Denture bases are fabricated routinely using Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) acrylic resin. Yet, it is commonly known for its major drawbacks such as insufficient strength and ductility. The purpose of this study was to improve the performance of PMMA acrylic resin as a denture base material by reinforcement with surface treated lithium disilicate glass ceramic powder. The ceramic powder was prepared by grinding and sieving IPS e.max CAD MT blocks. Then, the powder was surface treated with an organosilane coupling agent (TMSPM) and added to PMMA in amount of 1%, 3%, 5% and 7% by weight. Characterizations of the powder was done by particle size analysis, XRD and FTIR. Transverse strength, Impact strength, Shore D hardness and surface roughness were tested for the prepared composites and neat PMMA. Particle size analysis showed that the average particle diameter was 1.46 µm. XRD confirmed the microstructure of IPS e.max CAD MT. FTIR showed the presence of TMSPM functional groups in the powder after treatment and there was a chemical interaction between the treated powder and the PMMA after the addition. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test showed that there was a highly significant increase (P < 0.01) in transverse strength, impact strength and hardness with non-significant increase in roughness for 1% group. The mean values of 1% group were 67.3 MPa for transverse strength, 5.21 kJ/m2 for impact strength, 89.8 for Shore D hardness and 1.22 µm for surface roughness. While for control group, mean values were 59.3 MPa for transverse strength, 3.74 kJ/m2 for impact strength, 87.1 for Shore D hardness and 1.1 µm for surface roughness. However, with higher amounts of powder, there was a highly significant decrease in transverse strength and increase in roughness which was considered undesirable. In conclusion, reinforcing PMMA denture base material with 1% lithium disilicate glass ceramic powder may have the potential for enhancing the clinical performance of this material.
The research discussed the possibility of adsorption of Brilliant Blue Dye (BBD) from wastewater using 13X zeolite adsorbent, which is considered a byproduct of the production process of potassium carbonate from Iraqi potash raw materials. The 13X zeolite adsorbent was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction that showed a clear match with the standard 13X zeolite. The crystallinity rate was 82.15% and the crystal zeolite size was 5.29 nm. The surface area and pore volume of the obtained 13X zeolite were estimated. The prepared 13X zeolite showed the ability to remove BBD contaminant from wastewater at concentrations 5 to 50 ppm and the removal reached 96.60% at the lower pollutant concentration. Adsorption measurements versus tim
... Show MorePure grade II titanium disks were coated with a thin coating of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) polymer by RF magnetron sputtering using either nitrogen or argon gas. Sputtering technique was employed at 50 W for one hour at 60°C with continuous flow of nitrogen or argon gas. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed a continuous, homogeneous, rough PEKK surface coating without cracks. In addition, cross-sectional FE-SEM revealed an average coat thickness of 1.86 μm with argon gas and 1.96 μm with nitrogen gas. There was homogenous adhesion between the coating layer and substrate. The elemental analysis of titanium substrate revealed the presence of carbon, titanium, and oxygen. The RF magnetron sputtering with argon or ni
... Show MoreBackground: Plasma-activated water (PAW) is considered one of the emerging strategies that has been highlighted recently in the food industry for microbial decontamination and mycotoxin detoxification, due to its unique provisional characteristics. Aim: The effectiveness of PAW for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) detoxification in naturally contaminated poultry feeds with its impacts on the feed quality were inspected. Methods: PAW-30 and PAW-60 were utilized for feed treatment for six time durations (5, 10, 15, 20, 40 and 60 min) each. The alterations in the physicochemical properties of PAW after different time durations of plasma inducement and treatment with and without feed samples were monit
... Show MoreSlurry-infiltrated fibrous concrete (SIFCON) is a special type of concrete that has great strength, as well as high ductility. However, the unit weight is high, which exceeds the unit weight of fiber-reinforced concrete, because of the high fiber content. This research aims to verify the compressive and flexural strength, as well as the density of SIFCON when using two different fibers (steel and polyolefin). Sometimes mono type of fiber steel or polyolefin, sometimes by hybridizing two types of fiber steel + polyplefin. Volume fraction (6% for all species) was used. Hook-end steel fiber and polyolefin fiber are used. With hybridization, a total volume fraction of 6% was used, which
Organic Permeable Base Transistors (OPBTs) reach a very high transit frequency and large on-state currents. However, for a later commercial application of this technology, a high operational stability is essential as well. Here, the stability of OPBTs during continuous cycling and during base bias stress is discussed. It is observed that the threshold voltage of these transistors shifts toward more positive base voltages if stressed by applying a constant potential to the base electrode for prolonged times. With the help of a 2D device simulation, it is proposed that the observed instabilities are due to charges that are trapped on top of an oxide layer formed around the base electrode. These charges are thermally released after rem
... Show MoreThe accumulation of construction and demolition waste is one of the major problems in modern construction. Hence, this research investigates the use of waste brick in concrete. Seven different concrete mixes were investigated in this study: a control concrete mix, three mixes with volumetric replacement (10, 20, and 30)% of natural aggregate with brick aggregate, and two mixes with the addition of nano brick powder at a percentage level of 5– 10% by weight of cementitious materials. And the last one was mixed with 10% nano brick and 10% coarse brick aggregate. The experimental results for the additive of nano brick powder showed an enhancement in mechanical properties (compressive,