Edge-oxidized graphene oxide (EOGO) is a nano-sized material that is chemically stable and easily mixed with water due to its hydrophilic properties; thus, it has been used in various engineering fields, particularly for the reinforcement of building and construction materials. In this study, the effect of EOGO in soil reinforcement was investigated. When mixed with soil, it affects the mechanical properties of the soil-GO mixture. Various amounts of the GO (0%, 0.02%, 0.06%, 0.1%) were added into the sand-clay mixture, and their geotechnical properties were evaluated via multiple laboratories testing methods, including a standard Proctor test, direct shear test, compressibility test, and contact angle measurement. The experimental results show that with the addition of EOGO in soil of up to 0.06% EOGO, the compressibility decreases, the shear strength increases, and the maximum dry density (after compaction) increases.
To reduce the amount of pesticides in the environment, it is necessary to consider the wettability properties of pesticide droplets on the leaf surface to improve the spraying effect. The wettability properties of the droplet on the leaf surface are related not only to the properties of the liquid itself but also to the properties of the leaf surface. It is typically believed that leaf surface properties are difficult to control, and thus research has generally ignored this aspect of pesticide use. However, in the field environment, the structure and properties of the leaf surface can be altered by changing the moisture content of the soil where plants are grown. In this study, the roughness, contact angle, and surface free energy of the leaf surface were measured and calculated under different soil moisture contents to study the changes in the leaf surface wettability properties, with the aim of achieving efficient pesticide spraying by adjusting the soil water content. The results showed that the surface composition and microstructure of leaves were altered by the change in the soil moisture content, and the wettability properties of leaves decreased initially and then increased with a decrease in the soil moisture content. When the amount of soil water was sufficient or seriously insufficient, the wettability properties of the leaves were increased, but a lack of soil water may lead to irreversible damage to the plants. Therefore, before spraying pesticides on the leaf surfaces, the plants should be fully watered to improve the wettability properties of the leaf surface, which is conducive to the deposition and adhesion of pesticide droplets on the leaf surface and improved application effectiveness. The results of this study can provide a useful reference for the theoretical research and practices of precision spraying.
The present study examines the mechanical and morphological characteristics of a green composite reinforced with pineapple leaf fiber (PLF) under different environmental conditions. PLF underwent chemical treatment at optimal conditions, using a 1% w/v sodium carbonate solution for 6 hours, to produce an environmentally friendly pineapple leaf fiber (PLF)/polylactic acid (PLA)-based composite via injection molding. The optimal injection settings of 165 degree celsius (melting temperature), 50 mm/sec (injection speed), and 110 bars (injection pressure) to produce the PLF/PLA composite. The PLF/PLA composite was developed with a fiber loading of 20% and a length of 3 mm. The produced PLF/PLA composites were then exposed to a variety of environmental conditions, including water, soil, refrigeration, and room temperature. The impact of these diverse conditions on the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, compression, and shear) was scientifically observed for four -week. Additionally, the morphology of the fractured specimens was assessed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The contact angle measurement was conducted to assess the hydrophilic characteristics of the PLF/PLA green composite. There has been a lack of comprehensive research on the effects of different environmental conditions on the mechanical, wettability, and morphological properties of green composites derived from PLF/PLA. Thus, in this study, emphasis is given for investigating the effect of various environmental conditions on the mechanical properties of PLF/PLA injection -molded green composite. The composite material demonstrated the highest water absorption and swelling thickness at 6.45% and 5.51%, respectively, in comparison to the dry PLF/ PLA samples. The green composite of PLF/PLA demonstrated excellent mechanical performance under ambient conditions compared to other environmental conditions. The PLF/PLA composite displayed a peak contact angle of 83.26 degrees when subjected to soil burial conditions. On the contrary, the initial samples of the PLF/PLA composite displayed the minimum contact angle of 56.72 degrees .
Nanofluid is an emerging heat transfer fluid with good heat transfer and thermal conductivity properties. It is important to investigate the phase change properties and morphological evolution during the freezing of nanofluid droplets to understand their practical applications. The effect of dynamic wettability on the deformation of a single droplet of aluminum trioxide (Al2O3-H2O) and graphene (CNT-H2O) nanofluids at different mass concentrations and substrate temperatures was investigated by visualizing the droplet freezing. The formation of solid-like and freezing front motions inside the droplet during the freezing process of these droplets was investigated. The solidification process was strongly influenced by the temperature gradient perpendicular to the cold surface and the change in the solid- liquid interface wettability during the phase change, resulting in volume redistribution at the top of the droplet. The freezing shape of Al2O3-H2O nanodroplets resembled a moon crater, and the influence of wettability decreased with increasing concentration, leading to a relative increase in the aperture of the top platform. The fully frozen state of the nanofluid droplet had an increasingly pointed tip, with a strong relationship between the substrate temperature and solidification time when the CNT-H2O concentration was 5 times higher and showed no change in the freezing droplet deformation rate under the experimental conditions. The contact angle of the two nanofluid droplets did not fluctuate significantly with increasing concentration, while that of the 1% nanofluid droplets remained at an average value of 85 degrees during freezing. Under different freezing conditions, the freezing shape of Al2O3-H2O droplets tended to increase in diameter as the subcooling temperature decreased, with the final deformation rate of 1% Al2O3-H2O being twice that at 5% concentration, while the contact angle of the same mass concentration of Al2O3-H2O decreased by 1 degrees as the subcooling temperature dropped. The CNT-H2O droplet became sharper at the tip as the subcooling temperature increased, and its contact angle did not change with temperature.