80,662 research outputs found
Electrospinning of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) nanofibres encapsulated with Ag nanoparticles for skin wound healing
Copyright © 2011 Chao Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Skin wound healing is an urgent problem in clinics and military activities. Although significant advances have been made in its treatment, there are several challenges associated with traditional methods, for example, limited donor skin tissue for transplantation and inflammation during long-term healing time. To address these challenges, in this study we present a method to fabricate Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) nanofibres encapsulated with Ag nanoparticle using electrospinning technique. The fibres were fabricated with controlled diameters (59nm-3m) by regulating three main parameters, that is, EVOH solution concentration, the electric voltage, and the distance between the injection needle tip (high-voltage point) and the fibre collector. Ag was added to the nanofibres to offer long-term anti-inflammation effect by slow release of Ag nanoparticles through gradual degradation of EVOH nanofibre. The method developed here could lead to new dressing materials for treatment of skin wounds. © 2011 Chao Xu et al.The work was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 10825210, 10872157, and 31050110125) and the National 111 Project of China (no. B06024)
Microfluidically fabricated pH-responsive anionic amphiphilic microgels for drug release
© 2016 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Amphiphilic microgels of different composition based on the hydrophilic, pH-responsive acrylic acid (AA) and the hydrophobic, non-ionic n-butyl acrylate (BuA) were synthesised using a lab-on-a-chip device. Hydrophobic droplets were generated via a microfluidic platform that contained a protected form of AA, BuA, the hydrophobic crosslinker, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA), and a free radical initiator in an organic solvent. These hydrophobic droplets were photopolymerised within the microfluidic channels and subsequently hydrolysed, enabling an integrated platform for the rapid, automated, and in situ production of anionic amphiphilic microgels. The amphiphilic microgels did not feature the conventional core-shell structure but were instead based on random amphiphilic copolymers of AA and BuA and hydrophobic crosslinks. Due to their amphiphilic nature they were able to encapsulate and deliver both hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties. The model drug delivery and the swelling ability of the microgels were influenced by the pH of the surrounding aqueous solution and the hydrophobic content of the microgels
Tailoring pH-responsive acrylic acid microgels with hydrophobic crosslinks for drug release
Amphiphilic microgels based on the hydrophilic acrylic acid (AA) and hydrophobic crosslinks of different compositions were synthesised using a lab-on-a-chip device. The microgels were formed by polymerising hydrophobic droplets. The droplets were generated via a microfluidic platform and contained a protected form of AA, a hydrophobic crosslinker (ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, EGDMA) and a free radical initiator in an organic solvent. Following photopolymerisation and subsequent hydrolysis, AA based microgels of amphiphilic nature were produced and it was demonstrated that they can successfully deliver both hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic moieties. The model drug delivery and the swelling ability of the microgels were influenced by the pH of the aqueous solution as well as the crosslinking density and hydrophobic content of the microgels
Bulk Rotational Symmetry Breaking in Kondo Insulator SmB6
Kondo insulator samarium hexaboride (SmB6) has been intensely studied in
recent years as a potential candidate of a strongly correlated topological
insulator. One of the most exciting phenomena observed in SmB6 is the clear
quantum oscillations appearing in magnetic torque at a low temperature despite
the insulating behavior in resistance. These quantum oscillations show multiple
frequencies and varied effective masses. The origin of quantum oscillation is,
however, still under debate with evidence of both two-dimensional Fermi
surfaces and three-dimensional Fermi surfaces. Here, we carry out
angle-resolved torque magnetometry measurements in a magnetic field up to 45 T
and a temperature range down to 40 mK. With the magnetic field rotated in the
(010) plane, the quantum oscillation frequency of the strongest oscillation
branch shows a four-fold rotational symmetry. However, in the angular
dependence of the amplitude of the same branch, this four-fold symmetry is
broken and, instead, a twofold symmetry shows up, which is consistent with the
prediction of a two-dimensional Lifshitz-Kosevich model. No deviation of
Lifshitz-Kosevich behavior is observed down to 40 mK. Our results suggest the
existence of multiple light-mass surface states in SmB6, with their mobility
significantly depending on the surface disorder level.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure
Mechanical Design of the MID Split-and-Delay Line at the European XFEL
A new split-and-delay line (SDL) is under development for the Materials Imaging and Dynamics (MID) end station at the European XFEL.* The device utilises Bragg reflection to provide pairs of X-ray pulses with an energy of (5 - 10) keV and a continuously tunable time delay of (-10 - 800) ps - thus allowing zero-crossing of the time delay. The mechanical concept features separate positioning stages for each optical element. Those are based on a serial combination of coarse motion axes and a fine alignment 6 DoF Cartesian parallel kinematics**. That allows to meet the contradictory demands of a fast long-range travel of up to 1000 mm and in the same time a precise alignment with a resolution in the nanometer range. Multiple laser interferometers monitor the position of the optical elements and allow an active control of their alignment. All optical elements and mechanics will be installed inside an UHV chamber, including the interferometer and about 100 stepper motors. With this paper we present the mechanical design for the SDL. It will additionally show the design of a prototype of a positioning stage which allows extensive testing of the implemented concepts and techniques
On the third critical field in Ginzburg-Landau theory
Using recent results by the authors on the spectral asymptotics of the
Neumann Laplacian with magnetic field, we give precise estimates on the
critical field, , describing the appearance of superconductivity in
superconductors of type II. Furthermore, we prove that the local and global
definitions of this field coincide. Near only a small part, near the
boundary points where the curvature is maximal, of the sample carries
superconductivity. We give precise estimates on the size of this zone and decay
estimates in both the normal (to the boundary) and parallel variables
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