A Method to Distinguish Exchange Coupled Core/Shell Nanostructures from the Mixed One in Synthesized (Fe3O4/CoFe2O4) Nanostructure

Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism - Two single-phase iron and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles and a bi-magnetic soft/hard nanostructure of Fe3O4/CoFe2O4 were synthesized through the...     

Combined Bulk and Surface Passivation in Dimensionally Engineered 2D-3D Perovskite Films via Chlorine Diffusion

Dimensional engineering of perovskite films is a promising pathway to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this context, surface or bulk passivation of defects in 3D perovskite film by careful introduction of 2D perovskite plays a key role. Here the authors demonstrate a 2D perovskite passivation scheme based on octylammonium chloride, and show that it provides both bulk and surface passivation of 1.6 eV bandgap 3D perovskite film for highly efficient (≈23.62%) PSCs with open-circuit voltages up to 1.24 V. Surface and depth-resolved microscopy and spectroscopy analysis reveal that the Cl⁻ anion diffuses into the perovskite bulk, passivating defects, while the octylammonium ligands provide effective, localized surface passivation. The authors find that the Cl⁻ diffusion into the perovskite lattice is independent of the 2D perovskite crystallization process and occurs rapidly during deposition of the 2D precursor solution. The annealing-induced evaporation of Cl from bulk perovskite is also inhibited in 2D–3D perovskite film as compared to pristine 3D perovskite, ensuring effective bulk passivation in the relevant film.     

Controlled grafting of vinylic monomers on polyolefins: a robust mathematical modeling approach

Experimental and mathematical modeling analyses were used for controlling melt free-radical grafting of vinylic monomers on polyolefins and, thereby, reducing the disturbance of undesired cross-linking of polyolefins. Response surface, desirability function, and artificial intelligence methodologies were blended to modeling/optimization of grafting reaction in terms of vinylic monomer content, peroxide initiator concentration, and melt-processing time. An in-house code was developed based on artificial neural network that learns and mimics processing torque and grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) typical vinylic monomer on high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Application of response surface and desirability function enabled concurrent optimization of processing torque and GMA grafting on HDPE, through which we quantified for the first time competition between parallel reactions taking place during melt processing: (i) desirable grafting of GMA on HDPE; (ii) undesirable cross-linking of HDPE. The proposed robust mathematical modeling approach can precisely learn the behavior of grafting reaction of vinylic monomers on polyolefins and be placed into practice in finding exact operating condition needed for efficient grafting of reactive monomers on polyolefins.     

Synthesis of Hollow Tadpole-Like Silica Particles

Hollow tadpole-like silica particles were successfully synthesized via the microemulsion synthesis method using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and sodium citrate as starting materials in the presence of isopropanol as a solvent. The effects of TEOS/ammonia (T/A) ratio, PVP molecular weight, synthesis temperature, and sodium citrate concentration on the morphology of particles were investigated. The results demonstrated that synthesis temperature has a vital effect on the morphology of particles. Also, microstructure analysis showed that the length of the silica rods was tunable in the range 1.2–5.2 µm. Control of the length was obtained by adjusting the synthesis temperature and PVP molecular weight. The transmission electron microscopy results clearly confirmed that the tadpole-like particles were surprisingly hollow and they provided an open side that was completely different from the previous reports. The inner diameter of the silica rods could be adjusted in the range 50–200 nm. The existence of such a considerable open side may be practically appreciated in many potential applications such as bio-immobilization.     

Space‐time block coding in millimeter wave large‐scale MIMO‐NOMA transmission scheme

In this paper, we introduce a new wireless system architecture using space‐time block coding schemes (STBC) and non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in millimeter wave (mmWave) large‐scale MIMO systems. The proposed STBC mmWave large‐scale MIMO‐NOMA system utilizes two MIMO subarrays, transmitting data over two channel vectors to mobile users. To reduce the communication overhead and latency in the system, we utilize random beamforming with optimal coefficients at the base station and random‐near random‐far user pairing in implementing the NOMA scheme. Our results show that the proposed STBC mmWave large‐scale MIMO‐NOMA technique significantly outperforms the previous counterparts.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel stimuli‐responsive magnetite nanohydrogel based on poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) as drug carrier

A novel stimuli‐responsive magnetite nanohydrogel (MNHG), namely [poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐maleic anhydride)₂]‐graft‐poly(ethylene glycol)/Fe₃O₄ [PEG‐b‐(PNIPAAm‐co‐PMA)₂]‐g‐PEG/Fe₃O₄, was successfully developed. For this purpose, NIPAAm and MA monomers were block copolymerized onto PEG‐based macroinitiator through atom transfer radical polymerization technique to produce PEG‐b‐(PNIPAAm‐co‐PMA)₂. The synthesized Y‐shaped terpolymer was crosslinked through the esterification of maleic anhydride units using PEG chains to afford a hydrogel. Afterward, magnetite nanoparticles were incorporated into the synthesized hydrogel through the physical interactions. The chemical structures of all synthesized samples were characterized using Fourier transform infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Morphology, thermal stability, size, and magnetic properties of the synthesized MNHG were investigated. In addition, the doxorubicin hydrochloride loading and encapsulation efficiencies as well as stimuli‐responsive drug release ability of the synthesized MNHG were also evaluated. The drug‐loaded MNHG at physiological condition exhibited negligible drug release values. In contrast, at acidic (pH 5.3) condition and a little bit higher temperature (41 °C) the developed MNHG showed higher drug release values, which qualified it for cancer chemotherapy due to especial physiology of cancerous tissue in comparison with the surrounding normal tissue. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46657.     

Characterisation of the mixing of non‐newtonian fluids with a scaba 6SRGT impeller through ert and CFD

An attempt has been made to study the mixing of yield‐pseudoplastic fluids with a Scaba 6SRGT impeller using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The ERT system with four sensor planes, each containing 16 equispaced stainless steel electrodes, was used to measure the mixing time. The multiple reference frames (MRF) technique and the modified Herschel–Bulkley model were applied to simulate the impeller rotation and the rheological behaviour of the non‐Newtonian fluids, respectively. To validate the model, the CFD results for the power consumption were compared to the experimental data. The validated model was then employed to obtain further information regarding the averaged impeller shear rate, impeller circulation, and pumping capacities. The CFD and ERT data were utilised to investigate the effect of the impeller power, fluid rheology, and impeller size on the mixing time. The mixing time results obtained in this study were in good agreement with those reported in the literature. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Using CFD and Ultrasonic velocimetry to Study the Mixing of Pseudoplastic Fluids with a Helical Ribbon Impeller

A commercial CFD package was used to simulate the 3D flow field generated in a cylindrical tank by a helical ribbon impeller. The study was carried out using a pseudoplastic fluid with yield stress in the laminar mixing region. Ultrasonic Doppler velocimetry (UDV), a noninvasive fluid flow measurement technique for opaque systems, was used to measure xanthan gum velocity. From flow field calculations and tracer homogenization simulations, power consumption and mixing time results were obtained. The torque and power characteristics remain the same for upward and downward pumping of the impeller, but the mixing times are considerably longer for the downward pumping mode. Overall, the numerical results showed good agreement with experimental results and correlations developed by other researchers. From the power and mixing time results, two efficiency criteria were utilized to determine the best pumping mode of the impeller.     

Magnetically separable nano CuFe2O4: an efficient and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the green synthesis of thiiranes from epoxides with thiourea

The magnetically separable nano CuFe₂O₄ was prepared and used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for conversion of various epoxides to the corresponding thiiranes with thiourea in refluxing ethanol. The reactions were completed within 34?45 min to give thiiranes in 80?95% yields. The utilized nano CuFe₂O₄ can be reused for several times without losing its activity.