Tuning of shear thickening behavior and elastic strength of polyvinylidene fluoride via doping of ZnO-graphene

ZnO rice like nonarchitects are grafted on the graphene carbon core via a rapid microwave synthesis route. The prepared grafted systems are characterized via XRD, SEM, RAMAN, and XPS to examined the structural and morphological parameters. Zinc oxide grafted graphene sheets (ZnO-G) are further doped in β-phase of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to prepare the polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) via mixed solvent approach (THF/DMF). β-phase confirmation of PVDF PNCs is done by FTIR studies. It is observed that ZnO-G filler enhances the β-phase content in the PNCs. Non-doped PVDF and PNCs are further studied for rheological behavior under the shear rate of 1–100 s⁻¹. Doping of ZnO-G dopant to the PVDF matrix changes its discontinuous shear thickening (DST) behavior to continues shear thickening behavior (CST). Hydrocluster formation and their interaction with the dopant could be the reason for this striking DST to CST behavioral change. Strain amplitude sweep (10⁻³% -10%) oscillatory test reveals that the PNCs shows extended linear viscoelastic region with high elastic modulus and lower viscous modulus. Effective shear thickening behavior and strong elastic strength of these PNCs present their candidature for various fields including mechanical and soft body armor applications.     

Investigation of Microstructures,Mechanical Properties of AZ91E Hybrid Composite Reinforced with Silicon Carbide and Fly Ash

Silicon - In this study, the stir casting processing technique was used to produce the AZ91E hybrid composite reinforced with Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Fly ash (FA) particles in different weight...     

Firework inspired load balancing approach for wireless sensor networks

Wireless Networks - In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), where power consumption is a huge concern, the improvement of the network’s lifetime is an area of constant study and innovation. The...     

Carbon-based TiO2-x heterostructure nanocomposites for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dye molecules

Application of brown titanium dioxide (TiO_2-x) and its modified composite forms in the photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants in the environment is a promising way to provide solutions for environmental redemption. Herein, we report the synthesis of effective and stable TiO_2-x nanoparticles with g-C₃N₄, RGO, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using a simple hydrothermal method. Among all the as-synthesized samples, excellent photocatalytic degradation activity was observed for RGO-TiO_2-x nanocomposite with high rate constants of 0.075 min^?1_, 0.083 min^?1 and 0.093 min^?1 for methylene blue, rhodamine-B, and rosebengal dyes under UV–Visible light irradiation, respectively. The altered bandgap (1.8 eV) and the large surface area of RGO-TiO_2-x nanocomposite impacts on both absorption of visible light and efficiency of photogenerated charge electron (e^?)/hole (h⁺) pair separation. This resulted in enhanced photocatalytic property of carbon-based TiO_2-x nanocomposites. A systematic study on the influence of different carbon nanostructures on the photocatalytic activity of brown TiO_2-x is carried out.     

A survey of multiscale modeling: Foundations,historical milestones,current status,and future prospects

Research problems in the domains of physical, engineering, biological sciences often span multiple time and length scales, owing to the complexity of information transfer underlying mechanisms. Multiscale modeling (MSM) and high-performance computing (HPC) have emerged as indispensable tools for tackling such complex problems. We review the foundations, historical developments, and current paradigms in MSM. A paradigm shift in MSM implementations is being fueled by the rapid advances and emerging paradigms in HPC at the dawn of exascale computing. Moreover, amidst the explosion of data science, engineering, and medicine, machine learning (ML) integrated with MSM is poised to enhance the capabilities of standard MSM approaches significantly, particularly in the face of increasing problem complexity. The potential to blend MSM, HPC, and ML presents opportunities for unbound innovation and promises to represent the future of MSM and explainable ML that will likely define the fields in the 21st century.     

Solar hydrogen generation from organic substance using earth abundant CuS–NiO heterojunction semiconductor photocatalyst

This work explores the critical role of NiO co-catalyst assembled on the surface of a CuS primary photocatalyst which effectively improves interface properties and enhances solar-to-hydrogen production by prolonging lifetime of photo-excitons generated at the CuS surface. The nanoscale CuS/NiO heterojunction is formulated using hydrothermal and wet impregnation methods. The resultant CuS/NiO composite shows optical absorbance between 380 and 780 nm region. The type-II energetic structure formed at CuS/NiO heterojunction facilitates rapid charge separation and as a result, the CuS/NiO composite exhibits 13 folds higher photocatalytic water splitting performance than CuO and NiO. The champion CuO/NiO photocatalyst is first identified by screening the catalysts using a preliminary water splitting test reaction under natural Sunlight irradiation. After the optimization of the catalyst, it was further explored for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production using different organic substances dispersed in water (alcohols, amine and organic acids). The champion CuS/NiO catalyst (CPN-2) exhibited the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 52.3 mmol h^?1.g^?1_cat in the presence of lactic acid-based aqueous electrolyte and, it is superior than hydrogen production rate obtained in the presence of other organic substances (triethanolamine, glycerol, ethylene glycol, methanol) tested under identical experimental conditions. These results indicate that the energetic structure of CuS/NiO photocatalyst is favorable for photocatalytic oxidation or reforming of lactic acid. The oxidation of lactic acid contributes both protons and electrons for enhanced hydrogen generation as well as protects CuS from photocorrosion. The modification of surface property and energetic structure of CuS photocatalyst by the NiO co-catalyst improves photogenerated charge carrier separation and in turn enhances the solar-to-hydrogen generation efficiency. The recyclability tests showed the potential of CPN-2 photocatalyst for prolonged photocatalytic hydrogen production while continuous supply of lactic acid feedstock is available.     

Conformation Analysis of GalNAc‐Appended Sugar Amino Acid Foldamers as Glycopeptide Mimics

Sugar amino acid (SAA)‐based foldamers with well‐defined secondary structures were appended with N‐acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) sugars to access sequence‐defined, multidentate glycoconjugates with full control over number, spacing and position. Conformation analysis of these glycopeptides by extensive NMR spectroscopic studies revealed that the appended GalNAc units had a profound influence on the native conformational behaviour of the SAA foldamers. Whereas the 2,5‐cis glycoconjugate showed a helical structure in water, comprising of two consecutive 16‐membered hydrogen bonds, its 2,5‐trans congener displayed an unprecedented 16/10‐mixed turn structure not seen before in any glycopeptide foldamer.     

Con(dif)fused voice to convey secret: a dual-domain approach

Owing to the rapid development and advancements in the field of networks and communication, sharing of multimedia contents over insecure networks has becom     

Reaction Kinetics of Ozone Gas in Green Gram (Vigna radiate)

This study was carried out to evaluate the reaction kinetics of ozone gas in different height (5 and 10 cm), moisture content (10.6 and 13.4% (d.b.)) and gas flow rate (2 and 4 L/min). The decomposition kinetics obtained was first-order model. As far as the half-life of ozone is considered, the highest value obtained was equivalent to 8.72 min for grains ozonated at 5 cm height, 10.6% (d.b.) moisture content and 2 L/min gas flow rate. In the process of ozone reaction rate in green gram grains, height (p < 0.01) and moisture content (p < 0.01) were found to be the key factor for the effectiveness of ozone fumigation.