Influence of regulated modification of nitride layer by oxygen on the electrochemical behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy in the Ringer's solution

The corrosion behavior of oxynitrided Ti–6Al–4V alloy was investigated in the Ringer's solution (simulated body fluid) at a temperature of 37°C. The oxynitriding of the alloy was carried out by leaking controlled oxygen‐containing medium into the reaction chamber at the final stage of the nitride formation. It was determined that oxynitriding improved corrosion resistance of Ti–6Al–4V alloy as it provided lower corrosion current density by 1.3–1.5 times and higher corrosion potential. In this paper, we analyzed that the resistance of the double layer had increased with the increase of the oxygen content in titanium oxynitride. Its value was higher compared with untreated alloy, indicating higher corrosion resistance of the oxynitrided one.     

C60 Fullerene Reduces 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Oxidative Stress Disorders and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Rats by Modulation of p53, Bcl-2 and Nrf2 Targeted Proteins

C₆₀ fullerene as a potent free radical scavenger and antioxidant could be a beneficial means for neurodegenerative disease prevention or cure. The aim of the study was to define the effects of C₆₀ administration on mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress disorders in a 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA)-induced rat model of Huntington’s disease. Animals received 3-NPA (30 mg/kg i.p.) once a day for 3 consecutive days. C₆₀ was applied at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight, i.p. daily over 5 days before (C₆₀ pre-treatment) and after 3-NPA exposure (C₆₀ post-treatment). Oxidative stress biomarkers, the activity of respiratory chain enzymes, the level of antioxidant defense, and pro- and antiapoptotic markers were analyzed in the brain and skeletal muscle mitochondria. The nuclear and cytosol Nrf2 protein expression, protein level of MnSOD, γ-glutamate-cysteine ligase (γ-GCLC), and glutathione-S-transferase (GSTP) as Nrf2 targets were evaluated. Our results indicated that C₆₀ can prevent 3-NPA-induced mitochondrial dysfunction through the restoring of mitochondrial complexes’ enzyme activity, ROS scavenging, modulating of pro/antioxidant balance and GSH/GSSG ratio, as well as inhibition of mitochondria-dependent apoptosis through the limitation of p53 mitochondrial translocation and increase in Bcl-2 protein expression. C₆₀ improved mitochondrial protection by strengthening the endogenous glutathione system via glutathione biosynthesis by up-regulating Nrf2 nuclear accumulation as well as GCLC and GSTP protein level.     

Latent Cracking of Tantalum-Titanium Welds Due to Hydrogen Embrittlement

Establishing electrical interconnects in implantable electronic medical devices frequently requires joining of dissimilar materials. A weld between a tantalum wire and titanium sheet metal on a contact module is presented as an example for dissimilar joining. Latent, brittle cracking was observed in the proximity of the weld upon pull testing. The weld cracking occurs by the mechanism known as hydrogen stress cracking (HSC) and is due to titanium hydride formation. Diffusion facilitated hydrogen transport into the weld area. Diffusing hydrogen accumulates preferably in regions of high stress, causing latent titanium hydride formation and embrittlement of the weld. A broad array of analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy, electron backscattered diffraction, dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and nanoindentation were utilized to identify the root cause for HSC.     

On the Formation of Vanadium Ferrites in CaO–SiO2–FeO–V2O5 Slags

Selective extraction of valuable elements (such as V, Cr, Mn, etc.) and their compounds from metallurgical slag is in a focus of many researchers. Although vanadium may be present in slag as oxides and/or complex spinels with Fe, Mn, etc. during an alloyed steel production, the majority of vanadium in metallurgical slags typically exists as V₂O₅, which comprises up to 3–5 wt% of the slag in some cases. Due to the vanadium toxicity, these slags are forbidden in many civil engineering applications. As a result, hundreds of thousand tonnes of V₂O₅‐bearing slags are landfilled every year. In the present work, the formation of vanadium ferrites (FeV₂O₄ and Fe₂VO₄) in synthesized CaO–SiO₂–FeO–V₂O₅ slags containing 5 wt% V₂O₅ was examined under different partial pressures of oxygen. For the current slag chemistry range, an XRD analysis confirmed the presence of vanadium ferrite in slag samples treated at 1773 K in an argon atmosphere (PO₂ = 10^?1–10^?2 Pa) while no solid was noted in samples treated in air. Results were discussed based on thermodynamic consistency.     

Bioinspired Nanocomposites: Ordered 2D Materials Within a 3D Lattice

Composites, materials composed of two or more materials—metallic, organic, or inorganic—usually exhibit the combined physical properties of their component materials. The result is a material that is superior to conventional monolithic materials. Advanced composites are used in a variety of industrial applications and therefore attract much scientific interest. Here the formation of novel carbon‐based nanocomposites is described via incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into the crystal lattice of single crystals of calcite. Incorporation of a 2D organic material into single‐crystal lattices has never before been reported. To characterize the resulting nanocomposites, high‐resolution synchrotron powder X‐ray diffraction, electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and nanoindentation tests are employed. A detailed analysis reveals a layered distribution of GO sheets incorporated within the calcite host. Moreover, the optical and mechanical properties of the calcite host are altered when a carbon‐based nanomaterial is introduced into its lattice. Compared to pure calcite, the composite GO/calcite crystals exhibits lower elastic modulus and higher hardness. The results of this study show that the incorporation of a 2D material within a 3D crystal lattice is not only feasible but also can lead to the formation of hybrid crystals exhibiting new properties.     

Antecedents and consequences of trust in a social media brand: A cross-cultural study of Twitter

This study extends brand relationship theory to the context of the microblogging platform Twitter. The authors investigate the impact of Twitter trust on users’ intentions to continue using the platform and to “follow” brands that are hosted on Twitter (the trust transfer phenomenon). They also explore the role of perceived self-Twitter personality match in strengthening trust towards the Twitter brand. A cross-cultural American–Ukrainian sample allows to identify potential culture-based differences in brand personality and brand trust concepts. The results show that the positive effect of trust in Twitter on its users’ patronage intentions is robust across two cultures with diverse history and ideology. An important novel finding is the influence of trust in Twitter on patronage intentions towards the businesses hosted on Twitter. However, this relationship reaches statistical significance only in the Ukrainian sample, signaling potential differences in the trust transfer processes in different cultures. The study confirms the role of similarity in personality traits between Twitter users and the Twitter brand in engendering trust in Twitter. The salience of different personality traits in the “personality match – Twitter trust” link for different cultures suggests important implications for global marketers.     

Age and Chronodisruption in Mouse Heart: Effect of the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Melatonin Therapy

Age and age-dependent inflammation are two main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Aging can also affect clock gene-related impairments such as chronodisruption and has been linked to a decline in melatonin synthesis and aggravation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 innate immune response known as inflammaging. The molecular drivers of these mechanisms remain unknown. This study investigated the impact of aging and NLRP3 expression on the cardiac circadian system, and the actions of melatonin as a potential therapy to restore daily rhythms by mitigating inflammaging. We analyzed the circadian expression and rhythmicity of clock genes in heart tissue of wild-type and NLRP3-knockout mice at 3, 12, and 24 months of age, with and without melatonin treatment. Our results support that aging, NLRP3 inflammasome, and melatonin affected the cardiac clock genes expression, except for Rev-erbα, which was not influenced by genotype. Aging caused small phase changes in Clock, loss of rhythmicity in Per2 and Rorα, and mesor dampening of Clock, Bmal1, and Per2. NLRP3 inflammasome influenced the acrophase of Clock, Per2, and Rorα. Melatonin restored the acrophase and the rhythm of clock genes affected by age or NLRP3 activation. The administration of melatonin re-established murine cardiac homeostasis by reversing age-associated chronodisruption. Altogether, these results highlight new findings about the effects aging and NLRP3 inflammasome have on clock genes in cardiac tissue, pointing to continuous melatonin as a promising therapy to placate inflammaging and restore circadian rhythm in heart muscle. Additionally, light microscopy analysis showed age-related morphological impairments in cardiomyocytes, which were less severe in mice lacking NLRP3. Melatonin supplementation preserved the structure of cardiac muscle fibers in all experimental groups.     

Oxidation of nitride layers formed on Ti-6Al-4V alloys by gas nitriding

Ti-6Al-4V alloys were nitrided through gas nitriding at 950 °C for 3 h in deoxygenated, atmospheric nitrogen gas. During nitriding, nitrogen reacted and diffused into the alloys to form Ti₂N and a meager amount of TiN in a Ti-N compound layer with a thickness of 20 μm to 25 μm. An α-Ti(N) diffusion layer with a thickness of 40 μm to 80 μm formed below this layer. A small amount of Al was dissolved at the top of the Ti-N compound layer because of the strong interaction of nitrogen with Ti and Al. Nitriding resulted in the dissolution of interstitial nitrogen and the formation of nitrides. Oxidation of the nitrided Ti-6Al-4V alloys initially resulted in the formation of a Ti-N-O layer, which later oxidized to TiO₂. Above 800 °C, the nitrided alloys oxidized rapidly, accompanied by microcracking of the TiO₂ surface layer.     

Role of amphiphilic organic additives in design of silica materials with ordered mesoporous structure

Journal of Porous Materials - Templated sol–gel synthesis of silica materials with hexagonally ordered mesoporous structure was realized in the presence of amphiphilic organic compounds (azo...