Yu-Chang Huang , Po-Hao Tseng , Ko-Shan Ho , Yu-Min Wang
{"title":"Galvanic preparation of nano-Cu@Ag from reverse micelles for conductive inks","authors":"Yu-Chang Huang , Po-Hao Tseng , Ko-Shan Ho , Yu-Min Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A straightforward method for synthesizing copper-silver core-shell (Cu@Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) is presented, utilizing reverse micelles (RMs) and a two-step galvanic reaction to produce highly stable conductive materials. Para-n-dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid was employed as a functional surfactant, enabling the formation of reverse micelles in toluene by neutralizing Cu(II) and Ag(I) oxides, thus providing a controlled nano-reactor environment. During co-reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH<sub>4</sub>), the simultaneous reduction of Cu(II) and Ag(I) yielded a bimetallic Cu-Ag NP mixture rather than the intended Cu@Ag core-shell configuration. In contrast, the two-step approach successfully produced Cu@Ag core-shell NPs, achieved by first forming Cu NPs followed by Ag deposition via galvanic replacement.</div><div>The synthesized Cu@Ag NPs exhibit low electrical resistivity comparable to pure Cu post-sintering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and resistivity assessments further demonstrated effective particle sintering and percolation, confirming their capability to establish stable conductive pathways below 200 °C.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130641"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Analysis and assessment of (Ni/Zn)0.2Co0.8Fe2O4 nanocrystalline ferrites for biomedical applications","authors":"Bimaleswar Sahu , K.V. Ramesh , Davuluri Venkatesh , Santhi Latha Pandrangi , Prasanthi Chittineedi , Bheeshma Pratap Singh","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130749","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130749","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nanocrystalline Ni and Zn ion-doped Co-ferrites with the chemical formula M<sub>0.2</sub>Co<sub>0.8</sub>Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> (M = Ni/Zn) were synthesized using the citrate-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the phase and crystalline nature of the samples. The addition of Ni and Zn ions to CoFe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub> slightly modifies its structural and magnetic properties. The crystallite size, experimental density, cation distribution from intensity calculations, and structural parameters, including bond lengths and angles, were studied using the XRD data. FTIR studies also supported the structure and proposed cation distribution analysis. FESEM carried out morphological studies, and it was observed that both the samples exhibited spherical particles. In addition, EDAX studies confirmed the stoichiometry of both samples. Magnetization studies were carried out by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM); it was observed that the Zn-substituted sample showed a lower saturation magnetization value (60 emu/g) compared with the Ni substituted (73.6 emu/g) sample. Antimicrobial and cytotoxicity studies have revealed that these samples are well suited for magnetic hyperthermia and biomedical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130749"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unraveling the effect of trace sulfur content on hot working behavior of Cu-DHP alloy: A study using processing maps","authors":"Milad Maleki , Mohammad Javad Sohrabi , Hamed Farzad , Hamed Mirzadeh , Mohammad Habibi Parsa , Reza Miresmaeili , Seyed Hossein Razavi","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130739","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130739","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hot compression testing was used to study how the sulfur content affects the hot deformation behavior and processing map of the deoxidized high-phosphorus copper (Cu-DHP) alloy. The results demonstrated that increasing sulfur content from 4 to 356 ppm significantly raises the flow stress. Processing maps indicated that the low-sulfur alloy exhibits a wider domain for dynamic recrystallization (DRX) with high power dissipation index values. However, the domain at low temperature range of 500–650 °C was absent for the high-sulfur alloy, and the flow instability domain at low temperatures and high strain rates became much wider. These observations were supported by the microstructural analysis and it was concluded that sulfur impurity has a serious adverse effect on the hot workability of pure copper. Nevertheless, the high-sulfur alloy showed a finer DRX grain size (<em>D</em>) at the same Zener-Hollomon parameter (<em>Z</em>) due to the retardation effect of sulfur. The simple formulae of <em>D</em> = 2738/<em>Z</em><sup>0.1136</sup> and <em>D</em> = 11453/<em>Z</em><sup>0.1980</sup> were proposed for the low-sulfur and high-sulfur alloys, respectively. The hardness (<em>H</em>) values for both alloys were consistent with the single Hall-Petch line of <em>H</em> = 43.38 + 175.47/√<em>D</em>, formulating the effect of grain refinement on the mechanical properties. Finally, the development of the superimposed processing map and grain size map for these alloys was another major contribution of this work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130739"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Ramesh , K. Ashok , Nagaraj Basavegowda , K. Vagdevi , D. Venkatesh , N. Pavan Kumar , Ghassan M. Sulaiman , J. Kishore Babu , Ramaiah Konakanchi
{"title":"Structural, optical, ESR, magnetic and anticancer properties of Co1-xZnxFe2O4 (x= 0 to 1) ferrites synthesized by ultrasonication assisted Co-precipitation method","authors":"T. Ramesh , K. Ashok , Nagaraj Basavegowda , K. Vagdevi , D. Venkatesh , N. Pavan Kumar , Ghassan M. Sulaiman , J. Kishore Babu , Ramaiah Konakanchi","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130752","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Co–Zn ferrites (Co<sub>1-x</sub>Zn<sub>x</sub>Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>; where x ranges from 0 to 1) nanopowders were synthesized using ultrasonication-assisted co-precipitation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the single-phase cubic structure for all the powders. A shift in the peak positions and increased unit cell dimensions were observed with Zn substitution. The morphological properties of the powders were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which revealed no significant changes in morphology with Zn substitution. The increase in optical energy gap value was observed with Zn concentration. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy showed a decrease in linewidth and Landé g-factor with increasing Zn content. Magnetic hysteresis studies (VSM) revealed the highest magnetization at x = 0.2 and the lowest at x = 0.8. The antiproliferative activity of the synthesized powders was tested against MCF-7, HeLa, and Hep G-2 cancer cell lines. The sample with Zn concentration x = 0.4 exhibited potent activity against HeLa cells with potency nearly equal to reference rug cisplatin, while the sample with x = 0.5 showed considerable activity against Hep G-2 cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130752"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Piotr Kunecki , Ewa Wisła-Walsh , Kamil Kornaus , Paweł Gara , Magdalena Wdowin
{"title":"Assessment of silver modification's impact on the internal structure stability, phase and textural properties of fly ash-derived X and A zeolites","authors":"Piotr Kunecki , Ewa Wisła-Walsh , Kamil Kornaus , Paweł Gara , Magdalena Wdowin","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Zeolites X and A able to bind elemental mercury were synthesized via a hybrid method. The procedure involved melting fly ash with sodium hydroxide, followed by simultaneous activation and crystallization of zeolites during the hydrothermal synthesis stage. The influence of silver modification on the phase composition and textural properties of zeolites X and A was systematically investigated. The applied method resulted in the formation of highly crystalline zeolite X coexisting with residual quartz and mullite, as well as mono-mineral zeolite A. Compared to unmodified zeolites and those modified with lower doses of the activating agent, a higher dose of silver nitrate slightly reduced the degree of crystallinity of the synthesized zeolites. Zeolites X and A exhibited significant differences in their specific surface areas. Although zeolites X displayed surface area values approximately six times higher than those of zeolites A, both types demonstrated comparable efficiency in elemental mercury sorption. Results from mercury removal experiments suggest that silver ions, after occupying narrower micropores, facilitate the formation of mesoporous layers when no additional micropore surfaces are available. Consequently, mercury removal occurs within mesopores via amalgamation with silver deposited on their surfaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130730"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Innovative hybrid coatings: Uniting boron carbide and graphite for enhanced performance in electroless nickel boron coating process","authors":"Aleyna Bayatlı , Fatih Kılıç , Mustafa Kocabaş","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, two different powders were harmonized to develop electroless nickel-boron coatings with enhanced hardness and wear resistance. For this purpose, a new hybrid electroless nickel boron composite coating process was developed by using two different characteristic particles which are i) boron carbide and ii) graphite. The surface analysis showed that harmonizing two particles into one single coating bath exhibited good tribological and mechanical properties as compared to conventional single-particle composite and non-composite electroless nickel boron coatings. After the coating process, two different heat treatment procedures were carried out which are i) 250°C-5 hours and ii) 400°C-1 hour. Chemical composition, crystal structures, microhardness, tribological, and corrosion behaviors of the coatings were investigated. The comprehensive results showed the dual effect of different particles which have different characteristics lubricious and abrasive on hardness and tribological properties. The heat treatment process had also a positive effect on the tribological behavior of the hybrid composite coatings. Microhardness values of the hybrid composite coating improved by around 24–37% compared to electroless nickel boron coating alone whereas heat treatment processes led to an increment in hardness of around 50–87%. Besides it was observed that wear rates were 79–93% lower than classic nickel boron coating while heat treatment also decreased the wear rate by 154–165%. The corrosion resistance of the hybrid coating is similar to electroless nickel boron coating however it decreases slightly after the heat treatment process. Overall, the hybrid electroless nickel boron composites were successfully achieved and provide promising features for the coating employed in industrial applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130755"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abrar U. Hassan , Cihat Güleryüz , Islam H. El Azab , Ashraf Y. Elnaggar , Mohamed H.H. Mahmoud
{"title":"A graph neural network assisted reverse polymers engineering to design low bandgap benzothiophene polymers for light harvesting applications","authors":"Abrar U. Hassan , Cihat Güleryüz , Islam H. El Azab , Ashraf Y. Elnaggar , Mohamed H.H. Mahmoud","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130747","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130747","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, we present a novel approach to reverse polymer engineering utilizing a Graph Neural Network (GNN) framework to design low bandgap benzothiophene (BT) polymers for light harvesting applications. We have curated an extensive dataset comprising 57,556 structure-property pairs of BT-based compounds, leveraging expert knowledge to enhance the quality and relevance of the data. Our Transformer-Assisted Oriented pretrained model for on-demand polymer generation (TAO) demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving a chemical validity rate of 99.27 % in top-1 generation mode across a test set of 6000 generated polymers, marking the highest success rate reported among polymer generative models to date. Throughout the training process, the loss steadily decreased with each epoch, indicating that the model was learning effectively from the data. The model predictive accuracy is further validated by an impressive average R<sup>2</sup> value of 0.96 for 15 defined properties, highlighting the TAO with its robust capabilities in polymer design. The newly designed polymers exhibit a bandgap range of 1.5–3.40 eV, making them promising candidates for light harvesting applications. Additionally, their highest Synthetic Accessibility Likelihood Index (SALI) scores reach up to 17 and also indicates that the majority of these polymers are amenable to synthesis. This work not only advances the field of polymer design but also provides a powerful tool for the targeted development of materials with specific electronic properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130747"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ali Öz , Ahmed Salah Jamal , Barış Bayrak , Xuepeng Song , Gökhan Kaplan , A.Cüneyt Aydın
{"title":"Effect of apricot kernel ash on the performance of sustainable alkali-activated composites","authors":"Ali Öz , Ahmed Salah Jamal , Barış Bayrak , Xuepeng Song , Gökhan Kaplan , A.Cüneyt Aydın","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130748","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130748","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to environmental protection policies and the scarcity of natural resources, biomass has become an important renewable energy source. Apricot kernel ash (AKA) as a novel biomass ash was used to partially replace metakaolin to produce an alkali-activated material (AAM), and its mechanical properties, durability, and microstructure were investigated. When AKA partially replaces metakaolin, the mechanical properties of AAM decrease due to its coarse particle size and low reactivity; meanwhile, adding basalt fiber (BF) can effectively improve the mechanical properties of AKA-modified AAM, especially the flexural strength. In addition, incorporating AKA also increases the water permeability of AAM. Specifically, augmenting AKA levels by 20 % and 100 % in samples without BF escalates water absorption by 6.2 % and 25.4 %, respectively, compared to AAM samples without AKA. Nevertheless, the combined application of appropriate amounts of AKA and BF is beneficial to the high-temperature resistance of AAM. For high-temperature resistance, the samples mixed with a small amount of AKA show similar residual compressive strength as plain AAMs, and adding BF effectively reduces the thermal damage. Microstructure studies also show that BF is closely combined with the AAM matrix, and adding too much AKA is not beneficial to the compactness of the microstructure of AAM. This study provides a practical approach for recycling potential biomass ash and a strategy for producing eco-friendly binders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130748"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143687400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Montmorillonite-supported Cu-tripeptide complex for efficient Congo red degradation","authors":"Mounir Mekidiche , Khadidja Khaldi , Djahida Lerari-Zinai , Khaldoun Bachari","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Novel hybrid materials were synthesized by immobilizing copper-triglycine (GGG-Cu) and copper-glycine-glycine-histidine (GGH-Cu) complexes onto 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)-modified montmorillonite K10 (K10–NH). Characterization confirmed successful grafting of APTES and immobilization of the complexes. Band gap analysis revealed that the incorporation of copper complexes influenced the electronic properties of the materials. The prepared hybrid materials demonstrated superior catalytic activity in both Fenton-like and photocatalytic degradation of Congo red dye, achieving degradation rates of up to 96 % and 90 %, respectively. The catalyst with the GGH-Cu complex exhibited better reusability over multiple cycles. These findings highlight the potential of these eco-friendly hybrid materials for efficient and sustainable water treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130640"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143637230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The measurement and improvement of tensile strength in cold-sintered zinc oxide","authors":"Kaveh Rahimi Mamaghani, Nader Parvin","doi":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130753","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.130753","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cold sintering process (CSP) is a low-temperature densification technique for fabricating high-density ceramics, including zinc oxide (ZnO). Optimizing mechanical properties remains challenging due to weak grain boundaries leading to intergranular fracture. This study examines the effects of ZnO particle shapes and organic solvents on densification and tensile strength. ZnO powders with rod-like and isometric morphologies were cold-sintered at 250 °C and 530 MPa for 45 min using water, dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) mixed with 2 M acetic acid. Characterization techniques included SEM, BET, XRD, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The isometric ZnO achieved a higher relative density (97.8 %) than rod-like ZnO (96.5 %) due to better packing. Among solvents, water yielded the highest density, while DMF resulted in the lowest. Despite polarity significantly impacting densification, solvent viscosity, flashpoint, and pH had negligible effects. Weibull analysis on Brazilian test data estimated the tensile strength of the densest ZnO at 23.9 MPa, with fractography confirming intergranular fracture. Fracture toughness, calculated via the Haberfield and Johnston equation, was 2.5 MPa m<sup>0.5</sup>. The addition of MoS<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles (up to 1 wt%) slightly improved tensile strength (<3 %), while substituting 2 M formic acid for acetic acid led to a 21 % enhancement, emphasizing grain boundary reinforcement. These findings highlight the crucial role of solvent chemistry in improving sintering efficiency and mechanical integrity, suggesting future research should focus on optimizing solvent compositions for enhanced performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18227,"journal":{"name":"Materials Chemistry and Physics","volume":"339 ","pages":"Article 130753"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143644123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}