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Although bioplastics and paper straws have been introduced as alternatives to single-use plastic straws, their potential environmental, economic, and social impacts have not been analyzed. This study addresses this gap by designing a polylactic acid layer interface adhesion on cellulose paper-based (PLA-P) composite straws by a dip molding process. This process is simple, efficient, and scalable for massive production. Optimizing key manufacturing parameters, including ice bath ultrasonic, overlapping paper strips (2 strips), winding angle (60°), soaking time (5 min), and drying temperature (50 °C), were systematically evaluated to improve straw quality and manufacturing efficiency. PLA chains were found to deposit onto the cellulose network through intermolecular interactions to form a consistent "sandwich" structure, which can improve adhesion, water resistance, and mechanical properties. Interestingly, PLA-P straws effectively decomposed in soil and compost environments, with a 35-40 % degradation rate within 4 months. Besides, PLA-P straw residues affected seed germination and plant growth, but no significant toxic effects were detected. Further, microplastics were observed in soil and plant tissues (roots, stems, and leaves), and their possible diffusion mechanisms were explored. The results of a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) and cost analysis showed that the process improvements reduced the ecological footprint of PLA-P straws and showed good prospects for commercial application. The study's findings contribute to the understanding of bioplastics and paper straws in effectively reducing environmental impact and fostering sustainable development., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We studied the effect of 0.6-µm thick coatings of plastic metals (Co, Ni, and Cu) on the breaking load in compression of 80/40 µm WC carbide particles. WC(Co) powder is 30% stronger than WC, and the breaking loads of WC(Ni), WC(Cu), and WC particles differ statistically insignificantly. Upon pressure raising from 30 to 200 MPa, the compressive strength increases 1.5 times in porous structures sintered with WC(Co) and depends little on the sintering temperature. To study the dependence of the compressive strength of cellular skeletal structures based on ultracoarse-grained WC(Co) powders on the parameters of the microstructure, we used a mathematical simulation method with the proper analytical algorithm. A decrease in porosity from 30 to 20% doubles the strength of the material. Comparison with experimental data indicates good predictive capabilities of the applied model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the thin plastic layer coating the insides of cans and the coating is often made from bisphenol A (BPA). It also mentions that chemical industry and federal regulators have argued that the evidence doesn’t prove the compound poses health risks at the levels found in people, many consumers now shun BPA.

We have studied the effect of substrate roughness on the wettability and the apparent surface free energy (SFE) of sputter deposited polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coatings deposited on untreated glass (average roughness, Ra=2.0 nm), plasma etched glass (Ra=7.4 nm), and sandblasted glass (Ra=4500 nm) substrates. The wettability of the PTFE coatings deposited on substrates with varying roughnesses was evaluated by measuring the apparent contact angle (CA) using a series of probe liquids from nonpolar aprotic to polar protic. The wettability measurements indicate that an apparent water CA of 152° with a sliding angle of 8° was achieved for PTFE coatings deposited on a substrate with Ra=4500 nm. The superhydrophobicity observed in these coatings is attributed to the presence of dual scale roughness, densely packed microstructure and the presence of CF3 groups. Unlike the bulk PTFE which is mainly dispersive, the sputter deposited PTFE coatings are expected to have some degree of polar component due to the plasma treatment. In order to calculate the dispersive SFE of PTFE coatings, we have used the Girifalco–Good–Fowkes (GGF) method and validated it with the Zisman model. Furthermore, the Owens–Wendt model has been used to calculate the dispersive and the polar components of the apparent SFE of the PTFE coatings. These results are further corroborated using the Fowkes method. Finally, an “equation of state” theory proposed by Neumann has been used to calculate the apparent SFE values of the PTFE coatings. The results indicate that the apparent SFE values of the PTFE coatings obtained from the Owens–Wendt and the Fowkes methods are comparable to those obtained from the Neumann’s method. The analyses further demonstrate that the GGF and the Zisman methods underestimate the apparent SFE values of the sputter deposited PTFE coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various characteristics of dewetting of thin polystyrene (PS) films absorbed on highly cross-linked epoxy-coated and silicon oxide covered substrates are studied as a function of PS film thickness (20hc1 whereas the spinodal dewetting (SD) occurs through the growth of surface undulations for hhc2 while the SD mechanism is observed for h

Abstract A new ZrO x /Zr/ZrO x /Al x O y multilayered selective solar absorber coating was fabricated using electron-beam vacuum evaporation onto stainless steel (SS), microscope glass slides and silicon (Si) substrates. The structural investigations of the multilayered coatings showed crystalline phases of ZrO x after annealing the coatings at 400 °C for 2 h whereas Al x O y was amorphous, which was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. AFM showed uniformly distributed small particles with an average surface roughness value of about 7.29 nm. The optical analysis of the coating exhibits a solar absorbance of 0.93 and low thermal emittance of 0.11 at 100 °C, which is due to mainly interference mechanism and intrinsic absorption as indicated by ellipsometer. These results indicate that a ZrO x /Zr/ZrO x /Al x O y multilayered coating deposited by e-beam evaporation is a good material for selective solar absorbers applications. Highlights • ZrO x /Zr/ZrO x solar absorber was deposited using E-Beam evaporation. • The coatings showed solar absorptance of 0.93 and thermal emittance of 0.11. • Selectivity was mainly due to interference mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work elucidates the influence of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) content on the desalination performance and scaling characteristics of G/polyvinylidene fluoride (G/PVDF) mixed matrix and GO/PVDF composite‐skin membranes, applied in a direct contact membrane distillation process (DCMD). Inclusion of high quality, nonoxidized, monolayered graphene sheets as polymer membrane filler, and application of a novel GO/water‐bath coagulation method for the preparation of the GO/PVDF composite films, took place. Water permeability and desalination tests via DCMD, revealed that the optimal G content was 0.87 wt%. At such concentration the water vapor flux of the G/PVDF membrane was 1.7 times that of the nonmodified reference, while the salt rejection efficiency was significantly improved (99.8%) as compared to the neat PVDF. Similarly the GO/PVDF surface‐modified membrane, prepared using a GO dispersion with low concentration (0.5 g/L), exhibited twofold higher water vapor permeate flux as compared to the neat PVDF, but however, its salt rejection efficiency was moderate (80%), probably due to pore wetting during DCMD. The relatively low scaling tendency observed for both G and GO modified membranes is primarily attributed to their smoother surface texture as compared to neat PVDF, while scaling is caused by the deposition of calcite crystals, identified by XRPD analysis. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E262–E278, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many paper products are coated with plastic to improve their quality and stability. However, this limits recycling and recovery options and the plastic-coated waste paper is mostly disposed in landfills. Such practices are uneconomical and contrary to sustainable waste management. In this work enzymes of the white rot fungus Dichomitus squalens were investigated for possible delamination of plastic-coated waste paper. Enzymes were found capable to release the polyethylene foil from plastic-coated paper which resulted in 88.6–91.5% mass loss. The delamination rate, however, was depended on the ratio between plastic-coated paper and volume of enzyme filtrate. Results of a consequent experiment showed that enzymes are also efficient when plastic-coated paper is treated in a sequencing batch reactor resulting in 88.2–90.6% mass loss. The system was fully functional up to the 5th cycle; afterwards, the delamination rate reduced due to high thickness of the waste paper sludge. The enzyme activity, however, was still very high; with the laccase activity at the end of the experiment above 900 U/L and manganese peroxidase above 250 U/L. Our results demonstrated, that plastic-coated waste paper has the potential to be efficiently recovered instead of being disposed in landfills. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Enzymatic delamination of waste paper was investigated. • Enzymes were capable to release the polyethylene foil from the plastic-coated paper. • Treatment in a sequencing batch reactor is also possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A 3D printable composite, 3DPIC, is introduced for mimicking the cortical bone in surgery. • 3DPIC has a tunable elastic modulus and strength based on the composition. • 3DPIC has a comparable modulus to the cortical bone but a much lower strength. • 3DPIC has similar force and temperature responses to the cortical bone in drilling. Abstract Synthetic bones made of polyurethane (PU) foams or glass-fiber reinforced epoxy are often used in surgical training, planning, and tool analysis, but these materials cannot be 3D printed for a patient-specific design. This paper introduces a new type of bone-mimicking material made by the binder jetting technology and a post-strengthening process with epoxy, namely 3D polymer-infiltrated composite (3DPIC). 3DPIC has been previously evaluated by surgeons as a proper alternative to commercial synthetic bones, but no quantitative testing data is available. Therefore, a series of experiments are conducted in this study to verify the use of 3DPIC. The first part of experiments includes the measurement of mechanical properties using the four-point bending and the measurement of thermal properties. The second part of experiments is to test drilling haptic and thermal responses of 3DPIC as compared to the cortical bone. The results show that 3DPIC has a comparable elastic modulus but a lower strength than the cortical bone. 3DPIC can produce realistic drilling force and torque as well as representative temperature change in drilling operations, but the bone debris tends to be more ductile and continuous than that of the cortical bone. Applications and limitations of 3DPIC are discussed based on these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental investigation on plastic collapse and energy absorption of empty circular aluminum tubes under quasi-static transverse loading. Tubular structures being a critical demand as material saving, high energy absorption and good strength characteristics were of major concerns due to its wall thinness, and so, its various diameter-to-thickness (D/t) ratios and span lengths. Studies found that empty circular Al-tube structure subjected to transverse standard three-point bending loading undergone three plastic deformation phases, starting with crumpling phase, crumpling and buckling phase, and lastly the structural collapse. The results found that energy absorption of empty aluminum tubes for a constant D/t ratio decreases as span length. On the contrary, the energy absorption of empty aluminum tubes for a given constant span length increases with the increase in D/t ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced fiber reinforced plastics, such as carbon fiber reinforced polymers (FRP), offer many advantages over more traditional materials such as metals. Their characteristics make them ideal for use in many sensitive applications. To maximize the use of these materials, there is a need to gain a better understanding of heat and temperature distribution in these materials under different boundary conditions. In this study transient radiative and conductive heat transfer in a FRP medium with anisotropic optical properties is investigated. The solution includes the radiative transfer equation (RTE) within the material coupled to a transient energy equation that contains both radiative and conductive terms. Two different kinds of boundary conditions are treated: when the temperatures imposed on the boundaries vary with time and when the medium is subject to a radiation source which varies with time. It is shown that radiative heat transfer has significant effect on heat transfer and temperature distribution within the layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central solenoid model coil (CSMC) for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is being developed in ASIPP (Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences). It is a hybrid superconducting magnet of 12 T maximum magnetic field and 1.5 T/s changing rate, which is composed of Nb3Sn coils and NbTi coils in high and low magnetic fields, respectively. The coil continuous winding and forming is one of the keymanufacture technologies for CSMC. This paper describes the developing status of the coil winding and forming processes. Based on the short sample bending trials, the winding design and optimization have been completed. At present, the winding production line has been constructed and is subjected for debugging. The forming tools for joggles and leads are being tested. Several technical issues during trials have been solved, e.g., the vertical plastic deformation of the coil and the keystoning of bent conductor. As a result, the continuous winding and forming trial for quad-pancake (QP) of Nb3Sn inner coil has been conducted successfully, and presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Denitrifying bioreactors with solid organic carbon sources (i.e., “woodchip bioreactors”) have proven to be relatively simple and cost effective treatment systems for nitrate-laden agricultural and aquacultural waters and wastewaters. However, because this technology is still relatively new, design modifications, such as the addition of a post-bioreactor polishing chamber filled with inert media, may offer potential to increase nitrate removal and mitigate unintended bioreactor by-products. Paired-column configurations filled with woodchips followed by plastic biofilm carrier media showed significant nitrate removal within the woodchip bioreactor columns (37, 26, and 88% nitrate removal efficiencies at woodchip column retention times of 7.1, 18, and 52 h), but no significant additional nitrate removal benefit of the post-processing plastic media chamber (41, 22, and 89% nitrate removal efficiencies, respectively). Releases of chemical oxygen demand from the woodchips were likely not sufficient to fuel significant nitrate removal in the polishing chamber. However, the polishing chamber significantly reduced nitrite releases from the bioreactor columns, and provided some mitigation of reduced sulfate during the 52-h retention time testing period (influent, woodchip effluent, and plastic chamber effluent sulfate concentrations of 23.6, 18.8, and 20.7 mg SO 4 2−  L −1 , respectively). A full-scale post-woodchip polishing chamber filled with inert plastic media generally may not be worth the added cost unless the receiving waters are particularly sensitive to nitrite or hydrogen sulfide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors present the implementation of an innovative, automated technological line of powder coating, in a company producing ventilation hoods. Technology of electropainting was applied in painting details, with the use of powder paints and preceding process of preparing details surface, based on innovative technical and technological solutions. By implementing an innovative, technological process of automatic powder coating line in a company, increases its competitiveness in the market, using the best techniques of production. As a result, the authors proposed a system of guaranteed power supply for the purpose of automated technological line of powder coating, which should provide, in case of electricity cut, guaranteed power supply in the form of uninterrupted power supply (UPS)—finish or continue technological operations. The authors determined the requirements of UPS system, together with the sources of accumulators, cooperating with this system. System of guaranteed power supply, using UPS ENERTRONIC I 3-3 with power 200 kVA was determined. Accumulator batteries cooperating with accepted UPS system were calculated and selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Supporting rings are becoming more widely applied as an assistant structural support. However, during the engineering design and optimization process, many tests are necessary to understand the mechanical properties of different materials and the different section shape for supporting rings. Methods: The key problem is to measure the radial force caused by elongation under the axes’ pressure. This cannot be measured directly through the use of sensors. The previous, simple method was to position a transfer bar into the hole on the supported wall, or use a strain gauge, which changes the contact boundary. A new method called the “semi-ring method” is proposed. Results: The problem can be solved well and the feasibility of this method is shown from an example of its application. Conclusions: An innovative method is applied in test of mechanical performance for PTFE and butyl rubber material adopted in four kinds of section shape structure supporting rings. The results and analysis can provide some beneficial references for structure design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy coatings which can be healed via photothermal effect from focused sunlight are reported. The diamine of m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) and monoamine of 4-(heptadecafluorooctyl)aniline (HFOA) are reacted into the diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) network. Via gradual replacement of MXDA with HFOA, the glass transition temperature and crosslinking density of the epoxy network are tuned to achieve the thermally induced healing based on chain diffusion and reentanglement. Aniline black (AB) with well absorptivity for sunlight is used subsequently as the organic photothermal compound, transferring the thermally induced healing into a sunlight responsive one. A common handheld magnifier, which can focus natural sunlight to the required power density (0.6-0.9 W cm−1), is used to successfully heal one cracked coating in outdoor circumstance. This study provides a potential approach to achieve the convenient, precise, and timely healing for outdoor epoxy coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single cell-laden three-dimensional (3D) microgels that can serve to mimic stem cell niches in vitro, and are therefore termed microniches, can be efficiently fabricated by droplet-based microfluidics. In this technique an aqueous polymer solution along with a highly diluted cell solution is injected into a microfluidic device to create monodisperse pre-microgel droplets that are then solidified by a polymer crosslinking reaction to obtain monodisperse single cell-laden microniches. However, problems limiting this approach studying the fate of single cells include Poisson encapsulation statistics that result in mostly empty microniches, and cells egressing from the microniches during subsequent cell culture. Here, we present a strategy to bypass Poisson encapsulation statistics in synthetic microniches by selective crosslinking of only cell-laden pre-microgel droplets. Furthermore, we show that we can position cells in the center of the microniches, and that even in protease-sensitive microniches this greatly reduces cell egress. Collectively, we present the development of a versatile protocol that allows for unprecedented efficiency in creation of synthetic protease-sensitive microniches for probing single stem cell fate in 3D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of dry and water saturated sand slugs impacting normally oriented and inclined rigid-stationary targets with four different surface coatings is measured with an emphasis on the quantification of the momentum transmitted from the slugs into the targets. The targets were coated with Alumina, PTFE, Aluminium or sand-paper layers in order to investigate the effect of varying surface hardness and surface roughness. In all the cases, the fraction of the slug momentum transferred into the target was equal for dry and water saturated sand slugs and also independent of the slug velocity over the range 73 ms –1 – 137 ms –1 that is investigated here. For normal impacts, the surface coatings had no measurable influence on the momentum transfer into the targets and this was attributed to the symmetry of the impact event. However, the break of symmetry in the inclined impact cases resulted in two non-zero components of the net transmitted momentum into the targets and a strong influence of the surface coatings. This is attributed to friction between the sand particles and the target surface with the resultant transmitted momentum increasing in the order Alumina to PTFE to Aluminium to sand-paper surface coatings. This study demonstrates the key role of surface properties in governing transmitted momentum in granular impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During high-temperature compression tests on intermetallic Mo 5 SiB 2 , the dislocation microstructures vary with increasing temperature and strain rate. At 1400 °C, an increasing tendency exists for slip planes to be of an unexpected type (e.g., {143) and {523)) as a function of the decreasing strain rate and increasing strain that originates from a dislocation climb. As the temperature increases to 1600 °C, the internal strain rate of 6.07 × 10 − 3 s − 1 from the dislocation climb at 4% strain exceeds the applied value of 1.67 × 10 − 3 s − 1 , and thus, the climb mainly controls the plastic strain, as evidenced by a strength that is lower than that at 1200 °C under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the casting of plastic dowels and cores with established clinical techniques. It is stated that while direct pattern resins can produce very accurate castings, their precision is dependent on the proper handling of the resin. The use of a light curing pattern resin has the potential to save clinical time by eliminating the delays associated with chemical curing. According to the descriptions given by researchers, precision parallel dowel and core was constructed using the experimental resin and a plastic burnout ParaPost.

Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to investigate the nature of the Zinc-Iron alloys present within the Hot Dip Galvanized (HDG) layers of steel with a silicon content of 0.35 %. The investigation also studied the impact of the powder coating pretreatment on the nature of the alloy layers. The acid etching process within the pretreatment process in particular would be expected to have a significant impact on the HDG layer. This study utilized Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy to examine identically processed samples prior to and post pre treatment. XRD and Fe CEMS measurements were performed on hot galvanized S355J2 + N samples, forming sandwiched structure. Both XRD and CEMS reveal the presence of dominant steel phase in accordance with its estimated occurrence on the surface of the sandwiched samples. Minor Γ-Fe3Zn10, ζ-FeZn15 and solid solution Fe-Zn as well as minor Fe-Si phases could also be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term durability of a two-layer coating system was evaluated by two accelerated corrosion tests, i.e., the ASTM B117 Salt spray test and the ASTM D5894 Cyclic salt fog/UV exposure test, and a series of surface analyses. The coating system was developed for protecting structural steels from corrosion, including a functional primer made of intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP) and a protective topcoat. The standard pull-off test per ASTM D4541 was employed for characterizing the adhesion of the coating systems to substrate, aided by visual examination of the surface deterioration of the samples. The ICP-based systems demonstrated superior long-term anti-corrosion capacity when a polyurethane topcoat is used. The ICP-based primer made of a waterborne epoxy gave poorer anti-corrosion performance than the ICP-based primer made of regular non-waterborne epoxy, which can be attributed to the lower adhesion the waterborne epoxy demonstrated to the substrate surface. The zinc-rich control systems showed good anti-corrosion durability; however, they may produce excessive oxidative products of zinc to cause coating delamination. Based on the test results, the two-layer coating system consisting of an ICP-based primer and a polyurethane topcoat outperforms the conventional zinc-rich coating systems for corrosion protection of steels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study prepared $$\hbox {SiO}_\mathrm{x}\hbox {N}_\mathrm{y}$$ film by using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) encapsulation to prevent the invasion of moisture and oxygen for longer light-emitting lifetime of OLED components. It applied high density inductively coupled plasma for the coating of film on polyethersulfone, silicon and glass substrate, and discussed the relevance between process parameters and quality characteristics including coating uniformity, coating thickness and moisture permeation. This study used Taguchi method to plan the experiment and calculated the optimal parameters of each quality, used technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution and grey relational analysis to determine the optimal parameter of all qualities. The back-propagation neural network was combined with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm to construct the simulation and prediction system. Based on the quality optimization design, the single layer film's moisture permeation rate was 0.02 g/m $$^{2}$$ /day, the maximum coating thickness reached 420 nm, and the fastest rate was 21 nm/min, which was higher than the industrial standard specification (10 nm/min) by 110 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have synthesized an organic-inorganic polyaniline-halloysite nanotube composite by an in situ polymerization method. This nanocomposite is immobilized on a stainless-steel wire and can be used as a fiber coating for solid-phase microextraction. It was found that our new solid-phase microextraction fiber is an excellent adsorbent for the extraction of some volatile organic compounds in aqueous samples in combination with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The coating can be prepared easily, is mechanically stable, and exhibits relatively high thermal stability. It is capable of extracting phenolic compounds from water samples. Following thermal desorption, the phenols were quantified by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The effects of extraction temperature, extraction time, sample ionic strength, stirring rate, pH, desorption temperature and desorption time were studied. Under optimal conditions, the repeatability for one fiber ( n = 5), expressed as the relative standard deviation, is between 6.2 and 9.1%. The detection limits range from 0.005 to 4 ng/mL. The method offers the advantage of being simple to use, with a shorter analysis time, lower cost of equipment and higher thermal stability of the fiber in comparison to conventional methods of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transmission of 1 MeV proton microbeam through a single, cylindrically shaped, micrometre-sized polytetrafluoroethylene capillary was studied. The capillary axis was tilted with respect to the axis of the incident ion beam. The tilting, the aspect ratio of the capillary and the small beam divergence disabled the geometrical transmission of the beam through the target. The time dependence of the intensity, the charge-state and the deflection of the transmitted beam were investigated. We found that pure guided transmission of a MeV/amu energy ion beam is possible through an insulator capillary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the design and manufacture of functional composite coatings on plastic substrates were investigated. In particular, graphene nano-platelets and graphene derivatives, that is, graphene reduced oxide modified by amino organo-silane compounds, were used to reinforce a radiation curable cycloaliphatic epoxy resin. The resulting composite materials were deposited on polycarbonate. The chemical structure of the coatings was characterized by FT-IR. Physical properties of the coatings, especially thermal stability, were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry. Chemical endurance of the coatings was tested by dipping in acidic, saline and basic environments. Special protocols were, then, developed to evaluate the friction of the coatings as well as their potential to prevent the adhesion of contaminants on their surface (i.e., anti-soiling properties). Mechanical performance of the coatings was evaluated by pencil test (pencil hardness) and progressive load scratch test (scratch hardness). Graphene-reinforced cycloaliphatic epoxy resins were found to ensure good combination of physical, chemical and mechanical properties. Therefore, they can be considered attractive functional materials to deposit on advanced plastic substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofunctionalization strategies havebeen developed to improvesmall-diameter vascular grafts. However, a fully successful coatingfeaturing antithrombogenic properties while allowing for endothelializationhas not been achieved yet. In this report, we explored the combinationof low-fouling polyethylene glycol (PEG) and adhesion peptides, namely,RGD, YIGSR, and REDV, grafted on top of polyvinylamine (PVAm)-coatedpolyester. The peptides were grafted over a wide range of density(ca. 20–2000 pmol/cm2) on top of a dense PEG underlayer.The coating performances were assessed through HUVEC adhesion, plateletattachment, and protein adsorption, which were all drastically diminishedon PEG-coated samples. RGD exhibited the expected high adhesive properties,toward both HUVEC and platelets. REDV had no effect neither on plateletattachment, as expected, nor on HUVEC adhesion, in contrast with previousreports. YIGSR was the most promising sequence even though its combinationwith other agents should be explored to further decrease thrombogenicityfor vascular graft applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This issue ofTextile Progressreviews research and development into electromagnetic shielding materials for blocking a wide range of frequencies. Different shielding materials such as metals, metal-coated materials, polymer-coated materials, conductive filler-reinforced polymers, conductive fabrics and their composites are reviewed in detail, as are hybrid shielding materials prepared by applying a ferrite or polymer coating to conventional shields and using single-layer or multilayer coatings. Research work carried out on hybrid shields is elaborated in this review as is the development of shields with various functionalities; shields possessing high mechanical strength, water repellency and other properties to enhance their robustness have been developed by researchers for outdoor applications and hostile environments. Different testing methods, standards and the limitations of tests used for assessing the shielding effectiveness of materials are discussed. The directions currently being taken in research into electromagnetic shielding and the future scope for textile materials as effective screens for blocking electromagnetic radiation emissions are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon steel substrates were pretreated in a hexafluorozirconic acid-based solution for different durations. The corrosion resistances of the pretreated steel substrates in 0.5 M Na2S04 solutions with different pH values were measured using several electrochemical methods. The pretreated steel substrates exhibited higher and lower corrosion resistances in the neutral and acidic solutions, respectively, compared to the untreated steel substrate. The effect of solution pH on the cathodic delamination of epoxy coatings on the pretreated surfaces was investigated using a scanning Kelvin probe. The surface pretreatment effectively slowed down the cathodic delamination of the epoxy coatings from the pretreated steel substrates in both neutral and acidic solutions, probably because of improved interfacial adhesion. A decrease in solution pH resulted in a systematic decrease in the cathodic delamination rate of the epoxy coatings from untreated steel substrates via the decreased concentration of hydroxide ions at the delamination front. However, the same effect was not observed for the cathodic delamination of the same coatings from the pre-treated steel substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-healing polymer for coating application was developed based on thermoreversible Diels–Alder (DA) reactions. The polymer network is formed by reacting a mixture of trifunctional and difunctional furanized resins (3F and 2F) with a bismaleimide (2M). The DA reaction occurs at temperature above 50 °C whilst retro-DA reaction occurs at about 120 °C. FTIR spectra were taken in order to monitor the reaction progress, and the thermal reversibility of the reaction was proved by DSC and DMA tests. A significant improvement of both the mechanical properties and the self-healing behaviour was achieved by introduction of small amount of a suitable plasticizer like benzyl alcohol. Self-healing properties of the plasticized polymer resulted in complete scratch recovery after retro-DA and DA reaction, whilst tensile testing reveals a 48% restoring of the pristine mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]