Structure formation control of foam concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steshenko, Aleksei; Kudyakov, Aleksander; Konusheva, Viktoriya; Syrkin, Oleg

2017-01-01

The process of predetermined foam concrete structure formation is considered to be a crucial issue from the point of process control and it is currently understudied thus defining the need for additional research. One of the effective ways of structure formation control in naturally hardening foam concrete is reinforcement with dispersed fibers or introduction of plasticizers. The paper aims at studying the patterns of influence of microreinforcing and plasticizing additives on the structure and performance properties of foam concrete. Preparation of foam concrete mix has been conducted using one-step technology. The structure of modified foam concrete has been studied by means of electron microscopy. The cellular structure of foam concrete samples with the additives is homogeneous; the pores are uniformly distributed over the total volume. It has been revealed that introduction of the Neolas 5.2 plasticizer and microreinforcing fibers in the foam concrete mixture in the amount of 0.4 - 0.1 % by weight of cement leads to reduction of the average pore diameter in the range of 45.3 to 30.2 microns and the standard deviation of the pore average diameter from 23.6 to 9.2 in comparison with the sample without additive. Introduction of modifying additives has stimulated formation of a large number of closed pores. Thus porosity of conditionally closed pores has increased from 16.06 % to 34.48 %, which has lead to increase of frost resistance brand of foam concrete from F15 to F50 and to reduction of its water absorption by weight by 20 %.

Synchrotron microtomographic quantification of geometrical soil pore characteristics affected by compaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udawatta, Ranjith P.; Gantzer, Clark J.; Anderson, Stephen H.; Assouline, Shmuel

2016-05-01

Soil compaction degrades soil structure and affects water, heat, and gas exchange as well as root penetration and crop production. The objective of this study was to use X-ray computed microtomography (CMT) techniques to compare differences in geometrical soil pore parameters as influenced by compaction of two different aggregate size classes. Sieved (diameter < 2 mm and < 0.5 mm) and repacked (1.51 and 1.72 Mg m-3) Hamra soil cores of 5 by 5 mm (average porosities were 0.44 and 0.35) were imaged at 9.6 μm resolution at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source (synchrotron facility) using X-ray CMT. Images of 58.9 mm3 volume were analyzed using 3-Dimensional Medial Axis (3-DMA) software. Geometrical characteristics of the spatial distributions of pore structures (pore radii, volume, connectivity, path length, and tortuosity) were numerically investigated. Results show that the coordination number (CN) distribution and path length (PL) measured from the medial axis were reasonably fit by exponential relationships P(CN) = 10-CN/Co and P(PL) = 10-PL/PLo, respectively, where Co and PLo are the corresponding characteristic constants. Compaction reduced porosity, average pore size, number of pores, and characteristic constants. The average pore radii (63.7 and 61 µm; p < 0.04), largest pore volume (1.58 and 0.58 mm3; p = 0.06), number of pores (55 and 50; p = 0.09), and characteristic coordination number (3.74 and 3.94; p = 0.02) were significantly different between the low-density than the high-density treatment. Aggregate size also influenced measured geometrical pore parameters. This analytical technique provides a tool for assessing changes in soil pores that affect hydraulic properties and thereby provides information to assist in assessment of soil management systems.

Analysis of nanopore arrangement and structural features of anodic alumina layers formed by two-step anodizing in oxalic acid using the dedicated executable software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaraska, Leszek; Stępniowski, Wojciech J.; Sulka, Grzegorz D.; Ciepiela, Eryk; Jaskuła, Marian

2014-02-01

Anodic porous alumina layers were fabricated by a two-step self-organized anodization in 0.3 M oxalic acid under various anodizing potentials ranging from 30 to 60 V at two different temperatures (10 and 17 ∘C). The effect of anodizing conditions on structural features and pore arrangement of AAO was investigated in detail by using the dedicated executable publication combined with ImageJ software. With increasing anodizing potential, a linear increase of the average pore diameter, interpore distance, wall thickness and barrier layer thickness, as well as a decrease of the pore density, were observed. In addition, the higher pore diameter and porosity values were obtained for samples anodized at the elevated temperature, independently of the anodizing potential. A degree of pore order was investigated on the basis of Delaunay triangulations (defect maps) and calculation of pair distribution or angle distribution functions (PDF or ADF), respectively. All methods confirmed that in order to obtain nanoporous alumina with the best, hexagonal pore arrangement, the potential of 40 V should be applied during anodization. It was confirmed that the dedicated executable publication can be used to a fast and complex analysis of nanopore arrangement and structural features of nanoporous oxide layers.

Effect of Ionic Soil Stabilizers on Soil-Water Characteristic of Special Clay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, D.; Xiang, W.

2011-12-01

The engineering properties of special clay are conventionally improved through the use of chemical additive such as ionic soil stabilizer (ISS). Such special clays are often referred to as stabilized or treated clays. The soil-water characteristic curves (SWCC) of special clays from Henan province and Hubei province were measured both in natural and stabilized conditions using the pressure plate apparatus in the suction range of 0-500 kPa. The SWCC results are used to interpret the special clays behavior due to stabilizer treatment. In addition, relationships were developed between the basic clay and stabilized properties such as specific surface area and pore size distribution. The analysis showed that specific surface area decreases, cumulative pore volume and average pore size diameter decrease, dehydration rate slows and the thickness of water film thins after treatment with Ionic Soil Stabilizer. The research data and interpretation analysis presented here can be extended to understand the water film change behaviors influencing the mechanical and physical properties of stabilized special clay soils. KEY WORDS: ionic soil stabilizer, special clay, pore size diameter, specific surface area, soil water characteristic curve, water film

Side chain flexibility and the pore dimensions in the GABAA receptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossokhin, Alexey V.; Zhorov, Boris S.

2016-07-01

Permeation of ions through open channels and their accessibility to pore-targeting drugs depend on the pore cross-sectional dimensions, which are known only for static X-ray and cryo-EM structures. Here, we have built homology models of the closed, open and desensitized α1β2γ2 GABAA receptor (GABAAR). The models are based, respectively, on the X-ray structure of α3 glycine receptor (α3 GlyR), cryo-EM structure of α1 GlyR and X-ray structure of β3 GABAAR. We employed Monte Carlo energy minimizations to explore how the pore lumen may increase due to repulsions of flexible side chains from a variable-diameter electroneutral atom (an expanding sphere) pulled through the pore. The expanding sphere computations predicted that the pore diameter averaged along the permeation pathway is larger by approximately 3 Å than that computed for the models with fixed sidechains. Our models predict three major pore constrictions located at the levels of -2', 9' and 20' residues. Residues around the -2' and 9' rings are known to form the desensitization and activation gates of GABAAR. Our computations predict that the 20' ring may also serve as GABAAR gate whose physiological role is unclear. The side chain flexibility of residues -2', 9' and 20' and hence the dimensions of the constrictions depend on the GABAAR functional state.

Determination of relative phase permeabilities in stochastic model of pore channel distribution by diameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zemenkova, M. Y.; Shabarov, A.; Shatalov, A.; Puldas, L.

2018-05-01

The problem of the pore space description and the calculation of relative phase permeabilities (RPP) for two-phase filtration is considered. A technique for constructing a pore-network structure for constant and variable channel diameters is proposed. A description of the design model of RPP based on the capillary pressure curves is presented taking into account the variability of diameters along the length of pore channels. By the example of the calculation analysis for the core samples of the Urnenskoye and Verkhnechonskoye deposits, the possibilities of calculating RPP are shown when using the stochastic distribution of pores by diameters and medium-flow diameters.

High performance thermoelectric nanocomposite device

DOEpatents

Yang, Jihui [Lakeshore, CA; Snyder, Dexter D [Birmingham, MI

2011-10-25

A thermoelectric device includes a nanocomposite material with nanowires of at least one thermoelectric material having a predetermined figure of merit, the nanowires being formed in a porous substrate having a low thermal conductivity and having an average pore diameter ranging from about 4 nm to about 300 nm.

Pore-Fractal Structure in Porous Carbons Made from Corn and Wheat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapoor, Y. M.; Schmidt, P. W.; Rice, Randall D.; Shulse, Laural; Voss, D. J.; Venkatraman, A.; Fan, L. T.; Walawender, W. P.; Rieker, T. P.

1998-03-01

Small-angle X-ray scattering has been used in a study of the pore structure of some porous and activated carbons on length scales between about 5 and 10^4 ÅThe carbons were obtained by pyrolysis and activation of wheat and American corn (maize). The scattering data showed that in each carbon there are at least two of the following four types of pores: (1) pores with diameters of at least 10^4 Åpores with smooth or fractal surfaces and diameters of at least 5 x 10^3 Åpore-fractals with diameters of no more than about 10^3 Åand (4) pores with diameters no larger than 100 ÅThe relation between the pore structure and the procedure used to obtain the carbon and will be discussed.

Measurement and Analysis of Porosity in Al-10Si-1Mg Components Additively Manufactured by Selective Laser Melting

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rao, Suraj; Cunningham, Ross; Ozturk, Tugce

Aluminum alloys are candidate materials for weight critical applications because of their excellent strength and stiffness to weight ratio. However, defects such as voids decrease the strength and fatigue life of these alloys, which can limit the application of Selective Laser Melting. In this study, the average volume fraction, average size, and size distribution of pores in Al10-Si-1Mg samples built using Selective Laser Melting have been characterized. Synchrotron high energy X-rays were used to perform computed tomography on volumes of order one cubic millimeter with a resolution of approximately 1.5 μm. Substantial variations in the pore size distributions were foundmore » as a function of process conditions. Even under conditions that ensured that all locations were melted at least once, a significant number density was found of pores above 5 μm in diameter.« less

Small-Sized Mg–Al LDH Nanosheets Supported on Silica Aerogel with Large Pore Channels: Textural Properties and Basic Catalytic Performance after Activation

PubMed Central

Wang, Yusen; Wang, Xiaoxia; Feng, Xiaolan; Ye, Xiao; Fu, Jie

2018-01-01

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been widely used as an important subset of solid base catalysts. However, developing low-cost, small-sized LDH nanoparticles with enhanced surface catalytic sites remains a challenge. In this work, silica aerogel (SA)-supported, small-sized Mg–Al LDH nanosheets were successfully prepared by one-pot coprecipitation of Mg and Al ions in an alkaline suspension of crushed silica aerogel. The supported LDH nanosheets were uniformly dispersed in the SA substrate with the smallest average radial diameter of 19.2 nm and the thinnest average thickness of 3.2 nm, both dimensions being significantly less than those of the vast majority of LDH nanoparticles reported. The SA/LDH composites also showed large pore volume (up to 1.3 cm3·g) and pore diameter (>9 nm), and therefore allow efficient access of reactants to the edge catalytic sites of LDH nanosheets. In a base-catalyzed Henry reaction of benzaldehyde with nitromethane, the SA/LDH catalysts showed high reactant conversions and favorable stability in 6 successive cycles of reactions. The low cost of the SA carrier and LDH precursors, easy preparation method, and excellent catalytic properties make these SA/LDH composites a competitive example of solid-base catalysts. PMID:29462941

Small-Sized Mg-Al LDH Nanosheets Supported on Silica Aerogel with Large Pore Channels: Textural Properties and Basic Catalytic Performance after Activation.

PubMed

Wang, Lijun; Wang, Yusen; Wang, Xiaoxia; Feng, Xiaolan; Ye, Xiao; Fu, Jie

2018-02-16

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have been widely used as an important subset of solid base catalysts. However, developing low-cost, small-sized LDH nanoparticles with enhanced surface catalytic sites remains a challenge. In this work, silica aerogel (SA)-supported, small-sized Mg-Al LDH nanosheets were successfully prepared by one-pot coprecipitation of Mg and Al ions in an alkaline suspension of crushed silica aerogel. The supported LDH nanosheets were uniformly dispersed in the SA substrate with the smallest average radial diameter of 19.2 nm and the thinnest average thickness of 3.2 nm, both dimensions being significantly less than those of the vast majority of LDH nanoparticles reported. The SA/LDH composites also showed large pore volume (up to 1.3 cm3·g) and pore diameter (>9 nm), and therefore allow efficient access of reactants to the edge catalytic sites of LDH nanosheets. In a base-catalyzed Henry reaction of benzaldehyde with nitromethane, the SA/LDH catalysts showed high reactant conversions and favorable stability in 6 successive cycles of reactions. The low cost of the SA carrier and LDH precursors, easy preparation method, and excellent catalytic properties make these SA/LDH composites a competitive example of solid-base catalysts.

Nanostructured mesoporous silica: new perspectives for fighting antimicrobial resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voicu, Georgeta; Dogaru, Ionuţ; Meliţă, Daniela; Meştercă, Raluca; Spirescu, Vera; Stan, Eliza; Tote, Eliza; Mogoantă, Laurenţiu; Mogoşanu, George Dan; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Truşcă, Roxana; Vasile, Eugeniu; Iordache, Florin; Chifiriuc, Mariana-Carmen; Holban, Alina Maria

2015-05-01

This paper investigates the antimicrobial potential of nanostructured mesoporous silica (NMS) functionalized with essential oils (EOs) and antibiotics (ATBs). The NMS networks were obtained by the basic procedure from cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and tetraethyl orthosilicate in the form of granules with diameters ranging from 100 to 300 nm with an average pore diameter of 2.2 nm, as confirmed by the BET-TEM analyses. The Salvia officinalis (SO) and Coriandrum sativum (CS) EOs and the streptomycin and neomycin ATBs were loaded in the NMS pores. TG analysis was performed in order to estimate the amount of the entrapped volatile EOs. The results of the biological analyses revealed that NMS/SO and NMS/CS exhibited a very good antimicrobial activity to an extent comparable or even superior to the one triggered by ATB, and a good in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility. Due to their regular pores, high biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, and capacity to stabilize the volatile EOs, the obtained NMS can be used as an efficient drug delivery system for further biomedical applications.

Characterization of nanoporous shales with gas sorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joewondo, N.; Prasad, M.

2017-12-01

The understanding of the fluid flow in porous media requires the knowledge of the pore system involved. Fluid flow in fine grained shales falls under different regime than transport regime in conventional reservoir due to the different average pore sizes in the two materials; the average pore diameter of conventional sandstones is on the micrometer scale, while of shales can be as small as several nanometers. Mercury intrusion porosimetry is normally used to characterize the pores of conventional reservoir, however with increasingly small pores, the injection pressure required to imbibe the pores becomes infinitely large due to surface tension. Characterization of pores can be expressed by a pore size distribution (PSD) plot, which reflects distribution of pore volume or surface area with respect to pore size. For the case of nanoporous materials, the surface area, which serves as the interface between the rock matrix and fluid, becomes increasingly large and important. Physisorption of gas has been extensively studied as a method of nanoporous solid characterization (particularly for the application of catalysis, metal organic frameworks, etc). The PSD is obtained by matching the experimental result to the calculated theoretical result (using Density Functional Theory (DFT), a quantum mechanics based modelling method for molecular scale interactions). We present the challenges and experimental result of Nitrogen and CO2 gas sorption on shales with various mineralogy and the interpreted PSD obtained by DFT method. Our result shows significant surface area contributed by the nanopores of shales, hence the importance of surface area measurements for the characterization of shales.

Injectable and porous PLGA microspheres that form highly porous scaffolds at body temperature.

PubMed

Qutachi, Omar; Vetsch, Jolanda R; Gill, Daniel; Cox, Helen; Scurr, David J; Hofmann, Sandra; Müller, Ralph; Quirk, Robin A; Shakesheff, Kevin M; Rahman, Cheryl V

2014-12-01

Injectable scaffolds are of interest in the field of regenerative medicine because of their minimally invasive mode of delivery. For tissue repair applications, it is essential that such scaffolds have the mechanical properties, porosity and pore diameter to support the formation of new tissue. In the current study, porous poly(dl-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were fabricated with an average size of 84±24μm for use as injectable cell carriers. Treatment with ethanolic sodium hydroxide for 2min was observed to increase surface porosity without causing the microsphere structure to disintegrate. This surface treatment also enabled the microspheres to fuse together at 37°C to form scaffold structures. The average compressive strength of the scaffolds after 24h at 37°C was 0.9±0.1MPa, and the average Young's modulus was 9.4±1.2MPa. Scaffold porosity levels were 81.6% on average, with a mean pore diameter of 54±38μm. This study demonstrates a method for fabricating porous PLGA microspheres that form solid porous scaffolds at body temperature, creating an injectable system capable of supporting NIH-3T3 cell attachment and proliferation in vitro. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pore-scale study of multiphase reactive transport in fibrous electrodes of vanadium redox flow batteries

DOE PAGES

Chen, Li; He, YaLing; Tao, Wen -Quan; ...

2017-07-21

The electrode of a vanadium redox flow battery generally is a carbon fibre-based porous medium, in which important physicochemical processes occur. In this work, pore-scale simulations are performed to study complex multiphase flow and reactive transport in the electrode by using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Four hundred fibrous electrodes with different fibre diameters and porosities are reconstructed. Both the permeability and diffusivity of the reconstructed electrodes are predicted and compared with empirical relationships in the literature. Reactive surface area of the electrodes is also evaluated and it is found that existing empirical relationship overestimates the reactive surface under lowermore » porosities. Further, a pore-scale electrochemical reaction model is developed to study the effects of fibre diameter and porosity on electrolyte flow, V II/V III transport, and electrochemical reaction at the electrolyte-fibre surface. Finally, evolution of bubble cluster generated by the side reaction is studied by adopting a LB multiphase flow model. Effects of porosity, fibre diameter, gas saturation and solid surface wettability on average bubble diameter and reduction of reactive surface area due to coverage of bubbles on solid surface are investigated in detail. It is found that gas coverage ratio is always lower than that adopted in the continuum model in the literature. Furthermore, the current pore-scale studies successfully reveal the complex multiphase flow and reactive transport processes in the electrode, and the simulation results can be further upscaled to improve the accuracy of the current continuum-scale models.« less

Semi-Degradable Scaffold for Articular Cartilage Replacement

PubMed Central

Charlton, DC; Peterson, MGE; Spiller, K; Lowman, A; Torzilli, PA; Maher, SA

2009-01-01

The challenge of designing a construct for the repair of focal cartilage defects such that it mimics the mechanical properties of and can integrate with native cartilage has not been met by existing technologies. Herein we describe a novel construct consisting of a non-degradable poly-vinyl alcohol scaffold to provide long-term mechanical stability, interconnected pores to allow for the infiltration of chondrocytes and poly-lactic glycolic acid microspheres for the incorporation of growth factors to enhance cellular migration. The objective of this study was to characterize the morphological features and mechanical properties of our porous PVA-PLGA construct as a function of PLGA content. Varying the PLGA content was found to have a significant effect on the morphological features of the construct. As PLGA content increased from 10 – 75%, samples exhibited a six-fold increase in average percent porosity, an increase in average microsphere diameter from 8 – 34 µm, and an increase in average pore diameter from 29 – 111 µm. The effect of PLGA content on Aggregate Modulus and Permeability was less profound. Our findings suggest that that morphology of the construct can be tailored to optimize cellular infiltration and the dynamic mechanical response. PMID:18333818

Cellular Automaton Study of Hydrogen Porosity Evolution Coupled with Dendrite Growth During Solidification in the Molten Pool of Al-Cu Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Cheng; Wei, Yanhong; Yu, Fengyi; Liu, Xiangbo; She, Lvbo

2017-09-01

Welding porosity defects significantly reduce the mechanical properties of welded joints. In this paper, the hydrogen porosity evolution coupled with dendrite growth during solidification in the molten pool of Al-4.0 wt pct Cu alloy was modeled and simulated. Three phases, including a liquid phase, a solid phase, and a gas phase, were considered in this model. The growth of dendrites and hydrogen gas pores was reproduced using a cellular automaton (CA) approach. The diffusion of solute and hydrogen was calculated using the finite difference method (FDM). Columnar and equiaxed dendrite growth with porosity evolution were simulated. Competitive growth between different dendrites and porosities was observed. Dendrite morphology was influenced by porosity formation near dendrites. After solidification, when the porosities were surrounded by dendrites, they could not escape from the liquid, and they made pores that existed in the welded joints. With the increase in the cooling rate, the average diameter of porosities decreased, and the average number of porosities increased. The average diameter of porosities and the number of porosities in the simulation results had the same trend as the experimental results.

New Tubular Ceramic Membranes from Natural Moroccan Clay for Microfiltration Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ait Taleb, A.; El Baraka, N.; Saffaj, N.; Laknifli, A.; Mamouni, R.; Fatni, A.; El Hammadi, A.; El Qacimi, N.

2018-05-01

This paper is devoted the preparation of low cost microfiltration membranes using Moroccan clay powder. The preparation of membrane was composed with two steps: First a macroporous tubular support with a pore diameter 10 μm and porosity 43%. Secondly a microfiltration layer was performed by the slip casting method. A deflocculated slip was obtained by mixing mineral powder of ZrO2, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and water, after drying at room temperature for 24 h, the microfiltration layer was heated to 800°C for consolidation. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed homogeneous layers without cracks with an average pore diameter of 0.19 μm for the active layer. Water permeability obtained is about 841 L/h.m2.bar. The membranes have been tested to cleaning of colored wastewater.

X-ray CT analysis of pore structure in sand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukunoki, Toshifumi; Miyata, Yoshihisa; Mikami, Kazuaki; Shiota, Erika

2016-06-01

The development of microfocused X-ray computed tomography (CT) devices enables digital imaging analysis at the pore scale. The applications of these devices are diverse in soil mechanics, geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering, petroleum engineering, and agricultural engineering. In particular, the imaging of the pore space in porous media has contributed to numerical simulations for single-phase and multiphase flows or contaminant transport through the pore structure as three-dimensional image data. These obtained results are affected by the pore diameter; therefore, it is necessary to verify the image preprocessing for the image analysis and to validate the pore diameters obtained from the CT image data. Moreover, it is meaningful to produce the physical parameters in a representative element volume (REV) and significant to define the dimension of the REV. This paper describes the underlying method of image processing and analysis and discusses the physical properties of Toyoura sand for the verification of the image analysis based on the definition of the REV. On the basis of the obtained verification results, a pore-diameter analysis can be conducted and validated by a comparison with the experimental work and image analysis. The pore diameter is deduced from Young-Laplace's law and a water retention test for the drainage process. The results from previous study and perforated-pore diameter originally proposed in this study, called the voxel-percolation method (VPM), are compared in this paper. In addition, the limitations of the REV, the definition of the pore diameter, and the effectiveness of the VPM for an assessment of the pore diameter are discussed.

Lamina Cribrosa Microarchitecture in Monkey Early Experimental Glaucoma: Global Change

PubMed Central

Reynaud, Juan; Lockwood, Howard; Gardiner, Stuart K.; Williams, Galen; Yang, Hongli; Burgoyne, Claude F.

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize experimental glaucoma (EG) versus control eye differences in lamina cribrosa (LC), beam diameter (BD), pore diameter (PD), connective tissue volume fraction (CTVF), connective tissue volume (CTV), and LC volume (LV) in monkey early EG. Methods Optic nerve heads (ONHs) of 14 unilateral EG and 6 bilateral normal (BN) monkeys underwent three-dimensional reconstruction and LC beam segmentation. Each beam and pore voxel was assigned a diameter based on the largest sphere that contained it before transformation to a common cylinder with inner, middle, and outer layers. Full-thickness and layer averages for BD, PD, CTVF, CTV, and LV were calculated for each ONH. Beam diameter and PD distributions for each ONH were fit to a gamma distribution and summarized by scale and shape parameters. Experimental glaucoma and depth effects were assessed for each parameter by linear mixed-effects (LME) modeling. Animal-specific EG versus control eye differences that exceeded the maximum intereye difference among the six BN animals were considered significant. Results Overall EG eye mean PD was 12.8% larger (28.2 ± 5.6 vs. 25.0 ± 3.3 μm), CTV was 26.5% larger (100.06 ± 47.98 vs. 79.12 ± 28.35 × 106 μm3), and LV was 40% larger (229.29 ± 98.19 vs. 163.63 ± 39.87 × 106 μm3) than control eyes (P ≤ 0.05, LME). Experimental glaucoma effects were significantly different by layer for PD (P = 0.0097) and CTVF (P < 0.0001). Pore diameter expanded consistently across all PDs. Experimental glaucoma eye-specific parameter change was variable in magnitude and direction. Conclusions Pore diameter, CTV, and LV increase in monkey early EG; however, EG eye-specific change is variable and includes both increases and decreases in BD and CTVF. PMID:27362781

Extraction chromatographic separation of Am(III) and Eu(III) by TPEN-immobilized gel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takeshita, K.; Ogata, T.; Oaki, H.

2013-07-01

A TPEN derivative with 4 vinyl groups, N,N,N',N' -tetrakis-(4-propenyloxy-2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPPEN) was synthesized for the separation of trivalent minor actinides (Am(III)) and lanthanides (Eu(III)). A co-polymer gel with TPPEN and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) showed a high separation factor of Am(III) over Eu(III) (SF[Am/Eu]), which was evaluated to be 26 at pH=5. Thin film of NIPA-TPPEN gel (average thickness: 2-40 nm) was immobilized on the pore surface in porous silica particles (particle diameter : 50 μm, average pore diameter : 50 and 300 nm) and a chromatographic column (diameter: 6 mm, height: 11 mm) packed with the gel-coated particles was prepared. A smallmore » amount of weakly acidic solution (pH=4) containing Am(III) and Eu(III) was supplied in the column and the elution tests of Am(III) and Eu(III) were carried out. Eu(III) was recovered separately by a weakly acidic eluent (pH=4) at 313 K and Am(III) by a highly acidic eluent (pH=2) at 298 K. These results suggest that the contentious separation of minor actinides and lanthanides is attainable by a new extraction chromatographic process with two columns adjusted to 298 K and 313 K. (authors)« less

Catalyst containing oxygen transport membrane

DOEpatents

Christie, Gervase Maxwell; Wilson, Jamie Robyn; van Hassel, Bart Antonie

2012-12-04

A composite oxygen transport membrane having a dense layer, a porous support layer and an intermediate porous layer located between the dense layer and the porous support layer. Both the dense layer and the intermediate porous layer are formed from an ionic conductive material to conduct oxygen ions and an electrically conductive material to conduct electrons. The porous support layer has a high permeability, high porosity, and a high average pore diameter and the intermediate porous layer has a lower permeability and lower pore diameter than the porous support layer. Catalyst particles selected to promote oxidation of a combustible substance are located in the intermediate porous layer and in the porous support adjacent to the intermediate porous layer. The catalyst particles can be formed by wicking a solution of catalyst precursors through the porous support toward the intermediate porous layer.

Fractal Characteristics of the Pore Network in Diatomites Using Mercury Porosimetry and Image Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stańczak, Grażyna; Rembiś, Marek; Figarska-Warchoł, Beata; Toboła, Tomasz

The complex pore space considerably affects the unique properties of diatomite and its significant potential for many industrial applications. The pore network in the diatomite from the Lower Miocene strata of the Skole nappe (the Jawornik deposit, SE Poland) has been investigated using a fractal approach. The fractal dimension of the pore-space volume was calculated using the Menger sponge as a model of a porous body and the mercury porosimetry data in a pore-throat diameter range between 10,000 and 10 nm. Based on the digital analyses of the two-dimensional images from thin sections taken under a scanning electron microscope at the backscattered electron mode at different magnifications, the authors tried to quantify the pore spaces of the diatomites using the box counting method. The results derived from the analyses of the pore-throat diameter distribution using mercury porosimetry have revealed that the pore space of the diatomite has the bifractal structure in two separated ranges of the pore-throat diameters considerably smaller than the pore-throat sizes corresponding to threshold pressures. Assuming that the fractal dimensions identified for the ranges of the smaller pore-throat diameters characterize the overall pore-throat network in the Jawornik diatomite, we can set apart the distribution of the pore-throat volume (necks) and the pore volume from the distribution of the pore-space volume (pores and necks together).

Morphology, microstructure, and magnetic properties of ordered large-pore mesoporous cadmium ferrite thin film spin glasses.

PubMed

Reitz, Christian; Suchomski, Christian; Chakravadhanula, Venkata Sai Kiran; Djerdj, Igor; Jagličić, Zvonko; Brezesinski, Torsten

2013-04-01

Herein, we report the synthesis, microstructure, and magnetic properties of cadmium ferrite (CdFe2O4) thin films with both an ordered cubic network of 18 nm diameter pores and single-phase spinel grains averaging 13 nm in diameter. These mesoporous materials were produced through facile polymer templating of hydrated nitrate salt precursors. Both the morphology and the microstructure, including cation site occupancy and electronic bonding configuration, were analyzed in detail by electron microscopy, grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and N2-physisorption. The obtained data demonstrate that the network of pores is retained up to annealing temperatures as high as 650 °C--the onset of crystallization is at ϑ = (590 ± 10) °C. Furthermore, they show that the polymer-templated samples exhibit a "partially" inverted spinel structure with inversion parameter λ = 0.40 ± 0.02. This differs from microcrystalline CdFe2O4 which shows virtually no inversion. Magnetic susceptibility studies reveal ferrimagnetic spin coupling below 147 K and further point to the likelihood of glassy behavior at low temperature (T(f) ≈ 60 K). In addition, analysis of room temperature magnetization data indicates the presence of sub-10 nm diameter superparamagnetic clusters in an otherwise paramagnetic environment.

Injectable and porous PLGA microspheres that form highly porous scaffolds at body temperature

PubMed Central

Qutachi, Omar; Vetsch, Jolanda R.; Gill, Daniel; Cox, Helen; Scurr, David J.; Hofmann, Sandra; Müller, Ralph; Quirk, Robin A.; Shakesheff, Kevin M.; Rahman, Cheryl V.

2014-01-01

Injectable scaffolds are of interest in the field of regenerative medicine because of their minimally invasive mode of delivery. For tissue repair applications, it is essential that such scaffolds have the mechanical properties, porosity and pore diameter to support the formation of new tissue. In the current study, porous poly(dl-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were fabricated with an average size of 84 ± 24 μm for use as injectable cell carriers. Treatment with ethanolic sodium hydroxide for 2 min was observed to increase surface porosity without causing the microsphere structure to disintegrate. This surface treatment also enabled the microspheres to fuse together at 37 °C to form scaffold structures. The average compressive strength of the scaffolds after 24 h at 37 °C was 0.9 ± 0.1 MPa, and the average Young’s modulus was 9.4 ± 1.2 MPa. Scaffold porosity levels were 81.6% on average, with a mean pore diameter of 54 ± 38 μm. This study demonstrates a method for fabricating porous PLGA microspheres that form solid porous scaffolds at body temperature, creating an injectable system capable of supporting NIH-3T3 cell attachment and proliferation in vitro. PMID:25152354

Growth of nanostructures with controlled diameter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pfefferle, Lisa; Haller, Gary; Ciuparu, Dragos

2009-02-03

Transition metal-substituted MCM-41 framework structures with a high degree of structural order and a narrow pore diameter distribution were reproducibly synthesized by a hydrothermal method using a surfactant and an anti-foaming agent. The pore size and the mesoporous volume depend linearly on the surfactant chain length. The transition metals, such as cobalt, are incorporated substitutionally and highly dispersed in the silica framework. Single wall carbon nanotubes with a narrow diameter distribution that correlates with the pore diameter of the catalytic framework structure were prepared by a Boudouard reaction. Nanostructures with a specified diameter or cross-sectional area can therefore be predictablymore » prepared by selecting a suitable pore size of the framework structure.« less

Membranous glomerulopathy with spherules: an uncommon variant with obscure pathogenesis.

PubMed

Kowalewska, Jolanta; Smith, Kelly D; Hudkins, Kelly L; Chang, Anthony; Fogo, Agnes B; Houghton, Donald; Leslie, Deena; Aitchison, John; Nicosia, Roberto F; Alpers, Charles E

2006-06-01

Occasional case reports of membranous glomerulopathy described unique subepithelial accumulations of an unusual type of immune deposit composed of spherular structures. The identity of such structures as nuclear pores has been suggested, but not established. We identified a cohort of patients (n = 14, including 1 patient with disease recurrence in an allograft) who presented with nephrotic syndrome and had renal biopsy specimens with light and immunofluorescence microscopic findings characteristic of membranous glomerulopathy. These patients were distinguished by ultrastructural studies that showed glomerular capillary wall accumulations of subepithelial immune deposits composed of uniform spherular structures, while lacking the typical granular electron-dense deposits seen in membranous glomerulopathy. The molecular identity of these spherular structures as nuclear pores was tested by using immunofluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry with mouse monoclonal antinuclear pore antibodies (Covance, Princeton, NJ) and anti-Nuclear Pore-O-Linked Glycoprotein (Affinity BioReagents Inc, Golden, CO) antibodies. Measurement of spherular structures by using high-magnification electron microscopy showed an average diameter of 84.5 nm, which correlated well with accepted diameters of nuclear pores (80 to 120 nm). Immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoperoxidase staining with both antibodies showed characteristic beaded staining of nuclear membranes of multiple cell types within normal control kidney, but no staining of immune-type deposits within glomerular basement membranes. These cases form a rare, but distinctive, morphological subclass of membranous glomerulopathy. The antigenic specificity of immune deposits in these cases remains elusive.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Li; He, YaLing; Tao, Wen -Quan

The electrode of a vanadium redox flow battery generally is a carbon fibre-based porous medium, in which important physicochemical processes occur. In this work, pore-scale simulations are performed to study complex multiphase flow and reactive transport in the electrode by using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Four hundred fibrous electrodes with different fibre diameters and porosities are reconstructed. Both the permeability and diffusivity of the reconstructed electrodes are predicted and compared with empirical relationships in the literature. Reactive surface area of the electrodes is also evaluated and it is found that existing empirical relationship overestimates the reactive surface under lowermore » porosities. Further, a pore-scale electrochemical reaction model is developed to study the effects of fibre diameter and porosity on electrolyte flow, V II/V III transport, and electrochemical reaction at the electrolyte-fibre surface. Finally, evolution of bubble cluster generated by the side reaction is studied by adopting a LB multiphase flow model. Effects of porosity, fibre diameter, gas saturation and solid surface wettability on average bubble diameter and reduction of reactive surface area due to coverage of bubbles on solid surface are investigated in detail. It is found that gas coverage ratio is always lower than that adopted in the continuum model in the literature. Furthermore, the current pore-scale studies successfully reveal the complex multiphase flow and reactive transport processes in the electrode, and the simulation results can be further upscaled to improve the accuracy of the current continuum-scale models.« less

Do Shale Pore Throats Have a Threshold Diameter for Oil Storage?

PubMed Central

Zou, Caineng; Jin, Xu; Zhu, Rukai; Gong, Guangming; Sun, Liang; Dai, Jinxing; Meng, Depeng; Wang, Xiaoqi; Li, Jianming; Wu, Songtao; Liu, Xiaodan; Wu, Juntao; Jiang, Lei

2015-01-01

In this work, a nanoporous template with a controllable channel diameter was used to simulate the oil storage ability of shale pore throats. On the basis of the wetting behaviours at the nanoscale solid-liquid interfaces, the seepage of oil in nano-channels of different diameters was examined to accurately and systematically determine the effect of the pore diameter on the oil storage capacity. The results indicated that the lower threshold for oil storage was a pore throat of 20 nm, under certain conditions. This proposed pore size threshold provides novel, evidence-based criteria for estimating the geological reserves, recoverable reserves and economically recoverable reserves of shale oil. This new understanding of shale oil processes could revolutionize the related industries. PMID:26314637

Do Shale Pore Throats Have a Threshold Diameter for Oil Storage?

PubMed

Zou, Caineng; Jin, Xu; Zhu, Rukai; Gong, Guangming; Sun, Liang; Dai, Jinxing; Meng, Depeng; Wang, Xiaoqi; Li, Jianming; Wu, Songtao; Liu, Xiaodan; Wu, Juntao; Jiang, Lei

2015-08-28

In this work, a nanoporous template with a controllable channel diameter was used to simulate the oil storage ability of shale pore throats. On the basis of the wetting behaviours at the nanoscale solid-liquid interfaces, the seepage of oil in nano-channels of different diameters was examined to accurately and systematically determine the effect of the pore diameter on the oil storage capacity. The results indicated that the lower threshold for oil storage was a pore throat of 20 nm, under certain conditions. This proposed pore size threshold provides novel, evidence-based criteria for estimating the geological reserves, recoverable reserves and economically recoverable reserves of shale oil. This new understanding of shale oil processes could revolutionize the related industries.

Density profile of water confined in cylindrical pores in MCM-41 silica.

PubMed

Soper, Alan K

2012-02-15

Recently, water absorbed in the porous silica material MCM-41-S15 has been used to demonstrate an apparent fragile to strong dynamical crossover on cooling below ∼220 K, and also to claim that the density of confined water reaches a minimum at a temperature around 200 K. Both of these behaviours are purported to arise from the crossing of a Widom line above a conjectured liquid-liquid critical point in bulk water. Here it is shown that traditional estimates of the pore diameter in this porous silica material (of order 15 Å) are too small to allow the amount of water that is observed to be absorbed by these materials (around 0.5 g H(2)O/g substrate) to be absorbed only inside the pore. Either the additional water is absorbed on the surface of the silica particles and outside the pores, or else the pores are larger than the traditional estimates. In addition the low Q Bragg intensities from a sample of MCM-41-S15 porous silica under different dry and wet conditions and with different hydrogen isotopes are simulated using a simple model of the water and silica density profile across the pore. It is found the best agreement of these intensities with experimental data is shown by assuming the much larger pore diameter of 25 Å (radius 12.5 Å). Qualitative agreement is found between these simulated density profiles and those found in recent empirical potential structure refinement simulations of the same data, even though the latter data did not specifically include the Bragg peaks in the structure refinement. It is shown that the change in the (100) peak intensity on cooling from 300 to 210 K, which previously has been ascribed to a change in density of the confined water on cooling, can equally be ascribed to a change in density profile at constant average density. It is further pointed out that, independent of whether the pore diameter really is as large as 25 Å or whether a significant amount of water is absorbed outside the pore, the earlier reports of a dynamic crossover in supercooled confined water could in fact be a crystallization transition in the larger pore or surface water.

Silicon crystallization in nanodot arrays organized by block copolymer lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perego, Michele; Andreozzi, Andrea; Seguini, Gabriele; Schamm-Chardon, Sylvie; Castro, Celia; BenAssayag, Gerard

2014-12-01

Asymmetric polystyrene- b-polymethylmethacrylate (PS- b-PMMA) block copolymers are used to fabricate nanoporous PS templates with different pore diameter depending on the specific substrate neutralization protocol. The resulting polymeric templates are used as masks for the subsequent deposition of a thin ( h = 5 nm) amorphous Si layer by electron beam evaporation. After removal of the polymeric film and of the silicon excess, well-defined hexagonally packed amorphous Si nanodots are formed on the substrate. Their average diameter ( d < 20 nm), density (1.2 × 1011 cm-2), and lateral distribution closely mimic the original nanoporous template. Upon capping with SiO2 and high temperature annealing (1050 °C, N2), each amorphous Si nanodot rearranges in agglomerates of Si nanocrystals ( d < 4 nm). The average diameter and shape of these Si nanocrystals strongly depend on the size of the initial Si nanodot.

Dynamic three-dimensional pore-scale imaging of reaction in a carbonate at reservoir conditions.

PubMed

Menke, Hannah P; Bijeljic, Branko; Andrew, Matthew G; Blunt, Martin J

2015-04-07

Quantifying CO2 transport and average effective reaction rates in the subsurface is essential to assess the risks associated with underground carbon capture and storage. We use X-ray microtomography to investigate dynamic pore structure evolution in situ at temperatures and pressures representative of underground reservoirs and aquifers. A 4 mm diameter Ketton carbonate core is injected with CO2-saturated brine at 50 °C and 10 MPa while tomographic images are taken at 15 min intervals with a 3.8 μm spatial resolution over a period of 2(1/2) h. An approximate doubling of porosity with only a 3.6% increase in surface area to volume ratio is measured from the images. Pore-scale direct simulation and network modeling on the images quantify an order of magnitude increase in permeability and an appreciable alteration of the velocity field. We study the uniform reaction regime, with dissolution throughout the core. However, at the pore scale, we see variations in the degree of dissolution with an overall reaction rate which is approximately 14 times lower than estimated from batch measurements. This work implies that in heterogeneous rocks, pore-scale transport of reactants limits dissolution and can reduce the average effective reaction rate by an order of magnitude.

Electrode With Porous Three-Dimensional Support

DOEpatents

Bernard, Patrick; Dauchier, Jean-Michel; Simonneau, Olivier

1999-07-27

Electrode including a paste containing particles of electrochemically active material and a conductive support consisting of a three-dimensional porous material comprising strands delimiting contiguous pores communicating via passages, characterized in that the average width L in .mu.m of said passages is related to the average diameter .O slashed. in .mu.m of said particles by the following equation, in which W and Y are dimensionless coefficients: wherein W=0.16 Y=1.69 X=202.4 .mu.m and Z=80 .mu.m

Controle de la morphologie d'hydrogels poreux a partir de structures polymeres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esquirol, Anne-Laure

This master thesis presents a new fabrication method to prepare hydrogels with fully interconnected and tunable macropore networks prepared with co-continuous polymer blends. The main contributions are: (1) a hydrogel fabrication process providing a high control over the average pore size diameter, their volume fraction and their interconnectivity; (2) the microstructural characterization of porous hydrogels with new techniques such as X-ray microtomography and (3) the preparation of porous gels with industrial equipment such as extruders and injection molding presses. The development and improvement of methods and techniques to prepare porous polymers and porous gels have been intensive areas of research in materials science over the past 20 years because of their potential use in fields as diverse as high performance membranes and filtration devices, supports for catalysis and biochemical reactions, encapsulating devices for drug release, and scaffolds for cells seeding and proliferation. For this last application, in tissue engineering, some typical parameters related to porosity must be rigorously controlled: (1) the average pore size diameter; (2) the pore volume fraction; (3) the pore interconnectivity. Porous hydrogels are excellent candidates due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix (composition, mechanical properties and diffusion properties). A certain number of methods and techniques have been developed and studied to prepare gels comprising microstructured 3-D networks of (more or less) interconnected pores (also called sometimes microfluidic gels or (macro)porous gels). Poly(L-lactide) (PLA) porous materials were realized from immiscible and co-continuous binary blends of polystyrene/poly(L-lactide) (PS/PLA) at 50/50 %vol prepared by different methods : (1) internal mixer (cubic samples with 0.8 mm sides) and (2) extrusion followed by injection molding which allows the fabrication of bars with superior dimensions (0.95 cm x 1.25 cm x 6.3 cm). Quiescent annealing of the binary blends was performed at 190 °C to tune the characteristic dimensions of the co-continuous morphology: (1) 0, 10, 30, 60 and 90 min for cubic samples and (2) 0, 10, 20 and 30 min for bars. Afterwards, the PLA phase has been isolated by a specific solvent extraction of the PS phase to obtain porous PLA molds. Gravimetric analysis have demonstrated a co-continuity superior to 95% for cubic samples and superior to 85% for the bars. This morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for each annealing time (for the cubic samples). Image analysis performed on the SEM micrographs have demonstrated that the average pore diameter can range from 3 mum to over 400 mum and that the specific interfacial area ranges from 5800 cm-1 to 45 cm-1, for annealing times going from 0 min to 90 min). The porosity of the bars was observed by X-ray microtomography and shows that the average pore diameter ranges from 10 mum to 500 mum (annealing from 10 min to 30 min). Solutions of agar or alginate were subsequently injected into the PLA porous molds by using a manual injection system, followed by an in situ gelification. Visual inspections and optical microscope observations show a complete injection for molds with average pore sizes over 20 mum (cubic samples) and over 300 mum (for bars). These assumptions are also supported by the gels morphology characterization. The second polymer phase (PLA) was subsequently dissolved using a second selective solvent, leaving only the porous gel structures. X-ray microtomography analysis, which provide 2-D and 3-D images, have demonstrated that the morphologies of the porous gels are similar to the PLA molds microstructures. For example, porous gels prepared with cubic PLA molds annealed during 60 min, show an average pore size of about 285 mum (as compared to 200 mum for the PLA molds) and a specific interfacial area of 70 cm -1 (as compared to 100 cm-1 for the PLA molds). Similar results were obtained for the porous gels prepared with the porous PLA bars (qualitative observation). The effectiveness of two sterilization methods has been proven on nutrient agar (NA) and "Brain Heart Infusion" (BHI) with no bacterial colonies apparition. The first method is the freeze-drying followed by an oven treatment at 120 °C in a sterile environment. The porous gel morphology was characterized by X-ray microtomography before and after freeze-drying, and after rehydration, demonstrating the conservation of the macroscopic dimensions of the gels, of their morphologies and porosities. The second method is the successive baths in an ethanol solution. Finally mechanical compression tests have shown that porous gels, as can be expected, have a lower compressive resistance as compared to non-porous hydrogels. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

The pressure-dependence of the size of extruded vesicles.

PubMed

Patty, Philipus J; Frisken, Barbara J

2003-08-01

Variations in the size of vesicles formed by extrusion through small pores are discussed in terms of a simple model. Our model predicts that the radius should decrease as the square root of the applied pressure, consistent with data for vesicles extruded under various conditions. The model also predicts dependencies on the pore size used and on the lysis tension of the vesicles being extruded that are consistent with our data. The pore size was varied by using track-etched polycarbonate membranes with average pore diameters ranging from 50 to 200 nm. To vary the lysis tension, vesicles made from POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine), mixtures of POPC and cholesterol, and mixtures of POPC and C(16)-ceramide were studied. The lysis tension, as measured by an extrusion-based technique, of POPC:cholesterol vesicles is higher than that of pure POPC vesicles whereas POPC:ceramide vesicles have lower lysis tensions than POPC vesicles.

Fast Two-Dimensional Bubble Analysis of Biopolymer Filamentous Networks Pore Size from Confocal Microscopy Thin Data Stacks

PubMed Central

Molteni, Matteo; Magatti, Davide; Cardinali, Barbara; Rocco, Mattia; Ferri, Fabio

2013-01-01

The average pore size ξ0 of filamentous networks assembled from biological macromolecules is one of the most important physical parameters affecting their biological functions. Modern optical methods, such as confocal microscopy, can noninvasively image such networks, but extracting a quantitative estimate of ξ0 is a nontrivial task. We present here a fast and simple method based on a two-dimensional bubble approach, which works by analyzing one by one the (thresholded) images of a series of three-dimensional thin data stacks. No skeletonization or reconstruction of the full geometry of the entire network is required. The method was validated by using many isotropic in silico generated networks of different structures, morphologies, and concentrations. For each type of network, the method provides accurate estimates (a few percent) of the average and the standard deviation of the three-dimensional distribution of the pore sizes, defined as the diameters of the largest spheres that can be fit into the pore zones of the entire gel volume. When applied to the analysis of real confocal microscopy images taken on fibrin gels, the method provides an estimate of ξ0 consistent with results from elastic light scattering data. PMID:23473499

The difference of drainage channel dimensions at Kopelma Darussalam on the land with and without the use of Bio Pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulianur, Alfiansyah; Fauzi, Amir; Humaira, Zaitun

2018-05-01

The changes of land use and diminishing of open field that persistently occur are projected to cause rates acceleration of runoff, which decreases the opportunity for rainwater to infiltrate. It has an impact on the surface runoff into the channels, which eventually may lead to overflow and inundate the surrounding area. Some efforts are required to increase the infiltration of rainfall. Thus, bio pore could be one of the most effective methods to be implemented. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of bio pore towards the reduction of runoff discharge into the drainage channel and to determine whether that reduction could lead to effectively lessen the channels’ dimension. This study is commenced at Kopelma Darussalam in the southern part where there were several spots that submerged by inundation flood during the rainy season, namely Sektor Timur area. Rational modification formula is used to calculate the surface runoff discharge on the land without the use of bio pore. Meanwhile, runoff discharge on the land with the use of bio pores is calculated by the use of water balance formula. The number of bio pores that have planned in Sektor Timur area is 3350 bio pores with the diameter of each is ∅10 cm and 80 cm in depth. The result indicates that those bio pores can reduce the runoff discharge on average of 27% and its’ reduction lead to the decrease of drainage channel dimension for the average of 26.9%.

Fabrication of Microfibrous and Nano-/Microfibrous Scaffolds: Melt and Hybrid Electrospinning and Surface Modification of Poly(L-lactic acid) with Plasticizer

PubMed Central

Yoon, Young Il; Park, Ko Eun; Lee, Seung Jin; Park, Won Ho

2013-01-01

Biodegradable poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) fibrous scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning from a PLA melt containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a plasticizer to obtain thinner fibers. The effects of PEG on the melt electrospinning of PLA were examined in terms of the melt viscosity and fiber diameter. Among the parameters, the content of PEG had a more significant effect on the average fiber diameter and its distribution than those of the spinning temperature. Furthermore, nano-/microfibrous silk fibroin (SF)/PLA and PLA/PLA composite scaffolds were fabricated by hybrid electrospinning, which involved a combination of solution electrospinning and melt electrospinning. The SF/PLA (20/80) scaffolds consisted of a randomly oriented structure of PLA microfibers (average fiber diameter = 8.9 µm) and SF nanofibers (average fiber diameter = 820 nm). The PLA nano-/microfiber (20/80) scaffolds were found to have similar pore parameters to the PLA microfiber scaffolds. The PLA scaffolds were treated with plasma in the presence of either oxygen or ammonia gas to modify the surface of the fibers. This approach of controlling the surface properties and diameter of fibers could be useful in the design and tailoring of novel scaffolds for tissue engineering. PMID:24381937

Size Dependent Pore Formation in Germanium Nanowires Undergoing Reversible Delithiation Observed by In Situ TEM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Xiaotang; He, Yang; Mao, Scott X.

Germanium (Ge) nanowires coated with an amorphous silicon (Si) shell undergoing lithiation and delithiation were studied using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Delithiation creates pores in nanowires with diameters larger than ~25 nm, but not in smaller diameter nanowires. The formation of pores in Ge nanowires undergoing delithiation has been observed before in in situ TEM experiments, but there has been no indication that a critical diameter exists below which pores do not form. Pore formation occurs as a result of fast lithium diffusion compared to vacancy migration. We propose that a short diffusion path for vacancies to themore » nanowire surface plays a role in limiting pore formation even when lithium diffusion is fast.« less

Effect of sintering temperature on the electrolysis of TiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ze-quan; Ru, Li-yue; Bai, Cheng-guang; Zhang, Na; Wang, Hai-hua

2012-07-01

The effects of sintering temperature on the microstructure and the conductivity of TiO2 cathodes were studied by examining the phase composition, microstructure, and element contents of the sintered cathodes and the cathodic products using X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometry. The oxygen vacancy, conductivity, average pore diameter, and specific surface area of the sintered cathodes were detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, four-point probe, and ASPA 2010. The results showed that TiO2 phase transformations occurred, and oxygen vacancies formed with the increase of sintering temperature. The cathodic conductivity improved, but the average pore diameter and the effective response area of the TiO2 cathode were reduced when the sintering temperature increased. These phenomena could weaken the contact between reaction ions and electrons and also had the same effect on the cathodes and the molten salt. Moreover, they were disadvantageous to ion migration, so a lower sintering temperature was favorable for the microstructure of electrolysis. Consequently, the cathodic conductivity may be improved, but the microstructure became compact with the increase of sintering temperature. The cathodic products at different temperatures indicated that the cathodic conductivity was more important for electrolysis.

Morphological effects of porous poly-d,l-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite scaffolds produced by supercritical CO2 foaming on their mechanical performance.

PubMed

Rouholamin, Davood; van Grunsven, William; Reilly, Gwendolen C; Smith, Patrick J

2016-08-01

A novel supercritical CO2 foaming technique was used to fabricate scaffolds of controllable morphology and mechanical properties, with the potential to tailor the scaffolds to specific tissue engineering applications. Biodegradable scaffolds are widely used as temporary supportive structures for bone regeneration. The scaffolds must provide a sufficient mechanical support while allowing cell attachment and growth as well as metabolic activities. In this study, supercritical CO2 foaming was used to prepare fully interconnected porous scaffolds of poly-d,l-lactic acid and poly-d,l-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite. The morphological, mechanical and cell behaviours of the scaffolds were measured to examine the effect of hydroxyapatite on these properties. These scaffolds showed an average porosity in the range of 86%-95%, an average pore diameter of 229-347 µm and an average pore interconnection of 103-207 µm. The measured porosity, pore diameter, and interconnection size are suitable for cancellous bone regeneration. Compressive strength and modulus of up to 36.03 ± 5.90 and 37.97 ± 6.84 MPa were measured for the produced porous scaffolds of various compositions. The mechanical properties presented an improvement with the addition of hydroxyapatite to the structure. The relationship between morphological and mechanical properties was investigated. The matrices with different compositions were seeded with bone cells, and all the matrices showed a high cell viability and biocompatibility. The number of cells attached on the matrices slightly increased with the addition of hydroxyapatite indicating that hydroxyapatite improves the biocompatibility and proliferation of the scaffolds. The produced poly-d,l-lactic acid/hydroxyapatite scaffolds in this study showed a potential to be used as bone graft substitutes. © IMechE 2016.

Integrating SANS and fluid-invasion methods to characterize pore structure of typical American shale oil reservoirs.

PubMed

Zhao, Jianhua; Jin, Zhijun; Hu, Qinhong; Jin, Zhenkui; Barber, Troy J; Zhang, Yuxiang; Bleuel, Markus

2017-11-13

An integration of small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), low-pressure N 2 physisorption (LPNP), and mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) methods was employed to study the pore structure of four oil shale samples from leading Niobrara, Wolfcamp, Bakken, and Utica Formations in USA. Porosity values obtained from SANS are higher than those from two fluid-invasion methods, due to the ability of neutrons to probe pore spaces inaccessible to N 2 and mercury. However, SANS and LPNP methods exhibit a similar pore-size distribution, and both methods (in measuring total pore volume) show different results of porosity and pore-size distribution obtained from the MICP method (quantifying pore throats). Multi-scale (five pore-diameter intervals) inaccessible porosity to N 2 was determined using SANS and LPNP data. Overall, a large value of inaccessible porosity occurs at pore diameters <10 nm, which we attribute to low connectivity of organic matter-hosted and clay-associated pores in these shales. While each method probes a unique aspect of complex pore structure of shale, the discrepancy between pore structure results from different methods is explained with respect to their difference in measurable ranges of pore diameter, pore space, pore type, sample size and associated pore connectivity, as well as theoretical base and interpretation.

Porosity and test ultrastructure of costate and non-costate Bulimina species

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grunert, Patrick; Piller, Werner E.

2017-04-01

SEM-based investigations of porosity and test wall ultrastructure of Recent costate and non-costate Bulimina species reveal significant differences in pore diameter, pore density and ultrastructural architecture between these two groups. Costate tests of B. inflata and B. mexicana display low pore density, a large pore diameter, and test walls built by a single type of columnar ultrastructural elements. In contrast, non-costate tests of B. aculeata and B. marginata are characterized by significantly higher pore density, smaller pore diameter, and an additional type of ultrastructural elements formed by oblique, tabular crystallite units which encase the pore channels. We interpret the observed combination of traits in B. aculeata and B. marginata as a set of adaptations to poorly oxygenated, intermediate to deep infaunal microhabitats which they typically occupy today. The evolutionary trend towards increased pore density in this group seemingly involved a major modification of the biomineralisation process resulting in the lining of pore channels with a specific type of ultrastructural element to ensure stability of the densely perforated test.

Crystallisation via novel 3D nanotemplates as a tool for protein purification and bio-separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Umang V.; Jahn, Niklas H.; Huang, Shanshan; Yang, Zhongqiang; Williams, Daryl R.; Heng, Jerry Y. Y.

2017-07-01

This study reports an experimental validation of the surface preferential nucleation of proteins on the basis of a relationship between nucleant pore diameter and protein hydrodynamic diameter. The validated correlation was employed for the selection of nucleant pore diameter to crystallise a target protein from binary, equivolume protein mixture. We report proof-of-concept preliminary experimental evidence for the rational approach for crystallisation of a target protein from a binary protein mixture on the surface of 3D nanotemplates with controlled surface porosity and narrow pore-size distribution selected on the basis of a relationship between the nucleant pore diameter and protein hydrodynamic diameter. The outcome of this study opens up an exciting opportunity for exploring protein crystallisation as a potential route for protein purification and bio-separation in both technical and pharmaceutical applications.

Changes in pore structure of coal caused by coal-to-gas bioconversion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Rui; Liu, Shimin; Bahadur, Jitendra

Microbial enhanced coalbed methane (ME-CBM) recovery is critically examined as a viable technology for natural gas recovery from coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs. Since the majority of gas-in-place (GIP) is stored as an adsorbed phase in fine pores of coal matrix, the nano-pore structure directly influences gas storage and transport properties. Only limited studies have quantified the alteration of the nano-pore structure due to ME-CBM treatment. This study examines the evolution of the pore structure using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low-pressure N 2 and CO 2 adsorption (LPGA) and high-pressure methane adsorption methods. The results show thatmore » the surface fractal dimension decreases for the two bioconverted coals compared to the untreated coal. After bio-treatment, the mesopore surface area and pore volume decrease with the average pore diameter increases, while the micropore surface area increases with pore volume decreases. Both inaccessible meso-/micropore size distributions decrease after bioconversion, while the accessible micropore size distribution increases, making a portion of closed micropore network accessible. In addition, the methane adsorption capacities increase after bio-treatment, which is confirmed by the increase of micropore surface area. A conceptual physical model of methanogenesis is proposed based on the evolution of the pore structure.« less

Changes in pore structure of coal caused by coal-to-gas bioconversion

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Rui; Liu, Shimin; Bahadur, Jitendra; ...

2017-06-19

Microbial enhanced coalbed methane (ME-CBM) recovery is critically examined as a viable technology for natural gas recovery from coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs. Since the majority of gas-in-place (GIP) is stored as an adsorbed phase in fine pores of coal matrix, the nano-pore structure directly influences gas storage and transport properties. Only limited studies have quantified the alteration of the nano-pore structure due to ME-CBM treatment. This study examines the evolution of the pore structure using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low-pressure N 2 and CO 2 adsorption (LPGA) and high-pressure methane adsorption methods. The results show thatmore » the surface fractal dimension decreases for the two bioconverted coals compared to the untreated coal. After bio-treatment, the mesopore surface area and pore volume decrease with the average pore diameter increases, while the micropore surface area increases with pore volume decreases. Both inaccessible meso-/micropore size distributions decrease after bioconversion, while the accessible micropore size distribution increases, making a portion of closed micropore network accessible. In addition, the methane adsorption capacities increase after bio-treatment, which is confirmed by the increase of micropore surface area. A conceptual physical model of methanogenesis is proposed based on the evolution of the pore structure.« less

Characteristics of square pore and low noise microchannel plate stacks. [for x-ray astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siegmund, Oswald H. W.; Marsh, Daniel; Stock, Joseph; Gaines, Geoffrey

1992-01-01

An evaluation is conducted of several square-pore microchannel plates (MCPs) with either 25- or 85-micron diameter pores and 80:1 or 50:1 channel length/diameter ratio. Flat field measurements show that the 25-micron-pored MCPs, unlike those with 85-micron pores, exhibit periodic modulation; this may be due to the MCP stacking configurations. Attention is given to the relative quantum detection efficiency advantages of the two MCPs.

Hydrogen Crystallization in Low-Density Aerogels

DOE PAGES

Kucheyev, S. O.; Van Cleve, E.; Johnston, L. T.; ...

2015-03-17

Crystallization of liquids confined in disordered low-density nanoporous scaffolds is poorly understood. Here in this work, we use relaxation calorimetry to study the liquid–solid phase transition of H 2 in a series of silica and carbon (nanotube- and graphene-based) aerogels with porosities ≳94%. Results show that freezing temperatures of H 2 inside all the aerogels studied are depressed but do not follow predictions of the Gibbs–Thomson theory based on average pore diameters measured by conventional gas sorption techniques. Instead, we find that, for each material family investigated, the depression of average freezing temperatures scales linearly with the ratio of themore » internal surface area (measured by gas sorption) and the total pore volume derived from the density of aerogel monoliths. The slope of such linear dependences is, however, different for silica and carbon aerogels, which we attribute to microporosity of carbons and the presence of macropores in silica aerogels. In conclusion, our results have important implications for the analysis of pore size distributions of low-density nanoporous materials and for controlling crystallization of fuel layers in targets for thermonuclear fusion energy applications.« less

Hydrogen crystallization in low-density aerogels.

PubMed

Kucheyev, S O; Van Cleve, E; Johnston, L T; Gammon, S A; Worsley, M A

2015-04-07

Crystallization of liquids confined in disordered low-density nanoporous scaffolds is poorly understood. Here, we use relaxation calorimetry to study the liquid-solid phase transition of H2 in a series of silica and carbon (nanotube- and graphene-based) aerogels with porosities ≳94%. Results show that freezing temperatures of H2 inside all the aerogels studied are depressed but do not follow predictions of the Gibbs-Thomson theory based on average pore diameters measured by conventional gas sorption techniques. Instead, we find that, for each material family investigated, the depression of average freezing temperatures scales linearly with the ratio of the internal surface area (measured by gas sorption) and the total pore volume derived from the density of aerogel monoliths. The slope of such linear dependences is, however, different for silica and carbon aerogels, which we attribute to microporosity of carbons and the presence of macropores in silica aerogels. Our results have important implications for the analysis of pore size distributions of low-density nanoporous materials and for controlling crystallization of fuel layers in targets for thermonuclear fusion energy applications.

Impedance nanopore biosensor: influence of pore dimensions on biosensing performance.

PubMed

Kant, Krishna; Yu, Jingxian; Priest, Craig; Shapter, Joe G; Losic, Dusan

2014-03-07

Knowledge about electrochemical and electrical properties of nanopore structures and the influence of pore dimensions on these properties is important for the development of nanopore biosensing devices. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of nanopore dimensions (diameter and length) on biosensing performance using non-faradic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Nanoporous alumina membranes (NPAMs) prepared by self-ordered electrochemical anodization of aluminium were used as model nanopore sensing platforms. NPAMs with different pore diameters (25-65 nm) and lengths (4-18 μm) were prepared and the internal pore surface chemistry was modified by covalently attaching streptavidin and biotin. The performance of this antibody nanopore biosensing platform was evaluated using various concentrations of biotin as a model analyte. EIS measurements of pore resistivity and conductivity were carried out for pores with different diameters and lengths. The results showed that smaller pore dimensions of 25 nm and pore lengths up to 10 μm provide better biosensing performance.

A facile and efficient approach for pore-opening detection of anodic aluminum oxide membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Jiewu; Wu, Yucheng; Wang, Yan; Zheng, Hongmei; Xu, Guangqing; Zhang, Xinyi

2012-05-01

The well aligned porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane is fabricated by a two-step anodization method. The oxide barrier layer of AAO membrane must be removed to get through-hole membrane for synthesizing nanowires and nanotubes of metals, semiconductors and conducting polymers. Removal of the barrier layer of oxide and pore-extending is of significant importance for the preparation of AAO membrane with through-hole pore morphology and desired pore diameter. The conventional method for pore opening is that AAO membrane after removing of aluminum substrate is immersed in chemical etching solution, which is completely empirical and results in catastrophic damage for AAO membrane frequently. A very simple and efficient approach based on capillary action for detecting pore opening of AAO membrane is introduced in this paper, this method can achieve the detection for pore opening visually and control the pore diameter precisely to get desired morphology and the pore diameter of AAO membrane. Two kinds of AAO membranes with different pore shape were obtained by different pore opening methods. In addition, one-dimensional gradient gold nanowires are also fabricated by electrodeposition based on AAO membranes.

Bilayered nanofibrous 3D hierarchy as skin rudiment by emulsion electrospinning for burn wound management.

PubMed

Pal, Pallabi; Dadhich, Prabhash; Srivas, Pavan Kumar; Das, Bodhisatwa; Maulik, Dhrubajyoti; Dhara, Santanu

2017-08-22

Mimicking skin extracellular matrix hierarchy, the present work aims to develop a bilayer skin graft comprising a porous cotton-wool-like 3D layer with membranous structure of PCL-chitosan nanofibers. Emulsion electrospinning with differential stirring periods of PCL-chitosan emulsion results in development of a bilayer 3D structure with varied morphology. The electrospun membrane has fiber diameter ∼274 nm and pore size ∼1.16 μm while fluffy 3D layer has fiber diameter ∼1.62 μm and pore size ∼62 μm. The 3D layer was further coated with collagen I isolated from Cirrhinus cirrhosus fish scales to improve biofunctionality. Surface coating with collagen I resulted in bundling the fibers together, thereby increasing their average diameter to 2.80 μm and decreasing pore size to ∼45 μm. The architecture and composition of the scaffold promotes efficient cellular activity where interconnected porosity with ECM resembling collagen I coating assists cellular adhesion, infiltration, and proliferation from initial days of fibroblast seeding, while keratinocytes migrate on the surface only without infiltrating in the membranous nanofiber layer. Anatomy of the scaffold arising due to variation in pore size distribution at different layers thereby facilitates compartmentalization and prevents initial cellular transmigration. The scaffold also assists in extracellular matrix protein synthesis and keratinocyte stratification in vitro. Further, the scaffold effectively integrates and attaches with third-degree burn wound margins created in rat models and accelerates healing in comparison to standard Tegaderm dressing™. The bilayer scaffold is thus a promising, readily available, cost-effective, off-the-shelf matrix as a skin substitute.

[Micropore filters for measuring red blood cell deformability and their pore diameters].

PubMed

Niu, X; Yan, Z

2001-09-01

Micropore filters are the most important components in micropore filtration testes for assessing red blood cell (RBC) deformability. With regard to their appearance and filtration behaviors, comparisons are made for different kinds of filters currently in use. Nickel filters with regular geometric characteristics are found to be more sensitive to the effects of physical, chemical, especially pathological factors on the RBC deformability. We have critically reviewed the following viewpoint that filters with 3 microns pore diameter are more sensitive to cell volume than to internal viscosity while filters with 5 microns pore diameter are just the opposite. After analyzing the experiment results with 3 microns and 5 microns filters, we point out that filters with smaller pore diameters are more suitable for assessing the RBC deformability.

Investigation of GDL compression effects on the performance of a PEM fuel cell cathode by lattice Boltzmann method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molaeimanesh, G. R.; Nazemian, M.

2017-08-01

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with a great potential for application in vehicle propulsion systems will have a promising future. However, to overcome the exiting challenges against their wider commercialization further fundamental research is inevitable. The effects of gas diffusion layer (GDL) compression on the performance of a PEM fuel cell is not well-recognized; especially, via pore-scale simulation technique capturing the fibrous microstructure of the GDL. In the current investigation, a stochastic microstructure reconstruction method is proposed which can capture GDL microstructure changes by compression. Afterwards, lattice Boltzmann pore-scale simulation technique is adopted to simulate the reactive gas flow through 10 different cathode electrodes with dissimilar carbon paper GDLs produced from five different compression levels and two different carbon fiber diameters. The distributions of oxygen mole fraction, water vapor mole fraction and current density for the simulated cases are presented and analyzed. The results of simulations demonstrate that when the fiber diameter is 9 μm adding compression leads to lower average current density while when the fiber diameter is 7 μm the compression effect is not monotonic.

Fabrication of Meso-Porous Sintered Metal Thin Films by Selective Etching of Silica Based Sacrificial Template

PubMed Central

Dumée, Ludovic F.; She, Fenghua; Duke, Mikel; Gray, Stephen; Hodgson, Peter; Kong, Lingxue

2014-01-01

Meso-porous metal materials have enhanced surface energies offering unique surface properties with potential applications in chemical catalysis, molecular sensing and selective separation. In this paper, commercial 20 nm diameter metal nano-particles, including silver and copper were blended with 7 nm silica nano-particles by shear mixing. The resulted powders were cold-sintered to form dense, hybrid thin films. The sacrificial silica template was then removed by selective etching in 12 wt% hydrofluoric acid solutions for 15 min to reveal a purely metallic meso-porous thin film material. The impact of the initial silica nano-particle diameter (7–20 nm) as well as the sintering pressure (5–20 ton·m−2) and etching conditions on the morphology and properties of the final nano-porous thin films were investigated by porometry, pyknometery, gas and liquid permeation and electron microscopy. Furthermore, the morphology of the pores and particle aggregation during shear mixing were assessed through cross-sectioning by focus ion beam milling. It is demonstrated that meso-pores ranging between 50 and 320 nm in average diameter and porosities up to 47% can be successfully formed for the range of materials tested. PMID:28344241

The Pressure-Dependence of the Size of Extruded Vesicles

PubMed Central

Patty, Philipus J.; Frisken, Barbara J.

2003-01-01

Variations in the size of vesicles formed by extrusion through small pores are discussed in terms of a simple model. Our model predicts that the radius should decrease as the square root of the applied pressure, consistent with data for vesicles extruded under various conditions. The model also predicts dependencies on the pore size used and on the lysis tension of the vesicles being extruded that are consistent with our data. The pore size was varied by using track-etched polycarbonate membranes with average pore diameters ranging from 50 to 200 nm. To vary the lysis tension, vesicles made from POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine), mixtures of POPC and cholesterol, and mixtures of POPC and C16-ceramide were studied. The lysis tension, as measured by an extrusion-based technique, of POPC:cholesterol vesicles is higher than that of pure POPC vesicles whereas POPC:ceramide vesicles have lower lysis tensions than POPC vesicles. PMID:12885646

Molecular simulation of fluid adsorption in buckytubes and MCM-41

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maddox, M. W.; Gubbins, K. E.

1994-11-01

We report grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) molecular-simulation studies of argon and nitrogen in models of two novel adsorbents, buckytubes and MCM-41. Buckytubes are monodisperse carbon tubes with internal diameters of 1 5 nm and a regular pore structure. MCM-41 is one member of a new family of highly uniform mesoporous aluminosilicates produced by Mobil. The pore size of MCM-41 can be accurately controlled within the range 1.5-I.0 nm. The adsorption of argon in a buckytube and the adsorption of nitrogen in two different MCM-41 pores are studied at 77 K. Both fluids are modeled as Lennard-Jones spheres. and an averaged fluid-wall potential, dependent only on the distance of the adsorbed molecule from the center of the tube or pore is used. Isotherms and isosteric heats are calculated. Layering transitions and a hysteresis loop are observed for the buckytube and good agreement is found between simulated and experimental isotherms for the MCM-41 systems.

Manufacturing of biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds based on polycaprolactone using a phase separation method: physical properties and in vitro assay

PubMed Central

Asefnejad, Azadeh; Khorasani, Mohammad Taghi; Behnamghader, Aliasghar; Farsadzadeh, Babak; Bonakdar, Shahin

2011-01-01

Background Biodegradable polyurethanes have found widespread use in soft tissue engineering due to their suitable mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Methods In this study, polyurethane samples were synthesized from polycaprolactone, hexamethylene diisocyanate, and a copolymer of 1,4-butanediol as a chain extender. Polyurethane scaffolds were fabricated by a combination of liquid–liquid phase separation and salt leaching techniques. The effect of the NCO:OH ratio on porosity content and pore morphology was investigated. Results Scanning electron micrographs demonstrated that the scaffolds had a regular distribution of interconnected pores, with pore diameters of 50–300 μm, and porosities of 64%–83%. It was observed that, by increasing the NCO:OH ratio, the average pore size, compressive strength, and compressive modulus increased. L929 fibroblast and chondrocytes were cultured on the scaffolds, and all samples exhibited suitable cell attachment and growth, with a high level of biocompatibility. Conclusion These biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds demonstrate potential for soft tissue engineering applications. PMID:22072874

Atomic layer deposition as pore diameter adjustment tool for nanoporous aluminum oxide injection molding masks.

PubMed

Miikkulainen, Ville; Rasilainen, Tiina; Puukilainen, Esa; Suvanto, Mika; Pakkanen, Tapani A

2008-05-06

The wetting properties of polypropylene (PP) surfaces were modified by adjusting the dimensions of the surface nanostructure. The nanostructures were generated by injection molding with nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) as the mold insert. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of molybdenum nitride film was used to control the pore diameters of the AAO inserts. The original 50-nm pore diameter of AAO was adjusted by depositing films of thickness 5, 10, and 15 nm on AAO. Bis(tert-butylimido)-bis(dimethylamido)molybdenum and ammonia were used as precursors in deposition. The resulting pore diameters in the nitride-coated AAO inserts were 40, 30, and 20 nm, respectively. Injection molding of PP was conducted with the coated inserts, as well as with the non-coated insert. Besides the pore diameter, the injection mold temperature was varied with temperatures of 50, 70, and 90 degrees C tested. Water contact angles of PP casts were measured and compared with theoretical contact angles calculated from Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter theories. The highest contact angle, 140 degrees , was observed for PP molded with the AAO mold insert with 30-nm pore diameter. The Cassie-Baxter theory showed better fit than the Wenzel theory to the experimental values. With the optimal AAO mask, the nanofeatures in the molded PP pieces were 100 nm high. In explanation of this finding, it is suggested that some sticking and stretching of the nanofeatures occurs during the molding. Increase in the mold temperature increased the contact angle.

Characteristics of nuclepore filters with large pore size—I. Physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, W.; Hering, S.; Reischl, G.; Sasaki, G.; Goren, S.

Measurements of pore diameter, pore density and filter thickness have been made on Nuclepore filters of 5, 8 and 12 μm pore size. The areal distribution of the pores is random, as verified by total hole counts and by counts of overlapping holes. Filter thicknesses decrease with increasing pore diameter. The Hagen-Poiseuille formula accounts for less than half of the measured pressure drop across 12 μm pore size filters. A new calculation, including a term for the pressure drop external to the filter, accounts quantitatively for the observations. There are sufficient variations among filter batches to require knowledge of the filter parameters for each batch to ensure accurate measurements using these filters.

Pore-Scale Determination of Gas Relative Permeability in Hydrate-Bearing Sediments Using X-Ray Computed Micro-Tomography and Lattice Boltzmann Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiongyu; Verma, Rahul; Espinoza, D. Nicolas; Prodanović, Maša.

2018-01-01

This work uses X-ray computed micro-tomography (μCT) to monitor xenon hydrate growth in a sandpack under the excess gas condition. The μCT images give pore-scale hydrate distribution and pore habit in space and time. We use the lattice Boltzmann method to calculate gas relative permeability (krg) as a function of hydrate saturation (Shyd) in the pore structure of the experimental hydrate-bearing sand retrieved from μCT data. The results suggest the krg - Shyd data fit well a new model krg = (1-Shyd)·exp(-4.95·Shyd) rather than the simple Corey model. In addition, we calculate krg-Shyd curves using digital models of hydrate-bearing sand based on idealized grain-attaching, coarse pore-filling, and dispersed pore-filling hydrate habits. Our pore-scale measurements and modeling show that the krg-Shyd curves are similar regardless of whether hydrate crystals develop grain-attaching or coarse pore-filling habits. The dispersed pore filling habit exhibits much lower gas relative permeability than the other two, but it is not observed in the experiment and not compatible with Ostwald ripening mechanisms. We find that a single grain-shape factor can be used in the Carman-Kozeny equation to calculate krg-Shyd data with known porosity and average grain diameter, suggesting it is a useful model for hydrate-bearing sand.

Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) Membranes for Cellular Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ventura, Anthony P.

Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membranes can be fabricated with a highly tunable pore structure making them a suitable candidate for cellular hybrid devices with single-molecule selectivity. The objective of this study was to characterize the cellular response of AAO membranes with varying pore sizes to serve as a proof-of-concept for an artificial material/cell synapse system. AAO membranes with pore diameters ranging from 34-117 nm were achieved via anodization at a temperature of -1°C in a 2.7% oxalic acid electrolyte. An operating window was established for this setup to create membranes with through-pore and disordered pore morphologies. C17.2 neural stem cells were seeded onto the membranes and differentiated via serum withdrawal. The data suggests a highly tunable correlation between AAO pore diameter and differentiated cell populations. Analysis of membranes before and after cell culture indicated no breakdown of the through-pore structure. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) showed that AAO membranes had increased neurite outgrowth when compared to tissue culture treated (TCT) glass, and neurite outgrowth varied with pore diameter. Additionally, lower neuronal percentages were found on AAO as compared to TCT glass; however, neuronal population was also found to vary with pore diameter. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ICC images suggested the presence of a tissue-like layer with a mixed-phenotype population. AAO membranes appear to be an excellent candidate for cellular devices, but more work must be completed to understand the surface chemistry of the AAO membranes as it relates to cellular response.

Dependence of CO2 Reactivity of Carbon Anodes on Pore Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tong; Xue, Jilai; Lang, Guanghui; Liu, Rui; Gao, Shoulei; Wang, Zengjie

2017-09-01

The correlation between the CO2 reactivity and pore structure of carbon anodes was experimentally investigated. The pore structures of the anodes before and after CO2 oxidation were characterized using image analysis. The porosity, mean pore diameter, and the number of micro-cracks decreased with increasing anode forming pressure, while they increased with over-compaction. With prolonged CO2 oxidation time, the porosity, pore density, mean pore diameter, pore aspect ratio, and the number of micro-cracks increased due to the merging of small pores, increased pore connectivity, and generation of new pores. The activation energy decreased with increasing porosity of the anodes' pitch phase due to easier CO2 penetration and reaction within the anodes. The results confirm that the fine pitch-coke phase of anodes is preferentially consumed, a cause of carbon dusting. Optimization of the pore structures to balance the pitch, coke, and butt phases may potentially further reduce carbon dusting.

Electrochemically-Driven Insertion of Biological Nanodiscs into Solid State Membrane Pores as a Basis for "Pore-In-Pore" Membranes.

PubMed

Farajollahi, Farid; Seidenstücker, Axel; Altintoprak, Klara; Walther, Paul; Ziemann, Paul; Plettl, Alfred; Marti, Othmar; Wege, Christina; Gliemann, Hartmut

2018-04-13

Nanoporous membranes are of increasing interest for many applications, such as molecular filters, biosensors, nanofluidic logic and energy conversion devices. To meet high-quality standards, e.g., in molecular separation processes, membranes with well-defined pores in terms of pore diameter and chemical properties are required. However, the preparation of membranes with narrow pore diameter distributions is still challenging. In the work presented here, we demonstrate a strategy, a "pore-in-pore" approach, where the conical pores of a solid state membrane produced by a multi-step top-down lithography procedure are used as a template to insert precisely-formed biomolecular nanodiscs with exactly defined inner and outer diameters. These nanodiscs, which are the building blocks of tobacco mosaic virus-deduced particles, consist of coat proteins, which self-assemble under defined experimental conditions with a stabilizing short RNA. We demonstrate that the insertion of the nanodiscs can be driven either by diffusion due to a concentration gradient or by applying an electric field along the cross-section of the solid state membrane. It is found that the electrophoresis-driven insertion is significantly more effective than the insertion via the concentration gradient.

Mesoporous zirconium titanium oxides. Part 1: Porosity modulation and adsorption properties of xerogels.

PubMed

Griffith, Christopher S; Sizgek, G Devlet; Sizgek, Erden; Scales, Nicholas; Yee, Patrick J; Luca, Vittorio

2008-11-04

A series of zirconium titanium oxide mesophases containing 33 atom % Zr have been prepared using carboxylic acids of different alkyl chain lengths (Cy ) from y=4-18 through organic-inorganic polymer phase segregation as the gel transition is approached. Thermal treatment of these transparent gels up to 450 degrees C eliminated the organic template, and domain coarsening occurred affording stable worm-hole mesoporous materials of homogeneous composition and pore diameters varying from about 3 to 4 nm in fine increments. With such materials, it was subsequently possible to precisely study the adsorption of vanadium oxo-anions and cations from aqueous solutions and, more particularly, probe the kinetics of intraparticle mass transport as a function of the associated pore dimension. The kinetics of mass transport through the pore systems was investigated using aqueous vanadyl (VO2+) and orthovanadate (VO3(OH)2-) probe species at concentrations ranging from 10 to 200 ppm (0.2 to 4 mmol/L) and pH values of 0 and 10.5, respectively. In the case of both of these vanadium species, the zirconium titanate mesophases displayed relatively slow kinetics, taking in excess of about 500 min to achieve maximum uptake. By using a pseudo-second-order rate law, it was possible to extract the instantaneous and overall rate of the adsorption processes and then relate these to the pore diameters. Both the instantaneous and overall rates of adsorption increased with increasing surface area and pore diameter over the studied pore size range. However, the equilibrium adsorption capacity increased linearly with pore diameter only for the higher concentrations and was independent of pore diameter for the lower concentration. These results have been interpreted using a model in which discrete adsorption occurs at low concentrations and is then followed by multilayer adsorption at higher concentration.

Porous titania surfaces on titanium with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities for enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization.

PubMed

Han, Guang; Müller, Werner E G; Wang, Xiaohong; Lilja, Louise; Shen, Zhijian

2015-02-01

Titanium received a macroporous titania surface layer by anodization, which contains open pores with average pore diameter around 5 μm. An additional mesoporous titania top layer following the contour of the macropores, of 100-200 nm thickness and with a pore diameter of 10nm, was formed by using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method with titanium (IV) tetraethoxide as the precursor. A coherent laminar titania surface layer was thus obtained, creating a hierarchical macro- and mesoporous surface that was characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy. The interfacial bonding between the surface layers and the titanium matrix was characterized by the scratch test that confirmed a stable and strong bonding of titania surface layers on titanium. The wettability to water and the effects on the osteosarcoma cell line (SaOS-2) proliferation and mineralization of the formed titania surface layers were studied systematically by cell culture and scanning electron microscopy. The results proved that the porous titania surface with hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was hydrophilic that significantly promoted cell attachment and spreading. A synergistic role of the hierarchical macro- and mesoporosities was revealed in terms of enhancing cell adhesion, proliferation and mineralization, compared with the titania surface with solo scale topography. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Translocation of a Polymer Chain across a Nanopore: A Brownian Dynamics Simulation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tian, Pu; Smith, Grant D.

2003-01-01

We carried out Brownian dynamics simulation studies of the translocation of single polymer chains across a nanosized pore under the driving of an applied field (chemical potential gradient). The translocation process can be either dominated by the entropic barrier resulted from restricted motion of flexible polymer chains or by applied forces (or chemical gradient across the wall), we focused on the latter case in our studies. Calculation of radius of gyrations at the two opposite sides of the wall shows that the polymer chains are not in equilibrium during the translocation process. Despite this fact, our results show that the one-dimensional diffusion and the nucleation model provide an excellent description of the dependence of average translocation time on the chemical potential gradients, the polymer chain length and the solvent viscosity. In good agreement with experimental results and theoretical predictions, the translocation time distribution of our simple model shows strong non-Gaussian characteristics. It is observed that even for this simple tubelike pore geometry, more than one peak of translocation time distribution can be generated for proper pore diameter and applied field strengths. Both repulsive Weeks-Chandler-Anderson and attractive Lennard-Jones polymer-nanopore interaction were studied, attraction facilitates the translocation process by shortening the total translocation time and dramatically improve the capturing of polymer chain. The width of the translocation time distribution was found to decrease with increasing temperature, increasing field strength, and decreasing pore diameter.

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous ZnS with narrow size distribution of small pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nistor, L. C.; Mateescu, C. D.; Birjega, R.; Nistor, S. V.

2008-08-01

Pure, nanocrystalline cubic ZnS forming a stable mesoporous structure was synthesized at room temperature by a non-toxic surfactant-assisted liquid liquid reaction, in the 9.5 10.5 pH range of values. The appearance of an X-ray diffraction (XRD) peak in the region of very small angles (˜ 2°) reveals the presence of a porous material with a narrow pore size distribution, but with an irregular arrangement of the pores, a so-called worm hole or sponge-like material. The analysis of the wide angle XRD diffractograms shows the building blocks to be ZnS nanocrystals with cubic structure and average diameter of 2 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations confirm the XRD results; ZnS crystallites of 2.5 nm with cubic (blende) structure are the building blocks of the pore walls with pore sizes from 1.9 to 2.5 nm, and a broader size distribution for samples with smaller pores. Textural measurements (N2 adsorption desorption isotherms) confirm the presence of mesoporous ZnS with a narrow range of small pore sizes. The relatively lower surface area of around 100 m2/g is attributed to some remaining organic molecules, which are filling the smallest pores. Their presence, confirmed by IR spectroscopy, seems to be responsible for the high stability of the resulting mesoporous ZnS as well.

Interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramics for bone tissue engineering

PubMed Central

Yoshikawa, Hideki; Tamai, Noriyuki; Murase, Tsuyoshi; Myoui, Akira

2008-01-01

Several porous calcium hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics have been used clinically as bone substitutes, but most of them possessed few interpore connections, resulting in pathological fracture probably due to poor bone formation within the substitute. We recently developed a fully interconnected porous HA ceramic (IP-CHA) by adopting the ‘foam-gel’ technique. The IP-CHA had a three-dimensional structure with spherical pores of uniform size (average 150 μm, porosity 75%), which were interconnected by window-like holes (average diameter 40 μm), and also demonstrated adequate compression strength (10–12 MPa). In animal experiments, the IP-CHA showed superior osteoconduction, with the majority of pores filled with newly formed bone. The interconnected porous structure facilitates bone tissue engineering by allowing the introduction of mesenchymal cells, osteotropic agents such as bone morphogenetic protein or vasculature into the pores. Clinically, we have applied the IP-CHA to treat various bony defects in orthopaedic surgery, and radiographic examinations demonstrated that grafted IP-CHA gained radiopacity more quickly than the synthetic HA in clinical use previously. We review the accumulated data on bone tissue engineering using the novel scaffold and on clinical application in the orthopaedic field. PMID:19106069

Final report of CCQM-K136 measurement of porosity properties (specific adsorption, BET specific surface area, specific pore volume and pore diameter) of nanoporous Al2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobina, E.; Zimathis, A.; Prinz, C.; Emmerling, F.; Unger, W.; de Santis Neves, R.; Galhardo, C. E.; De Robertis, E.; Wang, H.; Mizuno, K.; Kurokawa, A.

2016-01-01

CCQM key comparison K-136 Measurement of porosity properties (specific adsorption, BET specific surface area, specific pore volume and pore diameter) of nanoporous Al2O3 has been performed by the Surface Analysis Working Group (SAWG) of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance (CCQM). The objective of this key comparison is to compare the equivalency of the National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) for the measurement of specific adsorption, BET specific surface area, specific pore volume and pore diameter) of nanoporous substances (sorbents, catalytic agents, cross-linkers, zeolites, etc) used in advanced technology. In this key comparison, a commercial sorbent (aluminum oxide) was supplied as a sample. Five NMIs participated in this key comparison. All participants used a gas adsorption method, here nitrogen adsorption at 77.3 K, for analysis according to the international standards ISO 15901-2 and 9277. In this key comparison, the degrees of equivalence uncertainties for specific adsorption, BET specific surface area, specific pore volume and pore diameter was established. Main text To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

Facile Fabrication of Ordered Anodized Aluminum Oxide Membranes with Controlled Pore Size by Improved Hard Anodization.

PubMed

Fan, Jiangxia; Zhu, Xinxin; Wang, Kunzhou; Chen, Xiaoyuan; Wang, Xinqing; Yan, Minhao; Ren, Yong

2018-05-01

We have fabricated highly ordered anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes with different diameter through improved hard anodization (HA) at high temperature. This process can generate thick AAO membranes (30 μm) in a short anodizing time with high growth rate 20-60 μm h-1 which is much faster than that in traditional mild two-step anodization. We enlarged the AAO pore diameter by adjusting the voltage rise rate at the same time, which has a great influence on current density and temperature. The AAO pore diameter varies from 60-110 nm to 160-190 nm. The pore diameter (Dp) of the AAO prepared by this improved process is much larger than that prepared by HA (40-60 nm) when H2C2O4 as electrolyte. It can expand potential use of the AAO membranes such as for the template-based synthesis of nanowires or nanotubes with modulated diameters and also for practical separation technology. We also has used the AAO with different diameters prepared by this improved HA to fabricate Co nanowires and γ-Fe2O3 superparamagnetic nanorods.

Process reduces pore diameters to produce superior filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Todd, H. H.

1966-01-01

Porous metal structure with very small pore diameters is produced by heating the structure in oxygen for an oxidized surface layer, cooling it, and heating it in hydrogen to deoxidize the oxidized portion. Such structures are superior catalyst beds and filters.

A multifunctional role of trialkylbenzenes for the preparation of aqueous colloidal mesostructured/mesoporous silica nanoparticles with controlled pore size, particle diameter, and morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Hironori; Ujiie, Hiroto; Urata, Chihiro; Yamamoto, Eisuke; Yamauchi, Yusuke; Kuroda, Kazuyuki

2015-11-01

Both the pore size and particle diameter of aqueous colloidal mesostructured/mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CMSS/CMPS) derived from tetrapropoxysilane were effectively and easily controlled by the addition of trialkylbenzenes (TAB). Aqueous highly dispersed CMPS with large pores were successfully obtained through removal of surfactants and TAB by a dialysis process. The pore size (from 4 nm to 8 nm) and particle diameter (from 50 nm to 380 nm) were more effectively enlarged by the addition of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) than 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB), and the enlargement did not cause the variation of the mesostructure and particle morphology. The larger molecular size and higher hydrophobicity of TIPB than TMB induce the incorporation of TIPB into micelles without the structural change. When TMB was used as TAB, the pore size of CMSS was also enlarged while the mesostructure and particle morphology were varied. Interestingly, when tetramethoxysilane and TIPB were used, CMSS with a very small particle diameter (20 nm) with concave surfaces and large mesopores were obtained, which may strongly be related to the initial nucleation of CMSS. A judicious choice of TAB and Si sources is quite important to control the mesostructure, size of mesopores, particle diameter, and morphology.Both the pore size and particle diameter of aqueous colloidal mesostructured/mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CMSS/CMPS) derived from tetrapropoxysilane were effectively and easily controlled by the addition of trialkylbenzenes (TAB). Aqueous highly dispersed CMPS with large pores were successfully obtained through removal of surfactants and TAB by a dialysis process. The pore size (from 4 nm to 8 nm) and particle diameter (from 50 nm to 380 nm) were more effectively enlarged by the addition of 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene (TIPB) than 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB), and the enlargement did not cause the variation of the mesostructure and particle morphology. The larger molecular size and higher hydrophobicity of TIPB than TMB induce the incorporation of TIPB into micelles without the structural change. When TMB was used as TAB, the pore size of CMSS was also enlarged while the mesostructure and particle morphology were varied. Interestingly, when tetramethoxysilane and TIPB were used, CMSS with a very small particle diameter (20 nm) with concave surfaces and large mesopores were obtained, which may strongly be related to the initial nucleation of CMSS. A judicious choice of TAB and Si sources is quite important to control the mesostructure, size of mesopores, particle diameter, and morphology. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04465k

Hollow porous-wall glass microspheres for hydrogen storage

DOEpatents

Heung, Leung K.; Schumacher, Ray F.; Wicks, George G.

2010-02-23

A porous wall hollow glass microsphere is provided having a diameter range of between 1 to 200 microns, a density of between 1.0 to 2.0 gm/cc, a porous-wall structure having wall openings defining an average pore size of between 10 to 1000 angstroms, and which contains therein a hydrogen storage material. The porous-wall structure facilitates the introduction of a hydrogen storage material into the interior of the porous wall hollow glass microsphere. In this manner, the resulting hollow glass microsphere can provide a membrane for the selective transport of hydrogen through the porous walls of the microsphere, the small pore size preventing gaseous or liquid contaminants from entering the interior of the hollow glass microsphere.

Fractal Nature of Porosity in Volcanic Tight Reservoirs of the Santanghu Basin and its Relationship to Pore Formation Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weiming; Wang, Zhixuan; Chen, Xuan; Long, Fei; Lu, Shuangfang; Liu, Guohong; Tian, Weichao; Su, Yue

In this paper, in a case study of Santanghu Basin in China, the morphological characteristics and size distribution of nanoscale pores in the volcanic rocks of the Haerjiawu Formation were investigated using the results of low temperature nitrogen adsorption experiments. This research showed that within the target layer, a large number of nanoscale, eroded pores showed an “ink bottle” morphology with narrow pore mouths and wide bodies. The fractal dimension of pores increases gradually with increasing depth. Moreover, as fractal dimension increases, BET-specific surface area gradually increases, average pore diameter decreases and total pore volume gradually increases. The deeper burial of the Haerjiawu volcanic rocks in the Santanghu Basin leads to more intense erosion by organic acids derived from the basin’s source rocks. Furthermore, the internal surface roughness of these corrosion pores results in poor connectivity. As stated above, the corrosion process is directly related to the organic acids generated by the source rock of the interbedded volcanic rocks. The deeper the reservoir, the more the organic acids being released from the source rock. However, due to the fact that the Haerjiawu volcanic rocks are tight reservoirs and have complicated pore-throat systems, while organic acids dissolve unstable minerals such as feldspars which improve the effective reservoir space; the dissolution of feldspars results in the formation of new minerals, which cannot be expelled from the tight reservoirs. They are instead precipitated in the fine pore throats, thereby reducing pore connectivity, while enhancing reservoir micro-preservation conditions.

Evolution of the pore structure during the early stages of the alkali-activation reaction: An in situ small-angle neutron scattering investigation

DOE PAGES

White, Claire E.; Olds, Daniel P.; Hartl, Monika; ...

2017-02-01

The long-term durability of cement-based materials is influenced by the pore structure and associated permeability at the sub-micrometre length scale. With the emergence of new types of sustainable cements in recent decades, there is a pressing need to be able to predict the durability of these new materials, and therefore nondestructive experimental techniques capable of characterizing the evolution of the pore structure are increasingly crucial for investigating cement durability. Here, small-angle neutron scattering is used to analyze the evolution of the pore structure in alkali-activated materials over the initial 24 h of reaction in order to assess the characteristic poremore » sizes that emerge during these short time scales. By using a unified fitting approach for data modeling, information on the pore size and surface roughness is obtained for a variety of precursor chemistries and morphologies (metakaolin- and slag-based pastes). Furthermore, the impact of activator chemistry is elucidatedviathe analysis of pastes synthesized using hydroxide- and silicate-based activators. It is found that the main aspect influencing the size of pores that are accessible using small-angle neutron scattering analysis (approximately 10–500 Å in diameter) is the availability of free silica in the activating solution, which leads to a more refined pore structure with smaller average pore size. Furthermore, as the reaction progresses the gel pores visible using this scattering technique are seen to increase in size.« less

Tuning the Pore Geometry of Ordered Mesoporous Carbons for Enhanced Adsorption of Bisphenol-A

PubMed Central

Libbrecht, Wannes; Vandaele, Koen; De Buysser, Klaartje; Verberckmoes, An; Thybaut, Joris W.; Poelman, Hilde; De Clercq, Jeriffa; Van Der Voort, Pascal

2015-01-01

Mesoporous carbons were synthesized via both soft and hard template methods and compared to a commercial powder activated carbon (PAC) for the adsorption ability of bisphenol-A (BPA) from an aqueous solution. The commercial PAC had a BET-surface of 1027 m2/g with fine pores of 3 nm and less. The hard templated carbon (CMK-3) material had an even higher BET-surface of 1420 m2/g with an average pore size of 4 nm. The soft templated carbon (SMC) reached a BET-surface of 476 m2/g and a pore size of 7 nm. The maximum observed adsorption capacity (qmax) of CMK-3 was the highest with 474 mg/g, compared to 290 mg/g for PAC and 154 mg/g for SMC. The difference in adsorption capacities was attributed to the specific surface area and hydrophobicity of the adsorbent. The microporous PAC showed the slowest adsorption, while the ordered mesopores of SMC and CMK-3 enhanced the BPA diffusion into the adsorbent. This difference in adsorption kinetics is caused by the increase in pore diameter. However, CMK-3 with an open geometry consisting of interlinked nanorods allows for even faster intraparticle diffusion. PMID:28788023

The phenotype of cancer cell invasion controlled by fibril diameter and pore size of 3D collagen networks.

PubMed

Sapudom, Jiranuwat; Rubner, Stefan; Martin, Steve; Kurth, Tony; Riedel, Stefanie; Mierke, Claudia T; Pompe, Tilo

2015-06-01

The behavior of cancer cells is strongly influenced by the properties of extracellular microenvironments, including topology, mechanics and composition. As topological and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix are hard to access and control for in-depth studies of underlying mechanisms in vivo, defined biomimetic in vitro models are needed. Herein we show, how pore size and fibril diameter of collagen I networks distinctively regulate cancer cell morphology and invasion. Three-dimensional collagen I matrices with a tight control of pore size, fibril diameter and stiffness were reconstituted by adjustment of concentration and pH value during matrix reconstitution. At first, a detailed analysis of topology and mechanics of matrices using confocal laser scanning microscopy, image analysis tools and force spectroscopy indicate pore size and not fibril diameter as the major determinant of matrix elasticity. Secondly, by using two different breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), we demonstrate collagen fibril diameter--and not pore size--to primarily regulate cell morphology, cluster formation and invasion. Invasiveness increased and clustering decreased with increasing fibril diameter for both, the highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells with mesenchymal migratory phenotype and the MCF-7 cells with amoeboid migratory phenotype. As this behavior was independent of overall pore size, matrix elasticity is shown to be not the major determinant of the cell characteristics. Our work emphasizes the complex relationship between structural-mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix and invasive behavior of cancer cells. It suggests a correlation of migratory and invasive phenotype of cancer cells in dependence on topological and mechanical features of the length scale of single fibrils and not on coarse-grained network properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gas adsorption and capillary condensation in nanoporous alumina films.

PubMed

Casanova, Fèlix; Chiang, Casey E; Li, Chang-Peng; Roshchin, Igor V; Ruminski, Anne M; Sailor, Michael J; Schuller, Ivan K

2008-08-06

Gas adsorption and capillary condensation of organic vapors are studied by optical interferometry, using anodized nanoporous alumina films with controlled geometry (cylindrical pores with diameters in the range of 10-60 nm). The optical response of the film is optimized with respect to the geometric parameters of the pores, for potential performance as a gas sensor device. The average thickness of the adsorbed film at low relative pressures is not affected by the pore size. Capillary evaporation of the liquid from the nanopores occurs at the liquid-vapor equilibrium described by the classical Kelvin equation with a hemispherical meniscus. Due to the almost complete wetting, we can quantitatively describe the condensation for isopropanol using the Cohan model with a cylindrical meniscus in the Kelvin equation. This model describes the observed hysteresis and allows us to use the adsorption branch of the isotherm to calculate the pore size distribution of the sample in good agreement with independent structural measurements. The condensation for toluene lacks reproducibility due to incomplete surface wetting. This exemplifies the relevant role of the fluid-solid (van der Waals) interactions in the hysteretic behavior of capillary condensation.

Determination by Small-angle X-ray Scattering of Pore Size Distribution in Nanoporous Track-etched Polycarbonate Membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonas, A. M.; Legras, R.; Ferain, E.

1998-03-01

Nanoporous track-etched membranes with narrow pore size distributions and average pore size diameters tunable from 100 to 1000 Åare produced by the chemical etching of latent tracks in polymer films after irradiation by a beam of accelerated heavy ions. Nanoporous membranes are used for highly demanding filtration purposes, or as templates to obtain metallic or polymeric nanowires (L. Piraux et al., Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. 1997, B131, 357). Such applications call for developments in nanopore size characterization techniques. In this respect, we report on the characterization by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of nanopore size distribution (nPSD) in polycarbonate track-etched membranes. The obtention of nPSD requires inverting an ill-conditioned inhomogeneous equation. We present different numerical routes to overcome the amplification of experimental errors in the resulting solutions, including a regularization technique allowing to obtain the nPSD without a priori knowledge of its shape. The effect of deviations from cylindrical pore shape on the resulting distributions are analyzed. Finally, SAXS results are compared to results obtained by electron microscopy and conductometry.

In situ monitoring of atomic layer controlled pore reduction in alumina tubular membranes using sequential surface reactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berland, B.S.; Gartland, I.P.; Ott, A.W.

1998-12-01

The pore diameter in alumina tubular membranes with an initial diameter of 50 {angstrom} was systematically reduced using the atomic layer controlled deposition of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was deposited using sequential exposures of Al(CH{sub 3}){sub 3} (trimethylaluminum, TMA) and H{sub 2}O in an ABAB... binary reaction sequence. The pore diameter reduction was monitored using in situ N{sub 2} and Ar conductance measurements. The conductance, C = Q/{Delta}P, was measured using a mass flow controller to define a constant gas throughput, Q, and a pair of capacitance manometers to monitor the transmembrane pressure drop, {Delta}P. Conductance measurementsmore » were periodically obtained at 298 K as a function of AB binary reaction cycles. These conductance measurements were consistent with a pore diameter reduction from 50 {angstrom} to {approximately}5--10 {angstrom} at a rate of {approximately}2.5 {angstrom} for each AB cycle. Conductance measurements were also performed during the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} deposition at 500 K after each half-reaction in the binary reaction sequence. These in situ conductance measurements demonstrate that the pore diameters in mesoporous membranes can be reduced to molecular dimensions with atomic layer control using sequential surface reactions. Poe diameters can be tailored for specific applications by varying the number of AB cycles and changing the nature of the terminating surface functional groups.« less

Fabrication of complete titania nanoporous structures via electrochemical anodization of Ti

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

We present a novel method to fabricate complete and highly oriented anodic titanium oxide (ATO) nano-porous structures with uniform and parallel nanochannels. ATO nano-porous structures are fabricated by anodizing a Ti-foil in two different organic viscous electrolytes at room temperature using a two-step anodizing method. TiO2 nanotubes covered with a few nanometer thin nano-porous layer is produced when the first and the second anodization are carried out in the same electrolyte. However, a complete titania nano-porous (TNP) structures are obtained when the second anodization is conducted in a viscous electrolyte when compared to the first one. TNP structure was attributed to the suppression of F-rich layer dissolution between the cell boundaries in the viscous electrolyte. The structural morphologies were examined by field emission scanning electron microscope. The average pore diameter is approximately 70 nm, while the average inter-pore distance is approximately 130 nm. These TNP structures are useful to fabricate other nanostructure materials and nanodevices. PMID:21711844

Local electrostatic interactions determine the diameter of fusion pores

PubMed Central

Guček, Alenka; Jorgačevski, Jernej; Górska, Urszula; Rituper, Boštjan; Kreft, Marko; Zorec, Robert

2015-01-01

In regulated exocytosis vesicular and plasma membranes merge to form a fusion pore in response to stimulation. The nonselective cation HCN channels are involved in the regulation of unitary exocytotic events by at least 2 mechanisms. They can affect SNARE-dependent exocytotic activity indirectly, via the modulation of free intracellular calcium; and/or directly, by altering local cation concentration, which affects fusion pore geometry likely via electrostatic interactions. By monitoring membrane capacitance, we investigated how extracellular cation concentration affects fusion pore diameter in pituitary cells and astrocytes. At low extracellular divalent cation levels predominantly transient fusion events with widely open fusion pores were detected. However, fusion events with predominately narrow fusion pores were present at elevated levels of extracellular trivalent cations. These results show that electrostatic interactions likely help determine the stability of discrete fusion pore states by affecting fusion pore membrane composition. PMID:25835258

Preparation of ultrasmall porous carbon nanospheres by reverse microemulsion-hydrothermal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiasheng; Zhao, Yahong; Wang, Wan-Hui; Bao, Ming

Porous carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have wide applications. A big challenge in materials science is synthesis of discrete ultrasmall porous carbon nanospheres. Herein, we report a facile reverse microemulsion-hydrothermal method to prepare discrete porous CNSs. The obtained CNSs possess an average diameter of 20nm and pores of 0.7nm and 3.4nm. Our work has provided a convenient method for the controllable synthesis of ultrasmall porous CNSs with potential applications.

Mesocarbon microbead based graphite for spherical fuel element to inhibit the infiltration of liquid fluoride salt in molten salt reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yajuan; Zhang, Junpeng; Lin, Jun; Xu, Liujun; Zhang, Feng; Xu, Hongxia; Chen, Yu; Jiang, Haitao; Li, Ziwei; Zhu, Zhiyong; Guo, Quangui

2017-07-01

Mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) and quasi-isostatic pressing method were used to prepare MCMB based graphite (MG) for spherical fuel element to inhibit the infiltration of liquid fluoride salt in molten salt reactor (MSR). Characteristics of mercury infiltration and molten salt infiltration in MG were investigated and compared with A3-3 (graphite for spherical fuel element in high temperature gas cooled reactor) to identify the infiltration behaviors. The results indicated that MG had a low porosity about 14%, and an average pore diameter of 96 nm. Fluoride salt occupation of A3-3 (average pore diameter was 760 nm) was 10 wt% under 6.5 atm, whereas salt gain did not infiltrate in MG even up to 6.5 atm. It demonstrated that MG could inhibit the infiltration of liquid fluoride salt effectively. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of MG lies in 6.01 × 10-6 K-1 (α∥) and 6.15 × 10-6 K-1 (α⊥) at the temperature range of 25-700 °C. The anisotropy factor of MG calculated by CTE maintained below 1.02, which could meet the requirement of the spherical fuel element (below 1.30). The constant isotropic property of MG is beneficial for the integrity and safety of the graphite used in the spherical fuel element for a MSR.

Method to fabricate functionalized conical nanopores

DOEpatents

Small, Leo J.; Spoerke, Erik David; Wheeler, David R.

2016-07-12

A pressure-based chemical etch method is used to shape polymer nanopores into cones. By varying the pressure, the pore tip diameter can be controlled, while the pore base diameter is largely unaffected. The method provides an easy, low-cost approach for conically etching high density nanopores.

Separation of methane-nitrogen mixtures using synthesis vertically aligned carbon nanotube membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilani, Neda; Daryan, Jafar Towfighi; Rashidi, Alimorad; Omidkhah, Mohammad Reza

2012-03-01

In this paper, capabilities of carbon nanotube (CNT) membranes fabricated in cylindrical pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) substrate to separate the binary mixtures of CH4/N2 are studied experimentally. For this purpose, the permeability and selectivity of three CNT/AAO membranes with different growth time as 6 h, 12 h and 18 h are investigated. CNTs are grown vertically through holes of AAO with average pore diameter of 45 nm by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of acetylene gas. CNT/AAO membranes with the same CNTs' outer diameters and different inner diameters are synthesized. The AAO are characterized by SEM analysis. In addition, SEM, TEM, BET N2 adsorption analysis and Raman spectroscopy are employed to characterize aligned CNTs. Study on permeability and selectivity of membranes for three binary mixtures of CH4/N2 showed that when the CNT inner diameters are 34 nm and 24 nm, viscous flow is the governing mechanism and insignificant selectivities of 1.2-1.24 are achieved. However, the membrane with CNT inner diameter and wall thickness of 8 nm and 16 nm respectively is considerably selective for CH4 over N2. It was also found that CH4 mole fraction in the feed and upstream feed pressure have major effect on permeability and selectivity. The membrane with 18 h synthesis time showed the selectivity is in the range of 1.8-3.85. The enhancement factor for N2 single gas diffusivity was also found to be about three times larger than that predicted by Knudsen diffusion model.

Electrochemically-Driven Insertion of Biological Nanodiscs into Solid State Membrane Pores as a Basis for “Pore-In-Pore” Membranes

PubMed Central

Farajollahi, Farid; Seidenstücker, Axel; Altintoprak, Klara; Walther, Paul; Ziemann, Paul; Plettl, Alfred; Wege, Christina; Gliemann, Hartmut

2018-01-01

Nanoporous membranes are of increasing interest for many applications, such as molecular filters, biosensors, nanofluidic logic and energy conversion devices. To meet high-quality standards, e.g., in molecular separation processes, membranes with well-defined pores in terms of pore diameter and chemical properties are required. However, the preparation of membranes with narrow pore diameter distributions is still challenging. In the work presented here, we demonstrate a strategy, a “pore-in-pore” approach, where the conical pores of a solid state membrane produced by a multi-step top-down lithography procedure are used as a template to insert precisely-formed biomolecular nanodiscs with exactly defined inner and outer diameters. These nanodiscs, which are the building blocks of tobacco mosaic virus-deduced particles, consist of coat proteins, which self-assemble under defined experimental conditions with a stabilizing short RNA. We demonstrate that the insertion of the nanodiscs can be driven either by diffusion due to a concentration gradient or by applying an electric field along the cross-section of the solid state membrane. It is found that the electrophoresis-driven insertion is significantly more effective than the insertion via the concentration gradient. PMID:29652841

Mesoscopic Ni particles and nanowires by pulsed electrodeposition into porous Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michelakaki, E.; Valalaki, K.; G. Nassiopoulou, A.

2013-04-01

We report in this article on the formation of mesoscopic Ni particles and filling of continuous Ni nanowires into porous Si layers of thickness in the range of 0.5-4 μm with anisotropic vertical pores of average diameter in the range of 30-45 nm using pulsed electrodeposition from a Ni salt solution. The effect of pulse duration, number of pulses, and total process time on pore filling was investigated for porous Si with different porosities and porous Si layer thicknesses in the above thickness range. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the samples. It was found that pore filling starts with Ni nucleation and nanoparticle formation at different points of the pore walls along the whole pore length and continues with nanoparticle coalescence to form continuous Ni nanowires that completely fill the pores. The mechanism involved in pore filling is particle nucleation and diffusion-controlled growth of Ni nanoparticles that coalesce to nanowires. From the beginning of the process, a metal film starts to form on the porous Si surface, and its thickness increases with increasing the process time. However, the presence of this film does not impede further pore filling and nanowire formation into the pores. This supports further the diffusion-controlled growth mechanism. Finally, it was demonstrated that full pore filling and continuous Ni nanowire formation were also achieved under direct current electrodeposition, and the results are quite similar to those obtained with pulsed electrodeposition when the same total deposition time is used in both cases.

Pore diameter effects on phase behavior of a gas condensate in graphitic one-and two-dimensional nanopores.

PubMed

Welch, William R W; Piri, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on a hydrocarbon mixture representing a typical gas condensate composed mostly of methane and other small molecules with small fractions of heavier hydrocarbons, representative of mixtures found in tight shale reservoirs. The fluid was examined both in bulk and confined to graphitic nano-scale slits and pores. Numerous widths and diameters of slits and pores respectively were examined under variable pressures at 300 K in order to find conditions in which the fluid at the center of the apertures would not be affected by capillary condensation due to the oil-wet walls. For the bulk fluid, retrograde phase behavior was verified by liquid volumes obtained from Voronoi tessellations. In cases of both one and two-dimensional confinement, for the smallest apertures, heavy molecules aggregated inside the pore space and compression of the gas outside the solid structure lead to decreases in density of the confined fluid. Normal density/pressure relationships were observed for slits having gaps of above 3 nm and pores having diameters above 6 nm. At 70 bar, the minimum gap width at which the fluid could pass through the center of slits without condensation effects was predicted to be 6 nm and the corresponding diameter in pores was predicted to be 8 nm. The models suggest that in nanoscale networks involving pores smaller than these limiting dimensions, capillary condensation should significantly impede transmission of natural gases with similar composition.

Relationship between mineralogy and porosity in seals relevant to geologic CO2 Sequestration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swift, Alexander; Anovitz, Lawrence; Sheets, Julia

2014-01-01

Porosity and permeability are key petrophysical variables that link the thermal, hydrological, geochemical, and geomechanical properties of subsurface formations. The size, shape, distribution, and connectivity of rock pores dictate how fluids migrate into and through micro- and nano-environments, then wet and react with accessible solids. Three representative samples of cap rock from the Eau Claire Formation, the prospective sealing unit that overlies the Mount Simon Sandstone, a potential CO 2 storage formation, were interrogated with an array of complementary methods. neutron scattering, backscattered-electron imaging, energydispersive spectroscopy, and mercury porosimetry. Results are presented that detail variations between lithologic types in totalmore » and connected nano- to microporosity across more than five orders of magnitude. Pore types are identified and then characterized according to presence in each rock type, relative abundance, and surface area of adjacent minerals, pore and pore-throat diameters, and degree of connectivity. We observe a bimodal distribution of porosity as a function of both pore diameter and pore-throat diameter. The contribution of pores at the nano- and microscales to the total and the connected porosity is a distinguishing feature of each lithology observed. Pore:pore-throat ratios at each of these two scales diverge markedly, being almost unity at the nanoscale regime (dominated by illitic clay and micas), and varying by one and a half orders of magnitude at the microscale within a clastic mudstone.« less

High-aspect-ratio and highly ordered 15-nm porous alumina templates.

PubMed

Martín, Jaime; Manzano, Cristina V; Caballero-Calero, Olga; Martín-González, Marisol

2013-01-01

Ordered anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with pores <15 nm in diameter and an aspect ratio (length-to-diameter ratio) above 3 × 10(3) have been fabricated using a nonlithographic approach; specifically, by anodizing aluminum in an ethylene-glycol-containing sulfuric acid electrolyte. The pores are the smallest in diameter reported for a self-ordered AAO without pore aspect-ratio limitations and good ordering, which opens up the possibility of obtaining nanowire arrays in the quantum confinement regime that is of interest for efficient thermoelectric generators. The effect of the ethylene glycol addition on both the pore diameter and the ordering is evaluated and discussed. Moreover, 15-nm-diameter Bi(2)Te(3) and poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) nanowires have been prepared using these AAO templates. As known, Bi(2)Te(3) is currently the most efficient thermoelectric bulk material for room-temperature operations and, according with theory, its Seebeck coefficient should be increased when it is confined to nanowires with diameters close to 10 nm. On the other hand, P3HT is one of the main candidates for integrating organic photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices, and its properties are also proposed to increase when it is confined to nanoscale structures, mainly due to molecular orientation effects.

Thin, porous metal sheets and methods for making the same

DOEpatents

Liu, Wei; Li, Xiaohong Shari; Canfield, Nathan L.

2015-07-14

Thin, porous metal sheets and methods for forming them are presented to enable a variety of applications and devices. The thin, porous metal sheets are less than or equal to approximately 200 .mu.m thick, have a porosity between 25% and 75% by volume, and have pores with an average diameter less than or equal to approximately 2 .mu.m. The thin, porous metal sheets can be fabricated by preparing a slurry having between 10 and 50 wt % solvent and between 20 and 80 wt % powder of a metal precursor. The average particle size in the metal precursor powder should be between 100 nm and 5 .mu.m.

Structure of assemblies of metal nanowires in mesoporous alumina membranes studied by EXAFS, XANES, X-ray diffraction and SAXS.

PubMed

Benfield, Robert E; Grandjean, Didier; Dore, John C; Esfahanian, Hamid; Wu, Zhonghua; Kröll, Michael; Geerkens, Marcus; Schmid, Günter

2004-01-01

Mesoporous alumina membranes ("anodic aluminium oxide", or "AAO") are made by anodic oxidation of aluminium metal. These membranes contain hexagonal arrays of parallel non-intersecting cylindrical pores perpendicular to the membrane surface. By varying the anodisation voltage, the pore diameters are controllable within the range 5-250 nm. We have used AAO membranes as templates for the electrochemical deposition of metals within the pores to produce nanowires. These represent assemblies of one-dimensional quantum wires with prospective applications in electronic, optoelectronic and magnetic devices. Detailed characterisation of the structures of these nanowire assemblies on a variety of length scales is essential to understand their physical properties and evaluate their possible applications. We have used EXAFS, XANES, WAXS, high energy X-ray diffraction and SAXS to study their structure and bonding. In this paper we report the results of our studies of four different nanowire systems supported in AAO membranes. These are the ferromagnetic metals iron and cobalt, the superconducting metal tin, and the semiconductor gallium nitride. Iron nanowires in pores of diameter over the range 12 nm-72 nm are structurally very similar to bcc bulk iron. They have a strong preferred orientation within the alumina pores. Their XANES shows significant differences from that of bulk iron, showing that the electronic structure of the iron nanowires depends systematically on their diameter. Cobalt nanowires are composed of a mixture of hcp and fcc phases, but the ratio of the two phases does not depend in a simple way on the pore diameter or preparation conditions. In bulk cobalt, the fcc beta-phase is normally stable only at high temperatures. Strong preferred orientation of the c-axis in the pores was found. Tin nanowires in alumina membranes with pores diameters between 12 nm and 72 nm have a tetragonal beta-structure at ambient temperature and also at 80 K. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that they are diamagnetic, and become superconducting at the same temperature as bulk tin (3.7 K). Gallium nitride nanowires have been prepared in alumina membranes with pore diameter 24 nm by a novel method. Gallium nitrate was deposited in the pores from aqueous solution and thermolysed at 1000 degrees C to form Ga2O3, which was reacted with ammonia at 1000 degrees C. The GaN nanowires have the wurtzite structure. Preparation at 1150 degrees C led to the incorporation of aluminium in the GaN. The mesoscopic ordering of the pores in the AAO membranes and their filling by metal nanowires has been studied by SAXS, which shows patterns of Bragg peaks arising from the pore arrays. Additionally, the cobalt nanowires have been the subject of an initial ASAXS study.

Characterization of microsieves recovery efficiency in isolation of circulating tumor cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osuchowska, Paulina Natalia; Sarzyński, Antoni; Strzelec, Marek; Bogdanowicz, Zdzisław; Marczak, Jan; Łapiński, Mariusz Piotr; Trafny, ElŻbieta Anna

2016-12-01

Isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood is important in the diagnosis of malignant tumors and for monitoring therapeutic responses. The two main problems to be solved are extremely low CTCs numbers in the blood (average 1-10 CTC per 10 ml of whole blood) and the absence of one particular phenotype or genotype, which would allow for precise identification. Isolation of CTCs can be based on physical characteristics, e.g. the size of the cells (ISET, Isolation by Size of Epithelial Tumor cells) or the biological properties of these cells (the expression of specific proteins on their surface). In the IOE WAT the copper alloy microsieves with a pore diameter of 10.85 +/- 0.89 μm designed for cell isolation by ISET method were produced. The microsieves with 100 000 pores with a 50 μm interval was made using precise, percussion laser drilling. The performance microsieves filtration was determined using fluorescent beads with three dimensions: 4 μm, 10 μm and 15 μm. Furthermore, the suspensions of cells lines from different types of tumor were used in the process of filtration. The efficiency of the cells filtration process was affected by lack of biocompatibility of the material used for the microsieves production as well as the roughness and porosity of the microsieves surface. Moreover, the diameter of the pores and the course of the filtration process were also significant.

Preparation of High Surface Area Activated Carbon from Spent Phenolic Resin by Microwave Heating and KOH Activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Song; Zhang, Libo; Zhang, Shengzhou; Xia, Hongying; Peng, Jinhui

2018-01-01

The spent phenolic resin is as raw material for preparing high surface area activated carbon (HSAAC) by microwave-assisted KOH activation. The effects of microwave power, activation duration and impregnation ratio (IR) on the iodine adsorption capability and yield of HSAAC were investigated. The surface characteristics of HSAAC were characterized by nitrogen adsorption isotherms, FTIR, SEM and TEM. The operating variables were optimized utilizing the response surface methodology (RSM) and were identified to be microwave power of 700 W, activation duration of 15 min and IR of 4, corresponding to a yield of 51.25 % and an iodine number of 2,384 mg/g. The pore structure parameters of the HSAAC, i. e., Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume, and average pore diameter were estimated to be 4,269 m2/g, 2.396 ml/g and 2.25 nm, respectively, under optimum conditions. The findings strongly support the feasibility of microwave-assisted KOH activation for preparation of HSAAC from spent phenolic resin.

Counting polymers moving through a single ion channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezrukov, Sergey M.; Vodyanoy, Igor; Parsegian, V. Adrian

1994-07-01

THE change in conductance of a small electrolyte-filled capillary owing to the passage of sub-micrometre-sized particles has long been used for particle counting and sizing. A commercial device for such measurements, the Coulter counter, is able to detect particles of sizes down to several tenths of a micrometre1-3. Nuclepore technology (in which pores are etched particle tracks) has extended the lower limit of size detection to 60-nm particles by using a capillary of diameter 0.45 μm (ref. 4). Here we show that natural channel-forming peptides incorporated into a bilayer lipid membrane can be used to detect the passage of single molecules with gyration radii as small as 5-15 Å. From our experiments with alamethicin pores we infer both the average number and the diffusion coefficients of poly(ethylene glycol) molecules in the pore. Our approach provides a means of observing the statistics and mechanics of flexible polymers moving within the confines of precisely defined single-molecule structures.

Propagation of a plasma streamer in catalyst pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Quan-Zhi; Bogaerts, Annemie

2018-03-01

Although plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest for various environmental applications, the underlying mechanisms are still far from understood. For instance, it is not yet clear whether and how plasma streamers can propagate in catalyst pores, and what is the minimum pore size to make this happen. As this is crucial information to ensure good plasma-catalyst interaction, we study here the mechanism of plasma streamer propagation in a catalyst pore, by means of a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model, for various pore diameters in the nm-range to μm-range. The so-called Debye length is an important criterion for plasma penetration into catalyst pores, i.e. a plasma streamer can penetrate into pores when their diameter is larger than the Debye length. The Debye length is typically in the order of a few 100 nm up to 1 μm at the conditions under study, depending on electron density and temperature in the plasma streamer. For pores in the range of ∼50 nm, plasma can thus only penetrate to some extent and at very short times, i.e. at the beginning of a micro-discharge, before the actual plasma streamer reaches the catalyst surface and a sheath is formed in front of the surface. We can make plasma streamers penetrate into smaller pores (down to ca. 500 nm at the conditions under study) by increasing the applied voltage, which yields a higher plasma density, and thus reduces the Debye length. Our simulations also reveal that the plasma streamers induce surface charging of the catalyst pore sidewalls, causing discharge enhancement inside the pore, depending on pore diameter and depth.

Effects of pore topology and iron oxide core on doxorubicin loading and release from mesoporous silica nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ronhovde, Cicily J.; Baer, John; Larsen, Sarah C.

2017-06-01

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have a network of pores that give rise to extremely high specific surface areas, making them attractive materials for applications such as adsorption and drug delivery. The pore topology can be readily tuned to achieve a variety of structures such as the hexagonally ordered Mobil Crystalline Material 41 (MCM-41) and the disordered "wormhole" (WO) mesoporous silica (MS) structure. In this work, the effects of pore topology and iron oxide core on doxorubicin loading and release were investigated using MSNs with pore diameters of approximately 3 nm and sub-100 nm particle diameters. The nanoparticles were loaded with doxorubicin, and the drug release into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, 10 mM, pH 7.4) at 37 °C was monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. The release profiles were fit using the Peppas model. The results indicated diffusion-controlled release for all samples. Statistically significant differences were observed in the kinetic host-guest parameters for each sample due to the different pore topologies and the inclusion of an iron oxide core. Applying a static magnetic field to the iron oxide core WO-MS shell materials did not have a significant impact on the doxorubicin release. This is the first time that the effects of pore topology and iron oxide core have been isolated from pore diameter and particle size for these materials.

Superparamagnetic properties of carbon nanotubes filled with NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stojak Repa, K.; Israel, D.; Phan, M. H., E-mail: phanm@usf.edu, E-mail: sharihar@usf.edu

2015-05-07

Multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully synthesized using custom-made 80 nm pore-size alumina templates, and were uniformly filled with nickel ferrite (NFO) nanoparticles of 7.4 ± 1.7 nm diameter using a novel magnetically assisted capillary action method. X-ray diffraction confirmed the inverse spinel phase for the synthesized NFO. Transmission electron microscopy confirms spherical NFO nanoparticles with an average diameter of 7.4 nm inside MWCNTs. Magnetometry indicates that both NFO and NFO-filled MWCNTs present a blocking temperature around 52 K, with similar superparamagnetic-like behavior, and weak dipolar interactions, giving rise to a super-spin-glass-like behavior at low temperatures. These properties along with the uniformity of sub-100 nm structuresmore » and the possibility of tunable magnetic response in variable diameter carbon nanotubes make them ideal for advanced biomedical and microwave applications.« less

Fabrication of complex free-standing nanostructures with concave and convex curvature via the layer-by-layer approach.

PubMed

Raoufi, Mohammad; Schönherr, Holger

2014-02-18

We report on the fabrication of unprecedented free-standing complex polymeric nanoobjects, which possess both concave and convex curvatures, by exploiting the layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of polyelectrolytes. In a combined top-down/bottom-up replication approach pore diameter-modulated anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates, fabricated by temperature modulation hard anodization (TMHA), were replicated with multilayers of poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) to yield open nanotubes with diameters in the wide and narrow segments of 210 and 150 nm, respectively. To obtain stable pore diameter-modulated nanopores, which possess segment lengths between 1 and 5 μm and 5 and 10 μm in the narrow and wide pore portion, respectively, conventional hard anodization of aluminum was followed by a subsequent temperature-modulated anodization. After removing the backside aluminum electrode, silanizing the aluminum oxide, and passivating the exposed membrane surface with a thin layer of gold, PSS and PAH were deposited alternatingly to yield LBL multilayers. For optimized LBL multilayer thicknesses and compactness, established in separate experiments on silicon substrates and nanoporous AAO with straight pores, free-standing polymeric nanoobjects with concave and convex curvatures, were obtained. These were stable for wall thickness to pore diameter ratios of ≥0.08.

Influence of functionally graded pores on bone ingrowth in cementless hip prosthesis: a finite element study using mechano-regulatory algorithm.

PubMed

Tarlochan, Faris; Mehboob, Hassan; Mehboob, Ali; Chang, Seung-Hwan

2018-06-01

Cementless hip prostheses with porous outer coating are commonly used to repair the proximally damaged femurs. It has been demonstrated that stability of prosthesis is also highly dependent on the bone ingrowth into the porous texture. Bone ingrowth is influenced by the mechanical environment produced in the callus. In this study, bone ingrowth into the porous structure was predicted by using a mechano-regulatory model. Homogenously distributed pores (200 and 800 [Formula: see text]m in diameter) and functionally graded pores along the length of the prosthesis were introduced as a porous coating. Bone ingrowth was simulated using 25 and 12 [Formula: see text]m micromovements. Load control simulations were carried out instead of traditionally used displacement control. Spatial and temporal distributions of tissues were predicted in all cases. Functionally graded pore decreasing models gave the most homogenous bone distribution, the highest bone ingrowth (98%) with highest average Young's modulus of all tissue phenotypes approximately 4.1 GPa. Besides this, the volume of the initial callus increased to 8.33% in functionally graded pores as compared to the 200 [Formula: see text]m pore size models which increased the bone volume. These findings indicate that functionally graded porous surface promote bone ingrowth efficiently which can be considered to design of surface texture of hip prosthesis.

Multinuclear NMR studies of single lipid bilayers supported in cylindrical aluminum oxide nanopores.

PubMed

Gaede, Holly C; Luckett, Keith M; Polozov, Ivan V; Gawrisch, Klaus

2004-08-31

Lipid bilayers were deposited inside the 0.2 microm pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) filters by extrusion of multilamellar liposomes and their properties studied by 2H, 31P, and 1H solid-state NMR. Only the first bilayer adhered strongly to the inner surface of the pores. Additional layers were washed out easily by a flow of water as demonstrated by 1H magic angle spinning NMR experiments with addition of Pr3+ ions to shift accessible lipid headgroup resonances. A 13 mm diameter Anopore filter of 60 microm thickness oriented approximately 2.5 x 10(-7) mol of lipid as a single bilayer, corresponding to a total membrane area of about 500 cm2. The 2H NMR spectra of chain deuterated POPC are consistent with adsorption of wavy, tubular bilayers to the inner pore surface. By NMR diffusion experiments, we determined the average length of those lipid tubules to be approximately 0.4 microm. There is evidence for a thick water layer between lipid tubules and the pore surface. The ends of tubules are well sealed against the pore such that Pr3+ ions cannot penetrate into the water underneath the bilayers. We successfully trapped poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a molecular weight of 8000 in this water layer. From the quantity of trapped PEG, we calculated an average water layer thickness of 3 nm. Lipid order parameters and motional properties are unperturbed by the solid support, in agreement with existence of a water layer. Such unperturbed, solid supported membranes are ideal for incorporation of membrane-spanning proteins with large intra- and extracellular domains. The experiments suggest the promise of such porous filters as membrane support in biosensors.

Dependence of Capillary Properties of Contemporary Clinker Bricks on Their Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesołowska, Maria; Kaczmarek, Anna

2017-10-01

Contemporary clinker bricks are applied for outer layers of walls built from other materials and walls which should have high durability and aesthetic qualities. The intended effect depends not only on the mortar applied but also on clinker properties. Traditional macroscopic tests do not allow to predict clinker behaviour in contact with mortars and external environment. The basic information for this issue is open porosity of material. It defines the material ability to absorb liquids: rain water (through the face wall surface) and grout from mortar (through base surface). The main capillary flow goes on in pores with diameters from 300 to 3000nm. It is possible to define pore distribution and their size using the Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry method. The aim of these research is evaluation of clinker brick capillary properties (initial water absorption and capillary rate) and analysis of differences in microstructure of the face and base wall of a product. Detailed results allowed to show pore distribution in function of their diameters and definition of pore amount responsible for capillary flow. Based on relation between volume function differential and pore diameter, a differential distribution curve was obtained which helped to determine the dominant diameters. The results obtained let us state that face wall of bricks was characterized with the lowest material density and open porosity. In this layer (most burnt) part of pores could be closed by locally appearing liquid phase during brick burning. Thus density is lower comparing to other part of the product.

Controlling interferometric properties of nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

A study of reflective interference spectroscopy [RIfS] properties of nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide [AAO] with the aim to develop a reliable substrate for label-free optical biosensing is presented. The influence of structural parameters of AAO including pore diameters, inter-pore distance, pore length, and surface modification by deposition of Au, Ag, Cr, Pt, Ni, and TiO2 on the RIfS signal (Fabry-Perot fringe) was explored. AAO with controlled pore dimensions was prepared by electrochemical anodization of aluminium using 0.3 M oxalic acid at different voltages (30 to 70 V) and anodization times (10 to 60 min). Results show the strong influence of pore structures and surface modifications on the interference signal and indicate the importance of optimisation of AAO pore structures for RIfS sensing. The pore length/pore diameter aspect ratio of AAO was identified as a suitable parameter to tune interferometric properties of AAO. Finally, the application of AAO with optimised pore structures for sensing of a surface binding reaction of alkanethiols (mercaptoundecanoic acid) on gold surface is demonstrated. PMID:22280884

The Influence of Pore Size on the Indentation Behavior of Metallic Nanoporous Materials: A Molecular Dynamics Study

PubMed Central

Esqué-de los Ojos, Daniel; Pellicer, Eva; Sort, Jordi

2016-01-01

In general, the influence of pore size is not considered when determining the Young’s modulus of nanoporous materials. Here, we demonstrate that the pore size needs to be taken into account to properly assess the mechanical properties of these materials. Molecular dynamics simulations of spherical indentation experiments on single crystalline nanoporous Cu have been undertaken in systems with: (i) a constant degree of porosity and variable pore diameter; and (ii) a constant pore diameter and variable porosity degree. The classical Gibson and Ashby expression relating Young’s modulus with the relative density of the nanoporous metal is modified to include the influence of the pore size. The simulations reveal that, for a fixed porosity degree, the mechanical behavior of materials with smaller pores differs more significantly from the behavior of the bulk, fully dense counterpart. This effect is ascribed to the increase of the overall surface area as the pore size is reduced, together with the reduced coordination number of the atoms located at the pores edges. PMID:28773476

Mathematical Model Relating Uniaxial Compressive Behavior of Manufactured Sand Mortar to MIP-Derived Pore Structure Parameters

PubMed Central

Tian, Zhenghong; Bu, Jingwu

2014-01-01

The uniaxial compression response of manufactured sand mortars proportioned using different water-cement ratio and sand-cement ratio is examined. Pore structure parameters such as porosity, threshold diameter, mean diameter, and total amounts of macropores, as well as shape and size of micropores are quantified by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) technique. Test results indicate that strains at peak stress and compressive strength decreased with the increasing sand-cement ratio due to insufficient binders to wrap up entire sand. A compression stress-strain model of normal concrete extending to predict the stress-strain relationships of manufactured sand mortar is verified and agreed well with experimental data. Furthermore, the stress-strain model constant is found to be influenced by threshold diameter, mean diameter, shape, and size of micropores. A mathematical model relating stress-strain model constants to the relevant pore structure parameters of manufactured sand mortar is developed. PMID:25133257

Mathematical model relating uniaxial compressive behavior of manufactured sand mortar to MIP-derived pore structure parameters.

PubMed

Tian, Zhenghong; Bu, Jingwu

2014-01-01

The uniaxial compression response of manufactured sand mortars proportioned using different water-cement ratio and sand-cement ratio is examined. Pore structure parameters such as porosity, threshold diameter, mean diameter, and total amounts of macropores, as well as shape and size of micropores are quantified by using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) technique. Test results indicate that strains at peak stress and compressive strength decreased with the increasing sand-cement ratio due to insufficient binders to wrap up entire sand. A compression stress-strain model of normal concrete extending to predict the stress-strain relationships of manufactured sand mortar is verified and agreed well with experimental data. Furthermore, the stress-strain model constant is found to be influenced by threshold diameter, mean diameter, shape, and size of micropores. A mathematical model relating stress-strain model constants to the relevant pore structure parameters of manufactured sand mortar is developed.

Porous Carbon Nanofibers from Electrospun Biomass Tar/Polyacrylonitrile/Silver Hybrids as Antimicrobial Materials.

PubMed

Song, Kunlin; Wu, Qinglin; Zhang, Zhen; Ren, Suxia; Lei, Tingzhou; Negulescu, Ioan I; Zhang, Quanguo

2015-07-15

A novel route to fabricate low-cost porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) using biomass tar, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and silver nanoparticles has been demonstrated through electrospinning and subsequent stabilization and carbonization processes. The continuous electrospun nanofibers had average diameters ranging from 392 to 903 nm. The addition of biomass tar resulted in increased fiber diameters, reduced thermal stabilities, and slowed cyclization reactions of PAN in the as-spun nanofibers. After stabilization and carbonization, the resultant CNFs showed more uniformly sized and reduced average diameters (226-507 nm) compared to as-spun nanofibers. The CNFs exhibited high specific surface area (>400 m(2)/g) and microporosity, attributed to the combined effects of phase separations of the tar and PAN and thermal decompositions of tar components. These pore characteristics increased the exposures and contacts of silver nanoparticles to the bacteria including Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, leading to excellent antimicrobial performances of as-spun nanofibers and CNFs. A new strategy is thus provided for utilizing biomass tar as a low-cost precursor to prepare functional CNFs and reduce environmental pollutions associated with direct disposal of tar as an industrial waste.

Micronization, characterization and in-vitro dissolution of shellac from PGSS supercritical CO2 technique.

PubMed

Labuschagne, Philip W; Naicker, Brendon; Kalombo, Lonji

2016-02-29

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether shellac, a naturally occurring material with enteric properties, could be processed in supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2) using the particles from gas saturated solution (PGSS) process and how process parameters affect the physico-chemical properties of shellac. In-situ attenuated total reflection fourier transform infra-red (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy showed that CO2 dissolves in shellac with solubility reaching a maximum of 13% (w/w) at 300 bar pressure and 40 °C and maximum swelling of 28%. The solubility of sc-CO2 in shellac allowed for the formation of porous shellac structures of which the average pore diameter and pore density could be controlled by adjustment of operating pressure and temperature. In addition, it was possible to produce shellac microparticles ranging in average diameter from 180 to 300 μm. It was also shown that processing shellac in sc-CO2 resulted in accelerated esterification reactions, potentially limiting the extent of post-processing "ageing" and thus greater stability. Due to additional hydrolysis reactions enhanced by the presence of sc-CO2, the solubility of shellac at pH 7.5 was increased by between 4 and 7 times, while dissolution rates were also increased. It was also shown that the in-vitro dissolution profiles of shellac could be modified by slight adjustment in operating temperatures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physicochemical and microstructural characterisation of green gram and foxtail millet starch gels.

PubMed

Nagaprabha, P; Devisetti, Rajesh; Bhattacharya, Sila

2018-02-01

The starch and starch gels from green gram (GG) and foxtail millet (FM) were characterised for their physicochemical, thermal and microstructural characteristics; the features of shape and size were determined by image analysis. Both GG and FM formed well-set gels at 9% concentration of starch. The fracture strain of the gels was between 78 and 80% indicating non-brittle gels. The peak temperatures of the native flour of GG (74.9 °C) and FM (75.7 °C) were significantly higher than their corresponding starch samples (72.2 and 75.0 °C). The conclusion temperatures of the FM native flour (81.2 °C) and starch (79.4 °C) samples were higher than the native GG flour (79.9 °C) and GG starch (77.1 °C) samples. Starches were nearly spherical as the roundness values were between 0.88 and 0.95. Green gram starch was pentagonal having an average diameter of 3.9-9.2 µm while foxtail millet starch was spherical with a diameter of 4.9-10.1 µm. The freeze-dried GG and FM starch gels showed cellular structure containing organised hexagonal pores, bound by thin pore walls; the GG starch gels deviated from the circular shape as they had the highest elongation value of 4.21. The thicker pore walls were observed for GG starch gels (0.88 μm) compared to that of FM samples (0.57 μm). The higher pore wall thickness in the case of GG gel showed the formation of junction zones.

Hydrodeoxygenation of heavy oils derived from low-temperature coal gasification over NiW catalysts-effect of pore structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dieter Leckel

2008-01-15

The effect of the pore structure on the hydroprocessing of heavy distillate oils derived from low-temperature coal gasification residues was studied using four NiW catalysts with different pore size distributions. The hydroprocessing was conducted at a pressure of 17.5 MPa, a temperature range of 370-410{sup o}C, and a 0.50 h{sup -1} space velocity. The degree of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) in terms of phenolics removal was influenced by the catalyst pore structure, with the most preferable peak pore diameter for HDO ranging between 6.8 and 16 nm. The catalyst with the highest volume of pores in the 3.5-6 nm range showed themore » lowest HDO activity. The apparent activation energies for the HDO reaction varied between 59 and 87 kJ/mol, whereby the lowest values are obtained for the catalysts with a peak pore diameter of 11 and 16 nm. 30 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs.« less

[Using Molecular Simulations to Understand Complex Nanoscale Dynamic Phenomena in Polymer Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Grant

2004-01-01

The first half of the project concentrated on molecular simulation studies of the translocation of model molecules for single-stranded DNA through a nanosized pore. This has resulted in the publication, Translocation of a polymer chain across a nanopore: A Brownian dynamics simulation study, by Pu Tian and Grant D. Smith, JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS VOLUME 119, NUMBER 21 1 DECEMBER 2003, which is attached to this report. In this work we carried out Brownian dynamics simulation studies of the translocation of single polymer chains across a nanosized pore under the driving of an applied field (chemical potential gradient) designed to mimic an electrostatic field. The translocation process can be either dominated by the entropic barrier resulted from restricted motion of flexible polymer chains or by applied forces (or chemical gradient). We focused on the latter case in our studies. Calculation of radius of gyration of the translocating chain at the two opposite sides of the wall shows that the polymer chains are not in equilibrium during the translocation process. Despite this fact, our results show that the one-dimensional diffusion and the nucleation model provide an excellent description of the dependence of average translocation time on the chemical potential gradients, the polymer chain length and the solvent viscosity. In good agreement with experimental results and theoretical predictions, the translocation time distribution of our simple model shows strong non-Gaussian characteristics. It is observed that even for this simple tube-like pore geometry, more than one peak of translocation time distribution can be generated for proper pore diameter and applied field strengths. Both repulsive Weeks-Chandler-Anderson and attractive Lennard-Jones polymer-nanopore interaction were studied. Attraction facilitates the translocation process by shortening the total translocation time and dramatically improve the capturing of polymer chain. The width of the translocation time distribution was found to decrease with increasing temperature, increasing field strength, and decreasing pore diameter.

Re-Introduction of Transmembrane Serine Residues Reduce the Minimum Pore Diameter of Channelrhodopsin-2

PubMed Central

Richards, Ryan; Dempski, Robert E.

2012-01-01

Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is a microbial-type rhodopsin found in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Under physiological conditions, ChR2 is an inwardly rectifying cation channel that permeates a wide range of mono- and divalent cations. Although this protein shares a high sequence homology with other microbial-type rhodopsins, which are ion pumps, ChR2 is an ion channel. A sequence alignment of ChR2 with bacteriorhodopsin, a proton pump, reveals that ChR2 lacks specific motifs and residues, such as serine and threonine, known to contribute to non-covalent interactions within transmembrane domains. We hypothesized that reintroduction of the eight transmembrane serine residues present in bacteriorhodopsin, but not in ChR2, will restrict the conformational flexibility and reduce the pore diameter of ChR2. In this work, eight single serine mutations were created at homologous positions in ChR2. Additionally, an endogenous transmembrane serine was replaced with alanine. We measured kinetics, changes in reversal potential, and permeability ratios in different alkali metal solutions using two-electrode voltage clamp. Applying excluded volume theory, we calculated the minimum pore diameter of ChR2 constructs. An analysis of the results from our experiments show that reintroducing serine residues into the transmembrane domain of ChR2 can restrict the minimum pore diameter through inter- and intrahelical hydrogen bonds while the removal of a transmembrane serine results in a larger pore diameter. Therefore, multiple positions along the intracellular side of the transmembrane domains contribute to the cation permeability of ChR2. PMID:23185520

Optimizing heterosurface adsorbent synthesis for liquid chromatography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogoslovskii, S. Yu.; Serdan, A. A.

2016-03-01

The structural and geometric parameters of a silica matrix (SM) for the synthesis of heterosurface adsorbents (HAs) are optimized. Modification is performed by shielding the external surfaces of alkyl-modified silica (AS) using human serum albumin and its subsequent crosslinking. The structural and geometric characteristics of the SM, AS, and HA are measured via low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. It is found that the structural characteristics of AS pores with diameters D < 6 nm do not change during HA synthesis, while the volume of pores with diameters of 6 nm < D < 9 nm shrinks slightly due to the adsorption of albumin in the pore orifices. It is established that the volume of pores with diameters D > 9 nm reduces significantly due to adsorption of albumin. It is concluded that silica gel with a maximum pore size distribution close to 5 nm and a minimal proportion of pores with D > 9 nm is optimal for HA synthesis; this allows us to achieve the greatest similarity between the chromatographic retention parameters for HA and AS. The suitability of the synthesized adsorbents for analyzing drugs in biological fluids through direct sample injection is confirmed by chromatography. It was found that the percentage of the protein fraction detected at the outlet of the chromatographic column is 98%.

Mouthpart conduit sizes of fluid-feeding insects determine the ability to feed from pores

DOE PAGES

Lehnert, Matthew S.; Bennett, Andrew; Reiter, Kristen E.; ...

2017-01-04

Fluid-feeding insects, such as butterflies, moths, and flies (20% of all animal species), are faced with the common selection pressure of having to remove and feed on trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces. Insects able to acquire fluids that are confined to pores during drought conditions would have an adaptive advantage and increased fitness over other individuals. Here we performed feeding trials using solutions with magnetic nanoparticles to show that butterflies and flies have mouthparts adapted to pull liquids from porous surfaces using capillary action as the governing principle. In addition, the ability to feed on the liquids collectedmore » from pores depends on a relationship between the diameter of the mouthpart conduits and substrate pore size diameter; insects with mouthpart conduit diameters larger than the pores cannot successfully feed, thus there is a limiting substrate pore size from which each species can acquire liquids for fluid uptake. In conclusion, given that natural selection independently favored mouthpart architectures that support these methods of fluid uptake (Diptera and Lepidoptera share a common ancestor 280 mya that had chewing mouthparts), we suggest that the convergence of this mechanism advocates this as an optimal strategy for pulling trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces.« less

Mouthpart conduit sizes of fluid-feeding insects determine the ability to feed from pores

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lehnert, Matthew S.; Bennett, Andrew; Reiter, Kristen E.

Fluid-feeding insects, such as butterflies, moths, and flies (20% of all animal species), are faced with the common selection pressure of having to remove and feed on trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces. Insects able to acquire fluids that are confined to pores during drought conditions would have an adaptive advantage and increased fitness over other individuals. Here we performed feeding trials using solutions with magnetic nanoparticles to show that butterflies and flies have mouthparts adapted to pull liquids from porous surfaces using capillary action as the governing principle. In addition, the ability to feed on the liquids collectedmore » from pores depends on a relationship between the diameter of the mouthpart conduits and substrate pore size diameter; insects with mouthpart conduit diameters larger than the pores cannot successfully feed, thus there is a limiting substrate pore size from which each species can acquire liquids for fluid uptake. In conclusion, given that natural selection independently favored mouthpart architectures that support these methods of fluid uptake (Diptera and Lepidoptera share a common ancestor 280 mya that had chewing mouthparts), we suggest that the convergence of this mechanism advocates this as an optimal strategy for pulling trace amounts of fluids from porous surfaces.« less

Lateral line pore diameters correlate with the development of gas bubble trauma signs in several Columbia River fishes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morris, R.G.; Beeman, J.W.; VanderKooi, S.P.; Maule, A.G.

2003-01-01

Gas bubble trauma (GBT) caused by gas supersaturation of river water continues to be a problem in the Columbia River Basin. A common indicator of GBT is the percent of the lateral line occluded with gas bubbles; however, this effect has never been examined in relation to lateral line morphology. The effects of 115, 125 and 130% total dissolved gas levels were evaluated on five fish species common to the upper Columbia River. Trunk lateral line pore diameters differed significantly (P<0.0001) among species (longnose sucker>largescale sucker>northern pikeminnow≥chinook salmon≥redside shiner). At all supersaturation levels evaluated, percent of lateral line occlusion exhibited an inverse correlation to pore size but was not generally related to total dissolved gas level or time of exposure. This study suggests that the differences in lateral line pore diameters between species should be considered when using lateral line occlusion as an indicator of gas bubble trauma.

High resolution masks for ion milling pores through substrates of biological interest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donovan, S. S.

1978-01-01

The feasibility was investigated of electrochemically oxidizing vapor deposited aluminum coatings to produce porous aluminum oxide coatings with submicron pore diameters and with straight channels normal to the substrate surface. Porous aluminum oxide coatings were produced from vapor deposited aluminum coatings on thin stainless steel (304), copper, Teflon (FEP) and Kapton substrates and also on pure aluminum substrates. Scanning electron microscope examination indicated that porous oxide coatings can be produced with straight channels, appropriate pore diameters and none or minimal intervening residual aluminum. The oxide coatings on the copper and Kapton substrates had the straightest channels and in general were superior to those fabricated on the other substrate materials. For oxide coatings fabricated at 600 V and 300 V, pore diameters were 0.4-0.6, and 0.3 micron with center-to-center spacing of 0.7-0.8, and 0.4 micron, respectively. Estimated direct labor and materials costs to prepare an oxide mask is anticipated to be about $4-$6 per square foot.

Scaffolds for bone regeneration made of hydroxyapatite microspheres in a collagen matrix.

PubMed

Cholas, Rahmatullah; Kunjalukkal Padmanabhan, Sanosh; Gervaso, Francesca; Udayan, Gayatri; Monaco, Graziana; Sannino, Alessandro; Licciulli, Antonio

2016-06-01

Biomimetic scaffolds with a structural and chemical composition similar to native bone tissue may be promising for bone tissue regeneration. In the present work hydroxyapatite mesoporous microspheres (mHA) were incorporated into collagen scaffolds containing an ordered interconnected macroporosity. The mHA were obtained by spray drying of a nano hydroxyapatite slurry prepared by the precipitation technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the microspheres were composed only of hydroxyapatite (HA) phase, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed the Ca/P ratio to be 1.69 which is near the value for pure HA. The obtained microspheres had an average diameter of 6 μm, a specific surface area of 40 m(2)/g as measured by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis showed a mesoporous structure with an average pore diameter of 16 nm. Collagen/HA-microsphere (Col/mHA) composite scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying followed by dehydrothermal crosslinking. SEM observations of Col/mHA scaffolds revealed HA microspheres embedded within a porous collagen matrix with a pore size ranging from a few microns up to 200 μm, which was also confirmed by histological staining of sections of paraffin embedded scaffolds. The compressive modulus of the composite scaffold at low and high strain values was 1.7 and 2.8 times, respectively, that of pure collagen scaffolds. Cell proliferation measured by the MTT assay showed more than a 3-fold increase in cell number within the scaffolds after 15 days of culture for both pure collagen scaffolds and Col/mHA composite scaffolds. Attractive properties of this composite scaffold include the potential to load the microspheres for drug delivery and the controllability of the pore structure at various length scales. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polarization-induced local pore-wall functionalization for biosensing: from micropore to nanopore.

PubMed

Liu, Jie; Pham, Pascale; Haguet, Vincent; Sauter-Starace, Fabien; Leroy, Loïc; Roget, André; Descamps, Emeline; Bouchet, Aurélie; Buhot, Arnaud; Mailley, Pascal; Livache, Thierry

2012-04-03

The use of biological-probe-modified solid-state pores in biosensing is currently hindered by difficulties in pore-wall functionalization. The surface to be functionalized is small and difficult to target and is usually chemically similar to the bulk membrane. Herein, we demonstrate the contactless electrofunctionalization (CLEF) approach and its mechanism. This technique enables the one-step local functionalization of the single pore wall fabricated in a silica-covered silicon membrane. CLEF is induced by polarization of the pore membrane in an electric field and requires a sandwich-like composition and a conducting or semiconducting core for the pore membrane. The defects in the silica layer of the micropore wall enable the creation of an electric pathway through the silica layer, which allows electrochemical reactions to take place locally on the pore wall. The pore diameter is not a limiting factor for local wall modification using CLEF. Nanopores with a diameter of 200 nm fabricated in a silicon membrane and covered with native silica layer have been successfully functionalized with this method, and localized pore-wall modification was obtained. Furthermore, through proof-of-concept experiments using ODN-modified nanopores, we show that functionalized nanopores are suitable for translocation-based biosensing.

Position-Dependent Dynamics Explain Pore-Averaged Diffusion in Strongly Attractive Adsorptive Systems.

PubMed

Krekelberg, William P; Siderius, Daniel W; Shen, Vincent K; Truskett, Thomas M; Errington, Jeffrey R

2017-12-12

Using molecular simulations, we investigate the relationship between the pore-averaged and position-dependent self-diffusivity of a fluid adsorbed in a strongly attractive pore as a function of loading. Previous work (Krekelberg, W. P.; Siderius, D. W.; Shen, V. K.; Truskett, T. M.; Errington, J. R. Connection between thermodynamics and dynamics of simple fluids in highly attractive pores. Langmuir 2013, 29, 14527-14535, doi: 10.1021/la4037327) established that pore-averaged self-diffusivity in the multilayer adsorption regime, where the fluid exhibits a dense film at the pore surface and a lower density interior pore region, is nearly constant as a function of loading. Here we show that this puzzling behavior can be understood in terms of how loading affects the fraction of particles that reside in the film and interior pore regions as well as their distinct dynamics. Specifically, the insensitivity of pore-averaged diffusivity to loading arises from the approximate cancellation of two factors: an increase in the fraction of particles in the higher diffusivity interior pore region with loading and a corresponding decrease in the particle diffusivity in that region. We also find that the position-dependent self-diffusivities scale with the position-dependent density. We present a model for predicting the pore-average self-diffusivity based on the position-dependent self-diffusivity, which captures the unusual characteristics of pore-averaged self-diffusivity in strongly attractive pores over several orders of magnitude.

Nanometer-Scale Pore Characteristics of Lacustrine Shale, Songliao Basin, NE China

PubMed Central

Wang, Min; Yang, Jinxiu; Wang, Zhiwei; Lu, Shuangfang

2015-01-01

In shale, liquid hydrocarbons are accumulated mainly in nanometer-scale pores or fractures, so the pore types and PSDs (pore size distributions) play a major role in the shale oil occurrence (free or absorbed state), amount of oil, and flow features. The pore types and PSDs of marine shale have been well studied; however, research on lacustrine shale is rare, especially for shale in the oil generation window, although lacustrine shale is deposited widely around the world. To investigate the relationship between nanometer-scale pores and oil occurrence in the lacustrine shale, 10 lacustrine shale core samples from Songliao Basin, NE China were analyzed. Analyses of these samples included geochemical measurements, SEM (scanning electron microscope) observations, low pressure CO2 and N2 adsorption, and high-pressure mercury injection experiments. Analysis results indicate that: (1) Pore types in the lacustrine shale include inter-matrix pores, intergranular pores, organic matter pores, and dissolution pores, and these pores are dominated by mesopores and micropores; (2) There is no apparent correlation between pore volumes and clay content, however, a weak negative correlation is present between total pore volume and carbonate content; (3) Pores in lacustrine shale are well developed when the organic matter maturity (Ro) is >1.0% and the pore volume is positively correlated with the TOC (total organic carbon) content. The statistical results suggest that oil in lacustrine shale mainly occurs in pores with diameters larger than 40 nm. However, more research is needed to determine whether this minimum pore diameter for oil occurrence in lacustrine shale is widely applicable. PMID:26285123

Nanometer-Scale Pore Characteristics of Lacustrine Shale, Songliao Basin, NE China.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Yang, Jinxiu; Wang, Zhiwei; Lu, Shuangfang

2015-01-01

In shale, liquid hydrocarbons are accumulated mainly in nanometer-scale pores or fractures, so the pore types and PSDs (pore size distributions) play a major role in the shale oil occurrence (free or absorbed state), amount of oil, and flow features. The pore types and PSDs of marine shale have been well studied; however, research on lacustrine shale is rare, especially for shale in the oil generation window, although lacustrine shale is deposited widely around the world. To investigate the relationship between nanometer-scale pores and oil occurrence in the lacustrine shale, 10 lacustrine shale core samples from Songliao Basin, NE China were analyzed. Analyses of these samples included geochemical measurements, SEM (scanning electron microscope) observations, low pressure CO2 and N2 adsorption, and high-pressure mercury injection experiments. Analysis results indicate that: (1) Pore types in the lacustrine shale include inter-matrix pores, intergranular pores, organic matter pores, and dissolution pores, and these pores are dominated by mesopores and micropores; (2) There is no apparent correlation between pore volumes and clay content, however, a weak negative correlation is present between total pore volume and carbonate content; (3) Pores in lacustrine shale are well developed when the organic matter maturity (Ro) is >1.0% and the pore volume is positively correlated with the TOC (total organic carbon) content. The statistical results suggest that oil in lacustrine shale mainly occurs in pores with diameters larger than 40 nm. However, more research is needed to determine whether this minimum pore diameter for oil occurrence in lacustrine shale is widely applicable.

Surface modification of nanoporous alumina layers by deposition of Ag nanoparticles. Effect of alumina pore diameter on the morphology of silver deposit and its influence on SERS activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisarek, Marcin; Nowakowski, Robert; Kudelski, Andrzej; Holdynski, Marcin; Roguska, Agata; Janik-Czachor, Maria; Kurowska-Tabor, Elżbieta; Sulka, Grzegorz D.

2015-12-01

Self-organized Al2O3 nanoporous/nanotubular (Al2O3-NP) oxide layers decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) exhibiting specific properties may serve as attractive SERS substrates for investigating the interactions between an adsorbate and adsorbent, or as stable platforms for detecting various organic compounds. This article presents the influence of the size of the alumina nanopores with a deposit of silver nanoparticles obtained by the magnetron sputtering technique on the morphology of silver film. Moreover, the effect of pore diameter on the intensity of SERS spectra in Ag-NPs/Al2O3-NP/Al composites has also been estimated. For such investigations we used pyridine as a probe molecule, since it has a large cross-section for Raman scattering. To characterize the morphology of the composite oxide layer Ag-NPs/Al2O3-NP/Al, before and after deposition of Ag-NPs by PVD methods (Physical Vapor Deposition), we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface analytical technique of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used to investigate the surface activity of the composite. The results obtained show that, for a carefully controlled amount of Ag (0.020 mg/cm2 - deposited on the top of alumina nanopores whose average size varies from ∼86 nm up to ∼320 nm) in the composites investigated, pore size significantly affects SERS enhancement. We obtained distinctly higher intensities of SERS spectra for substrates with an Ag-NPs deposit having a larger diameter of the alumina nanopores. AFM results suggest that both the lateral and perpendicular distribution of Ag-NPs within and on the top of the largest pores is responsible for the highest SERS activity of the resulting Ag-NPs/Al2O3-NP/Al composite layer, since it produces a variety of cavities and slits which function as resonators for the adsorbed molecules. The Ag-NPs/MeOx-NP/Me composite layers obtained ensure a good reproducibility of the SERS measurements.

Interaction between Proppant Packing, Reservoir Depletion, and Fluid Flow in Pore Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, M.; McClure, J. E.; Han, Y.; Chen, C.

2016-12-01

In the oil and gas industry, the performance of proppant pack in hydraulically created fractures has a significant influence on fracture conductivity. A better understanding of proppant transport and deposition pattern in a hydraulic fracture is vital for effective and economical production within oil and gas reservoirs. In this research, a numerical modeling approach, combining Particle Flow Code (PFC) and GPU-enhanced lattice Boltzmann simulator (GELBS), is adopted to advance the understanding of the interaction between proppant particle packing, depletion of reservoir formation, and transport of reservoir flow through the pore space. In this numerical work flow, PFC is used to simulate effective stress increase and proppant particle movement and rearrangement under increasing mechanical loading. The pore structure of the proppant pack evolves subsequently and the geometrical data are output for lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulation of proppant pack permeability. Three different proppant packs with fixed particle concentration and 12/18, 16/30, and 20/40 mesh sizes are generated. These proppant packs are compressed with specified loading stress and their subsequent geometries are used for fluid flow simulations. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental observations, e.g., the conductivity of proppant packs decreases with increasing effective stress. Three proppant packs with the same average diameter were generated using different coefficients of variation (COVs) for the proppant diameter (namely cov5%, cov20%, and cov30%). By using the coupled PFC-LBM work flow, the proppant pack permeability as functions of effective stress and porosity is investigated. The results show that the proppant pack with a higher proppant diameter COV has lower permeability and porosity under the same effective stress, because smaller particles fill in the pore space between bigger particles. The relationship between porosity and permeability is also consistent with the Kozeny-Carman equation. In addition, relative permeability curves are obtained using multiphase LB simulation to study non-wetting phase trapping, which will benefit production forecasting and interpretation of formation damage. This research provides an advantageous alternative to expensive laboratory experiments.

Application of SAXS and SANS in evaluation of porosity, pore size distribution and surface area of coal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Radlinski, A.P.; Mastalerz, Maria; Hinde, A.L.; Hainbuchner, M.; Rauch, H.; Baron, M.; Lin, J.S.; Fan, L.; Thiyagarajan, P.

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the applicability of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques for determining the porosity, pore size distribution and internal specific surface area in coals. The method is noninvasive, fast, inexpensive and does not require complex sample preparation. It uses coal grains of about 0.8 mm size mounted in standard pellets as used for petrographic studies. Assuming spherical pore geometry, the scattering data are converted into the pore size distribution in the size range 1 nm (10 A??) to 20 ??m (200,000 A??) in diameter, accounting for both open and closed pores. FTIR as well as SAXS and SANS data for seven samples of oriented whole coals and corresponding pellets with vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values in the range 0.55% to 5.15% are presented and analyzed. Our results demonstrate that pellets adequately represent the average microstructure of coal samples. The scattering data have been used to calculate the maximum surface area available for methane adsorption. Total porosity as percentage of sample volume is calculated and compared with worldwide trends. By demonstrating the applicability of SAXS and SANS techniques to determine the porosity, pore size distribution and surface area in coals, we provide a new and efficient tool, which can be used for any type of coal sample, from a thin slice to a representative sample of a thick seam. ?? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Catalyst for hydrotreating carbonaceous liquids

DOEpatents

Berg, Lloyd; McCandless, Frank P.; Ramer, Ronald J.

1982-01-01

A catalyst for denitrogenating and desulfurating carbonaceous liquid such as solvent refined coal includes catalytic metal oxides impregnated within a porous base of mostly alumina with relatively large pore diameters, surface area and pore volume. The base material includes pore volumes of 0.7-0.85 ml/g, surface areas of 200-350 m.sup.2 /g and pore diameters of 85-200 Angstroms. The catalytic metals impregnated into these base materials include the oxides of Group VI metals, molybdenum and tungsten, and the oxides of Group VIII metals, nickel and cobalt, in various combinations. These catalysts and bases in combination have effectively promoted the removal of chemically combined sulfur and nitrogen within a continuous flowing mixture of carbonaceous liquid and hydrogen gas.

Catalyst for coal liquefaction process

DOEpatents

Huibers, Derk T. A.; Kang, Chia-Chen C.

1984-01-01

An improved catalyst for a coal liquefaction process; e.g., the H-Coal Process, for converting coal into liquid fuels, and where the conversion is carried out in an ebullated-catalyst-bed reactor wherein the coal contacts catalyst particles and is converted, in addition to liquid fuels, to gas and residual oil which includes preasphaltenes and asphaltenes. The improvement comprises a catalyst selected from the group consisting of the oxides of nickel molybdenum, cobalt molybdenum, cobalt tungsten, and nickel tungsten on a carrier of alumina, silica, or a combination of alumina and silica. The catalyst has a total pore volume of about 0.500 to about 0.900 cc/g and the pore volume comprises micropores, intermediate pores and macropores, the surface of the intermediate pores being sufficiently large to convert the preasphaltenes to asphaltenes and lighter molecules. The conversion of the asphaltenes takes place on the surface of micropores. The macropores are for metal deposition and to prevent catalyst agglomeration. The micropores have diameters between about 50 and about 200 angstroms (.ANG.) and comprise from about 50 to about 80% of the pore volume, whereas the intermediate pores have diameters between about 200 and 2000 angstroms (.ANG.) and comprise from about 10 to about 25% of the pore volume, and the macropores have diameters between about 2000 and about 10,000 angstroms (.ANG.) and comprise from about 10 to about 25% of the pore volume. The catalysts are further improved where they contain promoters. Such promoters include the oxides of vanadium, tungsten, copper, iron and barium, tin chloride, tin fluoride and rare earth metals.

A zinc phthalocyanine based periodic mesoporous organosilica exhibiting charge transfer to fullerenes.

PubMed

Auras, Florian; Li, Yan; Löbermann, Florian; Döblinger, Markus; Schuster, Jörg; Peter, Laurence M; Trauner, Dirk; Bein, Thomas

2014-11-10

Periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials offer a strategy to position molecular semiconductors within a highly defined, porous network. We developed thin films of a new semiconducting zinc phthalocyanine-bridged PMO exhibiting a face-centered orthorhombic pore structure with an average pore diameter of 11 nm. The exceptional degree of order achieved with this PMO enabled us to create thin films consisting of a single porous domain throughout their entire thickness, thus providing maximal accessibility for subsequent incorporation of a complementary phase. The phthalocyanine building blocks inside the pore walls were found to be well-aggregated, enabling electronic conductivity and extending the light-harvesting capabilities to the near IR region. Ordered 3D heterojunctions capable of promoting photo-induced charge transfer were constructed by impregnation of the PMO with a fullerene derivative. When integrated into a photovoltaic device, the infiltrated PMO is capable of producing a high open-circuit voltage and a considerable photocurrent, which represents a significant step towards potential applications of PMOs in optoelectronics. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Niobium oxide nanocolumns formed via anodic alumina with modulated pore diameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pligovka, A.; Zakhlebayeva, A.; Lazavenka, A.

2018-03-01

Niobium oxide nanocolumns with modulated diameters were formed for the first time. An Al/Nb bilayer specimen was prepared by successive sputter-deposition of 300 nm niobium layer and 1200 nm aluminum layer onto silicon wafer. Regular anodic alumina matrix with modulated pore diameters was formed by sequential anodization of initial specimen in tartaric acid at 180 V, and in oxalic acid at 37 V. Further potentiodynamic reanodization of the specimen up to 400 V causes the simultaneous growth of 440 nm continuous niobium oxide layer beneath the alumina film and two types of an array of oxide nanocolumns (thick – with 100 nm width and 630 nm high and thin – with 25 nm width and 170 nm high), which are the filling of the alumina pores. The morphology of the formed anodic niobium oxide nanocolumns with modulated diameters was determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The formed nanostructures can be used for perspective devices of nano- and optoelectronics such as photonic crystals.

Thermoluminescence of the Films, Nanocomposites, and Solutions of the Silicon Organic Polymer Poly(di- n-hexyl silane)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostapenko, N. I.; Kerita, O. A.; Ostapenko, Yu. V.

2018-03-01

A comparative study of low-temperature thermoluminescence (5-120 K) of silicon organic polymer poly(di-n-hexyl silane) films, nanocomposites (when the polymer is introduced into nanopores of silica MCM-41 and SBA-15 with diameter of pores 2.8 and 10 nm) as well as solutions of polymer in tetrahydrofuran with different concentrations from 10-3 to 10-5 mol/L was carried out. It was shown that it is possible to control the number of charge carrier traps, as well as their energy distribution by changing the diameter of silica nanopores. It is established that maxima and FWHMs of the thermoluminescence curves of nanocomposites significantly depend on the pore diameter of the nanoporous silica. This result agrees with the data obtained in the investigation of polymer solutions. In the nanocomposite with a minimum pore diameter (2.8 nm), the number and depth of the traps as well as dispersion of their energy are significantly reduced compared to their values in the polymer film.

Longitudinally Controlled Modification of Cylindrical and Conical Track-Etched Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Pores Using an Electrochemically Assisted Click Reaction

DOE PAGES

Coceancigh, Herman; Tran-Ba, Khanh-Hoa; Siepser, Natasha; ...

2017-09-27

Here in this study, the longitudinally controlled modification of the inner surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched pores was explored using an electrochemically assisted Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction. Cylindrical or conical PET track-etched pores were first decorated with ethynyl groups via the amidation of surface -COOH groups, filled with a solution containing Cu(II) and azide-tagged fluorescent dye, and then sandwiched between comb-shaped and planar gold electrodes. Cu(I) was produced at the comb-shaped working electrode by the reduction of Cu(II); it diffused along the pores toward the other electrode and catalyzed CuAAC between an azide-tagged fluorescent dye and amore » pore-tethered ethynyl group. The modification efficiency of cylindrical pores (ca. 1 μm in diameter) was assessed from planar and cross-sectional fluorescence microscope images of modified membranes. Planar images showed that pore modification took place only above the teeth of the comb-shaped electrode with a higher reaction yield for longer Cu(II) reduction times. Cross-sectional images revealed micrometer-scale gradient modification along the pore axis, which reflected a Cu(I) concentration profile within the pores, as supported by finite-element computer simulations. The reported approach was applicable to the asymmetric modification of cylindrical pores with two different fluorescent dyes in the opposite directions and also for the selective visualization of the tip and base openings of conical pores (ca. 3.5 μm in base diameter and ca. 1 μm in tip diameter). Lastly, the method based on electrochemically assisted CuAAC provides a controlled means to fabricate asymmetrically modified nanoporous membranes and, in the future, will be applicable for chemical separations and the development of sequential catalytic reactors.« less

Longitudinally Controlled Modification of Cylindrical and Conical Track-Etched Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Pores Using an Electrochemically Assisted Click Reaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coceancigh, Herman; Tran-Ba, Khanh-Hoa; Siepser, Natasha

Here in this study, the longitudinally controlled modification of the inner surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched pores was explored using an electrochemically assisted Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction. Cylindrical or conical PET track-etched pores were first decorated with ethynyl groups via the amidation of surface -COOH groups, filled with a solution containing Cu(II) and azide-tagged fluorescent dye, and then sandwiched between comb-shaped and planar gold electrodes. Cu(I) was produced at the comb-shaped working electrode by the reduction of Cu(II); it diffused along the pores toward the other electrode and catalyzed CuAAC between an azide-tagged fluorescent dye and amore » pore-tethered ethynyl group. The modification efficiency of cylindrical pores (ca. 1 μm in diameter) was assessed from planar and cross-sectional fluorescence microscope images of modified membranes. Planar images showed that pore modification took place only above the teeth of the comb-shaped electrode with a higher reaction yield for longer Cu(II) reduction times. Cross-sectional images revealed micrometer-scale gradient modification along the pore axis, which reflected a Cu(I) concentration profile within the pores, as supported by finite-element computer simulations. The reported approach was applicable to the asymmetric modification of cylindrical pores with two different fluorescent dyes in the opposite directions and also for the selective visualization of the tip and base openings of conical pores (ca. 3.5 μm in base diameter and ca. 1 μm in tip diameter). Lastly, the method based on electrochemically assisted CuAAC provides a controlled means to fabricate asymmetrically modified nanoporous membranes and, in the future, will be applicable for chemical separations and the development of sequential catalytic reactors.« less

Effect of ordered intermediate porosity on ion transport in hierarchically nanoporous electrodes.

PubMed

Chae, Weon-Sik; Gough, Dara Van; Ham, Sung-Kyoung; Robinson, David B; Braun, Paul V

2012-08-01

The high surface area of nanoporous electrodes makes them promising for use in electrochemical double-layer supercapacitors, desalination and pollution remediation, and drug delivery applications. When designed well and operating near their peak power, their charging rates are limited by ion transport through their long, narrow pores. This can be alleviated by creating pores of intermediate diameter that penetrate the electrode. We have fabricated electrodes featuring these by creating colloidal crystal-templated opals of nanoporous gold formed by dealloying. The resulting electrodes contain a bimodal pore-size distribution, with large pores on the order of several 100 nm and small pores on the order of 10 nm. Electrochemical impedance spectrometry shows that porous gold opals sacrifice some capacitance, but possess a lower internal resistance, when compared to a porous gold electrode with only the smaller-diameter pores. The architectural flexibility of this approach provides a greater ability to design a balance between power density and energy density.

Size Control of Porous Silicon-Based Nanoparticles via Pore-Wall Thinning.

PubMed

Secret, Emilie; Leonard, Camille; Kelly, Stefan J; Uhl, Amanda; Cozzan, Clayton; Andrew, Jennifer S

2016-02-02

Photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals are very attractive for biomedical and electronic applications. Here a new process is presented to synthesize photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals with diameters smaller than 6 nm from a porous silicon template. These nanoparticles are formed using a pore-wall thinning approach, where the as-etched porous silicon layer is partially oxidized to silica, which is dissolved by a hydrofluoric acid solution, decreasing the pore-wall thickness. This decrease in pore-wall thickness leads to a corresponding decrease in the size of the nanocrystals that make up the pore walls, resulting in the formation of smaller nanoparticles during sonication of the porous silicon. Particle diameters were measured using dynamic light scattering, and these values were compared with the nanocrystallite size within the pore wall as determined from X-ray diffraction. Additionally, an increase in the quantum confinement effect is observed for these particles through an increase in the photoluminescence intensity of the nanoparticles compared with the as-etched nanoparticles, without the need for a further activation step by oxidation after synthesis.

Relationship between aneurysm occlusion and flow diverting device oversizing in a rabbit model.

PubMed

Hodis, Simona; Ding, Yong-Hong; Dai, Daying; Lingineni, Ravi; Mut, Fernando; Cebral, Juan; Kallmes, David; Kadirvel, Ramanathan

2016-01-01

Implanted, actual flow diverter pore density is thought to be strongly influenced by proper matching between the device size and parent artery diameter. The objective of this study was to characterize the correlation between device sizing, metal coverage, and the resultant occlusion of aneurysms following flow diverter treatment in a rabbit model. Rabbit saccular aneurysms were treated with flow diverters (iso-sized to proximal parent artery, 0.5 mm oversized, or 1.0 mm oversized, respectively, n=6 for each group). Eight weeks after implantation, the angiographic degree of aneurysm occlusion was graded (complete, near-complete, or incomplete). The ostium of the explanted aneurysm covered with the flow diverter struts was photographed. Based on gross anatomic findings, the metal coverage and pore density at the ostium of the aneurysm were calculated and correlated with the degree of aneurysm occlusion. Angiographic results showed there were no statistically significant differences in aneurysm geometry and occlusion among groups. The mean parent artery diameter to flow diverter diameter ratio was higher in the 1.0 mm oversized group than in the other groups. Neither the percentage metal coverage nor the pore density showed statistically significant differences among groups. Aneurysm occlusion was inversely correlated with the ostium diameter, irrespective of the size of the device implanted. Device sizing alone does not predict resultant pore density or metal coverage following flow diverter implantation in the rabbit aneurysm model. Aneurysm occlusion was not impacted by either metal coverage or pore density, but was inversely correlated with the diameter of the ostium. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Effect of Stepwise Pressure Change on Porosity Evolution during Directional Solidification in Small Cylindrical Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R.N.; Lee, C.P.; Cox, M.C.; Blandford, B.T.; Anilkumar, A.V.

2008-01-01

Controlled directional solidification experiments were performed in capillary channels, using nitrogen-saturated succinonitrile, to examine the effect of an in-situ stepwise processing pressure increase on an isolated pore evolution. Two experiments were performed using different processing pressure input profiles. The results indicate that a processing pressure increase has a transient effect on pore growth geometry characterized by an initial phase of decreasing pore diameter, followed by a recovery phase of increasing pore diameter. The experimental results also show that processing pressure can be used as a control parameter to either increase or terminate porosity formation. A theoretical model is introduced which indicates that the pore formation process is limited by the diffusion of solute-gas through the melt, and that the observed response toa pressure increase is attributed to the re-equilibration of solute concentration in the melt associated with the increased melt pressure.

Nanoporous Polymer Films of Cyanate Ester Resins Designed by Using Ionic Liquids as Porogens.

PubMed

Fainleib, Alexander; Vashchuk, Alina; Starostenko, Olga; Grigoryeva, Olga; Rogalsky, Sergiy; Nguyen, Thi-Thanh-Tam; Grande, Daniel

2017-12-01

Novel nanoporous film materials of thermostable cyanate ester resins (CERs) were generated by polycyclotrimerization of dicyanate ester of bisphenol E in the presence of varying amounts (from 20 to 40 wt%) of an ionic liquid (IL), i.e., 1-heptylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, followed by its quantitative extraction after complete CER network formation. The completion of CER formation and IL extraction was assessed using gel fraction content determination, FTIR, 1 H NMR, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). SEM and DSC-based thermoporometry analyses demonstrated the formation of nanoporous structures after IL removal from CER networks, thus showing the effective role of IL as a porogen. Pore sizes varied from ~20 to ~180 nm with an average pore diameter of around 45-60 nm depending on the initial IL content. The thermal stability of nanoporous CER-based films was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis.

Selection of metal oxides in the preparation of rice husk ash (RHA)/CaO sorbent for simultaneous SO2 and NO removal.

PubMed

Dahlan, Irvan; Lee, Keat Teong; Kamaruddin, Azlina Harun; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman

2009-07-30

In this work, the removal of SO(2) and NO from simulated flue gas from combustion process was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor using rice husk ash (RHA)/CaO-based sorbent. Various metal precursors were used in order to select the best metal impregnated over RHA/CaO sorbents. The results showed that RHA/CaO sorbents impregnated with CeO(2) had the highest sorption capacity among other impregnated metal oxides for the simultaneous removal of SO(2) and NO. Infrared spectroscopic results indicated the formation of both sulfate (SO(4)(2-)) and nitrate (NO(3)(-)) species due to the catalytic role played by CeO(2). Apart from that, the catalytic activity of the RHA/CaO/CeO(2) sorbent was found to be closely related to its physical properties (specific surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter).

Method of preparing doped oxide catalysts for lean NOx exhaust

DOEpatents

Park, Paul W.

2004-03-09

The lean NOx catalyst includes a substrate, an oxide support material, preferably .gamma.-alumina deposited on the substrate and a metal or metal oxide promoter or dopant introduced into the oxide support material. The metal promoters or dopants are selected from the group consisting of indium, gallium, tin, silver, germanium, gold, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, chromium cerium, and vanadium, and oxides thereof, and any combinations thereof. The .gamma.-alumina preferably has a pore volume of from about 0.5 to about 2.0 cc/g; a surface area of between 80 and 350 m.sup.2 /g; an average pore size diameter of between about 3 to 30 nm; and an impurity level of less than or equal to about 0.2 weight percent. In a preferred embodiment the .gamma.-alumina is prepared by a sol-gel method, with the metal doping of the .gamma.-alumina preferably accomplished using an incipient wetness impregnation technique.

Nanoporous Polymer Films of Cyanate Ester Resins Designed by Using Ionic Liquids as Porogens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fainleib, Alexander; Vashchuk, Alina; Starostenko, Olga; Grigoryeva, Olga; Rogalsky, Sergiy; Nguyen, Thi-Thanh-Tam; Grande, Daniel

2017-02-01

Novel nanoporous film materials of thermostable cyanate ester resins (CERs) were generated by polycyclotrimerization of dicyanate ester of bisphenol E in the presence of varying amounts (from 20 to 40 wt%) of an ionic liquid (IL), i.e., 1-heptylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate, followed by its quantitative extraction after complete CER network formation. The completion of CER formation and IL extraction was assessed using gel fraction content determination, FTIR, 1H NMR, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). SEM and DSC-based thermoporometry analyses demonstrated the formation of nanoporous structures after IL removal from CER networks, thus showing the effective role of IL as a porogen. Pore sizes varied from 20 to 180 nm with an average pore diameter of around 45-60 nm depending on the initial IL content. The thermal stability of nanoporous CER-based films was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis.

Benchmarking density functional theory predictions of framework structures and properties in a chemically diverse test set of metal-organic frameworks

DOE PAGES

Nazarian, Dalar; Ganesh, P.; Sholl, David S.

2015-09-30

We compiled a test set of chemically and topologically diverse Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with high accuracy experimentally derived crystallographic structure data. The test set was used to benchmark the performance of Density Functional Theory (DFT) functionals (M06L, PBE, PW91, PBE-D2, PBE-D3, and vdW-DF2) for predicting lattice parameters, unit cell volume, bonded parameters and pore descriptors. On average PBE-D2, PBE-D3, and vdW-DF2 predict more accurate structures, but all functionals predicted pore diameters within 0.5 Å of the experimental diameter for every MOF in the test set. The test set was also used to assess the variance in performance of DFT functionalsmore » for elastic properties and atomic partial charges. The DFT predicted elastic properties such as minimum shear modulus and Young's modulus can differ by an average of 3 and 9 GPa for rigid MOFs such as those in the test set. Moreover, we calculated the partial charges by vdW-DF2 deviate the most from other functionals while there is no significant difference between the partial charges calculated by M06L, PBE, PW91, PBE-D2 and PBE-D3 for the MOFs in the test set. We find that while there are differences in the magnitude of the properties predicted by the various functionals, these discrepancies are small compared to the accuracy necessary for most practical applications.« less

Preparation and Characterization of Silica Aerogel Microspheres

PubMed Central

Chen, Qifeng; Wang, Hui; Sun, Luyi

2017-01-01

Silica aerogel microspheres based on alkali silica sol were synthesized using the emulsion method. The experimental results revealed that the silica aerogel microspheres (4–20 µm in diameter) were mesoporous solids with an average pore diameter ranging from 6 to 35 nm. The tapping densities and specific surface areas of the aerogel microspheres are in the range of 0.112–0.287 g/cm3 and 207.5–660.6 m2/g, respectively. The diameter of the silica aerogel microspheres could be tailored by varying the processing conditions including agitation rate, water/oil ratio, mass ratio of Span 80: Tween 80, and emulsifier concentration. The effects of these parameters on the morphology and textural properties of the synthesized silica aerogel microspheres were systematically investigated. Such silica aerogel microspheres can be used to prepare large-scale silica aerogels at an ambient pressure for applications in separation and high efficiency catalysis, which requires features of high porosity and easy fill and recovery. PMID:28772795

Cytocompatibility of electrospun nanofiber tubular scaffolds for small diameter tissue engineering blood vessels.

PubMed

Xiang, Ping; Li, Min; Zhang, Chao-ying; Chen, Deng-long; Zhou, Zhi-hua

2011-10-01

A tubular scaffold was fabricated by using electrospun polymer solution blends of pNSR32 (recombinant spider silk protein), PCL (polycaprolactone) and Gt (gelatin). The physicochemical properties and cytocompatibility of these scaffolds were investigated. Afterwards, the pNSR32/PCL/Gt tubular scaffold (inner diameter=3mm) showed high porosity of 86.2 ± 2.9%, pore size of 2423 ± 979nm and average fibre diameter of 166 ± 85nm. Water uptake and contact angle of the scaffolds reached 112.0 ± 4.4% and 45.7 ± 13.7°, respectively. SDRAECs (Sprague Dawley Rat Aortic Endothelial Cells) grew and proliferated well and phenotype could be maintained on the composite scaffolds after they had been cultured on the composite scaffolds for 7 days. Compared with pure PCL scaffolds a greater density of viable cells was seen on the composites, especially the pNSR32/PCL/Gt scaffolds. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Preparation and Characterization of Silica Aerogel Microspheres.

PubMed

Chen, Qifeng; Wang, Hui; Sun, Luyi

2017-04-20

Silica aerogel microspheres based on alkali silica sol were synthesized using the emulsion method. The experimental results revealed that the silica aerogel microspheres (4-20 µm in diameter) were mesoporous solids with an average pore diameter ranging from 6 to 35 nm. The tapping densities and specific surface areas of the aerogel microspheres are in the range of 0.112-0.287 g/cm³ and 207.5-660.6 m²/g, respectively. The diameter of the silica aerogel microspheres could be tailored by varying the processing conditions including agitation rate, water/oil ratio, mass ratio of Span 80: Tween 80, and emulsifier concentration. The effects of these parameters on the morphology and textural properties of the synthesized silica aerogel microspheres were systematically investigated. Such silica aerogel microspheres can be used to prepare large-scale silica aerogels at an ambient pressure for applications in separation and high efficiency catalysis, which requires features of high porosity and easy fill and recovery.

Optimization of calcium carbonate content on synthesis of aluminum foam and its compressive strength characteristic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutarno, Nugraha, Bagja; Kusharjanto

2017-01-01

One of the most important characteristic of aluminum foam is compressive strength, which is reflected by its impact energy and Young's modulus. In the present research, optimization of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content in the synthesized aluminum foam in order to obtain the highest compressive strength was carried out. The results of this study will be used to determine the CaCO3 content synthesis process parameter in pilot plant scale production of an aluminum foam. The experiment was performed by varying the concentration of calcium carbonate content, which was used as foaming agent, at constant alumina concentration (1.5 wt%), which was added as stabilizer, and temperature (725°C). It was found that 4 wt% CaCO3 gave the lowest relative density, which was 0.15, and the highest porosity, which was 85.29%, and compressive strength of as high as 0.26 Mpa. The pore morphology of the obtained aluminum foam at such condition was as follow: the average pore diameter was 4.42 mm, the wall thickness minimum of the pore was 83.24 µm, roundness of the pore was 0.91. Based on the fractal porosity, the compressive strength was inversely proportional to the porosity and huddled on a power law value of 2.91.

Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition in cylindrical nanopores.

PubMed

Lazzara, Thomas D; Lau, K H Aaron; Abou-Kandil, Ahmed I; Caminade, Anne-Marie; Majoral, Jean-Pierre; Knoll, Wolfgang

2010-07-27

Layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes within nanopores in terms of the pore size and the ionic strength was experimentally studied. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes, which have aligned, cylindrical, nonintersecting pores, were used as a model nanoporous system. Furthermore, the AAO membranes were also employed as planar optical waveguides to enable in situ monitoring of the LbL process within the nanopores by optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS). Structurally well-defined N,N-disubstituted hydrazine phosphorus-containing dendrimers of the fourth generation, with peripherally charged groups and diameters of approximately 7 nm, were used as the model polyelectrolytes. The pore diameter of the AAO was varied between 30-116 nm and the ionic strength was varied over 3 orders of magnitude. The dependence of the deposited layer thickness on ionic strength within the nanopores is found to be significantly stronger than LbL deposition on a planar surface. Furthermore, deposition within the nanopores can become inhibited even if the pore diameter is much larger than the diameter of the G4-polyelectrolyte, or if the screening length is insignificant relative to the dendrimer diameter at high ionic strengths. Our results will aid in the template preparation of polyelectrolyte multilayer nanotubes, and our experimental approach may be useful for investigating theories regarding the partitioning of nano-objects within nanopores where electrostatic interactions are dominant. Furthermore, we show that the enhanced ionic strength dependence of polyelectrolyte transport within the nanopores can be used to selectively deposit a LbL multilayer atop a nanoporous substrate.

Macromolecular shape and interactions in layer-by-layer assemblies within cylindrical nanopores.

PubMed

Lazzara, Thomas D; Lau, K H Aaron; Knoll, Wolfgang; Janshoff, Andreas; Steinem, Claudia

2012-01-01

Layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes and proteins within the cylindrical nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes was studied by optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS). AAO has aligned cylindrical, nonintersecting pores with a defined pore diameter d(0) and functions as a planar optical waveguide so as to monitor, in situ, the LbL process by OWS. The LbL deposition of globular proteins, i.e., avidin and biotinylated bovine serum albumin was compared with that of linear polyelectrolytes (linear-PEs), both species being of similar molecular weight. LbL deposition within the cylindrical AAO geometry for different pore diameters (d(0) = 25-80 nm) for the various macromolecular species, showed that the multilayer film growth was inhibited at different maximum numbers of LbL steps (n(max)). The value of n(max) was greatest for linear-PEs, while proteins had a lower value. The cylindrical pore geometry imposes a physical limit to LbL growth such that n(max) is strongly dependent on the overall internal structure of the LbL film. For all macromolecular species, deposition was inhibited in native AAO, having pores of d(0) = 25-30 nm. Both, OWS and scanning electron microscopy showed that LbL growth in larger AAO pores (d(0) > 25-30 nm) became inhibited when approaching a pore diameter of d(eff,n_max) = 25-35 nm, a similar size to that of native AAO pores, with d(0) = 25-30 nm. For a reasonable estimation of d(eff,n_max), the actual volume occupied by a macromolecular assembly must be taken into consideration. The results clearly show that electrostatic LbL allowed for compact macromolecular layers, whereas proteins formed loosely packed multilayers.

Fabrication and Characterization of Single Phase α-Alumina Membranes with Tunable Pore Diameters

PubMed Central

Masuda, Tatsuya; Asoh, Hidetaka; Haraguchi, Satoshi; Ono, Sachiko

2015-01-01

Nanoporous and single phase α-alumina membranes with pore diameters tunable over a wide range of approximately 60–350 nm were successfully fabricated by optimizing the conditions for anodizing, subsequent detachment, and heat treatment. The pore diameter increased and the cell diameter shrunk upon crystallization to α-alumina by approximately 20% and 3%, respectively, in accordance with the 23% volume shrinkage resulting from the change in density associated with the transformation from the amorphous state to α-alumina. Nevertheless, flat α-alumina membranes, each with a diameter of 25 mm and a thickness of 50 μm, were obtained without thermal deformation. The α-alumina membranes exhibited high chemical resistance in various concentrated acidic and alkaline solutions as well as when exposed to high temperature steam under pressure. The Young’s modulus and hardness of the single phase α-alumina membranes formed by heat treatment at 1250 °C were notably decreased compared to the corresponding amorphous membranes, presumably because of the nodular crystallite structure of the cell walls and the substantial increase in porosity. Furthermore, when used for filtration, the α-alumina membrane exhibited a level of flux higher than that of the commercial ceramic membrane. PMID:28788005

Improving molten fluoride salt and Xe135 barrier property of nuclear graphite by phenolic resin impregnation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Zhao; Lian, Pengfei; Song, Yan; Liu, Zhanjun; Song, Jinliang; Zhang, Junpeng; Feng, Jing; Yan, Xi; Guo, Quangui

2018-02-01

A densification process has been conducted on isostatic graphite (IG-110, TOYO TANSO CO., Ltd., Japan) by impregnating phenolic resin to get the densified isostatic graphite (D-IG-110) with pore diameter of nearly 11 nm specifically for molten salt reactor application. The microstructure, mechanical, thermophysical and other properties of graphite were systematically investigated and compared before and after the densification process. The molten fluoride salt and Xe135 penetration in the graphite were evaluated in a high-pressure reactor and a vacuum device, respectively. Results indicated that D-IG-110 exhibited improved properties including infiltration resistance to molten fluoride salt and Xe135 as compared to IG-110 due to its low porosity of 2.8%, the average pore diameter of 11 nm and even smaller open pores on the surface of the graphite. The fluoride salt infiltration amount of IG-110 was 13.5 wt% under 1.5 atm and tended to be saturated under 3 atm with the fluoride salt occupation of 14.8 wt%. As to the D-IG-110, no salts could be detected even up to 10 atm attempted loading. The helium diffusion coefficient of D-IG-110 was 6.92 × 10-8 cm2/s, significantly less than 1.21 × 10-2 cm2/s of IG-110. If these as-produced properties for impregnated D-IG-110 could be retained during MSR operation, the material could prove effective at inhibiting molten fluoride salt and Xe135 inventories in the graphite.

Production of multi-, oligo- and single-pore membranes using a continuous ion beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apel, P. Yu.; Ivanov, O. M.; Lizunov, N. E.; Mamonova, T. I.; Nechaev, A. N.; Olejniczak, K.; Vacik, J.; Dmitriev, S. N.

2015-12-01

Ion track membranes (ITM) have attracted significant interest over the past two decades due to their numerous applications in physical, biological, chemical, biochemical and medical experimental works. A particular feature of ITM technology is the possibility to fabricate samples with a predetermined number of pores, including single-pore membranes. The present report describes a procedure that allowed for the production of multi-, oligo- and single-pore membranes using a continuous ion beam from an IC-100 cyclotron. The beam was scanned over a set of small diaphragms, from 17 to ∼1000 μm in diameter. Ions passed through the apertures and impinged two sandwiched polymer foils, with the total thickness close to the ion range in the polymer. The foils were pulled across the ion beam at a constant speed. The ratio between the transport speed and the scanning frequency determined the distance between irradiation spots. The beam intensity and the aperture diameters were adjusted such that either several, one or no ions passed through the diaphragms during one half-period of scanning. After irradiation, the lower foil was separated from the upper foil and was etched to obtain pores 6-8 μm in diameter. The pores were found using a color chemical reaction between two reagents placed on opposite sides of the foil. The located pores were further confirmed using SEM and optical microscopy. The numbers of tracks in the irradiation spots were consistent with the Poisson statistics. Samples with single or few tracks obtained in this way were employed to study fine phenomena in ion track nanopores.

Mineralogical and microstructural studies of mortars from the bath complex of the Roman villa rustica near Mosnje (Slovenia)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kramar, Sabina, E-mail: sabina.kramar@rescen.si; Zalar, Vesna; Urosevic, Maja

This study deals with the characterization of mortars collected from bath complex of the Roman villa rustica from an archeological site near Mosnje (Slovenia). The mortar layers of the mosaics, wall paintings and mortar floors were investigated. A special aggregate consisting of brick fragments was present in the mortars studied. The mineralogical and petrographic compositions of the mortars were determined by means of optical microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. Analysis of aggregate-binder interfaces using SEM-EDS revealed various types of reactivity rims. In order to assess the hydraulic characteristics of the mortars, the acid-soluble fractions were determined by ICP-OES.more » Furthermore, the results of Hg-porosimetry and gas sorption isotherms showed that mortars with a higher content of brick fragments particles exhibited a higher porosity and a greater BET surface area but a lower average pore diameter compared to mortars lacking this special aggregate. - Highlights: {yields} Mineral and microstructural characterizations of brick-lime mortars. {yields} Hydraulic character of mortars in Roman baths complex. {yields} Reaction rims were observed around brick fragments and dolomitic grains. {yields} Higher content of brick particles yielded a higher BET surface area. {yields} Addition of brick particles increased porosity and diminished pore size diameter.« less

Quantitative analysis of vascular colonisation and angio-conduction in porous silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite with various pore shapes in a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model.

PubMed

Magnaudeix, Amandine; Usseglio, Julie; Lasgorceix, Marie; Lalloue, Fabrice; Damia, Chantal; Brie, Joël; Pascaud-Mathieu, Patricia; Champion, Eric

2016-07-01

The development of scaffolds for bone filling of large defects requires an understanding of angiogenesis and vascular guidance, which are crucial processes for bone formation and healing. There are few investigations on the ability of a scaffold to support blood vessel guidance and it this is of great importance because it relates to the quality and dispersion of the blood vessel network. This work reports an analysis of vascularisation of porous silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite (SiHA) bioceramics and the effects of pore shape on vascular guidance using an expedient ex ovo model, the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Image analysis of vascularised implants assessed the vascular density, fractal dimension and diameter of blood vessels at two different scales (the whole ceramic and pores alone) and was performed on model SiHA ceramics harbouring pores of various cross-sectional geometries (circles, square, rhombus, triangles and stars). SiHA is a biocompatible material which allows the conduction of blood vessels on its surface. The presence of pores did not influence angiogenesis related-parameters (arborisation, fractal dimension) but pore geometry affected the blood vessel guidance and angio-conductive potential (diameter and number of the blood vessels converging toward the pores). The measured angles of pore cross-section modulated the number and diameter of blood vessels converging to pores, with triangular pores appearing of particular interest. This result will be used for shaping ceramic scaffolds with specific porous architecture to promote vascular colonisation and osteointegration. An expedient and efficient method, using chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays, has been set up to characterise quantitatively the angiogenesis and the vascular conduction in scaffolds. This approach complements the usual cell culture assays and could replace to a certain extent in vivo experiments. It was applied to silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite porous bioceramics with various pore shapes. The material was found to be biocompatible, allowing the conduction of blood vessels on its surface. The presence of pores does not influence the angiogenesis but the pore shape affects the blood vessel guidance and angio-conductive potential. Pores with triangular cross-section appear particularly attractive for the further design of scaffolds in order to promote their vascular colonisation and osteointegration and improve their performances. Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Nano-SiO₂ on the Hydration and Microstructure of Portland Cement.

PubMed

Wang, Liguo; Zheng, Dapeng; Zhang, Shupeng; Cui, Hongzhi; Li, Dongxu

2016-12-15

This paper systematically studied the modification of cement-based materials by nano-SiO₂ particles with an average diameter of about 20 nm. In order to obtain the effect of nano-SiO₂ particles on the mechanical properties, hydration, and pore structure of cement-based materials, adding 1%, 3%, and 5% content of nano-SiO₂ in cement paste, respectively. The results showed that the reaction of nano-SiO₂ particles with Ca(OH)₂ (crystal powder) started within 1 h, and formed C-S-H gel. The reaction speed was faster after aging for three days. The mechanical properties of cement-based materials were improved with the addition of 3% nano-SiO₂, and the early strength enhancement of test pieces was obvious. Three-day compressive strength increased 33.2%, and 28-day compressive strength increased 18.5%. The exothermic peak of hydration heat of cement increased significantly after the addition of nano-SiO₂. Appearance time of the exothermic peak was advanced and the total heat release increased. Thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) analysis showed that nano-SiO₂ promoted the formation of C-S-H gel. The results of mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) showed that the total porosity of cement paste with 3% nano-SiO₂ was reduced by 5.51% and 5.4% at three days and 28 days, respectively, compared with the pure cement paste. At the same time, the pore structure of cement paste was optimized, and much-detrimental pores and detrimental pores decreased, while less harmful pores and innocuous pores increased.

Propagation of detonation wave in hydrogen-air mixture in channels with sound-absorbing surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bivol, G. Yu.; Golovastov, S. V.; Golub, V. V.

2015-12-01

The possibility of using sound-absorbing surfaces for attenuating the intensity of detonation waves propagating in hydrogen-air mixtures has been experimentally studied in a cylindrical detonation tube open at one end, with an explosive initiated by spark discharge at the closed end. Sound-absorbing elements were made of an acoustic-grade foamed rubber with density of 0.035 g/cm3 containing open pores with an average diameter of 0.5 mm. The degree of attenuation of the detonation wave front velocity was determined as dependent on the volume fraction of hydrogen in the gas mixture.

Electrochemical Growth of Single-Crystal Metal Nanowires via a Two-Dimensional Nucleation and Growth Mechanism.

PubMed

Tian, Mingliang; Wang, Jinguo; Kurtz, James; Mallouk, Thomas E; Chan, M H W

2003-07-01

Metallic nanowires (Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Co, and Rh) with an average diameter of 40 nm and a length of 3-5 μm have been fabricated by electrodeposition in the pores of track-etched polycarbonate membranes. Structural characterizations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction showed that nanowires of Au, Ag, and Cu are single-crystalline with a preferred [111] orientation, whereas Ni, Co, and Rh wires are polycrystalline. Possible mechanisms responsible for nucleation and growth for single-crystal noble metals versus polycrystalline group VIII-B metals are discussed.

Ion transport in sub-5-nm graphene nanopores.

PubMed

Suk, Myung E; Aluru, N R

2014-02-28

Graphene nanopore is a promising device for single molecule sensing, including DNA bases, as its single atom thickness provides high spatial resolution. To attain high sensitivity, the size of the molecule should be comparable to the pore diameter. However, when the pore diameter approaches the size of the molecule, ion properties and dynamics may deviate from the bulk values and continuum analysis may not be accurate. In this paper, we investigate the static and dynamic properties of ions with and without an external voltage drop in sub-5-nm graphene nanopores using molecular dynamics simulations. Ion concentration in graphene nanopores sharply drops from the bulk concentration when the pore radius is smaller than 0.9 nm. Ion mobility in the pore is also smaller than bulk ion mobility due to the layered liquid structure in the pore-axial direction. Our results show that a continuum analysis can be appropriate when the pore radius is larger than 0.9 nm if pore conductivity is properly defined. Since many applications of graphene nanopores, such as DNA and protein sensing, involve ion transport, the results presented here will be useful not only in understanding the behavior of ion transport but also in designing bio-molecular sensors.

Macroporous Silica with Thick Framework for Steam-Stable and High-Performance Poly(ethyleneimine)/Silica CO2 Adsorbent.

PubMed

Min, Kyungmin; Choi, Woosung; Choi, Minkee

2017-06-09

Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)/silica has been widely studied as a solid adsorbent for post-combustion CO 2 capture. In this work, a highly macroporous silica (MacS), synthesized by secondary sintering of fumed silica, is compared with various mesoporous silicas with different pore structures as a support for PEI. The silicas with large pore diameter and volume enabled high CO 2 adsorption kinetics and capacity, because pore occlusion by the supported PEI was minimized. The steam stability of the silica structures increased with the silica wall thickness owing to suppressed framework ripening. The silicas with low steam stability showed rapid leaching of PEI, which indicated that the PEI squeezed out of the collapsed silica pores leached more readily. Consequently, MacS that had an extra-large pore volume (1.80 cm 3  g -1 ) and pore diameter (56.0 nm), and a thick wall (>10 nm), showed the most promising CO 2 adsorption kinetics and capacity as well as steam stability. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Porous structure and fluid partitioning in polyethylene cores from 3D X-ray microtomographic imaging.

PubMed

Prodanović, M; Lindquist, W B; Seright, R S

2006-06-01

Using oil-wet polyethylene core models, we present the development of robust throat finding techniques for the extraction, from X-ray microtomographic images, of a pore network description of porous media having porosity up to 50%. Measurements of volume, surface area, shape factor, and principal diameters are extracted for pores and area, shape factor and principal diameters for throats. We also present results on the partitioning of wetting and non-wetting phases in the pore space at fixed volume increments of the injected fluid during a complete cycle of drainage and imbibition. We compare these results with fixed fractional flow injection, where wetting and non-wetting phase are simultaneously injected at fixed volume ratio. Finally we demonstrate the ability to differentiate three fluid phases (oil, water, air) in the pore space.

Molecular transport through large-diameter DNA nanopores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Swati; Ziegler, Daniela; Arnaut, Vera; Martin, Thomas G.; Kapsner, Korbinian; Henneberg, Katharina; Bausch, Andreas R.; Dietz, Hendrik; Simmel, Friedrich C.

2016-09-01

DNA-based nanopores are synthetic biomolecular membrane pores, whose geometry and chemical functionality can be tuned using the tools of DNA nanotechnology, making them promising molecular devices for applications in single-molecule biosensing and synthetic biology. Here we introduce a large DNA membrane channel with an ~4 nm diameter pore, which has stable electrical properties and spontaneously inserts into flat lipid bilayer membranes. Membrane incorporation is facilitated by a large number of hydrophobic functionalizations or, alternatively, streptavidin linkages between biotinylated channels and lipids. The channel displays an Ohmic conductance of ~3 nS, consistent with its size, and allows electrically driven translocation of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA analytes. Using confocal microscopy and a dye influx assay, we demonstrate the spontaneous formation of membrane pores in giant unilamellar vesicles. Pores can be created both in an outside-in and an inside-out configuration.

Porosity and pore size distribution in a sedimentary rock: Implications for the distribution of chlorinated solvents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, Allen M.; Evans, Christopher E.; Hayes, Erin C.

2017-08-01

Characterizing properties of the rock matrix that control retention and release of chlorinated solvents is essential in evaluating the extent of contamination and the application of remediation technologies in fractured rock. Core samples from seven closely spaced boreholes in a mudstone subject to trichloroethene (TCE) contamination were analyzed using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry to investigate porosity and pore size distribution as a function of mudstone characteristics, and depth and lateral extent in the aquifer; organic carbon content was also evaluated to identify the potential for adsorption. Porosity and retardation factor varied over two orders of magnitude, with the largest porosities and largest retardation factors associated with carbon-rich mudstone layers. Larger porosities were also measured in the shallow rock that has been subject to enhanced groundwater flow. Porosity also varied over more than an order of magnitude in spatially continuous mudstone layers. The analyses of the rock cores indicated that the largest pore diameters may be accessible to entry of the nonaqueous form of TCE. Although the porosity associated with the largest pore diameters is small ( 0.1%), that volume of TCE can significantly affect the total TCE that is retained in the rock matrix. The dimensions of the largest pore diameters may also be accessible to microbes responsible for reductive dechlorination; however, the small percentage of the pore space that can accommodate microbes may limit the extent of reductive dechlorination in the rock matrix.

Porosity and pore size distribution in a sedimentary rock: Implications for the distribution of chlorinated solvents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shapiro, Allen M.; Evans, Chrsitopher E.; Hayes, Erin C.

2017-01-01

Characterizing properties of the rock matrix that control retention and release of chlorinated solvents is essential in evaluating the extent of contamination and the application of remediation technologies in fractured rock. Core samples from seven closely spaced boreholes in a mudstone subject to trichloroethene (TCE) contamination were analyzed using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry to investigate porosity and pore size distribution as a function of mudstone characteristics, and depth and lateral extent in the aquifer; organic carbon content was also evaluated to identify the potential for adsorption. Porosity and retardation factor varied over two orders of magnitude, with the largest porosities and largest retardation factors associated with carbon-rich mudstone layers. Larger porosities were also measured in the shallow rock that has been subject to enhanced groundwater flow. Porosity also varied over more than an order of magnitude in spatially continuous mudstone layers. The analyses of the rock cores indicated that the largest pore diameters may be accessible to entry of the nonaqueous form of TCE. Although the porosity associated with the largest pore diameters is small (~ 0.1%), that volume of TCE can significantly affect the total TCE that is retained in the rock matrix. The dimensions of the largest pore diameters may also be accessible to microbes responsible for reductive dechlorination; however, the small percentage of the pore space that can accommodate microbes may limit the extent of reductive dechlorination in the rock matrix.

Structural control in the synthesis of inorganic porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holland, Brian Thomas

Mesoporous (2.0--50.0 nm pore diameter) and macroporous (50.0 nm on up) materials have been the basis of my studies. These materials, for many years, possessed large pore size distributions. Recently, however, it has been possible to synthesize both mesoporous and macroporous materials that possess highly ordered uniform pores throughout the material. Workers at Mobil Corporation in 1992 discovered a hexagonally arrayed mesoporous material, designated MCM-41, which exhibited uniform pores ranging from 2.0--10.0 nm in diameter. In my work MCM-41 was used as a host for the incorporation of meso-tetrakis(5-trimethylammoniumpentyl)porphyrin (TMAP-Cl) and as a model for the synthesis of mesoporous alumino- and galloaluminophosphates which were created using cluster precursors of the type MO4Al 12(OH)24(H2O)12 7+, M = Al or Ga. Macroporous materials with uniform pore sizes have been synthesized by our group with frameworks consisting of a variety of metal oxides, metals, organosilanes, aluminophosphates and bimodal pores. These materials are synthesized from the addition of metal precursors to preordered polystyrene spheres. Removal of the spheres results in the formation of macropores with highly uniform pores extending microns in length. Porous materials with uniform and adjustable pore sizes in the mesoporous and macroporous size regimes offer distinct advantages over non-ordered materials for numerous reasons. First, catalysis reactions that are based on the ability of the porous materials to impose size and shape restrictions on the substrate are of considerable interest in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. As pore diameters increase larger molecules can be incorporated into the pores, i.e., biological molecules, dyes, etc. For the macroporous materials synthesized by our group it has been envisioned that these structures may not only be used for catalysis because of increased efficiencies of flow but for more advanced applications, e.g., photonic crystals, porous electrodes, electrochemical capacitors, etc. One of the more interesting macroporous materials takes advantage of having silicalite as the framework. This bimodal pore material may find use as an acid catalyst as aluminum is doped into the framework.

Analysis of microstructures and macrotextures for different apple cultivars based on parenchyma morphology.

PubMed

Hou, Jumin; Sun, Yonghai; Chen, Fangyuan; Yu, Libo; Mao, Qian; Wang, Lu; Guo, Xiaolei; Liu, Chao

2016-04-01

Fuji, Golden Delicious, and Jonagold parenchyma were imaged by confocal laser scanning microscopy to be extracted morphology characteristics, which were used to analyze the relationship with macrotexture of apples tested by penetration and compression. Before analyzing the relationship, the significantly different morphology parameters were reduced in dimensions by principal component analysis and were proved to be availably used for distinguishing the different apple cultivars. For compression results, cell did not absolutely determine the hardness in different apple cultivars, and the pore should also be taken into consideration. With the same size in cell feret diameter, the bigger the pore feret diameter was, the softer the apple became. If no difference existed in pore feret diameter size, the cultivar became harder with a narrower distribution in cell feret diameter. The texture parameters were compared with the roundness parameters in the same or inverse changing trends to explore the relationship. High correlations were found between the texture parameters (energy required in whole penetration (Wt), fracture force (Fp), crispness) and pore solidity (R(2)  > 0.924, P < 0.001). Compactness of parenchyma played an important role in fruit texture. This research could provide the comprehension about relationship between microstructure and macrotexture of apple cultivars and morphological values for modeling apple parenchyma, contributing to numerical simulation for constitutive relation of fruit. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pore-Scale X-ray Micro-CT Imaging and Analysis of Oil Shales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saif, T.

2015-12-01

The pore structure and the connectivity of the pore space during the pyrolysis of oil shales are important characteristics which determine hydrocarbon flow behaviour and ultimate recovery. We study the effect of temperature on the evolution of pore space and subsequent permeability on five oil shale samples: (1) Vernal Utah United States, (2) El Lajjun Al Karak Jordan, (3) Gladstone Queensland Australia (4) Fushun China and (5) Kimmerdige United Kingdom. Oil Shale cores of 5mm in diameter were pyrolized at 300, 400 and 500 °C. 3D imaging of 5mm diameter core samples was performed at 1μm voxel resolution using X-ray micro computed tomography (CT) and the evolution of the pore structures were characterized. The experimental results indicate that the thermal decomposition of kerogen at high temperatures is a major factor causing micro-scale changes in the internal structure of oil shales. At the early stage of pyrolysis, micron-scale heterogeneous pores were formed and with a further increase in temperature, the pores expanded and became interconnected by fractures. Permeability for each oil shale sample at each temperature was computed by simulation directly on the image voxels and by pore network extraction and simulation. Future work will investigate different samples and pursue insitu micro-CT imaging of oil shale pyrolysis to characterize the time evolution of the pore space.

Molecular Weight Cut-Off and Structural Analysis of Vacuum-Assisted Titania Membranes for Water Processing

PubMed Central

Abd Jalil, Siti Nurehan; Wang, David K.; Yacou, Christelle; Motuzas, Julius; Smart, Simon; Diniz da Costa, João C.

2016-01-01

This work investigates the structural formation and analyses of titania membranes (TM) prepared using different vacuum exposure times for molecular weight (MW) cut-off performance and oil/water separation. Titania membranes were synthesized via a sol-gel method and coated on macroporous alumina tubes followed by exposure to a vacuum between 30 and 1200 s and then calcined at 400 °C. X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption analyses showed that the crystallite size and particle size of titania increased as a function of vacuum time. All the TM membranes were mesoporous with an average pore diameter of ~3.6 nm with an anatase crystal morphology. Water, glucose, sucrose, and polyvinylpyrrolidone with 40 and 360 kDa (PVP-40 kDa and PVP-360 kDa) were used as feed solutions for MW cut-off and hexadecane solution for oil filtration investigation. The TM membranes were not able to separate glucose and sucrose, thus indicating the membrane pore sizes are larger than the kinetic diameter of sucrose of 0.9 nm, irrespective of vacuum exposure time. They also showed only moderate rejection (20%) of the smaller PVP-40 kDa, however, all the membranes were able to obtain an excellent rejection of near 100% for the larger PVP-360 kDa molecule. Furthermore, the TM membranes were tested for the separation of oil emulsions with a high concentration of oil (3000 ppm), reaching high oil rejections of more than 90% of oil. In general, the water fluxes increased with the vacuum exposure time indicating a pore structural tailoring effect. It is therefore proposed that a mechanism of pore size tailoring was formed by an interconnected network of Ti–O–Ti nanoparticles with inter-particle voids, which increased as TiO2 nanoparticle size increased as a function of vacuum exposure time, and thus reduced the water transport resistance through the TM membranes. PMID:28774057

Effects of Porous Polystyrene Resin Parameters on Candida antarctica Lipase B Adsorption, Distribution, and Polyester Synthesis Activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen,B.; Miller, M.; Gross, R.

2007-01-01

Polystyrene resins with varied particle sizes (35 to 350-600 {mu}m) and pore diameters (300-1000 {angstrom}) were employed to study the effects of immobilization resin particle size and pore diameter on Candida antarctica Lipase B (CALB) loading, distribution within resins, fraction of active sites, and catalytic properties for polyester synthesis. CALB adsorbed rapidly (saturation time {<=}4 min) for particle sizes 120 {mu}m (pore size = 300 {angstrom}). Infrared microspectroscopy showed that CALB forms protein loading fronts regardless of resin particle size at similar enzyme loadings ({approx}8%). From the IR images, the fractions of total surface area available to the enzyme aremore » 21, 33, 35, 37, and 88% for particle sizes 350-600, 120, 75, 35 {mu}m (pore size 300 {angstrom}), and 35 {mu}m (pore size 1000 {angstrom}), respectively. Titration with methyl p-nitrophenyl n-hexylphosphate (MNPHP) showed that the fraction of active CALB molecules adsorbed onto resins was {approx}60%. The fraction of active CALB molecules was invariable as a function of resin particle and pore size. At {approx}8% (w/w) CALB loading, by increasing the immobilization support pore diameter from 300 to 1000 {angstrom}, the turnover frequency (TOF) of {var_epsilon}-caprolactone ({var_epsilon}-CL) to polyester increased from 12.4 to 28.2 s{sup -1}. However, the {var_epsilon}-CL conversion rate was not influenced by changes in resin particle size. Similar trends were observed for condensation polymerizations between 1,8-octanediol and adipic acid. The results herein are compared to those obtained with a similar series of methyl methacrylate resins, where variations in particle size largely affected CALB distribution within resins and catalyst activity for polyester synthesis.« less

Radiographic inspection of porosity in Ti-6Al-4V laser-welded joints.

PubMed

Nuñez-Pantoja, Juliana Maria Costa; Takahashi, Jessica Mie Ferreira Koyama; Nóbilo, Mauro Antônio de Arruda; Consani, Rafael Leonardo Xediek; Mesquita, Marcelo Ferraz

2011-01-01

Widely used in dentistry, Ti-6Al-4V alloy is difficult to cast and solder, as it frequently exhibits pores inside the structure. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of joint openings and diameters of laser-welded joints executed in Ti-6Al-4V structures on the presence of pores as checked by radiographic procedures. Sixty dumbbell rods with central diameters of 1.5, 2.0 and 3.5 mm were created from Ti-6Al-4V-wrought bars. Specimens were sectioned and welded using two joint openings (0.0 and 0.6 mm). The combination of variables created six groups (n = 10). Laser welding was executed using 360V/8ms (1.5 and 2.0 mm) and 380V/9ms (3.5 mm), with the focus and frequency set to zero. The joints were finished, polished and submitted to radiographic examination. The radiographs were visually examined for the presence of pores in the joints, qualitatively. The percentage of radiographic presence of pores was calculated without counting pores per joint. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test (α = 0.05). For the 1.5-mm specimens, the incidence of pore presence was significantly higher (p = 0.0001) when using 0.6-mm joint openings (40%) compared to 0.0-mm openings (0%). For the 2.0-mm specimens, there was no significant difference between groups (p = 0.2008). However, for the 3.5-mm specimens, the incidence of pore presence was lower (p = 0.0061) for 0.6-mm openings (50%) compared to 0.0-mm openings (70%). Therefore, laser welding of Ti-6Al-4V structures with thin diameters provides the best condition for the juxtaposition of the parts.

Freeze extrusion fabrication of 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds for bone repair.

PubMed

Doiphode, Nikhil D; Huang, Tieshu; Leu, Ming C; Rahaman, Mohamed N; Day, Delbert E

2011-03-01

A solid freeform fabrication technique, freeze extrusion fabrication (FEF), was investigated for the creation of three-dimensional bioactive glass (13-93) scaffolds with pre-designed porosity and pore architecture. An aqueous mixture of bioactive glass particles and polymeric additives with a paste-like consistency was extruded through a narrow nozzle, and deposited layer-by-layer in a cold environment according to a computer-aided design (CAD) file. Following sublimation of the ice in a freeze dryer, the construct was heated according to a controlled schedule to burn out the polymeric additives (below ~500°C), and to densify the glass phase at higher temperature (1 h at 700°C). The sintered scaffolds had a grid-like microstructure of interconnected pores, with a porosity of ~50%, pore width of ~300 μm, and dense glass filaments (struts) with a diameter or width of ~300 μm. The scaffolds showed an elastic response during mechanical testing in compression, with an average compressive strength of 140 MPa and an elastic modulus of 5-6 GPa, comparable to the values for human cortical bone. These bioactive glass scaffolds created by the FEF method could have potential application in the repair of load-bearing bones.

Morphology and characterization of 3D micro-porous structured chitosan scaffolds for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Hsieh, Wen-Chuan; Chang, Chih-Pong; Lin, Shang-Ming

2007-06-15

This research studies the morphology and characterization of three-dimensional (3D) micro-porous structures produced from biodegradable chitosan for use as scaffolds for cells culture. The chitosan 3D micro-porous structures were produced by a simple liquid hardening method, which includes the processes of foaming by mechanical stirring without any chemical foaming agent added, and hardening by NaOH cross linking. The pore size and porosity were controlled with mechanical stirring strength. This study includes the morphology of chitosan scaffolds, the characterization of mechanical properties, water absorption properties and in vitro enzymatic degradation of the 3D micro-porous structures. The results show that chitosan 3D micro-porous structures were successfully produced. Better formation samples were obtained when chitosan concentration is at 1-3%, and concentration of NaOH is at 5%. Faster stirring rate would produce samples of smaller pore diameter, but when rotation speed reaches 4000 rpm and higher the changes in pore size is minimal. Water absorption would reduce along with the decrease of chitosan scaffolds' pore diameter. From stress-strain analysis, chitosan scaffolds' mechanical properties are improved when it has smaller pore diameter. From in vitro enzymatic degradation results, it shows that the disintegration rate of chitosan scaffolds would increase along with the processing time increase, but approaching equilibrium when the disintegration rate reaches about 20%.

Method for Making a Fuel Cell

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cable, Thomas L. (Inventor); Setlock, John A. (Inventor); Farmer, Serene C. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

The invention is a novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack comprising individual bi-electrode supported fuel cells in which an electrolyte layer is supported between porous electrodes. The porous electrodes may be made from graded pore ceramic tape that has been created by the freeze cast method followed by freeze-drying. Each piece of graded pore tape later becomes a graded pore electrode scaffold that, subsequent to sintering, is made into either an anode or a cathode. The electrode scaffold comprising the anode includes a layer of liquid metal. The pores of the electrode scaffolds gradually increase in diameter as the layer extends away from the electrolyte layer. As a result of this diameter increase, any forces that would tend to pull the liquid metal away from the electrolyte are reduced while maintaining a diffusion path for the fuel. Advantageously, the fuel cell of the invention may utilize a hydrocarbon fuel without pre-processing to remove sulfur.

1.9 μm superficially porous packing material with radially oriented pores and tailored pore size for ultra-fast separation of small molecules and biomolecules.

PubMed

Min, Yi; Jiang, Bo; Wu, Ci; Xia, Simin; Zhang, Xiaodan; Liang, Zhen; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2014-08-22

In this work, 1.9 μm reversed-phase packing materials with superficially porous structure were prepared to achieve the rapid and high efficient separation of peptides and proteins. The silica particles were synthesized via three steps, nonporous silica particle preparation by a modified seeded growth method, mesoporous shell formation by a one pot templated dissolution and redeposition strategy, and pore size expansion via acid-refluxing. By such a method, 1.9 μm superficially porous materials with 0.18 μm shell thickness and tailored pore diameter (10 nm, 15 nm) were obtained. After pore enlargement, the formerly dense arrays of mesoporous structure changed, the radially oriented pores dominated the superficially porous structure. The chromatographic performance of such particles was investigated after C18 derivatization. For packing materials with 1.9 μm diameter and 10 nm pore size, the column efficiency could reach 211,300 plates per m for naphthalene. To achieve the high resolution separation of peptides and proteins, particles with pore diameter of 15 nm were tailored, by which the baseline separation of 5 peptides and 5 intact proteins could be respectively achieved within 1 min, demonstrating the superiority in the high efficiency and high throughput analysis of biomolecules. Furthermore, BSA digests were well separated with peak capacity of 120 in 30 min on a 15 cm-long column. Finally, we compared our columns with a 1.7 μm Kinetex C18 column under the same conditions, our particles with 10nm pore size demonstrated similar performance for separation of the large intact proteins. Moreover, the particles with 15 nm pore size showed more symmetrical peaks for the separation of large proteins (BSA, OVA and IgG) and provided rapid separation of protein extracts from Escherichia coli in 5 min. All these results indicated that the synthesized 1.9 μm superficially porous silica packing materials would be promising in the ultra-fast and high-resolution separation of biomolecules. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon developed from grinded used tire.

PubMed

Belgacem, Ahmed; Rebiai, Rachid; Hadoun, Hocine; Khemaissia, Sihem; Belmedani, Mohamed

2014-01-01

In this study, activated carbon was prepared from waste tire by KOH chemical activation. The pore properties including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and average pore diameter were characterized. BET surface area of the activated carbon was determined as 558 m(2)/g. The adsorption of uranium ions from the aqueous solution using this activated carbon has been investigated. Various physico-chemical parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration, and adsorbent dosage level and equilibrium contact time were studied by a batch method. The optimum pH for adsorption was found to be 3. The removal efficiency has also been determined for the adsorption system as a function of initial concentration. The experimental results were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. A comparison of best-fitting was performed using the coefficient of correlation and the Langmuir isotherm was found to well represent the measured sorption data. According to the evaluation using the Langmuir equation, the saturated monolayer sorption capacity of uranium ions onto waste tire activated carbon was 158.73 mg/g. The thermodynamic equilibrium constant and the Gibbs free energy were determined and results indicated the spontaneous nature of the adsorption process. Kinetics data were best described by pseudo-second-order model.

Proton transport, water uptake and hydrogen permeability of nanoporous hematite ceramic membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colomer, M. T.

2011-10-01

For the first time, mesoporous acid-free hematite ceramic membranes have been studied as proton conductors. The xerogels after calcination at 300 °C for 1 h were mesoporous, as is mentioned above, with a BET surface area of 130 ± 2 m2 g-1, an average pore diameter of 3.8 nm and a pore volume of 0.149 ± 0.001 cc g-1. A sigmoidal dependence of the conductivity and the water uptake with the RH at a constant temperature was observed. The conductivity of the ceramic membranes increased linearly with temperature for all relative humidities studied. The highest value of proton conductivity was found to be 2.76 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 90 °C and 81% RH. According to the activation energy values, proton migration in this kind of materials could be dominated by the Grotthuss mechanism in the whole range of RH. The low cost and high hydrophilicity of these ceramic membranes make them potential substitutes for perfluorosulfonic polymeric membranes in proton exchange membrane (PEMFCs). In addition, since hydrogen permeability values are in the range of 10-9 to 10-10 mol cm-1 s Pa, in order to fabricate oxide-based PEMs that are capable of keeping streams of H2 and O2 from mixing, a separation layer with pore sizes <2 nm whose pores are filled with water will be needed.

Load-dependent surface diffusion model for analyzing the kinetics of protein adsorption onto mesoporous materials.

PubMed

Marbán, Gregorio; Ramírez-Montoya, Luis A; García, Héctor; Menéndez, J Ángel; Arenillas, Ana; Montes-Morán, Miguel A

2018-02-01

The adsorption of cytochrome c in water onto organic and carbon xerogels with narrow pore size distributions has been studied by carrying out transient and equilibrium batch adsorption experiments. It was found that equilibrium adsorption exhibits a quasi-Langmuirian behavior (a g coefficient in the Redlich-Peterson isotherms of over 0.95) involving the formation of a monolayer of cyt c with a depth of ∼4nm on the surface of all xerogels for a packing density of the protein inside the pores of 0.29gcm -3 . A load-dependent surface diffusion model (LDSDM) has been developed and numerically solved to fit the experimental kinetic adsorption curves. The results of the LDSDM show better fittings than the standard homogeneous surface diffusion model. The value of the external mass transfer coefficient obtained by numerical optimization confirms that the process is controlled by the intraparticle surface diffusion of cyt c. The surface diffusion coefficients decrease with increasing protein load down to zero for the maximum possible load. The decrease is steeper in the case of the xerogels with the smallest average pore diameter (∼15nm), the limit at which the zero-load diffusion coefficient of cyt c also begins to be negatively affected by interactions with the opposite wall of the pore. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrospun Poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) Scaffolds for Skin Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Kumbar, Sangamesh G.; Nukavarapu, Syam Prasad; James, Roshan; Nair, Lakshmi S.; Laurencin, Cato T.

2008-01-01

Electrospun fiber matrices composed of scaffolds of varying fiber diameters were investigated for potential application of severe skin loss. Few systematic studies have been performed to examine the effect of varying fiber diameter electrospun fiber matrices for skin regeneration. The present study reports the fabrication of poly[lactic acid-co-glycolic acid] (PLAGA) matrices with fiber diameters of 150–225, 200–300, 250–467, 500–900, 600–1200, 2500–3000 and 3250–6000 nm via electrospinning. All fiber matrices found to have a tensile modulus from 39.23 ± 8.15 to 79.21 ± 13.71 MPa which falls in the range for normal human skin. Further, the porous fiber matrices have porosity between 38–60 % and average pore diameters between 10–14µm. We evaluated the efficacy of these biodegradable fiber matrices as skin substitutes by seeding them with human skin fibroblasts (hSF). Human skin fibroblasts acquired a well spread morphology and showed significant progressive growth on fiber matrices in the 350–1100 nm diameter range. Collagen type III gene expression was significantly up-regulated in hSF seeded on matrices with fiber diameters in the range of 350–1100 nm. Based on the need, the proposed fiber skin substitutes can be successfully fabricated and optimized for skin fibroblast attachment and growth. PMID:18639927

Water-mediated interactions between hydrophobic and ionic species in cylindrical nanopores

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaitheeswaran, S.; Reddy, G.; Thirumalai, D.

2009-03-07

We use Metropolis Monte Carlo and umbrella sampling to calculate the free energies of interaction of two methane molecules and their charged derivatives in cylindrical water-filled pores. Confinement strongly alters the interactions between the nonpolar solutes and completely eliminates the solvent separated minimum (SSM) that is seen in bulk water. The free energy profiles show that the methane molecules are either in contact or at separations corresponding to the diameter and the length of the cylindrical pore. Analytic calculations that estimate the entropy of the solutes, which are solvated at the pore surface, qualitatively explain the shape of the freemore » energy profiles. Adding charges of opposite sign and magnitude 0.4e or e (where e is the electronic charge) to the methane molecules decreases their tendency for surface solvation and restores the SSM. We show that confinement induced ion-pair formation occurs whenever l{sub B}/D{approx}O(1), where l{sub B} is the Bjerrum length and D is the pore diameter. The extent of stabilization of the SSM increases with ion charge density as long as l{sub B}/D<1. In pores with D{<=}1.2 nm, in which the water is strongly layered, increasing the charge magnitude from 0.4e to e reduces the stability of the SSM. As a result, ion-pair formation that occurs with negligible probability in the bulk is promoted. In larger diameter pores that can accommodate a complete hydration layer around the solutes, the stability of the SSM is enhanced.« less

Smooth DNA transport through a narrowed pore geometry.

PubMed

Carson, Spencer; Wilson, James; Aksimentiev, Aleksei; Wanunu, Meni

2014-11-18

Voltage-driven transport of double-stranded DNA through nanoscale pores holds much potential for applications in quantitative molecular biology and biotechnology, yet the microscopic details of translocation have proven to be challenging to decipher. Earlier experiments showed strong dependence of transport kinetics on pore size: fast regular transport in large pores (> 5 nm diameter), and slower yet heterogeneous transport time distributions in sub-5 nm pores, which imply a large positional uncertainty of the DNA in the pore as a function of the translocation time. In this work, we show that this anomalous transport is a result of DNA self-interaction, a phenomenon that is strictly pore-diameter dependent. We identify a regime in which DNA transport is regular, producing narrow and well-behaved dwell-time distributions that fit a simple drift-diffusion theory. Furthermore, a systematic study of the dependence of dwell time on DNA length reveals a single power-law scaling of 1.37 in the range of 35-20,000 bp. We highlight the resolution of our nanopore device by discriminating via single pulses 100 and 500 bp fragments in a mixture with >98% accuracy. When coupled to an appropriate sequence labeling method, our observation of smooth DNA translocation can pave the way for high-resolution DNA mapping and sizing applications in genomics.

High-Quality Hollow Closed-Pore Silica Antireflection Coatings Based on Styrene-Acrylate Emulsion @ Organic-Inorganic Silica Precursor.

PubMed

Guo, Zhaolong; Zhao, Haixin; Zhao, Wei; Wang, Tao; Kong, Depeng; Chen, Taojing; Zhang, Xiaoyan

2016-05-11

Making use of a facile and low-cost way for the preparation of a hierarchically organized novel hollow closed-pore silica antireflective coating (CHAR) with tailored optical properties and a mechanical reliability is of great interest in the field of solar photovoltaic technology. The process mainly contains two aspects: (1) a styrene-acrylate emulsion @ organic-inorganic silica precursor (SA@OISP) core/shell hierarchical nanostructure, consisting of a sacrificial styrene-acrylate (SA) primary template, was fabricated using a sol-gel method; (2) the self-assembly of the nanostructures leads to SA@OISP nanospheres forming the high-quality hollow closed-pore silica antireflection coating (CHAR) by a dip-coating process and a subsequent calcination treatment. The resulting SA@OISP nanospheres have a mean diameter of 65.2 nm and contained a SA soft core with a mean diameter of approximately 54.8 nm and an organic-inorganic silica precursor (OISP) shell with a thickness of approximately 6-10 nm. Furthermore, the prepared CHAR film exhibited a high transmittance and good ruggedness. An average transmittance (TAV) of 97.64% was obtained, and the value is close to the ideal single-layered antireflection coating (98.09%) over a broad range of wavelengths (from 380 to 1100 nm). The CHAR film showed a stable TAV, with attenuation values of less than 0.8% and 0.43% after the abrasion test and the damp heat test, respectively. The conversion efficiency of the CHAR coating cover solar modules tends to be increased by 3.75%. The promising results obtained in this study suggest that the CHAR film was considered as an essential component of the solar module and were expected to provide additional solar energy harvest under extreme outdoor climates.

The effect of synthesis parameters on the geometry and dimensions of mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in the presence of 1-dodecanethiol as a pore expander.

PubMed

Bakhtiari, L; Rezaie, H R; Javadpour, J; Erfan, M; Shokrgozar, M A

2015-08-01

Mesoporous hydroxyapatite with different pore diameters and pore volumes were synthesized by the self-assembly method using Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the cationic surfactant and 1-dodecanethiol as the pore expander at different micellization pHs, solvent types and surfactant concentrations. Results of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed a decrease in length/diameter ratio of rod-like particles by an increase in micellization pH and also a sphere to rod transition in morphology by an increase in CTAB concentration. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and Low angle X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the optimized mesoporous hydroxyapatite with controlled pore structure can be obtained under basic micellization pH (about 12, pH of complete ionization of 1-dodecanethiol) by using water as the solvent and a high content of cationic surfactant. The results also show that micellization pH has a strong effect on pore structure and changing the pH can shift the mesostructure to a macroporous structure with morphological changes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lattice density functional theory investigation of pore shape effects. I. Adsorption in single nonperiodic pores.

PubMed

Malanoski, A P; van Swol, Frank

2002-10-01

A fully explicit in three dimensions lattice density functional theory is used to investigate adsorption in single nonperiodic pores. The effect of varying pore shape from the slits and cylinders that are normally simulated was our primary interest. A secondary concern was the results for pores with very large diameters. The shapes investigated were square pores with or without surface roughness, cylinders, right triangle pores, and trapezoidal pores. It was found that pores with very similar shape factors gave similar results but that the introduction of acute angled corners or very large side ratio lengths in rectangular pores gave results that were significantly different. Further, a rectangular pore going towards the limit of infinite side ratio does not approach the results of a slit pore. In all of these cases, the importance of features that are present for only a small portion of the pore is demonstrated.

Effect of porosity variation on the electrochemical behavior of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Raut, Akshay S; Parker, Charles B; Stoner, Brian R; Glass, Jeffrey T

2012-06-01

Electrochemical charge storage characteristics of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a function of varying diameter and spacing are reported. It was observed that the specific capacitance of the MWCNTs increased as both diameter and inter-tube spacing decreased. The MWCNT films with 229 nm inter-MWCNT spacing exhibited specific capacitance of 228 F/g versus 70 F/g for 506 nm spacing, when tested in a non-aqueous electrolyte. Further, a trend in specific capacitance versus pore size is proposed. Coupled with previously reported trends observed in the sub-10 nm pore size regime, this is expected to offer better understanding of electrochemical behavior of porous carbon materials over a wide range of pore sizes.

Physical Properties of Umbral Dots Observed in Sunspots: A Hinode Observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Rahul; Mathew, Shibu K.

2018-04-01

Umbral dots (UDs) are small-scale bright features observed in the umbral part of sunspots and pores. It is well established that they are manifestations of magnetoconvection phenomena inside umbrae. We study the physical properties of UDs in different sunspots and their dependence on decay rate and filling factor. We have selected high-resolution, G-band continuum filtergrams of seven sunspots from Hinode to study their physical properties. We have also used Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) continuum images to estimate the decay rate of selected sunspots. An identification and tracking algorithm was developed to identify the UDs in time sequences. The statistical analysis of UDs exhibits an averaged maximum intensity and effective diameter of 0.26 I_{QS} and 270 km. Furthermore, the lifetime, horizontal speed, trajectory length, and displacement length (birth-death distance) of UDs are 8.19 minutes, 0.5 km s-1, 284 km, and 155 km, respectively. We also find a positive correlation between intensity-diameter, intensity-lifetime, and diameter-lifetime of UDs. However, UD properties do not show any significant relation with the decay rate or filling factor.

Effect of Nano-SiO2 on the Hydration and Microstructure of Portland Cement

PubMed Central

Wang, Liguo; Zheng, Dapeng; Zhang, Shupeng; Cui, Hongzhi; Li, Dongxu

2016-01-01

This paper systematically studied the modification of cement-based materials by nano-SiO2 particles with an average diameter of about 20 nm. In order to obtain the effect of nano-SiO2 particles on the mechanical properties, hydration, and pore structure of cement-based materials, adding 1%, 3%, and 5% content of nano-SiO2 in cement paste, respectively. The results showed that the reaction of nano-SiO2 particles with Ca(OH)2 (crystal powder) started within 1 h, and formed C–S–H gel. The reaction speed was faster after aging for three days. The mechanical properties of cement-based materials were improved with the addition of 3% nano-SiO2, and the early strength enhancement of test pieces was obvious. Three-day compressive strength increased 33.2%, and 28-day compressive strength increased 18.5%. The exothermic peak of hydration heat of cement increased significantly after the addition of nano-SiO2. Appearance time of the exothermic peak was advanced and the total heat release increased. Thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) analysis showed that nano-SiO2 promoted the formation of C–S–H gel. The results of mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) showed that the total porosity of cement paste with 3% nano-SiO2 was reduced by 5.51% and 5.4% at three days and 28 days, respectively, compared with the pure cement paste. At the same time, the pore structure of cement paste was optimized, and much-detrimental pores and detrimental pores decreased, while less harmful pores and innocuous pores increased. PMID:28335369

Relationship between pore geometric characteristics and SIP/NMR parameters observed for mudstones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, J.; Slater, L. D.; Keating, K.; Parker, B. L.; Robinson, T.

2017-12-01

The reliable estimation of permeability remains one of the most challenging problems in hydrogeological characterization. Cost effective, non-invasive geophysical methods such as spectral induced polarization (SIP) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) offer an alternative to traditional sampling methods as they are sensitive to the mineral surfaces and pore spaces that control permeability. We performed extensive physical characterization, SIP and NMR geophysical measurements on fractured rock cores extracted from a mudstone site in an effort to compare 1) the pore size characterization determined from traditional and geophysical methods and 2) the performance of permeability models based on these methods. We focus on two physical characterizations that are well-correlated with hydraulic properties: the pore volume normalized surface area (Spor) and an interconnected pore diameter (Λ). We find the SIP polarization magnitude and relaxation time are better correlated with Spor than Λ, the best correlation of these SIP measures for our sample dataset was found with Spor divided by the electrical formation factor (F). NMR parameters are, similarly, better correlated with Spor than Λ. We implement previously proposed mechanistic and empirical permeability models using SIP and NMR parameters. A sandstone-calibrated SIP model using a polarization magnitude does not perform well while a SIP model using a mean relaxation time performs better in part by more sufficiently accounting for the effects of fluid chemistry. A sandstone-calibrated NMR permeability model using an average measure of the relaxation time does not perform well, presumably due to small pore sizes which are either not connected or contain water of limited mobility. An NMR model based on the laboratory determined portions of the bound versus mobile portions of the relaxation distribution performed reasonably well. While limitations exist, there are many opportunities to use geophysical data to predict permeability in mudstone formations.

Textile properties of synthetic prolapse mesh in response to uniaxial loading.

PubMed

Barone, William R; Moalli, Pamela A; Abramowitch, Steven D

2016-09-01

Although synthetic mesh is associated with superior anatomic outcomes for the repair of pelvic organ prolapse, the benefits of mesh have been questioned because of the relatively high complication rates. To date, the mechanisms that result in such complications are poorly understood, yet the textile characteristics of mesh products are believed to play an important role. Interestingly, the pore diameter of synthetic mesh has been shown to impact the host response after hernia repair greatly, and such findings have served as design criteria for prolapse meshes, with larger pores viewed as more favorable. Although pore size and porosity are well-characterized before implantation, the changes in these textile properties after implantation are unclear; the application of mechanical forces has the potential to greatly alter pore geometries in vivo. Understanding the impact of mechanical loading on the textile properties of mesh is essential for the development of more effective devices for prolapse repair. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of tensile loading and pore orientation on mesh porosity and pore dimensions. In this study, the porosity and pore diameter of 4 currently available prolapse meshes were examined in response to uniaxial tensile loads of 0.1, 5, and 10 N while mimicking clinical loading conditions. The textile properties were compared with those observed for the unloaded mesh. Meshes included Gynemesh PS (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ), UltraPro (Artisyn; Ethicon), Restorelle (Coloplast, Minneapolis, MN), and Alyte Y-mesh (Bard, Covington, GA). In addition to the various pore geometries, 3 orientations of Restorelle (0-, 5-, 45-degree offset) and 2 orientations of UltraPro (0-, 90-degree offset) were examined. In response to uniaxial loading, both porosity and pore diameter dramatically decreased for most mesh products. The application of 5 N led to reductions in porosity for nearly all groups, with values decreasing by as much as 87% (P < .05). On loading to 10 N of force, nearly all mesh products that were tested were found to have porosities that approached 0% and 0 pores with diameters >1 mm. In this study, it was shown that the pore size of current prolapse meshes dramatically decreases in response to mechanical loading. These findings suggest that prolapse meshes, which are more likely to experience tensile forces in vivo relative to hernia repair meshes, have pores that are unfavorable for tissue integration after surgical tensioning and/or loading in urogynecologic surgeries. Such decreases in pore geometry support the hypothesis that regional increases in the concentration of mesh leads to an enhanced local foreign body response. Although pore deformation in transvaginal meshes requires further characterization, the findings presented here provide a mechanical understanding that can be used to recognize potential areas of concern for complex mesh geometries. Understanding mesh mechanics in response to surgical and in vivo loading conditions may provide improved design criteria for mesh and a refinement of surgical techniques, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of fine porosity on the fatigue behavior of a powder metallurgy superalloy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miner, R. V., Jr.; Dreshfield, R. L.

1980-01-01

Hot isostatically pressed powder metallurgy Astroloy was obtained which contained 1.4 percent fine porosity at the grain boundaries produced by argon entering the powder container during pressing. This material was tested at 650 C in fatigue, creep fatigue, tension, and stress-rupture and the results compared with previous data on sound Astroloy. The pores averaged about 2 micrometers diameter and 20 micrometers spacing. They did influence fatigue crack initiation and produced a more intergranular mode of propagation. However, fatigue life was not drastically reduced. A large 25 micrometers pore in one specimen resulting from a hollow particle did not reduce life by 60 percent. Fatigue behavior of the porous material showed typical correlation with tensile behavior. The plastic strain range life relation was reduced proportionately with the reduction in tensile ductility, but the elastic strain range-life relation was little changed reflecting the small reduction in sigma sub u/E for the porous material.

Nanoair-bridged lateral overgrowth of GaN on ordered nanoporous GaN template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. D.; Zang, K. Y.; Chua, S. J.; Tripathy, S.; Chen, P.; Fonstad, C. G.

2005-12-01

We report the growth of high-quality GaN epilayers on an ordered nanoporous GaN template by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The nanopores in GaN template were created by inductively coupled plasma etching using anodic aluminum oxide film as an etch mask. The average pore diameter and interpore distance is about 65 and 110nm, respectively. Subsequent overgrowth of GaN first begins at the GaN crystallite surface between the pores, and then air-bridge-mediated lateral overgrowth leads to the formation of the continuous layer. Microphotoluminescence and micro-Raman measurements show improved optical properties and significant strain relaxation in the overgrown layer when compared to GaN layer of same thickness simultaneously grown on sapphire without any template. Similar to conventional epitaxial lateral overgrown GaN, such overgrown GaN on a nanopatterned surface would also serve as a template for the growth of ultraviolet-visible light-emitting III-nitride devices.

Metal/metal oxide doped oxide catalysts having high deNOx selectivity for lean NOx exhaust aftertreatment systems

DOEpatents

Park, Paul W.

2004-03-16

A lean NOx catalyst and method of preparing the same is disclosed. The lean NOx catalyst includes a ceramic substrate, an oxide support material, preferably .gamma.-alumina, deposited on the substrate and a metal promoter or dopant introduced into the oxide support material. The metal promoters or dopants are selected from the group consisting of indium, gallium, tin, silver, germanium, gold, nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, cerium, vanadium, oxides thereof, and combinations thereof. The .gamma.-alumina preferably has a pore volume of from about 0.5 to about 2.0 cc/g; a surface area of between about 80 to 350 m.sup.2 /g; an average pore size diameter of between about 3 to 30 nm; and an impurity level of less than or equal to 0.2 weight percent. In a preferred embodiment the .gamma.-alumina is prepared by a sol-gel method, with the metal doping of the .gamma.-alumina preferably accomplished using an incipient wetness impregnation technique.

Nuclear pore assembly proceeds by an inside-out extrusion of the nuclear envelope

PubMed Central

Otsuka, Shotaro; Bui, Khanh Huy; Schorb, Martin; Hossain, M Julius; Politi, Antonio Z; Koch, Birgit; Eltsov, Mikhail; Beck, Martin; Ellenberg, Jan

2016-01-01

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) mediates nucleocytoplasmic transport through the nuclear envelope. How the NPC assembles into this double membrane boundary has remained enigmatic. Here, we captured temporally staged assembly intermediates by correlating live cell imaging with high-resolution electron tomography and super-resolution microscopy. Intermediates were dome-shaped evaginations of the inner nuclear membrane (INM), that grew in diameter and depth until they fused with the flat outer nuclear membrane. Live and super-resolved fluorescence microscopy revealed the molecular maturation of the intermediates, which initially contained the nuclear and cytoplasmic ring component Nup107, and only later the cytoplasmic filament component Nup358. EM particle averaging showed that the evagination base was surrounded by an 8-fold rotationally symmetric ring structure from the beginning and that a growing mushroom-shaped density was continuously associated with the deforming membrane. Quantitative structural analysis revealed that interphase NPC assembly proceeds by an asymmetric inside-out extrusion of the INM. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19071.001 PMID:27630123

Rheological, physical, and sensory attributes of gluten-free rice cakes containing resistant starch.

PubMed

Tsatsaragkou, Kleopatra; Papantoniou, Maria; Mandala, Ioanna

2015-02-01

In this study the effect of resistant starch (RS) addition on gluten-free cakes from rice flour and tapioca starch physical and sensorial properties was investigated. Increase in RS concentration made cake batters less elastic (drop of G'(ω), G''(ω) values) and thinner (viscosity decreased). Cakes specific volume increased with an increase in RS level and was maximized for 15 g/100 g RS, although porosity values were significantly unaffected by RS content. Crumb grain analysis exhibited a decrease in surface porosity, number of pores and an increase in average pore diameter as RS concentration increased. During storage, cake crumb remained softer in formulations with increasing amounts of RS. Sensory evaluation of cakes demonstrated the acceptance of all formulations, with cake containing 20 g/100 g RS mostly preferred. Gluten-free cakes with improved quality characteristics and high nutritional value can be manufactured by the incorporation of RS. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Microwave-Assisted Preparation of Activated Carbon from Eupatorium Adenophorum: Effects of Preparation Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Song; Zhang, Shengzhou; Zhang, Libo; Xia, Hongying; Peng, Jinhui; Wang, Shixing

2017-09-01

Eupatorium adenophorum, global exotic weeds, was utilized as feedstock for preparation of activated carbon (AC) via microwave-induced KOH activation. Influences of the three vital process parameters - microwave power, activation time and impregnation ratio (IR) - have been assessed on the adsorption capacity and yield of AC. The process parameters were optimized utilizing the Design Expert software and were identified to be a microwave power of 700 W, an activation time of 15 min and an IR of 4, with the resultant iodine adsorption number and yield being 2,621 mg/g and 28.25 %, respectively. The key parameters that characterize the AC such as the brunauer emmett teller (BET) surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter were estimated to be 3,918 m2/g, 2,383 ml/g and 2.43 nm, respectively, under the optimized process conditions. The surface characteristics of AC were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and Transmission electron microscope.

The Influence of Pores in Track Etched Membranes and Prepared on their Base Polymer/Metal Composites on their Fracture Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gumirova, V. N.; Bedin, S. A.; Abdurashidova, G. S.; Razumovskaya, I. V.

The strength of track etched membranes and prepared on their base polymer/metal composites is analysed in point of view of the pores form evolution during the extension and the interaction of elastic mechanical fields on closely positioned pores. The stress-strain curves for track membranes and composites PET/Cu are demonstrated for pore density 1.2×107сm-2 and diameters from 0.06 μm to 2.9 μm

Anion-Cation Permeability Correlates with Hydrated Counterion Size in Glycine Receptor Channels

PubMed Central

Sugiharto, Silas; Lewis, Trevor M.; Moorhouse, Andrew J.; Schofield, Peter R.; Barry, Peter H.

2008-01-01

The functional role of ligand-gated ion channels depends critically on whether they are predominantly permeable to cations or anions. However, these, and other ion channels, are not perfectly selective, allowing some counterions to also permeate. To address the mechanisms by which such counterion permeation occurs, we measured the anion-cation permeabilities of different alkali cations, Li+ Na+, and Cs+, relative to either Cl− or \\documentclass[10pt]{article} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{pmc} \\usepackage[Euler]{upgreek} \\pagestyle{empty} \\oddsidemargin -1.0in \\begin{document} \\begin{equation*}{\\mathrm{NO}}_{3}^{-}\\end{equation*}\\end{document} anions in both a wild-type glycine receptor channel (GlyR) and a mutant GlyR with a wider pore diameter. We hypothesized and showed that counterion permeation in anionic channels correlated inversely with an equivalent or effective hydrated size of the cation relative to the channel pore radius, with larger counterion permeabilities being observed in the wider pore channel. We also showed that the anion component of conductance was independent of the nature of the cation. We suggest that anions and counterion cations can permeate through the pore as neutral ion pairs, to allow the cations to overcome the large energy barriers resulting from the positively charged selectivity filter in small GlyR channels, with the permeability of such ion pairs being dependent on the effective hydrated diameter of the ion pair relative to the pore diameter. PMID:18708455

Annealing effect on thermodynamic and physical properties of mesoporous silicon: A simulation and nitrogen sorption study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Pushpendra, E-mail: pkumar-iitd@yahoo.com; Huber, Patrick, E-mail: patrick.huber@tuhh.de

Discovery of porous silicon formation in silicon substrate in 1956 while electro-polishing crystalline Si in hydrofluoric acid (HF), has triggered large scale investigations of porous silicon formation and their changes in physical and chemical properties with thermal and chemical treatment. A nitrogen sorption study is used to investigate the effect of thermal annealing on electrochemically etched mesoporous silicon (PS). The PS was thermally annealed from 200°C to 800°C for 1 hr in the presence of air. It was shown that the pore diameter and porosity of PS vary with annealing temperature. The experimentally obtained adsorption / desorption isotherms show hysteresis typicalmore » for capillary condensation in porous materials. A simulation study based on Saam and Cole model was performed and compared with experimentally observed sorption isotherms to study the physics behind of hysteresis formation. We discuss the shape of the hysteresis loops in the framework of the morphology of the layers. The different behavior of adsorption and desorption of nitrogen in PS with pore diameter was discussed in terms of concave menisci formation inside the pore space, which was shown to related with the induced pressure in varying the pore diameter from 7.2 nm to 3.4 nm.« less

Dissolution at porous interfaces VI: Multiple pore systems.

PubMed

Grijseels, H; Crommelin, D J; De Blaey, C J

1984-12-01

With the aid of rapidly dissolving sodium chloride particles, cubic pores were made in the surface of a theophylline tablet. The influence of the pores on the dissolution rate of the surface was investigated in a rotating disk apparatus. Like the drilled pores used in earlier studies, downstream on the surface they caused a turbulent flow regimen with the development of a trough due to enhanced erosion. The phenomenon of a critical pore diameter, discovered with single, drilled pores, seems to be applicable to the cubic pores investigated in this study, although a higher degree of surface coverage with pores caused complications, probably due to particles bordering one another and forming larger pores. The behavior of the porous surfaces at different rotation speeds was studied. Due to the presence of pores the laminar character of the boundary layer flow changes to turbulent, which induces locally an increased dissolution flux in the wake of a pore.

Analysis of Effective Interconnectivity of DegraPol-foams Designed for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

PubMed Central

Milleret, Vincent; Bittermann, Anne Greet; Mayer, Dieter; Hall, Heike

2009-01-01

Many wounds heal slowly and are difficult to manage. Therefore Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) was developed where polymer foams are applied and a defined negative pressure removes wound fluid, reduces bacterial burden and increases the formation of granulation tissue. Although NPWT is used successfully, its mechanisms are not well understood. In particular, different NPWT dressings were never compared. Here a poly-ester urethane Degrapol® (DP)-foam was produced and compared with commercially available dressings (polyurethane-based and polyvinyl-alcohol-based) in terms of apparent pore sizes, swelling and effective interconnectivity of foam pores. DP-foams contain relatively small interconnected pores; PU-foams showed large pore size and interconnectivity; whereas PVA-foams displayed heterogeneous and poorly interconnected pores. PVA-foams swelled by 40 %, whereas DP- and PU-foams remained almost without swelling. Effective interconnectivity was investigated by submitting fluorescent beads of 3, 20 and 45 μm diameter through the foams. DP- and PU-foams removed 70-90 % of all beads within 4 h, independent of the bead diameter or bead pre-adsorption with serum albumin. For PVA-foams albumin pre-adsorbed beads circulated longer, where 20 % of 3 μm and 10 % of 20 μm diameter beads circulated after 96 h. The studies indicate that efficient bead perfusion does not only depend on pore size and swelling capacity, but effective interconnectivity might also depend on chemical composition of the foam itself. In addition due to the efficient sieve-effect of the foams uptake of wound components in vivo might occur only for short time suggesting other mechanisms being decisive for success of NPWT.

Template assisted synthesis and optical properties of gold nanoparticles.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fodor, Petru; Lasalvia, Vincenzo

2009-03-01

A hybrid nanofabrication method (interference lithography + self assembly) was explored for the fabrication of arrays of gold nanoparticles. To ensure the uniformity of the nanoparticles, a template assisted synthesis was used in which the gold is electrodeposited in the pores of anodized aluminum membranes. The spacing between the pores and their ordering is controlled in the first fabrication step of the template in which laser lithography and metal deposition are used to produce aluminum films with controlled strain profiles. The diameter of the pores produced after anodizing the aluminum film in acidic solution determines the diameter of the gold particles, while their aspect ratio is controlled through the deposition time. Optical absorbance spectroscopy is used to evaluate the ability to tune the nanoparticles plasmon resonance spectra through control over their size and aspect ratio.

Fabrication of Controllable Pore and Particle Size of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles via a Liquid-phase Synthesis Method and Its Absorption Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandiyanto, Asep Bayu Dani; Iskandar, Ferry; Okuyama, Kikuo

2011-12-01

Monodisperse spherical mesoporous silica nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a liquid-phase synthesis method. The result showed particles with controllable pore size from several to tens nanometers with outer diameter of several tens nanometers. The ability in the control of pore size and outer diameter was altered by adjusting the precursor solution ratios. In addition, we have conducted the adsorption ability of the prepared particles. The result showed that large organic molecules were well-absorbed to the prepared silica porous particles, in which this result was not obtained when using commercial dense silica particle and/or hollow silica particle. With this result, the prepared mesoporous silica particles may be used efficiently in various applications, such as sensors, pharmaceuticals, environmentally sensitive pursuits, etc.

Smooth DNA Transport through a Narrowed Pore Geometry

PubMed Central

Carson, Spencer; Wilson, James; Aksimentiev, Aleksei; Wanunu, Meni

2014-01-01

Voltage-driven transport of double-stranded DNA through nanoscale pores holds much potential for applications in quantitative molecular biology and biotechnology, yet the microscopic details of translocation have proven to be challenging to decipher. Earlier experiments showed strong dependence of transport kinetics on pore size: fast regular transport in large pores (> 5 nm diameter), and slower yet heterogeneous transport time distributions in sub-5 nm pores, which imply a large positional uncertainty of the DNA in the pore as a function of the translocation time. In this work, we show that this anomalous transport is a result of DNA self-interaction, a phenomenon that is strictly pore-diameter dependent. We identify a regime in which DNA transport is regular, producing narrow and well-behaved dwell-time distributions that fit a simple drift-diffusion theory. Furthermore, a systematic study of the dependence of dwell time on DNA length reveals a single power-law scaling of 1.37 in the range of 35–20,000 bp. We highlight the resolution of our nanopore device by discriminating via single pulses 100 and 500 bp fragments in a mixture with >98% accuracy. When coupled to an appropriate sequence labeling method, our observation of smooth DNA translocation can pave the way for high-resolution DNA mapping and sizing applications in genomics. PMID:25418307

Fabrication of mesoporous silica for ultra-low-k interlayer dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Nobutoshi; Kohmura, Kazuo; Nakayama, Takahiro; Tanaka, Hirofumi; Hata, Nobuhiro; Seino, Yutaka; Kikkawa, Takamaro

2005-11-01

We have developed sol-gel self-assembly techniques to control the pore structure and diameter of ultra-low-k interlayer dielectric (ILD) films. Porous silica films have been fabricated using cationic and nonionic surfactants as templates, resulting in 2D-hexagonal and disordered pore structures, respectively. The disordered mesoporous silica film has a worm-hole like network of pore channels having a uniform diameter. Precursors of the mesoporous silica films were synthesized by use of tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS), inorganic acid, water, ethanol and various surfactants. The surfactants used were cationic alkyltrimethyl-ammonium (ATMA) chloride surfactants for 2D-hexagonal pores and nonionic tri-block copolymer for disordered structures. Dimethyldiethoxysilane (DMDEOS) was added for forming the disordered mesoporous silica. The disordered cylindrical pore structure with a uniform pore size was fabricated by controlling the static electrical interaction between the surfactant and the silica oligomer with methyl group of DMDEOS. Tetramethylcycrotetrasiloxane (TMCTS) vapor treatment was developed, which improved the mechanical strength of mesoporous silica films. The TMCTS polymer covered the pore wall surface and cross-linked to passivate the mechanical defects in the silica wall. Significant enhancement of mechanical strength was demonstrated by TMCTS vapor treatment. The porous silica film modified with a catalyst and a plasma treatment achieved higher mechanical strength and lower dielectric constant than conventional porous silica films because the TMCTS vapor treatment was more effective for mechanical reinforcement and hydrophobicity.

Positional ordering of hard adsorbate particles in tubular nanopores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurin, Péter; Varga, Szabolcs; Martínez-Ratón, Yuri; Velasco, Enrique

2018-05-01

The phase behavior and structural properties of a monolayer of hard particles is examined in such a confinement where the adsorbed particles are constrained to the surface of a narrow hard cylindrical pore. The diameter of the pore is chosen such that only first- and second-neighbor interactions occur between the hard particles. The transfer operator method of [Percus and Zhang, Mol. Phys. 69, 347 (1990), 10.1080/00268979000100241] is reformulated to obtain information about the structure of the monolayer. We have found that a true phase transition is not possible in the examined range of pore diameters. The monolayer of hard spheres undergoes a structural change from fluidlike order to a zigzaglike solid one with increasing surface density. The case of hard cylinders is different in the sense that a layering takes place continuously between a low-density one-row and a high-density two-row monolayer. Our results reveal a clear discrepancy with classical density functional theories, which do not distinguish smecticlike ordering in bulk from that in narrow periodic pores.

Hydrophobic Gating of Ion Permeation in Magnesium Channel CorA

PubMed Central

Neale, Chris; Chakrabarti, Nilmadhab; Pomorski, Pawel; Pai, Emil F.; Pomès, Régis

2015-01-01

Ion channels catalyze ionic permeation across membranes via water-filled pores. To understand how changes in intracellular magnesium concentration regulate the influx of Mg2+ into cells, we examine early events in the relaxation of Mg2+ channel CorA toward its open state using massively-repeated molecular dynamics simulations conducted either with or without regulatory ions. The pore of CorA contains a 2-nm-long hydrophobic bottleneck which remained dehydrated in most simulations. However, rapid hydration or “wetting” events concurrent with small-amplitude fluctuations in pore diameter occurred spontaneously and reversibly. In the absence of regulatory ions, wetting transitions are more likely and include a wet state that is significantly more stable and more hydrated. The free energy profile for Mg2+ permeation presents a barrier whose magnitude is anticorrelated to pore diameter and the extent of hydrophobic hydration. These findings support an allosteric mechanism whereby wetting of a hydrophobic gate couples changes in intracellular magnesium concentration to the onset of ionic conduction. PMID:26181442

Hydrophobic Gating of Ion Permeation in Magnesium Channel CorA.

PubMed

Neale, Chris; Chakrabarti, Nilmadhab; Pomorski, Pawel; Pai, Emil F; Pomès, Régis

2015-07-01

Ion channels catalyze ionic permeation across membranes via water-filled pores. To understand how changes in intracellular magnesium concentration regulate the influx of Mg2+ into cells, we examine early events in the relaxation of Mg2+ channel CorA toward its open state using massively-repeated molecular dynamics simulations conducted either with or without regulatory ions. The pore of CorA contains a 2-nm-long hydrophobic bottleneck which remained dehydrated in most simulations. However, rapid hydration or "wetting" events concurrent with small-amplitude fluctuations in pore diameter occurred spontaneously and reversibly. In the absence of regulatory ions, wetting transitions are more likely and include a wet state that is significantly more stable and more hydrated. The free energy profile for Mg2+ permeation presents a barrier whose magnitude is anticorrelated to pore diameter and the extent of hydrophobic hydration. These findings support an allosteric mechanism whereby wetting of a hydrophobic gate couples changes in intracellular magnesium concentration to the onset of ionic conduction.

Novel structure formation at the bottom surface of porous anodic alumina fabricated by single step anodization process.

PubMed

Ali, Ghafar; Ahmad, Maqsood; Akhter, Javed Iqbal; Maqbool, Muhammad; Cho, Sung Oh

2010-08-01

A simple approach for the growth of long-range highly ordered nanoporous anodic alumina film in H(2)SO(4) electrolyte through a single step anodization without any additional pre-anodizing procedure is reported. Free-standing porous anodic alumina film of 180 microm thickness with through hole morphology was obtained. A simple and single step process was used for the detachment of alumina from aluminum substrate. The effect of anodizing conditions, such as anodizing voltage and time on the pore diameter and pore ordering is discussed. The metal/oxide and oxide/electrolyte interfaces were examined by high resolution scanning transmission electron microscope. The arrangement of pores on metal/oxide interface was well ordered with smaller diameters than that of the oxide/electrolyte interface. The inter-pore distance was larger in metal/oxide interface as compared to the oxide/electrolyte interface. The size of the ordered domain was found to depend strongly upon anodizing voltage and time. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling for stress-strain curve of a porous NiTi under compressive loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Ying; Taya, Minoru

2005-05-01

Two models for predicting the stress-strain curve of porous NiTi under compressive loading are presented in this paper. Porous NiTi shape memory alloy is investigated as a composite composed of solid NiTi as matrix and pores as inclusions. Eshelby"s equivalent inclusion method and Mori-Tanaka"s mean-field theory are employed in both models. In the first model, the geometry of the pores is assumed as sphere. The composite is with close-cells. While in the second model, two geometries of the pores, sphere and ellipsoid, are investigated. The pores are interconnected to each other forming an open-cell microstructure. The two adjacent pores connected along equator ring are investigated as a unit. Two pores interact with each other as they are connected. The average eigenstrain of each unit is obtained by taking the average of each pore"s eigenstrain. The stress-strain curves of porous shape memory alloy with spherical pores and ellipsoidal pores are compared, it is found that the shape of the pores has a nonignorable influence on the mechanical property of the porous NiTi. Comparison of the stress-strain curves of the two models shows that introducing of the average eigenstrains in the second model makes the predictions more agreeable to the experimental results.

PCL-PGLA composite tubular scaffold preparation and biocompatibility investigation.

PubMed

Mo, X; Weber, H-J; Ramakrishna, S

2006-08-01

The objective of this paper was to fabricate a biodegradable tubular scaffold for small diameter (d<6 mm) blood vessel tissue engineering. The tube scaffold needed a porous wall for cell attachment, proliferation and tissue regeneration with its degradation. A novel method given in this paper was to coat a porous layer of poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) on the outside of a poly (glycolic-co-lactic acid) (PGLA with GA:LA=90:10) fiber braided tube to give a PCL-PGLA composite. The PGLA tube was fabricated using a braiding machine by inserting a Teflon tube with the desired diameter in center of the 20 spindles, which are the carriers of PGLA fibers. Changing the diameter of the Teflon tube can vary the inner diameter of a braided PGLA tube. Thermally induced phase separation method was used for PCL solution coating on the surface of the PGLA braided tube. Controlling the polymer concentration, non-solvent addition and quenching temperature generated the pore structures, with pore sizes ranging from 10-30 microm. The fibroblast cells were seeded on the tubular scaffold and cultured in vitro for the biocompatibility investigation. Histology results showed that the fibroblast cells proliferated on the interconnected pore of the PCL porous layer in 1 week.

Glassy dynamics of polymethylphenylsiloxane in one- and two-dimensional nanometric confinement—A comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipnusu, Wycliffe K.; Elsayed, Mohamed; Krause-Rehberg, Reinhard; Kremer, Friedrich

2017-05-01

Glassy dynamics of polymethylphenylsiloxane (PMPS) is studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nanometric confinement; the former is realized in thin polymer layers having thicknesses down to 5 nm, and the latter in unidirectional (thickness 50 μm) nanopores with diameters varying between 4 and 8 nm. Based on the dielectric measurements carried out in a broad spectral range at widely varying temperatures, glassy dynamics is analyzed in detail in 1D and in 2D confinements with the following results: (i) the segmental dynamics (dynamic glass transition) of PMPS in 1D confinement down to thicknesses of 5 nm is identical to the bulk in the mean relaxation rate and the width of the relaxation time distribution function; (ii) additionally a well separated surface induced relaxation is observed, being assigned to adsorption and desorption processes of polymer segments with the solid interface; (iii) in 2D confinement with native inner pore walls, the segmental dynamics shows a confinement effect, i.e., the smaller the pores are, the faster the segmental dynamics; on silanization, this dependence on the pore diameter vanishes, but the mean relaxation rate is still faster than in 1D confinement; (iv) in a 2D confinement, a pronounced surface induced relaxation process is found, the strength of which increases with the decreasing pore diameter; it can be fully removed by silanization of the inner pore walls; (v) the surface induced relaxation depends on its spectral position only negligibly on the pore diameter; (vi) comparing 1D and 2D confinements, the segmental dynamics in the latter is by about two orders of magnitude faster. All these findings can be comprehended by considering the density of the polymer; in 1D it is assumed to be the same as in the bulk, hence the dynamic glass transition is not altered; in 2D it is reduced due to a frustration of packaging resulting in a higher free volume, as proven by ortho-positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy.

Porosity characterization for heterogeneous shales using integrated multiscale microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rassouli, F.; Andrew, M.; Zoback, M. D.

2016-12-01

Pore size distribution analysis plays a critical role in gas storage capacity and fluid transport characterization of shales. Study of the diverse distribution of pore size and structure in such low permeably rocks is withheld by the lack of tools to visualize the microstructural properties of shale rocks. In this paper we try to use multiple techniques to investigate the full pore size range in different sample scales. Modern imaging techniques are combined with routine analytical investigations (x-ray diffraction, thin section analysis and mercury porosimetry) to describe pore size distribution of shale samples from Haynesville formation in East Texas to generate a more holistic understanding of the porosity structure in shales, ranging from standard core plug down to nm scales. Standard 1" diameter core plug samples were first imaged using a Versa 3D x-ray microscope at lower resolutions. Then we pick several regions of interest (ROIs) with various micro-features (such as micro-cracks and high organic matters) in the rock samples to run higher resolution CT scans using a non-destructive interior tomography scans. After this step, we cut the samples and drill 5 mm diameter cores out of the selected ROIs. Then we rescan the samples to measure porosity distribution of the 5 mm cores. We repeat this step for samples with diameter of 1 mm being cut out of the 5 mm cores using a laser cutting machine. After comparing the pore structure and distribution of the samples measured form micro-CT analysis, we move to nano-scale imaging to capture the ultra-fine pores within the shale samples. At this stage, the diameter of the 1 mm samples will be milled down to 70 microns using the laser beam. We scan these samples in a nano-CT Ultra x-ray microscope and calculate the porosity of the samples by image segmentation methods. Finally, we use images collected from focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) to be able to compare the results of porosity measurements from all different imaging techniques. These multi-scale characterization techniques are then compared with traditional analytical techniques such as Mercury Porosimetry.

Porous magnesium loaded with gentamicin sulphate and in vitro release behavior.

PubMed

Li, Qiuyan; Jiang, Guofeng; Wang, Dong; Wang, Huang; Ding, Liang; He, Guo

2016-12-01

Our aim was to develop a biocompatible bone repair material that has the advantage of preventing postoperative infections. Finally, the porous magnesium (p-Mg) loaded with gentamicin sulphate (GS-loaded Mg-G) was fabricated. The GS release behavior of the GS-loaded Mg-G in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) was investigated. The effective release time of GS reached to 14days. In addition, the effects of porosity and pore diameter of p-Mg on the GS release behavior of the GS-loaded Mg-G were studied. In the initial burst release stage, the GS release rate of the GS-loaded Mg-G increased with the increasing porosity or the increasing pore diameter of p-Mg. The GS-loaded Mg-G with larger original pore diameter has higher burst release of GS. Moreover, the in vitro antibacterial test of the GS-loaded Mg-G indicated that this biomaterial has obvious antibacterial effect. This study can provide information for p-Mg loaded with drug(s) as functional bone repair materials with drug-delivery capabilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental study of microbubble drag reduction on an axisymmetric body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Wuchao; Wang, Cong; Wei, Yingjie; Zhang, Xiaoshi; Wang, Wei

2018-01-01

Microbubble drag reduction on the axisymmetric body is experimentally investigated in the turbulent water tunnel. Microbubbles are created by injecting compressed air through the porous medium with various average pore sizes. The morphology of microbubble flow and the size distribution of microbubble are observed by the high-speed visualization system. Drag measurements are obtained by the balance which is presented as the function of void ratio. The results show that when the air injection flow rate is high, uniformly dispersed microbubble flow is coalesced into an air layer with the larger increment rate of drag reduction ratio. The diameter distributions of microbubble under various conditions are submitted to normal distribution. Microbubble drag reduction can be divided into three distinguishable regions in which the drag reduction ratio experiences increase stage, rapid increase stage and stability stage, respectively, corresponding to the various morphologies of microbubble flow. Moreover, drag reduction ratio increases with the decreasing pore sizes of porous medium at the identical void ratio in the area of low speeds, while the effect of pore sizes on drag reduction is reduced gradually until it disappears with the increasing free stream speeds, which indicates that smaller microbubbles have better efficiency in drag reduction. This research results help to improve the understanding of microbubble drag reduction and provides helpful references for practical applications.

Agarose template for the fabrication of macroporous metal oxide structures.

PubMed

Zhou, Jingfang; Zhou, Meifang; Caruso, Rachel A

2006-03-28

Agarose gels have been applied as templates for the formation of macroporous metal oxide structures. The preparation of the agarose template is extremely simple, and with variation of the agarose content, control over morphology is demonstrated: The average pore size decreases from 180 to 55 nm and the surface area increases from 238 to 271 m2 g(-1) with increasing agarose content in the gel. The gelling temperature was also found to influence the final template morphology. Conducting sol-gel chemistry within the template structure followed by removal of the template by heating to 450 degrees C gives porous inorganic oxides. The technique has been demonstrated for the oxides of titanium, zirconium, niobium, and tin. The final morphology of the metal oxide is homogeneous and results from a coating of the agarose structure. The pore diameter decreased and the specific surface area of the titanium dioxide materials increased from 28 to 66 m2 g(-1) as the agarose content in the template is increased from 0.5 to 5.0 wt%. The overall pore size and surface area are lower than the original gel due to shrinkage occurring with the sol-gel process, as well as crystallization and a loss of microporosity in the final material.

The effects of ageing time on the microstructure and properties of mesoporous silica-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yousefpour, Mardali; Taherian, Zahra

2013-02-01

In this study, a mesoporous silica-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite (MCM-41/HA) was synthesized via sol-gel technique as a drug delivery system. The synthesis of MCM-41/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite was carried out at room temperature. The effect of various ageing time on the nanocomposite properties was studied during synthesis process. 0, 24, 36, and 48 h aging times were chosen. Textural properties and microstructure of the nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Electron Diffraction pattern (ED), and N2 adsorption-desorption. Results showed that ageing process led to HA crystals nucleation and growth on the surface of mesoporous silica. At 48 h of aging time, the surface area and total pore volume increased from 36.2 to 334 m2/g and 0.14-0.7 cm3/g, respectively. In contrast, the average pore diameter considerably decreased from 20.1 nm for (MCM-41/HA)24 to 8.39 nm for (MCM-41/HA)48. Furthermore, it was observed more homogeneous pore distribution with increasing the ageing time. In conclusion, the ageing time play an important role on textural properties of MCM-41/HA nanocomposite which could have a major effect on drug delivery properties such as molecular loading and release kinetics.

Metal oxide porous ceramic membranes with small pore sizes

DOEpatents

Anderson, Marc A.; Xu, Qunyin

1992-01-01

A method is disclosed for the production of metal oxide ceramic membranes of very small pore size. The process is particularly useful in the creation of titanium and other transition metal oxide membranes. The method utilizes a sol-gel process in which the rate of particle formation is controlled by substituting a relatively large alcohol in the metal alkoxide and by limiting the available water. Stable, transparent metal oxide ceramic membranes are created having a narrow distribution of pore size, with the pore diameter being manipulable in the range of 5 to 40 Angstroms.

Metal oxide porous ceramic membranes with small pore sizes

DOEpatents

Anderson, Marc A.; Xu, Qunyin

1991-01-01

A method is disclosed for the production of metal oxide ceramic membranes of very small pore size. The process is particularly useful in the creation of titanium and other transition metal oxide membranes. The method utilizes a sol-gel process in which the rate of particle formation is controlled by substituting a relatively large alcohol in the metal alkoxide and by limiting the available water. Stable, transparent metal oxide ceramic membranes are created having a narrow distribution of pore size, with the pore diameter being manipulable in the range of 5 to 40 Angstroms.

The influence of mass transfer on solute transport in column experiments with an aggregated soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Paul V.; Goltz, Mark N.; Summers, R. Scott; Crittenden, John C.; Nkedi-Kizza, Peter

1987-06-01

The spreading of concentration fronts in dynamic column experiments conducted with a porous, aggregated soil is analyzed by means of a previously documented transport model (DFPSDM) that accounts for longitudinal dispersion, external mass transfer in the boundary layer surrounding the aggregate particles, and diffusion in the intra-aggregate pores. The data are drawn from a previous report on the transport of tritiated water, chloride, and calcium ion in a column filled with Ione soil having an average aggregate particle diameter of 0.34 cm, at pore water velocities from 3 to 143 cm/h. The parameters for dispersion, external mass transfer, and internal diffusion were predicted for the experimental conditions by means of generalized correlations, independent of the column data. The predicted degree of solute front-spreading agreed well with the experimental observations. Consistent with the aggregate porosity of 45%, the tortuosity factor for internal pore diffusion was approximately equal to 2. Quantitative criteria for the spreading influence of the three mechanisms are evaluated with respect to the column data. Hydrodynamic dispersion is thought to have governed the front shape in the experiments at low velocity, and internal pore diffusion is believed to have dominated at high velocity; the external mass transfer resistance played a minor role under all conditions. A transport model such as DFPSDM is useful for interpreting column data with regard to the mechanisms controlling concentration front dynamics, but care must be exercised to avoid confounding the effects of the relevant processes.

AAVSO Solar Observers Worldwide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, R.

2013-06-01

(Abstract only) For visual solar observers there has been no biological change in the "detector" (human eye) - at century scales (eye + visual cortex) does not change much over time. Our capacity to "integrate" seeing distortions is not just simple averaging! The visual cortex plays an essential role, and until recently only the SDO-HMI (Solar Dynamics Observatory, Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager) has had the capacity to detect the smallest sunspots, called pores. Prior to this the eye was superior to photography and CCD. Imaged data are not directly comparable or substitutable to counts by eye, as the effects of sensor/optical resolution and seeing will have a different influence on the resulting sunspot counts for images when compared to the human eye. Also contributing to the complex task of counting sunspots is differentiating between a sunspot (which is usually defined as having a darker center (umbra) and lighter outer ring (penumbra)) and a pore, made even more complex by the conflicting definitions of the word "pore" in the solar context: "pore" can mean a small spot without penumbra or "pore" can mean a random intergranular blemish that is not a true sunspot. The overall agreement is that the smallest spot size is near 2,000 km or ~3 arc sec, (Loughhead, R. E. and Bray, R. J. 1961, Australian J. Phys., 14, 347). Sunspot size is dictated by granulation dynamics rather than spot size (cancellation of convective motion), and by the lifetime of the pore, which averages from 10 to 30 minutes. There is no specific aperture required for AAVSO observers contributing sunspot observations. However, the detection of the smallest spots is influenced by the resolution of the telescope. Two factors to consider are the theoretical optical resolution (unobstructed aperture), Rayleigh criterion: theta = 138 / D(mm), and Dawes criterion: theta = 116 / D(mm) (http://www.telescope-optics.net/telescope_resolution.htm). However, seeing is variable with time; daytime range will be similar for all low-altitude sites, within the range of 1.5 to 3 arc sec, (typically = 2 arc sec equivalent diameter D = 45-90 mm, the typical solar scope = 70 mm aperture). Where large apertures are more affected by size of turbulent eddies ~8-12 cm, small-aperture telescopes reduce these differences, i.e. large aperture is not always beneficial.

Fabrication and Optimization of Bilayered Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Structures as Multi-Point Interferometric Sensing Platform

PubMed Central

Nemati, Mahdieh; Santos, Abel

2018-01-01

Herein, we present an innovative strategy for optimizing hierarchical structures of nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) to advance their optical sensing performance toward multi-analyte biosensing. This approach is based on the fabrication of multilayered NAA and the formation of differential effective medium of their structure by controlling three fabrication parameters (i.e., anodization steps, anodization time, and pore widening time). The rationale of the proposed concept is that interferometric bilayered NAA (BL-NAA), which features two layers of different pore diameters, can provide distinct reflectometric interference spectroscopy (RIfS) signatures for each layer within the NAA structure and can therefore potentially be used for multi-point biosensing. This paper presents the structural fabrication of layered NAA structures, and the optimization and evaluation of their RIfS optical sensing performance through changes in the effective optical thickness (EOT) using quercetin as a model molecule. The bilayered or funnel-like NAA structures were designed with the aim of characterizing the sensitivity of both layers of quercetin molecules using RIfS and exploring the potential of these photonic structures, featuring different pore diameters, for simultaneous size-exclusion and multi-analyte optical biosensing. The sensing performance of the prepared NAA platforms was examined by real-time screening of binding reactions between human serum albumin (HSA)-modified NAA (i.e., sensing element) and quercetin (i.e., analyte). BL-NAAs display a complex optical interference spectrum, which can be resolved by fast Fourier transform (FFT) to monitor the EOT changes, where three distinctive peaks were revealed corresponding to the top, bottom, and total layer within the BL-NAA structures. The spectral shifts of these three characteristic peaks were used as sensing signals to monitor the binding events in each NAA pore in real-time upon exposure to different concentrations of quercetin. The multi-point sensing performance of BL-NAAs was determined for each pore layer, with an average sensitivity and low limit of detection of 600 nm (mg mL−1)−1 and 0.14 mg mL−1, respectively. BL-NAAs photonic structures have the capability to be used as platforms for multi-point RIfS sensing of biomolecules that can be further extended for simultaneous size-exclusion separation and multi-analyte sensing using these bilayered nanostructures. PMID:29415436

Specific Internalisation of Gold Nanoparticles into Engineered Porous Protein Cages via Affinity Binding

PubMed Central

Peng, Tao; Free, Paul; Fernig, David G.; Lim, Sierin; Tomczak, Nikodem

2016-01-01

Porous protein cages are supramolecular protein self-assemblies presenting pores that allow the access of surrounding molecules and ions into their core in order to store and transport them in biological environments. Protein cages’ pores are attractive channels for the internalisation of inorganic nanoparticles and an alternative for the preparation of hybrid bioinspired nanoparticles. However, strategies based on nanoparticle transport through the pores are largely unexplored, due to the difficulty of tailoring nanoparticles that have diameters commensurate with the pores size and simultaneously displaying specific affinity to the cages’ core and low non-specific binding to the cages’ outer surface. We evaluated the specific internalisation of single small gold nanoparticles, 3.9 nm in diameter, into porous protein cages via affinity binding. The E2 protein cage derived from the Geobacillus stearothermophilus presents 12 pores, 6 nm in diameter, and an empty core of 13 nm in diameter. We engineered the E2 protein by site-directed mutagenesis with oligohistidine sequences exposing them into the cage’s core. Dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy analysis show that the structures of E2 protein cages mutated with bis- or penta-histidine sequences are well conserved. The surface of the gold nanoparticles was passivated with a self-assembled monolayer made of a mixture of short peptidols and thiolated alkane ethylene glycol ligands. Such monolayers are found to provide thin coatings preventing non-specific binding to proteins. Further functionalisation of the peptide coated gold nanoparticles with Ni2+ nitrilotriacetic moieties enabled the specific binding to oligohistidine tagged cages. The internalisation via affinity binding was evaluated by electron microscopy analysis. From the various mutations tested, only the penta-histidine mutated E2 protein cage showed repeatable and stable internalisation. The present work overcomes the limitations of currently available approaches and provides a new route to design tailored and well-controlled hybrid nanoparticles. PMID:27622533

Capture and alignment of phi29 viral particles in sub-40 nanometer porous alumina membranes.

PubMed

Moon, Jeong-Mi; Akin, Demir; Xuan, Yi; Ye, Peide D; Guo, Peixuan; Bashir, Rashid

2009-02-01

Bacteriophage phi29 virus nanoparticles and its associated DNA packaging nanomotor can provide for novel possibilities towards the development of hybrid bio-nano structures. Towards the goal of interfacing the phi29 viruses and nanomotors with artificial micro and nanostructures, we fabricated nanoporous Anodic Aluminum Oxide (AAO) membranes with pore size of 70 nm and shrunk the pores to sub 40 nm diameter using atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Aluminum Oxide. We were able to capture and align particles in the anodized nanopores using two methods. Firstly, a functionalization and polishing process to chemically attach the particles in the inner surface of the pores was developed. Secondly, centrifugation of the particles was utilized to align them in the pores of the nanoporous membranes. In addition, when a mixture of empty capsids and packaged particles was centrifuged at specific speeds, it was found that the empty capsids deform and pass through 40 nm diameter pores whereas the particles packaged with DNA were mainly retained at the top surface of the nanoporous membranes. Fluorescence microscopy was used to verify the selective filtration of empty capsids through the nanoporous membranes.

Pore dilatation increases the bicarbonate permeability of CFTR, ANO1 and glycine receptor anion channels

PubMed Central

Jun, Ikhyun; Cheng, Mary Hongying; Sim, Eunji; Jung, Jinsei; Suh, Bong Lim; Kim, Yonjung; Son, Hankil; Park, Kyungsoo; Kim, Chul Hoon; Yoon, Joo‐Heon; Whitcomb, David C.; Bahar, Ivet

2016-01-01

Key points Cellular stimuli can modulate the ion selectivity of some anion channels, such as CFTR, ANO1 and the glycine receptor (GlyR), by changing pore size.Ion selectivity of CFTR, ANO1 and GlyR is critically affected by the electric permittivity and diameter of the channel pore.Pore size change affects the energy barriers of ion dehydration as well as that of size‐exclusion of anion permeation.Pore dilatation increases the bicarbonate permeability (P HC O3/ Cl ) of CFTR, ANO1 and GlyR.Dynamic change in P HC O3/ Cl may mediate many physiological and pathological processes. Abstract Chloride (Cl−) and bicarbonate (HCO3 −) are two major anions and their permeation through anion channels plays essential roles in our body. However, the mechanism of ion selection by the anion channels is largely unknown. Here, we provide evidence that pore dilatation increases the bicarbonate permeability (P HC O3/ Cl ) of anion channels by reducing energy barriers of size‐exclusion and ion dehydration of HCO3 − permeation. Molecular, physiological and computational analyses of major anion channels, such as cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), anoctamin‐1(ANO1/TMEM16A) and the glycine receptor (GlyR), revealed that the ion selectivity of anion channels is basically determined by the electric permittivity and diameter of the pore. Importantly, cellular stimuli dynamically modulate the anion selectivity of CFTR and ANO1 by changing the pore size. In addition, pore dilatation by a mutation in the pore‐lining region alters the anion selectivity of GlyR. Changes in pore size affected not only the energy barriers of size exclusion but that of ion dehydration by altering the electric permittivity of water‐filled cavity in the pore. The dynamic increase in P HC O3/ Cl by pore dilatation may have many physiological and pathophysiological implications ranging from epithelial HCO3 − secretion to neuronal excitation. PMID:26663196

Composition and diameter modulation of magnetic nanowire arrays fabricated by a novel approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaker Salem, Mohamed; Tejo, Felipe; Zierold, Robert; Sergelius, Philip; Montero Moreno, Josep M.; Goerlitz, Detlef; Nielsch, Kornelius; Escrig, Juan

2018-02-01

Straight magnetic nanowires composed of nickel and permalloy segments having different diameters are synthesized using a promising approach. This approach involves the controlled electrodeposition of each magnetic material into specially designed diameter-modulated porous alumina templates. Standard alumina templates are exposed to pore widening followed by a protective coating of the pore wall with ultrathin silica and further anodization. Micromagnetic simulations are employed to investigate the process of magnetization reversal in the fabricated nanowires when the magnetic materials exchange their places in the thick and thin segments. It is found that the magnetization reversal occurs by the propagation of transverse domain wall (DW) when the thick segment is composed of permalloy. However, the reversal process proceeds by the propagation of vortex DW when permalloy is located at the thin segment.

A practical extension of hydrodynamic theory of porous transport for hydrophilic solutes.

PubMed

Bassingthwaighte, James B

2006-03-01

The equations for transport of hydrophilic solutes through aqueous pores provide a fundamental basis for examining capillary-tissue exchange and water and solute flux through transmembrane channels, but the theory remains incomplete for ratios, alpha, of sphere diameters to pore diameters greater than 0.4. Values for permeabilities, P, and reflection coefficients, sigma, from Lewellen, working with Lightfoot et al., at alpha = 0.5 and 0.95, were combined with earlier values for alpha < 0.4, and the physically required values at alpha = 1.0, to provide accurate expressions over the whole range of 0 < alpha < 1. The "data" were the long-accepted theory for alpha < 0.2 and the computational results from Lewellen and Lightfoot et al. on hard spheres (of 5 different alpha's) moving by convection and diffusion through a tight cylindrical pore, accounting for molecular exclusion, viscous forces, pressure drop, torque and rotation of spheres off the center line (averaging across all accessible radial positions), and the asymptotic values at alpha = 1.0. Coefficients for frictional hindrance to diffusion, F(alpha), and drag, G(alpha), and functions for sigma(alpha) and P(alpha), were represented by power law functions and the parameters optimized to give best fits to the combined "data." The reflection coefficient sigma = {1 - [1 - (1 - phi)2]G'(alpha)} + 2alpha2 phi F'(alpha), and the relative permeability P/Pmax = phi F '(alpha)[1 + 9alpha5.5 x (1.0 - alpha5)0.02], where phi is the partition coefficient or volume fraction of the pore available to solute. The new expression for the diffusive hindrance is F'(alpha) = (1 - alpha2)(3/2) phi/[1 + 0.2 x alpha2 x (1 - alpha2)16], and for the drag factor is G'(alpha) = (1 - 2alpha(2)/3 - 0.20217 alpha5)/(1 - 0.75851 alpha5) - 0.0431[1 - (1 - alpha10)]. All of these converge monotonically to the correct limits at alpha = 1. These are the first expressions providing hydrodynamically based estimates of sigma(alpha) and P(alpha) over 0 < alpha < 1 They should be accurate to within 1-2%.

Assistant template and co-template agents in modeling mesoporous silicas and post-synthesizing organofunctionalizations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oliveira, Vaeudo V.; Airoldi, Claudio, E-mail: airoldi@iqm.unicamp.br

2012-12-15

Mesoporous SBA-16 silicas were synthesized through a direct methodology using the template (F127) combined with co-templates (ethanol and n-butanol), with tetraethylorthosilicate as the silica source. These ordered mesoporous silica were characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance for {sup 13}C (CP/MAS) and {sup 29}Si (HP/DEC) nuclei, nitrogen sorption/desorption processes, small angle X-ray analyses (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SAXS and TEM results confirmed the space group Im3m and cubic 3D symmetry, typical for highly ordered SBA-16. The sorption/desorption data for SBA-16 and when functionalized gave type IV isotherms, with hysteresis loop H2. Surface areas of 836;more » 657 and 618 m{sup 2} g{sup -1} and average pore diameters of 7.99; 8.10 and 9.85 nm, for SBA-16A, SBA-16B and SBA-16C were obtained, respectively. When functionalized the silicas presented a reduction in surface area, pore volume and pore diameter due to the pendant chains that interfere with nitrogen sorption in these measurements. The co-template ethanol favors the ordered mesopores with highest wall thicknesses. - Graphical Abstract: The mesoporous SBA-16 can be synthesized from binary (F127/TEOS) or ternary (F127/alcohol/TEOs) systems to give well-ordered mesoporous silicas. The co-templates ethanol or butanol gave the final material with highest wall thickness, mainly with ethanol. After these syntheses the pores were successfully organofunctionalized to give a good incorporation of the silylating agents. The final silicas presented of well-arranged solid characteristics as expressing by three distinct peaks, as indexed by the corresponding planes. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Syntheses of mesoporous silicas by using ternary (F127/agent/TEOS) and binary (F127/TEOS) systems. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Use of co-templates to synthesize mesoporous silicas with larger wall thicknesses. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Immobilization of pendant chains inside the porous silicas. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ordered mesoposous silicas as new materials for possible applications on sorption and delivering drug systems.« less

Synthesis of thick mesoporous gamma-alumina films, loading of Pt nanoparticles, and use of the composite film as a reusable catalyst.

PubMed

Dandapat, Anirban; Jana, Debrina; De, Goutam

2009-04-01

Nanocrystalline mesoporous gamma-Al2O3 film of high thickness has been developed and characterized. The films were prepared on ordinary glass substrates by a single dip-coating method using boehmite (AlOOH) sols derived from aluminum tri-sec-butoxide in presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as structure-directing agent. The dried films were heat-treated at 500 degrees C in air to remove the organics and strengthen the network. The GIXRD of the heat-treated (500 degrees C) film shows a broad peak in the low-angle region supporting the formation of worm-hole-like disordered mesostructures. The high-angle GIXRD, FTIR, and TEM of the films confirm the formation of gamma-Al2O3. N2 adsorption-desorption analyses showed that the heat-treated (500 degrees C) film has a BET surface area of 171 m(2) g(-1) with a pore volume of 0.188 cm(3) g(-1) and mean pore diameter 4.3 nm. Pt nanoparticles (NPs) (approximately 2.7 mol % with respect to the equivalent AlO(1.5)) were generated inside the mesopores of the heat-treated films simply by soaking H2PtCl6 solutions into it, and followed by thermal decomposition at 500 degrees C. The surface area and pore volume of the Pt-incorporated film have been reduced to 101 m(2) g(-1) and 0.119 cm(3) g(-1) respectively, confirming the inclusion of Pt NPs inside the pores. FESEM and TEM studies revealed uniform distribution of Pt NPs (2-8.5 nm; average diameter 4.9 nm) in the films. Catalytic properties of the Pt-incorporated films were investigated in two model (one inorganic and other organic) systems: reduction of hexacyanoferrate(III) ions by thiosulfate to ferrocyanide, and p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. In both the cases, the catalyst showed excellent activities, and the reduction reactions followed smoothly, showing isosbestic points in the UV-visible spectra. The catalyst films can be separated easily after the reactions and reused several times.

Electronic transport behavior of diameter-graded Ag nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xue Wei; Yuan, Zhi Hao

2010-05-01

Ag nanowires with a graded diameter in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes were fabricated by the direct-current electrodeposition. The Ag nanowires have a graded-change in diameter from 8 to 32 nm, which is matched with the graded-change of the AAO pore diameter. Electronic transport measurements show that there is a transport behavior similar to that of a metal-semiconductor junction along the axial direction in the diameter-graded Ag nanowires. Such a novel homogeneous nanojunction will be of great fundamental and practical significance.

Method using selected carbons to react with Al2O and Al vapors in the carbothermic production of aluminum

DOEpatents

Fruehan, Richard J.; Li, Yun; Carkin, Gerald

2005-02-01

In a method for recovering Al from an off-gas (3,4) produced during carbothermic reduction of aluminum utilizing at least one smelter (1,2), the off-gas (3,4) is directed to an enclosed reactor (5) which is fed a supply of wood charcoal (7) having a porosity of from about 50 vol. % to 85 vol. % and an average pore diameter of from about 0.05 .mu.m to about 2.00 .mu.m, where the wood charcoal (7) contacts the off-gas (3,4) to produce at least Al.sub.4 C.sub.3 (6), which is passed back to the smelter (1,2).

Fabrication of cast particle-reinforced metals via pressure infiltration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klier, E. M.; Mortensen, A.; Cornie, J. A.; Flemings, M. C.

1991-01-01

A new casting process for fabrication of particle-reinforced metals is presented whereby a composite of particulate reinforcing phase in metal is first produced by pressure infiltration. This composite is then diluted in additional molten metal to obtain the desired reinforcement volume fraction and metal composition. This process produces a pore-free as-cast particulate metal-matrix composite. This process is demonstrated for fabrication of magnesium-matrix composites containing SiC reinforcements of average diameter 30, 10 and 3 microns. It is compared with the compocasting process, which was investigated as well for similar SiC particles in Mg-10 wt pct Al, and resulted in unacceptable levels of porosity in the as-cast composite.

Mesoporous silica templated zirconia nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballem, Mohamed A.; Córdoba, José M.; Odén, Magnus

2011-07-01

Nanoparticles of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) were synthesized by infiltration of a zirconia precursor (ZrOCl2·8H2O) into a SBA-15 mesoporous silica mold using a wet-impregnation technique. X-ray diffractometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy show formation of stable ZrO2 nanoparticles inside the silica pores after a thermal treatment at 550 °C. Subsequent leaching out of the silica template by NaOH resulted in well-dispersed ZrO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 4 nm. The formed single crystal nanoparticles are faceted with 110 surfaces termination suggesting it to be the preferred growth orientation. A growth model of these nanoparticles is also suggested.

Lithium ion batteries based on nanoporous silicon

DOEpatents

Tolbert, Sarah H.; Nemanick, Eric J.; Kang, Chris Byung-Hwa

2015-09-22

A lithium ion battery that incorporates an anode formed from a Group IV semiconductor material such as porous silicon is disclosed. The battery includes a cathode, and an anode comprising porous silicon. In some embodiments, the anode is present in the form of a nanowire, a film, or a powder, the porous silicon having a pore diameters within the range between 2 nm and 100 nm and an average wall thickness of within the range between 1 nm and 100 nm. The lithium ion battery further includes, in some embodiments, a non-aqueous lithium containing electrolyte. Lithium ion batteries incorporating a porous silicon anode demonstrate have high, stable lithium alloying capacity over many cycles.

Intrinsic property measurement of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica films using time-resolved single-molecule imaging.

PubMed

Kennard, Raymond; DeSisto, William J; Giririjan, Thanu Praba; Mason, Michael D

2008-04-07

Mesoporous silica membranes fabricated by the surfactant-templated sol-gel process have received attention because of the potential to prepare membranes with a narrow pore size distribution and ordering of the interconnected pores. Potential applications include ultrafiltration, biological separations and drug delivery, and separators in lithium-ion batteries. Despite advancements in synthesis and characterization of these membranes, a quantitative description of the membrane microstructure remains a challenge. Currently the membrane microstructure is characterized by the combination of results from several techniques, i.e., gas permeance testing, x-ray diffraction scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and permporometry. The results from these ensemble methods are then compiled and the data fitted to a particular flow model. Although these methods are very effective in determining membrane performance, general pore size distribution, and defect concentration, they are unable to monitor molecular paths through the membrane and quantitatively measure molecular interactions between the molecular specie and pore network. Single-molecule imaging techniques enable optical measurements that probe materials on nanometer length scales through observation of individual molecules without the influence of averaging. Using single-molecule imaging spectroscopy, we can quantitatively characterize the interaction between the probe molecule and the interior of the pore within mesoporous silica membranes. This approach is radically different from typical membrane characterization methods in that it has the potential to spatially sample the underlying pore structure distribution, the surface energy, and the transport properties. Our hope is that this new fundamental knowledge can be quantitatively linked to both the preparation and the performance of membranes, leading to the advancement of membrane science and technology. Fluorescent molecules, 1,1-dioctadecyl-3,3,3,3-tetramethylindo-carbocyanine perchlorate, used to interrogate the available free volume in their vicinity, were loaded into the mesoporous silica membranes at subnanomolar concentrations. The mesoporous silica films were prepared using a nonionic ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide triblock copolymer surfactant, Pluronic P123, on single crystal silicon substrates using dip coating of a silica sol. Membranes were prepared resulting in an average pore diameter of approximately 5 nm as measured by helium, nitrogen permeance, and porosimetry. Fluorescent images and time transient experiments were recorded using a custom built single-molecule scanning confocal microscope at differing temperatures (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C). Time-dependent polarization anisotropy was used to obtain the enthalpy of adsorption and Henry's law constant of the probe molecule.

Intrinsic property measurement of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica films using time-resolved single-molecule imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennard, Raymond; DeSisto, William J.; Giririjan, Thanu Praba; Mason, Michael D.

2008-04-01

Mesoporous silica membranes fabricated by the surfactant-templated sol-gel process have received attention because of the potential to prepare membranes with a narrow pore size distribution and ordering of the interconnected pores. Potential applications include ultrafiltration, biological separations and drug delivery, and separators in lithium-ion batteries. Despite advancements in synthesis and characterization of these membranes, a quantitative description of the membrane microstructure remains a challenge. Currently the membrane microstructure is characterized by the combination of results from several techniques, i.e., gas permeance testing, x-ray diffraction scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and permporometry. The results from these ensemble methods are then compiled and the data fitted to a particular flow model. Although these methods are very effective in determining membrane performance, general pore size distribution, and defect concentration, they are unable to monitor molecular paths through the membrane and quantitatively measure molecular interactions between the molecular specie and pore network. Single-molecule imaging techniques enable optical measurements that probe materials on nanometer length scales through observation of individual molecules without the influence of averaging. Using single-molecule imaging spectroscopy, we can quantitatively characterize the interaction between the probe molecule and the interior of the pore within mesoporous silica membranes. This approach is radically different from typical membrane characterization methods in that it has the potential to spatially sample the underlying pore structure distribution, the surface energy, and the transport properties. Our hope is that this new fundamental knowledge can be quantitatively linked to both the preparation and the performance of membranes, leading to the advancement of membrane science and technology. Fluorescent molecules, 1,1-dioctadecyl-3,3,3,3-tetramethylindo-carbocyanine perchlorate, used to interrogate the available free volume in their vicinity, were loaded into the mesoporous silica membranes at subnanomolar concentrations. The mesoporous silica films were prepared using a nonionic ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide triblock copolymer surfactant, Pluronic P123, on single crystal silicon substrates using dip coating of a silica sol. Membranes were prepared resulting in an average pore diameter of approximately 5nm as measured by helium, nitrogen permeance, and porosimetry. Fluorescent images and time transient experiments were recorded using a custom built single-molecule scanning confocal microscope at differing temperatures (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50°C). Time-dependent polarization anisotropy was used to obtain the enthalpy of adsorption and Henry's law constant of the probe molecule.

Salt permeation and exclusion in hydroxylated and functionalized silica pores.

PubMed

Leung, Kevin; Rempe, Susan B; Lorenz, Christian D

2006-03-10

We use combined ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), grand canonical Monte Carlo, and molecular dynamics techniques to study the effect of pore surface chemistry and confinement on the permeation of salt into silica nanopore arrays filled with water. AIMD shows that 11.6 A diameter hydroxylated silica pores are relatively stable in water, whereas amine groups on functionalized pore surfaces abstract silanol protons, turning into NH3+. Free energy calculations using an ab initio parametrized force field show that the hydroxylated pores strongly attract Na+ and repel Cl- ions. Pores lined with NH3+ have the reverse surface charge polarity. Finally, studies of ions in carbon nanotubes suggest that hydration of Cl- is more strongly frustrated by pure confinement effects than Na+.

DNA-assisted oligomerization of pore-forming toxin monomers into precisely-controlled protein channels

PubMed Central

Knechtel, Johann

2017-01-01

Abstract We have developed a novel approach for creating membrane-spanning protein-based pores. The construction principle is based on using well-defined, circular DNA nanostructures to arrange a precise number of pore-forming protein toxin monomers. We can thereby obtain, for the first time, protein pores with specifically set diameters. We demonstrate this principle by constructing artificial alpha-hemolysin (αHL) pores. The DNA/αHL hybrid nanopores composed of twelve, twenty or twenty-six monomers show stable insertions into lipid bilayers during electrical recordings, along with steady, pore size-dependent current levels. Our approach successfully advances the applicability of nanopores, in particular towards label-free studies of single molecules in large nanoscaled biological structures. PMID:29088457

Poly(cyclohexylethylene)- block -Poly(lactide) Oligomers for Ultrasmall Nanopatterning Using Atomic Layer Deposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yao, Li; Oquendo, Luis E.; Schulze, Morgan W.

2016-03-08

Poly(cyclohexylethylene)-block-poly(lactide) (PCHE–PLA) block polymers were synthesized through a combination of anionic polymerization, heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation and controlled ring-opening polymerization. Ordered thin films of PCHE–PLA with ultrasmall hexagonally packed cylinders oriented perpendicularly to the substrate surface were prepared by spin-coating and subsequent solvent vapor annealing for use in two distinct templating strategies. In one approach, selective hydrolytic degradation of the PLA domains generated nanoporous PCHE templates with an average pore diameter of 5 ± 1 nm corroborated by atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering. Alternatively, sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) was employed to deposit Al2O3 selectively into the PLAmore » domains of PCHE–PLA thin films. A combination of argon ion milling and O2 reactive ion etching (RIE) enabled the replication of the Al2O3 nanoarray from the PCHE–PLA template on diverse substrates including silicon and gold with feature diameters less than 10 nm.« less

Mesoporous silica coatings for cephalosporin active release at the bone-implant interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rădulescu, Dragoş; Voicu, Georgeta; Oprea, Alexandra Elena; Andronescu, Ecaterina; Grumezescu, Valentina; Holban, Alina Maria; Vasile, Bogdan Stefan; Surdu, Adrian Vasile; Grumezescu, Alexandru Mihai; Socol, Gabriel; Mogoantă, Laurenţiu; Mogoşanu, George Dan; Balaure, Paul Cătălin; Rădulescu, Radu; Chifiriuc, Mariana Carmen

2016-06-01

In this study, we investigated the potential of MAPLE-deposited coatings mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to release Zinforo (ceftarolinum fosmil) in biologically active form. The MSNs were prepared by using a classic procedure with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as sacrificial template and tetraethylorthosilicate as the monomer. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed network-forming granules with diameters under 100 nm and an average pore diameter of 2.33 nm. The deposited films were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and IR. Microbiological analyses performed on ceftaroline-loaded films demonstrated that the antibiotic was released in an active form, decreasing the microbial adherence rate and colonization of the surface. Moreover, the in vitro and in vivo assays proved the excellent biodistribution and biocompatibility of the prepared systems. Our results suggest that the obtained bioactive coatings possess a significant potential for the design of drug delivery systems and antibacterial medical-use surfaces, with great applications in bone implantology.

Preparation and electrochemical characterization of gel polymer electrolyte based on electrospun polyacrylonitrile nonwoven membranes for lithium batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghavan, Prasanth; Manuel, James; Zhao, Xiaohui; Kim, Dul-Sun; Ahn, Jou-Hyeon; Nah, Changwoon

Electrospun membranes of polyacrylonitrile are prepared, and the electrospinning parameters are optimized to get fibrous membranes with uniform bead-free morphology. The polymer solution of 16 wt.% in N, N-dimethylformamide at an applied voltage of 20 kV results in the nanofibrous membrane with average fiber diameter of 350 nm and narrow fiber diameter distribution. Gel polymer electrolytes are prepared by activating the nonwoven membranes with different liquid electrolytes. The nanometer level fiber diameter and fully interconnected pore structure of the host polymer membranes facilitate easy penetration of the liquid electrolyte. The gel polymer electrolytes show high electrolyte uptake (>390%) and high ionic conductivity (>2 × 10 -3 S cm -1). The cell fabricated with the gel polymer electrolytes shows good interfacial stability and oxidation stability >4.7 V. Prototype coin cells with gel polymer electrolytes based on a membrane activated with 1 M LiPF 6 in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl carbonate or propylene carbonate are evaluated for discharge capacity and cycle property in Li/LiFePO 4 cells at room temperature. The cells show remarkably good cycle performance with high initial discharge properties and low capacity fade under continuous cycling.

Decreased Lamina Cribrosa Beam Thickness and Pore Diameter Relative to Distance From the Central Retinal Vessel Trunk

PubMed Central

Wang, Bo; Lucy, Katie A.; Schuman, Joel S.; Sigal, Ian A.; Bilonick, Richard A.; Kagemann, Larry; Kostanyan, Tigran; Lu, Chen; Liu, Jonathan; Grulkowski, Ireneusz; Fujimoto, James G.; Ishikawa, Hiroshi; Wollstein, Gadi

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate how the lamina cribrosa (LC) microstructure changes with distance from the central retinal vessel trunk (CRVT), and to determine how this change differs in glaucoma. Methods One hundred nineteen eyes (40 healthy, 29 glaucoma suspect, and 50 glaucoma) of 105 subjects were imaged using swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT). The CRVT was manually delineated at the level of the anterior LC surface. A line was fit to the distribution of LC microstructural parameters and distance from CRVT to measure the gradient (change in LC microstructure per distance from the CRVT) and intercept (LC microstructure near the CRVT). A linear mixed-effects model was used to determine the effect of diagnosis on the gradient and intercept of the LC microstructure with distance from the CRVT. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was applied to determine the difference in distribution between the diagnostic categories. Results The percent of visible LC in all scans was 26 ± 7%. Beam thickness and pore diameter decreased with distance from the CRVT. Glaucoma eyes had a larger decrease in beam thickness (−1.132 ± 0.503 μm, P = 0.028) and pore diameter (−0.913 ± 0.259 μm, P = 0.001) compared with healthy controls per 100 μm from the CRVT. Glaucoma eyes showed increased variability in both beam thickness and pore diameter relative to the distance from the CRVT compared with healthy eyes (P < 0.05). Conclusions These findings results demonstrate the importance of considering the anatomical location of CRVT in the assessment of the LC, as there is a relationship between the distance from the CRVT and the LC microstructure, which differs between healthy and glaucoma eyes. PMID:27286366

Ordered mesoporous MFe(2)O(4) (M = Co, Cu, Mg, Ni, Zn) thin films with nanocrystalline walls, uniform 16 nm diameter pores and high thermal stability: template-directed synthesis and characterization of redox active trevorite.

PubMed

Haetge, Jan; Suchomski, Christian; Brezesinski, Torsten

2010-12-20

In this paper, we report on ordered mesoporous NiFe(2)O(4) thin films synthesized via co-assembly of hydrated ferric nitrate and nickel chloride with an amphiphilic diblock copolymer, referred to as KLE. We establish that the NiFe(2)O(4) samples are highly crystalline after calcination at 600 °C, and that the conversion of the amorphous inorganic framework comes at little cost to the ordering of the high quality cubic network of pores averaging 16 nm in diameter. We further show that the synthesis method employed in this work can be readily extended to other ferrites, such as CoFe(2)O(4), CuFe(2)O(4), MgFe(2)O(4), and ZnFe(2)O(4), which could pave the way for innovative device design. While this article focuses on the self-assembly and characterization of these materials using various state-of-the-art techniques, including electron microscopy, grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy, we also examine the electrochemical properties and show the benefits of combining a continuous mesoporosity with nanocrystalline films. KLE-templated NiFe(2)O(4) electrodes exhibit reasonable levels of lithium ion storage at short charging times which stem from facile pseudocapacitance.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kondo, Atsushi, E-mail: kondoa@cc.tuat.ac.jp; Maeda, Kazuyuki

A 3D flexible metal–organic framework (MOF) with 1D hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores shows anisotropic thermal expansion with relatively large thermal expansion coefficient (α{sub a}=−21×10{sup −6} K{sup −1} and α{sub c}=79×10{sup −6} K{sup −1}) between 133 K and 383 K. Temperature change gives deformation of both pores, which expand in diameter and elongate in length on cooling and vice versa. The thermally induced structural change should be derived from a unique framework topology like “lattice fence”. Silica accommodation changes not only the nature of the MOF but also thermal responsiveness of the MOF. Since the hydrophobic pores in the material aremore » selectively blocked by the silica, the MOF with the silica is considered as a hydrophilic microporous material. Furthermore, inclusion of silica resulted in a drastic pore contraction in diameter and anisotropically changed the thermal responsiveness of the MOF. - Graphical abstract: A 3D metal–organic framework with hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores shows anisotropic thermal expansion behavior. The influence of silica filler in the hydrophobic pore was investigated. - Highlights: • Thermally induced structural change of a 3D MOF with a lattice fence topology was investigated. • The structural change was analyzed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns. • Temperature change induces anisotropic thermal expansion/contraction of the MOF. • Silica inclusion anisotropically changes the thermal responsiveness of the MOF.« less

Ion Transport through Membrane-Spanning Nanopores Studied by Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Continuum Electrostatics Calculations

PubMed Central

Peter, Christine; Hummer, Gerhard

2005-01-01

Narrow hydrophobic regions are a common feature of biological channels, with possible roles in ion-channel gating. We study the principles that govern ion transport through narrow hydrophobic membrane pores by molecular dynamics simulation of model membranes formed of hexagonally packed carbon nanotubes. We focus on the factors that determine the energetics of ion translocation through such nonpolar nanopores and compare the resulting free-energy barriers for pores with different diameters corresponding to the gating regions in closed and open forms of potassium channels. Our model system also allows us to compare the results from molecular dynamics simulations directly to continuum electrostatics calculations. Both simulations and continuum calculations show that subnanometer wide pores pose a huge free-energy barrier for ions, but a small increase in the pore diameter to ∼1 nm nearly eliminates that barrier. We also find that in those wider channels the ion mobility is comparable to that in the bulk phase. By calculating local electrostatic potentials, we show that the long range Coulomb interactions of ions are strongly screened in the wide water-filled channels. Whereas continuum calculations capture the overall energetics reasonably well, the local water structure, which is not accounted for in this model, leads to interesting effects such as the preference of hydrated ions to move along the pore wall rather than through the center of the pore. PMID:16006629

Homogeneous alignment of liquid crystalline dendrimers confined in a slit-pore. A simulation study.

PubMed

Workineh, Zerihun G; Vanakaras, Alexandros G

2016-03-23

In this work we present results from isobaric-isothermal (NPT) Monte Carlo simulation studies of model liquid crystalline dendrimer (LCDr) systems confined in a slit-pore made of two parallel flat walls. The dendrimers are modelled as a collection of spherical and ellipsoidal particles corresponding to the junction points of the dendritic core and to the mesogenic units respectively. Assuming planar uniform (unidirectional) soft anchoring of the mesogenic units on the substrates we investigate the conformational and alignment properties of the LCDr system at different thermodynamic state points. Tractable coarse grained force fields have been used from our previous work. At low pressures the interior of the pore is almost empty, since almost all LCDrs are anchored to the substrates forming two-dimensional smectic-like structures with the mesogens aligned along the aligning direction of the substrates. As the pressure grows the LCDrs occupy the whole pore. However, even at low temperatures, the smectic organization does not transmit in the interior of the pore and is preserved for distances of 2-3 mesogenic diameters from the walls. For this reason, the global orientational order decreases with increasing pressure (density). In the vicinity (2-3 mesogenic diameters) of the pore walls, mesogenic units preserve the smectic structure whose layers are separated by layers of spherical beads. In this region individual LCDrs possess a rod like shape.

Homogeneous alignment of liquid crystalline dendrimers confined in a slit-pore. A simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Workineh, Zerihun G.; Vanakaras, Alexandros G.

2016-03-01

In this work we present results from isobaric-isothermal (NPT) Monte Carlo simulation studies of model liquid crystalline dendrimer (LCDr) systems confined in a slit-pore made of two parallel flat walls. The dendrimers are modelled as a collection of spherical and ellipsoidal particles corresponding to the junction points of the dendritic core and to the mesogenic units respectively. Assuming planar uniform (unidirectional) soft anchoring of the mesogenic units on the substrates we investigate the conformational and alignment properties of the LCDr system at different thermodynamic state points. Tractable coarse grained force fields have been used from our previous work. At low pressures the interior of the pore is almost empty, since almost all LCDrs are anchored to the substrates forming two-dimensional smectic-like structures with the mesogens aligned along the aligning direction of the substrates. As the pressure grows the LCDrs occupy the whole pore. However, even at low temperatures, the smectic organization does not transmit in the interior of the pore and is preserved for distances of 2-3 mesogenic diameters from the walls. For this reason, the global orientational order decreases with increasing pressure (density). In the vicinity (2-3 mesogenic diameters) of the pore walls, mesogenic units preserve the smectic structure whose layers are separated by layers of spherical beads. In this region individual LCDrs possess a rod like shape.

The role of pore geometry in single nanoparticle detection

DOE PAGES

Davenport, Matthew; Healy, Ken; Pevarnik, Matthew; ...

2012-08-22

In this study, we observe single nanoparticle translocation events via resistive pulse sensing using silicon nitride pores described by a range of lengths and diameters. Pores are prepared by focused ion beam milling in 50 nm-, 100 nm-, and 500 nm-thick silicon nitride membranes with diameters fabricated to accommodate spherical silica nanoparticles with sizes chosen to mimic that of virus particles. In this manner, we are able to characterize the role of pore geometry in three key components of the detection scheme, namely, event magnitude, event duration, and event frequency. We find that the electric field created by the appliedmore » voltage and the pore’s geometry is a critical factor. We develop approximations to describe this field, which are verified with computer simulations, and interactions between particles and this field. In so doing, we formulate what we believe to be the first approximation for the magnitude of ionic current blockage that explicitly addresses the invariance of access resistance of solid-state pores during particle translocation. These approximations also provide a suitable foundation for estimating the zeta potential of the particles and/or pore surface when studied in conjunction with event durations. We also verify that translocation achieved by electro-osmostic transport is an effective means of slowing translocation velocities of highly charged particles without compromising particle capture rate as compared to more traditional approaches based on electrophoretic transport.« less

Method of making metal oxide ceramic membranes with small pore sizes

DOEpatents

Anderson, Marc A.; Xu, Qunyin

1992-01-01

A method for the production of metal oxide ceramic membranes is composed of very small pore size. The process is particularly useful in the creation of titanium and other transition metal oxide membranes. The method utilizes a sol-gel process in which the rate of particle formation is controlled by substituting a relatively large alcohol in the metal alkoxide and by limiting the available water. Stable, transparent metal oxide ceramic membranes are created having a narrow distribution of pore size, with the pore diameter being manipulable in the range of 5 to 40 Angstroms.

Ultrabreathable and protective membranes with sub-5 nm carbon nanotube pores

DOE PAGES

Bui, Ngoc; Meshot, Eric R.; Kim, Sangil; ...

2016-05-09

Here, small-diameter carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are shown to enable exceptionally fast transport of water vapor under a concentration gradient driving force. Thanks to this property, membranes having sub-5 nm CNTs as conductive pores feature outstanding breathability while maintaining a high degree of protection from biothreats by size exclusion.

Three-dimensional numerical simulation of water droplet emerging from a gas diffusion layer surface in micro-channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Y.; Bi, H. T.; Wilkinson, D. P.

The dynamic formation of water droplets emerging from a gas diffusion layer (GDL) surface in micro-channels was simulated using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. The influence of GDL surface microstructure was investigated by changing the pore diameter and the number of pore openings on the GDL surface. Simulation results show that the microstructure of the GDL surface has a significant impact on the two-phase flow patterns in gas flow channels. For a non-uniform GDL surface, three stages were identified, namely emergence and merging on the GDL surface, accumulation on the channel sidewalls and detachment from the top wall. It was also found that if the pore size is small enough, the flow pattern in the channel does not change with further reduction in the pore diameter. However, the two-phase flow patterns change significantly with the wettability of the GDL surface and sidewalls, but remain the same when the liquid flow rate is reduced by two orders of magnitude from the reference case.

Computational study of 3-D hot-spot initiation in shocked insensitive high-explosive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najjar, F. M.; Howard, W. M.; Fried, L. E.; Manaa, M. R.; Nichols, A., III; Levesque, G.

2012-03-01

High-explosive (HE) material consists of large-sized grains with micron-sized embedded impurities and pores. Under various mechanical/thermal insults, these pores collapse generating hightemperature regions leading to ignition. A hydrodynamic study has been performed to investigate the mechanisms of pore collapse and hot spot initiation in TATB crystals, employing a multiphysics code, ALE3D, coupled to the chemistry module, Cheetah. This computational study includes reactive dynamics. Two-dimensional high-resolution large-scale meso-scale simulations have been performed. The parameter space is systematically studied by considering various shock strengths, pore diameters and multiple pore configurations. Preliminary 3-D simulations are undertaken to quantify the 3-D dynamics.

Green synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using aqueous extracts of Pandanus odoratissimus leaves for efficient bifunctional electro-catalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alajmi, Mohamed F.; Ahmed, Jahangeer; Hussain, Afzal; Ahamad, Tansir; Alhokbany, Norah; Amir, Samira; Ahmad, Tokeer; Alshehri, Saad M.

2018-04-01

Iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared at room temperature by one-step synthesis via green chemistry using aqueous extracts of Pandanus odoratissimus leaves. Fe3O4 NPs show uniform particle size distribution with an average diameter of 5.0 nm. BET surface area and average pore diameter of the nanoparticles were found to be 150 m2/g and 3.0 nm, respectively. FTIR, Raman, EDAX and XPS studies were also carried out to confirm the phase purity of the prepared materials. Electrochemical water splitting reactions have been carried out using Fe3O4 NPs as electrocatalysts in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte solution. Polarization studies confirm dual nature of Fe3O4 electro-catalysts in water electrolysis for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Potentiodynamic polarization curves reveal low Tafel values of 295 and 126 mV/dec (± 2) for OER and ORR, respectively. The overpotential for water oxidation reaction was found to be 390 mV (± 5) at the current density of 1 mA/cm2 in 0.1 M KOH. Chronoamperometry and chronopotentiometry experiments were conducted for stability tests of the electrodes.

A computational and cellular solids approach to the stiffness-based design of bone scaffolds.

PubMed

Norato, J A; Wagoner Johnson, A J

2011-09-01

We derive a cellular solids approach to the design of bone scaffolds for stiffness and pore size. Specifically, we focus on scaffolds made of stacked, alternating, orthogonal layers of hydroxyapatite rods, such as those obtained via micro-robotic deposition, and aim to determine the rod diameter, spacing and overlap required to obtain specified elastic moduli and pore size. To validate and calibrate the cellular solids model, we employ a finite element model and determine the effective scaffold moduli via numerical homogenization. In order to perform an efficient, automated execution of the numerical studies, we employ a geometry projection method so that analyses corresponding to different scaffold dimensions can be performed on a fixed, non-conforming mesh. Based on the developed model, we provide design charts to aid in the selection of rod diameter, spacing and overlap to be used in the robotic deposition to attain desired elastic moduli and pore size.

Mesoporous graphene-like nanobowls as Pt electrocatalyst support for highly active and stable methanol oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Zaoxue; He, Guoqiang; Jiang, Zhifeng; Wei, Wei; Gao, Lina; Xie, Jimin

2015-06-01

Mesoporous graphene-like nanobowls (GLBs) with high surface area of 1091 m2 g-1, high pore volume of 2.7 cm3 g-1 and average pore diameter of 9.8 nm are synthesized through template method. The GLBs with inherent excellent electrical conductivity and chemical inertia show the properties of well mass transfer, poison resistance and stable loading of smaller Pt particles. Therefore, the Pt/GLB catalyst shows much higher activity and stability than that of commercial Pt/C (TKK) for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Therein, the peak current density on Pt/GLB (2075 mA mgPt-1) for MOR is 2.87 times that of commercial Pt/C (723 mA mgPt-1); and the onset potential for the MOR on the former is negatively shifted about 160 mV compared with that on the latter. The catalytic performances of the Pt/GLB are also better than those of the Pt loading on mesoporous amorphous carbon nanobowls (Pt/BLC), indicating promotion effect of graphite on Pt catalytic performance.

Nanoporous distributed Bragg reflectors on free-standing nonpolar m-plane GaN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishkat-Ul-Masabih, Saadat; Luk, Ting Shan; Rishinaramangalam, Ashwin; Monavarian, Morteza; Nami, Mohsen; Feezell, Daniel

2018-01-01

We report the fabrication of m-plane nanoporous distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) on free-standing GaN substrates. The DBRs consist of 15 pairs of alternating undoped and highly doped n-type ([Si] = ˜3.7 × 1019 cm-3) GaN. Electrochemical (EC) etching was performed to convert the highly doped regions into a porous material, consequently reducing the effective refractive index of the layers. We demonstrate a DBR with peak reflectance greater than 98% at 450 nm with a stopband width of ˜72 nm. The polarization ratio of an incident polarized light source remains identical after reflection from the DBR, verifying that there is no drop in the polarization ratio due to the interfaces between the porous layers. We also quantify the porosity under various EC bias conditions for layers with different doping concentrations. The bias voltage controls the average pore diameter, while the pore density is primarily determined by the doping concentration. The results show that nanoporous DBRs on nonpolar free-standing GaN are promising candidates for high-reflectance, lattice-matched DBR mirrors for GaN-based resonant cavity devices.

Construction and experimental validation of a simple, compact, resealable, and reliable Vycor{sup ®} superleak assembly for use at low temperatures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jahromi, Amir E.; Miller, Franklin K.

A new method of constructing a superleak assembly for use in experiments involving {sup 4}He or {sup 3}He-{sup 4}He mixtures at very low temperatures is described. Superleaks are made of a porous medium with very small pores and channels. Superleaks are often incorporated in thermomechanical pumps, superfluid magnetic pumps, dilution refrigerators, and superfluid helium transfer systems. We used several cylindrical pieces of Vycor, a permeable glass with average pore diameter of 40 Å and porosity of 28%, as a candidate to be used in our superleak assembly. Our design is simple and compact. Our superleak assembly can be disassembled andmore » easily reassembled for reuse. We successfully tested and validated this device at temperatures between 1.4 K and 2.7 K. We experienced no superfluid leaks into the surrounding vacuum. We also report that thermal cycling caused no performance degradation. It is our goal to share the design and construction techniques of this new superleak assembly.« less

Comparative Study of the Physical, Topographical and Biological Properties of Electrospinning PCL, PLLA, their Blend and Copolymer Scaffolds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolbasov, E.; Goreninskii, S.; Tverdokhlebov, S.; Mishanin, A.; Viknianshchuk, A.; Bezuidenhout, D.; Golovkin, A.

2018-05-01

Biodegradable polymers (blends, copolymers) could be the ideal materials for manufacturing of scaffolds for small diameter vascular graft. Such material characteristics as mechanical properties, chemical structure, nano- and micro topography, surface charge, porosity, wettability etc. are becoming the most important aspects for effectiveness of prosthesis biofunctionalization because of their great impact on cell adhesion, spreading, cell proliferation, differentiation and cell function. The aim of the study is to compare physical, topographical and biological properties of polycaprolactone (PCL), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), polycaprolactone + poly-L-lactic acid blend (PCL PLLA), L-lactide/Caprolactone copolymer (PLC7015) scaffolds fabricated with the same fiber thickness using electrospun technology. PCL PLLA scaffolds had the highest average pore area (p<0.01) and the lowest strength (p<0.01). PLC7015 scaffolds had the significantly lower average pore area (p=0.03) but the highest elastic deformation (p<0.01). Biological testing with MMSC (multipotent mesenchyme stem cells) demonstrated that after 72 hours of co-cultivation only on PCL and PLLA scaffolds cells entered to the active phase of adhesion process. We propose that physical and topographical properties of PCL, PLLA, their blend and copolymer are of a great dependence of chemical structure but could be changed during the manufacturing process that will lead to changes in biological properties.

Internal structure of the nanogratings generated inside bulk fused silica by ultrafast laser direct writing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharma, S. P.; Vilar, R.; Instituto Superior Técnico, Avenida Rovisco Pais no 1, 1049-001 Lisbon

The aim of the present work was to characterize the internal structure of nanogratings generated inside bulk fused silica by ultrafast laser processing and to study the influence of diluted hydrofluoric acid etching on their structure. The nanogratings were inscribed at a depth of 100 μm within fused silica wafers by a direct writing method, using 1030 nm radiation wavelength and the following processing parameters: E = 5 μJ, τ = 560 fs, f = 10 kHz, and v = 100 μm/s. The results achieved show that the laser-affected regions are elongated ellipsoids with a typical major diameter of about 30 μm and a minor diameter of about 6 μm. The nanogratings within these regionsmore » are composed of alternating nanoplanes of damaged and undamaged material, with an average periodicity of 351 ± 21 nm. The damaged nanoplanes contain nanopores randomly dispersed in a material containing a large density of defects. These nanopores present a roughly bimodal size distribution with average dimensions for each class of pores 65 ± 20 × 16 ± 8 × 69 ± 16 nm{sup 3} and 367 ± 239 × 16 ± 8 × 360 ± 194 nm{sup 3}, respectively. The number and size of the nanopores increases drastically when an hydrofluoric acid treatment is performed, leading to the coalescence of these voids into large planar discontinuities parallel to the nanoplanes. The preferential etching of the damaged material by the hydrofluoric acid solution, which is responsible for the pores growth and coalescence, confirms its high defect density.« less

Experimental study of the electrode material for electro-osmosis in mudflat sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi-min; Xu, Hao-feng

2017-11-01

In order to study the performance of electro-osmosis, several tests including indoor electro-osmosis experiments using copper, aluminum as the anode and cathode electrode materials, and Mercury Intrusion Porosimiter (MIP) were conducted. The results indicate that the drainage ratio using aluminum is faster than that of copper while the energy consumption per unit is lower, the effectiveness is better than that of copper. After electro-osmosis, the percentage of pore with large diameter shows a remarkable decrease comparing with the remolded soil which result in the increase of pore with small diameter. The reasons were discussed in this paper.

Shrinkage deformation of cement foam concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudyakov, A. I.; Steshenko, A. B.

2015-01-01

The article presents the results of research of dispersion-reinforced cement foam concrete with chrysotile asbestos fibers. The goal was to study the patterns of influence of chrysotile asbestos fibers on drying shrinkage deformation of cement foam concrete of natural hardening. The chrysotile asbestos fiber contains cylindrical fiber shaped particles with a diameter of 0.55 micron to 8 microns, which are composed of nanostructures of the same form with diameters up to 55 nm and length up to 22 microns. Taking into account the wall thickness, effective reinforcement can be achieved only by microtube foam materials, the so- called carbon nanotubes, the dimensions of which are of power less that the wall pore diameter. The presence of not reinforced foam concrete pores with perforated walls causes a decrease in its strength, decreases the mechanical properties of the investigated material and increases its shrinkage. The microstructure investigation results have shown that introduction of chrysotile asbestos fibers in an amount of 2 % by weight of cement provides the finely porous foam concrete structure with more uniform size closed pores, which are uniformly distributed over the volume. This reduces the shrinkage deformation of foam concrete by 50%.

Thick-film nickel-metal-hydride battery based on porous ceramic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do, Jing-Shan; Yu, Sen-Hao; Cheng, Suh-Fen

Nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are prepared with thick-film and thin-film technologies based on porous ceramic substrates. The porosity and the mean pore diameter of BP ceramic substrates prepared from the argils increases from 19.81% and 0.0432 μm to 29.81% and 0.224 μm, respectively, upon increasing the ethyl cellulose content in the BP argil from 0 to 0.79%. The pore diameter of Al 2O 3 substrates prepared from Al 2O 3 powder is mainly distributed in the range 0.01-0.5 μm. The distribution of the pore diameters of BP ceramic substrates lies in two ranges, namely: 0.04-2 μm and 10-300 μm. Using BP ceramic plates and Al 2O 3 plates as substrates to fabricate thick-film Ni-MH batteries, the optimal electroactive material utilization in the batteries is 77.0 and 71.1%, respectively. On increasing the screen-printing number for preparing the cathode (Ni(OH) 2) from 1 to 3, the discharge capacity of the thick-film battery increases from 0.2917 to 0.7875 mAh, and the utilization in the battery decreases from 71.0 to 53.0%.

Co-Aromatization of Methane with Olefins: The Role of Inner Pore and External Surface Catalytic Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yung, Matthew M; He, Peng; Jarvis, Jack

The co-aromatization of methane with olefins is investigated using Ag-Ga/HZSM-5 as the catalyst at 400 degrees C. The presence of methane has a pronounced effect on the product distribution in terms of increased average carbon number and substitution index and decreased aromatic carbon fraction compared with its N2 environment counterpart. The participation of methane during the co-aromatization over the Ag-Ga/HZSM-5 catalyst diminishes as the co-fed olefin feedstock molecule becomes larger, from 1-hexene to 1-octene and 1-decene, in diameter. The effect of suppressed methane participation with larger olefinic molecules is not as significant when Ag-Ga/HY is employed as the catalyst, whichmore » might be attributed to the larger pore size of HY that gives more room to hold olefin and methane molecules within the inner pores and reduces the diffusion limitation of olefin molecules. The effect of olefin feedstock on the methane participation during the co-aromatization over Ag-Ga/HZSM-5 is experimentally evidenced by 13C and 2D NMR. The incorporation of the methane carbon atoms into the phenyl ring of product molecules is reduced significantly with larger co-fed olefins, whereas its incorporation into the substitution groups of the formed aromatic molecules is not notably affected, suggesting that the methane participation in the phenyl ring formation might preferably occur within inner pores, while its incorporation into substitution groups may mainly take place on external catalytic sites. This hypothesis is well supported by the product selectivity obtained over Ag-Ga/HZSM-5 catalysts prepared using conventional ZSM-5, ZSM-5 with the external catalytic sites deactivated, nanosize ZSM-5, ZSM-5 with a micro/meso pore structure and ZSM-5 with the inner pores blocked, and further confirmed by the isotopic labeling studies.« less

Visualization of pores (export sites) correlated with cellulose production in the envelope of the gram-negative bacterium Acetobacter xylinum.

PubMed

Zaar, K

1979-03-01

The Gram-negative bacterium Acetobacter xylinum assembles a cellulse ribbon composed of a number of microfibrils in the longitudinal axis of its envelope. The zone of ribbon assembly was investigated by freeze-etch electron microscopy. Freeze-etching revealed, beneath the cellulose ribbons, a linear array of pores on the lipopolysaccharide membrane. These pores have a rim diameter of 120--150 A and a central hole or deepening of approximately 35 A. The axes of pore arrays closely coincide with linear arrays of 100 A particles on the E- and P-faces of the fractured lipopolysaccharide membranes. Pores and particles in the lipopolysaccharide membrane are probably congruent. The pores are hypothesized to be the export sites (penetration sites) for cellulose.

Spatial atomic layer deposition on flexible porous substrates: ZnO on anodic aluminum oxide films and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} on Li ion battery electrodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharma, Kashish; Routkevitch, Dmitri; Varaksa, Natalia

2016-01-15

Spatial atomic layer deposition (S-ALD) was examined on flexible porous substrates utilizing a rotating cylinder reactor to perform the S-ALD. S-ALD was first explored on flexible polyethylene terephthalate polymer substrates to obtain S-ALD growth rates on flat surfaces. ZnO ALD with diethylzinc and ozone as the reactants at 50 °C was the model S-ALD system. ZnO S-ALD was then performed on nanoporous flexible anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films. ZnO S-ALD in porous substrates depends on the pore diameter, pore aspect ratio, and reactant exposure time that define the gas transport. To evaluate these parameters, the Zn coverage profiles in the poresmore » of the AAO films were measured using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). EDS measurements were conducted for different reaction conditions and AAO pore geometries. Substrate speeds and reactant pulse durations were defined by rotating cylinder rates of 10, 100, and 200 revolutions per minute (RPM). AAO pore diameters of 10, 25, 50, and 100 nm were utilized with a pore length of 25 μm. Uniform Zn coverage profiles were obtained at 10 RPM and pore diameters of 100 nm. The Zn coverage was less uniform at higher RPM values and smaller pore diameters. These results indicate that S-ALD into porous substrates is feasible under certain reaction conditions. S-ALD was then performed on porous Li ion battery electrodes to test S-ALD on a technologically important porous substrate. Li{sub 0.20}Mn{sub 0.54}Ni{sub 0.13}Co{sub 0.13}O{sub 2} electrodes on flexible metal foil were coated with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} using 2–5 Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} ALD cycles. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} ALD was performed in the S-ALD reactor at a rotating cylinder rate of 10 RPM using trimethylaluminum and ozone as the reactants at 50 °C. The capacity of the electrodes was then tested versus number of charge–discharge cycles. These measurements revealed that the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} S-ALD coating on the electrodes enhanced the capacity stability. This S-ALD process could be extended to roll-to-roll operation for the commercialization of S-ALD for coating Li ion battery electrodes.« less

Isolating the effect of pore size distribution on electrochemical double-layer capacitance using activated fluid coke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuliani, Jocelyn E.; Tong, Shitang; Kirk, Donald W.; Jia, Charles Q.

2015-12-01

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) use physical ion adsorption in the capacitive electrical double layer of high specific surface area (SSA) materials to store electrical energy. Previous work shows that the SSA-normalized capacitance increases when pore diameters are less than 1 nm. However, there still remains uncertainty about the charge storage mechanism since the enhanced SSA-normalized capacitance is not observed in all microporous materials. In previous studies, the total specific surface area and the chemical composition of the electrode materials were not controlled. The current work is the first reported study that systematically compares the performance of activated carbon prepared from the same raw material, with similar chemical composition and specific surface area, but different pore size distributions. Preparing samples with similar SSAs, but different pores sizes is not straightforward since increasing pore diameters results in decreasing the SSA. This study observes that the microporous activated carbon has a higher SSA-normalized capacitance, 14.1 μF cm-2, compared to the mesoporous material, 12.4 μF cm-2. However, this enhanced SSA-normalized capacitance is only observed above a threshold operating voltage. Therefore, it can be concluded that a minimum applied voltage is required to induce ion adsorption in these sub-nanometer micropores, which increases the capacitance.

Developing nanotechnology for biofuel and plant science applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valenstein, Justin

2012-01-01

This dissertation presents the research on the development of mesoporous silica based nanotechnology for applications in biofuels and plant science. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been the subject of great interest in the last two decades due to their unique properties of high surface area, tunable pore size and particle morphology. The robust nature of the silica framework is easily functionalized to make the MSNs a promising option for selective separations. Also, the independent channels that form the pores of MSN have been exploited in the use of particles as platforms for molecular delivery. Pore size and organic functionality aremore » varied to identify the ideal adsorbent material for free fatty acids (FFAs). The resulting material is able to sequester FFAs with a high degree of selectivity from a simulated solution and microalgal oil. The recyclability and industrial implications are also explored. A continuation of the previous material, further tuning of MSN pore size was investigated. Particles with a smaller diameter selectively sequester polyunsaturated free fatty acids (PUFAs) over monounsaturated FFAs and saturated FFAs. The experimental results were verified with molecular modeling. Mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials with a pore diameter of 10 nm (MSN-10) were decorated with small gold nanoparticles. The resulting materials were shown to deliver proteins and DNA into plant cells using the biolistic method.« less

Air-Impregnated Nanoporous Anodic Aluminum Oxide Layers for Enhancing the Corrosion Resistance of Aluminum.

PubMed

Jeong, Chanyoung; Lee, Junghoon; Sheppard, Keith; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2015-10-13

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide layers were fabricated on aluminum substrates with systematically varied pore diameters (20-80 nm) and oxide thicknesses (150-500 nm) by controlling the anodizing voltage and time and subsequent pore-widening process conditions. The porous nanostructures were then coated with a thin (only a couple of nanometers thick) Teflon film to make the surface hydrophobic and trap air in the pores. The corrosion resistance of the aluminum substrate was evaluated by a potentiodynamic polarization measurement in 3.5 wt % NaCl solution (saltwater). Results showed that the hydrophobic nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide layer significantly enhanced the corrosion resistance of the aluminum substrate compared to a hydrophilic oxide layer of the same nanostructures, to bare (nonanodized) aluminum with only a natural oxide layer on top, and to the latter coated with a thin Teflon film. The hydrophobic nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide layer with the largest pore diameter and the thickest oxide layer (i.e., the maximized air fraction) resulted in the best corrosion resistance with a corrosion inhibition efficiency of up to 99% for up to 7 days. The results demonstrate that the air impregnating the hydrophobic nanopores can effectively inhibit the penetration of corrosive media into the pores, leading to a significant improvement in corrosion resistance.

Pore size regulates cell and tissue interactions with PLGA-CaP scaffolds used for bone engineering.

PubMed

Sicchieri, Luciana Gonçalves; Crippa, Grasiele Edilaine; de Oliveira, Paulo Tambasco; Beloti, Marcio Mateus; Rosa, Adalberto Luiz

2012-02-01

A common subject in bone tissue engineering is the need for porous scaffolds to support cell and tissue interactions aiming at repairing bone tissue. As poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-calcium phosphate (PLGA-CaP) scaffolds can be manufactured with different pore sizes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pore diameter on osteoblastic cell responses and bone tissue formation. Scaffolds were prepared with 85% porosity, with pore diameters in the ranges 470-590, 590-850 and 850-1200 µm. Rat bone marrow stem cells differentiated into osteoblasts were cultured on the scaffolds for up to 10 days to evaluate cell growth, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the gene expression of the osteoblast markers RUNX2, OSX, COL, MSX2, ALP, OC and BSP by real-time PCR. Scaffolds were implanted in critical size rat calvarial defects for 2, 4, and 8 weeks for histomorphometric analysis. Cell growth and ALP activity were not affected by the pore size; however, there was an increase in the gene expression of osteoblastic markers with the increase in the pore sizes. At 2 weeks all scaffolds displayed a similar amount of bone and blood vessels formation. At 4 and 8 weeks much more bone formation and an increased number of blood vessels were observed in scaffolds with pores of 470-590 µm. These results show that PLGA-CaP is a promising biomaterial for bone engineering. However, ideally, combinations of larger (-1000 µm) and smaller (-500 µm) pores in a single scaffold would optimize cellular and tissue responses during bone healing. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Translocation of RNA-coated gold particles through the nuclear pores of oocytes

PubMed Central

1988-01-01

In the present study, various sized gold particles coated with tRNA, 5S RNA, or poly(A) were used to localize and characterize the pathways for RNA translocation to the cytoplasm. RNA-coated gold particles were microinjected into the nucleus of Xenopus oocytes. The cells were fixed after 15, 60 min, or 6 h, and the particle distribution was later observed by electron microscopy. Similar results were obtained with all classes of RNA used. After nuclear injection, particles ranging from 20- 230 A in diameter were observed within central channels of the nuclear pores and in the cytoplasm immediately adjacent to the pores. Particles of this size would not be expected to diffuse through the pores, suggesting that some form of mediated transport occurred. In addition, it was found that the translocation process is saturable. At least 97% of the pores analyzed appeared to be involved in the translocation process. Gold coated with nonphysiological polynucleotides (poly[I] or poly[dA]) were also translocated. When nuclei were injected with either BSA-, ovalbumin-, polyglutamic acid-, or PVP-coated gold, the particles were essentially excluded from the pores. These results indicate that the accumulation of RNA-gold within the pores and adjacent cytoplasm was not due to non-specific effects. We conclude that the translocation sites for gold particles coated with different classes of RNA are located in the centers of the nuclear pores and that particles at least 230 A in diameter can cross the envelope. Tracer particles injected into the cytoplasm were observed within the nuclear pores in areas near the site of injection. However, only a small percentage of the particles actually entered the nucleus. It was also determined, by performing double injection experiments, that individual pores are bifunctional, that is, capable of transporting both proteins and RNA. PMID:2450095

Numerical Generation of Dense Plume Fingers in Unsaturated Homogeneous Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cremer, C.; Graf, T.

2012-04-01

In nature, the migration of dense plumes typically results in the formation of vertical plume fingers. Flow direction in fingers is downwards, which is counterbalanced by upwards flow of less dense fluid between fingers. In heterogeneous media, heterogeneity itself is known to trigger the formation of fingers. In homogeneous media, however, fingers are also created even if all grains had the same diameter. The reason is that pore-scale heterogeneity leading to different flow velocities also exists in homogeneous media due to two effects: (i) Grains of identical size may randomly arrange differently, e.g. forming tetrahedrons, hexahedrons or octahedrons. Each arrangement creates pores of varying diameter, thus resulting in different average flow velocities. (ii) Random variations of solute concentration lead to varying buoyancy effects, thus also resulting in different velocities. As a continuation of previously made efforts to incorporate pore-scale heterogeneity into fully saturated soil such that dense fingers are realistically generated (Cremer and Graf, EGU Assembly, 2011), the current paper extends the research scope from saturated to unsaturated soil. Perturbation methods are evaluated by numerically re-simulating a laboratory-scale experiment of plume transport in homogeneous unsaturated sand (Simmons et al., Transp. Porous Media, 2002). The following 5 methods are being discussed: (i) homogeneous sand, (ii) initial perturbation of solute concentration, (iii) spatially random, time-constant perturbation of solute source, (iv) spatially and temporally random noise of simulated solute concentration, and (v) random K-field that introduces physically insignificant but numerically significant heterogeneity. Results demonstrate that, as opposed to saturated flow, perturbing the solute source will not result in plume fingering. This is because the location of the perturbed source (domain top) and the location of finger generation (groundwater surface) do not coincide. Alternatively, similar to saturated flow, applying either a random concentration noise (iv) or a random K-field (v) generates realistic plume fingering. Future work will focus on the generation mechanisms of plume finger splitting.

A biodegradable vascularizing membrane: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Kaushiva, Anchal; Turzhitsky, Vladimir M; Darmoc, Marissa; Backman, Vadim; Ameer, Guillermo A

2007-09-01

Regenerative medicine and in vivo biosensor applications require the formation of mature vascular networks for long-term success. This study investigated whether biodegradable porous membranes could induce the formation of a vascularized fibrous capsule and, if so, the effect of degradation kinetics on neovascularization. Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) membranes were created by a solvent casting/salt leaching method. Specifically, PLLA, PLGA 75:25 and PLGA 50:50 polymers were used to vary degradation kinetics. The membranes were designed to have an average 60mum pore diameter, as this pore size has been shown to be optimal for inducing blood vessel formation around nondegradable polymer materials. Membrane samples were imaged by scanning electron microscopy at several time points during in vitro degradation to assess any changes in pore structure. The in vivo performance of the membranes was assessed in Sprague-Dawley rats by measuring vascularization within the fibrous capsule that forms adjacent to implants. The vascular density within 100microm of the membranes was compared with that seen in normal tissue, and to that surrounding the commercially available vascularizing membrane TheraCyte. The hemoglobin content of tissue containing the membranes was measured by four-dimensional elastic light scattering as a novel method to assess tissue perfusion. Results from this study show that slow-degrading membranes induce greater amounts of neovascularization and a thinner fibrous capsule relative to fast degrading membranes. These results may be due both to an initially increased number of macrophages surrounding the slower degrading membranes and to the maintenance of their initial pore structure.

Flow through internal elastic lamina affects shear stress on smooth muscle cells (3D simulations).

PubMed

Tada, Shigeru; Tarbell, John M

2002-02-01

We describe a three-dimensional numerical simulation of interstitial flow through the medial layer of an artery accounting for the complex entrance condition associated with fenestral pores in the internal elastic lamina (IEL) to investigate the fluid mechanical environment around the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) right beneath the IEL. The IEL was modeled as an impermeable barrier to water flow except for the fenestral pores, which were assumed to be uniformly distributed over the IEL. The medial layer was modeled as a heterogeneous medium composed of a periodic array of cylindrical SMCs embedded in a continuous porous medium representing the interstitial proteoglycan and collagen matrix. Depending on the distance between the IEL bottom surface and the upstream end of the proximal layer of SMCs, the local shear stress on SMCs right beneath the fenestral pore could be more than 10 times higher than that on the cells far removed from the IEL under the conditions that the fenestral pore diameter and area fraction of pores were kept constant at 1.4 microm and 0.05, respectively. Thus these proximal SMCs may experience shear stress levels that are even higher than endothelial cells exposed to normal blood flow (order of 10 dyn/cm(2)). Furthermore, entrance flow through fenestral pores alters considerably the interstitial flow field in the medial layer over a spatial length scale of the order of the fenestral pore diameter. Thus the spatial gradient of shear stress on the most superficial SMC is noticeably higher than computed for endothelial cell surfaces.

3D Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Structures for Sustained Drug Release

PubMed Central

Xifré-Pérez, Elisabet; Eckstein, Chris; Ferré-Borrull, Josep

2017-01-01

The use of nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA) for the development of drug delivery systems has gained much attention in recent years. The release of drugs loaded inside NAA pores is complex and depends on the morphology of the pores. In this study, NAA, with different three-dimensional (3D) pore structures (cylindrical pores with several pore diameters, multilayered nanofunnels, and multilayered inverted funnels) were fabricated, and their respective drug delivery rates were studied and modeled using doxorubicin as a model drug. The obtained results reveal optimal modeling of all 3D pore structures, differentiating two drug release stages. Thus, an initial short-term and a sustained long-term release were successfully modeled by the Higuchi and the Korsmeyer–Peppas equations, respectively. This study demonstrates the influence of pore geometries on drug release rates, and further presents a sustained long-term drug release that exceeds 60 days without an undesired initial burst. PMID:28825654

In situ synthesis of mesoporous polyvinyl alcohol/hydroxyapatite composites for better biomedical coating adhesion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Riaz; Tabassum, Sobia; Gilani, Mazhar Amjad; Ahmed, Ejaz; Sharif, Ahsan; Manzoor, Faisal; Shah, Asma Tufail; Asif, Anila; Sharif, Faiza; Iqbal, Farasat; Siddiqi, Saadat Anwar

2016-02-01

Hydroxyapatite (HA) shows diverse biomedical applications as bone filler and coating material for metal implants to enhance osteoconduction. Four different PVAHA composites were synthesized in situ by an economical co-precipitation wet methodology. The FTIR spectra of PVAHA composites showed characteristic signals of HA and PVA. The BET surface area of PVAHA composites were in range of 41.3-63.7 m2/g. The composites showed type IV nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm, a characteristic for mesoporous material. The pore diameter range (6.3-8.1 nm) of PVAHA composites also confirmed their mesoporous nature. The Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore size distribution curves indicated a narrow pore size distribution. To obtain a homogeneous crack free coating with EPD on stainless steel (SS) plates, different parameters such as PVA percentages in PVAHA composites, solvent, deposition time and voltage were optimized. The PVAHA composites were stable after EPD as confirmed by FTIR spectra recorded before and after EPD. The SEM images of the coating showed a homogeneous morphology. The thickness of the coating was controlled by varying voltage and time. The best results were obtained with c-PVAHA composite at 30 volts for 5-10 min and current density was around 4.5 to 5 mA. The adhesion strength of c-PVAHA coating was measured by using ASTM standard F1044-99. The average value was approximately 9.328 ± 1.58 MPa.

Hydraulic and mechanical behavior of landfill clay liner containing SSA in contact with leachate.

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Lu, Haijun; Liu, Junzhu; Wang, Weiwei; Zhang, Xiong

2018-05-01

Sewage sludge ash (SSA) produced by municipal sludge can be used as a modified additive for clay liner, and improves the working performance of landfill clay liner in contact with leachate. Under the action of landfill leachate, the permeability, shear strength, phase composition, and pore structure of the modified clay are investigated through the flexible wall permeability test, triaxial shear test, thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption test, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity of the modified clay containing 0-5% SSA is in the range of 3.94 × 10 -8 -1.16 × 10 -7  cm/s, and the pollutant concentration of the sample without SSA was higher than others. The shear strength of the modified clay is more than that of the traditional clay liner, the cohesion rate of modified clay increases from 32.5 to 199.91 kPa, and the internal friction angle decreases from 32.5° to 15.6°. Furthermore, the weight loss rates of the samples are 15.69%, 17.92%, 18.06%, and 20.68%, respectively, when the SSA content increases from 0% to 5%. The total pore volume and average pore diameter of the modified clay decrease with the increase in the SSA content, respectively. However, the specific area of the modified clay increases with the increase in the SSA content.

Impedance spectroscopy study of a catechol-modified activated carbon electrode as active material in electrochemical capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cougnon, C.; Lebègue, E.; Pognon, G.

2015-01-01

Modified activated carbon (Norit S-50) electrodes with electrochemical double layer (EDL) capacitance and redox capacitance contributions to the electric charge storage were tested in 1 M H2SO4 to quantify the benefit and the limitation of the surface redox reactions on the electrochemical performances of the resulting pseudo-capacitive materials. The electrochemical performances of an electrochemically anodized carbon electrode and a catechol-modified carbon electrode, which make use both EDL capacitance of the porous structure of the carbon and redox capacitance, were compared to the performances obtained for the pristine carbon. Nitrogen gas adsorption measurements have been used for studying the impact of the grafting on the BET surface area, pore size distribution, pore volume and average pore diameter. The electrochemical behavior of carbon materials was studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The EIS data were discussed by using a complex capacitance model that allows defining the characteristic time constant, the global capacitance and the frequency at which the maximum charge stored is reached. The EIS measurements were achieved at different dc potential values where a redox activity occurs and the evolution of the capacitance and the capacitive relaxation time with the electrode potential are presented. Realistic galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements performed at different current rates corroborate the results obtained by impedance.

Real-time visualization of perforin nanopore assembly.

PubMed

Leung, Carl; Hodel, Adrian W; Brennan, Amelia J; Lukoyanova, Natalya; Tran, Sharon; House, Colin M; Kondos, Stephanie C; Whisstock, James C; Dunstone, Michelle A; Trapani, Joseph A; Voskoboinik, Ilia; Saibil, Helen R; Hoogenboom, Bart W

2017-05-01

Perforin is a key protein of the vertebrate immune system. Secreted by cytotoxic lymphocytes as soluble monomers, perforin can self-assemble into oligomeric pores of 10-20 nm inner diameter in the membranes of virus-infected and cancerous cells. These large pores facilitate the entry of pro-apoptotic granzymes, thereby rapidly killing the target cell. To elucidate the pathways of perforin pore assembly, we carried out real-time atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy studies. Our experiments reveal that the pore assembly proceeds via a membrane-bound prepore intermediate state, typically consisting of up to approximately eight loosely but irreversibly assembled monomeric subunits. These short oligomers convert to more closely packed membrane nanopore assemblies, which can subsequently recruit additional prepore oligomers to grow the pore size.

Real-time visualization of perforin nanopore assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, Carl; Hodel, Adrian W.; Brennan, Amelia J.; Lukoyanova, Natalya; Tran, Sharon; House, Colin M.; Kondos, Stephanie C.; Whisstock, James C.; Dunstone, Michelle A.; Trapani, Joseph A.; Voskoboinik, Ilia; Saibil, Helen R.; Hoogenboom, Bart W.

2017-05-01

Perforin is a key protein of the vertebrate immune system. Secreted by cytotoxic lymphocytes as soluble monomers, perforin can self-assemble into oligomeric pores of 10-20 nm inner diameter in the membranes of virus-infected and cancerous cells. These large pores facilitate the entry of pro-apoptotic granzymes, thereby rapidly killing the target cell. To elucidate the pathways of perforin pore assembly, we carried out real-time atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy studies. Our experiments reveal that the pore assembly proceeds via a membrane-bound prepore intermediate state, typically consisting of up to approximately eight loosely but irreversibly assembled monomeric subunits. These short oligomers convert to more closely packed membrane nanopore assemblies, which can subsequently recruit additional prepore oligomers to grow the pore size.

Fabrication of nanobaskets by sputter deposition on porous substrates and uses thereof

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Paige Lea (Inventor); Teeters, Dale (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A method of producing a nanobasket and the applications or uses thereof. The method includes the steps of providing a substrate with at least one (1) pore having diameters of about one (1) nanometer to about ten (10) micrometers. Material is deposited by sputter-coating techniques along continuous edges of the pores to form a capped or partially capped nanotube or microtube structure, termed a nanobasket. Either a single material may be used to form nanobaskets over the pores or, alternately, a layered structure may be created wherein an initial material is deposited followed by one or more other materials to form nanobaskets over the pores.

Role of hydrothermal temperature on crystallinity, photoluminescence, photocatalytic and gas sensing properties of TiO2 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malligavathy, M.; Iyyapushpam, S.; Nishanthi, S. T.; Padiyan, D. Pathinettam

2018-04-01

TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesised by hydrothermal method. The degree of crystallinity and phase purity were confirmed from the Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction. By increasing the hydrothermal temperature, crystallinity and AC conductivity of the TiO2 nanoparticles increase. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements confirmed that the samples were mesoporous with an average pore diameter of 4.4-7.45 nm. Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanoparticles was evaluated and the sample hydrothermally treated at 160°C has the highest photocatalytic activity. In gas sensing measurements, sensitivity increases as a function of concentration and the response to ethanol vapour was better compared to other gases for the sample synthesised at 160°C.

Temperature and Pressure from Collapsing Pores in HMX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardin, D. Barrett

2017-06-01

The thermal and mechanical response of collapsing voids in HMX is analyzed. In this work, the focus is simulating the temperature and pressure fields arising from isolated, idealized pores as they collapse in the presence of a shock. HMX slabs are numerically generated which contain a single pore, isolated from the boundaries to remove all wave reflections. In order to understand the primary pore characteristics leading to temperature rise, a series of 2D, plane strain simulations are conducted on HMX slabs containing both cylindrical and elliptical pores of constant size equal to the area of a circular pore with a 1 micron diameter. Each of these pore types is then subjected to shock pressures ranging from a weak shock that is unable to fully collapse the pore to a strong shock which overwhelms the tendency for localization. Results indicate that as shock strength increases, pore collapse phenomenology for a cylindrical pore transitions from a mode dominated by localized melt cracking to an idealized hydrodynamic pore collapse. For the case of elliptical pores, the orientation causing maximum temperature and pressure rise is found. The relative heating in elliptical pores is then quantified as a function of pore orientation and aspect ratio for a pore of a given area. Distribution A: Distribution unlimited. (96TW 2017-0036).

Synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles with large and tunable pore sizes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Yu, Meihua; Li, Yang; Li, Jiansheng; Wang, Jing; Yu, Chengzhong; Wang, Lianjun

2015-07-01

Mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) with large and adjustable pores have been synthesized by using poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene (PEO-b-PS) as a template and resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) as a carbon precursor. The resulting MCNs possess small diameters (100-126 nm) and high BET surface areas (up to 646 m2 g-1). By using home-designed block copolymers, the pore size of MCNs can be tuned in the range of 13-32 nm. Importantly, the pore size of 32 nm is the largest among the MCNs prepared by the soft-templating route. The formation mechanism and structure evolution of MCNs were studied by TEM and DLS measurements, based on which a soft-templating/sphere packing mechanism was proposed. Because of the large pores and small particle sizes, the resulting MCNs were excellent nano-carriers to deliver biomolecules into cancer cells. MCNs were further demonstrated with negligible toxicity. It is anticipated that this carbon material with large pores and small particle sizes may have excellent potential in drug/gene delivery.Mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) with large and adjustable pores have been synthesized by using poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene (PEO-b-PS) as a template and resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) as a carbon precursor. The resulting MCNs possess small diameters (100-126 nm) and high BET surface areas (up to 646 m2 g-1). By using home-designed block copolymers, the pore size of MCNs can be tuned in the range of 13-32 nm. Importantly, the pore size of 32 nm is the largest among the MCNs prepared by the soft-templating route. The formation mechanism and structure evolution of MCNs were studied by TEM and DLS measurements, based on which a soft-templating/sphere packing mechanism was proposed. Because of the large pores and small particle sizes, the resulting MCNs were excellent nano-carriers to deliver biomolecules into cancer cells. MCNs were further demonstrated with negligible toxicity. It is anticipated that this carbon material with large pores and small particle sizes may have excellent potential in drug/gene delivery. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02389k

Generation of a mesoporous silica MSU shell onto solid core silica nanoparticles using a simple two-step sol-gel process.

PubMed

Allouche, Joachim; Dupin, Jean-Charles; Gonbeau, Danielle

2011-07-14

Silica core-shell nanoparticles with a MSU shell have been synthesized using several non-ionic poly(ethylene oxide) based surfactants via a two step sol-gel method. The materials exhibit a typical worm-hole pore structure and tunable pore diameters between 2.4 nm and 5.8 nm.

Control of the Pore Texture in Nanoporous Silicon via Chemical Dissolution.

PubMed

Secret, Emilie; Wu, Chia-Chen; Chaix, Arnaud; Galarneau, Anne; Gonzalez, Philippe; Cot, Didier; Sailor, Michael J; Jestin, Jacques; Zanotti, Jean-Marc; Cunin, Frédérique; Coasne, Benoit

2015-07-28

The surface and textural properties of porous silicon (pSi) control many of its physical properties essential to its performance in key applications such as optoelectronics, energy storage, luminescence, sensing, and drug delivery. Here, we combine experimental and theoretical tools to demonstrate that the surface roughness at the nanometer scale of pSi can be tuned in a controlled fashion using partial thermal oxidation followed by removal of the resulting silicon oxide layer with hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Such a process is shown to smooth the pSi surface by means of nitrogen adsorption, electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering. Statistical mechanics Monte Carlo simulations, which are consistent with the experimental data, support the interpretation that the pore surface is initially rough and that the oxidation/oxide removal procedure diminishes the surface roughness while increasing the pore diameter. As a specific example considered in this work, the initial roughness ξ ∼ 3.2 nm of pSi pores having a diameter of 7.6 nm can be decreased to 1.0 nm following the simple procedure above. This study allows envisioning the design of pSi samples with optimal surface properties toward a specific process.

Nanopore arrays in a silicon membrane for parallel single-molecule detection: DNA translocation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Miao; Schmidt, Torsten; Jemt, Anders; Sahlén, Pelin; Sychugov, Ilya; Lundeberg, Joakim; Linnros, Jan

2015-08-01

Optical nanopore sensing offers great potential in single-molecule detection, genotyping, or DNA sequencing for high-throughput applications. However, one of the bottle-necks for fluorophore-based biomolecule sensing is the lack of an optically optimized membrane with a large array of nanopores, which has large pore-to-pore distance, small variation in pore size and low background photoluminescence (PL). Here, we demonstrate parallel detection of single-fluorophore-labeled DNA strands (450 bps) translocating through an array of silicon nanopores that fulfills the above-mentioned requirements for optical sensing. The nanopore array was fabricated using electron beam lithography and anisotropic etching followed by electrochemical etching resulting in pore diameters down to ∼7 nm. The DNA translocation measurements were performed in a conventional wide-field microscope tailored for effective background PL control. The individual nanopore diameter was found to have a substantial effect on the translocation velocity, where smaller openings slow the translocation enough for the event to be clearly detectable in the fluorescence. Our results demonstrate that a uniform silicon nanopore array combined with wide-field optical detection is a promising alternative with which to realize massively-parallel single-molecule detection.

Nanoporous Membranes with Chemically-Tailored Pore Walls from Triblock Terpolymer Templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulvenna, Ryan; Weidman, Jacob; Pople, John; Boudouris, Bryan; Phillip, William

2014-03-01

Membranes generated from self-assembled block polymers have shown promise as highly permeable and selective filters; however, current syntheses of such materials lack diverse pore wall chemical functionality. Here, we report the facile synthesis of polyisoprene- b-polystyrene- b-poly(N , N -dimethylacrylamide) (PI-PS-PDMA) using a controlled reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization mechanism to yield a macromolecule with an easily-tunable molecular weight and a narrow molecular weight distribution. The PI-PS-PDMA is then cast into an anisotropic membrane using the self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation process (SNIPS) protocol. These membranes can be used in size-selective separations for particles as small as 8 nm in diameter. Furthermore, the PDMA block can be converted to poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) readily in the solid state, and this PI-PS-PAA terpolymer membrane can separate particles as low as 2 nm in diameter while still retaining a relatively high flux. This is the smallest reported separation for a block polymer-based membrane to date. Additionally, the PAA-lined pores serve as a conversion platform to be tuned to any other pore chemistry, which allows the membrane to be of great utility in optimizing chemistry-specific separations.

Mechanical characterization of metallic nanowires by using a customized atomic microscope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celik, Emrah

A new experimental method to characterize the mechanical properties of metallic nanowires is introduced. An accurate and fast mechanical characterization of nanowires requires simultaneous imaging and testing of nanowires. However, there exists no practical experimental procedure in the literature that provides a quantitative mechanical analysis and imaging of the nanowire specimens during mechanical testing. In this study, a customized atomic force microscope (AFM) is placed inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in order to locate the position of the nanowires. The tip of the atomic force microscope cantilever is utilized to bend and break the nanowires. The nanowires are prepared by electroplating of nickel ions into the nanoscale pores of the alumina membranes. Force versus bending displacement responses of these nanowires are measured experimentally and then compared against those of the finite element analysis and peridynamic simulations to extract their mechanical properties through an inverse approach. The average elastic modulus of nickel nanowires, which are extracted using finite element analysis and peridynamic simulations, varies between 220 GPa and 225 GPa. The elastic modulus of bulk nickel published in the literature is comparable to that of nickel nanowires. This observation agrees well with the previous findings on nanowires stating that the elastic modulus of nanowires with diameters over 100nm is similar to that of bulk counterparts. The average yield stress of nickel nanowires, which are extracted using finite element analysis and peridynamic simulations, is found to be between 3.6 GPa to 4.1 GPa. The average value of yield stress of nickel nanowires with 250nm diameter is significantly higher than that of bulk nickel. Higher yield stress of nickel nanowires observed in this study can be explained by the lower defect density of nickel nanowires when compared to their bulk counterparts. Deviation in the extracted mechanical properties is investigated by analyzing the major sources of uncertainty in the experimental procedure. The effects of the nanowire orientation, the loading position and the nanowire diameter on the mechanical test results are quantified using ANSYS simulations. Among all of these three sources of uncertainty investigated, the nanowire diameter has been found to have the most significant effect on the extracted mechanical properties.

The exocytotic fusion pore modeled as a lipidic pore.

PubMed Central

Nanavati, C; Markin, V S; Oberhauser, A F; Fernandez, J M

1992-01-01

Freeze-fracture electron micrographs from degranulating cells show that the lumen of the secretory granule is connected to the extracellular compartment via large (20 to 150 nm diameter) aqueous pores. These exocytotic fusion pores appear to be made up of a highly curved bilayer that spans the plasma and granule membranes. Conductance measurements, using the patch-clamp technique, have been used to study the fusion pore from the instant it conducts ions. These measurements reveal the presence of early fusion pores that are much smaller than those observed in electron micrographs. Early fusion pores open abruptly, fluctuate, and then either expand irreversibly or close. The molecular structure of these early fusion pores is unknown. In the simplest extremes, these early fusion pores could be either ion channel like protein pores or lipidic pores. Here, we explored the latter possibility, namely that of the early exocytotic fusion pore modeled as a lipid-lined pore whose free energy was composed of curvature elastic energy and work done by tension. Like early exocytotic fusion pores, we found that these lipidic pores could open abruptly, fluctuate, and expand irreversibly. Closure of these lipidic pores could be caused by slight changes in lipid composition. Conductance distributions for stable lipidic pores matched those of exocytotic fusion pores. These findings demonstrate that lipidic pores can exhibit the properties of exocytotic fusion pores, thus providing an alternate framework with which to understand and interpret exocytotic fusion pore data. PMID:1420930

Measuring the order in ordered porous arrays: can bees outperform humans?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaatz, F. H.

2006-08-01

A method that explains how to quantify the amount of order in “ordered” and “highly ordered” porous arrays is derived. Ordered arrays from bee honeycomb and several from the general field of nanoscience are compared. Accurate measures of the order in porous arrays are made using the discrete radial distribution function (RDF). Nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO), hexagonal arrays from functional materials, hexagonal arrays from nanosphere lithography, and square arrays defined by interference lithography (all taken from the literature) are compared to two-dimensional model systems. These arrays have a range of pore diameters from ˜60 to 180 nm. An order parameter, OP 3 , is defined to evaluate the total order in a given array such that an ideal network has the value of 1. When we compare RDFs of man-made arrays with that of our honeycomb (pore diameter ˜5.89 mm), a locally grown version made by Apis mellifera without the use of foundation comb, we find OP 3 =0.399 for the honeycomb and OP 3 =0.572 for man’s best hexagonal array. The nearest neighbor peaks range from 4.65 for the honeycomb to 5.77 for man’s best hexagonal array, while the ideal hexagonal array has an average of 5.93 nearest neighbors. Ordered arrays are now becoming quite common in nanostructured science, while bee honeycombs were studied for millennia. This paper describes the first method to quantify the order found in these arrays with a simple yet elegant procedure that provides a precise measurement of the order in one array compared to other arrays.

Fabrication of MCM-41 fibers with well-ordered hexagonal mesostructure controlled in acidic and alkaline media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jafarzadeh, A.; Sohrabnezhad, Sh., E-mail: sohrabnezhad@guilan.ac.ir; Zanjanchi, M.A.

In this paper, synthesis and characterization of two type morphologies of the MCM-41mesoporous material, nano and microfibers, were investigated by electrospinning technique. The synthesis was performed in acidic and alkaline media, separately. The MCM-41 morphologies were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurement. Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used as silica and template sources for the synthesis of MCM-41 morphologies, respectively. The SEM results showed that MCM-41 nanofibers were spun in acidic media and microfibers of MCM-41 were produced in alkaline media. The XRD study revealed amore » long range structural ordering of mesoporous materials. The TEM results indicated rough surfaces with uniform average diameter 200 nm for nanofibers and 2 µm for microfibers. The pore diameter and surface area of calcined MCM-41 nanofibers were 2.2 nm and 970 m{sup 2}/g, respectively. For the MCM-41 microfibers, pore sizes of 2.7 nm and surface areas 420 m{sup 2}/g was measured. - Graphical abstract: Electrospinning method was used for fabricating of MCM-41 microfibers from TEOS in alkaline media (top) and MCM-41 nanofibers in acidic media (bottom). - Highlights: • Synthesis of MCM-41 nanofibers and microfibers by electrospinning technique. • MCM-41 nanofibers were synthesized in acidic media. • MCM-41 manofibers spun in alkaline media. • Electrospinning was a simple method for preparing of fibers with respect to chemical method.« less

Electrochemically assisted fabrication of size-exclusion films of organically modified silica and application to the voltammetry of phospholipids.

PubMed

Mehdi, B Layla; Rutkowska, Iwona A; Kulesza, Pawel J; Cox, James A

2013-06-01

Modification of electrodes with nm-scale organically modified silica films with pores diameters controlled at 10- and 50-nm is described. An oxidation catalyst, mixed-valence ruthenium oxide with cyano crosslinks or gold nanoparticles protected by dirhodium-substituted phosophomolybdate (AuNP-Rh 2 PMo 11 ), was immobilized in the pores. These systems comprise size-exclusion films at which the biological compounds, phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin, were electrocatalytically oxidized without interference from surface-active concomitants such as bovine serum albumin. 10-nm pores were obtained by adding generation-4 poly(amidoamine) dendrimer, G4-PAMAM, to a (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCH 3 sol. 50-nm pores were obtained by modifying a glassy carbon electrode (GC) with a sub-monolayer film of aminopropyltriethoxylsilane, attaching 50-nm diameter poly(styrene sulfonate), PSS, spheres to the protonated amine, transferring this electrode to a (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCH 3 sol, and electrochemically generating hydronium at uncoated GC sites, which catalyzed ormosil growth around the PSS. Voltammetry of Fe(CN) 6 3- and Ru(NH 3 ) 6 3+ demonstrated the absence of residual charge after removal of the templating agents. With the 50-nm system, the pore structure was sufficiently defined to use layer-by-layer electrostatic assembly of AuNP-Rh 2 PMo 11 therein. Flow injection amperometry of phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin demonstrated analytical utility of these electrodes.

Spontaneous crystalline-to-amorphous phase transformation of organic or medicinal compounds in the presence of porous media, part 2: amorphization capacity and mechanisms of interaction.

PubMed

Qian, Ken K; Suib, Steven L; Bogner, Robin H

2011-11-01

Amorphization of crystalline compounds using mesoporous media is a promising technique to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of poorly soluble compounds. The objective of this paper is to determine the capacity of amorphization and understand the mechanisms of phase transformation. Commercial grades of mesoporous silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) samples (5- to 30-nm mean pore diameters) with either constant surface area or constant pore volume were used. The amorphization capacity of naphthalene was not proportional to either the surface area or the pore volume measured using adsorption chambers. Instead, the amorphization capacity correlated with surface curvature, that is, the smaller the pore diameter and the higher the surface curvature, the greater the amorphization capacity. The change in surface chemistry due to a highly curved surface may be responsible for the enhanced amorphization capacity as well. The amorphization of crystalline compounds was facilitated through capillary condensation, with the decrease in pore volume as the direct experimental evidence. The amorphization capacity was also enhanced by the dipole-dipole or dipole-induced dipole interaction, promoted by the hydroxyl groups on the surface of SiO(2). The enthalpy of vapor-solid condensation of crystalline compounds was a useful indicator to predict the rank order of amorphization capacity. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Large pore mesoporous silica nanomaterials for application in delivery of biomolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knežević, Nikola Ž.; Durand, Jean-Olivier

2015-01-01

Various approaches for the synthesis of mesoporous silicate nanoparticles (MSN) with large pore (LP) diameters (in the range of 3-50 nm) are reviewed in this article. The work also covers the construction of magnetic analogues of large pore-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (LPMMSN) and their biomedical applications. The constructed materials exhibit vast potential for application in the loading and delivery of large drug molecules and biomolecules. Literature reports on the application of LPMSN and LPMMSN materials for the adsorption and delivery of proteins, enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids are covered in depth, which exemplify their highly potent characteristics for use in drug and biomolecule delivery to diseased tissues.Various approaches for the synthesis of mesoporous silicate nanoparticles (MSN) with large pore (LP) diameters (in the range of 3-50 nm) are reviewed in this article. The work also covers the construction of magnetic analogues of large pore-mesoporous silica nanoparticles (LPMMSN) and their biomedical applications. The constructed materials exhibit vast potential for application in the loading and delivery of large drug molecules and biomolecules. Literature reports on the application of LPMSN and LPMMSN materials for the adsorption and delivery of proteins, enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids are covered in depth, which exemplify their highly potent characteristics for use in drug and biomolecule delivery to diseased tissues. Dedicated to Professor Jeffrey I. Zink on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Characterization of reactive flow-induced evolution of carbonate rocks using digital core analysis - part 2: Calculation of the evolution of percolation and transport properties.

PubMed

Qajar, Jafar; Arns, Christoph H

2017-09-01

Percolation of reactive fluids in carbonate rocks affects the rock microstructure and hence changes the rock macroscopic properties. In Part 1 paper, we examined the voxel-wise evolution of microstructure of the rock in terms of mineral dissolution/detachment, mineral deposition, and unchanged regions. In the present work, we investigate the relationships between changes in two characteristic transport properties, i.e. permeability and electrical conductivity and two critical parameters of the pore phase, i.e. the fraction of the pore space connecting the inlet and outlet faces of the core sample and the critical pore-throat diameter. We calculate the aforementioned properties on the images of the sample, wherein a homogeneous modification of pore structure occurred in order to ensure the representativeness of the calculated transport properties at the core scale. From images, the evolution of pore connectivity and the potential role of micropores on the connectivity are quantified. It is found that the changing permeability and electrical conductivity distributions along the core length are generally in good agreement with the longitudinal evolution of macro-connected macroporosity and the critical pore-throat diameter. We incorporate microporosity into critical length and permeability calculations and show how microporosity locally plays a role in permeability. It is shown that the Katz-Thompson model reasonably predicts the post-alteration permeability in terms of pre-alteration simulated parameters. This suggests that the evolution of permeability and electrical conductivity of the studied complex carbonate core are controlled by the changes in the macro-connected macroporosity as well as the smallest pore-throats between the connected macropores. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure and Dynamics of Polymers in Cylindrical Nanoconfinement: A Molecular Dynamics Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pressly, James; Riggleman, Robert; Winey, Karen

The structure and dynamics of polymers under nanoconfinement is critical for understanding how polymers behave in applications from hydraulic fracking to fabricating integrated circuits. We previously used simulations to explore the effect of the diameter of cylindrical pores (d = 10-40 σ, where σ is the unit length in reduced units) on polymer end-to-end distance (Ree,perp, Ree,par) , entanglement density, melt diffusion coefficient (D), and local relaxation time (τperp, τpar) at fixed polymer chain length (N = 350). These studies found D, Ree,par, and τperp increased with increasing confinement while entanglement density, Ree,perp, and τpar decreased. Experiments also found that D increased but to a lesser extent. Here, we examine the molecular weight dependence of these properties using N = 25, 50, 100, 200, 350, and 500 confined to pores of diameter 14 σ to examine a range of confinements. Our preliminary results show that as N increases D and Ree,par, increase as well, relative to the unconfined state, while entanglement density and Ree,perp decrease, consistent with our previous work. Interestingly, τ is shown to be independent of chain length indicating the impact of confinement imposed by reducing pore diameter is distinct from that imposed by increasing chain length.

Structural characterization of porous low-k thin films prepared by different techniques using x-ray porosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae-Jeong; Soles, Christopher L.; Liu, Da-Wei; Bauer, Barry J.; Lin, Eric K.; Wu, Wen-li; Grill, Alfred

2004-03-01

Three different types of porous low-k dielectric films, with similar dielectric constants, are characterized using x-ray porosimetry (XRP). XRP is used to extract critical structural information, such as the average density, wall density, porosity, and pore size distribution. The materials include a plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposited carbon-doped oxide film composed of Si, C, O, and H (SiCOH) and two spin cast silsesquioxane type films—methylsilsesquioxane with a polymeric porogen (porous MSQ) and hydrogensilsesquioxane with a high boiling point solvent (porous HSQ). The porous SiCOH film displays the smallest pore sizes, while porous HSQ film has both the highest density wall material and porosity. The porous MSQ film exhibits a broad range of pores with the largest average pore size. We demonstrate that the average pore size obtained by the well-established method of neutron scattering and x-ray reflectivity is in good agreement with the XRP results.

Effect of Processing Pressure on Isolated Pore Formation during Controlled Directional Solidification in Small Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cox, Matthew C.; Anilkumar, Amrutur V.; Grugel, RIchard N.; Lee, Chun P.

2008-01-01

Directional solidification experiments were performed, using succinonitrile saturated with nitrogen gas, to examine the effects of in-situ processing pressure changes on the formation growth, and evolution of an isolated, cylindrical gaseous pore. A novel solidification facility, capable of processing thin cylindrical samples (I.D. < 1.0 mm), under controlled pressure conditions, was used for the experiments. A new experimental method for growing the isolated pore from a seed bubble is introduced. The experimental results indicate that an in-situ processing pressure change will result in either a transient change in pore diameter or a complete termination of pore growth, indicating that pressure changes can be used as a control parameter to terminate bubble growth. A simple analytical model has been introduced to explain the experimental observations.

A facile method for the preparation of monodisperse beads with uniform pore sizes for cell culture.

PubMed

Moon, Seung-Kwan; Oh, Myeong-Jin; Paik, Dong-Hyun; Ryu, Tae-Kyung; Park, Kyeongsoon; Kim, Sung-Eun; Park, Jong-Hoon; Kim, Jung-Hyun; Choi, Sung-Wook

2013-03-12

This paper describes a facile method for the preparation of porous gelatin beads with uniform pore sizes using a simple fluidic device and their application as supporting materials for cell culture. An aqueous gelatin droplet containing many uniform toluene droplets, produced in the fluidic device, is dropped into liquid nitrogen for instant freezing and the small toluene droplets evolve into pores in the gelatin beads after removal of toluene and then freeze-drying. The porous gelatin beads exhibit a uniform pore size and monodisperse diameter as well as large open pores at the surface. Fluorescence microscopy images of fibroblast-loaded gelatin beads confirm the attachment and proliferation of the cells throughout the porous gelatin beads. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multiple Approaches to Characterizing Nano-Pore Structure of Barnett Shale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Q.; Gao, Z.; Ewing, R. P.; Dultz, S.; Kaufmann, J.; Hamamoto, S.; Webber, B.; Ding, M.

2013-12-01

Microscopic characteristics of porous media - pore shape, pore-size distribution, and pore connectivity - control fluid flow and mass transport. This presentation discusses various approaches to investigating nano-pore structure of Barnett shale, with its implications in gas production behavior. The innovative approaches include imbibition, tracer diffusion, edge-accessible porosity, porosimetry (mercury intrusion porosimetry, nitrogen and water vapor sorption isotherms, and nuclear magnetic resonance cyroporometry), and imaging (Wood's metal impregnation followed with laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, focused ion beam/scanning electron microscopy, and small angle neutron scattering). Results show that the shale pores are predominantly in the nm size range, with measured median pore-throat diameters about 5 nm. But small pore size is not the major contributor to low gas recovery; rather, the low mass diffusivity appears to be caused by low pore connectivity of Barnett shale. Chemical diffusion in sparsely-connected pore spaces is not well described by classical Fickian behavior; anomalous behavior is suggested by percolation theory, and confirmed by results of imbibition and diffusion tests. Our evolving complementary approaches, with their several advantages and disadvantages, provide a rich toolbox for tackling the nano-pore structure characteristics of shales and other natural rocks.

Structural Stability of Light-harvesting Protein LH2 Adsorbed on Mesoporous Silica Supports.

PubMed

Shibuya, Yuuta; Itoh, Tetsuji; Matsuura, Shun-ichi; Yamaguchi, Akira

2015-01-01

In the present study, we examined the reversible thermal deformation of the membrane protein light-harvesting complex LH2 adsorbed on mesoporous silica (MPS) supports. The LH2 complex from Thermochromatium tepidum cells was conjugated to MPS supports with a series of pore diameter (2.4 to 10.6 nm), and absorption spectra of the resulting LH2/MPS conjugates were observed over a temperature range of 273 - 313 K in order to examine the structure of the LH2 adsorbed on the MPS support. The experimental results confirmed that a slight ellipsoidal deformation of LH2 was induced by adsorption on the MPS supports. On the other hand, the structural stability of LH2 was not perturbed by the adsorption. Since the pore diameter of MPS support did not influence the structural stability of LH2, it could be considered that the spatial confinement of LH2 in size-matches pore did not improve the structural stability of LH2.

The Influence of Nanopore Dimensions on the Electrochemical Properties of Nanopore Arrays Studied by Impedance Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Kant, Krishna; Priest, Craig; Shapter, Joe G.; Losic, Dusan

2014-01-01

The understanding of the electrochemical properties of nanopores is the key factor for better understanding their performance and applications for nanopore-based sensing devices. In this study, the influence of pore dimensions of nanoporous alumina (NPA) membranes prepared by an anodization process and their electrochemical properties as a sensing platform using impedance spectroscopy was explored. NPA with four different pore diameters (25 nm, 45 nm and 65 nm) and lengths (5 μm to 20 μm) was used and their electrochemical properties were explored using different concentration of electrolyte solution (NaCl) ranging from 1 to 100 μM. Our results show that the impedance and resistance of nanopores are influenced by the concentration and ion species of electrolytes, while the capacitance is independent of them. It was found that nanopore diameters also have a significant influence on impedance due to changes in the thickness of the double layer inside the pores. PMID:25393785

Kinetic models of controllable pore growth of anodic aluminum oxide membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yan; Zeng, Hong-yan; Zhao, Ce; Qu, Ye-qing; Zhang, Pin

2012-06-01

An anodized Al2O3 (AAO) membrane with apertures about 72 nm in diameter was prepared by two-step anodic oxidation. The appearance and pore arrangement of the AAO membrane were characterized by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was confirmed that the pores with high pore aspect ratio were parallel, well-ordered, and uniform. The kinetics of pores growth in the AAO membrane was derived, and the kinetic models showed that pores stopped developing when the pressure ( σ) trended to equal the surface tension at the end of anodic oxidation. During pore expansion, the effects of the oxalic acid concentration and expansion time on the pore size were investigated, and the kinetic behaviors were explained with two kinetic models derived in this study. They showed that the pore size increased with extended time ( r= G· t+ G'), but decreased with increased concentration ( r = - K·ln c- K') through the derived mathematic formula. Also, the values of G, G', K, and K' were derived from our experimental data.

Catalyst support of mixed cerium zirconium titanium oxide, including use and method of making

DOEpatents

Willigan, Rhonda R [Manchester, CT; Vanderspurt, Thomas Henry [Glastonbury, CT; Tulyani, Sonia [Manchester, CT; Radhakrishnan, Rakesh [Vernon, CT; Opalka, Susanne Marie [Glastonbury, CT; Emerson, Sean C [Broad Brook, CT

2011-01-18

A durable catalyst support/catalyst is capable of extended water gas shift operation under conditions of high temperature, pressure, and sulfur levels. The support is a homogeneous, nanocrystalline, mixed metal oxide of at least three metals, the first being cerium, the second being Zr, and/or Hf, and the third importantly being Ti, the three metals comprising at least 80% of the metal constituents of the mixed metal oxide and the Ti being present in a range of 5% to 45% by metals-only atomic percent of the mixed metal oxide. The mixed metal oxide has an average crystallite size less than 6 nm and forms a skeletal structure with pores whose diameters are in the range of 4-9 nm and normally greater than the average crystallite size. The surface area of the skeletal structure per volume of the material of the structure is greater than about 240 m.sup.2/cm.sup.3. The method of making and use are also described.

Generation of random microstructures and prediction of sound velocity and absorption for open foams with spherical pores.

PubMed

Zieliński, Tomasz G

2015-04-01

This paper proposes and discusses an approach for the design and quality inspection of the morphology dedicated for sound absorbing foams, using a relatively simple technique for a random generation of periodic microstructures representative for open-cell foams with spherical pores. The design is controlled by a few parameters, namely, the total open porosity and the average pore size, as well as the standard deviation of pore size. These design parameters are set up exactly and independently, however, the setting of the standard deviation of pore sizes requires some number of pores in the representative volume element (RVE); this number is a procedure parameter. Another pore structure parameter which may be indirectly affected is the average size of windows linking the pores, however, it is in fact weakly controlled by the maximal pore-penetration factor, and moreover, it depends on the porosity and pore size. The proposed methodology for testing microstructure-designs of sound absorbing porous media applies the multi-scale modeling where some important transport parameters-responsible for sound propagation in a porous medium-are calculated from microstructure using the generated RVE, in order to estimate the sound velocity and absorption of such a designed material.

Benzoate Acid-Dependent Lattice Dimension of Co-MOFs and MOF-Derived CoS2@CNTs with Tunable Pore Diameters for Supercapacitors.

PubMed

Zou, Kang-Yu; Liu, Yi-Chen; Jiang, Yi-Fan; Yu, Cheng-Yan; Yue, Man-Li; Li, Zuo-Xi

2017-06-05

Herein three novel cobalt metal-organic frameworks (Co-MOFs) with similar ingredients, [Co(bib)(o-bdc)] ∞ (1), [Co 2 (bib) 2 (m-bdc) 2 ] ∞ (2), and {[Co(bib)(p-bdc)(H 2 O)](H 2 O) 0.5 } ∞ (3), have been synthesized from the reaction of cobalt nitrate with 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-yl)benzene (bib) and structure-related aromatic acids (1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid = o-bdc, 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid = m-bdc, and 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid = p-bdc) by the solvothermal method. It is aimed to perform systematic research on the relationship among the conformation of benzoate acid, lattice dimension of Co-MOF, and pore diameter of MOF-derived carbon composite. Through the precursor strategy, Co-MOFs 1-3 have been utilized to synthesize porous cobalt@carbon nanotube composites (Co@CNTs). After the in situ gas-sulfurization, secondary composites CoS 2 @CNTs were successfully obtained, which kept similar morphologies of corresponding Co@CNTs without destroying previous highly dispersed structures. Co-MOFs and two series of composites (Co@CNTs and CoS 2 @CNTs) have been well characterized. Topology and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses elucidate that the bdc 2- ion could control the pore diameters of MOF-derived carbon composites by adjusting the lattice dimension of Co-MOFs. The systematic studies on electrochemical properties demonstrate that (p)-CoS 2 @CNT possesses hierarchical morphology, moderate specific surface area, proper pore diameter distribution, and high graphitization, which lead to remarkable specific capacitances (839 F g -1 at 5 mV s -1 and 825 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 ) in 2 M potassium hydroxide solution. In addition, the (p)-CoS 2 @CNT electrode exhibits good electrochemical stability and still retains 82.9% of initial specific capacitance at the current density of 1 A g -1 after 5000 cycles.

Flow and axial dispersion in a sinusoidal-walled tube: Effects of inertial and unsteady flows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Richmond, Marshall C.; Perkins, William A.; Scheibe, Timothy D.

2013-12-01

Dispersion in porous media flows has been the subject of much experimental, theoretical and numerical study. Here we consider a wavy-walled tube (a three-dimensional tube with sinusoidally-varying diameter) as a simplified conceptualization of flow in porous media, where constrictions represent pore throats and expansions pore bodies. A theoretical model for effective (macroscopic) longitudinal dispersion in this system has been developed by volume averaging the microscale velocity field. Direct numerical simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods was used to compute velocity fields by solving the Navier-Stokes equations, and also to numerically solve the volume averaging closure problem, for a rangemore » of Reynolds numbers (Re) spanning the low-Re to inertial flow regimes, including one simulation at Re = 449 for which unsteady flow was observed. Dispersion values were computed using both the volume averaging solution and a random walk particle tracking method, and results of the two methods were shown to be consistent. Our results are compared to experimental measurements of dispersion in porous media and to previous theoretical results for the low-Re, Stokes flow regime. In the steady inertial regime we observe an power-law increase in effective longitudinal dispersion (DL) with Re, consistent with previous results. This rapid rate of increase is caused by trapping of solute in expansions due to flow separation (eddies). For the unsteady case (Re = 449), the rate of increase of DL with Re was smaller than that observed at lower Re. Velocity fluctuations in this regime lead to increased rates of solute mass transfer between the core flow and separated flow regions, thus diminishing the amount of tailing caused by solute trapping in eddies and thereby reducing longitudinal dispersion.« less

Physiologic upper limits of pore size of different blood capillary types and another perspective on the dual pore theory of microvascular permeability.

PubMed

Sarin, Hemant

2010-08-11

Much of our current understanding of microvascular permeability is based on the findings of classic experimental studies of blood capillary permeability to various-sized lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules. According to the classic small pore theory of microvascular permeability, which was formulated on the basis of the findings of studies on the transcapillary flow rates of various-sized systemically or regionally perfused endogenous macromolecules, transcapillary exchange across the capillary wall takes place through a single population of small pores that are approximately 6 nm in diameter; whereas, according to the dual pore theory of microvascular permeability, which was formulated on the basis of the findings of studies on the accumulation of various-sized systemically or regionally perfused non-endogenous macromolecules in the locoregional tissue lymphatic drainages, transcapillary exchange across the capillary wall also takes place through a separate population of large pores, or capillary leaks, that are between 24 and 60 nm in diameter. The classification of blood capillary types on the basis of differences in the physiologic upper limits of pore size to transvascular flow highlights the differences in the transcapillary exchange routes for the transvascular transport of endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules across the capillary walls of different blood capillary types. The findings and published data of studies on capillary wall ultrastructure and capillary microvascular permeability to lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous molecules from the 1950s to date were reviewed. In this study, the blood capillary types in different tissues and organs were classified on the basis of the physiologic upper limits of pore size to the transvascular flow of lipid-insoluble molecules. Blood capillaries were classified as non-sinusoidal or sinusoidal on the basis of capillary wall basement membrane layer continuity or lack thereof. Non-sinusoidal blood capillaries were further sub-classified as non-fenestrated or fenestrated based on the absence or presence of endothelial cells with fenestrations. The sinusoidal blood capillaries of the liver, myeloid (red) bone marrow, and spleen were sub-classified as reticuloendothelial or non-reticuloendothelial based on the phago-endocytic capacity of the endothelial cells. The physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across capillary walls of non-sinusoidal non-fenestrated blood capillaries is less than 1 nm for those with interendothelial cell clefts lined with zona occludens junctions (i.e. brain and spinal cord), and approximately 5 nm for those with clefts lined with macula occludens junctions (i.e. skeletal muscle). The physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across the capillary walls of non-sinusoidal fenestrated blood capillaries with diaphragmed fenestrae ranges between 6 and 12 nm (i.e. exocrine and endocrine glands); whereas, the physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across the capillary walls of non-sinusoidal fenestrated capillaries with open 'non-diaphragmed' fenestrae is approximately 15 nm (kidney glomerulus). In the case of the sinusoidal reticuloendothelial blood capillaries of myeloid bone marrow, the transvascular transport of non-endogenous macromolecules larger than 5 nm into the bone marrow interstitial space takes place via reticuloendothelial cell-mediated phago-endocytosis and transvascular release, which is the case for systemic bone marrow imaging agents as large as 60 nm in diameter. The physiologic upper limit of pore size in the capillary walls of most non-sinusoidal blood capillaries to the transcapillary passage of lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules ranges between 5 and 12 nm. Therefore, macromolecules larger than the physiologic upper limits of pore size in the non-sinusoidal blood capillary types generally do not accumulate within the respective tissue interstitial spaces and their lymphatic drainages. In the case of reticuloendothelial sinusoidal blood capillaries of myeloid bone marrow, however, non-endogenous macromolecules as large as 60 nm in diameter can distribute into the bone marrow interstitial space via the phago-endocytic route, and then subsequently accumulate in the locoregional lymphatic drainages of tissues following absorption into the lymphatic drainage of periosteal fibrous tissues, which is the lymphatic drainage of myeloid bone marrow. When the ultrastructural basis for transcapillary exchange across the capillary walls of different capillary types is viewed in this light, it becomes evident that the physiologic evidence for the existence of aqueous large pores ranging between 24 and 60 nm in diameter in the capillary walls of blood capillaries, is circumstantial, at best.

Loofah sponge as an interface dressing material in negative pressure wound therapy: results of an in vivo study.

PubMed

Tuncel, Umut; Turan, Aydin; Markoc, Fatma; Erkorkmaz, Unal; Elmas, Cigdem; Kostakoglu, Naci

2014-03-01

Since the introduction of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), the physiological effects of various interface dressing materials have been studied. The purpose of this experimental study was to compare the use of loofah sponge to standard polyurethane foam or a cotton gauze sponge. Three wounds, each measuring 3 cm x 3 cm, were created by full-thickness skin excision on the dorsal sides of 24 New Zealand adult white rabbits. The rabbits were randomly divided into four groups of six rabbits each. In group 1 (control), conventional saline-moistened gauze dressing was provided and changed at daily intervals. The remaining groups were provided NPWT dressings at -125 mm Hg continuous pressure. This dressing was changed every 3 days for 9 days; group 2 was provided polyurethane foam, group 3 had conventional saline-soaked antimicrobial gauze, and group 4 had loofah sponge. Wound area measurements and histological findings (inflammation, granulation tissue, neovascularization, and reepithelialization) were analyzed on days 3, 6, and 9. Wound area measurements at these intervals were significantly different between the control group and study groups (P<0.05). Granulation and neovascularization scores were also significantly different between the control and treatment groups at day 3 (P=0.002). No differences in any of the healing variables studied were observed between the other three dressing materials. According to scanning electron microscopy analysis of the three interface materials, the mean pore size diameter of foam and gauze interface materials was 415.80±217.58 μm and 912.33±116.88 μm, respectively. The pore architecture of foam was much more regular than that of gauze. The average pore size diameter of loofah sponge was 736.83±23.01 μm; pores were hierarchically located--ie, the smaller ones were usually peripheral and larger ones werecentral. For this study, the central part of loofah sponge was discarded to achieve a more homogenous structure of interface material. Loofah sponge study results were similar to those using gauze or foam, but the purchase price of loofah sponge is lower than that of currently available interface dressings. More experimental, randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm these results.

Inferring diameters of spheres and cylinders using interstitial water.

PubMed

Herrera, Sheryl L; Mercredi, Morgan E; Buist, Richard; Martin, Melanie

2018-06-04

Most early methods to infer axon diameter distributions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used single diffusion encoding sequences such as pulsed gradient spin echo (SE) and are thus sensitive to axons of diameters > 5 μm. We previously simulated oscillating gradient (OG) SE sequences for diffusion spectroscopy to study smaller axons including the majority constituting cortical connections. That study suggested the model of constant extra-axonal diffusion breaks down at OG accessible frequencies. In this study we present data from phantoms to test a time-varying interstitial apparent diffusion coefficient. Diffusion spectra were measured in four samples from water packed around beads of diameters 3, 6 and 10 μm; and 151 μm diameter tubes. Surface-to-volume ratios, and diameters were inferred. The bead pore radii estimates were 0.60±0.08 μm, 0.54±0.06 μm and 1.0±0.1 μm corresponding to bead diameters ranging from 2.9±0.4 μm to 5.3±0.7 μm, 2.6±0.3 μm to 4.8±0.6 μm, and 4.9±0.7 μm to 9±1 μm. The tube surface-to-volume ratio estimate was 0.06±0.02 μm -1 corresponding to a tube diameter of 180±70 μm. Interstitial models with OG inferred 3-10 μm bead diameters from 0.54±0.06 μm to 1.0±0.1 μm pore radii and 151 μm tube diameters from 0.06±0.02 μm -1 surface-to-volume ratios.

Machine learning framework for analysis of transport through complex networks in porous, granular media: A focus on permeability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Linden, Joost H.; Narsilio, Guillermo A.; Tordesillas, Antoinette

2016-08-01

We present a data-driven framework to study the relationship between fluid flow at the macroscale and the internal pore structure, across the micro- and mesoscales, in porous, granular media. Sphere packings with varying particle size distribution and confining pressure are generated using the discrete element method. For each sample, a finite element analysis of the fluid flow is performed to compute the permeability. We construct a pore network and a particle contact network to quantify the connectivity of the pores and particles across the mesoscopic spatial scales. Machine learning techniques for feature selection are employed to identify sets of microstructural properties and multiscale complex network features that optimally characterize permeability. We find a linear correlation (in log-log scale) between permeability and the average closeness centrality of the weighted pore network. With the pore network links weighted by the local conductance, the average closeness centrality represents a multiscale measure of efficiency of flow through the pore network in terms of the mean geodesic distance (or shortest path) between all pore bodies in the pore network. Specifically, this study objectively quantifies a hypothesized link between high permeability and efficient shortest paths that thread through relatively large pore bodies connected to each other by high conductance pore throats, embodying connectivity and pore structure.

Mechanics of water pore formation in lipid membrane under electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Bing; Li, Dechang; Diao, Jiajie; Ji, Baohua

2017-04-01

Transmembrane water pores are crucial for substance transport through cell membranes via membrane fusion, such as in neural communication. However, the molecular mechanism of water pore formation is not clear. In this study, we apply all-atom molecular dynamics and bias-exchange metadynamics simulations to study the process of water pore formation under an electric field. We show that water molecules can enter a membrane under an electric field and form a water pore of a few nanometers in diameter. These water molecules disturb the interactions between lipid head groups and the ordered arrangement of lipids. Following the movement of water molecules, the lipid head groups are rotated and driven into the hydrophobic region of the membrane. The reorientated lipid head groups inside the membrane form a hydrophilic surface of the water pore. This study reveals the atomic details of how an electric field influences the movement of water molecules and lipid head groups, resulting in water pore formation.

Extreme value statistics analysis of fracture strengths of a sintered silicon nitride failing from pores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, Luen-Yuan; Shetty, Dinesh K.

1992-01-01

Statistical analysis and correlation between pore-size distribution and fracture strength distribution using the theory of extreme-value statistics is presented for a sintered silicon nitride. The pore-size distribution on a polished surface of this material was characterized, using an automatic optical image analyzer. The distribution measured on the two-dimensional plane surface was transformed to a population (volume) distribution, using the Schwartz-Saltykov diameter method. The population pore-size distribution and the distribution of the pore size at the fracture origin were correllated by extreme-value statistics. Fracture strength distribution was then predicted from the extreme-value pore-size distribution, usin a linear elastic fracture mechanics model of annular crack around pore and the fracture toughness of the ceramic. The predicted strength distribution was in good agreement with strength measurements in bending. In particular, the extreme-value statistics analysis explained the nonlinear trend in the linearized Weibull plot of measured strengths without postulating a lower-bound strength.

Porous and strong bioactive glass (13–93) scaffolds prepared by unidirectional freezing of camphene-based suspensions

PubMed Central

Liu, Xin; Rahaman, Mohamed N.; Fu, Qiang; Tomsia, Antoni P.

2011-01-01

Scaffolds of 13–93 bioactive glass (6Na2O, 12K2O, 5MgO, 20CaO, 4P2O5, 53SiO2; wt %) with an oriented pore architecture were formed by unidirectional freezing of camphene-based suspensions, followed by thermal annealing of the frozen constructs to grow the camphene crystals. After sublimation of the camphene, the constructs were sintered (1 h at 700 °C) to produce a dense glass phase with oriented macropores. The objective of this work was to study how constant freezing rates (1–7 °C/min) during the freezing step influenced the pore orientation and mechanical response of the scaffolds. When compared to scaffolds prepared by freezing the suspensions on a substrate kept at a constant temperature of 3 °C (time-dependent freezing rate), higher freezing rates resulted in better pore orientation, a more homogeneous microstructure, and a marked improvement in the mechanical response of the scaffolds in compression. Scaffolds fabricated using a constant freezing rate of 7 °C/min (porosity = 50 ± 4%; average pore diameter = 100 μm), had a compressive strength of 47 ± 5 MPa and an elastic modulus of 11 ± 3 GPa (in the orientation direction). In comparison, scaffolds prepared by freezing on the constant-temperature substrate had strength and modulus values of 35 ± 11 MPa and 8 ± 3 GPa, respectively. These oriented bioactive glass scaffolds prepared by the constant freezing rate route could potentially be used for the repair of defects in load-bearing bones, such as segmental defects in the long bones. PMID:21855661

Transport of water molecules through noncylindrical pores in multilayer nanoporous graphene.

PubMed

Shahbabaei, Majid; Kim, Daejoong

2017-08-09

In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to examine the water transport properties through asymmetric hourglass-shaped pores in multilayer nanoporous graphene with a constant interlayer separation of 6 Å. The properties of the tested asymmetric hourglass-shaped pores [with the models having long cone (l 1 , -P) and short cone (l 2 , +P) entrances] are compared to a symmetric pore model. The study findings indicate that the water occupancy increases across the asymmetric pore (l 1 , -P) compared to (l 2 , +P), because of the length effect. The asymmetric pore, (l 1 , -P), yields higher flux compared to (l 2 , +P) and even the symmetric model, which can be attributed to the increase in the hydrogen bonds. In addition, the single-file water molecules across the narrowest pore diameter inside the (l 2 , +P) pore exhibit higher viscosity compared to those in the (l 1 , -P) pore because of the increase in the water layering effect. Moreover, it is found that the permeability inside the multilayer hourglass-shaped pore depends on the length of the flow path of the water molecules before approaching the layer with the smallest pore diameter. The probability of dipole orientation exhibits wider distribution inside the (l 1 , -P) system compared to (l 2 , +P), implying an enhanced formation of hydrogen bonding of water molecules. This results in the fast flow of water molecules. The MD trajectory shows that the dipole orientation across the single-layer graphene has frequently flipped compared to the dipole orientation across the pores in multilayer graphene, which is maintained during the whole simulation time (although the dipole orientation has flipped for a few picoseconds at the beginning of the simulation). This can be attributed to the energy barrier induced by the individual layer. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules inside the (l 2 , +P) system increases with pressure difference, however, it decreases inside the (l 1 , -P) system because of the increase in the number of collisions. It was found that the velocity in the axial direction (z-direction) has a significant impact on the permeation ability of water molecules across the asymmetric nanopores examined in this study. Finally, the study results suggest that the appropriate design of an asymmetric hourglass-shaped nanopore in multilayer graphene can significantly improve the water permeation rate even compared to a symmetric structure.

Porosity control in nanoporous carbide-derived carbon by oxidation in air and carbon dioxide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osswald, S.; Portet, C.; Gogotsi, Y., E-mail: gogotsi@drexel.ed

2009-07-15

Carbide-derived carbons (CDC) allow a precise control over the pore size through the selection of the carbide precursor and varying of the synthesis conditions. However, their pore volume is limited by the carbide stoichiometry. While activation of carbons derived from various organic precursors has been widely studied, this process may similarly be able to increase the pore volume and specific surface area of CDC. Oxidation of carbide-derived carbon in air and CO{sub 2} at different temperatures and times allows for significant increase in pore volume and specific surface area as well as control over average pore size with subnanometer accuracy.more » The effect of activation and associated changes in the pore volume and surface area on the hydrogen uptake are also discussed. - Graphical abstract: Carbide-derived carbons (CDC) provide great potential for sorption of toxicants and gas storage applications. Activation of CDC in air and CO{sub 2} at different temperatures and times is applied in order to maximize pore volume and specific surface area, and control the average pore size with subnanometer accuracy.« less

Experimental study of dynamic effective stress coefficient for ultrasonic velocities of Bakken cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, X.; Zoback, M. D.

2016-12-01

We have performed a series of exhaustive experiments to measure the effective stress coefficient (α) of the tight cores from the Bakken shale oil play. Five distinct, bedding-normal cores from a vertical well were tested, covering the sequences of Lodgepole, Middle Bakken, and Three Forks. The scope of this laboratory study is two-fold: (1) to obtain the dynamic effective stress coefficient for ultrasonic velocities; (2) to characterize the poromechanical properties in relation to rock's mineral composition and microstructure. The experiments were carried out as follows: Argon-saturated specimen (1-inch length, 1-inch diameter) was subjected to hydrostatic confining pressure under drained conditions. Pore pressure was regulated as Argon was injected into both ends of the specimen. We drilled multiple non-through-going boreholes (1-mm diameter) in the specimen to facilitate pore pressure equilibrium, without compromising its integrity. The specimen was put through a loading path to experience confining pressure and pore pressure up to 70 and 60 MPa, respectively. P- and S- wave velocities were measured and used to calculate the rock's dynamic effective stress coefficient. Results of all five cores unanimously show that the dynamic a is a function of both confining and pore pressures, regardless of the wave type and loading path. When the simple effective stress is low, α is close to unity; however, α consistently increases as the simple effective stress rises and can reach as much as 3 when the latter reaches 60 MPa. This trend is rather surprising as it is diametrically the opposite of what was observed for the static α. A possible explanation is that high-frequency wave-induced pore pressure increment may have not remained equilibrated throughout the pore space, especially in very thin cracks, according to the squirt model. This phenomenon can be enhanced when the bulk modulus of pore fluid (gas typically considered to be `soft' and `non-viscous') increases with pore pressure and becomes comparable to the crack stiffness.

Effect of membrane filtration artifacts on dissolved trace element concentrations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horowitz, Arthur J.; Elrick, Kent A.; Colberg, Mark R.

1992-01-01

Among environment scientists, the current and almost universally accepted definition of dissolved constituents is an operational one; only those materials which pass through a 0.45-??m membrane filter are considered to be dissolved. Detailed laboratory and field studies on Fe and Al indicate that a number of factors associated with filtration, other than just pore size, can substantially alter 'dissolved' trace element concentrations; these include: filter type, filter diameter, filtration method, volume of sample processed, suspended sediment concentration, suspended sediment grain-size distribution, concentration of colloids and colloidally associated trace elements and concentration of organic matter. As such, reported filtered-water concentrations employing the same pore size filter may not be equal. Filtration artifacts may lead to the production of chemical data that indicate seasonal or annual 'dissolved' chemical trends which do not reflect actual environmental conditions. Further, the development of worldwide averages for various dissolved chemical constituents, the quantification of geochemical cycles, and the determination of short- or long-term environmental chemical trends may be subject to substantial errors, due to filtration artifacts, when data from the same or multiple sources are combined. Finally, filtration effects could have a substantial impact on various regulatory requirements.

The effect of membrane filtration artifacts on dissolved trace element concentrations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horowitz, A.J.; Elrick, K.A.; Colberg, M.R.

1992-01-01

Among environment scientists, the current and almost universally accepted definition of dissolved constituents is an operational one only those materials which pass through a 0.45-??m membrane filter are considered to be dissolved. Detailed laboratory and field studies on Fe and Al indicate that a number of factors associated with filtration, other than just pore size, can substantially alter 'dissolved' trace element concentrations; these include: filter type, filter diameter, filtration method, volume of sample processed, suspended sediment concentration, suspended sediment grain-size distribution, concentration of colloids and colloidally-associated trace elements and concentration of organic matter. As such, reported filtered-water concentrations employing the same pore size filter may not be equal. Filtration artifacts may lead to the production of chemical data that indicate seasonal or annual 'dissolved' chemical trends which do not reflect actual environmental conditions. Further, the development of worldwide averages for various dissolved chemical constituents, the quantification of geochemical cycles, and the determination of short- or long-term environmental chemical trends may be subject to substantial errors, due to filtration artifacts, when data from the same or multiple sources are combined. Finally, filtration effects could have a substantial impact on various regulatory requirements.

Solvent/non-solvent sintering: a novel route to create porous microsphere scaffolds for tissue regeneration.

PubMed

Brown, Justin L; Nair, Lakshmi S; Laurencin, Cato T

2008-08-01

Solvent/non-solvent sintering creates porous polymeric microsphere scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering purposes with control over the resulting porosity, average pore diameter, and mechanical properties. Five different biodegradable biocompatible polyphosphazenes exhibiting glass transition temperatures from -8 to 41 degrees C and poly (lactide-co-glycolide), (PLAGA) a degradable polymer used in a number of biomedical settings, were examined to study the versatility of the process and benchmark the process to heat sintering. Parameters such as: solvent/non-solvent sintering solution composition and submersion time effect the sintering process. PLAGA microsphere scaffolds fabricated with solvent/non-solvent sintering exhibited an interconnected porosity and pore size of 31.9% and 179.1 mum, respectively which was analogous to that of conventional heat sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffolds. Biodegradable polyphosphazene microsphere scaffolds exhibited a maximum interconnected porosity of 37.6% and a maximum compressive modulus of 94.3 MPa. Solvent/non-solvent sintering is an effective strategy for sintering polymeric microspheres, with a broad spectrum of glass transition temperatures, under ambient conditions making it an excellent fabrication route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery vehicles. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Solvent/Non-Solvent Sintering: A Novel Route to Create Porous Microsphere Scaffolds For Tissue Regeneration

PubMed Central

Brown, Justin L.; Nair, Lakshmi S.; Laurencin, Cato T.

2009-01-01

Solvent/non-solvent sintering creates porous polymeric microsphere scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering purposes with control over the resulting porosity, average pore diameter and mechanical properties. Five different biodegradable biocompatible polyphosphazenes exhibiting glass transition temperatures from −8°C to 41oC and poly(lactide-co-glycolide), (PLAGA) a degradable polymer used in a number of biomedical settings, were examined to study the versatility of the process and benchmark the process to heat sintering. Parameters such as: solvent/non-solvent sintering solution composition and submersion time effect the sintering process. PLAGA microsphere scaffolds fabricated with solvent/non-solvent sintering exhibited an interconnected porosity and pore size of 31.9% and 179.1µm respectively which was analogous to that of conventional heat sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffolds. Biodegradable polyphosphazene microsphere scaffolds exhibited a maximum interconnected porosity of 37.6% and a maximum compressive modulus of 94.3MPa. Solvent/non-solvent sintering is an effective strategy for sintering polymeric microspheres, with a broad spectrum of glass transition temperatures, under ambient conditions making it an excellent fabrication route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery vehicles. PMID:18161819

Comparison of activated carbon and iron/cerium modified activated carbon to remove methylene blue from wastewater.

PubMed

Cheng, Song; Zhang, Libo; Ma, Aiyuan; Xia, Hongying; Peng, Jinhui; Li, Chunyang; Shu, Jianhua

2018-03-01

The methylene blue (MB) removal abilities of raw activated carbon and iron/cerium modified raw activated carbon (Fe-Ce-AC) by adsorption were researched and compared. The characteristics of Fe-Ce-AC were examined by N 2 adsorption, zeta potential measurement, FTIR, Raman, XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS. After modification, the following phenomena occurred: The BET surface area, average pore diameter and total pore volume decreased; the degree of graphitization also decreased. Moreover, the presence of Fe 3 O 4 led to Fe-Ce-AC having magnetic properties, which makes it easy to separate from dye wastewater in an external magnetic field and subsequently recycle. In addition, the equilibrium isotherms and kinetics of MB adsorption on raw activated carbon and Fe-Ce-AC were systematically examined. The equilibrium adsorption data indicated that the adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm, and the pseudo-second-order model matched the kinetic data well. Compared with raw activated carbon, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of Fe-Ce-AC increased by 27.31%. According to the experimental results, Fe-Ce-AC can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of MB from dye wastewater. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A New High-Temperature Ultrasonic Transducer for Continuous Inspection.

PubMed

Amini, Mohammad Hossein; Sinclair, Anthony N; Coyle, Thomas W

2016-03-01

A novel design of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer is introduced, suitable for operation at temperatures of up to 700 °C-800 °C. Lithium niobate single crystal is chosen as the piezoelectric element primarily due to the high Curie temperature of 1200 °C. A backing element based on a porous ceramic is designed for which the pore volume fraction and average pore diameter in the ceramic matrix can be controlled in the manufacturing process; this enables the acoustic impedance and attenuation to be selected to match their optimal values as predicted by a one-dimensional transducer model of the entire transducer. Porous zirconia is selected as the ceramic matrix material of the backing element to obtain an ultrasonic signal with center frequency of 2.7-3 MHz, and 3-dB bandwidth of 90%-95% at the targeted operating temperature. Acoustic coupling of the piezocrystal to the backing element and matching layer is investigated using commercially available high-temperature adhesives and brazing alloys. The performance of the transducer as a function of temperature is studied. Stable bonding and clear signals were obtained using an aluminum brazing alloy as the bonding agent.

Production and optimization of bamboo hydrochars for adsorption of Congo red and 2-naphthol.

PubMed

Li, Yin; Meas, Arun; Shan, Shengdao; Yang, Ruiqin; Gai, Xikun

2016-05-01

Twelve hydrochars were produced from bamboo sawdust for adsorption of Congo red and 2-naphthol. The bamboo hydrochars have Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas ranging from 2.63m(2)/g to 43.07m(2)/g, average pore diameters from 3.05nm to 3.83nm, pore volumes between 0.02cm(3)/g and 0.53cm(3)/g, and the surfaces of the hydrochars have diverse functional groups. The physico-chemical properties of the hydrochars critically depend on the hydrothermal conditions. All the hydrochars can adsorb Congo red and 2-naphthol from aqueous solutions, the largest adsorption capacity for Congo red is 33.7mg/g at the equilibrium concentration of 0.1mg/mL at 25°C, and the highest adsorption amount for 2-naphthol is 12.2mg/g at 25°C and 0.1mg/mL. Freundlich model can describe the adsorption isotherms of the both adsorbates slightly better than Langmuir model. These results provide a reference to the production and use of hydrochars as potential adsorbents in wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual and functional demonstration of growing Bax-induced pores in mitochondrial outer membranes

PubMed Central

Gillies, Laura A; Du, Han; Peters, Bjoern; Knudson, C. Michael; Newmeyer, Donald D.; Kuwana, Tomomi

2015-01-01

Bax induces mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), a critical step in apoptosis in which proteins are released into the cytoplasm. To resolve aspects of the mechanism, we used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to visualize Bax-induced pores in purified mitochondrial outer membranes (MOMs). We observed solitary pores that exhibited negative curvature at their edges. Over time, the pores grew to ∼100–160 nm in diameter after 60–90 min, with some pores measuring more than 300 nm. We confirmed these results using flow cytometry, which we used to monitor the release of fluorescent dextrans from isolated MOM vesicles. The dextran molecules were released gradually, in a manner constrained by pore size. However, the release rates were consistent over a range of dextran sizes (10–500 kDa). We concluded that the pores were not static but widened dramatically to release molecules of different sizes. Taken together, the data from cryo-EM and flow cytometry argue that Bax promotes MOMP by inducing the formation of large, growing pores through a mechanism involving membrane-curvature stress. PMID:25411335

Acoustic phonon spectrum and thermal transport in nanoporous alumina arrays

DOE PAGES

Kargar, Fariborz; Ramirez, Sylvester; Debnath, Bishwajit; ...

2015-10-28

We report results of a combined investigation of thermal conductivity and acoustic phonon spectra in nanoporous alumina membranes with the pore diameter decreasing from D=180 nm to 25 nm. The samples with the hexagonally arranged pores were selected to have the same porosity Ø ≈13%. The Brillouin-Mandelstam spectroscopy measurements revealed bulk-like phonon spectrum in the samples with D = 180 nm pores and spectral features, which were attributed to spatial confinement, in the samples with 25 nm and 40 nm pores. The velocity of the longitudinal acoustic phonons was reduced in the samples with smaller pores. As a result, analysismore » of the experimental data and calculated phonon dispersion suggests that both phonon-boundary scattering and phonon spatial confinement affect heat conduction in membranes with the feature sizes D < 40 nm.« less

Luminescence characteristics of nanoporous anodic alumina annealed at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilin, D. O.; Vokhmintsev, A. S.; Weinstein, I. A.

2016-09-01

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes with 100 µm thickness were synthesized in oxalic acid solution under constant current density. Grown samples were annealed in 500-1250 °C range for 5 h in air. Average pore diameter was evaluated using quantitative analysis of SEM images and appeared to be within 78-86 nm diapason. It was found there was a broad emission band in the 350-620 nm region of photoluminescence (PL) spectra in amorphous membranes which is attributed to F-type oxygen deficient centers or oxalic ions. It was shown that intensive red emission caused by Cr3+ (696 nm) and Mn4+ (680 nm) impurities dominates in PL of AAO samples with crystalline α- and δ-phases after annealing at 1100-1250 °C temperatures.

Removal of nitrobenzene by immobilized nanoscale zero-valent iron: Effect of clay support and efficiency optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoguang; Zhao, Ying; Xi, Beidou; Mao, Xuhui; Gong, Bin; Li, Rui; Peng, Xing; Liu, Hongliang

2016-05-01

In this study, natural clays were used as the support for nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) to fulfill affordable and efficient decontamination materials. In comparison with the kaolinite (K) and montmorillonite (M) supported nZVI materials (K-nZVI and M-nZVI), Hangjin clay supported nZVI (HJ-nZVI) exhibited the best performance for nitrobenzene (NB) removal because of its favorable characteristics, such as higher specific surface area (SSA, 82.0 m2 g-1), larger pore volume (0.1198 cm3 g-1) and bigger average pore diameter (6.2 nm). The NB removal efficiency achieved by HJ-nZVI (93.2 ± 2.8%) was much higher than these achieved by HJ clay alone (38.2 ± 2.3%), nZVI alone (52.3 ± 2.5%) and by the combined use of nZVI and HJ clay (70.2 ± 1.3%). The superior performance of HJ-nZVI was associated with three aspects: the even distribution of nZVIs onto HJ clay, higher payload efficiency of nZVIs and the stronger adsorption capability of HJ clay support. Higher SSA, larger pore volume, favorable cation exchange capacity and structural negative charges all facilitated the payload of iron onto HJ clay. The adsorption process accelerated the reduction via increasing the local concentration of aqueous NB. The high efficiency of HJ-nZVI for decontamination warranted its promising prospect in remediation applications.

Dynamics of supercooled confined water measured by deep inelastic neutron scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Michele, Vincenzo; Romanelli, Giovanni; Cupane, Antonio

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present the results of deep inelastic neutron scattering (DINS) measurements on supercooled water confined within the pores (average pore diameter 20 Å) of a disordered hydrophilic silica matrix obtained through hydrolysis and polycondensation of the alkoxide precursor Tetra-Methyl-Ortho-Silicate via the sol-gel method. Experiments were performed at two temperatures (250 K and 210 K, i.e., before and after the putative liquid-liquid transition of supercooled confined water) on a "wet" sample with hydration h 40% w/w, which is high enough to have water-filled pores but low enough to avoid water crystallization. A virtually "dry" sample at h 7% was also investigated to measure the contribution of the silica matrix to the neutron scattering signal. As is well known, DINS measurements allow the determination of the mean kinetic energy and the momentum distribution of the hydrogen atoms in the system and therefore, allow researchers to probe the local structure of supercooled confined water. The main result obtained is that at 210 K the hydrogen mean kinetic energy is equal or even slightly higher than at 250 K. This is at odds with the predictions of a semiempirical harmonic model recently proposed to describe the temperature dependence of the kinetic energy of hydrogen in water. This is a new and very interesting result, which suggests that at 210 K, the water hydrogens experience a stiffer intermolecular potential than at 250 K. This is in agreement with the liquid-liquid transition hypothesis.

Gas phase fractionation method using porous ceramic membrane

DOEpatents

Peterson, Reid A.; Hill, Jr., Charles G.; Anderson, Marc A.

1996-01-01

Flaw-free porous ceramic membranes fabricated from metal sols and coated onto a porous support are advantageously used in gas phase fractionation methods. Mean pore diameters of less than 40 .ANG., preferably 5-20 .ANG. and most preferably about 15 .ANG., are permeable at lower pressures than existing membranes. Condensation of gases in small pores and non-Knudsen membrane transport mechanisms are employed to facilitate and increase membrane permeability and permselectivity.

Synthesis and capacitance properties of N-doped porous carbon/NiO nanosheet composites using coal-based polyaniline as carbon and nitrogen source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaoqin; Li, Qiaoqin; Zhang, Yong; Yang, Yufei; Cao, Zhi; Xiong, Shanxin

2018-06-01

A novel synthesis approach of N-doped porous carbon (NPC)/NiO composites possessing some honeycomb-shaped nanoporous carbon and plentiful NiO nanosheets is exploited. First NPC/Ni composites are achieved with NPC yield of 52.9% through a catalytic pyrolysis method, using coal-based polyaniline particles prepared by an in-situ polymerization method as a carbon and nitrogen source, and nickel particles as a catalyst, respectively. Next NPC/NiO composites are achieved unexpectedly with plentiful NiO nanosheets and N content of 1.00 wt% after a liquid oxidation process. In NPC/NiO composites, porous carbon mainly presents in the amorphous state, while the incorporated nitrogen mainly presents in the form of pyrrolic N (92.9 at.%) and oxidized N (7.1 at.%). Plentiful NiO nanosheets are embedded in the pores or on the NPC surface. 33.3 at.% Ni2O3 components exist in the surface of NiO nanosheets. NPC/NiO composites possess not only rich micropores, but also significant mesopores and nanoscale macropores. The BET specific surface area, BET average pore width and BJH adsorption average pore diameter are 627.5 m2/g, 2.0 nm and 5.1 nm, respectively. NPC/NiO composites demonstrate a high specific capacitance of 404.1 F/g at 1 A/g, and a good cycling stability maintaining high specific capacitance of 212.4 F/g (84.3% of the initial capacitance) at 5 A/g after 5000 cycles of charge and discharge, attributed to some honeycomb-shaped nanopores of carbon and large specific surface area of NiO nanosheets, and the synergistic effects between electric double-layer capacitance of NPC and pseudocapacitance of NiO. This study may provide a novel approach for the value-added applications of low-rank coal.

Uncertainty Quantification of Nonlinear Electrokinetic Response in a Microchannel-Membrane Junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizadeh, Shima; Iaccarino, Gianluca; Mani, Ali

2015-11-01

We have conducted uncertainty quantification (UQ) for electrokinetic transport of ionic species through a hybrid microfluidic system using different probabilistic techniques. The system of interest is an H-configuration consisting of two parallel microchannels that are connected via a nafion junction. This system is commonly used for ion preconcentration and stacking by utilizing a nonlinear response at the channel-nafion junction that leads to deionization shocks. In this work, the nafion medium is modeled as many parallel nano-pores where, the nano-pore diameter, nafion porosity, and surface charge density are independent random variables. We evaluated the resulting uncertainty on the ion concentration fields as well as the deionization shock location. The UQ methods predicted consistent statistics for the outputs and the results revealed that the shock location is weakly sensitive to the nano-pore surface charge and primarily driven by nano-pore diameters. The present study can inform the design of electrokinetic networks with increased robustness to natural manufacturing variability. Applications include water desalination and lab-on-a-chip systems. Shima is a graduate student in the department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She received her Master's degree from Stanford in 2011. Her research interests include Electrokinetics in porous structures and high performance computing.

Model of porous aluminium oxide growth during initial stage of anodization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryslanova, E. M.; Alfimov, A. V.; Chivilikhin, S. A.

2014-10-01

Currently, the development of nanotechnology and metamaterials requires the ability to obtain regular self-assembled structures with different parameters. One such structure is porous alumina in which the pores grow perpendicular to the substrate and are hexagonally packed. Pore size and the distance between them can be varied depending on the anodization voltage, the electrolyte and the anodization time (pore diameter - from 2 to 350 nm, the distance between the pores - from 5 to 50 nm). At the moment, there are different models describing the process of anodizing aluminum, in this paper we propose a model that takes into account the effect of layers of aluminum, aluminum oxide, and the electrolyte, as well as the influence of the effect of surface diffusion.

Unplugging the callose plug from sieve pores.

PubMed

Xie, Bo; Hong, Zonglie

2011-04-01

The presence of callose in sieve plates has been known for a long time, but how this polysaccharide plug is synthesized has remained unsolved. Two independent laboratories have recently reported the identification of callose synthase 7 (CalS7), also known as glucan synthase-like 7 (GSL7), as the enzyme responsible for callose deposition in sieve plates. Mutant plants defective in this enzyme failed to synthesize callose in developing sieve plates during phloem formation and were unable to accumulate callose in sieve pores in response to stress treatments. The mutant plants developed less open pores per sieve plate and the pores were smaller in diameter. As a result, phloem conductivity was reduced significantly and the mutant plants were shorter and set fewer seeds.

Unplugging the callose plug from sieve pores

PubMed Central

Xie, Bo

2011-01-01

The presence of callose in sieve plates has been known for a long time, but how this polysaccharide plug is synthesized has remained unsolved. Two independent laboratories have recently reported the identification of callose synthase 7 (CalS7), also known as glucan synthase-like 7 (GSL7), as the enzyme responsible for callose deposition in sieve plates. Mutant plants defective in this enzyme failed to synthesize callose in developing sieve plates during phloem formation and were unable to accumulate callose in sieve pores in response to stress treatments. The mutant plants developed less open pores per sieve plate and the pores were smaller in diameter. As a result, phloem conductivity was reduced significantly and the mutant plants were shorter and set fewer seeds. PMID:21386663

Dilation of fusion pores by crowding of SNARE proteins

PubMed Central

Wu, Zhenyong; Bello, Oscar D; Thiyagarajan, Sathish; Auclair, Sarah Marie; Vennekate, Wensi; Krishnakumar, Shyam S; O'Shaughnessy, Ben; Karatekin, Erdem

2017-01-01

Hormones and neurotransmitters are released through fluctuating exocytotic fusion pores that can flicker open and shut multiple times. Cargo release and vesicle recycling depend on the fate of the pore, which may reseal or dilate irreversibly. Pore nucleation requires zippering between vesicle-associated v-SNAREs and target membrane t-SNAREs, but the mechanisms governing the subsequent pore dilation are not understood. Here, we probed the dilation of single fusion pores using v-SNARE-reconstituted ~23-nm-diameter discoidal nanolipoprotein particles (vNLPs) as fusion partners with cells ectopically expressing cognate, 'flipped' t-SNAREs. Pore nucleation required a minimum of two v-SNAREs per NLP face, and further increases in v-SNARE copy numbers did not affect nucleation rate. By contrast, the probability of pore dilation increased with increasing v-SNARE copies and was far from saturating at 15 v-SNARE copies per face, the NLP capacity. Our experimental and computational results suggest that SNARE availability may be pivotal in determining whether neurotransmitters or hormones are released through a transient ('kiss and run') or an irreversibly dilating pore (full fusion). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22964.001 PMID:28346138

Pore-level influence of micro-fracture parameters on visco-capillary behavior of two-phase displacements in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rokhforouz, M. R.; Akhlaghi Amiri, H. A.

2018-03-01

In this work, coupled Cahn-Hilliard phase field and Navier-Stokes equations were solved using finite element method to address the effects of micro-fracture and its characterizations on water-oil displacements in a heterogeneous porous medium. Sensitivity studies at a wide range of viscosity ratios (M) and capillary numbers (Ca), and the resultant log Ca-log M stability phase diagram, revealed that in both media, with/without fracture, the three regimes of viscous fingering, capillary fingering and stable displacement similarly occur. However, presence of the fracture caused water channeling phenomenon which resulted in reduction of the number of active fingers and hence the final oil recovery factor. At high Ca (especially in the stable regime, with log Ca ≥ -2.5 and log M ≥ 0), recovery factor for the fractured medium was relatively identical with the non-fractured one. At log M ≥ 0, the fracture was fully swept, but flow instabilities were observed inside the fracture at lower M values, especially for log Ca > -4.6. In the case of the fractured medium at log Ca = -4.6 and log M = 0 (capillary dominant flow), it is observed that the primary breakthrough took place by a finger progressed through the matrix, not those channeled through the fracture. Geometrical properties of the fracture, including length, aperture and orientation, highly affected both displacement profile and efficiency. The fracture length inversely influenced the oil recovery factor. It was observed that there is a critical fracture width (almost half of the medium average pore diameter) at which the recovery factor of the medium during displacement is minimum, compared to the media having thinner and thicker fractures. Minor channeling effect in the media with thinner fracture and larger fracture swept volume as well as high fracture/matrix cross flow in the media with thicker fracture were detected as the main cause of this non-monotonic behavior. In the models with thick fractures (with the thickness higher than the average pore diameter), considerable trapped oil volumes were observed inside the fracture at low M values. The fracture orientation had the most impressive effect on oil recovery compared to the other studied parameters; where the oil recovery factor incremented more than 20% as the fracture rotated 90° from flow direction. Due to the dominant effect of the channeling phenomenon, the change in the medium wettability from slightly oil-wet to slightly water-wet, did not considerably affect the displacement profile in the fractured medium. However, oil recovery factor increased as the medium became more water-wet. The fracture area was fully swept by the injected water in the oil-wet and neutral-wet media. However, flow instabilities were observed inside the fracture of the water-wet medium due to counter-current imbibition between fracture/matrix. Micro-scale mechanisms of pore doublet effect, interface coalesce, snap-off and reverse movements were captured during the studied unstable displacements.

Intrinsic Size Effect in Scaffolded Porous Calcium Silicate Particles and Mechanical Behavior of Their Self-Assembled Ensembles.

PubMed

Hwang, Sung Hoon; Shahsavari, Rouzbeh

2018-01-10

Scaffolded porous submicron particles with well-defined diameter, shape, and pore size have profound impacts on drug delivery, bone-tissue replacement, catalysis, sensors, photonic crystals, and self-healing materials. However, understanding the interplay between pore size, particle size, and mechanical properties of such ultrafine particles, especially at the level of individual particles and their ensemble states, is a challenge. Herein, we focus on porous calcium-silicate submicron particles with various diameters-as a model system-and perform extensive 900+ nanoindentations to completely map out their mechanical properties at three distinct structural forms from individual submicron particles to self-assembled ensembles to pressure-induced assembled arrays. Our results demonstrate a notable "intrinsic size effect" for individual porous submicron particles around ∼200-500 nm, induced by the ratio of particle characteristic diameter to pore characteristic size distribution. Increasing this ratio results in a brittle-to-ductile transition where the toughness of the submicron particles increases by 120%. This size effect becomes negligible as the porous particles form superstructures. Nevertheless, the self-assembled arrays collectively exhibit increasing elastic modulus as a function of applied forces, while pressure-induced compacted arrays exhibit no size effect. This study will impact tuning properties of individual scaffolded porous particles and can have implications on self-assembled superstructures exploiting porosity and particle size to impart new functionalities.

Synchrotron Microtomographic Quantification of Geometrical Soil Pore Characteristics Affected by Compaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udawatta, Ranjith; Gantzer, Clark; Anderson, Stephen; Assouline, Shmuel

2015-04-01

Soil compaction degrades soil structure and affects water, heat, and gas exchange as well as root penetration and crop production. The objective of this study was to use X-ray computed microtomography (CMT) techniques to compare differences in geometrical soil pore parameters as influenced by compaction of two different aggregate size classes. Sieved (diam. < 2mm and < 0.5mm) and repacked (1.51 and 1.72 Mg m-3) Hamra soil cores of 5- by 5-mm (average porosities were 0.44 and 0.35) were imaged at 9.6-micrometer resolution at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source (synchrotron facility) using X-ray computed microtomography. Images of 58.9 mm3 volume were analyzed using 3-Dimensional Medial Axis (3DMA) software. Geometrical characteristics of the spatial distributions of pore structures (pore radii, volume, connectivity, path length, and tortuosity) were numerically investigated. Results show that the coordination number (CN) distribution and path length (PL) measured from the medial axis were reasonably fit by exponential relationships P(CN)=10-CN/Co and P(PL)=10-PL/PLo, respectively, where Co and PLo are the corresponding characteristic constants. Compaction reduced porosity, average pore size, number of pores, and characteristic constants. The average pore radii (64 and 61 μm; p<0.04), largest pore volume (1.6 and 0.6 mm3; p=0.06), number of pores (55 and 50; p=0.09), characteristic coordination number (6.3 and 6.0; p=0.09), and characteristic path length number (116 and 105; p=0.001) were significantly greater in the low density than the high density treatment. Aggregate size also influenced measured geometrical pore parameters. This analytical technique provides a tool for assessing changes in soil pores that affect hydraulic properties and thereby provides information to assist in assessment of soil management systems.

Synchrotron microtomographic quantification of geometrical soil pore characteristics affected by compaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udawatta, R. P.; Gantzer, C. J.; Anderson, S. H.; Assouline, S.

2015-07-01

Soil compaction degrades soil structure and affects water, heat, and gas exchange as well as root penetration and crop production. The objective of this study was to use X-ray computed microtomography (CMT) techniques to compare differences in geometrical soil pore parameters as influenced by compaction of two different aggregate size classes. Sieved (diam. < 2 mm and < 0.5 mm) and repacked (1.51 and 1.72 Mg m-3) Hamra soil cores of 5- by 5 mm (average porosities were 0.44 and 0.35) were imaged at 9.6-micrometer resolution at the Argonne Advanced Photon Source (synchrotron facility) using X-ray computed microtomography. Images of 58.9 mm3 volume were analyzed using 3-Dimensional Medial Axis (3DMA) software. Geometrical characteristics of the spatial distributions of pore structures (pore radii, volume, connectivity, path length, and tortuosity) were numerically investigated. Results show that the coordination number (CN) distribution and path length (PL) measured from the medial axis were reasonably fit by exponential relationships P(CN) = 10-CN/Co and P(PL) = 10-PL/PLo, respectively, where Co and PLo are the corresponding characteristic constants. Compaction reduced porosity, average pore size, number of pores, and characteristic constants. The average pore radii (63.7 and 61 μm; p < 0.04), largest pore volume (1.58 and 0.58 mm3; p = 0.06), number of pores (55 and 50; p = 0.09), characteristic coordination number (6.32 and 5.94; p = 0.09), and characteristic path length number (116 and 105; p = 0.001) were significantly greater in the low density than the high density treatment. Aggregate size also influenced measured geometrical pore parameters. This analytical technique provides a tool for assessing changes in soil pores that affect hydraulic properties and thereby provides information to assist in assessment of soil management systems.

A mini drivepoint sampler for measuring pore water solute concentrations in the hyporheic zone of sand-bottom streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duff, J.H.; Murphy, F.; Fuller, C.C.; Triska, F.J.

1998-01-01

A new method for collecting pore-water samples in sand and gravel streambeds is presented. We developed a mini drivepoint solution sampling (MINIPOINT) technique to collect pore-water samples at 2.5-cm vertical resolution. The sampler consisted of six small-diameter stainless steel drivepoints arranged in a 10-cm-diameter circular array. In a simple procedure, the sampler was installed in the streambed to preset drivepoint depths of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5, and 15.0 cm. Sampler performance was evaluated in the Shingobee River, Minnesota, and Pinal Creek, Arizona, by measuring the vertical gradient of chloride concentration in pore water beneath the streambed that was established by the uninterrupted injection to the stream for 3 d. Pore-water samples were withdrawn from all drivepoints simultaneously. In the first evaluation, the vertical chloride gradient was unchanged at withdrawal rates between 0.3 and 4.0 ml min-1 but was disturbed at higher rates. In the second evaluation, up to 70 ml of pore water was withdrawn from each drivepoint at a withdrawal rate of 2.5 ml min-1 without disturbing the vertical chloride gradient. Background concentrations of other solutes were also determined with MINIPOINT sampling. Steep vertical gradients were present for biologically reactive solutes such as DO, NH4/+, NO3/-, and dissolved organic C in the top 20 cm of the streambed. These detailed solute profiles in the hyporheic zone could not have been determined without a method for close interval vertical sampling that does not disturb natural hydrologic mixing between stream water and groundwater.

The Status of Water in Swelling Shales: An Insight from the Water Retention Properties of the Callovo-Oxfordian Claystone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menaceur, Hamza; Delage, Pierre; Tang, Anh Minh; Talandier, Jean

2016-12-01

The Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone is considered in France as a possible host rock for the disposal of high-level long-lived radioactive waste at great depth. During the operational phase, the walls of the galleries and of the disposal cells will be successively subjected to desaturation induced by ventilation followed by resaturation once the galleries are closed. To better understand this phenomenon, a sound understanding of the water retention properties of the COx claystone is necessary. Following a previous study by the same group, this paper presents an investigation of microstructure changes in COx claystone under suction changes. Microstructure was investigated by means of mercury intrusion porosimetry tests on freeze-dried specimens previously submitted to various suctions. Along the drying path, the initial microstructure, characterised by a well-classified unimodal pore population around a mean diameter value of 32 nm, slightly changed with the same shape of the PSD curve and slightly moved towards smaller diameters (27-28 nm) at suctions of 150 and 331 MPa, respectively. The infra-porosity too small to be intruded by mercury (diameter smaller than 5.5 nm) reduced from 4.3 to 3.3 %. Oven drying reduced the mean diameter to 20 nm and the infra-porosity to 1 %. Wetting up to 9 MPa suction leads to saturation with no significant change in the PSD curve, whereas wetting at zero suction gave rise to the appearance of a large pore population resulting from the development of cracks with width of several micrometres, together with an enlargement of the initial pore population above the mean diameter. The concepts describing the step hydration of smectites (by the successive placement within the clay platelets along the smectite faces of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers of water molecules with respect to the suction applied) appeared relevant to better understand the changes in microstructure of the COx claystone under suction changes. This also allowed to better define the status of water in claystones and shales containing smectite, with a distinction made between the water adsorbed within the clay platelets, and the free inter-platelet water involved in hydromechanical couplings through changes in pore pressure and water transfers.

Comparative study of silver nanoparticle permeation using Side-Bi-Side and Franz diffusion cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trbojevich, Raul A.; Fernandez, Avelina; Watanabe, Fumiya; Mustafa, Thikra; Bryant, Matthew S.

2016-03-01

Better understanding the mechanisms of nanoparticle permeation through membranes and packaging polymers has important implications for the evaluation of drug transdermal uptake, in food safety and the environmental implications of nanotechnology. In this study, permeation of 21 nm diameter silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was tested using Side-Bi-Side and Franz static diffusion cells through hydrophilic 0.1 and 0.05 µm pore diameter 125 µm thick synthetic cellulose membranes, and 16 and 120 µm thick low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films. Experiments performed with LDPE films discarded permeation of AgNPs or Ag ions over the investigated time-frame in both diffusion systems. But controlled release of AgNPs has been quantified using semipermeable hydrophilic membranes. The permeation followed a quasi-linear time-dependent model during the experimental time-frame, which represents surface reaction-limited permeation. Diffusive flux, diffusion coefficients, and membrane permeability were determined as a function of pore size and diffusion model. Concentration gradient and pore size were key to understand mass transfer phenomena in the diffusion systems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, Chandan K.; Singh, Jayant K., E-mail: jayantks@iitk.ac.in

Three-stage pseudo-supercritical transformation path and multiple-histogram reweighting technique are employed for the determination of solid-liquid coexistence of the Lennard-Jones (12-6) fluid, in a structureless cylindrical pore of radius, R, ranging from 4 to 20 molecular diameters. The Gibbs free energy difference is evaluated using thermodynamic integration method by connecting solid and liquid phases under confinement via one or more intermediate states without any first order phase transition among them. The thermodynamic melting temperature, T{sub m}, is found to oscillate for pore size, R < 8, which is in agreement with the behavior observed for the melting temperature in slit pores.more » However, T{sub m} for almost all pore sizes is less than the bulk case, which is contrary to the behavior seen for the slit pore. The oscillation in T{sub m} decays at around pore radius R = 8, and beyond that shift in the melting temperature with respect to the bulk case is in line with the prediction of the Gibbs-Thomson equation.« less

On the size of pores arising in erythrocytes under the action of detergents.

PubMed

Senkovich, O A; Chernitsky, E A

1998-01-01

The size of pores arising in human erythrocytes under the action of two detergents (Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate) and causing the slow component of hemolysis was estimated by the method of osmotic protectors. The pore diameters were found to be about 40 A. The pores responsible for the fast component of hemolysis induced by sodium dodecyl sulfate were shown to be of greater size and even molecules of polyethylene glycol 4000 could pass through them. The unusual decrease. In the rate and percentage of this hemolytic component was caused by the side action of the protectors, i.e., by the acceleration of erythrocyte vesiculation, a process that competed with pore formation. Vesiculation protected erythrocytes against fast and slow detergent-induced hemolysis. It is shown that the method of osmotic protectors can not be used for estimation of pore size in fast hemolysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate. The application of this method for hemolysis by other amphiphilic compounds is discussed.

Giant MACPF/CDC pore forming toxins: A class of their own.

PubMed

Reboul, Cyril F; Whisstock, James C; Dunstone, Michelle A

2016-03-01

Pore Forming Toxins (PFTs) represent a key mechanism for permitting the passage of proteins and small molecules across the lipid membrane. These proteins are typically produced as soluble monomers that self-assemble into ring-like oligomeric structures on the membrane surface. Following such assembly PFTs undergo a remarkable conformational change to insert into the lipid membrane. While many different protein families have independently evolved such ability, members of the Membrane Attack Complex PerForin/Cholesterol Dependent Cytolysin (MACPF/CDC) superfamily form distinctive giant β-barrel pores comprised of up to 50 monomers and up to 300Å in diameter. In this review we focus on recent advances in understanding the structure of these giant MACPF/CDC pores as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to their formation. Commonalities and evolved variations of the pore forming mechanism across the superfamily are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Pore-Forming Toxins edited by Mauro Dalla Serra and Franco Gambale. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of pore architecture on oxygen diffusion in 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Ahn, Geunseon; Park, Jeong Hun; Kang, Taeyun; Lee, Jin Woo; Kang, Hyun-Wook; Cho, Dong-Woo

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to maximize oxygen diffusion within a three-dimensional scaffold in order to improve cell viability and proliferation. To evaluate the effect of pore architecture on oxygen diffusion, we designed a regular channel shape with uniform diameter, referred to as cylinder shaped, and a new channel shape with a channel diameter gradient, referred to as cone shaped. A numerical analysis predicted higher oxygen concentration in the cone-shaped channels than in the cylinder-shaped channels, throughout the scaffold. To confirm these numerical results, we examined cell proliferation and viability in 2D constructs and 3D scaffolds. Cell culture experiments revealed that cell proliferation and viability were superior in the constructs and scaffolds with cone-shaped channels.

Poly-N-Isopropylacrylamide/acrylic Acid Copolymers for the Generation of Nanostructures at Mica Surfaces and as Hydrophobic Host Systems for the Porin MspA from Mycobacterium smegmatis.

PubMed

Gamage, Pubudu; Basel, Matthew T; Lovell, Kimberly; Pokhrel, Megh Raj; Battle, Deletria; Ito, Takashi; Pavlenok, Mikhail; Niederweis, Michael; Bossmann, Stefan H

2009-09-17

The work presented here aims at utilizing poly-N-isopropyl-acrylamide/acrylic acid copolymers to create nanostructured layers on mica surfaces by a simple spin-casting procedure. The average composition of the copolymers determined by elemental analysis correlates excellently with the feed composition indicating that the radical polymerization process is statistical. The resulting surfaces were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (magnetic AC-mode) at the copolymer/air interface. Postpolymerization modification of the acrylic acid functions with perfluoro-octyl-iodide decreased the tendency towards spontaneous formation of nanopores. Crosslinking of individual polymer chains permitted the generation of ultraflat layers, which hosted the mycobacterial channel protein MspA, without compromising its channel function. The comparison of copolymers of very similar chemical composition that have been prepared by living radical polymerization and classic radical polymerization indicated that differences in polydispersity played only a minor role when poly-N-isopropyl-acrylamide/acrylic acid copolymers were spincast, but a major role when copolymers featuring the strongly hydrophobic perfluoro-octyl-labels were used. The mean pore diameters were 23.8+/-4.4 nm for P[(NIPAM)(95.5)-co-(AA)(4.5)] (PDI (polydispersity index)=1.55) and 21.8+/-4.2 nm for P[(NIPAM)(95.3)-co-(AA)(4.7)] (PDI=1.25). The depth of the nanopores was approx. 4 nm. When depositing P[(NIPAM)(95)-co-(AA)(2.8)-AAC(8)F(17 2.2)] (PDI=1.29) on Mica, the resulting mean pore diameter was 35.8+/-7.1 nm, with a depth of only 2 nm.

Poly-N-Isopropylacrylamide/acrylic Acid Copolymers for the Generation of Nanostructures at Mica Surfaces and as Hydrophobic Host Systems for the Porin MspA from Mycobacterium smegmatis

PubMed Central

Gamage, Pubudu; Basel, Matthew T.; Lovell, Kimberly; Pokhrel, Megh Raj; Battle, Deletria; Ito, Takashi; Pavlenok, Mikhail; Niederweis, Michael

2009-01-01

The work presented here aims at utilizing poly-N-isopropyl-acrylamide/acrylic acid copolymers to create nanostructured layers on mica surfaces by a simple spin-casting procedure. The average composition of the copolymers determined by elemental analysis correlates excellently with the feed composition indicating that the radical polymerization process is statistical. The resulting surfaces were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (magnetic AC-mode) at the copolymer/air interface. Postpolymerization modification of the acrylic acid functions with perfluoro-octyl-iodide decreased the tendency towards spontaneous formation of nanopores. Crosslinking of individual polymer chains permitted the generation of ultraflat layers, which hosted the mycobacterial channel protein MspA, without compromising its channel function. The comparison of copolymers of very similar chemical composition that have been prepared by living radical polymerization and classic radical polymerization indicated that differences in polydispersity played only a minor role when poly-N-isopropyl-acrylamide/acrylic acid copolymers were spincast, but a major role when copolymers featuring the strongly hydrophobic perfluoro-octyl-labels were used. The mean pore diameters were 23.8±4.4 nm for P[(NIPAM)95.5-co-(AA)4.5] (PDI (polydispersity index)=1.55) and 21.8±4.2 nm for P[(NIPAM)95.3-co-(AA)4.7] (PDI=1.25). The depth of the nanopores was approx. 4 nm. When depositing P[(NIPAM)95-co-(AA)2.8-AAC8F17 2.2] (PDI=1.29) on Mica, the resulting mean pore diameter was 35.8±7.1 nm, with a depth of only 2 nm. PMID:20161351

Electrical characteristic of the titanium mesh electrode for transcutaneous intrabody communication to monitor implantable artificial organs.

PubMed

Okamoto, Eiji; Kikuchi, Sakiko; Mitamura, Yoshinori

2016-09-01

We have developed a tissue-inducing electrode using titanium mesh to obtain mechanically and electrically stable contact with the tissue for a new transcutaneous communication system using the human body as a conductive medium. In this study, we investigated the electrical properties of the titanium mesh electrode by measuring electrode-tissue interface resistance in vivo. The titanium mesh electrode (Hi-Lex Co., Zellez, Hyogo, Japan) consisted of titanium fibers (diameter of 50 μm), and it has an average pore size of 200 μm and 87 % porosity. The titanium mesh electrode has a diameter of 5 mm and thickness of 1.5 mm. Three titanium mesh electrodes were implanted separately into the dorsal region of the rat. We measured the electrode-electrode impedance using an LCR meter for 12 weeks, and we calculated the tissue resistivity and electrode-tissue interface resistance. The electrode-tissue interface resistance of the titanium mesh electrode decreased slightly until the third POD and then continuously increased to 75 Ω. The electrode-tissue interface resistance of the titanium mesh electrode is stable and it has lower electrode-tissue interface resistance than that of a titanium disk electrode. The extracted titanium mesh electrode after 12 weeks implantation was fixed in 10 % buffered formalin solution and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Light microscopic observation showed that the titanium mesh electrode was filled with connective tissue, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts with some capillaries in the pores of the titanium mesh. The results indicate that the titanium mesh electrode is a promising electrode for the new transcutaneous communication system.

Influence of porewidening duration on the template assisted growth of graphitic carbon nitride nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchitra, S. M.; Udayashankar, N. K.

2018-01-01

Porous anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) membranes with a highly ordered pore arrangement are typically used as ideal templates for the synthesis of numerous nanostructured materials. Highly ordered templates gained significant attraction due to the fact that they are readily fabricated through self-organised simple anodization process. In this paper, the effect of different pore-widening treatments on the quality of the pores of the AAO templates prepared with different electrolytes were inspected. Results confirmed that, without altering the interpore distance different pore dimensions and diameters of the AAO templates can be easily achieved by chemical pore widening process at room temperature. Also, graphitic carbon nitride nanorods of different dimension have been fabricated from AAO template after porewidening process. These nanostructures are widely used in case of metal free visible light driven photo catalysis, photo degradation of organic pollutants, photo electric conversion and water splitting applications.

Size effects of pore density and solute size on water osmosis through nanoporous membrane.

PubMed

Zhao, Kuiwen; Wu, Huiying

2012-11-15

Understanding the behavior of osmotic transport across nanoporous membranes at molecular level is critical to their design and applications, and it is also beneficial to the comprehension of the mechanism of biological transmembrane transport processes. Pore density is an important parameter for nanoporous membranes. To better understand the influence of pore density on osmotic transport, we have performed systematic molecular dynamics simulations on water osmosis across nanoporous membranes with different pore densities (i.e., number of pores per unit area of membrane). The simulation results reveal that significant size effects occur when the pore density is so high that the center-to-center distance between neighboring nanopores is comparable to the solute size. The size effects are independent of the pore diameter and solute concentration. A simple quantitative correlation between pore density, solute size, and osmotic flux has been established. The results are excellently consistent with the theoretical predictions. It is also shown that solute hydration plays an important role in real osmotic processes. Solute hydration strengthens the size effects of pore density on osmotic processes due to the enlarged effective solute size induced by hydration. The influence of pore density, solute size, and solute hydration on water osmosis through nanoporous membranes can be introduced to eliminate the deviations of real osmotic processes from ideal behavior.

The pore characteristics of geopolymer foam concrete and their impact on the compressive strength and modulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zuhua; Wang, Hao

2016-08-01

The pore characteristics of GFCs manufactured in the laboratory with 0-16% foam additions were examined using image analysis (IA) and vacuum water saturation techniques. The pore size distribution, pore shape and porosity were obtained. The IA method provides a suitable approach to obtain the information of large pores, which are more important in affecting the compressive strength of GFC. By examining the applicability of the existing models of predicting compressive strength of foam concrete, a modified Ryshkevitch’s model is proposed for GFC, in which only the porosity that is contributed by the pores over a critical diameter (>100 μm) is considered. This “critical void model” is shown to have very satisfying prediction capability in the studied range of porosity. A compression-modulus model for Portland cement concrete is recommended for predicting the compression modulus elasticity of GFC. This study confirms that GFC have similar pore structures and mechanical behavior as those Portland cement foam concrete and can be used alternatively in the industry for the construction and insulation purposes.

Tunable acoustic absorbers with periodical micro-perforations having varying pore shapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Shuwei; Liu, Xuewei; Gong, Junqing; Tang, Yufan; Xin, Fengxian; Huang, Lixi; Lu, Tian Jian

2017-11-01

Circular pores with sub-millimeter diameters have been widely used to construct micro-perforated panels (MPPs), the acoustical performance of which can be predicted well using the Maa theory (MAA D.-Y., J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 104 (1998) 2861). We present a tunable MPP absorber with periodically arranged cylindrical pores, with their cross-sectional shapes systematically altered around the circle while maintaining their cross-sectional areas unchanged. Numerical analyses based on the viscous-thermal coupled acoustical equations are utilized to investigate the tunable acoustic performance of the proposed absorbers and to reveal the underlying physical mechanisms. We demonstrate that pore morphology significantly affects the sound absorbption of MPPs by modifying the velocity field (and hence viscous dissipation) in the pores. Pore shapes featured as meso-scale circular pores accompanied with micro-scale bulges along the boundaries can lead to perfect sound absorption at relatively low frequencies. This work not only enriches the classical Maa theory on MPPs having circular perforations, but it also opens a new avenue for designing subwavelength acoustic metamaterials of superior sound absorption in target frequency ranges.

Pore size distribution effect on rarefied gas transport in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hori, Takuma; Yoshimoto, Yuta; Takagi, Shu; Kinefuchi, Ikuya

2017-11-01

Gas transport phenomena in porous media are known to strongly influence the performance of devices such as gas separation membranes and fuel cells. Knudsen diffusion is a dominant flow regime in these devices since they have nanoscale pores. Many experiments have shown that these porous media have complex structures and pore size distributions; thus, the diffusion coefficient in these media cannot be easily assessed. Previous studies have reported that the characteristic pore diameter of porous media can be defined in light of the pore size distribution; however, tortuosity factor, which is necessary for the evaluation of diffusion coefficient, is still unknown without gas transport measurements or simulations. Thus, the relation between pore size distributions and tortuosity factors is required to obtain the gas transport properties. We perform numerical simulations to prove the relation between them. Porous media are numerically constructed while satisfying given pore size distributions. Then, the mean-square displacement simulation is performed to obtain the tortuosity factors of the constructed porous media.. This paper is based on results obtained from a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Development Organization (NEDO).

Conductivity Evolution of Fracture Proppant in Partial Monolayers and Multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, M.; Han, Y.; McClure, J. E.; Chen, C.

2017-12-01

Proppant is a granular material, typically sand, coated sand, or man-made ceramic materials, which is widely used in hydraulic fracturing to keep the induced fractures open. Optimization of proppant placement in a hydraulic fracture, as well as its role on the fracture's conductivity, is vital for effective and economical production of petroleum hydrocarbons. In this research, a numerical modeling approach, combining Discrete Element Method (DEM) with lattice Boltzmann (LB) method, was adopted to advance the understanding of fracture conductivity as function of proppant concentration under various effective stresses. DEM was used to simulate effective stress increase and the resultant proppant particle compaction and rearrangement during the process of reservoir depletion due to hydrocarbon extraction. DEM-simulated pore structure was extracted and imported into the LB simulator as boundary conditions to calculate the time-dependent permeability of the proppant pack. We first validated the DEM-LB coupling workflow; the simulated proppant pack permeabilities as functions of effective stress were in good agreement with laboratory measurements. Next, several proppant packs were generated with various proppant concentrations, ranging from partial-monolayer to multilayer structures. Proppant concentration is defined as proppant mass per unit fracture face area. Fracture conductivity as function of proppant concentration was measured in LB simulations. It was found that a partial-monolayer proppant pack with large-diameter particles was optimal in maintaining sufficient conductivity while lowering production costs. Three proppant packs with the same average diameter but different diameter distributions were generated. Specifically, we used the coefficient of variation (COV) of diameter, defined as the ratio of standard deviation of diameter to mean diameter, to characterize the heterogeneity in particle size. We obtained proppant pack porosity, permeability, and fracture width reduction as functions of effective stress. Under the same effective stress, a proppant pack with a smaller diameter COV had higher porosity and permeability and smaller fracture width reduction, which are all favorable for maintaining the fracture conductivity during the process of hydrocarbon extraction.

Soil architecture relationships with dynamic soil physical processes: a conceptual study using natural, artificial, and 3D-printed soil cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamandé, Mathieu; Schjønning, Per; Dal Ferro, Nicola; Morari, Francesco

2017-04-01

Pore system architecture is a key feature for understanding physical, biological and chemical processes in soils. Development of visualisation technics, especially x-ray CT, during recent years has been useful in describing the complex relationships between soil architecture and soil functions. We believe that combining visualization with physical models is a step further towards a better understanding of these relationships. We conducted a concept study using natural, artificial and 3D-printed soil cores. Eight natural soil cores (100 cm3) were sampled in a cultivated stagnic Luvisol at two depths (topsoil and subsoil), representing contrasting soil pore systems. Cylinders (100 cm3) were produced from plastic or from autoclaved aerated concrete. Holes of diameters 1.5 and 3 mm were drilled in the cylinder direction for the plastic cylinder and for one of the AAC cylinders. All natural and artificial cores were scanned in a micro x-ray CT scanner at a resolution of 35 µm. The reconstructed image of each soil core was printed with 3D multijet printing technology at a resolution of 29 µm. In some reconstructed digital volumes of the natural soil cores, pores of different sizes (equivalent diameter of 35, 70, 100, and 200 µm) were removed before additional 3D printing. Effective air-filled porosity, Darcian air permeability, and oxygen diffusion were measured on all natural, artificial and printed cores. The comparison of the natural and the artificial cores emphasized the difference in pore architecture between topsoil (sponge like) and subsoil (dominated by large vertical macropores). This study showed the high potential of using printed soil cores for understanding soil pore functions. The results confirm the suitability of the Ball model partitioning the pore system into arterial, marginal and remote pores to describe effects of soil structure on gas transport.

VISUALIZATION AND SIMULATION OF NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUIDS SOLUBILIZATION IN PORE NETWORKS

EPA Science Inventory

The design of in-situ remediation of contaminated soils is mostly based on a description at the macroscopic scale using a averaged quantities. These cannot address issues at the pore and pore network scales. In this paper, visualization experiments and numerical simulations in ...

Influence of the doping type and level on the morphology of porous Si formed by galvanic etching

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pyatilova, O. V., E-mail: 5ilova87@gmail.com; Gavrilov, S. A.; Shilyaeva, Yu. I.

The formation of porous silicon (por-Si) layers by the galvanic etching of single-crystal Si samples (doped with boron or phosphorus) in an HF/C{sub 2}H{sub 5}OH/H{sub 2}O{sub 2} solution is investigated. The por-Si layers are analyzed by the capillary condensation of nitrogen and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The dependences of the morphological characteristics of por-Si (pore diameter, specific surface area, pore volume, and thickness of the pore walls), which determine the por-Si combustion kinetics, on the dopant type and initial wafer resistivity are established.

Slow DNA Transport through Nanopores in Hafnium Oxide Membranes

PubMed Central

Bell, David C.; Cohen-Karni, Tzahi; Rosenstein, Jacob K.; Wanunu, Meni

2016-01-01

We present a study of double- and single-stranded DNA transport through nanopores fabricated in ultrathin (2–7 nm thick) free-standing hafnium oxide (HfO2) membranes. The high chemical stability of ultrathin HfO2 enables long-lived experiments with <2 nm diameter pores that last several hours, in which we observe >50 000 DNA translocations with no detectable pore expansion. Mean DNA velocities are slower than velocities through comparable silicon nitride pores, providing evidence that HfO2 nanopores have favorable physicochemical interactions with nucleic acids that can be leveraged to slow down DNA in a nanopore. PMID:24083444

Structure and Function of Thermostable Direct Hemolysin (TDH) from Vibrio Parahaemolyticus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Hiroshi; Yamane, Tsutomu; Ikeguchi, Mitsunori; Nakahira, Kumiko; Yanagihara, Itaru

Thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) is a major virulence factor of Vibrio parahaemolyticus that causes pandemic food-borne enterocolitis mediated by seafood. TDH exists as a tetramer in solution, and it possesses extreme hemolytic activity. Here, we present the crystal structure of the TDH tetramer at 1.5 Å resolution. The TDH tetramer forms a central pore with dimensions of 23 Å in diameter and ∼50 Å in depth. π-cation interactions between protomers comprising the tetramer were indispensable for hemolytic activity of TDH. The N-terminal region was intrinsically disordered outside the pore. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations suggested that water molecules permeate freely through the central and side channel pores. These findings imply a novel membrane attachment mechanism by a soluble tetrameric pore-forming toxin.

Iron films deposited on porous alumina substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Yasuhiro; Tanabe, Kenichi; Nishida, Naoki; Kobayashi, Yoshio

2016-12-01

Iron films were deposited on porous alumina substrates using an arc plasma gun. The pore sizes (120 - 250 nm) of the substrates were controlled by changing the temperature during the anodic oxidation of aluminum plates. Iron atoms penetrated into pores with diameters of less than 160 nm, and were stabilized by forming γ-Fe, whereas α-Fe was produced as a flat plane covering the pores. For porous alumina substrates with pore sizes larger than 200 nm, the deposited iron films contained many defects and the resulting α-Fe had smaller hyperfine magnetic fields. In addition, only a very small amount of γ-Fe was obtained. It was demonstrated that the composition and structure of an iron film can be affected by the surface morphology of the porous alumina substrate on which the film is grown.

Elements of an improved model of debris-flow motion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iverson, R.M.

2009-01-01

A new depth-averaged model of debris-flow motion describes simultaneous evolution of flow velocity and depth, solid and fluid volume fractions, and pore-fluid pressure. Non-hydrostatic pore-fluid pressure is produced by dilatancy, a state-dependent property that links the depth-averaged shear rate and volumetric strain rate of the granular phase. Pore-pressure changes caused by shearing allow the model to exhibit rate-dependent flow resistance, despite the fact that the basal shear traction involves only rate-independent Coulomb friction. An analytical solution of simplified model equations shows that the onset of downslope motion can be accelerated or retarded by pore-pressure change, contingent on whether dilatancy is positive or negative. A different analytical solution shows that such effects will likely be muted if downslope motion continues long enough, because dilatancy then evolves toward zero, and volume fractions and pore pressure concurrently evolve toward steady states. ?? 2009 American Institute of Physics.

Fabrication and magnetic properties of Fe nanostructures in anodic alumina membrane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, J.-H.; Chae, W.-S.; Lee, H.-O.; Malkinski, L.; Min, S.-G.; Wiley, J. B.; Jun, J.-H.; Lee, S.-H.; Jung, J.-S.

2010-05-01

Several Fe nanostructures with different lengths, diameters, and separations of the constituting magnetic components have been synthesized using anodized alumina membranes (AAMs) to understand the influence of these parameters on their magnetic properties. Fe nanostructures with high crystallinity and (110) orientation were synthesized by electrodeposition at room temperature in regular AAMs and mild-hard AAM (Mi-Ha AAM). Fe nanostructures with different aspect ratios (1:1, 1:10, and 1:75) in the form of nanodots, nanorods, or nanowires were synthesized in regular AAMs with the 100 nm interpore distance. Mi-Ha AAMs with two different pore sizes (70 and 120 nm) and 250 nm interpore distances were used to investigate the effect of the interactions and of the diameter of the wires on their magnetic behavior. Nearly linear magnetization characteristics with small coercivity, observed for Fe nanowires, suggest the magnetization rotation to be the predominant magnetization process for the field applied transverse to the wires. The anisotropy of the arrays was governed by the shape anisotropy of the magnetic objects with different aspect ratios. Reduced interactions between the nanowires grown in Mi-Ha AAMs resulted in enhancement of the average anisotropy. It is believed that due to difference in spin configuration, the increased diameter of the nanowires led to reduction in the coercivity in the case of the field applied along the wires.

Porosity characterization of biodegradable porous poly (L-lactic acid) electrospun nanofibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valipouri, Afsaneh; Gharehaghaji, Ali Akbar; Alirezazadeh, Azam; Ravandi, Seyed Abdolkarim Hosseini

2017-12-01

Poly-L lactic acid (PLLA) is one of the mostly used fibers in biomedical applications as a biodegradable and biocompatible material. Porosity and fiber diameter distribution are governing factors that determine the performance of nanofibers. Present work aims at investigating the process parameters that are affecting porosity and diameter distribution of PLLA nanofibers. PLLA nanofibers were fabricated through electrospinning method using the solution of PLLA polymer/dichloromethane (DCM). Nanofibers with various fiber diameter distribution and porosity were made by changing of process parameters such as spinning distance (5, 10 and 15 cm), voltage (11 and 15 kV), solution concentration (10, 11 and 12 wt%) and feeding rate (0.3, 0.4 and 0.7 ml h-1). Image processing techniques (with Matlab R2017), surface analysis (with Mountainsmap7) and diameter distribution analysis (with Measurement software) were used to examine surface morphology of samples. The results showed that the fiber diameter distribution becomes wider with increasing the applied voltage and reducing the spinning distance. In the other hand, coarse fibers possessed larger pores while having irregular and fewer pores in comparison to fine fibers. The most uniform nano-web with high porous nanofibers was attained by the choice of the process parameters at the voltage of 11 kV, spinning distance of 15 cm, feeding rate of 0.4 ml h-1 and solution concentration of 10 wt%.

Highly Porous NiTi with Isotropic Pore Morphology Fabricated by Self-Propagated High-Temperature Synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, S. A.; Alizadeh, M.; Ghasemi, A.; Meshkot, M. A.

2013-02-01

Highly porous NiTi with isotropic pore morphology has been successfully produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of elemental Ni/Ti metallic powders. The effects of adding urea and NaCl as temporary pore fillers were investigated on pore morphology, microstructure, chemical composition, and the phase transformation temperatures of specimens. These parameters were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Highly porous specimens were obtained with up to 83% total porosity and pore sizes between 300 and 500 μm in diameter. Results show pore characteristics were improved from anisotropic to isotropic and pore morphology was changed from channel-like to irregular by adding pore filler powders. Furthermore, the highly porous specimens produced when using urea as a space holder, were of more uniform composition in comparison to NaCl. DSC results showed that a two-step martensitic phase transformation takes place during the cooling cycles and the austenite finish temperature ( A f) is close to human body temperature. Compression test results reveal that the compressive strength of highly porous NiTi is about 155 MPa and recoverable strain about 6% in superelasticity regime.

Simulations of skin barrier function: free energies of hydrophobic and hydrophilic transmembrane pores in ceramide bilayers.

PubMed

Notman, Rebecca; Anwar, Jamshed; Briels, W J; Noro, Massimo G; den Otter, Wouter K

2008-11-15

Transmembrane pore formation is central to many biological processes such as ion transport, cell fusion, and viral infection. Furthermore, pore formation in the ceramide bilayers of the stratum corneum may be an important mechanism by which penetration enhancers such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) weaken the barrier function of the skin. We have used the potential of mean constraint force (PMCF) method to calculate the free energy of pore formation in ceramide bilayers in both the innate gel phase and in the DMSO-induced fluidized state. Our simulations show that the fluid phase bilayers form archetypal water-filled hydrophilic pores similar to those observed in phospholipid bilayers. In contrast, the rigid gel-phase bilayers develop hydrophobic pores. At the relatively small pore diameters studied here, the hydrophobic pores are empty rather than filled with bulk water, suggesting that they do not compromise the barrier function of ceramide membranes. A phenomenological analysis suggests that these vapor pores are stable, below a critical radius, because the penalty of creating water-vapor and tail-vapor interfaces is lower than that of directly exposing the strongly hydrophobic tails to water. The PMCF free energy profile of the vapor pore supports this analysis. The simulations indicate that high DMSO concentrations drastically impair the barrier function of the skin by strongly reducing the free energy required for pore opening.

Simulations of Skin Barrier Function: Free Energies of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Transmembrane Pores in Ceramide Bilayers

PubMed Central

Notman, Rebecca; Anwar, Jamshed; Briels, W. J.; Noro, Massimo G.; den Otter, Wouter K.

2008-01-01

Transmembrane pore formation is central to many biological processes such as ion transport, cell fusion, and viral infection. Furthermore, pore formation in the ceramide bilayers of the stratum corneum may be an important mechanism by which penetration enhancers such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) weaken the barrier function of the skin. We have used the potential of mean constraint force (PMCF) method to calculate the free energy of pore formation in ceramide bilayers in both the innate gel phase and in the DMSO-induced fluidized state. Our simulations show that the fluid phase bilayers form archetypal water-filled hydrophilic pores similar to those observed in phospholipid bilayers. In contrast, the rigid gel-phase bilayers develop hydrophobic pores. At the relatively small pore diameters studied here, the hydrophobic pores are empty rather than filled with bulk water, suggesting that they do not compromise the barrier function of ceramide membranes. A phenomenological analysis suggests that these vapor pores are stable, below a critical radius, because the penalty of creating water-vapor and tail-vapor interfaces is lower than that of directly exposing the strongly hydrophobic tails to water. The PMCF free energy profile of the vapor pore supports this analysis. The simulations indicate that high DMSO concentrations drastically impair the barrier function of the skin by strongly reducing the free energy required for pore opening. PMID:18708461

Influence of pore size distributions on decomposition of maize leaf residue: evidence from X-ray computed micro-tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negassa, Wakene; Guber, Andrey; Kravchenko, Alexandra; Rivers, Mark

2014-05-01

Soil's potential to sequester carbon (C) depends not only on quality and quantity of organic inputs to soil but also on the residence time of the applied organic inputs within the soil. Soil pore structure is one of the main factors that influence residence time of soil organic matter by controlling gas exchange, soil moisture and microbial activities, thereby soil C sequestration capacity. Previous attempts to investigate the fate of organic inputs added to soil did not allow examining their decomposition in situ; the drawback that can now be remediated by application of X-ray computed micro-tomography (µ-CT). The non-destructive and non-invasive nature of µ-CT gives an opportunity to investigate the effect of soil pore size distributions on decomposition of plant residues at a new quantitative level. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of pore size distributions on the decomposition of plant residue added to soil. Samples with contrasting pore size distributions were created using aggregate fractions of five different sizes (<0.05, 0.05-0.1, 0.10-05, 0.5-1.0 and 1.0-2.0 mm). Weighted average pore diameters ranged from 10 µm (<0.05 mm fraction) to 104 µm (1-2 mm fraction), while maximum pore diameter were in a range from 29 µm (<0.05 mm fraction) to 568 µm (1-2 mm fraction) in the created soil samples. Dried pieces of maize leaves 2.5 mg in size (equivalent to 1.71 mg C g-1 soil) were added to half of the studied samples. Samples with and without maize leaves were incubated for 120 days. CO2 emission from the samples was measured at regular time intervals. In order to ensure that the observed differences are due to differences in pore structure and not due to differences in inherent properties of the studied aggregate fractions, we repeated the whole experiment using soil from the same aggregate size fractions but ground to <0.05 mm size. Five to six replicated samples were used for intact and ground samples of all sizes with and without leaves. Two replications of the intact aggregate fractions of all sizes with leaves were subjected to µ-CT scanning before and after incubation, whereas all the remaining replications of both intact and ground aggregate fractions of <0.05, 0.05-0.1, and 1.0-2.0 mm sizes with leaves were scanned with µ-CT after the incubation. The µ-CT image showed that approximately 80% of the leaves in the intact samples of large aggregate fractions (0.5-1.0 and 1.0-2.0 mm) was decomposed during the incubation, while only 50-60% of the leaves were decomposed in the intact samples of smaller sized fractions. Even lower percent of leaves (40-50%) was decomposed in the ground samples, with very similar leaf decomposition observed in all ground samples regardless of the aggregate fraction size. Consistent with µ-CT results, the proportion of decomposed leaf estimated with the conventional mass loss method was 48% and 60% for the <0.05 mm and 1.0-2.0 mm soil size fractions of intact aggregates, and 40-50% in ground samples, respectively. The results of the incubation experiment demonstrated that, while greater C mineralization was observed in samples of all size fractions amended with leaf, the effect of leaf presence was most pronounced in the smaller aggregate fractions (0.05-0.1 mm and 0.05 mm) of intact aggregates. The results of the present study unequivocally demonstrate that differences in pore size distributions have a major effect on the decomposition of plant residues added to soil. Moreover, in presence of plant residues, differences in pore size distributions appear to also influence the rates of decomposition of the intrinsic soil organic material.

Local X-ray Computed Tomography Imaging for Mineralogical and Pore Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, G.; Willson, C. S.

2015-12-01

Sample size, material properties and image resolution are all tradeoffs that must be considered when imaging porous media samples with X-ray computed tomography. In many natural and engineered samples, pore and throat sizes span several orders of magnitude and are often correlated with the material composition. Local tomography is a nondestructive technique that images a subvolume, within a larger specimen, at high resolution and uses low-resolution tomography data from the larger specimen to reduce reconstruction error. The high-resolution, subvolume data can be used to extract important fine-scale properties but, due to the additional noise associated with the truncated dataset, it makes segmentation of different materials and mineral phases a challenge. The low-resolution data of a larger specimen is typically of much higher-quality making material characterization much easier. In addition, the imaging of a larger domain, allows for mm-scale bulk properties and heterogeneities to be determined. In this research, a 7 mm diameter and ~15 mm in length sandstone core was scanned twice. The first scan was performed to cover the entire diameter and length of the specimen at an image voxel resolution of 4.1 μm. The second scan was performed on a subvolume, ~1.3 mm in length and ~2.1 mm in diameter, at an image voxel resolution of 1.08 μm. After image processing and segmentation, the pore network structure and mineralogical features were extracted from the low-resolution dataset. Due to the noise in the truncated high-resolution dataset, several image processing approaches were applied prior to image segmentation and extraction of the pore network structure and mineralogy. Results from the different truncated tomography segmented data sets are compared to each other to evaluate the potential of each approach in identifying the different solid phases from the original 16 bit data set. The truncated tomography segmented data sets were also compared to the whole-core tomography segmented data set in two ways: (1) assessment of the porosity and pore size distribution at different scales; and (2) comparison of the mineralogical composition and distribution. Finally, registration of the two datasets will be used to show how the pore structure and mineralogy details at the two scales can be used to supplement each other.

Highly Efficient Electronic Sensitization of Non-oxidized Graphene Flakes on Controlled Pore-loaded WO3 Nanofibers for Selective Detection of H2S Molecules

PubMed Central

Choi, Seon–Jin; Choi, Chanyong; Kim, Sang-Joon; Cho, Hee-Jin; Hakim, Meggie; Jeon, Seokwoo; Kim, Il–Doo

2015-01-01

Tailoring of semiconducting metal oxide nanostructures, which possess controlled pore size and concentration, is of great value to accurately detect various volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath, which act as potential biomarkers for many health conditions. In this work, we have developed a very simple and robust route for controlling both the size and distribution of spherical pores in electrospun WO3 nanofibers (NFs) via a sacrificial templating route using polystyrene colloids with different diameters (200 nm and 500 nm). A tentacle-like structure with randomly distributed pores on the surface of electrospun WO3 NFs were achieved, which exhibited improved surface area as well as porosity. Porous WO3 NFs with enhanced surface area exhibited high gas response (Rair/Rgas = 43.1 at 5 ppm) towards small and light H2S molecules. In contrast, porous WO3 NFs with maximized pore diameter showed a high response (Rair/Rgas = 2.8 at 5 ppm) towards large and heavy acetone molecules. Further enhanced sensing performance (Rair/Rgas = 65.6 at 5 ppm H2S) was achieved by functionalizing porous WO3 NFs with 0.1 wt% non-oxidized graphene (NOGR) flakes by forming a Schottky barrier (ΔΦ = 0.11) at the junction between the WO3 NFs (Φ = 4.56 eV) and NOGR flakes (Φ = 4.67 eV), which showed high potential for the diagnosis of halitosis. PMID:25626399

Partitioning of habitable pore space in earthworm burrows.

PubMed

Gorres, Josef H; Amador, Jose A

2010-03-01

Earthworms affect macro-pore structure of soils. However, some studies suggest that earthworm burrow walls and casts themselves differ greatly in structure from surrounding soils, potentially creating habitat for microbivorours nematodes which accelerate the decomposition and C and N mineralization. In this study aggregates were sampled from the burrow walls of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris and bulk soil (not altered by earthworms) from mesocosm incubated in the lab for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 16 weeks. Pore volumes and pore sizes were measured in triplicate with Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). This method is well suited to establish pore size structure in the context of habitat, because it measures the stepwise intrusion of mercury from the outside of the aggregate into ever smaller pores. The progress of mercury into the aggregate interior thus resembles potential paths of a nematode into accessible habitable pore spaces residing in an aggregate. Total specific pore volume, V(s), varied between 0.13 and 0.18 mL/g and increased from 3 to 16 weeks in both burrow and bulk soil. Differences between total V(s) of bulk and burrow samples were not significant on any sampling date. However, differences were significant for pore size fractions at the scale of nematode body diameter.

Partitioning of habitable pore space in earthworm burrows

PubMed Central

Amador, Jose A.

2010-01-01

Earthworms affect macro-pore structure of soils. However, some studies suggest that earthworm burrow walls and casts themselves differ greatly in structure from surrounding soils, potentially creating habitat for microbivorours nematodes which accelerate the decomposition and C and N mineralization. In this study aggregates were sampled from the burrow walls of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris and bulk soil (not altered by earthworms) from mesocosm incubated in the lab for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 16 weeks. Pore volumes and pore sizes were measured in triplicate with Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). This method is well suited to establish pore size structure in the context of habitat, because it measures the stepwise intrusion of mercury from the outside of the aggregate into ever smaller pores. The progress of mercury into the aggregate interior thus resembles potential paths of a nematode into accessible habitable pore spaces residing in an aggregate. Total specific pore volume, Vs, varied between 0.13 and 0.18 mL/g and increased from 3 to 16 weeks in both burrow and bulk soil. Differences between total Vs of bulk and burrow samples were not significant on any sampling date. However, differences were significant for pore size fractions at the scale of nematode body diameter. PMID:22736839

Tailoring Pore Size and Chemical Interior of near 1 nm Sized Pores in a Nanoporous Polymer Based on a Discotic Liquid Crystal

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

A triazine based disc shaped molecule with two hydrolyzable units, imine and ester groups, was polymerized via acyclic diene metathesis in the columnar hexagonal (Colhex) LC phase. Fabrication of a cationic nanoporous polymer (pore diameter ∼1.3 nm) lined with ammonium groups at the pore surface was achieved by hydrolysis of the imine linkage. Size selective aldehyde uptake by the cationic porous polymer was demonstrated. The anilinium groups in the pores were converted to azide as well as phenyl groups by further chemical treatment, leading to porous polymers with neutral functional groups in the pores. The pores were enlarged by further hydrolysis of the ester groups to create ∼2.6 nm pores lined with −COONa surface groups. The same pores could be obtained in a single step without first hydrolyzing the imine linkage. XRD studies demonstrated that the Colhex order of the monomer was preserved after polymerization as well as in both the nanoporous polymers. The porous anionic polymer lined with −COOH groups was further converted to the −COOLi, −COONa, −COOK, −COOCs, and −COONH4 salts. The porous polymer lined with −COONa groups selectively adsorbs a cationic dye, methylene blue, over an anionic dye. PMID:28416888

Porous Electrodes I: Numerical Simulation Using Random Network and Single Pore Models.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-31

characteristic of Zn and ZnO ) and scaling them down to the magnitude of a unit pore size- approximately 10i in diameter. We define a characteristic...supported by the Office of Naval Research under contract N00014-81-K-0339. 11 - 15 - REFERENCES 1. R. de Levis in Advances in Electrochemistry and...P. 3. Hendra Dr. C. E. Mueller Department of Chemistry The Electrochemistry Branch University of Southampton Naval Surface Weapons Center

Self-ordering of small-diameter metal nanoparticles by dewetting on hexagonal mesh templates.

PubMed

Meshot, Eric R; Zhao, Zhouzhou; Lu, Wei; Hart, A John

2014-09-07

Arrays of small-diameter nanoparticles with high spatial order are useful for chemical and biological sensors, data storage, synthesis of nanowires and nanotubes, and many other applications. We show that self-ordered metal nanoparticle arrays can be formed by dewetting of thin films on hexagonal mesh substrates made of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO). Upon heating, the metal (Fe) film dewets onto the interstitial sites (i.e., the node points) between pores on the top surface of the AAO. We investigated the particle morphology and dynamics of dewetting using a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), and numerical simulations. Templated metal particles are more monodisperse and have higher local order than those formed by the same dewetting process on flat, nonporous alumina. The degree of order depends on the initial film thickness, and for the optimal thickness tested (nominally 2 nm), we achieved uniform coverage and high order of the particles, comparable to that of the AAO template itself. Computational modeling of dewetting on templates with various pore order and size shows that the order of AAO pores is primarily influential in determining particle position and spacing, while the variance in pore size is less impactful. Potential uses of these ordered nanoparticle arrays on porous materials include plasmonic sensors and spatially controlled catalysts.

Photo-patterning of porous hydrogels for tissue engineering.

PubMed

Bryant, Stephanie J; Cuy, Janet L; Hauch, Kip D; Ratner, Buddy D

2007-07-01

Since pore size and geometry strongly impact cell behavior and in vivo reaction, the ability to create scaffolds with a wide range of pore geometries that can be tailored to suit a particular cell type addresses a key need in tissue engineering. In this contribution, we describe a novel and simple technique to design porous, degradable poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogel scaffolds with well-defined architectures using a unique photolithography process and optimized polymer chemistry. A sphere-template was used to produce a highly uniform, monodisperse porous structure. To create a patterned and porous hydrogel scaffold, a photomask and initiating light were employed. Open, vertical channels ranging in size from 360+/-25 to 730+/-70 microm were patterned into approximately 700 microm thick hydrogels with pore diameters of 62+/-8 or 147+/-15 microm. Collagen type I was immobilized onto the scaffolds to facilitate cell adhesion. To assess the potential of these novel scaffolds for tissue engineering, a skeletal myoblast cell line (C2C12) was seeded onto scaffolds with 147 microm pores and 730 microm diameter channels, and analyzed by histology and digital volumetric imaging. Cell elongation, cell spreading and fibrillar formation were observed on these novel scaffolds. In summary, 3D architectures can be patterned into porous hydrogels in one step to create a wide range of tissue engineering scaffolds that may be tailored for specific applications.

Dual-Channel, Molecular-Sieving Core/Shell ZIF@MOF Architectures as Engineered Fillers in Hybrid Membranes for Highly Selective CO2 Separation.

PubMed

Song, Zhuonan; Qiu, Fen; Zaia, Edmond W; Wang, Zhongying; Kunz, Martin; Guo, Jinghua; Brady, Michael; Mi, Baoxia; Urban, Jeffrey J

2017-11-08

A novel core/shell porous crystalline structure was prepared using a large pore metal organic framework (MOF, UiO-66-NH 2 , pore size, ∼ 0.6 nm) as core surrounded by a small pore zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF, ZIF-8, pore size, ∼ 0.4 nm) through a layer-by-layer deposition method and subsequently used as an engineered filler to construct hybrid polysulfone (PSF) membranes for CO 2 capture. Compared to traditional fillers utilizing only one type of porous material with rigid channels (either large or small), our custom designed core/shell fillers possess clear advantages via pore engineering: the large internal channels of the UiO-66-NH 2 MOFs create molecular highways to accelerate molecular transport through the membrane, while the thin shells with small pores (ZIF-8) or even smaller pores generated at the interface by the imperfect registry between the overlapping pores of ZIF and MOF enhance molecular sieving thus serving to distinguish slightly larger N 2 molecules (kinetic diameter, 0.364 nm) from smaller CO 2 molecules (kinetic diameter, 0.33 nm). The resultant core/shell ZIF@MOF and as-prepared hybrid PSF membranes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, wide-angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and contact angle tests. The dependence of the separation performance of the membranes on the MOF/ZIF ratio was also studied by varying the number of layers of ZIF coatings. The integrated PSF-ZIF@MOF hybrid membrane (40 wt % loading) with optimized ZIF coating cycles showed improved hydrophobicity and excellent CO 2 separation performance by simultaneously increasing CO 2 permeability (CO 2 permeability of 45.2 barrer, 710% higher than PSF membrane) and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity (CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of 39, 50% higher than PSF membrane), which is superior to most reported hybrid PSF membranes. The strategy of using dual-channel molecular sieving core/shell porous crystals in hybrid membranes thus provides a promising means for CO 2 capture from flue gas.

Measurement of variation in soil solute tracer concentration across a range of effective pore sizes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harvey, Judson W.

1993-01-01

Solute transport concepts in soil are based on speculation that solutes are distributed nonuniformly within large and small pores. Solute concentrations have not previously been measured across a range of pore sizes and examined in relation to soil hydrological properties. For this study, modified pressure cells were used to measure variation in concentration of a solute tracer across a range of pore sizes. Intact cores were removed from the site of a field tracer experiment, and soil water was eluted from 10 or more discrete classes of pore size. Simultaneous changes in water content and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity were determined on cores using standard pressure cell techniques. Bromide tracer concentration varied by as much as 100% across the range of pore sizes sampled. Immediately following application of the bromide tracer on field plots, bromide was most concentrated in the largest pores; concentrations were lower in pores of progressively smaller sizes. After 27 days, bromide was most dilute in the largest pores and concentrations were higher in the smaller pores. A sharp, threefold decrease in specific water capacity during elution indicated separation of two major pore size classes at a pressure of 47 cm H2O and a corresponding effective pore diameter of 70 μm. Variation in tracer concentration, on the other hand, was spread across the entire range of pore sizes investigated in this study. A two-porosity characterization of the transport domain, based on water retention criteria, only broadly characterized the pattern of variation in tracer concentration across pore size classes during transport through a macroporous soil.

STED microscopy: A simplified method for liver sinusoidal endothelial fenestrae analysis.

PubMed

Martino, Julie Di; Mascalchi, Patrice; Legros, Philippe; Lacomme, Sabrina; Gontier, Etienne; Bioulac-Sage, Paulette; Balabaud, Charles; Moreau, Violaine; Saltel, Frédéric

2018-05-29

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) possess fenestrae, open transcellular pores with an average diameter of 100nm. These fenestrae allow for the exchange between blood and hepatocytes. Alterations in their number or diameter in liver diseases have important implications for hepatic microcirculation and function. Although decades of studies, fenestrae are still observed into fixed cells and we have poor knowledge of their dynamics. Using stimulated emission depletion (STED) super-resolution microscopy, we have established a faster and simplest method to observe and quantify fenestrae. Indeed, using cytochalasin D, an actin depolymerizing agent known to promote fenestrae formation we measure the increase of fenestrae number. We adapted this methodology to develop an automated method to study fenestrae dynamics. Moreover, with two colors STED analysis we shown that this approach could be useful to study LSECs fenestrae molecular composition. Our approach demonstrate that STED microscopy is suitable for LSEC fenestrae study. This new way of analyzing LSEC fenestrae will allow for expedited investigation of their dynamics, molecular composition and functions to better understand their function in liver pathophysiology. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

High-speed growth of TiO2 nanotube arrays with gradient pore diameter and ultrathin tube wall under high-field anodization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Maojun; Ma, Li; Shen, Wenzhong

2010-10-01

Highly ordered TiO2 nanotubular arrays have been prepared by two-step anodization under high field. The high anodizing current densities lead to a high-speed film growth (0.40-1.00 µm min - 1), which is nearly 16 times faster than traditional fabrication of TiO2 at low field. It was found that an annealing process of Ti foil is an effective approach to get a monodisperse and double-pass TiO2 nanotubular layer with a gradient pore diameter and ultrathin tube wall (nearly 10 nm). A higher anodic voltage and longer anodization time are beneficial to the formation of ultrathin tube walls. This approach is simple and cost-effective in fabricating high-quality ordered TiO2 nanotubular arrays for practical applications.

High-speed growth of TiO2 nanotube arrays with gradient pore diameter and ultrathin tube wall under high-field anodization.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiaoliang; Zheng, Maojun; Ma, Li; Shen, Wenzhong

2010-10-08

Highly ordered TiO(2) nanotubular arrays have been prepared by two-step anodization under high field. The high anodizing current densities lead to a high-speed film growth (0.40-1.00 microm min(-1)), which is nearly 16 times faster than traditional fabrication of TiO(2) at low field. It was found that an annealing process of Ti foil is an effective approach to get a monodisperse and double-pass TiO(2) nanotubular layer with a gradient pore diameter and ultrathin tube wall (nearly 10 nm). A higher anodic voltage and longer anodization time are beneficial to the formation of ultrathin tube walls. This approach is simple and cost-effective in fabricating high-quality ordered TiO(2) nanotubular arrays for practical applications.

Method of fabricating a scalable nanoporous membrane filter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tringe, Joseph W; Balhorn, Rodney L; Zaidi, Saleem

A method of fabricating a nanoporous membrane filter having a uniform array of nanopores etch-formed in a thin film structure (e.g. (100)-oriented single crystal silicon) having a predetermined thickness, by (a) using interferometric lithography to create an etch pattern comprising a plurality array of unit patterns having a predetermined width/diameter, (b) using the etch pattern to etch frustum-shaped cavities or pits in the thin film structure such that the dimension of the frustum floors of the cavities are substantially equal to a desired pore size based on the predetermined thickness of the thin film structure and the predetermined width/diameter ofmore » the unit patterns, and (c) removing the frustum floors at a boundary plane of the thin film structure to expose, open, and thereby create the nanopores substantially having the desired pore size.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kyakuno, Haruka, E-mail: h-kyakuno@kanagawa-u.ac.jp; Institute of Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Kanagawa University, Yokohama 221-8686; Fukasawa, Mamoru

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are a good model system that provides atomically smooth nanocavities. It has been reported that water-SWCNTs exhibit hydrophobicity depending on the temperature T and the SWCNT diameter D. SWCNTs adsorb water molecules spontaneously in their cylindrical pores around room temperature, whereas they exhibit a hydrophilic-hydrophobic transition or wet-dry transition (WDT) at a critical temperature T{sub wd} ≈ 220-230 K and above a critical diameter D{sub c} ≈ 1.4-1.6 nm. However, details of the WDT phenomenon and its mechanism remain unknown. Here, we report a systematic experimental study involving X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry.more » It is found that water molecules inside thick SWCNTs (D > D{sub c}) evaporate and condense into ice Ih outside the SWCNTs at T{sub wd} upon cooling, and the ice Ih evaporates and condenses inside the SWCNTs upon heating. On the other hand, residual water trapped inside the SWCNTs below T{sub wd} freezes. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate that upon lowering T, the hydrophobicity of thick SWCNTs increases without any structural transition, while the water inside thin SWCNTs (D < D{sub c}) exhibits a structural transition, forming an ordered ice. This ice has a well-developed hydrogen bonding network adapting to the cylindrical pores of the SWCNTs. Thus, the unusual diameter dependence of the WDT is attributed to the adaptability of the structure of water to the pore dimension and shape.« less

Micropipette as Coulter counter for submicron particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudzevich, Yauheni; Ordonez, Tony; Evans, Grant; Chow, Lee

2011-03-01

Coulter counter based on micropipette has been around for several decades. Typical commercial Coulter counter has a pore size of 20 μ m, and is designed to detect micron-size blood cells. In recent years, there are a lot of interests in using nanometer pore size Coulter counter to detect single molecule and to sequence DNA. Here we describe a simple nanoparticle counter based on pulled micropipettes with a diameter of 50 -- 500 nm. Borosilicate micropipettes with an initial outer diameter of 1.00 mm and inner diameter of 0.5 mm are used. After pulling, the micropipettes are fire polished and ultrasound cleaned. Chlorinated Ag/AgCl electrodes and 0.1 M of KCl solution are used. The ionic currents are measured using an Axopatch 200B amplifier in the voltage-clamp mode. Several types and sizes of nanoparticles are measured, including plain silica and polystyrene nanospheres. The results will be discussed in terms of pH values of the solution and concentrations of the nanoparticles. Financial support from National Science Foundation (NSF-0901361) is acknowledged.

Fabrication, pore structure and compressive behavior of anisotropic porous titanium for human trabecular bone implant applications.

PubMed

Li, Fuping; Li, Jinshan; Xu, Guangsheng; Liu, Gejun; Kou, Hongchao; Zhou, Lian

2015-06-01

Porous titanium with average pore size of 100-650 μm and porosity of 30-70% was fabricated by diffusion bonding of titanium meshes. Pore structure was characterized by Micro-CT scan and SEM. Compressive behavior of porous titanium in the out-of-plane direction was studied. The effect of porosity and pore size on the compressive properties was also discussed based on the deformation mode. The results reveal that the fabrication process can control the porosity precisely. The average pore size of porous titanium can be tailored by adjusting the pore size of titanium meshes. The fabricated porous titanium possesses an anisotropic structure with square pores in the in-plane direction and elongated pores in the out-of-plane direction. The compressive Young's modulus and yield stress are in the range of 1-7.5 GPa and 10-110 MPa, respectively. The dominant compressive deformation mode is buckling of mesh wires, but some uncoordinated buckling is present in porous titanium with lower porosity. Relationship between compressive properties and porosity conforms well to the Gibson-Ashby model. The effect of pore size on compressive properties is fundamentally ascribed to the aspect ratio of titanium meshes. Porous titanium with 60-70% porosity has potential for trabecular bone implant applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissolution Front Instabilities in Reacting Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raoof, Amir; Spiers, Chris; Hassanizadeh, Majid

2013-04-01

The main objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the relation between regime of reaction and dissolution front instability, leading to formation of channels or wormholes. Potential applications are geological sequestration of CO2 and acid-gas injection during enhanced oil recovery. The microscopic pore space is modeled using a multi-directional pore network, allowing for a distribution of pore coordination number, together with distribution of pore sizes. In order to simulate transport of multi-component chemical species, mass balance equations are solved within each element of the network (i.e., pore body and pore throat). We have considered advective and diffusive transport processes within the pore spaces together with multi-component chemical reactions, including both equilibrium and kinetic reactions. Using dimensionless scaling groups (such as Damköhler number and Péclet-Damköhler number) we characterized the dissolution front behavior, and by averaging over the network domain we calculated the evolution of porosity and permeability as well as flux-averaged concentration breakthrough curves. We obtain constitutive relations linking porosity and permeability, under conditions relevant to geological storage of CO2. Effect of distribution of reactive minerals is also evaluated and regime of reaction is shown to play a key role.

Structural characteristics of methylsilsesquioxane based porous low-k thin films fabricated with increasing cross-linked particle porogen loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hae-Jeong; Soles, Christopher L.; Liu, Da-Wei; Bauer, Barry J.; Lin, Eric K.; Wu, Wen-Li; Gallagher, Michael

2006-09-01

Methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ) based porous low-k dielectric films are characterized by x-ray porosimetry (XRP) to determine their pore size distribution, average density, wall density, and porosity. By varying the porogen content from 1% to 30% by mass, the porosity changes from 12% to 34% by volume, indicating that the base MSQ matrix material contains approximately 10% by volume inherent microporosity. The wall density of this matrix material is measured to be 1.33-1.35g/cm3, independent of porosity. The average pore radii determined from the XRP adsorption isotherms increase from 6to27Å with increased porogen loadings. Small angle neutron scattering measurements confirm these XRP average pore radii for the films with porogen loading higher than 10% by mass.

Supercapacitors based on ordered mesoporous carbon derived from furfuryl alcohol: effect of the carbonized temperature.

PubMed

Li, Na; Xu, Jianxiong; Chen, Han; Wang, Xianyou

2014-07-01

Supercapacitors are successfully prepared from ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) synthesized by employing the mesoporous silica, SBA-15 as template and furfuryl alcohol as carbon source. It is found that the carbonized temperature greatly influences the physical properties of the synthesized mesoporous carbon materials. The optimal carbonized temperature is measured to be 600 degrees C under which OMC with the specific surface area of 1219 m2/g and pore volume of 1.31 cm3/g and average pore diameter of - 3 nm are synthesized. The OMC materials synthesized under different carbonized temperature are used as electrode material of supercapacitors and the electrochemical properties of the OMC materials are compared by using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic charge-discharge and self-discharge tests. The results show that the electrochemical properties of the OMC materials are directly related to the specific surface area and pore volume of the mesoporous carbon and the electrode prepared from the OMC synthesized under the carbonized temperature of 600 degrees C (OMC-600) exhibits the most excellent electrochemical performance with the specific capacitance of 207.08 F/g obtained from cyclic voltammetry at the scan rate of 1 mV/s, small resistance and low self-discharge rate. Moreover, the supercapacitor based on the OMC-600 material exhibits good capacitance properties and stable cycle behavior with the specific capacitance of 105 F/g at the current density of 700 mA/g, and keeps a specific capacitance of 98 F/g after 20000 consecutive charge/discharge cycles.

Hydraulic properties of coarsely and finely ground woodchips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subroy, Vandana; Giménez, Daniel; Qin, Mingming; Krogmann, Uta; Strom, Peter F.; Miskewitz, Robert J.

2014-09-01

Recent evidence suggests that leachate from woodchips stockpiled at recycling facilities could negatively impact water quality. Models that can be used to simulate water movement/leachate production require information on water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions of the stockpiled material. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions of woodchips with particle size distributions (PSDs) representative of field stockpiled material by modeling multistep outflow and (2) assess the performance of three pore structure models for their ability to simulate outflow. Six samples with contrasting PSDs were assessed in duplicate. Samples were packed in cylindrical columns (15.3 cm high, 12.1 cm wide) to measure saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks), cumulative outflow and water content at equilibrium with pressure potentials of -2, -10 and -40 cm. Water retention at pressure potentials between -200 and -10,000 cm were obtained using pressure plate extractors and used to supplement data from the outflow experiment. Hydraulic parameters of the pore models were derived from these measurements using HYDRUS-1D run by DREAM(ZS). Ks was independent of PSD with values between 55 and 80 cm/h. Cumulative outflow at each pressure potential was correlated with the PSD geometric mean diameters, and was best predicted by a model having two interacting pore domains, each with separate hydraulic conductivity and water retention functions (DPeM). Unsaturated conductivities were predicted to drop on an average to 0.24 cm/h at -10 cm and 3 × 10-3 cm/h at -50 cm for the DPeM model, suggesting that water would move slowly through stockpiles except during intense rainfalls.

Micron-pore-sized metallic filter tube membranes for filtration of particulates and water purification.

PubMed

Phelps, T J; Palumbo, A V; Bischoff, B L; Miller, C J; Fagan, L A; McNeilly, M S; Judkins, R R

2008-07-01

Robust filtering techniques capable of efficiently removing particulates and biological agents from water or air suffer from plugging, poor rejuvenation, low permeance, and high backpressure. Operational characteristics of pressure-driven separations are in part controlled by the membrane pore size, charge of particulates, transmembrane pressure and the requirement for sufficient water flux to overcome fouling. With long term use filters decline in permeance due to filter-cake plugging of pores, fouling, or filter deterioration. Though metallic filter tube development at ORNL has focused almost exclusively on gas separations, a small study examined the applicability of these membranes for tangential filtering of aqueous suspensions of bacterial-sized particles. A mixture of fluorescent polystyrene microspheres ranging in size from 0.5 to 6 microm in diameter simulated microorganisms in filtration studies. Compared to a commercial filter, the ORNL 0.6 microm filter averaged approximately 10-fold greater filtration efficiency of the small particles, several-fold greater permeance after considerable use and it returned to approximately 85% of the initial flow upon backflushing versus 30% for the commercial filter. After filtering several liters of the particle-containing suspension, the ORNL composite filter still exhibited greater than 50% of its initial permeance while the commercial filter had decreased to less than 20%. When considering a greater filtration efficiency, greater permeance per unit mass, greater percentage of rejuvenation upon backflushing (up to 3-fold), and likely greater performance with extended use, the ORNL 0.6 microm filters can potentially outperform the commercial filter by factors of 100-1,000 fold.

Surge dynamics coupled to pore-pressure evolution in debris flows

USGS Publications Warehouse

Savage, S.B.; Iverson, R.M.; ,

2003-01-01

Temporally and spatially varying pore-fluid pressures exert strong controls on debris-flow motion by mediating internal and basal friction at grain contacts. We analyze these effects by deriving a one-dimensional model of pore-pressure diffusion explicitly coupled to changes in debris-flow thickness. The new pore-pressure equation is combined with Iverson's (1997) extension of the depth-averaged Savage-Hutter (1989, 1991) granular avalanche equations to predict motion of unsteady debris-flow surges with evolving pore-pressure distributions. Computational results illustrate the profound effects of pore-pressure diffusivities on debris-flow surge depths and velocities. ?? 2003 Millpress,.

Physicochemical properties of 3D collagen-CS scaffolds for potential use in neural tissue engineering.

PubMed

Pietrucha, Krystyna

2015-09-01

Collagen-based composite scaffolds have considerable potential due to their well-known ability to regenerate skin, bone and cartilage. However, the precise composition and structure of scaffolds that optimize their interaction with neural cells remains incompletely understood and yet to be explored. In the present study, a new family of bi-component 3D scaffolds consisting of collagen (Col) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) were synthesized using a two-stage process: multiple freeze-drying followed by carbodiimide modification. Col-CS matrices had an average pore diameter of 31 μm and a relatively high surface area to pore volume ratio. Importantly, the FTIR data indicated that the ratio between the intensity of amide III and 1452 cm(-1) for Col-CS scaffold was 0.87, which indicates that the Col triple helix was preserved during the formation of the bond between Col and CS. All experiments also clearly showed that the Col-CS matrices have a lower enzyme sensitivity and higher thermal resistance than Col alone. These differences are likely due to the relatively large amount of CS in the collagen sponges, which hinders access for attack at specific active sites of the Col triple helix. Improved binary composite scaffolds were designed for neural tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adsorption of plasmid DNA on anion exchange chromatography media.

PubMed

Tarmann, Christina; Jungbauer, Alois

2008-08-01

Anion exchange chromatography (AEC) is a useful and effective tool for DNA purification, but due to average pore sizes between 40 and 100 nm most AEC resins lack truly useful binding capacities for plasmid DNA (pDNA). Equilibrium binding capacities and uptake kinetics of AEC media including conventional media (Source 30 Q, Q Sepharose HP), a polymer grafted medium (Fractogel EMD DEAE (M)), media with large pores (Celbeads DEAE, PL SAX 4000 A 30 microm) and a monolithic medium (CIM-DEAE) were investigated by batch uptake or shallow bed experiments at two salt concentrations. Theoretical and experimental binding capacities suggest that the shape of the pDNA molecule can be described by a rod with a length to diameter ratio of 20:1 and that the molecule binds in upright position. The arrangement of DNA like a brush at the surface can be considered as entropy driven, kind of self-assembly process which is inherent to highly and uniformly charged DNA molecules. The initial phase of adsorption is very fast and levels off, associated with a change in mass transfer mechanism. Feed concentrations higher than 0.1 mg/mL pDNA pronounce this effect. Monolithic media showed the fastest adsorption rate and highest binding capacity with 13 mg pDNA per mL.

Pore diffusion limits removal of monochloramine in treatment of swimming pool water using granular activated carbon.

PubMed

Skibinski, Bertram; Götze, Christoph; Worch, Eckhard; Uhl, Wolfgang

2018-04-01

Overall apparent reaction rates for the removal of monochloramine (MCA) in granular activated carbon (GAC) beds were determined using a fixed-bed reactor system and under conditions typical for swimming pool water treatment. Reaction rates dropped and quasi-stationary conditions were reached quickly. Diffusional mass transport in the pores was shown to be limiting the overall reaction rate. This was reflected consistently in the Thiele modulus, in the effect of temperature, pore size distribution and of grain size on the reaction rates. Pores <2.5 times the diameter of the monochloramine molecule were shown to be barely accessible for the monochloramine conversion reaction. GACs with a significant proportion of large mesopores were found to have the highest overall reactivity for monochloramine removal. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transverse thermal conductivity of porous materials made from aligned nano- and microcylindrical pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasher, Ravi

2006-09-01

Nanoporous and microporous materials made from aligned cylindrical pores play important roles in present technologies and will play even bigger roles in future technologies. The insight into the phonon thermal conductivity of these materials is important and relevant in many technologies and applications. Since the mean free path of phonons can be comparable to the pore size and interpore distance, diffusion-approximation based effective medium models cannot be used to predict the thermal conductivity of these materials. Strictly speaking, the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) must be solved to capture the ballistic nature of thermal transport; however, solving BTE in such a complex network of pores is impractical. As an alternative, we propose an approximate ballistic-diffusive microscopic effective medium model for predicting the thermal conductivity of phonons in two-dimensional nanoporous and microporous materials made from aligned cylindrical pores. The model captures the size effects due to the pore diameter and the interpore distance and reduces to diffusion-approximation based models for macroporous materials. The results are in good agreement with experimental data.

Pore size distribution calculation from 1H NMR signal and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Jamal

2012-09-01

The pore size distribution (PSD) of nano-material MCM-41 is determined using two different approaches: N2 adsorption-desorption and 1H NMR signal of water confined in silica nano-pores of MCM-41. The first approach is based on the recently modified Kelvin equation [J.V. Rocha, D. Barrera, K. Sapag, Top. Catal. 54(2011) 121-134] which deals with the known underestimation in pore size distribution for the mesoporous materials such as MCM-41 by introducing a correction factor to the classical Kelvin equation. The second method employs the Gibbs-Thompson equation, using NMR, for melting point depression of liquid in confined geometries. The result shows that both approaches give similar pore size distribution to some extent, and also the NMR technique can be considered as an alternative direct method to obtain quantitative results especially for mesoporous materials. The pore diameter estimated for the nano-material used in this study was about 35 and 38 Å for the modified Kelvin and NMR methods respectively. A comparison between these methods and the classical Kelvin equation is also presented.

Microstructure and permeability of the Whitby Mudstone (UK) as an analogue for the Posidonia shale (NL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houben, Maartje; Barnhoorn, Auke; Drury, Martyn; Peach, Colin; Spiers, Christopher

2015-04-01

In order to make gas productivity from a shale economically interesting we should find ways to better connect the in-situ pore network to the natural occurring and mechanical induced fractures in the rock. When trying to improve gas productivity a first aim is to understand gas storage and gas flow potential through the rock by investigating the microstructure and measure the matrix porosity and permeability of the unfractured shales. Using a combination of methods we have characterized the porosity and permeability of the Jet Dogger section of the Whitby Mudstone Formation (UK), which we use as an analogue for the Posidonia Shale (NL). The Posidonia shale is a possible unconventional source for gas in Northern Europe. A combination of Precision Ion Polishing (PIPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has been used to investigate the microstructure and the pores. Microstructurally the circa 8 meter thick Jet section of the Whitby Mudstone Formation can be subdivided into a fossil rich (>15 %) top half with an organic matter content of 7-10% and a sub-mm laminated (alternating clay-rich, carbonate-rich, not necessarily fossils, layers) lower half were the organic matter content varies from 0.3-16%. In addition, any possible flow in the rock has to go through the fine-grained clay matrix (all grains < 2 μm) due to the fact that all larger grains are completely surround by this matrix. Visible PIPS-SEM porosity (pore diameter > 100 nm) is in the order of 0.5-2.5% and is not connected in 2D. Furthermore, overall more than 40% of the visible porosity is present within the clay matrix (sometimes even up to 80%). Porosity and pore size distributions for pores with smaller diameters (2 < diameter < 100 nm) were determined using Ar and N2 gas adsorption. The adsorption porosity was in the order of 1-5%, were we found 1-2.5% porosity for the top half of the section and 2-5% porosity for the bottom half. Ar gas permeability of the samples was measured on 1-inch diameter cores using Ar-gas-permeametry with a pressure step of 0.2 MPa. The permeability measured was in the order of 2•10-19 - 1•10-17 m2 at a confining pressure of 0.8 MPa. The top half of the section (less porous) showed a slightly lower permeability (2•10-19 -3•10-18 m2) than the lower half of the Jet Dogger section (1•10-18 - 1•10-17m2). The PIPS-SEM porosity is apparently unconnected on the scale used for imaging and any flow through these rocks has to go through the clay matrix. A connected network of nano-scale pores connected to the micro-scale (PIPS-SEM) pores should be present because of the fact that we measured a through flow of gas. Relationships between the permeability and Ar-porosity and permeability and microstructure were, however, not systematic.

24th International Symposium on Ballistics

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-26

production Samples dimensions were 0.3x0.05 m. Test set up Gas gun 5.5 mm diameter steel spheres and sabot Velocity measuring  systems High speed rate...Oilwell perforators – small caliber shaped charges – create the pathway for oil or gas to flow from the reservoir rock into the wellbore  Deep, clean ...overburden, tectonic) – Pore fluid pressure – Pore fluid type ( liquid vs. gas ) Background  Geomechanics considerations: – In-situ stresses (“total

Electrochemical Protection of Thin Film Electrodes in Solid State Nanopores

PubMed Central

Harrer, Stefan; Waggoner, Philip S.; Luan, Binquan; Afzali-Ardakani, Ali; Goldfarb, Dario L.; Peng, Hongbo; Martyna, Glenn; Rossnagel, Stephen M.; Stolovitzky, Gustavo A.

2011-01-01

We have eliminated electrochemical surface oxidation and reduction as well as water decomposition inside sub-5-nm wide nanopores in conducting TiN membranes using a surface passivation technique. Nanopore ionic conductances, and therefore pore diameters, were unchanged in passivated pores after applying potentials of ±4.5 V for as long as 24 h. Water decomposition was eliminated by using aqueous 90% glycerol solvent. The use of a protective self-assembled monolayer of hexadecylphosphonic acid was also investigated. PMID:21597142

Dual porosity gas evolving electrode

DOEpatents

Townsend, Carl W.

1994-01-01

A dual porosity electrode for use in thermoelectrochemical systems where simultaneous transport of gas and liquid into and/or out of the electrode is required. The electrode includes catalytic electrode particles having diameters ranging from about 25 to 100 angstroms. The catalytic electrode particles are anchored to a support network in clusters which have internal pores ranging in size from 25 to 100 angstroms. The pores between the clusters range in size from between about 1 to 20 microns. A method for making the dual porosity electrodes is also disclosed.

Ectopic osteogenesis and angiogenesis regulated by porous architecture of hydroxyapatite scaffolds with similar interconnecting structure in vivo

PubMed Central

Li, Jinyu; Zhi, Wei; Xu, Taotao; Shi, Feng; Duan, Ke; Wang, Jianxin; Mu, Yandong; Weng, Jie

2016-01-01

The macro-pore sizes of porous scaffold play a key role for regulating ectopic osteogenesis and angiogenesis but many researches ignored the influence of interconnection between macro-pores with different sizes. In order to accurately reveal the relationship between ectopic osteogenesis and macro-pore sizes in dorsal muscle and abdominal cavities of dogs, hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with three different macro-pore sizes of 500–650, 750–900 and 1100–1250 µm were prepared via sugar spheres-leaching process, which also had similar interconnecting structure determined by keeping the d/s ratio of interconnecting window diameter to macro-pore size constant. The permeability test showed that the seepage flow of fluid through the porous scaffolds increased with the increase of macro-pore sizes. The cell growth in three scaffolds was not affected by the macro-pore sizes. The in vivo ectopic implantation results indicated that the macro-pore sizes of HA scaffolds with the similar interconnecting structure have impact not only the speed of osteogenesis and angiogenesis but also the space distribution of newly formed bone. The scaffold with macro-pore sizes of 750–900 µm exhibited much faster angiogenesis and osteogenesis, and much more uniformly distribution of new bone than those with other macro-pore sizes. This work illustrates the importance of a suitable macro-pore sizes in HA scaffolds with the similar interconnecting structure which provides the environment for ectopic osteogenesis and angiogenesis. PMID:27699059

Stepwise visualization of membrane pore formation by suilysin, a bacterial cholesterol-dependent cytolysin.

PubMed

Leung, Carl; Dudkina, Natalya V; Lukoyanova, Natalya; Hodel, Adrian W; Farabella, Irene; Pandurangan, Arun P; Jahan, Nasrin; Pires Damaso, Mafalda; Osmanović, Dino; Reboul, Cyril F; Dunstone, Michelle A; Andrew, Peter W; Lonnen, Rana; Topf, Maya; Saibil, Helen R; Hoogenboom, Bart W

2014-12-02

Membrane attack complex/perforin/cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (MACPF/CDC) proteins constitute a major superfamily of pore-forming proteins that act as bacterial virulence factors and effectors in immune defence. Upon binding to the membrane, they convert from the soluble monomeric form to oligomeric, membrane-inserted pores. Using real-time atomic force microscopy (AFM), electron microscopy (EM), and atomic structure fitting, we have mapped the structure and assembly pathways of a bacterial CDC in unprecedented detail and accuracy, focussing on suilysin from Streptococcus suis. We show that suilysin assembly is a noncooperative process that is terminated before the protein inserts into the membrane. The resulting ring-shaped pores and kinetically trapped arc-shaped assemblies are all seen to perforate the membrane, as also visible by the ejection of its lipids. Membrane insertion requires a concerted conformational change of the monomeric subunits, with a marked expansion in pore diameter due to large changes in subunit structure and packing.

Stepwise visualization of membrane pore formation by suilysin, a bacterial cholesterol-dependent cytolysin

PubMed Central

Lukoyanova, Natalya; Hodel, Adrian W; Farabella, Irene; Pandurangan, Arun P; Jahan, Nasrin; Pires Damaso, Mafalda; Osmanović, Dino; Reboul, Cyril F; Dunstone, Michelle A; Andrew, Peter W; Lonnen, Rana; Topf, Maya

2014-01-01

Membrane attack complex/perforin/cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (MACPF/CDC) proteins constitute a major superfamily of pore-forming proteins that act as bacterial virulence factors and effectors in immune defence. Upon binding to the membrane, they convert from the soluble monomeric form to oligomeric, membrane-inserted pores. Using real-time atomic force microscopy (AFM), electron microscopy (EM), and atomic structure fitting, we have mapped the structure and assembly pathways of a bacterial CDC in unprecedented detail and accuracy, focussing on suilysin from Streptococcus suis. We show that suilysin assembly is a noncooperative process that is terminated before the protein inserts into the membrane. The resulting ring-shaped pores and kinetically trapped arc-shaped assemblies are all seen to perforate the membrane, as also visible by the ejection of its lipids. Membrane insertion requires a concerted conformational change of the monomeric subunits, with a marked expansion in pore diameter due to large changes in subunit structure and packing. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04247.001 PMID:25457051

Solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane comprising laser micromachined porous support

DOEpatents

Liu, Han [Waltham, MA; LaConti, Anthony B [Lynnfield, MA; Mittelsteadt, Cortney K [Natick, MA; McCallum, Thomas J [Ashland, MA

2011-01-11

A solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane and method of manufacturing the same. According to one embodiment, the composite membrane comprises a rigid, non-electrically-conducting support, the support preferably being a sheet of polyimide having a thickness of about 7.5 to 15 microns. The support has a plurality of cylindrical pores extending perpendicularly between opposing top and bottom surfaces of the support. The pores, which preferably have a diameter of about 5 microns, are made by laser micromachining and preferably are arranged in a defined pattern, for example, with fewer pores located in areas of high membrane stress and more pores located in areas of low membrane stress. The pores are filled with a first solid polymer electrolyte, such as a perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymer. A second solid polymer electrolyte, which may be the same as or different than the first solid polymer electrolyte, may be deposited over the top and/or bottom of the first solid polymer electrolyte.

Solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane comprising plasma etched porous support

DOEpatents

Liu, Han; LaConti, Anthony B.

2010-10-05

A solid polymer electrolyte composite membrane and method of manufacturing the same. According to one embodiment, the composite membrane comprises a rigid, non-electrically-conducting support, the support preferably being a sheet of polyimide having a thickness of about 7.5 to 15 microns. The support has a plurality of cylindrical pores extending perpendicularly between opposing top and bottom surfaces of the support. The pores, which preferably have a diameter of about 0.1 to 5 microns, are made by plasma etching and preferably are arranged in a defined pattern, for example, with fewer pores located in areas of high membrane stress and more pores located in areas of low membrane stress. The pores are filled with a first solid polymer electrolyte, such as a perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) polymer. A second solid polymer electrolyte, which may be the same as or different than the first solid polymer electrolyte, may be deposited over the top and/or bottom of the first solid polymer electrolyte.

Matrix coatings based on anodic alumina with carbon nanostructures in the pores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorokh, G. G.; Pashechko, M. I.; Borc, J. T.; Lozovenko, A. A.; Kashko, I. A.; Latos, A. I.

2018-03-01

The nanoporous anodic alumina matrixes thickness of 1.5 mm and pore sizes of 45, 90 and 145 nm were formed on Si substrates. The tubular carbon nanostructures were synthesized into the matrixes pores by pyrolysis of fluid hydrocarbon xylene with 1% ferrocene. The structure and composition of the matrix coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy, Auger analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The carbon nanostructures completely filled the pores of templates and uniformly covered the tops. The structure of carbon nanostructures corresponded to the structure of multiwall carbon nanotubes. Investigations of mechanical and tribological properties of nanostructured oxide-carbon composite performed by scratching and nanoindentation showed nonlinear dependencies of the frictional force, penetration depth of the cantilever, hardness and plane strain modulus on the load. It was found that the microhardness of the samples increases with reduced of alumina pore diameter, and the penetration depth of the cantilever into the film grows with carbon nanostructures size. The results showed the high mechanical strength of nanostructured oxide-carbon composite.

Synthesis and characterization of binary titania-silica mixed oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budhi, Sridhar

A series of binary titania-silica mixed oxides were synthesized by the sol-gel method at room temperature. The mixed oxides were prepared that involved the hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) by co-solvent induced gelation usually in acidic media. The resulting gels were dried, calcined and then characterized by powder X-ray diffractometric studies, nitrogen sorption studies (at 77K), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Raman microscopy and transmission electron microscopic studies. The nitrogen sorption studies indicate that the specific surface areas, pore volume, pore diameter and pore size distribution of the mixed oxides were substantially enhanced when non-polar solvents such as toluene, p-xylene or mesitylene were added as co-solvents to the synthesis gel. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies confirm the results obtained from the nitrogen sorption studies. Our results indicate that we can obtain binary metal oxides possessing high surface area and large pore volumes with tunable pore size distribution at room temperature. Photocatalytic evaluation of the mixed oxides is currently in progress.

Effect of Cavity Size of Mesoporous Silica on Short DNA Duplex Stability.

PubMed

Masuda, Tsubasa; Shibuya, Yuuta; Arai, Shota; Kobayashi, Sayaka; Suzuki, Sotaro; Kijima, Jun; Itoh, Tetsuji; Sato, Yusuke; Nishizawa, Seiichi; Yamaguchi, Akira

2018-05-15

We studied the stabilities of short (4- and 3-bp) DNA duplexes within silica mesopores modified with a positively charged trimethyl aminopropyl (TMAP) monolayer (BJH pore diameter 1.6-7.4 nm). The DNA fragments with fluorescent dye were introduced into the pores, and their fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) response was measured to estimate the structuring energies of the short DNA duplexes under cryogenic conditions (temperature 233-323 K). The results confirmed the enthalpic stability gain of the duplex within size-matched pores (1.6 and 2.3 nm). The hybridization equilibrium constants found for the size-matched pores were 2 orders of magnitude larger than those for large pores (≥3.5 nm), and this size-matching effect for the enhanced duplex stability was explained by a tight electrostatic interaction between the duplex and the surface TMAP groups. These results indicate the requirement of the precise regulation of mesopore size to ensure the stabilization of hydrogen-bonded supramolecular assemblies.

Pore Water Pumping by Upside-Down Jellyfish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaddam, Manikantam; Santhanakrishnan, Arvind

2016-11-01

Patchy aggregations of Cassiopea medusae, commonly called upside-down jellyfish, are found in sheltered marine environments with low-speed ambient flows. These medusae exhibit a sessile, non-swimming lifestyle, and are oriented such that their bells are attached to the substrate and oral arms point towards sunlight. Pulsations of their bells are used to generate currents for suspension feeding. Their pulsations have also been proposed to generate forces that can release sediment locked nutrients into the surrounding water. The goal of this study is to examine pore water pumping by Cassiopea individuals in laboratory aquaria, as a model for understanding pore water pumping in unsteady flows. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements were conducted to visualize the release of pore water via bell motion, using fluorescent dye introduced underneath the substrate. 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were conducted on the same individuals to correlate PLIF-based concentration profiles with the jets generated by pulsing of medusae. The effects of varying bell diameter on pore water release and pumping currents will be discussed.

Heat of adsorption, adsorption stress, and optimal storage of methane in slit and cylindrical carbon pores predicted by classical density functional theory.

PubMed

Hlushak, Stepan

2018-01-03

Temperature, pressure and pore-size dependences of the heat of adsorption, adsorption stress, and adsorption capacity of methane in simple models of slit and cylindrical carbon pores are studied using classical density functional theory (CDFT) and grand-canonical Monte-Carlo (MC) simulation. Studied properties depend nontrivially on the bulk pressure and the size of the pores. Heat of adsorption increases with loading, but only for sufficiently narrow pores. While the increase is advantageous for gas storage applications, it is less significant for cylindrical pores than for slits. Adsorption stress and the average adsorbed fluid density show oscillatory dependence on the pore size and increase with bulk pressure. Slit pores exhibit larger amplitude of oscillations of the normal adsorption stress with pore size increase than cylindrical pores. However, the increase of the magnitude of the adsorption stress with bulk pressure increase is more significant for cylindrical than for slit pores. Adsorption stress appears to be negative for a wide range of pore sizes and external conditions. The pore size dependence of the average delivered density of the gas is analyzed and the optimal pore sizes for storage applications are estimated. The optimal width of slit pore appears to be almost independent of storage pressure at room temperature and pressures above 10 bar. Similarly to the case of slit pores, the optimal radius of cylindrical pores does not exhibit much dependence on the storage pressure above 15 bar. Both optimal width and optimal radii of slit and cylindrical pores increase as the temperature decreases. A comparison of the results of CDFT theory and MC simulations reveals subtle but important differences in the underlying fluid models employed by the approaches. The differences in the high-pressure behaviour between the hard-sphere 2-Yukawa and Lennard-Jones models of methane, employed by the CDFT and MC approaches, respectively, result in an overestimation of the heat of adsorption by the CDFT theory at higher loadings. However, both adsorption stress and adsorption capacity appear to be much less sensitive to the differences between the models and demonstrate excellent agreement between the theory and the computer experiment.

Self-assembly of ordered nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Jinsong

2000-10-01

Several different kinds of nanostructure materials were studied in this thesis: self-assembled monodispersive nanocrystals, photonic crystals, ordered mesoporous silica and hierarchically ordered nanostructured materials. Tetrahedral nanocrystals of CoO, with edge-lengths of 4.4 +/- 0.2 nm, were synthesized at high purity and monodispersity. The size, shape and phase selections of the nanocrystals were performed using a novel magnetic field separation technique. These nanocrystals behave like molecules, forming a face-centered cubic self-assembly of nanocrystal superlattices. In-situ behavior of self-assembled CoO nanocrystal arrays was also analyzed using transmission electron microscopy and associated techniques. The surface passivation layer started to evaporate/decompose at temperatures as low as ˜200°C, but the exposed cores of nanocrystals preserved the geometrical configuration of the assembly due to the strong adhesion of the carbon substrate. As the temperature is further increased from 300 to 600°C, the intrinsic crystal structure of the CoO nanoparticles experiences a replacement reaction, resulting in the formation of cobalt carbides. Two-dimensional self-assembling of cobalt nanocrystals with an average particle size of 9.2 nm and polydispersity of 9% is processed. Phtonic crystals were processed by a template-assisted method. Ordered self-assembly of pores of titania nanocrystals formed a face-centered cubic packing structure. The walls of the pores were made of anatase nanocrystals of ˜8 nm in diameter. Cobalt can be doped into the walls of the pores by solution infiltration of cobalt carbonyl. Cobalt titanium oxide may be formed on the internal surface of the ordered pore structure. This type of structure is likely to be an excellent supporting material for catalysis. The experimental results suggest that transition metal elements can be incorporated into porous titania without blocking the interconnected pores. Hierarchically ordered nanostructured materials with high porosity at dual length-scale were prepared by a single annealing procedure. The plasma energy of this porous materials shifts about 1.2 eV to lower energy, compared to the fully densed silica spheres. This type of material is expected to have not only large surface area for catalysis, but also low dielectric constant for low-loss dielectric applications.

Initiation and Activation of Faults in Dry and Wet Rock by Fluid Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanchits, S.; Mayr, S.; Shapiro, S. A.; Dresen, G.

2008-12-01

We studied fracturing of rock samples induced by water injection in axial compression tests on cylindrical specimens of Flechtingen sandstone and Aue granite of 50 mm diameter and 105-125 mm length. Samples were intact solid rock cylinders and cylinders with central boreholes of 5 mm diameter and 52 mm length or through-boreholes of 2.5 mm diameter. To monitor acoustic emissions (AE) and ultrasonic velocities, twelve P-wave and six polarized S-wave sensors were glued to the cylindrical surface of the rock. Full waveforms were stored in a 12 channel transient recording system (PROEKEL, Germany). Polarity of AE first motion was used to discriminate source types associated with tensile, shear and pore-collapse cracking. To monitor strain, two pairs of orthogonally oriented strain-gages were glued onto the specimen surface. Samples were deformed in two consecutive loading steps: 1) Initial triaxial loading was performed at 20-50 MPa confining pressure on dry (under vacuum) or fully saturated samples until the yield point was reached. 2) In a second stage distilled water was injected into the samples with pore pressure increasing up to 20 MPa. For saturated samples the pore pressure was increased in steps and in periodic pulses. Injection of water into dry porous sandstone resulted in propagation of an AE hypocenter cloud closely linked to propagation of the water front. Position of the migrating water front was estimated from ultrasonic velocity measurements and measurements of the injected water volume. Propagation rate of AE-induced cloud parallel to bedding was higher than perpendicular to bedding, possibly related to permeability anisotropy. Nucleation of a brittle shear fault occurred at a critical pore pressure level with a nucleation patch located at the central borehole. Micro-structural analysis of fractured samples shows excellent agreement between location of AE hypocenters and macroscopic faults.

Detection of freeze-thaw weathering effect using X-ray micro computed tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J.; Hyun, C.; Park, H.

2011-12-01

Physical weathering caused by repeated freeze-thaw action of water inside rock pores or cracks was artificially simulated in laboratory. The tests were conducted on three rock types, i.e. diorite, basalt, and tuff, which are the major rock types around King Sejong Station of Korea located in Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica. The temperature of freeze-thaw cycle was also set with simulated the air temperature of the station, i.e. the maximum temperature was + 10 °C and the minimum temperature was - 20 °C. Three cylindrical specimens composed of one for each rock type with 24.6 mm diameter and 14.5 ~ 17.7 mm length were prepared, and 2 mm diameter and 7 mm shallow depth hole was drilled on the center of the specimens. To exaggerate the effect of the freeze-thaw weathering, all tests were conducted under completely saturated condition. 50 cycles of the freeze-thaw test was carried, and X-ray micro computed tomography (CT) images of each rock specimen were obtained after every 10 cycles. Using X-ray micro CT images, 3D structure was rendered and pore and crack structures were extracted. The changes of porosity, absorption rate and pore and crack structure were detected. Porosity of all specimens was decreased linearly and absorption rate of all specimens was increased linearly as weathering processes; the pore connection and crack propagation was detected in 3D rendering pore and crack structure. The change of tuff specimen is the most remarkable among three rock types used in the research, because of its relatively high initial absorption rate and low strength. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MEST) (No. 2011-0027520).

Synthesis and characterization of pore size-tunable magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

PubMed

Zhang, Jixi; Li, Xu; Rosenholm, Jessica M; Gu, Hong-chen

2011-09-01

Magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (M-MSNs) are emerging as one of the most appealing candidates for theranostic carriers. Herein, a simple synthesis method of M-MSNs with a single Fe(3)O(4) nanocrystal core and a mesoporous shell with radially aligned pores was elaborated using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as silica source, cationic surfactant CTAB as template, and 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene (TMB)/decane as pore swelling agents. Due to the special localization of TMB during the synthesis process, the pore size was increased with added TMB amount within a limited range, while further employment of TMB lead to severe particle coalescence and not well-developed pore structure. On the other hand, when a proper amount of decane was jointly incorporated with limited amounts of TMB, effective pore expansion of M-MSNs similar to that of analogous mesoporous silica nanoparticles was realized. The resultant M-MSN materials possessed smaller particle size (about 40-70 nm in diameter), tunable pore sizes (3.8-6.1 nm), high surface areas (700-1100 m(2)/g), and large pore volumes (0.44-1.54 cm(3)/g). We also demonstrate their high potential in conventional DNA loading. Maximum loading capacity of salmon sperm DNA (375 mg/g) was obtained by the use of the M-MSN sample with the largest pore size of 6.1 nm. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection, 3-D positioning, and sizing of small pore defects using digital radiography and tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindgren, Erik

2014-12-01

This article presents an algorithm that handles the detection, positioning, and sizing of submillimeter-sized pores in welds using radiographic inspection and tracking. The possibility to detect, position, and size pores which have a low contrast-to-noise ratio increases the value of the nondestructive evaluation of welds by facilitating fatigue life predictions with lower uncertainty. In this article, a multiple hypothesis tracker with an extended Kalman filter is used to track an unknown number of pore indications in a sequence of radiographs as an object is rotated. Each pore is not required to be detected in all radiographs. In addition, in the tracking step, three-dimensional (3-D) positions of pore defects are calculated. To optimize, set up, and pre-evaluate the algorithm, the article explores a design of experimental approach in combination with synthetic radiographs of titanium laser welds containing pore defects. The pre-evaluation on synthetic radiographs at industrially reasonable contrast-to-noise ratios indicate less than 1% false detection rates at high detection rates and less than 0.1 mm of positioning errors for more than 90% of the pores. A comparison between experimental results of the presented algorithm and a computerized tomography reference measurement shows qualitatively good agreement in the 3-D positions of approximately 0.1-mm diameter pores in 5-mm-thick Ti-6242.

Capillary pressure as related to water holding in polyacrylamide and chicken protein gels.

PubMed

Stevenson, Clinton D; Dykstra, Michael J; Lanier, Tyre C

2013-02-01

The ability of food gels to hold water affects product yield and organoleptic quality. Most researchers believe that water is held by capillarity such that gels having smaller mean pore diameter and a more hydrophilic surface hold water more tightly. To date, however, only qualitative evidence relating pore size to water holding (WH) properties has been provided. The present study sought to provide quantitative confirmation of this hypothesis. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with image analysis was used to measure pore size, and water contact angle with the gel surface was measured by the captive bubble method, in both model polyacrylamide gels and heat-induced protein (minced chicken breast) gels. These were related to water lost during cooking of meat pastes to form gels (cooking loss (CL)), as well as water lost upon centrifugation (expressible water (EW)) or by capillary suction (CSL) of all prepared gels, as inverse measures of WH. As predicted by the Young-Laplace equation for calculating capillary pressure, the presumed mechanism of WH, gels with lower water losses exhibited a more hydrophilic surface (smaller contact angle). Yet, both lower CL and CSL correlated with larger mean pore diameter of gels, not smaller as had been expected. Polyacrylamide gels varied more in WH than did prepared meat gels, yet only the capillary suction method was sensitive enough to detect these differences.  The ability of gels to hold water is important for economics of processing, food quality, and food safety. This study investigated the prevailing theory for how gels hold water, capillarity. Both the pore sizes of gel microstructures and the degree of hydrophilicity of the polymers comprising each gel were quantitatively assessed and related to water holding (WH) properties, and this was the first report using such methodologies. It appeared that the degree of hydrophilicity was much more important explaining WH properties than pore size, and that future research of this kind should be carried out. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Maximizing ion current rectification in a bipolar conical nanopore fluidic diode using optimum junction location.

PubMed

Singh, Kunwar Pal

2016-10-12

The ion current rectification has been obtained as a function of the location of a heterojunction in a bipolar conical nanopore fluidic diode for different parameters to determine the junction location for maximum ion current rectification using numerical simulations. Forward current peaks for a specific location of the junction and reverse current decreases with the junction location due to a change in ion enrichment/depletion in the pore. The optimum location of the heterojunction shifts towards the tip with base/tip diameter and surface charge density, and towards the base with the electrolyte concentration. The optimum location of the heterojunction has been approximated by an equation as a function of pore length, base/tip diameter, surface charge density and electrolyte concentration. The study is useful to design a rectifier with maximum ion current rectification for practical purposes.

Relationship between microstructure and optical properties of a novel perovskite C12PbI4 embedded in matrix of porous alumina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaghdoudi, W.; Bardaoui, A.; Khalifa, N.; Chtourou, R.

2013-01-01

In this study, organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite multiple quantum wells (PbI QWs) embedded in porous anodic alumina (PAA) thin films on glass and aluminum substrates are investigated in detail. The pore height and diameter of the nanoscale structure of porous anodic alumina (PAA) film produced by the anodization technique are controllable. The synthesized films are characterized morphologically using the atomic force microscopy (AFM). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study showed granular surface. The structural and optical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. The effect of the two different substrates on the impregnation of the PbI QW in the PAA is presented. Both PL and AFM studies show a better penetration of the PbI QW in the case of the Al substrate providing a wider pore diameter. Remarkable enhancement of quantum confinement is demonstrated.

The effects of pore structure on the behavior of water in lignite coal and activated carbon.

PubMed

Nwaka, Daniel; Tahmasebi, Arash; Tian, Lu; Yu, Jianglong

2016-09-01

The effects of physical structure (pore structure) on behavior of water in lignite coal and activated carbon (AC) samples were investigated by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and low-temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. AC samples with different pore structures were prepared at 800°C in steam and the results were compared with that of parent lignite coal. The DSC results confirmed the presence of two types of freezable water that freeze at -8°C (free water) and -42°C (freezable bound water). A shift in peak position of free water (FW) towards lower temperature was observed in AC samples compared to the lignite coal with decreasing water loading. The amount of free water (FW) increased with increasing gasification conversion. The amounts of free and freezable bound water (FBW) in AC samples were calculated and correlated to pore volume and average pore size. The amount of FW in AC samples is well correlated to the pore volume and average pore size of the samples, while an opposite trend was observed for FBW. The low-temperature XRD analysis confirmed the existence of non-freezable water (NFW) in coal and AC with the boundary between the freezable and non-freezable water (NFW) determined. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new methodology for determination of macroscopic transport parameters in drying porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attari Moghaddam, A.; Kharaghani, A.; Tsotsas, E.; Prat, M.

2015-12-01

Two main approaches have been used to model the drying process: The first approach considers the partially saturated porous medium as a continuum and partial differential equations are used to describe the mass, momentum and energy balances of the fluid phases. The continuum-scale models (CM) obtained by this approach involve constitutive laws which require effective material properties, such as the diffusivity, permeability, and thermal conductivity which are often determined by experiments. The second approach considers the material at the pore scale, where the void space is represented by a network of pores (PN). Micro- or nanofluidics models used in each pore give rise to a large system of ordinary differential equations with degrees of freedom at each node of the pore network. In this work, the moisture transport coefficient (D), the pseudo desorption isotherm inside the network and at the evaporative surface are estimated from the post-processing of the three-dimensional pore network drying simulations for fifteen realizations of the pore space geometry from a given probability distribution. A slice sampling method is used in order to extract these parameters from PN simulations. The moisture transport coefficient obtained in this way is shown in Fig. 1a. The minimum of average D values demonstrates the transition between liquid dominated moisture transport region and vapor dominated moisture transport region; a similar behavior has been observed in previous experimental findings. A function is fitted to the average D values and then is fed into the non-linear moisture diffusion equation. The saturation profiles obtained from PN and CM simulations are shown in Fig. 1b. Figure 1: (a) extracted moisture transport coefficient during drying for fifteen realizations of the pore network, (b) average moisture profiles during drying obtained from PN and CM simulations.

Mesoporous Silicate Materials in Sensing

PubMed Central

Melde, Brian J.; Johnson, Brandy J.; Charles, Paul T.

2008-01-01

Mesoporous silicas, especially those exhibiting ordered pore systems and uniform pore diameters, have shown great potential for sensing applications in recent years. Morphological control grants them versatility in the method of deployment whether as bulk powders, monoliths, thin films, or embedded in coatings. High surface areas and pore sizes greater than 2 nm make them effective as adsorbent coatings for humidity sensors. The pore networks also provide the potential for immobilization of enzymes within the materials. Functionalization of materials by silane grafting or through co-condensation of silicate precursors can be used to provide mesoporous materials with a variety of fluorescent probes as well as surface properties that aid in selective detection of specific analytes. This review will illustrate how mesoporous silicas have been applied to sensing changes in relative humidity, changes in pH, metal cations, toxic industrial compounds, volatile organic compounds, small molecules and ions, nitroenergetic compounds, and biologically relevant molecules. PMID:27873810

Switchable pH-responsive polymeric membranes prepared via block copolymer micelle assembly.

PubMed

Nunes, Suzana P; Behzad, Ali Reza; Hooghan, Bobby; Sougrat, Rachid; Karunakaran, Madhavan; Pradeep, Neelakanda; Vainio, Ulla; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2011-05-24

A process is described to manufacture monodisperse asymmetric pH-responsive nanochannels with very high densities (pore density >2 × 10(14) pores per m(2)), reproducible in m(2) scale. Cylindric pores with diameters in the sub-10 nm range and lengths in the 400 nm range were formed by self-assembly of metal-block copolymer complexes and nonsolvent-induced phase separation. The film morphology was tailored by taking into account the stability constants for a series of metal-polymer complexes and confirmed by AFM. The distribution of metal-copolymer micelles was imaged by transmission electron microscopy tomography. The pH response of the polymer nanochannels is the strongest reported with synthetic pores in the nm range (reversible flux increase of more than 2 orders of magnitude when switching the pH from 2 to 8) and could be demonstrated by cryo-field emission scanning electron microscopy, SAXS, and ultra/nanofiltration experiments.

Structure and Functional Characterization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Thermostable Direct Hemolysin*

PubMed Central

Yanagihara, Itaru; Nakahira, Kumiko; Yamane, Tsutomu; Kaieda, Shuji; Mayanagi, Kouta; Hamada, Daizo; Fukui, Takashi; Ohnishi, Kiyouhisa; Kajiyama, Shin'ichiro; Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Sato, Mamoru; Ikegami, Takahisa; Ikeguchi, Mitsunori; Honda, Takeshi; Hashimoto, Hiroshi

2010-01-01

Thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) is a major virulence factor of Vibrio parahaemolyticus that causes pandemic foodborne enterocolitis mediated by seafood. TDH exists as a tetramer in solution, and it possesses extreme hemolytic activity. Here, we present the crystal structure of the TDH tetramer at 1.5 Å resolution. The TDH tetramer forms a central pore with dimensions of 23 Å in diameter and ∼50 Å in depth. π-Cation interactions between protomers comprising the tetramer were indispensable for hemolytic activity of TDH. The N-terminal region was intrinsically disordered outside of the pore. Molecular dynamic simulations suggested that water molecules permeate freely through the central and side channel pores. Electron micrographs showed that tetrameric TDH attached to liposomes, and some of the tetramer associated with liposome via one protomer. These findings imply a novel membrane attachment mechanism by a soluble tetrameric pore-forming toxin. PMID:20335168

Polymer translocation in solid-state nanopores: Dependence on hydrodynamic interactions and polymer configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmonds, Christopher M.; Hesketh, Peter J.; Nair, Sankar

2013-11-01

We present a Brownian dynamics investigation of 3-D Rouse and Zimm polymer translocation through solid-state nanopores. We obtain different scaling exponents α for both polymers using two initial configurations: minimum energy, and 'steady-state'. For forced translocation, Rouse polymers (no hydrodynamic interactions), shows a large dependence of α on initial configuration and voltage. Higher voltages result in crowding at the nanopore exit and reduced α. When the radius of gyration is in equilibrium at the beginning and end of translocation, α = 1 + υ where υ is the Flory exponent. For Zimm polymers (including hydrodynamic interactions), crowding is reduced and α = 2υ. Increased pore diameter does not affect α at moderate voltages that reduce diffusion effects. For unforced translocation using narrow pores, both polymers give α = 1 + 2υ. Due to increased polymer-pore interactions in the narrow pore, hydrodynamic drag effects are reduced, resulting in identical scaling.

A molecular theory for optimal blue energy extraction by electrical double layer expansion

DOE PAGES

Kong, Xian; Gallegos, Alejandro; Lu, Diannan; ...

2015-08-19

We proposed the electrical double layer expansion (CDLE) as a promising alternative to reverse electrodialysis (RED) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes for extracting osmotic power generated by the salinity difference between freshwater and seawater. The performance of the CDLE process is sensitive to the configuration of porous electrodes and operation parameters for ion extraction and release cycles. In our work, we use a classical density functional theory (CDFT) to examine how the electrode pore size and charging/discharging potentials influence the thermodynamic efficiency of the CDLE cycle. The existence of an optimal charging potential that maximizes the energy output formore » a given pore configuration is predicted, which varies substantially with the pore size, especially when it is smaller than 2 nm. Finally, the thermodynamic efficiency is maximized when the electrode has a pore size about twice the ion diameter.« less

Determining the Size of Pores in a Partially Transparent Ceramics from Total-Reflection Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mironov, R. A.; Zabezhailov, M. O.; Georgiu, I. F.; Cherepanov, V. V.; Rusin, M. Yu.

2018-03-01

A technique is proposed for determining the pore-size distribution based on measuring the dependence of total reflectance in the domain of partial transparency of a material. An assumption about equality of scattering-coefficient spectra determined by solving the inverse radiation transfer problem and by theoretical calculation with the Mie theory is used. The technique is applied to studying a quartz ceramics. The poresize distribution is also determined using mercury and gas porosimetry. All three methods are shown to produce close results for pores with diameters of <180 nm, which occupy 90% of the void volume. In the domain of pore dimensions of >180 nm, the methods show differences that might be related to both specific procedural features and the structural properties of ceramics. The spectral-scattering method has a number of advantages over traditional porosimetry, and it can be viewed as a routine industrial technique.

Bio-inspired Murray materials for mass transfer and activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xianfeng; Shen, Guofang; Wang, Chao; Li, Yu; Dunphy, Darren; Hasan, Tawfique; Brinker, C. Jeffrey; Su, Bao-Lian

2017-04-01

Both plants and animals possess analogous tissues containing hierarchical networks of pores, with pore size ratios that have evolved to maximize mass transport and rates of reactions. The underlying physical principles of this optimized hierarchical design are embodied in Murray's law. However, we are yet to realize the benefit of mimicking nature's Murray networks in synthetic materials due to the challenges in fabricating vascularized structures. Here we emulate optimum natural systems following Murray's law using a bottom-up approach. Such bio-inspired materials, whose pore sizes decrease across multiple scales and finally terminate in size-invariant units like plant stems, leaf veins and vascular and respiratory systems provide hierarchical branching and precise diameter ratios for connecting multi-scale pores from macro to micro levels. Our Murray material mimics enable highly enhanced mass exchange and transfer in liquid-solid, gas-solid and electrochemical reactions and exhibit enhanced performance in photocatalysis, gas sensing and as Li-ion battery electrodes.

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Real-Time Detection of Lipid Membrane Damage Based on a Porous Self-Assembly Monolayer Support.

PubMed

Zhang, Meng; Zhai, Qingyu; Wan, Liping; Chen, Li; Peng, Yu; Deng, Chunyan; Xiang, Juan; Yan, Jiawei

2018-06-19

Layer-by-layer dissolution and permeable pore formation are two typical membrane damage pathways, which induce membrane function disorder and result in serious disease, such as Alzheimer's disease, Keshan disease, Sickle-cell disease, and so on. To effectively distinguish and sensitively monitor these two typical membrane damage pathways, a facile electrochemical impedance strategy was developed on a porous self-assembly monolayer (pSAM) supported bilayer lipid membrane (BLM). The pSAM was prepared by selectively electrochemical reductive desorption of the mercaptopropionic acid in a mixed mercaptopropionic acid/11-mercaptoundecanoic acid self-assembled monolayer, which created plenty of nanopores with tens of nanometers in diameter and several nanometers in height (defined as inner-pores). The ultralow aspect ratio of the inner-pores was advantageous to the mass transfer of electrochemical probe [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- , simplifying the equivalent electric circuit for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis at the electrode/membrane interface. [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- transferring from the bulk solution into the inner-pore induce significant changes of the interfacial impedance properties, improving the detection sensitivity. Based on these, the different membrane damage pathways were effectively distinguished and sensitively monitored with the normalized resistance-capacitance changes of inner-pore-related parameters including the electrolyte resistance within the pore length ( R pore ) and the metal/inner-pore interfacial capacitance ( C pore ) and the charge-transfer resistance ( R ct-in ) at the metal/inner-pore interface.

The effect of scaffold pore size in cartilage tissue engineering.

PubMed

Nava, Michele M; Draghi, Lorenza; Giordano, Carmen; Pietrabissa, Riccardo

2016-07-26

The effect of scaffold pore size and interconnectivity is undoubtedly a crucial factor for most tissue engineering applications. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of pore size and porosity on cartilage construct development in different scaffolds seeded with articular chondrocytes. We fabricated poly-L-lactide-co-trimethylene carbonate scaffolds with different pore sizes, using a solvent-casting/particulate-leaching technique. We seeded primary bovine articular chondrocytes on these scaffolds, cultured the constructs for 2 weeks and examined cell proliferation, viability and cell-specific production of cartilaginous extracellular matrix proteins, including GAG and collagen. Cell density significantly increased up to 50% with scaffold pore size and porosity, likely facilitated by cell spreading on the internal surface of bigger pores, and by increased mass transport of gases and nutrients to cells, and catabolite removal from cells, allowed by lower diffusion barriers in scaffolds with a higher porosity. However, both the cell metabolic activity and the synthesis of cartilaginous matrix proteins significantly decreased by up to 40% with pore size. We propose that the association of smaller pore diameters, causing 3-dimensional cell aggregation, to a lower oxygenation caused by a lower porosity, could have been the condition that increased the cell-specific synthesis of cartilaginous matrix proteins in the scaffold with the smallest pores and the lowest porosity among those tested. In the initial steps of in vitro cartilage engineering, the combination of small scaffold pores and low porosity is an effective strategy with regard to the promotion of chondrogenesis.

Adsorption Characteristics of LaNi 5Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, M. Y.; Park, H. R.

1997-11-01

Nitrogen adsorption on an intermetallic compound, LaNi 5, was studied before and after activation and after hydriding-dehydriding cycling. The specific surface area of activated LaNi 5was 0.271±0.004 m 2g -1. Adsorption and desorption isotherms of activated LaNi 5were obtained. The adsorption isotherm was similar to type II among the five types of isotherms classified by S. Brunauer, L. S. Deming, W S. Deming, and E. Teller ( J. Am. Chem. Soc.62, 1723, 1940). Its hysteresis curve had the type B form among de Boer's five types of hysteresis. Desorption pore-size analyses showed that the activated LaNi 5had only a few mesopores, the diameters of which were around 20-110 Å. The average adsorption rate of the activated LaNi 5showed a first-order dependence on nitrogen pressure at 77 K.

Preparation and characterization of self-supporting thermochromic films composed of VO2(M)@SiO2 Nanofibers.

PubMed

Li, Shaotang; Li, Yamei; Jiang, Meng; Ji, Shidong; Luo, Hongjie; Gao, Yanfeng; Jin, Ping

2013-07-24

Nanofibers of VO2(A) with the diameter and length averagely at 100 nm and 10-20 μm were prepared via a facile one-step hydrothermal method by reducing NH4VO3 with 1,3-propylene glycol in an acidic solution. The obtained VO2(A) was coated by SiO2 to form VO2(A)@SiO2 core-shell nanocomposites, which were then transformed into VO2(M)@SiO2 by annealing under nitrogen atmosphere. The resulted composites maintained the original fibrous morphology, particularly with a large amount of pores emerging inside the fiber due to the volume shrinkage during the phase transition, which may improve its thermal insulation ability in real applications. The VO2(M)@SiO2 nanofibers were arranged into a self-supporting film by filtration, which shows excellent thermochromic properties.

High-performance anode based on porous Co3O4 nanodiscs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pan, Anqiang; Wang, Yaping; Xu, Wu

2014-06-01

In this article, two-dimensional, Co3O4 hexagonal nanodiscs are prepared using a hydrothermal method without surfactants. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been employed to characterize the structural properties. As revealed by the SEM and TEM experiments, the thickness of our as-fabricated Co3O4 hexagonal nanodiscs is about 20 nm, and the pore diameters range from several nanometers to 30 nm. As an anode for lithium-ion batteries, porous Co3O4 nanodiscs exhibit an average discharge voltage of ~1 V (Vs. Li/Li+) and a high specific charge capacity of 1161 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. They alsomore » demonstrate excellent rate performance and high Coloumbic efficiency at various rates. These results indicate that porous Co3O4 nanodiscs are good candidates as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.« less

Preparation of a poly(styrene-co-DPHA-co-EDMA) monolith and its application for the separation of small molecules and biomacromolecules by HPLC.

PubMed

Wang, Xixi; Li, Xueying; Jiang, Xiaoya; Dong, Peipei; Liu, Haiyan; Bai, Ligai; Yan, Hongyuan

2017-04-01

A high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) monolithic column was prepared by redox polymerization of styrene, dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) in a porogen system of n-propanol/PEG400. The monolith was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and the results indicated that the monolith had a stable and homogeneous structure. The porosity of the monolithic column was 75.86% and average pore diameter was 2.1µm. Several alkylbenzenes and anilines were used to evaluate the column performance in terms of hydrophobicity. Then the column was applied to separate small molecules including phytosterol and BSA tryptic digest. Finally, five standard proteins, egg white and plasma were separated respectively and high separation capacity of protein was obtained. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One-step formation of TiO2 hollow spheres via a facile microwave-assisted process for photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad Alosfur, Firas K.; Ridha, Noor J.; Hafizuddin Haji Jumali, Mohammad; Radiman, S.

2018-04-01

Mesoporous TiO2 hollow spherical nanostructures with high surface areas were successfully prepared using a microwave method. The prepared hollow spheres had a size range between 200 and 500 nm. The spheres consisted of numerous smaller TiO2 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 8 nm. The particles had an essentially mesoporous structure, with a pore size in the range of 2-50 nm. The results confirmed that the synthesised of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles with specific surface area approximately 172.3 m2 g-1. The effect of ultraviolet and visible light irradiation and catalyst dosage on the TiO2 photocatalytic activity was studied by measuring the degradation rate of methylene blue. The maximum dye degradation performances with low catalyst loading (30 mg) were 99% and 63.4% using the same duration of ultraviolet and visible light irradiation, respectively (120 min).

Sol-Gel assembly of CdSe nanoparticles to form porous aerogel networks.

PubMed

Arachchige, Indika U; Brock, Stephanie L

2006-06-21

A detailed study of CdSe aerogels prepared by oxidative aggregation of primary nanoparticles (prepared at room temperature and high temperature conditions, >250 degrees C), followed by CO2 supercritical drying, is described. The resultant materials are mesoporous, with an interconnected network of colloidal nanoparticles, and exhibit BET surface areas up to 224 m2/g and BJH average pore diameters in the range of 16-32 nm. Powder X-ray diffraction studies indicate that these materials retain the crystal structure of the primary nanoparticles, with a slight increase in primary particle size upon gelation and aerogel formation. Optical band gap measurements and photoluminescence studies show that the as-prepared aerogels retain the quantum-confined optical properties of the nanoparticle building blocks despite being connected into a 3-D network. The specific optical characteristics of the aerogel can be further modified by surface ligand exchange at the wet-gel stage, without destroying the gel network.

Ultrastructure and growth factor content of equine platelet-rich fibrin gels.

PubMed

Textor, Jamie A; Murphy, Kaitlin C; Leach, J Kent; Tablin, Fern

2014-04-01

To compare fiber diameter, pore area, compressive stiffness, gelation properties, and selected growth factor content of platelet-rich fibrin gels (PRFGs) and conventional fibrin gels (FGs). PRFGs and conventional FGs prepared from the blood of 10 healthy horses. Autologous fibrinogen was used to form conventional FGs. The PRFGs were formed from autologous platelet-rich plasma of various platelet concentrations (100 × 10³ platelets/μL, 250 × 10³ platelets/μL, 500 × 10³ platelets/μL, and 1,000 × 10³ platelets/μL). All gels contained an identical fibrinogen concentration (20 mg/mL). Fiber diameter and pore area were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. Maximum gelation rate was assessed with spectrophotometry, and gel stiffness was determined by measuring the compressive modulus. Gel weights were measured serially over 14 days as an index of contraction (volume loss). Platelet-derived growth factor-BB and transforming growth factor-β1 concentrations were quantified with ELISAs. Fiber diameters were significantly larger and mean pore areas were significantly smaller in PRFGs than in conventional FGs. Gel weight decreased significantly over time, differed significantly between PRFGs and conventional FGs, and was significantly correlated with platelet concentration. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB and transforming growth factor-β1 concentrations were highest in gels and releasates derived from 1,000 × 10³ platelets/μL. The inclusion of platelets in FGs altered the architecture and increased the growth factor content of the resulting scaffold. Platelets may represent a useful means of modifying these gels for applications in veterinary and human regenerative medicine.

Parameterizing the Transport Pathways for Cell Invasion in Complex Scaffold Architectures

PubMed Central

Ashworth, Jennifer C.; Mehr, Marco; Buxton, Paul G.; Best, Serena M.

2016-01-01

Interconnecting pathways through porous tissue engineering scaffolds play a vital role in determining nutrient supply, cell invasion, and tissue ingrowth. However, the global use of the term “interconnectivity” often fails to describe the transport characteristics of these pathways, giving no clear indication of their potential to support tissue synthesis. This article uses new experimental data to provide a critical analysis of reported methods for the description of scaffold transport pathways, ranging from qualitative image analysis to thorough structural parameterization using X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography. In the collagen scaffolds tested in this study, it was found that the proportion of pore space perceived to be accessible dramatically changed depending on the chosen method of analysis. Measurements of % interconnectivity as defined in this manner varied as a function of direction and connection size, and also showed a dependence on measurement length scale. As an alternative, a method for transport pathway parameterization was investigated, using percolation theory to calculate the diameter of the largest sphere that can travel to infinite distance through a scaffold in a specified direction. As proof of principle, this approach was used to investigate the invasion behavior of primary fibroblasts in response to independent changes in pore wall alignment and pore space accessibility, parameterized using the percolation diameter. The result was that both properties played a distinct role in determining fibroblast invasion efficiency. This example therefore demonstrates the potential of the percolation diameter as a method of transport pathway parameterization, to provide key structural criteria for application-based scaffold design. PMID:26888449

Distribution, diffusive fluxes, and toxicity of heavy metals and PAHs in pore water profiles from the northern bays of Taihu Lake.

PubMed

Lei, Pei; Zhang, Hong; Shan, Baoqing; Zhang, Bozheng

2016-11-01

Pore water plays a more significant role than do sediments in pollutant cycling dynamics. Also, concentrations of pollutants in pore water provide important information about their bioavailability or eco-toxicity; however, very few studies have focused on this topic. In this study, four duplicate sediment cores from three typical northern bays as well as the central part of Taihu Lake were collected to investigate the distribution, diffusive fluxes, and toxicity of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in pore water profiles, which will be good in understanding the mobility and toxicity of these toxic pollutants and achieving better environmental management. The diffusive fluxes of heavy metals across the sediment-water interface was estimated through Fick's First Law, and the toxicity of heavy metals and PAHs in pore water was assessed by applying a water quality index (interstitial water toxicity criteria unit, IWCTU) and a hazard index (HI), respectively. The average concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in surface pore water were 18.8, 23.4, 12.0, 13.5, and 42.5 μg L -1 , respectively. Also, concentrations of the selected heavy metals in both overlying water and pore water from Taihu Lake were all lower than the standard values of the environmental quality standards for surface water. The concentrations as the pore water depth increased, and the highest detected concentrations of heavy metals were recorded between 3 and 5 cm below the sediment surface. The average diffusive fluxes of these metals were 27.3, 24.8, 7.03, 7.81, and -3.32 μg (m 2 day) -1 , respectively, indicating export from sediment into overlying water, with the exception of Zn. There was a potential risk of toxicity, mainly from Pb and Cu, indicating that heavy metals in pore water had slight to moderate impact on sediment-dwelling organisms by values of the IWCTU and the Nemeraw index. The total PAH concentrations in pore water were higher than those in overlying water, and such gradient implies a potential flux of PAHs from pore water to overlying water. The average HI value of PAHs in surface pore water showed no or low ecological risk. While there may be occasional risk due to the HI values in some sites being greater than 1, the dominant contributors were carcinogenic PAHs. Because of their potential biological impact, heavy metals and PAHs and their comprehensive toxic effects in pore water should be given priority attention to keep the safety of Taihu Lake.

A general diagram for estimating pore size of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis membranes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarbolouki, M. N.

1982-01-01

A slit sieve model has been used to develop a general correlation between the average pore size of the upstream surface of a membrane and the molecular weight of the solute which it retains by better than 80%. The pore size is determined by means of the correlation using the high retention data from an ultrafiltration (UF) or a reverse osmosis (RO) experiment. The pore population density can also be calculated from the flux data via appropriate equations.

Application of Neutron imaging in pore structure of hydrated wellbore cement: comparison of hydration of H20 with D2O based Portland cements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dussenova, D.; Bilheux, H.; Radonjic, M.

2012-12-01

Wellbore Cement studies have been ongoing for decades. The studies vary from efforts to reduce permeability and resistance to corrosive environment to issues with gas migration also known as Sustained Casing Pressure (SCP). These practical issues often lead to health and safety problems as well as huge economic loss in oil and gas industry. Several techniques have been employed to reduce the impact of gas leakage. In this study we purely focus on expandable liners, which are introduced as part of oil well reconstruction and work-overs and as well abandonment procedures that help in prevention of SCP. Expandable liner is a tube that after application of a certain tool can increase its diameter. The increase in diameter creates extra force on hydrated cement that results in reducing width of interface fractures and cement-tube de-bonding. Moreover, this also causes cement to change its microstructure and other porous medium properties, primarily hydraulic conductivity. In order to examine changes before and after operations, cement pore structure must be well characterized and correlated to cement slurry design as well as chemical and physical environmental conditions. As modern oil well pipes and tubes contain iron, it is difficult to perform X-ray tomography of a bulk measurement of the cement in its wellbore conditions, which are tube wall-cement-tube wall. Neutron imaging is a complementary technique to x-ray imaging and is well suited for detection of light elements imbedded in metallic containers. Thus, Neutron Imaging (NI) is investigated as a tool for the detection of pore structure of hydrated wellbore cement. Recent measurements were conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) neutron imaging facility. NI is is highly sensitive to light elements such as Hydrogen (H). Oil well cements that have undergone a full hydration contain on average 30%-40% of free water in its pore structure. The unreacted water is the main storage of the hydrogen atom. In such case, neutron tomography does not give information of the pore structure as neutrons will strongly scatter of H and the data have low count and low statistics or low neutron transmission. Hence, as the comparison and the possible tuning technique, neutron tomography measurements are performed on a Deuterium Oxide (D2O) or heavy water samples the same dimensions, cement composition, cement/liquid content and hydration time as the H2O samples. The advantage of using heavy water is that the total neutron cross-section for Deuterium is approximately four times smaller than Hydrogen's and, thus, permits better neutron transmission, i.e. better statistics. D2O does not alter cement properties or its chemical composition; therefore, the samples are almost identical. Comparison of the measurements using water and heavy water samples and the preparation of the measurement cement samples are discussed in this

Track membranes with open pores used as diffractive filters for space-based x-ray and EUV solar observations.

PubMed

Dominique, Marie; Mitrofanov, A V; Hochedez, J-F; Apel, P Yu; Schühle, U; Pudonin, F A; Orelovich, O L; Zuev, S Yu; Bolsée, D; Hermans, C; BenMoussa, A

2009-02-10

We describe the fabrication and performance of diffractive filters designed for space-based x-ray and EUV solar observations. Unlike traditional thin film filters, diffractive filters can be made to have a high resistance against the destructive mechanical and acoustic loads of a satellite launch. The filters studied are made of plastic track-etched membranes that are metal-coated on one side only. They have all-through open cylindrical pores with diameters as small as 500 nm, limiting their transmittance to very short wavelengths. The spectral transmittance of various diffractive filters with different pore parameters was measured from the soft x-ray to the near IR range (namely, from 1-1100 nm).

Supercritical CO2 foaming of thermoplastic materials derived from maize: proof-of-concept use in mammalian cell culture applications.

PubMed

Trujillo-de Santiago, Grissel; Portales-Cabrera, Cynthia Guadalupe; Portillo-Lara, Roberto; Araiz-Hernández, Diana; Del Barone, Maria Cristina; García-López, Erika; Rojas-de Gante, Cecilia; de Los Angeles De Santiago-Miramontes, María; Segoviano-Ramírez, Juan Carlos; García-Lara, Silverio; Rodríguez-González, Ciro Ángel; Alvarez, Mario Moisés; Di Maio, Ernesto; Iannace, Salvatore

2015-01-01

Foams are high porosity and low density materials. In nature, they are a common architecture. Some of their relevant technological applications include heat and sound insulation, lightweight materials, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Foams derived from natural polymers are particularly attractive for tissue culture due to their biodegradability and bio-compatibility. Here, the foaming potential of an extensive list of materials was assayed, including slabs elaborated from whole flour, the starch component only, or the protein fraction only of maize seeds. We used supercritical CO2 to produce foams from thermoplasticized maize derived materials. Polyethylene-glycol, sorbitol/glycerol, or urea/formamide were used as plasticizers. We report expansion ratios, porosities, average pore sizes, pore morphologies, and pore size distributions for these materials. High porosity foams were obtained from zein thermoplasticized with polyethylene glycol, and from starch thermoplasticized with urea/formamide. Zein foams had a higher porosity than starch foams (88% and 85%, respectively) and a narrower and more evenly distributed pore size. Starch foams exhibited a wider span of pore sizes and a larger average pore size than zein (208.84 vs. 55.43 μm2, respectively). Proof-of-concept cell culture experiments confirmed that mouse fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) and two different prostate cancer cell lines (22RV1, DU145) attached to and proliferated on zein foams. We conducted screening and proof-of-concept experiments on the fabrication of foams from cereal-based bioplastics. We propose that a key indicator of foamability is the strain at break of the materials to be foamed (as calculated from stress vs. strain rate curves). Zein foams exhibit attractive properties (average pore size, pore size distribution, and porosity) for cell culture applications; we were able to establish and sustain mammalian cell cultures on zein foams for extended time periods.

Supercritical CO2 Foaming of Thermoplastic Materials Derived from Maize: Proof-of-Concept Use in Mammalian Cell Culture Applications

PubMed Central

Trujillo-de Santiago, Grissel; Portales-Cabrera, Cynthia Guadalupe; Portillo-Lara, Roberto; Araiz-Hernández, Diana; Del Barone, Maria Cristina; García-López, Erika; Rojas-de Gante, Cecilia; de los Angeles De Santiago-Miramontes, María; Segoviano-Ramírez, Juan Carlos; García-Lara, Silverio; Rodríguez-González, Ciro Ángel; Alvarez, Mario Moisés; Di Maio, Ernesto; Iannace, Salvatore

2015-01-01

Background Foams are high porosity and low density materials. In nature, they are a common architecture. Some of their relevant technological applications include heat and sound insulation, lightweight materials, and tissue engineering scaffolds. Foams derived from natural polymers are particularly attractive for tissue culture due to their biodegradability and bio-compatibility. Here, the foaming potential of an extensive list of materials was assayed, including slabs elaborated from whole flour, the starch component only, or the protein fraction only of maize seeds. Methodology/Principal Findings We used supercritical CO2 to produce foams from thermoplasticized maize derived materials. Polyethylene-glycol, sorbitol/glycerol, or urea/formamide were used as plasticizers. We report expansion ratios, porosities, average pore sizes, pore morphologies, and pore size distributions for these materials. High porosity foams were obtained from zein thermoplasticized with polyethylene glycol, and from starch thermoplasticized with urea/formamide. Zein foams had a higher porosity than starch foams (88% and 85%, respectively) and a narrower and more evenly distributed pore size. Starch foams exhibited a wider span of pore sizes and a larger average pore size than zein (208.84 vs. 55.43 μm2, respectively). Proof-of-concept cell culture experiments confirmed that mouse fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) and two different prostate cancer cell lines (22RV1, DU145) attached to and proliferated on zein foams. Conclusions/Significance We conducted screening and proof-of-concept experiments on the fabrication of foams from cereal-based bioplastics. We propose that a key indicator of foamability is the strain at break of the materials to be foamed (as calculated from stress vs. strain rate curves). Zein foams exhibit attractive properties (average pore size, pore size distribution, and porosity) for cell culture applications; we were able to establish and sustain mammalian cell cultures on zein foams for extended time periods. PMID:25859853

Adsorption site analysis of impurity embedded single-walled carbon nanotube bundles

USGS Publications Warehouse

Agnihotri, S.; Mota, J.P.B.; Rostam-Abadi, M.; Rood, M.J.

2006-01-01

Bundle morphology and adsorptive contributions from nanotubes and impurities are studied both experimentally and by simulation using a computer-aided methodology, which employs a small physisorbed probe molecule to explore the porosity of nanotube samples. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation of nitrogen adsorption on localized sites of a bundle is carried out to predict adsorption in its accessible internal pore volume and on its external surface as a function of tube diameter. External adsorption is split into the contributions from the clean surface of the outermost nanotubes of the bundle and from the surface of the impurities. The site-specific isotherms are then combined into a global isotherm for a given sample using knowledge of its tube-diameter distribution obtained by Raman spectroscopy. The structural parameters of the sample, such as the fraction of open-ended nanotubes and the contributions from impurities and nanotube bundles to total external surface area, are determined by fitting the experimental nitrogen adsorption data to the simulated isotherm. The degree of closure between experimental and calculated adsorption isotherms for samples manufactured by two different methods, to provide different nanotube morphology and contamination level, further strengthens the validity and resulting interpretations based on the proposed approach. The average number of nanotubes per bundle and average bundle size, within a sample, are also quantified. The proposed method allows for extrapolation of adsorption properties to conditions where the purification process is 100% effective at removing all impurities and opening access to all intrabundle adsorption sites. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method of fabrication of supported liquid membranes

DOEpatents

Luebke, David R.; Hong, Lei; Myers, Christina R.

2015-11-17

Method for the fabrication of a supported liquid membrane having a dense layer in contact with a porous layer, and a membrane liquid layer within the interconnected pores of the porous layer. The dense layer is comprised of a solidified material having an average pore size less than or equal to about 0.1 nanometer, while the porous layer is comprised of a plurality of interconnected pores and has an average pore size greater than 10 nanometers. The supported liquid membrane is fabricated through the preparation of a casting solution of a membrane liquid and a volatile solvent. A pressure difference is established across the dense layer and porous layer, the casting solution is applied to the porous layer, and the low viscosity casting solution is drawn toward the dense layer. The volatile solvent is evaporated and the membrane liquid precipitates, generating a membrane liquid layer in close proximity to the dense layer.

Dendrimer-assisted patch-clamp sizing of nuclear pores

PubMed Central

Bustamante, J.O.; Michelette, E.R.F.; Geibel, J.P.; Hanover, J.A.; McDonnell, T.J.; Dean, D.A.

2015-01-01

Macromolecular translocation (MMT) across the nuclear envelope (NE) occurs exclusively through the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Therefore, the diameter of the NPC aqueous/electrolytic channel (NPCC) is important for cellular structure and function. The NPCC diameter was previously determined to be ≅10 nm with electron microscopy (EM) using the translocation of colloidal gold particles. Here we present patch-clamp and fluorescence microscopy data from adult cardiomyocyte nuclei that demonstrate the use of patch-clamp for assessing NPCC diameter. Fluorescence microscopy with B-phycoerythrin (BPE, 240 kDa) conjugated to a nuclear localization signal (NLS) demonstrated that these nuclei were competent for NPC-mediated MMT (NPC-MMT). Furthermore, when exposed to an appropriate cell lysate, the nuclei expressed enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) after 5–10 h of incubation with the plasmid for this protein (pEGFP, 3.1 MDa). Nucleus-attached patch-clamp showed that colloidal gold particles were not useful probes; they modified NPCC gating. As a result of this finding, we searched for an inert class of particles that could be used without irreversibly affecting NPCC gating and found that fluorescently labeled Star-burst dendrimers, a distinct class of polymers, were useful. Our patch-clamp and fluorescence microscopy data with calibrated dendrimers indicate that the cardiomyocyte NPCC diameter varies between 8 and 9 nm. These studies open a new direction in the investigation of live, continuous NPC dynamics under physiological conditions. PMID:10784359

Change of the human taste bud volume over time.

PubMed

Srur, Ehab; Stachs, Oliver; Guthoff, Rudolf; Witt, Martin; Pau, Hans Wilhelm; Just, Tino

2010-08-01

The specific aim of this study is to measure the taste volume in healthy human subjects over a 2.5-month period and to demonstrate morphological changes of the peripheral taste organs. Eighteen human taste buds in four fungiform papillae (fPap) were examined over a 10-week period. The fungiform papillae investigated were selected based on the form of the papillae or the arrangement of surface taste pores. Measurements were performed over 10 consecutive weeks, with five scans in a day once a week. The following parameters were measured: height and diameter of the taste bud, diameter of the fungiform papilla and diameter of the taste pore. The findings of this exploratory study indicated that (1) taste bud volumes changed over a 10-week period, (2) the interval between two volume maxima within the 10-week period was 3-5 weeks, and (3) the diameter of the fPap did not correlate with the volume of a single taste bud or with the volume of all taste buds in the fPap within the 10-week period. This exploratory in vivo study revealed changes in taste bud volumes in healthy humans with age-related gustatory sensitivity. These findings need to be considered when studying the effect of denervation of fungiform papillae in vivo using confocal microscopy. Crown Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ionic transport through sub-10 nm diameter hydrophobic high-aspect ratio nanopores: experiment, theory and simulation

PubMed Central

Balme, Sébastien; Picaud, Fabien; Manghi, Manoel; Palmeri, John; Bechelany, Mikhael; Cabello-Aguilar, Simon; Abou-Chaaya, Adib; Miele, Philippe; Balanzat, Emmanuel; Janot, Jean Marc

2015-01-01

Fundamental understanding of ionic transport at the nanoscale is essential for developing biosensors based on nanopore technology and new generation high-performance nanofiltration membranes for separation and purification applications. We study here ionic transport through single putatively neutral hydrophobic nanopores with high aspect ratio (of length L = 6 μm with diameters ranging from 1 to 10 nm) and with a well controlled cylindrical geometry. We develop a detailed hybrid mesoscopic theoretical approach for the electrolyte conductivity inside nanopores, which considers explicitly ion advection by electro-osmotic flow and possible flow slip at the pore surface. By fitting the experimental conductance data we show that for nanopore diameters greater than 4 nm a constant weak surface charge density of about 10−2 C m−2 needs to be incorporated in the model to account for conductance plateaus of a few pico-siemens at low salt concentrations. For tighter nanopores, our analysis leads to a higher surface charge density, which can be attributed to a modification of ion solvation structure close to the pore surface, as observed in the molecular dynamics simulations we performed. PMID:26036687

Functionalized nanoparticle interactions with polymeric membranes

PubMed Central

Ladner, D.A.; Steele, M.; Weir, A.; Hristovski, K.; Westerhoff, P.

2011-01-01

A series of experiments was performed to measure the retention of a class of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) onporous (microfiltration and ultrafiltration) membranes. The findings impact engineered water and wastewater treatment using membrane technology, characterization and analytical schemes for NP detection, and the use of NPs in waste treatment scenarios. The NPs studied were composed of silver, titanium dioxide, and gold; had organic coatings to yield either positive or negative surface charge; and were between 2 and 10 nm in diameter. NP solutions were applied to polymeric membranes composed of different materials and pore sizes (ranging from ~2 nm [3 kDa molecular weight cutoff] to 0.2 μm). Greater than 99% rejection was observed of positively charged NPs by negatively charged membranes even though pore diameters were up to 20 times the NP diameter; thus, sorption caused rejection. Negatively charged NPs were less well rejected, but behavior was dependant not only on surface functionality but on NP core material (Ag, TiO2, or Au). NP rejection depended more upon NP properties than membrane properties; all of the negatively charged polymeric membranes behaved similarly. The NP-membrane interaction behavior fell into four categories, which are defined and described here. PMID:22177020

Experimental Investigation on Pore Structure Characterization of Concrete Exposed to Water and Chlorides

PubMed Central

Liu, Jun; Tang, Kaifeng; Qiu, Qiwen; Pan, Dong; Lei, Zongru; Xing, Feng

2014-01-01

In this paper, the pore structure characterization of concrete exposed to deionised water and 5% NaCl solution was evaluated using mercury intrusion porosity (MIP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effects of calcium leaching, fly ash incorporation, and chloride ions on the evolution of pore structure characteristics were investigated. The results demonstrate that: (i) in ordinary concrete without any fly ash, the leaching effect of the cement products is more evident than the cement hydration effect. From the experimental data, Ca(OH)2 is leached considerably with the increase in immersion time. The pore structure of concrete can also be affected by the formation of an oriented structure of water in concrete materials; (ii) incorporation of fly ash makes a difference for the performance of concrete submersed in solutions as the total porosity and the pore connectivity can be lower. Especially when the dosage of fly ash is up to 30%, the pores with the diameter of larger than 100 nm show significant decrease. It demonstrates that the pore properties are improved by fly ash, which enhances the resistance against the calcium leaching; (iii) chlorides have a significant impact on microstructure of concrete materials because of the chemical interactions between the chlorides and cement hydrates. PMID:28788204

Sound absorption characteristics of aluminum foam with spherical cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yunjie; Wang, Xinfu; Wang, Xingfu; Ren, Yuelu; Han, Fusheng; Wen, Cuie

2011-12-01

Aluminum foams were fabricated by an infiltration process. The foams possess spherical cells with a fixed porosity of 65% and varied pore sizes which ranged from 1.3 to 1.9 mm. The spherical cells are interconnected by small pores or pore openings on the cell walls that cause the foams show a characteristic of open cell structures. The sound absorption coefficient of the aluminum foams was measured by a standing wave tube and calculated by a transfer function method. It is shown that the sound absorption coefficient increases with an increase in the number of pore openings in the unit area or with a decrease of the diameter of the pore openings in the range of 0.3 to 0.4 mm. If backed with an air cavity, the resonant absorption peaks in the sound absorption coefficient versus frequency curves will be shifted toward lower frequencies as the cavity depth is increased. The samples with the same pore opening size but different pore size show almost the same absorption behavior, especially in the low frequency range. The present results are in good agreement with some theoretical predictions based on the acoustic impedance measurements of metal foams with circular apertures and cylindrical cavities and the principle of electroacoustic analogy.

Solar radiation absorbing material

DOEpatents

Googin, John M.; Schmitt, Charles R.; Schreyer, James M.; Whitehead, Harlan D.

1977-01-01

Solar energy absorbing means in solar collectors are provided by a solar selective carbon surface. A solar selective carbon surface is a microporous carbon surface having pores within the range of 0.2 to 2 micrometers. Such a surface is provided in a microporous carbon article by controlling the pore size. A thermally conductive substrate is provided with a solar selective surface by adhering an array of carbon particles in a suitable binder to the substrate, a majority of said particles having diameters within the range of about 0.2-10 microns.

Rapid and precise scanning helium ion microscope milling of solid-state nanopores for biomolecule detection.

PubMed

Yang, Jijin; Ferranti, David C; Stern, Lewis A; Sanford, Colin A; Huang, Jason; Ren, Zheng; Qin, Lu-Chang; Hall, Adam R

2011-07-15

We report the formation of solid-state nanopores using a scanning helium ion microscope. The fabrication process offers the advantage of high sample throughput along with fine control over nanopore dimensions, producing single pores with diameters below 4 nm. Electronic noise associated with ion transport through the resultant pores is found to be comparable with levels measured on devices made with the established technique of transmission electron microscope milling. We demonstrate the utility of our nanopores for biomolecular analysis by measuring the passage of double-strand DNA.

Dual porosity gas evolving electrode

DOEpatents

Townsend, C.W.

1994-11-15

A dual porosity electrode is described for use in thermoelectrochemical systems where simultaneous transport of gas and liquid into and/or out of the electrode is required. The electrode includes catalytic electrode particles having diameters ranging from about 25 to 100 angstroms. The catalytic electrode particles are anchored to a support network in clusters which have internal pores ranging in size from 25 to 100 angstroms. The pores between the clusters range in size from between about 1 to 20 microns. A method for making the dual porosity electrodes is also disclosed.

Effect of field deposition and pore size on Co/Cu barcode nanowires by electrodeposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Ji Ung; Wu, Jun-Hua; Min, Ji Hyun; Lee, Ju Hun; Liu, Hong-Ling; Kim, Young Keun

2007-03-01

We have studied the effect of an external magnetic field applied during electrodeposition of Co/Cu barcode nanowires in anodic aluminum oxide nanotemplates. The magnetic properties of the barcode nanowires were greatly enhanced for 50 nm pore diameter regardless of segment aspect ratio, but field deposition has little effect on the 200 nm nanowires. The magnetic improvement is correlated with a structural change, attributed to field modification of the growth habit of the barcode nanowires. A mechanism of growth subject to geometric confinement is proposed.

The effects of variations in the number and sequence of targeting signals on nuclear uptake

PubMed Central

1988-01-01

To determine if the number of targeting signals affects the transport of proteins into the nucleus, Xenopus oocytes were injected with colloidal gold particles, ranging in diameter from 20 to 280 A, that were coated with BSA cross-linked with synthetic peptides containing the SV-40 large T-antigen nuclear transport signal. Three BSA conjugate preparations were used; they had an average of 5, 8, and 11 signals per molecule of carrier protein. In addition, large T-antigen, which contains one signal per monomer, was used as a coating agent. The cells were fixed at various times after injection and subsequently analyzed by electron microscopy. Gold particles coated with proteins containing the SV-40 signal entered the nucleus through central channels located within the nuclear pores. Analysis of the intracellular distribution and size of the tracers that entered the nucleus indicated that the number of signals per molecule affect both the relative uptake of particles and the functional size of the channels available for translocation. In control experiments, gold particles coated with BSA or BSA conjugated with inactive peptides similar to the SV-40 transport signal were virtually excluded from the nucleus. Gold particles coated with nucleoplasmin, an endogenous karyophilic protein that contains five targeting signals per molecule, was transported through the nuclear pores more effectively than any of the BSA-peptide conjugates. Based on a correlation between the peri-envelope density of gold particles and their relative uptake, it is suggested that the differences in the activity of the two targeting signals is related to their binding affinity for envelope receptors. It was also determined, by performing coinjection experiments, that individual pores are capable of recognizing and transporting proteins that contain different nuclear targeting signals. PMID:3170630

Thermal characterization of static and dynamical properties of the confined molecular systems interacting through dispersion force.

PubMed

Ramos, Sergio Luis L M; Ogino, Michihiko; Oguni, Masaharu

2015-01-28

We investigated the thermal properties of liquid methylcyclohexane and racemic sec-butylcyclohexane, as representatives of a molecular system with only dispersion-force intermolecular interactions, confined in the pores (thickness/diameter d = 12, 6, 1.1 nm) of silica gels by adiabatic calorimetry. The results imply a heterogeneous picture for molecular aggregate under confinement consisting of an interfacial region and an inner pore one. In the vicinity of a glass-transition temperature T(g,bulk) of bulk liquid, two distinguishable relaxation phenomena were observed for the confined systems and their origins were attributed to the devitrification, namely glass transition, processes of (1) a layer of interfacial molecules adjacent to the pore walls and (2) the molecules located in the middle of the pore. A third glass-transition phenomenon was observed at lower temperatures and ascribed to a secondary relaxation process. The glass transition of the interfacial-layer molecules was found to proceed at temperatures rather above T(g,bulk), whereas that of the molecules located in the inner pore region occurred at temperatures below T(g,bulk). We discuss the reason why the molecules located in different places in the pores reveal the respectively different dynamical properties.

Effects of Coke Calcination Level on Pore Structure in Carbon Anodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Ning; Xue, Jilai; Lang, Guanghui; Bao, Chongai; Gao, Shoulei

2016-02-01

Effects of coke calcination levels on pore structure of carbon anodes have been investigated. Bench anodes were prepared by 3 types of cokes with 4 calcination temperatures (800°C, 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C). The cokes and anodes were characterized using hydrostatic method, air permeability determination, mercury porosimetry, image analysis and confocal microscopy (CSLM). The cokes with different calcination levels are almost the same in LC values (19-20 Å) and real density (1.967-1.985 g/cm3), while the anode containing coke calcined at 900°C has the lowest open porosity and air permeability. Pore size distribution (represented by Anode H sample) can be roughly divided into two ranges: small and medium pores in diameter of 10-400 μm and large pores of 400-580 μm. For the anode containing coke calcined at 800°C, a number of long, narrow pores in the pore size range of 400-580 μm are presented among cokes particles. Formation of these elongated pores may be attributed to coke shrinkages during the anode baking process, which may develop cracking in the anode under cell operations. More small or medium rounded pores with pore size range of 10-400 μm emerge in the anodes with coke calcination temperatures of 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C, which may be generated due to release of volatiles from the carbon anode during baking. For the anode containing coke calcined at 1100°C, it is found that many rounded pores often closely surround large coke particles, which have potential to form elongated, narrow pores.

Absolute molecular sieve separation of ethylene/ethane mixtures with silver zeolite A.

PubMed

Aguado, Sonia; Bergeret, Gérard; Daniel, Cecile; Farrusseng, David

2012-09-12

Absolute ethylene/ethane separation is achieved by ethane exclusion on silver-exchanged zeolite A adsorbent. This molecular sieving type separation is attributed to the pore size of the adsorbent, which falls between ethylene and ethane kinetic diameters.

Effect of pore geometry on the compressibility of a confined simple fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrzanski, Christopher D.; Maximov, Max A.; Gor, Gennady Y.

2018-02-01

Fluids confined in nanopores exhibit properties different from the properties of the same fluids in bulk; among these properties is the isothermal compressibility or elastic modulus. The modulus of a fluid in nanopores can be extracted from ultrasonic experiments or calculated from molecular simulations. Using Monte Carlo simulations in the grand canonical ensemble, we calculated the modulus for liquid argon at its normal boiling point (87.3 K) adsorbed in model silica pores of two different morphologies and various sizes. For spherical pores, for all the pore sizes (diameters) exceeding 2 nm, we obtained a logarithmic dependence of fluid modulus on the vapor pressure. Calculation of the modulus at saturation showed that the modulus of the fluid in spherical pores is a linear function of the reciprocal pore size. The calculation of the modulus of the fluid in cylindrical pores appeared too scattered to make quantitative conclusions. We performed additional simulations at higher temperature (119.6 K), at which Monte Carlo insertions and removals become more efficient. The results of the simulations at higher temperature confirmed both regularities for cylindrical pores and showed quantitative difference between the fluid moduli in pores of different geometries. Both of the observed regularities for the modulus stem from the Tait-Murnaghan equation applied to the confined fluid. Our results, along with the development of the effective medium theories for nanoporous media, set the groundwork for analysis of the experimentally measured elastic properties of fluid-saturated nanoporous materials.

Characterization of the CO2 fluid adsorption in coal as a function of pressure using neutron scattering techniques (SANS and USANS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Melnichenko, Y.B.; Radlinski, A.P.; Mastalerz, Maria; Cheng, G.; Rupp, J.

2009-01-01

Small angle neutron scattering techniques have been applied to investigate the phase behavior of CO2 injected into coal and possible changes in the coal pore structure that may result from this injection. Three coals were selected for this study: the Seelyville coal from the Illinois Basin (Ro = 0.53%), Baralaba coal from the Bowen Basin (Ro = 0.67%), and Bulli 4 coal from the Sydney Basin (Ro = 1.42%). The coals were selected from different depths to represent the range of the underground CO2 conditions (from subcritical to supercritical) which may be realized in the deep subsurface environment. The experiments were conducted in a high pressure cell and CO2 was injected under a range of pressure conditions, including those corresponding to in-situ hydrostatic subsurface conditions for each coal. Our experiments indicate that the porous matrix of all coals remains essentially unchanged after exposure to CO2 at pressures up to 200??bar (1??bar = 105??Pa). Each coal responds differently to the CO2 exposure and this response appears to be different in pores of various sizes within the same coal. For the Seelyville coal at reservoir conditions (16????C, 50??bar), CO2 condenses from a gas into liquid, which leads to increased average fluid density in the pores (??pore) with sizes (r) 1 ?? 105 ??? r ??? 1 ?? 104???? (??pore ??? 0.489??g/cm3) as well as in small pores with size between 30 and 300???? (??pore ??? 0.671??g/cm3). These values are by a factor of three to four higher than the density of bulk CO2 (??CO2) under similar thermodynamic conditions (??CO2 ??? 0.15??g/cm3). At the same time, in the intermediate size pores with r ??? 1000???? the average fluid density is similar to the density of bulk fluid, which indicates that adsorption does not occur in these pores. At in situ conditions for the Baralaba coal (35 OC, 100??bar), the average fluid density of CO2 in all pores is lower than that of the bulk fluid (??pore / ??CO2 ??? 0.6). Neutron scattering from the Bulli 4 coal did not show any significant variation with pressure, a phenomenon which we assign to the extremely small amount of porosity of this coal in the pore size range between 35 and 100,000????. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Effect of Fe- and Si-Enriched Secondary Precipitates and Surface Roughness on Pore Formation on Aluminum Plate Surfaces During Anodizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yuanzhi; Wang, Shizhi; Yang, Qingda; Zhou, Feng

2014-09-01

Two twin roll casts (TRCs) and one hot rolled (HR) AA 1235 aluminum alloy plates with different microstructures are prepared. The plates were electrolyzed in a 1.2 wt% HCl solution with a voltage of 21 V and a current of 1.9 mA. The shape, size, and number of pores formed on the surfaces of these plates were analyzed and correlated with the microstructures of the plates. It is found that pores are easier to form on the alloy plates containing subgrains with a lower dislocation density inside the subgrains, rather than along the grain boundaries. Furthermore, Fe- and Si-enriched particles in the AA1235 aluminum alloys lead to the formation of pores on the surface during electrolyzing; the average precipitate sizes of 4, 3.5, and 2 μm in Alloy 1#, Alloy 2# and Alloy 3# result in the average pore sizes of 3.78, 2.76, and 1.9 μm on the surfaces of the three alloys, respectively; The G.P zone in the alloy also facilitates the surface pore formation. High-surface roughness enhances the possibility of entrapping more lubricants into the plate surface, which eventually blocks the formation of the pores on the surface of the aluminum plates in the following electrolyzing process.

Burnout current density of bismuth nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornelius, T. W.; Picht, O.; Müller, S.; Neumann, R.; Völklein, F.; Karim, S.; Duan, J. L.

2008-05-01

Single bismuth nanowires with diameters ranging from 100nmto1μm were electrochemically deposited in ion track-etched single-pore polycarbonate membranes. The maximum current density the wires are able to carry was investigated by ramping up the current until failure occurred. It increases by three to four orders of magnitude for nanowires embedded in the template compared to bulk bismuth and rises with diminishing diameter. Simulations show that the wires are heated up electrically to the melting temperature. Since the surface-to-volume ratio rises with diminishing diameter, thinner wires dissipate the heat more efficiently to the surrounding polymer matrix and, thus, can tolerate larger current densities.

Effect of sulfuric acid concentration of bentonite and calcination time of pillared bentonite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mara, Ady; Wijaya, Karna; Trisunaryati, Wega; Mudasir

2016-04-01

An activation of natural clay has been developed. Activation was applied by refluxing the natural bentonite in variation of the sulfuric acid concentration and calcination time of pillared bentonite (PLC). Calcination was applied using oven in microwave 2,45 GHz. Determination of acidity was applied by measuring the amount of adsorbed ammonia and pyridine. Morphological, functional groups and chrystanility characterizations were analyzed using SEM, TEM, FTIR and XRD. Porosity was analyzed using SSA. The results showed that the greater of the concentration of sulfuric acid and calcination time was, the greater the acidity of bentonite as well as the pore diameter were. FTIR spectra showed no fundamental changes in the structure of the natural bentonite, SEM, and TEM images were showing an increase in space or field due to pillarization while the XRD patterns showed a shift to a lower peak. Optimization was obtained at a concentration of 2 M of sulfuric acid and calcination time of 20 minutes, keggin ion of 2.2 and suspension of 10 mmol, respectively each amounted to 11.7490 mmol/gram of ammonia and 2.4437 mmol/gram of pyridine with 154.6391 m2/gram for surface area, 0.130470 m3/gram of pore volume and 3.37484 nm of pore diameter.

Fabrication of a Ni nano-imprint stamp for an anti-reflective layer using an anodic aluminum oxide template.

PubMed

Park, Eun-Mi; Lim, Seung-Kyu; Ra, Senug-Hyun; Suh, Su-Jung

2013-11-01

Aluminum anodizing can alter pore diameter, density distribution, periodicity and layer thickness in a controlled way. Because of this property, porous type anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) was used as a template for nano-structure fabrication. The alumina layer generated at a constant voltage increased the pore size from 120 nm to 205 nm according to an increasing process time from 60 min to 150 min. The resulting fabricated AAO templates had pore diameters at or less than 200 nm. Ni was sputtered as a conductive layer onto this AAO template and electroplated using DC and pulse power. Comparing these Ni stamps, those generated from electroplating using on/reverse/off pulsing had an ordered pillar array and maintained the AAO template morphology. This stamp was used for nano-imprinting on UV curable resin coated glass wafer. Surface observations via electron microscopy showed that the nano-imprinted patterned had the same shape as the AAO template. A soft mold was subsequently fabricated and nano-imprinted to form a moth-eye structure on the glass wafer. An analysis of the substrate transmittance using UV-VIS/NIR spectroscopy showed that the transmittance of the substrate with the moth-eye structure was 5% greater that the non-patterned substrate.

Separating attoliter-sized compartments using fluid pore-spanning lipid bilayers.

PubMed

Lazzara, Thomas D; Carnarius, Christian; Kocun, Marta; Janshoff, Andreas; Steinem, Claudia

2011-09-27

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) is a porous material having aligned cylindrical compartments with 55-60 nm diameter pores, and being several micrometers deep. A protocol was developed to generate pore-spanning fluid lipid bilayers separating the attoliter-sized compartments of the nanoporous material from the bulk solution, while preserving the optical transparency of the AAO. The AAO was selectively functionalized by silane chemistry to spread giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) resulting in large continuous membrane patches covering the pores. Formation of fluid single lipid bilayers through GUV rupture could be readily observed by fluorescence microscopy and further supported by conservation of membrane surface area, before and after GUV rupture. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching gave low immobile fractions (5-15%) and lipid diffusion coefficients similar to those found for bilayers on silica. The entrapment of molecules within the porous underlying cylindrical compartments, as well as the exclusion of macromolecules from the nanopores, demonstrate the barrier function of the pore-spanning membranes and could be investigated in three-dimensions using confocal laser scanning fluorescence imaging. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Fabrication of Subnanometer-Precision Nanopores in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbert, S. Matt; Dunn, Gabriel; Azizi, Amin

Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of individual nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with atomically precise control of the pore shape and size. Previous methods of pore production in other 2D materials typically create pores with irregular geometry and imprecise diameters. In contrast, other studies have shown that with careful control of electron irradiation, defects in h-BN grow with pristine zig-zag edges at quantized triangular sizes, but they have failed to demonstrate production and control of isolated defects. In this work, we combine these techniques to yield a method in which we can create individual size-quantized triangular nanopores through anmore » h-BN sheet. The pores are created using the electron beam of a conventional transmission electron microscope; which can strip away multiple layers of h-BN exposing single-layer regions, introduce single vacancies, and preferentially grow vacancies only in the single-layer region. We further demonstrate how the geometry of these pores can be altered beyond triangular by changing beam conditions. Precisely size- and geometry-tuned nanopores could find application in molecular sensing, DNA sequencing, water desalination, and molecular separation.« less

Fabrication of Subnanometer-Precision Nanopores in Hexagonal Boron Nitride

DOE PAGES

Gilbert, S. Matt; Dunn, Gabriel; Azizi, Amin; ...

2017-11-08

Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of individual nanopores in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) with atomically precise control of the pore shape and size. Previous methods of pore production in other 2D materials typically create pores with irregular geometry and imprecise diameters. In contrast, other studies have shown that with careful control of electron irradiation, defects in h-BN grow with pristine zig-zag edges at quantized triangular sizes, but they have failed to demonstrate production and control of isolated defects. In this work, we combine these techniques to yield a method in which we can create individual size-quantized triangular nanopores through anmore » h-BN sheet. The pores are created using the electron beam of a conventional transmission electron microscope; which can strip away multiple layers of h-BN exposing single-layer regions, introduce single vacancies, and preferentially grow vacancies only in the single-layer region. We further demonstrate how the geometry of these pores can be altered beyond triangular by changing beam conditions. Precisely size- and geometry-tuned nanopores could find application in molecular sensing, DNA sequencing, water desalination, and molecular separation.« less

Preparing nano-hole arrays by using porous anodic aluminum oxide nano-structural masks for the enhanced emission from InGaN/GaN blue light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Hoang-Duy; Nguyen, Hieu Pham Trung; Lee, Jae-jin; Mho, Sun-Il

2012-12-01

We report on the achievement of the enhanced cathodoluminescence (CL) from InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by using roughening surface. Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) mask was utilized to form nano-hole arrays on the surface of InGaN/GaN LEDs. AAO membranes with ordered hexagonal structures were fabricated from aluminum foils by a two-step anodization method. The average pore densities of ˜1.0 × 1010 cm-2 and 3.0 × 1010 cm-2 were fabricated with the constant anodization voltages of 25 and 40 V, respectively. Anodic porous alumina film with a thickness of ˜600 nm has been used as a mask for the induced couple plasma etching process to fabricate nano-hole arrays on the LED surface. Diameter and depth of nano-holes can be controlled by varying the etching duration and/or the diameter of AAO membranes. Due to the reduction of total internal reflection obtained in the patterned samples, we have observed that the cathodoluminescence intensity of LEDs with nanoporous structures is increased up to eight times compared to that of samples without using nanoporous structure.

Bulk synthesis of nanoporous palladium and platinum powders

DOEpatents

Robinson, David B [Fremont, CA; Fares, Stephen J [Pleasanton, CA; Tran, Kim L [Livermore, CA; Langham, Mary E [Pleasanton, CA

2012-04-17

Disclosed is a method for providing nanoporous palladium and platinum powders. These materials were synthesized on milligram to gram scales by chemical reduction of tetrahalo-complexes with ascorbate in a concentrated aqueous surfactant at temperatures between -20.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. The prepared particles have diameters of approximately 50 nm, wherein each particle is perforated by pores having diameters of approximately 3 nm, as determined by electron tomography. These materials are of potential value for hydrogen and electrical charge storage applications.

Bulk synthesis of nanoporous palladium and platinum powders

DOEpatents

Robinson, David B; Fares, Stephen J; Tran, Kim L; Langham, Mary E

2014-04-15

Disclosed is a method for providing nanoporous palladium and platinum powders. These materials were synthesized on milligram to gram scales by chemical reduction of tetrahalo-complexes with ascorbate in a concentrated aqueous surfactant at temperatures between -20.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. The prepared particles have diameters of approximately 50 nm, wherein each particle is perforated by pores having diameters of approximately 3 nm, as determined by electron tomography. These materials are of potential value for hydrogen and electrical charge storage applications.

New Observations of Subarcsecond Photospheric Bright Points

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berger, T. E.; Schrijver, C. J.; Shine, R. A.; Tarbell, T. D.; Title, A. M.; Scharmer, G.

1995-01-01

We have used an interference filter centered at 4305 A within the bandhead of the CH radical (the 'G band') and real-time image selection at the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope on La Palma to produce very high contrast images of subarcsecond photospheric bright points at all locations on the solar disk. During the 6 day period of 15-20 Sept. 1993 we observed active region NOAA 7581 from its appearance on the East limb to a near-disk-center position on 20 Sept. A total of 1804 bright points were selected for analysis from the disk center image using feature extraction image processing techniques. The measured FWHM distribution of the bright points in the image is lognormal with a modal value of 220 km (0.30 sec) and an average value of 250 km (0.35 sec). The smallest measured bright point diameter is 120 km (0.17 sec) and the largest is 600 km (O.69 sec). Approximately 60% of the measured bright points are circular (eccentricity approx. 1.0), the average eccentricity is 1.5, and the maximum eccentricity corresponding to filigree in the image is 6.5. The peak contrast of the measured bright points is normally distributed. The contrast distribution variance is much greater than the measurement accuracy, indicating a large spread in intrinsic bright-point contrast. When referenced to an averaged 'quiet-Sun' area in the image, the modal contrast is 29% and the maximum value is 75%; when referenced to an average intergranular lane brightness in the image, the distribution has a modal value of 61% and a maximum of 119%. The bin-averaged contrast of G-band bright points is constant across the entire measured size range. The measured area of the bright points, corrected for pixelation and selection effects, covers about 1.8% of the total image area. Large pores and micropores occupy an additional 2% of the image area, implying a total area fraction of magnetic proxy features in the image of 3.8%. We discuss the implications of this area fraction measurement in the context of previously published measurements which show that typical active region plage has a magnetic filling factor on the order of 10% or greater. The results suggest that in the active region analyzed here, less than 50% of the small-scale magnetic flux tubes are demarcated by visible proxies such as bright points or pores.

Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of type 2 crystalline titanates prepared with supercritical drying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Adwani, Hamad A. H.

Supercritically dried silico-alumino-titanate (Si-Al-Ti) mixed oxides (T2CT) were successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method with hydrothermal synthesis temperatures less than 200°C and autogenic pressure. High-surface-area T2CT aerogels with meso- to macroporosity were obtained. All solid products, after calcination at 450°C, are semicrystalline. In addition, successful scale-up of T2CT synthesis in a one-gallon reactor yielding 500 g was achieved. Surface areas, pore volumes, and average pore diameters are greatly influenced by the drying method. Supercritical drying had no effect on the crystalline or molecular structure of the materials. The synthesized materials were characterized by means of nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis, and diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy. The addition of different amounts of phosphorous and antimony affected neither the textural nor the structural aspects of T2CT. However, a decrease in surface area occurred. The catalytic activity of these materials was evaluated after being loaded with nickel and molybdenum by the incipient wetness method. Cyclohexene hydrogenation and thiophene hydrodesulfurization reactions are used in the catalytic activity study. The activities of some of the catalyst prepared in this study are in the same range as the commercial catalyst, Shell 324, but with lower metal loadings than the commercial catalysts. Thus, more efficient use of Mo and Ni was observed.

Exploiting β-Cyclodextrin in Molecular Imprinting for Achieving Recognition of Benzylparaben in Aqueous Media

PubMed Central

Asman, Saliza; Mohamad, Sharifah; Muhamad Sarih, Norazilawati

2015-01-01

The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based on methacrylic acid functionalized β-cyclodextrin (MAA-β-CD) monomer was synthesized for the purpose of selective recognition of benzylparaben (BzP). The MAA-β-CD monomer was produced by bridging a methacrylic acid (MAA) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) using toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI) by reacting the –OH group of MAA and one of the primary –OH groups of β-CD. This monomer comprised of triple interactions that included an inclusion complex, π–π interaction, and hydrogen bonding. To demonstrate β-CD performance in MIPs, two MIPs were prepared; molecularly imprinted polymer-methacrylic acid functionalized β-cyclodextrin, MIP(MAA-β-CD), and molecularly imprinted polymer-methacrylic acid, MIP(MAA); both prepared by a reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) in the bulk polymerization process. Both MIPs were characterized using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The presence of β-CD not only influenced the morphological structure, it also affected the specific surface area, average pore diameter, and total pore volume of the MIP. The rebinding of the imprinting effect was evaluated in binding experiments, which proved that the β-CD contributed significantly to the enhancement of the recognition affinity and selective adsorption of the MIP. PMID:25667978

The fabrication and characterization of barium titanate/akermanite nano-bio-ceramic with a suitable piezoelectric coefficient for bone defect recovery.

PubMed

Shokrollahi, H; Salimi, F; Doostmohammadi, A

2017-10-01

In recent years, due to the controllable mechanical properties and degradation rate, calcium silicates such as akermanite (Ca 2 MgSi 2 O 7 ) with Ca-Mg and Si- containing bio-ceramics have received much more attention. In addition, the piezoelectric effect plays an important role in bone growth, remodeling and defect healing. To achieve our objective, the porous bioactive nano-composite with a suitable piezoelectric coefficient was fabricated by the freeze-casting technique from the barium titanate and nano-akermanite (BT/nAK) suspension. The highest d 33 of 4pC/N was obtained for BT90/nAK10. The compressive strength and porosity were for BT75/nAK25 and BT60/nAK40 at the highest level, respectively. The average pore channel diameter was 41 for BT75/nAK25. Interestingly enough, the inter-connected pore channel was observed in the SEM images. There was no detectable transformation phase in the XRD pattern for the BT/nAK composites. The manipulation flexibility of this method indicated the potential for the customized needs in the application of bone substitutes. An ((3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)) MTT assay indicated that the obtained scaffolds have no cytotoxic effects on the human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimization of the contents of hollow glass microsphere and sodium hexametaphosphate for glass fiber vacuum insulation panel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C. D.; Chen, Z. F.; Zhou, J. M.

2016-07-01

In this paper, various additive amounts of hollow glass microspheres (HGMs) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) powders were blended with flame attenuated glass wool (FAGW) to form hybrid core materials (HCMs) through the wet method. Among them, the SHMP was dissolved in the glass fiber suspension and coated on the surface of glass fibers while the HGMs were insoluble in the glass fiber suspension and filled in the fiber-fiber pores. The average pore diameter of the FAGW/HGM HCMs was 8-11 μm which was near the same as that of flame attenuated glass fiber mats (FAGMs, i.e., 10.5 µm). The tensile strength of the SHMP coated FAGMs was enhanced from 160 N/m to 370 N/m when SHMP content increased from 0 wt.% to 0.2 wt.%. By contrast, the tensile strength of the FAGW/HGM HCMs decreased from 160 N/m to 40 N/m when HGM content increased from 0 wt.% to 50 wt.%. Both the FAGW/HGM HCMs and SHMP coated FAGMs were vacuumed completely to form vacuum insulation panels (VIPs). The results showed that both the addition of SHMP and HGM led a slight increase in the thermal conductivity of the corresponding VIPs. To obtain a high-quality VIP, the optimal SHMP content and HGM content in glass fiber suspension was 0.12-0.2 wt.% and 0 wt.%.

Thermosensitive block copolymer [(PNIPAM)-b-(Glycine)] thin film as protective layer for drug loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amgoth, Chander; Joshi, Suman

2017-10-01

Synthesis and characterization of [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)] and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MP-SiO2 NPs) were carried out separately and used to develop [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)]-(MP-SiO2 NPs). The synthesized MP-SiO2 NPs were meso porous in nature. The size of SiO2 NPs is in the range of ~180-250 nm (in diameter) with an average pore size of 2.8 nm within the particles. Interestingly, these mesoporous SiO2 NPs were loaded with anticancer drug (ITM-imatinib mesylate) fallow by the incubation for 24 h at RT. However, ITM loaded MP-SiO2 NPs were capped or covered with synthesized [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)] thin film. Here, thin film acts as protective layer for drug loaded MP-SiO2 NPs, with that leakage of drug molecules throughout its transport pathway can be avoided. Significantly, thermosensitive [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)] polymer thin film depletes at body temperature (~37 °C) and drug molecules come out from the pores of SiO2 NPs. However, developed [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)]-(MP-SiO2 NPs) is compatible and used for cell inhibition studies. After 24 h treatment, drug ITM released from [(PNIPAM)-b-(Gly)]-(MP-SiO2 NPs) shows significant (>90%) inhibition on leukemia blood cancer (K562) cells.

KOH-based porous carbon from date palm seed: preparation, characterization, and application to phenol adsorption.

PubMed

Suresh Kumar Reddy, K; Kannan, Pravin; Al Shoaibi, Ahmed; Srinivasakannan, C

2014-01-01

The date palm seed being one of the major forms of biomass produced from the date industry in UAE, its potential to be an appropriate precursor for the preparation of porous carbon utilizing KOH as an activating agent is assessed in the present work. The porous carbon is prepared at an activation temperature of 600 °C, impregnation ratio of 2, and activation duration of 1 hour, in an inert atmosphere using a conventional horizontal furnace. The resultant porous carbon has a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 892 m(2)/g, pore volume of 0.45 cm(3)/g, and an average pore diameter of 1.97 nm. This porous carbon was used for adsorption studies at different initial concentrations (100-400 mg/l) and temperatures (30-50 °C). The adsorption isotherm parameters for the Langmuir and Freundlich models were determined using experimental adsorption data and it was found that both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms described well the adsorption behavior of phenol on porous carbon. The mono layer adsorption capacity was observed to be 333 mg/g, which is highest for the reported date pam seed biomass-based porous carbon. From the data obtained, it was concluded that the removal of phenol from aqueous solution by porous carbon prepared from data palm seed is a low-cost process with an extremely high performance.

Incorporation of zinc for fabrication of low-cost spinel-based composite ceramic membrane support to achieve its stabilization.

PubMed

Li, Lingling; Dong, Xinfa; Dong, Yingchao; Zhu, Li; You, Sheng-Jie; Wang, Ya-Fen

2015-04-28

In order to reduce environment risk of zinc, a spinel-based porous membrane support was prepared by the high-temperature reaction of zinc and bauxite mineral. The phase evolution process, shrinkage, porosity, mechanical property, pore size distribution, gas permeation flux and microstructure were systematically studied. The XRD results, based on a Zn/Al stoichiometric composition of 1/2, show a formation of ZnAl2O4 structure starting from 1000°C and then accomplished at 1300°C. For spinel-based composite membrane, shrinkage and porosity are mainly influenced by a combination of an expansion induced by ZnAl2O4 formation and a general densification due to amorphous liquid SiO2. The highest porosity, as high as 44%, is observed in ZnAl4 membrane support among all the investigated compositions. Compared with pure bauxite (Al), ZnAl4 composite membrane support is reinforced by ZnAl2O4 phase and inter-locked mullite crystals, which is proved by the empirical strength-porosity relationships. Also, an increase in average pore diameter and gas flux can be observed in ZnAl4. A prolonged leaching experiment reveals the zinc can be successfully incorporated into ceramic membrane support via formation of ZnAl2O4, which has substantially better resistance toward acidic attack. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Water treatment with exceptional virus inactivation using activated carbon modified with silver (Ag) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles.

PubMed

Shimabuku, Quelen Letícia; Arakawa, Flávia Sayuri; Fernandes Silva, Marcela; Ferri Coldebella, Priscila; Ueda-Nakamura, Tânia; Fagundes-Klen, Márcia Regina; Bergamasco, Rosangela

2017-08-01

Continuous flow experiments (450 mL min -1 ) were performed in household filter in order to investigate the removal and/or inactivation of T4 bacteriophage, using granular activated carbon (GAC) modified with silver and/or copper oxide nanoparticles at different concentrations. GAC and modified GAC were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, specific surface area, pore size and volume, pore average diameter, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The antiviral activity of the produced porous media was evaluated by passing suspensions of T4 bacteriophage (∼10 5  UFP/mL) through filters. The filtered water was analyzed for the presence of the bacteriophage and the release of silver and copper oxide. The porous media containing silver and copper oxide nanoparticles showed high inactivation capacity, even reaching reductions higher than 3 log. GAC6 (GAC/Ag0.5%Cu1.0%) was effective in the bacteriophage inactivation, reaching 5.53 log reduction. The levels of silver and copper released in filtered water were below the recommended limits (100 ppb for silver and 1000 ppb for copper) in drinking water. From this study, it is possible to conclude that activated carbon modified with silver and copper oxide nanoparticles can be used as a filter for virus removal in the treatment of drinking water.

Development of carbon dioxide adsorbent from rice husk char

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abang, S.; Janaun, J.; Anisuzzaman, S. M.; Ikhwan, F. S.

2016-06-01

This study was mainly concerned about the development of carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorbent from rice husk (RH). Several chemical treatments were used to produce activated rice husk char (RHAC) from RH. Initially the RH was refluxed with 3M of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, activation followed by using 0.5M of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) solution and finally acidic treatment by using 0.1M of hydrochloric acid (HCl). Then, the RHAC was functionalized by using 3-chloropropylamine hydrochloride (3-CPA) and noted as RHN. RHN samples were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Based on the SEM, the RHN sample had a large pore diameter compared to RH sample after being treated. Based on MIP data, the average pore diameter between RH and RHAC samples were increased significantly from 0.928 microns to 1.017 microns. The RHN sample also had higher total porosity (%) compared to RHAC and RH (58.45%, 47.82% and 45.57% respectively). The total specific surface area of the sample was much increasing from RHO to RHAC (29.17 m2/g and 62.94 m2/g respectively) and slightly being decreasing from RHAC to RHN (58.88 m2/g). FTIR result showed the present of weak band at 1587 cm-1 which demonstrating of the amine group present on the sample. The CO2 capture result showed that the decreasing of operating temperature can increase the breakthrough time of CO2 capture. On the contrary decreasing of CO2 gas flow rate can increase the breakthrough time of CO2 capture. The highest total amount of CO2 adsorbed was 25338.57 mg of CO2/g of RHN sample by using 100 mL/min of gas flow rate at 30oC. Based on adsorption isotherm analysis, the Freundlich isotherm was the best isotherm to describe the CO2 adsorption on the sample.