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ePaper created 2015-05-08, 15:29:13 | version 1.38.0
62 HIGHLIGHTS in aqueous media and protic ionic liquids. Using car- bon onions and nanofi bers, a novel electrode design was developed with 10-fold improved electrical con- ductivity and energy density was improved 3-fold by employing the reversible pseudocapacitance of quinones. (Fig. 2) ENVISION: MULTISCALE TEXTURED BIOMATERIAL MEMBRANES FOR VASCULAR SYSTEM IMPLANTS Energy Materials, Nano Cell Interactions, Switchable Surfaces A toolkit for electrospinning biocompatible polymer fi ber membranes with biofunctional surfaces and as- sociated cell culturing protocols was developed. Th e membranes can potentially be used for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, for example as scaff olds for venous valve leafl et im- plants. Th e project resulted in a prototype scaff old support that fi ts into a 12 well plate and successful culturing of HUVEC and mouse fi broblasts on poly (L-lactide-co-caprolactone) scaff olds. (Fig. 3) In 2013, INM established an internal project competition to strengthen the cooperation between the groups and contribute to the four INM lead areas on energy applications, medical surfaces, tribological systems and nanosafety. Focus projects were selected for a one year funding: AGGLOTOX – DEFINED PARTICLE AGGLOMERATES FOR NANOTOXICIY STUDIES Structure Formation, Nano Cell Interactions Agglomerated nanoparticles diff er from single particles in intracellular uptake and cytotoxic eff ects. We studied the self-terminated agglomeration of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) in protein solutions and established protocols for the formation of microscopic AuNP clusters with controllable sizes to be used in cytotoxicity assays. We found that AuNP agglomerate via a kinetic process and are eventually stabilized by a protein layer that stops agglomeration. (Fig. 1) ELECTRIC – ELECTROCHEMICAL TRANSPARENT INTEGRATED CAPACITORS Energy Materials, Optical Materials We explored electrochemical in situ spectroscopy to enable high energy performance of supercapacitors via redox reactions FOCUS PROJECTS – A TOOL TO STRENGTHEN INM’S LEAD AREAS Fig. 1: AuNP agglomeration at low (circles) and high (diamonds) protein concentration by dynamic light scattering. Solid lines: fi ts to modifi ed Smoluchowski model, dashed lines: agglomeration rate. TEM images: stable clusters. Scale bars: 100 nm. Fig. 2: Novel carbon onion / carbon nanofi ber / quinone electrodes for supercapacitor electrodes. Fig. 3: Well plate insert to stabilize membrane scaffold. Inset (b) shows HUVEC cells cultured on fi brous scaffold.