Objectives: Maxillofacial silicone is used to restore abnormalities due to congenital or acquired causes. However, the quality of silicone is far from ideal. This study was aimed at assessing the influence of the addition of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs; several nanometers wide and 2-5 micro m long) on the physical and mechanical characteristics of maxillofacial silicone elastomers. Methods: Two CNF weight percentages (0.5% and 1%) were tested, and 180 specimens were divided into one control and two experimental groups. Each group was subdivided into six subgroups. In each subgroup, ten specimens subjected to each of the following tests: tearing strength, Shore-A hardness, tensile strength, elongation percentage, surface roughness, and color stability. The samples were additionally analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM). Results: The 0.5% CNF group, compared with the control group, exhibited highly significantly greater tearing strength, elongation percentage, hardness Shore-A, and surface roughness, and substantially greater tensile strength. However, color stability did not significantly differ between groups. The 1% CNF group showed significantly greater Shore-A hardness, tear strength, color stability, and surface roughness, and insignificantly lower tensile strength and percentage elongating values, than the control group. FESEM imaging revealed good CNF dispersion. The FTIR spectra indicated that CNFs interacted with silicon through surface functional hydroxyl groups. Conclusion: Addition of 0.5 wt. % CNF to silicone elastomers increased the material’s mechanical tensile strength, tear strength, elongation percentage, and hardness as long as it stayed within the acceptable range for clinical use. Surface roughness increased in direct proportion to the amount of nanofibers added. Moreover, addition of 0.5 wt. % CNF to silicone polymers had insignificant effects on color stability.
A thin film of (SnSe) and SnSe:Cu with various Cu ratio (0,3,5 and 7)% have been prepared by thermal evaporation technique with thickness 400±20 nm on glass substrate at (R.T). The effect of Cu dopants concentration on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of (SnSe) Nano crystalline thin films was explored by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and Hall Effect measurement respectively. X-ray diffraction analysis reveal the polycrystalline nature of the all films deposited with orthorhombic structure which possess a preferred orientation along the (111) plane. The crystalline sizes o
... Show MoreCoagulation - flocculation are basic chemical engineering method in the treatment of metal-bearing industrial wastewater because it removes colloidal particles, some soluble compounds and very fine solid suspensions initially present in the wastewater by destabilization and formation of flocs. This research was conducted to study the feasibility of using natural coagulant such as okra and mallow and chemical coagulant such as alum for removing Cu and increase the removal efficiency and reduce the turbidity of treated water. Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) was carried out for okra and mallow before and after coagulant to determine their type of functional groups. Carbonyl and hydroxyl functional groups on the surface of
... Show MoreThis work aimed to study the effect of laser surface treatment on the mechanical characteristics and corrosion behaviour of grey cast iron type A159. Many technical applications used conventional surface treatment, but laser surface hardening has recently been used to enhance the surface properties of many alloys. The mechanical characteristics, including microstructure, microhardness, and wear resistance of A159 grey cast iron, were studied, in addition to corrosion behaviour. The experimental laser parameters in this work were 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5 KW power with continuous wave carbon dioxide lasers with scanning speeds of 10 and 12 mm/s were used. The results found that phase-transitional alterations in microstructure were influenced by lase
... Show MoreAlginate from Large brown seaweeds act as natural polymer has been investigated as polymer and has been added to concrete in different percentages ( 0% , 0.5% , 1% and 1.5% ) by the cement weight and the study show the effect of using alginate biopolymer admixtures on some of the fresh properties of the concrete (slump & the density fresh) also in the hardened state ( Compressive strength , Splitting tensile strength and Flexural strength ) at 28 days. The mix proportion was (1:2.26:2.26) (cement: sand: gravel) respectively and at constant w/c equal to 0.47. The results indicate that the use of alginate as a percent of the cement weight possess a positive effect on fresh properties of co
... Show MoreBackground: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the care of multiple trauma victims with maxillofacial injuries in terms of epidemiological distributions, types of injuries, the related different modalities of surgical treatments delivered, and their complications. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was performed on 50 patients with multiple traumas including maxillofacial injuries, caused by different etiological factors, who were brought first to the surgical emergencies department of the Medical City then referred to the Maxillofacial unit in the Specialized Surgeries Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from April 2007 to April 2008. Information was documented prospectively from the time of the emergency call to
... Show MoreRandom laser gain media is synthesized with different types of dye at the same concentration (1×10-3 M) as an active material and silicon dioxide NPs (silica SiO2) as scatter centers through the Sol-Gel technique. The prepared samples are tested with UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDX). The end result demonstrates that doped dyes with silica nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.0016 mol/ml have lower absorbance and higher fluorescence spectra than pure dyes. FESEM scans revealed that the morphology of nanocrystalline silica is clusters of nano-sized spherical particles in the range (25-67) nm. It is con
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