Papers by Author: Faheemuddin Patel

Abstract: The development of SiAlON-based ceramics has shown great impact in the field of cutting/drilling tool industry and other engineering applications. It is highly desirable to cut-down the cost of the cutting tools by increasing their service lifetime. Potential ways to improve tool life is by preparing these SiAlON-based ceramics adopting non-conventional synthesis routes and by using different precursors. The present study reports the results of synthesis of SiAlON-based nano-ceramics via spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. Generally, metal nitride and metal oxide precursors are used for synthesizing self-reinforced SiAlON ceramics. In this work, nano-sized metallic precursors including amorphous-Si₃N₄ and crystalline β-Si₃N₄, SiO₂, AlN and Al₂O₃ were used, which could be a novel way to synthesize SiAlONs at low temperatures with enhanced performance. The properties of these SiAlONs are tailored by optimizing the synthesis parameters. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy to study the effect of processing parameters on microstructure, density and hardness.

Abstract: Research on fog harvesting for drinking water is uncommon because it is not a continuous climatic phenomenon and concerns only arid and semi-arid regions abundant with fog. This paper proposes a new biomimetic-inspired method of harvesting fog by mimicking the skin of the Namib desert beetle. Stainless steel mesh panels are subjected to ultra shortening and annealing to create a hierarchical nano/micro hybrid surface, and an emulsion of PTFE, polyvinyl acetate and sodium benzene sulfonate is sprayed over the steel mesh. This produces hydrophilic nano/micro mounts and hydrophobic troughs. This method, although initially costly, offers a sustainable fog collecting system which can be adopted for arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan and other similar regions.