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In the past few years, inorganic fullerene‐like (IF) supramolecules of metal dichalcogenide WS₂ and MoS₂ with structures closely related to (nested) carbon fullerenes and nanotubes have been synthesized. Recent experiments showed that IF added to oil and impregnated into the porous matrixes possess lubricating properties superior to those of layered WS₂ and MoS₂ (2H platelets). The main goal of this work was to analyze the mechanism of friction of fullerene‐like nanoparticles. Friction and wear behavior of IF in different contact conditions is studied. Third body model is considered. Sliding/rolling of the IF nanoparticles in the boundary of the first bodies and in between the wear particles (third body) is supposed to facilitate the shear of the lubrication film. Broken and oxidized 2H‐WS₂ small pieces adhered to wear debris do not provide high tribological properties especially under high loads.

The purpose of this paper is the computation of the elastic mechanical behaviour of the fullerene C₆₀ reinforced polyamide-12 (PA-12) via a two-stage numerical technique which combines the molecular dynamics (MD) method and the finite element method (FEM).

At the first stage, the proposed numerical scheme utilizes MD to characterize the pure PA-12 as well as a very small cubic unit cell containing a C₆₀ molecule, centrally positioned and surrounded by PA-12 molecular chains. At the second stage, a classical continuum mechanics (CM) analysis based on the FEM is adopted to approximate the elastic mechanical performance of the nanocomposite with significantly lower C₆₀ mass concentrations. According to the computed elastic properties arisen by the MD simulations, an equivalent solid element with the same size as the unit cell is developed. Then, a CM micromechanical representative volume element (RVE) of the C₆₀ reinforced PA-12 is modelled via FEM. The matrix phase of the RVE is discretized by using solid finite elements which represent the PA-12 mechanical behaviour predicted by MD, while the C₆₀ neighbouring location is meshed with the equivalent solid element.

Several multiscale simulations are performed to study the effect of the nanofiller mass fraction on the mechanical properties of the C₆₀ reinforced PA-12 composite. Comparisons with other corresponding experimental results are attempted, where possible, to test the performance of the proposed method.

The proposed numerical scheme allows accurate representation of atomistic interfacial effects between C₆₀ and PA-12 and simultaneously offers a significantly lower computational cost compared with the MD-only method.

This paper aims to solve the problems molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets suffer from inadequate dispersion stability and form a weak lubricating film on the friction surface, which severely limits their application as lubricant additives.

MoS₂/C₆₀ nanocomposites were prepared by synthesizing molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets on the surface of hydrochloric acid-activated fullerenes (C₆₀) by in situ hydrothermal method. The composition, structure and morphology of MoS₂/C₆₀ nanocomposites were characterized. Through the high-frequency reciprocating tribology test, its potential as a lubricant additive was evaluated.

MoS₂/C₆₀ nanocomposites that were prepared showed good dispersion in dioctyl sebacate (DOS). When 0.5 Wt.% MoS₂/C₆₀ was added, the friction reduction performance and wear resistance improved by 54.5% and 62.7%, respectively.

MoS₂/C₆₀ composite nanoparticles were prepared by in-situ formation of MoS₂ nanosheets on the surface of C₆₀ activated by HCl through hydrothermal method and were used as potential lubricating oil additives.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2023-0321/

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of fullerene (FNS) reinforcements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 96.5Sn3Ag0.5Cu (SAC305) lead-free solder joints under isothermal ageing and electrical-migration (EM) stressing.

In this paper, SAC305 solder alloy doped with 0.1 Wt.% FNS was prepared via the powder metallurgy method. A sandwich-like sample and a U-shaped sample were designed and prepared to conduct an isothermal ageing test and an EM test. The isothermal ageing test was implemented under vacuum atmosphere at 150°C, whereas the EM experiment was carried out with a current density of 1.5 × 10⁴ A/cm². The microstructural and mechanical evolutions of both plain and composite solder joints after thermal ageing and EM stressing were comparatively studied.

A growth of Ag₃Sn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in solder matrix and Cu-Sn interfacial IMCs in composite solder joints was notably suppressed under isothermal ageing condition, whereas the hardness and shear strength of composite solder joints significantly outperformed those of non-reinforced solder joints throughout the ageing period. The EM experimental results showed that for the SAC305 solder, the interfacial IMCs formulated a protrusion at the anode after 360 h of EM stressing, whereas the surface of the composite solder joint was relatively smooth. During the stressing period, the interfacial IMC on the anode side of the plain SAC305 solder showed a continuous increasing trend, whereas the IMC at the cathode presented a decreasing trend for its thickness as the stressing time increased; after 360 h of stressing, some cracks and voids had formed on the cathode side. For the SAC305/FNS composite solder, a continuous increase in the thickness of the interfacial IMC was found on both the anode and cathode sides; the growth rate of the interfacial IMC at the anode was higher than that at the cathode. The nanoindentation results showed that the hardness of the SAC305 solder joint presented a gradient distribution after EM stressing, whereas the hardness data showed a relatively homogeneous distribution in the SAC305/FNS solder joint.

The experimental results showed that the FNS reinforcement could effectively mitigate the failure risk in solder joints under isothermal ageing and high-current stressing. Specifically, the FNS particles in solder joints can work as a barrier to suppress the diffusion and migration of Sn and Cu atoms. In addition, the nanoidentation results also indicated that the addition of the FNS reinforcement was very helpful in maintaining the mechanical stability of the solder joint. These findings have provided a theoretical and experimental basis for the practical application of this novel composite solder with high-current densities.

Considers the role of a range of materials being used in advanced sensor technology, including diamond, fullerenes, silicon carbide, superconductors, rare earths and III‐V compounds. Sensors based on these materials are described and their applications discussed.

Clinical outcome in patients with ischemic heart disease can be significantly improved with the implementation of targeted drug delivery into the ischemic myocardium. The purpose of this paper is to review the data of recent literature and present original findings relevant to the problem of therapeutic heart targeting with use of nanoparticles.

For literature review, a public‐domain database (Medline) was searched using a web‐based search engine (PubMed) and the following key words: “nanoparticles”, “nanocarriers”, and “targeted drug delivery”. Experimental approaches included fabrication of carbon and silica nanoparticles, their characterization and surface modification. The acute hemodynamic effects of nanoparticle formulation as well as nanoparticle biodistribution were studied on male Wistar rats.

Carbon and silica nanoparticles are biocompatible materials that can be used as carriers for heart‐targeted drug delivery. Concepts of passive and active targeting can be applied to the development of targeted drug delivery to the ischemic myocardial cells.

The present paper is believed to be the first on ligand‐directed targeted drug delivery into the damaged myocardium.

This fourth article in a series of six focuses on mega‐material technologies. Offering the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct matter at atomic and sub‐atomic levels to achieve desired properties, mega‐materials are set to radically transform the physical sciences, realising an alchemist’s wildest dreams. Advanced understanding of the bio‐chemistry of life’s instructional genetic codes will be followed by parallel developments in physics and chemistry involving mastery over quantum mechanics, to enable the construction of “designer” materials. Harnessing nanotechnologies will introduce new and novel types of artefact that were previously the stuff of science fiction. Fully understanding and adroitly manipulating sub‐atomic matter will take time, but these technologies are expected to move to a dominant position in the economy between 2200 and 2300.

The purpose of this paper is to present an introductory overview of graphene, its properties and potential for use in interconnection applications.

This short paper has been written to provide those working on interconnect applications in the PCB and semiconductor sectors with an introductory overview of graphene and its properties. This has been achieved through a review of the published literature.

Graphene has unique properties that make it of interest for potential use in interconnection applications and, in the last few years, some workers have begun to demonstrate the possibilities for this novel material.

This is a short introductory paper and only gives a limited overview of graphene, its properties and applications. It is based on information published in the literature and, while some examples are cited, it does not represent a comprehensive review.

The paper seeks to give an overview of what graphene is and how its unique properties offer potential for interconnection related applications. References provide the opportunity to investigate the properties of this material in more detail.

The purpose of this paper is to review some applications of supercomputers, with the observation that a readily available PlayStation can rival supercomputers of a decade ago. Applications to ocean modelling and to examination of possibilities for quantum computing are discussed. Also discussed are the meaning of the term Wiki, and uses of Wikis in language learning.

The aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.

Supercomputers have valuable applications in biological modelling, medical record keeping and climatic studies and there is particular interest in their use to explore possibilities of quantum computing which may be the key to more powerful machines of the future. The value of Wikis is not confined to the Wikipedia.

PlayStations are likely to be taken seriously as programmable computers in certain areas. Possibilities for a new generation of quantum computers are discussed, as is also the use of Wikis in language learning.

It is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.