Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, a series of highly swelling hydrogels based on sodium alginate (NaAlg) and polymethacrylamide (PMAM) was prepared through free radical polymerization. The graft copolymerization reaction was performed in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator andN,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The crosslinked graft copolymer, alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (Alg-g-PMAM), was then partially hydrolyzed by NaOH solution to yield a hydrogel, hydrolyzed alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (H-Alg-g-PMAM). During alkaline hydrolysis, the carboxamide groups of Alg-g-PMAM were converted into hydrophilic carboxylate anions. Either the... 

The quantum integrability of the 1D ionic Hubbard model (IHM) is established using two independent numerical methods, namely i) energy level spacing statistics and ii) occupation profile of one-particle density matrix (OPDM) eigen-values. Both methods suggest that the 1D IHM is integrable. The calculations of energy level statistics reproduce the known results for the standard Hubbard model. Upon turning on the the ionic term, the energy level spacing distribution of this model continues to obey the Poissonian distribution. Occupation patterns as extracted from OPDM indicate that quasi-particles are sharpened upon increasing the ionic potential. This is evidenced by a larger jump in the... 

With the ionic Hubbard model (IHM) in mind, we construct a non-trivial generalization of the Bethe ansatz (BA) wave function which naturally generalizes the Lieb–Wu wave function with an ionic parameter Δ, and reduces to Lieb–Wu solution in the limit Δ→0. The resulting two-particle scattering matrix satisfies the Yang–Baxter equation. To the extent that the unit cells with more than two electrons (Choy–Haldane issue) are avoided on average, our wave function represents an effective solution for the one-dimensional IHM. The Choy–Haldane issue limits the validity of our solution to low-filling and large U≳4. This regime is attainable in cold atom realizations of the IHM. For this regime, we... 

The mixed convective heat transfer in a two-dimensional enclosure containing ethylene glycol-water mixture-based MoS2 nanofluid in the presence of magnetic field and thermal radiation is evaluated, adopting Galerkin standard finite element method. The Boussinesq approximation is applied to simulate natural convection. The partial differential governing equations with the appropriate boundary conditions are numerically handled using FlexPDE software. In order to validate the implemented numerical method, results were compared against outcomes obtained from the previous studies. Afterward, the influences of key indicators such as Hartmann number (Ha), Radiation parameter (Rd), Volume fraction... 

This study is aimed to improve Zarnick’s (1978, A nonlinear mathematical model of motions of a planing boat in regular waves. David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center, Bethesda, MD, USA) analytical model for motions of planing vessels. A nonlinear time domain mathematical model was developed for dynamic behaviour of longitudinal motion of high-speed planing crafts in regular waves. This model was based on two-dimensional strip theory method using expanding wedge theory and momentum. Due to the nonlinearity and complex dynamic behaviour of these vessels, the time-domain simulation was adopted. Total resistance, heave and pitch motions as well as acceleration were found very... 

This study is aimed to improve Zarnick’s (1978, A nonlinear mathematical model of motions of a planing boat in regular waves. David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center, Bethesda, MD, USA) analytical model for motions of planing vessels. A nonlinear time domain mathematical model was developed for dynamic behaviour of longitudinal motion of high-speed planing crafts in regular waves. This model was based on two-dimensional strip theory method using expanding wedge theory and momentum. Due to the nonlinearity and complex dynamic behaviour of these vessels, the time-domain simulation was adopted. Total resistance, heave and pitch motions as well as acceleration were found very... 

In this study, we have experimentally investigated the electrical properties of graphene and its derivatives (Exfoliated graphene, CVD synthesized graphene, graphene oxide and hydrogenated graphene oxide) under uniaxial strain. We have used gauge factor as a common representation of the sensitivity of the strain sensors and found that the hydrogenated graphene oxide shows significantly higher responsivity comparing to other samples under study. Reproducibility, reliability and lack of hysteresis in the responses of the graphene based samples make them a good candidate to be used in the strain sensors. © 2018  

Diversion in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs plays the most important role to the success of acidizing. Without the use of diversion, more acid preferentially flows into the high-permeability region and leaves the low-permeability region underreacted. But a clear understanding of diverting agents, such as polymer-based in-situ-gelled acids, can help uniformly stimulate the near-wellbore region. In this paper, we correct the rheological model that was developed by Ratnakar et al. (2013) according to experimental data from Gomaa and Nasr-El-Din (2010b) by considering shear-rate effect in a two-scale continuum model. It is found that the rheology parameters and shear rate are influential... 

In this study, a series of highly swelling hydrogels based on sodium alginate (NaAlg) and polymethacrylamide (PMAM) was prepared through free radical polymerization. The graft copolymerization reaction was performed in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The crosslinked graft copolymer, alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (Alg-g-PMAM), was then partially hydrolyzed by NaOH solution to yield a hydrogel, hydrolyzed alginate-graft-polymethacrylamide (H-Alg-g-PMAM). During alkaline hydrolysis, the carboxamide groups of Alg-g-PMAM were converted into hydrophilic carboxylate anions. Either the... 

Electrospinning of composite polymer solutions provides fantastic potential to prepare novel nanofibers for use in a variety of applications. The addition of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets to bioactive polymers was found to enhance their conductivity and biocompatibility. Composite conductive nanofibers of polyaniline (PANI) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with G and GO nanosheets were prepared by an electrospinning process. The fabricated membranes were investigated by physical and chemical examinations including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and tensile assay. The muscle satellite cells enriched by a pre-plating technique were... 

An efficient and one-pot process has been developed for the synthesis of novel benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b]pyrimido[4,5-d][1,3]thiazine-2,4(3H)-diones and benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]thiazin-4-ones from CH acids, aldehydes and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole using hexyltriphenylphosphonium bromide ionic liquid (HTPB) as a green promoter and solvent at ambient temperature. The reaction afforded products in high yields and short reaction times, bypassing the conventional harsh reaction conditions and without the need for using volatile solvents. In addition, we evaluated the anti-cancer activity of these compounds on different cancer cells, including A431, PC3, and Panc1 and HDF (human dermal fibroblast)... 

In this paper we introduce novel strategy for antibody immobilization using high surface area electrospun nanofibrous membrane based on ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling chemistry. To present the high performance of proposed biosensors, anti-staphylococcus enterotoxin B (anti-SEB) was used as a model to demonstrate the utility of our proposed system. Polymer solution of polyethersolfone was used to fabricate fine nanofibrous membrane. Moreover, industrial polyvinylidene fluoride membrane and conventional microtiter plate were also used to compare the efficiency of antibody immobilization. Scanning electron microscopy images were taken to... 

The present article aims to investigate the Graetz-Nusselt problem for blood as a non-Newtonian fluid obeying the power-law constitutive equation and flowing inside the axisymmetric tube subjected to non-uniform surface heat flux. After the flow field is determined by solving the continuity and the momentum equations, the energy equation is handled by employing the separation of variables method. The resulting Eigen functions and Eigen values are numerically calculated using MATLAB built-in solver BVP4C. The analysis is first conducted for the situation of constant heat flux and subsequently generalized to apply to the case of sinusoidal variation of wall heat flux along the tube length,... 

The polysaccharide, kappa-carrageenan (κC) was chemically modified to achieve a novel superabsorbent hydrogel via graft copolymerization of methacrylamide (MAM) onto the substrate followed by alkaline hydrolysis. Ammonium persulfate (APS) and N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) were used as a free-radical initiator and a crosslinker, respectively. The saponification reaction was carried out using sodium hydroxide aqueous solution. Either κC-g-PMAM or hydrolyzed κC-g-PMAM (PMAM: polymethacrylamide) was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The effect of grafting variables (i.e. concentration of MBA, MAM, and APS) and alkaline hydrolysis conditions (i.e. NaOH concentration, hydrolysis time and... 

To synthesize a novel biopolymer-based superabsorbent hydrogel, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) was grafted onto kappa-carrageenan (KC) backbones. The graft copolymerization reaction was carried out in a homogeneous medium and in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator, N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl ethylenediamine (TMEDA) as an accelerator, and N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. A proposed mechanism for KC-g-AMPS formation was suggested and the hydrogel structure was confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy. The affecting variables on swelling capacity, i.e., the initiator, the crosslinker, and the monomer concentration, as well as reaction temperature,... 

Thymol is one of the most widely used chemicals in the cosmetic and health industries and a known antioxidant. There are different methods for the preparation of thymol. One of the efficient methods for the synthesis of thymol is the alkylation of m-cresol using isopropanol as the alkylating agent and ZSM-5 acid catalysts. Different parameters such as SiO2/Al2O3 ratio, temperature and Weight Hourly Space Velocity (WHSV) can affect the conversion and selectivity of m-cresol alkylation. The application of tools to predict the effect of each of the effective factors and, thus, the proposition of a strong model of reaction conditions will lead to maximum conversion and selectivity. A... 

Natural compounds containing polysaccharide ingredients have been employed as candidates for treatment of skin tissue. Herein, for the first time, electrospinning setup was proposed to fabricate an efficient composite nanofibrous structure of Beta vulgaris (obtained from Beet [Chenopodiaceae or Amaranthaceae]) belonged to polysaccharides and an elastic polymer named nylon 66 for skin tissue engineering. Both prepared scaffolds including noncomposite and composite types were studied by Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, mechanical assay, and contact angle. Scanning electron microscope examinations have approved the uniform and homogeneous... 

We have investigated the piezoelectric response of the hydrogenated graphene oxide (H-G-SiO2) stacks both experimentally and theoretically. The piezoresponse force microscopy method and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to study the piezoresponse effect of this structure from both experimental and computational point of views. A mono-layer graphene, made by chemical vapour deposition method, is deposited on Si/SiO2 substrate and its surface is then functionalized with hydrogen atoms. The vertical piezoresponse, observed by piezoresponse force microscopy, is measured to be about 2146 pC N-1, that is comparable to the reported state of the art piezoelectric materials such... 

3D hydrogel environment with both unique properties of nanofibrous structure and electrical character can provide a promising scaffold for skeletal muscle tissue engineering approaches. Herein, the poly acrylic acid (PAA)-based hydrogel was engineered to conductive one by aniline polymerization in the form of nanofibers. The poly aniline (PANi) nanofibers were made by the optimized chemical reactions between the surface carboxylate groups of based hydrogel and protonated aniline monomers. We found that the strong bonding which was created between PANi and camphor sulphonic acid (CSA) as a doping agent supporting the stable electrical property of composite hydrogel after incubation in cell... 

Employing of the composite electrospun scaffold containing herbal extract in conjugation with co-culturing of cells can open up new window to the design of efficient biomaterials for skin tissue regeneration. Here, we introduce the synergistic effect of composite electrospun nanofibrous scaffold of nylon66 loaded with Beta vulgaris (B. vulgaris) (extract of beet roots, a plants whose widely used in Iranian folk medicine as wound healing medicine) and co-culture of mesenchymal stem-cells (MSCs)-human keratinocyte (H-keratino) differentiation towards epithelial lineage. In vitro biocompatibility was examined through MTT assay and epithelial differentiation checked by real-time PCR and...