High-Q metasurface signal isolator for 1.5T surface coil magnetic resonance imaging on the go.

The combination of surface coils and metamaterials remarkably enhance magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performance for significant local staging flexibility. However, due to the coupling in between, impeded signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and low-contrast resolution, further hamper the future growth in clinical MRI. In this paper, we propose a high-Q metasurface decoupling isolator fueled by topological LC loops for 1.5T surface coil MRI system, increasing the magnetic field up to fivefold at 63.8 MHz. We have employed a polarization conversion mechanism to effectively eliminate the coupling between the MRI metamaterial and the radio frequency (RF) surface transmitter-receiver coils. Furthermore, a high-Q metasurface isolator was achieved by taking advantage of bound states in the continuum (BIC) for extremely high-resolution MRI and spectroscopy. An equivalent physical model of the miniaturized metasurface design was put forward through LC circuit analysis. This study opens up a promising route for the easy-to-use and portable surface coil MRI scanners.

Nickel-vanadium layered double hydroxide for a mid-infrared 2 µm Tm:YAG ceramic ultrafast laser.

In this study, a nickel-vanadium layered double hydroxide (NiV-LDH) nanosheet was prepared as a saturable absorber (SA) by liquid phase exfoliation and a drop-coating method. The microstructure and optical transmission properties of the obtained NiV-LDH nanosheet were then systematically studied. An "X"-type fold cavity was designed to evaluate the ultrafast laser modulation performance of the NiV-LDH nanosheet with a Tm:YAG ceramic gain medium. A stable passively Q-switched mode-locked (QML) pulse centered at 2011.6 nm has successfully been realized, with a repetition frequency of 145 MHz and a pulse duration of 320 ps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the LDH has been used as an SA in a mid-infrared range ultrafast laser.

Application of Psyllium Husk as a Friendly Filtrate Reducer for High-Temperature Water-Based Drilling Fluids.

Aiming at the challenge that environmental protection and high-temperature fluid loss reduction performance of the traditional water-based drilling fluid treatment agent are difficult to balance, our studies added psyllium husk as a high-temperature-resistant and environmentally friendly filtrate reducer to a water-based drilling fluid. The composition, physical and chemical properties, and microstructure of psyllium husk are characterized. Then, the effects of psyllium husk after hot rolling at different temperatures on the rheological properties and fluid loss properties of bentonite-based slurry are evaluated. The results show that the psyllium husk added to the bentonite-based slurry can effectively improve the rheological properties and fluid loss properties of the bentonite-based slurry, and the temperature resistance can reach 160 °C. After hot rolling at 160 °C, adding 1 w/v % psyllium husk can reduce the API fluid loss and high-temperature and high-pressure fluid loss of the bentonite-based slurry by 76.04 and 56.91%, respectively, showing excellent fluid loss reduction performance at high temperatures. The branched structure and uronic acid of psyllium husk can inhibit the degradation of its own molecular structure to a certain extent, which is the fundamental reason why psyllium husk still has excellent fluid loss reduction performance at high temperatures. Psyllium husk is expected to replace some traditional synthetic polymers and be used in environmentally friendly high-temperature-resistant water-based drilling fluids.

Study of Environmentally Friendly Wild Jujube Pit Powder as a Water-Based Drilling Fluid Additive.

The development of offshore oil and gas requires environmental protection during the drilling process. However, the existing drilling fluid additives cannot form an efficient environmentally friendly drilling fluid system. At the same time, some environmentally friendly drilling fluid additives cannot be widely used due to their high cost and complicated production process. In this paper, a natural material named wild jujube pit powder (WJPP) was used to improve the performance of the drilling fluid for the first time. The viscosity, shear force, shear thinning, rheology, filtration loss, and lubrication properties of the drilling fluid are discussed. By means of microstructure analysis, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and particle size analysis, the properties of WJPP and the drilling fluid system containing WJPP (i.e., rheological property, lubrication property, and filtration loss property) were studied. The results show that the microscopic appearance of WJPP was spherical, fibrous, block, and flake, the thermal decomposition temperature was 273.9 °C, and the suspension of WJPP was slightly acidic. WJPP can increase the viscosity, reduce the filtration loss, enhance the shear thinning and thixotropy, and reduce the lubrication coefficient of the drilling fluid. With the decrease in the particle size of WJPP, the shear thinning and thixotropy of the drilling fluid are enhanced, the viscosity and shear force increased, and the filtration loss and lubrication coefficient decreased. With the increase in the dosage, the shear thinning of the drilling fluid was enhanced, the filtration loss and coefficient of friction decreased, the viscosity and shear force increased, while the thixotropy did not change significantly. The microstructure test of mud cake showed that WJPP could form a grid structure. Combined with the blocking action of particles, the structure could prevent water molecules from passing through to reduce the filtration loss. WJPP can improve the rheological property, filtration property, and friction property of the drilling fluid, which has certain application prospects.

Comparisons of simple and complex coacervations for preparation of sprayable insect sex pheromone microcapsules and release control of the encapsulated pheromone molecule.

With dodecanol (C12OH) as a model molecule of insect sex pheromone as core material, natural polymers gelatin (GE) and acacia gum (AG) as wall materials, microcapsules aiming to be a sprayable environment-friendly pesticide were prepared via GE simple coacervation and complex coacervation of GE and AG. C12OH encapsulation in complex coacervation was higher than those in simple coacervation. Its encapsulation was enhanced with increase in wall material cross-linking. C12OH release revealed that samples from simple coacervation reached their end in 7 days, whereas those from complex coacervation manifested a quick release followed by a constant release. With increase in wall material cross-linking, the release was slowed down. SEM observation confirmed that core-shell morphology existed in the capsules.

Preparation and characterization of nanosized P(NIPAM-MBA) hydrogel particles and adsorption of bovine serum albumin on their surface.

Thermosensitive polymer hydrogel particles with size varying from 480 to 620 nm were prepared through precipitation copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) in water with ammonium persulfate as the initiator. Only polymer hydrogels without any coagula were obtained when MBA concentration in the monomer mixture was kept between 2.5 and 10.0 wt%; with increased MBA concentration, the monomer conversion was enhanced, the size of the hydrogels was increased, and their shrinking was lessened when heated from 25°C to 40°C. Bovine serum albumin adsorption on the surface of the hydrogels of different MBA content was measured at different pH levels and under different temperatures. The results demonstrated that the adsorption of the protein on the hydrogels could be controlled by adjusting the pH, the temperature of adsorption, and the crosslinking in the hydrogels. The results were interpreted, and the mechanisms of the polymerization were proposed.