(PEG) x NH4ClO4: a new polymeric fast proton conductor

A new polymer electrolyte (PEG) _x NH₄ClO₄(x = 5, 10, 15, 20) has been prepared that shows protonic conduction. The room temperature conductivities are of the order of 10⁻⁷S/cm, and increase with decrease in salt concentration. NMR line width studies indicate fairly low glass transition temperatures of the polymer salt complexes. Paper presented at the poster session of MRSI AGM VI. Kharagpur, 1995     

High Amplification of the Antiviral Activity of Curcumin through Transformation into Carbon Quantum Dots

It is demonstrated that carbon quantum dots derived from curcumin (Cur‐CQDs) through one‐step dry heating are effective antiviral agents against enterovirus 71 (EV71). The surface properties of Cur‐CQDs, as well as their antiviral activity, are highly dependent on the heating temperature during synthesis. The one‐step heating of curcumin at 180 °C preserves many of the moieties of polymeric curcumin on the surfaces of the as‐synthesized Cur‐CQDs, resulting in superior antiviral characteristics. It is proposed that curcumin undergoes a series of structural changes through dehydration, polymerization, and carbonization to form core–shell CQDs whose surfaces remain a pyrolytic curcumin‐like polymer, boosting the antiviral activity. The results reveal that curcumin possesses insignificant inhibitory activity against EV71 infection in RD cells [half‐maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) >200 µg mL^?1] but exhibits high cytotoxicity toward RD cells (half‐maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) <13 µg mL^?1). The EC₅₀ (0.2 µg mL^?1) and CC₅₀ (452.2 µg mL^?1) of Cur‐CQDs are >1000‐fold lower and >34‐fold higher, respectively, than those of curcumin, demonstrating their far superior antiviral capabilities and high biocompatibility. In vivo, intraperitoneal administration of Cur‐CQDs significantly decreases mortality and provides protection against virus‐induced hind‐limb paralysis in new‐born mice challenged with a lethal dose of EV71.     

Numerical investigation of heat transfer enhancement using carbon nanotube-based non-Newtonian nanofluids

In this study convective heat transfer of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-based nanofluids in a straight tube under constant wall heat flux condition is numerically investigated. To achieve this goal Navier–Stokes equations are solved using the finite volume technique with considering CNT-based nanofluids as non-Newtonian fluids of shear-thinning character using the non-Newtonian power law model. The objectives of this research are to provide detailed information of non-Newtonian behavior of CNT nanofluids, comparison of the numerical simulation predictions to the experimental measurements and investigation of non-Newtonian effects on the local heat transfer of the CNT nanofluid and compare the thermal performance of the CNT nanofluids and conventional fluids. As a result the heat transfer coefficient is dominated by the wall region due to non-Newtonian behavior of CNT nanofluid. The results reported in this paper illustrate that the numerical simulation can be one of the most powerful and beneficial tools for the CNT nanofluids optimization and performance analysis.     

System reliability analysis of soil nail wall using random finite element method

Soil nail wall is a compound system which for safety margin determination, consideration of safety factors of its components and their correlations is required. In this paper, considering a real site using the random finite element method (RFEM), the reliability indices of global stability, lateral displacement stability, tensile strength, and pullout resistance stability as components of the soil nail wall system are obtained. In another section of the paper, using the sequential compounding method (SCM), the importance of the mentioned stability modes and their effects on system reliability and system probability of failure are represented. Results show that the most considerable interdependence is between the global and lateral displacement stabilities. Among the reliability indices of the components, the minimum one is attributed to the pullout resistance. Furthermore, the uppermost row of the nails has the most critical reliability index compared with the others. The locations of the slip surfaces and nail intersections varied from 0.05–0.90 of the nail length, which means that the uncertainty of the soil parameters has the most significant effect on the pullout resistance safety factor of the nails. The performance level of the soil nail wall decreases from below average to poor when the soil nail wall is considered to be a system with series components.

     

A comparison of neural networks and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems for the prediction of water diffusion through carbon nanotubes

Given the fact that artificial intelligence tools such as neural network and fuzzy logic are capable of learning and inferencing from the past to capture the patterns that exist in the data, this study presents an intelligent method for the forecasting of water diffusion through carbon nanotubes where predictions are generated from neuro-fuzzy structures using molecular dynamics data. Therefore, this research was mainly focused on combining molecular dynamics with artificial intelligence methods in order to reduce the computational time of biomolecular and nanofluidic simulations. Two different artificial intelligence methods are applied for the time-dependent water diffusion forecasting: artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFISs). The effects of different sizes of training sample sets on forecasting performance of ANN and ANFIS are investigated as well. Four different evaluation methods are used to measure the performance and forecasting accuracy of these two methods. As a result, ANFIS presents the higher accuracy than neural network method based on the comparison of these different evaluation methods adopted in this research. The results reported in this research demonstrate that combining of molecular dynamics with artificial intelligence methods can be one of the most powerful and beneficial tools for prediction of important nanofluidic parameters.     

Performance improvement of low bandgap polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells by incorporating P3HT

This work demonstrates a significant improvement of device performance by incorporating the polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) into a low bandgap polymer poly[2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-4,7-diyl[4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b:3,4-b′]dithiophene-siloe 2,6-diyl]] (Si-PCPDTBT) and [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC₇₁BM) host system, to form a ternary blend bulk heterojunction solar cell. The P3HT concentration was varied from 1 to 5 wt% in the host system. P3HT functions as a morphology control agent in this ternary system. A small weight percentage of P3HT can enhance the light absorption, polymer phase separation, exciton separation and charge carrier mobilities. These results are supported by UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence analysis and other characterisation methods. The highest average power conversion efficiency improvement of 10% was achieved by adding 1 wt% P3HT to the host system. This study reveals a promising way to achieve high efficiency solar cells using a low bandgap polymer.     

Creep behavior of MAR-M 302 Co-base superalloy

MAR-M 302 a Co-base superalloy is currently used for nozzle guide vanes and stator blades in military and commercial aircraft-turbine engines. These components are usually operated at 1073–1273 K. In this study, the uniaxial constant load creep behavior of MAR-M 302 superalloy over temperature range of 1088–1198 K and stress range of 155–321 MPa was investigated. Concerning creep as thermally activated phenomenon, the investigated alloy followed empirical equation [(e)\dot] = Asⁿ exp( - \fracQRT ) \dot{\varepsilon } = A\sigma^{n} \exp \left( { - \frac{Q}{RT}} \right) with n values ranging mainly from 7 to 10. The mean apparent activation energy was calculated as 525 ± 29 kJ/mol. The correlation between rupture life and creep characteristics was studied by different prediction methods that are based on the iso-stress lines and those relating the secondary or steady state creep rate to rupture life.     

The importance of rib shape effects on the local heat transfer and flow friction characteristics of square ducts with ribbed internal surfaces

Accurate prediction of ribbed duct flow and heat transfer is of importance to the gas turbine industry. In the present work, a computer code has been developed to study the turbulent heat transfer and friction in a square duct with various-shaped ribs mounted on one wall. The simulations were performed for four rib shapes, i.e., square, triangular, trapezoidal with decreasing height in the flow direction, and trapezoidal with increasing height in the flow direction. The prepared algorithm and the computer code are applied to demonstrate distribution of the heat transfer coefficient between a pair of ribs. The results show that features of the inter-rib distribution of the heat transfer coefficient are strongly affected by the rib shape and trapezoidal ribs with decreasing height in the flow direction provide higher heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop than other shapes.     

Light Effect in Photoionization of Traps in GaN MESFETs

Trapping of hot electron behavior by trap centres located in buffer layer of a wurtzite phase GaN MESFET has been simulated using an ensemble Monte Carlo simulation.The simulated results show the trap centres are responsible for current collapse in GaN MESFET at low temperatures.These electrical traps degrade the performance of the device at low temperature.On the opposite,a light-induced increase in the trap-limited drain current results from the photoionization of trapped carriers and their return to the ...     

Investigation of fuel spray atomization in a DI heavy-duty diesel engine and comparison of various spray breakup models

In the last decade 3D-CFD has been successfully established for the simulation of IC-engine fuel spray formation and propagation processes. The accuracy of the calculation results, however, strongly depends on the models adopted for simulation of the primary and secondary atomization processes. Hence, careful validations of the individual models serve as major prerequisites for the successful analysis and optimization of high-pressure sprays in diesel engines. In the present work, a CFD code has been used to study the detailed modeling of spray and mixture formation in a caterpillar heavy-duty diesel engine. With respect to the liquid-phase, spray calculations are based on a statistical method referred to as the Discrete Droplet Method (DDM). This paper presents a comparison of four Lagrangian fuel spray breakup models that are in use with commercial softwares in diesel engine simulation. In this paper, we tried to highlight this models prediction difference for sample case, compare their result and explain some possible reasons for differences. The predicted results are validated by comparing with existing experimental data. A good agreement between the predicted and experimental values ensures the accuracy of the numerical predictions collected with the present work.