Compound surfactant-based emulsion method for the preparation of high-porosity alumina microspheres

Porous alumina microspheres have attracted significant attention owing to their high mechanical strength and excellent chemical and thermal stability. The emulsion method is considered as a simple and controllable method for the preparation of inorganic microspheres. However, preparing alumina microspheres with the emulsion method is challenging because the emulsification of the precursor is inhibited by the rapid hydrolysis of aluminum alkoxide. Herein, we report a new emulsion method for the preparation of high-porosity alumina microspheres using a combination of ionic and non-ionic surfactants; in this method, the compound surfactants act as a template agent to guide aluminum alkoxide to form a lamellar structure through self-assembly. The decomposition of the templating agent and transformation of the alumina crystal at a high temperature result in structural collapse and formation of lamellar pores. Compound surfactants increased the spheroidization rate of the emulsion from 47% to 63% after hydrolysis, whereas the particle size was decreased by almost half. Additionally, the morphology and porosity of the alumina microspheres were changed. With increasing anionic surfactant content, the porosity increased initially and then decreased. The porosity of the alumina microspheres reached a maximum value of 76% at the 1:1 mass ratio of the non-ionic to anionic surfactants. Heat treatment was found to change the size of lamellar pores, with the pore diameter reaching maximum value at 1300 °C. The compound surfactants also increased the compressive stress and specific surface area of the porous alumina microspheres.     

Study of physicochemical properties of flutamide-loaded Ocimum basilicum microspheres with ex vivo mucoadhesion and in vitro drug release

Drug which shows extensive first pass effect is difficult task that, needs to be solved by formulators in the pharmaceutical science. The low oral bioavailability (49%) of flutamide may be due to poor wettability, low aqueous solubility and extensive first pass effect. The aim of present investigation was to prepare flutamide loaded microspheres and incorporate it into suppositories for rectal delivery to avoid first pass effect and enhance residence time. Flutamide loaded mucoadhesive microspheres of Ocimum Basilicum mucilage (OBM) were prepared using spray drying and characterized by percent production yield, encapsulation efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, DSC, SEM, XRPD, in vitro drug release and stability studies. Moreover, ex vivo mucoadhesion was investigated using falling liquid film technique to determine the adhesion of microspheres to sheep rectal mucosa. The microspheres had nearly spherical shape and size about 2.53?μm. The encapsulation efficiency and mucoadhesion of optimized formulation MBF10 were found to be 69.6?±?2.3% and 89.01?±?2.18%, respectively. Percent CDR of optimized flutamide loaded mucoadhesive microspheres was found to be 88.7?±?1.3 at 7?h. In conclusion, OBM microparticles based suppository could be used to deliver drug through rectal delivery.     

Preparation of microencapsulated carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide/polyethylene terephthalate flame–retardant functional fibers and its flame retardant properties

In order to improve the compatibility between the flame retardants of carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide (MH@CMSs) and the PET matrix and improve the spinnability of the masterbatch, MH@CMSs have been microencapsulated by PET to obtain microencapsulated carbon microspheres coated by magnesium hydroxide flame retardants – MMH@CMSs.Morphologies and structures of MMH@CMSs have been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and FTIR, which showed that an organic shell layer of PET as capsule wall was coated on the surface of MH@CMSs. A series of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers with different MMH@CMSs contents were successfully prepared through the melt-spinning method. The morphology and structure of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers were characterized by SEM and FTIR. The flame retardancy of MMH@CMSs/PET fibers was determined via limiting oxygen index (LOI) test and cone calorimeter. Results showed that the MMH@CMSs/PET fibers possessed optimum flame retardancy when the MMH@CMSs content is 0.6 wt.%, at which the LOI reached a maximum of 25.8, and the pk-HRR, total heat release, and total smoke release were reduced by 27.4, 20, and 13.6%, compared with pure PET fibers, respectively. Moreover, the flame-retardant mechanism was studied by thermogravimetric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis-infrared spectrometry, and the SEM of the residue char, which disclosed that MMH@CMSs enhanced the thermal stability of PET fibers, and promoted PET fibers to form a dense and continuous protective char layer that effectively blocked heat transfer and combustible gas release.     

有机改性蒙脱土的制备及其对聚乙烯-聚苯乙烯相态和力学性能的影响

利用Gemini表面活性剂对蒙脱土进行插层改性制备得到有机改性蒙脱土（OMMT），采用溶液混合法制备了OMMT/聚苯乙烯（PS）母料，将OMMT/PS母料与聚乙烯（PE）熔融共混制备得到OMMT/PS-PE复合材料。研究了蒙脱土的插层改性对OMMT/PS-PE复合材料相形态和力学性能的影响。对OMMT进行FTIR、XRD、TG表征，结果表明Gemini表面活性剂成功插层进入蒙脱土层间。通过SEM和电子万能试验机研究了OMMT/PS-PE复合材料相结构、分散相粒径的及相态与力学性能之间的关系。结果表明，随着OMMT含量的增加，PS分散相的粒径逐渐减小；当OMMT含量为2.5wt%时，OMMT/PS-PE复合材料的相形态由“海-岛”转变为双连续结构。与未添加OMMT的PE-PS树脂相比，OMMT/PS-PE复合材料弯曲模量和断裂伸长率显著提高，分别提高了约18%和近50倍。     

Porous mullite ceramics with enhanced compressive strength from fly ash-based ceramic microspheres: Facile synthesis,structure, and performance

Porous mullite ceramics are widely used in heat insulation owing to their high temperature and corrosion resistant properties. Reducing the thermal conductivity by increasing porosity, while ensuring a high compressive strength, is vital for the synthesis of high-strength and lightweight porous mullite ceramics. In this study, ceramic microspheres are initially prepared from pre-treated high-alumina fly ash by spray drying, and then used to successfully prepare porous mullite ceramics with enhanced compressive strength via a simple direct stacking and sintering approach. The influence of sintering temperature and time on the microstructure and properties of porous mullite ceramics was evaluated, and the corresponding formation mechanism was elucidated. Results show that the porous mullite ceramics, calcined at 1550 °C for 3 h, possess a porosity of 47%, compressive strength of 31.4 MPa, and thermal conductivity of 0.775 W/(m?K) (at 25 °C), similar to mullite ceramics prepared from pure raw materials. The uniform pore size distribution and sintered neck between the microspheres contribute to the high compressive strength of mullite ceramics, while maintaining high porosity.     

Personalized Single‐Cell Encapsulation Using E‐Jet 3D Printing with AC‐Pulsed Modulation

With the growing therapeutic importance of cell microcarriers, there has been a rise in the need to develop technologies that facilitate efficient microencapsulation of cells, currently limited by a lack of straightforward and low‐cost strategies for single‐cell isolation and printing. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop a gentle and cell‐compatible electro‐hydrodynamic jet 3D printing technique to facilitate the efficient microencapsulation of cells in hydrogel microspheres, and investigate the effects of parameters (flow rate, voltage frequency, nozzle diameter, working distance, and substrate velocity) on the printing process. Stable microspheres are obtained by regulating these parameters to balance various forces, with control of their diameters in the range of 100–600 µm. The study demonstrates that under optimized conditions, the technique is able to successfully encapsulate cells within hydrogel microspheres with high viability over a wide range of diameters. This 3D printing technique expands the potential utility of microspheres into additional biological applications, such as cancer biology and drug screening. It can also be used as an effective platform for the production of tumor spheroids, generating multicellular spheroid models in vitro or for injectable cell delivery.     

Study on downward flame spread over extruded polystyrene foam in a vertical channel: Influence of opening area

Experimental methods and theoretical analysis are employed to investigate effects of channel opening area on downward flame spread characteristics of extruded polystyrene (XPS) thermal insulation materials on building facade. The average flame height first drops and then rises as dimensionless opening area (the ratio of sidewall opening area to sidewall area, ie, S^*) increases. As S^* rises, both the average and maximum temperature of the curtain wall decrease, and the decreasing of the average temperature is linear. XPS surface temperature history can be divided into four stages, ie, inapparent rising stage (preheating), significant rising stage (melting), dropping stage (pyrolysis), and rerising stage (ignition). The preheating length first rises and then drops as S^* increases. The XPS flame spreads steadily at the early period while acceleration occurs at the later period. For different opening areas, the difference in spread distance history is not apparent in the early stage while this difference is significant in the later stage. The flame spread rate (V_f) first increases and then decreases as S^* rises. A downward flame spread model for XPS in vertical channel with openings is built. The varied trend of V_f predicted using this model corresponds to the experimental result.