We aimed to investigate the relationship between membrane material and development of membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using membranes with different pore sizes and hydrophilicities. Batch filtration tests were performed using submerged single hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration (UF) modules with different polymeric membrane materials including cellulose acetate (CA), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with activated sludge taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The three UF hollow fiber membranes were prepared by a non-solvent-induced phase separation method and had similar water permeabilities and pore sizes. The results revealed that transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased more sharply for the hydrophobic PVDF membrane than for the hydrophilic CA membrane in batch filtration tests, even when membranes with similar permeabilities and pore sizes were used. PVDF hollow fiber membranes with smaller pores had greater fouling propensity than those with larger pores. In contrast, CA hollow fiber membranes showed good mitigation of membrane fouling regardless of pore size. The results obtained in this study suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and pore size of UF membranes clearly affect the fouling properties in MBR operation when using activated sludge.

The carbonyl iron particles were dispersed in a polychloroprene rubber (CR) matrix under an external magnetic field for practical application as microwave absorption composites film. The film prepared under external magnetic field with a thickness of only 0.54 mm showed least reflection loss of -15.98 dB and the reflection loss value less than -10.0 dB over the frequency range of 11.4~14.8 GHz. In comparison with the microwave absorption properties of calculation by transmission line theory based on the tested relative complex permittivity and permeability and film prepared by general route without external magnetic field, the film made with external magnetic field exhibited more excellent microwave absorption properties, strongly depending on the increment of anisotropy and rearrangement of magnetic particles. The results indicated the composite film made under external magnetic field have excellent microwave absorption properties, which suggest that the composites thin film could be used as a thinner and lighter microwave absorber.

A portable laser photoacoustic sensor based on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is reported for methane detection. A tunable DFB diode laser in the 1654 nm wavelength range is used as an excitation source. The photoacoustic signal processing was implemented by a FPGA device. A small resonant photoacoustic cell is designed. The minimum detection limit (1σ) of 10 ppm for methane (CH₄) is demonstrated.

Aluminum wire is a common material for wire bonding due to its resistance to oxidation and low price. It does not melt when becoming a free air ball (FAB) during the electronic flame-off (EFO) process with wettability, and is applied by wedge bonding. This study used 20μm Zn-Coated Al-0.5wt.%Si (ZAS) wires to improve the FAB shape after the EFO process, while maintaining stability of the mechanical properties, including the interface bonding strength and hardness. In order to test circuit stability after ball bonding, the current-tensile test was performed. During the experiment, it was found that 80nm ZAS with wire bonding has lower resistance and higher fusing current. For the bias tensile test, the thicker Zn film diffused into the Al-Si matrix easily, after which the strength was reduced. The ball-bond interfaces had no change in their condition before and after the bias. Accordingly, ZAS could be a promising candidate for ball bonding in the future.

Low temperature cofired ceramics (LTCC) have conquered a niche segment in biological microelectromechanical systems (BioMEMS) during the last two decades. Since 3-dimensional assembly and rapid prototyping capability are outstanding features of the technology, bioreactors with complex geometry can easily be produced. Particularly needed functions are working electrodes, e.g. for impedance measurements and reference electrodes consisting in platinum or silver-silver chloride. Although the distinct grainy surface of thick film materials influences the double layer properties, data describing the bioelectronic interface and biocompatibility of common thick film materials are rarely published up to now. This works aims to fill this gap by studying the surface properties, composition, electrochemical properties and biocompatibility of commercially available thick film materials. It was found that thick film gold is suitable as electrode material in direct cell contact since an appropriate proliferation of the cell culture was observed. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) coating decreases the absolute value of the zeta potential of thick film gold from 16.55 V to 11.78 mV without any change in vitality of the cells. Thick film platinum layers have a porous structure entailing an enlargement of the effective surface by a factor of 21.6 and can be used as reference instead of silver/silver chloride, which was identified to be incompatible with cell culture. The investigations show that some commercially available cost-effective thick film materials are compatible with cell culture and the here presented data give an orientation for the use of the same in LTCC bioreactors.

Perovskite Solar Cell (PSC) is a third-generation photovoltaic device known for its rapid improvement in efficiency levels over the past decade. Moreover, the added benefits of abundant sourcing of raw materials, uncomplicated fabrication process, organic and inorganic device materials, and tuneable bandgaps make this technology a sustainable energy alternative. However, the efficiency values of these devices are subjected to variation depending on factors such as material compatibility, environmental conditions, energy band alignment of device components and stability characteristics to extrinsic and intrinsic factors. One such vital intrinsic factor is film morphology, homogenous and superior film quality formation and pinhole and trap-free films. In this study, we have investigated the formation of perovskite films on a qualitative basis using metal chloride washing of salts such as Erbium, Antimony, Cadmium and Chromium Chloride. The study aims to analyse the difference in film formation with various metal chloride washing and how this could potentially impact or contribute to photovoltaic performance if the devices are fabricated.

The new unique technology for granulation of metals and nonmetallic melts is presented in the paper. It was created on the newly developed controlled film flow disintegration with rapid cooling of the droplets and solidified granules in amorphous state. Three new phenomena discovered by us created the base for 3 different methods for granulation of metals and nonmetallic melts in a wide range of granules’ sizes. Electromagnetic resonance method allows producing granules of metals in the range of 1 mm and over. The soliton-like vibrational regime is available for production of any granulation material in the range 0.1-1 mm. Moreover, the shockwave regime is applicable for producing particles from 10 micrometers by size. All methods produce particles of the stated size with a narrow distribution by size: deviation from the average size no more than 50%. The other known methods do not produce granules with such high cooling rate, which can realize the amorphous state and cannot regulate size of particles in such bright but narrow range from 10 micrometers to 1-2 mm.

In this study a material based on Polyethylene (PE) and Microcrystalline Cellulose (MC) was developed as a breathable packaging film. Surface functionalization of MC with 3 aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) shows to be an efficient alternative to tailor their properties and increase opportunities for the application of MC on the reinforcement of polymers such polyethylene (PE). Functionalization of MC with mentioned silane derivative was achieved using a green method and later used on the development of composites with PE in three percentages (1, 3 and 5%). All the materials were prepared by melt blending and characterized, in terms of structural properties (ATR-FTIR and FTIR in transmittance, EDX, SEM), thermal properties (DSC and TGA), thermomechanical properties (DMA), contact angle measurements and permeability to oxygen and water vapor. The materials demonstrated to have potential to be used as breathable film packaging of fresh products.

This paper investigates an innovative photovoltaic cell configuration, denoted as “Au/CuSCN/RbGeI3/CdTe/ZnO/TiO2/FTO", using SCAPS-1D simulation. The research focuses on optimizing device performance by analyzing key components, including ZnO as the electron transport layer (ETL), RbGeI3 as the perovskite absorber layer, CuSCN as the hole transport layer (HTL), and CdTe as the active buffer layer. A comparison is made with the standard “Au/CuSCN/CH3NH3SnI3/CdTe/ZnO/TiO2/FTO" configuration under dark and illuminated conditions. Through an in-depth investigation involving temperature effects, generation rate analysis, RbGeI3 absorber layer thickness, Nd level, and interface defect levels, an optimized design for a unit area is achieved. The proposed solar cell demonstrates outstanding performance metrics, including an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.94V, a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 34.52mA/cm2, a fill factor (FF) of 77.77%, and an energy conversion efficiency (η) of 25.40%. These values significantly outperform the reference models with energy conversion efficiencies of 10.11% and 21.09%. Real-world applicability is validated by implementing these optimized characteristics in a photovoltaic system for Pakistan’s geographical location using PVSyst software. The suggested solar cell achieves a remarkable performance ratio (PR) of 85.6%, surpassing the PR of the reference basic solar cell model at 83%. The findings of this research offer a promising and superior solar cell design, incorporating innovative materials and optimization techniques to achieve exceptional energy conversion efficiency and overall performance. This study’s outcomes have the potential to advance photovoltaic technology and contribute to sustainable energy solutions worldwide.

A custom-designed series of unsymmetrical spiroalkanedithiols having tailgroups comprised of a terminally fluorinated chain and a hydrocarbon chain of varying lengths were synthesized and used to prepare self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold substrates. The specific structure of the adsorbates was of the form [CH₃(CH₂)_n][CF₃(CF₂)₇(CH₂)₈]C[CH₂SH]₂, where n = 7, 9, and 12 (designated as F8H10-C10, F8H10-C12, and F8H10-C18, respectively). The influence of the length of the hydrocarbon chain in the bidentate dithiol on the structure and interfacial properties of the monolayer was explored. A structurally analogous partially fluorinated monodentate alkanethiol and the corresponding normal alkanethiols were used to generate appropriate SAMs as reference systems. Ellipsometric thickness measurements showed an unexpectedly low film thickness for the SAMs derived from the bidentate adsorbates, possibly due to disruptions in interchain packing caused by the fluorocarbon chains (i.e., phase-incompatible fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon interactions), ultimately giving rise to loosely packed and disordered films. Analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were also consistent with a model in which the films were loosely packed; additionally, the XPS spectra confirmed the attachment of the sulfur headgroups of the bidentate adsorbates onto the gold substrates. Studies of the SAMs by polarization modulation-infrared reflection-adsorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) suggested that as the length of the hydrocarbon chain in the adsorbates was extended, a more ordered surface was achieved by reducing the tilt of the fluorocarbon segment. The wettability data indicated that the adsorbates with longer alkyl chains were less wettable than those with shorter alkyl chains, likely due to an increase in interchain van der Waals forces in the former.

Alternating TiB2-dcMS and Cr-HiPIMS layers are used to fabricate TiB2/Cr multilayer films. In-troducing a 5-nm-thick Cr interlayer deposited under a substrate bias of -60 V produces slight increases of both film hardness and elastic modulus. The TEM observation indicates that the Cr grains favor epitaxially growth on TiB2 interlayer, forming a coherent TiB2/Cr interface. This produces the hardness increasement. Mechanic measurement by using AFM illustrates that the coherent interface increases the elastic modulus of the Cr up to ~280 GPa, which is significantly higher than bulk material.

We report the relative humidity (R.H.) sensing response of a resistive sensor, employing sensing layers based on a ternary nanohybrid comprising holey carbon nanohorns (CNHox), potassium chloride (KCl), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) at mass ratios 7/1/2, 6.5/1.5/2, and 6/2/2 (w/w/w/w). The sensing structure comprises a silicon substrate, a SiO2 layer, and interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrodes. The sensing film is deposited on the sensing structure via the drop-casting method. The sensing layers' morphology and composition are investigated through Scanning Electron Microscopy (S.E.M.) and RAMAN spectroscopy. The ternary hybrid-based thin film resistance increases when the sensors are exposed to R.H., ranging from 0% to 100%. The manufactured devices show a room temperature response comparable to a commercial capacitive R.H. sensor and are characterized by excellent linearity, rapid response time, and good sensitivity. The presented sensors exhibit superior performance in terms of sensitivity compared to other similarly manufactured and tested sensors that employ a CNHox-based sensing layer. We explain the sensing role of each constituent of the ternary hybrid nanocomposites based on their chemical and physical properties, electronic properties, and affinity for water molecules. Different alternative sensing mechanisms are considered and discussed, such as the decreasing number of holes in the holey CNHox at the interaction with water molecules, proton conduction, and PVP swelling.

This study aimed to characterize the antioxidant, mechanical and physical properties of chicken skin gelatin/CMC/Centella asiatica blended film. The influence of Centella asiatica at 0.3% and 0.7% on antioxidant activities; mechanical properties and physical properties of chicken skin gelatin/CMC/Centella asiatica film were investigated. Characterization of the blended films with 0.7% Centella asiatica extract shows higher antioxidant activities with a total phenolic content of 0.36 mg/g of GAE, DPPH of 89.26%, and reducing power of 0.80 nm compared to 0.3% Centella asiatica extract. The addition of 0.3% of Centella extract provide higher value in tensile strength (5.0 × 10⁻² MPa), elongation at break (281%), melting point (131.31 °C), transparency (0.86) but lower UV-light penetration. While the addition of 0.7% Centella extract contribute to higher value in WVP (1.13 × 10⁻⁴ g m⁻¹s⁻¹Pa⁻¹) and puncture test (0.06 N). There are no significant differences between functional groups obtained from this blended film as evaluated by FTIR analysis (p > 0.05). Furthermore, XRD analysis showed the addition of extract decrease the crystallinity of film. In conclusion, the incorporation of Centella asiatica extracts on film greatly increased antioxidant levels and improved some of the mechanical and physical properties of the film blends.

In the present study, a multilayer high barrier thin blown film based on a polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) blend with polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and composed of four layers, including a cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) barrier layer and an electrospun poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) hot-tack layer, was characterized in terms of surface roughness, surface tension, migration, mechanical and peel performance, barrier properties and disintegration rate. The results showed a material with a smooth surface. The overall migration test showed that the material was suitable for its use as a food contact layer. The addition of the CNC interlayer had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the system, drastically reducing the elongation at break and, thus, the flexibility of the material. However, the material retained its elastic modulus and tensile strength. The CNC coating had a negative impact on the peeling strength, weakening the inherently strong interlayer adhesivity of the electrospun PHBV fibers. The multilayer had a good barrier to water vapor, and especially to oxygen, with its permeance reduced by up to a 90 % when the CNC layer was present. Finally, the monolayer blend film disintegrated in a period of less than 55 days in a laboratory-scale composting experiment, while the multilayer system disintegrated in 60 days. Overall, the multilayer system formed a fully compostable structure with great potential for use in food packaging applications.

Bismuth sodium titanate thin films (BNT) were deposited on Pt/SiN substrates by Sol-Gel spin coating technique under O2 atmosphere. Microstructural, structural, and electrical properties of the obtained film were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy micrographs were used to analyze the microstructure of the films. Furthermore, EDX analysis revealed a Na-deficient composition for the obtained film. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy allowed the identification of a pure perovskite BNT phase. Dielectric, ferroelectric, and leakage current measurements revealed good frequency stability of the dielectric constant and dielectric losses for BNT thin film. The results are discussed in terms of Na-deficiency effects on the defect structure of BNT. Further, the film showed attractive electrostatic energy storage properties with energy density that exceeds 1.04 J/cm3 under E = 630 kV/cm.

Epitaxial lithium ferrite (LiFe5O8) films with different thicknesses have been successfully fabricated on SrTiO3 (001) substrates by magnetron sputtering deposition technique. The microstructural and magnetic properties are characterized by advanced transmission electron microscope and magnetic measurement device. It was found that the formation of structural defects can be influenced by the thickness of the film. Apart from the misfit dislocations, the orientation domains form in thinner film and twin boundaries appear in thicker film, respectively, contributing to the misfit strain relaxation in the heterosystem. The magnetic measurement shows that the thinner films have enhanced magnetization and a relatively lower coercive field compared with the thicker films containing the antiferromagnetic twin boundaries. Our results provide a way for tuning the microstructure and magnetic properties of lithium ferrite films by changing the film thickness.

Over the last decades, the coated glass products, and especially the low-emissivity coatings have become a common building material used in modern architectural projects. More recently, these material systems became common in specialized glazing systems featuring solar energy harvesting. Apart from achieving the stability of optical parameters in multilayer coatings, it is also important to have improved control over the design of visual color properties of the coated glass. We prepare metal-dielectric composite (MDC) based multilayer thin-film structures using the RF-magnetron sputtering deposition and report on their optical and chromaticity properties in comparison with these obtained using pure metal-based Dielectric/Metal/Dielectric (DMD) trilayer structures of similar compositions. Experimentally achieved Hunter L, a, b values of MDC-based multilayer building blocks of coatings provide a new outlook on the engineering of future-generation optical coatings with better color consistency and developing approaches to broaden the range of achievable color coordinates and better environmental stability.

Our study aims to implement a strategy to reduce the carbon steel corrosion rate in sulfuric acid solution, using an expired drug with adsorption affinity on the metal surface. To investigate the corrosion protection efficiency of an environmental friendly inhibitor, namely neomycin sulfate (NMS), the electrochemical measurements were applied on carbon steel immersed in 1.0 M H₂SO₄ solution with and without NMS. The protective layer formed on the steel surface was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the presence of the neomycin sulfate in acid solution leads to the decrease in corrosion current density (i_corr) and the increase of polarization resistance (R_p). The mixed mechanism between physical and chemical adsorption of NMS molecules on the steel surface was proposed according to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) indicated that the NMS molecules contributed to a protective layer formation by their adsorption on the steel surface. The AFM parameters such as: root-mean-square roughness (R_q); average roughness (R_a) and maximum peak to valley height (R_p-v) revealed that in the presence of NMS a smoother surface of carbon steel was obtained, compared to the steel surface corroded in sulfuric acid blank solution.

In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film has been fabricated on glass substrate using pulse laser ablation (PLA) technique. The effect of laser pulses of 1000, 1500, 2000 pulses at laser energy 700 mJ as well as, laser energy of 600, 700, and 800 mJ at fixed laser pulses of 1500 pulse, with methanol as a solvent on the structural properties of prepared films using XRD, SEM and EDX. XRD results revealed that the ZnO thin films have hexagonal structure with polycrystalline in nature with preferred orientation of (002). Crystalline size was increased with the increasing of the pulses and at energy of 700 mJ and pulse of 1500 pulse seemed nanostructure like tree leaf. In addition, narrow FWHM and no phase change have been observed in all cases. SEM images showed that for all cases the films were homogenous with some island and cluster then cracking started to obtain with the increasing of increase the pulse number. EDX analysis showed that the prepared films were free of defects and contaminations.

Intermetallic compounds are increasingly being expected to utilize in tribological environments, but to date the works are hindered by insufficient ductility at low and medium temperature. This paper presents a novel multiphase intermetallic alloy with the chemical composition of Mo-40Ni-13Si (at.%). Microstructure characterization reveals that a certain amount of ductile Mo phases formed during the solidification process of ternary Mo-Ni-Si alloy melt, which is undoubtedly beneficial to the ductility improvement of intermetallic alloy. Tribological properties of the designed alloy, including wear resistance, friction coefficient and metallic tribological compatibility, were evaluated under dry sliding wear test conditions at room temperature. Results suggested that the multiphase alloy possesses an excellent property for room-temperature wear applications, which is attributed to the unique microstructural features and thereby good combination in hardness and ductility. The corresponding wear mechanism is also reported by observing the worn surface, subsurface and wear debris of alloy, which to be found is soft abrasive wear.

By using the particle swarm optimization algorithm for crystal structure prediction, we reveal a newly orthorhombic Cmcm structure of HfB4, which is more energetically superior to the previously proposed YB4-, ReP4-, FeB4-, CrB4-, and MnB4-type structures in the considered pressure range. The phonon dispersion and elastic constants calculations confirm that the new phase is dynamically and mechanically stable. The calculated large shear modulus (240 GPa) and high hardness (45.7 GPa) imply that the predicted Cmcm-HfB4 is a potential superhard material. Meanwhile, the directional dependences of the Young's modulus, bulk modulus, and shear modulus for HfB4 are systematically investigated. Further analyses of the density of states and electronic localization function indicate that the strong B-B and B-Hf covalent bonds greatly contribute to its high hardness and stability.

Changing the film thickness to manipulate the microstructural properties has been considered as a potential method in practical application. Here, we report that atomic-scale structural properties regulated by film thickness in NiCO2O4(NCO)/CuFe2O4(CFO) bilayer heterostructure prepared on (001)-MgAl2O4 (MAO) substrate by means of aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The misfit dislocations at NCO/CFO interface and antiphase boundaries (APBs) bound to dislocations within the films both are found in NCO (40 nm)/CFO (40 nm)/MAO heterostructure to contribute to relaxation of mismatch lattice strain. In addition, the non-overlapping a/4[101]-APB is found and the structural transformation of this kind of APB is resolved at atomic scale. In contrast, only the interfacial dislocations form at interface without the formation of APBs within the films in NCO (10 nm)/CFO (40 nm)/MAO heterostructure. Our results provide evidence that formation of microstructural defects can be regulated by changing film thickness to tune magnetic properties of epitaxial bilayer spinel oxide films.

Bio-based packaging materials and efficient drug delivery systems are gaining attention, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is one of the most soluble cellulose derivatives, is a good candidate material due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and reproducibility. However, CMC-based films are lack of sufficient mechanical properties, limiting its widespread application. In this paper, the molecular interactions between CMC and additives with different molecular structures have been studied with rheological method. The additives are chitosan and cellulose derivatives including O-carboxymethylated chitosan (O-CMCh), N-2-hydroxypropyl-3-trimethylammonium-O-carboxymethyl chitosan (HTCMCh), hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC), cellulose nanofibers (CNC), and cellulose nanofibers (CNF). The influencing factors, such as molecular structure, concentration of additives and temperature on the rheological properties were studied, which results revealed the information intermolecular interactions. Based on the rheological properties, several systems were selected to prepare films, which show very good transparency, wettability, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and cytotoxicity. These good characteristics of the selected films also proved the good biocompatibility of CMC and chitosan and cellulose derivatives. This work will provide an idea to prepare CMC-based food packaging and effective drug delivery materials with specific properties.

The influence of growth temperature on the crystalline quality and optical properties of AlGaN at 325 nm, grown using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), was investigated. The growth temperature exhibited a significant impact on the growth mode and surface morphology. Specifically, at a growth temperature of 750 degrees Celsius, when appropriate Al and Ga flow rates were employed, the AlGaN layer exhibited exceptional surface morphology and favorable optical properties. The optical properties of the AlGaN material were explored, revealing the presence of two distinct non-radiative recombination centers characterized by different activation energies. The minority carrier lifetimes were measured as 560 ps at 10 K and 64 ps at room temperature. The underlying mechanism was analyzed from the perspective of carrier dynamics, shedding light on the observed phenomena.

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs), one of the most promising biosurfactants (BS), are glycolipids produced by yeasts or fungi, with great environmental performance and a high compatibility with the human body. MELs besides working as typical surfactants, can form diverse structures when in the critical aggregation concentration (CAC), reducing the surface tension of water and other solutions, and being stable over a wide range of conditions. Among others, MELs present anti-microbial, antitumor, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, skin and hair repair capacity, which opens possibilities for their use in applications from cosmetics and pharmaceutics to bio-remediation and agriculture. However, their market share is still low when compared to other glycolipids, due to their less developed production process and higher production cost. This re-view gathers information on the potential applications of MELs mentioned on the literature since 1993. Furthermore, it is also explored the current strategies being developed to enhance the market presence of MELs, in parallel with the ones developed for rhamnolipids and sophorolipids.

Tellurium exhibits exceptional intrinsic electronic properties. However, investigations into the modulation of tellurium's electronic properties through physical modification are notably scarce. Here, we present a comprehensive study focused on the evolution of the electronic properties of tellurium crystal flakes under plasma irradiation treatment by employing conductive atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The plasma-treated tellurium experienced a process of defect generation through lattice broken. Prior to the degradation of electronic transport performance due to plasma irradiation treatment, a remarkable observation emerged: in the low-energy region of hydrogen plasma-treated tellurium, a notable enhancement in conductivity was unexpectedly detected. The mechanism underlying this enhancement in electronic transport performance was thoroughly elucidated by comparing it with the electronic structure induced by argon plasma irradiation. This study not only fundamentally uncovers the effects of plasma irradiation on tellurium crystal flakes, but also unearths an unprecedented trend of enhanced electronic transport performance at low irradiation energies when utilizing hydrogen plasma. This abnormal trend bears significant implications for guiding the prospective application of tellurium-based 2D materials in the realm of electronic devices.

The properties of the annual, semiannual and triennial oscillations (AO, SAO and TO) in the middle atmosphere have been investigated using the TIMED/SABER temperature data. The Lomb-Scargle and wavelet spectra were used to determine the dominant oscillations in the background temperature field. The AO is prominent at the mid-latitudes. The AO amplitudes present an asymmetry between the two Hemispheres, being larger in the mesosphere than in the stratosphere. The SAO dominates the tropical regions, with three amplitude maxima at altitudes of 45, 75, and 85 km. The SAOs in the upper mesosphere (75 km) are out of phase with those in the mesopause (85 km) in the tropical regions, which can generate an enhancement of 11 K at each equinox, contributing to the lower mesospheric inversion layer. The TO is significant in the tropical region, with amplitude being maximum at 35, 45 and 85 km. Result shows that there may be potential interaction by the TO with SAO at 85km at the equator. The relation between ENSO and TO has also been discussed. The ENSO signal may modulate the amplitude of the TO, mainly in the lower stratosphere. The real origin of the TO may lie in the wave-mean-flow interaction.

Negative temperature coefficient (NTC) materials are usually based on ceramic semiconductors and electrons are involved in their transport mechanism. A new type of NTC material, adequate for alternating current (AC) applications, is represented by zeolites. Indeed, zeolites are single-charge carrier ionic conductors with a temperature-dependent electrical conductivity. In particular, electrical transport in zeolites is due to the monovalent charge-balancing cations, like K⁺, capable of hopping between negatively charged sites in the aluminosilicate framework. Owing to the highly non-linear electrical behavior of the traditional electronic NTC materials, the possibility to have alternative types of materials, showing linearity in the electrical behavior, is very desirable. Among different zeolites, the natural clinoptilolite has been selected for investigating the NTC behavior since it is characterized by high zeolite content, convenient Si/Al atomic ratio, good mechanical strength, due to its compact microstructure, and low toxicity. Clinoptilolite has shown a rapid and quite reversible impedance change under heating, characterized by a linear dependence on temperature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been used to identify the natural zeolite, to establish all types of crystalline phases present in the mineral, and to investigate the thermal stability of these phases up to 150°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis has been used for the chemical characterization of the natural clinoptilolite sample, providing important information on the cationic content and framework composition. In addition, since electrical transport takes place in the zeolite free-volume, a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis of the mineral has been also performed.

Herein, we introduce a boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS)-reinforced cellulose nanofiber (CNF) film as a sustainable oxygen barrier film that can potentially be applied in food packaging. Most of commodity plastics are oxygen-permeable. CNF exhibits an ideal oxygen transmittance rate (OTR) of <1 cc/m²/day in highly controlled conditions. A CNF film typically fabricated by the air drying of a CNF aqueous solution reveals an OTR of 19.08 cc/m²/day. The addition of 0-5 wt% BNNS to the CNF dispersion before drying results in a composite film with highly improved OTR, 4.7 cc/m²/day, which is sufficient for meat and cheese packaging. BNNS as a 2D nanomaterial increases the pathway of oxygen gas and reduces the chances of pin-hole formation during film fabrication involving water drying. In addition, BNNS improves the mechanical properties of the CNF films (Young’s modulus and tensile strength) without significant elongation reductions, probably due to the good miscibility of CNF and BNNS in the aqueous solution. BNNS addition also produces negligible color change, which is important for film aesthetics. An in vitro cell experiment was performed to reveal the low cytotoxicity of the CNF/BNNS composite. This composite film has great potential as a sustainable high-performance food packaging material.

Microwave technology has a potential application in the extraction of zinc from sulphide ores, knowledge of the dielectric properties of these ores plays a major role in the microwave design and simulation for any process. The dielectric properties of zinc sulfide concentrate for two different apparent densities—1.54 and 1.63 g/cm³—have been measured by using the resonance cavity perturbation technique at 915 and 2450 MHz during the roasting process for the temperature ranging from room temperature to 850 °C. The variations of dielectric constant, the dielectric loss factor, the dielectric loss tangent and the penetration depth with the temperature, frequency and apparent density have been investigated numerically. The results indicate that the dielectric constant increases as the temperature increases and temperature has a pivotal effect on the dielectric constant, while the dielectric loss factor has a complicated change and all of the temperature, frequency and apparent density have a significant impact to dielectric loss factor. Zinc sulfide concentrate is high loss material from 450 to 800 °C on the basis of theoretical analyses of dielectric loss tangent and penetration depth, its ability of absorbing microwave energy would be enhanced by increasing the apparent density as well. The experimental results also have proved that zinc sulfide concentrate is easy to be heated by microwave energy from 450 to 800 °C. In addition, the experimental date of dielectric constant and loss factor can be fitted perfectly by Boltzmann model and Gauss model, respectively.

This work is devoted to physical vapor deposition synthesis, and characterisation of bismuth and lutetium-substituted ferrite-garnet thin-film materials for magneto-optic (MO) applications. The properties of garnet thin films sputtered using a target of nominal composition type Bi_0.9Lu_1.85Y_0.25Fe_4.0Ga₁O₁₂ are studied. By measuring the optical transmission spectra at room temperature, the optical constants and the accurate film thicknesses can be evaluated using Swanepoel’s envelope method. The refractive index data are found to be matching very closely to these derived from Cauchy’s dispersion formula for the entire spectral range between 300-2500 nm. The optical absorption coefficient and the extinction coefficient data are studied for both the as-deposited and annealed garnet thin-film samples. A new approach is applied for accurately deriving the optical constants data simultaneously with the physical layer thickness, using a combination approach employing custom-built spectrum-fitting software in conjunction with Swanepoel’s envelope method. MO properties, such as specific Faraday rotation, MO figure of merit and MO swing factor are also investigated for several annealed garnet-phase films.

In the last years, advances in materials engineering based on adaptive electronics have found a new paradigm to optimize drawbacks in signal processing. A two-layer MnO/ZnO:Zn heterostructure envisioned for frequency adaptive electronic signal processing is synthesized by sputtering where the use of internal states allows reconfigurability to obtain new operating modes at different frequency input signals. An X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is performed on each layer, MnO:Mn had a cubic and ZnO:Zn a hexagonal structure with preferential growth in [111] and [002] directions respectively. It is determined that the coupling in this heterojunction is compatible with a mismatch less 1 % due texture in each layer which implies a low number of defects. An electrical characterisation with an oscilloscope and signal generator was carried out to obtain the time-response signals and current-voltage (I-V) curves where no degradation is detected when changing from a range of frequencies (100 Hz – 1 MHz). An equivalent circuit is proposed to explain the effects in the interface. Finally, the MnO/ZnO:Zn heterojunction delivers states that are stable, repeatable, and reproducible and it demonstrates how the interaction of the materials can be used in adaptive device applications applying frequencies and internal states as to create new and innovative design schematics, reducing the numbers of components/connections in a system for future sustainable electronics.

Nowadays asymmetric thin film composite (TFC) polymeric hollow fiber (HF) membranes are extensively used in industrial gas/vapor separations, water treatment etc. There are numerous advantages to use hollow fibers such as: low energy requirements, simplicity of operation, and high specificity. In the present article we discuss the progress made during the past decade in the preparation of the HF substrate and preparation/modification of the thin selective layer. Their applications in water treatment, dehydration of alcohols via pervaporation and gas/vapor separation are also demonstrated.

In recent years, cerium dioxide (CeO2) has attracted considerable attention owing to its remarkable performance in various applications, including photocatalysis, fuel cells, and catalysis. This study explores the effect of nickel (Ni) doping on the structural, thermal, and chemical properties of CeO2 nanorods, particularly focusing on oxygen vacancy-related phenomena. Utilizing X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), alterations in crystal structure and peak shifts were observed, indicating successful Ni doping and the formation of Ni2O3 at higher doping levels, likely due to non-equilibrium reactions. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed changes in oxygen release mechanisms, with increasing Ni doping resulting in the release of lattice oxygen at lower temperatures. Raman spectroscopy corroborated these findings by identifying characteristic peaks associated with oxygen vacancies, facilitating the assessment of Ni doping levels. Overall, this study underscores the substantial impact of Ni doping on CeO2 nanorods, shedding light on tailored catalytic applications through modulation of oxygen vacancies while preserving the nanorod morphology.

The utilization of natural waxes to form oleogels has emerged as a new and efficient technique for structuring liquid edible oil into solid-like structures for diverse food applications. The objective of this study was to investigate the interaction between sunflower wax (SW) and monoglycerides (MGs) in olive oil oleogels and to assess their physical characteristics and storage stability. To achieve this, pure SW and a combination of SW with MGs in a 1:1 ratio were examined within a total concentration range of 6-12% w/w. The formed oleogels were characterized based on their microstructure, melting and crystallization properties, textural characteristics, and oxidative stability during storage. All the oleogels were shelf-stable, and as the concentration increased, the hardness of the oleogels also increased. The crystals of SW oleogels were long needle-like, while the combination of SW and MGs led to the formation of crystal aggregates and rosette-like crystals. The differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR showed that the addition of MGs led to different crystal structures. The oxidation results revealed that oleogels had low peroxide and TBARS values throughout the 28-day storage. These results provide useful insights about the utilization of SW and MGs oleogels for potential applications in the food industry.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of hydrogen adsorption on titanium nitride had previously shown that hydrogen may adsorb on both titanium and nitrogen sites with a moderate adsorption energy. Further, the diffusion barrier was also found to be low. These findings may qualify TiN, a versatile multifunctional material with electronic conductivity, as electrode material for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This was the main impetus of this work which aims to experimentally and theoretically investigate the electrocatalytic properties of TiN-layers that were processed on Ti substrate using reactive ion sputtering. The properties are discussed focusing on the role of oxygen defects introduced during the sputtering process on the HER. Based on DFT calculations, it is shown that these oxygen defects alter the electronic environment of the Ti atoms which entails a low hydrogen adsorption energy in the range of -0.1 eV; this leads to HER performances that match those of Pt-NPs in acidic media. When a few nanometr thick layer of Pd-NPs is sputtered on-top of the TiN-layer, the performance is drastically reduced. This is interpreted in terms of oxygen defects being scavenged by the Pd-NPs near the surface which is thought to reduce the hydrogen adsorption sites.

Plant cells' ability to withstand abiotic stress is strongly linked to modifications in their mechanical characteristics. Nevertheless, the lack of a workable method for consistently tracking plant cell mechanical properties severely restricts our comprehension of the mechanical alterations in plant cells under stress. With Polyethylene Glycol (PEG6000), we created a drought-like environment, and we used the Double Resonator Piezoelectric Cytometry (DRPC) method to dynamically and non-invasively track changes in the stress (ΔS) created and viscoelasticity (storage modulus G' and loss modulus G") of protoplasts and suspension cells of rice during drought stress. The findings demonstrate that, rice suspension cells and protoplasts react mechanically differently to 5%–15% PEG6000 stress, implying distinct resistance mechanisms. However, neither of them can withstand 25% PEG6000 stress, they respond mechanically similarly to 25% PEG6000 stress. The results of DRPC are further corroborated by the morphological alterations of rice cells and protoplasts observed under an optical microscope. To sum up, the DRPC technique functions as a precise cellular mechanical sensor and offers novel research tools for the evaluation of plant cell adversity and differentiating between the mechanical reactions of cells and protoplasts under abiotic stress.

To better understand the shape memory materials and self-healing materials, a new series of liquid-crystalline shape memory polyurethane (LC-SMPU) composites, named SMPU-OOBAm, were successfully prepared by incorporating 4-octyldecyloxybenzoic acid (OOBA) into the PEG-based SMPU. The effect of OOBA on the structure, morphology and properties has been carefully investigated. The results demonstrate that SMPU-OOBAm have liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties. The incorporated OOBA promotes the crystallizability of both soft and hard segments of SMPU, and the crystallization rate of the hard segment of SMPU decreases when the OOBA-content increases. Additionally, the SMPU-OOBAm forms a two-phase separated structure (SMPU phase and OOBA phase), and it shows two-step modulus changes upon heating. Therefore, the SMPU-OOBAm shows triple-shape memory behavior, and the shape recovery ratio decreases with an increase in the OOBA content. Finally, SMPU-OOBAm shows self-healing properties. The new mechanism can be ascribed to the heating-induced “bleeding” of OOBA in the liquid crystalline state and the subsequent re-crystallization upon cooling. This successful combination of liquid crystalline properties, triple-shape memory properties and self-healing properties make the SMPU-OOBAm composites with many promise applications in smart optical devices, smart electronic devices and smart sensors.

The advancement in science and technology has led to luffa sponge (LS) being widely used as a natural material in industrial application as its polyporous structure and light texture. In order to enhance the utility of LS fibers as the reinforcement of lightweight composite materials, this study investigate its water absorption, mechanical properties, anatomical characteristic and thermal performance. Hence, moisture regain, tensile properties of LS fiber bundles were measured in accordance with standards and the structural characteristics were investigated via microscopic observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology and fracture surface of fiber bundles. Test results shows that the special structure where the phloem tissues degenerate to cavities had a significant influence on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Additionally, the transverse sectional area occupied by fibers in a fiber bundle (SF), wall thickness and ratio of wall to lumen of fiber cell, and crystallinity of cellulose had an impact on the mechanical properties of LS fiber bundles. Furthermore, the fiber bundles density of LS varies range of 385.46-468.70 kg/m³, much less than that of jute (1360.40 kg/m³) and Arenga engleri (950.20 kg/m³) while LS fiber bundles has superior specific modulus.

This study investigates the effects of Zinc (4wt.%) and severe plastic deformation on the mechanical properties of AZ61 magnesium alloy through the stir-casting process. The severe plastic deformation (equal channel angular pressing (ECAP)) has been done followed by T4 heat treatment. The microstructural examinations revealed that the addition of 4wt.%Zn enhances the uniform distribution of β-phase, contributing to a more uniformly corroded surface in corrosive environments. Additionally, dynamic recrystallization (DRX) significantly reduces the grain size of as-cast alloys after undergoing ECAP. The attained mechanical properties demonstrate that after a single ECAP pass, AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy exhibits optimal yield strength (YS), ultimate compression strength (UCS), and hardness. This research highlights the promising potential of AZ61 + 4wt.%Zn alloy for enhanced mechanical and corrosion-resistant properties, offering valuable insights for applications in diverse engineering fields.

The influence of short term water absorption on the mechanical properties of halloysite nanotubes-multi layer graphene reinforced polyester hybrid nanocomposites has been investigated. The addition of nano-fillers significantly increased the flexural strength; tensile strength and impact strength in dry and wet conditions. After short term water exposure; the maximum microhardness; tensile; flexural and impact toughness values were observed at 0.1 wt% MLG. The microhardness increased up to 50.3%; tensile strength increased up to 40% and flexural strength increased up to 44%. Compared to dry samples; the fracture toughness and surface roughness of all types of produced nanocomposites were increased that may be attributed to plasticization effect. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the main failure mechanism is caused by the weakening of nano-filler-matrix interface induced by water absorption. It was further observed that synergistic effects were not effective at concentration of 0.1 wt% to produce considerable improvement in mechanical properties of produced hybrid nanocomposites.

In recent decades, the requirements for implantable medical devices increased, but the risks of implant rejection still exist. These issues are primarily associated with poor osseointegration, leading to biofilm formation on the implant surface. This study focuses on addressing these issues by developing a biomaterial for implant coatings. 45S5 Bioglass has been widely used in tissue engineering due to its ability to form a hydroxyapatite layer, ensuring a strong bond between the hard tissue and the bioglass. In this context, 45S5 bioglasses, modified by the incorporation of different amounts of copper oxide, from 0 to 8 mol%, were synthesized by the melt-quenching technique. The incorporation of Cu ions does not show a significant change in the glass structure. Since the bioglass exhibited the capacity of being polarized, and therefore promoting the osseointegration effectiveness, the electrical properties of the prepared samples were studied using the impedance spectroscopy method, in the frequency range of 102-106 Hz and temperature range of 200-400 K. The effects of CuO on charge transport mobility were investigated. Additionally, the bioactivity of the modified bioglasses was evaluated through immersion tests in simulated body fluid. The results revealed the initiation of a Ca-P-rich layer formation on the surface within 24 h, indicating the potential of the bioglasses to enhance the bone regeneration process.

Abstract. Results of research into four-membered phosphorus(V)-heterocycles, 2-halogen-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes are presented. The preparation of 2-halo-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes by reaction of P-haloylides with carbonyl compounds is described. The mechanism of asynchronous [2+2]-сycloaddition of ylides to aldehydes was proposed on the base of low-temperature NMR investigations. 2-Halogen-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes were isolated as individual compounds and their structures were confirmed by ¹Н, ¹³C, ¹⁹F and ³¹Р NMR spectra. These compounds are convenient reagents for preparing of various organic and organophosphorus compounds hardly available by other methods. Chemical and physical properties of the 2-halo-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes are reviewed. The 2-chloro-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes depending on substituents at the α-carbon atom rearrange with formation of 2-chloroalkylphosphonates or convert into trans-phosphorylated alkenes. Prospective synthetic applications of 2-halo-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes are analyzed. The 2-halo-1,2λ⁵-oxaphosphetanes may be easily converted to various alkenylphosphonates: allyl- or vinylphosphonates, phosphorus ketenes, thioketenes, ketenimines.

Sesamum indicum is considered an underutilized oil-bearing seed in the semi-arid regions of Ghana. Nonetheless, it is a promising source of food with both nutritional and therapeutic benefits. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant properties S. indicum seeds using different extraction solvents. The seeds were obtained from the local farmers and prepared for analysis. The bioactive compounds present in the seeds were extracted using hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol and water and their yields quantified. Total phenolic content (TPC), Condensed tannin content (TTC) and Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) , and DPPH radical scaveging assay were analyzed using standard methods. Antinutrients such as saponins, alkaloids, phytates and oxalates were also analyzed from the powdered seeds. Two chemometric methods; hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and Pearson correlation were employed to evaluate the interdependence of the various parameters to result in their antioxidant properties. The re-sults revealed that the solvents utilized had a significant impact on the extraction yield, phyto-chemical component concentration, and antioxidant activities. Hexane extracts of S. indicum seeds significantly exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (p &lt; 0.05). It was marked with the highest TAC value of 232.6 ± 6.267 mg/g AAE and a strong DPPH scavenging activity with an IC50 of 52.81 ± 2.30 µg/mL. Correlations (p &lt; 0.05) was established between TPC,CTC, TAC and DPPH radical scavenging activity) of the extracts. Antinutrients such as; phytate, oxalate, saponins and alkaloids were found to be 7.691 ± 0.8576, 1.501 ± 0.1375, 21.33 ± 4.619 and 317.33 ± 30.29 mg/g respectively. Data obtained suggest that S. indicum possess rich bioactive compounds that can be used in neutraceuticals and food products.

In this study we have investigated the effect of the addition of Nb2O5 (up to 5 mol%) on the structure and luminescent properties of ZnO-B2O3 glass doped with 0.5 mol % Eu2O3 by using of infrared (IR), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Physical properties as molar volume, oxygen packing density and glass transition temperature were determined using the results of differential thermal analyisis (DTA) and Archimedes principle for density. IR and Raman spectra revealed that niobium ions incorporate into the base zinc borate glass as NbO4 trtraherda and NbO6 octahedra. A strong red emission from the 5D0 level of Eu3+ ions was registered under near UV (392 nm) excitation using the sharp 7F0 - 5L6 transition of Eu3+. The integrated fluorescence intensity ratio R (5D0 → 7F2/5D0 → 7F1) was calculated to estimate the degree of asymmetry around the active ion, suggesting a location of Eu3+ in non-centrosymmetric sites. The higher Еu3+ luminescence emission observed in zinc borate glasses containing 1÷5 mol% Nb2O5 compared to the Nb2O5-free zinc borate glass evidences that Nb2O5 is suitable component for modification of host glass structure and improving the emission intensity.

Polystyrene as a thin film on arbitrary substrates or pellets form defective graphene films or powders that can be dispersed in water and organic solvents. The materials were characterized by visible absorption, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron and atomic force microscopy and electrochemistry. Raman spectra of these materials show the presence of the expected 2D, G and D peaks at 2750, 1590 and 1350 cm^-1, respectively. The relative intensity of the G vs. the D peak is taken as a quantitative indicator of the density of defects in the G layer.

To enhance the applicability of dual-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) like Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM), a focus on improving their mechanical properties is essential. As part of this effort, heat treatment was explored. This study compares the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-printed sample with those cooled in water after undergoing heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 ℃ for 1 hour. Both pre- and post-treatment samples reveal a dual-phase microstructure comprising FCC and BCC phases. Although heat treatment led to a reduction in tensile and yield strength, it significantly increased ductility compared to the as-printed sample. This strength-ductility trade-off is related to changes in grain sizes with ultrafine grains enhancing strength and micron grains optimizing ductility, also the influence of the content of FCC/BCC phases and dislocation density. In particular, the sample heat-treated at 1000 °C for 1 hour and then water-cooled exhibited a better combination of strength and ductility, a yield strength of 790 MPa, and an elongation of 13%. This research offers innovative perspectives on crafting dual-phase HEA of Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, allowing for tailorable microstructure and mechanical properties through a synergistic approach involving SLM and heat treatment.

The rock joint fissure slope in cold regions is prone to deformation and failure problems such as relaxation, tension and collapse under freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles. Based on the ideology of clean production and promoting the structural integrity of geotechnical projects in cold areas, this study designed and prepared aeolian-sand (AS) to replace part of river sand as a filling mortar material by taking advantage of the low cost and easy availability of AS. Investigations were carried out to determine the impact of varying proportions of AS in mortar on the microstructure and shear properties of the mortar-rock interface under F-T cycles. Therefore, F-T cycle testing, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing and shear testing were carried out on grout with different proportions of AS. The results show that the right proportion of AS replacement could enhance the shear deformation resistance and F-T resistance of the mortar-rock interface, and 30% proportion is the optimal proportion. By increasing of F-T cycles, the three types of specimens showed different degrees of particle spalling, shedding and cracking. The slurry-rock interface layer in the A (0%) group exhibited the most severe F-T deterioration, while the B (15%) group showed a lesser degree, and the C (30%) group performed the best. T2 spectrum curve and total spectrum area change law from the microscopic point of view to verify the 30% AS proportion mortar-rock interface F-T resistance is the strongest, followed by 15% AS proportion mortar, the weakest is ordinary mortar. The degradation of the mortar-rock bond is primarily due to the conversion of solid to liquid phases and the movement of internal water caused by fluctuating temperatures. The extent of F-T deterioration in the slurry-rock interface layer is greatly affected by the varying proportions of AS. The shear strength and shear stiffness of specific proportion of AS decreased with the increase of F-T cycles. For same F-T cycles, the shear strength and shear stiffness of group C (30%) were the highest, followed by group B (15%) and group A (0%). The grout material not only reinforces the F-T joint fissure slope, but also reduces the cost of grout reinforcement and promotes the clean production of geotechnical structures.

Chitosan (CS) nanoparticles are under investigation for a wide range of applications in nanomedicine. The structural, molecular and physicochemical properties of chitosan nanoparticles have a direct bearing on their efficacy in drug conjugation and delivery, gene delivery, and tissue engineering. Herein we report on the structural, morphological and molecular properties of chitosan nanoparticles synthesized using the ionic gelation method with the intended purpose of being used for drug delivery. The chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) were prepared in the 0.25 to 1.0% w/v concentration range, whereas separate samples of the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs were also functionalized with polyethylene oxide (PEO) alone and with a diblock copolymer of PEO and polypropylene glycol (PPG). The average size of the CS-NPs was determined from TEM imaging to be in the range of 11.3 to 14.8 nm. The XRD and TEM analyses show that the CS-NPs have semi-crystalline structure with the degree of crystallinity depending upon the nature of synthesis. Our results show that functionalizing the 1.0% w/v CS-NPs with PEO increases the degree of crystallinity whereas functionalizing with the diblock copolymer PEO - PPG results in a significant increase in their degree crystallinity. The CS/TPP concentration (CS:TPP fixed at 1:1 ratio) had no apparent effect on the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs. The results from the FTIR analysis confirm incorporation of TPP with CS in the CS-NPs. Additionally, FTIR analysis shows an enhancement of hydrogen bonding that is consistent with the increase in the degree of crystallinity of the CS-NPs.

This study utilises NaOH to treat composite cementitious materials containing aeolian sand and zeolite powders, which were used to replace 50% of the cement in aeolian-sand concrete (ASC). The mechanical properties of treated ASC considerably improved, especially when the NaOH dosage was 4% by mass. After curing this sample (denoted as AAZC-4) for 28 d, its compressive strength improved by 17.2% and its split tensile was increased by 16.3%. Potassium feldspar and montmorillonite in zeolite powder and SiO2 in the sand were decomposed by OH− and combined with other elements to generate various silicate gels and A-type potassium zeolite crystals inside the concrete. Microscopic examination showed that the gels and crystals intertwined to fill the pores, decreasing (increasing) the percentage of large (small) pores, thus optimising the pore structure. This substantially improved the mechanical properties of ASC. Freeze–thaw salt-intrusion tests showed that the extent of mass loss, degree of damage and loss of compressive strength of AAZC-4 were similar to those of ordinary concrete but were reduced by 36.8%, 19% and 52.1%, respectively, compared with those of ASC. Therefore, AAZC-4 has sustainable working performance in the chloride ion permeable environment in cold and arid areas.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010 calls for the Nearly Zero Energy Standard for new buildings from 2021 onwards: Buildings using “almost no energy” are powered by renewable sources or energy produced by the building itself. For residential buildings, this ambitious new standard has already been reached. But for other building types this goal is still far away. The potential of these buildings to meet a Nearly Zero Energy Standard was investigated by analyzing ten case studies representing non-residential buildings with different uses. The analysis shows that the primary characteristics common to critical building types are a dense building context with a very high degree of technical installation (such as hospital, research and laboratory buildings). The large primary energy demand of these types of buildings cannot be compensated by building and property-related energy generation including off-site renewables. If the future Nearly Zero Energy Standard were to be defined with lower requirements because of this, the state related properties of Bavaria suggest that the real potential energy savings available in at least 85% of all new buildings would be insufficiently exploited. Therefore, it would be useful to instead individualize the legal energy verification process for new buildings to distinguish critical building types such as laboratories and hospitals.

In the recent years, tubular nanostructures have been related with immense advances in various fields of science and technology. Considerable research efforts have been centered on the theoretical prediction and manufacturing of non-carbon nanotubes (NTs), which meet modern requirements for the developing of novel devices and systems. In this context, diatomic inorganic nanotubes formed by atoms of elements from the 13th group of the periodic table (B, Al, Ga, In, Tl) and nitrogen (N), have received much research attention. In the present work, the elastic properties of single-walled boron nitride, aluminium nitride, gallium nitride, indium nitride and thallium nitride nanotubes were numerically evaluated using the nanoscale continuum modelling approach (also called molecular structural mechanics). The elastic properties (rigidities, surface Young´s and shear moduli, and Poisson´s ratio) of nitride nanotubes are discussed with respect to the bond length of the corresponding diatomic hexagonal lattice. The results obtained contribute to a better understanding of the mechanical response of nitride compound-based nanotubes, covering a broad range from the well-studied boron nitride NTs to the hypothetical thallium nitride NTs.

An effort was made to find a relationship between the ratio of average asperities height and lubricant thickness at the point of contact of rolling element ball bearings, and empirical equations to predict the life for bearings under constant motion. Two independent failure mechanisms were considered, fatigue failure and lubricant failure resulting in seizing of the roller bearing. A theoretical formula for both of these methods was established for the combined probability of failure using both of these failure mechanisms. Fatigue failure was modeled with the empirical equations of Lundberg and Palmgren and standardized in DIN/ISO281. The seizure failure, which this effort sought to investigate, was predicted using Greenwood and Williamson's theories on surface roughness and asperities during lubricated contact. These two mechanisms were combined, and compared to predicted cycle lives of commercial roller bearing, and a clear correlation was demonstrated. This effort demonstrated that the Greenwood-Williams theories on the relative height of asperities versus lubricant film thickness can be used to predict the probability of a lubricant failure resulting in a roller bearing seizing during use.

An effort was made to find a relationship between the predicted tribological conditions at the point of contact of ball bearings, and empirical equations to predict the life for bearings under constant motion. The model was modified to predict the temperature dependence, and compare rapid accelerations and decelerations with empirical extrapolations.

Berberis vulgaris (L.) has remarkable ethnopharmacological properties and is widely used in traditional medicine. The present study investigates B. vulgaris stem bark (Berberidis cortex) by extraction with 50% ethanol. The main secondary metabolites were quantified, resulting in a polyphenols content of 17.6780 ± 3.9320 mg Eq Tannic acid / 100 g extract, phenolic acids amount of 3.3886 ± 0.3481 mg Eq Chlorogenic acid / 100 g extract and 78.95 µg/g berberine. The dried hydro-ethanolic extract (BVE) was thoroughly analyzed using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–HRMS/MS) and HPLC and 40 bioactive phenolic constituents were identified. Then, the antioxidant potential of BVE was evaluated using three methods; our results could explain the protective effects of Berberidis cortex EC50FRAP = 0.1398 mg/mL, IC50ABTS = 0.0442 mg/mL, IC50DPPH = 0.2610 mg/mL compared to ascorbic acid (IC50 = 0.0165 mg/mL). Next, the acute toxicity and teratogenicity of BVE and Berberine - Berberine sulfate hydrate (BS) - investigated on Daphnia sp reported significant BS toxicity after 24 h; BVE revealed considerable toxicity after 48 hours and induced embryonic developmental delays. Finally, the anticancer effects of BVE and BS were evaluated on different tumor cell lines after 24 and 48 hours of treatments. The MTS assay evidenced a dose- and time-dependent antiproliferative activity, higher on BS than BVE. The strongest diminution of tumor cell viability was recorded on breast (MDA-MB-231), colon (LoVo) cancer, and OSCC (PE/CA-PJ49) cell lines after 48 h of exposure (IC50 &lt; 100 µg/mL). However, no cytotoxicity was reported on normal epithelial cells (HUVEC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HT-29) cell lines. Extensive data analysis supports our results, showing a significant correlation between the BVE's concentration, phenolic compounds content, antioxidant activity, exposure time, and the viability rate of various normal cells and cancer cell lines.

Ag/TiO₂ thin films were prepared using the sol-gel spin coating method. The microstructural growth behaviors of the prepared Ag/TiO2 thin films were elucidated using real-time synchrotron radiation imaging, its structure determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), its morphology imaged using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and its surface topography examined using the atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode. Cubical white spots were detected, identified as Ag, while the TiO₂ thin film resembles a porous ring-like structure with each ring coalescing and forming channels. Junction growth is directly proportional with time under continuous heating conditions (annealing), and its growth orientations and patterns were seemingly random.

The accuracy of cosmic ray observation by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory Wide Field-of-view Cherenkov/fluorescence Telescope Array (LHAASO-WFCTA) is influenced by variations in aerosols in the atmosphere. The solar photometer (CE318-T) is extensively utilized within the Aerosol Robotic Network as a highly precise and reliable instrument for aerosol measurements. With this CE318-T 23, 254 sets of valid data samples in 394 days from October 2020 to October 2022 at the LHAASO site were obtained. Data analysis revealed that the baseline Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) and A˚ngstro¨m Exponent (AE) at 440-870 nm (AE440−870nm) of the aerosols were calculated to be 0.03 and 1.07, respectively, suggesting that the LHAASO site is among the most pristine regions on Earth. The seasonality of the mean AOD are the order of spring &gt; summer &gt; autumn = winter. The monthly average maximum of AOD440nm occurred in April (0.11 ± 0.05) and the minimum was in December (0.03 ± 0.01). The monthly average of AE440−870nm exhibited slight variations. The seasonal characterization of aerosol types indicated that clean continental background aerosol predominated in autumn and winter, which is the optimal period for the absolute calibration of the WFCTA. Additionally, the diurnal daytime variations of AOD and AE across the four seasons are presented. Our analysis also indicates that the potential origins of aerosol over the LHAASO in four seasons were different and the atmospheric aerosols with higher AOD probably originate mainly from Northern Myanmar and Northeast India region. These results provide a baseline for comparison to the future on-site measurement of extinction coefficient profile and aerosol phase function by LHAASO-WFCTA, also enrich the valuable materials on aerosol observation in the Hengduan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau.

Hierarchical tungsten oxide assemblies such as spindle-like, flowers with sharp petals, nanowires and regular hexagonal structures are successfully synthesized via a solvothermal reduction method by simply adjusting the reaction conditions. On the basis of the experimental results, it is determined that the reaction time significantly influences the phase transition, microstructure and photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples. The possible mechanisms for the phase transition and morphology evolution process have been systematically proposed. Moreover, the as-prepared products exhibit significant morphology-depended photocatalytic activity. The flower-like W18O49 prepared at 6 h possesses large specific surface area (150.1 m²g^-1), improved separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and decreased electron-transfer resistance by the photoelectrochemical measurements. As a result, the flower-like W₁₈O₄₉ prepared at 6 h exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Methyl orange aqueous solution. The radical trap experiments showed that the degradation of MO was driven mainly by the participation of h⁺ and •O²⁻ radicals.

The effects of rare earth Ce on the microstructure and properties of cast pure copper were investigated through thermodynamic calculations, XRD analysis, mechanical testing, metallographic microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results demonstrate that the reaction between rare earth Ce and oxygen as well as sulfur in copper exhibits a significantly negative Gibbs free energy value, indicating a strong thermodynamic driving force for deoxidation and desulfurization reactions. Ce is capable of removing trace amounts of O and S from copper. Moreover, the maximum solid solubility of Ce in Cu falls within the range of 0.009% to 0.01%. Furthermore, Ce can refine columnar grains while enlarging equiaxed grains in as-cast copper.Upon addition of rare earth Ce, the tensile strength increased by 8.45%, elongation increased by 12.1%, and microhardness rose from 73.5HV to 81.2HV-an increase of 10.5%. Overall, rare earth Ce has been found to enhance both the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast pure copper.

The poly lactic acid (PLA) is one of the most used bio-derived thermoplastic polymers in 3D and 4D printing applications. The determination of PLA surface properties is of capital importance in 3D/4D printing technology. (1) Background: The surface thermodynamic properties of PLA polymer were determined by using the inverse gas chromatography (IGC) technique at infinite dilution. The determination of the retention volume of polar and non-polar molecules adsorbed on the PLA particles filling the column allowed us to obtain the dispersive, polar, and Lewis’s acid-base surface properties at different temperatures from 40 °C to 100 °C. (2) Methods: the applied surface method was based on our recent model that used the London dispersion equation and the new chromatographic parameter function of the deformation polarizability and the harmonic mean of the ionization energies of the PLA polymer and organic molecules. (3) Results: The application of this new method led to the determination of the dispersive and polar free surface energy of adsorption of molecules on the polymeric material, as well as the glass transition and the Lewis acid-base constants. (4) Conclusions: four interval temperatures were distinguished showing four zones of the variations of the surface properties of PLA as a function of the temperature before and after the glass transition.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of breast (females), prostate, testicular and thyroid cancer in the Italian National Priority Contaminated Sites (NPCSs), served by cancer registries, where the presence of endocrine disruptors (EDs), reported to be linked to these tumors, was documented. Evidence of carcinogenicity of EDs present in NPCs was assessed based on evaluation by international scientific institutions/committees. Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) were computed for each NPCS and cancer site with reference to the time window 1996-2005. Excess incidence of one or more cancer site at study was found in twelve out of fourteen NPCSs. Significantly increased SIRs were found for breast cancer in eight NPCSs, for prostate cancer in six, for thyroid cancer (both gender) in four and for testicular cancer in two. Non significantly increased SIRs were found in five NPCSs for testicular cancer and in two for thyroid cancer (males). Even if increased incidence of one or more cancer sites at study were found in several NPCSs, the ecological study design and the multifactorial etiology of the considered tumors do not allow reaching conclusions in terms of causal links with environmental contamination. In light of the observation of some excesses in SIRs, continuing epidemiological surveillance is warranted.

CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy coatings were prepared on compacted graphite iron（CGI） through plasma cladding to strength the CGI substrate. The effects of heat treatment temperatures and times on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the CoCrFeNiMn coatings were investigated. After heat treatment, a single FCC phase was remained in the coating as compared to the deposited one, with smaller dendrites, larger dendritic spacing and more Cr-rich compounds precipitated between dendrites. The coatings’ microhardness was increased after heat treatment. After heat treated at 660°C for 90 minutes, the coating had the highest microhardness of 563±6.9 HV0.2, the lowest frictional coefficient of 0.71 and the smallest wear mass loss of 1.12 mg, and it had the best wear resistance.

Soil organic matter (SOM) is important for the global carbon cycle, and hyperspectral remote sensing has proven a promising method for fast SOM content estimation. However, soil physical properties significantly affect the sensitivity of satellite hyperspectral imaging to SOM, leading to poor generalization ability of the estimation model. This study aims to improve the spatiotemporal transferability of the SOM prediction model by alleviating the coupling effect of soil physical properties on the spectra. Based on satellite hyperspectral images and soil physical variables, including soil moisture (SM), soil surface roughness (root mean squared height, RMSH), and soil bulk weight (SBW), a soil spectral correction strategy was established based on the information unmixing method. Two important grain-producing areas in Northeast China were selected as study areas to verify the performance and transferability of the spectral correction model and SOM content prediction model. The results showed that soil spectral corrections based on fourth-order polynomials and the XG-Boost algorithm had excellent accuracy and generalization ability, with residual predictive deviations (RPD) exceeding 1.4 in almost all bands. In addition, when the soil spectral correction strategy was adopted, the accuracy of the SOM prediction model and the generalization ability after model migration were significantly improved. The SOM prediction accuracy based on the XG-Boost corrected spectrum was the highest, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.76, root mean square error (RMSE) of 5.74 g/kg, and RPD of 1.68. The prediction accuracy, R2, RMSE, and RPD of the model after migration were 0.72, 6.71 g/kg, and 1.53, respectively. Compared with the direct migration prediction of the model, adopting the soil spectral correction strategy based on fourth-order polynomials and XG-Boost reduced the RMSE of the SOM prediction results by 57.90% and 60.27%, respectively. The performance comparison highlighted the advantages of considering soil physical properties in regional-scale SOM prediction.

Organic fertilizer application in agricultural land is known to improve soil microbial processes, fertility, and yield. In particular, stable changes in soil chemical composition through multi-year fertilization of organic fertilizers are thought to cause changes in the microbial community. Here, the effects of oil cake amendments (OC) on soil bacterial diversity, community profile and enzyme activity were evaluated and compared to those amended with chemical fertilizer (NPK). The comparison of diversity indices between OC and NPK amended soils shows that application of oil cake has increased microbial diversity potentially with an increase in the number of different microbial groups. The ordination plot distinguished and clustered both treatments showing differential effects of soils chemical factors on the microbial communities of each treatment. Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Bacteriodetes were significantly abundant in OC amended soil than in the NPK received soil, indicating alterations in community structure, composition, and diversity con-current to the changes in pH, Ca and Mg contents of the soil. These shifts in bacterial community structure and composition could also be observed from the phylum to the genus level in both NPK and OC amended soils partially explained by differences in soil chemical factors. The OC soil compared to the NPK amended soil also contain significantly higher abundance of predicted genes corresponding to enzymes related to biogeochemical cycling, decomposition and plant growth promotion. Collectively, these results support the use of an unconventional organic fertilizer positively altering bacterial populations in jujube orchards. The application of oil cake-based organic fertilizer improved microbial diversity and enhanced potential ecosystem functions related to bio-geochemical cycles, mineralization and plant growth promotion.

Oriental melons have a relatively short shelf life as they are harvested during the summer season and susceptible to cold-induced injuries. Typical chilling injury when stored at 4℃ is expressed as browning of the fruit suture. To prolong the shelf life and reduce browning of the fruit, the effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), X-tend modified atmosphere (MA)/modified humidity (MH) bulk packaging (XF), and polyethylene (PE) packaging, on oriental melons were investigated during storage at 4℃ and 10℃ for 14 days and under retail display conditions at 20℃. The O2 concentrations in PE packages stored at 4℃ and 10℃ ranged from 17.4–18.5%, whereas those in XF packages were reduced to 16.3–16.6%. The CO2 content of XF package (4.2–4.6%) was higher than that of PE package (1.4–1.9%) stored at 4℃ or 10℃. Relative humidity (RH) saturated in the PE packages but not in the XF packages after seven days of storage. Furthermore, PE packages performed better at maintaining melon weight and firmness than XF packages during storage at 10℃ for 14 days and under retail display conditions at 20℃. PE and XF packages effectively reduced the browning index of the peel and white linear sutures of oriental melons compared with the unpackaged control during cold storage at 4℃, and this observation was maintained at the retail display condition at 20℃. The enhanced CO2 levels, reduced O2 levels, and optimal RH values that were provided by the MAP, prevented the browning symptoms and improved the marketability and shelf life of oriental melons.

The characteristics of gap plasmon formed by nanoparticle-on-mirror (NPOM) structure composed of metal nanoparticles (MNP) and metal thin films have aroused the interest of various optoelectronic devices. The resonant spectrum obtained by the internal coupling effect of gap can be flexibly controlled by the polarization of incident light and the thickness of the dielectric layer between MNP and metal thin films. We have theoretically studied the resonance spectra of polarization-dependent gold ellipsoidal nanoparticles (GENP) and gold thin films in the gap region of NPOM structures. GENP and gold thin films are separated by a dielectric layer with a refractive index of 1.36. We observe that the intensity of the local electric field resonance peak in the gap region is inversely proportional to the polarization angle. Similarly, the intensity of the local electric field resonance peak in the gap region is inversely proportional to the thickness of the dielectric layer. We have obtained more than 2200 V/m local electric field intensity (dielectric layer thickness 0.3nm). Finally, the resonant peak wavelength of the electric field in the gap region of the NPOM structure is also controlled by the polarization angle of the incident light and the thickness of the dielectric layer.

The alcoholic fermentation process with agitation/static, followed by the acetic fermentation submerged in banana was evaluated. Kinetics parameters of alcoholic fermentation for the maximum ethanol/glycerol metabolites in agitated process was 29 and 27 h, and in static 47 and 45 h, respectively. For acetic fermentation, the kinetics parameters were medium time of 39.9 h, acetic acid yield of 53.1% and acetic acid productivity of 0.216 g/Lh. Wines from agitated/static process presented 5.73 and 6.81% (v/v) of alcohol content, respectively. Wine obtained by the static process presented higher concentrations of volatile compounds. The vinegar showed 49.2 g/L of acetic acid and the esters concentrations were higher than in wine. The wine and vinegar minerals were consistent with amount observed in the pulp, with an increase in sulphur concentration after alcoholic fermentation and decrease after acetic fermentation. Products showed chemical and composition of sensory and nutritional interest.

In this study, 10%PTFE/PEEK blend were modified by potassium titanate whisker (PTW) and chopped glass fiber (GF), respectively. The blends were prepared by three-screw extruder. Through the investigation of thermal stability, tribological properties, mechanical properties and rheological behavior, the effects of reinforcing agents were determined. The results illustrated that the mechanical properties of 10%PTFE/PEEK blend can be dramatically improved by adding reinforcing agent of PTW or GF, and the reinforcing effect of GF was especially obvious. As for tribological properties, 1% addition was the best proportion. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the blend with 1% PTW were 0.283 and 4.97 × 10^-6 mm³/N · m, which decreased by 7.2% and 21% compared with those of the blend without reinforcing agent.

This work investigated the isothermal holding time dependence of the densification, microstructure, weight loss and tensile properties of Fe-Mn-Si powder compacts. Elemental Fe, Mn and Si powder mixtures with a nominal composition of Fe-28Mn-3Si (in weight percent) were ball milled for 5h and subsequently pressed under a uniaxial pressure of 400 MPa. The compacted Fe-Mn-Si powder mixtures were sintered at 1200 ℃ for 0, 1, 2 and 3 h, respectively. In general, the density, weight loss and tensile properties increased with the increase of isothermal holding time. A significant increase in density, weight loss and tensile properties occurred in the compacts isothermally holding for 1 h, as compared to those with no isothermal holding. However, further extension of isothermal holding time (2 and 3 h) only played a limited role in promoting the density and tensile properties. The weight loss of the sintered compacts was mianly caused by the sublimation of Mn in Mn depletion region on the surface layer of the sintered Fe-Mn-Si compacts. The length of the Mn depletion region increased as isothermal holding time increased. A single α-Fe phase was detected on the surface of all the sintered compacts, and the locations beyond the Mn depletion region were comprised of a dual dominant γ-austenite and minor ε-martensite.

In this study, a new type of temperature sensor device was developed. The circular electrode of the thermal sensitive sensor was modified with TMT and O₂ plasma to enhance the conductivity by forming a thin SnOxCy layer on the electrode surface. The Nano-Au particles were subjected to O₂ plasma pretreatment to form peroxide groups on the surface. The thermally sensitive sensor was made by mixing the above-treated Nano-Au particles with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) to form solution and then UV-induced grafting polymerization of the NIPAAm-containing solution onto the electrode substrate. The composite hydrogels on the electrode introduce thermo-sensitive polymeric surface films for temperature sensing. Using ambient environment resistance test to measure the resistance, the LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of Nano-Au (MUA) mixed with NIPAAm hydrogel was found to be 32 °C. At ambient temperatures higher than LCST, the electrode resistance decreases linearly.

The organic solar cells (OSCs) have drawn attention in the past decade due to its cynosure in industrial manufacturing because of its promising properties such as low weight, highly flexible and low cost production. However, low η restricts the utilization of OSCs for potential application such as low cost energy harvesting devices. In this paper, OSCs structure based on triple junction tandem scheme is reported with three different absorber materials with the objective to enhance the absorption of photons which in turn improves the η, as well as its correlating performance parameters. The investigated structure gives the higher value of η = 14.33% with Jsc=16.87 (mA/m2), Voc=1.0 (V), and FF=84.97% by utilizing a stack of three different absorber layers with different band energies. The proposed structure is tested under 1.5 (AM) with 1 sun (W/m2). The impact of top, middle and bottom sub cells thickness on η is analyzed with a terse to find the optimum thickness for three sub cells to extract high η. The optimized structure is then tested with different electrode combination and the highest η is recorded with FTO/Ag. Moreover, the influence of upsurge temperature is also demonstrated on the proposed structure and observed that the upsurge temperature has greatly affected the electrical parameters of the device and η decreases from 14.33% to 11.40% when the temperature of the device rises from 300-400 K.

The light response and resistance switching behavior in BaTiO3 (BTO) films are studied for a symmetric Pt/BTO/Pt structure. The resistance of films as a function of time with and without ultraviolet light has been studied. Furthermore, resistance switching behavior was clearly observed based on the application of 365 nm wavelength ultraviolet light. Consequently, the polarities of resistance switching can be controlled by ultraviolet light when the energy is larger than the band excitation energy. It is proposed that the polarity of the resistance switching is dictated by the competition of the ferroelectricity and oxygen vacancy migration. This provides a new mechanism for modulating the state of ferroelectric resistive memory devices.

Protrusive defects on the color filter of thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal displays (LCDs) frequently damage the valuable photomask. An fast method using side-view illuminations associated with digital charge-couple devices (CCDs) to detect the protrusive defect in the four substrates, which are the black matrix (BM), red, green, and blue. Between the photomask and substrate, the depth of field (DOF) is normally 300 μm for the proximity-type aligner; we select the four substrates to evaluate the detectability in the task. The experiment is capable of detecting measurements of 300 μm and even lower than 100 μm can be assessed successfully. The maximum error of the measurement is within 6% among the four samples. Furthermore, the uncertainty analysis of three standard deviations is conducted. Thus, the method is cost-effective to prevent damage for valuable photomasks in the flat panel display industry.

Light sources tend to affect images captured in any automatic optical inspection (AOI) system. In this study, the effectiveness of metal-halide lamps, quartz-halogen lamps, and LEDs as the light sources in AOI systems for the detection of the 3rd and 4th layers electrodes of thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) is examined experimentally. The results show that the performance of LEDs is generally comparable or better than that of metal-halide and quartz-halogen lamps. The best optical performance is by the blue LED due to its spectrum compatibility with the time-delay-integration charged-coupled device (TDI CCD) sensor and its better spatial resolution. The images revealed by the blue LED are sharper and more distinctive. Since current LEDs are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, using LEDs as the light source for AOI is very beneficial. As the blue LED performs the best, it should be adopted for AOI using TDI CCD sensors.

Scientific studies on the impact of wood species on solid fuel production, performance, and sustainability are grossly inadequate. The knowledge of this is imperative as users of solid fuels are increasing rapidly, especially in Africa. On this note, it becomes necessary to explore measures that will improve its efficiency and sustainability as an energy source. This study investigates some properties of selected wood species used as an energy source in Nigeria and their pelleting potential. Nine (9) samples were characterized and assessed for suitability of pelleting following four wood pellet quality standards. The findings revealed Anogeissus leiocarpus as the species with the best rating score in terms of fuel properties while Vitellaria paradoxa as the lowest. However, in terms of conformity with the four wood pellets standards, Khaya senegalensis, Parkia biglobosa and Anogeissus leiocarpus having presented density, calorific value, sulfur, arsenic, cadmium, and lead within the limits of the wood pellet quality standards were considered the best wood species in terms of fuel suitability and pelleting potential. The findings therefore suggest that not all wood species are suitable as fuel. Thus, for species that do not meet the standard wood pellet requirements, alternatives such as the use of biomass blends, additives, or process adjustments can be employed to adapt the quality to the standards or by using the fuels in improved cookstoves.

MPC (Magneto-Photonic Crystal) Optimisation is a feature-rich Windows software application designed to enable researchers to analyze the optical and magneto-optical spectral properties of multilayers containing gyrotropic constituents. A set of computational algorithms aimed at enabling the design optimization and optical or magneto-optical (MO) spectral analysis of 1D magnetic photonic crystals (MPC) is reported, together with its Windows software implementation. Relevant material property datasets (e.g., the optical spectra of refractive index, absorption, and gyration) of several important optical and MO materials are included, enabling easy reproduction of the previously published results from the field of MPC-based Faraday rotator development, and an effective demonstration-quality introduction of future users to the multiple features of this package. We also report on the methods and algorithms used to obtain the absorption coefficient spectral dispersion datasets for new materials, for which the film thickness, transmission spectrum, and refractive index dispersion function are known.

The effects of CO₂-water-rock interactions on the mechanical properties of shale are essential for estimating the possibility of sequestrating CO₂ in shale reservoirs. In this study, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) tests together with an acoustic emission (AE) system and SEM & EDS analysis were performed to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructural changes of black shales with different saturation times (10 days, 20 days and 30 days) in water dissoluted with sub-/super-critical CO₂. According to the experimental results, the values of UCS, Young’s modulus and brittleness index decrease gradually with increasing saturation time in water with sub-/super-critical CO₂. Compared to intact samples, 30-days’ saturation causes reductions of 56.43% in UCS and 54.21% in Young’s modulus for sub-critical saturated samples, and 66.05% in UCS and 56.32% in Young’s modulus for super-critical saturated samples, respectively. The brittleness index also decreases drastically from 84.3% for intact samples to 50.9% for samples saturated in water with sub-critical CO₂, to 47.9% for samples saturated in water with super-critical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂). SC-CO₂ causes a greater reduction of shale’s mechanical properties. The crack propagation results obtained from the AE system show that longer saturation time produces higher peak cumulative AE energy. SEM images show that many pores occur when shale samples are saturated in water with sub-/super-critical CO₂. The EDS results show that CO₂-water-rock interactions increase the percentages of C and Fe and decrease the percentages of Al and K on the surface of saturated samples when compared to intact samples.

A tumbler screen type residual film–impurity mixture wind separator as a key equipment for secondary utilization of farmland residual film. During the working process, the proportion of impurities in the separated waste mulch film intermittently increases, resulting in poor working stability of the device, which may hamper long-term operation. In this study, the material inside the separation unit was continuously monitored, and the main factor affecting separator per-formance was determined to be the challenges in the effective depolymerization of some residual film–impurity mixtures. The principles of agglomeration and depolymerization of the residual film–impurity mixtures were analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) flow-solid coupling simulation methods. The key factor affecting the disaggregation of the mixture was the collision force between the residual film–impurity mixture and the trommel screen. The collision force was maximum when the residual film–impurity mixture first collided with the trommel screen when it was fed into the separation device. As determined by force analyses, the key factors affecting the collision force of the process were the material feeding amount and the structure of the inlet. Furthermore, simulations were carried out for different inlet structure forms; the evaluation index was the maximum collision force of the residual film–impurity mixture agglomerate on the trommel screen. The best disaggregation effect was obtained with a square feed inlet and at a feeding rate of 202 kg/h. A prototype was built using these specifications for verification. The average value of the ratio of impurities in the re-sidual film was 6.966%, the coefficient of variation was 7.38%, and the dispersion of statistical results was small. The ratio of impurities in the residual film was kept constant during the con-tinuous operation of the wind separator. Thus, this study analyzed the agglomerate disaggregation process and provided theoretical insights for deter-mining the optimal structures of the inlets of various cleaning devices and the feeding volumes.

The noble metals palladium and silver find use in many high performance applications, and their alloys (PdAg), known for more than sixty years, are industrially important, finding use in many fields including hydrogen purification and separation, numerous facets of catalysis, and in fuel cells. In recent years, interest in these materials has grown significantly, particularly in energy generating applications and due to their performance as solid-state chemical sensors for a range of small molecules. PdAg thin films can be prepared using traditional physical methods such as cold rolling, or more modern and controllable chemical or physical deposition techniques such as electrodeposition or chemical vapour deposition. Despite the wide-reaching uses of PdAg, several recent advancements in materials preparation, such as additive manufacturing, better known as 3-D printing, remain unexplored for this material due to the differing chemistries of the two elements. In this review, we explore the manufacturing methods commonly employed for the preparation of PdAg thin films, the common and niche applications of these materials, and opportunities for the future development of these two aspects, with an emphasis on how preparation of thin films can utilise additive manufacturing approaches.

Preventing the occurrence of secondary caries serves as one of the significant issues in dental clinic, thus make it indispensable to improving the properties of conventional composite resin (CR) by developing a novel CR. In present study, two groups of experimental CRs loaded with different contents of fluoride-doped nano-zirconia fillers (25 wt% and 50 wt%) were fabricated. The surface topography, mechanical performance, fluoride release, antibacterial effect, aging property and cytotoxicity of the experimental CRs were evaluated subsequently. A uniform distribution of the F-zirconia fillers over the whole surface of resin matrix could be observed. The experimental CRs showed continuous fluoride release within 28 days, which was positively correlated with the content of F-zirconia fillers. Moreover, the amount of fluoride release increased in the acidic buffer. Addition of F-zirconia fillers could improve the color stability, wear resistance and microhardness of the experimental CRs, without reducing the flexure strength. Furtherly, the fluoride ions released continuously from the experimental CRs resulted in effective contact and antibacterial properties, while they showed no cytotoxicity. As a consequence, considerations can be made to employ this new kind of composite resin loaded with fluoride-doped nano-zirconia fillers to meet clinical requirements when the antimicrobial benefits are desired.

The paper discusses the mechanism of montmorillonite structure alteration and bentonites properties modification (on the example of samples from clay deposit Taganka, Kazakhstan) due to the thermochemical treatment (treatment with inorganic acid solutions at different temperatures, concentrations and reaction times). With the use of the suit of methods certain processes were distinguished: transformation of montmorillonite structure, which appears in the leaching of interlayer and octahedral cations, protonation of the interlayer and OH groups at octahedral sheets. Changes in the structure of the 2:1 layer of montmorillonite and its interlayer result in significant changes in the properties – reduction of cation exchange capacity and an increase of specific surface area. The results of the work showed that bentonite clays retain a significant portion of its adsorption properties even after the long term and intense thermochemical treatment (6M HNO3, 60°C, 108 hours)

Practical applications of CsPbX3 nanocrystals (NCs) are limited by their poor stability. The formation of heterojunction between CsPbX3 NCs and oxides is an effective means to protect perovskite from polar solvents and other external factors. Significantly improving the stability and photocatalytic properties of the core/shell perovskite is very important for its application in photoelectric and photocatalytic technology. Here, we report the synthesis of asymmetrical CsPbBr3/TiO2 core-shell heterostructure NCs at single particle level by hot injection liquid phase synthesis and sol-gel method, where each CsPbBr3 NCs is partially covered by titanium dioxide. It is shown that the type II arrangement is generated at the heterogeneous interface, which greatly facilitates the separation of electron-hole pairs and increases the carrier transport efficiency. More crucial, due to the protection of titanium dioxide shell, the product has higher long-term stability in humid air compared with bare CsPbBr3 NCs. The asymmetrical core-shell heterostructure prepared in this study not only improves the stability of CsPbX3 NCs, but also provides some ideas for optoelectronic device applications and TiO2-based photocatalysts.

There is a need for alternatives or complements to synthetic fertilizers to enhance agricultural sustainability. Applying organic amendments can play a significant role in this. Insect droppings show high potential, though studies evaluating their agronomic value have only recently begun to emerge. This study compared black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae frass with another organic amendment (Nutrimais) derived from composting forestry, agro-industrial, and domestic waste. The experiment also included ammonium nitrate at two rates [the same as the organic amendments, 50 kg ha–1 nitrogen (N) (FullR), and half that rate (HalfR)] and an unfertilized control. The study spanned two growth cycles of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown in pots, followed by unfertilized oats (Avena sativa L.) to assess the residual effects of the fertilizing treatments. Mealworm larvae frass mineralized rapidly, with an apparent N recovery of 37.4% over the two lettuce growth cycles, indicating its high availability to soil heterotrophic microorganisms. The average dry matter yield (DMY) of lettuce was the highest among all treatments (12.8 and 9.8 g plant–1 in the first and second lettuce cycles), even compared to the FullR treatment (12.2 and 7.8 g plant–1), though without significant differences. Although mealworm larvae frass exhibited a high mineralization rate, the DMY cannot be attributed solely to N supply, as plants in the FullR treatment showed better N nutritional status. Mealworm larvae frass provided strong evidence of a plant biostimulant effect, not explained by the variables measured in this study. Black soldier fly larvae frass exhibited typical behavior of a moderately reactive organic amendment, while Nutrimais showed low reactivity, with a near-neutral mineralization/immobilization balance. The results suggest mealworm larvae frass is recommended for early maturing vegetable crops, whereas Nutrimais appears more suitable for perennial crops with low short-term nutrient requirements.

Infrared sensors incorporating suspended zinc oxide (ZnO) pyroelectric films and thermally-insulated silicon substrates are fabricated using conventional MEMS-based thin-film deposition, photolithography, and etching techniques. The responsivity of the pyroelectric film is improved through annealing at 500℃ for 4 h. The voltage response of the fabricated sensors is evaluated experimentally for a substrate thickness of 1 µm over a sensing range of 30 cm. The results show that the voltage signal varies as an inverse exponential function of the distance. A positioning system based on three infrared sensors is implemented in LabVIEW. It is shown that the position estimates obtained using the proposed system are in excellent agreement with the actual locations. In general, the results presented in this study provide a useful source of reference for the further development of MEMS-based pyroelectric infrared sensors.

Film therapy, the therapeutic use of movies in psychological therapies, is a growing area of interest to therapists and researchers. This paper presents the MOVIE model of film therapy, a widely applicable, trauma-informed framework for working with film imagery and themes in individual or group therapy, counsellor education and self-help. Film or cinema therapy is a highly accessible and relatable method for many diverse client and student groups with benefits that include, catharsis and emotional processing, greater ease of dialogue around issues, increased empathy, and interpersonal learning, engaging with new perspectives and learning skills. Following the model clients mindfully observe and voice their emotional and psychological responses to movie watching, identify how the imagery, characters, themes, and narrative symbolise personal experience and consider any new possibilities that emerged through re-authoring personal narratives. The model is informed by a practice focused review of literature.

Among the most important variables in the design of falling film microreactors (FFMRs) is the liquid film thickness as well as the gas/liquid interfacial area, which dictate the mass and heat transfer rates. In a previous work conducted in our lab the characteristics of a free-falling Newtonian liquid film have been studied and appropriate correlations have been proposed. In this work the geometrical characteristics of a non-Newtonian shear thinning liquid, flowing in an inclined open microchannel, have been experimentally investigated and design correlations that can predict with reasonable accuracy the features of a FFMR have been proposed. The test section used was an open μ-channel with square cross section (Wo=1200 μm) made of brass which can be set to various inclination angles. The liquid film characteristics were measured by a non-intrusive technique that is based on the features of a μ-PIV system. Relevant CFD simulations revealed that the volume average dynamic viscosity over the flow domain is practically the same as the corresponding asymptotic viscosity value, which can thus be used in proposed the design equations. Finally, a generalized algorithm for the design of FFMRs, containing non-Newtonian shear thinning liquids, is suggested.

Heating films were prepared by using poly(methyl methacrylate) and polybutadiene composites containing graphite. The heating film was prepared by casting the as-made polymer composite on PET film. Copper electrodes were attached to both ends of the as-prepared film, and the heating characteristics of the film was analyzed while applying DC voltage. The electrical conductivity and the heating temperature of the heating films depended on the size, the structure, the content and the dispersion characteristics of the graphite in the composite. The electrical resistance of the heating film was controlled to adjust the heating temperature of the film. The relationship between the physical/chemical structure and the heating characteristics of the composite film was studied by measuring the heating temperature as functions of film thickness and resistance by using an infrared thermal imaging camera. The lower the film resistance, the higher the heating temperature of the film. The surface temperature was uniform throughout the film.

To improve efficacy and safety of sunscreen emulsions, UV‐filter skin permeation could be kept as low as possible by reducing UV‐filter content or changing emulsion composition. In this work, different lipid phase ratio (12, 14 and 16% w/w) were assessed for their ability to affect the technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions in which bemotrizinol (BMTZ), a broad spectrum sunscreen agent, was incorporated free or loaded into nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLC) to reduce its release from the vehicle and, hence, its skin permeation. The following technological properties were evaluated in vitro by suitable methodologies: spreadability, viscosity, pH, occlusion factor, BMTZ release, sun protection factor (SPF). Sensory attributes were assessed by trained panelists in three different phases: before/during pick‐up, rub‐in, after application. Raising the lipid phase ratio led to an increase of viscosity and to a corresponding drop of spreadability while the incorporation of BMTZ‐loaded NLC determined a decrease of occlusion factor and an increase of SPF. No BMTZ release was observed from all emulsions. Sensory attributes were mainly affected by lipid phase ratio. These results suggest that lipid phase ratio and BMTZ incorporation into NLC could contribute to determine technological and sensory properties of O/W emulsions.

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. belongs to the Cactaceae family and the genus Opuntia; it is a succulent plant that adapts to extreme climatic conditions. The aerial part of the plant consists of the cladodes, morphological changes of branches that appear green, are covered with thorns, and are essential to reduce excessive perspiration of water. The composition of cladodes is very varied, and the main constituents are water, fibers, polysaccharides, proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, sterols, minerals, and polyphenols. Polyphenols are responsible for many beneficial activities for human health, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and nutritional properties. The purpose of this manuscript was to compare the properties of cladodes belonging to the same plant but with different stages of maturity. Relative extracts were tested both in vitro and on a cell line and antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties were found. The antioxidant activity was tested by the ORAC test, the DPPH test, and the measurement of cellular accumulation of ROS. Anti-apoptotic activity was evaluated by the annexin/PI assay and measurement of caspases 9 and 3 expression. The results obtained have shown that the extracts considered possess antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties. However, the different stages of maturity of cladodes are essential for the performance of both functions. In addition, important variations have been made in the dissolution of extracts that have brought greater safety in their use. In conclusion, this manuscript provides further information on cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica, which can be used as adjuvants in many human pathologies.

CoFe2O4 is a promissing catalytic material for many chemical reactions. We have used ab initio molecular dynamic simulations to study the structure and reactivity of the A- and B-terminations of the low index CoFe2O4 (001) surfaces to water adsorption at room temperature. Upon adsorption, water partly dissociates on both termination with a higher dissociation degree on the A- termination (30% versus 19%). The 2-fold coordinated Fe3+(tet) in the tetrahedral voids and the 5-fold coordinated Fe3+(oct) in the octahedral voids are the main active sites for water dissociation on the A- and B-termination, respectively. Molecular water, hydroxydes and surface OH resulting from proton transfer to surface oxygens are present on the surfaces. Both water free sur- face terminations undergo reconstruction. The outermost Fe3+(tet) on the A-termination and B-termination move towards the nearby unoccupied octahedral voids. In the presence of a thin film of 32 water molecules, the reconstructions are partially and completely lifted on the A- and B-termination, respectively.

A cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) thin layer served as the base for a non-enzymatic glucose sensor in an alkaline medium, 0.1 NaOH solution, with a linear range of 50-200 mg/dL using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurement. An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study confirmed the formation of the cuprous oxide layer on the thin gold film sensor prototype. Quantitative detection of glucose in both phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and undiluted human serum were carried out. Neither ascorbic acid nor uric acid even at a relatively high concentration level of 100mg/dL in serum interfered with the glucose detection, demonstrating the excellent selectivity of this non-enzymatic cuprous oxide thin layer based glucose sensor. Chronoamperometry (CA) and single potential amperometric voltammetry were used to verify the measurements obtained by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and the positive results validated that the detection of glucose in a 0.1 M NaOH alkaline medium by DPV measurement was effective. Nickel, platinum and copper are commonly used metals for non-enzymatic glucose detection. The performance of these metal-based sensors for glucose detection using DPV were also evaluated. Cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) thin layer based sensor showed the best sensitivity for glucose detection among the sensors evaluated.

Abstract. Graphene family (GF)-Calcium phosphate (CaP) composites, holds great potential as components of bone regeneration materials. GF nanomaterials can be modified physically as well as chemically, which are to be biomimetic, mechanically to be hard due to their capability to support exceptional mechanical, thermal and electronic properties. These biocompatible GF composites coated on the calcium phosphate can enhance and tolerate stem cell growth and differentiation, proliferation into various lineages or interact with bioorganisms. The development in CF-CaP materials and their physicochemical/biointeractions and strategies towards osteoblasts is a great concern to promote faster healing and reconstructions of large bone imperfections or defects. In this review, we explain the influence of the CF-CaP and summarize recent developments on designing CF-CaP architectures as multifunctional bone regeneration platforms. We have also explored the typical biological applications concerning these CF-CaP based bioactive nanocomposites. Furthermore, the future viewpoints and evolving challenges will also be emphasized. Due to the shortage of full-length reviews in this emerging research field, this review would be caught great attention and encourage various new chances across a wider range of disciplines.

The concept of this prototype is to create a cold air film layer, in indoor side of the window. The function of this extra cold air layer is to increase the amount of window resistance and decrease its U-Value. It provide air film layer by using the same concept of desert cooler or wind catcher. They both bring the hot air from outside then let it go throw straw miost with cold water. After hot air move through straw, it would become cold, thus increase the window resistance and decrease the haet gian, therefore, decrease the cooling load. So, this window model works by heating the air in air room by sun radiation, then after a while, air pressure will rise and its volume will increase then it will impulse to wet hay, and become cold. Then there is fins to guide air flow to its correct direction, thus inner side of window will become cold, not like other type of window which when temperature rise, the inner side of window become hot. So, this window prevents heat transition and creare regenereted trubouland air flim in the inner side of the window. Using calculation to find air film characteristics and WINDOW7.7 software to calculate heat gain through window, shows that it is expected from this prototype to reduce heat gain by 6.85 % for double glazed clear window.

Electronic designers nowadays are facing two challenging demands for various applications: miniaturization and increased functionality. To satisfy these seemingly opposed requirements, reducing the number of mounted components—and thus solder joints—in PCB designs becomes an attractive approach by directly printing passive components such as embedded resistors into the circuit. This approach can also potentially increase the reliability, such as “mean time between failures” (MTBF), while reducing the circuit board size. With its unique capabilities for non-contact precision material deposition, the Aerosol Jet® direct-write technology has been enabling additive manufacturing of fine-feature electronics conformally onto flexible substrates of complicated shapes. The CAD/CAM controlled relative motions between substrate and print head allows convenient adjustment of the pattern and pile height of deposited material at a given ink volumetric deposition rate. To date in the printed electronics industry, additively printing embedded polymer-thick-film (PTF) resistors has mostly been done with screen printing using carbon-based paste inks. Here we demonstrate results of Aerosol Jet® printed PTF resistors of resistance values ranging from ~50 W to > 1 kW, adjustable (among several variable parameters) by the number of stacked layers (or print passes with each pass depositing a fixed amount of ink) between contact pads of around 1 mm apart with footprint line typically < 0.3 mm. In principle, any ink material that can be atomized into fine droplets of 1 to 5 microns can be printed with the Aerosol Jet® system. However, the print quality such as line edge cleanliness can significantly influenced by ink rheology which involves solvent volatility, solids loading, and so on. Our atomizable carbon ink was made by simply diluting a screen printing paste with a compatible solvent of reasonable volatility, which can be cured at temperatures below 200 ^oC. We show that Aerosol Jet® printed overlapping lines can be stacked to large pile height (to reduce the resistance value) without significant increase of line width, which enables fabricating embedded resistors with adjustable resistance values in a limited footprint space.

The beneficial effects of Lanthanide incorporation into 0.94Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3 (BNT-BT) matrix on its functional properties were investigated. The conventional solid-state method was used for synthesizing samples. The structural refinement revealed that all samples crystallized in R3c rhombohedral symmetry. Raman spectroscopy study was carried out using green laser excitation and revealed that no clear perceptible variation in frequency is observed. Dielectric measurements unveiled that the introduction of rare earth obstructed the depolarization temperature promoted in BNT-BT with decreasing the diffusive phase transition with increasing the lanthanide size. Only Dysprosium addition showed comparable diffusion constant and dielectric behavior as the unmodified composition. Further, the comparison of the obtained ferroelectric hysteresis and strain-electric field loops revealed that only Dy-phase exhibited interesting properties comparing parent composition. In addition, the incorporation of lanthanides Ln3+ into the BNT-BT matrix led to the development of luminescence characteristics in the visible and near infrared regions, depending on the excitation wavelengths. The simultaneous occurrence of photoluminescence and ferroelectric/piezoelectric properties opens up possibilities for BNT-BT-Ln to exhibit multifunctionality in a wide range of applications.Keywords: Sodium Bismuth Titanate; structural refinement; dielectric properties; ferroelectric properties; piezoelectric properties; Photoluminescence.

Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) possesses numerous advantages such as high mechanical strength, low friction coefficient, excellent optical properties, and extended lifespan. Consequently, ZrO2 has a broad research foundation and practical significance in functional films and wear-resistant coatings. However, it suffers from brittleness and low ductility when used as a bio-coating material. In this study, a Ta/ZrO2 film was fabricated on Si (100) and titanium alloy substrates using a magnetron sputtering system, with tantalum (Ta) serving solely as a transition layer. Subsequently, Zr and Nb ions were implanted into the film at varying doses but with consistent energy levels. The analysis focused on the film's microstructure, mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, and corrosion resistance. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in the hydrophilicity and corrosion resistance of the ZrO2 film following the implantation of Zr and Nb ions. First-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) principles indicated that, with increasing doping concentrations of Zr and Nb in the ZrO2 model, the stability of the model increased gradually, thereby enhancing its corrosion resistance.

The strong coupling between individual quantum emitters and resonant optical micro/nanocavities is beneficial to understand light and matter interactions. Here we propose a plasmonic nanoantenna placed on a metal film to achieve an ultra-high electric field enhancement in the nanogap and ultra-small optical mode volume. The strong coupling between a single quantum dot and the designed structure is investigated in detail by both numerical simulations and theoretical calculations. When a single QD is inserted into the nanogap of the silver nanoantenna, scattering spectra show remarkably large spectral splitting and typical anti-crossing behavior of the vacuum Rabi splitting, which can be realized in the scattering spectra by varying the nanoantenna thickness. Our work shows a possible way to enhance light-matter interaction at a single quantum emitter limit, which can be useful for future quantum and nanophotonic applications.

The characterization of thin-film solar cells is of huge importance for obtaining high open-circuit voltage and low recombination rates from the interfaces or within the bulk of the main materials. Among the many electrical characterization techniques, the two- and four-wire probe using the Cascade instrument is of interest since the resistance of the wires, and the electrical contacts can be excluded by the additional two wires in 4-wire probe configuration. In this paper, both two and four-point probes configuration are employed to characterize the CIGS chalcogenide thin-film solar cells. The two-wire probe has been used to measure the current-voltage characteristics of the cell which results in a huge internal resistance. Therefore, the four-wire connection is also used to eliminate the lead resistance to enhance the characterization’s accuracy. The load resistance in the two-wire probe diminishes the photogenerated current density at smaller voltage ranges. In contrast, the proposed four-wire probe collects more current at higher voltages due to enhanced carrier collection efficiency from contact electrodes. The current conduction mechanism is also identified at every voltage region represented by the value of the ideality factor of that voltage region. It is observed that a long time given to the charge collection results in increased current density at a higher voltage. According to the results and device characteristics, a novel double-diode model is suggested to extract the saturation current density, shunt and series resistances and the ideality factor of the cells. These cells are shown to be efficient in terms of low recombination at the interfaces and with lower series resistance as the quality of the materials is in its most possible conductive form. The measured internal resistance and saturation current density and ideality factor of the two measurement configuration is measured and compared.

We report on the development of several different thin-film functional material systems prepared by RF magnetron sputtering at Edith Cowan University nanofabrication labs. We conduct research on the design, prototyping, and practical fabrication of high-performance magneto-optic (MO) materials, oxide based sensor components, and heat regulation coatings for advanced construction and solar windows.

The temperature effect plays an important role for an accurate determination of the polar free energy, polar thermodynamic parameters, and enthalpic and entropic Lewis’s acid base properties of oxides, polymers and composites polymers/oxides. The adsorption of polymers on other solid surfaces is crucial in many industrial applications, coatings, paints, catalysis, colloids and adhesion processes. (1) Background: Inverse gas chromatography at infinite was used for the physico-chemical characterization of solid substrates by determining the thermodynamic parameters of adsorption of model organic solvents on solid surfaces such as polymers, metallic oxides, carbon fibers, pharmaceutical or 3D/4D printing substrates. (2) Methods: A new method based on the London dispersion equation was applied with a new parameter associating the deformation po-larizability and the harmonic mean of the ionization energies of solvent. More accurate values of the dispersive and polar interaction energies of the various organic solvents adsorbed on PMMA in bulk phase and PMMA/silica at different recovery fractions were obtained as well as the Lewis acid-base parameters and the transition temperatures of the different composites. (3) Results: This new methodology gave very interesting results on the behavior of PMMA adsorbed on silica. An important effect of the temperature and the recovery fraction on the various physicochemical and thermodynamic properties was highlighted. The variations of all interaction parameters showed the presence of three transition temperatures for the different PMMA adsorbed on silica with the various coverage rates with a shift of these temperatures for a recovery fraction of 31% (4) Con-clusions: An important variation of the polar enthalpy and entropy of adsorption, the Lewis ac-id-base parameters and the intermolecular separation distance as a function of the temperature and the recovery fraction of PMMA on silica.