Journal of Materials Research最新文献

Due to their compositional similarities to bone, hydroxyapatite (HA)-based materials are used as bioactive ceramics for musculoskeletal repair. However, because of the lack of any inherent antibacterial properties, HA scaffolds have higher possibilities of post-surgical bacterial infections. The goal of this research is to fabricate alternate antibacterial and cytocompatible bone tissue engineering scaffolds using cobalt oxide (CoO)- and manganese dioxide (MnO₂)-doped HA and plant-sourced curcumin from turmeric. Characterization results show no negative effects in phase and microstructure because of doping. When dopants and curcumin are combined, the antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus is ~ 95% after 24 h. The addition of dopants does not result in any cytotoxicity with the NIH3T3 cell line, and the bioactivity of this delivery system is confirmed in a physiological pH of 7.4. In summary, our findings provide an alternate method for manufacturing antibacterial scaffolds for orthopedic and dental applications employing curcumin-loaded CoO-MnO₂-doped HA.

Advanced materials hold great promise, but their adoption is impeded by the challenges of developing, characterizing, and modeling them, then of designing, processing, and producing something with them. Even if the results are open, the means to do each of these steps are typically proprietary and segregated. We show how principles of open-source software and hardware can be used to develop open instrumentation for materials science, so that a measurement can be accompanied by a complete computational description of how to reproduce it. And then we show how this approach can be extended to effectively measure predictive computational models rather than just model parameters. We refer to these interrelated concepts as "computational metrology." These are illustrated with examples including a 3D printer that can do rheological characterization of unfamiliar and variable materials.

Graphical abstract: A demonstration of computational metrology is shown through the development of a Rheoprinter (left) that combines off-the-shelf printer components with custom instrumentation. At right, a model made by the Rheoprinter to predict relative nozzle pressures as a function of material flow rate and nozzle temperature.

Conductometric ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) offer a promising alternative to conventional potentiometric ISEs due to their suitability for miniaturization, real-time monitoring, and reduced calibration requirements. Here, a non-toxic potassium-selective ionophore, 2-dodecyl-2-methyl-1,3-propanediyl bis[N-[5'-nitro(benzo-15-crown-5)-4'-yl]carbamate] (K-III/BME-44), was incorporated into a polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based ion-selective membrane (ISM), along with the lipophilic salt potassium tetrakis(4-chlorophenyl)borate (KTpClPB). The membrane was deposited onto gold interdigitated electrodes to facilitate impedance-based measurements. Sensor performance was evaluated, demonstrating that the sensitivity, selectivity, and dynamic range of the ISE can be modulated by adjusting the concentration of KTpClPB. The optimized K-III-based ISEs exhibited a threefold higher response compared to the commonly used, but toxic, valinomycin-based counterpart under equivalent conditions. Selectivity coefficients, determined using both the Separate Solution Method (SSM) and the Fixed Interference Method (FIM), confirmed excellent potassium selectivity comparable to established potentiometric ISEs. These results highlight the potential of K-III-based conductometric ISEs for safe and accurate potassium detection in complex bioanalytical environments.

Graphical abstract:

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1557/s43578-025-01738-w.

Magnetic properties of mixed spinel ferrites are determined, in great extent, by the magnetic cation distribution among tetrahedral and octahedral positions in a crystal. In the case of CoZn-ferrites, most researchers reported a predominant localization of the divalent cobalt ions in octahedral positions. Using the citrate precursor auto-combustion method, we successfully synthesized Co_xZn_1-xFe₂O₄ nanoparticles (x changed from 0.0 to 0.5) with an approximately evenly distribution of Co²⁺ ions between these interstitial positions. Fe³⁺ ions are localized preferably in octahedral positions. This type of 3d-ion distribution predetermined the combination of the large saturation magnetization and very low coercive field of the nanoparticles, which may be of importance for applications. MCD spectra of Co_xZn_1-xFe₂O₄ nanoparticles are studied here for the first time. Revealed intense MCD peak at 1.75 eV corresponds to the emission wavelength (710 nm) of some lasers, e.g., ALP-710 nm (NKT Photonics, Denmark) which may be of interest for photonic devices.

Graphical abstract

Nowadays, there is significant interest in hydrogels that have injectable, self-healing, and antibacterial properties. These features make them highly desirable for use in wound dressings. In this study, a class of biocompatible nanocomposite hydrogels was designed based on oxidized tragacanth gum (OTG), N-succinyl chitosan (NSC), and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for biomedical applications. To obtain the nanocomposite hydrogels containing different AgNP content, we utilized silver nanoparticles at concentrations of 4, 6, and 8 mg/mL. The OTG/NSC/Ag hydrogel demonstrated superior mechanical properties compared with the OTG/NSC hydrogel without AgNP. The hydrogels also exhibited rapid gelation ( < 60 s), sufficient swelling capacity, and outstanding injectability. The hemolysis and antibacterial tests demonstrated that the produced hydrogels possess non-hemolytic and antibacterial properties. In addition, the hydrogels loaded with AgNPs exhibited low toxicity to fibroblast cells (L929), thus demonstrating acceptable biocompatibility. These findings indicated that the prepared hydrogels could be utilized as novel wound dressing materials.

Graphical abstract

In this study, AuM (M = Pt, Pd) bimetallic hexagonals (AuM BHGs) were successfully combined with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) by a simple method at ambient temperature (~ 30 °C) to form AuM BHGs/GQDs nanocomposites with enhanced properties and electro-activities. The synthesized AuM BHGs/GQDs were also characterized by UV–Vis, XRD, FTIR, XPS, AFM, TEM, and EDS. The novel AuM BHGs/GQDs were successfully synthesized, possessed an average particle size of AuM BHGs (~ 50–60 nm) and GQDs (~ 6–16 nm), and were homogeneously distributed in the dispersion. Furthermore, AuM BHGs/GQDs nanocomposites were also investigated as a sensitive sensor in the H₂O₂ detection by cyclic voltammetry method, with a low H₂O₂ limit of detection (LOD) of 0.865 nM, high sensitivity of 1.27 μAnM⁻¹cm⁻² and a wide detection range from 10^–12 to 10^–3 M. Therefore, AuM BHG/GQDs nanocomposites could be used to detect H₂O₂ with high sensitivity and fast response.

Graphical abstract

The present study aims to develop a systematic processing route using direct ink writing (DIW) and pressureless sintering for fabricating hierarchically porous (text{ Cu }) (HP-(text{ Cu })) electrodes. A 3D printable high particle loading (text{ Cu }) ink (> 95 {text{wt}}%) with polylactic acid as a binder was prepared. Green ({text{Cu}}) samples using optimum value of (text{ Cu }) loading, nozzle diameter, layer height, and printing speed as 97 ({text{wt}}%), 0.2 (text{mm}), 70% and 10 (text{mm}/text{s}) respectively were fabricated and subsequently sintered. A proper inter-particle bonding with 91% relative density and 215 (text{Mpa}) ultimate compressive strength was achieved. Finally, a proof-of-concept study targeting the fabrication of thin HP-(text{ Cu }) current collector was performed and the pore size of 154 ± 10 µm with a thickness of 200 µm was achieved successfully. Moreover, the prepared sample exhibited the highest coulombic efficiency of 95.86% for more than 400 h at 1 ({text{mAcm}}^{-2}) making it a potential candidate for energy storage applications.

Graphical abstract

In the paper, a high-performance electrode was reported for the determination of uric acid (UA) and dopamine (DA) by loading nanocomposites Fe₂O₃/poly-neutral red (PNR)/partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The nanocomposites Fe₂O₃/PNR/rGO were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Under the optimized condition, the peak currents of UA and DA showed good linear relationships with their concentrations in the range of 1 × 10^–6 to 1 × 10^–3 mol L⁻¹ and 3 × 10^–7 to 9 × 10^–5 mol L⁻¹, respectively. The recovery rates were 93.0–102.0% and 99.2–104.6% for detecting DA from medical injections and human specimens, including urine and serum, respectively, 95.5–105.0% for UA from urine and serum samples. Obviously, this Fe₂O₃/PNR/rGO/GCE is expected to be used in production quality control and clinical test.

Graphical abstract

Implementing sensitive and fast formaldehyde (HCHO) sensing at room temperature is still in extreme demand for practical indoor air quality monitoring. Herein, we synthesized P25/ZnO sensing materials for detecting low-concentration HCHO at room temperature. The sensing mechanism based on the P25/ZnO heterojunction was analyzed by the surface photovoltage (SPV), transient photovoltage (TPV), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results. Based on the P25/ZnO heterojunction, the obtained 1% P25/ZnO has the highest response among the synthesized sensing materials. The response of 1% P25/ZnO sensor materials to 0.9ppm and 19.1ppm HCHO reaches 44.85% and 255.42%, respectively, which is 21 and 20 times that of ZnO sensor materials (0.9ppm ~ 2.16%, 19.1ppm ~ 12.64%). Furthermore, the detection limit can be as low as 82 ppb under 360 nm light at room temperature. The selectivity, long-term stability, and repeatability of the obtained sensors at room temperature were also revealed.

Graphical abstract

In this work, the characteristics of MoS₂ and its nanocomposite with SnO₂ for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue have been investigated. The MoS₂ and MoS₂/SnO₂ nanocomposites were synthesized by the hydrothermal method. SEM analysis shows the flower-like structure of MoS₂ while MoS₂/SnO₂ nanocomposites shows grain-like structure. The EDX analysis of the MoS₂ and MoS₂/SnO₂ nanocomposites confirm the samples were mainly composed of Mo, S, Sn, and O atoms and the XRD patterns confirm hexagonal and rhombohedral phases, respectively. The FTIR spectra indicate the presence of both hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups at the sample's surface. The UV–Visible spectroscopy findings witness both samples are being active in the visible range. Further, the band gap estimation through Tauc plot supports the assertion that these materials could be an efficient catalyst for photodegradation. Furthermore, the photodegradation of methylene blue (used as a dye) findings declare the maximum efficiency of 93% by using MoS₂/SnO₂ nanocomposite as a catalyst.

Graphical Abstract