Study on microwave dielectric properties of epoxy resin mixtures used for rapid product development

This paper presents a preliminary study on the dielectric properties and curing of three different types of epoxy resins mixed at various stichiometric mixture of hardener, flydust and aluminium powder under microwave energy. In this work, the curing process of thin layers of epoxy resins using microwave radiation was investigated as an alternative technique that can be implemented to develop a new rapid product development technique. In this study it was observed that the curing time and temperature were a function of the percentage of hardener and fillers presence in the epoxy resins. Initially dielectric properties of epoxy resins with hardener were measured which was directly correlated to the curing process in order to understand the properties of cured specimen. Tensile tests were conducted on the three different types of epoxy resins with hardener and fillers. Modifying dielectric properties of the mixtures a significant decrease in curing time was observed. In order to study the microstructural changes of cured specimen the morphology of the fracture surface was carried out by using scanning electron microscopy.

Polyurethane (PU) scaffolds prepared by solvent casting/particulate leaching (SCPL) combined with centrifugation

This article reports an enhanced solvent casting/particulate (salt) leaching (SCPL) method developed for preparing three-dimensional porous polyurethane (PU) scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering. The solvent for the preparation of the PU scaffolds was a mixture of dimethylformamide (DFM) and tetrahydrofuran (THF). The enhanced method involved the combination of a conventional SCPL method and a step of centrifugation, with the centrifugation being employed to improve the pore uniformity and the pore interconnectivity of scaffolds. Highly porous three-dimensional scaffolds with a well interconnected porous structure could be achieved at the polymer solution concentration of up to 20% by air or vacuum drying to remove the solvent. When the salt particle sizes of 212-295, 295-425, or 425-531 µm and a 15% w/v polymer solution concentration were used, the porosity of the scaffolds was between 83-92% and the compression moduli of the scaffolds were between 13 kPa and 28 kPa. Type I collagen acidic solution was introduced into the pores of a PU scaffold to coat the collagen onto the pore walls throughout the whole PU scaffold. The human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) cultured in the collagen-coated PU scaffold for 2 weeks were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was shown that the enhanced SCPL method and the collagen coating resulted in a spatially uniform distribution of cells throughout the collagen-coated PU scaffold.

Processing of polycaprolactone and polycaprolactone-based copolymers into 3D scaffolds and their cellular responses

Synthetic polymers have attracted much attention in tissue engineering due to their ability to modulate biomechanical properties. This study investigated the feasibility of processing poly(varepsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) homopolymer, PCL-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) diblock, and PCL-PEG-PCL triblock copolymers into three-dimensional porous scaffolds. Properties of the various polymers were investigated by dynamic thermal analysis. The scaffolds were manufactured using the desktop robot-based rapid prototyping technique. Gross morphology and internal three-dimensional structure of scaffolds were identified by scanning electron microscopy and micro-computed tomography, which showed excellent fusion at the filament junctions, high uniformity, and complete interconnectivity of pore networks. The influences of process parameters on scaffolds' morphological and mechanical characteristics were studied. Data confirmed that the process parameters directly influenced the pore size, porosity, and, consequently, the mechanical properties of the scaffolds. The in vitro cell culture study was performed to investigate the influence of polymer nature and scaffold architecture on the adhesion of the cells onto the scaffolds using rabbit smooth muscle cells. Light, scanning electron, and confocal laser microscopy showed cell adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix formation on the surface as well as inside the structure of both scaffold groups. The completely interconnected and highly regular honeycomb-like pore morphology supported bridging of the pores via cell-to-cell contact as well as production of extracellular matrix at later time points. The results indicated that the incorporation of hydrophilic PEG into hydrophobic PCL enhanced the overall hydrophilicity and cell culture performance of PCL-PEG copolymer. However, the scaffold architecture did not significantly influence the cell culture performance in this study.

Cryoreservation of alginate-fibrin beads involving bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells by vitrification

Application of cell-–biomaterial systems in regenerative medicine can be facilitated by their successful low temperature preservation. Vitrification, which avoids ice crystal formation by amorphous solidification, is an emerging approach to cryopreservation. Developing vitrification strategy, effective cryopreservation of alginate–fibrin beads with porcine mesenchymal stromal cells has been achieved in this study. The cell–biomaterial constructs were pre-cultured for 20 days before cryopreservation, allowing for cell proliferation and construct stabilization. Ethylene glycol (EG) was employed as the basic cryoprotectant for two equilibration solutions. Successful cryopreservation of the constructs was achieved using vitrification solution composed of penetrating (EG MW 62 Da) and non-penetrating (sucrose MW 342 Da) cryoprotectants. Stepwise procedure of introduction to and removal of cryoprotectants was brief; direct plunging into liquid nitrogen was applied. Cell viability, evaluated by combining live/death staining and confocal laser microscopy, was similar for both control and vitrified cells in the beads. No detectable damage of microstructure of cryopreserved beads was found as shown by scanning electron microscopy. Both osteogenically induced control and vitrified cells in the constructs were equally capable of mineral production and deposition. There was no statistically significant difference in metabolic activity and proliferation between both groups during the entire culture period. Our study leads to the conclusion that the developed cryopreservation protocol allowed to maintain the integrity of the beads while preserving the ability of the pig bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells to proliferate and subsequently differentiate; demonstrating that vitrification is a promising approach for cryopreser-vation of “ready-to-use” cell–biomaterial constructs.

Synthesis, characterization of palygorskite supported zero-valent iron and its application for methylene blue adsorption

In this work, natural palygorskite impregnated with zero-valent iron (ZVI) was prepared and characterised. The combination of ZVI particles on surface of fibrous palygorskite can help to overcome the disadvantage of ultra-fine powders which may have strong tendency to agglomerate into larger particles, resulting in an adverse effect on both effective surface area and catalyst performance. There is a significant increase of methylene blue (MB) decolourized efficiency on acid treated palygorskite with ZVI grafted, within 5 mins, the concentration of MB in the solution was decreased from 94 mg/L to around 20 mg/L and the equilibration was reached at about 30 to 60 mins with only around 10 mg/L MB remained in solution. Changes in the surface and structure of prepared materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, surface analysing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with element analysis and mapping. Comparing with zero-valent iron and palygorskite, the presence of zero-valent iron reactive species on the palygorskite surface strongly increases the decolourization capacity for methylene blue, and it is significant for providing novel modified clay catalyst materials for the removal of organic contaminants from waste water.

Earliest diagenesis in scleractinian coral skeletons : implications for palaeoclimate-sensitive geochemical archives

Live-collected samples of four common reef building coral genera (Acropora, Pocillopora, Goniastrea, Porites) from subtidal and intertidal settings of Heron Reef, Great Barrier Reef, show extensive early marine diagenesis where parts of the coralla less than 3 years old contain abundant macro- and microborings and aragonite, high-Mg calcite, low-Mg calcite, and brucite cements. Many types of cement are associated directly with microendoliths and endobionts that inhabit parts of the corallum recently abandoned by coral polyps. The occurrence of cements that generally do not precipitate in normal shallow seawater (e.g., brucite, low-Mg calcite) highlights the importance of microenvironments in coral diagenesis. Cements precipitated in microenvironments may not reXect ambient seawater chemistry. Hence, geochemical sampling of these cements will contaminate trace-element and stable-isotope inventories used for palaeoclimate and dating analysis. Thus, great care must be taken in vetting samples for both bulk and microanalysis of geochemistry. Visual inspection using scanning electron microscopy may be required for vetting in many cases.

Synthesis and characterization of boehmite nanofibers

Boehmite nanofibers of high quality were synthesized through a wet-gel conversion process without the use of a surfactant. The long nanofibers of boehmite with clear-cut edges were obtained by steaming the wet-gel precipitate at 170 ºC for 2 days under a pH 5. Hydrothermal treatment of the boehmite gels enabled self-assembly through directed crystal growth. Detailed characterization using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Infrared Emission Spectroscopy (IES) and Raman Spectroscopy is presented.

Synthesis and characterisation of cobalt hydroxide, cobalt oxyhydroxide and cobalt oxide nanodiscs

Cobalt hydroxide, cobalt oxyhydroxide and cobalt oxide nanomaterials were synthesized through simple soft chemistry. The cobalt hydroxide displays hexagonal morphology with clear edges 20 nm long. This morphology and nanosize is retained through to cobalt oxide Co3O4 through a topotactical relationship. Cobalt oxyhydroxide and cobalt oxide nanomaterials were synthesized through oxidation and low temperature calcination from the as-prepared cobalt hydroxide. Characterisation of these cobalt-based nanomaterials were fully developed, including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy combined with selected area electron diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Bonding of the divalent cobalt hydroxide from the oxyhydroxide and oxides by studying their high resolution XPS spectra for Co 2p3/2 and O 1s. Raman spectroscopy of the as-prepared Co(OH)2, CoO(OH) and Co3O4 nanomaterials characterised each material. The thermal stability of the materials Co(OH)2 and CoO(OH) were established. This research has developed methodology for the synthesis of cobalt oxide and cobalt oxyhydroxide nanodiscs at low temperatures.

Taxonomy and diagnostics of fruit fly infesting Opiine Braconids in Australia and the South Pacific

Opiine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae) are parasitoids of dacine fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae), the primary horticultural pests of Australia and the South Pacific. Effective use of opiines for biological control of fruit flies is limited by poor taxonomy and identification difficulties. To overcome these problems, this thesis had two aims: (i) to carry out traditional taxonomic research on the fruit fly infesting opine braconids of Australia and the South Pacific; and (ii) to transfer the results of the taxonomic research into user friendly diagnostic tools. Curated wasp material was borrowed from all major Australian museum collections holding specimens. This was supplemented by a large body of material gathered as part of a major fruit fly project in Papua New Guinea: nearly 4000 specimens were examined and identified. Each wasp species was illustrated using traditional scientific drawings, full colour photomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. An electronic identification key was developed using Lucid software and diagnostic images were loaded on the web-based Pest and Diseases Image Library (PaDIL). A taxonomic synopsis and distribution and host records for each of the 15 species of dacine-parasitising opiine braconids found in the South Pacific is presented. Biosteres illusorius Fischer (1971) was formally transferred to the genus Fopius and a new species, Fopius ferrari Carmichael and Wharton (2005), was described. Other species dealt with were Diachasmimorpha hageni (Fullaway, 1952), D. kraussii (Fullaway, 1951), D. longicaudata (Ashmead, 1905), D. tryoni (Cameron, 1911), Fopius arisanus (Sonan, 1932), F. deeralensis (Fullaway, 1950), F. schlingeri Wharton (1999), Opius froggatti Fullaway (195), Psyttalia fijiensis (Fullaway, 1936), P. muesebecki (Fischer, 1963), P. novaguineensis (Szépliget, 1900i) and Utetes perkinsi (Fullaway, 1950). This taxonomic component of the thesis has been formally published in the scientific literature. An interactive diagnostics package (“OpiineID”) was developed, the centre of which is a Lucid based multi-access key. Because the diagnostics package is computer based, without the space limitations of the journal publication, there is no pictorial limit in OpiineID and so it is comprehensively illustrated with SEM photographs, full colour photographs, line drawings and fully rendered illustrations. The identification key is only one small component of OpiineID and the key is supported by fact sheets with morphological descriptions, host associations, geographical information and images. Each species contained within the OpiineID package has also been uploaded onto the PaDIL website (www.padil.gov.au). Because the identification of fruit fly parasitoids is largely of concern to fruit fly workers, rather than braconid specialists, this thesis deals directly with an area of growing importance to many areas of pure and applied biology; the nexus between taxonomy and diagnostics. The Discussion chapter focuses on this area, particularly the opportunities offered by new communication and information tools as new ways delivering the outputs of taxonomic science.

Structure–property relationships of silk-modified mesoporous bioglass scaffolds

Porous mesopore-bioglass (MBG) scaffolds have been proposed as a new class of bone regeneration materials due to their apatite-formation and drug-delivery properties; however, the material’s inherent brittleness and high degradation and surface instability are major disadvantages, which compromise its mechanical strength and cytocompatibility as a biological scaffold. Silk, on the other hand, is a native biomaterial and is well characterized with respect to biocompatibility and tensile strength. In this study we set out to investigate what effects blending silk with MBG had on the physiochemical, drug-delivery and biological properties of MBG scaffolds with a view to bone tissue engineering applications. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were the methods used to analyze the inner microstructure, pore size and morphology, and composition of MBG scaffolds, before and after addition of silk. The effect of silk modification on the mechanical property of MBG scaffolds was determined by testing the compressive strength of the scaffolds and also compressive strength after degradation over time. The drug-delivery potential was evaluated by the release of dexamethasone (DEX) from the scaffolds. Finally, the cytocompatibility of silk-modified scaffolds was investigated by the attachment, morphology, proliferation, differentiation and bone-relative gene expression of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). The results showed that silk modification improved the uniformity and continuity of pore network of MBG scaffolds, and maintained high porosity (94%) and large-pore size (200–400 mm). There was a significant improvement in mechanical strength, mechanical stability, and control of burst release of DEX in silkmodified MBG scaffolds. Silk modification also appeared to provide a better environment for BMSC attachment, spreading, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation on MBG scaffolds.

The encapsulation of gold nanoparticles using RAFT, ATRP and miniemulsion polymerisation techniques

The investigation into the encapsulation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was undertaken. This was performed by three polymerisation techniques including: grafting PMMA synthesised by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation to AuNPs, grafting PMMA synthesised by atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) from the surface of functionalised AuNPs and by encapsulation of AuNPs within PMMA latexes produced through photo-initiated oil-in-water (o/w) miniemulsion polymerisation. The grafting of RAFT PMMA to AuNPs was performed by the addition of the RAFT functionalised PMMA to citrate stabilised AuNPs. This was conducted with a range of PMMA of varying molecular weight distribution (MWD) as either the dithioester or thiol end-group functionalities. The RAFT PMMA polymers were characterised by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopies. The attachment of PMMA to AuNPs showed a tendency for AuNPs to associate with the PMMA structures formed, though significant aggregation occurred. Interestingly, thiol functionalised end-group PMMA showed very little aggregation of AuNPs. The spherical polymer-AuNP structures did not vary in size with variations in PMMA MWD. The PMMA-AuNP structures were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transition electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and UV-vis spectroscopy. The surface confined ATRP grafting of PMMA from initiator functionalised AuNPs was polymerised in both homogeneous and heterogeneous media. 11,11’- dithiobis[1-(2-bromo-2-methylpropionyloxy)undecane] (DSBr) was used as the surface-confined initiator and was synthesised in a three step procedure from mercaptoundecanol (MUD). All compounds were characterised by 1H NMR, FTIR-ATR and Raman spectroscopies. The grafting in homogeneous media resulted in amorphous PMMA with significant AuNP aggregation. Individually grafted AuNPs were difficult to separate and characterise, though SEM, TEM, EDAX and UV-vis spectroscopy was used. The heterogeneous polymerisation did not produce grafted AuNPs as characterised by SEM and EDAX. The encapsulation of AuNPs within PMMA latexes through the process of photoinitiated miniemulsion polymerisation was successfully achieved. Initially, photoinitiated miniemulsion polymerisation was conducted as a viable low temperature method of miniemulsion initiation. This proved successful producing a stable PMMA with good conversion efficiency and narrow particle size distribution (PSD). This is the first report of such a system. The photo-initiated technique was further optimised and AuNPs were included into the miniemulsion. AuNP encapsulation was very effective, producing reproducible AuNP encapsulated PMMA latexes. Again, this is the first reported case of this. The latexes were characterised by TEM, SEM, GPC, gravimetric analysis and dynamic light scattering (DLS).

Thermogravimetric analysis and hot stage Raman spectroscopy of cubic indium hydroxide

The transition of cubic indium hydroxide to cubic indium oxide has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis complimented with hot stage Raman spectroscopy. Thermal analysis shows the transition of In(OH)3 to In2O3 occurs at 219°C. The structure and morphology of In(OH)3 synthesised using a soft chemical route at low temperatures was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. A topotactical relationship exists between the micro/nano-cubes of In(OH)3 and In2O3. The Raman spectrum of In(OH)3 is characterised by an intense sharp band at 309 cm-1 attributed to ν1 In-O symmetric stretching mode, bands at 1137 and 1155 cm-1 attributed to In-OH δ deformation modes, bands at 3083, 3215, 3123 and 3262 cm-1 assigned to the OH stretching vibrations. Upon thermal treatment of In(OH)3 new Raman bands are observed at 125, 295, 488 and 615 cm-1 attributed to In2O3. Changes in the structure of In(OH)3 with thermal treatment is readily followed by hot stage Raman spectroscopy.

Porous PLGA microspheres effectively loaded with BSA protein by electrospraying combined with phase separation in liquid nitrogen

Polymer microspheres loaded with bioactive particles, biomolecules, proteins, and/or growth factors play important roles in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and cell therapy. The conventional double emulsion method and a new method of electrospraying into liquid nitrogen were used to prepare bovine serum albumin (BAS)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) porous microspheres. The particle size, the surface morphology and the internal porous structure of the microspheres were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The loading efficiency, the encapsulation efficiency, and the release profile of the BSA-loaded PLGA microspheres were measured and studied. It was shown that the microspheres from double emulsion had smaller particle sizes (3-50 m), a less porous structure, a poor loading efficiency (5.2 %), and a poor encapsulation efficiency (43.5%). However, the microspheres from the electrospraying into liquid nitrogen had larger particle sizes (400-600 m), a highly porous structure, a high loading efficiency (12.2%), and a high encapsulation efficiency (93.8%). Thus the combination of electrospraying with freezing in liquid nitrogen and subsequent freeze drying represented a suitable way to produce polymer microspheres for effective loading and sustained release of proteins.

Bioactive inorganic materials/alginate composite microspheres with controllable drug-delivery ability

Alginate microspheres are considered a promising material as a drug carrier in bone repair due to excellent biocompatibility, but their main disadvantage is low drug entrapment efficiency and non-controllable release. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of incorporating mesoporous bioglass (MBG), non-mesoporous bioglass (BG) or hydroxyapatite (HAp) into alginate microspheres on their drug-loading and release properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) were used to analyse the composition, structure and dissolution of bioactive inorganic materials and their microspheres. Dexamethasone (DEX)-loading and release ability of four microspheres were tested in phosphate buffered saline with varying pHs. Results showed that the drug-loading capacity was enhanced with the incorporation of bioactive inorganic materials into alginate microspheres. The MBG/Alginate microspheres had the highest drug loading ability. DEX release from alginate microspheres correlated to the dissolution of MBG, BG and HAp in PBS, and that the pH was an efficient factor in controlling the DEX release; a high pH resulted in greater DEX release, whereas a low pH delayed DEX release. In addition, MBG/alginate, BG/alginate and HAp/alginate microspheres had varying apatite-formation and dissolution abilities, which indicate that the composites would behave differently with respect to bioactivity. The study suggests that microspheres made of a composite of bioactive inorganic materials and alginate have a bioactivity and degradation profile which greatly improves their drug delivery capacity, thus enhancing their potential applications as bioactive filler materials for bone tissue regeneration.

Delamination of kaolinite - potassium acetate intercalates by ball-milling

Structural changes in intercalated kaolinite after wet ball-milling were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area (SSA) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The X-ray diffraction pattern at room temperature indicated that the intercalation of potassium acetate into kaolinite causes an increase of the basal spacing from 0.718 to 1.42 nm, and with the particle size reduction, the surface area increased sharply with the intercalation and delamination by ball-milling. The wet ball-milling kaolinite after intercalation did not change the structural order, and the particulates have high aspect ratio according SEM images.