A strategy is proposed to reduce surface tensile stresses that develop in ceramic microlaminate structures. As a specific example, surface stresses, which can lead to unwanted edge cracking, appear within a thin alumina/mullite layer bounded by thicker alumina layers after fabrication at some elevated temperature and subsequent cooling. A stress analysis is performed using the finite element me...

A mechanism of the solute retention in gas-liquid chromatography has been studied in the nonpolar hydrocarbon solute-polar stationary liquid phase system. N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylene diamine (THEED) was used as a polar stationary liquid phase. A dependence of the retention volume of the solutes and of the specific surface area of the liquid-coated, modified alumina upon the liqui...

Hydroxyapatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (HAp) and calcium phosphate ceramic materials and coatings are widely used in medicine and dentistry because of their ability to enhance the tissue response to implant surfaces and promote bone ingrowth and osseoconduction processes. The deposition conditions have a great influence on the structure and biofunctionality of calcium phosphate coatings. Corrosion proc...

Metallic transfer from implants does not stop at surrounding tissues, and metallic elements may be transferred by proteins to become lodged in organs far from the implant. This work presents an in vivo study of metallic implant corrosion to measure metallic element accumulation in organs located far from the implant, such as kidneys, livers, lungs and spleens. The studied metallic implant mater...

The yield stress-DLVO force relationship is obeyed by α-Al2O3 and alumina-coated TiO2 dispersions with adsorbed polyacrylate only if the yield stress and its corresponding zeta potential data were collected in the positively charged region. In this region, the underlying surface positive charge density of the particles exceeds the negative charge density of the polyacrylate. At this state the a...

Nanoporous organosilica membranes are successfully coated on porous alumina tubes and tested for desalination via membrane distillation. The membranes produced pure water (up to 13 kg m(-2) h(-1)) across an extreme range of salt concentrations (10-150 g L(-1) NaCl) at moderate temperatures (≤60 °C) without exhibiting the characteristic flux decay of competing materials.

Chemical mapping of a photocatalytic reaction with nanoscale spatial resolution is demonstrated for the first time using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). An ultrathin alumina film applied to the Ag-coated TERS tip blocks catalytic interference whilst maintaining near-field electromagnetic enhancement, thus enabling spectroscopic imaging of catalytic activity on nanostructured Ag surfaces.

An octadecylsilica (ODS) column modified with zwitterionic/nonionic mixed surfactants was evaluated for the direct injection determination of inorganic anions in biological fluids by ion chromatography. A zwitterionic surfactant (sulfobetaine-type) and a nonionic surfactant (polyoxyethylene-type) were used for a stationary-phase modification. When aqueous electrolyte solutions with concentratio...

In this paper we emphasise the important role of Pluronic F127 on the porosity of mesoporous alumina prepared from boehmite colloids. By focusing on the F127/boehmite interactions we show how the concepts of interface science may help to predict and improve the textural characteristics of mesoporous alumina. By varying the synthetic parameters, in particular the copolymer content, we show that ...