Sol-gel derived CuCo-oxide coatings as solar selective surfaces, synthesized onto aluminium substrates at various annealing temperatures, are analysed by correlating their structural, chemical bonding states, and surface morphological topographies. As the annealing progressed, all the coatings displayed a Cu0.56Co2.44O4 (ICSD 78-2175) phase with preferential orientation along (400) reflection plane. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data indicate that residual stress and microstrains developed around the coating surfaces are reduced resulting in mechanically stable thin films. Enhancement of the crystallite size and preferred orientation of the surface were confirmed via XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows tetrahedral, octahedral and mixed states of Cu and Co ions with a stable atomic ratio of Co/Cu, and an increase of O and C contents but no metal-carbon bonding on the surface of materials. Optical reflectance investigations indicated that solar selectivity of the coatings increased from 3.81 to 24 as the annealing temperature reached up to 500 °C.
The research aims at conducting a follow-up evaluation of a number of strategic projects implemented by the Directorate of Public Municipalities, one of the Ministry of Construction, Housing and Municipalities and Public Works. The sample included (35) varied strategic projects implemented in most Iraqi governorates. Buildings, municipal buildings, minarets, massacres, multi-story parking, paving and rehabilitation of streets and residential neighborhoods. The difference between the actual and planned times and costs of these projects was then measured and analyzed. These projects were used as a tool for collecting data and information. The questionnaire included four axes, each representing one of the parties to the project, whi
... Show MoreBiodiesel is an environmentally friendly fuel and a good substitution for the fossil fuel. However, the purity of this fuel is a major concern that challenges researchers. In this study, a calcium oxide based catalyst has been prepared from local waste eggshells by the calcination method and tested in production biodiesel. The eggshells were powdered and calcined at different temperatures (700, 750, 800, 850 and 900 °C) and periods of time (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hr.). The effect of calcination temperature and calcination time on the structure and activity of the solid catalyst were examined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunaure-Emmett-Teller (BET). The optimum catalyst performance was obtained at 900 °C
... Show MoreFemtosecond laser pulse propagation in monomode optical fibers is demonstrated and investigated numerically (by simulations) and experimentally in this paper. A passively mode locked Nd:glass laser giving a pulse duration of about 200 fsec at 1053 nm wavelength and 120 mW average optical power with 100 MHz repetition rate is used in the experimental work. Numerical simulations are done by solving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the aid of Matlab program. The results show that self phase modulation (SPM) leads to compression of the spectral width from 5 nm to 2.1 nm after propagation of different optical powers (34, 43, 86 and 120 mW) in fibers of different length (5, 15, 35 m). The varying optical powers produced a varying
... Show MoreThe main purpose of this work is the construction of an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) to generate a 629 nm pulsed laser. KTP nonlinear crystals were used for both parametric oscillation and amplification. A singly resonant parametric oscillator (OPO) is constructed to generate a signal of 1.54 μm and idler of 3.4 μm when the OPO system is pumped by 1.064 μm Q – switched Nd: YAG laser. The signal was then mixed with the pumping beam in OPA system to form the wanted wavelength. The obtained optical conversion efficiency was 60%.
The spectral characteristics and the nonlinear optical properties of the mixed donor (C-480) acceptor (Rh-6G) have been determined. The spectral characteristics are studied by recording their absorption and fluorescence spectra. The nonlinear optical properties were measured by z-scan technique, using Q-switched Nd: YAG laser with 1064 nm wavelength. The results showed that the optimum concentration of acceptor is responsible for increasing the absorption and the emission bandwidth of donor to full range and to 242 nm respectively by the energy transfer process, also the efficiency of the process was increased by increasing the donor and acceptor concentration. The obtained nonlinear properties results of the mixture C-480/ Rh-6G showed
... Show MoreIn this investigation, water-soluble N-Acetyl Cysteine Capped-Cadmium Telluride QDs (NAC/CdTe nanocrystals), utilizing N-acetyl cysteine as a stabilizer, were prepared to assess their potential in differentiating between DNA extracted from pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli isolated from urine specimen) and intact DNA (extracted from blood of healthy individuals) for biomedical sensing prospective. Following the optical characterization of the synthesized QDs, the XRD analysis illustrated the construction of NAC-CdTe-QDs with a grain size of 7.1 nm. The prepared NAC-CdTe-QDs exhibited higher PL emission features at of 550 nm and UV-Vis absorption peak at 300 nm. Additionally, the energy gap quantified via PL and UV–Vis were 2.2 eV
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to determine the heavy metal accumulation of Juncus rigidus Desfontaines, 1798 from three different regions of the Basrah Province in Southern of Iraq. Specifically, the concentrations of lead, nickel, and cadmium were determined in the roots, culms and leaves of the plant. The results indicated that the highest accumulation of the heavy metal was recorded in lead (Pb) 12.50± 3.58 mg kg-1and then in nickel (< 0.30). The lowest value was recorded for cadmium (< 0.05). As well, lead concentrations in J. rigidus varied in different locations and parts of the plant from undetectable in control to 12.66, 19.33, and 9.80 mg kg-1 in leaves, culm, and roots respective
... Show MoreThe reaction of 1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one with one equivalent of 4-chlorophenol by coupling reaction afforded (E)-4-((5-chloro-2- hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl)-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one. Then azo ligand was characterize using spectroscopic studies ( FTIR,UV-Vis, 1H and 13CNMR, Mass) also micro-elemental analysiz (C.H.N.O). Transition metal chelation with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) was investigated, revealing 1:2 metal-to-ligand stoichiometry with octahedral geometry. The biological, and industrial application for the azo ligand and it is complexes were evaluated, demonstrating antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal strains, with the Zn(II) complex exhibiting superior inhibition. Additionally,
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