Hot-pressed geopolymers have been introduced as ultra-high early strength ceramic-like materials with an almost pore-less structure. This study investigates the combined effects of pressure and heat on geopolymerization kinetics, microstructure, physical properties, and mechanical performance of geopolymers. The results demonstrate that about 65% of the trapped air is easily removed from the fresh geopolymer matrix using an initial impact pressure. When the pre-compacted matrix is subjected to the hot-pressing, it is further densified in the range of 1–10% as a result of continuous free-water evaporation and compaction. This process not only reduces the size and volume of porosity but also changes the continuous pore network to a closed one. Besides, the increase in hot-pressing promotes higher geopolymer gel formation and accelerates the polycondensation which possesses relatively high mechanical strength up to 160 MPa immediately after the processing. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the hot-pressing technique is a promising processing route for designing geopolymer with a diverse range of mechanical properties in a short and fast manner.

At the crossroads of chemistry, electronics, mechanical engineering, polymer science, biology, tissue engineering, computer science, and materials science, electrical devices are currently being engineered that blend directly within organs and tissues. These sophisticated devices are mediators, recorders, and stimulators of electricity with the capacity to monitor important electrophysiological events, replace disabled body parts, or even stimulate tissues to overcome their current limitations. They are therefore capable of leading humanity forward into the age of cyborgs, a time in which human biology can be hacked at will to yield beings with abilities beyond their natural capabilities. The resulting advances have been made possible by the emergence of conformal and soft electronic materials that can readily integrate with the curvilinear, dynamic, delicate, and flexible human body. This article discusses the recent rapid pace of development in the field of cybernetics with special emphasis on the important role that flexible and electrically active materials have played therein.

Tissue engineering aims to generate or facilitate regrowth or healing of damaged tissues by applying a combination of biomaterials, cells, and bioactive signaling molecules. In this regard, growth factors clearly play important roles in regulating cellular fate. However, uncontrolled release of growth factors has been demonstrated to produce severe side effects on the surrounding tissues. In this study, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres (MS) incorporated three-dimensional (3D) CORAGRAF scaffolds were engineered to achieve controlled release of platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) for the differentiation of stem cells within the 3D polymer network. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microtomography were applied to characterize the fabricated scaffolds. In vitro study revealed that the CORAGRAF-PLGA-PDGF-BB scaffold system enhanced the release of PDGF-BB for the regulation of cell behavior. Stromal cell attachment, viability, release of osteogenic differentiation markers such as osteocalcin, and upregulation of osteogenic gene expression exhibited positive response. Overall, the developed scaffold system was noted to support rapid cell expansion and differentiation of stromal cells into osteogenic cells in vitro for bone tissue engineering applications.

This research explores the use of simultaneous heating and pressing techniques in order to enhance the mechanical properties of fly ash (FA) based geopolymer under relatively low temperature conditions to ensure minimum-porosity. Four effective parameters of pressing force, alkali activator/FA, duration of hot-pressing and sodium concentration are studied. Together with detailed experimental studies, our results reveal that the most dominant factor is the induced pressure. The main results indicated that the highest compressive strength of the geopolymer (134 MPa) could be obtained by employing the hot pressing, temperature and duration of 41.4 MPa, 350 °C and 20 min, respectively. The microstructure of the hot-pressed specimens showed more developed geopolymer matrix compared with conventional ones leading to higher compressive strength in much shortest time. The improved mechanical properties are generally attributed to the dense structure of the material and higher geopolymer gel production during the hot pressing process. However, further reaction of partially reacted particles improves the mechanical properties over time.