Modification of surface properties of electrospun polyamide nanofibers by means of a perfluorinated acridine

Polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibers were prepared from formic acid solutions by using electrospinning technique. The fibers were smooth, defects free and with diameters smaller than 200 nm. Small amounts of a perfluorinated acridine were added as dopant to the feed solution to modify the wettability of the fibers. The effect of doping on the contact angle values is well apparent. The contact angle values go from 50° of pure PA6 to 120° when 6% of acridine is added. A comparison between fibers and films of pure and doped polyamide 6 was carried out in order to determine the effect of morphology on wettability. Thermal annealing near the T_g of the polymer promoted the segregation of the molecules to the surface, reaching contact angles of 131° with smaller amounts (4%) of acridine. The surface segregation was also promoted by time aging.     

Sol–gel preparation and properties of hydroxypropylcellulose–titania hybrid thin films

Hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC)–titania hybrid thin films were prepared by sol–gel method where titanium tetraisopropoxide Ti(OC₃H₇ ⁱ )₄ was hydrolyzed under acidic conditions in the presence of HPC, followed by dip-coating and drying at 120 °C for 24 h. The viscosity average molecular weight of HPC was 55,000–70,000 or 110,000–150,000, and the TiO₂/(HPC + TiO₂) mass ratio ranged from 0 to 1, which was calculated on the assumption that all Ti(OC₃H₇ ⁱ )₄ is converted into TiO₂. The films were 0.35–1.0 μm thick, transparent in visible region and opaque in ultraviolet (UV) region, where the optical absorption coefficient in UV region increased with increasing titania content. The refractive index increased with increasing titania content, ranging from 1.6 to 1.8 for the hybrid thin films. The pencil hardness increased from 6B to 5H, the durability in hot water significantly increased and the contact angle of water on films increased from 35° to 89° with increasing titania content. Crack-free films could be deposited on organic polymer substrates irrespective of titania or HPC contents, where cracking did not occur at higher HPC contents even when the substrate was bent.     

Benzoate liquid crystals with direct isotropic–smectic transition and antipathogenic activity

A smectogen liquid crystal based on benzoate units has been synthesized and structurally characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Besides, its structure and supramolecular arrangement in the crystalline state was demonstrated by single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. The thermotropic behaviour, monitored by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized light microscopy, consists in the formation of an enantiotropic smectic mesophase with a direct first order transition from the isotropic to smectic mesophase, and with its thermal stability range superposed on human body temperature. The smectogen liquid crystal has moderate wettability – suitable for biocompatible materials and presents good antipathogenic activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria and fungus.All these properties recommend the understudied liquid crystal to be used in biochemical and biological applications.     

分子自组装法制备具有可控浸润性的铜表面简

通过简单浸泡的方法在铜基底上制备出了具有微纳米复合结构的氧化铜,再利用混合硫醇溶液[含HS(CH2)9CH3和 HS(CH2)11OH]对浸泡后的表面进行修饰,通过控制溶液中HS(CH2)11OH的浓度,制备出一系列具有不同浸润性的铜表面,实现表面从超疏水到超亲水的有效调控. 研究发现,表面浸润的可控性源于表面复合结构与不同化学组成的协同作用,微纳米复合结构的存在为表面浸润性的调节提供了必要的条件.     

Recent progress in experiments for sessile droplet wetting on structured surfaces

Wetting of a sessile droplet on structured or patterned surface can be found in a broad range of applications. The researchers have been promoted to keep working on the topic. The review is on the basis of the recent experimental advances on the sessile droplet wetting on the hydrophobic, hydrophilic, or combined hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces under isothermal conditions, and on heating or cooling substrates having nonisothermal conditions. More attention has been paid on the wetting configuration between the sessile droplet and the structured substrate; the research gap has been discussed on identifying the three-phase line shape. Further, the three-dimensional measurement for the sessile droplets on the patterned surfaces with focusing more on the contact line of sessile droplets might reveal new physical insights. This review targets at building a holistic overview on the sessile droplet wetting behaviors on the structured substrate in the past 2 years.     

基于多孔金结构的三相界面酶电极的制备及高效电化学酶传感性能

界面微环境是影响酶催化反应及酶传感性能的关键因素. 本研究基于三维微纳米结构多孔金基底, 通过调控电极表面的亲水和疏水浸润性, 制备了具有固-液-气三相界面微环境的氧化酶电极, 并研究了界面微环境对酶催化反应动力学的影响规律. 基于所制备的三相界面多孔金结构酶电极, 反应物氧气能够从气相直接快速地传输到酶催化反应界面, 极大地提升了界面氧气浓度及其稳定性, 从而大幅度提高了氧化酶活性及酶电极响应的稳定性. 以葡萄糖为模型待测物, 基于该三相界面酶电极的电化学酶生物传感器拥有宽的线性范围、 高的灵敏度、 低的检出限以及良好的稳定性. 这类独特的三相反应界面设计为高效酶生物传感器的建构以及生物分子的精准检测提供了新思路.     

Na-K liquid alloy:A review on wettability enhancement and ionic carrier selection mechanism

The intrinsic liquid interface of Na-K alloy allays concerns about dendrite growth on metal anodes that are thermodynamically within the room temperature(20-22℃).Nevertheless,it hinders the formation of a stable electrode structure due to the inferior wettability induced by considerable liquid tension.In addition,the dominant ionic carrier in the Na-K alloy is subject to multiple factors,which is not conducive to customized battery design.This review,based on recently reported frontier achievements on Na-K liquid anodes,summarizes practical strategies for promoting the wettability by hightemperature induction,capillary effect,vacuum infiltration,and solid interface protection.Furthermo re,four selection mechanisms of the dominant ionic carrier are presented:(1) ion property dominated,(2)cathode dominated,(3) separator dominated,and(4) solid electrolyte interface dominated.Notably,initial electrolytes in energy storage systems have been unable to play a decisive role in ionic selection.Utilizing a superior wettability strategy and simultaneously identifying the dominant ionic carrier can facilitate the tailored application of dendrite-free Na-K liquid anodes.     

pH-Sensitive Wettability Induced by Topologicaland Chemical Transition on the Self AssembledSurface of Block Copolymer简

pH-sensitive wettability of polystyrene-b-poly（4-vinylpyridine） （PS-b-P4VP） self assembled films, exhibiting superoleophobicity under water and hydrophilicity at low pH value, and oleophobicity under water and hydrophobicity at neutral condition, has been realized. The wettability properties resulted from the surface topological and chemical transition, which were confirmed by in situ AFM measurements under water at different pH. At low pH, P4VP chains, which were confined in the hexagonal-packed nanodomains, got protonated into a swollen state, while at high pH, P4VP chains were deprotonated into a collapsed state. The reversible protonation/deprotonation procedure on the molecular scale leads to surface topological and chemical transition, thereby pH-sensitive wettability.     

具有抗生物污染活性的分子筛膜用于高效油水分离

The development of the global economy has been accompanied by frequent oil spills caused by accidental leaks and industrial manufacturing, which have seriously threatened the aquatic environment and human health. Traditional methods for the treatment of oily wastewater include centrifugation, skimming, flotation, oil-absorbing technology, etc., which are limited by low separation efficiency as well as secondary pollution during the post-processing of oil absorption materials. Recently, separation technologies utilizing the special wettabilities of filtration membranes have been developed to enrich and recycle oils from wastewater. Among these, the fabrication of superhydrophilic/underwater superhydrophobic membranes have attracted intensive research interest, which can selectively allow the passage of water through the membrane while blocking the oils. However, microorganisms are more likely to breed on these hydrophilic surfaces, eventually leading to the blockage of the membranes. In this study, ZSM-5 zeolite crystals (MFI topological structure) were coated onto the stainless-steel meshes by means of seeding and secondary hydrothermal growth. Then, 70% of the total Na⁺ ions in the zeolite channels were substituted by Ag⁺ ions via an ion exchange process. The resultant membranes (Ag@ZCMFs) were superamphiphilic in air, with both water contact angle and oil contact angle of approximately 0°. However, they became superoleophobic when immersed in water, and the underwater oil contact angle reached 151.27° ± 4.34°. In terms of special wettability, Ag@ZCMF achieved efficient separation for various oil-water mixtures with separation efficiencies above 99%. The water flux and intrusion pressure of Ag@ZCMF depended on the diameter of pinholes in the membrane, which could be modulated by altering the time of secondary hydrothermal growth. For instance, the average diameter of pinholes in Ag@ZCMF with optimum secondary growth time of 14 h (Ag@ZCMF-14) reached approximately 21 μm, giving rise to the water flux and intrusion pressure of 54720 L·m^-2·h^-1 and 4357 Pa, respectively. The anti-corrosion test and rubbing test confirmed the high chemical and mechanical stability of Ag@ZCMF-14, respectively. The separation efficiency of Ag@ZCMF-14 remained stable during ten purification-regeneration cycles, and no obvious attenuation was observed, proving the high separation stability of Ag@ZCMF-14. Furthermore, the loaded Ag⁺ ions afforded the membrane excellent anti-biofouling activity, which could effectively inhibit the growth of both alga and bacteria in the operating environment, thus preventing membrane blockage during the oil-water separation process. In particular, the bacteriostatic rate of Ag@ZCMF-14 to Escherichia coli reached to 99.6%. These results demonstrate that Ag@ZCMFs with anti-biofouling activity has promising potential future applications in the removal of oil slicks from oily wastewater.     

Characterization of Ti6Al4V implant surface treated by Nd:YAG laser and emery paper for orthopaedic applications

A more noble and biocompatible Ti alloy was achieved at fluence of 140 J cm⁻² where the implant indicated a higher degree of hardness (825HV), higher corrosion resistance (−0.21 V) and highest hydrophilicity (i.e. θ_c = 37°) compared with 70° of the control sample. These values corresponded to 58 and 39 mN m⁻¹ of surface tension respectively. The laser treated samples at 140 J cm⁻² showed higher wettability characteristics than mechanically roughened surface. Cell growth and their spreading condition in a specific area were analyzed by SEM and Image J Program software. Clearly, more cells were attached (1.2 × 10⁵) to and spread (488 μm²) over the surface at 140 J cm⁻² than in any other condition. Pathologically, the treated samples indicated no sign of infection.