Experimental and Theoretical Studies toward Superior Anti-corrosive Nanocomposite Coatings of Aminosilane Wrapped Layer-by-Layer Graphene Oxide@MXene/Waterborne Epoxy.

Herein, layer-by-layer MXene/graphene oxide nanosheets wrapped with 3-aminopropyltriethoxy silane (abbreviated as F-GO@MXene) are proposed as an anti-corrosion promoter for waterborne epoxies. The GO@MXene nanohybrid is synthesized by a solvothermal reaction to produce a multi-layered 2D structure without defects. Then, the GO@MXene is modified by silane wrapping under a reflux reaction, in order to achieve chemical stability and to create active sites on the nanohybrid surface for reaction with the polymer matrix of the coating. The organic coating modified with 0.1 wt % F-GO@MXene has revealed superior corrosion protection efficiency than the organic coatings modified with either F-GO or F-MXene nanosheets. The impedance modulus at low frequency for the pure epoxy, epoxy/F-MXene, epoxy/F-GO, and epoxy/F-GO@MXene coatings is 4.17 × 105, 5.5 × 108, 4.46 × 108, and 1.14 × 1010 Ω·cm2 after 30 days of immersion in the corrosive media, respectively. The remarkable anti-corrosion property is assigned to the intense effect of the nanohybrid on the barrier performance, surface roughness, and adhesion strength of the epoxy coating. The complemental analysis based on first-principles density functional theory reveals that the adhesion strength related to the silane functional groups in its complexes follows the order F-GO@MXene > F-MXene > F-GO. The enhanced stabilization predicted on the GO@MXene nanohybrid ultimately stems from the combined role of the electrostatic and van der Waals forces, suggesting an increase in the penetration path of the corrosive media.

Strontium and antimony serum levels in healthy individuals living in high- and low-risk areas of esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND: It has been shown there is an upward trend for strontium (Sr) and antimony (Sb) levels from low-risk (LR) to high-risk (HR) areas of etiology of esophageal cancer in water, soil, and grains grown in Golestan province. In the present study, the serum levels of Sr and Sb were determined in healthy individuals living in these areas. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on fasting blood serum of adult healthy individuals collected by cluster sampling. Subjects were divided into two groups, those living in either HR or LR areas. Strontium and antimony serum levels were measured using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. RESULTS: A total of 200 volunteers were enrolled from which 96 persons (48%) and 104 persons (52%) were from either HR or LR areas, respectively. The sex distribution was 40.9% male and 59.1% female, and the average age of enrolled people was 50.9 years. The average strontium levels were 30.44 ± 4.05 and 30.29 ± 3.74 µg/L in LR and HR, respectively. It also has been shown the average antimony levels were 15.21 ± 3.40, 14.81 ± 3.17, 15.13 ± 3.62, and 15.07 ± 3.62 µg/L in LR, HR, urban, and rural populations, respectively. CONCLUSION: The serum levels of strontium and antimony were not significantly different in healthy adults living in high- and low-risk areas of esophageal cancer. However, the average antimony serum levels in Golestan Province were above the reference interval in different countries.

Synthesis and characterization of silver doped hydroxyapatite nanocomposite coatings and evaluation of their antibacterial and corrosion resistance properties in simulated body fluid.

Silver-doped hydroxyapatite (Ca10-xAgx(PO4)6(OH)2-x) films were synthesized and deposited on anodized titanium (Ti) using electrophoretic. The influence of different silver-dopant contents (X=0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.1) on the phase formation and microstructure of the powders were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrum analysis (FT-IR). XRD analysis confirmed the formation of Hexagonal structure of hydroxyapatite (HAp) annealed at 600°C with a small shift in the major peak position toward lower angles with adding silver. FT-IR spectroscopy disclosed the presence of the different vibrational modes matching to phosphates and hydroxyl groups and the absence of any band characteristics to silver. XPS analysis showed that 75% and 23% of silver was in the chemical states of Ag(2+) and Ag(+), respectively. However, only about 2% of silver was in the Ag(0) state, resulting in the high quality of nanocomposite films. The anodization treatment improves the bond strength between the Ag doped HAp deposited layers on TiO2. HAp and silver doped HAp (X=0.05) are regarded to be hydrophilic due to a large number of -OH groups on the surface. The sample with content of silver (x=0.05) also showed excellent antimicrobial efficacy (>99% reduction in viable cells). Electrochemical reveals the passive current densities of the HAp coated anodized Ti are lower than those of silver doped HAp coated anodized Ti, leading to a slightly lower corrosion resistance.