Synthesis, Optimization, and Performance Demonstration of Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber-Carbon Nanotube Composite Sorbents for Point-of-Use Water Treatment.

We developed an electrospun carbon nanofiber-carbon nanotube (CNF-CNT) composite with optimal sorption capacity and material strength for point-of-use (POU) water treatment. Synthesis variables including integration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and macroporosity (via sublimation of phthalic acid), relative humidity (20 and 40%), and stabilization temperature (250 and 280 °C) were used to control nanofiber diameter and surface area (from electron microscopy and BET isotherms, respectively), surface composition (from XPS), and strength (from AFM nanoindentation and tensile strength tests). Composites were then evaluated using kinetic, isotherm, and pH-edge sorption experiments with sulfamethoxazole (log Kow = 0.89) and atrazine (log Kow = 2.61), representative micropollutants chosen for their different polarities. Although CNFs alone were poor sorbents, integration of CNTs and macroporosity achieved uptake comparable to granular activated carbon. Through reactivity comparisons with CNT dispersions, we propose that increasing macroporosity exposes the embedded CNTs, thereby enabling their role as the primary sorbent in nanofiber composites. Because the highest capacity sorbents lacked sufficient strength, our optimal formulation (polyacrylonitrile 8 wt %, CNT 2 wt %, phthalic acid 2.4 wt %; 40% relative humidity; 280 °C stabilization) represents a compromise between strength and performance. This optimized sorbent was tested with a mixture of ten organic micropollutants at environmentally relevant concentrations in a gravity-fed, flow-through filtration system, where removal trends suggest that both hydrophobic and specific binding interactions contribute to micropollutant uptake. Collectively, this work highlights the promise of CNF-CNT filters (e.g., mechanical strength, ability to harness CNT sorption capacity), while also prioritizing areas for future research and development (e.g., improved removal of highly polar micropollutants, sensitivity to interfering cosolutes).

A Combined In Vitro Imaging and Multi-Scale Modeling System for Studying the Role of Cell Matrix Interactions in Cutaneous Wound Healing.

Many cell types remodel the extracellular matrix of the tissues they inhabit in response to a wide range of environmental stimuli, including mechanical cues. Such is the case in dermal wound healing, where fibroblast migrate into and remodel the provisional fibrin matrix in a complex manner that depends in part on the local mechanical environment and the evolving multi-scale mechanical interactions of the system. In this study, we report on the development of an image-based multi-scale mechanical model that predicts the short-term (24 hours), structural reorganization of a fibrin gel by fibroblasts. These predictive models are based on an in vitro experimental system where clusters of fibroblasts (i.e., explants) were spatially arranged into a triangular geometry onto the surface of fibrin gels that were subjected to either Fixed or Free in-plane mechanical constraints. Experimentally, regional differences in short-term structural remodeling and cell migration were observed for the two gel boundary conditions. A pilot experiment indicated that these small differences in the short-term remodeling of the fibrin gel translate into substantial differences in long-term (4 weeks) remodeling, particularly in terms of collagen production. The multi-scale models were able to predict some regional differences in remodeling and qualitatively similar reorganization patterns for the two boundary conditions. However, other aspects of the model, such as the magnitudes and rates of deformation of gel, did not match the experiments. These discrepancies between model and experiment provide fertile ground for challenging model assumptions and devising new experiments to enhance our understanding of how this multi-scale system functions. These efforts will ultimately improve the predictions of the remodeling process, particularly as it relates to dermal wound healing and the reduction of patient scarring. Such models could be used to recommend patient-specific mechanical-based treatment dependent on parameters such as wound geometry, location, age, and health.

In vitro evaluation of carbon-nanotube-reinforced bioprintable vascular conduits.

Vascularization of thick engineered tissue and organ constructs like the heart, liver, pancreas or kidney remains a major challenge in tissue engineering. Vascularization is needed to supply oxygen and nutrients and remove waste in living tissues and organs through a network that should possess high perfusion ability and significant mechanical strength and elasticity. In this paper, we introduce a fabrication process to print vascular conduits directly, where conduits were reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance their mechanical properties and bioprintability. In vitro evaluation of printed conduits encapsulated in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells was performed to characterize the effects of CNT reinforcement on the mechanical, perfusion and biological performance of the conduits. Perfusion and permeability, cell viability, extracellular matrix formation and tissue histology were assessed and discussed, and it was concluded that CNT-reinforced vascular conduits provided a foundation for mechanically appealing constructs where CNTs could be replaced with natural protein nanofibers for further integration of these conduits in large-scale tissue fabrication.

Observing and quantifying fibroblast-mediated fibrin gel compaction.

Cells embedded in collagen and fibrin gels attach and exert traction forces on the fibers of the gel. These forces can lead to local and global reorganization and realignment of the gel microstructure. This process proceeds in a complex manner that is dependent in part on the interplay between the location of the cells, the geometry of the gel, and the mechanical constraints on the gel. To better understand how these variables produce global fiber alignment patterns, we use time-lapse differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy coupled with an environmentally controlled bioreactor to observe the compaction process between geometrically spaced explants (clusters of fibroblasts). The images are then analyzed with a custom image processing algorithm to obtain maps of the strain. The information obtained from this technique can be used to probe the mechanobiology of various cell-matrix interactions, which has important implications for understanding processes in wound healing, disease development, and tissue engineering applications.