Flexible poly(styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene) hybrid nanofibers for bioengineering and water filtration applications

Among the thermoplastic elastomers that play important roles in the polymer industry due to their superior properties, styrene-based species and polyurethane block copolymers are of great interest. Poly(styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene) (SEBS) as a triblock copolymer seems to have the potential to meet many demands in different applications due to various industrial requirements where durability, biocompatibility, breaking elongation, and interfacial adhesion are important. In this study, the SEBS triblock copolymer was functionalized with natural (Satureja hortensis, SH) and synthetic (nanopowder, TiO₂) agents to obtain composite nanofibers by electrospinning and electrospraying methods for use in biomedical and water filtration applications. The results were compared with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite nanofibers, which are commonly used in these fields. Here, functionalized SEBS nanofibers exhibited antibacterial effect while at the same time improving cell viability. In addition, because of successful water filtration by using the SEBS composite nanofibers, the material may have a good potential to be used comparably to TPU for the application.     

Photoelectrocatalytic humic acid degradation kinetics and effect of pH,applied potential and inorganic ions

This study addresses the removal of humic acid (HA) dissolved in an aqueous medium by a photoelectrocatalytic process. UV₂₅₄ removal and the degradation of color (Vis₄₀₀) followed pseudo‐first order kinetics. Rate constants were 1.1 × 10^?1 min^?1, 8.3 × 10^?2 min^?1 and 2.49 × 10^?2 min^?1 (R² > 0.97) for UV₂₅₄ degradation and 1.7 × 10^?1 min^?1, 6.5 × 10^?2 min^?1 and 2.0 × 10^?2 min^?1 for color removal from 5 mg dm^?3, 10 mg dm^?3 and 25 mg dm^?3 HA respectively. Following a 2 h irradiation time, 96% of the color, 98% of the humic acid and 85% of the total organic carbon (TOC) was removed from an initial 25 mg dm^?3 HA solution in the photoanode cell. Photocatalytic removal on the same photoanode was also studied in order to compare the two methods of degradation. Results showed that the photoelectrocatalytic method was much more effective than the photocatalytic method especially at high pH values and with respect to UV₂₅₄ removal. The effect of other important reaction variables, eg pH, external potential and electrolyte concentration, on the photoelectrocatalytic HA degradation was also studied. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Latexes with intrinsic crosslink activity

In order to develop and study ‘two pack in one pot’ systems, i.e. binder systems consisting of a blend of complementary reactive latexes, epoxy- and amino-functional latexes were prepared and characterised, with atte lion especially directed to control of the number of functional groups and control of the molecular weight. The investigation is focused on the control of the molecular weight of epoxy-functional latexes and on the incorporation of amino groups in latexes by using amino-functional methacrylic monomers. To determine the reactivity of the epoxy and amino groups and to check which factors influence the crosslink reaction a number of blends were prepared from both solution and emulsion copolymers and dried at ambient temperatures. It was found that the major factors, which affect the efficiency of crosslinking, are the T_g and the molecular weight of the copolymers and, in the case of a ‘two pack in one pot system’, the rate of the polymer-polymer reaction in relation to that of the polymer-polymer interdiffusion.     

Using heuristic algorithms for capacity leasing and task allocation issues in telecommunication networks under fuzzy quality of service constraints

Nowadays, every firm uses telecommunication networks in different amounts and ways in order to complete their daily operations. In this article, we investigate an optimisation problem that a firm faces when acquiring network capacity from a market in which there exist several network providers offering different pricing and quality of service (QoS) schemes. The QoS level guaranteed by network providers and the minimum quality level of service, which is needed for accomplishing the operations are denoted as fuzzy numbers in order to handle the non-deterministic nature of the telecommunication network environment. Interestingly, the mathematical formulation of the aforementioned problem leads to the special case of a well-known two-dimensional bin packing problem, which is famous for its computational complexity. We propose two different heuristic solution procedures that have the capability of solving the resulting nonlinear mixed integer programming model with fuzzy constraints. In conclusion, the efficiency of each algorithm is tested in several test instances to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology.     

Biodegradable Microparticles for Simultaneous Detection of Counterfeit and Deteriorated Edible Products

In an era of globalized trade relations where food and pharmaceutical products cross borders effortlessly, consumers face counterfeit and deteriorated products at elevated rates. This paper presents multifunctional, biodegradable hydrogel microparticles that can provide information on the authenticity and the potential deterioration of the tagged food or pharmaceutical formulations. These microparticles integrate spatially patterned authenticity code with two sensors—the first one detects possible presence of pathogenic microbes through monitoring pH while the second one identifies products stored above optimal temperatures via optical monitoring of the microparticle degradation. Particles are synthesized from a biocompatible polymer and a photoinitiator, dextran modified with 2‐hydroxyethylmethacrylate and riboflavin, respectively, using a continuous, high throughput method stop‐flow lithography. The proposed synthesis approach also enables crosslinking with visible light bringing about additional flexibility to flow lithography. Model liquid and solid food and pharmaceutical products are successfully labeled with microparticles and the functionality of the sensors in aqueous solutions is demonstrated.     

Wear behavior of as-deposited and oxidized ternary (Zr,Hf)N coatings

In the present study, the tribological performance of ternary (Zr,Hf)N coatings, whose Hf content was varied between 0 and 21 wt pct, has been systematically examined in the as-deposited and oxidized conditions. Coatings were applied on AISI D2 tool steel plates by arc physical vapor deposition (PVD). Oxidation was conducted at 400 °C for times up to 12 hours in air. Wear tests revealed pronounced improvement in the wear resistance with increasing Hf content in the as-deposited coatings. Oxidation for 12 hours yielded more than a fourfold increase in wear resistance. The beneficial effect of Hf on wear resistance decreased upon oxidation.     

Quantitative detection of gold nanoparticles on individual, unstained cancer cells by scanning electron microscopy

Gold nanoparticles are rapidly emerging for use in biomedical applications. Characterization of the interaction and delivery of nanoparticles to cells through microscopy is important. Scanning electron microscopes have the intrinsic resolution to visualize gold nanoparticles on cells. A novel sample preparation protocol was developed to enable imaging of cells and gold nanoparticles with a conventional below lens scanning electron microscopes. The negative influence of 'charging' on the quality of scanning electron microscopes' images could be limited by deposition of biological cells on a conductive (gold) surface. The novel protocol enabled high-resolution scanning electron microscopes' imaging of small clusters and individual gold nanoparticles on uncoated cell surfaces. Gold nanoparticles could be counted on cancer cells with automated routines.     

Sliding wear behaviour of ZrN and (Zr, 12 wt% Hf)N coatings

In the present study, the sliding wear resistances of ZrN and (Zr, 12 wt% Hf)N coatings deposited on a hardened AISI D2 tool steel by arc-physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique were examined by a ball-on-disc wear tester. Alloying of ZrN coating with 12 wt% Hf did not change the hardness significantly, but achieved an improvement on adhesion strength and dry sliding wear resistance against steel (AISI 52100-55HRC) and Al₂O₃ balls.