Optimization of the finned double-pipe heat exchanger using nanofluids as working fluids

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The heat exchanger pipe diameter has a significant effect on the flow characteristics as well as on the initial investment, operation and overall cost....     

Structural and dielectric properties of POSS reinforced polyimide nanocomposites

In this study, a series of [3-(2-aminoethyl)amino]propyl-heptaisobutyl substituted polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (AHIP) containing polyimide (PI) nanocomposites were successfully prepared. Structural, thermal and electrical properties of the polyimide nanocomposites were studied. The properties of AHIP containing polyimides were compared with those of the neat polyimide films. The surface morphology of the prepared AHIP containing polyimides were determined by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of AHIP/polyimide composites were analyzed by measuring their water contact angles. It was found that the addition of AHIP into the polyimide slightly increased the contact angle values. The incorporation of 5% AHIP to the PI matrix decreased the dielectric constant value of pure PI from 8.6 to 11.7, respectively. Furthermore he dielectric permittivity was changed from 8.6 (neat polyimide) to 5.5 (PI3).     

Synthesis of persulfate containing poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) hydrogels in aqueous solutions by γ-induced radiation

The effect of ⁶⁰Co γ-irradiation on aqueous solutions of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) in the presence of persulfate anion has been investigated. The gelation dose of PVP and persulfate containing PVP aqueous solutions has been determined. At low concentrations of persulfate (1.00–3.50%), gelation percentages exhibited a decreasing trend by increasing persulfate content in aqueous solutions of the polymer. The gelation doses of persulfate containing polymer solutions were calculated by the Charlesby–Pinner equation. It was observed that the gelation dose values were shifted to higher values by increasing persulfate concentration in solution. The ratio of the chain scission and crosslinking yields (G(s)/G(x)) was also determined. The results showed that the G(s)/G(x) ratios were smaller than one for PVP aqueous solution system, whereas those obtained for persulfate containing PVP aqueous solutions were higher than unity. The results implied that the chain scission of polymer is more effective than crosslinking in the presence of persulfate. Mechanism of the crosslinking and/or degradation and structure–property relationship of PVP and PVP/persulfate hydrogel systems were investigated by Fourier transformation infeared and thermal analysis (differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis and differential thermai analysis) methods.     

Influence of acrylate arm topology on phase diagrams of mixtures of multiarm acrylate photocurative monomers and nematic liquid crystals

Phase equilibria of binary mixtures of liquid crystal and multiarm star acrylate derivatives have been established as a function of the number of acrylate arms by means of cloud point determination. Equilibrium phase diagrams of liquid crystal/multiarm acrylate derivatives have been calculated self-consistently in the framework of combined Flory-Huggins free energy of liquid-liquid demixing and Maier-Saupe free energy of nematic ordering. It was found experimentally that the phase diagram of the branched/star molecule/solvent shifts to elevated temperatures with an increasing number of acrylate arms. This movement of the coexistence line is attributed to the architectural effect contributing to the athermal entropic part of the chi interaction parameter. The present self-consistent solution has been tested satisfactorily with the observed phase diagrams of liquid crystal/acrylate systems.     

Synthesis and characterization of liquid crystalline tetra- and octa-substituted novel phthalocyanines

Methylene-bridged tetra- and octa-(13,17-dioxa nonacosane-15 sulfanyl)-substituted metal free- and Ni(II) phthalocyanines were synthesized from the corresponding phthalonitrile (3, 4) derivatives in the presence of the anhydrous metal salt (NiCl₂) or a strong organic base. The new compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, UV/Vis, IR, NMR and mass spectra. The mesogenic properties of these materials were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction investigations. X-ray diffraction patterns of the mesophase confirm that tetra- and octa-substituted compounds (3a–b, 4a–b) form hexagonal columnar mesophases (Col_h). We indicated that addition of the methylene-bridged phthalocyanine (Pc) core can either decrease the liquid crystal phase transition temperatures or extend the liquid crystal temperature range to include room temperature. Also, the Pc compounds (3a, 3b, 4a and 4b) are liquid crystals at room temperature. These properties of the Pc complexes provide some advantages such as easily obtaining an ordered film for sensor applications. Computational modelling work was combined with X-ray diffraction investigation to validate the diameter of the phthalocyanine molecule (3b).     

Microencapsulated oleic–capric acid/hexadecane mixture as phase change material for thermal energy storage

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Thermal energy storage systems provide efficiency in order to have better utilization of energy sources while protecting the environment. Thermal...     

In Vitro and In Silico Study of Analogs of Plant Product Plastoquinone to Be Effective in Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Plants have paved the way for the attainment of molecules with a wide-range of biological activities. However, plant products occasionally show low biological activities and/or poor pharmacokinetic properties. In that case, development of their derivatives as drugs from the plant world has been actively performed. As plant products, plastoquinones (PQs) have been of high importance in anticancer drug design and discovery; we have previously evaluated and reported the potential cytotoxic effects of a series of PQ analogs. Among these analogs, PQ2, PQ3 and PQ10 were selected for National Cancer Institute (NCI) for in vitro screening of anticancer activity against a wide range of cancer cell lines. The apparent superior anticancer potency of PQ2 on the HCT-116 colorectal cancer cell line than that of PQ3 and PQ10 compared to other tested cell lines has encouraged us to perform further mechanistic studies to enlighten the mode of anti-colorectal cancer action of PQ2. For this purpose, its apoptotic effects on the HCT-116 cell line, DNA binding capacity and several crucial pharmacokinetic properties were investigated. Initially, MTT assay was conducted for PQ2 at different concentrations against HCT-116 cells. Results indicated that PQ2 exhibited significant cytotoxicity in HCT-116 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 4.97 ± 1.93 μM compared to cisplatin (IC₅₀ = 26.65 ± 7.85 μM). Moreover, apoptotic effects of PQ2 on HCT-116 cells were investigated by the annexin V/ethidium homodimer III staining method and PQ2 significantly induced apoptosis in HCT-116 cells compared to cisplatin. Based on the potent DNA cleavage capacity of PQ2, molecular docking studies were conducted in the minor groove of the double helix of DNA and PQ2 presented a key hydrogen bonding through its methoxy moiety. Overall, both in vitro and in silico studies indicated that effective, orally bioavailable drug-like PQ2 attracted attention for colorectal cancer treatment. The most important point to emerge from this study is that appropriate derivatization of a plant product leads to unique biologically active compounds.     

Parametric optimization of heat transfer characteristics for helical coils

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this study, helically coiled tubes are used in a shell, and the effects of tube diameter, coil diameter, Reynolds number, Dean number and flow rate...     

Global existence and decay of solutions for the generalized bad Boussinesq equation

In this paper,we consider the global existence of solutions for the Cauchy problem of the generalized sixth order bad Boussinesq equation.Moreover,we show that the supremum norm of the solution decays algebraically to zero as(1+t)(1/7)when t approaches to infnity,provided the initial data are sufciently small and regular.