586 research outputs found
Structure of nanoparticles embedded in micellar polycrystals
We investigate by scattering techniques the structure of water-based soft
composite materials comprising a crystal made of Pluronic block-copolymer
micelles arranged in a face-centered cubic lattice and a small amount (at most
2% by volume) of silica nanoparticles, of size comparable to that of the
micelles. The copolymer is thermosensitive: it is hydrophilic and fully
dissolved in water at low temperature (T ~ 0{\deg}C), and self-assembles into
micelles at room temperature, where the block-copolymer is amphiphilic. We use
contrast matching small-angle neuron scattering experiments to probe
independently the structure of the nanoparticles and that of the polymer. We
find that the nanoparticles do not perturb the crystalline order. In addition,
a structure peak is measured for the silica nanoparticles dispersed in the
polycrystalline samples. This implies that the samples are spatially
heterogeneous and comprise, without macroscopic phase separation, silica-poor
and silica-rich regions. We show that the nanoparticle concentration in the
silica-rich regions is about tenfold the average concentration. These regions
are grain boundaries between crystallites, where nanoparticles concentrate, as
shown by static light scattering and by light microscopy imaging of the
samples. We show that the temperature rate at which the sample is prepared
strongly influence the segregation of the nanoparticles in the
grain-boundaries.Comment: accepted for publication in Langmui
Stress-corrosion mechanisms in silicate glasses
The present review is intended to revisit the advances and debates in the
comprehension of the mechanisms of subcritical crack propagation in silicate
glasses almost a century after its initial developments. Glass has inspired the
initial insights of Griffith into the origin of brittleness and the ensuing
development of modern fracture mechanics. Yet, through the decades the real
nature of the fundamental mechanisms of crack propagation in glass has escaped
a clear comprehension which could gather general agreement on subtle problems
such as the role of plasticity, the role of the glass composition, the
environmental condition at the crack tip and its relation to the complex
mechanisms of corrosion and leaching. The different processes are analysed here
with a special focus on their relevant space and time scales in order to
question their domain of action and their contribution in both the kinetic laws
and the energetic aspects.Comment: Invited review article - 34 pages Accepted for publication in J.
Phys. D: Appl. Phy
Water affinity guided tunable superhydrophobicity and optimized wettability of selected natural minerals
Efeito da adição de microssílica na hidratação de óxido de magnésio em concretos refratários
Silica-Supported Titania–Zirconia Nanocomposites: Structural and Morphological Characteristics in Different Media
Interactions between metal oxides and biomolecules: from fundamental understanding to applications
Metallo-oxide (MO) based bioinorganic nanocomposites promise unique structures, physico-chemical properties and novel bio-chemical functionalities and within the last decade, investment in research on materials such as ZnO, TiO2, SiO2 and GeO2 has significantly increased. Besides traditional approaches, the synthesis, shaping, structural patterning and post-processing chemical functionalization of the materials surface is inspired by strategies which mimic processes in nature. Would such materials deliver new technologies? Answering this question requires the merging of historical knowledge and current research from different fields of science. Practically, we need an effective defragmentation of the research area. From our perspective, the superficial accounting of material properties, chemistry of the surfaces and the behaviour of biomolecules next to such surfaces is a problem. This is particularly of concern when we wish to bridge between technologies in vitro and biotechnologies in vivo. Further, besides the potential practical technological efficiency and advantages such materials might exhibit, we have to consider the wider long-term implications of material stability and toxicity. In this contribution we present a critical review of recent advances in the chemistry and engineering of MO based biocomposites highlighting the role of interactions at the interface and the techniques by which these can be studied. At the end of the article we outline the challenges which hamper progress in research and extrapolate to developing and promising directions including additive manufacturing and synthetic biology that could benefit from molecular level understanding of interactions occurring between inanimate (abiotic) and living (biotic) materials
Proton Conductivity of Acid-Functionalized Zeolite Beta, MCM-41, and MCM-48: Effect of Acid Strength
- …