This text presents recent developments in a wide range of applications of luminescent materials. It compiles contributions from a number of leading scientists in the field, and should be an inspiration for both established and new researchers in this exciting area of research. Thanks to developments in materials research, new applications, requiring specific phosphor properties, have emerged. Wavelength ranges have expanded towards UV and near-IR emission; highly performant persistent phosphors have been developed for safety illumination and bio-imaging; phosphors have been proposed for anti-counterfeiting, energy storage, photocatalysis, thermometry, scintillators and dosimetry; and new synthesis and characterization techniques for luminescent materials have been developed.

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Fuel cells are expected to play a relevant role in the transition towards a sustainable-energy-driven world. Although this type of electrochemical system was discovered a long time ago, only in recent years has global energy awareness, together with newly developed materials and available technologies, made such key advances in relation to fuel cell potential and its deployment. It is now unquestionable that fuel cells are recognized, alongside their possibility to work in the reverse mode, as the hub of the new energy deal. Now the questions are, why are they not yet ready to be used, despite the strong economic support given from the society? What prevents them from being entered into the hydrogen energy scenario in which renewable sources will provide energy when it is not readily available? How much are researchers involved in this urgent step towards change? This book gives a clear answer, engaging with some of the open issues that explain the delay of fuel cell deployment and, at the same time, it opens a window that shows how wide and attractive the opportunities offered by this technology are. Papers collected here are not only specialist-oriented but also offer a clear landscape to curious readers and show how challenging the road to the future is.

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Among the strategies for reducing the negative effects on the environment affected by the uncontrolled consumption and low potential for the recovery of conventional plastics, the synthesis of new biodegradable and recyclable plastics represents one of the most promising methods for minimizing the negative effects of conventional non-biodegradable plastics. The spectrum of existing biodegradable materials is still very narrow. Therefore, to achieve greater applicability, research is being carried out on biodegradable polymer mixtures, the synthesis of new polymers, and the incorporation of new stabilizers for thermal degradation, alongside the use of other additives such as antibacterials or new and more sustainable plasticizers. Some studies analyze direct applications, such as shape memory foams, new cartilage implants, drug release, etc. The reader can find several studies on the degradation of biodegradable polymers under composting conditions. However, novel bacteria that degrade polymers considered non-biodegradable in other, unusual conditions (such as conditions of high salinity) are also presented.

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Advanced and novel thermal technologies, such as ohmic heating, dielectric heating (e.g., microwave heating and radio frequency heating), and inductive heating, have been developed to improve the effectiveness of heat processing whilst guaranteeing food safety and eliminating undesirable impacts on the organoleptic and nutritional properties of foods. Novel thermal technologies rely on heat generation directly inside foods, which has implications for improving the overall energy efficiency of the heating process itself. The use of novel thermal technologies is dependent on the complexity and inherent properties of the food materials of interest (e.g., thermal conductivity, electrical resistance, water content, pH, rheological properties, food porosity, and presence of particulates). Moreover, there is a need to address the combined use of thermal processing with emerging technologies such as pulsed electric fields, high hydrostatic pressure, and ultrasound to complement the conventional thermal processing of fluid or solid foods. This Special Issue provides readers with an overview of the latest applications of various novel technologies in food processing. A total of eight cutting-edge original research papers and one comprehensive review paper discussing novel processing technologies from the perspectives of food safety, sustainability, process engineering, (bio)chemical changes, health, nutrition, sensory issues, and consumers are covered in this Special Issue.

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Catalysis, in the industrial production of chemicals, fuels, and materials, accounts for more than half of gross material production worldwide. Heterogeneous catalysis enables fast and selective chemical transformations, resulting in superior product yield and facilitating catalyst separation and recovery. The synthesis of novel catalysts has emerged as a hot topic for process and product development with numerous research publications and patents. Hence, development of efficient catalysts and their applications is important for sustainable energy production and use, green chemicals production and use, and economic growth. This Special Issue discusses recent developments related to catalysis for the production of sustainable fuels and chemicals and traverses many new frontiers of catalysis including synthesis, characterization, catalytic performances, reaction kinetics and modelling, as well as applications of catalysts for the production of biofuels, synthesis gas, and other green products. This covers the current state-of-the-art catalysis research applied to bioenergy, organic transformation, carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatoms, reforming, hydrogenation, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodenitrogenation, hydrodemetalization, Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, to name a few. This book highlights new avenues in catalysis including catalyst preparation methods, analytical tools for catalyst characterization, and techno-economic assessment to enhance a chemical or biological transformation process using catalysts for a betterment of industry, academia and society.

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This book is a collection of several unique articles on the current state of research on complex concentrated alloys, as well as their compelling future opportunities in wide ranging applications. Complex concentrated alloys consist of multiple principal elements and represent a new paradigm in structural alloy design. They show a range of exceptional properties that are unachievable in conventional alloys, including high strength–ductility combination, resistance to oxidation, corrosion/wear resistance, and excellent high-temperature properties. The research articles, reviews, and perspectives are intended to provide a wholistic view of this multidisciplinary subject of interest to scientists and engineers.

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By the late 1940s, and since then, the continuous development of dislocation theories have provided the basis for correlating the macroscopic time-dependent deformation of metals and alloys—known as creep—to the time-dependent processes taking place within the metals and alloys. High-temperature deformation and stress relaxation effects have also been explained and modeled on similar bases. The knowledge of high-temperature deformation as well as its modeling in conventional or unconventional situations is becoming clearer year by year, with new contemporary and better performing high-temperature materials being constantly produced and investigated.This book includes recent contributions covering relevant topics and materials in the field in an innovative way. In the first section, contributions are related to the general description of creep deformation, damage, and ductility, while in the second section, innovative testing techniques of creep deformation are presented. The third section deals with creep in the presence of complex loading/temperature changes and environmental effects, while the last section focuses on material microstructure–creep correlations for specific material classes. The quality and potential of specific materials and microstructures, testing conditions, and modeling as addressed by specific contributions will surely inspire scientists and technicians in their own innovative approaches and studies on creep and high-temperature deformation.

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This Reprint includes articles published in the Special Issue "Droplet-Based Microfluidics: Design, Fabrication and Applications". This Special Issue focuses on the fundamentals of fluid mechanics, fabrication of microfluidic devices, and the generation, manipulation, and applications of droplets.

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Green technologies can be identified as key components in Industry 4.0. The scope of this book is to address how conventional green technologies can be a part of smart industries by minimizing waste, maximizing productivity, optimizing the supply chain, or by additive manufacturing. This theme focuses on the scope and challenges of integrating current environmental technologies in future industries. This book, “Green Technologies: Bridging Conventional Practices and Industry 4.0”, aims to incorporate and introduce the advances in green technologies to the cyber-based industries. It is hoped that the novel green technologies presented in this book are useful in assisting the global community in working towards fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Noncovalent interactions are the bridge between ideal gas abstraction and the real world. For a long time, they were covered by two terms: van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding. Both experimental and quantum chemical studies have contributed to our understanding of the nature of these interactions. In the last decade, great progress has been made in identifying, quantifying, and visualizing noncovalent interactions. New types of interactions have been classified—their energetic and spatial properties have been tabulated. In the past, most studies were limited to analyzing the single strongest interaction in the molecular system under consideration, which is responsible for the most important structural properties of the system. Despite this limitation, such an approach often results in satisfactory approximations of experimental data. However, this requires knowledge of the structure of the molecular system and the absence of other competing interactions. The current challenge is to go beyond this limitation. This Special Issue collects ideas on how to study the interplay of noncovalent interactions in complex molecular systems including the effects of cooperation and anti-cooperation, solvation, reaction field, steric hindrance, intermolecular dynamics, and other weak but numerous impacts on molecular conformation, chemical reactivity, and condensed matter structure.

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Studies on new solutions in the field of high-voltage insulating materials are presented in this book. Most of these works concern liquid insulation, especially biodegradable ester fluids; however, in a few cases, gaseous and solid insulation are also considered. Both fundamental research as well as research related to industrial applications are described. In addition, experimental techniques aimed at possibly finding new ways of analysing the experimental data are proposed to test dielectrics.

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Steel is a critical material in our societies and will remain an important one for a long time into the future. In the last two decades, the world steel industry has gone through drastic changes and this is predicted to continue in the future. The Asian countries (e.g. China, India) have been dominant in the production of steel creating global over-capacity, while the steel industry in the developed countries have made tremendous efforts to reinforce its global leadership in process technology and product development, and remain sustainable and competitive. The global steel industry is also facing various grand challenges in strict environmental regulation, new energy and materials sources, and ever-increasing customer requirements for high quality steel products, which has been addressed accordingly by the global iron and steel community. This Special Issue, “Ironmaking and Steelmaking”, released by the journal Metals, published 33 high quality articles from the international iron and steel community, covering the state-of-the-art of the ironmaking and steelmaking processes. This includes fundamental understanding, experimental investigation, pilot plant trials, industrial applications and big data utilization in the improvement and optimization of existing processes, and research and development in transformative technologies. It is hoped that the creation of this special issue as a scientific platform will help drive the iron and steel community to build a sustainable steel industry.

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There is growing interest in light metallic alloys for a wide number of applications owing to their processing efficiency, processability, long service life, and environmental sustainability. Aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys are addressed in this Special Issue, however, the predominant role played by aluminum. The collection of papers published here covers a wide range of topics that generally characterize the performance of the alloys after manufacturing by conventional and innovative processing routes.

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This Special Issue collected original contributions, both research papers and reviews, showing recent results and/or positive advances in the behavior of new sustainable bio-materials under applied mechanical stress, both in static and dynamic mode, and evaluating the characteristics of resistance, moduli and/or viscoelasticity, in view of potential applications, such as tissue engineering, medical devices, surgical or dental implants, manufacturing of human parts, agriculture, packaging, textiles, electronics, automotive and aerospace, green buildings, and architecture and construction.

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In the last decade, issues related to pollution from microplastics in all environmental compartments and the associated health and environmental risks have been the focus of intense social, media, and political attention worldwide. The assessment, quantification, and study of the degradation processes of plastic debris in the ecosystem and its interaction with biota have been and are still the focus of intense multidisciplinary research. Plastic particles in the range from 1 to 5 mm and those in the sub-micrometer range are commonly denoted as microplastics and nanoplastics, respectively. Microplastics (MPs) are being recognized as nearly ubiquitous pollutants in water bodies, but their actual concentration, distribution, and effects on natural waters, sediments, and biota are still largely unknown. Contamination by microplastics of agricultural soil and other environmental areas is also becoming a matter of concern. Sampling, separation, detection, characterization and evaluating the degradation pathways of micro- and nano-plastic pollutants dispersed in the environment is a challenging and critical goal to understand their distribution, fate, and the related hazards for ecosystems. Given the interest in this topic, this Special Issue, entitled “Microplastics Degradation and Characterization”, is concerned with the latest developments in the study of microplastics.

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The Special Issue Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, belonging to the section Engineering Mathematics of the Journal Mathematics, publishes original research papers involving advanced simulation and modeling techniques. The present reprint, “Modeling and Simulation in Engineering 2nd Edition, 2023”, contains 13 papers accepted after peer review by recognized specialists in the field. The papers address different topics in engineering that use modeling, optimization as well as experimental and numerical methods. The subject of the papers addresses technical problems such as adaptive contoller design for non-linear systems, simulation of light scattering produced by special paints, estimation of the magnetic field produced by overhead power lines, angle estimation using inertial measurement units, study of multiple transfer phenomena in viscuous fluid flow, optimization of aircraft tail using numerical methods, the study of new types of adjustable speed drives, investigation of nano-fluid flow in different systems, metaheuristic methods applied for maximum power point tracking in photovoltaic systems, as well as theoretical topics such as the use of surrogate models in optimization problems and characterization of structured singular values. It is hoped that the papers selected for thisSpecial Issue will attract a significant audience in the scientific community and will further stimulate research involving modelling and simulation in mathematical physics and in engineering.

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At present, more and more procedures and technologies used to discover and characterize new materials are available, including advanced characterization techniques.This Special Issue covers a wide range of topics about obtaining and characterizing new materials, from the nano to macro scales, including for new alloys, ceramics, composites, biomaterials, and polymers and the procedures and technologies used to enhance their structure, properties, and functions. To select new materials for future use, we must first understand their structure and their characteristics using modern techniques such as microscopy (SEM, TEM, AFM, STM, etc.), spectroscopy (EDX, XRD, XRF, FTIR, XPS, etc.), and mechanical tests (tensile, hardness, elastic modulus, toughness, etc.) and their behaviors (in vitro and in vivo; corrosion; and thermal—DSC, STA, DMA, magnetic properties, and biocompatibility), among many others.

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This reprint focuses on both advanced metals and their alloys and the areas of physical and process metallurgy, materials science, and processing techniques. Specific areas of interest also include titanium/nickel-based superalloys, intermetallics, advanced metallic materials, nanomaterials, metal matrix composites, functional materials, related synthesis and processing techniques, finite element modelling, statistical analysis, physical/mechanical property characterization, experimental validation, and other relevant phenomena. Physical metallurgy is important in the design and optimization of advanced materials with superior physical and mechanical properties through microstructural modifications and processing techniques. The goal of reprint was to bring together recent progress, novel technologies, and advanced equipment for the design and development of advanced metals and alloys and provide guidelines/benchmarks for further research in related areas. Composites, intermetallics, and nanomaterials as well as functional materials will be also included. Some of the recent advances in the field of advanced metals and alloys include novel material processing techniques, manufacturing methods and theories, microstructural characterization, modelling development, and advanced equipment. Conventional and nonconventional processes related to machining, forming, laser processing, additive/subtractive manufacturing, surface modification, and the solidification of high-performance alloys/metals are also included.

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The purpose of this book is to help you concentrate on recent developments in polymerization. The chapters collected in the book are contributions by invited researchers with a long-standing experience in different research areas. I hope that the material presented here is understandable to a broad audience, not only chemists but also scientists from various disciplines. The book contains nine chapters in three sections: (1) 'General Information about Polymerization,' (2) 'Biomaterial Content Polymer Composites,' and (3) 'Mechanical Properties of Polymerization.' The book provides detailed and current reviews in these different areas written by experts in their respective fields. This book is expected to be useful for polymer workers and other scientists alike and contribute to the training of current and future researchers, academics, PhD degree students, as well as other scientists.

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Environmental challenges posed by wrong end of lifeplastic management drive the plastics recycling schemes for energy recovery and cutting emissions, penalties, energy consumption, non-renewable resources, and manufacturing costs. Plastic recycling has the lowest environmental impact on global warming potential and total energy use. However, under-utilised plastic wastes due to low value issues with sorting/contamination pose major challenges. Novel technologies drive innovation in a circular economy model for plastics and employ reuse, recycling and responsible manufacture solutions, support the development of new industries and jobs, reduce emissions and increase efficient use of natural resources (including energy, water and materials). Many economies are working towards achieving a zero plastic waste economy. This Special Issue covers the applications of recycled plastics in the areas of energy recovery/alternative fuels, economic analyses, bitumen additives, flame retardants, recycled polymer nanocomposites to enhance the mechanical property, thermomechanical recycling to improve physical properties, mechano-chemical treatment, cryogenic waste tyre recycling, application in decarbonizing technology, e.g., cement industry, waste characterization, improving agricultural soil quality, as smart fertilizers. The Editors express their appreciation to all the contributors across the world in the development of this reprint. This reprint gives different perspectives and technical ideas for the transformation of plastic wastes into value-added products and to achieve higher recycling rates in the coming years.

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This reprint includes research papers on different disciplines related to composites. It contains research related to new topics such as nanotubes, fibres, admixtures added in cement and concrete. Additionally self-healing and self-sensing issues are presented. Environmental, and thermal-related topics are also discussed. Studies related to consolidation topics and alkali activation of clays are included. This blend of traditional and modern building materials, all having a common ground, the use of new technologies for improving fresh and harden state properties, make this volume interesting.

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Soil is the base of life, as it is essential for food and energy production, sustains buildings, is a water and nutrient reservoir, and acts as a filter for water and contaminants. Soil use and management may significantly negatively impact the soil, with consequences to the environment, crop development and yield, natural resources such as air and water, and human and animal health. In this sense, studies focusing on soil and water conservation practices and strategies to improve soil functions and structure are necessary, but considering the diversity of soil uses and types, climate, relief, and origin materials makes this a worldwide challenge, necessiting site-specific studies. This Special Issue on “Soil Management and Conservation” contains 16 original papers, addressing topics such as soil health, contamination, compaction, management and conservation, erosion, organic carbon, and amendments, presenting some advances and contributions to our knowledge of these topics and future research possibilities. We hope that this Special Issue will support decisions about soil management and conservation practices.

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The demand for aluminum alloys is increasing because of their lightness, high specific strength and other attractive properties, which can exploited in improved products for a greener environment. This book gives a correlation between the processing, microstructure and properties of several aluminium alloys. Some of them are well established and used in an enormous number of applications, while others are still under development. The processing spans from casting, rapid solidification, additive manufacturing, forming, heat-treatment and welding, which can produce interesting microstructures and a useful combination of properties.

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