Materials

13 pages, 4154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Construction of a Novel Three-Dimensional PEDOT/RVC Electrode Structure for Capacitive Deionization: Testing and Performance

by Ali Aldalbahi^1,*

, Mostafizur Rahaman¹

, Periyasami Govindasami¹, Mohammed Almoiqli², Tariq Altalhi³ and Amine Mezni^3,4

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

² Nuclear Sciences Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12371, Saudi Arabia

³ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Taif University, Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia

⁴ Unite de recherche Synthese et Structure de Nanomateriaux UR11ES30, Faculte des Sciences de Bizerte, Universite de Carthage, Jarzouna 7021, Tunisia

Materials 2017, 10(7), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070847 - 24 Jul 2017

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4794

Abstract

This article discusses the deposition of different amount of microstuctured poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) by electrochemical method to prepare three-dimensional (3D) PEDOT/RVC electrodes aimed to be used in capacitive deionization (CDI) technology. A CDI unit cell has been constructed here [...] Read more.

This article discusses the deposition of different amount of microstuctured poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) on reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) by electrochemical method to prepare three-dimensional (3D) PEDOT/RVC electrodes aimed to be used in capacitive deionization (CDI) technology. A CDI unit cell has been constructed here in this study. The performance of CDI cell in the ion removal of NaCl onto the sites of PEDOT/RVC electrode has been systematically investigated in terms of flow-rate, applied electrical voltage, and increasing PEDOT loading on PEDOT/RVC electrodes. It is observed that the increase in flow-rate, electric voltage, and PEDOT loading up to a certain level improve the ion removal performance of electrode in the CDI cell. The result shows that these electrodes can be used effectively for desalination technology, as the electrosorption capacity/desalination performance of these electrodes is quite high compared to carbon materials. Moreover, the stability of the electrodes has been tested and it is reported that these electrodes are regenerative. The effect of increasing NaCl concentration on the electrosorption capacity has also been investigated for these electrodes. Finally, it has been shown that 1 m³ PEDOT-120 min/RVC electrodes from 75 mg/L NaCl feed solution produce 421, 978 L water per day of 20 mg/L NaCl final concentration. Full article

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14 pages, 2720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantitative Immobilization of Phthalocyanine onto Bacterial Cellulose for Construction of a High-Performance Catalytic Membrane Reactor

by Shiliang Chen^* and Qiaoling Teng

Qianjiang College, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310012, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070846 - 24 Jul 2017

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4864

Abstract

We report the fabrication of a tetra-amino cobalt (II) phthalocyanine (CoPc)-immobilized bacterial cellulose (BC) functional nanocomposite, CoPc@BC, by quantitative immobilization of CoPc onto a BC membrane. Lab-cultured BC was oxidized by NaIO₄ to generate aldehyde groups on BC for the subsequent CoPc [...] Read more.

We report the fabrication of a tetra-amino cobalt (II) phthalocyanine (CoPc)-immobilized bacterial cellulose (BC) functional nanocomposite, CoPc@BC, by quantitative immobilization of CoPc onto a BC membrane. Lab-cultured BC was oxidized by NaIO₄ to generate aldehyde groups on BC for the subsequent CoPc immobilization, the processing conditions were optimized by monitoring both the generated aldehyde content and the resulting CoPc loading. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to characterize the change of the element bonding environment during the functionalization processes. The CoPc@BC functional nanocomposite was utilized for the treatment of reactive red X-3B dye wastewater. The CoPc molecules in the CoPc@BC nanocomposite can function as an “antenna” to adsorb the target anionic dye molecules, the adsorption takes place both on the surface and in the interior of CoPc@BC. A catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) was assembled with the CoPc@BC nanocomposite, the performance of CMR was evaluated based on the catalytic oxidation behavior of reactive red X-3B, with H₂O₂ as an oxidant. Highly-reactive hydroxyl radical (OH) was involved in the catalytic oxidation process, as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Under optimal operating conditions of a flow rate of 6 mL/min, a reaction temperature of 50 °C, and an H₂O₂ concentration of 10 mmol/L, the decoloration rate of CMR was as high as 50 μmol⋅min⁻¹⋅g⁻¹. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Advanced Composites)

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16 pages, 3319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On Identification of Critical Material Attributes for Compression Behaviour of Pharmaceutical Diluent Powders

by Jianyi Zhang¹, Chuan-Yu Wu^1,*

, Xin Pan² and Chuanbin Wu²

¹ Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK

² School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070845 - 23 Jul 2017

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 6391

Abstract

As one of the commonly-used solid dosage forms, pharmaceutical tablets have been widely used to deliver active drugs into the human body, satisfying patient’s therapeutic requirements. To manufacture tablets of good quality, diluent powders are generally used in formulation development to increase the [...] Read more.

As one of the commonly-used solid dosage forms, pharmaceutical tablets have been widely used to deliver active drugs into the human body, satisfying patient’s therapeutic requirements. To manufacture tablets of good quality, diluent powders are generally used in formulation development to increase the bulk of formulations and to bind other inactive ingredients with the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). For formulations of a low API dose, the drug products generally consist of a large fraction of diluent powders. Hence, the attributes of diluents become extremely important and can significantly influence the final product property. Therefore, it is essential to accurately characterise the mechanical properties of the diluents and to thoroughly understand how their mechanical properties affect the manufacturing performance and properties of the final products, which will build a sound scientific basis for formulation design and product development. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of the widely-used pharmaceutical diluent powders, including microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powders with different grades (i.e., Avicel PH 101, Avicel PH 102, and DG), mannitol SD 100, lactose monohydrate, and dibasic calcium phosphate, were performed. The powder compressibility was assessed with Heckel and Kawakita analyses. The material elastic recovery during decompression and in storage was investigated through monitoring the change in the dimensions of the compressed tablets over time. The powder hygroscopicity was also evaluated to examine the water absorption ability of powders from the surroundings. It was shown that the MCC tablets exhibited continuous volume expansion after ejection, which is believed to be induced by (1) water absorption from the surrounding, and (2) elastic recovery. However, mannitol tablets showed volume expansion immediately after ejection, followed by the material shrinkage in storage. It is anticipated that the expansion was induced by elastic recovery to a limited extent, while the shrinkage was primarily due to the solidification during storage. It was also found that, for all powders considered, the powder compressibility and the elastic recovery depended significantly on the particle breakage tendency: a decrease in the particle breakage tendency led to a slight decrease in the powder compressibility and a significant drop in immediate elastic recovery. This implies that the particle breakage tendency is a critical material attribute in controlling the compression behaviour of pharmaceutical powders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials for Drug Delivery and Biomedical Consideration)

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12 pages, 2570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Zinc Sorption Studies on Pectin-Based Biosorbents

by Agata Jakóbik-Kolon^*, Krzysztof Mitko

and Joanna Bok-Badura

Faculty of Chemistry, Silesian University of Technology, Krzywoustego 6, Gliwice 44-100, Poland

Materials 2017, 10(7), 844; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070844 - 22 Jul 2017

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4671

Abstract

The previously-obtained and characterized hybrid pectin-based beads containing agar-agar and guar gum, as well as sole pectin beads (P, for comparison) were examined for zinc ions sorption and desorption properties. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium in the studied system was described by two [...] Read more.

The previously-obtained and characterized hybrid pectin-based beads containing agar-agar and guar gum, as well as sole pectin beads (P, for comparison) were examined for zinc ions sorption and desorption properties. The sorption kinetics and equilibrium in the studied system was described by two kinetic models (pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order) and two isotherms (Langmuir and Freundlich), respectively. The desorption kinetics and equilibrium was also investigated by applying various inorganic acids (nitric, hydrochloric, and sulfuric acid) of various concentrations. In the case of guar gum additive, no significant change in sorption capacity compared to sole pectin beads was observed (q: 37.0 ± 2.6 and 34.7 ± 2.0 mg/g, respectively). Addition of agar-agar significantly decreased the sorption capacity to 22.3 ± 1.0 mg/g, but stripping of zinc(II) ions from this biosorbent was complete even with very diluted acids (0.01 M). Total desorption of zinc from sole pectin and pectin-guar gum beads required acid solution of higher concentration (0.1 M). Sorption rates for all biosorbents are roughly the same and maximum sorption is achieved after 4–5 h. Obtained results and the advantage of our sorbent’s shape formation ability, make the pectin-based biosorbents interesting alternative for zinc(II) ions removal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sorption Materials for Environment Purification)

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12 pages, 4182 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anti-Inflammatory, Immunomodulatory, and Tissue Repair Activity on Human Keratinocytes by Green Innovative Nanocomposites

by Pierfrancesco Morganti¹, Alessandra Fusco²

, Iole Paoletti², Brunella Perfetto², Paola Del Ciotto¹, Marco Palombo³, Angelo Chianese⁴, Adone Baroni^5,† and Giovanna Donnarumma^2,*,†

¹ R&D Nanoscience Centre MAVI, 04011 Aprilia (LT), Italy

² Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, via Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Naples, Italy

³ Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery Department, CTO Hospital, 00142 Rome, Italy

⁴ Chemical Materials Environmental Engineering Department, University La Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy

⁵ Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialty-Dermatology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy

^† These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Materials 2017, 10(7), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070843 - 22 Jul 2017

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 5551

Abstract

The use of raw materials obtained by waste and processed through innovative industrial methodologies has generated an industry of about a trillion dollars in a short time, and in the near future will provide resources and services for the conservation and sustainable use [...] Read more.

The use of raw materials obtained by waste and processed through innovative industrial methodologies has generated an industry of about a trillion dollars in a short time, and in the near future will provide resources and services for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in order to ensure a better and fairer welfare for the human race. The production of nano-fiber chitin non-woven tissue is in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union (EU) bio-economic programs: 100% biodegradable, ecological, and therefore useful in decreasing dependence on fossil fuel resources. The aim of our study is the evaluation of different formulations of a non-woven tissue obtained from electrospinning of a mixture of nanochitin fibrils, lignin, and poly (ethylene) oxide (PEO) on the restoration of damaged tissues. Wound repair is a complex process that involves epithelial and immune cells and includes the induction of metalloproteinases, inflammatory mediators, and angiogenic factors. Our in vitro results have shown that all of the realized chitin nanofibrils-bio-lignin non-woven tissues tested as nontoxic for human keratinocytes (HaCat) cells. Furthermore, the bio-composites that included bio-lignin at 0.1% have been able to modulate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, IL-1α, and IL8), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and human beta-defensin 2 (HBD-2) expression in HaCat cells, suggesting an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory role. Taken together, our results suggest that our chitin nanofibrils-bio-lignin non-woven tissue represents a skin-friendly tool that is able to favor a correct and fast wound repair. Full article

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14 pages, 1700 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interaction of Shear and Rayleigh–Lamb Waves with Notches and Voids in Plate Waveguides

by Annamaria Pau^*,†

and Dimitra V. Achillopoulou^†

¹ Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

^† Current address: via Gramsci 53, 00197 Roma, Italy.

Materials 2017, 10(7), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070841 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4475

Abstract

This paper investigates the interaction of different shear- and Rayleigh–Lamb-guided waves in plates with a discontinuity such as a notch or an internal void. The problem was solved numerically using a finite element model and by exploiting an analytical solution obtainable for the [...] Read more.

This paper investigates the interaction of different shear- and Rayleigh–Lamb-guided waves in plates with a discontinuity such as a notch or an internal void. The problem was solved numerically using a finite element model and by exploiting an analytical solution obtainable for the double sharp changes of the cross-section that served as a reference. We aimed to elucidate the relation between the size and shape of the discontinuity and the reflection and transmission coefficients of the scattered field. Different sizes and profiles of the discontinuity were considered, with the shapes ranging from step changes of the height to ellipses, both symmetric and nonsymmetric. Regimes related to low and high values of the product frequency multiplied by the height of the plate were investigated. These showed how the mode conversion was related to the symmetry between the incident mode and the discontinuity, and to the actual existence of multiple propagating modes. The analysis presented was motivated by the need to set up procedures that exploit propagating waves not only to detect the presence of a notch, but also to characterize its size and shape. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural Health Monitoring for Aerospace Applications 2017)

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13 pages, 6595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Bioactive Chlorogenic Acid-Silica Hybrid Materials via the Sol–Gel Route and Evaluation of Their Biocompatibility

by Michelina Catauro^1,*

and Severina Pacifico²

¹ Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy

² Department Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy

Materials 2017, 10(7), 840; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070840 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4750

Abstract

Natural phenol compounds are gaining a great deal of attention because of their potential use as prophylactic and therapeutic agents in many diseases, as well as in applied science for their preventing role in oxidation deterioration. With the aim to synthetize new phenol-based [...] Read more.

Natural phenol compounds are gaining a great deal of attention because of their potential use as prophylactic and therapeutic agents in many diseases, as well as in applied science for their preventing role in oxidation deterioration. With the aim to synthetize new phenol-based materials, the sol–gel method was used to embed different content of the phenolic antioxidant chlorogenic acid (CGA) within silica matrices to obtain organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements were used to characterize the prepared materials. The new materials were screened for their bioactivity and antioxidant potential. To this latter purpose, direct DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) methods were applied: radical scavenging capability appeared strongly dependent on the phenol amount in investigated hybrids, and became pronounced, mainly toward the ABTS radical cation, when materials with CGA content equal to 15 wt% and 20 wt% were analyzed. The in vitro biocompatibility of the synthetized materials was estimated by using the MTT assay towards fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells, human keratinocyte HaCaT cells, and the neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. As cell viability and morphology of tested cell lines seemed to be unaffected by new materials, the attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR method was applied to deeply measure the effects of the hybrids in the three different cell lines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sol-Gel Chemistry Applied to Materials Science)

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13 pages, 21827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Microstructural Characterization of Multiferroic LaFeO₃-YMnO₃ Multilayers Grown on (001)- and (111)-SrTiO₃ Substrates by Transmission Electron Microscopy

by Bin Pang¹, Lei Sun¹, Xuan Shen², Yang-Yang Lv¹, Xiao Li³, Fei-Xiang Wu¹, Shu-Hua Yao¹, Jian Zhou¹, Shan-Tao Zhang¹ and Y.B. Chen^1,3,*

¹ National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures & Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

² Shanghai Nanoport, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Shanghai 201210, China

³ National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures & Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 839; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070839 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4979

Abstract

The microstructure of multiferroic LaFeO₃-YMnO₃ (LFO-YMO) multilayers grown on (001)- and (111)-SrTiO₃ substrates is characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Detailed TEM characterization reveals that LFO-YMO multilayers grown on both substrates have clear layer-by-layer morphology and distinct chemical-composition [...] Read more.

The microstructure of multiferroic LaFeO₃-YMnO₃ (LFO-YMO) multilayers grown on (001)- and (111)-SrTiO₃ substrates is characterized by the transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Detailed TEM characterization reveals that LFO-YMO multilayers grown on both substrates have clear layer-by-layer morphology and distinct chemical-composition layered structure. The most notable feature is that LFO-YMO multilayers grown on (001)-SrTiO₃ substrate have three types of domains, while those on (111)-SrTiO₃ have only one. The multi-/twin- domain structure can be qualitatively explained by the lattice mismatch in this system. The details of the domain structure of LFO-YMO multilayers are crucial to understanding their magnetic properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physics, Measurements and Applications of Multiferroic and Magnetoelectric Materials)

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9 pages, 3039 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Influences of Thermal Treatment on the Dielectric Performances of Polystyrene Composites Reinforced by Graphene Nanoplatelets

by Benhui Fan, Yu Liu, Delong He^* and Jinbo Bai^*

Laboratoire Mécanique des Sols, Structures et Matériaux (MSSMat), CNRS UMR 8579, Ecole CentraleSupelec, Université Paris Saclay, Grande Voie des Vignes, 92290 Chatenay-Malabry, France

Materials 2017, 10(7), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070838 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4299

Abstract

Dielectric properties of composites near percolation threshold (f_c) are often sensitive to thermal treatments, and the annealing temperature is usually associated with a polymer’s rheological properties. In this study, the influences of the thermal treatment on dielectric properties are investigated [...] Read more.

Dielectric properties of composites near percolation threshold (f_c) are often sensitive to thermal treatments, and the annealing temperature is usually associated with a polymer’s rheological properties. In this study, the influences of the thermal treatment on dielectric properties are investigated for the polystyrene (PS) matrix composite reinforced by graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) fillers near f_c. It can be found that the thermal treatment can not only increase the dielectric constant, but also decrease the dielectric loss for the PS/GNP composite. This interesting phenomenon possibly happens in the interfacial region of PS/GNP with the thickness about 4–6 nm according to the electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) results. The free volumes around the interface can be easily altered by the movement of polymeric segments after annealing at the glass transition temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Film Capacitors)

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11 pages, 6805 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Annealing Conditions on Mixed Lead Halide Perovskite Solar Cells and Their Thermal Stability Investigation

by Haifeng Yang^1,2, Jincheng Zhang^1,3, Chunfu Zhang^1,3,*

, Jingjing Chang^1,*, Zhenhua Lin^1,3, Dazheng Chen¹, He Xi¹ and Yue Hao¹

¹ Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology Disciplines State Key Laboratory, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China

² College of Physics and Optoelectronics Technology, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721016, China

³ Shaanxi Joint Key Laboratory of Graphene, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070837 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6847

Abstract

In this work, efficient mixed organic cation and mixed halide (MA_0.7FA_0.3Pb(I_0.9Br_0.1)₃) perovskite solar cells are demonstrated by optimizing annealing conditions. AFM, XRD and PL measurements show that there is a better perovskite film [...] Read more.

In this work, efficient mixed organic cation and mixed halide (MA_0.7FA_0.3Pb(I_0.9Br_0.1)₃) perovskite solar cells are demonstrated by optimizing annealing conditions. AFM, XRD and PL measurements show that there is a better perovskite film quality for the annealing condition at 100 °C for 30 min. The corresponding device exhibits an optimized PCE of 16.76% with V_OC of 1.02 V, J_SC of 21.55 mA/cm² and FF of 76.27%. More importantly, the mixed lead halide perovskite MA_0.7FA_0.3Pb(I_0.9Br_0.1)₃ can significantly increase the thermal stability of perovskite film. After being heated at 80 °C for 24 h, the PCE of the MA_0.7FA_0.3Pb(I_0.9Br_0.1)₃ device still remains at 70.00% of its initial value, which is much better than the control MAPbI₃ device, where only 46.50% of its initial value could be preserved. We also successfully fabricated high-performance flexible mixed lead halide perovskite solar cells based on PEN substrates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Energy Materials)

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37 pages, 8641 KiB

Open AccessReview

Surface Plasmon Resonance or Biocompatibility—Key Properties for Determining the Applicability of Noble Metal Nanoparticles

by Ana Maria Craciun^1,†

, Monica Focsan^1,†

, Klara Magyari^2,*,†

, Adriana Vulpoi^2,† and Zsolt Pap^2,3,*,†

¹ Nanobiophotonics and Laser Microspectroscopy Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

² Nanostructured Materials and Bio-Nano-Interfaces Center, Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Sciences, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

³ Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary

^† All authors contributed equally to this work.

Materials 2017, 10(7), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070836 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 8449

Abstract

Metal and in particular noble metal nanoparticles represent a very special class of materials which can be applied as prepared or as composite materials. In most of the cases, two main properties are exploited in a vast number of publications: biocompatibility and surface [...] Read more.

Metal and in particular noble metal nanoparticles represent a very special class of materials which can be applied as prepared or as composite materials. In most of the cases, two main properties are exploited in a vast number of publications: biocompatibility and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). For instance, these two important properties are exploitable in plasmonic diagnostics, bioactive glasses/glass ceramics and catalysis. The most frequently applied noble metal nanoparticle that is universally applicable in all the previously mentioned research areas is gold, although in the case of bioactive glasses/glass ceramics, silver and copper nanoparticles are more frequently applied. The composite partners/supports/matrix/scaffolds for these nanoparticles can vary depending on the chosen application (biopolymers, semiconductor-based composites: TiO₂, WO₃, Bi₂WO₆, biomaterials: SiO₂ or P₂O₅-based glasses and glass ceramics, polymers: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Gelatin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polylactic acid (PLA), etc.). The scientific works on these materials’ applicability and the development of new approaches will be targeted in the present review, focusing in several cases on the functioning mechanism and on the role of the noble metal. Full article

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20 pages, 26171 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the Quasi-Brittle Failure of Alashan Granite Viewed from Laboratory Experiments and Grain-Based Discrete Element Modeling

by Jian Zhou¹

, Luqing Zhang^1,*, Duoxing Yang², Anika Braun¹ and Zhenhua Han^1,3

¹ Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100029, China

² China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Crustal Dynamics, Beijing 100085, China

³ College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070835 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 52 | Viewed by 6918

Abstract

Granite is a typical crystalline material, often used as a building material, but also a candidate host rock for the repository of high-level radioactive waste. The petrographic texture—including mineral constituents, grain shape, size, and distribution—controls the fracture initiation, propagation, and coalescence within granitic [...] Read more.

Granite is a typical crystalline material, often used as a building material, but also a candidate host rock for the repository of high-level radioactive waste. The petrographic texture—including mineral constituents, grain shape, size, and distribution—controls the fracture initiation, propagation, and coalescence within granitic rocks. In this paper, experimental laboratory tests and numerical simulations of a grain-based approach in two-dimensional Particle Flow Code (PFC2D) were conducted on the mechanical strength and failure behavior of Alashan granite, in which the grain-like structure of granitic rock was considered. The microparameters for simulating Alashan granite were calibrated based on real laboratory strength values and strain-stress curves. The unconfined uniaxial compressive test and Brazilian indirect tensile test were performed using a grain-based approach to examine and discuss the influence of mineral grain size and distribution on the strength and patterns of microcracks in granitic rocks. The results show it is possible to reproduce the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and uniaxial tensile strength (UTS) of Alashan granite using the grain-based approach in PFC2D, and the average mineral size has a positive relationship with the UCS and UTS. During the modeling, most of the generated microcracks were tensile cracks. Moreover, the ratio of the different types of generated microcracks is related to the average grain size. When the average grain size in numerical models is increased, the ratio of the number of intragrain tensile cracks to the number of intergrain tensile cracks increases, and the UCS of rock samples also increases with this ratio. However, the variation in grain size distribution does not have a significant influence on the likelihood of generated microcracks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Brittle Failure of Different Materials)

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13 pages, 2920 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Cr-Co-Mo Membrane Surface Used as Barrier for Bone Regeneration through UV Photofunctionalization: An In Vitro Study

by Oscar Decco, Jésica Zuchuat^* and Nicolás Farkas

Bioimplants Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Entre Rios, Oro Verde, Entre Rios 3100, Argentina

Materials 2017, 10(7), 825; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070825 - 21 Jul 2017

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4277

Abstract

Although there are several studies of the ultraviolet (UV) light-mediated photofunctionalization of titanium for use as implant material, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. However, the results of in vitro and in vivo studies are very encouraging. The use of UV photofunctionalization [...] Read more.

Although there are several studies of the ultraviolet (UV) light-mediated photofunctionalization of titanium for use as implant material, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. However, the results of in vitro and in vivo studies are very encouraging. The use of UV photofunctionalization as a surface treatment on other implant materials, as the Cr-Co-Mo alloy, has not been explored in depth. Using sandblasted Cr-Co-Mo discs, the surface photofunctionalization was studied for ultraviolet A (UVA, 365 nm) and ultraviolet C (UVC, 254 nm), and the surfaces were evaluated for their ability to sustain hydroxyapatite crystal growth through incubation in simulated body fluid for a seven-day period. The variation of the pre- and post-irradiation contact angle and surface composition was determined through the quantification of the weight percentage of Ca and P crystals by the EDAX ZAF method (EDS). Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for samples irradiated with UVA over 48 h, corresponding with hydrophilic surfaces, and the same result was found for samples exposed to 3 h of UVC. Superhydrophilic surfaces were found in samples irradiated for 12, 24 and 48 h with UVC. The decrease in the carbon content is related with the increase in the surface content of Ca and P, and vice versa over the Cr-Co-Mo surfaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Biomaterials)

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13 pages, 2669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biological Degradation of Chinese Fir with Trametes Versicolor (L.) Lloyd

by Meiling Chen¹, Chuangui Wang^2,*, Benhua Fei^1,*, Xinxin Ma¹, Bo Zhang³, Shuangyan Zhang² and Anmin Huang⁴

¹ International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing 100102, China

² Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

³ Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China

⁴ Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070834 - 20 Jul 2017

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4873

Abstract

Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) has been an important afforestation species in northeast China. It has obvious defects of buckling and cracking easily, which are caused by its chemical components. Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd, a white-rot fungus, can decompose the cellulose, [...] Read more.

Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) has been an important afforestation species in northeast China. It has obvious defects of buckling and cracking easily, which are caused by its chemical components. Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd, a white-rot fungus, can decompose the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the wood. White-rot fungus was used to biologically degrade Chinese fir wood. The effects of different degradation time on the Chinese fir wood’s mechanical properties, micromorphology, chemical components, and crystallinity were studied. The results showed that the heartwood of Chinese fir was more durable than the sapwood and the durability class of Chinese fir was III. Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd had a greater influence on the mechanical properties (especially with respect to the modulus of elasticity (MOE)) for the sapwood. Trametes versicolor (L.) Lloyd degraded Chinese fir and colonized the lumen of various wood cell types in Chinese fir, penetrated cell walls via pits, caused erosion troughs and bore holes, and removed all cell layers. The ability of white-rot fungus to change the chemical composition mass fraction for Chinese fir was: hemicellulose > lignin > cellulose. The durability of the chemical compositions was: lignin > cellulose > hemicellulose. The crystallinity of the cellulose decreased and the mean size of the ordered (crystalline) domains increased after being treated by white-rot fungus. Full article

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12 pages, 13243 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of the Ultrasonic Surface Rolling Process on the Fretting Fatigue Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy

by Chengsong Liu, Daoxin Liu^*, Xiaohua Zhang, Shouming Yu and Weidong Zhao

Corrosion and Protection Research Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 You Yi Xi Road, Xi’an 710072, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 833; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070833 - 20 Jul 2017

Cited by 73 | Viewed by 6513

Abstract

The effect of the ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP) on the rotary bending fretting fatigue (FF) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was investigated. The reason for the USRP’s ability to improve the FF resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was studied. The results revealed that the USRP [...] Read more.

The effect of the ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP) on the rotary bending fretting fatigue (FF) of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was investigated. The reason for the USRP’s ability to improve the FF resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was studied. The results revealed that the USRP induced a compressive residual stress field with a depth of 530 μm and a maximum residual stress of −930 MPa. Moreover, the surface micro-hardness of the USRP sample was significantly higher than that of the untreated base material (BM) sample, and the USRP yielded a 72.7% increase in the FF limit of the alloy. These further enhanced fatigue properties contributed mainly to the compressive residual stress field with large numerical value and deep distribution, which could effectively suppress FF crack initiation and early propagation. The USRP-induced surface work-hardening had only a minor impact on the FF resistance. Full article

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32 pages, 18947 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Advanced Multi-Sensor Acousto-Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring System: Development and Aerospace Demonstration

by Joel Smithard¹, Nik Rajic^2,*, Stephen Van der Velden²

, Patrick Norman³, Cedric Rosalie², Steve Galea², Hanfei Mei⁴, Bin Lin⁴ and Victor Giurgiutiu⁴

¹ Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia

² Aerospace Division, Defence Science and Technology Group, 506 Lorimer St, Fishermans Bend 3207, Australia

³ QineteQ Australia, 506 Lorimer St, Port Melbourne 3207, Australia

⁴ Laboratory for Active Materials and Smart Structures, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

Materials 2017, 10(7), 832; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070832 - 20 Jul 2017

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6062

Abstract

A key longstanding objective of the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) research community is to enable the embedment of SHM systems in high value assets like aircraft to provide on-demand damage detection and evaluation. As against traditional non-destructive inspection hardware, embedded SHM systems must [...] Read more.

A key longstanding objective of the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) research community is to enable the embedment of SHM systems in high value assets like aircraft to provide on-demand damage detection and evaluation. As against traditional non-destructive inspection hardware, embedded SHM systems must be compact, lightweight, low-power and sufficiently robust to survive exposure to severe in-flight operating conditions. Typical Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems can be bulky, costly and are often inflexible in their configuration and/or scalability, which militates against in-service deployment. Advances in electronics have resulted in ever smaller, cheaper and more reliable components that facilitate the development of compact and robust embedded SHM systems, including for Acousto-Ultrasonics (AU), a guided plate-wave inspection modality that has attracted strong interest due mainly to its capacity to furnish wide-area diagnostic coverage with a relatively low sensor density. This article provides a detailed description of the development, testing and demonstration of a new AU interrogation system called the Acousto Ultrasonic Structural health monitoring Array Module⁺ (AUSAM⁺). This system provides independent actuation and sensing on four Piezoelectric Wafer Active Sensor (PWAS) elements with further sensing on four Positive Intrinsic Negative (PIN) photodiodes for intensity-based interrogation of Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG). The paper details the development of a novel piezoelectric excitation amplifier, which, in conjunction with flexible acquisition-system architecture, seamlessly provides electromechanical impedance spectroscopy for PWAS diagnostics over the full instrument bandwidth of 50 KHz–5 MHz. The AUSAM⁺ functionality is accessed via a simple hardware object providing a myriad of custom software interfaces that can be adapted to suit the specific requirements of each individual application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural Health Monitoring for Aerospace Applications 2017)

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16 pages, 16056 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of 3D-Printed Polycaprolactone Scaffolds Coated with Freeze-Dried Platelet-Rich Plasma for Bone Regeneration

by Junda Li, Meilin Chen, Xiaoying Wei, Yishan Hao and Jinming Wang^*

Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510055, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070831 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 83 | Viewed by 9237

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing is one of the most promising techniques for the manufacturing of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. However, a pure scaffold is limited by its biological properties. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to have the potential to improve the osteogenic effect. [...] Read more.

Three-dimensional printing is one of the most promising techniques for the manufacturing of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. However, a pure scaffold is limited by its biological properties. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to have the potential to improve the osteogenic effect. In this study, we improved the biological properties of scaffolds by coating 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds with freeze-dried and traditionally prepared PRP, and we evaluated these scaffolds through in vitro and in vivo experiments. In vitro, we evaluated the interaction between dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and the scaffolds by measuring cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and osteogenic differentiation. The results showed that freeze-dried PRP significantly enhanced ALP activity and the mRNA expression levels of osteogenic genes (ALP, RUNX2 (runt-related gene-2), OCN (osteocalcin), OPN (osteopontin)) of DPSCs (p < 0.05). In vivo, 5 mm calvarial defects were created, and the PRP-PCL scaffolds were implanted. The data showed that compared with traditional PRP-PCL scaffolds or bare PCL scaffolds, the freeze-dried PRP-PCL scaffolds induced significantly greater bone formation (p < 0.05). All these data suggest that coating 3D-printed PCL scaffolds with freeze-dried PRP can promote greater osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs and induce more bone formation, which may have great potential in future clinical applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Biomaterials)

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13 pages, 12199 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sliding Wear Behavior of UNS R56400 Titanium Alloy Samples Thermally Oxidized by Laser

by Juan Manuel Vazquez Martinez^1,*

, Francisco J. Botana Pedemonte²

, Marta Botana Galvin², Jorge Salguero Gomez¹ and Mariano Marcos Barcena¹

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering & Industrial Design, Faculty of Engineering, University of Cadiz, Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, E-11519 Puerto Real-Cadiz, Spain

² Department of Materials Science and Metallurgic Engineering and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, University of Cadiz. Av. Universidad de Cadiz 10, E-11519 Puerto Real-Cadiz, Spain

Materials 2017, 10(7), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070830 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4788

Abstract

Wear of elements subjected to friction and sliding is among the main causes of low tribological performance and short lifetime of strategic materials such as titanium alloys. These types of alloys are widely used in different areas such as aerospace and the biomechanics [...] Read more.

Wear of elements subjected to friction and sliding is among the main causes of low tribological performance and short lifetime of strategic materials such as titanium alloys. These types of alloys are widely used in different areas such as aerospace and the biomechanics industry. In this sense, surface modification treatments allow for the overcoming of limitations and improvement of features and properties. In the case of titanium alloys, improvements in the main weaknesses of these materials can be obtained. Laser texturing of UNS R56400 (Ti6Al4V) alloy, according to Unified Numbering System designation, surface layers in a non-protective atmosphere produces an increase of the oxides, especially of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) species. The presence of oxides in the alloy results in color tonality variations as well as hardness increases. In addition, specific roughness topographies may be produced by the track of laser beam irradiation. In this research, thermochemical oxidation of UNS R56400 alloy has been developed through laser texturing, using scan speed of the beam (Vs) as the process control variable, and its influence on the sliding wear behavior was analyzed. For this purpose, using pin on disc tribological tests, wear was evaluated from the friction coefficient, and wear mechanisms involved in the process were analyzed. Combined studies of wear mechanisms and the friction coefficient verified that by means of specific surface treatments, an increase in the wear resistance of this type of alloys is generated. The most advantageous results for the improvement of tribological behavior have been detected in textured surfaces using a Vs of 150 mm/s, resulting in a decrease in the friction coefficient values by approximately 20%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tribological Behavior of Materials by Surface Engineering)

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15 pages, 3563 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Properties of Carbon Nanotube-Grafted Silica Nanoarchitecture-Reinforced Poly(Lactic Acid)

by Yao-Wen Hsu¹, Chia-Ching Wu², Song-Mao Wu³ and Chean-Cheng Su^1,*

¹ Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Kaohsiung, No. 700, Kaohsiung University Road, Nan-Tzu Dist., Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan

² Department of Electronic Engineering, Kao Yuan University, Kaohsiung 821, Taiwan

³ Department of Electrical Engineering, National University of Kaohsiung, No. 700, Kaohsiung University Road, Nan-Tzu Dist., Kaohsiung 811, Taiwan

Materials 2017, 10(7), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070829 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5719

Abstract

A novel nanoarchitecture-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite was prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-grafted silica nanohybrids as reinforcements. MWCNT-grafted silica nanohybrids were synthesized by the generation of silica nanoparticles on the MWCNT surface through the sol-gel technique. This synthetic method involves organo-modified MWCNTs [...] Read more.

A novel nanoarchitecture-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite was prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-grafted silica nanohybrids as reinforcements. MWCNT-grafted silica nanohybrids were synthesized by the generation of silica nanoparticles on the MWCNT surface through the sol-gel technique. This synthetic method involves organo-modified MWCNTs that are dispersed in tetrahydrofuran, which incorporates tetraethoxysilane that undergoes an ultrasonic sol-gel process. Gelation yielded highly dispersed silica on the organo-modified MWCNTs. The structure and properties of the nanohybrids were established using ²⁹Si nuclear magnetic resonance, Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The resulting MWCNT nanoarchitectures were covalently assembled into silica nanoparticles, which exhibited specific and controllable morphologies and were used to reinforce biodegradable PLA. The tensile strength and the heat deflection temperature (HDT) of the PLA/MWCNT-grafted silica nanocomposites increased when the MWCNT-grafted silica was applied to the PLA matrix; by contrast, the surface resistivity of the PLA/MWCNT-grafted silica nanocomposites appeared to decline as the amount of MWCNT-grafted silica in the PLA matrix increased. Overall, the reinforcement of PLA using MWCNT-grafted silica nanoarchitectures was efficient and improved its mechanical properties, heat resistance, and electrical resistivity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Material Related Papers from ICI2016)

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17 pages, 12273 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effect of Fly-Ash Cenospheres on Properties of Clay-Ceramic Syntactic Foams

by Kristine Rugele¹, Dirk Lehmhus^2,3

, Irina Hussainova⁴

, Julite Peculevica¹, Marks Lisnanskis⁵ and Andrei Shishkin^1,*

¹ Rudolfs Cimdins Riga Biomaterials Innovations and Development Centre of Riga Technical University (RTU), Institute of General Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Applied Chemistry, Riga Technical University, Pulka 3, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia

² ISIS Sensorial Materials Scientific Centre, University of Bremen, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

³ MAPEX Center for Materials and Processes, University of Bremen, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

⁴ Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia

⁵ SMW Engineering—Latvia, Kr. Barona 3, LV-1050, Riga, Latvia

Materials 2017, 10(7), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070828 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 6128

Abstract

A low-density clay ceramic syntactic foam (CSF) composite material was successfully synthesized from illitic clay added by fly ash cenospheres (CS) using the semi-dry formation method. The content of CS varied in the range of 10, 30, 50 and 60 vol %. Furthermore, [...] Read more.

A low-density clay ceramic syntactic foam (CSF) composite material was successfully synthesized from illitic clay added by fly ash cenospheres (CS) using the semi-dry formation method. The content of CS varied in the range of 10, 30, 50 and 60 vol %. Furthermore, reference samples without cenospheres were produced for property comparison. The materials comprising different amount of the additives were fired at temperatures of 600, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150 and 1200 °C. Firing times were kept constant at 30 min. Processing characteristics of the materials were evaluated in terms of density achieved and shrinkage observed as functions of both the CS content and the sintering temperature. The compressive strength and water uptake were determined as application-oriented properties. Except for the reference and the low CS level samples, the materials show an increase in strength with the increase in firing temperature, and a decrease of mechanical reliability with a decrease in density, which is typical for porous materials. Exceptions are the samples with no or low (10 vol %) content of cenospheres. In this case, the maximum strength is obtained at an intermediate sintering temperature of 1100 °C. At a low density (1.10 and 1.25 g/cm³), the highest levels of strength are obtained after sintering at 1200 °C. For nominal porosity levels of 50 and 60 vol %, 41 and 26 MPa peak stresses, respectively, are recorded under compressive load. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Syntactic Foams: Microstructural Characterisation and Effective Properties)

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15 pages, 4075 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simulations on Monitoring and Evaluation of Plasticity-Driven Material Damage Based on Second Harmonic of S₀ Mode Lamb Waves in Metallic Plates

by Xiaoqiang Sun¹, Xuyang Liu^1,*, Yaolu Liu¹, Ning Hu^1,2,*

, Youxuan Zhao¹

, Xiangyan Ding¹, Shiwei Qin¹, Jianyu Zhang¹, Jun Zhang¹, Feng Liu³ and Shaoyun Fu¹

¹ College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

² Key Disciplines Lab of Novel Micro-Nano Devices and System and International R&D Center of Micro-Nano Systems and New Materials Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

³ Department of Engineering Mechanics, College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 827; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070827 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5440

Abstract

In this study, a numerical approach—the discontinuous Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin-Eshelby Method (MLPGEM)—was adopted to simulate and measure material plasticity in an Al 7075-T651 plate. The plate was modeled in two dimensions by assemblies of small particles that interact with each other through bonding [...] Read more.

In this study, a numerical approach—the discontinuous Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin-Eshelby Method (MLPGEM)—was adopted to simulate and measure material plasticity in an Al 7075-T651 plate. The plate was modeled in two dimensions by assemblies of small particles that interact with each other through bonding stiffness. The material plasticity of the model loaded to produce different levels of strain is evaluated with the Lamb waves of S₀ mode. A tone burst at the center frequency of 200 kHz was used as excitation. Second-order nonlinear wave was extracted from the spectrogram of a signal receiving point. Tensile-driven plastic deformation and cumulative second harmonic generation of S₀ mode were observed in the simulation. Simulated measurement of the acoustic nonlinearity increased monotonically with the level of tensile-driven plastic strain captured by MLPGEM, whereas achieving this state by other numerical methods is comparatively more difficult. This result indicates that the second harmonics of S₀mode can be employed to monitor and evaluate the material or structural early-stage damage induced by plasticity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Structural Health Monitoring for Aerospace Applications 2017)

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10 pages, 4158 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of Gelatin-Based Crosslinkers for the Fabrication of Superabsorbent Hydrogels

by Penphitcha Amonpattaratkit¹, Sureerat Khunmanee¹, Dong Hyun Kim² and Hansoo Park^1,*

¹ Department of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156756, Korea

² Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Gyeonggi 15588, Korea

Materials 2017, 10(7), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070826 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 5824

Abstract

In this work, crosslinkers were prepared by conjugating high- and low-molecular-weight gelatin with different mole ratios of itaconic acid (IA) with double bonds. Then, the gelatin-itaconic acid (gelatin-IA) crosslinkers were compared with the gelatin-methacrylate (gelatin-MA) crosslinkers. The molecular weights and structures of gelatin-MA [...] Read more.

In this work, crosslinkers were prepared by conjugating high- and low-molecular-weight gelatin with different mole ratios of itaconic acid (IA) with double bonds. Then, the gelatin-itaconic acid (gelatin-IA) crosslinkers were compared with the gelatin-methacrylate (gelatin-MA) crosslinkers. The molecular weights and structures of gelatin-MA and gelatin-IA were confirmed using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Additionally, the swelling ratio and biodegradation properties of the hydrogels using IA as starting monomers and gelatin-IA and gelatin-MA as crosslinkers were investigated. Both hydrogels prepared with high and low molecular weights of gelatin-IA showed higher swelling ratios than those prepared with the gelatin-MA. The results also showed that absorbent hydrogels with different biodegradabilities and swelling ratios could be prepared by changing the ratio of the gelatin-based crosslinkers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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11 pages, 1815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

First Principles Study of Adsorption of Hydrogen on Typical Alloying Elements and Inclusions in Molten 2219 Al Alloy

by Yu Liu^1,2,*, Yuanchun Huang^1,2,3, Zhengbing Xiao^1,2,3

and Guangze Jia^1,2

¹ Research Institute of Light Alloy, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

² Nonferrous Metal Oriented Advanced Structural Materials and Manufacturing Cooperative Innovation Center, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

³ College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 816; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070816 - 19 Jul 2017

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3931

Abstract

To better understand the effect of the components of molten 2219 Al alloy on the hydrogen content dissolved in it, the H adsorption on various positions of alloying element clusters of Cu, Mn and Al, as well as the inclusion of Al₂ [...] Read more.

To better understand the effect of the components of molten 2219 Al alloy on the hydrogen content dissolved in it, the H adsorption on various positions of alloying element clusters of Cu, Mn and Al, as well as the inclusion of Al₂O₃, MgO and Al₄C₃, were investigated by means of first principles calculation, and the thermodynamic stability of H adsorbed on each possible site was also studied on the basis of formation energy. Results show that the interaction between Al, MgO, Al₄C₃ and H atoms is mainly repulsive and energetically unfavorable; a favorable interaction between Cu, Mn, Al₂O₃ and H atoms was determined, with H being more likely to be adsorbed on the top of the third atomic layer of Cu(111), the second atomic layer of Mn(111), and the O atom in the third atomic layer of Al₂O₃, compared with other sites. It was found that alloying elements Cu and Mn and including Al₂O₃ may increase the hydrogen adsorption in the molten 2219 Al alloy with Al₂O₃ being the most sensitive component in this regard. Full article

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9 pages, 2240 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thermostability of Hybrid Thermoelectric Materials Consisting of Poly(Ni-ethenetetrathiolate), Polyimide and Carbon Nanotubes

by Keisuke Oshima¹, Shifumi Sadakata², Hitoshi Asano²

, Yukihide Shiraishi^2,* and Naoki Toshima³

¹ Graduate School of Engineering, Tokyo University of Science Yamaguchi, Daigakudori, SanyoOnoda, Yamaguchi 756-0884, Japan

² Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo University of Science Yamaguchi, Daigakudori, SanyoOnoda, Yamaguchi 756-0884, Japan

³ Department of Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science, Yamaguchi 756-0884, Japan

Materials 2017, 10(7), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070824 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5319

Abstract

Three-component organic/inorganic hybrid films were fabricated by drop-casting the mixed dispersion of nanodispersed-poly(nickel 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate) (nano-PETT), polyimide (PI) and super growth carbon nanotubes (SG-CNTs) in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at the designed ratio on a substrate. The dried nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films were prepared by the [...] Read more.

Three-component organic/inorganic hybrid films were fabricated by drop-casting the mixed dispersion of nanodispersed-poly(nickel 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate) (nano-PETT), polyimide (PI) and super growth carbon nanotubes (SG-CNTs) in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at the designed ratio on a substrate. The dried nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films were prepared by the stepwise cleaning of NMP and methanol, and were dried once more. The thermoelectric properties of Seebeck coefficient S and electrical conductivity σ were measured by a thin-film thermoelectric measurement system ADVANCE RIKO ZEM-3M8 at 330–380 K. The electrical conductivity of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films increased by 1.9 times for solvent treatment by clearing insulated of polymer. In addition, the density of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films decreased 1.31 to 0.85 g·cm⁻³ with a decrease in thermal conductivity from 0.18 to 0.12 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. To evaluate the thermostability of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films, the samples were kept at high temperature and the temporal change of thermoelectric properties was measured. The nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films were rather stable at 353 K and kept their power factor even after 4 weeks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermoelectric Materials)

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11 pages, 3107 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterisation of Asphalt Concrete Using Nanoindentation

by Salim Barbhuiya^* and Benjamin Caracciolo

Department of Civil Engineering, Curtin University, Perth 6845, Australia

Materials 2017, 10(7), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070823 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4601

Abstract

In this study, nanoindentation was conducted to extract the load-displacement behaviour and the nanomechanical properties of asphalt concrete across the mastic, matrix, and aggregate phases. Further, the performance of hydrated lime as an additive was assessed across the three phases. The hydrated lime [...] Read more.

In this study, nanoindentation was conducted to extract the load-displacement behaviour and the nanomechanical properties of asphalt concrete across the mastic, matrix, and aggregate phases. Further, the performance of hydrated lime as an additive was assessed across the three phases. The hydrated lime containing samples have greater resistance to deformation in the mastic and matrix phases, in particular, the mastic. There is strong evidence suggesting that hydrated lime has the most potent effect on the mastic phase, with significant increase in hardness and stiffness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nanoindentation in Materials)

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12 pages, 3416 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strengthening Effect of Extruded Mg-8Sn-2Zn-2Al Alloy: Influence of Micro and Nano-Size Mg₂Sn Precipitates

by Weili Cheng^1,2,3,*, Yang Bai³, Lifei Wang^1,3, Hongxia Wang^1,3, Liping Bian^1,3 and Hui Yu^4,*

¹ Shanxi Key Laboratory of Advanced Magnesium-Based Materials, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

² Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

⁴ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300132, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070822 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 45 | Viewed by 4147

Abstract

In this study, Mg-8Sn-2Zn-2Al (TZA822) alloys with varying Mg₂Sn contents prior to extrusion were obtained by different pre-treatments (without and with T4), and the strengthening response related to micro and nano-size Mg₂Sn precipitates in the extruded TZA822 alloys was [...] Read more.

In this study, Mg-8Sn-2Zn-2Al (TZA822) alloys with varying Mg₂Sn contents prior to extrusion were obtained by different pre-treatments (without and with T4), and the strengthening response related to micro and nano-size Mg₂Sn precipitates in the extruded TZA822 alloys was reported. The results showed that the morphology of nano-size Mg₂Sn precipitates exhibits a significant change in basal plane from rod-like to spherical, owing to the decrement in the fraction of micro-size particles before extrusion. Meanwhile, the spherical Mg₂Sn precipitates provided a much stronger strengthening effect than did the rod-like ones, which was ascribed to uniform dispersion and refinement of spherical precipitates to effectively hinder basal dislocation slip. As a consequence, the extruded TZA822 alloy with T4 showed a higher tensile yield strength (TYS) of 245 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 320 MPa and elongation (EL) of 26.5%, as well as a lower degree of yield asymmetry than their counterpart without T4. Detailed reasons for the strengthening effect were given and analyzed. Full article

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7 pages, 7015 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thin-Film Coated Plastic Wrap for Food Packaging

by Hsin-Yu Wu¹, Ting-Xuan Liu², Chia-Hsun Hsu³, Yun-Shao Cho³, Zhi-Jia Xu³, Shu-Chuan Liao^4,5, Bo-Han Zeng⁴

, Yeu-Long Jiang¹ and Shui-Yang Lien^3,*

¹ Graduate Institute of Optoelectronic Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan

² Department of Electrical Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Chunghua 51591, Taiwan

³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Chunghua 51591, Taiwan

⁴ Bachelor Program for Design and Materials for Medical Equipment and Devices, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 51591, Taiwan

⁵ Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan

Materials 2017, 10(7), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070821 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6740

Abstract

In this study, the antimicrobial property and food package capability of polymethylpentene (PMP) substrate with silicon oxdie (SiO_x) and organic silicon (SiC_xH_y) stacked layers deposited by an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system were investigated. The [...] Read more.

In this study, the antimicrobial property and food package capability of polymethylpentene (PMP) substrate with silicon oxdie (SiO_x) and organic silicon (SiC_xH_y) stacked layers deposited by an inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition system were investigated. The experimental results show that the stacked pair number of SiO_x/SiC_xH_y on PMP is limited to three pairs, beyond which the films will crack and cause package failure. The three-pair SiO_x/SiC_xH_y on PMP shows a low water vapor transmission rate of 0.57 g/m²/day and a high water contact angle of 102°. Three-pair thin-film coated PMP demonstrates no microbe adhesion and exhibits antibacterial properties within 24 h. Food shelf life testing performed at 28 °C and 80% humidity reports that the three-pair thin-film coated PMP can enhance the food shelf-life to 120 h. The results indicate that the silicon-based thin film may be a promising material for antibacterial food packaging applications to extend the shelf-life of food products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from IEEE ICASI 2017)

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13 pages, 2681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Temperature Preparation of Tungsten Oxide Anode Buffer Layer via Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Method for Large-Area Organic Solar Cells

by Ran Ji^1,2, Ding Zheng¹, Chang Zhou¹, Jiang Cheng², Junsheng Yu^1,*

and Lu Li^2,*

¹ State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China

² Co-Innovation Center for Micro/Nano Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, Research Institute for New Materials and Technology, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing 402160, China

Materials 2017, 10(7), 820; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070820 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 65 | Viewed by 6489

Abstract

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) is prepared by a low-temperature ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method in air atmosphere, and it is used as an anode buffer layer (ABL) for organic solar cells (OSCs). The properties of the WO₃ transition metal oxide material as [...] Read more.

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) is prepared by a low-temperature ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method in air atmosphere, and it is used as an anode buffer layer (ABL) for organic solar cells (OSCs). The properties of the WO₃ transition metal oxide material as well as the mechanism of ultrasonic spray pyrolysis processes are investigated. The results show that the ultrasonic spray pyrolysized WO₃ ABL exhibits low roughness, matched energy level, and high conductivity, which results in high charge transport efficiency and suppressive recombination in OSCs. As a result, compared to the OSCs based on vacuum thermal evaporated WO₃, a higher power conversion efficiency of 3.63% is reached with low-temperature ultrasonic spray pyrolysized WO₃ ABL. Furthermore, the mostly spray-coated OSCs with large area was fabricated, which has a power conversion efficiency of ~1%. This work significantly enhances our understanding of the preparation and application of low temperature-processed WO₃, and highlights the potential of large area, all spray coated OSCs for sustainable commercial fabrication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Energy Materials)

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16 pages, 4858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Color Shift Failure Prediction for Phosphor-Converted White LEDs by Modeling Features of Spectral Power Distribution with a Nonlinear Filter Approach

by Jiajie Fan^1,2,3,*

, Moumouni Guero Mohamed¹, Cheng Qian^2,*

, Xuejun Fan^2,4, Guoqi Zhang^2,3,5 and Michael Pecht⁶

¹ College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou 213022, China

² Changzhou Institute of Technology Research for Solid State Lighting, Changzhou 213161, China

³ Beijing Research Center, Delft University of Technology, Delft 2628, The Netherlands

⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710, USA

⁵ EEMCS Faculty, Delft University of Technology, Delft 2628, The Netherlands

⁶ Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Materials 2017, 10(7), 819; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070819 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 7817

Abstract

With the expanding application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the color quality of white LEDs has attracted much attention in several color-sensitive application fields, such as museum lighting, healthcare lighting and displays. Reliability concerns for white LEDs are changing from the luminous efficiency to [...] Read more.

With the expanding application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the color quality of white LEDs has attracted much attention in several color-sensitive application fields, such as museum lighting, healthcare lighting and displays. Reliability concerns for white LEDs are changing from the luminous efficiency to color quality. However, most of the current available research on the reliability of LEDs is still focused on luminous flux depreciation rather than color shift failure. The spectral power distribution (SPD), defined as the radiant power distribution emitted by a light source at a range of visible wavelength, contains the most fundamental luminescence mechanisms of a light source. SPD is used as the quantitative inference of an LED’s optical characteristics, including color coordinates that are widely used to represent the color shift process. Thus, to model the color shift failure of white LEDs during aging, this paper first extracts the features of an SPD, representing the characteristics of blue LED chips and phosphors, by multi-peak curve-fitting and modeling them with statistical functions. Then, because the shift processes of extracted features in aged LEDs are always nonlinear, a nonlinear state-space model is then developed to predict the color shift failure time within a self-adaptive particle filter framework. The results show that: (1) the failure mechanisms of LEDs can be identified by analyzing the extracted features of SPD with statistical curve-fitting and (2) the developed method can dynamically and accurately predict the color coordinates, correlated color temperatures (CCTs), and color rendering indexes (CRIs) of phosphor-converted (pc)-white LEDs, and also can estimate the residual color life. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light Emitting Diodes and Laser Diodes: Materials and Devices)

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10 pages, 2419 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Monoclinic 122-Type BaIr₂Ge₂ with a Channel Framework: A Structural Connection between Clathrate and Layered Compounds

by Xin Gui¹

, Tay-Rong Chang², Tai Kong³, Max T. Pan¹, Robert J. Cava³ and Weiwei Xie^1,*

¹ Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA

² Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

³ Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA

Materials 2017, 10(7), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma10070818 - 18 Jul 2017

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5160

Abstract

A new 122-type phase, monoclinic BaIr₂Ge₂ is successfully synthesized by arc melting; X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are used to purify the phase and determine its crystal structure. BaIr₂Ge₂ adopts a clathrate-like channel framework structure of [...] Read more.

A new 122-type phase, monoclinic BaIr₂Ge₂ is successfully synthesized by arc melting; X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are used to purify the phase and determine its crystal structure. BaIr₂Ge₂ adopts a clathrate-like channel framework structure of the monoclinic BaRh₂Si₂-type, with space group P2₁/c. Structural comparisons of clathrate, ThCr₂Si₂, CaBe₂Ge₂, and BaRh₂Si₂structure types indicate that BaIr₂Ge₂ can be considered as an intermediate between clathrate and layered compounds. Magnetic measurements show it to be diamagnetic and non-superconducting down to 1.8 K. Different from many layered or clathrate compounds, monoclinic BaIr₂Ge₂ displays a metallic resistivity. Electronic structure calculations performed for BaIr₂Ge₂ support its observed structural stability and physical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal-Insulator Transition)

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