Sharif Digital Repository

In this research, we simulate the corrosive behavior of steel reinforcements on 5 different mixtures to investigate the effect of two powerful protective methods, including pozzolanic additives and corrosion inhibitor on concrete, by artificial neural networks (ANNs). Related to this model, fly ash (FA), micro silica (MS), and slag were used as pozzolanic materials at an optimum 25%, 10%, and 25% of cement weight, respectively. Moreover, Ferrogard 901 as an inhibitor was also utilized. The producer recommends using12 kg/m3 to get the best possible results. The non-linear corrosion of concrete into a marine solution (3.5% NaCl) was simulated by the feed forward back propagation (FFBP)... 

In this research, we simulate the corrosive behavior of steel reinforcements on 5 different mixtures to investigate the effect of two powerful protective methods, including pozzolanic additives and corrosion inhibitor on concrete, by artificial neural networks (ANNs). Related to this model, fly ash (FA), micro silica (MS), and slag were used as pozzolanic materials at an optimum 25%, 10%, and 25% of cement weight, respectively. Moreover, Ferrogard 901 as an inhibitor was also utilized. The producer recommends using12 kg/m3 to get the best possible results. The non-linear corrosion of concrete into a marine solution (3.5% NaCl) was simulated by the feed forward back propagation (FFBP)... 

Graphene oxide (GO) has never been considered as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agent since it was conceived as a diamagnetic material. There is a possibility that introduction of structural defects or manipulation of oxygen functionalities in GO change its magnetic response and provided a chance for GO to be a contrast agent for MRI. For this purpose, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was treated by irradiation and annealing procedures. The study on the magnetic properties of the samples confirmed that the competition between the structural defects and oxygen functionalities to magnetic moments determines the magnetism in RGO. © 2018  

Recently, graphene oxide and its unconventional magnetism have attracted much interest due to their novel applications in spintronics, memory chips and theranostics. Owing to the excellent biocompatibility, cellular uptake, bio-conjugation possibilities, flexible chemical modification and characteristic broad-wavelength absorbance, graphene oxide and its derivatives have been utilized as contrast agents for various imaging modalities such as photoluminescence, photoacoustic or ultrasound. Despite their suitable applications in bioimaging and due to lack of magnetic moment, graphene oxide cannot confer magnetic resonance imaging contrast without incorporating the magnetic component. Such... 

Recently, nanodiamonds have attracted interest in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, targeted cancer therapies, fabrication of tissue scaffolds, and biosensors. We incorporated diamond nanoparticles in alginate–bioactive glass films by electrophoretic process to prepare functional coatings for biomedical implants. Turbidity examination by time-resolved laser transmittance measurement revealed that a stable multi-component aqueous suspension of alginate, bioactive glass and diamond particles could be obtained at concentrations of 0.6, 1.3, and 0.65 g/l, respectively. Uniform films with ~ 5 μm thickness were deposited on 316 stainless steel foils by employing constant field... 

Nanofibrous structures mimicking the native extracellular matrix have attracted considerable attention for biomedical applications. The present study aims to design and produce drug-eluting core-shell fibrous scaffolds for wound healing and skin tissue engineering. Aloe vera extracts were encapsulated inside polymer fibers containing chitosan, polycaprolactone, and keratin using the co-axial electrospinning technique. Electron microscopic studies show that continuous and uniform fibers with an average diameter of 209 ± 47 nm were successfully fabricated. The fibers have a core-shell structure with a shell thickness of about 90 nm, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. By... 

In the present work, a series of polysulfone (PSf) mixed-matrix nanofiltration membranes containing highly water stable UiO-66 metal-organic framework (MOF) were prepared via a simple phase inversion technique. At first, UiO-66 particles were synthesized via a solvothermal technique, activated via two various activation methods, including Soxhlet extraction and centrifugation methods. Then their adsorption performance was investigated for adsorption of anionic methyl orange (MO)/methyl red (MR) and cationic methylene blue (MB)/malachite green (MG) dyes from water. The activated UiO-66 particles via the Soxhlet extraction method (named S-UiO-66) showed better performance for dye adsorption... 

Stimuli responsive polymer hydrogels have sparked a considerable interest for biomedical applications. In this work, we present a novel injectable thermal responsive hydrogel based on mineral nanoclay (LAPONITE®), wool-derived fibrous protein (keratin), triblock copolymer (Pluronic), and chitosan biopolymer with potential applications for articular cartilage tissue engineering. Genipin was utilized as a natural crosslinker. The formation of polymer conjugates between the components is confirmed by FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The nanocomposite hydrogel contains interconnected pores within the hydrogel network and the size of the pores is found to reduce at higher crosslinking density and on... 

Coaxial electrospinning with the ability to use simultaneously two separate solvents provides a promising strategy for drug delivery. Nevertheless, controlled release of hydrophilic and sensitive therapeutics from slow biodegradable polymers is still challenging. To address this gap, we fabricated core-sheath fibers for dual delivery of lysozyme, as a model protein, and phenytoin sodium as a small therapeutic molecule. The sheath was processed by a gelatin solution while the core fibers were fabricated from an aqueous gelatin/PVA solution. Microstructural studies by transmission and scanning electron microscopy reveal the formation of homogeneous core-sheath nanofibers with an outer and... 

The synthesis of a new drug delivery system based on hybrid nanomaterials containing a β-CD core and hyperbranched PG is described. Conjugating PG branches onto β-CD not only increases its water solubility but also affects its host/guest properties deeply. It can form molecular inclusion complexes with small hydrophobic guest molecules such as ferrocene or FITC with reasonable release. In addition, the achievable payloads are significantly higher as for carriers such as hyperbranched PGs. Short-term in vitro cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility tests on L929 cell lines show that the hybrid nanomaterial is highly biocompatible. Due to their outstanding properties, β-CD-g-PG hybrid nanomaterials... 

The development of microfluidic hydrogels is an attractive method to generate continuous perfusion, induce vascularization, increase solute delivery, and ultimately improve cell viability. However, the transport processes in many in vitro studies still have not been realized completely. To address this problem, we have developed a microchanneled hydrogel with different collagen type I concentrations of 1, 2, and 3 wt% and assessed its physical properties and obtained diffusion coefficient of nutrient within the hydrogel. It is well known that microchannel geometry has critical role in maintaining stable perfusion rate. Therefore, in this study, a computational modeling was applied to... 

Bioactive glass has been used clinically in bone repair applications for bone grafting because of its prominent physiochemical and osteogenic properties. Various attempts have been made to enhance bioactive glass efficiency in combination with other biomaterials such as antibiotics and growth factors. In present study, we developed a modification of bioactive glass nanoparticles that insured long term antibacterial effect. Bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGNs) were functionalized with (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTS), then vancomycin (VAN) was immobilized onto BGNs-APTS via EDC/NHS cross-linking process. Another study group namely BGNs-VAN was synthesized as a control group without any... 

Corrosion of steel rebars in concrete can reduce the durability of concrete structures in coastal environments. The corrosion rate of these concrete structures can be reduced by using suitable concrete additives and coating on rebars. This paper investigates the corrosion resistance of steel rebars by the addition of pozzolanic materials including fly ash, silica fume, polypropylene fibers, and industrial 2-dimethylaminoethanol (FerroGard 901) inhibitors to the concrete mixture. Three different types of rebars including mild steel rebar st37, and two stainless steel reinforcements, AISI 304 and AISI 316, were used. Various types of primer and coating including alkyd based primer, hot-dip... 

In this study, a cylindrical microshell stability reinforced by graphene nanoplatelets is investigated while an axial load is applied uniformly. In addition, viscoelastic foundation covers the composite nanostructure. Therefore, the impacts of the small scale parameter are studied while nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is considered. The present research deals for the first time with the consideration of viscoelastic, strain–stress size-dependent parameters along with taking into account of various boundary conditions (BCs), especially C-F ones put into effect on the proposed theory. The governing equations (G.Eqs) and BCs have been obtained utilizing energy method and solved with... 

Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) are serious hazards of bone implants. The present study was aimed to use the potential synergistic effects of Melittin and tetracycline to prevent MRSA associated bone implant infection. Chitosan/bioactive glass nanoparticles/tetracycline composite coatings were deposited on hydrothermally etched titanium substrate. Melittin was then coated on composite coatings by drop casting method. The surfaces were analyzed by FTIR, XRD, and SEM instruments. Tetracycline in coatings revealed multifunctional behaviors include bone regeneration and antibacterial activity. Releasing ALP enzyme from MC3T3 cells increased by tetracycline, so it is... 

In this study, a cylindrical microshell stability reinforced by graphene nanoplatelets is investigated while an axial load is applied uniformly. In addition, viscoelastic foundation covers the composite nanostructure. Therefore, the impacts of the small scale parameter are studied while nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is considered. The present research deals for the first time with the consideration of viscoelastic, strain–stress size-dependent parameters along with taking into account of various boundary conditions (BCs), especially C-F ones put into effect on the proposed theory. The governing equations (G.Eqs) and BCs have been obtained utilizing energy method and solved with... 

In the present study, a novel composite coating consisting of nano-silver (nAg) with an association of hydroxyapatite (HA)- β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) particles was developed by surface coating onto Ti substrate through two different but aligned steps: first nAg-HP (containing a different ratio of HA and β-TCP particles) composite was coated by sol-gel technique with the association of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a binding agent to the substrate, then continuous CO2 laser treatment was carried out to improve the surface properties. The physicochemical properties of fabricated coatings were evaluated by using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and field emission scanning electron microscopy... 

Open-pore titanium scaffolds were fabricated by sintering of compressed mixtures of TiH1.924 and urea. Spherical and irregular shaped space holders were used to investigate the effect of pore shape on cellular behavior. After removal of the space holder, the shape of the spacers was replicated to the pores. Average diameter of the pores was in the range of 300-600 lm. SEM images showed that titanium hydride resulted in higher surface roughness and larger micro porosities than pure titanium. In vitro evaluationswere carried out by using MTT assay, measuring alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red staining in flow perfusion bioreactor for cell culture. Observations revealed excellent... 

In this study, bioglasses in SiO2-CaO-MgO system were synthesized through sol-gel method and the effect of silica and magnesia contents on in-vitro bioactivity of the bioglasses were investigated. XRD patterns showed an amorphous structure after heat treatment at 600°C for 2 h for all glasses and also indicated that after immersion in SBF, apatite particles precipitated on glass surfaces and the rate of apatite formation decreased with increasing Mg/Ca ratio. On the other hand, the apatite formation rate was enhanced with increasing the silica content. Furthermore, magnesia contents increased the compressive strength of the samples. According to SEM, higher Mg/Ca ratio led to increase in... 

Superparamganetic iron oxide-based contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have offered new possibility for early detection of lymph nodes and their metastases. According to important role of nanoparticle size in biodistribution, magnetite nanoparticles coated with different polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations up to 10/1 PEG/iron oxide weight ratio in an ex situ manner. To predict the PEG-coated nanoparticle behavior in biological media, such as blood stream or tissue, colloidal stability evaluation was performed to estimate the coating endurance in different conditions. Accordingly, optical absorbance measurements were conducted in solutions with different values of pH and...