Martin Veselý

Prediction and Evaluation of Time-Dependent Effective Self-diffusivity of Water and Other Effective Transport Properties Associated with Reconstructed Porous Solids

We reconstructed pore structures of three porous solids that differ from each other in morphology and topology of pore space. To achieve this, we used a stochastic method based on simulated annealing and X-ray computed microtomography. Simulated annealing was constrained by the following microstructural descriptors sampled along the principal and diagonal directions: the two-point probability function for the void phase and the lineal-path functions for both void and solid phases. The stochastic method also assumed the isotropic pore structures in accordance with a recent paper (Čapek et al. in Transp Porous Media 88(1): 87–106 (2011)). With the exception of the solid with the widest pores, we made tomographic volume images in high and low resolution, which enabled us to study the effect of resolution on microstructural descriptors and effective transport properties. A comparison of the two-point probability function and the lineal-path function sampled in the principal directions revealed that the pore structures derived from the tomographic volume images were slightly anisotropic, in opposition to the assumption of the stochastic method. Besides the anisotropy, other microstructural descriptors including the pore-size function and the total fraction of percolating cells indicated that the morphological and topological characteristics of the pore structures depended on the reconstruction method and its parameters. Particularly, the pore structures reproduced using the stochastic method contained wider pores than those obtained using X-ray tomography. Deviations between the pore structures derived from low- and high-resolution tomographic volume images were also observed and imputed to partial volume artefacts. Then, viscous flow of incompressible liquid, ordinary diffusion, Knudsen flow and self-diffusion of water in the reconstructed pore spaces were simulated. As counterparts, experimental data were measured by means of permeation and Wicke–Kallenbach cells and pulsed field gradient NMR. Deviations between the simulated quantities on the one hand and experimental data on the other hand were generally acceptable, which corroborated the pore-space models. As expected, the predictions based on the tomographic models of pore space were more successful than those derived from the stochastic models. The stationary effective transport properties, i.e. the effective permeability, the effective pore size and the geometric factor, were sensitive to a bias in long-range pore connectivity. Furthermore, the time-dependent effective diffusivity was found to be especially sensitive to relatively small morphological deviations between the real and reconstructed pore structures. It is concluded that the combined predictions of the effective permeability, the effective pore size, the geometric factor and time-dependent effective self-diffusivity of water are needed for the reliable evaluation of pore-space reconstruction.

Effect of lipid nanoparticle formulations on skin delivery of a lipophilic substance

The aim of this study was to follow the skin penetration of a model lipophilic compound (Nile red) delivered by nanoparticulate carriers, the so-called lipid nanocapsules. The nanocapsules consisting of an oil core stabilized by amixture of surfactants were prepared by the phase inversion temperature method. Varying the particle composition (the oil/surfactant ratio) nanoparticles of different size were prepared and characterized. The penetration profile of Nile red delivered into the porcine skin by the nanoparticles compared to non-particulate samples was determined using fluorescence microscopy combined with a novel, statistically robust quantitative image analysis method. This study demonstrated that lipid nanoparticles promoted the skin penetration of encapsulated Nile red in comparison with all the non-particulate samples. Nile red delivered by the lipid-based nanoparticles was able to diffuse across the stratum corneum and partition itself uniformly in the epidermis. No relationship between Nile red penetration into the skin and the particle size was found. Moreover, the presence of sodium chloride in the water phase had a negative impact on the Nile red penetration into the skin. The results indicate that the physico-chemical circumstances of the nanoparticulate formulation play the major role in the penetration of lipophilic substances into the skin.

Universal Method for Large-Scale Synthesis of Layered Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

The layered transition metal dichalcogenides are currently amongst the most intensively investigated materials. These compounds constitute a broad family of materials, with characteristic layered structures, covering both semiconductors and metallic materials. The great attention arises from the possibility to exfoliate these materials down to single layers with many unique properties, such as thickness dependent band-gap energy, and the possibility of tuning transport properties by phase transitions. The research in the field of transition metal dichalcogenides is also motivated by their high electrocatalytic activity towards several industrially important reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, as well as many other applications in nano- and optoelectronics. Although these materials are studied intensively, their availability is extremely limited and only disulfides of molybdenum and tungsten are broadly commercially available. Here an optimized procedure for simple direct synthesis of transition metal dichalcogenides using powder metals and elemental chalcogens is reported. The optimized thermal treatment allowed the synthesis scaling of the sulfides, selenides and tellurides of 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th group of layered-structure dichalcogenides. The synthesized transition metal dichalcogenides were single phase. The phase purity, structure, and morphology were investigated in detail by electron microscopy and EDS, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy.

High power plasma as an efficient tool for polymethylpentene cytocompatibility enhancement

High power plasma was successfully used as an efficient and inexpensive tool for polymethylpentene (PMP) cytocompatibility enhancement. Proper surface roughness and morphology as well as the surface chemistry of a material are essential factors for successful utilization of a substrate intended for tissue engineering applications. Plasma treatment is an inexpensive, simple and highly effective method for optimization of surface properties, as a result of which enhancement of cell adhesion, growth and migration occurs. Oxygen and argon plasma treatments were applied to activate the PMP surface. The research was focused on the investigation of the changed properties. The AFM and FIB-SEM study demonstrated that plasma treatments of PMP induced structured surfaces which depended on the applied plasma setting. Measurement of the goniometry, and chemical changes (functional groups by FTIR, element concentration by XPS and RBS/ERDA) was included. Experiments on treated substrates with mouse fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) have shown a significant increase in cell adhesion and proliferation on treated PMP substrates when compared to the untreated polymer. Similarly, cell morphology and adhesion sites were carefully examined using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy; results of both techniques confirmed the suitability of treated PMP samples for cell cultivation. This study demonstrates how to easily improve cytocompatibility of a very inert and resistant polymer for tissue engineering applications.

Characterization and use of MoO3 modified alumosilicates in Prins cyclization of isoprenol and isovaleraldehyde

MoO3 modified alumosilicates were prepared by impregnation method and used in Prins cyclization of isoprenol and isovaleraldehyde forming 2-isobutyl-4-methyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-ol (important compound for fragrant industry). Alumosilicates of Siral type were chosen as supports and compared with pure silica and alumina. Prepared catalysts were characterized by available methods: XRD, XRF, solid UV–Vis, TGA, TPD of pyridine, nitrogen adsorption and SEM. It was found that impregnation of Siral by MoO3 gave homogeneous distribution of Mo species on the support. On the other side using pure silica as a support the crystallic structure of MoO3 was detected in the resulting material. Impregnation of pure alumina by MoO3 resulted in the formation of aluminum molybdate. All prepared materials were used in above mentioned reaction. With increasing amount of silica in alumosilicate the increase of reaction rate and selectivity was observed up to 40% of silica in the material. Comparable results (selectivity to substituted tetrahydropyranol up to 50%) were obtained using Siral 40 and silica as supports for MoO3. These materials may be also used repeatedly without loss of activity and selectivity.

The interplay of plasma treatment and gold coating and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: On the cytocompatibility

We have investigated the application of Ar plasma for creation of nanostructured ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) surface in order to enhance adhesion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (L929). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the interface between plasma-treated and gold-coated PE on adhesion and spreading of cells. The surface properties of pristine samples and its modified counterparts were studied by different experimental techniques (gravimetry, goniometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrokinetic analysis), which were used for characterization of treated and sputtered layers, polarity and surface chemical structure, respectively. Further, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to study the surface morphology and roughness. Biological responses of cells seeded on PE samples were evaluated in terms of cell adhesion, spreading, morphology and proliferation. Detailed cell morphology and intercellular connections were followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As it was expected the thickness of a deposited gold film was an increasing function of the sputtering time. Despite the fact that plasma treatment proceeded in inert plasma, oxidized degradation products were formed on the PE surface which would contribute to increased hydrophilicity (wettability) of the plasma treated polymer. The XPS method showed a decrease in carbon concentration with increasing plasma treatment. Cell adhesion measured on the interface between plasma treated and gold coated PE was inversely proportional to the thickness of a gold layer on a sample.

Tuning Surface Chemistry of Polyetheretherketone by Gold Coating and Plasma Treatment

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has good chemical and biomechanical properties that are excellent for biomedical applications. However, PEEK exhibits hydrophobic and other surface characteristics which cause limited cell adhesion. We have investigated the potential of Ar plasma treatment for the formation of a nanostructured PEEK surface in order to enhance cell adhesion. The specific aim of this study was to reveal the effect of the interface of plasma-treated and gold-coated PEEK matrices on adhesion and spreading of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The surface characteristics (polarity, surface chemistry, and structure) before and after treatment were evaluated by various experimental techniques (gravimetry, goniometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrokinetic analysis). Further, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to examine PEEK surface morphology and roughness. The biological response of cells towards nanostructured PEEK was evaluated in terms of cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. Detailed cell morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to plasma treatment, gold coating improved PEEK wettability. The XPS method showed a decrease in the carbon concentration with increasing time of plasma treatment. Cell adhesion determined on the interface between plasma-treated and gold-coated PEEK matrices was directly proportional to the thickness of a gold layer on a sample. Our results suggest that plasma treatment in a combination with gold coating could be used in biomedical applications requiring enhanced cell adhesion.

Reconstructing the microstructure of polyimide–silicalite mixed‐matrix membranes and their particle connectivity using FIB‐SEM tomography

Properties of a composite material made of a continuous matrix and particles often depend on microscopic details, such as contacts between particles. Focusing on processing raw focused‐ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB‐SEM) tomography data, we reconstructed three mixed‐matrix membrane samples made of 6FDA‐ODA polyimide and silicalite‐1 particles. In the first step of image processing, backscattered electron (BSE) and secondary electron (SE) signals were mixed in a ratio that was expected to obtain a segmented 3D image with a realistic volume fraction of silicalite‐1. Second, after spatial alignment of the stacked FIB‐SEM data, the 3D image was smoothed using adaptive median and anisotropic nonlinear diffusion filters. Third, the image was segmented using the power watershed method coupled with a seeding algorithm based on geodesic reconstruction from the markers. If the resulting volume fraction did not match the target value quantified by chemical analysis of the sample, the BSE and SE signals were mixed in another ratio and the procedure was repeated until the target volume fraction was achieved. Otherwise, the segmented 3D image (replica) was accepted and its microstructure was thoroughly characterized with special attention paid to connectivity of the silicalite phase. In terms of the phase connectivity, Monte Carlo simulations based on the pure‐phase permeability values enabled us to calculate the effective permeability tensor, the main diagonal elements of which were compared with the experimental permeability. In line with the hypothesis proposed in our recent paper (Čapek, P. et al. (2014) Comput. Mater. Sci. 89, 142–156), the results confirmed that the existence of particle clusters was a key microstructural feature determining effective permeability.

Pore structure and effective permeability of metallic filters

The pore structures (microstructures) of two metallic filters were reconstructed using the stochastic reconstruction method based on simulated annealing. The following microstructural descriptors were included in the description of the real microstructures: the two-point probability function, the lineal-path functions for the void or solid phases, i.e. simulated annealing was constrained by all low-order statistical measures that were accessible through the analysis of images of polished sections. An effect of the microstructural descriptors on the course of reconstruction was controlled by modifying two parameters of the reconstruction procedure [1]. Their values resulted from repeated reconstruction of two-dimensional microstructures in such a way that the reference (experimental) and calculated two-point cluster functions deviated negligibly. It was tacitly assumed that the parameters adjusted during two-dimensional reconstruction had the same influence on the formation of the three-dimensional microstructures. Since connectivity of phases is a critical property of the stochastically reconstructed media, clusters of pore and solid voxels were determined using the Hoshen-Kopelman algorithm. It was found that the solid phase formed one large cluster in accordance with the physical feasibility. The void phase created one large cluster and a few small clusters representing the isolated porosity. The percolation properties were further characterised using the local porosity theory [2]. Effective permeability of the replicas was estimated by solving the Stokes equation for creeping flow of an incompressible liquid in pore space. Calculated permeability values matched well their experimental counterparts.