Sharif Digital Repository

In the present study, a procedure was developed to determine the optimum reaction rate constants in generalized Arrhenius form and optimized through the Nelder-Mead method. For this purpose, a comprehensive mathematical model of a fixed bed reactor for dehydrogenation of heavy paraffins over Pt-Sn/Al 2O 3 catalyst was developed. Utilizing appropriate kinetic rate expressions for the main dehydrogenation reaction as well as side reactions and catalyst deactivation, a detailed model for the radial flow reactor was obtained. The reactor model composed of a set of partial differential equations (PDE), ordinary differential equations (ODE) as well as algebraic equations all of which were solved... 

Electro-oxidation of alcohols (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol) on nickel dispersed into a thick layer of poly-o-aminophenol on graphite electrode (GE/POAP-SDS/Ni) was investigated. Ni-doping into the polymeric film was achieved chemically followed by enrichment of Ni(III) through cycling the potential. The electro-oxidation of alcohols on GE/POAP-SDS/Ni were found to be dominated by direct electro-oxidation with some contribution from Ni(II)/Ni(III) couple. Rate constants for the electro-oxidation of methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol as derived by chronoamperometry were 1.65 × 105, 1.31 × 105, 2.53 × 104 and 1.40 × 104 cm3 mol-1 s-1, respectively. Impedance... 

The present work describes the preparation and electrochemical characterization of RuO2/MWCNT/Stainless Steel Mesh (SSM) electrode as compared with a MWCNT/SSM electrode in the positive half-cell of a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB). The electrochemical characterization of prepared electrode was carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge procedures. The electrochemical activity of MWCNT/SSM modified with RuO2 as positive electrode in a VRFB was notably improved. The RuO2-included electrodes demonstrated high peak current ratio, small peak potential difference and high electron... 

Photocatalysts that are used for waste water treatment are often suspended in the waste water during processing and then must be removed from the water after treatment. To reduce the post-degradation expenses and time, separation is facilitated by an immobilization process. The effect of immobilized TiO2 geometries on the photocatalytic behavior of the photocatalyst is investigated in this work. Powder, fiber, film, and network-shaped TiO2 nanocatalysts were produced by using different templates. The cellulose fiber and ceramic templates were used as substrates for fiber and film/network geometry production. The products were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD),... 

The electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol was studied over Ni, Co and Cu binary or ternary alloys on graphite electrodes in a NaOH solution (0.1 mol/L). The catalysts were prepared by cycling the graphite electrode in solutions containing Ni, Cu and Co ions at cathodic potentials. The synergistic effects and catalytic activity of the modified electrodes were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that, in the presence of methanol, the modified Ni-based ternary alloy electrode (G/NiCuCo) exhibited a significantly higher response for methanol oxidation compared to the other samples. The anodic peak... 

To overcome the drawback of poor solar light utilization brought about by the narrow photoresponse range of TiO2, a silver and sulfur co-doped TiO2 was synthesized. Using the prepared catalyst, solar photocatalytic degradation of 2-nitrophenol (2-NP) by a TiO2-based catalyst was studied for the first time. Effects of the co-doping on the structural, optical and morphological properties of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by different characterization methods: X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and Fourier... 

Very recently, we fabricated (WO3)x-(TiO 2)1-x layers via micro-arc oxidation process under different applied voltages. Morphological and topographical studies, accomplished by SEM and AFM techniques, revealed that the pores size as well as the surface roughness increased with the voltage. Phase structure and chemical composition of the layers were also investigated by XRD and XPS and the results showed the grown layers consisted of titanium and tungsten oxides. It was found that WO3 dispersed in the TiO2 matrix and also doped into the TiO2 lattice. In addition, optical properties of the synthesized layers were studied employing a UV-vis spectrophotometer. Band gap energy of the layers was... 

Catalytic ozonation has recently been used as a new means of contaminant removal from water and wastewater. In this study, bone charcoal (BC), a new catalyst prepared under laboratory conditions, was used to catalyze the ozonation of humic substances (HS) in aqueous solutions. The catalytic effect of bone charcoal and the relevant parameters of this ozonation process (solution pH, temperature, scavenger effect, humic acids concentration and BC dosage) were investigated. In the catalytic ozonation experiments, the degradation kinetics was investigated. The reaction rate and the rate constant were determined. The results showed that using a BC catalyst in the ozonation of HS produced a 1.43-... 

The influence of an externally applied bias on photocatalytic performance of crystallized TiO2/Ti nanotubular electrode formed by anodization in fluoride-based electrolyte were investigated and compared to the behavior of multiporous TiO2 electrode. The photoelectrocatalytic oxidation behavior of methanol over the nanotubular electrode has been studied by measuring photocurrent response, potentiodynamic polarization spectroscopy and using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation and the charge transfer rate constant of reaction on TiO2/Ti nanotubular electrode can significantly be increased by applying electrochemical bias. Moreover,... 

The globular structure of M2 high speed steel in the rolled - annealed and as cast conditions was investigated in the semisolid state. Metallographic observations resulted in globular austenite particles that were surrounded by a liquid phase. Dissolution of various carbides in the austenite phase at semisolid temperatures led to grain boundary liquation and formation of near-spherical solid grains in a liquid matrix. Therefore, at the semisolid state, the solid particles were free from carbides. MC-type and M6C-type eutectic carbides re-precipitated at the grain boundaries during cooling of the samples from the semisolid temperature. The variation of shape factor versus holding time and... 

Micro-arc oxidation process was used to synthesize V2O5-TiO2 porous layers for the first time. Surface morphology and topography of the layers were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were also employed to evaluate phase structure and chemical composition of the layers. It was found that the V2O5-TiO2 layers consisted of anatase, rutile, and vanadium pentoxide phases fraction of which varied with the applied voltage and the electrolyte concentration. It was also revealed that pore size and surface roughness increased with the applied voltage and the electrolyte... 

Nickel and nickel-manganese alloy modified graphite electrodes (G/Ni and G/NiMn) prepared by galvanostatic deposition were examined for their redox process and electrocatalytic activities towards the oxidation of methanol in alkaline solutions. The methods of cyclic voltammetery (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed. In CV studies, in the presence of methanol NiMn alloy modified electrode shows a significantly higher response for methanol oxidation. The peak current of the oxidation of nickel hydroxide increase is followed by a decrease in the corresponding cathodic current in presence of methanol. The anodic peak currents show linear dependency upon the... 

A developed route to form TiO2 self cleaning coatings on polycarbonate substrates is reported. TiO2 coatings on plastics may find widespread application in auto and construction industries if possess desired photocatalytic and mechanical properties. A chemical surface treatment method was used to create hydrophilic groups on the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the treatment led to the oxidation of surface groups. TiO2 deposition was based on wet coating using an anatase sol of TiO2 nanoparticles of 30 nm size. The sol was synthesized using a sol-gel route. A pre-coat of peroxotitanium complex was employed to improve adhesion and inhibit the substrate degradation. The coating... 

A nano-composite material consisting of amine functionalized TiO 2-coated carbon nanotubes was prepared and used for glucose oxidase (GOx) absorption. The GOx bearing nanomaterial was fixed on a glassy carbon electrode to construct a novel biosensor for glucose determination. The direct electrochemistry of immobilized GOx and its electron transfer parameters at the modified glassy carbon electrode were reported. The apparent heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant (ks) of GOx was estimated to be 3.5 s-1, which is higher than those reported previously. Amperometric detection of glucose resulted in a rapid (3 s) and stable response in the linear concentration range from 1.8 to 266 μM.... 

V2O5-TiO2 porous layers were synthesized via micro-arc oxidation for the first time. The effect of the applied voltage on morphology, composition, and photo-activity of the layers was investigated. The layers, which consisted of anatase, rutile, and vanadium pentoxide phases, revealed an enhanced photo-activity. About 93% of methylene blue solution was degraded on the synthesized layers after 120 min UV-irradiation with a reaction rate constant of k = 0.0228 min-1. The band gap energies of the vanadia-titania and pure titania layers were calculated as 2.56 and 3.39 eV, respectively  

V2O5/SiO2 catalyst utilized to oxidize the SO2 to SO3 species in the presence of oxygen mainly for producing sulfuric acid. For this catalyst, the active phase was a mixture of vanadium pentoxide and basic sulfate/pyrosulfate material. This active phase at the reaction temperature behaved as a liquid filling up the pores of the silica support. On the other hand, amounts of the SO3 and V5+ species in the catalyst necessarily varied with the concentration of the feed material and temperature rendering complexity to the kinetics of the SO2 oxidation reaction. In the current research, the catalyst preparation with different amounts of such materials was undertaken. Purified Diatomaceous earth of... 

Transesterification reaction was performed in the presence of soybean oil, methanol, and Demineralized water plant sedimentation catalyst at 60°C for 8 h in this study. Central composite design method was used to study the effect of catalyst concentration and methanol to oil molar ratio on purity and yield of produced biodiesel. The results showed catalyst concentration of 9.08 wt% and methanol to oil molar ratio of 22.49 as the optimum condition in which the values of purity and yield of the produced biodiesel in the second-order models were 99.89% and 81.83%, respectively. Experiments are in good agreement with the mentioned values as corresponded values are 99.95% and 86.68%,... 

The dynamic and static softening phenomena in Al-6Mg alloy were studied through interrupted two-stage hot compression test performed isothermally at 480°C and strain rate range of 0.001-0.1 s-1. The interruptions of 29 and 90 s were considered when the true strain reached 0.5. It was concluded that the effect of static softening on the flow stress was not highlighted by extending the interruption at a constant strain rate. Also, it was exhibited that softening rate highly enhanced with the strain rate decrement at a constant time. Moreover, the static and dynamic recrystallization was revealed as the dominant softening mechanisms at low and high strain rates, respectively  

This paper studies the problem of receiver modeling in molecular communication systems. We consider the diffusive molecular communication channel between a transmitter nanomachine and a receiver nano-machine in a fluid environment. The information molecules released by the transmitter nano-machine into the environment can degrade in the channel via a first-order degradation reaction and those that reach the receiver nanomachine can participate in a reversible bimolecular reaction with receiver receptor proteins. Thereby, we distinguish between two scenarios. In the first scenario, we assume that the entire surface of the receiver is covered by receptor molecules. We derive a closed-form... 

Oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs can be enhanced by altering the wettability from oil-wet toward water-wet state. Recently, silica nanoparticle (SNP) suspensions are considered as an attractive wettability alteration agent in enhanced oil recovery applications. However, their performance along with the underlying mechanism for wettability alteration in carbonate rocks is not well discussed. In this work, the ability of SNP suspensions, in the presence/absence of salt, to alter the wettability of oil-wet calcite substrates to a water-wet condition was investigated. In the first step, to ensure that the properties of nanofluids have not been changed during the tests, stability analysis...