Synthesis,characterization and assessment thermal properties of clay based nanopigments

Nano-clay based pigments (NCP) are new type of pigments composed of organic dyes and layered silicate-clay nano-particles, and have already been used in polymeric coatings to improve mechanical thermal and stability properties. In this paper, the basic blue 41(BB41) was intercalated into Na⁺- montmorillonite in an aqueous medium. The dye-intercalated montmorillonite was centrifuged, dried, and milled to prepare the nanopigment particles. X-ray diffraction showed an increase in the basal spacing, thus confirming intercalation of the BB41 molecules within the nanostructures of the interlayer spaces. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used for identifying the functional groups and chemical bounding of Na⁺-montmorillonite, BB41 and montmorillonite-BB41. The morphology of NCP was also studied by transmission electron microscopy. Finally, thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential thermograms suggested the thermal stability of the intercalated dye was improved.     

An investigation on the application of process control agents in the preparation and consolidation behavior of nanocrystalline silver by mechanochemical method

In this paper, the effect of various amounts and types of process control agent (PCA), i.e., stearic acid (SA) and ethylene bis-stearamide (EBS), in the production and consolidation behavior of nanocrystalline silver prepared by mechanochemical reduction of Ag₂O by graphite was studied. The structural evolution and morphology of powders were investigated using XRD, HRSEM and particle size analyzer techniques. The results showed the nanocrystalline Ag formed after 25 h of milling and the addition of PCA prolonged the synthesis process time. Also, the effect of EBS on prevention of the excessive cold welding of ultra-fine Ag particles in the final stages of milling was more serious than SA. In fact, the presence of PCA effectively inhibited the creation of coarse Ag particles and finally decreased the crystallite size to 14 nm. Moreover, with the addition of PCAs, the Brinell hardness of sintered Ag samples was considerably increased.     

The nanostructure evolution of Ag powder synthesized by high energy ball milling

In this paper, nanostructured silver with an average crystallite size of 28 nm and internal strain of 0.44% was synthesized by mechanochemical reduction of Ag₂O using graphite in a high energy planetary ball mill. XRD, SEM and TEM techniques were used to characterize the structural evolution and morphological changes of products. The results showed that the reaction is progressed by a nucleation and growth mechanism process. Although the changes of crystallite size and internal strain in Ag₂O were regular during the milling, there was an irregularity in the aforementioned parameters of Ag particles. This irregularity was probably owing to the progressive generation of silver during the milling.     

The birefringence and anisotropic planar shrinkage of polycarbonate/organoclay injection moldings

The main objective of the present work was the study of the effect of organoclay on planar shrinkage anisotropy of polymeric injection‐molded products by means of a rheological technique, in conjunction with birefringence measurements, performed on polycarbonate/organoclay samples. Polarized optical microscopy at elevated temperatures revealed that the birefringence due to the ordered‐silicate layers had a negative contribution to the overall birefringence of the samples. The maximum value of the calculated‐order parameter based on these results was found to be near unity, indicating an appreciable degree of flow alignment for the silicate layers. Different states of silicate layer orientation, with some layers aligned parallel to the in‐plane direction at the skin layer or partially tilted from the planar direction at the core region, were observed through the optical analysis along the thickness direction. The anisotropic shrinkage measurements showed that organoclay reduced both in‐flow and cross‐flow shrinkages, resulting in a low extent of planar shrinkage anisotropy. This can be attributed to the flow alignment of clay particles closely parallel to the in‐plane direction. Prolonged relaxation of the flow‐induced molecular orientation combined with faster solidification were also found to play an appreciable role in the decreased shrinkage anisotropy. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Nuclear model calculations on the production of Sb via various nuclear reactions

Only very few radionuclides exist that decay exclusively by EC-mode without accompanying radiation, ¹¹⁹Sb is one of them. Auger emitter ¹¹⁹Sb (T_1/2 = 38.9 h, I_EC = 100%) is a potent nuclide for targeted radionuclide therapy based on theoretical dosimetry calculations at a subcellular scale. Auger electron emitting radionuclides in cancer therapy offer the opportunity to deliver a high radiation dose to the tumor cells with high radiotoxicity while minimizing toxicity to normal tissue.     

Application of Fractal Theory for Prediction of Shrinkage of Dried Kiwifruit Using Artificial Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm

In current research, fractal theory has been applied for estimation of shrinkage of osmotically dehydrated and air-dried kiwifruit using a combination of neural network and genetic algorithm. Kiwifruits were dehydrated at different conditions and digital images of final dried products were taken. Kiwifruit-background interface lines were detected using a threshold combined with an edge detection approach and their corresponding fractal dimensions were calculated based on a box counting method. A neural network was constructed using fractal dimension and moisture content as inputs to predict shrinkage of dried kiwifruit and a genetic algorithm was applied for optimization of the neural network's parameters. The results indicated good accuracy of optimal model (correlation coefficient of 0.95) and high potential application of fractal theory and described intelligent model for shrinkage estimation of dried kiwifruit.     

Highlighting the base zone effect on the compression and recovery properties of the rugs with innovating Double-Base Persian rug

This paper investigates the compression and recovery properties of the rugs by highlighting the base zone effect. To fulfill this purpose, a new type of rug named Double-Base Persian Rug was prepared. In the new rug, the warping was done such that we have two sets of warp sheets (back base and front base warp yarns). So that, a gap between these two bases were created that could be filled with various types of fillers. A total of seven rug samples; a conventional Persian rug as the base of comparison and six new types of rug samples were produced. Then, the compression and recovery properties of the rug samples were investigated by static loading test. Generally, the results indicated that the rug base structure and the inherent characteristics of the materials used in the rug base as a filler positive affect the rug compression and recovery properties.