3D Analysis of Ordered Porous Polymeric Particles using Complementary Electron Microscopy Methods

Alvarez, J.M.; Saudino, Giovanni; Musteata, Valentina-Elena; Madhavan, Poornima; Genovese, Alessandro; Behzad, Ali Reza; Sougrat, Rachid; Boi, Cristiana; Peinemann, Klaus‐Viktor; Nunes, Suzana Pereira

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-50338-2

Cited by 20 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The application of environmental SEM (ESEM) can reduce these problems to some extent [149]. Transmission electron microscopy could have excellent resolving power-even better than 1 nm, but the image volume is strongly restricted to low values (low sample representativeness) and ultramicrotome use can be needed [123,150]. AFM is an optimal technique for the study of the porosity of organic materials and minerals on the level of nanopores [74].…”

Section: Methods Used To Assess Porosity In Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary Approach to the Porosity of Dental Materials and Methods of Its Measurement

Sarna‐Boś

Skic

Sobieszczański

et al. 2021

IJMS

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Porosity is an important parameter for characterizing the microstructure of solids that corresponds to the volume of the void space, which may contain fluid or air, over the total volume of the material. Many materials of natural and technically manufactured origin have a large number of voids in their internal structure, relatively small in size, compared to the characteristic dimensions of the body itself. Thus, porosity is an important feature of industrial materials, but also of biological ones. The porous structure affects a number of material properties, such as sorption capacity, as well as mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Porosity of materials is an important factor in research on biomaterials. The most popular materials used to rebuild damaged tooth tissues are composites and ceramics, whilst titanium alloys are used in the production of implants that replace the tooth root. Research indicates that the most comprehensive approach to examining such materials should involve an analysis using several complementary methods covering the widest possible range of pore sizes. In addition to the constantly observed increase in the resolution capabilities of devices, the development of computational models and algorithms improving the quality of the measurement signal remains a big challenge.

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Section: Methods Used To Assess Porosity In Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary Approach to the Porosity of Dental Materials and Methods of Its Measurement

Sarna‐Boś

Skic

Sobieszczański

et al. 2021

IJMS

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“…This can be beneficial in improving the polymer characteristics such as mechanical properties, thermal stability, or gas transport [20]. Porous particles made from polystyrene (PS) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) were analyzed by SEM to measure the particle size [21]. Figure 5 shows the particles with size ranging from 1 to 7 µm.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microscopy and Spectroscopy Techniques for Characterization of Polymeric Membranes

Alqaheem

Alomair

2020

Membranes

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Polymeric membrane is a proven technology for water purification and wastewater treatment. The membrane is also commercialized for gas separation, mainly for carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen recovery. Characterization techniques are excellent tools for exploring the membrane structure and the chemical properties. This information can be then optimized to improve the membrane for better performance. In this paper, characterization techniques for studying the physical structure such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are discussed. Techniques for investigating the crystal structure such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) are also considered. Other tools for determining the functional groups such Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are reviewed. Methods for determining the elemental composition such as energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray fluorescent (XRF), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are explored. The paper also gives general guidelines for sample preparation and data interpretation for each characterization technique.

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“…For example, novel multi-beam SEM will allow probing large sample areas (Eberle and Zeidler, 2018). Furthermore, SEM 3D imaging approaches combined with available image analysis algorithms (Sundaramoorthi et al, 2016;Alvarez et al, 2019) can help better understand the ultrastructure properties of the fouling material and the impacted membrane. The quantification of microbial cells contributing to biofouling can be determined by flow cytometry, which is a high throughput method that does not depend on microbial cultivation (Prest et al, 2013;Nescerecka et al, 2016;Van Nevel et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Autopsy of a Reverse Osmosis Membrane Module

et al. 2021

Self Cite

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The desalination of seawater using reverse osmosis membranes is an attractive solution to global freshwater scarcity. However, membrane performance is reduced by (bio)fouling. Membrane autopsies are essential for identifying the type of fouling material, and applying corrective measures to minimize membrane fouling. Information from full-scale membrane autopsies guiding improved plant operations is scant in the formal literature. In this case-study, a reverse osmosis membrane from a full-scale seawater desalination plant with a feed channel pressure drop increase of about 218% over the pressure vessel was autopsied. The simultaneous determination of microbial cells, ATP, and total organic carbon (TOC) abundances per membrane area allowed estimating the contributions of biofouling and organic fouling. The abundance of microbial cells determined by flow cytometry (up to 7 × 108 cells/cm2), and ATP (up to 21,000 pg/cm2) as well as TOC (up to 98 μg/cm2) were homogeneously distributed on the membrane. Inorganic fouling was also measured, and followed a similar coverage distribution to that of biofouling. Iron (∼150 μg/cm2, estimated by ICP-MS) was the main inorganic foulant. ATR-FTIR spectra supported that membrane fouling was both organic/biological and inorganic. High-resolution SEM-EDS imaging of cross-sectioned membranes allowed assessing the thickness of the fouling layer (up to 20 μm) and its elemental composition. Imaging results further supported the results of homogeneous fouling coverage. Moreover, imaging revealed both zones with and without compression of the polysulfone membrane layer, suggesting that the stress due to operating pressure was heterogeneous. The procedure for this membrane autopsy provided a reasonable overview of the diverse contributors of fouling and might be a starting point to building a consensus autopsy protocol. Next, it would be valuable to build a RO membrane autopsy database, which can be used as a guidance and diagnostic tool to improve the management and operation of RO desalination plants.

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3D Analysis of Ordered Porous Polymeric Particles using Complementary Electron Microscopy Methods

Cited by 20 publications

References 45 publications

Contemporary Approach to the Porosity of Dental Materials and Methods of Its Measurement

Contemporary Approach to the Porosity of Dental Materials and Methods of Its Measurement

Microscopy and Spectroscopy Techniques for Characterization of Polymeric Membranes

Clinical Autopsy of a Reverse Osmosis Membrane Module

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