Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering (Esteghlal)

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DP803, an industrial catalyst used in petrochemical industry for dehydrogenation of isobutane to isobutene, was characterized in the current study. The results showed that zeolite Y is a high performance catalyst. This catalyst was then synthesized using a platinum source (hexachloro platinic acid) and two different tin sources (tributyl tin chloride and SnCl2.2H2O) all on zeolites Y, and then the synthesized catalysts were used in the dehydrogenation of isobutane in a reactor designed for dehydrogenation reaction. XRF, XRD, TG/DTG, FT-IR, and SEM techniques were used for the characterization and determination of the composition of catalysts. The wet analysis of samples under different reaction conditions were investigated as well.

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The osseointegration of oral implants is related to the early interactions between osteoblastic cells and titanium surface. Chemical surface modification of titanium (Ti) implants is used to improve peri-implant bone growth, bone-to-implant contact, and adhesion strength. Thus, in this study, the surface topography, chemistry, and biocompatibility of polished titanium surface treated with mixed solution of three acids containing hydrochloric acid (HCl)- hydrofluoric acid (HF)- phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were studied under different concentration conditions. Moreover, Osteoblast cell (MG-63) was cultured on the and treated polished titanium surface. Also, in order to investigate titanium surface, SEM, AFM and EDS analyses were carried out. The results revealed that the surface of titanium treated with mixed solution containing the aforesaid acids had higher roughness, cell attachment, and proliferation than the controls

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In this paper, the effect of TiH2 and CaCO3 blowing agents was investigated on the structure and energy absorption of Al-7%Si-3%SiC composite metal foam by powder compact route. Composition of the foam was prepared from a mixture of Al, SiC and Si powders. Then, precursors were consolidated in H13 die mould by cold and uni-axial pressing at 110 MPa and at room temperature. The pressed precursors were extruded at 500oC, in a 12*24 mm2 cross-section. Then, the precursors were foamed in a 316L-stainless steel tube with diameter and height of 20 mm and 100 mm, respectively, in an electrical resistance furnace. Finally, for micro-structural investigation the samples were cut and polished, and a scanning electron microscope was used to observe the cell wall and surface topology. For calculation and comparison, energy absorption was used in an Instron Hydraulic test machine and the foam samples were compressed at the ramp velocity of 50 mm/minute. Results showed that foams with CaCO3 agent due to having high porosities are more stable than foams with TiH2 agent. Also, the energy absorption for foam with CaCO3 agent is more than foams with TiH2 agents. However, its drainage due to less thickness of wall porosities is better than the foam with CaCO3 agent.

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In this work, a 3D thermo-microstructural model was developed to simulate the continuous cooling of steel. The model was employed for simulation of cooling process of the gears made from a plain carbon steel (AISI 1045) and a low alloy steel (AISI 4140). Temperature-dependent heat transfer coefficients for two different quenching media were evaluated by experimental and computational methods. The effects of latent heat releases during phase transformations, temperature and phase fractions on the variation of thermo-physical properties were investigated. The present model was validated against cooling curve measurements, metallographic analysis, and hardness tests, and good agreement was found between the experimental and simulation results. This model was used to simulate the continuous cooling process and to predict the final distribution of microstructures and hardness in steel gears.

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ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation method. As-prepared ZnS nanoparticles were found to be stabilized in the form of cubic phase. Cubic to hexagonal structural transformation was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of annealing temperature (100-700 ) on the band gap, particle size, and structural phase was investigated. Photoluminescence studies indicated two strong and narrow emission peaks in blue and orange regions. These two strong and narrow emission peaks were shifted to blue and red regions by increasing the annealing temperature..

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Due to its biocompatibility, bioactivity and high durability properties, hydroxyapatite (HA) has a wide range of applications in medical cases such as bone defect treatment and bone tissue regeneration. Biological apatite as the most important integrity of the mineral part of hard tissues consists of tiny hydroxyapatite crystals in nanoregime. It seems that using the artificial hydroxyapatite with similar structure and chemical composition to biological apatite could increase its durability inside the natural hard tissues. The aim of the present work was the synthesis of nano structured hydroxyapatite via different routes, comparison of their characterization and enhancement of the bioactivity and bioresorbability of prepared hydroxyapatite by controlling its crystal size and chemical composition. Nano structured hydroxyapatite was prepared by mechanical activation and sol-gel routes. X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the prepared hydroxyapatite powders. The synthesized powder was soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) for various periods of time in order to evaluate its bioresorbability and bioactivity after immersion in SBF. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine the dissolution rate of calcium ions in SBF media. Results showed that the mechanical activation prepared HA powder had nano scale structure with mean size of 29 nm and the sol gel prepared HA powder had nano scale structure with mean size of 25 nm. Ionic dissolution rate of prepared nano structured powders was higher than the conventional HA (with micron size) and were similar to biological apatite. It could be concluded that bioactivity behavior of hydroxyapatite powder is affected by its crystalline size. By using the nano structure HA powder with less than 50 nm crystalline size, the optimum bioactivity and bioresorbability would be achieved.

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In recent years, much research in the field of advanced materials synthesis using the mechanochemical process has been performed. In this study, Al2O3-TiN nanocomposite was produced by the mechanochemical method and using inexpensive material TiO2 (instead of pure titanium which is too expensive). Also, aluminum and titanium oxide powders were used as raw materials. Milling under N2 atmosphere with 5 atmospheric pressure was performed and the products were evaluated by the SEM and XRD. Milling results showed that in the first stage of the synthesis process, titanium oxide is reduced by aluminum and the process continues, producing titanium reaction with nitrogen. When the Al/TiO2 ratio molar is equal to 1.2 and 1.3, after 20 hours of milling, TiN peaks in the XRD appears. Moreover, the results showed that milling leads to the formation of fine and spherical particles.

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In this paper, plastic flow behavior and micro structural evolution of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in temperature range of 750-1050 °C and strain rate range of 0.001-0.1 (S-1) in isotherm compression condition were investigated. The purpose was to estimate activation energy of globularization of lamellar structure and analyze this process kinetically. True Stress-strain curves obtained at the temperatures below 950 °C indicate a limited amount of flow softening imputed to a dynamic recrystallization occuring at about 950 ˚C. In contrast, at higher temperatures, the flow stress increases linearly with plastic strain until at temperatures about 1015°C where flow stress becomes nearly independent of the temperature. By analyzing flow stress data via Zener-Hol-lomon and sellars equation, Q activation energy of dynamic recrystallization was estimated and structural equation of plastic flow was obtained, whixh were comparable to results raeched by other investigators.

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In this article, the role of nano-size calcium carbonate in penetration resistance of medium- density polyethylene (PE) was investigated through experiments. In order to study the penetration resistance of PE and its nanocomposites, perforation test was carried out. The results of tests showed that penetration resistance depends strongly on calcium carbonate amount. As a matter of fact, addition of CaCO3 to PE increases resistance against penetration as CaCO3 amount reaches to 5 percent of weight. Stereomicroscope was used to evaluate the damage and plastic zone around the perforated area in all the samples including neat polyethylene and its nanocomposites. The plastic zone was measured using an image analysis as an effective technique. The results of image analysis techniques proved that the addition of calcium carbonate to PE makes a damaged zone around the perforated area. The results of microscopic evaluations showed that the area of plastic zone rises as the amount of calcium carbonate increases up to 7.5 percent of weight. By increasing the amount of CaCO3, resistance against penetration decreases more and some micro cracks appear around the perforated area. For further clarification of the fracture mechanism of MDPE nanocomposites, scanning electron microscopy was employed. Fracture surface images showed that when calcium carbonate is higher than 5 percent of weight, agglomeration of nanoparticles occurs, resulting in lower resistance against penetration to the samples.

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In this paper, bare spot defects in hot-dip galvanized sheets were studied in terms of the microstructure and their influence on the corrosion and mechanical properties. Surface characteristics and microstructural features were examined by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy microanalysis system. The results showed that the major cause of the bare spots was the lack of wetability of the sheet surface due to contamination, improper heat treatment or chemical composition. Corrosion resistance was evaluated by standard salt spray test. Mechanical properties were examined by tensile testing. The time to red rust was much shorter on the bare spots as compared to other regions, but it appeared that bare spot defects had no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the galvanized steel sheets.

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Gold nanoshells are a new type of nanoparticles including dielectric cores with a continuous thin layer of gold. By varying the core diameter, shell thickness, and the ratio of these parameters, the optical properties of gold nanoshells can be tuned to have maximum absorption in the visible and near infrared spectrum range. The purpose of this research was to synthesize gold coated SiO2 nanoshells for biomedical applications particularly laser tissue soldering. Nanoshells were synthesized using Stober method. The nanoshells were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the functionalization of the surfaces of silica nanoparticles with NH2 terminal groups. A tunable absorption was observed between 470-600 nm with a maximum range of 530-560 nm. Based on the X-ray diffraction, three main peaks of Au (111), (200) and (220) were identified. Also, atomic force microscopy results showed that the diameter of silica core was about 100 nm and the thickness of gold shell about 10 nm. This result showed that it is possible to use these nanoshells with visible and infrared lasers for biomedical applications.

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In the present work, thermal and mechanical behaviors of phenolic resin are investigated. This polymer can be used as a matrix for carbon-carbon composites. To find out the best heating process, five different cycles are used for curing the polymer and flexural strength of the specimens are obtained. The cycle with maximum strength is used for the next steps. Then, the oxidation behavior of specimens is studied at different temperatures. The results show that the polymer can withstand temperature about 350°C without significant weight changes. Carbonization of phenolic resin is studied by four different cycles at 1100°C. Oxidation of carbon obtained from carbonization cycle is analyzed extensively and shows no weight change until 550°C. The microstructure of specimens is also investigated by SEM. By additining SiC micro particles to phenolic polymer, the strength change is achieved.

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The aim of this work was synthesis of MCM-41/HA nanocomposite and biodegradation behavior of pure silica-mesoporous in attendance of hydroxyapatite crystals. These materials were synthsized by sol-gel method and ageing at 100°C for 24hr. A surfactant was used as template. The pores were formed after removal of surfactant by calcination at 550°C. FTIR results demonstrated formation of silanol and siloxan groups of silica network and hydroxyl and phosphate groups of HA network. Also SEM, TEM and EDS results confirmed presence of HA crystals within MCM-41 structure. Finally biodegradation behavior was examined by ICP and FTIR analysis. The results indicated biodegradable HA phase in the nanocomposite (with release of Ca2+ inos in water and the increasing of the pH value) can increase non-bridging oxygens of the silica network and therefore, it improves biodegradation behavior of silica network.

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The soft magnetic nanocrystalline Fe73.5Si13.5B9Cu1Nb3 alloy (FINEMET®) is produced by heat treatment of amorphous precursor. Determining kinetic parameters of amorphous structure transformation to nanocrystalline allows the control of microstructure (e.g. size and volume fraction of nanocrystalline grains) in order to achieve desired soft magnetic properties by optimizing the heat treatment conditions. In this research, the nanocrystallization kinetics of amorphous FINEMET alloy were studied using isoconversional and isokinetic methods under non-isothermal conditions of various heating rates ranging from 5 to 20˚C/min. The changes in the microstructure and magnetic properties of amorphous ribbon during nanocrystallization process were studied using X-ray diffractometry and hysteresisgraph, respectively.

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In this paper, VO2 nanorods were produced by hydrothermal assisted synthesis of equimolar aqueous NH4Cl and NaVO3 solution. Effect of time and the amount of ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) additive on morphology and composition of the final product was determined. The optimum concentration of EDTA was determined to be 0.007 gm/cm3 and the optimum time of the synthesis was 24 h.

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The fracture surfaces of PM Cr-Mo steels intensively depends on pores structure, densification, diffusion of alloying elements, contact area between particles (sinter necks), microstructural homogeneity, and type of applied load. Also, knowing about element distribution in PM parts to evaluate what places are good for crack growth, nucleation and coalescenc is important. In this investigation, fracture surfaces and crack growth mechanism for element distribution environments of cracks were studied under the three point bending (TPB) test. In this work, crack growth mechanism in Cr-Mo PM parts with three different densities (6.7, 7 and 7.2 g/cm3), were evaluated accurately. Crack walk occurred in some places that had more alloying elements, particularity molybdenum. In addition, crack route was obtained from among the sharpened porosities and martensite/bainite structures.

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Open pore metallic foams can be used for high temperature, high performance heat exchanger due to their high gas permeability and heat conductivity provided that skins properly attach to the foam’s struts on the surface. In the current study, a novel process was successfully developed to fill pores on the surface of the foam sheet in order to deposit skin on the foam specimens by thermal spraying. Nickel based superalloy (Inconel 625) skins were deposited on each side of a sheet of nickel metal foam with different pore densities of 10 and 20 pores per inch by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF), atmospheric plasma spraying (APS), and twin wire arc spraying to form a sandwich structure. The sandwich structure can be used in high temperature heat exchanger applications. The penetration of the coating materials into the foam struts can be controlled through the filling process before spraying. The microstructure of the skins and the adhesion at the interface between the nickel foam’s struts and skins were characterized. Results showed dense skins with good adhesion to the surfaces of the foam. The foam’s struts were imbedded into the coatings deposited by HVOF more deeply than the coatings deposited by APS and wire arc spraying. Skins deposited by HVOF and wire arc spraying showed higher bending strength than the skin deposited by APS due to lower porosity and oxide content in the coating.

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Recently, high – K materials such as Al2O3 and TiO2 films have been studied to replace ultra thin gate silicon dioxide film. In the present work, these films were grown on the top of Si(100) surface at different temperatures and under ultra high vacuum conditions. The obtained results showed that Al2O3 has a structure better than that of TiO2 and thus can be used as a good gate dielectric for future MISFET (Metal – Insulator- Semiconductor- Field – Effect- Transistors) devices.

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In the present study, a bioceramic-based composite with remarkable mechanical properties and in vitro apatite forming ability was synthesized by sintering compacts made up of mixtures of hydroxyapatite (HA) and sol-gel derived bioactive glass (64SiO2-26CaO-5MgO-5ZnO) (based on mole %). HA was synthesized through co-precipitation method. The stabilization temperature of the bioactive glass was set to be 700 ºC according to simultaneous thermal analysis (STA). Laser Particle Size Analysis (LPSA) was used to compare the particle size distributions of the synthetic powders. HA matrix was mixed with different weight percentages of bioactive glass (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 wt. %) and compressed by 80 MPa pressure. After sintering the uniaxial compression test of the samples was done and the specimen with the highest compressive strength (20 wt. % bioactive glass) was selected to be immersed in the Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) for 3, 7 and 14 days. The results showed that the compressive strength of the sample decreased after keeping it in the SBF. Also, inductively coupled plasma analysis (ICP) was used to study the ion release behavior of the sample in the SBF. Finally, phase composition, microstructure and functional groups in the composite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques, respectively.

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Carbothermic reduction of Molybdenite in the presence of Magnesium oxide was thermodynamically studied. The stability diagrams for MoS2-MgO and MoS2-MgO-C Systems was prepared. The reduction of MoS2 with Carbon in the presence of Magnesium oxide proceeded through the direct oxidation of MoS2 by MgO to form intermediate molybdenum oxidized Species, MoO2 and MgMoO4. The results showed that the gaseous phase is mainly composed of CO. Stability diagrams for Mo-O-C (Reduction of MoO2 with carbon) and Mo-Mg-C-S-O (Reduction of MgMoO4 with carbon) were also investigated. The results showed that the Reduction of oxidized species leads to the formation of Mo, Mo2C, MoC or MgO products.