Materials For Advanced Applications Research Articles

Engineering lignocellulose-based composites for advanced structural materials

With the advances in technology and the growing focus on environmental protection and sustainable development, the field of engineering materials is constantly pursuing the development of new materials. Lignocellulose-based composites have gradually become a hot research topic because they not only possess the natural advantages of wood, such as renewability and good mechanical properties, but also have other advantages that cannot be matched by other materials, such as strong structural designability and easy functional modification. The application of advanced structural materials has brought new breakthroughs and development opportunities to traditional wood, with engineering lignocellulose-based composites being an important representative of innovative materials. In this regard, this paper provides an overview of the characteristics and applications of engineered lignocellulose-based composites based on advanced structural materials. Firstly, the structure and advantages of wood are introduced, followed by a focused discussion on the structure, preparation methods, and application areas of densified wood, transparent wood, and bioinspired wood. Finally, the future research directions are outlined to propel further advancements in this field.

Doping HTPB binder with cellulose nitrate: A promising strategy for advanced energetic material applications

This study explored the characteristics of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) supplemented with cellulose nitrate (NC), as a high-energy density binder. The effect of NC doping and its content on the chemical structure, morphology, energetic, and thermokinetic behavior of HTPB–NC binder highlighted attractive features such as good compatibility, improved density, homogeneity, and fiber dispersion. Additionally, HTPB–NC exhibited excellent thermal stability with significant energy release and notable chemical reactivity. These interesting properties of the HTPB–NC binder, provide evidence for the excellent synergistic effect between HTPB and NC, which could promote its application in the next generation of energetic propellant formulations.

H‐BN‐Encapsulated Uncooled Infrared Photodetectors Based on Tantalum Nickel Selenide

AbstractUncooled broadband spectrum detection, spanning from visible to mid‐wave‐infrared regions, offers immense potential for applications in environmental monitoring, optical telecommunications, and radar systems. While leveraging proven technologies, conventional mid‐wave‐infrared photodetectors are encumbered by high dark currents and the necessity for cryogenic cooling. Correspondingly, innovative low‐dimensional materials like black phosphorus manifest weak photoresponse and instability. Here, tantalum nickel selenide (Ta2NiSe5) infrared photodetectors with an operational wavelength range from 520 nm to 4.6 µm, utilizing a hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) encapsulation technique are introduced. The h‐BN encapsulated metal‐Ta2NiSe5‐metal photodetector demonstrates a responsivity of 0.86 A W−1, a noise equivalent power of 1.8 × 10−11 W Hz−1/2, and a peak detectivity of 8.75 × 108 cm Hz1/2 W−1 at 4.6 µm under ambient conditions. Multifaceted mechanisms of photocurrent generation in the novel device prototype subject are scrutinized to varying wavelengths of radiation, by characterizing the temporal‐, bias‐, power‐, and temperature‐dependent photoresponse. Moreover, the photopolarization dependence is delved and concealed‐target imaging is demonstrated, which exhibits polarization angle sensitivity and high‐fidelity imaging across the visible, short‐wave, and mid‐wave‐infrared bands. The observations, which reveal versatile detection modalities, propose Ta2NiSe5 as a promising low‐dimensional material for advanced applications in nano‐optoelectronic device.

Advanced Composite Materials for Structure Strengthening and Resilience Improvement

Advanced composite materials have excellent performance and broad engineering application prospects, and have received widespread attention in recent years. Advanced composite materials can mainly be divided into fiber-reinforced composite materials, laminated composite materials, matrix composite materials, and other composite materials. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the types and characteristics of advanced composite materials, and provides a comprehensive evaluation of the latest research on structural strengthening and resilience improvement in advanced composite materials from the perspectives of new methods, modeling optimization, and practical applications. In the field of fiber-reinforced composite materials, the hybrid technology of carbon fiber and glass fiber can achieve dual advantages in combining the two materials. The maximum increase in mechanical properties of multilayer sandwich RH plate by hybrid technology is 435.4% (tensile strength), 149.2% (flexural strength), and 110.7~114.2% (shear strength), respectively. In the field of laminated composite materials, different mechanical properties of laminated composite materials can be obtained by changing the deposition sequence. In the field of matrix composites, nano copper oxide particles prepared by nanotechnology can increase the hardness and tensile strength of the metal matrix material by 77% and 78%, respectively. In the field of other composite materials, viscoelastic materials and magnetorheological variants have received widespread attention. The development of composite materials benefits from the promotion of new methods and technologies, but there are still problems such as complex preparation, high cost, and unstable performance. Considering the characteristics, application requirements, cost, complexity, and performance of different types of composite materials, further improvements and innovations are needed in modeling and optimization to better meet practical engineering needs, such as the application of advanced composite materials in civil engineering, ships, automobiles, batteries, and other fields.

Advanced Composite Materials Utilized in FDM/FFF 3D Printing Manufacturing Processes: The Case of Filled Filaments.

The emergence of additive manufacturing technologies has brought about a significant transformation in several industries. Among these technologies, Fused Deposition Modeling/Fused Filament Fabrication (FDM/FFF) 3D printing has gained prominence as a rapid prototyping and small-scale production technique. The potential of FDM/FFF for applications that require improved mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties has been restricted due to the limited range of materials that are suitable for this process. This study explores the integration of various reinforcements, including carbon fibers, glass fibers, and nanoparticles, into the polymer matrix of FDM/FFF filaments. The utilization of advanced materials for reinforcing the filaments has led to the enhancement in mechanical strength, stiffness, and toughness of the 3D-printed parts in comparison to their pure polymer counterparts. Furthermore, the incorporation of fillers facilitates improved thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and flame retardancy, thereby broadening the scope of potential applications for FDM/FFF 3D-printed components. Additionally, the article underscores the difficulties linked with the utilization of filled filaments in FDM/FFF 3D printing, including but not limited to filament extrusion stability, nozzle clogging, and interfacial adhesion between the reinforcement and matrix. Ultimately, a variety of pragmatic implementations are showcased, wherein filled filaments have exhibited noteworthy benefits in comparison to standard FDM/FFF raw materials. The aforementioned applications encompass a wide range of industries, such as aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics, and tooling. The article explores the possibility of future progress and the incorporation of innovative reinforcement materials. It presents a plan for the ongoing growth and application of advanced composite materials in FDM/FFF 3D printing.

Tailoring the Architecture of Molecular Bottlebrushes via Click Grafting-Onto Strategy.

Molecular bottlebrush (MBB) refer to a synthetic macromolecule, in which a mass of polymeric side chains (SCs) are covalently connected to a macromolecular backbone densely, representing an important type of unimolecular nanomaterial. The chemical composition, size, shape, and surface property of MBB can be precisely tailored by varying the backbones and SCs as well as the grafting density (Gdst ). Meanwhile, the topological structure of backbones and SCs can also significantly affect the chemical and physical properties of MBBs. For the past few years, by combining the structure features of MBB, the polymers with diverse architectures using MBB as building block are synthesized, including linear, branched, and cyclic MBB etc. These promising architectural features will bring MBBs with diverse architectures and lots of applications in advanced materials. For this reason, this work is interested in giving a briefly summary of the recent progress on tailor of well-defined MBBs with diverse architectures using grafting-onto strategy combined with controlled polymerization technique.

Hygro-thermo-mechanical coupling behavior of porous FG-GNPRC annular plates considering aggregation of GNPs

The research on graphene nanolayers has important theoretical and practical significance for promoting the application of advanced composite materials in the field of engineering. This paper investigates the mechanical properties of FG-GNPRC annular plates with voids in hot and humid environments. Considering the aggregation effect and aggregation type of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in GNP reinforced composites (GRCs), the random distribution pattern of GNPs in GRCs, and the gradient distribution of GNPs in functional gradient GNPRC (FG-GNPRC), the mechanical model of FG-GNPRC annular plate with variable thickness under hygro-thermo-mechanical environment is established. Applying the Newmark method to solve the problem in the time domain, the basic equations of the coupled thermal and humidity fields as well as radial displacement are derived and solved. The effects of the randomly arranged distribution pattern of GNPs, the aspect ratio of GNPs, the aggregation types and aggregation parameters of GNPs within the clusters, the gradient index, and the variation rule of thickness on the hygro-thermo-mechanical response of the porous FG-GRC annular plates are investigated by numerical examples.

Engineered Biomaterials Trigger Remineralization and Antimicrobial Effects for Dental Caries Restoration.

Dental caries is the most prevalent chronic disease globally, significantly impacting individuals' quality of life. A key reason behind the failure of implanted restorations is their biological inactivity, meaning they are unable to form crosslinks with the surrounding tooth structures, thus making patients susceptible to implant loss and recurrent tooth decay. For the treatment of caries, antibacterial medicine and remineralization are effective means of treating the recurrence of caries. Owing to the rapid progression in the biomaterials field, several biomaterials have been reported to display antimicrobial properties and aid in dentin remineralization. Bioactive materials hold considerable potential in diminishing biofilm accumulation, inhibiting the process of demineralization, enabling dentin remineralization, and combating bacteria related to caries. Bioactive materials, such as fluoride, amorphous calcium phosphate, bioactive glass, collagen, and resin-based materials, have demonstrated their effectiveness in promoting dentin remineralization and exerting antibacterial effects on dental caries. However, the concentration of fluoride needs to be strictly controlled. Although amorphous calcium phosphate can provide the necessary calcium and phosphorus ions for remineralization, it falls short in delivering the mechanical strength required for oral mastication. Resin-based materials also offer different advantages due to the complexity of their design. In this review, we delve into the application of advanced bioactive materials for enhancing dentin remineralization and antibacterial properties. We eagerly anticipate future developments in bioactive materials for the treatment of dental caries.

Bicomponent spunbond filters doped with polytetrafluoroethylene nanoparticles for long-term efficient fine particle removal

Electret fiber-based air filtration materials find extensive applications in various fields, including particulate matter filtration, indoor purification, and epidemic prevention. However, achieving high-efficiency filtration with low resistance and long-term stability remains a challenge. In this study, we present a novel approach to fabricate sheath-core bicomponent spunbond filters (BCSFs) doped with polytetrafluoroethylene nanoparticles (PNPs) using bicomponent spunbond, through-air bonding, and corona charging techniques. This strategy enables the filtration material to possess low air resistance, long-term stable filtration efficiency, and a high dust holding capacity. The resulting BCSFs-PNPs exhibit remarkable filtration performance, with a filtration efficiency of 99.25% and a dust holding capacity of up to 11.48 g m−2, while maintaining a pressure drop as low as 37.87 Pa. Notably, the filtration efficiency of BCSFs-PNPs only experienced a slight decrease of 3.58% over a period of 180 days, demonstrating excellent long-term stability. The successful preparation of BCSFs-PNPs using corona charging technology holds great promise and offers valuable insight for the design and application of advanced air filtration materials.

Electrocapacitive removal of malachite green and methylene blue using green-synthesized NiBi2O4 nanospinels

Bismuth based spinels are new spinels which possess special features for advanced material applications. In this study, NiBi2O4 was synthesized through a green sol-gel method using plant extract reductant for capacitive removal of malachite green dye. Parameters like effect of concentration, applied voltage, electrode spacing, and cycle were investigated. The NiBi2O4 spinel showed 91 % malachite green removal and followed the Elovich model at R2 of 0.99413. This confirms that the capacitive removal is chemisorption and depends on surface chemistry of the green NiBi2O4. This work confirms that high temperature destabilizes the surface chemistry of green bismuth-based spinels. XRD confirms the NiBi2O4 crystallized as a cubic spinel, the FTIR confirms the presence of Bi2O3 octahedron and NiO tetrahedron. XPS confirms Bi 2p1/2 and 2p3/2 at 798 and 776 eV respectively. Over the first five cycles, a charge capacitance and charge recovery kept at 214 to 212 and 99 to 97 % respectively confirms its capacitive stability over the spinels that were prepared at higher temperatures. The green NiBi2O4 spinels also showed 83 % removal efficiency for malachite green and methylene blue binary mixtures in the presence of an acidified iodine ion carrier. This work shows that green NiBi2O4 maintains good structural stability and shows good capacitive behavior at room temperature than spinels synthesized at higher temperatures.

Utilizing Dip-Coating to Fabricate Gate Dielectric and Semiconductor for Thin-Film Transistors

The potential applications of advanced electronic materials in large-area, printable, and flexible electronics have generated significant interest. However, creating high-performance, low-voltage thin-film transistors (TFTs) for these applications remains difficult due to a lack of advanced gate dielectric and semiconductor materials that meet both ease-of-fabrication requirements and high electrical performance. In this study, we present high-performance gate dielectric thin-films, which were fabricated using a facile solution-based technique, and then employed to realize low operating voltage organic and metal oxide semiconductor-based thin-film transistors. The high-k oxide gate dielectrics were produced via a simple dip-coating method, resulting in the formation of thin-oxide layers. These novel oxide gate dielectrics demonstrated exceptional dielectric properties, with large capacitances (up to 430 nF/ cm2), low-level leakage current densities (< 3 × 10-8A/cm2 at 4 V), featureless morphology (rms roughness < 0.36 nm), and high transparency (> 85%). Consequently, these dip-coated gate dielectrics can be incorporated into thin-film transistors, utilizing pentacene as p-type organic semiconductors. Furthermore, by employing dip-coating, indium oxide and indium-gallium-zinc oxide can be utilized as n-type inorganic semiconductors, allowing for the fabrication of low-voltage operation and high-performance inorganic TFTs. The resulting TFTs functioned at ultralow voltages (< ± 2 V) and achieved high transistor performance (hole mobility: 0.28 cm2V-1·s-1, electron mobility: ~2.0 cm2V-1·s-1 and on/off current ratio >105).

Emerging Trends in Composite and Advanced Composite Materials Technology for Oil and Gas Industry

Composite and advanced composite materials are new age materials offering multiple benefits such as longer durability, lighter weight, high strength, tailor made properties etc. Lessons have been learnt from successful applications of composite and advanced composite materials and the results indicate that operators, designers and contractors are beginning to take a serious interest in their wide applications in Oil and Gas Industry. The most significant advances in the field of composite materials technology has been the use of glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) for pipelines and piping, structural applications for the top side secondary structures of offshore platforms and onshore installations. The introduction of carbon fibers has opened a new vista for composites applications in oil and gas industry particularly in deepwater operations such as drilling risers, production risers, umbilical, moorings etc. Numerous risers, mooring, pipeline, subsea and topside components made of polyester, titanium, glass/epoxy, and glass/carbon/epoxy materials are in the process of qualification for offshore use. These advanced composite material components have potential to extend capabilities of existing platform concept such as Semi submersibles, TLPs, FPSOs and SPARs. This paper presents the properties and advantages offered by composite and advanced composite materials, their current use and future potential applications in oil and gas industry.

Obtaining, Characterization and Applications of Advanced Materials

This special issue focused on scientific works in the field of obtaining, characterization and recent applications of advanced materials, protective films, nanomaterials with multiple uses, including medical, heritage artefact conservation science and civil and industrial engineering [...]

Book Review Advanced Materials for Wastewater Treatment and Desalination: Fundamentals to Applications

Book Review Advanced Materials for Wastewater Treatment and Desalination: Fundamentals to Applications

Interfacial polymer architecture can control nanoparticle dispersion and rheological behavior of nanocomposites

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have become essential components in many advanced materials applications, from solid state battery electrolytes to high-performance structural components. In PNCs, the large fraction of interfacial polymers determines their outstanding rheological performance; yet, strategies to control the structure and dynamics of the interfacial polymer has been very limited. Here, using poly(ethylene oxide)-silica model nanocomposite system, we propose a facile approach based on varying macromolecular architecture of interfacial polymers. We show that by changing the topology of the bound polymer from linear to star and hyperbranched, polymer-NP interaction as well as chain interpenetration in the interphases can be effectively altered without changing type or molecular weight of the polymer, or NP surface chemistry in attractive PNCs. Our results show that both dispersion and rheological behavior of PNCs depend highly on functionality and arm length of the polymers used at the interfaces. These results can be used to design ion-conductive molten polymer electrolytes with significantly improved mechanical properties suitable for solid-state battery applications.

Preface: 6th International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials (CEAM 2023)

The 2023 6th International Conference on Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials (CEAM 2023) was held in Chongqing, China during June 24-25, 2023. This conference aims to provide opportunities for all participants to exchange new innovative ideas and application experiences as well as to provide a platform where possible innovators can think of new ventures, generate contacts and networks for future collaboration.
 The CEAM 2023 topics include chemical engineering, biological chemistry, biological pharmacy, food science, chemical materials, nano materials, materials processing engineering, and advanced materials applications. This conference brought together leaders from industry and academia to exchange and share their experiences, present research results, explore collaborations, and to spark new ideas, with the aim of developing new projects and exploiting new technology. The conference has received more than 60 papers from all around the world and after a rigorous peer-review process, less than 50 papers were accepted.
 On behalf of the conference organizers, we would like to thank the reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing the papers. Their feedbacks to the authors have been excellent and useful to ensure high quality papers for the conference. Our appreciation to all keynote speakers for sharing their thoughts and experiences with respect to various topics. Our sincere thanks also go to all attendees from all around the world for participating in the conference. Finally, we would like to thank the organizing committee members for their hard work, cooperation, and insights in ensuring the success of this conference.
 Scientific Committee of CEAM 2023
 Chongqing, China

Recent advances in application and progress of advanced materials as adsorbents in sample preparation for plant growth regulators.

Plant growth regulators are a class of physiologically active substances that could modify or regulate basic physiological processes in the plant and defense against abiotic and biotic stresses, including natural plant growth regulators and synthetic ones. Different from natural plant growth regulators with low content and high cost of extraction in plants, synthetic ones can be produced in large-scale production and widely used in agriculture for increasing and securing yield and quality of the harvested produce. However, like pesticides, the abuse of plant growth regulators will have negative impacts on human beings. Therefore, it is important to monitor plant growth regulators residues. Due to the low concentration of plant growth regulators and complex matrices of food, it is necessary to isolate and extract plant growth regulators by appropriate adsorbents in sample preparation for obtaining satisfactory results. In the last decade, several advanced materials as adsorbents have shown superiority in sample preparation. This review briefly introduces the recent application and progress of advanced materials as adsorbents in sample preparation for extraction of plant growth regulators from the complex matrix. In the end, the challenge and outlook about the extraction of plant growth regulators of these advanced adsorbents in sample preparation are presented.

Editorial: New applications of advanced materials in water and wastewater treatment and energy systems

Editorial: New applications of advanced materials in water and wastewater treatment and energy systems

Latest advances in ionic liquids promoted synthesis and application of advanced biomass materials

Latest advances in ionic liquids promoted synthesis and application of advanced biomass materials

Modern Trends in Recycling Waste Thermoplastics and Their Prospective Applications: A Review

Thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics are two major classes of polymers in that have recently become materials that are indispensable for humankind. Regarding the three basic needs of human beings—food, shelter, and clothing—polymers and polymer-based materials have gained pre-eminence. Polymers are used in food production, beginning with farming applications, and in the health sector for the development of various biomaterials, as well as in shelter and clothing for a variety of applications. Polymers are the material of choice for all modern-day applications (transportation, sporting, military/defence, electronics, packaging, and many more). Their widespread applications have created many negative challenges, mainly in the area of environmental pollution. While thermoplastics can be easily reprocessed to obtain new products, thermosetting plastics cannot; thus, this review focuses more on the use of waste from thermoplastics with less emphasis on thermosetting plastics. Hence, the review presents a concise summary of the availability of waste thermoplastics as raw materials for product development and the anticipated benefits. The prospects for waste thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, the possibility of cleaning the environment, and the uncovering of opportunities for further research and development are presented. The limitations of the current methods of waste polymer recycling are highlighted with possible future prospects from newly introduced methods. With zero tolerance for polymer waste in our environments, potential uses for recycled thermosetting plastics are described. Waste polymers should be seen as potential raw materials for research and development as well as major materials for new products. Recycled polymers are expected to be processed for use in advanced materials applications in the future due to their availability. This review shows that the major source of environmental pollution from polymers is the packaging, hence the need to modify products for these applications by ensuring that most of them are biodegradable.