Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
The electronic properties and Hall effect of thin amorphous Si1-xGex:H films of thickness (350 nm) have been studied such as dc conductivity, activation energy, Hall coefficient under magnetic field (0.257 Tesla) for measuring carrier density of electrons and holes and Hall mobility as a function of germanium content (x = 0–1), deposition temperature (303-503) K and dopant concentration for Al and As in the range (0-3.5)%. The composition of the alloys and films were determined by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).
This study showed that dc conductivity of a-Si1-xGex:H thin films is found to increase with increasing Ge content and dopant concentration, whereas conductivity activati
... Show MoreThe spectroscopic properties, potential energy curve, dipole moments, total charge density, Electrostatic potential as well as the thermodynamic properties of selenium diatomic halides have been studied using code Mopac.7.21 and hyperchem, semi-empirical molecular orbital of MNDO-method (modified neglected of differential overlap) of parameterization PM3 involving quantum mechanical semi-empirical Hamiltonian. The relevant molecular parameters like interatomic distance, bond angle, dihedral angle and net charge were also calculated.
Failure in asphalt mixture and distress in pavement are major issues to roads infrastructure. Selecting an appropriate chemical composition of asphalt cement is a key component in avoiding these issues. This work aimed to investigate the effect of the chemical composition of different polar fractions on the rheological and physical properties of asphalt cement. Four types of asphalt cement with penetration grades of 20/30, 40/50, 60/70 and 85/100 were divided into four fractions. Complex shear modules, rutting resistance and rotational viscosity of the asphalt cement were determined by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer and a Rotation Viscometer, respectively. The results show that an increase in the asphaltene content and Gastel index resulte
... Show MoreThis study presents a comprehensive set of laboratory works for the examined soil layers extracted from Baghdad city (specifically from Alkadhimya, Alaitaifiya, and Alhurriya) to illustrate their engineering properties. The researchers have adopted the unified soil classification system for soil classification purposes. Also, the direct shear test was performed for soil samples with various degrees of saturation (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The test results have shown a significant reduction in cohesion property with higher moisture content within soil samples. Also, a noticeable reduction in angle of internal friction value has occurred with such changes. Furthermore, it has been found that the bearing capacity of unsaturated soi
... Show MoreThe influence of different thickness (500,750, and 1000) nm on the structure properties electrical conductivity and hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium selenide CuInSe2 (CIS) the films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at RT from compound alloy. The XRD pattern show that the film have poly crystalline structure a, the grain size increasing with as a function the thickness. Electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1,Ea2), hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers increase films thickness. The electrical conductivity increase with thickness
... Show MoreThis research study the effect of Titanium dioxide on the tensile properties of
Polystyrene (PS) and Polycarbonate (PC) polymers. The stress – strain curve for pure PS
and pure PC, shows that Young modulus for PS is higher than Young modulus for PC,
because PS have higher ultimate strength than PC.
The addition of TiO2 to PS and PC will reduce the Young modulus and ultimate stress,
because the TiO2 particles will reduces or freeze the orientation of these molecular chain
and reduced the toughness of PC, while when the TiO2 were added to PS, the value of
toughness will be stabilized because TiO2 particles make these chains interlocked and the
mobility of the chains will be restrict.