Characterization of the road surfaces in real time

The main factor in the propagation of traffic noise is the road surface, where the vehicles generate noise due to the contact between tire and pavement, in addition to the noise produced by the engine.     

Influence of thermal history upon physical properties of PVC

The physical properties of PVC depend on two fundamental parameters, which are influenced by thermal history: free volume and crystallinity. This is demonstrated by DSC, sorption, low strain and ultimate mechanical properties.     

Influence of the automotive Start/Stop system on noise emission: Experimental study

One of the most common environmental impacts of road transportation is the traffic noise. Linked to this, Start/Stop is a technology which has demonstrated to save fuel by powering off the engine when the vehicle is stopped, such as in front of a traffic light, and restarting the engine instantly when the driver pushes back the pedal brake to proceed. The technology helps also to reduce the CO₂ emission, playing a key role in a way to accomplish stringent emission norms for vehicle manufacturer. However, we are not sure whether it reduces the noise emission and how much? Thus, the main aim of this work is to assess the engine noise emissions of a vehicle incorporating a Start/Stop system in urban traffic, and compare it with those radiated by the mean traffic stream. Experimental results demonstrate that there are no contributions of the Start/Stop system to reduce meaningfully the engine noise in urban traffic.     

Determination of Pd,Rh, Pt,Au in road dust by electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with slurry sampling

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry coupled with ultrasonic slurry sampling electrothermal vaporization (USS-ETV-ICP-MS) has been applied to determine Pd, Rh, Pt and Au in 0.5% m/v slurries of several road dust samples. 2% m/v ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was used as the modifier to enhance the ion count. The influence of instrument operating conditions, slurry preparation and interferences on the ion count was reported. This method has been applied to the determination of Pd, Rh, Pt and Au in BCR 723 Road Dust and NIST SRM 2709 San Joaquin Soil reference materials and two road dust samples collected locally. The analysis results of the standard reference materials agreed with the certified values. Precision between sample replicates was better than 10% for all the determinations. The method detection limits estimated from standard addition curves were 0.9, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.4 ng g⁻¹ for Pd, Rh, Pt and Au, respectively, in original dust samples.     

蚕丝基智能纤维及织物：潜力、现状与未来展望

纤维及织物因具有良好的柔性、透气性以及适宜的力学性能而成为人们日常生活必不可少的材料。随着柔性电子器件的快速发展,纤维及织物在其自身优势的基础上,开始被人们赋予智能化特征,使得智能纤维和织物逐渐在可穿戴领域占据一席之地。天然蚕丝具有产量大、机械性能优异和生物可降解的优势。近年来,面向智能应用的蚕丝基纤维与织物逐渐发展,被用于传感、致动、光学器件、能量收集和储能等领域。本文将首先介绍天然蚕丝的层级结构和性能,并介绍各种形貌结构的再生蚕丝材料;然后根据其在智能纤维及织物中应用领域的不同,详细阐述蚕丝基智能纤维及织物的制备方法、性能及工作机制;最后讨论进一步发展所面临的挑战与机会,并对未来前景进行展望。     

Water-annealing regulated protein-based magnetic nanofiber materials: tuning silk structure and properties to enhance cell response under magnetic fields

In this study, flexible silk fibroin protein and biocompatible barium hexaferrite (BaM) nanoparticles were combined and electrospun into nanofibers, and their physical properties could be tuned through the mixing ratios and a water annealing process. Structural analysis indicates that the protein structure of the materials is fully controllable by the annealing process. The mechanical properties of the electrospun composites can be significantly improved by annealing, while the magnetic properties of barium hexaferrite are maintained in the composite. Notably, in the absence of a magnetic field, cell growth increased slightly with increasing BaM content. Application of an external magnetic field during in vitro cell biocompatibility study of the materials demonstrated significantly larger cell growth. We propose a mechanism to explain the effects of water annealing and magnetic field on cell growth. This study indicates that these composite electrospun fibers may be widely used in the biomedical field for controllable cell response through applying different external magnetic fields.     

Cationic and temperature-sensitive liposomes loaded with eugenol for the application to silk

Silk has been widely used in the clothing industry due to their soft and smooth features, good biocompatibility, good heat dissipation, warmth and ultraviolet resistance. The application of fragrance to silk can significantly improve the performance of silk. However, there are two key scientific problems that need to be solved: slowing down the release rate of fragrances and increasing the scent lasting time of silk. In this study, cationic and temperature-sensitive liposomes were designed and prepared to encapsulate eugenol. These fragrance-loaded liposomes significantly slowed down the release rate of the fragrance and controlled the release rate of the fragrance in a thermo-sensitive manner. The liposomes adhered to the silk through electrostatic adsorption interaction. The positive charge on the fragrance-loaded liposomes neutralized much negative charge on silk and thereby increasing the adhesion efficiency.     

Analysis of marine atmospheric turbulence effects on infrared imaging system by angle of arrival fluctuations

For the long-range infrared imaging system, the marine atmospheric turbulence degrades seriously the probability of object recognition and tracking. In this study, the angle of arrival fluctuations of an optical wave, which describes the distortion effects of marine atmospheric turbulence on an infrared optical imaging system, is investigated in detail both analytically and numerically. Analytic expressions of the angle of arrival fluctuations are derived for optical plane and spherical waves propagating through weak marine atmospheric turbulence with horizontal path, and they consider simultaneously finite turbulence inner scale, turbulence outer scale, wavelength, and aperture diameters. Numerical calculations are conducted to analyze the influence of marine weak turbulence on the infrared imaging. The results are useful for understanding the potential impact of deviations from the terrestrial turbulence.     

Sonication enhances the stability of MnO2 nanoparticles on silk film template for enzyme mimic application

We have developed an in-situ method using sonication (3 mm probe sonicator, 30 W, 20 kHz) and auto-reduction (control) to study the mechanism of the formation of manganese dioxide (MnO₂) on a solid template (silk film), and its resulting enzymatic activity on tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate. The fabrication of the silk film was first optimized for stability (no degradation) and optical transparency. A factorial approach was used to assess the effect of sonication time and the initial concentration of potassium permanganate (KMnO₄). The result indicated a significant correlation with a fraction of KMnO₄ consumed and MnO₂ formation. Further, we found that the optimal process conditions to obtain a stable silk film with highly catalytic MnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) was 30 min of sonication in the presence of 0.5 mM of KMnO₄ at a temperature of 20–24 °C. Under the optimal condition, we monitored in-situ the formation of MnO₂ on the silk film, and after thorough rinsing, the in-situ catalysis of 0.8 mM of TMB substrate. For control, we used the auto-reduction of KMnO₄ onto the silk film after about 16 h. The result from single-wavelength analysis confirmed the different kinetics rates for the formation of MnO₂ via sonication and auto-reduction. The result from the multivariate component analysis indicated a three components route for sonication and auto-reduction to form MnO₂-Silk. Overall, we found that the smaller size, more mono-dispersed, and deeper buried MnO₂ NPs in silk film prepared by sonication, conferred a higher catalytic activity and stability to the hybrid material.     

纳米TiO_2改性蚕丝丝素蛋白膜的研究

用溶胶凝胶法制备纳米TiO2改性再生蚕丝丝素蛋白膜.该丝素膜机械强度提高,在水中溶失率下降.UV、AFM、SEM测试的结果表明,丝素中纳米TiO2粒径约为80 nm,纳米粒子在丝素膜中分布均匀;XRD、FTIR测试结果表明,纳米TiO2的加入,可使改性丝素膜的结晶结构从SilkⅠ向SilkⅡ转化,其结晶度也随之提高;TGA测试表明改性丝素膜的热转变温度比纯丝素膜有所改变.