Maximum Swelling Rate Research Articles

Swelling and dissolution behaviors of cellulose in phosphate-based ionic liquids-H2O binary systems: In-situ observation and molecular dynamics simulation

Swelling and dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids (ILs) as the pretreatment processes are key steps for the high-value conversion and utilization of cellulose. However, the molar ratio of H2O to ILs has a significant effect on the swelling and dissolution of cellulose, and its molecular-scale mechanism is still unclear, which limits screening out the suitable ILs and recovery of ILs from coagulation bath in the spinning process. Herein, three phosphate-based ILs were chosen to couple with water as solvents for swelling and dissolution of cellulose by combining in-situ observation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The results show that the redissolution time of swollen cellulose is greatly reduced, especially [Emim]DEP-H2O has the best swelling and dissolution performance for cellulose due to its high β value and low viscosity. Meanwhile, when the molar ratio of IL to H2O was more than 1: 1, the IL-H2O system still has the ability to dissolve cellulose. While with the molar ratio further decreased, cellulose was no longer dissolved and began to swell, and the fiber diameter obtained the maximum swelling rate with 40.1% at a molar ratio of 1: 3. Moreover, MD simulation was used to calculate the interaction between IL/water/cellulose, which further illustrated that the combination of IL with water molecular has a significant influence on the behavior of cellulose in IL-H2O systems at the molecular scale. Thus, the potential swelling and dissolution mechanism of cellulose in ILs-H2O binary systems was proposed based on experimental and simulation results. Furthermore, the characterization results of swollen cellulose indicate that the crystal structure and degree of polymerization (DP) were almost unchanged, but the specific surface area and pore size increased significantly, and the thermal stability and heat absorption were decreased, all the results prove that the swelling process increased the accessibility of cellulose and benefited to the subsequent dissolution. Consequently, preferable swelling and dissolving parameters of experiments and simulations will provide a new idea for the selection of suitable ILs and the recovery of ILs from a coagulation bath in the dry-wet spinning process.

The Influence of the Structural Architecture on the Swelling Kinetics and the Network Behavior of Sodium-Alginate-Based Hydrogels Cross-Linked with Ionizing Radiation.

The present work discusses the influence of the structural architecture of sodium alginate-co-acrylic acid-poly(ethylene) oxide hydrogels, crosslinked through electron beam (e-beam) radiation processing. The most important properties of the hydrogels were studied in detail to identify a correlation between the architecture of the hydrogels and their properties. Furthermore, the effect of sodium alginate (NaAlg) concentration, the amounts of the polymer blend, and the size of the samples on hydrogel properties were investigated. The results show that the hydrogels cross-linked (0.5% and 1% NaAlg) with 12.5 kGy exhibit improved physicochemical properties. High gel fraction levels (exceeding 83.5-93.7%) were achieved. Smaller hydrogel diameter (7 mm) contributed to a maximum swelling rate and degree of 20.440%. The hydrogel network was dependent on the hydrogels' diameter and the amount of polymer blend used. The hydrogels best suited the first-order rate constants and exhibited a non-Fickian diffusion character with diffusion exponent values greater than 0.5. This study indicates that the cross-linked hydrogel has good properties, particularly because of its high degree of swelling and extensive stability (more than 180 h) in water. These findings show that hydrogels can be effectively applied to the purification of water contaminated with metals, dyes, or even pharmaceuticals, as well as materials with a gradual release of bioactive chemicals and water retention.

Capture efficiencies of point defects by 1/2 〈111〉 edge dislocations in tungsten using atomistic simulations

We systematically study the interaction behaviors between a point defect (PD) and two types of 1/2 〈111〉 {110} and 1/2 〈111〉 {112} edge dislocations using molecular dynamics (MD), elastic dipole tensor, and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) methods in tungsten (W). We first determine the capture region of a vacancy and four types of self-interstitial atoms (SIAs) by calculating their binding energies to both edge dislocations using MD. We then find anisotropic distributions of the diffusion energy barriers of PDs in dislocation systems employing the MD and elastic dipole tensor methods. Subsequently, we utilize the KMC method to obtain the lifetime of PDs and calculate the capture efficiencies of both edge dislocations to PDs at various temperatures and dislocation densities. Results show the capture efficiency of a vacancy decreases with increasing temperature, while it first increases and then decreases with increasing temperature for SIAs. As dislocation density increases, the capture efficiency of PDs increases. Ultimately, the swelling rate is estimated based on the capture efficiency and falls within the range of experimental data. The swelling rate increases first and then decreases with increasing temperature, and the maximum swelling rate occurs around 1200 K, while it increases with increasing the dislocation density. The present results are critical for understanding the interaction behaviors between PDs and 1/2 〈111〉 edge dislocations in W, which provide an essential database for large-scale simulation methods such as rate theory and phase-field simulations.

Fabrication and characterization of a bioactive composite scaffold based on polymeric collagen/gelatin/nano β-TCP for alveolar bone regeneration

One strategy to correct alveolar bone defects is use of bioactive bone substitutes to maintain the structure of defect site and facilitate cells and vessels' ingrowth. This study aimed to fabricate and characterize the freeze-dried bone regeneration scaffolds composed of polymeric Type I collagen, nano Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), and gelatin. The stable structures of scaffolds were obtained by thermal crosslinking and EDC/NHS ((1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide)/(N-hydroxysuccinimide)) chemical crosslinking processes. Subsequently, the physicochemical and biological properties of the scaffolds were characterized and assessed. The results indicated the bioactive composite scaffolds containing 10% and 20% (w/v) nano β-TCP exhibited suitable porosity (84.45 ± 25.43 nm, and 94.51 ± 14.69 nm respectively), a rapid swelling property (reaching the maximum swelling rate at 1 h), excellent degradation resistance (residual mass percentage of scaffolds higher than 80% on day 90 in PBS and Type I collagenase solution respectively), and sustained calcium release capabilities. Moreover, they displayed outstanding biological properties, including superior cell viability, cell adhesion, and cell proliferation. Additionally, the scaffolds containing 10% and 20% (w/v) nano β-TCP could promote the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1. Therefore, the bioactive composite scaffolds containing 10% and 20% (w/v) nano β-TCP could be further studied for being used to treat alveolar bone defects in vivo.

Effect of hydroxy group activity on the hydrogel formation temperature of β-cyclodextrins and its application in profile control

In order to increase the gelling temperature of β-CD-based hydrogels and expand the application range of β-CD-based hydrogels in oil reservoirs, glycidyl ethers with different chain lengths were prepared for modification of β-CDs, and then the modified β-CD was chemically crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (EPI) to prepare hydrogels. Thus, the gelling temperature of β-CD hydrogels was successfully increased from 65 to 125 °C. FTIR, 1H NMR, XRD and DSC were used to investigate the mechanism of the changing of gelling temperature. The results showed that the long chain alkyl changed the electron cloud density on the β-CD ring, increased the difficulty of hydroxyl group leaving, thus increased the gel forming temperature. Furthermore, the swelling behavior and the core plugging performance of the gel were evaluated. The results indicated that the maximum swelling rate of modified β-CD gel was 75 %. The core displacement experiment showed that the plugging rate was greater than 95 %, the unplugging rate was greater than 90 %, and the maximum breakthrough pressure of water flooding reached 7.43 MPa. These results indicated the practical value of β-CD hydrogels in high temperature (60–125 °C) oil fields.

Fabrication of stalk fiber/geopolymers-based slow-release fertilizer with agricultural waste and loess for promoting plant growth

The reutilization of agricultural waste is an important strategy to ensure the sustainable development of modern society. In this work, corn stalk fiber (CoS), a typical discarded biomass from agricultural production, was composited with loess-based geopolymer (LoGP), along with loading urea and in-situ grafting polymer of acrylic acid, which afforded a novel slow-release fertilizer of corn stalk fiber/geopolymer (N @ CoSP/LoGP). Its composition, microstructure and morphology were characterized by SEM, FT-IR, XRD, TG and BET. Its water absorption, water retention capacity, swelling behavior, and N sustained-release performance were also measured. And the sustained-release mechanism was discussed by using a kinetic model of dissolution and release. It was found that the prepared composited fertilizer could enhance the water retention capacity of soil, and the maximum swelling rate of N @ CoSP/LoGP in water and 0.9 wt. % NaCl solution were 263.2 g/g and 62.5 g/g, respectively. Its swelling rate kept to 80 % than that of the initial value after 6 cycles, the water holding capacity of soil, containing 2 wt. % of N @ CoSP/LoGP, reached more than 25 days. Furthermore, the promoting plant growth action of N @ CoSP/LoGP was tested through pot experiments of corn. It indicated that the prepared composited fertilizer could effectively promote the germination and growth of corn crop as it released 60.6 % of nutrients within 45 days. In summary, a strategy for reutilization of agricultural waste and low-cost loess was explored, and the obtained composited fertilizer has great potential application in agricultural production.

Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticle embedded cellulose-gelatin based hybrid hydrogel and its utilization in dye degradation.

The present work describes the synthesis of a cellulose and gelatin based hydrogel by the grafting of poly(acrylic acid) using ammonium persulphate (APS)-glutaraldehyde as the initiator-crosslinker system. The structure of the hydrogel was studied through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR. The maximum swelling rate of C-G-g-poly(AA) was found to be 92 g g-1 at pH 10. The size and structure of the prepared silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were studied through TEM and zeta potential, and it was found that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical and the size range was 11-30 nm. The reduction process followed pseudo 1st order kinetics. EtBr and eosin dye degradation were more than 4 times faster, when AgNPs were used with sodium borohydride. Thus, it can be concluded that the synthesized C-G-g-poly(AA) AgNPs hybrid hydrogel is effective for the reduction and degradation of carcinogenic dyes in wastewater.

Extraction kinetic model of polysaccharide from Codonopsis pilosula and the application of polysaccharide in wound healing

The crude polysaccharide (CPNP) of Codonopsis pilosula was obtained by hot-water extraction technology. The extraction kinetic model established according to Fick’s first law of diffusion and related parameters of polysaccharide was studied. CPNP microcapsules were prepared by blending with sodium alginate, Ca2+ ions and crude CPNP. The quality control (drug loading rate, embedding rate and release rate, etc) of CPNP microcapsules were analyzed by pharmacopeas standards. The structure feature of CPNP microcapsules also were determined with various methods. The wound healing ability of CPNP microcapsules loading with different concentration of CPNP was evaluated using the rat wound model. The activity of various enzymes and the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors in the model skin tissue also were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE), Masson, immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the external application effect of CPNP microcapsules on skin wound repair. The extraction kinetics of CPNP was established with the linear correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.83–0.93, implied that the extraction process was fitted well with the Fick’s first law of diffusion. The CPNP has good compatibility with sodium alginate and Ca2+ ions by SEM and TEM observation, and the particle size of CPNP microcapsules was 21.25 ± 2.84 μm with the good degradation rate, loading rate (61.59%) and encapsulation rate (55.99%), maximum swelling rate (397.380 ± 25.321%). Compared with control group, the redness, and swelling, bleeding, infection, and exudate of the damaged skin decreased significantly after CPNP microcapsules treatment, and the CPNP microcapsules groups exhibited good wound healing function with less inflammatory cell infiltration. The pathological structure showed that in the CPNP microcapsules group, more newborn capillaries, complete skin structure, and relatively tight and orderly arrangement of collagen fibers were observed in the skin of rats. CPNP microcapsules could effectively inhibit the high expression of pro-inflammatory factors in damaged skin, and significantly increase the contents of related enzymes (GSH-Px, T-AOC, LPO) and collagen fibers. The relative expression levels of genes (VEGF and miRNA21) in the CPNP microcapsules group were higher than those in the model group and the negative group. The above results suggested that the CPNP microcapsules could controlled-release the CPNP to the wound surface, and then played a better role in antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and skin wound repair.

Smart pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Based on the Pineapple Peel-Oxidized Hydroxyethyl Cellulose and the Hericium erinaceus Residue Carboxymethyl Chitosan for Use in Drug Delivery.

Pineapple and hericium erinaceus (HE) produce a lot of residues in the process of food processing. These processed residues are good potential derivative precursors. In this investigation, a simple and non-toxic method was developed to prepare one new composite hydrogel by the Schiff base reaction between the aldehyde group of oxidized hydroxyethyl cellulose (OHEC) from processed pineapple peel residue and the amino group of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) from processed HE residue. Subsequently, a series of experiments toward these new hydrogel polymers including structure characterization and performances were applied. The resultant hydrogel polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy and confirmed with thermogravimetry. It was observed that the modification of cellulose and chitin was adequate, and the synthesis of OHEC/CMCS hydrogel polymers was successful. The gelation time experiments indicated that the shortest gel time was 33 s at a mass ratio of 4:6 (OHEC-70:CMCS). The hydrogel showed good swelling properties. The maximum swelling rate reached 11.58 g/g, and the swelling rate decreased with the increase of the oxidation degree of OHEC. The drug delivery applications of the prepared hydrogel were evaluated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model drug releasing in vitro. It was discovered that the BSA release from the hydrogel was pH sensitive under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. All of these attributes indicate that the novel prepared hydrogel polymers have the potential as good carriers for oral delivery of protein-type drugs.

Cisplatin uptake and release assessment from hydrogel synthesized in acidic and neutral medium: An experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study

Targeted drug delivery systems (TDDS) are currently considered to overcome traditional drug delivery systems’ criticisms and weaknesses. Biodegradable hydrogels are widely used for the design of appropriate TDDS. Among them, the gum-based hydrogel is known as a proper material to produce drug delivery systems. The present research aimed to design a biodegradable hydrogel with maximum swelling rate, optimum drug loading, and efficient release rate. The acquired experimental findings have been compared to the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results. Therefore, a response surface methodology (D-optimal method) was used to optimize the guar gum-based hydrogel’s physicochemical properties. The D-optimal method was employed to design an experiment (DOE) to evaluate significant variables, including initiator concentration, monomer concentration, cross-linker, pH, reaction temperature, and reaction time. Findings showed the optimum swelling rate was 4903.876%. Then, the loading and release of cisplatin, selected as the hydrogel structure model drug, were investigated using the molecular dynamics simulation technique. Cisplatin’s uptake and release from the hydrogel structure were higher in an acidic environment than in a neutral medium.

Vildagliptin plasticized hydrogel film in the control of ocular inflammation after topical application: study of hydration and erosion behaviour

Abstract Vildagliptin (VID) is a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor used in controlling blood glucose level in type 2 diabetes. Vildagliptin improves beta cells function and is also suggested to effectively control the inflammation. The possible ocular anti-inflammatory property of vildagliptin has been explored using topically applied plasticized ocular film formulation. Film formulation was prepared by solvent cast and evaporation method using triethanolamine (TEA), dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) as the plasticizer in HPMC hydrogel matrix base. Anti-inflammatory study was carried out in the carrageenan induced ocular rabbit model. Analytical methods confirmed that the drug was present almost in completely amorphized form in the film formulation. Level of hydration, swelling and erosion rate of the film played the controlling factor in the process of drug release, ocular residence and permeation. Maximum swelling rate of 363 h−1 has been shown by VHT compared to other formulation of VHD and VHP (174 and 242 h−1 respectively). Film containing DMSO exhibited highest in vitro release as well as ex vivo ocular permeation. Film formulation has shown a fast recovery of ocular inflammation in contrast to the untreated eye after inducing inflammation. Plasticized vildagliptin hydrogel film formulation could be utilized in the management and control of ocular inflammation particularly with diabetic retinopathy after proper clinical studies in higher animal and human individuals.

Adsorption of cationic dyes onto carrageenan and itaconic acid-based superabsorbent hydrogel: Synthesis, characterization and isotherm analysis

Polysaccharide-based hydrogels offer a great overlook for environmental applications and help in the elimination of various noxious pollutants from the water system. Novel carrageenan and itaconic acid-based superadsorbent hydrogel having appreciable swelling properties and adsorption capacity towards Methylene blue (MB), Crystal violet (CV), and Methyl Red (MR) was synthesized by suspension polymerization technique. The swelling study showed the dependency upon the temperature in which the swelling rate increased with increasing temperature with a maximum swelling rate of 417% at 318 K. For ascertaining the maximum adsorption capacity, various influential parameters such as contact time, adsorbent dose, dye concentration, and temperature were systematically studied. Maximum adsorption capacity as calculated from the Langmuir isotherm was 2439.02, 1111.11, and 666.68 mg/g for MB, CV, and MR, respectively. Thermodynamic studies revealed the spontaneous nature of the undertaken dye adsorption experiment. Overall, the present study reveals that the synthesized superadsorbent hydrogel can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of dyes from an aqueous solution.

Mechanism on reduction swelling of pellets prepared from Bayan Obo iron ore concentrate

ABSTRACT The composition of Bayan Obo iron ore concentrate is complex. If a large proportion is used to prepare pellets, abnormal swelling will occur during blast furnace smelting. This paper studies the swelling behavior of pellets prepared from Bayan Obo iron ore concentrate in stages during the reduction process; XRD and SEM-EDS analysis and calculates the crystal parameters of the reduction products in each stage. The results show that the total RSI of pellets prepared from Bayan Obo iron ore concentrate is as high as 35%, and the third stage of reduction has the maximum swelling rate, which is 24%. The mechanisms of the three stages reduction swelling of pellets are the crystal transformation, the effect of slag phase and the growth of iron whiskers. The results can enrich the reduction swelling theory of pellets prepared from complex intergrowth minerals.

A blend hydrogel based on polyoxometalate for long-term and repeatedly localized antibacterial application study.

Herein, a polyoxometalate (POM)-based blend hydrogel system was in situ constructed by incorporating cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB)-encapsulated POM cationic micelles to bare hydrogel matrixes followed by copolymerization of multivalent crosslinking groups. It was demonstrated that the fabricated blend hydrogel possessed tunable physicochemical properties, good swelling behavior (maximum swelling rate of 229% in buffer solution of pH 8.0), excellent local action and sustained release of POM component (release ratio achieved nearly 100% at the time of 120min). Antibacterial activity study revealed that the introduction of POM greatly improved the bioavailability of itself, namely, leading to a more effective enhancement of therapeutic effects (survival ratio of both strains less than 5%). Besides, bactericidal rates (ca. 51%) were achieved even after six runs repeated, thereby verifying the biological application potential of this material. Finally, the practical application potentials were investigated and future prospects in relevant research areas were forecasted.

Biodegradable poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-maleylgelatin) hydrogels with adjustable swelling behavior

This study describes the detailed investigation on dynamic swelling of biodegradable network system poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-maleylgelatin) P(NIPAAm-co-N-MAGEL) prepared by N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and N-maleylgelatin (MAGEL) with N,N′-methylene bis(acrylamide) (BIS) as a cross-linking agent. Effects of MAGEL content on the swelling behavior were investigated. The results showed that the swelling kinetics were dependent on the content of MAGEL and the maximum swelling rate was observed at 30% content of MAGEL. The swelling process follows second-order kinetics, and the mechanism of water transport is pseudo-Fickian type of diffusion. Swelling kinetics under different concentrations of NaCl was also studied. The swelling rate decreased with increasing the concentration of NaCl.

Preparation and characterization of aminated hyaluronic acid/oxidized hydroxyethyl cellulose hydrogel

Hydrogel wound dressing is a new type of biomaterial with great absorbent capacity, which has been extensively researched and its application in the field of biomedicine is common. In this study, we prepared a novel composite hydrogel made of hyaluronic acid (HA) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), both of them are natural polysaccharides. Then, the structure and properties of this composite hydrogel were characterized and tested. The results gained from these studies show that this composite materials have a series of excellent performance such as appropriate gelation time, good swelling ability, suitable water evaporation rate, well hemocompatibility and biological compatibility. In particular, the super absorbent capacity (the maximum swelling rate is 2888%), which is conducive to maintain a moist wound healing environment. Taking account of these properties, this hydrogel can be used clinically as a wound dressing.

CO2-responsive poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) hydrogels with fast responsive rate

Abstract CO2-responsive hydrogels have attracted increasing and extensive attention from various fields such as sensors and controlled drug delivery systems. However, the traditional CO2-responsive hydrogels suffer from unsatisfied responsive rate, which has limited their practical applications. Herein, we report on novel CO2-responsive poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA) hydrogels with fast responsive rate, which resulted from an open-celled porous structure inside the hydrogels. Oil-in-water emulsion templates prepared by microfluidic emulsification are used as porogens for synthesis of PDMAEMA hydrogels with open-celled porous structures. The open-celled porous structures provide numerous interconnected diffusion channels for the water transfer during the swelling process of PDMAEMA hydrogels. The effects of interconnectivity and size of pores on the CO2-responsive rate of hydrogels are systematically investigated. The results show that the responsive rates of open-celled porous PDMAEMA hydrogels are much faster than that of the normal ones during the dynamic swelling processes. The open-celled hydrogels with large pore size exhibit the dramatic swelling after bubbling CO2 for 20 s, and the maximum swelling rate is 30 times faster than that of normal hydrogels. The proposed new strategy for preparation of CO2-responsive hydrogels with fast responsive rate may provide ever better performances for CO2-responsive hydrogels in their myriad applications.

Selective replacement of mitochondrial DNA increases the cardioprotective effect of chronic continuous hypoxia in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Mitochondria play an essential role in improved cardiac ischaemic tolerance conferred by adaptation to chronic hypoxia. In the present study, we analysed the effects of continuous normobaric hypoxia (CNH) on mitochondrial functions, including the sensitivity of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) to opening, and infarct size (IS) in hearts of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the conplastic SHR-mtBN strain, characterized by the selective replacement of the mitochondrial genome of SHR with that of the more ischaemia-resistant brown Norway (BN) strain. Rats were adapted to CNH (10% O2, 3weeks) or kept at room air as normoxic controls. In the left ventricular mitochondria, respiration and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity were measured using an Oxygraph-2k and the sensitivity of MPTP opening was assessed spectrophotometrically as Ca2+-induced swelling. Myocardial infarction was analysed in anaesthetized open-chest rats subjected to 20min of coronary artery occlusion and 3h of reperfusion. The IS reached 68±3.0% and 65±5% of the area at risk in normoxic SHR and SHR-mtBN strains, respectively. CNH significantly decreased myocardial infarction to 46±3% in SHR. In hypoxic SHR-mtBN strain, IS reached 33±2% and was significantly smaller compared with hypoxic SHR. Mitochondria isolated from hypoxic hearts of both strains had increased detergent-stimulated COX activity and were less sensitive to MPTP opening. The maximum swelling rate was significantly lower in hypoxic SHR-mtBN strain compared with hypoxic SHR, and positively correlated with myocardial infarction in all experimental groups. In conclusion, the mitochondrial genome of SHR modulates the IS-limiting effect of adaptation to CNH by affecting mitochondrial energetics and MPTP sensitivity to opening.

The influence of ion beam rastering on the swelling of self-ion irradiated pure iron at 450 °C

Ion beam scanning or “rastering” is a technique that is frequently used to uniformly cover a larger specimen area during ion irradiation. In this study, we addressed the effects of rastered and defocused beams, using 3.5 MeV iron ions to irradiate pure iron at 450 °C to peak doses of 50 and 150 dpa. We focused on a frequency range relevant to pulsed fusion devices and show its importance to ion irradiation experiments used for simulating neutron damage. The beam was scanned at 15.6, 1.94, and 0.244 Hz and the resulting microstructure was compared with that produced by a non-rastered, defocused beam. At 150 dpa, the defocused beam case resulted in the highest observed void swelling of ∼12% at a depth of ∼700 nm, a depth short of the peak dose position at 1000 nm. The swelling at the peak dose position was significantly reduced by the defect imbalance phenomenon. A maximum swelling rate of ∼0.12%/dpa was measured in this specimen at a depth of 600 nm below the ion-incident surface. Rastering led to much lower swelling levels achieved at significantly lower swelling rates, with the greatest rate of decrease occurring below ∼1 Hz. Furthermore, the impact of the defect imbalance arising from interstitial injection and spatial distribution difference of initial interstitial and vacancy defects was strongly pronounced in the non-rastered case with a lesser effect observed with decreasing raster frequency.

Characterization of calcium, phosphate and peroxide interactions in activation of mitochondrial swelling using derivative of the swelling curves

We describe a new method for the analysis of mitochondrial swelling curves. Using classical swelling curves, only the maximum extent of the swelling can be calculated in a numerical form. However, taking the derivative of the classical swelling curves enables the evaluation of two additional parameters of the swelling process in a numerical form, namely, the maximum swelling rate after the addition of the swelling inducer (as dA₅₂₀/10 s) and the time (in sec) at which the maximum swelling rate after the addition of the swelling inducer is obtained. The use of these three parameters enables the better characterization of the swelling process as demonstrated by the evaluation of calcium and phosphate interactions in the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and by the characterization of the peroxide potentiating action.