Dissolution of coated microbubbles: The effect of nanoparticles and surfactant concentration

The ability of solid particles to stabilise emulsions is a well known phenomenon which has recently been demonstrated for the stabilisation of gas bubbles. In this paper, a new theoretical model is developed which describes how an adsorbed layer of solid nanoparticles modifies the interfacial tension and diffusivity of a gas bubble in a liquid and hence its stability. In agreement with experimental observations on microbubbles coated with 15 nm diameter spherical gold particles, the results of simulations with the model indicate that the particles substantially decrease the rate at which bubble dissolution occurs and enables them to maintain a stable radius once a critical particle concentration has been reached.     

Vacuum ultraviolet postionization of aromatic groups covalently bound to peptides

Experiments demonstrate that peptides with ionization potentials (IPs) above 7.87 eV can be single-photon-ionized in the gas phase with a molecular fluorine laser following prior chemical derivatization with one of several aromatic tags acting as chromophores. 4-(Dimethylamino)benzoic acid, 1-naphthylacetic acid, and 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid (denoted Benz, Naph and Anth, respectively) behave as chromophores, allowing single-photon ionization for vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser light by lowering the IP of the tagged peptide. Anth-tagged peptides that are laser-desorbed from a substrate and subsequently postionized produce mass spectra dominated by the intact radical cation, although protonated ions and fragmented species are also observed. Electronic structure calculations on Anth-tagged peptides indicate that in addition to lowering the ionization potential, the presence of the aromatic tag increases charge localization on and delocalization across the ring structure, which presumably stabilizes the radical cation. Measurements on several tagged peptides confirm this calculation and show that the stabilizing effect of the tag increases with the size of the conjugated system in the order Benz < Naph < Anth. The tagged hexapeptide Anth-GAPKSC exhibits the parent ion, whereas the Benz- and Naph-tagged peptides do not. These results are supported by the experimental comparison of Anth-tagged vs untagged tryptophan, further suggesting that VUV postionization of tagged high-IP species is a promising method for expanding the capabilities of mass spectrometric analyses of molecular species.     

Optimization Models for Scheduling of Jobs

This work is motivated by a particular scheduling problem that is faced by logistics centers that perform aircraft maintenance and modification. Here we concentrate on a single facility (hangar) which is equipped with several work stations (bays). Specifically, a number of jobs have already been scheduled for processing at the facility; the starting times, durations, and work station assignments for these jobs are assumed to be known. We are interested in how best to schedule a number of new jobs that the facility will be processing in the near future. We first develop a mixed integer quadratic programming model (MIQP) for this problem. Since the exact solution of this MIQP formulation is time consuming, we develop a heuristic procedure, based on existing bin packing techniques. This heuristic is further enhanced by application of certain local optimality conditions.     

Porosity and Strength of Silicon Carbide Foams Prepared Using Preceramic Polymers

Two types of polymeric precursors for silicon carbide (SiC) were dissolved in dichloromethane. Subsequently, between 10–80 wt% of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and titanium carbide (TiC) powder were added separately into the solutions to make SiC-Si₃N₄ and SiC-TiC suspensions. Cubes of polyurethane (PU) foams were soaked in precursor solution and suspensions and pyrolyzed in flowing nitrogen to produce SiC, SiC-Si₃N₄ and SiC-TiC composite foams. Some foams were heated further in nitrogen to 1600°C. Shrinkage observed after pyrolysis and further heating the foams was measured and can be reduced by varying the concentration of polymeric precursor, Si₃N₄ and TiC content. The foams produced have porosities in the range 85–96%. The average compressive strength of the foams is in the range of 1.1–1.6 MPa.     

Synthesis of silicon carbide foams from polymeric precursors and their blends

Several polysilanes with different overall functionalities have been synthesized and pyrolyzed to produce porous silicon carbide. The polysilanes and their ceramic products have been characterized using gel permeation chromatography, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, X-ray diffractometry and microscopy. Some products were foams while others were micro-porous ceramics. The effect of the final pyrolytic yield on the Type of ceramic produced, its pore structure and shape retention are discussed. Two polysilanes were blended in various ratios to control the pyrolysis process more precisely. This allowed the Type, shape and pore-structure of the silicon carbide produced to be controlled more efficiently. There exists a relationship between the composition and structure of the precursors and their final pyrolytic yield and this determines the Type, shape retainability and pore structure of the ceramics produced. In this work, precursors or their blends which gave a final pyrolytic yield of 50–60 wt % produced the best silicon carbide foams.     

Preparation of silicon carbide foams using polymeric precursor solutions

A simple method was developed to produce silicon carbide foams using polysilane polymeric precursors. Polyurethane foams were immersed in polysilane precursor solutions to prepare pre-foams. Subsequently, these were heated in nitrogen at different temperatures in the range of 900°C to 1300°C. The silicon carbide foams produced in this manner showed well-defined open-cell structures and the struts in the foams were free of voids. The shrinkage which accompanies pyrolysis of the pre-foams was reduced with increasing the concentration of the polymeric precursor solutions.     

Preparation of porous microsphere-scaffolds by electrohydrodynamic forming and thermally induced phase separation

The availability of forming technologies able to mass produce porous polymeric microspheres with diameters ranging from 150 to 300 μm is significant for some biomedical applications where tissue augmentation is required. Moreover, appropriate assembly of microspheres into scaffolds is an important challenge to enable direct usage of the as-formed structures in treatments. This work reports the production of poly (glycolic-co-lactic acid) and poly (ε-caprolactone) microspheres under ambient conditions using one-step electrohydrodynamic jetting (traditionally known as atomisation) and thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). To ensure robust production for practical uses, this work presents 12 comprehensive parametric mode mappings of the diameter distribution profiles of the microspheres obtained over a broad range of key processing parameters and correlating of this with the material parameters of 5 different polymer solutions of various concentrations. Poly (glycolic-co-lactic acid) (PLGA) in Dimethyl carbonate (DMC), a low toxicity solvent with moderate conductivity and low dielectric constant, generated microspheres within the targeted diameter range of 150–300 μm. The fabrication of the microspheres suitable for formation of the scaffold structure is achieved by changing the collection method from distilled water to liquid nitrogen and lyophilisation in a freeze dryer.     

Developments in Pressurized Gyration for the Mass Production of Polymeric Fibers

In this invited feature article, the invention of pressurized gyration in 2013 and its subsequent development into sister processes such as pressurized melt gyration, infusion gyration, and pressure‐coupled infusion gyration is elucidated. The fundamentals of these processes are discussed, elucidating how these novel methods can be used to facilitate mass production of polymeric fibers and other morphologies. The effects of the main system parameters: rotational speed and gas pressure, are discussed along with the influence of solution parameters such as viscosity and polymer chain entanglement. The effect of flow of material into the gyrator in infused gyration is also illustrated. Examples of many polymers that have been subjected to these processes are discussed and the applications of resulting products are illustrated under several different research themes such as, tissue engineering, drug delivery, diagnostics, hydrogels, filtration, and wound healing.     

Bioinspired bubble design for particle generation

In this study, we devise a method to generate homogeneous particles from a bubble suspension, with the capability to control loading and the structure of bubbles. Ideally, a process such as this would occur at the interface between daughter bubble formation (instant) and gaseous diffusion (gradual). Interestingly, the budding mechanism in micro-organisms is one that demonstrates features of the desired phenomena (although at a much slower rate), as viruses can eject and evolve structures from their membranes. With these natural concepts, a bubble''s surface can also be made to serve as a platform for particle generation, which transfers significant elements from the initial bubble coating to the newly generated structures. Here, we illustrate this by preparing coated bubbles (approx. 150 µm in diameter) using a hydrophobic polymer, which may be comparable to naturally occurring bubble coatings (e.g. organic matter forming part of bubble coatings in the sea), and dye (which can demonstrate entrapment of smaller quantities of a desired moiety) and then observe particle generation (approx. 500 nm). The process, which may be driven by a polymerosome-forming mechanism, also illustrates how additional uniform sub-micrometre-scale structures may form from a bubble''s surface, which may have also previously been attributed to gas diffusion. In addition, such methods of particle formation from a bubble structure, the incorporation of chemical or biological media via an in situ process and subsequent release technologies have several areas of interest across the broad scientific community.