Preparation and Characterization of Nano-CaCO3/Ceresine Wax Composite Shell Microcapsules Containing E-44 Epoxy Resin for Self-Healing of Cement-Based Materials

As an intelligent material, microcapsules can efficiently self-heal internal microcracks and microdefects formed in cement-based materials during service and improve their durability. In this paper, microcapsules of nano-CaCO3/ceresine wax composite shell encapsulated with E-44 epoxy resin were prepared via the melt condensation method. The core content, compactness, particle size distribution, morphologies, chemical structure and micromechanical properties of microcapsules were characterized. The results showed that the encapsulation ability, mechanical properties and compactness of microcapsules were further improved by adding nano-CaCO3 to ceresine wax. The core content, elastic modulus, hardness and weight loss rate (60 days) of nano-CaCO3/ceresine wax composite shell microcapsules (WM2) were 80.6%, 2.02 GPA, 72.54 MPa and 1.6%, respectively. SEM showed that WM2 was regularly spherical with a rough surface and sufficient space inside the microcapsules to store the healing agent. The incorporation of WM2 to mortar can greatly improve the self-healing ability of mortar after pre-damage. After 14 days of self-healing, the compressive strength recovery rate, proportion of harmful pores and chloride ion diffusion coefficient recovery rate increased to 90.1%, 45.54% and 79.8%, respectively. In addition, WM2 also has good self-healing ability for mortar surface cracks, and cracks with initial width of less than 0.35 mm on the mortar surface can completely self-heal within 3 days.

Acoustic insulation characteristics of sandwich composite shell systems with double curvature: The effect of nature of viscoelastic core

A viscoelastic model is proposed in this approach to determine the sound transmission loss coefficient of a sandwich shell system with double curvature. The structure is composed of a double-walled composite shell subjected to a viscoelastic core. Investigating the efficient impresses of rotary inertia and shear deformation, vibration equations of both outer and inner shells are extracted within the framework of shear deformation shallow shell theory. Besides, the Zener mathematical model is used for viscoelastic material, which is based on a spring connected in series with a parallel mixture of spring and dashpot. This model presents the dynamic response in the whole frequency domain at which shear modulus and bulk complex modulus are frequency dependent. Since the performed studies on the sound transmission loss of this kind of structures are insignificant, the outcomes of plate models with a viscoelastic core are used to provide a reliable sound transmission loss comparison. The results show that the applied strategy can improve the acoustic characteristics of the system at high frequencies compared to that of a single-layer one with the same mass. This issue is more highlighted while the thickness of the viscoelastic layer enhances, which confirms the positive performance of the viscoelastic materials in this range of frequency, particularly in the resonant frequency. In addition to the curvature effect on acoustic features, the vibration response of the system is configured based on various frequencies and materials.

Efficient Delivery of Hydrophilic Small Molecules to Retinal Cell Lines Using Gel Core-Containing Solid Lipid Nanoparticles

In this study, we developed a novel solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) formulation for drug delivery of small hydrophilic cargos to the retina. The new formulation, based on a gel core and composite shell, allowed up to two-fold increase in the encapsulation efficiency. The type of hydrophobic polyester used in the composite shell mixture affected the particle surface charge, colloidal stability, and cell internalization profile. We validated SLNs as a drug delivery system by performing the encapsulation of a hydrophilic neuroprotective cyclic guanosine monophosphate analog, previously demonstrated to hold retinoprotective properties, and the best formulation resulted in particles with a size of ±250 nm, anionic charge > −20 mV, and an encapsulation efficiency of ±60%, criteria that are suitable for retinal delivery. In vitro studies using the ARPE-19 and 661W retinal cell lines revealed the relatively low toxicity of SLNs, even when a high particle concentration was used. More importantly, SLN could be taken up by the cells and the release of the hydrophilic cargo in the cytoplasm was visually demonstrated. These findings suggest that the newly developed SLN with a gel core and composite polymer/lipid shell holds all the characteristics suitable for the drug delivery of small hydrophilic active molecules into retinal cells.

Delamination buckling of a laminated composite shell panel using cohesive zone modelling

Laminated composite shell panels take part in several engineering structures. Due to their complex nature, failure modes in composites are highly dependent on the geometry, direction of loading and orientation of the fibers. However, the design of composite parts is still a delicate task because of these fiber failure modes, which includes matrix failure modes or other so-called interlaminar interface failure such as delamination, that corresponds to the separation of adjacent layers of the laminate as a consequence of the weakening of interface layer between them. In this work, impact-induced delamination represented as a circular single delamination is investigated, as it can reduce greatly the structural integrity without getting detected. Furthermore, attention is focused on its effect upon the post-buckling response and the compressive strength of a composite panel. The delamination buckling was modelled using the cohesive element technique under Abaqus software, in order to predict delamination growth and damage propagation while observing their effects on the critical buckling load.