This work demonstrates a novel method for the synthesis of large pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with a pore diameter of 10.3 nm and a particle diameter of ∼50 nm based on the incorporation of mixed anionic surfactants sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as the template in the synthesis process. The dispersity, morphology, pore structure and siz...

A rugate filter based on nanoporous anodic alumina was fabricated using an innovative sinusoidal current profile with small current variation. The resulting structure consisted of highly parallel pores with modulations of the pore diameter along the pore axis and with no branching. The effect of the period time and the pore widening post-treatment was studied. From reflectance measurements, it ...

We use continuum mechanics to calculate an entire least energy pathway of membrane fusion, from stalk formation, to pore creation, and through fusion pore enlargement. The model assumes that each structure in the pathway is axially symmetric. The static continuum stalk structure agrees quantitatively with experimental stalk architecture. Calculations show that in a stalk, the distal monolayer i...

Molecular-level interactions at organic-inorganic interfaces play crucial roles in many fields including catalysis, drug delivery, and geological mineral precipitation in the presence of organic matter. To seek insights into organic-inorganic interactions in porous framework materials, we investigated the phase evolution and energetics of confinement of a rigid organic guest, N,N,N-trimethyl-1-...

Formation of a fusion pore between a vesicle and its target membrane is thought to involve the so-called SNARE protein complex. However, there is no mechanistic model explaining how the fusion pore is opened by conformational changes in the SNARE complex. It has been suggested that C-terminal zipping triggers fusion pore opening. A SNAP-25 mutant named SNAP-25Delta9 (lacking the last nine C-ter...

We present a methodology to characterize a continuum-scale model of transport in porousmedia on the basis of pore-scale distributions of velocities computed in three-dimensional pore-space images. The methodology is tested against pore-scale simulations of flow and transport for a bead pack and a sandstone sample. We employ a double-continuum approach to describe transport inmobile and immobile...

We consider a Lebwohl-Lasher model of chiral particles confined in a planar cell (slit pore) under different boundary conditions, and solve it using mean-field theory. The phase behaviour of the system with respect to temperature and pore width is studied. Two phenomena are observed: (i) an isotropic-cholesteric transition, which exhibits an oscillatory structure with respect to pore width, and...

Smart membranes, which can selectively control the transfer of light, air, humidity and temperature, are important to achieve indoor climate regulation. Even though reversible self-actuation of smart membranes is desirable in large-scale, reversible self-regulation remains challenging. Specifically, reversible 100% opening/closing of pore actuation showing accurate responsiveness, reproducibili...

Understanding the pore networks of unconventional tight reservoirs such as tight sandstones and shales is crucial for extracting oil/gas from such reservoirs. Mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) and N2 gas adsorption (N2GA) are performed to evaluate pore structure of Chang-7 tight sandstone. Thin section observation, scanning electron microscope, grain size analysis, mineral composition...

Due to the intricate structure of porous rocks, relationships between porosity or saturation and petrophysical transport properties classically used for reservoir evaluation and recovery strategies are either very complex or nonexistent. Thus, the pore network model extracted from the natural porous media is emphasized as a breakthrough to predict the fluid transport properties in the complex m...