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In this study, conductive sodium alginate/polyaniline/graphene (PAG) NGCs were fabricated utilizing a straightforward solution extrusion method. The 4 point-probe test revealed that the addition of PAG has increased the conductivity of the NGCs up to 9.7 × 10−3 S.cm−1. The results also showed a remarkable increase in the Young modulus and SEM images revealed that the suggested process could produce NGCs continuously and uniformly with desirable porosity. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum proved a good interaction between PAG and the polymeric matrix. Furthermore, the addition of PAG slightly prevented biodegradation of the NGCs. Finally, the cell viability assay confirmed the ability of PAG to stimulate PC12 proliferation. The results corroborated the potential use of NGCs to be applied in nerve tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of the surfactants on the oil extraction from the dead ends through the numerical simulations and experimental evidences. The volume of fluid approach in the frame of the finite volume method has been used for numerical simulations in 2-D domain and experimental flooding tests have been done using a glassy micro-model. The effects of the water-oil, water-wall and oil-wall interfacial tensions have been investigated numerically and some results are compared to experimental flooding results. Simulations have been done in the cases of water-wet, neutralized- wet and oil-wet micro-models also. The numerical results show that in the case of water-wet walls, the sweep efficiency is more than that of oil-wet walls. Also the results show that with increasing the interfacial tension between the oil and water, sweep efficiency increases dramatically. Comparisons between the experimental observations and numerical results confirm these conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the use of bisupported Ziegler-Natta catalyst for the synthesis of polypropylene/clay nanocomposites (PPCNC). The composites' nanostructure was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The study shows that silica layers of montmorillonite in these PPCNC were intercalated and uniformly dispersed in the polypropylene matrix.

In this study, the morphological, rheological, and mechanical properties of PP/HDPE blend compatibilized with poly (propylene-g-maleic anhydride) were studied. Necessary blends were prepared using a counter current twin-screw extruder. The blend composition ranged from 10 to 50wt% of dispersed phase (HDPE) and compatibilizer (MAPP) with two Concentration ranges 10, 20 wt% were used for PP/HDPE (80/20) blend with respect to the dispersed phase (HDPE). The results of morphological studies shows a droplet dispersion morphology in the composition to 50 wt% HDPE content, which indicates that HDPE forms a dispersed phase and PP forms a continuous phase in these composition region. Addition of the MAPP compatibilizer decreases the dispersed phase diameter. Rheological studies show that addition of the MAPP compatibilizer increases the melt viscosity, complex viscosity, storage, and loss modulus of the blends. Mechanical studies show that with increasing of HDPE concentration the tensile and impact strength first increase, and then decrease. The elongation at break decreases with increasing of HDPE concentration. Addition of the MAPP compatibilizer increases the elongation at break, tensile, and impact strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research the radical chlorination reaction of polyethylene has been carried out in perchloroethylene solvent under atmospheric pressure, using chlorine gas and UV light. In order to characterize the structural configuration of chlorinated polymer and study the reaction rate, different samples have been taken in equal periods of time during the reaction time. The FT-IR and H NMR spectra of these samples have been recorded and interpreted. The sequences of methylene groups between two subsequent chloromethylene groups in the polymeric chains have been determined through H NMR spectra and the obtained results have been confirmed with the data of some model compounds. The relative percentage of these methylene groups, which have been calculated from their integrated values in their H NMR spectra have been plotted vs. percentage of chlorination and discussed. Also H NMR spectra have been used for calculating the chlorine percentage of each sample and the results have been compared with data obtained from an elemental analyzing technique namely flask combustion method. Using the results of these two techniques, the reaction rate has been plotted versus reaction time and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undoubtedly, metal corrosion is one of the most challenging problems faced by industries. Introducing corrosion inhibitors is a reasonable approach to protecting the metal surface. Due to environmental concerns and the toxicity of industrial organic corrosion inhibitors, researchers are continually exploring acceptable replacements. The current study focused on the application of Falcaria Vulgaris (FV) leaves extract to mitigate mild steel (MS) corrosion in a 1 M HCl environment. The polarization findings demonstrated that the corrosion current density decreased from 264.0 µA/cm 2 (for the sample submerged in the blank solution) to 20.4 µA/cm 2 when the optimal concentration of 800 ppm of FV leaves extract was added to the acid solution. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis revealed an inhibition efficiency of 91.3% at this concentration after 6 h of immersion. It was determined by analyzing several adsorption isotherms that this corrosion inhibitor obeys the Frumkin isotherm. AFM, FE-SEM, and GIXRD surface analyses also supported the findings that adding FV leaves extract can reduce metal damage by adsorption on the metal surface., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is an appropriate biomaterial for orthopedic implant applications due to its superior mechanical properties, chemical resistance, nontoxicity, and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility. Unfortunately, the inherent bio-inertness of PEEK restricted its application and required some modification to provide better bioactivity. Besides it, the generated electrical signals in the bone due to its piezoelectricity features have a vital role in regulating bone repair and regeneration. We aimed to modify the surface of PEEK with a dual-functionality nanocomposite that provides surface bioactivity and simulates the piezoelectricity of bone. So, we introduced a novel piezoelectric-bioactive nanocomposite of dispersed poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) in a sulfonated PEEK (SPEEK) matrix containing Nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) and Carbon nanofiber (CNF) fillers for coating on PEEK substrate to improve its biological activity and simulate the electrical microenvironment for bone tissue. Furthermore, sulfonation of the PEEK surface was conducted as an intermediate layer to prepare better adhesion between the coating nanocomposite and the PEEK sublayer. Surface and cross-section morphology, apatite formation, and cell attachment were investigated on the different treated PEEK surfaces using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Also, piezoelectric performance, electrical conductivity, contact angle, and mechanical properties were examined on the prepared samples. Moreover, cell viability and cell morphology were investigated for biological evaluation with human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells. Collectively, the hydrophilicity of modified PEEK (mPEEK) coated with nanocomposite was improved due to the synergistic effects of SPEEK functional groups and nHA. Also, comprehensive investigation on the mPEEK treated with nanocomposite indicated a noticeably better bone-like apatite formation, cell proliferation, and cell attachments in the presence of nHA. The transfer of induced piezoelectric charges from dispersed PVDF in the matrix to the surface of nanocomposite containing 2 wt% of CNF increased output voltage to 1893 mV. On the other hand, the presence of CNF in nanocomposites enhanced tensile strength and Young's modulus by 92% and 117%, respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), a two-dimensional transition metal has a 2D layered structure and has recently attracted attention due to its novel catalytic properties. In this study, MoS 2 has been successfully intercalated using chemical and physical intercalation techniques, while enhancing its surface properties. The final intercalated MoS 2 is of many interests because of its low-dimensional and potential properties in in-situ catalysis. In this research, we report different methods to intercalate the layers of MoS 2 successfully using acid-treatment, ultrasonication, oxidation and thermal shocking. The other goal of this study is to form SO bonds mainly because of expected enhanced in-situ catalytic operations. The intercalated MoS 2 is further characterized using analyses such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman, Contact Angle, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Microanalysis (EDAX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Blood vessels, especially large vessels have a greater thermal effect on freezing tissue during cryosurgery. Vascular networks act as heat sources in tissue, and cause failure in cryosurgery and reappearance of cancer. The aim of this study is to numerically simulate the effect of probe location and multiprobe on heat transfer distribution. Furthermore, the effect of nanoparticles injection is studied. It is shown that the small probes location near large blood vessels could help to reduce the necessary time for tissue freezing. Nanoparticles injection shows that the thermal effect of blood vessel in tissue is improved. Using Au, Ag and diamond nanoparticles have the most growth of ice ball during cryosurgery. However, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticle can be used to protect normal tissue around tumor cell due to its influence on reducing heat transfer in tissue. Introduction of Au, Ag and diamond nanoparticles combined with multicryoprobe in this model causes reduction of tissue average temperature about 50% compared to the one probe., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper reports on the development of conductive porous scaffolds by incorporating conductive polyaniline/graphene (PAG) nanoparticles into a chitosan/gelatin matrix for its potential application in peripheral nerve regeneration. The effect of PAG content on the various properties of the scaffold is investigated and the results showed that the electrical conductivity and mechanical properties increased proportional to the increase in the PAG loading, while the porosity, swelling ratio and in vitro biodegradability decreased. In addition, the biocompatibility was evaluated by assessing the adhesion and proliferation of Schwann cells on the prepared scaffolds using SEM and MTT assay, respectively. In summary, this work supports the use of a porous conductive chitosan/gelatin/PAG scaffold with a low amount of PAG (2.5 wt.%) as a suitable material having proper conductivity, mechanical properties and biocompatibility that may be appropriate for different biomedical applications such as scaffold material in tissue engineering for neural repair or other biomedical devices that require electroactivity., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)