Literature classification and its applications in condensed matter physics and materials science by natural language processing

The exponential growth of literature is constraining researchers’access to comprehensive information in related fields.While natural language processing(NLP)may offer an effective solution to literature classification,it remains hindered by the lack of labelled dataset.In this article,we introduce a novel method for generating literature classification models through semi-supervised learning,which can generate labelled dataset iteratively with limited human input.We apply this method to train NLP models for classifying literatures related to several research directions,i.e.,battery,superconductor,topological material,and artificial intelligence(AI)in materials science.The trained NLP‘battery’model applied on a larger dataset different from the training and testing dataset can achieve F1 score of 0.738,which indicates the accuracy and reliability of this scheme.Furthermore,our approach demonstrates that even with insufficient data,the not-well-trained model in the first few cycles can identify the relationships among different research fields and facilitate the discovery and understanding of interdisciplinary directions.

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.

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.

Sustainable, thermoplastic and hydrophobic coating from natural cellulose and cinnamon to fabricate eco-friendly catering packaging

Non-degradable polymers cause serious environmental pollution problem,such as the widely-used while unrecyclable coatings which significantly affect the overall degradation performance of products.It is imperative and attractive to develop biodegradable functional coatings.Herein,we proposed a novel strategy to successfully prepare biodegradable,thermoplastic and hydrophobic coatings with high transparence and biosafety by weakening the interchain interactions between cellulose chain.The natural cellulose and cinnamic acid were as raw materials.Via reducing the degree of polymerization(DP)of cellulose and regulating the degree of substitution(DS)of cinnamate moiety,the obtained cellulose cinnamate(CC)exhibited not only the thermalflow behavior but also good biodegradability,which solves the conflict between the thermoplasticity and biodegradability in cellulose-based materials.The glass transition temperature(T_(g))and thermalflow temperature(T_(f))of the CC could be adjusted in a range of 150–200℃ and 180–210℃,respectively.The CC with DS<1.2 and DP≤100 degraded more than 60%after an enzyme treatment for 7 days,and degraded more than 80%after a composting treatment for 42 days.Furthermore,CC had no toxicity to human epidermal cells even at a high concentration(0.5 mg mL^(-1)).In addition,CC could be easily fabricated into multifunctional coating with high hydrophobicity,thermal adhesion and high transparence.Therefore,after combining with cellophane and paperboard,CC coating with low DP and DS could be used to prepare fully-biodegradable heat-sealing packaging,art paper,paper cups,paper straws and food packaging boxes.

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.

Characterization of size effect of natural convection in melting process of phase change material in square cavity

The accelerating effect of natural convection on the melting of phase change material(PCM)has been extensively demonstrated.However,such an influence is directly dependent on the size and shape of domain in which phase change happens,and how to quantitatively describe such an influence is still challenging.On the other hand,the simulation of natural convection process is considerably difficult,involving complex fluid flow in a region changing with time,and is typically not operable in practice.To overcome these obstacles,the present study aims to quantitatively investigate the size effect of natural convection in the melting process of PCM paraffin filled in a square latent heat storage system through experiment and simulation,and ultimately a correlation equation to represent its contribution is proposed.Firstly,the paraffin melting experiment is conducted to validate the two-dimensional finite element model based on the enthalpy method.Subsequently,a comprehensive investigation is performed numerically for various domain sizes.The results show that the melting behavior of paraffin is dominated by the thermal convection.When the melting time exceeds 50 s,a whirlpoor flow caused by natural convection appears in the upper liquid phase region close to the heating wall,and then its influencing range gradually increases to accelerate the melting of paraffin.However,its intensity gradually decreases as the distance between the melting front and the heating wall increases.Besides,it is found that the correlation between the total melting time and the domain size approximately exhibits a power law.When the domain size is less than 2 mm,the accelerating effect of natural convection becomes very weak and can be ignored in practice.Moreover,in order to simplify the complex calculation of natural convection,the equivalent thermal conductivity concept is proposed to include the contribution of natural convection to the total melting time,and an empirical correlation is given for engineering applications.

Natural Radioactivity Measurement and Assessment of Radiological Hazards in Some Building Materials Used in Bangladesh

The radioactivity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in 24 samples of natural and manufactured building materials commonly used in Bangladesh were measured using HPGe gamma ray spectrometer. The results in the present study were compared with the world average and also with the reported data available in literature. The radium equivalent activity, the absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose, external and internal hazard indices, gamma index, alpha index, annual gonadal dose equivalent and excess lifetime cancer risk were also evaluated to assess the potential radiation hazards associated with these building materials. All samples under investigation were found to be within the recommended safety limit and do not pose any significant radiation hazards. This study can be used as a reference for more extensive studies of the same subject in future.

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.

Decision Support Strategy in Selecting Natural Fiber Materials for Automotive Side-Door Impact Beam Composites

The enforcement on sustainable design and environmental-friendly products has attracted the interest of researchers and engineers in the context of replacing metals and synthetic fibers with natural based fibers,especially in the automotive industry.However,studies on sustainable natural fiber material selection in the automotive industry are limited.Evaluation for the side-door impact beam was conducted by gathering product design specification from literature which amounted to seven criteria and it was forwarded to ten decision makers with automotive engineering and product design background for evaluation.The weightage required for decision-making was obtained using the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)method based on six criteria.Following this,the best natural fiber materials to be used as reinforcement in polymer composites were selected using the VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje(VIKOR)method.The results using both the AHP and VIKOR method showed that kenaf was the best natural fiber for the side-door impact beam composites.The result showed the lowest VIKOR value,QA1=0.0000,which was determined to be within the acceptable advantage and acceptable stability conditions.It can be concluded that the application of integrated AHP-VIKOR method resulted in a systematic and justified solution towards the decision-making process.

Natural dynamic characteristics of a circular cylindrical Timoshenko tube made of three-directional functionally graded material

The natural dynamic characteristics of a circular cylindrical tube made of three-directional(3 D)functional graded material(FGM)based on the Timoshenko beam theory are investigated.Hamilton’s principle is utilized to derive the novel motion equations of the tube,considering the interactions among the longitudinal,transverse,and rotation deformations.By dint of the differential quadrature method(DQM),the governing equations are discretized to conduct the analysis of natural dynamic characteristics.The Ritz method,in conjunction with the finite element method(FEM),is introduced to verify the present results.It is found that the asymmetric modes in the tube are controlled by the 3 D FGM,which exhibit more complicated shapes compared with the unidirectional(1 D)and bi-directional(2 D)FGM cases.Numerical examples illustrate the effects of the axial,radial,and circumferential FGM indexes as well as the supported edges on the natural dynamic characteristics in detail.It is notable that the obtained results are beneficial for accurate design of smart structures composed from multi-directional FGM.

Assessment of Exposure Due to Technologically Enhanced Natural Radioactivity in Various Samples of Moroccan Building Materials

The aim of our present work is to measure the specific activities of the radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and the exhalation rates in terms of area and mass of 222Rn in some samples of building materials commonly used in Morocco in order to evaluate the radiological risk caused by natural radioactivity. To this end, the analyses were carried out, using two nuclear techniques, namely high resolution gamma spectrometry and alpha dosimetry based on the use of LR115, on 50 samples collected from large commercial suppliers in Morocco. The results of these analyses show that the average specific activities of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in these materials vary from 9 to 52 Bq/kg, 3 to 63 Bq/kg and 68 to 705 Bq/kg respectively. These activities remain within the permissible limits of 35 Bq/kg, 30 Bq/kg and 370 Bq/kg respectively, with the exception of a few samples of red brick, gray cement, ceramic and granite. The activity of the radium equivalent (Raeq), the internal (Hin) and external (Hex) hazard indices, the absorbed dose rate, the total annual effective dose , the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) as well as volumic activities, exhalation rates in terms of area (ES) and mass (EM) are calculated for the samples analyzed in this work in order to assess the radiological risks resulting from the use of these materials in various construction activities. It seems that the values of these indices vary from 19 to 196 Bq/kg, 0.08 to 0.67, 0.05 to 0.53, 9 to 91 nGy/h, 0.05 to 0.56 mSv/y, 0.19 × 10&minus;3 to 1.96 × 10&minus;3, 72 to 350 Bq/m3, 56 to 273 mBq&sdot;m&minus;2&sdot;h&minus;1 and 3 to 15 mBq&sdot;kg&minus;1&sdot;h&minus;1 respectively. The lowest values are identified for gypsum, while the highest are attributed to granite. All of the obtained results of these indices respect the permissible limits except for the Raeq in some granite samples, the ELCR index in all samples except gypsum and the radon volumic activity in some gray cement samples, ceramic and granite. As a result, the different types of building materials analyzed in our work do not present a health risk to the public and can be used in various construction activities, with the exception of a few samples of red brick, gray cement, ceramic and granite. The choice of the use of red brick, gray cement and ceramic should be monitored and adapted according to the criteria of the limitation of the doses whereas the use of the granite must be moderate in order to limit over time the health risk which increases with the duration of exposure of humans to these building materials.

Comparison of the thermal properties of clay samples as potential walling material for naturally cooled building design

The thermal properties of different clay samples obtained from locations in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria were investigated and compared, and in order to establish their suitability as building material from energy conservation point of view. The results showed that stoneware clay has the highest solar radiation absorptivity of 22 32 m -1 while kaolin clay has the lowest radiation absoptivity of 14 46 m -1 A model for the prediction of temperature variation with thickness of the samples was developed. Results showed that kaolin would make the best choice for the design of a naturally cooled building.

Unsteady natural convection Couette flow of heat generating/absorbing fluid between vertical parallel plates filled with porous material

The extended Brinkman Darcy model for momentum equations and an energy equation is used to calculate the unsteady natural convection Couette flow of a viscous incompressible heat generating/absorbing fluid in a vertical channel （formed by two infinite vertical and parallel plates） filled with the fluid-saturated porous medium. The flow is triggered by the asymmetric heating and the accelerated motion of one of the bounding plates. The governing equations are simplified by the reasonable dimensionless parameters and solved analytically by the Laplace transform techniques to obtain the closed form solutions of the velocity and temperature profiles. Then, the skin friction and the rate of heat transfer are consequently derived. It is noticed that, at different sections within the vertical channel, the fluid flow and the temperature profiles increase with time, which are both higher near the moving plate. In particular, increasing the gap between the plates increases the velocity and the temperature of the fluid, however, reduces the skin friction and the rate of heat transfer.

Environmental Friendly Lightweight Material from Natural Fibers of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch

Indonesia is the most producer of crude palm oil (CPO) worldwide with production more that 25 million tons in 2013. Through increasing production of CPO the wastes generated are growing up as well. The empty fruit bunch of oil palm (EFB) is one of the solid waste (biomass) which is generated at the palm oil mill. Its amount is equivalent to the CPO production, but only about 50% of its weight are good fibers for further usage as industrial raw material. The EFB fiber consists an interesting honey comb/lightweight structure. By mixing the EFB natural fiber with bio binding agent based on potato the environmental friendly materials (biocomposites) can be produced which are 100% biodegadrable. The biocomposites with 2 mm thickness have strengthness about 7 GPa according to the 3 points bending test standard of DIN 53 457. After coating process the environmental friendly lightweight materials with density less than 0.4 g/cm3 will be ready to be implemented for different technical applications.

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.

Materials Selection of Thermoplastic Matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet Using an Integration of DMAIC Approach in Six Sigma Method Together with Grey Relational Analysis Approach

Natural fibre reinforced polymer composite(NFRPC)materials are gaining popularity in the modern world due to their eco-friendliness,lightweight nature,life-cycle superiority,biodegradability,low cost,and noble mechanical properties.Due to the wide variety of materials available that have comparable attributes and satisfy the requirements of the product design specification,material selection has become a crucial component of design for engineers.This paper discusses the study’s findings in choosing the suitable thermoplastic matrices of Natural Fibre Composites for Cyclist Helmet utilising the DMAIC,and GRA approaches.The results are based on integrating two decision methods implemented utilising two distinct decision-making approaches:qualitative and quantitative.This study suggested thermoplastic polyethylene as a particularly ideal matrix in composite cyclist helmets during the selection process for the best thermoplastic matrices material using the 6σtechnique,with the decision based on the highest performance,the lightest weight,and the most environmentally friendly criteria.The DMAIC and GRA approach significantly influenced the material selection process by offering different tools for each phase.In the future study,selection technique may have been more exhaustive if more information from other factors had been added.

Concurrent Material Selection of Natural Fibre Filament for Fused Deposition Modeling Using Integration of Analytic Hierarchy Process/Analytic Network Process

The employment of natural fibres in fused deposition modeling has raised much attention from researchers in finding a suitable formulation for the natural fibre composite filaments.Moreover,selection of suitable natural fibres for fused deposition modeling should be performed before the development of the composites.It could not be performed without identifying selection criteria that comprehend both materials and fused deposition modeling process requirements.Therefore,in this study,integration of the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)/Analytic Network Process(ANP)has been introduced in selecting the natural fibres based in different clusters of selection concurrently.The selection process has been performed based on the interdependency among the selection criteria.Pairwise comparison matrices are constructed based on AHP’s hierarchical model and super matrices are constructed based on the ANP’s network model.As a result,flax fibre has ranked at the top of the selection by scored 19.5%from the overall evaluation.Flax fibre has excellent material properties and been found in various natural fibre composite applications.Further investigation is needed to study the compatibility of this fibre to be reinforced with a thermoplastic polymer matrix to develop a resultant natural fibre composite filament for fused deposition modeling.

Material Selection of a Natural Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites using an Analytical Approach

Material selection has become a critical part of design for engineers,due to availability of diverse choice of materials that have similar properties and meet the product design specification.Implementation of statistical analysis alone makes it difficult to identify the ideal composition of the final composite.An integrated approach between statistical model and micromechanical model is desired.In this paper,resultant natural fibre and polymer matrix from previous study is used to estimate the mechanical properties such as density,Young’s modulus and tensile strength.Four levels of fibre loading are used to compare the optimum natural fibre reinforced polymer composite(NFRPC).The result from this analytical approach revealed that kenaf/polystyrene(PS)with 40%fibre loading is the ideal composite in automotive component application.It was found that the ideal composite score is 1.156 g/cm^(3),24.2 GPa and 413.4 MPa for density,Young’s modulus and tensile strength,respectively.A suggestion to increase the properties on Young’s modulus are also presented.This work proves that the statistical model is well incorporated with the analytical approach to choose the correct composite to use in automotive application.

A Study on Water Repellent Effectiveness of Natural Oil-Applied Soil as a Building Material

This study was performed to investigate the water repellent effectiveness of natural oil-applied soil when it is used as a building material. Natural oil types such as olive oil, bean oil, perilla oil and linseed oil, which are being used for producing water repellent timber, are selected for the experiments. It is expected that perilla oil and in seed oil, which are drying oil types will have better water repellent effectiveness than the other types. For the evaluation of water repellence of natural oil-applied soil, a contact angle test was performed. A contact angle of water drop on various surface conditions were tested, and large differences were seen between the natural oil-applied soil and untreated soil. As a result, it is showed that all natural oil types have water repellent effectiveness. However, linseed oil, which is a drying oil type, shows an outstanding water repellent effectiveness value, while perila oil, which is also a drying oil type, shows the lowest value. Additionally, results show that there is no link between water repellent effectiveness and the number of applications of natural oil. Nevertheless, existing commercial water repellents show better performance than natural oil, and it is anticipated that the results of this study will provide essential information for further research to enhance the water repellent effectiveness of soil as a building material.

Natural Composite Material from Steelwool or Luffa cylindrica under Natural, Rigid and Flexible Resin

In a changing world with a high interest in new ecomaterials, natural fibers such as the steelwool or Luffa cylindriea appear in new presentations and mixing with other materials to develop better opportunities to replace synthetic fibers. This work presents a research on the use of steelwool fiber for composite materials, on the basis of the physical properties, that generate conditions of mixing with three binders （matrix） natural： the rosin, artificial hard： polyurethane resin and artificial flexible： flexible twin resin （epoxy） and finally a polyester resin to make a comparison with other major resins. A testing of compression and tension is carried out to the materials analyzed, obtaining three types of composite materials by the above mentioned binders and three proposed presentations of fiber （complete, tissue and ground）. The test tube in tension with polyester resin presented a high rigidity and a percentage of deformation of 14%, resulting in less distortion than the woven with resin polyurethane with 12% of deformation. The presentation with resin polyurethane presented greater resistance to compression, because the resin acts as a sponge absorbing the energy of charge and the join of particles is larger than the other presentations generating greater cohesion among them and avoiding its rupture easily for a load of 2,000 kg. The presentation that is least resisted was the woven in two resins in the stage of energy absorption of load where polyurethane is 800 kg and the flexible twin is 850 kg, because the form of woven fiber distribution creates spaces where there are more resin than fiber.