Hydrophilic Cu-TiO2 thin films with a gradient in the Cu concentration were prepared on glass by layer-by-layer dip-coating from TiO2 precursors. The effects of the Cu doping on the structure and properties of TiO2 self-cleaning thin films are discussed. The Cu gradient markedly affects the hydrophilicity of the films, with the water contact angle significantly reduced compared with those of th...

Pharmaceutical powder processing is notoriously subject to unpredictable jamming, sticking and charging disturbances. To unveil the material science underlying these effects, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) on a common pharmaceutical, acetaminophen (APAP). Specifically, we study surface adhesion and morphology as a function of relative humidity (RH) for monoclinic acetaminophen, using both...

A switchable-hydrophilicity solvent (SHS) is a solvent that in one state forms a biphasic mixture with water but can be reversibly switched to another state that is miscible with water. We describe a mathematical model of the behaviour of CO2-triggered SHS that narrows the search field for these solvents in terms of their basicity and hydrophilicity. By its predictive power, the mathematical mo...

The hydrophilicity of vertically aligned metal nanorods with sharp nanotips were investigated experimentally. Ruthenium and platinum nanorod arrays were deposited on flat silicon substrates using oblique angle sputter deposition. We show that the effects of nanotips on nanorods should be considered in the "hemiwicking" model for hydrophilic metallic samples. With the influence of nanotips, we s...

• Alumina and LTL zeolite nanoparticles suited the in situ embedment method. • The nanoparticle embedded membranes had higher hydrophilicity and

A novel micromolding approach was developed to process liquid biopolymers with high aqueous solvent contents (>90% water). Specifically silk fibroin was cast into a well-defined scaffold-like structures for potential tissue engineering applications. A method was developed to pattern the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold surfaces. The water based biopolyme...

Electrospun membranes of polycaprolactone are widely used for biomedical applications like wound dressings and tissue engineering scaffolds. It is important to sterilize this material using the most accepted method, the gamma irradiation. In this study, we have evaluated the sterilizability of electrospun polycaprolactone membranes with gamma radiation of varying doses. The irradiated materials...

We describe a new class of near infrared (NIR) fluorescent dendrimeric quaterrylenediimide dyes with high photostability and hydrophilicity, functionality, as well as low cytotoxicity.

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) show great promise for productivity improvement and energy conservation in conventional bioprocesses for wastewater reclamation. In order to attain high productivity in a bioprocess, it is crucial to retain the microorganisms in the bioreactors by preventing wash out. This enables recycling of the microorganisms, and is consequently saving energy. The main feature of...