A Convenient and Efficient Protocol for the Synthesis of HBIW Catalyzed by Silica Nanoparticles under Ultrasound Irradiation

2,4,6,8,10,12-Hexabenzyl-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo[5.5.0.0^5,9.0^3,11]dodecane (hexabenzylhexaazaisowurtzitane, HBIW) has been synthesized by the reaction of benzylamine and glyoxal (40% aqueous solution) in acetonitrile as a solvent catalyzed by silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs, ca. 42 nm) under ultrasound irradiation. The effects of solvent, catalyst, and ultrasonic power are discussed. With optimized reaction conditions, HBIW was synthesized under the influence of ultrasound irradiation. Compared with conventional methods, the remarkable advantages of this method are the simple experimental procedure, shorter reaction time, and high product yield.     

High performance dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) achieved via electrophoretic technique by optimizing of photoelectrode properties

This paper describes a simple method utilizing electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of commercial P25 nanoparticles (NPs) films on fluoride-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. In this process, voltage and the number of deposition cycles are well controlled to achieve TiO₂ film thickness of around 1.5–26 μm, without any mechanical compression processing. The experimental results indicate that the TiO₂ film thickness plays an important role as the photoelectrode in DSSCs because it adsorbs a large number of dye molecules which are responsible for electrons supply. Furthermore, it was found that effects of the bulk traps and surface states within the TiO₂ films on the recombination of the photo-injected electrons (electron–hole pairs) strongly depend on the TiO₂ electrode annealing temperature. Finally, a DSSC with a 24 μm thick TiO₂ film and annealed at 500 °C produced the highest conversion efficiency (η=6.56%, I_SC=16.4, V_OC=0.72, FF=0.55) with an incident solar energy of 100 mW/cm².     

Minimum risk sequential point estimation of the stress-strength reliability parameter for exponential distribution

Abstract

In this article, using purely and two-stage sequential procedures, the problem of minimum risk point estimation of the reliability parameter (R) under the stress–strength model, in case the loss function is squared error plus sampling cost, is considered when the random stress (X) and the random strength (Y) are independent and both have exponential distributions with different scale parameters. The exact distribution of the total sample size and explicit formulas for the expected value and mean squared error of the maximum likelihood estimator of the reliability parameter under the stress–strength model are provided under the two-stage sequential procedure. Using the law of large numbers and Monte Carlo integration, the exact distribution of the stopping rule under the purely sequential procedure is approximated. Moreover, it is shown that both proposed sequential procedures are finite and for special cases the exact distribution of stopping times has a degenerate distribution at the initial sample size. The performances of the proposed methodologies are investigated with the help of simulations. Finally, using a real data set, the procedures are clearly illustrated.     

The effect of localized dynamic surface preheating in laser cladding of Stellite 1

In laser cladding, high cooling rates create outcomes with superior mechanical and metallurgical properties. However, this characteristic along with the additive nature of the process significantly contributes to the formation of thermal stresses which are the main cause of any potential delamination and crack formation across the deposited layers. This drawback is more prominent for additive materials such as Stellite 1 which are by nature crack-sensitive during the hardfacing process. In this work, parallel to the experimental investigation, a numerical model is used to study the temperature distributions and thermal stresses throughout the deposition of Stellite 1 for hardfacing application. To manage the thermal stresses, the effect of preheating the substrate in a localized dynamic fashion is investigated. The numerical and experimental analyses are conducted by the deposition of Stellite 1 powder on the substrate of AISI-SAE 4340 alloy steel using a 1.1 kW fiber laser. Experimental results confirm that by preheating the substrate a crack-free coating layer of Stellite 1 well-bonded to the substrate with a uniform dendritic structure, well-distributed throughout the deposited layer, can be obtained contrary to non-uniform structures formed in the coating of the non-preheated substrate with several cracks.     

Simulation of Membrane Distillation for Purifying Water Containing 1,1,1‐Trichloroethane

Vacuum membrane distillation is modeled for the purification of water containing organic matter. The separation medium is a hollow‐fiber membrane contactor that is simplified to a two‐dimensional structure with a single porous membrane wall. The model considers the transport phenomena of a vacuum membrane distillation system in porous media, in which the aqueous volatile organic solution was considered as an incompressible and steady fluid. The numerical simulation of the two‐dimensional model of vacuum membrane distillation for an aqueous solution of 1,1,1‐trichloroethane was established under steady state. The effects of the bulk feed temperature and the feed flow rate on the percentage of 1,1,1‐trichloroethane removal from an aqueous solution are discussed.     

High acetic acid sensing performance of Mg-doped ZnO/rGO nanocomposites

Mg-doped ZnO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites were synthesized using a facile and cost-effective sol-gel procedure to detect acetic acid vapor. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) analysis were utilized to characterize morphologies, compositions of the nanocomposites, and optical properties of the synthesized nanostructures. The gas sensing measurements of spin-coated Mg-doped ZnO/rGO thin films were carried out for a temperature range of 150–350?°C at various acetic acid vapor concentrations. It was found that the Mg-doped sample with 20?wt%/v of GO solution concentration exhibited the response/recovery time of 60?s/35?s with the best response of ~?200% for 100?ppm of acetic acid at 250?°C.     

Prediction of Concentration Profiles in an L‐Shaped Pulsed Extraction Column

The L‐shaped extraction pulsed plate column is believed to be able to perform under operating conditions between those of the vertical and the horizontal pulsed plate columns. It has an extraction efficiency similar to the vertical pulsed plate column. Here, the mass transfer performance of this novel column type was investigated and the application of three different models, i.e., the plug flow, the axial dispersion, and the back flow models, was evaluated to predict the solute concentration profile along the column length. The water‐acetone‐n‐butyl acetate and the water‐acetone‐toluene systems were used. The influence of the operational parameters on the height of the mass transfer unit and the back flow coefficients was evaluated using the back flow model. New correlations were proposed to predict the height of the mass transfer unit along with the back flow coefficients in each phase, which were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.     

Combined ultrasound and infrared assisted conductive hydro-drying of apple slices

Abstract

Conductive hydro-drying also known as Refractance Window drying is a relatively new drying technology, which uses hot water to carry thermal energy to materials to be dehydrated. It has a high retention of heat sensitive quality parameters (vitamins, antioxidants, and color) with better energy efficiency than freeze-drying as well as many other conventional drying methods. A new ultrasound and infrared assisted conductive hydro-dryer (UIACHD) was developed to increase drying rate while reducing required hot water temperature and increasing the drying material thickness. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the new dryer and to compare the performance of a pilot scale continuous UIACHD with a freeze-dryer and a cabinet dryer in drying apple slices. The physiochemical characteristics of the dried apple slices including flavonoid content, total phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, vitamin C content and color were measured. In addition, the energy consumption and energy efficiency of the dying methods were evaluated. Results showed that combining ultrasound and infrared with conductive hydro-drying can result in higher drying rates and lower product moisture content. Quality of UIACHD dried apple slices was close to the freeze-dried products and it was significantly better than the cabinet dried products. Moreover, the energy efficiency of UIACHD was considerably better than the cabinet dryer and the freeze-dryer. The results of this study showed that combining ultrasound and infrared with conductive hydro-drying can lead to an energy-efficient process with good quality retention ability.     

Flame‐retardant finishing of cotton fabrics using polyamino carboxylic acids and sodium hypophosphite

The purpose of this research was to use polyamino carboxylic acids (PACAs) and their combination with sodium hypophosphite (NaH₂PO₂) as a flame‐retardant finishing system for cotton fabrics. Flammability of cotton fabric was evaluated by 45° flammability test, differential scanning calorimetry and measuring the char yield. The combination of polyamino carboxylic acids and sodium hypophosphite as a phosphorus‐containing catalyst reduces the flammability of cotton. The pyrolysis properties and the results of char yield of the finished cotton show that with increasing amount of catalyst, the flame retardancy increases. Fastness against multiple laundering, whiteness and tensile strength of the cotton finished with PACAs/NaH₂PO₂ to multiple standard laundering have been studied, too. The flame retardancy effect has an acceptable washing fastness. Whiteness and tensile strength of the finished cotton do not change significantly. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.