scholarly journals The Acoustic Performance of Expanded Perlite Composites Reinforced with Rapeseed Waste and Natural Polymers

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 103
Author(s):  
Silviu Nastac ◽  
Petronela Nechita ◽  
Carmen Debeleac ◽  
Cristian Simionescu ◽  
Mihai Seciureanu

Lignocelluloses residues from the post-harvest crop are receiving great scientific attention nowadays. Generally, the composite materials based on lignocelluloses waste present low density and weight, and better insulation properties compared with those petroleum-based. This study presents the results of experimental investigations regarding soundproofing capabilities for a composite material based on expanded perlite (EP) and natural polymers matrix (starch) reinforced with rapeseed stalks waste. The preparation of light-weight samples of composites was performed at room temperature through a mechanical mixing process of EP with starch polymers and rapeseed residues until optimum moisture content composition was obtained. Rapeseed stalks long fibers were avoided through the preliminary dry grinding procedure, and the composite was air-dried at room temperature for 48 h. Four samples of composites with different ratio of EP and rapeseed waste were considered. The evaluation of sample sound insulation characteristics was performed using the transfer-matrix method based on a four-microphone acoustic impedance tube. The paper concludes that the proposed composite provides comparative sound insulation capabilities to actual materials, with few particular aspects presented within the paper. Thus, these new materials are promising as a viable alternative to the actual large-scale utilization solutions in soundproofing applications.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (24) ◽  
pp. 2807-2816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Su Jang ◽  
Tímea Mosolygó

: Bacteria within biofilms are more resistant to antibiotics and chemical agents than planktonic bacteria in suspension. Treatment of biofilm-associated infections inevitably involves high dosages and prolonged courses of antimicrobial agents; therefore, there is a potential risk of the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Due to the high prevalence of AMR and its association with biofilm formation, investigation of more effective anti-biofilm agents is required. : From ancient times, herbs and spices have been used to preserve foods, and their antimicrobial, anti-biofilm and anti-quorum sensing properties are well known. Moreover, phytochemicals exert their anti-biofilm properties at sub-inhibitory concentrations without providing the opportunity for the emergence of resistant bacteria or harming the host microbiota. : With increasing scientific attention to natural phytotherapeutic agents, numerous experimental investigations have been conducted in recent years. The present paper aims to review the articles published in the last decade in order to summarize a) our current understanding of AMR in correlation with biofilm formation and b) the evidence of phytotherapeutic agents against bacterial biofilms and their mechanisms of action. The main focus has been put on herbal anti-biofilm compounds tested to date in association with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and food-borne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli).


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Li ◽  
Guoxujia Chen ◽  
He Zheng ◽  
Weiwei Meng ◽  
Shuangfeng Jia ◽  
...  

AbstractFrom the mechanical perspectives, the influence of point defects is generally considered at high temperature, especially when the creep deformation dominates. Here, we show the stress-induced reversible oxygen vacancy migration in CuO nanowires at room temperature, causing the unanticipated anelastic deformation. The anelastic strain is associated with the nucleation of oxygen-deficient CuOx phase, which gradually transforms back to CuO after stress releasing, leading to the gradual recovery of the nanowire shape. Detailed analysis reveals an oxygen deficient metastable CuOx phase that has been overlooked in the literatures. Both theoretical and experimental investigations faithfully predict the oxygen vacancy diffusion pathways in CuO. Our finding facilitates a better understanding of the complicated mechanical behaviors in materials, which could also be relevant across multiple scientific disciplines, such as high-temperature superconductivity and solid-state chemistry in Cu-O compounds, etc.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Ya Zhai ◽  
Yifan Zhao ◽  
Guo-Ying Zhang ◽  
Bing-Yu Wang ◽  
Qi-Yun Mao

In the work, a direct Z-scheme AgBr/α-Ag2WO4 heterojunction was prepared by in-situ anion exchange at room temperature. The construction strategy is energy- and time-saving for large scale synthesis. The α-Ag2WO4...


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1706
Author(s):  
Zacharias Viskadourakis ◽  
Argiri Drymiskianaki ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis ◽  
Ioanna Ioannou ◽  
Theodora Kyratsi ◽  
...  

In the current study, polymer-based composites, consisting of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Bismuth Antimony Telluride (BixSb2−xTe3), were produced using mechanical mixing and hot pressing. These composites were investigated regarding their electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient, with respect to Bi doping and BixSb2-xTe3 loading into the composite. Experimental results showed that their thermoelectric performance is comparable—or even superior, in some cases—to reported thermoelectric polymer composites that have been produced using other complex techniques. Consequently, mechanically mixed polymer-based thermoelectric materials could be an efficient method for low-cost and large-scale production of polymer composites for potential thermoelectric applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5675
Author(s):  
Josip Brnic ◽  
Marino Brcic ◽  
Sebastian Balos ◽  
Goran Vukelic ◽  
Sanjin Krscanski ◽  
...  

Knowledge of the properties and behavior of materials under certain working conditions is the basis for the selection of the proper material for the design of a new structure. This paper deals with experimental investigations of the mechanical properties of unalloyed high quality steel S235JRC + C (1.0122) and its behavior under conditions of high temperatures, creep and mechanical fatigue. The response of the material at high temperatures (20–700 °C) is shown in the form of engineering stress-strain diagrams while that at creep behavior (400–600 °C) is shown in the form of creep curves. Furthermore, based on uniaxial fully reversed mechanical fatigue tests (R=−1), a stress-life (S-N) fatigue diagram has been constructed and the fatigue (endurance) limit of the material is calculated The experimentally determined value of tensile strength at room temperature is 534 MPa. The calculated value of the fatigue limit, also at room temperature, using the modified staircase method and based on the mechanical fatigue tests data, is 202 MPa. With regard to creep resistance, steel 1.0122 can be considered creep-resistant only at a temperature of 400 °C and at an applied stress not exceeding 50% of the yield strength corresponding to this temperature.


2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 852-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. R. Ye ◽  
C. Daraio ◽  
C. Wang ◽  
J. B. Talbot ◽  
S. Jin

We have successfully demonstrated a facile, solvent-free synthesis of highly crystalline and monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystallites at ambient temperature avoiding any heating. Solid state reaction of inorganic Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts with NaOH was found to produce highly crystalline Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The reaction, if carried out in the presence of surfactant such as oleic acid–oleylamine adduct, generated monodisperse Fe3O4 nanocrystals extractable directly from the reaction mixture. The extracted nanoparticles were capable of forming self-assembled, two-dimensional and uniform periodic array. The new process utilizes inexpensive and nontoxic starting materials, and does not require a use of high boiling point and toxic solvents, thus is amenable to an environmentally desirable, large-scale synthesis of nanocrystals.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1016-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Adelhelm ◽  
Pascal Hartmann ◽  
Conrad L Bender ◽  
Martin Busche ◽  
Christine Eufinger ◽  
...  

Research devoted to room temperature lithium–sulfur (Li/S8) and lithium–oxygen (Li/O2) batteries has significantly increased over the past ten years. The race to develop such cell systems is mainly motivated by the very high theoretical energy density and the abundance of sulfur and oxygen. The cell chemistry, however, is complex, and progress toward practical device development remains hampered by some fundamental key issues, which are currently being tackled by numerous approaches. Quite surprisingly, not much is known about the analogous sodium-based battery systems, although the already commercialized, high-temperature Na/S8 and Na/NiCl2 batteries suggest that a rechargeable battery based on sodium is feasible on a large scale. Moreover, the natural abundance of sodium is an attractive benefit for the development of batteries based on low cost components. This review provides a summary of the state-of-the-art knowledge on lithium–sulfur and lithium–oxygen batteries and a direct comparison with the analogous sodium systems. The general properties, major benefits and challenges, recent strategies for performance improvements and general guidelines for further development are summarized and critically discussed. In general, the substitution of lithium for sodium has a strong impact on the overall properties of the cell reaction and differences in ion transport, phase stability, electrode potential, energy density, etc. can be thus expected. Whether these differences will benefit a more reversible cell chemistry is still an open question, but some of the first reports on room temperature Na/S8 and Na/O2 cells already show some exciting differences as compared to the established Li/S8 and Li/O2 systems.


1992 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Torres Schall ◽  
Mauricio Carvalho de Vasconcellos ◽  
Ana Luiza Villaça-Coelho ◽  
Fátima Eliana Ferreira-Lopes ◽  
Ivonise Paz da Silva

Laboratory tests with aqueous solutions of Euphorbia splendens var. hislopii latex have demonstrated seasonal stability of the molluscicidal principle, with LD90 values of 1.14 ppm (spring), 1.02 ppm (fall), 1.09 ppm (winter), and 1.07 ppm (summer) that have been determined against Biomphalaria tenagophila in the field. Assays on latex collected in Belo Horizonte and Recife yielded LD90 values similar to those obtained with the reference substance collected in Rio de Janeiro (Ilha do Governador), demonstrating geographic stability of the molluscicidal effect. The molluscicidal action of aqueous dilutions of the latex in natura, centrifuged (precipitate) and lyophilized, was stable for up to 124 days at room temperature (in natura) and for up to 736 days in a common refrigerator at 10 to 12ºC (lyophilized product). A 5.0 ppm solution is 100% lethal for snails up to 13 days after preparation, the effect being gradually lost to almost total inactivity by the 30th day. This observation indicated that the active principle is instable. These properties together with the wide distribution of the plant, its resistance and adaptation to the tropical climate, its easy cultivation and the easy obtention of latex and preparation of the molluscicidal solution, make this a promising material for large-scale use in the control of schistosomiasis


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashun Gorai ◽  
Robert McKinney ◽  
Nancy Haegel ◽  
Andriy Zakutayev ◽  
Vladan Stevanovic

Power electronics (PE) are used to control and convert electrical energy in a wide range of applications from consumer products to large-scale industrial equipment. While Si-based power devices account for the vast majority of the market, wide band gap semiconductors such as SiC, GaN, and Ga2O3 are starting to gain ground. However, these emerging materials face challenges due to either non-negligible defect densities, or high synthesis and processing costs, or poor thermal properties. Here, we report on a broad computational survey aimed to identify promising materials for future power electronic devices beyond SiC, GaN, and Ga2O3. We consider 863 oxides, sulfides, nitrides, carbides, silicides, and borides that are reported in the crystallographic database and exhibit finite calculated band gaps. We utilize ab initio methods in conjunction with models for intrinsic carrier mobility, and critical breakdown field to compute the widely used Baliga figure of merit. We also compute the lattice thermal conductivity as a screening parameter. In addition to correctly identifying known PE materials, our survey has revealed a number of promising candidates exhibiting the desirable combination of high figure of merit and high lattice thermal conductivity, which we propose for further experimental investigations.


Author(s):  
John P. Longley

Abstract The accuracy with which experimental investigations of turbine performance need to be undertaken require either a semi- or fully-automated control of the operating point as any variation can compromise the reliability of the measurements. Fundamentally, both the mass flow rate through the turbine and the applied brake torque need to be adjusted in real-time so that the required operating point is maintained. This paper describes the development of a time accurate computational simulation of the unsteady dynamics of a large-scale, low-speed turbine facility when its operating point is determined by a full-authority control system. The motivation for the development of the computational simulation was to be able to safely undertake parametric studies to refine the control system and to investigate the cause of monotonic excursions of the operating point which were observed after a major rebuild. The monotonic excursions of the turbine operating point could only be reproduced by the computational simulation after an unsteady aerodynamic coupling between the turbine exit flow and the downstream centrifugal fan had been incorporated. Based on this observation a honeycomb was installed upstream of the fan in the turbine facility. This eliminated the monotonic excursions and the fractional noise of the operating point was reduced by 37%. When combined with an earlier refinement of the control system the factional noise was reduced by a factor of three. This enables the number of repeated measurements to be reduced by nine and still obtain the same quality of data.


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