Study of Microstructures on Cross Section of JAPANESE SWORD

An old, famous Japanese sword has been studied metallurigically to observe its microstructure by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The microstructure in the sharp edge of cross-sectional part is fine martensite and the morphology is lath type martensite. The other parts of sword, side and central part, of cross section show the structure of fine pearlite or coarse pearlite dominantly. The hardness of the sharp edge is high enough to possess the sharp cutting property. SEM-EDX observations indicated that several kinds of non-metallic inclusions exist in the sword which are considered to be originated from the slag smelting reaction in Tatara process. The amount of non-metallic inclusions in the sword is 50-100 times more than that of the ordinary steel. In the sharp edge the amount of inclusions is fewer and the sizes are finer in comparison with side and central part of the sword. It is considered that repeatedly forging and folding operations in making sword process are responsible for that

HEMA Inhibits Interfacial Nano-layering of the Functional Monomer MDP

Previous research showed that the functional monomer 10-methacryloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP) ionically bonds to hydroxyapatite (HAp) and forms a nano- layered structure at the interface with HAp-based substrates. Such hydrophobic nano-layering is considered to contribute to the long-term durability of the bond to tooth tissue. However, dental adhesives are complex mixtures usually containing different monomers. This study investigated the effect of the monomer 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) on the chemical interaction of MDP with HAp by x-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). We examined the chemical interaction of 5 experimental MDP solutions with increasing concentrations of HEMA. XRD revealed that addition of HEMA inhibits nano-layering at the interface, while NMR confirmed that MDP remained adsorbed onto the HAp surface. QCM confirmed this adsorption of MDP to HAp, as well as revealed that the demineralization rate of HAp by MDP was reduced by HEMA. It was concluded that even though the adsorption of MDP to HAp was not hindered, addition of HEMA inhibited interfacial nano-layering. Potential consequences with regard to bond durability necessitate further research.status: publishe