ABSTRACT
Aluminum (Al) nanopowders have potential applications as hydrogen storage medium, energetic materials, pigments, and for production of metal matrix parts via powder metallurgy, to name a few. They are synthesized by methods which are either expensive or result in the product with impurities. A novel methodology based on ultrasonication of commercially available Al foil has been developed for synthesis of Al powders. Al foil was immersed in an organic medium and subjected to ultrasonication in a 160-watt bath ultrasonicator operated at 35â¯kHz frequency. Morphological, crystal structural, and dimensional characterization of ultrasonicated Al was carried out with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic forces microscopy (AFM) respectively. Characterization results revealed that Al foil was eroded laterally as well as axially, resulting in the formation of micro and nanosized flake-like pure Al powder.
ABSTRACT
Magnesium has attracted a lot of attention as a new class of biodegradable material. The surface properties of magnesium in simulated body fluid (SBF) were investigated in the current research work. Cast magnesium samples with different surface characteristics were prepared which were then placed in SBF for 2, 4 and 8 days. This led to the formation of hydroxylapatite coating on their surfaces. The solution was changed at regular intervals to maintain a pH of 7.6. Other Mg samples were anodized at 40 V and 60 V to create a uniform layer of oxide on them and then their activity in SBF was compared with the casted samples of Mg. It was found that corrosion rate varies as the immersion time increases. Magnesium undergoes localized corrosion with pits and cracks forming on the surface of the samples. This was due to the aggressive corrosive nature of SBF.
