N. Bahremandi Tolou, H. R. Salimi Jazi, M. Kharaziha, N. Lisi, G. Faggio, A. Tamburrano,
Volume 39, Issue 1 (Journal of Advanced Materials-Spring 2020)
Abstract
In recent years, graphene has been considered in various tissue engineering applications such as nerve guide conduits because of its unique properties such as high electrical and mechanical properties, porous structure for exchange of nutritious and waste materials, biocompatible, capability of drug and growth factor delivery. In the current study, nerve guide conduits based on a 3D graphene were synthesized by induction heating chemical vapor deposition (ICVD). Graphene was synthesized on Ni foam template at 1080 ͦC. Fabricated samples were characterized by Raman analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy. Raman analysis showed that the synthesized graphene is in the form of a turbostratic multilayered graphene with little defects. Cyclododecane (CD) as a temporary protective layer was used to remove nickel. After removing nickel, the free-standing 3D-graphene structure was coated with a polymer (PCL) by drop and dip coating methods to obtain the composite conduit. A comparison of the electromechanical results of the 3D-graphene/PCL conduit and PCL conduit indicated that firstly, grapheme increased the electrical conductivity of the composite conduit which will help promote nerve regeneration and axon growth. Secondly, tensile strength and flexibility of the 3D-graphene/PCL conduit was improved compared to the PCL conduit.
S. Borhani Esfahani, H. R. Salimi Jazi, M. H. Fathi, A. Ershad Langroudi, M. Khoshnam,
Volume 40, Issue 1 (Journal of Advanced Materials-Spring 2021)
Abstract
In this research, a kind of environmentally-friendly inorganic-organic hybrid nanocomposite coating based on silica containing titania/silica core/shell nanoparticles was synthesized and characterized for conservation of facade tiles in historical buildings. The matrix of the composite was prepared by sol-gel process via two methods of ultrasonic and reflux stirring. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and poly-dimethyl siloxane hydroxy-terminated (PDMS-OH) were used for the formation of silica network and creation of flexibility and hydrophobicity, respectively. Titania nanoparticles were used in the form of titania/silica core/shell as ultraviolet absorber. The synthesized nanocomposite was applied on the microscope slides and tiles by dip coating technique. The properties of nanoparticles and coatings were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and water contact angle measurement. The results revealed that formation of titania/silica core/shell structure was successful. The investigation of PDMS content effect on transparency, cohesion and hydrophobicity of the coating confirmed that the optimum content of this siloxane was around 20 wt.%. In general, the results showed that the silica-based hybrid nanocomposite reinforced with TiO2/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles could produce a transparent and hydrophobic coating for tile and glass protection.
