Sharif Digital Repository

Adsorption is one of the most sophisticated separation processes widely used in oil, gas and petrochemical facilities, and there is no doubt in the environmental and technological significant of this technology. But, the key to design an efficient adsorption service is to accurately select a suitable adsorbent that strongly dependent to the feed composition, product specification, and operating conditions. During the last 30 years, different classes of solid adsorbent have been manufactured; but, they should be meticulously chosen accordingly. In this paper, the specification and main charac-teristics of adsorbents generally used in oil, gas and petrochemical processes including activated... 

Properties of melt processed polyamide 66 (PA66)/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite were first characterized experimentally. The experimental results exhibited the formation of crystalline layer around the nanotubes and a considerable enhancement in mechanical properties by incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotube up to 1 wt%. Mechanical properties were analyzed in terms of structural parameters using micromechanical models proposed in this study. It was suggested that the mechanical properties were greatly dominated by crystalline layer and nanotube length. It was also deduced that the melt mixing process caused a significant nanotube breakage restricting further enhancement of... 

The present work focused on the characterization of mechanical properties of novolac phenolic resin (PF) filled with two types of clays, including modified and unmodified ones, and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). It was found that the solution mixing method is able to disperse the nanoparticles within the PF resin appropriately. It was also shown that the unmodified clay (Closite Na+) has the highest influence on the mechanical properties possibly due to the good level of dispersion as well as the good interfacial interaction. Theoretical analysis based on the rubber elasticity theory showed that the nanoparticles influence the evolution of crosslinking density and network structure  

This article examines the physical and mechanical characteristics of mixtures of two different synthetic rubbers, namely styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and nitril-butadiene rubber (NBR), with novolac type phenolicresin (PH). According to Taguchi experimental design method, it is shown that the addition of PH increases the crosslinking density of rubber phase probably due to its curative effects. Thermal analysis of the blends indicates that, contrary to NBR/PH blend, thermal stability of SBR/PH blend is dependent on sulfur content due to predominant polysulfidic crosslinks formed in SBR. Slight shift in glass-transition temperature (Tg) of pure SBR and NBR vulcanizates by the addition of PH... 

A new facile strategy for preparation of mesoporous anatase-TiO2 films by a combination of sol–gel and evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) processes aided by tri-block Pluronic F127 is reported. Two major parameters, sol preparation and EISA processing parameters, are identified for preparation of mesoporous crack-free films with desired thickness. The mesoporous crack-free films with thickness of 650 nm can be obtained with low water: precursor molar ratio (e.g., 2.5:1) under aging in 10 % relative humidity for 72 h at the low temperature of 5 °C. Although template: precursor molar ratio and annealing temperature show little influence on preparation of crack-free films the optimum... 

We propose a novel hybrid learning approach to gain situation awareness in smart environments by introducing a new situation identifier that combines an expert system and a machine learning approach. Traditionally, expert systems and machine learning approaches have been widely used independently to detect ongoing situations as the main functionality in smart environments in various domains. Expert systems lack the functionality to adapt the system to each user and are expensive to design based on each setting. On the other hand, machine learning approaches fail in the challenge of cold start and making explainable decisions. Using both of these approaches enables the system to use user's... 

W-doped VO2 films have been synthesized via oxygen annealing of V–W–V (vanadium–tungsten–vanadium) multilayered films. The effects of middle layer’s thickness of V–W–V multilayered film on structure and properties of VOX–WOX–VOX ceramic thin films were investigated. The as-deposited V–W–V multilayered film showed amorphous-like structure when mixed structure of VO2 (M) and VO2 (B) was formed in VOX–WOX–VOX ceramic thin films. Tungsten content of VOX–WOX–VOX ceramic thin films increased with increasing middle layer’s thickness. With increasing middle layer’s thickness, room temperature square resistance (Rsq) of VOX–WOX–VOX ceramic thin films increased from 65 to 86 kΩ/sq. The VOX–WOX–VOX... 

In the present research, NiO–SDC (Samarium doped Ceria) nanopowder was synthesized through sol–gel combustion method using citric acid as a reducing agent (fuel) and metal nitrates as an oxidant. The characteristics of the synthesized powder were thoroughly analyzed by DTA/TG, XRD, BET and FESEM/EDX. Tubular gel-casted porous specimens of NiO–SDC (50:50 wt%) composite materials were produced after stabilizing suspensions of composite powder in an aqueous environment by addition of 3 wt% dispersant and 2.5 wt% agar as the gel builder. The effect of Dolapix CE64 as a dispersant, agar as a gel-builder and the amount of solid loadings on the processing and properties of porous ceramics was... 

The simultaneous effect of electrospun scaffold alignment and polymer composition on chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSC) is investigated. Aligned and randomly oriented polycaprolactone/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) hybrid electrospun scaffolds with two different ratios are fabricated by electrospinning. It is found that aligned nanofibrous scaffolds support higher chondrogenic differentiation of hBMMSCs compared to random ones. The aligned scaffolds show a higher expression level of chondrogenic markers such as type II collagen and aggrecan. It is concluded that the aligned nanofibrous scaffold with higher PLGA ratio could significantly... 

The present study focuses on simultaneous influence of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanopowder on microstructural, wear, tensile and biofunctional behavior of UHMWPE based nanocomposites used in biomedical applications, with the aim to utilize GNP's mechanical strength and wear resistance, while benefitting from HAp's biocompatibility at the same time. 0.1, 0.5 and 1 wt% GNP with 10 wt% optimized concentration of HAp were added to the UHMWPE matrix through an easy two-step approach consisting of solvent mixing and ultrasonication in ethanol as a liquid media. The dried nanocomposite samples of powder were then hot pressed at an optimized temperature and pressure to... 

Cubic phase Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a promising solid electrolyte for next-generation Li-ion batteries. In this work, the combustion sol–gel technique is used to prepare an Al-doped LLZO solid electrolyte. The crystal structure is investigated, and the cubic phase is confirmed. Densification properties were investigated using SEM and optical dilatometry. The densification of the Al-doped sample takes place in two stages through two different shrinkage rates. Using 0.25 mol Al-dopant 94% relative density is achieved at 1100 °C. The effect of Al-doping on electrochemical properties is investigated in detail using AC impedance spectroscopy. The result indicates that the optimum concentration of... 

In this research, rubber based nanocomposites with presence of nanoparticle has been studied. Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)/nanocopper (NC) composites were prepared using two-roll mill method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed proper dispersion of NC in the SBR matrix without substantial agglomeration of nanoparticles. To evaluate the curing properties of nanocomposite samples, swelling and cure rheometric tests were conducted. Moreover, the rheological studies were carried out over a range of shear rates. The effect of NC particles was examined on the thermal behavior of the SBR using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore,... 

Surface modification of titanium implants is recently considered by several researchers. In this study, PEO was performed over commercially Ti-6Al-4V alloy pellets in an aqueous electrolyte containing calcium acetate (C.A.) and calcium glycerphosphate (Ca-GP) with a Ca/P molar ratio of 6.8, and applying current density of 0.212 A/cm2, frequency of 100 Hz and duty ratio of 60% for 4 min. In the next step, hydrothermal treatments were carried out for various durations and at different temperatures inside an autoclave chamber containing a NaOH solution with pH of 11.5. XRD and SEM results confirmed formation of needle-shaped HAp after all hydrothermal conditions. Maximum intensity of HAp peaks... 

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  

In this paper design and fabrication of a wrist exoskeleton robot (ROBOWRIST) has been discussed. The robot has 3 degree of freedom, including flexion/extension, abduction/ adduction and pronation/supination based on the anatomical axis of the body. Four stepper motors are responsible for creating the motion. The exoskeleton can be used for neurorehabilitation and also post-surgery of wrist and forearm. Various therapeutic procedures with a precise tracking can be handled using the control algorithms. Each motor has a separate encoder to measure the angular position and send feedback to the controller. The design goal is to construct a reliable robot that is robust and applicable for... 

The effects of resin type and content as well as graphite content on physical and mechanical properties of MgO-C refractories, such as density, porosity and strength were studied. The samples were formulated with various amounts of graphite and resin, and their oxidation behavior was isothermally investigated using a thermo gravimeter (TG), in air and at a temperature ranges from 900 to 1300 °C. The results indicated that, low-viscosity resins improved compressibility, but it degraded the strength. Higher resin content also improved the compressibility, but it caused higher porosity after preheating at 600 °C. The results also showed that the porosity and density of tempered samples were... 

In this work successful synthesis of multiwall carbon nanotube (CNT) using solution combustion and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods are reported. Ceramic nanocomposite samples of (Al 2-xFe xO 3)-(y)ZrO 2 formula with x = 0.017, 0.034 and 0.17 and y = 0.15 were initially prepared. These were then subjected to CVD process during which the in situ reduction of iron oxide to metallic iron (Fe/Fe 3C) phase/s provided the necessary catalyst for the CNT formation. The formation of long flexible filaments with a smooth and regular surface bridging between alumina-zirconia (AZ) grains could be detected. The diameters of the formed filaments were in the range of ∼70 to ∼320 nm and length of the... 

In this paper, the effects of type and amount of various secondary carbides on the microstructure and cutting performance of Ti(C0.7N0.3)-12Co system have been investigated. Nine alloys with different amounts of WC, Mo2C and Ta0.7Nb0.3C additives were studied, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers hardness (HV), transverse rupture strength (TRS) and continuous turning tests. Alloys including Mo2C and WC presented finer carbonitride grain structure, as well as higher wear resistance resulting from their higher hardness and highly solution hardened binder phase. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved  

Molybdenum disilicide (ModSi 2) is an attractive structural material due to its unique combination of properties, namely excellent oxidation resistance, high melting point (2030°C) and relatively low density (6.3g.cm -3). The present work investigates joining of two MoSi 2 parts through Cusil/Zr/Cusil interlayer with Cusil being a commercial eutectic of Cu-Ag alloy. The joining operation was implemented in an inert gas tube furnace by brazing. The brazing temperature ranged at 830-930°C while the operation lasted for 1hr. Interfacial microstructure was studied by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Applying the... 

Colloidal stability of dextran (Dex) and Dex/poly ethylene glycol (PEG) coated TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated. The particles were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal assisted sol-gel technique. The results of Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry showed that Dex and PEG additions during hydrothermal process (HTP) led to the formation of long-term (more than 60 days) stable colloids, while the addition of dispersants after HTP did not have a significant impact on the colloidal stability of NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses proved that PEG and/or Dex coated NPs had less crystallinity than the plain TiO2. Fourier...