Search Results (204)

Coastal saline soils are vulnerable to degradation under repeated wetting–drying (W–D) exposure, while conventional inorganic stabilizers are associated with high energy consumption and environmental burdens. To address this issue, an environmentally friendly ternary stabilization system consisting of local sandy silt, low-dose cement, and xanthan gum (XG) at different dosages was developed, with emphasis on the particle-scale coating effect of hydrated XG. Accelerated laboratory W–D cycling (0–20 cycles), direct shear tests, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, binary-image crack analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to evaluate the effects of W–D cycling and XG dosage (0%–2.0%) on mechanical properties, interfacial bonding, surface deterioration, and microstructural evolution. An optimum XG dosage of 1.5% was identified. Before W–D cycling, the UCS of the 1.5% XG group reached 1005.4 kPa, 94.9% higher than that of the 0% XG control. After 20 W–D cycles, the 1.5% XG group exhibited a mass loss rate of 3.7%, a crack ratio below 4.3%, and a compressive strength retention of 83.8%, whereas the 0% XG control showed more pronounced mass loss and strength degradation. The XG coating limited water and salt migration and provided flexible interparticle bridging that mitigated shrinkage-induced stress concentration. FE-SEM observations further indicated that XG and cement hydration products formed a relatively continuous organic–inorganic interfacial network, which helped preserve particle contacts and restrain microcrack propagation during cyclic exposure. These results demonstrate the potential of particle-scale XG coating for improving the W–D durability of modified saline soil. Full article

NiCr composite coatings on stainless steel were obtained by the simultaneous deposition of Cr and Ni, using thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) technology. The main aim of this paper is to study the influence of graphite and oxygen incorporation on the structural, mechanical, and tribological properties of the resulting coatings. The deposition geometry was designed to maintain a relative constant Cr/Ni ratio while inducing a controlled compositional gradient in carbon content. An additional batch of samples was synthesized under reactive conditions by introducing a controlled O₂ flow while maintaining the same plasma parameters during deposition. The coatings were deposited on both Si wafers and AISI 304 stainless steel substrates. The elemental composition and phase structure were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy- energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), revealing the formation of mixed CrNi intermetallic phases, nickel carbide (Ni₃C), and, under reactive conditions, chromium and nickel oxides. Increasing the oxygen content led to a progressive structural transition from metallic–carbide mixtures to predominantly crystalline oxide phases. Tribological performance was evaluated using a ball-on-disk tribometer, and the results demonstrated a significant reduction and stabilization of the friction coefficient for oxygen-containing coatings, together with enhanced wear resistance. SEM and EDS analyses of the wear tracks confirmed the formation of protective oxide layers that effectively reduced coating removal during sliding. Nanoindentation measurements revealed a substantial increase in hardness from ~4 GPa for binary Cr–Ni coatings to ~9 GPa for ternary Cr–Ni–C films, with the highest hardness values obtained for oxygen-enriched coatings. The results highlight the synergistic role of carbon and oxygen in tailoring the microstructure and enhancing the mechanical and tribological performance of Cr–Ni-based composite coatings deposited by TVA, demonstrating their potential for protective applications under demanding operating conditions. This work demonstrates that controlled oxygen incorporation during TVA deposition can be used as an effective tool to tailor simultaneously the phase composition, surface chemistry, mechanical response, and tribological behavior of Cr–Ni–C coatings without compromising coating integrity. Full article

In extreme working conditions such as deep-sea and aerospace, failure due to friction and wear of key metal components is very frequent. Traditional binary or ternary nitride protective coatings are unable to achieve a coordinated improvement in terms of hardness, wear resistance, and structural stability. In this manuscript, a high-entropy composite nano-coating of CrWNbTaMoVSiN with an alternating structure of metal and nitride layers was prepared by using anode layer ion source-assisted magnetron sputtering technology. The influence of substrate bias voltage on the microstructure, phase structure, surface chemical state, friction and wear properties of coatings was systematically studied. The findings demonstrate that the substrate bias voltage has a substantial impact on the structure and performance of the CrWNbTaMoVSiN coatings. As the bias voltage increases, the coating deposition rate and thickness decrease, while the grain growth morphology gradually transitions from directionally aligned columnar crystals to equiaxed crystals. The primary phase of the coating is a solid solution with a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. At a bias voltage of 60 V, the coating exhibits a denser surface and cross-sectional microstructure, fewer structural defects, higher hardness, superior wear resistance, and enhanced electrochemical corrosion protection performance. This study provides critical experimental evidence and theoretical insights into the bias-voltage-dependent regulation mechanism of high-entropy nano-multilayer coatings, thereby supporting the process optimization of high-performance protective coatings and their engineering deployment under extreme service conditions. Full article

Despite recent advances in computer vision and optical imaging, the image-based recognition of ophthalmic lens categories characterized by different refractive indices and anti-reflective coating types remains largely unexplored. In this work, we formulate this problem as a non-destructive optical inspection task, where lens-induced visual changes are treated as subtle micro-texture signatures produced by the interaction between the lens and a controlled visual target. Although these signatures are often imperceptible to the human eye, they can be quantified using local texture analysis. To establish the first systematic benchmark for this emerging application, we present a comprehensive evaluation of state-of-the-art local texture descriptors, with particular emphasis on Local Binary Pattern (LBP)-like methods, under unified evaluation protocols. The evaluation is conducted on two dedicated ophthalmic lens image datasets acquired under controlled conditions, using consistent visual targets designed to reveal lens-induced texture and color variations. This setting enables a rigorous assessment of whether handcrafted micro-texture descriptors can capture discriminative image signatures associated with different refractive indices and anti-reflective coating types. The experimental results demonstrate that several modern LBP variants provide excellent recognition performance, confirming the relevance of local micro-texture analysis for image-based ophthalmic lens category recognition. Comparisons with pretrained deep feature extractors further show that although deep representations generally achieve the highest recognition rates, several handcrafted descriptors offer comparable performance while requiring neither network training nor fine-tuning. Beyond recognition accuracy, the benchmark investigates performance stability across datasets, robustness under limited training samples, classifier influence, and the statistical significance of the observed performance differences. Overall, this work establishes the first reproducible image-based benchmark for non-destructive ophthalmic lens inspection and provides practical guidelines for selecting local texture descriptors in ophthalmic lens recognition systems. Full article

Wastewater containing heavy metals and dyes poses serious environmental risks. This study developed a multifunctional composite by coating polyurethane foam (PUF) with milled activated carbon (mAC) and a zirconium-based metal–organic framework (Zr-MOF) for the simultaneous removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and Congo red (CR). The composite was synthesized using a hydrothermal method to grow Zr-MOF on the surface. The SEM analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of mAC and surface modification with Zr-MOF, which resulted in increased surface roughness and porous morphology. XRD and FTIR confirmed the presence of organic ligands connected to the metal structure and the functional groups of each component in composite materials. The optimum conditions for Zr-MOF/mAC/PUF adsorption (nearly 100% removal) in the binary Cr(VI)/CR solution (50 mg/L each) were 25 °C, pH 9, and 150 rpm for 24 h. The Zr-MOF/mAC/PUF was hydrophilic with a swelling ratio of 2.64 g/g. The thermodynamic investigation of Zr-MOF/mAC/PUF resulted in 141.6218 kJ/mol for Cr(VI) and 166.111 kJ/mol for CR of ΔH° (rapid adsorption), negative ΔG° (spontaneous adsorption), a high positive value of ΔS° (disorder structure) and low activation energy (approximately 2.5 to 2.8 kJ/mol). After analyzing the isotherm and reaction kinetics, the possible mechanism could be endothermic physicochemical adsorption and pseudo-second-order kinetic behavior, with electrostatic attraction and diffusion control. The study of 6-times-reused Zr-MOF/mAC/PUF adsorption identified as a decrease of 7.55 percentage point without changing notable morphology and functional groups, based on SEM and FTIR. Full article

Background: Breast clip marker movement after ultrasound-guided biopsy can negatively affect lesion re-localisation rates and surgical outcomes, underscoring the need for improved understanding of the factors influencing clip displacement. Thus, this study aimed to compare four different breast clip markers and identify risk factors for clip migration and dislocation after ultrasound-guided placement. Methods: This retrospective study included 350 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided biopsy of a newly diagnosed breast lesion with placement of one of four types of breast clips (UltraClip Dual Trigger Biodur 108 Coil Marker [UC], TUMARK Professional [TP], TUMARK Vision [TV] and HydroMARK Breast Biopsy Site Marker [HM]). Clip migration and dislocation were assessed immediately after placement and during follow-up imaging for at least 3 months. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of clip dislocation including lesional, perilesional and procedural parameters. Results: Clip migration rates were 26.0%, 18.0%, 10.0% and 25.0% and clip dislocation rates were 14.0%, 20.0%, 9.0% and 38.0% for UC, TP, TV and HM, respectively. Features significantly associated with clip dislocation included predominantly fatty surrounding tissue (p = 0.046) with low perilesional shear wave velocities (p = 0.054), smooth lesion contours (p = 0.041), soft lesion strain elastography (p =0.001), low clip-to-lesion-surface distance (p = 0.002) and the use of an HM breast clip (p = 0.032). Conclusions: The type of breast clip-marker, as well as perilesional and lesional characteristics, influence the likelihood of clip dislocation. Notably, the hydrogel-coated clip (HM) exhibited the highest rate of dislocation. Full article

High-entropy alloys exhibit a broad light-responsive spectrum, spanning the ultraviolet to visible range, and their light absorption coefficient is significantly higher than that of traditional binary oxides. Cr/AlCrNbSiTiN/AlCrNbSiTiO gradient nano-multilayer coatings with excellent solar selective absorption properties are prepared using ion source enhanced magnetron sputtering. The effects of thickness of the absorption layer of AlCrNbSiTiN (3/4/5 min, denoted as S-3/4/5) are systematically investigated. It is worth noting that nano-multilayer coatings of S-3, S-4, and S-5 exhibit nearly perfect absorption rates of 0.9847, 0.9888, and 0.9879, respectively. The TEM images shows clear interfaces between the various coating layers, exhibiting a gradient structure that combines nanocrystalline and amorphous characteristics. From the substrate to the surface, there is an increase in the content of nanocrystalline phases, coarsening of grain sizes, and a decrease in the amount of amorphous phases. The primary absorption layer of AlCrNbSiTiN displays a typical face-centered cubic nitride structure. The XPS analysis reveals that the high-valent oxides (Nb⁵⁺, Cr⁶⁺) ensure thermal stability, whereas mixed valence states of Cr³⁺/Cr⁶⁺ may enhance visible light absorption through multi-electron transitions. This study analyzes how both the thickness of absorbing layers and high-temperature annealing affect the optical properties and photothermal conversion performance of AlCrNbSiTiN-based high-entropy coatings, which provides valuable insights for developing high-performance selective absorbers. Full article

Deep tight sandstone reservoirs are characterized by strong microscopic pore structure heterogeneity and commonly exhibit a high-porosity, low-permeability profile, posing significant challenges for effective reservoir evaluation and “sweet spot” prediction. The microscopic pore structure of 209 tight sandstone samples from the deeply buried Huagang Formation in the Xihu Depression, East China Sea Basin, was systematically characterized by integrating multiple analytical techniques, including casting thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-pressure mercury injection (HPMI). The results indicate that the reservoir space is dominated by mesopores (55.48%) and transition pores (32.39%), with macropores (2.09%) and micropores (10.04%) being relatively underdeveloped. A significant vertical heterogeneity in reservoir quality is observed. The H4 member exhibits superior properties, characterized by a higher average movable fluid saturation (averaging 46%) and better pore connectivity. In contrast, the H5 member is more compact, with a notably higher proportion of bound fluid (averaging 47%). The differences in reservoir quality are controlled by a sedimentary–diagenetic coupling mechanism. High-energy, coarse-grained facies underwent a constructive pathway involving chlorite coating protection and dissolution enhancement, forming high-quality pore networks. In contrast, low-energy, fine-grained facies experienced a destructive pathway dominated by intense compaction and cementation, leading to the deterioration of pore structure. The petrophysical properties of the deep reservoirs are primarily governed by the three-dimensional connectivity and spatial distribution of effective “pore-throat assemblages” composed of dominant throats. Accordingly, a “binary” pore structure development pattern is established for the deep tight sandstone reservoirs in the study area. This pattern posits that the reservoir space is heterogeneously composed of a minority of connected “effective percolation assemblages” and a majority of isolated “ineffective assemblages”. Full article

In this study, a functional surface coating composed of Fe-Mn binary oxide (FM) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS, PP) was applied to a PVDF membrane (PP-FM-PVDF) for efficient arsenate (As(V)) removal. PP acts as a dispersant and hydrophilic modifier, ensuring uniform FM distribution and reducing the water contact angle to 50.1°. The PP-FM-PVDF membrane achieves a maximum As(V) adsorption capacity of 30.43 mg/g, outperforming pristine and singly modified membranes. The batch adsorption data fit the Langmuir isotherm (R² = 0.999) and pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R² = 0.99), indicating monolayer chemisorption. The coating increases the specific surface area to 27.33 m²/g and the tensile strength to 6.41 MPa. Dynamic filtration shows that 2.70 L (2149.7 L/m²) of 100 μg/L As(V) solution can be treated before the permeate concentration exceeds the WHO guideline of 10 μg/L. After alkaline regeneration (pH 11), 62.9% of the initial capacity is retained. Complementary surface-sensitive analyses (zeta potential, XPS, and EXAFS) reveal that arsenate adsorption occurs primarily through ligand exchange between arsenate oxyanions and Fe/Mn surface hydroxyl groups on the coating, forming inner-sphere bidentate complexes (Fe–O–As and Mn–O–As), while electrostatic interactions play a secondary, pH-dependent role. This surface engineering strategy—synergistically integrating a conductive hydrophilic polymer with a metal oxide as a functional coating on PVDF—offers a reusable, high-performance platform for arsenate remediation, underscoring the critical role of interface design in environmental membrane applications. Full article

This study aimed to characterize corn (CS), wolf fruit (WF), and butterfly lily (BL) starches; to develop bioactive coatings from pure starches and their binary and ternary blends; and to evaluate the synergistic effects of these formulations on the physiological quality of common bean seeds. Films were prepared by thermocompression (80 °C, 6 min, 3 t) of film-forming solutions obtained via microwave processing and formulated using a simplex-centroid mixture design. The starches were characterized in terms of amylose content, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Rapid Visco Analyser, while the films were evaluated for thickness, water solubility, and water vapor permeability. The film-forming solutions were applied as coatings, and seed physiological quality was assessed through germination, first count, seedling length, and dry mass. BL exhibited higher gelatinization temperatures and produced films with adequate thickness and moderate permeability, indicating greater structural stability. The CS:BL blend produced films with balanced hydration, promoting rapid and uniform water uptake. Coatings based on BL and CS:BL showed the highest germination percentages, whereas CS:WF resulted in lower physiological performance. These results demonstrate that film properties directly influence seed vigor and germination. BL, alone or blended with CS, represents a promising starch-based material for seed coating, promoting high physiological quality and environmentally friendly characteristics. Full article

Advanced nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is promising for inorganic semiconductor patterning because it enables high-resolution replication with a relatively simple process flow; however, yield loss increasingly originates from spatially distributed, subcritical distortions accumulated across coating, exposure, etching, and imprinting. In this study, we propose an integrated physics-based and data-driven framework for pre-manufacturing defect-risk prediction in NIL. The framework combines an NDA-safe layout database, a physics-based process twin, and a stochastic risk prediction model using a physics-augmented convolutional neural network with conformal uncertainty calibration. Starting from binary design layouts, the process twin sequentially captures resist thickness variations during spin coating, proximity-induced dose redistribution and development-induced pattern deformation during electron-beam lithography (EBL), density-sensitive pattern transfer during reactive ion etching (RIE), and three-dimensional resist filling during imprinting, thereby generating physically consistent parameter maps for downstream learning. The results demonstrate an end-to-end virtual inspection flow that converts layouts into spatially resolved risk maps before fabrication. In addition, patterns with similar contour extent but different local density exhibit distinctly different risk distributions, indicating that manufacturability is governed not only by nominal geometry but also by local pattern environment. These findings support pre-manufacturing virtual inspection as a physically interpretable route for early yield-risk screening in advanced NIL. Full article

TiN coatings have been widely employed in cutting tools due to their high hardness and excellent wear resistance. While most research on nitride coatings has focused on binary (e.g., TiN) and ternary (e.g., TiAlN, TiSiN) systems, the quaternary TiMoSiN system remains comparatively underexplored. In response to the growing demand for comprehensive coating performance under increasingly complex working conditions, this work incorporates Mo and Si into the TiN system to synergistically enhance mechanical, tribological, and corrosion-resistant properties. TiMoSiN coatings were deposited onto cemented carbide substrates by arc ion plating using a Ti_0.8Mo_0.1Si_0.1 alloy target. The influence of nitrogen partial pressure (0.2–1.7 Pa) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, tribological behavior, and electrochemical corrosion performance was investigated. The results show that nitrogen partial pressure plays a critical role in regulating the chemical composition, phase structure, and preferred orientation of the coatings. As the nitrogen partial pressure increases, surface macroparticles are reduced, while the Ti and Mo contents decrease and the Si and N contents increase. The phase structure evolves from a dual-phase mixture of TiN and Ti₂N to a single TiN phase, accompanied by a shift in preferred orientation from (111) to (200). The hardness of the coatings ranges from 36.2 to 43.1 GPa, reaching a maximum of 43.1 GPa at 1.0 Pa. The coating deposited at 0.6 Pa exhibits the best overall performance: it achieves the lowest friction coefficient (0.349) and wear rate (1.08 × 10⁻⁷ mm³/(N·m)), together with the highest corrosion resistance, as reflected by the most noble corrosion potential (−152 mV) and the lowest corrosion current density (8.99 × 10⁻⁸ A·cm⁻²). This study demonstrates that nitrogen partial pressure effectively controls the microstructure and multifunctional properties of TiMoSiN coatings, providing practical process guidelines for their application in demanding cutting environments. Full article

This study explores the natural dyeing of banana pseudo-stem (BSS) fibers as a sustainable material for plant-based leather applications through low-energy processes. Two dye types, lac dye and indigo blue, were applied, and the optimal dyeing parameters were systematically determined. Optimal lac dyeing was achieved using pre-mordanting with a binary mordant system comprising tannic acid and aluminum potassium sulfate (5 g L⁻¹ each), a dye concentration of 10% owf, a pH of 4.23, and a dyeing duration of 6 h. For indigo dyeing, the optimal conditions involved 500 g L⁻¹ wet indigo, 30 g L⁻¹ sodium hydroxide, and 40 g L⁻¹ thiourea dioxide, with a reduction step at 30 °C for 30 min. The dyed samples exhibited good to excellent perspiration fastness in terms of staining, while color change ratings remained low due to the intrinsic sensitivity of natural dyes. Light fastness was rated fair. The dyed BSS was subsequently laminated onto a polypropylene (PP) nonwoven substrate and coated with natural rubber (NR) latex, yielding bursting strengths of 51.8–54.8 psi. Moisture management testing confirmed inherent waterproof properties. Overall, this study presents a resource-efficient approach to transforming agricultural residues into sustainable, plant-based leather alternatives. Full article

Recently, there has been growing interest in the synthesis of thin films made from metal diboride. Boron forms binary compounds with a wide variety of metals. These diborides are refractory, ultra-hard solids characterized by high melting points, exceptional thermal stability, and pronounced chemical inertness. This work describes the preparation of metal diboride coatings made of binary ZrHfB₂, HfTiB₂ and ZrTiB₂ as well as ternary HfZrTiB₂. In the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process used, MeCl₄ (Me = Zr, Hf, Ti), BCl₃, H₂, and Ar were employed at deposition temperatures of 850 °C. The coatings were characterized with respect to phase composition, crystal structure, hardness, residual stress and wear behavior. A hardness of 38 GPa was achieved with a modulus of elasticity of around 700 GPa and a moderate tensile residual stress of approx. 400 MPa was obtained for the ternary alloys as well as 44 to 633 MPa for the binary alloys, respectively. The phase composition and structure of the deposited layers were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The investigations revealed dense, crack-free, well defined crystalline single-phase diboride layers with grain sizes of 0.1–1.5 µm. A TiN interlayer applied prior to diboride deposition significantly enhanced adhesion between the diboride coating and hard-metal inserts. Scratch test measurements revealed critical loads of approximately 90 N. In the wear test milling against TiAl6V4, the HfZrTiB₂ coating (with ZrCl₄:HfCl₄:TiCl₄ = 1:2:1) demonstrated the best tool life with ~15% improvement over the state-of-the-art CVD TiB₂ reference coating using a single cutting condition. The tool life for the ZrTiB₂ coating was 20% below the tool life of the reference coating. Full article

This study investigates the 55%Al-Zn-Si coating system. Using microstructural characterization and thermodynamic simulation, we systematically analyzed its microstructure formation, solidification behavior, and the regulatory effects of Cr, Nb, and V micro-alloying elements. The results show that the typical coating consists of a primary α-Al dendritic skeleton and an interdendritic Zn-rich eutectic phase, exhibiting a characteristic spangle morphology. The addition of Si is crucial. By participating in the formation of a Fe-Al-Si ternary compound layer, it effectively suppresses the intense reaction at the Fe/Al interface, providing essential conditions for the sufficient growth of the outer Al-rich dendrites and the formation of a continuous transition layer. Thermodynamic analysis further clarifies that the coating solidification follows three distinct stages: precipitation of the primary α-Al phase, an Al-Si binary eutectic reaction, and a final Al-Zn-Si ternary eutectic transformation. Regarding micro-alloying, this study reveals the specific roles of different elements: Cr significantly refines the transition layer structure, promoting its transformation from coarse lamellae into a fine and uniform morphology; V tends to combine with Al to form high-melting-point enriched regions, inhibiting the growth of Fe-Al intermetallics and reducing the thickness of the brittle transition layer by approximately 50%; conversely, the addition of Nb disrupts the normal solidification sequence, inducing abnormal segregation of Al-rich and Si-rich phases, which compromises the homogeneity and integrity of the coating structure. Through an in-depth analysis of the fundamental solidification mechanism and micro-alloying effects, this research provides an important theoretical basis for optimizing the microstructure of hot-dip Al-Zn sheets via precise composition design and micro-alloying strategies. Full article