Electrostatic-Fluid-Structure 3D Numerical Simulation of a MEMS Electrostatic Comb Resonator.

The reliability and stability of MEMS electrostatic comb resonators have become bottlenecks in practical applications. However, there are few studies that comprehensively consider the nonlinear dynamic behavior characteristics of MEMS systems and devices in a coupled field so that the related simulation accuracy is low and cannot meet the needs of design applications. In this paper, to avoid the computational complexity and the uncertainty of the results of three-field direct coupling and take into the damping nonlinearity caused by coupled fields, a novel electrostatic-fluid-structure three-field indirect coupling method is proposed. Taking an actual microcomb resonant electric field sensor as an example, an electrostatic-fluid-structure multiphysics coupling 3D finite element simulation model is established. After considering the influence of nonlinear damping concerning the large displacement of the structure and the microscale effect, multifield coupling dynamics research is carried out using COMSOL software. The multiorder eigenmodes, resonant frequency, vibration amplitude, and the distribution of fluid load of the microresonator are calculated and analyzed. The simulated data of resonance frequency and displacement amplitude are compared with the measured data. The results show that the fluid load distribution of the microelectrostatic comb resonator along the thickness direction is high in the middle and low on both sides. The viscous damping of the sensor under atmospheric pressure is mainly composed of the incompressible flow damping of the comb teeth, which is an order of magnitude larger than those of other parts. Compared with the measured data, it can be concluded that the amplitude and resonance frequency of the microresonator considering the nonlinear damping force and residual thermal stress are close to the experimental values (amplitude error: 15.47%, resonance frequency error: 12.48%). This article provides a reference for studies on the dynamic characteristics of electrostatically driven MEMS devices.

Ratiometric fluorescence detection of sulfide ions based on lanthanide coordination polymer using guanosine diphosphate as ligand.

The efficiency of energy transfer from guanine nucleotide to terbium ion (Tb3+) is affected by the phosphate group significantly. Compared with the biomolecules 5'-GMP (guanosine monophosphate), guanosine diphosphate (GDP) exhibits better sensitize ability to Tb3+ ions luminescence. Assisted with the carboxycoumarin ligand, we synthesized a more stable optical Coumarin@GDP-Tb polymer with the characteristic emission peaks located on 440 nm and 545 nm in this work. The Coumarin@GDP-Tb polymer is not only rich in metal binding sites, but also maintains a moderate ionic binding force, which helps metal ions to bind or leave it easily. Experiment result shows that Coumarin@GDP-Tb polymer has the appropriate binding force for Fe2+ ions, which can be destroyed by sulfur ions (S2-) as the formation of FeS precipitation. Based on this, Coumarin@GDP-Tb was designed as the ratio fluorescence probe for sulfur ions detection, where the fluorescence at 545 nm can be selectively quenched by Fe2+ ions, while that at 440 nm was unaffected, in the presence of S2- ions, the quenched fluorescence can be recovered remarkably. With the increasing S2- ions from 0.1-45 µM, the ratio of fluorescence intensity at 545 nm to 440 nm (F545/F440) is linear to S2- concentration, and the detection limit of S2- was calculated to be 0.073 µM. Contrast to those fluorescence probes with single wavelength emission, Coumarin@GDP-Tb displays a comparable sensitivity, the introduced self-adjust wavelength improved the detection accuracy efficiently. The above 98.1 % recovery rates of S2- ions in the actual water sample demonstrated the practicability of Coumarin@GDP-Tb fluorescence probe.

Porous protoporphyrin IX-embedded cellulose diacetate electrospun microfibers in antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation.

Motivated by the need for self-disinfecting materials that can be used to reduce the surface transmission of harmful microbes to healthy hosts, here we prepared a photodynamic antimicrobial membrane comprised of electrospun cellulose diacetate (CA) microfibers into which the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) was in situ embedded. The resultant porous PpIX-embedded CA (PpIX/CA) microfibrous membranes were prepared with two different photosensitizer loadings: 5 and 10 wt% PpIX with respect to CA (85 and 170 nmol PpIX/mg membrane, respectively). The singlet oxygen (1O2) generated by the embedded photosensitizer was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic studies through generation of the TEMPO radical, and its photooxidation efficiency was further investigated using potassium iodide as a model substrate. Antibacterial photodynamic inactivation studies showed that the PpIX/CA membrane achieved a 99.8% reduction in Gram-positive S. aureus after illumination (Xe lamp, 65 ± 5 mW/cm2, λ ≥ 420 nm; 30 min), with a lower level of reduction (86.6%) for Gram-negative E. coli. Potentiation with potassium iodide was found to be an effective way to further enhance the antimicrobial efficacy of the PpIX/CA microfibrous membrane, achieving 99.9999% (6 log units) inactivation of both S. aureus and E. coli in the presence of 25 and 100 mM KI, respectively. These findings indicate that the electrospun CA microfibrous membrane is an ideal matrix for a photosensitizer such as PpIX to be embedded and effectively sensitized upon visible light illumination, and its antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation efficiency could be strongly enhanced with the increased KI addition, showing a promising future for its use in pathogen transmission defensive materials.

Kinetic model of continuous ethanol fermentation in closed-circulating process with pervaporation membrane bioreactor by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Unstructured kinetic models were proposed to describe the principal kinetics involved in ethanol fermentation in a continuous and closed-circulating fermentation (CCCF) process with a pervaporation membrane bioreactor. After ethanol was removed in situ from the broth by the membrane pervaporation, the secondary metabolites accumulated in the broth became the inhibitors to cell growth. The cell death rate related to the deterioration of the culture environment was described as a function of the cell concentration and fermentation time. In CCCF process, 609.8 g L(-1) and 750.1 g L(-1) of ethanol production were obtained in the first run and second run, respectively. The modified Gompertz model, correlating the ethanol production with the fermentation period, could be used to describe the ethanol production during CCCF process. The fitting results by the models showed good agreement with the experimental data. These models could be employed for the CCCF process technology development for ethanol fermentation.