Observations and Origin of Interfacial Heterogeneities in High-Performance Engineering Thermoplastics During Additive Manufacturing via Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction.

Heterogeneity in extrusion-based 3D-printed thermoplastic polymers is generally both challenging to control and harmful to mechanical performance. Abrupt changes in material properties at the interfaces between roads are of particular interest due to the prevalence of poor inter-road adhesion. To gain insight into the origins of heterogeneities in 3D-printed parts, we report a combination of synchrotron-based X-ray microdiffraction and infrared pyrometry to map the formation and evolution of crystallinity in polyether ether ketone (PEEK) in a series of single-road-width, two-road-tall prints.

Intestinal Effects of Brewers' Spent Grain Extract In Ovo ()-A Pilot Study.

Upcycling brewers' spent grain (BSG) into poultry feed needs to be optimized. Since broiler chickens inefficiently digest fiber, we created a water-soluble BSG extract (BSGE) to explore this fraction's potential nutritional benefits. We utilized intra-amniotic administration (in ovo) to target the gastrointestinal tract of broiler embryos.

Controlling Anti-Penetration Performance by Post-Grafting of Fluorinated Alkyl Chains onto Polystyrene--poly(vinyl methyl siloxane).

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been widely used as a surface coating material, which has been reported to possess dynamic omniphobicity to a wide range of both polar and nonpolar solvents due to its high segmental flexibility and mobility. However, such high flexibility and mobility also enable penetration of small molecules into PDMS coatings, which alter the chemical and physical properties of the coating layers. To improve the anti-penetration properties of PDMS, a series of fluorinated alkyl segments are grafted to a diblock copolymer of polystyrene--poly(vinyl methyl siloxane) (PS--PVMS) using thiol-ene click reactions.