Scientific publications

Graphene-related materials (GRM) inherit unique combinations of physicochemical properties which offer a high potential for technological as well as biomedical applications. It is not clear which physicochemical properties are the most relevant factors influencing the behavior of GRM in complex biological environments. In this study we have focused on the interaction of GRM, especially graphene oxide (GO), and Caco-2 cells in vitro. We mimiked stomach transition by acid-treatment of two representative GRM followed by analysis of their physicochemical properties. No significant changes in the material properties or cell viability of exposed Caco-2 cells in respect to untreated GRM could be detected. Furthermore, we explored the interaction of four different GO and Caco-2 cells to identify relevant physicochemical properties for the establishment of a material property-biological response relationship. Despite close interaction with the cell surface and the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), no acute toxicity was found for any of the applied GO (concentration range 0-80 µg/ml-1) after 24 h and 48 h exposure. Graphene nanoplatelet aggregates led to low acute toxicity at high concentrations, indicating that aggregation, the number of layers or the C/O ratio have a more pronounced effect on the cell viability than the lateral size alone.

Within the framework of the ENFSI Expert Working Group Firearms/GSR a novel proficiency test on the Forensic Determination of Shooting Distance – FSDS2015 – was implemented. This proficiency test was developed out of collaborative studies which were previously carried out by a number of pre-selected ENFSI laboratories. The aim of this test was to assess the laboratories’ performance in visualizing the lead patterns on a shot object, and compare the questioned patterns with provided test shot patterns. The participating laboratories were requested to estimate the presumed shooting distance following their individual laboratory specific methods (SOPs) for shooting distance / muzzle-to-target determination. The submitted results were compiled by means of z scores according to the IUPAC and EURACHEM guidelines, and an extended statistical evaluation was performed. This is one of the first proficiency tests in the field of qualitative forensic methods where z scores were successfully utilized. This paper summarizes the results of the study and presents the overall performance of the participating laboratories.

One-dimensional zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures of different sizes were synthesized on silicon wafer substrates by controlling the substrate condition using chemical etching and a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process. In this work, a thin layer of gold was deposited on the silicon substrate and used as catalyst. Gold is one of the most frequently-used catalysts in the chemical vapor-deposition method. By annealing the gold-coated thin films at different temperatures, the layer was transformed into gold islands, due to the dewetting effect. To investigate the effect of the dewetting process on ZnO nanostructures, samples with various thicknesses are annealed at different temperatures. The results are compared with the uncoated and chemically-etched silicon wafers. Structural and morphological properties of the samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning-electron microscopy. Formation of nanowires and nanorods was observed, and their sizes were dependent on the sizes of the gold islands. Photoluminescence spectra of the samples at room temperature were measured and visible emissions were observed from the synthesized nanostructures at room temperature.

Nano-TiO2 filled polypropylene was compounded on a twin-screw extruder and diluted to a filler con-tent of 1 vol.-%. Nanocomposite and neat matrix material were then injection molded to plates and vibration welded. Thin films of welded specimens were investigated in micro-tensile testing under the light-microscope in order to achieve global and local tensile properties and compared to results of tensile tests for two welding pressures on neat and filled polypropylene. Based on investigations, a model of the welding area has been created with ANSYS, which then was coupled and compared with experimental results based on macroscopic test coupons. Prediction of break position based on stress distribution calculated in the model was in good agreement with experimental results.

In this study, carbon nanotubes reinforced polyoxymethylene with different filler loadings was joined by using linear vibration welding technique. The tensile properties of vibration welded polyoxymethylene nanocomposites with different carbon nanotube contents were studied as functions of filler loading and weld pressure. The results showed that the addition of carbon nanotubes into polyoxymethylene slightly improved the matrix tensile strength and pronounced decreased the ductility of pure polyoxymethylene. Interestingly, the weld strength of the nanocomposites was also higher than the polymer matrix strength even at high weld pressure of 2 MPa. Possible reasons for this high weld strength are discussed based on the morphological investigations.

The friction and wear behavior of PEEK and a multi-scale particle filled PEEK was characterized by using a velocity increasing approach during one sliding wear test without changing of polymer specimen and counterbody. The results derived demonstrated that the incorporation of various fillers remarkably improved the tribological performance of PEEK, especially under severer load conditions, e.g. under a pv-condition of 4 MPa and 0.5–4 m/s, the mean specific wear rate reduced from 19 mm3 N−1 m−1 to 0.42 mm3 N−1 m−1 after incorporation of rigid fillers, and similarly, the lowest friction coefficient was obtained from PEEK composite, which is about 0.1. In addition, similar friction coefficients and wear rates of PEEK and PEEK composite are gained from velocity increasing tests compared to those evaluated from constant velocity tests, which means that the successful application of the velocity increasing technique in the investigation of the tribological performance of polymer materials can obviously reduce the time and material expenses. Finally, based on the observations of the worn surface, in addition to the rolling effect of the particles between body and counterbody and the alleviation of stress concentration on the SCFs due to improvement of the matrix stiffness by incorporating rigid particles, an additional protective effect of particles on the SCFs was observed. The particles accumulate in front of the fibers, which reduces the direct contact between the counterbody and SCF, and therefore, the debonding and removals of fibers were alleviated.

AbstractWe demonstrate that the inclusion of subsurface microfluidic features in a soft polymer surface, whose internal pressure can be varied, may be used to modify the effective radius of curvature of the contact and thus switch the magnitude of the adhesion of the surface to a harder counterface from one state to another – in other words to control the 'stickiness' of the surface. In these circumstances, adhesion depends on van der Waal forces and can be described by the classic treatment of Johnson, Kendall and Roberts. The pressurization of the subsurface chambers results in the rapid emergence of surface features with reduced radii of curvature which drastically decreases the area available for contact so providing a reduction of up to 90% in the adhesion force of a surface from its original 'sticky' state. It is demonstrated that this mechanism can provide a quick, reversible and clean detachment.

Localized inclusions of liquids provide solid materials with many functions, such as self-healing, secretion, and tunable mechanical properties, in a spatially controlled mode. However, a strategy to control the distribution of liquid droplets in solid matrices directly obtained from a homogeneous solution has not been reported thus far. Herein, we describe an approach to selectively localize liquid droplets in a supramolecular gel directly obtained from its solution by using evaporative lithography. In this process, the formation of droplet-embedded domains occurs in regions of free evaporation where the non-volatile liquid is concentrated and undergoes a phase separation to create liquid droplets prior to gelation, while a homogeneous gel matrix is formed in the regions of hindered evaporation. The different regions of a coating with droplet embedment patterns display different secretion abilities, enabling the control of the directional movement of water droplets.

Nanocomposites consisting of conductive polymers and functional nanoparticles have recently been employed in photodetectors and imagers. Here, we present a novel hybrid-organic photodetector (HPD) that was optimized for the detection of X-rays meeting the specific needs of medical imaging. Devices were fabricated using inorganic lead sulfide (PbS) nanocrystal (NC) quantum dots (QDs) and a blend of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Quantum dots convert X-rays directly into charge-carriers that then migrate through the organic blend to the contacting electrodes. The performance of such devices depends on the thickness and probably on the morphology of the active layer. We discuss the synthesis and characterization of the PbS quantum dots, their incorporation into a HPD, and the performance of the HPD in X-ray sensing. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy show the PbS-QD distribution in the organic matrix. We find a strong tendency of the QDs to phase-separate from the organic blend.