Research Progress on the Preparation of Inorganic/Natural Materials Composite Microspheres

Microspheres are a new type of drug carrier with great potential for development and application.Natural polymers have good biocompatibility,biodegradability,and are easily dispersed in living organisms,making them suitable for preparing microspheres.Inorganic materials(mainly inorganic minerals)have excellent mechanical properties and are inexpensive and easy to obtain.Through the coupling and hybridization of natural polymers and inorganic materials,they can complement each other's advantages and synergistically enhance efficiency,resulting in many excellent physical and chemical properties.Inorganic materials/natural polymer composite microspheres can be prepared by modifying natural polymers with inorganic materials through various methods such as emulsification crosslinking,solution mixing,in-situ synthesis,extrusion,etc.The application of inorganic materials/natural polymer composite microspheres in drug delivery systems has significant sustained-release effects,is safe and non-toxic,and the cost of carrier materials is relatively low,which has certain significance for the development of new drug carriers.This article reviews the recent research on the preparation,drug loading and release properties of inorganic material/natural polymer composite microspheres,analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used preparation methods,and looks forward to the development direction of composite microspheres.

The Nature of Materials

This first essay is about a pending marriage between biology and some of the technologies of engineering. It is a story of a long-standing flirtation that has been consummated a number of times, but never properly solemnised, despite repeated attempts, and no one is quite sure how many of the offspring, if any, have been viable. Whether the union will be blessed in the near future is anyone’s guess. In the hope of helping the marriage on its way, I start with four lucky things the bride has to wear at the wedding for the marriage to succeed, at least in one of the more recent Western traditions.

Making a Mechanical Organism Being the fourth in a series of essays on the materials of nature

Most multicellular organisms can be categorised by two words： hierarchy and composite. The underlying fractal geometry of nature - at least in terms of provision of infrastructure - provides much of the hierarchy, although many materials for which infrastructure is not an integral factor are also strongly hierarchical. Plants can therefore be modelled using recursive computer programs which add structures as the size increases. However, problems with mechanical stability also increase as the structure grows, so the plant changes from deriving stiffness from intevaal pressure to cross-linking the cell wall components permanently. However, this compromises the ability of the plant to grow and repair itself.

Applications-Some Influences of Engineering Ideas on Biology Being the fifth in a series of essays on the materials of nature

Ideas from engineering have helped the understanding of biological organisms for thousands of years. However, the mechanical aspects of biological materials and structures can, if properly interpreted and analysed, lead to a deeper understanding of the biology of organisms. Such an approach, although always current in some form, is nevertheless subject to the vagaries of fashion and the availability of analytical techniques. At present we are in a period of upturn. Areas of interest are deployable structures （applications in aerospace）, palaeontology （how little do we need to know in order to create a credible biosphere） and food science （we need a rational approach to the mechanics of food）.

Natural rubber latex as a potential additive for water-based drilling fluids

The environmental hazards and"carbon footprint"of oil and gas drilling can be significantly reduced by replacing traditional petroleum-based chemical additives with natural materials derived from plants and animals.This paper explored for the first time the interaction mechanism between natural rubber latex(NRL)and bentonite suspensions(BTs)through a series of characterization experiments,as well as the potential applications in water-based drilling fluids(WBDF).The gel viscoelasticity experiments showed that NRL could decrease the consistency coefficient(k)and flow index(n)of BTs,and enhance the shear thinning performance of BTs as pseudo-plastic fluids.In addition,0.5 w/v%NRL not only increased the critical yield stress and strengthened the structural strength between the bentonite particles,but also facilitated the compatibility of pressure loss and flow efficiency.The evaluation of colloidal stability and WBDF performance indicated that NRL particles could promote the hydration and charge stability on the surface of BTs particles,and optimize the particle size distribution and flow resistance of WBDF under the"intercalation-exfoliation-encapsulation"synergistic interaction.Moreover,NRL can improve the rheological properties of WBDF at high temperatures(<150.C),and form a dense blocking layer by bridging and sealing the pores and cracks of the filter cake,which ultimately reduces the permeability of the cake and the filtration loss of WBDF.

Characteristic Study of Self-Powered Sensors Based on Native Protein Composite Film

Flexible electronic sensors composed of flexible film and conductive materials play an increasingly important role in wearable and internet information transmission.It has received more and more attention and made some progress over the decades.However,it is still a great challenge to prepare biocompatible and highly transparent conductive films.Egg white is a pure natural protein-rich material.Hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose has a good compatibility and high transparency,which is an ideal material for flexible sensors.Here,we overcome the problem of poor mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity of protein,and develop a high transparency and good flexibility hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose/egg white protein composite membrane-based triboelectric nanogenerator('X'-TENG).The experimental results show that the flexible pressure sensor based on'X'-TENG has a high sensitivity,fast response speed,and low detection limit.It can even be used as a touch/pressure sensing artificial electronic skin.It can also be made into an intelligent waffle keyboard for recording and tracking users of the keyboard.Our strategy may provide a new way to easily build flexible electronic sensors and move toward practical applications.

Natural and Eco-Friendly Materials for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting

Triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)are promising electric energy harvesting devices as they can produce renewable clean energy using mechanical excitations from the environment.Several designs of triboelectric energy harvesters relying on biocompatible and eco-friendly natural materials have been introduced in recent years.Their ability to provide customizable self-powering for a wide range of applications,including biomedical devices,pressure and chemical sensors,and battery charging appliances,has been demonstrated.This review summarizes major advances already achieved in the field of triboelectric energy harvesting using biocompatible and eco-friendly natural materials.A rigorous,comparative,and critical analysis of preparation and testing methods is also presented.Electric power up to 14 mW was already achieved for the dry leaf/polyvinylidene fluoride-based TENG devices.These findings highlight the potential of eco-friendly self-powering systems and demonstrate the unique properties of the plants to generate electric energy for multiple applications.

Fermentation characteristics of vinegar residue and some natural materials

Solid state fermentation is an attractive process to produce cellulase economically due to its lower financial investment and lower operating costs. Generally available natural materials in our study included vinegar residue, wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw. Cellulase production was carried out by solid state fermentation using these materials as the substrate of Trichoderma koningii. The ingredients of natural materials, associated with the effects of water content, time and nitrogen sources on cellulase synthesis were studied. A comparatively high cellulase activity （〉4 IU·g^-1 SDM） was obtained in the fermentation batch. The optimum culture time of vinegar residue, wheat bran and wheat straw were 72 hours, but that office bran was 60 hours. Total water contents of wheat bran, rice bran and wheat straw should not exceed 50% and that of vinegar residue should not be more than 60%. It was also shown that nitrogen salts contributed much to fermentation. （NH4）3PO4 and urea achieved good results in promoting enzyme activity.

Porous structures of natural materials and bionic design

This investigation and morphology analysis of porous structure of some kinds of natural materials such as chicken eggshell, partridge eggshell, pig bone, and seeds of mung bean, soja, ginkgo, lotus seed, as well as the epidermis of apples, with SEM (Scanning Electronic Microscope) showed that natural structures’ pores can be classified into uniform pores, gradient pores and multi pores from the viewpoint of the distribution variation of pore density, size and geometry. Furthermore, an optimal design of porous bearings was for the first time developed based on the gradient configuration of natural materials. The bionic design of porous structures is predicted to be widely developed and applied in the fields of materials and mechanical engineering in the future.

Towards the Development of Mechanical Systems Entirely Based on Natural Materials

In order to mitigate the risks stemming from the utilization of mineral and synthetic organic substances,consensus exists in the literature that additional efforts should be devoted to the identification of adequate equivalent natural(ecological)materials.This work presents the outcomes of a preliminary study where the physical,mechanical,chemical and thermal properties of natural fibers have been considered.Initially,areca,and materials such as Moroccan doum and jute are considered.As a case study,a brake pad based on natural fibers is critically assessed.

Selected Natural Materials in History

1 Technology of natural materials Early man used conveniently shaped stones as tools. ＂Workshop＂ areas have been found with large numbers of stones, some showing signs of being worked. However, organic materials like wood will decay under normal wet conditions in the presence of oxygen, so we won＇t find the same sort of evidence for wooden tools. It is safe to assume that early man used sticks as probes and clubs, and maybe even for making some sort of nestlike protection against the elements and predators, since we see chimpanzees and other animals doing this sort of thing. So wood, and ahnost certainly other plant materials such as fibrous leaves, and bone and other materials gleaned from dead animals, would be used from the earliest times. We need to know this in order to establish the idea that Man can be expected to have a long history of the use and manipulation of natural materials. This needs skills in choosing materials for certain uses on the basis of their mechanical properties, whether those properties are to do with the ease of shaping the material or the effectiveness of that material in use. Occasionally the material was chosen simply because it was readily available. If we find that a particular material was always used for a certain job, it＇s reasonable to deduce that Man was exerting materials selection criteria through experience.

Energy-absorbing porous materials:Bioinspired architecture and fabrication

Energy-absorbing materials are widely used in transportations,sports,and the military applications.Particularly,porous materials,including natural and artificial materials,have attracted tremendous attentions due to their light weight and excellent energy absorption capability.This review summarizes the recent progresses in the natural and artificial energy-absorbing porous materials.First,we review the typical natural porous materials including cuttlebone,bighorn sheep horn,pomelo peel,and sunflower stem pith.The architectures,energy absorption abilities,and mechanisms of these typical natural materials and their bioinspired materials are summarized.Then,we provide a review on the fabrication methods of artificial energy-absorbing porous materials,such as conventional foaming and three-dimensional(3D)printing.Finally,we address the challenges and prospects for the future development of energy-absorbing porous materials.More importantly,our review provides a direct guidance for the design and fabrication of energy-absorbing porous materials required for various engineering applications.

Property of Dual-purposed Maca Powder as Medicine and Food

[Objective] The aim was to research property of maca and three plants＇ powders and process parameters of compound maca direct compression. [Method] Based on analysis data from SAS, bulk density, tap density, angle of repose and swelling of powders were studied as per single factor method and orthogonal exper- imental design. [Result] The test indicated that fillibilities of plant A and B, and maca powders are better and flowability plays an important role in fractional close of compound maca powder; plant A and B powders have a significant effect on bulk density of maca （P=0.0125）, an extremely significant effect on swelling volume ratio （P=0.008 9） and little effect on tap density （g/ml）; the optimal process condition of compound maca powder is as follows： A at 0.15 share; B at 0.10 share; C at 0.05 share; the optimal swelling volume ratio is at 2.459. [Conclusion] The technology is reasonable in formulation and satisfactory in fillibility, swelling ability, flowability, and it could serve as theoretical basis for the industrial production of maca tablets.

A new environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluids with laponite nanoparticles and polysaccharide/polypeptide derivatives

Considering the increasing environmental pressure,environmentally friendly and high-performance water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs)have been widely studied in recent years to replace the commonly used oil-based drilling fluids(OBDFs).However,few of these drilling fluids are entirely composed of natural materials,which makes it difficult to achieve real environmental protection.Using laponite nanoparticles and various derivatives of natu ral mate rials,including cro sslinked starch,cellulose composite,gelatin ammonium salt,poly-l-arginine,and polyanionic cellulose,a kind of environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluid(EF-WBDF)was built for drilling in environment-sensitive areas.The properties of this EF-WBDF were evaluated by thermal stability tests on rheology,filtration,inhibition,and salt contamination.Besides,biological toxicity,biodegradability,heavy mental content and wheat cultivation tests were conducted to investigate the environmental factor of EF-WBDF.Results showed that EF-WBDF displayed satisfactory thermal resistance up to 150℃,and the rheological properties did not suffer significant fluctuation,showing potential application in high-temperature wells.The optimal rheological model of EF-WBDF was Herschel-Bulkley model.This EF-WBDF performed an eligible filtration of 14.2 mL at 150℃and a differential pressure of 3.5 MPa.This fluid could still maintain colloidal stability after being contaminated by 7.5%NaCl or 0.5%CaC1_(2).Meanwhile,rather low clay swelling degree of 2.44 mm and high shale recovery of more than 95%ensured the inhibitive capability of EF-WBDF.Furthermore,EF-WBDF presented a half maximal effective concentration(EC_(50))of51200 mg/L and a BOD/COD ratio of 47.55%,suggesting that EF-WBDF was non-toxic and easily biodegradable.The wheat cultivated in EF-WBDF could grow healthily,beneficial for reducing the adverse impact on ecological environment.The formed EF-WBDF has a promising future for drilling in environment-sensitive and high-temperature areas.

Synergistic effect of chitin nanofibers and polyacrylamide on electrochemical performance of their ternary composite with polypyrrole

Development of simple methods for preparation of polymeric electrode materials with nanofibrous network structure is a perspective way toward cheap supercapacitors with high specific capacitance and energy density. In this work one-pot synthesis of electroactive ternary composite based on polypyrrole, polyacrylamide and chitin nanofibers with beneficial morphology was elaborated. Ternary system demonstrates better electrochemical performance in comparison with both polypyrrole–polyacrylamide and polypyrrole–chitin binary composites. Possible mechanism of synergistic effect of simultaneous influence of polyacrylamide and chitin nanofibers on the formation of composite＇s structure is discussed.The highest attained specific capacitance of electroactive polypyrrole in ternary composite reached 249 F/g at 0.5 A/g and 150 F/g at 32 A/g. Symmetrical supercapacitor was assembled using the elaborated electrode material. High specific capacitance 89 F/g and good cycling stability with capacitance retention of 90% after 3000 cycles at 2 A/g were measured.

A meshless model for transient heat conduction analyses of 3D axisymmetric functionally graded solids

A meshless numerical model is developed for analyzing transient heat conductions in three-dimensional （3D） axisymmetric continuously nonhomogeneous functionally graded materials （FGMs）. Axial symmetry of geometry and boundary conditions reduces the original 3D initial-boundary value problem into a two-dimensional （2D） problem. Local weak forms are derived for small polygonal sub-domains which surround nodal points distributed over the cross section. In order to simplify the treatment of the essential boundary conditions, spatial variations of the temperature and heat flux at discrete time instants are interpolated by the natural neighbor interpolation. Moreover, the using of three-node triangular finite element method （FEM） shape functions as test functions reduces the orders of integrands involved in domain integrals. The semi-discrete heat conduction equation is solved numerically with the traditional two-point difference technique in the time domain. Two numerical examples are investigated and excellent results are obtained, demonstrating the potential application of the proposed approach.

Failure Investigation for Recently Constructed Road in Khartoum State

This paper will visually and experimentally assess the level of deterioration of one of the new constructed ring road pavements in Khartoum State as well as to examine and identify the causes of the failed pavement. A series of field and laboratory exercises were carried out on the materials that were used in the construction of the designated pavement. Huttab, a natural gravelly material, was used in both subbase and base blend of this deteriorated pavement. The experimental tests consisted of two tasks： the first covered the study of the actual causes of pavement distress, whereas the second explored typical base material alternatives that satisfy base course needs. The tests involved basic tests and dynamic tests such as sieve, Atterberg limits, linear shrinkage, compaction, CBR （Calitbrnia bearing capacity）, abrasion whereas the dynamic tests included MR （resilient modulus）, and PD （permanent deformation）. The routine tests showed that an improper base blend was used in the failed road that resulted in excessive rutting whereas in the second tests scenario the results showed that the proper base blend from the named materials gave high strength and stiffness values and low PD compared to the natural one. On the other hand, the pure crushed sample reported high MR values and the lowest PD compared to the base blend alternative.

Hyperbolic metamaterials: fusing artificial structures to natural 2D materials

Optical metamaterials have presented an innovative method of manipulating light.Hyperbolic metamaterials have an extremely high anisotropy with a hyperbolic dispersion relation.They are able to support high-k modes and exhibit a high density of states which produce distinctive properties that have been exploited in various applications,such as super-resolution imaging,negative refraction,and enhanced emission control.Here,state-of-the-art hyperbolic metamaterials are reviewed,starting from the fundamental principles to applications of artificially structured hyperbolic media to suggest ways to fuse natural two-dimensional hyperbolic materials.The review concludes by indicating the current challenges and our vision for future applications of hyperbolic metamaterials.

Studies on the sound absorption and transmission loss performances of wood-based, natural and wastematerials

The sound absorption and sound transmission loss performances of the natural woods,hard and soft processed woods with attachment of the various natural orwastematerials were investigated in the present study using impedance tube with American Society for Testing Material(ASTM)standards.The sound absorption performances of all natural and all hard processed woods were very poor.It was found that filter mat made by the coconut fibre was the best material for sound absorption improvement of the hard processed woods.The sound absorption performance of the soft processed wood(cork)was better than all natural and all hard processed woods.Among all tested woods,it was found that the cork with attached tea bag made by corn fibre is the best selection for sound absorption application.The transmission loss performances of all natural woods were good.The effects of various materials on the transmission loss performances of all hard processed woods were not very significant.For cork with and without attachment of various materials,their transmission loss performances were not as good as the hard processed woods.Among all tested woods,it was found that Pterocarpus soyauxii and Quercus spp.(natural woods)are the best woods to be used in those applications when prevention of sound transmission is needed.It is recommended that cork is the best wood to be used in those applications where sound absorption and prevention of sound transmission are needed at the same time due to its good sound absorption performance while its ability on prevention of the sound transmission is also acceptable.

BUILDING WITH BAMBOO: A REVIEW OF CULM CONNECTION TECHNOLOGY

Interest in the engineering performance of bamboo is on the rise primarily due to its rapid regenerative qualities and high strength-to-weight ratio.It has been a standard,sustainable building material for thousands of years in Asia and South America,where it grows naturally.Although there are many examples of magnificent bamboo structures,standards and documentation on safe and reliable bamboo design are scarce,particularly for connection design.Traditional connections involve friction-tight lashings(eg.ropes and cords of dried grasses)and pin-and-socket connections such as dowels and pegs,but more recent advances have involved integration with steel hardware and concrete.This paper presents bamboo as a feasible alternative building material and presents a review of past,current and emerging technologies to join hollow bamboo culms in structural applications.The paper’s intent is to give an overview of the current state of bamboo connection technology and to promote developments in the emerging field of bamboo engineering.Recent technological advances and visionary architects have proven that it is possible to create safe structures that are not only sustainable but have tremendous potential for use in disaster relief and quick-build scenarios.