Advancement in Fabrication and Characterization Techniques of Nanocomposites.

Advancements in the field of materials research have unveiled numerous unparalleled features, such as mechanical properties, clinical advances, interfacial strengthening, and porosities, providing a wide range of applications. The employment of any material begins with fabrication and characterization, demanding expertise for the effective execution of the investigation. This review encompasses the details of the working principles of some significant and frequently used fabrication and characterization techniques for various material categories, including pellets and coatings. The discussion begins with techniques for fabricating materials for various applications. A brief overview of coating synthesis methods can provide intriguing information for researchers in the field of coating fabrication. The report highlights the portrayal of morphological and physiochemical analysis techniques, followed by the estimation of the elastic modulus using nanoindentation and dynamic modulus mapping testing for the materials. Additionally, the review covers theoretical models for observing the elastic moduli of the materials. The review depicts tribological investigations of the materials, aiming to provide insight into fretting wear, pin-on-disc, and microscratch testing. The fundamentals of electrochemical characterization are presented, including the appraisal of linear polarization and potentiodynamic polarization as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Furthermore, the magnetic behavior was examined by using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and the estimation of magnetic domains in the materials was conducted through magnetic force microscopy. Thus, the report suggests that readers, especially beginners, can gain a comprehensive understanding of the extensive prospects associated with the fundamental principles of material synthesis and characterization.

Electrodeposited carbon nanostructured nickel composite coatings: A review.

The utilization of high-strength materials that can retain their strength after successive use under high mineral moisture (maximum weight of 1098 kg) for aerospace, automotive, and electromagnetic devices is challenging. Generally, coatings of nickel (Ni) and its alloys are utilized in the aforementioned applications, but the continuous use of the system degrades its mechanical stability and structural integrity. For the automotive and aerospace uses, the material should have high mechanical strength, wear tolerance, corrosion resistance, and magnetism. The bare Ni coatings can be altered with enhanced mechanical, tribological and electrochemical performances by using various reinforcements in the coatings. The abundantly used reinforcing agents are mainly carbonaceous nanoallotropes (such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and diamond) for the fabrication of composite coatings. The current review unfolds the introduction of nickel and the major cause of damage to bare nickel coatings. Moreover, the review sheds light on how to mitigate the damage of nickel coatings with an emphasis on giving a flavor of distinct carbonaceous nanoallotropes. The conjugated studies on mechanical, wear, corrosion, and magnetic behavior of electrodeposited Ni-carbonaceous composite coatings are embraced in the review. Therefore, the present review can be endorsed by the readers for the protection of aircraft, automotive, and electromagnetic appliances.

Nanodiamond-structured zinc composite coatings with strong bonding and high load-bearing capacity.

The aerospace and automotive industries find that relying solely on the intrinsic resistance of alloys is inadequate to safeguard aircraft and automotive structural components from harsh environmental conditions. While it is difficult to attribute accidents exclusively to coating failure due to the involvement of multiple factors, there are instances where defects in the coating initiate a wear or degradation process, leading to premature and unplanned structural failures. Metallic coatings have been introduced to protect the aircraft mainly from wear due to the extreme temperatures and moisture exposure during their service life. Bare metallic coatings have a limited lifespan and need to be replaced frequently. Herein, the strength and wear resistance of zinc (Zn) coating is enhanced using varying concentrations of diamond particles as an additive in the Zn matrix (Zn-D). The dispersion strengthening mechanism is attributed to the high hardness (70 HRC), and reduced friction-of-coefficient (0.21) and dissipation energy (4.6 × 10-4 J) of electrodeposited Zn-D7.5 (7.5 g l-1 of diamond concentration) composite coating. Moreover, enhanced wear resistance with minimum wear volume (1.12 × 10-3 mm3) and wear rate (1.25 × 10-3 mm3 N-1 m-1) of the Zn-D7.5 composite coating resulted in perfect blending of diamond with Zn. The improved hardness and wear resistance for Zn-D7.5 (optimum 7.5 g l-1 diamond concentration) is due to the steadiness between well-dispersed diamonds in Zn and enrichment in load-bearing ability due to the incorporation of diamond particles. Electronic structure calculations on the zinc-diamond composite models (two configurations adopted) have been performed using the density functional theory (DFT) approach, and the in silico studies appeared to facilitate meaningful and evocative outcomes. Zn-doped diamond (C10@Zn) without hydrogen (H) atoms (binding energy: 418 kcal mol-1, i.e. showing an endothermic reaction and thermodynamically not favourable) was detected to be more stable than the Zn-doped diamond (C10H16@Zn) consisting of hydrogen (H) atoms (binding energy: -33.3 kcal mol-1, i.e. showing an exothermic reaction and thermodynamically preferable). Thus, a composite coating of zinc and diamond can be a suitable candidate for the aerospace and automotive industries.

Fractal characterizations of MeV ion treated CaF2 thin films.

We present the morphological evolution and fractal characterizations of CaF2 thin-film surfaces modified by bombardment with 100 MeV Au+8 ions at various fluences. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) combined with line profile and two-dimensional power spectral density (2D-PSD) analysis was utilized to investigate the evolution of surface morphology as a function of fluence. The AFM images were utilized to investigate the relationship between fractal dimension, roughness exponent, lateral correlation length, and ion fluence. The surface erosion owing to sputtering was depicted using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The structural characteristics' dependency on fluence was explored with the help of glancing angle x-ray diffraction measurements on virgin and irradiated samples. Tensile stress calculated using a peak shift in the glancing angle x-ray diffractogram showed an increase in tensile stress with fluence that caused the surface to crack after the fracture strength of the surface was crossed. 2D-PSD analysis signified the role of sputtering over surface diffusion for the observed surface modifications. Fractal dimensions first increased and then decreased with ion fluence. The lateral correlation length decreased, while the roughness exponent increased with fluence after the threshold value.

Bioactive surface modifications through thermally sprayed hydroxyapatite composite coatings: a review of selective reinforcements.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been an excellent replacement for the natural bone in orthopedic applications owing to its close resemblance to the bone properties; however, it is brittle and has low strength. Surface modification techniques have been able to allay such mineral issues by depositing on substrate. These methods, being economical, impart mechanical strength without compromising biocompatibility. In this review article, the discussion is confined to plasma spray (high temperature) and other low temperature surface modification techniques: high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and cold spray. The processing temperature seems to significantly affect the performance of implants deposited with HA. Monolithic HA may not add enough strength to the bioimplants. Hence, this review discusses selective reinforcements to HA and their roles in enhancing the properties. Herein, a variety of selective reinforcements are discussed, such as carbon allotropes: graphene, carbon nanotubes, and nano diamond; metallic materials: Ag, Sr, Mg, and Ti; ceramic materials: Al2O3, SiO2, ZrO2, and TiO2; multi-materials: Al2O3-CNT/HA, Al2O3-TiO2/HA and others; and functionally graded composites: HA, 20 and 50 wt% Ti-6Al-4V/HA layered coating. Most of these reinforcements could not trade-off between biocompatibility and strength. The detailed in vitro and in vivo studies are still lacking. The literature on the relative effectiveness of these reinforcements is scanty, while the interface between HA coating and reinforcements is seldom explored. This review presents the suitability of thermal spray techniques based on the microstructure, mechanical, and biological properties. Therefore, it is envisaged that the present review can intrigue future researchers to understand the scope of surface coatings in achieving the better performance of implants at clinical trials.

High-Strength, Strongly Bonded Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Cartilage Repair.

Polyacrylamide-based hydrogels are widely used as potential candidates for cartilage replacement. However, their bioapplicability is sternly hampered due to their limited mechanical strength and puncture resistance. In the present work, the strength of polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogels was increased using titanium oxide (TiO2) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) separately and a combination of TiO2 with CNTs in a PAM matrix, which was interlinked by the bonding between nanoparticles and polymers with the deployment of density functional theory (DFT) approach. The synergistic effect and strong interfacial bonding of TiO2 and CNT nanoparticles with PAM are attributed to high compressive strength, elastic modulus (>0.43 and 2.340 MPa, respectively), and puncture resistance (estimated using the needle insertion test) for the PAM-TiO2-CNT hydrogel. The PAM-TiO2-CNT composite hydrogel revealed a significant self-healing phenomenon along with a sign toward the bioactivity and cytocompatibility by forming the apatite crystals in simulated body fluid as well as showing a cell viability of ∼99%, respectively. Furthermore, for new insights on interfacial bonding and structural and electronic features involved in the hydrogels, DFT was used. The PAM-TiO2-CNT composite model, constructed by two interfaces (PAM-TiO2 and PAM-CNT), was stabilized by H-bonding and van der Waals-type interactions. Employing the NCI plot, HOMO-LUMO gap, and natural population analysis tools, the PAM-TiO2-CNT composite has been found to be most stable. Therefore, the prepared polyacrylamide hydrogels in combination with the TiO2 and CNT can be a remarkable nanocomposite hydrogel for cartilage repair applications.

A review on hydroxyapatite coatings for the biomedical applications: experimental and theoretical perspectives.

The production of hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite coatings has continuously been investigated for bone tissue applications during the last few decades due to their significant bioactivity and osteoconductivity. Herein, we highlight the recent experimental and theoretical progresses on HAP coatings, which may bridge the existing gap between theory and practice. The experimental studies mainly deal with electrochemical (EC) and electrophoretic (EP) deposition for the synthesis of nano-HAP in the form of coatings. Additionally, the biocompatible coating method for the fabrication of HAP composite coatings, the plasma spraying (PS) technique, and its mechanism are discussed in this review. Furthermore, the adhesion strength, mechanical, tribological and electrochemical phenomena of HAP composite coatings are critically analyzed. Their ameliorated bactericidal activity is also discussed to recognize the possibility of substituted HAP coatings from a clinical perspective. In addition, computational studies on the HAP system are explored in this report, including the first-principles density functional theory, ab initio modeling and molecular dynamics simulations. Thus, the main significance of this review is to present a collective discussion on the structural features, interfacial mechanics and binding aspects by experimental and theoretical investigations for HAP-based biomaterials, which can provide clear insights for the future research related to orthopedic applications.

Laser Induced breakdown spectroscopy: A rapid tool for the identification and quantification of minerals in cucurbit seeds.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was investigated to estimate the viability as a simple and rapid method for analysis of nutrient elements in seed kernels of cucurbits. LIBS spectra were recorded in the range of 200-975nm by using Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at 532nm (4ns, 10Hz) attached to echelle spectrometer with intensified charged coupled device (ICCD). The spectral analysis revealed the presence of several elements like C, O, N, Mg, Ca, Na and K in seeds. The quantification of elements (Mg, Ca, Na and K) through LIBS was done using calibration curve method in which all calibration curve shows good linearity (r>0.95). The result obtained through LIBS was in reasonable agreement with that obtained through atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was also applied to the LIBS data for rapid categorization of seed samples belonging to same species although samples have similar nutrient elements.