Spark plasma welding joining of copper- AISI4140 steel: Microstructures and mechanical properties

The main aim of this research study was to characterize the microstructures and mechanical properties of Cu-AISI4140 steel solid-state joining created via the spark plasma welding (SPW) method with and without using molds. To explore the effect of mold on the joining of copper/steel, the SPW process was done at 650 °C for 30 min under the pressure of 20 MPa, with and without mold. Microstructural evaluations indicated the diffusion-affected zone (DAZ) in the SPW process increased with mold, as compared to the sample considered in the absence of the mold process. Also, the SPW process with the mold, in response to the lack of the formation of the oxide layer and dead zone, was affected by the process pressure, in comparison to that without the mold process, leading to the reduction of unjointed areas and the formation of micropores constrained at the joining interface; as such, the joining strength was increased from 42 MPa to 90 MPa. The elevation of the applied pressure from 20 MPa to 40 MPa at 650 °C resulted in enhancement of the joining strength up to 106 MPa, but it had no perceptible effect on raising the strength and diffusion affected zone (DAZ) of the joint.

Graphene oxide decorated with gold enables efficient biophotovolatic cells incorporating photosystem I

This paper describes the use of reduced graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles as an efficient electron transfer layer for solid-state biophotovoltic cells containing photosystem I as the sole photo-active component. Together with polytyrosine–polyaniline as a hole transfer layer, this device architecture results in an open-circuit voltage of 0.3 V, a fill factor of 38% and a short-circuit current density of 5.6 mA cm⁻² demonstrating good coupling between photosystem I and the electrodes. The best-performing device reached an external power conversion efficiency of 0.64%, the highest for any solid-state photosystem I-based photovoltaic device that has been reported to date. Our results demonstrate that the functionality of photosystem I in the non-natural environment of solid-state biophotovoltaic cells can be improved through the modification of electrodes with efficient charge-transfer layers. The combination of reduced graphene oxide with gold nanoparticles caused tailoring of the electronic structure and alignment of the energy levels while also increasing electrical conductivity. The decoration of graphene electrodes with gold nanoparticles is a generalizable approach for enhancing charge-transfer across interfaces, particularly when adjusting the levels of the active layer is not feasible, as is the case for photosystem I and other biological molecules.

This paper describes the use of reduced graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles as an efficient electron transport layer for solid-state biophotovoltic cells containing photosystem I as the sole photo-active component.

Fullerenes Enhance Self-Assembly and Electron Injection of Photosystem I in Biophotovoltaic Devices

This paper describes the fabrication of microfluidic devices with a focus on controlling the orientation of photosystem I (PSI) complexes, which directly affects the performance of biophotovoltaic devices by maximizing the efficiency of the extraction of electron/hole pairs from the complexes. The surface chemistry of the electrode on which the complexes assemble plays a critical role in their orientation. We compared the degree of orientation on self-assembled monolayers of phenyl-C61-butyric acid and a custom peptide on nanostructured gold electrodes. Biophotovoltaic devices fabricated with the C61 fulleroid exhibit significantly improved performance and reproducibility compared to those utilizing the peptide, yielding a 1.6-fold increase in efficiency. In addition, the C61-based devices were more stable under continuous illumination. Our findings show that fulleroids, which are well-known acceptor materials in organic photovoltaic devices, facilitate the extraction of electrons from PSI complexes without sacrificing control over the orientation of the complexes, highlighting this combination of traditional organic semiconductors with biomolecules as a viable approach to coopting natural photosynthetic systems for use in solar cells.

Structural and Electrical Investigation of Cobalt-Doped NiOx/Perovskite Interface for Efficient Inverted Solar Cells

Inorganic hole-transporting materials (HTMs) for stable and cheap inverted perovskite-based solar cells are highly desired. In this context, NiO_x, with low synthesis temperature, has been employed. However, the low conductivity and the large number of defects limit the boost of the efficiency. An approach to improve the conductivity is metal doping. In this work, we have synthesized cobalt-doped NiO_x nanoparticles containing 0.75, 1, 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mol% cobalt (Co) ions to be used for the inverted planar perovskite solar cells. The best efficiency of the devices utilizing the low temperature-deposited Co-doped NiO_x HTM obtained a champion photoconversion efficiency of 16.42%, with 0.75 mol% of doping. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the improvement is not from an increase of the conductivity of the NiO_x film, but due to the improvement of the perovskite layer morphology. We observe that the Co-doping raises the interfacial recombination of the device but more importantly improves the perovskite morphology, enlarging grain size and reducing the density of bulk defects and the bulk recombination. In the case of 0.75 mol% of doping, the beneficial effects do not just compensate for the deleterious one but increase performance further. Therefore, 0.75 mol% Co doping results in a significant improvement in the performance of NiO_x-based inverted planar perovskite solar cells, and represents a good compromise to synthesize, and deposit, the inorganic material at low temperature, without losing the performance, due to the strong impact on the structural properties of the perovskite. This work highlights the importance of the interface from two different points of view, electrical and structural, recognizing the role of a low doping Co concentration, as a key to improve the inverted perovskite-based solar cells’ performance.

A multifunctional nanocomposite spray dressing of Kappa-carrageenan-polydopamine modified ZnO/L-glutamic acid for diabetic wounds

Sprayable bioadhesives with exceptional properties were developed for application in wound healing. In this study, a visible light-crosslinkable nanocomposite bioadhesive hydrogel with multifunctional properties was proposed. While methacrylated Kappa-carrageenan (KaMA), mimicking the natural glycosaminoglycan was applied as the hydrogel matrix, various concentrations of polydopamine modified ZnO (ZnO/PD) nanoparticles (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 wt%) was loaded in it to improve its mechanical, antibacterial and cellular properties. Moreover, L-glutamic acid was incorporated in the nanocomposite hydrogel network to accelerate wound healing. The nanocomposite hydrogels revealed significant mechanical property and recovery ability, comparable elasticity with human skin and great adhesiveness. For instance, the tensile strength of KaMA hydrogel enhanced from 64.1 ± 10 to 80.3 ± 8 kPa and elongation jumped from 20 ± 4% to 61 ± 5% after incorporation of 1 wt% ZnO/PD nanoparticles. The nanocomposite hydrogels demonstrated effectual blood clotting ability and biocompatibility, >95% cell viability after 3 days of incubation. In vivo experiments also suggested that L-glutamic acid loaded nanocomposite hydrogel considerably accelerated wound healing with superior granulation tissue thickness than control in a full-thickness skin defect model. Taken together, this visible-light crosslinking nanocomposite hydrogel with significant properties could be used to spray on a wound area to eliminate wound infection and accelerate wound healing process.

Electrochemical molecularly bioimprinted siloxane biosensor on the basis of core/shell silver nanoparticles/EGFR exon 21 L858R point mutant gene/siloxane film for ultra-sensing of Gemcitabine as a lung cancer chemotherapy medication

In search for improvements in bioanalysis electrochemical sensors, for better assessment of anti-cancer drugs, it is necessary for their detection limits to be minimized and the sensitivity and selectivity to be surpassed simultaneously; whereas, resolving any probable interfering with other medical treatments are considered. In this work, a novel approach was adopted for detection and assessment of Gemcitabine (GEM) as an anti-cancer drug based on evaluating its interaction with EGFR exon 21-point mutant gene. An electrochemical nanobiosensor was invented based on a new molecularly bioimprinted siloxane polymer (MBIS) strategy; in which the EGFR exon 21 acts as an identification probe. The roles of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) are to perform as a signal amplifier. The MBIS film was prepared by acid-catalysed hydrolysis/condensation of the sample solution, containing Ag NPs, ds-DNA of EGFR exon 21 point mutant gene, GEM as a template molecule, 3-(aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS) and tetraethoxysilane. The interaction between the dsDNA and GEM was investigated by employing the modified biosensor and monitoring oxidation signal of guanine and adenine. The produced biosensor was characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, FT-IR and differential pulse voltammetry. The oxidation signals of adenine and guanine were in linear range when the device was subjected to various concentrations of GEM, from 1.5 to -93 μM, where a low detection limit 12.5 nmol L^-1, and 48.8 nmol L^-1 were recorded by guanine and adenine respectively. The developed biosensor did perform very well when employed for the actual samples; the stability was also approved which was acceptable for a reasonable time.

Investigation and regulation of self-assembled well-ordered nano/microstructures via an aromatic α-amino acid

In order to invent notable biomaterials, in this research d-phenylalanine as an aromatic α-amino acid has been studied for the synthesis of well-ordered self-assembled architectures such as wires, tubes and sheets under different synthesis conditions. Multiple factors are responsible for phenylalanine formation and herein the influence of several parameters including the substrate, concentration of the amino acid, solvent, pH, and heat treatment was explored. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to monitor the self-assembly process. It was observed that the collective action of different non-covalent interactions plays an important role in phenylalanine self-assembly into well-defined morphologies. In fact, when it was deposited onto different substrates or dissolved in the various solvents and exposed to a certain heat treatment, different supramolecular architectures, including 1D structures, branched structures, and nanosheet arrangements were observed.

Microstructural evolution in a low carbon steel during cold rolling and subsequent annealing

Cold rolling with subsequent annealing of lath martensite structure could lead to the formation of nanostructures in low carbon steels. In the present work, the microstructural evolution of a 0.13% C steel during this process was studied. The specimens were austenitized at 950 degrees C followed by quenching in ice-brine to get martensitic structure. The quenched samples were aged at 200 degrees C for 30 min. These specimens were cold rolled up to 90% reduction in thickness without any intermediate annealing and then annealed at the temperatures from 400 to 600 degrees C. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy and color metallography was used to investigate the microstructure. Microscopic investigations showed that a multiphase nanostructure composed of equiaxed ferrite grains with the mean grain size of about 188 nm and small blocks of tempered martensite can be achieved under annealing at 400 degrees C for 90 min. Formation of the nanostructure was discussed from the viewpoint of characteristics of the martensite starting structure. Fragmentation of martensite lathes in cold rolling stage play an important role on recrystallization at annealing stage to get the ultrafine structure.

Synthesis of aluminum nanoparticles by electromagnetic levitational gas condensation method

A novel electromagnetic levitational gas condensation (ELGC) system was designed and manufactured for the synthesis of aluminum nanoparticles. Both liquid and membrane filtration systems were used for collecting the nanoparticles. Effects of induction coil design, input power and gas flow rate were investigated. It was found that the wet collection in toluene resulted in a smaller particle size than the dry collection on membrane filter. While using low argon flow rate, coarser particles were produced, high argon flow rate intensified the particle coalescence. The best argon flow rate for the synthesis of aluminum nanoparticles was found about 10-15 lit/min.

Nanoporous titania-coated alumina membranes: sol-gel synthesis and characterisation

In this work, nanoporous titania top layers were deposited by dip-coating process on microporous alpha-alumina substrates using the sol-gel process. The alumina substrates were synthesized by slip casting method using Taguchi optimising approach. The microporous substrate was then used to coat nanoporous titania layers by the sol-gel method. The thickness, pore size, structure and permeability of the membranes were characterised using SEM, XRD, STA and Hg-Porosimetry. The process conditions to achieve defect-free nanoporous titania layers with the average pore size of about 4 nm coated on the microporous alumina substrates with the average pore size of about 270 nm were determined.