In this paper, the newly explored TiO(2)-Chitosan/Glass was suggested as a promising alternative material to conventional means of wastewater treatment. Characterization of TiO(2)-Chitosan/Glass photocatalyst was studied with SEM-EDX, XRD, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The combination effect of photodegradation-adsorption process for the removal of methyl orange (MO), an acid dye of the monoazo series occur promisingly when four layers of TiO(2)-Chitosan/Glass photocatalyst was used for MO removal. Approximately, 87.0% of total MO removal was achieved. The reactive -NH(2), -OH, and metal oxide contents in the prepared photocatalyst responsible for the photodegradation-adsorption effect were confirmed by FTIR study. Similarly, MO removal behavior was well supported by SEM-EDX and XRD analysis. Significant dependence of MO removal on the TiO(2)-Chitosan loading can be explained in terms of relationship between quantum yield of photocatalytic reactions and photocatalyst structure/activity. Hence, the research work done thus far suggests a new method, having both the advantages of photodegradation-adsorption process in the abatement of various wastewater pollutants.
In present study, a new composition of glass-ceramic was synthesized based on the Na2O-CaO-SiO2-P2O5 glass system. Heat treatment of glass powder was carried out in 2 stages: 600 °C as the nucleation temperature and different temperature on crystallization at 850, 950 and 1000 °C. The glass-ceramic heat-treated at 950 °C was selected as bioactive filler in commercial PMMA bone cement; (PALACOS® LV) due to its ability to form 2 high crystallization phases in comparison with 850 and 1000 °C. The results of this newly glass-ceramic filled PMMA bone cement at 0-16 wt% of filler loading were compared with those of hydroxyapatite (HA). The effect of different filler loading on the setting properties was evaluated. The peak temperature during the polymerization of bone cement decreased when the liquid to powder (L/P) ratio was reduced. The setting time, however, did not show any trend when filler loading was increased. In contrast, dough time was observed to decrease with increased filler loading. Apatite morphology was observed on the surface of the glass-ceramic and selected cement after bioactivity test.
Phenotypic switching is characterized as a virulence factor of Candida spp. This study was carried out to evaluate the phenotypic switching ability of C. krusei ATCC 14243 and to determine its effect on the biological properties, adherence capacity and susceptibility towards chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX). To induce switched generations C. krusei was cultured under nitrogen-depleted growth conditions by adding phloxine B. These phenotypically switched colonies were designated as the 1st generation. Subsequent sub-culturing was performed to produce the 2nd, 3rd and 4th switched generations. The recovery of the 3rd generation was the highest at 85.7% while that of the 4th generation was lower at 70.8%, and the recovery of the 1st and 2nd generations gradually reduced to 46.6% and 36.4%, respectively. All generations of C. krusei were susceptible towards CHX. The unswitched C. krusei was the most susceptible but the least adherent to coated hard surfaces. The 2nd generation was the least susceptible, but with the highest adherent ability. The minimum inhibition concentration and minimal fungicidal concentration of C. krusei of all generations were determined at 0.4 mg mL(-1) . These observations suggest that the switching activity of C. krusei induces changes to its biological properties and susceptibility towards CHX.
This paper reports the rapid melt quenching technique preparation for the new family of bismuth-lead germanate glass (BPG) systems in the form of (GeO(2))(60)-(PbO)(40-) (x)-(½Bi(2)O(3))(x) where x = 0 to 40 mol%. Their densities with respect of Bi(2)O(3) concentration were determined using Archimedes' method with acetone as a floatation medium. The current experimental data are compared with those of bismuth lead borate (B(2)O(3))(20)-(PbO)(80-) (x)-(Bi(2)O(3))(x). The elastic properties of BPG were studied using the ultrasonic pulse-echo technique where both longitudinal and transverse sound wave velocities have been measured in each glass samples at a frequency of 15 MHz and at room temperature. Experimental data shows that all the physical parameters of BPG including density and molar volume, both longitudinal and transverse velocities increase linearly with increasing of Bi(2)O(3) content in the germanate glass network. Their elastic moduli such as longitudinal, shear and Young's also increase linearly with addition of Bi(2)O(3) but the bulk modulus did not. The Poisson's ratio and fractal dimensionality are also found to vary linearly with the Bi(2)O(3) concentration.
A series of binary tellurite based glasses (Bi(2)O(3))(x) (TeO(2))(100-) (x) was prepared by melt quenching method. The density, molar volume and refractive index increase when bismuth ions Bi(3+) increase, this is due to the increased polarization of the ions Bi(3+) and the enhanced formation of non-bridging oxygen (NBO). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show the bonding of the glass sample and the optical band gap, E(opt) decreases while the refractive index increases when the ion Bi(3+) content increases.
Heavy metal oxide glasses, containing bismuth and/or lead in their glass structure are new alternatives for rare eart (RE) doped hosts. Hence, the study of the structure of these vitreous systems is of great interest for science and technology. In this research work, GeO(2)-PbO-Bi(2)O(3) glass host doped with Er(3+)/Yb(3+) ions was synthesized by a conventional melt quenching method. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results showed that PbO and Bi(2)O(3) participate with PbO(4) tetragonal pyramids and strongly distort BiO(6) octahedral units in the glass network, which subsequently act as modifiers in glass structure. These results also confirmed the existence of both four and six coordination of germanium oxide in glass matrix.
This manuscript reports on the physical properties and optical band gap of five samples of soda lime silicate (SLS) glass combined with zinc oxide (ZnO) that were prepared by a melting and quenching process. To understand the role of ZnO in this glass structure, the density, molar volume and optical band gaps were investigated. The density and absorption spectra in the Ultra-Violet-Visible (UV-Visible) region were recorded at room temperature. The results show that the densities of the glass samples increased as the ZnO weight percentage increased. The molar volume of the glasses shows the same trend as the density: the molar volume increased as the ZnO content increased. The optical band gaps were calculated from the absorption edge, and it was found that the optical band gap decreased from 3.20 to 2.32 eV as the ZnO concentration increased.
The thermoluminescent properties of boric glass modified with lithium and potassium carbonates (LKB) and co-doped with CuO and MgO are reported for the first time. Two techniques are applied to investigate the effect of dopants and co-dopants on the thermal stimulation properties of LKB. The induced TL glow curves of a CuO-doped sample are found to be at 220°C with a single peak. An enhancement of about three times is shown with the increment of 0.1 mol % MgO as a co-dopant impurity. This enhancement may contribute to the ability of magnesium to create extra electron traps and consequently the energy transfer to monovalent Cu(+) ions. LKB:Cu,Mg is low Z material (Zeff=8.55), and observed 15 times less sensitive than LiF: Mg, Ti (TLD-100). The proposed dosemeter showed good linearity in TL dose-response, low fading and excellent reproducibility with a simple glow curve, and thus, can be used in the radiation dosimetry.
We report significant enhancements in Er(3+) luminescence as well as in Raman intensity in silver nanoparticles embedded zinc-tellurite glass. Surface enhanced Raman scattering effect is highlighted for the first time in tellurite glass containing silver NPs resulting in an enhanced Raman signal (~10 times). SAED manifest the growth of Ag(0) nanoparticles along the (111) and (200) crystallographic planes having average diameter in the range 14-36 nm. Surface plasmon resonance bands are observed in the range 484-551 nm. Furthermore, four prominent photoluminescence bands undergo significant enhancements up to 3 times. The enhancement is majorly attributed to the local field effect of silver NPs.
Tea can inhibit the attachment of Streptococcus mutans to surfaces and subsequent biofilm formation. Five commercial tea extracts were screened for their ability to inhibit attachment and biofilm formation by two strains of S. mutans on glass and hydroxyapatite surfaces. The mechanisms of these effects were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and phytochemical screening. The results indicated that extracts of oolong tea most effectively inhibited attachment and extracts of pu-erh tea most effectively inhibited biofilm formation. SEM images showed that the S. mutans cells treated with extracts of oolong tea, or grown in medium containing extracts of pu-erh tea, were coated with tea components and were larger with more rounded shapes. The coatings on the cells consisted of flavonoids, tannins and indolic compounds. The ratio of tannins to simple phenolics in each of the coating samples was ∼3:1. This study suggests potential mechanisms by which tea components may inhibit the attachment and subsequent biofilm formation of S. mutans on tooth surfaces, such as modification of cell surface properties and blocking of the activity of proteins and the structures used by the bacteria to interact with surfaces.
A systematic set of borotellurite glasses doped with manganese (1-x) [(B(2)O(3))(0.3)(TeO(2))(0.7)]-xMnO, with x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mol%, were successfully synthesized by using a conventional melt and quench-casting technique. In this study, the remelting effect of the glass samples on their microstructure was investigated through density measurement and FT-IR spectra and evaluated by XRD techniques. Initial experimental results from XRD evaluation show that there are two distinct phases of glassy and crystallite microstructure due to the existence of peaks in the sample. The different physical behaviors of the studied glasses were closely related to the concentration of manganese in each phase. FTIR spectra revealed that the addition of manganese oxide contributes the transformation of TeO(4) trigonal bipyramids with bridging oxygen (BO) to TeO(3) trigonal pyramids with non-bridging oxygen (NBO).
Miniaturisation of microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) is becoming an increasingly important research topic, particularly in areas related to micro total analysis systems or lab on a chip. One of the important features associated with the miniaturised MCE system is the portable power supply unit. In this work, a very low electric field MCE utilising an amperometric detection scheme was designed for use in DNA separation. The device was fabricated from a glass/polydimethylsiloxane hybrid engraved microchannel with platinum electrodes sputtered onto a glass substrate. Measurement was based on a three-electrode arrangement, and separation was achieved using a very low electric field of 12 V/cm and sample volume of 1.5 µl. The device was tested using two commercial DNA markers of different base pair sizes. The results are in agreement with conventional electrophoresis, but with improved resolution. The sensitivity consistently higher than 100 nA, and the separation time approximately 45 min, making this microchip an ideal tool for DNA analysis.
The role of Escherichia coli H antigens in hydrophobicity and attachment to glass, Teflon and stainless steel (SS) surfaces was investigated through construction of fliC knockout mutants in E. coli O157:H7, O1:H7 and O157:H12. Loss of FliC(H12) in E. coli O157:H12 decreased attachment to glass, Teflon and stainless steel surfaces (p<0.05). Complementing E. coli O157:H12 ΔfliC(H12) with cloned wildtype (wt) fliC(H12) restored attachment to wt levels. The loss of FliCH7 in E. coli O157:H7 and O1:H7 did not always alter attachment (p>0.05), but complementation with cloned fliC(H12), as opposed to cloned fliCH7, significantly increased attachment for both strains compared with wt counterparts (p<0.05). Hydrophobicity determined using bacterial adherence to hydrocarbons and contact angle measurements differed with fliC expression but was not correlated to the attachment to materials included in this study. Purified FliC was used to functionalise silicone nitride atomic force microscopy probes, which were used to measure adhesion forces between FliC and substrates. Although no significant difference in adhesion force was observed between FliC(H12) and FliCH7 probes, differences in force curves suggest different mechanism of attachment for FliC(H12) compared with FliCH7. These results indicate that E. coli strains expressing flagellar H12 antigens have an increased ability to attach to certain abiotic surfaces compared with E. coli strains expressing H7 antigens.
This paper reports on the direct ability of two positively charged organic polyelectrolytes (natural-based and synthetic) to reduce the atrazine concentration in water. The adsorption study was set up using multiple glass vessels with different polymer dosing levels followed by ultrafiltration with a 1 kDa membrane. The addition of polymers exhibited a capability in reducing the atrazine concentration up to a maximum of 60% in surface-to-volume ratio experiments. In the beginning, the theoretical L-type of the isotherm of Giles' classification was expected with an increase in the dosage of the polymer. However, in this study, the conventional type of isotherm was not observed. It was found that the adsorption of the cationic polymer on the negatively charged glass surface was necessary and influential for the removal of atrazine. Surface-to-volume ratio adsorption experiments were performed to elucidate the mechanisms and the polymer configuration. The glass surface area was determined to be a limiting parameter in the adsorption mechanism.
A radio frequency (RF) resonator using glass-reinforced epoxy material for C and X band is proposed in this paper. Microstrip line technology for RF over glass-reinforced epoxy material is analyzed. Coupling mechanism over RF material and parasitic coupling performance is explained utilizing even and odd mode impedance with relevant equivalent circuit. Babinet's principle is deployed to explicate the circular slot ground plane of the proposed resonator. The resonator is designed over four materials from different backgrounds which are glass-reinforced epoxy, polyester, gallium arsenide (GaAs), and rogers RO 4350B. Parametric studies and optimization algorithm are applied over the geometry of the microstrip resonator to achieve dual band response for C and X band. Resonator behaviors for different materials are concluded and compared for the same structure. The final design is fabricated over glass-reinforced epoxy material. The fabricated resonator shows a maximum directivity of 5.65 dBi and 6.62 dBi at 5.84 GHz and 8.16 GHz, respectively. The lowest resonance response is less than -20 dB for C band and -34 dB for X band. The resonator is prototyped using LPKF (S63) drilling machine to study the material behavior.
Calcium sulfate-bioactive glass (CSBG) composites doped with 5, 10 and 20 mol% Fe were synthesized using quick alkali sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data of samples heated at 700 °C revealed the presence of anhydrite, while field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) characterization confirmed the formation of nano-sized CSBGs. The UV-vis studies confirmed that the main iron species in 5% Fe and 10% Fe doped CSBGs were tetrahedral Fe(III) whereas that in 20% Fe doped CSBG were extra-framework FeOx oligomers or iron oxide phases. Measurement of magnetic properties of the samples by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) showed very narrow hysteresis loop with zero coercivity and remanence for 10% Fe and 20% Fe doped CSBG, indicating that they are superparamagnetic in nature. All samples induced the formation of apatite layer with Ca/P ratio close to the stoichiometric HA in simulated body fluid (SBF) assessment.
Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) is widely investigated as an implantable material for hard tissue restoration due to its osteoconductive properties. However, hydroxyapatite in bulk form is limited as its mechanical properties are insufficient for load-bearing orthopedic applications. Attempts have been made to improve the mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite, by incorporating ceramic fillers, but the resultant composite materials require high sintering temperatures to facilitate densification, leading to the decomposition of hydroxyapatite into tricalcium phosphate, tetra-calcium phosphate and CaO phases. One method of improving the properties of hydroxyapatite is to incorporate bioactive glass particles as a second phase. These typically have lower softening points which could possibly facilitate sintering at lower temperatures. In this work, a bioactive glass (SiO2-CaO-ZnO-Na2O-TiO2) is incorporated (10, 20 and 30 wt%) into hydroxyapatite as a reinforcing phase. X-ray diffraction confirmed that no additional phases (other than hydroxyapatite) were formed at a sintering temperature of 560 ℃ with up to 30 wt% glass addition. The addition of the glass phase increased the % crystallinity and the relative density of the composites. The biaxial flexural strength increased to 36 MPa with glass addition, and there was no significant change in hardness as a function of maturation. The pH of the incubation media increased to pH 10 or 11 through glass addition, and ion release profiles determined that Si, Na and P were released from the composites. Calcium phosphate precipitation was encouraged in simulated body fluid with the incorporation of the bioactive glass phase, and cell culture testing in MC-3T3 osteoblasts determined that the composite materials did not significantly reduce cell viability.
We report the impact of dysprosium (Dy(3+)) dopant and magnesium oxide (MgO) modifier on the thermoluminescent properties of lithium borate (LB) glass via two procedures. The thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves reveal a single prominent peak at 190 °C for 0.5 mol% of Dy(3+). An increase in MgO contents by 10 mol% enhances the TL intensity by a factor of 1.5 times without causing any shift in the maximum temperature. This enhancement is attributed to the occurrence of extra electron traps created via magnesium and the energy transfer to trivalent Dy(3+) ions. Good linearity in the range of 0.01-4 Gy with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.998, fading as low as 21% over a period of 3 months, excellent reproducibility without oven annealing and tissue equivalent effective atomic numbers ~8.71 are achieved. The trap parameters, including geometric factor (μg), activation energy (E) and frequency factor (s) associated with LMB:Dy are also determined. These favorable TL characteristics of prepared glasses may contribute towards the development of Li2O-MgO-B2O3 radiation dosimeters.
Paracetamol (PCM)-loaded composite nanoparticles (NPs) composed of a biodegradable poly(d,l-lactide) (PLA) polymer matrix filled with organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles were fabricated by antisolvent nanoprecipitation in a microfluidic co-flow glass capillary device. The incorporation of MMT in the polymer improved both the drug encapsulation efficiency and the drug loading, and extended the rate of drug release in simulated intestinal fluid (pH 7.4). The particle size increased on increasing both the drug loading and the concentration of MMT in the polymer matrix, and decreased on increasing the aqueous to organic flow rate ratio. The drug encapsulation efficiency in the NPs was higher at higher aqueous to organic flow rate ratio due to faster formation of the NPs. The PCM-loaded PLA NPs containing 2 wt% MMT in PLA prepared at an aqueous to organic flow rate ratio of 10 with an orifice size of 200 μm exhibited a spherical shape with a mean size of 296 nm, a drug encapsulation efficiency of 38.5% and a drug loading of 5.4%. The encapsulation of MMT and PCM in the NPs was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.