The 10 most-cited articles in Advanced materials research, 2023

Concrete is one of the most used construction materials worldwide. It is known to be a strong and durable material at a reasonable price. The most well-known problem in concrete is the cracks, which affect the service life of the concrete structures and leads to consumes higher costs through maintenance. Cracks allow penetrating any ions into the concrete resulting in other big problems such as corrosion of steel reinforcement, sulphate attack, carbonation, alkali-aggregate reaction, etc. It is impossible to prevent the formation of cracks, therefore they can be controlled or repaired using a variety of methods. Nowadays, self-healing is one of the widely recognized techniques to improve concrete's long-term durability. Healing agents such as bacteria, chemical compounds, and polymers are utilized. In this method, with the help of a healing agent, the cracks start to heal autonomously during crack formation. Since Bacteria is the most used material for healing concrete, self-healing concrete is also known as bacterial-concrete or bioconcrete. This article provides an overview of…

Liquid crystal-quantum dot (LC-QD) composites are promising new materials for a number of applications in displays, energy harvesting, and photonics. In the present work, quantum dispersion in the mixture of LCs of cholesteric and nematic phases is reported. The combination of two LCs, namely Cholesteryl Palmitate (cholesteric 97%) and 4′-Pentyl-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (nematic, 98%), were used in equal proportion while CdS quantum dots were added in this mixture. The thermal, optical, and structural properties of this new LC-QD composite system were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ultra-violet visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy, Fabry-Perot scattering studies (FPSS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Structural studies indicate that the QDs are uniformly dispersed inside the LC matrix rather than on the surface area. It was observed that quantum dot dispersion increases the strength of the LC mixture. It also changes the phase behavior of the LC mixture affecting the overall performance of LC-QD composite systems. The present findings would be…

Road markings regulate and direct traffic by conveying specific information. It is of great significance to develop new road marking materials and improve the visibility of marking materials for improving traffic efficiency and ensuring traffic safety. This paper summarized the development status of various reflective road markings at home and abroad. In addition, the energy storage luminescent fluorescent/phosphor marking lines in road marking was emphatically generalized to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different improvement methods. Overall, strontium aluminate doped with Eu2+ co-doped with Dy3+ (SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+) phosphors and self-luminous pavement for energy storage had great prospects in improving road safety and reducing energy consumption.

The cutting fluid plays a significant role in minimizing heat generation and chip removal process during the machining of materials, hence improving tool life and surface finish of the workpiece. Many researchers have focused on minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) among the existing methods on the application of the coolant as it reduces the usage of coolant by spurting a mixture of compressed air and cutting fluid in an improved way instead of flood cooling. The MQL method has demonstrated to be appropriate as it fulfills the necessities of ‘green’ machining. Additionally, considering current environmental issues and provisions for safe healthy working conditions at the workplace, it is important to divert machining processes towards an eco-friendly path. Hence, the focus of research has been shifted to MQL using eco-friendly lubricants for green and sustainable manufacturing processes. In this review paper, the effect of different vegetable oil-based biodegradable coolants like castor oil, coconut oil, palm oil, etc. for different machining process parameters like cutting force,…

The present study deals with the effect of the Diatomite (D) microcomposite with and without chemical modification in a polypropylene (iPP) blend. The objective is to achieve a material with a better performance at a lower cost and more accessible and more suitable processing. The chemical surface modification of Diatomite (MD) was achieved using a crosslinking system based on a mixture of sulfur, accelerator, and peroxide. The iPP/Diatomite composite was prepared by batch melt mixing in a Brabender Plasti-Corde under intense shearing at high temperatures and varying the Diatomite content from 0 to 15 wt%. The rheological behavior was examined by monitoring the Brabender Plasti-Corde torque/time rheographs. Different techniques were used to characterize the sample: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), WAXS, SEM, and DSC. In addition, tensile strength tests and impact strength mechanical tests were conducted to study the performance. It was found that chemical modification strongly affected rheological behavior and generated a new rheological characteristic compared to the…

The recent developments in dielectric elastomers (DE) are spectacular. Currently, a DE as an actuator, 0.15 g of acrylic sandwiching SWCNT electrodes, is capable of lifting a weight of 8 kg by more than 1 mm at a speed of 88 msec. In the near future, DE motors could be used to drive electric vehicles. Moreover, the DE can be used as a high-efficiency sensor with the same structure. With a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of 0.5 mm, it can accurately measure pressure from several kg to 150 kg. In addition, reversing this DE actuator (DEA) movement also enables high-efficiency power generation. In other words, when the DEA is stretched or pushed, it generates electric power. Single wall nanotubes (SWCNTs) were used as an electrode, and an acrylic DE power generation cartridge with a diameter of 80 mm was used. When the center of the DE power generation cartridge is pushed by about 15 mm, a power of 33.6 mJ is generated. Using these two DE cartridges, it was possible to charge a secondary battery through a DC converter. In addition to this power generator, practical research and…

The current research paper is focused on investigating the influence of Laser beam machining process parameters on surface roughness and kerf width of HSLA steel. Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array is adopted to conduct the machining studies. MOORA method is used to evaluate the suitable combination of the LBM process parameters. The combined effect of machining performance measures is analysed using analysis of variance to identify the significance of the result. Consequently, the influence of the parameters on machining responses were explored. The surface morphology of the machined surface of the optimal set of parameters has been studied.

The present work aims to understand the effect of drilling parameters (drill speed and feed rate) during the drilling of saffil fiber-reinforced Al metal matrix composite (MMC) under dry conditions. The effect of drilling parameters on individual response characteristics is evaluated and the optimum drilling parameters are also investigated using a multi-response optimization technique known as Entropy Weighted Grey Relational Analysis (EWGRA). The drilling parameter optimization has been performed with aim of minimizing the surface roughness of drilled hole, roundness error in drilled hole and feed force during drilling. Weights were assigned to individual responses with the Entropy weight method and Grey relational grades were calculated to obtain the optimal level for drilling parameters. To achieve the minimum values for all output responses the optimal value of drill speed is 22 m/min and the feed rate is 0.075 mm/rev.

Spinel ferrite nanoparticles are potential candidates for multiple biomedical applications. Spinel ferrite nanoparticles have been studied extensively for understanding physical, chemical, electro-optical as well as magnetic properties which are fascinating due to cationic distributions corresponding to tetrahedral sites and octahedral sites in a cubic phase. Biocompatibility and large magnetic moment are basic requirements in spinel ferrite nanoparticles for efficient functioning in specific application purpose. Fe3O4(magnetite) is an important member of spinel ferrite group with high chemical stability and ferrimagetic material property at nanodimension. Superparamagnetic state and biocompatibility of magnetite (Fe3O4) spinel ferrite nanoparticle has already been proven. Spinel ferrite magnetite nanoparticles have been developed based on precipitation of iron oxide using ferric and ferrous ions at the ratio 2:1 in alkaline media at and above 100°C. The experimental parameters have been set to synthesize pure and uniformly sized magnetite nanoparticles. No other phases of iron…

In this study, sheet-like MnO2/ZnO microflower (MnO2/ZnO) loaded on cotton fabric was prepared via a facile reflux-thermal deposition combined technique. The coated fabric and as-fabricated particles were analyzed through numerous characterization techniques including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), tensile strength, Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) as well as photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The optical trait of the ZnO was significantly improved by the addition of MnO2 that extended reflectance edges in the visible light region. The treated cotton fabric greatly inhibited the growth of Escherichia Coli bacteria and Aspergillus Niger fungi as testified by the zone of inhibition surrounding the fabric samples. The self-cleaning outcomes also demonstrated that 3% MnO2/ZnO/fabric presented highest visible light photodegradation of phenol among the samples. The promising performance of the cotton fabric coated by MnO2/ZnO composite was related to the…