Hydrogel Formulation for Biomimetic Fibroblast Cell Culture: Exploring Effects of External Stresses and Cellular Responses.

In the process of tissue engineering, several types of stresses can influence the outcome of tissue regeneration. This outcome can be understood by designing hydrogels that mimic this process and studying how such hydrogel scaffolds and cells behave under a set of stresses. Here, a hydrogel formulation is proposed to create biomimetic scaffolds suitable for fibroblast cell culture. Subsequently, we examine the impact of external stresses on fibroblast cells cultured on both solid and porous hydrogels. These stresses included mechanical tension and altered-gravity conditions experienced during the 83rd parabolic flight campaign conducted by the European Space Agency. This study shows distinct cellular responses characterized by cell aggregation and redistribution in regions of intensified stress concentration. This paper presents a new biomimetic hydrogel that fulfills tissue-engineering requirements in terms of biocompatibility and mechanical stability. Moreover, it contributes to our comprehension of cellular biomechanics under diverse gravitational conditions, shedding light on the dynamic cellular adaptations versus varying stress environments.

Environmental Chamber Characterization of an Ice Detection Sensor for Aviation Using Graphene and PEDOT:PSS.

In the context of improving aircraft safety, this work focuses on creating and testing a graphene-based ice detection system in an environmental chamber. This research is driven by the need for more accurate and efficient ice detection methods, which are crucial in mitigating in-flight icing hazards. The methodology employed involves testing flat graphene-based sensors in a controlled environment, simulating a variety of climatic conditions that could be experienced in an aircraft during its entire flight. The environmental chamber enabled precise manipulation of temperature and humidity levels, thereby providing a realistic and comprehensive test bed for sensor performance evaluation. The results were significant, revealing the graphene sensors' heightened sensitivity and rapid response to the subtle changes in environmental conditions, especially the critical phase transition from water to ice. This sensitivity is the key to detecting ice formation at its onset, a critical requirement for aviation safety. The study concludes that graphene-based sensors tested under varied and controlled atmospheric conditions exhibit a remarkable potential to enhance ice detection systems for aircraft. Their lightweight, efficient, and highly responsive nature makes them a superior alternative to traditional ice detection technologies, paving the way for more advanced and reliable aircraft safety solutions.

Wind Tunnel Characterization of a Graphene-Enhanced PEDOT:PSS Sensing Element for Aircraft Ice Detection Systems.

This study details the development and validation of a graphene-based ice detection system, designed to enhance flight safety by monitoring ice accumulation on aircraft surfaces. The system employs a semiconductive polymer (PEDOT:PSS) with graphene electrodes, interpreting resistance changes to detect water impact and ice formation in real time. The sensor's performance was rigorously tested in a wind tunnel under various temperature and airflow conditions, focusing on resistance signal dependency on air temperature and phase change. The results demonstrate the sensor's ability to distinguish water droplet impacts from ice formation, with a notable correlation between resistance signal amplitude and water droplet impacts leading to ice accretion. Further analysis shows a significant relationship between air temperature and the resistance signal amplitude, particularly at lower temperatures beneficial to ice formation. This underlines the sensor's precision in varied atmospheric conditions. The system's compact design and accurate detection highlight its potential for improving aircraft ice monitoring, offering a path toward a robust and reliable ice detection system.

Active Role of Vapor Clouds around Evaporating Sessile Droplets in Microgravity: Marangoni Jets and Electroconvection.

A benchmark microgravity experiment (dubbed "ARLES") is analyzed. It concerns evaporation of several-µL sessile droplets with a pinned millimetric circular contact line on a flat substrate into a vast calm (here nitrogen) atmosphere at nearly normal conditions. Hydrofluoroether (HFE-7100) is used as a working liquid whose appreciable volatility and heavy vapor accentuate the contrast between the micro- and normal gravity. A possibility of switching on a DC electric field (EF) of several kV/mm orthogonally to the substrate is envisaged. We here focus on the findings intimately associated with the visualization of the vapor cloud by means of interferometry and rationalized by means of extensive simulations. In particular, with different degrees of unexpectedness, we discover and explore a Marangoni jet (without EF) and electroconvection (with EF) in the gas, which would otherwise be masked by buoyancy convection. Using the same tools, we examine some malfunctions of the space experiment.

Enhanced electrical conductivity and stretchability of ionic-liquid PEDOT:PSS air-cathodes for aluminium-air batteries with long lifetime and high specific energy.

A hydrogel film, poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT):polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), containing an ionic liquid, is used as an air-cathode for a metal-air battery and its performance is investigated. This work presents the development of the air-cathode and the characterization of its physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Moreover, in view of wearable batteries, these air-cathodes are implemented within a flexible aluminium-air battery. It contains an aluminium anode, an electrolyte made of cellulose paper imbibed with an aqueous sodium chloride solution and the PEDOT:PSS air-cathode. Characterisation tests showed that the ionic liquid did not change the air-cathode chemically, while the electric conductivity increased considerably. The anode has an acceptable purity and was found to be resistant against self-corrosion. Discharge tests showed operating voltages up to 0.65 V, whereas two batteries in series could deliver up to 1.3 V at a current density of 0.9 mA cm-2 for almost a day, sufficient for monitoring and medical devices. Several discharge tests with current densities from 0.25 up to 2.5 mA cm-2 have presented operating lifetimes from 10 h up until over a day. At a current density of 2.8 mA cm-2, the operating voltage and lifetime dropped considerably, explained by approaching the limiting current density of about 3 mA cm-2, as evidenced by linear sweep voltammetry. The batteries showed high specific energies up to about 3140 Wh kg-1. Mechanical tests revealed a sufficient stretchability of the air-cathode, even after battery discharge, implying an acceptable degree of wearability. Together with the reusability of the air-cathode, the battery is a promising route towards a low-cost viable way for wearable power supply for monitoring medical devices with long lifetimes and high specific energies. Optimization of the air-cathode could even lead to higher power applications.

Surface tension of nanoparticle dispersions unravelled by size-dependent non-occupied sites free energy versus adsorption kinetics.

The surface tension of dispersions presents many types of behaviours. Although some models, based on classical surface thermodynamics, allow partial interpretation, fundamental understanding is still lacking. This work develops a single analytical physics-based formulation experimentally validated for the surface tension of various pure nanoparticle dispersions, explaining the underlying mechanisms. Against common belief, surface tension increase of dispersions appears not to occur at low but rather at intermediate surface coverage, owed by the relatively large size of nanoparticles with respect to the fluid molecules. Surprisingly, the closed-form model shows that the main responsible mechanism for the various surface tension behaviours is not the surface chemical potential of adsorbed nanoparticles, but rather that of non-occupied sites, triggered and delicately controlled by the nanoparticles 'at a distance', introducing the concept of the 'non-occupancy' effect. The model finally invites reconsidering surface thermodynamics of dispersions and provides for criteria that allow in a succinct manner to quantitatively classify the various surface tension behaviours.

Thermotropic Liquid Crystals for Temperature Mapping.

Wound management in Space is an important factor to be considered in future Human Space Exploration. It demands the development of reliable wound monitoring systems that will facilitate the assessment and proper care of wounds in isolated environments, such as Space. One possible system could be developed using liquid crystal films, which have been a promising solution for real-time in-situ temperature monitoring in healthcare, but they are not yet implemented in clinical practice. To progress in the latter, the goal of this study is twofold. First, it provides a full characterization of a sensing element composed of thermotropic liquid crystals arrays embedded between two elastomer layers, and second, it discusses how such a system compares against non-local infrared measurements. The sensing element evaluated here has an operating temperature range of 34-38°C, and a quick response time of approximately 0.25 s. The temperature distribution of surfaces obtained using this system was compared to the one obtained using the infrared thermography, a technique commonly used to measure temperature distributions at the wound site. This comparison was done on a mimicked wound, and results indicate that the proposed sensing element can reproduce the temperature distributions, similar to the ones obtained using infrared imaging. Although there is a long way to go before implementing the liquid crystal sensing element into clinical practice, the results of this work demonstrate that such sensors can be suitable for future wound monitoring systems.

Universal relation between the density and the viscosity of dispersions of nanoparticles and stabilized emulsions.

The effective viscosity of nanoparticle dispersions has been investigated experimentally quite a lot and various behaviours have been observed. Many models have been proposed to predict the effective viscosity, but these are mainly empirical ones, correlations with a tuning parameter or based on fastidious molecular interactions simulations. In this work, we propose a new fully physics-based analytical expression for the effective viscosity implementing theories from extended thermodynamics, including nano-confinement effects, nanoparticle-fluid interactions, density effects, size effects and nanoparticle volume fraction. We validate this model against several different types of nanoparticle dispersions and emulsions and explain the different behaviours using the same model. It appears that the density ratio of the nanoparticles with respect to the fluid plays a crucial role affecting the viscosity. The nanoparticle-fluid interactions become increasingly important for smaller nanoparticle sizes. From these comparisons, we arrive at a general simplified expression for the effective viscosity of nanoparticle dispersions, where it is observed that there is a direct universal relation between the nanoparticles and fluid densities and the nanodispersion viscosities. The validity of such a relation has been explicitly demonstrated.

High-frequency temperature pulse-response behavior through a porous nanocomposite scaffold for measuring the uptake of biological fluids.

The measurement of biological fluid uptake into a scaffold sensor has been modeled by measuring the response of induced high-frequency temperature pulses. For this, a heat transport equation is used, developed from Extended Thermodynamics, also equivalent to Cattaneo's equation, as well as an effective thermal conductivity. The effective thermal conductivity is experimentally validated against data measurements of a carbon nanotube porous nanocomposite, embedded with silica nanoparticles. This nanocomposite serves also as the case study for the scaffold sensor. The uptake of the biological fluid in this scaffold sensor is equivalent to a change in the effective thermal conductivity, monitored by an increase of the interstitial volume fraction. By imposing a high-frequency temperature oscillation, the temperature response at the other end of the porous medium is calculated. Depending on the ratio of the relaxation time and the thermal diffusion time, the temperature response can be of oscillatory nature or of an exponential growth to an asymptotic limit. It is observed that an observed phase lag in the temperature response indicates a change in the effective thermal conductivity and thus is a criterion denoting the amount of uptake.

Nanomedicine by extended non-equilibrium thermodynamics: cell membrane diffusion and scaffold medication release.

In nanomedicine, an increasing interest has been allotted to local administration of drugs. For this to be efficient, some of the most important issues are to control or improve the drug release from scaffolds porting the medication and the drug uptake through the cell membranes. Next to in vitro experiments, models can provide for important information. Theories and models that account for the size of the scaffolds and cell membranes, as well as the relaxation time of drug molecules, are necessary in order to contribute to a better understanding. As microscopic models are not easy to implement in real-life applications, we propose a model, based on new developments in Extended Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics, to analyse drug diffusion through cell membranes and drug release from scaffolds. Our model, although treating nano- and microscopic phenomena, gives well-defined macroscopic results that can readily be applied and compared to experiments, giving it high accessibility. It appears that non-local effects should be reduced in order to enhance medication permeation, whether it be through scaffold release or through a cell membrane. This can be done by controlling the size of the medication and its relaxation time, e.g. by surface functionalization. The latter is shown by introducing a slip factor, which confirms that a higher slip at the scaffold pore walls leads to an increase in the medication delivery.

Effect of including a gas layer on the gel formation process during the drying of a polymer solution.

In this paper, we study the influence of the upper gas layer on the drying and gelation of a polymer solution. The gel is formed due to the evaporation of the binary solution into (inert) air. A one-dimensional model is proposed, where the evaporation flux is more realistically described than in previous studies. The approach is based on general thermodynamic principles. A composition-dependent diffusion coefficient is used in the liquid phase and the local equilibrium hypothesis is introduced at the interface to describe the evaporation process. The results show that the high thickness of the gas layer reduces evaporation, thus leading to longer drying times. Our model is also compared with more phenomenological descriptions of evaporation, for which the mass flux through the interface is described by the introduction of a Peclet number. A global agreement is found for appropriate values of the Peclet numbers and our model can thus be considered as a tool allowing to link the value of the empirical Peclet number to the physics of the gas phase. Finally, in contrast with other models, our approach emphasizes the possibility of very fast gelation at the interface, which could prevent all Marangoni convection during the drying process.