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PubMed2002

Pore-scale network model for three-phase flow in mixed-wet porous media.

We describe the development and application of a three-dimensional pore-scale network simulator for modeling capillary-dominated three-phase flow in porous media where the wettability varies from pore to pore, i.e., where each pore is allowed to have a different oil-water contact angle from a chosen distribution. Physical constraint equations for the remaining gas-oil and gas-water contact angles are implemented. In weakly wetted pores wetting films are absent, which reduces the continuity of the various phases in the network and increases the number of phase clusters that are disconnected from inlet or outlet. Mobilization of disconnected clusters requires incorporation of double and multiple displacement chains that involve a string of neighboring phase clusters, e.g., gas-->oil-->gas-->oil-->water. Furthermore, when multiple displacement chains cause disconnected clusters to reconnect to the outlet, the phase pressures at the outlet boundary are updated consistent with the pressures within the system. A number of benchmark simulations for systems with nonuniform wettability, mixed-wet with the larger pores oil-wet, are presented. The outcome of these simulations is presented as phase paths in saturation space and in the form of pore occupancy histograms and histograms of the length and type of displacement chains. Comparison of simulated saturation paths with those of an analytical capillary bundle model with the same wettability show good agreement where phase continuity is high and decreasing agreement as phase continuity in the network decreases. The saturation paths and occupancy and displacement statistics for a number of water-alternating-gas injection (WAG) simulations bring out the various features of the model, in particular, those related to the wettability. We find that multiple displacements do occur, mainly during higher-order WAG floods, although their effect on oil recovery seems limited. Variation of the outlet boundary pressure differences has an effect in certain regions of the saturation space that are defined by the analytical model.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Correlations between diffusion, internal magnetic field gradients, and transverse relaxation in porous systems containing oil and water.

The main focus in this study is to investigate the correlations between internal magnetic field gradients (G0) and transverse relaxation times in liquid-saturated packings of glass beads of different wettabilities. We show how these correlations can be expressed as two-dimensional (2D) diagrams of distribution functions between internal magnetic field gradients and T2 values. In the case where it is difficult to distinguish the signals from oil and water, we separate them based on their difference in diffusivity. In addition to using such diffusion weighting in the G0-T2 diagrams, we also show results from experiments where the direct correlation between diffusion and T2 (D-T2) is determined. The overall results show that the wettability of the glass beads has a strong influence on the appearance of these diagrams, in particular on the location of the fast diffusing water molecules. However, due to their lower diffusivity, the transverse magnetization of the oil molecules is not so greatly influenced by either the presence of the glass beads or their wettability properties. Thus, the wettability properties of a liquid-filled porous material can be determined from the location of the water signal in such 2D diagrams. In particular, we show that this is the case not only for D-T2 diagrams, but also for G0-T2 diagrams.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Molecular dynamics study of the influence of wall-gas interactions on heat flow in nanochannels.

Especially at the nanometer scale interfaces play an important role. The effect of the wettability on the solid-liquid interface has already been studied with molecular dynamics. In this paper we study the dependence of wetting on the solid-gas interface for different density gases and investigate the influence of wetting on the heat transport properties over such an interface using molecular dynamics. Subsequently we show how the flow profile of a gas flowing along a surface also depends on this wettability. These simulations show that wettability increases the conductivity of a solid to a stationary gas and decreases the flow velocity near the interface for a gas flow. These two effects influence the cooling of a solid achieved by a cold gas flowing along its surface in opposite ways. However, we show that a higher wettability has a positive net effect on the cooling, explaining experimental results that showed an increased heat cooling effect of hydrophilic over hydrophobic microchannels.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Wetting-induced depletion interaction between particles in a phase-separating liquid mixture.

Inclusion of solid particles drastically affects the pattern evolution of phase separation of a binary fluid mixture, via preferential wetting of one of the phases to the particles. Here we study this problem by numerical simulation, which incorporates interparticle hydrodynamic interactions properly. When particles favor one of the components of a mixture, wetting layers are quickly formed on the particle surfaces and all particles are eventually included into the more wettable phase. For immobile particles, domains of the more wettable phase are pinned to the particles and the domain growth is thus suppressed. For this case, the domain size at a certain phase-separation time decreases monotonically with increasing the particle concentration. For mobile particles, on the other hand, the reentrant morphological transformation is observed as a function of the particle concentration: With an increase in the particle concentration, the domain morphology of the more wettable phase sequentially changes from network, droplet to network. We found that the final morphological transition is induced by wetting-induced depletion interaction: strong attractive interactions act among particles when the total volume of the more wettable phase is not enough to cover all the particles by wetting layers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Efficacy against sheep lice (Bovicola ovis) and fleece wetting of six shower dip preparations.

The relative efficacy of 6 shower dip chemicals most frequently used for the treatment of sheep lice (Bovicola ovis) in Western Australia was examined. Groups of 20 sheep infested with lice were treated with products containing either alphamethrin, cyhalothrin, diazinon or diazinon plus piperonyl butoxide and rotenone, formulated as emulsifiable concentrates, and with products containing either coumaphos or magnesium fluorosilicate, formulated as wettable powders. All treatments were applied through a shower dip (Sunbeam model SSD). Inspections for lice were conducted until 9 months after dipping. No lice were found on sheep treated with the 4 emulsifiable concentrate products. In contrast, treatment with the wettable powders, which contained either coumaphos or magnesium fluorosilicate as the active ingredient, did not eradicate the lice infestations. The degree to which the fleece was wetted was assessed 20 minutes after dipping and showed that the wettable powder dips penetrated the fleece less than the emulsifiable concentrate dips. Less fluid was retained by wool staples in an in-vitro test when dip wash was made with the wettable powders. It was concluded that the degree of wetting attained at dipping was an important factor in achieving eradication of sheep lice.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2004

pH-dependent elution profiles of selected proteins in HPLC having a stationary phase modified with pH-sensitive sulfonamide polymers.

An approach to controlling protein interactions with silica (glass) beads grafted with pH-sensitive copolymers of a sulfonamide and N,N-dimethylacrylamide is proposed. The bead surface was modified with poly(N.N-dimethyl acrylamide-co-methacryloyl sulfadimethoxine), which exhibits hydrophobic/hydrophilic switching around pH 7.0. Phase transition in the aqueous solution, the wettability change of the modified surface and surface tension of the polymer-grafted glass surface was characterized by changes in turbidity and the dynamic contact angle as a function of pH. The discontinuous phase transition in the copolymer solution shifted to a higher pH region as the composition of sulfadimethoxine monomer (SDM) was increased. However, the transition pH in continuous wettability changes on the modified surface was not affected by polymer composition due to differences in the dynamic motion. The ionized SDM of the copolymers enhanced wettability. Therefore, the advancing contact angle of the surface decreased by 45 degrees above pH 7.0, whereas wettability at low pH values was low due to the hydrophobic surface. Elution behavior of the selected four model proteins with different pI (bovine serum albumin (pI 5.0), insulin (pI 5.3), fibrinogen (pI 6.1) and myoglobin (pI 7.1)) was investigated by using pH-sensitive copolymer-modified glass beads at four pH values (5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0). Retention time of the proteins in pH-sensitive aqueous chromatography was easily regulated by eluent pH that controls the proportion of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the stationary phase and the protein. At pH 5.0, hydrophobic interaction on the deionized polymer-grafted surface is an important force in separating the proteins. However, identification of the proteins at pH 7.0 was effectively facilitated due to the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged polymer support and positive charges on protein.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1992

Role of the physiochemical properties of mucus in the protection of the respiratory epithelium.

The respiratory mucus is a very complex biological material, which possesses both flow and deformation rheological properties, characterized by non-linear and time-dependent viscoelasticity and physical properties of adhesiveness and wettability. Viscosity and elasticity are directly involved in the transport capacity of mucus, whereas wettability and adhesiveness contribute to the optimal interface properties between the mucus and the epithelial surface. Optimal conditions for the protective and lubricant properties of respiratory mucus are represented by high wettability, and adhesiveness high enough not to induce flow of mucus in the respiratory bronchioles under gravity but low enough to mobilize mucus by airflow during coughing. An intermediate viscoelasticity is also required for an optimal mucociliary transport. Different biochemical constituents such as glycoproteins, proteins, proteoglycans and lipids are involved in the gel properties of respiratory mucus. During bronchial infection and particularly in cystic fibrosis, the loss of water and the increase in macromolecules result in a marked increase in viscosity and adhesiveness responsible for the mucus transport impairment. The various lipids present in mucus contribute differently to the physicochemical properties. Surface-active phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol improve the wettability of mucus, whereas neutral lipids and glycosphyngolipids contribute to the hyperviscosity of mucus during infection. Phospholipids and associated mucins are also implicated in the interaction between bacteria and epithelial cells. Therefore, the respiratory mucus needs appropriate physicochemical properties for the protection, hydration and lubrication of the underlying airway epithelium.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMed1991

Effects of temperature and conditioning on contact lens wetting angles.

Because wettability is not always examined under standard conditions, we investigated the temperature dependence of saline wettability on unconditioned and conditioned polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), and three silicone acrylate lens materials. Sessile drop contact angles were measured in a humidity chamber at 23 degrees C and 34 degrees C using laser-assisted contact angle goniometry. In separate experiments, saline-stored and preconditioned lenses were examined either with or without rinsing. Sessile drop contact angles at 34 degrees C were within 2 degrees to 5 degrees of the room temperature values for both conditioned and unconditioned lenses, demonstrating a negligible temperature dependence. At both temperatures, the conditioned PMMA, CAB, silafocon A, and pasifocon C lenses wet slightly better, by 1 degree to 12 degrees, than unconditioned lenses. However, this increase was only significant with PMMA and silafocon A (P less than 0.05) and reversed when the preconditioned lenses were rinsed repeatedly in saline and reexamined. The results suggest that for these materials: 1) in vitro saline contact angles do not approach those seen on the eye, and this discrepancy can not be explained by temperature or conditioning; and 2) conditioning does not increase material wettability but merely forms a temporary hydrophilic interface that is more wettable than the lens material.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1990

Quantitation of rabbit corneal epithelial cell outgrowth on polymeric substrates in vitro.

The outgrowth of corneal epithelial cells onto a polymeric substrate is expected to be the primary event in the epithelialization of a synthetic corneal graft. To study the effects of polymer surface properties on corneal epithelial cell outgrowth, a quantitative in vitro cell outgrowth assay was done. Polymers with systematic variations in hydroxyl content were used as outgrowth substrates. These polymers were characterized by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis for elemental surface composition and by captive air-bubble contact angle for surface wettability. Circular corneal buttons were punched from excised rabbit corneas, placed onto these substrates, and incubated in a hormonally enriched culture medium. Outgrowth of the epithelial cells was allowed to proceed onto the substrates for 4 days. The outgrowth areas were measured, and an outgrowth index was calculated for each substrate by comparing it with tissue culture polystyrene substrate. The highest outgrowth generally occurred on substrates with intermediate wettabilities (captive air-bubble contact angles of approximately 45-75 degree); it was less on substrates of lower or higher wettabilities. Protein coatings of albumin, immunoglobulin G (IgG), fibronectin, and culture medium were found to lower the wettabilities of native substrates. Albumin and IgG precoating were shown to reduce epithelial cell outgrowth; fibronectin precoating was shown to improve outgrowth on most substrates. These results suggest that epithelial cell outgrowth is influenced by both substrate and protein interactions.

Actins↗
PubMed2005

Enhanced human osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation on 316 LS stainless steel by means of CO2 laser surface treatment.

An effective and novel technique for improving the biocompatibility of a biograde 316 LS stainless steel through the application of CO(2) laser treatment to modify the surface properties of the material is described herein. Different surface properties, such as surface roughness, surface oxygen content, and surface energy for CO(2) laser-treated 316 LS stainless steel, untreated, and mechanically roughened samples were analyzed, and their effects on the wettability characteristics of the material were studied. It was found that modification of the wettability characteristics of the 316 LS stainless steel following CO(2) laser treatment was achieved. This improvement was identified as being mainly due to the change in the polar component of the surface energy. One-day cell adhesion tests showed that cells not only adhered and spread better, but also grew faster on the CO(2) laser-treated sample than on either the untreated or mechanically roughened sample. Further, compared with the untreated sample, MTT cell proliferation analysis revealed that the mechanically roughed surface resulted in a slight enhancement, and CO(2) laser treatment brought about a significant increase in cell proliferation. An increase in the wettability of the 316 LS stainless steel was observed to positively correlate with the cell proliferation.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed2004

Protein unfolding at interfaces: slow dynamics of alpha-helix to beta-sheet transition.

A two-phase sequential dynamic change in the secondary structure of hen egg lysozyme (Lys) adsorbed on solid substrates was observed. The first phase involved fast conversion of alpha-helix to random/turns (within the first minute or at very low coverage or high substrate wettability) with no perceptible change in beta-sheet content. The second phase (1-1200 min), however, involved a relatively slow conversion from alpha-helix to beta-sheet without a noticeable change in random/turns. An important finding of this work is that the concentration of lysozyme in the adsorbed state has a substantial effect on the fractional content of secondary structures. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectroscopy, along with a newly-developed optimization algorithm for predicting the content of secondary structure motifs, was used to correlate the secondary structure and the amount of adsorbed lysozyme with the surface wettability of six different flat nanoporous substrates. Although three independent variables, surface wettability, solution concentration and time for adsorption, were used to follow the fractional structural changes of lysozyme, the results were all normalized onto a single plot with the amount adsorbed as the universal independent variable. Consequently, lateral interactions among proteins likely drive the transition process. Direct intermolecular force adhesion measurements between lysozyme and different functionalized self-assembled alkanethiol monolayers confirm that hydrophobic surfaces interact strongly with proteins. The lysozyme-unfolding pathway during early adsorption appears to be similar to that predicted by published molecular modeling results.

Biopolymers↗
PubMed1993

Surface properties of elastomeric impression materials.

This study investigated the wettability of commonly used elastomeric impression materials and their gypsum castability. The wettability was evaluated by determining the contact angles of drops of a CaSO4 aqueous solution on flat impression surfaces. Gypsum castability was determined by counting the number of voids formed in die stone casts made from impressions of a critical die. All specimens used in this study were exposed to saliva to simulate clinical conditions, where materials spontaneously acquire salivary origin biofilms. The results indicate that the condensation silicones and conventional addition silicones exhibited the largest contact angles and the highest number of voids. The new generation of 'hydrophilic' addition silicones had higher wettability than the conventional silicones and an improved gypsum castability, comparable to that of the polyether materials.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Plasma-treated polystyrene surfaces: model surfaces for studying cell-biomaterial interactions.

Biocompatibility of biomaterials relates, amongst others, to the absence of adverse cellular reactions and modulation of cell adhesion and subsequent responses. With respect to tissue-engineering applications, most materials need to evoke cell adhesion and spreading, while potentially displaying differential cell function. Adhesion has frequently been studied in a controlled fashion, using adhesion-supporting and -inhibiting substrata. The aim of this study is to create a panel of related materials with gradually changing surface characteristics in order to sustain similar individual cell adhesion and spreading, yet different cell population behaviour. A series of polystyrene materials was created with increasing oxygen surface incorporation and, concurrently, decreasing water-contact angles. Individual cells adhered and spread on all surfaces whilst showing well-developed focal adhesions and stress fibres. Cell populations demonstrated a decreased growth on surfaces with lower wettability. The biochemical activity of cell populations was not influenced by the surface treatment, but cell proliferation on surfaces increased with increasing oxygen incorporation. Furthermore, surface coverage with assembled fibronectin matrix was higher on the substrata with higher wettability. Finally, the expression of the adhesion-related proteins cadherin-5, focal adhesion kinase and RhoA was increased on surfaces with higher wettability. Further explorations of the cell biological basis of the observed differential behaviour will give more detailed answers on the rules governing cell-material interactions.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed1998

Effect of mixing technique on surface characteristics of impression materials.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Previous studies have shown a relationship between the disinfection process, wettability, and mass change of impression materials. Hand-mixed high viscosity impression materials usually result in a material with numerous voids, which contribute to surface roughness and affect the surface characteristics of the material. PURPOSE: This study evaluated the effect of mixing technique on advancing contact angle, receding contact angle, imbibition, and mass loss of various high and low viscosity polyether and polyvinyl siloxane materials. The null hypothesis tested was no differences exist between the different mixing systems. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Wilhelmy technique was used for deriving wetting properties of the materials used (Impregum F and Penta, Permadyne Syringe, Garant and Penta, Dimension Penta and Garant L, Aquasil). Conditions included no disinfection (0 hours) and 1, 5, and 18 hours of immersion disinfection in a full-strength solution of 2% acid glutaraldehyde disinfectant (Banicide). Weight changes before and after disinfection were measured to detect weight loss or mass increase over time. Weight loss in air was also measured to detect mass loss. Data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance at alpha = 0.05. RESULTS: All materials displayed some degree of imbibition of the disinfectant and experienced mass loss with polymerization, except the light viscosity polyvinyl that gained 0.18% at 5 hours. No significant differences were found in wettability among the polyether materials after 1 hour of disinfection. Less imbibition was observed for high viscosity mechanically mixed materials compared with the hand-mixed materials for both polyether and polyvinyl siloxane at 1-hour disinfection time. CONCLUSIONS: Polyether materials were more wettable than polyvinyl. Imbibition of high viscosity polyether and polyvinyl materials after 1 and 18 hours of disinfection were affected by the mixing system used.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

Influence of surface treatments developed for oral implants on the physical and biological properties of titanium. (I) Surface characterization.

We present an investigation of the physico-chemical surface properties of commercially pure titanium coverslips which were submitted to various treatments designed to optimize their topography in view of application in oral implantology. The surface microroughness, chemical composition and water wettability were analyzed on titanium coverslips prepared by mechanical polishing, acid attack in HCl/H2SO4, after mechanical polishing or sandblasting, and titanium plasma-spray. The chemical composition has been measured by Auger electron spectroscopy. The treatments have no major influence on the surface chemical composition and all the samples display a composition approaching that of TiO2 with minor amounts of carbon, sulfur, silicon and calcium as impurities. The roughness has been measured by scanning force microscopy on an area of 20 microns x 20 microns on each sample. Polished titanium is smooth (peak-to-valley roughness 81 nm), whereas the acid-attacked surfaces exhibit a micro-roughness in the microns range (2100 nm for polished and acid attacked; 3600 nm for sandblasted and acid attacked) which is quite reproducible over large areas of the sample. The acid attacked samples present a subsurface layer which contains hydrogen below the native passivating oxide layer. Water wettability measurement shows that all surfaces are hydrophobic with a slightly higher contact angle for the acid attacked surfaces. The different treatments analyzed in this study essentially influence the surface roughness by preserving the chemical composition and the wettability properties of titanium native oxide surface layer.

Dental Polishing↗
PubMed2005

Adherence of Candida albicans to glow-discharge modified acrylic denture base polymers.

An important aetiologic factor in the pathogenesis of denture-induced stomatitis, is the presence of numerous yeasts, usually Candida albicans, on the fitting surfaces of dentures. In the present study, effect of glow-discharge plasma, a technique applied to increase surface wettability of acrylic resins, on candidial adherence was evaluated. The durability of glow-discharge modification with saliva coating was also evaluated. Samples including control and experimental groups were prepared by using heat compression mould technique. To create a hydrophobicity gradient, experimental groups were exposed to a radiofrequency glow discharge in an O2 atmosphere under different discharge powers. To characterize the wetting properties, an expression of surface hydrophobicity, contact angle measurements were performed by the sessile drop method. The organism used was C. albicans (ATTC10321). Acrylic samples were coated with unstimulated whole saliva collected from a healthy man. The fungal suspension was poured on saliva-inoculated samples and incubated at 37 degrees for 2 h. The samples were then fixed with glutaraldehyde and Gram stained. Adhered candidial cells were examined by light microscope. Diffuse Reflectance FTIR (DRIFT) and scanning electron-microscope examinations were also performed to evaluate the surface composition and roughness of the test groups. Glow-discharge plasma was found to be an effective means of increasing surface wettability even with salivary pellicle. Amounts of candida cells adhered were significantly higher in all the plasma treated surfaces than the unmodified control group (P < 0.001). It was concluded that improving the surface wettability of acrylic resins by glow-discharge plasma in O2 atmosphere increased the adherence of the C. albicans.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed1998

Further evidence that zinc sulphate compromises the efficacy of dipping treatments using diazinon to control sheep lice (Bovicola ovis).

OBJECTIVE: To compare the wettability and efficacy of diazinon dip wash made with and without the addition of zinc sulphate. DESIGN: Field experiments using a shower and a plunge dip complemented by in-vitro wettability experiments. PROCEDURE: A flock of infested sheep was divided into groups and treated in a shower dip with clear or cloudy dam water plus up to 1.5% zinc sulphate. Another infested line of sheep was treated using a plunge dip with nil or 1% zinc sulphate. In both experiments, wetting was assessed after dipping and louse counts were conducted for 9 months after treatment. Five in-vitro experiments compared the wettability of dip wash containing diazinon with up to 1.5% zinc sulphate added. RESULTS: In the shower dipping experiment, live lice were found at 1 month after dipping in the cloudy water groups with 0.75%, 1.0% and 1.5% zinc sulphate and at 2 months in the 0.75% zinc sulphate group. No lice were found at subsequent inspections or at any time in the groups that were plunge dipped. Zinc sulphate decreased the amount of dip wash retained by wool staples in all in-vitro experiments (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Zinc sulphate should be considered as a risk factor that could cause failure to eradicate a lice infestation. The risk can be overcome by ensuring that all sheep are saturated at dipping and that the dip wash, and any holding tanks, are agitated throughout the dipping event.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1996

Surface chemical structure for soft contact lenses as a function of polymer processing.

The surface chemistry and topography of cast-molded Etafilcon-A and doubled-sided lathed Etafilcon-A soft contact lenses were determined to be significantly different. The variations in surface chemical and morphologic structure between the two lenses were the result of contact lens manufacturing methods. The surface of the cast-molded Etafilcon-A had a consistently less rough surface compared to the doubled sided lathed Etafilcon-A as determined by atomic force microscopy. The surface of the doubled sided lathed Etafilcon-A contained primarily silicone and wax contamination in addition to minute amounts of HEMA. The cast-molded Etafilcon-A had an elemental and chemical content which was consistent with the polymer stoichiometry. Contact angle wettability profiles revealed inherent wettability differences between the two lenses types. The cast-molded Etafilcon-A had an inherently greater water wettability, polarity, and critical surface tension. This means that these two lenses cannot be compared as similar or identical lens materials in terms of surface composition. The manufacturing method used to produce a soft contact lens directly determines the surface elemental and chemical structure as well as the morphology of the finished lens material. These results suggest possible differences in the clinical comfort, spoilage, and lubricity felt during patient wear.

Biocompatible Materials↗