This study aims to integrate copper (Cu) during membrane formation by a facile simultaneous phase separation process to alleviate biofouling and improve membrane performance. Polythiourea (PTU) polymer synthesized through condensation polymerization of 4,4-oxydianiline and p-phenylene diisothiocyanate in dimethyl sulfoxide was used in the preparation of dope solution. By incorporating different concentrations of cupric acetate in the non-solvent bath, both non-solvent induced phase separation and complexation induced phase separation occur instantaneously. Scanning electron microscopy—energy dispersive X-ray, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis accompanied by color change of the membrane surfaces—confirms the interaction of the polymer with Cu. Interaction of Cu at the interface during membrane formation results in a decrease in contact angle from 2 to 10° and a decrease in surface roughness from 30% to 52% as measured by atomic force microscope analysis. Pure water flux of PTU-Cu membrane increased by a factor of 3 to 17 relative to pristine PTU membrane. Both the pristine PTU and PTU-Cu membrane showed antibacterial characteristics against E. coli.

A concrete mixture formulation consisting of industrial wastes such as fly ash and gypsum from ceramic mold waste as partial replacements for cement was developed in this two-part study to lessen the carbon footprint from processing the conventional materials used in the construction industry. The first part aims to determine the optimum composition of the ternary binder (cement, fly ash and recycled gypsum) and the curing period (7, 28 and 90) that will provide the highest compressive strength for the casted concrete cylinders. The second part focuses on establishing the effective polypropylene fiber (PPF) dosage, utilizing the pre-optimized binder composition. The structural integrity of the concrete cylinders was evaluated through compressive strength and split tensile tests following water curing periods of 7, 28, and 90 days. Results from the initial mechanical tests revealed that the optimum ternary binder composition was C60-F37.5-G2.5 cured for 90 days. While fiber reinforcement typically has limited impact on compressive strength, the addition of 1.5% PPF yielded better long-term compressive strength development compared with other PPF dosages. For tensile strength, 0.5%-1% PPF achieved the highest values at 28 days, whereas 1.5% PPF provided the peak performance under prolonged curing at 90 days. This shift in behavior is attributed to the progressive increase in fiber-bridging effectiveness over time. Findings from these mechanical tests were supported by the results from X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis and optical microscopy.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) process parameters significantly influence the thermal, mechanical, and surface roughness properties of printed parts. While experimental characterization is highly accurate, it is often excessively time-consuming and costly, hindering the development of scalable predictive models. This study adopts a Materials Informatics approach to curate a multi-sourced benchmarking dataset comprising 543 entries for ABS, PLA, and TPU filaments, integrating data from web-scraping (WSDS), literature (LDDS), and manufacturer technical datasheets (MTDS). Data cleaning included outlier detection via Tukey’s fences and the evaluation of imputation strategies, with K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) consistently outperforming simple mean/median methods. We evaluated three regression models, Random Forest (RF), Ridge Regression (RR), and Support Vector Regression (SVR), using a nested cross-validation pipeline to predict tensile strength, elongation, and surface roughness. The results reveal significant data gaps in existing literature, with missingness exceeding 60% for critical parameters like fan speed and wall thickness. While the Random Forest model achieved high predictive accuracy for bulk mechanical properties, specifically a test-set R2 of 0.995 for PLA elongation, all models struggled with surface roughness, often yielding negative R2 values. This suggests that current process descriptors are insufficient to capture the stochastic nature of surface morphology. This work provides a foundational benchmarking dataset for the research community and highlights the necessity for stricter data mining protocols and more sophisticated feature engineering to achieve reliable predictive quality in material extrusion (MEX) polymers.

The increasing demand for effective ocular prosthetics has led to the exploration of innovative materials for orbital implants. The study focuses on the preliminary biocompatibility assessment of nanozinc bioceramic orbital implant intended for anophthalmic socket applications. These implants aim to address common complications such as infection and inflammation in patients requiring ocular prostheses. Bioceramic orbital implants were fabricated using conventional techniques using biphasic calcium phosphates and kaolin clay as raw materials. The bioceramic material, engineered for its antibacterial properties, is evaluated for its cytotoxic response. In vitro tests are conducted to determine the cellular response and antibacterial efficacy of the implants. Effect of different loadings of nanozinc oxide onto the bioceramic orbital implant were investigated. Disc diffusion method using test organisms Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) has revealed the resistance of the bioceramic orbital implant against bacterial attack. Moreover, MTT cytotoxicity test has shown fibroblast cell viability indicating good biocompatibility. Ultimately, the bioceramic orbital implant has presented no adverse effects upon exposure to Albino rabbits using dermal and eye irritation tests. The findings from this preliminary research will provide crucial insights into the feasibility and safety of using antibacterial bioceramic materials for orbital implants, potentially improving clinical outcomes for patients with anophthalmic sockets.

The search for the ideal eye implant for anophthalmic sockets continues notwithstanding the availability of orbital implants for years. This study focuses on the development of an innovative anti-bacterial calcium phosphate bioceramic orbital implant. Utilizing locally sourced calcium carbonate and kaolin clay and incorporating nano-zinc oxide, the implant aims to enhance antibacterial properties and promote bone regeneration. The primary objectives include optimizing the material composition, fabricating the bioceramic using conventional techniques, and evaluating the implant's physical and mechanical performance. The optimization involves varying calcination temperatures between 800°C and 1200°C and varying kaolin clay composition between 15% and 20%. The mineral composition was identified and determined using X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD). The physical and mechanical properties of the developed orbital were characterized using three-dimensional chromatography X-Ray scanner (3D CT-XRay), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and universal testing machine (UTM). In this study, it was found that the optimum calcination temperature yielding the desired biphasic calcium phosphate composition is 800°C. Moreover, the developed orbitals revealed a porous structure with an average pore size of 198 micrometers. The tests for compressive and flexural strength showed promising results surpassing some of the characteristics of commercially available bioceramic orbital implants. Overall, this study sought to offer a cost-effective and efficient solution for orbital implant surgeries, ultimately improving patient outcomes through enhanced material properties and localized production.

This study presents a calibration-oriented multi-phase micromechanical homogenization framework for estimating the elastic modulus of sustainable concrete containing fly ash and recycled gypsum. In the absence of direct experimental measurements, a computational framework was developed to simulate the interactions among coarse aggregate, mortar, and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). A two-phase homogenization model was first calibrated against the ACI 318-19 elastic modulus relationship through a sensitivity analysis, achieving relative errors below 3% with respect to the ACI-based empirical reference. Subsequently, a three-phase model incorporating a $30\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ ITZ was developed to explicitly account for the influence of the interfacial transition zone on the effective elastic modulus within the adopted modelling assumptions. While the inclusion of the ITZ slightly increased the prediction error for the control mix, it consistently improved agreement with the ACI-based reference for all fly ash–gypsum blends. In addition, comparison with experimentally reported elastic modulus values for similar SCM-modified concretes demonstrated that the predicted values were physically reasonable and generally consistent with published data. Overall, the proposed framework reproduced stiffness trends predicted by the ACI empirical relationship and provides a physically informed computational baseline for future experimental validation and parametric investigations of sustainable concrete systems.