Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 133 in total

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  1. Dayaghi E, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Hamzah E, Akhavan-Farid A, Ismail AF, Aziz M, et al.
    Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2019 Sep;102:53-65.
    PMID: 31147024 DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.04.010
    Recently, porous magnesium and its alloys are receiving great consideration as biocompatible and biodegradable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application. However, they presented poor antibacterial performance and corrosion resistance which limited their clinical applications. In this study, Mg-Zn (MZ) scaffold containing different concentrations of tetracycline (MZ-xTC, x = 1, 5 and 10%) were fabricated by space holder technique to meet the desirable antibacterial activity and corrosion resistance properties. The MZ-TC contains total porosity of 63-65% with pore sizes in the range of 600-800 μm in order to accommodate bone cells. The MZ scaffold presented higher compressive strength and corrosion resistance compared to pure Mg scaffold. However, tetracycline incorporation has less significant effect on the mechanical and corrosion properties of the scaffolds. Moreover, MZ-xTC scaffolds drug release profiles show an initial immediate release which is followed by more stable release patterns. The bioactivity test reveals that the MZ-xTC scaffolds are capable of developing the formation of HA layers in simulated body fluid (SBF). Next, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria were utilized to assess the antimicrobial activity of the MZ-xTC scaffolds. The findings indicate that those scaffolds that incorporate a high level concentration of tetracycline are tougher against bacterial organization than MZ scaffolds. However, the MTT assay demonstrates that the MZ scaffolds containing 1 to 5% tetracycline are more effective to sustain cell viability, whereas MZ-10TC shows some toxicity. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the MZ-(1-5)TC was considerably higher than that of MZ-10TC on the 3 and 7 days, implying higher osteoblastic differentiation. All the findings suggest that the MZ-xTC scaffolds containing 1 to 5% tetracycline is a promising candidate for bone tissue healing due to excellent antibacterial activity and biocompatibility.
  2. Ismail AF, Daud A, Ismail Z, Abdullah B
    Oman Med J, 2013 Sep;28(5):331-6.
    PMID: 24044059 DOI: 10.5001/omj.2013.96
    Noise is known to be one of the environmental and occupational hazards listed in the Factory and Machinery Act 1967. Quarries with loud deafening sounds from trucks and machineries pose the risk of noise-induced hearing loss to workers. This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards noise-induced hearing loss and to determine the prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss and its associated factors among quarry workers in a north-eastern state of Malaysia.
  3. Yogarathinam LT, Velswamy K, Gangasalam A, Ismail AF, Goh PS, Narayanan A, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2022 Jan 01;301:113872.
    PMID: 34607142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113872
    Effluent originating from cheese production puts pressure onto environment due to its high organic load. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to compare the influence of different process variables (transmembrane pressure (TMP), Reynolds number and feed pH) on whey protein recovery from synthetic and industrial cheese whey using polyethersulfone (PES 30 kDa) membrane in dead-end and cross-flow modes. Analysis on the fouling mechanistic model indicates that cake layer formation is dominant as compared to other pore blocking phenomena evaluated. Among the input variables, pH of whey protein solution has the biggest influence towards membrane flux and protein rejection performances. At pH 4, electrostatic attraction experienced by whey protein molecules prompted a decline in flux. Cross-flow filtration system exhibited a whey rejection value of 0.97 with an average flux of 69.40 L/m2h and at an experimental condition of 250 kPa and 8 for TMP and pH, respectively. The dynamic behavior of whey effluent flux was modeled using machine learning (ML) tool convolutional neural networks (CNN) and recursive one-step prediction scheme was utilized. Linear and non-linear correlation indicated that CNN model (R2 - 0.99) correlated well with the dynamic flux experimental data. PES 30 kDa membrane displayed a total protein rejection coefficient of 0.96 with 55% of water recovery for the industrial cheese whey effluent. Overall, these filtration studies revealed that this dynamic whey flux data studies using the CNN modeling also has a wider scope as it can be applied in sensor tuning to monitor flux online by means of enhancing whey recovery efficiency.
  4. Yogarathinam LT, Velswamy K, Gangasalam A, Ismail AF, Goh PS, Subramaniam MN, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2022 Jan;286(Pt 3):131822.
    PMID: 34416593 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131822
    In this study, fouling mechanism and modelling analysis of synthetic lignocellulose biomass and agricultural palm oil effluent was studied using polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) 10 kDa membrane. The impact of process variables (transmembrane pressure (TMP), pH and concentration of feed solution) on lignocellulosic flux was analysed using pore blocking model. The feasible approaches on utilising deep learning artificial neural network (ANN) to predict smaller flux datasets are studied. Among the input variables, pH of lignin feed solution has significant control towards flux and lignin rejection coefficient for both lignin and lignocellulosic solution. Alteration in the structure of lignin at different pH conditions contributed in the improvement of lignin rejection coefficient to 0.98 at the feed pH of 9. A maximum steady state flux of 52.03 L/m2h was observed at the lower lignin concentration (0.25 g/L), TMP of 200 kPa and feed pH of 3. At high TMP and concentration, lignin rejection decreased due to enhancement of feed concentration on membrane surface. The mechanistic model exhibited that cake layer phenomena was dominant in both lignin and lignocellulosic solution. The proposed ANN model showed good correlation (R2-1.00) with experimental non-linear flux dynamic data of both lignin and synthetic lignocellulosic solution. In ANN analysis, activation function, algorithm and neuron effect have significant effect in design of accurate model for prediction of small flux datasets. Aerobically-treated palm oil mill filtration analysis also showed that cake layer phenomenon was dominant. A water recovery of 82 % was achieved even at low TMP under short durations.
  5. Raji YO, Othman MHD, Nordin NAHSM, Adam MR, Said KAM, Abdulyekeen KA, et al.
    Membranes (Basel), 2021 Dec 01;11(12).
    PMID: 34940457 DOI: 10.3390/membranes11120956
    This research aimed to investigate the ultrafiltration of water from emulsified oily wastewater through the application of surface-functionalized ceramic membrane to enhance its water permeability based on optimized parameters using a cross-flow filtration system. The interactive effects of feed concentration (10-1000 ppm), pH (4-10), and pressure (0-3 bar) on the water flux and oil rejection were investigated. Central composite design (CCD) from response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for statistical analysis, modeling, and optimization of operating conditions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the oil rejection and water flux models were significant with p-values of 0.0001 and 0.0075, respectively. In addition, good correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.863 were obtained for the oil rejection and water flux models, respectively. The optimum conditions for pressure, pH, and feed concentration were found to be 1.5 bar, pH 8.97, and 10 ppm, respectively with water flux and oil rejection maintained at 152 L/m2·h and 98.72%, respectively. Hence, the functionalized ultrafiltration ceramic membrane enables the separation efficiency of the emulsified oil in water to be achieved.
  6. Yogarathinam LT, Usman J, Othman MHD, Ismail AF, Goh PS, Gangasalam A, et al.
    J Hazard Mater, 2022 02 15;424(Pt A):127298.
    PMID: 34571470 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127298
    In this study, an economic silica based ceramic hollow fiber (HF) microporous membrane was fabricated from guinea cornhusk ash (GCHA). A silica interlayer was coated to form a defect free silica membrane which serves as a support for the formation of thin film composite (TFC) ceramic hollow fiber (HF) membrane for the removal of microplastics (MPs) from aqueous solutions. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl-chloride (PVC), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are the selected MPs The effects of amine monomer concentration (0.5 wt% and 1 wt%) on the formation of poly (piperazine-amide) layer via interfacial polymerization over the GCHA ceramic support were also investigated. The morphology analysis of TFC GCHA HF membranes revealed the formation of a poly (piperazine-amide) layer with narrow pore arrangement. The pore size of TFC GCHA membrane declined with the formation of poly (piperazine-amide) layer, as evidenced from porosimetry analysis. The increase of amine concentration reduced the porosity and water flux of TFC GCHA HF membranes. During MPs filtration, 1 wt% (piperazine) based TFC GCHA membrane showed a lower transmission percentage of PVP (2.7%) and other suspended MPs also displayed lower transmission. The impact of humic acid and sodium alginate on MPs filtration and seawater pretreatment were also analyzed.
  7. Yahya N, Nyuk CM, Ismail AF, Hussain N, Rostami A, Ismail A, et al.
    Sensors (Basel), 2020 Feb 13;20(4).
    PMID: 32069956 DOI: 10.3390/s20041014
    In the current study, we developed an adaptive algorithm that can predict oil mobilization in a porous medium on the basis of optical data. Associated mechanisms based on tuning the electromagnetic response of magnetic and dielectric nanoparticles are also discussed. This technique is a promising method in rational magnetophoresis toward fluid mobility via fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The obtained wavelength shift due to Fe3O4 injection was 75% higher than that of dielectric materials. This use of FBG magneto-optic sensors could be a remarkable breakthrough for fluid-flow tracking in oil reservoirs. Our computational algorithm, based on piecewise linear polynomials, was evaluated with an analytical technique for homogeneous cases and achieved 99.45% accuracy. Theoretical values obtained via coupled-mode theory agreed with our FBG experiment data of at a level of 95.23% accuracy.
  8. Mallineni SK, Nuvvula S, Ismail AF, Aldhuwayhi S, Shaikh SA, Deeban Y, et al.
    Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 2022 Dec;26(23):9030-9039.
    PMID: 36524522 DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202212_30578
    OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of information sources on the knowledge regarding COVID-19 among undergraduate dental students in India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Turkey.

    SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An online questionnaire in a Google form link was circulated among the target population via various online platforms. It consisted of 14 close-ended questions assessing these students' knowledge and source of COVID-19-related information. SPSS software version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used to compute descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, independent t-test, and ANOVA tests for comparing various variables, and a p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

    RESULTS: The study yielded 809 responses from dental undergraduate students from India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Turkey. Dental students from Turkey reported a higher mean knowledge score of 7.91±1.34 and 7.88±0.58 for Malaysian dental students. In contrast, the lower scores were achieved by Saudi Arabia (7.36±1.22) and India (7.37±1.21) dental students, and the findings were statistically significant (p<0.05). The study population used various sources to attain information regarding COVID-19. Most respondents (63.1%) utilized information regarding COVID-19 from multiple sources rather than single sources (36.9%).

    CONCLUSIONS: Reliable and validated information sources resulted in higher knowledge scores. Turkey and Malaysia dental students reported a higher mean knowledge score and the lowest for Saudi Arabia and India dental students. There is increased popularity of social media platforms as information sources.

  9. Fauzi FB, Ismail E, Syed Abu Bakar SN, Ismail AF, Mohamed MA, Md Din MF, et al.
    Phys Chem Chem Phys, 2020 Feb 12;22(6):3481-3489.
    PMID: 31989130 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05346h
    The complicated chemical vapour deposition (CVD) is currently the most viable method of producing graphene. Most studies have extensively focused on chemical aspects either through experiments or computational studies. However, gas-phase dynamics in CVD reportedly plays an important role in improving graphene quality. Given that mass transport is the rate-limiting step for graphene deposition in atmospheric-pressure CVD (APCVD), the interfacial phenomena at the gas-solid interface (i.e., the boundary layer) are a crucial controlling factor. Accordingly, only by understanding and controlling the boundary-layer thickness can uniform full-coverage graphene deposition be achieved. In this study, a simplified computational fluid dynamics analysis of APCVD was performed to investigate gas-phase dynamics during deposition. Boundary-layer thickness was also estimated through the development of a customised homogeneous gas model. Interfacial phenomena, particularly the boundary layer and mass transport within it, were studied. The effects of Reynolds number on these factors were explored and compared with experimentally obtained results of the characterised graphene deposit. We then discussed and elucidated the important relation of fluid dynamics to graphene growth through APCVD.
  10. Abdullah N, Yusof N, Abu Shah MH, Wan Ikhsan SN, Ng ZC, Maji S, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2019 Jul;26(20):20386-20399.
    PMID: 31102226 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-05208-9
    In this present study, adsorptive membranes for Cr(VI) ion removal were prepared by blending polyethersulfone (PES) with hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) nanoparticles (NPs). The effects of HFO NPs to PES weight ratio (0-1.5) on the physicochemical properties of the resultant HFO/PES adsorptive membranes were investigated with respect to the surface chemistry and roughness as well as structural morphologies using different analytical instruments. The adsorptive performance of the HFO NPs/PES membranes was studied via batch adsorption experiments under various conditions by varying solution pH, initial concentration of Cr(VI), and contact time. The results showed that the membrane made of HFO/PES at a weight ratio of 1.0 exhibited the highest adsorption capacity which is 13.5 mg/g. Isotherm and kinetic studies revealed that the mechanism is best fitted to the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order model. For filtration of Cr(VI), the best promising membranes showed improved water flux (629.3 L/m2 h) with Cr(VI) ion removal of 75%. More importantly, the newly developed membrane maintained the Cr(VI) concentration below the maximum contamination level (MCL) for up to 9 h.
  11. Wan Mohd Kamaluddin WNF, Rismayuddin NAR, Ismail AF, Mohamad Aidid E, Othman N, Mohamad NAH, et al.
    Arch Oral Biol, 2020 Oct;118:104855.
    PMID: 32801092 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104855
    OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to investigate the effects if probiotics can inhibit oral carcinogenesis.

    DESIGN: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and PLOS databases were searched up to February 2020 to identify randomised controlled trials that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tool was used for quality assessment of articles. This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA-P) 2015 protocol guidelines.

    RESULT: The initial search retrieved 774 articles. Of these, only five articles were included in the qualitative synthesis. Two out of the five papers were further analysed for quantitative synthesis in meta-analysis. The majority of the included studies were found to be of "moderate quality". The qualitative synthesis found four probiotics that exhibited potential therapeutic effects in oral carcinogenesis, includingAcetobacter syzygii, AJ2, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus salivarius REN. Among them, the application of L. salivarius REN resulted in a 95 % lower risk for developing oral cancer (p 

  12. Ibrahim GPS, Isloor AM, Inamuddin, Asiri AM, Ismail N, Ismail AF, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2017 Nov 21;7(1):15889.
    PMID: 29162869 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16131-9
    In this work, poly(MBAAm-co-SBMA) zwitterionic polymer nanoparticles were synthesized in one-step via distillation-precipitation polymerization (DPP) and were characterized. [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium hydroxide (SBMA) as monomer and N, N'-methylene bis(acrylamide) (MBAAm) as cross-linker are used for the synthesis of nanoparticles. As  far as our knowledge, this is the first such report on the synthesis of poly(MBAAm-co-SBMA) nanoparticles via DPP. The newly synthesized nanoparticles were further employed for the surface modification of polysulfone (PSF) hollow fiber membranes for dye removal. The modified hollow fiber membrane exhibited the improved permeability (56 L/ m2 h bar) and dye removal (>98% of Reactive Black 5 and >80.7% of Reactive orange 16) with the high permeation of salts. Therefore, the as-prepared membrane can have potential application in textile and industrial wastewater treatment.
  13. Kumar M, RaoT S, Isloor AM, Ibrahim GPS, Inamuddin, Ismail N, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2019 May 15;129:715-727.
    PMID: 30738161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.02.017
    Cellulose acetate (CA) and cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) were used as additives (1 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt%) to prepare polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) hollow fiber membranes. Prepared hollow fiber membranes were characterized by surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface roughness by atomic force microscopy (AFM), the surface charge of the membrane was analyzed by zeta potential measurement, hydrophilicity by contact angle measurement and the functional groups by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Fouling resistant nature of the prepared hollow fiber membranes was evaluated by bovine serum albumin (BSA) and molecular weight cutoff was investigated using polyethylene glycol (PEG). By total organic carbon (TOC), the percentage rejection of PEG was found to be 14,489 Da. It was found that the hollow fiber membrane prepared by the addition of 5 wt% of CAP in PPSU confirmed increased arsenic removal from water as compared to hollow fiber membrane prepared by 5 wt% of CA in PPSU. The removal percentages of arsenic with CA-5 and CAP-5 hollow fiber membrane was 34% and 41% with arsenic removal permeability was 44.42 L/m2h bar and 40.11 L/m2h bar respectively. The increased pure water permeability for CA-5 and CAP-5 hollow fiber membrane was 61.47 L/m2h bar and 69.60 L/m2 h bar, respectively.
  14. Jaganathan SK, Mani MP, Ismail AF, Ayyar M
    Polymers (Basel), 2017 May 04;9(5).
    PMID: 30970842 DOI: 10.3390/polym9050163
    The objective of this work is to characterize and investigate the blood compatibility of polyurethane (PU)/mustard oil composites fabricated using electrospinning technique. The fabricated scaffold was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and contact angle measurements. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APPT), prothrombin time (PT) and the hemolytic assay were done to investigate the blood compatibility of the developed composites. The SEM results revealed that the fiber diameter of the composites (761 ± 123 nm) was reduced compared to pristine PU control. The interaction between PU and mustard oil was confirmed by FTIR as evident through the shifting of peaks. The fabricated composites depicted hydrophobic behavior as insinuated by the increase in contact angle measurements. PU/mustard composites displayed improved crystallinity as confirmed by TGA. Atomic force micrographs suggested that developed PU/mustard oil composites showed an increase in the surface roughness (Ra) compared to pure PU. The Ra of pure PU was observed to be 723 nm but for the fabricated PU/mustard oil composite the Ra was found to be 1298 nm (Ra). The hemolytic index value for pure PU and fabricated composites was observed to be 2.73% and 1.15% indicating that developed composites showed a non-hemolytic behavior signifying the safety of the composites with red blood cells. Hence the newly developed composites with improved physicochemical and blood compatibility properties may be considered as a potential candidate for fabricating cardiac patches and grafts.
  15. Alotaibi AM, Ismail AF, Aziman ES
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jun 08;13(1):9316.
    PMID: 37291241 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36487-5
    This study investigated the efficacy of using phosphate-modified zeolite (PZ) as an adsorbent for removing thorium from aqueous solutions. The effects of various factors such as contact time, adsorbent mass, initial thorium concentration, and pH value of the solution on the removal efficiency were analyzed using the batch technique to obtain optimum adsorption condition. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for thorium adsorption were a contact time of 24 h, 0.03 g of PZ adsorbent, pH 3, and a temperature of 25 °C. Isotherm and kinetics parameters of the thorium adsorption on PZ were also determined, with equilibrium studies showing that the experimental data followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qo) for thorium was found to be 17.3 mg/g with the Langmuir isotherm coefficient of 0.09 L/mg. Using phosphate anions to modify natural zeolite increased its adsorption capacity. Furthermore, adsorption kinetics studies demonstrated that the adsorption of thorium onto PZ adsorbent fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The applicability of the PZ adsorbent in removing thorium from real radioactive waste was also investigated, and nearly complete thorium removal was achieved (> 99%) from the leached solution obtained from cracking and leaching processes of rare earth industrial residue under optimized conditions. This study elucidates the potential of PZ adsorbent for efficient removal of thorium from rare earth residue via adsorption, leading to a reduction in waste volume for ultimate disposition.
  16. Ahmad SZN, Wan Salleh WN, Ismail AF, Yusof N, Mohd Yusop MZ, Aziz F
    Chemosphere, 2020 Jun;248:126008.
    PMID: 32006836 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126008
    The endless introduction of toxic heavy metals through industrialization has worsened the heavy metal pollution in the environment. Thus, the need for its effective removal has become more crucial than before. Studies on graphene-based nanomaterials and their use in removing heavy metals are gaining tremendous traction over the past decade. The properties of graphene oxide (GO), such as large surface areas, desired functional groups and excellent mechanical properties are advantageous. Nevertheless, due to its tendency to agglomerate and difficulty in phase separation after treatment, the functionalization of GO using various materials of different surface functional groups is an ongoing study. The surface modification of GO is done by using various materials to introduce heteroatoms, which have high affinity for heavy metals. This review summarizes the utilization of different surface functional groups, such as oxygen-containing, nitrogen-containing, and sulphur-containing functionalized graphene oxide composites in the adsorption of cationic and oxyanionic heavy metals. The toxicity of these heavy metals is also addressed. Furthermore, the interactions between adsorbents and heavy metals which are influenced by pH and surface functional groups, are also discussed in detail. This is followed by the review in adsorption isotherms and kinetics. Future research needs are also offered.
  17. Mohammed Zayan J, Rasheed AK, John A, Khalid M, Ismail AF, Aabid A, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2021 Dec 21;15(1).
    PMID: 35009170 DOI: 10.3390/ma15010028
    This study presents the rheological behavior of water-based GO-TiO2-Ag and rGO-TiO2-Ag ternary-hybrid nanofluids. The impact of nanoparticles' volumetric concentration and temperature on the rheological properties were studied. All experiments were performed under temperatures ranging from 25 to 50 °C in the solid volume concentration range of 0.5-0.00005%. The data optimization technique was adopted using the Taguchi method. The types of nanomaterials, concentration, temperature, and shear rate were chosen to optimize the viscosity and shear stress. The effect of shear stress, angular sweep, frequency sweep, and damping factor ratio is plotted. The experimental results demonstrated that the rheological properties of the ternary hybrid nanofluid depend on the ternary hybrid nanofluid's temperature. The viscosity of ternary hybrid nanofluids (THNf) change by 40% for GO-TiO2-Ag and 33% for rGO-TiO2-Ag when temperature and shear rates are increased. All the ternary hybrid nanofluids demonstrated non-Newtonian behavior at lower concentrations and higher shear stress, suggesting a potential influence of nanoparticle aggregation on the viscosity. The dynamic viscosity of ternary hybrid nanofluid increased with enhancing solid particles' volume concentration and temperature.
  18. Mahmoudian S, Wahit MU, Imran M, Ismail AF, Balakrishnan H
    J Nanosci Nanotechnol, 2012 Jul;12(7):5233-9.
    PMID: 22966551
    This study presents the preparation of regenerated cellulose (RC)/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) nanocomposites via room temperature ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIMAc) using solution casting method. The thermal stability, gas permeability, water absorption and mechanical properties of the films were studied. The synthesized nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The T20 decomposition temperature of regenerated cellulose improved with the addition of graphene nanoplatelets up to 5 wt%. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of RC films improved by 34 and 56%, respectively with the addition of 3 wt% GNPs. The nanocomposite films exhibited improved oxygen and carbon dioxide gas barrier properties and water absorption resistance compared to RC. XRD and SEM results showed good interaction between RC and GNPs and well dispersion of graphene nanoplatelets in regenerated cellulose. The FTIR spectra showed that the addition of GNPs in RC did not result in any noticeable change in its chemical structure.
  19. Abazari S, Shamsipur A, Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Ismail AF, Sharif S, Razzaghi M, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2020 Oct 04;13(19).
    PMID: 33020427 DOI: 10.3390/ma13194421
    In recent years considerable attention has been attracted to magnesium because of its light weight, high specific strength, and ease of recycling. Because of the growing demand for lightweight materials in aerospace, medical and automotive industries, magnesium-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) reinforced with ceramic nanometer-sized particles, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were developed. CNTs have excellent material characteristics like low density, high tensile strength, high ratio of surface-to-volume, and high thermal conductivity that makes them attractive to use as reinforcements to fabricate high-performance, and high-strength metal-matrix composites (MMCs). Reinforcing magnesium (Mg) using small amounts of CNTs can improve the mechanical and physical properties in the fabricated lightweight and high-performance nanocomposite. Nevertheless, the incorporation of CNTs into a Mg-based matrix faces some challenges, and a uniform distribution is dependent on the parameters of the fabricating process. The characteristics of a CNTs reinforced composite are related to the uniform distribution, weight percent, and length of the CNTs, as well as the interfacial bonding and alignment between CNTs reinforcement and the Mg-based matrix. In this review article, the recent findings in the fabricating methods, characterization of the composite's properties, and application of Mg-based composites reinforced with CNTs are studied. These include the strategies of fabricating CNT-reinforced Mg-based composites, mechanical responses, and corrosion behaviors. The present review aims to investigate and conclude the most relevant studies conducted in the field of Mg/CNTs composites. Strategies to conquer complicated challenges are suggested and potential fields of Mg/CNTs composites as upcoming structural material regarding functional requirements in aerospace, medical and automotive industries are particularly presented.
  20. Bakhsheshi-Rad HR, Hamzah E, Ying WS, Razzaghi M, Sharif S, Ismail AF, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2021 Apr 12;14(8).
    PMID: 33921460 DOI: 10.3390/ma14081930
    Magnesium has been recognized as a groundbreaking biodegradable biomaterial for implant applications, but its use is limited because it degrades too quickly in physiological solutions. This paper describes the research on the influence of polycaprolactone (PCL)/chitosan (CS)/zinc oxide (ZnO) composite coating (PCL/CS/ZnO) on the corrosion resistance and antibacterial activity of magnesium. The PCL/CS film presented a porous structure with thickness of about 40-50 μm, while after incorporation of ZnO into the PCL/CS, a homogenous film without pores and defects was attained. The ZnO embedded in PCL/CS enhanced corrosion resistance by preventing corrosive ions diffusion in the magnesium substrate. The corrosion, antibacterial, and cell interaction mechanism of the PCL/CS/ZnO composite coating is discussed in this study. In vitro cell culture revealed that the PCL/CS coating with low loaded ZnO significantly improved cytocompatibility, but coatings with high loaded ZnO were able to induce some cytotoxicity osteoblastic cells. It was also found that enhanced antibacterial activity of the PCL/CS/ZnO coating against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria, while less significant antibacterial activity was detected for uncoated Mg and PCL/CS coating. Based on the results, the PCL/CS coatings loaded with low ZnO content may be recommended as a candidate material for biodegradable Mg-based orthopedic implant applications.
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