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Materials Science and Engineering has provided plenty of scope for research and development. It is no wonder why many national and international conferences are held globally and that the results of this several publications are made in many peer-reviewed Journals. This is due to increasing demand for newer advanced functional materials for every field of engineering. With an accelerated demand for communication, space technology, Nano engineering, bioengineering, etc. Many reports are brought out in the form of reports published by each country. It is prudent to organize the International Conference on Advanced Engineering Functional Materials covering different materials. The contribution by various scientists/researchers made the conference lively. The proceedings aim to publish their presentations for circulation among in rest of the world.

This may provide opportunities to new researchers to add to their knowledge.

All papers published in this volume of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the proceedings Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.

The aim of the present investigation is to develop and characterize nano-filler reinforced thermoplastic starch (TPS) composites. Both montmorillonite (MMT), and Cloisite 30B are used in different weight percentages as reinforcing filler with TPS by hot compression molding to develop starch-mmt (SM) and starch-cloisite (SC) composites respectively. Fabricated composites were mechanically tested. Composite containing 3 wt% mmt showed tensile strength and tensile modulus of 2.67 MPa and 68.4 MPa respectively X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of nano-composites were analyzed. Biodegradation of composites were carried out in soil burial condition for certain time periods and found that the degradation rate of composites are slow and lost only on an average of 45% of their original weight after 60 days under soil burial condition. Surface topography of degraded samples was studied under scanning electron microscope. As SM and SC composites are biodegradable in nature, these can be utilized as packaging materials, molded articles and other aesthetic products to reduce the use of non degradable synthetic plastic.

In the recent past, investigations are reported on Geopolymer concrete. Geopolymer is known as inorganic polymer. Such materials are useful materials which are capable of replacing constructional materials such as conventional cement. In present investigations, Geopolymer is made from chromium bearing slag obtained from a ferrochrome industry (BRG steel). The mechanism involved is that the silicon and aluminium present in the high carbon ferrochrome (HCFC) slag reacts with alkali liquid, forming Geopolymer which binds other non-reactive materials in the slag. The highest strength level achieved for as-prepared Geopolymers are 11 and 15 MPa by curing 7 days and 28 days, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that there is a gradual transformation from crystalline phase to non-crystalline phase which is due to polymeric transformation with increase in curing time. SEM micrographs confirm formation of glassy phases at a higher curing time which also corroborate with mechanical properties such as compressive strength. Distinct changes are observed in FTIR spectra i.e, increase in peak height as well as appearance of many other peaks if compared with FTIR spectrum of virgin material. This strength is due to polymeric reactions and formation of chains with the monomeric structure. Striking features of the TGA pattern is observed for the two materials i.e., uncured and cured samples. DSC isotherms show oozing out of inbuilt water which has accumulated during condensation polymerization reaction. The strength level achieved for optimum combination of variable is found to be comparable to that of standard motar of grade (M15) as is used for constructional purpose.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stress distribution on newly developed alumina based dental crown (incisor) for understanding its biomechanical effects by Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Alumina based dental crown was fabricated through green machining of machinable alumina cylindrical compacts by Computer Numerical Control (CNC) followed by sintering at 1550°C. Alumina crown (Incisor) was scanned by using 3D laser scanner and modified subsequently before assembled in a 3D finite element model. The 3D model was constructed and analyzed under ANSYS environment. The model developed high stress values at the upper frontal and basal region. The large stress concentration factors and narrow profile of the upper region and the arrested base are believed to have been responsible for the high stress values. Since the stresses were lower than the compressive strength of the material, the crown is expected to withstand real-time static loading.

Gas discharges in plasma atmosphere are known to consist of a collection of different particles, mainly electrons, ions, neutral atoms and molecules. In this piece of research work we aim for the complete decomposition of volatile organic pollutants in NTP system. So the formation of plasmas in DBD systems and its sustainability are the main goal. The present need is to characterize the plasmas and optimization of the designed and fabricated plasma system under variable conditions. One of most important issue is the electrical breakdown of gases and to find the point of electrical breakdown. The volatile organic pollutants taken are Benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, methylene chloride etc. Self-sustainability of DBD-plasmas is explained for different VOCs under different experimental conditions taking helium and argon as carrier gases in terms of Paschen's curves. It explains the breakdown voltage as a function of the electrode spacing or gas gap (d), operating pressure (p), and gas composition [1]. The breakdown voltage is a function of the product of the pressure (p) and the inter-electrode distance (pd) also. It is verified that as the nature of substituent group changes, it varies the breakdown voltage and glow discharge zone following Townsend breakdown curve and eventually depends upon electron density of the system.

Now-a-days our modernized cities are covered with air-water proof building material. It obstructs the lack of air permeability and water permeability common concrete pavement so that the rain water is not filtered underground. A large amount of rain water ends up falling on impervious surface such as parking lots, drive ways, sidewalks and streets rather than soaking into soil. This creates a natural imbalance in the ecosystem and leads to various problems like soil erosion, floods, ground water depletion. A simple solution is to be avoiding these problems to stop construction impervious surface and switch to pervious concrete. Working on rain-drain concept, porous concrete allows large amount of water in the body system resulted ground water rechargement and control storm water management. Pervious concrete pavement is the best solution for protecting trees in a impervious surface. Many plants have faced difficulty growing in impervious because air and water can't touch to the roots. Porous concrete helps the adjacent trees to receive more water and air from the soil. Pervious concrete creates opportunity for lands caper and architects who wish to use greenery in parking lots and paved urban areas. Inspired by the pervious concrete technology and the fact that fly ash is a waste material abundantly available, the research Group at KIIT University, India commenced a comprehensive research programme on fabrication of Fly ash based pervious Material [FPC] from fly ash. The compressive strength of the material falls on the range of 3-28 MPa, porosity 15 - 35 % with permeability 8 - 20 mm/s. This material has potential application such as ground water rechargement, storm water management, noise reduction, control surface run-off, temperature behaviour and pollution retention sinks. The research mainly focuses on the manufacture of fly ash-based pervious material for ground water rechargement and large amount of utilization fly ash.

The frequency and temperature dependence electrical conduction characteristics of a lead-free 0.78NBT-0.2ST-0.02BT ternary system were investigated by impedance spectroscopy. Variation of real part of conductivity with frequency reveals a frequency independent and a dispersive region obeying Jonscher power law. The relatively higher values of S-parameter in the mid temperature range envisage the presence of localized relaxation or hopping of the charge carriers. The activation energies calculated from the temperature dependent hopping frequency and dc conductivity, portray the increase of unsuccessful hops of the charge carriers with increase in temperature according to the Jump relaxation model. Interestingly the conductivity values could be curbed by introduction of BT in to NBT-ST. The collapsing of the scaled conductivity spectrum in to a single master curve depicts the temperature independent conduction relaxation mechanism.

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a highly flow able type of concrete that spreads into the form without the need of mechanical vibration and placed by means of its own weight. It is necessary to know the change in the properties of concrete due to extreme temperature exposure. This experimental study investigates the effect of various fibers used in Self Compacting Concrete (SSC) on compressive strength when exposed to elevated temperature from 400⁰C, 600⁰C and 800⁰C for the duration of 2 hrs. and 4 hrs. The Self Compacting Concrete (M30 grade) with 1% and 0.5% of different fibers (Steel, Glass, and Polypropylene) were used. The results indicate the increase in temperature and heating duration decreases compressive strength of concrete. Elevated temperature upto 800⁰C declines the performance of concrete comparing the same with lower temperature of 400⁰C. The use of 1% Steel fiber and 0.5% Polypropylene fiber shows significant performance in the development of higher compressive strength and improved toughness at elevated temperatures and addition of fibers reduces the spalling in concrete.

Dye-sensitized solar cells [DSSCs] have attracted extensive attention due to their potential low cost and high energy efficiency, rendering them one of the most promising system for solar-to-energy conversion. The DSSC efficiency was enhanced by intermixing with the use of TiO₂ nanoparticles which provides high surface area for accommodating the light-absorbing sensitizer and also the stable conductor for photo generated electrons. In hydrothermal method, the TiO₂ nanoparticles synthesis depends on temperature. TiO₂ nano particles diameter depends on different autoclaving temperature. TiO₂ nanoparticles have been coated on ITO glasses by screen printing method. In this work, we have synthesized TiO₂ nano particles which can provide a fast way for electron transport and reduced trapping of photo injected electrons during the path of back contact. The DSSCs were fabricated using the ruthenium dye and electrolyte (I3/I3^-). The crystalline structure of TiO₂ has been characterized by DLS, X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM. The absorption spectra measured by using UV-Vis spectrometer. The IR spectrum has been recorded to know the peaks of Ti-O-Ti in powder sample. It has been found that the efficiency of DSSC was highly affected by the properties of nano particles.

In this study I report the thermal stability, microstructures, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electro-kinetic effect in the fullerene (C₆₀):poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) PVP nanofluids (NFs) and nanocomposite films. An improvement in the degradation temperature of C₆₀:PVP nanocomposite reported here is ascribed to free radical scavenging ability of C₆₀. An analysis of DLS data in terms of polydispersity index (PDI) reveals a well dispersed structure of C₆₀ assemblies with PVP in liquid medium. The typical electro-kinetic parameters such as zetapotential (ξ) and surface conductivity (σ_sc) in a NF evaluates the magnitude of electrostatic repulsion between C₆₀ particles and such measurement tender a way to boost stability of C₆₀ nanoparticles in presence of PVP molecules in a particular carrier. Microstructures in various films were found to vary with increasing in the C₆₀ content and decreasing in the relative PVP content in the nanocomposites. Highest thermal degradation temperature (∼ 422 °C) was observed for the sample consisting of 13.9 μM C₆₀ owing to uniform distribution of C₆₀ in the PVP matrix with a low PDI (0.272).

5d transition metal oxides (TMOs) recently caught attention of researchers because of potential to show exotic phenomenon. Crystal field effect (CFE), spin-orbital interaction (SOI) and onsite Coulomb interaction (U) in 5d oxides are on comparable scale and their interplay among themselves setting new balance of energies and drive exotic physics in these materials. Among several 5d oxides iridates are extensively studied, where Sr₂IrO₄ is prototype of novel physics and stabilize in J_eff = ½; ground state. The Sr₂IrO₄ is first member of Rudellson-Popper series Sr_n+1Ir_nO_3n+1 with n = 1 and crystallize in reduced tetragonal structure and adopt 14₁/acd space group. The physical properties of Sr₂IrO₄ are influenced by this reduced symmetry due to rotation of IrO₆ octahedral. The magnetic ground state in Sr₂IrO₄ is canted type antiferromagnetic (AFM), it's this canted spin structure which gives ferromagnetic character to this material with ordering temperature around 225 K to this material. The spin canting is rendered by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriyam anti-symmetric interaction driven by SOI and rotated IrO₆ octahedra. We endeavour to perturb the interactions viz. SOI and U in Sr₂IrO₄ by substituting Ti⁴⁺ (3d⁰ S = 0) for Ir⁴⁺ (5d⁵ J_eff = 1/2). We have studied the effect of Ti doping on structural and magnetic properties. We observe evolution in unit cell lattice parameters, in the meantime Ir-O-Ir bond angle also increases which reduces octahedral rotation (θ_Oct). Further, our magnetization study shows decrease in transition temperature (T_C), increase in effective magnetic moment and doping influence the coercively and remnant magnetization. Thus we observe Ti doping prominently effect the structural and magnetic properties in Sr₂IrO₄. The results presented here provide insight into the effect of Ti doping on structure and magnetic phase in strong spin-orbit coupled Sr₂IrO₄.

The present work is devoted to the graft copolymerization of polylactide onto soy protein isolate backbone by ring-opening polymerization in the presence of Sn(Oct)₂ catalyst. The effect of various input parameters on the output parameters has been carried out to investigate the required levels to get an optimum product. Maximum graft yield of 81.4% polylactide-g-soy protein isolate could be obtained at 90°C within 12 h and while using SPI amount 1.5g, 1g lactide and preswelling time of 14 h. Characterizations of the grafted polymers were carried out by various methods like Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, thermal (TGA/DTA/DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Field emission Scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The swelling behavior of the SPI and grafted copolymers were studied in binary solvent (water: ethanol) system and the % swelling and % solubility has been determined.

In present investigations, Geopolymer is made from thermal power plant waste obtained such as Pond Ash. The mechanism involved is that the silicon and aluminium present in the waste reacts with alkali liquid, forming Geopolymer which binds other non-reactive materials in the waste. The highest strength level achieved for as-prepared Geopolymers 19 MPa by curing 1 day. The strength level of Geopolymeric products are 22 MPa (Geopolymeric Motar) and 31 MPa (Geopolymer concrete), respectively. SEM micrographs reveal that there is a gradual transformation from irregular spherical shape to compacted mass which is due to polymeric transformation with increase in curing time which also corroborate with mechanical properties such as compressive strength. DSC isotherms show oozing out of inbuilt water which has accumulated during condensation polymerization reaction. The strength level achieved for optimum combination of variable is found to be comparable to that of standard motar of grade (M15) as is used for constructional purpose.

Cadmium is toxic to living being and therefore it is essential to remove it from wastewater. Adsorption capacity of activated carbon derived from Ficusracemosabark (ACFRB) for Cd(II) abetment was investigated through batch adsorption experiments. The effects of contact time, pH and adsorbent dose on the removal of Cd(II) have been studied and reported.Adsorption isotherms of Cd (II) on adsorbent were determined and compared with the Langmuir and Fruendlich isotherm models.The percent removal of Cd (II) was found to be increase with adsorbent doses from 1 to 6gm and maximum efficacy was found at 6 gm. At optimum condition nearly 96.47% abatement of Cd(II) has been noted using ACFRB.Maximum adsorption capacity was found at optimum pH 5 and optimum contact time was 110 minutes. The result indicate that the adsorption process is favorable for Langmuir and Fruendlich models.Thus the self-prepared activated carbon under investigation has been proved to be an excellent economical adsorbent material for Cd(II) removal from contaminated water/wastewater.

In the present study Al-Si alloy (LM6) was reinforced with 15% of flyash and rice husk ash. This experimental analysis shows that Al-Si Alloy based MMC reinforced with fly ash and rice husk ash have a better Tribological behaviour as compared to the Al-Si alloy. The wear test was carried out using pin-on-disk machine with a constant load of 30N with varying sliding speed. The experiments are conducted at both elevated and ambient temperature. Based on the observations of weight loss, wear graphs and C.O.F graphs corresponding observations were drawn. With the help of these experiments it was found that the Al-Si alloy reinforced with waste materials shows a better wear behaviour than the existing Al-Si alloy.

In this work, effect of welding parameters on the weld ability of mild steel which is welded by Metal arc welding, butt joint is investigated. The current and voltage are chosen as welding parameters. The effect of welding parameters is investigated on depth of penetration and Heat input which are measured as output parameters of welding.

In the present study aluminum alloy (6061) composites containing 10 and 15 wt.% of fly ash particles have been fabricated. Some mechanical behavior of unreinforced alloy and metal matrix composites are studied. Charpy impact test and compression test are considered for mechanical properties study. Results show that the Metal matrix composite prepared with 15 wt.% of fly ash exhibit better mechanical property compared to unreinforced alloy as well as metal matrix composite (MMC) prepared with 10 Wt.% of fly ash.

Over a period of time a number of biomaterials have been developed and are used for hard tissue and joint. Metal Biomaterials gained its importance in recent time for having advantageous mechanical properties, nontoxic behavior, and biocompatibility. But one of the main drawbacks of using metallic implants is that they are bio-inert and inside the body they become encapsulated by dense fibrous tissue. This impedes proper stress distribution at the implant bone interface, which can result in an interfacial failure and loosening of the implant and finally lead to crack or fracture in the adjacent bone. Bone cement (Poly Methyl Methacrylate) can be used to improve the implant fixation but it becomes brittle with time so it gets loosen from the surface as well as it has a poor solvent resistance. Calcium Phosphates, specially Hydroxy-Apatite [Ca₁₀(Po₄)₆(OH)₂] have been widely used as coating materials on metallic implants due to the bio-active nature. Plasma-spray technique, in particular, has been widely investigated by many researchers and has been proposed as a reasonable coating method. But during the plasma spraying process, high flame temperature is required which can lead to compositional changes and structural transformation of Hydroxy Apatite (HA). So, after this procedure the uniformity of physical and chemical properties as well as bio-activity of Hydroxy Apatite (HA) could be lost. In this study one bio glass composition was prepared by matching its thermal expansion coefficient nearer to thermal expansion coefficient of metallic substrate specially Titanium and SS-316L. The metallic substrate coated with this Bio glass with and without mixing with HA with a certain percentage. The coating adherence property was studied by 3-point bending moment and bioactivity studied by using Simulated Body fluid which showed very promising result. The coating was also characterized with analysis of DTA-TGA, Surface reflectance also Surface Roughness.

Curcumin, the principal curcuminoid found in turmeric, is generally considered its most active constituent. Curcumin, besides its anti-inflammatory property, has been known to possess in vitro anti-microbial potential against a wide range of microorganisms including fungi as well as several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Curcumin possesses a synergistic effect with important antibiotics also. The mechanism of antibacterial activity of curcumin seems to differ depending on the strain being studied. Coating of conventional wound dressing materials with curcumin composite can enhance the effectiveness of the material. Studies have shown that fabrication of silver nano-composite films impregnated with curcumin showed the stronger antibacterial activity against E. coli. This research would aim to claim the best solvent used in extraction process of curcumin and demonstrate the antimicrobial effect of curcumin in order to develop a curcumin-nano-composite coated material for wound dressing with increased efficiency.

The present study deals with the in-situ production of gelatin-poly(vinyl alcohol)-silver nanocomposite films in view of their growing applications as antimicrobial packaging/container, wound dressing and antibacterial materials. Silver in the form of silver nanoparticles has made an amazing comeback as a prospective antimicrobial agent. The use of silver nanoparticles is also significant, as several pathogenic bacteria have developed resistance against various antibiotics. A unique, nontoxic, simple, lucrative and ecofriendly technique was used to synthesize green silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The AgNPs were synthesized using Lupulus amarus extract as a reducing agent for silver nitrate salt (AgNO3). The particle size distribution of AgNPs was examined by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and the concentration was examined by UV-VIS Spectrophotometer. The stable dispersion of silver nanoparticles was added slowly in gelatin -PVA solution and was crosslinked using glutaraldehyde (cross-linker). The Gelatin-PVA Silver nanocomposite solution was casted in a petri dish and dried to form a film. The nanoparticles encapsulated within polymer chains were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The green AgNPs nanocomposite film exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative bacteria, and Gram-positive bacteria. Therefore, the present study clearly provides an approach to develop novel antimicrobial films which are possibly useful in preventing/treating infections and can be used as antibacterial container or in food packaging.

Aloevera is one of the oldest medicinal plants and it possesses different types of pharmacological properties including anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antioxidant activity. More over Aloevera contains 75 bioactive compounds such as polyphenol, flavonoids, alkaloids, anthraquinone etc. Such bioactive compounds can be used to reduce silver ions to produce silver nanoparticles. In this study, we are trying to formulate bio-synthesised silver nanoparticle (b-AgNps) by green chemistry approach. It is a very simple, efficient and eco-friendly approach for silver nanoparticle synthesis that is formed by reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO₃) solution using Aloe vera leaf extract as a reducing agent.

Hydrothermal method was used to prepare b-AgNps using aloe vera leaf extract as both reducing and stabilizing agent. Then b-AgNps were characterized by FESEM, XRD, DLS and UV-VIS spectroscopy. Biological activity of b-AgNps were evaluated by performing cytotoxic test (MTT assay) against breast cancer cell lines and Fibroblast normal cell lines as well as screening antimicrobial activity using agar well diffusion method. The results revealed that there was significant amount of cell growth inhibition against breast cancer cell lines as well as microbes compare to normal healthy fibroblast cell lines.

Biodegradable composite biomaterials play a pivotal role in the healthcare and addressing many challenging issues. Present study reports on the synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite (HAP) and gelatine-PVA composite, analyses the incorporation of HAP in gelatine-PVA and investigating their biocompatibility and mechanical properties. The material was prepared in film form by mixing freshly prepared HAP into gelatine-PVA solution and finally drying them to make the composite film. Composite gelatine-PVA were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), hydrophilic-hydrophobic nature and evaluated for its strength, hemocompatibility and Cytotoxicity. This composite material as fabricated and characterized, may be used as a target material for bone refurbishment including dental filling patches.

Modelling and optimization of machining parameters are essential in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling process. The objective of current study is to develop a functional relationship between various factors and responses of CNC machined alumina green ceramic compact. As, ceramic material is notch sensitive in nature, the measurement of average surface roughness (Ra) is vital as it influences the quality and performance of the finished product. In this context, optimization of surface roughness is of maximum importance in manufacturing sectors. To accomplish the required optimal levels of surface quality, the proper selection of machining parameters in CNC milling is highly needed. In this study, four significant machining parameters including spindle speed, XY speed, Z speed and depth of cut in CNC milling process have been selected and along with various combination experiments were conducted. A mathematical regression model was developed to predict the average surface roughness in CNC milling machined surface of alumina based green ceramic compact. The developed model was validated with the new experimental data. Further, the model was coupled with Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique, to predict the optimum possible surface roughness. The results demonstrate the potential to improve the efficacy of production and quality of the finished product as well.

Results of an investigation conducted to study the Flexural strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) containing fibers of 1%, 2% and 3% volume fraction of Hook tain steel fibers of 50, 60 and 67 aspect ratio are presented. Beam specimens of dimension 100 x 100 x 500 mm were tested under compression testing machine as per I.S. 516-1959. A result data obtained is analyzed and compared with control concrete specimen without fibers. From the data from various references and own data a mathematical models is developed which predicts flexural strength with the help of control concrete strength without fibers, percentage of fibers (Vf) and aspect ratio (AR). The mathematical model is found to be very successful.