Development and Characterization of Calcium Based Biocomposites Using Waste Material (Calcite Stones) for Biomedical Applications

Calcium-based biocomposite materials have a pivotal role in the biomedical field with their diverse properties and applications in combating challenging medical problems. The study states the development and characterization of Calcium-based biocomposites: Hydroxyapatite (HAP), and PVA-Gelatin-HAP films. For the preparation of Calcium-based biocomposites, an unconventional source, the waste material calcite stone, was used as calcium raw material, and by the process of calcination, calcium oxide was synthesized. From calcium oxide, HAP was prepared by chemical precipitation method, which was later added in different proportions to PVA-Gelatin solution and finally dried to form biocomposite films. Then the different properties of PVA/Gelatin/HAP composite, for instance, chemical, mechanical, thermal, and swelling properties due to the incorporation of various proportions of HAP in PVA-Gelatin solution, were investigated. The characterization of the HAP was conducted by X-ray Diffraction Analysis, and the characterization of HAP-PVA-Gelatin composites was done by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thermomechanical Analysis, Tensile test, Thermogravimetric Differential Thermal Analysis, and Swelling Test. The produced biocomposite films might have applications in orthopedic implants, drug delivery, bone tissue engineering, and wound healing.

Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Some Sn-Zn Based Lead-Free Quinary Alloys

Although there are many lead-free soldering alloys on the market, none of them have ideal qualities. The researchers are combining binary alloys with a variety of additional materials to create the soldering alloys’ features. The eutectic Sn-9Zn alloy is among them. This paper investigated the mechanical and electrical properties of Sn-9Zn-x (Ag, Cu, Sb);{x = 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6} lead-free solder alloys. The mechanical properties such as elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and ductility were examined at the strain rates in a range from 4.17 10−3 s−1 to 208.5 10−3 s−1 at room temperature. It is found that increasing the content of the alloying elements and strain rate increases the elastic modulus, ultimate tensile strength, and yield strength while the ductility decreases. The electrical conductivity of the alloys is found to be a little smaller than that of the Sn-9Zn eutectic alloy.

Studies of XRD and FTIR on Synthesized Novel Hybrid Thin Film Made of Hydroxyapatite, Poly Vinyl Alcohol and Gelatin for Biomedical Application

With the modern advancement of treatment approaches in medical science, the application of biomaterials in tissue engineering provides a remarkable opportunity to overcome graft rejection as well as proper wound healing. In this study, novel hybrid films have been synthesized by incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin, and gelatin with glycerin along with different concentrations of pre-prepared hydroxyapatite (HAP) by solution casting method at room temperature in a biosafety cabinet. Glutaraldehyde has been added as a crosslinker in this whole procedure. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) have been conducted to observe and compare the structural and chemical stability of the synthesized hybrid film properties. The FTIR results and X-Ray Diffraction analyses confirmed the chemical interactions between HAP, PVA, gelatin, and glycerin have occurred. The crystallinity of HAP also remains in all the prepared hybrid film samples that are observed in XRD. It is expected that these newly synthesized hybrid films could be a better opportunity for various sectors of tissue engineering such as skin, bone, tendon, and cartilage. These synthesized hybrid films can be suitable for wound healing covering. These studies could be a new scope for long-term drug delivery directly on wound sites in diabetic gangrene foot or burn patients as well as cartilage or joint replacement therapy.

Development and Characterization of Hybrid Film Made of Hydroxyapatite, Poly Vinyl Alcohol and Gelatin for Biomedical Application

In the recent research field of bone tissue engineering, polymeric materials play an implacable role in mimes the natural behavior of hard and soft tissues. In some medical conditions such as diabetics, osteoarthritis, burns, or joint replacement conditions, this polymeric materials implication enhances the internal mechanical activities which result in the early recovery of disease by facilitating the wound healing process. In this study, hybrid films have been synthesized based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gelatin, and gelatin with glycerin incorporated with different concentrations of pre-prepared hydroxyapatite (HAP) by solution casting method at room temperature in biosafety cabinet. Glutaraldehyde has been added as a crosslinker in this whole procedure. The mechanical property, swelling, and porosity percentage have been conducted to characterize the structural stability of the synthesized hybrid films. Porosity and swelling of samples are also represented by proper biocompatibility (>90% porosity and swelling in DDW and PBF vary between 287%~72%). Tensile strength (TS), E modulus (Young’s modulus), Elongation at maximum, and Elongation at break are observed to perceive the mechanical properties of hybrid film samples, which are compatible with mechanical properties of different tissue such as trabecular bone, articular cartilage, tendon, nerve and skin tissue. Though, biocompatibility tests both in vivo and in vitro are essential for clinical application in the future. However, the experiment carried out till now explains the true possibility of newly synthesized hybrid films for long-term drug delivery directly on wound sites for wound healing and burn dressing patients in head-neck surgery reconstruction, diabetic gangrene foot, as well as cartilage or joint replacement therapy.

Effect of Strain Rate on Tensile Behavior of Sn-9Zn-xAg-ySb;{(x, y) = (0.2, 0.6), (0.2, 0.8), (0.6, 0.2), (0.8, 0.2)} Lead-Free Solder Alloys

The tensile properties of Sn-9Zn-xAg-ySb;{(x, y) = (0.2, 0.6), (0.2, 0.8), (0.6, 0.2), (0.8, 0.2)} lead-free solders were investigated. All the test samples were annealed at 150°C for 1 hour. The tests are carried out at room temperature at the strain rate of 4.17 × 10-3 s-1, 20.85 × 10-3 s-1, and 208.5 × 10-3 s-1. It is seen that the tensile strength increases and the ductility decrease with increasing the strain rate over the investigated range. From the strain rate change test results, the strain sensitivity values are found in the range of 0.0831 to 0.1455 due to the addition of different alloying elements.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Oxytetracycline Dihydrate from Aqueous Solution Using Nano ZnO and ZnO.xBaTiO3 (x = 3%, 18%, 33% and 48%)

Traditional wastewater mostly contains pharmaceutical ingredients. Therefore, the wastewater must be completely free from antibiotics before its release into the environment. In the present study, photocatalytic degradation was done to investigate the removal efficiency of Oxytetracycline Dihydrate (OTC) using ZnO, ZnO/3%BaTiO3 (3 BZ), ZnO/18%BaTiO3 (18 BZ), ZnO/ 33%BaTiO3 (33 BZ) and ZnO/48%BaTiO3 (48 BZ) under UV light. After the exposure time of 420 min, about 99.57% and 97.87% of OTC was degraded using ZnO and 3 BZ respectively. Further, increasing the amount of BaTiO3 in ZnO prolongs the degradation time. Therefore, faster efficiency was found using ZnO nanoparticles. The observed reaction rate constant using ZnO was 0.00933 min-1 which decreased to 0.00532 min-1 using 48 BZ, indicating the decrease of reaction rate for increasing the amount of BaTiO3. Hence, the use of ZnO photocatalyst is anticipated to be a promising technique for the photocatalytic degradation of contaminated wastewater with oxytetracycline antibiotics using UV light.

Structural and Mechanical Properties of Alumina-Zirconia (ZTA) Composites with Unstabilized Zirconia Modulation

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics are very promising materials for structural and biomedical applications due to their high hardness, fracture toughness, strength, corrosion and abrasion resistance and excellent biocompatibility. The effect of unstabilized ZrO2 on the density, fracture toughness, microhardness, flexural strength and microstructure of some Zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) samples was investigated in this work. The volume percentage of unstabilized ZrO2 was varied from 0% - 20% whereas sintering time and sintering temperature were kept constant at 2 hours and 1580°C. The samples were fabricated from nanometer-sized (α-Al2O3: 150 nm, monoclinic ZrO2: 30 - 60 nm) powder raw materials by the conventional mechanical mixing process. Using a small amount of sintering aid (0.2 wt% MgO) almost 99.2% of theoretical density, 8.54 MPam? fracture toughness, 17.35 GPa Vickers microhardness and 495.67 MPa flexural strength were found. It was observed that the maximum flexural strength and fracture toughness was obtained for 10 vol% monoclinic ZrO2 but maximum Vickers microhardness was achieved for 5 vol% ZrO2 although the maximum density was found for 20 vol% ZrO2. It is assumed that this was happened due to addition of denser component, phase transformation of monoclinic ZrO2 and the changes of grain size of α-Al2O3 and ZrO2.

Study of Physical, Chemical and Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Talc Filled Polyester Resin Composite Using Styrene Monomer

Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (FRTP) composites are emerging as potential materials in many engineering fields. In this research, the compression-molding process was used as the fabrication technique for producing talc-filled reinforced polyester composite. The weight percentage of these composites was varied, like 30 wt%, 40 wt%, 45 wt%, and 50 wt% talc, respectively. Besides, different percentages of styrene monomer, such as 0 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%, were also used in this study. Different types of physical, chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties were investigated. The water absorption percentage is increased for composites having a higher percentage of talc filler, while the elasticity of the composites shows a decreasing nature with the increase of talc content. Compressive strength is increased with higher talc content. After a certain limit, with the increase of talc content, it decreases and remains more or less constant. The flexural properties (flexural strength, tangent modulus, and flexural strain) of polyester-talc composites are higher initially, and as the percentage of talc increases, the flexural properties decrease or remain constant. The rate of water absorption is very low with the increase in soaking time. The thermal analysis of polyester-talc composites shows that the thermal stability of the composites is better than that of polyester.

Comparative Study of Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of SnO₂Thin Film Growth via CBD, Drop-Cast and Dip-Coating Methods

Tin oxide (SnO2) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD), Drop-Cast and Dip-Coating method. The thin films were post-annealed at 500°C for 2 hours. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the SnO2 thin films were investigated by using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and Electrometer experiment. The XRD patterns of SnO2 thin films deposited on glass substrate by CBD method, Drop-Cast method and Dip-Coating method showed cubic, tetragonal and amorphous structures respectively. The FTIR spectrum exhibited the strong presence of SnO2 with the characteristic vibrational mode of Sn-O-Sn. The SEM analysis was observed that the surface morphology of the thin films toughly depends on the deposition methods of the SnO2 thin films. EDX measurement confirmed that the thin films are the composition of Tin (Sn) and Oxygen (O2). The optical band gap of SnO2 thin films deposited by CBD method, Drop-Cast method and Dip-Coating method is found to be 3.12 eV, 3.14 eV and 3.16 eV respectively. Thin films deposited by Dip-Coating method showed the highest band gap. The electrical results confirmed that the SnO2 thin films are good conductors and pursued Ohm’s Law. These properties of the SnO2 thin films brand are appropriate for application in solar cell assembly, gas sensor devices and transparent electrodes of panel displays.

Study of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Palm Fiber Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Composite

Palm fiber (PF) reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composite matrix was prepared by employing Injection Moulding Machine (IMM). Palm fiber was collected from ten different trees of different age group from Comilla region in Bangladesh. Three sets of samples were prepared for three different wt% (5%, 10% and 20%) of fiber contents. The mechanical (tensile strength, flexural stress, micro hardness, Leeb’s rebound hardness) and physical (bulk density and water absorption) properties were measured. The observed result reveals that the tensile strength (TS) and flexural stress (FS) were decreased with increasing fiber contents in the PF-ABS composites except 10% fiber content.

Investigation of the Surface Morphology and Structural Characterization of Palm Fiber Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PF-ABS) Composites

With the aid of Injection Moulding Machine (IMM) Palm fiber reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) composites (PF-ABS) were prepared. Three sets of samples were prepared for three different wt% (5%, 10% and 20%) of fiber contents. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments were performed to study the surface morphology, microstructure (if it crystalline or noncrystalline) and new bond formation after preparation of the composites. SEM pattern shows that after addition of palm fiber in PF-ABS composites the brittleness increased due to creation of voids in the composites except 10% fiber content in PF-ABS. From XRD pattern it is clear that the palm fiber, ABS and PF-ABS composites are amorphous in nature. Moreover FTIR spectrum shows that there is no new bond formed after addition of palm fiber in ABS polymeric matrix to create PF-ABS composites.

Preparation and Characterization of Raw and Chemically Modified Sponge-Gourd Fiber Reinforced Polylactic Acid Biocomposites

This research work has been undertaken to fabricate environmentally friendly biocomposites for biomedical and household applications. Sponge-gourd fibers (SGF) obtained from Luffa cylindrica plant were chemically treated separately using 5 and 10 wt% NaOH, acetic anhydride and benzoyl chloride solutions. SGF reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) biocomposites were fabricated using melt compounding technique. Surface morphological, structural, mechanical and thermal properties, as well as antibacterial activities of raw and chemically modified SGF reinforced PLA (SGF-PLA) composites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffractometry, universal testing method, thermogravimetry, and Kirby-Bauer agar diffusion method, respectively. Surface morphology indicates that after treatment of fibers, the interfacial adhesion between PLA and fibers is improved. X-ray diffractometry result shows that chemical treatment of fibers improves the crystallinity and exhibits new chemical bond formation in the composites. After chemical treatment, compressive strength of the composites is found to increase by 10% - 35%. The thermal stability of the treated fiber reinforced composites is also found to increase significantly. The composites have no antibacterial activities and no cytotoxic effect on non-cancer cell line. Soil burial test has confirmed that the composites are biodegradable. Benzoyl chloride treatment of fibers shows superior mechanical properties and enhances thermal stability among the composites.

Fabrication and Optical Characterization of Palm Fiber Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Based Composites: Band Gap Studies

The composite materials are replacing the conventional materials, owing to their excellent properties. The developments of new materials are on the anvil and are thriving day by day. Natural fiber composites such as palm fiber (PF) polymer composites became more enchanting because of their high specific strength, low weight and biodegradability. Mixing of natural fiber like PF with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer is finding increased applications. In this work, PF reinforced ABS composites PF-ABS was fabricated by Injection Moulding Machine. The effect of UV-Visible radiation on PF-ABS composites was studied by means of ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy in the wavelength 200 - 1000 nm at room temperature. The present investigation shows that the addition of palm fiber modifies the absorption property of the materials. The absorption ability is maximal for 10% PF-ABS composites while minimal for 20% PF-ABS composites in the visible region of the spectrum. Optical constant like direct band gap energy, Urbach energy and Steepness parameter were determined using absorbance data. The values of direct energy band gap, Urbach energy as well as Steepness parameter were found to be in the range 2.6 - 3.9 eV, 0.40 - 0.85 eV and 0.03 - 0.06, respectively. It was observed that the value of direct band gap energy as well as Urbach energy is higher while the value of Steepness parameter is lower for PF-ABS composites with 10% palm fiber.