Development of geopolymer materials for sustainable design

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Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Epoxy Geopolymer Hybrid Composites

The preparation and the characterization of novel geopolymer-based hybrid composites are reported. These materials have been prepared through an innovative synthetic approach, based on a co-reticulation in mild conditions of commercial epoxy based organic resins and a metakaolin-based geopolymer inorganic matrix. This synthetic strategy allows the obtainment of a homogeneous dispersion of the organic particles in the inorganic matrix, up to 25% in weight of the resin. The materials obtained present significantly enhanced compressive strengths and toughness with respect to the neat geopolymer, suggesting their wide utilization for structural applications. A preliminary characterization of the porous materials obtained by removing the organic phase from the hybrid composites by means of heat treatments is also reported. Possible applications of these materials in the field of water purification, filtration, or as lightweight insulating materials are envisage

Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery: A Surgical Skills Assessment Tool in Gynecology

This analysis suggests that the fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery skills test may be a valuable assessment tool for gynecology residents; however, the cognitive test may need further adaptation for application to gynecologists

Synthesis and characterizations of melamine-based epoxy resins

A new, easy and cost-effective synthetic procedure for the preparation of thermosetting melamine-based epoxy resins is reported. By this innovative synthetic method, different kinds of resins can be obtained just by mixing the reagents in the presence of a catalyst without solvent and with mild curing conditions. Two types of resins were synthesized using melamine and a glycidyl derivative (resins I) or by adding a silane derivative (resin II). The resins were characterized by means of chemical-physical and thermal techniques. Experimental results show that all the prepared resins have a good thermal stability, but differ for their mechanical properties: resin I exhibits remarkable stiffness with a storage modulus value up to 830 MPa at room temperature, while lower storage moduli were found for resin II, indicating that the presence of silane groups could enhance the flexibility of these materials. The resins show a pot life higher than 30 min, which makes these resins good candidates for practical applications. The functionalization with silane terminations can be exploited in the formulation of hybrid organic-inorganic composite materials