Simulation Approach for Hydrophobicity Replication via Injection Molding.

Nanopattern replication of complex structures by plastic injection is a challenge that requires simulations to define the right processing parameters. Previous work managed to simulate replication for single cavities in 2D and 3D, showing high performance requirements of CPU to simulate periodic trenches in 2D. This paper presents two ways to approach the simulation of replication of complex 3D hydrophobic surfaces.

FUNCTIONALIZED, SWELLABLE HYDROGEL LAYERS AS A PLATFORM FOR CELL STUDIES.

This paper reports the design, synthesis and characterization of thin films as a platform for studying the separate influences of physical and chemical cues of a matrix on the adhesion, growth and final phenotype of cells. Independent control of the physical and chemical properties of functionalized, swellable hydrogel thin films was achieved using initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD). The systematic variation in crosslink density is demonstrated to control the swelling ability of the iCVD hydrogel films based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA).

Monte Carlo-MST: New strategy for representation of solvent configurational space in solution.

A new procedure for the representation of the configurational space of solutes in solution is presented. The method is based on the combination of standard Monte Carlo techniques with the continuum model developed by the Pisa group in its semiclassical version, which was developed by our group. The suitability of the method for exploring the configurational space of chemical systems in solution has been tested by analyzing the dimers of formic acid, imidazole, and benzene, as well as the interaction between the ammonium cation and the formate anion.