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Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 12347

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Katalin Balazsi

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Guest Editor

Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, 1121 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: bioceramic; thin films; TEM; ceramic composite
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Rosalía Poyato

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Guest Editor

Materials Science Institute of Seville, University of Seville, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: ceramic composites; 2D nanomaterials; SPS; mechanical and electrical properties

Dr. Inga Zinicovscaia

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Guest Editor

Department of Nuclear Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Joliot-Curie 6, 141980 Dubna, Russia
Interests: neutron activation analysis; food quality; nanotoxicology; soil and water bioremediation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Anna D. Zervaki

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly, 38334 Volos, Greece
Interests: physical metallurgy; welding; microstructure modeling; failure analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Researchers are professionals engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge. Overall, women account for a minority of the world’s researchers. The aim of this Special Issue is to present the excellent women researchers in the field of materials science and engineering.

Materials Science and Engineering combines engineering, physics, and chemistry principles to solve real-world problems associated with nanotechnology, biotechnology, ceramics, energy, manufacturing, and other major engineering disciplines.

This Special Issue is open for submissions (from original research to review articles) across all sections of the journal.

Contributing papers with themes that include, but are not limited to, the following areas are welcome:

Material design, processing, and characterizations
Soft materials and biomaterials
Ceramics
Metallic and non-metallic thin films
Materials for energy storage
Nanomaterials and nanotechnology

Please note: To be considered for this Special Issue, one or all of the corresponding authors must be female researchers.

Dr. Katalin Balazsi
Dr. Rosalía Poyato
Dr. Inga Zinicovscaia
Dr. Anna D. Zervaki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

materials science and engineering
female researchers

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3925 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation of the RF Sputtering Process and the Properties of Deposited Silicon Oxynitride Layers under Varying Reactive Gas Conditions

by Nikolett Hegedüs, Csaba Balázsi, Tamás Kolonits, Dániel Olasz, György Sáfrán, Miklós Serényi and Katalin Balázsi

Materials 2022, 15(18), 6313; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15186313 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1518

Abstract

In a single process run, an amorphous silicon oxynitride layer was grown, which includes the entire transition from oxide to nitride. The variation of the optical properties and the thickness of the layer was characterized by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) measurements, while the elemental composition was investigated by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). It was revealed that the refractive index of the layer at 632.8 nm is tunable in the 1.48–1.89 range by varying the oxygen partial pressure in the chamber. From the data of the composition of the layer, the typical physical parameters of the process were determined by applying the Berg model valid for reactive sputtering. In our modelling, a new approach was introduced, where the metallic Si target sputtered with a uniform nitrogen and variable oxygen gas flow was considered as an oxygen gas-sputtered SiN target. The layer growth method used in the present work and the revealed correlations between sputtering parameters, layer composition and refractive index, enable both the achievement of the desired optical properties of silicon oxynitride layers and the production of thin films with gradient refractive index for technology applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering)

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19 pages, 4211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Waste-Based Alkali-Activated Cement Composites

by Adrienn Boros, Csilla Varga, Roland Prajda, Miklós Jakab and Tamás Korim

Materials 2021, 14(19), 5815; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14195815 - 05 Oct 2021

Viewed by 1682

Abstract

Nowadays, global warming and the ensuing climate change are one of the biggest problems for humanity, but environmental pollution and the low ratio of waste management and recycling are not negligible issues, either. By producing alkali-activated cements (AACs), it is possible to find an alternative way to handle the above-mentioned environmental problems. First, with a view to optimizing experimental parameters, metakaolin-based AACs were prepared, and in it, waste tire rubber was used as sand replacement (5–45 wt %). Insufficient wetting between the rubber particles and the matrix was corrected through different surface treatments of the rubber. For improving the mechanical/strength properties of the specimens, fibrous waste kaolin wool (0.5–1.5 wt %) was added to the AAC matrix. Considering the results of model experiments with metakaolin, blast-furnace-slag-based AAC composites were developed. The effects of storage conditions, specimen size and cyclic loading on the compressive strength were investigated, and the resulting figures were compared with the relevant values of classic binders. The strength (44.0 MPa) of the waste-based AAC composite significantly exceeds the required value (32.5 MPa) of clinker saving slag cement. Furthermore, following cyclic compressive loading, the residual strength of the waste-based AAC composite shows a slight increase rather than a decrease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering)

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14 pages, 3599 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D-Printed Polymer-Infiltrated Ceramic Network with Biocompatible Adhesive to Potentiate Dental Implant Applications

by Ľudmila Hodásová, Carlos Alemán, Luís J. del Valle, Luis Llanes, Gemma Fargas and Elaine Armelin

Materials 2021, 14(19), 5513; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14195513 - 23 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2586

Abstract

The aim of this work was to prepare and characterize polymer–ceramic composite material for dental applications, which must resist fracture and wear under extreme forces. It must also be compatible with the hostile environment of the oral cavity. The most common restorative and biocompatible copolymer, 2,2-bis(p-(2′-2-hydroxy-3′-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl)propane and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, was combined with 3D-printed yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia scaffolds with a 50% infill. The proper scaffold deposition and morphology of samples with 50% zirconia infill were studied by means of X-ray computed microtomography and scanning electron microscopy. Samples that were infiltrated with copolymer were observed under compression stress, and the structure’s failure was recorded using an Infrared Vic 2D^TM camera, in comparison with empty scaffolds. The biocompatibility of the composite material was ascertained with an MG-63 cell viability assay. The microtomography proves the homogeneous distribution of pores throughout the whole sample, whereas the presence of the biocompatible copolymer among the ceramic filaments, referred to as a polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN), results in a safety “damper”, preventing crack propagation and securing the desired material flexibility, as observed by an infrared camera in real time. The study represents a challenge for future dental implant applications, demonstrating that it is possible to combine the fast robocasting of ceramic paste and covalent bonding of polymer adhesive for hybrid material stabilization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering)

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12 pages, 5007 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Composite Carbon Foams as an Alternative to the Conventional Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon in Catalytic Application

by Mahitha Udayakumar, Renáta Zsanett Boros, László Farkas, Andrea Simon, Tamás Koós, Máté Leskó, Anett Katalin Leskó, Klara Hernadi and Zoltán Németh

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4540; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14164540 - 12 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1992

Abstract

The suitability of a new type of polyurethane-based composite carbon foam for several possible usages is evaluated and reported. A comparison of the properties of the as-prepared carbon foams was performed with widely available commercial biomass-derived activated carbon. Carbon foams were synthesized from polyurethane foams with different graphite contents through one-step activation using CO₂. In this work, a carbon catalyst was synthesized with a moderately active surface (S_BET = 554 m²/g), a thermal conductivity of 0.09 W/mK, and a minimum metal ion content of 0.2 wt%, which can be recommended for phosgene production. The composite carbon foams exhibited better thermal stability, as there is a very little weight loss at temperatures below 500 °C, and weight loss is slower at temperatures above 500 °C (phosgene synthesis: 550–700 °C). Owing to the good surface and thermal properties and the negligible metallic impurities, composite carbon foam produced from polyurethane foams are the best alternative to the conventional coconut-based activated carbon catalyst used in phosgene gas production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering)

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Review

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17 pages, 15954 KiB

Open AccessReview

Progress and Challenges in Industrially Promising Chemical Vapour Deposition Processes for the Synthesis of Large-Area Metal Oxide Electrode Materials Designed for Aqueous Battery Systems

by Dimitra Vernardou

Materials 2021, 14(15), 4177; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14154177 - 27 Jul 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2117

Abstract

The goal of the battery research community is to reach sustainable batteries with high performance, meaning energy and power densities close to the theoretical limits, excellent stability, high safety, and scalability to enable the large-scale production of batteries at a competitive cost. In that perspective, chemical vapour deposition processes, which can operate safely under high-volume conditions at relatively low cost, should allow aqueous batteries to become leading candidates for energy storage applications. Research interest and developments in aqueous battery technologies have significantly increased the last five years, including monovalent (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺) and multivalent systems (Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Al³⁺). However, their large-scale production is still somewhat inhibited, since it is not possible to get electrodes with robust properties that yield optimum performance of the electrodes per surface area. In this review paper, we present the progress and challenges in the growth of electrodes through chemical vapour deposition at atmospheric pressure, which is one procedure that is proven to be industrially competitive. As battery systems attract the attention of many researchers, this review article might help those who work on large-scale electrical energy storage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women in Science: Materials Science and Engineering)

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