Iranian Journal of Materials science and Engineering
Volume:18 Issue: 4, Dec 2021

In the present work, monolithic gels were prepared through different drying procedures including super critical, infrared wavelengths and traditional drying methods. Dense and transparent glasses were obtained after controlled heat treatment of the dried porous xerogels in air atmosphere. The chemical bonding as well as different properties of the prepared gels and the relevant glasses were examined by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmitt- Teller (BET) and UV-Vis spectrometer. Based on the obtained results, different drying conditions affect the average pore size and the total pore volume of the studied gels. The mean pore size was found to be 8.7 nm, 2.4 nm and 3.2 nm for super critical, IR radiation and slow drying in air atmosphere, respectively. The glass network structure was significantly changed by heat treatment  temperature so that the B-O-Si bonds were formed only after 450 °C. It was found that the gel dried under super critical condition was unable to reach to its full density all over the selected sintering temperature interval.

The effect of pouring temperature while preparing Al SiC metal matrix composites, with additional benefits of magnesium and copper through stir casting technique were investigated. The composites were fabricated by mixing 12 wt% of SiC reinforcements, 4 wt% magnesium and 2 wt% copper into 6061 aluminium alloy melt at different pouring temperatures (630 ºC, 670 ºC and 710ºC). The addition of magnesium will enhance the wettability of the SiC particles with Al matrix and subsequently increase its interface bonding strength. The inclusion of copper has considerable improvement in strength and hardness of the composite. The microstructure and mechanical properties (tensile strength and hardness) of the Al MMC are evaluated with the corresponding processing parameter, specifically pouring temperature of the cast composite. The metallurgical characterization utilizing optical and scanning electron microscope were observed for the prepared composites. The coarse microstructure and homogenous distribution of alloying elements along with SiC particles were appeared within dendrite structures of the Al SiC composites. The SiC particles has effectively distributed and produced better bonding strength in composites prepared with 670ºC pouring temperature. Higher tensile strength and maximum hardness have occurred in composite at pouring temperature of 670ºC as compared to other composites. The mechanical properties were lower in composites prepared using lesser pouring temperature (630ºC) and significantly decreased for higher pouring temperature (710ºC) of the composites.

The energy release rate for delamination in a laminated composite is supposed to be the material property being considered as independent of non-material property variables. However, Mode I fracture toughness(GI) is found to vary with lamina arrangement, geometrical dimensions, and process-induced stresses.  In this investigation, the influence of lamina stacking arrangement on process-induced stresses and their effects on GI of laminated composites are studied. Unidirectional (UD) ([0]16) and cross-ply ([902/06]s, [904/04]s and [906/02]s) Glass/ epoxy (GE) composites with the delamination plane at 0◦//0◦ were prepared by manual layup method and post-cured at 120 °C for 4 hours. GI of composite laminates were experimentally determined using a double cantilever beam(DCB) specimen as per ASTM D 5528. The slitting method was applied to determine the Process-induced stresses in GE laminates. The stacking sequence of laminas was found to have a noticeable effect on the state of residual stresses and GI of GE laminates. Residual stresses do not have much influence on the GI for delamination initiation, whereas GI  for the crack propagation was found to increase with a gradual increase in compressive residual stresses in GE laminates.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles were synthesized by green combustion method using indium (In) and tin (Sn) as precursors, and Carica papaya seed extract as novel fuel. This paper highlights effect of tin concentration (5%, 10% and 50%) on microstructural, optical and electrical properties of ITO nanoparticles (NPs). The indium nitrate and tin nitrate solution along with the fuel were heated at 600 °C for 1 h in muffle furnace and obtained powder was calcinated at 650 °C for 3 h to produce ITO NPs. The above properties were investigated using XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, TEM and computer controlled impedance analyser. The XRD, SEM and TEM investigations reveals the synthesized NPs were spherical in shape with an increase in average grain size (17.66 to 35 nm) as Sn concentration increases. FTIR investigations confirms the In-O bonding. The optical properties results revealed that the ITO NPs band gap decreased from 3.21 to 2.98 eV with increase in Sn concentration. The ac conductivity of ITO NPs was found to increase with increase in Sn concentration. These synthesised ITO NPs showed the excellent properties for emerging sensor and optical device application.

Tin oxide (SnO2) is used as an electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite solar cells with a planar structure due to its good transparency and energy level alignment with the perovskite layer. The modification interface of the electron transport layer and the perovskite absorber layer plays an important role in the efficient charge extraction process at the interface. In this study, planar perovskite solar cells with configuration (FTO/SnO2/mixed-cation perovskite/CuInS2/Au) were prepared to investigate the effect of UV-Ozone (UVO) treated SnO2 as ETL on the performance of devices. ETL treatment was performed at different times (0 to 60 min). It is shown that surface wetting was improved by UVO treating the SnO2 films prior to deposition of the perovskite layer. The latter improves the contact between the ETL and the perovskite layer, allowing more efficient electron transport at the interface. Contact angle, SEM, photoluminescence spectra, and the current density-voltage tests were conducted to characterize the photovoltaic of the cells. The best PSC performance with a power conversion efficiency of 10.96% was achieved using UVO-treated SnO2 ETL for 30 min, whereas the power conversion efficiency of the perovskite solar cells with SnO2 ETL without UVO treatment was only 4.34%.

The main purpose of this investigation is to assess the effect of post-deposition annealing treatment on the electrochemical behavior of TiN coating developed on AISI 304 stainless steel substrate using cathodic arc evaporation physical vapor deposition (CAE-PVD). Post-annealing treatment at 400 ºC was performed on the coated substrate for 1 h. The studied samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests. The preferred orientation of TiN (111) was identified by XRD patterns and the crystallinity of the coating increased after annealing treatment. SEM observations indicated that TiN coatings free of cracks were successfully developed on the substrate. The electrochemical measurements elucidated that the annealed coating had better corrosion resistance compared to that of the as-deposited coating with a lower current corrosion density. This investigation implied that improved corrosion performance of the TiN coating can achieved by performing post-deposition annealing treatment.

Our study is to highlight the effect of the acid-base character and the redox potential of two clays, synthetic anionic Layered Double Hydroxides Zn3Al-CO3 (LDH) clay, and natural commercial cationic clay "Ghassoul" on their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The antibacterial effect was tested on two Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Then it was tested on a Gram-negative bacterium: Escherichia coli. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration of the two materials was carried out using the microplatemicrotitration technique. The antioxidant activities of clays are assessed by the methods 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and the reducing power of iron (Fe3+). The redox potential (Eh) was measured and the redox strength (rH2) was evaluated. The results showed that these materials have an antibacterial effect on the three bacteria tested, the measured zero charge point of Ghassoul (pHzpc =8.75) more basic than that of double layer hydroxide (pHzpc =7.5), redox potential of LDH (-27mV) was higher than that of Gh (- 103mV), and the rH2 of Gh (14.04) was higher compared to anionic clay (13.33).
Keywords: LDHs, Ghassoul, Redox Potential, Zero point of Charge, Antibacterial.

Hybrid composites consisting of AA6061 matrix reinforced with TiB2 (2, 4, 6, and 8 wt. %), Al2O3 (2 wt. %) particles were produced by the sintering process. In comparison to the base material AA6061, the composite produced had improved mechanical properties. The sintered composites' mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and hardness, are measured and compared to the wear-tested specimen. Optical micrographs reveal that composites were riddled with defects like blowholes, pinholes, and improper bonding between the particulates before sintering. However, the post-sintered optical micrograph showed that the defects were greatly suppressed. Micrographic images revealed the changes in surface characteristics before and after wear. Until a sliding distance of 260 m, the wear rate of the hybrid composites was kept lower than that of the base material. The coefficient of all the composite materials produced for this study was noted to be less than that of the base material. The results reveal that the hardness of hybrid composites having 4 wt. % and 6 wt. % of TiB2 particulates increased by 5.98 % and 1.35 %. Because of the frictional heating during the wear test, the tensile properties lowered by up to 49.6%. It is concluded that the hybrid composites having 4 wt. % and 6 wt. % of TiB2 particulates exhibited less wear rate for extended sliding distance, good hardness, moderate tensile strength, and decent elongation percentage compared to its counterparts.

In this study, aluminum matrix composites reinforced with Al2O3 and SiC nanoparticles, and graphene nanoplatelets produced by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) were studied. The microstructural and mechanical properties of the composites were evaluated by changing the amounts of the reinforcing materials. The SEM images showed that the reinforcing particles were more distributed in the grain boundary regions. According to the results, the addition of alumina and SiC to the matrix caused an increase in the composite density whereas the composite density decreased by adding graphene nanoplatelets. The highest relative density of 96.3% was obtained for the composite containing 2 wt% Al2O3. The presence of the reinforcing particles increased the hardness of all the samples compared to the pure aluminum (39 HV). The composite containing 1 wt.% Al2O3, 0.7 wt.% SiC, and 0.3 wt.% graphene showed the highest hardness of 79 HV. Moreover, the plastic deformation of the specimens decreased and the slope of the plastic region increased by adding the reinforcing particles to the matrix.

This paper reports the wear behavior of Cu, high Cu-Sn alloy, high Cu-Pb alloy and high Cu-Sn-Pb alloy under dry sliding at ambient conditions. These four materials were chosen for the wear resistance characterization of SnPb-solder affected old/scraped copper (high Cu-Sn-Pb alloy) to explore its reusing potentials. Wear tests were conducted using a pin-on-disk tribometer with the applied load of 20N for the sliding distance up to 2772 m at the sliding speed of 0.513 ms-1. The applied load was also changed to observe its effect. The investigation reveals that the presence of a little amount of Sn increased the hardness and improved the wear resistance of Cu, while a similar amount of Pb in Cu reduced the hardness but improved the wear resistance. The general perception of ‘the harder the wear resistant’ was found to match partially with the results of Cu, Cu-Sn alloy and Cu-Sn-Pb alloy. Coefficient of friction (COF) values revealed non-linearly gradual increasing trends at the initial stage and after a certain sliding distance COF values of all four sample materials became almost steady. SnPb-solder affected Cu demonstrated its COF to be in between that of Cu-Pb alloy and Cu-Sn alloy with the maximum COF value of 0.533.

The present study aims to investigate the role of the electrostatic mechanism in the filtration process of Polyacrylonitrile nanofibers containing single-walled carbon nanotube. The nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning using 16wt% Polyacrylonitrile polymer (PAN) solution, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) at a ratio of 99:1 along with N and N-Dimethylformamide solvents. Initial filtration efficiency was tested as per ISO 29463:2011 standard inside a test rig. An electrostatic discharge test was performed via the chemical treatment of the filter media with Isopropyl alcohol in accordance to EN779 standard. Mean initial filtration efficiency of the nanofiber media in the capturing of 100nm and 200nm particles were 95.92% ±2.74 and 97.26% ±1.11 respectively, while for particles between 80nm to 250nm, this was 96.73% ±2.74. The efficiency of the untreated media was 0.2% to 1.2% higher than the PAN/SWNT media after electron discharge using Isopropyl alcohol with an even bigger difference being observed at lower particle size ranges. After treatment with Isopropyl alcohol, the pressure drop of the filtration media was increased from 164.7 Pa to 185.3 Pa. The reduction in filtration efficiency observed after the electrostatic discharge test indicates that the electrical charge of the electrospun nanofibers is influential in its initial efficiency for removing the submicron particles.

The structural properties of a natural clay sample (51% kaolinite) were tweaked to suit specific applications. H2SO4 and NaOH (1.0 M) treatment caused structural alterations and a significant release of Al ions compared to Si ions. Chemical treatment caused structural alterations, according to XRD analysis. FTIR analysis also indicated higher density of polar surface groups upon treatment which affected the corresponding dielectric behaviors. Dielectric measurements shown the suitable application of the materials either as dielectrical insulator and this dependent on the applied frequency. Acid treated kaolinite was reported to be a promising dielectric at 10 and 1000 Hz. With appropriate mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) 12.098-12.182 cm2/g and a high half value layer of 10 cm at 10 keV, kaolinite and other treated forms were adequate shielding materials.