Microscopic Surface Structure Research Articles

Magnesium Bicarbonate-Walnut Shell Dual-Template Synthesis of Multifunctional Layered Porous Carbon for Enhanced Adsorption of Aqueous Chlorinated Organic Compounds.

Chloride ions readily react with organic matter and other ions, resulting in the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) that exhibit heightened levels of toxicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity. This study creatively employed waste walnut shells as self-templates and low-cost magnesium bicarbonate as a rigid template to successfully synthesize multifunctional porous carbon derived from walnut shells. Employing a series of characterization techniques, it was ascertained that the porous carbon material (WSC/Mg) synthesized via the dual-template method exhibited a distinct layered microscopic surface structure, with a predominance of C and O elements on the surface. The material displayed a high degree of graphitization, significant specific surface area, and abundant oxygen-containing surface functional groups. The incorporation of magnesium bicarbonate as a hard template improved the structure of the walnut shell porous carbon, resulting in a significant enhancement in mass transfer efficiency for the target product on the adsorbent and a substantial improvement in removal efficiency. In comparison with walnut shell-derived carbon using only self-templating, WSC/Mg exhibited a 17.26-fold increase in adsorption capacity for 2,4-dichlorophenol. Furthermore, even after four adsorption-desorption cycles, WSC/Mg-12 maintained an adsorption efficiency above 90%. It is remarkable that WSC/Mg-12 demonstrated exceptional resistance to interference from natural organic matter and pH variations. Moreover, the adsorbed saturated WSC/Mg-12 effectively treated real coke wastewater, resulting in an 80% color removal rate, 20% COD removal rate, and 15% ammonia nitrogen removal rate. In conclusion, this study presents an innovative approach for cost-effective and versatile porous carbon materials with extensive applications in water environment purification and biomass utilization.

A tutorial on the physics of light and image shading.

This paper provides an overview of the many different ways that light interacts with surfaces in the natural environment to provide useful information for visual perception. It begins with a discussion of how the concept of light has evolved over the course of human history. It then considers a wide variety of optical phenomena including Lambert's laws of illumination, the effects of microscopic surface structure on patterns of reflection, the bidirectional reflectance distribution function, the refraction of transmitted light, chromatic dispersion, thin film interference, sub-surface scattering, the Fresnel effects, indirect illumination from multiple reflections, caustics, and the structure of the light field. The primary goal of this discussion is to provide the necessary background information to help students and young researchers more easily understand the scientific literature on the perception of 3D shape and material properties from patterns of image shading.

Effect of electron beam irradiation on raw goat milk: microbiological, physicochemical and protein structural analysis.

Goat milk is considered a nutritionally superior resource, owing to its advantageous nutritional attributes. Nevertheless, it is susceptible to spoilage and the persistence of pathogens. Electron beam irradiation stands as a promising non-thermal processing technique capable of prolonging shelf life with minimal residue and a high degree of automation. The effects of electron beam irradiation (2, 3, 5, and 7 kGy) on microorganisms, physicochemical properties, and protein structure of goat milk compared with conventional pasteurized goat milk (PGM) was evaluated. It was found that a 2 kGy electron beam irradiation reduces the total microbial count of goat milk by 6-logs, and the irradiated goat milk protein secondary structure showed a significant decrease in ɑ-helix content. Low irradiation doses led to microaggregation and crosslinking. In contrast, high doses (≥ 5 kGy) slightly disrupted the aggregates and decreased the particle size, disrupting the microscopic surface structure of goat milk, verified by scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The irradiation of goat milk with a 2 kGy electron beam may effectively inactivate harmful microorganisms in the milk and maintain/or improve the physicochemical quality and protein structure of goat milk compared to thermal pasteurization. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Efficacy of bone defect therapy involving various surface treatments of titanium alloy implants: an in vivo and in vitro study

Multiple surface treatment methods for titanium alloy prostheses, widely used in orthopedics, are available; however, these can affect bone integration and regeneration efficiency. In this study, through cell and animal experiments, we devised seven bone implant categories of Ti6Al4V based on surface preparation and post-processing technology (polishing, grit-blasting, fine titanium spraying, coarse titanium spraying, electron beam melting [EBM] printing, selective laser melting [SLM] printing, and post-processed SLM printing) and imaged each microscopic surface structure with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Mechanical testing revealed excessive post-processing damaged the mechanical properties of the implants. In vitro, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were cultured with implants, and the morphology of the cells adhering to the implant surface was observed using SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) semi-quantitatively determined cell activity, indirectly reflecting the proliferation of hBMSCs. Alizarin red and alkaline phosphatase experiments assessed osteogenic differentiation. In vivo, experiments utilized the New Zealand rabbit femoral condyle bone defect model to assess bone regeneration and integration using micro-computed tomography, Van Giesen staining, and Masson staining. We found that 3D-printed implants with regular pore structures were more conducive to hBMSC osteogenic differentiation, while the presence of metal powder on NPT-SLM-printed implants hindered such differentiation. The post-treatment SLM scaffold surface may have some residual semi-melted powder; however, these powder residues have no significant effect on cell activity and differentiation. Surface treatment (grit-blasting and titanium spraying) of planar structures can enhance hBMSC adhesion but does not necessarily promote their differentiation. The framework structure of 3D printing may affect the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs, and for SLM-printed implants, excessive pursuit of a “powderless” state will damage the mechanical properties of the implant.

Double-modified C–MgCo2O4 as a highly active catalytic material for the thermal decomposition of AP and its application for CSPs

The design and development of microscopic surface structures and surface defects of nanomaterials provide infinite possibilities for optimizing their catalytic activity. In this study, the microscopic surface structure of MgCo2O4 was modified while introducing combustible porous defective carbon (PDC) in MgCo2O4 by taking advantage of the incomplete decarbonization during solution combustion after the addition of biotemplates. The double-modified Cx-MgCo2O4 (x denotes the abbreviations of Reed, Cherry, Bougainvillea-spectabilis, Crab-apple-flower and Cotton: Re, Ch, Bs, Cf and Co) exhibited high activity in catalyzing the thermal decomposition of AP. Among them, CCo–MgCo2O4 with the highest carbon defect level (ID/IG = 4.54) significantly optimized the thermal decomposition performance of AP. The addition of CCo–MgCo2O4 ensured both the reduction of the AP thermal decomposition THTD (From 473.48 °C to 258.17 °C) and the increase of the AP heat of decomposition (ΔH, From 888.26 J/g to 3669.38 J/g). The introduction of combustible defective carbon in Cx-MgCo2O4 not only provides favorable conditions for the electron transfer process, but also generates synergistic heat during the thermal decomposition of AP and optimizes its energy release behavior. Compared with MgCo2O4, CCo–MgCo2O4 further accelerates the ignition (From 17 ms to 14 ms) of the composite solid propellants (CSPs) and ensures the energy release during combustion.

Thermal-hydraulic performance enhancement of fin-and-tube heat exchangers using carbon nanotube coatings under dry and wet conditions

Carbon nanotube coatings have been widely adopted in various heat transfer fields to improve their heat transfer performance. However, comprehensive studies on the thermal–hydraulic performance of fin-and-tube heat exchangers with carbon nanotube coatings are limited. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of fin-and-tube heat exchangers with uncoated, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and carbon nanotube coatings were measured under dry and wet conditions. The Colburn j-factor, friction factor, and thermal–hydraulic performance (jf–1/3) of fin-and-tube heat exchangers with various coatings were analyzed and compared under dry and wet conditions. The carbon nanotube-coated heat exchanger showed the best performance in terms of heat transfer and frictional pressure drop under both dry and wet conditions among the tested fin-and-tube heat exchangers. This is because the unique microscopic surface structure of the carbon nanotube coating increased the heat transfer coefficient, whereas the superlubricity of the carbon nanotube coating decreased the frictional pressure drop. The behavior of liquid droplets on the surfaces of various fin-and-tube heat exchangers was investigated in detail under dry and wet conditions. In addition, the thermal–hydraulic performance (jf–1/3) of the carbon nanotube-coated heat exchangers was 8.9% and 6.1% on average higher than that of the uncoated heat exchanger under dry and wet conditions, respectively. The results of this study can provide helpful information for developing fin-and-tube heat exchangers with carbon nanotube coatings to achieve substantial energy savings.

Nonperturbative Generation of Harmonics by Nanometer-Scale Localized Electronic States on the Surface of Bulk Materials and Nano-Films

The generation of high-order harmonics in solid crystals has received considerable attention recently. Using a driver laser with 0.8 µm wavelength and 28 fs ultrashort pulses, we present experimental results, accompanied with theoretical considerations, suggesting that the actual sources of the harmonics are nanometer-sized localized and transient electronic states on the surface of the materials when the laser intensity is in the non-perturbative regime. Adaptation of the bond model of the harmonic generation into the non-perturbative regime and including the quantum features of the process provide a localized excitation approach that correctly describes the measured polarization dependence of the harmonic signal, reflecting the microscopic surface structure and symmetries of the examined materials.

Effect of operational parameters and material properties on hardness removal efficiency by electrochemical technique

Abstract Electrochemical water treatment technology can be used for hard water softening, but its removal efficiency and energy consumption problems hinder its application. The effects of electrolysis voltage and cathode materials on efficiency, energy consumption and scale crystal form of electrochemical water treatment technology were studied experimentally. The experimental results show that electrochemical water treatment can effectively remove more than 40% of the TDS (total dissolved solids) in the influent. The electrolysis voltage has a great influence on the removal rate of hardness ions. The optimum electrolytic voltage for the titanium plate cathode is 25 V. At this electrolytic voltage, the treatment capacity of the titanium plate cathode is 16% higher than that of the copper plate cathode, and the energy consumption is 16% lower than that of the copper plate. Titanium plates are more efficient than copper plates and consume less energy. The effects of electrochemical water treatment on the scale crystal form were investigated by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). Electrochemical water treatment increases the mass fraction of aragonite in the calcium carbonate scale and changed the microscopic surface structure of calcium carbonate scale.

Experimental investigation of a new hybrid structured surface for subcooled flow boiling heat transfer enhancement

A new scheme with hybrid submillimetre/micro/nano-structured surfaces providing both high subcooled flow boiling performance and relatively low flow resistance was proposed to develop highly efficient and reliable water cooling schemes for plasma facing components (PFCs) in future nuclear fusion engineering. Both comparative microscopic surface structure pattern observations and macroscopic mockup subcooled flow boiling experiments under fusion reactor like heat flux conditions were conducted. The proposed technique can create hybrid structures favourable for subcooled flow boiling enhancement: including increasing bubble generation sites and multiscale instability etc. We demonstrated that the heat transfer coefficients of manipulated surfaces in the subcooled flow boiling state were almost doubled and that the critical heat flux (CHF) values were promoted by 80–200% under the tested flow conditions compared with under smooth surface conditions, with the flow path pressure drop deteriorating by less than 12%, indicating better capacities of high heat flux removal and low flow path resistance than those of existing PFC cooling schemes. The results encourage further optimization and development of this new scheme for practical application in nuclear fusion engineering.

Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on Molybdenum Diselide/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Human Motion Detection

In recent years, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, flexible pressure sensors are attracting more and more attentions. Because the flexible pressure sensor has good flexibility, the sensor can be attached to the surface of the human skin as well as the surface of the object with complex structure. In the text, we used molybdenum diselide (MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> )/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as the sensing element, using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stripped from sandpaper as the substrate, preparing a pressure sensor with a microscopic surface structure that is rough. This whole production process was simple, economical and could be used for large-scale production. MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> /MWNTs pressure sensors offer compelling performance, including fast response (~150 ms), good repeatability (~10000 cycles), and a large operating range (0-30 kPa). Not only could it detect large human movements in real time, such as finger bending, walking, running, and swallowing, but also could detect subtle human movements such as coughing, gargling, and breathing. All results indicated that MoSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> /MWNTs-based pressure sensors were promising candidates for medical monitoring and artificial intelligence wearable device applications, and could also be potential candidates for human-computer interaction systems.

Effects of different levels of salt and temperature on some physico-chemical and colour properties of microwave-dried beef round (M. semitendinosus)

PurposeThe aim of this work was to study the effect of the different levels of salt and the temperature on some physico-chemical and colour change properties of microwave-dried beef round (M. semitendinosus).Design/methodology/approachThe samples were pretreated with different temperatures (0°C, 40°C and 50°C) and salting (0, 1.5, 2.5%). Later these samples have been dried by the microwave energy at 540 W for seven minutes. Some physical properties (water activity, moisture content, change in diameter, change in thickness, change in shrinkage ratio) and texture, colour and microscopic surface structure analysis were conducted in dried beef round samples.FindingsAs a result, the colour and moisture were the most affected factors. Also, physical and microstructural characteristics were affected by salting and pre-drying. In addition, while the textural structure did not show a significant difference, meat weight and water activity varied.Research limitations/implicationsMeat obtained from a local butcher in Konya was used as the study material. In addition, only a special part of the meat (M. semitendinosus) was used in the study. In the drying process, the parameters were determined as 540 W and 7 min. These are the limitations of the research.Originality/valueAll changes that can occur in the physical properties of the meat after the drying process were examined. The structure of beef round samples formed by microwave drying was shown by using electron microscope. The effects of pretreatment such as salting and pre-drying have been examined on microwave drying.

Evaluation of conifer and broad-leaved barriers in intercepting particulate matters in a wind tunnel

ABSTRACT Fugitive dust is an important source of particulate matters (PM) emission in the air. Vegetation barriers (VBs) can be an effective way to mitigate PM from fugitive dust sources. It is meaningful to choose appropriate plants to establish VBs that can efficiently capture PM from various sources. This study was conducted to establish comparable and repeatable conditions to evaluate the capability of different VB species in mitigating PM emission from certain fugitive dust source. The airflow around two VBs and their PM interception mechanism was studied in a wind tunnel with simulated PM emission source of animal feeding operations. The species used for the two VBs were conifers represented by Pinus Sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. (PS) and the broad-leaved species represented by Syringa Oblate Lindl. (SOL). The results showed that the interception efficiency of the PS vegetation barrier was only slightly lower than that of SOL vegetation, while the PS had a lower effect on the wind speed at the similar leaf surface area. On the other hand, there were a large number of disordered “ridged” stripes on the microscopic structure of the hydrophilic leaves of SOL and PS, and a large amount of fine particles deposited on the leaves were observed, indicating that the microscopic geometric surface structure increased the deposition efficiency of the particles. These findings help to better understand the potential of tree species to reduce PM in environments. Implications: To evaluate the capability of different VB species in mitigating PM emission from certain fugitive dust source, airflow around the two VBs and their PM interception mechanisms were studied in wind tunnels with comparable and repeatable conditions. The results showed that the interception efficiency of the Pinus Sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. (PS) was only slightly lower than that of the Syringa Oblate Lindl. (SOL) vegetation, while the PS had a lowering effect on the wind speed at the same low leaf surface area. Microscopic analysis of leaves surface indicated that the microscopic characteristics increased the deposition efficiency of the particles.

Study on adsorption of U(VI) from MOF-derived phosphorylated porous carbons

Synthesizing highly efficient adsorbent materials to remove U(VI) from contaminated water remains a major challenge. Here, using UiO66-NH2 as a sacrificial template, porous carbons (ZrO2@PCs) were prepared by high-temperature calcination, and then a simple strategy was used for phosphorylation modification to prepare the target product ZrO2@PCs-PO4. The microscopic surface morphology and structure of ZrO2@PCs-PO4 characterized by SEM, FT-IR and XRD reveals that phosphate groups has been successful introduced on the surface of ZrO2@PCs-PO4. Batch experimentation showed that the phosphorylation process improves the adsorption behaviors, and the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for U(VI) is 496.5 ​mg/g. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics were simulated to explore its adsorption mechanism. The excellent selectivity and reusability ensure this material could apply in selective removal of U(VI) ions.

Electronic structure of epitaxial perovskite films in the two-dimensional limit: Role of the surface termination

An often-overlooked property of transition metal oxide thin films is their microscopic surface structure and its effect on the electronic properties in the ultrathin limit. Contrary to the expected conservation of the perovskite stacking order in the (001) direction, heteroepitaxially grown SrIrO3 films on TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 are found to exhibit a terminating SrO surface layer. The proposed mechanism for the self-organized conversion involves the adsorption of excess oxygen ions at the apical sites of the IrO2-terminated surface and the subsequent decomposition of the IrO6 octahedra into gaseous molecular IrO3 and the remaining SrO-terminated surface. Whereas the ab initio calculated electronic structure of SrO-terminated SrIrO3 in the monolayer limit exhibits a striking similarity to bulk Sr2IrO4, the broken octahedral symmetry at the IrO2-terminated surface would mix the otherwise crystal field split eg and t2g states, resulting in distinctly different low-energy electronic states.

Function-specific volatiles and volatilization characteristics of Dendrobium officinale

The orchid Dendrobium officinale is a medicinal herb that has increasingly been in demand in recent years. It is mainly used for medicinal purposes, and other functional products from it are rarely developed. Here, the volatile organic compound (VOC) composition and functional characteristics of the solid powders and solvent extractives of D. officinale were expounded, and the laws of thermal weight changes of group and surface microstructures were revealed. Many beneficial constituents were detected in the VOCs from powders of the root, stem, and leaf of D. officinale. The roots, stems, and leaves were rich in vitamin E and heptacosane, which can be used as nutritional supplements. The root also contains rich glycerol, can be used as a sweetener and absorbent; the stem is rich in dimethyl phthalate, which can be used to produce mosquito repellent oil; and the leaves contain abundant aldehydes, which can serve as food additives and a component of orange flavoring. However, the root also contains a trace amount of pyrrole (0.09%), which could be used as a negative indicator for the quality evaluation of D. officinale. In addition, many other beneficial VOCs have been detected in extractives of D. officinale, such as phytol, melezitose, hexadecanoic acid, associated esters, and other bioactive components. The total content trend is: ethanol extractive > phenylethanol extractive > petroleum ether extractive, suggesting that the ethanol extractive has the best development prospect. The infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that D. officinale contains aromatic compounds, organic acids, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, and alkanes. It was further confirmed that the alkanes detected in the volatile compounds of D. officinale are natural components of D. officinale, and it was shown that an extraction of organic solvents can cause subtle compound group variation. During the heat loss of D. officinale, there were three distinct stages: 30 °C–130 °C, 130 °C–400 °C, 400 °C–600 °C. The order of quality loss is: second stage > last stage > first stage. The microscopic influence of extraction treatment on D. officinale and the characteristics of microstructural changes showed that the microscopic surface structure characteristics of solid particles of D. officinale, including aggregation degree, shape uniformity, and structure size, are slightly changed.

Comprehensive mechanism of initial stage for lignin pyrolysis

In this study, the initial reaction of lignin pyrolysis was explored in depth with light gas emission combined with liquid bio-oil composition and physical-chemical structure of solid bio-char. The result reveals that lignin pyrolysis undergoes a complex initial reaction between 160 and 330 °C with significant mass loss (about 20%). Lignin molecular network begins to crack down with lignin monomer linkage breaking and light gas molecular (CO2 and CO) formation as temperature reaching 160 °C. Also, polymerization reaction involving forming larger molecular weight lignin pieces took place between 160 and 200 °C. After that (200–330 °C), lignin cracking reaction is the main reaction with lignin molecular accelerating to form heavy (dimers and trimers) and light units (monomers) in bio-oil and causing more mass loss. At the same temperature range, lignin soften reaction happens and results in lignin surface adhesion, microscopic surface structure changing and functional group evolution. As temperature over 330 °C, lignin initial pyrolysis stage finished and entered intense pyrolysis stage, with more oxygen contained functional group cracking and light lignin pieces formed.

Antibacterial Activities of Copper Nanoparticles in Hybrid Microspheres.

Active hybrid microspheres were prepared by blending aqueous solutions of gelatine and chitosan with different concentrations of copper nanoparticles (0) (CuNPs) using emulsion-based crosslinking synthesis to obtain hybrid microspheres. The incorporation of CuNPs slightly affected the physical and chemical properties of the films. Microscopic surface structure (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of elemental copper and the crystalline structure of the CuNPs in the hybrid matrix. The surface properties of CuNPs were studied by XPS analyses. The antimicrobial activity of CuNPs coated with chitosan (QO)/gelatine (GE) compared to the QO/GE matrix alone was investigated, using the agar diffusion and culture medium methods in Mueller-Hinton. The evaluation was performed using the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli and the Gram positive bacterium E. faecalis. The investigated microspheres showed antimicrobial activity. Hybrid microspheres with 40 mg of Cu, evaluated in liquid medium, inhibited the growth of E. coli by 56% and of E. faecalis by 40% compared to the matrix hybridised alone; in solid medium, the inhibition was 2.5-fold and 2.6-fold, respectively. Thus, these microspheres are a promising material for applications with medical uses.

Understanding the frosting and defrosting mechanism on the superhydrophobic surfaces with hierarchical structures for enhancing anti-frosting performance

To ascertain the inhibiting-frost ability of superhydrophobic surfaces, the processes of frosting and defrosting were observed on four surfaces with different microstructure topography-features in this work. Comparing with the untreated hydrophobic surface, the superhydrophobic microstructure surface exhibited superior anti-frosting performance. Besides, this work demonstrated that the anti-frosting property was sensitive to surface microscopic structure, since microstructures could induce to trap air pockets underneath the droplets to produce ultra-low water adhesion and thermal insulation, resulting in a significant delay of frost formation. After frost completely being melted into pure water, the superhydrophobic surfaces significantly contributed to enhance the defrosting efficiency and the coverage fraction of remained water was only 8.5% for microblock-nanohair hierarchical structure surface. The residual droplets in Cassie-Baxter state can be facilely removed by airflow or a slight inclination, whereas the melted water mostly firmly stayed on the flat untreated surface. In addition, the comparative researches with the other structure (i.e., microblock structures and nanohair structures) surfaces further ascertained that the nanostructures on the superhydrophobic surface will contribute to the coalescence movement of microdroplets, and the primary microstructures mainly play a role in jumping or sweeping movement of the coalesced droplets.

Influence of super-hydrophobic silicone rubber substrate on the growth and differentiation of human lens epithelial cells.

Materials with low cell adhesion are advantageous for production of replacement intraocular lens (IOL) to prevent posterior capsular opacification (PCO). We evaluated the feasibility of compression molding for manufacture of silicone rubber with super-hydrophobic surface and low cell infiltrative characteristics compared to ordinary hydrophobic silicone rubber. Silicone specimens with complex surface topology (super-hydrophobic) or smooth surfaces (hydrophobic) were manufactured by vacuum deforming and molding. Contact angle, microscopic surface structure, and transparency were evaluated. Super-hydrophobic and smooth samples were compared for effects on proliferation, adhesion, and morphology of human lens epithelial cells (hLECs). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was examined by immunofluorescence expression of fibronectin (Fn), Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and vimentin. The surface contact angle of super-hydrophobic silicone was greater than that of smooth silicone (153.8° vs. 116°). The super-hydrophobic surface exhibited a micron-scale palisade structure under scanning electron microscopy (unit length, width, and height of 80, 25, and 25 μm, respectively). However, cell number per 50 × microscopic field on super-hydrophobic surfaces was markedly reduced 24 and 72 h post-seeding compared to smooth surfaces (p < 0.01). Cells were cuboidal or spherical after 72h on super-hydrophobic surfaces, and exhibited numerous surface microvilli with fluff-base polarity, while cells on smooth surfaces exhibited morphological characteristics of EMT. Expression levels of the α-SMA and vimentin were reduced on super-hydrophobic surfaces compared to smooth surfaces. Super-hydrophobic silicon inhibits proliferation, adhesion, and EMT of hLECs, properties that may prevent fibrosis following cataract surgery.

Physico-mechanical and antimicrobial properties of tragacanth/hydroxypropyl methylcellulose/beeswax edible films reinforced with silver nanoparticles.

The novel trinary bio-composite film based on Tragacanth/Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose/Beeswax reinforced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was developed. This study investigated the effect of AgNPs (2, 4 and 8%) on some physico-mechanical and antimicrobial properties of bio-composite film. It was discovered that AgNPs reduced the composite tensile strength from 33.64 to 16.12 MPa. However, water vapor permeability was improved by addition of the nanoparticles (4.57-2.16 × 10-13 g m/m2 s Pa). The use of AgNPs influenced the apparent color of bio-composite film. The microscopic surface structure and topography of the films were also examined by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared, respectively. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis results showed that the thermal stability of film was slightly decreased through incorporation with AgNPs. Finally, nano-composite films demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against tested pathogen bacteria in the contact surface zone. The antimicrobial results suggest that new nanocomposite film may be used as food active packaging.