Most spider threads are on the micrometre and sub-micrometre scale. Yet, there are some spiders that spin true nano-scale fibres such as the cribellate orb spider, Uloborus plumipes. Here, we analyse the highly specialized capture silk-spinning system of this spider and compare it with the silk extrusion systems of the more standard spider dragline threads. The cribellar silk extrusion system c...

Lipids are commonly used excipients in drug delivery for improving solubility of low soluble drugs, enhancing bioavailability through avoiding first pass metabolism nanoparticulate approach, modifying the release, binders, permeation enhancers, transfection agents etc. alone or combination polymers increasingly being hot melt extrusion (HME) technology preparation controlled release formulation...

A melt flow indexer (MFI) was used to investigate high-temperature transitions in melts of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The MFI data were obtained in the range 190–230°C. These transitions were found in the MFI at about 210 and 225°C and reproduced in a Haake melt blender. Polystyrene was used in the blender experiment to demonstrate typical amorphous behavior. For HDPE melts, the MFI–temp...

This work presents new results on using organoclay with an appropriate polymeric compatibilizer as rheology-modifying additives for extrusion foaming of a linear polypropylene (PP), which by itself does not display strain hardening in extensional flow of the melt. The uniaxial melt-extensional viscosity behavior of several nanocomposites prepared with varying ratio of bound maleic anhydride to ...

The primary purpose of this study was to process partially hydrolyzed PVOH grades (degree of hydroxylation (DH): 33-88%) via HME and to evaluate them as carrier for oral immediate release dosage forms in order to improve the release rate of poorly water soluble drugs (i.e., HCT and CEL) via the formulation of solid dispersions. PVOH grades (DH >70%) were able to solubilize HCT and CEL up to 15%...

In the process of double-layer gas-assisted extrusion plastic micro-tubes, external size and surface quality micro-tubes are greatly affected by assisting gas inlet slit inside mold. Therefore, in this experiment, a two-phase flow model was established based on compressible non-compressible melt. The Polyflow finite element solution software module used to solve velocity field, temperature pres...