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Biomedical subjects

Johannes G Khinast

Publications and source records attributed to Johannes G Khinast.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Prediction of mass transfer coefficients in non-Newtonian fermentation media using first-principles methods.

Bubble flows in non-Newtonian fluids were analyzed using first-principles methods with the aim to compute and predict mass transfer coefficients in such fermentation media. The method we used is a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of the reactive multiphase flow with deformable boundaries and interfaces. With this method, we are able for the first time to calculate mass transfer coefficients in non-Newtonian liquids of different rheologies without any experimental data. In the current article, shear-thinning fluids are considered. However, the results provide the basis for further investigations, such as the study of viscoelastic fluids.

Bioreactors↗

Characterization of the localized hydrodynamic shear forces and dissolved oxygen distribution in sparged bioreactors.

Detailed, high-resolution numerical simulations of the bubbly flows, used for oxygen delivery and mixing in mammalian cell suspensions, have been performed. The hydrodynamics, shear and normal forces, mass transfer and mass transport from and around individual bubbles and bubble clusters were resolved for different operating conditions, that is, Weber, Morton, and Schmidt numbers. Suspended animal (e.g., mammalian, insect) cells are known to be susceptible to damage potentially leading to cell death, caused by hydrodynamic stresses and oxygen deprivation. Better knowledge of the magnitude of the shear forces and the extent of mixing of the dissolved oxygen in sparged bioreactors can have a significant impact on their future design and optimization. Therefore, the computed liquid-phase velocity fields were used to calculate and compare the local shear in different types of single bubble wakes and in bubble clusters. Oxygen mass transfer and dissolved oxygen transport were resolved to examine oxygen supply to the cells in the different types of flows.

Animals↗

Controlled silicon surface functionalization by alkene hydrosilylation.

Immobilization of indene ligands onto two types of hydrogen-terminated surfaces, oxide-free Si [H/Si(111)] and oxidized Si [H/SiO2/Si], has been investigated by infrared absorption spectroscopy. The activity of a common catalyst (H2PtCl6) is shown to depend critically on the nature of the solvent. For instance, 2-propanol preferentially reacts with the surface, preventing any ligand attachment. Chlorobenzene is more stable, allowing some ligand attachment, but the H2PtCl6 catalyst also fosters silicon oxidation. In contrast, UV irradiation on oxide-free surfaces promotes a cleaner and more efficient reaction, leading to ligand attachment without substrate oxidation. The complete inactivity of H-terminated surfaces with a thin oxide layer [H/SiO2/Si] suggests that the UV-induced immobilization is mediated solely by the excitation of electron-hole pairs (excitons) in the substrate and is not the result of direct Si-H bond breaking.

Alkenes↗