Jake Mcclements

Newcastle University | NCL · School of Engineering

This paper provides evidence and discusses the variability in the thermomechanical behaviour of virgin and recycled polypropylene/high-density polyethylene blends without the addition of other components, which is sparse in the literature. Understanding the performance variability in recycled polymer blends is of critical importance in order to fac...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common male cancer and is attributable to over 375,000 deaths annually. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a key biomarker for PCa and therefore, measuring patient PSA levels is an important aspect of the diagnostic pathway. Automated immunoassays are currently utilized for PSA analysis, but they require a l...

A portable test to rapidly determine levels of levodopa, the drug used to treat Parkinson's disease, can improve clinical management of the disease. In this study, screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) were modified with polymers to facilitate the electrochemical detection of levodopa. Cyclic voltammetry was used to deposit a thin layer of polyaniline o...

A portable test to rapidly determine levels of levodopa, the drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease, can improve clinical management of the disease. In this study, screen-printed electrodes were modified with polymers to facilitate the electrochemical detection of levodopa. Cyclic voltammetry was used to deposit a thin layer of polyaniline on the e...

Molecular recognition has been described as the “ultimate” form of sensing and plays a fundamental role in biological processes. There is a move towards biomimetic recognition elements to overcome inherent problems of natural receptors such as limited stability, high-cost, and variation in response. In recent years, several alternatives have emerge...

Rapid antigen tests are currently used for population screening of COVID-19. However, they lack sensitivity and utilize antibodies as receptors, which can only function in narrow temperature and pH ranges. Consequently, molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) are synthetized with a fast (2 h) and scalable process using merely a tiny...

The fibre-matrix interfacial properties of glass-fibre/polyamide-6 (GF/PA-6) composites produced by thermoplastic resin transfer moulding (TP-RTM) were investigated. Two different fibre sizings were compared, a specially-developed novel reactive fibre sizing and a standard silane glass fibre sizing. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force micros...

Biopolymers possess highly favorable properties for electrochemical biosensing such as their inherent biocompatibility, inexpensive nature, and strong interfacial adhesion. In this mini review, we will focus on chitosan and polydopamine, two of the most commonly used biopolymers, for electrochemical sensing applications. Chitosan is a polysaccharid...

Pluronic (PEO-PPO-PEO) block copolymers can form nano-sized micelles with a structure composed of a hydrophobic PPO core and hydrophilic PEO shell layer. Pluronics are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved polymers, which are widely used for solubilization of drugs and their delivery, gene/therapeutic delivery, diagnostics, and tissue engineer...

The development of self-cleaning biomimetic surfaces has the potential to be of great benefit to human health, in addition to reducing the economic burden on industries worldwide. Consequently, this study developed a biomimetic wax surface using a moulding technique which emulated the topography of the self-cleaning Gladiolus hybridus (Gladioli) le...

AFM force spectroscopy was utilised to measure the interactions between latex and carbon black nanoparticles in neutral ultrapure water and basic ultrapure water with 0.7% ammonia (pH of 11.6 ± 0.05) by weight added. For the first time, carbon black nanoparticles were adhered to AFM tips with epoxy using force spectroscopy techniques and characteri...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was utilized to investigate the force associated with chain pull-out and single chain desorption of poly(styrene-co-butadiene) random copolymer thin films on mica, silicon, and graphite substrates. Chain pull-out events were common and produced a force of 20−25 pN. The polymer desorption force was strongest on the grap...

Understanding and characterising the behaviour of polymers at surfaces is of great fundamental interest, in addition to being vitally important for many applications. Composite materials, films and coatings, functional membranes, and nanoelectronics are only a few examples of applications which rely on polymers functioning at surfaces. The interact...

Microbubbles (MBs), which are used as ultrasonic contrast agents, have distinct acoustic signatures which enable them to significantly enhance visualisation of the vasculature. Research is progressing to develop MBs which act as drug/gene delivery vehicles for site-specific therapeutics. In order to manufacture effective theranostic vehicles, it is...

We studied the morphology of poly(styrene-co-butadiene) random copolymers on a graphite surface. Polymer solutions were spin coated onto graphite, at various concentrations and molecular weights. The polymer films and nanostructures were imaged using atomic force microscopy. Above the overlap concentration, thin films formed. However, total wetting...

A polymer of intrinsic porosity (i.e., PIM-1) has been blended with different ionic liquids (ILs) in order to evaluate the effect of the ILs on the microstructure of the polymer blend. [C8MIM][Cl], [BMIM][DCa], [BMPyr][DCa], and [BMIM][Tf2N] have been selected and were mixed with PIM-1. Polymer blends containing up to 80 wt % of ILs were prepared b...

The self-assembly of poly(styrene-co-butadiene) random copolymers on mica surfaces was studied by varying solution concentrations and polymer molecular weights. Toluene solutions of the poly(styrene-co-butadiene) samples were spin coated onto a mica surface and the resulting polymer morphology was investigated by atomic force microscopy. At higher...

There has been a rapid increase in the fabrication of various kinds of edible nanoparticles for oral delivery of bioactive agents, such as those constructed from proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and/or minerals. It is currently difficult to compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of nanoparticle-based delivery systems b...