Sharif Digital Repository

The chitosan-grafted-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (chitosan-g-PNVCL) nanofibers were synthesized via electrospinning method. ZIF-8 metal-organic frameworks nanoparticles were incorporated into the nanofibers for adsorption of Cr(VI), As(V) and phenol from water. The BET, FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis were carrfried out to obtain the characteristics of nanofibers. The optimum parameters of ZIF-8 content, pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and initial concentration of adsorbates on the Cr(VI), As(V) and phenol removal were studied. The reusability of synthesized nanofibers for five sorption-desorption cycles was also examined. The maximum experimental adsorption capacity of the... 

The nanocomposite of zero-valent iron and delafossite CuFeO2 supported on reduced graphene oxide was synthesized for the first time to evaluate its performance as the heterogeneous catalyst toward electro-Fenton (EF) removal of catechol. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) were used to characterize the nanocomposite. It was found that the rhombohedral structure of CuFeO2 remained stable during the nanocomposite preparation. The BET surface area of the nanocomposite increased about 102 times in comparison with bare CuFeO2. The influence of the operating parameters was investigated. The optimum operating conditions were... 

A novel binary BiOI/ZnFe2O4 (BZ) with p-n heterojunction based on the different metal-organic framework (MOF) MIL-88B(Fe) and graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as substrates has been designed. As-prepared ternary nanocomposites have been first obtained via a simple hydrothermal system and subsequently deposited onto the MOF and g-C3N4 substrates. The photoactivity of the ternary nanocomposites was evaluated by organic pollutants degradation under LED light. These characterization results indicated that BiOI as a p-type semiconductor was well deposited on the surface of ZnFe2O4 (n-type semiconductors). The p-n heterojunction photocatalyst (BZ) improved the valence band potential of ZnFe2O4 and... 

Bisphenol A (BPA), which is a major component in the production of various consumer products, is one of the most significant endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In this research, the biocatalytic elimination of Bisphenol A using laccase produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was examined and optimized. The response surface methodology was used to study the effect of independent variables such as pH, temperature, initial laccase activity, initial Bisphenol A concentration, and the interactive effects of each variable on the removal of Bisphenol A and residual enzyme activity. Based on response surface plots, the maximum Bisphenol A removal (93%) was detected at a pH value of 8, temperature... 

A study was conducted to report an observation on the effect of nanoclay fillers on the α-relaxation in an epoxy resin. The observation provided useful facts about glass transition processes in nanoclay-filled epoxy composites. The investigation involved the synthesis of intercalated-exfoliated clay-epoxy compounds, by swelling an organophilic montmorillonite in an aromatic epoxy resin and polymerization. The epoxy resin used in the study was a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), EPON 828, with an equivalent weight of 184-190 g/eq from Hexion Specialty Chemicals. The epoxy resin was cured with piperidine, obtained from Sigma-Aldrich. Nanomer® 1.30E. An octadecyl amine treated... 

A film composed of carbon nanoparticles and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) or CNP-PDDAC is formed in a layer-by-layer deposition process at tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) substrates. Excess positive binding sites within this film in aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 9.5 are quantified by adsorption of iron(III)phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate and indigo carmine. Both anionic redox systems bind with Langmuirian characteristics (K ≈ 105 mol-1 dm3) and show electrochemical reactivity throughout the film at different thicknesses. Therefore, the electrical conductivity in CNP-PDDAC films is good and the positive binding sites are approximately 140 pmol cm-2 per layer. Structural instability of... 

A convenient and efficient procedure for electrophilic aromatic bromination has been developed by mixing of N-bromosuccinimide and an aromatic compound at room temperature on the surface of silica gel mixed with solid anhydrous LiClO4. All of the substrates examined underwent clean electrophilic aromatic bromination in reaction times of a few minutes to afford the corresponding bromoarenes under neutral conditions in excellent yield. In the case of thiophenol, no substitution reaction occurred, and the corresponding disulfide was obtained in excellent yield. © 2005 NRC Canada  

Over the past few decades, biological hazards and organic pollution have become major environmental concerns. Photocatalysis has been found to be effective in minimizing the negative impacts of these issues in air and water. Lozenge shape Ag/AgCl/ZnTiO3 photocatalysts were fabricated by a facile two-step synthesis method, including hydrothermal and coprecipitation. The physicochemical characteristics and morphological properties of the structures were comprehensively described taking advantage of a multi-technique approach. The prepared photocatalysts offered excellent nitrophenol mineralization (>90%) after 90 min of visible light irradiation. Based on the spin-trapping ESR technique, •O2̅–... 

This work suggests a green method for synthesizing Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the aqueous extract of Salix aegyptiaca extract. The mechanism of green synthesized AuNPs was examined by molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) calculations. AuNPs were characterized with different techniques such as Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical investigation of modified glassy carbon electrode using AuNPs (AuNPs/GCE) shows that the electronic transmission rate between the modified electrode and [Fe (CN)6]3−/4− increased. Process of oxidation, energy... 

Iron oxyhydroxide (α-FeOOH, Goethite) is one of the most thermodynamically stable iron oxides and a widespread soil mineral. In this study, a mixture of two phenolic extracts of rosemary and Echinacea was utilized as stabilizing and reducing agents for the synthesis of Goethite (FeOOH) nanoparticles without utilizing harmful toxic solvents. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM)-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET). MTT assay was... 

A method based on solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by on-fiber derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS) for determination of phenol in air was developed. Three different types of SPME fibers, polar and non-polar poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized using sol-gel technology and their feasibility to the sampling of phenol were investigated. Different derivatization reagents for post on-fiber derivatization of phenol were studied. Important parameters influencing the extraction and derivatization process such as type of fiber coating, type and volume of derivatizing reagent, derivatization time and temperature,... 

Green tea-reduced graphene oxide (GT-rGO) sheets have been exploited for high efficiency near infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy of HT29 and SW48 colon cancer cells. The biocompatibility of GT-rGO sheets was investigated by means of MTT assays. The polyphenol constituents of GT-rGO act as effective targeting ligands for the attachment of rGO to the surface of cancer cells, as confirmed by the cell granularity test in flow cytometry assays and also by scanning electron microscopy. The photo-thermal destruction of higher metastatic cancer cells (SW48) is found to be more than 20% higher than that of the lower metastatic one (HT29). The photo-destruction efficiency factor of the GT-rGO is... 

The ability of Paraconiothyrium variabile, a laccase producing ascomycete recently isolated from soil, was studied to eliminate chlorophenol derivatives in submerged culture medium. Among the tested compounds, ρ-chlorophenol (ρ-CP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were found to have minimum and maximum toxic effects, respectively, on the growth of the microorganism and at the same time high and low bioelimination percentages. The fungal strain was able to remove 86% of ρ-CP (with initial concentration of 40mgl -1) and 56% of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP; with same concentration as ρ-CP) after 9 days of incubation while no elimination was observed in the presence of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol... 

A carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with 2,2′-[1,2 butanediylbis(nitriloethylidyne)]-bis-hydroquinone (BBNBH) and TiO2 nanoparticles was used for the sensitive voltammetric determination of epinephrine (EP). The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward EP and acetaminophen (AC) were investigated by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (CV and DPV). The results showed an efficient catalytic activity of the electrode for the electrooxidation of EP, which leads to a reduction in its overpotential by more than 270 mV. The effects of pH and potential sweep rate on the mechanism of the electrode process were investigated. The modified electrode exhibits an... 

The catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of phenol with activated carbon (AC) as the catalyst has been successfully tested in a novel type of two-impinging-jets reactor (TIJR). The TIJR is characterized by a high-intensity reaction chamber, which is separated by a perforated plate from other parts of the reactor. The perforated plate was used as a filter to keep the catalyst particles within the reaction chamber. The influences of various operating and design parameters such as jet Reynolds number, feed flow rate, internozzle distance, and the jet diameter on the performance capability of the TIJR were investigated. As a result of the impinging process, turbulence, complex trajectory of... 

Biosensors could be used as digital devices to measure the sample infield. Consequently, computational programming along with experimental achievements are required. In this study, a novel biosensor/artificial neural network (ANN) integrated system was developed. Poly (3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene)(PEDOT), graphene oxide nano-sheets (GONs) and laccase (Lac) were used to construct a biosensor. The simple and one-pot process was accomplished by electropolymerizing 3,4-ethylenedioxy-thiophene (EDOT) along with GONs and Lac as dopants on glassy carbon electrode. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical characterization were conducted to confirm successful enzyme entrapment. The... 

Catechins from fresh green tea leaves as potential sources of anticancer and antioxidant components were target materials in this work. Superheated water extraction, which is a kind of leaching operation, and solvent partition with chloroform and ethyl acetate were utilized to recover Catechins from tea leaves. Then, a mathematical model was developed to simulate the superheated water extraction of Catechins. The unsteady state mass balance of the solute in solid and superheated water phases led to two partial differential equations. The model was solved numerically using a linear equilibrium relationship. The model parameters were predicted applying existing experimental correlations. An... 

Diabetes affects a large population of the world. Lifestyle, obesity, dietary habits, and genetic factors contribute to this metabolic disease. A target pathway to control diabetes is the 5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. AMPK is a heterotrimeric protein with α, β, and γ subunits. In several studies, AMPK activation enhanced glucose uptake into cells and inhibited intracellular glucose production. Impairment of AMPK activity is present in diabetes, according to some studies. Drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, such as metformin, are also known to act through regulation of AMPK. Thus, drugs that activate and regulate AMPK are potential... 

Graphene reinforced polymer derived carbon (carbon/graphene) aerogels were synthesized by carbonization of novolac/graphene oxide aerogels. Novolac/graphene oxide aerogels were synthesized using solvent-saturated-vapor-atmosphere technique. To this aim, 20 wt% solution of novolac resin with 0, 2, and 5 wt% graphene oxide in 2-propanol were made and were cured in an autoclave. Wet aerogels were dried in air and were carbonized at 800 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. Eliminating the time-consuming methods of drying like supercritical and freeze drying is one of the advantages of this method of synthesis of organic aerogles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron...