Ultrasound-Assisted Leaching and Kinetic Study of Blended Copper Slag

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - This article deals with the dissolution of blended copper slag (flash and converter furnace) in hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid in the presence of...     

Aqueous Phase Glycerol Reforming by PtMo Bimetallic Nano-Particle Catalyst: Product Selectivity and Structural Characterization

A carbon supported PtMo aqueous phase reforming catalyst for producing hydrogen from glycerol was characterized by analysis of the reaction products and pathway, TEM, XPS and XAS spectroscopy. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) indicates the catalyst consists of bimetallic nano-particles with a Pt rich core and a Mo rich surface. XAS of adsorbed CO indicates that approximately 25% of the surface atoms are Pt. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that there is unreduced and partially reduced Mo oxide (MoO₃ and MoO₂), and Pt-rich PtMo bimetallic nano-particles. The average size measured by transmission electron microscopy of the fresh PtMo nano-particles is about 2?nm, which increases in size to 5?nm after 30?days of glycerol reforming at 31?bar and 503?K. The catalyst structure differs from the most energetically stable structure predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations for metallic Pt and Mo atoms. However, DFT indicates that for nano-particles composed of metallic Pt and Mo oxide, the Mo oxide is at the particle surface. Subsequent reduction would lead to the experimentally observed structure. The aqueous phase reforming reaction products and intermediates are consistent with both C?CC and C?COH bond cleavage to generate H₂/CO₂ or the side product CH₄. While the H₂ selectivity at low conversion is about 75%, cleavage of C?COH bonds leads to liquid products with saturated carbon atoms. At high conversions (to gas), these will produced additional CH₄ reducing the H₂ yield and selectivity.     

The effects of water flow rate on shear bond strength of self etch resin cement to dentin surface after Er,Cr:YSGG laser etching

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of water flow rate on the morphological features of dentin and shear bond strength (SBS) of self-etching resin cement after Er,Cr:YSGG laser etching. Dentin specimens obtained from extracted human third molars were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 23), including one that received no laser irradiation (control-group D) and three others with different laser parameters: 2.25 W, 50 Hz, 60% air with water flow rates of 19 mL/min-100% water (group A), 2.25 W, 50 Hz, 6.75 mL/min-50% water (group B), and 2.25 W, and 50 Hz, 2.75 mL/min-25% water (group C). The morphological features of each group were examined with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The SBS of resin cement disks (Panavia F2.0, Kuraray; Tokyo, Japan) (3 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height) to the dentin specimens was measured using a universal testing machine at a cross head speed of 0.5 mm/min. Bond strength values were analyzed with one-way ANOVA/Tukey tests. There were no significant differences between the SBS values of groups A and B (p > 0.05). However, the SBS values of these groups were significantly higher when compared to groups C and D (p < 0.001). Er,Cr:YSGG laser application with water flow rates of 6.75 or 19 mL/min resulted in better dentin surface alterations and increased the SBS of self-etching resin cement to dentin.     

The effect of different in-office bleaching techniques and etching procedures on bond strength of orthodontic brackets

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different in-office bleaching techniques and acid/laser etching on bond strength of orthodontic brackets. Ninety-six extracted human premolar teeth were used in the study. The teeth were randomly divided into four groups according to different in-office bleaching techniques (n = 24); Group I: Diode laser-assisted bleaching, Group II: Er:YAG laser-assisted bleaching, Group III: In-office bleaching with LED, Group IV: Unbleached (control). After the samples were kept in artificial saliva for 2 weeks, each group were randomly divided into 2 subgroups according to etching methods; a–acid etching; b–laser etching. For laser etching Er,Cr:YSGG laser was used at 1.5 W, 15 Hz with 140 μs pulse duration for 20 s. For acid etching, 37% phosphoric acid was used for 30 s. The shear bond strength testing was performed using Instron Testing Machine with a crosshead speed of 1mm/min. Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) scores were also measured. Data was analyzed using two-way ANOVA, Bonferroni, Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found between bleaching groups and control (p > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between acid and laser etching within each group (p < 0.05). Acid etching caused significantly higher bond strength values (p < 0.05). While no statistically significant differences were observed between the ARI scores of bleaching and control groups (p > 0.05), acid etching caused statistically higher ARI scores than laser etching groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion in-office bleaching either with LED or laser before bracket bonding did not affect bond strength. Prior to bracket bonding, acid etching of enamel caused higher shear bond strength values than laser etching.