Search

Animal models and static cultures of intestinal epithelial cells are commonly used platforms for exploring mercury ion (Hg(II)) transport. However, they cannot reliably simulate the human intestinal microenvironment and monitor cellular physiology in situ; thus, the mechanism of Hg(II) transport in the human intestine is still unclear. Here, a gut-on-a-chip integrated with transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) sensors and electrochemical sensors is proposed for dynamically simulating the formation of the physical intestinal barrier and monitoring the transport and absorption of Hg(II) in situ. The cellular microenvironment was recreated by applying fluid shear stress (0.02 dyne/cm2) and cyclic mechanical strain (1%, 0.15 Hz). Hg(II) absorption and physical damage to cells were simultaneously monitored by electrochemical and TEER sensors when intestinal epithelial cells were exposed to different concentrations of Hg(II) mixed in culture medium. Hg(II) absorption increased by 23.59% when tensile strain increased from 1% to 5%, and the corresponding expression of Piezo1 and DMT1 on the cell surface was upregulated.

The present study aims to explore the physico-chemical structure evolution characteristic during Yangchangwan bituminous coal (YCW) gasification in the presence of iron-based waste catalyst (IWC). The catalytic gasification reactivity of YCW was measured by thermogravimetric analyzer. Scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive system, nitrogen adsorption analyzer and laser Raman spectroscopy were employed to analyze the char physico-chemical properties. The results show that the optimal IWC loading ratio was 5 wt% at 1000 °C. The distribution of IWC on char was uneven and Fe catalyst concentrated on the surface of some chars. The specific surface area of YCW gasified semi-char decreased significantly with the increase of gasification time. i.e., the specific surface area reduced from 382 m2/g (0 min) to 192 m2/g (3 min), meanwhile, the number of micropores and mesopores decreased sharply at the late gasification stage. The carbon microcrystalline structure of YCW gasified semi-char was gradually destroyed with the increase of gasification time, and the microcrystalline structure with small size was gradually generated, resulting in the decreasing order degree of carbon microcrystalline structure. IWC can catalyze YCW gasification which could provide theoretical guidance for industrial solid waste recycling.

Phase change material (PCM) selection for particular applications mainly depends on its phase change temperature and latent heat, which were commonly measured by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). However, the DSC instruments are not absolute measuring devices and calibration is extremely important to ensure the accuracy of determined data. Meanwhile, the PCM with melting temperature between 0 and 65 °C is the most common interest for energy saving in buildings. This study, therefore, calibrated the DSC produce (NanoTechnology Inc.) by the high-purity metals with various regression methods for low melting temperature PCM thermal properties analysis. In the end, the paraffin n-eicosane was introduced to evaluate the accuracy of the temperature and latent heat measurements of the DSC. The experimental results showed that the accuracy of calibration could be improved by higher-order and more reference materials in a broad temperature range. However, the measurement results of n-eicosane proved that the 0-order regression method could offer good accuracy with only one suitable calibrant in a particular temperature range. Therefore, this research suggests the selection of reference materials for DSC calibration should consider the target of measurement temperature range as well as the thermal stabilities of calibrants.