Sharif Digital Repository

Synthesis and immobilization of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) was performed on transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate by pulse electrodeposition method. The method was cost effective, simple and capable of producing nanoparticles strongly attached to the substrate. Effects of several influencing factors such as duty cycle, pulse frequency, current density, solution concentration, deposition period and annealing procedure on the optical properties of AuNPs-FTO electrode were investigated. AuNPs-FTO electrodes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV-Vis absorption analysis. Controllability... 

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of less than 50 nm diameter were electrodeposited from cyanide solution by pulsating electric current on modified copper and indium tin oxide (ITO) films coated on glass. Morphology, size, and composition of the deposited AuNPs were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Effects of peak current density, pulse frequency, potassium iodide and cysteine on grain size, and morphology of the AuNPs were determined. Experiments showed that cathode current efficiency increases with the pulse frequency and the iodide ion. Size of the AuNPs increased with the current density. The number of... 

Co-free Li-rich manganese nickel oxide (LMNO) materials are emerging as an up-and-coming candidate for high-energy–density cathodes. However, they suffer from severe cycling capacity fading and poor performance rates. Herein, the surface functionalization of an LMNO cathode is designed by polypyrrole (PPy) nanostructure coating. We found that PPy nanoparticles@LMNO cathode exhibits high-capacity retention and enhanced rate capabilities, delivering a discharge capacity as high as 191 mAh g−1, with capacity retention of 96%, after ∼ 200 cycles at a current density of 20 mA g−1. The results indicate that the intercalation and doping pseudocapacitance can be varied depending on the synthesis... 

Li-rich layered oxides (LLOs) are the most promising high-capacity materials in the Li-ion batteries owing to their cumulative oxygen anionic and cationic redox reactions. However, irreversible oxygen evolution and transition-metal migration aggravate structural rearrangement and capacity fading. Although Co-containing LLO possesses practical capacity and stability for commercial purposes, it suffers from scarcity, toxicity, and high cost of cobalt. To ameliorate these bottlenecks, we improved the reversibility of anionic and cationic redox in Co-free concentration-gradient LLO by integrating oxygen vacancies and high Ni/Mn ratio on LLO's surface. We found that surface oxygen vacancies... 

A green precipitation method has been used for the synthesis of ultra-small APTMS-mPEG conjugated Mn3O4 nanoparticles. Spherical cores in the uniform size of 4±1 nm were characterized by HRTEM. Zeta potential of −45 mV and the invariant turbidimetry results during the time, confirmed super-stability of the colloids. MRI relaxometry by 1.5 T scanner represented two values of r1= 8.23 s−1mM−1 and r1=7.3 s−1mM−1 for diluted and concentrated samples. The r2/r1 ratio was also decreased from 11.86 to 6.9 by dilution of colloids. Particle aggregation and motional narrowing phenomena led to a dual T1/T2 contrast agent in the Mn ion concentrations of more than 0.2 mM. The optimum concentration of Mn... 

Synthesis of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) coated ultrasmall Gd2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) with enhanced T1-weighted signal intensity and r2/r1 ratio close to unity is performed by a microwave-assisted polyol process. PVP coated Gd2O3NPs with spherical shape and uniform size of 2.5 ± 0.5 nm have been synthesized below 5 min and structure and morphology confirmed by HRTEM, XRD and FTIR. The longitudinal (r1) and transversal relaxation (r2) of Gd2O3NPs is measured by a 3 T MRI scanner. The results showed considerable increasing of relaxivity for Gd2O3NPs in...