Sharif Digital Repository

As an important precursor of crystalline phases, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), especially ultrasmall ACC clusters, have been attracting great interest in fundamental research, materials chemistry, as well as industrial applications. However, it is still challenging to synthesize stable ACC clusters in water that can be isolated and concentrated without severe aggregation. Herein, we report a facile dialysis method for producing colloidally stable ACC clusters that are well dispersed in water with the protection of specific polycarboxylic acids, which could be also easily deprotected by small-molecule acids like sodium citrate. Inherent proto-calcite short-range order is found to be... 

The coefficient of performance (COP) of a photovoltaic panel or module is defined as the ratio of the total electrical energy produced by the panel during its life to the total energy spent for its manufacture. All processes involved for the manufacture of photovoltaic panels were considered and the energy spent per unit mass of the final product during each process was determined. The total electrical energy spent for the manufacture of a photovoltaic module of 1×0.5 m dimensions, employing 340 micron wafers, with the net wafer area of 0.36 m2, was then determined. Monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon cells were employed. It was found that for the manufacture of the PV module... 

The influence of electron beam irradiation on neat nylon 6 was manifested by formation of molecular branches deduced from increase in melt flow index and intrinsic viscosity. Crosslinking of nylon 6 was carried out using electron beam irradiation in presence of triallyl cyanurate (TAC). The crosslinked samples showed a high level of gel content. At a given dose, increasing the TAC level from 1% to 3% increased the gel content of the samples slightly and correspondingly decreased the percent of water absorption. The melting temperature decreased with increasing the dose and the TAC level. All samples containing TAC showed some decrease in crystallinity under exposure to electron beam. The... 

Amorphous chalcogenides in the form of bulk or thin films are known as photosensitive materials that undergo changes in optical or structural properties upon irradiation. Here we study the optical properties of nanocomposite films of ZnS-SiO2 illuminated with ultraviolet (UV) light and relate them to the photo-induced evolution of roughness, as well as photo-crystallization effects in these films. We observe that upon UV irradiation a new crystalline phase of ZnSiO3 is formed in the nanocomposite film. This is accompanied by the evolution of surface roughness on the film. © 2005 IOP Publishing Ltd  

The optical and electrical properties of semiconductor nanoparticles are strongly dependent on their size. A flexible control of the size of the nanoparticles is of interest for tuning their properties for different applications. Here we use a coupled method to control the size of CdS nanoparticles. The method involves the photochemical growth of CdS nanoparticles together with the use of a capping agent as an inhibiting factor. CdS nanoparticles were formed through a photoinduced reaction of CdSO4 and Na2S2O3 in an aqueous solution. Mercaptoethanol (C2H6OS) was used as the capping agent, and we investigated the effect of illumination time, illumination intensity and the concentration of... 

Perovskite materials with ABX3 structure (A: organic, B: metal, and X: halides) have attracted tremendous attention due to their outstanding optoelectronic properties. Herein, a novel approach is developed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), i.e., metal alloying of halide-perovskite domain via ion-transfer (MAHDI) for the growth of high-quality perovskite films, grown directly from a metal precursor. This technique easily enables us to replace the toxic Pb metal (B site) with other metals using alloying approach. Using the proposed approach, we fabricated stable and efficient Pb–In perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.2%, which is more... 

Radiopacity is sometimes an essential characteristic of biomaterials that can help clinicians perform follow-ups during pre- and post-interventional radiological imaging. Due to their chemical composition and structure, most bioceramics are inherently radiopaque but can still be doped/mixed with radiopacifiers to increase their visualization during or after medical procedures. The radiopacifiers are frequently heavy elements of the periodic table, such as Bi, Zr, Sr, Ba, Ta, Zn, Y, etc., or their relevant compounds that can confer enhanced radiopacity. Radiopaque bioceramics are also intriguing additives for biopolymers and hybrids, which are extensively researched and developed nowadays for... 

Faujasite (X, Y) zeolites are considered the main and important catalysts in hydrorefining processes. In order to obtain zeolites with higher acidity and volume of mesopores, post-synthesis modification, dealumination by different pickling techniques (using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [EDTA] chelating agent), and thermal treatment (calcination) were employed. The dealumination process led to the removal of the aluminum atoms from the zeolite structure and a rise in acidity while maintaining the zeolite crystalline lattice. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM),... 

As an important precursor of crystalline phases, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), especially ultrasmall ACC clusters, have been attracting great interest in fundamental research, materials chemistry, as well as industrial applications. However, it is still challenging to synthesize stable ACC clusters in water that can be isolated and concentrated without severe aggregation. Herein, we report a facile dialysis method for producing colloidally stable ACC clusters that are well dispersed in water with the protection of specific polycarboxylic acids, which could be also easily deprotected by small-molecule acids like sodium citrate. Inherent proto-calcite short-range order is found to be... 

Lithium batteries have been widely used to power up implantable medical devices such as pacemakers that are often designed to treat, diagnose, and prevent different diseases. However, due to their limited capacity and lifetime, patients have to undergo a surgical procedure to replace the discharged battery. Recently, nanogenerators have been emerged and are broadly accepted since they can convert tiny biomechanical forces, such as heartbeats, into electrical energy. This study aims to manufacture a biocompatible and high-performance piezoelectric energy harvester (PEH) that is capable to be charged by the energy received from the heartbeat and store the generated voltage. In this research, a... 

Perovskite solar cells fabrication process need inert or low humidity atmospheres. While highly efficient perovskite solar cells to overcome the photovoltaic marketing should be achieved stability at any environmental conditions. At high humidity, water molecules react with the perovskite layer and increase the degradation rate, leading to a drastic decrease in device performance and perovskite crystallinity. In this work, the effect of environmental humidity on photophysical parameters of wide bandgap, (WBG) perovskite layer and solar cells stability is systematically investigated and tBP is proposed as an additive in perovskite precursor to increase the moisture resistance and improve the... 

Co–Zr doped Ni ferrite substituted polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites were prepared using polymerization reaction method. NiFeCo0.5Zr0.5O4 with 12.5%, 25%, 37.5% and 50% PANI (A1, A2, A3 and A4) were used to obtain better photocatalytic efficiency. XRD, UV/VIS, BET, and FESEM were employed to characterize the PANI/ferrite nanocomposites. The effect of reaction time and nanoparticle concentrations on the photocatalytic degradation were thoroughly evaluated. XRD analysis confirmed the phase of NiFeCo0·5Zr0·5O4ferrite, while FESEM analysis was performed to investigate the surface morphology of the nanocomposites. The crystallinity was increased with the Co–Zr doped Ni ferrite contents in the... 

The biodegradability and mechanical properties of polysaccharides are dependent on their architecture (linear or branched) as well as their crystallinity (size of crystals and crystallinity percent). The amount of crystalline zones in the polysaccharide significantly governs their ultimate properties and applications (from packaging to biomedicine). Although synthesis, characterization, and properties of polysaccharides have been the subject of several review papers, the effects of crystallization kinetics and crystalline domains on the properties and application have not been comprehensively addressed. This review places focus on different aspects of crystallization of polysaccharides as... 

The alkaline treatment condition plays a crucial role in governing the ultimate properties of flax fibers. In this study, flax fibers were modified with mild alkalization and severe mercerization conditions to give fundamental insight into how the molecular-scale changes in cell wall fine structure and cellulose supramolecular structure can affect the macroscopic properties of fibers. SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and DSC techniques were employed to characterize the variations in morphology, composition, crystalline structure, and thermal properties of fibers. Also, tensile tests evaluated their reinforcing performance in polypropylene-based composites. The results indicated that alkalization in 5%... 

In order to make a Na–Y zeolite with Si/Al ratio of 2.27 more acidic with a higher volume of mesopores, a combination of different and consecutive methods including; chemical (i.e.; utilizing different compounds, such as NH4F and EDTA) and thermal/hydrothermal (i.e.; implementing calcination/steaming) methods, were employed for modification and dealumination. The combination of acidic-hydrothermal dealumination method led to a further structural collapse compared to that of the acidic calcination. In comparison with the other dealumination methods, the fluorination strategy (i.e.; utilizing NH4F) resulted in a zeolite with higher crystallinity, acidity, and specific surface area. The... 

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are a new class of crystalline microporous solids with superior properties compared to their inorganic counterparts that offer a great variety of properties. Fe-MIL-88A is a biocompatible MOF with a flexible structure that can be synthesized in various morphologies via different chemical methods. The present study proposes two efficient methods, namely, microemulsion and surfactant-assisted solvothermal method, to prepare Fe-MIL-88A nanorods with narrow size distribution and well-defined morphology. The morphology, crystalline and chemical structure of the prepared samples were studied using FESEM images, XRD patterns and FTIR spectra, respectively, and their... 

The principal intention of this work is to fabricate and characterize the polyamide/chitosan nanocomposite by a novel single solvent method through the electrospinning procedure. The thermal properties and morphology of prepared nanocomposite are studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). TGA exposed that the primary decomposition temperature is reduced with rising of chitosan content in the nanocomposites and origin disintegration temperature for polyamide/chitosan nanocomposites is perceived to be in the range from 300 to 500 °C. Also, FE-SEM images demonstrated that the nanofibers of chitosan have good adhesion on the matrix and... 

Higher than a standard level, the humidity provides a suitable environment for the pathogenic microorganisms to grow and increases energy consumption for cooling, increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Desiccant air-conditioning (DAC) is an effective method to reduce humidity and energy simultaneously. Conventional desiccants are not suitable for use as a desiccant in building air conditioners, mainly because of high regeneration temperature and other issues such as limited equilibrium capacity and hydrothermal and cyclic instability. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a novel class of porous crystalline materials without the disadvantages of traditional desiccants. They benefit from a huge...