Computational and experimental study of dental resin composites with high filler content

Journal of Materials Science - Nanocomposites have been used in various industries due to their excellent properties. For some of them, high filler content (over 50 wt%) is beneficial to improving...     

Bio-Based,Self-Crosslinkable Eucommia ulmoides Gum/Silica Hybrids with Body Temperature Triggering Shape Memory Capability

At present, the synthesis of body temperature triggering shape memory polymers usually requires elaborate structural design, which limits their wide application. Herein, starting from bio-based Eucommia ulmoides gum (EUG), a series of EUG/silica hybrids (ESHs) are prepared through a facile one-pot process, in which EUG is epoxied and then self-crosslinked with SiO₂ by epoxy ring-open reaction. Varying the amount of H₂O₂, the shape memory transition temperature (T_trans) of ESHs is adjusted to 47.4–36.6 ℃, which is close to human body temperature (37 ℃). Among them, ESH-17 exhibited the best body temperature triggering shape memory ability (T_trans = 36.6 ℃), which can restore the permanent shape within 60 s at 37 ℃ with a shape fixity ratio of 99% and shape recovery ratio near 100%. In addition, the shape memory mechanism is discussed and shows some application scenarios of ESHs. The as-produced materials can be used as smart biomaterials such as self-tightening sutures, self-sealing root canal filling materials, and so on.     

Antibacterial mechanisms of thyme essential oil nanoemulsions against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus: Alterations in membrane compositions and characteristics

In this study, the antibacterial activities of thyme essential oil nanoemulsions (TEON) prepared by ultrasonication (US) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) were evaluated via minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and time-killing curve analyses. TEON-US presented superior bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects, which was found to be correlated with its better physicochemical characteristics (including smaller droplet size and higher zeta potential) compared to TEON-HPH. The underlying antibacterial mechanisms were specifically investigated targeting cell membranes of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (Gram-negative bacterium) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacterium). Thereinto, membrane disintegrations were observed followed by massive leakage of cytoplasmic inclusions. Furthermore, the membrane dysfunctions (involving membrane potential depolarization and fluidity reduction) were likely associated with the modifications seen in the fatty acid composition upon TEONs exposure, and ultimately causing bacterial death. These results deciphered the mode of antibacterial action of TEONs, providing a critical theoretical basis for their future application in food matrix.     

On the design of secure primitives for real world applications

This editorial paper provides an overview of new advances on hardware security challenges and promising solutions for real world applications. It first presents the increasing hardware vulnerabilities with the emergence of diverse computing platforms. Then, it details the technical challenges, research opportunities, and potential solutions to cyber-attacks on -physical- devices.     

Flexible electronic skin with high performance pressure sensing based on PVDF/rGO/BaTiO3 composite thin film

The wearable intelligent electronic product similar to electronic skin has a great application prospect. However, flexible electronic with high performance pressure sensing functions are still facing great challenges. In this paper, the highly sensitive flexible electronic skin (FES) based on the PVDF/rGO/BaTiO₃ composite thin film was fabricated using the near-field electrohydrodynamic direct-writing (NFEDW) method. The PVDF/rGO/BaTiO₃ composite solution was directly written on flexible substrate by the NFEDW method to fabricate FES with micro/nano fiber structure, which has the function of sensing pressure with high sensitivity and fast response. The surface morphology and microstructure were characterized by SEM, AFM, and optical microscope in detail. The fabricated FES has high sensitivity (59 kPa⁻¹) and faster response time (130 ms). FES has been successfully applied to the detection of human motion and subtle physiological signals. The experimental results show that FES has good stability and reliability. FES can recognize human motion, and it has a broad application prospect in the field of wearable devices.     

微纳层叠聚丙烯腈凝胶流动特性的数值模拟研究

建立了层叠流道的三维模型和有限元网格模型，根据流变测试数据，采用Polymat对物料的黏度模型参数进行拟合，并利用Polyflow软件对聚丙烯腈（PAN）凝胶在层叠流道内的三维等温流动过程进行了数值模拟分析。研究发现，当入口流量增大时，层叠流道出口速度的不均匀性增加；沿流动方向流道内压力逐渐降低，并在出口处降低至同一最低值；流道进出口压力差与入口流量大小具有正相关性；在流道的中心截面上剪切速率分布均匀，波动较小。     

Preparation of transparent BaSO4 nanodispersions by high-gravity reactive precipitation combined with surface modification for transparent X-ray shielding nanocomposite films

BaSO₄ nanoparticles as important functional materials have attracted considerable research interests, due to their X-rays barrier and absorption properties. However, most of BaSO₄ nanoparticles prepared by traditional technology are nanopowders with broad size distribution and poor dispersibility, which may greatly limit their applications. To the best of our knowledge, the synthesis of transparent BaSO₄ nanodispersions was rarely reported. Here, we firstly present a novel and efficient method to prepare transparent and stable BaSO₄ nanodispersions with a relatively small particle size around 10 to 17 nm using a precipitation method in a rotating packed bed (RPB), followed by a modification treatment using stearic acid. Compared with the BaSO₄ prepared in a traditional stirred tank, the product prepared using an RPB has much smaller particle size and narrower size distribution. More importantly, by using RPB, the reaction time can be significantly decreased from 20 min to 18 s. Furthermore, the transparent BaSO₄-polyvinyl butyral nanocomposite films with good X-ray shielding performance can be easily fabricated. We believe that the stable BaSO₄ nanodispersions may have a wide range of applications for transparent composite materials and coatings with X-ray shielding performance for future research.     

In-situ preparation of cross-linked hybrid anion exchange membrane of quaternized poly (styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) covalently bonded with graphene

Introducing graphene into polymer matrix is an effective way to enhance performances of anion exchange membrane (AEM). However, utilizing the advantages of graphene by physical approach is limited due to the weak interface interaction between graphene and polymer matrix. Herein, we report an effective strategy to covalently bond graphene with polymer matrix to improve the interface interaction and further to improve the properties of AEM. A series of cross-linked quaternized graphene-based hybrid AEM were fabricated by covalently bonding poly (vinylbenzyl chloride) grafted graphene (GN-g-PVBC) copolymer with chloromethyl functionalized poly (styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) (SIBS) through the cross-linker (N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine) by in-situ synthetic approach. The interface interaction between graphene and QSIBS is greatly enhanced according to micromorphology characterization of the hybrid membrane. The cross-linked quaternized hybrid AEM containing 0.55 wt% of GN-g-PVBC exhibits obviously improved dynamical mechanical properties (storage modulus: 418 MPa), ion conductivity (1.81 × 10² S cm^?1), methanol barrier property (5.19 × 10^?7 cm² s^?1), selectivity (3.49 × 10⁴ S s cm^?3) at 60 °C and especially a comparably excellent chemical stability to that of Nafion 115 due to the enhanced interface interaction between graphene and the polymer matrix.     

生物质电厂废弃物草木灰成分分析及成形

生物质热电厂焚烧废弃物的主要成分是草木灰，其产生量大、密度小。大量草木灰不经处理会造成环境污染问题。本文首先分析草木灰的化学成分，确定草木灰的肥料特征，通过添加NH₄H₂PO₄使草木灰的pH达到国家复合肥的相关标准。选用聚天冬氨酸（30%水溶液）作为复合肥的黏结剂，应用于草木灰复合肥的成形造粒，以增加其抗压强度和肥效。研究不同烘干时间、烘干温度、聚天冬氨酸添加量对草木灰复合肥抗压强度的影响规律，通过分析植物的形态及生理指标，进而研究草木灰复合肥的肥效。结果表明：最佳烘干条件为10h、140℃，聚天冬氨酸对草木灰的抗压强度有明显的增强作用，并且草木灰与聚天冬氨酸的复配比为6g∶1mL时肥效最好。此方法解决了元素循环中断、草木灰环境污染，在运输过程中草木灰复合肥易碎，纯草木灰肥效低等问题。