Towards Clinical Translation: Optimized Fabrication of Controlled Nanostructures on Implant-Relevant Curved Zirconium Surfaces

Anodization enables fabrication of controlled nanotopographies on Ti implants to offer tailorable bioactivity and local therapy. However, anodization of Zr implants to fabricate ZrO2 nanostructures remains underexplored and are limited to the modification of easy-to-manage flat Zr foils, which do not represent the shape of clinically used implants. In this pioneering study, we report extensive optimization of various nanostructures on implant-relevant micro-rough Zr curved surfaces, bringing this technology closer to clinical translation. Further, we explore the use of sonication to remove the top nanoporous layer to reveal the underlying nanotubes. Nano-engineered Zr surfaces can be applied towards enhancing the bioactivity and therapeutic potential of conventional Zr-based implants.

Numerical Analysis of Single-Phase Thermal Hydraulic Parameters Along Nanostructured Coating Film

In typical pressurized water reactors, zirconium alloys are used as cladding material for the fuel. However, zircalloy is known to face problems with the high temperature steam, due to the chemical process of oxidation, the oxygen molecules will be separated from the water molecules of the coolant leading to hydrogen gas releases. Recently, a research team at KAIST, South Korea suggested a methodology to fabricate nanoporous oxide layer with the aim of preventing the zircalloy outer surface from reacting with the coolant. Although, this new proposal offers a better solution to prevent the potential hydrogen gas generation, it is still not well understood how the nanoporous-layer is going to affect the convective heat transfer rates between the coolant and the fuel. In fact, on one hand the low conductivity of the oxide layer is expected to reduce the conduction heat transfer within the cladding material; but on the other hand, the nanopores on the oxide layer might act as an effective surface roughness, hence affecting both the hydrodynamic and thermal fields within the coolant channels. In this study, a CFD analysis is carried out to investigate the influence of this nanoporous layer on the convective heat transfer rate and pressure drop coefficient. A detailed 2-D steady-state numerical analysis on single-phase model is performed using Star-CCM+ code. The study is conducted using pores with a diameter of 30 to 100 nm. The results obtained from these predictions are then compared with the ones obtained in the case of the smooth surface. Therefore, the main objectives of the present study are to examine the effect of this nanopourous layer on the thermal hydraulic parameters and to produce the corresponding correlations to be used in the system scale thermal-hydraulic codes.

Effect of Boron in a Hierarchical Nanoporous Layer Formation on Silicate Glass

A hierarchical nanoporous layer (HNL) can be formed on the silicate glass surface by simple alkali etching. Though it reportedly exhibits various useful functions, such as superhydrophilicity, optical anti-reflection, and material impregnation, the principle of its formation still remains unclear. In this study, HNL formation behavior was experimentally investigated while using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to clarify the role of boron contained in glass. As a result, it was found that HNL formation was significantly promoted by boron, which was rapidly eluted prior to alkali and alkaline earth metals. This suggests that boron, which forms the skeleton structure of glass together with Si and O, elutes to partially decompose the skeleton, and extends the elution route for HNL formation.

A robust self-stabilized electrode based on Al-based metallic glasses for a highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Al-based metallic glass ribbon with a nanoporous layer of high-entropy alloy is a robust advanced self-stabilized free-standing electrode for hydrogen evolution reaction.

Fingerprint Blurring on a Hierarchical Nanoporous Layer Glass

A fingerprint blurring phenomenon on a hierarchical nanoporous layer (HNL) glass has been discovered and experimentally investigated. The HNL glass was prepared by a simple one-pot etching as reported by the authors. IR absorption spectra and water contact angle revealed that the blurring does not come from a chemical decomposition but a transportation of the fingerprint components, and the capillary action drives the transportation, not the thermal diffusion. The fine pores in the HNL was indicated to develop the strong capillary force to blur the fingerprint. The fingerprint blurring phenomenon on the HNL can be a candidate for the third anti-fingerprint methodology after the popular ones of low frictional surfaces and anti-glare surfaces.