PFO nanopillars were obtained by the selective dissolution of the alumina template in a 3 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) aqueous solution at room temperature for 30 min. All the samples were inspected in environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM-FEI Quanta 600).
As disintegration or lysis comprises cell integrity samples were inspected under a light microscope prior to freeze-drying.
After the above test procedure, the pipe samples were inspected not to show signs of localized swelling or leakage and burst during the prescribed test duration.
Crack distributions of concrete-core samples were inspected with helical Computerized Tomography (CT) scans, which were undertaken at 1-mm intervals.
After fixed time intervals (4, 24, 72, and 148 h), the samples were inspected visually for any possible cake forming, and size measurements were carried out as mentioned above.
The LSPR spectra were taken with Ocean Optics USB2000-UV VIS USB2000-UV VISspectropticalat the wavelength range ofibre–875 nm, and the dispectrometerspheres atd wethetched samples wavelengthcted by JEOL JSM7400F field emission gun SEM.
The crystal structure of the samples were inspected by an X'Pert PRO MPD diffractometer system using Cu Kα radiation at 40 kV and 40 mA, running from 3.431° to 61.051° with a speed of 10°/min.
The morphology and structure of the samples were inspected by using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM, Hitachi S4800, Tokyo, Japan) at an accelerating voltage of 5 KV.
After critical point drying with liquid CO2 in a vacuum apparatus (Polaron CPD 7501, Quorum Technologies, Newhaven, East Sussex, UK) and coating with gold-palladium (JEE-4C, JEOL Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), the samples were inspected by SEM at 1 KeV (FEI Quanta 200).
The size and morphology of the samples were inspected using a field emission transmission electron microscope (FE-TEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) (FE-TEM, JEM-2100F, JEOL, Akishima-shi, Japan) by operating at an accelerating voltage of 200 kV.
