Continuous-Flow Ammoxidation of 2-Methylpyrazine to 2-Cyanopyrazine with High Space-Time Yield in a Microreactor.

A microreactor (MR) with a vaporization microchamber and a sinusoidal wave microchannel was fabricated to synthesize 2-cyanopyrazine (CP) directly with an aqueous 2-methylpyrazine (MP) solution. A continuous-flow process with high space-time yield was achieved under the premise of strong exothermality of this ammoxidation reaction. The vanadium metal oxide catalysts with four different supports (α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3, ZSM-5(50), ZSM-5(80)) were evaluated by simply stacking in the wave microchannel from 350 to 540 °C. The process parameters (temperature, reactant ratio, and size of catalysts) were optimized with the selected CrVPO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst, and an optimal ammoxidation process with MP conversion (X MP) of 71.5% and CP selectivity (S CP) of 93.7% was obtained by a volume space velocity (GHSV) of 13 081 h-1 at 480 °C. Correspondingly, the space-time yield of CP (STYCP) was 1724-77 082 gCPkgcat -1h-1, which was the highest value ever reported for this reaction. Meanwhile, the ammoxidation reaction showed a great continuous-synthesis stability of 50-h running in the microreactor with the CP yield (Y CP) remaining 56%-68%.

[Exploration of the Suitable Culture Conditions for Extracellular Microvesicles Derived from Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the appropriate procedures for preparing extracellular microvesicles (MV) derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). METHODS: Human MSCs from umbilical cords were cultured in a serum-free medium and maintained in a basal medium for 72 hours after the cell confluence reached to 80%. The supernatants of cultured cells were collected and MVs were enriched. MVs were identified by flow cytometry and electron microscopy. The total protein amount in MVs was used as a parameter for the content of MVs. The supernatants were adjusted to different pH values, and the output of MVs was detected. The supernatants were also collected for enriching the MV and detecting the protein content of MV after the cells were maintained in the basic medium for different time. RESULTS: Flow cytometric analysis showed that the MVs expressed CD9, CD63 and CD81, morphologically presented round under an electron microscope and the diameter of MV was around 100 nm. After enrichment of MV, the protein content of MVs in the supernatants was 416.8±128.1, 255.4±77.9 and 142.8±46.4 µg per 107 MSC，respectively at pH of supernatant 3, 7 and 9 (P＜0.05). The protein content of the supernatants per 107 MSC was 173.6±44.5, 262.4±49.6 and 364.2±37.8 µg respectively after starvation culture for 48, 72 and 96 hrs (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: MVs can be readily collected after MSCs were starved for 96 hours, and the pH of the supernatants is adjusted at 3.0.

Elaboration of the Demulsification Process of W/O Emulsion with Three-Dimensional Electric Spiral Plate-Type Microchannel.

Rapid and efficient demulsification (destabilizing of an emulsion) processes of a water in oil (W/O) emulsion were carried out in a three-dimensional electric spiral plate-type microchannel (3D-ESPM). In this experiment, the demulsifying efficiency of emulsions by 3D-ESPM was compared with that by gravity settling, the factors influencing demulsifying efficiency were investigated, and the induction period, cut size and residence time in the demulsification process were studied. The results showed that in contrast to the gravity settling method, 3D-ESPM can directly separate the disperse phase (water) instead of the continuous phase (oil). The maximum demulsifying efficiency of W/O emulsion in a single pass through the 3D-ESPM reached 90.3%, with a microchannel height of 200 µm, electric field intensity of 250 V /cm, microchannel angle of 180°, microchannel with 18 plates and a flow rate of 2 mL /min. An induction period of 0.6 s during the demulsification process was simulated with experimental data fitting. When the residence time of emulsion in 3D-ESPM was longer than the induction period, its demulsifying efficiency increased as the increase of the flow velocity due to the droplet coalescence effects of Dean vortices in the spiral microchannel. For this device a cut size of droplets of 4.5 µm was deduced. Our results showed that the demulsification process of W/O emulsion was intensified by 3D-ESPM based on the coupling effect between electric field-induced droplets migration and microfluidic hydrodynamic trapping.

Dynamic Crushing Analysis of a Three-Dimensional Re-Entrant Auxetic Cellular Structure.

Dynamic behaviors of the three-dimensional re-entrant auxetic cellular structure have been investigated by performing beam-based crushing simulation. Detailed deformation process subjected to various crushing velocities has been described, where three specific crushing modes have been identified with respect to the crushing velocity and the relative density. The crushing strength of the 3D re-entrant auxetic structure reveals to increase with increasing crushing velocity and relative density. Moreover, an analytical formula of dynamic plateau stress has been deduced, which has been validated to present theoretical predictions agreeing well with simulation results. By establishing an analytical model, the role of relative density on the energy absorption capacity of the 3D re-entrant auxetic structure has been further studied. The results indicate that the specific plastic energy dissipation is increased by increasing the relative density, while the normalized plastic energy dissipation has an opposite sensitivity to the relative density when the crushing velocity exceeds the critical transition velocity. The study in this work can provide insights into the dynamic property of the 3D re-entrant auxetic structure and provides an extensive reference for the crushing resistance design of the auxetic structure.

Demulsification of Kerosene/Water Emulsion in the Transparent Asymmetric Plate-Type Micro-Channel.

Asymmetric plate-type micro-channels (APM) have one hydrophobic wall and one hydrophilic wall. By flowing through APM, a kerosene-in-water emulsion can be de-emulsified in one second. To date, however, the demulsification process in the APM is still a black box. In order to observe the demulsification process directly, transparent asymmetric plate-type micro-channels (TAPM) were fabricated with two surface-modified glass plates. Emulsions with oil contents of 10%, 30%, and 50% were pumped through TAPM with heights of 39.2 µm and 159.5 µm. The movement and coalescence of oil droplets (the dispersed phase of a kerosene-in-water emulsion) in the TAPM were observed directly with an optical microscope. By analyzing videos and photographs, it was found that the demulsification process included three steps: oil droplets flowed against and were adsorbed on the hydrophobic wall, then oil droplets coalesced to form larger droplets, whereupon the oil phase was separated. The experimental results showed that the demulsification efficiency was approximately proportional to the oil content (30⁻50%) of the emulsions and increased when the micro-channel height was reduced.

Homogenization-based interval analysis for structural-acoustic problem involving periodical composites and multi-scale uncertain-but-bounded parameters.

This paper presents a homogenization-based interval analysis method for the prediction of coupled structural-acoustic systems involving periodical composites and multi-scale uncertain-but-bounded parameters. In the structural-acoustic system, the macro plate structure is assumed to be composed of a periodically uniform microstructure. The equivalent macro material properties of the microstructure are computed using the homogenization method. By integrating the first-order Taylor expansion interval analysis method with the homogenization-based finite element method, a homogenization-based interval finite element method (HIFEM) is developed to solve a periodical composite structural-acoustic system with multi-scale uncertain-but-bounded parameters. The corresponding formulations of the HIFEM are deduced. A subinterval technique is also introduced into the HIFEM for higher accuracy. Numerical examples of a hexahedral box and an automobile passenger compartment are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the presented method for a periodical composite structural-acoustic system with multi-scale uncertain-but-bounded parameters.

Simultaneously high stiffness and damping in nanoengineered microtruss composites.

Materials combining high stiffness and mechanical energy dissipation are needed in automotive, aviation, construction, and other technologies where structural elements are exposed to dynamic loads. In this paper we demonstrate that a judicious combination of carbon nanotube engineered trusses held in a dissipative polymer can lead to a composite material that simultaneously exhibits both high stiffness and damping. Indeed, the combination of stiffness and damping that is reported is quite high in any single monolithic material. Carbon nanotube (CNT) microstructures grown in a novel 3D truss topology form the backbone of these nanocomposites. The CNT trusses are coated by ceramics and by a nanostructured polymer film assembled using the layer-by-layer technique. The crevices of the trusses are then filled with soft polyurethane. Each constituent of the composite is accurately modeled, and these models are used to guide the manufacturing process, in particular the choice of the backbone topology and the optimization of the mechanical properties of the constituent materials. The resulting composite exhibits much higher stiffness (80 times) and similar damping (specific damping capacity of 0.8) compared to the polymer. Our work is a step forward in implementing the concept of materials by design across multiple length scales.