Sharif Digital Repository

The main aim of this study was to improve current efficiency and to obtain thicker coatings via aluminum oxide (Al2O3) addition to the chromium (Cr) (III) bath. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Pure Cr and nanocomposite Cr–Al2O3 coatings were electrodeposited from Cr (III) bath onto cathode copper substrates by conventional method. Dependence of current efficiency to current density, Al2O3 content and particle size were investigated. Findings ‐ Current efficiency increased with Al2O3 amount and decreased with Al2O3 particle size. Maximum current efficiency was achieved at 25 A/dm2 for pure Cr and 30 A/dm2 for composite coatings. Al2O3 bath content, current density and stirring rate increased... 

Liquid phase deposition is a method to grow conformal TiO2 films with good crystallinity on various substrates. The growth depends on the hydrophilicity of the substrate surface and we found that mica is a substrate capable of forming uniform and thick films. Films were grown using an aqueous solution of TiF4 through a hydrolysis-condensation process. We have studied films properties; morphology, porosity and thickness, in terms of growth conditions, i.e. TiF4 concentration, growth temperature, deposition time and pH. The porosity of films was shown to rapidly increase from about 18% to about 25% and remained the same for longer growth times. The growth process of films could be identified... 

Porous network-like MnO2 thick films are successfully synthesized on a flexible stainless steel (SS) mesh using a simple and low-cost electrodeposition method followed by an electrochemical activation process. Morphology, chemical composition, and crystal structure of the prepared electrodes before and after the activation process are determined and compared by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The results show that the implementation of the electrochemical activation process does not change the chemical composition and crystal structure of the films, but it influences the surface morphology of the MnO2... 

Optothermal properties of noble metal nanoparticles can be used in a wide range of applications. This paper presents the results of a theoretical study on the utilization of laser-induced heating of a gold nanoparticle (GNP) to melt a region of a transparent material with sub-wavelength spatial resolution. The considered system consists of a 10 or 15nm diameter GNP fixed inside a silica substrate. The silica surface is covered with a thick film of the transparent polymeric or crystalline material. The heating and melting processes are studied under a 7.5ns pulsed laser illumination. Calculations are conducted under three temperature limits, on the maximum temperature of the free electrons,... 

We develop a facile route for deposition of mesoporous TiO2 thick films over several micrometers by sol–gel and evaporation-induced self-assembly processes using Pluronic F127. The light harvesting of deposited films by two different methods (i.e., using a viscous gel and a paste) is studied by controlling their mesoscopic characteristics, phase composition and thickness for dye-sensitized solar cells applications. It is revealed that the mesoscopic films have mixtures of anatase and rutile crystal structures with surface area in the range 50.6–94.6 m2/g. We observe that the mesoporous TiO2 films prepared under optimized conditions improve light harvesting and dye loading of photoelectrodes.... 

Corrosion of mild steel in aqueous solutions containing hydrogen sulphide was modelled under the condition that an iron sulphide film was formed on the steel surface. In the present model, the iron sulphide forms on the steel surface as a result of a solid state reaction between iron and hydrogen sulphide which has several steps. First a very thin film of iron sulphide nucleates on the steel surface. Then, due to further growth of the initial thin layer, a more porous layer of iron sulphide forms on the initial film. In the present model, it is assumed that mass transfer through the thin iron sulphide layer (i.e. adjacent to the steel substrate) controls the corrosion rate of steel in H 2S... 

TiO2 deposited on a membrane of Ag fibers was prepared as a photoelectrochemical cell electrode. Ag fibers were made by reduction of Ag complexes on cellulose fibers, followed by burning out the template. TiO 2 photocatalyst layers were grown on the fibers by electrophoretic deposition of TiO2 nanoparticles. Ag fibers could be uniformly deposited. Photocatalytic tests by dye decomposition and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) under UV illumination demonstrate that Ag fibers act as a good substrate that provides both high surface area and good separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and causes the enhancement of photocatalytic activity in comparison with a thin film of... 

A new facile strategy for fabrication of high surface area electrode in the form of mixtures of coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and TiO2 nanoparticles with various weight ratios is reported. The so-called polymeric gel process was used to deposit thick film containing uniform distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles and coated CNTs with high porosity by dip coating for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) applications. Based on simultaneous differential thermal analysis, the minimum annealing temperature to obtain inorganic- and organic-free films was determined at 500°C. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that deposited films were composed of primary nanoparticles with crystallite size in the range... 

A novel simple synthetic procedure for fabrication of high surface area nanostructured TiO2 electrode with uniform particles for photovoltaic application is reported. Modifying the TiO2 particulate sol by pH adjustment together with employment of a polymeric agent, so-called polymeric gel process, was developed. The polymeric gel process was used to deposit nanostructured thick electrode by dip coating incorporated in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that deposited film was composed of primary nanoparticles with average crystallite size in the range 21-39 nm. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images showed that deposited film... 

A facile sol-gel synthesis for self-agglomeration of metallic silver nanoparticles, with fcc crystalline structure, on the silica surface in a low annealing temperature has been introduced. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed initial agglomeration (∼30 times greater than the nominal concentration of Ag) of the nanoparticles on the surface of the dried film (100 °C) and also their oxidation as well as easy diffusion (with 0.08 eV required activation energy) into the porous silica thin films, by increasing the annealing temperature (200-400 °C). By raising the Ag concentration from 0.2 to 1.6 mol% in the sol, the average size of the Ag nanoparticles increased from ∼5 to 37 nm...