Unimpeded permeation of water through biocidal graphene oxide sheets anchored on to 3D porous polyolefinic membranes

3D porous membranes were developed by etching one of the phases (here PEO, polyethylene oxide) from melt-mixed PE/PEO binary blends. Herein, we have systematically discussed the development of these membranes using X-ray micro-computed tomography. The 3D tomograms of the extruded strands and hot-pressed samples revealed a clear picture as to how the morphology develops and coarsens over a function of time during post-processing operations like compression molding. The coarsening of PE/PEO blends was traced using X-ray micro-computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of annealed blends at different times. It is now understood from X-ray micro-computed tomography that by the addition of a compatibilizer (here lightly maleated PE), a stable morphology can be visualized in 3D. In order to anchor biocidal graphene oxide sheets onto these 3D porous membranes, the PE membranes were chemically modified with acid/ethylene diamine treatment to anchor the GO sheets which were further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface Raman mapping. The transport properties through the membrane clearly reveal unimpeded permeation of water which suggests that anchoring GO on to the membranes does not clog the pores. Antibacterial studies through the direct contact of bacteria with GO anchored PE membranes resulted in 99% of bacterial inactivation. The possible bacterial inactivation through physical disruption of the bacterial cell wall and/or reactive oxygen species (ROS) is discussed herein. Thus this study opens new avenues in designing polyolefin based antibacterial 3D porous membranes for water purification.

Ab initio pair potentials at metal-ceramic interfaces

A systematic approach is proposed to obtain the interfacial interatomic potentials. By inverting ab initio adhesive energy curves for the metal-MgO ceramic interfaces, We derive interfacial potentials between Ag and O2-, Ag and Mg2+, Al and O2-, Al and Mg2+. The interfacial potentials, obtained from this method, demonstrate general features of bondings between metal atoms and ceramic ions.

Microscale mechanics for metal thin film delamination along ceramic substrates

The metal thin film delamination along metal/ceramic interface in the case of large scale yielding is studied by employing the strain gradient plasticity theory and the material microscale effects are considered. Two different fracture process models are used in this study to describe the nonlinear delamination phenomena for metal thin films. A set of experiments have been done on the mechanism of copper films delaminating from silica substrates, based on which the peak interface separation stress and the micro-length scale of material, as well as the dislocation-free zone size are predicted.

3D thermo-electro-mechanical simulations of gas sensors based on SOI membranes

3D thermo-electro-mechanical device simulations are presented of a novel fully CMOS-compatible MOSFET gas sensor operating in a SOI membrane. A comprehensive stress analysis of a Si-SiO2-based multilayer membrane has been performed to ensure a high degree of mechanical reliability at a high operating temperature (e.g. up to 400°C). Moreover, optimisation of the layout dimensions of the SOI membrane, in particular the aspect ratio between the membrane length and membrane thickness, has been carried out to find the best trade-off between minimal device power consumption and acceptable mechanical stress.

Design and coupled-effect simulations of CMOS micro gas-sensors built on SOI thin membranes

This paper describes coupled-effect simulations of smart micro gas-sensors based on standard BiCMOS technology. The smart sensor features very low power consumption, high sensitivity and potential low fabrication cost achieved through full CMOS integration. For the first time the micro heaters are made of active CMOS elements (i.e. MOSFET transistors) and embedded in a thin SOI membrane consisting of Si and SiO2 thin layers. Micro gas-sensors such as chemoresistive, microcalorimeteric and Pd/polymer gate FET sensors can be made using this technology. Full numerical analyses including 3D electro-thermo-mechanical simulations, in particular stress and deflection studies on the SOI membranes are presented. The transducer circuit design and the post-CMOS fabrication process, which includes single sided back-etching, are also reported.

The fracture energy of metal fibre reinforced ceramic composites (MFCs)

A model is presented for prediction of the fracture energy of ceramic-matrix composites containing dispersed metallic fibres. It is assumed that the work of fracture comes entirely from pull-out and/or plastic deformation of fibres bridging the crack plane. Comparisons are presented between these predictions and experimental measurements made on a commercially-available composite material of this type, containing stainless steel (304) fibres in a matrix predominantly comprising alumina and alumino-silicate phases. Good agreement is observed, and it's noted that there is scope for the fracture energy levels to be high (~20kJm-2). Higher toughness levels are both predicted and observed for coarser fibres, up to a practical limit for the fibre diameter of the order of 0.5mm. Other deductions are also made concerning strategies for optimisation of the toughness of this type of material. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Damage development in an armor ceramic under quasi-static indentation

The objective of the present study is to assess the capabilities of a recently developed mechanism-based model for inelastic deformation and damage in structural ceramics. In addition to conventional lattice plasticity, the model accounts for microcrack growth and coalescence as well as granular flow following comminution. The assessment is made through a coupled experimental/computational study of the indentation response of a commercial armor ceramic. The experiments include examinations of subsurface damage zones along with measurements of residual surface profiles and residual near-surface stresses. Extensive finite element computations are conducted in parallel. Comparisons between experiment and simulation indicate that the most discriminating metric in the assessment is the spatial extent of subsurface damage following indentation. Residual stresses provide additional validation. In contrast, surface profiles of indents are dictated largely by lattice plasticity and thus provide minimal additional insight into the inelastic deformation resulting from microcracking or granular flow. A satisfactory level of correlation is obtained using property values that are either measured directly or estimated from physically based arguments, without undue reliance on adjustable (nonphysical) parameters. © 2011 The American Ceramic Society.

Growth Mechanism And Corrosion Behavior Of Ceramic Coatings On Aluminum Produced By Autocontrol Ac Pulse Peo

Ceramic coatings are produced on aluminum alloy by autocontrol AC pulse Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) with stabilized average current. Transient signal gathering system is used to study the current, voltage, and the transient wave during the PEO process. SEM, OM, XRD and EDS are used to study the coatings evolution of morphologies, composition and structure. TEM is used to study the micro profile of the outer looser layer and inner compact layer. Polarization test is used to study the corrosion property of PEO coatings in NaCl solution. According to the test results, AC pulse PEO process can be divided into four stages with different aspects of discharge phenomena, voltage and current. The growth mechanism of AC PEO coating is characterized as anodic reaction and discharge sintering effect. PEO coating can increase the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy by one order or two; however, too long process time is not necessarily needed to increase the corrosion resistance. In condition of this paper, PEO coating at 60 min is the most protective coating for aluminum alloy substrate. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.

Interface Fracture Property Of Peo Ceramic Coatings On Aluminum Alloy

This paper combines the four-point bending test, SEM and finite element method to study the interface fracture property of PEO coatings on aluminum alloy. The interface failure mode of the coating on the compression side is revealed. The ceramic coating crack firstly along the 45 degrees to the interface, then the micro crack in the coating deduces the interface crack. The plastic deformation observed by SEM shows excellent adhesion property between the coating and substrate. The plastic deformation in the substrate is due to the interfacial crack extension, so the interface crack mode of PEO coatings is ductile crack. The results of FEM show that the compression strength is about 600 MPa. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peeling Experiments Of Ductile Thin Films Along Ceramic Substrates - Critical Assessment Of Analytical Models

Two types of peeling experiments are performed in the present research. One is for the Al film/Al2O3 substrate system with an adhesive layer between the film and the substrate. The other one is for the Cu film/Al2O3 substrate system without adhesive layer between the film and the substrate, and the Cu films are electroplated onto the Al2O3 substrates. For the case with adhesive layer, two kinds of adhesives are selected, which are all the mixtures of epoxy and polyimide with mass ratios 1:1.5 and 1:1, respectively. The relationships between energy release rate, the film thickness and the adhesive layer thickness are measured during the steady-state peeling process. The effects of the adhesive layer on the energy release rate are analyzed. Using the experimental results, several analytical criteria for the steady-state peeling based on the bending model and on the two-dimensional finite element analysis model are critically assessed. Through assessment of analytical models, we find that the cohesive zone criterion based on the beam bend model is suitable for a weak interface strength case and it describes a macroscale fracture process zone case, while the two-dimensional finite element model is effective to both the strong interface and weak interface, and it describes a small-scale fracture process zone case. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.