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Showing posts from November, 2019

Study Unveils New Chemical Payload Bearing Polymer Ideal for Medical Implants

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Caltech scientists have developed a new kind of polymer that can carry a chemical payload as part of its molecular structure and release it in response to mechanical stress. The chemical system they have developed could one day be used to create medical implants that can release drugs into the body when triggered by something like ultrasound waves, they say. Set of Polymer Chains Bonded to the Payload System The new material consists of a set of polymer chains bonded to the payload system, creating a mechanically sensitive unit called a mechanophore. A so-called cascade reaction ejects the payload from the polymer. In simple terms, force applied to the polymer causes weak bonds in the mechanophore to rupture, spitting out an unstable intermediate molecule that promptly breaks down to release the attached payload. Release of Coumarin Dye In their paper, the authors demonstrate the release of a coumarin dye, an organic molecule with useful properties, but they say the polymer

Toray creates world’s first porous carbon fiber with a nanosized continuous pore structure

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Using this fiber as a support layer could lighten advanced membranes used in greenhouse gas separation and hydrogen production and make them more compact, thereby enhancing performance. The company will keep pushing ahead with R&D for this new material to foster carbon recycling, collaborating with other entities in developing applications to sustainably tap hydrogen energy and shrink environmental footprints. Absorption- and adsorption-based facilities conventionally separate carbon dioxide, biogas, hydrogen, and other gases. The issue with such setups, however, is that they are large and consume a lot of energy, resulting in heavy carbon dioxide emissions. Gas separation methods employing membranes have thus attracted considerable attention. But despite ongoing research, no membranes have yet combined satisfactory gas separation performance and durability. Toray’s new material is chemically stable because it comprises carbon, and offers outstanding gas permea

IEEE WIE Forum USA East Nov 21-23,ARLINGTON

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The 5th Annual IEEE WIE Forum USA East Event will be held on November 21-23,2019 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, VA , which will focus on developing and improving leadership skills and driving innovation for individuals at all stages of their careers. Attendees will have the opportunity to be educated, inspired, and empowered by presentations given by successful leaders, attend workshops, network with peers, learn ways to kickstart programs which excite and inspire the women engineers of the future. Registration Fee: 390 USD REGISTER @ https://lnkd.in/fHyCZri PATRONS SPONSORSHIP: An innovative selection of sponsorship packages have been put together for our 2019 program,ranging from Diamond $10K- Silver$1.5K level. CAREER FAIR (Nov 22) It is open to all technical career fields including (but not limited to) Aerospace Engg,Computer Engg ,Computer Science, Cyber Security, Data Scientists, Electrical Engg, Engg Management, Info Tech, Mechanical Engg,Manufacturing, and

New Method to Synthesize Degradable Polymers for Medical Applications

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MIT chemists have devised a way to synthesize polymers that can break down more readily in the body and in the environment. Ring-opening Metathesis Polymerization A chemical reaction called ring-opening metathesis polymerization, or ROMP, is handy for building novel polymers for various uses such as nanofabrication, high-performance resins, and delivering drugs or imaging agents. However, one downside to this synthesis method is that the resulting polymers do not naturally break down in natural environments, such as inside the body. Making Polymers More Degradable The MIT research team has come up with a way to make those polymers more degradable by adding a novel type of building block to the backbone of the polymer. This new building block, or monomer, forms chemical bonds that can be broken down by weak acids, bases, and ions such as fluoride. “ We believe that this is the first general way to produce ROMP polymers with facile degradability under biologically relevant