Artículos SCI

Abstract

This paper presents in a comprehensive way the thermal behavior of natural and hot-washed sisal fibers, based on the fundamental components of lignocellulosic materials: cellulose, xylan and lignin. The research highlights the influence exerted on the thermal stability of sisal fibers by other constituents such as non-cellulosic polysaccharides (NCP) and mineral matter.

Thermal changes were investigated by thermal X-ray diffraction (TXRD), analyzing the crystallinity index (%Ic) of cellulosic samples, and by simultaneous thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis coupled with Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometry (TG/DTA-FTIR), which allowed to examine the evolution of the main volatile compounds evolved during the degradation under inert and oxidizing atmospheres. The work demonstrates the potential of this technique to elucidate different steps during the thermal decomposition of sisal, providing extensible results to other lignocellulosic fibers, through the analysis of the evolution of CO2, CO, H2O, CH4, acetic acid, formic acid, methanol, formaldehyde and 2-butanone, and comparing it with the volatile products from pyrolysis of the biomass components. The hydroxyacetaldehyde detected during pyrolysis of sisal is indicative of an alternative route to that of levoglucosan, generated during cellulose pyrolysis.

Hot-washing at 75 °C mostly extracts non-cellulosic components of low decomposition temperature, and reduces the range of temperature in which sisal decomposition occurs, causing a retard in the pyrolysis stage and increasing TbNCP and TbCEL, temperatures at the maximum mass loss rate of non-cellulosic polysaccharides and cellulose decompositions, respectively. However, enriching sisal fibers in cellulose produces a decrease of TbCEL under an oxidizing atmosphere, and furthermore, a delay of the combustion process, displacing TbCOM to higher temperatures.

The results and findings of the paper would help further understanding of thermal processes where Agave fibers are involved, as the decomposition of their composites.

Abstract

An enhanced general analytical equation has been developed in order to evaluate the kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation of nanocomposites, composed of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and organo-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) nanoparticles. This improvement has consisted of replacing the n-order conversion function by a modified form of the Sestak–Berggren equation f(α) = c (1 − α)nαm that led to a better adjustment of experimental data and also adequately represented the conventional mechanisms for solid-state processes. The kinetic parameters so obtained have been compared to those determined by conventional differential and isoconversional methods. Given that the thermal degradation of PLA has been argued to be caused by random chain scission reactions of ester groups, the conversion function f(α) = L (L − 1)x(1 − x)L−1, corresponding to a random scission mechanism, has been tested. Once optimized the kinetic model, the thermal degradation kinetics of nanocomposites (0.5 and 2.5% of OMMT) was compared to that of the polymer matrix. Moreover, the thermal stability of nanocomposites was tested and compared to that of the polymer matrix.

Abstract

A unique combination of high-energy ball-milling, annealing, and spark-plasma sintering has been used to process superhard B4C ceramics with ultrafine-grained, dense microstructures from commercially available powders, without sintering additives. It was found that the ultrafine powder prepared by high-energy ball-milling is hardly at all sinterable, but that B2O3 removal by gentle annealing in Ar provides the desired sinterability. A parametric study was also conducted to elucidate the role of the temperature (1600–1800 °C), time (1–9 min), and heating ramp (100 or 200 °C/min) in the densification and grain growth, and thus to identify optimal spark-plasma sintering conditions (i.e., 1700 °C for 3 min with 100 °C/min) to densify completely (>98.5%) the B4C ceramics with retention of ultrafine grains (∼370 nm). Super-high hardness of ∼38 GPa without relevant loss of toughness (∼3 MPa m1/2) was thus achieved, attributable to the smaller grain size and to the transgranular fracture mode of the B4C ceramics.

Abstract

The oxidation resistance of CrAl(Y)N coatings deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on P92 steel substrates was tested at 650 °C in 100% steam atmosphere up to 2000 h of oxidation. Mass gain measurements and characterisation of coatings and scales after oxidation show the enhanced oxidation resistance provided by the coatings with respect to that of the substrate. The dominant influence of the film microstructure developed due to the presence of an adhesion interlayer of CrN at the coating/substrate interface over Y additions is evidenced. The best performance is achieved by a CrAlN dense coating of around 6 μm without adhesion interlayer.

Abstract

New biomaterials for Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR), both resorbable and non-resorbable, are being developed to stimulate bone tissue formation. Thus, the in vitro study of cell behavior towards material surface properties turns a prerequisite to assess both biocompatibility and bioactivity of any material intended to be used for clinical purposes. For this purpose, we have developed in vitro studies on normal human osteoblasts (HOB®) HOB® osteoblasts grown on a resorbable Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) membrane foil functionalized by a very thin film (around 15 nm) of TiO2 (i.e., TiO2/PLGA membranes), designed to be used as barrier membrane. To avoid any alteration of the membranes, the titanium films were deposited at room temperature in one step by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Characterization of the functionalized membranes proved that the thin titanium layer completely covers the PLGA foils that remains practically unmodified in their interior after the deposition process and stands the standard sterilization protocols. Both morphological changes and cytoskeletal reorganization, together with the focal adhesion development observed in HOB osteoblasts, significantly related to TiO2 treated PLGA in which the Ti deposition method described has revealed to be a valuable tool to increase bioactivity of PLGA membranes, by combining cell nanotopography cues with the incorporation of bioactive factors.

Abstract

The mechanical strength of three WC-Co grades was determined and compared under uniaxial and biaxial bending. Uniaxial four-point bending was conducted on bar-shaped specimens; biaxial testing was performed on discs using the ball-on-three-balls (B3B) method. Strength results were analysed within the frame of the Weibull theory. Differences in characteristic strength between uniaxial and biaxial bending were explained as an effect of the effective surface tested in each case. A higher Weibull modulus was obtained in one grade, independent of the testing method, which was related to its higher fracture toughness. The use and validity of the B3B biaxial test to determine the strength distribution of cemented carbides is discussed.

Abstract

We design a fully stable numerical solution of the Maxwell's equations with the transfer matrix method (TMM) to understand the interaction between an electromagnetic field and a finite, one-dimensional, non-periodic structure. Such an exact solution can be tailored from a conventional solution by choosing an adequate transformation between its reference systems, which induces a mapping between its associated TMMs. The paper demonstrates theoretically the numerical stability of the TMM for the exact solution within the framework of Maxwell's equations, but the same formalism can efficiently be applied to resolve other classical or quantum linear wave-propagation interaction in one, two, and three dimensions. This is because the formalism is exclusively built up for an in depth analysis of the TMM's symmetries.

Abstract

In this study, spinodal decomposition and precipitation mechanism of mechanically alloyed supersaturated Cu–3wt.%Cr and Cu–5wt.%Cr solid solutions was investigated under nonisothermal aging. Decomposition mechanism and kinetics were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Also, the microstructure was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Effect of Al2O3 reinforcement on the aging kinetics was also evaluated. It was found that Cu–3wt.%Cr and Cu–5wt.%Cr solid solutions undergo spinodal decomposition at initial stages of ageing. However, decomposition mechanism was changed to nucleation and growth by the aging progress. The aging kinetics for the Cu–Cr/Al2O3 composition appeared to be slightly faster than that for Cu–Cr, since the ageing activation energy is decreased in presence of Al2O3 nano-particles. This behavior is probably due to the higher dislocation density and other structural defects previously produced during ball milling. A detailed comparison of the DSC results with those obtained by TEM, showing good consistency, has been presented. The average size of Cr-rich precipitates was about 10 nm in the copper matrix.

Abstract

For many high-temperature applications, coatings are applied in order to protect structural materials against a wide range of different environments: oxidation, metal dusting, sulphidation, molten salts, steam, etc. The resistance achieved by the use of different kind of coatings, such as functionally graded material coatings, has been optimized with the latest designs. In the case of supercritical steam turbines, many attempts have been made in terms of micro-structural coatings design, mainly based on aluminides, and other diffusion coating systems in order to consider alternatives, nano-structured coatings based on Cr and Al compositions and deposited by a physical vapor deposition technique, were assessed to high-temperature oxidation resistance in steam environments. The oxidation kinetics where analyzed for up to 2,000 h at 650 °C by means of gravimetric measurements. The evaporation behavior was also analyzed by thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry. Excellent results where observed for some of the nano-structured coatings tested. Those results where compared to results obtained for micro-structured coatings. Based on that comparison, it was deduced that the nano-structured coatings have a potential application as protective systems in high-temperature steam environments.

Abstract

Hydrogen produced from the conversion of hydrocarbons or alcohols contains variable amounts of CO that should be removed for some applications such as feeding low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The CO preferential oxidation reaction (PROX) is particularly well-suited for hydrogen purification for portable and on-board applications. In this work, the synthesis and characterization by XRF, BET, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and H2-TPR of a gold catalyst supported on a copper−cerium mixed oxide (AuCeCu) for the PROX reaction are presented. The comparison of this catalyst with the copper–cerium mixed oxide (CeCu) revealed that the experimental procedure used for the deposition of gold gave rise to the loss of reducible material by copper lixiviation. However, the AuCeCu solid was more active for CO oxidation at low temperature. A kinetic study has been carried over the AuCeCu catalyst for the PROX reaction and compared with that of the CeCu catalyst. The main difference between the models affected the contribution of the CO adsorption term. This fact may be related to the surface electronic activity produced by the interaction of the cationic species in the AuCeCu solid, able to create more active sites for the CO adsorption and activation in the presence of gold.

Abstract

Several catalytic systems containing Ni/Mg/Al/Ce were synthesized from nitrates of Ni2+, Mg2+, Al3+ and Ce3+ cations with M2+/M3+ = 2 ratios by means of the carbonate co-precipitation method and subsequent calcination at 800 A degrees C. Atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, BET, temperature programmed reduction and scanning electron microscopy were used in order to describe the structural, morphological and surface characteristics of the solids completely. The effect of substitution/incorporation of Al by Ce and/or Mg on NiAl sample was studied. XRD analyses confirm that on Al-containing samples (NiAl, NiMgAl), the formation of the precursors layered double hydroxide structure. On the other hand, on cerium containing samples (NiCe, NiMgCe), poorly resolved diffractograms were observed what can be explained by the large radius of cerium. The catalysts were evaluated in the reaction of CO2 reforming of methane at 750 A degrees C. NiCe and NiMgAl catalysts exhibit higher activity and a H-2/CO ratio of almost 1. NiAl and NiMgCe samples showed lower conversions and a CH4/CO2 ratio < 1, indicating the occurrence of reverse water gas shift reaction.

Abstract

This work reports the low temperature plasma formation of Ag@TiO2 nanorods (NRs) on processable substrates. The layers have been analyzed by electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The NRs morphologies suggest that the plasma sheath, the high mobility of the silver and the incoming direction of the precursor moieties are key factors determining their shape, dimensions, and tilting orientation. Both amorphous and anatase Ag@TiO2 NRs surfaces are superhydrophobic, and turn into superhydrophilic by irradiation with UV light. This wetting behavior is discussed by considering the water penetration in the inter-NR space during the light-mediated transformation.

Abstract

Bone loss is still a major problem in orthopedics. The purpose of this experimental study is to evaluate the safety and regenerative potential of a new scaffold based on a bio-ceramization process for bone regeneration in long diaphyseal defects in a sheep model. The scaffold was obtained by transformation of wood pieces into porous biomorphic silicon carbide (BioSiC®). The process enabled the maintenance of the original wood microstructure, thus exhibiting hierarchically organized porosity and high mechanical strength. To improve cell adhesion and osseointegration, the external surface of the hollow cylinder was made more bioactive by electrodeposition of a uniform layer of collagen fibers that were mineralized with biomimetic hydroxyapatite, whereas the internal part was filled with a bio-hybrid HA/collagen composite. The final scaffold was then implanted in the metatarsus of 15 crossbred (Merinos-Sarda) adult sheep, divided into 3 groups: scaffold alone, scaffold with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) augmentation, and scaffold with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) added during implantation. Radiological analysis was performed at 4, 8, 12 weeks, and 4 months, when animals were sacrificed for the final radiological, histological, and histomorphometric evaluation. In all tested treatments, these analyses highlighted the presence of newly formed bone at the bone scaffolds' interface. Although a lack of substantial effect of PRP was demonstrated, the scaffold+BMSC augmentation showed the highest value of bone-to-implant contact and new bone growth inside the scaffold. The findings of this study suggest the potential of bio-ceramization processes applied to vegetable hierarchical structures for the production of wood-derived bone scaffolds, and document a suitable augmentation procedure in enhancing bone regeneration, particularly when combined with BMSCs.

Abstract

Er-doped BiVO4 are synthesized by means of a surfactant free microwave assisted hydrothermal method having good photoactivities under sun-like excitation for the degradation of methylene blue. From the structural and morphological characterization, it has been stated that the presence of Er3+ induces a slight stabilization of the tetragonal phase, probably due to its incorporation in the BiVO4 lattice. The best photocatalytic performances were attained for the samples with Er3+ content higher than 3 at%. The occurrence of the Er3+ doped tetragonal BiVO4 clearly induces higher photocatalytic activities. The existence of a luminescence process has been related with the enhanced photoactivity observed.

Abstract

A panchromatic specular reflector based dye solar cell is presented herein. Photovoltaic performance of this novel design is compared to that of cells in which standard diffuse scattering layers are integrated. The capability of the proposed multilayer structures to both emulate the broad band reflection of diffuse scattering layers of standard thickness (around 5 microns) and give rise to similarly high light harvesting and power conversion efficiencies, yet preserving the transparency of the device, is demonstrated. Such white light reflectors are comprised of stacks of different porous optical multilayers, each one displaying a strong reflection in a complementary spectral range, and are designed to leave transmittance unaltered in a narrow red-frequency range in which the sensitized electrode shows negligible absorption, thus allowing us to see through the cell. The reflectance bandwidth achieved is three times as broad as the largest bandwidth previously achieved using any photonic structure integrated into a dye solar cell.

Abstract

Pt-TiO2/g-C3N4-MnOx hybrid structures are synthesized by means of a simple impregnation method of Pt-TiO2 and g-C3N4-MnOx. From the wide structural and surface characterization we have stated that TiO2/g-C3N4 composites are formed by an effective covering of g-C3N4 by TiO2. The modification of composite by Pt and/or MnOx leads to improved photoactivities for phenol degradation reaction. Moreover, enhanced photoactivities have been obtained for composites systems for H2 evolution reaction. The notably photocatalytic performance obtained was related with the efficient separation of charge pairs in this hybrid heterostructure.

Abstract

Ternary erbium doped BiVO4/TiO2 complexes are synthesized by means of a simple impregnation method with good photoactivities under sun-like excitation for the degradation of phenol. From the structural and morphological characterization it has been stated that the presence of Er3+ induces a slight stabilization of the tetragonal phase probably due to its incorporation in the BiVO4 lattice. Therefore a ternary heterostructured material has been obtained. The best photocatalytic performance was attained for the samples with 1 wt% of Er3+-doped BiVO4 content with respect to TiO2. The occurrence of a complex structural mixture with the adequate band position leads to effective charge pair separation which induces higher photocatalytic activities.

Abstract

The optical gas sensing properties of Zn-(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(3-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (m-ZnTCPP) and Zn-(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (p-ZnTCPP) bound to microcolumnar TiO2 thin films have been compared and explained in terms of their different molecular structure and anchoring to the titania surface. This different binding has been confirmed by specular reflectance FTIR revealing that m-ZnTCPP is bound by its four carboxylic groups in contrast to p-ZnTCPP where two or three of these groups remain unanchored. As a consequence, the Soret band of the para derivative is blue shifted with respect to the solution, indicating H aggregation, while m-ZnTCPP remained in its monomeric form due to the planar anchoring by the four COOH groups to the titania matrix that would avoid porphyrin aggregation. The sensing performance of the two systems has been assessed by analyzing the spectral changes in their UV-visible spectra under exposure to six volatile organic compounds. Although the highly porous and non-dispersive TiO2 matrix allow good sensing ability in both cases, the response of the m-ZnTCPP/TiO2 composite has been found to be more intense and faster than that of p-ZnTCPP. Moreover, the use of identification patterns also indicates that the meta derivative achieves a more selective recognition of the selected analytes. This improvement in the sensing capabilities of m-ZnTCPP has been attributed to the absence of aggregation between adjacent macrocycles.

Abstract

This paper reports a systematic analysis of the mechanical properties of nanocolumnar TiO2 thin films prepared by evaporation at a glancing geometry. A systematic study of the mechanical properties is carried out by comparing the hardness and the Young's modulus determined by nanoindentation for thin films prepared at different deposition angles and characterized by a tilted nanocolumnar structure and others where the nanocolumns are perpendicular to the substrate or are arranged as zig-zag stacked layers. A correlation between mechanical properties and glazing angle geometry is proposed. Differences in the results are discussed in view of the cross section images obtained by focused ion beam and of the deformed areas. Zig-zagged layers present lower values of hardness and Young's modulus due to the collapse of the angles of the columns, but at the same time this configuration impedes the appearance of fracture or delamination, as observed for tilted columns.