Sharif Digital Repository

Silk fibroin (SF) has been broadly applied in wound dressing fabrication because of its proper features for wound healing. In this work, we developed a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/gelatin blend film with different concentrations of glycerol, and modified the optimized film with an SF layer through electrospinning process. Tensile strength and cell viability evaluation of blend films demonstrated that the glycerol content of 3% could be suitable as the substrate layer for the two-layer wound dressing. The morphology of the blend film and electrospun nanofibers was obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It concluded that... 

Photocatalytic membrane reactors (PMRs), coupling photocatalysts and membranes in a single system, have shown a considerable potential to reduce membrane fouling, which is one of the major drawbacks of using membranes to treat water and wastewater. In this study, the visible light-activated photocatalysts were incorporated into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) casting solution to synthesize the photocatalytic composite membranes. The physicochemical properties and the morphology of the membranes and photocatalysts were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance... 

Conventional wastewater treatment processes are not completely effective in removing vancomycin. In this study, affecting parameters on vancomycin degradation, such as pH, catalyst, initial vancomycin concentration, temperature, and reaction time were investigated simultaneously during a removal process based on titanium dioxide with ultraviolet irradiation in an aqueous solution. Titanium dioxide was synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The average size of the synthesized crystals was 4.7 (± 0.2) nm. Design of experiments was done by a central composite design based on the response surface methodology and multiple linear regression was... 

In this work, deformation behavior as well as creep and cavitation of AA7075-T76 were studied. The as-received plate was first stabilized utilizing solution treatment followed by two-stage artificial aging at 120 and 180 °C. Then, tensile tests were carried out on the aged-alloy in the temperature range between 120 and 250 °C under strain rates of 0.0005 and 0.005 s−1. Furthermore, stress-controlled creep tests were performed at temperatures varying between 120 and 210 °C at stresses ranging from 130 to 250 MPa. Microstructural evolution was then conducted to assess the microstructural changes and growth of cavities during creep employing optical metallography and scanning electron... 

Designing efficient and inexpensive catalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is vital for achieving sustainable and green hydrogen fuel production through water electrolysis. Herein, we have synthesized several bi- and trimetallic metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) composed of Co, Ni, and Mn metals and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid linker. The MOFs were prepared via a simple hydrothermal method, and their electrocatalytic performances in alkaline OER were investigated. A battery of analytical techniques was employed to characterize the as-synthesized materials, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM),... 

In the present study, the solubility of paracetamol in supercritical CO2 is measured at temperatures between 311 and 358 K and pressures between 95 and 265 bar. It was shown that the solubility of paracetamol through a static solubility measurement method was between 0.3055 × 10−6 to 16.3582 × 10−6 based on mole fraction. The obtained experimental solubility data revealed the direct effect of pressure on the paracetamol experimental data, while the temperature has a dual effect of both increasing and decreasing effect considering the shifting point known as crossover pressure which was measured to be around 110 bar for paracetamol. Besides, two theoretical approaches were applied to predict... 

In this study, the effects of unmodified calcium zinc phosphate (UCZP) and modified calcium zinc phosphate (MCZP) nanopigments (NPs) on the rheological, mechanical, and corrosion protection performance (CPP) of the epoxy (EP) coatings were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to study morphology and overall chemical structure of synthesized calcium zinc phosphate (CZP) NPs, respectively. The grafting of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) molecules on the surface of CZP was assessed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and... 

Chiral recognition has long been a challenging issue to deal with in biological systems, drug design and food authentication. Implementing nanoparticle-based probes with intrinsic or induced chirality in this field has addressed several issues concerning sensitivity, reliability, rapidness and the cost of chiral sensing platforms. Yet, research into chiral nanoprobes that can be used for visual monitoring of chiral substances is still in its infancy. As part of this study, a visual chiral recognition platform has been developed in which a combination of blue-emitting carbon dots (BCDs) and mercaptopropionic acid-capped CdTe quantum dots (MPA-QDs) with inherent chiroptical activity were... 

In this work, for the first time, different forms of nanocomposites based on rGO and MWCNT were prepared in conjoining with the bioactive glass (BioGlass). In the carbonic layers, a highly toxic nanoparticle, CoNi2S4, was intercalated, and the role of this nanoparticle in the alkaline phosphatase activity, relative cell viability on different cell lines, and also the effect on the cell walls and cell morphologies were investigated. From another perspective, the ability of the chemotherapy drug loading to the prepared nanocomposites was investigated, and the use of leaf extracts was thought of as a green method to lower the cytotoxicity and regulate the genotoxicity of the generated... 

This paper deals with the effects of three low-carbon steel filler metals consisting of ferritic and austenitic phases on the weld joints of the tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding of Hardox 500 steel. The correlation between the microstructure and mechanical properties of the weld joints was investigated. For this purpose, macro and microstructure were examined, and then microhardness, tensile, impact, and fracture toughness tests were carried out to analyze the mechanical properties of joints. The results of optical microscopy (OM) images showed that the weld zones (WZ) of all three welds were composed of different ferritic morphologies, including allotriomorphic ferrite, Widmanstätten... 

The tribological behaviors of an AISI 4340 ferritic-bainitic dual-phase steel with different bainite (VB) content were investigated. The effects of VB on wear resistance and the corresponding wear mechanisms were investigated using a pin-on-disk wear testing machine, at normal loads of 10 and 50 N, at a constant sliding velocity. The tensile and hardness tests showed that the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and hardness increased with increasing the VB. The wear test results at the 10 N normal load showed a direct correlation between the tensile and tribological behavior of the samples. Nevertheless, at the normal load of 50 N, unexpected behavior was observed due to the carbon... 

Faujasite (X, Y) zeolites are considered the main and important catalysts in hydrorefining processes. In order to obtain zeolites with higher acidity and volume of mesopores, post-synthesis modification, dealumination by different pickling techniques (using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [EDTA] chelating agent), and thermal treatment (calcination) were employed. The dealumination process led to the removal of the aluminum atoms from the zeolite structure and a rise in acidity while maintaining the zeolite crystalline lattice. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM),... 

In the bone tissue engineering field (BTE), it is of significant importance to develop bioactive multifunctional scaffolds with enhanced osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, and antibacterial properties required for lost bone tissue regeneration. In this work, a bioactive glass-ceramic scaffold was manufactured via a novel polymer-derived ceramics (PDC) manufacturing method. To gain antibacterial properties, the silver ions were incorporated in controlled amount along with other precursors in the PDC processing stage. Microstructural and structural properties of the fabricated silicate-phosphate glass-ceramic scaffold were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy... 

In this paper, the effects of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and nanographene (GP) on the mechanical performance of the cementitious mortars were investigated in different environments. Six mix designs were fabricated by considering the previous studies and exposed to potable water, acidic, and alkaline environments. The GP and MWCNTs partially replaced the cement with 0.25 %, 0.5 %, and 1 % of its weight. The standard mechanical tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis were performed on the specimens. The results indicated that including the MWCNTs and GP increases the compressive strength by 10 % and 20 % and similarly improves the tensile... 

In Mg–Si alloys, both primary and eutectic Mg2Si particles normally appear with sharp edges, which can lead to weak mechanical properties as the result of stress concentration at the sharp corners of these brittle particles. Thus, it would be of great importance to modify the morphology of these particles. In this study, microstructure modification mechanisms after 0.5 wt% Y addition and heat treatment (HT) at 420 °C for 24 h are comprehensively studied in hypo-eutectic Mg–1Si and hyper-eutectic Mg–2Si alloys. Microstructural observations were performed using optical and scanning electron microscopy equipped with electron disperse spectroscopy, while phase analysis was done by X-ray... 

This paper deals with an experimental investigation into the mechanical performance and microstructure characteristics of the cementitious mortars containing recycled waste materials subjected to acidic, neutral and alkaline environments. The recycled waste materials include glass, eggshell, iron and rubber powder in various amounts, namely 7, 14 and 21% by volume, as the replacement for ordinary Portland cement (OPC). In this respect, to examine the mechanical performance of the specimens, the compressive, tensile and bending strength tests as well as water absorption test were carried out at the ages of 7, 28 and 90 days. Moreover, to study the microstructure of the specimens, the scanning... 

Fluid flow in porous media is affected by surface characteristics such as roughness and topography. In this work, to simulate the surface of natural porous structures in transparent interconnected media like micromodels, various degrees of roughness have been artificially created on flat glass substrates via different methods of laser ablation, cream etching, combination of laser ablation and cream etching, and hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching. The obtained surfaces by each method were characterized in detail via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX/EDS), and surface profilometry. The impact of high... 

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have proved promising as biodegradable candidates for the repair of bone tissue. Despite the encouraging bio-related properties of Mg, its high corrosion rate in contact with body fluids still presents a major challenge. An efficient approach to address this issue is to provide a protective coating on Mg. The present research evaluates, for the first time, in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility of a novel multifunctional composite coating based on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) biopolymer and bioactive glass (BG) particles on Mg-based implant. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was utilized to obtain this coating from a bi-component suspension. Coatings’... 

Hybrid nanoparticle comprising of nanosilica (NS) and nanodiamond (ND), denoted by ND@NS, was synthesized by a two-step chemistry route and then incorporated into styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) at low concentrations up to 5 phr by a two-roll mill. Physical hybrids of NS and ND, i.e., ND&NS, with a weight ratio similar to chemical hybrid (80:20 for NS:ND), were also incorporated into SBR. Field emission scanning electron microscopy observations revealed very fine dispersion of nanoparticles in the case of physical hybrids (ND&NS). In contrast, agglomerations and aggregation of nanoparticles were evidenced for ND@NS. Tensile and dynamic mechanical analyses exhibited a higher reinforcing effect... 

The present research comes up with a novel DNA-loaded poly-L-lysine (PLL)/hyaluronan (HA) nanocarrier (DNA-loaded PLL/HA NCs) for gene delivery applications, as a promising candidate for gene delivery into diverse cells. A straightforward approach was employed to prepare such a nanosystem through masking DNA-loaded PLL molecules by HA. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to analyse the interaction of the molecules as well as the physicochemical properties of the NCs. The NCs showed a negative charge of –24 ± 3 mV, with an average size of 138 ±...