Recent Advances in Disordered and Nanostructured Carbon Coatings for Superl Ubricity and Wearless Sliding

Increasingly more demanding and very stringent operating conditions envisioned for future mechanical and tribological systems will certainly require new materials and coatings that are superhard and at the same time self-lubricating.For example, dry machining is a much desired practice in manufacturing sector, but it is currently very difficult to realize mainly because of high friction and severe wear losses. However, recent advances in surface engineering and coating technologies may enable design and production of novel coatings architectures that can combine superhardness with self-lubricating properties in both the disordered or nanostructured forms. Recently developed nearly frictionless carbon films, ultrananocrystalline diamond and carbide derived carbon films can dramatically lower friction and at the same time reduce wear under very harsh sliding conditions. These coatings can be formulated in such a way that they can substantially increase the load-bearing capacity of sliding surfaces and hence improve their resistance to scuffing. It is also possible to design nano-composite coatings that can form self-replenishing and-lubricating tribofilms on their sliding surfaces and thus help increase the overall lubricity of these surfaces. In this paper, an overview of recent advances in disordered and nanostructured carbon films will be presented. Specific examples will be given to demonstrate the superior performance and durability of such novel coatings under a very wide range of tribological conditions. The major emphasis is placed on super low friction carbon films. The fundamental tribological mechanisms that control their exceptional friction and wear behaviors are also discussed.     

Does energy efficiency increase with orchard size? A case study from peach production

The aim of this study was to explain the relationship between orchard size and energy efficiency in the case of peach production carried out by households. The data were obtained from 118 peach orchards that were classified into four groups, including orchards less than 0.5, 0.5–1.0, 1.0–2.0 and larger than 2.0 ha, by using stratified random sampling method. The total energy requirement for peach production on average was 36,284.51 MJ ha^?1. Total energy input use decreases as orchard size increases; however, it is minimal in group III. Fertilizer energy was the largest energy input, followed by diesel oil and pesticides for all groups.     

Effect of desensitizers on the microleakage of previously restored Class V resin composite restorations

Objectives: The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of different desensitizers’ application on the microleakage of previously restored Class V composite resin restorations.

Materials and methods: Class V cavities were prepared on the buccal surfaces of 40 extracted human third molars. Forty box-shaped cavities were divided into four groups, based on the desensitizers used (n = 10). All teeth were restored with the same bonding agent and composite material. No desensitizer was applied in the control group. In the experimental groups, BisBlock, Gluma and Universal bonding agents were the desensitizers. The desensitizers were applied after completion of composite restorations according to manufacturers’ instructions. All specimens were then thermocycled at 5–55 °C, with a 10-s dwell time for 500 cycles. The samples were then immersed in 0.5% methylene blue dye for 24 h, sectioned into two equal halves, evaluated for microleakage using a stereomicroscope at 30× magnification and scored on a scale of 0–3. The data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test at the significance level p < 0.05.

Results: There were no significant differences in microleakage after desensitizer application (p > 0.05). However, based on the obtained numerical values in our study, while the BisBlock and bonding groups showed lower microleakage at the occlusal margin, BisBlock, Gluma and bonding group showed lower microleakage at the gingival margin compared to the control group.

Conclusions: The application of desensitizers as a post-treatment option could be considered an advisable procedure to minimize microleakage.     

Bonding performance of universal adhesives to er,cr:YSGG laser‐irradiated enamel

Universal adhesives have been recently introduced for use as self‐etch or etch‐and‐rinse adhesives depending on the dental substrate and clinical condition. However, their bonding effectiveness to laser‐irradiated enamel is still not well‐known. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the shear bond strength (SBS) of universal adhesives (Single Bond Universal; Nova Compo‐B Plus) applied to Er,Cr:YSGG laser‐irradiated enamel with SBS of the same adhesives applied in self‐etch and acid‐etching modes, respectively. Crown segments of sixty bovine incisors were embedded into standardized acrylic blocks. Flattened enamel surfaces were prepared. Specimens were divided into six groups according to universal adhesives and application modes randomly (n = 10), as follows: Single Bond Universal/acid‐etching mode; Nova Compo‐B Plus/acid‐etching mode; Single Bond Universal/self‐etching mode; Nova Compo‐B Plus/self‐etching mode; and Single Bond Universal/Er,Cr:YSGG Laser‐etching mode; Nova Compo‐B Plus/Er,Cr:YSGG Laser‐etching mode. After surface treatments, universal adhesives were applied onto surfaces. SBS was determined after storage in water for 24 h using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm min^?1. Failure modes were evaluated using a stereomicroscope. Data was analyzed using two‐way of analyses of variances (ANOVA) (p = 0.05). Two‐way ANOVA revealed that adhesive had no effect on SBS (p = 0.88), but application mode significantly influenced SBS (p = 0.00). Acid‐etching significantly increased SBS, whereas there are no significant differences between self‐etch mode and laser‐etching for both adhesives. The bond strength of universal adhesives may depend on application mode. Acid etching may significantly increase bond strength, while laser etching may provide similar bond strength when compared to self‐etch mode.     

The effect of laser surface texturing on transitions in lubrication regimes during unidirectional sliding contact

Laser surface texturing (LST) is an emerging effective method for improving the tribological performance of friction units lubricated with oil. In LST technology, a pulsating laser beam is used to create thousands of arranged microdimples on a surface by a material ablation process. These dimples generate hydrodynamic pressure between oil-lubricated parallel sliding surfaces. The impact of LST on lubricating-regime transitions was investigated in this study. Tribological experiments were conducted with a pin-on-disk apparatus at sliding speeds in the range of 0.015–0.75 m/s and nominal contact pressures that ranged from 0.16 to 1.6 MPa. Two oils with different viscosities (54.8 and 124.7 cSt at 40 °C) were used as lubricants. The test results showed that laser texturing expanded the contact parameters in terms of load and speed for hydrodynamic lubrication, as indicated by friction transitions on the Stribeck curve. The beneficial effects of laser surface texturing are more pronounced at higher speeds and loads and with higher viscosity oil.     

Assessment of Copper Bioavailability in Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L) Leaves by Chemical Fractionation

An analytical fractionation scheme has been developed based on water, acetone, chloroform, diethyl ether, ethanol, n-hexane, or methanol extractions to identify free and/or copper bound complexes in spinach samples, sample extracts being analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The total copper contents were determined after digestion of the samples in a microwave-assisted digestion system. Method validation parameters were defined in terms of the detection limits, accuracy, and precision. The limits of detection and quantification for copper were 0.07 and 0.23 mg kg^?1, respectively. The precision in terms of the repeatability and reproducibility, calculated from the relative standard deviations (%RSD), were 3.0 and 4.8 %, respectively. Solvent systems, which simulated gastric and intestinal or gastrointestinal digestion together with n-octanol extraction and activated carbon adsorption, were evaluated with respect to both sample-solvent compatibility and bioavailability.     

A crystal-chemical approach to lubrication by solid oxides

This paper introduces a new approach to the selection, classification, and mechanistic understanding of lubricious oxides that are used to combat friction and wear at elevated temperatures. Specifically, it describes a crystal-chemical model that enables one to predict the shear rheology or lubricity of an oxide or oxide mixture at elevated temperatures. This model can be used to formulate new alloy compositions or composite oxide structures that can provide low friction at high temperatures. In the case of composite oxides, the model allows one to estimate the solubility limits, chemical reactivity, compound forming tendencies, as well as the lowering of the melting point of one oxide when a second oxide is present. From a tribological standpoint, a prior knowledge of these details is important because they are strongly related to the extent of adhesive interactions, shear rheology, and hence to lubricity of oxides. In light of certain crystal-chemical considerations, general guidelines are provided for the selection of those oxides that can provide low friction at high temperatures. The major goal of this paper is to establish model relationships between relevant crystal-chemical and tribological properties of oxides that can be used as lubricants at high temperatures. Such a model may help eliminate guesswork in high-temperature lubrication and provide a new means to address the difficult lubrication problems experienced at high temperatures. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hysteresis and Related Error Mechanisms in the NIST Watt Balance Experiment

The NIST watt balance experiment is being completely rebuilt after its 1998 determination of the Planck constant. That measurement yielded a result with an approximately 1×10⁻⁷ relative standard uncertainty. Because the goal of the new incarnation of the experiment is a ten-fold decrease in uncertainty, it has been necessary to reexamine many sources of systematic error. Hysteresis effects account for a substantial portion of the projected uncertainty budget. They arise from mechanical, magnetic, and thermal sources. The new experiment incorporates several improvements in the apparatus to address these issues, including stiffer components for transferring the mass standard on and off the balance, better servo control of the balance, better pivot materials, and the incorporation of erasing techniques into the mass transfer servo system. We have carried out a series of tests of hysteresis sources on a separate system, and apply their results to the watt apparatus. The studies presented here suggest that our improvements can be expected to reduce hysteresis signals by at least a factor of 10—perhaps as much as a factor of 50—over the 1998 experiment.     

A highly selective and sensitive benzothiazole‐based ‘turn‐on’ fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ ion

A simple benzothiazole‐based fluorescent probe (TDA) for the determination of Hg²⁺ ion in aqueous solutions was synthesised in one step and characterised by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, APT, COSY, FTIR, and elemental analysis. TDA shows a significant fluorescence change upon the interaction of Hg²⁺ ion in DMF–water (v/v = 1/1), while only minor changes in fluorescence intensity are observed with 18 other metal ions. Fluorescence enhancement by a factor of 15 is achieved upon selective interaction with Hg²⁺ ion. The Hg²⁺ ion detection process is found to be pH dependent; therefore, TDA could be feasible within a pH range of 4.0–7.0.