Reinforcement hybridization in staggered composites enhances wave attenuation performance

Advanced composites with superior wave attenuation or vibration isolation capacity are in high demand in engineering practice. In this study, we develop the hybrid dynamic shear-lag model with Bloch's theorem to investigate the hybrid effect of reinforcement on wave attenuation in bioinspired staggered composites. We present for the first time the relationship between macroscopic wave filtering and hybridization of building blocks in staggered composites. Viscoelasticity was taken into account for both reinforcement and matrix to reflect the damping effect on wave transmission. Our findings indicate that reinforcement hybridization significantly enhances wave attenuation performance through two critical parameters: the linear stiffness and linear density of reinforcements. For purely elastic constituents, reinforcement hybridization consistently improves wave attenuation by reducing the initial frequency of the first bandgap and broadening it. For viscoelastic constituents, increasing the heterogeneity of reinforcements can benefit wave attenuation, particularly in ultralow frequency regimes, due to the strengthening of the damping effect. Our case study demonstrates that controlling the difference in linear density can result in up to a 59 % reduction in energy transmission. Our analysis suggests that hybridizing reinforcements could provide a new approach to designing and synthesizing advanced composites with exceptional wave attenuation performance.

Applications of waste-derived visibly active Fe-TiO2 composite incorporating the hybrid process of photocatalysis and photo-Fenton for the inactivation of E. coli

The study reports the applications of waste-derived visibly active Fe-TiO₂ composite for the inactivation of E. coli present in water. The Fe/TiO₂ catalyst holds remarkable properties of in situ hybrid effect via combining the TiO₂-photocatalytic and photo-Fenton process in one system causing increased production of OH˚. The quantum yield (QY) and reaction rate constant of this hybrid process at 40 W m^-2 (UV-A irradiation) were found to be significantly higher in less treatment time (45 min) of E. coli inactivation. 23% synergy of in situ hybrid process over single processes was also observed. The increase in the K⁺ concentration at regular intervals confirmed the cell wall damage. In fully inactivated samples, no regrowth of cells was observed even after 24 and 48 h of dark study. Additionally, even after 100 recycles, the Fe/TiO₂ catalyst demonstrated an exceptional durability/recyclability efficacy. The findings of this study highlight the potential of the hybrid process as a viable idea for post-treatment of the wastewater that can be implemented effectively in practice.