Characterization of Interfacial Corrosion Behavior of Hybrid Laminate EN AW-6082 ∪ CFRP.

The corrosion behavior of a hybrid laminate consisting of laser-structured aluminum EN AW-6082 ∪ carbon fiber-reinforced polymer was investigated. Specimens were corroded in aqueous NaCl electrolyte (0.1 mol/L) over a period of up to 31 days and characterized continuously by means of scanning electron and light microscopy, supplemented by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Comparative linear sweep voltammetry was employed on the first and seventh day of the corrosion experiment. The influence of different laser morphologies and production process parameters on corrosion behavior was compared. The corrosion reaction mainly arises from the aluminum component and shows distinct differences in long-term corrosion morphology between pure EN AW-6082 and the hybrid laminate. Compared to short-term investigations, a strong influence of galvanic corrosion on the interface is assumed. No distinct influences of different laser structuring and process parameters on the corrosion behavior were detected. Weight measurements suggest a continuous loss of mass attributed to the detachment of corrosion products.

Mechanical in vitro fatigue testing of implant materials and components using advanced characterization techniques.

Implants of different material classes have been used for the reconstruction of damaged hard and soft tissue for decades. The aim is to increase and subsequently maintain the patient's quality of life through implantation. In service, most implants are subjected to cyclic loading, which must be taken particularly into consideration, since the fatigue strength is far below the yield and tensile strength. Inaccurate estimation of the structural strength of implants due to the consideration of yield or tensile strength leads to a miscalculation of the implant's fatigue strength and lifetime, and therefore, to its unexpected early fatigue failure. Thus, fatigue failure of an implant based on overestimated performance capability represents acute danger to human health. The determination of fatigue strength by corresponding tests investigating various stress amplitudes is time-consuming and cost-intensive. This study summarizes four investigation series on the fatigue behavior of different implant materials and components, following a standard and an in vitro short-time testing procedure, which evaluates the material reaction in one enhanced test set-up. The test set-up and the applied characterization methods were adapted to the respective application of the implant with the aim to simulate the surrounding of the human body with laboratory in vitro tests only. It could be shown that by using the short-time testing method the number of tests required to determine the fatigue strength can be drastically reduced. In future, therefore it will be possible to exclude unsuitable implant materials or components before further clinical investigations by using a time-efficient and application-oriented testing method.

Advances on the Visualization of the Internal Structures of the European Mistletoe: 3D Reconstruction Using Microtomography.

The European mistletoe (Viscum album) is a dioecious epiphytic evergreen hemiparasite that develops an extensive endophyte enabling the absorption of water and mineral salts from the host tree, whereas the exophytic leaves are photosynthetically active. The attachment mode and host penetration are well studied, but little information is available about the effects of mistletoe age and sex on haustorium-host interactions. We harvested 130 plants of Viscum album ssp. album growing on host branches of Aesculus flava for morphological and anatomical investigations. Morphometric analyses of the mistletoe and the (hypertrophied) host interaction site were correlated with mistletoe age and sex. We recorded the morphology of the endophytic systems of various ages by using X-ray microtomography scans and corresponding stereomicroscopic images. For detailed anatomical studies, we examined thin stained sections of the mistletoe-host interface by light microscopy. The diameter and length of the branch hypertrophy showed a positive linear correlation with the age of the mistletoe. Correlations with their sex were only found for ratios between host branch and hypertrophy size. A female bias of about 76% was found. In a 4-year-old mistletoe, several small, almost equally sized sinkers and the connected cortical strands extend over more than 5 cm within the host branch. In older mistletoes, one main sinker was predominant and occupied an increasingly large proportion of the stem cross-section. Bands of vessels ran along the axis of the wedge-shaped haustoria and sinkers and bent sideways toward the mistletoe-host interface. At the interface, the vascular elements of the host wood changed their direction and formed vortices near the haustorium.

In Situ Characterization of Polycaprolactone Fiber Response to Quasi-Static Tensile Loading in Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Microstructural responses to the mechanical load of polymers used in tissue engineering is notably important for qualification at in vivo testing, although insufficiently studied, especially regarding promising polycaprolactone (PCL). For further investigations, electrospun PCL scaffolds with different degrees of fiber alignment were produced, using two discrete relative drum collector velocities. Development and preparation of an adjusted sample geometry enabled in situ tensile testing in scanning electron microscopy. By analyzing the microstructure and the use of selected tracking techniques, it was possible to visualize and quantify fiber/fiber area displacements as well as local fractures of single PCL fibers, considering quasi-static tensile load and fiber alignment. The possibility of displacement determination using in situ scanning electron microscopy techniques for testing fibrous PCL scaffolds was introduced and quantified.

In Situ Characterization of Damage Development in Cottonid Due to Quasi-Static Tensile Loading.

Cottonid is a layered material based 100% on cellulose that holds excellent material properties by being completely sustainable. The finite nature of petroleum-based resources nowadays makes these properties significant for technical applications again. To understand how Cottonid reacts to application-oriented mechanical loads and how it fails, development of microstructural damage on the surface and in the volume of Cottonid was studied using innovative in situ testing techniques for the first time. Quasi-static tensile tests were comparatively performed in a scanning electron microscope as well as a microfocus computer tomograph, and the development of defects present in the initial condition of the material was investigated. In the elastic region, no visible damage initiation on the surface and a decrease of overall void volume within the gauge length could be detected. When reaching the yield strength, crack initiation on the surface starts at critical areas, like pores and microcracks, which propagation and assembly could be visualized via scanning electron micrographs. In the plastic region, an increase in void volume could be shown in the gauge length until final failure of the specimen. Innovative material testing techniques presented in this study support lifetime estimation in technical applications and understanding of process-structure-property relations. Particularly, characterization of microstructural damage development due to a mechanical load, which leads to final failure of the specimen, is essential to be able to create material models for lifetime prediction in respect to variable manufacturing or application parameters.

Biomimetic UHMWPE/HA scaffolds with rhBMP-2 and erythropoietin for reconstructive surgery.

A promising direction for the replacement of expanded bone defects is the development of bioimplants based on synthetic biocompatible materials impregnated with growth factors that stimulate bone remodeling. Novel biomimetic highly porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/40% hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffold for reconstructive surgery with the porosity of 85 ± 1% vol. and a diameter of pores in the range of 50-800 µm was developed. The manufacturing process allowed the formation of trabecular-like architecture without additional solvents and thermo-oxidative degradation. Biomimetic UHMWPE/HA scaffold was biocompatible and provided effective tissue ingrowth on a model of critical-sized cranial defects in mice. The combined use of UHMWPE/HA with Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 (BMP-2) demonstrated intensive mineralized bone formation as early as 3 weeks after surgery. The addition of erythropoietin (EPO) significantly enhanced angiogenesis in newly formed tissues. The effect of EPO of bacterial origin on bone tissue defect healing was demonstrated for the first time. The developed biomimetic highly porous UHMWPE/HA scaffold can be used separately or in combination with rhBMP-2 and EPO for reconstructive surgery to solve the problems associated with difference between implant architecture and trabecular bone, low osteointegration and bioinertness.

Development of biomimetic in vitro fatigue assessment for UHMWPE implant materials.

An important research goal in the field of biomaterials lies in the progressive amendment of in vivo tests with suitable in vitro experiments. Such approaches are gaining more significance nowadays because of an increasing demand on life sciences and the ethical issues bound to the sacrifice of animals for the sake of scientific research. Another advantage of transferring the experiments to the in vitro field is the possibility of accurately control the boundary conditions and experimental parameters in order to reduce the need of validation tests involving animals. With the aim to reduce the amount of needed in vivo studies for this cause, a short-time in vitro test procedure using instrumented load increase tests with superimposed environmental loading has been developed at TUD to assess the mechanical long-term durability of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) under fatigue loading in a biological environment.

Dataset on the structural characterization of organosolv lignin obtained from ensiled Poaceae grass and load-dependent molecular weight changes during thermoplastic processing.

This article presents experimental data of organosolv lignin from Poacea grass and structural changes after compounding and injection molding as presented in the research article "Effects of high-lignin-loading on thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of bioplastic composites" [1]. It supplements the article with morphological (SEM), spectroscopic (31P NMR, FT-IR) and chromatographic (GPC, EA) data of the starting lignin as well as molar mass characteristics (mass average molar mass (Mw) and Polydispersity (D)) of the extracted lignin. Refer to Schwarz et al. [2] for a detailed description of the production of the organosolv residue and for further information on the raw material used for lignin extraction. The dataset is made publicly available and can be useful for extended lignin research and critical analyzes.