Role of copper chelating agents: between old applications and new perspectives in neuroscience

The role of copper element has been an increasingly relevant topic in recent years in the fields of human and animal health, for both the study of new drugs and innovative food and feed supplements. This metal plays an important role in the central nervous system, where it is associated with glutamatergic signaling, and it is widely involved in inflammatory processes. Thus, diseases involving copper(Ⅱ) dyshomeostasis often have neurological symptoms, as exemplified by Alzheimer's and other diseases(such as Parkinson's and Wilson's diseases). Moreover, imbalanced copper ion concentrations have also been associated with diabetes and certain types of cancer, including glioma. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive overview of recent results that show the importance of these metal ions in several pathologies, mainly Alzheimer's disease, through the lens of the development and use of copper chelators as research compounds and potential therapeutics if included in multi-target hybrid drugs. Seeing how copper homeostasis is important for the well-being of animals as well as humans, we shortly describe the state of the art regarding the effects of copper and its chelators in agriculture, livestock rearing, and aquaculture, as ingredients for the formulation of feed supplements as well as to prevent the effects of pollution on animal productions.

Role of copper in central nervous system physiology and pathology

Copper is a transition metal and an essential element for the organism,as alterations in its homeostasis leading to metal accumulation or deficiency have pathological effects in several organs,including the central nervous system.Central copper dysregulations have been evidenced in two genetic disorders characterized by mutations in the copper-ATPases ATP7A and ATP7B,Menkes disease and Wilson’s disease,respectively,and also in multifactorial neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,and multiple sclerosis.This review summarizes current knowledge about the role of copper in central nervous system physiology and pathology,reports about unbalances in copper levels and/or distribution under disease,describes relevant animal models for human disorders where copper metabolism genes are dysregulated,and discusses relevant therapeutic approaches modulating copper availability.Overall,alterations in copper metabolism may contribute to the etiology of central nervous system disorders and represent relevant therapeutic targets to restore tissue homeostasis.

Fabrication and thermal conductivity of copper matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by tungsten using metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Magnetic stirring was employed to disperse the W-coated CNTs （W-CNTs） in a Cu matrix, and then, the mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering. The W-CNTs obtained a uniform dispersion within the Cu matrix when the W-CNT content was less than 5.0vo1%, but high content of W-CNTs （10vol%） resulted in the presence of clusters. The W-CNT/Cu composites containing low content of W-CNTs （〈5.0vol%） exhibited a higher thermal conductivity than the sintered pure Cu, while the CNT/Cu composites exhibited no increase in thermal conductivity after the incorporation of uncoated CNTs. The W-CNT content was found to play a crucial role in determining the thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites. The thermal conductivity of the W-CNT/Cu composites increased first and then decreased with the W-CNT content increasing. When the W-CNT content was 2.5vo1%, the W-CNT/Cu composite obtained the maximum value of thermal conductivity. The thermal resistance of the （W-CNT）-Cu interface was predicted in terms of Maxwell-Gamett effective medium approximation, and its calculated value was about 3.0× 10-9 m2.K.W-l.

Friction and wear properties of copper matrix composites reinforced by tungsten-coated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes （CNTs） were coated by tungsten layer using metal organic chemical vapor deposition process with tungsten hexacarbonyl as a precursor. The W-coated CNTs （W-CNTs） were dispersed into Cu powders by magnetic stirring process and then the mixed powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering to fabricate W-CNTs/Cu composites. The CNTs/Cu composites were fabricated using the similafprocesses. The friction coefficient and mass wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu and CNTs/Cu composites were studied. The results showed that the W-CNT content, interfacial bonding situation, and applied load could influence the friction coefficient and wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu com- posites. When the W-CNT content was 1.0 wt.%, the W-CNTs/Cu composites got the minimum friction coefficient and wear loss, which were decreased by 72.1% and 47.6%, respectively, compared with pure Cu specimen. The friction coefficient and wear loss of W-CNTs/Cu composites were lower than those of CNTs/Cu composites, which was due to that the interracial bonding at （W-CNTs）-Cu interface was better than that at CNTs-Cu interface. The friction coefficient of composites did not vary obviously with increasing applied load, while the wear loss of composites increased significantly with the increase of applied load.

Tungsten nanoparticle-strengthened copper composite prepared by a sol–gel method and in-situ reaction

Tungsten nanoparticle-strengthened Cu composites were prepared from nanopowder synthesized by a sol–gel method and in-situ hydrogen reduction.The tungsten particles in the Cu matrix were well-dispersed with an average size of approximately 100–200 nm.The addition of nanosized W particles remarkably improves the mechanical properties,while the electrical conductivity did not substantially decrease.The Cu–W composite with 6 wt%W has the most comprehensive properties with an ultimate strength of 310 MPa,yield strength of 238 MPa,hardness of HV 108 and electrical conductivity of 90%IACS.The enhanced mechanical property and only a small loss of electrical conductivity demonstrate the potential of this new strategy to prepare W nanoparticle-strengthened Cu composites.

Adsorption of copper ions on porous ceramsite prepared by diatomite and tungsten residue

In order to realize resource utilization of industrial tungsten residue and treatment of heavy metal wastewater in mining and metallurgical area of south China,a novel ceramsite was prepared with the main raw materials of diatomite and tungsten residue.The adsorption behavior of copper ions in solution on the ceramsite was investigated.Results indicated that the surface of the newly-developed ceramsite was rough and porous.There were lots of pores across the ceramsite from inner to outside.MnFe2O4 was one of the main components of the ceramsite.The Cu^2＋adsorption capacity by the ceramsite reached 9.421 mg/g with copper removal efficiency of 94.21%at 303 K,initial Cu^2＋concentration of 100 mg/L and dosage of 0.5 g after 300 min adsorption.With increase of ceramsite dosage,the total adsorption amount of Cu^2＋increased,but the adsorption capacity decreased.The adsorption capacity increased with the increase of solution p H.The isothermal adsorption of Cu^2＋by the ceramsite fitted the Freundlich model better.The adsorption mainly occurred on a heterogeneous surface,and was a favorable process.The adsorption process closely followed the pseudo-second kinetic equation.In initial stage of wastewater treatment,the adsorption process should be controlled mainly by diffusion,and the removal of Cu^2＋can be improved by enhancing agitation.

Diffusion Bonding of Tungsten to Copper and Its Alloy with Ti Foil and Ti/Ni/Ti Multiple Interlayers

Ti foil and Ti/Ni/Ti multiple interlayers were selected for the bonding of tungsten to copper and CuCrZr alloy.Theeffects of processing conditions on the microstructures and shear strength of the joints were investigated.When Tifoil is used for bonding of tungsten to pure copper but not transformed into liquid solution during the holding time,the strength of the joints is relatively low because of the multiple compound layers with brittleness formed in thebonding zone.The strength of the joints increases significantly if the Ti foil is transformed into liquid solution and ismostly extruded out of the bonding zone.The same phenomena are found in the case when Ti/Ni/Ti multi-interlayersare used for bonding tungsten to CuCrZr alloy.

Synergistic regulation of current-carrying wear performance of resin matrix carbon brush composites with tungsten copper composite powder

Resin matrix carbon brush composites(RMCBCs)are critical materials for high-powered electric tools.However,effectively improving their wear resistance and heat dissipation remains a challenge.RMCBCs prepared with flake graphite powders that were evenly loaded with tungsten copper composite powder(RMCBCs-W@Cu)exhibited a low wear rate of 1.63 mm^(3)/h,exhibiting 48.6%reduction in the wear rate relative to RCMBCs without additives(RMCBCs-0).In addition,RMCBCs-W@Cu achieved a low friction coefficient of 0.243 and low electric spark grade.These findings indicate that tungsten copper composite powders provide particle reinforcement and generate a gradation effect for the epoxy resin(i.e.,connecting phase)in RMCBCs,which weakens the wear of RMCBCs caused by fatigue under a cyclic current-carrying wear.

Gas tungsten arc welding of CP-copper to 304 stainless steel using different filler materials

The dissimilar joining of CP-copper to 304 stainless steel was performed by gas tungsten arc welding process using different filler materials. The results indicated the formation of defect free joint by using copper filler material. But, the presence of some defects like solidification crack and lack of fusion caused decreasing tensile strength of other joints. In the optimum conditions, the tensile strength of the joint was 96% of the weaker material. Also, this joint was bent till to 180° without any macroscopic defects like separation, tearing or fracture. It was concluded that copper is a new and good candidate for gas tungsten arc welding of copper to 304 stainless steel.

Preparation and thermal conductivity of tungsten coated diamond/copper composites

Tungsten was plated on the surface of diamond by using thermal diffusion method.Different process parameters were employed to prepare the composites with tungsten,diamond and copper.The micro morphology of different samples was observed,and the thermal conductivity of samples was measured by laser flash method.The optimal process parameters for preparing diamond/copper composites with high thermal conductivity were investigated.The results indicated that plating tungsten on diamond could modify the interface bonding.When the diamond was plated for 60 min,the coating appeared intact,uniform and flat,and the thermal conductivity of the sample could reach as high as 486 W/(m·K).The integrity and uniformity were more important than thickness for the coating.When the tungsten-plated diamond was further annealed,the metallurgical bonding between the coating and the diamond was enhanced,and the thermal conductivity rose to 559 W/(m·K).

Plasma spray forming of tungsten coatings on copper electrodes

Both direct current dc plasma and radio frequency induction plasma were used to deposit tungsten coatings on copper electrodes. Fine tungsten powder with mean particle size of 5 μm and coarse tungsten powder with particle size in the range from 45 μm to 75 μm were used as plasma spray feedstock. It is found that dc plasma is only applicable to spray the fine tungsten powder and induction plasma can be used to spray both the coarse powder and the fine powder. The tungsten coating deposited by the induction plasma spraying of the coarse powder is extremely dense. Such a coating with an interlocking structure and an integral interface with the copper substrate demonstrates high cohesion strength and adhesion strength.

Copper Metabolism and Cuproptosis:Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Perspectives in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Copper is an essential trace element,and plays a vital role in numerous physiological processes within the human body.During normal metabolism,the human body maintains copper homeostasis.Copper deficiency or excess can adversely affect cellular function.Therefore,copper homeostasis is stringently regulated.Recent studies suggest that copper can trigger a specific form of cell death,namely,cuproptosis,which is triggered by excessive levels of intracellular copper.Cuproptosis induces the aggregation of mitochondrial lipoylated proteins,and the loss of iron-sulfur cluster proteins.In neurodegenerative diseases,the pathogenesis and progression of neurological disorders are linked to copper homeostasis.This review summarizes the advances in copper homeostasis and cuproptosis in the nervous system and neurodegenerative diseases.This offers research perspectives that provide new insights into the targeted treatment of neurodegenerative diseases based on cuproptosis.

Contact Resistance and Arc Erosion of Tungsten-copper Contacts in Direct Currents

The arc erosion under medium direct currents in the argon flow was tested on tungsten-copper（W-Cu） contacts which were processed by hot extrusion and heat treatment. The scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） were used to study the microstructure of the W-Cu powders and compacts. The contact resistance, arcing energy, and arcing time were continuously measured by JF04C contact materials test system. Changes in tungsten-copper contact surface were observed by SEM. The test results showed that the arcing time and arcing energy all increase with current and voltage, but the changes of average contact resistance are more complicated. For a short arcing time, the average contact resistance decreases with increasing current due to the vaporization of Cu. However, for a longer arcing time, it slightly increases due to the formation of high resistant films, compound copper tungsten. The formation of compound copper tungsten was confirmed by the increased Rc kept in the range from 1.1 to 1.6 mΩ. The compound copper tungsten is first exposed with a tungsten and copper-rich surface, and then totally exposed due to evaporation of copper from the surface. At last a stabilized surface is created and the crystals decrease from 8 μm to 2 μm caused by the arc erosion.

Erosion and Modifications of Tungsten-Coated Carbon and Copper Under High Heat Flux

Tungsten-coated carbon and copper was prepared by vacuum plasma spraying (VPS) and inert gas plasma spraying (IPS), respectively. W/CFC (Tungsten /Carbon Fiber-Enhanced material) coating has a diffusion barrier that consists of W and Re multi-layers pre-deposited by physical vapor deposition on carbon fiber-enhanced materials, while W/Cu coating has a graded transition interface. Different grain growth processes of tungsten coatings under stable and transient heat loads were observed, their experimental results indicated that the recrystallizing temperature of VPS-W coating was about 1400 ℃ and a recrystallized columnar layer of about 30 μm thickness was formed by cyclic heat loads of 4 ms pulse duration. Erosion and modifications of W/CFC and W/Cu coatings under high heat load, such as microstructure changes of interface, surface plastic deformations and cracks, were investigated, and the erosion mechanism (erosion products) of these two kinds of tungsten coatings under high heat flux was also studied.

Jet formation and penetration performance of a double-layer charge liner with chemically-deposited tungsten as the inner liner

This paper proposes a type of double-layer charge liner fabricated using chemical vapor deposition(CVD)that has tungsten as its inner liner.The feasibility of this design was evaluated through penetration tests.Double-layer charge liners were fabricated by using CVD to deposit tungsten layers on the inner surfaces of pure T2 copper liners.The microstructures of the tungsten layers were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope(SEM).The feasibility analysis was carried out by pulsed X-rays,slug-retrieval test and static penetration tests.The shaped charge jet forming and penetration law of inner tungsten-coated double-layer liner were studied by numerical simulation method.The results showed that the double-layer liners could form well-shaped jets.The errors between the X-ray test results and the numerical results were within 11.07%.A slug-retrieval test was found that the retrieved slug was similar to a numerically simulated slug.Compared with the traditional pure copper shaped charge jet,the penetration depth of the double-layer shaped charge liner increased by 11.4% and>10.8% respectively.In summary,the test results are good,and the numerical simulation is in good agreement with the test,which verified the feasibility of using the CVD method to fabricate double-layer charge liners with a high-density and high-strength refractory metal as the inner liner.

Exciting News from Indentations onto Silicon, Copper, and Tungsten

Indentations onto crystalline silicon and copper with various indenter geometries, loading forces at room temperature belong to the widest interests in the field, because of the physical detection of structural phase transitions. By using the mathematically deduced FNh3/2 relation for conical and pyramidal indentations we have a toolbox for deciding between faked and experimental loading curves. Four printed silicon indentation loading curves (labelled with 292 K, 260 K, 240 K and 210 K) proved to be faked and not experimental. This is problematic for the AI (artificial intelligence) that will probably not be able to sort faked data out by itself but must be told to do so. High risks arise, when published faked indentation reports remain unidentified and unreported for the mechanics engineers by reading, or via AI. For example, when AI recommends a faked quality such as “no phase changes” of a technical material that is therefore used, it might break down due to an actually present low force, low transition energy phase-change. This paper thus installed a tool box for the distinction of experimental and faked loading curves of indentations. We found experimental and faked loading curves of the same research group with overall 14 authoring co-workers in three publications where valid and faked ones were next to each other and I can thus only report on the experimental ones. The comparison of Si and Cu with W at 20-fold higher physical hardness shows its enormous influence to the energies of phase transition and of their transition energies. Thus, the commonly preferred ISO14577-ASTM hardness values HISO (these violate the energy law and are simulated!) leads to almost blind characterization and use of mechanically stressed technical materials (e.g. airplanes, windmills, bridges, etc). The reasons are carefully detected and reported to disprove that the coincidence or very close coincidence of all of the published loading curves from 150 K to 298 K are constructed but not experimental. A tool-box for distinction of experimental from faked indentation loading curves (simulations must be indicated) is established in view of protecting the AI from faked data, which it might not be able by itself to sort them out, so that technical materials with wrongly attributed mechanical properties might lead to catastrophic accidents such as all of us know of. There is also the risk that false theories might lead to discourage the design of important research projects or for not getting them granted. This might for example hamper or ill-fame new low temperature indentation projects. The various hints for identifying faked claims are thus presented in great detail. The low-temperature instrumental indentations onto silicon have been faked in two consecutive publications and their reporting in the third one, so that these are not available for the calculation of activation energies. Conversely, the same research group published an indentation loading curve of copper as taken at 150 K that could be tested for its validity with the therefore created tools of validity tests. The physical algebraic calculations provided the epochal detection of two highly exothermic phase transitions of copper that created two polymorphs with negative standard energy content. This is world-wide the second case and the first one far above the 77 K of liquid nitrogen. Its existence poses completely new thoughts for physics chemistry and perhaps techniques but all of them are open and unprepared for our comprehension. The first chemical reactions might be in-situ photolysis and the phase transitions can be calculated from experimental curves. But several further reported low temperature indentation loading curves of silicon were tested for their experimental reality. And the results are compared to new analyses with genuine room temperature results. A lot is to be learned from the differences at room and low temperature.

Design of low-alloying and high-performance solid solution-strengthened copper alloys with element substitution for sustainable development

Solid solution-strengthened copper alloys have the advantages of a simple composition and manufacturing process,high mechanical and electrical comprehensive performances,and low cost;thus,they are widely used in high-speed rail contact wires,electronic component connectors,and other devices.Overcoming the contradiction between low alloying and high performance is an important challenge in the development of solid solution-strengthened copper alloys.Taking the typical solid solution-strengthened alloy Cu-4Zn-1Sn as the research object,we proposed using the element In to replace Zn and Sn to achieve low alloying in this work.Two new alloys,Cu-1.5Zn-1Sn-0.4In and Cu-1.5Zn-0.9Sn-0.6In,were designed and prepared.The total weight percentage content of alloying elements decreased by 43%and 41%,respectively,while the product of ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and electrical conductivity(EC)of the annealed state increased by 14%and 15%.After cold rolling with a 90%reduction,the UTS of the two new alloys reached 576 and 627MPa,respectively,the EC was 44.9%IACS and 42.0%IACS,and the product of UTS and EC(UTS×EC)was 97%and 99%higher than that of the annealed state alloy.The dislocations proliferated greatly in cold-rolled alloys,and the strengthening effects of dislocations reached 332 and 356 MPa,respectively,which is the main reason for the considerable improvement in mechanical properties.

Editorial Commentary:Copper Homeostasis in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Copper,as an essential trace nutrient,plays a crucial role in biological processes such as mitochondrial respiration,antioxidant stress response,and the synthesis of biomolecules.Typically,cellular copper concentrations are maintained at very low levels,a pattern also observed in cancer cells to prevent adverse consequences of copper overload,such as cuproptosis.This involves copper dependency,accumulation of lipidated proteins,and a reduction in Fe-S cluster proteins[1].Various neurodegenerative diseases are associated with imbalances in copper homeostasis.

Trace elements in magmatic and hydrothermal quartz:Implications on the genesis of the Xingluokeng Tungsten Deposit,South China

The Xingluokeng deposit is the largest gran-ite-related tungsten deposit within the Wuyi metallogenic belt in South China.The Xingluokeng intrusion primarily consists of porphyritic biotite granite,biotite granite,andfine-grained granite.The deposit is represented by veinlet-disseminated mineralization with K-feldspathization and biotitization,alongside quartz-vein mineralization with gre-isenization and sericitization.This study investigates in-situ analyses of quartz compositions from both the intrusion and hydrothermal veinlets and veins.Trace element correlations indicate that trivalent Al^(3+)and Fe^(3+)replace Si^(4+)within the quartz lattice,with monovalent cations(such as Li^(+),Na^(+),and K^(+))primarily serving as charge compensators.Low Ge/Al ratios(<0.013)of quartz from granites suggest a mag-matic origin.The low Al/Ti and Ge/Ti ratios,accompanied by high Ti contents in quartz,suggest that the porphyritic biotite granite and biotite granite are characterized by rela-tively low levels of differentiation and high crystallization temperatures.In contrast,thefine-grained granite exhibits a higher degree of fractionation,lower crystallization tem-peratures,and a closer association with tungsten miner-alization.Ti contents in quartz from quartz veins indicate Qz-Ⅰformed at temperatures above 400°C,while Qz-Ⅱto Qz-Ⅴformed at temperatures below 350°C.Variations in different generations of quartz,as indicated by Al content and(Al+Fe)/(Li+Na+K)ratio,suggest that Qz-Ⅰprecipi-tated from a less acidicfluid with a stable pH,whereas Qz-Ⅱto Qz-Ⅴoriginated from a more acidicfluid with notable pH variations.Consequently,alkaline alteration and acidic alteration supplied the essential Ca and Fe for the precipita-tion of scheelite and wolframite,respectively,highlighting a critical mechanism in tungsten mineralization at the Xin-gluokeng deposit.

Detection of Al, Mg, Ca, and Zn in copper slag by LIBS combined with calibration curve and PLSR methods

The precise measurement of Al, Mg, Ca, and Zn composition in copper slag is crucial for effective process control of copper pyrometallurgy. In this study, a remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(LIBS) system was utilized for the spectral analysis of copper slag samples at a distance of 2.5 m. The composition of copper slag was then analyzed using both the calibration curve(CC) method and the partial least squares regression(PLSR) analysis method based on the characteristic spectral intensity ratio. The performance of the two analysis methods was gauged through the determination coefficient(R^(2)), average relative error(ARE), root mean square error of calibration(RMSEC), and root mean square error of prediction(RMSEP). The results demonstrate that the PLSR method significantly improved both R^(2) for the calibration and test sets while reducing ARE, RMSEC, and RMSEP by 50% compared to the CC method. The results suggest that the combination of LIBS and PLSR is a viable approach for effectively detecting the elemental concentration in copper slag and holds potential for online detection of the elemental composition of high-temperature molten copper slag.