Sharif Digital Repository

With the depletion of fossil resources, price of these energy careers increases. Therefore, researchers investigate for other alternative choices. One of the most interesting choice is the renewable energies. These sources of energies are attractive due to either they are permanent resources or they are environmentally friendly. The most important renewable energy resource is solar energy that in fact is the source of other renewable energies. The most important and economic method of solar energy absorption is the thermal method. Common technology in thermal method is the Parabolic-Trough. But, recently a new technology have been developed called Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) that... 

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a route to highly efficient and clean power, which have been attracting interest due to the issues associated with the ever-increasing energy demand and pollution. However, their commercialization is hindered by the high operating temperatures (700-1000℃). One of the challenges faced by intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) with operating temperature in the range of 500-700℃ is the increased overpotentials of the components, especially cathode. Lanthanide nickelates (Ln2NiO4+δ, Ln = La,Pr,Nd) with mixed ionic and electronic conduction (MIEC) have already been introduced as promising IT-SOFC cathode materials. Among them, Pr2NiO4+δ... 

In this thesis, free vibration of composite conical sandwich panel with a flexible is presented. Simply supported boundary condition are applied on the face’s edge only. Hamilton principle and energy method are used to derive equilibrium equations. In the mathematical formulation higher-order sandwich panel theory (HSAPT) was used. First shear deformation theory (FSDT) is used for faces.
Core displacement in various directions is modeled by polynomial function with indeterminate coefficient. It is assumed that the core is able to sustain shear and in-plane stresses. Temprature and humidity effects are neglected. Equations solved using generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) method.... 

The silicon vacancy in silicon carbide is a strong emergent candidate for applications in quantum information processing. 4H, 6H and 3C polytypes of SiC all host coherent and optically addressable defect spin states. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) investigations suggest that silicon vacancy point defects in SiC possess properties similar to those of the NV center in diamond. We provide a new theoretical frame to explain a wider range of experimental results. Employing a proposed generalized Hubbard model, with the help of electronic structure programs, DFT, second quantization, and various computational approaches, we obtain new... 

Gelcasting is a new ceramic forming technique getting worldwide attention. The process is based on casting of slurry; containing powder, water and water-soluble organic monomers. The premix solution was prepared using Acrylamide as a monomer and Methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker with AM:MBAM ratio of 25:1, and Poly Acrylic Acid Sodium as a dispersant (1 wt% based on ceramic powders weight). A series of Al2O3/ZrO2 ceramic nanocomposites with 15, 17.5 and 20 wt% content of ZrO2 and 40, 43, 45, 47, 50, 53 and 55 vol.% of solid loading were fabricated by gelcasting. After casting the mixture, the monomer was polymerized to form gel parts. Drying, burning out and sintering completed the... 

Ceramic coatings on metallic substrates are used in many different applications. In biomaterials science, hydroxyapatite coating due to its similarity to the mineral part of bone structure is used to modification of implants surface. In this research, the HA/TiO2 double layer was coated on Ti-6Al-4V by sol- gel dip-coating method. After preparation of stable TiO2 sol, the Ti-6Al-4V substrate was dipped into the TiO2 sol. The speed of dipping was 10cm/min. After drying at 80°C, the TiO2 layer heat-treated at different temperature (350-500°C) for 1h. The HA outer layer was coated by dipping of Ti-6Al-4V substrate with TiO2 layer into HA sol, followed by heat-treatment at different temperatures... 

Because of the high operating temperature, interconnect surface tends to be oxidized and Cr2O3 oxide layer will be created on the surface. This phenomenon is undesirable due to decreasing electrical conductivity, so a preservative coating is needed to improve the interconnect properties. In this paper, a dense perovskite thin film was successfully synthesized on a ferritic stainless steel (type 430) substrate by a sol-gel dip coating method. This coating improved chemical stability, oxidation behavior of the substrate and decreased cathode poisoning. The lanthanum chromite was coated on the substrate by sol-gel dip coating process. First, during a hydrolyze process, a stable sol was made up... 

Plasma electrolytic oxidation process (PEO) is now recognized as a relatively new method in surface engineering. In this process, formation of micro arcs resulted from electric discharges on the surface of the specimen in the appropriate electrolyte, is used to ionize the gas layer which has enshrouded the specimen. In the present study, ceramic coating on aluminized steel was produced by PEO process and the effects of the influential parameters were comprehensively investigated. For this purpose, coating on the aluminized steel with dimension of 25×30 mm² was produced under different condition of processing time from 1 to 15 minutes, current density from 10 to 20 A/dm², frequency from 50 to... 

Because of the high operating temperature, interconnect surface tends to be oxidized and Cr2O3 oxide layer will be created on the surface. This phenomenon is undesirable due to decreasing electrical conductivity, so a preservative coating is needed to improve the interconnect properties. In this paper, a dense spinel thin film was successfully synthesized on a ferritic stainless steel (type 430) substrate by a sol-gel dip coating method. This coating improved chemical stability, oxidation behavior of the substrate and decreased cathode poisoning. The Nickel-Cobalt spinel was coated on the substrate by sol-gel coating process. First, during a hydrolyze process, a stable sol was made up from... 

Because of limitation of titania coating that can act as self-cleaning surface under UV light irradiation, introduction of transition metal ions into titania lattice can decrease band gap energy of titania in order to activate the coating under visible light irradiation. In this research, by using vanadium element and silica prelayer, a titania coating was deposited on the soda-lime glass substarte to produce self-cleaning surface. The scope of coating was to increase the photocatalytic activity and hydrophilicity of vanadium doped titania coating on the soda-lime glass and silica coated glass by sol-gel dip coating method. XRD and FTIR analysis were done on the powders with different... 

Solid oxide fuel cells as high temperature electrochemical devices draw much attention in the last decades due to their fuel flexibility, high efficiency and low pollution. However, lowering operating temperature from about 850°C to around 650°C without significant overpotential loss, in order to lower costs and increase cells life time has remained a challenge. Recently, a new family of mixed ionic and electronic conducting ceramics (MIECs) which are formulated Ln2NiO4+δ (Ln= La,Nd,Pr) and crystallized in Ruddlesden–Popper structure, have been regarded as appropriate cathode materials for the low or intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC). Amongst these compounds,... 

Nowadays, one of the most important research goals is to develop intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFC) operated at 500–800 °C. However, the large cathode polarization resistance caused by the reduced temperature is a major barrier against such an urgent demand for commercialization. In this regard, it is necessary to select a proper material as a cathode working efficiently at reduced temperatures without losing its desired performance. Various mixed ionic electron conductors (MIECs), especially Ruddlesden–Popper-type oxides, are used to improve the cathode performance at intermediate temperatures. Among these layered oxides, Pr2NiO4 has been reported to possess the... 

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) solid-state electrolyte is a very promising electrolyte for a variety of ion lithium solid-state batteries, due to high conductivity of Li ions at room temperature as well as its chemical stability with Li metal anode. LLZO phase has two tetragonal and cubic symmetries. The conductivity of the cubic phase is two times higher than that for the tetragonal phase. To stabilize the cubic phase at room temperature, 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3 mol% Aluminum was doped to LLZO solid-state electrolyte. This powder was synthesized by sol-gel combustion method at 1000˚C. The cubic phase and lack of impurity of the samples doped with 0.25 and 0.3% Aluminum were determined by X-ray Diffraction... 

Interconnects in SOFC’s has oxidation problems which is Because of high temperature operation. Also Cr migration to cathode make chroumiom poisoning problems and all of this affects SOFC’s efficiency. To solve this problem researchers decided to use some protective coating on interconnect. The best group of coatings is Mn-Co Spinels. In this thesis (Mn,Co)3O4 spinels was synthesized via solid state reaction. MC reffered to Mn1.5Co1.5O4 was calcined at 850°C and then sintered at 1200°C. It’s electrical conductivity measured by 4-point probe DC method. It had the lowest ASR (17mΩ.cm2) among other stochiometries. To reduce the sintering temperature, Cu and Y was added as dopants. Among the... 

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is currently recognized as an effective coating method on active metals such as magnesium. In this method, through occurrence of strong electric discharges on the surface of the anode accompanied by electrochemical and thermo-chemical reactions at plasma environment, a relatively thick ceramic coating with complex compounds grows on the metal surface which significantly improves its properties. Regarding the influence of PEO electrical parameters on the morphology and other properties of the coating, the objective of the present study is to prepare a quality ceramic coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy substrate via setting the process parameters, such as... 

Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) is a well-known ceramic matrix composite due to its high fracture toughness and good mechanical properties. Addition of spinel (MgAl2O4) to ZTA inhibits alumina grain growth and produces phase boundaries with low strength. This phenomenon leads to formation of a ceramic matrix composite with special mechanical properties such as high temperature super plastic deformation. However, the room temperature mechanical properties of alumina-spinel-zirconia (AMZ) composite such as fracture toughness were rarely investigated by researchers. In this research the AMZ nanocomposite powders were synthesized via solution combustion method. The dense AMZ composite samples... 

In this study, the photocatalytic activity and hydrophilicity of coat improved using Nitrogen and Vanadium elements as dopant in TiO2 coating. By using vanadium and nitrogen elements and silica prelayer, a titania coating was deposited on the soda-lime glass substrate by sol-gel dip coating method to produce self-cleaning surface. XRD and FTIR analyses were done on the powders after heat treating at in 450˚C for 30 min. XPS analysis was done for investigation of N replacement in titania structure. The band-gap energy of formed anatase was derived using UV-Vis analysis. The coating morphology and thickness were also investigated by SEM. Hydrophilicity of coatings was determined by measuring... 

Magnesium alloys are used in various industries, due to their excellent combination of low density, high strength to weight ratio and biocompatibility. However, a main drawback of Mg alloys is their poor corrosion and tribological behavior which could be improved by different surface treatments such as plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). Recently, PEO method as a simple and economic process is used to provide thick ceramic coating on Mg alloys. Based on some problems in zirconia coating on Mg substrates, two step PEO coating was introduced. The aim of the present study is to prepare and investigate the properties of zirconia-containing coating by two-step PEO process on the AZ31 Mg alloy... 

Aluminum and its alloys have wide applications in industry and recently researches have been expanded in this area. The main reasons are unique features of aluminum corrosion resistance and high strength to weight ratio. The fundamental problem of aluminum is low wear resistance that leads to be worn in industrial applications. For more efficiency of titanium, extensive efforts have been made for solving this problem, one of the best solutions is coating. Plasma electrolyte Oxidation (PEO) is a novel method to create ceramic coatings on metals to improve wear and corrosion resistance. In this research micro and nano Si3N4 particles were added to electrolyte to create alumina-silicate... 

Refractory metals (W,Re,Ta,Mo,Nb) and their alloys can exhibit exceptional properties at elevated temperatures. However, refectory metals tend to be relatively heavy and, in some cases, can be relatively difficult to form in complex shapes at low cost. Light composites of refractory metals with high-melting ceramics, which can be fabricated into dense, near net shapes at low temperatures, would be particularly attractive for advanced aerospace applications. In this project, WC powders have been pressed and shaped to cylindrical preforms. Secondly, these performs have been sintered slightly(presintered) into porous, rigid ones with about 50% open porosity. Finally, in order to reach dense...