Sharif Digital Repository

The potential of carbon-based nanosheet membranes with functionalized pores is great as water treatment membranes. Using the molecular dynamic simulation technique, the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) separation from the water/DMSO binary solution is investigated, and the functionalized graphene nanosheets are used as a membrane. This membrane was functionalized by –F (fluorine) and –H (hydrogen) functional groups. For the separation of DMSO, external hydrostatic pressures up to 100 MPa were applied to the considered systems. The separation mechanism was based on molecular size. Multiple analyses were done to study the capability of considered membranes for the separation of DMSO molecules from... 

In this study, spinel CuCo2O4 (CCO) with a hierarchical hollow sphere morphology was encapsulated in V2O5-decorated ultra-wrinkled graphitic carbon-nitride (VO-UCN) for the first time via a facile glycerol-assisted solvothermal method in the interest of developing a novel high-efficiency double Z-type nano-photocatalyst (denoted as VO-UCN@CCO). The remarkable physicochemical features of the as-prepared nano-photocatalysts were verified using diverse characterization techniques including TGA, XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, TEM, BET, UV–vis DRS, PL, EIS, and transient photocurrent techniques. Herein, VO-UCN@CCO nanocomposite was employed for the photodisintegration of levofloxacin (LVOF) antibiotic under... 

Herbal medicine wastes (HMWs) are byproducts of medicine factories, which are mainly landfilled for their environmental problems. Only bearing in mind the contamination and concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental emissions, the worth of herbal medicine wastes management and conversion to green products can be understood. In this work, subcritical water treatment was carried out batch-wise in a stainless tube reactor in the pressure range of 0.792–30.0 MPa, varying the temperature (127–327 °C) and time (1–60 min) of extraction. This resulted in new and green material sources, including organic acids, amino acids, and sugars. Amazingly, at very low extraction times (below 5... 

This work reports on the potential application of UiO-66 in gas sweetening and its structural stability against water, air, dimethylformamide (DMF), and chloroform. The UiO-66 nanoparticles were solvothermally synthesized at different scales and activated via solvent exchange technique using chloroform, methanol, and ethanol. Thus prepared and aged MOFs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. The chloroform-activated MOF showed the largest surface area among all activation solvents, and presented high uptakes of 8.8 and 4.3 mmol/g for CO2... 

Limited regeneration capacity of cartilage can be addressed by tissue engineering approaches including localized delivery of bioactive agents using biomaterials. Although chitosan hydrogels have been considered as appropriate candidates for these purposes, however, their poor mechanical properties limit their real applications. Here, we develop in situ forming chitosan hydrogels with enhanced shear modulus by chemical modification of chitosan using N-(β-maleimidopropyloxy) succinimide ester (BMPS). Moreover, we utilize β-Glycerophosphate (β-GP) in the hydrogels for achieving thermosensitivity. We investigate the effects of BMPS, β-GP and chitosan concentration on rheological and swelling... 

The supernatant obtained from the extracellular laccase produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was used as the enzyme source to conduct a partial purification, characterization and dye decolorization study. The partially purified enzyme was stable in the pH range of 3–5 and showed an optimum activity at pH 4.0, using guaiacol as a substrate. Laccase stability of pH was determined and discovered to retain 100% of its activity at a pH of 4.0 after 2 h. The maximum enzyme activity was obtained between 30 and 50 °C. The maximum velocity and Michaelis constant were calculated as 3.171 µM−1·min and 1628.23 µM, respectively. The enzyme was activated by Fe2+, Zn2+, Ca2+ and Cu2+, while Hg2+, Mn2+,... 

Abstract: The magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized and supported on the reduced graphene oxide. The characterization of the catalyst was performed by FT-IR, VSM, SEM, XRD, and BET techniques. The obtained results indicated that the in situ synthesis of Fe3O4 using coprecipitation method caused the homogenous formation of magnetite nanoparticles on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (average particle size ~ 71.032 nm) with high stability and catalytic activity toward electro-Fenton removal of Reactive Red 195. The effect of various factors (current intensity, initial pollutant concentration, catalyst weight, and pH) was evaluated by response surface methodology using central... 

In this work, for the first time, we presented a novel design strategy to fabricate a new type of Octa-aminopropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane hydrochloride salt (OA-POSS)-based Alg/PAAm DN gels, consisting of PAAm gel as the first chemical network and Alg/OA-POSS gel as the second chemical-physical network. Incorporation of OA-POSS nanoparticles with various feed ratio into the second network not only led to form strong coordination interactions but also in comparison to the other Alg/PAAm gels demonstrated superior mechanical properties. pH, temperature, contact time and salt effects parameters were studied on the swelling and dye removal properties of the synthesized DN hybrid... 

The main goal of this research is to use the biomass productivity, carbohydrate content, and carbohydrate productivity as useful responses for optimization of macronutrients concentrations (K2HPO4, NaHCO3, and NaNO3) in cultivation of Spirulina microalgae as a feedstock for bioethanol production. In this study, individual and synergistic effects of medium components on the mentioned responses were investigated. The culture medium was optimized using central composite design for achieving the maximize biomass productivity (165 mg L−1 day−1 at K2HPO4: 438 mg L−1, NaHCO3: 15.92 g L−1, and NaNO3: 0.5 g L−1), carbohydrate content (42.0% of dry mass at K2HPO4: 192 mg L−1, NaHCO3: 5.71 g L−1, and... 

Bisphenol A (BPA), which is a major component in the production of various consumer products, is one of the most significant endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In this research, the biocatalytic elimination of Bisphenol A using laccase produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was examined and optimized. The response surface methodology was used to study the effect of independent variables such as pH, temperature, initial laccase activity, initial Bisphenol A concentration, and the interactive effects of each variable on the removal of Bisphenol A and residual enzyme activity. Based on response surface plots, the maximum Bisphenol A removal (93%) was detected at a pH value of 8, temperature... 

An improved and efficient method for the synthesis of 1- & 5-substituted 1Htetrazole derivatives was described in the presence of nano-ordered MCM-41-SO3H as an effective heterogeneous catalyst. This metal-free protocol, [2 + 3] cycloaddition of sodium azide to various nitriles or ethyl N-phenyl formimidate intermediate under mild reaction conditions, provides a wide range of 1H-tetrazoles in good to excellent yields. The catalyst was reused five times without significant loss of catalytic activity. © 2019 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved  

An improved and efficient method for the synthesis of 1- & 5-substituted 1Htetrazole derivatives was described in the presence of nano-ordered MCM-41-SO3H as an effective heterogeneous catalyst. This metal-free protocol, [2 + 3] cycloaddition of sodium azide to various nitriles or ethyl N-phenyl formimidate intermediate under mild reaction conditions, provides a wide range of 1H-tetrazoles in good to excellent yields. The catalyst was reused five times without significant loss of catalytic activity. © 2019 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved  

This study reports the importance of physicochemical characteristics of the core-shell structured polymer-coated Fe3O4 cluster@SiO2 nanocomposite particles for designing the biocatalysts used for transesterification of soybean oil. To demonstrate this issue, two different types of polymer molecules such as polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) each with two different molecular weights are employed. The highest fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) synthesis yield values are achieved by the lipases immobilized onto the low- and high-molecular-weight PEI-coated particles as compared to those of the low- and high-molecular-weight PAA-coated particles (i.e., ∼64.8% and ∼73.1% versus... 

This study investigated the removal of triethylamine using a biotrickling filter. The influence of affecting parameters, such as height and recirculation liquid rate (VL) on contaminant removal efficiency, was examined in detail. The results demonstrated that in the constant empty bed residence time (EBRT), when VL was increased, the removal efficiency (RE) increased. Also, for a specific VL, increasing EBRT could also increase RE values. However, it seems that an increasing VL is a more cost-effective way to enhance RE as compared to an increasing EBRT. The obtained outcomes represented that for a constant EBRT, an increase in inlet loading (IL) could decrease RE. For lower ILs, the removal... 

Terahertz spectroscopy is a useful and an efficient method for detection of pure materials and also mixture compounds. In the present study the terahertz spectra of the α-lactose, high explosives RDX and also the binary mixture of mentioned materials has been obtained in the transition mode. The obtained spectra of the pure materials were in a very good agreement with literatures in the range of 0.1 to 1.5 terahertz. The spectra of mixture samples which show the specific fingerprint characters of each component, declare that terahertz spectroscopy can be used effectively for the detection of explosives and chemical compounds even in the mixture samples. © 2016 IEEE  

We propose a facile and cost effective method for fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces with significant drag reduction in a wide velocity range. A dual structure superhydrophobic aluminum surface with a hydrophobic Al2O3micro- and nanoparticle coating and also another superhydrophobic surface with a nanoparticle layer coating are fabricated. Then, the resulted drag from each of these surfaces is measured carefully in different velocities and compared with the drag of the as-received aluminum surface. Our results reveal that the surface with the dual structure experiences drag reduction in a wider velocity range compared with the nanoparticle coated sample. Drag reduction of the dual... 

The aqueous phase reforming (APR) reaction of glycerol considered to be environmentally green. It converted polyols into value added products including; H2 and alkanes. Ni species known for its capability of producing alkane-rich gas under the APR process conditions might be utilized for this purpose. In this research, the conversion of glycerol into alkanes demonstrated using 10wt% Ni/CexZr1-xO2 (with x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1) catalysts. In order to better understand the behavior of these materials, they were evaluated physio-chemically through the; XRD, BET, H2-TPR, H2-Chemisorption and TEM analyses. Moreover; performances of the synthesized materials were determined through their... 

Frequent air pollution episodes have been reported for Tehran, Iran, mainly because of critically high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The composition and sources of these particles are poorly known, so this study aims to identify the major components and heavy metals in PM2.5along with their seasonal trends and associated sources. 24-hour PM2.5samples were collected at a main residential station every 6 days for a full year from February 2014 to February 2015. The samples were analyzed for ions, organic carbon (including water-soluble and insoluble portions), elemental carbon (EC), and all detectable elements. The dominant mass components, which were determined by means of... 

In typical photocatalytic processes slurry reactors are used in which catalyst particles have to be separated from the solution after the process ends which means much higher time and costs. Hence, immobilizing process is carried out on the catalyst to overcome this problem. In this work, fiber and network geometries were produced by particle precipitation on substrates. The obtained structures were characterized by XRD, SEM, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses. Photocatalytic performance of the samples was investigated by methyl orange degradation and also by hydrogen generation from water/methanol splitting. From the SEM images, the size range of the TiO2 particles in the network... 

Abstract: In this investigation, monodisperse CuGaS2 nanoparticles intended for use as visible-light-absorbing materials were synthesized using a facile one-step heating method that involved dissolving the precursors copper chloride, gallium acetylacetonate, and thiourea in a solvent consisting of either oleylamine alone or a combination of oleylamine, oleic acid, and 1-octadecene. The shapes of the resulting nanoparticles were either elongated, polygonal, or a mixture of both, depending on whether the crystal structure of the nanoparticles was predominantly wurtzite, predominantly chalcopyrite, or a more balanced mixture of both wurtzite and chalcopyrite (i.e., the nanoparticles were...