Material Process Research Articles

Cation Triggered Self-Assembly of α-Lactalbumin Nanotubes.

Metal ions play a dual role in biological systems. Although they actively participate in vital life processes, they may contribute to protein aggregation and misfolding and thus contribute to development of diseases and other pathologies. In nanofabrication, metal ions mediate the formation of nanostructures with diverse properties. Here, we investigated the self-assembly of α-lactalbumin into nanotubes induced by coordination with metal ions, screened among the series Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, and Au3+. Our results revealed that the affinity of metal ions toward hydrolyzed α-lactalbumin peptides not only impacts the kinetics of nanotube formation but also influences their length and rigidity. These findings expand our understanding of supramolecular assembly processes in protein-based materials and pave the way for designing novel materials such as metallogels in biochip and biosensor applications.

Comparing material and experiential framing in access-based fashion consumption and its influence on consumer happiness

ABSTRACT Drawing on the experiential advantage, three studies were conducted with online clothing rental service users and potential consumers to assess how material and experiential framing impact consumer happiness and word of mouth (WOM) intentions, moderated by consumer materialism, across different consumption (i.e., buying and renting fashion products) and product types (i.e., renting instrumental vs. terminal products). The findings indicate that material framing enhances consumer perceptions of rented fashion products as reflective of their self-identity and increases product-self connections, thereby boosting happiness and WOM intentions. In contrast, experiential framing proves advantageous with instrumental products. This research expands our understanding of the boundary conditions and psychological processes of material vs. experiential framing and provides practical guidance for access-based fashion businesses to effectively communicate and present their services, aiming to achieve positive customer buzz and recommendations.

Engineering a photothermal responsive cellulose carbon capture material for solar-driven CO2 desorption

The utilization of the solar-driven CO2 desorption of carbon capture materials opens a promising avenue to reduce energy consumption in the carbon capture process. A crucial aspect is the careful coordination of materials' adsorption capacity and regeneration temperature. In this study, a photothermal responsive carbon capture material was developed by incorporating a photothermal responsive cellulose nanofiber matrix skeleton with a temperature-sensitive Pluronic® F-127 and polyethyleneimine. These components formed a staggered network through crosslinking with epichlorohydrin. The devised preparation strategy demonstrated a remarkable conversion rate of 99% for the reaction reagents. The resulting carbon capture material exhibited a high amino density of 14.18 mmol/g and a substantial adsorption capacity of 6.92 mmol/g. Notably, the shrinkage of Pluronic® F-127 molecular chains at elevated temperatures led to an increased surface electrostatic potential and the passivation of amino groups. This transformation endowed the material with a solar-driven regeneration temperature as low as 55 °C, representing an efficient approach to reduce energy consumption during the regeneration process of carbon capture materials.

Sensitivity Analysis of the Square Cup Forming Process Using PAWN and Sobol Indices

This study investigates the sensitivity of the square cup forming process. It analyses how the uncertainties in the material properties, friction and process conditions affect the results of the square cup, such as equivalent plastic strain, geometry change, thickness reduction, punch force and springback. The cup flange and the die curvature region are identified as highly affected areas, while the cup bottom is least affected by the uncertainties. Two sensitivity analysis techniques, PAWN and Sobol indices, are compared. In particular, the study shows that PAWN indices require a significantly smaller number of simulations than Sobol indices, making them a more efficient choice for sensitivity analysis. While both PAWN and Sobol indices generally give comparable results, discrepancies arise in the analysis of springback, where PAWN indices show superior accuracy, particularly when dealing with multimodal distributions. This observation highlights the importance of selecting the appropriate sensitivity analysis method based on the nature of the data being analysed. These results provide insights for optimizing stamping processes to reduce production time and costs.

Applications of Plasma Technologies in Recycling Processes.

Plasmas are reactive ionised gases, which enable the creation of unique reaction fields. This allows plasmas to be widely used for a variety of chemical processes for materials, recycling among others. Because of the increase in urgency to find more sustainable methods of waste management, plasmas have been enthusiastically applied to recycling processes. This review presents recent developments of plasma technologies for recycling linked to economical models of circular economy and waste management hierarchies, exemplifying the thermal decomposition of organic components or substances, the recovery of inorganic materials like metals, the treatment of paper, wind turbine waste, and electronic waste. It is discovered that thermal plasmas are most applicable to thermal processes, whereas nonthermal plasmas are often applied in different contexts which utilise their chemical selectivity. Most applications of plasmas in recycling are successful, but there is room for advancements in applications. Additionally, further perspectives are discussed.

Diagnosis of Al-CFRTP TA-FSLW defect using acoustic emission signal based on SPWVD and ResNet

As one of the important development directions in modern railway and automobile, lightweight requires reliable connection technology of dissimilar materials. Thermal-assisted friction stir lap welding (TA-FSLW) is an available welding technology for the joining of dissimilar materials, which can solve the problems of physical and chemical properties in the welding process of dissimilar materials. Unfortunately, defects may occur during the welding process. This paper proposes a defect diagnosis method based on smooth pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution (SPWVD) and ResNet18 for Al-CFRTP TA-FSLW. Firstly, the acoustic emission (AE) signal and the temperature of the weld nugget are acquired by the AE sensor and thermography camera in the FSLW process. Then, the time–frequency domain features of AE signal are extracted by SPWVD, and the maximum temperature of the weld nugget is extracted by exponential moving average (EMA) from thermography. Moreover, the dataset is established by SPWVD features, maximum temperature of welding nugget, and several time–frequency features. Finally, the ResNet18-attention network is employed to classify welding defects and stages. The Al-CFRTP TA-FSLW experiments are carried out based on the proposed method. Experimental result indicates that the SPWVD spectrum can effectively extract the feature frequency of deep and shallow hole defects in the welding process. In the section of classification, the accuracy of the dataset with SPWVD features is improved by 2% to 4% compared to other methods, which demonstrates that the SPWVD feature is superior in defect feature extraction.

Morphogenetic Promoters in the Development of Provisional and Definitive Urinary Organs in Humans and Vertebrates

The aim is to show the regulatory significance of promoter organs of morphogenesis in a stable state of the kidneys of vertebrates (fish, birds) and humans. Material and methods. 118 embryos at stages 12-23 of Carnegie (SC) and 28 human fetuses of 9-12 weeks of fetogenesis, 268 embryos of meat chickens (cross "Hibro PG +") from the stage of 48 hours to 20 days of broiler egg incubation, 50 fry of peled Coregonus peled were studied (Gmelin, 1788) at the stage of yolk sac atrophy (stage 36-37 according to the classification of Detlaf, 1975). To study the method of light microscopy, the material fixed in a 10% neutral form, embedded in paraffin. Sections stained with Mayer's hematoxylin and eosin, McManus CHIC method. Ki-67, CD31, CD34, positive cells are detected by immunohistochemistry. Primary kidney examination by low-vacuum electron microscopy. Embryos and human fetuses are observed in the Tyumen health care facility during medical abortion on demand in anamnestic healthy women with their warning about emergency work. Observation chicken embryos at the poultry farm “Tyumensky Broiler”, incubation workshop (Kaskara village, Tyumen region). Morphometric analysis and statistical processing of the actual material were carried out. Results. It was shown that the organotypic differentiation of the intermediate mesenchyme and the formation of nephrons of the provisional and definitive urinary organs control the state of the mesonephric duct and metanephritic diverticulum. The mesonephric duct initiates the organotypic antibiotic of the perifocal intermediate mesonephric mesenchyme and detects the proximodistal vector of saltatory mesonephronogenesis. The metanephritic diverticulum and its daughter branches initiate the organotypic differentiation of the intermediate mesenchyme and control the fan mechanism of metanephronogenesis. Activity of nephronogenesis Determination of the dynamics of convergence of immunocompetent cells. The absence of ventrodorsal generation of mesonephrons in humans is associated with a significant vital cycle of a normal kidney, atrophy of the mesonephric duct, and a decrease in the activity of immunocompetent cells. An increase in the expression of CD31, CD34, Bcl-2, Ki-67 positive cells is realized in combination with the formation of nephron rudiments as the promoter organs move in the developing organ of urinary formation. Conclusion. Prenatal organogenesis monitors and constantly monitors the formation of promoter organs of morphogenesis - the mesonephric duct and the metanephric disserticulum. Organotypic infection of the intermediate mesenchyme during the development of fish, birds and humans correlates with the chronovector of the convergence of immunocompetent cells.

Selective lignin extraction by deep eutectic solvents for the green preparation of bagasse fibers with different lignin contents

In this work, a series of deep eutectic solvents (DES) were prepared using varying proportions of choline chloride and lactic acid. The DES were then employed to selectively extract lignin from bagasse fibers, resulting in bagasse fibers with varying lignin contents. By manipulating the lactic acid composition, bagasse fibers with lignin content ranging from 3.79 to 11.73 wt% of the total weight of the original bagasse were successfully produced, retaining most of the cellulose. Furthermore, the dissolution mechanism of the DES was experimentally characterized. These findings indicate that an increase in the lactic acid level leads to a finer particle size and dissolved cellulose shape. Furthermore, the mechanism by which lactic acid content influences the extraction of lignin units was investigated along with the morphological and elemental changes of cellulose within bagasse fibers after extraction. Additionally, the changes in structural composition, molecular weight, and β-d-xylopyranoside content of lignin were analyzed. This study offers novel perspectives on the environmentally friendly processing of cellulosic material with various lignin contents.

Identification of the surface heat flux of charring ablative materials using dynamic Bayesian network based on multisource information fusion

In order to solve the dual uncertainty problem between heat flux and thermophysical properties in the identification of the heat flux of charring ablative materials, a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) based on multisource information fusion is proposed. The method is divided into two stages, with thermophysical properties identified in the former stage and the heat flux identified in the latter stage. A one-dimensional pyrolysis layer model is adopted to characterize the ablation process of materials. In the DBN, the multisource information of surface recession and temperature history data are considered as observation nodes. Sensitivity analysis is used to determine the key parameters in each time step in the DBN, and only key parameters are identified in the corresponding time step. Thus, with the increase of types of information and the decrease of the number of simultaneous identification parameters, the identification accuracy can be improved. The method was verified by numerical and experimental cases. In the numerical cases with noise and experimental cases, the maximum error of using the proposed method was 3.27% and 2.55%, respectively. Compared with only considering the temperature information, the relative errors of the identification results considering multisource information fusion were reduced by 83.95% and 47.53%, respectively.

Ladungstransferdynamiken in organisch–anorganischen hybriden Heterostrukturen – Einblicke mithilfe von Summenfrequenzspektroskopie

AbstractOrganisch–anorganische Heterostrukturen spielen eine zentrale Rolle in modernen elektronischen und optoelektronischen Anwendungen. Dazu gehören Photodetektoren und Feldeffekttransistoren sowie die Umwandlung von Solarenergie mithilfe von Photoelektroden für Farbstoffsolarzellen, photoelektrochemischen Zellen und organischen Photovoltaiksystemen. Die Leistung solcher Systeme wird zu großen Teilen durch die Dynamik des Ladungstransfers an und zwischen (inneren) Grenzflächen, z. B. zwischen einem Halbleiter mit großer Bandlücke und molekularen Sensibilisatoren und/oder Katalysatoren, bestimmt. Daher ist ein detailliertes Verständnis der Beziehung zwischen Struktur, Dynamik und Funktion solcher funktionalen Grenzflächen notwendig, um mögliche Limitationen der Leistungsfähigkeit dieser Materialien und Systeme auf molekularer Ebene zu erklären. Die Summenfrequenzspektroskopie (SFS) als grenzflächenempfindliche Technik ermöglicht es, spezifische chemische Informationen über Grenzflächen zu erhalten. Wird diese in ein Anregungs‐Abfrage‐Schema integriert, liefert sie neben solchen chemischen Erkenntnissen eine ultraschnelle Zeitauflösung. Dieser Mini‐Review‐Artikel diskutiert die Vorteile und das Potenzial der SFS für die Untersuchung von Ladungstransferdynamiken an Grenzflächen und von strukturellen Veränderungen an inneren Grenzflächen. Es wird ein wichtiger Beitrag dieser einzigartigen spektroskopischen Einblicke in ansonsten unzugängliche Grenzflächen vorgestellt, der, so hoffen wir, neue Wege für ein besseres Verständnis der funktionsbestimmenden Prozesse in komplexen Materialien aufzeigt. Damit sollen Gemeinschaften, die sich dem Design von Materialien und Bauteilen widmen, mit Spektroskopikern zusammengebracht werden.

Charge Transfer Dynamics in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Heterostructures-Insights by Vibrational-Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.

Organic-inorganic heterostructures play a pivotal role in modern electronic and optoelectronic applications including photodetectors and field effect transistors, as well as in solar energy conversion such as photoelectrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells, photoelectrochemical cells, and in organic photovoltaics. To a large extent, performance of such devices is controlled by charge transfer dynamics at and across (inner) interfaces, e.g., between a wide band gap semiconductor and molecular sensitizers and/or catalysts. Hence, a detailed understanding of the structure-dynamics-function relationship of such functional interfaces is necessary to rationalize possible performance limitations of these materials and devices on a molecular level. Vibrational sum-frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy, as an interface-sensitive spectroscopic technique, allows to obtain chemically specific information from interfaces and combines such chemical insights with ultrafast time resolution, when integrated as a spectroscopic probe into a pump-probe scheme. Thus, this minireview discusses the advantages and potential of VSFG spectroscopy for investigating interfacial charge transfer dynamics and structural changes at inner interfaces. A critical perspective of the unique spectroscopic view of otherwise inaccessible interfaces is presented, which we hope opens new opportunities for an improved understanding of function-determining processes in complex materials, and brings together communities who are devoted to designing materials and devices with spectroscopists.

Enhancing the microwave absorption performance of graphite/Al2O3 composites through manipulating sheet resistance

AbstractThe graphite/Al2O3 composite was prepared using plasma spray technology, the material design, experimental methods, and process flow are introduced. The microstructure, chemical composition, and complex permittivity of the composite are investigated, and its performance to absorb electromagnetic waves is studied. The mechanism of interaction between chemical composition, microstructure, complex permittivity, and absorption performance is analyzed. Furthermore, a microwave absorber composed of graphite/Al2O3 and sheet resistance, and performance is discussed. The reflectivity of the composite coating with different periods and sizes and resistances is analyzed. The impedance and reflectivity of the designed absorber that contains sheet resistance are discussed, and its absorption mechanism is explained in detail. The results demonstrate that the microwave absorption performance of graphite/Al2O3 coating is enhanced by electromagnetic resonance of the sheet resistance. The designed absorber exhibits good wave‐absorbing performance and stability at the frequency of the 8.2–18 GHz range. When the sample thickness is 2.3 mm, the absorber achieves a reflection loss (RL) value of −16.8 dB at 9.8 GHz and a wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 9.8 GHz. It means that the RL below −10 dB can be obtained in the whole X band and Ku bands. These results proved that the EAB can be tuned and enhanced by manipulating sheet resistance.

SOCIETY’S NEED FOR PRESERVING WORKS OF ART

The article is devoted to the problem of preservation of artistic values in culture and generalization of the most famous philosophical theories on this problem. The role of experts in classifying works of art as cultural values is clarified and the connection of biochemical processes in the nervous system of the human body with the cultural intention of preserving works of art is emphasized. The research task is to focus attention on the process of materialization of spiritual values as a means of defining and strengthening a person in space and time. The difference in the attitude of people to collecting works of art is indicated. The subject of discussion is the ambiguous understanding of beauty in the modern world, as well as the current criteria for attributing works of art to artistic values. This material is intended to expand readers’ understanding of the relevance of the protection of cultural heritage.

A novel covalent grafting method between cellulose and ferulic acid through HRP enzyme/acetylacetone/L-Ascorbic acid ternary dual initiator system

In the application of natural dyes, using environmentally and human body harmful metal dyes was still the mainstream dyeing method in the process of cellulose fiber dyeing with natural dyes. This study proposed a new method that can catalyzed the covalent grafting of cellulose materials with Ferulic acid (FA), the ternary system consisting of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), acetylacetone (ACAC) and L-Ascorbic acid (AA). The grafting process of cellulose materials with FA was systematically studied, and the optimal grafting polymerization conditions was determined using orthogonal experimental analysis. In the experiment, it was found that the morphology and structure of cellulose materials significantly affect their grafting polymerization performance with FA, and the change rule of their grafting rate was cotton fabric (3.84%) < cotton yarn (4.54%) < tencel fabric (4.70%) < tencel yarn (53.06%) < cotton cellulose (5.59%) < corn starch (6.70%). The grafted fabrics have excellent color fastness, antibacterial and UV resistance performance. Finally, the structural characteristics of cellulose and its analogues grafted with FA were characterized through FT-IR, 1H NMR, and the possible free radical covalent polymerization mechanism between cellulose materials and FA was analyzed.

Biomass valorization of Mangifera Indica into hierarchical carbon materials with self-doping oxygen assisted carbonization for supercapacitor applications

ABSTRACT The exploration of biocompatible energy storage media for future generations has been continuously carried out. This includes the investigations of electrode materials that are renewable, environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and rich in heteroatoms. The electrode materials undergo carbonization as a promising thermochemical process to create an active material with a porous structure of well-defined and controlled geometry. The main objective of this study is to thoroughly examine the conversion process of electrode materials derived from Mangifera Indica Seed Shells (MIS) using carbonization and activation methods for supercapacitor applications. Pyrolysis at various temperatures was carried out to determine the definitive influence of carbonization temperature on the capacitive performance of MIS active materials. The optimum carbonization temperature of 600°C significantly enhances mesoporosity, which is positively correlated to the specific surface area, hierarchical structure, and the presence of self-doping oxygen, leading to a substantial increase in capacitive behavior. In the experiment, the MIS samples were used as electrodes for supercapacitor cells, and they were found to exhibit a specific capacitance of 255 Fg−1. The goal of this study is to offer a sustainable solution by using biomass as an active material for high-performance supercapacitor cells that can be utilized in energy storage applications.

Mathematical modeling of the creation process and aging of polymer composite materials

Based on the analysis of the literature on the possibility of using neural networks to create new materials with high functional properties, the article considers a solution to the problem of determining the operational stability of polymeric composite materials by creating physical and chemically sound mathematical prediction models. Epoxy resins of the UP-637 and EA brands with an isophorone diamine hardener were chosen as the matrix of the model composite material, and oligobutadiene rubber of the SKN-10 KTR brand was chosen as the modifier. It justifies directions of work necessary for development of new materials creation methodology with optimal characteristics, building a model for changing the properties of materials at variation of composition and implementation of full-scale mathematical modeling of physical and chemical processes of polymer composite materials aging at changing level and time of climatic factors influence. Verification of the obtained dependence of service characteristics on the composition of the material and the level of influencing climatic factors was carried out on the basis of data from full-scale tests in a temperate climate. The proposed methodology for modelling the properties of polymer composite materials will reduce the development time of new materials and allow creation of polymer composites based on epoxy resin containing fillers of various natures (carbon, mineral and polymer) with high performance parameters.

High-Precision 3D reconstruction and quantitative structure description: Linking microstructure to macroscopic heat transfer of aerogels

The intricate interplay between microstructure and macroscopic transfer processes in porous materials has long been recognized, yet achieving a definitive link between them remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we propose an effective approach to address this challenge by introducing a high-precision 3D reconstruction and structure descriptor database analysis method of nanoporous aerogels, which enables deeper understanding and accurate predictions of structure-directed properties. By employing focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) technique supplemented with image preprocessing and image segmentation, we successfully built a 3D reconstruction model that exhibits high consistency with experimental results. Then, a structure descriptor database from the view of original porous structure, structure connectivity, and topological information is established, and 10 descriptors are preliminarily filtered relevance with thermal conductivity. Consequently, the quantitative relationship between descriptor and thermal conductivity is evaluated via a back propagation (BP) neural network, and three categories structure descriptors which have the most significant impact are determined as (i) the description of gaseous heat transfer pathways, (ii) the description of three-dimensional connectivity, and (iii) the description of interface complexity. With the profound understanding of structure descriptor, the present work offers a novel, structure-focused strategy that closely link the microstructure to macroscopic properties of porous materials.

Climatically Accelerated Material Processes Determining the Long-Term Reliability of Light-Emitting Diodes.

LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) are widely applied not only in decorative illumination but also in everyday lighting in buildings, flats, public areas, and automotive fields. These application areas often mean harsh environments, for example, regarding the humidity content of the surrounding air: besides outdoor and automotive illumination, even the household use cases (kitchen, bathroom, cellar) may represent extreme temperature and humidity variations (often reaching relative humidity levels close to 100%) for these devices; thus, their reliability behaviour in such circumstances should be better understood. Thermally activated processes were studied in several previous publications, but less information is available regarding high-humidity environmental tests. Moisture and temperature ageing tests with appropriate environmental parameter settings were performed as accelerated lifetime tests to investigate not only the effect of temperature but also that of humidity on the ageing and reliability of LED packages containing RGB (red green blue) chips and phosphor-converted white (pcW) LEDs. The ageing was followed not only through monitoring optical/electrical/spectral parameters but also with material analysis. Moisture-material interaction models were proposed and set up. It was found that humidity-accelerated ageing processes are more severe than expected from previous assumptions. RGB and pcW LEDs showed strongly different behaviour.

Exploring Porosity’s Role in Stiffening Waste Concrete Conglomerates Synthesized with Microbial Calcite: A Micromechanical Analysis

Abstract Amidst environmental challenges, this study utilizes the innovative method of microbially-induced calcite precipitation (MICP) to explore its application in recycling waste concrete fines (WCF). Specifically, we scrutinize the role of porosity in the mechanical behavior of MICP-cemented WCF conglomerates. Through a series of indentation tests, the study provides force-displacement relationships from which the stiffness of the samples is calculated. The Young’s modulus of the samples is then estimated using Sneddon’s solution, which assumes a conical indenter and homogeneous elastic behavior. Subsequently, the Mori–Tanaka scheme with Eshelby’s solution is employed to predict the Young’s modulus of the samples with different porosity, allowing a comparison with the calculated stiffness. This work contributes to the understanding of the role of porosity in the mechanical behavior of MICP-cemented WCF specimens and offers a pathway for optimizing the production process of such materials. Graphical Abstract

Compositional Differences in Construction and Demolition Wastes (CDWs) for Geopolymer Mortars: A Comparative Study Using Different Precursors and Alkaline Reagents

In the view of the recycling and upscaling processes of waste materials, three different precursors, namely metakaolin, fly ash and volcanic ash, were mixed with Na- or K-silicate to produce binders aimed for the synthesis of geopolymer mortars based on construction and demolition wastes (CDWs). These later, used as aggregates in amount of 50 wt.%, were sampled in two geologically different Italian areas. A comparative study was carried out through a multidisciplinary approach using mineralogical–chemical analyses and physical–mechanical tests for the characterization of six binders and twelve mortars. The aim was to verify the effects of CDW interactions on binders as well as the extent of their compositional influences on the final properties. The chemical and mineralogical results evidenced strong compositional differences among the CDWs, differently influencing the physical–mechanical performances (i.e., compressive strength, density, water absorption and porosity) of the mortar samples. Regardless of the types of precursors and CDWs used, a better influence of K-silicate than sodium on the synthetised samples was observed. Furthermore, the higher versatility of metakaolin mortars with any type of CDW used was noted. Contrary, fly ash and volcanic ash mortars showed better properties with CDWs based on their high silica content and volcanic minerals. The study highlighted the critical roles of the CDW composition and precursor selection in mortar production. It confirmed that CDWs can be recycled for geopolymeric synthesis through proper characterisation and binder selection. Optimising these parameters allows for the successful integration of CDWs into geopolymeric materials. This process supports the advancement of a circular economy in the construction industry.