Graphene-calcium carbonate coating to improve the degradation resistance and mechanical integrity of a biodegradable implant

Biodegradable implants are critical for regenerative orthopaedic procedures,but they may suffer from too fast corrosion in human-body environment.This necessitates the synthesis of a suitable coating that may improve the corrosion resistance of these implants without compromising their mechanical integrity.In this study,an AZ91 magnesium alloy,as a representative for a biodegradable Mg implant material,was modified with a thin reduced graphene oxide(RGO)-calcium carbonate(CaCO_(3))composite coating.Detailed analytical and in-vitro electrochemical characterization reveals that this coating significantly improves the corrosion resistance and mechanical integrity,and thus has the potential to greatly extend the related application field.

Fluidization and Transport of Vibrated Granular Matter:A Review of Landmark and Recent Contributions

We present a short retrospective review of the existing literature about the dynamics of(dry)granular matter under the effect of vibrations.The main objective is the development of an integrated resource where vital information about past findings and recent discoveries is provided in a single treatment.Special attention is paid to those works where successful synthetic routes to as-yet unknown phenomena were identified.Such landmark results are analyzed,while smoothly blending them with a history of the field and introducing possible categorizations of the prevalent dynamics.Although no classification is perfect,and it is hard to distillate general properties out of specific observations or realizations,two possible ways to interpret the existing results are defined according to the type of forcing or the emerging(ensuing)regime of motion.In particular,first results concerning the case where vibrations and gravity are concurrent(vertical shaking)are examined,then the companion situation with vibrations perpendicular to gravity(horizontal shaking)is described.Universality classes are introduced as follows:(1)Regimes where sand self-organizes leading to highly regular geometrical“pulsating”patterns(thin layer case);(2)Regimes where the material undergoes“fluidization”and develops an internal multicellular convective state(tick layers case);(3)Regimes where the free interface separating the sand from the overlying gas changes inclination or develops a kind a patterned configuration consisting of stable valleys and mountains or travelling waves;(4)Regimes where segregation is produced,i.e.,particles of a given size tend to be separated from the other grains(deep containers).Where possible,an analogy or parallelism is drawn with respect to the companion field of fluid-dynamics for which the assumption of“continuum”can be applied.

Supposition of graphene stacks to estimate the contact resistance and conductivity of nanocomposites

In this study,the effects of stacked nanosheets and the surrounding interphase zone on the resistance of the contact region between nanosheets and the tunneling conductivity of samples are evaluated with developed equations superior to those previously reported.The contact resistance and nanocomposite conductivity are modeled by several influencing factors,including stack properties,interphase depth,tunneling size,and contact diameter.The developed model's accuracy is verified through numerous experimental measurements.To further validate the models and establish correlations between parameters,the effects of all the variables on contact resistance and nanocomposite conductivity are analyzed.Notably,the contact resistance is primarily dependent on the polymer tunnel resistivity,contact area,and tunneling size.The dimensions of the graphene nanosheets significantly influence the conductivity,which ranges from 0 S/m to90 S/m.An increased number of nanosheets in stacks and a larger gap between them enhance the nanocomposite's conductivity.Furthermore,the thicker interphase and smaller tunneling size can lead to higher sample conductivity due to their optimistic effects on the percolation threshold and network efficacy.

Rational Design of Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite Ferrites as Air Electrode for Highly Active and Durable Reversible Protonic Ceramic Cells

Reversible protonic ceramic cells(RePCCs)hold promise for efficient energy storage,but their practicality is hindered by a lack of high-performance air electrode materials.Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite Sr_(3)Fe_(2)O_(7−δ)(SF)exhibits superior proton uptake and rapid ionic conduction,boosting activity.However,excessive proton uptake during RePCC operation degrades SF’s crystal structure,impacting durability.This study introduces a novel A/B-sites co-substitution strategy for modifying air electrodes,incorporating Sr-deficiency and Nb-substitution to create Sr_(2.8)Fe_(1.8)Nb_(0.2)O_(7−δ)(D-SFN).Nb stabilizes SF’s crystal,curbing excessive phase formation,and Sr-deficiency boosts oxygen vacancy concentration,optimizing oxygen transport.The D-SFN electrode demonstrates outstanding activity and durability,achieving a peak power density of 596 mW cm^(−2)in fuel cell mode and a current density of−1.19 A cm^(−2)in electrolysis mode at 1.3 V,650℃,with excellent cycling durability.This approach holds the potential for advancing robust and efficient air electrodes in RePCCs for renewable energy storage.

Control of Nozzle Flow Using Rectangular Ribs at Sonic and Supersonic Mach Numbers

This study deals with base pressure management in a duct for various values of the Mach number(M),namely,Mach number corresponding to sonic and four supersonic conditions.In addition to the Mach number,the nozzle pressure ratio(NPR),the area ratio,the rib dimension,and the duct length are influential parameters.The following specific values are examined at M=1,1.36,1.64,and 2,and NPRs between 1.5 and 10.The base pressure is determined by positioning ribs of varying heights at predetermined intervals throughout the length of the square duct.When the level of expansion is varied,it is seen that the base pressure initially drops for overexpanded flows and increases for under-expanded flows.When ribs are present,the flow field in the duct and pressure inside the duct fluctuate as the base pressure rises.Under-expanded flows can achieve a base pressure value that is suitably high without experiencing excessive changes in the duct flow in terms of static pressure if a rib height around 10%of the duct height close to the nozzle exit is considered.Rectangular rib passive control does not negatively affect the duct’s flow field.

Ranking academic institutions based on the productivity,impact,and quality of institutional scholars

Purpose:The quantitative rankings of over 55,000 institutions and their institutional programs are based on the individual rankings of approximately 30 million scholars determined by their productivity,impact,and quality.Design/methodology/approach:The institutional ranking process developed here considers all institutions in all countries and regions,thereby including those that are established,as well as those that are emerging in scholarly prowess.Rankings of individual scholars worldwide are first generated using the recently introduced,fully indexed ScholarGPS database.The rankings of individual scholars are extended here to determine the lifetime and last-five-year Top 20 rankings of academic institutions over all Fields of scholarly endeavor,in 14 individual Fields,in 177 Disciplines,and in approximately 350,000 unique Specialties.Rankings associated with five specific Fields(Medicine,Engineering&Computer Science,Life Sciences,Physical Sciences&Mathematics,and Social Sciences),and in two Disciplines(Chemistry,and Electrical&Computer Engineering)are presented as examples,and changes in the rankings over time are discussed.Findings:For the Fields considered here,the Top 20 institutional rankings in Medicine have undergone the least change(lifetime versus last five years),while the rankings in Engineering&Computer Science have exhibited significant change.The evolution of institutional rankings over time is largely attributed to the recent emergence of Chinese academic institutions,although this emergence is shown to be highly Field-and Discipline-dependent.Practical implementations:Existing rankings of academic institutions have:(i)often been restricted to pre-selected institutions,clouding the potential discovery of scholarly activity in emerging institutions and countries;(ii)considered only broad areas of research,limiting the ability of university leadership to act on the assessments in a concrete manner,or in contrast;(iii)have considered only a narrow area of research for comparison,diminishing the broader applicability and impact of the assessment.In general,existing institutional rankings depend on which institutions are included in the ranking process,which areas of research are considered,the breadth(or granularity)of the research areas of interest,and the methodologies used to define and quantify research performance.In contrast,the methods presented here can provide important data over a broad range of granularity to allow responsible individuals to gauge the performance of any institution from the Overall(all Fields)level,to the level of the Specialty.The methods may also assist identification of the root causes of shifts in institution rankings,and how these shifts vary across hundreds of thousands of Fields,Disciplines,and Specialties of scholarly endeavor.Originality/value:This study provides the first ranking of all academic institutions worldwide over Fields,Disciplines,and Specialties based on a unique methodology that quantifies the productivity,impact,and quality of individual scholars.

Numerical simulation and printability analysis of fused deposition modeling with dual-temperature control

Ideal tissue engineering scaffolds need interconnected pores and high porosity to enable cell survival,migration,proliferation,and differentiation.However,obtaining a high-resolution structure is difficult with traditional one-temperature control fused deposition modeling(FDM).In this study,we propose a dual-temperature control method to improve printability.A numerical model is developed in which the viscosity is a function of temperature and shear rate to study the influence of two different temperature control modes.Quantitative tests are used to assess filament formation and shape fidelity,including one-dimensional filament printing,deposition at corners,fusion,and collapse.By using dual-temperature control,the width of the deposited poly(ε-caprolactone)filament is reduced to 50μm.The comparative results of both the experimental method and numerical simulation suggest that the dual-temperature control FDM can manufacture spatially arranged constructs and presents a promising application in tissue engineering。

Three Dimensional Coupling between Elastic and Thermal Fields in the Static Analysis of Multilayered Composite Shells

This new work aims to develop a full coupled thermomechanical method including both the temperature profile and displacements as primary unknowns of the model.This generic full coupled 3D exact shell model permits the thermal stress investigation of laminated isotropic,composite and sandwich structures.Cylindrical and spherical panels,cylinders and plates are analyzed in orthogonal mixed curved reference coordinates.The 3D equilibrium relations and the 3D Fourier heat conduction equation for spherical shells are coupled and they trivially can be simplified in those for plates and cylindrical panels.The exponential matrix methodology is used to find the solutions of a full coupled model based on coupled differential relations with respect to the thickness coordinate.The analytical solution is based on theories of simply supported edges and harmonic relations for displacement components and sovra-temperature.The sovra-temperature magnitudes are directly applied at the outer faces through static state hypotheses.As a consequence,the sovra-temperature description is assumed to be an unknown variable of themodel and it is calculated in the sameway as the three displacements.The final systemis based on a set of coupled homogeneous differential relations of second order in the thickness coordinate.This system is reduced in a first order differential relation system by redoubling the number of unknowns.Therefore,the exponential matrix methodology is applied to calculate the solution.The temperature field effects are evaluated in the static investigation of shells and plates in terms of displacement and stress components.After an appropriate preliminary validation,new benchmarks are discussed for several thickness ratios,geometrical data,lamination sequences,materials and sovra-temperature values imposed at the outer faces.Results make evident the accordance between the uncoupled thermo-mechanical model and this new full coupled thermo-mechanical model without the need to separately solve the Fourier heat conduction relation.Both effects connected with the thickness layer and the related embedded materials are included in the conducted thermal stress analysis.

Modeling and Validation of Base Pressure for Aerodynamic Vehicles Based on Machine Learning Models

The application of abruptly enlarged flows to adjust the drag of aerodynamic vehicles using machine learning models has not been investigated previously.The process variables(Mach number(M),nozzle pressure ratio(η),area ratio(α),and length to diameter ratio(γ))were numerically explored to address several aspects of this process,namely base pressure(β)and base pressure with cavity(βcav).In this work,the optimal base pressure is determined using the PCA-BAS-ENN based algorithm to modify the base pressure presetting accuracy,thereby regulating the base drag required for smooth flow of aerodynamic vehicles.Based on the identical dataset,the GA-BP and PSO-BP algorithms are also compared to thePCA-BAS-ENNalgorithm.The data for training and testing the algorithmswas derived using the regression equation developed using the Box-Behnken Design(BBD).The results show that the PCA-BAS-ENN model delivered highly accurate predictions when compared to the other two models.As a result,the advantages of these results are two-fold,providing:(i)a detailed examination of the efficiency of different neural network algorithms in dealing with a genuine aerodynamic problem,and(ii)helpful insights for regulating process variables to improve technological,operational,and financial factors,simultaneously.

Effects of mean shear on the vortex identification and the orientation statistics

This work compares the threshold applied to the swirling strength as well as the vortex orientation statistics in the total and fluctuating velocity fields using direct numerical simulations of compressible and incompressible turbulent channel flows.It is concluded that the difference in the swirling strength for vortex identification is minimal in the logarithmic region such that these two situations share the same threshold.Regarding the vortex orientation,the inclination angle remains similar.However,as the wall-normal distance increases,a more and more obvious distinction is noticed for its orientation with respect to the spanwise(z)direction.It is mainly due to their intrinsic differences and attendant contrasting preference for the vortex identification,i.e.,vortices rotating in the−z direction for the total velocity field and in the z direction for the fluctuating one.These observations function as a reasonable explanation for various remarks in previous studies.

Unexpected divergence in magnetoreceptor MagR from robin and pigeon linked to two sequence variations

Birds exhibit extraordinary mobility and remarkable navigational skills,obtaining guidance cues from the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and long-distance movement.Bird species also show tremendous diversity in navigation strategies,with considerable differences even within the same taxa and among individuals from the same population.The highly conserved iron and iron-sulfur cluster binding magnetoreceptor(MagR)protein is suggested to enable animals,including birds,to detect the geomagnetic field and navigate accordingly.Notably,MagR is also implicated in other functions,such as electron transfer and biogenesis of iron-sulfur clusters,raising the question of whether variability exists in its biochemical and biophysical features among species,particularly birds.In the current study,we conducted a comparative analysis of MagR from two different bird species,including the migratory European robin(Erithacus rubecula)and the homing pigeon(Columba livia).Sequence alignment revealed an extremely high degree of similarity between the MagRs of these species,with only three sequence variations.Nevertheless,two of these variations underpinned significant differences in metal binding capacity,oligomeric state,and magnetic properties.These findings offer compelling evidence for the marked differences in MagR between the two avian species,potentially explaining how a highly conserved protein can mediate such diverse functions.

Highly Efficient Aligned Ion‑Conducting Network and Interface Chemistries for Depolarized All‑Solid‑State Lithium Metal Batteries

Improving the long-term cycling stability and energy density of all-solid-state lithium(Li)-metal batteries(ASSLMBs)at room temperature is a severe challenge because of the notorious solid–solid interfacial contact loss and sluggish ion transport.Solid electrolytes are generally studied as two-dimensional(2D)structures with planar interfaces,showing limited interfacial contact and further resulting in unstable Li/electrolyte and cathode/electrolyte interfaces.Herein,three-dimensional(3D)architecturally designed composite solid electrolytes are developed with independently controlled structural factors using 3D printing processing and post-curing treatment.Multiple-type electrolyte films with vertical-aligned micro-pillar(p-3DSE)and spiral(s-3DSE)structures are rationally designed and developed,which can be employed for both Li metal anode and cathode in terms of accelerating the Li+transport within electrodes and reinforcing the interfacial adhesion.The printed p-3DSE delivers robust long-term cycle life of up to 2600 cycles and a high critical current density of 1.92 mA cm^(−2).The optimized electrolyte structure could lead to ASSLMBs with a superior full-cell areal capacity of 2.75 mAh cm^(−2)(LFP)and 3.92 mAh cm^(−2)(NCM811).This unique design provides enhancements for both anode and cathode electrodes,thereby alleviating interfacial degradation induced by dendrite growth and contact loss.The approach in this study opens a new design strategy for advanced composite solid polymer electrolytes in ASSLMBs operating under high rates/capacities and room temperature.

Mechanical responses, texture and microstructural evolution of high purity aluminum deformed by equal channel angular pressing

Ultrafine-grained(UFG) high purity aluminum exhibits a variety of attractive mechanical properties and special deformation behavior. Equal channel angular pressing(ECAP) process can be used to easily and effectively refine metals. The microstructure and microtexture evolutions and grain boundary characteristics of the high purity aluminum(99.998%) processed by ECAP at room temperature are investigated by means of TEM and EBSD. The results indicate that the shear deformation resistance increases with repeated EACP passes, and equiaxed grains with an average size of 0.9 μm in diameter are formed after five passes. Although the orientations distribution of grains tends to evolve toward random orientations, and microtextures(80°, 35°, 0°),(40°, 75°, 45°) and(0°, 85°, 45°) peak in the sample after five passes. The grain boundaries in UFG aluminum are high-angle geometrically necessary boundaries. It is suggested that the continuous dynamic recrystallization is responsible for the formation of ultrafine grains in high purity aluminum. Microstructure evolution in the high purity aluminum during ECAP is proposed.

Architectural Design and Additive Manufacturing of Mechanical Metamaterials:A Review

Mechanical metamaterials can be defined as a class of architected materials that exhibit unprecedented mechanical properties derived from designed artificial architectures rather than their constituent materials.While macroscale and simple layouts can be realized by conventional top-down manufacturing approaches,many of the sophisticated designs at various length scales remain elusive,due to the lack of adequate manufacturing methods.Recent progress in additive manufacturing(AM)has led to the realization of a myriad of novel metamaterial concepts.AM methods capable of fabricating microscale architectures with high resolution,arbitrary complexity,and high feature fidelity have enabled the rapid development of architected meta materials and drastically reduced the design-computation and experimental-validation cycle.This paper first provides a detailed review of various topologies based on the desired mechanical properties,including stiff,strong,and auxetic(negative Poisson’s ratio)metamaterials,followed by a discussion of the AM technologies capable of fabricating these metamaterials.Finally,we discuss current challenges and recommend future directions for AM and mechanical metamaterials.

Computation of Stiffness and Damping Derivatives of an Ogive in a Limiting Case of Mach Number and Specific Heat Ratio

This work aims to compute stability derivatives in the Newtonian limit in pitch when the Mach number tends to infinity.In such conditions,these stability derivatives depend on the Ogive’s shape and not the Mach number.Generally,the Mach number independence principle becomes effective from M=10 and above.The Ogive nose is obtained through a circular arc on the cone surface.Accordingly,the following arc slopes are consideredλ=5,10,15,−5,−10,and−15.It is found that the stability derivatives decrease due to the growth inλfrom 5 to 15 and vice versa.Forλ=5 and 10,the damping derivative declines with an increase inλfrom 5 to 10.Yet,for the damping derivatives,the minimum location remains at a pivot position,h=0.75 for large values ofλ.Hence,whenλ=−15,the damping derivatives are independent of the cone angles for most pivot positions except in the early twenty percent of the leading edge.

Green Fabrication of Freestanding Piezoceramic Films for Energy Harvesting and Virus Detection

Most electronics such as sensors,actuators and energy harvesters need piezoceramic films to interconvert mechanical and electrical energy.Transferring the ceramic films from their growth substrates for assembling electronic devices commonly requires chemical or physical etching,which comes at the sacrifice of the substrate materials,film cracks,and environmental contamination.Here,we introduce a van der Waals stripping method to fabricate large-area and freestanding piezoceramic thin films in a simple,green,and cost-effective manner.The introduction of the quasi van der Waals epitaxial platinum layer enables the capillary force of water to drive the separation process of the film and substrate interface.The fabricated lead-free film,Ba_(0.85)Ca_(0.15)Zr_(0.1)Ti_(0.9)O_(3)(BCZT),shows a high piezoelectric coefficient d_(33)=209±10 pm V−1 and outstanding flexibility of maximum strain 2%.The freestanding feature enables a wide application scenario,including micro energy harvesting,and covid-19 spike protein detection.We further conduct a life cycle analysis and quantify the low energy consumption and low pollution of the water-based stripping film method.

Design and realization of lung organoid cultures for COVID-19 applications

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,has spread globally and threatens public health.Advanced in vitro models that recapitulate the architecture and functioning of specific tissues and organs are in high demand for COVID-19-related pathology studies and drug screening.Since three-dimensional in vitro cultures,such as self-assembled and engineered organoid cultures,surpass conventional two-dimensional cultures and animal models with respect to increased cellular complexity,an environment more relevant to humans,and reduced cost,they are promising platforms for understanding viral pathogenesis and developing new therapeutics.This review highlights the recent advances in self-assembled and engineered organoid technologies that are used for COVID-19 studies.The challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.

Investigation of a dynamics-oriented engineering approach to ultraprecision machining of freeform surfaces and its implementation perspectives

In current precision and ultraprecision machining practice,the positioning and control of actuation systems,such as slideways and spindles,are heavily dependent on the use of linear or rotary encoders.However,positioning control is passive because of the lack of direct monitoring and control of the tool and workpiece positions in the dynamic machining process and also because it is assumed that the machining system is rigid and the cutting dynamics are stable.In ultraprecision machining of freeform surfaces using slow tool servo mode in particular,however,account must be taken of the machining dynamics and dynamic synchronization of the cutting tool and workpiece positioning.The important question also arises as to how ultraprecision machining systems can be designed and developed to work better in this application scenario.In this paper,an innovative dynamics-oriented engineering approach is presented for ultraprecision machining of freeform surfaces using slow tool servo mode.The approach is focused on seamless integration of multibody dynamics,cutting forces,and machining dynamics,while targeting the positioning and control of the tool–workpiece loop in the machining system.The positioning and motion control between the cutting tool and workpiece surface are further studied in the presence of interfacial interactions at the tool tip and workpiece surface.The interfacial cutting physics and dynamics are likely to be at the core of in-process monitoring applicable to ultraprecision machining systems.The approach is illustrated using a virtual machining system developed and supported with simulations and experimental trials.Furthermore,the paper provides further explorations and discussion on implementation perspectives of the approach,in combination with case studies,as well as discussing its fundamental and industrial implications.

High-speed tracked vehicle model order reduction for static and dynamic simulations

In this paper, a model order reduction strategy is adopted for the static and dynamic behaviour simulation of a high-speed tracked vehicle. The total number of degree of freedom of the structure is condensed through a selection of interface degrees of freedom and significant global mode shapes, for an approximated description of vehicle dynamic behaviour. The methodology is implemented in a customised open-source software to reduce the computational efforts. The modelled tracked vehicle includes the sprung mass, the unsprung masses, connected by means of torsional bars, and all the track assemblies, composing the track chain. The proposed research activity presents a comprehensive investigation of the influence of the track chain, combined with longitudinal vehicle speed, on statics and vehicle dynamics, focusing on vertical dynamics. The vehicle response has been investigated both in frequency and time domain. In this last case road-wheel displacements are assumed as inputs for the model, under different working conditions, hence considering several road profiles with different amplitudes and characteristic excitation frequencies. Simulation results have proven a high fidelity in model order reduction approach and a significant contribution of the track chain in the global dynamic behaviour of the tracked vehicle.

In Situ Growth of 2D Metal–Organic Framework Ion Sieve Interphase for Reversible Zinc Anodes

Zinc metal anodes are gaining popularity in aqueous electrochemical energy storage systems for their high safety,cost-effectiveness,and high capacity.However,the service life of zinc metal anodes is severely constrained by critical challenges,including dendrites,water-induced hydrogen evolution,and passivation.In this study,a protective two-dimensional metal–organic framework interphase is in situ constructed on the zinc anode surface with a novel gel vapor deposition method.The ultrathin interphase layer(~1μm)is made of layer-stacking 2D nanosheets with angstrom-level pores of around 2.1Å,which serves as an ion sieve to reject large solvent–ion pairs while homogenizes the transport of partially desolvated zinc ions,contributing to a uniform and highly reversible zinc deposition.With the shielding of the interphase layer,an ultra-stable zinc plating/stripping is achieved in symmetric cells with cycling over 1000 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 and~700 h at 1 mA cm^(−2),far exceeding that of the bare zinc anodes(250 and 70 h).Furthermore,as a proof-of-concept demonstration,the full cell paired with MnO_(2) cathode demonstrates improved rate performances and stable cycling(1200 cycles at 1 A g−1).This work provides fresh insights into interphase design to promote the performance of zinc metal anodes.