Physical boundaries within aggregates – differences between amorphous,para‐crystalline,and crystalline Structures

The structural properties of finely divided inorganic materials such as metal and metalloid oxides, silicates or carbonates of both synthetic and natural origin are compared by means of electron microscopy and tomography. The structure of the outer surfaces of various compact or compacted agglomerates may suggest some striking similarities between various amorphous silica on the one hand and crystalline titania and alumina on the other however the details of the interior fine structure are completely different. Inside of the crystalline aggregates of, for example, alumina and titania distinct grain boundaries between the inter‐grown primary crystallites exist. Also physical boundaries between different solid phases and crystalline/amorphous transitions in core/shell structures can occur. No physical grain or phase boundaries were found inside of synthetic amorphous silica or para‐crystalline carbon black thus, the aggregate is the constituent particle. Synthetic amorphous silica from different production technologies (fumed/pyrogenic, precipitated, aerogel, gel) may exhibit different macro‐morphology but distinct similarities of the amorphous silica networks. Computational studies on silica and titania underline the stability of constituent particles and aggregates as observed by means of TEM after dispersing the original materials by ultra‐sonication.     

Salt,Shake, Fuse—Giant Hybrid Polymer/Lipid Vesicles through Mechanically Activated Fusion

Large (200 nm) poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(butadiene) polymer vesicles fuse into giant (>1 μm) vesicles with mild agitation in dilute aqueous NaCl solutions. This unusual effect is attributed to the salt‐induced contraction of the poly(ethylene oxide) corona, reducing steric resistance between vesicles and, with agitation, increasing the probability of contact between the hydrophobic cores of adjacent membranes. In addition, NaCl and agitation facilitated the creation of giant hybrid vesicles from much smaller homogeneous polymersomes and liposomes. Whereas lipid vesicles do not readily fuse with each other under the same circumstances, they did fuse with polymersomes to produce hybrid polymer/lipid vesicles.     

Separation of micro and sub-micro diamagnetic particles in dual ferrofluid streams based on negative magnetophoresis

In the present study, we numerically demonstrate an approach for separation of micro and sub-micro diamagnetic particles in dual ferrofluid streams based on negative magnetophoresis. The dual streams are constructed by an intermediate sheath flow, after which the negative magnetophoretic force induced by an array of permanent magnets dominates the separation of diamagnetic particles. A simple and efficient numerical model is developed to calculate the motions of particles under the action of magnetic field and flow field. Effects of the average flow velocity, the ratio of sheath fluid flow to sample fluid flow, the number of the magnet pair as well as the position of magnet pair are investigated. The optimal parametric condition for complete separation is obtained through the parametric analysis, and the separation principle is further elucidated by the force analysis. The separation of smaller micro and sub-micro diamagnetic particles is finally demonstrated. This study provides an insight into the negative magnetophoretic phenomenon and guides the fabrication of feasible, low-cost diagnostic devices for sub-micro particle separation.     

多功能Fe3O4@SiO2 Janus颗粒

采用溶剂热法和溶胶-凝胶法制备了顺磁性Fe₃O₄@SiO₂颗粒,以Pickering乳液界面保护法实现颗粒表面分区获得Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ Janus颗粒,进一步选区复合生长Pt或Ag纳米颗粒制备Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Pt和Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Ag Janus颗粒.Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Pt Janus颗粒的Pt一侧进行催化过氧化氢的反应,具有自驱动功能.因其顺磁性和两亲性,Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-Ag Janus颗粒能够作为磁响应颗粒乳化剂稳定油水乳液,并将Ag的催化功能引入界面.     

Polyphenol‐Mediated Assembly of Proteins for Engineering Functional Materials

Functional materials composed of proteins have attracted much interest owing to the inherent and diverse functionality of proteins. However, establishing general techniques for assembling proteins into nanomaterials is challenging owing to the complex physicochemical nature and potential denaturation of proteins. Here, a simple, versatile strategy is introduced to fabricate functional protein assemblies through the interfacial assembly of proteins and polyphenols (e.g., tannic acid) on various substrates (organic, inorganic, and biological). The dominant interactions (hydrogen‐bonding, hydrophobic, and ionic) between the proteins and tannic acid were elucidated; most proteins undergo multiple noncovalent stabilizing interactions with polyphenols, which can be used to engineer responsiveness into the assemblies. The proteins retain their structure and function within the assemblies, thereby enabling their use in various applications (e.g., catalysis, fluorescence imaging, and cell targeting).     

Principles of Surface Potential Estimation in Mixed Electrolyte Solutions:Taking into Account Dielectric Saturation

The dielectric properties between in-particle/water interface and bulk solution are significantly different, which are ignored in the theories of surface potential estimation. The analytical expressions of surface potential considering the dielectric saturation were derived in mixed electrolytes based on the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation. The surface potentials calculated from the approximate analytical and exact numerical solutions agreed with each other for a wide range of surface charge densities and ion concentrations. The effects of dielectric saturation became important for surface charge densities larger than 0.30 C/m\begin{document}$ ^2 $\end{document}. The analytical models of surface potential in different mixed electrolytes were valid based on original Poisson-Boltzmann equation for surface charge densities smaller than 0.30 C/m\begin{document}$ ^2 $\end{document}. The analytical model of surface potential considering the dielectric saturation for low surface charge density can return to the result of classical Poisson-Boltzmann theory. The obtained surface potential in this study can correctly predict the adsorption selectivity between monovalent and bivalent counterions.     

DEM investigation on conveying of non-spherical particles in a screw conveyor

Screw conveyors are extensively used in modern industry such as metallurgy, architecture and pharmaceutical due to their high-efficiency in the transportation of granular materials. And substantial efforts have been devoted to the study of the screw conveyors. Numerical method is an effective way to study screw conveyor. However, previous studies have mainly focused in the regime of spherical particles while the in-depth investigations for non-spherical particles that should be the most encountered in practical applications are still limited. In view of the above situations, discrete element method (DEM), which has been widely accepted in simulating the discrete systems, is utilized to investigate the conveying process of non-spherical particles in a horizontal screw conveyor, with particles being modeled by super-ellipsoids. In addition, a wear model called SIEM (Shear Impact Energy Model) is incorporated into DEM to predict the wear of screw conveyor. The DEM simulation results demonstrate that the particle shape is influential for the flow behaviors of particles and the wear of conveyor. The conveying performance evaluated quantitatively of both mass flow rate and power consumption is subsequently obtained to investigate the effect of sphericity of particle with different operation parameters. Moreover, particle collision frequency and collision energy consumption are acquired to investigate the possible particle breakage between particles and screw blade. The comparisons between particle–particle collision and particle–wall collision reveal that particles with large shape index have more possibility to be damaged in particle–wall impingement.     

Reliability study of super-ellipsoid DEM in representing the packing structure of blast furnace

In industrial blast furnaces (BFs), the investigations involving the flow behaviors of particles and the resultant burden structure are essential to optimize its operation stability and energy consumption. With the advance of computing capability and mathematical model, the discrete element method (DEM) specialized in characterizing particle behavior has manifested its power in the investigation of BFs. In the framework of DEM, many particle models have been developed, but which model is more suitable for simulating the particle behaviors of BFs remains a question because real particles in BFs have large shape and size dispersity. Among these particle models, the super-ellipsoid model possesses the ability to change shape flexibly. Therefore, the focus of this study is to investigate whether the super-ellipsoid model can meet the requirement of authenticity and accuracy in simulating the behaviors of particles with large shape and size dispersity. To answer this question, a simplified BF charging system composed of a hopper and a storage bin is established. The charging process and the final packing structure are analyzed and compared between experiments and simulations with different shape indexes. The results show that super-ellipsoid particles have prominent advantages over spherical particles in terms of representing the real BF particles, and it can more reasonably reproduce the flow behaviors and packing structure of experimental particles. The computation cost of super-ellipsoid particles is also acceptable for engineering applications. Finally, the micro-scale characteristics of packing structure is analyzed and the single-ring charging process in industry-scale BF using super-ellipsoid particles is conducted.     

Theoretical investigation on submicron particle penetration through circular tubes inside a porous medium

The analytical infinite series solution of submicron particle transport in a circular tube bounded by a porous wall, such as a pinhole, is determined under the slip velocity boundary condition, and the solution is verified by using the experimental data in the previous studies for the specific cases. The results show that particle penetration rate increases with the increase of the porous parameter, the axial pressure drop, and the pinhole radius, whereas it decreases with increasing the pinhole length. The penetration rate of nano-particles are more sensitive to the variation of these parameters. However, the differences between the penetrations of particles ranging from 0.3 μm to 1 μm are not evident because the diffusion becomes weak gradually in this size range. In addition, a further comparison is performed between the analytical solution and the existing studies, and approximate expressions are presented for accurate calculation of particle penetration rate through pinholes appearing in porous materials including filter devices and masks.     

Analysis of Organotin Compounds via a Thermabeam® LC–MS Interface

Selected organotin compounds, relating to antifouling paints, have been analysed using a particle beam interface system designed for use on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) instruments. The resultant mass spectra matched those obtained from conventional electron-impact (EI) techniques, and consistent data over several injections and different elution times were obtained. Data obtained from tributyltin, dibutyltin, monobutyltin, triphenyltin and diphenyltin (each as the chlorides) are presented. This interface has been shown to maintain sample and therefore spectral integrity for these compounds and is of potential use in further investigations relating to organotin environmental pollution.