Synthesis and Characterization of Liquid Crystal Elastomer

The thermal and mechanical properties of Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) were characterized using various techniques for understanding of their physical behavior. The material used for investigation was synthesized by us, using Finklemann procedure, with proper cross linking density in nematic phase. The material is found to have unique coupling between anisotropicorder of liquid crystal component and elasticity of polymer network. The chemical structures were confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Fabry Perot Scattering Studies (FPSS), Thermo gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimatory (DSC) were used to study thermal properties. The mechanical properties were studied using force sensor. Our investigation shows that this synthesized Liquid Crystal Elastomer has ability of spontaneous change as a function of temperature and mechanical force, which shows it as a unique class of soft material.

New conception in continuum theory of constitutive equation for anisotropic crystalline polymer liquids

A new continuum theory of the constitutive equation of co-rotational derivative type is developed for anisotropic viscoelastic fluid—liquid crystalline (LC) polymers. A new concept of simple anisotropic fluid is introduced. On the basis of principles of anisotropic simple fluid, stress behaviour is described by velocity gradient tensor and spin tensor instead of the velocity gradient tensor in the classic Leslie—Ericksen continuum theory. Analyzing rheological nature of the fluid and using tensor analysis a general form of the constitutive equ- ation of co-rotational type is established for the fluid. A special term of high order in the equation is introduced by author to describe the sp- ecial change of the normal stress differences which is considered as a result of director tumbling by Larson et al. Analyzing the experimental results by Larson et al., a principle of Non- oscillatory normal stress is introduced which leads to simplification of the problem with relaxation times. The special behaviour of non- symmetry of the shear stress is predicted by using the present model for LC polymer liquids. Two shear stresses in shear flow of LC polymer liquids may lead to vortex and rotation flow, i.e. director tumbling in the flow. The first and second normal stress differences are calculated by the model special behaviour of which is in agree- ment with experiments. In the research, the com- putational symbolic manipulation such as computer software Maple is used. For the anisotropic viscoelastic fluid the constitutive equation theory is of important fundamental significance.

The Physics of the Phenomena of Electrical Induced Elements Separation in Solution of Salts in Liquid Polar Dielectric

In the work [1] is shown the possibility of the use the phenomena of the electrical-induced selective drift of cationic aquacomplexes in the water solution of the salts for creating of the new, non-electrode, power-saving technology of the solution enrichment by desired element. The development of the naturally-scientific basis of this technology has showed that inertial properties of formed in the solution over-molecular structural units—clusters depends from that’s dimensions. Dimensions of these clusters are in limits from scores of angstrom to fractions of micron, at the same time liquid mediums are the base of functioning both biological and technological systems. Thus, water solution of salt contains nanoparticles and biological and many technological systems are functioning with the assistance of nanoparticles. For example, the ordinary blood circulatory system or many of chemical processing. The casual or intentional action of aperiodic electric field on systems containing salts solutions produces some positive or negative effects. This work shows new approach for theoretical describing of salts solution in dielectric liquids and contains some data on the realized experiments.

Synthesis and Characterization of Cholesteric Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Polyesters Based on Isosorbide

BACKGROUND: Generally main chain cholesteric thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers are prepared form chiral diacid or diol monomer. But these monomers are costly. Isosorbide is chiral cycloaliphatic diol accessible from renewable resources in the form of pure enantiomers. Thus it is used to synthesize main chain cholesteric thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers. Incorporation of phenyl hydroquinone into the backbone of the main chain frustrates chain packing, thus lowering the crystallinity and depressing the melting point below the degradation temperature, also improves the solubility due to disruption of packing and maintains the mechanical and thermal performance. RESULTS: Optical microscopy study reveals that more than 50% of isosorbide content with phenyl hydroquinone and terephthalic acid showed “yellow iridescent oily streaks” with a background of mosaic/marble texture. These are the typical textures of cholesteric liquid crystalline phase. Copolyesters based on phenyl hydroquinone, isosorbide and terephthalic acid are soluble in aprotic solvents like N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Solubility increases with the content of isosorbide percent. Thermal stability of all copolyesters was more than 300?C on the basis of 10% wt loss. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that main chain cholesteric thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers can be prepared form chiral cycloaliphatic diol such as isosorbide. Main chain cholesteric thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters are prepared from phenyl hydroquinone, isosorbide and terephthalic acid showed thermal stability more than 300?C. Main chain cholesteric thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers are soluble in aprotic solvents like DMAC, DMSO, DMF and NMP.

A new constitutive theory for extrusion-extensional flow of anisotropic liquid crystalline polymer fluid

A new continuum theory of the constitutive equation of co-rotational derivative type was developed by the author for anisotropic viscoelastic fluid-liquid crystalline (LC) polymers (S.F. Han, 2008, 2010) . This paper is a continuation of the recent publication [1] to study extrusion-extensional flow of the fluid. A new concept of simple anisotropic fluid is introduced. On the basis of anisotropic simple fluid, stress behavior is described by velocity gradient tensor F and spin tensor W instead of the velocity gradient tensor D in the classic Leslie?Ericksen continuum theory. A special form of the constitutive equation of the co-rotational type is established for the fluid. Using the special form of the constitutive equation in components a computational analytical theory of the extrusion-extensional flow is developed for the LC polymer liquids - anisotropic viscoelastic fluid. Application of the constitutive theory to the flow is successful in predicting bifurcation of elongational viscosity and contraction of extrudate for LC polymer liquids–anisotropic viscoelastic fluid. The contraction of extrudate of LC polymer liquids may be associated with the stored elastic energy conversion into that necessary for bifurcation of elongational viscosity in extrusion extensional flow of the fluid.

A liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitating total and unbound ceritinib in patient plasma and brain tumor

A rapid, sensitive, and robust reversed-phase liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of total and unbound ceritinib, a secondgeneration ALK inhibitor, in patient plasma and brain tumor tissue samples. Sample preparation involved simple protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C_(18) column using a 4-min gradient elution consisting of mobile phase A(0.1% formic acid in water) and mobile phase B(0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile), at a flow rate of 0.4 m L/min. Ceritinib and the internal standard([^(13)C_6]ceritinib) were monitored using multiple reaction monitoring mode under positive electrospray ionization. The lower limit of quantitation(LLOQ) was 1 n M of ceritinib in plasma. The calibration curve was linear over ceritinib concentration range of 1–2000 n M in plasma. The intra-and interday precision and accuracy were within the generally accepted criteria for bioanalytical method( o15%).The method was successfully applied to assess ceritinib brain tumor penetration, as assessed by the unbound drug brain concentration to unbound drug plasma concentration ratio, in patients with brain tumors.

Method Development and Validation of the Simultaneous Analysis of Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Benzisothiazolinone and Bronopol in Washing-Up Liquid

A method of analysis for the simultaneous determination of methylisothiazolinone (MI), methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMI), benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and Bronopol (BNP) in washing-up liquid was established. The method consisted of a gradient HPLC analysis at three different wavelengths. The four compounds could be analyzed with good precision and accuracy.

Full Dynamic Model for Liquid Sloshing Simulation in Cylindrical Tank Shape

This study presents a comprehensive full dynamic model designed for simulating liquid sloshing behavior within cylindrical tank structures. The model employs a discretization approach, representing the liquid as a network of interconnected spring-damper-mass systems. Key aspects include the adaptation of liquid discretization techniques to cylindrical lateral cross-sections and the calculation of stiffness and damping coefficients. External forces, simulating various vehicle maneuvers, are also integrated into the model. The resulting system of equations is solved using Maple Software with the Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. This model enables accurate prediction of liquid displacement and pressure forces, offering valuable insights for tank design and fluid dynamics applications. Ongoing refinement aims to broaden its applicability across different liquid types and tank geometries.

Pressure Drop of Liquid–Solid Two-Phase Flow in the Vertical Tube Bundle of a Cold-Model Circulating Fluidized Bed Evaporator

A cold-model vertical multi-tube circulating fluidized bed evaporator was designed and built to conduct a visualization study on the pressure drop of a liquid–solid two-phase flow and the corresponding particle distribution.Water and polyformaldehyde particle(POM)were used as the liquid and solid phases,respectively.The effects of operating parameters such as the amount of added particles,circulating flow rate,and particle size were systematically investigated.The results showed that the addition of the particles increased the pressure drop in the vertical tube bundle.The maximum pressure drop ratios were 18.65%,21.15%,18.00%,and 21.15%within the experimental range of the amount of added particles for POM1,POM2,POM3,and POM4,respectively.The pressure drop ratio basically decreased with the increase in the circulating flow rate but fluctuated with the increase in the amount of added particles and particle size.The difference in pressure drop ratio decreased with the increase in the circulating flow rate.As the amount of added particles increased,the difference in pressure drop ratio fluctuated at low circulating flow rate but basically decreased at high circulating flow rate.The pressure drop in the vertical tube bundle accounted for about 70%of the overall pressure drop in the up-flow heating chamber and was the main component of the overall pressure within the experimental range.Three-dimensional phase diagrams were established to display the variation ranges of the pressure drop and pressure drop ratio in the vertical tube bundle corresponding to the operating parameters.The research results can provide some reference for the application of the fluidized bed heat transfer technology in the industry.

Research advances of un-symmetric constitutive theory of anisotropic viscoelastic liquids and its hydrodynamic behavior

Research advances of un-symmetric constitutive equation of anisotropic fluid,influence of un-symmetric stress tensor on material functions,vibrational shear flow of the fluid with small amplitudes and rheology of anisotropic suspension were reported.A new concept of simple anisotropic fluid was introduced.On the basis of anisotropic principle,the simple fluid stress behaviour was described by velocity gradient tensor F and spin tensor W instead of velocity gradient tensor D in the classic Leslie-Ericksen continuum theory.Two relaxation times analyzing rheological nature of the fluid and using tensor analysis a general form of the constitutive equation of co-rotational type was introduced.More general model LCP-H for the fluid was developed.The unsymmetry of the shear stress was predicted by the present continuum theory for anisotropic viscoelastic fluid-LC polymer liquids.The influence of the relaxation times on material functions was specially studied.It is important to study the unsteady vibrational rotating flow with small amplitudes,as it is a best way to obtain knowledge of elasticity of the LC polymer,i.e.dynamic viscoelasticity.For the shear-unsymmetric stresses,two shear stresses were obtained thus two complex viscosities and two complex shear modulus(i.e.first and second one) were introduced by the constitutive equation which was defined by rotating shear rate introduced by author.For the two stability problems of fluid,such as stability of hydrodynamic flow and orientational motion,were discussed.The results show that the polymer suspension systems exhibit anisotropic character.The PNC systems can exhibit significant shear-thinning effects.For more concentrated polymer nano-suspensions,the first normal stress difference change from positive to negative,which is similar to LC polymer behavior.

Development of Different Strategies for the Clean-Up of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Congeners Using Pressurized Liquid Extraction

The extracted fish samples (w/w) using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) were cleaned up by applying different adsorbent materials such as: combination of acidic/ basic silica and alumina, florisil, and silica gel either alone or in combination with another sort of sorbent. Different solvents such as hexane (H), dichloromethane (DCM), with different compositions were used to elute the PCBs target compounds from the spiked fish samples. Overall the mean percentage recoveries for all PCBs congeners using PLE were ranging from 78.6% to 98.7%;from 79.4% to 91.8%;from 65.8% to 104.5% and from 82.4% to 100.9% for cases A, B, C, D and E, respectively. However, the overall mean percentage recoveries for the 13C-PCBs surrogate including: 101, 138, 153, 180 and 209 were ranging from 88.2% to 97.6%;from 79.4% to 90.2%, from 88.3% to 96.4%, from 79.8% to 90.4% and from 83.9% to 95.9%, for cases A, B, C, D and E, respectively. The limits of detection of the proposed method were varied from 0.01 to 0.28 ng/g (w/w) for different PCBs congeners. The proposed method has linear dynamic range from 21.5 ng/g to 109 ng/g. This method was applied to fish samples for the determination of the target PCBs components.

Salting-Out Assisted Liquid-Liquid Extraction Combined with HPLC for Quantitative Extraction of Trace Multiclass Pesticide Residues from Environmental Waters

In this study, salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography diode array detector (SALLE-HPLC-DAD) method was developed and validated for simultaneous analysis of carbaryl, atrazine, propazine, chlorothalonil, dimethametryn and terbutryn in environmental water samples. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency such as type and volume of extraction solvent, sample volume, salt type and amount, centrifugation speed and time, and sample pH were optimized. Under the optimum extraction conditions the method was linear over the range of 10 - 100 μg/L (carbaryl), 8 - 100 μg/L (atarzine), 7 - 100 μg/L (propazine) and 9 - 100 μg/L (chlorothalonil, terbutryn and dimethametryn) with correlation coefficients (R2) between 0.99 and 0.999. Limits of detection and quantification ranged from 2.0 to 2.8 μg/L and 6.7 to 9.5 μg/L, respectively. The extraction recoveries obtained for ground, lake and river waters were in a range of 75.5% to 106.6%, with the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviation lower than 3.4% for all the target analytes. All of the target analytes were not detected in these samples. Therefore, the proposed SALLE-HPLC-DAD method is simple, rapid, cheap and environmentally friendly for the determination of the aforementioned herbicides, insecticide and fungicide residues in environmental water samples.

A Dual Effect of Au-Nanoparticles on Nucleic Acid Cholesteric Liquid-Crystalline Particles

Au-nanoparticles (size about 2 nm, but not 5 or 15 nm) are capable of effectively incorporating into quasinematic layers of particles of cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersion formed by double-stranded nucleic acid molecules of various families (DNA and poly(I)xpoly(C)). This Au-size-dependent process is accompanied by a decrease in amplitudes of abnormal bands in the CD spectra specific to initial cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersions and simultaneously by an appearance of plasmon resonance band in visible absorption spectrum. The study of properties of particles of cholesteric liquid-crystalline dispersion treated with Au-nanoparticles by means of various physico-chemical methods demonstrates that incorporation of Au-nanoparticles into quasinematic layers of these particles results in two effects: i) it facilitates reorganization of the spatial cholesteric structure of particles, and ii) it induces the formation of Au-clusters in the content of particles. It is not excluded that these effects represent a possible reason for genotoxicity of Au-nanopar- ticles.

Influence of Modifiers, Extractants, and Trappers on Lipid Composition with Liquids in Standard State Extraction, Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Trapping by Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Part II

Modifiers have a broad array of influences on extraction with liquids in standard state, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), trapping by SFE and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). They can significantly change the qualitative and quantitative results. Quantitative and qualitative results can be influenced by different extractants and modifiers in different ways as it was shown by Brondz et al. at 2007 in “The real nature of the indole alkaloids in Cortinarius infractus: Evaluation of artifact formation through solvent extraction method development”, J. Chromatography A, 1148, 1-7. The choice of correct extractant, modifier, and trapper to the bulk mobile phase for supercritical fluids (SFs) or for liquids in subcritical or in the liquids in standard state is a challenge in any extraction procedure. This is the second paper in a sequence that describes the influence of extractants and modifiers on the performance of SFs and results of extraction with liquids in standard state and SFE. Here, attention is given to possible mistakes in qualitative and quantitative results by poor understanding of the influence of extractants, modifiers, and trappers on extraction and trapping process by a careless choice of extractant, modifier, and trapper for extraction with liquids in standard state and SFE. The SF chosen for discussion in the paper is CO2. However, similar effects can be observed with use of other SFs and fluids in subcritical and standard states. In this paper, the discussion of lipids, fatty and carboxylic acids have been chosen as target analytes for extraction, trapping and analysis. Some examples from extraction with liquids in the standard state and trapping in the supercritical state (collection) have been furnished with the wrong extractant, modifier, or trapper which is presented for illustration of inappropriate choice of extractants, modifiers, and trappers.

Determinate mathematical model of couple bearing force of magnetic-liquid suspension guide-way with complicate constraint

Magnetic-liquid suspension guide-way system( MLSGS) is coupled supported by permanent magnetic suspension and hydrostatic bearing. The structure and bearing mechanism of MLSGS of heavy computer numerical control( CNC) machine tools are introduced and the mathematical expression of bearing force of bearing unit is derived and it can be broken apart into six parts which sustains directly the coordinate components of broad external load,where the air gap of permanent magnet and hydrostatic oil film can be simplified as elastic supports,the compatibility equations of deformations for oil films and air gap are presented,and then the bearing capacity calculation of the bearing unit is transformed into a determinate problem. Considering the guide-way as a rigid body,the mathematics expression between the bearing unit's bearing force and the oil film variation is linearized,and the oil pocket's bearing capacity which bears different components of the external load is calculated separately. The six components of the bearing unit are added up,and the final general mathematics expression is derived. The proposed research offers a general simple method for calculating the bearing capacity of MLSGS with complicate constraint,which can be mastered simply by engineering designer and can improve design efficiency and accuracy.

Revolutionizing Non-Invasive Biomarker Discoveries: The Power of Methylation Screening Analysis in Cell-Free DNA Liquid Biopsy

Epigenetic changes of DNA, including methylation, have long been recognized as key indicators of various diseases, including aging, cancer, and neurological disorders. Biomarker discoveries based on distinct methylation patterns for both hypermethylation and hypomethylation lead the way in discovery of novel diagnosis and treatment targets. Many different approaches are present to detect the level of methylation in whole genome (whole genome bisulfite sequencing, microarray) as well as at specific loci (methylation specific PCR). Cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) found in body fluids like blood provides information about DNA methylation and serves as a less invasive approach for genetic screening. Cell-free DNA and methylation screening technologies, when combined, have the potential to transform the way we approach genetic screening and personalized therapy. These technologies can help enhance disease diagnostic accuracy and inform the development of targeted therapeutics by providing a non-invasive way for acquiring genomic information and identifying disease-associated methylation patterns. We highlight the clinical benefits of using cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) liquid biopsy analysis and available methylation screening technologies that have been crucial in identifying biomarkers for disease from patients using a non-invasive way. Powering such biomarker discoveries are various methods of cf-DNA methylation analysis such as Bisulfite Sequencing and most recently, Methylation-Specific Restriction Enzyme (MSRE-seq) Analysis, paving the way for novel epigenetic biomarker discoveries for more robust diagnosis such as early disease detection, prognosis, monitoring of disease progression and treatment response as well as discovery of novel drug targets.

Automatic Detection Instrument for the Ratio of Chlorine to Bromine in Oxidized Liquid of Bromine Production Based on Fuzzy Method

In the process of bromine production,because of lag adjustment methods,there are problems of adjusting delay,raw material wastage and low growth rate.By considering the nature of bromine production,with the help of fuzzy data processing method,computer detection and display technique,we designed an automatic detection instrument for the ratio of chlorine to bromine in oxidized liquid of bromine production.This instrument can be used to detect the different parameters of raw materials adjustment and control in real time,and afford assurance that raw materials will be adjusted in time.This paper briefly introduces the working mechanism,hardware and software design of the instrument.

Rapid Determination of Three Kinds of Microcystins in Environmental Water Samples by Disk SPE-Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A method of rapidly detecting three kinds of microcystins( MCs) in environmental water samples by using disk SPE- ultra high performance liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry( UPLC- MS / MS) was established. Firstly,environmental water samples were extracted by disk SPE column( C_(18)),and three kinds of MCs were separated by Waters BEH C_(18) chromatographic column with acetonitrile- 0. 2% formic acid solution as the mobile phase. After the gradient elution separation,the external standard method was used for quantitative and qualitative analysis under MRM of UPLC- MS / MS. The results showed that the three kinds of MCs in the range of 0. 05- 10 μg / L showed good linear relation,and the correlation coefficients were higher than 0. 999 4,while the method detection limit was 0. 04 ng / L. Under 0. 1,1,and 5 μg / L standard addition for the same environmental sample,the average recovery was 82. 8%- 108. 8%,and the relative standard deviation of determination results was2. 1%- 10. 1%( n = 6). This method is rapid,sensitive and accurate,so it can be effectively applied in the monitoring of MCs in environmental water samples.

Determinants of Marketability for Organic Biomass Liquid Fertilizer from Human Waste in Da Nang City, Vietnam

Recently, 90 tons of human waste per day are collected from private residences, offices, and public facilities in Da Nang City. Meanwhile, farmers in this region have to allocate 10% - 20% of rice sales for purchasing chemical fertilizer. Therefore, it is essential to be adopted more inexpensive organic fertilizer. To deal with these problems, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a contract with Da Nang city government about human waste treatment and production of organic biomass liquid fertilizer (OBLF) in 2015. The aims of this project are to promote the use of OBLF in farming and improve public awareness of environmental protection. 530 respondents were interviewed at Hoa Vang districts of Da Nang city, and data was analyzed by Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) under double bounded dichotomous choice approach. The results have revealed that 436 respondents (82%) agreed to use OBLF. The farmers’ WTP depends on factors including household income, experience in using organic fertilizer, awareness of environment and training of organic fertilizer in the past. The estimated price for OBLF was 94,856 VND (4.0 USD)/ton. The cost that farmers paid for OBLF was lower than that of current available chemical fertilizers in Da Nang city. This proves that marketability seems to be existed for OBLF product in Da Nang city. From these findings, the government should have policies to support and subsidize the farmers to encourage them to use OBLF in a large scale of cultivation. Furthermore, establishment of a market to consume the organic products harvested from cultivated areas using OBLF is also recommended.