Browsing by Subject "Polydimethylsiloxane"
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Item Fluidic Tuning of a Four-Arm Spiral-Based Frequency Selective Surface(2011-08-08) Wells, Elizabeth ChristineFrequency selective surfaces (FSSs) provide a variety of spatial filtering functions, such as band-pass or band-stop properties in a radome or other multilayer structure. This filtering is typically achieved through closely-spaced periodic arrangements of metallic shapes on top of a dielectric substrate (or within a stack of dielectric materials). In most cases, the unit cell size, its shape, the substrate parameters, and the inter-element spacing collectively impact the response of the FSS. Expanding this design space to include reconfigurable FSSs provides opportunities for applications requiring frequency agility and/or other properties. Tuning can also enable operation over a potentially wider range of frequencies and can in some cases be used as a loading mechanism or quasi-ground plane. Many technologies have been considered for this type of agility (RF MEMS, PIN diodes, etc.). This includes the recent use of microfluidics and dispersions of nanoparticles, or fluids with controllable dielectrics, which have entered the design space of numerous other EM applications including stub-tuners, antennas, and filters. In this work they provide a material based approach to reconfiguring an FSS. An FSS based on a four-arm spiral with tunable band-stop characteristics is presented in this work. A thin colloidal dispersion above each element provides this tuning capability. The radial expansion and contraction of this dispersion, as well as the variable permittivity of the dispersion, are used to load each element individually. This design incorporates thin fluidic channels within a PDMS layer below the substrate leading to individual unit cells that provide a closed pressure-driven subsystem that contains the dispersion. With the capability to individually control each cell, groups of cells can be locally altered (individually or in groups) to create gratings and other electromagnetically agile features across the surface or within the volume of a radome or other covering. Simulations and measurements of an S-band tunable design using colloidal Barium Strontium Titanate dispersed Silicone oil are provided to demonstrate the capability to adjust the stop-band characteristics of the FSS across the S-band.Item Inorganic-Organic Hydrogel Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering(2013-07-11) Bailey, BrennanAnalogous to the extracellular matrix (ECM) of natural tissues, properties of a tissue engineering scaffold direct cell behavior and thus regenerated tissue properties. These include both physical properties (e.g. morphology and modulus) and chemical properties (e.g. hydrophobicity, hydration and bioactivity). Notably, recent studies suggest that scaffold properties (e.g. modulus) may be as potent as growth factors in terms of directing stem cell fate. Thus, 3D scaffolds possessing specific properties modified for optimal cell regeneration have the potential to regenerate native-like tissues. Photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA)-based hydrogels are frequently used as scaffolds for tissue engineering. They are ideal for controlled studies of cell-material interactions due to their poor protein adsorption in the absence of adhesive ligands thereby making them ?biological blank slates?. However, their range of physical and chemical properties is limited. Thus, hydrogel scaffolds which maintain the benefits of PEG-DA but possess a broader set of tunable properties would allow the establishment of predictive relationships between scaffold properties, cell behavior and regenerated tissue properties. Towards this goal, this work describes a series of unique hybrid inorganic-organic hydrogel scaffolds prepared using different solvents and also in the form of continuous gradients. Properties relevant to tissue regeneration were investigated including: swelling, morphology, modulus, degradation rates, bioactivity, cytocompatibility, and protein adhesion. These scaffolds were based on the incorporation of hydrophobic, bioactive and osteoinductive methacrylated star polydimethylsiloxane (PDMSstar-MA) [?inorganic component?] into hydrophilic PEG-DA [?organic component?]. The following parameters were varied: molecular weight (Mn) of PEG-DA (Mn = 3k & 6k g/mol) and PDMSstar-MA (Mn = 1.8k, 7k, 14k), ratio of PDMSstar-MA to PEG-DA (0:100 to 20:80), total macromer concentration (5 to 20 wt%) and utilizing either water or dichloromethane (DCM) fabrication solvent. The use of DCM produced solvent induced phase separation (SIPS) resulting in scaffolds with macroporous morphologies, enhanced modulus and a more homogenous distribution of the PDMSstar-MA component throughout. These hybrid hydrogel scaffolds were prepared in the form of continuous gradients such that a single scaffold contains spatially varied chemical and physical properties. Thus, cell-material interaction studies may be conducted more rapidly at different ?zones? defined along the gradient. These gradients are also expected to benefit the regeneration of the osteochondral interface, an interfacial tissue that gradually transitions in tissue type. The final aspect of this work was focused on enhancing the osteogenic potential of PDMS via functionalization with amine and phosphonate. Both amine and phosphonate moieties have demonstrated bioactivity. Thus, it was expected that these properties will be enhanced for amine and phosphonate functionalized PDMS. The subsequent incorporation of these PDMS-based macromers into the previously described PEG-DA scaffold system is expected to be valuable for osteochondral tissue regeneration.Item Inorganic-Organic Shape Memory Polymers and Foams for Bone Defect Repairs(2013-04-16) Zhang, DaweiThe ultimate goal of this research was to develop a ?self-fitting? shape memory polymer (SMP) scaffold for the repair of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) bone defects. CMF defects may be caused by trauma, tumor removal or congenital abnormalities and represent a major class of bone defects. Their repair with autografts is limited by availability, donor site morbidity and complex surgical procedures. In addition, shaping and positioning of these rigid grafts into irregular defects is difficult. Herein, we have developed SMP scaffolds which soften at T > ~56 ?C, allowing them to conformally fit into a bone defect. Upon cooling to body temperature, the scaffold becomes rigid and mechanically locks in place. This research was comprised of four major studies. In the first study, photocrosslinkable acrylated (AcO) SMP macromers containing a poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) segment and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments were synthesized with the general formula: AcO-PCL40-block-PDMSm-block-PCL40-OAc. By varying the PDMS segment length (m), solid SMPs with highly tunable mechanical properties and excellent shape memory abilities were prepared. In the second study, porous SMP scaffolds were fabricated based on AcO-PCL40-block-PDMS37-block-PCL40-OAc via a revised solvent casting particulate leaching (SCPL) method. By tailoring scaffold parameters including salt fusion, macromer concentration and salt size, scaffold properties (e.g. pore features, compressive modulus and shape memory behavior) were tuned. In the third study, porous SMP scaffolds were produced from macromers with variable PDMS segment lengths (m = 0 ? 130) via an optimized SCPL method. The impact on pore features, thermal, mechanical, and shape memory properties as well as degradation rates were investigated. In the final study, a bioactive polydopamine coating was applied onto pore surfaces of the SMP scaffold prepared from PCL diacrylate. The thin coating did not affect intrinsic bulk properties of the scaffold. However, the coating significantly increased its bioactivity, giving rise to the formation of ?bone-bonding? hydroxyapatite (HAp) when exposed to simulated body fluid (SBF). It was also shown that the coating largely enhanced the scaffold?s capacities to support osteoblasts adhesion, proliferation and osteogenesis. Thus, the polydopamine coating should enhance the performance of the ?self-fitting? SMP scaffolds for the repair of bone defects.Item Passive sampling to evaluate performance of in situ sediment remediation(2014-12) Thomas, Courtney Louanne; Reible, Danny D.In situ passive sampling is the use of a polymer sorbent to directly assess freely dissolved concentration (C [subscript free]) profiles within the environment. The primary focus herein is the use of passive sampling methods to detect and quantify persistent hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in sediment porewater and surface water using solid phase microextraction (SPME) profilers with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the receiving phase sorbent. Contaminated sediment sites pose a unique challenge in terms of remediation and monitoring for several reasons including: the large number of past and ongoing sources, sediment stability, and the extent of contamination. Capping with a clean layer of material, an accepted remediation approach, can reduce risk by stabilizing the underlying sediments, isolating the water column, and reducing contaminant flux. Evaluating cap performance is challenging due to the long time frames associated with migration of HOCs. Additionally, the non-sorbing nature of most caps limits the usefulness of bulk solid measurements. An alternative is the use of concentrations in the interstitial space or porewater to examine contaminant migration in the sediments and cap. Traditionally, porewater concentrations are obtained through a conversion of bulk sediment concentrations using an assumed sediment-water partitioning coefficient. This assumption often leads to a misrepresentation of risk as not all organic carbon is created equal. An alternative is the use of passive sampling with polymer sorbents to estimate the freely available concentration, C [subscript free]. In this work the focus is on the use of solid phase microextraction with polydimethylsiloxane (SPME PDMS) as the sorbent. C [subscript free] is proportional to chemical activity; therefore an accurate measurement of C [subscript free] is necessary for risk assessment and determination of transport mechanisms and ultimately improved management of contaminated sediment sites. A non-equilibrium correction protocol using performance reference compounds (PRCs) was developed to enhance the accuracy of the SPME PDMS method to assess C [subscript free]. The protocol was validated through laboratory experiments and field trials. Deployment times can be reduced without sacrificing accuracy when using the PRC protocol. Furthermore, it was shown that mathematical models of diffusive and advective flux can be fit using parameters determined from PRC desorption. The SPME PDMS with PRCs method was used at three different remediated contaminated sediment sites, Chattanooga Creek, Eagle Harbor, and the West Branch of the Grand Calumet River, to illustrate its utility at evaluating performance of in situ remediation. Overall, the results from laboratory and field studies suggest that SPME PDMS is a valuable tool for evaluating performance of in situ sediment remediation.