Search results for " Coating."
showing 10 items of 2558 documents
The mechanism of aquaporin inhibition by gold compounds elucidated by biophysical and computational methods
2017
The inhibition of water and glycerol permeation via human aquaglyceroporin-3 (AQP3) by gold(iii) complexes has been studied by stopped-flow spectroscopy and, for the first time, its mechanism has been described using molecular dynamics (MD), combined with density functional theory (DFT) and electrochemical studies. The obtained MD results showed that the most effective gold-based inhibitor, anchored to Cys40 in AQP3, is able to induce shrinkage of pores preventing glycerol and water permeation. Moreover, the good correlation between the affinity of the Au(iii) complex to Cys binding and AQP3 inhibition effects was highlighted, while no influence of the different oxidative character of the c…
THE DURABILITY OF INNOVATIVE CEMENTITIOUS COATINGS: PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITY AND COLOUR
2012
Today, in a world context characterized by high pollution levels and increasingly limited natural resources, even in the building sector, focusing on environmental issues, through energy saving and a more rational use of these resources, both during construction and management, is fundamental. An important contribution in this direction is given by the knowledge of the durability of products and building components, especially when innovative products are applied and no information are available on the reliability and service life. The research concerns the evaluation of the durability of cement-based photocatalytic coatings (“rasanti” in the Italian diction), containing different types of …
New frontiers in sustainable energy production and storage
2015
Evidently, one of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions consists in the deployment of renewable energies, with the advantage of securing and expanding the energy supplies of a given country. The main problem that arises is due to the intermittent temporary character of many renewable resources like solar and wind. For this reason, it has been recently concluded that in case of high integration of renewables into the distribution grid (more than about 30% of the electricity mix), the implementation of energy storage systems together with smart grids is necessary. Therefore, renewable energies for large scale power production in country would usually require the availability of a su…
Cooperative Thermal and Optical Switching of Spin States in a New Two-Dimensional Coordination Polymer
2003
{Fe(pmd)2[Cu(CN)2]2} (pmd = pyrimidine) displays a rigid two-dimensional structure and undergoes thermal- and optical-driven spin crossover behaviour; cooperative elastic coupling between iron(II) ions in the framework induces thermal hysteresis in the HS↔LS conversion and sigmoidal HS→LS relaxation of the photo-induced HS state at low temperatures. Niel, Virginie, Virginie.Niel@uv.es ; Galet Domingo, Ana Guadalupe, Ana.Galet@uv.es ; Gaspar Pedros, Ana Belen, Ana.B.Gaspar@uv.es ; Real Cabezos, Jose Antonio, Jose.A.Real@uv.es
Micromorphological approach to the systematics of Mediterranean Isoëtes species (Isoëtaceae, Lycopodiophyta): analysis of the megaspore surface
2012
Megaspore ornamentation is one of the few morphological characters used in the taxonomy of the genus Isoëtes. In the present work, we test the application of this character for distinguishing some Isoëtes species occurring in the Mediterranean: Isoëtes sicula, which according to some authors should be included as a variety in I. histrix, and the recently described I. todaroana, whose affinity with other taxa is currently unknown. Two additional species (I. duriei, I. velata) were also included in the analysis. The megaspores were studied using scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and chemical treatment. In all species, the megaspore surface is cove…
Characterization of V-doped SnO2 nanoparticles at ambient and high pressures
2018
Nanoparticles of V-doped SnO2 with stoichiometry Sn1-xO2Vx (x = 0.05, 0.075, 0.125) have been synthesized by a co-precipitation method. Their structural, vibrational, and nuclear properties have been characterized by x-ray Diffraction, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, and Mössbauer Spectroscopy (with 119Sn probe) at ambient pressure. We also performed high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments. The structural behaviour was studied up to ∼10 GPa under quasi-hydrostatic conditions. It has been found that tin dioxide nanoparticles with V are more compressible than un-doped tin dioxide nanoparticles. Fil: Ferrari, S. Consej…
3D photonic crystal intermediate reflector for micromorph thin-film tandem solar cell
2008
The concept of 3D photonic intermediate reflectors for micromorph silicon tandem solar cells has been investigated. In thin-film silicon tandem solar cells consisting of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon with two junctions of a-Si/μc-Si, efficiency enhancements can be achieved by increasing the current density in the a-Si top cell. It is one goal to provide an optimized current matching at high current densities. For an ideal photon-management between top and bottom cell, a spectrally selective intermediate reflective layer (IRL) is necessary, which is less dependent of the angle of incidence than state-of-the-art thickness dependent massive interlayers. The design, preparation and cha…
Effect of Opuntia ficus-indica Mucilage Edible Coating in Combination with Ascorbic Acid, on Strawberry Fruit Quality during Cold Storage
2021
Strawberry fruit is a nonclimacteric fruit and is one of the most consumed berries in the world. It is characterized by high levels of vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, β-carotene, and phenolic constituents as well asanthocyanins that are strictly related to health benefits. Strawberries are highly perishable fruit with a very short postharvest life due to their susceptibility to mechanical injury, rapid texture softening, physiological disorders, and infection caused by several pathogens (yeast and mold) that can rapidly reduce fruit quality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the application of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage in combination with ascorbic acid, as edible …
Film blowing of silane-modified polyethylene
2009
The grafting of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) onto polyethylene (PE) with the help of small amounts of peroxides was investigated to film-blow these modified materials. The degree of crosslinking was kept very low to achieve good melt processability and improved mechanical properties. The possibility of obtaining modified PE films with improved properties and regularly distributed crosslinking with a single processing step demonstrates the uniqueness of this study. The additive concentration was established through preliminary studies; with a batch mixer, it was possible to process the modified PE in the film-blowing operation. Water treatment of the modified films after film blowing allowed …
Structure-property relationships of polycarbonate diol-based polyurethanes as a function of soft segment content and molar mass
2014
Segmented thermoplastic polyurethanes (PUs) have been synthesized with polycarbonate diol as soft segment and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate and butanediol as hard segment. Two different series employing two different soft-segment molar mass, 1000 and 2000 g/mol, and by changing the hard-segment content from 32 to 67% have been investigated with the aim to elucidate the effect of the different content variations on the properties. Morphological, thermal, and mechanical properties have been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), wide angle X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, tensile and…