High throughput estimates of surface tension using steady droplet deformation in pressure-driven fluidic flows.

Advances in fluidic droplet generation both necessitate and enable accessible, high throughput methods to optimize formulations by measuring surface tension. One fluidic approach involves creating extensional flow using constrictions. Droplets deform within a constriction, and then experience extensional flow upon exiting into a wider channel.

Polymer oxidation: A strategy for the controlled degradation of injectable cryogels.

Cryogels, an advanced subclass of hydrogels, are widely used in biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and immunotherapy. Biopolymers, like hyaluronic acid (HA), are key building blocks for cryogel fabrication due to their intrinsic biological properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. HA undergoes biodegradation through hydrolysis, enzymatic degradation, and oxidation, but becomes less susceptible to degradation once chemically modified.

Thiol Coordination Softens Liquid Metal Particles To Improve On-Demand Conductivity.

Achieving tunable rupturing of eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) particles holds great significance in flexible electronic applications, particularly pressure sensors. We tune the mechanosensitivity of EGaIn particles by preparing them in toluene with thiol surfactants and demonstrate an improvement over typical preparations in ethanol. We observe, across multiple length scales, that thiol surfactants and the nonpolar solvent synergistically reduce the applied stress requirements for electromechanical actuation.

polymer gelation in confined flow controls intermittent dynamics.

Polymer flows through pores, nozzles and other small channels govern engineered and naturally occurring dynamics in many processes, from 3D printing to oil recovery in the earth's subsurface to a wide variety of biological flows. The crosslinking of polymers can change their material properties dramatically, and it is advantageous to know whether or not crosslinking polymers will lead to clogged channels or cessation of flow. In this study, we investigate the flow of a common biopolymer, alginate, while it undergoes crosslinking by the addition of a crosslinker, calcium, driven through a microfluidic channel at constant flow rate.

Mixing particle softness in a two-dimensional hopper: Particle rigidity and friction enable variable arch geometry to cause clogging.

Understanding the clogging of mixtures of soft and rigid particles flowing through hoppers becomes important as soft particle usage increases in consumer products. We investigate this clogging under varying particle size and rigid fraction by quantifying various properties of arches formed in the neck of a quasi-two-dimensional hopper. As more soft particles are added to the mixture, the arch tends to become both narrower and more curved.

Flow dynamics through discontinuous clogs of rigid particles in tapered microchannels.

Suspended particles flowing through complex porous spaces exhibit clogging mechanisms determined by factors including their size, deformability, and the geometry of the confinement. This study describes the clogging of rigid particles in a microfluidic device made up of parallel microchannels that taper from the inlet to the outlet, where the constriction width is approximately equal to the particle size. This converging geometry summarizes the dynamics of clogging in flow channels with constrictions that narrow over multiple length scales.

Application of droplet migration scaling behavior to microchannel flow measurements.

In confined channels in low Reynolds number flow, droplets drift perpendicular to the flow, moving across streamlines. The phenomenon has proven useful for understanding microfluidic droplet separation, drug delivery vehicle optimization, and single-cell genomic amplification. Particles or droplets undergo several migration mechanisms including wall migration, hydrodynamic diffusion, and migration down gradients of shear.

Soft particles facilitate flow of rigid particles in a 2D hopper.

The flow of granular materials through narrow openings governs flow and process efficiency in a variety of industrial settings. As the use of soft particles and other soft micro-materials becomes more widespread in consumer products, we seek to understand characteristics of granular flows beyond powder flows. We study clogging through a 2D hopper in systems consisting of a combination of soft and rigid particles of different sizes and mixing fractions.

A Machine Learning and Computer Vision Approach to Rapidly Optimize Multiscale Droplet Generation.

Generating droplets from a continuous stream of fluid requires precise tuning of a device to find optimized control parameter conditions. It is analytically intractable to compute the necessary control parameter values of a droplet-generating device that produces optimized droplets. Furthermore, as the length scale of the fluid flow changes, the formation physics and optimized conditions that induce flow decomposition into droplets also change.

Adapting Undergraduate Research to Remote Work to Increase Engagement.

Demand for undergraduate research experiences typically outstrips the available laboratory positions, which could have been exacerbated during the remote work conditions imposed by the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic. This report presents a collection of examples of how undergraduates have been engaged in research under pandemic work restrictions. Examples include a range of projects related to fluid dynamics, cancer biology, nanomedicine, circadian clocks, metabolic disease, catalysis, and environmental remediation.

Establishing structure-property-hazard relationships for multi-walled carbon nanotubes: the role of aggregation, surface charge, and oxidative stress on embryonic zebrafish mortality.

Increasing use of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in consumer and industrials goods increases their potential release, and subsequent risks to environmental and human health. Therefore, it is becoming ever more important that CNTs are designed to reduce or eliminate hazards and that hazard assessment methodologies are robust. Here, oxygen-functionalized multi-walled CNTs (O-MWCNTs), modified under varying redox conditions, were assessed for toxic potential using the zebrafish () embryo model.

Relating Selectivity and Separation Performance of Lamellar Two-Dimensional Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS) Membranes to Nanosheet Stacking Behavior.

Increased demand for highly selective and energy-efficient separations processes has stimulated substantial interest in emerging two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials as a potential platform for next-generation membranes. However, persistently poor separation performance continues to hinder the viability of many novel 2D-nanosheet membranes in desalination applications. In this study, we examine the role of the lamellar structure of 2D membranes on their performance.

Shape-Dependent Interactions of Manganese Oxide Nanomaterials with Lipid Bilayer Vesicles.

Interactions of transition-metal-oxide nanomaterials with biological membranes have important environmental implications and applications in ecotoxicity and life-cycle assessment analysis. In this study, we quantitatively assess the impact of MnO nanomaterial morphology-one-dimensional (1D) nanowires, 2D nanosheets, and 3D nanoflowers-on their interaction with phospholipid vesicles as a model for biological membranes. Confocal microscopy suggests visual evidence for the interaction of undisrupted vesicles with dispersed MnO nanomaterials of different morphologies, and it further supports the observation that minimal dye leakage of the vesicle inner solution was detected during the interaction with MnO nanomaterials during the dye leakage assay.

Combined Organic Fouling and Inorganic Scaling in Reverse Osmosis: Role of Protein-Silica Interactions.

We investigated the relationship between silica scaling and protein fouling in reverse osmosis (RO). Flux decline caused by combined scaling and fouling was compared with those by individual scaling or fouling. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LYZ), two proteins with opposite charges at typical feedwater pH, were used as model protein foulants.

Activatable Protein Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Peptides.

Clinical translation of therapeutic peptides, particularly those that require penetration of the cell membrane or are cytolytic, is a major challenge. A novel approach based on a complementary mechanism, which has been widely used for guided synthesis of DNA or RNA nanoparticles, for de novo design of activatable protein nanoparticles (APNPs) for targeted delivery of therapeutic peptides is described. APNPs are formed through self-assembly of three independent polypeptides based on pairwise coiled-coil dimerization.

Relating Silica Scaling in Reverse Osmosis to Membrane Surface Properties.

We investigated the relationship between membrane surface properties and silica scaling in reverse osmosis (RO). The effects of membrane hydrophilicity, free energy for heterogeneous nucleation, and surface charge on silica scaling were examined by comparing thin-film composite polyamide membranes grafted with a variety of polymers. Results show that the rate of silica scaling was independent of both membrane hydrophilicity and free energy for heterogeneous nucleation.

Thermodiffusion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in binary mixtures.

Thermodiffusion in liquid mixtures may explain some counter-intuitive but naturally occurring phenomena such as hydrocarbon reservoirs with heavier component(s) stratified on top of lighter ones. However, beyond benchmark systems, systematic measurements of thermodiffusion in binary organic mixtures are lacking. We use an optical beam deflection apparatus to simultaneously probe Fickian and thermal diffusion in binary solution mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in alkanes, and measure both Fickian diffusion D and the Soret coefficient S, and then obtain the thermodiffusion coefficient D.

New Ir Bis-Carbonyl Precursor for Water Oxidation Catalysis.

This paper introduces Ir(I)(CO)2(pyalc) (pyalc = (2-pyridyl)-2-propanoate) as an atom-efficient precursor for Ir-based homogeneous oxidation catalysis. This compound was chosen to simplify analysis of the water oxidation catalyst species formed by the previously reported Cp*Ir(III)(pyalc)OH water oxidation precatalyst. Here, we present a comparative study on the chemical and catalytic properties of these two precursors.

Role of Reverse Divalent Cation Diffusion in Forward Osmosis Biofouling.

We investigated the role of reverse divalent cation diffusion in forward osmosis (FO) biofouling. FO biofouling by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was simulated using pristine and chlorine-treated thin-film composite polyamide membranes with either MgCl2 or CaCl2 draw solution. We related FO biofouling behavior-water flux decline, biofilm architecture, and biofilm composition-to reverse cation diffusion.

Rheology of cellulose nanofibrils in the presence of surfactants.

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) present unique opportunities for rheology modification in complex fluids. Here we systematically consider the effect of ionic and non-ionic surfactants on the rheology of dilute CNF suspensions. Neat suspensions are transparent yield-stress fluids which display strong shear thinning and power-law dependence of modulus on concentration, G' ∼ c(2.

Ultrathin Nanotube/Nanowire Electrodes by Spin-Spray Layer-by-Layer Assembly: A Concept for Transparent Energy Storage.

Fully integrated transparent devices require versatile architectures for energy storage, yet typical battery electrodes are thick (20-100 μm) and composed of optically absorbent materials. Reducing the length scale of active materials, assembling them with a controllable method and minimizing electrode thickness should bring transparent batteries closer to reality. In this work, the rapid and controllable spin-spray layer-by-layer (SSLbL) method is used to generate high quality networks of 1D nanomaterials: single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nanowires for anode and cathode electrodes, respectively.

Electrochemical activation of Cp* iridium complexes for electrode-driven water-oxidation catalysis.

Organometallic iridium complexes bearing oxidatively stable chelate ligands are precursors for efficient homogeneous water-oxidation catalysts (WOCs), but their activity in oxygen evolution has so far been studied almost exclusively with sacrificial chemical oxidants. In this report, we study the electrochemical activation of Cp*Ir complexes and demonstrate true electrode-driven water oxidation catalyzed by a homogeneous iridium species in solution. Whereas the Cp* precursors exhibit no measurable O2-evolution activity, the molecular species formed after their oxidative activation are highly active homogeneous WOCs, capable of electrode-driven O2 evolution with high Faradaic efficiency.

Probing the Viability of Oxo-Coupling Pathways in Iridium-Catalyzed Oxygen Evolution.

A series of Cp*Ir dimers have been synthesized to elucidate the mechanistic viability of radical oxo-coupling pathways in iridium-catalyzed O evolution. The oxidative stability of the precursors toward nanoparticle formation and their oxygen evolution activity have been investigated and compared to suitable monomeric analogues. We found that precursors bearing monodentate NHC ligands degraded to form nanoparticles (NPs), and accordingly their O evolution rates were not significantly influenced by their nuclearity or distance between the two metals in the dimeric precursors.

The extracellular polysaccharide Pel makes the attachment of to surfaces symmetric and short-ranged.

Biofilms are surface-mounted, multicellular communities of microbes. Biofilms are often associated with chronic infections that resist treatment, evade the immune system, and damage host tissue. An essential characteristic of the biofilm state is that constituent organisms are bound in a polymeric matrix.