Modeling of Inner Surface Modification of a Cylindrical Tube by Plasma-Based Low-Energy Ion Implantation

The inner surface modification process by plasma-based low-energy ion implantation（PBLEII）with an electron cyclotron resonance（ECR）microwave plasma source located at the central axis of a cylindrical tube is modeled to optimize the low-energy ion implantation parameters for industrial applications.In this paper,a magnetized plasma diffusion fluid model has been established to describe the plasma nonuniformity caused by plasma diffusion under an axial magnetic field during the pulse-off time of low pulsed negative bias.Using this plasma density distribution as the initial condition,a sheath collisional fluid model is built up to describe the sheath evolution and ion implantation during the pulse-on time.The plasma nonuniformity at the end of the pulse-off time is more apparent along the radial direction compared with that in the axial direction due to the geometry of the linear plasma source in the center and the difference between perpendicular and parallel plasma diffusion coefficients with respect to the magnetic field.The normalized nitrogen plasma densities on the inner and outer surfaces of the tube are observed to be about 0.39 and 0.24,respectively,of which the value is 1 at the central plasma source.After a 5μs pulse-on time,in the area less than 2 cm from the end of the tube,the nitrogen ion implantation energy decreases from 1.5 keV to 1.3 keV and the ion implantation angle increases from several degrees to more than 40°;both variations reduce the nitrogen ion implantation depth.However,the nitrogen ion implantation dose peaks of about 2×10^（10）-7×10^（10）ions/cm^2 in this area are 2-4 times higher than that of 1.18×10^（10）ions/cm^2 and 1.63×10^（10）ions/cm^2 on the inner and outer surfaces of the tube.The sufficient ion implantation dose ensures an acceptable modification effect near the end of the tube under the low energy and large angle conditions for nitrogen ion implantation,because the modification effect is mainly determined by the ion implantation dose,just as the mass transfer process in PBLEII is dominated by low-energy ion implantation and thermal diffusion.Therefore,a comparatively uniform surface modification by the low-energy nitrogen ion implantation is achieved along the cylindrical tube on both the inner and outer surfaces.

Magnetically modified microbial cells:A new type of magnetic adsorbents

Microbial cells, either in free or immobilized form, can be used for the preconcentration or removal of metal ions, organic and inorganic xenobiotics or biologically active compounds. Magnetic modification of these cells enables to prepare magnetic adsorbents that can be easily manipulated in difficult-to-handle samples, such as suspensions, in the presence of external magnetic field. In this review, typical examples of magnetic modifications of microbial cells are presented, as well as their possible applications for the separation of organic xenobiotics and heavy metal ions.

Modification of a magnetic carbon composite for ciprofloxacin adsorption

A magnetic carbon composite, Fe3O4/C composite, was fabricated by one-step hydrothermal synthesis, modified by heat treatment under an inert atmosphere（N2）, and then used as an adsorbent for ciprofloxacin（CIP） removal. Conditions for the modification were optimized according to the rate of CIP removal. The adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements, vibrating-sample magnetometry,scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N2adsorption/desorption isotherm measurements. The results indicate that the modified adsorbent has substantial magnetism and has a large specific area, which favor CIP adsorption. The effects of solution p H, adsorbent dose, contact time, initial CIP concentration, ion strength, humic acid and solution temperature on CIP removal were also studied. Our results show that all of the above factors influence CIP removal. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm fits the adsorption process well, with the pseudo second-order model describing the adsorption kinetics accurately. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that adsorption is mainly physical adsorption. Recycling experiments revealed that the behavior of adsorbent is maintained after recycling for five times. Overall, the modified magnetic carbon composite is an efficient adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Magnetic modification of diamagnetic agglomerate forming powder materials

A simple method for the magnetic modification of various types of powdered agglomerate forming dia- magnetic materials was developed. Magnetic iron oxide particles were prepared from ferrous sulfate by microwave assisted synthesis. A suspension of the magnetic particles in water soluble organic solvent （methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropyl alcohol, or acetone） was mixed with the material to be modified and then completely dried at elevated temperature. The magnetically modified materials were found to be stable in water suspension at least for 2 months.

Cell surface engineering with polyelectrolyte-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles： A facile approach for fabrication of artificial multicellular tissue-mimicking clusters

Regenerative medicine requires new ways to assemble and manipulate cells for fabrication of tissue-like constructs. Here we report a novel approach for cell surface engineering of human cells using polymer-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles （MNPs）. Cationic polyelectrolyte-coated MNPs are directly deposited onto cellular membranes, producing a mesoporous semi-permeable layer and rendering cells magnetically responsive. Deposition of MNPs can be completed within minutes, under cell-friendly conditions （room temperature and physiologic media）. Microscopy （TEM, SEM, AFM, and enhanced dark-field imaging） revealed the intercalation of nanoparticles into the cellular microvilli network. A detailed viability investigation was performed and suggested that MNPs do not inhibit membrane integrity, enzymatic activity, adhesion, proliferation, or cytoskeleton formation, and do not induce apoptosis in either cancer or primary cells. Finally, magnetically functionalized cells were employed to fabricate viable layered planar （two-cell layers） cell sheets and 3D multicellular spheroids.