Synthesis and Characterization of a Titanium-Based Functionally Graded Material-Structured Biocomposite using Powder Metallurgy.

This investigation aims at synthesizing and characterizing a biocomposite of hydroxyapatite (HA) and titanium (Ti) as a functionally graded material (FGM) via an economical powder metallurgy route. Ti particles were produced through drilling and chipping, followed by compaction and sintering. Ti foams, so obtained, were then infused with varying volume fractions of HA.

Optimization of Pulsed Laser Ablation and Radio-Frequency Sputtering Tandem System for Synthesis of 2D/3D AlO-ZnO Nanostructures: A Hybrid Approach to Synthesis of Nanostructures for Gas Sensing Applications.

In this paper, a unique hybrid approach to design and synthesize 2D/3D AlO-ZnO nanostructures by simultaneous deposition is presented. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and RF magnetron sputtering (RFMS) methods are redeveloped into a single tandem system to create a mixed-species plasma to grow ZnO nanostructures for gas sensing applications. In this set-up, the parameters of PLD have been optimized and explored with RFMS parameters to design 2D/3D AlO-ZnO nanostructures, including nanoneedles/nanospikes, nanowalls, and nanorods, among others.

Design of Nickel Supported Hierarchical ZSM-5/USY Zeolite Bifunctional Catalysts for One-Pot Menthol Synthesis via Liquid-Phase Citral Hydrogenation.

Nickel-supported hierarchical zeolite catalysts were prepared through a desilication reassembly process under optimized conditions and applied in one-pot menthol synthesis. In this work, the hierarchical zeolite-supported metal bifunctional catalysts were prepared with the help of desilication re-assembly and wetness impregnation techniques and applied in menthol synthesis via citral hydrogenation. The prepared catalysts were characterized using PXRD, BET, FE-TEM, NH-TPD, H-TPR, pyridine adsorption, and ICP-OES techniques.

Effect of Multiple Thermal Cycles on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AISI 1045 Weldments.

AISI 1045 medium carbon steel sheets having 10 mm thickness were subjected to the shielded metal arc welding process with three, five, and seven passes. The variations in the microstructure due to multiple thermal cycles in the heat-affected zone (HAZ), base metal (BM), and fusion zone (FZ) have been investigated and correlated with measured mechanical properties. Upon comparing fracture mechanics and mechanical properties with microstructural observations, it is elucidated that samples become ductile by increasing the number of thermal cycles which can be attributed to the transformations in the ferrite morphology in the HAZ.

Multi-Shaded Edible Films Based on Gelatin and Starch for the Packaging Applications.

Starch and gelatin are natural biopolymers that offer a variety of benefits and are available at relatively low costs. In addition to this, they are an appealing substitute for synthetic polymers for the manufacturing of packaging films. Such packaging films are not only biodegradable but are also edible.

A Study of the Structural and Surface Morphology and Photoluminescence of Ni-Doped AlN Thin Films Grown by Co-Sputtering.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a semiconductor material possessing a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with a large band gap of 6.2 eV. AlN thin films have several potential applications and areas for study, particularly in optoelectronics.

Synthesis of Geopolymer from a Novel Aluminosilicate-Based Natural Soil Precursor Using Electric Oven Curing for Improved Mechanical Strength.

Natural soil (NS)-based geopolymers (GPs) have shown promise as environmentally friendly construction materials. The production of ordinary Portland cement is known to release significant amounts of greenhouse gas (CO) into the atmosphere. The main objective of this work is to synthesize a geopolymer (GP) from an uncommon aluminosilicate-based NS and a sodium silicate (SS) activating solution that would not only minimize the emission of harmful gases, but also offer improved mechanical strength.

Lithium-Based Upconversion Nanoparticles for High Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

In this work, we report an easy, efficient method to synthesize high quality lithium-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) which combine two promising materials (UCNPs and lithium ions) known to enhance the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Incorporating the synthesized YLiF:Yb,Er nanoparticles into the mesoporous layer of the PSCs cells, at a certain doping level, demonstrated a higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19%, additional photocurrent, and a better fill factor (FF) of 82% in comparison to undoped PSCs (PCE = ~16.5%; FF = 71%).

Quantitative Strengthening Evaluation of Powder Metallurgy Titanium Alloys with Substitutional Zr and Interstitial O Solutes via Homogenization Heat Treatment.

The decomposition behavior of ZrO particles and uniform distribution of Zr and O solutes were investigated by employing in situ scanning electron microscope-electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD) analysis and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) to optimize the process conditions in preparing Ti-Zr-O alloys from the pre-mixed pure Ti powder and ZrO particles. The extruded Ti-Zr-O alloys via homogenization and water-quenching treatment were found to have a uniform distribution of Zr and O solutes in the matrix and also showed a remarkable improvement in the mechanical properties, for example, the yield stress of Ti-3 wt.% ZrO sample (1144.

Solution Processed PVB/Mica Flake Coatings for the Encapsulation of Organic Solar Cells.

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) die due to their interactions with environmental gases, i.e., moisture and oxygen, the latter being the most dangerous, especially under illumination, due to the fact that most of the active layers used in OPVs are extremely sensitive to oxygen.

Folic Acid-Terminated Poly(2-Diethyl Amino Ethyl Methacrylate) Brush-Gated Magnetic Mesoporous Nanoparticles as a Smart Drug Delivery System.

Currently, chemotherapy is an important method for the treatment of various cancers. Nevertheless, it has many limitations, such as poor tumour selectivity and multi-drug resistance. It is necessary to improve this treatment method by incorporating a targeted drug delivery system aimed to reduce side effects and drug resistance.

Glucosamine Modified the Surface of pH-Responsive Poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl Methacrylate) Brushes Grafted on Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as Smart Nanocarrier.

This work presents the synthesis of pH-responsive poly(2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDEAEMA) brushes anchored on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN-PDEAEMA) via a surface-initiated ARGET ATRP technique. The average size of HMSNs was ca. 340 nm, with a 90 nm mesoporous silica shell.

Soldering of Passive Components Using Sn Nanoparticle Reinforced Solder Paste: Influence on Microstructure and Joint Strength.

In this study, the effects of adding Sn nanopowder (particle size < 150 nm) to three solder pastes SAC3-X(H)F3+, SCAN-Ge071-XF3+, and water washable WW50-SAC3 are evaluated regarding microstructure, morphology, joint strength, and electrical resistance. The nanopowder was added at a rate of 10% by weight and then mechanically mixed until homogenous solder paste was obtained. The results showed that the addition of Sn nanoparticles resulted in homogenous bond formation for SAC-3 and SCAN, while voids and bubbles formation slightly increased within the joint interface for the water washable solder paste.

Correction to: Polymer Microfibers Incorporated with Silver Nanoparticles: a New Platform for Optical Sensing.

Please note that following publication of the original article [1], these three sentences have been removed from the Background section of the article.

Polymer Microfibers Incorporated with Silver Nanoparticles: a New Platform for Optical Sensing.

The enhanced sensitivity of up-conversion luminescence is imperative for the application of up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). In this study, microfibers were fabricated after co-doping UCNPs with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and silver (Ag) solutions. Transmission losses and sensitivities of UCNPs (tetrogonal-LiYF:Yb/Er) in the presence and absence of Ag were investigated.

Manufacturing of Mg-Ti Couples at Different Heat Treatment Temperatures and Their Corrosion Behavior in Chloride Solutions.

In this study, rods of magnesium alloy and titanium alloy were cut to have similar height of about 5mm and size of 10 mm × 10 mm to fabricate three Mg-Ti couples. The Mg-Ti couple was heat treated at 540 °C, 570 °C, and 600 °C. The corrosion of these couples have been investigated and compared with AZ31 alloy.

Transient Liquid Phase Bonding of Ti-6Al-4V and Mg-AZ31 Alloys Using Zn Coatings.

Ti-6Al-4V and Mg-AZ31 were bonded together using the Transient Liquid Phase Bonding Process (TLP) after coating both surfaces with zinc. The zinc coatings were applied using the screen printing process of zinc paste. Successful bonds were obtained in a vacuum furnace at 500 °C and under a uniaxial pressure of 1 MPa using high frequency induction heat sintering furnace (HFIHS).

Evaluation of Surface Roughness by Image Processing of a Shot-Peened, TIG-Welded Aluminum 6061-T6 Alloy: An Experimental Case Study.

Visual inspection through image processing of welding and shot-peened surfaces is necessary to overcome equipment limitations, avoid measurement errors, and accelerate processing to gain certain surface properties such as surface roughness. Therefore, it is important to design an algorithm to quantify surface properties, which enables us to overcome the aforementioned limitations. In this study, a proposed systematic algorithm is utilized to generate and compare the surface roughness of Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welded aluminum 6061-T6 alloy treated by two levels of shot-peening, high-intensity and low-intensity.

Microstructural properties and enhanced photocatalytic performance of Zn doped CeO nanocrystals.

The microstructural, optical and photocatalytic properties of undoped and 5% Zn doped CeO nanocrystals (NCs) have been explored through various analytical techniques, viz. powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible, Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD data analysis revealed face centred cubic (FCC) crystal symmetry of the samples with average crystallite size in the range of 19-24 nm.