A review of mainly the past two years is undertaken of the industrial applications of pulsed power. Repetitively operated pulsed power generators with a moderate peak power have been developed for industrial applications. These generators are reliable and have low maintenance. Development of the pulsed power generators helps promote industrial applications of pulsed power for such things as food processing, medical treatment, water treatment, exhaust gas treatment, ozone generation, engine ignition, ion implantation and others. Here, industrial applications of pulsed power are classified by application for biological effects, for pulsed streamer discharges in gases, for pulsed discharges in liquid or liquid- mixture, and for material processing.

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Industrial Applications of Pulsed Power Technology

After biomaterials are implanted into the human body, there are inevitable interactions between the biological environment and implant surfaces. Therefore, the surface of biomaterials has become one of the hottest research topics. Nanotechnology is a powerful tool in modern materials science and able to incorporate biomimicry on the nanoscale into materials engineering. Therefore, research on nanotechnology/nanostructured biomaterials has attracted much attention. A nano-functionalized surface has promising biological properties and clinical applications of biomaterials can be improved by producing a nanostructured surface. Many surface modification techniques have been adopted to produce nano-functionalized biomaterials surface, and in this paper, the fabrication, characterization, and properties of biomaterials such as ceramics, metals, and polymers with nanostructured surfaces are reviewed.

Surface nano-functionalization of biomaterials

In this study, at first, TiO2 nanowire was prepared by an alkaline hydrothermal process. In the following, Gr/Pd/TiO2-NPs and Gr/Pd/TiO2-NWs were synthesized by a combination of hydrothermal and photodeposition methods. The properties of as prepared products were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, DRS, TEM, ICP-OES, EDS and TGA analysis. SEM results confirmed nanodimension structure for all samples. Also the band gap values obtained using DRS technique suggests that all the samples have semiconductor behavior. Using TGA analysis, the amount of graphene loaded onto the powders was confirmed. Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B by TiO2-NWs, Gr/Pd/TiO2-NPs and Gr/Pd/TiO2-NWs nanocomposites was compared under ultraviolet light irradiation. Results confirmed that the Gr/Pd/TiO2-NWs composite show the highest photocatalytic activity due to much higher available surface area of TiO2 substrate in nanowire structure. It is expected that the synthesis of the high surface area TiO2 nanowires, facile photodeposition of palladium into its texture, and simple conversion of GO to graphene during hydrothermal process without using strong reducing agents, could be a suitable rote for preparing different types of carbon based TiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts.

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Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of dyes over graphene/Pd/TiO2 nanocomposites: TiO2 nanowires versus TiO2 nanoparticles

Bone and its several associated elements – cartilage, connective tissue, vascular elements and nervous components – act as a functional organ. They provide support and protection for soft tissues and act together with skeletal muscles to make body movements possible. Bones are relatively rigid structures and their shapes are closely related to their functions. Bone metab‐ olism is mainly controlled by the endocrine, immune and neurovascular systems, and its metabolism and response to internal and external stimulations are still under assessment [1].

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Titanium and Titanium Alloys as Biomaterials

Ionic conductivity properties of amorphous Li–La–Zr–O solid electrolyte for thin film batteries

Blood compatibility of La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon films

In this paper, the adsorption behavior of plasma proteins on the surface of ZnO thin films prepared by radio frequency (RF) sputtering under different sputtering powers was studied. The microstructures and surface properties of the ZnO thin films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–visible optical absorption spectroscopy and contact angle techniques. The results show that the ZnO thin films have better orientation of the (0 0 2) peak with increasing RF power, especially at around 160 W, and the optical band gap of the ZnO films varies from 3.2 to 3.4 eV. The contact angle test carried out by the sessile drop technique denoted a hydrophobic surface of the ZnO films, and the surface energy and adhesive work of the ZnO thin films decreased with increasing sputtering power. The amounts of human fibrinogen (HFG) and human serum albumin (HSA) adsorbing on the ZnO films and reference samples were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results show that fewer plasma proteins and a smaller HFG/HSA ratio adsorb on the ZnO thin films' surface.

Effect of surface microstructure and wettability on plasma protein adsorption to ZnO thin films prepared at different RF powers

Preparation and blood compatibility of carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite

MgO thin films with high optical transmittance were prepared by cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the influences of the negative pulse bias voltage on the composition, the morphology and the crystal structure of MgO thin films, respectively. AFM images show that the grain growth is influenced by high energy ions under bias voltage and that the grains deposited at the pulse bias voltage with set value of | V p | = 600 V stack densely and look the largest as compared to those prepared at different set V p . The RBS spectra indicate that the Mg/O ratio is about 0.95–1.00 in MgO thin films which is nearly the stoichiometric composition of bulk MgO. The Mg/O ratio increases with set | V p | until | V p | is 450 V, and then keeps almost unchanged with set | V p | up to 750 V. The MgO thin films have a combined orientation of (100) and (110). Below − 150 V, the (100) orientation is predominant and the intensity ratio of I 220 / I 200 increases with set | V p |.

Influence of bias voltage on morphology and structure of MgO thin films prepared by cathodic vacuum arc deposition

Tetrahedral amorphous hydrogenated carbon (ta-C:H) films with various substrate bias voltages were prepared using a magnetic-field-filter plasma stream deposition system. The microstructural and optical properties were studied using ellipsometric spectra. The refractive index n of each sample was obtained by simulating their ellipsometric spectral using Tauc–Lorentz oscillator model, and then the relative sp3 C ratio of each sample was calculated using Bruggeman effective medium approximation. The sp3 C fraction of each sample was quantified by using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The blood compatibility of the samples was evaluated by tests of platelet adhesion, kinetic clotting time and thrombin time. The quantity and morphology of the adherent platelets on the surface of these samples were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Results show that the spectroscopic ellipsometry is a helpful method to evaluate the sp3 carbon fraction of the carbon films. The substrate bias voltage has an obvious effect on sp3 content and blood compatibility of ta-C:H films. The sample prepared with substrate bias voltage of − 20 V showed the best blood compatibility. A simple bio-physical hypothetical model was proposed to explain the experiment results.

Dihu Chen

Papers

Blood compatibility of La2O3 doped diamond-like carbon films

Effect of surface microstructure and wettability on plasma protein adsorption to ZnO thin films prepared at different RF powers

Preparation and blood compatibility of carbon/TiO2 nanocomposite

Influence of bias voltage on morphology and structure of MgO thin films prepared by cathodic vacuum arc deposition

Structure and blood compatibility of tetrahedral amorphous hydrogenated carbon formed by a magnetic-field-filter plasma stream☆