Sharif Digital Repository

The synergistic effect of nano titanium dioxide (10 and 30 nm) and nano silver (10 nm) as antibacterial agents were investigated on UV curable clear coating. Antibacterial and physical-mechanical properties of coating were optimized using experimental design in response surface method. Twenty different samples of nano Ag and nano TiO2 were prepared in this method. Antibacterial properties on Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) were investigated. The results revealed that using equal amounts of two sizes of nano TiO2 promote the antibacterial activity of nano Ag. So, the coating shows strong activity against E. coli. Physical-mechanical properties such as surface hardness, abrasion... 

Polyolefin blends have attracted great attention for years because of their improved physical and mechanical properties; especially when micro/nanofillers are present in the compound. Previous investigations have proven that incorporation of small amounts of nanoclay can enhance physical and mechanical properties of the polymer. This research has focused on the role of clay distribution on morphology and mechanical properties of ternary nanocomposites containing a rubbery phase. High-density polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate/clay (HDPE/EVA/clay) is opted as a typical model for this purpose. EVA is selected to act as both compatibilizer, because of having polar vinyl groups, and... 

The high hydration potential of CaO and MgO phases restricted the application of Mag-Dol refractory composites. In this study, the impact of nano-silica (SiO2) addition on the physical, mechanical, thermo-mechanical as well as microstructure of Mag-Dol refractory composites is investigated. Mag-Dol compositions were prepared by using calcined dolomite and magnesite particles (micron, 0–1, 1–3, 3–5, and 5–8 mm), liquid resin, and 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt% nano SiO2 as additives. Specimens were heated up to 1650 °C for the 3 h soaking period. Fired specimens were characterized by physical (apparent porosity, bulk density, and hydration resistance), mechanical (cold crushing strength), and... 

The atomic structure of metallic glasses (MGs) plays an important role in their physical and mechanical properties. Numerous molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to reveal the structure of MGs at the atomic scale. However, the cooling rates utilized in most of the MD simulations (usually on the order of 109-1012 K/s) are too high to allow the structure to relax into the actual structures. In this study, we performed long-term pressurized sub-Tg annealing for up to 1 μs using MD simulation to systematically study the structure evolution of Cu50Zr50 MG. We find that from relaxation to rejuvenation, structural excitation of MGs and transition during sub-Tg annealing depend on... 

During the past decades, development of reinforcing materials caused a revolution in the structure of high strength and high performance cement-based concrete. Among the most important and exciting reinforcing materials, Steel Fiber (SF) becomes a widely used in the recent years. The main reason for addition of SF is to enhance the toughness and tensile strength and limit development and propagation of cracks and deformation characteristics of the SF blended concrete. Basically this technique of strengthening the concrete structures considerably modifies the physical and mechanical properties of plain cement-based concrete which is brittle in nature with low flexural and tensile strength... 

Elastomeric bearings are becoming a preferred device for isolating bridges, buildings, and sensitive equipment structures. The technical specifications used to procure these isolators are considered as important factors for the consumers. Lack of communication between structural engineers and rubber technologists, causes structural engineers have slight understanding of rubber properties. In the present study, a number of compounds were initially designed and manufactured, based on a previously studied and manufactured isolator compound. The outcome of the experiments indicated the physical and mechanical properties. Afterwards, the targeted improvement led to modification of the compounds... 

This paper presents an experimental study on the interfacial characteristics of rammed earth materials stabilized with the combination of cement and alkali-activated fly ash (AAFA), an eco-friendly alternative for cement. Several direct shear tests were conducted to obtain cohesion and friction angle to do so. Moreover, pulse velocity and unconfined compression tests were exploited to assess other physical and mechanical properties of this material. Through the methodology used in this work, it is shown that the replacement of cement with AAFA dramatically improved cohesion, compressive strength, and pulse velocity. However, no general correlation was observed for the friction angle. © 2021,... 

Carbon nanotubes with unique physical and mechanical properties have shown great potential for biological applications, including tissue engineering and mimicking the structure and properties of human bones. In the present work, sol-gel synthesized nanocomposite powder of multi-wall carbon nanotube/hydroxyapatite characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and thermal analyses. The results show homogenous dispersion of nanotube in well-crystallized hydroxyapatite ceramic matrix. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscope observations show the sodium... 

In this research, the effects of nano-sized MgO in Al2O 3-SiC composites were investigated. The overall changes in the density and mechanical properties of sintered samples (hardness, bending strength and toughness) were evaluated. After mixing, drying and uniaxial compaction of the powders, they were first heat-treated at low temperature in an electric furnace to remove any residuals. They were then heat-treated at high temperature (1700 °C) inside a graphite furnace in argon atmosphere for sintering (at normal and high pressure). The content of MgO in the Al 2O3-10 vol% SiC composite was 0, 500, 1000, and 1500 ppm. Thefracture toughness(KIC)of sintered composite with 10... 

In this study, effects of replacing cement with colloidal amorphous silica nano-particles have been experimentally investigated on the physical and mechanical properties, durability and microstructure of concrete. Experimental results include workability, fresh concrete density, and hardened concrete properties like compressive strength at different ages of 3, 7, and 28-days, and also 28-days splitting tensile strength. Furthermore, influence of silica nano-particles on durability and microstructure of concrete for 28-days specimens was tested by conducting water absorption test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX), respectively. In order to study... 

Abstract Cu-15%NbC (volume fraction) powder was synthesized using the starting powders of Cu, Nb and graphite in a high energy vibratory disc mill for 7 h of milling under argon atmosphere. A composite sample and a Cu/NbC functionally graded material (FGM) sample were produced by using the two-step press and sintering at 900 °C for 1 h under vacuum. The microstructure and physical and mechanical properties of the specimens were investigated. The field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the synthesis of the nanostructure matrix of 18-27 nm with the nanoparticles reinforcement of 42 nm after sintering, verifying the thermal... 

In this research, copper matrix composites reinforced with different amounts of titanium carbide particles were produced by mechanical milling and in-situ formation of reinforcements. Morphology and size of milled powders were inspected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) several times during milling process. Changes in lattice parameter, crystallite size, lattice strain, dislocation density and Gibbs free energy changes (due to increasing in dislocation densities and grain boundaries) in different samples (with different TiC particles contents) were studied by X-Ray Diffraction technique with Cu-kα radiation and using Nelson-Riley method and Williamson-Hall equation. Microstructure of... 

Magnesia-dolomite refractories have advantages such as stability in the basic environments, clean steel production, high corrosion resistance, proper covering in the cement furnace, and low production costs. However, their application is restricted due to low hydration resistance. In this research, the effects of nano and micro alumina particles on the microstructure, sintering behavior, and properties of magnesia-dolomite refractories were studied. For this purpose, MgO-CaO refractories were formulated using dolomite and magnetite and 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt percentage nano and micro alumina were added to the formulation. Phase and microstructure analysis of the samples were performed using... 

There are many engineering applications in which composite materials are required to satisfy two or more criteria regarding physical and mechanical properties. In this article, Al-matrix nanocomposites reinforced with different volume fractions of SiC nanoparticles (~ 50 nm; up to 6%) were processed by powder metallurgy (P/M) routes through mechanical milling and hot consolidation techniques. Microstructural studies showed that nano-metric Al2O3 particles with a size of ~ 20 nm and volume fraction of ~ 2% were formed and distributed in the metal matrix, owing to the surface oxides breaking. Microstructural analysis also revealed that the size of cellular structure and the density of... 

Biocompatible porous polymeric scaffolds provide a suitable environment for proliferation of stem cells in human body. In this research work, porous gelatin–poly(ethylene glycol), PEG, based scaffolds were prepared using combination of freeze-gelation and freeze-extraction methods. Effects of various parameters such as freezing temperature, cross-linking agent, concentrations of gelatin and PEG and their blending ratio on physical and mechanical properties, swelling ratio, porosity, pore size, and degradation rate of scaffolds were investigated. Also, proliferation of fibroblast skin cells on the scaffolds was examined by MTS assay to assess the suitability of the scaffolds in wound healing... 

Copper matrix composites reinforced with TiO2particles are promising materials widely used as contact materials due to their excellent mechanical and physical properties such as good electrical and thermal conductivity and strength at high temperature. In this research, the novel contact material were prepared by in-situ oxidation of Cu-Ti pre alloyed powders. The morphology of milled powders and microstructure of nano-composite specimens were studied by SEM and TEM. To evaluate mechanical alloying progress of Cu and Ti powders mixture and internal oxidation after Cu2O addition, XRD analysis were carried out. The Physical and mechanical properties results of specimens indicate that the... 

In the present paper, phase and microstructural characterization of low carbon MgO-C refractories with addition of Fe-catalyzed phenolic resins as binder were investigated. Initially, phenolic resin was modified using various amounts of Fe particles as catalyst originated from iron nitrate ([Fe(NO3)3·9H2O]). The MgO-C matrix compositions were prepared by using 7% of modified phenolic resin, shaped and cured at 200 °C for 24 h. The cured samples were coked in the temperature range from 800 to 1400 °C and then characterized by XRD and FE-SEM techniques. Based on attained results, in-situ graphitic carbons, particularly in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) network were gradually formed from Fe-catalyzed... 

In this paper, the optimum alkali activator solution properties in alkali-activated pastes based on ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and micro-silica (MS) were investigated. For this purpose, sodium hydroxide (NH) solutions with molarities of 8 M, 12 M, and 16 M were prepared and mixed with sodium silicate (NS) solutions at NS:NH ratios of 1.0, 2.5, and 4.0 to produce the final activator solution. Two sets of pastes were manufactured: (1) pastes based on GGBFS, and (2) pastes in which 10% by weight of GGBFS was replaced with MS. The fresh density increased with increasing NH molarity and NS:NH ratio; whereas, the final setting time reduced with an increase in the aforementioned... 

Polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) are known as bio-based and biodegradable thermoplastic polymers that can be used in different applications owing to their inherent physical and mechanical properties. In order to reduce the higher costs of PLA and tuning its physical and mechanical properties suitable for short life packaging applications, blending of PLA with the TPS, more economical biodegradable polymer, has been considered in academic and industrial researches. However, melt blending of PLA with TPS without compatibilization process caused some drawbacks such as coarsening morphology and declining mechanical properties and ductility because of thermodynamic... 

In the present paper, phase and microstructural characterization of low carbon MgO-C refractories with addition of Fe-catalyzed phenolic resins as binder were investigated. Initially, phenolic resin was modified using various amounts of Fe particles as catalyst originated from iron nitrate ([Fe(NO3)3·9H2O]). The MgO-C matrix compositions were prepared by using 7% of modified phenolic resin, shaped and cured at 200 °C for 24 h. The cured samples were coked in the temperature range from 800 to 1400 °C and then characterized by XRD and FE-SEM techniques. Based on attained results, in-situ graphitic carbons, particularly in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) network were gradually formed from Fe-catalyzed...