Hard-grade asphalt binders like AC20-30 typically exhibit excessive stiffness, reduced penetration, and compromised workability, necessitating modification before use in paving applications. This study evaluates the efficacy of regular polyalphaolefin (PAO), a synthetic olefin-based lubricant, as a performance-enhancing modifying agent for such binders. AC20-30 was blended with PAO at dosages ranging from 2 wt.% to 10 wt.%, and the modified binders were characterized via penetration, ductility, softening point, and rotational viscosity measurements, alongside advanced rheological and chemical-morphological analyses. Incorporating PAO in AC20-30 asphalt progressively reduced the binder stiffness and enhanced its flexibility, with all modifie

Global technological advancements drive daily energy consumption, generating additional carbon-induced climate challenges. Modifying process parameters, optimizing design, and employing high-performance working fluids are among the techniques offered by researchers for improving the thermal efficiency of heating and cooling systems. This study investigates the heat transfer enhancement of hybrid “Al2O3-Cu/water” nanofluids flowing in a two-dimensional channel with semicircle ribs. The novelty of this research is in employing semicircle ribs combined with hybrid nanofluids in turbulent flow regimes. A computer modeling approach using a finite volume approach with k-ω shear stress transport turbulence model was used in these simu

Silver/polyvinyl alcohol (Ag/PVA) nanocomposite films were synthesized via solution casting with varying concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (1–5 wt%). A comprehensive investigation was conducted to understand the influence of Ag content on the structural, optical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and antibacterial properties of the composites. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed a red shift in absorption peaks and a reduction in the optical band gap, which decreased from 3.78 eV for pure PVA to 3.37 eV for the 5 wt% Ag composite. FTIR and SEM analyses confirmed successful nanoparticle incorporation and morphological changes. The nanocomposites exhibited enhanced tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus, and hardness due t

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) play a vital role in ocean monitoring and exploration. However, harsh underwater conditions and frequent topology changes caused by node and sink mobility pose significant challenges for reliable routing. Conventional routing protocols that depend on global route reconstruction and static paths generate excessive control overhead and degrade performance in large-scale underwater environments. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient virtual cell-based mobile-sink adaptive routing (VC-MAR) protocol for UWSNs. The sensing field is logically partitioned into a three-dimensional grid of virtual cells, where a cell-gateway is elected in each cell to construct a low-overhead routing backbon

Erratum for Organic acid concentration thresholds for ageing of carbonate minerals: Implications for CO2 trapping/storage.