Roll bonding of AA5052 and polypropylene sheets: Bonding mechanisms,microstructure and mechanical properties

Structural, microstructural and mechanical properties in roll bonding of AA5052 and polypropylene sheets have been evaluated in this study. The surface roughness of the AA5052 sheets, rolling temperature and the surface energy of polymer were selected as the bonding variables. The findings indicated that an increase in the surface energy of polypropylene by grafting maleic anhydride would result in higher bonding strength due to chemical interaction between the AA5052 and the maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH). In fact, this reaction caused the formation of an interphase layer at the polymer side of the interface and the diffusion of aluminum into the PP-g-MAH layer. It was also observed that an increase in the rolling temperature increases bonding strength because the polymer penetrates the AA5052 surface irregularities more easily, the PP-g-MAH molecules move more smoothly toward the AA5052 surface, and finally there are more chemical interactions among the layers. An Increase in the bonding strength through increasing the AA5052 surface roughness was attributed to an increase of the van der Waals force and more interaction surface among the layers along with higher mechanical interlocking in the shear tension test.     

CPTR: conditional probability tree based routing in opportunistic networks

In opportunistic networks due to the inconsistency of the nodes link, routing is carried out dynamically and we cannot use proactive routes. In these networks, nodes use opportunities gained based on store-carry-forward patterns to forward messages. Every node that receives a message when it encounters another node makes decision regarding the forwarding or not forwarding the node encountered. In some previous methods, the recognition of whether encounter with current node is considered as an appropriate opportunity or not has been carried out based on the comparison of the probability of carrier node and the node encountered. In these methods, if the message is delivered to the encountered node, a better opportunity would be lost. To fight with this challenge we have posed CPTR method by using conditional probability tree method through which in addition to the probability of the delivery of carrier and encountered nodes’ message delivery, the opportunities for after encounter will be involved in messages’ forwarding. Results of simulation showed that the proposed method can improve the ratio of delivery and delay of message delivery compared to other similar methods in networks with limited buffer.     

Zinc oxide nanoparticles: solvent-free synthesis,characterization and application as heterogeneous nanocatalyst for photodegradation of dye from aqueous phase

In present study, for the first time, ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized via a simple, novel, solvent and template free solid-state thermal decomposition of the mixed Zn(NO₃)·6H₂O and cochineal powders as a novel starting reagent at 600?°C for 3 h. The as-prepared product was analyzed by XRD, EDS, SEM, TEM, FT-IR and DRS. Besides, the effect of cochineal powder on the morphology and particle size of ZnO nanoparticles was investigated. The results exhibited that cochineal powder prevents the sintering of nanoparticles and leads to formation of uniform particles. Moreover, the efficiency of ZnO nanoparticles as a photocatalyst for the decolorization of methylene orange (MO) has been evaluated and 90% degradation of MO was obtained after 120 min.     

Simple size-controlled fabrication of Zn2SnO4 nanostructures and study of their behavior in dye sensitized solar cells

Zn₂SnO₄ nanostructures were obtained via facile and rapid co-precipitation approach in presence of amines with different long chain as a novel basic and capping agents. The effect of different amines such as NH₃, ethylenediamine, triethylenetetramine, tetraethylenepentamine on the size of Zn₂SnO₄ nanostructures were investigated. The results demonstrated that applying the appropriate amount of organic amine could be effective in particle size control. The obtained nanostructure products were specified by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) were created by the constructed electrodes as working electrode and then were studied by current density–voltage (J–V) curve. It was found that incorporating of TiO₂ nanoparticles to optimized Zn₂SnO₄ nanostructures has significant role on the constructed DSSCs photovoltaic properties.     

Efficient repairing effect of PEG based tri-block copolymer on mechanically damaged PC12 cells and isolated spinal cord

Membrane sealing effects of polymersomes made of tri-block copolymer, PEG-co-FA/SC-co-PEG, (PFSP) were studied on isolated spinal cord strips, PC12 cell lines and artificial bilayer following mechanical impact implemented by aneurism clip, sonication and electric shock, respectively. The homogeneity and size of PFSP, membrane permeability and cell viability were assessed by dynamic light scattering, LDH release and MTT assays. According to the results, the biocompatible, physico-chemical, size, surface charge and amphipathic nature of PFSP polymersome makes it an ideal macromolecule to rapidly reseal damaged membranes of cells in injured spinal cord as well as in culture medium. Compound action potentials recorded from intentionally damaged spinal cord strips incubated with PFSP showed restoration of neural excitability by 82.24 % and conduction velocity by 96.72 % after 5 min that monitored in real time. Thus, they triggered efficient instant and sustained sealing of membrane and reactivation of temporarily inactivated axons. Treatment of ultrasonically damaged PC12 cells by PFSP caused efficient cell membrane repair and led to their increased viability. The optimum effects of PFSP on stabilization and impermeabilizing of the lipid bilayer occurred at the same concentrations applied to the damaged cells and spinal cord fibers and was approved by restoration of membrane conductance and calcein release manifested by NanoDrop technique. The unique physico-chemical characteristics of novel polymersomes introduced here, make them capable to reorganize membrane lipid molecules, reseal the breaches and restore the hydrophobic insulation in spinal cord damaged cells. Thus, they might be considered in the clinical treatment of SCI at early stages.     

Utilization of the yarn pullout test in estimation of the reserved energy of rib knitted fabrics

The yarn pullout test is a prevailing and particular method to evaluate the effects of yarn properties and the structural characteristics of the fabric on the fabric mechanical performance. In this research, a theoretical model of yarn pull out is presented to determine the reserved energy of weft-knitted fabrics with rib 1 × 1 structure. This model is based on the fabric dimensional properties, i.e. stitch length, wale density, yarn diameter and contact angle of yarns. In order to appraise the proposed model, five different double jersey weft-knitted fabrics with rib 1 × 1 structure were produced and exposed to pullout test. Comparison between deviations of theoretical results from experimental results demonstrates that the presented theoretical model exhibits a rational estimation of the reserved energy in these fabrics.     

Application of artificial neural network for vapor liquid equilibrium calculation of ternary system including ionic liquid: Water, ethanol and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate

A feed forward three-layer artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed for VLE prediction of ternary systems including ionic liquid (IL) (water+ethanol+1-butyl-3- methyl-imidazolium acetate), in a relatively wide range of IL mass fractions up to 0.8, with the mole fractions of ethanol on IL-free basis fixed separately at 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 0.98. The output results of the ANN were the mole fraction of ethanol in vapor phase and the equilibrium temperature. The validity of the model was evaluated through a test data set, which were not employed in the training case of the network. The performance of the ANN model for estimating the mole fraction and temperature in the ternary system including IL was compared with the non-random-two-liquid (NRTL) and electrolyte non-random-two-liquid (eNRTL) models. The results of this comparison show that the ANN model has a superior performance in predicting the VLE of ternary systems including ionic liquid.     

Controller Design Using Ant Colony Algorithm for a Non-inverting Buck–Boost Chopper Based on a Detailed Average Model

In this article, the non-inverting buck–boost converter and its operation modes are scrutinized. The closed-loop stability of the converter in buck and boost modes is analyzed, and the necessity of using an appropriated controller is demonstrated. Then the application of an adapted ant colony optimization to design a feedback controller is proposed, and a controller based on its existing model is tuned. Simulation and experimental results obtained from the ant colony optimization designed controller are then compared with a controller designed with the classic method. Although the simulation and experimental results prove the efficiency of the proposed control approach, a significant difference between controller behavior in practice and simulation is obvious. Finding these differences, more detailed models, including all parasitic elements, in the buck and boost modes are derived. Applying the proposed model in controller design illustrates that the desired performance of the converter can be guaranteed with a simple proportional-integral (PI) controller. The suggested ant colony-based controller is again tuned based on the more detailed model, which improves the performance of the converter system even more. Furthermore, good agreement between analytical and experimental outputs validates the accuracy of the modeling and simulation.     

Surfactant-Assisted Dispersion of MWCNTs in Epoxy Resin Used in CFRP Strengthening Systems

The epoxy resin used as the bonding agent in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strengthening systems was modified by the infusion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Two types of surfactants, Triton X-100 and C₁₂E₈, were used to disperse the nanotubes in the epoxy resin employing ultrasonic mixing. Dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile tests were conducted to study the effect of the surfactant-assisted dispersion of nanotubes on the thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy composites. The morphology of the epoxy composites was interpreted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the effect of surfactant treatment on the structure of nanotubes was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Based on the experimental results, the tensile strength and the storage modulus of the epoxy resin were increased by 32% and 26%, respectively, by the addition of MWCNTs. This was attributed to the homogeneous dispersion of nanotubes in the epoxy resin according to the SEM images. Another reason for the enhancement in the tensile properties was the reinforced nanotube/epoxy interaction as a result of the surfactant anchoring effect which was proved by FT-IR. A moderate improvement in the glass transition temperature (T _g) was recorded for the composite fabricated using Triton X-100, which was due to the restricted molecular motions in the epoxy matrix. To characterize the temperature-dependent tensile behavior of the modified epoxy composites, tensile tests were conducted at elevated temperatures. It was revealed that the MWCNT modification using surfactant substantially improves the tensile performance of the epoxy adhesive at temperatures above the T _g of the neat epoxy.