Materials, Volume 10, Issue 5 (May 2017) – 118 articles

The benefits of increasing the number of surface hydroxyls on TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) are known for environmental and energy applications; however, the roles of the hydroxyl groups have not been characterized and distinguished. Herein, TiO₂ NPs with abundant surface hydroxyl groups were prepared using commercial titanium dioxide (ST-01) powder pretreated with alkaline hydrogen peroxide. Through this simple treatment, the pure anatase phase was retained with an average crystallite size of 5 nm and the surface hydroxyl group density was enhanced to 12.0 OH/nm², estimated by thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Especially, this treatment increased the amounts of terminal hydroxyls five- to six-fold, which could raise the isoelectric point and the positive charges on the TiO₂ surface in water. The photocatalytic efficiency of the obtained TiO₂ NPs was investigated by the photodegradation of sulforhodamine B under visible light irradiation as a function of TiO₂ content, pH of solution, and initial dye concentration. The high surface hydroxyl group density of TiO₂ NPs can not only enhance water-dispersibility but also promote dye sensitization by generating more hydroxyl radicals. Full article

We investigated the properties of alternating current (AC)-driven electroluminescence from (Ba_0.4Ca_0.6)TiO₃:Pr³⁺ diphase polycrystal-based device. The results of crystal phases and micrographs, and the symmetrical dual emissions in one AC cycle, indicate the spontaneous formation of a dielectric/phosphor/dielectric sandwich microstructure in (Ba_0.4Ca_0.6)TiO₃:Pr³⁺. The electroluminescent device emits a red light of 617 nm, which is attributed to the ¹D₂-³H₄ transition of Pr³⁺ in the phosphor phase. At a fixed AC frequency, the intensity of electroluminescence exhibits a steep enhancement when applying an increased driving electric field that is beyond a threshold. In a fixed driving electric field, the intensity of electroluminescence shows a rapid rise at low frequencies, but reaches saturation at high frequencies. Based on a double-injection model, we discussed systematically the electroluminescent processes in a whole cycle of AC electric field, which matched well with the experimental data. Our investigation is expected to expand our understanding of such a diphase electroluminescent device, thereby promoting their applications in lighting and displays. Full article

The great challenge of boosting the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of non-noble-metal electrocatalysts is how to achieve effective exposure and full utilization of nitrogen-rich active sites. To realize the goals of high utilization of active sites and fast electron transport, here we report a new strategy for synthesis of an iron and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanolayers-wrapped multi-walled carbon nanotubes as ORR electrocatalyst (N-C@CNT-Fe) via using partially carbonized hemoglobin as a single-source precursor. The onset and half-wave potentials for ORR of N-C@CNT-Fe are only 45 and 54 mV lower than those on a commercial Pt/C (20 wt.% Pt) catalyst, respectively. Besides, this catalyst prepared in this work has been confirmed to follow a four-electron reaction mechanism in ORR process, and also displays ultra-high electrochemical cycling stability in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes. The enhancement of ORR activity can be not only attributed to full exposure and utilization of active site structures, but also can be resulted from the improvement of electrical conductivity owing to the introduction of CNT support. The analysis of X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy shows that both Fe–N and graphitic-N species may be the ORR active site structures of the prepared catalyst. Our study can provide a valuable idea for effective improvement of the electrocatalytic activity of non-noble-metal ORR catalysts. Full article

In the current study, the properties of the Cr_xN coatings deposited on the Inconel 718 superalloy using direct current reactive magnetron sputtering are investigated. The influence of working pressure on the microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties of the Cr_xN coatings before and after high-temperature hydrogen exposure is studied. The cross-sectional scanning electron micrographs indicate the columnar structure of the coatings, which changes from dense and compact columns to large columns with increasing working pressure. The Cr/N ratio increases from 1.4 to 1.9 with increasing working pressure from 300 to 900 mPa, respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a change from mixed hcp-Cr₂N and fcc-CrN structure to approximately stoichiometric Cr₂N phase. After gas-phase hydrogenation, the coating deposited at 300 mPa exhibits the lowest hydrogen absorption at 600 °C of all investigated coatings. The results indicate that the dense mixed cubic and hexagonal structure is preferential for hydrogen permeation resistance due to the presence of cubic phase with higher packing density in comparison to the hexagonal structure. After hydrogenation, no changes in phase composition were observed; however, a small amount of hydrogen is accumulated in the coatings. An increase of coating hardness and elastic modulus was observed after hydrogen exposure. Tribological tests reveal that hydrogenation leads to a decrease of the friction coefficient up to 20%–30%. The best value of 0.25 was reached for hydrogen exposed Cr_xN coating deposited at 300 mPa. Full article

The choice of a pure cohesive or a pure frictional viscoplastic model to represent the rheological behaviour of a flowslide is of paramount importance in order to obtain accurate results for real cases. The principal goal of the present work is to clarify the influence of the type of viscous model—pure cohesive versus pure frictional—with the numerical reproduction of two different real flowslides that occurred in 1966: the Aberfan flowslide and the Gypsum tailings impoundment flowslide. In the present work, a depth-integrated model based on the $v-p_w$ Biot–Zienkiewicz formulation, enhanced with a diffusion-like equation to account for the pore pressure evolution within the soil mass, is applied to both 1966 cases. For the Aberfan flowslide, a frictional viscous model based on Perzyna viscoplasticity is considered, while a pure cohesive viscous model (Bingham model) is considered for the case of the Gypsum flowslide. The numerical approach followed is the SPH method, which has been enriched by adding a 1D finite difference grid to each SPH node in order to improve the description of the pore water evolution in the propagating mixture. The results obtained by the performed simulations are in agreement with the documentation obtained through the UK National Archive (Aberfan flowslide) and the International Commission of large Dams (Gypsum flowslide). Full article

One of the major aims of the modern materials foundry industry is the achievement of advanced mechanical properties of metals, especially of light non-ferrous alloys such as aluminum. Usually an alloying process is applied to obtain the required properties of aluminum alloys. However, the presented work describes an alternative approach through the application of vibration treatment, modification by ultrafine powder and a combination of these two methods. Microstructural studies followed by image analysis revealed the refinement of α-Al grains with an increase in the Si network area around them. As evidence, the improvement of the mechanical properties of Al casting alloy was detected. It was found that the alloys subjected to the vibration treatment displayed an increase in tensile and yield strengths by 20% and 10%, respectively. Full article

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), bearing eight 3-chloroammoniumpropyl substituents, was studied as a potential nanocarrier in co-delivery systems with doxorubicin (DOX). The toxicity of doxorubicin and POSS:DOX complexes at four different molar ratios (1:1; 1:2, 1:4, 1:8) towards microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1), breast cancer cells (MCF-7), and human cervical cancer endothelial cells (HeLa) was determined. The rate of penetration of the components into the cells, their cellular localization and the hydrodynamic diameter of the complexes was also determined. A cytotoxicity profile of POSS:DOX complexes indicated that the POSS:DOX system at the molar ratio of 1:8 was more effective than free DOX. Confocal images showed that DOX co-delivery with POSS allowed for more effective penetration of doxorubicin through the cell membrane. Taking all the results into account, it can be claimed that the polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (T₈-POSS) is a promising, complex nanocarrier for doxorubicin delivery. Full article

With the purpose of improving the properties of the Sn-58Bi lead-free solder, micro-CuZnAl particles ranging from 0 to 0.4 wt % were added into the low temperature eutectic Sn-58Bi lead-free solder. After the experimental testing of micro-CuZnAl particles on the properties and microstructure of the Sn-58Bi solders, it was found that the wettability of the Sn-58Bi solders was obviously improved with addition of CuZnAl particles. When the addition of CuZnAl particles was 0.2 wt %, the wettability of the Sn-58Bi solder performed best. At the same time, excessive addition of CuZnAl particles led to poor wettability. However, the results showed that CuZnAl particles changed the melting point of the Sn-58Bi solder slightly. The microstructure of the Sn-58Bi solder was refined by adding CuZnAl particles. When the content of CuZnAl addition was between 0.1 and 0.2 wt %, the refinement was great. In addition, the interfacial IMC layer between new composite solder and Cu substrate was thinner than that between the Sn-58Bi solder and Cu substrate. Full article

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using a facile solvothermal method with alginate sodium as both reductant and stabilizer. Formation of AuNPs was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopic analysis. The synthesized AuNPs showed a localized surface plasmon resonance at approximately 520–560 nm. The AuNPs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the AuNPs were mostly nanometer-sized spherical particles. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis proved the formation of face-centered cubic structure of Au. Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol was monitored via spectrophotometry using AuNPs as catalyst, and further a non-enzymatic sensor was fabricated. The results demonstrated that AuNPs presented excellent catalytic activity and provided a sensitive response to H₂O₂ detection. Full article

The application of incremental processes in the manufacturing industry is having a great development in recent years. The first stage of an Incremental Forming Process can be defined as an indentation. Because of this, the indentation process is starting to be widely studied, not only as a hardening test but also as a forming process. Thus, in this work, an analysis of the indentation process under the new Modular Upper Bound perspective has been performed. The modular implementation has several advantages, including the possibility of the introduction of different parameters to extend the study, such as the friction effect, the temperature or the hardening effect studied in this paper. The main objective of the present work is to analyze the three hardening models developed depending on the material characteristics. In order to support the validation of the hardening models, finite element analyses of diverse materials under an indentation are carried out. Results obtained from the Modular Upper Bound are in concordance with the results obtained from the numerical analyses. In addition, the numerical and analytical methods are in concordance with the results previously obtained in the experimental indentation of annealed aluminum A92030. Due to the introduction of the hardening factor, the new modular distribution is a suitable option for the analysis of indentation process. Full article

Surfactant films on solid surfaces have attracted much attention because of their scientific interest and applications, such as surface treatment agent, or for micro- or nano-scale templates for microfluidic devices. In this study, anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solutions with various charged inorganic salts was spread on a glass substrate and dried to form an SDS thin film. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to observe the micro-structure of the SDS thin film. The effects of inorganic salts on the morphology of the SDS film were observed and discussed. The results of experiments demonstrated that pure SDS film formed patterns of long, parallel, highly-ordered stripes. The existence of the inorganic salt disturbed the structure of the SDS film due to the interaction between the cationic ion and the anionic head groups of SDS. The divalent ion has greater electrostatic interaction with anionic head groups than that of the monovalent ion, and causes a gross change in the morphology of the SDS film. The height of the SDS bilayer measured was consistent with the theoretical value, and the addition of the large-sized monovalent ion would lead to lowering the height of the adsorbed structures. Full article

VO₂ is the prototype material for insulator–metal transition (IMT). Its transition at T_IMT = 340 K is fast and consists of a large resistance jump (up to approximately five orders of magnitude), a large change in its optical properties in the visible range, and symmetry change from monoclinic to tetragonal (expansion by 1% along the tetragonal c-axis and 0.5% contraction in the perpendicular direction). It is a candidate for potential applications such as smart windows, fast optoelectronic switches, and field-effect transistors. The change in optical properties at the IMT allows distinguishing between the insulating and the metallic phases in the mixed state. Static or dynamic domain patterns in the mixed-state of self-heated single crystals during electric-field induced switching are in strong contrast with the percolative nature of the mixed state in switching VO₂ films. The most impressive effect—so far unique to VO₂—is the sliding of narrow semiconducting domains within a metallic background in the positive sense of the electric current. Here we show images from videos obtained using optical microscopy for sliding domains along VO₂ needles and confirm a relation suggested in the past for their velocity. We also show images for the disturbing damage induced by the structural changes in switching VO₂ crystals obtained for only a few current–voltage cycles. Full article

We report the room-temperature growth of vertically aligned ternary Bi_2−xSb_xTe₃ nanowires of diameter ~200 nm and length ~12 µm, within flexible track-etched nanoporous polycarbonate (PC) templates via a one-step electrodeposition process. Bi_2−xSb_xTe₃ nanowires with compositions spanning the entire range from pure Bi₂Te₃ (x = 0) to pure Sb₂Te₃ (x = 2) were systematically grown within the nanoporous channels of PC templates from a tartaric–nitric acid based electrolyte, at the end of which highly crystalline nanowires of uniform composition were obtained. Compositional analysis showed that the Sb concentration could be tuned by simply varying the electrolyte composition without any need for further annealing of the samples. Thermoelectric properties of the Bi_2−xSb_xTe₃ nanowires were measured using a standardized bespoke setup while they were still embedded within the flexible PC templates. Full article

To effectively predict the thermal conductivity and viscosity of alumina (Al₂O₃)-water nanofluids, an artificial neural network (ANN) approach was investigated in the present study. Firstly, using a two-step method, four Al₂O₃-water nanofluids were prepared respectively by dispersing different volume fractions (1.31%, 2.72%, 4.25%, and 5.92%) of nanoparticles with the average diameter of 30 nm. On this basis, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of the above nanofluids were analyzed experimentally under various temperatures ranging from 296 to 313 K. Then a radial basis function (RBF) neural network was constructed to predict the thermal conductivity and viscosity of Al₂O₃-water nanofluids as a function of nanoparticle volume fraction and temperature. The experimental results showed that both nanoparticle volume fraction and temperature could enhance the thermal conductivity of Al₂O₃-water nanofluids. However, the viscosity only depended strongly on Al₂O₃ nanoparticle volume fraction and was increased slightly by changing temperature. In addition, the comparative analysis revealed that the RBF neural network had an excellent ability to predict the thermal conductivity and viscosity of Al₂O₃-water nanofluids with the mean absolute percent errors of 0.5177% and 0.5618%, respectively. This demonstrated that the ANN provided an effective way to predict the thermophysical properties of nanofluids with limited experimental data. Full article

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is emerging as an essential tool for constant monitoring of safety-critical engineering components. Ultrasonic guided waves stand out because of their ability to propagate over long distances and because they can offer good estimates of location, severity, and type of damage. The unique properties of the fundamental shear horizontal guided wave (SH₀) mode have recently generated great interest among the SHM community. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of omnidirectional SH₀ SHM in a thin aluminum plate using a three-transducer sparse array. Descriptions of the transducer, the finite element model, and the imaging algorithm are presented. The image localization maps show a good agreement between the simulations and experimental results. The SH₀ SHM method proposed in this paper is shown to have a high resolution and to be able to locate defects within 5% of the true location. The short input signal as well the non-dispersive nature of SH₀ leads to high resolution in the reconstructed images. The defect diameter estimated using the full width at half maximum was 10 mm or twice the size of the true diameter. Full article

Seeding nanoparticles in molten salts has been shown recently as a promising way to improve their thermo-physical properties. The prospect of such technology is of interest to both academic and industrial sectors in order to enhance the specific heat capacity of molten salt. The latter is used in concentrated solar power plants as both heat transfer fluid and sensible storage. This work explores the feasibility of producing and dispersing nanoparticles with a novel one pot synthesis method. Using such a method, CuO nanoparticles were produced in situ via the decomposition of copper sulphate pentahydrate in a KNO₃-NaNO₃ binary salt. Analyses of the results suggested preferential disposition of atoms around produced nanoparticles in the molten salt. Thermal characterization of the produced nano-salt suspension indicated the dependence of the specific heat enhancement on particle morphology and distribution within the salts. Full article

The tribological study of materials inherently involves the interaction of surface asperities at the micro to nanoscopic length scales. This is the case for large scale engineering applications with sliding contacts, where the real area of contact is made up of small contacting asperities that make up only a fraction of the apparent area of contact. This is why researchers have sought to create idealized experiments of single asperity contacts in the field of nanotribology. At the same time, small scale engineering structures known as micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) have been developed, where the apparent area of contact approaches the length scale of the asperities, meaning the real area of contact for these devices may be only a few asperities. This is essentially the field of microtribology, where the contact size and/or forces involved have pushed the nature of the interaction between two surfaces towards the regime where the scale of the interaction approaches that of the natural length scale of the features on the surface. This paper provides a review of microtribology with the purpose to understand how tribological processes are different at the smaller length scales compared to macrotribology. Studies of the interfacial phenomena at the macroscopic length scales (e.g., using in situ tribometry) will be discussed and correlated with new findings and methodologies at the micro-length scale. Full article

The influences of diameter and length of the Fe−N₄-patched carbon nanotubes (Fe−N₄/CNTs) on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity were investigated by density functional theory method using the BLYP/DZP basis set. The results indicate that the stability of the Fe−N₄ catalytic site in Fe−N₄/CNTs will be enhanced with a larger tube diameter, but reduced with shorter tube length. A tube with too small a diameter makes a Fe−N₄ site unstable in acid medium since Fe−N and C−N bonds must be significantly bent at smaller diameters due to hoop strain. The adsorption energy of the ORR intermediates, especially of the OH group, becomes weaker with the increase of the tube diameter. The OH adsorption energy of Fe−N₄/CNT with the largest tube diameter is close to that on Pt(111) surface, indicating that its catalytic property is similar to Pt. Electronic structure analysis shows that the OH adsorption energy is mainly controlled by the energy levels of Fe 3d orbital. The calculation results uncover that Fe−N₄/CNTs with larger tube diameters and shorter lengths will exhibit better ORR activity and stability. Full article

Wear is a significant mechanical and clinical problem. To acquire further knowledge on the tribological phenomena that involve freeform mechanical components or medical prostheses, wear tests are performed on biomedical and industrial materials in order to solve or reduce failures or malfunctions due to material loss. Scientific and technological advances in the field of optical scanning allow the application of innovative devices for wear measurements, leading to improvements that were unimaginable until a few years ago. It is therefore important to develop techniques, based on new instrumentations, for more accurate and reproducible measurements of wear. The aim of this work is to discuss the use of innovative 3D optical scanners and an experimental procedure to detect and evaluate wear, comparing this technique with other wear evaluation methods for industrial components and biomedical devices. Full article

Hypervelocity impact (HVI), ubiquitous in low Earth orbit with an impacting velocity in excess of 1 km/s, poses an immense threat to the safety of orbiting spacecraft. Upon penetration of the outer shielding layer of a typical two-layer shielding system, the shattered projectile, together with the jetted materials of the outer shielding material, subsequently impinge the inner shielding layer, to which pitting damage is introduced. The pitting damage includes numerous craters and cracks disorderedly scattered over a wide region. Targeting the quantitative evaluation of this sort of damage (multitudinous damage within a singular inspection region), a characterization strategy, associating linear with nonlinear features of guided ultrasonic waves, is developed. Linear-wise, changes in the signal features in the time domain (e.g., time-of-flight and energy dissipation) are extracted, for detecting gross damage whose characteristic dimensions are comparable to the wavelength of the probing wave; nonlinear-wise, changes in the signal features in the frequency domain (e.g., second harmonic generation), which are proven to be more sensitive than their linear counterparts to small-scale damage, are explored to characterize HVI-induced pitting damage scattered in the inner layer. A numerical simulation, supplemented with experimental validation, quantitatively reveals the accumulation of nonlinearity of the guided waves when the waves traverse the pitting damage, based on which linear and nonlinear damage indices are proposed. A path-based rapid imaging algorithm, in conjunction with the use of the developed linear and nonlinear indices, is developed, whereby the HVI-induced pitting damage is characterized in images in terms of the probability of occurrence. Full article

As, in the market, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is the most used polymer as an alternative to conventional plastics, and as functionalized chitin nanocrystals (CHNC) can provide structural and bioactive properties, their combination sounds promising in the preparation of functional nanocomposite films for sustainable packaging. Chitin nanocrystals were successfully modified via acylation using anhydride acetic and dodecanoyl chloride acid to improve their compatibility with the matrix, PLA. The nanocomposite films were prepared by extrusion/compression approach using different concentrations of both sets of functionalized CHNC. This investigation brings forward that both sets of modified CHNC act as functional agents, i.e., they slightly improved the hydrophobic character of the PLA nanocomposite films, and, very importantly, they also enhanced their antifungal activity. Nonetheless, the nanocomposite films prepared with the CHNC modified with dodecanoyl chloride acid presented the best properties. Full article

The influence of the morphology of industrial graphite nanoplate (GNP) materials on their dispersion in polycarbonate (PC) is studied. Three GNP morphology types were identified, namely lamellar, fragmented or compact structure. The dispersion evolution of all GNP types in PC is similar with varying melt temperature, screw speed, or mixing time during melt mixing. Increased shear stress reduces the size of GNP primary structures, whereby the GNP aspect ratio decreases. A significant GNP exfoliation to individual or few graphene layers could not be achieved under the selected melt mixing conditions. The resulting GNP macrodispersion depends on the individual GNP morphology, particle sizes and bulk density and is clearly reflected in the composite’s electrical, thermal, mechanical, and gas barrier properties. Based on a comparison with carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon black (CB), CNT are recommended in regard to electrical conductivity, whereas, for thermal conductive or gas barrier application, GNP is preferred. Full article

The relationships between the fatigue crack growth rate $\left(da/dN\right)$ and stress intensity factor range $\left(\Delta K\right)$ are not always linear even in the Paris region. The stress ratio effects on fatigue crack growth rate are diverse in different materials. However, most existing fatigue crack growth models cannot handle these nonlinearities appropriately. The machine learning method provides a flexible approach to the modeling of fatigue crack growth because of its excellent nonlinear approximation and multivariable learning ability. In this paper, a fatigue crack growth calculation method is proposed based on three different machine learning algorithms (MLAs): extreme learning machine (ELM), radial basis function network (RBFN) and genetic algorithms optimized back propagation network (GABP). The MLA based method is validated using testing data of different materials. The three MLAs are compared with each other as well as the classical two-parameter model ( $K^{*}$ approach). The results show that the predictions of MLAs are superior to those of $K^{*}$ approach in accuracy and effectiveness, and the ELM based algorithms show overall the best agreement with the experimental data out of the three MLAs, for its global optimization and extrapolation ability. Full article

Poly(acrylamide co-acrylic acid) hydrogels were prepared by free-radical copolymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid in aqueous solutions using electron beam irradiation in the dose range of 2.5 kGy to 6 kGy in atmospheric conditions and at room temperature. The influence of the absorbed dose, the amount of cross-linker (trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate) and initiator (potassium persulfate) on the swelling properties and the diffusion coefficient and network parameters of hydrogels were investigated. The structure and morphology of hydrogels were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The use of the obtained hydrogels by the removal of Cu²⁺ and Cr⁶⁺ from aqueous solutions was investigated at room temperature. During the adsorption of metal ions on hydrogels, the residual metal ion concentration in the solution was measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). It has been established that the use of a relatively small amount of trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate for hydrogel preparation has led to the increasing of swelling up to 8500%. Full article

Reduced graphene oxide-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI/rGO) composites were synthesized in the present study by chemical deposition method and were then characterized by various methods, such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The nZVI/rGO composites prepared were utilized for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solutions in batch mode at different initial Cd(II) concentrations, initial pH values, contact times, and operating temperatures. Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network hybridized with genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) were used for modeling the removal efficiency of Cd(II) and optimizing the four removal process variables. The average values of prediction errors for the RSM and ANN-GA models were 6.47% and 1.08%. Although both models were proven to be reliable in terms of predicting the removal efficiency of Cd(II), the ANN-GA model was found to be more accurate than the RSM model. In addition, experimental data were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms. It was found that the Cd(II) adsorption was best fitted to the Langmuir isotherm. Examination on thermodynamic parameters revealed that the removal process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. Furthermore, the pseudo-second-order model can better describe the kinetics of Cd(II) removal with a good R² value than the pseudo-first-order model. Full article

Some studies have demonstrated that in vivo degradation processes are influenced by the material’s physico-chemical properties. The present study compares two hydroxyapatites manufactured on an industrial scale, deproteinized at low and high temperatures, and how physico-chemical properties can influence the mineral degradation process of material performance in bone biopsies retrieved six months after maxillary sinus augmentation. Residual biomaterial particles were examined by field scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the composition and degree of degradation of the bone graft substitute material. According to the EDX analysis, the Ca/P ratio significantly lowered in the residual biomaterial (1.08 ± 0.32) compared to the initial composition (2.22 ± 0.08) for the low-temperature sintered group, which also presented high porosity, low crystallinity, low density, a large surface area, poor stability, and a high resorption rate compared to the high-temperature sintered material. This demonstrates that variations in the physico-chemical properties of bone substitute material clearly influence the degradation process. Further studies are needed to determine whether the resorption of deproteinized bone particles proceeds slowly enough to allow sufficient time for bone maturation to occur. Full article

TiO₂ nanoparticles are immobilized on chlorella cells using the hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure, and the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of the prepared chlorella/TiO₂ composite are investigated by various methods. The chlorella/TiO₂ composite is found to exhibit larger average sizes and higher visible-light intensities. The sensitization of the photosynthesis pigment originating from chlorella cells provides the anatase TiO₂ with higher photocatalytic activities under the visible-light irradiation. The latter is linked to the highly efficient charge separation of the electron/hole pairs. The results also suggest that the photocatalytic activity of the composite remains substantial after four cycles, suggesting a good stability. Full article

A new magnetic functionalized derivative of chitosan is synthesized and characterized for the sorption of metal ions (environmental applications and metal valorization). The chemical modification of the glycine derivative of chitosan consists of: activation of the magnetic support with epichlorohydrin, followed by reaction with either glycine to produce the reference material (i.e., Gly sorbent) or glycine ester hydrochloride, followed by hydrazinolysis to synthesize the hydrazide functionalized sorbent (i.e., HGly sorbent). The materials are characterized by titration, elemental analysis, FTIR analysis (Fourrier-transform infrared spectrometry), TGA analysis (thermogravimetric analysis) and with SEM-EDX (scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive X-ray analysis). The sorption performances for U(VI), Cu(II), and Zn(II) are tested in batch systems. The sorption performances are compared for Gly and HGly taking into account the effect of pH, the uptake kinetics (fitted by the pseudo-second order rate equation), and the sorption isotherms (described by the Langmuir and the Sips equations). The sorption capacities of the modified sorbent reach up to 1.14 mmol U g⁻¹, 1.69 mmol Cu g⁻¹, and 0.85 mmol Zn g⁻¹. In multi-metal solutions of equimolar concentration, the chemical modification changes the preferences for given metal ions. Metal ions are desorbed using 0.2 M HCl solutions and the sorbents are re-used for five cycles of sorption/desorption without significant loss in performances. Full article

To study the size effect on the properties of copper, tensile tests were performed with pure copper foil (thickness range from 25 μm to 300 μm) by cold rolling. A pronounced size effect was observed at a thickness of 76 μm. The results showed that ultimate strength increased as sample thickness decreased from 300 μm to 100 μm, however, this was decreased as the thickness changed from 76 μm to 25 μm with ultrahigh strain, with the same trend of dislocation density and micro stain. The rolling texture were consisted of copper {112}<111>, brass {011}<211>, and S {123}<634>. These features seemed to be linked to the increase of fraction of surface grain to volume, which led to lower districting on the dislocation slip. Full article