Article
Acoustics
Tachatad Kulthananat, Pattaraporn Kim-Lohsoontorn, Panpailin Seeharaj
Summary: This study developed a facile and effective method to engineer the surface properties of cerium oxide nanospindle catalysts, resulting in improved catalytic activity and selectivity for dimethyl carbonate synthesis.
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Nisha Sheth, Carl Greenley, Raul Bermejo, John C. Mauro, Carlo G. Pantano, Seong H. Kim
Summary: Water or acid soaking surface treatments have been shown to increase the mechanical strength of soda-lime silicate (SLS) glasses, especially in humid environments where acid-leached surfaces exhibit higher failure stress. This indicates that acid-leached surface chemistry can play a role in lowering the transport kinetics of water molecules to critical flaws.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Akhil Kishore, Merbin John, Alessandro M. Ralls, Subin Antony Jose, Udaya Bhat Kuruveri, Pradeep L. Menezes
Summary: Ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) is a unique mechanical impact-based method that can generate gradient nanostructured surface layers with remarkable mechanical properties. This review paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art UNSM technique, its effects on different mechanical properties and microstructure development, and explores its applications.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Reza Ghamarpoor, Masoud Jamshidi, Mohammad Sayyadian, Mahmoud Razavizadeh
Summary: The effects of chemical and photochemical functionalization on the mechanical properties of PET fabric and its adhesion to NBR were compared. Both treatment methods created functional groups on the PET surface, but carboxylation under GAP/UV irradiation generated more OH groups than hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of PET significantly decreased its tensile strength, while GAP/UV irradiated PET showed increased pullout and T-peel adhesion to NBR.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Piotr Noga, Andrzej Piotrowicz, Tomasz Skrzekut, Adam Zwolinski, Pawel Strzepek
Summary: This article presents a method of reusing aluminum scrap from alloy 6082 using the hot extrusion process. The study demonstrates that the plastic consolidation method can achieve similar mechanical properties to a solid ingot and explores the possibility of modifying the surface of consolidated aluminum scrap.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yue Zhao, Fengrong Han, Linyi Guo, Sharanjit Singh, Haidong Zhang, Jun Zhang
Summary: The study proposed a combined flotation process with prepositive plasma modification to separate hazardous PVC from recyclable HDPE and PET, achieving high recovery and purity of separated PVC through selective surface wetting facilitated by low molecular weight oxidic substances introduced by plasma activation.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2021)
Review
Construction & Building Technology
Deepak Kumar, Apurba Mandal
Summary: The adverse effect of conventional construction materials on the environment has prompted researchers to explore the use of natural resources. Bamboo as a building material has gained increasing attention in biocomposite research. This study discusses the challenges and advantages of using laminated bamboo products (LBPs) as a replacement for traditional construction materials. The background and applications of bamboo are presented, along with different fabrication processes and mechanical properties of LBPs. Surface modification techniques for improving bamboo deterioration are also discussed, and the importance of future research in this field is highlighted.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Artem Podolian, Andriy Nadtochiy, Oleg Korotchenkov, Viktor Schlosser
Summary: This study investigated the effect of sonication of Si wafers in tetrahydrofuran on the photovoltage performance, with a focus on the influence of varying frequency. Increasing sonication frequency to 400 kHz enhanced the SPV signal, while decreasing it to 28 kHz resulted in signal decrease. The addition of methanol suppressed this frequency-dependent behavior.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuenan Sun, Xinze Yang, Jiajing Zhang, Bin Shang, Pei Lyu, Chunhua Zhang, Xin Liu, Liangjun Xia
Summary: The reinforcement of polymer nanocomposites can be achieved by selecting the appropriate fabrication method, surface modification, and filler orientation. In this study, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite films with excellent mechanical properties were prepared using nonsolvent-induced phase separation method with ternary solvents and 3-Glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane-modified cellulose nanocrystals (GLCNCs). The incorporation of GLCNCs in TPU improved its tensile strain, toughness, and elastic recovery rate. Alignment of CNCs in the composites further enhanced their mechanical properties. This study presents a facile and effective strategy for fabricating mechanically enhanced TPU composites.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiaxin Chen, Yu- Hsu, Taka-Aki Asoh, Hiroshi Uyama
Summary: Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is widely used in industries such as automobiles, aerospace transportation, and astronautics due to its high stiffness and light weight. Coating CFRP with metals improves its water-resistance, durability, and electric conductivity while providing a metallic appearance. Surface pretreatment is necessary to enhance the adhesive properties between CFRP and metals. In this study, oxygen-containing functional groups were introduced onto CFRP surface using eco-friendly photo-oxidation with photo-activated ClO2· radicals. The hydrophilicity and adhesion strength to metals were successfully improved, as confirmed by water contact angle measurement, IR and XPS analysis, and SEM observations. Electroless plating of nickel and copper on both untreated and oxidized CFRP demonstrated enhanced adhesion properties.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Adrien Heinzelmeier, Antoine Guitton, Marc Novelli, Wenbo Yu, Thierry Grosdidier
Summary: Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2 are part of the MAX phases, a family of layered compounds. The study tests a composite approach to improve the brittleness of these compounds. Surface severe plastic deformation (SSPD) was conducted on a bulk MAX compound and a MAX/TiAl2 composite using surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The presence of intergranular TiAl2 effectively prevented failure in the composite, resulting in a surface hardening gradient extending down to a depth of 250 μm.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xianmo Wang, Xiyao Xiong, Kanghua Huang, Shaojun Ying, Mingjun Tang, Xinhe Qu, Wen Ji, Chengkai Qian, Zhipeng Cai
Summary: This paper investigates the improvement of bolt thread fatigue strength through the application of deep rolling. The properties of the plastic deformation layer were characterized using SEM, white light interferometer, EBSD, and fatigue tests. The results showed that deep rolling reduced the surface roughness and formed a plastic deformation layer with a depth of approximately 300 μm. The layer exhibited a more compact streamlined fibrous microstructure with increased hardness and decreased tensile residual stress. The fatigue life of the bolts increased by about 113% after deep rolling.
Article
Acoustics
Henrik E. Hansen, Frode Seland, Svein Sunde, Odne S. Burheim, Bruno G. Pollet
Summary: Optimizing the surface area of nanoparticles is crucial for the catalytic performance of electrochemical energy conversion devices. This study investigated the effect of different frequencies on the sonochemical synthesis of Pt nanoparticles and found that lower frequencies resulted in smaller agglomerates and higher electrochemical surface areas, while the primary particle size and catalytic activity remained constant across the entire frequency range.
ULTRASONICS SONOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Masami Aono, Yuto Kubo, Masaki Takahashi, Hiroki Ueda, Takaaki Morimoto, Susumu Nii
Summary: This study investigated the effects of different ultrasonic frequencies on the preparation of nitrogen-doped graphene. XPS and Raman spectroscopy analysis showed that the sample prepared using a frequency of 1.64 MHz had the highest nitrogen concentration, while the sample prepared using a frequency of 485 kHz had reduced size and lower nitrogen concentration compared to other samples.
DIAMOND AND RELATED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hua Chai, Lifei Wang, Xiaoqing Cao, Qiang Zhang, Srinivasan Arthanari, Huseung Lee, Guangsheng Huang, Bin Xing, Liuwei Zheng, Hua Zhang, Liwei Lu, Hongxia Wang
Summary: To improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy, Ca-Ph coatings were prepared on AZ31 alloy substrates by chemical conversion. The morphologies, compositions, and properties of the coatings were adjusted by treatment time and temperature. The coatings demonstrated significant corrosion protection to the substrate in the simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. The results indicated that higher temperatures favored the presence of hydroxyapatite and that the coating thickness had an enhanced influence on the corrosion performance.
MATERIALS CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS
(2023)
Correction
Chemistry, Physical
Thomas Richards, Richard J. Lewis, David J. Morgan, Graham J. Hutchings
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Thomas Richards, Richard J. Lewis, David J. Morgan, Graham J. Hutchings
Summary: The direct synthesis of H2O2 from molecular H-2 and O-2 using Pd-based catalysts has been investigated. The ratio of Pd to Au in the catalyst as well as the catalyst support were found to play important roles in controlling catalytic activity and performance. Alloying Pd with more abundant secondary metals is a potential alternative to replace expensive Au.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
David J. Morgan, Sharukaa Uthayasekaran
Summary: The study compared the degradation of halogenated and non-halogenated polymers using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with different types of spectrometers. The results showed notable differences from the degradation index proposed by Beamson and Briggs. The effects of neutralizer and spot size on degradation kinetics were explored, leading to practical recommendations for analyzing damage-susceptible polymers.
SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Naomi Lawes, Isla E. Gow, Louise R. Smith, Kieran J. Aggett, James S. Hayward, Lara Kabalan, Andrew J. Logsdail, Thomas J. A. Slater, Malcolm Dearg, David J. Morgan, Nicholas F. Dummer, Stuart H. Taylor, Michael Bowker, C. Richard A. Catlow, Graham J. Hutchings
Summary: Palladium-based materials have been used as catalysts for the conversion of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to methanol. Forming PdZn and PdGa alloys improves the methanol selectivity and productivity. The preferential formation of PdZn alloy over PdGa alloy in the presence of Ga2O3 may be attributed to the easier reduction of ZnO compared to Ga2O3.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Richard J. Lewis, Kenji Ueura, Xi Liu, Yukimasa Fukuta, Tian Qin, Thomas E. Davies, David J. Morgan, Alex Stenner, James Singleton, Jennifer K. Edwards, Simon J. Freakley, Christopher J. Kiely, Liwei Chen, Yasushi Yamamoto, Graham J. Hutchings
Summary: The in-situ production of H2O2 enables the ammoximation of ketones to oximes, providing a feasible alternative for industrial-scale production, especially for synthesizing cyclohexanone oxime as a key precursor to Nylon-6. By using a bifunctional catalyst consisting of Pd-based bimetallic nanoparticles immobilized onto a TS-1 carrier, the considerable condition gap between the direct synthesis of H2O2 and ketone ammoximation can be bridged. The formation of PdAu nanoalloys is crucial for achieving high reactivity and catalytic stability, with the monometallic Pd analogue being optimal.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tao Tong, Mark Douthwaite, Lu Chen, Rebecca Engel, Matthew B. Conway, Wanjun Guo, Xin-Ping Wu, Xue-Qing Gong, Yanqin Wang, David J. Morgan, Thomas Davies, Christopher J. Kiely, Liwei Chen, Xi Liu, Graham J. Hutchings
Summary: The physicochemical properties of Pt/CeO2 catalysts were varied to investigate their impact on the hydrogen-borrowing amination of alcohols. It was found that the Pt precursor and CeO2 support properties strongly influenced catalytic performance. The most active catalyst exhibited linearly structured Pt species, which were more effective for the rate-determining step of cyclopentanol dehydrogenation compared to Pt clusters and nanoparticles. This study not only provides insights into desirable catalytic properties for hydrogen-borrowing amination but also has broader relevance to related fields.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Isaac T. T. Daniel, Liang Zhao, Donald Bethell, Mark Douthwaite, Samuel Pattisson, Richard J. J. Lewis, Ouardia Akdim, David J. J. Morgan, Steven McIntosh, Graham J. J. Hutchings
Summary: Recent studies have shown that the rate of catalytic alcohol and formyl dehydrogenation in bimetallic Au-Pd systems is closely related to the rate of oxygen reduction. In this study, the rate enhancement resulting from the coupling of these two processes is evaluated for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. By changing the molar ratio of Au and Pd in a physical mixture of carbon-supported catalysts, the influence of the ratio on the activity is explored. It is found that the activity of the bimetallic system exceeds the combined activity of the monometallic analogues. The kinetic analysis of the system predicts the locations of the maxima in activity for both monometallic and bimetallic systems. The accuracy of the model provides further evidence and understanding of cooperative redox enhancement effects observed in bimetallic, heterogeneous catalytic systems.
CATALYSIS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiang-Bing Fan, Dong-Wook Shin, Sanghyo Lee, Junzhi Ye, Shan Yu, David J. Morgan, Adrees Arbab, Jiajie Yang, Jeong-Wan Jo, Yoonwoo Kim, Sung-Min Jung, Philip R. Davies, Akshay Rao, Bo Hou, Jong Min Kim
Summary: InP quantum dots (QDs) are being studied as a less toxic alternative to Cd-based QDs. Aminophosphine and H2S are used to eliminate defects and reconstruct the interface between InP and ZnS, resulting in enhanced photoluminescence (PL). H2S etching can also control the size of the InP core, allowing for the production of wide band gap InP-based QDs with blue emission.
NANOSCALE HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rachel L. McLaren, Rosenildo C. da Costa, Anna C. Booth, David J. Morgan, Christian J. Laycock, Michael E. A. Warwick, Gareth R. Owen
Summary: The preparation of oleophobic materials coated with a composite based on a multi-layer graphitic scaffolding is reported. These materials demonstrate efficient oil/water separations and reusability, making them promising candidates for applications such as aircraft propellant tanks and oil-spill removal.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS DESIGN & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vincent Fernandez, David Morgan, Pascal Bargiela, Neal Fairley, Jonas Baltrusaitis
Summary: Cellulose undergoes new chemistry in response to XPS, but recent studies have shown that this can be detrimental to some materials. This study analyzes cellulose spectra obtained during a degradation study, revealing that cellulose degrades through the creation of carbon chemistry involving C-O, C--O and O-C--O. The findings are relevant to any material analyzed by XPS dependent on hydrogen bonds. The analysis techniques are based on an informed vectorial approach, utilizing mathematical methods such as Principal Component Analysis and linear analysis.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xin Li, Peng Rui, Wenfei Huang, Xin Yao, Yuewen Ye, Tongqi Ye, David J. Morgan, James H. Carter
Summary: The dehydrogenation of propane was studied using Pt supported on Ga-doped silica with different pore structures. The addition of a small amount of Ga to the support greatly improved the catalyst's conversion and selectivity. Optimizing the Pt and Ga content showed that low loadings of both active components are necessary for efficiency enhancement. The results suggest that doping Ga into SiO2 as a support for Pt nanoparticles is a viable strategy for producing highly efficient catalysts for propane dehydrogenation.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Prasenjit Mondal, Pritam Singh, David Morgan, Adity Bose, Kamalika Sen
Summary: A green approach utilizing sinapic acid as a capping agent was used to synthesize Ni nanoparticles for the absorption spectrophotometric sensing of MnO4- ions. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The nanoparticles displayed selective sensing of permanganate ions in the presence of different co-existing ions with a detection limit of 0.413 μM. The sensing mechanism was investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY A-CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonathan Ruiz Esquius, David J. Morgan, Gerardo Algara Siller, Diego Gianolio, Matteo Aramini, Leopold Lahn, Olga Kasian, Simon A. Kondrat, Robert Schloegl, Graham J. Hutchings, Rosa Arrigo, Simon J. Freakley
Summary: The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for future energy systems based on water electrolysis. Iridium oxides show promise as catalysts due to their corrosion resistance in acidic and oxidizing conditions. The transformation of highly active iridium (oxy)-hydroxides prepared using alkali metal bases into rutile IrO2 at high temperatures (>350 degrees C) results in poor activity, but the transformation into Li-intercalated IrOx retains comparative activity and improved stability. This nanocrystalline lithium iridate form could be more resistant to industrial procedures and help stabilize the high populations of redox active sites in amorphous iridium (oxy)hydroxides.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
David J. J. Morgan
Summary: Standard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, commonly considered non-destructive, can actually cause significant changes to the analysed area due to the interaction of X-ray photons and subsequent electron cascade. This XPS Insights paper provides a brief overview, supported by specific examples and experimental advice, on assessing and minimizing damage during analysis.
SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Liang Zhao, Ouardia Akdim, Xiaoyang Huang, Kai Wang, Mark Douthwaite, Samuel Pattisson, Richard J. Lewis, Runjia Lin, Bingqing Yao, David J. Morgan, Greg Shaw, Qian He, Donald Bethell, Steven McIntosh, Christopher J. Kiely, Graham J. Hutchings
Summary: The aerobic oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes over supported heterogeneous catalysts involves two interconnected processes: dehydrogenation and oxygen reduction. The rate of the reaction can be greatly enhanced by coupling these processes through electron transport between independent active sites. The ratio of Au/Pd catalysts used and their physical properties play important roles in promoting alcohol oxidation through cooperative redox enhancement (CORE).
