by Recent Progress in Materials Editorial Office

Received: 05 January 2022;  Published: 06 January 2022;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2201001

The editors of Recent Progress in Materials would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2021. We greatly appreciate the contribution of expert reviewers, which is crucial to the journal's editorial process. We aim to recognize reviewer contributions through several mechanisms, of which the annual publication of reviewer names is one. Reviewers receive a voucher entitling them to a discount on their next LIDSEN publication and can download a certificate of re [...]

by Kamalakanta Sahoo  , Richard Bergman  and Poonam Khatri

Received: 24 August 2021;  Published: 21 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104049

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the construction and operation of buildings accounted for nearly 38% of total global energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2019. The construction sector has been striving to use more low-carbon footprint building products to mitigate climate change and enhance environmentally preferable purchasing. Over the last several decades, there has been substantial growth in engineered wood products for the construction industry. To assess these products used in constru [...]

by Pooam Khatri  , Kamalakanta Sahoo  , Richard Bergman  and Maureen Puettmann

Received: 18 June 2021;  Published: 15 December 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104048

Raw materials for buildings and construction account for more than 35% of global primary energy use and nearly 40% of energy-related CO₂ emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized the drastic reduction in GHG emissions and thus, wood products with very low or negative carbon footprint materials can play an important role. In this study, a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) approach was followed to quantify the environmental impacts of laminated strand lumber (LSL). The inven [...]

by Omar Alelweet  , Sara Pavia  and Zehao Lei

Received: 28 September 2021;  Published: 29 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104047

This paper investigates the composition, properties and reactivity of a red mud waste generated in Saudi Arabia with a view to find alternative materials to replace construction binders of high environmental impact. The phase transformation triggered by the sintering of the RM up to 1000°C is determined with thermal and X-Ray Diffraction analyses. Reactivity is investigated with chemical and physical methods including the Chapelle test, setting times, mechanical index and microscopy. The RM is clearly pozzolanic, a [...]

by Carol Tran  and Laurence J. Walsh

Received: 28 September 2021;  Published: 26 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104046

Subsurface remineralization can be promoted by the topical application of nanoparticles of casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP). To assess changes in enamel white spot lesions, an in situ proof-of-concept investigation was performed using 5 subjects (all of whom were healthy young adults) with a cross-over study design. Custom orthodontic brackets were attached to the buccal surfaces of the maxillary second premolar and first molar teeth. Each bracket had a recess that held a slab of enamel w [...]

by Michelle Szucs  , Miguel Angulo  , Carlos Costa  and Mª Carmen Márquez

Received: 12 May 2021;  Published: 08 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104045

Five different commercial proteases (Alcalase 2.4L, Flavourzyme 1000L, Neutrase, Protamex, and PTN) were evaluated for the simultaneous recovery of protein and lipids through hydrolysis. The hydrolysis reaction was monitored using the pH-stat procedure, in which samples were collected after 240 min of hydrolysis using each enzyme. The samples were analyzed for the degree of hydrolysis, protein hydrolysate, collagen, lipids, and fatty acids. A clear relationship was observed between the degree of hydrolysis and the [...]

by Yang Zhang  , Jiawen Chen  , Xiaowen Hu  , Wei Zhao  , Dirk J. Broer  and Guofu Zhou

Received: 17 August 2021;  Published: 01 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104044

The reverse mode polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is an emerging smart window technology. Unlike traditional PDLCs, a reverse mode PDLC can be transparent and opaque in the absence and presence of an external electric field. This report provides a brief introduction to several reverse modes PDLC smart window technologies, focusing on polymer-stabilized liquid crystals (PSLCs). The systems based on electrohydrodynamic instability (EHDI) of liquid crystals have also been discussed. The working principles, mode [...]

by Alla V. BALUEVA  , Ilia N. Dashevskiy  and Patricia Todebush

Received: 12 May 2021;  Published: 27 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104043

One of the ways to improve the fusion of an implant with bone tissue is through the use of biocompatible coatings, in particular, hydroxyapatite (HAp). It is important to assess the strength of the HAp adhesion to the implant. The measure of the strength of the bond of the coating with the substrate is the energy of this bond. Using density functional theory and molecular dynamics, the reaction path, reaction products, oscillation frequency, activation energy and bond energy between different combinations of compon [...]

by Roland Pässler

Received: 17 June 2021;  Published: 22 November 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104042

The well-known classical heat capacity model developed by Debye proposed an approximate description of the temperature-dependence of heat capacities of solids in terms of a characteristic integral, the T-dependent values of which are parameterized by the Debye temperature, ${\Theta _D}$. However, numerous tests of this simple model have shown that within Debye’s original supposition of approximately constant, material-specific Debye temperature, it has little chance to be applicable to a larger variety of non-metal [...]

by Omar Alelweet  and Sara Pavia

Received: 09 June 2021;  Published: 13 October 2021;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2104041

Alkali activated (AA) materials have been investigated for decades as an alternative to Portland cement (PC) products. Most consist of a silicate waste activated with alkalis, which leads to lower green-house gas emissions and a substantial drop in the use of unrenewable material resources. This paper studies the durability of AA materials made with a ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) from Dublin, activated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), both combined and separately, and cure [...]