Search results for " interfaces"

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) depositions on polyoxymethylene: Substrate influence on the characteristics of the developing coatings

2016

Abstract After oxygen plasma treatment polyoxymethylene (POM) material was exposed to acetylene plasma to progressively deposit two different types of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films. Radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) was used to generate both plasma processes. The surface morphology of the coated samples has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and their chemical composition by Diffusive Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) and Raman spectroscopy. Results revealed the absence of a solid interlayer formation between the a-C:H films and POM. The in sequence exposure of oxygen and acetylene plasma on POM substrate prevents…

Nanoemulsions for synthesis of biomedical nanocarriers

2021

Nanoemulsions are kinetically stabilized emulsions with droplet sizes in the nanometer scale. These nanodroplets are able to confine spaces in which reactions of polymerization or precipitation can take place, leading to the formation of particles and capsules that can act as nanocarriers for biomedical applications. This review discusses the different possibilities of using nanoemulsions for preparing biomedical nanocarriers. According to the chemical nature, nanocarriers prepared in nanoemulsions are classified in polymeric, inorganic, or hybrid. The main synthetic strategies for each type are revised, including miniemulsion polymerization, nanoemulsion-solvent evaporation, spontaneous em…

Heterostructured metal oxides-ZnO nanorods films prepared by SPPS route for photodegradation applications

2019

Abstract This work presents the first preparation using the Solution Precursor Plasma Spray process of heterostructured films associating ZnO nanorods (NRs) and various metal oxides (CuO, Fe2O3 and Co3O4) by Solution Precursor Plasma Spray process. These CuO/ZnO, Fe2O3/ZnO and Co3O4/ZnO films exhibit hierarchically chocolate sticks-like, dandelion-like or chrysanthemum-like surface morphologies. These heterostructures were confirmed by SEM, XRD, EDS and Raman analyses. The bandgaps of heterostructured films are narrower than that of pure ZnO. The CuO/ZnO film exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity both under UV and visible light irradiation for the degradation of the Orange II dye due…

Nonionic Aliphatic Polycarbonate Diblock Copolymers Based on CO2, 1,2-Butylene Oxide, and mPEG: Synthesis, Micellization, and Solubilization

2019

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a renewable carbon source that is easily available in high purity and is utilized as a co-monomer in the direct ring-opening polymerization of epoxides to obtain aliphatic polycarbonates. In this work, degradable aliphatic polycarbonate diblock copolymers (mPEG- b-PBC) are synthesized via catalytic copolymerization of CO2 and 1,2-butylene oxide, starting from monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) as a chain transfer reagent. The polymerization proceeds at low temperatures and high CO2 pressure, utilizing the established binary catalytic system ( R, R)-Co(salen)Cl/[PPN]Cl. Amphiphilic nonionic diblock copolymers with varying PBC block lengths and hydrophilic-lipoph…

Novel TiO2-WO3 self-ordered nanotubes used as photoanodes: Influence of Na2WO4 and H2O2 concentration during electrodeposition

2021

[EN] Hybrid TiO2-WO3 nanostructures has been synthesized by electrochemical anodization under controlled hydrodynamic conditions followed by electrodeposition in the presence of different contents of Na2WO4 (5, 15 and 25 mM) and H2O2 (20, 30 and 40 mM). The influence of the electrolyte used for electrodeposition on the morphology, crystalline structure and photoelectrochemical response for water splitting has been evaluated through Field Emission Electronic Microscopy, High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Confocal Raman Spectroscopy, Grazing Incidence X Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Atomic Force microscopy and photocurrent versus potential measurements. Add…

2019

Abstract The fatigue life of thermally sprayed Al2O3- and Cr2O3-based coatings has been studied under low-energy (0.7–5 mJ) impact conditions. A threshold impact energy and amount of repetitions the coatings can endure with said energy before catastrophic failure was obtained. The catastrophic failure was determined to occur when the fracture mode of the coating switched from brittle cone cracking to quasi-plastic radial cracking. The results are examined relative to the microstructural features along with other properties of the coatings - hardness and cavitation resistance. The experiment provided a new approach for a straightforward comparison of the micro-scale impact fatigue life of th…

Grafting Silicone at Room Temperature—a Transparent, Scratch-resistant Nonstick Molecular Coating

2020

Silicones are usually considered to be inert and, thus, not reactive with surfaces. Here we show that the most common silicone, methyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, spontaneously and stably bonds on glass-and any other material with silicon oxide surface chemistry-even at room temperature. As a result, a 2-5 nm thick and transparent coating, which shows extraordinary nonstick properties toward polar and nonpolar liquids, ice, and even super glue, is formed. Ten microliter drops of various liquids slide off a coated glass when the sample is inclined by less than 10°. Ice adhesion strength on a coated glass is only 2.7 ± 0.6 kPa, that is, more than 98% less than ice adhesion on an uncoated…

Fatigue and Healing Properties of Low Environmental Impact Rubberized Bitumen for Asphalt Pavement

2017

The addition of recycled tyre rubber as a modifier to enhance the mechanical properties of bitumen has proven to provide asphalt mixtures with better mechanical performance. However the rubberised bitumen presents the limitation of requiring higher manufacturing and compaction temperatures. This could be solved by subjecting the tyre rubber to sort of pre-treatments such as: Adding warm-mix additives and/or using partial devulcanisation. These solutions have the potential of lowering the overall environmental impact of the asphalt pavement, however it is still not clear whether these can be detrimental for the rubberized asphalt binder mechanical properties. This paper investigates the effe…

The CRATI project: New insights on the consolidation of saltweathered stone and the case study of San Domenico Church in Cosenza (South Calabria, Ita…

2019

This paper presents the results of a laboratory experimentation carried out on stone materials in the framework of the CRATI project (Knowledge and Restoration through Advanced Integrated Technologies) aimed at testing new products with consolidating properties by means of an integrated methodological approach. After the preliminary characterization of stone materials collected in the pilot site, the second stage of the activities within the project were focused on the formulation and testing of products for the conservation of the same materials against decay, especially salt crystallization, one of the most aggressive and common degrading processes. The San Domenico Church, located in the…

Four-faceted nanowires generated from densely-packed TiO2 rutile surfaces: Ab initio calculations

2013

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) slabs and monoperiodic (1D) nanowires orthogonal to the slab surface of rutile-based TiO 2 structure terminated by densely-packed surfaces and facets, respectively, have been simulated in the current study. The procedure of structural generation of nanowires (NWs) from titania slabs (2D → 1D) is described. We have simulated: ( i ) (110), (100), (101) and (001) slabs of different thicknesses as well as ( ii ) [001]- and [110]-oriented nanowires of different diameters terminated by either four types of related {110} facets or alternating { 1 1 ¯ 0 } and {001} facets, respectively. Nanowires have been described using both the Ti atom-centered rotation axes as well…