Search results for "Chemical engineering"
showing 10 items of 5892 documents
Hydrogel-supported protein-tethered bilayer lipid membranes: a new approach toward polymer-supported lipid membranes
2011
Polymer-supported bilayer lipid membranes offer great opportunities for the investigation of functional membrane proteins. Here we present a new approach in this direction by introducing a thin hydrogel layer as a soft ‘cushion’ on indium–tin oxide (ITO), providing a smooth, functional surface to form the protein-tethered BLM (ptBLM). ITO was used as a transparent electrode, enabling simultaneous implementation of electrochemical and optical waveguide techniques. The hydrogel poly(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide-co-5-acrylamido-1-carboxypentyl-iminodiacetate-co-4-benzoylphenyl methacrylate) (P(HEAAm-co-NTAAAm-co-MABP)) was functionalized with the nickel chelating nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) gr…
Phase composition of Fe-containing Langmuir-Blodgett layers after thermal treatment in a reactive atmosphere
1993
By the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, mono- and multilayers of ferric stearate were drawn onto silicon wafers. They were thermodesorbed in air at 250–300°C, and the layers formed in this way were found to consist of γ-FeOOH with defective stoichiometry. By heating in H2, the layers can be reduced to Fe2− and even to α-Fe. The latter is magnetically ordered and highly corrosion resistant. Chloride ions, however, induce fast corrosion. FeCl2, formed by this corrosion, is rather unstable and transforms to an Fe3+ phase. The high corrosion resistance of the metallic Fe layer is assumed to be due to its excellent homogeneity. The experiments were performed using XPS, AES, CEMS, and SEM.
Predicting mass fluxes in the pervaporation process using Maxwell-Stefan diffusion coefficients
2018
Abstract In the past decades, it has been proven that pervaporation is an effective and energy-efficient membrane process for the separation of liquids that are difficult to separate in classical processes. The demand for new process applications has increased the need for mass transfer simulation methods, considering the interactions between the system components and the influence of process parameters on the permeation fluxes and at the same time requiring as few experiments as possible. The aim of the study was to find out whether the calculation of mass fluxes of multicomponent fluids based on the system of generalized Maxwell-Stefan equations (GMSE), using Maxwell-Stefan (M-S) diffusio…
Growth of ZnO crystals by vapour transport: Some ways to act on physical properties
2006
Nowadays, the growth of ZnO by vapor transport in silica ampoules is generally made in presence of graphite. As it has been already shown, this means that the growth process is carried out in presence of a Zn excess. In order to control that and act, as a consequence, on the physical properties of crystals we have performed a systematic study of the growth process in a wide range of Zn excess compositions using well defined experimental conditions. As a preliminary characterization, optical absorption and electrical properties have been analyzed at room temperature. The results show how some physical properties of as-grown ZnO crystals can be changed in a controlled way by an adequate combi…
Hydrodynamics of a co-current three-phase solid-bed reactor for foaming systems
2001
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the parameters, which characterize the pulsing flow of the gas and liquid through a bed, namely the frequency of pulsation, the velocity of the pulses and the pulse structure, for foaming systems. The paper presents the results of experiments aimed at determining the effect of the foaming power and the surface tension of liquid phase on the values of the measured parameters.
Construction of green nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts via non-covalent surface decoration of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with Pd(II) complex…
2017
Abstract Green nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts were prepared via a bottom-up strategy. Designed ligands were synthesized joining covalently an electrondeficient pyrimidine residue and a scorpiand azamacrocycle. The desired molecular properties were easily transferred to nanostructured materials in two steps: first, exploiting their spontaneous chemisorption onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) via the pyrimidinic moiety in water at room temperature, then, taking advantage of the easy coordination of Pd(II) to the azamacrocycle in the same conditions. An evenly distribution of catalytic centres was obtained on the MWCNTs surface. Catalytic properties of these materials were ass…
Improved stability of black lipid membranes by coating with polysaccharide derivatives bearing hydrophobic anchor groups
1986
Abstract Black lipid membranes were coated with modified polysaccharides bearing hydrophobic palmitoyl and cholesteryl moieties. The changes in membrane structure were investigated using dipicrylamine, a lipophilic ion, as membrane probe. The kinetics of ion transport through the black lipid membranes were studied using the charge pulse relaxation technique. With this technique it was found that it is possible to detect the insertion of the hydrophobic anchor groups of the polysaccharides into the membrane bilayer. As a result of the surface coating, these membranes exhibit a drastically increased long-term stability.
Monitoring of a biotechnological process by FTIR spectroscopy of bacterial cells
1999
In monitoring and control of biotechnological processes, the assessment of he physiological status of the organism is a crucial but difficult task. Mostly, process monitoring is based on the measurement of simple physico-chemical variables, trying to relate these to the status of the organism. We present here an approach which is based directly on the analysis of the microorganism cells.
Computational strategies for the design of new enzymatic functions
2015
In this contribution, recent developments in the design of biocatalysts are reviewed with particular emphasis in the de novo strategy. Studies based on three different reactions, Kemp elimination, Diels–Alder and Retro-Aldolase, are used to illustrate different success achieved during the last years. Finally, a section is devoted to the particular case of designed metalloenzymes. As a general conclusion, the interplay between new and more sophisticated engineering protocols and computational methods, based on molecular dynamics simulations with Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics potentials and fully flexible models, seems to constitute the bed rock for present and future successful desig…
A vacuum cell for obtaining clean surfaces on liquid low melting point metals
1997
Abstract Clean oxide film-free surface of liquid gallium was obtained in a sealed vacuum cell with a glass lid for observation. The cell was evacuated to high vacuum (10 -4 Pa) before admission of liquid and sealing. The surface contamination was about 2–5% of the free area and did not exhibit noticeable increase during several months of storing and employing the cell. The cell described allows observation of surface flows, capillary phenomena and crystallization processes under different conditions.