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• Scale of 3D printing process with about 700 kg of paste. • Potential cost savings possible with 3D printed sorbents. • Amine containing sorbents have stability issues. A 3D-printed sorbent containing polyethylene-imine and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PEI-MWCNT) was studied for post-combustion carbon capture. In this work, the adsorbent was printed on a kg scale and characterized for CO 2 adsorption through lab experiments. A 6-step VSA process was simulated using the lab data to capture CO 2 from a representative 800 MW power plant. The adsorbent captured >70 % of the CO 2 and 95 % CO 2 purity was achieved. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) was 130.2 $/MWh and the costs of CO 2 captured and avoided were 80 and 100.12 $/tonne. However, a zeolite 13X-activated carbon (13X-AC) monolith achieved a lower LCOE of 118.1 $/MWh, with the captured and avoided costs being 63 and 78.4 $/tonne, respectively. The LCOE value for the 13X-AC monolith was 5.1 % lower than a reference-packed bed system with Zeolite 13X pellets. The corresponding cost values were lower by 9.1 % and 13.9 %, respectively for the costs of CO 2 captured and avoided. The lab experiments on the PEI-MWCNT sorbent revealed that further work is necessary to improve the thermal stability and stability with long-term storage of the precursor paste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the influence of different surgical treatment modalities on the level of physical activity, functional capacity, and quality of life of breast cancer survivors. One hundred eighty women aged 30–60 years old were selected and allocated to control group (CG, women without breast cancer, n = 45), breast-conserving surgery group (BCG, n = 45), mastectomy group (MG, n = 45), and breast reconstruction group (BRG, n = 45). Physical activity, functional capacity, and quality of life were assessed, respectively, using the following self-report questionnaires validated for use in Brazil: International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-20), and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The groups were homogeneous relative to sociodemographic variables. The scores for physical activity (IPAQ) did not differ between CG and BRG, whereas they were better for CG than for BCG and MG (p = 0.0270). The results for functional capacity (HAQ-20) were better for CG than for MG (p = 0.0450), with no difference between the remaining groups. Differences were found for the SF-36 domains "physical functioning" (p < 0.01), "physical role functioning" (p < 0.001), "emotional role functioning" (p = 0.0174), and "general health" (p = 0.0307). CG and BRG differed significantly relative to the domains "physical role functioning" and "emotional role functioning" only. We concluded that patients who underwent breast reconstruction exhibited higher levels of physical activity and quality of life than patients subjected to mastectomy alone or breast-conserving surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing colloidal plasmonic nanomaterials with high carrier density that show optical resonances and photochemical activity extending from the visible to the mid-infrared (MIR) ranges remains a challenging pursuit. Here, we report the fabrication of titanium nitride (TiN) nanobars obtained using a two–step procedure based on a wet chemical route synthesis of TiO 2 nanowires and their subsequent high temperature annealing in ammonia flow. Electromagnetic simulations of the resulting TiN nanobars reveal a rich set of optical resonances featuring transverse, longitudinal and mixed transverse–longitudinal plasmonic modes that cover energies from the visible to MIR region. TiN nanobars decorated with Pt co-catalyst nanocrystals show enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity in comparison to both isotropic TiN nanospheres of similar size and TiN nanocubes under near infrared excitation at 940 nm due to the enhanced hot electron generation. We also demonstrate that plasmonic TiN nanobars can be used for the detection of furfural molecular vibrations by providing a strong surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) effect in the MIR region. [Display omitted] • Titanium nitride (TiN) nanobars are synthesised using a nitridation process. • TiN nanobars show plasmonic peak extending from visible to the mid-infrared range. • TiN nanobars show higher hydrogen production rate over both nanospheres and nanocubes. • Kinetic isotope effect and activation energy confirms hot electron role at 940 nm. • TiN nanobars act as excellent substrates for surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development should not be separated from the concept of sustainability. The goal can be pursued by means of technologically advanced materials and processes that enable environmental protection. Carbon dioxide photoreduction using water as reducing agent could be a green and effective way to pursue this aim and titania is a good photocatalyst for this reaction. In this work the performances of N doped CuO–TiO 2 photocatalysts in gas phase CO 2 reduction have been studied. We have focused the attention on both the catalysts design and the process optimization. We have investigated, in particular, the effect of the presence of nitrogen and copper amount on the final catalysts performances. In order to learn high control of the catalytic process and to manage productivity and selectivity, by operating in very mild reaction conditions, the last part of the work has been centered on tuning the process parameters (CO 2 /H 2 O ratio). It has been observed that the CH 4 formation is sensitive to copper amount and that exists a close correlation between the catalytic behavior and the reagents ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: Bone integration of orthopaedic or dental implants and regeneration of damaged bone at the surgical site are still unresolved problems in prosthetic surgery. For this reason, biomimetic surfaces (i.e. both inorganic and biological bioactive surfaces) represent a challenge for bone implantation. In this research work a hydrolase enzyme (alkaline phosphatase) was covalently grafted to inorganic bioactive glass and glass ceramic surfaces, in order to impart biological bioactivity. The functionalized samples were analysed by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in order to verify enzyme presence on the surface. Enzyme activity was measured by means of UV–visual spectroscopy after reaction with the natural substrate. Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy observations allowed monitoring of the morphological and chemical modification of the materials during the different steps of functionalization. In vitro inorganic bioactivity was investigated by soaking samples in simulated body fluid. Enzymatic activity of the samples was tested and compared before and after soaking. Enzymatic activity of the solution was monitored at different experimental times. This study demonstrates that alkaline phosphatase could be successfully grafted onto different bioactive surfaces while maintaining its activity. Presence of the enzyme in vitro enhances the inorganic bioactivity of the materials tested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plasmonic-based solar absorbers exhibit complete light absorption in a sub-µm thickness, representing an alternative to mm-thick carbon-based materials most typically employed for solar-driven steam generation. In this work, we present the scalable fabrication of ultrathin plasmonic titanium nitride (TiN) nanocavity arrays that exhibit 90% broadband solar light absorption within ~ 250 nm from the illuminated surface and show a fast non-linear increase of performance with light intensity. At 14 Suns TiN nanocavities reach ~ 15 kg h–1 m–2 evaporation rate and ~ 76% thermal efficiency, a steep increase from ~ 0.4 kg h−1 m−2 and ~ 20% under 1.4 Suns. Electromagnetic, thermal and diffusion modeling of our system reveals the contribution of each material and reactor component to heat dissipation and shows that a quasi-two-dimensional heat dissipation regime significantly accelerates water evaporation. Our approach to ultrathin plasmonic absorbers can boost the performance of devices for evaporation/desalination and holds promise for a broader range of phase separation processes. [Display omitted] • An ultrathin solar absorber based on TiN nanocavity arrays is introduced. • The material exhibits 90% broadband solar absorption within 250 nm. • The evaporation rate and the efficiency non-linearly increase with light intensity. • An extensive multi-physics modeling supports the experimental findings. • A quasi-two dimensional heat dissipation regime is theoretically discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]