2 research outputs found
Crystallization Behavior of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Array
We
investigate the effect of the presence of vertically aligned
multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the orientation of polyÂ(ethylene
oxide) (PEO) lamellae and PEO crystallinity. The high alignment of
carbon nanotubes acting as templates probably governs the orientation
of PEO lamellae. This templating effect might result in the lamella
planes of PEO crystals oriented along a direction parallel to the
long axis of the nanotubes. The presence of aligned carbon nanotubes
also gives rise to the decreases in PEO crystallinity, crystallization
temperature, and melting temperature due to the perturbation of carbon
nanotubes to the crystallization of PEO. These effects have significant
implications for controlling the orientation of PEO lamellae and decreasing
the crystallinity of PEO and thickness of PEO lamellae, which have
significant impacts on ion transport in PEO/CNT composite and the
capacitive performance of PEO/CNT composite. Both the decreased PEO
crystallinity and the orientation of PEO lamellae along the long axes
of vertically aligned CNTs give rise to the decrease in the charge
transfer resistance, which is associated with the improvements in
the ion transport and capacitive performance of PEO/CNT composite
Chemically Modified Surface Having a Dual-Structured Hierarchical Topography for Controlled Cell Growth
This report describes
a technique for fabricating dual-structured hierarchical surface topography
on the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films through simply
replicating prefabricated patterns and wrinkling PDMS films. To enhance
the biocompatibility of PDMS films, we synthesize a biocompatible
dopamine-glycopolymer, which is utilized to modify the chemical feature
of the PDMS surface. Dopamine component in this copolymer is introduced
for the formation of a carbohydrate layer on the surface of PDMS films
because of its excellent adhesion. The carbohydrate component in this
copolymer enhances the interactions between cells and PDMS films.
We investigate the influence of the chemical and topographical surface
properties of the extracellular matrix on fibroblast cell growth.
The coupling of the dopamine-glycopolymer coating and hierarchical
topography produces the best induction effect on the alignment of
cells