The demand for nonconventional and energy-efficient construction materials is increasing, particularly for applications in arid regions where conventional materials are limited by high temperatures. This study focuses on the development and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate)-based polymer composites reinforced with red brick waste (RBW) and palm date leaf fibers (PDLFs). Six composite formulations were prepared using a controlled cold-mixing process to prevent thermal degradation of natural fibers and mineral particles. The composites were molded and naturally cured. Their microstructural features were examined using scanning electron microscopy to assess fiber–matrix interaction and filler dispersion, while X-ray diffraction was used to identify RBW crystalline phases. Mechanical properties, including tensile, flexural, and compressive strengths, were evaluated according to ASTM standards. Thermal conductivity and key physical properties, such as density, water absorption, specific heat capacity, and glass transition temperature, were also measured. The results indicate that the hybrid formulation containing 18.18 wt% RBW and 6.06 wt% PDLF exhibits a balanced combination of mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance, with low thermal conductivity and good thermal stability, demonstrating strong potential for sustainable construction applications in arid regions.

Textile vascular grafts can be considered as the gold standard in vascular surgery for aneurysm treatment or vessel bypass and reconstruction. They have been used successfully for decades, especially for the treatment of medium and large vessel diameters. The compliance of these implants, which are made from woven or knitted fabric, is however limited due to the lack of elasticity of the textile they are made of. This limits their use for small caliber vessels. The goal of this work is to present a strategy to improve the elasticity of the textiles used, by combining them with metallic zigzag-shaped stent segments. In a preliminary approach, to validate the concept, diagonally oriented woven monofilament and multifilament medical grade textile strips were assembled with NiTi stent segments. Extension and relaxation tests were performed on stented and nonstented strips to assess the spring back effect provided by the stent segments. Results bring out that the spring back effect can be increased by nearly 300% for a multifilament material and 50% for a monofilament material. Shaping these materials in tubular geometries would provide the tubes with compliance values up to 3.5%.

The coating of metals with nanoceramics to improve their functional properties can be achieved by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The coating of chromiumnickel oxide by EPD was investigated to study the EPD parameters on the coating on 304 stainless steel. The EPD voltage and coating time varied from 50 to 150 V and 1 to 3 min, respectively, and were sintered at 750°C. Various analyses were performed, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, ball-on-disk wear, microhardness, and corrosion tests. The weight of the coating increased with EPD time and voltage, reaching the maximum (8.82 mg/cm3) at 120 V−3 min. At 110 V, the coatings were less cracked. The quasi-spherical NiAl2O4/NiCr2O4 agglomerates (1.5 μm average size) with embedded nickel nanoparticles (15–20 nm) contributed to the improved wear resistance of the coated samples. The coating showed the best wear resistance at 110 V−3 min (31% improvement in wear rate); however, all coatings had promising wear resistance at 110 V. The coating at 100 V−3 min had the highest corrosion resistance (5.19 kΩ·cm2) compared with the other coatings, which is due to its thicker, less porous structure. According to electrochemical impedance analysis, the coated sample has a two-time constant in the circuit.

Expanding the application scope of phosphogypsum (PG) is critically important for improving its utilization. In this study, a PG-based foam concrete was prepared using untreated PG, fly ash (FA), cement, and a foaming agent. The effects of foam content, FA content, water-to-binder (W/B) ratio, and PG content on the properties of PG–FA foam concrete were systematically investigated. Key performance parameters, including dry bulk density, water absorption, compressive strength, and frost resistance, were evaluated. Microstructural characteristics were examined using FTIR and SEM. The experimental results showed that the mixture containing 9% PG, 20% FA, and a W/B ratio of 0.35 exhibited optimal performance, achieving a compressive strength of 8.15 MPa and a dry bulk density of 860.06 kg/m³. An optimal amount of PG promotes ettringite formation through hydration reactions, thereby refining the pore structure and enhancing the mechanical properties of the foam concrete.

This paper aims to study the damage mechanism of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) T-joint under low-velocity impact loading. With the Hashin failure criterion for GFRP laminates and surface-based cohesive behavior for the interlaminar delamination between webs/skin and webs, its finite-element model (FEM), verified by the comparison of the results between experiment and FEM, is developed in the commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit. Then, we discussed the effects of parameters such as incident energy, layer configuration, and impact location on the impact response and failure morphology, respectively, in FEM. Generally, with higher incident energy or closer impact distance from the triangle area, a higher degree of damage in the triangle area of the T-joint is found. Moreover, for various layer configurations, the case with ply angle of [45/-45/0/90/0]2s has the highest performance on the impact resistance property, which mainly means fewer interlaminar delamination areas between the webs and skin layers.

Bioactive glasses incorporating lanthanum oxide (La2O3) have gained significant interest due to their unique properties and potential for biomedical applications. This study investigates a lanthanum-substituted calcium fluoro-alumino-silicate glass system, assessing its potential in biomedical applications. The glass samples were synthesized through melt-water quenching with varying lanthanum oxide ratios, utilizing calcium oxide derived from clam shells and silica from soda-lime silica glass waste. The study examined the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting samples. Results indicated that increasing lanthanum oxide content led to a reduction in crystallinity, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of La further supported the incorporation of lanthanum oxide within the glass network–O–Si and Al–O–La bonds observed in Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, which may influence the glass’s dissolution and degradation characteristics. However, higher lanthanum oxide content also reduced density, affecting the mechanical properties shown in Figure 4. Vickers microhardness and flexural strength increased due to the network-modifying role of lanthanum oxide, which contributed to enhanced structural rigidity and load-bearing capacity, which increased the glass’s fragility. While enhancing glass-like behavior and potentially increasing bioactivity, the addition of lanthanum oxide adversely impacted the mechanical attributes.

New semester stars, it’s my pleasure to introduce the third issue of EMMR journal for 2025. This issue contains six papers, which cover the metal and metal alloy manufacture and their surface coating for anti-corrosion as well as preparation of eco-friendly cementitious materials and wound healing biopolymeric nanofiber materials.Metal and metal alloys have been widely applied in the aerospace, automobile, and electronics for their high specific strength, great machinability, and strong thermal conductivity. However, most of them are prone to oxidation and corrosion, which severely limit their applications. Ma et al.1 generated a new type of high-efficiency corrosion inhibition of cerium tartrate by combining rare earth cerium and organic acid groups into electrolyte, to prepare a ceramic oxide coating on the surface of aluminum alloy by microarc oxidation technique, which provided 2A12 aluminum alloy with a good corrosion resistance property by varying the concentrations of cerium tartrate.To decrease the friction loss of piston-ring-liner assembly and increase the engine’s efficiency, Tyagi et al.2 applied a hybrid coating of ceramic and agriculture waste to develop sustainable high-velocity oxy-flame-sprayed composite coatings on the steel substrate. They evaluated the effect of pre- and post-annealing heat treatment on coatings by sliding wear rate, corrosion, and residual stress. The results revealed significant enhancements in mechanical properties from the work hardening and microstructural change.Recently, TiAl intermetallic has been widely applied in automobile and aerospace thermal protection systems, such as aerospace skin materials because of their excellent anti-corrosion and anti-oxidation and creep resistance at high temperatures. Even though accumulative roll bonding (ARB) method is recognized as a promising severe plastic deformation method for metal alloy production, it is rarely used in the Al–Ti intermetallic fabrication. Basha et al.3 produced layered Al–Ti systems with fine-grained microstructures by ARB technique. By studying the bonding and alloying kinetics within the Al–Ti alloy system, they comprehensively explored interactions between Al and Ti atoms, which provided a guidance for achieving Al–Ti intermetallic with high yield rates and minimized defects.Besides, Velayudhan et al.4 developed a binder-free selenium nanoparticle–decorated cathode by integrating a bioanode to enhance microbial fuel cells’ (MFC) performance by optimizing the MFC configuration and surface modification of the electrode materials. Finally, they achieved a record-high power density of 7000 mW/m2, which was significantly higher than that of C-Se-G (4761 mW/m2) and the bare graphite electrode. Their findings are beneficial for developing cost-effective, high-performance MFCs for sustainable wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation.Syed et al.5 fabricated a novel biopolymer composite of gelatin/polylactic acid/nanocrystalline cellulose loading with fenugreek extract, which exhibited a good antibacterial activity and sustained drug release capability. They could be potentially employed in the wound healing patches.Yan et al.6 developed an eco-friendly alkali-activated binary system consisting of hemihydrate phosphogypsum and ground granulated blast furnace slag with the enhanced mechanical strength, the compensatory fluidity and consistency, and the optimized durability. These materials provided a new method for sustainable development of cementitious materials and environmental conservation.Based on the aforementioned, I hope you will enjoy the contents of this issue and find the scientific and technical information in your research.

In this study, the effect of Severe Vibratory Peening (SVP), a surface severe plastic deformation method, on the microstructure and mechanical performance of AISI 8620 steel was investigated. Specimens were treated with SVP for 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours. Microstructural analysis revealed that all treatments induced a plastic deformation layer on the surface, with layer thickness increasing with longer treatment durations. Surface microhardness increased by 22% relative to untreated specimens, with improvements observed up to approximately 85 μm beneath the surface. Under a 5 N load, wear volume loss showed no significant difference between treated and untreated specimens; however, at a 15 N load, long-term SVP treatments (1, 2, and 4 hours) resulted in decreased wear loss compared to the untreated condition. The enhanced hardness from plastic deformation overcame the negative effects of increased surface roughness on wear resistance. Moreover, the coefficient of friction decreased with increasing load in the treated specimens, although untreated specimens exhibited the lowest friction overall. Corrosion resistance improved following all SVP treatments, with the highest resistance observed in the 30-minute treatment and the lowest in the untreated specimen.

In this study, A356/XB alloys (0.25%–2.0% wt. B) have been produced by the mechanical alloying (MA) method, and its microstructure and dry sliding wear performance are investigated. A356 alloy with 1.0% B exhibited remarkable grain sphericity and grain refinement. Moreover, it is observed that the relative density decreased, and the porosity and micro- and macrohardness are increased by the increase in B addition. According to the X-ray diffraction analysis, AlB2, AlB12, and AlFeB intermetallics are formed in the microstructures of A356/XB alloys due to the sintering process and the mechanochemical reaction during the MA. Moreover, it has been determined that the relative density of A356/XB alloys decreases depending on the B addition, and the relative density of the A356 alloy with 2% B addition has decreased. The lowest wear rate is determined in the A356/1.0B alloy, and the highest wear rate is observed in the A356 alloy.