Self-assembly of boehmite nanopetals to form 3D high surface area nanoarchitectures

A flower-like boehmite nanostructure was prepared through a template-free chemical route by the self-assembly process of nanosize petals 800–1000 nm long, 200–250 nm wide, 20–50 nm thick and having an average crystallite size of about 2.21 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), DTA/TGA analyses and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET-N₂) analyses were used in order to characterize the product obtained. XRD results exhibited that the obtained nanostructures composed of pure orthorhombic AlOOH phase. The effects of Cl⁻ ions and TEA on the growth of boehmite three-dimensional nanoarchitectures in the presence of NO₃^-\mathrm{NO}_{3}^{-} ions were investigated. BET analyses of as-prepared material demonstrate that this nanostructure material has a high specific surface area, as high as 123 m² g⁻¹.     

Robust Design of a Bimetallic Micro Thermal Sensor Using Taguchi Method

In this study, a performance optimization process for a bimetallic micro thermal sensor using the Taguchi quality engineering method is described. Sensor performance is obtained by simulating the theoretical model, which shows the effect of the beam deflection on capacitance during changes in temperature. Optimal parameter combinations are determined using Taguchi experimental design method with at least 90 % confidence level. The level of importance of the parameters on the sensor’s sensitivity is determined using the analysis of signal-to-noise ratio as well as analysis of variance. The improvement in S/N ratio is 29.47 dB, representing an increase of 29.74 times in sensitivity.     

Assessment of thermo-hydraulic performance of MXene-based nanofluid as coolant in a dimpled channel: a numerical approach

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The present study numerically investigates the optimization of thermal performance in a dimpled channel using a promising genre of nanofluid which is...     

Highly stretchable,self-adhesive,and self-healable double network hydrogel based on alginate/polyacrylamide with tunable mechanical properties

A number of synthetic hydrogels suffer from low mechanical strength. Despite of the recent advances in the fabrication of tough hydrogels, it is still a great challenge to simultaneously construct high stretchability, and self-adhesive and self-healing capability in a hydrogel. Herein, a new type of double network hydrogel was prepared based on irreversible cross-linking of polyacrylamide chains and Schiff-base reversible cross-linking between glycidyl methacrylate-grafted ethylenediamine and oxidized sodium alginate (OSA). The combination of both cross-linkings and their synergistic effect provided a novel hydrogel with high strength, stretchable, rapid self-healing, and self-adhesiveness to different material. Besides, the hydrogels with diverse OSA content could maintain their original shapes after loading–unloading tensile test. The resulting hydrogel has a great potential in various fields for supporting and load-bearing substance.     

Fabrication,controlled release,and kinetic studies of indomethacin—layered zinc hydroxide nanohybrid and its effect on the viability of HFFF2

The intercalation of indomethacin into the interlayer gallery of layered zinc hydroxide (LZH) has been successfully executed using the simple ion exchange approaches. The synthesized intercalation compound, indomethacin-LZH nanohybrid, was characterized using PXRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, and STA. From the PXRD results, the intercalation of indomethacin anions into the interlayer gallery of LZH was successful; showing the formation of a new peak at lower 2θ with a basal spacing of 21.96?Å. FTIR analysis of the nanohybrid further supported the presence of indomethacin in the interlayer of the indomethacin-LZH nanohybrid. STA analysis confirms that the nanohybrid has higher thermal stability than pure indomethacin. The in vitro release mechanism of the indomethacin anions from the indomethacin-LZH nanohybrid showed slow release, with 95% and 78% release in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) solution at pH 4.8 and 7.4, respectively. The release behavior of indomethacin from its intercalation compounds in PBS solution at pH 4.8 and 7.4 follows the Higuchi model. In addition, the nanohybrid treated with normal fibroblast cell line shows that it reduces cell viability in a dose and time-dependent manner. This study shows that the high potential of the nanohybrid as an encapsulated material for the controlled release formulation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NASID) anions.     

Synthesis of 2-Mercaptonicotinic Acid-Capped CdSe Quantum Dots and its Application to Spectrofluorometric Determination of Cr(VI) in Water Samples

The CdSe quantum dots (QDs) capped with 2-mercaptonicotinic acid (H₂MN) were prepared through a controllable process at 80 °C. The prepared QDs were characterized by XRD, TEM, IR, UV–Vis and fluorescence (FL) techniques. It was found that the QDs were nearly mono-disperse with the diameters in the range of 8–10 nm. These QDs are capable to exhibit strong FL even in concentrated acidic media. They exhibit an enhanced fluorescence in the presence of Cr(VI), which was used for the determination of Cr(VI) in water samples. The linear range was found to be 1?×?10^?7–6.0?×?10^?6 M with the RSD and DL of 0.92 % and 5?×?10^?8 M, respectively. Except that Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺ which can be eliminated through a simple precipitation process, the other co-existent ions present in natural water were not interfered. The recoveries obtained for the added amounts of Cr(VI) were in the range of 96.9–103.2 %, which denote on application of the method, satisfactorily.     

Modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers,fabrics, and films by amination reactions—A review

Currently, many of our living facilities are dependent on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). It is utilized in the production of textiles, beverage bottles, food packaging, implants, and so forth. Although PET has desirable properties, it has to be amended for certain applications that have been modified by different methods. For modifications, aminolysis is used by several investigators, and this report reviews critically the related literature. Amines can be applied to impart the desired properties and produce active sites to be used for further alterations by successive reactions. Amine treatments alone enhance wettability, increase dyeability, and most applicable, produce functionality on the surface. By further reactions with several other chemicals, a spectrum of properties was endowed to PET products, such as flame retarding, anti-fouling property, highest hygroscopicity, silk-like character, biocompatibility, and so forth. There are a large number of works, mainly to change the surface properties, but the literature on the in vivo or common everyday evaluation of the amended products is scarce. Most of the modifications of PET products by amines are accompanied by a decrease in some other properties. Then the process of aminolysis and modifications have to be optimized with respect to several production parameters.     

Thermoelectric Properties of High-Entropy Wolframite Oxide: (CoCuNiFeZn)1−xGaxWO4

Herein, the synthesis of high-entropy wolframite oxide (CoCuNiFeZn)_1-xGaxWO₄ through standard solid-state route followed by spark plasma sintering and their structural, microstructural, and thermoelectric (TE) properties are investigated. X-ray diffraction pattern followed by patterns matching refinement shows a monoclinic structure with the volume of the unit cell decreasing with increasing Ga content. The optical bandgap for these oxides shows a cocktail effect in high-entropy configuration. The Seebeck coefficient indicates electrons as dominating charge carriers with a nondegenerate behavior. The electrical resistivity decreases with increasing temperature depicting a semiconducting nature. Thermal conductivity in high-entropy samples (κ ≈ 2.1 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ @ 300 K) is significantly lower as compared to MgWO₄ (κ ≈ 11.5 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ @ 300 K), which can be explained by the strong phonon scattering due to large lattice disorder in high-entropy configuration. The TE figure of merit zT increases with Ga doping via modifying all three TE parameters positively.