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| 2. |
- Kim, Hyeri, et al.
(författare)
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Toward Sustaining Bioplastics : Add a Pinch of Seasoning
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2168-0485. ; 11:5, s. 1846-1856
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern society can no longer sustain accumulating plastic pollution without intervention; plastic waste has even found its way into the food that we consume. Unfortunately, biodegradable alternatives lack sound commercial and economic distinctiveness because mechanical strength and biodegradability are typically mutually exclusive. Inspired by fine cuisine, we introduce a novel synthetic method, referred to as “seasoning”, which consists of adding a minimal amount of a biobased multifunctional monomer to pinch the amorphous domains of poly(butylene succinate). Seasoning with only 0.03 mol % of a biobased monomer led to a significantly improved oxygen barrier, high strength (86 MPa), and excellent elongation at break (654%). To the best of our knowledge, this “seasoning” approach with the significant property improvement provided is unique in the bioplastics research field. The proposed approach is highly scalable, relies on existing industrial production, and has the potential to expand current biodegradable plastic applications through its simplicity.
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| 3. |
- Koo, Jun Mo, et al.
(författare)
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Nonstop Monomer-to-Aramid Nanofiber Synthesis with Remarkable Reinforcement Ability
- 2019
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 52:3, s. 923-934
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aramid nanofibers (ANFs), typically produced by exfoliating aramid microfibers (Kevlar) in alkaline media, exhibit excellent mechanical properties and have therefore attracted increased attention as nanoscale building blocks. However, the preparation of aramid microfibers involves laborious and hazardous processes, which limits the industrial-scale use of ANFs. This work describes a facile and direct monomer-to-ANF synthesis via an as-synthesized intermediate low-molecular-weight poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) without requiring the environmentally destructive acids and high-order shearing processes. Under the employed conditions, PPTA immediately dissociates and self-assembles into ANFs within a time period of 15 h, which is much shorter than the time of 180 h (not including the Kevlar preparation time) required for the Kevlar-to-ANF conversion. Interestingly, the fabricated ANFs exhibit nanoscale dimensions and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) reinforcing effects similar to those of Kevlar-derived ANFs; i.e., a 1.5-fold TPU toughness improvement and a maximum ultimate tensile strength of 84 MPa are achieved at an ANF content of only 0.04 wt %. Remarkable reinforcement ability investigated by comprehensive analytical data comes from ANFs, which disturb ordered hydrogen bonding in hard segments and induce strain hardening along the elongation pathway. Thus, the developed approach paves the way to industrial-scale production of ANFs and related nanocomposites.
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| 4. |
- Koo, Jun Mo, et al.
(författare)
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Biobased thermoplastic elastomer with seamless 3D-Printability and superior mechanical properties empowered by in-situ polymerization in the presence of nanocellulose
- 2020
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Ingår i: Composites Science And Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0266-3538 .- 1879-1050. ; 185
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A biobased and biocompatible thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with superior 3D printability was demonstrated with great potential for customized manufacturing technologies and fabrication of biointegrated devices. The inherent structural and stereochemical disadvantages of biobased monomers, such as 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, in comparison with today used petroleum based monomers like terephthalic acid generally lead to lower mechanical performance for the biobased replacement polymers. This is additionally enhanced by poor interfacial adhesion and fusion commonly encountered during customized manufacturing technologies like 3D printing. Herein, we demonstrate that in-situ polymerization in the presence of trace amounts of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can homogeneously distribute the nanofiller leading to dramatically strengthened thermally 3D-printable bio-furan-based TPE. This TPE exhibited a tensile strength of 67 MPa which is 1.5-7-fold higher than the values reported for silicone and thermoplastic urethane, which are widely used in biomedical applications. In addition, the TPE had an impressive extensibility of 860% and negligible in vivo cytotoxicity; such properties have not been reported to date for bio-based or petrochemical TPEs. While a petrochemical 3D printed TPE counterpart retained only half of the tensile strength compared to the hot-pressed analogue, the 3D-printed biobased TPE insitu modified with nanocellulose maintained 70-80% of its strength under the same experimental conditions. This is explained by inter-diffusion between interfaces facilitated by the nanocellulose and the furan rings. Using the ergonomic shape of a wrist as a 3D-printable design, we successfully manufactured a wearable thermal therapeutic device from the nanocellulose modified biobased TPE, giving promise for wide variety of future applications.
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| 5. |
- Shin, Sung-Ho, et al.
(författare)
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Ion-conductive self-healing hydrogels based on an interpenetrating polymer network for a multimodal sensor
- 2019
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Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Journal. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA. - 1385-8947 .- 1873-3212. ; 371, s. 452-460
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conductive self-healing polymer hydrogel and related soft sensor devices are receiving considerable attention from academia to industry because of their impacts on the lifetime and ergonomic design of soft robotics, prosthesis, and health monitoring systems. However, the development of such a material has thus far been limited considering performances and accessibility. Herein, robustness, self-healing, and conductivity for soft electronic skin are realized by an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) system based on chemical/ionic cross-inked poly(acrylic acid) containing ferric ions, intercalated with physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol). This IPN hydrogel successfully satisfies all three aforementioned capabilities; elongation at break greater than 1400%; recovery to original mechanical properties greater than 80% after 24 h; and 0.14 Sm-1 of ionic conductivity, which is electrically healable. Such ionic conductivity of hydrogels enables multimodal sensing capabilities, i.e., for strain, pressure, and temperature. Particularly, a uniquely designed dual sensor attached to a finger simultaneously detects mechanical folding and pressure changes independently and can undergo large deformation 1000 times repeated and heating up to 90 degrees C.
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| 7. |
- Namjou, Bahram, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of TRAF6 in a large multiancestral lupus cohort
- 2012
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 64:6, s. 1960-1969
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease with significant immune system aberrations resulting from complex heritable genetics as well as environmental factors. We undertook to study the role of TRAF6 as a candidate gene for SLE, since it plays a major role in several signaling pathways that are important for immunity and organ development. Methods Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across TRAF6 were evaluated in 7,490 SLE patients and 6,780 control subjects from different ancestries. Population-based casecontrol association analyses and meta-analyses were performed. P values, false discovery rate q values, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. Results Evidence of associations was detected in multiple SNPs. The best overall P values were obtained for SNPs rs5030437 and rs4755453 (P = 7.85 x 10(-5) and P = 4.73 x 10(-5), respectively) without significant heterogeneity among populations (P = 0.67 and P = 0.50, respectively, in Q statistic). In addition, SNP rs540386, which was previously reported to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), was found to be in linkage disequilibrium with these 2 SNPs (r2 = 0.95) and demonstrated evidence of association with SLE in the same direction (meta-analysis P = 9.15 x 10(-4), OR 0.89 [95% CI 0.830.95]). The presence of thrombocytopenia improved the overall results in different populations (meta-analysis P = 1.99 x 10(-6), OR 0.57 [95% CI 0.450.72], for rs5030470). Finally, evidence of family-based association in 34 African American pedigrees with the presence of thrombocytopenia was detected in 1 available SNP (rs5030437) with a Z score magnitude of 2.28 (P = 0.02) under a dominant model. Conclusion Our data indicate the presence of association of TRAF6 with SLE, consistent with the previous report of association with RA. These data provide further support for the involvement of TRAF6 in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity.
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| 8. |
- Park, Sung Yeon, et al.
(författare)
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Regulation of Polycomb group genes Psc and Su(z)2 in Drosophila melanogaster
- 2012
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Ingår i: Mechanisms of Development. - : Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. - 0925-4773 .- 1872-6356. ; 128:11-12, s. 536-547
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Certain Polycomb group (PcG) genes are themselves targets of PcG complexes. Two of these constitute the Drosophila Psc-Su(z)2 locus, a region whose chromatin is enriched for H3K27me3 and contains several putative Polycomb response elements (PREs) that bind PcG proteins. To understand how PcG mechanisms regulate this region, the repressive function of the PcG protein binding sites was analyzed using reporter gene constructs. We find that at least two of these are functional PREs that can silence a reporter gene in a PcG-dependent manner. One of these two can also display anti-silencing activity, dependent on the context. A PcG protein binding site near the Psc promoter behaves not as a silencer but as a down-regulation module that is actually stimulated by the Pc gene product but not by other PcG products. Deletion of one of the PREs increases the expression level of Psc and Su(z)2 by twofold at late embryonic stages. We present evidence suggesting that the Psc-Su(z)2 locus is flanked by insulator elements that may protect neighboring genes from inappropriate silencing. Deletion of one of these regions results in extension of the domain of H3K27me3 into a region containing other genes, whose expression becomes silenced in the early embryo.
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