Sharif Digital Repository

There is a growing interest in developing high-performance sensors monitoring organophosphate pesticides, primarily due to their broad usage and harmful effects on mammals. In the present study, a colorimetric sensor array consisting of citrate-capped 13 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has been proposed for the detection and discrimination of several organophosphate pesticides (OPs). The aggregation-induced spectral changes of AuNPs upon OP addition has been analyzed with pattern recognition techniques, including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). In addition, the proposed sensor array has the capability to identify individual OPs or mixtures of them in... 

In this work the plasmonic photocatalytic activity of ZnO/noble metals nanocomposites has been investigated. Ag nanowires and Au nanospheres were prepared and mixed with ZnO in order to prepare the nanocomposites. It was demonstrated that the composites containing the plasmonic Ag nanowires and ZnO nanoparticles showed a significant photocatalytic activity enhancement compared to the pure ZnO in decomposition of methylene blue (MB). By investigation of mechanisms governing the performance of plasmonic photocatalysts, it was found that the photocatalytic activity enhancement can be attributed to the energy transfer from Ag nanowires to the ZnO nanoparticles induced by the surface plasmonic... 

Fe3O4@SiO2-Ag catalyst was found to be highly active and selective in the N-alkylation of amines with a variety of aromatic and linear alcohols. The heterogeneous nature of the Fe3O4@SiO2-Ag catalyst allows easy recovery and regeneration by applying an external magnet for six subsequent reaction cycles. The prepared catalyst was characterized using electron microscopy techniques, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd  

This paper describes a simple and low-cost test strip for on-site monitoring of methiocarb insecticide. Hydrophilic filter paper soaked in agarose solution was bounded by hydrophobic solid wax and then was coated with unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). AuNPs aggregation caused by methiocarb served as colorimetric response. We demonstrated detection capability of methiocarb both in solution- and substrate-based sensor. A good linear relationship was obtained between the colorimetric response and the concentration of methiocarb ranging from 20 to 80 ng mL -1 with a limit of detection of 5 ng mL -1. Excellent selectivity toward methiocarb was observed among various pesticides and cationic... 

Nickel nanoparticles supported on MgO-Al2O3 and Al2O3 were synthesized by an impregnation method using dinitrobisethylenediamine nickel and nickel nitrate hexahydrate as precursors and were used as catalysts for CO methanation. Different MgO contents (1.5-11.25 wt %) were employed for the preparation of supports, and NiO loadings were in the range of 10-40 wt %. The optimum catalyst prepared from proper amounts of MgO (∼2 wt %) and NiO loading (20 wt %) with [Ni(en)2(H2O)2](NO3)2 as precursor and a mesoporous support with a wide range of mesopores resulted in highly dispersed nickel nanoparticles that exhibited moderate metal-support interactions, lower acidic surface sites, and enhanced... 

Used lubricating oil (ULO) is a heavy mixture of various hydrocarbons and needs to be treated before discharging. Considering ULO nature, it is more favorable to recover lighter hydrocarbon cuts from ULO, which not only improves the whole process economically, but also prevents the emission of hardly decomposable hydrocarbons into the environment. In this research, the potential of pyrolysis method for ULO recovery was studied. Furthermore, graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), γ- Fe2O3 and ZnO nanoparticles were used to improve the kinetics of the process and their impacts on the final product quality were evaluated. Based on the results, adding nanomaterials increased the tendency to produce gas... 

Electrochemical sensing performance of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (2D h-BN) has traditionally been suppressed by their intrinsic electrical insulation and deficient electron transportation mechanism. However, the excellent electrocatalytic activity, high specific surface area, N- and B-active edges, structural defects, adjustable band gap through interaction with other nanomaterials, and chemical functionalization, makes 2D h-BN ideal for many sensing applications. Therefore, finding a pathway to modulate the electronic properties of 2D h-BN while the intrinsic characteristics are well preserved, will evolve a new generation of highly sensitive and selective electrochemical... 

Concentration procedures have always been implemented when trace analysis of compounds in real matrices is contemplated. A variety of concentration strategies have been reported aiming at decreasing the limits of detection (LODs). The optical concentration of the substance in solution is one of the novel concepts for the enhancement of the analytical sensitivity. In this study, the optical concentration has been measured by the trapping of gold nanoparticles ((Formula presented.) nm) dispersed in water at low-concentrations at the focal volume of the laser beam. The influence of factors such as the time of gold nanoparticle trapping, the size of the nanoparticles, the intensity of the laser... 

The aim of this research is to conduct atomistic investigations of physical interaction analysis of nanoscale objects manipulation. The system consists of tip, particle and substrate. The manipulation tool moves with a constant speed while pushing the particle in a desired direction. The focus of the research is on ultra-fine metallic nanoparticles. To perform this research, Nose-Hoover dynamics and Sutton-Chen interatomic potential will be used to investigate the behavior of the aforementioned system which is made from different transition metals. The effects of size, material type and temperature on the success of the process have been investigated by planar molecular dynamics. © 2008 IEEE... 

The solubility of Pd(NO3)2 in water is moderate whereas it is completely soluble in diluted HNO3 solution. Pd/MIL-101(Cr) and Pd/MIL-101-NH2(Cr) were synthesized by aqueous solution of Pd(NO3)2 and Pd(NO3)2 solution in dilute HNO3 and used for CO oxidation reaction. The catalysts synthesized with Pd(NO3)2 solution in dilute HNO3 showed lower activity. The aqueous solution of Pd(NO3)2 was used for synthesis of mono-metal Ni, Pd and bimetallic PdNi nanoparticles with various molar ratios supported on MOF. Pd70Ni30/MIL-101(Cr) catalyst showed higher activity than monometallic counterparts and Pd + Ni physical mixture due to the strong synergistic effect of PdNi nanoparticles, high distribution... 

The solubility of Pd(NO3)2 in water is moderate whereas it is completely soluble in diluted HNO3 solution. Pd/MIL-101(Cr) and Pd/MIL-101-NH2(Cr) were synthesized by aqueous solution of Pd(NO3)2 and Pd(NO3)2 solution in dilute HNO3 and used for CO oxidation reaction. The catalysts synthesized with Pd(NO3)2 solution in dilute HNO3 showed lower activity. The aqueous solution of Pd(NO3)2 was used for synthesis of mono-metal Ni, Pd and bimetallic PdNi nanoparticles with various molar ratios supported on MOF. Pd70Ni30/MIL-101(Cr) catalyst showed higher activity than monometallic counterparts and Pd + Ni physical mixture due to the strong synergistic effect of PdNi nanoparticles, high distribution... 

Due to the widespread use of pesticides and their harmful effects on humans and wildlife, monitoring their residual amounts in crops is critically essential but still challenging regarding the development of high-throughput approaches. Herein, a colorimetric sensor array has been proposed for discrimination and identification of triazole fungicides using monometallic and bimetallic silver and gold nanoparticles. Aggregation-induced behavior of AgNPs, AuNPs, and Au-AgNPs in the presence of four triazole fungicides produced a fingerprint response pattern for each analyte. Innovative changes to the metal composition of nanoparticles leads to the production of entirely distinct response patterns... 

Hierarchical submicrometer TiO 2 hollow spheres with outer diameter of 300-700 nm and shell thickness of 200 nm are synthesized by liquid phase deposition of TiO 2 over carbon microspheres as sacrificial templates. The final TiO 2 hollow spheres are applied as a scattering layer on top of a transparent nanocrystalline TiO 2 film, serving as the photoanode of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC). In addition to efficient light scattering, the mesoporous structure of TiO 2 hollow spheres provides a high surface area, 74 m 2/g, which allows for higher dye loading. This dual functioning suggests that TiO 2 hollow spheres may be good replacements for conventional TiO 2 spheres as scatterers in DSCs.... 

The present work describes sensing application of modified TiO 2 nanotubes having carbon-Pt nanoparticles for simultaneous detection of dopamine and uric acid. The TiO 2 nanotubes electrode was prepared using anodizing method, followed by electrodeposition of Pt nanoparticles onto the tubes. Carbon was deposited by decomposition of polyethylene glycol in a tube furnace to improve the conductivity. The C-Pt-TiO 2 nanotubes modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltam-metry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The modified electrode displayed high sensitivity towards the oxidation of dopamine and uric acid in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.00). The electro-oxidation currents... 

Stochastic parameters of self-agglomerated metallic nanoparticles on a dielectric film surface were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. In this regard, the rough surfaces including the nanoparticles were analyzed and characterized using structure function, roughness exponent and power spectrum density of the AFM profiles and their gradients, for different metal concentrations and heat treatment temperatures. The diffusion parameters, such as activation energy, of the nanoparticles initially accumulated on the surface into a porous and aqueous silica thin film were obtained using the AFM spectral analysis of the profiles and their gradients. It was found that the tip... 

Monolithic dye-sensitized solar cells are conventionally fabricated using carbon composite layer as the counter electrode. In the current research, the brittle carbon composite layer is replaced with a metal foil, aiming to decrease the device series resistance and using less catalyst material in counter electrode. This metallic structure has also an advantage of mechanical strength and decreases the fabrication complexity. The counter electrode is prepared by electrodepositing Cr film followed by electrodepositing Pt nanoparticles on a metal foil. As the porous spacer layer, different composite layers of SiO2, TiO2, and Al2O3 are investigated and the best results are obtained for TiO2... 

In this paper, ultra-small CuO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized through a mechanochemical method using two different Cu-containing precursors (i.e. CuSO4·5H2O and CuCl2·2H2O), and their structure and antibacterial activity were studied. From the microstructural studies, it was observed that CuO NPs have a spherical morphology and a narrow size distribution with 7 and 14 nm median particle sizes for CuCl2·2H2O and CuSO4.5H2O precursors, respectively. The CuCl2·2H2O derived nanoparticles showed more antibacterial activity than CuSO4.5H2O derived nanoparticles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the synthesized nanoparticles (derived from both precursors) against E. coli and... 

In this work, a colorimetric sensor array has been designed for the identification and discrimination of thiometon (TM) and phosalone (PS) as organophosphate pesticides and prothioconazole (PC) as a triazole pesticide. For this purpose, two different plasmonic nanoparticles including unmodified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and unmodified silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as sensing elements. The principle of the proposed strategy relied on the aggregation AuNPs and AgNPs through the cross-reactive interaction between the target pesticides and plasmonic nanoparticles. Therefore, these aggregation-induced UV–Vis spectra changes were utilized to discriminate the target pesticides with the... 

Biogenic amines (BAs) are known as substantial indicators of the quality and safety of food. Developing rapid and visual detection methods capable of simultaneously monitoring BAs is highly desired due to their harmful effects on human health. In the present study, we have designed a multicolor sensor array consisting of two types of gold nanostructures (i.e., gold nanorods (AuNRs) and gold nanospheres (AuNSs)) for the discrimination and determination of critical BAs (i.e., spermine (SM), tryptamine (TT), ethylenediamine (EA), tyramine (TR), spermidine (SD), and histamine (HT)). The design principle of the probe was based on the metallization of silver ions on the surface of AuNRs and AuNSs... 

A novel colorimetric nanosensor is reported for the selective and sensitive determination of cysteine using magnetic-sulfur, nitrogen graphene quantum dots (Fe3O4/S, N-GQDs), and gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Thus, S, N-GQDs was firstly immobilized on Fe3O4 nanoparticles through its magnetization in the presence of Fe3+ in the alkali solution. The prepared Fe3O4/S, N-GQDs were dispersed in cysteine solution resulting in its quick adsorption on the surface of the Fe3O4/S, N-GQDs through hydrogen bonding interaction. Then, Au NPs solution was added to this mixture that after a short time, the color of Au NPs changed from red to blue, the intensity of surface plasmon resonance peak of Au NPs at...