Viricidal Activity of Thermoplastic Polyurethane Materials with Silver Nanoparticles.

The use of diverse Ag-based nanoparticulated forms has shown promising results in controlling viral propagation. In this study, a commercial nanomaterial consisting of ceramic-coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was incorporated into thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plates using an industrial protocol, and the surface composition, ion-release dynamics and viricidal properties were studied. The surface characterization by FESEM-EDX revealed that the molar composition of the ceramic material was 5.5 P:3.3 Mg:Al and facilitated the identification of the embedded AgNPs (54.4 ± 24.9 nm). As determined by ICPMS, the release rates from the AgNP-TPU into aqueous solvents were 4 ppm/h for Ag and Al, and 28.4 ppm/h for Mg ions. Regarding the biological assays, the AgNP-TPU material did not induce significant cytotoxicity in the cell lines employed. Its viricidal activity was characterized, based on ISO 21702:2019, using the Spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV), and then tested against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The results demonstrated that AgNP-TPU materials exhibited significant (75%) and direct antiviral activity against SVCV virions in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. Similar inhibition levels were found against SARS-CoV-2. These findings show the potential of AgNP-TPU-based materials as a supporting strategy to control viral spread.

Towards a participatory framework for improving water & health outcomes: A case study with Maasai women in rural Tanzania.

Rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are disproportionately burdened by a pervasive lack of access to safe drinking water. Widespread programmatic failure in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) sector has resulted in particularly slow progress in alleviating these challenges in the region. Drawing from decolonial and participatory methodological scholarship, this research demonstrates how geographically and demographically specific, locally controlled, and long-term educational programming can improve health and wellness outcomes when associated with a technological intervention. Specifically, consultations between January 2015 and August 2018 were followed by an iterative and community-driven program development process between January and July 2019. Fifty Maasai women were subsequently recruited to participate and were provided with a point-of-use water treatment technology in August 2019. These women engaged in a series of three 14-week WaSH education programs over an 18-month evaluation period. Results showed that 38% of participants reported regular diarrhea at baseline, decreasing to 8%, 0%, and 3% immediately after each of the three WaSH education programs were provided at 3, 12, and 18 months. Interim measurements taken between WaSH programs showed 35% of participants (at 6 months) and 5% of participants (at 15 months) reporting regular diarrhea. A trend of improvement was thus observed over the study period, though the increase in reported diarrhea at 6 months demonstrates the need for long-term commitment on the part of WASH practitioners when engaging with end users to achieve sustained change. Further, this research highlights the importance of participatory program development and pedagogical approaches in WaSH interventions, where local control of study objective determination and implementation, combined with consistent and long-term engagement, can facilitate sustained technology use and associated reductions in diarrhea.

Correlating the physico-chemical properties of two conventional glazed porcelain stoneware tiles in relation to cleanability and sanitization.

Keeping surfaces clean can reduce the spread of infections. In particular, to decrease the potential for SARS CoV-2 contamination, performing disinfection of high-touching surfaces. Several ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware tiles with antimicrobial properties are already available on the market. However, the widespread use of antimicrobial glazed stoneware tiles may require to replace the ceramic surfaces already present in many buildings. The unfeasibility of such replacement can be due to both product durability (lifetime of a tile is usually long) and/or monetary restrictions. Furthermore, as porcelain stoneware per se does not have antimicrobial activity, these materials are fabricated by adding chemical agents able to provide antimicrobial properties. This approach requires a compatibility between the antimicrobial agents and the glaze formulation, as well as a careful control of the firing cycle and the final properties of the ceramic products. It follows that the final cost of antimicrobial tiles is not competitive with that of conventional tiles. In the latter, the persistence of potential pathogens on the surfaces is a crucial problem to face: the longer a pathogen survives on a surface, the longer it may be a source of transmission and thus endanger susceptible subjects. In this work, bacteria's capacity to adhere and to be effectively removed from two conventional glazed porcelain stoneware tiles (under dirty and clean conditions) was investigated. Two different glazes were tested, one mainly glassy (glossy) and the other mainly crystalline (matt). The sanitization procedures were carried out by chemical and chemo-mechanical procedures. The results showed that chemo-mechanical sanitization was the most effective, and the best results could be obtained on the stoneware tiles coated with the mainly glassy glaze, with the lowest porosity and the lower roughness values and water contact angles, especially under clean conditions.

Post-epidemic Development of Jingdezhen Ceramic Museums in the Digital Era

The COVID-19 has forced global museums to face unprecedented challenges. During the epidemic period, many museums took the initiative to seek change and flexibly use digital technology to cope with the crisis. In addition to its outstanding role in the protection of cultural heritage, Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum also gives full play to the role of cultural communication and cultural leading in the development of cultural industry and the city itself, which has played an important role in Jingdezhen cultural and tourism industry. Starting from the current situation of Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum and combined with the development trend of global museums in the digital era, the future development direction of Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum in the dual background of the digital era and COVID-19 is discussed. © 2022 Editorial Office of Journal of Ceramics. All rights reserved.

New Ceramic Multi-Unit Dental Abutments with an Antimicrobial Glassy Coating.

The choice of suitable materials and new designs in oral implantology and the subsequent enhancement of the characteristics of the dental implant developed is an important research topic with wide scope. The present work aims to develop a new multifunctional zirconia-ceria/alumina (Ce-TZP/Al2O3) composite with an antimicrobial glass-based coating to be used in multi-unit abutments compatible with commercially available Ti implants for peri-implantitis prevention. An airbrush spraying technique was effectively applied to coat the sintered ceramic composite starting from a glass powder suspension. This deposition technique was appropriate for obtaining continuous antimicrobial glass-based coatings with homogenous thickness (~35 µm) on ceramic dental implant components. The dental implant systems with the antimicrobial glassy coating were subjected to a mechanical integrity test following ISO 14801 to determine their long-term stability. The tested implant-coating structure seems to be stable under in vitro conditions with ultimate applied forces exceeding the maximum physiological occlusal loading force. This paper also presents a pilot clinical case report that shows peri-implant tissue around the mechanically stable glass coating with no signs of inflammation 1 year after implant insertion. This result is a preliminary probe of the durability and biological tolerance of the glassy material by the gingiva, as well as the antimicrobial effect on the peri-implant microbiota displayed by the coating.

Microleakage Evaluation of Glass Hybrid Restoration Following Usage of Papain-Based Gel and Ceramic Bur for Caries Removal: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: In the field of pediatric dentistry, an urge to adopt a more comfortable, minimally invasive, and stressless technique for caries removal became a must. Coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak necessitates a paradigm change in the global health care protocols, requiring alternative, nonaerosol generating approaches. This study aimed to measure and compare the influence of two methods of caries removal, namely, Brix3000 and CeraBur, on the microleakage of glass hybrid restorative material. Materials and Methods: Thirty human primary molar teeth with accessible occluso-gingival carious cavitation were randomly allocated into CeraBur and Brix3000 groups. After selective caries excavation, samples were restored with Equia Forte HT, thermocycled, dipped in thiazine dye, washed, and sectioned through the restoration center. Then microleakage was measured using a stereomicroscope (30× magnification) at both occlusal and gingival margins. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the two methods of caries removal (CeraBur and Brix3000) at both occlusal (P = 1.000) and gingival margins (P = 0.612). Conclusions: Brix3000 caries removing gel did not negatively affect the microleakage of Equia Forte HT compared to the CeraBur and hence can be used alternatively to the conventional drilling methods.

Advances in Nanoarchitectonics of Antimicrobial Tiles and a Quest for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Tiles.

Design of antimicrobial tiles seems necessary to combat against contagious diseases, especially COVID-19. In addition to personal hygiene, this technology facilitates public hygiene as antimicrobial tiles can be installed at hospitals, schools, banks, offices, lobbies, railway stations, etc. This review is primarily focused on preparing antimicrobial tiles using an antimicrobial layer or coatings that fight against germs. The salient features and working mechanisms of antimicrobial tiles are highlighted. This challenge is a component of the exploratory nature of nanoarchitectonics, that also extends farther than the realm of nanotechnology. This nanoarchitectonics has been successful at the laboratory scale as antimicrobial metal nanoparticles are mainly used as additives in preparing tiles. A detailed description of various materials for developing unique antimicrobial tiles is reported here. Pure metal (Ag, Zn) nanoparticles and a mixture of nanoparticles with other inorganic materials (SiO2,, TiO2, anatase, nepheline) have been predominantly used to combat microbes. The developed antimicrobial tiles have shown excellent activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The last section discussed a hypothetical overview of utilizing the antimicrobial tiles against SARS-CoV-2. Overall, this review gives descriptive knowledge about the importance of antimicrobial tiles to create a clean and sustainable environment.

Improving plasticity of kaolins by high-energy milling for use in porcelain tile compositions

The production of porcelain tiles is increasing in Brazil besides the production of grés tiles and monoporosa is decreasing since COVID 19. Plastic clays are used in the composition of porcelain tiles to give plasticity to the pastes in the forming step. However, there is a shortage of plastic clays in south Brazil, the largest producer of porcelain tiles. Therefore, the aim of this work was to improve the plasticity of two commercially available kaolins by high-energy milling (HEM). Both kaolins were characterized before and after milling by X-ray diffraction, particle size, plasticity, and cation exchange capacity techniques. After high-energy milling, the processed kaolins were used in the composition of a commercial porcelain tile paste. The performance of the paste before and after use of the processed kaolins was determined regarding its firing shrinkage and sintering temperature. The porcelain tile compositions with the high-energy milled kaolins showed less densification during pressing and greater shrinkage after firing, but the tiles presented dimendional stability, improving the quality of the tiles.

Assessment of ceramic based photocatalytic as indoor air purifier during covid-19 pandemic

In reducing number people who exposed covid-19, Government of Indonesia (GOI) have been issued micro-scale people activities limitation policy. Based on the policy, most people activities should be carried out in indoor area, called Work from Home (WFH). Indoor activities are at risk of expose to air pollution if there is a pollution source and unhealthy air circulation. Air purifier need develop to degrade pollution and inhibit microorganism. One of the promising technologies in air purification is Photocatalytic. Photocatalytic is an eco-friendly technique that emerged as a promising alternative for the degradation both organic and non-organic pollutants. Ceramic material (compared to aluminum and stainless steel) composited with Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been investigated to have potential as an optimal photocatalytic medium. Aim of this study was to explore ability of ceramic based photocatalytic in degrade non-organic air pollutant. Earthenware ceramic was coated with photocatalyst material and examined their photocatalytic activation. A simple photo-reactor was established, to investigated performance of ceramic based photocatalyst air quality improvement which was contaminated with cigarette smoke. Result of the study was earthenware ceramic based photocatalyst able to improve air quality by reducing concentration of pollutants both physical and chemical parameters significantly.

Phi 6 Bacteriophage Inactivation by Metal Salts, Metal Powders, and Metal Surfaces.

The interaction of phages with abiotic environmental surfaces is usually an understudied field of phage ecology. In this study, we investigated the virucidal potential of different metal salts, metal and ceramic powders doped with Ag and Cu ions, and newly fabricated ceramic and metal surfaces against Phi6 bacteriophage. The new materials were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and/or selective laser melting (SLM) techniques and had different surface free energies and infiltration features. We show that inactivation of Phi6 in solutions with Ag and Cu ions can be as effective as inactivation by pH, temperature, or UV. Adding powder to Ag and Cu ion solutions decreased their virucidal effect. The newly fabricated ceramic and metal surfaces showed very good virucidal activity. In particular, 45%TiO2 + 5%Ag + 45%ZrO2 + 5%Cu, in addition to virus adhesion, showed virucidal and infiltration properties. The results indicate that more than 99.99% of viruses deposited on the new ceramic surface were inactivated or irreversibly attached to it.

The COVID-19 War in Ceramic Arts: Navigating Aesthetic and Symbolic Expressions

This paper reports on the production of a ceramic installation artwork that explores the story of the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by people throughout the world. The work is a symbolic expression in the form of a set of ceramic art models that portray the story of the battle between positive and negative values, expressed through a 3-dimensional visual ceramic installation consisting of an arrangement of statues that portray an imaginary battle between COVID-19 troops and Lord Krishna. The method used in the process of creating this work was a creative approach that combined appreciation and interpretation of the object of the creative idea. The artwork was made of plastic clay taken from the southern area of Malang regency, East Java, Indonesia, which was formed using a manual technique of direct hand massage and fired at a temperature of 900 degrees C. The COVID-19 phenomenon is imagined and visualized as a ceramic installation sculpture consisting of the imaginative figures of COVID-19 troops, led by the king of COVID-19 who is shown fighting with Lord Krishna. The result is a visual expression of the COVID-19 troops and their king, in several imaginative forms, carrying various weapons of war, in combat with the imaginary figure of Lord Krishna. The distinction of this work is its portrayal of a battle between positive and negative forces that have become a part of human life during the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed in a symbolic visual narrative through the arrangement of a set of ceramic sculptures.