Advances in layered double hydroxide (LDH)-based elastomer composites

This article reviews the advances in layered double hydroxide (LDH) materials and the synthesis of LDH-based elastomer composites. The potential of tuning the structure of LDH materials for desired properties and applications has attracted both academic and industrial interest in recent years. The modification of LDH materials and the use of such materials in the synthesis of composites with different elastomer matrices have been critically analyzed. Emphasis has been given to the use of Mg-Al LDHs and Zn-Al LDHs with different elastomers. The use of modified LDHs with elastomers substantially improves their mechanical, thermal and optical properties. Even “smart properties” of elastomers, such as reversible thermotropic optical characteristics, have been realized with the use of LDH-based multifunctional additives in rubber formulations. The flame retardance of some elastomer composites has also been enhanced with the use of modified LDHs. The possibility of replacing ZnO with LDH during rubber compounding has also been discussed, which would lead to drastic interventions in the well-established rubber processing technologies. LDH materials have also been reported to be biocompatible. Therefore, among the various possible applications of LDHs in different material development processes, their use in rubber technology offers the potential for environmentally friendly rubber products, even tires. Throughout this article, the structure, synthesis, properties and applications of elastomer/(LDH) composites are discussed, including suitable examples taken from the relevant literature.     

Safari: A self-organizing, hierarchical architecture for scalable ad hoc networking

As wireless devices become more pervasive, mobile ad hoc networks are gaining importance, motivating the development of highly scalable ad hoc networking techniques. In this paper, we give an overview of the Safari architecture for highly scalable ad hoc network routing, and we present the design and evaluation of a specific realization of the Safari architecture, which we call Masai. We focus in this work on the scalability of learning and maintaining the routing state necessary for a large ad hoc network. The Safari architecture provides scalable ad hoc network routing, the seamless integration of infrastructure networks when and where they are available, and the support of self-organizing, decentralized network applications. Safari’s architecture is based on (1) a self-organizing network hierarchy that recursively groups participating nodes into an adaptive, locality-based hierarchy of cells; (2) a routing protocol that uses a hybrid of proactive and reactive routing information in the cells and scales to much larger numbers of nodes than previous ad hoc network routing protocols; and (3) a distributed hash table grounded in the network hierarchy, which supports decentralized network services on top of Safari. We evaluate the Masai realization of the Safari architecture through analysis and simulations, under varying network sizes, fraction of mobile nodes, and offered traffic loads. Compared to both the DSR and the L+ routing protocols, our results show that the Masai realization of the Safari architecture is significantly more scalable, with much higher packet delivery ratio and lower overhead.     

Laminar Momentum and Heat Transfer in a Channel with a Built‐In Tapered Trapezoidal Bluff Body

Effects of wall confinements on the laminar flow and heat transfer around a heated tapered trapezoidal bluff body are investigated numerically in the confined domain (Reynolds number, Re = 1 to 40; blockage ratio = 0.125 to 0.5; and Prandtl number, Pr = 0.71). The onset of flow separation is found between Re = 4 and 5 for the blockage ratio of 0.125 and between Re = 5 and 6 for the blockage ratios of 0.25 and 0.5. If compared with a long circular obstacle on the basis of equal projected area, the total drag coefficient of the trapezoidal cylinder is found to be larger than the circular one, but an opposite trend is observed for the heat transfer. The augmentation in heat transfer for trapezoidal and circular cylinders is found to be approximately 46, 72, 74, and 65 percent for Re = 1, 5, 10, and 40, respectively for the blockage ratio of 0.25. The maximum enhancement in heat transfer for a tapered trapezoidal bluff body with respect to a square bluff body is found to be approximately 104 percent and 101 percent for blockage ratios of 0.25 and 0.5, respectively. Finally, simple correlations of wake length, drag, and average cylinder Nusselt number are established.     

Development and in-vivo evaluation of ondansetron gels for transdermal delivery

Nausea and vomiting are some of the major side effects caused by certain drug therapies, e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy and general anesthesia. Because of the nature of the symptoms, oral delivery is inappropriate, while intravenous administration may be unpractical. The aim of the present study was to develop a transdermal gel (2% Klucel®) for ondansetron, a first line 5-HT3-receptor-antagonist antiemetic. The effects of the penetration enhancer camphor and isopropyl-myristate (IPM) were first investigated in-vitro using modified Franz diffusion-cells and then tested in-vivo in a rabbit model by measuring skin and plasma concentrations. Since a disadvantage of transdermal delivery is a prolonged lag-time, the effect of skin treatment with a micro-needle roller was tested. The in-vitro permeation studies through excised porcine ear skin showed that the presence of 2.5% camphor or IPM increased steady state flux by 1.2- and 2.5-fold, respectively, compared to the control gel. Ondansetron was not detectable in either skin or plasma following in-vivo application of the base-gel, whereas the camphor gel and IPM gel delivered 20 and 81?µg/cm² of ondansetron, respectively. Microporation led to an increase in plasma C_max and AUC by 10.47?±?1.68-fold and 9.31?±?4.91-fold, respectively, for the camphor gel, and by 2.31?±?0.53-fold and 1.59?±?0.38-fold, respectively for the IPM gel. In conclusion, the 2.5% IPM gel demonstrated optimal in-vivo transdermal flux. Skin pretreatment with a micro-needle roller slightly improved the delivery of the IPM gel, whereas dramatically increased the transdermal delivery of the camphor gel.     

A comprehensive review on solar thermal desalination systems based on humidification-dehumidification approach

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Fresh water scarcity is turning into a serious and worrying challenge to the sustainable growth of human being. This issue highlights the...     

Stratum-Confined Solid-State Reaction (SC-SSR) toward Colloidal Silicon-Based Hollow Nanostructures for Bioapplications

Silicon nanostructures (SiNSs) can provide multifaceted bioapplications; but preserving their subhundred nm size during high-temperature silica-to-silicon conversion is the major bottleneck. The SC-SSR utilizes an interior metal-silicide stratum space at a predetermined radial distance inside silica nanosphere to guide the magnesiothermic reduction reaction (MTR)-mediated synthesis of hollow and porous SiNSs. In depth mechanistic study explores solid-to-hollow transformation encompassing predefined radial boundary through the participation of metal-silicide species directing the in-situ formed Si-phase accumulation within the narrow stratum. Evolving thin-porous Si-shell remains well protected by the in-situ segregated MgO emerging as a protective cast against the heat-induced deformation and interparticle sintering. Retrieved hydrophilic SiNSs (<100 nm) can be conveniently processed in different biomedia as colloidal solutions and endocytosized inside cells as photoluminescence (PL)-based bioimaging probes. Inside the cell, rattle-like SiNSs encapsulated with Pd nanocrystals can function as biorthogonal nanoreactors to catalyze intracellular synthesis of probe molecules through C-C cross coupling reaction.