RESUMEN

Carbon nanotube (CNT) multi-yarns, consisting of 30 yarns, were tested under monotonic tensile load and fatigue at the room temperature (298 K) and two cryogenic temperatures (232 and 123 K). Tensile stiffness increased with the decrease of temperature. The average ultimate tensile strength was higher at 123 K when compared to the higher temperatures (232 and 298 K). Failure mechanism changed from a combination of classical variant and independent fiber breakage at the two higher temperatures to mostly classical variant failure mechanism at the lower temperature. The CNT-yarn's fatigue life also increased with decreasing temperature. CNT-yarns have been shown to function well at lower temperatures making them usable for applications requiring operation at cryogenic temperatures, such as in satellites and high altitude aircraft.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Carbon nanotube (CNT) multi-yarn was cross-linked together at elevated temperatures using a poly- mer, with the intent of improving their strength and electrical conductivity. They were functionalized using an acid treatment and immersed in a bath of different concentrations (0.5%, 0.1%, and 0.2%) of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Then they were placed in an oven at various temperatures (180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C) in order to cause cross-linking among the carbon nanotube yarns. The phys- ical, chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties of the cross-linked yarns were investigated. The yarns cross-linked at higher temperatures and greater concentrations of PVP had a greater increase in linear mass density, indicating that the cross-linking process had worked as expected. Yarns that were cross-linked at lower temperatures had greater tensile strength and better spe- cific electrical conductivity. Those that were treated with a greater concentration of polymer had a greater ultimate tensile strength. All these results are encouraging first step, but still need further development if CNT yarn is to replace copper wire.

RESUMEN

Creep, creep recovery and inverse stress relaxation behaviors of carbon nanotube yarns that consisted of 1-, 30-, and 100-yarn(s) were characterized. Primary and secondary creep stages were observed over the duration of 336 h. The primary creep stage lasted for about 4 h at an applied load equal to 75% of the ultimate tensile strength. The total strain in the primary stage was significantly larger in the carbon nanotube multi-yarn than in the carbon nanotube 1-yarn. In the secondary stage, 1-yarn also had a smaller steady state strain rate than the multi-yarn, and it was independent of number of yarns in multi-yarn. Strain response under cyclic creep loading condition was comparable to its counterpart in non-cyclic (i.e., standard) creep test except that strain response during the first cycle was slightly different from the subsequent cycles. Inverse creep (i.e., strain recovery) was observed in the 100-yarn during the cyclic creep tests after the first unloading cycle. Furthermore, inverse stress relaxation of the multi-yarns was characterized. Inverse stress relaxation was larger and for longer duration with the larger number of yarns.

RESUMEN

Albumin/drug loaded magnetic nanocomposite spheres were fabricated using an oil-in-oil emulsion/solvent evaporation method, and tested on a mouse model (experimental squamous cell carcinoma) to determine the efficacy of the drug delivery system (DDS) on skin cancer. This novel DDS consists of human serum albumin, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), magnetic nanoparticles (10 nm) and fluorescent labeling molecule (diphenylhexatriene). One of the major purposes of using albumin is that it likely provides internal binding to and retention by the inflammatory tissues to reduce the amount of magnetic nanoparticles needed in the drug loaded microspheres (750­1100 nm). This study is aimed at reducing many negative side effects of conventionally used chemotherapy drugs by localizing the chemotherapy drug, controlling the release of the therapeutic agent and encouraging uptake of the DDS into cancerous cells. A group of mice treated with (1) the magnetic targeted DDS were compared to the other three groups, including, (2) DDS without a magnet, (3) 5-Fu local injection, and (4) untreated groups. The fluorescent tracer was ubiquitously identified inside the tumor tissue, and the DDS/tumor tissue boundary presented a leaky interface. The test results clearly showed that the magnetic targeted DDS exhibited significantly superior therapeutic effects in treating the skin cancer, with the increased efficacy to halt the tumor growth.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The efficacy of chemotherapy can be significantly improved if the therapeutic agent remains localized at the afflicted area and released at controlled rates. Such a targeted drug delivery can be achieved using magnetic nanocomposite (MNC), which incorporates drug and magnetic nanoparticles in biodegradable polymer microspheres. Reported here are results from an in vitro study on drug release rate and cytotoxicity of other release products from MNC. The model system contains an anti-cancer chemotherapy agent 5-flurouracil (5-FU) and (Co(0.5)Zn(0.5))Fe(2)O(4) in poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) matrix produced by an oil/oil emulsion technique. Cell proliferation data indicate a sustained release of 5-FU for mouse macrophage cell eradication, whereas other microsphere components of magnetic nanoparticles and PLGA have little cytotoxic effects.

Asunto(s)