The effect of combined use of chitosan and PIPS on push-out bond strength of root canal filling materials

Adhesion of root canal filling materials to root dentin is important for the long-term success of the treatment. Push-out bond strength test is used to evaluate the adhesion capacity of root canal filling materials to root canal walls. The aim of the present study is to compare the bond strength of root canal filling materials to root dentin after irrigation with EDTA, chitosan and the combination of chitosan and PIPS irridation using push-out bond strength test. Forty-eight extracted teeth were resected until 13-mm long roots were obtained. Root canals were prepared with a size-25 OneShape instrument. Samples were divided into three groups each including 15 roots. Group 1: Canals were rinsed with 0.2% chitosan and subjected to laser irridation with PIPS at the same time. Group 2: Canals were rinsed with 0.2% chitosan. Group 3: Canals were rinsed with EDTA. All canals were filled with .06 tapered gutta-percha and AH-plus sealer. One-mm thick slices were taken from coronal, middle and apical one-thirds of the roots. Push-out bond strength was determined using a Universal Testing Machine. One root from each group was observed under SEM to evaluate the degree of smear removal. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskall-Wallis test. Results showed that bond strength values were statistically similar in overall evaluation for all groups (p > .05). In segmental evaluation, group 1 revealed the highest bond strength in apical one-third compared to other groups (p < .05).     

Investigation on the effect of spinning conditions on the properties of hollow fiber membrane for hemodialysis application

Polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membranes were fabricated via the dry‐wet phase inversion spinning technique, aiming to produce an asymmetric, micro porous ultrafiltration hollow‐fiber specifically for hemodialysis membrane. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of spinning conditions on the morphological and permeation properties of the fabricated membrane. Among the parameters that were studied in this work are air gap distance, dope extrusion rate, bore fluid flow rate, and the take‐up speed. The contact angle was measured to determine the hydrophilicity of the fibers. Membrane with sufficient hydrophilicity properties is desired for hemodialysis application to avoid fouling and increase its biocompatibility. The influences of the hollow fiber's morphology (i.e., diameter and wall thickness) on the performance of the membranes were evaluated by pure water flux and BSA rejection. The experimental results showed that the dope extrusion rate to bore fluid flow rate ratio should be maintained at 1:1 ratio to produce a perfectly rounded asymmetric hollow fiber membrane. Moreover, the flux of the hollow fiber spun at higher air gap distance had better flux than the one spun at lower air gap distance. Furthermore, spinning asymmetric hollow fiber membranes at high air gap distance helps to produce a thin and porous skin layer, leading to a better flux but a relatively low percentage of rejection for BSA separation. Findings from this study would serve as primary data which will be a useful guide for fabricating a high performance hemodialysis hollow fiber membrane. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43633.     

Highly sensitive and selective dopamine detection by an amperometric biosensor based on tyrosinase/MWNT/GCE

Dopamine (3,4-dihydroxylphenyl ethylamine) is the most significant neurotransmitter in the human nervous system. Abnormal dopamine levels cause fatal neurological disorders, and thus measuring dopamine level in actual samples is important. Although electrochemical methods have been developed for detecting dopamine with high accuracy, certain substances (e.g., ascorbic acid) in actual samples often interfere with electrochemical dopamine detection. We developed tyrosinase-based dopamine biosensor with high sensitivity and selectivity. An electrochemically pretreated tyrosinase/multi-walled carbon nanotube-modified glassy carbon electrode (tyrosinase/MWNT/GCE) was prepared as an amperometric biosensor for selective dopamine detection. For optimizing the biosensor performance, pH, temperature, and scan rate were investigated. The electrochemically pretreated tyrosinase/MWNT/GCE exhibited not only the highest sensitivity (1,323 mAM^?1 cm^?2) compared to previously reported tyrosinase-based dopamine sensors, but also good long-term stability, retaining 90% of initial activity after 30 days. Additionally, ascorbic acid, a major interfering substances, was not oxidized at the potential used to detect dopamine oxidation, and the interfering effect of 4mM ascorbic acid was negligible when monitoring 1mM dopamine. Consequently, the electrochemically pretreated tyrosinase/MWNT/GCE is applicable for highly selective and sensitive dopamine detection in actual samples including interfering substances, thereby extending the practical use to monitor and diagnose neurological disorders.     

A review of high energy density lithium–air battery technology

Today’s lithium (Li)-ion batteries have been widely adopted as the power of choice for small electronic devices through to large power systems such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). However, it falls short of meeting the demands of new markets in these areas of EVs or HEVs due to insufficient energy density. Therefore, new battery systems such as Li–air batteries with high theoretical specific energy are being intensively investigated, as this technology could potentially make long-range EVs widely affordable. So far, Li–air battery technology is still in its infancy and will require significant research efforts. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of Li–air batteries, with an emphasis on the recent progress of various elements, such as lithium metal anode, cathode, electrolytes, and catalysts. Firstly, it covers the various types of air cathode used, such as the air cathode based on carbon, the carbon nanotube-based cathode, and the graphene-based cathode. Secondly, different types of catalysts such as metal oxide- and composite-based catalysts, carbon- and graphene-based catalysts, and precious metal alloy-based catalysts are elaborated. The challenges and recent developments on electrolytes and lithium metal anode are then summarized. Finally, a summary of future research directions in the field of lithium air batteries is provided.     

Synthesis of polyamidoxime chelating ligand from polymer‐grafted corn‐cob cellulose for metal extraction

A conventional free‐radical initiating process was used to prepare graft copolymers from acrylonitrile (AN) with corn‐cob cellulose with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator. The optimum grafting was achieved with corn‐cob cellulose (anhydroglucose unit, AGU), mineral acid (H₂SO₄), CAN, and AN at concentrations of 0.133, 0.081, 0.0145, and 1.056 mol/L, respectively. Furthermore, the nitrile functional groups of the grafted copolymers were converted to amidoxime ligands with hydroxylamine under basic conditions of pH 11 with 4 h of stirring at 70°C. The purified acrylic polymer‐grafted cellulose and polyamidoxime ligand were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis. The ligand showed an excellent copper binding capacity (4.14 mmol/g) with a faster rate of adsorption (average exchange rate = 7 min), and it showed a good adsorption capacity for other metal ions as well. The metal‐ion adsorption capacities of the ligand were pH‐dependent in the following order: Cu²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Mn²⁺ > Cr³⁺ > Fe³⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Ni²⁺. The metal‐ion removal efficiency was very high; up to 99% was removed from the aqueous media at a low concentration. These new polymeric chelating ligands could be used to remove aforementioned toxic metal ions from industrial wastewater. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40833.     

Characterization and mechanical properties of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets reinforced polyethylene terephthalate/polypropylene composites

Recently, graphene and its derivatives have been used to develop polymer composites with improved or multifunctional properties. Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) reinforced composite materials based on blend of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP) compatibilized with styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene‐g‐maleic anhydride is prepared by melt extrusion followed by injection molding. Characterization of the composites' microstructure and morphology was conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Tensile and impact strengths of test specimens were evaluated and the results showed maximum values at 3phr GNP in both the cases. Morphological studies showed that the GNPs were uniformly dispersed within the matrix. Results from XRD analysis showed uniformly dispersed GNPs, which may not have been substantially exfoliated. FTIR spectroscopy did not show any significant change in the peak positions to suggest definitive chemical interaction between GNP and the matrix. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40582.     

Preparation of rare earth-doped ZnO hierarchical micro/nanospheres and their enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Rare earth-doped ZnO hierarchical micro/nanospheres were prepared by a facile chemical precipitation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results showed that the as-synthesized products were well-crystalline and accumulated by large amount of interleaving nanosheets. It was also observed that the rare earth doping increased the visible light absorption ability of the catalysts and red shift for rare earth-doped ZnO products appeared when compared to pure ZnO. The photocatalytic studies revealed that all the rare earth-doped ZnO products exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation of phenol compared with the pure ZnO and commercial TiO₂ under visible light irradiation. Nd-doped ZnO had the highest photocatalytic activity among all of the rare earth-doped ZnO products studied. The optimal Nd content was 2.0 at% under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of rare earth-doped ZnO products can be attributed to the increase in the rate of separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and hydroxyl radicals generation ability as evidenced by photoluminescence spectra.