Design and validation study of a laboratory scale chemical reactor for non-invasive imaging of macro objects in situ
Design and validation study of a laboratory scale chemical reactor for non-invasive imaging of macro objects in situ
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cej.2017.07.001
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发表时间：
2017-11
影响因子：
15.1
通讯作者：
D. Marin;M. Fairlie;P. Bunton;C. Nwosu;Julie Faith Parker;F. Franklin;K. Novakovic
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
D. Marin;M. Fairlie;P. Bunton;C. Nwosu;Julie Faith Parker;F. Franklin;K. Novakovic
在化学反应器中低成本地原位监测宏观对象在长时间内的构象变化是具有挑战性的。将受益于筛选方法改进的一个研究领域是智能水凝胶的研究，特别是当它们被用作口服给药形式或作为多功能支架取代手术切除的组织时。智能材料具有通过膨胀和/或坍塌来改变其体积的能力，以响应其环境中的特定刺激。用于记录这种变化的常规方法，如重量分析，是侵入性的，需要人力进行耗时的水凝胶处理，并且经常导致材料碎裂，从而导致不准确。在这项工作中，一种新颖的反应器设计与廉价的光学相结合，实现了一种可以长期可靠使用的非侵入性方法。带夹套的反应堆容器设计中采用了光学质量的平板玻璃窗，以实现不失真成像。该反应器从化学工程的角度出发，实现了温度控制、连续搅拌和取样，同时防止了溶剂的蒸发损失。使用美国空军1951年的分辨率测试靶测量图像分辨率。使用pH响应型PVP-壳聚糖水凝胶对该装置进行了验证，以证明该方法能够监测响应水凝胶的体积随时间的变化。
Inexpensive in situ monitoring of a conformational change in a macro object over long periods of time in a chemical reactor is challenging. One research area which would benefit from improvements in screening methods is the study of smart hydrogels, particularly when they are intended as oral forms for drug delivery or as multifunctional scaffolds replacing surgically removed tissues. Smart materials have the ability to alter their volume by swelling and/or collapsing in response to a specific stimulus in their environment. Conventional methods used to record this change such as gravimetric analysis, are invasive, require manpower for time-consuming hydrogel handling and often result in material fragmentation leading to inaccuracy. In this work, a novel reactor design is implemented in combination with inexpensive optics to achieve a non-invasive method that can be used reliably over long periods of time. Optical quality flat glass windows are incorporated in a jacketed reactor vessel design to enable undistorted imaging. The reactor was made from a chemical engineering viewpoint to enable temperature control, continuous stirring and sampling while preventing evaporative loss of solvent. Image resolution was measured using a USAF 1951 resolution test target. The setup was validated using pH responsive PVP-Chitosan hydrogels to demonstrate the capabilities of the method in monitoring the change in volume of the responsive hydrogel with time.