Resumo em Inglês:

When polycrystalline materials are tested in tension at elevated temperatures, the flow mechanisms depend upon various parameters including the temperature of testing, the applied stress and the material grain size. The plotting of deformation mechanism maps is a procedure used widely in displaying and interpreting the creep properties of conventional coarse-grained metals but there have been few attempts to date to use this same procedure for ultrafine-grained and nanocrystalline materials produced through the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD). This report examines the potential for using deformation mechanism mapping for materials processed by SPD and presents examples for materials processed using equal-channel angular pressing and high-pressure torsion.

Resumo em Inglês:

High-Pressure Torsion (HPT) has attracted significant attention in recent years as an effective technique to process ultrafine and nanostructured materials. The hydrostatic pressure developed during processing prevents the occurrence of cracks and the low thickness to diameter ratio provides the opportunity for developing high strains at low numbers of rotations. The present work analyses the plastic flow during HPT. Experimental results and computer modeling are used to describe heterogeneous plastic flow. It is shown that variations in structure, hardness and in the distribution of strain are observed along the disc thickness. The sources of these heterogeneities are discussed.

Resumo em Inglês:

Magnesium alloys often exhibit cracking and segmentation after equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature. With torsion shear deformation and a hydrostatic stress, high-pressure torsion (HPT) has an advantage over ECAP in the processing of hard-to-deform materials like magnesium alloys at room temperature. In this report, HPT was used on extruded AZ31 Mg alloy at temperatures of 296, 373 and 473 K for 1 and 5 turns. After HPT processing, the hcp crystal c-axis rotated from the disc (r,θ) plane towards the torsion axis. The angle between the c-axis and the torsion axis (Φ) has a relationship with the HPT processing temperature. It was found that the c-axis was 10º from the torsion axis at 296 and 373 K but 5º from the torsion axis at 473 K. The activity of the basal <a> slip and the twinning exert significant contributions to the deformation. Microstructural features such as the grain size and grain size distributions were examined and correlated with the mechanical properties through the microhardness values.

Resumo em Inglês:

Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is widely recognized as an effective method for processing ultrafine-grained and even nanostructured materials. Important details on processes occurring in the die intersections can be obtained by mapping the microhardness and EBSD microstructures in partially-pressed aluminum and copper through the 90º die of ECAP. Precise measurements were made using grids of partially-pressed Al and Cu and detailed color maps were plotted and compared with EBSD maps. A narrow region along the bisector of two channels reflects altering in microhardness level of the material subjected to simple shear. The microstructural evolution suggests significant refining of the grain structure but there is noticeable inhomogeneity in the microhardness and microstructure for both materials. Factors contributing to the inhomogeneous hardness distribution include the coarse initial grain size, and inhomogeneous deformation across the plane of the die channel intersection due to die wall friction and the formation of a dead zone at the outer corner.

Resumo em Inglês:

This paper addresses the performance study on, low viscosity, nano-modified adhesives by graphene. For achieving this goal, single-lap joints following ASTM D 5868-01 were manufactured and tested. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and nanoindentation were employed for graphene based nanostructures characterization. The increase on joint strength was around 57% when compared against the control group. Furthermore, all failures for the nano-modified adhesive were cohesive failure for the carbon fibre/epoxy composites indicating that the adhesive was tested. X-ray diffractions signatures indicate formation of nano-structures with 17-19 nm diameters. Moreover, nanoindentation tests revealed a homogeneous dispersion of graphene.

Resumo em Inglês:

ZnO nanofibre networks (NFNs) were grown by vapour transport method on Si-based substrates. One type of substrate was SiO2 thermally grown on Si and another consisted of a Si wafer onto which Si nanowires (NWs) had been grown having Au nanoparticles catalysts. The ZnO-NFN morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy on samples grown at 600 °C and 720 °C substrate temperature, while an focused ion beam was used to study the ZnO NFN/Si NWs/Si and ZnO NFN/SiO2 interfaces. Photoluminescence, electrical conductance and photoconductance of ZnO-NFN was studied for the sample grown on SiO2. The photoluminescence spectra show strong peaks due to exciton recombination and lattice defects. The ZnO-NFN presents quasi-persistent photoconductivity effects and ohmic I-V characteristics which become nonlinear and hysteretic as the applied voltage is increased. The electrical conductance as a function of temperature can be described by a modified three dimensional variable hopping model with nanometer-ranged typical hopping distances.

Resumo em Inglês:

Although the 6150 steel has an excellent fatigue and impact resistance, it is unsuitable to operate it when the corrosion is a limited factor. We propose here a sequence of steel pre-treatment by carburizing, carbonitriding and nitriding in order to improve the poor adhesion between Diamond Like-Carbon coatings on steel. This sequence is our attempt to reduce the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of steel and DLC through the graded interface. This work demonstrates the quantitative analysis of the molecules present at surface using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The crystallographic structures are investigated by X-ray diffraction which shows the formation of carbides and nitride phases. Raman spectroscopy reveals the carburizing surface characteristics where DLC coating is nucleated and grown at the substrate. At the end of the analysis it is possible to verify which molecules and phases are formed on the steel surface interface after each step of pre-treatment.

Resumo em Inglês:

This paper focuses on the synthesis of super-hydrophobic membranes. The polymer used in this research is polystyrene (PS), which has low surface energy but not low enough to be characterized as a superhydrophobic material. As hydrophobicity is based on low energy surface and surface roughness, the electrospinning technique was selected as the manufacturing technique. N, N' dimethylformamide (DMF) was employed as the PS solvent. Two groups of PS/DMF solutions were investigated i.e. 20/80 and 35/65. To increase even more the hydrophobicity, nanoparticles of silica, graphene, cadmium, and zinc were dispersed into the PS/DMF solutions. In contrast to results previous published in literature, the PS/DMF weight ratio of 20/80 led to water contact angles (WCA) of 148º, which is higher than the contact angle for the 35/65 ratio, i.e. 143º. This fact seems to be due to the presence of non-evaporated solvent into the PS surface as the 35/65 solution was more viscous. The WCA for membranes with 0.5 wt. (%) of graphene reached 152º, 149º-153º for membranes with nanosilica addition, 151º with 5.0 wt. (%) CdS, and 153º, 163º and 168º with the addition of 5 wt. (%), 10 wt. (%) and 15 wt. (%) of ZnS, respectively.

Resumo em Inglês:

Nanocomposites based on superhydrophilic vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VAMWCNT-O2) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) are of great interest in bone regenerative medicine. The biomineralization using simulated body fluid (SBF) has been extensively studied to evaluate the bioactivity of biomaterials. Thus, the combination of nHAp and VAMWCNT-O2 is attractive and promising. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro calcification of nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 nanocomposites before and after the period of biomineralization in SBF. In vitro calcification of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of HOB cells in culture after 24 hours was investigated through the assay of alkaline phosphatase. These promising in vitro results validate biomineralized nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 as possible scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

Resumo em Inglês:

Electrolytic tough pitch (ETP) and fire refined high conductivity (FRHC) copper samples were severely deformed at room temperature by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) up to 16 passes (ε ~ 1 per pass), following route Bc. The effect of the initial texture on the evolution of texture after the ECAP process for both materials was analyzed. The annealed materials present a marked anisotropy, with a texture controlled by the <110> fiber. According to the orientation distribution function (ODF), this initial behavior allows the presence of a strong C ({001} <110>) component after the first two ECAP passes in both coppers. However in the second pass the C component significantly increases in the FRHC copper, whereas the ETP copper presents a much more balanced behavior of the A1* (111)[<img border=0 width=17 height=12 id="_x0000_i1026" src="../../../../../img/revistas/mr/2013nahead/1707-12s01.jpg" align=absmiddle> 2]and A2* (111)[11 <img border=0 width=8 height=12 id="_x0000_i1027" src="../../../../../img/revistas/mr/2013nahead/1707-12s02.jpg" align=absmiddle>]components. The textures obtained for both coppers after each ECAP pass exhibit predominant orientations with continuous distributions along the orientation fiber with simple shear texture.

Resumo em Inglês:

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 ferrite doped with 0.1 and 0.4 mol of Cu as a catalyst for the transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel, using methanol. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. The reaction was performed for 2 hours at a temperature of 160 °C, using 10 g of soybean oil, a molar ratio of oil: alcohol of 1:20, and 4% (w/w) of catalyst. The product of the reaction was characterized by gas chromatography, which confirmed conversion to methyl esters. The diffraction patterns showed the presence only of Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 ferrite phase with a crystallite size of 29 nm. The samples doped with 0.1 and 0.4 mol of Cu showed a surface area and particle size of 22.17 m²g- 1 and 50.47 nm; and 23.49 m²g- 1 and 47.64 nm, respectively. The morphology of both samples consisted of brittle block-shaped agglomerates with a wide particle size distribution. A comparative analysis of the two catalysts indicated that the catalyst doped with 0.4 mol of Cu showed the better performance, with a conversion rate of 50.25%, while the catalyst doped with 0.1 mol of Cu showed 42.71% conversion.

Resumo em Inglês:

The concept of carbon nanotube interlayer was successfully introduced to carbon fiber/epoxy composites. This new hybrid laminated composites was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and tensile tests. An increase on peak stress close to 85% was witnessed when CNTs interlayer with 206.30 mg was placed to carbon fiber/epoxy laminates. The failure mechanisms are associated to CNTs distribution between and around carbon fibers. These CNTs are also responsible for crack bridging formation and the increase on peak stress. Initial stiffness is strongly affected by the CNT interlayer, however, changes on stiffness is associated to changes on nano/micro-structure due to damage. Three different behaviors can be described, i.e. for interlayers with ≈ 60 mg of CNT the failure mode is based on cracks between and around carbon fibers, while for interlayers with CNT contents between 136 mg and 185 mg cracks were spotted on fibers and inside the CNT/matrix mix. Finally, the third failure mechanism is based on carbon fiber breakage, as a strong interface between CNT/matrix mix and carbon fibers is observed.

Resumo em Inglês:

This research aims to examine scientific and technological trends of developments in nanocellulose based on scientometric and patent indicators obtained from the Science Citation Index and Derwent Innovations Index in 2001-2010. The overall nanocellulose activity indicators were compared to nanotechnology and other selected nanomaterials. Scientific and technological future developments in nanocellulose were forecasted using extrapolation growth curves and the main countries were also mapped. The results showed that nanocellulose publications and patent documents have increased rapidly over the last five years with an average growth rate higher than that of nanotechnology and fullerene. The USA, Japan, France, Sweden and Finland all played a significant role in nanocellulose development and the extrapolation growth curves suggested that nanocellulose scientific and technological activities are still emerging. Finally, the evidence from this study recommends monitoring nanocellulose S&T advances in the coming years.

Resumo em Inglês:

Since the early 90's the oil industry has been encouraging the development of corrosion and wear resistant alloys for onshore and offshore pipeline applications. In this context supermartensitic stainless steel was introduced to replace the more expensive duplex stainless steel for tubing applications. Despite the outstanding corrosion resistance of stainless steels, their wear resistance is of concern. Some authors reported obtaining material processed by spray forming, such as ferritic stainless steel, superduplex stainless steel modified with boron, and iron-based amorphous alloys, which presented high wear resistance while maintaining the corrosion performance1,2. The addition of boron to iron-based alloys promotes the formation of hard boride particles (M2B type) which improve their wear resistances3-9. This work aimed to study the microstructure and wear resistance of supermartensitic stainless steel modified with 0.3 wt. (%) and 0.7 wt. (%) processed by spray forming (SF-SMSS 0.3%B and SF-SMSS 0.7%B, respectively). These boron contents were selected in order to improve the wear resistance of supermartensitic stainless steel through the formation of uniformly distributed borides maintaining the characteristics of the corrosion resistant matrix. SF-SMSS 0.7%B presents an abrasive wear resistance considerably higher than spray-formed supermartensitic stainless steel without boron addition (SF-SMSS).

Resumo em Inglês:

Nanotubes are promising materials to be used with magnesium hydride, as catalysts, in order to enhance hydrogen sorption. A study was performed on the hydrogen absorption/desorption properties of MgH2 with the addition of TTNT (TiTanate NanoTubes). The MgH2-TTNT composite was prepared by ball milling and the influence of the TTNT amount (1.0 and 5.0 wt. (%)) on the hydrogen capacity was evaluated. The milling of pure MgH2 was performed for 24 hours and afterwards the MgH2-TTNT composite was milled for 20 minutes. Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to evaluate the nanotube synthesis and show the particle morphology of the MgH2-TTNT composite, respectively. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) examination provided some evidence with the shifting of the peaks obtained when the amount of TTNT is increased. The hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetics tests showed that the TTNT nanotubes can enhance hydrogen sorption effectively and the total hydrogen capacity obtained was 6.5 wt. (%).

Resumo em Inglês:

Nanobiomaterials based on superhydrophilic vertically-aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VAMWCNT-O2) are promising for their properties and bone tissue biocompatibility. VAMWCNT-O2 films with nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) aim to improve mechanical properties and biocompatibility of this new nanocomposite due to its resemblance to bone matrix structure. This study aimed to produce in vitro biomineralized nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 nanocomposites using simulated body fluid (SBF) with two different pHs (6.10 and 7.40) during 7 days to obtain a new surface design with higher crystalinity and better morphology of nHAp/VAMWCANT-O2 nanocomposites. The objective is to obtain biomineralized nanobiomaterials to enable its applicability as "scaffold" to cellular support and consequent bone tissue formation, accelerating the osseointegration. Layer densification has been achieved due to polycrystalline nanoapatites deposition on surface and between the biomineralized nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 nanocomposites, without any heat treatment. Therefore, through its characteristics and properties these nanocomposite applications can be considered extremely viable for acceleration of in vivo regenerative processes.

Resumo em Inglês:

The Yttria stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) is a standard electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which are potential candidates for next generation portable and mobile power sources. YSZ electrolyte thin films having a cubic single phase allow reducing the SOFC operating temperature without diminishing the electrochemical power density. Films of 8 mol% Yttria stabilized Zirconia (8YSZ) and films with addition of 4 weight% Ceria (8YSZ + 4CeO2) were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique using 8YSZ and 8YSZ + 4CeO2 targets and a Nd-YAG laser (355 nm). Films have been deposited on Soda-Calcia-Silica glass and Si(100) substrates at room temperature. The morphology and structural characteristics of the samples have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Films of a cubic-YSZ single phase with thickness in the range of 1-3 µm were grown on different substrates.

Resumo em Inglês:

For the first time, the growth mechanism of biominerals formed on plate-like nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) electrodeposited on superhydrophilic vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VAMWCNT-O2) is presented and a model for the specific growth preference is discussed. VAMWCNT-O2 films were obtained by microwave-assisted chemical vapor deposition method and funcionalized by oxygen plasma. nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 nanocomposites were fabricated with a direct electrodeposition of the thin nHAp films onto the VAMWCNT-O2 films. The biomineralized "scaffolds" were obtained by soaking nHAp/VAMWCNT-O2 in simulated body fluid for 7, 14 and 21 days. Results show that the carboxyl functional groups directly attached onto VAMWCNT tips after oxygen plasma treatment were essential for the acceleration of the OH- formation and the deposition of plate-like nHAp crystals.

Resumo em Inglês:

Asphaltenes can cause enormous losses in the oil industry, because they are soluble only in aromatic solvents. Therefore, they must be removed from the petroleum before it is refined, using flocculant agents. Aiming to find new materials that can work as flocculant agents to asphaltenes, cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were chemically modified through acid-base reactions using dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) to increase their lipophilicity. Nanoparticle synthesis was performed using the co-precipitation method followed by annealing of these nanoparticles, aiming to change the structural phase. Modified and unmodified nanoparticles were tested by FTIR-ATR, XRD and TGA/DTA. In addition, precipitation onset of the asphaltenes was performed using modified and unmodified nanoparticles. These tests showed that modified nanoparticles have a potential application as flocculant agents used to remove asphaltenes before oil refining, since the presence of nanoparticles promotes the asphaltene precipitation onset with the addition of a small amount of non-solvent.

Resumo em Inglês:

Formation of intermetallics is generally feasible at high temperatures when the lattice diffusion is fast enough to form the ordered phases. This study shows that nanograined intermetallics are formed at a low temperature as 573 K in Al- 25 mol% Ni, Al- 50 mol.% Ni and Al- 50 mol% Ti powder mixtures through powder consolidation using high-pressure torsion (HPT). For the three compositions, the hardness gradually increases with straining but saturates to the levels as high as 550-920 Hv. In addition to the high hardness, the TiAl material exhibits high yield strength as ~3 GPa with good ductility as ~23%, when they are examined by micropillar compression tests. X-ray diffraction analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal that the significant increase in hardness and strength is due to the formation of nanograined intermetallics such as Al3Ni, Al3Ni2, TiAl3, TiAl2 and TiAl with average grain sizes of 20-40 nm.

Resumo em Inglês:

The hydrogen absorption and desorption of Ti53Zr27Ni20 icosahedral quasicrystal (ICQ) and Ti50Ni50 shape memory alloy (SMA) melt-spun ribbons was studied. Samples were exposed to hydrogen gas at 623 K and 4 MPa for 1000 minutes. The total capacity of hydrogen obtained for Ti53Zr27Ni20 and Ti50Ni50 was 3.2 and 2.4 wt. % respectively. The Thermal Desorption Spectrometry (TDS) of the hydrogenated alloys shows that both alloys start to desorb hydrogen around 750 K. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, performed after hydrogenation, indicate a complete amorphization of the Ti53Zr27Ni20 i-phase alloy, while the Ti50Ni50 alloy remained crystalline after hydride formation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Atomic force spectroscopy, a technique derived from Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), allowed us to distinguish nonspecific and specific interactions between the acetolactate synthase enzyme (ALS) and anti-atrazine antibody biomolecules and the herbicides imazaquin, metsulfuron-methyl and atrazine. The presence of specific interactions increased the adhesion force (Fadh) between the AFM tip and the herbicides, which made the modified tip a powerful biosensor. Increases of approximately 132% and 145% in the Fadh values were observed when a tip functionalized with ALS was used to detect imazaquin and metsulfuron-methyl, respectively. The presence of specific interactions between the atrazine and the anti-atrazine antibody also caused an increase in the Fadh values (approximately 175%) compared to those observed when using an unfunctionalized tip. The molecular modeling results obtained with the ALS enzyme suggest that the orientation of the biomolecule on the tip surface could be suitable for allowing interaction with the herbicides imazaquin and metsulfuron-methyl.