Zinc Oxide Treatment Research Articles

PSIII-21 Impact of high zinc oxide supplementation or lignocellulose supplement on chronic markers of intestinal inflammation and growth of weaned piglets

Abstract The objective of this project was to study the effects of high zinc oxide (ZO) supplementation and fiber supplement from lignocellulose (LIGCEL) on chronic markers of intestinal inflammation and growth of weaned piglets. At weaning (21 d), 150 piglets (body weight = 6.39 ± 0.276 kg) were transferred from a farrowing farm to a nursery farm where they were divided into 30 pens of 5 piglets per pen according to their weanling weight. Each pen was assigned to one of the following three treatments: Control (CON, 150 mg/kg of zinc), ZO (2,500 mg/kg of zinc), and LIGCEL (CON+3% lignocellulose). The ZO and LIGCEL supplements were added to a phase 1 diet. The experimental diets (phase 1) were distributed for 14 d. Subsequently, all piglets received the same diets from phases 2 and 3 for two periods of 14 d. During the experiment, piglets were weighed upon arrival and after phases 1, 2, and 3. The feed was distributed every day and the total quantities calculated for each of the feeding phases. The average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion (FC) were subsequently calculated (Table 1). On d 6 and 13, the blood of two piglets per pen was collected to determine the content of D-lactate and diamine oxidase (DAO). Fecal samples from these two piglets were also taken to evaluate the calprotectin and neopterin contents. During phase 1, ADG was greater for ZO piglets compared with the CON animals with an intermediate value for the LIGCEL group (P < 0.001). The ADFI was greater for the ZO compared with the CON and LIGCEL treatments (P < 0.003). Piglets in the ZO and LIGNOCELL treatments had less FC than those in the CON group (P < 0.001). During phase 2, only the FC was greater for the ZO and LIGCEL treatments compared with CON animals (P < 0.013). During phase 3, growth performances were not affected by the dietary treatments. For the entire experiment, ZO piglets had greater ADG than those in the CON group with an intermediate value for LIGCEL treatment (P < 0.019). D-lactate decreased from d 6 to 13 while DAO increased (P < 0.001). The DAO was also greater for ZO and LIGCELL piglets compared with CON animals (P < 0.001). Neopterin was greater for ZO treatment but only on d 13 (Trt × day, P < 0.010). Finally, calprotectin decreased from d 6 to 13 (P < 0.001) but was not affected by dietary treatments. In conclusion, ZO and LIGCEL fiber act positively on growth by modulating markers of intestinal inflammation. LIGCEL fiber could, therefore, be an alternative to ZO in the diet of weaned piglets.

Resistive Switching of Plasma-Treated Zinc Oxide Nanowires for Resistive Random Access Memory.

ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on Si(100) substrates at 975 °C by a vapor-liquid-solid method with ~2 nm and ~4 nm gold thin films as catalysts, followed by an argon plasma treatment for the as-grown ZnO NWs. A single ZnO NW–based memory cell with a Ti/ZnO/Ti structure was then fabricated to investigate the effects of plasma treatment on the resistive switching. The plasma treatment improves the homogeneity and reproducibility of the resistive switching of the ZnO NWs, and it also reduces the switching (set and reset) voltages with less fluctuations, which would be associated with the increased density of oxygen vacancies to facilitate the resistive switching as well as to average out the stochastic movement of individual oxygen vacancies. Additionally, a single ZnO NW–based memory cell with self-rectification could also be obtained, if the inhomogeneous plasma treatment is applied to the two Ti/ZnO contacts. The plasma-induced oxygen vacancy disabling the rectification capability at one of the Ti/ZnO contacts is believed to be responsible for the self-rectification in the memory cell.

Key factors for tuning hydrolytic degradation of polylactide/zinc oxide nanocomposites

The hydrolytic degradation of thin films of polylactide/surface treated zinc oxide [poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/ZnOs] nanocomposites was investigated in phosphate buffer solution at the temperature of 37°C for more than 10 months. To produce PLA/ZnOs nanocomposites, the previously silanized metal oxide nanofiller has been dispersed into PLA by melt blending using twin screw extruders and the resulting dried pellets were shaped into thin films of about 70 μm thickness. For sake of comparison, pristine PLA was processed and investigated under similar conditions. The evolution of molecular weights of the PLA matrix, as well as of crystallinity and thermal parameters of interest, with the hydrolysis time, has been recorded by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Accordingly, at longer hydrolysis time, the nanocomposites revealed better resistence to the hydrolytic degradation (lower weight loss, smaller decrease of molecular mass, no dramatic increase in dispersity), data that were also associated with the changes in the morphology of specimens over time as evidenced by visual analysis or by microscopy. The results show the possibility to tune the hydrolytic degradation and prolonging the service life of PLA throught the incorporation of a small amount of hydrophobic silanized nanofiller (ZnOs). A bulk degradation mechanism was assumed, whereas the delayed degradation of nanocomposites was ascribed to a slowdown of the water diffusion into PLA matrix thanks to important increases of the crystallinity and especially to the hydrophobic properties of ZnO nanofiller treated with ∼3 wt-% triethoxycaprylylsilane. Accordingly, the rate of hydrolytic degradation of PLA/ZnOs nanocomposite films can be reduced by increasing the loading of nanofiller and PLA crystallinity.

Morphological, structural and optical properties of silver treated zinc oxide thin film

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film with an ultrathin layer of silver (Ag) atop was fabricated on glass substrate and a simple post-deposition annealing was carried out. A systematic observation was conducted to monitor morphological, structural and optical properties. The detailed morphological analysis by scanning electron microscope revealed that ZnO film surface became irregular with small pores dispersed all over the surface after the treatment, whereas the surface became smother with an ultrathin layer of Ag atop. Nucleation of Ag nanoparticles was observed initiated at the beginning of treatment. Preferential film orientation along c-axis with wurtzite hexagonal structure and a peak shift to red after treatment was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Further investigation revealed that a stress relaxation from −0.51 GPa (compressive stress) to 0.58 GPa (tensile stress), grain growth from 13 to 31 nm and recrystallization with decreasing lattice constant (c) from 5.2655 to 5.1395 A occurred after treatment. A reduction in optical band gap from 3.31 to 3.25 ± 0.01 eV was observed after the treatment with a slight increase in transmittance. At higher annealing temperatures, the weak photoluminescence emission did show blue shift from 367 to 364 nm and 362 nm. Elemental and compositional analysis was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Such characteristics shift in structural and optical properties, in fact, plays a crucial role in determining device performances and overall efficiency.

A double-blind block randomized clinical trial on the effect of zinc as a treatment for diarrhea in neonatal Holstein calves under natural challenge conditions

Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in neonatal calves and contributes to major economic losses. The objective of this double-blind randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of oral inorganic or organic zinc supplementation as a treatment for neonatal diarrhea in calves. Seventy nine 1 to 8 day old male Holstein calves on a California calf ranch were block randomized to one of 3 treatments within 24h from their first onset of diarrhea. Calves received a daily dose of either a placebo composed of 80mg of zinc-free powder, 381.54mg of zinc methionine (Met) (equivalent to 80mg of zinc), or 99.69mg of zinc oxide (ZO) (equivalent to 80mg of zinc) in 2L of a zinc-free oral rehydration solution (ORS). Calves were treated once daily until normal fecal consistency or for a maximum of 14 days. Upon enrollment and exit, calves were weighed, and blood, feces, and liver biopsies were collected for trace mineral analysis. Fecal samples at enrollment and exit were tested for E. coli K99, Cryptosporidium spp., rotavirus and coronavirus. Pre-treatment liver zinc concentrations for the 71 calves in the placebo, zinc Met, and ZO treatment groups were 710.6 (SEM=147.7), 852.3 (SEM=129.6), and 750.7 (SEM=202.9)mg/kg dry weight (DW), respectively. Exit liver zinc concentrations for the calves in the placebo, zinc Met, and ZO treatment groups were 728.9 (SEM=182.9), 1141.0 (SEM=423.8), and 636.8 (SEM=81.5)mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Although statistically non-significant, there were clinically important findings identified for each of zinc Met and ZO treatments. Calves treated with zinc Met gained on average 40g/day during a diarrhea episode compared to a weight loss of 67g/day on average in the placebo-treated calves (Power 19.9%). Calves treated with ZO had 1.4 times higher hazard of clinical cure compared to calves in the placebo group (Power 5.3%). Calves that were fecal positive to cryptosporidium spp. at enrollment and treated with zinc Met had higher odds of testing negative at exit compared to placebo calves (Odds Ratio (OR)=16.0). In contrast, calves treated with ZO tended to recover (fecal score=1) one day earlier compared to calves treated with a placebo (8.5 d vs. 9.7 d). The current trial identified clinically important findings that warrant further research to investigate zinc's therapeutic effect for calf diarrhea.

Improvement of the nanostructured zinc oxide/polymer based solar cell efficiency through the incorporation of N,N′-dioctyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide nanoribbons as charge mediator

We report here the effect of inserting N,N′-dioctyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (PTCDI-C8) nanoribbons in between ammonia treated zinc oxide nanorods and p-type organic polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(3′,7′-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) for nanostructured ZnO/polymer based hybrid solar cell. PTCDI-C8 nanoribbons are excellent absorber of the solar spectrum in most of the visible range and energetically fitted in between ZnO and MDMO-PPV. PTCDI-C8 nanoribbons help in providing one-dimensional channel for the dissociated charges to reach the electrodes through ZnO nanorod. PTCDI-C8 nanoribbons are used as the charge transport mediator as well as the photo absorber in the solar cell device. Significant improvement in the short-circuit current was observed and it leads to the increment in the overall efficiency of this kind of nanostructure based solar cell.

Effect of incorporation of surface treated zinc oxide on non-isocyanate polyurethane based nano-composite coatings

Non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) based on cyclic carbonate-amine chemistry are an emerging area for polymer synthesis and is being extensively studied for various applications. A successful utilization of this technology can eliminate many of the issues associated with conventional polyurethane chemistry. While these polymers have not yet achieved commercial significance, research is being devoted to methods for synthesizing polymers or oligomers containing cyclic carbonate groups as well as studying their applications in thermoplastic and thermosetting systems.Nevertheless, NIPU based coating systems are still unexplored for corrosion protection of metals. In the current study, zinc oxide (ZnO) particles prepared via in situ method were treated with cyclic carbonate functional alkoxy silane. The surface treatment of ZnO particles was confirmed by particle size analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDAX) and X-Ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD). NIPU formulations with variable proportion of treated and untreated ZnO particles were prepared using cyclic carbonate modified epoxy resin and coated on mild steel substrates. The nano-composite coatings prepared thereof were evaluated for their mechanical and chemical performance. The anticorrosive performance was evaluated by salt spray test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The study conducted showed significant enhancement in scratch hardness and abrasion resistance along with improvement in other performance properties after addition of treated ZnO particles in nano-composite coating formulations.

Novel dental cements formed between polyvinyl phosphonic acid), PVPA, and heat treated zinc oxide

Novel dental cements formed between polyvinyl phosphonic acid), PVPA, and heat treated zinc oxide