Universität Stuttgart
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Item Open Access Integrating a dynamic central metabolism model of cancer cells with a hybrid 3D multiscale model for vascular hepatocellular carcinoma growth(2022) Lapin, Alexey; Perfahl, Holger; Jain, Harsh Vardhan; Reuss, MatthiasWe develop here a novel modelling approach with the aim of closing the conceptual gap between tumour-level metabolic processes and the metabolic processes occurring in individual cancer cells. In particular, the metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma derived cell lines (HEPG2 cells) has been well characterized but implementations of multiscale models integrating this known metabolism have not been previously reported. We therefore extend a previously published multiscale model of vascular tumour growth, and integrate it with an experimentally verified network of central metabolism in HEPG2 cells. This resultant combined model links spatially heterogeneous vascular tumour growth with known metabolic networks within tumour cells and accounts for blood flow, angiogenesis, vascular remodelling and nutrient/growth factor transport within a growing tumour, as well as the movement of, and interactions between normal and cancer cells. Model simulations report for the first time, predictions of spatially resolved time courses of core metabolites in HEPG2 cells. These simulations can be performed at a sufficient scale to incorporate clinically relevant features of different tumour systems using reasonable computational resources. Our results predict larger than expected temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the intracellular concentrations of glucose, oxygen, lactate pyruvate, f16bp and Acetyl-CoA. The integrated multiscale model developed here provides an ideal quantitative framework in which to study the relationship between dosage, timing, and scheduling of anti-neoplastic agents and the physiological effects of tumour metabolism at the cellular level. Such models, therefore, have the potential to inform treatment decisions when drug response is dependent on the metabolic state of individual cancer cells.Item Open Access Convective drying of porous media : comparison of phase-field simulations with microfluidic experiments(2024) Maier, Lukas; Brosch, Sebastian; Gaehr, Magnus; Linkhorst, John; Wessling, Matthias; Nieken, UlrichConvective drying of porous media is central to many engineering applications, ranging from spray drying over water management in fuel cells to food drying. To improve these processes, a deep understanding of drying phenomena in porous media is crucial. Therefore, detailed simulation of multiphase flows with phase change is of great importance to investigate the complex processes involved in drying porous media. While many studies aim to access the phenomena solely by simulations, here we succeed to compare comprehensively simulations with an experimental methodology based on microfluidic multiphase flow studies in engineered porous media. In this contribution, we propose a Navier-Stokes Cahn-Hilliard model coupled with balance equations for heat and moisture to simulate the two-phase flow with phase change. The phase distribution of the two fluids air and water is modeled by the Phase-Field equation. Comparisons with experiments are rare in the literature and usually involve very simple cases. We compare our simulation with convective drying experiments of porous media. Experimentally, the interface propagation of the water-air interface was visualized in detail during drying in a structured microfluidic cell made from PDMS. The drying pattern and the drying time in the experiment are very well reproduced by our simulation. This validation will enable the application for the presented Navier-Stokes Cahn-Hilliard model in more complex cases focused more on applications, e.g., in the field of fibrous materials.Item Open Access Synthesis and characterization of novel perfluoro aromatic side chain sulfonated PSU ionomers(2024) Martschin, Philipp; Atanasov, Vladimir; Thiele, Simon; Kerres, JochenPolyethersulfone (PSU) as a commercially available polymer offers many different opportunities for functionalization for diverse fields of application, for example, electrophilic substitutions like sulfonation and bromination or nucleophilic reactions such as lithiation. This study presents three different polysulfone derivatives, first functionalized by a lithiation reaction, followed by a reaction with carbonyl compounds containing pentafluorophenyl groups. In the last step, the pentafluorophenyl moieties of the modified PSU were sulfonated by thiolation and subsequent oxidation to sulfonic acid groups. Those novel PSU derivatives were characterized by NMR, DSC, TGA, GPC, and titration. Based on these ionomers, we show the fabrication of pure and acid-base blend membranes with promising proton conductivities. These novel sulfonic acid groups containing materials are potentially promising candidates for membranes or ionomers in electrochemical applications such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWEs), or redox flow batteries (RFBs).Item Open Access Thin organic‐inorganic anti‐fouling hybrid‐films for microreactor components(2022) Neßlinger, Vanessa; Welzel, Stefan; Rieker, Florian; Meinderink, Dennis; Nieken, Ulrich; Grundmeier, GuidoDeposit formation and fouling in reactors for polymer production and processing especially in microreactors is a well‐known phenomenon. Despite the flow and pressure loss optimized static mixers, fouling occurs on the surfaces of the mixer elements. To improve the performance of such parts even further, stainless steel substrates are coated with ultra‐thin films which have low surface energy, good adhesion, and high durability. Perfluorinated organosilane (FOTS) films deposited via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are compared with FOTS containing zirconium oxide sol‐gel films regarding the prevention of deposit formation and fouling during polymerization processes in microreactors. Both film structures led to anti‐adhesive properties of microreactor component surfaces during aqueous poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) synthesis. To determine the morphology and surface chemistry of the coatings, different characterization methods such as X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as well as microscopic methods such as field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are applied. The surface free energy and wetting properties are analyzed by means of contact angle measurements. The application of thin film‐coated mixing elements in a microreactor demonstrates a significant lowering in pressure increase caused by a reduced deposit formation.Item Open Access Proton-conducting membranes for the artificial leaf(2023) Bosson, Karell; Tovar, Günter E. M. (Prof.)With the aim of producing proton conducting membranes with improved proton conductivity and mechanical properties, the poly(pentafluorostyrene)-b-(butyl acrylate) (PPFS-b-PBuA) system was investigated. The study mainly focuses on the influence of the forming polymer nanostructures on the conductivity properties of the membranes. A series of well-defined PPFS-b-PBuA block copolymers (BCPs) were synthesized via nitroxide-mediated controlled radical polymerization (NMP). Spontaneous self-assembly of the BCP element was induced via a targeted change in polymer composition. Moreover, by adjusting the molar composition via enrichment of one of the blocks after synthesis, controlled self-assembly of the BCPs was realized. This was done by combining the corresponding homopolymer with the block copolymer to form a polymer blend - one of the blocks mixed to the BCP. Forming such polymer blends expanded the range of available techniques for tailoring the morphology for desired applications. Sulfonation of BCPs for the preparation of proton-conducting membranes was carried out by a para-fluoro thiol "click" reaction using sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate (SMPS). The accessibility of fluorine in the para position of the phenylene group of PPFS provides countless opportunities for polymer functionalization by nucleophilic substitution. After modification of BCP, the self-assembly ability was retained, and higher conductivities were obtained compared to random copolymers. In addition, complementary studies were conducted on the use of printing techniques for membrane upscaling and evaluation of their life cycle.Item Open Access Coupled electrohydrodynamic and thermocapillary instability of multi-phase flows using an incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics method(2022) Almasi, Fatemeh; Hopp-Hirschler, Manuel; Hadjadj, Abdellah; Nieken, Ulrich; Safdari Shadloo, MostafaThis paper concerns the study of coupled effects of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) and thermocapillary (TC) on the dynamic behaviour of a single liquid droplet. An incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (ISPH) multiphase model is used to simulate EHD-TC driven flows. The complex hydrodynamic interactions are modeled using the continuum surface force (CSF) method, in which the gradient of the interfacial tension and the Marangoni forces are calculated with an approximated error or 0.014% in the calculation of Marangoni force compared to the analytical solutions which is a significant improvement in comparison with previous SPH simulation studies, under the assumption that the thermocapillarity generates sufficiently large stress to allow droplet migration, while the electrohydrodynamic phenomena influences the droplet morphology depending on the electrical and thermal ratios of the droplet and the ambient fluid. This study shows that, when applying a vertical electric field and thermal gradient, the droplet starts to stretch horizontally towards a break-up condition at a high rate of electrical permitivity. The combined effect of thermal gradient and electric field tends to push further the droplet towards the break-up regime. When the thermal gradient and the electric field vector are orthogonal, results show that the droplet deformation would take place more slowly and the Marangoni forces cause the droplet to migrate, while the stretching in the direction of the electric field is not seen to be as strong as in the first case.Item Open Access Novel anion exchange membrane based on poly(pentafluorostyrene) substituted with mercaptotetrazole pendant groups and its blend with polybenzimidazole for vanadium redox flow battery applications(2020) Cho, Hyeongrae; Atanasov, Vladimir; Krieg, Henning M.; Kerres, Jochen A.In order to evaluate the performance of the anion exchange membranes in a vanadium redox flow battery, a novel anion exchange polymer was synthesized via a three step process. Firstly, 1-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)-5-mercaptotetrazole was grafted onto poly(pentafluorostyrene) by nucleophilic F/S exchange. Secondly, the tertiary amino groups were quaternized by using iodomethane to provide anion exchange sites. Finally, the synthesized polymer was blended with polybenzimidazole to be applied in vanadium redox flow battery. The blend membranes exhibited better single cell battery performance in terms of efficiencies, open circuit voltage test and charge-discharge cycling test than that of a Nafion 212 membrane. The battery performance results of synthesized blend membranes suggest that those novel anion exchange membranes are promising candidates for vanadium redox flow batteries.Item Open Access Carbon‐methanol based adsorption heat pumps : identifying accessible parameter space with carbide‐derived carbon model materials(2020) Träger, Lisa; Gläsel, Jan; Scherle, Marc; Hartmann, Julian; Nieken, Ulrich; Etzold, Bastian J. M.In adsorption heat pumps, the properties of the porous adsorbent and the refrigerant determine the performance. Major parameters for this working pair are the total uptake of the adsorptive, its kinetics, and the heat transfer characteristics. In the technical application despite powdered adsorbents, thin consolidated layers of the adsorbent can be attractive and obtained by a binder‐based approach but likely result in competing material properties. Thus, for a process optimization, the accessible parameter space and interdependencies have to be known and were deduced in this work for model porous carbons (carbide‐derived carbons derived from TiC and ZrC) and methanol as well as the addition of different amounts of boron nitride, silver, and graphite as heat‐conductive agents and the use of two binders.Item Open Access Proton-conducting (blend) membranes based on sulfonated/phosphonated and basic polymers(2024) De Azpiazu Nadal, Ignasi; Tovar, Günter (Prof.)Aiming at new proton-conducting membranes, this thesis deals with the syntheses and characterizations of highly sulfonated poly(arylene sulfides) and other polysulfides for application as polymer electrolytes. The study focuses mainly on the analysis of the polymer structures that would improve the conductivity of current proton conducting membranes while maintaining their mechanical stability. In a first step, several polymers are obtained from which poly(arylene sulfide)s polymers look more promising for further functionalization. They are obtained by using mild reaction conditions of a polycondensation reaction between 4,4 ́-thiobisbenzenethiol (TBBT) and decafluorobiphenyl. Optimization of this reaction allows for the obtainment of higher molecular weights than the ones reported in the literature. In a second step, poly(arylene sulfides) were phosphonated and sulfonated by a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) displacement reaction of the fluorine atoms of the fluorinated polymer sub-units using different agents. Highly sulfonated polymers were obtained when using sodium 3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate and resulted in water soluble ionomers. Kinetic studies of this reaction were performed and several new sulfonated poly(arylene sulfides) were obtained. Finally, stable polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) with enhanced mechanical and chemical stability were obtained by blending these obtained ionomers with polybenzimidazole (PBIOO). These membranes were further characterized and in the best case a PEM with new sulfonated ionomer showed a conductivity 40 % higher than Nafion 212, used as a golden reference material. The best performing PEM’s obtained were further used in an electrolytic cell being part of eSCALED, a H2020 (MSC-ITN-2017. GA# 765376) European project which aim is to obtain a device that does the artificial photosynthesis in a more efficient way than the current devices.Item Open Access Electrically heated oxide ceramic tubes for high temperature reactions(2023) Matthies, Jörn; Schall, Thomas; Pritzkow, Walter; Tuttlies, Ute; Nieken, UlrichEndothermic high temperature reactions are usually carried out in metal tubes heated by gas burners. Electrical heating allows substantial reduction of CO2 emissions. We propose the usage of a composite tube, where a thin metallic layer is embedded between an inner and outer ceramic layer. While monolithic ceramics suffer from brittleness and low tolerance to thermal stress, only the inner layer is made from monolithic ceramics, while the outer layer is made of fiber reinforced oxide ceramics. In first tests the hybrid ceramic tube was electrically heated to 1250 °C with a maximum heat release of 85 kW m-2.