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A novel approach is established for fabricating high-strength and high-stiffness composite laminates with continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns for scaled-up mechanical tests and potential engineering applications. Continuous CNT yarns with up to 80% degree of nanotube alignment and a unique self-assembled graphitic CNT packing result in their specific tensile strengths up to 1.9 N/tex. Unidirectional CNT yarn reinforced composite laminates with a CNT concentration of greater than 80 wt.% and minimal microscale voids are fabricated using filament winding and aerospace-grade resin matrices. A specific tensile strength of up to 1.71 GPa/(g cm-3) and a specific modulus of 256 GPa/(g cm-3) are realized; the specific modulus exceeds current state-of-the-art IM7, T1100G and even M60J unidirectional carbon fiber composite laminates. The results demonstrate an effective approach transferring high-strength CNT yarns into composites for applications that require specific tensile modulus properties that are significantly beyond state-of-the-art carbon fiber composites, and potentially open a new performance region in the Ashby chart for composite material applications.

Multifilament continuous hollow carbon fiber tows with a honeycomb cross-section have been produced using a gel-spun bicomponent islands-in-a-sea precursor with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the sea component and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the sacrificial island component. The density of the hollow carbon fibers is 1.15 g/cm3, more than 30% lower compared to commercial carbon fibers. The tensile strength of these fibers is in the range of 2.3–3.0 GPa and tensile modulus between 202 and 234 GPa. The tensile strength is over 80% higher than the 1.6 GPa strength value reported earlier for hollow carbon fibers. The specific tensile strength is 30% higher than T300 carbon fibers. The specific tensile modulus is 60% higher than T300 carbon fibers and 20% higher than aerospace grade IM7 carbon fibers. The manufacturing was successfully scaled up from a single filament to 740 filament tow without affecting the carbon fiber structural parameters. The tensile strength is limited by the size of the largest defects present, estimated to be in the range of 40–65 nm for the hollow carbon fibers.

Due to the inherent spatial and temporal limitations of atomistic modeling and the lack of efficient mesoscopic models, mesoscale simulation methods for guiding the development of super strong lightweight material systems comprising collapsed carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are currently missing. Here we establish a path for deriving ultra-coarse-grained mesoscopic distinct element method (mDEM) models directly from the quantum mechanical representation of a collapsed CNT. Atomistic calculations based on density functional-based tight-binding (DFTB) extended with Lennard-Jones interactions allow for the identification of the cross-section and elastic constants of an elastic beam idealization of a collapsed CNT. Application of the DFTB quantum treatment is possible due to the simplification in the number of atoms introduced by accounting for the helical and angular symmetries exhibited by twisted and bent CNTs. The multiscale modeling chain established here is suitable for deriving ultra-coarse-grained mesoscopic models for a variety of microscopic filaments presenting complex interatomic bondings.

Microstructures of typical carbon fibers (CFs) from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and pitch-based precursors were studied using a novel digital twin approach with individual carbon fibers for a local crystal scale model. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) samples were prepared using a focused-ion beam (FIB) for both longitudinal and transverse directions of carbon fibers. Measurements of the crystal size and orientation were estimated from X-ray scattering. TEM imaging of graphitic packing facilitated further comprehension of associations between processing and final material properties, which could enable customization of microstructures for property targets. Then the detailed microstructural information and their X-ray scattering properties were incorporated into the simulation model of an individual carbon fiber. Assuming that graphene properties are the same among different forms of carbon fiber, a reasonable physics-based explanation for such a drastic decrease in strength is the dislocations between the graphitic units. The model reveals critical defects and uncertainty of carbon fiber microstructures, including skin/core alignment differences and propagating fracture before ultimate failure. The models are the first to quantify microstructures at the crystal scale with micromechanics and to estimate tensile and compressive mechanical properties of carbon fiber materials, as well as potentially develop new fundamental understandings for tailoring carbon fiber and composites properties.

Double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) were synthesized and continuously collected using a water-assisted floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) method. Differing from the conventional water-assisted synthesis in which water vapor is one part of the carrier gas mixture, we included de-ionized water in the catalyst system, which achieved a more uniform and controlled distribution for efficient DWCNT production. Using a water-assisted FCCVD process with optimized conditions, a transition from multi- to double-walled CNTs was observed with a decrease in diameters from 19&ndash, 23 nm to 10&ndash, 15 nm in tandem with an elevated Raman IG/ID ratio up to 10.23, and corroborated from the decomposition peak shifts in thermogravimetric data. To characterize the mechanical and electrical improvements, the FCCVD-CNT/bismaleimide (BMI) composites with different water concentrations were manufactured, revealing high electrical conductivity of 1720 S/cm along the bundle alignment (collection) direction, and the nano-indentation tests showed an axial reduced modulus at 65 GPa. A consistent value of the anisotropic ratio at ~3 was observed comparing the longitudinal and transverse properties. The continuous capability of the presented method while maintaining high quality is expected to result in an improved DWCNT mass production process and potentially enhance the structural and electrical applications of CNT nanocomposites.

Disordered packings of colloidal spheres show angle-independent structural color when the particles are on the scale of the wavelength of visible light. Previous work has shown that the positions of the peaks in the reflectance spectra can be predicted accurately from a single-scattering model that accounts for the effective refractive index of the material. This agreement shows that the main color peak arises from short-range correlations between particles. However, the single-scattering model does not quantitatively reproduce the observed color: the main peak in the reflectance spectrum is much broader and the reflectance at low wavelengths is much larger than predicted by the model. We use a combination of experiment and theory to understand these features. We find that one significant contribution to the breadth of the main peak is light that is scattered, totally internally reflected from the boundary of the sample, and then scattered again. The high reflectance at low wavelengths also results from multiple scattering but can be traced to the increase in the scattering cross section of individual particles with decreasing wavelength. Both of these effects tend to reduce the saturation of the structural color, which limits the use of these materials in applications. We show that while the single-scattering model cannot reproduce the observed saturations, it can be used as a design tool to reduce the amount of multiple scattering and increase the color saturation of materials, even in the absence of absorbing components.

Using a floating catalyst synthesis process, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be produced to form randomly oriented networks. However, to realize their potential high structural performance, the nanotubes must be aligned and closely packed to eliminate molecular and microscale defects, which would be similar to carbon fiber microstructures. This paper describes a mechanical stretching technique using bismaleimide (BMI) resin to transform the randomly oriented networks into aligned networks. The BMI resin acts as a lubricant to decrease the friction between the nanotube bundles within the network during the stretching process. The unique flattening and self-assembling behaviors and the resultant graphitic crystal packing of CNTs were observed. The nanotubes' degree of alignment, measured by Raman and X-ray scattering drastically increased at approximately 40% stretch strain, plateaued at a 60% stretch strain, and achieved a maximum of 0.92 degree of alignment with noticeable graphitic crystal packing at 80% stretch strain. Both TEM and SEM observations indicate that as the stretch strain increased, the CNTs started to align along the stretched direction and self-assembled into large bundles. Additionally, high-resolution TEM analysis indicated that the CNTs exhibited flattening and polygonization self-assembling to form graphitic crystal packing. Tensile testing on the stretched CNT/BMI composite samples revealed an increase in Young's modulus, with a maximum of 252 GPa at 80% stretch strain, while an ultimate tensile strength of 1.58 GPa was reached at 70% stretch strain. The high degree of alignment and polygonization packing resulted in a better load transfer among CNTs, and thus a higher mechanical performance in the resultant CNT composites. Furthermore, this stretching process is scalable and has the potential to realize greater performance for applications using CNTs.

Huntsman–Merrimack MIRALON® carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a novel, highly entangled, commercially available, and scalable format of nanotubes. As-received and acid-treated CNTs were added to aerospace grade epoxy (CYCOM® 977-3), and the composites were characterized. The epoxy resin is expected to infiltrate the network of the CNTs and could improve mechanical properties. Epoxy composites were tested for flexural and viscoelastic properties and the as-received and acid treated CNTs were characterized using Field-Emission Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis. Composites containing 0.4 wt% as-received CNTs showed an increase in flexural strength, from 136.9 MPa for neat epoxy to 147.5 MPa. In addition, the flexural modulus increased from 3.88 GPa for the neat epoxy to 4.24 GPa and 4.49 GPa for the 2.0 wt% and 3.0 wt% as-received CNT/epoxy composites, respectively. FE-SEM micrographs indicated good dispersion of the CNTs in the as-received CNT/epoxy composites and the 10 M nitric acid 6 h treatment at 120 °C CNT/epoxy composites. CNTs treated with 10 M nitric acid for 6 h at 120 °C added oxygen containing functional groups (C–O, C=O, and O=C–O) and removed iron catalyst present on the as-received CNTs, but the flexural properties were not improved compared to the as-received CNT/epoxy composites.

We report the synthesis of flexible ceramic composites with a high tensile strength (536.33±7.23 MPa) using carbon nanotube sheet aligned by mechanically stretching process. The process is based on the infiltration and pyrolysis of liquid ceramic precursor into aligned carbon nanotube sheet. Mechanical properties and microstructure of the resultant composites are investigated. The resultant nanocomposites maintain well-aligned carbon nanotube morphology with high volume fraction (60%) and long pullout (15 µm), contributing to a high degree of load-transfer efficiency and toughening. Flexibility test reveals that such ceramic nanocomposites retain the original mechanical properties and microstructures after one thousand repetitions of 75% bending deformation, showing excellent compliance and durability. Applications requiring materials with high flexibility and mechanical properties can benefit from this research.

High-performance lightweight composites are sizably manufactured by impregnating continuous aligned carbon nanotube sheet (buckypapers) with self-reinforcing polyphenylene (Parmax) solution and followed by hot-press. The high processing pressure flattens nanotubes, which preferably π-stack with the aromatic rings of Parmax chain, and accordingly improve the load transfer. Both tensile strength and Young's modulus of the thermoplastic composites increase with the alignment degree of nanotubes, and can reach 950 MPa and 94 GPa, respectively, for the composite containing 50%-stretched buckypaper. The highly aligned nanotubes also boost phonon transfer (70 W mK−1) and the electric conductivity (425 S cm–1) of the composite along the alignment direction. These combined outstanding properties would enable the thermoplastic composites in wide applications as multifunctional material.

Large scale manufacturing of electrically conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets with production capability, low cost, and long-term electrical performance stability is still a challenge. A new method to fabricate highly conductive continuous buckypaper (CBP) with roll-to-roll production capability and relatively low cost is reported. The electrical conductivity of CBP can be improved to 7.6 × 104 S m−1 by using an oxidant chemical (i.e. HNO3 and I2) doping method. To compensate for the conductivity degradation caused by the instability of the oxidant chemical doping, a polymer layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was coated on the chemically doped CBP. The fabricated highly conductive CBP showed stable electrical performance in air for more than a month. This CBP material with high electrical conductivity, relatively low cost, and roll-to-roll manufacturing capability could enable a wide range of engineering applications including flexible conductors, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, and electrodes in energy devices.

Raman mapping technique has been used to perform in-line quality inspections of nanomanufacturing processes. In such an application, massive high-dimensional Raman mapping data with mixed effects is generated. In general, fixed effects and random effects in the multi-array Raman data are associated with different quality characteristics such as fabrication consistency, uniformity, defects, et al. The existing tensor decomposition methods cannot separate mixed effects, and existing mixed effects model can only handle matrix data but not high-dimensional multi-array data. In this paper, we propose a tensor mixed effects (TME) model to analyze massive high-dimensional Raman mapping data with complex structure. The proposed TME model can (i) separate fixed effects and random effects in a tensor domain; (ii) explore the correlations along different dimensions; and (iii) realize efficient parameter estimation by a proposed iterative double Flip-Flop algorithm. We also investigate the properties of the TME model, existence and identifiability of parameter estimation. The numerical analysis demonstrates the efficiency and accuracy of the parameter estimation in the TME model. Convergence and asymptotic properties are discussed in the simulation and surrogate data analysis. The case study shows an application of the TME model in quantifying the influence of alignment on carbon nanotubes buckypaper. Moreover, the TME model can be applied to provide potential solutions for a family of tensor data analytics problems with mixed effects., Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures

Crystalline or glassy materials made of colloidal nanoparticles show distinctive photonic effects; the crystals exhibit sparkling colors with strong iridescence, while the glasses show noniridescent colors. Both colors are the results of constructive interference of the reflected light by the nonadsorbing nanostructures. Such colored materials have potential applications as nonfading colorants in reflective color displays, optical sensors, coatings, and cosmetics. All of these applications require granular format of the nanostructures; however, precise control of the nanostructures from amorphous to crystalline over the submillimeter length scale remains challenging. Here, we present micrometer-level control of photonic nanostructures confined in microcapsules through osmotic-pressure-mediated concentration. We encapsulate aqueous suspensions of colloidal particles using double-emulsion drops with ultrathin layers of photocurable resin. The microcapsules are then isotropically compressed by imposing a pos...

Structurally colored materials could potentially replace dyes and pigments in many applications, but it is challenging to fabricate structural colors that mimic the appearance of absorbing pigments. We demonstrate the microfluidic fabrication of "photonic pigments" consisting of microcapsules containing dense amorphous packings of core-shell colloidal particles. These microcapsules show non-iridescent structural colors that are independent of viewing angle, a critical requirement for applications such as displays or coatings. We show that the design of the microcapsules facilitates the suppression of incoherent and multiple scattering, enabling the fabrication of photonic pigments with colors spanning the visible spectrum. Our findings should provide new insights into the design and synthesis of materials with structural colors.

This paper presents simulation results for double nanohole and inverted bowtie nanoapertures optimized to resonate in the short-wave infrared regime (1050 nm and 1550 nm). These geometries have shown great promise for trapping nanoparticles with applications in optical engineering, physics, and biology. Using a finite element analysis tool, we found that the outline length for inverted bowtie nanoapertures in a 100 nm thick gold film with a 20 nm gap dimension having an optimized transmission resonance for 1050 nm and 1550 nm optical wavelengths is 106.5 nm and 188.5 nm, respectively. With the same gap size, the radii of the circles for the double nanohole nanoapertures are 72 nm and 128 nm. The near-field enhancements of the two structures are almost the same, while the double nanohole geometries have a 20% larger full width at half-maximum than the inverted bowtie. Next, by studying the effect of changing the inner radii of the inverted bowtie corners, we found that the difference between 2 nm and 6 nm corner radii can blue-shift the optical resonance by up to 45 nm. As a result of not having any inner corners, the double nanohole structure requires less precise fabrication and therefore could potentially have a higher successful yield of nanoapertures during the manufacturing process. Lastly, we will show experimental results that confirm the optical resonance of the nanoapertures at 1550 nm. These results will enable better performance and signal-to-noise ratio in nanoaperture trapping for the short-wave infrared wavelength regime.

Viscosity is critically important for bulgogi sauce. However, exposure to irradiation may decrease the rheological proper-ties of bulgogi sauce. This study was conducted to compare the effects of gamma irradiation (0–9 kGy) on viscosity, molec-ular weight, pH, reducing end level, and water solubility of xanthan gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum as thickeningagents/stabilizers in bulgogi sauce. The physicochemical properties of all samples changed (p

Off-flavor and lipid oxidation are possible defects of irradiated bulgogi. This study compared the effects of several physico-chemical treatments on microbial safety, volatiles, lipid oxidation, and sensory properties of irradiated beef bulgogi. Samples were separately irradiated with 20 kGy after each treatment such as packaging (aerobic and vacuum), antioxidants (vitamin C+α-tocopherol (0.0 and 1.0%, w/w)), charcoal teabags (0 and 0.5%), or different temperatures (room temperature, -20, and -70°C). No bacterial growth was observed (p

This study examined the effect of gamma irradiation (3-20 kGy) on the immune activity and physicochemical properties of Myagropsis myagroides (MM) water extracts. MM powder and water extracts were subjected to gamma irradiation at 3, 7, and 20 kGy. The effects of gamma-irradiated MM water extracts on splenocyte proliferation and cytokine IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion were evaluated. The gamma-irradiated MM water extracts resulted in decreased splenocyte proliferation without cytotoxicity. The IFN-γ and IL-2 secretion increased by gamma-irradiated MM water extracts with increasing irradiation dose. For MM powder, the yield and total phenolic compounds (TPC) of water extracts were increased slightly after gamma irradiation. In MM water extracts, the TPC was higher at a dose of 20 kGy, while gamma irradiation decreased the viscosity, pH, and color of the MM extracts. In conclusion, gamma irradiation improved the immunomodulatory activity of MM water extracts, overcoming its potential weakness when applied in the food industry.

This study compared the effects of autoclaving (AC; 121 C for 15 min), gamma (GR), and electron beam irradiation (EB; 0-20 kGy) on the microbial, physicochemical, and sensory properties of ready-to-eat bulgogi during storage at 35 C for 90 d. No viable cells were observed (p

Pork is an excellent source of essential nutrients such as protein. However, pork can trigger hypersensitivity and serumalbumin of pork is known as major allergen. In this study, to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on the allergenicity ofporcine serum albumin (PSA), PSA solution was irradiated at 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 kGy. The changes in the ability of PSAto bind IgG and patient’s serum caused by gamma irradiation were observed by ci-ELISA and immunoblotting. SDS-PAGEwas used for measuring the conformational change of gamma-irradiated PSA. The ability of 3-kGy-irradiated PSA to bindp-IgG and patient’s serum was decreased to 30% and 15%, respectively. The binding ability showed no significant differ-ences among all irradiated samples. SDS-PAGE showed that the irradiated PSA bands were degraded and aggregated.Immunoblotting of irradiated PSA revealed that IgG and patient’s serum were rarely recognized at 3 kGy. Therefore, gammairradiation could be applied to less-allergenic pork products. Key words: porcine serum albumin, allergenicity, gamma irradiation

We describe the self-assembly of biomimetic isotropic films which display structural color amenable to potential applications in coatings. Isotropic structures can produce color if there is a pronounced characteristic length-scale comparable to the wavelength of visible light and wavelength-independent scattering is suppressed., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

The purpose of this study was to search for physical treatments to reduce allergenicity of pork. Physical treatments suchas heating, autoclave, microwave, sonication, and irradiat ion have been used for food processing or reduction of allergenic-ity. The porcine serum albumin ( PSA), known as a major allergen in pork, was extracted after physical treatments. The anti-genicity of pork extract s by heating (80 and 100 o C for 20 min), autoclave (121 o C for 5, 10, and 30 min), and microwave (for5 and 10 min) was significantly decreased. Especially, th e binding ability of p-IgG to pork extracts by autoclave for 30 minshowed the greatest decrease (about 3%) in physical treatments. However, the antigenicity of pork was unaffected by soni-cation and irradiation treatment. These results indicated that the autoclave treatment was the most effective method toreduce the antigenicity of pork. Key words: PSA, pork, physical treatments, antigenicity 서론 우리나라 국민 1인당 육류 소비량은 2007년 기준으로쇠고기 7.6 kg, 닭고기 8.6 kg, 돼지고기 19.2 kg임을 미루어 볼 때 돼지고기는 국내에서 가장 많이 소비되는 식육류이다. 이 외에도 돼지고기는 지난 40여 년간 가장 빠른소비 증가 추세를 나타내었는데, 1970년에서 2008년 사이1인당 돼지고기 소비량의 연평균 증가율은 5.26%로 쇠고기와 닭고기가 각각 4.86%, 4.78%를 나타난 것에 비해 높았다(Ahn and Jo, 2009).한편, 돼지고기는 쇠고기에 비하여 콜레스테롤 함량이낮으며 vitamin B군 뿐만 아니라 필수지방산인 vitamin F도 다량 함유하고 있는 식품이다(Wood

This study was conducted to examine the bleaching of an anti-inflammatory agent containing Undaria pinnatifida extract (AIAU). Brown-colored AIAU was irradiated with gamma rays at doses ranging from 10-200 kGy. Discoloring of the anti-inflammatory agent was achieved by gamma irradiation, with significantly removal by 50 kGy irradiation. The main active compound of the agent consisted of 4% U. pinnatifida extract, which inhibited inflammatory symptoms in mouse ear edema by 93%. There was no change in effects against edema, erythema, blood flow and radical scavenging activity by irradiation.

This study examined the effect of gamma irradiation on shelf-life extension and sensory characteristics of dak-galbi. Commercial dak-galbi sauce was gamma-irradiated at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 kGy. The dak-galbi sauce (200 g) was then added to diced chicken (800 g) for cooking, and the cooked dak-galbi samples in vacuum bags were stored at 35 o C for 5 d. Dak-galbi samples were analyzed on d 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 for microbial analysis (plate count agar), thiobarbituric acid (TBARS) and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) measurements, and on d 0 for sensory evaluation. On d 0, total bacterial populations were below detection limit after dak-galbi marinated with the gamma-irradiated (≥15 kGy) sauces were cooked, and the samples marinated with higher dose irradiated dak-galbi sauce had lower (p

Addition of calcium lactate and vitamin C, a mild heating, deep-freezing, and gamma irradiation at 25 kGy were conducted to prepare Kimchi as a ready-to-eat space food. It was confirmed that the space food was sterilized by an irradiation at 25 kGy through incubation at 37 °C for 30 days. The hardness of the Space Kimchi (SK) was lower than the untreated Kimchi (CON), but higher than the irradiated Kimchi (IR). Also, this result was supported by the scanning electron microscopic observation. Sensory attributes of the SK were similar to CON, and maintained during preservation at 35 °C for 30 days. According to the Ames test, Kimchi sterilized with a high-dose irradiation exerted no mutagenic activity in the bacterial strains of Salmonella typhimurium . And, the SK was certificated for use in space flight conditions during 30 days by the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of gamma and e-beam irradiation on the quality of minced pork and pork patties. Each sample was irradiated at 5 to 20kGy, and its quality characteristics were then evaluated during storage at 30. The results of the total bacterial populations in the minced-pork and pork patty samples showed that the antimicrobial effect of gamma irradiation was superior to that of e-beam irradiation. The 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of all the samples significantly increased (p(brightness), (redness), and (yellowness) of the minced pork and pork patties, were increased (p

The objective of this study was investigated to apply the fucoidan and laminarin extract from low-grade Undaria pinnatifida to real food product, a pork patty. Pork patties added with fucoidan and laminarin showed lower lipid oxidation and the inhibition against lipid oxidation was shown to be dependent on the irradiation doses. The Hunter color values of pork patty added with fucoidan increased significantly with an increase of irradiation dose. The hardness profiles of the patties with fucoidan and laminarin was decreased, but the amount of water in the patties was increased. Also, the combination of gamma irradiation and addition of fucoidan and laminarin was shown to be effective for the microbiological control. These results suggested that gamma irradiation and fucoidan and laminarin treatment showed the positive effect on microbial stability and quality of the pork patty.

The surface modification of monodisperse hydroxyl functionalized polymeric microspheres was carried out by utilizing a redox initiation system. Styrene, divinylbenzene and hydroxyethyl methacrylate were used as the second monomer in the seeded polymerization. An excessive amount of the second monomer emulsion was swollen into the polystyrene (PS) seed particles completely by controlling the medium solvency and swelling temperature. The hydroxyl functional groups were radicalized by the ceric ammonium nitrate in nitric acid solution, and the methyl methacrylate was reacted uniformly on the surface of microspheres. From the SEM, and FE-TEM measurements, highly monodisperse microspheres having a smooth surface, and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) coating layer were observed, respectively. The surface characteristics of the PS seed particles, hydroxyl functionalized and surface-modified polymeric microspheres were confirmed by utilizing FT-IR, XPS and thermal analysis.

This work presents a new method for fabricating thermal devices, such as heat sinks, using a 3D printing technique and lightweight composite ink. The method focuses on formulating composite inks with desired properties and direct ink writing for manufacturing. The ink undergoes two phases: phase one uses low viscosity epoxy to provide viscoelastic properties and phase two provides the fillers consisting of carbon fiber and graphite nanoplatelets to provide high thermal conductivity and structural properties. By combining these functional materials, 3D structures with a high thermal conductivity (≈2 W m−1 K−1) are printed for thermal management applications with the storage modulus of 3000 MPa and a density only 1.24 g cm−3. The results show that by carefully tailoring functional properties of the ink, net-shape multifunctional structures can be directly printed for thermal management device applications, such as heat sinks.

Aims Although circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) has been considered as the cornerstone for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) ablation, there has been a substantial recurrence rate. We conducted a prospectively randomized study to evaluate whether additional linear ablation from the superior vena cava (SVC) to the right atrial (RA) septum (SVC-L) improves the clinical outcome. Methods and results This study enroled 200 patients with PAF (male 74.5%, 56.8 ± 11.7 years old) randomly assigned to either the CPVI ( n = 100) or CPVI + SVC-L ( n = 100) groups. An RA isthmus ablation was performed in all patients. The CPVI + SVC-L group required a longer ablation procedure time (82.7 ± 17.9 min) than the CPVI group (63.6 ± 16.8 min, P < 0.001). The complication rates were 5% in CPVI + SVC-L group and 2% in CPVI group, respectively ( P = 0.445). Two CPVI + SVC-L group patients had post-procedural sinus node dysfunction, which recovered within 24 h. During 12.2 ± 5.3 months of follow-up, the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the CPVI + SVC-L group (6%) than the CPVI group (27%, P < 0.001). The post-procedural 3-month follow-up heart rate variability in the CPVI + SVC-L group showed a significantly greater reduction in the rMSSD (25.2 ± 13.7 vs. 13.7 ± 8.5 ms, P < 0.001), HF (10.2 ± 7.1 vs. 5.5 ± 5.8 ms2, P < 0.001), and LF/HF (1.6 ± 0.5 vs. 0.9 ± 0.3, P < 0.001) than in the CPVI group. Conclusion In spite of a longer procedure time and risk of transient sinus node dysfunction, an SVC-L in addition to CPVI improved the clinical outcome of catheter ablation, and was associated with post-procedural autonomic neural remodelling in patients with PAF.

Colloidal glasses, bird feathers, and beetle scales can all show structural colors arising from short-ranged spatial correlations between scattering centers. Unlike the structural colors arising from Bragg diffraction in ordered materials like opals, the colors of these photonic glasses are independent of orientation, owing to their disordered, isotropic microstructures. However, there are few examples of photonic glasses with angle-independent red colors in nature, and colloidal glasses with particle sizes chosen to yield structural colors in the red show weak color saturation. Using scattering theory, we show that the absence of angle-independent red color can be explained by the tendency of individual particles to backscatter light more strongly in the blue. We discuss how the backscattering resonances of individual particles arise from cavity-like modes, and how they interact with the structural resonances to prevent red. Finally, we use the model to develop design rules for colloidal glasses with red, angle-independent structural colors., 8 pages, 9 figures

Colloidal crystals are promising structures for photonic applications requiring dynamic control over optical properties. However, for ease of processing and reconfigurability, the crystals should be encapsulated to form 'ink' capsules rather than confined in a thin film. Here we demonstrate a class of encapsulated colloidal photonic structures whose optical properties can be controlled through osmotic pressure. The ordering and separation of the particles within the microfluidically created capsules can be tuned by changing the colloidal concentration through osmotic pressure-induced control of the size of the individual capsules, modulating photonic stop band. The rubber capsules exhibit a reversible change in the diffracted colour, depending on osmotic pressure, a property we call osmochromaticity. The high encapsulation efficiency and capsule uniformity of this microfluidic approach, combined with the highly reconfigurable shapes and the broad control over photonic properties, make this class of structures particularly suitable for photonic applications such as electronic inks and reflective displays.

Ethylene–propylene elastomer (EPM) grafted with an isocyanate-containing monomer (HI) was blended with polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), and its morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties were studied. The monomer HI was prepared by the reaction of 2-hydroxylethylmethacrylate and isophorone diisocyanate. The HI was successfully incorporated onto EPM backbone through solution graft reaction with radical initiator. When the PBT was blended with HI-grafted EPM (EHI), the morphologies of the dispersed phase displayed differences with respect to particle size and interfacial adhesion, when compared with those of the PBT/EPM blend. The increase in complex viscosity, storage modulus and impact strength of PBT/EHI blends ensured that the compatibility between PBT and EPM was improved through functionalization of EPM with the isocyanate moiety. These results are mainly due to in situ graft PBT–EPM copolymer that formed through the chemical reaction between the isocyanate group of EHI and hydroxyl or carboxyl end groups of PBT.

We present a new type of hydrogel photonic crystal with a stop band that can be rapidly modulated across the entire visible spectrum. We make these materials by using a high-molecular-weight polymer to induce a depletion attraction between polystyrene-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-bisacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) core-shell particles. The resulting crystals display a stop band at visible wavelengths that can be tuned with temperature at a rate of 60 nm/s, nearly three orders of magnitude faster than previous photonic-crystal hydrogels. Above a critical concentration of depleting agent, the crystals do not melt even at 40 degrees Celsius. As a result, the stop band can be modulated continuously from red (650 nm) to blue (450 nm), with nearly constant reflectivity throughout the visible spectrum. The unusual thermal stability is due to the polymer used as the depleting agent, which is too large to enter the hydrogel mesh and therefore induces a large osmotic pressure that holds the particles together. The fast response rate is due to the collective diffusion coefficient of our hydrogel shells, which is more than three orders of magnitude larger than that of conventional bulk hydrogels. Finally, the constant reflectivity from red (650 nm) to blue (450 nm) is due to the core-shell design of the particles, whose scattering is dominated by the polystyrene cores and not the hydrogel. These findings provide new insights into the design of responsive photonic crystals for display applications and tunable lasers.

Molecular gradients are important for various biological processes including the polarization of tissues and cells during embryogenesis and chemotaxis. Investigations of these phenomena require control over the chemical microenvironment of cells. We present a technique to set up molecular concentration patterns that are chemically, spatially and temporally flexible. Our strategy uses optically manipulated microsources, which steadily release molecules. Our technique enables the control of molecular concentrations over length scales down to about 1 microm and timescales from fractions of a second to an hour. We demonstrate this technique by manipulating the motility of single human neutrophils. We induced directed cell polarization and migration with microsources loaded with the chemoattractant formyl-methionine-leucine-phenylalanine. Furthermore, we triggered highly localized retraction of lamellipodia and redirection of polarization and migration with microsources releasing cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin polymerization.

Lack of robust manufacturing capabilities have limited our ability to make tailored materials with useful optical and thermal properties. For example, traditional methods such as spontaneous self-assembly of spheres cannot generate the complex structures required to produce a full bandgap photonic crystals. The goal of this work was to develop and demonstrate novel methods of directed self-assembly of nanomaterials using optical and electric fields. To achieve this aim, our work employed laser tweezers, a technology that enables non-invasive optical manipulation of particles, from glass microspheres to gold nanoparticles. Laser tweezers were used to create ordered materials with either complex crystal structures or using aspherical building blocks.

In order to determine on the anti-complement activity of triterpenes, following eleven triterpenoides were isolated from the fruits of the Zizyphus jujuba MILL: ceanothane-type triterpenes: colubrinic acid (1), zizyberenalic acid (11); lupane-type triterpenes: alphitolic acid (2), 3-O-cis-p-coumaroyl alphitolic acid (3), 3-O-trans-p-coumaroyl alphitolic acid (4), betulinic acid (7), betulonic acid (9); and oleanane-type triterpenes: 3-O-cis-p-coumaroyl maslinic acid (5), 3-O-trans-p-coumaroyl maslinic acid (6), oleanolic acid (8), oleanonic acid (10). These compounds were examined for their anti-complement activity against the classical pathway of the complement system. Among them, compounds 5, 6, and 8 exhibited significant anti-complement activity with IC(50) values of 101.4, 143.9, and 163.4 microM, respectively, whereas the ceanothane-type and the lupane-type triterpenes were inactive. This suggests that the oleanane-structure plays an important role in inhibiting the hemolytic activity of human serum against erythrocytes.