You're using an outdated browser. Please upgrade to a modern browser for the best experience.
Topic Review
Particle-Bound Mercury Characterization
Particulate Bound Hg (PBM) consists of all airborne particulate containing Hg, including both stable condensed and gaseous forms adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter (PM); it is operationally sampled and quantified by pulling air through a glass fiber or a quartz filter. PBM usually includes all those particles with a diameter <2.5 μm, even if its characterization depends on the pore size of the filter used for its collection. The accurate dimensional characterization is then essential to estimate the dry deposition of PBM, as well as any other particulate pollutant; the particles diameters directly influence gravitational sedimentation and the PBM residence time in the atmosphere. In addition, PBM chemical speciation, as well as for the other Hg forms, is fundamental to understand PBM bioavailability and therefore the effects on human .
  • 1.4K
  • 05 Jul 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Conductive Heat Transfer in Thermal Bridges
A thermal bridge is a component of a building that is characterized by a higher thermal loss compared with its surroundings. Their accurate modeling is a key step in energy performance analysis due to the increased awareness of the importance of sustainable design. Thermal modeling in architecture and engineering is often not carried out volumetrically, thereby sacrificing accuracy for complex geometries, whereas numerical textbooks often give the finite element method in much higher generality than required, or only treat the case of uniform materials. Despite thermal modeling traditionally belonging exclusively to the engineer’s toolbox, computational and parametric design can often benefit from understanding the key steps of finite element thermal modeling, in order to inform a real-time design feedback loop. In this entry, these gaps are filled and the reader is introduced to all relevant physical and computational notions and methods necessary to understand and compute the stationary energy dissipation and thermal conductance of thermal bridges composed of materials in complex geometries. The overview is a self-contained and coherent expository, and both physically and mathematically as correct as possible, but intuitive and accessible to all audiences. Details for a typical example of an insulated I-beam thermal bridge are provided.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 May 2022
Topic Review
Mineral Characterization Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful tool in the domains of materials science, mining, and geology owing to its enormous potential to provide unique insight into micro and nanoscale worlds. The rapid pace of technological development requires a detailed study of minerals to a further extent to meet the unprecedented material demands of the evolving world. There are more than 5956 species of minerals known today, and the number of new identifications is evolving, with as many as 50 new types identified each year. Quantitative measurements and qualitative analyses of mineral compositions within mining ores and reservoirs have valuable importance with practical applications. Comprehensive and accurate information can be gathered for the identification of rocks and minerals, including structural characteristics and mineral composition, which can provide worthy information about pore structure and reservoir heterogeneity.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Defect-Related Etch Pits on Crystals and Their Utilization
Etch pits could form on an exposed surface of a crystal when the crystal is exposed to an etching environment or chemicals. Due to different dissolution rates along various crystalline directions in a crystal, the dissolution process is anisotropic; hence, etch pits usually have a regular shape. The morphology, size, and density of etch pits can be affected by various factors, including the chemical composition of the etchant, etching time, etching temperature, status of the matrix, and so on. Traditionally, etch pits are utilized to evaluate the dislocation density and some defect-related properties. Now, in the modern fabrication industries, the relationship between etch pits and defects has been utilized more skillfully. High-quality crystals can be fabricated by controlling dislocations revealed by etch pits. Meanwhile, with the as-revealed dislocation as the diffusion path of atoms, new crystals will emerge in corresponding etch pits.
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Shot Peening and Cavitation Peening
Shot peening is a dynamically developing surface treatment used to improve the surface properties modified by tool, impact, microblasting, or shot action.
  • 1.3K
  • 08 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Metal (Mo, W, Ti) Carbides for Dry Reforming
Dry reforming of hydrocarbons (DRH) is a pro-environmental method for syngas production. It owes its pro-environmental character to the use of carbon dioxide, which is one of the main greenhouse gases. Transition metal carbides (TMCs) can potentially replace traditional nickel catalysts due to their stability and activity in DR processes. 
  • 1.2K
  • 18 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Semiconductor Materials for Photocatalytic Reduction of CO2
The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 is one of the most effective methods to control CO2 pollution. Therefore, the development of novel high-efficiency semiconductor materials has become an important research field. Semiconductor materials need to have a structure with abundant catalytic sites, among other conditions, which is of great significance for the practical application of highly active catalysts for CO2 reduction. The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 is a surface/interface reaction. It is important to find and use raw materials which are environmentally friendly and effective as catalysts.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Hypopigmentation Mechanisms of Anti-Tyrosinase Peptides from Food Proteins
Skin hyperpigmentation resulting from excessive tyrosinase expression has long been a problem for beauty lovers, which has not yet been completely solved. Although researchers are working on finding effective tyrosinase inhibitors, most of them are restricted, due to cell mutation and cytotoxicity. Therefore, functional foods are developing rapidly for their good biocompatibility. Food-derived peptides have been proven to display excellent anti-tyrosinase activity, and the mechanisms involved mainly include inhibition of oxidation, occupation of tyrosinase’s bioactive site and regulation of related gene expression. For anti-oxidation, peptides can interrupt the oxidative reactions catalyzed by tyrosinase or activate an enzyme system, including super-oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) to scavenge free radicals that stimulate tyrosinase. In addition, researchers predict that peptides probably occupy the site of the substrate by chelating with copper ions or combining with surrounding amino acid residues, ultimately inhibiting the catalytic activity of tyrosinase.
  • 1.2K
  • 06 May 2022
Topic Review
Mechanism of Diffusion Bonding
Critical aspects of innovative design in engineering disciplines like infrastructure, transportation, and medical applications require the joining of dissimilar materials. Welding and brazing, while widely used, may pose challenges when joining materials with large differences in melting temperature and can lead to mechanical property degradation. In contrast, diffusion bonding offers a lower temperature process that relies on solid-state interactions to develop bond strength. The joining of tungsten and steel, especially for fusion reactors, presents a unique challenge due to the significant disparity in melting temperatures and the propensity to form brittle intermetallics. Here, diffusion characteristics of tungsten–steel interfaces are examined and the influence of bonding parameters on mechanical properties are investigated. Additionally, CALPHAD modeling is employed to explore joining parameters, thermal stability, and diffusion kinetics. The insights from this research can be extended to join numerous dissimilar materials for specific applications such as aerospace, automobile industry, power plants, etc., enabling advanced and robust design with high efficiency.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Hard Carbons as Anodes in Sodium-Ion Batteries
Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are regarded as promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the field of energy, especially in large-scale energy storage systems. Tremendous effort has been put into the electrode research of SIBs, and hard carbon (HC) stands out among the anode materials due to its advantages in cost, resource, industrial processes, and safety. However, different from the application of graphite in LIBs, HC, as a disordered carbon material, leaves more to be completely comprehended about its sodium storage mechanism, and there is still plenty of room for improvement in its capacity, rate performance and cycling performance.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Uranyl Carbonate Minerals
Uranyl carbonates are one of the largest groups of secondary uranium(VI)-bearing natural phases being represented by 40 minerals approved by the International Mineralogical Association, overtaken only by uranyl phosphates and uranyl sulfates. Uranyl carbonate phases form during the direct alteration of primary U ores on contact with groundwaters enriched by CO2, thus playing an important role in the release of U to the environment. The presence of uranyl carbonate phases has also been detected on the surface of “lavas” that were formed during the Chernobyl accident.
  • 1.1K
  • 24 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Development of Fencing Blade Materials
Using two fencing swords manufactured in Europe and China, we investigated the typical materials used for fencing blades and compared the experimental results with the nominal compositions of a variety of steels. By combining the requirements for the safety of athletes, mechanical behaviors of different steels, and production costs for industry, there is possible directions for the heat treatments and processing methods that have the potential to enhance performance and overcome the limitations of previous materials. 
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Euclidean Graphs as Curvilinear Feature Descriptors
Euclidean graphs are an ideal data structure for the functional description of line-shaped features in digital images such as cracks as they convey both geometrical and topological information about the object path in a compact and integrated format, enabling the development of autonomous, highly tuned algorithms for identification, selection, analysis, comparison and archiving of the identified objects.
  • 1.1K
  • 06 Apr 2023
Topic Review
FIB-SEM Tomography: Fundamentals and Applications in Materials Sciences
Focused ion beam (FIB)-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tomography is an extremely important and reliable technique for the three-dimensional reconstruction of microscopic structures with nanometric resolution, with great potential to be integrated with other analytical techniques. FIB-SEM tomography plays a crucial role in the development of innovative multiscale and multimodal correlative microscopy workflows because it can be seamlessly integrated with other imaging modalities, as the reconstruction range bridges the gap between the non-destructive X-ray families of tomographic techniques, which provide sub-micron resolution, and the nano- to atomic-scale resolution achieved by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tomography.
  • 1.1K
  • 26 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Applied to Metals and Coatings
Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a scanning probe microscope (SPM) technique based on electrochemical principles that allows chemical imaging of materials with spatial resolution. The movement of a microelectrode (ME) in close proximity to the interface allows the application of various experimental procedures that can be classified into amperometric and potentiometric operations depending on either sensing faradaic currents or probe potential values due to concentration distributions resulting from the corrosion process, as sketched in. In addition, alternating current signals can be applied to the ME, leading to AC-operation modes.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 May 2022
Topic Review
The Rheological Phase Reaction Method
The term “rheology” stands for the study of a material’s flow behavior under applied deformation forces or stress. The Rheological Phase Reaction (RPR) method is considered a “pollution-less method” to prepare any metal oxides with high crystallinity, phase purity, and fewer agglomerations depending on the proper raw materials and the right temperature conditions are being chosen. 
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Methods Used for the Degradation of Food Dyes
Dyes are widely used in various industries, including food, textile, pharmaceutics and cosmetic industries for the addition of color to products to make them more attractive for customers.
  • 1.1K
  • 16 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Bisphenol A in Related Pathological Conditions
Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of different morbid conditions: immune-mediated disorders, type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. 
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Mechanism of Abrasive-Based Finishing Processes
Various manufacturing industries have been using conventional procedures for finishing the components, such as grinding, honing, lapping, etc., to get the machining components’ desired finishing. However, these conventional procedures of finishing are restricted to very few geometries and cannot work on complex and intricate geometries as well as complicated profiles for finishing of high level, which is required while the operation of the component is in process. These limitations and restrictions in the finishing process have led the industries to develop advanced finishing procedures, known as “Abrasive flow machining (AFM)”. Advances in technology and refinement of available computational resources paved the way for the extensive use of computers to model and simulate complex real-world problems difficult to solve analytically. The appeal of simulations lies in the ability to predict the significance of a change to the system under study. The simulated results can be of great benefit in predicting various behaviors, such as the wind pattern in a particular region, the ability of a material to withstand a dynamic load, or even the behavior of a workpiece under a particular type of machining. 
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Si-Based GeSn
A literature survey revealed that GeSn materials have numerous potential applications, including Si-based, integrated high-efficiency light sources; high-mobility electronic devices; low-cost Si-based high-performance shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging sensors; Si-based photovoltaics; optical signal encoding in the mid-infrared range; high-performance logic applications; Si-based integrated thermoelectrics as wearable devices; Si-based spintronics; Si-based integrated reconfigurable dipoles; and Si-based quantum computing. GeSn-related fundamental research and development applications have also been extensively investigated. 
  • 1.1K
  • 14 Mar 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 6
Academic Video Service