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Showing papers by "Enakshi Bhattacharya published in 2021"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a 15-nm thick silicon nanoporous membrane (SNM) was used for dialysis of two uremic toxins - urea and creatinine using custom made teflon apparatus of 2, 10 and 30 ml.
Abstract: In-house fabricated silicon nanoporous membranes (SNMs), functionalized for efficient clearance of uremic toxins, can lead to compact and portable dialysis systems. Efficacy of 15 nm thick SNMs, with average pore diameter of 8 nm, was tested for dialysis of two uremic toxins - urea and creatinine using custom made teflon apparatus of 2, 10 and 30 ml. The apparatus consisted of two reservoirs, with the cis containing the uremic fluid, and the trans containing the dialysate. Peristalsis was found to enhance the clearance rate by a factor of four as compared to unstirred condition. Functionalisation of the SNMs reduced protein binding, and surface binding of urea from 23% to negligible values. A lateral array of nine SNMs and a new design for the dialysis apparatus, increased the clearance rate by a factor of twelve from that of the single SNM. The arrays cleared about 42% of urea and 48% of creatinine from 30 ml of diluted serum samples, in 15 min. Periodic replacement of the trans fluid cleared about 81% of high concentration uremic toxins from the cis reservoir in 45 mins. The SNM arrays are stable, reproducible, and with the superior clearance rates for urea and creatinine, they have the potential to be used as membranes for portable hemodialysers.

4 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2021
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of different process parameters on the deposition rate of the silicon oxide film that influence properties like the refractive index and the post-deposition etch rate was investigated.
Abstract: Ultrathin silicon nanoporous membrane, with applications in biomolecular separation, can be fabricated by rapid thermal annealing of a 15-nm-thick amorphous silicon film sandwiched between two thin silicon oxide capping layers. Here, we investigated the influence of different process parameters on the deposition rate of the silicon oxide film that influence properties like the refractive index and the post-deposition etch rate. The improvement in the oxide film quality, brought about by reducing the ICP power while simultaneously increasing RF power, results in an eight fold reduction in the etch rate of the deposited layer. This allows for the deposition of thinner oxide capping layers and the resulting reduced thermal mass induces pore formation at lower annealing temperatures facilitating greater variation in pore sizes and porosities of the membrane.

1 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the failure probability of plain and notched polysilicon micro-cantilevers was estimated using surface micro-machining and bending tests until the structure failed catastrophically.