Densities of liquid oxide melts with melting temperatures above 2000 °C are required to establish mixing models in the liquid state for thermodynamic modeling and advanced additive manufacturing and laser welding of ceramics. Accurate measurements of molten rare earth oxide density were recently reported from experiments with an electrostatic levitator on board the International Space Station. In this work, we present an approach to terrestrial measurements of density and thermal expansion of liquid oxides from high-speed videography using an aero-acoustic levitator with laser heating and machine vision algorithms. The following density values for liquid oxides at melting temperature were obtained: Y2O3 4.6 ± 0.15; Yb2O3 8.4 ± 0.2; Zr0.9Y0.1O1.95 4.7 ± 0.2; Zr0.95Y0.05O1.975 4.9 ± 0.2; HfO2 8.2 ± 0.3 g/cm3. The accuracy of density and thermal expansion measurements can be improved by employing backlight illumination, spectropyrometry and a multi-emitter acoustic levitator.
Aseptic loosening and periprosthetic infections are complications that can occur at the interface between inert ceramic implants and natural body tissues. Therefore, the need for novel materials with antibacterial properties to prevent implant-related infection is evident. This study proposes multifunctionalizing the inert ceramic implant surface by biomimetic calcium phosphate (CaP) coating decorated with antibiotic-loaded nanoparticles for bioactivity enhancement and antibacterial effect. This study aimed to coat zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) substrates with a bioactive CaP-layer containing drug-loaded degradable polymer nanoparticles (NPs). The NPs were loaded with two antibiotics, gentamicin or bacitracin. The immobilization of NPs happened by two deposition methods: coprecipitation and drop-casting. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cross-section analyses were used to characterize the coatings. MG-63 osteoblast-like cells and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were chosen for in vitro tests. Antibacterial activity was assessed with S. aureus and E. coli. The coprecipitation method allowed for a favorable homogeneous distribution of the NPs within the CaP coating. The CaP coating was constituted of hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate; its thickness was 3.8 ± 1 μm with cavities of around 1 μm suitable for hosting NPs with a size of 200 nm. Antibiotics were released from the coatings in a controlled manner for 1 month. The cell culture study has confirmed the excellent behavior of the coprecipitated coating, showing cytocompatibility and a homogeneous distribution of the cells on the coated surfaces. The increase in alkaline phosphatase activity showed osteogenic differentiation. The materials were found to inhibit the growth of bacteria. Newly developed coatings with antibacterial and bioactive properties are promising candidates to prevent peri-implant infectious bone diseases.
The anticoagulation treatment of cardiovascular patients, which is mandatory after implantation of heart valves or stents, has significantly adverse effects on life quality. This treatment can be reduced or even circumvented by developing novel antithrombogenic surfaces of blood-contacting implants. Thus, we aim to discover materials exhibiting outstanding hemocompatibility compared to other available synthetic materials. We present promising surficial characteristics of single crystalline alumina in terms of platelet activation inhibition. In order to elucidate the relation between its crystallographic properties including the plane orientation and blood cell behavior, we examined endothelialization, cytocompatibility, and platelet activation at the blood-alumina interfaces in a controlled experimental setup. We observed that the cell response is highly sensitive to the plane orientation and differs significantly for (0001) and (11–20) planes of Al2O3. Our results reveal for the first time the dependence of platelet activation on crystallographic orientation, which is assumed to be a critical condition controlling the thrombogenicity. Additionally, we used an endothelial cell monolayer as an internal control since endothelial cells have an impact on vessel integrity and implant acceptance. We successfully demonstrate that Al2O3(11–20) exhibits enhanced hemocompatibility in contrast to Al2O3(0001) and is comparable to the physiological endothelial monolayer in vitro.
Al 2 O 3 -ZrO 2 composites exhibit excellent mechanical and high-temperature properties. The solidification of various hypoeutectic compositions has been studied by means of aero-acoustic levitation. A high-speed camera recorded the crystallization, to the correlation of the video stills with the observed microstructures. Solidification takes place by formation of several nuclei and subsequent growth. Nuclei are formed in the supercooled melt, entailing to a fine-grained, simultaneously solidified structure. The remaining melt between the growing nuclei is heated due to recalescence leading to primary precipitation of zirconia, followed by eutectic solidification. A consistent behavior is presented to explain the observed microstructures. Additionally, samples between 40 and 50 mol% ZrO 2 exhibit lamellar areas, which exceed the initial zirconia composition. The observed microstructure strongly indicates the existence of a liquid miscibility gap.
Corrosion is one of the most common wear mechanisms of refractories. Corrosive attacks lead to chemical and microstructural changes. Hot corrosion compromises chemical and/or physical interactions. Thus, the process is complex and not yet fully understood. Currently, corrosion is investigated post mortem by means of X-ray diffraction or scanning electron microscopy. These methods have the drawback that some information is lost on cooling. In-situ measurements, however, take measurements within the process. In resonant frequency and damping analysis (RFDA), a sample is excited to vibrate by a mechanical impulse. The vibrating sample emits an acoustic signal. This is recorded with a microphone and evaluated by means of Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT). We measured the change of the frequency of a low cement castable during the corrosion process. Further simplified experiments with less complex materials were done to confirm the results. Distinctive points of the curves could be correlated to specific corrosion phenomena, like melting or infiltration. The applied methods include a first characterization of the material with open porosity, density and in-situ high-temperature (HT)-RFDA measurements as well as a study of the slag behavior.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.