Development, Testing, and Thermoforming of Thermoplastics Reinforced with Surface-Modified Aramid Fibers for Cover of Electronic Parts in Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using 3D-Printed Molds

This paper presents the development, characterization, and testing of PP/PE-g-MA composites with 10 and 15 wt% surface-modified aramid fibers, and aluminum-based pigment, as covers for a small drone body for collision protection. The successful fiber surface modification with SiO2 by the sol-gel method using TEOS was confirmed by FTIR, SEM, and EDS analyses. The composites were characterized by FTIR and SEM analyses and surface energy and water contact angle measurements and tested in terms of tensile, flexural, impact, and thermal properties. The materials exhibited hydrophobic character and compact and uniform morphostructures, with increased surface energy with fiber content owed to improved adhesion between modified fibers and the matrix. Compared to the control sample, composites with modified fibers showed an increase by 20% in tensile strength, and 36-52% in the modulus, and an increase by 26-33% in flexural strength and 30-47% in the modulus, with higher values at room temperature. Impact resistance of modified fiber composites showed an increase by 20-40% compared to the control sample, due to improved interaction between SiO2-modified fibers and maleic anhydride, which inhibits crack formation, allowing higher energies' absorption. The composites were vacuum-thermoformed on 3D-printed molds as a two-part cover for the body of a drone, successfully withstanding the flight test.

Shear thickening fluid (STF) in engineering applications and the potential of cork in STF-based composites

Shear thickening fluids (STFs) are a unique type of fluids that can quickly transform into a solid-like state when subjected to forces (rate dependent). These fluids are created by dispersing micro and nanoparticles within a medium. When the force is removed, they return to their original liquid state. Shear thickening fluids can absorb a significant amount of impact energy, making them useful for reducing vibrations and serving as a damper. This study provides a comprehensive and brief overview of existing literature on shear thickening fluids, including their properties, classification, and the rheological mechanisms behind the shear thickening behaviour. It also examines the use of these fluids in various applications, such as improving resistance to stabs and spikes, protecting against low- and high-velocity impacts, and as a new medium for energy dissipation in industries such as battery safety, vibration control and adaptive structures. Lastly, this work reviews the promising combination of STFs with cork. Given the sustainability of cork and its energy absorption capacity, cork-STF composites are a promising solution for various impact-absorbing applications. Overall, the paper underscores the versatility and potential of STFs, and advocates for further research and exploration.

Itaconic Acid Cross-Linked Biomolecule Immobilization Approach on Amine-Functionalized Silica Nanoparticles for Highly Sensitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

Biomolecule immobilization on nanomaterials is attractive for biosensors since it enables the capture of a higher concentration of bioreceptor units while also serving as a transduction element. The technique could enhance the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of the analytical measurements of biomolecules. However, it was found that the limitation in chemically binding biomolecules on nanoparticle surfaces could only cross-link between the C-terminal and N-terminal. Here, we report the facile one-step synthesis of amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles (AFSNPs). (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane was used as a precursor to modify the functional surface of nanoparticles via the Stöber process. The biomolecules were immobilized to the AFSNPs through itaconic acid, a novel cross-linker that binds between the N-terminal and N-terminal and potentially improves proteins and nucleic acid immobilization onto the nanoparticle surface. The newly developed immobilization approach on AFSNPs for biomolecular detection enhanced the efficiency of ELISA, resulting in increased sensitivity. It might also be easily used to identify different pathogens for clinical diagnostics.

Construction of nano-silica particle clusters and their effects on the shear thickening properties of liquids

It is of great research significance to prepare a new shear thickening fluid (STF) with a simple process, remarkable thickening effect and excellent impact resistance from the properties of the particles. Inspired by the shear thickening mechanism, nano-silica particle clusters (SPC) with different morphological structures were prepared by the reaction of amino-modified silica with polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE), and the structure models of particle clusters were designed through theoretical analysis. The structure of SPC was affected by the degree of amination modification and the molecular weight of PEGDGE, which was analyzed by DLS and TEM. The shear thickening behavior of the fluid was evaluated by steady-state rheology and dynamic-state rheology analysis. The shear thickening behavior of the fluid composed of SPC also changed greatly with the influence of the degree of amination modification and the molecular weight of PEGDGE. In addition, compared with the STF contained original silica, the STF contained SPC could produce a faster and stronger shear thickening response. Therefore, silica particle clusters are not only a promising candidate for the preparation of high-performance shear thickening fluids, but can also be better applied to industrial and scientific fields such as impact protection and shock absorption.

Investigating the effect of curing temperature on the corrosion resistance of epoxy-based composite coatings for aluminium alloy 7075 in artificial seawater

Araldite LY5052 epoxy resin and Aradur HY5052 hardener were used in a ratio of 100 : 38 to produce composite coatings containing 0.05 proportion of functionalized SiO₂. Coating samples were cured at curing temperatures of 60, 80, 100, 120, and 140 °C. The results of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) verified that silica particles were successfully functionalized with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS)/3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES). The epoxide and Si-O bond peaks in the EHS100 coating were present due to the effective incorporation of functionalized silica (FSiO₂) particles in the polymeric matrix (epoxy resin). The surface morphology of the bare aluminium alloy AA7075 and EHS100 coating was investigated by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM). Additionally, corrosion analysis was conducted at room temperature using an electrolytic solution of artificial seawater, prepared according to ASTM standard D1141-98. Charge transfer resistance (R_ct) was shown to increase by 86.43, 92.15, 94.76, 90.65, and 83.96% for EHS60, EHS80, EHS100, EHS120, and EHS140 in comparison to bare AA7075 substrate using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) examination. Furthermore, potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) measurements were carried out to determine the corrosion rates, which demonstrated a drop of 55.98, 98.96, 99.37, 98.33, and 50.39% for EHS60, EHS80, EHS100, EHS120, and EHS140, as compared to the bare AA7075 sample. The highest charge transfer resistance (29.77 kΩ) and lowest corrosion rate (0.00078 mm per year) were recorded for EHS100, which reveals that the EHS100 coating has the best anti-corrosion performance and provides the maximum corrosion protection for the aluminium alloy AA7075 substrate.

Tailoring of Mesoporous Silica-Based Materials for Enhanced Water Pollutants Removal

The adsorptive performance of mesoporous silica-based materials towards inorganic (metal ions) and organic (dyes) water pollutants was investigated. Mesoporous silica materials with different particle size, surface area and pore volume were prepared and tailored with different functional groups. These materials were then characterised by solid-state techniques, namely vibrational spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, allowing the successful preparation and structural modifications of the materials to be confirmed. The influence of the physicochemical properties of the adsorbents towards the removal of metal ions (Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺) and organic dyes (methylene blue and methyl green) from aqueous solutions was also investigated. The results reveal that the exceptionally high surface area and suitable ζ-potential of the nanosized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) seem to favour the adsorptive capacity of the material for both types of water pollutants. Kinetic studies were performed for the adsorption of organic dyes by MSNPs and large-pore mesoporous silica (LPMS), suggesting that the process follows a pseudo-second-order model. The recyclability along consecutive adsorption cycles and the stability of the adsorbents after use were also investigated, showing that the material can be reused. Current results show the potentialities of novel silica-based material as a suitable adsorbent to remove pollutants from aquatic matrices with an applicability to reduce water pollution.

Effects of UV sensitivity and accelerated photo-aging on stab resistance of ρ-aramid fabrics impregnated with shear thickening fluids (STFs)

The use of Kevlar in the field of ballistic and stabbing protection has been studied by researchers in polymeric composites for this purpose. This study presents complementary knowledge on energy absorption and dissipation in ρ-aramid fabric impregnated with shear thickening fluids (STFs), especially aiming to obtain better protection against impacts that are deeply associated with STFs, as well as color change, accelerated aging (QUV), and penetration depth (drop tower test). In addition, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed. The research shows that there was a good distribution of STF particles on the ρ-Aramid fabric surface, promoting increased friction between the interfilament and the yarns, further increasing performance and, consequently, improving the energy absorption and dissipation mechanism and, also, the penetration effectiveness in relation to non-impregnated ρ-Aramid fabric. Regarding the protection efficiency against UV exposure (250-400 nm region), there was a significantly decreased compared to those non-impregnated Kevlar® woven with STFs. The FTIR analysis showed that the conditions of aging, after exposure to UV, did not produce new functional groups, that is, there was no chemical modification. Finally, Kevlar fabric impregnated with STFs improved penetration depth performance with the blades independent of the blade type with up to 81% increase in resistance. This result was improved due to interactions between the nanoparticles present in STFs, yarns, and even high-performance woven impregnated with shear-thickening fluids.

Recent Progress on Anti-Humidity Strategies of Chemiresistive Gas Sensors

In recent decades, chemiresistive gas sensors (CGS) have been widely studied due to their unique advantages of expedient miniaturization, simple fabrication, easy operation, and low cost. As one ubiquitous interference factor, humidity dramatically affects the performance of CGS, which has been neglected for a long time. With the rapid development of technologies based on gas sensors, including the internet of things (IoT), healthcare, environment monitoring, and food quality assessing, the humidity interference on gas sensors has been attracting increasing attention. Inspiringly, various anti-humidity strategies have been proposed to alleviate the humidity interference in this field; however, comprehensive summaries of these strategies are rarely reported. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the latest research advances on humidity-independent CGS. First, we discussed the humidity interference mechanism on gas sensors. Then, the anti-humidity strategies mainly including surface engineering, physical isolation, working parameters modulation, humidity compensation, and developing novel gas-sensing materials were successively introduced in detail. Finally, challenges and perspectives of improving the humidity tolerance of gas sensors were proposed for future research.

A lightweight thermally insulating and moisture-stable composite made of hollow silica particles

Thermal insulation materials are highly desirable for several applications ranging from building envelopes to thermal energy storage systems. A new type of low-cost insulation material called hollow silica particles (HSPs) was recently reported. The present work presents an HSP-based stand-alone composite that has very low thermal conductivity and is highly stable to moisture.

3D direct printing of composite bone scaffolds containing polylactic acid and spray dried mesoporous bioactive glass-ceramic microparticles

In this study, a three-dimensional composite scaffold is proposed consisting of polylactic acid and spray dried glass-ceramic microparticles (SGCMs). The compositional and structural characterization showed that the obtained spray dried powder formed as glass-ceramic (GC) with a completely interconnected porosity structure. Before direct printing of scaffolds, the rheological behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) and PLA-GC (PLA matrix containing SGCMs) inks were investigated. The PLA-GC composite ink represents sharper shear-thinning behavior and higher loss and storage modulus comparable to that of pure PLA. Microscopic observations and elemental mapping elements showed that 3D scaffolds had well-defined interconnected porosity and uniform distribution of the glass-ceramic particles. Mechanical tests indicated that compression strength is dependent on the scaffold porosity and the presence of SGCMs. Apatite formation evaluation besides ion release study showed better biomineralization capacity of PLA-GC scaffolds, as larger and denser sediments formed on the PLA-GC scaffolds after 7- and 14-day soaking. The preliminary cell response was studied with primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and revealed that SGCMs improved cell adhesion and viability and ALP activity. The appropriate combination of the biomaterials/methods to fabricate 3D porous constructs and their available bioactivity and biocompatibility, both being important characteristics for bone tissue engineering applications.

One-Pot Synthesis of Amine-Functionalized Nano-Silica via Sol-Gel Assisted by Reverse Micelle Microemulsion for Environmental Application

Amine modified nano-silica was prepared via a one-pot route and under very mild conditions in water in oil microemulsion with a non-ionic surfactant to study the effect of changing the amount of N-[3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine (DA) added to the synthesis mixture on the characteristics of the obtained nanocomposite such as morphology, crystallinity, surface charge, particle size, surface area, and accordingly the effect of all of these factors on the efficiency of the nanocomposite for the removal of heavy metal ions, namely zinc, from aqueous solutions. XRD, SEM, TGA, BET, DLS, FTIR, and pH0 analysis were performed for samples and the results showed a strong effect for the amount of DA added to the synthesis mixture on the characteristics of the obtained nanocomposites. It was found that increasing the amount of DA added to the synthesis mixture increased the pH0, hydrodynamic particle size obtained by dynamic light scattering analysis, and the particle size obtained by SEM. Sample prepared without the addition of DA (SNP) and the samples prepared with 1.5 mL of DA (SNP-1.5DA) showed a better adsorption performance compared to the samples prepared with 0.5 and 1.0 mL of DA (SNP-0.5DA and SNP-1.0DA, respectively). The main factor affecting the adsorption efficiency was found to be the available surface area for each nanocomposite, which was directly related to the degree of crystallinity as obtained by XRD analysis.

Novel Biocompatible with Animal Cells Composite Material Based on Organosilicon Polymers and Fullerenes with Light-Induced Bacteriostatic Properties

A technology for producing a nanocomposite based on the borsiloxane polymer and chemically unmodified fullerenes has been developed. Nanocomposites containing 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1 wt% fullerene molecules have been created. It has been shown that the nanocomposite with any content of fullerene molecules did not lose the main rheological properties of borsiloxane and is capable of structural self-healing. The resulting nanomaterial is capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals in light. The rate of ROS generation increases with an increase in the concentration of fullerene molecules. In the absence of light, the nanocomposite exhibits antioxidant properties. The severity of antioxidant properties is also associated with the concentration of fullerene molecules in the polymer. It has been shown that the nanocomposite upon exposure to visible light leads to the formation of long-lived reactive protein species, and is also the reason for the appearance of such a key biomarker of oxidative stress as 8-oxoguanine in DNA. The intensity of the process increases with an increase in the concentration of fullerene molecules. In the dark, the polymer exhibits weak protective properties. It was found that under the action of light, the nanocomposite exhibits significant bacteriostatic properties, and the severity of these properties depends on the concentration of fullerene molecules. Moreover, it was found that bacterial cells adhere to the surfaces of the nanocomposite, and the nanocomposite can detach bacterial cells not only from the surfaces, but also from wetted substrates. The ability to capture bacterial cells is primarily associated with the properties of the polymer; they are weakly affected by both visible light and fullerene molecules. The nanocomposite is non-toxic to eukaryotic cells, the surface of the nanocomposite is suitable for eukaryotic cells for colonization. Due to the combination of self-healing properties, low cytotoxicity, and the presence of bacteriostatic properties, the nanocomposite can be used as a reusable dry disinfectant, as well as a material used in prosthetics.

Low cost and scalable method for modifying surfaces of hollow particles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic

Hydrophobic hollow silica particles are desirable for several applications such as hydrophobic coatings, thermal insulation, and thermally resistant insulative paints. However, converting hydrophilic particles into hydrophobic particles without compromising their structural integrity is challenging. In this work, we present a low cost strategy to modify the surface of hollow silica particles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic without compromising their structural integrity.

Control of Particle Size in Flame Spray Pyrolysis of Tb-doped Y2O3 for Bio-Imaging

Recently, the use of oxide-based nanomaterials for bio-imaging has received great attention owing to their remarkable stabilities as compared to those of conventional organic dyes. Therefore, the development of scalable methods for highly luminescent oxide materials with fine control of size has become crucial. In this study, we suggested modified flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) as a scalable method to produce a green-light emitting phosphor—Tb–doped Y₂O₃—in the nanometer size range. In our FSP method, an alkali salt (NaNO₃) was found to be highly effective as a size-controlling agent when it is simply mixed with other metal nitrate precursors. The FSP of the mixture solution resulted in oxide composites of Y₂O₃:Tb³⁺ and Na_xO. However, the sodium by-product was easily removed by washing with water. This salt-assisted FSP produced nano-sized and well-dispersed Y₂O₃:Tb³⁺ nanoparticles; their crystallinity and luminescence were higher than those of the bulk product made without the addition of the alkali salt. The nanoparticle surface was further coated with silica for biocompatibility and functionalized with amino groups for the attachment of biological molecules.

The influence of the curing process on the shear thickening performance of RMG and property optimization

A smart composite with both rate-sensitive and magnetic-sensitive properties was prepared by dispersing carbonyl iron powder (CIP) into a silicon–boron copolymer matrix. In addition to following the common preparation procedure, a curing process used in the rubber industry was considered. Several groups of samples were prepared with and without including this curing process. For the samples that underwent the curing process, the absolute shear thickening effect was reduced by less than half compared to the samples that did not undergo the curing process, however, the relative shear thickening effect was increased by up to 6717.50%. In total, 16 groups of samples were tested under different curing conditions, such as different curing times and curing temperatures, to investigate the performance improvement. The results showed that to obtain a better relative shear thickening effect, a curing time of at least 20 min was needed. When the curing temperature was set to 120 °C, the absolute shear thickening effect was maximized. The influences of pyroboric acid and CIPs on the properties of the materials were also studied. Interestingly, the relative magnetorheological effect did not always increase with increasing CIP content. An increase in the amount of pyroboric acid increased the absolute shear thickening effect and decreased the relative shear thickening effect.

The influence of the curing process is studied, and to obtain a better shear thickening performance, the parameter in this curing process is also optimized.

Organic Solvent-Free Olefins and Alcohols (ep)oxidation Using Recoverable Catalysts Based on [PM12O40]3- (M = Mo or W) Ionically Grafted on Amino Functionalized Silica Nanobeads

Catalyzed organic solvent-free (ep)oxidation were achieved using H3PM12O40 (M = Mo or W) complexes ionically grafted on APTES-functionalized nano-silica beads obtained from straightforward method (APTES = aminopropyltriethoxysilane). Those catalysts have been extensively analyzed through morphological studies (Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), TEM) and several spectroscopic qualitative (IR, multinuclear solid-state NMR) and quantitative (1H and 31P solution NMR) methods. Interesting catalytic results were obtained for the epoxidation of cyclooctene, cyclohexene, limonene and oxidation of cyclohexanol with a lower [POM]/olefin ratio. The catalysts were found to be recyclable and reused during three runs with similar catalytic performances.