Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper, the classical and nonlocal elasticity are applied to investigate the deflection and instability of electrostatically actuated carbon nanotubes. The results are presented for different geometries and boundary conditions. They reveal that increasing radius and gap and decreasing length confine to increasing pull-in voltages of the carbon nanotubes. The results prove that application of the nonlocal elasticity theorem leads to stiffer structures with higher pull-in voltages. Thus, in order to obtain more accurate results about the mechanical and electromechanical behaviors of the carbon nanotubes, one should apply the nonclassical elasticity theories such as that applied in this... 

The paper deals with studying the deflection and pull-in voltages of the carbon nanotubes under electrostatic actuation with various dimensions and boundary conditions. The size-dependent behaviors of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered via application of the strain gradient theory. The results obtained from the strain gradient theory are compared to those estimated using the classical elasticity. The outcomes reveal that the classical elasticity theory underestimates the pull-in voltages of the carbon nanotubes and strain gradient theorem results in stiffer nano-structures with higher pull-in voltages. Increasing of the deflection due to the higher voltages increases the differences... 

The photocatalytic activity of mesoporous TiO2 modified by the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Cu is reported. Nanocomposites of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) containing varying amounts of Cu were formed by treatment with Cu2+ then reduced to Cu0 using NaBH4 as the reducing agent. The mesoporous TiO2, synthesized by a sol-gel method from titanium isopropoxide, was combined with the CNT/Cu nanocomposites to form the photocatalysts which were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS and BET surface area analysis. The photocatalytic properties of the mesoporous TiO2 composites were studied by measuring the degradation of methyl orange (MO) which was optimal in the sample containing 20wt% of... 

The paper investigates the effects of application of nonlocal elasticity theory on electromechanical behaviors of single-walled carbon nanotubes under electrostatic actuation. The influences of different dimensions and boundary conditions on the vibration and dynamic instability of the carbon nanotubes are studied, in detail, using this theory. The results reveal that application of the non-local elasticity theory leads to the higher pull-in voltages for the nonlocal model applied for carbon nanotubes. Thus, in order to have more accurate results, one should apply nonclassical theorems such as the nonlocal elasticity theory to scrutinize the mechanical and electromechanical behaviors of the... 

A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for armchair, zigzag and chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is proposed. By considering the covalent bonds as connecting elements between carbon atoms, a nanotube is simulated as a space frame-like structure. Here, the carbon atoms act as joints of the connecting elements. To create the FE models, nodes are placed at the locations of carbon atoms and the bonds between them are modeled using three-dimensional elastic beam elements. Using Morse atomic potential, the elastic moduli of beam elements are obtained via considering a linkage between molecular and continuum mechanics. Also, a new wall thickness (bond diameter) equal to 0.1296... 

In this paper, the simulation of biomolecules manipulation using molecular dynamics (MD) is studied. In order to investigate the manipulation behavior, we have used the ubiquitin as biomolecule, a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) as manipulation probe, a two-layer graphene sheet as substrate. Along this line, a series of simulations are conducted to study the effects of different conditions on the success of manipulation process. These conditions include tip diameter, vertical gap between the tip and substrate, initial orientation of protein, and the tip position with respect to the biomolecule  

Copper based hybrid composites containing nano-sized silicon carbide and carbon nanotubes reinforcements with minimal porosity were fabricated via mechanical milling followed by hot pressing technique. Microstructures of the powders and consolidated materials were studied using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscope. Microstructural characterization of the materials revealed that the addition of nanosized silicon carbide reinforcement lowered the grain growth rate and enhanced the homogenization during mechanical milling. Microhardness measurements and compression test showed considerable improvements in mechanical... 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized via arc discharge in aqueous solutions containing ferrous and ferric irons to reveal the effect of iron-charge mole ratio, R = [Fe2+]/[Fe3+], on the purity of CNTs and the process yield. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the cathodic deposits. It is shown that the nucleation of multi-walled CNTs is catalyzed by ferric irons while their growth is affected by ferrous ions. Well-graphitized CNTs with a high-yield are obtained at R = 1 and total iron concentration of 0.05 M. The effect of iron charge is described based on the two-stage formation mechanism  

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized in aqueous solutions containing FeCl2, FeCl3, FeSO4 and Fe2(SO4)3. The effects of iron charge and the counter ions on the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis indicated that carbon multilayer structures including CNTs and multishell graphite particles were formed in deionized (DI) water without the iron precursor. SWCNTs were also synthesized in the presence of the iron ions. It was also found that the mole ratio of [Fe2+]/[Fe3+] in the solution has a significant influence on the purity of CNTs and the process yield. The highest yield was... 

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was successfully immobilized on amine functionalized TiO2-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (NH2 – TiO2 – CNTs) by a convenient and efficient method. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and amperometry were applied to characterize the HRP/NH2 – TiO2 – CNT nano-composite. These techniques showed that the NH2 – TiO2 – CNTs greatly enhance the electron transfer between HRP and the modified electrode. Owing to the redox reaction of the electroactive centre of HRP, the HRP = NH2 – TiO2 – CNTs modified electrode exhibited a pair of quasi-reversible peaks with a peak-to-peak separation (ΔEp) of 70.6 mV and a formal potential (E 0′) of 367.65 mV... 

Polycitric acid was conjugated onto the surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and hybrid nanomaterials containing CNT axis and polycitric acid branches that were highly soluble in aqueous solutions were synthesized. In this work, pristine MWCNTs were opened and functionalized through treatment with acid, then polycitric acid was covalently grafted onto their surface by the "grafting from" approach based on polycondensation of citric acid in the melting state. The chemical structure, morphology, thermal properties and size of MWCNT-g-PCA hybrid materials were investigated by IR, 13C NMR, 1H NMR, TEM, TGA, DSC and DLS. To investigate the biocompatibility of the synthesized hybrid nanomaterials... 

The paper investigates the influences of fluid flow on static and dynamic behaviours of electrostatically actuated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using strain gradient theory. This nonclassical elasticity theory is applied in order to obtain more accurate results possessing higher agreement with the experimental data. The effects of various fluid parameters such as the fluid viscosity, velocity, mass and temperature on the pull-in properties of the CNTs with two cantilever and doubly clamped boundary conditions are studied. The results reveal the applicability of the proposed nano-system as nano-valves or nano-fluidic sensors  

The paper deals with the investigation of nonlinear static and dynamic behaviors of electrostatically actuated carbon nanotubes with different geometries and boundary conditions. The deflection and pull-in properties are studied in detail in the presence of DC and combined DC+AC electrostatic voltages accompanying the interatomic interactions. The considered nano system can be applied in a wide range of nanoelectronics devices such as nano switches, nano resonators, nano transistors, nano capacitors and random access memories. Moreover, a useful mathematical model of the nano sensor application of the studied nano system to sense the stiffness of the nano particles is presented  

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with a thin layer of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and subsequently, electrochemically deposited poly-pyrrole. The electrochemical behavior of mesalazine was studied on the surface of the modified electrode by applying linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The electropolymerization process and the electrochemical response toward mesalazine were investigated in the presence of different aromatic anion dopants including, benzenesulfonic acid (BSA), 1,3-benzenedisulfonic acid (1,3-BDSA), 1,5-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (1,5-NDSA) and new coccine (NC). By using 1,5-NDSA as dopant, a significant increase (~418 times) in the peak current of mesalazine... 

In the present study, an acid treatment of the cordierite monolith followed by coating of the CNT onto it by means of catalytic chemical-vapor deposition (CCVD) of methane over CoMo catalyst was performed. The resulting material utilized as the supports for the HDS catalyst onto which was deposited Co and Mo species. The as-prepared samples were characterized by the BET, XRD, FESEM and ICP-MS techniques. BET experiments showed that a significant increase in specific surface area and pore volume was observed, and a suitable pore size distribution was obtained after acid pretreatment. The FESEM images of CNT coated monolith showed that CNTs were distributed uniformly on the surface of monolith... 

A new sensitive electrochemical sensor was fabricated based on a layer by layer process. In this process the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is first coated by a thin film of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In the next step, the electropolymerization of pyrrole in the presence of Nitrazine Yellow (NY) as a dopant anion is performed on the surface of the MWCNTs precoated electrode. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward naltrexone (NTX) were studied by means of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). A remarkable increase (~19 times) was observed in the anodic peak current of NTX on the surface of the modified electrode relative to the bare GCE. The effects... 

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were synthesized via arc discharge in aqueous solutions containing ferrous and ferric irons to reveal the effect of iron-charge mole ratio, R = [Fe 2+]/[Fe 3+], on the purity of CNTs and the process yield. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the cathodic deposits. It is shown that the nucleation of multi-walled CNTs is catalyzed by ferric irons while their growth is affected by ferrous ions. Well-graphitized CNTs with a high-yield are obtained at R = 1 and total iron concentration of 0.05 M. The effect of iron charge is described based on the two-stage formation mechanism  

Predicting the effective elastic properties of carbon nanotube-reinforced nanocomposites is of great interest to many structural designers and engineers for improving material and configuration design in recent years. In this paper, a finite element model of a CNT composite has been developed using the Representative volume element (RVE) to evaluate the effective material properties of nanocomposites. Based on this model, the effects of geometrical characteristics such as the aspect ratio, orientation and volume fraction of the CNTs in conjunction with the interphase behavior on the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites are elucidated and the elastic properties of a complex polymeric... 

Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(vinyl acetate)/carbon nanotubes, PVDF/PVAc/CNT, composite films were prepared at various compositions via a solution casting method. The amorphous PVAc formed a miscible blend with PVDF and drastically improved dispersion of CNT in PVDF/CNT composites. Combination of ductile PVAc and rigid CNT had favorable effects on mechanical properties of PVDF. The elongation of PVDF increased from 8% to 300% with addition of 40 wt% PVAc and 0.5 wt% CNT and the modulus at 1.5 wt% CNT was almost 2.3 fold of that of the neat PVDF while retaining high ductility and tensile strength. XRD and FTIR results showed that CNT favored formation of β-crys-talline phase in PVDF. Also...