Influence of high temperature exposure on the adhesion of a micro-composite refractory enamel to a Ni–18Cr–12W superalloy

A new micro-composite refractory enamel (MCRE) was designed to play a multifunctional protective role (thermal barrier coating, corrosive and erosive protection) for the hot working parts made of EI868 superalloy sheets i.e. burning chambers, fire tubes, volets, eclises, etc. The effect of the isothermal heating at elevates temperature (800 °C, 900 °C) were, for the first time, investigate for MCRE/EI868 couple. The adhesion strength has shown an enhancement of about 100% when the couple was heated at 800 °C or at 900 °C for 10 h compared with the unexposed one. SEM-EDS, OM, XRD, EDP-XRFS and SDAR-OES investigations support a chemical bonding mechanism between MCRE and EI868 substrate via a transient interface layer. Elemental EDS distributions show that the Cr selective oxidation is responsible for the formation of the transient layer. The XRD measurements can be correlated with the contribution of the spinellic transformation of the SiO₂, Cr₂O₃, NiO to the adhesion enhancement. The most important result reported herein is the adhesion strength enhancement of the MCRE coatings to the EI868 supperalloy by isothermal treatment. Accordingly, the MCRE behaves as a self-healing coating. Noteworthy, the working lifetime of the MCRE-EI868 couple can be significantly enhanced if an optimum pre-treatment is applied before it comes into service.     

Probing thermal behaviour of microbial transglutaminase with fluorescence and in silico methods

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of transglutaminase behaviour at thermal treatment allows efficient applications in food processing. The heat‐induced conformational changes of microbial transglutaminase were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and a molecular modelling approach. RESULTS: The experimental results indicate the unfolding of transglutaminase in a single‐phase reaction, at temperatures over 60 °C. The incidence of conformational changes is also supported by the increase of both intrinsic and 1‐anilino‐8‐naphthalene sulfonate fluorescence intensity with temperature. Changes in the secondary and tertiary structure of transglutaminase were outlined after running molecular dynamics simulations at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 80 °C. CONCLUSION: The motif's particularities varied with the temperature, suggesting structural rearrangements of the protein, mainly in helices. The largest deviation from the structure equilibrated at 25 °C was observed at 80 °C. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Integrated analysis of non-linear loss mechanisms in Yb:YAG ceramics for laser applications

Transparent 9.8 at% Yb:YAG ceramic samples were prepared by reactive sintering of commercial oxides and using 0 or 1 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG) as dispersant. The optical quality of the samples turns out to be improved by using a dispersant and optical transmittance close to the commercial samples has been obtained. On the other hand the laser characterization evidenced the activation of a non-linear loss mechanism occurring only in the sample containing PEG and despite its better optical quality, at high excitation level. A SEM analysis of material microstructure could not explain this behavior. A state of the art TEM analysis at nanometric scale was performed providing high resolution chemical spectroscopic results that indicate the presence of amorphous and crystalline silicate phases playing different roles in the two samples.     

Water content of natural cyclodextrins and their essential oil complexes: A comparative study between Karl Fischer titration and thermal methods

The paper presents a comparative study regarding the water determination in natural cyclodextrins and in their essential oil complexes (Apiaceae, Liliaceae, and Cupressaceae families) by using Karl Fischer titration (KFT) and thermal methods. For the natural cyclodextrins, the influence of the solvent hydrophobicity and the preheating temperature on the water extraction process were evaluated. The water contents, estimated by KFT in both methanol and methanol–octanol solvent systems, were 10.6% and 14.4% for α- and β-cyclodextrin, respectively; the water content, estimated by KFT in a more hydrophilic solvent system, methanol–formamide, was 0.4–0.6% higher. Thermogravimetric evaluation of water conducts to lower values. For the essential oil/cyclodextrin complexes, the KFT water content were in the range of 6.4–8.1%, higher values being obtained in the case of Juniperus essential oil/β-cyclodextrin complexes (7.5–8.1%). With some exceptions, thermal analyses of complexes are in good agreement with the KFT results.     

Recycled paper–paperboard for food contact materials: Contaminants suspected and migration into foods and food simulant

Contaminant residues in food packaging is a new challenge of our time, as it may pose a threat for consumers. Higher levels of contaminants were observed in food packaging made by recycled materials, even if little information is available for some groups of contaminants. The present study proposes a procedure for analyzing three different groups of organic contaminants in recycled paper and paperboard. Seventeen commercial samples were analyzed for the presence of bisphenol A (BPA), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NMP) and nonylphenol di-ethoxilate (NDP). Not all the samples contained all the contaminants; BPA was the only substance present in all the samples. The concentrations detected were quite high and, in most of the cases, in agreement with results reported in previous studies. Substance migration tests from spiked/non-spiked samples for two dry foods and Tenax® food simulant were undertaken. BPA migration quotients were always lower than 1%, whereas the migration quotients of DEHP were higher than 2.0%. The highest nonylphenols migration quotients were 6.5% for NMP and 8.2% for NDP. Tenax® simulates well the contaminants migration from paperboard to dry food, in some cases being even more severe than the food.     

Structural and oxidative changes in the kidney of crucian carp induced by silicon-based quantum dots

Silicon-based quantum dots were intraperitoneally injected in Carassius auratus gibelio specimens and, over one week, the effects on renal tissue were investigated by following their distribution and histological effects, as well as antioxidative system modifications. After three and seven days, detached epithelial cells from the basal lamina, dilated tubules and debris in the lumen of tubules were observed. At day 7, nephrogenesis was noticed. The reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration decreased in the first three days and started to rise later on. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased only after one week, whereas catalase (CAT) was up-regulated in a time-dependent manner. The activities of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidise (GPX) decreased dramatically by approximately 50% compared to control, whereas the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) increased significantly after 3 and 7 days of treatment. Oxidative modifications of proteins and the time-dependent increase of Hsp70 expression were also registered. Our data suggest that silicon-based quantum dots induced oxidative stress followed by structural damages. However, renal tissue is capable of restoring its integrity by nephron development.     

Bio-functionalization of ligand-free upconverting lanthanide doped nanoparticles for bio-imaging and cell targeting

We report on the functionalization of ligand-free NaGdF(4):Er(3+), Yb(3+) upconverting nanoparticles with heparin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). These upconverting nanoparticles are used to obtain high-contrast images of HeLa cells. These images reveal that the heparin-bFGF functionalized nanoparticles show specific binding to the cell membrane.     

Uniformly thinned optical fibers produced via HF etching with spectral and microscopic verification

A method for producing uniformly thinned (etched) optical fibers is described, which can also be employed to etch optical fibers containing a Bragg grating (FBG) uniformly for evanescent-field-based sensing and other applications. Through a simple modification of this method, the fabrication of phase-shifted FBGs based on uneven etching is also shown. The critical role of how a fiber is secured is shown, and the success of the method is illustrated, by differential interference contrast microscopy images of uniformly etched FBGs. An etched FBG sensor for the monitoring of the refractive index of different glycerin solutions is demonstrated.     

Chitosan‐sodium lauryl ether sulfate particles and their use for adsorption of Cu(II) ions

The synthesis of small particles through the interaction between chitosan (CS) and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) was studied. Depending on working condition, microparticles at atmospheric pressure and ultrafine particles at high pressure have been obtained. At atmospheric pressure, the microparticles were formed instantaneously when the CS solution was dripped into the SLES aqueous solution. To obtain ultrafine particles, the surfactant solution in contact with high pressure carbon dioxide was sprayed into chitosan solution. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy proves the interaction between the sulfate groups of SLES and the amino groups of CS. The Scanning Electron Microscopy reveals that the microparticles are quasi‐spherical, but some of them can take the form of pellets depending on preparation conditions. The obtained microparticles were successfully used to uptake Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorption of Cu(II) depends on pH being maximum at pH = 5.5. The kinetic experiments demonstrated that Cu(II) adsorption onto CS/SLES microparticles obeys the Langmuir model. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40059.