Topic Review
Natural and Synthetic Biopolymer Scaffolds
In biomedical applications, scaffolds can be used ranging from regenerative engineering to controlled drug delivery and immunomodulation, and for this purpose, biomaterials have become an indispensable instrument as scaffold material. The materials used for scaffold manufacturing must satisfy some criteria such as intrinsic biofunctionality and appropriate chemistry to stimulate molecular biorecognition by cells to induce proliferation, cell adhesion, and activation. Many biodegradable polymers of natural and synthetic origin have been established for use as biomaterials and careful consideration of the cellular environment and interactions needed is required to select a polymer for a given application.
  • 3.3K
  • 13 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Water Droplet Erosion
The term erosion is originally derived from the Latin word “rodere”, which means “to gnaw”, and used to indicate a form of materials wear (i.e. loss of material) that is caused by the impact of solid or liquid particles with sufficiently high speed. Liquid erosion can be divided into two types; cavitation erosion and liquid impingement erosion (LIE). The term Water droplet erosion (WDE) is commonly used to indicate liquid impingement erosion (LIE), where a progressive material loss is caused by the repetitive impact of high speed water droplets. WDE constitutes a major concern in many industries including aerospace and aviation, power generation industries particularly in gas turbines and steam turbines, nuclear power plants, and wind energy. Hence, WDE has become an important topic of research.
  • 3.3K
  • 23 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Materials Science, Glasses
Glasses are solid amorphous materials which transform into liquids upon heating through the glass transition. The International Commission on Glass defines glass as a state of matter, usually produced when a viscous molten material is cooled rapidly to below its glass transition temperature, with insufficient time for a regular crystal lattice to form. The solid-like behaviour of glasses is separated from the liquid-like behaviour at higher temperatures by the glass transition temperature, Tg. The IUPAC Compendium on Chemical Terminology defines glass transition as a second order transition in which a supercooled melt yields, on cooling, a glassy structure. It states that below the glass-transition temperature the physical properties of glasses vary in a manner similar to those of the crystalline phase. Moreover, it is deemed that the bonding structure of glasses has the same symmetry signature in terms of Hausdorff-Besikovitch dimensionality of chemical bonds as for the crystalline materials. 
  • 3.3K
  • 09 May 2024
Topic Review
Natural Phenols
Phenols are widespread in nature, being the major components of several plants and essential oils. Natural phenols’ anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, pharmacological and nutritional properties are, nowadays, well established. Hence, given their peculiar biological role, numerous studies are currently ongoing to overcome their limitations, as well as to enhance their activity.
  • 3.2K
  • 29 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Covalent Adaptable Networks
Thermosets are known to be very reliable polymeric materials for high-performance and light-weight applications, due to their retained dimensional stability, chemical inertia and rigidity over a broad range of temperatures. However, once fully cured, they cannot be easily reshaped or reprocessed, thus leaving still unsolved the issues of recycling and the lack of technological flexibility. Vitrimers, introduced by Leibler et al. in 2011, are a valiant step in the direction of bridging the chasm between thermoplastics and thermosets. Owing to their dynamic covalent networks, they can retain mechanical stability and solvent resistance, but can also flow on demand upon heating. More generally, the family of Covalent Adaptable Networks (CANs) is gleaming with astounding potential, thanks to the huge variety of chemistries that may enable bond exchange. Arising from this signature feature, intriguing properties such as self-healing, recyclability and weldability may expand the horizons for thermosets in terms of improved life-span, sustainability and overall enhanced functionality and versatility. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the most promising studies featuring CANs and vitrimers specifically, with particular regard for their industrial applications. Investigations into composites and sustainable vitrimers from epoxy-based and elastomeric networks are covered in detail.
  • 3.2K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Molybdenum Disulfide
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is one of the compounds discussed nowadays due to its outstanding properties that allowed its usage in different applications. Its band gap and its distinctive structure make it a promising material to substitute graphene and other semiconductor devices. It has different applications in electronics especially sensors like optical sensors, biosensors, electrochemical biosensors that play an important role in the detection of various diseases’ like cancer and Alzheimer. It has a wide range of energy applications in batteries, solar cells, microwave, and Terahertz applications. It is a promising material on a nanoscale level, with favorable characteristics in spintronics and magnetoresistance. 
  • 3.2K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Carbon-Based Quantum Dots for Supercapacitors
Carbon-based Quantum dots (C-QDs) are carbon-based materials that experience the quantum confinement effect, which results in superior optoelectronic properties. In recent years, C-QDs have attracted attention significantly and have shown great application potential as a high-performance supercapacitor device. C-QDs (either as a bare electrode or composite) give a new way to boost supercapacitor performances in higher specific capacitance, high energy density, and good durability. This review comprehensively summarizes the up-to-date progress in C-QD applications either in a bare condition or as a composite with other materials for supercapacitors. The current state of the three distinct C-QD families used for supercapacitors including carbon quantum dots, carbon dots, and graphene quantum dots is highlighted. 
  • 3.2K
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Stimuli-responsive materials
Smart or stimuli-responsive materials are an emerging class of materials used for tissue engineering and drug delivery. A variety of stimuli (including temperature, pH, redox-state, light, and magnet fields) are being investigated for their potential to change a material’s properties, interactions, structure, and/or dimensions. The specificity of stimuli response, and ability to respond to endogenous cues inherently present in living systems provide possibilities to develop novel tissue engineering and drug delivery strategies (for example materials composed of stimuli responsive polymers that self-assemble or undergo phase transitions or morphology transformations). Herein, smart materials as controlled drug release vehicles for tissue engineering are described, highlighting their potential for the delivery of precise quantities of drugs at specific locations and times promoting the controlled repair or remodeling of tissues.
  • 3.2K
  • 24 Jul 2020
Topic Review
Resistive Gas Sensor
With a series of widespread applications, resistive gas sensors are considered to be promising candidates for gas detection, benefiting from their small size, ease-of-fabrication, low power consumption and outstanding maintenance properties. One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials, which have large specific surface areas, abundant exposed active sites and high length-to-diameter ratios, enable fast charge transfers and gas-sensitive reactions. They can also significantly enhance the sensitivity and response speed of resistive gas sensors.
  • 3.2K
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Reference Electrodes
A reference electrode is a half-cell (an electrode) with a stable, well-defined and highly reproducible electrode potential. A vast number of electrodes have been developed for different applications. They are briefly presented. For the common types, the advantages and drawbacks are discussed. Practical hints for daily use are provided.
  • 3.2K
  • 04 Feb 2024
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