Laser-Induced Reactions of 4-Aminobenzenthiol Species Adsorbed on Ag, Au, and Cu Plasmonic Structures Followed by SERS Spectroscopy. The Role of Substrate and Excitation Energy - Surface-Complex Photochemistry and Plasmonic Catalysis.

This study focuses on investigating the laser-induced reactions of various surface complexes of 4-aminobenzenethiol on Ag, Au, and Cu surfaces. By utilizing different excitation wavelengths, the distinct behavior of the molecule species on the plasmonic substrates was observed. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to establish the significant role of chemical enhancement mechanisms in determining the observed behavior.

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Modifications Produced by Carbon Nanotubes and FeO Nanoparticles.

Thin sheets of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), both in pristine form and containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or FeO nanoparticles (NPs) at different concentrations, were prepared. The CNT and FeO NP weight percentages used ranged from 0.01% to 1%.

Overview of Polyethylene Terephthalate Foils Patterned Using 10 MeV Carbon Ions for Realization of Micromembranes.

Polymer membranes are conventionally prepared using high-energy particles from radioactive decay or by the bombardment of hundreds of MeVs energy ions. In both circumstances, tracks of damage are produced by particles/ions passing through the polymer, and successively, the damaged material is removed by chemical etching to create narrow pores. This process ensures nanosized pore diameter but with random placement, leading to non-uniform local pore density and low membrane porosity, which is necessary to reduce the risk of their overlapping.

Universal Capacitance Boost-Smart Surface Nanoengineering by Zwitterionic Molecules for 2D MXene Supercapacitor.

Two-dimensional nanomaterials, as one of the most widely used substrates for energy storage devices, have achieved great success in terms of the overall capacity. Despite the extensive research effort dedicated to this field, there are still major challenges concerning capacitance modulation and stability of the 2D materials that need to be overcome. Doping of the crystal structures, pillaring methods and 3D structuring of electrodes have been proposed to improve the material properties.

Microstructural Characteristics of Al-Ti-B Inoculation Wires and Their Addition to the AlSi7Mg0.3 Alloy.

Commercially supplied inoculation wires have a guaranteed chemical composition but not the size and distribution of individual phases, which are very important for nucleation. Therefore, two commercial alloys used for the inoculation of Al-Si alloys (AlTi3B1 and AlTi5B1) are investigated in this paper. The emphasis is placed on their structural analysis and the size and distribution of individual intermetallic phases.

Compositional and Structural Modifications by Ion Beam in Graphene Oxide for Radiation Detection Studies.

In the present study, graphene oxide foils 10 μm thick have been irradiated in vacuum using same charge state (one charge state) ions, such as protons, helium and oxygen ions, at the same energies (3 MeV) and fluences (from 5 × 10 ion/cm to 5 × 10 ion/cm). The structural changes generated by the ion energy deposition and investigated by X-ray diffraction have suggested the generation of new phases, as reduced GO, GO quantum dots and graphitic nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbon and stacked-cup carbon nanofibers. Further analyses, based on Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis, have indicated a reduction of GO connected to the atomic number of implanted ions.

Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys with the Natural Combination of Dopants.

Aluminothermic reduction without the separation of individual metals is currently considered as a possible method for processing ferromanganese sea nodules and creating new alloys. In this study, the product of their reduction-a manganese-based polymetallic mixture-was added to pure aluminum, as a mixture of alloying elements in their natural ratios. After extrusion, two new aluminum alloys with a total percentage of metallic additives ranging from 1 to 6 percent were prepared.

Annealing Response of Additively Manufactured High-Strength 1.2709 Maraging Steel Depending on Elevated Temperatures.

The present work describes the influence of different temperatures on mechanical properties and microstructure of additively manufactured high-strength 1.2709 maraging steel. For this purpose, samples produced by selective laser melting technology were used in their as-printed as well as their heat-treated state.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ti-25Nb-4Ta-8Sn Alloy Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering.

As the commercially most-used Ti-6Al-4V alloy has a different modulus of elasticity compared to the modulus of elasticity of bone and contains allergenic elements, β-Ti alloy could be a suitable substitution in orthopedics. The spark plasma sintering (SPS) method is feasible for the preparation of materials, with very low porosity and fine-grained structure, leading to higher mechanical properties. In this study, we prepared quaternary Ti-25Nb-4Ta-8Sn alloy using the spark plasma sintering method.

Nanostructural synergism as MnNC channels in manganese (IV) oxide and fluffy g-CN layered composite with exceptional catalytic capabilities.

The avenues of catalysis and material science are always accepted and it is hoped that a state-of-the-art catalyst with exceptional intrinsic redox characteristics would be produced. This study focused on developing a multi-featured catalyst of high economical and commercial standards to meet the multi-directional applications of environmental and energy demands. Manganese (IV) oxide nanosheets made of fluffy-sheet-like g-CN material were successfully synthesized by pyrolysis method.

Hydrogen Embrittlement of the Additively Manufactured High-Strength X3NiCoMoTi 18-9-5 Maraging Steel.

The main aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility of the additively manufactured high strength X3NiCoMoTi 18-9-5 maraging steel to hydrogen embrittlement. For this purpose, samples produced by selective laser melting technology, before and after heat treatment, were used. The examined samples were electrochemically charged with hydrogen in NaCl + NHSCN solution at a current density of 50 mA/cm for 24 h.

PEGylated Gold Nanoparticles Grafted with N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine for Polymer Modification.

The subjects of this work were the enhancement and determination of the stability and other properties of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in an aqueous solution, gold nanoparticle immobilization, and further surface grafting on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Gold nanoparticles in PEG with a subsequent water solution addition were prepared using cathode sputtering; for the subsequent surface activation, two different solutions were used: (i) sodium citrate dihydrate (TCD) and (ii) N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NALC). The aim of this work was to study the effect of the concentration of these solutions on AuNPs stability, and further, the effect of the concentration of gold nanoparticles and their morphology, and to describe the aging process of solutions, namely, the optical properties of samples over 28 days.

Microplastic fibers influence Ag toxicity and bioaccumulation in Eisenia andrei but not in Enchytraeus crypticus.

Microplastic fibers (MF) are released from synthetic textiles during washing and end up in the wastewater. Similarly, silver nanoparticles (AgNP), incorporated in textiles as antimicrobial agents, are released in washing machines, also reaching the wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, both MF and AgNP co-exist in the environment and enter the soil compartment mainly via the application of biosolids.

In vitro cellular activity of maghemite/cerium oxide magnetic nanoparticles with antioxidant properties.

Magnetic γ-FeO/CeO nanoparticles were obtained by precipitation of Ce(NO) with ammonia in the presence of γ-FeO seeds. The formation of CeO nanoparticles on the seeds was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy linked with selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering. The γ-FeO/CeO particle surface was functionalized with PEG-neridronate to improve the colloidal stability in PBS and biocompatibility.

Structure and Properties of Alloys Obtained by Aluminothermic Reduction of Deep-Sea Nodules.

This paper brings an innovative processing route of manganese deep-sea nodules, which results in completely new grades of alloys. Deep-sea nodules were processed by aluminothermic method without the extraction of individual elements, producing complexly alloyed manganese-based "natural alloys". Three levels of the amount of aluminum were used for the aluminothermic reduction, and hence the alloys differ strongly in the amount of aluminum, which has a significant effect on their phase composition.

Creation of Gold Nanoparticles in ZnO by Ion Implantation-DFT and Experimental Studies.

Three different crystallographic orientations of the wurtzite ZnO structure (labeled as -plane, -plane and -plane) were implanted with Au ions using various energies and fluences to form gold nanoparticles (GNPs). The ion implantation process was followed by annealing at 600 °C in an oxygen atmosphere to decrease the number of unwanted defects and improve luminescence properties. With regard to our previous publications, the paper provides a summary of theoretical and experimental results, i.

Study of Natural and Artificial Aging on AlSi9Cu3 Alloy at Different Ratios of Returnable Material in the Batch.

Aluminum alloys currently play an important role in the production of castings in various industries, where important requirements include low component weight, reduction of the environmental impact and, above all, reduction of production costs of castings. One way to achieve these goals is to use recycled aluminum alloys. The effect of natural and artificial aging of AlSi9Cu3 alloy with different ratios of returnable material in the batch was evaluated by a combination of optical, scanning, transmission microscope and mechanical tests.

The Influence of Powder Milling on Properties of SPS Compacted FeAl.

The Fe-28 at.% Al alloy was studied in this article. The aim was to describe the influence of gas atomized powder pre-milling before SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) sintering on the structure and properties of the bulk materials.

Structure and Properties of High‑Strength Ti Grade 4 Prepared by Severe Plastic Deformation and Subsequent Heat Treatment.

Severe plastic deformation represented by three passes in Conform SPD and subsequent rotary swaging was applied on Ti grade 4. This process caused extreme strengthening of material, accompanied by reduction of ductility. Mechanical properties of such material were then tuned by a suitable heat treatment.

The red and blue luminescence in silicon nanocrystals with an oxidized, nitrogen-containing shell.

Traditionally, two classes of silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) are recognized with respect to their light-emission properties. These are usually referred to as the "red" and the "blue" emitting SiNCs, based on the spectral region in which the larger part of their luminescence is concentrated. The origin of the "blue" luminescence is still disputed and is very probably different in different systems.

Rapidly Solidified Aluminium Alloy Composite with Nickel Prepared by Powder Metallurgy: Microstructure and Self-Healing Behaviour.

Composite material prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) from a powder mixture of AlCrFeSi rapidly solidified alloy and 5 wt. % of Ni particles was studied in this work. It was proven that during SPS compaction at 500 °C, no intermetallic phases formed on the surface of Ni particles.

High Strength X3NiCoMoTi 18-9-5 Maraging Steel Prepared by Selective Laser Melting from Atomized Powder.

Maraging steels are generally characterized by excellent mechanical properties, which make them ideal for various industrial applications. The application field can be further extended by using selective laser melting (SLM) for additive manufacturing of shape complicated products. However, the final mechanical properties are strongly related to the microstructure conditions.

Critical Assessment of Techniques for the Description of the Phase Composition of Advanced High-Strength Steels.

The phase composition and portion of individual phases in advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) CP1000 and DP1000 was studied by complementary microscopic and diffraction techniques. CP1000 and DP1000 steel grades have a high strength-to-density ratio and they are used in many applications in the automotive industry. The microstructure of the CP1000 "complex phase" steel consists of ferrite, bainite, martensite and a small amount of retained austenite.

Phase Transformation Induced Self-Healing Behavior of Al-Ag Alloy.

Self-healing alloys are promising materials that can decrease the consequences of accidents. To detect crack formation in a material is simple task that can be performed by e.g.

High-Strength Ultra-Fine-Grained Hypereutectic Al-Si-Fe-X (X = Cr, Mn) Alloys Prepared by Short-Term Mechanical Alloying and Spark Plasma Sintering.

In this work, Al-20Si-10Fe-6Cr and Al-20Si-10Fe-6Mn (wt %) alloys were prepared by a combination of short-term mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. The microstructure was composed of homogeneously dispersed intermetallic particles forming composite-like structures. X-ray diffraction analysis and TEM + EDS analysis determined that the α-Al along with α-Al(Fe,Cr)₃Si₂ or α-Al(Fe,Mn)₃Si₂ phases were present, with dimensions below 130 nm.