Sharif Digital Repository

Titanium nitride-carbon nanocomposites are synthesized by the reaction of TiCl4 and NaN3 in supercritical benzene medium that also serves as a carbon source. The as-prepared precursors (SI, SII) are subjected to several heat treatments (SIII-SV). The synthesized nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The samples are tested as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline electrolyte. It is shown that the electrocatalytic properties of the synthesized nanoparticles are... 

Platinum nanotubes (PtNTs) are fabricated by potentiostatic electrodeposition at various overpotentials (−200 up to −400 mV versus SCE) in polycarbonate templates (PCTs) with pore diameter of 200 nm in a solution containing 5 mM H2PtCl6 and 0.1 M H2SO4. The synthesized PtNTs are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical growth mechanism within nanoscopic pores and the relationship between morphological variations and kinetic parameters are investigated for the first time. It is shown that more porous structure of nanotubes forms at high overpotentials possibly due to preferably nucleation. The... 

The controlled and stable crystal structure, reduction in Curie temperature and semiconducting nature of oxide materials are the key factors for magnetoelectrical applications. Therefore, Co0.6Mn0.4GdxFe2-xO4 where x = 0, 0.033, 0.066 and 0.10 were synthesized to analyse the structural, morphological, magnetic, and electrical properties using a sol-gel autocombustion approach. The X-ray diffraction pattern reveals that the cubic crystallite size decreases with increasing smaller content of Gd3+ oxides without any secondary phase. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) study explain the complete morphology,... 

Designing efficient and inexpensive catalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is vital for achieving sustainable and green hydrogen fuel production through water electrolysis. Herein, we have synthesized several bi- and trimetallic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of Co, Ni, and Mn metals and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid linker. The MOFs were prepared via a simple hydrothermal method, and their electrocatalytic performances in alkaline OER were investigated. A battery of analytical techniques was employed to characterize the as-synthesized materials, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),... 

In the present work, N-doped hollow carbon nanospheres (N-HCNSs) is prepared by direct carbonization of polyaniline-co-polypyrrole (PACP) hollow spheres without template needing. Two different NiO nanostructures (nanosheets and nanowires) are prepared by forming a shell around the N-HCNSs via simple hydrothermal/calcination processes (NiO-NSs@N-HCNSs and NiO-NWs@N-HCNSs). The morphology and structure of the nanostructures are characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The prepared nanocomposites are used as catalysts for the electrocatalytic... 

Here in, for the first time, we report a new and simple procedure for preparing reduced graphene oxide/nickel-cobalt double layered hydroxide composite on the nickel foam (Ni-Co LDH/rGO/NF) via a fast and simple two-step electrochemical method including potentiostatic routes in the presence of CTAB as a cationic surfactant. Graphene oxide coated nickel foam prepared by simple immersion method. After that, the prepared electrode reduced electrochemically to obtain rGO/NF electrode. Finally, the rGO/NF electrode was used as cathode for electrodeposition of Ni-Co LDH in the presence of CTAB as cationic surfactant. The prepared electrodes were characterized by field emission scanning electron... 

Here in, for the first time, we report a new and simple procedure for preparing reduced graphene oxide/nickel-cobalt double layered hydroxide composite on the nickel foam (Ni-Co LDH/rGO/NF) via a fast and simple two-step electrochemical method including potentiostatic routes in the presence of CTAB as a cationic surfactant. Graphene oxide coated nickel foam prepared by simple immersion method. After that, the prepared electrode reduced electrochemically to obtain rGO/NF electrode. Finally, the rGO/NF electrode was used as cathode for electrodeposition of Ni-Co LDH in the presence of CTAB as cationic surfactant. The prepared electrodes were characterized by field emission scanning electron... 

Photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMRs), coupling photocatalysts and membranes in a single system, have shown a considerable potential to reduce membrane fouling, which is one of the major drawbacks of using membranes to treat water and wastewater. In this study, the visible light-activated photocatalysts were incorporated into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) casting solution to synthesize the photocatalytic composite membranes. The physicochemical properties and the morphology of the membranes and photocatalysts were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance... 

In the present study, thermally oxidized nanodiamond (OND) was first modified non-covalently with dodecylamine (DDA) as corrosion inhibitor. In this respect, reactive primary amine of DDA molecule with high isoelectric point (IEP) could interact easily with negative charge carboxylic acid groups of OND. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) proved that OND nanoparticle was successfully functionalized by DDA up to approximately 5 wt% grafting contnet. Both OND and dodecylamine modified OND (DND) were loaded in epoxy (EP)/polyamine hardener matrix at the same concentration of 1 wt% and applied on mild steel substrate. Morphology of EP-DND and... 

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys have been widely used as implant materials, due to their superior shape memory properties and similar mechanical behavior to bone tissue. The presence of nickel on the surface of nickel-titanium alloy and release of this ion in the body environment will result in some allergic reactions. In current study, we used shot pinning process to produce nanocrystalline nickel-titanium alloy with increased corrosion resistance. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and atomic force microscopy were employed to investigate the surface features of samples. The quantitative chemical analysis of NiTi and modified... 

In this study, the different parts of carthamus tinctorius plant, including petal (SPE), leaf (SLE), and shoot (SSE), have been extracted. Adsorption of the extracts on mild steel in 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution was evaluated employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical noise measurements (EN). The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were employed to appraise the morphology of the samples surface subjected to the test solutions. According to the EIS results, the maximum adsorption efficiency belonged to the solution containing 1 g L−1 of... 

Growing demands for clean and renewable energy technologies have sparked broad research on the development of highly efficient and stable non-noble metal electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this regard, in the present work a three-dimensional Fe2TiO5/nitrogen-doped graphene (denoted as 3D FTO/NG) hybrid electrocatalyst was synthesized via a facile in-situ process using a hydrothermal method. Structural characterization of the prepared nanocomposite is performed by various techniques e.g. field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra (XPS),... 

Given the growing need for renewable energy and related technologies, researches have shifted to develop low-cost, stable, high-efficiency electrocatalysts in clean energy generation reactions such as water electrolysis. In the present paper, a three-dimensional Fe2TiO5/nitrogen-doped graphene (3D FTO/NG) nanocomposite is prepared using a simple, cheap and fast method, called chemical bath deposition (CBD). Structural and physical characterizations of the prepared electrocatalysts are performed by different methods such as Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform InfraRed spectra (FT-IR), Dynamic Light Scattering... 

A series of reduced graphene oxide/ZnxCd1-xS (RGO/ZnxCd1-xS) nanocomposites (0 < x < 1) with different ratios of Zn/Cd were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route under optimized experimental conditions and were carefully characterized by various techniques. Because very little is known about the morphology, specific surface area, and crystal phase effects of RGO/ZnxCd1-xS crystals on their photoresponsivity, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), BET surface area analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data were studied to investigate their effects on photoactivity. Based on the results, a crystal phase transition from a cubic phase in RGO/Zn0.9Cd0.1S to a hexagonal... 

Herein, a novel Pt-APA composite (APA = pyridinium bromide salt) based on magnetic graphene oxide was synthesized and used as an effective catalyst. In this way, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are grown on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets by a simple and practical method which creates a unique nanostructure (Fe3O4/GO) through dispersing uniformly among graphene nanosheets. The resulted Pt-APA composite was obtained via adding PtCl2 to an ethanol solution of Fe3O4/GO and α-keto stabilized pyridinium ylide in related conditions. The synthesized nanocomposite structure was identified using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive... 

An Al2O3/Si3N4 nanocomposite coating was successfully fabricated on commercial aluminum alloy. Hardness measurements, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to study the mechanical and corrosion behaviors of the coatings. Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to characterize the surface morphology and phase composition of the coatings. Also, coatings abrasive wear properties were evaluated with a modified ASTM G105 standard. FE-SEM image, EDS and XRD analysis revealed the presence of Si3N4 in the coating. Furthermore, the results showed hardness of... 

In this study, the effects of pulse current mode on corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of anodized coatings were explored. Thickness and hardness measurements, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were employed to take mechanical and corrosion behaviors of the anodized coatings into consideration. Also, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was utilized to characterize the surface morphology of the coatings. It was shown that in short anodizing times, coating thickness is controlled by the heat concentrated on coating. Although at prolonged anodizing times, the coating thickness is affected by average current density. Hardness measurements showed... 

In this study, the effects of pulse current parameters on corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of anodized coatings were evaluated. Hardness measurements, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests were employed to investigate the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of these coatings. Also, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to analyze the surface morphology and microstructure of the coatings. It was found that the properties of anodized coatings were dependent on various parameters, among which, time, temperature and pulse current parameters (current density limit, frequency and duty cycle) were optimized. Analysis of Variance... 

Pure titanium nanoparticles were synthesized by utilizing an Electromagnetic Levitation Melting Gas Condensation (ELM-GC) method. Pure bulk titanium samples were melted and evaporated by electromagnetic levitation technique in an inert gas atmosphere in a silica tube. Titanium nanoparticles were formed from ascending vapor by employing high purity argon and helium as carrier gases and cooling agents. Particle size and morphology of the produced nanoparticles were studied by Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis. Results showed almost spherical nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution under both cooling atmospheres. The purity of... 

Inorganic NiTiO3 nano-pigments have received recent attentions as possible candidates for cool materials to be used in building roofs and facades. In this paper, we have attempted to develop an innovative low temperature pathway (processed at 50 °C) for obtaining NiTiO3 nanocrystals by an ultrasound-assisted wet chemical processing method. Different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) were used in order to characterize the size, morphology and optical responses of the obtained NiTiO3...