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The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has led to numerous problems related to our living environment, seeking an efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) strategy associated with low energy consumption and expenditures is highly desirable. Here, we demonstrate a facile approach to synthesize a series of highly porous carbon materials derived from porous organic polymers synthesized from three low-cost isomers of triphenyl using chemical activation with KOH at different temperatures. Compared with the precursor porous organic polymers, the porosity of the prepared porous carbon materials is significantly enhanced with surface areas as high as 3367 m2 g-1 and pore volumes up to 1.224 cm3 g-1. Notably, such porous carbon materials demonstrate an exceptionally high CO2 adsorption capacity of 7.78 mmol g-1 at 273 K and 1 bar, a value that is superior to most of the previously reported adsorbents. In addition, these porous organic polymers and derived porous carbon materials exhibit high CO2/N2 selectivity at ambient conditions. Therefore, the facile construction of highly porous carbon materials from porous organic polymers may offer an efficient strategy for CO2 adsorption and separation and further mitigates greenhouse effect.

The adsorption removal of anti-inflammatory drugs from water by diverse materials has drawn great attention. This study investigated the adsorption of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by two types of materials, UiO-66 and UiO-66-BC composites. Highly porous MOF composites with functional groups were synthesized by combining UiO-66 with corncob-based biochar at different molar ratios. SEM results showed that macroporosity of UiO-66-BC composites was increased by increasing the ratio of biochar. It was found that UiO-66-BC composites displayed highly improved adsorption performance of SMX relative to pristine UiO-66. UiO-66-BC (5%) had the highest SMX adsorption capacity, about 2.4 times those of pristine UiO-66. It was the high surface area of UiO-66 and redundant functional groups of biochar that increased the adsorption performance of composites. Moreover, UiO-66-BC can be reused and displayed the competitive adsorption efficiency after successive adsorption, which made it a potential adsorbent for the removal of SMX from water.

Background Highly porous-coated titanium acetabular components have a high coefficient of friction and ultraporous surfaces to enhance bone ingrowth and osseointegration in total hip arthroplasty (THA). There have been concerns with the development of early radiolucent lines and aseptic loosening of highly porous acetabular components. It is unclear whether these concerns relate to a specific implant or the entire class. The aim of this study is to compare the revision rates for aseptic loosening of highly porous acetabular combinations in primary THA using data from a large joint replacement registry. Methods Data were retrieved from the Australian Orthopedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry for the study period September 1999 to December 2019. All primary THA procedures recorded and performed for osteoarthritis using the most common combinations for each highly porous acetabular component with highly cross-linked polyethylene and a 32-mm or 36-mm femoral head were included. The primary outcome measure was revision for aseptic loosening of the acetabular component. Results were adjusted for patient age and gender. Results There were 20,993 primary THA procedures performed for osteoarthritis using a highly porous acetabular component across 6 combinations. Relative to the POLARSTEM/R3 (StikTite), the Exeter V40/Tritanium had a significantly higher risk of revision for aseptic loosening of the acetabular component (hazard ratio 0.21, 95% confidence interval 0.06-0.74, P = .014). There was no difference between any other highly porous acetabular component combination and no late revisions for aseptic loosening. Conclusion Highly porous-coated titanium acetabular components have low rates of aseptic loosening with long-term follow-up. A difference between components may exist. Level of Evidence Level III.

Highly porous SiOC ceramic foams with gradient or uniform macrostructures were obtained through polymer derived ceramic routes. Precuring of preceramic polymers and introduction of SiO2 powders were used to tailor precursor viscosity and hence SiOC foam macrostructure. Effects of polymer viscosity on porosity, pore size, pore distribution were investigated by light microscopy and micro-computed tomography techniques. SiOC ceramic foams. Foams from one unmodified precursor, showed pore size gradient with small pores located at bottom and large pores at the top. To address this non-uniformity, the viscosity of the precursor was increased by pre-curing the preceramic polymer, which resulted in decrease of the average pore size and improvement in pore size uniformity. For a different system with a self-foaming preceramic polymer, because of the simultaneous release of foaming gases and rapid increase in viscosity during crosslinking, the foam had non-uniform macrostructure with large pores and thick struts at the bottom. By addition of SiO2 fillers, the crosslinking reaction rate was reduced leading to homogeneous pore nucleation and uniform small pore size foams.

Silica aerogels are low-density, low-thermal conductivity, and highly porous solids used in a wide range of applications. In the present work, the glass fibers-reinforced silica aerogels nanocomposite models were investigated for thermal conductivity using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Here, the glass fibers weight percentage (% wt) was varied from 2.14 to 21.20%, i. e., the density of the silica aerogel nanocomposite ranged from 252 to 307 kg m−3. The thermal conductivity increases with the % wt of glass fibers for the considered range. However, the increase was insignificant, i. e., from 0.0357 to 0.048 W m−1 K−1. Moreover, the thermal conductivity varies with the density of nanocomposite according to a power-law with an exponent of 1.90 ± 0.18. Furthermore, the obtained thermal conductivity values of silica aerogels and their nanocomposites are in good agreement with experimental and computational studies. The outcome shows that the glass fibers-reinforced silica aerogels nanocomposites can be used for low-thermal conductivity applications.

Rapid, efficient, and selective separation of tumor cells from complex body fluids is urgently needed for clinical application of tumor-cell-based liquid biopsy. Herein, a size-selective affinity filtration system, named Selective, User-friendly, highly Porous, Efficient, and Rapid filter (SUPER Filter), was developed for high-performance tumor cell isolation and analysis. SUPER Filter enabled selective interaction of tumor cells with size-optimized and antibody-coated micropore walls during filtration, achieving high efficiency of 91.0 ± 6.1% in PBS and 83.7 ± 6.4% in whole blood. Meanwhile, its larger micropore size than traditional filtration devices greatly reduced nonspecific capture of background cells (55-126 cells/mL blood) with enrichment factors of 1.1 × 104 - 1.0 × 105 and purity of 52.7 ± 4.2%. Moreover, its high porosity enabled ultra-fast (< 5 s for 1 mL of blood or 10 mL of buffer samples) and user-friendly gravity-driven filtration. Finally, SUPER Filter demonstrated rapid, efficient, and selective separation of tumor cells from blood and large-volume pleural and ascetic fluid samples of cancer patients for morphological and molecular analysis. We expect that this size-selective affinity filtration strategy facilitates clinical application of tumor-cell-based liquid biopsy.

Alkali copper sulfates form a rapidly developing family of inorganics. Herein, we report synthesis and crystal structure, and evaluate possible ion migration pathways for a novel Na-K-Cu anhydrous sulfate, K(Na,K)Na2[Cu2(SO4)4]. The CuO7 and SO4 polyhedra share common vertices and edges to form [Cu2(SO4)4]4− wide ribbons, which link to each other via common oxygen atoms forming the host part of the structure. Four guest alkali sites are occupied by solely K+, mixture of K+ and Na+, and solely Na+, which agrees well with the size of the cavities. The crystal structure of K(Na,K)Na2[Cu2(SO4)4] contains two symmetry-independent Cu sites with [4+1+(2)] coordination environments. The overall coordination polyhedra of Cu2+ can be considered as `octahedra with one split vertex'. A similar coordination mode was observed also in some other multinary copper sulfates, mostly of the mineral world. These coordination modes were reviewed and five types of CuO7 polyhedra are identified. CuO7 polyhedra are almost restricted to copper sulfates and phosphates. It was found that a larger amount of the smaller SO4 2− and PO4 3− anions can cluster around a single Cu2+ cation; in addition, for such relatively small anions, both mono (κ1) and bidentate (κ2) coordination modes to the Cu2+ are possible. The correlation between crystallographic characteristics and bond valence energies showed that the new copper sulfate framework, [Cu2(SO4)4]4−, contains one interconnected path suitable for Na+ mobility at tolerable activation energies and that K(Na,K)Na2[Cu2(SO4)4] can be considered as a potential candidate for novel Na-ion conductors.

The article presents the first results of magnetotelluric sounding (MTS) surveys of the Baikal foredeep. This study is part of the project of the Institute of the Earth’s Crust SB RAS, which investigates the geological and geoelectrical structure of the southeastern marginal part of the Siberian platform and updates the model of the Baikal rift zone. An objective is to preliminary assess the mining potential of the Riphean strata in the Baikal foredeep. The relevance of the study centers on the possibility of discovering a new promising oil-gas field in proximity to energy-intensive industrial and agricultural enterprises. The MTS section of the sedimentary cover shows an increased conductivity of its lower part, which is most likely due to highly porous carbonate-terrigenous rocks in the middle – lower part of the ‘Baikal three-member’ structure. The intra-lithospheric conductive layer that hosts most of the earthquake hypocenters of the Baikal rift is investigated.

The conversion of CO2 into functional materials under ambient conditions is a major challenge to realize a carbon-neutral society. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been extensively studied as designable porous materials. Despite the fact that CO2 is an attractive renewable resource, the synthesis of MOFs from CO2 remains unexplored. Chemical inertness of CO2 has hampered its conversion into typical MOF linkers such as carboxylates without high energy reactants and/or harsh conditions. Here, we present a one-pot conversion of CO2 into highly porous crystalline MOFs at ambient temperature and pressure. Cubic [Zn4O(piperazine dicarbamate)3] is synthesized via in situ formation of bridging dicarbamate linkers from piperazines and CO2 and shows high surface areas (∼2366 m2 g-1) and CO2 contents (>30 wt %). Whereas the dicarbamate linkers are thermodynamically unstable by themselves and readily release CO2, the formation of an extended coordination network in the MOF lattices stabilizes the linker enough to demonstrate stable permanent porosity.

Objective. To test the biomechanical properties of 3D printed tantalum and titanium porous scaffolds. Methods. Four types of tantalum and titanium scaffolds with four alternative pore diameters, #1 (1000-700 μm), #2 (700-1000 μm), #3 (500-800 μm), and #4 (800-500 μm), were molded by selective laser melting technique, and the scaffolds were tested by scanning electronic microscope, uniaxial-compression tests, and Young’s modulus tests; they were compared with same size pig femoral bone scaffolds. Results. Under uniaxial-compression tests, equivalent stress of tantalum scaffold was 411 ± 1.43 MPa, which was significantly larger than the titanium scaffolds ( P < 0.05 ). Young’s modulus of tantalum scaffold was 2.61 ± 0.02 GPa, which was only half of that of titanium scaffold. The stress-strain curves of tantalum scaffolds were more similar to pig bone scaffolds than titanium scaffolds. Conclusion. 3D printed tantalum scaffolds with varying pore diameters are more similar to actual bone scaffolds compared with titanium scaffolds in biomechanical properties.

A technique for starch modification by graft polymerization of acrylamide has been developed. The obtained copolymer is soluble in a wide range of pH 2 - 12. The modification of starch made it possible to freely combine it with aqueous acid solutions of chitosan, in order to achieve a synergistic effect of their properties. A porous material based on modified starch and its mixtures with chitosan, which has high sorption characteristics, has been developed. The resulting material is promising as a sorbent of heavy metal ions and packing materials for transportation and storage.

Purpose. Development of a method for the regeneration of highly porous fillers for biofilters after slagging of their pores with biofilm residues in the process of growing aquaculture objects in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Methodology. Regeneration of fillers was performed with solutions of sodium hypochlorite of different concentrations (2.5%, 1%, 0.5% of active chlorine) after their exploitation for 6 months. The cleaning efficiency was monitored by the difference in fillers weights after cleaning. Findings. According to the study, the use of sodium hypochlorite for cleaning highly porous fillers for biofilters (using an example of porous ceramic filler and foamed glass «JBL Micromec») is efficient and cost-effective. A reduction in the weight of the test samples averaged 12.95% for porous ceramics and 15.01% for foamed glass. Based on the obtained data, aqueous solutions with different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite do not have a pronounced difference in efficiency, respectively; the optimal for use is a 0.5% solution. Originality. The use of highly porous fillers for biofilters has long been unprofitable in fish farming due to the rapid loss of their main advantages - a high specific area per unit volume as a result of micropore slagging with biofilm residues. As a result, complete regeneration of these filter materials was required annually, which, given the significantly higher cost compared to polymeric fillers, made their use unprofitable. The described technique allows the use of porous ceramics and foamed glass, after their restoration, for a long time, with replacement only after mechanical wear. Practical value. The described method allows using highly porous fillers for biofilters in the process of growing aquaculture objects without their main disadvantage - a rapid decrease in efficiency as a result of pore slagging with biofilm residues. Keywords: RAS, biofilter, filler, restoration, sodium hypochlorite.

This paper aims to review recent studies in preparing activated carbons from different types of agricultural wastes in Malaysia and how it can help Malaysia manage agricultural waste. It can be seen that most biomasses can be used as precursors to produce activated carbon for a wide range of pollutants and this adsorbent can be modified to optimally function depending on the types of pollutants. Under optimum dosages, modification through chemical activation using acidic, basic, or drying agents has significant effects on the selectivity of the analyte adsorption. The acidic activating agent causes the activated carbon to have negatively charged acid groups which enable it to adsorb cationic adsorbate while the basic activating agent causes the adsorbent to have a positive surface charge and enable it to adsorb anionic adsorbate.

The results of studies on radiation-initiated telomerization of tetrafluoroethylene and on the properties of telomers with reactive terminal hydroxyl, amino, and silane groups are summarized. Prospects for application of the telomers obtained in the design of hydrophobic coatings of glass and polyester fabrics and highly porous ceramic materials based on quartz fibers are assessed.

[EN] HPM-16 is a highly porous germanosilicate zeolite with an interrupted framework that contains a three-dimensional system of 12+10 10(12) 12+10-membered ring (MR) pores. The 10(12) MR pore in the b direction is a 10 MR pore with long 12 MR stretches forming 30 long tubular supercages. Along one direction the 10 MR pores are fused, meaning that the separation between adjacent pores consists of a single tetrahedron that is, additionally, connected to only three additional tetrahedra (a Q3). These fused pores are thus decorated by T-OH groups along the whole diffusion path, creating a hydrophilic region embedded in an otherwise essentially hydrophobic environment. The structure is built from highly porous 12 12 12 MR uninterrupted layers that are connected to each other through Q3 producing a second system of 10 10 10 MRpores. This zeolite can be extensively degermanated yielding a material with high thermal stability, despite its interrupted nature., The authors are grateful for financial support to the Spanish Ministry of Science Innovation and Universities (MICIU) (PID2019-105479RB-I00 project, AEI, Spain and FEDER, EU). SRGB also thanks MICIU for a Juan de la Cierva- Formación Research Contract (FJC2018-035697-I code reference). Synchrotron experiments were performed at beamline BL04 (MSPD) at the Spanish ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff, and special thanks are due to A. Manj n and A. Missiul. Centro T cnico Inform tico-CSIC, Trueno cluster facility of SGAI-CSIC is acknowledged for running the calculations. We also deeply thank C. Márquez- Álvarez for his kind help in characterization. The cRED data were collected at the Electron Microscopy Center (EMC), Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK) in Stockholm University with the support of Knut and Alice Wallenberg (KAW) foundation-financed project 3DEM-NATUR.

AIM: This study aimed to summarize the accumulated experience and compare available materials for the plasty of dura mater (DM) defects. The growing number of patients with craniocerebral traumas and an increasing amount of neurological surgeries for tumor processes and congenital malformations resulted in an increased amount of DM defects and associated complications. Despite the development of high-efficiency medical products, the percentage of postsurgical CSF leakage remains high and reaches 32% in case the defect is in infratentorial locations. Suitable substitute materials should be developed for the repair of dural defects because of complications such as pseudomeningocele, postsurgical inflammatory processes, CSF leakage, implant rejection, and cicatrical adhesion. In this article, basic materials, including auto- and allografts, biological substances, and synthetic materials, for the repair of dural defects were reviewed. Their positive and negative properties depending on the kind and location of lesions and on the type of material used were discussed. The main characteristics to be fulfilled by an ideal dura mater substitute were analyzed. Composite materials were considered a promising trend in modern bioengineering. CONCLUSION: An ideal material for the repair of DM defects should have the following properties: plastic, nonimmunogenic, watertight, highly porous, high surface area of fibers, cell growth stimulating, supportive for the survival of cells until they completely integrate with host tissues, conveniently replaceable, and adhesive. No ideal transplant materials can meet all the above demands. Biological, synthetic, and host tissues only supplement one another. Relevant studies have yet to be performed to obtain a more versatile and time and cost effective material that can satisfy all the requirements of modern neurosurgery. The existing results of preclinical studies have demonstrated that composite materials are similar to synthetic materials in terms of the strength and properties of biological tissues for the migration and proliferation of cells. In the future, they may become a promising alternative to biological substitutes.

This study aimed to synthesise and apply polydopamine-functionalised biosilica(BS@PDA), derived from diatomite, as a highly porous and biodegradable composite for efficient adsorption of Cu(II), Co...

The present work is devoted to verification of the procedure of determining the thermophysical characteristics of highly porous fibrous thermoprotective materials under conditions resembling real ones. For creating conditions close to operational ones, temperature regimes of heating from 300 to 1200 K in vacuum at a pressure within the range 7.0·10–5–9.0·10–5 bar were realized in the process of experiment. The thermophysical characteristics were calculated using the data of temperature measurements at the internal points of thermoprotective material samples. A comparative analysis of the results obtained with the use of different quantities of thermocouples mounted in the samples is given. The computational algorithm for processing experimental data is based on the solution of the inverse heat transfer problem by the method of iteration regularization.

In this study, S0.4Co4Sb11.2Te0.8 skutterudites with a highly porous structure inside grains are prepared by a one-step hot-pressing (OS-HP) method. The effect of the pressure relief treatment at the heating stage on the micro-morphology and thermoelectric properties of materials is investigated. When the temperature corresponding to the pressure relief treatment is less than 723 K, the grain size dramatically increases from ∼1 to ∼50 μm, and a large number of pores are distributed inside these large grains. Compared with those samples prepared by the conventional method, the thermal conductivity of samples prepared by the pressure relief treatment is significantly reduced due to the high porosity. The ZT values of samples prepared by the pressure relief treatment are greater than 1.6 at 825 K. This newly developed OS-HP method can be employed for the rapid fabrication of highly porous structured skutterudites with low-melting-point compositions as well as of other material systems.

Design of thermal insulation from porous materials based on hydrosilicates is a promising area of researches. In this paper, the formation of pores is analyzed and the advent of new highly porous heat-insulating materials on the basis of hydrosilicates is proposed. The determination of the thermophysical properties of the studied highly porous materials is based on empirical laboratory investigations of the samples obtained. An analytical study of the formation of pores is carried out. The results of the research on the preparation of a new highly porous heatinsulating material on the hydrosilicate basis are presented. The thermal conductivity of this thermal insulation was found to be equal to 0.114–0.119 W/(m·K), and its specific heat at 22°С, to 1.33–1.41 kJ/(kg·K). The obtained results confirm that the developed heat-insulating material meets the requirements upon materials of this kind. From the proposed hydrosilicates, thermal insulation has been created that is used at JSC Motor Sich for special conditions of the operation, which confirms the practicality of the present researches.

The results of testing new generation Aerobor® II cubic boron nitride grinding wheels during machining of the locking element of turbine blades are presented. The advantages of using new high-porosity cubic boron nitride grinding wheels in comparison with abrasive grinding wheels in deep grinding of parts made of heat-resistant nickel alloys are described. Keywords: deep grinding, turbine blade, locking element, high-temperature nickel alloys, high-porosity cubic boron nitride grinding wheel d_i_volkov@rsatu.ru, boris_tsvetkov@mail.ru, uryadyshevaa@mail.ru

Recently, highly porous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with excellent porosity and abundant functional groups, have represented a new addition to the area of capturing uranium ion pollutants. To achieve high adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of uranium, it is significant to modify the morphology of MOF-based adsorbents. In this contribution, two hollow structured ZIF-8 adsorbents were used for the adsorptive separation of uranium from aqueous solution. Both of them showed faster adsorption rate and larger adsorption capacity than pristine ZIF-8, providing the prospect of hollow MOF materials to the application of uranium extraction.

The development of stable and efficient electrocatalysts is of key importance for the establishment of a sustainable society. The activity of a metal electrocatalyst is determined by its electrochemically active surface area and intrinsic activity, which can be increased using highly porous structures and heteroatomic doping, respectively. Herein, we propose a general strategy of generating mesopores and residual oxygen in metal electrocatalysts by reduction of metastable metal oxides using Ag2O3 electrodeposited onto carbon paper as a model system and demonstrating that the obtained multipurpose porous Ag electrocatalyst has high activity for the electroreduction of O2 and CO2. The presence of mesopores and residual oxygen is confirmed by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, and quantum mechanical simulations prove the importance of residual oxygen for electrocatalytic activity enhancement. Thus, the adopted strategy is concluded to allow the synthesis of highly active metal catalysts with controlled mesoporosity and residual oxygen content.

Three-dimensional (3D)-printed titanium cups used in primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) were developed to combine the benefits of a low elastic modulus with a highly porous surface. The aim was to improve local vascularization and bony ingrowth, and at the same time to reduce periprosthetic stress shielding. Additive manufacturing, starting with a titanium alloy powder, allows serial production of devices with large interconnected pores (trabecular titanium), overcoming the drawbacks of tantalum and conventional manufacturing techniques. To date, 3D-printed cups have achieved dependable clinical and radiological outcomes with results not inferior to conventional sockets and with good rates of osseointegration. No mechanical failures and no abnormal ion release and biocompatibility warnings have been reported. In this review, we focused on the manufacturing technique, cup features, clinical outcomes, open questions and future developments of off-the-shelf 3D-printed titanium shells in THA.

Silica aerogels are gaining significant importance and have attracted considerable interest due to their extraordinary properties and numerous applications. Silica aerogels are highly porous with high surface area and very low density and thermal conductivity. Usually they are prepared and synthesized via sol-gel technique, which involves making a sol containing a precursor, a solvent and a catalyst. The properties possessed by the final product depend upon numerous factors such as ratio of precursor to solvent and the drying method employed. Due to the flexibility of synthesis methods and the production of aerogels with tailored properties, silica aerogels have found numerous commercial applications and are being investigated of their suitability in several areas, such biomedical and aerospace engineering. Despite having exceptional properties, silica aerogels come with drawbacks such as brittleness and low mechanical strength, which can be resolved by fabricating composites extending the potential applications. This paper reviews the synthesis of silica aerogels via sol-gel technique, and the applications where this extraordinary material has shown promising results. The different materials used for the fabrication of composites to improve and enhance the physical and chemical properties of silica aerogels are also presented.

Helical architectures were designed for the additive manufacturing of highly flexible polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds for engineering soft tissues, which commonly require high flexibility and predominantly function under large deformation conditions. It was found that the design parameters like revolution and radius of helical architectures highly affected the filament fusion or bonding during the fabrication process. The bonding-induced interlaced helical architectures resulted in a more uniform deformation pattern and a lower modulus. μCT-based finite element method was established to predict the large deformation responses of the scaffolds with helical architectures and patient-specific scaffold potentially for breast reconstruction, which showed well agreement with the experimental results. The fabricated scaffolds exhibited good shape recovery capability even under cyclical compression at a strain of about 20% for 10000 times. This exploration offers a promising way to predict the mechanical responses of flexible scaffolds with complex helical architectures under large deformation conditions.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the investigational Neuro-Spinal Scaffold (NSS), a highly porous bioresorbable polymer device, demonstrates probable benefit for safety and neurological recovery in patients with complete (AIS grade A) T2–12 spinal cord injury (SCI) when implanted ≤ 96 hours postinjury. METHODS This was a prospective, open-label, multicenter, single-arm study in patients with a visible contusion on MRI. The NSS was implanted into the epicenter of the postirrigation intramedullary spinal cord contusion cavity with the intention of providing structural support to the injured spinal cord parenchyma. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients who had an improvement of ≥ 1 AIS grade (i.e., conversion from complete paraplegia to incomplete paraplegia) at the 6-month follow-up visit. A preset objective performance criterion established for the study was defined as an AIS grade conversion rate of ≥ 25%. Secondary endpoints included change in neurological level of injury (NLI). This analysis reports on data through 6-month follow-up assessments. RESULTS Nineteen patients underwent NSS implantation. There were 3 early withdrawals due to death, which were all determined by investigators to be unrelated to the NSS or the implantation procedure. Seven of 16 patients (43.8%) who completed the 6-month follow-up visit had conversion of neurological status (AIS grade A to grade B [n = 5] or C [n = 2]). Five patients showed improvement in NLI of 1 to 2 levels compared with preimplantation assessment, 3 patients showed no change, and 8 patients showed deterioration of 1 to 4 levels. There were no unanticipated or serious adverse device effects or serious adverse events related to the NSS or the implantation procedure as determined by investigators. CONCLUSIONS In this first-in-human study, implantation of the NSS within the spinal cord appeared to be safe in the setting of surgical decompression and stabilization for complete (AIS grade A) thoracic SCI. It was associated with a 6-month AIS grade conversion rate that exceeded historical controls. The INSPIRE study data demonstrate that the potential benefits of the NSS outweigh the risks in this patient population and support further clinical investigation in a randomized controlled trial. Clinical trial registration no.: NCT02138110 (clinicaltrials.gov)

Hybrid constructs have been used as a primary fixation technique in primary anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty for more than a decade. A highly porous metal central peg, metal cage, or coatings attached to the surface of cemented polyethylene glenoid component have been used with the concept of providing an additional adjunct in promoting osseointegration, preventing glenoid component loosening, and promoting longer-term success. The purpose of this article is to analyze the published results, complications, as well as rate of revision using this form of glenoid fixation. In addition, key aspects of the surgical technique that may be considered to facilitate optimal results when hybrid fixation is considered in total shoulder arthroplasty are also reviewed.

We report a new synthetic strategy for melamine-formaldehyde (MF) monoliths with controlled hierarchical porosity toward metal-ion scavengers. The obtained MF monoliths possessed micro-, meso- and macroporosity, which allowed efficient adsorption performance of precious metal ions in water. Applications such as recovery/removal of metal ions are expected.

In this study, a rapid and versatile methodology for quantitative pore structure characterization is described taking the example of intumescent char. The char porosity and pore structure tend to be difficult to quantify but are decisive for the material’s thermal conductivity and thus performance. The methodology described here uses a fluorescent dye containing epoxy to impregnate the char. After curing, the sample is cut and polished, followed by imaging with a fluorescence microscope. The recorded images are segmented using an open-source interactive machine learning program, followed by automated pore size and porosity measurements. Volume-based three-dimensional (3D) pore size distributions are calculated via stereography and compared to X-ray microcomputed tomography (μ-CT) results. The pore aspect ratio and tortuosity of the solid char phase are also discussed. It is shown that the fluorescence microscopy methodology produces high-resolution images with excellent contrast, while similar pore metrics (porosity of 81.8%, average volume-based pore size of 70.5 μm) to those for μ-CT are obtained.

Adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology is the use of highly porous materials to store natural gas at more reasonable pressures and temperatures compared with conventional liquefied or compressed nat...

Background The enhanced frictional resistance of modern ultraporous acetabular components can impede complete seating; however, surgeons expect the enhanced ingrowth surface to resolve polar (zone 2) gaps over time via osseointegration. This study characterized zone 2 radiographic osseointegration in 3 acetabular component designs: 2 highly porous ingrowth and one traditional ongrowth. Methods A consecutive cohort of primary total hip arthroplasties was reviewed which utilized 3 different acetabular cup designs: ongrowth titanium with hydroxyapatite (HA), highly porous titanium with machined radial grooves (MRG), and dual-porous titanium substrate with micropore (MP). Radiographic analysis was performed using accepted measurement criteria with particular attention to radiolucent lines. Results Seven hundred ninety cases were available for analysis. Initial 1-month radiographs revealed 43.2% of HA, 78.2% of MRG, and 81.0% of MP cups exhibited zone 2 radiolucencies, consistent with incomplete seating. At 1 year, all HA radiolucencies resolved, whereas 46.2% and 34.7% of radiolucencies remained in MRG and MP cups, respectively (P ≤ .005). At minimum 2 years, a significant proportion of zone 2 radiolucencies remained in 46.0% of MRG compared with 23.9% of MP cups and 3.0% of HA cups (P ≤ .007). Conclusion The resolution of zone 2 radiolucencies at 1-year and minimum 2-year follow-up signified osseointegration for nearly all HA and most MP cups. Highly porous titanium cups with machined radial grooves demonstrated persistent zone 2 radiolucencies at 1 year and beyond. Given reports of early loosening with this particular acetabular implant, further follow-up is warranted as this study highlights that not all contemporary highly porous metal acetabular components perform equally. Level of Evidence III.

Background Metaphyseal cones provide durable fixation in revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, there is a paucity of data on the outcomes of a new porous cone design. As such, the goal of this study was to analyze the early survivorship in patients undergoing revision TKA with this cone. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 163 revision TKAs with a newly designed porous tibial cone from 2016 to 2018. Mean age was 67 years, and mean body mass index was 33 kg/m2. Minimum follow-up duration was 2 years. Most patients were revised for aseptic loosening (46%), 2-stage periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) reimplantation (28%), or instability (15%). Most were varus-valgus constrained (65%) or hinged (32%) constructs. The majority had hybrid tibial stem fixation (74%). A multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for reoperation. Results Survivorship free from re-revision for aseptic loosening, any nonmodular revision, and any reoperation was 100%, 96%, and 86% at 2 years, respectively. No patients were revised for aseptic loosening. Six (4%) tibial cones were removed for PJI, one of which was loose. There were 23 reoperations (14%), most commonly for PJI (10%). Multivariate analysis identified PJI reimplantation (hazard ratios [HR] = 4.2, P = .002), males (HR = 2.9, P = .02), and hinged constructs (HR = 2.7, P = .02) as significant risk factors for reoperation. Conclusions In a complex revision TKA cohort with a new highly porous tibial cone, in which most patients received hybrid stem fixation and nonlinked and linked constraint, there was 100% survival free from re-revision for aseptic loosening at 2 years. Longer term follow-up is required.

The sodium–selenium batteries (Na–Se) have attracted excessive research attention owing to their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, their pragmatic realization is still interrup...

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have caused severe public concerns due to their toxicity and extensive occurrence in the aquatic environment. This study reports a highly porous amine-fu...