Modified Mechanical Coating Technique for the Preparation of Nanohydroxyapatite Coated Ti–6Al–4V Dental Implants

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - To improve the mechanical and biological properties and also to increase the lifetime and performance of Ti–6Al–4V dental...     

The preparation of an amino acid-based surfactant and its potential application as an EOR agent

Most of the synthetic surfactants investigated with the aim of enhanced chemically oil recovery in the literature have environmental drawbacks. In this work, application of an environmentally-friendly synthetic surfactant as an enhanced oil recovery agent is introduced by measuring interfacial tension of water–kerosene systems and wettability alteration of carbonate pellets. For this purpose, an amino acid-based surfactant was initially synthesized using a new synthetic approach which was subsequently confirmed by spectra of Fourier transform infrared and Proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Results showed a value of critical micelle concentration in the range of 9000–9100 ppm for this surfactant. Results also demonstrated a decrease of 38.53% in water–kerosene system interfacial tension and a 17.76% reduction in oil-wetness of the carbonate pellets.     

Modeling of CO2-brine interfacial tension: Application to enhanced oil recovery

Development of reliable and accurate models to estimate carbon dioxide–brine interfacial tension (IFT) is necessary, since its experimental measurement is time-consuming and requires expensive experimental apparatus as well as complicated interpretation procedure. In the current study, feed forward artificial neural network is used for estimation of CO₂–brine IFT based on data from published literature which consists of a number of carbon dioxide–brine interfacial tension data covering broad ranges of temperature, total salinity, mole fractions of impure components and pressure. Trial-and-error method is utilized to optimize the artificial neural network topology in order to enhance its capability of generalization. The results showed that there is good agreement between experimental values and modeling results. Comparison of the empirical correlations with the proposed model suggests that the current model can predict the CO₂–brine IFT more accurately and robustly.     

Morphological changes in vero cells postinfection with dengue virus type‐2

Although no specific antiviral tablets or injections that can kill the dengue virus are currently available, adequate care and treatment could control its morbidity. Interaction of dengue virus to target cells could be an important feature for virus propagation. Ultrastructural analysis of this interaction was studied with vero cells. Vero cells were treated with Dengue virus type‐2 at different time intervals at multiplicity of infection (m.o.i) < 10, m.o.i > 10, and m.o.i = 100. It was found that m.o.i < 10 is best to study morphological changes. At an m.o.i > 10 apoptosis occurs and at m.o.i. = 100, cell necrosis occurs. While studying morphological changes, it was found that at 30 min postinfection cells have morphology very similar to that of the control cells although some have irregular outline and show cytoplasmic projections and intense cytoplasmic vacuolization. After 1–12 hours postinfection (h.p.i), the nuclei ran from normal looking to diffuse. Nuclear membrane begins to disintegrate. Some nucleoli are difficult to be seen. The cytoplasm appears as a mottled, lumps diffuse mass distributed throughout the cytosol, with dense lysosomes and myelin figures, also in the mitochondria. In later hours (24 h.p.i), the intranuclear euchromatin is dispersed and heterochromatin forms peripheral clumps. The cytoplasmic processes are short and few in numbers. A proportion of damaged mitochondria with disrupted cristae appear, suggesting that dengue virus may induce mitochondrial dysfunction and nucleus and mitochondria may be the primary organelles helping in dissemination of virus. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Improving the functionality of biodegradable food packaging materials via porous nanomaterials

Non-biodegradability and disposal problems are the major challenges associated with synthetic plastic packaging. This review article discusses a new generation of biodegradable active and smart packaging based on porous nanomaterials (PNMs), which maintains the quality and freshness of food products while meeting biodegradability requirements. PNMs have recently gained significant attention in the field of food packaging due to their large surface area, peculiar structures, functional flexibility, and thermal stability. We present for the first time the recently published literature on the incorporation of various PNMs into renewable materials to develop advanced, environmentally friendly, and high-quality packaging technology. Various emerging packaging technologies are discussed in this review, along with their advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, it provides general information about PNMs, their characterization, and fabrication methods. It also briefly describes the effects of different PNMs on the functionality of biopolymeric films. Furthermore, we examined how smart packaging loaded with PNMs can improve food shelf life and reduce food waste. The results indicate that PNMs play a critical role in improving the antimicrobial, thermal, physicochemical, and mechanical properties of natural packaging materials. These tailor-made materials can simultaneously extend the shelf life of food while reducing plastic usage and food waste.     

An Investigation of Y<Subscript>3</Subscript>Ba<Subscript>5</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>8</Subscript>O<Subscript>18</Subscript> Doping with Ag Nanoparticles and Its Application as Superconductor

Y₃Ba₅Cu₈O₁₈ superconductors were prepared through a standard solid-state reaction and the structural properties of the samples were studied through XRD and the Rietveld refinement method. The effect of silver nanoparticles doping on the Y₃Ba₅Cu₈O₁₈ superconductors was studied as well. It is known that the size of nanoparticles is increased during aging. Therefore, two batches of samples with 1 and 2 wt% of Ag nanoparticles and the size range of 30, 200, 500, 700, 800, and 1000 nm were prepared. After preparing the samples and observing the Meissner effect, the crystallography, critical current density, critical temperature, magnetic susceptibility, SEM, and EDX experiments of the samples were carried out. The results of the critical current density measurements showed that the sample with 2 wt% Ag nanoparticles and the size of 700 nm has the maximum current density. In both batches of samples, increasing the nanoparticle size to 700 nm led to an increase in the critical current density. The crystallography studies showed that silver nanoparticles do not insert into the superconductor’s frame. Actually, they are placed in the samples as a distinct phase.