Polydimethylsiloxane Surface Modification of Microfluidic Devices for Blood Plasma Separation.

Over the last decade, researchers have developed a variety of new analytical and clinical diagnostic devices. These devices are predominantly based on microfluidic technologies, where biological samples can be processed and manipulated for the collection and detection of important biomolecules. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most commonly used material in the fabrication of these microfluidic devices. However, it has a hydrophobic nature (contact angle with water of 110°), leading to poor wetting behavior and issues related to the mixing of fluids, difficulties in obtaining uniform coatings, and reduced efficiency in processes such as plasma separation and molecule detection (protein adsorption). This work aimed to consider the fabrication aspects of PDMS microfluidic devices for biological applications, such as surface modification methods. Therefore, we studied and characterized two methods for obtaining hydrophilic PDMS surfaces: surface modification by bulk mixture and the surface immersion method. To modify the PDMS surface properties, three different surfactants were used in both methods (Pluronic® F127, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyethylene oxide (PEO)) at different percentages. Water contact angle (WCA) measurements were performed to evaluate the surface wettability. Additionally, capillary flow studies were performed with microchannel molds, which were produced using stereolithography combined with PDMS double casting and replica molding procedures. A PDMS microfluidic device for blood plasma separation was also fabricated by soft lithography with PDMS modified by PEO surfactant at 2.5% (v/v), which proved to be the best method for making the PDMS hydrophilic, as the WCA was lower than 50° for several days without compromising the PDMS's optical properties. Thus, this study indicates that PDMS surface modification shows great potential for enhancing blood plasma separation efficiency in microfluidic devices, as it facilitates fluid flow, reduces cell aggregations and the trapping of air bubbles, and achieves higher levels of sample purity.

Thermoelectric Properties of N-Type Poly (Ether Ether Ketone)/Carbon Nanofiber Melt-Processed Composites.

The thermoelectric properties, at temperatures from 30 °C to 100 °C, of melt-processed poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) composites prepared with 10 wt.% of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are discussed in this work. At 30 °C, the PEEK/CNF composites show an electrical conductivity (σ) of ~27 S m-1 and a Seebeck coefficient (S) of -3.4 µV K-1, which means that their majority charge carriers are electrons. The origin of this negative Seebeck is deduced because of the impurities present in the as-received CNFs, which may cause sharply varying and localized states at approximately 0.086 eV above the Fermi energy level (EF) of CNFs. Moreover, the lower S, in absolute value, found in PEEK/CNF composites, when compared with the S of as-received CNFs (-5.3 µV K-1), is attributed to a slight electron withdrawing from the external layers of CNFs by the PEEK matrix. At temperatures from 30 °C to 100 °C, the σ (T) of PEEK/CNF composites, in contrast to the σ (T) of as-received CNFs, shows a negative temperature effect, understood through the 3D variable-range hopping (VRH) model, as a thermally activated hopping mechanism across a random network of potential wells. Moreover, their nonlinear S (T) follows the same behavior reported before for polypropylene composites melt-processed with similar CNFs at the same interval of temperatures.

Texturing Methods of Abrasive Grinding Wheels: A Systematic Review.

Creating textures on abrasive wheels is a strategy that allows a significant improvement in grinding operations. The reduction of the internal stresses in the workpiece and the temperature during the grinding operation generates an increase in the dimensional accuracy of the workpiece and a longer tool life. Textured abrasive wheels can be produced in many different ways. Depending on the processing method, the dimensional accuracy of the tool and its applicability is changed. Some methods can produce tools with three-dimensional grooves; there are also methods that are employed for the re-texturing of grooves after the grooved zone wears out. In the literature, the benefits of textured grinding wheels over traditional wheels have been extensively discussed. However, information on the particularities of texturing methods is still lacking. To clarify the advantages, limitations, and main advances regarding each of the groove production methods, the authors of this article carried out a systematic review. The objective of this work is to establish the factors that are affected by groove production methods and the technological advances in this area. The benefits and drawbacks of various grooving techniques are then reviewed, and potential study areas are indicated.

Photogrammetric Process to Monitor Stress Fields Inside Structural Systems.

This research employs displacement fields photogrammetrically captured on the surface of a solid or structure to estimate real-time stress distributions it undergoes during a given loading period. The displacement fields are determined based on a series of images taken from the solid surface while it experiences deformation. Image displacements are used to estimate the deformations in the plane of the beam surface, and Poisson's Method is subsequently applied to reconstruct these surfaces, at a given time, by extracting triangular meshes from the corresponding points clouds. With the aid of the measured displacement fields, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is considered to evaluate stress values throughout the solid. Herein, the unknown boundary forces must be additionally calculated. As the photogrammetrically reconstructed deformed surfaces may be defined by several million points, the boundary displacement values of boundary-element models having a convenient number of nodes are determined based on an optimized displacement surface that best fits the real measured data. The results showed the effectiveness and potential application of the proposed methodology in several tasks to determine real-time stress distributions in structures.

Kinetics of thermal de-chlorination of PVC under pyrolytic conditions.

Although PVC-containing wastes are an important potential source of energy they are frequently disposed in landfill. In thermal treatment processes such as pyrolysis and gasification, the presence of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), a compound with 56.7% of chlorine, may cause problems concerned with environmental protection, as consequence of the formation of hydrochloric acid, chlorine gas and dioxins, as well as corrosion phenomena of the reactor/equipment materials. Thus, a possible solution may involve a previous removal of the chlorine from PVC containing waste through a pyrolysis process at low temperatures before the material being submitted to a subsequent thermal treatment, for energetic valorization. In this work, a kinetic model for the thermal decomposition of PVC has been developed, in view of its de-chlorination. DTA/TGA testing at different temperatures indicated a first order reaction and an activation energy of 133,800J/mol. An almost completed de-chlorination reaction was obtained at 340°C under an inert atmosphere. The resulted material is a C(n)H(n) type polymer with potential to be used in an energy recovery process. Validation test performed at laboratory scale indicate that the temperature of 340°C enables the removal of ∼99.9% of the chlorine present in PVC. The chloride can be fixed in the form of an aqueous solution of HCl or calcium chloride, driving to an alternative full process with environmental benefits and reduction of the costs associated to the PCV - containing materials/wastes management.