Now showing 1 - 10 of 58
  • Publication
    Effectiveness of dimple microtextured copper substrate on performance of Sn-0.7Cu solder alloy
    ( 2022)
    Siti Faqihah Roduan
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    ; ;
    Nurul Aida Husna Mohd Mahayuddin
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    ;
    Aiman Bin Mohd Halil
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    Amira Qistina Syamimi Zaifuddin
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    Mahadzir Ishak Muhammad
    ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    Mădălina Simona Baltatu
    ;
    Petrica Vizureanu
    This paper elucidates the influence of dimple-microtextured copper substrate on the performance of Sn-0.7Cu solder alloy. A dimple with a diameter of 50 µm was produced by varying the dimple depth using different laser scanning repetitions, while the dimple spacing was fixed for each sample at 100 µm. The dimple-microtextured copper substrate was joined with Sn-0.7Cu solder alloy using the reflow soldering process. The solder joints’ wettability, microstructure, and growth of its intermetallic compound (IMC) layer were analysed to determine the influence of the dimple-microtextured copper substrate on the performance of the Sn-0.7Cu solder alloy. It was observed that increasing laser scan repetitions increased the dimples’ depth, resulting in higher surface roughness. In terms of soldering performance, it was seen that the solder joints’ average contact angle decreased with increasing dimple depth, while the average IMC thickness increased as the dimple depth increased. The copper element was more evenly distributed for the dimple-micro-textured copper substrate than its non-textured counterpart.
  • Publication
    Effect of kaolin geopolymer ceramics addition on the microstructure and shear strength of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder joints during multiple reflow
    ( 2022)
    Nur Syahirah Mohamad Zaimi
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    ; ; ;
    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    Petrica Vizureanu
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    Mohd Izrul Izwan Ramli
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    Kazuhiro Nogita
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    Hideyuki Yasuda
    ;
    Ioan Gabriel Sandu
    Solder interconnection in three-dimensional (3D) electronic packaging is required to undergo multiple reflow cycles of the soldering process. This paper elucidates the effects of multiple reflow cycles on the solder joints of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) lead (Pb)-free solder with the addition of 1.0 wt.% kaolin geopolymer ceramics (KGC). The samples were fabricated using powder metallurgy with the hybrid microwave sintering method. Apart from using conventional cross-sectioned microstructure imaging, advanced synchrotron real-time in situ imaging was used to observe primary IMC formation in SAC305-KGC solder joints subjected to multiple reflow soldering. The addition of KGC particles in SAC305 suppressed the Cu6Sn5 IMC’s growth as primary and interfacial layers, improving the shear strength after multiple reflow soldering. The growth rate constant for the interfacial Cu6Sn5 IMC was also calculated in this study. The average growth rate of the primary Cu6Sn5 IMCs decreased from 49 µm/s in SAC305 to 38 µm/s with the addition of KGC particles. As a result, the average solidified length in the SAC305-KGC is shorter than SAC305 for multiple reflow soldering. It was also observed that with KGC additions, the growth direction of the primary Cu6Sn5 IMC in SAC305 changed from one growth to two growth directions. The observed results can be attributed to the presence of KGC particles both at grains of interfacial Cu6Sn5 IMCs and at the surface of primary Cu6Sn5 IMC.
  • Publication
    Mesoporous Structure of Doped and Undoped PEG on Ag/TiO2 Thin Film
    In this reaserch, photocatalyst silver titanium dioxide was doped and modified by Polyethylene Glycol (PEG). The purpose of the present study was to analyse the synthesized Ag/TiO2 thin film doped and undoped PEG. Ag/TiO2 thin films on silicon wafer have been prepared by sol-gel spin coating. The samples were characterized by Grazing Incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The doped and undoped PEG Ag/TiO2 thin films showed a mesoporous TiO2 matrix which includes TiO2 crystallites of 10-20 nm in size and small Ag nanoparticles (white spots) with various sizes ranging from 10 to 30 nm. However, doped PEG Ag/TiO2 thin film showed the Ag nanoparticles became agglomerates but still remained roughly uniform on the surface.
  • Publication
    Diverse material based geopolymer towards heavy metals removal : a review
    ( 2023)
    Pilomeena Arokiasamy
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    ; ;
    Monower Sadique
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    ; ;
    Mohd Remy Rozainy Mohd Arif Zainol
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    Che Mohd Ruzaidi Ghazali
    Metakaolin is a commonly used aluminosilicate material for the synthesis of geopolymer based adsorbent. However, it presents characteristics that restrict its uses such as weak rheological properties brought on by the plate-like structure, processing challenges, high water demand and quick hydration reaction. Industrial waste, on the other hand, contains a variety of components and is a potential source of aluminosilicate material. Geopolymer adsorbent synthesized by utilizing industrial waste contains a wide range of elements that offer better ion-exchangeability and increase active sites on the surface of geopolymer. However, limited studies focused on the synthesized of geopolymer based adsorbent by utilizing industrial waste for heavy metal adsorption in wastewater treatment. Therefore, this paper reviews on the raw materials used in the synthesis of geopolymer for wastewater treatment. This would help in the development of low cost geopolymer based adsorbent that has a great potential for heavy metal adsorption, which could deliver double benefit in both waste management and wastewater treatment.
  • Publication
    Contribution of interfacial bonding towards geopolymers properties in geopolymers reinforced fibers: a review
    ( 2022)
    Muhd Hafizuddin Yazid
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    ; ;
    Marcin Nabiałek
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    ; ;
    Marwan Kheimi
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    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    Adam Rylski
    ;
    Bartłomiej Jeż
    There is a burgeoning interest in the development of geopolymers as sustainable construction materials and incombustible inorganic polymers. However, geopolymers show quasi-brittle behavior. To overcome this weakness, hundreds of researchers have focused on the development, characterization, and implementation of geopolymer-reinforced fibers for a wide range of applications for light geopolymers concrete. This paper discusses the rapidly developing geopolymer-reinforced fibers, focusing on material and geometrical properties, numerical simulation, and the effect of fibers on the geopolymers. In the section on the effect of fibers on the geopolymers, a comparison between single and hybrid fibers will show the compressive strength and toughness of each type of fiber. It is proposed that interfacial bonding between matrix and fibers is important to obtain better results, and interfacial bonding between matrix and fiber depends on the type of material surface contact area, such as being hydrophobic or hydrophilic, as well as the softness or roughness of the surface.
  • Publication
    Microstructural studies of Ag/TiO2 thin film; effect of annealing temperature
    ( 2021) ;
    C.H. Dewi Suryani
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    A. Azliza
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    ; ; ;
    V. Chobpattana
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    L. Kaczmarek
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    B. Jeż
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    M. Nabiałek
    Microstructures are an important link between materials processing and performance, and microstructure control is essential for any materials processing route where the microstructure plays a major role in determining the properties. In this work, silverdoped titanium dioxide (Ag/TiO2) thin film was prepared by the sol-gel method through the hydrolysis of titanium tetra-isopropoxide and silver nitrate solution. The sol was spin coated on ITO glass substrate to get uniform film followed by annealing process for 2 hours. The obtained films were annealed at different annealing temperatures in the range of 300°C-600°C in order to observe the effect on crystalline state, microstructures and optical properties of Ag/TiO2 thin film. The thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. It is clearly seen, when the annealing temperature increases to 500°C, a peak at 2θ = 25.30° can be seen which refers to the structure of TiO2 tetragonal anatase. The structure of Ag/TiO2 thin film become denser, linked together, porous and uniformly distributed on the surface and displays the highest cut-off wavelength value which is 396 nm with the lowest band gap value, which is 3.10 eV. Keywords: Ag/TiO2; Annealing Temperature; Microstructure; Optical Properties; Thin Film
  • Publication
    The influence of sintering temperature on the pore structure of an Alkali-Activated Kaolin-Based Geopolymer Ceramic
    ( 2022)
    Mohd Izrul Izwan Ramli
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    ; ;
    Ikmal Hakem Aziz
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    Tan Chi Ying
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    Noor Fifinatasha Shahedan
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    Winfried Kockelmann
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    Anna Fedrigo
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    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    Petrica Vizureanu
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    Jitrin Chaiprapa
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    Dumitru Doru Burduhos Nergis
    Geopolymer materials are used as construction materials due to their lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared with conventional cementitious materials. An example of a geopolymer material is alkali-activated kaolin, which is a viable alternative for producing high-strength ceramics. Producing high-performing kaolin ceramics using the conventional method requires a high processing temperature (over 1200 °C). However, properties such as pore size and distribution are affected at high sintering temperatures. Therefore, knowledge regarding the sintering process and related pore structures on alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic is crucial for optimizing the properties of the aforementioned materials. Pore size was analyzed using neutron tomography, while pore distribution was observed using synchrotron micro-XRF. This study elucidated the pore structure of alkali-activated kaolin at various sintering temperatures. The experiments showed the presence of open pores and closed pores in alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples. The distributions of the main elements within the geopolymer ceramic edifice were found with Si and Al maps, allowing for the identification of the kaolin geopolymer. The results also confirmed that increasing the sintering temperature to 1100 °C resulted in the alkali-activated kaolin geopolymer ceramic samples having large pores, with an average size of ~80 µm3 and a layered porosity distribution.
  • Publication
    Metakaolin/sludge based geopolymer adsorbent on high removal efficiency of Cu2+
    ( 2022)
    Pilomeena Arokiasamy
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    ; ;
    Mohd Remy Rozainy Mohd Arif Zainol
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    ;
    Marwan Kheimi
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    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    Petrica Vizureanu
    ;
    Rafiza Abdul Razak
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    Activated carbon (AC) has received a lot of interest from researchers for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater due to its abundant porous structure. However, it was found unable to meet the required adsorption capacity due to its amorphous structure which restricts the fundamental studies and structural optimization for improved removal performance. In addition, AC is not applicable in large scale wastewater treatment due its expensive synthesis and difficulty in regeneration. Thus, the researchers are paying more attention in synthesis of low cost geopolymer based adsorbent for heavy metal removal due its excellent immobilization effect. However, limited studies have focused on the synthesis of geopolymer based adsorbent for heavy metal adsorption by utilizing industrial sludge. Thus, the aim of this research was to develop metakaolin (MK) based geopolymer adsorbent with incorporation of two types of industrial sludge (S1 and S3) that could be employed as an adsorbent for removing copper (Cu²⁺) from aqueous solution through the adsorption process. The effects of varied solid to liquid ratio (S/L) on the synthesis of metakaolin/sludge based geopolymer adsorbent and the removal efficiency of Cu²⁺ by the synthesis adsorbent were studied. The raw materials and synthesized geopolymer were characterized by using x-ray fluorescence (XRF), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and micro XRF. The concentration of Cu²⁺ before and after adsorption was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and the removal efficiency was calculated. The experimental data indicated that the synthesized geopolymer at low S/L ratio has achieved the highest removal efficiency of Cu²⁺ about 99.62% and 99.37% at 25%:75% of MK/S1 and 25%:75% of MK/S3 respectively compared to pure MK based geopolymer with 98.56%. The best S/L ratio for MK/S1 and MK/S3 is 0.6 at which the reaction between the alkaline activator and the aluminosilicate materials has improved and enhanced the geopolymerization process. Finally, this work clearly indicated that industrial sludge can be utilized in developing low-cost adsorbent with high removal efficiency
  • Publication
    Microstructure evolution of Ag/TiO2 thin film
    ( 2021) ; ; ;
    Mohd Izrul Izwan Ramli
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    ; ;
    Kazuhiro Nogita
    ;
    Hideyuki Yasuda
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    Marcin Nabiałek
    ;
    Jerzy J. Wysłocki
    Ag/TiO2 thin films were prepared using the sol-gel spin coating method. The microstructural growth behaviors of the prepared Ag/TiO2 thin films were elucidated using real-time synchrotron radiation imaging, its structure was determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), its morphology was imaged using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and its surface topography was examined using the atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode. The cubical shape was detected and identified as Ag, while the anatase, TiO2 thin film resembled a porous ring-like structure. It was found that each ring that coalesced and formed channels occurred at a low annealing temperature of 280 °C. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) result revealed a small amount of Ag presence in the Ag/TiO2 thin films. From the in-situ synchrotron radiation imaging, it was observed that as the annealing time increased, the growth of Ag/TiO2 also increased in terms of area and the number of junctions. The growth rate of Ag/TiO2 at 600 s was 47.26 µm2/s, and after 1200 s it decreased to 11.50 µm2/s and 11.55 µm2/s at 1800 s. Prolonged annealing will further decrease the growth rate to 5.94 µm2/s, 4.12 µm2/s and 4.86 µm2/s at 2400 s, 3000 s and 3600 s, respectively.
  • Publication
    Mechanical performance, microstructure, and porosity evolution of fly ash geopolymer after ten years of curing age
    ( 2023)
    Ikmal Hakem A. Aziz
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    ; ; ; ;
    Jitrin Chaiprapa
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    Catleya Rojviriya
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    Petrica Vizureanu
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    Andrei Victor Sandu
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    ; ;
    This paper elucidates the mechanical performance, microstructure, and porosity evolution of fly ash geopolymer after 10 years of curing age. Given their wide range of applications, understanding the microstructure of geopolymers is critical for their long-term use. The outcome of fly ash geopolymer on mechanical performance and microstructural characteristics was compared between 28 days of curing (FA28D) and after 10 years of curing age (FA10Y) at similar mixing designs. The results of this work reveal that the FA10Y has a beneficial effect on strength development and denser microstructure compared to FA28D. The total porosity of FA10Y was also lower than FA28D due to the anorthite formation resulting in the compacted matrix. After 10 years of curing age, the 3D pore distribution showed a considerable decrease in the range of 5–30 µm with the formation of isolated and intergranular holes.