US – Page 333 – TechConnect Briefs

Polymer Nanofibers from Multiple Jets Produced on a Porous Surface by Electrospinning

Dosunmu O.O., Chase G.G., Varabhas J.S., Kataphinan W., Reneker D.H., Microscale Physiochemical Engineering Center, US

Electrospinning involves the uniaxial stretching of a viscoelastic jet derived from a polymer solution or melt. The stretching is because of a very high voltage applied to the polymer solution (or melt) relative to a [...]

Production of Conducting Polymer Nanowires for Use as Intravascular Neural Recording Electrodes

Ruddy B., Watanabe H., Hunter I., Llinás R.R., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US

A crucial factor limiting the adoption of brain-machine interfaces is the invasiveness of conventional microelectrode arrays. Recently, Llinas et al. proposed a new, less invasive form of microelectrode array, utilizing sub-micrometer insulated platinum wires placed [...]

Dyeing and Fastness Properties of Acid Dyeable Polypropylene Nanocomposite

Dar Y.S., Fan Q., Ugbolue S.C., Wilson A.R., Yang Y., University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, US

We reported that the dyeability of PP can be improved by mixing nanoclay with the PP matrix. In this paper, we further investigated the PP nanocomposites acid dyeability using three distinct chemical structures, namely, anthraquinone, [...]

Thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites: effect of organoclay structure and hard segment concentration on morphology and properties

Chavarria F., Paul D.R., The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Materials Institute, US

Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanocomposites were prepared by melt processing using a twin screw extruder. The effects of organoclay structure and hard segment concentration of the TPU matrix on mechanical properties and morphology of the nanocomposites [...]

Novel Nano-metal Polymeric Composites Fabricated via In-Situ Self Assembly

Vargo T.G., Koloski T.S., MacRae D.M., Lucey D.W., Zhang D., Brupbacher J.B., Integument Technologies, Inc., US

Current research in the field of nanotechnology and the fabrication of polymeric composites is often complicated by the inability to obtain well dispersed nano-particles within polymeric matrices. Current methods require that nanoparticles be protected by [...]

Synthesis and Self-assembling Properties of Functionalized Glycolipids

Wang G., Nie X., Cheuk S., Williams K., University of New Orleans, US

Biocompatible functional small molecule hydrogelators such as carbohydrates and amino acids derivatives have potential applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering and as biocompatible materials. Polydiacetylenes exhibit a unique blue to red color transition in the [...]

Glycosaminoglycan model glass substrates and cancer cell interactions

Peramo A., Wright G., Meads M.B., Dalton W.S., Matthews G., University of South Florida, US

The static adhesion of three cancer cell lines to surfaces functionalized with glycosaminoglycans was performed and the possible involvement of heparanase in this process was analyzed. Four different glycosaminoglycans (heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate A, chondroitin [...]

Self-Assembled Soft Nanomaterials from Renewable Resources

John G., City College of the City University of New York, US

The self-assembly of low molecular weight building blocks into nanoscale molecular objects has recently attracted considerable interest in terms of the bottom-up fabrication of nanomaterials. The building blocks currently used in supramolecular chemistry are synthesized [...]

Electrohydrodynamic Patterning of Thin Polymer Film

Wu N., Pease III L.F., Russel W.B., Princeton University, US

A polymer melt sandwiched with a gap fluid between two planner electrodes can self assemble into ordered microstructures under the influence of an electric field. Motivated by the variety of patterns observed in experiments, we [...]

Thermodynamic Characterization of Nanoscale Materials

Smith A.L., Masscal Corporation, US

“The largest barrier to rational design and controlled synthesis of nanomaterials with predefined properties is the lack of fundamental understanding of thermodynamic and kinetic processes at the nanoscale. …Bulk material properties are not size-dependent, but [...]