Towards the Optimization of a Photovoltaic/Membrane Distillation System for the Production of Pure Water.

The production of pure water plays a pivotal role in enabling sustainable green hydrogen production through electrolysis. The current industrial approach for generating pure water relies on energy-intensive techniques such as reverse osmosis. This study unveils a straightforward method to produce pure water, employing real-world units derived from previously simulated and developed laboratory devices.

Instrumentation on multi-scaled scattering of bio-macromolecular solutions.

The design, construction and initial tests on a combined laser light scattering and synchrotron X-ray scattering instrument can cover studies of length scales from atomic sizes in Angstroms to microns and dynamics from microseconds to seconds are presented. In addition to static light scattering (SLS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), the light scattering instrument is being developed to carry out studies in mildly turbid solutions, in the presence of multiple scattering. Three-dimensional photon cross correlation function (3D-PCCF) measurements have been introduced to couple with synchrotron X-ray scattering to study the structure, size and dynamics of macromolecules in solution.

Shear-Induced Precursor Relaxation-Dependent Growth Dynamics and Lamellar Orientation of β-Crystals in β-Nucleated Isotactic Polypropylene.

Although a shear flow field and β-nucleating agents (β-NAs) can separately induce the formation of β-crystals in isotactic polypropylene (iPP) in an efficient manner, we previously encountered difficulty in obtaining abundant β-crystals when these two factors were applied due to the competitive growth of α- and β-crystals. In the current study, to induce the formation of a high fraction of β-crystals, a strategy that introduces a relaxation process after applying a shear flow field but before cooling to crystallize β-nucleated iPP was proposed. Depending on the relaxation state of the shear-induced oriented precursors, abundant β-crystals with a refined orientation morphology were indeed formed.

Effects of degumming conditions on electro-spinning rate of regenerated silk.

Electro-spun silk webs are potentially good candidates as tissue engineering scaffolds owing to their good bio- and cyto-compatibility. However, the low fabrication rate of electro-spun silk mats has been one of the obstacles in the mass production of such nanofibrous silk mats in applications to the biomedical field. In this study, the effects of degumming ratio and silk concentration on the electro-spinning process were investigated by using regenerated silk with different residual sericin contents and different silk concentrations in terms of the morphology and structure of the electro-spun silk web.

Designing polymer matrix for microchip-based double-stranded DNA capillary electrophoresis.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) was used as a model polymer to build up an empirical model that relates polymer molecular weight, polymer concentration and solution viscosity. The desired random copolymers of acrylamide (AM) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) used as DNA separation media for different specifications were synthesized under the guidance of the empirical model. The separation performances of rationally designed copolymers were tested in a 1.

High flux filtration medium based on nanofibrous substrate with hydrophilic nanocomposite coating.

A novel high flux filtration medium, consisting of a three-tier composite structure, i.e., a nonporous hydrophilic nanocomposite coating top layer, an electrospun nanofibrous substrate midlayer, and a conventional nonwoven microfibrous support, was demonstrated for oil/water emulsion separations for the first time.

Electrospun fine-textured scaffolds for heart tissue constructs.

The structural and functional effects of fine-textured matrices with sub-micron features on the growth of cardiac myocytes were examined. Electrospinning was used to fabricate biodegradable non-woven poly(lactide)- and poly(glycolide)-based (PLGA) scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering applications. Post-processing was applied to achieve macro-scale fiber orientation (anisotropy).

Prevention of postsurgery-induced abdominal adhesions by electrospun bioabsorbable nanofibrous poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-based membranes.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of nonwoven bioabsorbable nanofibrous membranes of poly(lactideco-glycolide) for prevention of postsurgery-induced abdominal adhesions.

Summary Background Data: Recent reports indicated that current materials used for adhesion prevention have only limited success. Studies on other bioabsorbable materials using a new fabrication technique demonstrated the promising potential of generating an improved and inexpensive product that is suitable for a variety of surgical applications.

Incorporation and controlled release of a hydrophilic antibiotic using poly(lactide-co-glycolide)-based electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds.

The successful incorporation and sustained release of a hydrophilic antibiotic drug (Mefoxin, cefoxitin sodium) from electrospun poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-based nanofibrous scaffolds without the loss of structure and bioactivity was demonstrated. The morphology and density of the electrospun scaffold was found to be dependent on the drug concentration, which could be attributed to the effect of ionic salt on the electrospinning process. The drug release behavior from the electrospun scaffolds and its antimicrobial effects on Staphylococcus aureus cultures were also investigated.

Electro-spinning and electro-blowing of hyaluronic acid.

In this study, hyaluronic acid (HA) was electro-spun and electro-blown to prepare nonwoven nanofibrous membranes. Critical parameters for processing and corresponding effects on the membrane morphology were investigated using the methods of rheology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). During electro-spinning, the optimal HA concentration window for nanofibrous formation was determined within a narrow range of 1.

Preparation and characterization of ibuprofen-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(ethylene glycol)-g-chitosan electrospun membranes.

Ibuprofen-loaded composite membranes composed of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and poly(ethylene glycol)-g-chitosan (PEG-g-CHN) were prepared by electrospinning. The electrospun membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), mechanical evaluation and contact angle measurements. Shrinkage behavior of the membrane in buffer at 37 degrees C was also evaluated.

Optimization and characterization of dextran membranes prepared by electrospinning.

Dextran is soluble in both water and organic solvents, so it could be a versatile biomacromolecule for preparing nanofibrous electrospun membranes by blending with either water-soluble bioactive agents or hydrophobic biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications. We have formulated electrospun dextran membranes, and the effects of various processing parameters on the membrane properties were investigated. It was found that uniform nanofibrous dextran membranes could be formed by using water, DMSO/water, and DMSO/DMF mixtures as solvents through adjusting the processing conditions (solution concentration, voltage, and the distance between the electrode and the collecting plate).

Control of degradation rate and hydrophilicity in electrospun non-woven poly(D,L-lactide) nanofiber scaffolds for biomedical applications.

Typical properties of poly(D,L-lactide) (PLA)-based scaffolds (films and foams), such as long degradation time, mechanical stiffness and hydrophobicity, are sometimes not suitable for biomedical applications. These properties can be substantially altered by electrospinning of PLA blends with miscible poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) random copolymers, poly(lactide-b-ethylene glycol-b-lactide) (PLA-b-PEG-b-PLA) triblock copolymers, and a lactide (used as a hydrolytic catalyst). Electrospun scaffolds based on the multi-component PLA blends, comprised of randomly interconnected webs of sub-micron sized fibers, have a bulk density of 0.

Structure and morphology changes during in vitro degradation of electrospun poly(glycolide-co-lactide) nanofiber membrane.

Electrospun poly(glycolide-co-lactide) (PLA10GA90, LA/GA ratio 10/90) biodegradable nanofiber membranes possessed very high surface area to volume ratios and were completely noncrystalline with a relatively lowered glass transition temperature. These characteristics led to very different structure, morphology, and property changes during in vitro degradation, which were examined systematically. A shrinkage study showed that the electrospun crystallizable but amorphous PLA10GA90 membranes exhibited a very small shrinkage percentage when compared with the electrospun membranes of noncrystallizable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLA75GA25, LA/GA 75/25) and poly(d,l-lactide).

Separation of double-stranded DNA fragments by capillary electrophoresis using polyvinylpyrrolidone and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) transient interpenetrating network.

A noncross-linked interpenetrating polymer network (IPN), consisting of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, weight-average molecular weight M(w) = 1 x 10(6) g/mol) was synthesized by polymerizing N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) monomers directly in PVP buffer solution and tested as a separation medium for double-stranded (ds)DNA analysis without further purification. Due to the incompatibility of PVP and PDMA, a simple solution mixture could incur a microphase separation and showed poor performance on dsDNA separation. However, a dramatic improvement was achieved by the formation of an IPN.