Sharif Digital Repository

Barium strontium titanate (BST) was prepared via the simple sol-gel method by using tetrabutyl ti-tanate, ethanol, citric acid and ethylene glycol as starting materials. Thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis were used to examine the behaviour of the xerogel. The particle size of BST was approximately 21 nm, as calculated by the X-ray diffraction and confirmed by transition electron microscopy for the calcination temperature of 750 °C. It was found that the particles of BST powders calcined at 750 °C were smaller and more homogeneous and uniform than those obtained at 800 °C  

LiNiO2 powders were synthesized with acrylic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, and triethanolamine (TEA) as a chelating agent. Crystallized LiNiO2 was synthesized in air at a calcinations temperature of 500 °C for 12 hours, when the molar ratio of chelating agents to total metal ion (RPM) was 1.0. The TEA-assisted method had the highest intensity ratio of (003)/(104) peaks of X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis indicates that the sample prepared with triethanolamine obtained the smallest particle size with average particle size of only 12nm. The results indicate that chelating agents have an important role in the intensity ratio of (003)/(104)... 

A novel microspherical adsorbent for the removal of uranium from aqueous solutions was developed by immobilizing of natural bentonite in the polymeric matrix of calcium alginate. Different uptake properties of the prepared microspheres were examined using batch, stirred and column methods. The adsorbent showed high affinity toward uranium ions, especially at pHs above 3. Major uptake mechanisms included ion exchange, chelating of the (UO2)2+ ions to the -OH groups of alginate, and surface complexation with bentonite. Surprisingly, the capacity of microspheres was higher than both its constituents, revealing that a synergetic effect occurs. Adsorption kinetics was controlled by slow chemical... 

Glass-ceramic composites in the SiO2-CaO-MgO-(Na2O) system, reinforced with 5, 10 and 20 wt.% aluminum titanate were synthesized by pressureless sintering. Optimum sintering temperatures with maximum relative density were determined for each composition. The composites were fired above the crystallization peak temperature of glass-ceramic. Mechanical properties of glass-ceramic and sintered composites, such as fracture toughness, flexural strength and Vickers microhardness, were investigated. The sintered composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the composite containing 10... 

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out on bagasse fibers in an aqueous medium using eerie ammonium nitrate (CAN) as initiator under a neutral atmosphere. In order to obtain the optimum condition for graft copolymerization, the effects of initiator concentration, temperature, time of reaction, and monomer concentration were studied. The maximum grafting percent was found to be 122%. The bagasse grafted poly(methyl methacrylate) was characterized by FTIR and its thermal behavior was characterized by TGA. Copyright © 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA  

A novel thermosensitive hydrogel was synthesized by block copolymerization of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) macromere (PEG) onto chitosan backbone, using potassium per sulfate as a free radical initiator. This block copolymer exhibits a thermoreversible transition from an injectable solution at low temperature to a gel at body temperature. Synthesized copolymers were characterized using FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and DSC techniques. Solubility test was performed to compare water and organo-solubility of chitosan before and after copolymerization. Sol-gel transition behavior was investigated using the vial inversion method and viscosity measurements. The gelation behavior makes the... 

A four-step synthetic strategy was applied to achieve novel methacrylic monomers. 5-Norbornene-2,2-dimethanol was prepared from a Diels–Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene and acrolein, followed by the treatment of the adduct with an HCHO/KOH/MeOH solution. The resulting 1,3-diol (1) was then acetalized with different aromatic aldehydes having OH groups on the ring to produce four spiroacetal derivatives. The reaction of methacryloyl chloride with the phenolic derivatives led to four new methacrylic monomers that were identified spectrochemically (mass, FTIR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR spectroscopy). Free radical solution polymerization was used to prepare novel spiroacetal–norbornene containing... 

A series of biodegradable acrylic terminated polyurethanes (APUs) based on poly(ε-caprolactone) diol (PCL), aliphatic 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and hydroxyethyl methyl acrylate (HEMA) was synthesized as potential materials for hard tissue biomedical applications. PCLs with low molecular weights of 1000 and 2000 g/mol were employed to provide different amounts of end capped urethane acrylate in APUs. To control crosslink density, a mixture of two different reactive diluents including mono-functional HEMA and bi-functional ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) with different weight ratios was incorporated into the APUs, called here PUAs. Morphological characteristics and mechanical... 

Gold nanotubes/nanowires (GNT/NW) were synthesized by using the template-assisted electrodeposition technique and mixed with castor oil-polyethylene glycol based polyurethane (PU) to fabricate porous composite scaffolds for biomedical application. 100 and 50 ppm of GNT/NW were used to synthesize composites. The composite scaffolds were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. Cell attachment on polyurethane-GNT/NW composites was investigated using fat-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Addition of 50 or 100 ppm GNT/NW had significant effects on thermal, mechanical, and cell... 

Pure titanium nanoparticles were synthesized by utilizing an Electromagnetic Levitation Melting Gas Condensation (ELM-GC) method. Pure bulk titanium samples were melted and evaporated by electromagnetic levitation technique in an inert gas atmosphere in a silica tube. Titanium nanoparticles were formed from ascending vapor by employing high purity argon and helium as carrier gases and cooling agents. Particle size and morphology of the produced nanoparticles were studied by Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) analysis. Results showed almost spherical nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution under both cooling atmospheres. The purity of... 

Here, a solvothermal method for synthesis of porous Ni–Co binary oxide (NiCo2O4) nanorods followed by thermal decomposition is described. The prepared nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) methods. These porous NiCo2O4 nanostructures were promising candidates in the development of high capacity supercapacitors and having excellent cycling performance due to high specific surface area. In addition, the influence of annealing rate on the structure and electrochemical behavior of the synthesized nanorods was investigated. The results showed that the annealing rate had a direct effect on the crystalline... 

In this research, an attempt was made to improve TiO2 photo-catalyst properties, thus pure, N-Ce co-doped TiO2 thin films were prepared on glass-ceramic substrate using a sol-gel dip-coating technique. The samples were calcinated in air at 475 °C, 550°C, and 650°C for 2 h. The result of simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the presence of Ce in TiO2 could inhibit the phase transformation from anatase to rutile and enhance the thermal stability, and anatase was the dominant phase in N-Ce co-doped TiO2 samples. Also based on the results, the doping results in decreasing the size of TiO 2 crystallite. The results of ultra violet-visible light diffuse... 

The ion exchange process is a promising method for lithium extraction from brine and seawater having low concentrations of this element. To achieve this goal, it is vital to use an effective adsorbent with maximum lithium adsorption potential together with a stable structure during extraction and insertion of the ions. In this study, titanium dioxide and then lithium titanate spinel with nanotube morphology was synthesized via a simple two-step hydrothermal process. The produced Li4Ti5O12 spinel ternary oxide nanotube with about 70 nm diameter was then treated with dilute acidic solution in order to prepare an adsorbent suitable for lithium adsorption from local brine. Morphological and... 

Aluminum powder and various volume fractions of SiC particles with an average diameter of 50 nm were milled by a high-energy planetary ball mill to produce nanocrystalline Al-SiC nanocomposite powders. Double pressing/sintering process was used to consolidate powders to cylindrical specimens. It was shown that a double cycle of cold pressing and sintering can be utilized to obtain high density Al-SiC nanocomposite parts without using a hot-working step. High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and laser particle size analyzer (PSA) were used to study the morphological and microstructural evolution of nanocomposite powders and bulk samples. The role of... 

Molybdenum oxide nanostructures were synthesized utilizing the solution combustion method where the ammonium molybdate powder and an organic additive were used as precursors. Different organic additives including ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200), sorbitol and urea were used as surfactants in order to investigate the effect of additive structure on morphology and particle size of products. Also various reaction parameters such as the additive/Mo molar ratio, concentration of metal ion in solution, pH of the reaction, and temperature of the synthesis media were changed to study effects on product morphology and size. Outcomes were characterized by... 

Alumina flakes were prepared by solution combustion method and milled to provide powder. XRD and SEM data exhibited microsized flakes with 100 nm thickness and nanosized grains. Then the powders were dispersed in polystyrene (PS) and poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) matrixes and thin sheets of composites were produced by solution method. Mechanical properties of the composites were characterized using tensile test and their fracture surfaces, elemental composition and hydrophobic property were tested by SEM, EDX and contact angle techniques, respectively. The results exhibited better mechanical properties compared to pure polymer samples i.e. the elastic modulus in PMMA and PS composites,... 

In this work, the synthesis and characterization of a new nanocomposite from carbon nanotubes-graft-polymer (CNTs-g-P) is reported. The products were obtained by the filling of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) (inner diameter 2040 nm) with CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles, been grafted with poly (caprolactone). The filling process was carried out by using acid treatment through wet chemistry. The structure and the properties of the new nanocomposite were studied with TEM, VSM, TGA, and spectroscopic techniques. © 2009 World Scientific Publishing Company