A low-temperature technology was developed for producing a nanocomposite based on poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), synthesized by laser ablation. Nanocomposites were created containing 0.001, 0.01, and 0.1% of zinc oxide nanoparticles with rod-like morphology and a size of 40–70 nm. The surface of the films from the obtained nanomaterial was uniform, without significant defects. Clustering of ZnO-NPs in the PLGA matrix was noted, which increased with an increase in the concentration of the dopant in the polymer. The resulting nanomaterial was capable of generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. The rate of ROS generation increased with an increase in the concentration of the dopant. It was shown that the synthesized nanocomposite promotes the formation of long-lived reactive protein species, and is also the reason for the appearance of a key biomarker of oxidative stress, 8-oxoguanine, in DNA. The intensity of the process increased with an increase in the concentration of nanoparticles in the matrix. It was found that the nanocomposite exhibits significant bacteriostatic properties, the severity of which depends on the concentration of nanoparticles. In particular, on the surface of the PLGA–ZnO-NPs composite film containing 0.001% nanoparticles, the number of bacterial cells was 50% lower than that of pure PLGA. The surface of the composite is non-toxic to eukaryotic cells and does not interfere with their adhesion, growth, and division. Due to its low cytotoxicity and bacteriostatic properties, this nanocomposite can be used as coatings for packaging in the food industry, additives for textiles, and also as a material for biomedicine.
The corrosion resistance of nanostructured nitinol (NiTi) was investigated using long-term tests in solutions simulating physiological fluids at static conditions, reflecting the material structure and metal concentration in the solutions. Mechanical polishing reduced the ion release by a factor of two to three, whereas annealing deteriorated the corrosion resistance. The depassivation and repassivation of nitinol surfaces were considered. We found that nanostructured nitinol might increase the corrosion leaching of titanium into solutions, although the nickel release decreased. Metal dissolution did not occur in the alkaline environment or artificial plasma. A Ni-free surface with a protective 25 nm-thick titanium oxide film resulted from soaking mechanically treated samples of the NiTi wire in a saline solution for two years under static conditions. Hence, the medical application of nanostructured NiTi, such as for the production of medical devices and implants such as stents, shows potential compared with microstructured NiTi.
An electrospark technology has been developed for obtaining a colloidal solution containing nanosized amorphous carbon. The advantages of the technology are its low cost and high performance. The colloidal solution of nanosized carbon is highly stable. The coatings on its basis are nanostructured. They are characterized by high adhesion and hydrophobicity. It was found that the propagation of microorganisms on nanosized carbon coatings is significantly hindered. At the same time, eukaryotic animal cells grow and develop on nanosized carbon coatings, as well as on the nitinol medical alloy. The use of a colloidal solution as available, cheap and non-toxic nanomaterial for the creation of antibacterial coatings to prevent biofilm formation seems to be very promising for modern medicine, pharmaceutical and food industries.
1 November 2020 in Journal of Materials Research and Technology
The effect of the content of temporary process binder (paraffin, oleic acid, and beeswax) in the range of 10–18% on the molding of the silicon carbide products using hot slip casting has been...
This review discusses the main methods for producing spherical powder particles of corrosion-resistant steels as a material widely used in all industries. Also the examples of products made by modern additive methods are described. Currently, spherical powder particles of corrosion-resistant steels are used in the following additive methods: selective laser melting, selective laser sintering, direct laser sintering, and electron beam melting. Each of these methods has its own requirements for the characteristics of spherical powder particles of corrosion-resistant steels. The review provides a brief description of the principles of operation of each method and the requirements for spherical powder particles of corrosion-resistant steels. It also considers a detailed description of each method of additive manufacturing with a description of the principle of operation and specific examples of obtaining spherical particles of corrosion-resistant steel powders with indication of their properties (morphology, structural features, chemical composition, fluidity, bulk density). A comparative analysis was carried out with a description of disadvantages and advantages of each method. Examples of the use of spherical particles of corrosion-resistant steel powders for the manufacture of products by various additive methods (including post-processing) are given with description of the final products characteristics. Based on the data presented, a conclusion was made about the preferred methods for obtaining spherical particles of corrosion-resistant steel powders for specific additive methods used in modern industry. The review considers the following methods for producing spherical powder particles: water atomization (atomization of liquid metal with a jet of water under pressure); gas atomization (atomization of the melt with a jet of inert gas (argon or nitrogen) under pressure); centrifugal atomization (atomization of molten metal with a high-speed rotating disc); ultrasonic atomization (atomization of liquid metal by ultrasound); non-contact atomization (atomization of liquid metal with a powerful pulse of electric current); plasma wire spraying; plasma spraying of a rotating electrode; plasma spheroidization.