Investigations into the piezoelectricity of natural polymers is a continuing area of interest due to their potential role in the complex interplay of mechanical and electrical forces present in biological organisms. Their synthetic counterparts, when electrospun using the air gap electrospinning method, are known to have increased crystallinity and tensile strength as compared to randomly aligned nanofibers composed of the same constituent polymers. Using the air gap electrospinning method with the naturally-occurring, semi-crystalline polymer chitin, the nanofibers were determined to have a 300% increase in tensile strength over randomly collected ones. Additionally, a 400% increase in piezoelectric response in the aligned nanofiber chitin mats was measured. The increased tensile strength and piezoelectricity in aligned chitin nanofibers is a consequence of an increase in α-chitin crystallinity in the nanofibers induced by the air gap collection method.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.04.086 | DOI Listing |
Nanomaterials (Basel)
January 2025
Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Tuxtla, Carretera Panamericana Km 1080, Tuxtla Gutiérrez C.P. 29050, Mexico.
This study provides a comprehensive structural, chemical, and optical characterization of CZTS thin films deposited on flexible Kapton substrates via the Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method. The investigation explored the effects of varying deposition cycles (40, 60, 70, and 80) and annealing treatments on the films. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated enhanced crystallinity and phase purity, particularly in films deposited with 70 cycles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Process Impacts
January 2025
Centre for Health Data Science, Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
This paper provides an overview of the INGENIOUS (UnderstandING the sourcEs, traNsformations and fates of IndOor air pollUtantS) project, aiming to better understand air pollution in homes. Although our homes are the microenvironment in which we spend most of our time, we know relatively little about the sources, transformation processes and fates of indoor air pollutants, or our exposure to them. INGENIOUS aims to address this knowledge gap by delivering: an indoor emissions inventory for UK homes; comprehensive air pollutant measurements in 310 homes in Bradford using a combination of low cost-sensors and more advanced air quality instrumentation; an analysis of the impact of indoor air pollution on outdoor air quality and using mobile measurements; insight into future indoor air quality using detailed air pollution models; identification of indoor air pollutants that warrant further toxicological study; and better understanding of the barriers and facilitators for behaviour that drives improved indoor air quality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Otolaryngol
January 2025
Department of Otomicrosurgery, Sixth Medical Center of The PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Background: In some rare cases of congenital aplasia of the oval window (OW), malformed facial nerve (FN) locations covering the most or entire OW present a challenge to hearing reconstruction, there is no a highly effective surgical hearing reconstruction methods.
Aims/objectives: To update a Scala tympani drill-out technique (SDT) for abnormal FN course covering the OW.
Material And Methods: All patients of congenital atresia of the OW was recruited between August 2014 and July 2023 in a tertiary-care center.
Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol
January 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Army College of Medical Sciences, Brar Square, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi, India.
Stapedotomy is the standard of care in the surgical management of clinical otosclerosis. It is a precise and technically demanding craft requiring impeccable surgical skills. Both conventional and laser-assisted procedures aim to achieve closure of the air-bone gap (ABG) with minimum collateral damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Comput Neurosci
January 2025
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Finance and Digital Economy, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
Marketing plays a vital role in the success of a business, driving customer engagement, brand recognition, and revenue growth. Neuromarketing adds depth to this by employing insights into consumer behavior through brain activity and emotional responses to create more effective marketing strategies. Electroencephalogram (EEG) has typically been utilized by researchers for neuromarketing, whereas Eye Tracking (ET) has remained unexplored.
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