Ti-34Nb-6Sn alloy were prepare by powder metallurgy milled in two different times (40 and 60 min) using Ti and Nb hydrides with or without Mg, as spacer then sintered at 700ºC and 800ºC. Characterizations were made by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and by Archimedes. Microhardness was measured by Vickers microhardness. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from equine bone marrow (BMMSCs) were used to evaluate the sample cytotoxicity. Hydration and dehydration process was confirmed, also the formation of brittle particles during the milling. Materials were structured under α and β phase, and the samples that received Mg as a spacer had slightly lower β phase content compared to samples without Mg, suggesting difficult α→β transformation due to the presence of barriers formed by pores. Mg provided greater porosity, and prepared milled in a shorter time promoted an increase in the macropores. Microhardness was similar to that of commercial materials (i.e., CP-Ti and also to other alloys with similar nominal composition. Cells treated with conditioned medium with the samples showed viability comparable to the control group, and after 48 h of culture on the samples, there was significant growth and more circular morphology, when adhered on materials that received Mg.

RESUMO Esse trabalho mostra uma rota sintética mediada por tetraetilenoglicol (P. E. 325°C) em que utiliza o ácido túngstico, como material de partida. A formação de uma suspensão estável de cor azul foi observada durante o curso da reação. O tamanho das partículas depende do tempo de síntese, sendo que partículas de tamanho em torno de 400 nm foram obtidas após 15 minutos de reação em tetraetilenoglicol. Os materiais particulados foram então recozidos em diferentes temperaturas: 150°, 350°C, 500°C e 800°C, e caracterizados por TGA / DSC, DRX, FT-RAMAN, MEV, Espectroscopia óptica UV-VIS e adsorção de N2 a 77K. Observou-se que a síntese proporcionou WO3 sob fase ortorrômbica que evoluiu para monoclínica após tratamento térmico na temperatura igual ou superior a 350°C. A caracterização morfológica indicou a formação de partículas ovoides quando tratadas em temperaturas em torno de 500°C, temperatura a partir da qual a área superficial diminui drasticamente. A atividade fotocatalítica para a degradação de rodamina B (rhB, 10 mg.L-1) foi avaliada sob irradiação ultravioleta (6 Watts). Maior atividade foi encontrada para o material tratado a 500°C, sendo que descoramento foi total após 180 minutos na presença de 10 mg desse catalisador.

ABSTRACT This work shows a synthetic route mediated by tetraethylene glycol (P. E. 325 ° C) in which tungstic acid is used as the starting material. The formation of a stable blue suspension was observed during the course of the reaction. The size of the particles depends on the synthesis time, and particles of size around 400 nm were obtained after 15 minutes of reaction in tetraethylene glycol. The particulate materials were then annealed at different temperatures: 150 °, 350 ° C, 500 ° C and 800 ° C, and characterized by TGA / DSC, DRX, FT-RAMAN, MEV, UV-VIS optical spectroscopy and N2 adsorption at 77K. It was observed that the synthesis provided WO3 under orthorhombic phase that evolved to monoclinic after heat treatment at a temperature equal to or greater than 350 ° C. The morphological characterization indicated the formation of ovoids particles when treated at temperatures around 500 ° C, a temperature from which the surface area decreases dramatically. The photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (rhB, 10 mg.L-1) was evaluated under ultraviolet irradiation (6 Watts). Greater activity was found for the material treated at 500 ° C, with total discoloration after 180 minutes in the presence of 10 mg of this catalyst.

RESUMO Filmes constituídos por amido de mandioca, álcool polivinílico (PVA) e argila Bentonita (BNT) e glicerol como plastificante foram obtidos utilizando o método casting. A fim de aumentar a compatibilidade dos polímeros ao mineral e sua hidrofobicidade, estes foram posteriormente modificados quimicamente utilizando metacrilato de glicidila (GMA) para a substituição dos grupamentos hidroxilas por vinílicos. Este procedimento gerou filmes com excelente estabilidade a sorção de água e permeabilidade ao vapor de água 15% menor quando comparados coms os filmes sem modificação química. Adicionalmente, esta estratégia também resultou na melhora de 25% na resistência a tração, mantendo o mesmo módulo de Young mas, com uma leve diminuição na estabilidade térmica (início de degradação 14ºC menor). A adição da argila BNT gera filmes compósitos com propriedades, mecânicas, térmicas e físicas diferenciadas, contudo há uma dependência entre a quantidade de reforço e a distribuição estrutural das lamelas de argila na matriz. As modificações químicas foram comprovadas por RMN H1, FTIR, DRX e os filmes foram caracterizados por DRX, sorção e permeabilidade a água, ensaios mecânicos (tração, alongamento e módulo de Young) e TGA. A utilização de 1% m/m deste reforço gera compósitos com BNT estruturalmente esfoliado, independentemente da prévia modificação com metacrilato de glicidila. Já a formulação com 5% m/m gerou filmes compósitos intercalados. Qualquer outro teor de reforço exibe estruturas lamelares aglomeradas (empacotadas). Destaca-se que nas formulações reforçadas com 1% de argila, houve melhora em cerca 30% na resistência a tração com permeabilidade a água 60% menor, para cargas maiores de argila. Estes fatos apontam que as modificações propostas neste trabalho geraram propriedades promissoras para a produção de materiais de embalagem biodegradáveis.

ABSTRACT Films constituted by cassava starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Bentonite clay (BNT) and glycerol as plasticizer were obtained using the casting method. In order to increase the compatibility of the polymers with the mineral and its hydrophobicity, they were subsequently chemically modified by replacing the hydroxyl groups with vinyls using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). This procedure generated films with excellent water sorption stability and 15% lower water vapor permeability. This strategy also resulted in a 25% improvement in tensile strength, maintaining the same Young’s modulus and slight decrease in thermal stability (onset of degradation 14 ° C lower). The addition of BNT clay generates composite films with different mechanical, thermal and physical properties, however, there is a dependence between the amount of reinforcement and the structural distribution of the clay lamellae in the matrix. The chemical modifications were confirmed by H 1 NMR, FTIR, XRD and the films were characterized by XRD, sorption and water permeability, mechanical tests (traction, stretching and Young’s modulus) and TGA. The use of 1% w / w of this reinforcement generates composites with structurally exfoliated BNT, independently of the previous modification with glycidyl methacrylate. The formulation with 5% m / m generated intercalated composite films. Any other reinforcing content exhibits agglomerated (packaged) lamellar structures. It is noteworthy that in the formulations reinforced with 1% clay, there was an improvement of about 30% in tensile strength with 60% lower water permeability, for higher clayey loads. These facts indicate that the modifications proposed in this work have generated promising properties for the production of biodegradable packaging materials.

It is well known that titanium alloys have mechanical strengths comparable to steels, as well as high corrosion resistance. Also, they have the advantage of promoting osseointegration, when used in medical and dental implants. This work aims to describe the adhesion properties of fibroblast and osteoblast cells on the surface of titanium aluminum vanadium alloy (Ti6Al4V). Three different conditions of the surface were investigated: smooth, rough and covered with diamond film. Conventional material characterizations were performed to the film which consisted in: Morphological visualization by scanning electron microscopy, confocal profilometry, X-ray diffraction pattern, Raman backscattering spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Biocompatibility tests of Ti6Al4V were performed using primary human fibroblasts and mouse pre-osteoblasts cell line MC3T3-E1. Overall, diamond films deposited on Ti6Al4V showed interesting results of uniformity and protection against cracks on to the surface, reasonable biocompatibility features if compared to uncovered ones, indicating that this film is an alternative for using in health care applications.

Alternative materials for use in electronic devices have grown interest in the past recent years. In this paper, the heterojunction SnO2/Al2O3 is tested concerning its use as a transparent insulating layer for use in FETs. The alumina layer is obtained by thermal annealing of metallic Al layer, deposited by resistive evaporation technique. Combination of undoped SnO2, deposited by sol-gel-dip-coating technique, and Al thermally annealed in O2-rich atmosphere, leads to fair insulation when the number of aluminum oxide layers is 4, with 0.3% of the current lost through the gate terminal as leakage current. This insulation is not obtained for devices with alumina layer treated for long time, under room atmosphere, due to degradation of the insulating film and interfusion with the conduction channel even using Sb-doped SnO2. The annealing of Al deposited on soda-lime glass substrate leads also to the formation of a Si layer, crystallized at Substrate/Al2O3 interface. The conclusion is that for an efficient insulation the thermal annealing must be short and then, O2-rich atmospheres are preferred.

The use of essential oils in foods has attracted great interest, due to their antagonistic action against pathogenic microorganisms. However, this action is undesirable for probiotic foods, as products containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The aim of the present study was to measure the sensitivity profile of L. rhamnosus and a yogurt starter culture in fermented milk, upon addition of increasing concentrations of cinnamon, clove and mint essential oils. Essential oils were prepared by steam distillation, and chemically characterised by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and determination of density. Survival curves were obtained from counts of L. rhamnosus and the starter culture (alone and in combination), upon addition of 0.04% essential oils. In parallel, titratable acidity was monitored over 28 experimental days. Minimum inhibitory concentration values, obtained using the microdilution method in Brain Heart Infusion medium, were 0.025, 0.2 and 0.4% for cinnamon, clove and mint essential oils, respectively. Cinnamon essential oil had the highest antimicrobial activity, especially against the starter culture, interfering with lactic acid production. Although viable cell counts of L. rhamnosus were lower following treatment with all 3 essential oils, relative to controls, these results were not statistically significant; in addition, cell counts remained greater than the minimum count of 10(8)CFU/mL required for a product to be considered a probiotic. Thus, although use of cinnamon essential oil in yogurt makes starter culture fermentation unfeasible, it does not prevent the application of L. rhamnosus to probiotic fermented milk. Furthermore, clove and mint essential oil caused sublethal stress to L. rhamnosus.