Electroresponsive Performances of Ecoresorbable Smart Fluids Consisting of Various Plant-Derived Carrier Liquids.

This paper proposes the fabrication of a new type of electrorheological (ER) fluid with ecoresorbable features as well as excellent electroresponsive performance. The proposed ER fluid consists of biocompatible Mg-doped silica/titania hollow nanoparticles (ST HNPs) suspended in vegetable oils (canola, grapeseed, olive, and soy). The effects of biodegradable plant-derived carrier liquids on the ER performance are analyzed. The polarizability and wettability of the fabricated ER fluids are studied. The high polarizability of the nanoparticles contributes to the highly electroresponsive performance by inducing electrostatic interactions between the nanoparticles under electric fields; this enables the formation of a rigid and strong fibril structure. A suitable wettability, which represents the favorable interaction between the oil and the nanoparticles, allows the nanoparticles to disperse evenly in the oil and prevents their aggregation, thereby making the formation of a rigid and strong fibrillar structure under the electric field easier.

Synthesis and Electroresponse Activity of Porous Polypyrrole/Silica-Titania Core/Shell Nanoparticles.

Inverted conducting polymer/metal oxide core/shell structured pPPy/SiO2-TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared as electrorheological (ER) materials using sequential experimental methods. The core was synthesized via the low-temperature self-assembly of PPy and SiO2 materials, and the outer TiO2 shell was easily coated onto the core part using a sol-gel method and a titanium isopropoxide precursor. Sonication-mediated etching and redeposition were employed to etch out SiO2 portions from the core part to blend with TiO2 shells. Each step in nanoparticle synthesis involved morphological and physical changes to the surface area and porosity, with subsequent changes in the intrinsic properties of the materials. Specifically, the electrical conductivity and dielectric properties were successfully altered. The final pPPy/SiO2-TiO2 nanoparticle configuration was optimized for ER applications, offering low electrical conductivity, high dielectric properties, and increased dispersion stability. pPPy/SiO2-TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited 24.7- and 2.7-fold enhancements in ER performance compared to that of PPy-SiO2 and PPy-SiO2/TiO2 precursor nanoparticles, respectively. The versatile method proposed in this study for the synthesis of inverted conducting polymer/metal oxide core/shell nanoparticles shows great potential for the development of custom-designed ER materials.

Graphene Oxide Wrapped SiO2 /TiO2 Hollow Nanoparticles Loaded with Photosensitizer for Photothermal and Photodynamic Combination Therapy.

Graphene oxide (GO) enwrapped SiO2 /TiO2 hollow nanoparticles (GO-HNP) are synthesized by the Stöber method and used as a nanocarrier for loading protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). The synthesized nanoparticle has high dispersibility and high uniformity in diameter (ca. 50 nm). Furthermore, this nanoparticle shows λ=808 nm laser induced PpIX release properties (photoinduced "on-off" drug-release system). GO-HNP-PpIX is employed for inducing both photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The synergic effect of PTT and PDT exhibits powerful anticancer properties. When cancer cells are treated with GO-HNP-PpIX and irradiated with both visible light and a NIR laser, the cell viability drops dramatically to 2.5 %, which is an anticancer effect approximately 13 times higher than that obtained in a previous study. Moreover, no significant cell damage has been observed under λ=808 nm laser irradiation. The GO-HNP-PpIX system suggests an external stimuli-responsive efficient anticancer treatment effect toward human breast cancer cells.

"People" can be better than "you": The moderating role of regulatory focus on self-referencing messages in physical activity promotion campaigns among college students.

Self-referencing effects explain why many advertisements try to relate people with the ads; when an individual relates an ad to the self, the person will be more likely to recall the ad. However, this study revealed that the regulatory focus of messages is a boundary condition for self-referencing strategy. Self-referencing did not yield a positive persuasion effect in prevention-focused messages. The underlying message process analyses further revealed people avoid elaborating prevention-focused messages when used with self-referencing, rather than viewing them in a biased manner. The findings provide guidance for health communication practitioners' use of self-referencing statements.

A Comparative Study on Optical, Electrical, and Mechanical Properties of Conducting Polymer-Based Electrodes.

Transparent, free-standing, conducting polypyrrole (PPy) film is successfully fabricated by a simple method using the spin-coating technique. The free-standing PPy film exhibits high transparency, flexibility, electrical conductivity, and stable mechanical properties because the PPy film is composed of densely packed and highly ordered PPy nanoparticles. This approach provides feasible candidate for applications requiring flexible and conducting materials.

When infographics work better: the interplay between temporal frame and message format in e-health communication.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of temporal frame and message format on users' risk perception, message elaboration, and intention to disseminate the message to others. METHODS: 268 undergraduate students at a U.S. public university participated in a 2 (temporal frame: day vs. year) x 2 (message format: text-based vs. visual-based infographics) online experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions and completed questions about perceived risk, message elaboration, intention to share information, and their demographics, and medical history. RESULTS: Findings reported that the interaction was significant for all dependent variables: perceived risk, F(1, 264) = 11.46, p < .01, ηp2 = .04, message elaboration, F(1, 264) = 8.73, p < .01, ηp2 = .03, and sharing intention, F(1, 264) = 11.74, p < .01, ηp2 = .04. CONCLUSION: Visual-based infographics were more effective when paired with a day frame, while text-based messages were more influential when used with a year frame.

Hollow TiO2 Nanoparticles Capped with Polarizability-Tunable Conducting Polymers for Improved Electrorheological Activity.

Hollow TiO2 nanoparticles (HNPs) capped with conducting polymers, such as polythiophene (PT), polypyrrole (PPy), and polyaniline (PANI), have been studied to be used as polarizability-tunable electrorheological (ER) fluids. The hollow shape of TiO2 nanoparticles, achieved by the removal of the SiO2 template, offers colloidal dispersion stability in silicone oil owing to the high number density. Conducting polymer shells, introduced on the nanoparticle surface using vapor deposition polymerization method, improve the yield stress of the corresponding ER fluids in the order of PANI < PPy < PT. PT-HNPs exhibited the highest yield stress of ca. 94.2 Pa, which is 5.0-, 1.5-, and 9.6-times higher than that of PANI-, PPy-, and bare HNPs, respectively. The improved ER response upon tuning with polymer shells is attributed to the space charge contribution arising from the movement of the charge carriers trapped by the heterogeneous interface. The ER response of studied ER fluids is consistent with the corresponding polarizability results as indicated by the permittivity and electrophoretic mobility measurements. In conclusion, the synergistic effect of hollow nanostructures and conducting polymer capping effectively enhanced the ER performance.

Ultrasensitive N-Channel Graphene Gas Sensors by Nondestructive Molecular Doping.

Sensitive and selective detection of target gases is the ultimate goal for commercialization of graphene gas sensors. Here, ultrasensitive n-channel graphene gas sensors were developed by using n-doped graphene with ethylene amines. The exposure of the n-doped graphene to oxidizing gases such as NO2 leads to a current decrease that depends strongly on the number of amine functional groups in various types of ethylene amines. Graphene doped with diethylenetriamine (DETA) exhibits the highest response, recovery, and long-term sensing stability to NO2, with an average detection limit of 0.83 parts per quadrillion (ppq, 10-15), due to the attractive electrostatic interaction between electron-rich graphene and electron-deficient NO2. Our first-principles calculation supported a preferential adsorption of NO2 on n-doped graphene. In addition, gas molecules on the n-channel graphene provide charged impurities, thereby intensifying the current decrease for an excellent response to oxidizing gases such as NO2 or SO2. On the contrary, absence of such a strong interaction between NH3 and DETA-doped graphene and combined effects of current increase by n-doping and mobility decrease by charged impurities result in a completely no response to NH3. Because the n-channel is easily induced by a top-molecular dopant, a flexible graphene sensor with outstanding NO2 detection capability was successfully fabricated on plastic without vertical stacks of gate-electrode and gate-dielectric. Our gate-free graphene gas sensors enabled by nondestructive molecular n-doping could be used for the selective detection of subppq-level NO2 in a gas mixture with reducing gases.

Renewable Activated Carbon Filters Bearing Photocatalytic Particles for Volatile Organic Compound Removal.

As interest in improving indoor air quality has increased, the development of long-lasting adsorbents that effectively and economically remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has become critical. In this study, TiO2 -bearing activated carbon is introduced as a photocatalytic adsorbent in a renewable VOC filter. The activated carbon filter bearing TiO2 particles is prepared using the sol-gel method, followed by a spraying method. VOC adsorption and photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 -bearing activated carbon are analyzed using a Tedlar bag sampling technique, using toluene and acetaldehyde as sample of VOC gas. Under ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation for 22 h, the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 regenerates the VOC filters by 99 %. In addition, under UV-A and light-emitting diode, the TiO2 -bearing activated carbon filters are regenerated by 60 % and 58 %, respectively, after 22 h. This result establishes its practical applicability as a renewable indoor VOC filter.

Dual external field-responsive polyaniline-coated magnetite/silica nanoparticles for smart fluid applications.

In this communication, an electromagnetorheological fluid containing Fe3O4/SiO2/PANI nanoparticles is reported to demonstrate its controllable rheological properties under electric and magnetic fields. The EMR performance was significantly enhanced under the dual fields in the parallel direction.

Long-term stability improvement of light-emitting diode using highly transparent graphene oxide paste.

A highly transparent paste adhesive is successfully fabricated by introducing graphene oxide (GO) to silicone paste adhesive by using a solvent-exchange method. The GO incorporated in the paste adhesive has a significant role in improving thermal conductivity, transparency and adhesive strength. The GO-embedded silicone paste is applied as a die-attach paste to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in order to enhance the optical quality of the LEDs. The presence of GO in the die-attach layer of the LEDs gives rise to the enhancement of luminous intensity, effective heat dissipation, improvement of moisture barrier property as well as high adhesive strength. Consequently, the LEDs with the GO-embedded die-attach paste exhibit enhanced long-term stability. This novel approach provides a feasible and effective strategy for improving LED performance.

Electro-response of MoS2 Nanosheets-Based Smart Fluid with Tailorable Electrical Conductivity.

The correlation between electrical conductivity and electro-responsive behavior is identified by introducing few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets to electrorheological (ER) fluid. Few-layer MoS2 nanosheets are successfully fabricated, with a high yield of above 60%, using a straightforward method, and applied to an electro-responsive smart fluid. The electrical conductivity of MoS2 is easily tunable by adjusting the annealing temperature because of its semiconducting behavior. From an in-depth study on the conductivity-dependent ER behavior of few-layer MoS2 nanosheets, it can be verified that an optimum value of the electrical conductivity exists for the electro-responsive material, corresponding to the Wagner model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the potential of a transition-metal dichalcogenide as a candidate material for an ER fluid. This study may provide promising approaches for the performance improvement of electro-responsive smart fluids.

Enhanced magnetorheological performance of highly uniform magnetic carbon nanoparticles.

Magnetic carbon nanoparticles (MC NPs) are prepared on a multi-gram scale through carbonization of iron-doped polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPy NPs). Three different-sized MC NPs (ca. 40, 60 and 90 nm) are prepared and adopted as dispersing materials for magnetorheological (MR) fluids to investigate the influence of particle size on MR properties. The MC NP-based MR fluids exhibit outstanding MR performances compared to the conventional magnetic carbon material-based fluids. In addition, the MR activities are enhanced with decreasing particle diameter and increasing applied magnetic field strength. Furthermore, anti-sedimentation properties are examined in order to achieve in-depth insight into the effect of the particle size on MR fluids.

Enhanced Electroresponse of Alkaline Earth Metal-Doped Silica/Titania Spheres by Synergetic Effect of Dispersion Stability and Dielectric Property.

A series of alkaline earth metal-doped hollow SiO2/TiO2 spheres (EM-HST) are prepared as electrorheological (ER) materials via sonication-mediated etching method with various alkaline earth metal hydroxides as the etchant. The EM-HST spheres are assessed to determine how their hollow interior and metal-doping affects the ER activity. Both the dispersion stability and the dielectric properties of these materials are greatly enhanced by the proposed one-step etching method, which results in significant enhancement of ER activity. These improvements are attributed to increased particle mobility and interfacial polarization originating from the hollow nature of the EM-HST spheres and the effects of EM metal-doping. In particular, Ca-HST-based ER fluid exhibits ER performance which is 7.1-fold and 3.1-fold higher than those of nonhollow core/shell silica/titania (CS/ST) and undoped hollow silica/titania (HST)-based ER fluids, respectively. This study develops a versatile and simple approach to enhancing ER activity through synergetic effects arising from the combination of dispersion stability and the unique dielectric properties of hollow EM-HST spheres. In addition, the multigram scale production described in this experiment can be an excellent advantage for practical and commercial ER application.

Fabrication of density-controlled graphene oxide-coated mesoporous silica spheres and their electrorheological activity.

A series of density-controlled graphene oxide-coated mesoporous silica spheres (GO/SiO2) are successfully synthesized to investigate the influence of the particle density on electrorheological (ER) activity. The particle density of mesoporous silica spheres is controlled by creating different sized pores via surfactant template and swelling agent incorporation method. Additionally, ball-milled graphene oxide is successfully coated onto the surface of various silica spheres (SiO2) through amine-modification to enhance ER efficiency. In this study, we investigate that mesoporous silica spheres-based ER fluid (GO/epSiO2) with lowest particle density exhibit most increased ER performance, which is 3-fold higher than that of similar sized neat silica spheres-based ER fluid (GO/nSiO2) without pore. In addition, the relationship between particle density, anti-sedimentation property, and ER performance is examined by applying Stokes' law and practical sedimentation observation. Furthermore, dielectric loss model is used to clarify the influence of dielectric property on ER activity. This newly designed ER study offers insight into the influence of the particle density on the performance of ER fluids.

Enhanced Electroresponsive Performance of Double-Shell SiO2/TiO2 Hollow Nanoparticles.

The double-shell SiO2/TiO2 hollow nanoparticles (DS HNPs) are successfully fabricated and adopted as dispersing materials for electrorheological (ER) fluids to investigate an influence of shell structure on ER properties. The DS HNPs-based ER fluid exhibits outstanding ER performance which is 4.1-fold higher compared to that of single shell SiO2/TiO2 hollow nanoparticles (SS HNPs)-based ER fluid. The significantly improved ER property of DS HNPs-based ER fluid is ascribed to the enhanced interfacial polarization. In addition, the ER activities of DS HNPs-based ER fluids are examined depending on the particle diameter. The yield stress of DS HNPs-based ER fluids increases up to 302.4 kPa under an electric field of 3 kV mm(-1) by reducing the particle size, which is remarkable performance enough to promise sufficient probability for practical and industrial applications. The enhanced ER performance of the smaller DS HNPs is attributed to the increased surface area of large pores (30-35 nm) within the shells, resulting in a large achievable polarizability determined by dielectric constants. Furthermore, the antisedimentation property is analyzed in order to offer an additional insight into the effect of particle size on the ER fluids.

Effect of chlorophyllin on normothermic storage of human periodontal ligament cells.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether chlorophyllin could serve as an effective constituent of a storage medium to enhance the human periodontal ligament (PDL) cell viability. Freshly isolated PDL cells from premolars extracted from healthy people were stored at 37 degrees C for 6 h in various solutions: F-medium and Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS), supplemented with chlorophyllin. From MTT viability assays, the highest cell viability was found in the PDL cells stored in HBSS supplemented with 500 nM chlorophyllin, and the chlorophyllin-treated cells showed a dose-dependent response to concentration. Additionally, the results from flow cytometry showed that 77 to 80% of the PDL cells were in the G0/G1 phases of the cell cycle, which suggested that most were in a stable stage. These result showed that HBSS, supplemented with chlorophyllin, may be a useful solution for preserving the viability of PDL cells.

Fabrication of graphene quantum dot-decorated graphene sheets via chemical surface modification.

A novel approach to link graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with graphene was explored via chemical surface modification of graphene using 1,5-diaminonapthalene (DAN).

Graphene size control via a mechanochemical method and electroresponsive properties.

Highly dispersible graphene oxide (GO) sheets of uniform submicrometer size were successfully fabricated from pristine graphite using a simple mechanochemical process. The GO flake morphology was transformed into a spherical form, and the density was decreased slightly via the ball-milling process. Ball-milled GO can be used as an electrorheological (ER) material because of its small particle size, low conductivity, and outstanding dispersibility in silicone oil. We found that the 2-h ball-milled GO-based ER fluid had the best ER performance (shear stress of 78.5 Pa and 630% ER efficiency), which was double that of the nonmilled GO-based ER fluid. The response time to form a fibrillar structure along the applied electric field direction and the recovery time to the starting level decreased with increasing ball-milling time. Additionally, the retarded settling velocity of isolated GO sheets and the electrostatic repulsion between oxygen functional groups on the GO sheets combined to improve the antisedimentation property. The ability to control the size of graphene sheets is a great opportunity to advance graphene commercialization in a high-quality, scalable production setting.

Synthesis and electrical response of polyaniline/poly(styrene sulfonate)-coated silica spheres prepared by seed-coating method.

The polyaniline/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PANI/PSS)-coated silica spheres with three different sizes (50, 100, and 250 nm) are fabricated through seed-coating method and adopted as dispersing materials for electrorheological (ER) fluids to examine the influence of particle diameter on ER activity. Interestingly, the ER properties of PANI/PSS-coated silica spheres exhibit a dependence on their size. Performances of PANI/PSS-coated silica spheres-based ER fluids enhanced with decreasing the diameter of particle. It is believed that the size effect played a dominant role in enhancing the performance of ER fluid. Furthermore, the fibrillation phenomenon of prepared PANI/PSS-coated silica spheres-based ER fluid was observed via an optical microscope in the applied electric field. Sedimentation properties were also analyzed to provide additional insight into the size effect of ER fluids.