Extraction and characterization of hydroxyapatite-based materials from grey triggerfish skin and black scabbardfish bones

The conversion of food industry by-products to compounds with high added value is nowadays a significant topic, for social, environmental, and economic reasons. In this paper, calcium phosphate-based materials were obtained from black scabbardfish (Aphanopus carbo) bones and grey triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) skin, which are two of the most abundant fish by-products of Madeira Island. Different calcination temperatures between 400 and 1000°C were employed. Materials obtained from calcination of bones of black scabbard fish were composed by homogeneous mixtures of hydroxyapatite (Ca₁₀(PO4)₆(OH)₂, HAp) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂, β-TCP). Because of the high biocompatibility of HAp and the good resorbability of β-TCP, these natural biphasic materials could be very relevant in the field of biomaterials, as bone grafts. The ratio between HAp and β-TCP in the biphasic compound was dependent on the calcination temperature. Differently, the material obtained from skin of grey triggerfish contained HAp as the main phase, together with small amounts of other mineral phases, such as halite and rhenanite, which are known to enhance osteogenesis when used as bone substitutes. In both cases, the increase of calcination temperature led to an increase in the particles size with a consequent decrease in their specific surface area. These results demonstrate that from the fish by-products of the most consumed fishes in Madeira Island it is possible to obtain bioceramic materials with tunable composition and particle morphology, which could be promising materials for the biomedical field.     

Toughness and R-curve behaviour of laminated Si3N4/SiCw ceramics

Laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics were successfully prepared by tape casting and hot-pressing. Its mechanical properties were measured and the impact resistance was discussed. The toughness of the laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was 13.5 MPa m^1/2, which was almost 1.6 times that of Si₃N₄/SiC_w composite ceramics, namely 8.5 MPa m^1/2. Moreover, the indentation strength of laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was not sensitive to increasing indentation loads and exhibited a rising R-curve behaviour, indicating that the laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics had excellent impact resistance. The improved toughness and impact resistance of laminated Si₃N₄/SiC_w ceramics was attributed to the residual stress caused by a thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the different layers, resulting in crack deflection and bridging of SiC whiskers in the interface layer, thus consuming a large amount of fracture work.     

Preparation and characterization of mullite whisker reinforced ceramics made from coal fly ash

Ceramics with mullite whiskers were prepared from coal fly ash and Al₂O₃ raw materials, with AlF₃ used as an additive. The phase structures and microstructures of the ceramics were identified via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that pickling of coal fly ash is an effective method for enhancing the flexural strength of ceramics. Sintering temperature and AlF₃ addition were also key factors influencing the creation of ideal ceramics. The ceramic made from pickled coal fly ash, 6?wt% AlF₃, and sintered at 1200?°C, exhibited the highest flexural strength of 59.1?MPa, and had a bulk density of 1.32?g/cm³ and porosity of 26.8%. The results show that ceramic materials made under these conditions are ideal candidates for manufacturing ceramic proppants for the exploitation of unconventional oil and gas resources.     

Characterization,in vitro bioactivity and biological studies of sol-gel-derived TiO2 substituted 58S bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses (BGs) have been used for bone formation and bone repair processes in recent years. This study investigated the titanium substitution effect on 58S BGs (Ti-BGs) 60SiO₂-(36 − X)CaO-4P₂O₅-XTiO₂ (X = 0, 3, and 5 mol.%) prepared by the sol-gel technique, and the main goal was to find the optimum amount of titanium in Ti-BGs. Synthesized BGs, which were investigated after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), were tested by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover alkaline phosphate (ALP) activity, 3-(4,5dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and antibacterial studies were employed to investigate the biological properties of Ti-BGs. According to the FTIR and XRD test results, hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on Ti-BGs surfaces was confirmed. Meanwhile, the presence of 5 mol.% compared to 3 mol.% increased the HA grain distribution and their size on the Ti-BGs surface. Additionally, MTT and ALP results confirmed that the optimal amount of titanium substitution in BG was 5 mol.%. Since 5 mol.% Ti incorporated BG (BG-5) had the highest biocompatibility level, antibacterial properties, maximum cell proliferation, and ALP activity among the synthesized Ti-BGs, it is presented as the best candidate for further in vivo investigations.     

T-ZnO晶须增强环氧树脂复合材料的力学行为

研究了以四脚状氧化锌（T-ZnO）晶须为增强剂，环氧树脂复合材料的力学行为。结果表明，由具有三维空间结构的T-ZnO晶须为增强剂所制备的环氧树脂复合材料具有各向同性的力学性能，T-ZnO晶须填加质量分数为6%时，就可使材料的力学性能改善；拉伸强度提高到169%，拉伸功几乎提高了100%，冲击强度提高到300%，抗弯的断裂功提高到158%，而压缩强度略有下降。     

晶须取向对SiCw/6061Al复合材料热压缩变形行为的影响

采用SEM 和 Magiscan-2A 图像分析系统研究了晶须取向对SiCw/6061Al复合材料在300℃压缩变形行为的影响.结果表明:晶须取向影响着晶须折断程度和转动角度; 随着晶须取向角的增加,晶须转动和折断行为所导致的软化效果下降.同时晶须取向也影响复合材料的热压缩应力-应变曲线的形状.在热压缩变形过程中,晶须取向角为0°和30°的复合材料表现出明显应变软化现象, 晶须取向角为45°的复合材料无明显软化现象.晶须取向角为90℃的复合材料表现出应变硬化现象.     

Electromigration-induced damage in bamboo Al interconnects

Depletion and hillock formation were examined in-situ in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) during electromigration of bamboo Al interconnect segments. Hillocks formed directly at the anode ends of the segments by epitaxial addition of Al at the bottom Al/TiN interface. Depletion occurred nonuniformly from the cathode end and stopped once the distance between the leading void and the hillock reached the critical length for electromigration at the given current density. A modified equation for the drift velocity is proposed, which includes the effect of nonuniform depletion and predicts that interconnects with nonuniform depletion are more reliable than those with uniform depletion.     

SiC（w）／TZP＋mullite陶瓷复合材料界面和组成设计与力学性能

本文从理论上分析了ＳｉＣ（ｗ）ＴＺＰ＋ｍｕｌｌｉｔｅ（ｐ）复合材料界面残余热应力及其在基质内的分布规律。提出在ＳｉＣ（ｗ）表面涂复Ａｌ２Ｏ３和在ＰＺＴ中加入ｍｕｌｌｉｔｅ（ｐ）联合作用来降低晶须／基质界面残余热应力的界面设计方案，导出ＳｉＣ（ｗ）和ｍｕｌｌｉｔｅ（ｐ）协同补强ＰＺＴ的匹配条件。制备了ＳｉＣ（ｗ）／ＴＺＰ＋ｍｕｌｌｉｔｅ（ｐ）复合材料并了ＳｉＣ（ｗ）表面涂层Ａｌ２Ｏ３厚度和ＳｉＣ（ｗ     

硼酸铝晶须增强环氧树脂和双马来酰亚胺树脂体系的研究

本文以硼酸铝晶须为增强剂，以4，5-环氧环己烷-1，2-二甲酸二缩水甘油酯(TDE-85)，甲基纳狄克酸酐(MNA)、N，N’-二胺基二苯甲烷型双马来酰亚胺(BMI)/O，O′-二烯丙基双酚A(BA)体系分别作为基体制备晶须增强复合材料。研究了晶须对树脂的尺寸、表面处理方法、含量对树脂体系力学性能和热性能的影响；通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)分析了浇注体的弯曲、冲击断口，研究晶须的增强机理。