Sharif Digital Repository

In this article an attempt was made to fabricate defect-free asymmetric polysulfone (PSf) membranes for the separation of oxygen and nitrogen. The approach is based on the enhanced delayed demixing by blending surface modifying macromolecules (SMMs) in the casting solution and by immersing the cast film in isopropanol for a certain period before it is immersed in water. Different SMMs, including hydrophobic and charged SMMs, were synthesized, characterized, and blended to the host PSf. It was found that the charged SMM could indeed contribute to the removal of defective pores from the skin layer and enhancement of oxygen/nitrogen selectivity. The experimental results were further interpreted... 

The current study investigated the effect of heat treatment parameters, including solution treatment temperature (STT), time, and quench rate, on the microstructure, defects, and hardness of an Al-16Si-6Cu Shift fork die-cast alloy. The changes in primary silicon particle (PSP) features were examined quantitatively by optical microscopy, coupled with image analysis and SEM equipped with EDS. The biggest PSPs (27 ± 8 µm) and the highest area fraction (23%) were found in the sample solution treated at 470°C and cooled in the furnace. The hardness value increased in heat-treated samples slightly (140–148 BHN). A lower STT (420°C) and a lower ageing time (1 h) are suitable conditions for the... 

In this paper, some important circuit parameters of a monolayer armchair graphene nanoribbon (GNR) field effect transistor (GNRFET) in different structures are studied. Also, these structures are Ideal with no defect, 1SVGNRFET with one single vacancy defect, and 3SVsGNRFET with three SV defects. Moreover, the circuit parameters are extracted based on Semi Classical Top of Barrier Modeling (SCTOBM) method. The I-V characteristics simulations of Ideal GNRFET, 1SVGNRFET and 3SVsGNRFET are used for comparing with SCTOBM method. These simulations are solved with Poisson-Schrodinger equation self-consistently by using Non- Equilibrium Green Function (NEGF) and in the real space approach. The... 

Cartilage is an avascular tissue with limited self-repair ability. Since the methods for treatment of cartilage defects have not been effective, new therapies based on tissue engineering are considered over the recent years. In this study, human cartilage tissue was decellularized and porous injectable microcarriers (MCs) composed of acellular extracellular matrix (ECM) of cartilage tissue and chitosan (CS), with different ECM weight ratios, were fabricated by electrospraying technique to be used in the treatment of articular cartilage defects. Various properties of ECM/CS MCs such as microstructure, mechanical strength, water uptake behaviour, and biodegradability rate were investigated.... 

Carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced polymer composites have attracted great attention due to their exceptionally high strength. Their high strength can be affected by the presence of defects in the nanotubes used as reinforcements in practical nanocomposites. In this article, a new three-phase molecular structural mechanics/finite element (MSM/FE) multiscale model is used to study the effect of CNT vacancy defects on the stability of single-wall (SW) CNT-polymer composites. The nanotube is modeled at the atomistic scale using MSM, whereas the interphase layer and polymer matrix are analyzed by the FE method. The nanotube and polymer matrix are assumed to be bonded by van der Waals interactions... 

Tunable microwave absorption characteristics are highly desirable for industrial applications such as antenna, absorber, and biomedical diagnostics. Here, we report BiNdxCrxFe1-2xO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) nanoparticles (NPs) with electromagnetic matching, which exhibit tunable magneto-optical and feasible microwave absorption characteristics for microwave absorber applications. The experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate the original bismuth ferrite (BFO) crystal structure, while Nd and Cr injection in the BFO structure may cause to minimize dielectric losses and enhance magnetization by producing interfacial defects in the spinel structure. Nd and Cr co-doping plays... 

Electronic and transport properties of 11 zigzag graphene nanoribbons (11-z-GNRs) with two types of 3D-paired pentagon-heptagon defects (3D-PPHDs) are studied using density functional theory combined with non-equilibrium Green's function method. The C ad-dimers that have been introduced to z-GNRs to form these 3D-PPHDs have induced local strains forcing the C-bonds in the ad-dimers to hybridize in sp3-like rather than sp2-like orbitals. Such transformations that cause extra electrons to accumulate around the 3D-PPHDs are responsible for the variations in the electronic and transport properties of the defected z-GNRs. Density of states (DOS) for 11-z-GNRs containing either type of 3D-PPHDs,... 

We investigate bonded boojum-colloids in nematic liquid crystals, configurations where two colloids with planar degenerate anchoring are double-bonded through line defects connecting their surfaces. This bonded structure promotes the formation of linear chains aligned with the nematic director. We show that the bonded configuration is the global minimum in systems that favor twist deformations. In addition, we investigate the influence of confinement on the stability of bonded boojum-colloids. Although the unbonded colloid configuration, where the colloids bundle at oblique angles, is favored by confinement, the bonded configuration is again the global minimum for liquid crystals with...