Sharif Digital Repository

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... 

The BaCe0.9Y0.1O3-δ (BCY) perovskite membrane was successfully synthesized by liquid citrate method. The phase structure of the powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize microstructures of the membrane sintered under various conditions. Sintering temperatures and dwell time during sintering influence the final microstructure of the ceramic. Results showed that increasing sintering temperature resulted in a dense membrane with clear grains. An increase of dwell time was favorable to produce membranes with larger grains in the sintered ceramics. A density of 5.87 g/cm3 was reached for the membrane after sintering at 1200 °C... 

The morphological manipulation and structural characterisation of TiO 2-MgO binary system by an aqueous particulate sol-gel route were reported. Different crystal structures including pure MgTiO 3, mixtures of MgTiO 3 and TiO 2 and mixtures of MgTiO 3 and Mg 2TiO 4 were tailored by controlling Mg:Ti molar ratio and annealing temperatures as the processing parameters. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that all compounds crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C. Furthermore, it was found that the average crystallite size of the compounds depends upon the Mg:Ti molar ratio as well as the annealing temperature, being in the range 3-5 nm at... 

A cyclic forward-backward extrusion (CFBE) process was used as a severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique to produce ultrafine-grained aluminum rods. Yield strength and tensile strength of the specimens increased by increasing the number of CFBE cycles, while elongation to break decreased due to an increase in the grain refinement and microhardness. According to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) results, the average grain size was reduced from 120 μm to 315 nm after only 3 cycles of CFBE  

Ce-doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films with Ce/Zn ratio fixed at optimum value (10 at.%) have been prepared via sol-gel method at different annealing temperatures varied from 180 to 500 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. According to AFM analysis, the average grain size increased from about 70 nm to 150 nm by increasing the annealing temperature from 300 to 500 °C. Moreover, based on the XPS data analysis, it was found that three major metal ions namely Ce 3+, Ce4+, and Zn2+ coexist on the surface of the nanocomposite films. XPS data analysis also revealed that... 

The low temperature perovskite-type strontium titanate (SrTiO 3) thin films and powders with nanocrystalline and mesoporous structure were prepared by a straightforward particulate sol-gel route. The prepared sol had a narrow particle size distribution with hydrodynamic diameter of about 17 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the synthesized powders had a perovskite-SrTiO 3 structure with preferable orientation growth along the (1 0 0) direction. TEM images showed that the average crystallite size of the powders annealed in the range 300-800°C was around 8 nm. FE-SEM analysis and AFM images revealed that the deposited thin films had mesoporous and nanocrystalline structure with the... 

The effect of particle size, lattice strain and crystallite size on the hydrogen desorption properties of nanocrystalline magnesium hydride powder was investigated. Commercial MgH2 powder was milled in a Spex 8000M up to 16 h and its structural evolution and desorption characteristics at different time intervals were examined using various analytical techniques. At the early stage of milling, the formation of metastable γ-MgH2 phase was noticed. While the crystallite size gradually decreased to 12 nm with increasing the milling time, the accumulated lattice strain gained a maximum value of 0·9% after 4 h milling. The highest drop in the desorption temperature (∼100°C) was attained at the... 

Nanostructured TiO2-ZrO2 thin films and powders were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. Titanium (IV) isopropoxide and zirconium (IV) acetate hydrate were used as precursors, and hydroxypropyl cellulose was used as a polymeric fugitive agent in order to increase the specific surface area. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that the powder were crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C, containing anatase-TiO 2 and tetragonal-ZrO2 phases. Furthermore, it was found that ZrO2 retarded the anatase-to-rutile transformation up to 900 °C. The activation energies for crystallite growth of TiO2 and ZrO2 components in... 

Perovskite-type barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films and powders with nanocrystalline and mesoporous structure were prepared by a straightforward particulate sol-gel route at room temperature. The prepared sol had a narrow particle size distribution of about 20 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that phase composition and preferable orientation growth of BST depended upon the annealing temperature. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the crystallite size of the powders decreased with increasing annealing temperature from 8 nm at 25 °C down to 5 nm at 800 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) analysis and atomic force microscope (AFM) images... 

Nanostructured AA6063 (NS-Al) powder with an average grain size of ~100. nm was synthesized by high-energy attrition milling of gas-atomized AA6063 powder followed by hot extrusion. The microstructural features of the consolidated specimen were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques and compared with those of coarse-grained AA6063 (CG-Al) produced by hot powder extrusion of gas-atomized powder (without using mechanical milling). The consolidated NS-Al alloy consisted of elongated ultrafine grains (aspect ratio of ~2.9) and equiaxed nanostructured grains. A high fraction (~78%) of high-angle grain boundaries with average... 

Friction stir processing (FSP) was used to fabricate AZ31/Al2O3 nanocomposites for surface applications. The effects of probe profile, rotational speed and the number of FSP passes on nanoparticle distribution and matrix microstructure were studied. The grain refinement of matrix and improved distribution of nanoparticles were obtained after each FSP pass. By increasing the rotational speed, as a result of greater heat input, grain size of the base alloy increased and simultaneously more shattering effect of rotation, cause a better nanoparticle distribution. The average grain size of matrix of the composites was in the range of 1-5μm and the microhardness of them was 85-92Hv  

Nanostructured CoTiO3 thin films and powders were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol–gel route. Titanium(IV) isopropoxide and cobalt chloride were used as titanium and cobalt precursors, respectively. Also, hydroxypropyl cellulose was used as a polymeric fugitive agent in order to increase the specific surface area. The effect of Co:Ti molar ratio and annealing temperature were studied on the crystallization behavior and chemical properties of the products. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the powders crystallized at the low annealing temperature of 300 °C for 1 h, containing anatase-TiO2,... 

Equal channel angular pressing is an effective technique to control the texture and microstructure of metals and alloys. Texture and microstructure of an Al-7075 alloy subjected to repetitive equal channel angular pressing through a 90° die were evaluated by X-ray diffractometer and orientation imaging microscopy. It is observed that processing through different routes leads to different types of textures, in both qualitative and quantitative senses. The texture calculation by Labotex software reveals that texture strengthens after the first pass and weakens by progressing ECAP process up to 4 passes. Microstructure investigations show that after 4 passes of equal channel angular pressing... 

Nanostructured TiO2-CeO2 thin films and powders were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. Titanium (IV) isopropoxide and cerium chloride were used as precursors, and hydroxypropyl cellulose was used as a polymeric fugitive agent in order to increase the specific surface area. The effect of Ce:Ti molar ratio was studied on the crystallisation behaviour of the products. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C, containing anatase-TiO2, rutile-TiO2 and cubic-CeO2 phases, as well as Ti 8O15, Ti3O5 and Ce 11O20 depending on annealing temperature and Ce:Ti molar... 

Nanocrystalline nickel titanate (NiTiO3) thin films and powders with mesoporous structure were produced at the low temperature of 500 °C by a straightforward particulate sol-gel route. The sols were prepared in various Ni:Ti molar ratios. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the powders contained mixtures of the NiTiO 3 and NiO phases, as well as the anatase-TiO2 and the rutile-TiO2 depending on the annealing temperature and Ni:Ti molar ratio. Moreover, it was found that Ni:Ti molar ratio influences the preferable orientation growth of the nickel titanate, being on (202) planes for the nickel dominant powders (Ni:Ti ≥ 75:25) and on (104) planes for the... 

Nanocrystalline neodymium titanium oxide thin films and powders with different phase compositions with mesoporous structure were produced by a straightforward particulate sol-gel route. The sols were prepared in various Nd:Ti molar ratios and they showed a narrow particle size distribution in the range 20-26 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders contained mixtures of Nd4Ti9O24, Nd2Ti4O11, Nd3Ti4O12 for titanium dominant powders (Nd:Ti ≤ 45:60), mixtures of Nd2TiO5 and Nd2O3 for neodymium dominant powders (Nd:Ti ≥ 75:25) and pure Nd3Ti4O12 phase for equal molar ratio of Nd:Ti, depending on the annealing temperature and Nd:Ti... 

Low temperature lithium titanate compounds (i.e., Li4Ti 5O12 and Li2TiO3) with nanocrystalline and mesoporous structure were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. The effect of Li:Ti molar ratio was studied on crystallisation behaviour of lithium titanates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders were crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C and the short annealing time of 1 h. Moreover, it was found that Li:Ti molar ratio and annealing temperature influence the preferable orientation growth of the lithium titanate compounds. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the average... 

Nanocrystalline zinc titanate (ZnTiO3) thin films and powders with purity of 94% were produced at the low sintering temperature of 500 °C and the short sintering time of 1 h by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. The effect of Zn:Ti molar ratio was studied on the crystallisation behaviour of zinc titanates. The prepared sols showed a narrow particle size distribution in the range 17-19 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the powders contained mixtures of the rhombohedral-ZnTiO3, cubic-ZnO, cubic-Zn2TiO4 phases, as well as the anatase-TiO2 and the rutile-TiO2 depending on the sintering temperature and Zn:Ti molar ratio.... 

TixSi1-xO2 compound thin-film systems were deposited by reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering technique. The effect of Ti concentration on the hydrophilicity of TixSi1-xO2 compound thin films was studied and it was shown that the films with Ti0.6Si0.4O2 composition possess the best hydrophilic property among all the grown samples. Surface ratio and average roughness of the thin films were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface chemical states and stoichiometry of the films were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, XPS revealed that the amount of Ti-O-Si bonds in nanometer depth from the surface of the Ti0.6Si0.4O2 films was the maximum, which resulted... 

In this study, the thermal cycles and the grain structure in the weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) are predicted. At the first stage, a combined heat transfer and fluid flow model is employed to assess the temperature fields during and after welding of 304 stainless steel and then, the evolution of grain structure is conducted using the predicted temperature distribution and an analytical model of grain growth. The grain sizes of the CGHAZ (coarse grain heat affected zone) achieved from the model are basically in agreement with those obtained from experimental measurement under different heat inputs in the range of 0.33-1.07 MJ/m. Both the experimental data and the calculated results show that...