Nature has always served as an inspiration for scientists, helping them to solve a large diversity of technical problems. In our case, we are interested in the directional transport of oily liquids and as a model for this application we used the flat bug . In this report, we present arrays of drops looking like polymer microstructures produced by the two-photon polymerization technique that mimic the micro-ornamentation from the bug's cuticle. A good directionality of oil transport was achieved, directly controlled by the direction of the pointed microstructures at the surface. If the tips of the drop-like microstructures are pointing towards the left side, the liquid front moves to the right and vice versa. Similar effects could be expected for the transport of oily lubricants. These results could, therefore, be interesting for applications in friction and wear reduction.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160849 | DOI Listing |
Micromachines (Basel)
January 2025
College of Naval Architecture and Shipping, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, China.
In recent years, liquid-solid triboelectric nanogenerators (L-S TENGs) have been rapidly developed in the field of liquid energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. This is due to a number of advantages inherent in the technology, including the low cost of fabricated materials, structural diversity, high charge-energy conversion efficiency, environmental friendliness, and a wide range of applications. As liquid phase dielectric materials typically used in L-S TENG, a variety of organic and inorganic single-phase liquids, including distilled water, acidic solutions, sodium chloride solutions, acetone, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetonitrile, as well as paraffinic oils, have been used in experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National JALMA Institute for Leprosy and Other Mycobacterial Diseases, Agra, India.
A significant global health crisis is predicted to emerge due to antimicrobial resistance by 2050, with an estimated 10 million deaths annually. Increasing antibiotic resistance necessitates continuous therapeutic innovation as conventional antibiotic treatments become increasingly ineffective. The naturally occurring antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral compounds offer a viable alternative to synthetic antibiotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicrobiol Res
January 2025
Área de Microbiología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain. Electronic address:
The spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and their resistance genes along the food chain and the environment has become a global threat aggravated by incorrect disinfection strategies. This study analysed the effect of induction by sub-inhibitory concentrations of eugenol - a major ingredient in clove essential oil commonly used in disinfectant agents - on the phenotypic and genotypic response of MDR Enterococcus faecalis E9.8 strain, selected based on the phenotypic response of other enterococci.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Integr Plant Biol
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Seed Innovation, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Plant oils play a crucial role in human nutrition, industrial applications and biofuel production. While the enzymes involved in fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis are well-studied, the regulatory networks governing these processes remain largely unexplored. This review explores the intricate regulatory networks modulating seed oil biosynthesis, focusing on key pathways and factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Methods
January 2025
Program in Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering, School of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-909, Brazil.
Low-carbon fuels, emitting less carbon than fossil fuels, are proposed to help in the transition to a sustainable, decarbonized transport sector. The new biofuels being studied and developed in this context include hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO). Its chemical composition, which is the same as fossil diesel (primarily composed of linear chain hydrocarbons C12-C24), makes HVO (more homogeneous mixtures of paraffinic hydrocarbons C10-C20, containing no sulfur or aromatics) a fuel with slightly lower density than fossil diesel due to these characteristics.
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