The kapok petal: superhydrophobic surface induced by microscale trichomes

Abstract The Kapok petal is reported for the first time that it shows a superhydrophobic characteristic with a static water contact angle higher than 150°. Intriguingly, there exist single-scale micro-trichomes and no more nanocrystals on a kapok petal in contrast to most natural superhydrophobic surfaces with hierarchical morphologies, such as lotus leaf and rose petal. Experiment results show that kapok petal has an excellent self-cleaning ability either in air or oil. Further scanning electron microscope characterization demonstrates that the superhydrophobic state is induced by densely-distributed microscale trichomes with an average diameter of 10.2 μm and a high aspect ratio of 17.5. A mechanical model is built to illustrate that the trichomes re-entrant curvature should be a key factor to induce the superhydrophobic state of the kapok petal. To support the proposed mechanism, gold-wire trichomes with a re-entrant curvature are fabricated and the results show that a superhydrophobic state can be induced by microstructures with a re-entrant curvature surface. Taking the scalability and cost-efficiency of microstructure fabrication into account, we believe the biomimetic structures inspired by the superhydrophobic kapok petal can find numerous applications that require a superhydrophobic state.

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Fabrication of micro/nano hydrophobic surfaces by a soft molding method using polyurethane-based elastomer

Journal of Elastomers & Plastics ◽

10.1177/00952443211015341 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009524432110153

Author(s):

Eroğlu Murat ◽

Parmak Şam Ebru Devrim

Keyword(s):

Contact Angle Hysteresis ◽

Hydrophobic Surface ◽

Contact Angles ◽

Morphological Properties ◽

Water Contact ◽

Molding Method ◽

Static Water ◽

Rose Petal ◽

Highly Hydrophobic ◽

Flexible Polyurethane

In this research, a stretchable and non-sticky hydrophobic surface is developed using flexible polyurethane-based elastomer Vytaflex 20A. The hierarchical roughness of rose petals was replicated by soft molding method to achieve hydrophobicity. The morphological properties, wettability properties and mechanical properties of replicated micro/nanostructures were characterized. The replicated surface exhibited a similar micro/nanostructure to that of rose petal. Rose petal and replicated surface were highly hydrophobic and their static water contact angles (θ ≈ 124°) are nearly equal. Contact angle hysteresis of the produced surface was measured (10°) to be lower significantly than that of the fresh rose petal (50°). The proposed surface is also highly stretchable having an elongation value of approximately % 700. Such surfaces can be a great candidate for providing easy to clean ability to deformable elastomer products.

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The Dose of Somatostatin Analogues during Pre-Surgical Treatment Is a Key Factor to Achieve Surgical Remission in Acromegaly

Endocrines ◽

10.3390/endocrines2030023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 241-250

Author(s):

Marta Araujo-Castro ◽

Eider Pascual-Corrales ◽

Héctor Pian ◽

Ignacio Ruz-Caracuel ◽

Alberto Acitores Cancela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Surgical Treatment ◽

Surgical Outcomes ◽

Pituitary Adenomas ◽

Somatostatin Analogues ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Key Factor ◽

Long Acting ◽

First Time ◽

Endocrine Complications

Purpose: to determine whether pre-surgical treatment using long-acting somatostatin analogues (SSAs) may improve surgical outcomes in acromegaly. Methods: retrospective study of 48 patients with acromegaly operated by endoscopic transsphenoidal approach and for first time. Surgical remission was evaluated based on the 2010 criteria. Results: most patients, 83.3% (n = 40), harbored macroadenomas and 31.3% (n = 15) invasive pituitary adenomas. In this case, 14 patients were treated with lanreotide LAR and 6 with octreotide LAR, median monthly doses of 97.5 [range 60–120] and 20 [range 20–30] mg, respectively, for at least 3 months preoperatively. Presurgical variables were comparable between pre-treated and untreated patients (p > 0.05). Surgical remission was more frequent in those pre-treated with monthly doses ≥90 mg of lanreotide or ≥30 mg of octreotide than in untreated or pre-treated with lower doses (OR = 4.64, p = 0.025). However, no differences were found between pre-treated and untreated patients when lower doses were included or between those treated for longer than 6 months compared to those untreated or pre-treated for shorter than 6 months. Similarly, no differences were found either in terms of surgical or endocrine complications (OR = 0.65, p = 0.570), independently of the doses and the duration of SSA treatment (p > 0.05). Conclusions: the dose of SSAs is a key factor during pre-surgical treatment, since the beneficial effects in surgical remission were observed with monthly doses equal or higher than 90 mg of lanreotide and 30 mg of octreotide, but not with lower doses.

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Electrochromic Performance and Capacitor Performance of α-MoO3 Nanorods Fabricated by a One-Step Procedure

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings11070783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 783

Author(s):

Ying Duan ◽

Chen Wang ◽

Jian Hao ◽

Yang Jiao ◽

Yanchao Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Parameters ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Fast Response ◽

Cycle Stability ◽

Electrochromic Devices ◽

Step Procedure ◽

One Step ◽

Supercapacitor Performance ◽

First Time ◽

Prepared Nanorods

In this paper, we propose for the first time the synthesis of α-MoO3 nanorods in a one-step procedure at mild temperatures. By changing the growth parameters, the microstructure and controllable morphology of the resulting products can be customized. The average diameter of the as-prepared nanorods is about 200 nm. The electrochromic and capacitance properties of the synthesized products were studied. The results show that the electrochromic properties of α-MoO3 nanorods at 550 nm have 67% high transmission contrast, good cycle stability and fast response time. The MoO3 nanorods also exhibit a stable supercapacitor performance with 98.5% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. Although current density varies sequentially, the nanostructure always exhibits a stable capacitor to maintain 100%. These results indicate the as-prepared MoO3 nanorods may be good candidates for applications in electrochromic devices and supercapacitors.

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Synthesis and Characterization of Exopolysaccharide Encapsulated PCL/Gelatin Skin Substitute for Full-Thickness Wound Regeneration

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13060854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 854

Author(s):

Ahmad Hivechi ◽

Peiman Brouki Milan ◽

Khashayar Modabberi ◽

Moein Amoupour ◽

Kaveh Ebrahimzadeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Activity ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Skin Substitute ◽

Full Thickness ◽

Skin Integrity ◽

Hematoxylin And Eosin ◽

First Time ◽

Full Thickness Wound

Loss of skin integrity can lead to serious problems and even death. In this study, for the first time, the effect of exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by cold-adapted yeast R. mucilaginosa sp. GUMS16 on a full-thickness wound in rats was evaluated. The GUMS16 strain’s EPS was precipitated by adding cold ethanol and then lyophilized. Afterward, the EPS with polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin was fabricated into nanofibers with two single-needle and double-needle procedures. The rats’ full-thickness wounds were treated with nanofibers and Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson’s Trichrome staining was done for studying the wound healing in rats. Obtained results from SEM, DLS, FTIR, and TGA showed that EPS has a carbohydrate chemical structure with an average diameter of 40 nm. Cell viability assessments showed that the 2% EPS loaded sample exhibits the highest cell activity. Moreover, in vivo implantation of nanofiber webs on the full-thickness wound on rat models displayed a faster healing rate when EPS was loaded into a nanofiber. These results suggest that the produced EPS can be used for skin tissue engineering applications.

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Facile Green, Room-Temperature Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Combretum erythrophyllum Leaf Extract: Antibacterial and Cell Viability Studies against Normal and Cancerous Cells

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10080893 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 893

Author(s):

Olufunto T. Fanoro ◽

Sundararajan Parani ◽

Rodney Maluleke ◽

Thabang C. Lebepe ◽

Jose R. Varghese ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gold Nanoparticles ◽

Cell Viability ◽

Leaf Extract ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Klebsiella Oxytoca ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Antibacterial Activities ◽

Inhibition Concentration ◽

First Time

We herein report a facile, green, cost-effective, plant-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for the first time using Combretum erythrophyllum (CE) plant leaves. The synthesis was conducted at room temperature using CE leaf extract serving as a reducing and capping agent. The as-synthesized AuNPs were found to be crystalline, well dispersed, and spherical in shape with an average diameter of 13.20 nm and an excellent stability of over 60 days. The AuNPs showed broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against both pathogenic Gram-positive (Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC14990), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Mycobacterium smegmatis (MC 215)) and Gram-negative bacteria (Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 7002), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13822), Klebsiella oxytoca (ATCC 8724)), with a minimum inhibition concentration of 62.5 µg/mL. In addition, the as-synthesized AuNPs were highly stable with exceptional cell viability towards normal cells (BHK- 21) and cancerous cancer cell lines (cervical and lung cancer).

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Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Ti–6Al–4V Surfaces with Single-Scale Micotextures by using Two-Step Laser Irradiation and Silanization

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13173816 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 3816

Author(s):

Haidong He ◽

Risheng Hua ◽

Xuan Li ◽

Chunju Wang ◽

Xuezhong Ning ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laser Irradiation ◽

Laser Fluence ◽

Rolling Direction ◽

Contact Angles ◽

Second Step ◽

Water Contact ◽

Single Scale ◽

The Common ◽

The Rich ◽

Hierarchical Multiscale

Laser irradiation is a popular method to produce microtextures on metal surfaces. However, the common laser-produced microtextures were hierarchical (multiscale), which may limit their applicability. In this paper, a method of two-step laser irradiation, combining first-step strong ablation and sequentially second-step gentle ablation, was presented to produce micron-rough surface with single-scale microtextures. The effect of laser fluence on the Ti–6Al–4V surface morphology and wettability were investigated in detail. The morphology results revealed that the microtextures produced using this method gradually evolved from multiscale to single-scale meanwhile from microprotrusions to microholes with increasing the second-step laser fluence from 0.0 to 2.4 J/cm2. The wettability and EDS/XPS results indicated that attributing to the rich TiO2 content and micron roughness produced by laser irradiation, all the two-step laser-irradiated surfaces exhibited superhydrophilicity. In addition, after silanization, all these superhydrophilic surfaces immediately turned to be superhydrophobic with close water contact angles of 155–162°. However, due to the absence of nanotextures, the water-rolling angle on the superhydrophobic surfaces with single-scale microtextures distinctly larger than those with multiscale ones. Finally, using the two-step laser-irradiation method and assisted with silanization, multifunctional superhydrophobic Ti–6Al–4V surfaces were achieved, including self-cleaning, guiding of the water-rolling direction and anisotropic water-rolling angles (like the rice-leaf), etc.

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Physico Chemical Characterization of Nanofibrous Poly(Ε-Caprolactone) Electrospun Templates for Cell Adhesion

MRS Advances ◽

10.1557/adv.2017.529 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (49) ◽

pp. 2689-2694

Author(s):

Karla A. Gaspar-Ovalle ◽

Juan V. Cauich-Rodriguez ◽

Armando Encinas

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Differential Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Cell Adhesion ◽

Tensile Modulus ◽

Chemical Characterization ◽

Mechanical Analysis ◽

Scanning Calorimetry ◽

Water Contact ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

Static Water

ABSTRACTNanofibrous mats of poly ε-caprolactone (PCL) were fabricated by electrospinning. The nanofiber structures were investigated and characterized by scanning electron microscope, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, static water-contact-angle analysis and mechanical properties. The results showed that the nanofibrous PCL is an ideal biopolymer for cell adhesion, owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, structural stability and mechanical properties. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the fibrous structure of PCL does not alter its crystallinity. Studies of the mechanical properties, wettability and degradability showed that the structure of the electrospun PCL improved the tensile modulus, tensile strength, wettability and biodegradability of the nanotemplates. To evaluate the nanofibrous structure of PCL on cell adhesion, osteoblasts cells were seeded on these templates. The results showed that both adhesion and proliferation of the cells is viable on these electrospun PCL membranes. Thus electrospinning is a relatively inexpensive and scalable manufacturing technique for submicron to nanometer diameter fibers, which can be of interest in the commodity industry.

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Synthesis of cobalt nanowires in aqueous solution under an external magnetic field

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology ◽

10.3762/bjnano.7.91 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 990-994 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Xiaoyu Li ◽

Lijuan Sun ◽

Hu Wang ◽

Kenan Xie ◽

Qin Long ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Field ◽

Aqueous Solution ◽

External Magnetic Field ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Magnetic Measurements ◽

Chemical Reduction ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Firm Structure ◽

Cobalt Nanowires ◽

First Time

In contrast to the majority of related experiments, which are carried out in organic solvents at high temperatures and pressures, cobalt nanowires were synthesized by chemical reduction in aqueous solution with the assistance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as surfactant under moderate conditions for the first time, while an external magnetic field of 40 mT was applied. Uniform linear cobalt nanowires with relatively smooth surfaces and firm structure were obtained and possessed an average diameter of about 100 nm with a coating layer of PVP. By comparison, the external magnetic field and PVP were proven to have a crucial influence on the morphology and the size of the synthesized cobalt nanowires. The prepared cobalt nanowires are crystalline and mainly consist of cobalt as well as a small amount of platinum. Magnetic measurements showed that the resultant cobalt nanowires were ferromagnetic at room temperature. The saturation magnetization (M s) and the coercivity (H c) were 112.00 emu/g and 352.87 Oe, respectively.

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Giving Birth With Epidural Analgesia: The Experience of First-Time Mothers

The Journal of Perinatal Education ◽

10.1891/1058-1243.21.1.24 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 24-35 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ryoko Hidaka ◽

Lynn Clark Callister

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Epidural Analgesia ◽

Epidural Administration ◽

Birth Experience ◽

Management Options ◽

Key Factor ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

And Control ◽

First Time ◽

Experiences Of Women

The purpose of our qualitative descriptive study was to describe the birth experiences of women using epidural analgesia for pain management. We interviewed nine primiparas who experienced vaginal births. Five themes emerged: (a) coping with pain, (b) finding epidural administration uneventful, (c) feeling relief having an epidural, (d) experiencing joy, and (e) having unsettled feelings of ambivalence. Although epidural analgesia was found to be effective for pain relief and may contribute to some women’s satisfaction with the birth experience, it does not guarantee a quality birth experience. In order to support and promote childbearing women’s decision making, we recommend improved education on the variety of available pain management options, including their risks and benefits. Fostering a sense of caring, connection, and control in women is a key factor to ensure positive birth experiences, regardless of pain management method.

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Development of Superhydrophobic Polyester (Polyethylene terephthalate) Fabric for Multiple Applications

Non-Metallic Material Science ◽

10.30564/omms.v2i2.1862 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Subhas Ghosh ◽

Roopkatha Pallye

Keyword(s):

Contact Angle ◽

Water Contact Angle ◽

Polyester Fabric ◽

Ftir Analysis ◽

Water Contact ◽

Abrasion Test ◽

Static Water Contact Angle ◽

Static Water ◽

Polyester Textile ◽

Textile Fabric

This study intended to develop a healthy and environmentally friendly super-hydrophobic PET polyester textile fabric using a specific Fluoro Silane finish (SHF). A novel SHF was prepared and applied on a polyester fabric using a pad-dry-cure method. The finished fabric was evaluated for the degree of hydrophobicity, durability and stain repellence. The finished fabric exhibited static water contact angle greater than 170o and received 90 AATCC (4 ISO) rating that is recognized as super-hydrophobicity and this property was maintained even after a 50,000-cycle abrasion test. FTIR analysis identified the characteristic peaks related to Si-O-Si and C-F asymmetric stretching bands of the finish on the fabric indicating a robust attachment on the fabric. Finished fabric did not show any change in appearance or tactile characteristics of the fabric.

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