Silver nanoparticle-modified melt-blown polypropylene: Antibacterial and antifungal properties and antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.

Melt-blown polymer fiber materials are frequently used in the face mask manufacturing. In the present work, a melt-blown polypropylene tape was modified by silver nanoparticles using chemical metallization. The silver coatings on the fiber surface consisted of crystallites 4-14 nm in size.

Selective Deposition of MoC-Containing Coatings on {100} Facets of Synthetic Diamond Crystals.

An efficient way to improve the properties of metal-diamond composites (mechanical strength, wear resistance, thermal conductivity) is the preliminary modification of the diamond surface to improve its wettability by the metal matrix. In the present work, MoC-containing coatings were deposited on the diamond crystals under different conditions: hot pressing (atmosphere of argon), spark plasma sintering (forevacuum), and annealing in air. The influence of the sintering parameters on the morphology and phase composition of the coatings deposited on diamond was studied.

Morphological and Structural Transformations of Fe-Pd Powder Alloys Formed by Galvanic Replacement, Annealing and Acid Treatment.

In this article, we report the preparation and structural features of Fe-Pd powder alloys formed by galvanic replacement, annealing and selective dissolution of iron via acid treatment. The alloys were studied by the X-ray diffraction phase analysis, Mössbauer spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The Fe@Pd core-shell particles were obtained by a galvanic replacement reaction occurring upon treatment of a body-centered cubic (bcc) iron powder by a solution containing PdCl ions.

Combustion of Titanium-Carbon Black High-Energy Ball-Milled Mixtures in Nitrogen: Formation of Titanium Carbonitrides at Atmospheric Pressure.

In this work, titanium carbonitrides were synthesized by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) in nitrogen. For the first time, the synthesis of titanium carbonitrides by combustion was realized in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The synthesis was carried out by subjecting high-energy ball-milled titanium-carbon black powder mixtures to combustion in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Fabrication of Porous Materials by Spark Plasma Sintering: A Review.

Spark plasma sintering (SPS), a sintering method that uses the action of pulsed direct current and pressure, has received a lot of attention due to its capability of exerting control over the microstructure of the sintered material and flexibility in terms of the heating rate and heating mode. Historically, SPS was developed in search of ways to preserve a fine-grained structure of the sintered material while eliminating porosity and reaching a high relative density. These goals have, therefore, been pursued in the majority of studies on the behavior of materials during SPS.

Formation of Aluminum Particles with Shell Morphology during Pressureless Spark Plasma Sintering of Fe-Al Mixtures: Current-Related or Kirkendall Effect?

A need to deeper understand the influence of electric current on the structure and properties of metallic materials consolidated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) stimulates research on inter-particle interactions, bonding and necking processes in low-pressure or pressureless conditions as favoring technique-specific local effects when electric current passes through the underdeveloped inter-particle contacts. Until now, inter-particle interactions during pressureless SPS have been studied mainly for particles of the same material. In this work, we focused on the interactions between particles of dissimilar materials in mixtures of micrometer-sized Fe and Al powders forming porous compacts during pressureless SPS at 500-650 °C.

Epitaxial growth of silver chloride crystals on bismuth oxychloride.

In this work, studies of morphological and structural characteristics of BiOCl/AgX heterostructures (X = Cl, I) synthesized using ion-exchange reactions have been conducted. It was found that silver chloride (AgCl) crystals precipitating on the surface of bismuth oxychloride crystals show orientation ordering with the (001)BiOCl||(100)AgCl crystallographic relationship. Using two synthesis routes differing in the sequence of ion-exchange reactions, BiOCl/AgI heterostructures have been synthesized for the first time.