No abstract

A vibration isolation system called Type-Bp system used for power recycling mirrors has been developed for KAGRA, the interferometric gravitationalwave observatory in Japan. A suspension of the Type-Bp system passively isolates an optic from seismic vibration using three main pendulum stages equipped with two vertical vibration isolation systems. A compact reaction mass around each of the main stages allows for achieving sufficient damping performance with a simple feedback as well as vibration isolation ratio. Three Type-Bp systems were installed in KAGRA, and were proved to satisfy the requirements on the damping performance, and also on estimated residual displacement of the optics.

Production of drug nanoparticles is an effective strategy to enhance solubility and oral absorption of water-insoluble drugs. The handling of drug nanoparticles has been an important issue in drug formulation because nanoparticles easily aggregate each other and redispersion of these particles is very difficult. In the present study, we developed a unique two-solution mixing type spray nozzle that can prepare drug nanoparticles in microparticles in one step without any common solvent and surfactant, and then, the prepared formulation were evaluated. Ethylcellulose (EC) and mannitol (MAN) were used as a model polymer of water-insoluble compound and a water-soluble carrier, respectively. We characterized the EC/MAN microparticles produced by the novel spray nozzle when customizing the nozzle parts to mix EC and MAN solution. Relatively smaller EC nanoparticles (<110 nm) in MAN microparticles (approximately 3 µm) were obtained by changing the customizable parts in the nozzle. In addition, the core of EC nanoparticles (<50 nm) was also observed by atomic force microscopy. We also found that the mixing time in the nozzle parts affected the size and the standard deviation of EC nanoparticles. These results suggest that the size of EC nanoparticles in MAN microparticles is controllable by using this unique nozzle. After all, we could prepare MAN microparticles containing EC nanoparticles in one step by using the novel nozzle. The drug/MAN microparticles formulation produced by the nozzle may be useful for the handling of drug nanoparticles.Key words two-solution mixing type nozzle; spray drier; composite particle; anti-solvent effect; one-step preparation Improvement of water-insoluble drugs has been an important issue as increasing the promising drug candidates. The use of nano-sized drugs is an effective strategy to enhance drug solubility.1-5) Several methods have been extensively employed to prepare smaller particles from large drug particles, such as the use of ball and jet mills, crystallization by evaporating the drug in an organic solvent, and preparation of emulsions and liposomes. Although these methods have advantages and disadvantages, the handling of nano-sized drug powders has been an important factor. Nanoparticles can easily aggregate with each other because of their great surface energy; hence, redispersion of these aggregates is very difficult and the effective properties derived from nanoparticles are lost. Therefore, technologies to preserve nanoparticles have been pursued.In a previous study, we developed a four-fluid nozzle spray dryer to produce microparticles containing nano-sized drug particles.6-11) This nozzle has two liquid and two gas passages that allow two compounds (e.g., a water-insoluble drug in organic solvent and a water-soluble carrier in aqueous solution) to be dissolved in separate solvents, thereby overcoming the problems of finding and using a common solvent. Although the detailed mechanism of the production of drug nanoparticles/water-soluble carrier microparticles by using the...

Cellulose paper is an attractive substrate for paper electronics because of its advantages of flexibility, biodegradability, easy incorporation into composites, low cost and eco-friendliness. However, the micrometre-sized pores of cellulose paper make robust/conductive films difficult to deposit onto its surface from metal-nanoparticle-based inks. We developed a Cu-based composite ink to deposit conductive Cu films onto cellulose paper via low-temperature sintering in air. The Cu-based inks consisted of a metallo-organic decomposition ink and formic-acid-treated Cu flakes. The composite ink was heated in air at 100°C for only 15 s to give a conductive Cu film (7 × 10−5 Ω cm) on the cellulose paper. Filtration of the Cu-based composite ink accumulated Cu flakes on the paper, which enabled formation of a sintered Cu film with few defects. A strategy was developed to enhance the bending stability of the sintered Cu films on paper substrates using polyvinylpyrrolidone-modified Cu flakes and amine-modified paper. The resistance of the Cu films increased only 1.3-fold and 1.1-fold after 1000 bending cycles at bending radii of 5 mm and 15 mm, respectively. The results of this study provide an approach to increasing the bending stability of Cu films on cellulose paper.

In electronic printing, ensuring high durability of sintered copper films on flexible substrates to obtain environmental stability and mechanical flexibility has become the most important task from a practical standpoint. In the study reported here, the authors develop solution synthesis of 2‐amino‐2‐ethyl‐1,3‐propanediol (AEP)‐protected copper nanoparticles (AEP–Cu NPs) with sizes of 3–8 nm in ethylene glycol, where the Cu NPs are stabilized via the metallacyclic coordination stability of the AEP ligands. The sintered Cu film exhibits a resistivity of 50 μΩ cm−1 after heating at 150 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. Most importantly, the resulting Cu films on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates show excellent durability in terms of bending and adhesion without requiring any additives like nanotubes and nanowires. Furthermore, the authors successfully demonstrated the high environmental stability of the resulting Cu film even after it is exposed to harsh environmental conditions (RH 80%, 60 °C) for 1 month. The environmental durability is further improved by utilizing a composite ink of AEP–Cu NPs with copper microflakes. It is experimentally proven that oxidation products from AEP ligands originating in the sintering process contributed to the high durability of sintered copper films on flexible substrates.