Search results for: NEAR-FIELD SCANNING OPTICAL MICROSCOPE
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Bulk-Surface Modification of Nanoparticles for Developing Highly-Crosslinked Polymer Nanocomposites
PublicationSurface modification of nanoparticles with functional molecules has become a routine method to compensate for diffusion-controlled crosslinking of thermoset polymer composites at late stages of crosslinking, while bulk modification has not carefully been discussed. In this work, a highly-crosslinked model polymer nanocomposite based on epoxy and surface-bulk functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was developed. MNPs were...
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Synthesis of bimetallic Co–Pt/cellulose nanocomposites for catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol
PublicationIn this study, bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) of Co–Pt anchored on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) for catalytic applications were synthesized via a sonochemical approach. The electro-spinning technique was employed for the synthesis of CNFs from cellulose acetate. The thorough characterization of synthesised Co–Pt/CNF nanocomposites was performed with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR)...
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FPGA-Based Implementation of Real Time Optical Flow Algorithm and Its Applications for Digital Image Stabilization
PublicationAn efficient simplification procedure of the optical flow (OF) algorithm as well as its hardware implementation using the field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology is presented. The modified algorithm is based on block matching of subsets of successive frames, and exploits one-dimensional representation of subsets as well as the adaptive adjustments of their sizes. Also, an l1-norm-based correlation function requiring no...
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Fabrication and Significant Photoelectrochemical Activity of Titania Nanotubes Modified with Thin Indium Tin Oxide Film
PublicationOrdered titanium dioxide nanotubes (TiO2NTs) modified with indium tin oxide (ITO) films were obtained via magnetron sputtering, in which ITO plate was used as a target, onto the as-anodized titania support followed by the calcination process. The morphology of fabricated material with deposited oxide was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Raman and UV–Vis spectroscopies were utilized to characterize crystalline phase...
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Microscopic and Spectroscopic Imaging and Thermal Analysis of Acrylates, Silicones and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients in Adhesive Transdermal Patches
PublicationDermal or transdermal patches are increasingly becoming a noteworthy alternative ascarriers for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which makes their detailed physicochemical evaluation essential for pharmaceutical development. This paper demonstrates mid-infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy with complementary microscopic methods (SEM, optical and confocal Raman microscopy) and differential scanning calorimetry...
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Non-Destructive Testing of the Longest Span Soil-Steel Bridge in Europe—Field Measurements and FEM Calculations
PublicationThe article describes interdisciplinary and comprehensive non-destructive diagnostic tests of final bridge inspection and acceptance proposed for a soil-steel bridge made of corrugated sheets, being the European span length record holder (25.74 m). As an effect of an original concept a detailed and precise information about the structure short-term response was collected. Periodic diagnostics of bridge deformations was done one...
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Miniature reconfigurable antenna
PublicationThis work concerns the design of a miniature, low-profile reconfigurable antenna based on Huygens metamaterial sources for frequency f0 = 2.45 GHz. Two planar Huygens sources were designed consisting of near-field resonators. Sources are excited from a specially designed reconfigurable control system. Thanks to the two PIN diodes, the system can realize two cardioid radiation characteristics with...
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Biomass Production and Removal of Nitrogen and Phosphorus from Processed Municipal Wastewater by Salix schwerinii: A Field Trial
PublicationIn many Baltic regions, short-rotation willow (Salix spp.) is used as a vegetation filter for wastewater treatment and recycling of valuable nutrients to upsurge bioeconomy development. In this context, a four-year field trial (2016–2019) was carried out near a wastewater treatment plant in eastern Finland (Outokumpu) to investigate the effect of the processed wastewater (WW) on biomass production as well as the nutrients uptake...
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Magnetic flux leakage signals of near side defects measured with different velocities
Open Research DataThe dataset contains raw signals measured with the use of the magnetic flux leakage (MFL) technique. Linear Hall effect sensors A1324 were used to measure magnetic flux leakage. Three voltage signals were measured: Bx sensor output, Bz1 sensor output, and difference of Bz1 and Bz2 outputs. An output of a Bx sensor was directly proportional to the tangential...
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Efficient Method for the Concentration Determination of Fmoc Groups Incorporated in the Core-Shell Materials by Fmoc–Glycine
PublicationIn this paper, we described the synthesis procedure of TiO2@SiO2 core-shell modified with 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS). The chemical attachment of Fmoc–glycine (Fmoc–Gly–OH) at the surface of the core-shell structure was performed to determine the amount of active amino groups on the basis of the amount of Fmoc group calculation. We characterized nanostructures using various methods: transmission electron microscope...
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Processing of Polyester-Urethane Filament and Characterization of FFF 3D Printed Elastic Porous Structures with Potential in Cancellous Bone Tissue Engineering
PublicationThis paper addresses the potential of self-made polyester-urethane filament as a candidate for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)-based 3D printing (3DP) in medical applications. Since the industry does not provide many ready-made solutions of medical-grade polyurethane filaments, we undertook research aimed at presenting the process of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filament formation, detailed characteristics, and 3DP of specially...
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Charge density wave and crystalline electric field effects in TmNiC2
PublicationSingle crystals of TmNiC2 were grown by the optical floating-zone technique and were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal expansion, electrical resistivity, specific heat, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Single-crystal XRD reveals the formation of a commensurate charge density wave (CDW) characterized by a CDW modulation vector q2c = (0.5, 0.5, 0.5), which is accompanied by a symmetry change from the orthorhombic...
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New skills for architects: 3D scanning for an immersive experience in architectural education
PublicationThe authors of this article explore the integration of remote sensing techniques, specifically laser scanning and photogrammetry, as well as immersive visualisation via different methods applied to architectural design processes, and its potential impact on the professional development of future architects. The study demonstrates the value of extending the architectural design process into the interdisciplinary field of geomatics...
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Spectroscopic Optical Coherence Tomography for Thin Layer and Foil Measurements
PublicationThe main goal of this research was to assess if it is possible to evaluate the thickness of thin layers (both thin films on the surface and thin layers below the surface of the tested object) and foils using optical coherence tomography (OCT) for thickness assessment under the resolution of the standard commercially available OCT measurement system. In the proposed solution, light backscattered from the evaluated thin layer has...
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Processing of point cloud data retrieved from terrestrial laser scanning for structural modeling by Finite Element Method
PublicationFinite Element Method is one most popular contemporary method of strength analysis. The method is an advanced method for solving differential equations, based on discretization, which means that area is divided into finite elements. Each finite element has a solution of the equation approximated by specific functions and performing the actual calculations only for nodes of this division. Finite Element Method is widely used in...
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Optical and electrical properties of boron doped diamond thin conductive films deposited on fused silica glass substrates
PublicationThis paper presents boron-doped diamond (BDD) film as a conductive coating for optical and electronic purposes. Seeding and growth processes of thin diamond films on fused silica have been investigated. Growth processes of thin diamond films on fused silica were investigated at various boron doping level and methane admixture. Two step pre-treatment procedure of fused silica substrate was applied to achieve high seeding density....
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The role of hydrogen bonding on tuning hard-soft segments in bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-urethane)s
PublicationThis work describes the preparation of bio-based thermoplastic poly(ether-urethane)s (TPU) via a prepolymer method and investigates the effect of varying the interphase hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) on physicochemical, thermal and mechanical properties. This was achieved by varying the glycol type and molar ratio of [NCO]/[OH] groups used during the prepolymer chain extending step. The TPUs’ chemical structure was analyzed by Fourier...
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Polyurethane Composite Scaffolds Modified with the Mixture of Gelatin and Hydroxyapatite Characterized by Improved Calcium Deposition
PublicationThe skeleton is a crucial element of the motion system in the human body, whose main function is to support and protect the soft tissues. Furthermore, the elements of the skeleton act as a storage place for minerals and participate in the production of red blood cells. The bone tissue includes the craniomaxillofacial bones, ribs, and spine. There are abundant reports in the literature indicating that the amount of treatments related...
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Investigating the effects of structural pounding on the seismic performance of adjacent RC and steel MRFs
PublicationAn insufficient separation distance between adjacent buildings is the main reason for structural pounding during severe earthquakes. The lateral load resistance system, fundamental natural period, mass, and stiffness are important factors having the influence on collisions between two adjacent structures. In this study, 3-, 5- and 9-story adjacent reinforced concrete and steel Moment Resisting Frames (MRFs) were considered to investigate...
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Music information retrieval—The impact of technology, crowdsourcing, big data, and the cloud in art.
PublicationThe exponential growth of computer processing power, cloud data storage, and crowdsourcing model of gathering data bring new possibilities to music information retrieval (mir) field. Mir is no longer music content retrieval only; the area also comprises the discovery of expressing feelings and emotions contained in music, incorporating other than hearing modalities for helping this issue, users’ profiling, merging music with social...
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Nondestructive methods complemented by FEM calculations in diagnostics of cracks in bridge approach pavement
PublicationNondestructive methods of road pavement diagnostics are an alternative to traditional approach to pavement failure investigation. The article presents a detailed multidisciplinary inspection carried out using ground-penetrating radar (GPR), laser scanning technology and finite element method (FEM) calculations. It was done in order to assess the factors that contributed to occurrence of premature cracks of a bridge approach pavement....
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Detection and Imaging of Debonding in Adhesive Joints of Concrete Beams Strengthened with Steel Plates Using Guided Waves and Weighted Root Mean Square
PublicationStrengthening of engineering structures is an important issue, especially for elements subjected to variable loads. In the case of concrete beams or slabs, one of the most popular approaches assumes mounting an external reinforcement in the form of steel or composite elements by structural adhesives. A significant disadvantage of adhesive joints is the lack of access to the adhesive film for visual condition assessment, thus, there...
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On Decomposition-Based Surrogate-Assisted Optimization of Leaky Wave Antenna Input Characteristics for Beam Scanning Applications
PublicationRecent years have witnessed a growing interest in reconfigurable antenna systems. Travelling wave antennas (TWAs) and leaky wave antennas (LWAs) are representative examples of structures featuring a great level of flexibility (e.g., straightforward implementation of beam scanning), relatively simple geometrical structure, low profile, and low fabrication cost. Notwithstanding, the design process of TWAs/LWAs is a challenging endeavor...
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Fabrication of La-Doped Bi4Ti3O12 Ceramics
PublicationLa-modified Bi4Ti3O12 is a typical ferroelectric, piezoelectric and electro-optic material, having relatively low coercive field, low dielectric constant, high Curie temperature and high breakdown strength. Goal of the present research was to apply mixed oxide method for fabrication of BiTLax ceramics, study its chemical composition, crystalline structure and microstructure. The compound BiTLax for x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 ceramic...
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Semi-transparent ordered TiO2 nanostructures prepared by anodization of titanium thin films deposited onto the FTO substrate
PublicationIn a significant amount of cases, the highly ordered TiO2nanotube arrays grow through anodic oxidationof a titanium metal plate immersed in electrolyte containing fluoride ions. However, for some practicalapplications, e.g. solar cells or electrochromic windows, the semi-transparent TiO2formed directly onthe transparent, conductive substrate is very much desired. This work shows that high-quality Ti coatingcould be formed at room...
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Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of carbon steel and ferritic and austenitic stainless steels in NaCl solutions and the effect of p-nitrophenyl phosphate disodium salt
PublicationThe microstructure and corrosion behavior of carbon steel (CSA516) and ferritic (SS410) and austenitic (SS304L) stainless steels were studied and compared. Corrosion tests were carried out in 0.5 M NaCl solutions. Rates of corrosion were monitored based on weight loss, Tafel extrapolation and linear polarization resistance (LPR) methods. Rates of corrosion were ranked following the order: CSA516 >> SS410 > SS304L. The impact of...
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Effect of processing parameters on the cyclic behaviour of aluminium friction stir welded to spark plasma sintered aluminium matrix composites with bimodal micro-and nano-sized reinforcing alumina particles
PublicationUnderstanding the cyclic behaviour of Alumina reinforced Aluminium composites (Al-A2O3) was of critical importance, for their further application in the different industrial sectors. The present study is focussing on the cyclic behaviour of the Al-Alumina nanocomposite produced through the combination of spark plasma sintering (SPS) method and friction stir welding (FSW). The added Alumina with total content of 10% is the combination...
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Fatigue fracture morphology of AISI H13 steel obtained by additive manufacturing
PublicationThe paper focuses on researching the effect of fatigue loading on metallic structure, lifetime, and fracture surface topographies in AISI H13 steel specimens obtained by selective laser melting (SLM). The topography of the fracture surfaces was measured over their entire area, according to the entire total area method, with an optical three-dimensional surface measurement system. The fatigue results of the SLM 3D printed steel...
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Hyperelastic Microcantilever AFM: Efficient Detection Mechanism Based on Principal Parametric Resonance
PublicationThe impetus of writing this paper is to propose an efficient detection mechanism to scan the surface profile of a micro-sample using cantilever-based atomic force microscopy (AFM), operating in non-contact mode. In order to implement this scheme, the principal parametric resonance characteristics of the resonator are employed, benefiting from the bifurcation-based sensing mechanism. It is assumed that the microcantilever is made...
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In vivo imaging of the human eye using a two-photon excited fluorescence scanning laser ophthalmoscope
PublicationBACKGROUND. Noninvasive assessment of metabolic processes that sustain regeneration of human retinal visual pigments (visual cycle) is essential to improve ophthalmic diagnostics and to accelerate development of new treatments to counter retinal diseases. Fluorescent vitamin A derivatives, which are the chemical intermediates of these processes, are highly sensitive to UV light; thus, safe analyses of these processes in humans...
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Utilizing pulse dynamics for non-invasive Raman spectroscopy of blood analytes
PublicationNon-invasive measurement methods offer great benefits in the field of medical diagnostics with molecular-specific techniques such as Raman spectroscopy which is increasingly being used for quantitative measurements of tissue biochemistry in vivo. However, some important challenges still remain for label-free optical spectroscopy to be incorporated into the clinical laboratory for routine testing. In particular, non-analyte-specific...
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INFLUENCE OF TIME ON THE BEARING CAPACITY OF PRECAST PILES
PublicationOne of the most popular types of foundations in layered subsoil with very differentiated soil shear strengths are precast piles. One of the reasons is a fact that we can well control the driving process during the installation of these piles. The principles of the assessment of bearing capacity and settlements of the piles given by Eurocode 7, concentrate on two main methods, i.e. Static Pile Load Tests (SPLT) and Dynamic Driving...
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Ce site dilution effects in the antiferromagnetic heavy fermion CeIn3
PublicationLa-doped intermetallic single crystals of Ce1−xLaxIn3 were synthesized via an In self-flux method throughout the entire range (x = 0–1). The prototypical heavy-fermion compound CeIn3 shows an antiferromagnetic phase transition at 10.1 K and becomes superconducting near a critical pressure where TN is completely suppressed. As the La concentration increases, Ce moments are diluted, and the lattice constant increases linearly, satisfying Vegard’s...
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Core–shell excitation of isoxazole at the C, N, and O K-edges – an experimental NEXAFS and theoretical TD-DFT study
PublicationThe near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra of the gas-phase isoxazole molecule have been measured by collecting total ion yields at the C, N, and O K-edges. The spectral structures have been interpreted using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) with the short-range corrected SRC2-BLYP exchange–correlation functional. Experimental and calculated energies of core excitations are generally in good...
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The topography of strontium–borate glasses and glass-ceramics containing nanocrystallites of Bi2VO5.5. measured with SEM method
Open Research DataThe topography of strontium–borate glasses and glass-ceramics containing nanocrystallites of Bi2VO5.5. was measured by SEM.
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Method of selective fading as a educational tool to study the behaviour of prestressed concrete elements under excess loading
PublicationPrestressed structures are a key to realization of the boldest architectural ideas, characteristic feature of prestressed structure is better use of concrete material properties by insertion of internal forces. Learning about pre-stressed reinforced concrete structures is an integral part of Graduate Studies Program in construction engineering. Know-how of geometry change patterns in prestressed concrete elements under certain...
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The optimization of enzyme immobilization at Au-Ti nanotextured platform and its impact onto the response towards glucose in neutral media
PublicationThe market of non-invasive glucose sensors is drastically growing due to increasing number of people suffering from diabetes. Therefore, there is a significant need for any improvement in the field of biosensors that can be used for monitoring glucose level in human body. In recent years the emphasis is put onto the modification of electrode material with enzymes possessing recognition centre specific towards particular molecules....
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Micro-cracking pattern recognition of hybrid CNTs/GNPs cement pastes under three-point bending loading using acoustic emission technique
PublicationThe generation of microcracks has an important influence on the behaviour of concrete structures. In this study, the acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to investigate the fracture phenomena and micro-cracking behavior of hybrid carbon nanotubes (CNTs, the 1-D allotrope of carbon atoms) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs, 2D monolayer of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms), cement composites under three-point bending loading. In...
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Assessment of unusual failure in crankshaft of heavy-duty truck engine
PublicationThe unusual premature failure of a heavy-duty truck engine crankshaft has been the subject of a rigorous study, and this manuscript describes it in detail. The failure was happened to begin with the growth of the crack from the surface defects, in the form of the clusters of non-metallic inclusions, in the lubrication hole zone of the first main journal, which was the stress concentration zone. A series of experiments including...
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Effects of full displacement pile installation on the stress and deformation state of surrounding soil: review
PublicationSeveral field and model tests have been conducted to investigate the impact of pile installation on bearing capacity. However, little is known about how piles behave during installation, how they interact with the surrounding soil, and how this affects sandy soil properties. This review paper investigates the effect of pile driving on surrounding sandy soil as it compacts sandy soil near to the pile. For this purpose, various related...
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Audio Feature Analysis for Precise Vocalic Segments Classification in English
PublicationAn approach to identifying the most meaningful Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients representing selected allophones and vocalic segments for their classification is presented in the paper. For this purpose, experiments were carried out using algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis, Feature Importance, and Recursive Parameter Elimination. The data used were recordings made within the ALOFON corpus containing audio signal...
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UWB Microstrip Antennas on a Cylindrical Surfaces
PublicationConformal antennas are becoming popular due to their many advantages and possibilities of applications they offer. The advantages of using antennas with a curved surface arise not only from the possibility of integrating them with the object on which they are mounted on but also from the increase, relatively to planar antennas, of their visible angular range. The circular antenna arrays, or arrays of radiators located on the surface...
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A Novel Ru(II) Polypyridine Black Dye Investigated by Resonance Raman Spectroscopy and TDDFT Calculations
PublicationThe optical properties of a new(bipyridine)2Ru(4H-imidazole) complex presenting a remarkablebroad absorption in the visible range are investigated. Thestrong overlap of the absorption with the solar radiationspectrum renders the studied complex promising as a blackabsorber and hence as a starting structure for applications inthe field of dye-sensitized solar cells. The correlations betweenstructural and electronic features for...
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The structure of strontium–borate glass-ceramics containing crystalites of Bi2VO5.5. measured with X-ray diffraction and SEM methods
Open Research DataThe structure of strontium–borate glass-ceramics containing Bi2VO5.5 crystallites was measured by XRD and SEM.
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Ionogel fibres of bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion-based ionic liquids for the headspace solid-phase microextraction of chlorinated organic pollutants
PublicationIonogels, a family of hybrid materials in which ionic liquids (ILs) are confined in a sol–gel network, are receiving much attention in a variety of scientific and technological fields. In this work, ionogels derived from three different ILs based on the anion bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI), namely 1-butyl- 3-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4C1Py][TFSI]), 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide...
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Structure and Stability Characterization of Natural Lake Pigments Made from Plant Extracts and Their Potential Application in Polymer Composites for Packaging Materials
PublicationNatural dyes were extracted from various plant sources and converted into lake pigments based on aluminum and tin. Three different plants (weld, Persian berries, and Brazilwood) were chosen as representative sources of natural dyes. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQ MS) were used to identify dyestuffs in the raw extracts. The natural dyes and lake pigments were further characterized...
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Insight into Potassium Vanadates as Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysts: Synthesis of V(IV)-Rich Nano/Microstructures for the Photodegradation of Methylene Blue
PublicationPhotocatalysis is regarded as a promising tool for wastewater remediation. In recent years, many studies have focused on investigating novel photocatalysts driven by visible light. In this study, K2V6O16·nH2O nanobelts and KV3O8 microplatelets were synthesized and investigated as photocatalysts. Samples were obtained via the facile method based on liquid-phase exfoliation with ion exchange. By changing the synthesis temperature...
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Corrosion Resistance and Surface Bioactivity of Ti6Al4V Alloy after Finish Turning under Ecological Cutting Conditions
PublicationThe influence of cooling conditions and surface topography after finish turning of Ti6Al4V titanium alloy on corrosion resistance and surface bioactivity was analyzed. The samples were machined under dry and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) conditions to obtain different surface roughness. The surface topographies of the processed samples were assessed and measured using an optical profilometer. The produced samples were subjected...
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Characterization of glucoamylase immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles
PublicationMagnetic support was prepared by precipitation from an alkaline solution of divalent and trivalent iron ions and subsequently was modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. FTIR analysis showed existence of a new Si-O-Fe bond in obtained particles. Scanning electronic microscopy images shows that the nanoparticles of all samples have particle size below 30 nm. Glucoamylase AMG 300L was immobilized onto the modified magnetic support...
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Evolution of Ag nanostructures created from thin films: UV–vis absorption and its theoretical predictions
PublicationAg-based plasmonic nanostructures were manufactured by thermal annealing of thin metallic films. Structure and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM images show that the formation of nanostructures is influenced by the initial layer thickness as well as the...