Efficacy of graphene nanocomposites for air disinfection in dental clinics: A randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND Aerosols containing disease-causing microorganisms are produced during oral diagnosis and treatment can cause secondary contamination.AIM To investigate the use of graphene material for air disinfection in dental clinics by leveraging its adsorption and antibacterial properties.METHODS Patients who received ultrasonic cleaning at our hospital from April 2023 to April 2024.They were randomly assigned to three groups(n=20 each):Graphene nanocomposite material suction group(Group A),ordinary filter suction group(Group B),and no air suction device group(Group C).The air quality and air colony count in the clinic rooms were assessed before,during,and after the procedure.Additionally,bacterial colony counts were obtained from the air outlets of the suction devices and the filter screens in Groups A and B.RESULTS Before ultrasonic cleaning,no significant differences in air quality PM2.5 and colony counts were observed among the three groups.However,significant differences in air quality PM2.5 and colony counts were noted among the three groups during ultrasonic cleaning and after ultrasonic treatment.Additionally,the number of colonies on the exhaust port of the suction device and the surface of the filter were significantly lower in Group A than in Group B(P=0.000 and P=0.000,respectively).CONCLUSION Graphene nanocomposites can effectively sterilize the air in dental clinics by exerting their antimicrobial effects and may be used to reduce secondary pollution.

Innovative dispersion techniques of graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs)through mechanical stirring and ultrasonication:Impact on morphological,mechanical,and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites

Graphene nanoplatelets(GNPs)have attracted tremendous interest due to their unique properties and bonding capabilities.This study focuses on the effect of GNP dispersion on the mechanical,thermal,and morphological behavior of GNP/epoxy nanocomposites.This study aims to understand how the dispersion of GNPs affects the properties of epoxy nanocomposite and to identify the best dispersion approach for improving mechanical performance.A solvent mixing technique that includes mechanical stirring and ultrasonication was used for producing the nanocomposites.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the interaction between GNPs and the epoxy matrix.The measurements of density and moisture content were used to confirm that GNPs were successfully incorporated into the nanocomposite.The findings showed that GNPs are successfully dispersed in the epoxy matrix by combining mechanical stirring and ultrasonication in a single step,producing well-dispersed nanocomposites with improved mechanical properties.Particularly,the nanocomposites at a low GNP loading of 0.1 wt%,demonstrate superior mechanical strength,as shown by increased tensile properties,including improved Young's modulus(1.86 GPa),strength(57.31 MPa),and elongation at break(4.98).The nanocomposite with 0.25 wt%GNP loading performs better,according to the viscoelastic analysis and flexural properties(113.18 MPa).Except for the nanocomposite with a 0.5 wt%GNP loading,which has a higher thermal breakdown temperature,the thermal characteristics do not significantly alter.The effective dispersion of GNPs in the epoxy matrix and low agglomeration is confirmed by the morphological characterization.The findings help with filler selection and identifying the best dispersion approach,which improves mechanical performance.The effective integration of GNPs and their interaction with the epoxy matrix provides the doorway for additional investigation and the development of sophisticated nanocomposites.In fields like aerospace,automotive,and electronics where higher mechanical performance and functionality are required,GNPs'improved mechanical properties and successful dispersion present exciting potential.

Increasing the toughness while reducing the viscosity of carbon nanotube/ polyether imide/polyether ether ketone nanocomposites

Polyether ether ketone(PEEK)has good mechanical properties.However,its high viscosity when molten limits its use because it is hard to process.PEEK nanocomposites containing both carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and polyether imide(PEI)were pre-pared by a direct wet powder blending method using a vertical injection molding machine.The addition of an optimum amount of PEI lowered the viscosity of the molten PEEK by approximately 50%while producing an increase in the toughness of the nanocom-posites,whose strain to failure increased by 129%,and fracture energy increased by 97%.The uniformly dispersed CNT/PEI powder reduced the processing difficulty of PEEK nanocomposites without affecting the thermal resistance.This improvement of the strength and viscosity of PEEK facilitate its use in the preparation of thermoplastic composites.

Assembly of functional carboxymethyl cellulose/polyethylene oxide/anatase TiO_(2) nanocomposites and tuning the dielectric relaxation, optical, and photoluminescence performances

Nanocomposite films consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose,polyethylene oxide(CMC/PEO),and anatase titanium diox-ide(TO)were produced by the use of sol-gel and solution casting techniques.TiO2 nanocrystals were effectively incorporated into CMC/PEO polymers,as shown by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR)analysis.The roughness growth is at high levels of TO nanocrystals(TO NCs),which means increasing active sites and defects in CMC/PEO.In differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)thermograms,the change in glass transition temperature(Tg)val-ues verifies that the polymer blend interacts with TO NCs.The increment proportions of TO NCs have a notable impact on the dielectric performances of the nanocomposites,as observed.The electrical properties of the CMC/PEO/TO nanocomposite undergo significant changes.The nanocomposite films exhibit a red alteration in the absorption edge as the concentration of TO NCs increases in the polymer blend.The decline in the energy gap is readily apparent as the weight percentage of TO NCs increases.The photoluminescence(PL)emission spectra indicate that the sites of the luminescence peak maximums show slight variation;peaks get wider,while their intensities decrease dramatically as the concentration of TO increases.These nanocomposite materials show potential for multifunctional applications including optoelectronics,antireflection coatings,pho-tocatalysis,light emitting diodes,and solid polymer electrolytes.

Structural and mechanical properties of CuZr/AlN nanocomposites

Powder metallurgy method was used to prepare copper alloy nanocomposites （CuZr/AlN） with high strength and conductivity. Optical microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and other methods were adopted to study the impact of different sintering technologies on the structural and mechanical properties as well as the impact of solution and aging treatments on the mechanical properties of CuZr/AlN. The result shows that the specimen has a dense structure, and the size of the crystal grain is around 0.2 μm. The Brinell hardness of the specimen increases with the increase in re-pressing pressure and sintering temperature. The Brinell hardness of specimen also increases with the increase in zirconium content. However, above 0.5%（mass fraction） of zirconium content, the Brinell hardness of the nanocomposites is reduced. The buckling strength of the specimens increases with the increase in re-pressing pressure and sintering temperature. The buckling strength is the highest when the zirconium content is 0.5%. The Brinell hardness is lower after solution and aging treatments at 900 ℃. The Brinell hardness of the CuZr/AlN series specimen after the aging treatment at 500 ℃ or 600 ℃ increases. The specimen was also over aged at 700 ℃.

秦川牛宰后成熟过程中线粒体Tu翻译延长因子对牛肉持水性的影响

探究秦川牛宰后成熟过程中线粒体Tu翻译延长因子(mitochondrial Tu translation elongation factor,TUFM)表达对肉的持水性影响。以秦川牛背最长肌为研究对象,测定4℃不同成熟时间下的pH值、贮藏损失、离心损失、蒸煮损失、水分分布、肌原纤维蛋白等指标变化情况,测定不同成熟时间(0、96、192 h)下TUFM表达量及其含量、Beclin1蛋白表达量。结果显示:在秦川牛宰后成熟期间,肌原纤维蛋白发生降解,TUFM的表达量与Beclin1蛋白表达量和牛肉的持水性存在密切关系,其中蛋白质组学测定的TUFM表达量变化与TUFM含量变化趋势一致,Beclin1蛋白表达量、贮藏损失、离心损失、蒸煮损失整体均呈先上升后下降趋势,pH值呈先下降后上升趋势;Pearson相关性分析表明,牛背最长肌中TUFM表达量与低场核磁共振峰面积比P_(2b)、Beclin1蛋白表达量呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),与贮藏损失、离心损失、蒸煮损失呈显著正相关(P<0.05),与P_(21)呈极显著负相关(P<0.01),与P_(22)呈显著负相关(P<0.05),与pH值无显著相关性(P>0.05)。通过蛋白质组学鉴定出23种与TUFM相关的差异蛋白,通过基因本体论、京都基因与基因组百科全书通路分析发现,差异蛋白可通过多种途径参与能量代谢,进而介导细胞自噬;对差异蛋白和持水性指标进行Pearson相关性分析发现,有5种差异蛋白(ATP5F1D、EEF1A2、GSPT1、NDUFB5、SUCLG1)与持水性指标具有显著相关性(P<0.05、P<0.01)。分析可知,包括TUFM在内,共6种蛋白主要通过能量代谢和氧转运等途径正向或负向影响细胞自噬,从而影响肉的持水性。

Study on Preparation and Properties of La_2O_3/MC Nylon Nanocomposites

A series of La2O3/MC nylon nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization. The effects of content of nano-La2O3 on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites were studied. Dispersion of nano-La2O3 in MC nylon matrix was observed with SEM. The crystal structure of nanocomposites was characterized by means of XRD. SEM analysis shows that La2O3 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in MC nylon matrix and little clustering exists when the content of nano- La2O3 is lower than 1%, however, when the content of nano-La2O3 is more than 1%, it begins to cluster. XRD analysis indicats that nano-La2O3 does not change the crystal structure of MC nylon. Mechanical properties tests show that the tensile strength, elongation at break, impact strength, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of nanocomposites first increase then decrease as the content of nano-La2O3 is increased. When the content of nano-La2O3 is 0.5%, the tensile strength and elongation at break of nanocomposites reach maximum, which are 17.9% and 52.1% higher respectively than those of MC nylon. When the content of nano-La2O3 is 1.0%, the impact strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus of nanocomposites reach maximum, which are 36.6 %, 12.7 % and 16.3 % higher respectively than those of MC nylon.

PROPERTIES AND MORPHOLOGY OF UNSATURATED POLYESTER/ACRYLATE-TERMINATED POLYURETHANE/ORGANO-MONTMORILLONITE NANOCOMPOSITES

Unsaturated polyester resin （UPR）/acrylate-terminated polyurethane （ATPU）/organo-modified montmorillonite （OMMT） nanocomposites were prepared by the in situ intercalative polymerization method. Samples were prepared by the sequential mixing, i.e. mixture of the ATPU and styrene （S） and OMMT were prepared in the first step; UPR was then added to the pre-intercalates of ATPU/S/OMMT. Results indicate that the mechanical properties and thermal properties of UPR/ATPU/OMMT nanocomposites greatly depend on the amount of ATPU and OMMT. Results show that the addition of ATPU could increase the impact strength of UPR/ATPU composites, but the tensile strength, flexural strength and heat resistance of the materials are obviously decreased. When the weight ratio between UPR, ATPU and OMMT were 82：15：3, the impact strength and heat distortion-temperature of nanocomposite were greatly improved, meanwhile there was little change for other properties of the nanocomposites. The synergistic enhancement effects of ATPU and OMMT on the composites were observed. The structures and morphology of the composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

Cu-Zn-Al2O3 nanocomposites: study of microstructure, corrosion, and wear properties

Alumina nanoparticles were added to a Cu-Zn alloy to investigate their effect on the microstructural,tribological,and corrosion properties of the prepared alloys. Alloying was performed using a mixture of copper and zinc powders with 0vol% and 5vol% of α-Al nanopowder in a satellite ball mill. The results showed that the Cu-Zn solid solution formed after 18 h of mechanical alloying. The mechanically alloyed powder was compacted followed by sintering of the obtained green compacts at 750°C for 30 min. Alumina nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the matrix of the Cu-Zn alloy. The tribological properties were evaluated by pin-on-disk wear tests,which revealed that,upon the addition of alumina nanoparticles,the coefficient of friction and the wear rate were reduced to 20% and 40%,respectively. The corrosion properties of the samples exposed to a 3.5wt% Na Cl solution were studied using the immersion and potentiodynamic polarization methods,which revealed that the addition of alumina nanoparticles reduced the corrosion current of the nanocomposite by 90%.

Mechanical and microstructural characterization of Al7075/SiC nanocomposites fabricated by dynamic compaction

This paper describes the synthesis of Al7075 metal matrix composites reinforced with SiC, and the characterization of their microstructure and mechanical behavior. The mechanically milled Al7075 micron-sized powder and SiC nanoparticles are dynamically compacted using a drop hammer device. This compaction is performed at different temperatures and for various volume fractions of SiC nanoparticles. The relative density is directly related to the compaction temperature rise and indirectly related to the content of SiC nanoparticle reinforcement, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the amount of SiC nanoparticles improves the strength, stiffness, and hardness of the compacted specimens. The increase in hardness and strength may be attributed to the inherent hardness of the nanoparticles, and other phenomena such as thermal mismatch and crack shielding. Nevertheless, clustering of the nanoparticles at aluminum particle boundaries make these regions become a source of concentrated stress, which reduces the load carrying capacity of the compacted nanocomposite.

Mechanism and Kinetic Model of In-situ TiB_2/7055Al Nanocomposites Synthesized under High Intensity Ultrasonic Field

In-situ TiB2/7055Al nanocomposites are fabricated by in situ melt chemical reaction from 7055Al-K2TiF6-KBF4 system under high intensity ultrasonic field,and the mechanism and kinetic model of in-situ melt chemical reaction are investigated.X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscope （SEM） analyses indicate that the sizes of in-situ TiB2 nanoparticles are in the range of 80-120 nm.The results of ice-water quenched samples show that the whole process contains four stages,and the overall in-situ reaction time is 10 minutes.The in situ synthesis process is controlled mainly by chemical reaction in earlier stage （former 3 minutes）,and by the particulate diffusing in later stage.The mechanism of key reaction between Al3Ti and AlB2 under high intensity ultrasonic in the 7055Al-K2TiF6-KBF4 system is the reaction-diffusion-crack-rediffusion.Furthermore,the reactive kinetic models in 7055Al-K2TiF6-KBF4 system are established.

A perspective of chalcogenide semiconductor-noble metal nanocomposites through structural transformations

Intense efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of heterogeneous nanocomposites consisting of chalcogenide semiconductors and noble metals,which usually exhibit enhanced properties owing to the synergistic effect between their different material domains.Tailoring the structure of the metal domains in the nanocomposites may lead to further improvements of its performance for a given application.This review therefore highlights the strategies based on a structural conversion process for the fabrication of nanocomposites consisting of chalcogenide semiconductors and noble metals with various internal structures,e.g.,hollow or cage-bell.This strategy relies on a unique inside-out diffusion phenomenon of Ag in core-shell nanoparticles with Ag residing at core or inner shell region.In the presence of sulfur or selenium precursors,the diffused Ag are converted into Ag2S or Ag2Se,which is connected with the remaining noble metal parts,forming nanocomposites consisting of silver chalcogenide and noble metal nanoparticles with hollow or cage-bell structures.We would focus on the introduction of the fundamentals,principles,electrocatalytic applications as well as perspectives of the chalcogenide semiconductor-noble metal nanocomposites derived from their core-shell precursors so as to provide the readers insights in designing efficient nanocomposites for electrocatalysis.

Ultrasensitive electrochemical determination of metronidazole based on polydopamine/carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposites modified GCE

An ultrasensitive electrochemical sensor based on polydopamine/carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs à COOH) nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode(GCE) was presented in this work, which has been developed for highly selective and highly sensitive determination of an antimicrobial drug, metronidazole. The preparation of polydopamine/MWCNTs–COOH nanocomposites/GCE sensor is simple and possesses high reproducible, where polydopamine can be coated on the surface of MWCNTs–COOH via a simple electropolymerization process. Under optimized conditions, the proposed sensor showed ultrasensitive determination for metronidazole with a wide linear detection range from5 to 5000 mmol/dm^3 and a low detection limit of 0.25 mmol/dm^3(S/N=3). Moreover, the proposed sensor has been successfully applied for the quantitative determination of metronidazole in real drug samples. This work may provide a novel and effective analytical platform for determination of metronidazole in application of real pharmaceutical and biological samples analysis.

Synthesis of Ag@Al_2O_3 Core-shell Structure Nanoparticles and Their Enhancement Effect on Dielectric Properties for Ag@Al_2O_3/Polyimide Nanocomposites

A novel core-shell structure Ag@Al2O3 nano-particles were synthesized and doped into polyimide as conductive fillers to prepare the composite films with high dielectric properties and low dielectric loss. The morphology and structures of the Ag@Al2O3 nano-particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, and UV-visible spectroscopy. All the results proved that the Ag@Al2O3 nano-parficles had a typical core-shell structure, for the Ag particles were coated by Al2O3 shell and the average sizes ofAg@Al2O3 particles were between 30 to 150 nm. The as-prepared Ag@Al2O3 nanoparticles were doped into the polyimide with different mass fractions to fabricate the Ag@Al2O3/PI composite films via in-situ polymerization process. SEM analysis of composite films showed that the Ag@Al2O3 nano- particles homogeneously dispersed in polyimide matrix with nanoseale. As dielectric materials for electronic packaging systems, the Ag@Al2O3/PI composites exhibited appropriate mechanical properties and erthaneed dielectric properties, including greatly enhanced dielectric constant and just a slight increase in dielectric loss. These improvements were attributed to the core-shell structure of fillers and their fine dispersion in the PI matrix.

Effects of Size and Surface Modification of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes on Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane-based Nanocomposites

Polyurethanes/multi-walled carbon nanotube （PU/CNT） composites were prepared with a help of ultrasonically dispersing CNT in the traditional procedure of synthesizing polyurethane. In this case, the various loading levels, sizes and surface-modified groups were considered to regulate the mechanical performances of the PU/CNT nanocomposites. Moreover, the structure and mechanical properties of all the PU/CNT nanocomposites were investigated by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and tensile testing. The experimental results showed that a moderate loading-level of 0.1wt% and a diameter of 10-15 nm for CNT could produce the maximum tensile strength and elongation while it was worth noting that the surface carboxylation of CNT could further enhance the tensile strength and elongation of the PU/CNT nanocomposites.

Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Si_(3)N_(4)-TiC Nanocomposites

Si3N4/TiC nanocomposite ceramics have been fabricated by hot pressing technique with Al2O3 and Y2O3 as additives. The results showed that well dispersed composite powder was carried out by adding dispersant and adjusting pH values of suspensions. Remarkable increase in flexural strength at room temperatures was obtained by adding nanoparticles in Si3N4 matrix with 10% （wt pct） of nano-Si3N4 and 15% of nano-TiC. The flexural strength, fracture toughness and hardness were 1025 MPa, 7.5 MPa.m^1/2 and 15.6 GPa, respectively. The microstructures of materials were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, which indicated that TiC nanoparticles distribute in the matrix and at the grain boundaries. According to the fracture form, low contents of nano particles could refine matrix grains and lead to the crack deflection as well as crack pinning. The multiplex microstructure was formed by mixing nano-Si3N4 particles. The crack trajectories exhibited crack deflection, rod-like grain bridging and pull-out.

Structure Characterization and Thermal Properties of PMMA/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites via Emulsion Polymerization

Montmorillonite(MMT) modified with sodium silicate can change the arrangement of its layers from edge-face and edge-edge to face-face. With the fine dispersion of the modified MMT in water,the cation-exchange reaction was carried out with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB) to obtain organo-montmorillonite(OMMT). As OMMT was uniformly dispersed in methyl methacrylate(MMA) monomer,PMMA/OMMT nanocomposites were formed via a common emulsion polymerization. The products were extracted with hot acetone and characterized by FTIR,molecular weight,X-ray diffraction(XRD),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),DSC and TGA. These results show that most of the OMMT layers have been exfoliated,while the thermal stability is increased obviously. By means of FTIR spectral analysis,the ratios of the macromolecular radicals′ termination of disproportionation patterns to combination are increased with the addition of OMMT. This result further confirms the increase of the thermal degradation temperatures and glass transition temperatures of the PMMA/OMMT nanocomposites.

A Study on Tribological Properties of Polypropylene Nanocomposites Reinforced with Pretreated HNTs

The polypropylene(PP) nanocomposites filled with pretreated halloysite nanotubes(HNTs) were prepared by the melt-blending method. Before filling, the as-received HNTs powder was at first purified and then modified. The characterization tests showed that the purified HNTs had less impurity and more uniform pore size distribution and the surface hydrophobicity of the modified HNTs was obviously improved. The mechanical and tribological properties of the PP/HNTs nanocomposites were extensively investigated. The results showed that the tensile, bending and notched impact strength of the PP/HNTs nanocomposites was somewhat improved, but the wear resistance of the PP/HNTs nanocomposites was obviously enhanced.

PREPARATION OF POLY(METHYL METHACRYLATE)/LAYERED DOUBLE HYDROXIDES NANOCOMPOSITES via in situ SOLUTION POLYMERIZATION

An exfoliated layered double hydroxides/poly（methyl methacrylate） （LDHs/PMMA） nanocomposite was prepared by in situ solution polymerization of methyl methacrylate （MMA） in the presence of 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate intercalated LDHs（MgAl-VBS LDHs）. MgAl-VBS LDHs was prepared by the ion exchange method, and the structure and composition of the MgAl-VBS LDHs were determined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. XRD and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） were employed to examine the structure of LDHs/PMMA nanocomposite. It was indicated that the LDHs layers were well exfoliated and dispersed in the PMMA matrix. The grafting of PMMA onto LDHs was confirmed by the extraction result and the weight fraction of grafted PMMA increased as the weight fraction of LDHs in the nanocomposites increased.

Effects of postthermal treatment and UV irradiation on the structure of titania-polyacrylate nanocomposites

The effects of postthermal treatment and irradiation time on the structure and thermal stability of TiO2/polyacrylate nanocomposites by a sol-gel process in reverse micelles and subsequent rapid photopolymerization were investigated, and the hybrid films were characterized by thermal gravimetry analysis （TGA）, X-ray photoelectron spectrum （XPS）, and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. XPS data suggested that the prolongation of irradiation time and the postthermal treatment promoted titania formation, with the former affecting more remarkably. TGA data showed that TiO2-hybrid films could upgrade the decomposition onset temperature （Tonset） as well as the temperature at which there is a maximum mass loss rate （Tmax）. AFM data demonstrated that the inorganic titania particles with a mean diameter of 25.26-28.84 nm were homogeneously distributed in the organic matrix.