Sharif Digital Repository

In this work we report a new thermochemical method for the synthesis of ZnS:Mn nanocrystals. Zn(NO3)2 and Na2S 2O3 were used as the precursors and Mn(NO 3)2 was the source of impurity. Thioglycerol (TG,C 3H8O2S) was also used as the capping agent and the catalyst of the reaction. Na2S2O3 is a heat sensitive material which releases S species upon heating. Consequently, the reaction proceeds in temperatures higher than room temperature. The reaction was done in two steps. In the first step, the precursors were heated at 96 °C for an hour without TG. In the second step, TG was injected to the solution and the heating process was continued for longer heating durations. A fast growth occurred in... 

Here, a three dimensional nickel–based metal organic framework (MOF) was synthesized via solvothermal and room temperature protocols. In order to study the effects of the synthesis conditions on the physical properties such as pore sizes and shapes of the prepared MOFs, their extraction capabilities were examined. Both MOFs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller and thermogravimetric analyses. Brilliant properties such as porous structure, high surface area and considerable thermal stability make them reasonable candidates to be employed as efficient extractive phases. The efficiency of the... 

Abstract: In recent years, temporary skin grafts (TSG) based on natural biopolymers modified with carbon nanostructures have received considerable attention for wound healing. Developments are required to improve physico-mechanical properties of these materials to match to natural skins. Additionally, in-deep pre-clinical examinations are necessary to ensure biological performance and toxicity effect in vivo. In the present work, we show superior acute-wound healing effect of graphene oxide nanosheets embedded in ultrafine biopolymer fibers (60 nm) on adult male rats. Nano-fibrous chitosan-based skin grafts crosslinked by Genepin with physico-mechanical properties close to natural skins were... 

Core-shell iron-gold (Fe@Au) nanoparticles were synthesized by a facile reverse micelle procedure and the effect of water to surfactant molar ratio (w) on the size, size distribution and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles was studied. MTT assay was utilized to evaluate the cell toxicity of the nanoparticles. To functionalize the particles for MRI imaging and targeted drug delivery, the particles were coated by polyglycerol through capping with thiol followed by polymerization of glycidol. The characteristics of the particles were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometere (VSM), UV-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier... 

A series of biodegradable acrylic terminated polyurethanes (APUs) based on poly(ε-caprolactone) diol (PCL), aliphatic 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and hydroxyethyl methyl acrylate (HEMA) was synthesized as potential materials for hard tissue biomedical applications. PCLs with low molecular weights of 1000 and 2000 g/mol were employed to provide different amounts of end capped urethane acrylate in APUs. To control crosslink density, a mixture of two different reactive diluents including mono-functional HEMA and bi-functional ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) with different weight ratios was incorporated into the APUs, called here PUAs. Morphological characteristics and mechanical... 

Background: Titanium (Ti) implants are commonly coated with hydroxyapatite (HA). However, HA has some disadvantages such as brittleness, low tensile strength and fracture toughness. It is desirable to combine the excellent mechanical properties of ZrO 2 and the chemical inertness of Al 2O 3 with respect to the purpose of this project which was coating Ti implants with HA-ZrO 2-Al 2O 3 to modify the surface of these implants by adding ZrO 2 and Al 2O 3 to HA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hydroxyapatite coating nonocomposite. Methods: From September 2009 to January2011, functionally graded HA-Al 2O 3-ZrO 2 and HA coatings were applied on Ti samples. HA-Al 2O 3-ZrO... 

Employing of the composite electrospun scaffold containing herbal extract in conjugation with co-culturing of cells can open up new window to the design of efficient biomaterials for skin tissue regeneration. Here, we introduce the synergistic effect of composite electrospun nanofibrous scaffold of nylon66 loaded with Beta vulgaris (B. vulgaris) (extract of beet roots, a plants whose widely used in Iranian folk medicine as wound healing medicine) and co-culture of mesenchymal stem-cells (MSCs)-human keratinocyte (H-keratino) differentiation towards epithelial lineage. In vitro biocompatibility was examined through MTT assay and epithelial differentiation checked by real-time PCR and... 

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the relative stiffness of four common external fixation (XF) configurations used to span and stabilize the knee after knee dislocation. Methods: Synthetic composite femora and tibiae connected with cords were used to simulate a knee. Four configurations of external fixation were tested: anterior femoral pins with monotube (XF1), anterolateral femoral pins with monotube (XF2), anterolateral femoral pins with two connecting rods (XF3), and hinged ring fixator (XF4). Six specimens of each configuration were loaded nondestructively in varus/valgus, anterior-to- posterior shear, flexion/extension, axial compression, internal/external torsion,... 

The purpose of this study is to investigate production of high quality ammonium uranyl carbonate (AUC) from “uranyl nitrate + ammonium bicarbonate”, or “uranyl nitrate + sodium carbonate” precursor solutions, by controlled injection of ammonium carbonate solution which could be applicable in material testing reactor (MTR) fuel production plant for recycling of rejected uranium oxide powder. The experimental observations revealed: at pHs higher than 6, precipitation proceeds with formation of no intermediate, thus ensuing a better morphology and size distribution of the AUC products. The results of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, particle size analysis, and uranium content... 

Porous scaffolds composed of gelatin/poly (vinyl alcohol), (Gel/PVA), were prepared using combination of freeze gelation and freeze drying methods. The effect of polymer concentration, gelatin/PVA ratio, and glutaraldehyde/gelatin ratio (GA/Gel) was investigated on morphology of pores, swelling ratio, biodegradation, and skin cell culture. At optimum preparation conditions the scaffolds had uniform pore size distributions showing high swelling ratio of 23.6. The scaffolds were of biodegradable nature and almost degraded in 28 days. Human dermal fibroblast cells (HDF) were cultured on the scaffolds and MTS assay was conducted to evaluate the influence of PVA on growth and proliferation of the... 

In the present research, the introduction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into the hydroxyapatite (HA) matrix and dip coating of nanocomposite on titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) plate was conducted in order to improve the performance of the HA-coated implant via the sol-gel method. The structural characterization and electron microscopy results confirmed well crystallized HA-MWCNT coating and homogenous dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the ceramic matrix at temperatures as low as 500 C. The evaluation of the mechanical properties of HA and HA/MWCNT composite coatings with different weight percentages of MWCNTs showed that the addition of low concentrations of MWCNTs (0.5 and 1 wt.%)... 

We produced bifurcated bone-like shape memory implant (BL-SMI) with desirable tooth-root fixation capability by compact-sintering of TiH2–Ni-urea mixture. The primary constituents of the porous product were Ni and Ti. We could adjust the pores' shape, size, and interconnectivity for favorite bone ingrowth by using urea as a space holder. Without urea, we obtained an average porosity of 0.30, and a mean void size of 100 μm. With 70 vol % urea, we got 62% interconnected pores of 400 μm average size. Aging allowed us to tune the austenite-martensite transformation temperatures towards the needed body tissue arouse. Differential scanning calorimetry measured the transformation temperatures.... 

Post-deposition annealing effects on nanomechanical properties of granular TiO2 films on soda-lime glass substrates were studied. In particular, the effects of Na diffusion on the films' mechanical properties were examined. TiO2 photocatalyst films, 330 nm thick, were prepared by dip-coating using a TiO2 sol, and were annealed between 100 °C and 500 °C. Film's morphology, physical and nanomechanical properties were characterized by atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential thermo-gravimetric analysis, and nanoindentation. Contrary to expectations, the maximum film hardness was achieved for 300°C annealing, with a value of 0.69 ± 0.05 GPa.... 

The performance of cellular solids in biomedical applications relies strongly on a detailed understanding of the effects of pore topology on mechanical properties. This study aims at characterizing the failure mechanism of scaffolds based on nodal connectivity (number of struts that meet in joints) and geometry of the pores. Plastic models of scaffolds having the same relative density but different cubic and trigonal unit cells were designed and then fabricated via three dimensional (3-D) printing. Unit cells were repeated in different arrangements in 3-D space. An in-situ imaging technique was utilized to study the progressive deformation of the scaffold models. Different nodal... 

Field-effect transistors have been widely used to study electronic transport and doping in colloidal quantum dot solids to great effect. However, the full power of these devices to elucidate the electronic structure of materials has yet to be harnessed. Here, we deploy nanodielectric field-effect transistors to map the energy landscape within the band gap of a colloidal quantum dot solid. We exploit the self-limiting nature of the potentiostatic anodization growth mode to produce the thinnest usable gate dielectric, subject to our voltage breakdown requirements defined by the Fermi sweep range of interest. Lead sulfide colloidal quantum dots are applied as the active region and are treated... 

The dissolution of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (PHA) coatings with different characteristics, produced by various spraying conditions, in a Tris-buffered solution at pH 7.4 was experimentally studied through the measurement of the release of calcium ions. The phase composition of the coatings at surface and interface, and the porosity were evaluated. The analytical modeling revealed that the calcium dissolution process was composed of two stages. The first stage was found to be both surface and diffusion controlled. The second stage was an exactly diffusion-controlled dissolution. In the first stage, the rate of dissolution and the solubility of the coatings with minimum contents of... 

Background: Extensive full-thickness burns require replacement of both epidermis and dermis. In designing skin replacements, the goal has been to re-create this model and make a product which has both essential components. Methods: In the present study, we developed procedures for establishing confluent, stratified layers of cultured human keratinocytes on the surface of modified collagen-chitosan scaffold that contains fibroblasts. The culture methods for propagation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts isolated from human neonatal foreskin were developed. The growth and proliferation of normal human keratinocytes were evaluated in serum-free (keratinocyte growth medium) and our modified... 

Influence of length and volumetric percentage of steel fibres on energy absorption of concrete slabs with various concrete strengths is investigated by testing 28 small steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) slabs under flexure. Variables included; fibre length, volumetric percentage of fibres and concrete strength. Test results indicate that generally longer fibres and higher fibre content provide higher energy absorption. The results are compared with a theoretical prediction based on random distribution of fibres. The theoretical method resulted in higher energy absorption than that obtained in experiment. A design method according to allowable deflection is proposed for SFRC slabs within... 

Using the skin tissue engineering approach is a way to help the body to recover its lost skin in cases that the spontaneous healing process is either impossible or inadequate, such as severe wounds or burns. In the present study, chitosan/gelatin-based scaffolds containing 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1% allantoin were created to improve the wounds’ healing process. EDC and NHS were used to cross-link the samples, which were further freeze-dried. Different in-vitro methods were utilized to characterize the specimens, including SEM imaging, PBS absorption and degradation tests, mechanical experiments, allantoin release profile assessment, antibacterial assay, and cell viability and adhesion tests.... 

Nanofibrous structures mimicking the native extracellular matrix have attracted considerable attention for biomedical applications. The present study aims to design and produce drug-eluting core-shell fibrous scaffolds for wound healing and skin tissue engineering. Aloe vera extracts were encapsulated inside polymer fibers containing chitosan, polycaprolactone, and keratin using the co-axial electrospinning technique. Electron microscopic studies show that continuous and uniform fibers with an average diameter of 209 ± 47 nm were successfully fabricated. The fibers have a core-shell structure with a shell thickness of about 90 nm, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. By...