ubiquitous gel particles: Topics by WorldWideScience.org

Internal structure analysis of particle-double network gels used in a gel organ replica

Ringel, H.

1980-07-01

In the manufacture of HTR fuel particles and particles of fertile material by wet chemical methods, the ammonium nitrate formed during the precipitation reaction must be washed out of the gel particles. This washing process has been investigated theoretically and experimentally. A counter-current washer has been developed which in particular takes account of the aspects of refabrication - such as compact construction and minimum waste. A counter-current washing column of 17 mm internal diameter and 640 mm length gives to gel particle throughput of 0.65 1/h. The volume ratio of wash water to gel particles is 5, and the residual nitrate concentration in the particles is 7 x 10 -3 mols of NO - 3 /1. (orig.) [de

Injectable biocompatible and biodegradable pH-responsive hollow particle gels containing poly(acrylic acid): the effect of copolymer composition on gel properties.

Abe, Mei; Arai, Masanori; Saito, Azusa; Sakai, Kazuyuki; Kawakami, Masaru; Furukawa, Hidemitsu

2016-04-01

In recent years, the fabrication of patient organ replicas using 3D printers has been attracting a great deal of attention in medical fields. However, the cost of these organ replicas is very high as it is necessary to employ very expensive 3D printers and printing materials. Here we present a new gel organ replica, of human kidney, fabricated with a conventional molding technique, using a particle-double network hydrogel (P-DN gel). The replica is transparent and has the feel of a real kidney. It is expected that gel organ replicas produced this way will be a useful tool for the education of trainee surgeons and clinical ultrasonography technologists. In addition to developing a gel organ replica, the internal structure of the P-DN gel used is also discussed. Because the P-DN gel has a complex structure comprised of two different types of network, it has not been possible to investigate them internally in detail. Gels have an inhomogeneous network structure. If it is able to get a more uniform structure, it is considered that this would lead to higher strength in the gel. In the present study we investigate the structure of P-DN gel, using the gel organ replica. We investigated the internal structure of P-DN gel using Scanning Microscopic Light Scattering (SMILS), a non-contacting and non-destructive.

The structure of particle gels as studied with confocal microscopy and computer simulations

Halacheva, Silvia S; Adlam, Daman J; Hendow, Eseelle K; Freemont, Tony J; Hoyland, Judith; Saunders, Brian R

2014-05-12

The potential of various pH-responsive alkyl (meth)acrylate ester- and (meth)acrylic acid-based copolymers, including poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) (PMMA-AA) and poly(n-butyl acrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (PBA-MAA), to form pH-sensitive biocompatible and biodegradable hollow particle gel scaffolds for use in non-load-bearing soft tissue regeneration have been explored. The optimal copolymer design criteria for preparation of these materials have been established. Physical gels which are both pH- and redox-sensitive were formed only from PMMA-AA copolymers. MMA is the optimal hydrophobic monomer, whereas the use of various COOH-containing monomers, e.g., MAA and AA, will always induce a pH-triggered physical gelation. The PMMA-AA gels were prepared at physiological pH range from concentrated dispersions of swollen, hollow, polymer-based particles cross-linked with either cystamine (CYS) or 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid dihydrazide (DTP). A linear relationship between particle swelling ratios, gel elasticity, and ductility was observed. The PMMA-AA gels with lower AA contents feature lower swelling ratios, mechanical strengths, and ductilities. Increasing the swelling ratio (e.g., through increasing AA content) decreased the intraparticle elasticity; however, intershell contact and gel elasticity were found to increase. The mechanical properties and performance of the gels were tuneable upon varying the copolymers' compositions and the structure of the cross-linker. Compared to PMMA-AA/CYS, the PMMA-AA/DTP gels were more elastic and ductile. The biodegradability and cytotoxicity of the new hollow particle gels were tested for the first time and related to their composition, mechanical properties, and morphology. The new PMMA-AA/CYS and PMMA-AA/DTP gels have shown good biocompatibility, biodegradability, strength, and interconnected porosity and therefore have good potential as a tissue repair agent.

Nano- and microsized cubic gel particles from cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks.

Bos, M.T.A.

1997-01-01

This thesis contains the results of a PhD-study on the structure of particle gels. Part of it is directed at a quantification of this structure from measured data, part of it at modelling the aggregation processes that lead to particle gels. Chapter 1 of this thesis is a general

Large shear deformation of particle gels studied by Brownian Dynamics simulations

Furukawa, Yuki; Ishiwata, Takumi; Sugikawa, Kouta; Kokado, Kenta; Sada, Kazuki

2012-10-15

Sweet cube o' mine: Bottom-up control of gel particles has been regarded as a great challenge. By employing internal cross-linking of cyclodextrin metal-organic frameworks, cubic sugar gels were formed with sharp edges that reflect the shape of the crystals. This enabled the fabrication of shape- and size-controlled polymer gels from porous crystals (see picture). Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Large shear deformation of particle gels studied by Brownian Dynamics simulations

Rzepiela, A.A.; Opheusden, van J.H.J.; Vliet, van T.

2002-01-01

This paper focuses on shear deformation of particle gels. Two different methods of shear deformation are discussed, namely affine and non-affine deformation, the second being novel in simulation studies of gels. Non-affine deformation resulted in a slower increase of the stress at small deformation.

Preclinical investigations towards the first spacer gel application in prostate cancer treatment during particle therapy at HIT

Rzepiela, A.A.; Opheusden, van J.H.J.; Vliet, van T.

2004-01-01

Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations have been performed to study structure and rheology of particle gels under large shear deformation. The model incorporates soft spherical particles, and reversible flexible bond formation. Two different methods of shear deformation are discussed, namely affine and

Highly dispersed spherical Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 nanocrystals via topotactic crystallization of aggregation-free gel particles from an effective inverse miniemulsion sol–gel approach

Ruciński, Antoni; Parodi, Katia; Jäkel, Oliver; Haberer, Thomas; Bauer, Julia; Campbell, Patrick; Brons, Stephan; Unholtz, Daniel; Habl, Gregor; Herfarth, Klaus; Debus, Jürgen; Bert, Christoph

2013-01-01

The application of spacer gel represents a promising approach to reliably spare the rectal frontal wall during particle therapy (IJROBP 76:1251-1258, 2010). In order to qualify the spacer gel for the clinical use in particle therapy, a variety of measurements were performed in order to ensure the biological compatibility of the gel, its physical stability during and after the irradiation, and a proper definition of the gel in terms of the Hounsfield Unit (HU) values for the treatment planning system. The potential for the use of the spacer gel for particle therapy monitoring with off-line Positron Emission Tomography (PET) was also investigated. The spacer gel implanted to the prostate patient in direct neighbourhood to the clinical target volume does not interfere with the particle therapy treatment planning procedure applied at Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Centre (HIT). The performed measurements show that Bragg-peak position of the particles can be properly predicted on the basis of computed tomography imaging with the treatment planning system used at HIT (measured water equivalent path length of 1.011 ±0.011 (2σ), measured Hounsfield Unit of 28.9 ±6.1 (2σ)). The spacer gel samples remain physically unchanged after irradiation with a dose exceeding the therapeutic dose level. The independently measured Bragg-Peak position does not change within the time interval of 10 weeks. As a result of the presented experiments, the first clinical application of spacer gel implant during prostate cancer treatment with carbon ions and protons was possible at HIT in 2012. The reported pre-clinical investigations demonstrate that use of spacer gel is safe in particle therapy in presence of therapy target motion and patient positioning induced particle range variations. The spacer gel injected between prostate and rectum enlarge the distance between both organs, which is expected to clinically significantly decrease the undesirable exposure of the most critical organ at risk

Preparation of UO2 dense spherical particles by sol-gel technique

Wang, Aijun; Zeng, Yanwei; Han, Longxiang; Ding, Chuan; Cao, Liangliang; Li, Rongjie

2015-01-01

Aggregation-free spherical lanthanum-doped bismuth titanate (Bi 3.25 La 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 , BLT) gel particles with an average size of about 150 nm were successfully obtained from an inverse miniemulsion sol–gel process, with Span-80 acting as surfactant, n-butanol as co-surfactant, cyclohexane as continuous phase, and submicro-droplets of aqueous solution containing Bi 3+ , La 3+ and Ti 4+ ions as dispersed phase, and then topotactically transformed into highly dispersed spherical BLT nanocrystals after an in situ crystallization at 600 °C for 8 h. It has been found that the BLT gel particles can be obtained via a moderate sol–gel reaction inside the miniemulsion droplets at 65 °C, but their morphology and aggregation degree are strongly affected by the relative amounts of Span-80 and n-butanol. The perfect spherical BLT gel particles with no aggregation can be achieved only under the condition of 3 wt% n-butanol relative to the mass of cyclohexane, with excessive amount of n-butanol leading to the formation of ill-gelled particles with irregular shapes, while insufficient addition of n-butanol resulting in terrible aggregation of gel particles. To understand the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles, a tentative mechanism is proposed and discussed, which reveals that a well-coordinated oil–water interfacial film made up of Span-80 and n-butanol molecules and the appropriately enhanced evaporation of water from such interfaces should be responsible for the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles. Graphical Abstract: Aggregation-free spherical BLT (Bi 3.25 La 0.75 Ti 3 O 12 ) gel particles can be prepared from an effective inverse miniemulsion sol–gel process, and subsequently topotactically transformed into spherical BLT nanocrystals through an in situ crystallization

Fractal aggregation in relation to formation and properties of particle gels

Urbanek, V.; Dolezal, J.

1977-01-01

The results of the basic research and development of processes of preparation of dense UO 2 spherical particles by sol-gel technique are presented. Attention was paid to the study of chemistry of internal gelation step in the uranylnitrate-urea-hexamethylentetramine system. The existence regions of several stable gels with different properties were established in connection with variable ratio of basic gel's components and the appropriate ''Phase diagrams'' were drawn. From these diagrams, two of the most interesting types of uranyl gels were chosen for the subsequent thermal processing which included drying, reduction and sintering. The detailed studies of each step of the whole process enabled preparation of UO 2 dense spheres with well defined microstructure

Highly dispersed spherical Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12 nanocrystals via topotactic crystallization of aggregation-free gel particles from an effective inverse miniemulsion sol-gel approach

Bremer, L.G.B.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the conditions determining whether small particles in a liquid are able to jointly occupy the total volume thus forming a gel network. In order to build a network the colloidal particles have to be 'sticky', unstable. In the unassociated

Scaling relations between structure and rheology of ageing casein particle gels

Wang, Aijun; Zeng, Yanwei; Han, Longxiang; Ding, Chuan; Cao, Liangliang; Li, Rongjie

2015-09-01

Aggregation-free spherical lanthanum-doped bismuth titanate (Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12, BLT) gel particles with an average size of about 150 nm were successfully obtained from an inverse miniemulsion sol-gel process, with Span-80 acting as surfactant, n-butanol as co-surfactant, cyclohexane as continuous phase, and submicro-droplets of aqueous solution containing Bi3+, La3+ and Ti4+ ions as dispersed phase, and then topotactically transformed into highly dispersed spherical BLT nanocrystals after an in situ crystallization at 600 °C for 8 h. It has been found that the BLT gel particles can be obtained via a moderate sol-gel reaction inside the miniemulsion droplets at 65 °C, but their morphology and aggregation degree are strongly affected by the relative amounts of Span-80 and n-butanol. The perfect spherical BLT gel particles with no aggregation can be achieved only under the condition of 3 wt% n-butanol relative to the mass of cyclohexane, with excessive amount of n-butanol leading to the formation of ill-gelled particles with irregular shapes, while insufficient addition of n-butanol resulting in terrible aggregation of gel particles. To understand the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles, a tentative mechanism is proposed and discussed, which reveals that a well-coordinated oil-water interfacial film made up of Span-80 and n-butanol molecules and the appropriately enhanced evaporation of water from such interfaces should be responsible for the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles.

On gel electrophoresis of dielectric charged particles with hydrophobic surface: A combined theoretical and numerical study.

Mellema, M.

2000-01-01

Mellema, M. (Michel), Scaling relations between structure and rheology of ageing casein particle gels , PhD Thesis, Wageningen University, 150 + 10 pages, references by chapter, English and Dutch summaries (2000).

The relation between (colloidal)

Highly dispersed spherical Bi{sub 3.25}La{sub 0.75}Ti{sub 3}O{sub 12} nanocrystals via topotactic crystallization of aggregation-free gel particles from an effective inverse miniemulsion sol–gel approach

Majee, Partha Sarathi; Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Gopmandal, Partha Pratim; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

2018-03-01

A theoretical study on the gel electrophoresis of a charged particle incorporating the effects of dielectric polarization and surface hydrophobicity at the particle-liquid interface is made. A simplified model based on the weak applied field and low charge density assumption is also presented and compared with the full numerical model for a nonpolarizable particle to elucidate the nonlinear effects such as double layer polarization and relaxation as well as surface conduction. The main motivation of this study is to analyze the electrophoresis of the surface functionalized nanoparticle with tunable hydrophobicity or charged fluid drop in gel medium by considering the electrokinetic effects and hydrodynamic interactions between the particle and the gel medium. An effective medium approach, in which the transport in the electrolyte-saturated hydrogel medium is governed by the Brinkman equation, is adopted in the present analysis. The governing electrokinetic equations based on the conservation principles are solved numerically. The Navier-slip boundary condition along with the continuity condition of dielectric displacement are imposed on the surface of the hydrophobic polarizable particle. The impact of the slip length on the electrophoresis is profound for a thinner Debye layer, however, surface conduction effect also becomes significant for a hydrophobic particle. Impact of hydrophobicity and relaxation effects are higher for a larger particle. Dielectric polarization creates a reduction in its electrophoretic propulsion and has negligible impact at the thinner Debye length as well as lower gel screening length. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Aijun; Zeng, Yanwei, E-mail: zengyw-njut@126.com, E-mail: stephen-zeng@njtech.edu.cn, E-mail: stephen-zeng@163.com; Han, Longxiang; Ding, Chuan; Cao, Liangliang; Li, Rongjie [Nanjing Tech University, State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering (China)

2015-09-15

Aggregation-free spherical lanthanum-doped bismuth titanate (Bi{sub 3.25}La{sub 0.75}Ti{sub 3}O{sub 12}, BLT) gel particles with an average size of about 150 nm were successfully obtained from an inverse miniemulsion sol–gel process, with Span-80 acting as surfactant, n-butanol as co-surfactant, cyclohexane as continuous phase, and submicro-droplets of aqueous solution containing Bi{sup 3+}, La{sup 3+} and Ti{sup 4+} ions as dispersed phase, and then topotactically transformed into highly dispersed spherical BLT nanocrystals after an in situ crystallization at 600 °C for 8 h. It has been found that the BLT gel particles can be obtained via a moderate sol–gel reaction inside the miniemulsion droplets at 65 °C, but their morphology and aggregation degree are strongly affected by the relative amounts of Span-80 and n-butanol. The perfect spherical BLT gel particles with no aggregation can be achieved only under the condition of 3 wt% n-butanol relative to the mass of cyclohexane, with excessive amount of n-butanol leading to the formation of ill-gelled particles with irregular shapes, while insufficient addition of n-butanol resulting in terrible aggregation of gel particles. To understand the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles, a tentative mechanism is proposed and discussed, which reveals that a well-coordinated oil–water interfacial film made up of Span-80 and n-butanol molecules and the appropriately enhanced evaporation of water from such interfaces should be responsible for the formation of aggregation-free spherical BLT gel particles. Graphical Abstract: Aggregation-free spherical BLT (Bi{sub 3.25}La{sub 0.75}Ti{sub 3}O{sub 12}) gel particles can be prepared from an effective inverse miniemulsion sol–gel process, and subsequently topotactically transformed into spherical BLT nanocrystals through an in situ crystallization.

Exploratory experiments on the feasibility of Th and Pu sol-gel particles

Microneedle assisted micro-particle delivery from gene guns: experiments using skin-mimicking agarose gel.

Vanhellemont, G.; Beullens, J.; Bairiot, H.

1965-05-01

The sol-gel process as developed by the O.E.C.D. Dragon Project has been applied by the Plutonium Project at Mol to determine the feasibility of producing spherical particles containing Th02, Pu02 and C, in the proportions necessary to fabricate thorium-plutonium carbide kernels for irradiation specimens and for fuel cartridges for the Dragon Reactor Experiment. The process has been extended successfully to the preparation of thorium and plutonium gels, having a significant excess of carbon, with the object of evaluating the feasibility of the sol-gel process for the production of Th, C-10 type kernels. Other experiments have been performed to test the feasibility of incorporating U02 powder into the gel spheres. By using this technique, U to Th ratios of up to 9:1 have been obtained. (author)