Sharif Digital Repository

The main challenge in many applications of acetic acid is acid dehydration and its recovery from wastewater streams. Therefore, the performance of polyamide thin film composite is evaluated to separate acetic acid from water. To reach this goal, the formation of polyamide layer on polysulfone support membrane was investigated via interfacial polymerization (IP) of meta-phenylenediamine (MPD) in water with trimesoyl chloride (TMC) in hexane. Also, the effect of synthesis conditions, such as concentration of monomers and curing temperature on separation of acetic acid from water were investigated by reverse osmosis process. Moreover, the separation mechanism was discussed. The solute... 

The diseases and disorders of the cornea may lead to blindness, and cornea transplantation has been an effective treatment in this regard. However, lack of cornea throughout the world makes this treatment difficult. Therefore, the first goal of the present study is to make a chitosan/gelatin hyaline film with NHS and EDC crosslinkers for transplanting the epithelial cells of the cornea. Two solutions of gelatin and chitosan were mixed homogeneously before crosslinking in ratios of 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, and 50/50 (Gel/Chi). After 24 hours, they were put in an oven to dry, then EDC and NHS were added to the mixture as crosslinker. Corneal epithelial cell morphology was assessed qualitatively... 

CdSe nanowires were grown in polycarbonate track etched membrane with pore diameter of 80 nm by an electrochemical deposition technique. The mechanism of the growth was studied during the potentiostatic deposition of nanowires. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry results showed binding of fragments and fraction of atoms for the CdSe nanowires. Microstructure and morphology of synthesized CdSe nanowires were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Optical spectrophotometry technique was used to determine the energy band gap of CdSe nanowires. It was found that the nanowires were resistive in the dark and exhibited a pronounced visible light photoconductivity.... 

Magnesium nanopowder has attracted many interests in the recent years, which has a very difficult and costly synthesis process because of its high activity. In this work, magnesium nanoparticles stabilized with amorphous carbon (Mg–C nanoparticles) were synthesized by submerged arc discharge technique in kerosene. The arc discharge was generated between two electrodes of magnesium at the arc current of 1 A and arc voltage of 50 V. Mg–C nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques. Dynamic light scattering result indicated that size of magnesium nanoparticles is about 35 nm. X-ray diffraction showed that the produced sample consisted of hexagonal magnesium and amorphous carbon and... 

Magnesium nanopowder has attracted many interests in the recent years, which has a very difficult and costly synthesis process because of its high activity. In this work, magnesium nanoparticles stabilized with amorphous carbon (Mg–C nanoparticles) were synthesized by submerged arc discharge technique in kerosene. The arc discharge was generated between two electrodes of magnesium at the arc current of 1 A and arc voltage of 50 V. Mg–C nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques. Dynamic light scattering result indicated that size of magnesium nanoparticles is about 35 nm. X-ray diffraction showed that the produced sample consisted of hexagonal magnesium and amorphous carbon and... 

Three new chromophores based on the triphenylamine (MM, DM, DN) with various novel electron withdrawing anchoring groups have been synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The sensitizers were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR, Mass, UV–Vis, and electrochemical analysis. The HOMO and LUMO electron distributions of the sensitizers were calculated using density functional theory on a B3LYP level for geometry optimization. The DSSC device based on DM dye showed the best photovoltaic performance among MM and DN dyes: maximum monochromatic incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) of 98 %, short circuit current (JSC) of 4.58 mA/cm2, open circuit voltage (VOC) of... 

Abstract: Polyoxometalate-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2–MnPOW) were successfully synthesized via covalent anchoring of Mn(II)-substituted phosphotungstate on ammonium-modified Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The complete characterization of nanoparticles has been carried out by scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and elemental analysis. The resulting nanocomposites were efficient catalysts for the selective oxidation of sulfides with different green oxidants in good to excellent yields and also high selectivity. Leaching and recycling tests showed that the nanocatalyst can be reused several times without... 

The reduced graphene oxide-Fe2O3 (rGO-Fe2O3) nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile and low-cost hydrothermal method employing rGO and Iron (III) nitrate precursors. The synthesis parameters including the reduction time and presence of reduction aid are studied. The structural and morphological studies of the nanocomposites were investigated by using Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that Fe2O3 nanoparticles with average particle size of 25 nm are well anchored on graphene sheets and the weight percent of the nanoparticles in the nanocomposites was influenced by the reduction... 

This study aims to 3D print titanium alloy constructs incorporating gradient of porosities, from the fully dense core to the porous outer surface. Gradient porous specimens were prepared using selective laser melting (SLM). Fully dense specimens fabricated by SLM were used as the control group. Characterization of samples was done using X-ray tomography, uniaxial compression testing, and optical and scanning electron microscopes. The biocompatibility of fabricated samples was investigated using human periodontal ligament stem cells via assessment of cell attachment, viability, and proliferation by direct and indirect assays. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test.... 

Abstract: This study investigates the catalytic activity of mixed–metal oxide nanoparticles with different surface acidities on asphaltene adsorption followed by catalytic oxidation–decomposition. Three different types of mixed–metal oxide nanoparticles (CeNiO3, CeCaO3 and CeZrO4) were synthesized, and their size, structure, and acid properties were characterized by field–emission scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), the high–resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH3–TPD). Asphaltenes were extracted... 

Sol-gel technique was used to coat multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with anatase titania to increasing the surface area and improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Room temperature ballistic conduct of MWCNT combined with semiconducting behavior of anatase brought about a photocatalytic improvement of ∼37 % with respect to the highest methyl orange decolorization flair. For characterization and photocatalytic efficiency determination, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission (FE) scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy were rehearsed. Attachment of anatase... 

In this study, a new polymeric functionalized magnetic nanocatalyst containing a molybdenum Schiff base complex was prepared using a few consecutive steps. Poly (methylacrylate)-coated magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized via radical polymerization of methyl acrylate onto modified magnetic nanoparticles followed by the amidation of the methyl ester groups with hydrazine. Polymeric functionalization efficiently provides the advantage that more catalytic units can be grafted on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles. The functionalization process was continued with salicylaldehyde which introduced Schiff base groups on to the surface of the polymeric support. In the final step, the desired... 

The synthesis of nanocomposites via in situ grafting polymerization due to its ability to produce polymeric materials with promising microscopic and macroscopic characteristics is becoming very attractive. In this paper, different poly(L-Lactide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PLLA-b-PCL) copolymers were in situ synthesized in the presence of modified titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (mTNP) as the initiator and stannous octoate as the catalyst. The surface of TiO2 was modified by grafting aminopropyl trimethoxy silane to improve initiator efficiency. Copolymers with 90/10, 70/30, and 50/50 mass ratio of L-lactide/ ε-caprolactone and 5 wt% of mTNP (proportional to ε-caprolactone) were... 

In this study, a semi-conductive nanocomposite for electrically controlled drug delivery is introduced. Hydrolyzed collagen known as a naturally abundant polypeptide was modified with polycaprolactone. This modification changed the mechanical properties of the hydrolyzed-collagen. A hydrogel compound was synthesized through radical co-polymerization of acrylic acid on the backbone of this biocompatible polymer in the presence of a crosslinker. The reaction parameters affecting the water absorbency of the hydrogel were optimized using Taguchi method. In situ polymerization of aniline, incorporated conductive nanofiber pathways throughout the hydrogel matrix. 1H NMR, TGA, AFM, SEM, FTIR,... 

The ion exchange process is a promising method for lithium extraction from brine and seawater having low concentrations of this element. To achieve this goal, it is vital to use an effective adsorbent with maximum lithium adsorption potential together with a stable structure during extraction and insertion of the ions. In this study, titanium dioxide and then lithium titanate spinel with nanotube morphology was synthesized via a simple two-step hydrothermal process. The produced Li4Ti5O12 spinel ternary oxide nanotube with about 70 nm diameter was then treated with dilute acidic solution in order to prepare an adsorbent suitable for lithium adsorption from local brine. Morphological and... 

Synthesis and characterization of Nafion/TiO2 membranes (TiO2 1 wt%) with different solvents (DMF, DMAc, NMP) for proton exchange membrane operating at Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) was investigated in this study. Nanocomposite membranes are studied due to their better physical properties and higher production voltage in comparison with Nafion 112 in MFC systems. Nafion/TiO2 nanocomposite membranes were prepared by solution casting Method. The structures of membranes were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In addition, water uptake, proton conductivity, and ion exchange capacity (IEC) of membranes were measured and compared with Nafion 112 in microbial fuel cell. The... 

Supportless Ni-Pd-0.1CNT foamy nanocatalyst with specific surface area of 611.3 m2/g was produced by electroless deposition of nickel, palladium and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) on interim polyurethane substrate. Application of temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) data into Kissinger (Redhead) kinetic model showed lessening of their activation energies due to Pd and CNT addition. Presence of foamy Ni/SiC caused 8% higher steam reforming of methane; while Ni-Pd-0.1CNT presence resulted in 22% higher methane conversion. The catalytic behavior of the samples was described by morphological and compositional studies which were carried out by... 

Hierarchical TiO 2 nanorod/nanoflower thin film was synthesized on fluorine doped tin oxide glass via hydrothermal and aqueous chemistry methods. According to field emission scanning electron microscopy results, the thin film was crack-free and uniform. Primary nanorods had an average diameter of 95 nm and a length of 2 µm. They were perpendicular to the substrate owing to the TiO 2 prenucleation. Growth of the nanoflowers on the nanorods could increase both the specific surface area and roughness. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy showed that the nanorods were rutile; while the nanoflowers were anatase. Efficient electron transfer from anatase to rutile could therefore occur.... 

A novel multi stimuli-responsive silica nanocomposite with a core-shell structure is synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The SiO2 nanoparticles are chemically modified via 3-(trimethoxylsilyl) propyl methacrylate (MPS) which they are used in the core of nanocomposite. The macro-RAFT agent is prepared by RAFT polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), spirooxazine acryloyl monomer (SOM), and 2-(dodecylthiocarbonothioylthio)-2-methylpropionic acid (DDMAT as a RAFT agent). Finally, the smart nanocomposite is prepared by reaction between the macro-RAFT agent and 2-(Dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) as a monomer. SOM as a... 

In this study, nano-sized diamond particles (ND) were functionalized in two consecutive stages. First, dry thermal oxidation was employed to obtain carboxylated ND. In the next step, carboxylated ND was properly surface modified through wet chemistry to acquire aminated-ND (ND-NH2). Then, polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized in the presence of aminated-ND particles at a broad concentration from 1 wt% to 70 wt% to obtain PANI/ND hybrid nanostructures. The chemical structure, morphology, and thermal stability of nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized by different techniques such as FT-IR, UV–visible, TGA, XRD, FESEM, and TEM. It was observed that the morphology of PANI/ND...