The growth of carbon nanotubes on large areas of silicon substrate using commercial iron oxide nanoparticles as a catalyst

A new approach to chemical vapour deposition (CVD) growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using commercial magnetite nanoparticles, avoiding its in situ synthesis, is reported. Commercial magnetite nanoparticles were used as catalyst material to growth multiwalled carbon nanotubes by chemical vapour deposition onto a silicon substrate of several square centimeters in area. It is shown that the application of an alternating electric field during the deposition of catalytical nanoparticles is an effective technique to avoid their agglomeration allowing nanotube growth. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the nanotubes grow perpendicularly to the substrate and formed an aligned nanotubes array. The array density can be controlled by modifying the deposited nanoparticle concentration.     

Interlaminar and intralaminar reinforcement of composite laminates with aligned carbon nanotubes

Three-dimensional reinforcement of woven advanced polymer–matrix composites using aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is explored experimentally and theoretically. Radially-aligned CNTs grown in situ on the surface of fibers in a woven cloth provide significant three-dimensional reinforcement, as measured by Mode I interlaminar fracture testing and tension-bearing experiments. Aligned CNTs bridge the ply interfaces giving enhancement in both initiation and steady-state toughness, improving the already tough system by 76% in steady state (more than 1.5 kJ/m² increase). CNT pull-out on the crack faces is the observed toughening mechanism, and an analytical model is correlated to the experimental fracture data. In the plane of the laminate, aligned CNTs enhance the tension-bearing response with increases of: 19% in bearing stiffness, 9% in critical strength, and 5% in ultimate strength accompanied by a clear change in failure mode from shear-out failure (matrix dominated) without CNTs to tensile fracture (fiber dominated) with CNTs.     

Novel bacterial cellulose–acrylic resin nanocomposites

The preparation and characterization of new nanocomposite films based on two acrylic emulsions, composed of random copolymers of butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate, and bacterial cellulose is reported. The new composite materials were obtained through a simple and green approach by casting water-based suspensions of the acrylic emulsions and bacterial cellulose nanofibrils. The excellent compatibility between these matrices and the natural reinforcing fibers, observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), was reflected in the enhanced thermal and mechanical properties of the ensuing composites. Thus, an increase of around 30 °C in the maximum degradation temperature was observed for a 10% content of bacterial cellulose. The new composites showed glass–rubber transition temperature profiles comparable to those of the pristine matrices, as shown by DMA, and increasing elastic moduli with increasing the bacterial cellulose content. The tensile tests revealed a substantial increase in Young’s modulus and tensile strength and a corresponding decrease in elongation at break with increasing bacterial cellulose load.     

Effects of biomaterials for Lab-on-a-chip production on cell growth and expression of differentiated functions of leukemic cell lines

The rapid increase of the applications for Lab-on-a-chip devices has attracted the interest of researchers and engineers on standard process of the electronics industry for low production costs and large scale development, necessary for disposable applications. The printed circuit board technology could be used for this purpose, in particular for the wide range of materials available. In this paper, assays on biocompatibility of materials used for Lab-on-a-chip fabrication has been carried out using two tumor cell lines growing in suspension, the human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cell line, able to undergo erythroid differentiation when cultured with chemical inducers, and the lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL), extensively used for screening of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). We have demonstrated that some materials strongly inhibit cell proliferation of both the two cell lines to an extent higher that 70–75%, but only after a prolonged exposure of 3–6 days (Copper, Gold over Nickel, Aramid fiber filled epoxy uncured, b-stage epoxy die attach film, Tesa 4985 adhesive tape, Pyralux uncured, Copper + 1-octodecanethiol). However, when experiments were performed with short incubation time (1 h), only Aramid fiber filled epoxy uncured was cytotoxic. Variation of the results concerning the other materials was appreciable when the experiments performed on two cell lines were compared together. Furthermore, the effects of the materials on erythroid differentiation and CTL-mediated LCL lysis confirmed, in most of the cases, the data obtained in cytotoxic and antiproliferative tests.     

Surface modification of cellulosic fibres for multi-purpose TiO2 based nanocomposites

Vegetable cellulose fibres have been surface modified using the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), octyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS) or phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS), followed by the layer-by-layer deposition of previously synthesized TiO₂ nanoparticles. Raman, FTIR and ²⁹Si Solid State NMR spectroscopies, and SEM were used to characterize the resulting nanocomposites. Water contact angle measurements were performed and the results indicate a quite distinct behaviour depending on the employed surface modification procedure. We anticipate that some of the cellulose-based composite materials have potential to be used in self-cleaning surfaces and reinforcing agents in polymer matrices, namely due to their hydrophobic surface and photostability when exposed to solar radiation.     

Single-wall carbon nanotubes/epoxy elastomers exhibiting high damping capacity in an extended temperature range

In nanocomposites containing single-wall or multi-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT and MWCNT) high damping can be achieved by taking advantage of the weak bonding and interfacial friction between individual nanotubes and the matrix. The increase in damping capacity has already been proved for stiff epoxies and in this study it is extended to epoxy elastomers. Variable amounts (0.5–3 wt%) of oxidized SWCNT were dispersed by ultrasonication in precursors of an epoxy elastomer based on the reaction of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and a polyoxypropylene with average molar mass of 2000, end-capped with primary amine groups. The quality of the initial dispersion was assessed by the constancy of the storage modulus with frequency in the low-frequency range. A rheological percolation threshold of 0.41 wt% SWCNT was found. Cured elastomers exhibited a large increase of the loss modulus with increasing amounts of SWCNT. For 3 wt% SWCNT, the increase in loss modulus was 1400% at room temperature. When temperature was increased up to 140 °C the loss modulus of the nanocomposite was practically constant while the one of the matrix dropped to a negligible value. The damping capacity at high temperatures opens important practical applications.     

Influence of the Material and the Surface Roughness of the Drying Support on the Self‐detachment of Maltodextrin Films

The influence of four different materials (glass, stainless steel, polytetrafluoroethylene – PTFE and polyamide) used as a paste drying support on the detachment conditions of dried maltodextrin films was investigated. The tests were accomplished in a drying chamber that allows the spreading of a uniform film of pastelike material over solid plates and the visual observation of the instant of the detachment from the surface. The chamber temperature and the water content of the dried film were compared with the corresponding glass transition temperature curve. The effect of the material roughness on the detachment of the dried maltodextrin film was evaluated comparing glass plates with two different surfaces (smooth and sand‐blasted glass). Results indicate that the higher the surface roughness, the drier should the film be, in order to promote self‐detachment at the same temperature conditions. The chemical and physical interactions between the support material and the dried film also influence the process. The PTFE support required less severe detachment conditions than solids with lower surface roughness.     

A model-driven multivariable controller for vapor compression refrigeration systems

A model-driven controller for vapor compression refrigeration systems is presented herein. Mathematical sub-models were developed for each of the system components: heat exchangers (condenser and evaporator), variable-speed compressor and variable-orifice electric expansion device. The overall system simulation model was used to design a MIMO controller based on the linear-quadratic Gaussian method using a state observer of the Kalman filter type. A purpose-built testing apparatus comprised of a variable-speed compressor and a pulse-width modulated expansion valve was used to collect data for the system identification and model validation exercises. It was found that the model reproduces the experimental trends of the working pressures in conditions far from the operation point (±30%) with a maximum deviation of ±5%. Additional experiments were also performed to verify the ability of the controller of tracking reference changes and rejecting thermal load disturbances as high as 15%.     

Comparative study between ANN models and conventional equations in the analysis of fatigue failure of GFRP

The purpose of this paper is to assess the applicability of two artificial neural networks (ANN) architecture, perceptron ANN, modular ANN, and Adam’s equation in the modeling of fatigue failure in polymer composites, more specifically in glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP). In the application of the model using ANN we show the feasibility of obtaining good results with a small number of S–N curves. The other model used involves applying empirical equations known as Adam’s equations. A comparative study on the application of the aforementioned models is developed based on statistical tools such as correlation coefficient and mean square error. For this analysis we used composite materials in the form of laminar structures with distinct stacking sequences, which are applied industrially in the construction of large reservoirs. Reinforcements consist of mats and bidirectional textile fabric made of E-glass fibers soaked in unsaturated orthophthalic polyester resin. These were tested for six different stress ratios: R = 1.43, 10, ?1.57, ?1, 0.1, and 0.7. The results showed that although ANN modeling is in the initial phase, it has great application potential.     

Sarcopenia: Etiology,Nutritional Approaches,and miRNAs

Sarcopenia, an age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and function, dramatically affects the quality of life. Although there is a consensus that sarcopenia is a multifactorial syndrome, the etiology and underlying mechanisms are not yet delineated. Moreover, research about nutritional interventions to prevent the development of sarcopenia is mainly focused on the amount and quality of protein intake. The impact of several nutrition strategies that consider timing of food intake, anti-inflammatory nutrients, metabolic control, and the role of mitochondrial function on the progression of sarcopenia is not fully understood. This narrative review summarizes the metabolic background of this phenomenon and proposes an integral nutritional approach (including dietary supplements such as creatine monohydrate) to target potential molecular pathways that may affect reduce or ameliorate the adverse effects of sarcopenia. Lastly, miRNAs, in particular those produced by skeletal muscle (MyomiR), might represent a valid tool to evaluate sarcopenia progression as a potential rapid and early biomarker for diagnosis and characterization.