Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139414
Jingtao Zhang , Yuheng Zhao , Yuheng Dong , Ruichun Nan , Bingkun Liu , Sensen Zhao , Jianwei Wang , Huanhuan Wang , Zongcan Yang
{"title":"Antimicrobial activities of oxygen-vacancy-engineered copper-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles and nanorods","authors":"Jingtao Zhang , Yuheng Zhao , Yuheng Dong , Ruichun Nan , Bingkun Liu , Sensen Zhao , Jianwei Wang , Huanhuan Wang , Zongcan Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, copper-doped zinc oxide with<!--> <!-->oxygen vacancies reduced by sodium borohydride (Cu-ZnO-R) was synthesized in the forms of nanoparticles and nanorods. The characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provided evidence for the successful synthesis of copper-doped ZnO nanorods with reduced oxygen vacancies. The photocatalytic antimicrobial tests against <em>Escherichia coli</em>, <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>Thielaviopsis basicola</em> were performed. The disinfection results showed that the introduction of oxygen vacancies and copper doping significantly enhanced the disinfection efficiency of the nanorods under both illuminated and dark conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139414"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144926521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139385
Muh Amin , Yustina M. Pusparizkita , Rifky Ismail , J. Jamari , Athanasius P. Bayuseno
{"title":"Hydroxyapatite-amorphous calcium phosphate growth on a stainless-steel surface via flame spray deposited hydroxyapatite powders","authors":"Muh Amin , Yustina M. Pusparizkita , Rifky Ismail , J. Jamari , Athanasius P. Bayuseno","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139385","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139385","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Applying hydroxyapatite (HA) surface coatings of stainless steel (SS 316L) using the flame spray coating (FSC) method can improve surface compatibility. XRD and SEM/EDX methods were employed to examine the microstructure of the surface coating qualities. Preheating temperatures (300, 600, and 900 °C) before the FSC process affected the adhesive strength, porosity, roughness, thickness, Ca/P ratio, and crystallinity index of the HA coating layer. Preheating at 300 °C yielded Ca/P ratio of 1.59, a crystallinity index of 97 %, and an adhesion strength of 35.2 MPa, providing insight into the HA coating of SS 316L for biomedical implant applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139385"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139409
Prabu Periyathambi , Thiago T. Vicente , João Henrique Uliana , Mariah Eugênia C. da Silva Prado , Alexandre J. Gualdi , Theo Z. Pavan , Antonio A.O. Carneiro
{"title":"Oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced magnetomotive ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging in oil-based phantoms","authors":"Prabu Periyathambi , Thiago T. Vicente , João Henrique Uliana , Mariah Eugênia C. da Silva Prado , Alexandre J. Gualdi , Theo Z. Pavan , Antonio A.O. Carneiro","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phantoms play a crucial role in quality control for clinical ultrasound imaging. To evaluate the efficacy of nanoparticles as contrast agents, researchers often use phantoms made from materials such as gelatin, agar, and various polymers. However, the hydrophobic surface of oleic acid–coated iron oxide nanoparticles (OA-IONPs) limit their dispersion in aqueous environments, thereby restricting their application in conventional imaging phantoms and clinical settings. In this study, we synthesized monodisperse OA-IONPs (12–14 nm) using the thermal decomposition method, characterized them, and evaluated their performance in an oil-based phantom using magnetomotive ultrasound (MMUS) and photoacoustic (PA) imaging. The results demonstrate that OA-IONPs embedded in oil-based phantoms can serve as effective contrast agents, yielding signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of approximately 11.3 dB in PA imaging and a displacement of 4.8 µm in MMUS at a nanoparticle concentration of 1.5 mg/mL. These findings may contribute to the development of enhanced synthesis strategies and the advancement of biomedical imaging technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139409"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144997371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139403
Chao Zhang , Jingyi Xu , Qiqi Lu , Lingren Wang , Sen Liu , Jiapeng Liu , Xinru Wang , Jing Sun , Wei Ye
{"title":"Design and characterization of MXene@Ag nanoparticles-enhanced porous silk fibroin scaffolds for tissue engineering","authors":"Chao Zhang , Jingyi Xu , Qiqi Lu , Lingren Wang , Sen Liu , Jiapeng Liu , Xinru Wang , Jing Sun , Wei Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study synthesized MXene@Ag hybrid nanoparticles via an in-situ reduction and incorporated them into regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) to fabricate a porous scaffold using freeze-drying. It showed that MXene@Ag enhances the regularity and density of the lamellar structures within the scaffold, while simultaneously reducing porosity (from 80.5 % to 66.5 %) and swelling rates (from 835 % to 649 %). MXene@Ag enhances β-sheet structures; however, excessive loading causes nanoparticle aggregation and a slight decrease in β-sheet content. Additionally, it improves both compressive strength (0.17–0.51 MPa) and modulus (0.26–3.51 MPa). Immersion in SBF for 14 days showed that MXene@Ag accelerates hydroxyapatite nucleation (Ca/P ≈ 1.8). Composite scaffolds with an MXene@Ag to RSF ratio below 1:100 demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and hemocompatibility. The antibacterial properties of the scaffolds were notably enhanced, even at low loading when exposed to red light (640–660 nm). It demonstrates the potential applications of RSF/MXene@Ag composite scaffolds in the biomedical field, particularly for bone tissue engineering.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139403"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139407
S. Karthikadevi , S. Mullainathan , S. Manimaran , V. Raja , N. Muruganantham , K. Ravichandran
{"title":"Multifaceted benefits of plantain flower derived activated carbon as a composite partner in enhancing the photocatalytic dye detoxification ability of tin tungstate","authors":"S. Karthikadevi , S. Mullainathan , S. Manimaran , V. Raja , N. Muruganantham , K. Ravichandran","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, a heterostructured nanocomposite composed of β-SnWO<sub>4</sub> and activated carbon derived from plantain flower (PFAC) was synthesized via a simple soft chemical route. The photocatalytic performance of the composite was evaluated against two model dyes: methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). The β-SnWO<sub>4</sub>/PFAC nanocomposite exhibited significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation efficiencies, achieving 99.8 % for MB and 97.4 % for MO within 45 min under visible light irradiation. The incorporation of PFAC not only improved the surface area and adsorption capacity but also reduced the band gap from 2.8 eV to 2.6 eV, thereby increasing visible light absorption. Furthermore, the formation of a heterojunction between β-SnWO<sub>4</sub> and PFAC promoted efficient charge separation and suppressed electron–hole recombination, as evidenced by photoluminescence and UV–Vis analyses. The composite also demonstrated excellent cyclic stability, highlighting its robustness and potential for sustainable environmental remediation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139407"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139421
Lijuan Cao , Jieying Zhi , Xiaoxuan Lu , Yu Yang , Guojing Zhao
{"title":"Fabrication of internally porous polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers for enhanced thermal insulation property in EPDM composites","authors":"Lijuan Cao , Jieying Zhi , Xiaoxuan Lu , Yu Yang , Guojing Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139421","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139421","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study presents the fabrication of internally porous polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers (PCFs) to enhance the thermal insulation property in ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) composites. By employing the precursor fibers without hot-stretching, PCFs with unique skin-core structure and abundant internal pores are obtained. These pores, combined with disordered carbon texture, significantly increase electrical resistivity by 56.4 % compared to conventional carbon fibers, while maintaining acceptable mechanical property and high carbon content. The PCF/EPDM composite exhibits prominently declined thermal conductivity (0.770 W/(m·K)) and moderate ablation resistance, making it a promising candidate for heat shielding materials in solid rocket motors. This work offers a new strategy to balance thermal insulation and ablation resistance in high-performance composites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139421"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139417
Xiongfei Liu , Yi Zhang , Yanru Wang , Guowei Ma , Aming Xie , Ziming Xiong
{"title":"Electromagnetic wave absorption performance of cement-based materials with bioinspired moth-eye metasurfaces","authors":"Xiongfei Liu , Yi Zhang , Yanru Wang , Guowei Ma , Aming Xie , Ziming Xiong","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139417","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139417","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A bioinspired moth-eye metasurface integrated with a porous cement-based matrix is developed to synergistically regulate impedance matching and electromagnetic loss. The effects of metasurface unit size (height H and diameter D) on electromagnetic wave absorption performance (EWAP) are systematically investigated. Results indicate that the bioinspired structure markedly improves absorption in the 2–18 GHz range. For H = 45 mm and D = 15 mm specimen, the average reflection loss (RL) reaches –33.23 dB, with a minimum RL of −51.6 dB. Experimental and simulation results align well, confirming that the integrated porous metasurface enhances absorption through impedance matching, multiple reflections, interference attenuation, and scattering by multiscale pores. This work proposes an effective material-structure–function integration strategy for cement-based electromagnetic absorbers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139417"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-29DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139413
Ratchadaporn Kueasook, Zheng Zeng, Xiang Xu, Liqing Li
{"title":"The effect of the activating agent on the textural and chemical properties of ultra-microporous carbon materials on CO2 adsorption","authors":"Ratchadaporn Kueasook, Zheng Zeng, Xiang Xu, Liqing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces a simple, solvent-free method for synthesizing nitrogen-doped ultra-microporous carbon materials using sugarcane bagasse as the carbon source and KOH or K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> as the activating agent. The effects of different activating agent types on physical and chemical properties were discussed. The KOH-activated BOH material exhibited excellent CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption properties (4.36 mmol/g at 0 °C and 2.96 mmol/g at 25 °C), with a high surface area (787.9 m<sup>2</sup>/g), ultra-micropore volume (0.27 cm<sup>3</sup>/g), and nitrogen content (8.02 at%). While the CO<sub>2</sub> uptake of K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub>-activated material (BK) demonstrates lower values of 3.47 mmol/g and 2.23 mmol/g, respectively. The findings suggest that the combination of higher nitrogen content and ultra-micropore volume enhances CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption capacity, demonstrating the potential of KOH-activated carbon materials for efficient CO<sub>2</sub> capture applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144997388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Fabrication of multicomponent copolymer-derived fluorocarbon resin toward ultra-low dielectric loss","authors":"Kaibin Huang , Pengcheng Wu , Hongsheng Luo , Qingqing Yuan , Shengtzung Chiang , Jentsung Lin , Yunsong Zhang , Fei Liang","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A fluorocarbon resin with a multicomponent copolymer was synthesized via free radical and cationic polymerization, with systematic comparison of their fabrication processes. The impact of fluorine content on fluorocarbon resin’s dielectric, mechanical and thermal properties was thoroughly investigated. The outcomes depicted that the resin exhibited outstanding dielectric performance at 10 GHz, mostly with a dielectric loss below 0.001. Thermal and mechanical tests manifested when the volume ratio of divinylbenzene to octafluoropentyl acrylate was 7:3, the glass transition temperature of the sample peaked (FPDO-2: 211.67°C, FCDO-2: 213.67°C), whereas toughness was maximized at 6:4 (FPDO-3: 11.1 MJ/m<sup>3</sup>, FCDO-3: 13.9 MJ/m<sup>3</sup>).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139401"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144917204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Materials LettersPub Date : 2025-08-28DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139400
Hao Zhang , Le Zai , Yun Wang , Xiaohuai Xue
{"title":"Unveiling the hot cracking mechanism in Ti2AlNb-based alloys during fusion welding","authors":"Hao Zhang , Le Zai , Yun Wang , Xiaohuai Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139400","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.matlet.2025.139400","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Solidification cracks in fusion welds of Ti2AlNb-based alloys severely deteriorate joint mechanical properties. This study reveals through systematic experiments that the cracking mechanism stems from the coupling of metallurgical and mechanical factors. Results show that low-melting-point liquid films and thermal stress are the main causes of solidification cracking. During non-equilibrium solidification, Al solute segregation forms low-melting-point liquid films, weakening grain boundaries. Specifically, high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) with high grain boundary energy increase the critical coalescence undercooling, keeping liquid films stable at lower temperatures. Intense thermal stress from rapid heating/cooling and structural stress from coarse columnar grains during welding easily induce liquid film rupture. Thermodynamic simulations confirm that steep temperature gradients during solidification drive the formation of columnar grains with high aspect ratios in welds, which hinder residual liquid from backfilling ruptured liquid films, increasing hot cracking susceptibility. This study provides fundamental insights into microstructural determinants of weld cracking and lays a theoretical foundation for optimizing welding parameters to enhance joint integrity of Ti2AlNb-based components.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":384,"journal":{"name":"Materials Letters","volume":"403 ","pages":"Article 139400"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144912503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}