Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

The hydrostatic bearing is the core component of ultra-precision computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools. Because the temperature rise in the oil film of hydrostatic bearings seriously affects the working accuracy of the bearings, it is important to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the oil film. Based on the physical model of an incompressible viscous fluid flowing in a flat microfluidic boundary layer, velocity, temperature and heat flux distribution equations of oil film are constructed by theories of heat transfer and hydrodynamics. Then, the effects of several parameters on velocity distribution, temperature distribution and heat flux distribution are analyzed, such as the upper plate velocity, the channel length, and so on. The results show that the dimensionless velocity of the oil film decreases with the increase in the upper plate velocity and the channel length. The oil film temperature distribution can be divided into three zones: the increasing zone, stabilizing zone and decreasing zone. The heat flux decreases linearly with the increase in the plate thickness, and increases linearly with the increase in the temperature difference.

microfluidic boundary layer,hydrostatic oil film,velocity,temperature,heat flux

The poor intrinsic mechanical properties of chitosan hydrogels have greatly hindered their practical applications. Inspired by nature, we proposed a strategy to enhance the mechanical properties of chitosan hydrogels by construction of a nanofibrous and cellular architecture in the hydrogel without toxic chemical crosslinking. To this end, electrospun nanofibers including cellulose acetate, polyacrylonitrile, and SiO2 nanofibers were introduced into chitosan hydrogels by homogenous dispersion and lyophilization. With the addition of 30% cellulose acetate nanofibers, the cellular structure could be maintained even in water without crosslinking, and integration of 60% of the nanofibers could guarantee the free-standing structure of the chitosan hydrogel with a low solid content of 1%. Moreover, the SiO2 nanofiber-reinforced chitosan (SiO2 NF/CS) three-dimensional (3D) matrices exhibit complete shape recovery from 80% compressive strain and excellent injectability. The cellular architecture and nanofibrous structure in the SiO2 NF/CS matrices are beneficial for human mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and stretching. Furthermore, the SiO2 NF/CS matrices can also act as powerful vehicles for drug delivery. As an example, bone morphogenetic protein 2 could be immobilized on SiO2 NF/CS matrices to induce osteogenic differentiation. Together, the electrospun nanofiber-reinforced 3D chitosan matrices exhibited improved mechanical properties and enhanced biofunctionality, showing great potential in tissue engineering.

chitosan hydrogel, electrospun nanofiber, mechanical property, nanofibrous matrix, tissue engineering