Eswatini College of Technology, also referred to a ECOT, is a state-owned college in Eswatini. It offers courses in engineering, science and education. Dr. Grace Mdluli is the current principal of the college. In 2011, the college collaborated with Vaal University of Technology in South Africa..
Aluminium alloy composites are promising for automotive applications due to their significant properties, including lightweight, enhanced strength, and improved corrosion resistance. However, it found that consequences such as porosity, uneven particle distribution, and agglomerated structure reduce the mechanical behaviour of composites. This research addresses a research gap and enriches the overall properties of the aluminium alloy (AA2024) composite, integrated with 10 wt
The present research aims to reduce casting defects and enrich the functional properties of magnesium alloy (AZ91E) composites with hybrid reinforcements, including silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiC) and carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers, through a liquid stir casting process associated with vacuum die casting. The final composite contained 5 vol
Poly (Thiophene) (PTh) is familiar for optoelectronic applications due to strong absorption, better conductivity, and high charge carrier mobility. However, it found low photoluminescence efficiency and variations in electron carrier mobility due to reduced photoluminescence. The motto of current research is to overcome the above drawback and enrich the optoelectronic behaviour of PTh featuring 30, 40, 50, and 60 nm of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (20 nm) via the electrochemical deposition method. This structure consists of 100 nm indium tin oxide (ITO), ZnO electron transport layer (ETL), ZnO/PTh active emission layer, PTh hole transport layer (HTL), and 80 nm silver top electrode. The influences of ZnO quantum dot layer thickness and silver top electrode on optical, electrical, stability lifetime, and X-ray diffraction behaviour of PTh quantum dot are evaluated. The structural analyses confirmed improved structural integrity, and the stability evaluations showed enhanced operational lifetime. The 50 nm ZnO:PTh active layer found better functional characteristics like reduced wavelength, enhanced electron voltage, higher photoluminescence efficiency, superior electron mobility, higher current density, and superior lifespan (life cycle), which are 3
Alloy coatings have completely transformed the performance of steel components, offering essential protection against corrosion and mechanical wear. Therefore, the necessity to engineer sustainable chemical coatings like that of Zn-Ni alloys was motivated because of their ability to outperform other potentially toxic metal alloy coatings. These coatings are known for their superior tribological corrosion resistance and lower susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement. Zn–Ni coatings containing 10–15 wt
The research proves bilayer plasmonic metasurfaces with engineered twist angles giving rise to Moiré superlattices sustaining topologically nontrivial edge states in broken time-reversal symmetry (TRS). The structures were realized by high-resolution electron-beam lithography with rotational misalignment accuracy of 0.1° precision. Structural homogeneity was confirmed by SEM and AFM with spacer thickness of 30 ± 2 nm and interlayer misfit less than 3 nm. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) detected twist-angle-dependent plasmonic bandgaps, with the maximum bandgap ( 50 nm) at θ = 5°. Unidirectional edge states were verified with and without magnetic bias or in YIG substrates by near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and COMSOL simulations simulated experimental positions of bandgaps and wavelengths of edge modes with 10 nm accuracy. Simulations also showed good field confinement and maximum Q-factor of 250 at θ = 5°. Results indicate that by incorporating twist-angle engineering along with time-reversal symmetry (TRS)—breaking mechanisms, one has a versatile platform for reconfigurable photonic topological devices for nanoscale routing, sensing, and optical isolation. The concept in Fig. 1 of this research is to shape bilayer plasmonic metasurfaces with set twist angles, which leads to Moiré superlattices able to produce plasmonic bandgaps and topologically protected edge states. Shifting the position of one nanostructure layer relative to another changes the interaction between the layers, which creates both new periodicities and new types of plasmons. With the help of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) or external magnetic fields that break time-reversal symmetry (TRS), the system permits plasmons to move in only one direction along its edges. This makes it possible to design optical states that work well and are easy to control for use in topological photonic devices.
