Electrospinning Nonspinnable Sols to Ceramic Fibers and Springs.

Electrospinning has been applied to produce ceramic fibers using sol gel-based spinning solutions consisting of ceramic precursors, a solvent, and a polymer to control the viscosity of the solution. However, the addition of polymers to the spinning solution makes the process more complex, increases the processing time, and results in porous mechanically weak ceramic fibers. Herein, we develop a coelectrospinning technique, where a nonspinnable sol (<10 mPa s) consisting of only the ceramic precursor(s) and solvent(s) is encapsulated inside a polymeric shell, forming core-shell precursor fibers that are further calcined into ceramic fibers with reduced porosity, decreased surface defects, uniform crystal packing, and controlled diameters. We demonstrate the versatility of this method by applying it to a series of nonspinnable sols and creating high-quality ceramic fibers containing TiO2, ZrO2, SiO2, and Al2O3. The polycrystalline TiO2 fibers possess excellent flexibility and a high Young's modulus reaching 54.3 MPa, solving the extreme brittleness problem of the previously reported TiO2 fibers. The single-component ZrO2 fibers exhibit a Young's modulus and toughness of 130.5 MPa and 11.9 KJ/m3, respectively, significantly superior to the counterparts prepared by conventional sol-gel electrospinning. We also report the creation of ceramic fibers in micro- and nanospring morphologies and examine the formation mechanisms using thermomechanical simulations. The fiber assemblies constructed by the helical fibers exhibit a density-normalized toughness of 3.5-5 times that of the straight fibers due to improved fracture strain. This work expands the selection of the electrospinning solution and enables the development of ceramic fibers with more attractive properties.

An effective route to the additive manufacturing of a mechanically gradient supramolecular polymer nanocomposite structure.

3D Printing techniques are additive methods of fabricating parts directly from computer-aided designs. Whilst the clearest benefit is the realisation of geometrical freedom, multi-material printing allows the introduction of compositional variation and highly tailored product functionality. The paper reports a proof-of-concept additive manufacturing study to deposit a supramolecular polymer and a complementary organic filler to form composites with gradient composition to enable spatial distribution of mechanical properties and functionality by tuning the number of supramolecular interactions. We use a dual-feed extrusion 3D printing process, with feed stocks based on the supramolecular polymer and its organic composite, delivered at ratios predetermined. This allows for production of a graded specimen with varying filler concentration that dictates the mechanical properties. The printed specimen was inspected under dynamic load in a tensile test using digital image correlation to produce full-field deformation maps, which showed clear differences in deformation in regions with varying compositions, corresponding to the designed-in variations. This approach affords a novel method for printing material with graded mechanical properties which are not currently commercially available or easily accessible, however, the method can potentially be directly translated to the generation of biomaterial-based composites featuring gradients of mechanical properties.

Investigating Iron Alloy Phase Changes Using High Temperature In Situ SEM Techniques.

This research utilises a novel heat stage combined with a Zeiss scanning electron microscope to investigate phase changes in iron alloys at temperatures up to 800 ℃ using SE and EBSD imaging. Carbon steel samples with starting structures of ferrite/pearlite were transformed into austenite using the commercial heat treatment process whilst imaging within the SEM. This process facilitates capturing both grain and phase transformation in real time allowing better insight into the microstructural evolution and overall phase change kinetics of this heat treatment. The technique for imaging uses a combination of localised EBSD high temperature imaging combined with the development of high temperature thermal-etching SE imaging technique. The SE thermal etching technique, as verified by EBSD images, enables tracking of a statistically significant number of grains (>100) and identification of individual phases. As well as being applied to carbon steel as shown here, the technique is part of a larger study on high temperature in situ SEM techniques and could be applied to a variety of alloys to study complex phase transformations.

High-rate nanofluidic energy absorption in porous zeolitic frameworks.

Optimal mechanical impact absorbers are reusable and exhibit high specific energy absorption. The forced intrusion of liquid water in hydrophobic nanoporous materials, such as zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), presents an attractive pathway to engineer such systems. However, to harness their full potential, it is crucial to understand the underlying water intrusion and extrusion mechanisms under realistic, high-rate deformation conditions. Here, we report a critical increase of the energy absorption capacity of confined water-ZIF systems at elevated strain rates. Starting from ZIF-8 as proof-of-concept, we demonstrate that this attractive rate dependence is generally applicable to cage-type ZIFs but disappears for channel-containing zeolites. Molecular simulations reveal that this phenomenon originates from the intrinsic nanosecond timescale needed for critical-sized water clusters to nucleate inside the nanocages, expediting water transport through the framework. Harnessing this fundamental understanding, design rules are formulated to construct effective, tailorable and reusable impact energy absorbers for challenging new applications.

Novel microscopy-based approaches to study the film formation mechanism and associated mechanical response in polymer lattices.

In this paper, we present the results from novel microscopy-based approaches aimed at providing further insight into the mechanism of film formation and associated mechanical response in polymer lattices. Firstly, a 'simple' methodology, combining the use of variable pressure scanning electron microscopy and a recently introduced enhanced coolstage (-50 to +50°C), was successfully developed and not only used to study dynamic processes, e.g. different stages of latex film formation, but also for high-resolution imaging of 'freeze-dried' structures. By using the enhanced freeze-drying capability of the system, it was also possible to preserve the structure and features of the studied system with minimum shrinkage and distortion and in the case of polymer lattices at a desired stage of film formation. Moreover, specimens can then be readily imaged, without the need of conductive coatings and at much lower chamber gas pressures, thus minimizing the beam skirting effects and allowing higher resolutions to be achieved. The second and final part of our study consider the mechanical response of the studied latex dried under different conditions, with the particular emphasis on the effects of drying rate [% relative humidity (RH)]. Atomic force microscopy force distance curve measurements revealed that while the %RH did not have an effect on the structures formed, it did have an effect on the adhesive properties of the studied system. It is strongly believed that the methodologies developed and used here can be applied to other material systems, including biologicals and pharmaceuticals.

Raw high-speed schlieren footage of acoustic waves in air for subsequent computational analysis and audio recovery.

The dataset presented here comprises 79 raw, unprocessed video files obtained from the high-speed schlieren imaging of acoustic waves in air, each with a corresponding metadata file. The majority of the footage was recorded at 50,000 frames per second, with each condition filmed for a duration of 20 ms. The dataset includes footage corresponding to a wide range of signals, in terms of waveform, frequency, and amplitude, as well as varied imaging parameters (exposure, frame rate, spatial resolution). This Data in Brief article is to accompany the research article "Visualization of acoustic waves in air and subsequent audio recovery with a high-speed schlieren imaging system: Experimental and computational development of a schlieren microphone" [1].

Bow-shaped caustics from conical prisms: a 13th-century account of rainbow formation from Robert Grosseteste's De iride.

The rainbow has been the subject of discussion across a variety of historical periods and cultures, and numerous optical explanations have been suggested. Here, we further explore the scientific treatise De iride [On the Rainbow] written by Robert Grosseteste in the 13th century. Attempting to account for the shape of the rainbow, Grosseteste bases his explanation on the optical properties of transparent cones, which he claims can give rise to arc-shaped projections through refraction. By stating that atmospheric phenomena are reducible to the geometric optics of a conical prism, the De iride lays out a coherent and testable hypothesis. Through both physical experiment and physics-based simulation, we present a novel characterization of cone-light interactions, demonstrating that transparent cones do indeed give rise to bow-shaped caustics-a nonintuitive phenomenon that suggests Grosseteste's theory of the rainbow is likely to have been grounded in observation.

An adhesive elastomeric supramolecular polyurethane healable at body temperature.

In this paper, we report the synthesis and healing ability of a non-cytotoxic supramolecular polyurethane network whose mechanical properties can be recovered efficiently (>99%) at the temperature of the human body (37 °C). Rheological analysis revealed an acceleration in the drop of the storage modulus above 37 °C, on account of the dissociation of the supramolecular polyurethane network, and this decrease in viscosity enables the efficient recovery of the mechanical properties. Microscopic and mechanical characterisation has shown that this material is able to recover mechanical properties across a damage site with minimal contact required between the interfaces and also demonstrated that the mechanical properties improved when compared to other low temperature healing elastomers or gel-like materials. The supramolecular polyurethane was found to be non-toxic in a cytotoxicity assay carried out in human skin fibroblasts (cell viability > 94% and non-significantly different compared to the untreated control). This supramolecular network material also exhibited excellent adhesion to pig skin and could be healed completely in situ post damage indicating that biomedical applications could be targeted, such as artificial skin or wound dressings with supramolecular materials of this type.

The speed of sound in silk: linking material performance to biological function.

Sonic properties of spider silks are measured independent of the web using laser vibrometry and ballistic impact providing insights into Nature's design of functionalized high-performance materials. Through comparison to cocoon silk and other industrial fibers, we find that major ampullate silk has the largest wavespeed range of any known material.