Hybridizing micro-Ti with nano-B_(4)C particulates to improve the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of Mg-Ti composite

In this study,the effects of hybridizing micron-sized titanium particles with nano-sized boron carbide particles on the microstructural and mechanical properties of Mg-Ti composite were investigated.Microstructural characterization revealed grain refinement attributed to the presence of uniformly distributed micro-Ti particles embedded with nano-B_(4)C particulates.Electron back scattered diffraction(EBSD)analyses of the Mg-(Ti+B_(4)C)BM hybrid composite showed relatively more localized recrystallized grains and lesser tensile twin fraction,when compared to Mg-Ti.The evaluation of mechanical properties indicated that the best combination of strength and ductility was observed in the Mg-(Ti+B_(4)C)BM hybrid composite.The superior properties of the Mg-(Ti+B_(4)C)BM hybrid composite when compared to Mg-Ti can be attributed to the presence of nano-reinforcement,the uniform distribution of the hybridized particles and the better interfacial bonding between the matrix and the reinforcement particles achieved by nano-B_(4)C addition.

Investigation of point defect evolution and Voronoi cluster analysis for magnesium during nanoindentation

The present study investigates the effect of nanoindentation on single-crystal magnesium specimens using the embedded-atom method potential in molecular dynamics simulation.Analyses are done under dynamic loading where the load-bearing capacity and change in the structural configuration are studied on the basal(Z-direction)and two prismatic planes(X-and Y-directions)with varying indenter velocities.The investigation of structural evolution is done using atomic displacement analyses to measure the net magnitude of displacement,atomic strain analyses to evaluate the shear strain developed in the process,and Wigner-Seitz defect analyses to calculate the total vacancies at varied timesteps.Furthermore,Voronoi analyses are done when indented on the basal plane to identify the cluster distribution at different planar depths of the specimen.From the analyses,it has been observed that the load-bearing capacity of the specimen varies with the indentation velocity and the direction of indentation on the specimen.Additionally,it is seen that the observed shear and total atomic displacement in the Z-direction is the least in comparison to the other two axes.The partial dislocation 1/3<-12-10>is seen to be majorly present and the population of dislocation loops is more abundant for lower indenter velocities.Furthermore,clusters<0,4,4,6>and<0,6,0,8>are the major indices developed during nanoindentation on the basal plane where they exhibit symmetrical distribution as observed from the Z-direction.

Enhanced energy-absorbing and sound-absorbing capability of functionally graded and helicoidal lattice structures with triply periodic minimal surfaces

Lattice structures have drawn much attention in engineering applications due to their lightweight and multi-functional properties.In this work,a mathematical design approach for functionally graded(FG)and helicoidal lattice structures with triply periodic minimal surfaces is proposed.Four types of lattice structures including uniform,helicoidal,FG,and combined FG and helicoidal are fabricated by the additive manufacturing technology.The deformation behaviors,mechanical properties,energy absorption,and acoustic properties of lattice samples are thoroughly investigated.The load-bearing capability of helicoidal lattice samples is gradually improved in the plateau stage,leading to the plateau stress and total energy absorption improved by over 26.9%and 21.2%compared to the uniform sample,respectively.This phenomenon was attributed to the helicoidal design reduces the gap in unit cells and enhances fracture resistance.For acoustic properties,the design of helicoidal reduces the resonance frequency and improves the peak of absorption coefficient,while the FG design mainly influences the peak of absorption coefficient.Across broad range of frequency from 1000 to 6300 Hz,the maximum value of absorption coefficient is improved by18.6%-30%,and the number of points higher than 0.6 increased by 55.2%-61.7%by combining the FG and helicoidal designs.This study provides a novel strategy to simultaneously improve energy absorption and sound absorption properties by controlling the internal architecture of lattice structures.

Tunable Memory and Activity of Quincke Particles in Micellar Fluid

Memory can remarkably modify the collective behavior of active particles. We show that, in a micellar fluid, Quincke particles driven by a square-wave electric field exhibit a frequency-dependent memory. Upon increasing the frequency, a memory of directions emerges, whereas the activity of particles decreases. As the activity is dominated by interaction, Quincke particles aggregate and form dense clusters, in which the memory of the direction is further enhanced due to the stronger electric interactions. The density-dependent memory and activity result in dynamic heterogeneity in flocking and offer a new opportunity for research of collective motions.

Additive manufacturing of biodegradable magnesium-based materials:Design strategies,properties,and biomedical applications

Magnesium(Mg)-based materials are a new generation of alloys with the exclusive ability to be biodegradable within the human/animal body.In addition to biodegradability,their inherent biocompatibility and similar-to-bone density make Mg-based alloys good candidates for fabricating surgical bioimplants for use in orthopedic and traumatology treatments.To this end,nowadays additive manufacturing(AM)along with three-dimensional(3D)printing represents a promising manufacturing technique as it allows for the integration of bioimplant design and manufacturing processes specific to given applications.Meanwhile,this technique also faces many new challenges associated with the properties of Mg-based alloys,including high chemical reactivity,potential for combustion,and low vaporization temperature.In this review article,various AM processes to fabricate biomedical implants from Mg-based alloys,along with their metallic microstructure,mechanical properties,biodegradability,biocompatibility,and antibacterial properties,as well as various post-AM treatments were critically reviewed.Also,the challenges and issues involved in AM processes from the perspectives of bioimplant design,properties,and applications were identified;the possibilities and potential scope of the Mg-based scaffolds/implants are discussed and highlighted.

Mineralized Composite Nanofibrous Mats for Bone Tissue Engineering

Composite nanofibrous mats consisting of poly( L-lactideco-ε-caprolactone)( PLCL) and collagen type I( COL) were fabricated by electrospinning,and ten times simulated body fluid(10SBF) were employed to mineralize nanofibrous mats. Ballshaped hydroxyapatite( HA) was deposited on the surface of nanofibrous mats in 1. 5 h at room temperature. Human fetal osteoblasts( hFob) were seeded to investigate their proliferation and differentiation on mineralized composite nanofibrous mats. The results showed that hFob grew well on mineralized composite nanofibrous mats and alkaline phosphatase( ALP) activity of hFob on mineralized composite nanofibrous mats at 14 d was much higher than that on untreated nanofibrous mats. Moreover,the expression of osteocalcin of cells on mineralized composite nanofibrous mats was also much higher than those on untreated nanofibrous mats at 7 d and 14 d. This mineralized composite nanofibrous mats may have a great potential for bone tissue engineering.

An experimental study on shock wave mitigation capability of polyurea and shear thickening fluid based suspension pads

The present experimental study investigates shock wave mitigation capability of potentially new personal protective equipment(PPE) suspension pads made from polyurea and shear thickening fluid(STF).The shock tube test results show that when placed behind Twaron fabric systems with thickness ranging from 2 mm to 18 mm, the replacement of conventional flexible foam pad with STF and STF-infused foam pads with the same thickness of 20 mm greatly reduces the normalized peak pressure(by about 72% for each pad). However, this benefit is partially offset by a large increase in the normalized impulse(by about78% for the STF pad and 131% for the STF-infused foam pad) which may cause the shock wave mitigation performance of these two pads to become less effective. Interestingly, the use of 4 mm thick polyurea pad can greatly reduce the normalized peak pressure and impulse as well(by about 74% and 49%, respectively). These results reveal that among the potentially new suspension pads tested, the polyurea pad displays the best shock wave mitigation performance. Therefore, polyurea has potential for use as a suspension pad in personal protective equipment requiring shock wave mitigation capability such as fabric ballistic vests, bomb suits and combat helmets.

Lattice Boltzmann Flux Solver:An Efficient Approach for Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flows

A lattice Boltzmann flux solver(LBFS)is presented for simulation of fluid flows.Like the conventional computational fluid dynamics(CFD)solvers,the new solver also applies the finite volume method to discretize the governing differential equations,but the numerical flux at the cell interface is not evaluated by the smooth function approximation or Riemann solvers.Instead,it is evaluated from local solution of lattice Boltzmann equation(LBE)at cell interface.Two versions of LBFS are presented in this paper.One is to locally apply one-dimensional compressible lattice Boltzmann(LB)model along the normal direction to the cell interface for simulation of compressible inviscid flows with shock waves.The other is to locally apply multi-dimensional LB model at cell interface for simulation of incompressible viscous and inviscid flows.The present solver removes the drawbacks of conventional lattice Boltzmann method(LBM)such as limitation to uniform mesh,tie-up of mesh spacing and time interval,limitation to viscous flows.Numerical examples show that the present solver can be well applied to simulate fluid flows with non-uniform mesh and curved boundary.

A state-of-the-art review of the fabrication and characteristics of titanium and its alloys for biomedical applications

Commercially pure titanium and titanium alloys have been among the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications since the 1950 s.Due to the excellent mechanical tribological properties,corrosion resistance,biocompatibility,and antibacterial properties of titanium,it is getting much attention as a biomaterial for implants.Furthermore,titanium promotes osseointegration without any additional adhesives by physically bonding with the living bone at the implant site.These properties are crucial for producing high-strength metallic alloys for biomedical applications.Titanium alloys are manufactured into the three types ofα,β,andα+β.The scientific and clinical understanding of titanium and its potential applications,especially in the biomedical field,are still in the early stages.This review aims to establish a credible platform for the current and future roles of titanium in biomedicine.We first explore the developmental history of titanium.Then,we review the recent advancement of the utility of titanium in diverse biomedical areas,its functional properties,mechanisms of biocompatibility,host tissue responses,and various relevant antimicrobial strategies.Future research will be directed toward advanced manufacturing technologies,such as powder-based additive manufacturing,electron beam melting and laser melting deposition,as well as analyzing the effects of alloying elements on the biocompatibility,corrosion resistance,and mechanical properties of titanium.Moreover,the role of titania nanotubes in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine applications,such as localized drug delivery system,immunomodulatory agents,antibacterial agents,and hemocompatibility,is investigated,and the paper concludes with the future outlook of titanium alloys as biomaterials.

Development of solid-state electrolytes for sodium-ion battery–A short review

All-solid-state sodium-ion battery is regarded as the next generation battery to replace the current commercial lithium-ion battery, with the advantages of abundant sodium resources, low price and high-level safety. As one critical component in sodium-ion battery, solid-state electrolyte should possess superior operational safety and design simplicity, yet reasonable high room-temperature ionic conductivity. This paper gives a comprehensive review on the recent progress in solid-state electrolyte materials for sodium-ion battery, including inorganic ceramic/glass-ceramic, organic polymer and ceramic-polymer composite electrolytes, and also provides a comparison of the ionic conductivity in various solid-state electrolyte materials. The development of solid-state electrolytes suggests a bright future direction: all solid-state sodium-ion battery could be fully used to power all electric road vehicles, portable electronic devices and large-scale grid support.

Geometrical-Analysis-Based Algorithm for Stereo Matching of Single-Lens Binocular and Multi-Ocular Stereovision System

A geometrical analysis based algorithm is proposed to achieve the stereo matching of a single-lens prism based stereovision system. By setting the multi- face prism in frontal position of the static CCD （CM-140MCL） camera, equivalent stereo images with different orientations are captured synchronously by virtual cameras which are defined by two boundary lines： the optical axis and CCD camera field of view boundary. Subsequently, the geometrical relationship between the 2D stereo images and corresponding 3D scene is established by employing two fundamentals： ray sketching in which all the pertinent points, lines, and planes are expressed in the 3D camera coordinates and the rule of refraction. Landing on this relationship, the epipolar geometry is thus obtained by fitting a set of corresponding candidate points and thereafter, stereo matching of the prism based stereovision system is obtained. Moreover, the unique geometrical properties of the imaging system allow the proposed method free from the complicated camera calibration procedures and to be easily generalized from binocular and tri-oeular to multi-ocular stereovision systems. The performance of the algorithm is presented through the experiments on the binocular imaging system and the comparison with a conventional projection method demonstrates the efficient assessment of our novel contributions.

A new design of 3D-printed orthopedic bone plates with auxeticstructures to mitigate stress shielding and improve intra-operative bending

Orthopedic bone plates are most commonly used for bone fracture fixation for more than 100 years.The bone plate design had evolved over time overcoming many challenges such as insufficient strength and excessive plate–bone contact affecting the blood circulation.However,it is only made of two materials,either stainless steel(AISI 316L)or titanium(Ti–6Al–4V).There are two main limitations of metallic bone implants,namely stress shielding and the problem of malocclusion caused by the displacement of the fracture site during healing.To overcome the two problems,a new bone plate design with the incorporation of auxetic structures is proposed in this work.This study aims to use auxetic structure section in the bone plate that would decrease the stiffness of the region,thereby mitigating the stress-shielding effect and at the same time act as a deformable section to enable intra-operative bending for effective alignment while having enough bending strength and stiffness.Two different auxetic structures namely re-entrant honeycomb and missing rib structures were considered.The auxetic structure incorporated bone plates were designed,finite element analysis was done,fabricated using direct metal laser sintering technique,and tested.The results indicate that the re-entrant honeycomb structure incorporated bone plates serve as an effective bone design compared to the conventional bone plate design,in terms of stress shielding and intra-operative bending while offering similar mechanical and bending strength.

Virtual Epipolar Line Construction of Single-Lens Bi-Prism Stereovision System

This paper proposes a simple geometrical ray based approach to solve the stereo correspondence problem for the single-lens bi-prism stereovision system. Each image captured using this system can be divided into two sub-images on the left and right and these sub-images are generated by two virtual cameras which are produced by the bi-prism. This stereovision system is equivalent to the conventional two camera system and the two sub-images captured have disparities which can be used to reconstruct back the 3-dimensional （3D） scene. The stereo correspondence problem of this system will be solved geometrically by applying the epipolar geometry constraint on the generated virtual cameras instead of the real CCD camera. Experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method and the results are compared to the calibration based approach to confirm its accuracy and effectiveness.

Experimental and numerical analyses of magnesium alloy hot workability

Due to their hexagonal crystal structure,magnesium alloys have relatively low workability at room temperature.In this study,the hot workability behavior of cast-extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy is studied through hot compression testing,numerical modeling and microstructural analyses.Hot deformation tests are performed at temperatures of 250℃ to 400℃ under strain rates of 0.01 to 1.0 s^(−1).Transmission electron microscopy is used to reveal the presence of dynamic recrystallization(DRX),dynamic recovery(DRY),cracks and shear bands.To predict plastic instabilities during hot compression tests of AZ31B magnesium alloy,the authors use Johnson–Cook damage model in a 3D finite element simulation.The optimal hot workability of magnesium alloy is found at a temperature(T)of 400℃ and strain rate(ε)of 0.01 s^(−1).Stability is found at a lower strain rate,and instability is found at a higher strain rate.

Analysis of non-symmetrical flapping airfoils

Simulations have been done to assess the lift, thrust and propulsive efficiency of different types of non-symmetrical airfoils under different flapping configurations. The variables involved are reduced frequency, Strouhal number, pitch amplitude and phase angle. In order to analyze the variables more efficiently, the design of experiments using the response surface methodology is applied. Results show that both the variables and shape of the airfoil have a profound effect on the lift, thrust, and efficiency. By using non- symmetrical airfoils, average lift coefficient as high as 2.23 can be obtained. The average thrust coefficient and efficiency also reach high values of 2.53 and 0.61, respectively. The lift production is highly dependent on the airfoil＇s shape while thrust production is influenced more heavily by the variables. Efficiency falls somewhere in between. Two-factor interac- tions are found to exist among the variables. This shows that it is not sufficient to analyze each variable individually. Vorticity diagrams are analyzed to explain the results obtained. Overall, the S1020 airfoil is able to provide relatively good efficiency and at the same time generate high thrust and lift force. These results aid in the design of a better ornithopter＇s wing.

Prospects for 3D bioprinting of organoids

Three-dimensional(3D)organoids derived from pluripotent or adult tissue stem cells seem to possess excellent potential for studying development and disease mechanisms alongside having a myriad of applications in regenerative therapies.However,lack of precise architectures and large-scale tissue sizes are some of the key limitations of current organoid technologies.3D bioprinting of organoids has recently emerged to address some of these impediments.In this review,we discuss 3D bioprinting with respect to the use of bioinks and bioprinting methods and highlight recent studies that have shown success in bioprinting of stem cells and organoids.We also summarize the use of several vascularization strategies for the bioprinted organoids,that are critical for a complex tissue organization.To fully realize the translational applications of organoids in disease modeling and regenerative medicine,these areas in 3D bioprinting need to be appropriately harnessed and channelized.

Effect of Flat Plate Leading Edge Pattern on Structure of Streamwise Vortices Generated in Its Boundary Layer

The use of leading edge with different geometrical patterns will affect the development of boundary layer flow on a flat plate and its heat transfer properties. In this work, the effects of three patterns namely saw-tooth, semicircular and slots with same wavelength and amplitude were examined. The experiments were carried out for Reynolds number based on wavelength of patterns ranging from 1540 to 3850. For all cases, after each valley, an oval shape region was formed containing a counter- rotating vortex pair. It is also shown that for the flat plate with slots, another vortex was visualized between each valley.

Cardiogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells on elastomeric poly (glycerol sebacate)/collagen core/shell fibers

AIM: To facilitate engineering of suitable biomaterials to meet the challenges associated with myocardial infarction. METHODS: Poly (glycerol sebacate)/collagen (PGS/ collagen) core/shell fibers were fabricated by core/ shell electrospinning technique, with core as PGS and shell as collagen polymer; and the scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle and tensile testing for cardiac tissue engineering. Collagen nanofibers were also fabricated by electrospinning for comparison with core/shell fibers. Studies on cell-scaffold interaction were carriedout using cardiac cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) co-culture system with cardiac cells and MSCs separately serving as positive and negative controls respectively. The co-culture system was characterized for cell proliferation and differentiation of MSCs into cardiomyogenic lineage in the co-culture environment using dual immunocytochemistry. The co-culture cells were stained with cardiac specific marker proteins like actinin and troponin and MSC specific marker protein CD 105 for proving the cardiogenic differentiation of MSCs. Further the morphology of cells was analyzed using SEM.RESULTS: PGS/collagen core/shell fibers, core is PGS polymer having an elastic modulus related to that of cardiac fibers and shell as collagen, providing natural environment for cellular activities like cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. SEM micrographs of electrospun fibrous scaffolds revealed porous, beadless, uniform fibers with a fiber diameter in the range of 380 ± 77 nm and 1192 ± 277 nm for collagen fibers and PGS/collagen core/shell fibers respectively. The obtained PGS/collagen core/shell fibrous scaffolds were hydrophilic having a water contact angle of 17.9 ± 4.6° compared to collagen nanofibers which had a contact angle value of 30 ± 3.2°. The PGS/collagen core/shell fibers had mechanical properties comparable to that of native heart muscle with a young's modulus of 4.24 ± 0.7 MPa, while that of collagen nanofibers was comparatively higher around 30.11 ± 1.68 MPa. FTIR spectrum was performed to confirm the functional groups present in the electrospun scaffolds. Amide Ⅰ and amide Ⅱ of collagen were detected at 1638.95 cm -1 and 1551.64 cm -1 in the electrospun collagen fibers and at 1646.22 cm -1 and 1540.73 cm -1 for PGS/collagen core/shell fibers respectively. Cell culture studies performed using MSCs and cardiac cells co-culture environment, indicated that the cellproliferation significantly increased on PGS/collagen core/shell scaffolds compared to collagen fibers and the cardiac marker proteins actinin and troponin were expressed more on PGS/collagen core/shell scaffolds compared to collagen fibers alone. Dual immunofluorescent staining was performed to further confirm the cardiogenic differentiation of MSCs by employing MSC specific marker protein, CD 105 and cardiac specific marker protein, actinin. SEM observations of cardiac cells showed normal morphology on PGS/collagen fibers and providing adequate tensile strength for the regeneration of myocardial infarction. CONCLUSION: Combination of PGS/collagen fibers and cardiac cells/MSCs co-culture system providing natural microenvironments to improve cell survival and differentiation, could bring cardiac tissue engineering to clinical application.

On investigating the soda-lime shot blasting of AZ31 alloy:Effects on surface roughness,material removal rate,corrosion resistance,and bioactivity

In the present study,a novel method of surface finish improvement is proposed using shot blasting of soda lime(SBSL)beads on the Mg-AZ31 alloy.The effect of the soda blasting process parameters,such as blast pressure,stand-off distance,and blast duration,have been studied in-response of material removal rate(MRR)and surface roughness(SR)and corresponding statistical models have been obtained.The multi-objective optimization has also been performed to obtain parameters for maximum MRR and minimum SR.The corrosion behavior of the treated specimens has been performed to study their in-vitro biodegradability in simulated body fluid(SBF)for 1,3,7,10,15,and 21 days.The wettability study of the SBSL treated samples has been investigated using sessile drop methodology.Further,cell adhesion test has also been performed to study the biocompatibility characteristics of the SBSL treated samples using Huh7 liver cell lines.Based on obtained quantitative data as well as scanning electron microscopy analysis of treated samples,the SBSL treatment of the AZ31 alloy has been found highly useful in producing biocompatibility surfaces along with desirable morphological features.

An integrated approach to improve the performance of lean–electrolyte lithium–sulfur batteries

While the sulfur conversion reaction kinetics in Li–S batteries is nowadays improved by the use of appropriate electrocatalysts,it remains a challenge for the batteries to perform well under the lean electrolyte condition where polysulfide shuttle,electrode passivation and the loss of electrolyte due to side reactions,are aggravated.These challenges are addressed in this study by the tandem use of a polysulfide conversion catalyst and a redox–targeting mediator in a gel sulfur cathode.Specifically,the gel cathode reduces the polysulfide mobility and hence the polysulfide shuttle and the passivation of the lithium anode by the crossover polysulfides.The redox mediator restrains the deposition of inactive sulfur species in the cathode thereby enabling the Fe–N and Co–N co–doped carbon catalyst to prolong its catalytic activity.Consequently,the integrated catalytic system is able to increase the discharge capacity of high–loading (6.8 mg cm^(-2)) lean–electrolyte (4.0μL mg^(-1)) Li–S batteries from~630 to~1316 m Ah g^(-1),concurrently with an improvement of the cycle life (600 cycles with 46%capacity retention at 1.0 m A cm^(-2)).Redox mediator assisted catalysis in a gel cathode is therefore an effective strategy to extend the application of the sulfur conversion catalyst in lean electrolyte Li–S batteries.