Search results for "Note"
showing 10 items of 10709 documents
Nanoscale Engineering in the Biosciences
2009
Biological matter is one of the most diverse and important classes of materials. Products of living organisms (wood, bone, cotton, wool, leather, coal, oil, drugs, etc.) are vital to humanity as foodstuffs, energy sources, engineering and construction materials, and chemicals; and by the way, they shape the environment of the biosphere.
Scalable Electro-Optic Control of Localized Bistable Switching in Broad-Area VCSELs Using Reconfigurable Funnel Waveguides
2017
We demonstrate a steplike optical modulation based on the activation and deactivation of a bistable localized structure using a photoinduced and reconfigurable miniaturized 30 × 30 μm electroactivated funnel waveguide. Control of a single 10-μm-diameter spot in a 200-μm-diameter vertical-cavity surfaceemitting laser at 980 nm is achieved modulating the phase of an exciting beam in the specific position of the spot in the cavity. This localized on-off response can be scaled into arrays and offer a possible route to fast integrated optical logical functions and memory at low intensities at near-infrared wavelengths.
Slide electrification: charging of surfaces by moving water drops.
2019
We investigate the charge separation caused by the motion of a water drop across a hydrophobic, insulating solid surface. Although the phenomenon of liquid charging has been consistently reported, these reports are primarily observational, results are difficult to reproduce, and no quantitative theory has been developed. In this work, we address both the experimental and theoretical sides of this problem. We reproducibly measure the charge gained by water drops sliding down a substrate, and we outline an analytical theory to describe this charging process. As an experimental system, we choose water drops moving down an inclined plane of glass hydrophobized with perfluoro octadecyltrichloros…
Multifibrillar bundles of a self-assembling hyaluronic acid derivative obtained through a microfluidic technique for aortic smooth muscle cell orient…
2018
A hyaluronic acid derivative that is able to physically crosslink in a saline aqueous environment was employed for the production of fibers with a mean diameter of 50 μm using a microfluidic technique. The microfibers were collected in a tailored rotating collector and assembled to form multifibrillar bundles. The orientation of the microfibers on the collected bundles was evaluated by microCT analysis. The bundles were biofunctionalized by physical addition of fibronectin or chemical tethering of a cyRGDC peptide to achieve control of Aortic Smooth Muscle Cell (AoSMC) attachment, elongation and alignment. The mechanical performances of these bundles were evaluated by elongation tests, rela…
Third-harmonic generation in optical microfibers: From silica experiments to highly nonlinear glass prospects
2012
International audience; Using optical microfibers, phase matching between different propagation modes allows for third-harmonic generation (THG). After detailing the relevant phase matching conditions and overlap integrals, we provide a comparison between THG effective efficiencies in silica and tellurite glasses. We also explain the relatively easy, wideband, conversion that we observe experimentally in silica glass microfibers, from 155 mu m to the green, by the geometry of the tapering region.
Reinforcement Efficiency of Cellulose Microfibers for the Tensile Stiffness and Strength of Rigid Low-Density Polyurethane Foams
2020
Rigid low-density closed-cell polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used in both thermal insulation and structural applications. The sustainability of PU foam production can be increased by using bio-based components and fillers that ensure both enhanced mechanical properties and higher renewable material content. Such bio-based foams were produced using polyols derived from rapeseed oil and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) fibers as filler. The effect of MCC fiber loading of up to 10 wt % on the morphology, tensile stiffness, and strength of foams has been evaluated. For estimation of the mechanical reinforcement efficiency of foams, a model allowing for the partial alignment of filler fibers…
Nanostructured lead acid battery for electric vehicles applications
2017
This paper presents an innovative lead acid battery, based on nanostructured active materials. Both charging time and specific energy are greatly enhanced in comparison with commercial lead acid battery. Starting from the extremely valuable performances of the nanostructured battery, also a circuital model, for application in electric vehicle traction, has been specifically developed. The circuital model has demonstrated that an enhanced nanostructured battery allows an increase of traveled distance by electric vehicles.
Field testing of repurposed electric vehicle batteries for price-driven grid balancing
2019
Abstract As electric cars become more widespread, the disposal and recycling of used batteries will become an important challenge. Typically, vehicle batteries are replaced if their capacity drops to 70–80% of initial capacity. However, they may still be useful for stationary applications. In this paper, results from a field test of a molten salt high-temperature electric vehicle battery repurposed as stationary storage for grid balancing are presented. In a previous study, we have shown that a mixed integer linear programming control strategy driven by a spot-market price for electricity is best suited for an implementation on hardware with limited computational resources. A 14-day experim…
Sport and Quality of Life
2022
Negli ultimi trent’anni lo sport ha assunto un significato molto rilevante nella vita delle persone e, seppure con notevoli differenze, sia nei paesi a sviluppo economico avanzato, sia in quelli in via di sviluppo. A livello individuale, esso ha costituito un’area di investimento identitario quando ha assunto la forma di sport spettacolo del quale fruire, alimentando la pratica del tifo e il fandom o costituendo il modello di uno stile di vita vincente; ma anche quando ha assunto la forma di pratica del tempo libero attraverso la quale tenersi in forma, facendo crescere, in questo caso, la diffusione di una cultura della salute e del benessere. Si tratta di due modalità di approcciare al co…
Docetaxel-Loaded Nanoparticles Assembled from β-Cyclodextrin/Calixarene Giant Surfactants: Physicochemical Properties and Cytotoxic Effect in Prostat…
2017
Giant amphiphiles encompassing a hydrophilic β-cyclodextrin (βCD) component and a hydrophobic calix[4]arene (CA4) module undergo self-assembly in aqueous media to afford core-shell nanospheres or nanocapsules, depending on the nanoprecipitation protocol, with high docetaxel (DTX) loading capacity. The blank and loaded nanoparticles have been fully characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), ζ-potential measurements and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The data are compatible with the distribution of the drug between the nanoparticle core and the shell, where it is probably anchored by inclusion of the DTX aromatic moieties in βCD cavities. Indeed, the release kinetics …