பொருள் அறிவியல் & பொறியியல் இதழ்

This is a story of elements, electrons, protons, neutrons and quarks together with their cousins, molecules and the zoo of fundamental particles, as we plot a route through the complexity and diversity of the Universe following requests from several editors of journals to produce a review article as a result of publication of “Implications of the link between the Periodic Table and the Standard Model” in 2018.

Renewable power generation can reduce the dependence on fossil fuels while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from electric power generation. However, most renewable energy sources are naturally occurring which makes them seasonal and generally unpredictable over time. With more countries trending toward renewable power by 2050, it is imperative that technologies are developed which can utilize and optimize the storage and distribution of this type of power. Hydrogen energy storage is becoming increasingly popular due to its versatility. It is considered an energy carrier like electricity and can be generated and stored in large quantities and for long periods of time. Hydrogen can be derived from water, biomass, and other technologies and can generate electric power using fuel cells and through combustion. This study investigates a novel combined cycle configuration which is thermodynamically analyzed to identify its potential to adapt steam from a hydrogen oxygen steam generator. A thermodynamic analysis on the system is performed using Engineering Equation Solver from F Chart Software. Results show that the oxygen hydrogen fueled combined cycle excels in the specific power ratio, as this cycle was able to achieve the lowest pressure values at the highest points for both thermal loading and pressure loading. This is a major advantage since the thermal loading on some of the power cycles are much higher that what is currently in use, thus reducing it even by a smaller percentage is significant. The oxygen hydrogen fueled combine cycle reduced the specific power by 78%, pressure at the most thermal loaded point by 157%, and pressure at the most pressure loaded element by 10% when compared to other common cycles.

Novel nanocomposites based on polyurethane/carbon nanotube and incorporation of functional groups (hydroquinone and citric acid) were prepared by “solution casting method”. In this work, a high percentage of carbon-nanotubes (CNTs) was introduced successfully into the polyurethane. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the results obtained showed a high dispersion of CNTs on polymer. Then, the thermal stability of the nanocomposites was evaluated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and the mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile test. Compared to pure polyurethane, the nanocomposites, with high loading of CNTs, displayed better thermal stability and mechanical properties (high elongation at break-1000%).

This short commentary mentions some reports of immobilization of enzymes by encapsulation into the structure of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and adsorption on the surface of the MOFs. Improvements in thermal stability, storage stability, and reusability were also observed. The ability to improve the function of enzymes while maintaining their stability will lead to cost reduction. In addition, there are possible applications in the fields of biosensing and cancer treatment.

Additive Manufacturing or Direct Manufacturing, popularly known as 3D Printing, has become the leading-edge manufacturing technology. Today Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) is a reality, not only for prototype fabrication, also for functional parts in all industrial sectors. Design freedom that the AM processes offer has led to design and engineering of new, complex, light-weight structures in all applications. However, in order to realize further and widespread use of metal AM for manufacturing critical components, it is necessary to explore the inherent material freedom in AM. While new metal AM materials are being developed, the role of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is becoming more apparent than ever before. This presentation will highlight the increasing role of Materials Science and Engineering in metal AM technologies. This presentation will show the essence of metallurgical principles in realizing full scope of material freedom in metal additive manufacturing. This presentation will demonstrate how fundamental MSE principles can be utilized to develop new materials, optimize metal AM and post processing, and their controls that cannot be achieved by conventional manufacturing methods. The examples with new Aluminum AM alloys will be presented, leading to a path of developing advanced and higher performance products for critical applications.