Current Materials Science - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2023

The attention to electric vehicle (EV) development is still a hot topic. As an important part of EV - power battery, its safety issue is still a major concern. The most recent research on TR mechanism, inducement, and transmission is initially presented, and then the most recent research status on TR protection is partially expanded using these concepts. Then the influence of the material and design of the battery cell components on TR is introduced, and lastly, the safety measures before and after TR are comprehensively reviewed. This paper serves as a summary of previous TR research as well as a reference for future TR protection.

Large volume variation during charge/discharge of silicon (Si) nanostructures applied as the anode electrodes for high energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been considered the most critical problem, inhibiting their commercial applications. Searching for alternative highperformance anodes for LIBs has been emphasized. Silicon carbide (SiC) nanomaterials, a wide bandgap semiconductor with excellent mechanical properties, have been investigated as anode electrode materials even as active materials, protective layers, or inactive buffer stuff. In this minireview, we briefly summarize the synthesis of SiC nanostructures, the application of SiC/C anode materials, and SiC/Si composite anodes in LIBs.

Background: Active pharmaceutical ingredient to be administered in a suitable dosage form is usually incorporated with an inert substance (excipient) to achieve a necessary therapeutic effect. Pharmaceutical excipient plays a prominent role in the drug delivery system. Thus, the exploration of novel excipients is indispensable to aid in formulating the new chemical entity. This review discusses novel lipid excipient Compritol for devising as an efficient drug delivery system and its utility in the pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries. Summary: In this review manuscript, the potential pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applicability of compritol as a novel excipient has been highlighted. An extensive search of the literature was done using the existing original research papers. Furthermore, painstaking efforts were made to compile and update the information using databases viz., PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, etc. The applications of various grades of compritol are enumerated in the form of tables.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial illness. Although germs are most typically found in the lungs, they can affect other sections of the body as well. Tuberculosis is one of the primary causes of mortality in both developed and developing nations, necessitating worldwide attention. Even though TB may be prevented in the majority of instances if discovered and treated early, the number of deaths caused by the disease is quite high. There has been a significant increase in interest and research activity in TB detection in recent years. The new advancement in the field of AI Technology may be able to assist them in overcoming these development gaps. Computer-Aided Detection and Diagnosis (CADD) aids in the diagnosis of diseases by analysing symptoms and X-ray images of patients. Many solutions are currently being developed to improve the effectiveness of TB diagnosis classification using AI and DL approaches. Although a variety of TB detection techniques have been developed, there is no commonly acknowledged method. The purpose of this study is to give a survey on Tuberculosis Detection. It also emphasises the difficulty and complexity of the Tuberculosis Detection System's design.

Aims: To activate Si and SiGe surfaces by employing the sonochemical treatment at different operating frequencies in dichloromethane to improve the surface photovoltage signal. Background: To produce integrated electronic devices, one needs to achieve low surface and interface trap densities. In this respect, placing a passivating thin layer on Si and Ge surfaces, which saturates the electronic levels of traps and therefore affects the carrier recombination velocities at the surface, is of great interest. Objective: Demonstrating the effectiveness of the treatment of Si and SiGe surfaces depends on the ultrasonic frequency used. Methods: Photovoltaic transients, electron microscopy, EDX spectroscopy. Results: The surface photovoltage (SPV) decay curves can be divided into rapid (Τ1) and slow (Τ2) components. The sonication effect on the SPV is different for the treatment done at about 25 and 400 kHz. The SPV signal in Si gradually increases with increasing lower-frequency sonication time, whereas the SPV enhancement on SiGe is somewhat smaller. Increasing the sonication time increases the amplitude of the Τ2 component in Si. In SiGe, the lower-frequency sonication quenches the Τ2 component yielding a nearly single-exponential decay form. This trend is even more pronounced at the higher-frequency sonication. Conclusion: The sonochemical treatments greatly intensify the formation of CxHy–Si, and CxHy– Ge bonds on Si and Si1-xGex surfaces, resulting in increased SPV signals and prolonged SPV decay times. These results demonstrate that sonochemical treatment is a more effective technique to obtain stable highly passivated Si and Si1-xGex surfaces in comparison with wet chemical treatments in hydrocarbon solutions.

Background: Functionally graded material (FGM) is popularly recognized as promising material for modern engineering applications, which has gained attention of researchers due to its composition design and mechanical behaviour. FGM is the most suitable choice as a structural material for conical pressure vessel and requires detailed analysis for its mechanical behaviour. Objective: The design optimization of the rotating truncated conical shell made from FGM subjected to internal pressure (variable and constant) using Finite Element Method. Methods: Using a commercially available finite element code, the effect of various parameters (such as cone angle, internal pressure, and angular velocity) on truncated conical shell was analyzed. The material properties and composition vary along the radial direction according to the exponential function. Results: Under the chosen circumstances 10129;° cone angle, 4-12MPa internal pressure, and 50 rad/sec rotational velocity were found most suitable. Conclusion: The results also demonstrated that chosen parameters (such as, cone angle, internal pressure, and rotational velocity) significantly affect the stresses working on conical shell. This requires careful selection while designing the conical pressure vessel. These optimization results are helpful for research community to design a conical shell pressure vessel using FGM.

Objective: In the present study, cupric sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in deionized (DIW) water using an eco-benign, simple, and cost-effective chemical route that requires no surfactant or template. Methods: Polypyrrole/cupric sulfide (PPy/CuS) hybrid nanocomposite (HNC) was synthesized using an in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization method in the presence of obtained CuS NPs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the hexagonal structure of CuS, whose crystalline nature was preserved in the HNC. For CuS NPs and PPy/CuS HNC, elastic properties, such as intrinsic microstrain, internal stress, dislocation density, strain energy density, stacking faults, and intercrystalline separation, were used to analyze the crystal imperfections and distortions. Results: Field emission scanning electron spectroscopy (FESEM) micrographs revealed that CuS NPs and PPy/CuS HNC have particulate and globular morphology, respectively. The values of the average intrinsic strain, dislocation density, internal stresses, and strain energy density of PPy/CuS HNC were estimated to be ∼2 × 10^-3, ∼8.8166 × 10¹⁵ m^-2, 164.263 MPa, and 127.278 KJ m⁻³, respectively, which were observed to be higher than those of CuS NPs. Conclusion: The DC electrical conductivity of as-synthesized samples was measured at room temperature in pelletized form, using the standard four-probe method, and conductivity values were estimated to be ∼480 Scm^-1 and ∼4 Scm^-1 for CuS NPs and PPy/CuS HNC, respectively.

Background: Dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3) gathers a set of profitable properties with a wide range of applications, including energy and astronomy. Particular characteristics directly influence the formation and features of materials by colloidal processing. The main purpose of this paper is to carry out a powder characterization of Dy2O3particles. The findings reported are worthwhile parameters to advance in the formulation of new smart materials for radiation dosimetry. Methods: Dy2O3 powders were characterized by XRD, PCS, SEM, pynometric density (ρ), FTIR, ICP, EPR, and zeta potential (ζ). Results: The powdered samples exhibited as main features a cubic C-type structure following the RE-polymorphic diagram, a mean particle size distribution with d50 of 389nm, and pynometric density of 7.94g.cm^-3. The EPR spectra revealed three distinct peaks, p1, p2, and p3, with the following g values: 2.3121, 2.1565, and 2.1146. In addition, the nanoparticles presented high stability at pH 5.5 and a ζ-value of |49.7|mV. Conclusion: The powder characterization of Dy2O3 powders was reported. The results achieved in this study may be considered worthwhile parameters to advance in the formulation of Dy2O3- based materials for radiation dosimetry.

Background: Cyanide (CN-) belongs to dangerous anion pollutants owing to its toxicity at a low level. The development of an efficient method for cyanide detection in an aqueous solution is of tremendous importance for protecting the environment and human health. Polyaniline/ CuBi2O4 composite modified electrode possesses good electro-catalytic activity towards cyanide. Objective: The aim is to synthesize polyaniline/CuBi2O4 nanoflakes by a facile hydrothermal route using the CuBi2O4 nanoflakes and polyaniline as the raw materials and research the electrocatalytic activity towards cyanide of the composite nanoflakes. Methods: Polyaniline/CuBi2O4 nanoflakes were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route using the CuBi2O4 nanoflakes and polyaniline as the raw materials. The structure, morphology, chemical bonding, and electro-catalytic activity towards cyanide of the composite nanoflakes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and electrochemical measurements. Results: The obtained composite nanoflakes are composed of a tetragonal CuBi2O4 phase. Amorphous polyaniline nanoscale particles with a size of about 50 nm attach to the surface of the CuBi2O4 nanoflakes. The nanoflakes modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) were used for the determination of cyanide. A pair of quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetry (CV) peaks were located at +0.25 V and +0.33 V, respectively, at the polyaniline/CuBi2O4 nanoflakes modified GCE. The linear range and detection limit were 0.01-2 mM, 3.1 μM, 0.001-2 mM, and 0.39 μM for CuBi2O4 nanoflakes modified GCE and polyaniline/CuBi2O4 nanoflakes modified GCE, respectively. Conclusion: Polyaniline/CuBi2O4 nanoflakes modified GCE shows good reproducibility and stability for cyanide detection. The electro-catalytic activity towards cyanide of the CuBi2O4 nanoflakes modified GCE can be greatly enhanced by the polyaniline.

Background: The title compound (C9H9N2)2[CoCl4] belongs to a large compound’s family, enriching the new technologies materials range. Objective: The chemical synthesis and the crystal structure are the main goals to reach in this study. In addition, the optoelectronic properties and the material behavior are investigated. Methods: The single-crystal diffraction, photoluminescence, infrared spectroscopy, and several computations are applied in this work to characterize the studied compound. Results: At room temperature, the synthesized (C9H9N2)2[CoCl4] crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group. The cohesion of the 0-D crystal structure is ensured by hydrogen interactions and confirmed by the Hirshfeld surface analysis. Conclusion: A new hybrid compound is discovered and added to the structural database ICDD. The structural study, the spectroscopic investigations, particularly the photoluminescence, indicate that the newly obtained material is promising for interesting application as a non-linear optical material.