Sharif Digital Repository

In this investigation, the effect of annealing temperature and concentration of gold nanoparticles on the photoelectrochemical properties of sol-gel deposited Au : TiO2 nanocomposite thin films is studied. Various gold concentrations have been added to the TiO2 thin films and their properties are compared. All the deposited samples are annealed at different temperatures. The optical density spectra of the films show the formation of gold nanoparticles in the films. The optical bandgap energy of the Au : TiO2 films decreases with increasing Au concentration. The crystalline structure of the nanocomposite films is studied by x-ray diffractometry indicating the formation of gold nanocrystals in... 

WO3-TiO2 nano porous layers were synthesized by micro arc oxidation (MAO) process under different applied voltages in electrolytes containing sodium tungstate and phosphate salts with various concentrations. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were employed to study phase structure and chemical composition of the layers. According to our data analysis, the nano porous layers consisted of anatase, rutile, and tungsten oxide phases with a varying fraction depending on the voltage and electrolyte concentration. Moreover, it was found that WO3 not only dispersed in the TiO2 matrix, but also doped into the TiO2... 

Multi wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) doped ZnO nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning for the first time. We have successfully demonstrated the photocatalytic activity of doped nanofibers under visible light. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the diameter of MWCNT-doped ZnO nanofibers varied from 120 to 300 nm without agglomeration of MWCNT. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies proved the formation of ZnO bond and wurtzite structure with smaller crystal size in doped nanofibers. Raman spectra demonstrated slight shift in bond position after nanofiber doping, indicating the chemical bond between MWCNT and ZnO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy... 

A new plasmonic Ag hybridized CuWO4/WO3 heterostructure was successfully synthesized via a ligand-assisted sol gel method. The as-prepared plasmonic nanohybrid was thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The results indicate that the as-prepared plasmonic Ag-CuWO4/WO3 nanohybrid (compared to pure... 

The present study reports a simple electrochemical approach to the fabrication of a new nanocomposite containing PtPd nanoflowers (NFs) promoted with two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) structure cuprous oxide (Cu2O) supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (PtPd-NFs/Cu2O-NSs/rGO). Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, Raman spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are used for characterization of the PtPd-NPs/Cu2O-NPs/rGO. SEM images showed that vertical-standing arrays of Cu2O with an edge length up to 1 μm and thickness of about 20 nm are electrodeposited on the surface of rGO film. Also, PtPd needle-like NFs with visible and... 

Vanadium supported on spinel cobalt ferrite nanoparticles was synthesized and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, the prepared material was used for the catalytic degradation of methylene blue as an organic dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide as a green oxidant and NaHCO3 as a co-reagent at room temperature. The dependency of removal percentage on various parameters such as amount of catalyst, pH, reaction time and temperature and the effect of radical scavenging agents were studied. Finally, recoverability and reusability of the vanadium supported on... 

Direct solvent exfoliation of bulk MoS2 with the assistance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) produces a novel two-dimensional organic/inorganic semiconductor hetero-junction. The obtained P3HT-MoS2 nanohybrid exhibits unexpected optical limiting properties in contrast to the saturated absorption behavior of both P3HT and MoS2, showing potential in future photoelectric applications  

In this research, UiO-66 and its composite nanoparticles with thermally oxidized nanodiamond (OND) were synthesized via a simple solvothermal method and utilized as solid adsorbent for the removal of anionic methyl red (MR) dye and cationic malachite green (MG) dye from contaminated water. The synthesized adsorbents were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N2 adsorption–desorption, and zeta potential analyzer. The influences of various factors such as initial concentrations of the dyes, adsorption process time, solution pH, solution temperature and ionic... 

Partial substitutions of Pr and Ce are known to suppress the superconducting state in REBa2Cu3O7-δ systems. We have substituted Ce for Gd in Gd1-xCexBa 2Cu3O7-δ compounds with x = 0.0-0.6 by the standard solid-state reaction technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments are performed and their results are refined by the Rietveld method. XRD analysis shows a predominantly single-phase perovskite structure with few impurity phases. Our resistivity results show that, by increasing the Ce content, Tc decreases, the transition temperature width increases, and in the normal state a metal-insulator transition (MIT) occurs at x c = 0.12. The normal state resistivity of the samples and their slopes... 

Based on transport and magnetic measurements on Gd(Ba2-xPrx)Cu3O7+δ, and some other properties of high temperature superconductors (HTSC), we have extracted similarities between superconductors, two-dimensional electron gas (2D-EG) i.e. MOSFETs and ultrathin films of conventional superconductors. These are based on properties such as superconductor-insulator transition in superconductors and metal-insulator transition (MIT) in 2D-EG with doping and magnetic field, localization in transport conduction, quantum unit of resistance at MIT, larger change in resistance from critical doping to the insulating side in comparison with change from critical doping to the metallic side and strong... 

ZnO/CuO nanofibers, with different CuO concentrations, were fabricated by one-step electrospinning of the polymer precursor and annealing in air. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed smooth and beadless morphology for the synthesized nanofibers, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed formation of hexagonal and monoclinic crystalline structure phases for ZnO and CuO nanofibers, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the presence of CuO on the surface of ZnO nanofibers. For further confirming the formation of chemical bonds, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was employed. The effect of Cu contents in the overall electronic band... 

TiO2 and transition metal (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by the sol-gel method using 2-hydroxylethylammonium formate as an ionic liquid. All the prepared samples were calcined at 500 °C and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area determination, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) techniques. The studies revealed that transition metal (TM) doped nanoparticles have smaller crystalline size and higher surface area than pure TiO2. Dopant ions in the TiO2 structure caused significant absorption shift into the visible region. The results of... 

Polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI/GO) co-doped with Zn2+ and Fe3+ was synthesized via a simple and low cost one-step chronoamperometry method on stainless steel (SS) as the substrate. The Fe3+-Zn2+-PANI/GO nanocomposite is characterized using X-ray diffraction as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Also, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to study the electrochemical performance of the as-prepared electrode materials. Significantly, the Fe3+-Zn2+-PANI/GO nanocomposite exhibits a specific... 

Polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI/GO) co-doped with Zn2+ and Fe3+ was synthesized via a simple and low cost one-step chronoamperometry method on stainless steel (SS) as the substrate. The Fe3+-Zn2+-PANI/GO nanocomposite is characterized using X-ray diffraction as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Also, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to study the electrochemical performance of the as-prepared electrode materials. Significantly, the Fe3+-Zn2+-PANI/GO nanocomposite exhibits a specific... 

Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding is a joining process which combines benefits of diffusion bonding and brazing. Therefore, this method has widely been used in joining of materials which are sensitive to fusion welding. Interlayer composition, as one of the most important factors of TLP bonding, can affect the bonding region composition, microstructure, and hence mechanical properties of the joint. In this research, Fe-based, Ni-based, and commercially pure Cu interlayers are used to bond low-carbon steel components which are then heat treated to produce dual phase steel. The present work focuses on two main goals. Firstly, drawing a comparison of microstructure and mechanical properties... 

Heterogeneous solid catalysts comprising CaO and ZrO 2 mixed oxides with various Ca-to-Zr molar ratios were synthesized by means of coprecipitation method. These synthesized mixed oxide catalysts were used for the transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) as feedstock with methanol to produce biodiesel fuel (BDF) at 65 °C and 1 atm. The influences of Ca-to-Zr molar ratio, catalyst loading, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and the reaction time on the BDF yield were carefully investigated. In addition, the stability of prepared solid catalysts was studied. These catalysts were characterized by using techniques of X-ray diffraction, X-ray florescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, surface... 

In this research, a solid 1%Li/Ca-La mixed oxide catalyst was prepared using co-precipitation method followed by wet impregnation. The prepared catalyst was used in the transesterification reaction of canola oil and methanol for biodiesel synthesis. The effects of calcination and reaction temperatures were investigated on the activity of the catalyst. In addition, rate of the reaction was studied through a kinetic model for which parameters were determined. Surface properties and structure of the catalyst were characterized through the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. All these... 

In this study, firstly, a double-reservoir and switchable prototype of a micro-chip along with the respective holders were fabricated. A cyclic desorption process using microliter volume of organic solvent was adopted to prevent any outdoor contamination. As extractive phases, two identical sheets of electrospun polyamide/polypyrrole/titania nanofibers were synthesized using core–shell electro-spinning technique and utilized for determination of memantine in plasma samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images showed a high degree of porosity and homogeneity throughout the sheet structure. Also, energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of titania, while the... 

In this work, silicon carbide (SiC) was utilized as a binding agent to fuse carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into highly tough dense CNT bulk nanocomposites through spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. Phase studies were performed using x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and obtained results were verified by the microstructural evolution. Also, the optimum processing temperature was determined as 1600 °C at which the undesired allotropic phase transformation of SiC (β) → SiC (α) was avoided and single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) were structurally preserved. Fracture toughness of the nanocomposite synthesized at optimum processing conditions was... 

In this study TiO2 nanotubular fibers were prepared and subsequently loaded with CdS nanoparticles to obtain visible light activate nanofibers with modified structure. Preparation of TiO2 fibers was based on templating method and Liquid phase deposition technique (LPD) with cellulose fibers as templates. Using LPD, thickness of the TiO2 layer could be controlled precisely by adjusting the reaction conditions, therefore after removal of the template, the resulting material has a fibrous structure, mimicking the cellulose fibers shape. CdS nanoparticles were synthesized by thermochemical growth method and attached to TiO2 fibers through impregnation method. The pure composite nanofibers were...