Sharif Digital Repository

This study focuses on a forward looking approach in which deep eutectic solvents (DESs), a new class of designer solvents, were impregnated into micro porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane for the separation of CO2 from CH4. Three types of DESs were prepared by mixing and heating of hydrogen bond acceptor (choline chloride) with either malic acid, tartaric acid or oxalic acid as hydrogen bond donor. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the hydrogen bond interactions in the resulting DES. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate the thermal stability of the prepared membranes. The DES based supported liquid membranes were investigated systematically to... 

This study demonstrates a new strategy in which deep eutectic solvents (DES), a new class of sustainable organic solvents, were impregnated into micro porous polymer support for separation of CO2 from CH4. Three different types of DESs were prepared by mixing and subsequent heating of betaine as hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) in combination with either glycerol (G), ethylene glycol (EG) or urea (U) as hydrogen bond donors (HBD) in 1:3 stoichiometric mole ratio. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was performed to confirm the formation of DESs. The gas permeation results showed that permeability of CO2 increased from 31.23 to 35.67 Barrer on substitution of HBD from glycerol to... 

In this study, superhydrophobic dual layer membranes with highly porous structure were fabricated using electrospinning and electrospraying techniques. Electrospinning method was used to produce the support nanofibrous layer using polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PH) as the polymer and a mixed solvent system of N,N-Dimetylformamide (DMF) and acetone. Afterwards, hydrophobic, functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the support layer using the electrospraying technique. TiO2 chemical functionalization and their deposition on the support layer were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy. The... 

Colloidal quantum dot solar cells have recently attracted significant attention due to their low-processing cost and surging photovoltaic performance. In this paper, a novel, reproducible, and simple solution-based process based on supercritical fluid toluene is presented for in situ growth and deposition PbS nanocrystals with oleic-acid passivation. A lead precursor containing sulfur was mixed with oleic acid in toluene and processed in a supercritical fluid condition at different temperatures of 140, 270 and 330 °C for 20 min. The quantum dots were deposited on a fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrate inside the supercritical reactor. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction,... 

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... 

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... 

Polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polypropylene are the main polymers in E-waste, existing about 31%, 16%, and 13%, respectively. In this research, the effects of the elimination of low-density materials (such as polymers and plastics) were studied using the shaking table method. Bioleaching of Cu and Ni against the original sample (Sample #1) and pre-treated sample without low-density materials (Sample #2) was compared. The amount of bioleached metals and growth characteristics (including pH, Eh, bacterial count) was investigated within 25 days. The analysis of Sample #1 showed that at pulp density of 15 g/l, 94% and 79% of Cu and Ni were recovered maximally, respectively,... 

A facile approach for the preparation of core-shell structured poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-coated Fe3O4 cluster@SiO2 nanocomposite particles as the support materials for the lipase immobilization is reported. Low- or high-molecular-weight (1800 and 100 000, respectively) PAA molecules were covalently attached onto the surface of amine-functionalized magnetic silica nanoacomposite particles. The successful preparation of particles were verified by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential measurement, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. Once lipase is covalently... 

Pr doped spinel nanoferrites having following composition Cu Pr x Fe 2-x O 4 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00) were synthesized using sol-gel route. Prosademium (Pr) which is a rare earth metal was doped to tailor the properties of the Cu spinel nanoferrites. Characterization tools such as FTIR, XRD, FESEM and VSM were employed to investigate the phase, absorption bands, structure, microstructure and magnetic properties. FTIR was used to see the absorption bands and force constants of the Pr doped Cu spinel nanoferrites. Crystallite size, lattice parameters, cell volume and micro strains were determined from XRD data. Bulk density, X-ray density and porosity of the Pr doped Cu spinel... 

Copper (Cu) substituted Co–]Ce nanoferrites with nominal composition of Co 1-x Cu x Ce 0.05 Fe 1.95 O 4 (x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00) were prepared by sol-gel route. The sintering of the Cu doped Co–]Ce nanoferrites was done at 700 °C to investigate the desired properties of the Cu doped Co–]Ce nanoferrites. The combination of transition metal (Cu) and rare earth (Ce) were employed to tailor the characteristics of the spinel ferrites. The constant ratio of rare earth and systematic doping of Cu in Co ferrite was incorporated to see the effects of these ions in spinel ferrite. FTIR, FESEM, XRD and VSM were used to study the vibrational bands, phase, morphology, structure and magnetic... 

We substitute indium present in the CuInS2 ternary compound by iron and zinc using a facile one-pot synthesis method. The quaternary compound of CuIn1-xMxS2 (M = Fe and Zn) was synthesized by dissolving CuCl, InCl3, FeCl3, Zn(ac)2 and SC(NH2)2 as precursors in 1-octadecene, oleylamine and oleic acid as non-coordinating, coordinating and capping agent solvents, respectively. Oleic acid, oleylamine and thiourea were used respectively as a hard Lewis base, borderline Lewis base (in comparison with oleic acid) and soft Lewis base to form appropriate complexes. The complex formation, structure, and... 

The structural and dielectric properties of Gadolinium substituted U-type hexaferrites (Sr4Zn2Fe36O60) were investigated. The samples were synthesized via the Sol-gel auto combustion route. In a muffle furnace, these samples were sintered for 5 h at 1250 °C. The pellets of synthesized powder samples were characterized by XRD, PL, Dielectric, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopies. Structural elucidation of Sr4Zn2Fe36-xGdxO60 was done via XRD. The obtained XRD patterns were matched with the prior literature. The impact of Gd3+ substitutions was measured on all the lattice parameters. Lattice constants “a" and “c" were found between 5.871 and 5.900 Å and 111.76–112.23 Å, respectively. The PL spectra... 

Co2+ and Cr3+-substituted SrBaCu2-xCoxCryFe28-yO46 X-type hexaferrite with x = y = 0, 0.1 to 0.5 (step = 0.1) were prepared through auto-combustion sol–gel method and sintered at 1250 °C for 5 h which was found from thermal analysis. The thermal investigation, phase detection, spectral, magnetic, and dielectric characteristics of the prepared composition were investigated by TGA, XRD, FTIR, VSM, and dielectric measurement. XRD patterns of the entire composition confirmed the development of a single phase of X-type structure. The enhancement in the lattice parameters and cell volume was observed by varying the Co–Cr concentration, attributed to the larger ionic radii substitution. FTIRspectra... 

A facile sonochemical method has been developed to prepare very small zinc sulfide nanoparticles (ZnS NPs) of extremely small size about 1. nm in diameter using a set of ionic liquids based on the bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide anion and different cations of 1-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium. The structural features and optical properties of the NPs were determined in depth with X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The energy band gap measurements of ZnS NPs were calculated by UV-vis absorption... 

Homopolymer hydrogel of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and its nanocomposite counterpart were prepared to study their swelling properties. The hydrogels showed ability to absorb and retain electrolytes as well as binary mixtures of water and organic solvents (i.e., methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethylene glycol (EG), polyethylene glycol, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The nanocomposite gel exhibited lower swelling in all solvent compositions in comparison with non-composite gel. Unlike conventional acrylic acid-based hydrogels, the poly(AMPS) gels showed superabsorbing capacity in pure ethanol, methanol, EG, DMSO and NMP. Meanwhile, swelling... 

A mechanochemical method was applied to prepare bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr) nanoplates using bismuth nitrate pentahydrate and potassium bromide for 15 (A15), 30 (A30) and 60 (A60) minutes. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed that all the products were comprised of nanoplates. Aggregated nanoplates along with microblocks were observed for A15 and A30 and the entire morphology was not homogenous. The morphology of A60 was uniform and consisted of thin and isolated nanoplates. Evaluation of the X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the purity and crystallinity of the products improved by increasing the milling time. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the high purity of the... 

An economical epichlorohydrin cross-linked chitosan @ magnetic Fe3O4/activated carbon nanocomposite, CH-EP@Fe3O4/AC, was successfully synthesized and used as a suitable adsorbent material for removal of a triphenylmethane cationic dye, Malachite green (MG), an anionic dye, Reactive red 120 (RR120), and Mercury ions (Hg2+) from aqueous solution. The prepared adsorbent has been characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis as well as Vibrating sample magnetometer. According to the result of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, the prepared adsorbent has a specific surface area... 

A short lifespan and increased consumption patterns make e-waste the world's fastest-growing waste stream. Computers are one of the most significant parts of e-waste. Recycling of e-waste has been introduced as the main solution to deal with environmental problems and to save natural mines. This research aims to investigate the bioleaching of Cu, Ni, and Al from computer printed circuit boards (CPCBs) using Penicillium simplicissimum. The adaptation phase began at 1 g/l CPCBs powder with 107 spores and final pulp density was reached at 30 g/l. The most effective parameters including pulp density, initial pH, and the sucrose concentration were optimized to achieve maximum simultaneous... 

Great advantages bestowed by mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) including high surface area, tailorable pore diameter and surface chemistry, and large pore volume render them as efficient tools in biomedical applications. Herein, MSNs with different surface chemistries were synthesized and investigated in terms of biocompatibility and their impact on the morphology of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells both in 2D and 3D culture systems. Bare MSNs (BMSNs) were synthesized by template removing method using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor. The as-prepared BMSNs were then used to prepare amine-functionalized (AMSNs), carboxyl-functionalized (CMSNs) and polymeric... 

The silanization of nanodiamond (ND) was successfully carried out by using the esterification reaction of hydrolyzed vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTS) in alcoholic solution. The surface carboxylic group of ND was first enhanced by thermal oxidation to increase the degree of esterification reaction. The extent of silane functionalization of ND was controlled by varying the weight ratio of VTS and oxidized ND (oxND), from 2:1 to 10:1 (w/w) in the functionalization reaction medium. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the highest degree of silanization occurred at VTS/oxND of 5:1 (w/w), while more silane concentrations resulted in...