Sample records for impacts involving porous

  1. Numerical simulations of impacts involving porous bodies. II. Comparison with laboratory experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jutzi, Martin; Michel, Patrick; Hiraoka, Kensuke; Nakamura, Akiko M.; Benz, Willy

    2009-06-01

    In this paper, we compare the outcome of high-velocity impact experiments on porous targets, composed of pumice, with the results of simulations by a 3D SPH hydrocode in which a porosity model has been implemented. The different populations of small bodies of our Solar System are believed to be composed, at least partially, of objects with a high degree of porosity. To describe the fragmentation of such porous objects, a different model is needed than that used for non-porous bodies. In the case of porous bodies, the impact process is not only driven by the presence of cracks which propagate when a stress threshold is reached, it is also influenced by the crushing of pores and compaction. Such processes can greatly affect the whole body's response to an impact. Therefore, another physical model is necessary to improve our understanding of the collisional process involving porous bodies. Such a model has been developed recently and introduced successfully in a 3D SPH hydrocode [Jutzi, M., Benz, W., Michel, P., 2008. Icarus 198, 242-255]. Basic tests have been performed which already showed that it is implemented in a consistent way and that theoretical solutions are well reproduced. However, its full validation requires that it is also capable of reproducing the results of real laboratory impact experiments. Here we present simulations of laboratory experiments on pumice targets for which several of the main material properties have been measured. We show that using the measured material properties and keeping the remaining free parameters fixed, our numerical model is able to reproduce the outcome of these experiments carried out under different impact conditions. This first complete validation of our model, which will be tested for other porous materials in the future, allows us to start addressing problems at larger scale related to small bodies of our Solar System, such as collisions in the Kuiper Belt or the formation of a family by the disruption of a porous

  2. Impacts into porous asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Housen, Kevin R.; Sweet, William J.; Holsapple, Keith A.

    2018-01-01

    Many small bodies in the solar system have bulk density well below the solid density of the constituent mineral grains in their meteorite counterparts. Those low-density bodies undoubtedly have significant porosity, which is a key factor that affects the formation of impact craters. This paper summarizes the results of lab experiments in which materials with porosity ranging from 43% to 96% were impacted at ∼1800 m/s. The experiments were performed on a geotechnical centrifuge, in order to reproduce the lithostatic overburden stress and ejecta ballistics that occur in large-scale cratering events on asteroids or planetary satellites. Experiments performed at various accelerations, up to 514G, simulate the outcomes of impacts at size scales up to several tens of km in diameter. Our experiments show that an impact into a highly porous cohesionless material generates a large ovoid-shaped cavity, due to crushing by the outgoing shock. The cavity opens up to form a transient crater that grows until the material flow is arrested by gravity. The cavity then collapses to form the final crater. During collapse, finely crushed material that lines the cavity wall is carried down and collected in a localized region below the final crater floor. At large simulated sizes (high accelerations), most of the crater volume is formed by compaction, because growth of the transient crater is quickly arrested. Nearly all ejected material falls back into the crater, leaving the crater without an ejecta blanket. We find that such compaction cratering and suppression of the ejecta blankets occur for large craters on porous bodies when the ratio of the lithostatic stress at one crater depth to the crush strength of the target exceeds ∼0.005. The results are used to identify small solar system bodies on which compaction cratering likely occurs. A model is developed that gives the crater size and ejecta mass that would result for a specified impact into a porous object.

  3. Experimental study on impact disruption of porous asteroids: Effects of oblique impact and multiple collisions on impact strength

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasui, Minami; Takano, Shota; Matsue, Kazuma; Arakawa, Masahiko

    2015-08-01

    Most of asteroids would have pores and a plenty of pre-cracks in their interiors, and the pre-cracks could be formed by multiple impacts at various impact angles. Porosity and pre-cracks are important physical properties controlling the impact strength. Okamoto and Arakawa (2009) did impact experiments of porous gypsum spheres to obtain the impact strength of porous asteroids, but they carried out only single impact experiments on the same target at head-on. In this study, we conducted oblique impact and multiple impacts on porous gypsum and examined the effects of impact angle and pre-cracks on the impact strength.We carried out impact experiments by using the one-stage He gas gun and the two-stage H2 gas gun at Kobe University. The impact velocities were <200 m/s (low-vi) and >3 km/s (high-vi). Targets were porous gypsum spheres with the porosity of 55% and the diameters of 7 or 12 cm. The projectiles were a porous gypsum sphere with the diameter of 2.5 cm at low-vi or a polycarbonate sphere with the diameter of 4.7 cm at high-vi. The impact angle changed from 15° to 90°, and the projectile was impacted on the same target for 2-15 times. The impact phenomena were observed by a high-speed digital video camera to measure the fragment velocities.The oblique impact experiments showed that the impact strength did not depend on the impact angle θ between 45° and 90°, and obtained to be ~2000 J/kg, while it drastically changed at the θ from 15° to 30°. We reanalyzed our results by using the effective energy density defined as Qsin2θ, where Q is the energy density, and found that most of the results were consistent with the results of head-on impacts. The multiple impacts showed that the impact strength of pre-impacted targets was larger than that of intact targets in the case of low-vi. This might be caused by the compaction of the target surface. In the case of high-vi, the impact strength of pre-impacted targets was smaller than that of intact targets. This

  4. Impaction durability of porous polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) and titanium-coated PEEK interbody fusion devices.

    PubMed

    Torstrick, F Brennan; Klosterhoff, Brett S; Westerlund, L Erik; Foley, Kevin T; Gochuico, Joanna; Lee, Christopher S D; Gall, Ken; Safranski, David L

    2018-05-01

    Various surface modifications, often incorporating roughened or porous surfaces, have recently been introduced to enhance osseointegration of interbody fusion devices. However, these topographical features can be vulnerable to damage during clinical impaction. Despite the potential negative impact of surface damage on clinical outcomes, current testing standards do not replicate clinically relevant impaction loading conditions. The purpose of this study was to compare the impaction durability of conventional smooth polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) cervical interbody fusion devices with two surface-modified PEEK devices that feature either a porous structure or plasma-sprayed titanium coating. A recently developed biomechanical test method was adapted to simulate clinically relevant impaction loading conditions during cervical interbody fusion procedures. Three cervical interbody fusion devices were used in this study: smooth PEEK, plasma-sprayed titanium-coated PEEK, and porous PEEK (n=6). Following Kienle et al., devices were impacted between two polyurethane blocks mimicking vertebral bodies under a constant 200 N preload. The posterior tip of the device was placed at the entrance between the polyurethane blocks, and a guided 1-lb weight was impacted upon the anterior face with a maximum speed of 2.6 m/s to represent the strike force of a surgical mallet. Impacts were repeated until the device was fully impacted. Porous PEEK durability was assessed using micro-computed tomography (µCT) pre- and postimpaction. Titanium-coating coverage pre- and postimpaction was assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Changes to the surface roughness of smooth and titanium-coated devices were also evaluated. Porous PEEK and smooth PEEK devices showed minimal macroscopic signs of surface damage, whereas the titanium-coated devices exhibited substantial visible coating loss. Quantification of the porous PEEK deformation

  5. Protective Effectiveness of Porous Shields Under the Influence of High-Speed Impact Loading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kramshonkov, E. N.; Krainov, A. V.; Shorohov, P. V.

    2016-02-01

    The results of numerical simulations of a compact steel impactor with the aluminum porous shields under high-speed shock loading are presented. The porosity of barrier varies in wide range provided that its mass stays the same, but the impactor has always equal (identical) mass. Here presented the final assessment of the barrier perforation speed depending on its porosity and initial shock speed. The range of initial impact speed varies from 1 to 10 km/s. Physical phenomena such as: destruction, melting, vaporization of a interacting objects are taken into account. The analysis of a shield porosity estimation disclosed that the protection effectiveness of porous shield reveals at the initial impact speed grater then 1.5 km/s, and it increases when initial impact speed growth.

  6. Perspectives on Porous Media MR in Clinical MRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sigmund, E. E.

    2011-03-01

    Many goals and challenges of research in natural or synthetic porous media are mirrored in quantitative medical MRI. This review will describe examples where MR techniques used in porous media (particularly diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)) are applied to physiological pathologies. Tissue microstructure is one area with great overlap with porous media science. Diffusion-weighting (esp. in neurological tissue) has motivated models with explicit physical dimensions, statistical parameters, empirical descriptors, or hybrids thereof. Another clinically relevant microscopic process is active flow. Renal (kidney) tissue possesses significant active vascular / tubular transport that manifests as "pseudodiffusion." Cancerous lesions involve anomalies in both structure and flow. The tools of magnetic resonance and their interpretation in porous media has had great impact on clinical MRI, and continued cross-fertilization of ideas can only enhance the progress of both fields.

  7. Impact of pore size variability and network coupling on electrokinetic transport in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alizadeh, Shima; Bazant, Martin Z.; Mani, Ali

    2016-11-01

    We have developed and validated an efficient and robust computational model to study the coupled fluid and ion transport through electrokinetic porous media, which are exposed to external gradients of pressure, electric potential, and concentration. In our approach a porous media is modeled as a network of many pores through which the transport is described by the coupled Poisson-Nernst-Planck-Stokes equations. When the pore sizes are random, the interactions between various modes of transport may provoke complexities such as concentration polarization shocks and internal flow circulations. These phenomena impact mixing and transport in various systems including deionization and filtration systems, supercapacitors, and lab-on-a-chip devices. In this work, we present simulations of massive networks of pores and we demonstrate the impact of pore size variation, and pore-pore coupling on the overall electrokinetic transport in porous media.

  8. Scaling impact and shock-compression response for porous materials: Application to planetary formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeanloz, R.

    2016-12-01

    A thermodynamic model based on the Mie-Grüneisen equation of state does a good job of describing the response of porous materials to impact, so can provide insights into the accretion and cohesion of planetesimals too small to be significantly held together by gravity (e.g., tens of km or less in average diameter). The model identifies an offset in Hugoniot pressure (ΔPH) due to porosity that is found to be in agreement with experimental shock-compression measurements for samples having a wide range of initial porosities. Assuming the Grüneisen parameter (γ) is proportional to volume (γ/V = constant), the relative offset in Hugoniot pressure as a function of initial porosity (φ = 1 - V0/V0por) and compression (η = 1 - V/V0) is ΔPH/PH = γ0 φ/[2(1 - φ) - γ0 (φ + η(1 - φ))] where subscripts 0 and por represent zero-pressure (non-porous) conditions and a porous sample, respectively. This additional thermal pressure at a given volume is due to the extra internal energy and corresponding temperature increase associated with collapsing pores (Fig. 1: near-identical curves for φ = 0.001 and 0.01). This result can be interpreted as indicating that upon collapse individual pores create hot spots with temperatures of order 103-104K above the background, suggesting that impact into an initially porous target can result in cohesion due to partial melting and vaporization. Moreover, the waste heat associated with pore closure far exceeds the dissipation in shock loading of non-porous material, reflecting the ability of a porous target to absorb and dissipate impact energy. The Mie-Grüneisen model along with analysis of waste heat thus provides a scaling for planetesimal impact that might explain how rock and regolith accrete into a gravitationally bound planet. Fig. 1. Porosity-induced anomaly in Hugoniot temperature per unit of porosity, shown as a function of compression for samples with initial porosity φ = 0.001 (green), 0.01 (blue) and 0.1 (gold) assuming

  9. Using bacterial bioluminescence to evaluate the impact of biofilm on porous media hydraulic properties.

    PubMed

    Bozorg, Ali; Gates, Ian D; Sen, Arindom

    2015-02-01

    Biofilm formation in natural and engineered porous systems can significantly impact hydrodynamics by reducing porosity and permeability. To better understand and characterize how biofilms influence hydrodynamic properties in porous systems, the genetically engineered bioluminescent bacterial strain Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 was used to quantify microbial population characteristics and biofilm properties in a translucent porous medium. Power law relationships were found to exist between bacterial bioluminescence and cell density, fraction of void space occupied by biofilm (i.e. biofilm saturation), and hydraulic conductivity. The simultaneous evaluation of biofilm saturation and porous medium hydraulic conductivity in real time using a non-destructive approach enabled the construction of relative hydraulic conductivity curves. Such information can facilitate simulation studies related to biological activity in porous structures, and support the development of new models to describe the dynamic behavior of biofilm and fluid flow in porous media. The bioluminescence based approach described here will allow for improved understanding and control of industrially relevant processes such as biofiltration and bioremediation. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Impact cratering on porous targets in the strength regime

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Akiko M.

    2017-12-01

    Cratering on small bodies is crucial for the collision cascade and also contributes to the ejection of dust particles into interplanetary space. A crater cavity forms against the mechanical strength of the surface, gravitational acceleration, or both. The formation of moderately sized craters that are sufficiently larger than the thickness of the regolith on small bodies, in which mechanical strength plays the dominant role rather than gravitational acceleration, is in the strength regime. The formation of microcraters on blocks on the surface is also within the strength regime. On the other hand, the formation of a crater of a size comparable to the thickness of the regolith is affected by both gravitational acceleration and cohesion between regolith particles. In this short review, we compile data from the literature pertaining to impact cratering experiments on porous targets, and summarize the ratio of spall diameter to pit diameter, the depth, diameter, and volume of the crater cavity, and the ratio of depth to diameter. Among targets with various porosities studied in the laboratory to date, based on conventional scaling laws (Holsapple and Schmidt, J. Geophys. Res., 87, 1849-1870, 1982) the cratering efficiency obtained for porous sedimentary rocks (Suzuki et al., J. Geophys. Res. 117, E08012, 2012) is intermediate. A comparison with microcraters formed on a glass target with impact velocities up to 14 km s-1 indicates a different dependence of cratering efficiency and depth-to-diameter ratio on impact velocity.

  11. Collisional disruption of porous weak sintered targets at low impact velocity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Setoh, M.; Nakamura, A. M.; Hirata, N.; Hiraoka, K.; Arakawa, M.

    Porous structure is common in asteroids and satellites of outer planets In order to study the relation between structure of the small bodies and their thermal and collisional evolution we prepared porous sintered targets measured the compressive strength and determined their impact strength Previous studies showed using sintered glass beads Love et al 1993 the targets with higher compressive strength have higher impact strength and the targets with higher porosity have higher impact strength However in these experiments the porosity of the targets were changed according to the compressive strength Therefore we fixed the porosity while the compressive strength was varied Our experiments were performed with low impact velocity condition because low impact velocities are common among icy bodies far from the Earth We sintered soda lime glass beads of 50 micron diameter and 2 5g cm -3 nominal density at various temperatures and durations to produce targets with similar porosity sim 40 and different compressive strength 0 2 sim 7 8MPa We performed impact disruption experiments using a low velocity light-gas gun at Kobe University sim 100m s We used cylindrical polycarbonate projectiles 1 5 cm in height and 1 0 cm in diameter We determined the specific energy J kg of projectile kinetic energy per kilo gram initial target mass for the condition that the largest fragment mass being the half of the initial target mass is the threshold energy for collisional disruption Q Fujiwara et al 1989 Holsapple et al

  12. Antipodal fragment velocities for porous and weak targets at catastrophic impacts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yanagisawa, M.; Itoi, T.

    1993-01-01

    Mortar, porous alumina, and sand targets, which were spherical in shape and from 11 to 15 cm in diameter, were impacted normally by plastic (polycarbonate) projectiles of nearly 1 g in mass at velocities about 6 km/s. Fragment velocity at the antipole of impact site (antipodal velocity, V(sub a)), for each experiment, was obtained from two Flash X-ray images recorded prior to and at predetermined delayed time after impact event. It has been revealed that the velocities for the same E/M(sub t) (impact energy divided by target mass) depend strongly on target material, and differ about an order of magnitude between the sand and basalt.

  13. Antipodal fragment velocities for porous and weak targets at catastrophic impacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanagisawa, M.; Itoi, T.

    1993-03-01

    Mortar, porous alumina, and sand targets, which were spherical in shape and from 11 to 15 cm in diameter, were impacted normally by plastic (polycarbonate) projectiles of nearly 1 g in mass at velocities about 6 km/s. Fragment velocity at the antipole of impact site (antipodal velocity, V(sub a)), for each experiment, was obtained from two Flash X-ray images recorded prior to and at predetermined delayed time after impact event. It has been revealed that the velocities for the same E/M(sub t) (impact energy divided by target mass) depend strongly on target material, and differ about an order of magnitude between the sand and basalt.

  14. Optical performance of hybrid porous silicon-porous alumina multilayers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cencha, L. G.; Antonio Hernández, C.; Forzani, L.; Urteaga, R.; Koropecki, R. R.

    2018-05-01

    In this work, we study the optical response of structures involving porous silicon and porous alumina in a multi-layered hybrid structure. We performed a rational design of the optimal sequence necessary to produce a high transmission and selective filter, with potential applications in chemical and biosensors. The combination of these porous materials can be used to exploit its distinguishing features, i.e., high transparency of alumina and high refractive index of porous silicon. We assembled hybrid microcavities with a central porous alumina layer between two porous silicon Bragg reflectors. In this way, we constructed a Fabry-Perot resonator with high reflectivity and low absorption that improves the quality of the filter compared to a microcavity built only with porous silicon or porous alumina. We explored a simpler design in which one of the Bragg reflectors is replaced by the aluminium that remains bound to the alumina after its fabrication. We theoretically explored the potential of the proposal and its limitations when considering the roughness of the layers. We found that the quality of a microcavity made entirely with porous silicon shows a limit in the visible range due to light absorption. This limitation is overcome in the hybrid scheme, with the roughness of the layers determining the ultimate quality. Q-factors of 220 are experimentally obtained for microcavities supported on aluminium, while Q-factors around 600 are reached for microcavities with double Bragg reflectors, centred at 560 nm. This represents a four-fold increase with respect to the optimal porous silicon microcavity at this wavelength.

  15. Effectiveness of low impact development practices in two urbanized watersheds: retrofitting with rain barrel/cistern and porous pavement.

    PubMed

    Ahiablame, Laurent M; Engel, Bernard A; Chaubey, Indrajeet

    2013-04-15

    The impacts of urbanization on hydrology and water quality can be minimized with the use of low impact development (LID) practices in urban areas. This study assessed the performance of rain barrel/cistern and porous pavement as retrofitting technologies in two urbanized watersheds of 70 and 40 km(2) near Indianapolis, Indiana. Six scenarios consisting of the watershed existing condition, 25% and 50% implementation of rain barrel/cistern and porous pavement, and 25% rain barrel/cistern combined with 25% porous pavement were evaluated using a proposed LID modeling framework and the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA)-LID model. The model was calibrated for annual runoff from 1991 to 2000, and validated from 2001 to 2010 for the two watersheds. For the calibration period, R(2) and NSE values were greater than 0.60 and 0.50 for annual runoff and streamflow. Baseflow was not calibrated in this study. During the validation period, R(2) and NSE values were greater than 0.50 for runoff and streamflow, and 0.30 for baseflow in the two watersheds. The various application levels of barrel/cistern and porous pavement resulted in 2-12% reduction in runoff and pollutant loads for the two watersheds. Baseflow loads slightly increased with increase in baseflow by more than 1%. However, reduction in runoff led to reduction in total streamflow and associated pollutant loads by 1-9% in the watersheds. The results also indicate that the application of 50% rain barrel/cistern, 50% porous pavement and 25% rain barrel/cistern combined with 25% porous pavement are good retrofitting options in these watersheds. The L-THIA-LID model can be used to inform management and decision-making for implementation of LID practices at the watershed scale. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. The impact of capillary backpressure on spontaneous counter-current imbibition in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foley, Amir Y.; Nooruddin, Hasan A.; Blunt, Martin J.

    2017-09-01

    We investigate the impact of capillary backpressure on spontaneous counter-current imbibition. For such displacements in strongly water-wet systems, the non-wetting phase is forced out through the inlet boundary as the wetting phase imbibes into the rock, creating a finite capillary backpressure. Under the assumption that capillary backpressure depends on the water saturation applied at the inlet boundary of the porous medium, its impact is determined using the continuum modelling approach by varying the imposed inlet saturation in the analytical solution. We present analytical solutions for the one-dimensional incompressible horizontal displacement of a non-wetting phase by a wetting phase in a porous medium. There exists an inlet saturation value above which any change in capillary backpressure has a negligible impact on the solutions. Above this threshold value, imbibition rates and front positions are largely invariant. A method for identifying this inlet saturation is proposed using an analytical procedure and we explore how varying multiphase flow properties affects the analytical solutions and this threshold saturation. We show the value of this analytical approach through the analysis of previously published experimental data.

  17. Hypervelocity impacts on asteroids and momentum transfer I. Numerical simulations using porous targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jutzi, Martin; Michel, Patrick

    2014-02-01

    In this paper, we investigate numerically the momentum transferred by impacts of small (artificial) projectiles on asteroids. The study of the momentum transfer efficiency as a function of impact conditions and of the internal structure of an asteroid is crucial for performance assessment of the kinetic impactor concept of deflecting an asteroid from its trajectory. The momentum transfer is characterized by the so-called momentum multiplication factor β, which has been introduced to define the momentum imparted to an asteroid in terms of the momentum of the impactor. Here we present results of code calculations of the β factor for porous targets, in which porosity takes the form of microporosity and/or macroporosity. The results of our study using a large range of impact conditions indicate that the momentum multiplication factor β is small for porous targets even for very high impact velocities (β<2 for vimp⩽15 km/s), which is consistent with published scaling laws and results of laboratory experiments (Holsapple, K.A., Housen, K.R. [2012]. Icarus 221, 875-887; Holsapple, K.A., Housen, K.R. [2013]. Proceedings of the IAA Planetary Defense Conference 2013, Flagstaff, USA). It is found that both porosity and strength can have a large effect on the amount of transferred momentum and on the scaling of β with impact velocity. On the other hand, the macroporous inhomogeneities considered here do not have a significant effect on β.

  18. Impact of local diffusion on macroscopic dispersion in three-dimensional porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dartois, Arthur; Beaudoin, Anthony; Huberson, Serge

    2018-02-01

    While macroscopic longitudinal and transverse dispersion in three-dimensional porous media has been simulated previously mostly under purely advective conditions, the impact of diffusion on macroscopic dispersion in 3D remains an open question. Furthermore, both in 2D and 3D, recurring difficulties have been encountered due to computer limitation or analytical approximation. In this work, we use the Lagrangian velocity covariance function and the temporal derivative of second-order moments to study the influence of diffusion on dispersion in highly heterogeneous 2D and 3D porous media. The first approach characterizes the correlation between the values of Eulerian velocity components sampled by particles undergoing diffusion at two times. The second approach allows the estimation of dispersion coefficients and the analysis of their behaviours as functions of diffusion. These two approaches allowed us to reach new results. The influence of diffusion on dispersion seems to be globally similar between highly heterogeneous 2D and 3D porous media. Diffusion induces a decrease in the dispersion in the direction parallel to the flow direction and an increase in the dispersion in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction. However, the amplification of these two effects with the permeability variance is clearly different between 2D and 3D. For the direction parallel to the flow direction, the amplification is more important in 3D than in 2D. It is reversed in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction.

  19. Impact of Moisture Content and Grain Size on Hydrocarbon Diffusion in Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLain, A. A.; Ho, C. K.

    2001-12-01

    Diffusion of hydrocarbon vapors in porous media can play an important role in our ability to characterize subsurface contaminants such as trichloroethylene (TCE). For example, traditional monitoring methods often rely on direct sampling of contaminated soils or vapor. These samples may be influenced by the diffusion of vapors away from the contaminant source term, such as non-aqueous-phase TCE liquid. In addition, diffusion of hydrocarbon vapors can also impact the migration and dispersion of the contaminant in the subsurface. Therefore, understanding the diffusion rates and vapor transport processes of hydrocarbons in variably-saturated, heterogeneous porous media will assist in the characterization and detection of these subsurface contaminants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of soil heterogeneity and water-moisture content on the diffusion processes for TCE. A one-dimensional column experiment was used to monitor the rates of vapor diffusion through sand. Experiments were performed with different average water-moisture contents and different grain sizes. On one end of the column, a reservoir cap is used to encase the TCE, providing a constant vapor boundary condition while sealing the end. The other end of the column contains a novel microchemical sensor. The sensor employs a polymer-absorption resistor (chemiresistor) that reversibly swells and increases in resistance when exposed to hydrocarbons. Once calibrated, the chemiresistors can be used to passively monitor vapor concentrations. This unique method allows the detection of in-situ vapor concentrations without disturbing the local environment. Results are presented in the form of vapor-concentration breakthrough curves as detected by the sensor. The shape of the breakthrough curve is dependent on several key parameters, including the length of the column and parameters (e.g., water-moisture content and grain-size) that affect the effective diffusion coefficient of TCE in air

  20. Impact of physical properties on ozone removal by several porous materials.

    PubMed

    Gall, Elliott T; Corsi, Richard L; Siegel, Jeffrey A

    2014-04-01

    Models of reactive uptake of ozone in indoor environments generally describe materials through aerial (horizontal) projections of surface area, a potentially limiting assumption for porous materials. We investigated the effect of changing porosity/pore size, material thickness, and chamber fluid mechanic conditions on the reactive uptake of ozone to five materials: two cellulose filter papers, two cementitious materials, and an activated carbon cloth. Results include (1) material porosity and pore size distributions, (2) effective diffusion coefficients for ozone in materials, and (3) material-ozone deposition velocities and reaction probabilities. At small length scales (0.02-0.16 cm) increasing thickness caused increases in estimated reaction probabilities from 1 × 10(-6) to 5 × 10(-6) for one type of filter paper and from 1 × 10(-6) to 1 × 10(-5) for a second type of filter paper, an effect not observed for materials tested at larger thicknesses. For high porosity materials, increasing chamber transport-limited deposition velocities resulted in increases in reaction probabilities by factors of 1.4-2.0. The impact of physical properties and transport effects on values of the Thiele modulus, ranging across all materials from 0.03 to 13, is discussed in terms of the challenges in estimating reaction probabilities to porous materials in scenarios relevant to indoor environments.

  1. Impact of non-thermal plasma surface modification on porous calcium hydroxyapatite ceramics for bone regeneration

    PubMed Central

    Moriguchi, Yu; Lee, Dae-Sung; Thamina, Khair; Masuda, Kazuto; Itsuki, Dai; Yoshikawa, Hideki; Hamaguchi, Satoshi; Myoui, Akira

    2018-01-01

    In the physiochemical sciences, plasma is used to describe an ionized gas. Previous studies have implicated plasma surface treatment in the enhancement of hydrophilicity of implanted musculoskeletal reconstructive materials. Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics, widely used in bone tissue regeneration, have made great advancements to skeletal surgery. In the present study, we investigate the impact of low-pressure plasma on the interconnected porous calcium hydroxyapatite (IP-CHA) both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicate that dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma, when used with oxygen, can augment the hydrophilicity of non-porous HA surfaces and the osteoconductivity of the IP-CHA disc via increased water penetration of inner porous structures, as demonstrated through microfocus computed tomography (μCT) assay. In vivo implantation of plasma-treated IP-CHA displayed superior bone ingrowth than untreated IP-CHA. Though plasma-treated IP-CHA did not alter osteoblast cell proliferation, it accelerated osteogenic differentiation of seeded marrow mesenchymal stem cells. In vitro X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that this plasma treatment increases levels of oxygen, rather than nitrogen, on the plasma-treated IP-CHA surface. These findings suggest that plasma treatment, an easy and simple processing, can significantly improve the osteoconductive potential of commonly used artificial bones such as IP-CHA. Further optimization of plasma treatment and longer-term follow-up of in vivo application are required toward its clinical application. PMID:29538457

  2. Fem Formulation of Heat Transfer in Cylindrical Porous Medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azeem; Khaleed, H. M. T.; Soudagar, Manzoor Elahi M.

    2017-08-01

    Heat transfer in porous medium can be derived from the fundamental laws of flow in porous region ass given by Henry Darcy. The fluid flow and energy transport inside the porous medium can be described with the help of momentum and energy equations. The heat transfer in cylindrical porous medium differs from its counterpart in radial and axial coordinates. The present work is focused to discuss the finite element formulation of heat transfer in cylindrical porous medium. The basic partial differential equations are derived using Darcy law which is the converted into a set of algebraic equations with the help of finite element method. The resulting equations are solved by matrix method for two solution variables involved in the coupled equations.

  3. Impact of spatially correlated pore-scale heterogeneity on drying porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borgman, Oshri; Fantinel, Paolo; Lühder, Wieland; Goehring, Lucas; Holtzman, Ran

    2017-07-01

    We study the effect of spatially-correlated heterogeneity on isothermal drying of porous media. We combine a minimal pore-scale model with microfluidic experiments with the same pore geometry. Our simulated drying behavior compares favorably with experiments, considering the large sensitivity of the emergent behavior to the uncertainty associated with even small manufacturing errors. We show that increasing the correlation length in particle sizes promotes preferential drying of clusters of large pores, prolonging liquid connectivity and surface wetness and thus higher drying rates for longer periods. Our findings improve our quantitative understanding of how pore-scale heterogeneity impacts drying, which plays a role in a wide range of processes ranging from fuel cells to curing of paints and cements to global budgets of energy, water and solutes in soils.

  4. Rigid porous filter

    DOEpatents

    Chiang, Ta-Kuan; Straub, Douglas L.; Dennis, Richard A.

    2000-01-01

    The present invention involves a porous rigid filter including a plurality of concentric filtration elements having internal flow passages and forming external flow passages there between. The present invention also involves a pressure vessel containing the filter for the removal of particulates from high pressure particulate containing gases, and further involves a method for using the filter to remove such particulates. The present filter has the advantage of requiring fewer filter elements due to the high surface area-to-volume ratio provided by the filter, requires a reduced pressure vessel size, and exhibits enhanced mechanical design properties, improved cleaning properties, configuration options, modularity and ease of fabrication.

  5. Osteoconduction of impacted porous titanium particles with a calcium-phosphate coating is comparable to osteoconduction of impacted allograft bone particles: in vivo study in a nonloaded goat model.

    PubMed

    Walschot, Lucas H B; Aquarius, René; Schreurs, Barend W; Verdonschot, Nico; Buma, Pieter

    2012-08-01

    Impaction grafting restores bone defects in hip arthroplasty. Defects are reconstructed with bone particles (BoP) as substitute materials with adequate mechanical and biological properties are not yet available. Ceramic particles (CeP) have mechanical drawbacks as opposed to porous titanium particles (TiP). In this in vivo study, bone ingrowth and bone volume in coated and noncoated TiP were compared to porous biphasic calcium-phospate CeP and allograft BoP. Coatings consisted of silicated calcium-phosphate and carbonated apatite. Materials were implanted in goats and impacted in cylindrical defects (diameter 8 mm) in the cancellous bone of the femur. On the basis of fluorochrome labeling and histology, bone ingrowth distance was measured at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Cross-sectional bone area was measured at 12 weeks. TiP created a coherent matrix of entangled particles. CeP pulverized and were noncoherent. Bone ingrowth in TiP improved significantly by the coatings to levels comparable to BoP and CeP. Cross-sectional bone area was smaller in CeP and TiP compared to BoP. The osteoconductive properties of impacted TiP with a calcium-phosphate coating are comparable to impacted allograft bone and impacted biphasic ceramics. A more realistic loaded in vivo study should prove that coated TiP is an attractive alternative to allograft bone. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Formation of porous inner architecture at the interface of magnetic pulse welded Al/Cu joints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sapanathan, T.; Raoelison, R. N.; Yang, K.; Buiron, N.; Rachik, M.

    2016-10-01

    Porous inner architecture has been revealed at the interface of magnetic pulse welded aluminum/copper (Al/Cu) joints. These materials could serve the purpose of heterogeneous architectured materials, while their makeup of inner architecture of porous interface with the pore sizes of sub-micron to a few microns, could offer potential attributes in energy storage application. Two welding cases with various impact intensities are compared. An input voltage of 6.5 kV with an initial air gap of 1.5 mm and a higher voltage of 7.5 kV with a large initial air gap of 5 mm are respectively considered as two cases with low and high velocity impacts. Overall morphology of the porous medium was revealed at the interface either in layered or pocketed structures. The allocation of the porous zone and pore sizes vary with the impact condition. The low velocity impact welding conditions also produces smaller pores compared to the high velocity impact case, where the pore sizes varies in submicron to a few microns (<10μm). By investigating the potential mechanism of the porous zone formation, it was identified that a combined phenomena of cavitation and coalescence play a major role in nucleation and growth of the pores where a rapid cooling that eventually freezes the porous structure at the interface.

  7. Using the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework to assess the impact of public involvement in a mental health research context: A reflective case study.

    PubMed

    Collins, Michelle; Long, Rita; Page, Anthony; Popay, Jennie; Lobban, Fiona

    2018-04-25

    We assess the utility of the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework (PiiAF) as a resource to support research teams in assessing the impact of Public Involvement across diverse research and public involvement (PI) contexts. PiiAF was developed in response to a well-documented growth in Public Involvement in health research in the United Kingdom that demands a more sophisticated evidence base to demonstrate its impact. We used a reflective case study approach drawing on contemporaneous meeting notes, PiiAF website resources and retrospective reflections to describe how PiiAF helped us to develop an impact assessment plan of the PI in a university-based mental health research centre. We consider key aspects of our experiences of using PiiAF as a tool to help us design an impact assessment of PI, interpret these experiences with reference to relevant theory and research and share insights that may be useful to other teams considering using PiiAF. These insights include understanding the commitment of time and effort required to develop effective PI impact assessment plans; the flexibility of PiiAF and its ability to be used in a range of research and PI contexts; and the advantages of involving all stakeholders (including the public) in the development of an PI assessment plan. © 2018 The Authors. Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Ultrasonic Nondestructive Characterization of Porous Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Ningli

    2011-12-01

    Wave propagation in porous media is studied in a wide range of technological applications. In the manufacturing industry, determining porosity of materials in the manufacturing process is required for strict quality control. In the oil industry, acoustic signals and seismic surveys are used broadly to determine the physical properties of the reservoir rock which is a porous media filled with oil or gas. In porous noise control materials, a precise prediction of sound absorption with frequency and evaluation of tortuosity are necessary. Ultrasonic nondestructive methods are a very important tool for characterization of porous materials. The dissertation deals with two types of porous media: materials with relatively low and closed porosity and materials with comparatively high and open porosity. Numerical modeling, Finite Element simulations and experimental characterization are all discussed in this dissertation. First, ultrasonic scattering is used to determine the porosity in porous media with closed pores. In order get a relationship between the porosity in porous materials and ultrasonic scattering independently and to increase the sensitivity to obtain scattering information, ultrasonic imaging methods are applied and acoustic waves are focused by an acoustic lens. To verify the technique, engineered porous acrylic plates with varying porosity are measured by ultrasonic scanning and ultrasonic array sensors. Secondly, a laser based ultrasonic technique is explored for predicting the mechanical integrity and durability of cementitious materials. The technique used involves the measurement of the phase velocity of fast and slow longitudinal waves in water saturated cement paste. The slow wave velocity is related to the specimen's tortuosity. The fast wave speed is dependent on the elastic properties of porous solid. Experimental results detailing the generation and detection of fast and slow wave waves in freshly prepared and aged water-saturated cement samples

  9. Service user involvement in cancer care: the impact on service users

    PubMed Central

    Cotterell, Phil; Harlow, Gwen; Morris, Carolyn; Beresford, Peter; Hanley, Bec; Sargeant, Anita; Sitzia, John; Staley, Kristina

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Background  Service user involvement is embedded in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, but knowledge about the impact of involvement on service users, such as the benefits and challenges of involvement, is scant. Our research addresses this gap. Objective  To explore the personal impact of involvement on the lives of service users affected by cancer. Design  We conducted eight focus groups with user groups supplemented by nine face‐to‐face interviews with involved individuals active at a local, regional and national level. Thematic analysis was conducted both independently and collectively. Setting and participants  Sixty‐four participants, engaged in involvement activities in cancer services, palliative care and research, were recruited across Great Britain. Results  We identified three main themes: (i) ‘Expectations and motivations for involvement’– the desire to improve services and the need for user groups to have a clear purpose, (ii) ‘Positive aspects of involvement’– support provided by user groups and assistance to live well with cancer and (iii) ‘Challenging aspects of involvement’– insensitivities and undervaluing of involvement by staff. Conclusions  This study identified that involvement has the capacity to produce varied and significant personal impacts for involved people. Involvement can be planned and implemented in ways that increase these impacts and that mediates challenges for those involved. Key aspects to increase positive impact for service users include the value service providers attach to involvement activities, the centrality with which involvement is embedded in providers’ activities, and the capacity of involvement to influence policy, planning, service delivery, research and/or practice. PMID:21029279

  10. The importance of particle size in porous titanium and nonporous counterparts for surface energy and its impact on apatite formation.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiao-Bo; Li, Yun-Cang; Hodgson, Peter D; Wen, Cuie

    2009-07-01

    The importance of particle size in titanium (Ti) fabricated by powder metallurgy for the surface energy and its impact on the apatite formation was investigated. Four sorts of Ti powders of different mean particle size were realized through 20min, 2h, 5h and 8h of ball milling, respectively. Each sort of Ti powder was used to fabricate porous Ti and its nonporous counterparts sharing similar surface morphology, grain size and chemical composition, and then alkali-heat treatment was conducted on them. Surface energy was measured on the surfaces of the nonporous Ti counterparts due to the difficulty in measuring the porous surfaces directly. The surface energy increase on the alkali-heat-treated porous and nonporous Ti was observed due to the decrease in the particle size of the Ti powders and the presence of Ti-OH groups brought by the alkali-heat treatment. The apatite-inducing ability of the alkali-heat-treated porous and nonporous Ti with different surface energy values was evaluated in modified simulated body fluid and results indicated that there was a strong correlation between the apatite-inducing ability and the surface energy. The alkali-heat-treated porous and nonporous Ti discs prepared from the powders with an average particle size of 5.89+/-0.76microm possessed the highest surface energy and the best apatite-inducing ability when compared to the samples produced from the powders with the average particle size varying from 19.79+/-0.31 to 10.25+/-0.39microm.

  11. Impact of physicochemical properties of porous silica materials conjugated with dexamethasone via pH-responsive hydrazone bond on drug loading and release behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Numpilai, Thanapha; Witoon, Thongthai; Chareonpanich, Metta; Limtrakul, Jumras

    2017-02-01

    The conjugation of dexamethasone (DEX) onto modified-porous silica materials via a pH-responsive hydrazone bond has been reported to be highly efficient method to specifically deliver the DEX to diseased sites. However, the influence of physicochemical properties of porous silica materials has not yet been fully understood. In this paper, the impact of pore sizes, particle sizes and silanol contents on surface functionalization, drug loading and release behavior of porous silica materials conjugated with dexamethasone via pH-responsive hydrazone bond was investigated. The grafting density was found to relate to the number of silanol groups on the surface of porous silica materials. The particle size and macropores of the porous silica materials played an vital role on the drug loading and release behavior. Although the porous silica materials with larger particle sizes possessed a lower grafting density, a larger amount of drug loading could be achieved. Moreover, the porous silica materials with larger particle sizes showed a slower release rate of DEX due to a longer distance for cleaved DEX diffusion out of pores. DEX release rate exhibited pH-dependent, sustained release. At pH 4.5, the amount of DEX release within 10 days could be controlled in the range of 12.74-36.41%, depending on the host material. Meanwhile, less than 1.5% of DEX was released from each of type of the porous silica materials at pH 7.4. The results of silica dissolution suggested that the degradation of silica matrix did not significantly affect the release rate of DEX. In addition, the kinetic modeling studies revealed that the DEX releases followed Korsmeyer-Peppas model with a release exponent (n) ranged from 0.3 to 0.47, indicating a diffusion-controlled release mechanism.

  12. An immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann model for biofilm growth and its impact on the NAPL dissolution in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benioug, M.; Yang, X.

    2017-12-01

    The evolution of microbial phase within porous medium is a complex process that involves growth, mortality, and detachment of the biofilm or attachment of moving cells. A better understanding of the interactions among biofilm growth, flow and solute transport and a rigorous modeling of such processes are essential for a more accurate prediction of the fate of pollutants (e.g. NAPLs) in soils. However, very few works are focused on the study of such processes in multiphase conditions (oil/water/biofilm systems). Our proposed numerical model takes into account the mechanisms that control bacterial growth and its impact on the dissolution of NAPL. An Immersed Boundary - Lattice Boltzmann Model (IB-LBM) is developed for flow simulations along with non-boundary conforming finite volume methods (volume of fluid and reconstruction methods) used for reactive solute transport. A sophisticated cellular automaton model is also developed to describe the spatial distribution of bacteria. A series of numerical simulations have been performed on complex porous media. A quantitative diagram representing the transitions between the different biofilm growth patterns is proposed. The bioenhanced dissolution of NAPL in the presence of biofilms is simulated at the pore scale. A uniform dissolution approach has been adopted to describe the temporal evolution of trapped blobs. Our simulations focus on the dissolution of NAPL in abiotic and biotic conditions. In abiotic conditions, we analyze the effect of the spatial distribution of NAPL blobs on the dissolution rate under different assumptions (blobs size, Péclet number). In biotic conditions, different conditions are also considered (spatial distribution, reaction kinetics, toxicity) and analyzed. The simulated results are consistent with those obtained from the literature.

  13. Method to prepare nanoparticles on porous mediums

    DOEpatents

    Vieth, Gabriel M [Knoxville, TN; Dudney, Nancy J [Oak Ridge, TN; Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN

    2010-08-10

    A method to prepare porous medium decorated with nanoparticles involves contacting a suspension of nanoparticles in an ionic liquid with a porous medium such that the particles diffuse into the pores of the medium followed by heating the resulting composition to a temperature equal to or greater than the thermal decomposition temperature of the ionic liquid resulting in the removal of the liquid portion of the suspension. The nanoparticles can be a metal, an alloy, or a metal compound. The resulting compositions can be used as catalysts, sensors, or separators.

  14. A 3D porous indium(III) coordination polymer involving in-situ ligand synthesis

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

    Han Zhengbo, E-mail: ceshzb@lnu.edu.c; Song Yongjuan; Ji Jianwei

    2009-11-15

    The hydrothermal reaction of In{sup 3+} and 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid with the presence of piperazine leads to the generation of a novel 3D porous coordination polymer, [H{sub 3}O][In{sub 2}(btc)(bdc)(OH){sub 2}].5.5H{sub 2}O (1), (btc=1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate, bdc=1,4-benzenedicarboxylate). Compound 1 crystallizes in orthorhombic space group Pbca with a=16.216(7) A, b=13.437(6) A, c=31.277(14) A, and Z=8. It is interesting to find that the in-situ decarboxylation reaction of 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate (btc) partially transformed into 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate (bdc) occurs. The 16 indium(III) centers were linked by four btc, four bdc and two mu{sub 2}-OH ligands to form a box-girder. The adjacent box-girders are further connected by the bdc and btcmore » ligands to generate a novel porous metal-organic framework containing nanotubular open channel with a cross-section of approximately 11.5x11.3 A{sup 2}. The micropores are occupied by lattice water molecules, and the solvent-accessible volume of the unit cell was estimated to be 3658.6 A{sup 3}, which is approximately 53.7% of the unit-cell volume (6815.4 A{sup 3}). - Graphical Abstract: The hydrothermal reaction of In{sup 3+} and 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid with the presence of piperazine leads to the generation of a novel 3D porous coordination polymer, [H{sub 3}O][In{sub 2}(btc)(bdc)(OH){sub 2}].5.5H{sub 2}O, (btc=1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate, bdc=1,4-benzenedicarboxylate).« less

  15. On the sensitivity analysis of porous material models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ouisse, Morvan; Ichchou, Mohamed; Chedly, Slaheddine; Collet, Manuel

    2012-11-01

    Porous materials are used in many vibroacoustic applications. Different available models describe their behaviors according to materials' intrinsic characteristics. For instance, in the case of porous material with rigid frame, and according to the Champoux-Allard model, five parameters are employed. In this paper, an investigation about this model sensitivity to parameters according to frequency is conducted. Sobol and FAST algorithms are used for sensitivity analysis. A strong parametric frequency dependent hierarchy is shown. Sensitivity investigations confirm that resistivity is the most influent parameter when acoustic absorption and surface impedance of porous materials with rigid frame are considered. The analysis is first performed on a wide category of porous materials, and then restricted to a polyurethane foam analysis in order to illustrate the impact of the reduction of the design space. In a second part, a sensitivity analysis is performed using the Biot-Allard model with nine parameters including mechanical effects of the frame and conclusions are drawn through numerical simulations.

  16. A practical approach in porous medium combustion for domestic application: A review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, A. K.; Ibrahim, N. H.; Shamsuddin, K. A.; Abdullah, M. Z.; Zubair, M.

    2018-05-01

    Combustion in porous media has been widely studied. Many application involving the combustion of porous media has been reported in various way with most consider on numerical works and industrial application. Besides, recent application of porous medium combustion for domestic is the topic of interest among researchers. In this paper, a review was conducted on the combustion of porous media in term of practical application for domestic consumers. Details on the type of fuel used including bio fuel and their system have been search thoroughly. Most of the system have utilized compressed air system to provide lean combustion in domestic application. Some self-aspirating system of porous medium burner was also reported. The application of new technology such as cogeneration by using thermoelectric cells in tandem with porous medium combustion is also revised according to recent work which have already been published. Besides, the recent advances which include coating of porous material is also considered at the end of this paper.

  17. Impact of Fe powder sintering and soldering in production of porous heating surface on flow boiling heat transfer in minichannels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Depczyński, Wojciech; Piasecki, Artur; Piasecka, Magdalena; Strąk, Kinga

    2017-10-01

    This paper focuses on identification of the impact of porous heated surface on flow boiling heat transfer in a rectangular minichannel. The heated element for Fluorinert FC-72 was a thin plate made of Haynes-230. Infrared thermography was used to determine changes in the temperature on its outer smooth side. The porous surface in contact with the fluid in the minichannel was produced in two processes: sintering or soldering of Fe powder to the plate. The results were presented as relationships between the heat transfer coefficient and the distance from the minichannel inlet and as boiling curves. Results obtained for using a smooth heated plate at the saturated boiling region were also presented to compare. In the subcooled boiling region, at a higher heat flux, the heat transfer coefficient was slightly higher for the surface prepared via soldering. In the saturated boiling region, the local heat transfer coefficients obtained for the smooth plate surface were slightly higher than those achieved from the sintered plate surface. The porous structures formed have low thermal conductivity. This may induce noticeable thermal resistance at the diffusion bridges of the sintered structures, in particular within the saturated boiling region.

  18. Modeling the Impact of Fracture Growth on Fluid Displacements in Deformable Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santillán, D.; Cueto-Felgueroso, L.; Juanes, R.

    2015-12-01

    Coupled flow and geomechanics is a critical research challenge in engineering and the geosciences. The flow of a fluid through a deformable porous media is present in manyenvironmental, industrial, and biological processes,such as the removal of pollutants from underground water bodies, enhanced geothermal systems, unconventional hydrocarbon resources or enhanced oil recovery techniques. However, the injection of a fluid can generate or propagate fractures, which are preferential flow paths. Using numerical simulation, we study the interplay between injection and rock mechanics, and elucidate fracture propagation as a function of injection rate, initial crack topology and mechanical rock properties. Finally, we discuss the role of fracture growth on fluid displacements in porous media. Figure: An example of fracture (in red) propagated in a porous media (in blue)

  19. Prediction of fingering in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Zhi; Feyen, Jan; Elrick, David E.

    1998-09-01

    Immiscible displacement, involving two fluids in a porous medium, can be unstable and fingered under certain conditions. In this paper, the original linear instability criterion of Chuoke et al. [1959] is generalized, considering wettability of two immiscible fluids to the porous medium. This is then used to predict 24 specific flow and porous medium conditions for the onset of wetting front instability in the subsurface. Wetting front instability is shown to be a function of the driving fluid wettability to the medium, differences in density and viscosity of the fluids, the magnitude of the interfacial tension, and the direction of flow with respect to gravity. Scenarios of water and nonaqueous-phase liquid infiltration into the vadose zone are examined to predict preferential flow and contamination of groundwater. The mechanisms of finger formation, propagation, and persistence in the vadose zone are reviewed, and the existing equations for calculating the size, the number and velocity of fingers are simplified for field applications. The analyses indicate that fingers initiate and propagate according to spatial and temporal distribution of the dynamic breakthrough (water- or air-entry) pressures in the porous medium. The predicted finger size and velocity are in close agreement with the experimental results.

  20. The impact of consumer involvement in research: an evaluation of consumer involvement in the London Primary Care Studies Programme.

    PubMed

    Wyatt, Katrina; Carter, Mary; Mahtani, Vinita; Barnard, Angela; Hawton, Annie; Britten, Nicky

    2008-06-01

    The value of consumer involvement in health services research is widely recognized. While there is a growing body of evidence about the principles of good consumer involvement, there is little research about the effect that involvement can have on the research. This evaluation assessed the level and impact of consumer involvement in the London Primary Care Studies Programme (LPCSP), all of whose individual projects had to demonstrate substantial involvement as a condition of funding. To evaluate consumer involvement in the LPSCP and understand what impact consumers had on the research process and outcomes. A multi-method case study approach was undertaken, using survey techniques, interviews, focus groups, observation and scrutiny of written documents. The overall data set comprised 61 questionnaires, 44 semi-structured interviews, 2 focus groups and 15 hours of observation of meetings. Eleven primary care-based research projects which together made up the LPCSP. An in-depth description of consumer involvement in the Programme was produced. Nine projects had consumers as co-applicants, four projects had been completed before the evaluation began and one was still ongoing at the time of the evaluation. Of the eight projects which have produced final reports, all met their aims and objectives. Consumers had had an additional impact in the research, in the initial design of the study, in recruitment of the research subjects, in developing data collection tools, in collecting the data, in analysis and disseminating the findings. Consumer involvement in National Health Service research is a relatively recent policy development and while there is an increasing amount of literature about how and why consumers should be involved in research, there is less evidence about the impact of such involvement. This evaluation provides evidence about the impact that consumers have not only on the research process but also on the outcomes of the research.

  1. Size dependence of the disruption threshold: laboratory examination of millimeter-centimeter porous targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Akiko M.; Yamane, Fumiya; Okamoto, Takaya; Takasawa, Susumu

    2015-03-01

    The outcome of collision between small solid bodies is characterized by the threshold energy density Q*s, the specific energy to shatter, that is defined as the ratio of projectile kinetic energy to the target mass (or the sum of target and projectile) needed to produce the largest intact fragment that contains one half the target mass. It is indicated theoretically and by numerical simulations that the disruption threshold Q*s decreases with target size in strength-dominated regime. The tendency was confirmed by laboratory impact experiments using non-porous rock targets (Housen and Holsapple, 1999; Nagaoka et al., 2014). In this study, we performed low-velocity impact disruption experiments on porous gypsum targets with porosity of 65-69% and of three different sizes to examine the size dependence of the disruption threshold for porous material. The gypsum specimens were shown to have a weaker volume dependence on static tensile strength than do the non-porous rocks. The disruption threshold had also a weaker dependence on size scale as Q*s ∝D-γ , γ ≤ 0.25 - 0.26, while the previous laboratory studies showed γ=0.40 for the non-porous rocks. The measurements at low-velocity lead to a value of about 100 J kg-1 for Q*s which is roughly one order of magnitude lower than the value of Q*s for the gypsum targets of 65% porosity but impacted by projectiles with higher velocities. Such a clear dependence on the impact velocity was also shown by previous studies of gypsum targets with porosity of 50%.

  2. Porous organic cages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tozawa, Tomokazu; Jones, James T. A.; Swamy, Shashikala I.; Jiang, Shan; Adams, Dave J.; Shakespeare, Stephen; Clowes, Rob; Bradshaw, Darren; Hasell, Tom; Chong, Samantha Y.; Tang, Chiu; Thompson, Stephen; Parker, Julia; Trewin, Abbie; Bacsa, John; Slawin, Alexandra M. Z.; Steiner, Alexander; Cooper, Andrew I.

    2009-12-01

    Porous materials are important in a wide range of applications including molecular separations and catalysis. We demonstrate that covalently bonded organic cages can assemble into crystalline microporous materials. The porosity is prefabricated and intrinsic to the molecular cage structure, as opposed to being formed by non-covalent self-assembly of non-porous sub-units. The three-dimensional connectivity between the cage windows is controlled by varying the chemical functionality such that either non-porous or permanently porous assemblies can be produced. Surface areas and gas uptakes for the latter exceed comparable molecular solids. One of the cages can be converted by recrystallization to produce either porous or non-porous polymorphs with apparent Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface areas of 550 and 23m2g-1, respectively. These results suggest design principles for responsive porous organic solids and for the modular construction of extended materials from prefabricated molecular pores.

  3. Service user reflections on the impact of involvement in research.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Jim; Franklin, Sue; Eltringham, Sabrina A

    2018-01-01

    Public involvement can impact on research, on the public who give advice, on the researchers and the research participants. Evaluating impact is an important part of the research process. Two members of a hospital-based patient research panel and our coordinator have written this paper. Our panel covers a range of rehabilitation and palliative services. These services form the "Therapeutics and Palliative Care Directorate". We describe how we worked collaboratively with hospital staff and co-produced questionnaires to evaluate the impact of our involvement. We compared the different perspectives of the researchers and panel members on our contribution to the research. We present evidence from these different standpoints, including how our panel made a difference. We found we needed to adapt how we collected the views of the researchers and our members to ensure it was meaningful to our group whilst delivering the wider objective of the hospital. A key finding has been how our involvement has extended into other groups, which has identified opportunities for sharing resources and experience, including areas such as cost effectiveness. Our two-person membership of a high level Board of Academics and Senior Clinicians, which oversees the research we contribute to, has resulted in our opinions influencing the heart of the Directorate's research strategy. We have learned the importance of a flexible approach as the Directorate changes, and the demands on us grow. This will continue to help us share our own development, successes and experience and extend the benefits from working this way. Background Reports about the impact of patient and public involvement in research can be improved by involving patients and research staff more collaboratively to co-produce instruments to measure their involvement. This commentary, written by two members of a hospital-based patient panel and their coordinator for its work, describes how we co-produced instruments to evaluate the

  4. Complications after Total Porous Implant Ear Reconstruction and Their Management.

    PubMed

    Lewin, Sheryl

    2015-12-01

    Microtia reconstruction using porous polyethylene implants has become an established alternative to autologous costal cartilage techniques. Few surgeons are trained in porous implant ear reconstruction (PIER), leading to a relative lack of understanding of the nuances of this type of surgery. The risks of exposure, infection, and fracture of the implant have further discouraged surgeons from performing PIERs. Meticulous technique and proper management of complications are critical to the success of surgeries involving porous implants (Medpor, Su-Por). There are a limited number of articles in the literature that report the management of complications of porous implant auricular reconstruction. The purpose of this work is to present a comprehensive review of the management of complications with PIER based on over 10 years of experience with this surgical technique. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  5. Numerical Simulations of Microporous Body Disruptions: Comparison with Non-porous and Rubble-pile targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michel, Patrick; Jutzi, Martin; Richardson, Derek C.

    2014-11-01

    In recent years, we have shown by numerical impact simulations that collisions and gravitational reaccumulation together can explain the formation of asteroid families and satellites (e.g. [1]). We also found that the presence of microporosity influences the outcome of a catastrophic disruption ([2], [3]). The size-frequency distributions (SFDs) resulting from the disruption of 100 km-diameter targets consisting of either monolithic non-porous basalt or non-porous basalt blocks held together by gravity (termed rubble piles by the investigators) has already been determined ([4], [5]). Using the same wide range of collision speeds, impact angles, and impactor sizes, we extended those studies to targets consisting of porous material represented by parameters for pumice. Dark-type asteroid families, such as C-type, are often considered to contain a high fraction of porosity (including microporosity). To determine the impact conditions for dark-type asteroid family formation, a comparison is needed between the actual family SFD and that of impact disruptions of porous bodies. Moreover, the comparison between the disruptions of non-porous, rubble-pile, and porous targets is important to assess the influence of various internal structures on the outcome. Our results show that in terms of largest remnants, in general, the outcomes for porous bodies are more similar to the ones for non-porous targets ([4]) than for rubble-pile targets ([5]). In particular, the latter targets are much weaker (the largest remnants are much smaller). We suspect that this is because the pressure-dependent shear strength between the individual components of the rubble pile is not properly modeled, which makes the body behave more like a fluid than an actual rubble pile. We will present our results and implications in terms of SFDs as well as ejection velocities over the entire considered parameter space. We will also check whether we find good agreement with existing dark-type asteroid families

  6. Variably porous structures

    DOEpatents

    Braun, Paul V [Savoy, IL; Yu, Xindi [Urbana, IL

    2011-01-18

    A method of making a monolithic porous structure, comprises electrodepositing a material on a template; removing the template from the material to form a monolithic porous structure comprising the material; and electropolishing the monolithic porous structure.

  7. Impact experiments of porous gypsum-glass bead mixtures simulating parent bodies of ordinary chondrites: Implications for re-accumulation processes related to rubble-pile formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasui, Minami; Arakawa, Masahiko

    2011-08-01

    Laboratory impact experiments were conducted for gypsum-glass bead targets simulating the parent bodies of ordinary chondrites. The effects of the chondrules included in the parent bodies on impact disruption were experimentally investigated in order to determine the impact conditions for the formation of rubble-pile bodies after catastrophic disruption. The targets included glass beads with a diameter ranging from 100 μm to 3 mm and the volume fraction was 0.6, similar to that of ordinary chondrites, which is about 0.65-0.75. Nylon projectiles with diameters of 10 mm and 2 mm were impacted at 60-180 m s -1 by a single-stage gas gun and at 4 km s -1 by a two-stage light gas gun, respectively. The impact strength of the gypsum-glass bead target was found to range from 56 to 116 J kg -1 depending on the glass bead size, and was several times smaller than that of the porous gypsum target, 446 J kg -1 in low-velocity collisions. The impact strengths of the 100 μm bead target and the porous gypsum target strongly depended on the impact velocity: those obtained in high-velocity collisions were several times greater than those obtained in low-velocity collisions. The velocities of fragments ejected from two corners on the impact surface of the target, measured in the center of the mass system, were slightly dependent on the target materials, irrespective of impact velocity. These results suggest that chondrule-including planetesimals (CiPs) can reconstruct rubble-pile bodies in catastrophic disruptions at the size of the planetesimal smaller than that of planetesimals without chondrules.

  8. Assessment of porous material anisotropy and its effect on gas permeability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wałowski, Grzegorz

    2017-10-01

    The results of experimental research upon the assessment of porous material anisotropy and its effect on gas permeability of porous materials with respect to the gas flow. The conducted research applied to natural materials with an anisotropic gap-porous structure and - for comparative purposes - to model materials such as coke, pumice and polyamide agglomerates. The research was conducted with the use of a special test stand that enables measuring the gas permeability with respect to three flow orientations compared with symmetric cubic-shaped samples. The research results show an explicit impact of the flow direction on the permeability of materials porous, which results from their anisotropic internal structures. The anisotropy coefficient and permeability effective coefficient of such materials was determined and an experimental evaluation of the value of this coefficient was conducted with respect to the gas stream and the total pressure drop across the porous deposit. The process of gas permeability was considered in the category of hydrodynamics of gas flow through porous deposits. It is important to broaden the knowledge of gas hydrodynamics assessment in porous media so far unrecognised for the development of a new generation of clean energy sources, especially in the context of biogas or raw gas production.

  9. Constitutive model for porous materials

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

    Weston, A.M.; Lee, E.L.

    1982-01-01

    A simple pressure versus porosity compaction model is developed to calculate the response of granular porous bed materials to shock impact. The model provides a scheme for calculating compaction behavior when relatively limited material data are available. While the model was developed to study porous explosives and propellants, it has been applied to a much wider range of materials. The early development of porous material models, such as that of Hermann, required empirical dynamic compaction data. Erkman and Edwards successfully applied the early theory to unreacted porous high explosives using a Gruneisen equation of state without yield behavior and withoutmore » trapped gas in the pores. Butcher included viscoelastic rate dependance in pore collapse. The theoretical treatment of Carroll and Holt is centered on the collapse of a circular pore and includes radial inertia terms and a complex set of stress, strain and strain rate constitutive parameters. Unfortunately data required for these parameters are generally not available. The model described here is also centered on the collapse of a circular pore, but utilizes a simpler elastic-plastic static equilibrium pore collapse mechanism without strain rate dependence, or radial inertia terms. It does include trapped gas inside the pore, a solid material flow stress that creates both a yield point and a variation in solid material pressure with radius. The solid is described by a Mie-Gruneisen type EOS. Comparisons show that this model will accurately estimate major mechanical features which have been observed in compaction experiments.« less

  10. Ejecta velocity distribution for impact cratering experiments on porous and low strength targets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michikami, Tatsuhiro; Moriguchi, Kouichi; Hasegawa, Sunao; Fujiwara, Akira

    2007-01-01

    Impact cratering experiments on porous targets with various compressive strength ranging from ˜0.5 to ˜250 MPa were carried out in order to investigate the relationship between the ejecta velocity, and material strength or porosity of the target. A spherical alumina projectile (diameter ˜1 mm) was shot perpendicularly into the target surface with velocity ranging from 1.2 to 4.5 km/s (nominal 4 km/s), using a two-stage light-gas gun. The ejecta velocity was estimated from the fall point distance of ejecta. The results show that there are in fact a large fraction of ejecta with very low velocities when the material strength of the target is small and the porosity is high. As an example, in the case of one specific target (compressive strength ˜0.5 MPa and porosity 43%), the amount of ejecta with velocities lower than 1 m/s is about 40% of the total mass. The average velocity of the ejecta decreases with decreasing material strength or increasing the porosity of the target. Moreover, in our experiments, the ejecta velocity distributions normalized to total ejecta mass seem to be mainly dependent on the material strength of the target, and not so greatly on the porosity. We also compare our experimental results with those of Gault et al. [1963. Spray ejected from the lunar surface by meteoroid impact. NASA Technical Note D-1767] and Housen [1992. Crater ejecta velocities for impacts on rocky bodies. LPSC XXIII, 555-556] for the ejecta velocity distribution using Housen's nondimensional scaling parameter. The ejecta velocity distributions of our experiments are lower than those of Gault et al. [1963. Spray ejected from the lunar surface by meteoroid impact. NASA Technical Note D-1767] and Housen [1992. Crater ejecta velocities for impacts on rocky bodies. LPSC XIII, 555-556].

  11. Porous Cobalt Phosphide Polyhedrons with Iron Doping as an Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst.

    PubMed

    Li, Feng; Bu, Yunfei; Lv, Zijian; Mahmood, Javeed; Han, Gao-Feng; Ahmad, Ishfaq; Kim, Guntae; Zhong, Qin; Baek, Jong-Beom

    2017-10-01

    Iron (Fe)-doped porous cobalt phosphide polyhedrons are designed and synthesized as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The synthesis strategy involves one-step route for doping foreign metallic element and forming porous cobalt phosphide polyhedrons. With varying doping levels of Fe, the optimized Fe-doped porous cobalt phosphide polyhedron exhibits significantly enhanced HER and OER performances, including low onset overpotentials, large current densities, as well as small Tafel slopes and good electrochemical stability during HER and OER. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Can the impact of public involvement on research be evaluated? A mixed methods study.

    PubMed

    Barber, Rosemary; Boote, Jonathan D; Parry, Glenys D; Cooper, Cindy L; Yeeles, Philippa; Cook, Sarah

    2012-09-01

      Public involvement is central to health and social research policies, yet few systematic evaluations of its impact have been carried out, raising questions about the feasibility of evaluating the impact of public involvement.   To investigate whether it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on health and social research.   Mixed methods including a two-round Delphi study with pre-specified 80% consensus criterion, with follow-up interviews. UK and international panellists came from different settings, including universities, health and social care institutions and charitable organizations. They comprised researchers, members of the public, research managers, commissioners and policy makers, self-selected as having knowledge and/or experience of public involvement in health and/or social research; 124 completed both rounds of the Delphi process. A purposive sample of 14 panellists was interviewed.   Consensus was reached that it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on 5 of 16 impact issues: identifying and prioritizing research topics, disseminating research findings and on key stakeholders. Qualitative analysis revealed the complexities of evaluating a process that is subjective and socially constructed. While many panellists believed that it is morally right to involve the public in research, they also considered that it is appropriate to evaluate the impact of public involvement.   This study found consensus among panellists that it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on some research processes, outcomes and on key stakeholders. The value of public involvement and the importance of evaluating its impact were endorsed. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. Can the impact of public involvement on research be evaluated? A mixed methods study

    PubMed Central

    Barber, Rosemary; Boote, Jonathan D; Parry, Glenys D; Cooper, Cindy L; Yeeles, Philippa; Cook, Sarah

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Background  Public involvement is central to health and social research policies, yet few systematic evaluations of its impact have been carried out, raising questions about the feasibility of evaluating the impact of public involvement. Objective  To investigate whether it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on health and social research. Methods  Mixed methods including a two‐round Delphi study with pre‐specified 80% consensus criterion, with follow‐up interviews. UK and international panellists came from different settings, including universities, health and social care institutions and charitable organizations. They comprised researchers, members of the public, research managers, commissioners and policy makers, self‐selected as having knowledge and/or experience of public involvement in health and/or social research; 124 completed both rounds of the Delphi process. A purposive sample of 14 panellists was interviewed. Results  Consensus was reached that it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on 5 of 16 impact issues: identifying and prioritizing research topics, disseminating research findings and on key stakeholders. Qualitative analysis revealed the complexities of evaluating a process that is subjective and socially constructed. While many panellists believed that it is morally right to involve the public in research, they also considered that it is appropriate to evaluate the impact of public involvement. Conclusions  This study found consensus among panellists that it is feasible to evaluate the impact of public involvement on some research processes, outcomes and on key stakeholders. The value of public involvement and the importance of evaluating its impact were endorsed. PMID:21324054

  14. Structure of Porous Starch Microcellular Foam Particles

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A relatively new starch product with various novel applications is a porous microcellular foam. The foam product is made by dehydrating a starch hydrogel in a solvent such as ethanol and then removing the solvent to form a foam product. The process involves heating an aqueous slurry of starch (8% w/...

  15. The impact of gambling advertising: Problem gamblers report stronger impacts on involvement, knowledge, and awareness than recreational gamblers.

    PubMed

    Hanss, Daniel; Mentzoni, Rune A; Griffiths, Mark D; Pallesen, Ståle

    2015-06-01

    Although there is a general lack of empirical evidence that advertising influences gambling participation, the regulation of gambling advertising is hotly debated among academic researchers, treatment specialists, lobby groups, regulators, and policymakers. This study contributes to the ongoing debate by investigating perceived impacts of gambling advertising in a sample of gamblers drawn from the general population in Norway (n = 6,034). Three dimensions of advertising impacts were identified, representing perceived impacts on (a) gambling-related attitudes, interest, and behavior ("involvement"); (b) knowledge about gambling options and providers ("knowledge"); and (c) the degree to which people are aware of gambling advertising ("awareness"). Overall, impacts were strongest for the knowledge dimension, and, for all 3 dimensions, the impact increased with level of advertising exposure. Those identified as problem gamblers in the sample (n = 57) reported advertising impacts concerning involvement more than recreational gamblers, and this finding was not attributable to differences in advertising exposure. Additionally, younger gamblers reported stronger impacts on involvement and knowledge but were less likely to agree that they were aware of gambling advertising than older gamblers. Male gamblers were more likely than female gamblers to report stronger impacts on both involvement and knowledge. These findings are discussed with regard to existing research on gambling advertising as well as their implications for future research and policy-making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

  16. Impact of the De-Alloying Kinetics and Alloy Microstructure on the Final Morphology of De-Alloyed Meso-Porous Metal Films

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Bao; Kong, Lingxue; Hodgson, Peter D.; Dumée, Ludovic F.

    2014-01-01

    Nano-textured porous metal materials present unique surface properties due to their enhanced surface energy with potential applications in sensing, molecular separation and catalysis. In this paper, commercial alloy foils, including brass (Cu85Zn15 and Cu70Zn30) and white gold (Au50Ag50) foils have been chemically de-alloyed to form nano-porous thin films. The impact of the initial alloy micro-structure and number of phases, as well as chemical de-alloying (DA) parameters, including etchant concentration, time and solution temperature on the final nano-porous thin film morphology and properties were investigated by electron microscopy (EM). Furthermore, the penetration depth of the pores across the alloys were evaluated through the preparation of cross sections by focus ion beam (FIB) milling. It is demonstrated that ordered pores ranging between 100 nm and 600 nm in diameter and 2–5 μm in depth can be successfully formed for the range of materials tested. The microstructure of the foils were obtained by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) and linked to development of pits across the material thickness and surface during DA. The role of selective etching of both noble and sacrificial metal phases of the alloy were discussed in light of the competitive surface etching across the range of microstructures and materials tested. PMID:28344253

  17. Porous Silicon—A Versatile Host Material

    PubMed Central

    Granitzer, Petra; Rumpf, Klemens

    2010-01-01

    This work reviews the use of porous silicon (PS) as a nanomaterial which is extensively investigated and utilized for various applications, e.g., in the fields of optics, sensor technology and biomedicine. Furthermore the combination of PS with one or more materials which are also nanostructured due to their deposition within the porous matrix is discussed. Such nanocompounds offer a broad avenue of new and interesting properties depending on the kind of involved materials as well as on their morphology. The filling of the pores performed by electroless or electrochemical deposition is described, whereas different morphologies, reaching from micro- to macro pores are utilized as host material which can be self-organized or fabricated by prestructuring. For metal-deposition within the porous structures, both ferromagnetic and non-magnetic metals are used. Emphasis will be put on self-arranged mesoporous silicon, offering a quasi-regular pore arrangement, employed as template for filling with ferromagnetic metals. By varying the deposition parameters the precipitation of the metal structures within the pores can be tuned in geometry and spatial distribution leading to samples with desired magnetic properties. The correlation between morphology and magnetic behaviour of such semiconducting/magnetic systems will be determined. Porous silicon and its combination with a variety of filling materials leads to nanocomposites with specific physical properties caused by the nanometric size and give rise to a multiplicity of potential applications in spintronics, magnetic and magneto-optic devices, nutritional food additives as well as drug delivery.

  18. Freeze Tape Casting of Functionally Graded Porous Ceramics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sofie, Stephen W.

    2007-01-01

    Freeze tape casting is a means of making preforms of ceramic sheets that, upon subsequent completion of fabrication processing, can have anisotropic and/or functionally graded properties that notably include aligned and graded porosity. Freeze tape casting was developed to enable optimization of the microstructures of porous ceramic components for use as solid oxide electrodes in fuel cells: Through alignment and grading of pores, one can tailor surface areas and diffusion channels for flows of gas and liquid species involved in fuel-cell reactions. Freeze tape casting offers similar benefits for fabrication of optimally porous ceramics for use as catalysts, gas sensors, and filters.

  19. Porous Shape Memory Polymers

    PubMed Central

    Hearon, Keith; Singhal, Pooja; Horn, John; Small, Ward; Olsovsky, Cory; Maitland, Kristen C.; Wilson, Thomas S.; Maitland, Duncan J.

    2013-01-01

    Porous shape memory polymers (SMPs) include foams, scaffolds, meshes, and other polymeric substrates that possess porous three-dimensional macrostructures. Porous SMPs exhibit active structural and volumetric transformations and have driven investigations in fields ranging from biomedical engineering to aerospace engineering to the clothing industry. The present review article examines recent developments in porous SMPs, with focus given to structural and chemical classification, methods of characterization, and applications. We conclude that the current body of literature presents porous SMPs as highly interesting smart materials with potential for industrial use. PMID:23646038

  20. Foam-oil interaction in porous media: implications for foam assisted enhanced oil recovery.

    PubMed

    Farajzadeh, R; Andrianov, A; Krastev, R; Hirasaki, G J; Rossen, W R

    2012-11-15

    The efficiency of a foam displacement process in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) depends largely on the stability of foam films in the presence of oil. Experimental studies have demonstrated the detrimental impact of oil on foam stability. This paper reviews the mechanisms and theories (disjoining pressure, coalescence and drainage, entering and spreading of oil, oil emulsification, pinch-off, etc.) suggested in the literature to explain the impact of oil on foam stability in the bulk and porous media. Moreover, we describe the existing approaches to foam modeling in porous media and the ways these models describe the oil effect on foam propagation in porous media. Further, we present various ideas on an improvement of foam stability and longevity in the presence of oil. The outstanding questions regarding foam-oil interactions and modeling of these interactions are pointed out. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Instability of fluid flow over saturated porous medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyubimova, Tatyana; Kolchanova, Ekaterina; Lyubimov, Dmitry

    2013-04-01

    We investigate the stability of a fluid flow over a saturated porous medium. The problem is of importance due to the applications to washing out of contaminants from the bottom layer of vegetation, whose properties are similar to the properties of porous medium. In the case of porous medium with the relatively high permeability and porosity the flow involves a part of the fluid saturating the porous medium, with the tangential fluid velocity drop occurring because of the resistance of the solid matrix. The drop leads to the instability analogous to Kelvin-Helmholtz one accompanied by the formation of travelling waves. In the present paper we consider a two-layer system consisting of a pure fluid layer and a porous layer saturated by the fluid located underneath. The system is bounded by a rigid surface at the bottom and a non-deformable free surface at the top. It is under the gravity and inclined at a slight angle to the horizontal axis. The boundary conditions at the interface between the fluid and porous layers are the continuity of fluid velocities and the balance of normal and tangential stresses taking into account the resistance of the solid matrix with respect to the fluid flow near the interface [1-2]. The problem is solved in the framework of the Brinkman model applying the classical shooting algorithm with orthogonalization. The stability boundaries of the stationary fluid flow over the saturated porous medium with respect to the small oscillatory perturbations are obtained for the various values of the Darcy number and the ratio of the porous layer thickness to the full thickness of the system d. It was shown that at the d > 0.5 with increasing the porous layer thickness (or with decreasing of the fluid layer thickness) the stability threshold rises. This is because of the fact that the instability is primarily caused by perturbations located in the fluid layer. At the d < 0.5 the reduction of the porous layer thickness leads to the stability threshold

  2. Enhanced supercapacitor performances using C-doped porous TiO2 electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Juanrong; Qiu, Fengxian; Zhang, Ying; Liang, Jianzheng; Zhu, Huijun; Cao, Shunsheng

    2015-11-01

    Considerable efforts have been paid to develop electrochemical capacitors with energy storage capability in order to meet the demands of multifunctional electronics. Here we report a facile method to fabricate C-doped porous anatase TiO2. This technique involves the preparation of monodisperse cationic polystyrene nanoparticles (CPN), following sequential deposition of tetrabutylorthotitanate (TBT), and directly carbonizing of CPN. Interestingly, during the process of carbonizing CPN, a phase transition of TiO2 will be happened and whist C-doped porous anatase TiO2 is in situ formed. When this porous C-doped TiO2 is used as electrode material to prepare electrochemical capacitor, it manifests a higher capacitance than the commercial P25, effectively broadening it potential for many practical applications.

  3. Numerical investigation of active porous composites with enhanced acoustic absorption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zieliński, Tomasz G.

    2011-10-01

    The paper presents numerical analysis - involving an advanced multiphysics modeling - of the concept of active porous composite sound absorbers. Such absorbers should be made up of a layer or layers of poroelastic material (porous foams) with embedded elastic inclusions having active (piezoelectric) elements. The purpose of such active composite material is to significantly absorb the energy of acoustic waves in a wide frequency range, particularly, at lower frequencies. At the same time the total thickness of composite should be very moderate. The active parts of composites are used to adapt the absorbing properties of porous layers to different noise conditions by affecting the so-called solid-borne wave - originating mainly from the vibrations of elastic skeleton of porous medium - to counteract the fluid-borne wave - resulting mainly from the vibrations of air in the pores; both waves are strongly coupled, especially, at lower frequencies. In fact, since the traction between the air and the solid frame of porous medium is the main absorption mechanism, the elastic skeleton is actively vibrated in order to adapt and improve the dissipative interaction of the skeleton and air in the pores. Passive and active performance of such absorbers is analyzed to test the feasibility of this approach.

  4. Porous Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms for high performance electrochemical energy storage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Jianbo; Li, Man; Li, Junru; Wei, Chengzhen; He, Yuyue; Huang, Yixuan; Li, Qiaoling

    2017-12-01

    Porous Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms have been successfully synthesized via a facile route. The process involves the preparation of nickel-cobalt-manganese acetate hydroxide by a simple co-precipitation method and subsequently the thermal treatment. The as-synthesized Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms had a large surface area (96.53 m2 g-1) and porous structure. As electrode materials for supercapacitors, porous Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms showed a high specific capacitance of 1623.5 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1. Moreover, the porous Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms were also employed as positive electrode materials to assemble flexible solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors. The resulting flexible device had a maximum volumetric energy density (0.885 mW h cm-3) and power density (48.9 mW cm-3). Encouragingly, the flexible device exhibited good cycling stability with only about 2.2% loss after 5000 charge-discharge cycles and excellent mechanical stability. These results indicate that porous Ni-Co-Mn oxides prisms have the promising application in high performance electrochemical energy storage.

  5. Analysis of Fractional Flow for Transient Two-Phase Flow in Fractal Porous Medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Ting; Duan, Yonggang; Fang, Quantang; Dai, Xiaolu; Wu, Jinsui

    2016-03-01

    Prediction of fractional flow in fractal porous medium is important for reservoir engineering and chemical engineering as well as hydrology. A physical conceptual fractional flow model of transient two-phase flow is developed in fractal porous medium based on the fractal characteristics of pore-size distribution and on the approximation that porous medium consist of a bundle of tortuous capillaries. The analytical expression for fractional flow for wetting phase is presented, and the proposed expression is the function of structural parameters (such as tortuosity fractal dimension, pore fractal dimension, maximum and minimum diameters of capillaries) and fluid properties (such as contact angle, viscosity and interfacial tension) in fractal porous medium. The sensitive parameters that influence fractional flow and its derivative are formulated, and their impacts on fractional flow are discussed.

  6. Study of the deposition process of vinpocetine on the surface of porous silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lenshin, A. S.; Polkovnikova, Yu. A.; Seredin, P. V.

    Currently the most prospective way in pharmacotherapy is the obtaining of nanoparticles involving pharmaceutical substances. Application of porous inorganic materials on the basis of silicon is among the main features in solving of this problem. The present work is concerned with the problem of the deposition of pharmaceutical drug with nootropic activity - vinpocetine - into porous silicon. Silicon nanoparticles were obtained by electrochemical anodic etching of Si plates. The process of vinpocetine deposition was studied in dependence of the deposition time. As a result of the investigations it was found that infrared transmission spectra of porous silicon with the deposited vinpocetine revealed the absorption bands characteristic of vinpocetine substance.

  7. Amorphization and reduction of thermal conductivity in porous silicon by irradiation with swift heavy ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newby, Pascal J.; Canut, Bruno; Bluet, Jean-Marie; Gomès, Séverine; Isaiev, Mykola; Burbelo, Roman; Termentzidis, Konstantinos; Chantrenne, Patrice; Fréchette, Luc G.; Lysenko, Vladimir

    2013-07-01

    In this article, we demonstrate that the thermal conductivity of nanostructured porous silicon is reduced by amorphization and also that this amorphous phase in porous silicon can be created by swift (high-energy) heavy ion irradiation. Porous silicon samples with 41%-75% porosity are irradiated with 110 MeV uranium ions at six different fluences. Structural characterisation by micro-Raman spectroscopy and SEM imaging show that swift heavy ion irradiation causes the creation of an amorphous phase in porous Si but without suppressing its porous structure. We demonstrate that the amorphization of porous silicon is caused by electronic-regime interactions, which is the first time such an effect is obtained in crystalline silicon with single-ion species. Furthermore, the impact on the thermal conductivity of porous silicon is studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning thermal microscopy. The creation of an amorphous phase in porous silicon leads to a reduction of its thermal conductivity, up to a factor of 3 compared to the non-irradiated sample. Therefore, this technique could be used to enhance the thermal insulation properties of porous Si. Finally, we show that this treatment can be combined with pre-oxidation at 300 °C, which is known to lower the thermal conductivity of porous Si, in order to obtain an even greater reduction.

  8. Amorphization and reduction of thermal conductivity in porous silicon by irradiation with swift heavy ions

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

    Newby, Pascal J.; Institut Interdisciplinaire d'Innovation Technologique; Canut, Bruno

    2013-07-07

    In this article, we demonstrate that the thermal conductivity of nanostructured porous silicon is reduced by amorphization and also that this amorphous phase in porous silicon can be created by swift (high-energy) heavy ion irradiation. Porous silicon samples with 41%-75% porosity are irradiated with 110 MeV uranium ions at six different fluences. Structural characterisation by micro-Raman spectroscopy and SEM imaging show that swift heavy ion irradiation causes the creation of an amorphous phase in porous Si but without suppressing its porous structure. We demonstrate that the amorphization of porous silicon is caused by electronic-regime interactions, which is the first timemore » such an effect is obtained in crystalline silicon with single-ion species. Furthermore, the impact on the thermal conductivity of porous silicon is studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning thermal microscopy. The creation of an amorphous phase in porous silicon leads to a reduction of its thermal conductivity, up to a factor of 3 compared to the non-irradiated sample. Therefore, this technique could be used to enhance the thermal insulation properties of porous Si. Finally, we show that this treatment can be combined with pre-oxidation at 300 Degree-Sign C, which is known to lower the thermal conductivity of porous Si, in order to obtain an even greater reduction.« less

  9. Preparation of asymmetric porous materials

    DOEpatents

    Coker, Eric N [Albuquerque, NM

    2012-08-07

    A method for preparing an asymmetric porous material by depositing a porous material film on a flexible substrate, and applying an anisotropic stress to the porous media on the flexible substrate, where the anisotropic stress results from a stress such as an applied mechanical force, a thermal gradient, and an applied voltage, to form an asymmetric porous material.

  10. OPM: The Open Porous Media Initiative

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flemisch, B.; Flornes, K. M.; Lie, K.; Rasmussen, A.

    2011-12-01

    The principal objective of the Open Porous Media (OPM) initiative is to develop a simulation suite that is capable of modeling industrially and scientifically relevant flow and transport processes in porous media and bridge the gap between the different application areas of porous media modeling, including reservoir mechanics, CO2 sequestration, biological systems, and product development of engineered media. The OPM initiative will provide a long-lasting, efficient, and well-maintained open-source software for flow and transport in porous media built on modern software principles. The suite is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Our motivation is to provide a means to unite industry and public research on simulation of flow and transport in porous media. For academic users, we seek to provide a software infrastructure that facilitates testing of new ideas on models with industry-standard complexity, while at the same time giving the researcher control over discretization and solvers. Similarly, we aim to accelerate the technology transfer from academic institutions to professional companies by making new research results available as free software of professional standard. The OPM initiative is currently supported by six research groups in Norway and Germany and funded by existing grants from public research agencies as well as from Statoil Petroleum and Total E&P Norge. However, a full-scale development of the OPM initiative requires substantially more funding and involvement of more research groups and potential end users. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the current activities in the OPM initiative. Special emphasis will be given to the demonstration of the synergies achieved by combining the strengths of individual open-source software components. In particular, a new fully implicit solver developed within the DUNE-based simulator DuMux could be enhanced by the ability to read industry-standard Eclipse input files and to run on

  11. Antimicrobial 3D Porous Scaffolds Prepared by Additive Manufacturing and Breath Figures.

    PubMed

    Vargas-Alfredo, Nelson; Dorronsoro, Ane; Cortajarena, Aitziber L; Rodríguez-Hernández, Juan

    2017-10-25

    We describe herein a novel strategy for the fabrication of efficient 3D printed antibacterial scaffolds. For this purpose, both the surface topography as well as the chemical composition of 3D scaffolds fabricated by additive manufacturing were modified. The scaffolds were fabricated by fused deposition modeling (FDM) using high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) filaments. The surface of the objects was then topographically modified providing materials with porous surfaces by means of the Breath Figures approach. The strategy involves the immersion of the scaffold in a polymer solution during a precise period of time. This approach permitted the modification of the pore size varying the immersion time as well as the solution concentration. Moreover, by using polymer blend solutions of polystyrene and polystyrene-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PS 23 -b-PAA 18 ) and a quaternized polystyrene-b-poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PS 42 -b-PDMAEMAQ 17 ), the scaffolds were simultaneously chemically modified. The surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. Finally, the biological response toward bacteria was explored. Porous surfaces prepared using quaternized PDMAEMA as well as those prepared using PAA confer antimicrobial activity to the films, i.e., were able to kill on contact Staphylococcus aureus employed as model bacteria.

  12. Synthesis and gas adsorption study of porous metal-organic framework materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mu, Bin

    Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or porous coordination polymers (PCPs) have become the focus of intense study over the past decade due to their potential for advancing a variety of applications including air purification, gas storage, adsorption separations, catalysis, gas sensing, drug delivery, and so on. These materials have some distinct advantages over traditional porous materials such as the well-defined structures, uniform pore sizes, chemically functionalized sorption sites, and potential for postsynthetic modification, etc. Thus, synthesis and adsorption studies of porous MOFs have increased substantially in recent years. Among various prospective applications, air purification is one of the most immediate concerns, which has urgent requirements to improve current nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) filters involving commercial and military purposes. Thus, the major goal of this funded project is to search, synthesize, and test these novel hybrid porous materials for adsorptive removal of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs), and to install the benchmark for new-generation NBC filters. The objective of this study is three-fold: (i) Advance our understanding of coordination chemistry by synthesizing novel MOFs and characterizing these porous coordination polymers; (ii) Evaluate porous MOF materials for gasadsorption applications including CO2 capture, CH4 storage, other light gas adsorption and separations, and examine the chemical and physical properties of these solid adsorbents including thermal stability and heat capacity of MOFs; (iii) Evaluate porous MOF materials for next-generation NBC filter media by adsorption breakthrough measurements of TICs on MOFs, and advance our understanding about structureproperty relationships of these novel adsorbents.

  13. Porous block nanofiber composite filters

    DOEpatents

    Ginley, David S.; Curtis, Calvin J.; Miedaner, Alexander; Weiss, Alan J.; Paddock, Arnold

    2016-08-09

    Porous block nano-fiber composite (110), a filtration system (10) and methods of using the same are disclosed. An exemplary porous block nano-fiber composite (110) includes a porous block (100) having one or more pores (200). The porous block nano-fiber composite (110) also includes a plurality of inorganic nano-fibers (211) formed within at least one of the pores (200).

  14. 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.

  15. NMR Relaxometry to Characterize the Drug Structural Phase in a Porous Construct.

    PubMed

    Thrane, Linn W; Berglund, Emily A; Wilking, James N; Vodak, David; Seymour, Joseph D

    2018-06-14

    Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) frequency spectra and T 2 relaxation time measurements, using a high-power radio frequency probe, are shown to characterize the presence of an amorphous drug in a porous silica construct. The results indicate the ability of non-solid-state NMR methods to characterize crystalline and amorphous solid structural phases in drugs. Two-dimensional T 1 - T 2 magnetic relaxation time correlation experiments are shown to monitor the impact of relative humidity on the drug in a porous silica tablet.

  16. Porous One-Dimensional Nanomaterials: Design, Fabrication and Applications in Electrochemical Energy Storage.

    PubMed

    Wei, Qiulong; Xiong, Fangyu; Tan, Shuangshuang; Huang, Lei; Lan, Esther H; Dunn, Bruce; Mai, Liqiang

    2017-05-01

    Electrochemical energy storage technology is of critical importance for portable electronics, transportation and large-scale energy storage systems. There is a growing demand for energy storage devices with high energy and high power densities, long-term stability, safety and low cost. To achieve these requirements, novel design structures and high performance electrode materials are needed. Porous 1D nanomaterials which combine the advantages of 1D nanoarchitectures and porous structures have had a significant impact in the field of electrochemical energy storage. This review presents an overview of porous 1D nanostructure research, from the synthesis by bottom-up and top-down approaches with rational and controllable structures, to several important electrochemical energy storage applications including lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-oxygen batteries and supercapacitors. Highlights of porous 1D nanostructures are described throughout the review and directions for future research in the field are discussed at the end. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. Ballistic Performance of Porous Ceramic Thermal Protection Systems at 9 km/s

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Joshua E.; Bohl, W. E.; Foreman, C. D.; Christiansen, Eric L.; Davis, B. A.

    2009-01-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal-protection-systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Orbiter, and they are currently being proposed for the next generation of manned spacecraft, Orion. These materials insulate the structural components and sensitive electronic components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. Furthermore, these materials are also highly exposed to space environmental hazards like meteoroid and orbital debris impacts. This paper discusses recent impact testing up to 9 km/s on ceramic tiles similar to those used on the Orbiter. These tiles have a porous-batting of nominally 8 lb/cubic ft alumina-fiber-enhanced-thermal-barrier (AETB8) insulating material coated with a damage-resistant, toughened-unipiece-fibrous-insulation (TUFI) layer.

  18. Bioconjugate functionalization of thermally carbonized porous silicon using a radical coupling reaction†

    PubMed Central

    Sciacca, Beniamino; Alvarez, Sara D.; Geobaldo, Francesco; Sailor, Michael J.

    2011-01-01

    The high stability of Salonen’s thermally carbonized porous silicon (TCPSi) has attracted attention for environmental and biochemical sensing applications, where corrosion-induced zero point drift of porous silicon-based sensor elements has historically been a significant problem. Prepared by the high temperature reaction of porous silicon with acetylene gas, the stability of this silicon carbide-like material also poses a challenge—many sensor applications require a functionalized surface, and the low reactivity of TCPSi has limited the ability to chemically modify its surface. This work presents a simple reaction to modify the surface of TCPSi with an alkyl carboxylate. The method involves radical coupling of a dicarboxylic acid (sebacic acid) to the TCPSi surface using a benzoyl peroxide initiator. The grafted carboxylic acid species provides a route for bioconjugate chemical modification, demonstrated in this work by coupling propylamine to the surface carboxylic acid group through the intermediacy of pentafluorophenol and 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). The stability of the carbonized porous Si surface, both before and after chemical modification, is tested in phosphate buffered saline solution and found to be superior to either hydrosilylated (with undecylenic acid) or thermally oxidized porous Si surfaces. PMID:20967329

  19. Nanostructures formed by displacement of porous silicon with copper: from nanoparticles to porous membranes

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The application of porous silicon as a template for the fabrication of nanosized copper objects is reported. Three different types of nanostructures were formed by displacement deposition of copper on porous silicon from hydrofluoric acid-based solutions of copper sulphate: (1) copper nanoparticles, (2) quasi-continuous copper films, and (3) free porous copper membranes. Managing the parameters of porous silicon (pore sizes, porosity), deposition time, and wettability of the copper sulphate solution has allowed to achieve such variety of the copper structures. Elemental and structural analyses of the obtained structures are presented. Young modulus measurements of the porous copper membrane have been carried out and its modest activity in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is declared. PMID:22916840

  20. Evaporation of NaCl solution from porous media with mixed wettability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergstad, Mina; Shokri, Nima

    2016-05-01

    Evaporation of saline water from porous media is ubiquitous in many processes including soil salinization, crop production, and CO2 sequestration in deep saline acquirer. It is controlled by the transport properties of porous media, atmospheric conditions, and properties of the evaporating saline solution. In the present study, the effects of mixed wettability conditions on the general dynamics of water evaporation from porous media saturated with NaCl solution were investigated. To do so, we conducted a comprehensive series of evaporation experiments using sand mixtures containing different fractions of hydrophobic grains saturated with NaCl solutions. Our results showed that increasing fraction of hydrophobic grains in the mixed wettability sand pack had minor impact on the evaporative mass losses due to the presence of salt whose precipitation patterns were significantly influenced by the mixed wettability condition. Through macroscale and microscale investigations, we found formation of patchy efflorescence in the case of mixed wettability sand pack as opposed to crusty efflorescence in the case of completely hydrophilic porous media. Furthermore, the presence of salty water and hydrophobic grains in the sand pack significantly influenced the general dynamics and morphology of the receding drying front. Our results extend the understanding of the saline water evaporation from porous media with direct applications to various hydrological and engineering processes.

  1. Enhancement of thermal stability of porous bodies comprised of stainless steel or an alloy

    DOEpatents

    Bischoff, Brian L.; Sutton, Theodore G.; Judkins, Roddie R.; Armstrong, Timothy R.; Adcock, Kenneth D.

    2010-11-09

    A method for treating a porous item constructed of metal powder, such as a powder made of Series 400 stainless steel, involves a step of preheating the porous item to a temperature of between about 700 and 900.degree. C. degrees in an oxidizing atmosphere and then sintering the body in an inert or reducing atmosphere at a temperature which is slightly below the melting temperature of the metal which comprises the porous item. The thermal stability of the resulting item is enhanced by this method so that the item retains its porosity and metallic characteristics, such as ductility, at higher (e.g. near-melting) temperatures.

  2. On the Examination of Darcy Permeability a Thin Fibrous Porous Layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Zenghao; Wang, Qiuyun; Wu, Qianhong; Vucbmss Team

    2016-11-01

    In this paper, we report a novel experimental approach to investigate the Darcy permeability of a soft and thin fibrous porous layer. The project is inspired by recent studies involved compression of very thin porous films and the resultant pore fluid flow inside the confined porous structure. The Darcy permeability plays a critical role during the process, which however, is tricky to measure due to the very thin nature of the porous media. In the current study, a special micro-fluidic device is developed that consists of a rectangular flow channel with adjustable gap height ranging from 20 mm to 0.5 mm. Air is forced through the thin gap filled with testing fibrous materials. By measuring the flow rate and the pressure drop, we have successfully obtained the Darcy permeability of different thin porous sheets at different compression ratios. Furthermore, the surface area of the fibers are evaluated using a Micromeritics® ASAP 2020 (Accelerated Surface Area and Porosimetry) system. We found that, although the functions relating the permeability and porosities are different for different fibrous materials, these functions collapse to a single relationship if one express the permeability as a function of the solid phase surface area per unit volume. This finding provides a useful approach to evaluate the permeability of very thin fibrous porous sheet, which otherwise is difficult to measure directly. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award #1511096.

  3. Porous ionic liquids: synthesis and application.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shiguo; Dokko, Kaoru; Watanabe, Masayoshi

    2015-07-15

    Solidification of fluidic ionic liquids into porous materials yields porous ionic networks that combine the unique characteristics of ionic liquids with the common features of polymers and porous materials. This minireview reports the most recent advances in the design of porous ionic liquids. A summary of the synthesis of ordered and disordered porous ionic liquid-based nanoparticles or membranes with or without templates is provided, together with the new concept of room temperature porous ionic liquids. As a versatile platform for functional materials, porous ionic liquids have shown widespread applications in catalysis, adsorption, sensing, actuation, etc. This new research direction towards ionic liquids chemistry is still in its early stages but has great potential.

  4. Engineered Surface Properties of Porous Tungsten from Cryogenic Machining

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoop, Julius Malte

    Porous tungsten is used to manufacture dispenser cathodes due to it refractory properties. Surface porosity is critical to functional performance of dispenser cathodes because it allows for an impregnated ceramic compound to migrate to the emitting surface, lowering its work function. Likewise, surface roughness is important because it is necessary to ensure uniform wetting of the molten impregnate during high temperature service. Current industry practice to achieve surface roughness and surface porosity requirements involves the use of a plastic infiltrant during machining. After machining, the infiltrant is baked and the cathode pellet is impregnated. In this context, cryogenic machining is investigated as a substitutionary process for the current plastic infiltration process. Along with significant reductions in cycle time and resource use, surface quality of cryogenically machined un-infiltrated (as-sintered) porous tungsten has been shown to significantly outperform dry machining. The present study is focused on examining the relationship between machining parameters and cooling condition on the as-machined surface integrity of porous tungsten. The effects of cryogenic pre-cooling, rake angle, cutting speed, depth of cut and feed are all taken into consideration with respect to machining-induced surface morphology. Cermet and Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tools are used to develop high performance cryogenic machining of porous tungsten. Dry and pre-heated machining were investigated as a means to allow for ductile mode machining, yet severe tool-wear and undesirable smearing limited the feasibility of these approaches. By using modified PCD cutting tools, high speed machining of porous tungsten at cutting speeds up to 400 m/min is achieved for the first time. Beyond a critical speed, brittle fracture and built-up edge are eliminated as the result of a brittle to ductile transition. A model of critical chip thickness ( hc ) effects based on cutting

  5. Hybrid lattice gas simulations of flow through porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Becklehimer, Jeffrey Lynn

    1997-10-01

    This study introduces a suite of models designed to investigate transport phenomena in simulated porous media such as rigid or quenched sediment and clay-like deformable environments. This is achieved by using a variety of techniques that are borrowed from the field of statistical physics. These techniques include percolation, lattice gas, and cellular automata. A percolation-based model is used to study a porous medium by using rods and chains of various shapes and sizes to model the porous media formed by sediments. This is further extended to model clay-like deformable media by interacting heavy sediment particles. An interacting lattice gas computer simulation model based on the Metropolis algorithm is used to study the transport properties of fluid particles and permeability of a porous sediment. Finally, a hybrid lattice gas model is introduced by combining the Metropolis Monte Carlo method with a direct simulation which involves the collision rules as in cellular automata. This model is then used to study shock propagation in a fluid filled porous medium. This study is then extended to study shock propagation through in a fluid filled elastic porous medium. Several interesting and new results were obtained. These results show that for rigid chain percolation the percolation threshold shows a dependence on the chain length of pc~ Lc-1/2 and the jamming coverage decreases with the chain length as Lc- 1/3. For the random SAW-like chains the percolation threshold decays with the chain length as Lc- 0.01 and the jamming coverage as Lc-1/3. The fluid flow model shows that permeability depends nonmonotonically on the concentration of the fluid. For some fluids at a fixed porosity, the permeability increases on increasing the bias until a certain value Bc above which it decreases. Also, it was found that a shock propagates in a drift-like fashion when in a rigid porous medium when the porosity is high; low porosity damps out the shock front very quickly. For a shock

  6. The Impact of Motivation to Lead on College Students' Cocurricular Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pepper, Robert C.

    2009-01-01

    This exploratory research examined the impact of motivation to lead on college students' cocurricular involvement. The question driving this research was: Is motivation to lead a predictor of cocurricular student involvement? A 52-item questionnaire that included the Motivation to Lead Self-Report Questionnaire (Chan & Drasgow, 2001) was used to…

  7. Porous Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks.

    PubMed

    Han, Yi-Fei; Yuan, Ying-Xue; Wang, Hong-Bo

    2017-02-13

    Ordered porous solid-state architectures constructed via non-covalent supramolecular self-assembly have attracted increasing interest due to their unique advantages and potential applications. Porous metal-coordination organic frameworks (MOFs) are generated by the assembly of metal coordination centers and organic linkers. Compared to MOFs, porous hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) are readily purified and recovered via simple recrystallization. However, due to lacking of sufficiently ability to orientate self-aggregation of building motifs in predictable manners, rational design and preparation of porous HOFs are still challenging. Herein, we summarize recent developments about porous HOFs and attempt to gain deeper insights into the design strategies of basic building motifs.

  8. MHD nanofluid free convection and entropy generation in porous enclosures with different conductivity ratios

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghasemi, Kasra; Siavashi, Majid

    2017-11-01

    MHD natural convection of Cu-water nanofluid in a square porous enclosure is investigated using a parallel LBM code, considering temperature dependence of viscosity and viscous dissipation. Effects of nanofluid concentration (φ = 0 - 0.12), Rayleigh (Ra =103 -106), Hartmann (Ha = 0-20) and porous-fluid thermal conductivity ratio (K∗ = 1-70) on heat transfer and entropy generation are investigated. It is shown that K∗ is a very important parameter, and porous media with low K∗ numbers can confine convection effects, but by increasing K∗ both conduction and convection effects can substantially improve. Also, magnetic field always has negative impact on Nu, however this impact can be controlled by φ and K∗. A magnetic instability has also observed in Ra = 104, and Nu exhibits a sinusoidal variation with Ha. It is proved that, depending on K∗, Ra and Ha values, use of nanofluid with porous media to enhance heat transfer can be either beneficial or detrimental. Also, for given K∗, Ra and Ha numbers an optimal φ exists to improve heat transfer. Finally, entropy generation study performed and results state that in low and high Ra values the thermal and frictional entropy generation are respectively dominant, while for moderate Ra they have the same order of magnitude.

  9. [The impact of socially involved films].

    PubMed

    Mimoun, M

    1979-01-01

    During the past few years studies on linguistics and particularly on semiology have considerably renewed the approach and investigation methods in artistic expression. Ideology has several languages and expression systems (photography, painting, music, speech, architecture and so on). The film does not only carry an ideological content: besides the signification systems and the signs taken from other means of films. To consider only films which have the ostensible objective to urge the public to a political action as socially involved is wrong: any movie is socially involved. One must appreciate correctly and politically the place, role and level at which it intervenes in the framework of the ideological fight. Audiovisual alphabetization is essential for the progress of new ideas in the field of picture and sound. In the Third World, when they do exist, cinematographies rarely have the political power to consider such an action. Ideological impact depends mostly on the social, political and cultural environment. A movie is 1st questioned from the standpoint of the historical place and of the problems of the public. The example of Algerian cinematography as a socially involved one is given. At its origin, film-making in this country was working at informing the outside world of the meaning of the people's fight. Its goal was to capture the political and social reality in order to change it. Therefore the social involvement role of Algerian film-producing is tightly connected to the revolutionary process in which the whole country is engaged. Algerian film-producing is often understood as a propaganda cinematography. The stagnation or progress of a cinematography cannot be measured in relation to the universal mythical culture, but in relation to the social and cultural reality of the country where it originates. The present deepening of the reflection on film and ideology is a result of a recent accentuation of the ideologic fight.

  10. POROUS WALL, HOLLOW GLASS MICROSPHERES

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

    Sexton, W.

    Hollow Glass Microspheres (HGM) is not a new technology. All one has to do is go to the internet and Google{trademark} HGM. Anyone can buy HGM and they have a wide variety of uses. HGM are usually between 1 to 100 microns in diameter, although their size can range from 100 nanometers to 5 millimeters in diameter. HGM are used as lightweight filler in composite materials such as syntactic foam and lightweight concrete. In 1968 a patent was issued to W. Beck of the 3M{trademark} Company for 'Glass Bubbles Prepared by Reheating Solid Glass Particles'. In 1983 P. Howell wasmore » issued a patent for 'Glass Bubbles of Increased Collapse Strength' and in 1988 H. Marshall was issued a patent for 'Glass Microbubbles'. Now Google{trademark}, Porous Wall, Hollow Glass Microspheres (PW-HGMs), the key words here are Porous Wall. Almost every article has its beginning with the research done at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). The Savannah River Site (SRS) where SRNL is located has a long and successful history of working with hydrogen and its isotopes for national security, energy, waste management and environmental remediation applications. This includes more than 30 years of experience developing, processing, and implementing special ceramics, including glasses for a variety of Department of Energy (DOE) missions. In the case of glasses, SRS and SRNL have been involved in both the science and engineering of vitreous or glass based systems. As a part of this glass experience and expertise, SRNL has developed a number of niches in the glass arena, one of which is the development of porous glass systems for a variety of applications. These porous glass systems include sol gel glasses, which include both xerogels and aerogels, as well as phase separated glass compositions, that can be subsequently treated to produce another unique type of porosity within the glass forms. The porous glasses can increase the surface area compared to 'normal glasses of a 1 to 2 order

  11. Numerical analysis of the impact of permeability on trailing-edge noise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koh, Seong Ryong; Meinke, Matthias; Schröder, Wolfgang

    2018-05-01

    The impact of porous surfaces on the near-wall turbulent structures and the generated trailing-edge noise is analyzed for several trailing-edge shapes of finite thickness using a high resolution large-eddy simulation (LES)/computational aeroacoustics (CAA) method. The porous surface of the trailing edge is defined by the porosity and the viscous permeability determined by the solution of a turbulent flat plate boundary layer at a Reynolds number 1280 based on the displacement thickness in the inflow cross section. The volume-averaged approach for the homogeneous porous medium shows that the porous impedance scales linearly with the porosity and exponentially with the mean structure size of a porous medium. The drag induced by the porous surface changes the friction velocity and the permeability Reynolds number ReK which determines the porous impedance Rs scaled by ReK-2/3. The trailing-edge noise is analyzed for three solid and three porous trailing edges. The effect of a finite span is investigated by the spanwise correlation model based on the measured coherence distribution. The acoustic prediction shows a good agreement with measurements of the broadband spectrum and the strong tone generated by a finite trailing-edge thickness. The pressure gradient inside the porous media is redistributed by the Darcy drag defined by the viscous permeability and the porosity. The mean pressure increases in the upstream direction inside the porous medium such that the flow acceleration involved in the acoustic generation is reduced inside the porous medium. The noise reduction by a porous medium reaches 11 dB for the trailing-edge shape which possesses a sharp corner for the solid surface. The porous surface applied to a semi-circular trailing edge achieves a 4 dB noise reduction. The directivity pattern for individual components of the acoustic spectrum shows that the massive noise reduction is determined at the tone. Enhanced wave diffraction by the thick flat plate changes

  12. Conceptual Design of a Condensing Heat Exchanger for Space Systems Using Porous Media

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hasan, Mohammad M.; Khan, Lutful I.; Nayagam, Vedha; Balasubramaniam, Ramaswamy

    2006-01-01

    Condensing heat exchangers are used in many space applications in the thermal and humidity control systems. In the International Space Station (ISS), humidity control is achieved by using a water cooled fin surface over which the moist air condenses, followed by "slurper bars" that take in both the condensate and air into a rotary separator and separates the water from air. The use of a cooled porous substrate as the condensing surface provides and attractive alternative that combines both heat removal as well as liquid/gas separation into a single unit. By selecting the pore sizes of the porous substrate a gravity independent operation may also be possible with this concept. Condensation of vapor into and on the porous surface from the flowing air and the removal of condensate from the porous substrate are the critical processes involved in the proposed concept. This paper describes some preliminary results of the proposed condensate withdrawal process and discusses the on-going design and development work of a porous media based condensing heat exchanger at the NASA Glenn Research Center in collaboration with NASA Johnson Space Center.

  13. Psychosocial impact of involvement in the Special Olympics.

    PubMed

    Crawford, Clare; Burns, Jan; Fernie, Bruce A

    2015-01-01

    Existing evidence suggests that people with intellectual disabilities are vulnerable to low self-esteem leading to additional psychosocial issues such as social exclusion and stress. Previous research into the involvement of Special Olympics (SO) of people with intellectual disabilities has indicted positive psychosocial outcomes. Involvement in sport is known generally to have psychological and social benefits. This study aimed to compare the psychosocial impact of involvement in sport through the SO to no or limited sports involvement, for a sample of people with intellectual disabilities. A cross sectional design was employed comparing three groups, SO, Mencap Sports, and Mencap No Sports on the variables: Self-esteem, quality of life, stress levels and social networks. One hundred and one participants were recruited either through the SO or Mencap. Data were collected through the completion of validated questionnaires by one to one interviews with the participants. Analysis revealed that self-esteem, quality of life, and stress were all significantly associated with SO involvement. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore whether scores on these variables were able to predict group membership. Self-esteem was found to be a significant predictor of group membership, those in the SO having the highest self-esteem. The findings provide further evidence of a positive association between sport involvement and increased psychological wellbeing, especially for those involved in the SO. The implications of these findings for practice and future research into the relationship between sport and psychological wellbeing within the learning disabled population are considered. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Contact angle studies on anodic porous alumina.

    PubMed

    Redón, Rocío; Vázquez-Olmos, A; Mata-Zamora, M E; Ordóñez-Medrano, A; Rivera-Torres, F; Saniger, J M

    2005-07-15

    The preparation of nanostructures using porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as templates involves the introduction of dissolved materials into the pores of the membranes; one way to determine which materials are preferred to fill the pores involves the measurement of the contact angles (theta) of different solvents or test liquids on the AAOs. Thus, we present measurements of contact angles of nine solvents on four different AAO sheets by tensiometric and goniometric methods. From the solvents tested, we found dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and N,N(')-dimethylformamide (DMF) to interact with the AAOs, the polarity of the solvents and the surfaces being the driving force.

  15. Preferential paths in yield stress fluid flow through a porous medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guasto, Jeffrey; Waisbord, Nicolas; Stoop, Norbert; Dunkel, Jörn

    2016-11-01

    A broad range of biological, geological, and industrial materials with complex rheological properties are subjected to flow through porous media in applications ranging from oil recovery to food manufacturing. In this experimental study, we examine the flow of a model yield stress fluid (Carbopol micro-gel) through a quasi-2D porous medium, fabricated in a microfluidic channel. The flow is driven by applying a precisely-controlled pressure gradient and measured by particle tracking velocimetry, and our observations are complemented by a pore-network model of the yield stress fluid flow. While remaining unyielded at small applied pressure, the micro-gel begins to yield at a critical pressure gradient, exhibiting a single preferential flow path that percolates through the porous medium. As the applied pressure gradient increases, we observe a subsequent coarsening and invasion of the yielded, fluidized network. An examination of both the yielded network topology and pore-scale flow reveal that two cooperative phenomena are involved in sculpting the preferential flow paths: (1) the geometry of the porous microstructure, and (2) the adhesive surface interactions between the micro-gel and substrate. NSF CBET-1511340.

  16. Spreading of blood drops over dry porous substrate: complete wetting case.

    PubMed

    Chao, Tzu Chieh; Arjmandi-Tash, Omid; Das, Diganta B; Starov, Victor M

    2015-05-15

    The process of dried blood spot sampling involves simultaneous spreading and penetration of blood into a porous filter paper with subsequent evaporation and drying. Spreading of small drops of blood, which is a non-Newtonian liquid, over a dry porous layer is investigated from both theoretical and experimental points of view. A system of two differential equations is derived, which describes the time evolution of radii of both the drop base and the wetted region inside the porous medium. The system of equations does not include any fitting parameters. The predicted time evolutions of both radii are compared with experimental data published earlier. For a given power law dependency of viscosity of blood with different hematocrit level, radii of both drop base and wetted region, and contact angle fell on three universal curves if appropriate scales are used with a plot of the dimensionless radii of the drop base and the wetted region inside the porous layer and dynamic contact angle on dimensionless time. The predicted theoretical relationships are three universal curves accounting satisfactorily for the experimental data. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Color image analysis of contaminants and bacteria transport in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rashidi, Mehdi; Dehmeshki, Jamshid; Daemi, Mohammad F.; Cole, Larry; Dickenson, Eric

    1997-10-01

    Transport of contaminants and bacteria in aqueous heterogeneous saturated porous systems have been studied experimentally using a novel fluorescent microscopic imaging technique. The approach involves color visualization and quantification of bacterium and contaminant distributions within a transparent porous column. By introducing stained bacteria and an organic dye as a contaminant into the column and illuminating the porous regions with a planar sheet of laser beam, contaminant and bacterial transport processes through the porous medium can be observed and measured microscopically. A computer controlled color CCD camera is used to record the fluorescent images as a function of time. These images are recorded by a frame accurate high resolution VCR and are then analyzed using a color image analysis code written in our laboratories. The color images are digitized this way and simultaneous concentration and velocity distributions of both contaminant and bacterium are evaluated as a function of time and pore characteristics. The approach provides a unique dynamic probe to observe these transport processes microscopically. These results are extremely valuable in in-situ bioremediation problems since microscopic particle-contaminant- bacterium interactions are the key to understanding and optimization of these processes.

  18. Impact of mineral precipitation on flow and mixing in porous media determined by microcomputed tomography and MRI

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

    Bray, Joshua M.; Lauchnor, Ellen G.; Redden, George D.

    Here, precipitation reactions in porous media influence transport properties of the environment and can control advective and dispersive transport. In subsurface environments, mixing of saline groundwater or injected solutions for remediation with fresh groundwater can induce supersaturation of constituents and drive precipitation reactions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) were employed as complimentary techniques to evaluate advection, dispersion and formation of precipitate in a 3D porous media flow cell. Two parallel fluids were flowed concentrically through the porous media under two flow rate conditions with Na 2CO 3 and CaCl 2 in the inner and outer fluids, respectively.more » Upon mixing, calcium carbonate became supersaturated and formed a precipitate at the interface of the two fluids. Spatial maps of changing local velocity fields and dispersion in the flow cell were generated from MRI, while high resolution imaging of the precipitate formed in the porous media was achieved via µ-CT imaging. Formation of a precipitate layer minimized dispersive and advective transport between the two fluids and the shape of the precipitation was influenced by the flow rate condition.« less

  19. Impact of mineral precipitation on flow and mixing in porous media determined by microcomputed tomography and MRI

    DOE PAGES

    Bray, Joshua M.; Lauchnor, Ellen G.; Redden, George D.; ...

    2016-12-21

    Here, precipitation reactions in porous media influence transport properties of the environment and can control advective and dispersive transport. In subsurface environments, mixing of saline groundwater or injected solutions for remediation with fresh groundwater can induce supersaturation of constituents and drive precipitation reactions. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) were employed as complimentary techniques to evaluate advection, dispersion and formation of precipitate in a 3D porous media flow cell. Two parallel fluids were flowed concentrically through the porous media under two flow rate conditions with Na 2CO 3 and CaCl 2 in the inner and outer fluids, respectively.more » Upon mixing, calcium carbonate became supersaturated and formed a precipitate at the interface of the two fluids. Spatial maps of changing local velocity fields and dispersion in the flow cell were generated from MRI, while high resolution imaging of the precipitate formed in the porous media was achieved via µ-CT imaging. Formation of a precipitate layer minimized dispersive and advective transport between the two fluids and the shape of the precipitation was influenced by the flow rate condition.« less

  20. VIRUS TRANSPORT IN PHYSICALLY AND GEOCHEMICALLY HETEROGENEOUS SUBSURFACE POROUS MEDIA. (R826179)

    EPA Science Inventory

    A two-dimensional model for virus transport in physically and geochemically heterogeneous subsurface porous media is presented. The model involves solution of the advection–dispersion equation, which additionally considers virus inactivation in the solution, as well as ...

  1. Porous silicon carbide (SIC) semiconductor device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

    1996-01-01

    Porous silicon carbide is fabricated according to techniques which result in a significant portion of nanocrystallites within the material in a sub 10 nanometer regime. There is described techniques for passivating porous silicon carbide which result in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices which exhibit brighter blue luminescence and exhibit improved qualities. Based on certain of the techniques described porous silicon carbide is used as a sacrificial layer for the patterning of silicon carbide. Porous silicon carbide is then removed from the bulk substrate by oxidation and other methods. The techniques described employ a two-step process which is used to pattern bulk silicon carbide where selected areas of the wafer are then made porous and then the porous layer is subsequently removed. The process to form porous silicon carbide exhibits dopant selectivity and a two-step etching procedure is implemented for silicon carbide multilayers.

  2. Selective formation of porous silicon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fathauer, Jones (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    A pattern of porous silicon is produced in the surface of a silicon substrate by forming a pattern of crystal defects in said surface, preferably by applying an ion milling beam through openings in a photoresist layer to the surface, and then exposing said surface to a stain etchant, such as HF:HNO3:H20. The defected crystal will preferentially etch to form a pattern of porous silicon. When the amorphous content of the porous silicon exceeds 70 percent, the porous silicon pattern emits visible light at room temperature.

  3. Selective formation of porous silicon

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fathauer, Robert W. (Inventor); Jones, Eric W. (Inventor)

    1993-01-01

    A pattern of porous silicon is produced in the surface of a silicon substrate by forming a pattern of crystal defects in said surface, preferably by applying an ion milling beam through openings in a photoresist layer to the surface, and then exposing said surface to a stain etchant, such as HF:HNO3:H2O. The defected crystal will preferentially etch to form a pattern of porous silicon. When the amorphous content of the porous silicon exceeds 70 percent, the porous silicon pattern emits visible light at room temperature.

  4. Inorganic-organic nanocomposites formed using porous ceramic particles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Jiazhong

    Inorganic-organic nanocomposites are expected to be of great significance in new material technologies impacting many different fields. We develop new nanomaterials of this type that have an interpenetrating network structure via in-situ polymerization of monomer within the nanopores of inorganic gel particles (porosity 20-80 vol.%). Due to strong nanomechanical bonding, these thermosetting polymer composites are expected to exhibit improved mechanical performance. Particle porosity is a primary factor. In contrast to HCl-catalyzed gels, more porous HF-catalyzed gels (porosity 62 vol.%) produced higher composite wear-resistance. At the same loading, the wear rates decrease linearly with increasing filler porosity. Better wear resistance is associated with fine-scale plastic deformation as opposed to brittle fracture and particle pull-out. For the coupling of HF-catalyzed particles with gamma-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, FTIR and solid-state sp{13}C/sp{29}Si NMR show that the use of a catalyst (n-propylamine) and a nonpolar solvent (cyclohexane), causes the degree of coupling and self-condensation to increase. Ethanol competes with the silane for the surface and results in less silane self-condensation. Surprisingly, the silane diminishes the composite wear resistance due to its pore-filling effect and the subsequent decrease in polymer interpenetration. A transition from plastic deformation to brittle fracture is involved. A new sol-gel technique was found to prepare porous (up to 76.54 vol.%) silica nanoparticles from solution via sodium fluoride (NaF) salt catalysis. Full interpenetration is achieved without the use of silane coupling agents. The resulting composites displayed improved wear resistance, toughness, modulus, hardness and high compressive strength. Toughening and reinforcement can be explained by pore confinement. DMA and DEA were combined with TEM to investigate related structure and property issues. The filler matrix effect on composite

  5. Electrostatic-Assisted Liquefaction of Porous Carbons

    DOE PAGES

    Li, Peipei; Schott, Jennifer A.; Zhang, Jinshui; ...

    2017-10-10

    Porous liquids are a newly developed porous material that combine unique fluidity with permanent porosity, which exhibit promising functionalities for a variety of applications. However, the apparent incompatibility between fluidity and permanent porosity makes the stabilization of porous nanoparticle with still empty pores in the dense liquid phase a significant challenging. For this study, by exploiting the electrostatic interaction between carbon networks and polymerized ionic liquids, we demonstrate that carbon-based porous nanoarchitectures can be well stabilized in liquids to afford permanent porosity, and thus opens up a new approach to prepare porous carbon liquids. Furthermore, we hope this facile synthesismore » strategy can be widely applicated to fabricate other types of porous liquids, such as those (e.g., carbon nitride, boron nitride, metal–organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks etc.) also having the electrostatic interaction with polymerized ionic liquids, evidently advancing the development and understanding of porous liquids.« less

  6. Porous Silicon Nanowires

    PubMed Central

    Qu, Yongquan; Zhou, Hailong; Duan, Xiangfeng

    2011-01-01

    In this minreview, we summarize recent progress in the synthesis, properties and applications of a new type of one-dimensional nanostructures — single crystalline porous silicon nanowires. The growth of porous silicon nanowires starting from both p- and n-type Si wafers with a variety of dopant concentrations can be achieved through either one-step or two-step reactions. The mechanistic studies indicate the dopant concentration of Si wafers, oxidizer concentration, etching time and temperature can affect the morphology of the as-etched silicon nanowires. The porous silicon nanowires are both optically and electronically active and have been explored for potential applications in diverse areas including photocatalysis, lithium ion battery, gas sensor and drug delivery. PMID:21869999

  7. Processing and Modeling of Porous Copper Using Sintering Dissolution Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salih, Mustafa Abualgasim Abdalhakam

    The growth of porous metal has produced materials with improved properties as compared to non-metals and solid metals. Porous metal can be classified as either open cell or closed cell. Open cell allows a fluid media to pass through it. Closed cell is made up of adjacent sealed pores with shared cell walls. Metal foams offer higher strength to weight ratios, increased impact energy absorption, and a greater tolerance to high temperatures and adverse environmental conditions when compared to bulk materials. Copper and its alloys are examples of these, well known for high strength and good mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. In the present study, the porous Cu was made by a powder metallurgy process, using three different space holders, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate. Several different samples have been produced, using different ratios of volume fraction. The densities of the porous metals have been measured and compared to the theoretical density calculated using an equation developed for these foams. The porous structure was determined with the removal of spacer materials through sintering process. The sintering process of each spacer material depends on the melting point of the spacer material. Processing, characterization, and mechanical properties were completed. These tests include density measurements, compression tests, computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The captured morphological images are utilized to generate the object-oriented finite element (OOF) analysis for the porous copper. Porous copper was formed with porosities in the range of 40-66% with density ranges from 3 to 5.2 g/cm3. A study of two different methods to measure porosity was completed. OOF (Object Oriented Finite Elements) is a desktop software application for studying the relationship between the microstructure of a material and its overall mechanical, dielectric, or thermal properties using finite element models based on

  8. Investigating the interplay between substrate stiffness and ligand chemistry in directing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation within 3D macro-porous substrates.

    PubMed

    Haugh, Matthew G; Vaughan, Ted J; Madl, Christopher M; Raftery, Rosanne M; McNamara, Laoise M; O'Brien, Fergal J; Heilshorn, Sarah C

    2018-07-01

    Dimensionality can have a profound impact on stiffness-mediated differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, while we have begun to understand cellular response when encapsulated within 3D substrates, the behavior of cells within macro-porous substrates is relatively underexplored. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of macro-porous topographies on stiffness-mediated differentiation of MSCs. We developed macro-porous recombinant elastin-like protein (ELP) substrates that allow independent control of mechanical properties and ligand chemistry. We then used computational modeling to probe the impact of pore topography on the mechanical stimulus that cells are exposed to within these substrates, and finally we investigated stiffness induced biases towards adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of MSCs within macro-porous substrates. Computational modeling revealed that there is significant heterogeneity in the mechanical stimuli that cells are exposed to within porous substrates and that this heterogeneity is predominantly due to the wide range of possible cellular orientations within the pores. Surprisingly, MSCs grown within 3D porous substrates respond to increasing substrate stiffness by up-regulating both osteogenesis and adipogenesis. These results demonstrate that within porous substrates the behavior of MSCs diverges from previously observed responses to substrate stiffness, emphasizing the importance of topography as a determinant of cellular behavior. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Porous silicon technology for integrated microsystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallner, Jin Zheng

    With the development of micro systems, there is an increasing demand for integrable porous materials. In addition to those conventional applications, such as filtration, wicking, and insulating, many new micro devices, including micro reactors, sensors, actuators, and optical components, can benefit from porous materials. Conventional porous materials, such as ceramics and polymers, however, cannot meet the challenges posed by micro systems, due to their incompatibility with standard micro-fabrication processes. In an effort to produce porous materials that can be used in micro systems, porous silicon (PS) generated by anodization of single crystalline silicon has been investigated. In this work, the PS formation process has been extensively studied and characterized as a function of substrate type, crystal orientation, doping concentration, current density and surfactant concentration and type. Anodization conditions have been optimized for producing very thick porous silicon layers with uniform pore size, and for obtaining ideal pore morphologies. Three different types of porous silicon materials: meso porous silicon, macro porous silicon with straight pores, and macro porous silicon with tortuous pores, have been successfully produced. Regular pore arrays with controllable pore size in the range of 2mum to 6mum have been demonstrated as well. Localized PS formation has been achieved by using oxide/nitride/polysilicon stack as masking materials, which can withstand anodization in hydrofluoric acid up to twenty hours. A special etching cell with electrolytic liquid backside contact along with two process flows has been developed to enable the fabrication of thick macro porous silicon membranes with though wafer pores. For device assembly, Si-Au and In-Au bonding technologies have been developed. Very low bonding temperature (˜200°C) and thick/soft bonding layers (˜6mum) have been achieved by In-Au bonding technology, which is able to compensate the potentially

  10. 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.

  11. Development Trends in Porous Adsorbents for Carbon Capture.

    PubMed

    Sreenivasulu, Bolisetty; Sreedhar, Inkollu; Suresh, Pathi; Raghavan, Kondapuram Vijaya

    2015-11-03

    Accumulation of greenhouse gases especially CO2 in the atmosphere leading to global warming with undesirable climate changes has been a serious global concern. Major power generation in the world is from coal based power plants. Carbon capture through pre- and post- combustion technologies with various technical options like adsorption, absorption, membrane separations, and chemical looping combustion with and without oxygen uncoupling have received considerable attention of researchers, environmentalists and the stake holders. Carbon capture from flue gases can be achieved with micro and meso porous adsorbents. This review covers carbonaceous (organic and metal organic frameworks) and noncarbonaceous (inorganic) porous adsorbents for CO2 adsorption at different process conditions and pore sizes. Focus is also given to noncarbonaceous micro and meso porous adsorbents in chemical looping combustion involving insitu CO2 capture at high temperature (>400 °C). Adsorption mechanisms, material characteristics, and synthesis methods are discussed. Attention is given to isosteric heats and characterization techniques. The options to enhance the techno-economic viability of carbon capture techniques by integrating with CO2 utilization to produce industrially important chemicals like ammonia and urea are analyzed. From the reader's perspective, for different classes of materials, each section has been summarized in the form of tables or figures to get a quick glance of the developments.

  12. Squeeze-film flow between a flat impermeable bearing and an anisotropic porous bed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karmakar, Timir; Raja Sekhar, G. P.

    2018-04-01

    We consider a theoretical model of the squeeze film in the presence of a porous bed. The gap between the porous bed and the bearing is assumed to be filled with a Newtonian fluid. We use the Navier-Stokes equation in the fluid region and the Darcy equation in the fluid filled porous region. Lubrication approximation is used to derive the corresponding evolution equation for the film thickness. We use G. S. Beavers and D. D. Joseph ["Boundary conditions at a naturally permeable wall," J. Fluid. Mech. 30, 197-207 (1967)] and M. Le Bars and M. G. Worster ["Interfacial conditions between a pure fluid and a porous medium: Implications for binary alloy solidification," J. Fluid. Mech. 550, 149-173 (2006)] condition at the liquid porous interface and present a detailed analysis on the corresponding impact. We assume that the porous bed is anisotropic in nature with permeabilities K2 and K1 along the principal axes. Accordingly, the anisotropic angle ϕ is taken as the angle between the horizontal direction and principal axis with permeability K2. We show that the anisotropic permeability ratio and the anisotropic angle make a significant influence on the contact time, flux, velocity, etc. Contact time to meet the porous bed when a bearing approaches under a constant prescribed load is estimated. We present some important findings (relevant to the knee joint) based on the anisotropic properties of the human cartilage. For a prescribed constant load, we have estimated the time duration, during which a healthy human knee remains fluid lubricated.

  13. A biphasic approach for the study of lift generation in soft porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Qianhong; Santhanam, Sridhar; Nathan, Rungun; Wang, Qiuyun

    2017-04-01

    Lift generation in highly compressible porous media under rapid compression continues to be an important topic in porous media flow. Although significant progress has been made, how to model different lifting forces during the compression process remains unclear. This is mainly because the input parameters of the existing theoretical studies, including the Darcy permeability of the porous media and the viscous damping coefficient of its solid phase, were manually adjusted so as to match the experimental data. In the current paper, we report a biphasic approach to experimentally and theoretically treat this limitation. Synthetic fibrous porous materials, whose permeability were precisely measured, were subsequently exposed to sudden impacts using a porous-walled cylinder-piston apparatus. The obtained time-dependent compression of the porous media, along with the permeability data, was applied in two different theoretical models to predict the pore pressure generation, a plug flow model and a consolidation model [Q. Wu et al., J. Fluid Mech. 542, 281 (2005a)]. Comparison between the theory and the experiments on the pore pressure distribution proved the validity of the consolidation model. Furthermore, a viscoelastic model, containing a nonlinear spring in conjunction with a linear viscoelastic generalized Maxwell mechanical module, was developed to characterize the solid phase lifting force. The model matched the experimental data very well. The paper presented herein, as one of the series studies on this topic, provides an important biphasic approach to characterize different forces that contribute to the lift generation in a soft porous medium under rapid compression.

  14. Porous metal for orthopedics implants

    PubMed Central

    Matassi, Fabrizio; Botti, Alessandra; Sirleo, Luigi; Carulli, Christian; Innocenti, Massimo

    2013-01-01

    Summary Porous metal has been introduced to obtain biological fixation and improve longevity of orthopedic implants. The new generation of porous metal has intriguing characteristics that allows bone healing and high osteointegration of the metallic implants. This article gives an overview about biomaterials properties of the contemporary class of highly porous metals and about the clinical use in orthopaedic surgery. PMID:24133527

  15. The impact of criminal justice involvement on victims' mental health.

    PubMed

    Parsons, Jim; Bergin, Tiffany

    2010-04-01

    The aftermath of violent crime can leave victims with persistent emotional and mental health problems. Although research has shown the potential benefits of prosecuting cases through the courts, there is also a substantial literature that suggests that common features of the criminal justice system can exacerbate the impact of the initial crime, leading to a secondary victimization. The authors present a review of the research on the positive and negative impact of criminal justice involvement, and common points of failure in the efforts of justice institutions to meet the needs of victims. They conclude with recommendations for future work, including the need for research on restorative justice, victim impact statements, court notification systems, victim services, and victim advocates.

  16. The impact of banners on digital television: the role of program interactivity and product involvement.

    PubMed

    Cauberghe, Verolien; De Pelsmacker, Patrick

    2008-02-01

    In a sample of 281 respondents, the effect of a noninteractive and a medium-interactive television program on recall and brand attitudes for low- and high-involvement products advertised in banners during these programs was investigated. Medium-interactive programs resulted in less product and brand recall and recognition of brands in embedded banner advertisements, but generated more positive brand attitudes than noninteractive programs. These effects were more outspoken for a high-involvement product than for a low-involvement product. The impact of perceived program interactivity on brand attitude is fully mediated program valence and involvement for low-involvement products, but not for high-involvement products, for which perceived program interactivity had a direct impact on brand attitude.

  17. User involvement in the development of a research bid: barriers, enablers and impacts 1

    PubMed Central

    Staniszewska, Sophie; Jones, Nicola; Newburn, Mary; Marshall, Shanit

    2007-01-01

    Abstract Objective  To involve users in the development of a research bid to examine parents’ experiences of having a pre‐term baby, and to examine the barriers, enablers and impacts of user involvement. Design  A mainly collaborative approach to user involvement was adopted, although different types of involvement were evident at different stages of the project. Users’ experiences and perspectives provided the focus for the regular meetings which underpinned the writing of the research bid. The researcher acted as a facilitator in the development of the bid, with input from users and the wider advisory group. Main outcomes  User involvement had an important impact on the development of the research aims, methods and on ethical aspects. Through careful collaboration a research bid was produced which was rooted in users’ experiences, whilst also addressing key research questions. Key enablers for involvement included good working relationships, funding for the lead researchers time. Barriers included lack of financial support for users, the time‐consuming nature of involvement and the language of research. Conclusions  If user involvement remains an international policy imperative with little if any support at the vital stage of bid development, policy‐makers, service user organizations, researchers, health service providers and commissioners will need to recognize the limited nature of involvement that may result and the impact this would have on the evidence base. Researchers will need to recognize the resource implications of involvement at this point, and user groups will need to decide whether to participate when there is the greatest chance of influencing research but little or no funding. PMID:17524010

  18. Infrasound Sensor and Porous-Hose Filter Characterization Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hart, D. M.; Harris, J. M.

    2008-12-01

    The Ground-Based Nuclear Explosion Monitoring Research and Development (GNEM R&D) program at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is regarded as the primary center for unbiased expertise in testing and evaluation of geophysical sensors and instrumentation for nuclear explosion monitoring. Over the past year much of our work has focused in the area of infrasound sensor characterization through the continuing development of an infrasound sensor characterization test-bed. Our main areas of focus have been in new sensor characterization and understanding the effects of porous-hose filters for reducing acoustic background signals. Three infrasound sensors were evaluated for characteristics of instrument response, linearity and self-noise. The sensors tested were Chaparral Physics model 2.5 low-gain, New Mexico Tech All-Sensor and the Inter-Mountain Labs model SS avalanche sensor. For the infrasound sensors tested, the test results allow us to conclude that two of the three sensors had sufficiently quiet noise floor to be at or below the Acoustic low-noise model from 0.1 to 7 Hz, which make those sensors suitable to explosion monitoring. The other area of focus has been to understand the characteristics of porous-hose filters used at some monitoring sites. For this, an experiment was designed in which two infrasound sensors were co- located. One sensor was connected to a typical porous-hose spatial filter consisting of eight individual hoses covering a 30m aperture and the second sensor was left open to unimpeded acoustic input. Data were collected for several days, power spectrum computed for two-hour windows and the relative gain of the porous-hose filters were estimated by dividing the power spectrum. The porous-hose filter appears to attenuate less than 3 dB (rel 1 Pa**2/Hz) below 0.1 Hz and as much as 25 dB at 1 Hz and between 20 to 10 dB above 10 Hz. Several more experiments will be designed to address the effects of different characteristics of the individual porous

  19. Decreasing Risky Behavior on Social Network Sites: The Impact of Parental Involvement in Secondary Education Interventions.

    PubMed

    Vanderhoven, Ellen; Schellens, Tammy; Valcke, Martin

    2016-06-01

    Teenagers face significant risks when using increasingly popular social network sites. Prevention and intervention efforts to raise awareness about these risks and to change risky behavior (so-called "e-safety" interventions) are essential for the wellbeing of these minors. However, several studies have revealed that while school interventions often affect awareness, they have only a limited impact on pupils' unsafe behavior. Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior and theories about parental involvement, we hypothesized that involving parents in an e-safety intervention would positively influence pupils' intentions and behavior. In a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-test measures involving 207 pupils in secondary education, we compared the impact of an intervention without parental involvement with one that included active parental involvement by means of a homework task. We found that whereas parental involvement was not necessary to improve the intervention's impact on risk awareness, it did change intentions to engage in certain unsafe behavior, such as posting personal and sexual information on the profile page of a social network site, and in reducing existing problematic behavior. This beneficial impact was particularly evident for boys. These findings suggest that developing prevention campaigns with active parental involvement is well worth the effort. Researchers and developers should therefore focus on other efficient strategies to involve parents.

  20. Lubrication and thermal characteristics of mechanical seal with porous surface based on cavitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huilong, Chen; Muzi, Zuo; Tong, Liu; Yu, Wang; Cheng, Xu; Qiangbo, Wu

    2014-04-01

    The theory model of mechanical seals with laser-textured porous surface (LST-MS) was established. The liquid film of LST-MS was simulated by the Fluent software, using full cavitation model and non-cavitation model separately. Dynamic mesh technique and relationship between viscosity and temperature were applied to simulate the internal flow field and heat characteristics of LST-MS, based on the more accurate cavitation model. Influence of porous depth ratio porous diameter ɛ and porous density SP on lubrication performance and the variation of lubrication and thermal properties with shaft speed and sealing pressure were analyzed. The results indicate that the strongest hydrodynamic pressure effect and the biggest thickness of liquid film are obtained when ɛ and SP are respectively about 0.025 and 0.5 which were thought to be the optimum value. The frictional heat leads to the increase of liquid film temperature and the decrease of medium viscosity with the shaft speed increasing. The hydrodynamic pressure effect increases as shaft speed increasing, however it decreases as the impact of frictional heat.

  1. Biogenic Cracks in Porous Rock

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hemmerle, A.; Hartung, J.; Hallatschek, O.; Goehring, L.; Herminghaus, S.

    2014-12-01

    Microorganisms growing on and inside porous rock may fracture it by various processes. Some of the mechanisms of biofouling and bioweathering are today identified and partially understood but most emphasis is on chemical weathering, while mechanical contributions have been neglected. However, as demonstrated by the perseverance of a seed germinating and cracking up a concrete block, the turgor pressure of living organisms can be very significant. Here, we present results of a systematic study of the effects of the mechanical forces of growing microbial populations on the weathering of porous media. We designed a model porous medium made of glass beads held together by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a curable polymer. The rheological properties of the porous medium, whose shape and size are tunable, can be controlled by the ratio of crosslinker to base used in the PDMS (see Fig. 1). Glass and PDMS being inert to most chemicals, we are able to focus on the mechanical processes of biodeterioration, excluding any chemical weathering. Inspired by recent measurements of the high pressure (~0.5 Mpa) exerted by a growing population of yeasts trapped in a microfluidic device, we show that yeast cells can be cultured homogeneously within porous medium until saturation of the porous space. We investigate then the effects of such an inner pressure on the mechanical properties of the sample. Using the same model system, we study also the complex interplay between biofilms and porous media. We focus in particular on the effects of pore size on the penetration of the biofilm within the porous sample, and on the resulting deformations of the matrix, opening new perspectives into the understanding of life in complex geometry. Figure 1. Left : cell culture growing in a model porous medium. The white spheres represent the grains, bonds are displayed in grey, and microbes in green. Right: microscopy picture of glass beads linked by PDMS bridges, scale bar: 100 μm.

  2. Geometric and topological characterization of porous media: insights from eigenvector centrality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jimenez-Martinez, J.; Negre, C.

    2017-12-01

    Solving flow and transport through complex geometries such as porous media involves an extreme computational cost. Simplifications such as pore networks, where the pores are represented by nodes and the pore throats by edges connecting pores, have been proposed. These models have the ability to preserve the connectivity of the medium. However, they have difficulties capturing preferential paths (high velocity) and stagnation zones (low velocity), as they do not consider the specific relations between nodes. Network theory approaches, where the complex network is conceptualized like a graph, can help to simplify and better understand fluid dynamics and transport in porous media. To address this issue, we propose a method based on eigenvector centrality. It has been corrected to overcome the centralization problem and modified to introduce a bias in the centrality distribution along a particular direction which allows considering the flow and transport anisotropy in porous media. The model predictions are compared with millifluidic transport experiments, showing that this technique is computationally efficient and has potential for predicting preferential paths and stagnation zones for flow and transport in porous media. Entropy computed from the eigenvector centrality probability distribution is proposed as an indicator of the "mixing capacity" of the system.

  3. Effect of sequential release of NAPLs on NAPL migration in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bang, Woohui; Yeo, In Wook

    2016-04-01

    NAPLs (Non-aqueous phase liquids) are common groundwater contaminants and are classified as LNAPLs (Light non-aqueous phase liquids) and DNAPLs (Dense non-aqueous phase liquids) according to relative density for water. Due to their low solubility in water, NAPLs remain for a long time in groundwater, and they pose a serious environmental problem. Therefore, understanding NAPLs migration in porous media is essential for effective NAPLs remediation. DNAPLs tend to move downward through the water table by gravity force because its density is higher than water. However, if DNAPLs do not have sufficient energy which breaks capillary force of porous media, they will just accumulate above capillary zone or water table. Mobile phase of LNAPLs rises and falls depending on fluctuation of water table, and it could change the wettability of porous media from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. This could impacts on the migration characteristics of subsequently-released DNAPLs. LNAPLs and DNAPLs are sometime disposed at the same place (for example, the Hill air force base, USA). Therefore, this study focuses on the effect of sequential release of NAPLs on NAPLs (in particular, DNAPL) migration in porous media. We have conducted laboratory experiments. Gasoline, which is known to change wettability of porous media from hydrophilic to intermediate, and TCE (Trichloroethylene) were used as LNAPL and DNAPL, respectively. Glass beads with the grain size of 1 mm and 2 mm were prepared for two sets of porous media. Gasoline and TCE was dyed for visualization. First, respective LNAPL and DNAPL of 10 ml were separately released into prepared porous media. For the grain size of 2 mm glass beads, LNAPL became buoyant above the water table, and DNAPL just moved downward through porous media. However, for the experiment with the grain size of 1 mm glass beads, NAPLs behaved very differently. DNAPL did not migrate downward below and just remained above the water table due to capillary pressure of

  4. Resurgence flows in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, P. M.; Mityushev, V.

    2009-12-01

    been studied separately in previous works (see (1) and the literature therein). Networks were addressed by graph theory and an extensive literature has been devoted to studies of porous media on the Darcy scale. For sake of simplicity, a simple physical presentation and elementary solutions are first given for one dimensional structures which display unexpected features such as an apparent back flow which goes against the main pressure gradient. Then, a general formulation is proposed which involves some non local aspects. When the sizes of the connection zones between the network and the continuous medium are assumed to be small with respect to any linear size in the continuous medium, analytical solutions are obtained in two or three dimensions for spatially periodic structures which are adequate to model spatially homogenous media. The equivalent permeability of the medium is determined. Some elementary examples are worked out in two and three dimensions. Paradoxical flow patterns are obtained with back flow even with local resurgences. Unsteady problems are presently studied. (1) Adler, P.M. Porous media. Geometry and transport. Butterworth-Heinemann, Stoneham, Ma, 1992.

  5. Thermally conductive porous element-based recuperators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Du, Jian Hua (Inventor); Chow, Louis C (Inventor); Lin, Yeong-Ren (Inventor); Wu, Wei (Inventor); Kapat, Jayanta (Inventor); Notardonato, William U. (Inventor)

    2012-01-01

    A heat exchanger includes at least one hot fluid flow channel comprising a first plurality of open cell porous elements having first gaps there between for flowing a hot fluid in a flow direction and at least one cold fluid flow channel comprising a second plurality of open cell porous elements having second gaps therebetween for flowing a cold fluid in a countercurrent flow direction relative to the flow direction. The thermal conductivity of the porous elements is at least 10 W/mK. A separation member is interposed between the hot and cold flow channels for isolating flow paths associated these flow channels. The first and second plurality of porous elements at least partially overlap one another to form a plurality of heat transfer pairs which transfer heat from respective ones of the first porous elements to respective ones of the second porous elements through the separation member.

  6. Novel Development of Phosphate Treated Porous Hydroxyapatite.

    PubMed

    Doi, Kazuya; Abe, Yasuhiko; Kobatake, Reiko; Okazaki, Yohei; Oki, Yoshifumi; Naito, Yoshihito; Prananingrum, Widyasri; Tsuga, Kazuhiro

    2017-12-08

    Phosphoric acid-etching treatment to the hydroxyapatite (HA) surface can modify the solubility calcium structure. The aim of the present study was to develop phosphate treated porous HA, and the characteristic structures and stimulation abilities of bone formation were evaluated to determine its suitability as a new type of bone graft material. Although the phosphoric acid-etching treatment did not alter the three-dimensional structure, a micrometer-scale rough surface topography was created on the porous HA surface. Compared to porous HA, the porosity of phosphate treated porous HA was slightly higher and the mechanical strength was lower. Two weeks after placement of the cylindrical porous or phosphate treated porous HA in a rabbit femur, newly formed bone was detected in both groups. At the central portion of the bone defect area, substantial bone formation was detected in the phosphate treated porous HA group, with a significantly higher bone formation ratio than detected in the porous HA group. These results indicate that phosphate treated porous HA has a superior surface topography and bone formation abilities in vivo owing to the capacity for both osteoconduction and stimulation abilities of bone formation conferred by phosphoric acid etching.

  7. Novel Development of Phosphate Treated Porous Hydroxyapatite

    PubMed Central

    Doi, Kazuya; Abe, Yasuhiko; Kobatake, Reiko; Okazaki, Yohei; Oki, Yoshifumi; Naito, Yoshihito; Prananingrum, Widyasri; Tsuga, Kazuhiro

    2017-01-01

    Phosphoric acid-etching treatment to the hydroxyapatite (HA) surface can modify the solubility calcium structure. The aim of the present study was to develop phosphate treated porous HA, and the characteristic structures and stimulation abilities of bone formation were evaluated to determine its suitability as a new type of bone graft material. Although the phosphoric acid-etching treatment did not alter the three-dimensional structure, a micrometer-scale rough surface topography was created on the porous HA surface. Compared to porous HA, the porosity of phosphate treated porous HA was slightly higher and the mechanical strength was lower. Two weeks after placement of the cylindrical porous or phosphate treated porous HA in a rabbit femur, newly formed bone was detected in both groups. At the central portion of the bone defect area, substantial bone formation was detected in the phosphate treated porous HA group, with a significantly higher bone formation ratio than detected in the porous HA group. These results indicate that phosphate treated porous HA has a superior surface topography and bone formation abilities in vivo owing to the capacity for both osteoconduction and stimulation abilities of bone formation conferred by phosphoric acid etching. PMID:29292788

  8. Anti-infiltration for fabrication of a suspended nanoparticle layer on porous close-packed colloidal arrays.

    PubMed

    Teh, Lay K; Yan, Qingfeng; Wong, Chee C

    2009-04-01

    We develop a new method to fabricate suspended sheets of nanocrystals (NCs) on porous surfaces. The method relies on the resistance of an aqueous suspension droplet to infiltrate a porous network; hence, the method is named anti-infiltration. The process works by combining fluid dynamics of a liquid droplet during impact/absorption onto a porous surface with the convective self-assembly of NCs. The immobilization of the liquid droplet edge due to the self-assembly of NCs at the meniscus is harnessed to halt the lateral spreading of the droplet and, consequently, the capillary penetration of the liquid immediately after droplet impact. Further capillary penetration of the liquid is drastically reduced because of the competition between capillary forces and convective losses as well as the rapid occlusion of the pores as soon as a continuous NC film has formed upon evaporation of the suspension. This method holds promise for a wide variety of optoelectronic, sensing, and separation membrane applications. As an example, we demonstrate that these suspended NC layers are suitable candidates as planar defects embedded within a colloidal photonic crystal.

  9. Waves propagating over a two-layer porous barrier on a seabed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Qiang; Meng, Qing-rui; Lu, Dong-qiang

    2018-05-01

    A research of wave propagation over a two-layer porous barrier, each layer of which is with different values of porosity and friction, is conducted with a theoretical model in the frame of linear potential flow theory. The model is more appropriate when the seabed consists of two different properties, such as rocks and breakwaters. It is assumed that the fluid is inviscid and incompressible and the motion is irrotational. The wave numbers in the porous region are complex ones, which are related to the decaying and propagating behaviors of wave modes. With the aid of the eigenfunction expansions, a new inner product of the eigenfunctions in the two-layer porous region is proposed to simplify the calculation. The eigenfunctions, under this new definition, possess the orthogonality from which the expansion coefficients can be easily deduced. Selecting the optimum truncation of the series, we derive a closed system of simultaneous linear equations for the same number of the unknown reflection and transmission coefficients. The effects of several physical parameters, including the porosity, friction, width, and depth of the porous barrier, on the dispersion relation, reflection and transmission coefficients are discussed in detail through the graphical representations of the solutions. It is concluded that these parameters have certain impacts on the reflection and transmission energy.

  10. Porous Silicon as Antireflecting Layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosoglu, Gulsen; Yumak, Mehmet; Okmen, Selim; Ozatay, Ozhan; Skarlatos, Yani; Garcia, Carlos

    2013-03-01

    The main aim in photovoltaic industry is to produce efficient and energy competitive solar cell modules at low cost. Efficient AntiReflection Coatings (ARC) improve light collection and thereby increase the current output of solar cells. Broadband ARCs are desirable for efficient application over the entire solar spectrum and porous silicon layers as antireflective coating layers provide successful light collection. In the study the most critical physical parameters of porous silicon are examined, homogeneous and uniform porous layers are produced. The photoluminescence spectrum and optical parameters of porous layers have been investigated, and we are now in the process of improving the efficiency of the device by modulating the structure of the porous silicon layers and studying its photovoltaic characteristics. We would like to thank to Mr. Aziz U. Caliskan and his group for their valuable support from TUBITAK YITAL. This Project is supported by Bogazici University Research Funding: 5782, TUBITAK Grant : 209T099, and Bogazici University Infrared Funding: 6121.

  11. Modeling and simulation of Cu diffusion and drift in porous CMOS backend dielectrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, R.; Fan, Y.; King, S.; Orlowski, M.

    2018-06-01

    With the advent of porous dielectrics, Cu drift-diffusion reliability issues in CMOS backend have only been exacerbated. In this regard, a modeling and simulation study of Cu atom/ion drift-diffusion in porous dielectrics is presented to assess the backend reliability and to explore conditions for a reliable Resistive Random Access Memory (RRAM) operation. The numerical computation, using elementary jump frequencies for a random walk in 2D and 3D, is based on an extended adjacency tensor concept. It is shown that Cu diffusion and drift transport are affected as much by the level of porosity as by the pore morphology. Allowance is made for different rates of Cu dissolution into the dielectric and for Cu absorption and transport at and on the inner walls of the pores. Most of the complex phenomena of the drift-diffusion transport in porous media can be understood in terms of local lateral and vertical gradients and the degree of their perturbation caused by the presence of pores in the transport domain. The impact of pore morphology, related to the concept of tortuosity, is discussed in terms of "channeling" and "trapping" effects. The simulations are calibrated to experimental results of porous SiCOH layers of 25 nm thickness, sandwiched between Cu and Pt(W) electrodes with experimental porosity levels of 0%, 8%, 12%, and 25%. We find that porous SICOH is more immune to Cu+ drift at 300 K than non-porous SICOH.

  12. Porous and non-porous water soluble polymer nanospheres

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henselwood, Fred William

    Water soluble polymer nanospheres have been prepared from the photo-cross-linking of diblock copolymer micelles formed either in water or in N,N-dimethylformamide/water mixtures. The diblock copolymers utilized in this study were poly(2-cinnamoyl-ethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(acrylic acid), poly ((2-cinnamoylethyl methacrylate)-random-(2-octanoylethyl methacrylate)) -block-poly(acrylic acid), and poly ((2-cinnamoyl-ethyl methacrylate)-random-(2-oleoylethyl methacrylate)) -block-poly(acrylic acid). These polymers were synthesized by the functionalization of diblock copolymers prepared by anionic polymerization. The photo-cross-linking was achieved through the dimerization of cinnamoyl groups by ultraviolet irradiation. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the polymer nanospheres had an inner core region formed by the cinnamoyl containing polymer blocks, and an outer shell layer formed by the acrylic acid polymer blocks. The hydrodynamic radius of the polymer nanospheres in water was approximately 50 to 75 nm as determined by dynamic light scattering. It has been found that the polymer nanospheres, when in water, could be readily impregnated with organic molecules. Fluorescence measurements showed that the polymer nanospheres could uptake polyaromatic hydrocarbons by the direct mixing of polyaromatic hydrocarbons with the polymer nanospheres in water. Perylene was found to be between 2.0 × 10sp5 and 4.0 × 10sp5 times more soluble in the core region of the polymer nanospheres than in water. The addition of divalent cations was shown to induce aggregation of the polymer nanospheres and resulted in the precipitation of the polymer nanospheres along with any captured perylene. This suggests that the polymer nanospheres may be useful in water remediation. Porous polymer nanospheres were prepared by the incorporation of low molecular weight polymeric porogens within the core region of the polymer nanospheres. Following photo-cross-linking the polymeric

  13. Resurgence flows in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, Pierre; Mityushev, Vladimir

    2010-05-01

    which relate distant points of the continuous medium. These two structures have already been studied separately in previous works (see (1) and the literature therein). Networks were addressed by graph theory and an extensive literature has been devoted to studies of porous media on the Darcy scale. For sake of simplicity, a simple physical presentation and elementary solutions are first given for one dimensional structures which display unexpected features such as an apparent back flow which goes against the main pressure gradient. Then, a general formulation is proposed which involves some non local aspects. When the sizes of the connection zones between the network and the continuous medium are assumed to be small with respect to any linear size in the continuous medium, analytical solutions are obtained in two or three dimensions for spatially periodic structures which are adequate to model spatially homogenous media. The equivalent permeability of the medium is determined. Some elementary examples are worked out in two and three dimensions. Paradoxical flow patterns are obtained with back flow even with local resurgences (3). Unsteady problems are presently studied. (1) P.M. Adler, Fractures and fracture networks, Kluwer, 1999. (2) P.M. Adler, Porous media. Geometry and transport. Butterworth-Heinemann, Stoneham, Ma, 1992. (3) P. M. Adler, V. Mityushev, Resurgence flows in porous media, Phys. Rev. E 79, 026310, 2009.

  14. Enhanced Raman scattering in porous silicon grating.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jiajia; Jia, Zhenhong; Lv, Changwu

    2018-03-19

    The enhancement of Raman signal on monocrystalline silicon gratings with varying groove depths and on porous silicon grating were studied for a highly sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response. In the experiment conducted, porous silicon gratings were fabricated. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were then deposited on the porous silicon grating to enhance the Raman signal of the detective objects. Results show that the enhancement of Raman signal on silicon grating improved when groove depth increased. The enhanced performance of Raman signal on porous silicon grating was also further improved. The Rhodamine SERS response based on Ag NPs/ porous silicon grating substrates was enhanced relative to the SERS response on Ag NPs/ porous silicon substrates. Ag NPs / porous silicon grating SERS substrate system achieved a highly sensitive SERS response due to the coupling of various Raman enhancement factors.

  15. A soft porous drop in linear flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Young, Yuan-Nan; Miksis, Michael; Mori, Yoichiro; Shelley, Michael

    2017-11-01

    The cellular cytoplasm consists a viscous fluid filled with fibrous networks that also have their own dynamics. Such fluid-structure interactions have been modeled as a soft porous material immersed in a viscous fluid. In this talk we focus on the hydrodynamics of a viscous drop filled with soft porous material inside. Suspended in a Stokes flow, such a porous viscous drop is allowed to deform, both the drop interface and the porous structures inside. Special focus is on the deformation dynamics of both the porosity and the shape of the drop under simple flows such as a uniform streaming flow and linear flows. We examine the effects of flow boundary conditions at interface between the porous drop and the surrounding viscous fluid. We also examine the dynamics of a porous drop with active stress from the porous network.

  16. The impact of patient and public involvement on UK NHS health care: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Mockford, Carole; Staniszewska, Sophie; Griffiths, Frances; Herron-Marx, Sandra

    2012-02-01

    Patient and public involvement (PPI) has become an integral part of health care with its emphasis on including and empowering individuals and communities in the shaping of health and social care services. The aims of this study were to identify the impact of PPI on UK National Health Service (NHS) healthcare services and to identify the economic cost. It also examined how PPI is being defined, theorized and conceptualized, and how the impact of PPI is captured or measured. Seventeen key online databases and websites were searched, e.g. Medline and the King's Fund. UK studies from 1997 to 2009 which included service user involvement in NHS healthcare services. Date extraction Key themes were identified and a narrative analysis was undertaken. The review indicates that PPI has a range of impacts on healthcare services. There is little evidence of any economic analysis of the costs involved. A key limitation of the PPI evidence base is the poor quality of reporting impact. Few studies define PPI, there is little theoretical underpinning or conceptualization reported, there is an absence of robust measurement of impact and descriptive evidence lacked detail. There is a need for significant development of the PPI evidence base particularly around guidance for the reporting of user activity and impact. The evidence base needs to be significantly strengthened to ensure the full impact of involving service users in NHS healthcare services is fully understood.

  17. Additively manufactured porous tantalum implants.

    PubMed

    Wauthle, Ruben; van der Stok, Johan; Amin Yavari, Saber; Van Humbeeck, Jan; Kruth, Jean-Pierre; Zadpoor, Amir Abbas; Weinans, Harrie; Mulier, Michiel; Schrooten, Jan

    2015-03-01

    The medical device industry's interest in open porous, metallic biomaterials has increased in response to additive manufacturing techniques enabling the production of complex shapes that cannot be produced with conventional techniques. Tantalum is an important metal for medical devices because of its good biocompatibility. In this study selective laser melting technology was used for the first time to manufacture highly porous pure tantalum implants with fully interconnected open pores. The architecture of the porous structure in combination with the material properties of tantalum result in mechanical properties close to those of human bone and allow for bone ingrowth. The bone regeneration performance of the porous tantalum was evaluated in vivo using an orthotopic load-bearing bone defect model in the rat femur. After 12 weeks, substantial bone ingrowth, good quality of the regenerated bone and a strong, functional implant-bone interface connection were observed. Compared to identical porous Ti-6Al-4V structures, laser-melted tantalum shows excellent osteoconductive properties, has a higher normalized fatigue strength and allows for more plastic deformation due to its high ductility. It is therefore concluded that this is a first step towards a new generation of open porous tantalum implants manufactured using selective laser melting. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Utilizing of inner porous structure in injection moulds for application of special cooling method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seidl, M.; Bobek, J.; Šafka, J.; Habr, J.; Nováková, I.; Běhálek, L.

    2016-04-01

    The article is focused on impact evaluation of controlled inner structure of production tools and new cooling method on regulation of thermal processes for injection moulding technology. The mould inserts with porous structure were cooled by means of liquid CO2 which is very progressive cooling method and enables very fast and intensive heat transfer among the plastic product, the production tool and cooling medium. The inserts were created using rapid prototype technology (DLSM) and they had a bi-component structure consisting of thin compact surface layer and defined porous inner structure of open cell character where liquid CO2 was flowing through. This analyse includes the evaluation of cooling efficiency for different inner structures and different time profiles for dosing of liquid CO2 into the porous structure. The thermal processes were monitored using thermocouples and IR thermal analyse of product surface and experimental device. Intensive heat removal influenced also the final structure and the shape and dimensional accuracy of the moulded parts that were made of semi-crystalline polymer. The range of final impacts of using intensive cooling method on the plastic parts was defined by DSC and dimensional analyses.

  19. Complex three dimensional modelling of porous media using high performance computing and multi-scale incompressible approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martin, R.; Orgogozo, L.; Noiriel, C. N.; Guibert, R.; Golfier, F.; Debenest, G.; Quintard, M.

    2013-05-01

    In the context of biofilm growth in porous media, we developed high performance computing tools to study the impact of biofilms on the fluid transport through pores of a solid matrix. Indeed, biofilms are consortia of micro-organisms that are developing in polymeric extracellular substances that are generally located at a fluid-solid interfaces like pore interfaces in a water-saturated porous medium. Several applications of biofilms in porous media are encountered for instance in bio-remediation methods by allowing the dissolution of organic pollutants. Many theoretical studies have been done on the resulting effective properties of these modified media ([1],[2], [3]) but the bio-colonized porous media under consideration are mainly described following simplified theoretical media (stratified media, cubic networks of spheres ...). Therefore, recent experimental advances have provided tomography images of bio-colonized porous media which allow us to observe realistic biofilm micro-structures inside the porous media [4]. To solve closure system of equations related to upscaling procedures in realistic porous media, we solve the velocity field of fluids through pores on complex geometries that are described with a huge number of cells (up to billions). Calculations are made on a realistic 3D sample geometry obtained by X micro-tomography. Cell volumes are coming from a percolation experiment performed to estimate the impact of precipitation processes on the properties of a fluid transport phenomena in porous media [5]. Average permeabilities of the sample are obtained from velocities by using MPI-based high performance computing on up to 1000 processors. Steady state Stokes equations are solved using finite volume approach. Relaxation pre-conditioning is introduced to accelerate the code further. Good weak or strong scaling are reached with results obtained in hours instead of weeks. Factors of accelerations of 20 up to 40 can be reached. Tens of geometries can now be

  20. Process of preparing tritiated porous silicon

    DOEpatents

    Tam, Shiu-Wing

    1997-01-01

    A process of preparing tritiated porous silicon in which porous silicon is equilibrated with a gaseous vapor containing HT/T.sub.2 gas in a diluent for a time sufficient for tritium in the gas phase to replace hydrogen present in the pore surfaces of the porous silicon.

  1. From Red Cells to Soft Porous Lubrication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gacka, T.; Nathan, R.; Wu, L.; Wu, Q.; Cbmss Laboratory Team; Chinese Academy Of Sci. Team

    2011-11-01

    Feng and Weinbaum (J. Fluid. Mech., 422, 282, 2000), inspired by the enhanced lift phenomena in downhill skiing, developed a new lubrication theory for highly compressible porous media where significantly increased lifting force was predicted as a planing surface glided over a soft porous layer; suggesting superior potential use of porous media for soft lubrication. In this study, we experimentally examine the lift generation phenomena by developing a novel soft porous bearing that consists of a running conveyer belt covered with a soft, 100% polyester, porous sheet, and a stationary, fully instrumented, inclined, planar, upper board. Pore pressure was generated as the upper boundary glides over the soft porous bearing and was measured by pressure sensors. One observed that the pore pressure distribution is consistent with predictions by Feng and Weinbaum (2000), and is a function of the relative velocity between the planing surface and the running belt, the mechanical properties (e.g. porosity, permeability and stiffness) and thickness of the porous layer, as well as the compression ratios at the leading and trailing edges. A load cell is used to characterize the performance of the porous bearing, by comparing pore pressure to total lifting forces. The study presented herein significantly improves our understanding of the behavior of highly compressible porous media under fast compression.

  2. Digital microfluidics and delivery of molecular payloads with magnetic porous silicon chaperones.

    PubMed

    Dorvee, Jason R; Sailor, Michael J; Miskelly, Gordon M

    2008-02-14

    Digital microfluidics involves the manipulation of molecules and materials in discrete packages. This paper reviews our work using amphiphilic magnetic microparticles constructed from porous silicon. An individual porous particle can be used to carry a nanomole or smaller quantities of a reagent, and assemblies of the particles can encapsulate and transport microliter droplets of liquid containing inorganic, organic, or biological molecules. The tracking and identification of each particle can be accomplished with spectral labels that are encoded into the particles during their synthesis. When used to chaperone liquid droplets, the labels can identify the separate droplets prior to mixing and also the combined droplets after mixing. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated in the porous matrix allow the manipulation of the particles or whole droplet assemblies with a magnetic field, and they also allow heating of the particle's payload by means of an externally applied RF field. Examples of organic, inorganic, and biomolecular addition reactions, catalytic reactions, and thermolysis reactions are described.

  3. Porous carbon-free SnSb anodes for high-performance Na-ion batteries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Jeong-Hee; Ha, Choong-Wan; Choi, Hae-Young; Seong, Jae-Wook; Park, Cheol-Min; Lee, Sang-Min

    2018-05-01

    A simple melt-spinning/chemical-etching process is developed to create porous carbon-free SnSb anodes. Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) incorporating these anodes exhibit excellent electrochemical performances by accomodating large volume changes during repeated cycling. The porous carbon-free SnSb anode produced by the melt-spinning/chemical-etching process shows a high reversible capacity of 481 mAh g-1, high ICE of 80%, stable cyclability with a high capacity retention of 99% after 100 cycles, and a fast rate capability of 327 mAh g-1 at 4C-rate. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy analyses demonstrate that the synthesized porous carbon-free SnSb anodes involve the highly reversible reaction with sodium through the conversion and recombination reactions during sodiation/desodiation process. The novel and simple melt-spinning/chemical-etching synthetic process represents a technological breakthrough in the commercialization of Na alloy-able anodes for SIBs.

  4. Morphology-dependent Electrochemical Enhancements of Porous Carbon as Sensitive Determination Platform for Ascorbic Acid, Dopamine and Uric Acid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Qin; Ji, Liudi; Wu, Kangbing; Zhang, Weikang

    2016-02-01

    Using starch as the carbon precursor and different-sized ZnO naoparticles as the hard template, a series of porous carbon materials for electrochemical sensing were prepared. Experiments of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms reveal that the particle size of ZnO has big impacts on the porous morphology and surface area of the resulting carbon materials. Through ultrasonic dispersion of porous carbon and subsequent solvent evaporation, different sensing interfaces were constructed on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The electrochemical behaviors of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) were studied. On the surface of porous carbon materials, the accumulation efficiency and electron transfer ability of AA, DA and UA are improved, and consequently their oxidation signals enhance greatly. Moreover, the interface enhancement effects of porous carbon are also controlled by the particle size of hard template. The constructed porous carbon interface displays strong signal amplification ability and holds great promise in constructing a sensitive platform for the simultaneous determination of AA, DA and UA.

  5. Porous substrates filled with nanomaterials

    DOEpatents

    Worsley, Marcus A.; Baumann, Theodore F.; Satcher, Jr., Joe H.; Stadermann, Michael

    2018-04-03

    A composition comprising: at least one porous carbon monolith, such as a carbon aerogel, comprising internal pores, and at least one nanomaterial, such as carbon nanotubes, disposed uniformly throughout the internal pores. The nanomaterial can be disposed in the middle of the monolith. In addition, a method for making a monolithic solid with both high surface area and good bulk electrical conductivity is provided. A porous substrate having a thickness of 100 microns or more and comprising macropores throughout its thickness is prepared. At least one catalyst is deposited inside the porous substrate. Subsequently, chemical vapor deposition is used to uniformly deposit a nanomaterial in the macropores throughout the thickness of the porous substrate. Applications include electrical energy storage, such as batteries and capacitors, and hydrogen storage.

  6. Porous substrates filled with nanomaterials

    DOEpatents

    Worsley, Marcus A.; Baumann, Theodore F.; Satcher, Jr., Joe H.; Stadermann, Michael

    2014-08-19

    A composition comprising: at least one porous carbon monolith, such as a carbon aerogel, comprising internal pores, and at least one nanomaterial, such as carbon nanotubes, disposed uniformly throughout the internal pores. The nanomaterial can be disposed in the middle of the monolith. In addition, a method for making a monolithic solid with both high surface area and good bulk electrical conductivity is provided. A porous substrate having a thickness of 100 microns or more and comprising macropores throughout its thickness is prepared. At least one catalyst is deposited inside the porous substrate. Subsequently, chemical vapor deposition is used to uniformly deposit a nanomaterial in the macropores throughout the thickness of the porous substrate. Applications include electrical energy storage, such as batteries and capacitors, and hydrogen storage.

  7. Spectral-Element Simulations of Wave Propagation in Porous Media: Finite-Frequency Sensitivity Kernels Based Upon Adjoint Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morency, C.; Tromp, J.

    2008-12-01

    The mathematical formulation of wave propagation in porous media developed by Biot is based upon the principle of virtual work, ignoring processes at the microscopic level, and does not explicitly incorporate gradients in porosity. Based on recent studies focusing on averaging techniques, we derive the macroscopic porous medium equations from the microscale, with a particular emphasis on the effects of gradients in porosity. In doing so, we are able to naturally determine two key terms in the momentum equations and constitutive relationships, directly translating the coupling between the solid and fluid phases, namely a drag force and an interfacial strain tensor. In both terms, gradients in porosity arise. One remarkable result is that when we rewrite this set of equations in terms of the well known Biot variables us, w), terms involving gradients in porosity are naturally accommodated by gradients involving w, the fluid motion relative to the solid, and Biot's formulation is recovered, i.e., it remains valid in the presence of porosity gradients We have developed a numerical implementation of the Biot equations for two-dimensional problems based upon the spectral-element method (SEM) in the time domain. The SEM is a high-order variational method, which has the advantage of accommodating complex geometries like a finite-element method, while keeping the exponential convergence rate of (pseudo)spectral methods. As in the elastic and acoustic cases, poroelastic wave propagation based upon the SEM involves a diagonal mass matrix, which leads to explicit time integration schemes that are well-suited to simulations on parallel computers. Effects associated with physical dispersion & attenuation and frequency-dependent viscous resistance are addressed by using a memory variable approach. Various benchmarks involving poroelastic wave propagation in the high- and low-frequency regimes, and acoustic-poroelastic and poroelastic-poroelastic discontinuities have been

  8. Fabricating porous silicon carbide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    The formation of porous SiC occurs under electrochemical anodization. A sample of SiC is contacted electrically with nickel and placed into an electrochemical cell which cell includes a counter electrode and a reference electrode. The sample is encapsulated so that only a bare semiconductor surface is exposed. The electrochemical cell is filled with an HF electrolyte which dissolves the SiC electrochemically. A potential is applied to the semiconductor and UV light illuminates the surface of the semiconductor. By controlling the light intensity, the potential and the doping level, a porous layer is formed in the semiconductor and thus one produces porous SiC.

  9. Process of preparing tritiated porous silicon

    DOEpatents

    Tam, S.W.

    1997-02-18

    A process of preparing tritiated porous silicon is described in which porous silicon is equilibrated with a gaseous vapor containing HT/T{sub 2} gas in a diluent for a time sufficient for tritium in the gas phase to replace hydrogen present in the pore surfaces of the porous silicon. 1 fig.

  10. Eigenvector centrality for geometric and topological characterization of porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jimenez-Martinez, Joaquin; Negre, Christian F. A.

    2017-07-01

    Solving flow and transport through complex geometries such as porous media is computationally difficult. Such calculations usually involve the solution of a system of discretized differential equations, which could lead to extreme computational cost depending on the size of the domain and the accuracy of the model. Geometric simplifications like pore networks, where the pores are represented by nodes and the pore throats by edges connecting pores, have been proposed. These models, despite their ability to preserve the connectivity of the medium, have difficulties capturing preferential paths (high velocity) and stagnation zones (low velocity), as they do not consider the specific relations between nodes. Nonetheless, network theory approaches, where a complex network is a graph, can help to simplify and better understand fluid dynamics and transport in porous media. Here we present an alternative method to address these issues based on eigenvector centrality, which has been corrected to overcome the centralization problem and modified to introduce a bias in the centrality distribution along a particular direction to address the flow and transport anisotropy in porous media. We compare the model predictions with millifluidic transport experiments, which shows that, albeit simple, this technique is computationally efficient and has potential for predicting preferential paths and stagnation zones for flow and transport in porous media. We propose to use the eigenvector centrality probability distribution to compute the entropy as an indicator of the "mixing capacity" of the system.

  11. Porous Molecular Solids and Liquids

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Until recently, porous molecular solids were isolated curiosities with properties that were eclipsed by porous frameworks, such as metal–organic frameworks. Now molecules have emerged as a functional materials platform that can have high levels of porosity, good chemical stability, and, uniquely, solution processability. The lack of intermolecular bonding in these materials has also led to new, counterintuitive states of matter, such as porous liquids. Our ability to design these materials has improved significantly due to advances in computational prediction methods. PMID:28691065

  12. Silk Fibroin Based Porous Materials

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Qiang; Yan, Shuqin; Li, Mingzhong

    2009-01-01

    Silk from the Bombyx mori silkworm is a protein-based fiber. Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) is one of the most important candidates for biomedical porous material based on its superior machinability, biocompatibility, biodegradation, bioresorbability, and so on. In this paper, we have reviewed the key features of SF. Moreover we have focused on the morphous, technical processing, and biocompatibility of SF porous materials, followed by the application research. Finally, we provide a perspective the potential and problems of SF porous materials.

  13. Hydrodynamic instabilities of flows involving melting in under-saturated porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sajjadi, M.; Azaiez, J.

    2016-03-01

    The process of melting in partially saturated porous media is modeled for flow displacements prone to hydrodynamic instabilities due to adverse mobility ratios. The effects of the development of instabilities on the melting process are investigated through numerical simulations as well as analytical solution to unravel the physics of the flow. The effects of melting parameters, namely, the melting potential of the fluid, the rate of heat transfer to the frozen phase, and the saturation of the frozen material along with the parameters defining the viscous forces, i.e., the thermal and solutal log mobility ratios are examined. Results are presented for different scenarios and the enhancement or attenuation of instabilities are discussed based on the dominant physical mechanisms. Beside an extensive qualitative analysis, the performance of different displacement scenarios is compared with respect to the melt production and the extent of contribution of instability to the enhancement of melting. It is shown that the hydrodynamic instabilities tend in general to enhance melting but the rate of enhancement depends on the interplay between the instabilities and melting at the thermal front. A larger melting potential and a smaller saturation of the frozen material tend to increase the contribution of instability to melting.

  14. Ballistic Performance of Porous-Ceramic, Thermal-Protection-Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Christiansen, E. L.; Davis, B. A.; Miller, J. E.; Bohl, W. E.; Foreman, C. D.

    2009-01-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Space Shuttle and are currently being proposed for the next generation of manned spacecraft, Orion. These materials insulate the structural components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. Furthermore, these materials are also highly exposed to space environmental hazards like meteoroid and orbital debris impacts. This paper discusses recent impact testing up to 9 km/s, and the findings of the influence of material equation-of-state on the simulation of the impact event to characterize the ballistic performance of these materials. These results will be compared with heritage models1 for these materials developed from testing at lower velocities. Assessments of predicted spacecraft risk based upon these tests and simulations will also be discussed.

  15. Effect of porous material heating on the drag force of a cylinder with gas-permeable porous inserts in a supersonic flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mironov, S. G.; Poplavskaya, T. V.; Kirilovskiy, S. V.

    2017-10-01

    The paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of supersonic flow around a solid cylinder with a gas-permeable porous insert on its front end and of supersonic flow around a hollow cylinder with internal porous inserts in the presence of heating of the porous material. The experiments were performed in a supersonic wind tunnel with Mach number 4.85 and 7 with porous inserts of cellular-porous nickel. The results of measurements on the filtration stand of the air filtration rate through the cellular-porous nickel when it is heated are also shown. For a number of experiments, numerical modeling based on the skeletal model of a cellular-porous material was carried out.

  16. Ventilation of porous media

    DOEpatents

    Neeper, Donald A.

    1994-01-01

    Methods for distributing gases throughout the interstices of porous materials and removing volatile substances from the interstices of porous materials. Continuous oscillation of pressures and flows results in increased penetration of the interstices by flowing gases and increased transport of gaseous components out of the interstices. The invention is particularly useful in soil vapor extraction.

  17. Incomparable hardness and modulus of biomimetic porous polyurethane films prepared by directional melt crystallization of a solvent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    An, Suyeong; Kim, Byoungsoo; Lee, Jonghwi

    2017-07-01

    Porous materials with surprisingly diverse structures have been utilized in nature for many functional purposes. However, the structures and applications of porous man-made polymer materials have been limited by the use of processing techniques involving foaming agents. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the outstanding hardness and modulus properties of an elastomer that originate from the novel processing approach applied. Polyurethane films of 100-μm thickness with biomimetic ordered porous structures were prepared using directional melt crystallization of a solvent and exhibited hardness and modulus values that were 6.8 and 4.3 times higher than those of the random pore structure, respectively. These values surpass the theoretical prediction of the typical model for porous materials, which works reasonably well for random pores but not for directional pores. Both the ordered and random pore structures exhibited similar porosities and pore sizes, which decreased with increasing solution concentration. This unexpectedly significant improvement of the hardness and modulus could open up new application areas for porous polymeric materials using this relatively novel processing technique.

  18. Photonic Crystal Sensors Based on Porous Silicon

    PubMed Central

    Pacholski, Claudia

    2013-01-01

    Porous silicon has been established as an excellent sensing platform for the optical detection of hazardous chemicals and biomolecular interactions such as DNA hybridization, antigen/antibody binding, and enzymatic reactions. Its porous nature provides a high surface area within a small volume, which can be easily controlled by changing the pore sizes. As the porosity and consequently the refractive index of an etched porous silicon layer depends on the electrochemial etching conditions photonic crystals composed of multilayered porous silicon films with well-resolved and narrow optical reflectivity features can easily be obtained. The prominent optical response of the photonic crystal decreases the detection limit and therefore increases the sensitivity of porous silicon sensors in comparison to sensors utilizing Fabry-Pérot based optical transduction. Development of porous silicon photonic crystal sensors which allow for the detection of analytes by the naked eye using a simple color change or the fabrication of stacked porous silicon photonic crystals showing two distinct optical features which can be utilized for the discrimination of analytes emphasize its high application potential. PMID:23571671

  19. Ventilation of porous media

    DOEpatents

    Neeper, D.A.

    1994-02-22

    Methods are presented for distributing gases throughout the interstices of porous materials and removing volatile substances from the interstices of porous materials. Continuous oscillation of pressures and flows results in increased penetration of the interstices by flowing gases and increased transport of gaseous components out of the interstices. The invention is particularly useful in soil vapor extraction. 10 figures.

  20. Klinkenberg effect in hydrodynamics of gas flow through anisotropic porous materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wałowski, Grzegorz; Filipczak, Gabriel

    2017-10-01

    This study discusses results of experiments on hydrodynamic assessment of gas flow through backbone (skeletal) porous materials with an anisotropic structure. The research was conducted upon materials of diversified petrographic characteristics, both natural origin (rocky, pumice) and process materials (char and coke). The study was conducted for a variety of hydrodynamic conditions, using air, as well as for nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The basis for assessing hydrodynamics of gas flow through porous material was a gas stream that results from the pressure forcing such flow. The results of measurements indicate a clear impact of the type of material on the gas permeability, and additionally - as a result of their anisotropic internal structure - to a significant effect of the flow direction on the value of gas stream.

  1. Impact of heat and mass transfer during the transport of nitrogen in coal porous media on coal mine fires.

    PubMed

    Shi, Bobo; Zhou, Fubao

    2014-01-01

    The application of liquid nitrogen injection is an important technique in the field of coal mine fire prevention. However, the mechanism of heat and mass transfer of cryogenic nitrogen in the goaf porous medium has not been well accessed. Hence, the implementation of fire prevention engineering of liquid nitrogen roughly relied on an empirical view. According to the research gap in this respect, an experimental study on the heat and mass transfer of liquid nitrogen in coal porous media was proposed. Overall, the main mechanism of liquid nitrogen fire prevention technology in the coal mine is the creation of an inert and cryogenic atmosphere. Cryogenic nitrogen gas vapor cloud, heavier than the air, would cause the phenomenon of "gravity settling" in porous media firstly. The cryogen could be applicable to diverse types of fires, both in the openings and in the enclosures. Implementation of liquid nitrogen open-injection technique in Yangchangwan colliery achieved the goals of fire prevention and air-cooling. Meanwhile, this study can also provide an essential reference for the research on heat and mass transfer in porous media in the field of thermal physics and engineering.

  2. Impact of Heat and Mass Transfer during the Transport of Nitrogen in Coal Porous Media on Coal Mine Fires

    PubMed Central

    Zhou, Fubao

    2014-01-01

    The application of liquid nitrogen injection is an important technique in the field of coal mine fire prevention. However, the mechanism of heat and mass transfer of cryogenic nitrogen in the goaf porous medium has not been well accessed. Hence, the implementation of fire prevention engineering of liquid nitrogen roughly relied on an empirical view. According to the research gap in this respect, an experimental study on the heat and mass transfer of liquid nitrogen in coal porous media was proposed. Overall, the main mechanism of liquid nitrogen fire prevention technology in the coal mine is the creation of an inert and cryogenic atmosphere. Cryogenic nitrogen gas vapor cloud, heavier than the air, would cause the phenomenon of “gravity settling” in porous media firstly. The cryogen could be applicable to diverse types of fires, both in the openings and in the enclosures. Implementation of liquid nitrogen open-injection technique in Yangchangwan colliery achieved the goals of fire prevention and air-cooling. Meanwhile, this study can also provide an essential reference for the research on heat and mass transfer in porous media in the field of thermal physics and engineering. PMID:25054173

  3. On chemical reaction and porous medium effect in the MHD flow due to a rotating disk with variable thickness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayat, Tasawar; Nazar, Hira; Imtiaz, Maria; Alsaedi, Ahmed

    2017-06-01

    The present analysis describes the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) axisymmetric flow of a viscous fluid due to a rotating disk with variable thickness. An electrically conducting fluid fills the porous space. The first-order chemical reaction is considered. The equations of the present problem representing the flow of a fluid are reduced into nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Convergent series solutions are obtained. The impacts of the various involved dimensionless parameters on fluid flow, temperature, concentration, skin frction coefficient and Nusselt number are examined. The radial, tangential and axial components of velocity are affected in a similar manner on changing the thickness coefficient of the disk. Similar effects of the disk thickness coefficient are observed for both the temperature and concentration profile.

  4. The Impact of Involving Students in Managing the Quality of Higher Education Provision

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garwe, Evelyn Chiyevo

    2015-01-01

    This study was aimed at exploring the power of student involvement in improving quality of higher educational provision in private higher education institutions in Zimbabwe. A longitudinal approach involving two separate surveys and covering a period of three years was used. A preliminary survey aimed at assessing the issues that impact negatively…

  5. Fabrication of hierarchical porous ZnO/NiO hollow microspheres for adsorptive removal of Congo red

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Chunsheng; Pi, Meng; Cheng, Bei; Jiang, Chuanjia; Qin, Jiaqian

    2018-03-01

    Hierarchical porous zinc oxide (ZnO)/nickel(II) oxide (NiO) hollow microspheres were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal approach and subsequent calcination process. The synthesized samples were used as adsorbent for removing Congo red (CR), a commercial azo dye. The synthesized hierarchical porous ZnO/NiO composites exhibit a superior adsorption capacity for CR (518 mg/g), compared with pure NiO (397 mg/g) and ZnO (304 mg/g). The high CR adsorption capacity of ZnO/NiO composites was associated with its hierarchical porous hollow structures and large specific surface area (130 m2/g), which provide a large quantity of active sites for CR molecules. The adsorption kinetics data were perfectly fitted to a pseudo-second-order model. The isotherms were accurately described by the Langmuir model. The results suggest that the as-prepared hierarchical porous ZnO/NiO composites are a highly efficient adsorbent for treating organic dye-impacted wastewater.

  6. Drop Impingement on Highly Wetting Micro/Nano Porous Surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buie, Cullen; Joung, Youngsoo

    2011-11-01

    Recently, we developed a novel fabrication method using a combination of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and break down anodization (BDA) to achieve highly wetting nanoporous surfaces with microscale features. In this study we investigate droplet impingement behavior on these surfaces as a function of impact velocity, droplet size, and liquid properties. We observe impingement modes we denote as ``necking'' (droplet breaks before full penetration in the porous surface), ``spreading'' (continuous wicking into the porous surface), and ``jetting'' (jets of liquid emanate from the edges of the wicking liquid). To predict the droplet impingement modes, we've developed a non-dimensional parameter that is a function of droplet velocity, dynamic viscosity, effective pore radius and contact angle. The novel dimensionless parameter successfully predicts drop impingement modes across multiple fluids. Results of this study will inform the design of spray impingement cooling systems for electronics applications where the ``spreading'' mode is preferred.

  7. Rugged Energy Landscapes in Multiphase Porous Media Flow: A Discrete-Domain Description

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cueto-Felgueroso, L.; Juanes, R.

    2015-12-01

    Immiscible displacements in porous media involve a complex sequence of pore-scale events, from the smooth, reversible displacement of interfaces to abrupt interfacial reconfigurations and rapid pore invasion cascades. Discontinuous changes in pressure or saturation have been referred to as Haines jumps, and they emerge as a key mechanism to understand the origin of hysteresis in porous media flow. Hysteresis persists at the many-pore scale: when multiple cycles of drainage and imbibition of a porous sample are conducted, a dense hysteresis diagram emerges. The interpretation of hysteresis as a consequence of irreversible transitions and multistability is at the heart of early hysteresis models, and in recent experiments, and points to an inherently non-equilibrium behavior. For a given volume fraction of fluids occupying the pore space, many stable configurations are possible, due to the tortuous network of nonuniform pores and throats that compose the porous medium, and to complex wetting and capillary transitions. Multistability indicates that porous media systems exhibit rugged energy landscapes, where the system may remain pinned at local energy minima for long times. We address the question of developing a zero-dimensional model that inherits the path-dependence and `'bursty'' behavior of immiscible displacements, and propose a discrete-domain model that captures the role of metastability and local equilibria in the origin of hysteresis. We describe the porous medium and fluid system as a discrete set of weakly connected, multistable compartments, charaterized by a unique free energy function. This description does not depend explicitly on past saturations, turning points, or drainage/imbibition labels. The system behaves hysteretically, and we rationalize its behavior as sweeping a complex metastability diagram, with dissipation arising from discrete switches among metastable branches. The hysteretic behavior of the pressure-saturation curve is controlled by

  8. FLUID TRANSPORT THROUGH POROUS MEDIA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Fluid transport through porous media is a relevant topic to many scientific and engineering fields. Soil scientists, civil engineers, hydrologists and hydrogeologists are concerned with the transport of water, gases and nonaqueous phase liquid contaminants through porous earth m...

  9. A Research Framework for Understanding the Practical Impact of Family Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System: The Juvenile Justice Family Involvement Model.

    PubMed

    Walker, Sarah Cusworth; Bishop, Asia S; Pullmann, Michael D; Bauer, Grace

    2015-12-01

    Family involvement is recognized as a critical element of service planning for children's mental health, welfare and education. For the juvenile justice system, however, parents' roles in this system are complex due to youths' legal rights, public safety, a process which can legally position parents as plaintiffs, and a historical legacy of blaming parents for youth indiscretions. Three recent national surveys of juvenile justice-involved parents reveal that the current paradigm elicits feelings of stress, shame and distrust among parents and is likely leading to worse outcomes for youth, families and communities. While research on the impact of family involvement in the justice system is starting to emerge, the field currently has no organizing framework to guide a research agenda, interpret outcomes or translate findings for practitioners. We propose a research framework for family involvement that is informed by a comprehensive review and content analysis of current, published arguments for family involvement in juvenile justice along with a synthesis of family involvement efforts in other child-serving systems. In this model, family involvement is presented as an ascending, ordinal concept beginning with (1) exclusion, and moving toward climates characterized by (2) information-giving, (3) information-eliciting and (4) full, decision-making partnerships. Specific examples of how courts and facilities might align with these levels are described. Further, the model makes predictions for how involvement will impact outcomes at multiple levels with applications for other child-serving systems.

  10. Improvement in wettability of porous Si by carboxylate termination

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakakibara, Masanori; Matsumoto, Kimihisa; Kamiya, Kazuhide; Kawabata, Shigeki; Inada, Mitsuru; Suzuki, Shinya

    2018-02-01

    The effects of the surface terminations of carboxylic acid and carboxylate on the hydrophilicity of porous Si were studied to observe the changes in the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of water-dispersed porous Si powder over time. Porous Si terminated by carboxylate was produced from carboxylic acid-terminated porous Si by a neutralization reaction with an alkali metal. After the neutralization of porous Si terminated by carboxylic acid, the formation of carboxylate-terminated porous Si was confirmed by observing the absorption peaks corresponding to Si-C and COO- from Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra. On the basis of changes in the PL intensity of porous Si over time, the hydrophilicity of porous Si terminated by carboxylate was determined to be higher than that of porous Si terminated by carboxylic acid. On the other hand, nonradiative recombination centers on the surface of carboxylate-terminated porous Si were formed during the neutralization process, which reduced the PL intensity. The PL from porous Si terminated by carboxylic acid and carboxylate was caused by the quantum size effect regardless of the termination molecules, which was confirmed by the wavelength dependence of the PL lifetime. Porous Si terminated by undecylenate is an effective material for applications such as bio-labels owing to its hydrophilicity and high PL stability.

  11. Microbial ranking of porous packaging materials (exposure chamber method), ASTM method: collaborative study.

    PubMed

    Placencia, A M; Peeler, J T

    1999-01-01

    A collaborative study involving 11 laboratories was conducted to measure the microbial barrier effectiveness of porous medical packaging. Two randomly cut samples from each of 6 commercially available porous materials and one positive and one negative control were tested by one operator in each of 11 laboratories. Microbial barrier effectiveness was measured in terms of logarithm reduction value (LRV), which reflects the log10 microbial penetration of the material being tested. The logarithm of the final concentration is subtracted from that of the initial concentration to obtain the LRV. Thus the higher the LRV, the better the barrier. Repeatability standard deviations ranged from 6.42 to 16.40; reproducibility standard deviations ranged from 15.50 to 22.70. Materials B(53), C(50), D(CT), and E(45MF) differ significantly from the positive control. The microbial ranking of porous packaging materials (exposure chamber method), ASTM method, has been adopted First Action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.

  12. Hierarchical porous carbon microspheres derived from porous starch for use in high-rate electrochemical double-layer capacitors.

    PubMed

    Du, Si-Hong; Wang, Li-Qun; Fu, Xiao-Ting; Chen, Ming-Ming; Wang, Cheng-Yang

    2013-07-01

    Porous starch was used as a precursor for hierarchical porous carbon microspheres. The preparation consisted of stabilisation, carbonisation and KOH activation, and the resultant hierarchical porous carbon microspheres had a large BET surface area of 3251 m(2)g(-1). Due to the large surface area and the hierarchical pore structure, electrodes made of the hierarchical porous carbon microsphere materials had high specific capacitances of 304 Fg(-1) at a current density of 0.05 Ag(-1) and 197 Fg(-1) at a current density of 180 Ag(-1) when used in a symmetric capacitor with 6M KOH as the electrolyte. After 10,000 cycles, the capacitor still exhibited a stable performance with a capacitance retention of 98%. These results indicate that porous starch is an excellent precursor to prepare high performance electrode materials for EDLCs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Hierarchically Porous Carbon Materials for CO 2 Capture: The Role of Pore Structure

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

    Estevez, Luis; Barpaga, Dushyant; Zheng, Jian

    2018-01-17

    With advances in porous carbon synthesis techniques, hierarchically porous carbon (HPC) materials are being utilized as relatively new porous carbon sorbents for CO2 capture applications. These HPC materials were used as a platform to prepare samples with differing textural properties and morphologies to elucidate structure-property relationships. It was found that high microporous content, rather than overall surface area was of primary importance for predicting good CO2 capture performance. Two HPC materials were analyzed, each with near identical high surface area (~2700 m2/g) and colossally high pore volume (~10 cm3/g), but with different microporous content and pore size distributions, which ledmore » to dramatically different CO2 capture performance. Overall, large pore volumes obtained from distinct mesopores were found to significantly impact adsorption performance. From these results, an optimized HPC material was synthesized that achieved a high CO2 capacity of ~3.7 mmol/g at 25°C and 1 bar.« less

  14. Multi-component fluid flow through porous media by interacting lattice gas computer simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cueva-Parra, Luis Alberto

    In this work we study structural and transport properties such as power-law behavior of trajectory of each constituent and their center of mass, density profile, mass flux, permeability, velocity profile, phase separation, segregation, and mixing of miscible and immiscible multicomponent fluid flow through rigid and non-consolidated porous media. The considered parameters are the mass ratio of the components, temperature, external pressure, and porosity. Due to its solid theoretical foundation and computational simplicity, the selected approaches are the Interacting Lattice Gas with Monte Carlo Method (Metropolis Algorithm) and direct sampling, combined with particular collision rules. The percolation mechanism is used for modeling initial random porous media. The introduced collision rules allow to model non-consolidated porous media, because part of the kinetic energy of the fluid particles is transfered to barrier particles, which are the components of the porous medium. Having gained kinetic energy, the barrier particles can move. A number of interesting results are observed. Some findings include, (i) phase separation in immiscible fluid flow through a medium with no barrier particles (porosity p P = 1). (ii) For the flow of miscible fluids through rigid porous medium with porosity close to percolation threshold (p C), the flux density (measure of permeability) shows a power law increase ∝ (pC - p) mu with mu = 2.0, and the density profile is found to decay with height ∝ exp(-mA/Bh), consistent with the barometric height law. (iii) Sedimentation and driving of barrier particles in fluid flow through non-consolidated porous medium. This study involves developing computer simulation models with efficient serial and parallel codes, extensive data analysis via graphical utilities, and computer visualization techniques.

  15. Asteroid deflection using a kinetic impactor: Insights from hypervelocity impact experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoerth, Tobias; Schäfer, Frank

    2016-04-01

    Within the framework of the planned AIDA mission [1], an impactor spacecraft (DART) hits the second component of the asteroid Didymos at hypervelocity. The impact crater will be observed from the AIM spacecraft and an observation of the ejecta plume is possible [1]. This allows conclusions to be drawn about the physical properties of the target material, and the momentum transfer will be studied [1]. In preparation for this mission, hypervelocity impact experiments can provide valuable information about the outcome of an impact event as a function of impactor and target material properties and, thus, support the interpretation of the data from the DART impact. In addition, these impact experiments provide an important means to validate numerical impact simulations required to simulate large-scale impacts that cannot be studied in laboratory experiments. Impact experiments have shown that crater morphology and size, crater growth and ejecta dynamics strongly depend on the physical properties of the target material [2]. For example, porous materials like sandstone lead to a shallower and slower ejection than low-porous materials like quartzite, and the cratering efficiency is reduced in porous targets leading to a smaller amount of ejected mass [3]. These phenomena result in a reduced momentum multiplication factor (often called "beta-value"), i.e. the ratio of the change in target momentum after the impact and the momentum of the projectile is smaller for porous materials. Hypervelocity impact experiments into target materials with different porosities and densities such as quartzite (2.9 %, 2.6 g/cm3), sandstone (25.3 %, 2 g/cm3), limestone (31 %, 1.8 g/cm3), and highly porous aerated concrete (87.5 %, 0.4 g/cm3) were conducted. Projectile velocities were varied between about 3 km/s and almost 7 km/s. A ballistic pendulum was used to measure the momentum transfer. The material strength required for scaling laws was determined for all target materials. The highest

  16. Porous Carriers for Controlled/Modulated Drug Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Ahuja, G.; Pathak, K.

    2009-01-01

    Considerable research efforts have been directed in recent years towards the development of porous carriers as controlled drug delivery matrices because of possessing several features such as stable uniform porous structure, high surface area, tunable pore size and well-defined surface properties. Owing to wide range of useful properties porous carriers have been used in pharmaceuticals for many purposes including development of floating drug delivery systems, sustained drug delivery systems. Various types of pores like open, closed, transport and blind pores in the porous solid allow them to adsorb drugs and release them in a more reproducible and predictable manner. Pharmaceutically exploited porous adsorbents includes, silica (mesoporous), ethylene vinyl acetate (macroporous), polypropylene foam powder (microporous), titanium dioxide (nanoporous). When porous polymeric drug delivery system is placed in contact with appropriate dissolution medium, release of drug to medium must be preceded by the drug dissolution in the water filled pores or from surface and by diffusion through the water filled channels. The porous carriers are used to improve the oral bioavailability of poorly water soluble drugs, to increase the dissolution of relatively insoluble powders and conversion of crystalline state to amorphous state. PMID:20376211

  17. Thiazolothiazole-linked porous organic polymers

    DOE PAGES

    Zhu, Xiang; Tian, Chengcheng; Jin, Tian; ...

    2014-10-07

    In this study, thiazolothiazole-linked porous organic polymers have been synthesized from a facile catalyst-free condensation reaction between aldehydes and dithiooxamide under solvothermal conditions. The resultant porous frameworks exhibit a highly selective uptake of CO 2 over N 2 under ambient conditions.

  18. Ceramic modifications of porous titanium: effects on macrophage activation.

    PubMed

    Scislowska-Czarnecka, A; Menaszek, E; Szaraniec, B; Kolaczkowska, E

    2012-12-01

    Porous titanium is one of the most widely used implant materials because of its mechanical properties, however, it is also characterised by low bioactivity. To improve the above parameter we prepared three modifications of the porous (30 wt%) titanium (Ti) surface by covering it with bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA), bioglass (BG) and calcium silicate (CS). Subsequently we tested the impact of the modifications on macrophages directing the inflammatory response that might compromise the implant bioactivity. In the study we investigated the in vitro effects of the materials on murine cell line RAW 264.7 macrophage adherence, morphology and activation (production/release of metalloproteinase MMP-9 and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines). CS Ti decreased the macrophage adherence and up-regulated the release of several pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12. Also HA Ti reduced the cell adherence but other parameters were generally not increased, except of TNF-α. In contrast, BG Ti improved macrophage adherence and either decreased production of multiple mediators (MMP-9, TNF-α, IFN-γ, MCP-1) or did not change it in comparison to the porous titanium. We can conclude that analyzing the effects on the inflammatory response initiated by macrophages in vitro, calcium silicate did not improve the biological properties of the porous titanium. The improved bioactivity of titanium was, however, achieved by the application of the hydroxyapatite and bioglass layers. The present in vitro results suggest that these materials, HA Ti and especially BG Ti, may be suitable for in vivo application and thus justify their further investigation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A Laboratory Impact Study of Simulated Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryan, Eileen V.; Davis, Donald R.; Giblin, Ian

    1999-11-01

    This paper reports on a series of laboratory impact experiments designed to provide basic data on how simulated Edgeworth-Kuiper belt objects (EKOs) fragment in an impact event. In September-October 1997 we carried out 20 low-velocity airgun shots at the Ames Vertical Gun Range into porous and homogeneous ice spheres using aluminum, fractured ice, and solid ice projectiles. We found that the porous ice targets behaved as strongly as solid ice in collision. Energy is apparently well dissipated by the void spaces within the target, such that these fragile ice structures respond as if they were strong in impacts. Therefore, it would appear that if EKOs are porous, they are not collisionally weak. Also, our data show that collisional outcomes for low-velocity impacts into ice targets depend on the type of projectile used as well as the properties of the target. We observed that the degree of fragmentation for a given type of target increases as the strength of the projectile increases. Aluminum projectiles are far more damaging to the target at the same collisional energy than are solid ice projectiles, which, in turn, are more damaging than fractured ice projectiles. One possible explanation for this behavior is the variable depth of penetration of the projectile for the different cases—stronger projectiles penetrate more deeply and couple more energy into the target than do weak projectiles. Based on this, if we assume that there has not been significant heating or differentiation in the Edgeworth-Kuiper (E-K) belt, the most applicable impact strength for the low-velocity E-K belt collisions is likely to be that derived from similar target/projectile materials impacting each other. The laboratory data from this analysis indicate that a value for impact strength>5×10 5 erg/cm 3 is appropriate for porous ice targets impacted with solid/porous ice projectiles.

  20. Utilization of Porous Media for Condensing Heat Exchangers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tuan, George C.

    2006-01-01

    The use of porous media as a mean of separating liquid condensate from the air stream in condensing heat exchangers has been explored in the past inside small plant growth chambers and in the Apollo Command Module. Both applications used a cooled porous media made of sintered stainless steel to cool and separate condensation from the air stream. However, the main issues with the utilization of porous media in the past have been the deterioration of the porous media over long duration, such as clogging and changes in surface wetting characteristics. In addition, for long duration usage, biofilm growth from microorganisms on the porous medial would also be an issue. In developing Porous Media Condensing Heat Exchangers (PMCHX) for future space applications, different porous materials and microbial growth control methods will need to be explored. This paper explores the work performed at JSC and GRC to evaluate different porous materials and microbial control methods to support the development of a Porous Media Condensing Heat Exchanger. It outlines the basic principles for designing a PMCHX and issues that were encountered and ways to resolve those issues. The PMCHX has potential of mass, volume, and power savings over current CHX and water separator technology and would be beneficial for long duration space missions.

  1. Do natural biofilm impact nZVI mobility and interactions with porous media? A column study.

    PubMed

    Crampon, Marc; Hellal, Jennifer; Mouvet, Christophe; Wille, Guillaume; Michel, Caroline; Wiener, Anke; Braun, Juergen; Ollivier, Patrick

    2018-01-01

    Nanoparticles (NP) used as remediation agents for groundwater treatment may interact with biofilms naturally present, altering NP mobility and/or reactivity and thereby NP effectiveness. The influence of the presence of a multi species biofilm on the mobility of two types of zero-valent iron NP (nZVI; NANOFER 25S and optimized NANOFER STAR, NanoIron s.r.o. (Czech Republic)) was tested in laboratory experiments with columns mimicking aquifer conditions. Biofilms were grown in columns filled with sand in nitrate reducing conditions using groundwater from an industrial site as inoculum. After two months growth, they were composed of several bacterial species, dominated by Pseudomonas stutzeri. Biofilm strongly affected the physical characteristics of the sand, decreasing total porosity from ~30% to ~15%, and creating preferential pathways with high flow velocities. nZVI suspensions were injected into the columns at a seepage velocity of 10mday - 1 . Presence of biofilm did not impact the concentrations of Fe at the column outlet nor the amount of total Fe retained in the sand, as attested by the measurement of magnetic susceptibility. However, it had a significant impact on NP size sorting as well as on total Fe distribution along the column. This suggests nZVI-biofilm interactions that were confirmed by microscopic observations using SEM/STEM coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Our study shows that biofilm modifies the water flow velocity in the porous media, favoring the transport of large aggregates and decreased NP mobility due to physical and chemical interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Neutron imaging of hydrogen-rich fluids in geomaterials and engineered porous media: A review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perfect, E.; Cheng, C.-L.; Kang, M.; Bilheux, H. Z.; Lamanna, J. M.; Gragg, M. J.; Wright, D. M.

    2014-02-01

    Recent advances in visualization technologies are providing new discoveries as well as answering old questions with respect to the phase structure and flow of hydrogen-rich fluids, such as water and oil, within porous media. Magnetic resonance and x-ray imaging are sometimes employed in this context, but are subject to significant limitations. In contrast, neutrons are ideally suited for imaging hydrogen-rich fluids in abiotic non-hydrogenous porous media because they are strongly attenuated by hydrogen and can "see" through the solid matrix in a non-destructive fashion. This review paper provides an overview of the general principles behind the use of neutrons to image hydrogen-rich fluids in both 2-dimensions (radiography) and 3-dimensions (tomography). Engineering standards for the neutron imaging method are examined. The main body of the paper consists of a comprehensive review of the diverse scientific literature on neutron imaging of static and dynamic experiments involving variably-saturated geomaterials (rocks and soils) and engineered porous media (bricks and ceramics, concrete, fuel cells, heat pipes, and porous glass). Finally some emerging areas that offer promising opportunities for future research are discussed.

  3. Porous graphene nanocages for battery applications

    DOEpatents

    Amine, Khalil; Lu, Jun; Du, Peng; Wen, Jianguo; Curtiss, Larry A.

    2017-03-07

    An active material composition includes a porous graphene nanocage and a source material. The source material may be a sulfur material. The source material may be an anodic material. A lithium-sulfur battery is provided that includes a cathode, an anode, a lithium salt, and an electrolyte, where the cathode of the lithium-sulfur battery includes a porous graphene nanocage and a sulfur material and at least a portion of the sulfur material is entrapped within the porous graphene nanocage. Also provided is a lithium-air battery that includes a cathode, an anode, a lithium salt, and an electrolyte, where the cathode includes a porous graphene nanocage and where the cathode may be free of a cathodic metal catalyst.

  4. Method of fabricating porous silicon carbide (SiC)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

    1995-01-01

    Porous silicon carbide is fabricated according to techniques which result in a significant portion of nanocrystallites within the material in a sub 10 nanometer regime. There is described techniques for passivating porous silicon carbide which result in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices which exhibit brighter blue luminescence and exhibit improved qualities. Based on certain of the techniques described porous silicon carbide is used as a sacrificial layer for the patterning of silicon carbide. Porous silicon carbide is then removed from the bulk substrate by oxidation and other methods. The techniques described employ a two-step process which is used to pattern bulk silicon carbide where selected areas of the wafer are then made porous and then the porous layer is subsequently removed. The process to form porous silicon carbide exhibits dopant selectivity and a two-step etching procedure is implemented for silicon carbide multilayers.

  5. Enhancement of a dynamic porous model considering compression-release hysteresis behavior: application to graphite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jodar, B.; Seisson, G.; Hébert, D.; Bertron, I.; Boustie, M.; Berthe, L.

    2016-08-01

    Because of their shock wave attenuation properties, porous materials and foams are increasingly used for various applications such as graphite in the aerospace industry and polyurethane (PU) foams in biomedical engineering. For these two materials, the absence of residual compaction after compression and release cycles limits the efficiency of the usual numerical dynamic porous models such as P-α and POREQST. In this paper, we suggest a simple enhancement of the latter in order to take into account the compression-release hysteresis behavior experimentally observed for the considered materials. The new model, named H-POREQST, was implemented into a Lagrangian hydrocode and tested for simulating plate impact experiments at moderate pressure onto a commercial grade of porous graphite (EDM3). It proved to be in far better agreement with experimental data than the original model which encourages us to pursue numerical tests and developments.

  6. Porous light-emitting compositions

    DOEpatents

    Burrell, Anthony K [Los Alamos, NM; McCleskey, Thomas Mark [Los Alamos, NM; Jia, Quanxi [Los Alamos, NM; Bauer, Eve [Los Alamos, NM; Mueller, Alexander H [Los Alamos, NM

    2012-04-17

    Light-emitting devices are prepared by coating a porous substrate using a polymer-assisted deposition process. Solutions of metal precursor and soluble polymers having binding properties for metal precursor were coated onto porous substrates. The coated substrates were heated at high temperatures under a suitable atmosphere. The result was a substrate with a conformal coating that did not substantially block the pores of the substrate.

  7. Regeneratively Cooled Porous Media Jacket

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mungas, Greg (Inventor); Fisher, David J. (Inventor); London, Adam Pollok (Inventor); Fryer, Jack Merrill (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    The fluid and heat transfer theory for regenerative cooling of a rocket combustion chamber with a porous media coolant jacket is presented. This model is used to design a regeneratively cooled rocket or other high temperature engine cooling jacket. Cooling jackets comprising impermeable inner and outer walls, and porous media channels are disclosed. Also disclosed are porous media coolant jackets with additional structures designed to transfer heat directly from the inner wall to the outer wall, and structures designed to direct movement of the coolant fluid from the inner wall to the outer wall. Methods of making such jackets are also disclosed.

  8. XFEM modeling of hydraulic fracture in porous rocks with natural fractures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Tao; Liu, ZhanLi; Zeng, QingLei; Gao, Yue; Zhuang, Zhuo

    2017-08-01

    Hydraulic fracture (HF) in porous rocks is a complex multi-physics coupling process which involves fluid flow, diffusion and solid deformation. In this paper, the extended finite element method (XFEM) coupling with Biot theory is developed to study the HF in permeable rocks with natural fractures (NFs). In the recent XFEM based computational HF models, the fluid flow in fractures and interstitials of the porous media are mostly solved separately, which brings difficulties in dealing with complex fracture morphology. In our new model the fluid flow is solved in a unified framework by considering the fractures as a kind of special porous media and introducing Poiseuille-type flow inside them instead of Darcy-type flow. The most advantage is that it is very convenient to deal with fluid flow inside the complex fracture network, which is important in shale gas extraction. The weak formulation for the new coupled model is derived based on virtual work principle, which includes the XFEM formulation for multiple fractures and fractures intersection in porous media and finite element formulation for the unified fluid flow. Then the plane strain Kristianovic-Geertsma-de Klerk (KGD) model and the fluid flow inside the fracture network are simulated to validate the accuracy and applicability of this method. The numerical results show that large injection rate, low rock permeability and isotropic in-situ stresses tend to lead to a more uniform and productive fracture network.

  9. Analytical study of temperature distribution in a rectangular porous fin considering both insulated and convective tip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deshamukhya, Tuhin; Bhanja, Dipankar; Nath, Sujit; Maji, Ambarish; Choubey, Gautam

    2017-07-01

    The following study is concerned with determination of temperature distribution of porous fins under convective and insulated tip conditions. The authors have made an effort to study the effect of various important parameters involved in the transfer of heat through porous fins as well as the temperature distribution along the fin length subjected to both convective as well as insulated ends. The non-linear equation obtained has been solved by Adomian Decomposition method and validated with a numerical scheme called Finite Difference method by using a central difference scheme and Gauss Siedel Iterative method.

  10. A systematic review of the impact of patient and public involvement on service users, researchers and communities.

    PubMed

    Brett, Jo; Staniszewska, Sophie; Mockford, Carole; Herron-Marx, Sandra; Hughes, John; Tysall, Colin; Suleman, Rashida

    2014-01-01

    Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research has expanded nationally and internationally over the last decade, and recently there has been significant attention given to understanding its impact on research. Less attention has been given to the impact of PPI on the people involved, yet it has been shown that the success of PPI in research can be reliant on the processes of engagement between these individuals and communities. This paper therefore critically explores the impact of PPI on service users, researchers and communities involved in health and social care research. Searches were undertaken from 1995 to April 2012 in the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane library, CINAHL, HMIC and HELMIS. Searches were undertaken for grey literature using the databases InvoNet and NHS Evidence. Studies were included if they included the impact of PPI on individual service users, researchers or communities under research. Studies were excluded if they were in a foreign language (unless they were deemed critical to the systematic review) or were in children and adolescent services. Data were extracted using a narrative synthesis, and quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. Service users reported feeling empowered and valued, gaining confidence and life skills. Researchers developed a greater understanding and insight into their research area, gaining respect and a good rapport with the community. The community involved in research became more aware and knowledgeable about their condition. However, lack of preparation and training led some service users to feel unable to contribute to the research, while other service users and communities reported feeling overburdened with the work involved. Researchers reported difficulties in incorporating PPI in meaningful ways due to lack of money and time. This is the first international systematic review to focus on the impact of PPI on the people involved in the process. The

  11. Porous Cross-Linked Polyimide Networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meador, Mary Ann B. (Inventor); Guo, Haiquan (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    Porous cross-linked polyimide networks are provided. The networks comprise an anhydride end-capped polyamic acid oligomer. The oligomer (i) comprises a repeating unit of a dianhydride and a diamine and terminal anhydride groups, (ii) has an average degree of polymerization of 10 to 50, (iii) has been cross-linked via a cross-linking agent, comprising three or more amine groups, at a balanced stoichiometry of the amine groups to the terminal anhydride groups, and (iv) has been chemically imidized to yield the porous cross-linked polyimide network. Also provided are porous cross-linked polyimide aerogels comprising a cross-linked and imidized anhydride end-capped polyamic acid oligomer, wherein the oligomer comprises a repeating unit of a dianhydride and a diamine, and the aerogel has a density of 0.10 to 0.333 g/cm.sup.3 and a Young's modulus of 1.7 to 102 MPa. Also provided are thin films comprising aerogels, and methods of making porous cross-linked polyimide networks.

  12. Porous media heat transfer for injection molding

    DOEpatents

    Beer, Neil Reginald

    2016-05-31

    The cooling of injection molded plastic is targeted. Coolant flows into a porous medium disposed within an injection molding component via a porous medium inlet. The porous medium is thermally coupled to a mold cavity configured to receive injected liquid plastic. The porous medium beneficially allows for an increased rate of heat transfer from the injected liquid plastic to the coolant and provides additional structural support over a hollow cooling well. When the temperature of the injected liquid plastic falls below a solidifying temperature threshold, the molded component is ejected and collected.

  13. Impact of multicomponent ionic transport on pH fronts propagation in saturated porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muniruzzaman, Muhammad; Rolle, Massimo

    2016-04-01

    Multicomponent ionic interactions have been increasingly recognized as important factors for the displacement of charged species in porous media under both diffusion- [1,2] and advection-dominated flow regimes [3,4]. In this study we investigate the propagation of pH fronts during multicomponent ionic transport in saturated porous media under flow-through conditions. By performing laboratory bench-scale experiments combined with numerical modeling we show the important influence of Coulombic effects on proton transport in the presence of ionic admixtures. The experiments were performed in a quasi two-dimensional flow-through setup under steady-state flow and transport conditions. Dilute solutions of hydrochloric acid with MgCl2 (1:2 strong electrolyte) were used as tracer solutions to experimentally test the effect of electrochemical cross-coupling on the migration of diffusive/dispersive pH fronts. We focus on two experimental scenarios, with different composition of tracer solutions, causing remarkably different effects on the propagation of the acidic fronts with relative differences in the penetration depth of pH fronts of 36% between the two scenarios and of 25% and 15% for each scenario with respect to the transport of ions at liberated state (i.e., without considering the charge effects). Also significant differences in the dilution of the distinct ionic plumes, quantified using the flux-related dilution index at the laboratory bench scale [5], were measured at the outflow of the flow-through system. The dilution of the pH plumes also changed considerably (26% relative difference) in the two flow-through experiments only due to the different composition of the pore water solution and to the electrostatic coupling of the ions in the flow-through setups. Numerical transport simulations were performed to interpret the laboratory experiments. The simulations were based on a multicomponent ionic formulation accurately capturing the Coulombic interactions between

  14. High surface area electrodes by template-free self-assembled hierarchical porous gold architecture.

    PubMed

    Morag, Ahiud; Golub, Tatiana; Becker, James; Jelinek, Raz

    2016-06-15

    The electrode active surface area is a crucial determinant in many electrochemical applications and devices. Porous metal substrates have been employed in electrode design, however construction of such materials generally involves multistep processes, generating in many instances electrodes exhibiting incomplete access to internal pore surfaces. Here we describe fabrication of electrodes comprising hierarchical, nano-to-microscale porous gold matrix, synthesized through spontaneous crystallization of gold thiocyanate in water. Cyclic voltammetry analysis revealed that the specific surface area of the conductive nanoporous Au microwires was very high and depended only upon the amount of gold used, not electrode areas or geometries. Application of the electrode in a pseudo-capacitor device is presented. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Ballistic Performance of Porous-Ceramic, Thermal Protection Systems to 9 km/s

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Joshua E.; Bohl, William E.; Foreman, Cory D.; Christiansen, Eric C.; Davis, Bruce A.

    2010-01-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Orbiter, and they are currently being proposed for the next generation of US manned spacecraft, Orion. These materials insulate the structural components and sensitive components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. These materials are also highly exposed to solid particle space environment hazards. This paper discusses recent impact testing up to 9.65 km/s on ceramic tiles similar to those used on the Orbiter. These tiles are a porous-ceramic insulator of nominally 8 lb/ft(exp 3) alumina-fiber-enhanced-thermal-barrier (AETB8) coated with a damage-resistant, toughened-unipiece-fibrous-insulation/reaction-cured-glass layer (TUFI/RCG).

  16. Gint2D-T2 correlation NMR of porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yan; Blümich, Bernhard

    2015-03-01

    The internal magnetic field gradient induced in porous media by magnetic susceptibility differences at material interfaces impacts diffusion measurements in particular at high magnetic field and can be used to probe the pore structure. Insight about the relationship between pore space and internal gradient Gint can be obtained from 2D Laplace NMR experiments. When measuring distributions of transverse relaxation times T2 in fluid filled porous media, relaxation and diffusion in internal gradients arise simultaneously and data are often interpreted with the assumption that one or the other parameter be constant throughout the sample. To examine this assumption we measure correlations of the distributions of Gint2D and T2 by 2D Laplace NMR for three different kinds of samples, glass beads with different bead diameters saturated with water, glass beads filled with oil and water, and a wet mortar sample. For the first two samples the cases where either the internal gradient or diffusion dominates were examined separately in order to better understand the relationship between Gint and D. These results are useful for assessing the impact of internal gradients and diffusion in unknown samples, such as the mortar sample. The experiments were performed at different magnetic field strengths corresponding to 300 MHz and 700 MHz 1H Larmor frequency to identify the impact of the magnetic field on the internal gradient. Subsequently, spatially resolved Gint2D-T2 maps were obtained to study the sample heterogeneity.

  17. Review on subsurface colloids and colloid-associated contaminant transport in saturated porous media.

    PubMed

    Kanti Sen, Tushar; Khilar, Kartic C

    2006-02-28

    In this review article, the authors present up-to-date developments on experimental, modeling and field studies on the role of subsurface colloidal fines on contaminant transport in saturated porous media. It is a complex phenomenon in porous media involving several basic processes such as colloidal fines release, dispersion stabilization, migration and fines entrapment/plugging at the pore constrictions and adsorption at solid/liquid interface. The effects of these basic processes on the contaminant transport have been compiled. Here the authors first present the compilation on in situ colloidal fines sources, release, stabilization of colloidal dispersion and migration which are a function of physical and chemical conditions of subsurface environment and finally their role in inorganic and organic contaminants transport in porous media. The important aspects of this article are as follows: (i) it gives not only complete compilation on colloidal fines-facilitated contaminant transport but also reviews the new role of colloidal fines in contaminant retardation due to plugging of pore constrictions. This plugging phenomenon also depends on various factors such as concentration of colloidal fines, superficial velocity and bead-to-particle size ratio. This plugging-based contaminant transport can be used to develop containment technique in soil and groundwater remediation. (ii) It also presents the importance of critical salt concentration (CSC), critical ionic strength for mixed salt, critical shear stressor critical particle concentration (CPC) on in situ colloidal fines release and migration and consequently their role on contaminant transport in porous media. (iii) It also reviews another class of colloidal fines called biocolloids and their transport in porous media. Finally, the authors highlight the future research based on their critical review on colloid-associated contaminant transport in saturated porous media.

  18. Porous material neutron detector

    DOEpatents

    Diawara, Yacouba [Oak Ridge, TN; Kocsis, Menyhert [Venon, FR

    2012-04-10

    A neutron detector employs a porous material layer including pores between nanoparticles. The composition of the nanoparticles is selected to cause emission of electrons upon detection of a neutron. The nanoparticles have a maximum dimension that is in the range from 0.1 micron to 1 millimeter, and can be sintered with pores thereamongst. A passing radiation generates electrons at one or more nanoparticles, some of which are scattered into a pore and directed toward a direction opposite to the applied electrical field. These electrons travel through the pore and collide with additional nanoparticles, which generate more electrons. The electrons are amplified in a cascade reaction that occurs along the pores behind the initial detection point. An electron amplification device may be placed behind the porous material layer to further amplify the electrons exiting the porous material layer.

  19. A stress sensitivity model for the permeability of porous media based on bi-dispersed fractal theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, X.-H.; Liu, C.-Y.; Li, X.-P.; Wang, H.-Q.; Deng, H.

    A stress sensitivity model for the permeability of porous media based on bidispersed fractal theory is established, considering the change of the flow path, the fractal geometry approach and the mechanics of porous media. It is noted that the two fractal parameters of the porous media construction perform differently when the stress changes. The tortuosity fractal dimension of solid cluster DcTσ become bigger with an increase of stress. However, the pore fractal dimension of solid cluster Dcfσ and capillary bundle Dpfσ remains the same with an increase of stress. The definition of normalized permeability is introduced for the analyzation of the impacts of stress sensitivity on permeability. The normalized permeability is related to solid cluster tortuosity dimension, pore fractal dimension, solid cluster maximum diameter, Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. Every parameter has clear physical meaning without the use of empirical constants. Predictions of permeability of the model is accordant with the obtained experimental data. Thus, the proposed model can precisely depict the flow of fluid in porous media under stress.

  20. Heterogeneous porous structures for the fastest liquid absorption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shou, Dahua; Ye, Lin; Fan, Jintu

    2013-08-01

    Engineered porous materials, which have fast absorption of liquids under global constraints (e.g. volume, surface area, or cost of the materials), are useful in many applications including moisture management fabrics, medical wound dressings, paper-based analytical devices, liquid molding composites, etc.. The absorption in capillary tubes and porous media is driven by the surface tension of liquid, which is inversely proportional to the pore size. On the contrary, the ability of conduction (or permeability) of liquid in porous materials is linear with the square of pore size. Both mechanisms superimpose with each other leading to a possibility of the fastest absorption for a porous structure. In this work, we explore the flow behaviors for the fastest absorption using heterogeneous porous architectures, from two-portion tubes to two-layer porous media. The absorption time for filling up the voids in these porous materials is expressed in terms of pore size, height and porosity. It is shown that under the given height and void volume, these two-component porous structures with a negative gradient of pore size/porosity against the imbibition direction, have a faster absorption rate than controlled samples with uniform pore size/porosity. Particularly, optimal structural parameters including pore size, height and porosity are found for the minimum absorption time. The obtained results will be used as a priori for the design of porous structures with excellent water absorption and moisture management property in various fields.

  1. Amorphous-amorphous transition in a porous coordination polymer.

    PubMed

    Ohtsu, Hiroyoshi; Bennett, Thomas D; Kojima, Tatsuhiro; Keen, David A; Niwa, Yasuhiro; Kawano, Masaki

    2017-07-04

    The amorphous state plays a key role in porous coordination polymer and metal-organic framework phase transitions. We investigate a crystalline-to-amorphous-to-amorphous-to-crystalline (CAAC) phase transition in a Zn based coordination polymer, by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. We show that the system shows two distinct amorphous phases upon heating. The first involves a reversible transition to a desolvated form of the original network, followed by an irreversible transition to an intermediate phase which has elongated Zn-I bonds.

  2. Sputtering from a Porous Material by Penetrating Ions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriguez-Nieva, J. F.; Bringa, E. M.; Cassidy, T. A.; Johnson, R. E.; Caro, A.; Fama, M.; Loeffler, M.; Baragiola, R. A.; Farkas, D.

    2012-01-01

    Porous materials are ubiquitous in the universe and weathering of porous surfaces plays an important role in the evolution of planetary and interstellar materials. Sputtering of porous solids in particular can influence atmosphere formation, surface reflectivity, and the production of the ambient gas around materials in space, Several previous studies and models have shown a large reduction in the sputtering of a porous solid compared to the sputtering of the non-porous solid. Using molecular dynamics simulations we study the sputtering of a nanoporous solid with 55% of the solid density. We calculate the electronic sputtering induced by a fast, penetrating ion, using a thermal spike representation of the deposited energy. We find that sputtering for this porous solid is, surprisingly, the same as that for a full-density solid, even though the sticking coefficient is high.

  3. A novel and facile synthesis approach for a porous carbon/graphene composite for high-performance supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ting; Zhang, Xuesha; Liu, Kang; Liu, Yanyan; Liu, Mengjie; Wu, Wenyu; Gu, Yu; Zhang, Ruijun

    2018-03-02

    We propose a novel and facile synthesis approach to a porous carbon/graphene composite. Graphene is obtained from room-temperature expanded graphite (RTEG), not involving the use of graphite oxide (GO). Porous carbon is acquired by carbonization and KOH-activation of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which is used to exfoliate RTEG into graphene and inhibit the restacking of the resultant graphene in the present work. The prepared porous carbon/graphene composite has a high specific surface area (SSA) (3008 m 2 g -1 ) and a hierarchical micro- and meso- pore structure (dominant pores in the range of 1-5 nm). Electrochemical measurement demonstrates that the as-prepared porous carbon/graphene composite can deliver an outstanding specific capacitance of up to 340 F g -1 at 5 mV s -1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte. This specific capacitance is among the highest reported so far for porous carbon/graphene materials. Moreover, the prepared composite as an electrode material also exhibits excellent cycling stability (94.4% capacitance retention over 10 000 cycles). The as-fabricated symmetrical supercapacitor exhibits a high energy density of 10.9 W h kg -1 (based on total mass of electrode materials) and an outstanding energy density retention, even at high power density. Compared with conventional preparation routes for porous carbon/graphene composites, the present approach is significantly simple, convenient and cost-effective, which will make it more competent in the development of electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors.

  4. Isotopic decoupling during porous melt flow: A case-study in the Lherz peridotite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Le Roux, V.; Bodinier, J.-L.; Alard, O.; O'Reilly, S. Y.; Griffin, W. L.

    2009-03-01

    Most peridotite massifs and mantle xenoliths show a wide range of isotopic variations, often involving significant decoupling between Hf, Nd and Sr isotopes. These variations are generally ascribed either to mingling of individual components of contrasted isotopic compositions or to time integration of parent-element enrichment by percolating melts/fluids, superimposed onto previous depletion event(s). However, strong isotopic decoupling may also arise during porous flow as a result of daughter-elements fractionation during solid-liquid interaction. Although porous flow is recognized as an important process in mantle rocks, its effects on mantle isotopic variability have been barely investigated so far. The peridotites of the Lherz massif (French Pyrenees) display a frozen melt percolation front separating highly refractory harzburgites from refertilized lherzolites. Isotopic signatures observed at the melt percolation front show a strong decoupling of Hf from Nd and Sr isotopes that cannot be accounted for by simple mixing involving the harzburgite protolith and the percolating melt. Using one dimensional percolation-diffusion and percolation-reaction modeling, we show that these signatures represent transient isotopic compositions generated by porous flow. These signatures are governed by a few critical parameters such as daughter element concentrations in melt and peridotite, element diffusivity, and efficiency of isotopic homogenization rather than by the chromatographic effect of melt transport and the refertilization reaction. Subtle variations in these parameters may generate significant inter-isotopic decoupling and wide isotopic variations in mantle rocks.

  5. Destabilization, Propagation, and Generation of Surfactant-Stabilized Foam during Crude Oil Displacement in Heterogeneous Model Porous Media.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Siyang; Zeng, Yongchao; Vavra, Eric D; He, Peng; Puerto, Maura; Hirasaki, George J; Biswal, Sibani L

    2018-01-23

    Foam flooding in porous media is of increasing interest due to its numerous applications such as enhanced oil recovery, aquifer remediation, and hydraulic fracturing. However, the mechanisms of oil-foam interactions have yet to be fully understood at the pore level. Here, we present three characteristic zones identified in experiments involving the displacement of crude oil from model porous media via surfactant-stabilized foam, and we describe a series of pore-level dynamics in these zones which were not observed in experiments involving paraffin oil. In the displacement front zone, foam coalesces upon initial contact with crude oil, which is known to destabilize the liquid lamellae of the foam. Directly upstream, a transition zone occurs where surface wettability is altered from oil-wet to water-wet. After this transition takes place, a strong foam bank zone exists where foam is generated within the porous media. We visualized each zone using a microfluidic platform, and we discuss the unique physicochemical phenomena that define each zone. In our analysis, we also provide an updated mechanistic understanding of the "smart rheology" of foam which builds upon simple "phase separation" observations in the literature.

  6. Porous titanium bases for osteochondral tissue engineering

    PubMed Central

    Nover, Adam B.; Lee, Stephanie L.; Georgescu, Maria S.; Howard, Daniel R.; Saunders, Reuben A.; Yu, William T.; Klein, Robert W.; Napolitano, Anthony P.; Ateshian, Gerard A.

    2015-01-01

    Tissue engineering of osteochondral grafts may offer a cell-based alternative to native allografts, which are in short supply. Previous studies promote the fabrication of grafts consisting of a viable cell-seeded hydrogel integrated atop a porous, bone-like metal. Advantages of the manufacturing process have led to the evaluation of porous titanium as the bone-like base material. Here, porous titanium was shown to support the growth of cartilage to produce native levels of Young’s modulus, using a clinically relevant cell source. Mechanical and biochemical properties were similar or higher for the osteochondral constructs compared to chondral-only controls. Further investigation into the mechanical influence of the base on the composite material suggests that underlying pores may decrease interstitial fluid pressurization and applied strains, which may be overcome by alterations to the base structure. Future studies aim to optimize titanium-based tissue engineered osteochondral constructs to best match the structural architecture and strength of native grafts. Statement of Significance The studies described in this manuscript follow up on previous studies from our lab pertaining to the fabrication of osteochondral grafts that consist of a bone-like porous metal and a chondrocyte-seeded hydrogel. Here, tissue engineered osteochondral grafts were cultured to native stiffness using adult chondrocytes, a clinically relevant cell source, and a porous titanium base, a material currently used in clinical implants. This porous titanium is manufactured via selective laser melting, offering the advantages of precise control over shape, pore size, and orientation. Additionally, this manuscript describes the mechanical influence of the porous base, which may have applicability to porous bases derived from other materials. PMID:26320541

  7. Porous titanium bases for osteochondral tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Nover, Adam B; Lee, Stephanie L; Georgescu, Maria S; Howard, Daniel R; Saunders, Reuben A; Yu, William T; Klein, Robert W; Napolitano, Anthony P; Ateshian, Gerard A; Hung, Clark T

    2015-11-01

    Tissue engineering of osteochondral grafts may offer a cell-based alternative to native allografts, which are in short supply. Previous studies promote the fabrication of grafts consisting of a viable cell-seeded hydrogel integrated atop a porous, bone-like metal. Advantages of the manufacturing process have led to the evaluation of porous titanium as the bone-like base material. Here, porous titanium was shown to support the growth of cartilage to produce native levels of Young's modulus, using a clinically relevant cell source. Mechanical and biochemical properties were similar or higher for the osteochondral constructs compared to chondral-only controls. Further investigation into the mechanical influence of the base on the composite material suggests that underlying pores may decrease interstitial fluid pressurization and applied strains, which may be overcome by alterations to the base structure. Future studies aim to optimize titanium-based tissue engineered osteochondral constructs to best match the structural architecture and strength of native grafts. The studies described in this manuscript follow up on previous studies from our lab pertaining to the fabrication of osteochondral grafts that consist of a bone-like porous metal and a chondrocyte-seeded hydrogel. Here, tissue engineered osteochondral grafts were cultured to native stiffness using adult chondrocytes, a clinically relevant cell source, and a porous titanium base, a material currently used in clinical implants. This porous titanium is manufactured via selective laser melting, offering the advantages of precise control over shape, pore size, and orientation. Additionally, this manuscript describes the mechanical influence of the porous base, which may have applicability to porous bases derived from other materials. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Acoustic Absorption in Porous Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuczmarski, Maria A.; Johnston, James C.

    2011-01-01

    An understanding of both the areas of materials science and acoustics is necessary to successfully develop materials for acoustic absorption applications. This paper presents the basic knowledge and approaches for determining the acoustic performance of porous materials in a manner that will help materials researchers new to this area gain the understanding and skills necessary to make meaningful contributions to this field of study. Beginning with the basics and making as few assumptions as possible, this paper reviews relevant topics in the acoustic performance of porous materials, which are often used to make acoustic bulk absorbers, moving from the physics of sound wave interactions with porous materials to measurement techniques for flow resistivity, characteristic impedance, and wavenumber.

  9. Application of Porous Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in oil absorption

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norfatriah, Abdullah; Syamaizar, Ahmad Sabli Ahmad; Samah Zuruzi, Abu

    2018-04-01

    Porous polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) displays both hydrophobic and oleophilic behaviour which makes it a suitable material to absorb oil in an aqueous stream. Furthermore, its elastomeric nature means that porous PDMS can be a reusable sorbent for oil. For such application, porous PDMS has to (i) absorb oil from aqueous stream quickly and (ii) discharge oil rapidly when compressed. In this study, porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been fabricated using sugar templating method. The ability of porous PDMS to absorb olive, sunflower and vegetable oils with and without vibration was investigated. Small amplitude vibration was found to accelerate the oil uptake process and accelerates the absorption of olive and vegetable oil by 2.5 and 3 times, respectively. Compressive stress-strain curves over compression rates between 2 and 100 mm per min are similar and indicate mechanical property of porous PDMS does not vary significantly and can be rapidly compressed.

  10. PEDOT-PSS coated ZnO/C hierarchical porous nanorods as ultralong-life anode material for lithium ion batteries

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

    Xu, Gui-Liang; Li, Yan; Ma, Tianyuan

    2015-11-01

    ZnO/C hierarchical porous nanorods were synthesized through one-pot wet-chemical reaction followed by thermal calcination. It was found that ZnO/C porous nanorods are composed of numerous nanograins, exhibiting a hierarchical micro/nanostructure. In-situ synchrotron high energy X-ray diffraction study revealed that ZnO/C hierarchical porous nanorods involve a two-step reversible lithiation mechanism during charge/discharge; and part of ZnO and Zn remains at the end of the first discharge and charge process, respectively, leading to a low coulombic efficiency in the initial few cycles. The electrochemical test demonstrated that the reversible capacity and the rate performance of ZnO/C hierarchical porous nanorods anode have beenmore » greatly improved by PEDOT-PSS coating, which could maintain a reversible capacity of 623.94 mA h g(-1) after 1500 cycles at 1 C. Its excellent high rate capability and long cycle stability were attributed to the high electronic conductivity of PEDOT-PSS coating layer and the hierarchical structures of ZnO/C porous nanorods. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.« less

  11. Pore size dependent molecular adsorption of cationic dye in biomass derived hierarchically porous carbon.

    PubMed

    Chen, Long; Ji, Tuo; Mu, Liwen; Shi, Yijun; Wang, Huaiyuan; Zhu, Jiahua

    2017-07-01

    Hierarchically porous carbon adsorbents were successfully fabricated from different biomass resources (softwood, hardwood, bamboo and cotton) by a facile two-step process, i.e. carbonization in nitrogen and thermal oxidation in air. Without involving any toxic/corrosive chemicals, large surface area of up to 890 m 2 /g was achieved, which is comparable to commercial activated carbon. The porous carbons with various surface area and pore size were used as adsorbents to investigate the pore size dependent adsorption phenomenon. Based on the density functional theory, effective (E-SSA) and ineffective surface area (InE-SSA) was calculated considering the geometry of used probing adsorbate. It was demonstrated that the adsorption capacity strongly depends on E-SSA instead of total surface area. Moreover, a regression model was developed to quantify the adsorption capacities contributed from E-SSA and InE-SSA, respectively. The applicability of this model has been verified by satisfactory prediction results on porous carbons prepared in this work as well as commercial activated carbon. Revealing the pore size dependent adsorption behavior in these biomass derived porous carbon adsorbents will help to design more effective materials (either from biomass or other carbon resources) targeting to specific adsorption applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Disintegration of porous polyethylene prostheses.

    PubMed

    Kerr, A G; Riley, D N

    1999-06-01

    A Plastipore (porous polyethylene) Total Ossicular Replacement Prosthesis gave an excellent initial hearing result which was maintained for 14 years. Hearing then began to deteriorate and revision surgery showed disintegration of the prosthesis and a defect in the stapes footplate. Histological examination confirmed previous findings in porous polyethylene with multinucleated foreign body giant cells and breakdown of the material.

  13. Impact of porous SiC-doped PVA based LDS layer on electrical parameters of Si solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaci, S.; Rahmoune, R.; Kezzoula, F.; Boudiaf, Y.; Keffous, A.; Manseri, A.; Menari, H.; Cheraga, H.; Guerbous, L.; Belkacem, Y.; Chalal, R.; Bozetine, I.; Boukezzata, A.; Talbi, L.; Benfadel, K.; Ouadfel, M.-A.; Ouadah, Y.

    2018-06-01

    Nowadays, the advanced photon management is regarded as an area of intensive research investment. Ever since the most widely used commercial photovoltaic cells are fabricated with single gap semiconductors like silicon, photon management has offered opportunities to make better use of the photons, both inside and outside the single junction window. In this study, the impact of new down shifting layer on the photoelectrical parameters of silicon based solar cell was studied. An effort to enhance the photovoltaic performance of textured silicon solar cells through the application of porous SiC particles-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) layers using the spin-coating technique, is reported. Current-voltage curves under artificial illumination were used to confirm the contribution of LDS (SiC-PVA) thin layers. Experiment results revealed that LDS based on SiC particles which were etched in HF/K2S2O8 solution at T = 80 °C under UV light of 254 nm exhibited the best solar cell photoelectrical parameters due to its strong photoluminescence.

  14. 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.

  15. A three-dimensional multiphase flow model for assessing NAPL contamination in porous and fractured media, 2. Porous medium simulation examples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Panday, S.; Wu, Y. S.; Huyakorn, P. S.; Springer, E. P.

    1994-06-01

    This paper discusses the verification and application of the three-dimensional (3-D) multiphase flow model presented by Huyakorn et al. (Part 1 in this issue) for assessing contamination due to subsurface releases of non-aqueous-phase liquids (NAPL's). Attention is focussed on situations involving one-, two- and three-dimensional flow through porous media. The model formulations and numerical schemes are tested for highly nonlinear field conditions. The utility and accuracy of various simplifications to certain simulation scenarios are assessed. Five simulation examples are included for demonstrative purposes. The first example verifies the model for vertical flow and compares the performance of the fully three-phase and the passive-air-phase formulations. Air-phase boundary conditions are noted to have considerable effects on simulation results. The second example verifies the model for cross-sectional analyses involving LNAPL and DNAPL migration. Finite-difference (5-point) and finite-element (9-point) spatial approximations are compared for different grid aspect ratios. Unless corrected, negative-transmissivity conditions were found to have undesirable impact on the finite-element solutions. The third example provides a model validation against laboratory experimental data on 5-spot water-flood treatment of oil reservoirs. The sensitivity to grid orientation is noted for the finite-difference schemes. The fourth example demonstrates model utility in characterizing the 3-D migration of LNAPL and DNAPL from surface sources. The final example present a modeling study of air sparging. Critical parameters affecting the performance of air-sparging system are examined. In general, the modeling results indicate sparging is more effective in water-retentive soils, and larger values of sparge influence radius may be achieved for certain anisotropic conditions.

  16. Micropatterned arrays of porous silicon: toward sensory biointerfaces.

    PubMed

    Flavel, Benjamin S; Sweetman, Martin J; Shearer, Cameron J; Shapter, Joseph G; Voelcker, Nicolas H

    2011-07-01

    We describe the fabrication of arrays of porous silicon spots by means of photolithography where a positive photoresist serves as a mask during the anodization process. In particular, photoluminescent arrays and porous silicon spots suitable for further chemical modification and the attachment of human cells were created. The produced arrays of porous silicon were chemically modified by means of a thermal hydrosilylation reaction that facilitated immobilization of the fluorescent dye lissamine, and alternatively, the cell adhesion peptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine. The latter modification enabled the selective attachment of human lens epithelial cells on the peptide functionalized regions of the patterns. This type of surface patterning, using etched porous silicon arrays functionalized with biological recognition elements, presents a new format of interfacing porous silicon with mammalian cells. Porous silicon arrays with photoluminescent properties produced by this patterning strategy also have potential applications as platforms for in situ monitoring of cell behavior.

  17. Porous silicon-based direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cells.

    PubMed

    Dzhafarov, T D; Yuksel, S Aydin

    2011-10-01

    In this paper, the use of Au/porous silicon/Silicon Schottky type structure, as a direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cell is demonstrated. The porous silicon filled with hydrochlorid acid was developed as a proton conduction membrane. The Au/Porous Silicon/Silicon cells were fabricated by first creating the porous silicon layer in single-crystalline Si using the anodic etching under illumination and then deposition Au catalyst layer onto the porous silicon. Using 80 mM H2S solution as fuel the open circuit voltage of 0.4 V was obtained and maximum power density of 30 W/m2 at room temperature was achieved. These results demonstrate that the Au/Porous Silicon/Silicon direct hydrogen sulphide fuel cell which uses H2S:dH2O solution as fuel and operates at room temperature can be considered as the most promising type of low cost fuel cell for small power-supply units.

  18. In situ flash X-ray observation of projectile penetration processes and crater cavity growth in porous gypsum target analogous to low-density asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasui, Minami; Arakawa, Masahiko; Hasegawa, Sunao; Fujita, Yukihiro; Kadono, Toshihiko

    2012-11-01

    Recent studies of impact craters formed on low-density asteroids led to the proposal of a new crater formation mechanism dominated by pore collapse and compaction. Thus, it is important to study the crater formation process associated with the projectile penetration on porous cohesive targets. Laboratory impact experiments were conducted for a porous gypsum target with porosity of 50%, and flash X-rays were used to visualize the interior of the target for in situ observation of crater formation and projectile penetration. Spherical projectiles made of three different materials, stainless steel, aluminum, and nylon were impacted at 1.9-2.4 km/s (low-velocity impact) and 5.6-6.4 km/s (high-velocity impact) by using a two-stage light-gas gun. Two imaging plates were used to take two X-ray images at a different delay time from the impact moment for one shot. Two types of crater cavity shape were found on the porous gypsum target, that is, penetration holes or hemispherical cavities, depending on the projectile size and density, and the impact velocity. The drag coefficient of a projectile was determined by measuring the penetration depth changing with time, and we found that it was closely related to the crater cavity shape: it was about 0.9 for a penetration hole, while it was 2.3-3.9 for a hemispherical cavity. This large value for a hemispherical cavity could have been caused by the deformation or the disruption of the projectile. The cratering efficiency, ρtVcr(t)/mp, was found to have a power law relationship to the scaling time for crater growth, πt = vit/rp, where vi is the impact velocity, rp is the projectile radius, and t is the time after the impact, and all data for stainless steel and aluminum projectiles merged completely and could be fitted by a power-law equation of ρtVcr(t)/mp=2.69×10-1πt1.10. Furthermore, the scaled crater volume, πV = Vcr_finalρt/mp, where Vcr_final is the final crater cavity volume, ρt is the target density, and mp is the

  19. Mechanical properties of polymer-modified porous concrete

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ariffin, N. F.; Jaafar, M. F. Md.; Shukor Lim, N. H. Abdul; Bhutta, M. A. R.; Hussin, M. W.

    2018-04-01

    In this research work, polymer-modified porous concretes (permeable concretes) using polymer latex and redispersible polymer powder with water-cement ratio of 30 %, polymer-cement ratios of 0 to 10 % and cement content of 300 kg/m3 are prepared. The porous concrete was tested for compressive strength, flexural strength, water permeability and void ratio. The cubes size of specimen is 100 mm ×100 mm × 100 mm and 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm while the beam size is 100 mm × 100 mm × 500 mm was prepared for particular tests. The tests results show that the addition of polymer as a binder to porous concrete gives an improvement on the strength properties and coefficient of water permeability of polymer-modified porous concrete. It is concluded from the test results that increase in compressive and flexural strengths and decrease in the coefficient of water permeability of the polymer-modified porous concrete are clearly observed with increasing of polymer-cement ratio.

  20. Natural thermal convection in fractured porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, P. M.; Mezon, C.; Mourzenko, V.; Thovert, J. F.; Antoine, R.; Finizola, A.

    2015-12-01

    In the crust, fractures/faults can provide preferential pathways for fluid flow or act as barriers preventing the flow across these structures. In hydrothermal systems (usually found in fractured rock masses), these discontinuities may play a critical role at various scales, controlling fluid flows and heat transfer. The thermal convection is numerically computed in 3D fluid satured fractured porous media. Fractures are inserted as discrete objects, randomly distributed over a damaged volume, which is a fraction of the total volume. The fluid is assumed to satisfy Darcy's law in the fractures and in the porous medium with exchanges between them. All simulations were made for Rayleigh numbers (Ra) < 150 (hence, the fluid is in thermal equilibrium with the medium), cubic boxes and closed-top conditions. Checks were performed on an unfractured porous medium and the convection cells do start for the theoretical value of Ra, namely 4p². 2D convection was verified up to Ra=800. The influence of parameters such as fracture aperture (or fracture transmissivity), fracture density and fracture length is studied. Moreover, these models are compared to porous media with the same macroscopic permeability. Preliminary results show that the non-uniqueness associated with initial conditions which makes possible either 2D or 3D convection in porous media (Schubert & Straus 1979) is no longer true for fractured porous media (at least for 50porous medium is in good agreement with an unfractured porous medium of the same bulk permeability.

  1. Use of a porous material description of forests in infrasonic propagation algorithms.

    PubMed

    Swearingen, Michelle E; White, Michael J; Ketcham, Stephen A; McKenna, Mihan H

    2013-10-01

    Infrasound can propagate very long distances and remain at measurable levels. As a result infrasound sensing is used for remote monitoring in many applications. At local ranges, on the order of 10 km, the influence of the presence or absence of forests on the propagation of infrasonic signals is considered. Because the wavelengths of interest are much larger than the scale of individual components, the forest is modeled as a porous material. This approximation is developed starting with the relaxation model of porous materials. This representation is then incorporated into a Crank-Nicholson method parabolic equation solver to determine the relative impacts of the physical parameters of a forest (trunk size and basal area), the presence of gaps/trees in otherwise continuous forest/open terrain, and the effects of meteorology coupled with the porous layer. Finally, the simulations are compared to experimental data from a 10.9 kg blast propagated 14.5 km. Comparison to the experimental data shows that appropriate inclusion of a forest layer along the propagation path provides a closer fit to the data than solely changing the ground type across the frequency range from 1 to 30 Hz.

  2. A poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate blend monolith with nanoscale porous structure

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A stimuli-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) blend monolith with nanoscale porous (mesoporous) structure is successfully fabricated by thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The PVA/SA blend monolith with different SA contents is conveniently fabricated in an aqueous methanol without any templates. The solvent suitable for the fabrication of the present blend monolith by TINIPS is different with that of the PVA monolith. The nanostructural control of the blend monolith is readily achieved by optimizing the fabrication conditions. Brunauer Emmett Teller measurement shows that the obtained blend monolith has a large surface area. Pore size distribution plot for the blend monolith obtained by the non-local density functional theory method reveals the existence of the nanoscale porous structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis reveals the strong interactions between PVA and SA. The pH-responsive property of the blend monolith is investigated on the basis of swelling ratio in different pH solutions. The present blend monolith of biocompatible and biodegradable PVA and SA with nanoscale porous structure has large potential for applications in biomedical and environmental fields. PMID:24093494

  3. A poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate blend monolith with nanoscale porous structure.

    PubMed

    Sun, Xiaoxia; Uyama, Hiroshi

    2013-10-04

    A stimuli-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) blend monolith with nanoscale porous (mesoporous) structure is successfully fabricated by thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The PVA/SA blend monolith with different SA contents is conveniently fabricated in an aqueous methanol without any templates. The solvent suitable for the fabrication of the present blend monolith by TINIPS is different with that of the PVA monolith. The nanostructural control of the blend monolith is readily achieved by optimizing the fabrication conditions. Brunauer Emmett Teller measurement shows that the obtained blend monolith has a large surface area. Pore size distribution plot for the blend monolith obtained by the non-local density functional theory method reveals the existence of the nanoscale porous structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis reveals the strong interactions between PVA and SA. The pH-responsive property of the blend monolith is investigated on the basis of swelling ratio in different pH solutions. The present blend monolith of biocompatible and biodegradable PVA and SA with nanoscale porous structure has large potential for applications in biomedical and environmental fields.

  4. Ballistic Performance of Porous-Ceramic, Thermal Protection Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, J. E.; Bohl, W. E.; Christiansen, Eric C.; Davis, B. A.; Foreman, C. D.

    2011-01-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Orbiter, and they are currently being proposed for the next generation of US manned spacecraft, Orion. These systems insulate reentry critical components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. Additionally, these materials are highly exposed to space environment hazards like solid particle impacts. This paper discusses impact studies up to 10 km/s on 8 lb/cu ft alumina-fiber-enhanced-thermal-barrier (AETB8) tiles coated with a toughened-unipiece-fibrous-insulation/ reaction-cured-glass layer (TUFI/RCG). A semi-empirical, first principals impact model that describes projectile dispersion is described that provides excellent agreement with observations over a broad range of impact velocities, obliquities and projectile materials. Model extensions to look at the implications of greater than 10 GPa equation of state is also discussed. Predicted penetration probabilities for a vehicle visiting the International Space Station is 60% lower for orbital debris and 95% lower for meteoroids with this model compared to an energy scaled approach.

  5. Ballistic performance of porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Joshua E.; Bohl, William E.; Christiansen, Eric C.; Davis, Bruce A.; Foreman, Cory D.

    2012-03-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Orbiter, and they are currently being proposed for the next generation of US manned spacecraft, Orion. These systems insulate reentry critical components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. Additionally, these materials are highly exposed to space environment hazards like solid particle impacts. This paper discusses impact studies up to 10 km/s on 8 lb/ft3 alumina-fiber-enhanced-thermal-barrier (AETB8) tiles coated with a toughened-unipiece-fibrousinsulation/ reaction-cured-glass layer (TUFI/RCG). A semi-empirical, first principles impact model that describes projectile dispersion is described that provides excellent agreement with observations over a broad range of impact velocities, obliquities and projectile materials. Model extensions to look at the implications of greater than 10 GPa equation of state is also discussed. Predicted penetration probabilities for a vehicle visiting the International Space Station is 60% lower for orbital debris and 95% lower for meteoroids with this model compared to an energy scaled approach.

  6. Impact and Collisional Processes in the Solar System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ahrens, Thomas J.

    2001-01-01

    In the past year, we have successfully developed the techniques necessary to conduct impact experiments on ice at very low temperatures. We employ the method of embedding gauges within a target to measure the shock wave and material properties. This means that our data are not model dependent; we directly measure the essential parameters needed for numerical simulations of impact cratering. Since then we have developed a new method for temperature control of icy targets that ensures temperature equilibrium throughout a porous target. Graduate student, Sarah Stewart-Mukhopadhyay, is leading the work on ices and porous materials as the main thrust of her thesis research. Our previous work has focused on icy materials with no porosity, and we propose to extend our research to include porous ice and porous ice-silicate mixtures. There is little shockwave data for porous ice, and none of the data was acquired under conditions applicable to the outer solar system. The solid ice Hugoniot is only defined for initial temperatures above -20 C. Our program uniquely measures the properties of ice at temperatures directly applicable to the solar system. Previous experiments were conducted at ambient temperatures soon after removing the target from a cold environment, usually just below freezing, or in a room just below freezing. Since ice has an extremely complicated phase diagram, it is important to conduct experiments at lower temperatures to determine the true outcome of impacts in the outer solar system. This research is complementary to other programs on icy materials. Our work focuses on the inherent material properties by measuring the shock wave directly; this complements the macroscopic observations and immediately provides the parameters necessary to extend this research to the gravity regime. Our numerical simulations of impacts in porous ice under very low gravity conditions, such as found on comets, show that the final crater size and shape is very dependent on the

  7. 76 FR 76935 - Impact of Implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities Involving...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of Industry and Security [Docket No. 111130706-1686-01] Impact of Implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on Commercial Activities Involving ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals Through Calendar Year 2011; Impact of Adding Salts of CWC ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals to ``Schedule 1...

  8. 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.

  9. Model for Transport and Luminescence in Porous Silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    John, George C.; Singh, Vijay A.

    1996-03-01

    A unified model for explaining the transport and luminescence properties of porous silicon has remained elusive(G.C.John and V.A.Singh, Phys. Rep. (in press)). The conductivity of porous silicon has been reported to increase exponentially with temperature(J.J.Mares et al.), Appl. Phys. Lett. 63, 180 (1993). We report additional observations of such instances. This Berthelot type behavior is ascribed to tunneling of carriers across a vibrating barrier. We hypothesize that the non-radiative recombination in porous silicon is governed by a similar mechanism. Based on this assumption, we show that the temperature and pressure dependence of luminescence in porous silicon can be convincingly explained. We present a unified phenomenological model which can account for a range of observations in porous silicon.

  10. Drag Measurements of Porous Plate Acoustic Liners

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolter, John D.

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents the results of direct drag measurements on a variety of porous plate acoustic liners. The existing literature describes numerous studies of drag on porous walls with injection or suction, but relatively few of drag on porous plates with neither injection nor suction. Furthermore, the porosity of the porous plate in existing studies is much lower than typically used in acoustic liners. In the present work, the acoustic liners consisted of a perforated face sheet covering a bulk acoustic absorber material. Factors that were varied in the experiment were hole diameter, hole pattern, face sheet thickness, bulk material type, and size of the gap (if any) between the face sheet and the absorber material.

  11. Gatekeeping and its impact on father involvement among Black South Africans in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

    PubMed

    Makusha, Tawanda; Richter, Linda

    2016-01-01

    Involved and caring fatherhood contributes to the health and wellbeing of children, women and men. The corollary is also true - men, women and children are affected when fathers are not involved or supportive of their children. Many factors affect fathers' involvement, including women's attitudes, the history and nature of the relationship between mother and father, and the cultural context. This study explores gatekeeping and its impact on father involvement among Black South Africans in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Among married couples, gatekeeping occurs with respect to childcare and housework through women's attempts to validate their maternal identity according to socially and culturally constructed gender roles. Among unmarried, non-resident parents, women control father-child contact and involvement, with mothers and/or their families either facilitating or inhibiting father involvement. In this context, we found that cultural gatekeeping had a huge impact on father involvement, with the non-payment of inhlawulo or lobola regulating father-child involvement. In a country like South Africa, where there is high non-marital fertility and father-child non-residence, future research, parenting and family programmes should focus on strategies that encourage positive paternal involvement as well as maternal and cultural support for father involvement, regardless of parental relationship and residence status.

  12. Collagen-grafted porous HDPE/PEAA scaffolds for bone reconstruction.

    PubMed

    Kim, Chang-Shik; Jung, Kyung-Hye; Kim, Hun; Kim, Chan-Bong; Kang, Inn-Kyu

    2016-01-01

    After tumor resection, bone reconstruction such as skull base reconstruction using interconnected porous structure is absolutely necessary. In this study, porous scaffolds for bone reconstruction were prepared using heat-pressing and salt-leaching methods. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (PEAA) were chosen as the polymer composites for producing a porous scaffold of high mechanical strength and having high reactivity with biomaterials such as collagen, respectively. The porous structure was observed through surface images, and its intrusion volume and porosity were measured. Owing to the carboxylic acids on PEAA, collagen was successfully grafted onto the porous HDPE/PEAA scaffold, which was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. Osteoblasts were cultured on the collagen-grafted porous scaffold, and their adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation were investigated. The high viability and growth of the osteoblasts suggest that the collagen-grafted porous HDPE/PEAA is a promising scaffold material for bone generation.

  13. A novel strategy for the preparation of porous microspheres and its application in peptide drug loading.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yi; Wang, Yuxia; Zhang, Huixia; Zhou, Weiqing; Ma, Guanghui

    2016-09-15

    A new strategy is developed to prepare porous microspheres with narrow size distribution for peptides controlled release, involving a fabrication of porous microspheres without any porogens followed by a pore closing process. Amphiphilic polymers with different hydrophobic segments (poly(monomethoxypolyethylene glycol-co-d,l-lactide) (mPEG-PLA), poly(monomethoxypolyethylene glycol-co-d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (mPEG-PLGA)) are employed as microspheres matrix to prepare porous microspheres based on a double emulsion-premix membrane emulsification technique combined with a solvent evaporation method. Both microspheres possess narrow size distribution and porous surface, which are mainly caused by (a) hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) segments absorbing water molecules followed by a water evaporation process and (b) local explosion of microspheres due to fast evaporation of dichloromethane (MC). Importantly, mPEG-PLGA microspheres have a honeycomb like structure while mPEG-PLA microspheres have a solid structure internally, illustrating that the different hydrophobic segments could modulate the affinity between solvent and matrix polymer and influence the phase separation rate of microspheres matrix. Long term release patterns are demonstrated with pore-closed microspheres, which are prepared from mPEG-PLGA microspheres loading salmon calcitonin (SCT). These results suggest that it is potential to construct porous microspheres for drug sustained release using permanent geometric templates as new porogens. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Structure, morphology, and photoluminescence of porous Si nanowires: effect of different chemical treatments

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    The structure and light-emitting properties of Si nanowires (SiNWs) fabricated by a single-step metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) process on highly boron-doped Si were investigated after different chemical treatments. The Si nanowires that result from the etching of a highly doped p-type Si wafer by MACE are fully porous, and as a result, they show intense photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature, the characteristics of which depend on the surface passivation of the Si nanocrystals composing the nanowires. SiNWs with a hydrogen-terminated nanostructured surface resulting from a chemical treatment with a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution show red PL, the maximum of which is blueshifted when the samples are further chemically oxidized in a piranha solution. This blueshift of PL is attributed to localized states at the Si/SiO2 interface at the shell of Si nanocrystals composing the porous SiNWs, which induce an important pinning of the electronic bandgap of the Si material and are involved in the recombination mechanism. After a sequence of HF/piranha/HF treatment, the SiNWs are almost fully dissolved in the chemical solution, which is indicative of their fully porous structure, verified also by transmission electron microscopy investigations. It was also found that a continuous porous Si layer is formed underneath the SiNWs during the MACE process, the thickness of which increases with the increase of etching time. This supports the idea that porous Si formation precedes nanowire formation. The origin of this effect is the increased etching rate at sites with high dopant concentration in the highly doped Si material. PMID:24025542

  15. Highly porous drug-eluting structures

    PubMed Central

    Elsner, Jonathan J.; Kraitzer, Amir; Grinberg, Orly; Zilberman, Meital

    2012-01-01

    For many biomedical applications, there is need for porous implant materials. The current article focuses on a method for preparation of drug-eluting porous structures for various biomedical applications, based on freeze drying of inverted emulsions. This fabrication process enables the incorporation of any drug, to obtain an “active implant” that releases drugs to the surrounding tissue in a controlled desired manner. Examples for porous implants based on this technique are antibiotic-eluting mesh/matrix structures used for wound healing applications, antiproliferative drug-eluting composite fibers for stent applications and local cancer treatment, and protein-eluting films for tissue regeneration applications. In the current review we focus on these systems. We show that the release profiles of both types of drugs, water-soluble and water-insoluble, are affected by the emulsion's formulation parameters. The former's release profile is affected mainly through the emulsion stability and the resulting porous microstructure, whereas the latter's release mechanism occurs via water uptake and degradation of the host polymer. Hence, appropriate selection of the formulation parameters enables to obtain desired controllable release profile of any bioactive agent, water-soluble or water-insoluble, and also fit its physical properties to the application. PMID:23507890

  16. Progress of Application Researches of Porous Fiber Metals

    PubMed Central

    Xi, Zhengping; Zhu, Jilei; Tang, Huiping; Ao, Qingbo; Zhi, Hao; Wang, Jianyong; Li, Cheng

    2011-01-01

    Metal fiber porous materials with intrinsic properties of metal and functional properties of porous materials have received a great deal of attention in the fundamental research and industry applications. With developments of the preparation technologies and industrial requirements, porous fiber metals with excellent properties are developed and applied in many industry areas, e.g., sound absorption, heat transfer, energy absorption and lightweight structures. The applied research progress of the metal fiber porous materials in such application areas based on the recent work in our group was reviewed in this paper. PMID:28879952

  17. METHOD OF IMPREGNATING A POROUS MATERIAL

    DOEpatents

    Steele, G.N.

    1960-06-01

    A method of impregnating a porous body with an inorganic uranium- containing salt is outlined and comprises dissolving a water-soluble uranium- containing salt in water; saturating the intercommunicating pores of the porous body with the salt solution; infusing ammonia gas into the intercommunicating pores of the body, the ammonia gas in water chemically reacting with the water- soluble uranium-containing salt in the water solvent to form a nonwater-soluble uranium-containing precipitant; and evaporating the volatile unprecipitated products from the intercommunicating pores whereby the uranium-containing precipitate is uniformly distributed in the intercommunicating peres of the porous body.

  18. High-performance supercapacitors of Cu-based porous coordination polymer nanowires and the derived porous CuO nanotubes.

    PubMed

    Wu, Meng-Ke; Zhou, Jiao-Jiao; Yi, Fei-Yan; Chen, Chen; Li, Yan-Li; Li, Qin; Tao, Kai; Han, Lei

    2017-12-12

    Electrode materials for supercapacitors with one-dimensional porous nanostructures, such as nanowires and nanotubes, are very attractive for high-efficiency storage of electrochemical energy. Herein, ultralong Cu-based porous coordination polymer nanowires (copper-l-aspartic acid) were used as the electrode material for supercapacitors, for the first time. The as-prepared material exhibits a high specific capacitance of 367 F g -1 at 0.6 A g -1 and excellent cycling stability (94% retention over 1000 cycles). Moreover, porous CuO nanotubes were successfully fabricated by the thermal decomposition of this nanowire precursor. The CuO nanotube exhibits good electrochemical performance with high rate capacity (77% retention at 12.5 A g -1 ) and long-term stability (96% retention over 1000 cycles). The strategy developed here for the synthesis of porous nanowires and nanotubes can be extended to the construction of other electrode materials for more efficient energy storage.

  19. 40 CFR 761.267 - Sampling non-porous surfaces.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Sampling non-porous surfaces. 761.267... PROHIBITIONS Cleanup Site Characterization Sampling for PCB Remediation Waste in Accordance with § 761.61(a)(2) § 761.267 Sampling non-porous surfaces. (a) Sample large, nearly flat, non-porous surfaces by dividing...

  20. 40 CFR 761.267 - Sampling non-porous surfaces.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sampling non-porous surfaces. 761.267... PROHIBITIONS Cleanup Site Characterization Sampling for PCB Remediation Waste in Accordance with § 761.61(a)(2) § 761.267 Sampling non-porous surfaces. (a) Sample large, nearly flat, non-porous surfaces by dividing...

  1. Shock wave induced vaporization of porous solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Andy H.; Ahrens, Thomas J.; O'Keefe, John D.

    2003-05-01

    Strong shock waves generated by hypervelocity impact can induce vaporization in solid materials. To pursue knowledge of the chemical species in the shock-induced vapors, one needs to design experiments that will drive the system to such thermodynamic states that sufficient vapor can be generated for investigation. It is common to use porous media to reach high entropy, vaporized states in impact experiments. We extended calculations by Ahrens [J. Appl. Phys. 43, 2443 (1972)] and Ahrens and O'Keefe [The Moon 4, 214 (1972)] to higher distentions (up to five) and improved their method with a different impedance match calculation scheme and augmented their model with recent thermodynamic and Hugoniot data of metals, minerals, and polymers. Although we reconfirmed the competing effects reported in the previous studies: (1) increase of entropy production and (2) decrease of impedance match, when impacting materials with increasing distentions, our calculations did not exhibit optimal entropy-generating distention. For different materials, very different impact velocities are needed to initiate vaporization. For aluminum at distention (m)<2.2, a minimum impact velocity of 2.7 km/s is required using tungsten projectile. For ionic solids such as NaCl at distention <2.2, 2.5 km/s is needed. For carbonate and sulfate minerals, the minimum impact velocities are much lower, ranging from less than 1 to 1.5 km/s.

  2. Wave propagation through elastic porous media containing two immiscible fluids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lo, Wei-Cheng; Sposito, Garrison; Majer, Ernest

    2005-02-01

    Acoustic wave phenomena in porous media containing multiphase fluids have received considerable attention in recent years because of an increasing scientific awareness of poroelastic behavior in groundwater aquifers. To improve quantitative understanding of these phenomena, a general set of coupled partial differential equations was derived to describe dilatational wave propagation through an elastic porous medium permeated by two immiscible fluids. These equations, from which previous models of dilatational wave propagation can be recovered as special cases, incorporate both inertial coupling and viscous drag in an Eulerian frame of reference. Two important poroelasticity concepts, the linearized increment of fluid content and the closure relation for porosity change, originally defined for an elastic porous medium containing a single fluid, also are generalized for a two-fluid system. To examine the impact of relative fluid saturation and wave excitation frequency (50, 100, 150, and 200 Hz) on free dilatational wave behavior in unconsolidated porous media, numerical simulations of the three possible modes of wave motion were conducted for Columbia fine sandy loam containing either an air-water or oil-water mixture. The results showed that the propagating (P1) mode, which results from in-phase motions of the solid framework and the two pore fluids, moves with a speed equal to the square root of the ratio of an effective bulk modulus to an effective density of the fluid-containing porous medium, regardless of fluid saturation and for both fluid mixtures. The nature of the pore fluids exerts a significant influence on the attenuation of the P1 wave. In the air-water system, attenuation was controlled by material density differences and the relative mobilities of the pore fluids, whereas in the oil-water system an effective kinematic shear viscosity of the pore fluids was the controlling parameter. On the other hand, the speed and attenuation of the two diffusive

  3. Porous polymer media

    DOEpatents

    Shepodd, Timothy J.

    2002-01-01

    Highly crosslinked monolithic porous polymer materials for chromatographic applications. By using solvent compositions that provide not only for polymerization of acrylate monomers in such a fashion that a porous polymer network is formed prior to phase separation but also for exchanging the polymerization solvent for a running buffer using electroosmotic flow, the need for high pressure purging is eliminated. The polymer materials have been shown to be an effective capillary electrochromatographic separations medium at lower field strengths than conventional polymer media. Further, because of their highly crosslinked nature these polymer materials are structurally stable in a wide range of organic and aqueous solvents and over a pH range of 2-12.

  4. Experimental investigation for cavity dimensions of highly porous small bodies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okamoto, T.; Nakamura, A.; Hasegawa, S.

    2014-07-01

    Small bodies were probably very porous during the formation of the solar system. In order to understand the surface evolution of highly porous bodies, it is necessary to investigate the impact process for targets with such high porosity. In this study, impact experiments with sintered glass-bead targets of 87 and 94 % porosities were conducted. Growth of cavities with time and the final cavity dimensions were analyzed and compared with previous studies of porous targets. Impact experiments were conducted using a two-stage light-gas gun at ISAS, Japan. The projectiles of a few millimeters were composed of titanium, aluminum, nylon, and basalt. The impact velocities ranged from 1.8 to 7.2 km s^{-1}. In order to observe the inside of the targets, we used a flash X-ray system and a micro-X-ray tomography instrument. The track shape was found to be divided into two types, elongated 'carrot' shape and short 'bulb' shape [1]. The figures on the left and right present a transmission image of the bulb shape track and a sketch of a cross section of the cavity, respectively. The results of the final maximum diameter, D_max and the final entrance-hole diameter, D_ent show that both dimensions tend to increase with impact velocity and decrease with target porosity. We adopted the scaling law of crater diameter [2] for our analysis of D_max and D_ent. The following empirical relations are obtained for targets with porosity ≥ 87 %: {D_max}/{d_p}(ρ_t/ρ_p)^{0.4} =10^{-1.52±0.27} ({Y}/ρ_t{v_0^2})^{-0.49 ± 0.07}, {D_ent}/{d_p}(ρ_t/ρ_p)^{0.4} =10^{-2.12±0.39} ({Y}/ρ_t{v_0^2})^{-0.53 ± 0.11}, where d_p, ρ_t, ρ_p, Y, and v_0 are the projectile diameter, target density, projectile density, target compressive strength, and the impact velocity, respectively. The results of the depth from the entrance hole to the maximum diameter of the cavity, L_max, shows that L_max decreases with impact velocity and increases with target porosity. If we assume that a projectile decelerates

  5. Additively manufactured biodegradable porous magnesium.

    PubMed

    Li, Y; Zhou, J; Pavanram, P; Leeflang, M A; Fockaert, L I; Pouran, B; Tümer, N; Schröder, K-U; Mol, J M C; Weinans, H; Jahr, H; Zadpoor, A A

    2018-02-01

    An ideal bone substituting material should be bone-mimicking in terms of mechanical properties, present a precisely controlled and fully interconnected porous structure, and degrade in the human body to allow for full regeneration of large bony defects. However, simultaneously satisfying all these three requirements has so far been highly challenging. Here we present topologically ordered porous magnesium (WE43) scaffolds based on the diamond unit cell that were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) and satisfy all the requirements. We studied the in vitro biodegradation behavior (up to 4 weeks), mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the developed scaffolds. The mechanical properties of the AM porous WE43 (E = 700-800 MPa) scaffolds were found to fall into the range of the values reported for trabecular bone even after 4 weeks of biodegradation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical tests and µCT revealed a unique biodegradation mechanism that started with uniform corrosion, followed by localized corrosion, particularly in the center of the scaffolds. Biocompatibility tests performed up to 72 h showed level 0 cytotoxicity (according to ISO 10993-5 and -12), except for one time point (i.e., 24 h). Intimate contact between cells (MG-63) and the scaffolds was also observed in SEM images. The study shows for the first time that AM of porous Mg may provide distinct possibilities to adjust biodegradation profile through topological design and open up unprecedented opportunities to develop multifunctional bone substituting materials that mimic bone properties and enable full regeneration of critical-size load-bearing bony defects. The ideal biomaterials for bone tissue regeneration should be bone-mimicking in terms of mechanical properties, present a fully interconnected porous structure, and exhibit a specific biodegradation behavior to enable full regeneration of bony defects

  6. Porous Networks Through Colloidal Templates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Qin; Retsch, Markus; Wang, Jianjun; Knoll, Wolfgang; Jonas, Ulrich

    Porous networks represent a class of materials with interconnected voids with specific properties concerning adsorption, mass and heat transport, and spatial confinement, which lead to a wide range of applications ranging from oil recovery and water purification to tissue engineering. Porous networks with well-defined, highly ordered structure and periodicities around the wavelength of light can furthermore show very sophisticated optical properties. Such networks can be fabricated from a very large range of materials by infiltration of a sacrificial colloidal crystal template and subsequent removal of the template. The preparation procedures reported in the literature are discussed in this review and the resulting porous networks are presented with respect to the underlying material class. Furthermore, methods for hierarchical superstructure formation and functionalization of the network walls are discussed.

  7. Chemically Layered Porous Solids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koontz, Steve

    1991-01-01

    Aerogels and other porous solids in which surfaces of pores have chemical properties varying with depth below macroscopic surfaces prepared by sequences of chemical treatments. Porous glass or silica bead treated to make two depth zones having different chemical properties. Beads dropped along tube filled with flowing gas containing atomic oxygen, generated in microwave discharge. General class of materials treatable include oxides of aluminum, silicon, zirconium, tin, titanium, and nickel, and mixtures of these oxides. Potential uses of treated materials include chromatographic separations, membrane separations, controlled releases of chemicals, and catalysis.

  8. Porous platinum-based catalysts for oxygen reduction

    DOEpatents

    Erlebacher, Jonah D; Snyder, Joshua D

    2014-11-25

    A porous metal that comprises platinum and has a specific surface area that is greater than 5 m.sup.2/g and less than 75 m.sup.2/g. A fuel cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode, and an electrolyte arranged between the first and the second electrodes. At least one of the first and second electrodes is coated with a porous metal catalyst for oxygen reduction, and the porous metal catalyst comprises platinum and has a specific surface area that is greater than 5 m.sup.2/g and less than 75 m.sup.2/g. A method of producing a porous metal according to an embodiment of the current invention includes producing an alloy consisting essentially of platinum and nickel according to the formula Pt.sub.xNi.sub.1-x, where x is at least 0.01 and less than 0.3; and dealloying the alloy in a substantially pH neutral solution to reduce an amount of nickel in the alloy to produce the porous metal.

  9. Trajectories of saltating sand particles behind a porous fence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Ning; Lee, Sang Joon; Chen, Ting-Guo

    2015-01-01

    Trajectories of aeolian sand particles behind a porous wind fence embedded in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer were visualized experimentally, to investigate the shelter effect of the fence on sand saltation. Two sand samples, one collected from a beach (d = 250 μm) and the other from a desert (d = 100 μm), were tested in comparison with the previous studies of a 'no-fence' case. A wind fence (ε = 38.5%) was installed on a flat sand bed filled with each sand sample. A high-speed photography technique and the particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) method were employed to reconstruct the trajectories of particles saltating behind the fence. The collision processes of these sand particles were analyzed, momentum and kinetic energy transfer between saltating particles and ground surface were also investigated. In the wake region, probability density distributions of the impact velocities agree well with the pattern of no-fence case, and can be explained by a log-normal law. The horizontal component of impact velocity for the beach sand is decreased by about 54%, and about 76% for the desert sand. Vertical restitution coefficients of bouncing particles are smaller than 1.0 due to the presence of the wind fence. The saltating particles lose a large proportion of their energy during the collision process. These results illustrate that the porous wind fence effectively abates the further evolution of saltating sand particles.

  10. Porous titanium construct cup compared to porous coated titanium cup in total hip arthroplasty. A randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Salemyr, Mats; Muren, Olle; Eisler, Thomas; Bodén, Henrik; Chammout, Ghazi; Stark, André; Sköldenberg, Olof

    2015-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine if a new titanium cup with increased porosity resulted in different periacetabular bone loss and migration compared to a porous coated cup. Fifty-one patients with primary hip osteoarthritis were randomized to either a cup with porous titanium construct backside (porous titanium group, n = 25) or a conventional porous coated titanium cup (control group, n = 26). The primary outcome variable was change in periacetabular bone mineral density two years after surgery measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Secondary outcomes were implant fixation measured with radiostereometry (RSA) and clinical outcome scores. The pattern of bone remodelling was similar in the two groups with almost complete restoration to baseline values. BMD diminished in the two proximal zones and increased in the two distal zones. After minimal migration up to six months all implants in both groups became stable. We found no difference between the two groups in clinical outcome scores. In this prospective, randomized, controlled trial on a new porous titanium cup we found, compared to the control group, no clinically relevant differences regarding periacetabular bone preservation, implant fixation or clinical outcome up to two years postoperatively.

  11. Heat exchangers comprising at least one porous member positioned within a casing

    DOEpatents

    Turner, Terry D [Idaho Falls, ID; Wilding, Bruce M [Idaho Falls, ID

    2011-11-22

    A heat exchanger and associated methods for sublimating solid particles therein, for conveying fluids therethrough, or both. The heat exchanger includes a chamber, and a porous member having a porous wall having pores in communication with the chamber and an interior of the porous member. A first fluid is conveyed into the porous member while a second fluid is conveyed into the porous member through the porous wall. The second fluid may form a positive flow boundary layer along the porous wall to reduce or eliminate substantial contact between the first fluid and the interior of the porous wall. The combined first and second fluids are conveyed out of the porous member. Additionally, the first fluid and the second fluid may each be conveyed into the porous member at different temperatures and may exit the porous member at substantially the same temperature.

  12. Electrochemical Method of Making Porous Particles Using a Constant Current Density

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrari, Mauro (Inventor); Cheng, Ming-Cheng (Inventor); Liu, Xuewu (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    Provided is a particle that includes a first porous region and a second porous region that differs from the first porous region. Also provided is a particle that has a wet etched porous region and that does have a nucleation layer associated with wet etching. Methods of making porous particles are also provided.

  13. A porous Cu/LDPE composite for copper-containing intrauterine contraceptive devices.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Weiwei; Xia, Xianping; Qi, Cheng; Xie, Changsheng; Cai, Shuizhou

    2012-02-01

    To improve the rates of both cupric ion release and the utilization of copper in non-porous copper/low-density polyethylene (Cu/LDPE) composite, a porous Cu/LDPE composite is proposed and developed in the present work. Here 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone was chosen as the porogen, ethyl acetate was chosen as the solvent for extraction, and the porous Cu/LDPE composite was obtained by using injection molding and the particulate leaching method. After any residual ethyl acetate remaining inside the porous Cu/LDPE composite had been removed by vacuum drying, the composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and absorption measurement. For comparison, a non-porous Cu/LDPE composite was also characterized in the same way. The results show that the porous structure was successfully introduced into the polymeric base of the non-porous Cu/LDPE composite, and the porous Cu/LDPE composite is a simple hybrid of copper particles and porous LDPE. The results also show that the introduction of a porous structure can improve the cupric ion release rate of the non-porous Cu/LDPE composite with a certain content of copper particles, indicating that the utilization rate of copper can be improved either the introduction of a porous structure, and that the porous Cu/LDPE composite is another promising material for copper-containing intrauterine devices. Copyright © 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Enhancing nZVI mobility in porous media using humate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmid, Doris; Micic Batka, Vesna; Gondikas, Andreas; Velimirovic, Milica; von der Kammer, Frank; Hofmann, Thilo

    2016-04-01

    The limited transport of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles in porous media is a major drawback for its use in groundwater remediation. Among other factors, transport of nZVI particles might be negatively affected by mineralogical and physical heterogeneities of the aquifer matrix. Carbonate minerals and iron oxides, for instance, provide positively charged patches which would further increase particle attachment to the sand grains. This study does assess the potential of sodium humate, a salt of humic acids, to enhance the mobility of nZVI particles. Humate is a non-toxic, inexpensive material extracted from natural oxidized lignite and obtained in commercial grade, which makes it advantageous for field applications. Humate is expected to shield the positively charged patches of the sand grains and consequently enhance nZVI mobility in porous media. In this study the humate was injected into an aquifer prior to injection of the nZVI particles. The potential of humate for enhancing the mobility of nZVI particles was tested in an array of columns packed with heterogeneous natural porous media of different mineralogical composition and sediment texture. The results demonstrated that without pre-injection of humates only limited mobility of nZVI particles can be obtained in all tested porous media. After the pre-injection of low concentration of humate (10 mg/L) the mobility of nZVI particles (1 g/L) was enhanced in all tested porous media. The magnitude of this enhancement was depended on the properties of the porous media. The largest improvement of nZVI mobility was observed for homogeneous quartz. This material had also the highest porosity (~ 40%), good sorting, and therefore a higher permeability compared to the other porous media tested. It is assumed that the higher permeability of this porous medium allowed an optimal distribution of humate, resulting in an approximately 6-fold enhancement of nZVI mobility. In carbonate-rich porous medium with a

  15. Impact of the Level of Urothelial Carcinoma Involvement of the Prostate on Survival after Radical Cystectomy.

    PubMed

    Moschini, Marco; Soria, Francesco; Susani, Martin; Korn, Stephan; Briganti, Alberto; Roupret, Morgan; Seitz, Christian; Gust, Killian; Haitel, Andrea; Montorsi, Francesco; Wirth, Gregory; Robinson, Brian D; Karakiewicz, Pierre I; Özsoy, Mehmet; Rink, Michael; Shariat, Shahrokh F

    2017-07-27

    Urothelial prostatic involvement (UPI) at the time of radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) was found associated with worse survival outcomes by several previous reports. Our aim is to evaluate the impact of different levels of UPI on survival outcomes using a large series of male patients treated with RCP. Whole step section specimens from 995 male BCa patients were assessed for UPI defined as: no involvement vs. prostatic urethral carcinoma in situ (CIS) vs. lamina propria involvement vs. ductal CIS vs. prostate stromal involvement. Primary end point of the study was predictors of prostatic involvement at RCP and its impact on overall survival after surgery. Prostatic involvement was recorded in 307 (30.9%) patients: 28% with prostatic urethral CIS, 12% with lamina propria involvement, 13% with ductal CIS and 47% with stromal involvement. Median follow-up was 70 months. Patients with stromal involvement had a worse 5-year survival (12%) than those with prostatic urethra CIS (40%), lamina propria involvement (36%), and ductal CIS (35%). Considering predictors of prostatic involvement, multifocal tumor (Odds Ratio [OR]: 6.60, p  < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (OR: 2.61, p  < 0.001), lymph node metastases (OR: 2.02, p  < 0.001) and CIS (OR: 2.02, p  < 0.001) were found associated. Similar predictors were found assessing stromal involvement. Approximately one third of RCP patients harbor prostatic involvement of urothelial carcinoma. While all UPI are associated with worse overall survival, stromal involvement confers the worst outcome supporting its classification as T4 in the TNM staging.

  16. A novel porous scaffold fabrication technique for epithelial and endothelial tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    McHugh, Kevin J; Tao, Sarah L; Saint-Geniez, Magali

    2013-07-01

    Porous scaffolds have the ability to minimize transport barriers for both two- (2D) and three-dimensional tissue engineering. However, current porous scaffolds may be non-ideal for 2D tissues such as epithelium due to inherent fabrication-based characteristics. While 2D tissues require porosity to support molecular transport, pores must be small enough to prevent cell migration into the scaffold in order to avoid non-epithelial tissue architecture and compromised function. Though electrospun meshes are the most popular porous scaffolds used today, their heterogeneous pore size and intense topography may be poorly-suited for epithelium. Porous scaffolds produced using other methods have similar unavoidable limitations, frequently involving insufficient pore resolution and control, which make them incompatible with 2D tissues. In addition, many of these techniques require an entirely new round of process development in order to change material or pore size. Herein we describe "pore casting," a fabrication method that produces flat scaffolds with deterministic pore shape, size, and location that can be easily altered to accommodate new materials or pore dimensions. As proof-of-concept, pore-cast poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were fabricated and compared to electrospun PCL in vitro using canine kidney epithelium, human colon epithelium, and human umbilical vein endothelium. All cell types demonstrated improved morphology and function on pore-cast scaffolds, likely due to reduced topography and universally small pore size. These results suggest that pore casting is an attractive option for creating 2D tissue engineering scaffolds, especially when the application may benefit from well-controlled pore size or architecture.

  17. Microfluidic devices and methods including porous polymer monoliths

    DOEpatents

    Hatch, Anson V; Sommer, Gregory J; Singh, Anup K; Wang, Ying-Chih; Abhyankar, Vinay V

    2014-04-22

    Microfluidic devices and methods including porous polymer monoliths are described. Polymerization techniques may be used to generate porous polymer monoliths having pores defined by a liquid component of a fluid mixture. The fluid mixture may contain iniferters and the resulting porous polymer monolith may include surfaces terminated with iniferter species. Capture molecules may then be grafted to the monolith pores.

  18. Microfluidic devices and methods including porous polymer monoliths

    DOEpatents

    Hatch, Anson V.; Sommer, Gregory j.; Singh, Anup K.; Wang, Ying-Chih; Abhyankar, Vinay

    2015-12-01

    Microfluidic devices and methods including porous polymer monoliths are described. Polymerization techniques may be used to generate porous polymer monoliths having pores defined by a liquid component of a fluid mixture. The fluid mixture may contain iniferters and the resulting porous polymer monolith may include surfaces terminated with iniferter species. Capture molecules may then be grafted to the monolith pores.

  19. Template-Free Synthesis of Highly Porous Boron Nitride: Insights into Pore Network Design and Impact on Gas Sorption.

    PubMed

    Marchesini, Sofia; McGilvery, Catriona M; Bailey, Josh; Petit, Camille

    2017-10-24

    Production of biocompatible and stable porous materials, e.g., boron nitride, exhibiting tunable and enhanced porosity is a prerequisite if they are to be employed to address challenges such as drug delivery, molecular separations, or catalysis. However, there is currently very limited understanding of the formation mechanisms of porous boron nitride and the parameters controlling its porosity, which ultimately prevents exploiting the material's full potential. Herein, we produce boron nitride with high and tunable surface area and micro/mesoporosity via a facile template-free method using multiple readily available N-containing precursors with different thermal decomposition patterns. The gases are gradually released, creating hierarchical pores, high surface areas (>1900 m 2 /g), and micropore volumes. We use 3D tomography techniques to reconstruct the pore structure, allowing direct visualization of the mesopore network. Additional imaging and analytical tools are employed to characterize the materials from the micro- down to the nanoscale. The CO 2 uptake of the materials rivals or surpasses those of commercial benchmarks or other boron nitride materials reported to date (up to 4 times higher), even after pelletizing. Overall, the approach provides a scalable route to porous boron nitride production as well as fundamental insights into the material's formation, which can be used to design a variety of boron nitride structures.

  20. Psychological impact and recovery after involvement in a patient safety incident: a repeated measures analysis

    PubMed Central

    Van Gerven, Eva; Bruyneel, Luk; Panella, Massimiliano; Euwema, Martin; Sermeus, Walter; Vanhaecht, Kris

    2016-01-01

    Objective To examine individual, situational and organisational aspects that influence psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident on physicians, nurses and midwives. Design Cross-sectional, retrospective surveys of physicians, midwives and nurses. Setting 33 Belgian hospitals. Participants 913 clinicians (186 physicians, 682 nurses, 45 midwives) involved in a patient safety incident. Main outcome measures The Impact of Event Scale was used to retrospectively measure psychological impact of the safety incident at the time of the event and compare it with psychological impact at the time of the survey. Results Individual, situational as well as organisational aspects influenced psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident. Psychological impact is higher when the degree of harm for the patient is more severe, when healthcare professionals feel responsible for the incident and among female healthcare professionals. Impact of degree of harm differed across clinicians. Psychological impact is lower among more optimistic professionals. Overall, impact decreased significantly over time. This effect was more pronounced for women and for those who feel responsible for the incident. The longer ago the incident took place, the stronger impact had decreased. Also, higher psychological impact is related with the use of a more active coping and planning coping strategy, and is unrelated to support seeking coping strategies. Rendered support and a support culture reduce psychological impact, whereas a blame culture increases psychological impact. No associations were found with job experience and resilience of the health professional, the presence of a second victim support team or guideline and working in a learning culture. Conclusions Healthcare organisations should anticipate on providing their staff appropriate and timely support structures that are tailored to the healthcare professional involved in the incident and to the specific

  1. Transport of bare and capped zinc oxide nanoparticles is dependent on porous medium composition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurlanda-Witek, H.; Ngwenya, B. T.; Butler, I. B.

    2014-07-01

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are one of the most frequently used nanoparticles in industry and hence are likely to be introduced to the groundwater environment. The mobility of these nanoparticles in different aquifer materials has not been assessed. While some studies have been published on the transport of ZnO nanoparticles in individual porous media, these studies do not generally account for varying porous medium composition both within and between aquifers. As a first step towards understanding the impact of this variability, this paper compares the transport of bare ZnO nanoparticles (bZnO-NPs) and capped ZnO nanoparticles, coated with tri-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (cZnO-NPs), in saturated columns packed with glass beads, fine grained sand and fine grained calcite, at near-neutral pH and groundwater salinity levels. With the exception of cZnO-NPs in sand columns, ZnO nanoparticles are highly immobile in all three types of studied porous media, with most retention taking place near the column inlet. Results are in general agreement with DLVO theory, and the deviation in experiments with cZnO-NPs flowing through columns packed with sand is linked to variability in zeta potential of the capped nanoparticles and sand grains. Therefore, differences in surface charge of nanoparticles and porous media are demonstrated to be key drivers in nanoparticle transport.

  2. Functional porous composites by blending with solution-processable molecular pores.

    PubMed

    Jiang, S; Chen, L; Briggs, M E; Hasell, T; Cooper, A I

    2016-05-25

    We present a simple method for rendering non-porous materials porous by solution co-processing with organic cage molecules. This method can be used both for small functional molecules and for polymers, thus creating porous composites by molecular blending, rather than the more traditional approach of supporting functional molecules on pre-frabricated porous supports.

  3. Adsorption of PFOA at the Air-Water Interface during Transport in Unsaturated Porous Media.

    PubMed

    Lyu, Ying; Brusseau, Mark L; Chen, Wei; Yan, Ni; Fu, Xiaori; Lin, Xueyu

    2018-06-26

    Miscible-displacement experiments are conducted with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to determine the contribution of adsorption at the air-water interface to retention during transport in water-unsaturated porous media. Column experiments were conducted with two sands of different diameter at different PFOA input concentrations, water saturations, and pore-water velocities to evaluate the impact of system variables on retardation. The breakthrough curves for unsaturated conditions exhibited greater retardation than those obtained for saturated conditions, demonstrating the significant impact of air-water interfacial adsorption on PFOA retention. Retardation was greater for lower water saturations and smaller grain diameter, consistent with the impact of system conditions on the magnitude of air-water interfacial area in porous media. Retardation was greater for lower input concentrations of PFOA for a given water saturation, consistent with the nonlinear nature of surfactant fluid-fluid interfacial adsorption. Retardation factors predicted using independently determined parameter values compared very well to the measured values. The results showed that adsorption at the air-water interface is a significant source of retention for PFOA, contributing approximately 50-75% of total retention, for the test systems. The significant magnitude of air-water interfacial adsorption measured in this work has ramifications for accurate determination of PFAS migration potential in vadose zones.

  4. Electrochemical synthesis of porous cobalt nanowall arrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Wei; Gao, Peng; Chu, Lei; Yin, Ligen; Li, Zhen; Xie, Yi

    2006-07-01

    Porous cobalt nanowall arrays have been prepared by electrochemical deposition of mono-precursor [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 on copper substrates. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) investigations of the surface properties indicate that the resulting porous nanomaterials possess high surface area and uniform pore size distribution, which implies potential applications in some fields, such as catalysis, energy, and magnetic data storage devices. The magnetism measurements of the porous cobalt nanowall arrays take on a good ferromagnetic behaviour with enhanced coercivity (Hc).

  5. Coupled fluid and solid mechanics study for improved permeability estimation of fines' invaded porous materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mirabolghasemi, M.; Prodanovic, M.

    2012-12-01

    The problem of fine particle infiltration is seen in fields from subsurface transport, to drug delivery to industrial slurry flows. Sediment filtration and pathogen retention are well-known subsurface engineering problems that have been extensively studied through different macroscopic, microscopic and experimental modeling techniques Due to heterogeneity, standard constitutive relationships and models yield poor predictions for flow (e.g. permeability) and rock properties (e.g. elastic moduli) of the invaded (damaged) porous media. This severely reduces our ability to, for instance, predict retention, pressure build-up, newly formed flow pathways or porous medium mechanical behavior. We chose a coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) - discrete element modeling (DEM) approach to simulate the particulate flow through porous media represented by sphere packings. In order to minimize the uncertainty involved in estimating the flow properties of porous media on Darcy scale and address the dynamic nature of filtration process, this microscopic approach is adapted as a robust method that can incorporate particle interaction physics as well as the heterogeneity of the porous medium.. The coupled simulation was done in open-source packages which has both CFD (openFOAM) and DEM components (LIGGGHTS). We ran several sensitivity analyses over different parameters such as particle/grain size ratio, fluid viscosity, flow rate and sphere packing porosity in order to investigate their effects on the depth of invasion and damaged porous medium permeability. The response of the system to the variation of different parameters is reflected through different clogging mechanism; for instance, bridging is the dominant mechanism of pore-throat clogging when larger particles penetrate into the packing, whereas, in case of fine particles which are much smaller than porous medium grains (1/20 in diameter), this mechanism is not very effective due to the frequent formation and

  6. Explicit accounting of electronic effects on the Hugoniot of porous materials

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

    Nayak, Bishnupriya; Menon, S. V. G., E-mail: menon.svg98@gmail.com

    2016-03-28

    A generalized enthalpy based equation of state, which includes thermal electron excitations explicitly, is formulated from simple considerations. Its application to obtain Hugoniot of materials needs simultaneous evaluation of pressure-volume curve and temperature, the latter requiring solution of a differential equation. The errors involved in two recent papers [Huayun et al., J. Appl. Phys. 92, 5917 (2002); 92, 5924 (2002)], which employed this approach, are brought out and discussed. In addition to developing the correct set of equations, the present work also provides a numerical method to implement this approach. Constant pressure specific heat of ions and electrons and ionicmore » enthalpy parameter, needed for applications, are calculated using a three component equation of state. The method is applied to porous Cu with different initial porosities. Comparison of results with experimental data shows good agreement. It is found that temperatures along the Hugoniot of porous materials are significantly modified due to electronic effects.« less

  7. Bacterial Trapping in Porous Media Flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dehkharghani, Amin; Waisbord, Nicolas; Dunkel, Jörn; Guasto, Jeffrey

    2016-11-01

    Swimming bacteria inhabit heterogeneous, microstructured environments that are often characterized by complex, ambient flows. Understanding the physical mechanisms underlying cell transport in these systems is key to controlling important processes such as bioremediation in porous soils and infections in human tissues. We study the transport of swimming bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) in quasi-two-dimensional porous microfluidic channels with a range of periodic microstructures and flow strengths. Measured cell trajectories and the local cell number density reveal the formation of filamentous cell concentration patterns within the porous structures. The local cell densification is maximized at shear rates in the range 1-10 s-1, but widely varies with pore geometry and flow topology. Experimental observations are complemented by Langevin simulations to demonstrate that the filamentous patterns result from a coupling of bacterial motility to the complex flow fields via Jeffery orbits, which effectively 'trap' the bacteria on streamlines. The resulting microscopic heterogeneity observed here suppresses bacterial transport and likely has implications for both mixing and cell nutrient uptake in porous media flows. NSF CBET-1511340.

  8. Open-cell glass crystalline porous material

    DOEpatents

    Anshits, Alexander G.; Sharonova, Olga M.; Vereshchagina, Tatiana A.; Zykova, Irina D.; Revenko, Yurii A.; Tretyakov, Alexander A.; Aloy, Albert S.; Lubtsev, Rem I.; Knecht, Dieter A.; Tranter, Troy J.; Macheret, Yevgeny

    2002-01-01

    An open-cell glass crystalline porous material made from hollow microspheres which are cenospheres obtained from fly ash, having an open-cell porosity of up to 90 vol. % is produced. The cenospheres are separated into fractions based on one or more of grain size, density, magnetic or non-magnetic, and perforated or non-perforated. Selected fractions are molded and agglomerated by sintering with a binder at a temperature below the softening temperature, or without a binder at a temperature about, or above, the softening temperature but below the temperature of liquidity. The porous material produced has an apparent density of 0.3-0.6 g/cm.sup.3, a compressive strength in the range of 1.2-3.5 MPa, and two types of openings: through-flow wall pores in the cenospheres of 0.1-30 micrometers, and interglobular voids between the cenospheres of 20-100 micrometers. The porous material of the invention has properties useful as porous matrices for immobilization of liquid radioactive waste, heat-resistant traps and filters, supports for catalysts, adsorbents and ion-exchangers.

  9. Open-cell glass crystalline porous material

    DOEpatents

    Anshits, Alexander G.; Sharonova, Olga M.; Vereshchagina, Tatiana A.; Zykova, Irina D.; Revenko, Yurii A.; Tretyakov, Alexander A.; Aloy, Albert S.; Lubtsev, Rem I.; Knecht, Dieter A.; Tranter, Troy J.; Macheret, Yevgeny

    2003-12-23

    An open-cell glass crystalline porous material made from hollow microspheres which are cenospheres obtained from fly ash, having an open-cell porosity of up to 90 vol. % is produced. The cenospheres are separated into fractions based on one or more of grain size, density, magnetic or non-magnetic, and perforated or non-perforated. Selected fractions are molded and agglomerated by sintering with a binder at a temperature below the softening temperature, or without a binder at a temperature about, or above, the softening temperature but below the temperature of liquidity. The porous material produced has an apparent density of 0.3-0.6 g/cm.sup.3, a compressive strength in the range of 1.2-3.5 MPa, and two types of openings: through-flow wall pores in the cenospheres of 0.1-30 micrometers, and interglobular voids between the cenospheres of 20-100 micrometers. The porous material of the invention has properties useful as porous matrices for immobilization of liquid radioactive waste, heat-resistant traps and filters, supports for catalysts, adsorbents and ion-exchangers.

  10. Fatigue behavior of porous biomaterials manufactured using selective laser melting.

    PubMed

    Yavari, S Amin; Wauthle, R; van der Stok, J; Riemslag, A C; Janssen, M; Mulier, M; Kruth, J P; Schrooten, J; Weinans, H; Zadpoor, A A

    2013-12-01

    Porous titanium alloys are considered promising bone-mimicking biomaterials. Additive manufacturing techniques such as selective laser melting allow for manufacturing of porous titanium structures with a precise design of micro-architecture. The mechanical properties of selective laser melted porous titanium alloys with different designs of micro-architecture have been already studied and are shown to be in the range of mechanical properties of bone. However, the fatigue behavior of this biomaterial is not yet well understood. We studied the fatigue behavior of porous structures made of Ti6Al4V ELI powder using selective laser melting. Four different porous structures were manufactured with porosities between 68 and 84% and the fatigue S-N curves of these four porous structures were determined. The three-stage mechanism of fatigue failure of these porous structures is described and studied in detail. It was found that the absolute S-N curves of these four porous structures are very different. In general, given the same absolute stress level, the fatigue life is much shorter for more porous structures. However, the normalized fatigue S-N curves of these four structures were found to be very similar. A power law was fitted to all data points of the normalized S-N curves. It is shown that the measured data points conform to the fitted power law very well, R(2)=0.94. This power law may therefore help in estimating the fatigue life of porous structures for which no fatigue test data is available. It is also observed that the normalized endurance limit of all tested porous structures (<0.2) is lower than that of corresponding solid material (c.a. 0.4). © 2013.

  11. Ballistic Performance of Porous-Ceramic, Thermal Protection Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Joshua; Bohl, William; Christiansen, Eric; Davis, B. Alan; Foreman, Cory

    2011-06-01

    Porous-ceramic, thermal protection systems are used heavily in current reentry vehicles like the Orbiter, and they are currently being proposed for the next generation of US manned spacecraft, Orion. These systems insulate reentry critical components of a spacecraft against the intense thermal environments of atmospheric reentry. Additionally, these materials are also highly exposed to space environment hazards like solid particle impacts. This paper discusses impact testing up to 9.65 km/s on one of these systems. The materials considered are 8 lb/ft3 alumina-fiber-enhanced-thermal-barrier (AETB8) tiles coated with a toughened-unipiece-fibrous-insulation/reaction-cured-glass layer (TUFI/RCG). A semi-empirical, first principals impact model that describes projectile dispersion is described that provides excellent agreement with observations over a broad range of impact velocities, obliquities and projectile materials. A model extension to look at the implications of greater than 10 GPa equation of state measurements is also discussed. Predicted penetration probabilities for a vehicle visiting the International Space Station is 60% lower for orbital debris and 95% lower for meteoroids with this model compared to an energy scaled approach.

  12. Impact of Incredible Years® on teacher perceptions of parental involvement: A latent transition analysis.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Aaron M; Herman, Keith C; Stormont, Melissa A; Reinke, Wendy M; Webster-Stratton, Carolyn

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) training on teacher perceptions of parental involvement. A cluster randomized design was used to assign 42 classroom teachers to either an IY TCM training (n=19) or a control condition (n=23). Teachers rated parental involvement (i.e., bonding with teacher, parental involvement at school) for the families of 805 low income students (IY TCM=504, control=301). A latent profile transition analysis framework was used to model the effect of IY TCM on teacher perceptions of parental involvement from pre to posttest. Four profiles consisting of various patterns of high, medium, and low teacher perceptions of bonding with and involvement of parents emerged. Analyses of teacher profiles at baseline revealed teachers who felt parental involvement and bonding was low were also likely to rate students as having more externalizing behaviors, fewer social competencies, more attention deficit symptoms, and disruptive behaviors towards adults and peers compared to teachers with more adaptive profiles. Further analysis revealed that parents of teachers randomly assigned to IY TCM were more likely to transition to a more adaptive view of parental involvement at follow-up compared to teachers in the control condition. Because teacher perceptions of parental involvement may adversely impact teacher attitudes towards difficult students, findings from the present study support the promise of teacher training as an avenue for conferring protections for struggling students. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Stabilization of porous glass reverse-osmosis membranes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ballou, E. V.; Leban, M. I.; Wydeven, T.

    1972-01-01

    Application of porous glass in form of capillary tubes for low capacity ion exchange in hyperfiltration experiments is discussed. Efficiency of desalination by process of reverse osmosis is described. Stabilization of porous glass membrane by presence of aluminum chloride is analyzed.

  14. Impact experiments of porous gypsum-glass bead mixtures simulating parent bodies of ordinary chondrites: Implications for re-accumulation processes related to rubble-pile formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasui, M.; Arakawa, M.

    2011-12-01

    Most of asteroids are expected to be impact fragments produced by collisions among planetesimals or rubble-pile bodies produced by re-accumulation of fragments. In order to study the formation processes of asteroids, it is necessary to examine the collisional disruption and re-accumulation conditions of planetesimals. Most of meteorites recovered on the Earth are ordinary chondrites (OCs). The OCs have the components of millimeter-sized round grains (chondrules) and submicron-sized dusts (matrix). So, the planetesimals forming the parent bodies of OCs could be mainly composed of chondrules and matrix. Therefore, we conducted impact experiments with porous gypsum mixed with glass beads having the spherical shape with various diameters simulating chondrules, and examined the effect of chondrules on the ejecta velocity and the impact strength. The targets included glass beads with a diameter ranging from 100 μm to 3 mm and the volume fraction was 0.6, similar to that of ordinary chondrites, which is about 0.65-0.75. We also prepared the porous gypsum sample without glass bead to examine the effect of volume fraction. Nylon projectiles with the diameters of 10 mm and 2 mm were impacted at 60-180 m/s by a single-stage gas gun and at about 4 km/s by a two-stage light gas gun, respectively. After the shot, we measured the mass of the recovered fragments to calculate the impact strength Q defined by Q=mpVi^2/2(mp+Mt), where Vi is the impact velocity, and mp and Mt are the mass of projectile and target, respectively. The collisional disruption of the target was observed by a high-speed video camera to measure the ejecta velocity. The antipodal velocity Va increased with the increase of Q, irrespective of glass bead size and volume fraction. However, the Va for low-velocity collisions at 60-180 m/s was an order magnitude larger than that for high-velocity collisions at 4 km/s. The velocities of fragments ejected from two corners on the impact surface of the target Vc

  15. Direct electrodeposition of porous gold nanowire arrays for biosensing applications.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xinyi; Li, Dan; Bourgeois, Laure; Wang, Huanting; Webley, Paul A

    2009-02-02

    Nanochannel alumina templates are used as templates for fabrication of porous gold nanowire arrays by a direct electrodeposition method. After modification with glucose oxidase, a porous gold nanowire-array electrode is shown to be an excellent electrochemical biosensor for the detection of glucose. The picture shows an SEM image of a nanowire array after removal of the alumina template by acid dissolution. We report the fabrication of porous gold nanowire arrays by means of a one-step electrodeposition method utilizing nanochannel alumina templates. The microstructure of gold nanowires depends strongly on the current density. The formation of porous gold nanowires is attributed to disperse crystallization under conditions of low nucleation rate. Interfacial electron transport through the porous gold nanowires is studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetric studies on the porous gold nanowire arrays reveal a low-potential electrocatalytic response towards hydrogen peroxide. The properties of the glucose oxidase modified porous gold nanowire array electrode are elucidated and compared with those of nonporous enzyme electrodes. The glucose oxidase modified porous gold nanowire-array electrode is shown to be an excellent electrochemical biosensor for the detection of glucose.

  16. Band structures in fractal grading porous phononic crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Kai; Liu, Ying; Liang, Tianshu; Wang, Bin

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, a new grading porous structure is introduced based on a Sierpinski triangle routine, and wave propagation in this fractal grading porous phononic crystal is investigated. The influences of fractal hierarchy and porosity on the band structures in fractal graidng porous phononic crystals are clarified. Vibration modes of unit cell at absolute band gap edges are given to manifest formation mechanism of absolute band gaps. The results show that absolute band gaps are easy to form in fractal structures comparatively to the normal ones with the same porosity. Structures with higher fractal hierarchies benefit multiple wider absolute band gaps. This work provides useful guidance in design of fractal porous phononic crystals.

  17. Effect of Micro Porous Shape on Mechanical Properties in Polypropylene Syntactic Foams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mae, Hiroyuki; Omiya, Masaki; Kishimoto, Kikuo

    The objective is to characterize the effect of the microstructure of the micro pores inside the matrix on the mechanical properties of the thermoplastic syntactic polypropylene (PP) foams at the intermediate and high strain rates. Tensile tests are conducted at the nominal strain rates from 3 x 10-1 to 102 s-1. In addition, the dart impact tests are conducted at the impact velocities of 0.1, 1 and 10 m/s. Then, the constitutive law with craze evolution is modified by introducing the relative density, the stress concentration coefficient and the volume fraction of cell edge, and then applied to the dart impact test mode for simulating the macroscopic load displacement history of the dart impact process. Moreover, the microstructural finite element analysis is conducted to characterize the local stress states in the microstructure. In the tensile loading, the elastic modulus is not influenced by the shape of the micro pores in the PP matrix while the yield stress and the strain energy up to failure are relatively influenced by the shape of micro pores. The microstructural finite element analysis shows that the magnitudes of the localized stresses at the edges and the ligaments of the elliptical-shape micro pores are larger than those at the spherical micro pores, leading to the early yielding and the small material ductility. In the case of the dart impact loading, the microstructure of pores has strong effect on the absorbed energy. This is because the elliptical-shape micro pores are very sensitive to the shear deformation, which is revealed by the microstructural finite element analysis. The modified constitutive law with the stress concentration coefficient and the volume fraction of the cell edges successfully predicts the load-displacement curve of the dart impact loading in the spherical micro-porous PP foam. It is concluded that the micro porous shape has strong effect on the material ductility especially in the dart impact test, leading to the possibility to

  18. Experimental characterization of 3-dimensional gravity-driven fingering in a porous medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dalbe, Marie-Julie; Juanes, Ruben

    2017-11-01

    When water infiltrates a dry porous media, a gravity-driven instability can be observed. Water will penetrate the porous media along preferential paths, called fingers. This gravity-driven unstable multiphase flow has important implications for natural phenomena such as rainwater infiltration in soil and secondary oil migration in reservoir rocks. While several experimental and numerical studies have described the instability in 2-dimensional (2D) settings, fundamental questions remain on the morphodynamics of gravity fingering in 3D. We developed a 3D experimental set-up based on planar laser-induced fluorescence of index-matched fluids that allows us to image this phenomenon dynamically. We study the impact of some crucial parameters such as rainfall rate or grain size on the finger size and velocity. In addition, experiments in stratified media reveal interesting dynamics of finger flow across material interfaces, an essential aspect towards the understanding of water infiltration in soils.

  19. Predicting Wind Noise Inside Porous Dome Filters for Infrasound Sensing on Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pitre, Kevin M.

    The study described in this thesis aims to assess the effects of wind-generated noise on potential infrasound measurements on future Mars missions. Infrasonic sensing on Mars is being considered as a means to probe the long-scale atmospheric dynamics, thermal balance, and also to infer bolide impact statistics. In this study, a preliminary framework for predicting the principal wind noise mechanisms to the signal detected by a sensor placed inside a hemispherical porous dome on the Martian surface is developed. The method involves calculating the pressure power density spectra in the infrasonic range generated by turbulent interactions and filtered by dome shaped filters of varying porosities. Knowing the overall noise power spectrum will allow it to be subtracted from raw signals of interest and aid in the development of infrasound sensors for the Martian environment. In order to make these power spectral predictions, the study utilizes the Martian Climate Database (MCD) global circulation model, developed by Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique in Paris, France. Velocity profiles are generated and used in semi empirical functions generated by von Karman along with equations for describing the physical turbulent interactions. With these, turbulent interactions in the free atmosphere above the Martian surface are described. For interactions of turbulence with the porous filter, semi-empirical formulations are adapted to the Martian parameters generated by the MCD and plotted alongside contributions in the free atmosphere outside and inside the dome to obtain the total wind noise contribution from turbulence. In conclusion, the plots of power spectral densities versus frequency are analyzed to determine what porosity filter would provide the best wind-noise suppression when measured at the center the dome. The study shows that 55% (0.02 to 5 Hz) and 80% (6 to 20 Hz) porosities prove to be the better of the five porosities tested.

  20. Convection in superposed fluid and porous layers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Falin; Chen, C. F.

    1992-01-01

    Thermal convection due to heating from below in a porous layer underlying a fluid layer has been analyzed using the Navier-Stokes equations for the fluid layers and the extended Darcy equation (including Brinkman and Forchheimer terms) for the porous layer. The flow is assumed to be two-dimensional and periodic in the horizontal direction. The numerical scheme used is a combined Galerkin and finite-difference method, and appropriate boundary conditions are applied at the interface. Results have been obtained for depth ratios of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0, where this ratio is defined as the ratio of the thickness of the fluid layer to that of the porous layer. For the depth ratio of 0.1, the convection is dominated by the porous layer, similar to the situation at onset, even though the Rayleigh number for the fluid layer is well into the supercritical regime.

  1. Role of an Oxidant Mixture as Surface Modifier of Porous Silicon Microstructures Evaluated by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

    PubMed Central

    Montiel-González, Zeuz; Escobar, Salvador; Nava, Rocío; del Río, J. Antonio; Tagüeña-Martínez, Julia

    2016-01-01

    Current research on porous silicon includes the construction of complex structures with luminescent and/or photonic properties. However, their preparation with both characteristics is still challenging. Recently, our group reported a possible method to achieve that by adding an oxidant mixture to the electrolyte used to produce porous silicon. This mixture can chemically modify their microstructure by changing the thickness and surface passivation of the pore walls. In this work, we prepared a series of samples (with and without oxidant mixture) and we evaluated the structural differences through their scanning electron micrographs and their optical properties determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results showed that ellipsometry is sensitive to slight variations in the porous silicon structure, caused by changes in their preparation. The fitting process, based on models constructed from the features observed in the micrographs, allowed us to see that the mayor effect of the oxidant mixture is on samples of high porosity, where the surface oxidation strongly contributes to the skeleton thinning during the electrochemical etching. This suggests the existence of a porosity threshold for the action of the oxidant mixture. These results could have a significant impact on the design of complex porous silicon structures for different optoelectronic applications. PMID:27097767

  2. Role of an Oxidant Mixture as Surface Modifier of Porous Silicon Microstructures Evaluated by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry.

    PubMed

    Montiel-González, Zeuz; Escobar, Salvador; Nava, Rocío; del Río, J Antonio; Tagüeña-Martínez, Julia

    2016-04-21

    Current research on porous silicon includes the construction of complex structures with luminescent and/or photonic properties. However, their preparation with both characteristics is still challenging. Recently, our group reported a possible method to achieve that by adding an oxidant mixture to the electrolyte used to produce porous silicon. This mixture can chemically modify their microstructure by changing the thickness and surface passivation of the pore walls. In this work, we prepared a series of samples (with and without oxidant mixture) and we evaluated the structural differences through their scanning electron micrographs and their optical properties determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results showed that ellipsometry is sensitive to slight variations in the porous silicon structure, caused by changes in their preparation. The fitting process, based on models constructed from the features observed in the micrographs, allowed us to see that the mayor effect of the oxidant mixture is on samples of high porosity, where the surface oxidation strongly contributes to the skeleton thinning during the electrochemical etching. This suggests the existence of a porosity threshold for the action of the oxidant mixture. These results could have a significant impact on the design of complex porous silicon structures for different optoelectronic applications.

  3. Hydroxyapatite-silver nanoparticles coatings on porous polyurethane scaffold.

    PubMed

    Ciobanu, Gabriela; Ilisei, Simona; Luca, Constantin

    2014-02-01

    The present paper is focused on a study regarding the possibility of obtaining hydroxyapatite-silver nanoparticle coatings on porous polyurethane scaffold. The method applied is based on a combined strategy involving hydroxyapatite biomimetic deposition on polyurethane surface using a Supersaturated Calcification Solution (SCS), combined with silver ions reduction and in-situ crystallization processes on hydroxyapatite-polyurethane surface by sample immersing in AgNO3 solution. The morphology, composition and phase structure of the prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The data obtained show that a layer of hydroxyapatite was deposited on porous polyurethane support and the silver nanoparticles (average size 34.71 nm) were dispersed among and even on the hydroxyapatite crystals. Hydroxyapatite/polyurethane surface acts as a reducer and a stabilizing agent for silver ions. The surface plasmon resonance peak in UV-Vis absorption spectra showed an absorption maximum at 415 nm, indicating formation of silver nanoparticles. The hydroxyapatite-silver polyurethane scaffolds were tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and the obtained data were indicative of good antibacterial properties of the materials. © 2013.

  4. 18 CFR 33.4 - Additional information requirements for applications involving vertical competitive impacts.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Additional information requirements for applications involving vertical competitive impacts. 33.4 Section 33.4 Conservation of Power... electricity products (i.e., downstream relevant products) in the same geographic markets or that the extent of...

  5. Joining of porous silicon carbide bodies

    DOEpatents

    Bates, Carl H.; Couhig, John T.; Pelletier, Paul J.

    1990-05-01

    A method of joining two porous bodies of silicon carbide is disclosed. It entails utilizing an aqueous slip of a similar silicon carbide as was used to form the porous bodies, including the sintering aids, and a binder to initially join the porous bodies together. Then the composite structure is subjected to cold isostatic pressing to form a joint having good handling strength. Then the composite structure is subjected to pressureless sintering to form the final strong bond. Optionally, after the sintering the structure is subjected to hot isostatic pressing to further improve the joint and densify the structure. The result is a composite structure in which the joint is almost indistinguishable from the silicon carbide pieces which it joins.

  6. Fabricating porous materials using interpenetrating inorganic-organic composite gels

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

    Seo, Dong-Kyun; Volosin, Alex

    Porous materials are fabricated using interpenetrating inorganic-organic composite gels. A mixture or precursor solution including an inorganic gel precursor, an organic polymer gel precursor, and a solvent is treated to form an inorganic wet gel including the organic polymer gel precursor and the solvent. The inorganic wet gel is then treated to form a composite wet gel including an organic polymer network in the body of the inorganic wet gel, producing an interpenetrating inorganic-organic composite gel. The composite wet gel is dried to form a composite material including the organic polymer network and an inorganic network component. The composite materialmore » can be treated further to form a porous composite material, a porous polymer or polymer composite, a porous metal oxide, and other porous materials.« less

  7. Polyurethane Foam Impact Experiments and Simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kipp, M. E.; Chhabildas, L. C.; Reinhart, W. D.; Wong, M. K.

    1999-06-01

    Uniaxial strain impact experiments with a rigid polyurethane foam of nominal density 0.22g/cc are reported. A 6 mm thick foam impactor is mounted on the face of a projectile and impacts a thin (1 mm) target plate of aluminum or copper, on which the rear free surface velocity history is acquired with a VISAR. Impact velocities ranged from 300 to 1500 m/s. The velocity record monitors the initial shock from the foam transmitted through the target, followed by a reverberation within the target plate as the wave interacts with the compressed foam at the impact interface and the free recording surface. These one-dimensional uniaxial strain impact experiments were modeled using a traditional p-alpha porous material model for the distended polyurethane, which generally captured the motion imparted to the target by the foam. Some of the high frequency aspects of the data, reflecting the heterogeneous nature of the foam, can be recovered with computations of fully 3-dimensional explicit representations of this porous material.

  8. Method of preparing thin porous sheets of ceramic material

    DOEpatents

    Swarr, Thomas E.; Nickols, Richard C.; Krasij, Myron

    1987-03-24

    A method of forming thin porous sheets of ceramic material for use as electrodes or other components in a molten carbonate fuel cell is disclosed. The method involves spray drying a slurry of fine ceramic particles in liquid carrier to produce generally spherical agglomerates of high porosity and a rough surface texture. The ceramic particles may include the electrode catalyst and the agglomerates can be calcined to improve mechanical strength. After slurrying with suitable volatile material and binder tape casting is used to form sheets that are sufficiently strong for further processing and handling in the assembly of a high temperature fuel cell.

  9. Method of preparing thin porous sheets of ceramic material

    DOEpatents

    Swarr, T.E.; Nickols, R.C.; Krasij, M.

    1984-05-23

    A method of forming thin porous sheets of ceramic material for use as electrodes or other components in a molten carbonate fuel cell is disclosed. The method involves spray drying a slurry of fine ceramic particles in liquid carrier to produce generally spherical agglomerates of high porosity and a rough surface texture. The ceramic particles may include the electrode catalyst and the agglomerates can be calcined to improve mechanical strength. After slurrying with suitable volatile material and binder tape casting is used to form sheets that are sufficiently strong for further processing and handling in the assembly of a high temperature fuel cell.

  10. Migration of magnetotactic bacteria in porous media.

    PubMed

    Rismani Yazi, Saeed; Nosrati, Reza; Stevens, Corey A; Vogel, David; Escobedo, Carlos

    2018-01-01

    Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) migrate in complex porous sediments where fluid flow is ubiquitous. Here, we demonstrate that magnetotaxis enables MTB to migrate effectively through porous micromodels. Directed MTB can circumvent curved obstacles by traveling along the boundaries and pass flat obstacles by repeatedly switching between forward and backward runs. Magnetotaxis enables directed motion of MTB through heterogeneous porous media, overcoming tortuous flow fields with local velocities as high as 250  μ m s -1 . Our findings bring new insights into the migration behaviour of MTB in their natural habitats and their potential in vivo applications as microbiorobots.

  11. Two-Dimensional Porous Carbon: Synthesis and Ion-Transport Properties.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Xiaoyu; Luo, Jiayan; Lv, Wei; Wang, Da-Wei; Yang, Quan-Hong

    2015-09-23

    Their chemical stability, high specific surface area, and electric conductivity enable porous carbon materials to be the most commonly used electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors (also known as supercapacitors). To further increase the energy and power density, engineering of the pore structures with a higher electrochemical accessible surface area, faster ion-transport path and a more-robust interface with the electrolyte is widely investigated. Compared with traditional porous carbons, two-dimensional (2D) porous carbon sheets with an interlinked hierarchical porous structure are a good candidate for supercapacitors due to their advantages in high aspect ratio for electrode packing and electron transport, hierarchical pore structures for ion transport, and short ion-transport length. Recent progress on the synthesis of 2D porous carbons is reported here, along with the improved electrochemical behavior due to enhanced ion transport. Challenges for the controlled preparation of 2D porous carbons with desired properties are also discussed; these require precise tuning of the hierarchical structure and a clarification of the formation mechanisms. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Surface transport processes in charged porous media

    DOE PAGES

    Gabitto, Jorge; Tsouris, Costas

    2017-03-03

    Surface transport processes are important in chemistry, colloidal sciences, engineering, biology, and geophysics. Natural or externally produced charges on surfaces create electrical double layers (EDLs) at the solid-liquid interface. The existence of the EDLs produces several complex processes including bulk and surface transport of ions. In this work, a model is presented to simulate bulk and transport processes in homogeneous porous media comprising big pores. It is based on a theory for capacitive charging by ideally polarizable porous electrodes without Faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions. A volume averaging technique is used to derive the averaged transport equations inmore » the limit of thin electrical double layers. Description of the EDL between the electrolyte solution and the charged wall is accomplished using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model. The surface transport terms enter into the average equations due to the use of boundary conditions for diffuse interfaces. Two extra surface transports terms appear in the closed average equations. One is a surface diffusion term equivalent to the transport process in non-charged porous media. The second surface transport term is a migration term unique to charged porous media. The effective bulk and transport parameters for isotropic porous media are calculated solving the corresponding closure problems.« less

  13. Surface transport processes in charged porous media

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

    Gabitto, Jorge; Tsouris, Costas

    Surface transport processes are important in chemistry, colloidal sciences, engineering, biology, and geophysics. Natural or externally produced charges on surfaces create electrical double layers (EDLs) at the solid-liquid interface. The existence of the EDLs produces several complex processes including bulk and surface transport of ions. In this work, a model is presented to simulate bulk and transport processes in homogeneous porous media comprising big pores. It is based on a theory for capacitive charging by ideally polarizable porous electrodes without Faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions. A volume averaging technique is used to derive the averaged transport equations inmore » the limit of thin electrical double layers. Description of the EDL between the electrolyte solution and the charged wall is accomplished using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model. The surface transport terms enter into the average equations due to the use of boundary conditions for diffuse interfaces. Two extra surface transports terms appear in the closed average equations. One is a surface diffusion term equivalent to the transport process in non-charged porous media. The second surface transport term is a migration term unique to charged porous media. The effective bulk and transport parameters for isotropic porous media are calculated solving the corresponding closure problems.« less

  14. Psychological impact and recovery after involvement in a patient safety incident: a repeated measures analysis.

    PubMed

    Van Gerven, Eva; Bruyneel, Luk; Panella, Massimiliano; Euwema, Martin; Sermeus, Walter; Vanhaecht, Kris

    2016-08-31

    To examine individual, situational and organisational aspects that influence psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident on physicians, nurses and midwives. Cross-sectional, retrospective surveys of physicians, midwives and nurses. 33 Belgian hospitals. 913 clinicians (186 physicians, 682 nurses, 45 midwives) involved in a patient safety incident. The Impact of Event Scale was used to retrospectively measure psychological impact of the safety incident at the time of the event and compare it with psychological impact at the time of the survey. Individual, situational as well as organisational aspects influenced psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident. Psychological impact is higher when the degree of harm for the patient is more severe, when healthcare professionals feel responsible for the incident and among female healthcare professionals. Impact of degree of harm differed across clinicians. Psychological impact is lower among more optimistic professionals. Overall, impact decreased significantly over time. This effect was more pronounced for women and for those who feel responsible for the incident. The longer ago the incident took place, the stronger impact had decreased. Also, higher psychological impact is related with the use of a more active coping and planning coping strategy, and is unrelated to support seeking coping strategies. Rendered support and a support culture reduce psychological impact, whereas a blame culture increases psychological impact. No associations were found with job experience and resilience of the health professional, the presence of a second victim support team or guideline and working in a learning culture. Healthcare organisations should anticipate on providing their staff appropriate and timely support structures that are tailored to the healthcare professional involved in the incident and to the specific situation of the incident. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For

  15. The application of porous tantalum cylinder to the repair of comminuted bone defects: a study of rabbit firearm injuries

    PubMed Central

    Ren, Bo; Zhai, Zhenbo; Guo, Kai; Liu, Yanpu; Hou, Weihuan; Zhu, Qingsheng; Zhu, Jinyu

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of porous tantalum material in repair tibial defects caused by firearm injuries in a rabbit model. A multifunctional biological impact machine was used to establish a rabbit tibial defect model of firearm injury. Porous tantalum rods were processed into a hollow cylinder. Kirschner wires were used for intramedullary fixation. We compared the differences of the bone ingrowth of the porous tantalum material by gross observations, X-rays and histological evaluations. The radiographic observations revealed that fibrous tissue covered the material surface after 4 weeks, and periosteal reactions and new bone callus extending materials appeared after 8 weeks. After 16 weeks, the calluses of the firearm injury group were completely wrapped around a porous tantalum material. The group with the highest Lane-Sandhu X-rays cores was the firearm injury and tantalum implant group, and the blank control group exhibited the lowest scores. The histological evaluations revealed that the presence of new bone around the biomaterial had grown into the porous tantalum. By the 16th week, the areas of bone tissue of the firearm injury group was significant higher than that of non-firearm injury group (P<0.05). The comminuted fractures treated with tantalum cylinders exhibited greater bone ingrowth in the firearm injury group. In conditions of firearm injuries, the porous tantalum biomaterial exhibited bone ingrowth that was beneficial to the treatment of bone defects. PMID:26131078

  16. Porous Media and Mixture Models for Hygrothermal Behavior of Phenolic Composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sullivan, Roy M.; Stokes, Eric H.

    1999-01-01

    Theoretical models are proposed to describe the interaction of water with phenolic polymer. The theoretical models involve the study of the flow of a viscous fluid through a porous media and the thermodynamic theory of mixtures. From the theory, a set of mathematical relations are developed to simulate the effect of water on the thermostructural response of phenolic composites. The expressions are applied to simulate the measured effect of water in a series of experiments conducted on carbon phenolic composites.

  17. Impact of State Ignition Interlock Laws on Alcohol-Involved Crash Deaths in the United States.

    PubMed

    Kaufman, Elinore J; Wiebe, Douglas J

    2016-05-01

    To investigate the impact on alcohol-involved crash deaths of universal ignition interlock requirements, which aim to prevent people convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol from driving while intoxicated. We used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 1999 to 2013. From 2004 to 2013, 18 states made interlocks mandatory for all drunk-driving convictions. We compared alcohol-involved crash deaths between 18 states with and 32 states without universal interlock requirements, accounting for state and year effects, and for clustering within states. Policy impact was apparent 3 years after implementation. The adjusted rate of alcohol-involved crash deaths was 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.0, 5.4) per 100,000 in states with the universal interlock requirement, compared with 5.5 (95% CI = 5.48, 5.53) in states without, an absolute reduction of 0.8 (95% CI = 0.1, 1.5) deaths per 100,000 per year. Requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk-driving convictions was associated with 15% fewer alcohol-involved crash deaths, compared with states with less-stringent requirements. Interlocks are a life-saving technology that merit wider use.

  18. [Biological activity evaluation of porous HA ceramics using NH4 HCO3/PVA as pore-creating agents].

    PubMed

    Wang, Songquan; Zhang, Dekun

    2010-12-01

    Porous HA ceramics were prepared by using NH4 HCO3/PVA as pore-formed material along with biological glass as intensifier, and these ceramics were immersed in Locke's Physiological Saline and Simulate Body Fluid (SBF). The changes of phase composition, grain size and crystallinity of porous HA ceramics before and after immersion were investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The biological activity was evaluated. The porous HA ceramics showed various degrees of decomposition after immersion in the two solution systems, but there was no evident change in respect to crystallinity. Besides, the impact of different degrees of solution systems on the change of grain size and planar preferred orientation was observed. The TCP phase of the ceramics immersed in Locke's Physiological Saline decomposed and there was no crystal growth on the surface of ceramics; however, the grain size of ceramics immersed in SBF became refined in certain degree and the surface of ceramics took on the new crystal growth.

  19. Pre-Darcy Flow in Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dejam, Morteza; Hassanzadeh, Hassan; Chen, Zhangxin

    2017-10-01

    Fluid flow in porous media is very important in a wide range of science and engineering applications. The entire establishment of fluid flow application in porous media is based on the use of an experimental law proposed by Darcy (1856). There are evidences in the literature that the flow of a fluid in consolidated and unconsolidated porous media does not follow Darcy law at very low fluxes, which is called pre-Darcy flow. In this paper, the unsteady flow regimes of a slightly compressible fluid under the linear and radial pre-Darcy flow conditions are modeled and the corresponding highly nonlinear diffusivity equations are solved analytically by aid of a generalized Boltzmann transformation technique. The influence of pre-Darcy flow on the pressure diffusion for homogeneous porous media is studied in terms of the nonlinear exponent and the threshold pressure gradient. In addition, the pressure gradient, flux, and cumulative production per unit area are compared with the classical solution of the diffusivity equation based on Darcy flow. The presented results advance our understanding of fluid flow in low-permeability media such as shale and tight formations, where pre-Darcy is the dominant flow regime.

  20. Supported porous carbon and carbon-CNT nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schopf, Dimitri; Es-Souni, Mohammed

    2016-03-01

    Supported porous carbon and porous carbon-MWCNT-nanocomposite films are produced by pyrolysis of porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or porous PVDF-MWCNT-nanocomposite films on thermally resistant substrates. All films are characterized by SEM, RAMAN and XRD. The application of these films as supercapacitors is explored with outstanding supercapacitance values ranging from 80 to 120 F g-1 (up to 70 mF cm-2) in a three-electrode set-up in 1 M KOH, depending on microstructure. Additionally, the implementation of porous nanocarbon-MWCNT-nanocomposite films as electrodes in a symmetrical supercapacitor device is investigated. In all cases, long-term charge-discharge stability is demonstrated.

  1. Microfluidic Model Porous Media: Fabrication and Applications.

    PubMed

    Anbari, Alimohammad; Chien, Hung-Ta; Datta, Sujit S; Deng, Wen; Weitz, David A; Fan, Jing

    2018-05-01

    Complex fluid flow in porous media is ubiquitous in many natural and industrial processes. Direct visualization of the fluid structure and flow dynamics is critical for understanding and eventually manipulating these processes. However, the opacity of realistic porous media makes such visualization very challenging. Micromodels, microfluidic model porous media systems, have been developed to address this challenge. They provide a transparent interconnected porous network that enables the optical visualization of the complex fluid flow occurring inside at the pore scale. In this Review, the materials and fabrication methods to make micromodels, the main research activities that are conducted with micromodels and their applications in petroleum, geologic, and environmental engineering, as well as in the food and wood industries, are discussed. The potential applications of micromodels in other areas are also discussed and the key issues that should be addressed in the near future are proposed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy of Porous Silicas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guiton, Theresa Anne

    Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) specular reflectance spectroscopy was used to examine the fundamental phonon behavior of a series of porous silicas including porous Vycor, xerogels, aerogels, and colloidal solids. The spectra were deconvoluted using Kramers-Kronig analysis techniques, and the corresponding optical constants were determined via the Fresnel equations. The resulting spectra represent the first compilation of such data for low density silicas. The porous silicas revealed unique resonance modes for the imaginary dielectric function and energy loss function. A key distinction amongst the spectra was the change in the band shape of the antisymmetric Si-O-Si stretching modes. For instance, as the porosity level of the particulate systems increased, the peak maxima of the imaginary dielectric functions shifted to higher frequencies while the peak maxima of the associated energy loss function shifted to lower frequencies. In essence, with increasing porosity, the peak maxima of the imaginary dielectric functions and the energy loss functions were converging towards frequencies intermediate to the transverse optical and longitudinal optical modes of fused silica. A similar trend was not observed for the semi-continuous silica matrices. Maxwell Garnett effective medium modeling verified that these modes were a function of the porous microstructure and can be attributed to surface phonon modes. The effect of surface phonon modes was also evident in the absorption coefficient data. However, contrary to the traditional view that changes in the absorption spectra of porous silicas are strictly due to molecular structure, this study has demonstrated that variations can be attributed--both qualitatively and quantitatively--to electrostatic screening effects of finite particles.

  3. Gas permeability of ice-templated, unidirectional porous ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seuba, Jordi; Deville, Sylvain; Guizard, Christian; Stevenson, Adam J.

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the gas flow behavior of unidirectional porous ceramics processed by ice-templating. The pore volume ranged between 54% and 72% and pore size between 2.9 ?m and 19.1 ?m. The maximum permeability (?? m?) was measured in samples with the highest total pore volume (72%) and pore size (19.1 ?m). However, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve a similar permeability (?? m?) at 54% pore volume by modification of the pore shape. These results were compared with those reported and measured for isotropic porous materials processed by conventional techniques. In unidirectional porous materials tortuosity (?) is mainly controlled by pore size, unlike in isotropic porous structures where ? is linked to pore volume. Furthermore, we assessed the applicability of Ergun and capillary model in the prediction of permeability and we found that the capillary model accurately describes the gas flow behavior of unidirectional porous materials. Finally, we combined the permeability data obtained here with strength data for these materials to establish links between strength and permeability of ice-templated materials.

  4. Final Report - Montana State University - Microbial Activity and Precipitation at Solution-Solution Mixing Zones in Porous Media

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

    Gerlach, Robin

    Background. The use of biological and chemical processes that degrade or immobilize contaminants in subsurface environments is a cornerstone of remediation technology. The enhancement of biological and chemical processes in situ, involves the transport, displacement, distribution and mixing of one or more reactive agents. Biological and chemical reactions all require diffusive transport of solutes to reaction sites at the molecular scale and accordingly, the success of processes at the meter-scale and larger is dictated by the success of phenomena that occur at the micron-scale. However, current understanding of scaling effects on the mixing and delivery of nutrients in biogeochemically dynamicmore » porous media systems is limited, despite the limitations this imposes on the efficiency and effectiveness of the remediation challenges at hand. Objectives. We therefore proposed to experimentally characterize and computationally describe the growth, evolution, and distribution of microbial activity and mineral formation as well as changes in transport processes in porous media that receive two or more reactive amendments. The model system chosen for this project was based on a method for immobilizing 90Sr, which involves stimulating microbial urea hydrolysis with ensuing mineral precipitation (CaCO3), and co-precipitation of Sr. Studies at different laboratory scales were used to visualize and quantitatively describe the spatial relationships between amendment transport and consumption that stimulate the production of biomass and mineral phases that subsequently modify the permeability and heterogeneity of porous media. Biomass growth, activity, and mass deposition in mixing zones was investigated using two-dimensional micro-model flow cells as well as flow cells that could be analyzed using synchrotron-based x-ray tomography. Larger-scale flow-cell experiments were conducted where the spatial distribution of media properties, flow, segregation of biological

  5. [Subantral augmentation with porous titanium in experiment and clinic].

    PubMed

    Sirak, S V; Shchetinin, E V; Sletov, A A

    2016-01-01

    The article discusses the use of porous titanium for subantral augmentation. Experimental study was conducted on 12 yearling rams. Subantral augmentation using porous titanium was performed in 33 patients. In the control group consisting of 14 patients calcium phosphates and bone collagen based agents ("Bio-Оss" and "Collost") were used. In the main and control groups 46 and 32 implant were placed, respectively. Pilot histological and clinical studies proved that the granules of porous titanium are biocompatible with bone tissue, provide the optimal surface microrelief, thus creating good conditions for adhesion, expansion and migration of osteoforming cells, have negligible kinetics of resorption, are porous to ensure effective neovascularization of de novo formed bone tissue. Porous titanium is an effective alternative material for subantral bone augmentation for dental implantation and reconstructive operations on the maxillary sinus.

  6. Channelization in porous media driven by erosion and deposition.

    PubMed

    Jäger, R; Mendoza, M; Herrmann, H J

    2017-01-01

    We develop and validate a new model to study simultaneous erosion and deposition in three-dimensional porous media. We study the changes of the porous structure induced by the deposition and erosion of matter on the solid surface and find that when both processes are active, channelization in the porous structure always occurs. The channels can be stable or only temporary depending mainly on the driving mechanism. Whereas a fluid driven by a constant pressure drop in general does not form steady channels, imposing a constant flux always produces stable channels within the porous structure. Furthermore we investigate how changes of the local deposition and erosion properties affect the final state of the porous structure, finding that the larger the range of wall shear stress for which there is neither erosion nor deposition, the more steady channels are formed in the structure.

  7. Laminar flow drag reduction on soft porous media.

    PubMed

    Mirbod, Parisa; Wu, Zhenxing; Ahmadi, Goodarz

    2017-12-08

    While researches have focused on drag reduction of various coated surfaces such as superhydrophobic structures and polymer brushes, the insights tso understand the fundamental physics of the laminar skin friction coefficient and the related drag reduction due to the formation of finite velocity at porous surfaces is still relatively unknown. Herein, we quantitatively investigated the flow over a porous medium by developing a framework to model flow of a Newtonian fluid in a channel where the lower surface was replaced by various porous media. We showed that the flow drag reduction induced by the presence of the porous media depends on the values of the permeability parameter α = L/(MK) 1/2 and the height ratio δ = H/L, where L is the half thickness of the free flow region, H is the thickness and K is the permeability of the fiber layer, and M is the ratio of the fluid effective dynamic viscosity μ e in porous media to its dynamic viscosity μ. We also examined the velocity and shear stress profiles for flow over the permeable layer for the limiting cases of α → 0 and α → ∞. The model predictions were compared with the experimental data for specific porous media and good agreement was found.

  8. Electron beam selectively seals porous metal filters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snyder, J. A.; Tulisiak, G.

    1968-01-01

    Electron beam welding selectively seals the outer surfaces of porous metal filters and impedances used in fluid flow systems. The outer surface can be sealed by melting a thin outer layer of the porous material with an electron beam so that the melted material fills all surface pores.

  9. Hermetic Encapsulation of Nanoenergetic Porous Silicon Wafer by Parylene

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-01

    Hermetic Encapsulation of Nanoenergetic Porous Silicon Wafer by Parylene by Eugene Zakar, Wayne Churaman, Collin Becker, Bernard Rod, Luke...Laboratory Adelphi, MD 20783-1138 ARL-TR-7025 August 2014 Hermetic Encapsulation of Nanoenergetic Porous Silicon Wafer by Parylene...Hermetic Encapsulation of Nanoenergetic Porous Silicon Wafer by Parylene 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

  10. Optimal design of porous structures for the fastest liquid absorption.

    PubMed

    Shou, Dahua; Ye, Lin; Fan, Jintu; Fu, Kunkun

    2014-01-14

    Porous materials engineered for rapid liquid absorption are useful in many applications, including oil recovery, spacecraft life-support systems, moisture management fabrics, medical wound dressings, and microfluidic devices. Dynamic absorption in capillary tubes and porous media is driven by the capillary pressure, which is inversely proportional to the pore size. On the other hand, the permeability of porous materials scales with the square of the pore size. The dynamic competition between these two superimposed mechanisms for liquid absorption through a heterogeneous porous structure may lead to an overall minimum absorption time. In this work, we explore liquid absorption in two different heterogeneous porous structures [three-dimensional (3D) circular tubes and porous layers], which are composed of two sections with variations in radius/porosity and height. The absorption time to fill the voids of porous constructs is expressed as a function of radius/porosity and height of local sections, and the absorption process does not follow the classic Washburn's law. Under given height and void volume, these two-section structures with a negative gradient of radius/porosity against the absorption direction are shown to have faster absorption rates than control samples with uniform radius/porosity. In particular, optimal structural parameters, including radius/porosity and height, are found that account for the minimum absorption time. The liquid absorption in the optimized porous structure is up to 38% faster than in a control sample. The results obtained can be used a priori for the design of porous structures with excellent liquid management property in various fields.

  11. Fabrication and performance of porous lithium sodium potassium niobate ceramic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Caifeng; Zhu, Yuan; Ji, Jun; Cai, Feixiang; Zhang, Youming; Zhang, Ningyi; Wang, Andong

    2018-02-01

    Porous lithium sodium potassium niobate (LNK) ceramic has excellent piezoelectric properties, chemical stability and great chemical compatibility. It has a good application potential in the field of biological bone substitute. In the paper, porous LNK ceramic was fabricated with egg albumen foaming agent by foaming method. Effects of preparation process of the porous LNK ceramic on density, phase structure, hole size and piezoelectric properties were researched and characterized. The results show that the influence factors of LNK solid content and foaming agent addition are closely relevant to properties of the porous LNK ceramic. When solid content is 65% and foaming agent addition is 30%, the porous LNK ceramic has uniform holes and the best piezoelectric properties.

  12. Photoluminescence of Porous Silicon-Zinc Oxide Hybrid structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Olenych, I. B.; Monastyrskii, L. S.; Luchechko, A. P.

    2017-03-01

    Arrays of ZnO nanostructures, which are optically transparent in the visible range, were grown on the surface of porous silicon by electrochemical deposition. Photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra of the obtained hybrid structures were investigated in 220-450 and 400-800 nm regions, respectively. It is established that multicolor emission is formed by combining the luminescence bands of porous silicon and zinc oxide. The possibility of controlling the photoluminescence spectra by changing the excitation energy is demonstrated. It is revealed that thermal annealing has an effect on the luminescent properties of porous silicon/zinc oxide hybrid structures. Thermal processing at 500°C leads to a sharp decrease of long-wavelength luminescence associated with porous silicon and to an increase of short-wavelength luminescence intensity related to zinc oxide.

  13. Porous silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor device

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shor, Joseph S. (Inventor); Kurtz, Anthony D. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    A semiconductor device employs at least one layer of semiconducting porous silicon carbide (SiC). The porous SiC layer has a monocrystalline structure wherein the pore sizes, shapes, and spacing are determined by the processing conditions. In one embodiment, the semiconductor device is a p-n junction diode in which a layer of n-type SiC is positioned on a p-type layer of SiC, with the p-type layer positioned on a layer of silicon dioxide. Because of the UV luminescent properties of the semiconducting porous SiC layer, it may also be utilized for other devices such as LEDs and optoelectronic devices.

  14. Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of a superficially porous particle with unique, elongated pore channels normal to the surface.

    PubMed

    Wei, Ta-Chen; Mack, Anne; Chen, Wu; Liu, Jia; Dittmann, Monika; Wang, Xiaoli; Barber, William E

    2016-04-01

    In recent years, superficially porous particles (SPPs) have drawn great interest because of their special particle characteristics and improvement in separation efficiency. Superficially porous particles are currently manufactured by adding silica nanoparticles onto solid cores using either a multistep multilayer process or one-step coacervation process. The pore size is mainly controlled by the size of the silica nanoparticles and the tortuous pore channel geometry is determined by how those nanoparticles randomly aggregate. Such tortuous pore structure is also similar to that of all totally porous particles used in HPLC today. In this article, we report on the development of a next generation superficially porous particle with a unique pore structure that includes a thinner shell thickness and ordered pore channels oriented normal to the particle surface. The method of making the new superficially porous particles is a process called pseudomorphic transformation (PMT), which is a form of micelle templating. Porosity is no longer controlled by randomly aggregated nanoparticles but rather by micelles that have an ordered liquid crystal structure. The new particle possesses many advantages such as a narrower particle size distribution, thinner porous layer with high surface area and, most importantly, highly ordered, non-tortuous pore channels oriented normal to the particle surface. This PMT process has been applied to make 1.8-5.1μm SPPs with pore size controlled around 75Å and surface area around 100m(2)/g. All particles with different sizes show the same unique pore structure with tunable pore size and shell thickness. The impact of the novel pore structure on the performance of these particles is characterized by measuring van Deemter curves and constructing kinetic plots. Reduced plate heights as low as 1.0 have been achieved on conventional LC instruments. This indicates higher efficiency of such particles compared to conventional totally porous and

  15. Statistical mechanical model of gas adsorption in porous crystals with dynamic moieties

    PubMed Central

    Braun, Efrem; Carraro, Carlo; Smit, Berend

    2017-01-01

    Some nanoporous, crystalline materials possess dynamic constituents, for example, rotatable moieties. These moieties can undergo a conformation change in response to the adsorption of guest molecules, which qualitatively impacts adsorption behavior. We pose and solve a statistical mechanical model of gas adsorption in a porous crystal whose cages share a common ligand that can adopt two distinct rotational conformations. Guest molecules incentivize the ligands to adopt a different rotational configuration than maintained in the empty host. Our model captures inflections, steps, and hysteresis that can arise in the adsorption isotherm as a signature of the rotating ligands. The insights disclosed by our simple model contribute a more intimate understanding of the response and consequence of rotating ligands integrated into porous materials to harness them for gas storage and separations, chemical sensing, drug delivery, catalysis, and nanoscale devices. Particularly, our model reveals design strategies to exploit these moving constituents and engineer improved adsorbents with intrinsic thermal management for pressure-swing adsorption processes. PMID:28049851

  16. Statistical mechanical model of gas adsorption in porous crystals with dynamic moieties.

    PubMed

    Simon, Cory M; Braun, Efrem; Carraro, Carlo; Smit, Berend

    2017-01-17

    Some nanoporous, crystalline materials possess dynamic constituents, for example, rotatable moieties. These moieties can undergo a conformation change in response to the adsorption of guest molecules, which qualitatively impacts adsorption behavior. We pose and solve a statistical mechanical model of gas adsorption in a porous crystal whose cages share a common ligand that can adopt two distinct rotational conformations. Guest molecules incentivize the ligands to adopt a different rotational configuration than maintained in the empty host. Our model captures inflections, steps, and hysteresis that can arise in the adsorption isotherm as a signature of the rotating ligands. The insights disclosed by our simple model contribute a more intimate understanding of the response and consequence of rotating ligands integrated into porous materials to harness them for gas storage and separations, chemical sensing, drug delivery, catalysis, and nanoscale devices. Particularly, our model reveals design strategies to exploit these moving constituents and engineer improved adsorbents with intrinsic thermal management for pressure-swing adsorption processes.

  17. The Impact of Involvement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jao, Greg

    1988-01-01

    Discusses the experiences associated with being involved in scholastic journalism and in researching the book "Voice of Conflict and Voices of Hope." Finds the value of scholastic journalism lies in its potential to train reporters and editors to seek the hidden experiences of student life that the "professional" media cannot…

  18. Decrease of non-point zinc runoff using porous concrete.

    PubMed

    Harada, Shigeki; Komuro, Yoshinori

    2010-01-01

    The use of porous concrete columns to decrease the amount of zinc in stormwater runoff is examined. The concentration of zinc in a simulated stormwater fluid (zinc acetate solution), fed through concrete columns (slashed circle10x10cm) decreased by 50-81%, suggesting physical adsorption of zinc by the porous concrete. We propose the use of porous concrete columns (slashed circle50x10cm) as the base of sewage traps. Longer-term, high-zinc concentration monitoring revealed that porous concrete blocks adsorb 38.6mgcm(-3) of zinc. A period of no significant zinc runoff (with an acceptable concentration of zinc in runoff of 0.03mgL(-1), a zinc concentration equal to the Japanese Environmental Standard) is estimated for 41years using a 1-ha catchment area with 20 porous concrete sewage traps. Scanning electron microscopy of the porous concrete used in this study indicates that the needle-like particles formed by hydration action significantly increase zinc adsorption. Evidence suggests that the hydrant is ettringite and has an important role in zinc adsorption, the resulting immobilization of zinc and the subsequent effects on groundwater quality. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Tortuosity correction of Kozeny's hydraulic diameter of a porous medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, C.

    2017-02-01

    The hydraulic diameter of a porous medium is the most important characteristic parameter governing porous flow aspects. Kozeny's hydraulic diameter has been used as the representative definition ever since he proposed it in 1927. However, it seems likely that this definition does not perfectly reflect the porous flow features even if the geometric relations of porous media are reasonably considered. Here we reviewed its definition by introducing Darcy's friction flow relation, and discovered that the term "tortuosity" should be included in the definition to more accurately characterize porous flows. Thus, the definition of "Tortuous Hydraulic Diameter (THD)," which corrects Kozeny's hydraulic diameter using tortuosity, is newly presented. Moreover, computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to check the validity and applicability of the THD approach. As a result, it is seen that the THD demonstrates very low errors, with an average of 1.67%, whereas Kozeny's definition has relatively large errors, with an average of 12.8%. Accordingly, it is confirmed that the THD relation is the more accurate hydraulic diameter definition for a porous medium. Ultimately, the corrected definition can contribute to more reliable determinations of the other characteristic parameters and more reasonable porous flow analyses.

  20. Effect of gamma irradiation on the photoluminescence of porous silicon

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

    Elistratova, M. A., E-mail: Marina.Elistratova@mail.ioffe.ru; Romanov, N. M.; Goryachev, D. N.

    The effect of gamma irradiation on the luminescence properties of porous silicon produced by the electrochemical technique is studied. Changes in the photoluminescence intensity between irradiation doses and over a period of several days after the last irradiation are recorded. The quenching of photoluminescence at low irradiation doses and recovery after further irradiation are registered. It is found that porous silicon is strongly oxidized after gamma irradiation and the oxidation process continues for several days after irradiation. It is conceived that the change in the photoluminescence spectra and intensity of porous silicon after gamma irradiation is caused by a changemore » in the passivation type of the porous surface: instead of hydrogen passivation, more stable oxygen passivation is observed. To stabilize the photoluminescence spectra of porous silicon, the use of fullerenes is proposed. No considerable changes in the photoluminescence spectra during irradiation and up to 18 days after irradiation are detected in a porous silicon sample with a thermally deposited fullerene layer. It is shown that porous silicon samples with a deposited C{sub 60} layer are stable to gamma irradiation and oxidation.« less

  1. Transport and retention of 14C-perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in saturated limestone and sand porous media: Effects of input concentration, ionic strength and cation type

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xueyan, L.; Gao, B.; Sun, Y.; Wu, J.

    2017-12-01

    Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer product applications. PFOA has been detected around the world at ng/L to μg/L levels in groundwater, and at ng/g levels in soil.The physicochemical properties of porous media were proven to play pivotal roles in determining the transport behavior of various pollutants. It is anticipated that physicochemical properties of porous media will strongly influence the transport behavior of PFOA. In addition, previous investigations have revealed that input concentration significantly influence the transport behavior of nanoparticles and antibiotics. Thus, this study was designed experimentally and fundamentally to gain insight into transport and retention of PFOA in various porous medias at different input concentrations, solution IS and cation type. Unlike in quartz sand porous media, the BTCs in limestone porous media exhibited increasing retention rate and high degree of tailing in limestone porous media. Results showed that higher relative retention occurred in limestone porous media than in quartz sand porous media under the same solution chemistry. This result was attributed to the less negative zeta-potentials, rougher surface and larger specific surface area, and the presence of hydroxyl groups and organic matters of limestone grains. Higher ionic strength and Ca2+ had little impact on the mobility of PFOA in quartz sand porous media, but significantly enhanced the retention of PFOA in limestone porous media. The difference is likely due to the compression of the electrical double layer, and the surface-charge neutralization and cation-bridging effect of Ca2+. Higher input concentration resulted in lower relative PFOA retention in limestone porous media, but the influence were insignificant in quartz sand porous media. This effect is likely because attachment sites in limestone responced to the variety of input concentration differently than quartz.

  2. Coated Porous Si for High Performance On-Chip Supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grigoras, K.; Keskinen, J.; Grönberg, L.; Ahopelto, J.; Prunnila, M.

    2014-11-01

    High performance porous Si based supercapacitor electrodes are demonstrated. High power density and stability is provided by ultra-thin TiN coating of the porous Si matrix. The TiN layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which provides sufficient conformality to reach the bottom of the high aspect ratio pores. Our porous Si supercapacitor devices exhibit almost ideal double layer capacitor characteristic with electrode volumetric capacitance of 7.3 F/cm3. Several orders of magnitude increase in power and energy density is obtained comparing to uncoated porous silicon electrodes. Good stability of devices is confirmed performing several thousands of charge/discharge cycles.

  3. Gas impermeable glaze for sealing a porous ceramic surface

    DOEpatents

    Reed, Scott T.; Stone, Ronald G.; Nenoff, Tina M.; Trudell, Daniel E.; Thoma, Steven G.

    2004-04-06

    A process for fabricating a gas impermeable seal on a porous ceramic surface using a thin, glass-based, pinhole free glaze. The process can be used to fabricate gas impermeable end seals on porous alumina tubes used as filter media. The porous alumina tubes can have an inorganic microporous thin film separation membrane on the inner surface, which can be used for high temperature gas separation processes.

  4. Study on Silicon Microstructure Processing Technology Based on Porous Silicon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shang, Yingqi; Zhang, Linchao; Qi, Hong; Wu, Yalin; Zhang, Yan; Chen, Jing

    2018-03-01

    Aiming at the heterogeneity of micro - sealed cavity in silicon microstructure processing technology, the technique of preparing micro - sealed cavity of porous silicon is proposed. The effects of different solutions, different substrate doping concentrations, different current densities, and different etching times on the rate, porosity, thickness and morphology of the prepared porous silicon were studied. The porous silicon was prepared by different process parameters and the prepared porous silicon was tested and analyzed. For the test results, optimize the process parameters and experiments. The experimental results show that the porous silicon can be controlled by optimizing the parameters of the etching solution and the doping concentration of the substrate, and the preparation of porous silicon with different porosity can be realized by different doping concentration, so as to realize the preparation of silicon micro-sealed cavity, to solve the sensor sensitive micro-sealed cavity structure heterogeneous problem, greatly increasing the application of the sensor.

  5. Monitoring the osseointegration process in porous Ti6Al4V implants produced by additive manufacturing: an experimental study in sheep.

    PubMed

    Kayacan, Mehmet C; Baykal, Yakup B; Karaaslan, Tamer; Özsoy, Koray; Alaca, İlker; Duman, Burhan; Delikanlı, Yunus E

    2018-04-01

    This study investigated the design and osseointegration process of transitive porous implants that can be used in humans and all trabecular and compact bone structure animals. The aim was to find a way of forming a strong and durable tissue bond on the bone-implant interface. Massive and transitive porous implants were produced on a direct metal laser sintering machine, surgically implanted into the skulls of sheep and kept in place for 12 weeks. At the end of the 12-week period, the Massive and porous implants removed from the sheep were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to monitor the osseointegration process. In the literature, each study has selected standard sizes for pore diameter in the structures they use. However, none of these involved transitional porous structures. In this study, as opposed to standard pores, there were spherical or elliptical pores at the micro level, development channels and an inner region. Bone cells developed in the inner region. Transitive pores grown gradually in accordance with the natural structure of the bone were modeled in the inner region for cells to develop. Due to this structure, a strong and durable tissue bond could be formed at the bone-implant interface. Osseointegration processes of Massive vs. porous implants were compared. It was observed that cells were concentrated on the surface of Massive implants. Therefore, osseointegration between implant and bone was less than that of porous implants. In transitive porous implants, as opposed to Massive implants, an outer region was formed in the bone-implant interface that allowed tissue development.

  6. RF performances of inductors integrated on localized p+-type porous silicon regions

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    To study the influence of localized porous silicon regions on radiofrequency performances of passive devices, inductors were integrated on localized porous silicon regions, full porous silicon sheet, bulk silicon and glass substrates. In this work, a novel strong, resistant fluoropolymer mask is introduced to localize the porous silicon on the silicon wafer. Then, the quality factors and resonant frequencies obtained with the different substrates are presented. A first comparison is done between the performances of inductors integrated on same-thickness localized and full porous silicon sheet layers. The effect of the silicon regions in the decrease of performances of localized porous silicon is discussed. Then, the study shows that the localized porous silicon substrate significantly reduces losses in comparison with high-resistivity silicon or highly doped silicon bulks. These results are promising for the integration of both passive and active devices on the same silicon/porous silicon hybrid substrate. PMID:23009746

  7. Precursor-Based Synthesis of Porous Colloidal Particles towards Highly Efficient Catalysts.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Yun; Geng, Hongbo; Zhang, Yufei; Chen, Libao; Li, Cheng Chao

    2018-04-02

    In recent years, porous colloidal particles have found promising applications in catalytic fields, such as photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, industrial and automotive byproducts removal, as well as biomass upgrading. These applications are critical for alleviating the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Porous colloidal particles have remarkable specific areas and abundant reactive sites, which can significantly improve the mass/charge transport and reaction rate in catalysis. Precursor-based synthesis is among the most facile and widely-adopted methods to achieve monodisperse and homogeneous porous colloidal particles. In the current review, we briefly introduce the general catalytic applications of porous colloidal particles. The conventional precursor-based methods are reviewed to design state-of-the-art porous colloidal particles as highly efficient catalysts. The recent development of porous colloidal particles derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), glycerates, carbonate precursors, and ion exchange methods are reviewed. In the end, the current concerns and future development of porous colloidal particles are outlined. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Porosity and thickness effect of porous silicon layer on photoluminescence spectra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Husairi, F. S.; Eswar, K. A.; Guliling, Muliyadi; Khusaimi, Z.; Rusop, M.; Abdullah, S.

    2018-05-01

    The porous silicon nanostructures was prepared by electrochemical etching of p-type silicon wafer. Porous silicon prepared by using different current density and fix etching time with assistance of halogen lamp. The physical structure of porous silicon measured by the parameters used which know as experimental factor. In this work, we select one of those factors to correlate which optical properties of porous silicon. We investigated the surface morphology by using Surface Profiler (SP) and photoluminescence using Photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer. Different physical characteristics of porous silicon produced when current density varied. Surface profiler used to measure the thickness of porous and the porosity calculated using mass different of silicon. Photoluminescence characteristics of porous silicon depend on their morphology because the size and distribution of pore its self will effect to their exciton energy level. At J=30 mA/cm2 the shorter wavelength produced and it followed the trend of porosity with current density applied.

  9. On oscillating flows in randomly heterogeneous porous media.

    PubMed

    Trefry, M G; McLaughlin, D; Metcalfe, G; Lester, D; Ord, A; Regenauer-Lieb, K; Hobbs, B E

    2010-01-13

    The emergence of structure in reactive geofluid systems is of current interest. In geofluid systems, the fluids are supported by a porous medium whose physical and chemical properties may vary in space and time, sometimes sharply, and which may also evolve in reaction with the local fluids. Geofluids may also experience pressure and temperature conditions within the porous medium that drive their momentum relations beyond the normal Darcy regime. Furthermore, natural geofluid systems may experience forcings that are periodic in nature, or at least episodic. The combination of transient forcing, near-critical fluid dynamics and heterogeneous porous media yields a rich array of emergent geofluid phenomena that are only now beginning to be understood. One of the barriers to forward analysis in these geofluid systems is the problem of data scarcity. It is most often the case that fluid properties are reasonably well known, but that data on porous medium properties are measured with much less precision and spatial density. It is common to seek to perform an estimation of the porous medium properties by an inverse approach, that is, by expressing porous medium properties in terms of observed fluid characteristics. In this paper, we move toward such an inversion for the case of a generalized geofluid momentum equation in the context of time-periodic boundary conditions. We show that the generalized momentum equation results in frequency-domain responses that are governed by a second-order equation which is amenable to numerical solution. A stochastic perturbation approach demonstrates that frequency-domain responses of the fluids migrating in heterogeneous domains have spatial spectral densities that can be expressed in terms of the spectral densities of porous media properties. This journal is © 2010 The Royal Society

  10. Microwave impregnation of porous materials with thermal energy storage materials

    DOEpatents

    Benson, D.K.; Burrows, R.W.

    1993-04-13

    A method for impregnating a porous, non-metallic construction material with a solid phase-change material is described. The phase-change material in finely divided form is spread onto the surface of the porous material, after which the porous material is exposed to microwave energy for a time sufficient to melt the phase-change material. The melted material is spontaneously absorbed into the pores of the porous material. A sealing chemical may also be included with the phase-change material (or applied subsequent to the phase-change material) to seal the surface of the porous material. Fire retardant chemicals may also be included with the phase-change materials. The treated construction materials are better able to absorb thermal energy and exhibit increased heat storage capacity.

  11. Microwave impregnation of porous materials with thermal energy storage materials

    DOEpatents

    Benson, David K.; Burrows, Richard W.

    1993-01-01

    A method for impregnating a porous, non-metallic construction material with a solid phase-change material is described. The phase-change material in finely divided form is spread onto the surface of the porous material, after which the porous material is exposed to microwave energy for a time sufficient to melt the phase-change material. The melted material is spontaneously absorbed into the pores of the porous material. A sealing chemical may also be included with the phase-change material (or applied subsequent to the phase-change material) to seal the surface of the porous material. Fire retardant chemicals may also be included with the phase-change materials. The treated construction materials are better able to absorb thermal energy and exhibit increased heat storage capacity.

  12. Porous plug for Gravity Probe B

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Suwen; Everitt, C. W. Francis; Frank, David J.; Lipa, John A.; Muhlfelder, Barry F.

    2015-11-01

    The confinement of superfluid helium for a Dewar in space poses a unique challenge due to its propensity to minimize thermal gradients by essentially viscous-free counterflow. This poses the risk of losing liquid through a vent pipe, reducing the efficiency of the cooling process. To confine the liquid helium in the Gravity Probe B (GP-B) flight Dewar, a porous plug technique was invented at Stanford University. Here, we review the history of the porous plug and its development, and describe the physics underlying its operation. We summarize a few missions that employed porous plugs, some of which preceded the launch of GP-B. The design, manufacture and flight performance of the GP-B plug are described, and its use resulted in the successful operation of the 2441 l flight Dewar on-orbit for 17.3 months.

  13. Multilayer porous UHMWPE scaffolds for bone defects replacement.

    PubMed

    Maksimkin, A V; Senatov, F S; Anisimova, N Yu; Kiselevskiy, M V; Zalepugin, D Yu; Chernyshova, I V; Tilkunova, N A; Kaloshkin, S D

    2017-04-01

    Reconstruction of the structural integrity of the damaged bone tissue is an urgent problem. UHMWPE may be potentially used for the manufacture of porous implants simulating as closely as possible the porous cancellous bone tissue. But the extremely high molecular weight of the polymer does not allow using traditional methods of foaming. Porous and multilayer UHMWPE scaffolds with nonporous bulk layer and porous layer that mimics cancellous bone architecture were obtained by solid-state mixing, thermopressing and washing in subcritical water. Structural and mechanical properties of the samples were studied. Porous UHMWPE samples were also studied in vitro and in vivo. The pores of UHMWPE scaffold are open and interconnected. Volume porosity of the obtained samples was 79±2%; the pore size range was 80-700μm. Strong connection of the two layers in multilayer UHMWPE scaffolds was observed with decreased number of fusion defects. Functionality of implants based on multilayer UHMWPE scaffolds is provided by the fixation of scaffolds in the bone defect through ingrowths of the connective tissue into the pores, which ensures the maintenance of the animals' mobility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Impact of State Ignition Interlock Laws on Alcohol-Involved Crash Deaths in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Wiebe, Douglas J.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives. To investigate the impact on alcohol-involved crash deaths of universal ignition interlock requirements, which aim to prevent people convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol from driving while intoxicated. Methods. We used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 1999 to 2013. From 2004 to 2013, 18 states made interlocks mandatory for all drunk-driving convictions. We compared alcohol-involved crash deaths between 18 states with and 32 states without universal interlock requirements, accounting for state and year effects, and for clustering within states. Results. Policy impact was apparent 3 years after implementation. The adjusted rate of alcohol-involved crash deaths was 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.0, 5.4) per 100 000 in states with the universal interlock requirement, compared with 5.5 (95% CI = 5.48, 5.53) in states without, an absolute reduction of 0.8 (95% CI = 0.1, 1.5) deaths per 100 000 per year. Conclusions. Requiring ignition interlocks for all drunk-driving convictions was associated with 15% fewer alcohol-involved crash deaths, compared with states with less-stringent requirements. Interlocks are a life-saving technology that merit wider use. PMID:26985604

  15. Compensation strategy to reduce geometry and mechanics mismatches in porous biomaterials built with Selective Laser Melting.

    PubMed

    Bagheri, Zahra S; Melancon, David; Liu, Lu; Johnston, R Burnett; Pasini, Damiano

    2017-06-01

    The accuracy of Additive Manufacturing processes in fabricating porous biomaterials is currently limited by their capacity to render pore morphology that precisely matches its design. In a porous biomaterial, a geometric mismatch can result in pore occlusion and strut thinning, drawbacks that can inherently compromise bone ingrowth and severely impact mechanical performance. This paper focuses on Selective Laser Melting of porous microarchitecture and proposes a compensation scheme that reduces the morphology mismatch between as-designed and as-manufactured geometry, in particular that of the pore. A spider web analog is introduced, built out of Ti-6Al-4V powder via SLM, and morphologically characterized. Results from error analysis of strut thickness are used to generate thickness compensation relations expressed as a function of the angle each strut formed with the build plane. The scheme is applied to fabricate a set of three-dimensional porous biomaterials, which are morphologically and mechanically characterized via micro Computed Tomography, mechanically tested and numerically analyzed. For strut thickness, the results show the largest mismatch (60% from the design) occurring for horizontal members, reduces to 3.1% upon application of the compensation. Similar improvement is observed also for the mechanical properties, a factor that further corroborates the merit of the design-oriented scheme here introduced. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. POROUS PAVEMENT. PHASE I. DESIGN AND OPERATIONAL CRITERIA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Design and operational criteria, utilization concepts, benefits and disadvantages, as well as other characteristics of porous pavements are presented in this report. Particular emphasis is placed on porous asphalt pavements, but the criteria and design approach are applicable to ...

  17. Porous Inorganic Drug Delivery Systems-a Review.

    PubMed

    Sayed, E; Haj-Ahmad, R; Ruparelia, K; Arshad, M S; Chang, M-W; Ahmad, Z

    2017-07-01

    Innovative methods and materials have been developed to overcome limitations associated with current drug delivery systems. Significant developments have led to the use of a variety of materials (as excipients) such as inorganic and metallic structures, marking a transition from conventional polymers. Inorganic materials, especially those possessing significant porosity, are emerging as good candidates for the delivery of a range of drugs (antibiotics, anticancer and anti-inflammatories), providing several advantages in formulation and engineering (encapsulation of drug in amorphous form, controlled delivery and improved targeting). This review focuses on key selected developments in porous drug delivery systems. The review provides a short broad overview of porous polymeric materials for drug delivery before focusing on porous inorganic materials (e.g. Santa Barbara Amorphous (SBA) and Mobil Composition of Matter (MCM)) and their utilisation in drug dosage form development. Methods for their preparation and drug loading thereafter are detailed. Several examples of porous inorganic materials, drugs used and outcomes are discussed providing the reader with an understanding of advances in the field and realistic opportunities.

  18. Porous polymer coatings on metal microneedles for enhanced drug delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ullah, Asad; Kim, Chul Min; Kim, Gyu Man

    2018-04-01

    We present a simple method to coat microneedles (MNs) uniformly with a porous polymer (PLGA) that can deliver drugs at high rates. Stainless steel (SS) MNs of high mechanical strength were coated with a thin porous polymer layer to enhance their delivery rates. Additionally, to improve the interfacial adhesion between the polymer and MNs, the MN surface was modified by plasma treatment followed by dip coating with polyethyleneimine, a polymer with repeating amine units. The average failure load (the minimum force sufficient for detaching the polymer layer from the surface of SS) recorded for the modified surface coating was 25 N, whereas it was 2.2 N for the non-modified surface. Calcein dye was successfully delivered into porcine skin to a depth of 750 µm by the porous polymer-coated MNs, demonstrating that the developed MNs can pierce skin easily without deformation of MNs; additional skin penetration tests confirmed this finding. For visual comparison, rhodamine B dye was delivered using porous-coated and non-coated MNs in gelatin gel which showed that delivery with porous-coated MNs penetrate deeper when compared with non-coated MNs. Finally, lidocaine and rhodamine B dye were delivered in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) medium by porous polymer-coated and non-coated MNs. For rhodamine B, drug delivery with the porous-coated MNs was five times higher than that with the non-coated MNs, whereas 25 times more lidocaine was delivered by the porous-coated MNs compared with the non-coated MNs.

  19. 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.

  20. Modelling Cerebral Blood Flow and Temperature Using a Vascular Porous Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blowers, Stephen; Thrippleton, Michael; Marshall, Ian; Harris, Bridget; Andrews, Peter; Valluri, Prashant

    2016-11-01

    Macro-modelling of cerebral blood flow can assist in determining the impact of temperature intervention to reduce permanent tissue damage during instances of brain trauma. Here we present a 3D two phase fluid-porous model for simulating blood flow through the capillary region linked to intersecting 1D arterial and venous vessel trees. This combined vasculature porous (VaPor) model simulates both flow and energy balances, including heat from metabolism, using a vasculature extracted from MRI data which are expanded upon using a tree generation algorithm. Validation of temperature balance has been achieved using rodent brain data. Direct flow validation is not as straight forward due to the method used in determining regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). In-vivo measurements are achieved using a tracer, which disagree with direct measurements of simulated flow. However, by modelling a virtual tracer, rCBF values are obtained that agree with those found in literature. Temperature profiles generated with the VaPor model show a reduction in core brain temperature after cooling the scalp not seen previously in other models.

  1. Impact on Comets and Asteroids

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    OKeefe, John D.; Stewart, Sarah T.; Ahrens, Thomas J.

    2001-01-01

    We characterized the impact physics in collisions on porous bodies by various density projectiles and defined different penetration modes (compression, spreading, or breakup) based on transitions between instability regimes. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  2. Porous liquids: A promising class of media for gas separation

    DOE PAGES

    Zhang, Jinshui; Chai, Song -Hai; Qiao, Zhen -An; ...

    2014-11-17

    In porous liquids with empty cavities we successfully has been successfully fabricated by surface engineering of hollow structures with suitable corona and canopy species. By taking advantage of the liquid-like polymeric matrices as a separation medium and the empty cavities as gas transport pathway, this unique porous liquid can function as a promising candidate for gas separation. A facile synthetic strategy can be further extended to other types of nanostructure-based porous liquid fabrication, opening up new opportunities for preparation of porous liquids with attractive properties for specific tasks.

  3. Reactive solute transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous porous media with multimodal reactive mineral facies: the Lagrangian approach.

    PubMed

    Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert W; Dai, Zhenxue; Huang, Chao Cheng

    2015-03-01

    Physical and chemical heterogeneities have a large impact on reactive transport in porous media. Examples of heterogeneous attributes affecting reactive mass transport are the hydraulic conductivity (K), and the equilibrium sorption distribution coefficient (Kd). This paper uses the Deng et al. (2013) conceptual model for multimodal reactive mineral facies and a Lagrangian-based stochastic theory in order to analyze the reactive solute dispersion in three-dimensional anisotropic heterogeneous porous media with hierarchical organization of reactive minerals. An example based on real field data is used to illustrate the time evolution trends of reactive solute dispersion. The results show that the correlation between the hydraulic conductivity and the equilibrium sorption distribution coefficient does have a significant effect on reactive solute dispersion. The anisotropy ratio does not have a significant effect on reactive solute dispersion. Furthermore, through a sensitivity analysis we investigate the impact of changing the mean, variance, and integral scale of K and Kd on reactive solute dispersion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Permeability of compacting porous lavas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ashwell, P. A.; Kendrick, J. E.; Lavallée, Y.; Kennedy, B. M.; Hess, K.-U.; von Aulock, F. W.; Wadsworth, F. B.; Vasseur, J.; Dingwell, D. B.

    2015-03-01

    The highly transient nature of outgassing commonly observed at volcanoes is in part controlled by the permeability of lava domes and shallow conduits. Lava domes generally consist of a porous outer carapace surrounding a denser lava core with internal shear zones of variable porosity. Here we examine densification using uniaxial compression experiments on variably crystalline and porous rhyolitic dome lavas from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Experiments were conducted at 900°C and an applied stress of 3 MPa to 60% strain, while monitoring acoustic emissions to track cracking. The evolution of the porous network was assessed via X-ray computed tomography, He-pycnometry, and relative gas permeability. High starting connected porosities led to low apparent viscosities and high strain rates, initially accompanied by abundant acoustic emissions. As compaction ensued, the lavas evolved; apparent viscosity increased and strain rate decreased due to strain hardening of the suspensions. Permeability fluctuations resulted from the interplay between viscous flow and brittle failure. Where phenocrysts were abundant, cracks had limited spatial extent, and pore closure decreased axial and radial permeability proportionally, maintaining the initial anisotropy. In crystal-poor lavas, axial cracks had a more profound effect, and permeability anisotropy switched to favor axial flow. Irrespective of porosity, both crystalline samples compacted to a threshold minimum porosity of 17-19%, whereas the crystal-poor sample did not achieve its compaction limit. This indicates that unconfined loading of porous dome lavas does not necessarily form an impermeable plug and may be hindered, in part by the presence of crystals.

  5. Investigating the Influence of the Initial Biomass Distribution and Injection Strategies on Biofilm-Mediated Calcite Precipitation in Porous Media

    DOE PAGES

    Hommel, Johannes; Lauchnor, Ellen; Gerlach, Robin; ...

    2015-12-16

    Attachment of bacteria in porous media is a complex mixture of processes resulting in the transfer and immobilization of suspended cells onto a solid surface within the porous medium. However, quantifying the rate of attachment is difficult due to the many simultaneous processes possibly involved in attachment, including straining, sorption, and sedimentation, and the difficulties in measuring metabolically active cells attached to porous media. Preliminary experiments confirmed the difficulty associated with measuring active Sporosarcina pasteurii cells attached to porous media. However, attachment is a key process in applications of biofilm-mediated reactions in the subsurface such as microbially induced calcite precipitation.more » Independent of the exact processes involved, attachment determines both the distribution and the initial amount of attached biomass and as such the initial reaction rate. As direct experimental investigations are difficult, this study is limited to a numerical investigation of the effect of various initial biomass distributions and initial amounts of attached biomass. This is performed for various injection strategies, changing the injection rate as well as alternating between continuous and pulsed injections. The results of this study indicate that, for the selected scenarios, both the initial amount and the distribution of attached biomass have minor influence on the Ca 2+ precipitation efficiency as well as the distribution of the precipitates compared to the influence of the injection strategy. The influence of the initial biomass distribution on the resulting final distribution of the precipitated calcite is limited, except for the continuous injection at intermediate injection rate. But even for this injection strategy, the Ca 2+ precipitation efficiency shows no significant dependence on the initial biomass distribution.« less

  6. Investigating the Influence of the Initial Biomass Distribution and Injection Strategies on Biofilm-Mediated Calcite Precipitation in Porous Media

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

    Hommel, Johannes; Lauchnor, Ellen; Gerlach, Robin

    Attachment of bacteria in porous media is a complex mixture of processes resulting in the transfer and immobilization of suspended cells onto a solid surface within the porous medium. However, quantifying the rate of attachment is difficult due to the many simultaneous processes possibly involved in attachment, including straining, sorption, and sedimentation, and the difficulties in measuring metabolically active cells attached to porous media. Preliminary experiments confirmed the difficulty associated with measuring active Sporosarcina pasteurii cells attached to porous media. However, attachment is a key process in applications of biofilm-mediated reactions in the subsurface such as microbially induced calcite precipitation.more » Independent of the exact processes involved, attachment determines both the distribution and the initial amount of attached biomass and as such the initial reaction rate. As direct experimental investigations are difficult, this study is limited to a numerical investigation of the effect of various initial biomass distributions and initial amounts of attached biomass. This is performed for various injection strategies, changing the injection rate as well as alternating between continuous and pulsed injections. The results of this study indicate that, for the selected scenarios, both the initial amount and the distribution of attached biomass have minor influence on the Ca 2+ precipitation efficiency as well as the distribution of the precipitates compared to the influence of the injection strategy. The influence of the initial biomass distribution on the resulting final distribution of the precipitated calcite is limited, except for the continuous injection at intermediate injection rate. But even for this injection strategy, the Ca 2+ precipitation efficiency shows no significant dependence on the initial biomass distribution.« less

  7. Modeling the Impact of Deformation on Unstable Miscible Displacements in Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santillán, D.; Cueto-Felgueroso, L.

    2014-12-01

    Coupled flow and geomechanics is a critical research challenge in engineering and the geosciences. The simultaneous flow of two or more fluids with different densities or viscosities through deformable media is ubiquitous in environmental, industrial, and biological processes, including the removal of non-aqueous phase liquids from underground water bodies, the geological storage of CO2, and current challenges in energy technologies, such as enhanced geothermal systems, unconventional hydrocarbon resources or enhanced oil recovery techniques. Using numerical simulation, we study the interplay between viscous-driven flow instabilities (viscous fingering) and rock mechanics, and elucidate the structure of the displacement patterns as a function of viscosity contrast, injection rate and rock mechanical properties. Finally, we discuss the role of medium deformation on transport and mixing processes in porous media.

  8. A Semi-implicit Treatment of Porous Media in Steady-State CFD.

    PubMed

    Domaingo, Andreas; Langmayr, Daniel; Somogyi, Bence; Almbauer, Raimund

    There are many situations in computational fluid dynamics which require the definition of source terms in the Navier-Stokes equations. These source terms not only allow to model the physics of interest but also have a strong impact on the reliability, stability, and convergence of the numerics involved. Therefore, sophisticated numerical approaches exist for the description of such source terms. In this paper, we focus on the source terms present in the Navier-Stokes or Euler equations due to porous media-in particular the Darcy-Forchheimer equation. We introduce a method for the numerical treatment of the source term which is independent of the spatial discretization and based on linearization. In this description, the source term is treated in a fully implicit way whereas the other flow variables can be computed in an implicit or explicit manner. This leads to a more robust description in comparison with a fully explicit approach. The method is well suited to be combined with coarse-grid-CFD on Cartesian grids, which makes it especially favorable for accelerated solution of coupled 1D-3D problems. To demonstrate the applicability and robustness of the proposed method, a proof-of-concept example in 1D, as well as more complex examples in 2D and 3D, is presented.

  9. Mapping the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care research: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Brett, Jo; Staniszewska, Sophie; Mockford, Carole; Herron-Marx, Sandra; Hughes, John; Tysall, Colin; Suleman, Rashida

    2014-10-01

    There is an increasing international interest in patient and public involvement (PPI) in research, yet relatively little robust evidence exists about its impact on health and social care research. To identify the impact of patient and public involvement on health and social care research. A systematic search of electronic databases and health libraries was undertaken from 1995 to 2009. Data were extracted and quality assessed utilizing the guidelines of the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination 2009 and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Grey literature was assessed using the Dixon-Woods et al. (2005) checklist. All study types that reported the impact PPI had on the health and/or social care research study. A total of 66 studies reporting the impact of PPI on health and social care research were included. The positive impacts identified enhanced the quality and appropriateness of research. Impacts were reported for all stages of research, including the development of user-focused research objectives, development of user-relevant research questions, development of user-friendly information, questionnaires and interview schedules, more appropriate recruitment strategies for studies, consumer-focused interpretation of data and enhanced implementation and dissemination of study results. Some challenging impacts were also identified. This study provides the first international evidence of PPI impact that has emerged at all key stages of the research process. However, much of the evidence base concerning impact remains weak and needs significant enhancement in the next decade. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. From red cells to soft porous lubrication.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Qianhong; Zhu, Zenghao; Nathan, Rungun

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, we report a novel experimental study to examine the lubrication theory for highly compressible porous media (Feng & Weinbaum, JFM, 422, 282, 2000), which was applied to the frictionless motion of red cells over the endothelial surface layer (ESL). The experimental setup consists of a running conveyer belt covered with a porous sheet, and an upper planar board, i.e. planing surface. The pore pressure generation was captured when the planing surface glides over the porous sheet. If the lateral leakage was eliminated, we found that the overall pore pressure's contribution to the total lift, fair 80%, and the friction coefficient η = 0.0981, when U =5 m/s, L =0.381 m, λ = h2/h0 = 1 and k =h2/h1 = 3, where U is the velocity of the conveyor belt; L is the planing surface length; h0, h1 and h2 are the undeformed, leading and trailing edge porous layer thickness, respectively. fair increases with the increase in U, λ and L, while decreases with the increase in k. η decreases with the increase in fair. If lateral pressure leakage exists, the pore pressure generation is reduced by nearly 90%. All the results agreed well with the theoretical predictions. The study here lays the foundation for applying soft porous media for new type of bearing with significantly reduced friction. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF CBET) under Award No. 1511096.

  11. Porous Core-Shell Nanostructures for Catalytic Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ewers, Trevor David

    Porous core-shell nanostructures have recently received much attention for their enhanced thermal stability. They show great potential in the field of catalysis, as reactant gases can diffuse in and out of the porous shell while the core particle is protected from sintering, a process in which particles coalesce to form larger particles. Sintering is a large problem in industry and is the primary cause of irreversible deactivation. Despite the obvious advantages of high thermal stability, porous core-shell nanoparticles can be developed to have additional interactive properties from the combination of the core and shell together, rather than just the core particle alone. This dissertation focuses on developing new porous core-shell systems in which both the core and shell take part in catalysis. Two types of systems are explored; (1) yolk-shell nanostructures with reducible oxide shells formed using the Kirkendall effect and (2) ceramic-based porous oxide shells formed using sol-gel chemistry. Of the Kirkendall-based systems, Au FexOy and Cu CoO were synthesized and studied for catalytic applications. Additionally, ZnO was explored as a potential shelling material. Sol-gel work focused on optimizing synthetic methods to allow for coating of small gold particles, which remains a challenge today. Mixed metal oxides were explored as a shelling material to make dual catalysts in which the product of a reaction on the core particle becomes a reactant within the shell.

  12. An analysis of electrical conductivity model in saturated porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, J.; Wei, W.; Qin, X.; Hu, X.

    2017-12-01

    Electrical conductivity of saturated porous media has numerous applications in many fields. In recent years, the number of theoretical methods to model electrical conductivity of complex porous media has dramatically increased. Nevertheless, the process of modeling the spatial conductivity distributed function continues to present challenges when these models used in reservoirs, particularly in porous media with strongly heterogeneous pore-space distributions. Many experiments show a more complex distribution of electrical conductivity data than the predictions derived from the experiential model. Studies have observed anomalously-high electrical conductivity of some low-porosity (tight) formations compared to more- porous reservoir rocks, which indicates current flow in porous media is complex and difficult to predict. Moreover, the change of electrical conductivity depends not only on the pore volume fraction but also on several geometric properties of the more extensive pore network, including pore interconnection and tortuosity. In our understanding of electrical conductivity models in porous media, we study the applicability of several well-known methods/theories to electrical characteristics of porous rocks as a function of pore volume, tortuosity and interconnection, to estimate electrical conductivity based on the micro-geometrical properties of rocks. We analyze the state of the art of scientific knowledge and practice for modeling porous structural systems, with the purpose of identifying current limitations and defining a blueprint for future modeling advances. We compare conceptual descriptions of electrical current flow processes in pore space considering several distinct modeling approaches. Approaches to obtaining more reasonable electrical conductivity models are discussed. Experiments suggest more complex relationships between electrical conductivity and porosity than experiential models, particularly in low-porosity formations. However, the

  13. Nonequilibrium capillarity effects in multiphase flow through small volume fractured porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, M.; Zhan, H.; Lu, S.

    2017-12-01

    Analyzing and understanding the capillary pressure curves in fractured porous media is a crucial subject in a number of industrial applications, such as crude oil recovery in the fractured reservoir, CO2 sequestration in fractured brine aquifers and shale gas development. Many studies have observed the significant nonequilibrium capillarity effects in multiphase flow through porous media and proposed that conventional equilibrium capillary pressure may not accurately describe transient two-phase flow behavior under dynamical conditions. To date, only several laboratory experiments and numerical models have been conducted into investigating the characteristic of nonequilibrium capillary pressure in unfractured porous media, a clear picture of the effects of fractures on the dynamic capillary pressure in fractured porous media remains elusive. In this study, four digital porous models were built based on CT image data from ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa CT scanning, a series of direct simulations of multiphase flow in fractured porous media were carried out based on lattice Boltzmann method and three-dimensional porous models. The results show that both the aperture and orientation of the fractures have significant effects on the nonequilibrium capillary pressure coefficients and multiphase flow behaviors. The nonequilibrium capillary pressure coefficients in fractured porous media are one to two orders of magnitude lower than unfractured porous media. This study presents a new direct simulation based methodology for the detailed analysis of nonequilibrium capillary pressure in fractured porous media.

  14. Highly effective ammonia removal in a series of Brønsted acidic porous polymers: investigation of chemical and structural variations

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

    Barin, Gokhan; Peterson, Gregory W.; Crocellà, Valentina

    Efficient removal of ammonia from air is demonstrated in a series of Brønsted acidic porous polymers under dry and humid conditions. The impact of acidic group strength and their spatial distribution on the ammonia uptake is investigated systematically.

  15. Highly effective ammonia removal in a series of Brønsted acidic porous polymers: investigation of chemical and structural variations

    DOE PAGES

    Barin, Gokhan; Peterson, Gregory W.; Crocella, Valentina; ...

    2017-04-27

    Efficient removal of ammonia from air is demonstrated in a series of Brønsted acidic porous polymers under dry and humid conditions. The impact of acidic group strength and their spatial distribution on the ammonia uptake is investigated systematically.

  16. Porous silicon in drug delivery devices and materials☆

    PubMed Central

    Anglin, Emily J.; Cheng, Lingyun; Freeman, William R.; Sailor, Michael J.

    2009-01-01

    Porous Si exhibits a number of properties that make it an attractive material for controlled drug delivery applications: The electrochemical synthesis allows construction of tailored pore sizes and volumes that are controllable from the scale of microns to nanometers; a number of convenient chemistries exist for the modification of porous Si surfaces that can be used to control the amount, identity, and in vivo release rate of drug payloads and the resorption rate of the porous host matrix; the material can be used as a template for organic and biopolymers, to prepare composites with a designed nanostructure; and finally, the optical properties of photonic structures prepared from this material provide a self-reporting feature that can be monitored in vivo. This paper reviews the preparation, chemistry, and properties of electrochemically prepared porous Si or SiO2 hosts relevant to drug delivery applications. PMID:18508154

  17. Large-scale model of flow in heterogeneous and hierarchical porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chabanon, Morgan; Valdés-Parada, Francisco J.; Ochoa-Tapia, J. Alberto; Goyeau, Benoît

    2017-11-01

    Heterogeneous porous structures are very often encountered in natural environments, bioremediation processes among many others. Reliable models for momentum transport are crucial whenever mass transport or convective heat occurs in these systems. In this work, we derive a large-scale average model for incompressible single-phase flow in heterogeneous and hierarchical soil porous media composed of two distinct porous regions embedding a solid impermeable structure. The model, based on the local mechanical equilibrium assumption between the porous regions, results in a unique momentum transport equation where the global effective permeability naturally depends on the permeabilities at the intermediate mesoscopic scales and therefore includes the complex hierarchical structure of the soil. The associated closure problem is numerically solved for various configurations and properties of the heterogeneous medium. The results clearly show that the effective permeability increases with the volume fraction of the most permeable porous region. It is also shown that the effective permeability is sensitive to the dimensionality spatial arrangement of the porous regions and in particular depends on the contact between the impermeable solid and the two porous regions.

  18. Porous polymeric materials for hydrogen storage

    DOEpatents

    Yu, Luping; Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Yang, Junbing

    2013-04-02

    A porous polymer, poly-9,9'-spirobifluorene and its derivatives for storage of H.sub.2 are prepared through a chemical synthesis method. The porous polymers have high specific surface area and narrow pore size distribution. Hydrogen uptake measurements conducted for these polymers determined a higher hydrogen storage capacity at the ambient temperature over that of the benchmark materials. The method of preparing such polymers, includes oxidatively activating solids by CO.sub.2/steam oxidation and supercritical water treatment.

  19. Porous metallic bodies

    DOEpatents

    Landingham, R.L.

    1984-03-13

    Porous metallic bodies having a substantially uniform pore size of less than about 200 microns and a density of less than about 25 percent theoretical, as well as the method for making them, are disclosed. Group IIA, IIIB, IVB, VB, and rare earth metal hydrides a

  20. 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.

  1. Porous metallic bodies

    DOEpatents

    Landingham, Richard L.

    1985-01-01

    Porous metallic bodies having a substantially uniform pore size of less than about 200 microns and a density of less than about 25 percent theoretical, as well as the method for making them, are disclosed. Group IIA, IIIB, IVB, VB, and rare earth metal hydrides are heated in a confining container at a controlled rate to a temperature of about greater than the temperature at which the hydride decomposes. Hydrogen is removed from the container and the remaining metal is heated during a second stage to a temperature greater than the temperature at which it was previously heated but not greater than the temperature of 1/2 to 2/3 the temperature at which the metal melts at a controlled rate. The resulting porous metallic body produced has a density less than about 25 percent theoretical and a pore size of less than about 200 microns. The metallic particles of the present invention have high inner surface area and possess minimum resistance to gas flow.

  2. Porous silicon advances in drug delivery and immunotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Savage, D; Liu, X; Curley, S; Ferrari, M; Serda, RE

    2013-01-01

    Biomedical applications of porous silicon include drug delivery, imaging, diagnostics and immunotherapy. This review summarizes new silicon particle fabrication techniques, dynamics of cellular transport, advances in the multistage vector approach to drug delivery, and the use of porous silicon as immune adjuvants. Recent findings support superior therapeutic efficacy of the multistage vector approach over single particle drug delivery systems in mouse models of ovarian and breast cancer. With respect to vaccine development, multivalent presentation of pathogen-associated molecular patterns on the particle surface creates powerful platforms for immunotherapy, with the porous matrix able to carry both antigens and immune modulators. PMID:23845260

  3. Gas permeability of ice-templated, unidirectional porous ceramics.

    PubMed

    Seuba, Jordi; Deville, Sylvain; Guizard, Christian; Stevenson, Adam J

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the gas flow behavior of unidirectional porous ceramics processed by ice-templating. The pore volume ranged between 54% and 72% and pore size between 2.9 [Formula: see text]m and 19.1 [Formula: see text]m. The maximum permeability ([Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] m[Formula: see text]) was measured in samples with the highest total pore volume (72%) and pore size (19.1 [Formula: see text]m). However, we demonstrate that it is possible to achieve a similar permeability ([Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] m[Formula: see text]) at 54% pore volume by modification of the pore shape. These results were compared with those reported and measured for isotropic porous materials processed by conventional techniques. In unidirectional porous materials tortuosity ([Formula: see text]) is mainly controlled by pore size, unlike in isotropic porous structures where [Formula: see text] is linked to pore volume. Furthermore, we assessed the applicability of Ergun and capillary model in the prediction of permeability and we found that the capillary model accurately describes the gas flow behavior of unidirectional porous materials. Finally, we combined the permeability data obtained here with strength data for these materials to establish links between strength and permeability of ice-templated materials.

  4. Diffusion and decay chain of radioisotopes in stagnant water in saturated porous media.

    PubMed

    Guzmán, Juan; Alvarez-Ramirez, Jose; Escarela-Pérez, Rafael; Vargas, Raúl Alejandro

    2014-09-01

    The analysis of the diffusion of radioisotopes in stagnant water in saturated porous media is important to validate the performance of barrier systems used in radioactive repositories. In this work a methodology is developed to determine the radioisotope concentration in a two-reservoir configuration: a saturated porous medium with stagnant water is surrounded by two reservoirs. The concentrations are obtained for all the radioisotopes of the decay chain using the concept of overvalued concentration. A methodology, based on the variable separation method, is proposed for the solution of the transport equation. The novelty of the proposed methodology involves the factorization of the overvalued concentration in two factors: one that describes the diffusion without decay and another one that describes the decay without diffusion. It is possible with the proposed methodology to determine the required time to obtain equal injective and diffusive concentrations in reservoirs. In fact, this time is inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient. In addition, the proposed methodology allows finding the required time to get a linear and constant space distribution of the concentration in porous mediums. This time is inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient. In order to validate the proposed methodology, the distributions in the radioisotope concentrations are compared with other experimental and numerical works. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Porous Materials from Thermally Activated Kaolinite: Preparation, Characterization and Application

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Jun; Jiang, Tao; Li, Guanghui; Peng, Zhiwei; Rao, Mingjun; Zhang, Yuanbo

    2017-01-01

    In the present study, porous alumina/silica materials were prepared by selective leaching of silicon/aluminum constituents from thermal-activated kaolinite in inorganic acid or alkali liquor. The correlations between the characteristics of the prepared porous materials and the dissolution properties of activated kaolinite were also investigated. The results show that the specific surface area (SSA) of porous alumina/silica increases with silica/alumina dissolution, but without marked change of the BJH pore size. Furthermore, change in pore volume is more dependent on activation temperature. The porous alumina and silica obtained from alkali leaching of kaolinite activated at 1150 °C for 15 min and acid leaching of kaolinite activated at 850 °C for 15 min are mesoporous, with SSAs, BJH pore sizes and pore volumes of 55.8 m2/g and 280.3 m2/g, 6.06 nm and 3.06 nm, 0.1455 mL/g and 0.1945 mL/g, respectively. According to the adsorption tests, porous alumina has superior adsorption capacities for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ compared with porous silica and activated carbon. The maximum capacities of porous alumina for Cu2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ are 134 mg/g, 183 mg/g and 195 mg/g, respectively, at 30 °C. PMID:28773002

  6. Characterization of Porous, Dexamethasone-Releasing Polyurethane Coatings for Glucose Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Vallejo-Heligon, Suzana G.; Klitzman, Bruce; Reichert, William M.

    2014-01-01

    Commercially available implantable needle-type glucose sensors for diabetes management are robust analytically but can be unreliable clinically primarily due to tissue-sensor interactions. Here, we present the physical, drug release, and bioactivity characterization of tubular, porous dexamethasone (Dex) releasing polyurethane coatings designed to attenuate local inflammation in the tissue-sensor interface. Porous polyurethane coatings were produced by the salt-leaching/gas-foaming method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT) showed a controlled porosity and coating thickness. In vitro drug release from coatings monitored over two weeks presented an initial fast release followed by a slower release. Total release from coatings was highly dependent on initial drug loading amount. Functional in vitro testing of glucose sensors deployed with porous coatings against glucose standards demonstrated that highly porous coatings minimally affected signal strength and response rate. Bioactivity of the released drug was determined by monitoring Dex-mediated, dose-dependent apoptosis of human peripheral blood derived monocytes in culture. Acute animal studies were used to determine the appropriate Dex payload for the implanted porous coatings. Pilot short-term animal studies showed that Dex released from porous coatings implanted in rat subcutis attenuated the initial inflammatory response to sensor implantation. These results suggest that deploying sensors with the porous, Dex-releasing coatings is a promising strategy to improve glucose sensor performance. PMID:25065548

  7. Porous metallosilicates for heterogeneous, liquid-phase catalysis: perspectives and pertaining challenges

    PubMed Central

    Padovan, Daniele; Tarantino, Giulia

    2018-01-01

    Porous silicates containing dilute amounts of tri-, tetra- and penta-valent metal sites, such as TS-1, Sn-β and Fe-ZSM-5, have recently emerged as state of the art catalysts for a variety of sustainable chemical transformations. In contrast with their aluminosilicate cousins, which are widely employed throughout the refinery industry for gas-phase catalytic transformations, such metallosilicates have exhibited unprecedented levels of performance for a variety of liquid-phase catalytic processes, including the conversion of biomass to chemicals, and sustainable oxidation technologies with H2O2. However, despite their unique levels of performance for these new types of chemical transformations, increased utilization of these promising materials is complicated by several factors. For example, their utilization in a liquid, and often polar, medium hinders process intensification (scale-up, catalyst deactivation). Moreover, such materials do not generally exhibit the active-site homogeneity of conventional aluminosilicates, and they typically possess a wide variety of active-site ensembles, only some of which may be directly involved in the catalytic chemistry of interest. Consequently, mechanistic understanding of these catalysts remains relatively low, and competitive reactions are commonly observed. Accordingly, unified approaches towards developing more active, selective and stable porous metallosilicates have not yet been achieved. Drawing on some of the most recent literature in the field, the purpose of this mini review is both to highlight the breakthroughs made with regard to the use of porous metallosilicates as heterogeneous catalysts for liquid-phase processing, and to highlight the pertaining challenges that we, and others, aim to overcome during the forthcoming years. PMID:29515849

  8. Porous metallosilicates for heterogeneous, liquid-phase catalysis: perspectives and pertaining challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hammond, Ceri; Padovan, Daniele; Tarantino, Giulia

    2018-02-01

    Porous silicates containing dilute amounts of tri-, tetra- and penta-valent metal sites, such as TS-1, Sn-β and Fe-ZSM-5, have recently emerged as state of the art catalysts for a variety of sustainable chemical transformations. In contrast with their aluminosilicate cousins, which are widely employed throughout the refinery industry for gas-phase catalytic transformations, such metallosilicates have exhibited unprecedented levels of performance for a variety of liquid-phase catalytic processes, including the conversion of biomass to chemicals, and sustainable oxidation technologies with H2O2. However, despite their unique levels of performance for these new types of chemical transformations, increased utilization of these promising materials is complicated by several factors. For example, their utilization in a liquid, and often polar, medium hinders process intensification (scale-up, catalyst deactivation). Moreover, such materials do not generally exhibit the active-site homogeneity of conventional aluminosilicates, and they typically possess a wide variety of active-site ensembles, only some of which may be directly involved in the catalytic chemistry of interest. Consequently, mechanistic understanding of these catalysts remains relatively low, and competitive reactions are commonly observed. Accordingly, unified approaches towards developing more active, selective and stable porous metallosilicates have not yet been achieved. Drawing on some of the most recent literature in the field, the purpose of this mini review is both to highlight the breakthroughs made with regard to the use of porous metallosilicates as heterogeneous catalysts for liquid-phase processing, and to highlight the pertaining challenges that we, and others, aim to overcome during the forthcoming years.

  9. Porous tube plant nutrient delivery system development: A device for nutrient delivery in microgravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dreschel, T. W.; Brown, C. S.; Piastuch, W. C.; Hinkle, C. R.; Knott, W. M.

    1994-01-01

    The Porous Tube Plant Nutrient Delivery Systems or PTPNDS (U.S. Patent #4,926,585) has been under development for the past six years with the goal of providing a means for culturing plants in microgravity, specifically providing water and nutrients to the roots. Direct applications of the PTPNDS include plant space biology investigations on the Space Shuttle and plant research for life support in the Space Station Freedom. In the past, we investigated various configurations, the suitability of different porous materials, and the effects of pressure and pore size on plant growth. Current work is focused on characterizing the physical operation of the system, examining the effects of solution aeration, and developing prototype configurations for the Plant Growth Unit (PGU), the flight system for the Shuttle mid-deck. Future developments will involve testing on KC-135 parabolic flights, the design of flight hardware and testing aboard the Space Shuttle.

  10. Porous polymeric materials for hydrogen storage

    DOEpatents

    Yu, Luping [Hoffman Estates, IL; Liu, Di-Jia [Naperville, IL; Yuan, Shengwen [Chicago, IL; Yang, Junbing [Westmont, IL

    2011-12-13

    Porous polymers, tribenzohexazatriphenylene, poly-9,9'-spirobifluorene, poly-tetraphenyl methane and their derivatives for storage of H.sub.2 prepared through a chemical synthesis method. The porous polymers have high specific surface area and narrow pore size distribution. Hydrogen uptake measurements conducted for these polymers determined a higher hydrogen storage capacity at the ambient temperature over that of the benchmark materials. The method of preparing such polymers, includes oxidatively activating solids by CO.sub.2/steam oxidation and supercritical water treatment.

  11. Quasi-Porous Plug With Vortex Chamber

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walsh, J. V.

    1985-01-01

    Pressure-letdown valve combines quasi-porous-plug and vortex-chamber in one controllable unit. Valve useful in fossil-energy plants for reducing pressures in such erosive two-phase process streams as steam/water, coal slurries, or combustion gases with entrained particles. Quasi-Porous Plug consists of plenums separated by perforated plates. Number or size of perforations increases with each succeeding stage to compensate for expansion. In Vortex Chamber, control flow varies to control swirl and therefore difference between inlet and outlet pressures.

  12. Natural Convection in Enclosed Porous or Fluid Media

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saatdjian, Esteban; Lesage, François; Mota, José Paulo B.

    2014-01-01

    In Saatdjian, E., Lesage, F., and Mota, J.P.B, "Transport Phenomena Projects: A Method to Learn and to Innovate, Natural Convection Between Porous, Horizontal Cylinders," "Chemical Engineering Education," 47(1), 59-64, (2013), the numerical solution of natural convection between two porous, concentric, impermeable cylinders was…

  13. Small-scale, self-propagating combustion realized with on-chip porous silicon.

    PubMed

    Piekiel, Nicholas W; Morris, Christopher J

    2015-05-13

    For small-scale energy applications, energetic materials represent a high energy density source that, in certain cases, can be accessed with a very small amount of energy input. Recent advances in microprocessing techniques allow for the implementation of a porous silicon energetic material onto a crystalline silicon wafer at the microscale; however, combustion at a small length scale remains to be fully investigated, particularly with regards to the limitations of increased relative heat loss during combustion. The present study explores the critical dimensions of an on-chip porous silicon energetic material (porous silicon + sodium perchlorate (NaClO4)) required to propagate combustion. We etched ∼97 μm wide and ∼45 μm deep porous silicon channels that burned at a steady rate of 4.6 m/s, remaining steady across 90° changes in direction. In an effort to minimize the potential on-chip footprint for energetic porous silicon, we also explored the minimum spacing between porous silicon channels. We demonstrated independent burning of porous silicon channels at a spacing of <40 μm. Using this spacing, it was possible to have a flame path length of >0.5 m on a chip surface area of 1.65 cm(2). Smaller porous silicon channels of ∼28 μm wide and ∼14 μm deep were also utilized. These samples propagated combustion, but at times, did so unsteadily. This result may suggest that we are approaching a critical length scale for self-propagating combustion in a porous silicon energetic material.

  14. Chemical Sintering Generates Uniform Porous Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels

    PubMed Central

    Cam, Cynthia; Segura, Tatiana

    2014-01-01

    Implantation of scaffolds for tissue repair has been met with limited success primarily due to the inability to achieve vascularization within the construct. Many strategies have shifted to incorporate pores into these scaffolds to encourage rapid cellular infiltration and subsequent vascular ingrowth. We utilized an efficient chemical sintering technique to create a uniform network of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microspheres for porous hyaluronic acid hydrogel formation. The porous hydrogels generated from chemical sintering possessed comparable pore uniformity and interconnectivity as the commonly used non- and heat sintering techniques. Moreover, similar cell response to the porous hydrogels generated from each sintering approach was observed in cell viability, spreading, proliferation in vitro, as well as, cellular invasion in vivo. We propose chemical sintering of PMMA microspheres using a dilute acetone solution as an alternative method to generating porous hyaluronic acid hydrogels since it requires equal or ten-fold less processing time as the currently used non-sintering or heat sintering technique, respectively. PMID:24120847

  15. Modelling of Imbibition Phenomena in Fluid Flow through Heterogeneous Inclined Porous Media with different porous materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Patel, Hardik S.; Meher, Ramakanta

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, the counter - current imbibition phenomenon is discussed in an inclined heterogeneous porous media with the consideration of two types of porous materials like volcanic sand and fine sand. Adomian decomposition method is applied to find the saturation of wetting phase and the recovery rate of the reservoir. Finally, a simulation result is developed to study the saturation of wetting phase and the optimum recovery rate of reservoir with the choices of some interesting parametric values. This problem has a great importance in the field of oil recovery process.

  16. Biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbons with tailored hierarchical porosity and high specific surface area for high energy and power density supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Junting; Niu, Jin; Liu, Mengyue; Ji, Jing; Dou, Meiling; Wang, Feng

    2018-01-01

    Porous carbon materials with hierarchical structures attract intense interest for the development of high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, we demonstrate a facile and efficient strategy to synthesize nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbons with tailored porous structure combined with high specific surface area (SSA), which involves a pre-carbonization and a subsequent carbonization combined with KOH activation of silkworm cocoon precursors. Through adjusting the mass ratio of the activator (KOH) to pre-carbonized precursor in the activation process, the hierarchically porous carbon prepared at the mass ratio of 2 (referred to as NHPC-2) possesses a high defect density and a high SSA of 3386 m2 g-1 as well as the relatively high volumetric proportion of mesopores and macropores (45.5%). As a result, the energy density and power density of the symmetric supercapacitor based on NHPC-2 electrode are as high as 34.41 Wh kg-1 and 31.25 kW kg-1 in organic-solvent electrolyte, and are further improved to 112.1 Wh kg-1 and 23.91 kW kg-1 in ionic-liquid electrolyte.

  17. Transport, retention, and size perturbation of graphene oxide in saturated porous media: Effects of input concentration and grain size

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Accurately predicting the fate and transport of graphene oxide (GO) in porous media is critical to assess its environmental impact. In this work, sand column experiments were conducted to determine the effect of input concentration and grain size on transport, retention, and size perturbation of GO ...

  18. 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

  19. Porous silicon - rare earth doped xerogel and glass composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balakrishnan, S.; Gun'ko, Yurii K.; Perova, T. S.; Rafferty, A.; Astrova, E. V.; Moore, R. A.

    2005-06-01

    The development of components for photonics applications is growing exponentially. The sol-gel method is now recognised as a convenient and flexible way to deposit oxide or glass films on a variety of hosts, including porous silicon. In the present work we incorporated erbium and europium doped xerogel into porous silicon and developed new porous silicon - rare earth doped glass composites. Various characteris-ation techniques including FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy were employed in this work.

  20. Metal recovery from porous materials

    DOEpatents

    Sturcken, Edward F.

    1992-01-01

    A method for recovering plutonium and other metals from materials by leaching comprising the steps of incinerating the materials to form a porous matrix as the residue of incineration, immersing the matrix into acid in a microwave-transparent pressure vessel, sealing the pressure vessel, and applying microwaves so that the temperature and the pressure in the pressure vessel increase. The acid for recovering plutonium can be a mixture of HBF.sub.4 and HNO.sub.3 and preferably the pressure is increased to at least 100 PSI and the temperature to at least 200.degree. C. The porous material can be pulverized before immersion to further increase the leach rate.

  1. Metal recovery from porous materials

    DOEpatents

    Sturcken, E.F.

    1992-10-13

    A method is described for recovering plutonium and other metals from materials by leaching comprising the steps of incinerating the materials to form a porous matrix as the residue of incineration, immersing the matrix into acid in a microwave-transparent pressure vessel, sealing the pressure vessel, and applying microwaves so that the temperature and the pressure in the pressure vessel increase. The acid for recovering plutonium can be a mixture of HBF[sub 4] and HNO[sub 3] and preferably the pressure is increased to at least 100 PSI and the temperature to at least 200 C. The porous material can be pulverized before immersion to further increase the leach rate.

  2. Incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles into chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds: Effect on morphology, mechanical properties and cytocompatibility of 3D porous scaffolds.

    PubMed

    Ullah, Saleem; Zainol, Ismail; Idrus, Ruszymah Hj

    2017-11-01

    The zinc oxide nanoparticles (particles size <50nm) incorporated into chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds and investigated the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles incorporation on microstructure, mechanical properties, biodegradation and cytocompatibility of 3D porous scaffolds. The 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% and 4.0% zinc oxide nanoparticles chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds were fabricated via freeze-drying technique. The zinc oxide nanoparticles incorporation effects consisting in chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds were investigated by mechanical and swelling tests, and effect on the morphology of scaffolds examined microscopically. The biodegradation and cytocompatibility tests were used to investigate the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles incorporation on the ability of scaffolds to use for tissue engineering application. The mean pore size and swelling ratio of scaffolds were decreased upon incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles however, the porosity, tensile modulus and biodegradation rate were increased upon incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles. In vitro culture of human fibroblasts and keratinocytes showed that the zinc oxide nanoparticles facilitated cell adhesion, proliferation and infiltration of chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds. It was found that the zinc oxide nanoparticles incorporation enhanced porosity, tensile modulus and cytocompatibility of chitosan-collagen 3D porous scaffolds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. 75 FR 69630 - Impact of Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Commercial Activities Involving...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-15

    ... Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention on Commercial Activities Involving ``Schedule 1'' Chemicals, Including Production of Schedule 1 Chemicals as Intermediates, Through Calendar Year 2010 AGENCY: Bureau of... (BIS) is seeking public comments on the impact that implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention...

  4. Rapid process for producing transparent, monolithic porous glass

    DOEpatents

    Coronado, Paul R [Livermore, CA

    2006-02-14

    A process for making transparent porous glass monoliths from gels. The glass is produced much faster and in much larger sizes than present technology for making porous glass. The process reduces the cost of making large porous glass monoliths because: 1) the process does not require solvent exchange nor additives to the gel to increase the drying rates, 2) only moderate temperatures and pressures are used so relatively inexpensive equipment is needed, an 3) net-shape glass monoliths are possible using this process. The process depends on the use of temperature to control the partial pressure of the gel solvent in a closed vessel, resulting in controlled shrinking during drying.

  5. Porous silicon advances in drug delivery and immunotherapy.

    PubMed

    Savage, David J; Liu, Xuewu; Curley, Steven A; Ferrari, Mauro; Serda, Rita E

    2013-10-01

    Biomedical applications of porous silicon include drug delivery, imaging, diagnostics and immunotherapy. This review summarizes new silicon particle fabrication techniques, dynamics of cellular transport, advances in the multistage vector approach to drug delivery, and the use of porous silicon as immune adjuvants. Recent findings support superior therapeutic efficacy of the multistage vector approach over single particle drug delivery systems in mouse models of ovarian and breast cancer. With respect to vaccine development, multivalent presentation of pathogen-associated molecular patterns on the particle surface creates powerful platforms for immunotherapy, with the porous matrix able to carry both antigens and immune modulators. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Experimental analysis of the flow near the boundary of random porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Zhenxing; Mirbod, Parisa

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this work is to experimentally examine flow over and near random porous media. Different porous materials were chosen to achieve porosity ranging from 0.95 to 0.99. In this study, we report the detailed velocity measurements of the flow over and near random porous material inside a rectangular duct using a planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. By controlling the flow rate, two different Reynolds numbers were achieved. We determined the slip velocity at the interface between the porous media and free flow. Values of the slip velocity normalized either by the maximum flow velocity or by the shear rate at the interface and the screening distance K1/2 were found to depend on porosity. It was also shown that the depth of penetration inside the porous material was larger than the screening length using Brinkman's prediction. Moreover, we examined a model for the laminar coupled flow over and inside porous media and analyzed the permeability of a random porous medium. This study provided detailed analysis of flow over and at the interface of various specific random porous media using the PIV technique. This analysis has the potential to serve as a first step toward using random porous media as a new passive technique to control the flow over smooth surfaces.

  7. The efficacy of post porosity plasma protection against vacuum-ultraviolet damage in porous low-k materials

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

    Lionti, K.; Volksen, W.; Darnon, M.

    2015-03-21

    As of today, plasma damage remains as one of the main challenges to the reliable integration of porous low-k materials into microelectronic devices at the most aggressive node. One promising strategy to limit damage of porous low-k materials during plasma processing is an approach we refer to as post porosity plasma protection (P4). In this approach, the pores of the low-k material are filled with a sacrificial agent prior to any plasma treatment, greatly minimizing the total damage by limiting the physical interactions between plasma species and the low-k material. Interestingly, the contribution of the individual plasma species to themore » total plasma damage is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the specific damaging effect of vacuum-ultraviolet (v-UV) photons on a highly porous, k = 2.0 low-k material and we assessed the P4 protective effect against them. It was found that the impact of the v-UV radiation varied depending upon the v-UV emission lines of the plasma. More importantly, we successfully demonstrated that the P4 process provides excellent protection against v-UV damage.« less

  8. 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

  9. Liquid metal porous matrix sliding electrical contact: A concept

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferguson, H.

    1973-01-01

    Concept utilizes porous metal or nonmetal matrix containing liquid metal in porous structure and confines liquid metal to contact area between rotor and brush by capillary forces. System may also be used to lubricate bearing systems.

  10. Scaling behavior of microbubbles rising in water-saturated porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kong, X.; Ma, Y.; Scheuermann, A.; Bringemeier, D.; Galindo-Torres, S. A.; Saar, M. O.; Li, L.

    2015-12-01

    Gas transport in the form of discrete microbubbles in saturated porous media is of importance in a number of processes relevant to many geo-environmental and engineering systems such as bubbling of greenhouse gases in river and sea beds, hydrocarbon gas migration in coal cleats and rock fractures, and air sparging for remediation of soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds. Under the assumption of no or minor volume expansion during gravity-driven migration, the transport of a single microbubble can be well described using various drag force models. However, not enough attention has been paid to the collective behavior of microbubbles during their ascend as a plume through the saturated porous medium, involving dynamic interactions between individual bubbles, bubbles and the ambient fluid, as well as bubbles and the solid matrix. With our quasi-2D, lab-scale microbubble migration experiments, where bubbles are continuously released from a diffuser at the bottom of a porous bed of hydrated gel beads, we establish a scaling relationship between the gas (bubble) release rate and various characteristic parameters of the bubble plume, such as plume tip velocity, plume width, and breakthrough time of the plume front. We find that the characteristic width of the bubble plume varies as a power of both the gas release rate and the bed thickness, with exponents of 0.2 and 0.4, respectively. Moreover, the characteristic breakthrough time also scales with both the gas release rate and the bed thickness with power-law exponents of -0.4 and 1.2, respectively. The mean pore-water velocity of the circulating ambient water also follows a power-law relationship with the gas release rate being an exponent of 0.6 of the gas release rate. This can be quantitatively proven using a simplified momentum exchange model together with the above power-law exponents for the bubble plume. These analyses on the experimental results are carried out on the basis of non

  11. General Theory of Absorption in Porous Materials: Restricted Multilayer Theory.

    PubMed

    Aduenko, Alexander A; Murray, Andy; Mendoza-Cortes, Jose L

    2018-04-18

    In this article, we present an approach for the generalization of adsorption of light gases in porous materials. This new theory goes beyond Langmuir and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theories, which are the standard approaches that have a limited application to crystalline porous materials by their unphysical assumptions on the amount of possible adsorption layers. The derivation of a more general equation for any crystalline porous framework is presented, restricted multilayer theory. Our approach allows the determination of gas uptake considering only geometrical constraints of the porous framework and the interaction energy of the guest molecule with the framework. On the basis of this theory, we calculated optimal values for the adsorption enthalpy at different temperatures and pressures. We also present the use of this theory to determine the optimal linker length for a topologically equivalent framework series. We validate this theoretical approach by applying it to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and show that it reproduces the experimental results for seven different reported materials. We obtained the universal equation for the optimal linker length, given the topology of a porous framework. This work applied the general equation to MOFs and H 2 to create energy-storage materials; however, this theory can be applied to other crystalline porous materials and light gases, which opens the possibility of designing the next generations of energy-storage materials by first considering only the geometrical constraints of the porous materials.

  12. The flow around circular cylinders partially coated with porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruck, Bodo; Klausmann, Katharina; Wacker, Tobias

    2012-05-01

    There are indications that the flow resistance of bodies can be reduced by a porous coating or porous sheath. A few numerical investigations exists in this field, however, experimental evidence is lacking. In order to investigate this phenomenon, the drag resistance of cylinders with porous coating has been investigated qualitatively and quantitatively in wind tunnel experiments. The Reynolds number was systematically varied in the range from 104 to 1.3*105. The results show that the boundary layer over the porous surface is turbulent right from the beginning and thickens faster because of the possible vertical momentum exchange at the interface. The region of flow detachment is widened resulting in a broader area with almost vanishing low flow velocities. All in all, the measurements show that a full porous coating of the cylinders increase the flow resistance. However, the measurements show that a partial coating only on the leeward side can decrease the flow resistance of the body. This effect seems due to the fact that the recirculating velocity and the underpressure in the wake is reduced significantly through a leeward porous coating. Thus, combining a smooth non-permeable windward side with a porous-coated leeward side can lead to a reduction of the body's flow resistance. These findings can be applied advantageously in many technical areas, such as energy saving of moving bodies (cars/trains/planes) or in reducing fluid loads on submersed bodies.

  13. Non-circulatory fluid forces on porous bodies with application to panel flutter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hajian, Rozhin; Jaworski, Justin W.

    2017-11-01

    The non-circulatory fluid forces acting on an oscillating porous panel or airfoil in uniform incompressible flow are derived from linearized potential theory. The fundamental integral equation for Holder-continuous porosity distributions is formulated and solved numerically for the special cases of non-porous and uniformly-porous panels with prescribed structural deformations. The new unsteady aerodynamic forces are then applied to aeroelastic stability predictions for porous panels or liners. Results from this analysis aim to form the basis of a complete unsteady aerodynamic theory for porous airfoils and their acoustic emissions based upon the unique attributes of natural fliers and swimmers.

  14. a Fractal Network Model for Fractured Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Peng; Li, Cuihong; Qiu, Shuxia; Sasmito, Agus Pulung

    2016-04-01

    The transport properties and mechanisms of fractured porous media are very important for oil and gas reservoir engineering, hydraulics, environmental science, chemical engineering, etc. In this paper, a fractal dual-porosity model is developed to estimate the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media, where a fractal tree-like network model is used to characterize the fracture system according to its fractal scaling laws and topological structures. The analytical expressions for the effective permeability of fracture system and fractured porous media, tortuosity, fracture density and fraction are derived. The proposed fractal model has been validated by comparisons with available experimental data and numerical simulation. It has been shown that fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture have significant effect on the equivalent hydraulic properties of fractured porous media. The effective permeability of fracture system can be increased with the increase of fractal dimensions for fracture length and aperture, while it can be remarkably lowered by introducing tortuosity at large branching angle. Also, a scaling law between the fracture density and fractal dimension for fracture length has been found, where the scaling exponent depends on the fracture number. The present fractal dual-porosity model may shed light on the transport physics of fractured porous media and provide theoretical basis for oil and gas exploitation, underground water, nuclear waste disposal and geothermal energy extraction as well as chemical engineering, etc.

  15. Infiltration of Liquid Droplets Into Porous Media: Effects of Dynamic Contact Angle and Contact Angle Hysteresis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hilpert, M.

    2008-12-01

    Infiltration of liquid droplets into dry porous media occurs when rain drops fall onto soil, when accidentally spilling organic liquid (e.g., gasoline and chlorinated solvents) onto ground, or when aerosol pesticides are not intercepted by the vegetation and then released to soils. If harmful chemicals are released from the droplet into the atmosphere through evaporation, it is important to know the time of infiltration. We developed a theory for infiltration, which accounts for a general model for the dynamic contact angle between the droplet and the porous medium as well as contact angle hysteresis. Our theory assumes the droplet to have the shape of a spherical cap and the pressure within the droplet to be uniform. The theory shows that droplet infiltration involves three phases due to contact angle hysteresis: (1) an increasing drawing area (IDA) phase during which the interface between the droplet and the porous medium increases, (2) a constant drawing area (CDA) phase during which the contact line of the droplet remains pinned, and (3) a decreasing drawing area (DDA) phase. We find that infiltration always consists of a cascade process formed by the IDA, CDA, and DDA phases, where the entire process may begin or end in any of the three phases. The entire process is formulated with four nondimensional parameters: three contact angles (initial, advancing, and receding) and a porous permeability parameter that depends on porous medium geometry. The total time of infiltration and the time dependence of drawing area are critically affected by the occurrence of the IDA, CDA, and DDA phases as well as by the permeability. In general, the IDA and DDA phases are described by integro-differential equations. With ordinary differential equations (ODEs), we are able to approximate the IDA phase and to describe exactly infiltration processes that starts out with the CDA or DDA phase.

  16. Topological characteristics underpin intermittency and anomalous transport behavior in soil-like porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holzner, M.; Morales, V.; Willmann, M.; Jerjen, I.; Kaufmann, R.; Dentz, M.

    2016-12-01

    Continuum models of porous media are based on the validity of the Darcy equation for fluid and Fick's law for scalar fluxes on a representative elementary volume. Fluctuations of pore-scale flow and scalar transport are averaged out and represented in terms of effective parameters such as hydrodynamic dispersion. However, the intermittent behavior of pore-scale flow impacts on the nature of particle and scalar transport, and it determines the way dissolved substances mix and react. The understanding of the origin of these processes is of both fundamental and practical importance in applications ranging from reactive transport in groundwater flow to diffusion in fuel cells or biological systems. A central issue in porous medium flow is therefore to relate intermittent behavior of Lagrangian velocity at pore scale imposed by the complex pore network geometry to transport properties at larger scales. Lagrangian measurements in porous systems are nonetheless scarce and most experimental techniques do not provide access to all three velocity components. In this contribution we report 3D measurements of Lagrangian velocity in soil-like porous media. We complement these measurements with detailed X-ray scans of the pore network. We find sharp velocity transitions close to pore throats, and low flow variability in the pore bodies, which gives rise to stretched exponential Lagrangian velocity and acceleration distributions characterized by a sharp peak at low velocity and a superlinear evolution of particle dispersion. We demonstrate that porosity and pore size distribution alone cannot explain the observed features of the flow. Rather, anomalous transport is better interpreted in terms of how pores of various geometries are interconnected. We reproduce the main observations using a continuous-time random walk (CTRW) model revealing the main features that control the system and showing the potential of this simple model to capture transport in complex geometries.

  17. Hollow polydimethylsiloxane beads with a porous structure for cell encapsulation.

    PubMed

    Oh, Myeong-Jin; Ryu, Tae-Kyoung; Choi, S-W

    2013-11-01

    Based on a water-in-oil-in-water emulsion system, porous and hollow polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) beads containing cells using a simple fluidic device with three flow channels are fabricated. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in the PDMS oil phase is served as a porogen for pore development. The feasibility of the porous PDMS beads prepared with different PEG concentrations (10, 20, and 30 wt%) for cell encapsulation in terms of pore size, protein diffusion, and cell proliferation inside the PDMS beads is evaluated. The PDMS beads prepared with PEG 30 wt% are exhibited a highly porous structure and facilitated fast diffusion of protein from the core domain to the outer phase, eventually leading to enhanced cell proliferation. The results clearly indicate that hollow PDMS beads with a porous structure could provide a favorable microenvironment for cell survival due to the large porous structure. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Two-dimensional Transport and Retention of Graphene Oxide in Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, S.; Sun, Y.; Gao, B.; Wu, J.; Shi, X.; Xu, H.

    2017-12-01

    Graphene oxide (GO) as an exceptional carbon nanomaterial has been used in a wide variety of applications. It is important to understand the fate and transport behaviors of GO in porous media. Lots of laboratory and model studies have focused on the mobility of GO in porous media, indicating complex mechanism such as solution chemistry, media characters, and particle input conditions all influenced GO transport and retention behavior. However, all of the previous studies of GO fate and transport were conducted in column equipment, which were insufficient with its extremely limited boundary conditions. In this work, 2-D homogeneous and heterogeneous sand tank experiments visualized by light transmission were used to examine the fate of graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles in 2-D porous media under various conditions. A two-dimensional model was applied to describe GO retention and transport in 2-D porous media. The visualized experimental pictures and model results both showed that GO retention and transport in all 2-D porous media were influenced by media grain size, ionic strength, structural heterogeneity and injected location. The retention of GO particles in 2-D porous media increased when the gain size and the ionic strength. In addition, even though the preferential flow phenomena in 2-D heterogeneous porous media dramatically influence the transport of GO, the injected location of GO also has the important effects on its transport. Interestingly, the deposition of GO in 2-D heterogeneous fine sand layer was higher than in corresponding 2-D homogeneous porous media, even though under low ionic strength condition. For all the sand tanks, partly previous retained GO particles that were trapped in the secondary minimum energy well could be instantaneous remobilized from sand grain surface by reducing solution IS, but a portion of GO still retained in 2-D porous media and could not be remobilized. This result demonstrated that extra mechanism also control the

  19. Carbon dioxide/brine wettability of porous sandstone versus solid quartz: An experimental and theoretical investigation.

    PubMed

    Alnili, Firas; Al-Yaseri, Ahmed; Roshan, Hamid; Rahman, Taufiq; Verall, Michael; Lebedev, Maxim; Sarmadivaleh, Mohammad; Iglauer, Stefan; Barifcani, Ahmed

    2018-08-15

    Wettability plays an important role in underground geological storage of carbon dioxide because the fluid flow and distribution mechanism within porous media is controlled by this phenomenon. CO 2 pressure, temperature, brine composition, and mineral type have significant effects on wettability. Despite past research on this subject, the factors that control the wettability variation for CO 2 /water/minerals, particularly the effects of pores in the porous substrate on the contact angle at different pressures, temperatures, and salinities, as well as the physical processes involved are not fully understood. We measured the contact angle of deionised water and brine/CO 2 /porous sandstone samples at different pressures, temperatures, and salinities. Then, we compared the results with those of pure quartz. Finally, we developed a physical model to explain the observed phenomena. The measured contact angle of sandstone was systematically greater than that of pure quartz because of the pores present in sandstone. Moreover, the effect of pressure and temperature on the contact angle of sandstone was similar to that of pure quartz. The results showed that the contact angle increases with increase in temperature and pressure and decreases with increase in salinity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Local deformation behavior of surface porous polyether-ether-ketone.

    PubMed

    Evans, Nathan T; Torstrick, F Brennan; Safranski, David L; Guldberg, Robert E; Gall, Ken

    2017-01-01

    Surface porous polyether-ether-ketone has the ability to maintain the tensile monotonic and cyclic strength necessary for many load bearing orthopedic applications while providing a surface that facilitates bone ingrowth; however, the relevant deformation behavior of the pore architecture in response to various loading conditions is not yet fully characterized or understood. The focus of this study was to examine the compressive and wear behavior of the surface porous architecture using micro Computed Tomography (micro CT). Pore architectures of various depths (~0.5-2.5mm) and pore sizes (212-508µm) were manufactured using a melt extrusion and porogen leaching process. Compression testing revealed that the pore architecture deforms in the typical three staged linear elastic, plastic, and densification stages characteristic of porous materials. The experimental moduli and yield strengths decreased as the porosity increased but there was no difference in properties between pore sizes. The porous architecture maintained a high degree of porosity available for bone-ingrowth at all strains. Surface porous samples showed no increase in wear rate compared to injection molded samples, with slight pore densification accompanying wear. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Is it worth it? Patient and public views on the impact of their involvement in health research and its assessment: a UK-based qualitative interview study.

    PubMed

    Crocker, Joanna C; Boylan, Anne-Marie; Bostock, Jennifer; Locock, Louise

    2017-06-01

    There are mounting calls for robust, critical evaluation of the impact of patient and public involvement (PPI) in health research. However, questions remain about how to assess its impact, and whether it should be assessed at all. The debate has thus far been dominated by professionals. To explore the views of PPI contributors involved in health research regarding the impact of PPI on research, whether and how it should be assessed. Qualitative interview study. Thirty-eight PPI contributors involved in health research across the UK. Participants felt that PPI has a beneficial impact on health research. They described various impactful roles, which we conceptualize as the 'expert in lived experience', the 'creative outsider', the 'free challenger', the 'bridger', the 'motivator' and the 'passive presence'. Participants generally supported assessing the impact of PPI, while acknowledging the challenges and concerns about the appropriateness and feasibility of measurement. They expressed a range of views about what impacts should be assessed, by whom and how. Individual feedback on impact was seen as an important driver of improved impact and motivation to stay involved. While there appears to be widespread support for PPI impact assessment among PPI contributors, their views on what to assess and how are diverse. PPI contributors should be involved as equal partners in debates and decisions about these issues. Individual feedback on impact may increase PPI contributors' potential impact and their motivation to stay involved. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Image-based modeling of flow and reactive transport in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Chao-Zhong; Hoang, Tuong; Verhoosel, Clemens V.; Harald van Brummelen, E.; Wijshoff, Herman M. A.

    2017-04-01

    Due to the availability of powerful computational resources and high-resolution acquisition of material structures, image-based modeling has become an important tool in studying pore-scale flow and transport processes in porous media [Scheibe et al., 2015]. It is also playing an important role in the upscaling study for developing macroscale porous media models. Usually, the pore structure of a porous medium is directly discretized by the voxels obtained from visualization techniques (e.g. micro CT scanning), which can avoid the complex generation of computational mesh. However, this discretization may considerably overestimate the interfacial areas between solid walls and pore spaces. As a result, it could impact the numerical predictions of reactive transport and immiscible two-phase flow. In this work, two types of image-based models are used to study single-phase flow and reactive transport in a porous medium of sintered glass beads. One model is from a well-established voxel-based simulation tool. The other is based on the mixed isogeometric finite cell method [Hoang et al., 2016], which has been implemented in the open source Nutils (http://www.nutils.org). The finite cell method can be used in combination with isogeometric analysis to enable the higher-order discretization of problems on complex volumetric domains. A particularly interesting application of this immersed simulation technique is image-based analysis, where the geometry is smoothly approximated by segmentation of a B-spline level set approximation of scan data [Verhoosel et al., 2015]. Through a number of case studies by the two models, we will show the advantages and disadvantages of each model in modeling single-phase flow and reactive transport in porous media. Particularly, we will highlight the importance of preserving high-resolution interfaces between solid walls and pore spaces in image-based modeling of porous media. References Hoang, T., C. V. Verhoosel, F. Auricchio, E. H. van

  3. Freeze-Casting of Porous Biomaterials: Structure, Properties and Opportunities

    PubMed Central

    Deville, Sylvain

    2010-01-01

    The freeze-casting of porous materials has received a great deal of attention during the past few years. This simple process, where a material suspension is simply frozen and then sublimated, provides materials with unique porous architectures, where the porosity is almost a direct replica of the frozen solvent crystals. This review focuses on the recent results on the process and the derived porous structures with regards to the biomaterials applications. Of particular interest is the architecture of the materials and the versatility of the process, which can be readily controlled and applied to biomaterials applications. A careful control of the starting formulation and processing conditions is required to control the integrity of the structure and resulting properties. Further in vitro and in vivo investigations are required to validate the potential of this new class of porous materials.

  4. Porous ceramic scaffolds with complex architectures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Munch, E.; Franco, J.; Deville, S.; Hunger, P.; Saiz, E.; Tomsia, A. P.

    2008-06-01

    This work compares two novel techniques for the fabrication of ceramic scaffolds for bone tissue engineering with complex porosity: robocasting and freeze casting. Both techniques are based on the preparation of concentrated ceramic suspensions with suitable properties for the process. In robocasting, the computer-guided deposition of the suspensions is used to build porous materials with designed three dimensional geometries and microstructures. Freeze casting uses ice crystals as a template to form porous lamellar ceramic materials. Preliminary results on the compressive strengths of the materials are also reported.

  5. A dynamic pressure view cell for acoustic stimulation of fluids--Micro-bubble generation and fluid movement in porous media.

    PubMed

    Stewart, Robert A; Shaw, J M

    2015-09-01

    The development and baseline operation of an acoustic view cell for observing fluids, and fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interfaces in porous media over the frequency range of 10-5000 Hz is described. This range includes the industrially relevant frequency range 500-5000 Hz that is not covered by existing devices. Pressure waveforms of arbitrary shape are generated in a 17.46 mm ID by 200 mm and 690.5 mm long glass tubes at flow rates up to 200 ml/min using a syringe pump. Peak-to-peak amplitudes exceeding 80 kPa are readily realized at frequencies from 10 to 5000 Hz in bubble free fluids when actuated with 20 Vpp as exemplified using castor oil. At resonant frequencies, peak-to-peak pressure amplitudes exceeding 500 kPa were obtained (castor oil at 2100 Hz when actuated with 20 Vpp). Impacts of vibration on macroscopic liquid-liquid and liquid-vapour interfaces and interface movement are illustrated. Pressure wave transmission and attenuation in a fluid saturated porous medium, randomly packed 250-330 μm spherical silica beads, is also demonstrated. Attenuation differences and frequency shifts in resonant peaks are used to detect the presence and generation of dispersed micro-bubbles (<180 μm diameter), and bubbles within porous media that are not readily visualized. Envisioned applications include assessment of the impacts of vibration on reaction, mass transfer, and flow/flow pattern outcomes. This knowledge will inform laboratory and pilot scale process studies, where nuisance vibrations may affect the interpretation of process outcomes, and large scale or in situ processes in aquifers or hydrocarbon reservoirs where imposed vibration may be deployed to improve aspects of process performance. Future work will include miscible interface observation and quantitative measurements in the bulk and in porous media where the roles of micro-bubbles comprise subjects of special interest.

  6. Drug delivery via porous silicon: a focused patent review.

    PubMed

    Kulyavtsev, Paulina A; Spencer, Roxanne P

    2017-03-01

    Although silicon is more commonly associated with computer chips than with drug delivery, with the discovery that porous silicon is a viable biocompatible material, mesoporous silicon with pores between 2 and 50 nm has been loaded with small molecule and biomolecule therapeutics and safely implanted for controlled release. As porous silicon is readily oxidized, porous silica must also be considered for drug delivery applications. Since 2010, only a limited number of US patents have been granted, primarily for ophthalmologic and immunotherapy applications, in contrast to the growing body of technical literature in this area.

  7. Aiding flow Thermo-Solutal Convection in Porous Cavity: ANN approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jafer Kazi1, Mohammed; Ameer Ahamad, N.; Yunus Khan, T. M.

    2017-08-01

    The transfer of thermal energy along with the diffusion of mass is common phenomenon that occurs in nature. The thermos-solutal convection in porous medium arises due to combined effect of diffusion of heat as well as mass inside the domain. The density variation of fluid due to absorbed heat at one end of porous cavity leads to fluid movement which in turn initiates the heat transfer. The mass diffusion inside the porous regime occurs due to concentration difference between two ends of cavity. Generally this phenomenon is studied with the help of numerical methods but current work emphasis the successful usage of artificial neural network in predicting the thermos-solutal convection of aiding flow in porous medium.

  8. Transport phenomena in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bear, Jacob; Corapcioglu, M. Yavuz

    The Advanced Study Institute on Fundamentals of Transport Phenomena in Porous Media, held July 14-23, 1985 in Newark, Del. and directed by Jacob Bear (Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa) and M. Yavuz Corapcioglu (City College of New York), under the auspices of NATO, was a sequel to the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) held in 1982 (proceedings published as Fundamentals of Transport Phenomena in Porous Media, J. Bear, and M.Y. Corapcioglu (Ed.), Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 1984). The meeting was attended by 106 participants and lecturers from 21 countries.As in the first NATO/ASI, the objective of this meeting—which was a combination of a conference of experts and a teaching institute— was to present and discuss selected topics of transport in porous media. In selecting topics and lecturers, an attempt was made to bridge the gap that sometimes exists between research and practice. An effort was also made to demonstrate the unified approach to the transport of mass of a fluid phase, components of a fluid phase, momentum, and heat in a porous medium domain. The void space may be occupied by a single fluid phase or by a number of such phases; each fluid may constitute a multicomponent system; the solid matrix may be deformable; and the whole process of transport in the system may take place under nonisothermal conditions, with or without phase changes. Such phenomena are encountered in a variety of disciplines, e.g., petroleum engineering, civil engineering (in connection with groundwater flow and contamination), soil mechanics, and chemical engineering. One of the goals of the 1985 NATO/ASI, as in the 1982 institute, was to bring together experts from all these disciplines and enhance communication among them.

  9. Additively Manufactured and Surface Biofunctionalized Porous Nitinol.

    PubMed

    Gorgin Karaji, Z; Speirs, M; Dadbakhsh, S; Kruth, J-P; Weinans, H; Zadpoor, A A; Amin Yavari, S

    2017-01-18

    Enhanced bone tissue regeneration and improved osseointegration are among the most important goals in design of multifunctional orthopedic biomaterials. In this study, we used additive manufacturing (selective laser melting) to develop multifunctional porous nitinol that combines superelasticity with a rationally designed microarchitecture and biofunctionalized surface. The rational design based on triply periodic minimal surfaces aimed to properly adjust the pore size, increase the surface area (thereby amplifying the effects of surface biofunctionalization), and resemble the curvature characteristics of trabecular bone. The surface of additively manufactured (AM) porous nitinol was biofunctionalized using polydopamine-immobilized rhBMP2 for better control of the release kinetics. The actual morphological properties of porous nitinol measured by microcomputed tomography (e.g., open/close porosity, and surface area) closely matched the design values. The superelasticity originated from the austenite phase formed in the nitinol porous structure at room temperature. Polydopamine and rhBMP2 signature peaks were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy tests. The release of rhBMP2 continued until 28 days. The early time and long-term release profiles were found to be adjustable independent of each other. In vitro cell culture showed improved cell attachment, cell proliferation, cell morphology (spreading, spindle-like shape), and cell coverage as well as elevated levels of ALP activity and increased calcium content for biofunctionalized surfaces as compared to as-manufactured specimens. The demonstrated functionalities of porous nitinol could be used as a basis for deployable orthopedic implants with rationally designed microarchitectures that maximize bone tissue regeneration performance by release of biomolecules with adjustable and well-controlled release profiles.

  10. Biomass plug development and propagation in porous media.

    PubMed

    Stewart, T L; Fogler, H S

    2001-02-05

    Exopolymer-producing bacteria can be used to modify soil profiles for enhanced oil recovery or bioremediation. Understanding the mechanisms associated with biomass plug development and propagation is needed for successful application of this technology. These mechanisms were determined from packed-bed and micromodel experiments that simulate plugging in porous media. Leuconostoc mesenteroides was used, because production of dextran, a water-insoluble exopolymer, can be controlled by using different carbon sources. As dextran was produced, the pressure drop across the porous media increased and began to oscillate. Three pressure phases were identified under exopolymer-producing conditions: the exopolymer-induction phase, the plugging phase, and the plug-propagation phase. The exopolymer-induction phase extended from the time that exopolymer-producing conditions were induced until there was a measurable increase in pressure drop across the porous media. The plugging phase extended from the first increase in pressure drop until a maximum pressure drop was reached. Changes in pressure drop in these two phases were directly related to biomass distribution. Specifically, flow channels within the porous media filled with biomass creating a plugged region where convective flow occurred only in water channels within the biofilm. These water channels were more restrictive to flow causing the pressure drop to increase. At a maximum pressure drop across the porous media, the biomass yielded much like a Bingham plastic, and a flow channel was formed. This behavior marked the onset of the plug-propagation phase which was characterized by sequential development and breakthrough of biomass plugs. This development and breakthrough propagated the biomass plug in the direction of nutrient flow. The dominant mechanism associated with all three phases of plugging in porous media was exopolymer production; yield stress is an additional mechanism in the plug-propagation phase. Copyright

  11. Intravitreal properties of porous silicon photonic crystals

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, L; Anglin, E; Cunin, F; Kim, D; Sailor, M J; Falkenstein, I; Tammewar, A; Freeman, W R

    2009-01-01

    Aim To determine the suitability of porous silicon photonic crystals for intraocular drug-delivery. Methods A rugate structure was electrochemically etched into a highly doped p-type silicon substrate to create a porous silicon film that was subsequently removed and ultrasonically fractured into particles. To stabilise the particles in aqueous media, the silicon particles were modified by surface alkylation (using thermal hydrosilylation) or by thermal oxidation. Unmodified particles, hydrosilylated particles and oxidised particles were injected into rabbit vitreous. The stability and toxicity of each type of particle were studied by indirect ophthalmoscopy, biomicroscopy, tonometry, electroretinography (ERG) and histology. Results No toxicity was observed with any type of the particles during a period of >4 months. Surface alkylation led to dramatically increased intravitreal stability and slow degradation. The estimated vitreous half-life increased from 1 week (fresh particles) to 5 weeks (oxidised particles) and to 16 weeks (hydrosilylated particles). Conclusion The porous silicon photonic crystals showed good biocompatibility and may be used as an intraocular drug-delivery system. The intravitreal injectable porous silicon photonic crystals may be engineered to host a variety of therapeutics and achieve controlled drug release over long periods of time to treat chronic vitreoretinal diseases. PMID:18441177

  12. Head-on collision of normal shock waves with rigid porous materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, A.; Ben-Dor, G.; Skews, B. W.; Sorek, S.

    1993-08-01

    The head-on collision of a planar shock wave with a rigid porous material has been investigated experimentally in a 75 mm × 75 mm shock tube. The experimental study indicated that unlike the reflection from a flexible porous material (e.g., polyurethane foam) where the transmitted compression waves do not converge to a sharp shock wave, in the case of a rigid porous material (e.g., alumina) the transmitted compression waves do converge to a sharp shock wave, which decays as it propagates along the porous material. In addition to this major difference, many other differences were observed. They are outlined in the following sections. Based on these observations a suggestion modifying the phenomenology of the reflection/interaction process in the case a porous material with large permeability is proposed.

  13. Morphological Evaluation of Soft Tissue Augmentation Using Porous Poly-DL-Lactic Acid With Straight Holes.

    PubMed

    Ken, Yukawa; Noriko, Tachikawa; Furuichi, Akiko; Shohei, Kasugai

    2016-12-01

    This study investigated the biological reaction to porous poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) scaffolds with holes for soft tissue augmentation. The control group was porous PDLLA with a diameter of 5.0 mm and a height of 2.0 mm. For the 2 test groups, 7 holes were drilled from the upper to the lower base of the scaffolds; the holes had diameters of 0.5 and 1.0 mm. A scaffold was placed in the periosteum of the cranium. The height and molecular weight (Mw) of the scaffolds were measured at 4 and 8 weeks. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to measure the connective tissue and blood vessel areas. All groups had similar scaffold heights, but the Mw decreased significantly over time. There were significant differences in the connective tissue and blood vessel areas among the control, 0.5-mm, and 1.0-mm groups at the same time point. The soft tissue was increased by drilling holes in the scaffolds. Porous poly-DL-lactic acid (PDLLA) contributed favorable prognosis for soft tissue. A wider hole was associated with increased connective tissue and blood vessel areas. The scaffold height and Mw were not impacted by size of the holes.

  14. A diffusivity model for predicting VOC diffusion in porous building materials based on fractal theory.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yanfeng; Zhou, Xiaojun; Wang, Dengjia; Song, Cong; Liu, Jiaping

    2015-12-15

    Most building materials are porous media, and the internal diffusion coefficients of such materials have an important influences on the emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The pore structure of porous building materials has a significant impact on the diffusion coefficient. However, the complex structural characteristics bring great difficulties to the model development. The existing prediction models of the diffusion coefficient are flawed and need to be improved. Using scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests of typical porous building materials, this study developed a new diffusivity model: the multistage series-connection fractal capillary-bundle (MSFC) model. The model considers the variable-diameter capillaries formed by macropores connected in series as the main mass transfer paths, and the diameter distribution of the capillary bundles obeys a fractal power law in the cross section. In addition, the tortuosity of the macrocapillary segments with different diameters is obtained by the fractal theory. Mesopores serve as the connections between the macrocapillary segments rather than as the main mass transfer paths. The theoretical results obtained using the MSFC model yielded a highly accurate prediction of the diffusion coefficients and were in a good agreement with the VOC concentration measurements in the environmental test chamber. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Osteogenic potential of human adipose-tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells cultured on 3D-printed porous structured titanium.

    PubMed

    Lewallen, Eric A; Jones, Dakota L; Dudakovic, Amel; Thaler, Roman; Paradise, Christopher R; Kremers, Hilal M; Abdel, Matthew P; Kakar, Sanjeev; Dietz, Allan B; Cohen, Robert C; Lewallen, David G; van Wijnen, Andre J

    2016-05-01

    Integration of porous metal prosthetics, which restore form and function of irreversibly damaged joints, into remaining healthy bone is critical for implant success. We investigated the biological properties of adipose-tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (AMSCs) and addressed their potential to alter the in vitro microenvironment of implants. We employed human AMSCs as a practical source for musculoskeletal applications because these cells can be obtained in large quantities, are multipotent, and have trophic paracrine functions. AMSCs were cultured on surgical-grade porous titanium disks as a model for orthopedic implants. We monitored cell/substrate attachment, cell proliferation, multipotency, and differentiation phenotypes of AMSCs upon osteogenic induction. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy and histology revealed that AMSCs adhere to the porous metallic surface. Compared to standard tissue culture plastic, AMSCs grown in the porous titanium microenvironment showed differences in temporal expression for genes involved in cell cycle progression (CCNB2, HIST2H4), extracellular matrix production (COL1A1, COL3A1), mesenchymal lineage identity (ACTA2, CD248, CD44), osteoblastic transcription factors (DLX3, DLX5, ID3), and epigenetic regulators (EZH1, EZH2). We conclude that metal orthopedic implants can be effectively seeded with clinical-grade stem/stromal cells to create a pre-conditioned implant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. The finite element method in the deformation and consolidation of porous media

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

    Lewis, R.W.; Schrefler, B.A.

    1987-01-01

    The authors start with an introduction to the concepts involved in physics giving the equations of flow through porous media and the deformation characteristics of soils and rocks. Succeeding chapters deal with the practical implications of these phenomena and explain the application of theory in both experimental and field work. Details are given of actual incidents, such as the subsidence experienced in Venice and Ravenna. The authors have also formulated a consolidation code, which is detailed at the end of the book, and provide instructions on how to modify the given program.

  17. The perceived impact of public involvement in palliative care in a provincial palliative care network in the Netherlands: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Haarsma, Frederike; Moser, Albine; Beckers, Manon; van Rijswijk, Henk; Stoffers, Esther; Beurskens, Anna

    2015-12-01

    Public involvement in palliative care is challenging and difficult, because people in need of palliative care are often not capable of speaking up for themselves. Patient representatives advocate for their common interests. The aim of our study was to examine in depth the current practice of public involvement in palliative care. The study was conducted in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands, with six palliative care networks. Study participants were 16 patient representatives and 12 professionals. This study had a descriptive design using qualitative methods: 18 in-depth interviews and three focus groups were conducted. The critical incident technique was used. The data were analysed using an analytical framework based on Arnstein's involvement classification and the process of decision making. Impact categories as well as facilitators and barriers were analysed using content analysis. The perceived impact of public involvement in palliative care in terms of citizen control and partnership is greatest with regard to quality of care, information development and dissemination, and in terms of policymaking with regard to the preparation and implementation phases of decision making. The main difference in perceived impact between patient representatives and professionals relates to the tension between operational and strategic involvement. Patient representatives experienced more impact regarding short-term solutions to practical problems, while professionals perceived great benefits in long-term, strategic processes. Improving public involvement in palliative care requires positive attitudes, open communication, sufficient resources and long-term support, to build a solid basis for pursuing meaningful involvement in the entire decision-making process. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Porous NiTi for bone implants: a review.

    PubMed

    Bansiddhi, A; Sargeant, T D; Stupp, S I; Dunand, D C

    2008-07-01

    NiTi foams are unique among biocompatible porous metals because of their high recovery strain (due to the shape-memory or superelastic effects) and their low stiffness facilitating integration with bone structures. To optimize NiTi foams for bone implant applications, two key areas are under active study: synthesis of foams with optimal architectures, microstructure and mechanical properties; and tailoring of biological interactions through modifications of pore surfaces. This article reviews recent research on NiTi foams for bone replacement, focusing on three specific topics: (i) surface modifications designed to create bio-inert porous NiTi surfaces with low Ni release and corrosion, as well as bioactive surfaces to enhance and accelerate biological activity; (ii) in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility studies to confirm the long-term safety of porous NiTi implants; and (iii) biological evaluations for specific applications, such as in intervertebral fusion devices and bone tissue scaffolds. Possible future directions for bio-performance and processing studies are discussed that could lead to optimized porous NiTi implants.

  19. Porous NiTi for bone implants: A review

    PubMed Central

    Bansiddhi, A.; Sargeant, T.D.; Stupp, S.I.; Dunand, D.C.

    2011-01-01

    NiTi foams are unique among biocompatible porous metals because of their high recovery strain (due to the shape-memory or superelastic effects) and their low stiffness facilitating integration with bone structures. To optimize NiTi foams for bone implant applications, two key areas are under active study: synthesis of foams with optimal architectures, microstructure and mechanical properties; and tailoring of biological interactions through modifications of pore surfaces. This article reviews recent research on NiTi foams for bone replacement, focusing on three specific topics: (i) surface modifications designed to create bio-inert porous NiTi surfaces with low Ni release and corrosion, as well as bioactive surfaces to enhance and accelerate biological activity; (ii) In vitro and in vivo biocompatibility studies to confirm the long-term safety of porous NiTi implants; and (iii) biological evaluations for specific applications, such as in intervertebral fusion devices and bone tissue scaffolds. Possible future directions for bio-performance and processing studies are discussed that could lead to optimized porous NiTi implants. PMID:18348912

  20. A Thermoelectric Generator Using Porous Si Thermal Isolation

    PubMed Central

    Hourdakis, Emmanouel; Nassiopoulou, Androula G.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we report on a thermoelectric generator (TEG) using thermal isolation provided by a thick porous Si layer locally formed on the Si wafer and thermocouples composed of p-doped polycrystalline Si/Al. The “hot” contacts of the thermocouples lie on the porous Si layer, while the “cold” contacts lie on bulk crystalline Si. A housing was also designed and fabricated in order to transfer any external temperature change on the “hot” contacts of the thermocouples, the “cold” contacts being isolated from the “hot” contacts by a thick resist layer. The fabrication of the sensing element (Si die) is fully compatible with batch Si processing. The output power of the thermoelectric generator depends on the porous Si isolation layer thickness, porosity, structure and morphology. For a mesoporous Si layer of 60% porosity and a macroscopic temperature differential of 10 K, an output power of 0.39 μW/cm2 was measured for a 50 μm thick porous Si layer. PMID:24152923

  1. Turbulence modeling and combustion simulation in porous media under high Peclet number

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moiseev, Andrey A.; Savin, Andrey V.

    2018-05-01

    Turbulence modelling in porous flows and burning still remains not completely clear until now. Undoubtedly, conventional turbulence models must work well under high Peclet numbers when porous channels shape is implemented in details. Nevertheless, the true turbulent mixing takes place at micro-scales only, and the dispersion mixing works at macro-scales almost independent from true turbulence. The dispersion mechanism is characterized by the definite space scale (scale of the porous structure) and definite velocity scale (filtration velocity). The porous structure is stochastic one usually, and this circumstance allows applying the analogy between space-time-stochastic true turbulence and the dispersion flow which is stochastic in space only, when porous flow is simulated at the macro-scale level. Additionally, the mentioned analogy allows applying well-known turbulent combustion models in simulations of porous combustion under high Peclet numbers.

  2. Simulating Porous Magnetite Layer Deposited on Alloy 690TT Steam Generator Tubes

    PubMed Central

    Jeon, Soon-Hyeok; Son, Yeong-Ho; Choi, Won-Ik; Song, Geun Dong; Hur, Do Haeng

    2018-01-01

    In nuclear power plants, the main corrosion product that is deposited on the outside of steam generator tubes is porous magnetite. The objective of this study was to simulate porous magnetite that is deposited on thermally treated (TT) Alloy 690 steam generator tubes. A magnetite layer was electrodeposited on an Alloy 690TT substrate in an Fe(III)-triethanolamine solution. After electrodeposition, the dense magnetite layer was immersed to simulate porous magnetite deposits in alkaline solution for 50 days at room temperature. The dense morphology of the magnetite layer was changed to a porous structure by reductive dissolution reaction. The simulated porous magnetite layer was compared with flakes of steam generator tubes, which were collected from the secondary water system of a real nuclear power plant during sludge lancing. Possible nuclear research applications using simulated porous magnetite specimens are also proposed. PMID:29301316

  3. Quenching of a highly superheated porous medium by injection of water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fichot, F.; Bachrata, A.; Repetto, G.; Fleurot, J.; Quintard, M.

    2012-11-01

    Understanding of two-phase flow through porous medium with intense phase change is of interest in many situations, including nuclear, chemical or geophysical applications. Intense boiling occurs when the liquid is injected into a highly superheated medium. Under such conditions, the heat flux extracted by the fluid from the porous medium is mainly governed by the nucleation of bubbles and by the evaporation of thin liquid films. Both configurations are possible, depending on local flow conditions and on the ratio of bubble size to pore size. The present study is motivated by the safety evaluation of light water nuclear reactors in case of a severe accident scenario, such as the one that happened in Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in March, 2011. If water sources are not available for a long period of time, the reactor core heats up due to the residual power and eventually becomes significantly damaged due to intense oxidation of metals and fragmentation of fuel rods resulting in the formation of a porous medium where the particles have a characteristic length-scale of 1 to 5 mm. The coolability of the porous medium will depend on the water flow rate which can enter the medium under the available driving head and on the geometrical features of the porous matrix (average pore size, porosity). Therefore, it is of high interest to evaluate the conditions for which the injection of water in such porous medium is likely to stop the progression of the accident. The present paper addresses the issue of modelling two-phase flow and heat transfers in a porous medium initially dry, where water is injected. The medium is initially at a temperature well above the saturation temperature of water. In a first part, a summary of existing knowledge is provided, showing the scarcity of models and experimental data. In a second part, new experimental results obtained in an IRSN facility are analysed. The experiment consists in a bed of steel particles that are heated up to 700

  4. 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.

  5. Theory of porous catheters and their applications in intraparenchymal infusions.

    PubMed

    Raghavan, Raghu; Odland, Rick M

    2017-01-01

    Multiport catheters and catheters with a porous surface have been proposed for intraparenchymal infusions of therapeutics in fluid suspensions. Target diseases include brain cancer and serious neurodegenerative diseases, as well as peripheral tumors, for example in the prostate and the liver. We set up the theory for infusions from such devices, in particular the fluid flow equations which demand a coupling between the flow within the catheter and that in tissue. (Such a coupling is not necessary in the theory of infusion from single port catheters.) The new feature of such catheters, treated by our model, is revealed by infusions into inhomogeneous media. Multiport designs have the potential to overcome the limitation of single port catheters, for which the path of the fluid leaving the port is dominated by the inhomogeneities. We solve these equations for some simple cases to illustrate the key design features of porous catheters that show such advantages. The mathematics required for numerical solution with more realistic assumptions is also developed. We confirm the robustness of such catheters, when the ports are sufficiently resistive, against leakage paths that would compromise the infusions from catheters with one or a few large ports. The methods of this paper can be incorporated into a larger planning system for intraparenchymal infusions involving such devices.

  6. Ultrafast excited state deactivation of doped porous anodic alumina membranes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Makhal, Abhinandan; Sarkar, Soumik; Pal, Samir Kumar; Yan, Hongdan; Wulferding, Dirk; Cetin, Fatih; Lemmens, Peter

    2012-08-01

    Free-standing, bi-directionally permeable and ultra-thin anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes establish attractive templates (host) for the synthesis of nano-dots and rods of various materials (guest). This is due to their chemical and structural integrity and high periodicity on length scales of 5-150 nm which are often used to host photoactive nano-materials for various device applications including dye-sensitized solar cells. In the present study, AAO membranes are synthesized by using electrochemical methods and a detailed structural characterization using FEG-SEM, XRD and TGA confirms the porosity and purity of the material. Defect-mediated photoluminescence quenching of the porous AAO membrane in the presence of an electron accepting guest organic molecule (benzoquinone) is studied by means of steady-state and picosecond/femtosecond-resolved luminescence measurements. Using time-resolved luminescence transients, we have also revealed light harvesting of complexes of porous alumina impregnated with inorganic quantum dots (Maple Red) or gold nanowires. Both the Förster resonance energy transfer and the nano-surface energy transfer techniques are employed to examine the observed quenching behavior as a function of the characteristic donor-acceptor distances. The experimental results will find their relevance in light harvesting devices based on AAOs combined with other materials involving a decisive energy/charge transfer dynamics.

  7. Ultrafast excited state deactivation of doped porous anodic alumina membranes.

    PubMed

    Makhal, Abhinandan; Sarkar, Soumik; Pal, Samir Kumar; Yan, Hongdan; Wulferding, Dirk; Cetin, Fatih; Lemmens, Peter

    2012-08-03

    Free-standing, bi-directionally permeable and ultra-thin anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes establish attractive templates (host) for the synthesis of nano-dots and rods of various materials (guest). This is due to their chemical and structural integrity and high periodicity on length scales of 5-150 nm which are often used to host photoactive nano-materials for various device applications including dye-sensitized solar cells. In the present study, AAO membranes are synthesized by using electrochemical methods and a detailed structural characterization using FEG-SEM, XRD and TGA confirms the porosity and purity of the material. Defect-mediated photoluminescence quenching of the porous AAO membrane in the presence of an electron accepting guest organic molecule (benzoquinone) is studied by means of steady-state and picosecond/femtosecond-resolved luminescence measurements. Using time-resolved luminescence transients, we have also revealed light harvesting of complexes of porous alumina impregnated with inorganic quantum dots (Maple Red) or gold nanowires. Both the Förster resonance energy transfer and the nano-surface energy transfer techniques are employed to examine the observed quenching behavior as a function of the characteristic donor-acceptor distances. The experimental results will find their relevance in light harvesting devices based on AAOs combined with other materials involving a decisive energy/charge transfer dynamics.

  8. Electrochemical Fabrication of Nanostructures on Porous Silicon for Biochemical Sensing Platforms.

    PubMed

    Ko, Euna; Hwang, Joonki; Kim, Ji Hye; Lee, Joo Heon; Lee, Sung Hwan; Tran, Van-Khue; Chung, Woo Sung; Park, Chan Ho; Choo, Jaebum; Seong, Gi Hun

    2016-01-01

    We present a method for the electrochemical patterning of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) or silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on porous silicon, and explore their applications in: (1) the quantitative analysis of hydroxylamine as a chemical sensing electrode and (2) as a highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for Rhodamine 6G. For hydroxylamine detection, AuNPs-porous silicon can enhance the electrochemical oxidation of hydroxylamine. The current changed linearly for concentrations ranging from 100 μM to 1.32 mM (R(2) = 0.995), and the detection limit was determined to be as low as 55 μM. When used as SERS substrates, these materials also showed that nanoparticles decorated on porous silicon substrates have more SERS hot spots than those decorated on crystalline silicon substrates, resulting in a larger SERS signal. Moreover, AgNPs-porous silicon provided five-times higher signal compared to AuNPs-porous silicon. From these results, we expect that nanoparticles decorated on porous silicon substrates can be used in various types of biochemical sensing platforms.

  9. Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of porous iron prepared by powder metallurgy.

    PubMed

    Capek, Jaroslav; Vojtěch, Dalibor

    2014-10-01

    The demand for porous biodegradable load-bearing implants has been increasing recently. Based on investigations of biodegradable stents, porous iron may be a suitable material for such applications. In this study, we prepared porous iron samples with porosities of 34-51 vol.% by powder metallurgy using ammonium bicarbonate as a space-holder material. We studied sample microstructure (SEM-EDX and XRD), flexural and compressive behaviors (universal loading machine) and hardness HV5 (hardness tester) of the prepared samples. Sample porosity increased with the amount of spacer in the initial mixtures. Only the pore surfaces had insignificant oxidation and no other contamination was observed. Increasing porosity decreased the mechanical properties of the samples; although, the properties were still comparable with human bone and higher than those of porous non-metallic biomaterials and porous magnesium prepared in a similar way. Based on these results, powder metallurgy appears to be a suitable method for the preparation of porous iron for orthopedic applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Porous and Microporous Honeycomb Composites as Potential Boundary-Layer Bleed Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, D. O.; Willis, B. P.; Schoenenberger, M.

    1997-01-01

    Results of an experimental investigation are presented in which the use of porous and microporous honeycomb composite materials is evaluated as an alternate to perforated solid plates for boundary-layer bleed in supersonic aircraft inlets. The terms "porous" and "microporous," respectively, refer to bleed orifice diameters roughly equal to and much less than the displacement thickness of the approach boundary-layer. A Baseline porous solid plate, two porous honeycomb, and three microporous honeycomb configurations are evaluated. The performance of the plates is characterized by the flow coefficient and relative change in boundary-layer profile parameters across the bleed region. The tests were conducted at Mach numbers of 1.27 and 1.98. The results show the porous honeycomb is not as efficient at removing mass compared to the baseline. The microporous plates were about equal to the baseline with one plate demonstrating a significantly higher efficiency. The microporous plates produced significantly fuller boundary-layer profiles downstream of the bleed region for a given mass flow removal rate than either the baseline or the porous honeycomb plates.

  11. Investigation of porous silicon nanopowders functionalized by antibiotic Kanamycin, fluorophore Indocyanine Green

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bespalova, K.; Somov, P. A.; Spivak, Yu M.

    2017-11-01

    Porous silicon nanopowders for target drug delivery were obtained by electrochemical anodic etching in a hydrofluoric acid solution using the monocrystalline silicon n-type conductivity. Porous silicon powders were obtained by sonification of porous silicon layers. The powders were functionalized by antibiotic Kanamycin and fluorophore Indocyanine Green by the passive adsorption method. The peculiarities of absorption spectra in 190-600 nm region were revealed for functionalized porous silicon powders dispersions in water.

  12. Modelling solute dispersion in periodic heterogeneous porous media: Model benchmarking against intermediate scale experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Majdalani, Samer; Guinot, Vincent; Delenne, Carole; Gebran, Hicham

    2018-06-01

    This paper is devoted to theoretical and experimental investigations of solute dispersion in heterogeneous porous media. Dispersion in heterogenous porous media has been reported to be scale-dependent, a likely indication that the proposed dispersion models are incompletely formulated. A high quality experimental data set of breakthrough curves in periodic model heterogeneous porous media is presented. In contrast with most previously published experiments, the present experiments involve numerous replicates. This allows the statistical variability of experimental data to be accounted for. Several models are benchmarked against the data set: the Fickian-based advection-dispersion, mobile-immobile, multirate, multiple region advection dispersion models, and a newly proposed transport model based on pure advection. A salient property of the latter model is that its solutions exhibit a ballistic behaviour for small times, while tending to the Fickian behaviour for large time scales. Model performance is assessed using a novel objective function accounting for the statistical variability of the experimental data set, while putting equal emphasis on both small and large time scale behaviours. Besides being as accurate as the other models, the new purely advective model has the advantages that (i) it does not exhibit the undesirable effects associated with the usual Fickian operator (namely the infinite solute front propagation speed), and (ii) it allows dispersive transport to be simulated on every heterogeneity scale using scale-independent parameters.

  13. Method for preparing porous metal hydride compacts

    DOEpatents

    Ron, Moshe; Gruen, Dieter M.; Mendelsohn, Marshall H.; Sheft, Irving

    1981-01-01

    A method for preparing porous metallic-matrix hydride compacts which can be repeatedly hydrided and dehydrided without disintegration. A mixture of a finely divided metal hydride and a finely divided matrix metal is contacted with a poison which prevents the metal hydride from dehydriding at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The mixture of matrix metal and poisoned metal hydride is then compacted under pressure at room temperature to form porous metallic-matrix hydride compacts.

  14. Method for preparing porous metal hydride compacts

    DOEpatents

    Ron, M.; Gruen, D.M.; Mendelsohn, M.H.; Sheft, I.

    1980-01-21

    A method for preparing porous metallic-matrix hydride compacts which can be repeatedly hydrided and dehydrided without disintegration. A mixture of a finely divided metal hydride and a finely divided matrix metal is contacted with a poison which prevents the metal hydride from dehydriding at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The mixture of matrix metal and poisoned metal hydride is then compacted under pressure at room temperature to form porous metallic-matrix hydride compacts.

  15. Nanostructured porous silicon-mediated drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Martín-Palma, Raúl J; Hernández-Montelongo, Jacobo; Torres-Costa, Vicente; Manso-Silván, Miguel; Muñoz-Noval, Álvaro

    2014-08-01

    The particular properties of nanostructured porous silicon (nanoPS) make it an attractive material for controlled and localized release of therapeutics within the body, aiming at increased efficacy and reduced risks of potential side effects. Since this is a rapidly evolving field as a consequence of the number of research groups involved, a critical review of the state of the art is necessary. In this work, the most promising and successful applications of nanoPS in the field of drug delivery are reviewed and discussed. Two key issues such as drug loading and release are also analyzed in detail. The development of multifunctional (hybrid) systems, aiming at imparting additional functionalities to the nanoPS particles such as luminescence, magnetic response and/or plasmonic effects (allowing simultaneous tracking and guiding), is also examined. Nanostructured materials based on silicon are promising platforms for pharmaceutical applications given their ability to degrade and low toxicity. However, a very limited number of clinical applications have been demonstrated so far.

  16. Optical extinction of highly porous aerosol following atmospheric freeze drying

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, Gabriela; Haspel, Carynelisa; Moise, Tamar; Rudich, Yinon

    2014-06-01

    Porous glassy particles are a potentially significant but unexplored component of atmospheric aerosol that can form by aerosol processing through the ice phase of high convective clouds. The optical properties of porous glassy aerosols formed from a freeze-dry cycle simulating freezing and sublimation of ice particles were measured using a cavity ring down aerosol spectrometer (CRD-AS) at 532 nm and 355 nm wavelength. The measured extinction efficiency was significantly reduced for porous organic and mixed organic-ammonium sulfate particles as compared to the extinction efficiency of the homogeneous aerosol of the same composition prior to the freeze-drying process. A number of theoretical approaches for modeling the optical extinction of porous aerosols were explored. These include effective medium approximations, extended effective medium approximations, multilayer concentric sphere models, Rayleigh-Debye-Gans theory, and the discrete dipole approximation. Though such approaches are commonly used to describe porous particles in astrophysical and atmospheric contexts, in the current study, these approaches predicted an even lower extinction than the measured one. Rather, the best representation of the measured extinction was obtained with an effective refractive index retrieved from a fit to Mie scattering theory assuming spherical particles with a fixed void content. The single-scattering albedo of the porous glassy aerosols was derived using this effective refractive index and was found to be lower than that of the corresponding homogeneous aerosol, indicating stronger relative absorption at the wavelengths measured. The reduced extinction and increased absorption may be of significance in assessing direct, indirect, and semidirect forcing in regions where porous aerosols are expected to be prevalent.

  17. The Impact of Work-Family Supportive Supervisors on Job Involvement and Job Satisfaction with Career Competencies as an Intervening Variable

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suharnomo; Johnpray, Paguh Raja

    2018-02-01

    This study was conducted to explore the relationship between work-family supportive supervisor, career competencies, job involvement, and job satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of 162 respondents who worked as a nurse at hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. This study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine and estimate the relationship between the constructs. The study results indicate that work-family supportive supervisor has a positive and significant impact on career competencies, career competencies have a positive and significant impact on job involvement, and on job satisfaction. Work-family supportive supervisor has a positive and significant impact on job involvement and on job satisfaction. A total of 162 respondents with a percentage of 96.30% women showed that women need good support and policies in achieving a balance between work and family. Finally, this study highlights the importance of work-family supportive supervisor and career competencies for improving job involvement and job satisfaction. This study provides insights on how the human resources department can retain qualified staff and develop employee satisfaction.

  18. Hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers with ultra-high ethanol gas-sensing at low concentration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Liming; Yue, He; Li, Haiying; Liu, Li; Li, Yu; Du, Liting; Duan, Haojie; Klyui, N. I.

    2018-05-01

    Hierarchical porous and non-porous ZnO microflowers have been successfully fabricated by hydrothermal method. Their crystal structure, morphology and gas-sensing properties were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and chemical gas sensing intelligent analysis system (CGS). Compared with hierarchical non-porous ZnO microflowers, hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers exhibited ultra-high sensitivity with 50 ppm ethanol at 260 °C and the response is 110, which is 1.8 times higher than that of non-porous ZnO microflowers. Moreover, the lowest concentration limit of hierarchical porous ZnO microflowers (non-porous ZnO microflowers) to ethanol is 0.1 (1) ppm, the response value is 1.6 (1).

  19. STORMWATER HYDROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POROUS AND CONVENTIONAL PAVING SYSTEMS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The utilization of porous pavement in parking lots and other applications where stormwater detention is required provides a control strategy capable of mitigating the detrimental aspects of urban runoff. A study of porous and conventional pavement systems in Austin, Texas was und...

  20. An efficient hydro-mechanical model for coupled multi-porosity and discrete fracture porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Xia; Huang, Zhaoqin; Yao, Jun; Li, Yang; Fan, Dongyan; Zhang, Kai

    2018-02-01

    In this paper, a numerical model is developed for coupled analysis of deforming fractured porous media with multiscale fractures. In this model, the macro-fractures are modeled explicitly by the embedded discrete fracture model, and the supporting effects of fluid and fillings in these fractures are represented explicitly in the geomechanics model. On the other hand, matrix and micro-fractures are modeled by a multi-porosity model, which aims to accurately describe the transient matrix-fracture fluid exchange process. A stabilized extended finite element method scheme is developed based on the polynomial pressure projection technique to address the displacement oscillation along macro-fracture boundaries. After that, the mixed space discretization and modified fixed stress sequential implicit methods based on non-matching grids are applied to solve the coupling model. Finally, we demonstrate the accuracy and application of the proposed method to capture the coupled hydro-mechanical impacts of multiscale fractures on fractured porous media.

  1. Effect of Solute Size on Transport in Structured Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Qinhong; Brusseau, Mark L.

    1995-07-01

    The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of solute size on transport in structured porous media. Miscible displacement experiments were performed with tracers of different sizes (i.e., tritiated water (3H2O), pentafluorobenzoate (PFBA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD)) in aggregated, stratified, and macroporous media. The breakthrough curves exhibited both early breakthrough and tailing, indicative of nonideal transport in these structured media. Comparison of breakthrough curves revealed that the extent of nonideality (e.g., tailing) was HPCD > PFBA, 2,4-D > 3H2O. This behavior is consistent with the impact of solute size on the relative degree of "nonequilibrium" experienced by solutes whose transport is constrained by diffusive mass transfer. The capability of the first-order, dual-porosity mobile-immobile model to represent solute transport in these structured systems was evaluated by comparing independently determined values of the input parameters to values obtained by curve fitting of the experimental measurements. The calculated and optimized values compared quite well for the aggregated and stratified media, but not for the macroporous media. xperiments performed with tracers of different size are useful for characterizing the nature of the porous medium through which transport is occurring.

  2. Porous polymethylmethacrylate as bone substitute in the craniofacial area.

    PubMed

    Bruens, Marco L; Pieterman, Herman; de Wijn, Joost R; Vaandrager, J Michael

    2003-01-01

    In craniofacial surgery, alloplastic materials are used for correcting bony defects. Porous polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is a biocompatible and nondegradable bone cement. Porous PMMA is formed by the classic bone cement formulation of methylmethacrylate liquid and PMMA powder in which an aqueous biodegradable carboxymethylcellulose gel is dispersed to create pores in the cement when cured. Pores give bone the opportunity to grow in, resulting in a better fixation of the prostheses. We evaluated the long-term results (n = 14), up to 20 years, of augmentations and defect fillings in the craniofacial area, with special interest in possible side effects and bone ingrowth. The evaluation consisted of a questionnaire, a physical examination, and a computed tomography (CT) scan. There were no side effects that could be ascribed to the porous PMMA. Twelve CT scans showed bone ingrowth into the prostheses, proving the validity behind the concept of porous PMMA.

  3. Porous silicon photonic crystals as hosts for polymers, biopolymers, and magnetic nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yang Yang

    This thesis describes the construction of one-dimensional photonic crystals of porous silicon by electrochemically etching and the use of these materials as hosts for polymers, biopolymers, and magnetic nanoparticles. The spectral features of the photonic crystals derive from a porosity gradient that is determined by the electrochemical etching parameters. Since the photonic crystals are constructed of a porous material, they can serve as hosts for other materials. The first chapter of the thesis provides an introduction to porous Si, templating techniques and the use of porous materials for controlled release of drugs. This latter section is added because much of the thesis work addresses the application of porous Si hosts for controlled release of drugs. In the second chapter, it is shown that the spectral properties of the porous Si photonic crystal template can be transferred to a variety of organic and biopolymers. It is demonstrated that these castings can be used as vapor sensors and as self-reporting, bioresorbable materials. If the template is not removed, porous Si polymer composites are formed. The third chapter discussed that by spray-coating a fine mist of polymer solution onto the porous Si film, robust and smooth micron-sized cylindrical photonic crystals suitable for bioassays can be prepared. The fourth chapter focuses on using porous Si photonic crystals as a host for magnetic nanoparticles. The magnetic nanoparticles in this work are found to adhere to the surface of the porous Si film as well to infiltrate the pore structure. In a demonstration of optical switching that may be useful for information display applications, flipping between the colored to dark sides by application of a magnetic field is found to occur at rates of as large as 175 Hz. As the host for soluble molecular species, porous Si photonic crystals can be impregnated from solution. The aggregates that form upon evaporation of solvent are found to scatter light from the resonant

  4. Metallosalen-Based Ionic Porous Polymers as Bifunctional Catalysts for the Conversion of CO2 into Valuable Chemicals.

    PubMed

    Luo, Rongchang; Chen, Yaju; He, Qian; Lin, Xiaowei; Xu, Qihang; He, Xiaohui; Zhang, Wuying; Zhou, Xiantai; Ji, Hongbing

    2017-04-10

    A series of new metallosalen-based ionic porous organic polymers (POPs) were synthesized for the first time using a simple unique strategy based on the free-radical copolymerization reaction. Various techniques were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of these catalysts. These well-designed materials endowed high surface area, hierarchical porous structures, and enhanced CO 2 /N 2 adsorptive selectivity. Moreover, these POPs having both metal centers (Lewis acid) and ionic units (nucleophile) could serve as bifunctional catalysts in the catalytic conversion of CO 2 into high value-added chemicals without any additional co-catalyst under mild and solvent-free conditions, for example, CO 2 /epoxides cycloaddition and Nformylation of amines from CO 2 and hydrosilanes. The results demonstrated that the irregular porous structure was very favorable for the diffusion of substrates and products, and the microporous structural property resulted in the enrichment of CO 2 near the catalytic centers in the CO 2 -involved transformations. Additionally, the superhydrophobic property could not only enhance the chemoselectivity of products but also promote the stability and recyclability of catalysts. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Impact of geometrical properties on permeability and fluid phase distribution in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehmann, P.; Berchtold, M.; Ahrenholz, B.; Tölke, J.; Kaestner, A.; Krafczyk, M.; Flühler, H.; Künsch, H. R.

    2008-09-01

    To predict fluid phase distribution in porous media, the effect of geometric properties on flow processes must be understood. In this study, we analyze the effect of volume, surface, curvature and connectivity (the four Minkowski functionals) on the hydraulic conductivity and the water retention curve. For that purpose, we generated 12 artificial structures with 800 3 voxels (the units of a 3D image) and compared them with a scanned sand sample of the same size. The structures were generated with a Boolean model based on a random distribution of overlapping ellipsoids whose size and shape were chosen to fulfill the criteria of the measured functionals. The pore structure of sand material was mapped with X-rays from synchrotrons. To analyze the effect of geometry on water flow and fluid distribution we carried out three types of analysis: Firstly, we computed geometrical properties like chord length, distance from the solids, pore size distribution and the Minkowski functionals as a function of pore size. Secondly, the fluid phase distribution as a function of the applied pressure was calculated with a morphological pore network model. Thirdly, the permeability was determined using a state-of-the-art lattice-Boltzmann method. For the simulated structure with the true Minkowski functionals the pores were larger and the computed air-entry value of the artificial medium was reduced to 85% of the value obtained from the scanned sample. The computed permeability for the geometry with the four fitted Minkowski functionals was equal to the permeability of the scanned image. The permeability was much more sensitive to the volume and surface than to curvature and connectivity of the medium. We conclude that the Minkowski functionals are not sufficient to characterize the geometrical properties of a porous structure that are relevant for the distribution of two fluid phases. Depending on the procedure to generate artificial structures with predefined Minkowski functionals

  6. High-Resolution Mapping of Yield Curve Shape and Evolution for Porous Rock: The Effect of Inelastic Compaction on Porous Bassanite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bedford, John D.; Faulkner, Daniel R.; Leclère, Henri; Wheeler, John

    2018-02-01

    Porous rock deformation has important implications for fluid flow in a range of crustal settings as compaction can increase fluid pressure and alter permeability. The onset of inelastic strain for porous materials is typically defined by a yield curve plotted in differential stress (Q) versus effective mean stress (P) space. Empirical studies have shown that these curves are broadly elliptical in shape. Here conventional triaxial experiments are first performed to document (a) the yield curve of porous bassanite (porosity ≈ 27-28%), a material formed from the dehydration of gypsum, and (b) the postyield behavior, assuming that P and Q track along the yield surface as inelastic deformation accumulates. The data reveal that after initial yield, the yield surface cannot be perfectly elliptical and must evolve significantly as inelastic strain is accumulated. To investigate this further, a novel stress-probing methodology is developed to map precisely the yield curve shape and subsequent evolution for a single sample. These measurements confirm that the high-pressure side of the curve is partly composed of a near-vertical limb. Yield curve evolution is shown to be dependent on the nature of the loading path. Bassanite compacted under differential stress develops a heterogeneous microstructure and has a yield curve with a peak that is almost double that of an equal porosity sample that has been compacted hydrostatically. The dramatic effect of different loading histories on the strength of porous bassanite highlights the importance of understanding the associated microstructural controls on the nature of inelastic deformation in porous rock.

  7. Graphene synthesized on porous silicon for active electrode material of supercapacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Su, B. B.; Chen, X. Y.; Halvorsen, E.

    2016-11-01

    We present graphene synthesized by chemical vapour deposition under atmospheric pressure on both porous nanostructures and flat wafers as electrode scaffolds for supercapacitors. A 3nm thin gold layer was deposited on samples of both porous and flat silicon for exploring the catalytic influence during graphene synthesis. Micro-four-point probe resistivity measurements revealed that the resistivity of porous silicon samples was nearly 53 times smaller than of the flat silicon ones when all the samples were covered by a thin gold layer after the graphene growth. From cyclic voltammetry, the average specific capacitance of porous silicon coated with gold was estimated to 267 μF/cm2 while that without catalyst layer was 145μF/cm2. We demonstrated that porous silicon based on nanorods can play an important role in graphene synthesis and enable silicon as promising electrodes for supercapacitors.

  8. Porous plug for reducing orifice induced pressure error in airfoils

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Plentovich, Elizabeth B. (Inventor); Gloss, Blair B. (Inventor); Eves, John W. (Inventor); Stack, John P. (Inventor)

    1988-01-01

    A porous plug is provided for the reduction or elimination of positive error caused by the orifice during static pressure measurements of airfoils. The porous plug is press fitted into the orifice, thereby preventing the error caused either by fluid flow turning into the exposed orifice or by the fluid flow stagnating at the downstream edge of the orifice. In addition, the porous plug is made flush with the outer surface of the airfoil, by filing and polishing, to provide a smooth surface which alleviates the error caused by imperfections in the orifice. The porous plug is preferably made of sintered metal, which allows air to pass through the pores, so that the static pressure measurements can be made by remote transducers.

  9. Modification of porous silicon rugate filters through thiol-yne photochemistry

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

    Soeriyadi, Alexander H., E-mail: alexander.soeriyadi@unsw.edu.au; Zhu, Ying, E-mail: alexander.soeriyadi@unsw.edu.au; Gooding, J. Justin, E-mail: justin.gooding@unsw.edu.au

    2014-02-24

    Porous silicon (PSi) has a considerable potential as biosensor platform. In particular, the ability to modify the surface chemistry of porous silicon is of interest. Here we present a generic method to modify the surface of porous silicon through thiol-yne photochemistry initiated by a radical initiator. Firstly, a freshly etched porous silicon substrate is modified through thermal hydrosilylation with 1,8-nonadiyne to passivate the surface and introduce alkyne functionalities. The alkyne functional surface could then be further reacted with thiol species in the presence of a radical initiator and UV light. Functionalization of the PSi rugate filter is followed with opticalmore » reflectivity measurements as well as high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)« less

  10. The impact of stakeholder involvement in hospital policy decision-making: a study of the hospital's business processes.

    PubMed

    Malfait, Simon; Van Hecke, Ann; Hellings, Johan; De Bodt, Griet; Eeckloo, Kristof

    2017-02-01

    In many health care systems, strategies are currently deployed to engage patients and other stakeholders in decisions affecting hospital services. In this paper, a model for stakeholder involvement is presented and evaluated in three Flemish hospitals. In the model, a stakeholder committee advises the hospital's board of directors on themes of strategic importance. To study the internal hospital's decision processes in order to identify the impact of a stakeholder involvement committee on strategic themes in the hospital decision processes. A retrospective analysis of the decision processes was conducted in three hospitals that implemented a stakeholder committee. The analysis consisted of process and outcome evaluation. Fifteen themes were discussed in the stakeholder committees, whereof 11 resulted in a considerable change. None of these were on a strategic level. The theoretical model was not applied as initially developed, but was altered by each hospital. Consequentially, the decision processes differed between the hospitals. Despite alternation of the model, the stakeholder committee showed a meaningful impact in all hospitals on the operational level. As a result of the differences in decision processes, three factors could be identified as facilitators for success: (1) a close interaction with the board of executives, (2) the inclusion of themes with a more practical and patient-oriented nature, and (3) the elaboration of decisions on lower echelons of the organization. To effectively influence the organization's public accountability, hospitals should involve stakeholders in the decision-making process of the organization. The model of a stakeholder committee was not applied as initially developed and did not affect the strategic decision-making processes in the involved hospitals. Results show only impact at the operational level in the participating hospitals. More research is needed connecting stakeholder involvement with hospital governance.

  11. A finite-strain homogenization model for viscoplastic porous single crystals: II - Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Dawei; Ponte Castañeda, P.

    2017-10-01

    In part I of this work (Song and Ponte Castañeda, 2017a), a new homogenization-based constitutive model was developed for the finite-strain, macroscopic response of porous viscoplastic single crystals. In this second part, the new model is first used to investigate the instantaneous response and the evolution of the microstructure for porous FCC single crystals for a wide range of loading conditions. The loading orientation, Lode angle and stress triaxiality are found to have significant effects on the evolution of porosity and average void shape, which play crucial roles in determining the overall hardening/softening behavior of porous single crystals. The predictions of the model are found to be in fairly good agreement with numerical simulations available from the literature for all loadings considered, especially for low triaxiality conditions. The model is then used to investigate the strong effect of crystal anisotropy on the instantaneous response and the evolution of the microstructure for porous HCP single crystals. For uniaxial tension and compression, the overall hardening/softening behavior of porous HCP crystals is found to be controlled mostly by the evolution of void shape, and not so much by the evolution of porosity. In particular, porous HCP crystals exhibit overall hardening behavior with increasing porosity, while they exhibit overall softening behavior with decreasing porosity. This interesting behavior is consistent with corresponding results for porous FCC crystals, but is found to be more significant for porous HCP crystals with large anisotropy, such as porous ice, where the non-basal slip systems are much harder than the basal systems.

  12. Primary human osteoblasts grow into porous tantalum and maintain an osteoblastic phenotype.

    PubMed

    Welldon, Katie J; Atkins, Gerald J; Howie, Donald W; Findlay, David M

    2008-03-01

    Porous tantalum (Ta) has found application in orthopedics, although the interaction of human osteoblasts (HOB) with this material has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of primary HOB with porous tantalum, using 5-mm thick discs of porous tantalum. Comparison was made with discs of solid tantalum and tissue culture plastic. Confocal microscopy was used to investigate the attachment and growth of cells on porous Ta, and showed that HOB attached successfully to the metal "trabeculae," underwent extensive cell division, and penetrated into the Ta pores. The maturation of HOB on porous Ta was determined in terms of cell expression of the osteoblast phenotypic markers, STRO-1, and alkaline phosphatase. Despite some donor-dependent variation in STRO-1/AlkPhos expression, growth of cells grown on porous Ta either promoted, or did not impede, the maturation of HOB. In addition, the expression of key osteoblastic genes was investigated after 14 days of culture. The relative levels of mRNA encoding osteocalcin, osteopontin and receptor activator of NFkappaB ligand (RANKL) was not different between porous or solid Ta or plastic, although these genes were expressed differently by cells of different donors. However, bone sialoprotein and type I collagen mRNA species showed a decreased expression on porous Ta compared with expression on plastic. No substrate-dependent differences were seen in the extent of in vitro mineralization by HOB. These results indicate that porous Ta is a good substrate for the attachment, growth, and differentiated function of HOB. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon microsphere through KOH activation for supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Jingui; Chen, Hao; Wang, Zhao; Bao, Luke; Qiang, Yiwei; Guan, Shiyou; Chen, Jianding

    2015-08-15

    A porous carbon microsphere with moderate specific surface area and superior specific capacitance for supercapacitors is fabricated from polyphosphazene microsphere as the single heteroatoms source by the carbonization and subsequent KOH activation under N2 atmosphere. With KOH activation, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirms that the phosphorus of polyphosphazene microsphere totally vanishes, and the doping content of nitrogen and its population of various functionalities on porous carbon microsphere surface are tuned. Compared with non-porous carbon microsphere, the texture property of the resultant porous carbon microsphere subjected to KOH activation has been remarkably developed with the specific surface area growing from 315 to 1341 m(2) g(-1)and the pore volume turning from 0.17 to 0.69 cm(3) g(-1). Prepared with the KOH/non-porous carbon microsphere weight ratio at 1.0, the porous carbon microsphere with moderate specific surface area of 568 m(2) g(-1), exhibits intriguing electrochemical behavior in 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte, with superior specific capacitance (278 F g(-1) at 0.1 A g(-1)), good rate capability (147 F g(-1) remained at 10 A g(-1)) and robust cycling durability (No capacitance loss after 5000 cycles). The promising electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the synergy of nitrogen heteroatom functionalities and the porous morphology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Comparative Kinetic Analysis of Closed-Ended and Open-Ended Porous Sensors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Yiliang; Gaur, Girija; Mernaugh, Raymond L.; Laibinis, Paul E.; Weiss, Sharon M.

    2016-09-01

    Efficient mass transport through porous networks is essential for achieving rapid response times in sensing applications utilizing porous materials. In this work, we show that open-ended porous membranes can overcome diffusion challenges experienced by closed-ended porous materials in a microfluidic environment. A theoretical model including both transport and reaction kinetics is employed to study the influence of flow velocity, bulk analyte concentration, analyte diffusivity, and adsorption rate on the performance of open-ended and closed-ended porous sensors integrated with flow cells. The analysis shows that open-ended pores enable analyte flow through the pores and greatly reduce the response time and analyte consumption for detecting large molecules with slow diffusivities compared with closed-ended pores for which analytes largely flow over the pores. Experimental confirmation of the results was carried out with open- and closed-ended porous silicon (PSi) microcavities fabricated in flow-through and flow-over sensor configurations, respectively. The adsorption behavior of small analytes onto the inner surfaces of closed-ended and open-ended PSi membrane microcavities was similar. However, for large analytes, PSi membranes in a flow-through scheme showed significant improvement in response times due to more efficient convective transport of analytes. The experimental results and theoretical analysis provide quantitative estimates of the benefits offered by open-ended porous membranes for different analyte systems.

  15. Simple views on critical binary liquid mixtures in porous glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tremblay, L.; Socol, S. M.; Lacelle, S.

    2000-01-01

    A simple scenario, different from previous attempts, is proposed to resolve the problem of the slow phase separation dynamics of binary liquid mixtures confined in porous Vycor glass. We demonstrate that simply mutual diffusion, renormalized by critical composition fluctuations and geometrical hindrance of the porous glass, accounts for the slow phase separation kinetics. Capillary invasion studies of porous Vycor glass by the critical isobutyric acid-water mixture, close to the consolute solution temperature, corroborate our analysis.

  16. Interaction of pressure and momentum driven flows with thin porous media: Experiments and modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naaktgeboren, Christian

    relationships between vortices upstream and downstream the porous targets as a function of the porosity are presented, based on the velocity field from the DPIV measurements. Results show that kinetic energy dissipation is more intense for the low porosity targets and that flows with higher initial kinetic energy impacting on the same target loose a smaller percentage of their initial energy.

  17. Multi-thread parallel algorithm for reconstructing 3D large-scale porous structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ju, Yang; Huang, Yaohui; Zheng, Jiangtao; Qian, Xu; Xie, Heping; Zhao, Xi

    2017-04-01

    Geomaterials inherently contain many discontinuous, multi-scale, geometrically irregular pores, forming a complex porous structure that governs their mechanical and transport properties. The development of an efficient reconstruction method for representing porous structures can significantly contribute toward providing a better understanding of the governing effects of porous structures on the properties of porous materials. In order to improve the efficiency of reconstructing large-scale porous structures, a multi-thread parallel scheme was incorporated into the simulated annealing reconstruction method. In the method, four correlation functions, which include the two-point probability function, the linear-path functions for the pore phase and the solid phase, and the fractal system function for the solid phase, were employed for better reproduction of the complex well-connected porous structures. In addition, a random sphere packing method and a self-developed pre-conditioning method were incorporated to cast the initial reconstructed model and select independent interchanging pairs for parallel multi-thread calculation, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed algorithm was evaluated by examining the similarity between the reconstructed structure and a prototype in terms of their geometrical, topological, and mechanical properties. Comparisons of the reconstruction efficiency of porous models with various scales indicated that the parallel multi-thread scheme significantly shortened the execution time for reconstruction of a large-scale well-connected porous model compared to a sequential single-thread procedure.

  18. Agglomeration of Luminescent Porous Silicon Nanoparticles in Colloidal Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Herynková, Kateřina; Šlechta, Miroslav; Šimáková, Petra; Fučíková, Anna; Cibulka, Ondřej

    2016-08-01

    We have prepared colloidal solutions of clusters composed from porous silicon nanoparticles in methanol, water and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Even if the size of the nanoclusters is between 60 and 500 nm, due to their highly porous "cauliflower"-like structure, the porous silicon nanoparticles are composed of interconnected nanocrystals having around 2.5 nm in size and showing strong visible luminescence in the orange-red spectral region (centred at 600-700 nm). Hydrophilic behaviour and good solubility of the nanoclusters in water and water-based solutions were obtained by adding hydrogen peroxide into the etching solution during preparation and 16 min long after-bath in hydrogen peroxide. By simple filtration of the solutions with syringe filters, we have extracted smaller nanoclusters with sizes of approx. 60-70 nm; however, these nanoclusters in water and PBS solution (pH neutral) are prone to agglomeration, as was confirmed by zeta potential measurements. When the samples were left at ambient conditions for several weeks, the typical nanocluster size increased to approx. 330-400 nm and then remained stable. However, both freshly filtered and aged samples (with agglomerated porous silicon nanoparticles) of porous silicon in water and PBS solutions can be further used for biological studies or as luminescent markers in living cells.

  19. Methods of producing porous platinum-based catalysts for oxygen reduction

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

    Erlebacher, Jonah D.; Snyder, Joshua D.

    A porous metal that comprises platinum and has a specific surface area that is greater than 5 m 2/g and less than 75 m 2/g. A fuel cell includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode, and an electrolyte arranged between the first and the second electrodes. At least one of the first and second electrodes is coated with a porous metal catalyst for oxygen reduction, and the porous metal catalyst comprises platinum and has a specific surface area that is greater than 5 m 2/g and less than 75 m 2/g. A method ofmore » producing a porous metal according to an embodiment of the current invention includes producing an alloy consisting essentially of platinum and nickel according to the formula Pt xNi 1-x, where x is at least 0.01 and less than 0.3; and dealloying the alloy in a substantially pH neutral solution to reduce an amount of nickel in the alloy to produce the porous metal.« less

  20. Making Porous Luminescent Regions In Silicon Wafers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fathauer, Robert W.; Jones, Eric W.

    1994-01-01

    Regions damaged by ion implantation stain-etched. Porous regions within single-crystal silicon wafers fabricated by straightforward stain-etching process. Regions exhibit visible photoluminescence at room temperature and might constitute basis of novel class of optoelectronic devices. Stain-etching process has advantages over recently investigated anodic-etching process. Process works on both n-doped and p-doped silicon wafers. Related development reported in article, "Porous Si(x)Ge(1-x) Layers Within Single Crystals of Si," (NPO-18836).

  1. The Production of Porous Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds with Graded Porosity by Sequential Freeze-Casting.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hyun; Jang, Tae-Sik; Song, Juha; Kim, Hyoun-Ee; Jung, Hyun-Do

    2017-03-31

    Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with porosity-graded structures were fabricated by sequential freeze-casting. The pore structures, compressive strengths, and biocompatibilities of the fabricated porous HA scaffolds were evaluated. The porosities of the inner and outer layers of the graded HA scaffolds were controlled by adjusting the initial HA contents of the casting slurries. The interface between the dense and porous parts was compact and tightly adherent. The porosity and compressive strengths of the scaffold were controlled by the relative thicknesses of the dense/porous parts. In addition, the porous HA scaffolds showed good biocompatibility in terms of preosteoblast cell attachment and proliferation. The results suggest that porous HA scaffolds with load-bearing parts have potential as bone grafts in hard-tissue engineering.

  2. The Production of Porous Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds with Graded Porosity by Sequential Freeze-Casting

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Hyun; Jang, Tae-Sik; Song, Juha; Kim, Hyoun-Ee; Jung, Hyun-Do

    2017-01-01

    Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with porosity-graded structures were fabricated by sequential freeze-casting. The pore structures, compressive strengths, and biocompatibilities of the fabricated porous HA scaffolds were evaluated. The porosities of the inner and outer layers of the graded HA scaffolds were controlled by adjusting the initial HA contents of the casting slurries. The interface between the dense and porous parts was compact and tightly adherent. The porosity and compressive strengths of the scaffold were controlled by the relative thicknesses of the dense/porous parts. In addition, the porous HA scaffolds showed good biocompatibility in terms of preosteoblast cell attachment and proliferation. The results suggest that porous HA scaffolds with load-bearing parts have potential as bone grafts in hard-tissue engineering. PMID:28772735

  3. Surface modification of porous titanium with rice husk as space holder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xinsheng; Hou, Junjian; Liu, Yanpei

    2018-06-01

    Porous titanium was characterized after its surface modification by acid and alkali solution immersion. The results show that the acid surface treatment caused the emergence of flocculent sodium titanate and induced apatite formation. The surface modification of porous titanium promotes biological activation, and the application of porous titanium is also improved as an implant material because of the existence of C and Si.

  4. Thermal Transmittance of Porous Hollow Clay Brick by Guarded Hot Box Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Joonsoo

    2018-03-01

    The thermal property of a porous hollow clay brick was determined by measuring the thermal transmittance of the wall made of porous hollow clay bricks. Prior to the production of porous hollow clay bricks, nonporous and porous tiny clay bricks were prepared to determine the physico-mechanical properties by modifying the amount of wood flour and firing temperature. The bricks were produced by uniaxial pressing and then fired in an electric furnace. Their physico-mechanical properties were measured by water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, and compressive strength. The porous tiny clay bricks were produced with three types of wood flour: coarse wood flour (1-0.36 mm), medium-sized wood flour (0.36-0.15 mm), and fine wood flour (< 0.08 mm). The thermal transmittance of porous hollow clay bricks was determined through the guarded hot box method, which measures the wall made of porous hollow clay bricks and nonporous cement bricks. The two walls had a thermal transmittance of 1.42 and 2.72 W\\cdot m^{-2}\\cdot K^{-1}, respectively. The difference in thermal transmittance was due to the pores created with fine wood flour (< 0.08 mm) as a pore-forming agent.

  5. Electrocatalysts using porous polymers and method of preparation

    DOEpatents

    Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Goenaga, Gabriel A.

    2016-08-02

    A method of producing an electrocatalyst article using porous polymers. The method creates a porous polymer designed to receive transition metal groups disposed at ligation sites and activating the transition metals to form an electrocatalyst which can be used in a fuel cell. Electrocatalysts prepared by this method are also provided. A fuel cell which includes the electrocatalyst is also provided.

  6. Electrocatalysts using porous polymers and method of preparation

    DOEpatents

    Liu, Di-Jia; Yuan, Shengwen; Goenaga, Gabriel A.

    2015-04-21

    A method of producing an electrocatalyst article using porous polymers. The method creates a porous polymer designed to receive transition metal groups disposed at ligation sites and activating the transition metals to form an electrocatalyst which can be used in a fuel cell. Electrocatalysts prepared by this method are also provided. A fuel cell which includes the electrocatalyst is also provided.

  7. Random-walk diffusion and drying of porous materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehrafarin, M.; Faghihi, M.

    2001-12-01

    Based on random-walk diffusion, a microscopic model for drying is proposed to explain the characteristic features of the drying-rate curve of porous materials. The constant drying-rate period is considered as a normal diffusion process. The transition to the falling-rate regime is attributed to the fractal nature of porous materials which results in crossover to anomalous diffusion.

  8. The Evaluation of Hydroxyapatite (HA) Coated and Uncoated Porous Tantalum for Biomedical Material Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Safuan, Nadia; Sukmana, Irza; Kadir, Mohammed Rafiq Abdul; Noviana, Deni

    2014-04-01

    Porous tantalum has been used as an orthopedic implant for bone defects as it has a good corrosion resistance and fatigue behaviour properties. However, there are some reports on the rejection of porous Ta after the implantation. Those clinical cases refer to the less bioactivity of metallic-based materials. This study aims to evaluate hydroxyapatite coated and uncoated porous Tantalum in order to improve the biocompatibility of porous tantalum implant and osseointegration. Porous tantalum was used as metallic-base substrate and hydroxyapatite coating has been done using plasma-spraying technique. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) techniques were utilizes to investigate the coating characteristics while Confocal Raman Microscopy to investigate the interface and image. The effect of coating to the corrosion behaviour was assessed by employing potentiodynamic polarization tests in simulated body fluid at 37±1 °C. Based on SEM and FESEM results, the morphologies as well the weight element consists in the uncoated and hydroxyapatite coated porous tantalum were revealed. The results indicated that the decrease in corrosion current density for HA coated porous Ta compared to the uncoated porous Ta. This study concluded that by coating porous tantalum with HA supports to decrease the corrosion rate of pure porous.

  9. Synthesis of Porous Carbon Monoliths Using Hard Templates.

    PubMed

    Klepel, Olaf; Danneberg, Nina; Dräger, Matti; Erlitz, Marcel; Taubert, Michael

    2016-03-21

    The preparation of porous carbon monoliths with a defined shape via template-assisted routes is reported. Monoliths made from porous concrete and zeolite were each used as the template. The porous concrete-derived carbon monoliths exhibited high gravimetric specific surface areas up to 2000 m²·g -1 . The pore system comprised macro-, meso-, and micropores. These pores were hierarchically arranged. The pore system was created by the complex interplay of the actions of both the template and the activating agent as well. On the other hand, zeolite-made template shapes allowed for the preparation of microporous carbon monoliths with a high volumetric specific surface area. This feature could be beneficial if carbon monoliths must be integrated into technical systems under space-limited conditions.

  10. Synthesis of Porous Carbon Monoliths Using Hard Templates

    PubMed Central

    Klepel, Olaf; Danneberg, Nina; Dräger, Matti; Erlitz, Marcel; Taubert, Michael

    2016-01-01

    The preparation of porous carbon monoliths with a defined shape via template-assisted routes is reported. Monoliths made from porous concrete and zeolite were each used as the template. The porous concrete-derived carbon monoliths exhibited high gravimetric specific surface areas up to 2000 m2·g−1. The pore system comprised macro-, meso-, and micropores. These pores were hierarchically arranged. The pore system was created by the complex interplay of the actions of both the template and the activating agent as well. On the other hand, zeolite-made template shapes allowed for the preparation of microporous carbon monoliths with a high volumetric specific surface area. This feature could be beneficial if carbon monoliths must be integrated into technical systems under space-limited conditions. PMID:28773338

  11. Fabrication of Porous Ag/TiO2/Au Coatings with Excellent Multipactor Suppression

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Duoduo; Ma, Jianzhong; Bao, Yan; Cui, Wanzhao; Hu, Tiancun; Yang, Jing; Bai, Yuanrui

    2017-01-01

    Porous Ag/TiO2/Au coatings with excellent multipactor suppression were prepared by fabrication of porous Ag surface through two-step wet chemical etching, synthesis of TiO2 coatings by electroless-plating-like solution deposition and deposition of Au coatings via electroless plating. Porous structure of Ag surface, TiO2 coatings on porous Ag surface and Au coatings on porous Ag/TiO2 surface were verified by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, the composition and crystal type of TiO2 coatings was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Secondary electron yield (SEY) measurement was used to monitor the SEY coefficient of the porous Ag coatings and Ag/TiO2/Au coatings. The as-obtained porous Ag coatings were proved exhibiting low SEY below 1.2, and the process was highly reproducible. In addition, the porous Ag/TiO2/Au coatings showed excellent multipactor suppression with the SEY 1.23 and good environmental stability. It is worth mentioning that the whole preparation process is simple and feasible, which would provide a promising application in RF devices. PMID:28281546

  12. High performance porous Si@C anodes synthesized by low temperature aluminothermic reaction

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

    Mishra, Kuber; Zheng, Jianming; Patel, Rajankumar

    A low temperature (210°C) aluminothermic reduction reaction process has been developed to synthesis porous silicon (Si) as an anode for Li ion battery applications. An eutectic mixture of AlCl3 and ZnCl2 is used as the mediator to reduce the reaction temperature. With carbon pre-coated on the porous SiO2 precursor, porous Si@C core shell structured anodes could be obtained with structure and morphology similar to that of the porous precursor. In addition, carbon coated porous Si also exhibits superior cyclic stability, higher rate performance, and higher coulombic efficiency. The porous Si anode demonstrates a high specific capacity of ~2100 mAh/g atmore » the current density of 1.2 A/g and has a good cycling stability with ~76% capacity retention over 250 cycles. Therefore, it will be a good candidate for anode used in high energy density Li-ion batteries.« less

  13. Advances in Porous Biomaterials for Dental and Orthopaedic Applications

    PubMed Central

    Mour, Meenakshi; Das, Debarun; Winkler, Thomas; Hoenig, Elisa; Mielke, Gabriela; Morlock, Michael M.; Schilling, Arndt F.

    2010-01-01

    The connective hard tissues bone and teeth are highly porous on a micrometer scale, but show high values of compression strength at a relatively low weight. The fabrication of porous materials has been actively researched and different processes have been developed that vary in preparation complexity and also in the type of porous material that they produce. Methodologies are available for determination of pore properties. The purpose of the paper is to give an overview of these methods, the role of porosity in natural porous materials and the effect of pore properties on the living tissues. The minimum pore size required to allow the ingrowth of mineralized tissue seems to be in the order of 50 µm: larger pore sizes seem to improve speed and depth of penetration of mineralized tissues into the biomaterial, but on the other hand impair the mechanical properties. The optimal pore size is therefore dependent on the application and the used material.

  14. Dielectric dispersion of porous media as a fractal phenomenon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thevanayagam, S.

    1997-09-01

    It is postulated that porous media is made up of fractal solid skeleton structure and fractal pore surface. The model thus developed satisfies measured anomalous dielectric behavior of three distinctly different porous media: kaolin, montmorillonite, and shaly sand rock. It is shown that the underlying mechanism behind dielectric dispersion in the kHz range to high MHz range is indeed Maxwell-Wagner mechanism but modified to take into account the multiphase nature of the porous media as opposed to the traditional two-phase Maxwell-Wagner charge accumulation effect. The conductivity of the surface water associated with the solid surface and charge accumulation across the surface irregularities, asperity, and bridging between particles at the micro-scale-level pores are shown to contribute to this modified Maxwell-Wagner mechanism. The latter is dominant at low frequencies. The surface water thickness is calculated to be about 2-6 nm for a variety of porous media.

  15. New three-dimensional modeling technique for studying porous media

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

    Quiblier, J.A.

    A great deal of research has been done on the relationships between the structure of porous media on the microscopic level and their overall properties. A short bibliographic survey is attempted, with special attention being paid to the use of models. The limitations of such research are outlined. A three-dimensional simulation process is proposed. On the basis of measurements of characteristics using thin sections of porous media, the aim is to simulate, through a random process, a porous medium which is at the same time geometrically realistic and fully determined (i.e., the coordinates of a point in the medium fullymore » determine whether this point belongs to the matrix or to the pores). Simulation opens the way to further studies of the porous medium, some of which are outlined. It is clear that a good deal of research remains to be done in this field, and some ideas are suggested for this research. 78 references.« less

  16. Water Splitting Using Porous Silicon Photo-electrodes for Hydrogen Production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, M.; Starkov, V. V.; Gosteva, E. A.; Druzhinin, A. V.; Sattar, S.

    2017-11-01

    This paper presents the efficiency study results of using gradient-porous silicon structures with different morphology, as photo-anodes for photo-electrochemical dissociation of water. The results of a study of the physicochemical properties of gradient-porous silicon structures show the relatively low cost and simplicity of the technological process, as well as the possibility of forming structures with predefined properties, allow the creation of effective devices for artificial photosynthesis based on porous silicon for subsequent use in hydrogen energy.

  17. Characterizations of additive manufactured porous titanium implants.

    PubMed

    Basalah, Ahmad; Shanjani, Yaser; Esmaeili, Shahrzad; Toyserkani, Ehsan

    2012-10-01

    This article describes physical, chemical, and mechanical characterizations of porous titanium implants made by an additive manufacturing method to gain insight into the correlation of process parameters and final physical properties of implants used in orthopedics. For the manufacturing chain, the powder metallurgy technology was combined with the additive manufacturing to fabricate the porous structure from the pure tanium powder. A 3D printing machine was employed in this study to produce porous bar samples. A number of physical parameters such as titanium powder size, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) amount, sintering temperature and time were investigated to control the mechanical properties and porosity of the structures. The produced samples were characterized through porosity and shrinkage measurements, mechanical compression test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed a level of porosity in the samples in the range of 31-43%, which is within the range of the porosity of the cancelluous bone and approaches the range of the porosity of the cortical bone. The results of the mechanical test showed that the compressive strength is in the wide range of 56-509 MPa implying the effect of the process parameters on the mechanical strengths. This technique of manufacturing of Ti porous structures demonstrated a low level of shrinkage with the shrinkage percentage ranging from 1.5 to 5%. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Experimental study of forced convection heat transport in porous media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pastore, Nicola; Cherubini, Claudia; Rapti, Dimitra; Giasi, Concetta I.

    2018-04-01

    The present study is aimed at extending this thematic issue through heat transport experiments and their interpretation at laboratory scale. An experimental study to evaluate the dynamics of forced convection heat transfer in a thermally isolated column filled with porous medium has been carried out. The behavior of two porous media with different grain sizes and specific surfaces has been observed. The experimental data have been compared with an analytical solution for one-dimensional heat transport for local nonthermal equilibrium condition. The interpretation of the experimental data shows that the heterogeneity of the porous medium affects heat transport dynamics, causing a channeling effect which has consequences on thermal dispersion phenomena and heat transfer between fluid and solid phases, limiting the capacity to store or dissipate heat in the porous medium.

  19. Characterization and antibacterial properties of porous fibers containing silver ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Zhaoyang; Fan, Chenxu; Tang, Xiaopeng; Zhao, Jianghui; Song, Yanhua; Shao, Zhongbiao; Xu, Lan

    2016-11-01

    Materials prepared on the base of bioactive silver compounds have become more and more popular. In the present work, the surface morphology, structure and properties, of electrospun Polylactide Polylactic acid (PLA) porous fibers containing various ratios of silver ions were investigated by a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), universal testing machine, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and et al. The biological activities of the proposed porous fibers were discussed in view of the released silver ions concentration. Antibacterial properties of these porous fibers were studied using two bacterial strains: Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Results of the antibacterial testing suggested that PLA porous fibers containing silver ions could be used as potent antibacterial wound dressing materials in the biomedical field.

  20. Rate coefficients for dissociative attachment and resonant electron-impact dissociation involving vibrationally excited O{sub 2} molecules

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

    Laporta, V.; Celiberto, R.; Tennyson, J.

    Rate coefficients for dissociative electron attachment and electron-impact dissociation processes, involving vibrationally excited molecular oxygen, are presented. Analytical fits of the calculated numerical data, useful in the applications, are also provided.

  1. Viscous dissipation impact on MHD free convection radiating fluid flow past a vertical porous plate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Raju, R. Srinivasa; Reddy, G. Jithender; Kumar, M. Anil

    2018-05-01

    An attempt has been made to study the radiation effects on unsteady MHD free convective flow of an incompressible fluid past an infinite vertical porous plate in the presence of viscous dissipation. The governing partial differential equations are solved numerically by using Galerkin finite element method. Computations were performed for a wide range of governing flow parameters viz., Magnetic Parameter, Schmidt number, Thermal radiation, Prandtl number, Eckert number and Permeability parameter. The effects of these flow parameters on velocity, temperature are shown graphically. In addition the local values of the Skin friction coefficient are shown in tabular form.

  2. Manufacturing a Porous Structure According to the Process Parameters of Functional 3D Porous Polymer Printing Technology Based on a Chemical Blowing Agent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoo, C. J.; Shin, B. S.; Kang, B. S.; Yun, D. H.; You, D. B.; Hong, S. M.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, we propose a new porous polymer printing technology based on CBA(chemical blowing agent), and describe the optimization process according to the process parameters. By mixing polypropylene (PP) and CBA, a hybrid CBA filament was manufactured; the diameter of the filament ranged between 1.60 mm and 1.75 mm. A porous polymer structure was manufactured based on the traditional fused deposition modelling (FDM) method. The process parameters of the three-dimensional (3D) porous polymer printing (PPP) process included nozzle temperature, printing speed, and CBA density. Porosity increase with an increase in nozzle temperature and CBA density. On the contrary, porosity increase with a decrease in the printing speed. For porous structures, it has excellent mechanical properties. We manufactured a simple shape in 3D using 3D PPP technology. In the future, we will study the excellent mechanical properties of 3D PPP technology and apply them to various safety fields.

  3. Permeability model of sintered porous media: analysis and experiments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flórez Mera, Juan Pablo; Chiamulera, Maria E.; Mantelli, Marcia B. H.

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, the permeability of porous media fabricated from copper powder sintering process was modeled and measured, aiming the use of the porosity as input parameter for the prediction of the permeability of sintering porous media. An expression relating the powder particle mean diameter with the permeability was obtained, based on an elementary porous media cell, which is physically represented by a duct formed by the arrangement of spherical particles forming a simple or orthorhombic packing. A circular duct with variable section was used to model the fluid flow within the porous media, where the concept of the hydraulic diameter was applied. Thus, the porous is modeled as a converging-diverging duct. The electrical circuit analogy was employed to determine two hydraulic resistances of the cell: based on the Navier-Stokes equation and on the Darcýs law. The hydraulic resistances are compared between themselves and an expression to determine the permeability as function of average particle diameter is obtained. The atomized copper powder was sifted to reduce the size dispersion of the particles. The porosities and permeabilities of sintered media fabricated from powders with particle mean diameters ranging from 20 to 200 microns were measured, by means of the image analysis method and using an experimental apparatus. The permeability data of a porous media, made of copper powder and saturated with distilled water, was used to compare with the permeability model. Permeability literature models, which considers that powder particles have the same diameter and include porosity data as input parameter, were compared with the present model and experimental data. This comparison showed to be quite good.

  4. Highly stable porous silicon-carbon composites as label-free optical biosensors.

    PubMed

    Tsang, Chun Kwan; Kelly, Timothy L; Sailor, Michael J; Li, Yang Yang

    2012-12-21

    A stable, label-free optical biosensor based on a porous silicon-carbon (pSi-C) composite is demonstrated. The material is prepared by electrochemical anodization of crystalline Si in an HF-containing electrolyte to generate a porous Si template, followed by infiltration of poly(furfuryl) alcohol (PFA) and subsequent carbonization to generate the pSi-C composite as an optically smooth thin film. The pSi-C sensor is significantly more stable toward aqueous buffer solutions (pH 7.4 or 12) compared to thermally oxidized (in air, 800 °C), hydrosilylated (with undecylenic acid), or hydrocarbonized (with acetylene, 700 °C) porous Si samples prepared and tested under similar conditions. Aqueous stability of the pSi-C sensor is comparable to related optical biosensors based on porous TiO(2) or porous Al(2)O(3). Label-free optical interferometric biosensing with the pSi-C composite is demonstrated by detection of rabbit IgG on a protein-A-modified chip and confirmed with control experiments using chicken IgG (which shows no affinity for protein A). The pSi-C sensor binds significantly more of the protein A capture probe than porous TiO(2) or porous Al(2)O(3), and the sensitivity of the protein-A-modified pSi-C sensor to rabbit IgG is found to be ~2× greater than label-free optical biosensors constructed from these other two materials.

  5. Plasma-deposited fluoropolymer film mask for local porous silicon formation

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The study of an innovative fluoropolymer masking layer for silicon anodization is proposed. Due to its high chemical resistance to hydrofluoric acid even under anodic bias, this thin film deposited by plasma has allowed the formation of deep porous silicon regions patterned on the silicon wafer. Unlike most of other masks, fluoropolymer removal after electrochemical etching is rapid and does not alter the porous layer. Local porous regions were thus fabricated both in p+-type and low-doped n-type silicon substrates. PMID:22734507

  6. PLANETESIMAL FORMATION BY GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY OF A POROUS DUST DISK

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

    Michikoshi, Shugo; Kokubo, Eiichiro, E-mail: michikos@ccs.tsukuba.ac.jp, E-mail: kokubo@th.nao.ac.jp

    2016-07-10

    It has recently been proposed that porous icy dust aggregates are formed by the pairwise accretion of dust aggregates beyond the snowline. We calculate the equilibrium random velocity of porous dust aggregates, taking into account mutual gravitational scattering, collisions, gas drag, and turbulent stirring and scattering. We find that the disk of porous dust aggregates becomes gravitationally unstable as the aggregates evolve through gravitational compression in the minimum-mass solar nebula model for a reasonable range of turbulence strength, which leads to rapid formation of planetesimals.

  7. Poly-ε-caprolactone Coated and Functionalized Porous Titanium and Magnesium Implants for Enhancing Angiogenesis in Critically Sized Bone Defects

    PubMed Central

    Roland, Laura; Grau, Michael; Matena, Julia; Teske, Michael; Gieseke, Matthias; Kampmann, Andreas; Beyerbach, Martin; Murua Escobar, Hugo; Haferkamp, Heinz; Gellrich, Nils-Claudius; Nolte, Ingo

    2015-01-01

    For healing of critically sized bone defects, biocompatible and angiogenesis supporting implants are favorable. Murine osteoblasts showed equal proliferation behavior on the polymers poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate)/poly-(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)/P(4HB)). As vitality was significantly better for PCL, it was chosen as a suitable coating material for further experiments. Titanium implants with 600 µm pore size were evaluated and found to be a good implant material for bone, as primary osteoblasts showed a vitality and proliferation onto the implants comparable to well bottom (WB). Pure porous titanium implants and PCL coated porous titanium implants were compared using Live Cell Imaging (LCI) with Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-osteoblasts. Cell count and cell covered area did not differ between the implants after seven days. To improve ingrowth of blood vessels into porous implants, proangiogenic factors like Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) were incorporated into PCL coated, porous titanium and magnesium implants. An angiogenesis assay was performed to establish an in vitro method for evaluating the impact of metallic implants on angiogenesis to reduce and refine animal experiments in future. Incorporated concentrations of proangiogenic factors were probably too low, as they did not lead to any effect. Magnesium implants did not yield evaluable results, as they led to pH increase and subsequent cell death. PMID:26703586

  8. Poly-ε-caprolactone Coated and Functionalized Porous Titanium and Magnesium Implants for Enhancing Angiogenesis in Critically Sized Bone Defects.

    PubMed

    Roland, Laura; Grau, Michael; Matena, Julia; Teske, Michael; Gieseke, Matthias; Kampmann, Andreas; Beyerbach, Martin; Murua Escobar, Hugo; Haferkamp, Heinz; Gellrich, Nils-Claudius; Nolte, Ingo

    2015-12-22

    For healing of critically sized bone defects, biocompatible and angiogenesis supporting implants are favorable. Murine osteoblasts showed equal proliferation behavior on the polymers poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) and poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate)/poly-(4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)/P(4HB)). As vitality was significantly better for PCL, it was chosen as a suitable coating material for further experiments. Titanium implants with 600 µm pore size were evaluated and found to be a good implant material for bone, as primary osteoblasts showed a vitality and proliferation onto the implants comparable to well bottom (WB). Pure porous titanium implants and PCL coated porous titanium implants were compared using Live Cell Imaging (LCI) with Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-osteoblasts. Cell count and cell covered area did not differ between the implants after seven days. To improve ingrowth of blood vessels into porous implants, proangiogenic factors like Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) were incorporated into PCL coated, porous titanium and magnesium implants. An angiogenesis assay was performed to establish an in vitro method for evaluating the impact of metallic implants on angiogenesis to reduce and refine animal experiments in future. Incorporated concentrations of proangiogenic factors were probably too low, as they did not lead to any effect. Magnesium implants did not yield evaluable results, as they led to pH increase and subsequent cell death.

  9. Tailored porous silicon microparticles: fabrication and properties

    PubMed Central

    Chiappini, Ciro; Tasciotti, Ennio; Fakhoury, Jean R.; Fine, Daniel; Pullan, Lee; Wang, Young-Chung; Fu, Lianfeng

    2010-01-01

    The use of mesoporous silicon particles for drug delivery has been widely explored thanks to their biodegradability and biocompatibility. The ability to tailor the physicochemical properties of porous silicon at the micro and nano scale confers versatility to this material. We present a method for the fabrication of highly reproducible, monodisperse mesoporous silicon particles with controlled physical characteristics through electrochemical etch of patterned silicon trenches. We tailored particle size in the micrometer range and pore size in the nanometer range, shape from tubular to discoidal to hemispherical, and porosity from 46% to over 80%. In addition, we correlated the properties of the porous matrix with the loading of model nanoparticles (Q-dots) and observed their three-dimensional arrangement within the matrix by transmission electron microscopy tomography. The methods developed in this study provide effective means to fabricate mesoporous silicon particles according to the principles of rational design for therapeutic vectors and to characterize the distribution of nanoparticles within the porous matrix PMID:20162656

  10. Modeling the Shock Hugoniot in Porous Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cochrane, Kyle R.; Shulenburger, Luke; Mattsson, Thomas R.; Lane, J. Matthew D.; Weck, Philippe F.; Vogler, Tracy J.; Desjarlais, Michael P.

    2017-06-01

    Porous materials are present in many scenarios from planetary science to ICF. Understanding how porosity modifies the behavior of the shock Hugoniot in an equation of state is key to being able to predictively simulate experiments. For example, modeling shocks in under-dense iron oxide can aid in understanding planetary formation and silica aerogel can be used to approximate the shock response of deuterium. Simulating the shock response of porous materials presents a variety of theoretical challenges, but by combining ab initio calculations with a surface energy and porosity model, we are able to accurately represent the shock Hugoniot. Finally, we show that this new approach can be used to calculate the Hugoniot of porous materials using existing tabular equations of state. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  11. Porous-electrode preparation method

    DOEpatents

    Arons, R.M.; Dusek, J.T.

    1981-09-17

    A porous sintered plaque is provided with a bimodal porosity that is especially well suited for use as an electrode within a molten carbonate fuel cell. The coarse porosity is sufficient for admitting gases into contact with the reaction surfaces while the fine porosity is wetted with and retains molten electrolyte on the reaction sites. The electrode structure is prepared by providing a very fine powder such as nickel oxide and blending the powder with a suitable decomposable binder to form a solid mass. The mass is comminuted into agglomerate size particles substantially larger than the fine oxide particles and formed into a cohesive compact for subsequent sintering. Sintering is carried out at sufficient conditions to bind the agglomerates together into a porous structure having both coarse and fine porosity. Where lithiated nickel oxide cathodes are prepared, the sintering conditions can be moderate enough to retain substantial quantities of lithium within the electrode for adequate conductivity.

  12. Porous electrode preparation method

    DOEpatents

    Arons, Richard M.; Dusek, Joseph T.

    1983-01-01

    A porous sintered plaque is provided with a bimodal porosity that is especially well suited for use as an electrode within a molten carbonate fuel cell. The coarse porosity is sufficient for admitting gases into contact with the reaction surfaces while the fine porosity is wetted with and retains molten electrolyte on the reaction sites. The electrode structure is prepared by providing a very fine powder of such as nickel oxide and blending the powder with a suitable decomposable binder to form a solid mass. The mass is comminuted into agglomerate size particles substantially larger than the fine oxide particles and formed into a cohesive compact for subsequent sintering. Sintering is carried out at sufficient conditions to bind the agglomerates together into a porous structure having both coarse and fine porosity. Where lithiated nickel oxide cathodes are prepared, the sintering conditions can be moderate enough to retain substantial quantities of lithium within the electrode for adequate conductivity.

  13. Porous electrode preparation method

    DOEpatents

    Arons, R.M.; Dusek, J.T.

    1983-10-18

    A porous sintered plaque is provided with a bimodal porosity that is especially well suited for use as an electrode within a molten carbonate fuel cell. The coarse porosity is sufficient for admitting gases into contact with the reaction surfaces while the fine porosity is wetted with and retains molten electrolyte on the reaction sites. The electrode structure is prepared by providing a very fine powder of such as nickel oxide and blending the powder with a suitable decomposable binder to form a solid mass. The mass is comminuted into agglomerate size particles substantially larger than the fine oxide particles and formed into a cohesive compact for subsequent sintering. Sintering is carried out at sufficient conditions to bind the agglomerates together into a porous structure having both coarse and fine porosity. Where lithiated nickel oxide cathodes are prepared, the sintering conditions can be moderate enough to retain substantial quantities of lithium within the electrode for adequate conductivity. 2 figs.

  14. Hybrid porous core low loss dispersion flattened fiber for THz propagation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, Sharafat; Ahmed, Nasim; Aljunid, Syed; Ahmad, Badlishah

    2016-11-01

    This manuscript represents a novel porous core fiber design for Terahertz (THz) propagation with low loss and near zero flat dispersion properties. In this proposed fiber a hexagonal arrangement is used as cladding structure and a hybrid core containing circular and triangular designs is used as the central porous region. The Effective Material Loss (EML), confinement loss and bending loss are investigated for the proposed fiber along with dispersion characteristics. Simulation results show a very low EML of 0.01944 cm-1 at 1 THz operating frequency with negligible confinement and bending loss. The proposed novel porous design shows 0.55 THz range near zero flat dispersion of ±0.05 ps/THz/cm at 0.95 ps/THz/cm. The reported design consists of only circular shaped air holes with proper core diameter and porosity to simplify the fabrication process. The newly proposed hybrid design in the porous core region can be considered as an improved edition in the research of THz porous core fibers.

  15. A Fractal Study on the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Porous Media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, X.; Cai, J.; Wei, W.

    2017-12-01

    Thermal conduction in porous media has steadily received attention in science and engineering, for instance, exploiting and utilizing the geothermal energy, developing the oil-gas resource, ground water flow in hydrothermal systems and investigating the potential host nuclear wastes, etc. The thermal conductivity is strongly influenced by the microstructure features of porous media. In this work, based on the fractal characteristics of the grains, a theoretical model of effective thermal conductivity is proposed for saturated and unsaturated porous media. It is found that the proposed effective thermal conductivity solution is a function of geometrical parameters of porous media, such as the porosity, fractal dimension of granular matrix and the thermal conductivity of the grains and pore fluid. The model predictions are compared with existing experimental data and the results show that they are in good agreement with existing experimental data. The proposed model may provide a better understanding of the physical mechanisms of thermal transfer in porous media than conventional models.

  16. Revival of pure titanium for dynamically loaded porous implants using additive manufacturing.

    PubMed

    Wauthle, Ruben; Ahmadi, Seyed Mohammad; Amin Yavari, Saber; Mulier, Michiel; Zadpoor, Amir Abbas; Weinans, Harrie; Van Humbeeck, Jan; Kruth, Jean-Pierre; Schrooten, Jan

    2015-09-01

    Additive manufacturing techniques are getting more and more established as reliable methods for producing porous metal implants thanks to the almost full geometrical and mechanical control of the designed porous biomaterial. Today, Ti6Al4V ELI is still the most widely used material for porous implants, and none or little interest goes to pure titanium for use in orthopedic or load-bearing implants. Given the special mechanical behavior of cellular structures and the material properties inherent to the additive manufacturing of metals, the aim of this study is to investigate the properties of selective laser melted pure unalloyed titanium porous structures. Therefore, the static and dynamic compressive properties of pure titanium structures are determined and compared to previously reported results for identical structures made from Ti6Al4V ELI and tantalum. The results show that porous Ti6Al4V ELI still remains the strongest material for statically loaded applications, whereas pure titanium has a mechanical behavior similar to tantalum and is the material of choice for cyclically loaded porous implants. These findings are considered to be important for future implant developments since it announces a potential revival of the use of pure titanium for additively manufactured porous implants. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Development and Applications of Porous Tantalum Trabecular Metal Enhanced Titanium Dental Implants

    PubMed Central

    Bencharit, Sompop; Byrd, Warren C.; Altarawneh, Sandra; Hosseini, Bashir; Leong, Austin; Reside, Glenn; Morelli, Thiago; Offenbacher, Steven

    2013-01-01

    Statement of Problem Porous tantalum trabecular metal has recently been incorporated in titanium dental implants as a new form of implant surface enhancement. However, there is little information on the applications of this material in implant dentistry. Methods We, therefore review the current literature on the basic science and clinical uses of this material. Results Porous tantalum metal is used to improve the contact between osseous structure and dental implants; and therefore presumably facilitate osseointegration. Success of porous tantalum metal in orthopedic implants led to the incorporation of porous tantalum metal in the design of root-from endosseous titanium implants. The porous tantalum three-dimensional enhancement of titanium dental implant surface allows for combining bone ongrowth together with bone ingrowth, or osseoincorporation. While little is known about the biological aspect of the porous tantalum in the oral cavity, there seems to be several possible advantages of this implant design. This article reviews the biological aspects of porous tantalum enhanced titanium dental implants, in particular the effects of anatomical consideration and oral environment to implant designs. Conclusions We propose here possible clinical situations and applications for this type of dental implant. Advantages and disadvantages of the implants as well as needed future clinical studies are discussed. PMID:23527899

  18. Dialysis on microchips using thin porous polymer membranes

    DOEpatents

    Singh, Anup K.; Kirby, Brian J.; Shepodd, Timothy J.

    2007-09-04

    Laser-induced phase-separation polymerization of a porous acrylate polymer is used for in-situ fabrication of dialysis membranes inside glass microchannels. A shaped 355 nm laser beam is used to produce a porous polymer membrane with a thickness of about 15 .mu.m, which bonds to the glass microchannel and form a semi-permeable membrane. Differential permeation through a membrane formed with pentaerythritol triacrylate was observed and quantified by comparing the response of the membrane to fluorescein and fluorescently tagging 200 nm latex microspheres. Differential permeation was observed and quantified by comparing the response to rhodamine 560 and lactalbumin protein in a membrane formed with SPE-methylene bisacrylamide. The porous membranes illustrate the capability for the present technique to integrate sample cleanup into chip-based analysis systems.

  19. Facile synthesis of hierarchical porous γ-Al2O3 hollow microspheres for water treatment.

    PubMed

    Li, Mingyang; Si, Zhichun; Wu, Xiaodong; Weng, Duan; Kang, Feiyu

    2014-03-01

    Hierarchical porous γ-Al2O3 hollow microspheres were synthesized by a modified spray drying method. Ageing the precipitated precursor and spray-drying assisted by NH4Cl salts are considered as two key steps for the synthesis of γ-Al2O3 hollow microspheres. The mechanism of the formation of hierarchical porous γ-Al2O3 hollow microsphere was proposed involving phase transformation from aluminum hydroxide to laminar boehmite during ageing and a following self-assembling process with NH4Cl as the template during spray drying. The meso-/macro-pores in γ-Al2O3 mainly arise from the stacking of the laminar boehmites which are obtained by ageing the precipitated precursors at 90°C. NH4Cl, which was the byproduct from the reaction between AlCl3·6H2O and NH3·H2O, was demonstrated to be an excellent template to act as the core and the barrier for separation of laminar boehmites. No extra NH4Cl was added. The as-synthesized hierarchical porous γ-Al2O3 hollow microsphere presented remarkably higher adsorption capacity, which is thirty times higher adsorption rate for Congo Red than the solid microsphere containing only small mesopores. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Agglomeration of Luminescent Porous Silicon Nanoparticles in Colloidal Solutions.

    PubMed

    Herynková, Kateřina; Šlechta, Miroslav; Šimáková, Petra; Fučíková, Anna; Cibulka, Ondřej

    2016-12-01

    We have prepared colloidal solutions of clusters composed from porous silicon nanoparticles in methanol, water and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Even if the size of the nanoclusters is between 60 and 500 nm, due to their highly porous "cauliflower"-like structure, the porous silicon nanoparticles are composed of interconnected nanocrystals having around 2.5 nm in size and showing strong visible luminescence in the orange-red spectral region (centred at 600-700 nm). Hydrophilic behaviour and good solubility of the nanoclusters in water and water-based solutions were obtained by adding hydrogen peroxide into the etching solution during preparation and 16 min long after-bath in hydrogen peroxide. By simple filtration of the solutions with syringe filters, we have extracted smaller nanoclusters with sizes of approx. 60-70 nm; however, these nanoclusters in water and PBS solution (pH neutral) are prone to agglomeration, as was confirmed by zeta potential measurements. When the samples were left at ambient conditions for several weeks, the typical nanocluster size increased to approx. 330-400 nm and then remained stable. However, both freshly filtered and aged samples (with agglomerated porous silicon nanoparticles) of porous silicon in water and PBS solutions can be further used for biological studies or as luminescent markers in living cells.