An updated review of nanofluids in various heat transfer devices

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The field of nanofluids has received interesting attention since the concept of dispersing nanoscaled particles into a fluid was first introduced in...     

Electrodeposition of zinc oxide nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotube-modified electrode for determination of caffeine in wastewater effluent

We report on the development of an electrochemical sensor based on electrodepositing zinc oxide on multiwalled carbon nanotube-modified glassy carbon electrode for the detection of caffeine in pharmaceutical wastewater effluents. The measurements were carried out using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). DPV measurements showed a linear relationship between oxidation peak current and concentration of caffeine in 0.1 M HClO₄ (pH 1.0) over the concentration range 0.00388–4.85 mg/L and a detection limit of 0.00194 mg/L. The diffusion coefficient and Langmuir adsorption constant for caffeine were calculated to be 3.25 × 10^?6 cm² s^?1 and 1.10 × 10³ M^?1, respectively. The sensor showed satisfactory results when applied to the detection of caffeine in wastewater effluents.     

Power-efficient impulse radio ultrawideband pulse generator based on the linear sum of modified doublet pulses

We propose a new and power-efficient impulse radio ultawideband (IR-UWB) pulse design concept. The proposed concept is based on a linear sum of modified doublet pulses. The proposed concept is both simulated and experimentally demonstrated. The experimental demonstration employs a photonic scheme that generates the designed pulse using two main steps, mainly optical shaping and differential detection. The optical shaping is performed using a single electro-optic modulator biased in the nonlinear portion of its transfer function, and the differential detection is performed using a balanced photodetector. The generated IR-UWB pulse is fully Federal Communications Commission compliant, even in the highly power-restricted global positioning system band. The proposed optical scheme has potential to be integrated on a compact optical chip and thus suitable for reliable, low-cost, high-speed, short-range UWB wireless access, such as in-building networks.     

Optimization and Simultaneous Determination of Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylates and Brominated Flame Retardants in Water after SPE and Heptafluorobutyric Anhydride Derivatization followed by GC/MS

A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method was investigated for the simultaneous analysis of two types of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), i.e., alkylphenol ethoxylates and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), by extraction and derivatization followed by GC–MS. Different solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges (Cleanert PestiCarb, C₁₈, Cleanert-SAX and Florosil), solvents (toluene, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, acetonitrile and ethyl acetate) and bases (NaHCO₃, triethylamine and pyridine) were tested and the best chromatographic analysis was achieved by extraction with Strata-X (33?μm, Reverse Phase) cartridge and derivatization with heptafluorobutyric anhydride at 55?°C under Na₂CO₃ base in hexane. It was observed that APE together with lower substituted PBBs (PBB1, PBB10, PBB18 and PBB49), HBCD and TBBPA can be determined simultaneously under the same GC conditions. This simple and reliable analytical method was applied to determining trace amounts of these compounds from wastewater treatment plant samples. The recoveries of the target compounds from simulated water were above 60?%. The limit of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.15?μg L^?1 and the limit of quantification ranged from 0.05 to 0.66?μg L^?1. There were no appreciable differences between filtered and unfiltered wastewater samples from Leeuwkil treatment plant although concentration of target analytes in filtered influent was slightly lower than the concentration of target analytes in unfiltered influent water. The concentrations of the target compounds from the wastewater treatment were determined from LOQ upwards.     

A Novel Hydrogen Peroxide Biosensor Based on Adsorption of Horseradish Peroxidase onto a Nanobiomaterial Composite Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

In this work, a novel hydrogen peroxide biosensor derived from maize tassel (MT) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite was used to adsorb horseradish peroxidase (HRP) onto the surface of a glassy carbon electrode through electrostatic interactions. The morphology and structure of the products were characterized by SEM, FTIR and UV‐visible spectroscopy. The electrochemical and electrocatalytic performance of the HRP/MT‐MWCNT/GCE was studied using voltammetric and amperometric methods. The amperometric response of the biosensor varied linearly with concentration of H₂O₂ from 9 µM to 1 mM with detection limit of 4.0 µM (S/N=3). Furthermore, the biosensor exhibited good reproducibility and stability.     

Influence of Gas Chromatographic Parameters on Determination of Decabromodiphenyl Ether

In this paper, we present a study on the influence of chromatographic parameters on determination of decabromodiphenyl ether in an attempt to arrive at optimum conditions that enhance its detection in environmental samples. Gas chromatography?Celectron capture detector (GC?CECD) equipped with digital pressure and gas flow control, ZB-5 capillary column of 15 and 30 m length (0.25 mm id, 0.25 ??m d _f) are used. 1 ??L of 20 ng ??L^?1 commercial decabromodiphenyl ether mixture dissolved in toluene is injected into the column in splitless mode and each parameter varied. Injection temperature of 290 °C, initial and final oven temperatures of 90 °C and 300?C310 °C, respectively, 1.0 min splitless time and 2.5 mL min^?1 flow rate found to be optimum on 15 m column. Under optimum condition, entrance of BDE209 into the column is improved; retention time reduced by a factor of three and high repeatability with almost no degradation observed. Finally, the developed method is validated using standard reference material and applied to indoor dust samples. The average concentrations of decabromodiphenyl ether found from dust analysis in ng g^?1 are 118 ± 6.6, 103 ± 11 and 26 ± 1.6 in hotel, office and computer room, respectively.     

Water hyacinth modified carbon paste electrode for simultaneous electrochemical stripping analysis of Cd (II) and Pb (II)

In this study, we demonstrated a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous detection of Pb (II) and Cd (II) in aqueous solution using carbon paste electrode modified with Eichhornia crassipes powder by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The effect of modifier composition, pH, preconcentration time, reduction potential and time, and type of supporting electrolyte on the determination of metal ions were investigated. Pre-concentration on the modified surface was performed at open circuit. The modified electrode exhibited well-defined and separate stripping peaks for Pb (II) and Cd (II). Under optimum experimental conditions, a linear range for both metal ions was from 10 to 5000 μg L^?1 with the detection limits of 4.9 μg L^?1, 2.1 μg L^?1 for Cd(II) and Pb (II), respectively. The modified electrode was found to be sensitive and selective when applied to determine trace amounts of Cd (II) and Pb (II) in natural water samples.     

An intelligent approach to predicting the effect of nanoparticle mixture ratio,concentration and temperature on thermal conductivity of hybrid nanofluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Hybrid nanofluids are better heat transfer fluids than conventional nanofluids because of the combined properties of two or more nanoparticles. In this...     

Renewable energy resources and workforce case study Saudi Arabia: review and recommendations

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Energy is linked to the most economic and social issues which affect sustainable development of countries. To diversify its economy sources, Saudi...