Materials, Volume 9, Issue 1

The editors of Materials would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2015. [...]

The opportunity for substantial efficiency enhancements of thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar photovoltaic (PV) cells using plasmonic absorbers requires ultra-thin transparent conducting oxide top electrodes with low resistivity...

The aim of the study was the evaluation of gamma irradiation and electron beams for sterilization of porous scaffolds with shape memory behavior obtained from biodegradable terpolymers: poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide-co-trimethylene carbonate) and poly(...

The detection of military high explosives and illicit drugs presents problems of paramount importance in the fields of counter terrorism and criminal investigation. Effectively dealing with such threats requires hand-portable, mobile and affordable i...

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite has proved to be a superior material for photovoltaic solar cells. In this work we investigate the parameters influencing the growth of ZnO nanowires (NWs) for use as an efficient low temperature photoanode in pero...

The application of thermal energy storage with phase change materials (PCMs) for energy efficiency of buildings grew rapidly in the last few years. In this research, octadecane paraffin was served as a PCM, and a structural concrete with the function...

Dense and crack-free barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BTO) thin films with a thickness of less than 4 μm were prepared by using sub-micrometric scale, layer-by-layer electrohydrodynamic jet (E-jet) deposition of the suspension ink which is composed of BTO na...

In this paper, the comparison of cyclic hysteresis behavior between cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) has been investigated. The interface slip between fibers and the matrix existed in the matrix cracking mode 3 and mode 5,...

Bioactive glass (BG), a potential biomaterial, has received increasing attention since the discovery of its superior bioactivity. One of the main research objectives is to improve the bioactive property of BGs; therefore, surfactant-derived mesoporou...

The combination of nanotechnology, biology, and bioengineering greatly improved the developments of nanomaterials with unique functions and properties. Biomolecules as the nanoscale building blocks play very important roles for the final formation of...

Metallic auxetic metamaterials are of great potential to be used in many applications because of their superior mechanical performance to elastomer-based auxetic materials. Due to the limited knowledge on this new type of materials under large plasti...

The crystal structure, electronic structure and optical properties of SmTaO₄ were identified through an experimental method and first principles calculation. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and a spectrophotometer were used to characterize the crystal...

The regeneration and integration of multiple tissue types is critical for efforts to restore the function of musculoskeletal complex. In particular, the neogenesis of periodontal constructs for systematic tooth-supporting functions is a current chall...

The magnitude of the thermal stresses that originate in an acrylic-based repair material used for the reprofiling of natural sandstone is analyzed. This kind of artificial stone was developed in the late 1970s for its peculiar property of reversibili...

This paper aims to contribute to acoustical comfort in buildings by presenting a study about the polymer waste micronized poly (ethylene vinyl acetate) (EVA) to be used in mortars for impact sound insulation in subfloor systems. The evaluation method...

This short Feature Article reviews electric stimuli-responsive polymer/clay nanocomposites with respect to their fabrication, physical characteristics and electrorheological (ER) behaviors under applied electric fields when dispersed in oil. Their st...

In this work, biotin surface functionalized hydrophilic non-water-soluble biocompatible poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers are created for their potential use as biosensors. Varying concentrations of biotin (up to 18 weight total percent (wt %)) were...

A new white-light-emitting molecule (1) was synthesized and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, high resolution mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma, with a = 12.6814(6),...

In this study, we examined whether porcine articular cartilage (PAC) is a suitable and effective anti-adhesive material. PAC, which contained no non-collagenous tissue components, was collected by mechanical manipulation and decellularization of porc...

Biodegradable nanocomposite films were prepared by incorporation of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) into alginate biopolymer using the solution casting method. The effects of CNF content (2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 wt %) on mechanical, biodegradability and s...

Epitaxial multiferroic BaTiO₃-BiFeO₃ composite thin films exhibit a correlation between the magnetoelectric (ME) voltage coefficient α_ME and the oxygen partial pressure during growth. The ME coefficient α_ME reaches high values up to 43 V/(cm·Oe) at 3...

The present study was performed on A356 alloy [Al-7 wt %Si 0.0.35 wt %Mg]. To that La and Ce were added individually or combined up to 1.5 wt % each. The results show that these rare earth elements affect only the alloy melting temperature with no ma...

In this paper, the top-contact (TC) pentacene-based organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) with a tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F₄TCNQ)-doped pentacene interlayer between the source/drain electrodes and the pentacene channel layer were fabricated...

We report a study on the biocompatibility vs. thickness in the case of titanium nitride (TiN) films synthesized on 410 medical grade stainless steel substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The films were grown in a nitrogen atmosphere, and their in vi...

The distribution of fiber orientation is an important factor in determining the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced concrete. This study proposes a new image analysis technique for improving the evaluation accuracy of fiber orientation distribu...

Hydroforging is a hybrid forming operation whereby a thick tube is formed to a desired geometry by combining forging and hydroforming principles. Through this process hollow structures with high strength-to-weight ratio can be produced for applicatio...

This in vitro study investigated whether different storage conditions of plasma-treated zirconia specimens affect the shear bond strength of veneering porcelain. Zirconia plates were treated with a non-thermal atmospheric argon plasma (200 W, 600 s)....

Magnetic tunnel junction nanopillar with interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA-MTJ) becomes a promising candidate to build up spin transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) for the next generation of non-volatile memory as...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial properties of multifunctional nanocomposites based on poly(dl-Lactide-co-Glycolide) (PLGA) and increasing concentration of silver (Ag) nanoparticles and their effects on cell viability fo...

Three-dimensional vision has acquired great importance in the audiovisual industry in the past ten years. Despite this, the first generation of autostereoscopic displays failed to generate enough consumer excitement. Some reasons are little 3D conten...

This work presents a study on the preparation of plasma-polymerized aniline (pPANI) nanofibers and nanoparticles by an intense plasma cloud type atmospheric pressure plasma jets (iPC-APPJ) device with a single bundle of three glass tubes. The nano si...

Long cycle performance is a crucial requirement in energy storage devices. New formulations and/or improvement of “conventional” materials have been investigated in order to achieve this target. Here we explore the performance of a novel type of carb...

The influence of the thickness of the nanostructured, mesoporous TiO₂ film on several parameters determining the performance of a dye-sensitized solar cell is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. We pay special attention to the effect...

A series of aminopropyl-functionalized silica nanoparticles were prepared through a basic two step sol-gel process in water. Prior to being aminopropyl-functionalized, silica particles with an average diameter of 549 nm were prepared from tetraethyl...

The buckling of graphene sheets on substrates can significantly degrade their performance in materials and devices. Therefore, a systematic investigation on the buckling behavior of monolayer graphene sheet/substrate systems is carried out in this pa...

Increasing urbanization and industrialization lead to the release of metals into the biosphere, which has become a serious issue for public health. In this paper, the direct electrochemical reduction of zinc ions is studied using electrochemically re...

The threat of thermal fatigue is an increasing concern for thermal power plant operators due to the increasing tendency to adopt “two-shifting” operating procedures. Thermal plants are likely to remain part of the energy portfolio for the foreseeable...

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a naturally occurring polymer, which due to its biodegradable, non-toxic and non-immunogenic properties has been used successfully in the food, medical and wastewater industries. A major hurdle in bacteriophage applica...

Magnetic polymersomes were prepared by self-assembly of the amphiphilic block copolymer poly(isoprene-b-N-isopropylacrylamide) with monodisperse hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION). The specifically designed thermoresponsiv...

Pyrrole monomer was chemically polymerized onto SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂ powders to obtain SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂/polypyrrole nanocomposite to be used as a candidate for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye (MB). The material was characterized by Fourier tra...

An increasing interest in lightweight metallic foams for automotive, aerospace, and other applications has been observed in recent years. This is mainly due to the weight reduction that can be achieved using foams and for their mechanical energy abso...

The literature shows that inorganic phase change materials (PCM) have been very seldom microencapsulated, so this study aims to contribute to filling this research gap. Bischofite, a by-product from the non-metallic industry identified as having good...

In hybrid carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)/Ti machining, the bi-material interface is the weakest region vulnerable to severe damage formation when the tool cutting from one phase to another phase and vice versa. The interface delamination as w...

The surface properties of metallic implants play an important role in their clinical success. Improving upon the inherent shortcomings of Ti implants, such as poor bioactivity, is imperative for achieving clinical use. In this study, we have develope...

Biopolymers are viewed as effective and eco-friendly agents in soil modification. This study focuses on the wettability analysis of polyacrylamide (PAM) solutions for soil remediation. The contact angle, surface tension, and viscosity of PAM solution...

First principles calculations have been performed to energetically investigate the helium cluster nucleation, formation and growth behavior in the nano-structured ferritic alloy 14YWT. The helium displays strong affinity to the oxygen:vacancy (O:Vac)...

Several samples of activated carbon were prepared by physical (CO₂) and chemical (H₃PO₄) activation of aspen wood and tested for the adsorption of organic compounds from water generated during the recovery of bitumen using steam assisted gravity drai...

Optical and magneto-optical properties of amorphous Gd₂₂Fe₇₈ (GdFe) thin films prepared by direct current (DC) sputtering on thermally oxidized substrates were characterized by the combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry and magneto-optical spectro...

In this study, an MA957 oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloy was irradiated with high-energy ions in the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System. Fe ions at an energy of 84 MeV bombarded MA957 tensile specimens, creating a damage region ~7.5 μm...

Liver cancer or hepatic cancer is a cancer that originates in the liver. It is formed from either the liver itself or from structures within the liver, including blood vessels or the bile duct. Liver cancer can be a life-threatening condition, but it...