal biopsy, when the patient develops small bowel obstruction, which can be a life-threatening complication. However, this is changing with increasing awareness of computed tomography (CT) findings in SEP. CT can yield an early, non-invasive diagnosis that may improve patient outcome. We present a review of the CT appearances of SEP

Computed tomography appearances of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, C. [Department of Radiology, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: cheriangeorge@hotmail.com; Al-Zwae, K. [Department of Radiology, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull (United Kingdom); Nair, S. [Department of Radiology, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull (United Kingdom); Cast, J.E.I. [Department of Radiology, Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull (United Kingdom)

2007-08-15

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP) is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD) characterized by thickened peritoneal membranes, which lead to decreased ultra-filtration and intestinal obstruction. Its early clinical features are nonspecific, and it is often diagnosed late following laparotomy and peritoneal biopsy, when the patient develops small bowel obstruction, which can be a life-threatening complication. However, this is changing with increasing awareness of computed tomography (CT) findings in SEP. CT can yield an early, non-invasive diagnosis that may improve patient outcome. We present a review of the CT appearances of SEP.

Changes in the physical properties of the dynamic layer and its correlation with permeate quality in a self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Dao; Dai, Ji; Watanabe, Yoshimasa; Chen, Guanghao

2018-09-01

The self-forming dynamic membrane bioreactor (SFDMBR) is a biological wastewater treatment technology based on the conventional membrane bioreactor (MBR) with membrane material modification to a large pore size (30-100 μm). This modification requires a dynamic layer formed by activated sludge to provide effective filtration function for high-quality permeate production. The properties of the dynamic layer are therefore important for permeate quality in SFDMBRs. The interaction between the structure of the dynamic layer and the performance of SFDMBRs is little known but understandably complex. To elucidate the interaction, a lab-scale SFDMBR system coupled with a nylon woven mesh as the supporting material was operated. After development of a mature dynamic layer, excellent solid-liquid separation was achieved, as evidenced by a low permeate turbidity of less than 2 NTU. The permeate turbidity stayed below this level for nearly 80 days. In the fouling phase, the dynamic layer was compressed with an increase in the trans-membrane pressure and the quality of the permeate kept deteriorating until the turbidity exceeded 10 NTU. The investigation revealed that the majority of permeate particles were dissociated from the dynamic layer on the back surface of the supporting material, which is caused by the compression, breakdown, and dissociation of the dynamic layer. This phenomenon was observed directly in experiment instead of model prediction or conjecture for the first time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A highly sensitive hydrogen sensor with gas selectivity using a PMMA membrane-coated Pd nanoparticle/single-layer graphene hybrid.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Juree; Lee, Sanggeun; Seo, Jungmok; Pyo, Soonjae; Kim, Jongbaeg; Lee, Taeyoon

2015-02-18

A polymer membrane-coated palladium (Pd) nanoparticle (NP)/single-layer graphene (SLG) hybrid sensor was fabricated for highly sensitive hydrogen gas (H2) sensing with gas selectivity. Pd NPs were deposited on SLG via the galvanic displacement reaction between graphene-buffered copper (Cu) and Pd ion. During the galvanic displacement reaction, graphene was used as a buffer layer, which transports electrons from Cu for Pd to nucleate on the SLG surface. The deposited Pd NPs on the SLG surface were well-distributed with high uniformity and low defects. The Pd NP/SLG hybrid was then coated with polymer membrane layer for the selective filtration of H2. Because of the selective H2 filtration effect of the polymer membrane layer, the sensor had no responses to methane, carbon monoxide, or nitrogen dioxide gas. On the contrary, the PMMA/Pd NP/SLG hybrid sensor exhibited a good response to exposure to 2% H2: on average, 66.37% response within 1.81 min and recovery within 5.52 min. In addition, reliable and repeatable sensing behaviors were obtained when the sensor was exposed to different H2 concentrations ranging from 0.025 to 2%.

Morphological evolution of carbon nanofibers encapsulating SnCo alloys and its effect on growth of the solid electrolyte interphase layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Jungwoo; Ryu, Won-Hee; Park, Kyu-Sung; Kim, Il-Doo

2013-08-27

Two distinctive one-dimensional (1-D) carbon nanofibers (CNFs) encapsulating irregularly and homogeneously segregated SnCo nanoparticles were synthesized via electrospinning of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymers containing Sn-Co acetate precursors and subsequent calcination in reducing atmosphere. CNFs synthesized with PVP, which undergoes structural degradation of the polymer during carbonization processes, exhibited irregular segregation of heterogeneous alloy particles composed of SnCo, Co3Sn2, and SnO with a size distribution of 30-100 nm. Large and exposed multiphase SnCo particles in PVP-driven amorphous CNFs (SnCo/PVP-CNFs) kept decomposing liquid electrolyte and were partly detached from CNFs during cycling, leading to a capacity fading at the earlier cycles. The closer study of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers formed on the CNFs reveals that the gradual growth of fiber radius due to continuous increment of SEI layer thickness led to capacity fading. In contrast, SnCo particles in PAN-driven CNFs (SnCo/PAN-CNFs) showed dramatically reduced crystallite sizes (<10 nm) of single phase SnCo nanoparticles which were entirely embedded in dense, semicrystalline, and highly conducting 1-D carbon matrix. The growth of SEI layer was limited and saturated during cycling. As a result, SnCo/PAN-CNFs showed much improved cyclability (97.9% capacity retention) and lower SEI layer thickness (86 nm) after 100 cycles compared to SnCo/PVP-CNFs (capacity retention, 71.9%; SEI layer thickness, 593 nm). This work verifies that the thermal behavior of carbon precursor is highly responsible for the growth mechanism of SEI layer accompanied with particles detachment and cyclability of alloy particle embedded CNFs.

Two-layer membranes of calcium phosphate/collagen/PLGA nanofibres: in vitro biomineralisation and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hild, Nora; Schneider, Oliver D.; Mohn, Dirk; Luechinger, Norman A.; Koehler, Fabian M.; Hofmann, Sandra; Vetsch, Jolanda R.; Thimm, Benjamin W.; Müller, Ralph; Stark, Wendelin J.

2011-02-01

The present study evaluates the in vitro biomedical performance of an electrospun, flexible, anisotropic bilayer with one layer containing a collagen to mineral ratio similar to that in bone. The double membrane consists of a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) layer and an amorphous calcium phosphate (a-CaP)/collagen (Col)/PLGA layer. In vitro biomineralisation and a cell culture study with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were conducted to characterise such membranes for possible application as biomaterials. Nanofibres with different a-CaP/Col/PLGA compositions were synthesised by electrospinning to mimic the actual composition of bone tissue. Immersion in simulated body fluid and in cell culture medium resulted in the deposition of a hydroxyapatite layer. Incubation of hMSC for 4 weeks allowed for assessment of the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the cells on both sides of the double membrane. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to observe the proper adhesion of the cells. Calcium and collagen content was proven by Alizarin red S and Sirius red assays. Acute cytotoxic effects of the nanoparticles or the chemicals used in the scaffold preparation could be excluded based on viability assays (alamarBlue and alkaline phosphatase activity). The findings suggest possible application of such double membranes is in treatment of bone defects with complex geometries as wound dressing material.The present study evaluates the in vitro biomedical performance of an electrospun, flexible, anisotropic bilayer with one layer containing a collagen to mineral ratio similar to that in bone. The double membrane consists of a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) layer and an amorphous calcium phosphate (a-CaP)/collagen (Col)/PLGA layer. In vitro biomineralisation and a cell culture study with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were conducted to characterise such membranes for possible application as biomaterials. Nanofibres with different a

High-performance polyamide thin-film-nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes containing hydrophobic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8

KAUST Repository

Duan, Jintang

2015-02-01

A hydrophobic, hydrothermally stable metal-organic framework (MOF) - zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was successfully incorporated into the selective polyamide (PA) layer of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for water desalination. The potential advantages of ZIF-8 over classic hydrophilic zeolite used in TFNs include: i) theoretically faster water transport within the framework and ii) better compatibility with the PA matrix. The TFN membranes were characterized with SEM, TEM, AFM, XPS, water contact angle measurements and reverse osmosis tests under 15.5bar hydraulic pressure with 2000ppm NaCl solution. Lab-made, nano-sized (~200nm) ZIF-8 increased water permeance to 3.35±0.08L/m2·h·bar at 0.4% (w/v) loading, 162% higher than the pristine PA membranes; meanwhile, high NaCl rejection was maintained. The TFN surface was less crosslinked and more hydrophilic than that of the pristine PA. A filler encapsulation mechanism was proposed for the effects of filler on TFN membrane surface morphology and properties. This study experimentally verified the potential use of ZIF-8 in advanced TFN RO membranes.

Sediment exchange to mitigate pollutant exposure in urban soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Daniel; Glass, Katherine; Morris, Samantha; Zhang, Horace; McRae, Isabel; Anderson, Noel; Alfieri, Alysha; Egendorf, Sara Perl; Holberton, Shana; Owrang, Shahandeh; Cheng, Zhongqi

2018-05-15

Urban soil is an ongoing source for lead (Pb) and other pollutant exposure. Sources of clean soil that are locally-available, abundant and inexpensive are needed to place a protective cover layer over degraded urban soil to eliminate direct and indirect pollutant exposures. This study evaluates a novel sediment exchange program recently established in New York City (NYC Clean Soil Bank, CSB) and found that direct exchange of surplus sediment extracted from urban construction projects satisfies these criteria. The CSB has high total yield with 4.2 × 10 5  t of sediment exchanged in five years. Average annual yield (8.5 × 10 4  t yr -1 ) would be sufficient to place a 15-cm (6-in.) sediment cover layer over 3.2 × 10 5  m 2 (80 acres) of impacted urban soil or 1380 community gardens. In a case study of sediment exchange to mitigate community garden soil contamination, Pb content in sediment ranged from 2 to 5 mg kg -1 . This sediment would reduce surface Pb concentrations more than 98% if it was used to encapsulate soil with Pb content exceeding USEPA residential soil standards (400 mg kg -1 ). The maximum observed sediment Pb content is a factor of 42 and 71 lower than median surface soil and garden soil in NYC, respectively. All costs (transportation, chemical testing, etc.) in the CSB are paid by the donor indicating that urban sediment exchange could be an ultra-low-cost source for urban soil mitigation. Urban-scale sediment exchange has advantages over existing national- or provincial-scale sediment exchanges because it can retain and upcycle local sediment resources to attain their highest and best use (e.g. lowering pollutant exposure), achieve circular urban materials metabolism, improve livability and maximize urban sustainability. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Cheap Thin Film Oxygen Membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2009-01-01

The present invention provides a membrane, comprising a porous support layer a gas tight electronically and ionically conducting membrane layer and a catalyst layer, characterized in that the electronically and ionically conducting membrane layer is formed from a material having a crystallite...... structure with a crystal size of about 1 to 100 nm, and a method for producing same....

SOLID OXYGEN SOURCE FOR BIOREMEDIATION IN SUBSURFACE SOILS

Science.gov (United States)

Sodium percarbonate was encapsulated in poly(vinylidene chloride) to determine its potential as a slow-release oxygen source for biodegradation of contaminan ts in subsurface soils. In laboratory studies under aqueous conditions, the encapsulated sodium percarbonate was estimate...

Is There Excitation Energy Transfer between Different Layers of Stacked Photosystem-II-Containing Thylakoid Membranes?

Science.gov (United States)

Farooq, Shazia; Chmeliov, Jevgenij; Trinkunas, Gediminas; Valkunas, Leonas; van Amerongen, Herbert

2016-04-07

We have compared picosecond fluorescence decay kinetics for stacked and unstacked photosystem II membranes in order to evaluate the efficiency of excitation energy transfer between the neighboring layers. The measured kinetics were analyzed in terms of a recently developed fluctuating antenna model that provides information about the dimensionality of the studied system. Independently of the stacking state, all preparations exhibited virtually the same value of the apparent dimensionality, d = 1.6. Thus, we conclude that membrane stacking does not affect the efficiency of the delivery of excitation energy toward the reaction centers but ensures a more compact organization of the thylakoid membranes within the chloroplast and separation of photosystems I and II.

Effective tension and fluctuations in active membranes

OpenAIRE

Loubet, Bastien; Seifert, Udo; Lomholt, Michael Andersen

2011-01-01

We calculate the fluctuation spectrum of the shape of a lipid vesicle or cell exposed to a nonthermal source of noise. In particular we take into account constraints on the membrane area and the volume of fluid that it encapsulates when obtaining expressions for the dependency of the membrane tension on the noise. We then investigate three possible origins of the non-thermal noise taken from the literature: A direct force, which models an external medium pushing on the membrane. A curvature f...

Observing the morphology of single-layered embedded silicon nanocrystals by using temperature-stable TEM membranes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Gutsch

2015-04-01

Full Text Available We use high-temperature-stable silicon nitride membranes to investigate single layers of silicon nanocrystal ensembles by energy filtered transmission electron microscopy. The silicon nanocrystals are prepared from the precipitation of a silicon-rich oxynitride layer sandwiched between two SiO2 diffusion barriers and subjected to a high-temperature annealing. We find that such single layers are very sensitive to the annealing parameters and may lead to a significant loss of excess silicon. In addition, these ultrathin layers suffer from significant electron beam damage that needs to be minimized in order to image the pristine sample morphology. Finally we demonstrate how the silicon nanocrystal size distribution develops from a broad to a narrow log-normal distribution, when the initial precipitation layer thickness and stoichiometry are below a critical value.

Electrospun superhydrophobic membranes with unique structures for membrane distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Liao, Yuan; Loh, Chun-Heng; Wang, Rong; Fane, Anthony G

2014-09-24

With modest temperature demand, low operating pressure, and high solute rejection, membrane distillation (MD) is an attractive option for desalination, waste treatment, and food and pharmaceutical processing. However, large-scale practical applications of MD are still hindered by the absence of effective membranes with high hydrophobicity, high porosity, and adequate mechanical strength, which are important properties for MD permeation fluxes, stable long-term performance, and effective packing in modules without damage. This study describes novel design strategies for highly robust superhydrophobic dual-layer membranes for MD via electrospinning. One of the newly developed membranes comprises a durable and ultrathin 3-dimensional (3D) superhydrophobic skin and porous nanofibrous support whereas another was fabricated by electrospinning 3D superhydrophobic layers on a nonwoven support. These membranes exhibit superhydrophobicity toward distilled water, salty water, oil-in-water emulsion, and beverages, which enables them to be used not only for desalination but also for other processes. The superhydrophobic dual-layer membrane #3S-N with nanofibrous support has a competitive permeation flux of 24.6 ± 1.2 kg m(-2) h(-1) in MD (feed and permeate temperate were set as 333 and 293 K, respectively) due to the higher porosity of the nanofibrous scaffold. Meanwhile, the membranes with the nonwoven support exhibit greater mechanical strength due to this support combined with better long-term performance because of the thicker 3D superhydrophobic layers. The morphology, pore size, porosity, mechanical properties, and liquid enter pressure of water of these superhydrophobic composite membranes with two different structures are reported and compared with commercial polyvinylidene fluoride membranes.

P-111 : a thin film encapsulation stack for PLED and OLED displays

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Assche, van F.J.H.; Vangheluwe, R.T.; Maes, J.W.C.; Mischke, W.S.; Bijker, M.D.; Dings, F.C.; Evers, M.F.J.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Sanden, van de M.C.M.

2004-01-01

For a thin film (<1 µm) encapsulation stack consisting of only 3 plasma deposited silicon nitride layers separated by a thin (<100 nm) organic layer, a water permeation rate of below 10–5 g/m2 per day at 50 °C and 50% rH has been measured using the Ca test. PLED lifetimes of over 500 hours at 60 °C

The technology of layer-specific rotary soil cultivation for forest crops and equipment for its implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. N. Orlovskiy

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Influence of existing methods and technologies of soil processing for forest crops on establishment and growth of cultivated tree species was studied. It was found that furrow plough processing of soil can interfere with the cultivated trees’ ecological peculiarities, because the furrow floor, where trees are planted, often constitutes the lower part of the turf or the upper part of the ashen-gray layers having unfavorable water-physical conditions and decreased crop-producing power. Whenever conifer trees grow on the bottom of a furrow excavated in medium and heavy clay loam, their growth is significantly decreased and accompanied by remarkable changes in morphology. Processing of shallow humus thickness soil with multiple cutter results in mixing of A0, A1 and A2 (ashen-gray layers. Consequently, the processed horizon obtains a lower amount of fertile substances than the vegetable soil on non-processed places. An apparatus for graded soil tillage, its construction, working principle and usage technology are described. The major peculiarity of the device consists in the ability not to crumbl the soil, but to shake down vegetable earth cut by subsurface plow from beneath. The technology involves removing roots and grass outside cultivated land, so that it cannot be then overgrown with weeds. It was found that exploitation of the device improves soil pulverization quality, enhances percentage of separates less than 10 mm and 10–50 mm, decreases content of the separate larger than 50 mm, and reduced specific energy output almost three-fold. Vertical displacement of control particles while soil processing with common cutter machines and the suggested device was studied. Establishment and growth of Siberian pine was determined in experimental productive cultures at different planting technologies. It was shown that under the suggested technology, forest plants furrow sowing can be done while soil processing, so that making nurseries becomes

Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Overton, K. Wesley; Park, Dan M.; Yung, Mimi C.; Dohnalkova, Alice; Smit, John; Jiao, Yongqin

2016-09-23

Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.Caulobacter crescentusis unique in that it has two homologous, seemingly redundant outer membrane proteins, RsaF_aand RsaF_b, which together with other components form a type I protein translocation pathway for S-layer export. These proteins have homology toEscherichia coliTolC, the outer membrane channel of multidrug efflux pumps. Here we provide evidence that, unlike TolC, RsaF_aand RsaF_bare not involved in either the maintenance of membrane stability or the active export of antimicrobial compounds. Rather, RsaF_aand RsaF_bare required to prevent intracellular accumulation and aggregation of the S-layer protein RsaA; deletion of RsaF_aand RsaF_bled to a general growth defect and lowered cellular fitness. Using Western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that loss of both RsaF_aand RsaF_bled to accumulation of insoluble RsaA in the cytoplasm, which in turn caused upregulation of a number of genes involved in protein misfolding and degradation pathways. These findings provide new insight into the requirement for RsaF_aand RsaF_bin cellular fitness and tolerance to antimicrobial agents and further our understanding of the S-layer export mechanism on both the transcriptional and translational levels in

Soil hydraulic material properties and layered architecture from time-lapse GPR

Science.gov (United States)

Jaumann, Stefan; Roth, Kurt

2018-04-01

Quantitative knowledge of the subsurface material distribution and its effective soil hydraulic material properties is essential to predict soil water movement. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a noninvasive and nondestructive geophysical measurement method that is suitable to monitor hydraulic processes. Previous studies showed that the GPR signal from a fluctuating groundwater table is sensitive to the soil water characteristic and the hydraulic conductivity function. In this work, we show that the GPR signal originating from both the subsurface architecture and the fluctuating groundwater table is suitable to estimate the position of layers within the subsurface architecture together with the associated effective soil hydraulic material properties with inversion methods. To that end, we parameterize the subsurface architecture, solve the Richards equation, convert the resulting water content to relative permittivity with the complex refractive index model (CRIM), and solve Maxwell's equations numerically. In order to analyze the GPR signal, we implemented a new heuristic algorithm that detects relevant signals in the radargram (events) and extracts the corresponding signal travel time and amplitude. This algorithm is applied to simulated as well as measured radargrams and the detected events are associated automatically. Using events instead of the full wave regularizes the inversion focussing on the relevant measurement signal. For optimization, we use a global-local approach with preconditioning. Starting from an ensemble of initial parameter sets drawn with a Latin hypercube algorithm, we sequentially couple a simulated annealing algorithm with a Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. The method is applied to synthetic as well as measured data from the ASSESS test site. We show that the method yields reasonable estimates for the position of the layers as well as for the soil hydraulic material properties by comparing the results to references derived from ground

Electroporation of micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Kang; Zhang, Mengying; Chen, Shuyu; Wang, Limu; Chang, Donald Choy; Wen, Weijia

2010-01-01

Electroporation (EP) is a method widely used to introduce foreign genes, drugs or dyes into cells by permeabilizing the plasma membrane with an external electric field. A variety of microfluidic EP devices have been reported so far. However, further integration of prior and posterior EP processes turns out to be very complicated, mainly due to the difficulty of developing an efficient method for precise manipulation of cells in microfluidics. In this study, by means of a T-junction structure within a delicate microfluidic device, we encapsulated HeLa cells in micro-droplet of poration medium in oil phase before EP, which has two advantages: (i) precise control of cell-encapsulating droplets in oil phase is much easier than the control of cell populations or individuals in aqueous buffers; (ii) this can minimize the electrochemical reactions on the electrodes. Finally, we successfully introduced fluorescent dyes into the micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase. Our results reflected a novel way to realize the integrated biomicrofluidic system for EP. © 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Electroporation of micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase

KAUST Repository

Xiao, Kang

2010-08-27

Electroporation (EP) is a method widely used to introduce foreign genes, drugs or dyes into cells by permeabilizing the plasma membrane with an external electric field. A variety of microfluidic EP devices have been reported so far. However, further integration of prior and posterior EP processes turns out to be very complicated, mainly due to the difficulty of developing an efficient method for precise manipulation of cells in microfluidics. In this study, by means of a T-junction structure within a delicate microfluidic device, we encapsulated HeLa cells in micro-droplet of poration medium in oil phase before EP, which has two advantages: (i) precise control of cell-encapsulating droplets in oil phase is much easier than the control of cell populations or individuals in aqueous buffers; (ii) this can minimize the electrochemical reactions on the electrodes. Finally, we successfully introduced fluorescent dyes into the micro-droplet encapsulated HeLa cells in oil phase. Our results reflected a novel way to realize the integrated biomicrofluidic system for EP. © 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Irrigation and Nitrogen Regimes Promote the Use of Soil Water and Nitrate Nitrogen from Deep Soil Layers by Regulating Root Growth in Wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Weixing; Ma, Geng; Wang, Chenyang; Wang, Jiarui; Lu, Hongfang; Li, Shasha; Feng, Wei; Xie, Yingxin; Ma, Dongyun; Kang, Guozhang

2018-01-01

Unreasonably high irrigation levels and excessive nitrogen (N) supplementation are common occurrences in the North China Plain that affect winter wheat production. Therefore, a 6-yr-long stationary field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigation and N regimes on root development and their relationship with soil water and N use in different soil layers. Compared to the non-irrigated treatment (W0), a single irrigation at jointing (W1) significantly increased yield by 3.6-45.6%. With increases in water (W2, a second irrigation at flowering), grain yield was significantly improved by 14.1-45.3% compared to the W1 treatments during the drier growing seasons (2010-2011, 2012-2013, and 2015-2016). However, under sufficient pre-sowing soil moisture conditions, grain yield was not increased, and water use efficiency (WUE) decreased significantly in the W2 treatments during normal precipitation seasons (2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015). Irrigating the soil twice inhibited root growth into the deeper soil depth profiles and thus weakened the utilization of soil water and NO 3 -N from the deep soil layers. N applications increased yield by 19.1-64.5%, with a corresponding increase in WUE of 66.9-83.9% compared to the no-N treatment (N0). However, there was no further increase in grain yield and the WUE response when N rates exceeded 240 and 180 kg N ha -1 , respectively. A N application rate of 240 kg ha -1 facilitated root growth in the deep soil layers, which was conducive to utilization of soil water and NO 3 -N and also in reducing the residual NO 3 -N. Correlation analysis indicated that the grain yield was significantly positively correlated with soil water storage (SWS) and nitrate nitrogen accumulation (SNA) prior to sowing. Therefore, N rates of 180-240 kg ha -1 with two irrigations can reduce the risk of yield loss that occurs due to reduced precipitation during the wheat growing seasons, while under better soil moisture conditions, a

Sorption Kinetics of Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp on Two Soil Layers Associated with a Groundwater Table in Yaounde, Cameroon (Central Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norbert Kemka

2005-12-01

Full Text Available A laboratory study has been carried out on two soil layers (HX and HY located above a groundwater table in Yaounde, Cameroon (Central Africa. The main purpose of this study was to assess the retention potential or sorption kinetics of Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. on these soil layers. For both soil layers, bacterial sorption on soil particles occurred rapidly during the first 30 minutes of incubation of bacteria and soil particles in aqueous media, and increased gradually with incubation time up to 300 min. In some cases, adsorption rates fluctuated after 30 min of incubation, probably due to bacterial cell sorption to and de-sorption from soil particles. Using Freundlich isotherms, it was noted that adsorption coefficient related to adsorption capacity varied from 19 to 4026 E. coli.mg-1 of soil, and from 506 to 847 Salmonella sp.mg-1 of soil. For both bacterial species, the adsorption coefficient of layer HY (located in close proximity of the water table was greater than that of HX (located above layer HY and seemed to positively correlate with the pH values and N/P ratios, and to negatively correlate with the values of C/N and C/P ratios. The linearity coefficient related to adsorption intensity varied from 0.5841 to 1.0023 for E. coli, and from 0.7068 to 1.5236 for Salmonella sp. The physico-chemical characteristics of soil particles seemed to influence the sorption kinetics of bacteria on soil.

Preparation of dual-layer coated polyester membranes with nuclear tracks and their wave-absorbing property

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Cunxiong; Hu Lian; Ni Bangfa; Tian Weizhi; Fan Qiwen; Xiao Caijin; Nie Peng; Wang Pingsheng; Zhang Guiying; Huang Donghui

2010-01-01

Nanometer materials are of importance in developing electromagnetic-wave-absorbing materials. In this work, 16 μm thick polyester membranes were bombarded by 140 MeV 32 S ions from the HI-13 tandem accelerator to produce latent tracks. The bombarded samples were sensitized by DMF and UV light at 360 nm wavelength, before chemical etching by NaOH solution to develop latent tracks into pores in sizes of nanometers or micrometers in full depth of the membrane. The samples were coated with thin layers of barium ferrite and magnesium fluoride by vacuum evaporation. The reflectivity indices were measured at 2-18 GHz. The results indicate that the modified polyester membrane can effectively absorb 8-18 GHz radar waves.(authors)

Bulk and contact resistances of gas diffusion layers in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Donghao; Gauthier, Eric; Benziger, Jay B.; Pan, Mu

2014-06-01

A multi-electrode probe is employed to distinguish the bulk and contact resistances of the catalyst layer (CL) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) with the bipolar plate (BPP). Resistances are compared for Vulcan carbon catalyst layers (CL), carbon paper and carbon cloth GDL materials, and GDLs with microporous layers (MPL). The Vulcan carbon catalyst layer bulk resistance is 100 times greater than the bulk resistance of carbon paper GDL (Toray TG-H-120). Carbon cloth (CCWP) has bulk and contact resistances twice those of carbon paper. Compression of the GDL decreases the GDL contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. Treatment of the GDL with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) increases the contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. A microporous layer (MPL) added to the GDL decreases the contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. An equivalent circuit model shows that for channels less than 1 mm wide the contact resistance is the major source of electronic resistance and is about 10% of the total ohmic resistance associated with the membrane electrode assembly.

Pore-Size-Tuned Graphene Oxide Frameworks as Ion-Selective and Protective Layers on Hydrocarbon Membranes for Vanadium Redox-Flow Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soohyun; Choi, Junghoon; Choi, Chanyong; Heo, Jiyun; Kim, Dae Woo; Lee, Jang Yong; Hong, Young Taik; Jung, Hee-Tae; Kim, Hee-Tak

2018-05-07

The laminated structure of graphene oxide (GO) membranes provides exceptional ion-separation properties due to the regular interlayer spacing ( d) between laminate layers. However, a larger effective pore size of the laminate immersed in water (∼11.1 Å) than the hydrated diameter of vanadium ions (>6.0 Å) prevents its use in vanadium redox-flow batteries (VRFB). In this work, we report an ion-selective graphene oxide framework (GOF) with a d tuned by cross-linking the GO nanosheets. Its effective pore size (∼5.9 Å) excludes vanadium ions by size but allows proton conduction. The GOF membrane is employed as a protective layer to address the poor chemical stability of sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPAES) membranes against VO 2 + in VRFB. By effectively blocking vanadium ions, the GOF/SPAES membrane exhibits vanadium-ion permeability 4.2 times lower and a durability 5 times longer than that of the pristine SPAES membrane. Moreover, the VRFB with the GOF/SPAES membrane achieves an energy efficiency of 89% at 80 mA cm -2 and a capacity retention of 88% even after 400 cycles, far exceeding results for Nafion 115 and demonstrating its practical applicability for VRFB.

The role of soil layers in preventing ground water pollution with 17ß-estradiol hormone (E 2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A’zam Golzari

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Estrogens include estoril (E3, estradiol and estrone (E1. These chemicals are produced in human and animal bodies as well as in synthetic chemicals (drugs. Estrogens can enter water sources in different ways. When these chemicals enter the human body through water and wastewater, they have the ability to mimic or disrupt the normal estrogen activities in humans and animals. Estrogens in wastewater are able to pass soil layers and contaminate groundwater. Therefore, in this study, the removal of the hormone 17ß-estradiol (E2 as a representative of estrogens in three types of soils was studied. The selection was chosen in respect to the importance of entering the hormone into groundwater through the soil. Methods: This study was an experimental study in which the removal of the hormone E2 from different depths of three types of soils was experimented. The soils were consisted of two different textures, the silty sandy clay and the silty sand with gravel. The hormone E2 was diluted and injected into the drilled holes. Soils were characterized in the soil mechanics laboratory. Hormone extraction from the soils was performed using a centrifuge and analyzed with the Elecsys device. The results were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 22 software. Results: The results showed that the removal rates of hormone E2 in the three types of soils were higher than 99.5%, and the removal rate in the silty sand was more than the others. In all three soil samples, the removal rates in the first layer were high. The average injected hormone in the soil decreased from 3500 to 3112 ng/l. The results showed that the adhesion and plasticity of the soil had also affected the removal rates. Conclusion: Results showed that the soil plays a significant role in the removal of E2 hormone and this hormone was reduced or eliminated in the first layers of the soils. Thus, the risk of groundwater contamination is low.

Spatial variability of steady-state infiltration into a two-layer soil system on burned hillslopes

Science.gov (United States)

Kinner, D.A.; Moody, J.A.

2010-01-01

Rainfall-runoff simulations were conducted to estimate the characteristics of the steady-state infiltration rate into 1-m2 north- and south-facing hillslope plots burned by a wildfire in October 2003. Soil profiles in the plots consisted of a two-layer system composed of an ash on top of sandy mineral soil. Multiple rainfall rates (18.4-51.2 mm h-1) were used during 14 short-duration (30 min) and 2 long-duration simulations (2-4 h). Steady state was reached in 7-26 min. Observed spatially-averaged steady-state infiltration rates ranged from 18.2 to 23.8 mm h-1 for north-facing and from 17.9 to 36.0 mm h-1 for south-facing plots. Three different theoretical spatial distribution models of steady-state infiltration rate were fit to the measurements of rainfall rate and steady-state discharge to provided estimates of the spatial average (19.2-22.2 mm h-1) and the coefficient of variation (0.11-0.40) of infiltration rates, overland flow contributing area (74-90% of the plot area), and infiltration threshold (19.0-26 mm h-1). Tensiometer measurements indicated a downward moving pressure wave and suggest that infiltration-excess overland flow is the runoff process on these burned hillslope with a two-layer system. Moreover, the results indicate that the ash layer is wettable, may restrict water flow into the underlying layer, and increase the infiltration threshold; whereas, the underlying mineral soil, though coarser, limits the infiltration rate. These results of the spatial variability of steady-state infiltration can be used to develop physically-based rainfall-runoff models for burned areas with a two-layer soil system. ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.

The effect of inclined soil layers on surface vibration from underground railways using a semi-analytical approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, S; Hunt, H

2009-01-01

Ground vibration due to underground railways is a significant source of disturbance for people living or working near the subways. The numerical models used to predict vibration levels have inherent uncertainty which must be understood to give confidence in the predictions. A semi-analytical approach is developed herein to investigate the effect of soil layering on the surface vibration of a halfspace where both soil properties and layer inclination angles are varied. The study suggests that both material properties and inclination angle of the layers have significant effect (± 10dB) on the surface vibration response.

Biogas Production from Citrus Waste by Membrane Bioreactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachma Wikandari

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Rapid acidification and inhibition by d-limonene are major challenges of biogas production from citrus waste. As limonene is a hydrophobic chemical, this challenge was encountered using hydrophilic polyvinylidine difluoride (PVDF membranes in a biogas reactor. The more sensitive methane-producing archaea were encapsulated in the membranes, while freely suspended digesting bacteria were present in the culture as well. In this membrane bioreactor (MBR, the free digesting bacteria digested the citrus wastes and produced soluble compounds, which could pass through the membrane and converted to biogas by the encapsulated cell. As a control experiment, similar digestions were carried out in bioreactors containing the identical amount of just free cells. The experiments were carried out in thermophilic conditions at 55 °C, and hydraulic retention time of 30 days. The organic loading rate (OLR was started with 0.3 kg VS/m3/day and gradually increased to 3 kg VS/m3/day. The results show that at the highest OLR, MBR was successful to produce methane at 0.33 Nm3/kg VS, while the traditional free cell reactor reduced its methane production to 0.05 Nm3/kg VS. Approximately 73% of the theoretical methane yield was achieved using the membrane bioreactor.

TDR water content inverse profiling in layered soils during infiltration and evaporation

Science.gov (United States)

Greco, R.; Guida, A.

2009-04-01

During the last three decades, time domain reflectometry (TDR) has become one of the most commonly used tools for soil water content measurements either in laboratory or in the field. Indeed, TDR provides easy and cheap water content estimations with relatively small disturbance to the investigated soil. TDR measurements of soil water content are based on the strong correlation between relative dielectric permittivity of wet soil and its volumetric water content. Several expressions of the relationship between relative dielectric permittivity and volumetric water content have been proposed, empirically stated (Topp et al., 1980) as well as based on semi-analytical approach to dielectric mixing models (Roth et al., 1990; Whalley, 1993). So far, TDR field applications suffered the limitation due to the capability of the technique of estimating only the mean water content in the volume investigated by the probe. Whereas the knowledge of non homogeneous vertical water content profiles was needed, it was necessary to install either several vertical probes of different length or several horizontal probes placed in the soil at different depths, in both cases strongly increasing soil disturbance as well as the complexity of the measurements. Several studies have been recently dedicated to the development of inversion methods aimed to extract more information from TDR waveforms, in order to estimate non homogeneous moisture profiles along the axis of the metallic probe used for TDR measurements. A common feature of all these methods is that electromagnetic transient through the wet soil along the probe is mathematically modelled, assuming that the unknown soil water content distribution corresponds to the best agreement between simulated and measured waveforms. In some cases the soil is modelled as a series of small layers with different dielectric properties, and the waveform is obtained as the result of the superposition of multiple reflections arising from impedance

Two-Ply Composite Membranes with Separation Layers from Chitosan and Sulfoethylcellulose on a Microporous Support Based on Poly(diphenylsulfone-N-phenylphthalimide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana V. Kononova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Two-ply composite membranes with separation layers from chitosan and sulfoethylcellulose were developed on a microporous support based on poly(diphenylsulfone-N-phenylphthalimide and investigated by use of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy methods. The pervaporation properties of the membranes were studied for the separation of aqueous alcohol (ethanol, propan-2-ol mixtures of different compositions. When the mixtures to be separated consist of less than 15 wt % water in propan-2-ol, the membranes composed of polyelectrolytes with the same molar fraction of ionogenic groups (-NH3+ for chitosan and -SO3− for sulfoethylcellulose show high permselectivity (the water content in the permeate was 100%. Factors affecting the structure of a non-porous layer of the polyelectrolyte complex formed on the substrate surface and the contribution of that complex to changes in the transport properties of membranes are discussed. The results indicate significant prospects for the use of chitosan and sulfoethylcellulose for the formation of highly selective pervaporation membranes.

Interaction of S-layer proteins of Lactobacillus kefir with model membranes and cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollmann, Axel; Delfederico, Lucrecia; Santos, Nuno C; Disalvo, E Anibal; Semorile, Liliana

2018-06-01

In previous works, it was shown that S-layer proteins from Lactobacillus kefir were able to recrystallize and stabilize liposomes, this feature reveling a great potential for developing liposomal-based carriers. Despite previous studies on this subject are important milestones, a number of questions remain unanswered. In this context, the feasibility of S-layer proteins as a biomaterial for drug delivery was evaluated in this work. First, S-layer proteins were fully characterized by electron microscopy, 2D-electrophoresis, and anionic exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD). Afterward, interactions of S-layer proteins with model lipid membranes were evaluated, showing that proteins adsorb to the lipid surface following a non-fickean or anomalous diffusion, when positively charged lipid were employed, suggesting that electrostatic interaction is a key factor in the recrystallization process on these proteins. Finally, the interaction of S-layer coated liposomes with Caco-2 cell line was assessed: First, cytotoxicity of formulations was tested showing no cytotoxic effects in S-layer coated vesicles. Second, by flow cytometry, it was observed an increased ability to transfer cargo molecules into Caco-2 cells from S-layer coated liposomes in comparison to control ones. All data put together, supports the idea that a combination of adhesive properties of S-layer proteins concomitant with higher stability of S-layer coated liposomes represents an exciting starting point in the development of new drug carriers.

Membrane fouling mechanism of biofilm-membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR): Pore blocking model and membrane cleaning.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Wenxiang; Tang, Bing; Ding, Jie; Zheng, Yi; Zhang, Zhien

2018-02-01

Biofilm membrane bioreactor (BF-MBR) is considered as an important wastewater treatment technology that incorporates advantages of both biofilm and MBR process, as well as can alleviate membrane fouling, with respect to the conventional activated sludge MBR. But, to be efficient, it necessitates the establishment of proper methods for the assessment of membrane fouling. Four Hermia membrane blocking models were adopted to quantify and evaluate the membrane fouling of BF-MBR. The experiments were conducted with various operational conditions, including membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure (TMP). Good agreement between cake formation model and experimental data was found, confirming the validity of the Hermia models for assessing the membrane fouling of BF-MBR and that cake layer deposits on membrane. Moreover, the influences of membrane types, agitation speeds and transmembrane pressure on the Hermia pore blocking coefficient of cake layer were investigated. In addition, the permeability recovery after membrane cleaning at various operational conditions was studied. This work confirms that, unlike conventional activated sludge MBR, BF-MBR possesses a low degree of membrane fouling and a higher membrane permeability recovery after cleaning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic coating of mf/uf membranes for fouling mitigation

KAUST Repository

Tabatabai, S. Assiyeh Alizadeh

2017-01-19

A membrane system including an anti-fouling layer and a method of applying an anti-fouling layer to a membrane surface are provided. In an embodiment, the surface is a microfiltration (MF) or an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane surface. The anti-fouling layer can include a stimuli responsive layer and a dynamic protective layer applied over the stimuli responsive layer that can be a coating on a surface of the membrane. The stimuli responsive polymer layer can act as an adhesive prior to coating with the dynamic protective layer to aid in adhering the dynamic protective layer to the membrane surface. The dynamic protective layer can be formed by suitable nanoparticles that can prevent adhesion of foulants directly to the membrane surface. The stimuli responsive layer can be responsive to physio- chemical stimuli to cause a release of the stimuli responsive layer and the dynamic protective layer including foulants from the membrane.

Influence of epoxy resin as encapsulation material of silicon photovoltaic cells on maximum current

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Acevedo-Gómez David

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This work presents an analysis about how the performance of silicon photovoltaic cells is influenced by the use of epoxy resin as encapsulation material with flat roughness. The effect of encapsulation on current at maximum power of mono-crystalline cell was tested indoor in a solar simulator bench at 1000 w/m² and AM1.5G. The results show that implementation of flat roughness layer onto cell surface reduces the maximum current inducing on average 2.7% less power with respect to a cell before any encapsulation. The losses of power and, in consequence, the less production of energy are explained by resin light absorption, reflection and partially neutralization of non-reflective coating.

Boron nitride encapsulated graphene infrared emitters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnard, H. R.; Zossimova, E.; Mahlmeister, N. H.; Lawton, L. M.; Luxmoore, I. J.; Nash, G. R.

2016-01-01

The spatial and spectral characteristics of mid-infrared thermal emission from devices containing a large area multilayer graphene layer, encapsulated using hexagonal boron nitride, have been investigated. The devices were run continuously in air for over 1000 h, with the emission spectrum covering the absorption bands of many important gases. An approximate solution to the heat equation was used to simulate the measured emission profile across the devices yielding an estimated value of the characteristic length, which defines the exponential rise/fall of the temperature profile across the device, of 40 μm. This is much larger than values obtained in smaller exfoliated graphene devices and reflects the device geometry, and the increase in lateral heat conduction within the devices due to the multilayer graphene and boron nitride layers.

Boron nitride encapsulated graphene infrared emitters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnard, H. R.; Zossimova, E.; Mahlmeister, N. H.; Lawton, L. M.; Luxmoore, I. J.; Nash, G. R., E-mail: g.r.nash@exeter.ac.uk [College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF (United Kingdom)

2016-03-28

The spatial and spectral characteristics of mid-infrared thermal emission from devices containing a large area multilayer graphene layer, encapsulated using hexagonal boron nitride, have been investigated. The devices were run continuously in air for over 1000 h, with the emission spectrum covering the absorption bands of many important gases. An approximate solution to the heat equation was used to simulate the measured emission profile across the devices yielding an estimated value of the characteristic length, which defines the exponential rise/fall of the temperature profile across the device, of 40 μm. This is much larger than values obtained in smaller exfoliated graphene devices and reflects the device geometry, and the increase in lateral heat conduction within the devices due to the multilayer graphene and boron nitride layers.

Composite membrane with integral rim

Science.gov (United States)

Routkevitch, Dmitri; Polyakov, Oleg G

2015-01-27

Composite membranes that are adapted for separation, purification, filtration, analysis, reaction and sensing. The composite membranes can include a porous support structure having elongate pore channels extending through the support structure. The composite membrane also includes an active layer comprising an active layer material, where the active layer material is completely disposed within the pore channels between the surfaces of the support structure. The active layer is intimately integrated within the support structure, thus enabling great robustness, reliability, resistance to mechanical stress and thermal cycling, and high selectivity. Methods for the fabrication of composite membranes are also provided.

A multi-layer box model of carbon dynamics in soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuc, T.

2005-01-01

A multi-layer box model (MLB) for quantification of carbon fluxes between soil and atmosphere has been developed. In the model, soil carbon reservoir is represented by two boxes: fast decomposition box (FDB) and slow decomposition box (SDB), characterised by substantially different turnover time (TT) of carbon compounds. Each box has an internal structure (sub-compartments) accounting for carbon deposited in consecutive time intervals. The rate of decomposition of carbon compounds in each sub-compartment is proportional to the carbon content. With the aid of the MLB model and the 14 C signature of carbon dioxide, the fluxes entering and leaving the boxes, turnover time of carbon in each box, and the ratio of mass of carbon in the slow and fast box (M s /M f ) were calculated. The MBL model yields the turnover time of carbon in the FDB (TT f ) ca. 14 for typical investigated soils of temperate climate ecosystems. The calculated contribution of the CO 2 flux originating from the slow box (F s ) to the total CO 2 flux into the atmosphere ranges from 12% to 22%. These values are in agreement with experimental observations at different locations. Assuming that the input flux of carbon (F i n) to the soil system is doubled within the period of 100 years, the soil buffering capacity for excess carbon predicted by the MLB model for typical soil parameters may vary in the range between 26% and 52%. The highest values are obtained for soils characterised by long TTf, and well developed old carbon pool. (author)

Development of migration prediction system (MIGSTEM) for cationic species of radionuclides through soil layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohnuki, Toshihiko; Takebe, Shinichi; Yamamoto, Tadatoshi

1989-01-01

The migration prediction system (MIGSTEM) has been developed for estimating the migration of cationic species of radionuclides through soil layers systematically. The MIGSTEM consists of the migration experiments, the one-dimensional fitting code (inverse analysis code) for determining retardation factor and dispersivity (migration factors) and the three-dimensional differential code (prediction code) for estimating the migration of the radionuclides. The migration experiments are carried out for obtaining the concentration profiles of the radionuclides in unsaturated and saturated soil layers. Using the inverse analysis code, the migration factors are obtained at one time by fitting the concentration profiles calculated to those observed. The prediction code can give the contours of concentration and the one-dimensional concentration profiles at selected time, as well as the changing in the concentration at a selected position with time. The validity of the MIGSTEM was obtained by the benchmark test on the prediction and inverse analysis codes. The MIGSTEM was applied to estimate the migration of Sr 2+ through the sandy soil. (author)

Separation membrane development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, M.W. [Savannah River Technology Center, Aiken, SC (United States)

1998-08-01

A ceramic membrane has been developed to separate hydrogen from other gases. The method used is a sol-gel process. A thin layer of dense ceramic material is coated on a coarse ceramic filter substrate. The pore size distribution in the thin layer is controlled by a densification of the coating materials by heat treatment. The membrane has been tested by permeation measurement of the hydrogen and other gases. Selectivity of the membrane has been achieved to separate hydrogen from carbon monoxide. The permeation rate of hydrogen through the ceramic membrane was about 20 times larger than Pd-Ag membrane.

Structure of a Multilayer Nanofilm To Increase the Encapsulation Efficiency of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Uiyoung; Hong, Jinkee

2018-03-05

In this study, we established the structure of a multilayer nanofilm that more efficiently encapsulates basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). First, a positively charged layer material was selected from biocompatible polymers such as collagen (Col), poly(beta-amino ester) (Poly2), and chitosan (Chi), while considering the film thickness. We then investigated the change in bFGF encapsulation efficiency when the multilayer structure was changed from a tetralayer to a trilayer. As a result, we obtained a highly improved bFGF encapsulation efficiency in the nanofilm using a positively charged layer formed by a blend of Col and Poly2 and a negatively charged poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) layer within a trilayered structure. In particular, we found that a significant amount of adsorbed bFGF was desorbed again during the film fabrication process of a tetralayered nanofilm. In the conventional nanofilm, bFGF was regarded as a polycation and formed a multilayer nanofilm that was composed of a tetralayered structure and was represented as (polycation/polyanion/bFGF/polyanion) n where n = number of repeated tetralayers. Here, we suggested that bFGF should not be considered a polycation, rather it should be considered as a small quantity of molecule that exists between the polyanion and polycation layers. In this case, the nanofilm is composed of repeating units of (polycation/polyanion/bFGF/polycation/polyanion), because the amount of adsorbed bFGF is considerably lower than that of other building blocks.

A Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy Method for Non-Destructive Detection of Gelatin-Encapsulated Powders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuanglin Chao

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Non-destructive subsurface detection of encapsulated, coated, or seal-packaged foods and pharmaceuticals can help prevent distribution and consumption of counterfeit or hazardous products. This study used a Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS method to detect and identify urea, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen powders contained within one or more (up to eight layers of gelatin capsules to demonstrate subsurface chemical detection and identification. A 785-nm point-scan Raman spectroscopy system was used to acquire spatially offset Raman spectra for an offset range of 0 to 10 mm from the surfaces of 24 encapsulated samples, using a step size of 0.1 mm to obtain 101 spectral measurements per sample. As the offset distance was increased, the spectral contribution from the subsurface powder gradually outweighed that of the surface capsule layers, allowing for detection of the encapsulated powders. Containing mixed contributions from the powder and capsule, the SORS spectra for each sample were resolved into pure component spectra using self-modeling mixture analysis (SMA and the corresponding components were identified using spectral information divergence values. As demonstrated here for detecting chemicals contained inside thick capsule layers, this SORS measurement technique coupled with SMA has the potential to be a reliable non-destructive method for subsurface inspection and authentication of foods, health supplements, and pharmaceutical products that are prepared or packaged with semi-transparent materials.

Tomographic Structural Changes of Retinal Layers after Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling for Macular Hole Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Faria, Mun Yueh; Ferreira, Nuno P; Cristóvao, Diana M; Mano, Sofia; Sousa, David Cordeiro; Monteiro-Grillo, Manuel

2018-01-01

To highlight tomographic structural changes of retinal layers after internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in macular hole surgery. Nonrandomized prospective, interventional study in 38 eyes (34 patients) subjected to pars plana vitrectomy and ILM peeling for idiopathic macular hole. Retinal layers were assessed in nasal and temporal regions before and 6 months after surgery using spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Total retinal thickness increased in the nasal region and decreased in the temporal region. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL) showed thinning on both nasal and temporal sides of the fovea. The thickness of the outer plexiform layer (OPL) increased. The outer nuclear layer (ONL) and outer retinal layers (ORL) increased in thickness after surgery in both nasal and temporal regions. ILM peeling is associated with important alterations in the inner retinal layer architecture, with thinning of the RNFL-GCL-IPL complex and thickening of OPL, ONL, and ORL. These structural alterations can help explain functional outcome and could give indications regarding the extent of ILM peeling, even though peeling seems important for higher rate of hole closure. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Nanoporous Aluminum Oxide Membranes Coated with Atomic Layer Deposition-Grown Titanium Dioxide for Biomedical Applications: An In Vitro Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrochenko, Peter E; Kumar, Girish; Fu, Wujun; Zhang, Qin; Zheng, Jiwen; Liang, Chengdu; Goering, Peter L; Narayan, Roger J

2015-12-01

The surface topographies of nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) membranes have been shown to modulate cell response in orthopedic and skin wound repair applications. In this study, we: (1) demonstrate an improved atomic layer deposition (ALD) method for coating the porous structures of 20, 100, and 200 nm pore diameter AAO with nanometer-thick layers of TiO2 and (2) evaluate the effects of uncoated AAO and TiO2-coated AAO on cellular responses. The TiO2 coatings were deposited on the AAO membranes without compromising the openings of the nanoscale pores. The 20 nm TiO2-coated membranes showed the highest amount of initial protein adsorption via the micro bicinchoninic acid (micro-BCA) assay; all of the TiO2-coated membranes showed slightly higher protein adsorption than the uncoated control materials. Cell viability, proliferation, and inflammatory responses on the TiO2-coated AAO membranes showed no adverse outcomes. For all of the tested surfaces, normal increases in proliferation (DNA content) of L929 fibroblasts were observed over from 4 hours to 72 hours. No increases in TNF-alpha production were seen in RAW 264.7 macrophages grown on TiO2-coated AAO membranes compared to uncoated AAO membranes and tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) surfaces. Both uncoated AAO membranes and TiO2-coated AAO membranes showed no significant effects on cell growth and inflammatory responses. The results suggest that TiO2-coated AAO may serve as a reasonable prototype material for the development of nanostructured wound repair devices and orthopedic implants.

"Lollipop-shaped" high-sensitivity Microelectromechanical Systems vector hydrophone based on Parylene encapsulation

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuan; Wang, Renxin; Zhang, Guojun; Du, Jin; Zhao, Long; Xue, Chenyang; Zhang, Wendong; Liu, Jun

2015-07-01

This paper presents methods of promoting the sensitivity of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) vector hydrophone by increasing the sensing area of cilium and perfect insulative Parylene membrane. First, a low-density sphere is integrated with the cilium to compose a "lollipop shape," which can considerably increase the sensing area. A mathematic model on the sensitivity of the "lollipop-shaped" MEMS vector hydrophone is presented, and the influences of different structural parameters on the sensitivity are analyzed via simulation. Second, the MEMS vector hydrophone is encapsulated through the conformal deposition of insulative Parylene membrane, which enables underwater acoustic monitoring without any typed sound-transparent encapsulation. Finally, the characterization results demonstrate that the sensitivity reaches up to -183 dB (500 Hz 0dB at 1 V/ μPa ), which is increased by more than 10 dB, comparing with the previous cilium-shaped MEMS vector hydrophone. Besides, the frequency response takes on a sensitivity increment of 6 dB per octave. The working frequency band is 20-500 Hz and the concave point depth of 8-shaped directivity is beyond 30 dB, indicating that the hydrophone is promising in underwater acoustic application.

An examination of sulfur polymer cement as a waste encapsulation agent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNew, E.B.

1995-01-01

Sulfur polymer cement (SPC) is a unique material having potential applications for hazardous and radioactive waste encapsulation. This material was originally developed by the US Bureau of Mines as an acid and chemical resistant construction cement and has since been applied in tie waste encapsulation field. The material is easily prepared from elemental sulfur and organic dienes. It is an easy to use low-viscosity thermoplastic, and has many favorable properties such as low porosity, high compressive strength, and resistance to chemical attack. The results of several invetigations on this material will be discussed, and include: (1) the chemical form and physical structure of the material, (2) the compressive strength of cylindrical test samples after gamma radiation testing, (3) the aqueous leaching behavior of lead, cerium, cesium, cobalt, and strontium from SPC-ash mixtures at room and elevated temperatures, (4) the casting compatibility of mixtures of SPC with different waste materials, (5) the ability of SPC to encapsulate elemental mercury contaminated soils, (6) laboratory and field studies of SPC biocorrosion by Thiobacillus bacteria, (7) small scale (10 kg) SPC-ash monolith casting studies, and (8) methods for the formulation of a grade of SPC more applicable to the encapsulation of aggregate waste materials

Evaluation of microbial diversity of different soil layers at a contaminated diesel site

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Maila, MP

2005-01-01

Full Text Available with high TPH removal. Analysis of the microbial diversity in the different soil layers using functional diversity (community-level physiological profile, via Biolog) and genetic diversity using polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel...

Encapsulation plant at Forsmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nystroem, Anders

2007-08-01

SKB has already carried out a preliminary study of an encapsulation plant detached from Clab (Central interim storage for spent fuels). This stand-alone encapsulation plant was named FRINK and its assumed siting was the above-ground portion of the final repository, irrespective of the repository's location. The report previously presented was produced in cooperation with BNFL Engineering Ltd in Manchester and the fuel reception technical solution was examined by Gesellschaft fuer Nuklear-Service mbH (GNS) in Hannover and by Societe Generale pour les Techniques Nouvelles (SGN) in Paris. This report is an update of the earlier preliminary study report and is based on the assumption that the encapsulation plant and also the final repository will be sited in the Forsmark area. SKB's main alternative for siting the encapsulation plant is next to Clab. Planning of this facility is ongoing and technical solutions from the planning work have been incorporated in this report. An encapsulation plant placed in proximity to any final repository in Forsmark forms part of the alternative presentation in the application for permission to construct and operate an installation at Clab. The main technical difference between the planned encapsulation plant at Clab and an encapsulation plant at a final repository at Forsmark is how the fuel is managed and prepared before actual encapsulation. Fuel reception at the encapsulation plant in Forsmark would be dry, i.e. there would be no water-filled pools at the facility. Clab is used for verificatory fuel measurements, sorting and drying of the fuel before transport to Forsmark. This means that Clab will require a measure of rebuilding and supplementary equipment. In purely technical terms, the prospects for building an encapsulation plant sited at Forsmark are good. A description of the advantages and drawbacks of siting the encapsulation plant at Clab as opposed to any final repository at Forsmark is presented in a separate report

Encapsulation plant at Forsmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nystroem, Anders

2007-08-15

SKB has already carried out a preliminary study of an encapsulation plant detached from Clab (Central interim storage for spent fuels). This stand-alone encapsulation plant was named FRINK and its assumed siting was the above-ground portion of the final repository, irrespective of the repository's location. The report previously presented was produced in cooperation with BNFL Engineering Ltd in Manchester and the fuel reception technical solution was examined by Gesellschaft fuer Nuklear-Service mbH (GNS) in Hannover and by Societe Generale pour les Techniques Nouvelles (SGN) in Paris. This report is an update of the earlier preliminary study report and is based on the assumption that the encapsulation plant and also the final repository will be sited in the Forsmark area. SKB's main alternative for siting the encapsulation plant is next to Clab. Planning of this facility is ongoing and technical solutions from the planning work have been incorporated in this report. An encapsulation plant placed in proximity to any final repository in Forsmark forms part of the alternative presentation in the application for permission to construct and operate an installation at Clab. The main technical difference between the planned encapsulation plant at Clab and an encapsulation plant at a final repository at Forsmark is how the fuel is managed and prepared before actual encapsulation. Fuel reception at the encapsulation plant in Forsmark would be dry, i.e. there would be no water-filled pools at the facility. Clab is used for verificatory fuel measurements, sorting and drying of the fuel before transport to Forsmark. This means that Clab will require a measure of rebuilding and supplementary equipment. In purely technical terms, the prospects for building an encapsulation plant sited at Forsmark are good. A description of the advantages and drawbacks of siting the encapsulation plant at Clab as opposed to any final repository at Forsmark is presented in a separate

Characterization of soil bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities inhabiting archaeological human-impacted layers at Monte Iato settlement (Sicily, Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Siles, José A; Öhlinger, Birgit; Cajthaml, Tomas; Kistler, Erich; Margesin, Rosa

2018-01-30

Microbial communities in human-impacted soils of ancient settlements have been proposed to be used as ecofacts (bioindicators) of different ancient anthropogenic activities. In this study, bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities inhabiting soil of three archaic layers, excavated at the archaeological site on Monte Iato (Sicily, Italy) and believed to have been created in a chronological order in archaic times in the context of periodic cultic feasts, were investigated in terms of (i) abundance (phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis and quantitative PCR)), (ii) carbon(C)-source consumption patterns (Biolog-Ecoplates) and (iii) diversity and community composition (Illumina amplicon sequencing). PLFA analyses demonstrated the existence of living bacteria and fungi in the soil samples of all three layers. The upper layer showed increased levels of organic C, which were not concomitant with an increment in the microbial abundance. In taxonomic terms, the results indicated that bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities were highly diverse, although differences in richness or diversity among the three layers were not detected for any of the communities. However, significantly different microbial C-source utilization patterns and structures of bacterial, archaeal and fungal communities in the three layers confirmed that changing features of soil microbial communities reflect different past human activities.

Layer-by-Layer (LBL) Self-Assembled Biohybrid Nanomaterials for Efficient Antibacterial Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuanhao; Long, Yubo; Li, Qing-Lan; Han, Shuying; Ma, Jianbiao; Yang, Ying-Wei; Gao, Hui

2015-08-12

Although antibiotics have been widely used in clinical applications to treat pathogenic infections at present, the problem of drug-resistance associated with abuse of antibiotics is becoming a potential threat to human beings. We report a biohybrid nanomaterial consisting of antibiotics, enzyme, polymers, hyaluronic acid (HA), and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), which exhibits efficient in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity with good biocompatibility and negligible hemolytic side effect. Herein, biocompatible layer-by-layer (LBL) coated MSNs are designed and crafted to release encapsulated antibiotics, e.g., amoxicillin (AMO), upon triggering with hyaluronidase, produced by various pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The LBL coating process comprises lysozyme (Lys), HA, and 1,2-ethanediamine (EDA)-modified polyglycerol methacrylate (PGMA). The Lys and cationic polymers provided multivalent interactions between MSN-Lys-HA-PGMA and bacterial membrane and accordingly immobilized the nanoparticles to facilitate the synergistic effect of these antibacterial agents. Loading process was characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD). The minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) of MSN-Lys-HA-PGMA treated to antibiotic resistant bacteria is much lower than that of isodose Lys and AMO. Especially, MSN-Lys-HA-PGMA exhibited good inhibition for pathogens in bacteria-infected wounds in vivo. Therefore, this type of new biohybrid nanomaterials showed great potential as novel antibacterial agents.

Tracer methods to quantify nutrient uptake from plough layer, sub-soil and fertilizer: implications on sustainable nutrient management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haak, E.

1996-01-01

Two soils injection methods are presented. The first method consists of homogeneously labelling the whole plough layer with carrier free tracers. this is done in two treatments, (1) a reference treatment without connection with the sub-soil and (2) an experimental treatment where the sub-soil is freely accessible for root penetration. The second method, which is now under development, consists of using isotope labelled fertilizers instead of carrier free tracers. By application of the A-value concept it is possible to quantify (by the first method) the plant uptake of nutrients from plough layer and sub-soil, and from the second method, the uptake of nutrients from the applied fertilizer. A fertilizer strategy for phosphorus is discussed based on data obtained from tracer experiment in the field, and soil survey of specific field sites. (author). 7 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab

Tracer methods to quantify nutrient uptake from plough layer, sub-soil and fertilizer: implications on sustainable nutrient management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haak, E [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala (Sweden). Dept. of Radioecology

1996-07-01

Two soils injection methods are presented. The first method consists of homogeneously labelling the whole plough layer with carrier free tracers. this is done in two treatments, (1) a reference treatment without connection with the sub-soil and (2) an experimental treatment where the sub-soil is freely accessible for root penetration. The second method, which is now under development, consists of using isotope labelled fertilizers instead of carrier free tracers. By application of the A-value concept it is possible to quantify (by the first method) the plant uptake of nutrients from plough layer and sub-soil, and from the second method, the uptake of nutrients from the applied fertilizer. A fertilizer strategy for phosphorus is discussed based on data obtained from tracer experiment in the field, and soil survey of specific field sites. (author). 7 refs, 2 figs, 1 tab.

Solute transport model for radioisotopes in layered soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Essel, P.

2010-01-01

The study considered the transport of a radioactive solute in solution from the surface of the earth down through the soil to the ground water when there is an accidental or intentional spillage of a radioactive material on the surface. The finite difference method was used to model the spatial and temporal profile of moisture content in a soil column using the θ-based Richard's equation leading to solution of the convective-dispersive equation for non-adsorbing solutes numerically. A matlab code has been generated to predict the transport of the radioactive contaminant, spilled on the surface of a vertically heterogeneous soil made up of two layers to determine the residence time of the solute in the unsaturated zone, the time it takes the contaminant to reach the groundwater and the amount of the solute entering the groundwater in various times and the levels of pollution in those times. The model predicted that, then there is a spillage of 7.2g of tritium, on the surface of the ground at the study area, it will take two years for the radionuclide to enter the groundwater and fifteen years to totally leave the unsaturated zone. There is therefore the need to try as much as possible to avoid intentional or accidental spillage of the radionuclide since it has long term effect. (au)

Self-Healing Textile: Enzyme Encapsulated Layer-by-Layer Structural Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaddes, David; Jung, Huihun; Pena-Francesch, Abdon; Dion, Genevieve; Tadigadapa, Srinivas; Dressick, Walter J; Demirel, Melik C

2016-08-10

Self-healing materials, which enable an autonomous repair response to damage, are highly desirable for the long-term reliability of woven or nonwoven textiles. Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) films are of considerable interest as self-healing coatings due to the mobility of the components comprising the film. In this work mechanically stable self-healing films were fabricated through construction of a polyelectrolyte LbL film containing squid ring teeth (SRT) proteins. SRTs are structural proteins with unique self-healing properties and high elastic modulus in both dry and wet conditions (>2 GPa) due to their semicrystalline architecture. We demonstrate LbL construction of multilayers containing native and recombinant SRT proteins capable of self-healing defects. Additionally, we show these films are capable of utilizing functional biomolecules by incorporating an enzyme into the SRT multilayer. Urease was chosen as a model enzyme of interest to test its activity via fluorescence assay. Successful construction of the SRT films demonstrates the use of mechanically stable self-healing coatings, which can incorporate biomolecules for more complex protective functionalities for advanced functional fabrics.

Microencapsulation by Membrane Emulsification of Biophenols Recovered from Olive Mill Wastewaters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma Piacentini

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Biophenols are highly prized for their free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Olive mill wastewaters (OMWWs are rich in biophenols. For this reason, there is a growing interest in the recovery and valorization of these compounds. Applications for the encapsulation have increased in the food industry as well as the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields, among others. Advancements in micro-fabrication methods are needed to design new functional particles with target properties in terms of size, size distribution, and functional activity. This paper describes the use of the membrane emulsification method for the fine-tuning of microparticle production with biofunctional activity. In particular, in this pioneering work, membrane emulsification has been used as an advanced method for biophenols encapsulation. Catechol has been used as a biophenol model, while a biophenols mixture recovered from OMWWs were used as a real matrix. Water-in-oil emulsions with droplet sizes approximately 2.3 times the membrane pore diameter, a distribution span of 0.33, and high encapsulation efficiency (98% ± 1% and 92% ± 3%, for catechol and biophenols, respectively were produced. The release of biophenols was also investigated.

Carbon nanofibers in catalytic membrane microreactors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aran, H.C.; Pacheco Benito, Sergio; Luiten-Olieman, Maria W.J.; Er, S.; Wessling, Matthias; Lefferts, Leonardus; Benes, Nieck Edwin; Lammertink, Rob G.H.

2011-01-01

In this study, we report on the fabrication and operation of new hybrid membrane microreactors for gas–liquid–solid (G–L–S) reactions. The presented reactors consist of porous stainless steel tubes onto which carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are grown as catalyst support, all encapsulated by a gas permeable

STRESS-STRAIN STATE OF ROCKFILL DAM DOUBLE-LAYER FACE MADE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE AND SOIL-CEMENT CONCRETE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sainov Mikhail Petrovich

2017-05-01

Full Text Available There was studied the stress-strain state of 215 m high rockfill dam where the seepage-control element is presented by a reinforced concrete face of soil-cement concrete placed on the under-face zone. Calculations were carried out for two possible variants of deformability of rock outline taking into account the non-linearity of its deformative properties. It was obtained that the reinforced concrete face and the soil-cement concrete under-face zone work jointly as a single construction - a double-layer face. As the face assembly resting on rock is made with a sliding joint the scheme of its static operation is similar to the that of the beam operation on the elastic foundation. At that, the upstream surface of the double-layer face is in the compressed zone and lower one is in the tensile zone. This protects the face against cracking on the upstream surface but threatens with structural failure of soil-cement concrete. In order to avoid appearance of cracks in soil-cement concrete part due to tension it is necessary to achieve proper compaction of rockfill and arrange transverse joints in the double-layer face.

Huygens' Principle: The capture of seismic energy by a soft soil layer

Science.gov (United States)

Lomnitz, Cinna; Meas, Yunny

2004-07-01

Possible nonlinear coupling in surface waves is described at the Texcoco Array (TXC) in Mexico City. Shear-coupled surface waves may be caused by interaction between Rayleigh modes in the basement and resonant shear modes in the uppermost mud layer. Large-amplitude, monochromatic wave trains of long duration appear to be modulated by the fundamental mode of the mud layer. Particle motion features frequent reversals from prograde to retrograde ground motion. Earthquake damage in Mexico City might be related to unrecognized effects related to nonlinear coupling in soft-soil conditions.

Photochemical approach to high-barrier films for the encapsulation of flexible laminary electronic devices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prager, L., E-mail: lutz.prager@iom-leipzig.de [Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V., Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Helmstedt, U. [Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V., Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Herrnberger, H. [Solarion AG, Pereser Höhe 1, Breitscheidstraße 45, 04442 Zwenkau (Germany); Kahle, O. [Fraunhofer-Einrichtung für Polymermaterialien und Composite PYCO, Kantstraße 55, 14513 Teltow (Germany); Kita, F. [AZ Electronic Materials Germany GmbH, Rheingaustraße 190-196, 65203 Wiesbaden (Germany); Münch, M. [Solarion AG, Pereser Höhe 1, Breitscheidstraße 45, 04442 Zwenkau (Germany); Pender, A.; Prager, A.; Gerlach, J.W. [Leibniz-Institut für Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V., Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Stasiak, M. [Fraunhofer-Einrichtung für Polymermaterialien und Composite PYCO, Kantstraße 55, 14513 Teltow (Germany)

2014-11-03

Based on results of preceding research and development, thin gas barriers were made by wet application of perhydropolysilazane solution onto polymer films and its subsequent photo-initiated conversion to dense silica layers applying vacuum ultraviolet irradiation. Compared to the state of the art, these layers were sufficiently improved and characterized by spectroscopic methods, by scanning electron microscopy and by gas permeation measurements. Water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) below 10{sup −2} g m{sup −2} d{sup −1} were achieved. In this way, single barrier films were developed and produced on a pilot plant from roll to roll, 250 mm wide, at speeds up to 10 m min{sup −1}. Two films were laminated using adhesives curable with ultraviolet (UV) light and evaluated by peel tests, gas permeation measurement and climate testing. It could be shown that the described high-barrier laminates which exhibit WVTR ≈ 5 × 10{sup −4} g m{sup −2} d{sup −1}, determined by the calcium mirror method, are suitable for encapsulation of flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules. Durability of the encapsulated modules could be verified in several climate tests including damp-heat, thermo-cycle (heating, freezing, wetting) and UV exposures which are equivalent to more than 20 years of endurance at outdoor conditions in temperate climate. In the frame of further research and technical development it seems to be possible to design a cost efficient industrial scale process for the production of encapsulation films for photovoltaic applications. - Highlights: • Dense silica barrier layers were developed by a photochemical approach. • Polymer based barrier films were laminated yielding flexible high-barrier films. • Using these laminates photovoltaic test modules were encapsulated and tested. • A durability of more than 20 years at outdoor conditions could be proved.

Multilayer Nanoporous Graphene Membranes for Water Desalination.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen-Tanugi, David; Lin, Li-Chiang; Grossman, Jeffrey C

2016-02-10

While single-layer nanoporous graphene (NPG) has shown promise as a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination membrane, multilayer graphene membranes can be synthesized more economically than the single-layer material. In this work, we build upon the knowledge gained to date toward single-layer graphene to explore how multilayer NPG might serve as a RO membrane in water desalination using classical molecular dynamic simulations. We show that, while multilayer NPG exhibits similarly promising desalination properties to single-layer membranes, their separation performance can be designed by manipulating various configurational variables in the multilayer case. This work establishes an atomic-level understanding of the effects of additional NPG layers, layer separation, and pore alignment on desalination performance, providing useful guidelines for the design of multilayer NPG membranes.

Effective tension and fluctuations in active membranes.

Science.gov (United States)

Loubet, Bastien; Seifert, Udo; Lomholt, Michael Andersen

2012-03-01

We calculate the fluctuation spectrum of the shape of a lipid vesicle or cell exposed to a nonthermal source of noise. In particular, we take constraints on the membrane area and the volume of fluid that it encapsulates into account when obtaining expressions for the dependency of the membrane tension on the noise. We then investigate three possible origins of the nonthermal noise taken from the literature: A direct force, which models an external medium pushing on the membrane, a curvature force, which models a fluctuating spontaneous curvature, and a permeation force coming from an active transport of fluid through the membrane. For the direct force and curvature force cases, we compare our results to existing experiments on active membranes.

Encapsulation of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pordes, O.; Plows, J.P.

1980-01-01

A method is described for encapsulating a particular radioactive waste which consists of suspending the waste in a viscous liquid encapsulating material, of synthetic resin monomers or prepolymers, and setting the encapsulating material by addition or condensation polymerization to form a solid material in which the waste is dispersed. (author)

Effects of alterations of the E. coli lipopolysaccharide layer on membrane permeabilization events induced by Cecropin A.

Science.gov (United States)

Agrawal, Anurag; Weisshaar, James C

2018-04-22

The outermost layer of Gram negative bacteria is composed of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) network that forms a dense protective hydrophilic barrier against entry of hydrophobic drugs. At low μM concentrations, a large family of cationic polypeptides known as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are able to penetrate the LPS layer and permeabilize the outer membrane (OM) and the cytoplasmic membrane (CM), causing cell death. Cecropin A is a well-studied cationic AMP from moth. Here a battery of time-resolved, single-cell microscopy experiments explores how deletion of sugar layers and/or phosphoryl negative charges from the core oligosaccharide layer (core OS) of K12 E. coli alters the timing of OM and CM permeabilization induced by Cecropin A. Deletion of sugar layers, or phosphoryl charges, or both from the core OS shortens the time to the onset of OM permeabilization to periplasmic GFP and also the lag time between OM permeabilization and CM permeabilization. Meanwhile, the 12-h minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) changes only twofold with core OS alterations. The results suggest a two-step model in which the core oligosaccharide layers act as a kinetic barrier to penetration of Cecropin A to the lipid A outer leaflet of the OM. Once a threshold concentration has built up at the lipid A leaflet, nucleation occurs and the OM is locally permeabilized to GFP and, by inference, to Cecropin A. Whenever Cecropin A permeabilizes the OM, CM permeabilization always follows, and cell growth subsequently halts and never recovers on the 45 min observation timescale. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Encapsulation of methotrexate loaded magnetic microcapsules for magnetic drug targeting and controlled drug release

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakkarapani, Prabu [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology & Centre for Excellence in Nanobio Translational Research, Anna University, Bharathidasan Institute of Technology Campus, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu (India); Subbiah, Latha, E-mail: lathasuba2010@gmail.com [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology & Centre for Excellence in Nanobio Translational Research, Anna University, Bharathidasan Institute of Technology Campus, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu (India); Palanisamy, Selvamani; Bibiana, Arputha [Department of Pharmaceutical Technology & Centre for Excellence in Nanobio Translational Research, Anna University, Bharathidasan Institute of Technology Campus, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu (India); Ahrentorp, Fredrik; Jonasson, Christian; Johansson, Christer [Acreo Swedish ICT AB, Arvid Hedvalls backe 4, SE-411 33 Göteborg (Sweden)

2015-04-15

We report on the development and evaluation of methotrexate magnetic microcapsules (MMC) for targeted rheumatoid arthritis therapy. Methotrexate was loaded into CaCO{sub 3}-PSS (poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)) doped microparticles that were coated successively with poly (allylamine hydrochloride) and poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) by layer-by-layer technique. Ferrofluid was incorporated between the polyelectrolyte layers. CaCO{sub 3}-PSS core was etched by incubation with EDTA yielding spherical MMC. The MMC were evaluated for various physicochemical, pharmaceutical parameters and magnetic properties. Surface morphology, crystallinity, particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, drug release pattern, release kinetics and AC susceptibility studies revealed spherical particles of ~3 µm size were obtained with a net zeta potential of +24.5 mV, 56% encapsulation and 18.6% drug loading capacity, 96% of cumulative drug release obeyed Hixson-Crowell model release kinetics. Drug excipient interaction, surface area, thermal and storage stability studies for the prepared MMC was also evaluated. The developed MMC offer a promising mode of targeted and sustained release drug delivery for rheumatoid arthritis therapy. - Highlights: • Development of methotrexate magnetic microcapsules (MMC) by layer-by-layer method. • Characterization of physicochemical, pharmaceutical and magnetic properties of MMC. • Multiple layers of alternative polyelectrolytes prolongs methotrexate release time. • MMC is capable for targeted and sustained release rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

Encapsulated scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toepke, I.L.

1982-01-01

A scintillation detector crystal is encapsulated in a hermetically sealed housing having a glass window. The window may be mounted in a ring by a compression seal formed during cooling of the ring and window after heating. The window may be chemically bonded to the ring with or without a compression seal. The ring is welded to the housing along thin weld flanges to reduce the amount of weld heat which must be applied. A thin section is provided to resist the flow of welding heat to the seal between the ring and the window thereby forming a thermal barrier. The thin section may be provided by a groove cut partially through the wall of the ring. A layer of PTFE between the tubular body and the crystal minimizes friction created by thermal expansion. Spring washers urge the crystal towards the window. (author)

Seismic behavior of NPP structures subjected to realistic 3D, inclined seismic motions, in variable layered soil/rock, on surface or embedded foundations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeremić, B.; Tafazzoli, N.; Ancheta, T.; Orbović, N.; Blahoianu, A.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Full 3D, inclined, incoherent seismic motions used for modeling SSI of an NPP. • Analyzed effects of variable and uniform soil/rock layering profiles on SSI. • Surface and embedded foundations were modeled and differences analyzed. - Abstract: Presented here is an investigation of the seismic response of a massive NPP structures due to full 3D, inclined, un-correlated input motions for different soil and rock profiles. Of particular interest are the effects of soil and rock layering on the response and the changes of input motions (frequency characteristics) due to such layering. In addition to rock/soil layering effects, investigated are also effects of foundation embedment on dynamic response. Significant differences were observed in dynamic response of containment and internal structure founded on surface and on embedded foundations. These differences were observed for both rock and soil profiles. Select results are used to present most interesting findings

Reverse membrane bioreactor: Introduction to a new technology for biofuel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahboubi, Amir; Ylitervo, Päivi; Doyen, Wim; De Wever, Heleen; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J

2016-01-01

The novel concept of reverse membrane bioreactors (rMBR) introduced in this review is a new membrane-assisted cell retention technique benefiting from the advantageous properties of both conventional MBRs and cell encapsulation techniques to tackle issues in bioconversion and fermentation of complex feeds. The rMBR applies high local cell density and membrane separation of cell/feed to the conventional immersed membrane bioreactor (iMBR) set up. Moreover, this new membrane configuration functions on basis of concentration-driven diffusion rather than pressure-driven convection previously used in conventional MBRs. These new features bring along the exceptional ability of rMBRs in aiding complex bioconversion and fermentation feeds containing high concentrations of inhibitory compounds, a variety of sugar sources and high suspended solid content. In the current review, the similarities and differences between the rMBR and conventional MBRs and cell encapsulation regarding advantages, disadvantages, principles and applications for biofuel production are presented and compared. Moreover, the potential of rMBRs in bioconversion of specific complex substrates of interest such as lignocellulosic hydrolysate is thoroughly studied. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation-induced damage of membranes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonei, Shuji

1977-01-01

An outline of membranous structure was stated, and radiation-induced damage of membranes were surveyed. By irradiation, permeability of membranes, especially passive transportation mechanism, was damaged, and glycoprotein in the surface layers of cells and the surface layer structures were changed. The intramembranous damage was induced by decrease of electrophoresis of nuclear mambranes and a quantitative change of cytochrome P450 of microsomal membranes of the liver, and peroxidation of membranous lipid and SH substitute damage of membranous protein were mentioned as the mechanism of membranous damage. Recovery of membranous damage depends on radiation dose and temperature, and membranous damage participates largely in proliferation death. (tsunoda, M.)

Development of Liposome Encapsulated Hemoglobin (LEH) and Studies of Hemorrhagic Shock by Use of Imaging Studies with Oxygen-15 and Other Radiotracers

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Phillips, William T; Goins, Beth; Awasthi, Vibhudutta

2004-01-01

.... Encapsulating hemoglobin inside a protective lipid membrane, which mimics a red blood cell, has the advantages of decreasing the toxicity of the free hemoglobin, increasing its circulation time...

Horseradish Peroxidase-Encapsulated Hollow Silica Nanospheres for Intracellular Sensing of Reactive Oxygen Species

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hsin-Yi; Wu, Si-Han; Chen, Chien-Tsu; Chen, Yi-Ping; Chang, Feng-Peng; Chien, Fan-Ching; Mou, Chung-Yuan

2018-04-01

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have crucial roles in cell signaling and homeostasis. Overproduction of ROS can induce oxidative damage to various biomolecules and cellular structures. Therefore, developing an approach capable of monitoring and quantifying ROS in living cells is significant for physiology and clinical diagnoses. Some cell-permeable fluorogenic probes developed are useful for the detection of ROS while in conjunction with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Their intracellular scenario is however hindered by the membrane-impermeable property of enzymes. Herein, a new approach for intracellular sensing of ROS by using horseradish peroxidase-encapsulated hollow silica nanospheres (designated HRP@HSNs), with satisfactory catalytic activity, cell membrane permeability, and biocompatibility, was prepared via a microemulsion method. These HRP@HSNs, combined with selective probes or targeting ligands, could be foreseen as ROS-detecting tools in specific organelles or cell types. As such, dihydrorhodamine 123-coupled HRP@HSNs were used for the qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of physiological H2O2 levels in activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. We envision that this HSNs encapsulating active enzymes can be conjugated with selective probes and targeting ligands to detect ROS in specific organelles or cell types of interest.

Nonlinear oscillation and interfacial stability of an encapsulated microbubble under dual-frequency ultrasound

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yunqiao [MOE Key Laboratory of Hydrodynamics, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Calvisi, Michael L [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, United States of America (United States); Wang, Qianxi, E-mail: yunqiaoliu@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Mathematics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2017-04-15

Encapsulated microbubbles (EMBs) are widely used in medical ultrasound imaging as contrast-enhanced agents. However, the potential damaging effects of violent collapsing EMBs to cells and tissues in clinical settings have remained a concern. Dual-frequency ultrasound is a promising technique for improving the efficacy and safety of sonography. The system modeled consists of the external liquid, membrane and internal gases of an EMB. The microbubble dynamics are simulated using a simple nonlinear interactive theory, considering the compressibility of the internal gas, viscosity of the liquid flow and viscoelasticity of the membrane. The radial oscillation and interfacial stability of an EMB under single- and dual-frequency excitations are compared. The simulation results show that the dual-frequency technique produces larger backscatter pressure at higher harmonics of the primary driving frequency—this enriched acoustic spectrum can enhance blood-tissue contrast and improve the quality of sonographic images. The results further show that the acoustic pressure threshold associated with the onset of shape instability is greater for dual-frequency driving. This suggests that the dual-frequency technique stabilizes the encapsulated bubble, thereby improving the efficacy and safety of contrast-enhanced agents. (paper)

Selective encapsulation by Janus particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Wei, E-mail: wel208@mrl.ucsb.edu [Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 (United States); Ruth, Donovan; Gunton, James D. [Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015 (United States); Rickman, Jeffrey M. [Department of Physics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015 (United States)

2015-06-28

We employ Monte Carlo simulation to examine encapsulation in a system comprising Janus oblate spheroids and isotropic spheres. More specifically, the impact of variations in temperature, particle size, inter-particle interaction range, and strength is examined for a system in which the spheroids act as the encapsulating agents and the spheres as the encapsulated guests. In this picture, particle interactions are described by a quasi-square-well patch model. This study highlights the environmental adaptation and selectivity of the encapsulation system to changes in temperature and guest particle size, respectively. Moreover, we identify an important range in parameter space where encapsulation is favored, as summarized by an encapsulation map. Finally, we discuss the generalization of our results to systems having a wide range of particle geometries.

Performance modeling of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) seawater desalination process using a commercial composite membrane

KAUST Repository

Lee, Junggil

2015-01-10

This paper presents the development of a rigorous theoretical model to predict the transmembrane flux of a flat sheet hydrophobic composite membrane, comprising both an active layer of polytetrafluoroethylene and a scrim-backing support layer of polypropylene, in the direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. An integrated model includes the mass, momentum, species and energy balances for both retentate and permeate flows, coupled with the mass transfer of water vapor through the composite membrane and the heat transfer across the membrane and through the boundary layers adjacent to the membrane surfaces. Experimental results and model predictions for permeate flux and performance ratio are compared and shown to be in good agreement. The permeate flux through the composite layer can be ignored in the consideration of mass transfer pathways at the composite membrane. The effect of the surface porosity and the thickness of active and support layers on the process performance of composite membrane has also been studied. Among these parameters, surface porosity is identified to be the main factor significantly influencing the permeate flux and performance ratio, while the relative influence of the surface porosity on the performance ratio is less than that on flux.

Accelerated Lifetime Testing of Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells Encapsulated by Polyisobutylene.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Young, Trevor L; Kim, Jincheol; Sheng, Yun; Wang, Lei; Chen, Yifeng; Feng, Zhiqiang; Keevers, Mark J; Hao, Xiaojing; Verlinden, Pierre J; Green, Martin A; Ho-Baillie, Anita W Y

2017-08-02

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have undergone rapid progress. However, unstable performance caused by sensitivity to environmental moisture and high temperature is a major impediment to commercialization of PSCs. In the present work, a low-temperature, glass-glass encapsulation technique using high performance polyisobutylene (PIB) as the moisture barrier is investigated on planar glass/FTO/TiO 2 /FAPbI 3 /PTAA/gold perovskite solar cells. PIB was applied as either an edge seal or blanket layer. Electrical connections to the encapsulated PSCs were provided by either the FTO or Au layers. Results of a "calcium test" demonstrated that a PIB edge-seal effectively prevents moisture ingress. A shelf life test was performed and the PIB-sealed PSC was stable for at least 200 days. Damp heat and thermal cycling tests, in compliance with IEC61215:2016, were used to evaluate different encapsulation methods. Current-voltage measurements were performed regularly under simulated AM1.5G sunlight to monitor changes in PCE. The best results we have achieved to date maintained the initial efficiency after 540 h of damp heat testing and 200 thermal cycles. To the best of the authors' knowledge, these are among the best damp heat and thermal cycle test results for perovskite solar cells published to date. Given the modest performance of the cells (8% averaged from forward and reverse scans) especially with the more challenging FAPbI 3 perovskite material tested in this work, it is envisaged that better stability results can be further achieved when higher performance perovskite solar cells are encapsulated using the PIB packaging techniques developed in this work. We propose that heat rather than moisture was the main cause of our PSC degradation. Furthermore, we propose that preventing the escape of volatile decomposition products from the perovskite solar cell materials is the key for stability. PIB encapsulation is a very promising packaging solution for perovskite

A new method of fully three dimensional analysis of stress field in the soil layer of a soil-mantled hillslope

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Y. H.; Nakakita, E.

2017-12-01

Hillslope stability is highly related to stress equilibrium near the top surface of soil-mantled hillslopes. Stress field in a hillslope can also be significantly altered by variable groundwater motion under the rainfall influence as well as by different vegetation above and below the slope. The topographic irregularity, biological effects from vegetation and variable rainfall patterns couple with others to make the prediction of shallow landslide complicated and difficult. In an increasing tendency of extreme rainfall, the mountainous area in Japan has suffered more and more shallow landslides. To better assess shallow landslide hazards, we would like to develop a new mechanically-based method to estimate the fully three-dimensional stress field in hillslopes. The surface soil-layer of hillslope is modelled as a poroelastic medium, and the tree surcharge on the slope surface is considered as a boundary input of stress forcing. The modelling of groundwater motion is involved to alter effective stress state in the soil layer, and the tree root-reinforcement estimated by allometric equations is taken into account for influencing the soil strength. The Mohr-Coulomb failure theory is then used for locating possible yielding surfaces, or says for identifying failure zones. This model is implemented by using the finite element method. Finally, we performed a case study of the real event of massive shallow landslides occurred in Hiroshima in August, 2014. The result shows good agreement with the field condition.

New insights into comparison between synthetic and practical municipal wastewater in cake layer characteristic analysis of membrane bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Lijie; Zhuang, Wei-Qin; Wang, Xin; Yu, Ke; Yang, Shufang; Xia, Siqing

2017-11-01

In previous studies, cake layer analysis in membrane bioreactor (MBR) was both carried out with synthetic and practical municipal wastewater (SMW and PMW), leading to different results. This study aimed to identify the comparison between SMW and PMW in cake layer characteristic analysis of MBR. Two laboratory-scale anoxic/oxic MBRs were operated for over 90days with SMW and PMW, respectively. Results showed that PMW led to rough cake layer surface with particles, and the aggravation of cake layer formation with thinner and denser cake layer. Additionally, inorganic components, especially Si and Al, in PMW accumulated into cake layer and strengthened the cake layer structure, inducing severer biofouling. However, SMW promoted bacterial metabolism during cake layer formation, thus aggravated the accumulation of organic components into cake layer. Therefore, SMW highlighted the organic components in cake layer, but weakened the inorganic functions in practical MBR operation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Parenteral immunization of PLA/PLGA nanoparticle encapsulating outer membrane protein (Omp) from Aeromonas hydrophila: Evaluation of immunostimulatory action in Labeo rohita (rohu).

Science.gov (United States)

Rauta, Pradipta Ranjan; Nayak, Bismita

2015-05-01

Advanced vaccine research approaches needs to explore on biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) based vaccine carrier that can serve as antigen delivery systems as well as immuno-stimulatory action to induce both innate and adaptive immune response in fish. Immunogenicity of PLA and PLGA NPs encapsulating outer membrane protein (Omp) antigen of Aeromonas hydrophila were evaluated through intra-peritoneal injection in fish, Labeo rohita. Antigen loaded PLA-Omp (223.5 ± 13.19 nm) and PLGA-Omp (166.4 ± 21.23 nm) NPs were prepared using double emulsion method by efficiently encapsulating the antigen reaching the encapsulation efficiency 44 ± 4.58% and 59.33 ± 5.13% respectively. Our formulated PLA Omp and PLGA-Omp NPs were in nanometer range (PLA-Omp, it showed considerably slower antigen release in vitro than PLGA-Omp NPs. Other physical properties like zetapotential values and poly dispersity index (PDI) confirmed the stability as well as monodisperse nature of the formulated nanoparticles. The spherical and isolated nature of PLA-Omp and PLGA-Omp NPs were revealed by SEM analysis. Upon immunization of all antigenic formulations (PLA-Omp NP, PLGA-Omp NP, FIA-Omp, PLA NP, PLGA NP, PBS as control), significant higher bacterial agglutination titre and haemolytic activity were observed in case of PLA-Omp and PLGA-Omp immunized groups than rest groups at both 21 days and 42 days. The specific antibody response was significantly increased and persisted up to 42 days of post immunization by PLA-Omp, PLGA-Omp, FIA-Omp. PLA-Omp NPs showed better immune response (higher bacterial agglutination titre, haemolytic activity, specific antibody titre, higher percent survival upon A. hydrophila challenge) than PLGA-Omp in L. rohita confirming its better efficacy. Comparable antibody response of PLA-Omp and PLGA-Omp with FIA-Omp treated groups suggested that PLA and PLGA could be replacement for Freund's adjuvant (for stimulating antibody response) to overcome many side effects

Final report: Seven-layer membrane electrode assembly - an innovative approach to PEM fuel cell design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapman, A.

2005-07-01

Costs of materials and fabrication, rather than appropriateness of technology, are the major barriers to the sales of fuel cells. With the objective of reducing costs, potential alternative component materials for (a) the fluid flow plate (FFP) and (b) the gas diffusion layers were investigated. The concept of a 7-layer membrane electrode assembly (MEA), in which components are bonded into a unitised module, was also studied. The advantages of the bonded cell, and the flow field design, are expounded. Low-cost carbon particle composites were developed for the FFPs. The modular 7-layer MEA has an order of magnitude saving over current materials. Overall, the study has led to a greater volumetric power output, lower costs and greater reliability. The work was carried out by Morgan Group Technology Limited and funded by the DTI.

Comparison and analysis of membrane fouling between flocculent sludge membrane bioreactor and granular sludge membrane bioreactor.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Jing-Feng

Full Text Available The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of inoculating granules on reducing membrane fouling. In order to evaluate the differences in performance between flocculent sludge and aerobic granular sludge in membrane reactors (MBRs, two reactors were run in parallel and various parameters related to membrane fouling were measured. The results indicated that specific resistance to the fouling layer was five times greater than that of mixed liquor sludge in the granular MBR. The floc sludge more easily formed a compact layer on the membrane surface, and increased membrane resistance. Specifically, the floc sludge had a higher moisture content, extracellular polymeric substances concentration, and negative surface charge. In contrast, aerobic granules could improve structural integrity and strength, which contributed to the preferable permeate performance. Therefore, inoculating aerobic granules in a MBR presents an effective method of reducing the membrane fouling associated with floc sludge the perspective of from the morphological characteristics of microbial aggregates.

Integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis process using thin-film composite mixed matrix membrane with functionalized carbon nanotube blended polyethersulfone support layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyeon-Gyu; Son, Moon; Choi, Heechul

2017-10-01

Thin-film composite mixed matrix membrane (TFC MMM) with functionalized carbon nanotube (fCNT) blended in polyethersulfone (PES) support layer was synthesized via interfacial polymerization and phase inversion. This membrane was firstly tested in lab-scale integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis (FO) process. Water flux of TFC MMM was increased by 72% compared to that of TFC membrane due to enhanced hydrophilicity. Although TFC MMM showed lower water flux than TFC commercial membrane, enhanced reverse salt flux selectivity (RSFS) of TFC MMM was observed compared to TFC membrane (15% higher) and TFC commercial membrane (4% higher), representing membrane permselectivity. Under effluent organic matter (EfOM) fouling test, 16% less normalized flux decline of TFC MMM was observed compared to TFC membrane. There was 8% less decline of TFC MMM compared to TFC commercial membrane due to fCNT effect on repulsive foulant-membrane interaction enhancement, caused by negatively charged membrane surface. After 10 min physical cleaning, TFC MMM displayed higher recovered normalized flux than TFC membrane (6%) and TFC commercial membrane (4%); this was also supported by visualized characterization of fouling layer. This study presents application of TFC MMM to integrated seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation FO process for the first time. It can be concluded that EfOM fouling of TFC MMM was suppressed due to repulsive foulant-membrane interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cytokine production induced by non-encapsulated and encapsulated Porphyromonas gingivalis strains

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kunnen, A.; Dekker, D.C.; van Pampus, M.G.; Harmsen, H.J.; Aarnoudse, J.G.; Abbas, F.; Faas, M.M.

Objective: Although the exact reason is not known, encapsulated gram-negative Porphyromonas gingivalis strains are more virulent than non-encapsulated strains. Since difference in virulence properties may be due to difference in cytokine production following recognition of the bacteria or their

Phosphorus Speciation of Forest-soil Organic Surface Layers using P K-edge XANES Spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J Prietzel; J Thieme; D Paterson

2011-12-31

The phosphorus (P) speciation of organic surface layers from two adjacent German forest soils with different degree of water-logging (Stagnosol, Rheic Histosol) was analyzed by P K-edge XANES and subsequent Linear Combination Fitting. In both soils, {approx}70% of the P was inorganic phosphate and {approx}30% organic phosphate; reduced P forms such as phosphonate were absent. The increased degree of water-logging in the Histosol compared to the Stagnosol did not affect P speciation.

Magnetic capture of polydopamine-encapsulated Hela cells for the analysis of cell surface proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yiying; Yan, Guoquan; Gao, Mingxia; Zhang, Xiangmin

2018-02-10

A novel method to characterize cell surface proteins and complexes has been developed. Polydopamine (PDA)-encapsulated Hela cells were prepared for plasma membrane proteome research. Since the PDA protection, the encapsulated cells could be maintained for more than two weeks. Amino groups functionalized magnetic nanoparticles were also used for cell capture by the reaction with the PDA coatings. Plasma membrane fragments were isolated and enriched with assistance of an external magnetic field after disruption of the coated cells by ultrasonic treatment. Plasma membrane proteins (PMPs) and complexes were well preserved on the fragments and identified by shot-gun proteomic analytical strategy. 385 PMPs and 1411 non-PMPs were identified using the method. 85.2% of these PMPs were lipid-raft associated proteins. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was employed for bio-information extraction from the identified proteins. It was found that 653 non-PMPs had interactions with 140 PMPs. Among them, epidermal growth factor receptor and its complexes, and a series of important pathways including STAT3 pathway were observed. All these results demonstrated that the new approach is of great importance in applying to the research of physiological function and mechanism of the plasma membrane proteins. This work developed a novel strategy for the proteomic analysis of cell surface proteins. According to the results, 73.3% of total identified proteins were lipid-raft associated proteins, which imply that the proposed method is of great potential in the identification of lipid-raft associated proteins. In addition, a series of protein-protein interactions and pathways related to Hela cells were pointed out. All these results demonstrated that our proposed approach is of great importance and could well be applied to the physiological function and mechanism research of plasma membrane proteins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microfabrication process for patterning metallic lithium encapsulated electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oukassi, Sami; Dunoyer, Nicolas; Salot, Raphael; Martin, Steve

2009-01-01

This work presents recent achievements concerning thin film encapsulation of metallic lithium negative electrode. In the context of this study, the encapsulation stack includes polymer and dielectric layers combined in such way to optimize barrier performances of the whole structure towards oxygen and water vapor permeation. The first part of this work is dedicated to the description of the barrier stack architecture and properties. A second part presents the application of a microfabrication process to the metallic lithium negative electrode and barrier stack so as to have very small features (100 μm x 100 μm patterns). The microfabrication process includes several steps of photolithography and etching (dry and wet) blocks, which allows us to reach the target critical dimensions. These results show a method of patterning functional metallic lithium. It demonstrates the feasibility of energy sources miniaturization which is an important issue in the field of autonomous and wireless sensor networks.

Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite/gelatin composite membranes for immunoisolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Jyh-Ping; Chang, Feng-Nian

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Cross-linking gelatin in the presence of hydroxyapatite forms composite membranes. ► The membrane was used for immunoisolation and encapsulation of cells. ► Encapsulated islet cells secrete insulin in response to glucose concentrations. ► The membrane is a good candidate for bioartificial pancreas development. - Abstract: Composite membranes are fabricated from hydroxyapatite (HAP) and gelatin for immunoisolation of cells. The films were fabricated by crosslinking 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt% gelatin with 1 wt% glutaraldehyde (GA) in the presence of HAP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms imide bond formation between GA and gelatin, while the crystal structure of HAP powder remains unchanged from X-ray diffraction analysis. The degree of crosslinking depends on crosslinking time and gelatin concentration. For 5% and 10% gelatin, the degree of crosslinking levels off at 90% within 48 h. From scanning electron microscopy micrographs, the microstructure of the composite membrane depends on the amount of gelatin used in the crosslinking reaction. The mechanical strength of the composite membrane could be enhanced by increasing the gelatin concentration. BET analysis indicates that pore size of the micropores on the surface HAP/gelatin agglomerates decreases with increasing gelatin concentration. However, the macropore, through which diffusion of molecules occurs, is larger at higher gelatin concentrations. The permeability coefficients of different molecules through a HAP/gelatin composite membrane increase with increasing gelatin concentration and is inversely correlated with the molecular weight of the molecule. For immunoisolation of cells, the diffusion of large molecules stimulated by the immune system can be rejected by a chamber constructed from the HAP/gelatin membrane. Insulinoma cells were encapsulated in alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate microcapsules and enclosed in a HAP/gelatin chamber. The chamber did not impair

Preparation and characterization of hydroxyapatite/gelatin composite membranes for immunoisolation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jyh-Ping, E-mail: jpchen@mail.cgu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen Hwa 1st Rd., Kwei-San, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan (China); Chang, Feng-Nian [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen Hwa 1st Rd., Kwei-San, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan (China)

2012-12-01

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Cross-linking gelatin in the presence of hydroxyapatite forms composite membranes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The membrane was used for immunoisolation and encapsulation of cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Encapsulated islet cells secrete insulin in response to glucose concentrations. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The membrane is a good candidate for bioartificial pancreas development. - Abstract: Composite membranes are fabricated from hydroxyapatite (HAP) and gelatin for immunoisolation of cells. The films were fabricated by crosslinking 5 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt% gelatin with 1 wt% glutaraldehyde (GA) in the presence of HAP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirms imide bond formation between GA and gelatin, while the crystal structure of HAP powder remains unchanged from X-ray diffraction analysis. The degree of crosslinking depends on crosslinking time and gelatin concentration. For 5% and 10% gelatin, the degree of crosslinking levels off at 90% within 48 h. From scanning electron microscopy micrographs, the microstructure of the composite membrane depends on the amount of gelatin used in the crosslinking reaction. The mechanical strength of the composite membrane could be enhanced by increasing the gelatin concentration. BET analysis indicates that pore size of the micropores on the surface HAP/gelatin agglomerates decreases with increasing gelatin concentration. However, the macropore, through which diffusion of molecules occurs, is larger at higher gelatin concentrations. The permeability coefficients of different molecules through a HAP/gelatin composite membrane increase with increasing gelatin concentration and is inversely correlated with the molecular weight of the molecule. For immunoisolation of cells, the diffusion of large molecules stimulated by the immune system can be rejected by a chamber constructed from the HAP/gelatin membrane. Insulinoma cells were encapsulated in alginate

Nanoscale encapsulation: the structure of cations in hydrophobic microporous aluminosilicates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wasserman, S.R.; Yuchs, S.E.; Giaquinta, D.; Soderholm, L.; Song, Kang.

1996-01-01

Hydrophobic microporous aluminosilicates, created by organic surface modification of inherently hydrophilic materials such as zeolites and clays, are currently being investigated as storage media for hazardous cations. Use of organic monolayers to modify the surface of an aluminosilicate after introducing an ion into the zeolite/clay reduces the interaction of water with the material. Resulting systems are about 20 times more resistant to leaching of stored ion. XAS spectra from the encapsulated ion demonstrate that byproducts from the organic modifier can complex with the stored cation. This complexation can result in a decreased affinity of the cation for the aluminosilicate matrix. Changing the organic modifier eliminates this problem. XAS spectra also indicate that the reactivity and speciation of the encapsulated ion may change upon application of the hydrophobic layer

Sclerosing Encapsulating Peritonitis; Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norman O. Machado

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP is a rare chronic inflammatory condition of the peritoneum with an unknown aetiology. Also known as abdominal cocoon, the condition occurs when loops of the bowel are encased within the peritoneal cavity by a membrane, leading to intestinal obstruction. Due to its rarity and nonspecific clinical features, it is often misdiagnosed. The condition presents with recurrent episodes of small bowel obstruction and can be idiopathic or secondary; the latter is associated with predisposing factors such as peritoneal dialysis or abdominal tuberculosis. In the early stages, patients can be managed conservatively; however, surgical intervention is necessary for those with advanced stage intestinal obstruction. A literature review revealed 118 cases of SEP; the mean age of these patients was 39 years and 68.0% were male. The predominant presentation was abdominal pain (72.0%, distension (44.9% or a mass (30.5%. Almost all of the patients underwent surgical excision (99.2% without postoperative complications (88.1%.

Dewatering of Chlorella pyrenoidosa using diatomite dynamic membrane: filtration performance, membrane fouling and cake behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yalei; Zhao, Yangying; Chu, Huaqiang; Zhou, Xuefei; Dong, Bingzhi

2014-01-01

The diatomite dynamic membrane (DDM) was utilized to dewater Chlorella pyrenoidosa of 2 g dry weight/L under continuous-flow mode, whose ultimate algae concentration ranged from 43 g to 22 g dry weight/L of different culture time. The stable flux of DDM could reach 30 L/m(2) h over a 24 h operation time without backwash. Influences of extracellular organic matters (EOM) on filtration behavior and membrane fouling were studied. The DDM was divided into three sub-layers, the slime layer, the algae layer and the diatomite layer from the outside to the inside of the cake layer based on components and morphologies. It was found that EOM caused membrane fouling by accumulating in the slime and algae layers. The DDM intercepted polysaccharides, protein-like substances, humic-like substances and some low-MW organics. Proteins were indicated the major membrane foulants with increased protein/polysaccharide ratio from the slime layer to the diatomite layer as culture time increased. This method could be applied to subsequent treatment of microalgae coupling technology of wastewater treatment or microalgae harvesting for producing biofuel. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrical investigations of hybrid OLED microcavity structures with novel encapsulation methods

Science.gov (United States)

Meister, Stefan; Brückner, Robert; Fröb, Hartmut; Leo, Karl

2016-04-01

An electrical driven organic solid state laser is a very challenging goal which is so far well beyond reach. As a step towards realization, we monolithically implemented an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) into a dielectric, high quality microcavity (MC) consisting of two Distributed Bragg Reectors (DBR). In order to account for an optimal optical operation, the OLED structure has to be adapted. Furthermore, we aim to excite the device not only electrically but optically as well. Different OLED structures with an emission layer consisting of Alq3:DCM (2 wt%) were investigated. The External Quantum Efficiencies (EQE) of this hybrid structures are in the range of 1-2 %, as expected for this material combination. Including metal layers into a MC is complicated and has a huge impact on the device performance. Using Transfer-Matrix-Algorithm (TMA) simulations, the best positions for the metal electrodes are determined. First, the electroluminescence (EL) of the adjusted OLED structure on top of a DBR is measured under nitrogen atmosphere. The modes showed quality factors of Q = 60. After the deposition of the top DBR, the EL is measured again and the quality factors increased up to Q = 600. Considering the two 25-nm-thick-silver contacts a Q-factor of 600 is very high. The realization of a suitable encapsulation method is important. Two approaches were successfully tested. The first method is based on the substitution of a DBR layer with a layer produced via Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). The second method uses a 0.15-mm-thick cover glass glued on top of the DBR with a 0.23-μm-thick single-component glue layer. Due to the working encapsulation, it is possible to investigate the sample under ambient conditions.

Soil application of an encapsulated CO2 source and its potential for management of western corn rootworm larvae.

Science.gov (United States)

Schumann, M; Patel, A; Vidal, S

2014-02-01

Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) larvae use carbon dioxide (CO2) to locate the roots of their hosts. This study investigated whether an encapsulated CO2 source (CO2-emitting capsules) is able to outcompete CO2 gradients established by corn root respiration in the soil. Furthermore, the following two management options with the capsules were tested in semifield experiments (0.5- to 1-m2 greenhouse plots): the disruption of host location and an "attract-and-kill" strategy in which larvae were lured to a soil insecticide (Tefluthrin) between the corn rows. The attract-and-kill strategy was compared with an application of Tefluthrin in the corn rows (conventional treatment) at 33 and 18% of the standard field application rate. Application of the CO2-emitting capsules 30 cm from the plant base increased CO2 levels near the application point for up to 20 d with a peak at day 10. Both the disruption of host location and an attract-and-kill strategy caused a slight but nonsignificant reduction in larval densities. The disruption of host location caused a 17% reduction in larval densities, whereas an attract-and-kill strategy with Tefluthrin added at 33 and 18% of the standard application rate caused a 24 and 27% reduction in larval densities, respectively. As presently formulated, the CO2-emitting capsules, either with or without insecticide, do not provide adequate control of western corn rootworm.

Encapsulation and Nano-Encapsulation of Papain Active Sites to Enhance Radiolityc Stability and Decrease Toxicity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lugão, A. B.; Varca, G. H.C.; Paiffer, F.; Mathor, M. B.; Lopes, P. S.; Rogero, S.; Rogero, J. R. [Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN), Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN), Sao Paulo (Brazil)

2009-07-01

Papain is used as an ingredient in various enzymatic debridement preparations. Those paste-like preparations are based on water solution and usually are sterilized by radiation. As a consequence, there is a major decrease in papain activity. Papain containing preparations are used in chronic wounds treatment in order to clean and remove the necrotic tissue. However FDA (2008) is taking an action against such products due to severe adverse events reported in patients which were submitted to papain treatments. Thus, the main goal of this proposal is to develop encapsulated papain containing membranes based on hydrogels and silicone rubber in an attempt to achieve a controllable distribution of size and delivery profile, a toxicity reduction and provide stability towards radiation processing through nanoencapsulation with cyclodextrins, which may also provide protection to the enzyme against radiation induced radiolysis. (author)

Encapsulation and Nano-Encapsulation of Papain Active Sites to Enhance Radiolityc Stability and Decrease Toxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lugão, A.B.; Varca, G.H.C.; Paiffer, F.; Mathor, M.B.; Lopes, P.S.; Rogero, S.; Rogero, J.R.

2009-01-01

Papain is used as an ingredient in various enzymatic debridement preparations. Those paste-like preparations are based on water solution and usually are sterilized by radiation. As a consequence, there is a major decrease in papain activity. Papain containing preparations are used in chronic wounds treatment in order to clean and remove the necrotic tissue. However FDA (2008) is taking an action against such products due to severe adverse events reported in patients which were submitted to papain treatments. Thus, the main goal of this proposal is to develop encapsulated papain containing membranes based on hydrogels and silicone rubber in an attempt to achieve a controllable distribution of size and delivery profile, a toxicity reduction and provide stability towards radiation processing through nanoencapsulation with cyclodextrins, which may also provide protection to the enzyme against radiation induced radiolysis. (author)

Encapsulation by Janus spheroids

OpenAIRE

Li, Wei; Liu, Ya; Brett, Genevieve; Gunton, James D.

2011-01-01

The micro/nano encapsulation technology has acquired considerable attention in the fields of drug delivery, biomaterial engineering, and materials science. Based on recent advances in chemical particle synthesis, we propose a primitive model of an encapsulation system produced by the self-assembly of Janus oblate spheroids, particles with oblate spheroidal bodies and two hemi-surfaces coded with dissimilar chemical properties. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we investigate the encapsulation sys...

The opto-thermal effect on encapsulated cholesteric liquid crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yu-Sung; Lin, Hui-Chi; Yang, Kin-Min

2017-12-01

In this study, we implemented a micro-encapsulated CLC electronic paper that is optically addressed and electrically erasable. The mechanism that forms spot diameters on the CLC films is discussed and verified through various experimental parameters, including the thickness of CLCs and Poly(2,3-dihydrothieno-1,4-dioxin)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), pump intensity, and pumping time. The opto-thermal effect, brought on by the PEDOT:PSS absorbing layer, causes the spot diameters on the cholesteric liquid crystal thin films to vary. According to our results, the spot diameter is larger for a sample with a thinner cholesteric liquid crystal layer with the same excitation conditions and same thickness of the PEDOT layer. The spot diameter is also larger for a sample with a thicker PEDOT under the same excitation conditions and same thickness of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. We proposed a simple heat-conducting model to explain the experimental results, which qualitatively agree with this theoretical model.

Composite perfluorohydrocarbon membranes, their preparation and use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ding, Yong; Bikson, Benjamin

2017-04-04

Composite porous hydrophobic membranes are prepared by forming a perfluorohydrocarbon layer on the surface of a preformed porous polymeric substrate. The substrate can be formed from poly (aryl ether ketone) and a perfluorohydrocarbon layer can be chemically grafted to the surface of the substrate. The membranes can be utilized for a broad range of fluid separations, such as microfiltration, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration as membrane contactors for membrane distillation and for degassing and dewatering of fluids. The membranes can further contain a dense ultra-thin perfluorohydrocarbon layer superimposed on the porous poly (aryl ether ketone) substrate and can be utilized as membrane contactors or as gas separation. membranes for natural gas treatment and gas dehydration.

Electrodialytic soil remediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Karlsmose, Bodil; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.; Hansen, Lene

1999-01-01

The paper gives an overview of how heavy metals can be found in the soil and the theory of electrodialytic remediation. Basically electrodialytic remediation works by passing electric current through the soil, and the heavy metals in ionic form will carry some of the current. Ion-exchange membranes...... prevents the protons and the hydroxides ions from the electrode processes to enter the soil. The heavy metals are collected in a concentration compartment, which is separated from the soil by ion-exchange membranes. Examples from remediation experiments are shown, and it is demonstrated that it is possible...... to remediate soil polluted with heavy metals be this method. When adding desorbing agents or complexing agents, chosing the right current density, electrolyte and membranes, the proces can be optimised for a given remediation situation. Also electroosmosis is influencing the system, and if extra water...

Theoretical and Experimental Substantiation for Applicability of a Damping Layer in a Foundation Slab Placed on Soil Bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiselev Nikita

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Authors present the results of studies of innovative foundation structure. The idea of how to increase the operational quality of foundations and reduce the costs due to rational loading of the soil bed is numerically simulated. It is shown that the bending moment in the foundation slab depends on uneven settlements of the soil bed. It is proposed to stabilize the deformable soil bed by the damping layer placed under the slab footing in the zones with minor settlements. Considered is the concept of the damping layer in the foundation slab placed on the soil bed (DLS. The in-situ test for DLS-clayey bed interaction is described. Given are the results obtained after the experiments for DLS performance. The result of DLS implementation in designing the foundation of the 22-storeyed block of flats is considered. The expediency of DLS in comparison to standard foundations is presented.

Mitigating leaks in membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karnik, Rohit N.; Bose, Suman; Boutilier, Michael S.H.; Hadjiconstantinou, Nicolas G.; Jain, Tarun Kumar; O' Hern, Sean C.; Laoui, Tahar; Atieh, Muataz A.; Jang, Doojoon

2018-02-27

Two-dimensional material based filters, their method of manufacture, and their use are disclosed. In one embodiment, a membrane may include an active layer including a plurality of defects and a deposited material associated with the plurality of defects may reduce flow therethrough. Additionally, a majority of the active layer may be free from the material. In another embodiment, a membrane may include a porous substrate and an atomic layer deposited material disposed on a surface of the porous substrate. The atomic layer deposited material may be less hydrophilic than the porous substrate and an atomically thin active layer may be disposed on the atomic layer deposited material.