Using an on-line image analysis technique to characterize sucrose crystal morphology during a crystallization run

The morphological forms and habits of crystals and agglomeration are important properties on crystallization processes. Online techniques for realtime measurement of these properties are mandatory for a better comprehension of crystal growth phenomenon. The present paper presents and describes a new online method to determine the complexity level of a crystal or a population of crystals during a crystallization process. An image analysis technique is combined with discriminant factorial analysis leading to results that allow the computation of the complexity of crystals through the parameter agglomeration degree of crystals. With this methodology, it has been possible to distinguish online and automatically among three different classes of crystals according to their complexity. It further describes the application of such methodology on the study of CaCl2, D-fructose, and D-glucose influence on the crystallization of sucrose, namely, on crystal size, morphology, and complexity. The effect of supersaturation, growth rate, and impurity concentration on the type, amount, and complexity level of the agglomerates was determined at different temperatures. The combination of image analysis and kinetic results allowed to understand better the crystallization phenomena in the presence and absence of impurities. The image analysis results suggest the possible application of this tool for process control, optimizing, by this way, laboratory and industrial crystallizers.This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia under program contract numbers SFRH/BD/11315/2002 and SFRH/BPD/45637/2008

Fabrication of elastic conductive superhydrophobic composite material

Superhydrophobic surfaces with contact angles >150° have been made by several methods, most of which rely on modification of surface geometry and surface chemistry. However, a number of fabrication processes are slow, complex, and costly. This thesis presents a simple fabrication method to create a PDMS/Cu material which displays robust superhydrophobicity. The method is based on replicating hierarchical micro/nanoscale structures from etched aluminum into copper by electroless plating, followed by PDMS casting and aluminum sacrifice. The resulting surface is multifunctional; it is superhydrophobic, elastic, conductive, and wear resistant. The elasticity of the material was evaluated by a stretching test which has no major effect on morphologies of PDMS/Cu surface or its superhydrophobicity. Furthermore, the abrasion test showed that the final material is wear-resistance due to the hierarchical topography and the lack of a separate thin film hydrophobic coating. The underwater stability of plastron experiments indicated that the surface preserved its superhydrophobicity after three weeks of immersion with no significant effect on the morphologies, contact angles, and contact angle hysteresis

Proteome Analysis of Human Aqueous Humor

The authors used several different proteomic techniques to identify 676 proteins in human aqueous humor. This comprehensive list of proteins can be used to establish a foundation for protein function analysis and identification of differentially expressed markers associated with anterior segment disorders