Antimicrobial effect,frictional resistance,and surface roughness of stainless steel orthodontic brackets coated with nanofilms of silver and titanium oxide: a preliminary study

Nano‐silver and nano‐titanium oxide films can be coated over brackets in order to reduce bacterial aggregation and friction. However, their antimicrobial efficacy, surface roughness, and frictional resistance are not assessed before. Fifty‐five stainless‐steel brackets were divided into 5 groups of 11 brackets each: uncoated brackets, brackets coated with 60 µm silver, 100 µm silver, 60 µm titanium, and 100 µm titanium. Coating was performed using physical vapor deposition method. For friction test, three brackets from each group were randomly selected and tested. For scanning electron microscopy and atomic‐force microscopy assessments, one and one brackets were selected from each group. For antibacterial assessment, six brackets were selected from each group. Of them, three were immediately subjected to direct contact with S. mutans. Colonies were counted 3, 6, 24, and 48 h of contact. The other three were stored in water for 3 months. Then were subjected to a similar direct contact test. Results pertaining to both subgroups were combined. Groups were compared statistically. Mean (SD) friction values of the groups 'control, silver‐60, silver‐100, titanium‐60, and titanium‐100' were 0.55 ± 0.14, 0.77 ± 0.08, 0.82 ± 0.11, 1.52 ± 0.24, and 1.57 ± 0.41 N, respectively (p = .0004, Kruskal–Wallis). Titanium frictions were significantly greater than control (p < .05), but silver groups were not (p > .05, Dunn). In the uncoated group, colony count increased exponentially within 48 h. The coated groups showed significant reductions in colony count (p < .05, two‐way‐repeated‐measures ANOVA). In conclusions, all four explained coatings reduce surface roughness and bacterial growth. Nano‐titanium films are not suitable for friction reduction. Nano‐silver results were not conclusive and need future larger studies.     

Synthesis of graphene oxide decorated with strontium oxide (SrO/GO) as an efficient nanocomposite for removal of hazardous ammonia from wastewater

ABSTRACT

In this research, graphene oxide decorated with strontium oxide (SrO/GO) is introduced as a new adsorbent material for the efficient removal of ammonia from industrial wastewater. The new adsorbent was thoroughly studied in terms of morphology, crystallography and chemical composition using characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and zeta potential analysis. Several parameters such as pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and ammonia initial concentration were investigated and optimized. Ammonia adsorption onto SrO/GO was validated with kinetics and adsorption isotherms by adopting different models. The results revealed that ammonia adsorption kinetic was of pseudo-second order (R² = 0.999) implying that chemisorption behavior and the equilibrium isotherm follows Langmuir model. This behavior shows a high maximum monolayer sorption capacity of 90.1 mg g^?1 at pH equal to 7 and contact time of 120 min pointing out the synergism advantageous effect. The abundant oxygen functional groups on the graphene oxide surface and the integrated Sr-O nanoparticles could efficiently interact with ammonia species creating a surface for more favorable and efficient removal of ammonia.     

Structural manipulation of PES constituents to prepare advanced alternative polymer for ultrafiltration membrane

Polyethersulfone (PES) is the most well-known polymer for the preparation of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane, but its membrane suffers from fouling. In this study, two engineered polymers were synthesized to provide optimal antifouling properties for UF membranes that simultaneously benefit from good properties of polyamide and PES. The choice of polyamide is due to its prominent characteristics and the convenience of its synthesis with various functional groups in a cost-effective way. Two hydroxyl containing polyamide bearing sulfone groups (PAS) and ether group (PAE) were synthesized by polycondensation method. The UF membranes were fabricated using the phase inversion method via immersion precipitation of PAS, PAE, and PES in dimethylacetamide, as a solvent and water, as a nonsolvent. The obtained membranes were compared and characterized by means of atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode. The performance of membranes illustrated that the PAS and PAE membranes in comparison with the PES membrane had better porosity, water permeability, lesser protein fouling, more vertically finger-like pores, and more hydrophilic surface. The water permeability of PES, PAE, and PAS was 7.3, 64.0, and 78.0 L m⁻² h⁻¹ while their flux recovery ratio was 59.4, 83.3, and 86.7%, respectively. The promising permeability and antifouling properties of the PAS are potentially applicable in the efficient industrial separation and wastewater treatment. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 137, 48690.     

A new five-level inverter with reduced leakage current for photovoltaic system applications

A general growth is being seen in the use of renewable energy resources, and photovoltaic cells are becoming increasingly popular for converting green renewable solar energy into electricity. Since the voltage produced by photovoltaic cells is DC, an inverter is required to connect them to the grid with or without transformers. Transformerless inverters are often used for their low cost and low power loss, and light weight. However, these inverters suffer from leakage current in the system, a challenge that needs to be addressed. In this paper, a topology with two alternative connection models is presented to stabilize the common mode voltage and reduce the leakage current. The output voltage characteristic of the proposed inverter is five-level, which reduces the harmonic distortion in the output current compared to the two- and three-level inverters. The operation modes and output of the proposed topology are described and analyzed. The structures of the proposed inverter are simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and are compared with some well-known structures. Results show that the proposed structure with both connection models effectively reduces leakage current and improves grid current THD.     

Single and multi‐objective optimization for the performance enhancement of lead–acid battery cell

Electric energy storage systems are used considerably in industries and daily applications. The demand for batteries with high energy content has increased because of their use in hybrid vehicles. Lead–acid batteries have wide applications because of their advantages such as high safety factor and low cost of production. The major shortcoming of lead–acid batteries is low energy content and high dimension and weight. Nowadays, a common method to increase the energy content of lead–acid battery is the experimental method with trial and error, which is time consuming and expensive. In this paper, non‐isothermal one‐dimensional numerical simulation of lead–acid battery with finite volume method is performed. In addition, a cell with higher energy content and lower thickness is designed by using particle swarm optimization algorithm based on developed simulation code. The results of single objective optimization show that an optimal battery that has 27.6% higher energy can be made with the same cell dimension. The results also show that an optimum cell battery can be obtained with a decrease of 24% in thickness while keeping the energy the same. Moreover, a multi‐objective optimization algorithm is utilized to find Pareto optimal solutions while considering the energy content and thickness objectives simultaneously. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D free vibration analysis of elastically supported thick nanocomposite curved panels with finite length and different boundary conditions via 2D GDQ method

Based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity, free vibration characteristics of nanocomposite panels reinforced by randomly oriented, straight, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered. The volume fractions of randomly oriented agglomerated SWCNTs are assumed to be graded not only in the radial direction but also in the axial direction of the curved panel. This study presents a 2D six-parameter power-law distribution for CNTs volume fraction of 2D continuously graded nanocomposite that gives designers a powerful tool for flexible designing of structures under multi-functional requirements. The material properties are determined in terms of local volume fractions and material properties by the Mori-Tanaka scheme.     

用于HRR雷达在非高斯杂波中进行起伏目标检测的基于Hough变换的两种算法之比较

在HRR雷达中,当目标尺寸大于雷达波长和雷达距离分辨单元时,在连续扫描过程中从目标不同散射中心返回的目标回波会产生不同的方向图,使传统杂波抑制方法无效。提出采用Hough变换来解决这个问题。Hough变换是一种在图像中识别曲线的著名变换。比较了两种基于Hough变换的雷达检测算法,一是将数据空间中的点映射到ρ-θ空间中的曲线的传统模式,另一种模式采用斜率-截距参数空间Hough变换。斜率-截距模式的效率通过仿真进行验证。与传统模式相比,Hough变换的斜率-截距模式的性能更好。针对非起伏目标及四种Swerling类目标,研究了在瑞利分布、Weibull分布、对数正态分布和K分布杂波下,Hough变换检测器的斜率-截距模式对HRR雷达信号的检测性能。还研究了目标速度和脉冲数的影响。通过Monte-Carlo仿真对Hough变换检测器的目标检测性能进行了分析。     

Novel isocyanate-based matrix resins for high temperature composite applications

Polyoxazolidone composites were prepared from polymeric isocyanate (PAPI 901) and epoxides (Epon 828 and DEN 431) in the presence of an oxazolidone-forming catalyst, triphenylantimony iodide. The effects of isocyanate to epoxide equivalent ratio, type of epoxide, and amount of fiberglass reinforcement on the composite properties were studied as well as the effects of post-curing temperature and time. Increasing the fiberglass content of the polyoxazolidone composites resulted in an improvement of the thermal and mechanical strength properties. The heat deflection temperature of all polyoxazolidones was > 250°C. The retention of the tensile strength at 150°C was excellent, ∼90% or higher. Polyoxazolidone composites based on DEN 431 at 1.2 isocyanate to epoxide equivalent ratio with 70 wt.% of fiberglass and post-cured at 150°C for 48 h exhibited the best properties. According to the results of DMA, TMA and DSC, the maximum operating temperature for polyoxazolidone composites is around 200°C. The TGA data showed that the decomposition temperature was ∼330°C.     

Combination of acid‐demineralization and enzymatic desizing of cotton fabrics by using industrial acid stable glucoamylases and α‐amylases

In this study, the possibility of simultaneous acid‐demineralization and enzymatic desizing of cotton fabric in acidic conditions (pH 2) by using industrial acid stable enzymes has been investigated. Acid‐demineralization is necessary to remove undesired cationic metals and earth alkalis. Our experiments showed that by use of a mixture of two appropriate enzymes, a glucoamylase (Multifect GA 10L) and an α‐amylase (Optisize Next) in a solution of citric acid and presence of a chelating agent, enzymatic desizing, and acid‐demineralization can be successfully carried out at the same time. Therefore, two processes of pretreatment were integrated into a single process, which can effectively reduce time and costs for textile industry.