State of the Art in Molecular Catalysis in Europe
This Special Issue includes both reviews and original research articles on aspects of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis, with an emphasis on fundamental and applied research that is being conducted across Europe. Topics include the following: catalysts and value-added products derived from waste, catalysts for biodegradable polymer formation, olefin polymerization, catalytic hydrogenation, catalysts for cross-coupling reactions, improved catalysts for hydrogen peroxide synthesis, molecular catalysts in Zn-air batteries, and organo-photocatalysis in oxygenation reactions.
Advances in Functional Thin Films
Thin films (i.e., layers of materials with thickness in the range from nanometers to micrometres) offer exceptional functional properties compared with bulk materials and have therefore been extensively used in the last few years. In the current Special Issue, the published articles address recent progress and new developments in the synthesis, patterning, and utilization of functional thin films, including the materials used, improvements in the deposition and processing techniques, enhancements in patterning methods, applications and so on. With this Special Issue, the reader will have access to relevant results in important domains for today's technology, such as in Energy, Nanoelectronics, Spintronics, Nanopatterning, Smart Surfaces, Optics, Membranes, Coatings, etc.
Little Changemakers
In a world where our children are increasingly curious about the environment, "Little Changemakers: Your Path to Sustainability!" addresses the pressing questions that young minds are eager to explore. With a bilingual approach tailored for kids aged 4-8, this engaging book answers 15 key questions about sustainability, focusing on Singapore's unique initiatives and challenges. As experienced educators and sustainability advocates, we've witnessed firsthand the importance of nurturing eco-consciousness from a young age. Our five-year-old daughter often bombards us with questions about environmental protection, prompting us to search for books that could satisfy her curiosity. Unfortunately, we found a gap in available resources-books that simplify complex concepts without losing the urgency of the issue at hand. This realization inspired us to create a book that combines our expertise in renewable energy projects with our passion for teaching. We aim to empower the next generation with knowledge about sustainability, encouraging them to take action in their everyday lives. Our engaging storytelling, vibrant illustrations, and practical tips make learning about sustainability fun and accessible. Through relatable examples and a focus on local context, "Little Changemakers" helps children grasp the importance of protecting our planet while providing them with tangible steps they can take. Together, we can inspire young minds to become informed, proactive stewards of the environment. Join us on this exciting journey as we cultivate a generation of eco-warriors, ready to make a difference in their communities and beyond!
Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Pyrimidine Derivatives
Advanced Cold Spraying Technology
This Reprint will consider developments in advanced cold spray technology, exploring its innovative applications and transformative impacts across various industries. Cold spray technology, with its ability to deposit coatings and fabricate parts without melting the feedstock, offers unique advantages such as minimal thermal distortion, high deposition rates, and the ability to work with a wide range of materials. In this Reprint, we present a collection of cutting-edge studies and expert insights that showcase the latest advancements in cold spray techniques, equipment, and applications. This compilation includes studies on the optimization of process parameters, development of new materials, and enhancement of coating properties to meet the demanding requirements of the aerospace, automotive, and biomedical sectors, among others. By highlighting breakthroughs in surface engineering, the repair and restoration of components, and additive manufacturing, we will improve our understanding of the current state and future potential of cold spray technology.
Metalworking Processes
The modelling of structural and mechanical properties in metal thermomechanical treatment processes and technical alloys is a crucial research area, and it is currently at the center of interest of scientific centers dealing with materials engineering and plastic working processes. Performing direct tests under industrial conditions for the development of such processes is too costly and usually does not allow for the optimization of process parameters. Therefore, it is justified to develop methods of optimizing technological processes, ensuring the receipt of a product with the required mechanical properties based on modern methods of numerical and physical modelling. By using modern computer programs based on the finite element method, it is possible to carry out numerical simulations of technological processes. Computer simulation also enables the design and optimization of industrial processes without long-term and costly experiments in the technological line. Mathematical modelling also enables the determination of the parameters necessary for physical modelling by using metallurgical process simulators. However, numerical modelling alone does not allow for the accurate prediction of the mechanical properties and microstructure of the tested material. The use of the physical simulation methods is a supplement to mathematical modelling, which allows for solving complex problems encountered in the development of new production processes with high efficiency.
Actuators in Robotic Control-2nd Edition
Robotic control is a system that contributes to the movement of robots. Robotics can be controlled in various ways, such as via manual control, wireless control, semi-autonomously (a mix of fully automatic and wireless control), and fully autonomously (using AI to control movement alone, with the potential option of using manual control). As technological advancements progress, robots and the methods of their control continue to develop and advance. This Special Issue features a collection of 11 excellent research papers published in Actuators, showcasing and discussing new advances in actuators and mechatronic systems for robotics.
Polycrystalline Materials-from Design to (Micro)Structural Characterization and Applications
In synthetic processes that produce polycrystalline material, e.g., zeolites in solvothermal synthesis, or composite materials, such as cement or products from nature, e.g., shells, the use of powder X-ray diffraction is essential for the structural characterization of materials. In recent years, the development of computer programs for structure solution and analysis of powder diffraction data has made it possible to determine the crystal structure of polycrystalline materials, making powder X-ray diffraction an even more valuable method. In addition, powder X-ray diffraction data can also provide important information about the microstructural features, porosity and thermal expansion of the material. This Special Issue is dedicated to the use of powder X-ray diffraction data in the study of various polycrystalline materials to provide insight into the structure-property correlation and the evaluation of various properties, highlighting potential applications and performance of polycrystalline materials.
Advanced Crystalline Materials, Mechanical Properties and Innovative Production Systems (2nd Edition)
The Special Issue of the journal Crystals entitled "Advanced Crystalline Materials, Mechanical Properties and Innovative Production Systems (2nd Edition)" has been released, resulting in the publication of 13 articles. Crystalline materials are among the most commonly used materials for the construction of machines and devices, and this has remained unchanged for decades . Their popularity is largely determined by their crystalline structure, which guarantees relatively good mechanical properties. At the same time, the increasing technological progress observed in recent years means that they are being subjected to increasingly stringent requirements. The increasingly widespread use of IT tools supports the creation of new material solutions and the modification of existing ones. This also applies to advanced crystalline materials, including composites and nanomaterials, obtained from various manufacturing technologies. All this is possible due to the use of advanced research methods. From a design point of view, the main emphasis is still on the mechanical and operational properties of materials. These properties are achieved by shaping the appropriate microstructure (phase composition), obtained from using advanced manufacturing techniques and technologies. As a result, crystalline materials are widely used in the construction, automotive, aerospace, and energy industries, among others. We hope that readers will find interesting content in this Special Issue of Crystals.
Environmental Chemistry: Advanced Concepts and Applications
Advances in Analytical and Coordination Chemistry - Applications and Innovations
Heritage Tourism and Sustainable City Dynamics
This Special Issue on Heritage Tourism and Sustainable City Dynamics explores the intersection of cultural heritage, tourism, and sustainability through twelve diverse articles. These contributions address themes such as post-COVID-19 resilience in the hotel sector, environmentally responsible behaviour in heritage tourism, and innovative frameworks for urban heritage management. Case studies span globally significant sites, including the Spanish Civil War anti-aircraft shelters, earthen architecture in the Iberian Peninsula, A Plan to Safeguard the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guano's Knotted Carpet Weaving Tradition in Ecuador, and Norwegian World Heritage Sites. Articles also examine green tourism's impact on community attachment in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, the economic role of Raymi Llaqta in Peru, and visitor satisfaction at C籀rdoba's Fiesta de los Patios. Global analyses investigate the comparative advantage of heritage tourism from 2011 to 2022 and new dimensions in religious tourism in Nessebar, Bulgaria. A notable focus is balancing preservation with tourism in Porto, Portugal, and leveraging sustainable practices. These studies highlight the role of heritage in fostering resilience, cultural identity, and sustainable urban development, offering actionable insights for managing challenges in a rapidly evolving tourism landscape. The twelve articles are authored by a group of thirty-five authors. These represent ten countries-Spain, Portugal, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Peru, Ecuador, Hungary, Egypt, and Indonesia-with cross-country collaboration on some articles.
Failure Characteristics of Deep Rocks
This Special Issue, Failure Characteristics of Deep Rocks, presents a focused collection of research on rock failure mechanisms in deep geological environments. As engineering projects like mining, tunneling, geothermal energy extraction, and carbon storage push deeper, challenges involving high stresses, elevated temperatures, and complex geological structures necessitate deeper insights into rock behavior. These studies explore the mechanical properties of deep rocks, including strength, deformation, and brittleness, and examine how strain rate and confining pressure influence failure modes. Detailed attention is given to crack initiation, propagation, and the transition from micro-cracking to macroscopic fracture, highlighting stress redistribution and fracture coalescence. Coupled thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical processes are also analyzed, demonstrating their impact on rock instability under extreme conditions. Practical applications include strategies for safer underground excavation, the mitigation of rock bursts, and improved reservoir stability during energy production. Innovative experimental techniques, such as advanced triaxial testing under ultra-high pressures and cutting-edge numerical simulations, provide robust tools for predicting and managing rock failure. This multidisciplinary collection bridges fundamental research with engineering applications, offering critical insights to enhance the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of operations in deep geological settings.
Mineral Chemistry of Granitoids
The aim of this reprint is to emphasize the crucial role of mineral chemistry in understanding the crystallization parameters (temperature, pressure, and oxygen fugacity) during the petrological evolution of granitic magmas. Contributions from leading experts in the field offer fresh perspectives and in-depth analyses, enhancing our understanding of granitic systems and their broader geological significance. Given that the chemistry and redox conditions of the parental magma significantly influence the composition of minerals in granites, this reprint highlights the importance of mineral chemistry in unraveling magmatic processes, ranging from conventional mineral chemistry, involving the analysis of primary ferromagnesian phases that provide valuable insights into the nature of the magma and its affinity with various magmatic series, to more recent approaches that involve studying trace element signatures in accessory minerals to trace the source and petrological evolution of granitic magmas. This reprint demonstrates how these methods serve as powerful tools for studying granitic systems by employing less mobile chemical signatures to complement conventional mineral chemistry data.
Crystallization of High Performance Metallic Materials
Crystallization generally describes the general material processing when a solid phase nucleates within the liquid or solid matrix. During the manufacturing phase, crystallization of metallic materials includes the new solid phase formation and growth during solidification as well as the subsequent phase transformations. This Special Issue includes the contributions from both experimental and simulation studies regarding different crystallization processes. Moreover, this Special Issue is suitable for academics and industry professionals, as they can obtain new ideas and insights regarding crystallization.
Atomic Spectrometric Methods of Analysis
Struggling to get to grips with a new technique? Need some guidance on how to analyse metallic elements? Pitfalls, common errors and useful hints and tips are all discovered in this new book. Atomic spectrometry techniques are used to determine the metallic elements, as well as metalloids and non-metals. Providing methods of sample collection, sample preparation and analytical methodology, the book explores several techniques including flame and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS and ETAAS), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and more. In addition to these, the sections on sample collection and sample preparation methods are valuable for those practising or revising techniques. It provides a precious source of theoretical and practical information for those who are new to the techniques or working in laboratories with little access to in-house expertise. Unlike some books that are suitable for undergraduate students, this text provides hints, tips and methodology for users of the techniques. It is an accessible reference which can be read in parts or as a whole and is written to appeal to researchers, industrial scientists and technicians working in this field.
New technology development for potassium chloride by flotation
Application of Plant-Based Molecules and Materials in Cosmetics
This Special Issue delves into the innovative use of plant-based molecules and materials in cosmetics, highlighting their therapeutic and functional benefits. It explores the ethnopharmacological significance of West African botanicals in dermatological care and the cosmetic applications of Palmyra palm molecules. Adaptogen technology is examined to enhance skin resilience, while Centella asiatica extract is showcased for its efficacy in reducing stretch marks. The issue also analyzes consumer perceptions of shampoos enriched with patchouli extract and allantoin and presents a non-toxic, antimicrobial hand sanitizer based on lemon peel extract. Additionally, it investigates natural extracts and essential oils as cosmetic ingredients, focusing on potential phytomarkers and allergens. The physical functionality of bioactive blends from Astrocaryum oils is extended, and the combination of apigenin and phloretin is explored for regulating skin aging and hyperpigmentation. Lastly, Glossogyne tenuifolia essential oil is studied for its role in inhibiting melanin biosynthesis, offering insights into its potential in skin-lightening treatments.
Entropy in Machine Learning Applications
The aim of this reprint is to inform readers of the latest developments in methods and applications of machine learning and deep learning in certain fields, including the following: a semantically enhanced social network user alignment algorithm to perform user alignment; a congestion control mechanism based on deep reinforcement learning; problem solving involving low-accuracy, large-entropy perturbation; information loss in the calculation process of fault feature parameters of rolling bearing; a hybrid recommendation model combining autoencoder and latent feature analysis techniques; extracting knowledge from published papers and reports on drilling to guide the control of wells; an improved binary golden jackal optimization algorithm; water quality prediction based on machine learning and comprehensive weighting methods; redundancy of crossentropy calculation in deep learning of classifiers; automatic vertebral rotation angle measurement of vertebrae using an improved transformer network; defining suitable graph contrastive learning through applications of graph information bottlenecks and structural entropy theories; and a comprehensive examination of the latest advancements in deep learning methodologies. We hope that the papers in this Special Issue can contribute to promoting and facilitating the further research and application of machine learning methods.
Fluids and Surfaces
The interactions between fluids and surfaces play a key role in a broad set of natural and industrial scenarios; thus, their deep understanding has acquired increasing importance in recent years, also due to the growing number of devices and processes based on engineered surfaces, porous media, and miniaturization involving microfluidics. Despite more than two centuries of studies in this field, many aspects have still not been thoroughly clarified for both static and dynamic conditions, particularly on innovative surfaces, for porous media, complex fluids, and when fluid dynamics, capillarity, and heat transfer are coupled. Furthermore, the development of advanced measurement techniques, down to the microscale, opens new possibilities for experimental investigation, while the advent of computational fluid dynamics offers new modeling and simulation tools. This reprint contains ten articles covering very different topics, with the aim of providing an overview of the many different aspects of research in this field.
Assessment of Arsenic and Mercury in Thar Coal Field, Pakistan
Main Group Chemistry
The journal Molecules is delighted to host this Special Issue in honor of Prof. J. Derek Woollins' outstanding contributions to the field of main group chemistry and synthesis and his retirement.
Synthesis and Characterization of Ruthenium Nitrosyl base Complexes
Welding, Joining and Additive Manufacturing
The fundamentals of welding and joining and using the layer-by-layer deposition process consist of the most state-of-the-art technology in the current manufacturing industry. The collection of experimental and analytical procedures, the characterization of microstructures, measurement techniques, critical issues, results, and ideas show future prospects for the development of approaches and knowledge gain as much as possible.
Research Progress on Chitosan Applications
This reprint, based on the Special Issue of Polymers titled "Research Progress on Chitosan Applications", highlights the innovative advancements in chitosan-based materials. Chitosan, a versatile natural polymer, has proven to be invaluable across fields such as biomedicine, environmental sustainability, and industry.The studies presented here explore diverse applications, including drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, antimicrobial coatings, and eco-friendly agricultural solutions. Notable breakthroughs include enhanced therapeutic efficacy through encapsulation technologies, bioactive hydrogels for regenerative medicine, and sustainable methods for food preservation and water purification. These works emphasize chitosan's adaptability and its role in addressing critical global challenges.We extend our gratitude to the authors for their insightful contributions and to the reviewers for ensuring the quality of this reprint. Their efforts provided a robust foundation for advancing the understanding and utilization of chitosan-based materials.We hope that this reprint inspires further research and innovation, driving progress in polymer science and sustainable solutions for the benefit of society.
Substantiation of Alkylation Reactions by the Quantum Chemical Method
Recent Advances in Electromagnetic Devices
This Special Issue, titled "Recent Advances in Electromagnetic Devices", explores the latest developments in the field of electromagnetic technology, focusing on innovations in design, materials, and applications. A central theme of this Special Issue is the optimization of device efficiency, miniaturization, and integration with other technologies. Examples of key advancements within this field include the following: Metamaterials, which enable novel properties and functions that are not found in natural materials, leading to breakthroughs in antenna design, cloaking, and electromagnetic shielding.Wireless power transfer, which allows for efficient energy transmission over short and long distances, with applications in consumer electronics and electric vehicles.Electromagnetic actuators and sensors, which have the potential to improve robotic systems, medical devices, and aerospace engineering.Optical devices and photonic devices such as lenses, mirrors, microscopes, fiber optics, imaging, sensing, lasers, solar energy harvesting, photodetectors, and biomedical research apparatus.
Sustainable and Green Technologies for Industrial Chemical Engineering
Today, industrial processes are subject to continuous review to minimize the emission of pollutants, as well as purify the effluents that are produced. Likewise, a continuous review of the raw materials used is necessary to make them more sustainable. This is the objective of this Special Issue; we set out to present examples of industrial processes adapted to these current requirements.
Advanced Micro- and Nano-Manufacturing Technologies
This Special Issue explores the cutting-edge advancements in high-energy/nano/micro-manufacturing technologies, which are revolutionizing engineering practices. The focus is on the development of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques that leverage their unique properties to push the boundaries of scientific research and industrial applications. Key topics include novel manufacturing processes, post-processing technologies, the creation of functional and graded materials, as well as modeling, simulation, and intelligent control systems aimed at enhancing production quality and efficiency. This Issue is a comprehensive collection of recent work that will propel the global adoption of high-performance, high-functionality manufacturing technologies.
Healthy, Digital and Sustainable Buildings and Cities
The following Special Issue on Healthy, Digital, and Sustainable Buildings and Cities features 16 papers that collectively explore enhancing built and urban environments through a focus on health, technology, and sustainability. Topics include biophilic design, strategies to reduce indoor air pollution, and the Smart Readiness Indicator's application in educational buildings. The included studies also address thermal comfort in sports halls, trends in sustainability research, and project management methodologies for construction projects.Energy efficiency is a key focus, with studies on indirect evaporative cooling, indoor air quality in schools, and building renovation packages in Latvia and Lithuania. The use of low-cost VOC sensors for ventilation and the benefits of eco-friendly building materials are examined. Additionally, the energy consumption of the wine industry is analyzed, providing design guidance for warehouses.Methodologies for developing indoor air quality dashboards and classroom indices in educational facilities are proposed, and the integration of modern technologies in civil engineering education is reviewed. The featured authors also discuss the restoration of historic buildings and the adaptation of refugee camps for sustainability and livability. This collection offers valuable insights and promotes multidisciplinary collaboration in building and urban design of the future.
