Sharif Digital Repository

Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCS) is the third-generation of solar cells based on semiconductors formed between a photo sensitized anode and counter cathode which make a photo electrochemical system. They haven’t been commercially marketed due to their lower efficiency than the previous generations. In order to achieve the higher efficiency, the electron injection and light absorption must be increased. One way to increase electron injection is doping the semiconductor with an external ion to reduce lattice band gap. In this work, we made powder and Nano-structured film of titanium dioxide doped with various molar ratios of Mg by the sol-gel process. The effect of Mg:Ti molar ratio on... 

This research explored the corrosion effect of NaCl solution on the surface quality of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Cubic-shaped specimens were immersed in standard 3.5% NaCl solution for 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours. The size of corrosion pits, fatigue crack propagation area, and surface topology were characterized. Fatigue tests were carried out on pre-corroded AZ31 specimens under different stress amplitudes. The correlation between the corrosion time and the virtual crack size was obtained. The virtual crack size is a new parameter that can relate the corrosion to the fatigue life. A new model was proposed to map the surface topology on the virtual crack size of pre-corroded AZ31 magnesium alloy. The... 

Due to compability of Magnesium with the body, it is a suitable material for making biodegradable stents, Althogh, its mechanical properties are not desirable for stent application. Accordingly, lately, magnesium’s microstructure and mechanical properties have been improved using various methods, including the process of severe plastic deformation (SPD). Many severe plastic deformation methods have been introduced for the fabrication of ultrafine grain tubes till now, which the process of tubular channel angular pressing (TCAP) is the most effective one. In the first part of the research, Magnesium tubes with a thickness of 1 mm were processed using the TCAP with a trapezoidal channel, and... 

Cyclic Contraction Expansion Extrusion (CCEE) is a new Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) method used to refine the microstructure and improve mechanical properties of Magnesium AZ91 alloy. In this study, different CCEE process zones are investigated via optical microscopy to understand this process better. The average grain size in the contraction zone decreased to 8.5 microns from an initial value of 106 microns. In the expansion zone, the average grain size was equal to 4.8 microns. Microhardness tests were conducted to study the improvements in mechanical properties. Microhardness of the sample increased from the initial value of 66 HV to 74.4 HV in the contraction zone and 88 HV in... 

In recent years, severe plastic deformation processes have been widely used to correct the grain size of metals. One of these methods is equal channel angular pressing. In this research, the improvement of mechanical property and structural changes of pure magnesium and AZ91 alloy after the ECAP process are investigated. The mold is made of H13 steel with a 90-degree channel crossing angle and a zero-degree external curve angle. The purpose of this study is to find the smallest average grain size at the optimum temperature on these materials. First, pure magnesium and AZ91 are subjected to the ECAP process at temperatures of 250, 300, 350, and 400 °C to calculate the best operating... 

Application of light metals such as Magnesium alloys due to proper mechanical behavior is increasing in industries such as automotive, electronics and so on. In this project, ingot of Mg-9Li-1Zn alloy with 10 mm thickness were produced by casting, then hot rolled at 300oC to reach 2mm thickness. Annealing at 350oC for 3 hours resulted homogenous properties in the final sheet.Study of monotonic and cyclic behavior of Mg-Li alloy by experiments and FE simulation was the goal of this project. Experimental monotonic and cyclic test were carried out in order to obtain the hysteresis loops and cyclic stress-strain curve. The Chaboche constant were extracted from the experimental test and used to... 

Magnesium alloys have been used in the production of light weight components in automobile industries (for example: the ladder frame and the valve cover) due to a good combination of low density (1740 kg/m3), the tensile strength (160-365 MPa) and the elastic modulus (45 GPa). For the design and the optimization of these components under various loadings and different conditions, it is necessary to determine fatigue properties of the material by using thermo-mechanical and low cycle fatigue tests at different temperatures. In thermo-mechanical fatigue tests, the temperature varies in a specific range with the mechanical strain. The goal of this research is to investigate low cycle fatigue... 

Nowadays, the application of magnesium alloys as biodegradable implants in the medical industry has garnered significant attention. However, the low mechanical properties and rapid degradation rate of pure magnesium implants in the biological environment have hindered their widespread use for clinical applications. Magnesium-calcium alloys, due to their low degradation rate and promotion of faster bone healing, have become attractive choices for orthopedic applications. Nevertheless, the micro alloy X0 used in this study lacks sufficient strength and flexibility, limiting its potential applications. Utilizing severe plastic deformation methods to create ultrafine microstructures can greatly... 

Polylactic acid (PLA) is considered as a great option to be employed as 3D porous scaffold in tissue engineering applications owing to its excellent biocompatibility and processability. However, relatively weak mechanical properties, low degradation rate and inappropriate biodegradability limit its extensive usage. In order to overcome the mentioned challenges, micrometric magnesium (Mg) particles were incorporated into the PLA matrix by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique. The effects of various Mg contents (i.e., 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%) on the mechanical, thermal, structural, wettability, rheological, biodegradability characteristics and cellular behavior of the 3D porous PLA-Mg... 

In this research, the strength and wear resistance of aluminum 5083 was improved by using composites with magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-20nm) and friction stir processing. The effect of the number of process passes and rotational speed variables, considering the number of one, three, and five passes at rotational speeds of 700, 1000, 1300, 1600, and 1900 rpm, was investigated on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of the composite. To determine the appropriate weight percentage of MgO powder, the longitudinal tensile strength of three composites with different weight percentages of 3, 4.7, and 6 were compared. The linear movement speed of the tool was selected as a constant... 

In Mg–Si alloys, both primary and eutectic Mg2Si particles normally appear with sharp edges, which can lead to weak mechanical properties as the result of stress concentration at the sharp corners of these brittle particles. On the other hand, the morphology, size and distribution of Mg2Si particles affect corrosion behavior of Mg–Si alloys. Thus, it would be of great importance to modify the morphology of these particles. In this study, microstructure modification mechanisms after 0.5 wt% Y addition and heat treatment (HT) at 420 ◦C for 24 h are comprehensively studied in hypo-eutectic Mg–1Si and hyper-eutectic Mg–2Si alloys. Microstructural observations were performed using optical and... 

Magnesium and its alloys have gained significant attention in medical applications due to their good biocompatibility. However, their widespread use has been limited by some inherent drawbacks, such as poor mechanical properties. The ZX00 magnesium alloy has been used in medical applications, including implants, due to its slow degradation rate and good ossification. However, this alloy lacks sufficient strength and ductility. The severe plastic deformation method can create an ultrafine grain structure and improve mechanical properties. In this study, to improve the mechanical properties and create an ultrafine grain structure, the multi-directional forging process was performed on... 

Biodegradable Mg-Ag alloys are promising implants for bone tissue regeneration due to their unique ability to reduce inflammation and infection after implantation with the presence of silver. However, their biological performance, including biodegradability, needs further improvement. In this regard, the effects of adding yttrium element, solution heat treatment and coating on the microstructure, biodegradability behavior, mechanical properties and biological characteristics of a cast Mg-2Ag alloy were studied. Addition of 1 wt% of yttrium caused grain refinement in the microstructure and solid solution heat treatment led to a significant decrease in the volume fraction of secondary phases.... 

Due to its biodegradability, magnesium can be a good option for making degradable medical implants that disappear in the body over time and thus there would be no need for secondary surgery. However, high rate of corrosion of magnesium in the body environment and low formability at room temperature are the two main problems of magnesium, which lead to rapid destruction of the sample in a short time and serious problems. For these reasons, much research is currently being done to improve the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of magnesium alloys through microstructure modification. In this regard, special attention has been paid to Mg-Li alloys as the lightest magnesium alloys. The... 

Biodegradable implants are new generation of implants that require no secondary surgery for their removal. Mg exhibits a great potential to be used as the biodegradable implant. However, mechanical properties and biocorrosion behavior of Mg are not suitable for being used as biodegradable implants. In this study, effects of Sr additions, heat treatments (T4 and T6), and multi-directional forging on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and biocorrosion behavior of Mg-4Zn-xSr alloys, and also the effect of hydrothermal coating on the biocorrosion behavior of Mg-4Zn-0.3Sr alloy were investigated. Potentiodynamic polarization and hydrogen evolution methods were used to... 

Magnesium has recently been considered as a biocompatible metal with mechanical properties close to bone for use in biological applications. On the other hand, the degradation properties of this metal in the physiological environment have made this metal superior to permanent biomaterials such as stainless steel, titanium alloys. The most important challenge of using this alkaline earth metal in the body environment is its rapid corrosion, which causes problems such as alkaline toxicity and loss of supporting role before complete tissue repair. In this study, Mg-Zn-Ag-Cu alloys were manufactured to improve mechanical strength, corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties. Finally, after... 

Magnesium and its alloys have gained much attention in medical applications, especially bio-degradable stents. However, they have not been used extensively due to their natural limitations, such as weak mechanical properties. WE43 magnesium alloy has gained attention as a bio-alloy due to its high temperature and good corrosion resistance. The present study aims to use a combination of ECAP and direct tube extrusion to fabricate thin wall tubes with good mechanical properties using WE43 magnesium alloy. In the first phase, the ECAP process at 370°C were conducted up to 4 passes on the homogenized samples to reach ultrafine grain structure. Subsequent to ECAP, direct tube extrusion at 230 °C,... 

This study investigates the effect of titanium dioxide and magnesium oxide additives on hydroxyapatite synthesized by sol-gel and composite with the predominant phase of hydroxyapatite by in situ method to improve mechanical properties. Scaffold samples were synthesized with nanometer-sized hydroxyapatite and composite powder particles by gel casting and sintered at 1200 ° C. Then, to evaluate the synthesized powders, simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), X-ray diffraction test, FTIR test, FESEM, EDS, and MAP analysis were used. Also, to evaluate the mechanical properties of the scaffolds, a compressive test was used, and to evaluate the scaffolds' density, the Archimedes method was used.... 

Methane steam reforming (MSR) is an assuring reaction using steam to produce H2 as clean energy over a nickel-based catalyst. We synthesized monometallic NiMgAl2O4 and bimetallic NiCoMgAl2O4 catalysts in a two-step combustion method using urea, glycine, and sucrose, as fuel. BET-BJH, XRD, TGA, TPR, FESEM, and EDX-mapping characterized surface area, porosity, morphology, crystalline structure, and metal-support interaction behavior. The products exhibited well-structured, simple MgAl2O4 spinel and NiO without NiAl2O4, in both specimens. The MSR evaluation tests at 750℃ under atmospheric pressure, CH4: H2O feed ratio of 1:1.6 showed the bimetallic catalyst has the highest conversion (99.30%)... 

In this research, Mg-Zn bulk metallic glasses have been investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. In order to study the structure of this alloy, coordination number, short and medium order of chemical range, Voronoi analysis, glass conversion temperature and atomic pair distribution function have been used. According to the results, the full icosahedral structure with IS connection type in comparison with other structures has an essential role in the stability of the system during cooling and creating medium-scale areas. The results show that the ability to form glass depends on the chemical composition and cooling rate. In this research, the cooling rate is considered to be 1011 K/s...