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Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 7886

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Bogdan Stefan Vasile

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Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: inorganic materials; re-generating (raw) materials; end-of-life products; innovative bionanomaterials; transmission electron microscopy
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Dr. Adrian Ionut NICOARA

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National Research Center for Micro and Nanomaterials, Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and nanomaterials, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, POLITEHNICA University of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: binders materials science; geopolymer materials; alkalie-activated materials; cement physical and chemical characterization techniques; end-of-life materials; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Otilia Ruxandra Vasile

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Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: micro and nanostructured materials; biocompatibility; structural characterization, toxicity; in vitro and in vivo testing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interdisciplinary field of materials science has tremendously advanced over the years, with a key turning point marked by the downscaling of bulk materials to micro and nanomaterials. This great advance has allowed for the discovery of novel materials with structures and properties that are highly different than those of their bulk counterparts. Moreover, a plethora of advanced and multipurpose applications were brought to the scientific and industrial attention, which have considerably revolutionized the world as we currently know. In this context, the field of micro and nanomaterials is facing a constant expansion, with novel synthesis routes and characterization methods constantly being developed.

Thus, the aim of this Special Issue on “Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science” is to collect the most recent and comprehensive manuscripts on the topic of micro and nanomaterials, with a special emphasis on the most advanced synthesis and characterization methods and their associated applications.

Dr. Bogdan Stefan Vasile
Dr. Adrian Ionut NICOARA
Dr. Otilia Ruxandra Vasile
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

micro and nanomaterials
advance characterization of materials
synthesis route
applications of nano and micro materials
new materials and biomaterials
binders
composite

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 20661 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Diopside/Akermanite Ceramics with Prospective Tissue Engineering Applications

by Adrian Ionut Nicoara, Andrada Elena Alecu, Gabriel-Costin Balaceanu, Eliza Maria Puscasu, Bogdan Stefan Vasile and Roxana Trusca

Materials 2023, 16(16), 5548; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16165548 - 9 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1174

Abstract

Tissue engineering requires new materials that can be used to replace damaged bone parts. Since hydroxyapatite, currently widely used, has low mechanical resistance, silicate ceramics can represent an alternative. The aim of this study was to obtain porous ceramics based on diopside (CaMgSi₂O₆) and akermanite (Ca₂MgSi₂O₇) obtained at low sintering temperatures. The powder synthesized by the sol-gel method was pressed in the presence of a porogenic agent represented by commercial sucrose in order to create the desired porosity. The ceramic bodies obtained after sintering thermal treatment at 1050 °C and 1250 °C, respectively, were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the chemical composition. The open porosity was situated between 32.5 and 34.6%, and the compressive strength had a maximum value of 11.4 MPa for the samples sintered at 1250 °C in the presence of a 20% wt porogenic agent. A cell viability above 70% and the rapid development of an apatitic phase layer make these materials good candidates for use in hard tissue engineering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science)

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17 pages, 6183 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Waste Glass Valorization as Raw Material in the Production of Portland Clinker and Cement

by Alina Bădănoiu, Adriana Moanță, Ovidiu Dumitrescu, Adrian Ionuț Nicoară and Roxana Trușcă

Materials 2022, 15(20), 7403; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15207403 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1326

Abstract

The paper presents experimental results regarding the synthesis of Portland clinker starting from raw mixes based on two types of clayey precursors, i.e., clay and marl (the most common types of raw materials used in the cement industry), with and without glass waste content. The soda-lime glass waste addition (5.36–5.59 wt %), used to control the silica ratio of the raw mix, improved the raw mix burnability and decreased the calcination temperature (by 20 °C), leading to a decrease in fuel consumption and contributing to the reduction in CO₂ emissions associated with clinker and cement production. The clinkers obtained by the calcination of raw mixes with glass waste content at 1430 °C with a 30 min plateau had a similar mineralogical composition and microstructure to the clinkers obtained from the reference raw mixes and fulfilled the requirements of the specific standard EN 197-1. The obtained clinkers were used to produce two types of Portland cement, i.e., a unitary cement (CEM I) and a binary blended cement with slag (CEM II/B-S). The main characteristics of these cements, i.e., loss on ignition, insoluble residue, sulfate and chloride contents, as well as the setting time and soundness, meet the conditions stipulated in the EN 197-1 standard. The values of compressive strength, assessed on mortars after 2, 7 and 28 days of curing, allow the classification of all CEM I cements in the 42.5 R class. In the case of CEM II/B-S cements, those obtained from raw mixes with clay can be classified in the 42.5 N class, while those obtained from raw mixes with marl are classified in the 32.5 R class. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science)

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16 pages, 6515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of Porous Forsterite Ceramics with Prospective Tissue Engineering Applications

by Andrada Elena Alecu, Gabriel-Costin Balaceanu, Adrian Ionut Nicoara, Ionela Andreea Neacsu and Cristina Busuioc

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6942; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196942 - 6 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1450

Abstract

Due to the urgent need to develop and improve biomaterials, the present article proposes a new strategy to obtain porous scaffolds based on forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄) for bone tissue regeneration. The main objective is to restore and improve bone function, providing a stable environment for regeneration. The usage of magnesium silicate relies on its mechanical properties being superior to hydroxyapatite and, in general, to calcium phosphates, as well as its high biocompatibility, and antibacterial properties. Mg₂SiO₄ powder was obtained using the sol-gel method, which was calcinated at 800 °C for 2 h; then, part of the powder was further used to make porous ceramics by mixing it with a porogenic agent (e.g., sucrose). The raw ceramic bodies were subjected to two sintering treatments, at 1250 or 1320 °C, and the characterization results were discussed comparatively. The porogenic agent did not influence the identified phases or the samples’ crystallinity and was efficiently removed during the heat treatment. Moreover, the effect of the porogenic agent no longer seems significant after sintering at 1250 °C; the difference in porosity between the two ceramics was negligible. When analysing the in vitro cytotoxicity of the samples, the ones that were porous and treated at 1320 °C showed slightly better cell viability, with the cells appearing to adhere more easily to their surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science)

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19 pages, 6773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement in Thermal Storage Effectiveness of Paraffin with Addition of Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles

by Dawit Gudeta Gunjo, Vinod Kumar Yadav, Devendra Kumar Sinha, Mohamed Abdelghany Elkotb, Gulam Mohammed Sayeed Ahmed, Nazia Hossain and Mostafa A. H. Abdelmohimen

Materials 2022, 15(13), 4427; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15134427 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1657

Abstract

The output of the latent heat storage devices (LHSDs), based on some phase change materials (PCMs), depends upon the thermophysical properties of the phase change material used. In this study, a paraffin-based nanofluid, blended with aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles, is used as PCM for performance evaluation. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model of regenerative type shell-and-tube LHSD is prepared using COMSOL Multiphysics^® 4.3a software to estimate the percentage of melt and the average temperature of the analyzed nanofluids. The results of this study are in close agreement with those reported in the literature, thereby ensuring the validation of the numerically predicted results. The effects of adding the nanoparticles on the rate of melting, as well as solidification and rate of stored/liberated energy, are studied. The results revealed that, by adding 10% nanoparticles of Al₂O₃, the melting rate of pure-paraffin-based LHSD improved by about 2.25 times. In addition, the rate of solidification was enhanced by 1.8 times. On the other hand, the heat of fusion and specific heat capacities were reduced, which, in turn, reduced the latent and sensible heat-storing capabilities. From the outcomes of the present research, it can be inferred that combining LHSD with a solar water heater may be used in technologies such as biogas generation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science)

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Review

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16 pages, 2455 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Current Status of the Open-Circuit Voltage of Kesterite CZTS Absorber Layers for Photovoltaic Applications—Part I, a Review

by Iulian Boerasu and Bogdan Stefan Vasile

Materials 2022, 15(23), 8427; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238427 - 26 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1366

Abstract

Herein, based on the reviewed literature, the current marketability challenges faced by kesterite CZTS based-solar cells is addressed. A knowledge update about the attempts to reduce the open circuit voltage deficit of kesterite CZTS solar cells will be addressed, with a focus on the impact of Cu/Zn order/disorder and of Se doping. This review also presents the strengths and weaknesses of the most commercially attractive synthesis methods for synthesizing thin kesterite CZTS films for photovoltaic applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization and Multipurpose Applications of Advanced Micro and Nanomaterials Used in Life and Materials Science)

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