Sharif Digital Repository

Skin as the largest organ of the body is constructed of three distinctive layers referred to as epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and acts as body’s first barrier against infectious agents and contains mostly sweat glands. Dermis is the mid-layer of the skin which makes up to 70% of the skin and plays a significant role in maintaining body’s metabolism and is home to a huge part of skin’s vascular network, nerve cells and hair follicles. Hypodermis on other hand, is the deepest layer of the skin and mainly acts as a bonding layer between upper skin layers and the soft tissue underneath. Although skin is proved to have a profound ability to... 

3D bioprinting technology is a promising approach for corneal stromal tissue regeneration. At first, two different concentrations of GelMA macromer (7.5% and 12.5%) were tested for corneal stroma bioprinting. Due to high macromer concentrations, 12.5% GelMA was stiffer than 7.5% GelMA, which made it easier to handle. In terms of water content and optical transmittance of the bioprinted scaffolds, we observed that scaffold with 12.5% GelMA concentration was closer to the native corneal stroma tissue. Subsequently, cell proliferation, gene and protein expression of human corneal stromal cells encapsulated in the bioprinted scaffolds were investigated. Cytocompatibility in 12.5% GelMA scaffolds... 

This investigation presents synthesis and characterization of pure and monophasic hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2; HA) Nanostructures prepared by coral and oyster shell powders heated at 800 oC for 8 h as precursor via precipitation method. The morphology of HA nanostructures was controlled in the presence of various surfactants such as SDS, CTAB and PVP. The HA Nanorods synthesized by SDS were applied to fabricate bone scaffolds. Particle sizes of the HA Nanoparticles were about 20-30 nm. Pours three-dimensional HA/Ge/CMC scaffolds cross-linked by citric and oxalic acids were synthesized. In order to increase the pore size of the scaffolds, NaCl with medium (180-250 µm) and large (420-500... 

Mammalian cardiac tissue lacks the ability to effectively self-regenerate following severe damage. The application of external therapeutic agents with strong mechanical properties is needed to restore its function. Even though conventional therapies have several challenges and limitations, injectable hydrogels, with minimally invasive, can significantly improve cardiac tissue regeneration. Extracellular matrices are the most appropriate biomaterials for synthesizing cardiac scaffolds. The human amniotic membrane obtained from the amniotic sac is a readily available, abundant, and inexpensive candidate that has been successfully utilized for the clinical treatment of cardiac diseases.... 

Photochromism is defined as a reversible transformation of a chemical species between two forms having different absorption spectra induced in one or both directions by photoirradiation. Among various organic photochromic compounds, including spiropyrans, azobenzenes, spirooxazines, dyarylethenes and fulgides, spiropyranes have been attracted more attention due to their more sensitivity towards photo, pH, heat, pressure and solvent polarity. UV irradiation of spiropyrans, breaks the C-O bond of pyran ring and makes cis-trans isomers. Therefore, closed structure of the molecule, named as spiro (SP), is converting into the flattered and conjugated merocyanine (MC). Mc is photochromism, polar... 

Reverse osmosis membranes are one of the most common methods of desalination of water in the world today. In the meantime, aromatic polyamide thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes have one of the best performances and can be widely used in industry. This project aims to make surface modifications on the made raw membranes and increase the degree of crosslinking to improve the functional properties of the membrane, such as the percentage of salt rejection and the flux of permeate, and the reduction of fouling. For this purpose, polyvinyl alcohol and l-arginine along with maleic anhydride as the crosslinking agent and hexamethylene diisocyanate were used for surface modification of the... 

Three-dimensional cell culture and forming multicellular aggregates is superior over traditional monolayer approaches due to better mimicking in vivo conditions and hence functions of a tissue. A considerable amount of attention has been devoted to devising efficient methods for the rapid formation of uniform sized multicellular aggregates. Restoring cartilage to healthy state is difficult due to low cell density and hence low regenerative capacity. Currently used platforms are not compatible with clinical translation and require dedicated handling of trained personnel. However, when engineering and implanting cell microaggregates in a higher concentration, new cartilage is efficiently... 

Poly (vinylidene Fluoride) (PVDF)/organoclay nanocomposite films were prepared via melt mixing, solution casting and Co-precipitation techniques. The effects of different kinds of nanoclay, sample preparation techniques and electron beam irradiation on PVDF/Nanoclay nanocomposite are reported in this research project. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study thermal properties and crystallinity of the PVDF and its nanocomposites. The chemical and crystalline structure of the samples was analysed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the mechanical properties of the PVDF nanocomposite were characterized by stress strain test. The degree of... 

Vulcanization is one the most crucial process in elastomer manufacturing products. It has been shown that network structure and curing kinetic are strongly dependent on curing system formulation. In addition reinforcing fillers in elastomers can affect them as well. By commencement of nanofillers in rubber domain, effects of nanofiller presence on rubber behavior have been investigated by reaserchers.
In this Project the effect of different curing system formulations on vulcanization kinetic and network structure of NR/SBR elastomeric matrice filled by nanodiamond is investigated. Different ingredients and nanodiamond were added to matrix by mechanical mixing in two roll mill. The... 

Low temperature cracking is the most important type of asphalt pavement distress that occurs in cold climates. Up until the development of performance grading (PG) based binder specification, there was no irect indication of low temperature suitability of asphalt binders. PG specification was mainly developed for and validated by neat binders.
With increased use of modified asphalt binders in recent years, some of the limitations and shortcomings of the original PG specifications have surfaced.Considering that low temperature cracking is a fracture failure, it was hypothesized that tests based on the fracture mechanics and fracture energy parameter can lead to better classification of... 

Polyethylene is the most widely used plastic material in the world for reasons such as lightweight, good strength, good processability, low cost, and low maintenance cost, and very good chemical resistance. One of the applications of polyethylene that has received much attention in recent decades is its use in the manufacture of hot water pipes. To maintain the properties of polyethylene at high temperatures, it must be crosslinked at a proper level. Appropriate antioxidants should be used to prevent the degradation and oxidation of polyethylene during the process as well as long-term operation. Concomitant use of phenolic antioxidants for long-term stability during service and phosphorus...