Poly(lactide)/cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites by high-shear mixing

There is currently considerable interest in developing stiff, strong, tough, and heat resistant poly(lactide) (PLA) based materials with improved melt elasticity in response to the increasing demand for sustainable plastics. However, simultaneous optimization of stiffness, strength, and toughness is a challenge for any material, and commercial PLA is well-known to be inherently brittle and temperature-sensitive and to show poor melt elasticity. In this study, we report that high-shear mixing with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) leads to significant improvements in the toughness, heat resistance, and melt elasticity of PLA while further enhancing its already outstanding room temperature stiffness and strength. This is evidenced by (i) one-fold increase in the elastic modulus (6.48 GPa), (ii) 43% increase in the tensile strength (87.1 MPa), (iii) one-fold increase in the strain at break (∼6%), (iv) two-fold increase in the impact strength (44.2 kJ/m²), (v) 113-fold increase in the storage modulus at 90°C (787.8 MPa), and (vi) 10³-fold increase in the melt elasticity at 190°C and 1 rad/s (∼10⁵ Pa) via the addition of 30 wt% CNC. It is hence possible to produce industrially viable, stiff, strong, tough, and heat resistant green materials with improved melt elasticity through high-shear mixing.     

Determination of Electrical and Photoelectrical Properties of Schottky Diodes Made Using New Chitin Derivatives Synthesized as Interface Layer

Silicon - 5-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-2-furoic acid and anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid were reacted separately with chitin. The synthesized products were characterized by various spectroscopic methods...     

Split-attention effects in multimedia learning environments: eye-tracking and EEG analysis

Multimedia Tools and Applications - This study aimed to evaluate the split-attention effect in multimedia learning environments via objective measurements as EEG and eye-tracking. Two different...     

Energy-efficient and fault-tolerant drone-BS placement in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks

Wireless Networks - This paper introduces a distributed and energy-aware algorithm, called Minimum Drone Placement (MDP) algorithm, to determine the minimum number of base stations mounted on...     

Stress wave propagation in adhesively bonded functionally graded cylinders: an improved model

This study presents an improved mathematical model to analyse the stress wave propagation in adhesively bonded functionally graded (FG) circular cylinders (butt joint) under an axial impulsive load. The volume fractions of the material constituents in the upper and lower cylinders were functionally tailored through the thickness of each cylinder using a power-law. The effective material properties of both cylinders, which are made of aluminum (Al) and silicon carbide (SiC), at any point were predicted by using the Mori–Tanaka homogenization scheme. In this improved model, the governing equations of the wave propagation include the spatial derivatives of local mechanical properties and were discretized by means of the finite difference method. The influence of these spatial derivatives and the compositional gradient exponent on the displacement and stress distributions of the joint was investigated. The material composition variations of both cylinders affected the displacement and stress fields whereas the compositional gradient exponent had a minor effect. The stress concentrations were alleviated in time, the displacement and stress distributions/variations around/along the upper and lower cylinder-adhesive interfaces were significantly affected by the adhesive layer. The spatial derivatives also affected the temporal histories of the displacement and stress components evaluated at the selected critical points of the upper cylinder, adhesive layer and lower cylinder. The consideration of the spatial local material derivatives provided a more accurate mathematical model of wave propagations through the graded layered structures.     

The assessment of commercial beef and chicken bouillons in terms of heterocyclic aromatic amines and some of their precursors

Herein, the assessment of commercial beef and chicken bouillons in terms of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) and some of their precursors was evaluated. Creatine and creatinine levels were ranged between 0.57–0.80 and 0.28–0.94 mg g⁻¹, respectively. Glutamic acid was found to be the most abundant amino acid in both bouillons. 2-amino-3,7,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-ƒ]quinoxaline (7,8-DiMeIQx, up to 0.03 ng g⁻¹) was the only quantified analyte in beef bouillons, whereas it (up to 0.08 ng g⁻¹) was determined in addition to 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-ƒ]quinoxaline (IQx, up to 0.08 ng g⁻¹) in chicken bouillons. Creatine, creatinine and free amino acid composition did not have the capacity to initiate the formation of HAAs. Therefore, bouillons do not pose risk in terms of HAAs. However, it should be noted that multiple factors, such as the substrate amount and production conditions, may affect the results. Glutamic acid content is remarkable in commercial bouillons sold in Turkey.     

Correction to: Two New Co(II) Complexes of Picolinate: Synthesis,Crystal Structure,Spectral Characterization, α-Glucosidase İnhibition and TD/DFT Study

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials -