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.
Photonic crystal fiber interferometers are used in many sensing applications. In this work, an in-reflection photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based on Mach-Zehnder (micro-holes collapsing) (MZ) interferometer, which exhibits high sensitivity to different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), without the needing of any permeable material. The interferometer is robust, compact, and consists of a stub photonic crystal fiber of large-mode area, photonic crystal fiber spliced to standard single mode fiber (SMF) (corning-28), this splicing occurs with optimized splice loss 0.19 dB In the splice regions the voids of the holey fiber are completely collapsed, which allows the excitation and recombination of core and cladding modes. The device reflection
... Show MoreThe refractive index sensors based on tapered optical fiber are attractive for many industries due to sensing capability in a variety of application. In this paper, we proposed a refractive index sensor based on multicore fiber (MCF) sandwiched between two standard single mode fibers (SMF). The sensor consisting of three sections, SMF- MCF-SMF is structurally simple and can be easily produced by joining these parts. The MFC contains seven cores and these cores are surrounded by a single cladding. The sensing region is obtained by tapering the MCF section where the evanescent field is generated. The single mode propagating along the SMF is stimulated at the first joint and is coupled to the cladding modes. These modes interfere with the core
... Show MoreLead-free 0.88(Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–0.084(K0.5Bi0.5)TiO3–0.036BaTiO3 (BNT–BKT–BT) piezoelectric ceramics were prepared using the conventional mixed-oxide method with a sintering temperature range of 1120–1200 °C. The effect of the sintering temperature on the crystal structure, microstructure, and densification, as well as the dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and the pyroelectric properties of BNT–BKT–BT ceramics were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to study the microstructures of the sintered samples. The results showed that the increase in sintering temperature was very effective in improving both the density and electrical properties. However, the samples deteriorated when the sintering te
... Show Morebeen taken at room temperature down to liquid nitrogen temperature (77K). Polar and nonpolar solvents have been used to study the solvent effect on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of solute molecules. Some of the spectroscopic parameters have been determined as functions of solvent polarity and temperature. The results indicate that the band width FWHM increases with increasing the solvent polarity and temperature, while the peak emission cross section decreases with increasing of solvent polarity and decreases with increasing the temperatures. Clear vibrational structure spectra of benzoanthracene molecules have been observed in Nonane and Hexane solvents at 77K.
The ability of different alumina-grafted particles was examined for adsorption of phenol and p-chlorophenol under different conditions (i.e. concentrations and temperatures). Dispersion stability of alumina in liquid medium (water) was studied using settling under gravity technique. The result shows the settling initial rate of the alumina-grafted acrylic acid particles was faster than initial rate of settling when alumina-graft acrylic acid monomer adsorbed phenol and p-chlorophenol and vice versa to the alumina-graft poly(acrylic acid) polymer.
Thermodynamic parameters values (DG, DS, DH) were calculated for adsorption processes of phenol and p-chlorophenol adsorbed onto different surfaces. The
... Show MoreThe objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of class V Er:YAG laser (2940 nm) cavity preparation and conventional bur cavity preparation regarding Intrapulpal temperature rise during cavity preparation in extracted human premolar teeth. Twenty non carious premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes were used and class V cavity preparation was applied both buccal and lingual sides for each tooth .Samples were equally grouped into two major groups according to cavity depth (1mm and 2mm). Each major group was further subdivided into two subgroupsof ten teeth for each (twenty cavities for each subgroup). TwinlightEr:YAG laser (2940 nm) with 500mJ pulse energy, P.R.R of 10 Hz and 63.69 J/cm2 energy density was used. The ana
... Show MoreBecause of Cadmium selenide quantum dots (CdSe quantum dots) has a tuning energy gap in the visible light range, therefore; it is provided a simple theoretical model for the absorption coefficient of CdSe quantum dots, where the absorption coefficient determines the extent to which the light of a material can penetrate a specific wavelength before it is absorbed. CdSe quantum dots have an energy gap can be controlled through two effects: the temperature and the dot size of them. It is found that; there is an absorption threshold for each directed wavelength, where CdSe quantum dots begin to absorb the visible spectrum at a size of 1.4 nm at room temperature for a directed wavelength 3
The conductance of solu ti ons of cysteine in water at different concentrations and temperatures has been measured. These solutions obey Onsagcr equation and give linear relations especially at low concentrations. In more concentrated solutions a deviation from the equation is observed.
The molar conductivity of these solutions decreases with t he increase in concen trations at constant temperature.
The values of the ionization constants and the conductivity at infin ite
dilution for each temperature have been calcu lated.