Effects of Magnetic Nanofluid Fuel Combustion on the Performance and Emission Characteristics

Although the compression ignition engines are a significant source of power, their detrimental emissions create considerable problems to the environment as well as to humans. The objective of the present experimental investigation is to examine the effects of the magnetic nanofluid fuels on combustion performance characteristics and exhaust emissions. In this regard, the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles dispersed in the diesel fuel with the nanoparticle concentrations of 0.4 and 0.8 vol% were employed for combustion in a single-cylinder, direct-injection diesel engine. After a series of experiments, it was demonstrated that the nanoparticle additives, even at very low concentrations, have considerable influence in diesel engine characteristics. Furthermore, the results indicated that the nanofluid fuel with nanoparticle concentration of 0.4 vol% shows better combustion characteristics in comparison with that of 0.8 vol%. Based on the experimental results, NO _x and SO₂ emissions dramatically reduce, while CO emissions and smoke opacity noticeably increase with increasing the dosing level of nanoparticles.     

Al-doped B80 fullerene as a suitable candidate for H2, CH4, and CO2 adsorption for clean energy applications

Dispersion-corrected density functional theory method was performed to report on a high-performance adsorbent for removal of CO₂ from the precombustion and natural gases. At first, the effect of Al atom impurity on the structural and electronic properties of B₈₀ fullerene is studied. Then, the adsorption geometries and energies of gases (H₂, CH₄, or CO₂) on the B₈₀ and AlB₇₉ (amphoteric adsorbents) are explored. The Al atom enhances reactivity of the cage toward the gases and the adsorption processes are more exothermic with low and high energy barriers for chemisorption of H₂ and CO₂, respectively. Stable chemisorption of CO₂ on the AlB₇₉ is validated by the high adsorption energy and large charge transfer, while the CH₄ is just physically adsorbed on the AlB₇₉. Further, the physisorbed gases can enhance field emission current of the AlB₇₉ and in the continuous capturing of the gases, the magnetic moment of the cage is quenched. Furthermore, dependency of the electronic structure of the adsorbent on the gas adsorption is intensively studied. We suggest that the AlB₇₉ could be a promising material for capture, storage, and separation of the gases and as a novel material for sustainable energy and sweetening process in the petroleum industry.     

Preparation and characterization of a novel water soluble amino chitosan (amino-CS) derivative for facilitated transport of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>

With the goal of obtaining a water soluble polymeric carrier for preparation of fixed facilitated transport membranes, a water soluble amino containing chitosan derivative was prepared through Michael-addition reaction between chitosan and ethyl acrylate followed by amidation of the ester groups with an appropriate diamine. This derivative was characterized using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. Then, facilitated transport membranes were prepared by casting a thin layer of chitosan derivative/poly(vinyl alcohol) blend on a porous polysolfune support; and the effect of fixed carrier’s content, feed temperature and feed pressure on the CO₂ permeance, and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of produced membranes were studied. A facilitated transport mechanism for CO₂ through this membrane was concluded.     

Advanced Surfaces by Anchoring Thin Hydrogel Layers of Functional Polymers

Surface design and engineering is a critical tool to improve the interaction of materials with their surroundings. Immobilization of soft hydrogels is one of the attractive strategies to achieve surface modification. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the different strategies used for surface tethering of hydrogel layers via crosslinking immobilization of pre-fabricated functional polymers. In this strategy, crosslinkable polymers are first prepared via various polymerization techniques or post-functionalization of polymers. Afterwards, the crosslinkable polymers are attached or tethered on the surfaces of substrates using a variety of approaches including photo-crosslinking, click reactions, reversible linkages, etc. For each case, the principles of hydrogel tethering have been explained in detail with representative examples.Moreover, the potential applications of the as-modified substrates in specific cases have also been addressed and overviewed.     

Feasibility study on reducing lead and cadmium absorption by spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) in a contaminated soil using nanoporous activated carbon

Activated carbons (AC) have been long recognized as prominent absorbents in industries and feature numerous applications in preventing or absorbing the harmful gases and liquids and could be employed for filtration and remediation or even reutilization of chemicals. In order to investigate the capacity of AC in reducing the absorption of heavy metals (HM) including lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) and dual complex (Pb?×?Cd) by spinach, a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with three replications on a pot trial was conducted. Three factors including five levels of AC 0, 5000, 10000, 15000, 20000?mg/kg soil, one concentration level of Pb 4,000?mg/kg soil and one concentration level of cadmium Cd 8?mg/kg soil were tested. The index of heavy metal concentration was calculated in leaf, stem and root and their corresponding dry weights. Results illustrated that in contaminated soils, plants with AC exhibited a superior reduction of absorption of HM vis-à-vis the plants without AC. The foremost result regarding the impact of AC on reducing the concentration of Pb and Cd was observed in 20,000 level of AC. This reveals that AC declined the soil contamination and lessened the accumulation of HM into the shoots and roots. Results suggest that the application of AC may be an eligible solution for decreasing the translocation of HM into the plants.     

Multiple functions of microfluidic platforms: Characterization and applications in tissue engineering and diagnosis of cancer

Microfluidic system, or lab-on-a-chip, has grown explosively. This system has been used in research for the first time and then entered in the clinical section. Due to economic reasons, this technique has been used for screening of laboratory and clinical indices. The microfluidic system solves some difficulties accompanied by clinical and biological applications. In this review, the interpretation and analysis of some recent developments in microfluidic systems in biomedical applications with more emphasis on tissue engineering and cancer will be discussed. Moreover, we try to discuss the features and functions of microfluidic systems.     

Computational modeling of porous medium inside a channel with homogeneous nanofluid

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In the present study, the flow field and heat transfer have been simulated numerically inside a channel. The channel is under the constant heat flux....     

A New Model for Prediction of One Electron Reduction Potential of Nitroaryl Compounds

This paper introduces a simple model for prediction of one electron reduction potential [E(RNO₂/R ^? NO₂^–)] of various nitroaryl compounds. The new method uses energy difference between highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) in gas phase at the B3LYP/6‐311++G** level (ΔE_HOMO‐LUMO) and some structural parameters. It was used for 35 nitroaryl compounds including nitrobenzenes, nitrofurans, 2‐nitroimidazoles, 4‐nitroimidazoles, 5‐ninuintidazoles, nitroazaindoles, nitroacridines, and miscellaneous nitroaryl compounds. The root mean square (rms) percent deviation and the average absolute error of predictions of E(RNO₂/R ^? NO₂^–) relative to experiment were decreased from 12.4 % and 0.42 V to 3.5 % and 0.11 V, respectively, upon consideration of several structural parameters. Increment of the value of ΔE_HOMO‐LUMO and inclusion of specific polar groups can increase thermodynamic stability of these compounds.     

Synthesis of a PEG-PNIPAm thermosensitive dendritic copolymer and investigation of its self-association

A Novel thermosensitive dendritic copolymer based on polyethylene glycol(PEG) and poly(Nisopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAm) with a cloud point(CP) around 36 ?C was successfully synthesized by preparation of a dendritic polyol and followed by atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) of N-isopropylacrylamide. The dendritic copolymer was characterized using gel-permeation chromatography(GPC), FTIR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The selfassociation behavior of the copolymer in aqueous medium was investigated by dynamic light scattering(DLS) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). These investigations confirmed that the dendritic copolymer showed different association behaviors at various temperatures.