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This study aims to report the synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using the Sol-Gel autocombustion technique. According to the diffraction data, a monoclinic crystal structural phase had been formed due to the crystallization process. Electronic microscopic images prove that the nanoparticles are growing in a spherical structure. Using Methylene blue as a pollutant, a study was conducted to determine whether the prepared copper oxide nanoparticles have a photocatalytic activity. A photocatalytic rate constant of 0.011 min-1 was obtained for the sample, indicating that the synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles have good photocatalytic activity. During the antimicrobial study, the CuO nanoparticles were found to have significant antimicrobial activity against the selected microorganisms, S.aureus and E.coli. Furthermore, E. coli bacteria have shown the highest sensitivity to the synthesized CuO nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present research was to elicit the influence of fiber loading on the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of Sansevieria roxburghiana leaf fibers reinforced epoxy composites. The mean micro-fibrillar angle of the extracted leaf fibers was found as 18.84° by X-ray diffraction technique. Composite samples were fabricated using randomly oriented fibers under different weight ratios (10, 20, 30, and 40 weight%) employing compression molding technique. Studies exemplify that the mechanical properties of the composites increase with increasing weight ratio of fibers. Optimum tensile, flexural, and impact strength of the composites were found to be 21.1 MPa, 65.6 MPa, and 18.37 kJ/m2 respectively for 30 weight% fiber loading. The high tensile strength of the composites is related to the low microfibrillar angle of the fibers. The increase in mechanical strength is due to the high cellulose content and crystallinity index of the fibers, while the decline at 40 weight% is due to the poor wettability of the fibers. The thermal conductivity of the composites decreases with increase in fiber loading. Void content present in the composites was found. Experimental values obtained show that Sansevieria roxburghiana leaf fibers are potential reinforcements that can be used to make polymer composites suitable for domestic and lightweight applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium matrix composites (MMCs) exhibit excellent strength, low mass, and density. In the current study, silicon carbide (SiC) and graphite (Gr) particles are used as reinforcement, using AZ31 alloy as the matrix material. Using the stir casting method, AZ31-SiC-Gr hybrid composites were developed with different compositions of SiC and Gr (0, 2, 4, and 6 wt.%). The microstructure of developed hybrid composites and AZ31 alloy was analyzed using SEM and EDS. The densities, hardness, tensile and compressive properties of the fabricated hybrid composites were examined. The experimental results show that adding reinforcements improved the developed hybrid composites' mechanical characteristics. The micro hardness was raised by 27% with the addition of 6% SiC and Gr to the base alloy. The AZ31 hybrid composite with 4% SiC and Gr particles exhibited a maximum compressive strength of 365.56 MPa and UTS of 158.4 MPa. Overall, the results of the AZ31-SiC-Gr hybrid MMCs are promising for automobile applications because of their low mass, high strength and good wear resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the authors investigate the optimal tribological parameters of Al 7075 composite reinforced with ZrB2 using Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). Initially, the composite specimens were prepared by the variation of reinforcement 5%, 10% and 15% using stir casting routing method. Further, the developed metal matrix composites are used to measure the wear and frictional properties on pin-on - disc testing apparatus. The input parameters such as, wt% of reinforcement (5%, 10% and 15%), load (4.92N, 9.81N and 14.72N) and the time required for conducting the wear test is (15 min. 30 min and 45 min). A Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was designed for conducting the number of experiments. Based on the combination of number of experiments wear study has been conducted on the wear testing apparatus. Moreover, GRA was used for obtaining the best optimal input control parameters that gives minimum magnitude of wear and coefficient of friction (COF). Finally, the confirmatory experiments are conducted and verified with the Taguchi grey relational analysis. The results shows that the predicated optimal mean value is almost similar to the experimental value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Where technology is concerned, agriculture is introducing modern irrigation technologies. Previously, in agriculture, farmers faced over- and under-irrigation, resulting in crop damage. This the development detection device the Internet of Things. In this article, an IoT framework based on Raspberry Pi is demonstrated, which will enable the farmer to regulate irrigation from anywhere and at any time using a PC or smartphone, as well as track moisture and temperature parameters. To minimise his or her efforts while still maximising the use of water. A message is sent to the user through the Blynk app, prompting them to take appropriate action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work aluminium-silicon alloy (A356) is strengthened with blends of granite and graphite particles using stir casting technique. Granite particulates, an industrial waste generated while cutting granite stones is used along with graphite particulates which has excellent lubricant properties. The reinforcements are mixed in different weight proportions, to base alloy at 2 and 4 weight percentages. Wear rate and friction for the fabricated composites and alloy is recorded during each sliding test The dry sliding wear of the over different loads with a track diameter of 60 mm and sliding times of 15, 30 and 45 minutes respectively. The techniques of ANOVA and Taguchi are used to study the influence of wear parameters on the friction coefficient of composites by using "MINITAB 18" software with quality characteristics chosen as smaller is better.