The influence of the lattice strain on the kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was investigated at the surface of Nd2NiO4+δ (NNO). Nanoscale dense NNO thin films with tensile, compressive and no strain along the c-axis were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition on single-crystalline Y0.08Zr0.92O2 substrates. The ORR kinetics on the NNO thin film cathodes was investigated by electroc...

The tensile modulus of articular cartilage is much larger than its compressive modulus. This tension-compression nonlinearity enhances interstitial fluid pressurization and decreases the frictional coefficient. The current set of studies examines the tensile and compressive properties of cylindrical chondrocyte-seeded agarose constructs over different developmental stages through a novel method...

The purpose of this research was to experimentally characterize the flexural and tensile characteristics of fiber-reinforced Very High-Strength Concrete (VHSC) panels. The panels were made with a unique mix of cementitous materials achieving compressive strength of 26,000 psi (180 MPa) or greater. VHSC panels were reinforced with polypropylene fibers of 1 inch (25.4 mm) in length and Polyvinyl ...

Porous titanium (pTi) can possess a low Young's modulus equal to that of human bone, depending on its porosity. However, the mechanical strength of pTi deteriorates greatly with increasing porosity. On the other hand, certain medical polymers exhibit biofunctionalities, which are not possessed intrinsically by metallic materials. Therefore, a biodegradable medical polymer, poly-L-lactic acid (P...

Different patterns of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling in the heart are thought to be dependent on altered mechanical and chemical conditions and can contribute to cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac fibroblasts are the primary regulators of the ECM and may respond to mechanical factors in vitro. We hypothesized that different types of in vitro strains, e.g. tensile or compressive, can stimulate ...

The effect of alkali content (% K2O + %Na2O) on the mechanical properties of alkali activated blast furnace paste has been investigated. The paper presents the study on workability, compressive strength, split tensile strength and microstructure of alkali activated blast furnace slag paste specimens prepared by using of sodium silicate and potassium hydroxide solution as activators. The experim...

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of variation of polypropylene fibres ranging from 0.1% to 0.4% along with 0.8% steel fibres on the behaviour of fibrous concrete. The mechanical properties of the concrete such as compressive and tensile strength have been investigated. The result shows that addition of polypropylene fibre has a little effect on the compressive strength,...

We evaluated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors ~TFTs! fabricated on polyimide foil under uniaxial compressive or tensile strain. The strain was induced by bending or stretching. The oncurrent and hence the electron linear mobility m depend on strain « as m5m0(11263«), where tensile strain has a positive sign and the strain is parallel to the TFT source-drain current path. Upon the applica...

Residual stress development during processing of sol-gel derived ferroelectric thin films influences electromechanical properties and performance. The present work investigates the effects of stress on field-induced polarization switching in ferroelectric Pb~Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ~PZT! ~52/48! thin films. Film response is measured as a function of externally applied mechanical stress using a double-b...

We present experimental and theoretical studies of Pd/Cu(100) and Cu/Pd(100) heterostructures in order to explore their structure and misfit strain relaxation. Ultrathin Pd and Cu films are grown by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature. For Pd/Cu, compressive strain is released by networks of misfit dislocations running in the [100] and [010] directions, which appear after a few monolaye...