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Low-Temperature Fabrication of Mesoporous Titania Thin Films
- Lin Song, Volker Körstgens, David Magerl, Bo Su, Thomas Fröschl, Nicola Hüsing, Sigrid Bernstorff, Peter Müller-Buschbaum
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- Journal:
- MRS Advances / Volume 2 / Issue 43 / 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 June 2017, pp. 2315-2325
- Print publication:
- 2017
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- Article
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Mesoporous titania films are prepared via the polymer-template assisted sol-gel synthesis at low temperatures, using the titania precursor ethylene glycol-modified titanate (EGMT) and the diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-polyethyleneoxide (PS-b-PEO). UV-irradiation is chosen as a low temperature technique to remove the polymer template and thereby to obtain titania sponge-like nanostructures at processing temperatures below 100 °C. After different UV irradiation times, ranging for 0 h to 24 h, the surface and inner morphologies of the titania films are studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS), respectively. The evolution of the band gap energies is investigated using ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy. The findings reveal that 12 h UV-treatment is sufficient to remove the polymer template from the titania/PS-b-PEO composite films with a thickness of 80 nm, and the determined bad gap energies indicate an incomplete crystallization of the titania nanostructures.
Cohesiveness in biofilm matrix polymers
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- By Hans-Curt Flemming, Department of Aquatic Microbiology, University of Duisburg, Germany, Jost Wingender, Department of Aquatic Microbiology, University of Duisburg, Germany, Christian Mayer, Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Duisburg, Germany, Volker Körstgens, Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Duisburg, Germany, Werner Borchard, Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Duisburg, Germany
- Edited by David G. Allison, University of Manchester, P. Gilbert, University of Manchester, H. M. Lappin-Scott, University of Exeter, M. Wilson
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- Book:
- Community Structure and Co-operation in Biofilms
- Published online:
- 03 June 2010
- Print publication:
- 23 October 2000, pp 87-106
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- Chapter
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Summary
MICROBIAL AGGREGATES
The vast majority of micro-organisms live and grow in aggregated forms such as biofilms, flocs (‘planktonic biofilms’) and sludges. This form of growth is lumped in the somewhat inexact but generally accepted expression ‘biofilm’. The feature which is common to all these phenomena is that the micro-organisms are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) which are responsible for morphology, structure, coherence, physico-chemical properties and activity of these aggregates (Wingender & Flemming, 1999). Biofilms are ubiquitously distributed in natural soil and aquatic environments, on tissues of plants, animals and man, as well as in technical systems such as filters and other porous materials, reservoirs, pipelines, ship hulls, heat exchangers, separation membranes, etc. (Costerton et al., 1987; Flemming & Schaule, 1996); biofilms may also develop on medical devices, thus initiating persistent infections in humans (Costerton et al., 1999). Biofilms develop adherent to a solid surface (substratum) at solid–water interfaces, but can also be found at water–air and at solid–air interfaces. They are accumulations of micro-organisms (prokaryotic and eukaryotic unicellular organisms), EPS, multivalent cations, inorganic particles, biogenic material (detritus) as well as colloidal and dissolved compounds. EPS are considered as the key components that determine the structural and functional integrity of microbial aggregates. EPS form a three-dimensional, gel-like, highly hydrated and locally charged biofilm matrix, in which the micro-organisms are more or less immobilized. EPS create a microenvironment for sessile cells which is conditioned by the nature of the EPS matrix. In general, the proportion of EPS in biofilms can vary between roughly 50 and 90% of the total organic matter (Christensen & Characklis, 1990; Nielsen et al., 1997).