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Gas production from an offshore hydrate-bearing sediment (HBS) by depressurization will reduce the strength of cementation and increase the effective stress of hydrate reservoirs, which can result ...

The gas–liquid–solid phase transition of hydrates is complex and has effects that are coupled with the heat-mass transfer in reservoirs; thus, this phase transition is related to the determination of flow assurance and production efficiency. The microfluidic technology applied in this research can simulate a porous medium and is an alternative to the conventional sand-packing approach, encompassing real characteristics of interfaces between multiple phases, reducing the randomness of pore shape, and mastering the distribution of flow channels. The hydrate phase transition was observed directly, while the relationship between the hydrate saturation and the permeability was analyzed. The entire experimental cycle was greatly shortened and was performed at lower cost and with more convenient operation than traditional sand-packing methods. The results indicate that hydrate saturation is negatively correlated with permeability. Considering the properties of etched throats, the newly generated particles can re...

A new class of photoresist is described for direct laser writing of photoswitchable 3D microstructures. The material comprising off-stoichiometric thiol-ene photo-clickable resins enables rapid two-photon laser processing of highly complex structures and facile post-modification with photoswitches. The microstructures were functionalized with a series of donor-acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) photoswitches with different excitation wavelength. The versatility of thiol–ene photo-click reaction enabled fine-tuning of the network structure and physical properties as well as the type and concentration of DASA photoswitches. When exposed to visible light, these microstructures exhibit excellent photo-responsiveness and undergo reversible color-changing via photoisomerization of DASA moieties. We describe that the weak fluorescence of DASAs can be used as a reporter of photoswitching, color changes, and thermal recovery, allowing the reading of DASA-containing sub-micrometric structures in 3D. This work delivers a new approach for custom microfabrication of 3D photochromic objects with molecularly engineered color and responsiveness.

Nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) contaminants are difficult to eliminate from natural aquifers due, in part, to the heterogeneous structure of the soil. Chemotaxis enhances the mixing of bacteria with contaminant sources in low-permeability regions, which may not be readily accessible by advection and dispersion alone. A microfluidic device was designed to mimic heterogeneous features of a contaminated groundwater aquifer. NAPL droplets (toluene) were trapped within a fine pore network, and bacteria were injected through a highly conductive adjacent macrochannel. Chemotactic bacteria (Pseudomonas putida F1) exhibited greater accumulation near the pore network at 0.5 m/day than both the nonchemotactic control and the chemotactic bacteria at a higher groundwater velocity of 5 m/day. Chemotactic bacteria accumulated in the vicinity of NAPL droplets, and the accumulation was 15% greater than a nonchemotactic mutant. Indirect evidence showed that chemotactic bacteria were retained within the contaminated low-permeability region longer than nonchemotactic bacteria at 0.25 m/day. This retention was diminished at 5 m/day. Numerical solutions of the bacterial-transport equations were consistent with the experimental results. Because toluene is degraded by P. putida F1, the accumulation of chemotactic bacteria around NAPL sources is expected to increase contaminant consumption and improve the efficiency of bioremediation.

A series of bis(arylidene)cycloalkanone photosensitizers modified by polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been studied for two-photon excited photodynamic therapy (2PE-PDT). As compared with their prototype compounds, these PEGylated photosensitizers show enhanced water solubilities while their photophysical and photochemical properties, including linear absorption, two-photon absorption, fluorescence, and singlet oxygen quantum yield, remain unaltered. In vitro behaviors (cellular uptake, subcellular localization, photocytotoxicity in both PDT and 2PE-PDT) of these photosensitizers reveal that an optimized lipid-water partition coefficient can be obtained by adjusting the length and position of the PEG chains. Among them, the photosensitizer modified asymmetrically by two tetraethylene glycol chains presents the best performance as a 2PE-PDT candidate. Selective blood-vessel closure and obvious therapeutic effect in inhibiting the growth of tumors are confirmed by in vivo 2PE-PDT after intravenous injection of this photosensitiezer. The survival periods of treated tumor-bearing mice are significantly prolonged. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a simple molecule to construct a potential candidate for 2PE-PDT.