Plastic Extrusion Process Optimization by Inversion of Stacked Autoencoder Classification Machines

In the face of climate change and rising energy prices, lowering energy usage of industrial machines is gaining widespread attention. Αpropriate machine settings could lead to reduced production costs and lower environmental impact, while simultaneously maintaining products' quality. However, defining the complex, nonlinear dependencies between these settings and energy usage or quality in manufacturing is often a challenging task. In the presented work, a method for optimized machine settings recommendation is proposed using inverse classification via autoencoders. The algorithm can suggest operation parameters, based on predefined intervals of energy consumption and product properties. The performance is evaluated on data generated by a digital twin of an extrusion process.     

Selective hydroxyalkoxylation of epoxidized methyl oleate by an amphiphilic ionic liquid catalyst

Oleic acid is an attractive biobased platform chemical. Precursors for biobased materials can be accessed by epoxidation and subsequent hydroxyalkoxylation of oleic acid. The hydroxyalkoxylation step is conventionally performed with sulfuric acid or a metal catalyst. Due to their high polarity, many ionic liquid catalysts are ineffective for hydroxyalkoxylation of fatty acid derivatives with non-polar alcohols. In this work, we utilized an amphiphilic ionic liquid catalyst to perform hydroxyalkoxylations of epoxidized methyl oleate. An ionic liquid catalyst based on dimethyl lauryl amine was synthesized and evaluated for this reaction due to its long alkyl group. The amphiphilic nature of the ionic liquid allowed for better miscibility and reactivity compared to other ionic liquids. Several alcohols were used with high yields (≥80%) and selectivity (≥92%), including nonpolar alcohols with longer alkyl chains such as octanol and dodecanol. The high selectivity of these conditions could be advantageous for applications in lubricants, biofuels, or polyol preparation. This work demonstrates a greener alternative to conventional hydroxyalkoxylation catalysts.     

High Performing Solid-State Organic Electrochemical Transistors Enabled by Glycolated Polythiophene and Ion-Gel Electrolyte with a Wide Operation Temperature Range from −50 to 110 °C

The development of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) capable of maintaining their high amplification, fast transient speed, and operational stability in harsh environments will advance the growth of next-generation wearable and biological electronics. In this study, a high-performance solid-state OECT (SSOECT) is successfully demonstrated, showing a recorded high transconductance of 220 ± 59 S cm⁻¹, ultrafast device speed of ≈10 kHz with excellent operational stability over 10 000 switching cycles, and thermally stable under a wide temperature range from −50 to 110 °C. The developed SSOECTs are successfully used to detect low-amplitude physiological signals, showing a high signal-to-noise-ratio of 32.5 ± 2.1 dB. For the first time, the amplifying power of these SSOECTs is also retained and reliably shown to collect high-quality electrophysiological signals even under harsh temperatures (−50 and 110 °C). The demonstration of high-performing SSOECTs and its application in harsh environment are core steps toward their implementation in next-generation wearable electronics and bioelectronics.     

Engineered Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-Releasing Hydrogels Promote Fetal Membrane Healing In Vivo

Fetoscopic interventions to treat fetal anomalies are currently performed for a variety of conditions. Depending on the procedure, preterm rupture of the fetal membranes (FMs) happens in around 30% of the cases, potentially leading to preterm birth and fetal morbidity and mortality. Here, the capacity of modular transglutaminase crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) (TG-PEG) hydrogels that release platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB to promote FM healing is described. In vitro, such growth factor-loaded hydrogels are able to stimulate amniotic cell migration and proliferation. When applied in vivo, these TG-PEG hydrogels tightly seal the FM and uterus defects created by a fetoscope and remain stable for 10 days. The migration of healing-related cells into such hydrogels in the myometrium, endometrium, and FM areas is only possible in soft TG-PEG hydrogels. Importantly, bioengineered hydrogels releasing PDGF-BB promote recruitment of host cells from the myometrium and the endometrium, and to a lesser extent from FM areas. In such hydrogels, the potent proliferation and matrix production of the recruited cells at the site of treatment into the biomaterial initiates a robust early healing response. PDGF-BB-loaded TG-PEG hydrogels hold great promise for the treatment of fetoscopy-induced FM defects and for the prevention of preterm birth.