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Films Used (film + used)
Selected AbstractsA New Optically Reflective Thin Layer Electrode (ORTLE) Window: Gold on a Thin Porous Alumina Film Used to Observe the Onset of Water ReductionELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 1-2 2004Abstract The fabrication and unique characteristics of a new type of thin layer electrode, an optically reflective thin layer electrode (ORTLE), are described. The electrode was fabricated by the anodization of a thin layer of aluminum sputtered onto a plain glass microscope slide to create a 750,nm-thick porous alumina film. A thin film of gold was then sputtered atop the porous and transparent alumina film. The gold layer remained porous to allow solution into the pores but was optically thick and reflective. Reflectance measurements made through the microscope slide did not interrogate the bulk solution, but show spectral features that shift with the optical properties of the material filling the pores of the alumina film. A simple series of experiments, in which the potential of the ORTLE was stepped negatively to various values in an aqueous sodium sulfate solution, shows that interference fringes shift measurably in the ORTLE spectrum at potentials several hundred millivolts positive of the potential at which gas evolution was visible to the naked eye. [source] Influence of Exposure to Light on the Sensorial Quality of Minimally Processed CauliflowerJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Susana Sanz Cervera ABSTRACT:, The impact of lighting on minimally processed cauliflower packaged in 4 different film types (PVC and 3 P-Plus) has been measured and quantified. The effect on the sensorial quality of storage at 4 °C in darkness and partial or continuous lighting was evaluated. The gas concentrations in the packages and the weight losses were also determined. Atmosphere composition inside the packages depended on both the permeability of the film used for the packaging and exposure to light. Samples stored with lighting maintained the gaseous exchange between plant tissue and the atmosphere inside the packages for longer periods than in samples kept in darkness. This prompted a greater loss of water vapor as well as the development of atmospheres with low levels of O2 and high levels of CO2 in the samples packed with less permeable films. The most important aspect in sensory evaluation was color. In instrumental color evaluation, coordinates h* and L* were the main means for estimating color evolution. The presence of light accelerated browning in the cut zones. The development of abnormal coloring in these areas marked the end of shelf life for minimally processed cauliflower. Among the sensory attributes studied, color was the most affected by exposure to light. Samples packed in P-Plus 120 film displayed the lowest level of color deterioration in the cut zones. However, under lit conditions, the low permeability of this film caused atmospheres with very low O2 contents and high CO2 contents. These atmospheres produced a loss of texture and the development of off-odors. [source] Evaluation of different varieties of cauliflower for minimal processingJOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 2 2007Susana Sanz Abstract The impact of minimal processing technology on the sensory quality and the growth of micro-organisms in eight varieties of cauliflower packaged in four different films (one PVC and three P-Plus) was measured and quantified during more than 25 days of storage at 4 °C. Other important parameters such as weight loss and gas concentration in the packages were also determined. The composition of the atmosphere in the packages of minimally processed cauliflower depended on both the permeability of the film used for the packaging and the variety of cauliflower. When establishing shelf-life, loss of sensory quality was the deciding factor rather than loss of microbiological quality. The initial microbial load proved more important than the composition of the atmosphere inside the packages. In sensory evaluation the most important aspect was colour. In instrumental evaluation, coordinate b* was the main means of estimating shelf-life. The combination of P-Plus 120 film and varieties of cauliflower of large size and great vigour allowed the atmosphere inside the packages to have an O2 level below 10% and a CO2 level above 10%. That atmosphere composition proved essential for maintaining the sensory quality of minimally processed cauliflower. In these conditions, samples attained a shelf-life of more than 25 days. However, the different behaviours of the cauliflower varieties make it necessary to establish particular packaging conditions. The use of less permeable films than those used in this study, or the use of actively modified atmospheres, could be an alternative for those varieties that require special packaging conditions when processed using this technology. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source] Structure and gas transmission characteristics of microperforations in plastic filmsPACKAGING TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008P. Allan-Wojtas Abstract Bright field transmitted light microscopy (BFTLM), differential interference contrast light microscopy (DICLM), conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (LV-SEM) were used to observe microperforations in plastic film used for modified atmosphere packaging. Characteristics of the microperforations, including size, shape and obstructions are indicators of consistency and reproducibility of the process used to produce the microperforations. In addition, the microperforations appeared differently on the upper and lower surfaces of the plastic films, including a local thickening at the site of the microperforation and size of the opening. Microperforations in the range of 30 to 100,µm in diameter exhibited a linear increase of both O2 and CO2 transmission rates with hole area, for diffusion under calm conditions. Further testing indicated that microperforations larger than 55,µm in diameter can lose their diffusion constant if convection is present. Holes with a diameter less than 55,µm should therefore be used to achieve the required oxygen transmission rates (OTR). Copyright © 2007 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Confinement effects on the morphology of photopatterned porous polymer monoliths for capillary and microchip electrophoresis of proteinsELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 14 2008Mei He Abstract We find that the morphology of porous polymer monoliths photopatterned within capillaries and microchannels is substantially influenced by the dimensions of confinement. Porous polymer monoliths were prepared by UV-initiated free-radical polymerization using either the hydrophilic or hydrophobic monomers 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate or butyl methacrylate, cross-linker ethylene dimethacrylate and different porogenic solvents to produce bulk pore diameters between 3.2 and 0.4,µm. The extent of deformation from the bulk porous structure under confinement strongly depends on the ratio of characteristic length of the confined space to the monolith pore size. The effects are similar in cylindrical capillaries and D-shaped microfluidic channels. Bulk-like porosity is observed for a confinement dimension to pore size ratio >10, and significant deviation is observed for a ratio <5. At the extreme limit of deformation a smooth polymer layer ,300 nm thick is formed on the surface of the capillary or microchannel. Surface tension or wetting also plays a role, with greater wetting enhancing deformation of the bulk structure. The films created by extreme deformation provide a rapid and effective strategy to create robust wall coatings, with the ability to photograft various surface chemistries onto the coating. This approach is demonstrated through cationic films used for electroosmotic flow control and neutral hydrophilic coatings for electrophoresis of proteins. [source] Effect of accelerated aging on the structure and properties of monolayer and multilayer packaging filmsJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 1 2008P. A. Tarantili Abstract The effect of accelerated aging on the structure and properties of single, metalized, and multilayer films used in food packaging was studied through the exposure of specimens of those films to repeated aging cycles in a weather meter under the combined action of ultraviolet, humidity, and heat. The aged specimens were tested for their mechanical properties and water vapor transmission characteristics, and the results were compared to those obtained from the original specimens. The property changes introduced into the films by aging were further explored by attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry in an attempt to correlate the changes in the properties with structural characteristics. The results showed that the films made of polypropylene (PP) underwent severe chain scission upon irradiation and lost mechanical properties but still retained their impermeability to water vapor. The metallic coating could not prevent PP from degrading, as it seemed to oxidize under the aging conditions. Therefore, the metalized film showed the same mechanical response as PP, but its water impermeability dropped dramatically. Polyethylene (PE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films showed modest decreases in their mechanical properties, which could be attributed to crosslinking reactions taking place with PE and to the increased ultraviolet stability of PET, respectively. On the other hand, the multilayer films presented a decrease in their mechanical properties according to those of their weak component, which would be expected for a composite structure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008 [source] Evaluation of the Genotoxicity of Chitosan Nanoparticles for Use in Food Packaging FilmsJOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 6 2010Renata De Lima Abstract:, The use of nanoparticles in food packaging has been proposed on the basis that it could improve protection of foods by, for example, reducing permeation of gases, minimizing odor loss, and increasing mechanical strength and thermal stability. Consequently, the impacts of such nanoparticles on organisms and on the environment need to be investigated to ensure their safe use. In an earlier study, Moura and others (2008a) described the effect of addition of chitosan (CS) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) nanoparticles on the mechanical properties, water vapor, and oxygen permeability of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films used in food packaging. Here, the genotoxicity of different polymeric CS/PMAA nanoparticles (size 60, 82, and 111 nm) was evaluated at different concentration levels, using the,Allium cepa,chromosome damage test as well as cytogenetic tests employing human lymphocyte cultures. Test substrates were exposed to solutions containing nanoparticles at polymer mass concentrations of 1.8, 18, and 180 mg/L. Results showed no evidence of DNA damage caused by the nanoparticles (no significant numerical or structural changes were observed), however the 82 and 111 nm nanoparticles reduced mitotic index values at the highest concentration tested (180 mg/L), indicating that the nanoparticles were toxic to the cells used at this concentration. In the case of the 60 nm CS/PMAA nanoparticles, no significant changes in the mitotic index were observed at the concentration levels tested, indicating that these particles were not toxic. The techniques used show promising potential for application in tests of nanoparticle safety envisaging the future use of these materials in food packaging. [source] Spectroscopic ellipsometry study of thin diffusion barriers of TaN and Ta for Cu interconnects in integrated circuitsPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008S. Rudra Abstract The objective of this work is to study the optical and electrical properties of tantalum nitride and tantalum barrier thin films used against copper diffusion in Si in integrated circuits using spectroscopic ellipsometry in the VUV and UV,visible range. Single layers of tantalum nitride and bilayer films of Ta/TaN were produced by reactive magnetron sputtering on Si(100) substrates covered with a native oxide layer. Ellipsometric measurements were performed in the energy range from 0.73,8.7 eV and the dielectric functions were simulated using Drude,Lorentz model and effective medium approximation (EMA) in order to obtain information regarding film thickness, film composition, free carrier plasma energy, mean relaxation time and electrical resistivity. The film thickness clearly affects the electrical resistivity and the electron mean free path. It was observed that for films of Ta on TaN even after maintaining the deposition condition suitable for the ,-phase of Ta, it turned out to be a mixture of ,- and ,-phases with higher contribution of the ,-phase. It is shown that even a very small intermixture of two different phases of Ta can be determined accurately using ellipsometry. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Oxygen permeability of biaxially oriented polypropylene filmsPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008Y.J. Lin The effect of thermal history on the oxygen permeability of biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films was investigated. Compression-molded sheets prepared with different cooling rates were biaxially oriented at several temperatures in the range between the onset of melting and the peak melting temperature and at a strain rate similar to that encountered in a commercial film process. The stress response during stretching was found to depend on the residual crystallinity in the same way regardless of the thermal history of the compression-molded sheet. Biaxial orientation reduced the oxygen permeability measured at 23°C; however, the reduction did not correlate with the amount of orientation as measured by birefringence or with the fraction of amorphous phase as determined by density. Rather, the decrease in permeability was attributed to reduced mobility of amorphous tie molecules. A single one-to-one correlation between the oxygen permeability and the intensity of the dynamic mechanical ,-relaxation was demonstrated for all the films used in the study. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Modification of mesostructure base on composition of silica materials and their applications to pH sensing,POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 11-12 2006Eun-Hee Kang Abstract This study induced a chemical combination of fluoresceinamine (FA) and (3-chloropropyl)triethoxysilane (CP-TEOS) in the presence of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) which is able to maintain the shape of the mesostructure without prior removal of the surfactant. The sol-gel derived silica films were controlled by the reaction time and molar ratios of TEOS and CP-TEOS, and characterized in terms of response to pH, pKa values, effects of oxidation number, leaching, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. The conclusions include the effect on molar ratios and the choice of reaction time. The results of this study are summarized as follows: (1) increasing the molar ratio of TEOS, the mesostructure of these films exhibited not only perfect single-crystal morphology but also a hexagonal morphology; (2) the most suitable molar ration in this synthesis is the ratio of 1:1 (the molar ratio of TEOS and CP-TEOS); (3) the reaction time for this system should be controlled at least to over 6,hr in order to maintain high intensity absorbance against a minimum of indicator quantity. Leaching-out is more pronounced for films used directly after preparation and varies for different molar ratios. The long-term implication of leaching-out on sol-gel based pH sensors is discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||