Effect of multiwalled carbon nanotubes on improvement of fracture toughness of spark-plasma-sintered yttria-stabilized zirconia nanocomposites

Highly dense yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nano-ceramics reinforced with TC-CVD-synthesized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were fabricated using spark plasma sintering at a temperature of 1350°C, the heating rate of 100 °C/min and pressure of 50MPa with a dwell time of 10 minutes. The identical parameters were utilized for fabricating composites with a varying weight ratio of YSZ and MWNCTs. The samples were characterized for their phase transformation, microstructure and elemental composition using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The physical and mechanical properties such as density, porosity, hardness, fracture toughness and wear were also investigated. The increase in the MWCNTs concentration has resulted in the deterioration of the hardness due to CNT agglomerations. The wear resistance of the composites revealed MWNCTs enhanced wear resistance of YSZ nanocomposite by undergoing MWNCTs pull-out and crack branching mechanisms. Further indentation method and single-beam V-notch beam (SEVNB) methods were utilized to study the effect of MWCNTs on the fracture toughness of the nanocomposites. The fracture toughness of YC1 (6.58 ± 0.3 MPa m1/2) was 21% higher than the YSZ (5.21 ± 0.2 MPa m1/2) due to the toughening mechanisms attributable to crack deflection, branching and bridging of MWCNTs

Progress on suspended nanostructured engineering materials powered solar distillation : a review

Sustainable solar energy powered desalination is a high priority research area, nowadays. Fresh potable water is one of humanity?s fundamental needs for living and flourishing. Efficient techniques for producing pure water from saline water and industrial wastewater with less conventional energy use or using renewable energy are urgently needed. Solar stills are one of such alternatives to produce pure water using solar energy. Novelty of this write up is discussion of basic concepts such as working principle of nanofluid, heat transfer in nanofluid and different preparation methods. These areas are discussed to bring the readers closer to the present scenario of suspended nanostructured engineering materials for solar distillation. Cost analysis with and without suspended nanoparticles are also summarized. Authors have also thrown light on effects of NPs (nanoparticles) on environment and health of living beings as a means to promote this technology. An important result is that nanofluids thermal conductivity is proportional to nanoparticles concentration to a certain limit. So, each nanoparticle has its optimum concentration where thermal conductivity is maximum in order to give maximum yield of pure water

Road Accident Analysis and Arduino Based Alert System

Over the last two decades, Mumbai, and subsequently India, has seen a huge increase in the number of vehicles on the road. Suddenly, the demand and popularity of the private transport has raced ahead of the public transport by miles. The number of vehicles on the road is always directly proportional to the road accidents and injuries. As a result of the former increasing every year, it is but natural that the latter too, has gone up

Physiological traits imparting drought stress tolerance to promising sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) clones

Not AvailableDrought is one of the most important environmental constraints limiting sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) production worldwide. It is estimated that nearly 60% of the total sugarcane area suffers from water stress. Using the important physiological markers, drought tolerance potential of elite sugarcane clones is evaluated every year at ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore to identify those suitable for cultivation in drought prone areas of India. The present study is the field evaluation of six sugarcane clones in the advanced varietal trial conducted during the year 2018–2019, wherein the relevance of physiological traits conferring adaptive tolerance to drought is reinstated. In the formative phase, drought stress resulted in an average reduction of 20.5, 36.5, 22.1, 5.9 and 4.7 per cent in shoot population, plant height, leaf area index, SPAD chlorophyll index and photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) respectively. However, the clones Co 12009 and Co 12012 showed relatively better growth attributes both under control and drought stress which were on par with the resistant standards Co 86032 and Co 99004. Drought induced 12.6, 15.7, 23.5 and 32.9% reduction in internodal length, cane height, single cane weight and cane yield, however the clones Co 12009 and Co 12012 recorded comparatively higher cane yield of 86.6 and 94.1 tonnes/ha under drought condition, respectively. The clones Co 12009 and Co 12012 were rated as tolerant due to their ability to sustain cane yield and juice quality potential under drought stress, which might be attributed to retaining superior morphological and physiological traits.Not Availabl

Deposition, structure, physical and invitro characteristics of Ag-doped beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2)/chitosan hybrid composite coatings on Titanium metal

Pure and five silver-doped (0-5Ag) beta-tricalcium phosphate [beta-TCP, beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2)]/chitosan composite coatings were deposited on Titanium (Ti) substrates and their properties that are relevant for applications in hard tissue replacements were assessed. Silver, beta-TCP and chitosan were combined to profit from their salient and complementary antibacterial and biocompatible features. The beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2) powders were synthesized by co-precipitation. The characterization results confirmed the Ag+ occupancy at the crystal lattice of beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2). The Ag-doped beta-Ca-3(PO4)(2)/chitosan composite coatings deposited by electrophoresis showed good antibacterial activity and exhibited negative cytotoxic effects towards the human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63. The morphology of the coatings was observed by SEM and their efficiency against corrosion of metallic substrates was determined through potentiodynamic polarization tests. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Impact behaviour of MWCNTs reinforced YSZ and Al₂O₃ ceramic-nanocomposites prepared via vacuum hot-pressing technique

Materials for structure-based aerospace applications are on high demand throughout the globe. Owing to its high strength to weight ratio and high stiffness, composites are potential candidates in aerospace, turbine and military applications. This paper concentrates on the impact behaviour of two nanoceramic composites - yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and aluminium oxide (Al2O3) reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared via vacuum hot-pressing at 1600 °C with a pressure of 30 MPa at varying MWCNTs contents (1, 3 & 5 wt.%). The composite tiles were examined for impact behaviour using gas gun at different velocities (50, 100 & 200 ms−1). The results indicated that composites with 1 wt% MWCNTs reinforced YSZ demonstrated lower penetration compared to other composites owing to its higher interfacial bonding between MWCNTs and YSZ. On the other hand, alumina reinforced MWCNTs showcased a higher depth of penetration due to weak van der Waals force of attraction between MWCNTs and alumina. The reinforcement of CNTs up to 3 wt.% worked as threshold for improvement in impact behaviour for ceramics whereas penetration values increase with increase of MWCNTs

Influence of operating parameters on development of polyethylene oxide-like coatings on the surfaces of polypropylene films by atmospheric pressure cold plasma jet-assisted polymerization to enhance their antifouling properties

In this study, we investigated the deposition of a polyethylene oxide (PEO)-like coating on the surfaces of polypropylene (PP) films via atmospheric pressure cold plasma jet-assisted polymerization using ethylene glycol dimethyl ether as a precursor. The PEO-like coatings were deposited using different operating parameters (deposition potential and monomer flow rates) and we determined their effects on the film properties, such as the topography, surface chemistry, and surface free energy, based on atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The interfacial tension between various biological liquids and the PEO-like film surfaces were studied in detail. The antifouling properties of the PEO-like films were examined in vitro, including protein adsorption and platelet adhesion. The results showed that the retention of the PEO-like character and the formation of new functional groups were highly dependent on the operating parameters. Significant changes in the film topography and wettability were obtained by further regulating the plasma operating parameters. All of the PEO-like films had good antifouling properties according to the in vitro analysis results