High-intensity Electric Fields Research Articles

The influence of cell dimensions on the vulnerability of ventricular myocytes to lethal injury by high-intensity electrical fields

Application of high intensity electric fields (HIEF) to the myocardium is commonly used for cardiac defibrillation/cardioversion. Although effective at reversing life-threatening arrhythmias, HIEF may cause myocyte damage due to membrane electropermeabilization. In this study, the influence of cell length and width on HIEF-induced lethal injury was analyzed in isolated rat cardiomyocytes in parallel alignment with the field. The field-induced maximum variation of membrane potential (ΔVmax) was estimated with the Klee-Plonsey model. The studied myocyte population was arranged in two group pairs for comparison: the longest vs. the shortest cells, and the widest vs. narrowest cells. Threshold field intensity was significantly lower in the longest vs. shortest myocytes, whereas cell width influence was not significant. The threshold ΔVmax was comparable in all groups. Likewise, a significant leftward shift of the lethality curve (i.e., relationship of the probability of lethality vs. field intensity) of the longest cells was observed, evidencing greater sensitivity to HIEF-induced damage. However, the lethality curve as a function of ΔVmax was similar in all groups, confirming a prediction of the Klee-Plonsey model. The similar results for excitation and injury at threshold and HIEF stimulation, respectively, indicate that: a) the effect of cell length on the sensitivity to the field would be attributable to differences in field-induced membrane polarization that lead to excitation or lethal electroporation; b) the Klee-Plonsey model seems to be reliable for analysis of cell interaction with HIEF; c) it is possible that increased cell length in hypertrophied hearts enhances myocyte fragility upon defibrillation/cardioversion.

J214 GaSb熱光起電力発電におけるエバネッセント波領域の特定に関する研究(OS-4: ふく射輸送制御とエネルギー変換(1))

Near-field radiation that has a high intensity of electric field was applied to enhance conversion from thermal energy to electricity. A thermophotovoltaic cell made of GaSb semiconductors was used to confirm that the near-field radiation effect (the evanescent wave effect) can be applied to enhance generation of electricity. In this study, a new setup and TPV cell was developed using SiO_2 spacer on the cell to clarify evanescent field distribution. An increase in output power generation of electricity by the evanescent wave effect was thought using the new setup because the resonance region was calculated between tungsten and GaSb.

Needleless Electrospinning of Uniform Nanofibers Using Spiral Coil Spinnerets

Polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers were prepared by a needleless electrospinning technique using a rotating spiral wire coil as spinneret. The influences of coil dimension (e.g., coil length, coil diameter, spiral distance, and wire diameter) and operating parameters (e.g., applied voltage and spinning distance) on electrospinning process, nanofiber diameter, and fiber productivity were examined. It was found that the coil dimension had a considerable influence on the nanofiber production rate, but minor effect on the fiber diameter. The fiber production rate increased with the increased coil length or coil diameter, or the reduced spiral distance or wire diameter. Higher applied voltage or shorter collecting distance also improved the fiber production rate but had little influence on the fiber diameter. Compared with the conventional needle electrospinning, the coil electrospinning produced finer fibers with a narrower diameter distribution. A finite element method was used to analyze the electric field on the coil surface and in electrospinning zone. It was revealed that the high electric field intensity was concentrated on the coil surface, and the intensity was highly dependent on the coil dimension, which can be used to explain the electrospinning performances of coils. In addition, PAN nanofibers were prepared using the same needleless electrospinning technique to verify the improvement in productivity.

Effect of d-metal hydroxides on water dissociation in bipolar membranes

Methods of electrochemical impedance, voltammetry, and ion transport numbers are used to study bipolar membranes that contain hydroxides of transition metals on the bipolar boundary. It is shown that the introduction of hydroxides significantly increases the rate of water dissociation in bipolar membranes, and the catalytic activity of transition metal compounds depends on the nature of the metal. It was found that the pseudounimolecular rate constants of the rate-limiting steps of dissociation calculated from the thermodynamic and kinetic data are two orders of magnitude higher than the effective constants derived from experiment. This suggests that only a small fraction of the surface of metal hydroxide particles is in the space-charge region (bipolar region), in which the dissociation of water molecules occurs in high-intensity electric fields.

Modeling and optimization of a propeller-type tribocharger for granular materials

Abstract Electrostatic separation has already proved to be an effective means for the recycling of granular plastics from industrial wastes. The aim of the present work was to optimize the operation of a novel device that could ensure effective triboelectric charging of such materials prior to their selective sorting in a high-intensity electric field. The experiments were performed on two sorts of mm-size granular materials Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and High Impact Polystyrene, originating from the processing of waste electric and electronic equipment. The samples were introduced in a Polyvinyl Chloride cylinder, where a co-axial propeller entrained the plastic granules into a helical motion that favored their triboelectric charging by combining the mechanical and aerodynamical effects. The experimental design methodology was employed for the modeling and optimization of the tribocharging process.

Merging Photonic Wire Lasers and Nanoantennas

One of the main goals of photonic integration is to combine different components that are capable of executing different functions. One of these functions is the generation of light: in this sense, photonic wire lasers may become a key component in future generations of integrated circuits because of their small footprints. Another is the generation of high-intensity electric fields that can be used to excite nonlinear effects, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering, or to visualize nano-objects, in small regions and can be achieved by using plasmonic nanoantennas. In this paper, the combination of photonic wire lasers and plasmonic nanoantennas is examined. We show that a very compact photonic wire nanoantenna laser, which generates a high-intensity electric field inside the nanoantenna, can be produced.

Separation of mixtures of particles in a multipart microdevice employing insulator‐based dielectrophoresis

Dielectrophoresis is the electrokinetic movement of particles due to polarization effects in the presence of non-uniform electric fields. In insulator-based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) regions of low and high electric field intensity, i.e. non-uniformity of electric field, are produced when the cross-sectional area of a microchannel is decreased by the presence of electrical insulating structures between two electrodes. This technique is increasingly being studied for the manipulation of a wide variety of particles, and novel designs are continuously developed. Despite significant advances in the area, complex mixture separation and sample fractionation continue to be the most important challenges. In this work, a microchannel design is presented for carrying out direct current (DC)-iDEP for the separation of a mixture of particles. The device comprises a main channel, two side channels and two sections of cylindrical posts with different diameters, which will generate different non-uniformities in the electric field on the main channel, designed for the discrimination and separation of particles of two different sizes. By applying an electric potential of 1000 V, a mixture of 1 and 4 μm polystyrene microspheres were dielectrophoretically separated and concentrated at the same time and then redirected to different outlets. The results obtained here demonstrate that, by carefully designing the device geometry and selecting operating conditions, effective sorting of particle mixtures can be achieved in this type of multi-section DC-iDEP devices.

Electrohydrodynamic nano-spraying of ethanolic natural plant extracts

Aerosol techniques have recently been used to process natural products for medical, pharmaceutical, and environmental health applications. In particular, electrohydrodynamic spraying, or electrospraying, which is a method of atomizing liquids by means of electrical forces, is a promising aerosol technology because it generates non-agglomerated particles due to repulsive electrical forces between particles with unipolar charges. We investigated the characteristics of natural-product nanoparticles generated via electrospraying. A plant extract containing a natural-product ( Sophora flavescens) was sprayed in steady cone-jet mode using a specially designed electrospray system with a point-to-orifice-plate configuration. The electrosprayed natural-product particles maintained their bimodal size distribution with good stability and uniformity for longer than 1 h. Compared to generation characteristics observed using a conventional nebulization process, the electrospray technique produced non-agglomerated, spherical particles and resulted in a narrow size range for both peaks. The size distribution of electrosprayed particles was controlled by varying the suspension flow rate of S. flavescens extract. Also, they had a high average charge per particle and positive polarity. The nanoparticles maintained the major chemical composition of the original S. flavescens ethanolic extract during electrospraying. Our investigation demonstrated that the electrospray process, driven by high-intensity electric fields, can be used to generate nanoscale particles from natural products.

Driving plasmonic nanoantennas with triangular lasers and slot waveguides

Plasmonic nanoantennas can generate high-intensity electric fields in a very small area. However, being passive devices, they need to be excited by external laser sources. The excitation of nanoantennas by semiconductor lasers can be inefficient and a significant amount of light may return back to the laser source after being scattered by the nanoantenna. In this paper, it is shown that the amount of light being returned to the semiconductor laser can be reduced by using dielectric slot waveguides. These waveguides can transport the incident light to the nanoantennas, but the amount of nondirectional back-scattered light is reduced after propagation through the slot waveguide.

On-chip methane sensing by near-IR absorption signatures in a photonic crystal slot waveguide

We demonstrate a 300 μm long silicon photonic crystal (PC) slot waveguide device for on-chip near-infrared absorption spectroscopy, based on the Beer-Lambert law for the detection of methane gas. The device combines slow light in a PC waveguide with high electric field intensity in a low-index 90 nm wide slot, which effectively increases the optical absorption path length. A methane concentration of 100 ppm (parts per million) in nitrogen was measured.

Optimizing Gold Nanoparticle Cluster Configurations (n ≤ 7) for Array Applications

Nanoparticle cluster arrays (NCAs) are novel electromagnetic materials whose properties depend on the size and shape of the constituent nanoparticle clusters. A rational design of NCAs with defined optical properties requires a thorough understanding of the geometry dependent optical response of the building blocks. Herein, we systematically investigate the near- and far-field responses of clusters of closely packed 60 nm gold nanoparticles (n ≤ 7) as a function of size and cluster geometry through a combination of experimental spectroscopy and generalized Mie Theory calculations. From all of the investigated cluster configurations, nanoparticle trimers with D(3h) geometry and heptamers in D(6h) geometry stand out due to their polarization insensitive responses and high electric (E-) field intensity enhancement, making them building blocks of choice in this size range. The near-field intensity maximum of the D(6h) heptamer is red-shifted with regard to the D(3h) trimer by 125 nm, which confirms the possibility of a rational tuning of the near-field response in NCAs through the choice of the constituent nanoparticle clusters. For the nanoparticle trimer we investigate the influence of the cluster geometry on the optical response in detail and map near- and far-field spectra associated with the transition of the cluster configuration from D(3h) into D(∞h).

Modeling and experimental electro-optic response of dielectric lithium niobate waveguides used as electric field sensors

In this paper, the static optical transfer function of dielectric lithium niobate (LiNbO3) electro-optic sensors is modeled and experimentally measured. This function represents the transmitted optical power at the output of an optical waveguide in a LiNbO3 crystal which acts as an electric field sensor. The sensor is electrode-less and operates as a dielectric probe. Under such a condition, the electric field is present in the dielectric media surrounding the waveguide and the measured field intensity is determined by the boundary condition between the media and the LiNbO3 crystal. The electro-optic transfer function is theoretically modeled and experimentally measured. Such a transfer function shows a sinusoidal shape, from which the half-wave electric field, the optical extinction ratio and the linear and nonlinear regions can be determined. LiNbO3 electric field sensors are inherently wide band, and a sensing scheme is tested, showing a high-linearity sensing detection of high-intensity and wide-band electric fields.

Impact of electromagnetic radiation on cascaded failure in high voltage insulators

A cause of aging and cascaded failure of high voltage insulators is investigated by assessing the radiation propagating from a faulty insulator. The transfer of electromagnetic energy from corona discharge to healthy insulators situated on the same power pole is assessed. The results show that the high intensity of electric field associated with corona discharge on faulty insulators can lead to aging and finally failure of high voltage infrastructure.

Photonic crystal slot waveguide absorption spectrometer for on-chip near-infrared spectroscopy of xylene in water

We experimentally demonstrate a 300 μm long silicon photonic crystal slot waveguide near-infrared absorption spectrometer. Based on Beer–Lambert absorption law, our on-chip absorption spectrometer combines slow light in a photonic crystal waveguide with a high electric field intensity in a low-index 75 nm wide slot, which effectively increases the optical absorption path length of the analyte. We demonstrate near-infrared absorption spectroscopy of xylene in water, with a polydimethyl siloxane sensing phase for xylene extraction from water. Xylene concentrations up to 100 ppb (parts per billion) (86 μg/l) in water were measured.

Intensity of electric field radiating from high-power pulsed electromagnetic wave generator for use in biological applications

Cancer treatment is one of several new applications which use nanosecond and subnanosecond high-voltage pulses. This study focuses on the design of a compact highpower pulsed electromagnetic wave generator using a nanosecond pulsed power generator to apply a high-intensity electric field for the treatment of cancer; the pulses cause apoptosis in cancer cells. We applied an L-C inversion circuit to the pulsed power generator to obtain a voltage waveform with a single frequency, which is applied to an antenna. A water gap switch and water capacitors were used in the L-C inversion circuit to obtain a pulsed voltage with a frequency element of 250 MHz. In this experiment, an electromagnetic wave was radiated underwater by a loop antenna. A measuring double loop antenna placed 0.15 m and 0.3 m from the radiating antenna detected electric field intensities of 112 kV/m and 49 kV/m, respectively. A focusing bowl was attached to the radiating antenna to obtain a higher electric field. The electric field intensity of the radiating antenna with the focusing bowl, 300 kV/m, was 6 times higher than that without the focusing bowl. The intensity distribution of the electric field focused by the focusing bowl was measured. A measuring small loop antenna detected peak electric field intensity of 11.3 kV/cm at a focal point. Areas with electric field intensity greater than 10.8 kV/cm were approximately 5 mm square and 3 mm wide in the x-z plane and y-axis, respectively.

Electrochemotherapy for cutaneous and subcutaneous tumor lesions: a novel therapeutic approach

Electroporation uses pulsed, high-intensity electric fields to temporarily increase cell membrane permeability by creation of pores, through which small molecules, such as chemotherapeutic agents, can diffuse inside cells before they reseal. The combination of electroporation with the administration of otherwise low-permeant cytotoxic drugs is known as electrochemotherapy (ECT). The two most commonly used drugs are bleomycin and cisplatin. ECT has already been proven to be effective in diverse tumor histotypes, including melanoma and basal and squamous cell carcinoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and breast cancer, also in those cases nonresponding to classical chemotherapies or other loco-regional treatment modalities, with a good safety profile. ECT can be proposed as loco-regional therapy for disseminated cutaneous and subcutaneous tumor lesions as alternative treatment modality to conventional therapies or as palliative care, in order to improve patients' quality of life.

Survival of Chondrocytes in Rabbit Septal Cartilage After Electromechanical Reshaping

Electromechanical reshaping (EMR) has been recently described as an alternative method for reshaping facial cartilage without the need for incisions or sutures. This study focuses on determining the short- and long-term viability of chondrocytes following EMR in cartilage grafts maintained in tissue culture. Flat rabbit nasal septal cartilage specimens were bent into semi-cylindrical shapes by an aluminum jig while a constant electric voltage was applied across the concave and convex surfaces. After EMR, specimens were maintained in culture media for 64 days. Over this time period, specimens were serially biopsied and then stained with a fluorescent live–dead assay system and imaged using laser scanning confocal microscopy. In addition, the fraction of viable chondrocytes was measured, correlated with voltage, voltage application time, electric field configuration, and examined serially. The fraction of viable chondrocytes decreased with voltage and application time. High local electric field intensity and proximity to the positive electrode also focally reduced chondrocyte viability. The density of viable chondrocytes decreased over time and reached a steady state after 2–4 weeks. Viable cells were concentrated within the central region of the specimen. Approximately 20% of original chondrocytes remained viable after reshaping with optimal voltage and application time parameters and compared favorably with conventional surgical shape change techniques such as morselization.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of droplet formation in microchannels under an electric field

The intermolecular potential model of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is used to simulate the effect of an imposed electric field on droplet formation process from mixing of immiscible fluid streams in a 2D microchannel with non-wetting walls. The electrodes are placed near the inlet of the main channel where droplet breakup occurs. Simulation results show that droplet size decreases and formation frequency increases as the intensity of the electric field is increased. This is because the gap between the emerging droplet and main channel wall is decreased under the action of the electric field during the droplet formation process, which induces the emerging droplet to block the continuous phase more effectively. The obstruction increases the pressure difference across the droplet interface, leading to stronger squeezing effects on the neck of the droplet. For a fixed velocity ratio of the continuous phase to the disperse phase, there exists a critical value of electric field intensity for which the droplet begins to touch the surfaces of the electrodes. At this critical value of electric field intensity, the droplet size suddenly decreases and droplet formation frequency suddenly increases drastically. At high electric field intensity when the electric force dominates the flow field, deformation of droplet is relatively independent of the velocity of the continuous phase. Simulation results show that an electric field can be used to control droplet size and droplet formation frequency effectively.

Plasmonic Nanoparticle Arrays with Nanometer Separation for High-Performance SERS Substrates

We demonstrate a method for fabricating arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles with separations on the order of 1 nm using an angle evaporation technique. Samples fabricated on thin SiN membranes are imaged with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to resolve the small separations achieved between nanoparticles. When irradiated with laser light, these nearly touching metal nanoparticles produce extremely high electric field intensities, which result in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) signals. We quantify these enhancements by depositing a p-aminothiophenol dye molecule on the nanoparticle arrays and spatially mapping their Raman intensities using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy. Our results show significant enhancement when the incident laser is polarized parallel to the axis of the nanoparticle pairs, whereas no enhancement is observed for the perpendicular polarization. These results demonstrate proof-of-principle of this fabrication technique. Finite difference time domain simulations based on HRTEM images predict an electric field intensity enhancement of 82400 at the center of the nanoparticle pair and an electromagnetic SERS enhancement factor of 10(9)-10(10).

Online bioimpedance feedback for in vivo electroporated tissues

Electroporation in vivo is a biotechnology method that uses short-duration high intensity electric fields to enhance plasma membrane permeability in living cells in order to facilitate the uptake of drugs, DNA, genes and proteins into the cytoplasm. The degree of permeability is related to the tissue's bioimpedance; hence, accurate impedance evaluation throughout electroporation treatment is essential to 1) avoid over-treating tissues resulting in excessive cell death and 2) under-treating tissues resulting in poor permeability. Cell viability and membrane permeability is based on a number of factors, including: time elapsed after electroporation, electroporation pulse amplitude, tissue type, and so on; thus, efficient feedback protocols must minimize delays between treatment and impedance readings. Current methods of bioimpedance feedback are often cumbersome and impedance analysis devices can be expensive, bulky, and immobile. Emerging technologies facilitate economical methods, fast protocols, and portability to realize bioimpedance measurement and feedback online (i.e. realtime). Consequently, this research uses automation software, logic-biased protocols, an inexpensive commercially available impedance analyzer microchip, and a custom-built hexagonal electrode probe to measure dynamic bioimpedance changes. This work demonstrates how this novel system measures tissue bioimpedance instantly and efficiently before and after electroporation. Additionally this system allows for the comparison of electrode geometries as well as electric field' magnitudes and distributions. Follow up work will pursue the optimization of plasma membrane permeability for several tissue/cell types.