This work reports on the nucleation of the β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) by incorporating CoFe(2)O(4) and NiFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles, leading in this way to the preparation of magnetoelectric composites. The fraction of filler nanoparticles needed to produce the same β- to α-phase ratio in crystallized PVDF is 1 order of magnitude lower in the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. The inte...

Electrospinning was employed to prepare new multi-functional nanowebs. Cyclodextrin based inclusion complex (CD-IC) was used to disperse multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) within electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous membranes (PVdF-NFM). Subsequently, MWNT(CD-IC)/PVdF-NFM was loaded with gold (Au) particles. The morphology, structure and thermal properties of Au/MWNT(CD-IC)/PVdF-NFM...

In nature, microscopic surface textures impact useful function, such as the drag reduction of shark skin (Dean & Bhushan, 2010) and superhydrophobicity of the lotus leaf(Pan, Kota, Mabry, & Tuteja, 2013). In this study, we explore these phenomena by re-creating microscopic surface textures via the method of interfacial flow instability in drying polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) acetone solutions....

Steroidal estrogens are a representative type of endocrine-disrupting chemical contaminant that has been detected in surface water. In this paper, modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were prepared by adding different amounts of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and nano-TiO2 particles. PVDF-PVP membrane adsorption, UV photolysis and PVDF-PVP-TiO2 membrane photocatalysis performance were...

Dialysis is the single most important therapy for chronic kidney disease. However, protein adsorption onto hemodialysis membranes promotes clot formation. The aim of the present study was to develop a surface-modified membrane which suppresses protein adsorption. Using plasma polymerization, hydrophilic N-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP) and acryloyl morpholine (ACMO) were polymerized on hydrophobic poly...

A new touch sensor device has been demonstrated with molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) field effect transistors stacked with a piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE). The performance of two device stack structures, metal/PVDF-TrFE/MoS2 (MPM) and metal/PVDF-TrFE/Al2O3/MoS2 (MPAM), were compared as a function of the thickness of PVDF-TrFE and Al2O3. The sensitivity...

Fluorescent pseudomonads produce yellow-green siderophores when grown under conditions of iron starvation. Here, the characterization of the pvdF gene, which is required for synthesis of the siderophore pyoverdine by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1, is described. A P. aeruginosa pvdF mutant was constructed and found to be defective for production of pyoverdine, demonstrating the involvement ...

PVDF nanofibers are prepared using electrospinning. The effect of addition of a hydrated salt, nickel chloride hexahydrate (NiCl(2)·6H(2)O), on the phase formation is examined. Addition of the hydrated salt (NC) is found to enhance the polar β phase by about 30%. The peak to peak piezo-voltage generated for PVDF NC is almost 0.762 V, a factor of 3 higher than that for PVDF. The fiber mats exhib...

In this study, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hollow fiber hemodialysis membranes were prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). The influences of PVDF membrane thickness and polyethylene glycol (PEG) content on membrane morphologies, pore size, mechanical and permeable performance were investigated. It was found that membrane thickness and PEG content affected both the struc...

Tissue engineering aims at repairing damaged tissues and recovering the lost or degraded biological functions with artificial scaffolds. In order to meet the requirement for more complex functionality such as peripheral nerve reconstruction, new types of scaffold materials are needed. In this work, we developed several microand nanofabrication techniques to pattern polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF...