Search

Morph-genetic C/TiN composites with cablelike structure was prepared from filter paper template through the surface sol–gel process and carbothermal nitridation reaction. The resulting materials have a hierarchical structure originating from the morphology of cellulose paper. The C/TiN composites formed the core-shell microstructure, the core is graphitic carbon, and the shell is TiN nanocoating formed by carbothermal nitridation reduction of titania with the interfacial carbon in nitrogen atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscope were employed to characterize the structural morphology and phase compositions of the final products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposed and validated an original and automatic method based on synchrotron X-ray microtomography to characterise non-destructively, in 3D, the mineral fillers that may be present in fibrous composite materials. The approach consists of (i) obtaining the 3D internal structure of the sample in a non invasive way, (ii) identifying the fillers in the 3D microstructure using appropriate image processing tools, (iii) calculating the filler content on the numerical data, and (iv) validating the representativity of the data sets by evaluating the representative elementary volume. This method was successfully applied in the case of paper samples. The numerical filler content were in good agreement with standards. This method opens new perspectives in terms of characterisation of filler spatial repartition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of a comprehensive review of the literature on wood published in the Journal of Materials Science since its inception in 1966 is presented. Papers are reviewed by subject ranging from the determination of the microfibril angle in the wood cell wall through to the evaluation of fatigue life. The role of moisture content in determining mechanical properties of wood is explored and mechanical properties are reported including creep, fatigue and fracture. It is concluded that JMS has played a key role in disseminating state of the art literature on new developments in the understanding of the structure-related properties of wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbothermal reduction of SiO2 gel containing filter paper (as carbon precursors) in argon was used to prepare SiC nanowires and nanoparticles. The resulting SiC ceramic, as well as the conversion mechanism of carbon/silica composites to SiC nanowires and nanoparticles, have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG) techniques. XRD and IR studies show that the materials, obtained from reaction at 1550 °C for 1 h in static argon atmosphere, are β-SiC. SEM and TEM reveal that SiC nanowires is single crystal wires with diameters ranging from 50–200 nm and their lengths over several tens of microns. According to thermodynamic analysis, SiC nanowires and SiC nanoparticles in the resulting SiC ceramic are formed by gas-gas reaction of SiO (g) and CO (g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an analytical model for calculating the number of fibre–fibre contacts per unit fibre length from the cross-sectional dimensions of the fibres in a sheet and sheet density. This model has been verified with data of the number of fibre–fibre contacts measured directly in handsheets. The measured fibre–fibre contacts in the handsheets were classified into full and partial contacts. The model best fits this data when 1.5 partial contacts are equated to one full contact. A plot of measured versus predicted equivalent full contacts produced a linear correlation with a slope of 0.99 and correlation coefficient of R 2 = 0.93. The model was used to derive expressions for the fraction of the available fibre surface, which is bonded to other fibres, a quantity called the Relative Bonded Area (RBA). The validity of the model was checked using experimental data for RBA. RBA was determined both by nitrogen adsorption ( $$ {\hbox{RBA}}_{{\hbox{N}}_2 } $$ ) and by scattering coefficient (RBAsc). The extrapolation method of Ingmanson and Thode to determine S 0, the scattering coefficient of an unbonded sheet, proved to be inaccurate. We estimated S 0 for some samples from their linear relationship between scattering coefficient and nitrogen adsorption. The new model accurately predicted both $$ {\hbox{RBA}}_{{\hbox{N}}_{\hbox{2}} } $$ and RBAsc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About ¾ of Botswana is covered by Kgalagadi Sands (KS). KS are invariably closely graded, consist of medium to fine sub-rounded particles and contain insignificant amounts of silty and clayey fractions. As a result of these physical and chemical properties, KS lack packing and therefore compactibility, have very high voids ratios and are cohesionless. Consequently, the wet and dry strengths (compressive, shear and flexural), dimensional stability, durability and aesthetics of building blocks moulded with KS alone, in the very rare cases where they occur with silts and clays of the right quantities and quality, are well below acceptable values. This position paper describes the extensive experimental work currently underway at Botswana’s major multi-disciplinary Research and Development (R&D) Centre—Botswana Technology Centre. The work seeks to render this immensely abundant and widely available, but hitherto unusable resource, utilizable in construction. The affordability of the resultant KSBB shall derive from the local availability of KS as a raw material, usage of locally manufactured manually operated equipment and exploitation of local, largely unskilled labour force under supervision by semi-skilled artisans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a microcapsule that produces color in response to moisture in air was produced for use in an intelligent functional paper which is able to self-color after a fixed time. This microcapsule containing FeSO4 as the coloring material was prepared from gelatin and terephthaloyl chloride by an interfacial polymerization technique and was modified by a 2-propanol solution of glycerin to supplement the moisture sensitivity. A microcapsule membrane was formed by crosslinking between the amino group at the end of the gelatin and the carbonyl group of the terephthaloyl chloride. The time required for the microcapsules to produce the color tended to increase with decreasing amounts of the glycerin 2-propanol solution used for the soaking treatment of the microcapsules or increasing amounts of FeSO4 in the microcapsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of percentage solids content, coating film thickness and plastic pigment on mechanical properties of coated paper was studied. The results showed that the tensile strength, TEA, stretch and tensile stiffness were improved as the percentage solids content and the coating film thickness were increased. Bending stiffness slightly increased when solids content was increased and showed higher values on increasing the coating film thickness. The addition of plastic pigment to both clay based and GCC based coating mixtures improved the mechanical properties considered in this study. Although tensile strength and tensile stiffness increased with the addition of plastic pigment of smaller particle size, stretch and TEA showed a reverse trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dielectric loss of Cu with high thermal conductivity is large at high frequency, which cannot meet the performance requirements in high-integrated circuits. There is an urgent need for materials to reduce its dielectric loss. In this paper, the thermal conductivity and dielectric properties of the AlN coating-Cu substrate system were controlled by changing the N2 pressure. The results showed that the crystallinity of hcp-AlN in AlN coating increased significantly when the proportion of N2 pressure was increased. With the increase of the N2 pressure, the particle size on the surface and the roughness of the coating improved. The AlN coating prepared at high N2 pressure had high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss at high frequency compared to those of the coatings prepared at low N2 pressure. At the same time, the AlN coating prepared under high N2 pressure on the Cu substrate did not decrease the thermal conductivity of Cu substrate. The AlN-Cu system prepared in this paper had high thermal conductivity and good dielectric properties, providing theoretical guidance for integrated circuit packaging and capacitor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more attention to unique and complex structures, such as nature-inspired and porous structures for medical applications, has been strongly developed. Open-cell porous metal-based ones display more benefits than rigid ones since they facilitate the transformation of load between the bone and the implants and avoid the phenomenon of stress shielding and bone resorption. By being biodegradable and non-toxic, as well as having lower density and mechanical properties close to those of natural bone, Mg and its alloys are considered promising materials for porous scaffolds. However, a high corrosion rate is the main drawback of Mg alloys. The porosity of porous structures can also worsen it as it enhances the surface area exposed to the corrosive solution and negatively impacts the performance of porous structures, that these issues have not been addressed in detail so far. Since fabrication methods of Mg-based scaffolds can significantly affect the porosity-related properties (e.g., porosity percentage, type, size, and geometry) and, consequently, scaffolds' mechanical behavior and corrosion resistance, this paper reviews and compares the fabrication methods of porous structures and how they affect the resultant properties. However, among different methods, due to the expansion of additive manufacturing as a novel and exciting manufacturing technique, the paper's central focus is on using additive manufacturing in biomedical applications, discussing its advantages over other techniques. The effect of geometrical parameters on mechanical properties and corrosion rate, which strongly affects bio-application, are also given. Moreover, different strategies are briefly introduced for tailoring the high corrosion rate of Mg and its alloys, such as alloying elements and coatings. However, there is still less information regarding the additive manufacturing of porous Mg scaffolds and the optimum way of controlling the corrosion rate of Mg-based parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the plastic manufacture developed plastic from many years due to the extensive utilization of the plastics in various sectors. The constant interest of the use of plastic creates huge plastic wastes which need a proper solution to dispose the plastic wastes which indirectly or directly participate to the environment problems. Taking into the account sustainability and eco-friendly aspects, there has been an increase in the importance in the utilization of the plastic wastes in the construction industries. Many researchers are focused on the use of polymer-modified bitumen since from decades. Earlier, mixing of virgin polymer was added in bitumen to enhance its properties for road construction in addition to a high temperature was considered but adding recycled polymer in bitumen almost possesses similar improved results for the performance of the pavement with respect to pure polymers. This paper is state of art about the application of polymers in bitumen pavement. In this review paper, a significant study on the benefits and history of utilizing pure and waste polymer in bitumen is conferred by survey of application of polymer in bitumen to enhance the characteristics of bitumen pavement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication of fluorine-free hydrophobic particles via grafting fluidic polydimethylsiloxane onto silica particles through a facile wet lab technique at room temperature. A cotton fabric coated with the prepared hydrophobic particles shows potential as a membrane to separate oil and water due to hydrophobic behavior (equilibrium water contact angle ~ 145°) and superoleophilicity. The hydrophobic nature of the fabric is varied only slightly after immersing the fabric in 1 M of acidic and basic solution for seven days and thus ensured the chemical stability of the fabric, whereas the physical stability examined via abrasion test elucidates minimal change in wettability even after 50 cycles of abrasion tests. The oil–water separation efficiency of the membrane made from particle-coated cotton fabric is found to be greater than 95% even after 50 cycles of usage for various oils. Further, these particles are used to cover aqueous droplets to create liquid marbles. The stability of the liquid marble is investigated against solution with different surface tension, pH values, and viscosity. The particles demonstrate the potential to create stable liquid marbles even when the surface tension of liquid is as low as ~ 32 mN m−1. In addition, the liquid marbles are created from aqueous solutions having pH values ranging from 1 to 14 and with liquids having viscosity over a wide range. The substrate temperature-dependent evaporation studies of the liquid marbles unambiguously elucidate the porous nature of the surface and manifest a temperature-dependent liquid marble height decrease in evaporation time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the development of electronic semiconductors and optical systems, semiconductor wafers, ceramics, and optical glass increasingly need to have higher surface quality and processing accuracy, which is placing higher demands on chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). In this paper, nano-sized ceria particles coated on the silica surface with different doping ratios of Nd3+ were designed as an abrasive and synthesized by the precipitation method. The structures and properties of binary particles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis spectroscopy, and Raman spectra. CMP using the abrasives on silicon wafers was investigated and the results demonstrated an increase in polishing efficiency due to doping. The material removal rate (MRR) improved by 105% from 67.34 ± 11.66 to 138.05 ± 5.83 nm/min at a doping ratio of Nd3+ up to 9.1% compared with undoped abrasives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New thermal interface materials (TIM) with liquid metal (LM) as the main component show many advantages in the field of thermal management. However, it is prone to leakage and causes electronic components to fail due to its fluidity, corrosiveness and difficulty in adsorption, thus limiting its applications. In this paper, based on the high thermal conductivity of LM, the composite material made of eutectic gallium indium alloy (EGaIn) and nickel-plated copper mesh (NPCM) was prepared, and the TIM with high thermal conductivity, stability and reliability was obtained. With surface plating, the plating on the copper surface achieves an area coverage of up to 97.7%, effectively preventing EGaIn corrosion. The complete wetting between materials can be achieved through surface modification of NPCM with an EGaIn oxide layer. The surface modification of NPCM with EGaIn oxide layer can achieve complete wetting between materials. The thermal conductivity of the composite is 26.4 W m−1 K−1. Compared to Nickel foams (NiF), NPCM/EGaIn composite exhibits a 22.4% increase in thermal conductivity. In addition, its thermal conductivity fluctuates in a range below 7 percent even after undergoing high-temperature aging and low-temperature cycling. The actual load test demonstrated that the use of EGaIn/NPCM resulted in an 18.0% reduction in CPU full load temperature and a 78.0% decrease in maximum throttling peak, as compared to conventional silicone grease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for joining Si3N4 and 7A52 aluminum alloy using femtosecond laser surface modification of Si3N4 ceramics. This study investigated the impact of laser scanning speed on the morphology, chemical composition, and wettability of Si3N4 ceramic surfaces, as well as the mechanism behind the laser-assisted joining of Si3N4 and 7A52. After undergoing femtosecond laser processing, the ceramic material underwent modifications resulting in the creation of a periodic groove structure. This structure featured an ideal depth-to-width ratio that effectively increased the surface area for bonding with the solder. Furthermore, the surface of Si3N4 experienced thermal decomposition, which produced a recrystallized layer of 'Si.' This layer improved the solder's wetting effect on the ceramic surface, which led to a stronger diffusion of Al and Mg elements to the ceramic interface. The presence of the periodic groove structure also changed the fracture path of the joint, ultimately enhancing the strength of the brazed joint by approximately 52.4% when compared to the original joint. Notably, this significant improvement was achieved without the need for surface metallization. In summary, the femtosecond laser processing method significantly improved the strength of the ceramic–metal brazed joint through surface modifications, promoting a more reliable and robust bond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron oxide structure has an important impact on the surface quality of steel, and the experimental segmentation and identification of iron oxide structure can provide help for statistical and modeling studies of iron oxide. In this paper, the images of the oxide scale structure were used to establishing a dataset, and a segmentation model was established, which was based on U-net combined with VGG16 and SENet. The results of precision statistics show that the value of PA, commonly used in the evaluation of image segmentation with the optimized U-Net was 91.56%, which was much higher than the values recognized by Deeplab V3 + , FCN-8 s, and original U-Net under the same training conditions. Based on the optimized U-Net identification network, a variety of numerical information was extracted from oxide scale images, such as the thickness range of the iron oxide scale, phase ratio of oxides, and grain size of proeutectoid Fe3O4 formed in FeO. This network can be used to calculate the structural proportion of the deformed oxide scale, further define the relationship between the proportion and its unit size, which would provide sufficient convenience and support in using images of Fe oxide structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk fibroin is a widely used biocompatible medical material with tunable mechanical, degradability and environmental non-toxicity. This paper prepared the silk fibroin/chitosan hydrogel microneedle with pH sensitivity by blending silk fibroin with chitosan to induce graft cross-linking. The cross-linked silk fibroin/chitosan microneedles network is expanded by hydrogen ions and water molecules, forming a more significant swelling. In vitro, the transdermal drug release showed that insulin loaded in microneedles exhibited pH-sensitive drug release behavior and was released faster under acidic conditions than under neutral conditions. By changing the pH of the solution, microneedles can achieve a stimulating response to the environment, thereby intelligently regulating the transdermal release of insulin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper studies the effect of reprocessing, on both dry and wet reprocessing conditions, on the rheological and mechanical properties of a biocomposite made of a bio-based, biodegradable polymer with 40 wt% wood flour. The results show that the viscosity of the matrix decreases as the number of extrusions increases, with the greatest reduction for samples processed under wet conditions. The same behavior was observed for the biocomposite, but since the viscosity of the biocomposite is much higher than that of the matrix, this causes a greater reduction of molecular weight. Mechanical results show that properties such as tensile strength and elongation decrease as the number of extrusions increases for the matrix. In terms of maximum variations, the tensile strength experiences a decrease of approximately 18%, while the elongation at break shows a more significant reduction of about 40%. Conversely, the biocomposite shows an increase in tensile strength (about 30%) and elongation at break (about 90%) after the first extrusion and then a slight decrease, but with values of tensile strength and elongation higher than those of the virgin biocomposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-chromium redox flow battery (ICRFB) is an energy storage battery with commercial application prospects. Compared to the most mature vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) at present, ICRFB is more low-cost and environmentally friendly, which makes it more suitable for large-scale energy storage. However, the traditional electrode material carbon felt (CF) has poor electrochemical activity and hydrogen evolution side reactions, which hinders the application of ICRFB. In this paper, the surface of graphite felt (GF) was modified with pomelo peel powder to prepare biomass-modified graphite felt (Bio-GF). The optimal mass of pomelo peel powder and concentration of sucrose solution and pyrolysis temperature were determined. The surface morphology, elemental composition, hydrophilicity and electrochemical performance of the optimal biomass-modified GF(Bio-GF-O) were characterized. In addition, high performance can be achieved by employing ICRFB assembled with the Bio-GF-O electrode. At a low current density of 40 mA cm−2, the Coulombic efficiency(CE) was 92.34%, the voltage efficiency (VE) was 91.81%, and the energy efficiency (EE) was 84.78%. At the high current density of 120 mA cm−2, the CE increased and up to 96.87%, the VE and EE still have excellent cycle stability. It can be concluded that the use of waste biomass materials to modify GF to improve its electrochemical performance is conducive to the application of ICRFB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen is necessary for plants to grow, but excess nitrogen fertilizer leads to pollution of soil and groundwater, so-called agricultural non-point source pollution. The development of a rapid and precise method for detecting soil nitrate-nitrogen (NO3−-N) is urgently needed in order to provide guidance for fertilization. In this paper, an all-solid-state (ASS) nitrate ion-selective electrode (ISE) based on polyaniline (PANI) was fabricated. The PANI was synthesized using an all-solution method, which enables seamless integration with screen printing and ink-jet printing technologies for efficient large-scale production. The PANI-based sensor exhibited a linear response to NO3−-N ranging from 1 × 10−1–1 × 10–5 M, with a sensitivity of − 58.6 ± 5.2 mV/dec and a detection limit of 1.67 × 10– 6 M. The recovery rate for the detection of NO3−-N in real soil samples ranged from 96 to 104%. The PANI-based ASS-ISE also exhibits exceptional stability, reproducibility, selectivity, and remarkable pH tolerance within the range of 3.5– 10, making it well-suited for detecting various soil samples. Furthermore, the PANI-based sensors can be utilized for rapid detection of multiple elements in soil through substitution of diverse ion-selective membranes, thereby offering a more streamlined and efficient approach to environmental preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-fast humidity sensor is a useful sensing node in medical monitoring and industrial processing units. In this paper, epoxy-carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposites-based humidity sensors at various CNTs concentrations were fabricated by spin coating technique. The structural and morphological properties of the prepared samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to characterize the functional groups of the composites. Thin films of the synthesized nanocomposites were deposited onto the surface of interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) and humidity sensing properties were investigated at different working frequencies (0.1–1.5 kHz) in the humidity range 30–90% RH at room temperature. Additionally, response/recovery time and sensitivity of fabricated devices were also measured. The obtained experimental results revealed that CNTs concentration plays a key role in the sensing properties of the current sensors. The optimum CNTs concentration was found to be 1.0 wt % by virtue of its high sensitivity, quick capacitive response/recovery time (14 s/6 s) and resistive response/recovery time (10 s/5 s) as compared to the pristine epoxy and CNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D printing technology, as a flexible and efficient manufacturing method, provides new possibilities for preparing flexible tactile sensors. This paper reviews the preparation results of flexible tactile sensors based on 3D printing technology. Three types of 3D printing technology commonly used in preparing flexible tactile sensors are first described: photopolymerization, material extrusion, and electrohydrodynamic. Under the process corresponding to each type, suitable printing materials are discussed, and their applications in flexible tactile sensors preparation are explored. On this basis, the effects of these three types of processes and printing materials on the performance of flexible tactile sensors and the related application progress are analyzed. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of flexible tactile sensors based on 3D printing technology are summarized, and the future development trend is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposite permanent magnets have a high theoretical magnetic energy product [(BH)max], but when manufacturing bulk magnets, there are currently no encouraging results, thus new theoretical models are still needed as guidance. In this paper, the anisotropic-shaped soft-magnetic-phase is introduced into the composite model through micromagnetic simulation. The Nd2Fe14B/Fe65Co35 nanocomposites with anisotropic-shaped soft-magnetic-phase can obtain a theoretical (BH)max of 93.9 MGOe, which is 22% higher than the model with cubic soft-magnetic-phase with similar soft-magnetic-phase content. An approximate vortex state coordinated distribution of the anisotropic-shaped soft-magnetic-phases in nanocomposites during the magnetization reversal can make the energy distribution of magnetic interaction more uniform. Thus, the anisotropic-shaped soft-magnetic-phases can delay nucleation during demagnetization, and improve the squareness of the demagnetization curve, and significantly increase the (BH)max. Our simulation results can provide an effective way for nanocomposites to improve their magnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analytical models of Single Fiber Transverse Compression Tests (SFTCTs) are commonplace for the identification of a fiber's apparent transverse elastic modulus E T by inverse method. Compression platen misalignment however, has been shown to induce important identification errors due to the change in the platen-fiber contact surface compared to the parallel platen configuration. Nevertheless, methods to minimize this misalignment experimentally are sparse in the literature and no existing analytical models take it into consideration. In this paper the development of such a model is presented, which accounts for the angle around the fiber's pitch axis, named "tilt" angle. The predictions of this analytical model are shown to closely match the results of an equivalent Finite element model. Using force and displacement data resulting from this Finite element analysis, along with fiber's material and geometric properties and the value of the tilt angle, the proposed analytical model produces very low identification errors of E T , independently of the tilt angle. The proposed model can thus be used to reliably identify a fiber's transverse elastic modulus even for SFTCTs where a tilt angle is present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing severity of global climate and energy problems has made renewable energy an inevitable choice for achieving a low-carbon society. Hydrogen is regarded as one of the most promising renewable energy due to its excellent characteristics, such as abundant and extensive resources, high calorific value, and non-pollution. How to achieve efficient hydrogen storage is one of the main hot spots of hydrogen energy research. For on-board hydrogen storage systems, which could be used for portable power sources and fuel cell vehicles, how to store hydrogen safely and effectively is one of the most urgent technological bottlenecks to overcome. The solid-state storage based on hydrogen storage materials has the advantages of low hydrogen storage pressure, high energy efficiency, safety and reliability, compared to conventional compressed hydrogen and cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage methods. It may be one of the most promising solutions to solve the above problems. Among the hydrogen storage materials, the lightweight composite hydrides Li–Mg–N–H system holds great promise for vehicular hydrogen storage applications owing to its moderate thermodynamic properties (∆Hdes ~ 44 kJ mol−1 H2 and ∆Sdes ~ 112 J mol−1 H2·K) and relatively high hydrogen capacity (~ 5.6 wt%). However, the Li–Mg–N–H material itself has poor cycling performance and a high energy barrier, resulting in a low dehydrogenation rate and high operating temperature. Apart from this, the multi-field coupling of mass and energy transfer also poses a challenge, hindering its on-board applications. In this paper, we present the modification methods and research status of the Li–Mg–N–H system's hydrogen storage materials. The effects of composition modification, nanocrystallization and catalyst addition on the thermal/kinetic properties of hydrogen storage materials in the Li–Mg–N–H system are expounded. The difficulties and directions for enhancing the hydrogen storage performance of Li–Mg–N–H system are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the effect of titanium silicide active filler and the pyrolytic atmosphere (argon and nitrogen) on the ceramic conversion of polycarbosilane. Pyrolysis atmosphere and concentration of titanium silicide active filler was optimized to produce minimum shrinkage polycarbosilane derived ceramic. Detailed investigation on the phase evolution and surface morphology of the titanium silicide incorporated polycarbosilane derived ceramic under different pyrolysis atmospheres were carried out. From the results, it was concluded that 40 wt% titanium silicide loaded PCS system heat treated under nitrogen atmosphere was found to be the best precursor to obtain a minimum shrinkage ceramic phase with better properties. Therefore, this system offers the opportunity to expedite the rapid fabrication process of ceramic matrix composites, create flawless ceramic coatings, and produce bulk ceramic materials free from shrinkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CuZr-based bulk metallic glass matrix composites have attracted great attention in recent years owing to their unique mechanical properties compared to bulk glassy samples. The vital effect of B2 CuZr phase on mechanical properties was previously confirmed in CuZr-based alloys with equiatomic concentrations of copper and zirconium. In this paper, the structures and mechanical properties of the Cu45Zr48Al7 alloy, which has hypereutectoid composition with respect to stoichiometric B2 CuZr phase, were studied. This alloy exhibits high glass-forming ability, but low tendency to form the B2 CuZr phase during solidification. However, we demonstrated that depending on the cooling rate during solidification, governed by sample diameter, either bulk metallic glass or bulk metallic glass matrix composite can be produced. In order to allow partial crystallization of the B2 phase during solidification with the volume fraction allowing to observe the strain hardening effect, the minimum cooling rate should be lower than 40 K/s. The composite consisting of a glassy outer layer and a crystalline core composed of the B2 phase exhibits fracture strength of the same level as the bulk glassy sample (above 1800 MPa) obvious work-hardening with a plastic deformation of about 6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the effects of basalt fibers (BF), polypropylene fibers (PF), end-hooked steel fibers (HSF), and wavy steel fibers (WSF) on the durability (impermeability and frost resistance) and mechanical properties (compressive, flexural, uniaxial tensile, and splitting tensile strength) of concrete based on the original mix proportion (water-binder ratio of 0.41). The results demonstrate that 0.5% of HSF has the best impact on enhancing concrete's compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength, with improvements of 10.88%, 21.02%, and 16.76%, compared to the control group. Meanwhile, 0.2% of BF has the best impact on improving the uniaxial tensile strength of concrete, with an improvement value of 18.91%. For concrete impermeability and frost resistance, 0.1% and 0.2% BF were the optimal fiber and content. However, PF was not very effective in improving the durability and mechanical property of concrete. Considering the scope of the investigated fiber content, the mechanical properties of concrete declined as fiber content rose. Still, the uniaxial and splitting tensile strengths improved as BF content rose. As the content of fiber in concrete increased, its impermeability weakened, and its ability to frost resistance improved. The above conclusions are highly significant for selecting fiber concrete types in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional approach to achieve desired effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of porous thermal interface materials (TIM) is processing-microstructure-properties forward analysis, which contains various trial-and-error cycles and is hence inefficient for materials development. Establishing the linkage from ETC to microstructure is essential; however, the recently developed methods including microstructure characterization and reconstruction are suffering from limited accuracy and computational efficiency. To address these problem, in this paper, generative artificial intelligence (AI) model was first implemented to design microstructure of porous TIM with desired ETC. Here, we introduced a representative porous TIM, sintered silver, and a typical kind of generative AI model, conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN), as an example for illustration. The CGAN model can efficiently generate sharp and crisp microstructures of sintered Ag with excellent morphology realism. Besides visual inspection, the ETC values of generated microstructures were evaluated by convolution neural network (CNN) model. It was found that the CGAN model also exhibits satisfactory performance in physical meaning, since the determination coefficient R2 between target ETC and CNN predicted ETC values is 0.985. These results confirm the effectiveness of generative AI model capable of synthesizing microstructure of porous TIM with desired ETC, and not limited to porous TIM, the approaches present here can also be generalized and applicable to design microstructure of other porous media and composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional (2D) transition metal thiophosphates family CdPS3 and CdPSe3 are supposed to explore pressure-relevant structural and electronic behaviors as support to build 2D spintronic devices. The pressure-induced phase transition and electronic properties of CdPX3 are investigated up to 40 GPa using first-principles calculation. CdPS3 undergoes reversible phase transitions at around 1.5 GPa and 25 GPa from C2/m structure to structure and then to P 3 ¯ 1 m structure, while the reversible phase transitions of CdPSe3 are found at approximately 13 GPa from R 3 ¯ structure to P 3 ¯ 1 m structure, reflected in the lattice constant mutation and cell volume collapse. The computed metallization transition is found at about 25 GPa and 13 GPa owing to energy band closure for CdPS3 and CdPSe3, respectively. As anisotropy increases with pressure, the enhanced metallic property is accompanied by the inter- and intra-layer sliding atom pairs induced by phase transition. The paper is conducive to considering the phase transition and metallization of CdPX3-type family under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique and intriguing colorimetric transition of polydiacetylene (PDA) from blue to red color when exposed to different external stimuli makes it a perfect candidate for various bio-sensing applications. In this study, in an effort to tune the PDA phase behavior, a PDA derivative 10, 12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) mixed with a cholesterol derivative Cholestane-3β,5α,6β-triol (Chol) have been investigated employing Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Pressure-Area isotherm, excess area analysis, Gibb's free energy as well as compressibility analysis indicate that incorporation of cholesterol largely influences the thermodynamic behavior of PCDA in the mixed film and hence, the PCDA phase transition. Brewster Angle Microscopy (BAM) and absorption spectroscopic studies also confirmed this. It has been observed that in most of the cases repulsive interaction occurred among the binary component in the PCDA-Chol mixed Langmuir film. Upon UV exposure, both blue and red phases co-exist in case of pure PCDA film. However, all PCDA converted into red phase at 45 ℃. On the other hand, in case of PCDA-Chol mixed film both blue and red phase co-existed upon UV exposure except 0.6 molar ratio of PCDA. Interestingly, here all PCDA molecule could be converted into red phase upon UV exposure. PCDA-Chol mixed system only at this mole fraction (0.6) is found to detect the presence of a pathogenic bacteria through blue to red color change visible under naked eye. Based on this, a paper-based low cost colorimetric bacteria sensor has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipases are widely used in industry. Free lipases are difficult to recover and have poor stability under operational conditions. Herein, lipases are immobilized onto the methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)-modified ceramic membranes (~ 5 nm) with reverse filtration method, and further cross-linking by glutaraldehyde (GA) is used to improve the lipase stability. FTIR and XPS analyses demonstrate the successful immobilization of lipase. The immobilized lipases are used to hydrolyze glycerol triacetate (GT) to fatty acids and glycerol. Under the optimal immobilization conditions (MTMS concentration 0.1 M, lipase immobilization time 80 min, lipase concentration 3 mg/mL, and GA concentration 2%), the loading of lipases reaches 0.24 mg/g. Under the optimal operational conditions (temperature 45 °C, pH 7, pressure 0.2 MPa, GT concentration 0.05 M), the immobilized lipases have the highest catalytic activity of 25 U/mg. Moreover, the thermal and pH stabilities of immobilized lipases are found to be higher than those of the free lipases. In the long-term runs, the immobilized lipases still have 64% of the initial activity after 7 cycles, indicating good reusability. This paper provides a simple process for immobilizing lipase on ceramic membranes. The immobilized lipases have better stability at high temperature and basic environments (pH 7–9), which would have broad applications in lipase-catalyzed reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) has been widely used in concrete products, tunnels, bridges and water conservancy projects due to its excellent characteristics. With the rapid development of the construction industry and the depletion of high-quality raw materials for concrete, sand and gravel containing clay have been used in concrete, which reduces the properties of PCEs. Recent studies have found that many PCEs structures without PEG/PPG or polyamine side chains have been developed due to the influence of montmorillonite (MMT) in clay on the fluidity of concrete. However, the influence mechanism of clay minerals in concrete on PCEs and the improvement methods are not summarized, and this paper has systematically overviewed this aspect. Firstly, HPEG-PCEs and APEG-PCEs in the PCEs market have superior cost effectiveness for concrete, while specific efficient PCEs such as zwitterion PCEs are suitable for calcination of clay cement mixtures to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Secondly, the chemical adsorption of clay to PCEs in concrete leads to a sharp decline in concrete fluidity, in which montmorillonite has the greatest effect, followed by illite and kaolin. Finally, methods such as modifying clay, increasing or reducing the steric resistance of PCEs, introducing special functional groups and adding sacrificial agents are discussed to improve the fluidity of concrete containing clay by changing the structure of clay layers and PCEs, thus saving the construction cost caused by the amount of raw materials and PCEs. In addition, the efficient application and future research of clay minerals and PCEs are also prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For supercapacitor electrodes, carbon is one of the most sought materials. Many synthetic strategies have been reported for carbon materials with a wide range of features in terms of surface area, porosity, the extent of the disorder, and the presence of various doping elements. Though there are many reports on the independent impact of these properties on supercapacitive outcomes of carbon materials, the collective effect of these features on the supercapacitive behavior is still not well understood. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new methods to predict the supercapacitive performance of carbon material without attempting experimentation. In this regard, this work reports on the comparative efficacy of five machine-learning (ML) techniques for estimating the capacitance of carbon-based supercapacitors, including Linear Regression, Lasso Regression, XGBoost, Random Forest Regressor, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). We gathered data from various research papers and articles to prepare the dataset, followed by Data Cleaning and Feature Selection to select the best parameters for training our Machine Learning model. Additionally, five factors were chosen to determine their effects on capacitance: voltage window, specific surface area (m2/g), pore size (nm), ID/IG ratio, and extent of N-doping. Out of five ML approaches, XGBoost, Random Forest Regressor, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) produced respectable prediction results when tested against actual data. More significantly, this project demonstrates the promise of Machine-Learning in selecting suitable materials for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating carrier drug therapy with recent advances in liver tissue regeneration, this paper proposes a novel nanomedicine-based approach to drug delivery, with the aim of enhancing the regenerative capacity of hepatocytes and improving liver function after partial hepatectomy. The proposed decellularized liver matrix provides excellent biocompatibility and similarity to natural liver components, while the molecules encapsulated in the carrier (tannic acid) promote liver regeneration. In in vitro cultures, the 0.001 mg/mL TA-mPEG-DLM group consistently outperformed the blank group in terms of albumin synthesis: Day 1 (11.1 ± 2.4 vs. 8.2 ± 0.7), Day 3 (5.8 ± 1.3 vs. 4.2 ± 0.4), and Day 5 (1.6 ± 0.3 vs. 1.2 ± 0.2) (μg/100% proliferation rate/well/day). In a liver-injured in vivo model, the 0.5 mg/mL TA-mPEG-DLM group outperformed the blank group in terms of relative liver weight: Day 3 (3.50 ± 0.09% vs. 3.22 ± 0.03%) and Day 7 (4.13 ± 0.21% vs. 3.72 ± 0.06%). Furthermore, the TA-mPEG-DLM group outperformed the blank group in terms of Ki-67 expression in hepatocytes on Day 7 (192.7 ± 34.1% vs. 150.4 ± 11.6%). Taken together, these findings indicate that the proposed drug delivery strategy is a promising approach to liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy with potential for clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progress of materials has never stopped, and the joining process of dissimilar materials is still a serious challenge. Vacuum brazing technology is a joining process developed in the 1940s and still meets the challenges of advanced dissimilar material joining. The choice of filler metal directly determines the performance of the brazing joint. Titanium-based filler metal is widely used because of its excellent properties. Titanium-based fillers of different compositions and contents are used to address various joining challenges and facilitate material advancements. In recent decades, dozens of types of titanium-based fillers have been developed, mainly focusing on the continuous optimization of the element types and composition content in the fillers. This paper reviews the development of titanium-based filler metal in recent years. The unique roles of common Ti, Zr, Co, Be, Mo, V, Nb, RE, and other elements in the components of titanium-based filler metal are summarized. The melting point of the filler metal with different element combinations and different content combinations and the mechanical strength of the experimental joints were compared. In addition, the characteristics, classification, and production methods of titanium-based filler metal are introduced, and the main application fields and brazing materials of titanium-based filler metal are discussed. Finally, the future development and challenges of titanium-based filler metal are proposed, and the prospect is made in order to provide reference for the future research on dissimilar material connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnéli phases TinO2n − 1 are a series of sub-stoichiometric titanium oxides with a unique crystal structure, and Ti4O7 possesses the highest electronic conductivity while being able to maintain excellent chemical inertness in various corrosive environments, which is a required property for electrode materials in electrochemical systems. Therefore, Ti4O7 has become one of the major substitutes for carbon materials such as graphite and shows superior catalytic activity for electrode reactions and electrochemical stability in diverse batteries and electrochemical degradation systems, following the trend of carbon-free electrodes and costing less than the advanced electrodes such as boron-doped diamond. It has been demonstrated that Ti4O7 has great potential in the electrochemistry fields, especially as an electrode carrier. In this paper, we review the research progress of Ti4O7 as an electrode material in fuel cells, lithium-oxygen batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-ion batteries, wastewater treatment, etc., including advanced fabrication technology, theoretical research, and application performance. Meanwhile, the current problems and future research directions of Ti4O7 are also pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The movement of water molecules at the atomic scale within the calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel pores serves a dual role: it creates an environment for harmful chemical reactions within the pores and functions as a carrier for the transport of detrimental ions, thereby affects the mechanical properties and durability of cementitious materials. However, direct experimental observation poses substantial challenges. This study offers new insights into how temperature (253 K, 273 K, 293 K, and 313 K) affects the capillary transport of water molecules in epoxy-modified C–S–H. The findings demonstrate that the pore size undergoes continuous changes during immersion due to epoxy clustering or detachment, resulting in three scenarios: narrowing of epoxy/C–S–H channels (253 K, 273 K), channel blockage (293 K), and complete detachment (313 K). Moreover, the interactions between water molecules and epoxy lead to epoxy detachment or cluster formation on the C–S–H surface. As the temperature increases, the interaction between C–S–H and cross-linked epoxy resin weakens. The coordination between C–S–H and epoxy resin decreases, while the coordination with water increases. This paper provides valuable insights into the transport behavior of liquids within the epoxy-modified C–S–H pores of cement-based materials. It contributes to a better understanding of how liquids move and interact within the modified pore structure, which is beneficial for enhancing the performance and properties of cement-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a typical electrochromic process of tungsten trioxide (WO3), the mismatch in conductive properties between electrons and ions tends to decrease the coloration efficiency and the cyclic stability. Recent studies lay emphasize on improving ionic kinetics, but few reports have focused on the control of electron injection to achieve charge balance for the electrochromic process. Therefore, a novel strategy is proposed in this paper, which is to insert polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as an interlayer between WO3 and FTO substrate for interface modification. Through the modulation of its structure and morphology, WO3 grown on PVDF is found to have better capacity of ionic diffusion. Furthermore, electrical measurements indicate that the electron current can be effectively controlled by adjusting the PVDF film thickness. The adoption of PVDF interlayer can jointly achieve the improvement in ion dynamics and the control of electron injection. Compared with the pure WO3 film, the WO3/PVDF hybrid structure boosts the coloration efficiency from 34.9 to 75.7 cm2C−1, and the degradation in optical modulation after 1000 cycles is only 2.3%. This strategy based on a facile interface modification enriches the methodology of promoting electrochromic performance of WO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of the materials are determined by the size and morphology of fine microscopic features. Quantitative microstructural analysis is a key factor to establish the correlation between the mechanical properties and the thermomechanical treatment under which material condition has been achieved. As such, microstructural analysis is a very important and complex task within the manufacturing sector. Published standards are used for metallographic analysis but typically involve extensive manual interpretation of grain boundaries, resulting in measurements that are slow to produce, difficult to repeat and highly subjective. Computer vision and the evolution of artificial intelligence in the past decade can offer solutions to such problems. Deep learning and digital image processing techniques allow digital microstructural analysis to be automated using a fast and repeatable method. This paper proposes a novel boundary class semantic segmentation approach (BCSS) to identify each phase of the microstructure and additionally estimate the location of the grain boundaries. The BCSS is then combined with more traditional segmentation techniques based on the Watershed Transform to improve the identification and measurement of each feature within the microstructure using a new, hybrid automated digital microstructure analysis approach. The new method is validated on a published dataset of two-phase titanium alloy microstructure pictures captured using a scanning electron microscope. Measurements match the level of accuracy of accepted manual standards, and the method is demonstrated to be more reliable than other automated approaches. The influence of the subjective nature of manual labelling, required to train the proposed network, is also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing attention paid to the recurrence of malignant bone tumors and bone defect repair have raised an urgent need of the advance of multifunctional therapeutic platforms for efficient tumor therapy and bone regeneration. This paper reports a multifunctional scaffold scheme by integrating prussian blue with S-nitrosothiol on DLP printed porous bioceramic scaffold (TPS). Near infrared triggered photothermal therapy can be used cooperatively for the treatment of local osteosarcoma. The release of Fe ions from the scaffold can promote bone regeneration, and the release of NO can further enhance the osteogenic effect. This study demonstrated the treatment of bone tumors and bone defect repair through TPS implantation. The characteristics of multifunctional scaffold, such as photothermal effect, release of NO and trace elements, provide a unique platform for simultaneous tumor treatment and bone defect repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second part of a comprehensive review of the literature on wood published in the Journal of Materials Science since its inception in 1966 is presented. The topics reviewed include wood modification and surface treatment, the thermal stability of wood and resistance to fire, the physical properties of wood chars and wood-based carbon materials, and the structure-related properties of wood-cement and wood-polymer composites. The articles reflect the wide range of techniques utilised to improve wood properties, the role of wood as a precursor for carbon-based materials and cellular ceramics and the application of wood as a composite reinforcement. JMS is in the vanguard of the latest developments in all these disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial comments on the multi-scale predictive modelling of the composite materials' behavior. Transition of composite materials from nano to micron to meter-size is examined keeping in view the accuracy of computation and fabrication methods. The article probes the physical behavior of complex material systems under stress in terms of size, time and environment.

3D printing technology is gaining widespread attention due to its powerful flexibility in material components and structure to design. In this paper, graphene (GR) and Mn–Zn ferrite (MZF) were filled into polylactic acid (PLA) as reinforcement. The GR-MZF/PLA composite wires were prepared by ball-mill mixing and melt extrusion method. Finally, the GR-MZF/PLA composites were prepared by fused deposition molding using the composite wires. The effects of the graphene content on the mechanical properties and wave absorption properties of the composites were investigated. With the increase in graphene content, the microwave absorption properties of the composites first enhance and then decrease. When the GR content is 4 wt.%, GR-MZF/PLA composite exhibits excellent microwave absorption performance. At the material thickness of 2.5 mm, the maximum reflection loss is −24.3 dB and the absorption bandwidth is 5.12 GHz, and good mechanical property is achieved with a tensile strength of 34.4 MPa. The results show that the GR-MZF/PLA composites prepared by the method described in this paper have good microwave absorption properties and load-bearing capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction to: J Mater Sci (2012) 47:4463-4472 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-012-6305-6 In Table 2, the values of Young's modulus are close to an order of magnitude lower than they should be. The raw data were overviewed and Young's modulus values compared to previous publications on a similar material [Le Bras, D., Strømme, M., Mihranyan, A. (2015). [Extracted from the article]