Search results for "Aquinas"
showing 10 items of 86 documents
A Deep Insight into Different Acidic Additives as Doping Agents for Enhancing Proton Conductivity on Polybenzimidazole Membranes
2020
[EN] The use of phosphoric acid doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes for fuel cell applications has been extensively studied in the past decades. In this article, we present a systematic study of the physicochemical properties and proton conductivity of PBI membranes doped with the commonly used phosphoric acid at different concentrations (0.1, 1, and 14 M), and with other alternative acids such as phytic acid (0.075 M) and phosphotungstic acid (HPW, 0.1 M). The use of these three acids was reflected in the formation of channels in the polymeric network as observed by cross-section SEM images. The acid doping enhanced proton conductivity of PBI membranes and, after doping, these conducti…
Phosphoric Acid Doped Polybenzimidazole (PBI)/Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Composite Membranes with Significantly Enhanced Proton Conductivity unde…
2018
The preparation and characterization of composite polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes containing zeolitic imidazolate framework 8 (ZIF-8) and zeolitic imidazolate framework 67 (ZIF-67) is reported. The phosphoric acid doped composite membranes display proton conductivity values that increase with increasing temperatures, maintaining their conductivity under anhydrous conditions. The addition of ZIF to the polymeric matrix enhances proton transport relative to the values observed for PBI and ZIFs alone. For example, the proton conductivity of PBI@ZIF-8 reaches 3.1 10&minus
Crosslinked Sulfonated Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Graphene Oxide Electrospun Nanofibers as Polyelectrolytes
2019
[EN] Taking advantage of the high functionalization capacity of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), bead-free homogeneous nanofibrous mats were produced. The addition of functional groups by means of grafting strategies such as the sulfonation and the addition of nanoparticles such as graphene oxide (GO) were considered to bring new features to PVA. Two series of sulfonated and nonsulfonated composite nanofibers, with different compositions of GO, were prepared by electrospinning. The use of sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) allowed crosslinked and functionalized mats with controlled size and morphology to be obtained. The functionalization of the main chain of the PVA and the determination of the optimum co…
Brewer's spent grains as biofuels in combustion-based energy recovery processes: Evaluation of thermo-oxidative decomposition
2022
[EN] The high global generation of wastes and side streams from agri-food production has led to environmental impact and causes nature degradation due to their uncontrolled management. These wastes are profitable materials with significant economic value that could otherwise be exploited as new sources in the feed industry or the production of bioenergy. Among them, brewer¿s spent grain (BSG) is a solid by-product generated in the beerbrewing process that consists of the barley grain husks together with parts of the pericarp and seed coat layer. Although it is rich in fibres and proteins, its main use is currently limited to animal feed or simply deposition to landfills. This study pursues …
Positioning of the cross-stitch on the modified Kessler core tendon suture
2018
[EN] Cryopreserved human tendons were sutured with different variations of a modified Kessler-type grasping suture in a series of different designs in order to assess the influence of the distance between the cross-stitch on the core suture (5 and 10 mm from the cut tendon edge) on the peripheral suture. An original mathematical model was employed to explain the mechanical behavior (strength, deformation, and distribution of load) of the different suture designs. The effect of the peripheral epitendinous suture, combined with the distance of the core suture, was evaluated. The variation of core suture distance had no relevant consequences on the overall resilience of the design. However, in…
Implantation of bilayered plla scaffolds loaded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCS) in a sheep model of osteochondral lesions
2012
[EN] Purpose: Cartilage injuries are poorly repaired after surgery, since cartilage is a tissue with a very limited capacity to regenerate. Apart from other surgical attempts, autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) was the first cell therapy approach developed for these kinds of lesions. Chondrocyte usage nevertheless is limited by the dedifferentiation occurred when expanded in monolayer. Bone marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) emerge as ideal cells to be implanted in the site of cartilage lesions. Methods: Here we use MSC to treat sheep cartilage lesions implanted in the upper cartilage layer of bilayered PLLA scaffolds, which hold a lower layer enriched with Hydroxiapatite to…
Channeled scaffolds implanted in adult rat brain.
2012
Scaffolds with aligned channels based on acrylate copolymers, which had previously demonstrated good com- patibility with neural progenitor cells were studied as coloniz- able structures both in vitro with neural progenitor cells and in vivo, implanted without cells in two different locations, in the cortical plate of adult rat brains and close to the subven- tricular zone. In vitro, neuroprogenitors colonize the scaffold and differentiate into neurons and glia within its channels. When implanted in vivo immunohistochemical analysis by confocal microscopy for neural and endothelial cells markers demonstrated that the scaffolds maintained continuity with the surrounding neural tissue and wer…
In vitro validation of biomedical polyester-based scaffolds: Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) as model-case
2018
[EN] Monitoring and understanding the in vitro behaviour of polyester based scaffolds both comprising the study of the hydrolytic degradation and the cell seeding viability is essential to ensure the desired functionality, according to a given biomedical purpose. As a model case to compare the performance of techniques to monitor the in vitro behaviour, poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds were chosen. The in vitro hydrolytic degradation of PLGA scaffolds was carried out in water and phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The evolution of the mass loss, the molar mass, the thermal properties and the surface morphology were monitored. The hydrolytic degradation media was correspondingly eva…
Novel silicon microparticles to improve sunlight stability of raw polypropylene
2015
Oxidation of polyolefins by ultraviolet/visible irradiation is a significant limitation for their use in several technological applications. The use of high-tech additives such as silicon microparticles becomes a compositing strategy that can improve the performance of these materials at long-term service conditions. Silicon particles were added to non-additivated raw polypropylene (PP) prepared by hot melt extrusion and subjected to accelerated sunlight irradiation tests. The stability of thermal properties, mechanical performance and thermal decomposition behaviour of composites was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and thermogravimetry. T…
A statistical design of experiments for optimizing the MALDI-TOF-MS sample preparation of polymers. An application in the assessment of the thermo-me…
2011
[EN] The sample preparation procedure for MALDI-TOF MS of polymers is addressed in this study by the application of a statistical Design of Experiments (DoE). Industrial poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) was chosen as model polymer. Different experimental settings (levels) for matrixes, analyte/matrix proportions and concentrations of cationization agent were considered. The quality parameters used for the analysis were signal-to-noise ratio and resolution. A closer inspection of the statistical results provided the study not only with the best combination of factors for the MALDI sample preparation, but also with a better understanding of the influence of the different factors, individua…