Surfaces of polycarbonate Selective Laser Sintering parts are investigated to determine the characteristics aaecting part quality. Surfaces are obtained from experiments by varying four factors, namely, layer thickness, laser power, part orientation, and build angle. First, spatial modes on SLS surfaces are decomposed using a qualitative spectral analysis in an attempt to nd their origins. Ther...

We have realised a microsystem for the culture and electrical characterisation of epithelial cell layers for cell-based diagnostic applications. The main goal of this work is to achieve both cell culture and impedimetric and potentiometric characterisation on a single device. The miniaturised cell culture system enables the uses of scarce epithelial cells, as obtained from transgenic mice or fr...

Electrically conductive CNT reinforced polycarbonate matrix nanocomposites with high strain-to-failure were fabricated by inserting polyvinylalcohol as a surface modifier through a melt blending process. The addition of PVA by coating the CNT through a simple ball milling process before melt blending with a polycarbonate matrix resulted in an increased percolation limit as compared to that prep...

The separation of neutral and water-insoluble linear synthetic polymers in non-aqueous capillary zone electrophoresis using the hydrophobic phosphonium-based ionic liquid trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride (P66614Cl) were investigated using polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylates, polybutadiene, and polycarbonate as test analytes. The solubility of P66614Cl in tetrahydrofuran was above 500 m...

Perfluorooctanoate (PFO) is the anion of perfluorooctanoic acid. As the ammonium salt, PFO has been used for 50 years as a processing aid in the commercial production of perfluorinated and highly fluorinated polymers. To assess the effectiveness of industrial hygiene controls in processes involving PFO products and intermediates, a wipe test was developed and validated to determine quantitative...

Attenuation characteristics of hollow, flexible, metal and metal/dielectric coated polycarbonate waveguides were investigated using an optically pumped far infrared (FIR) laser at 215 µm. The bending loss of silver coated polycarbonate waveguides were measured as a function of various bending angles, bending radii, and bore diameters. Minimal propagation losses of 1.77, 0.96 dB/m were achieved ...

Electroless metal plating in combination with nanochannel-containing templates is a versatile method for the fabrication of metal nanotubes [1]. In contrast to the electrodeposition of metals, electroless plating relies on the surface-selective chemical reduction of a metal precursor [2]. The simultaneous coverage of the whole template surface with metal nanoparticles favors the formation of tu...

The nanomechanical characteristics of polycarbonate (PC) polymer were investigated by atomic force microscope (AFM) and nanoindentation. Scratching, wear properties, hardness and Young’s modulus were obtained. The relationships between scribing feed and speed, surface depth and roughness and applied load were also investigated. The results indicated that as the applied load was increased, the f...

Four techniques for the detection and quantification of Dirofilaria immitis microfilariae in peripheral blood were compared, namely the conventional thick smear, thick films prepared by cytocentrifugation, filtration of blood through polycarbonate membranes, and density gradient centrifugation followed by membrane filtration. The efficiency of the methods and their sensitivity was assessed by d...

The microhardness, H, of carbon black–polycarbonate and carbon black– low-density polyethylene composites was investigated. Two types of microadditives with different average particle sizes were employed. It has been shown that the morphology of the polymeric matrix conspicuously influences the hardness dependence of the composites with volume concentration of filler, f. The microhardness of th...