Engineered geopolymer composite (EGC) is a high-performance material with enhanced mechanical and durability capabilities. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and silica fume (SF) are common binder materials in producing EGC. However, due to the scarcity and high cost of these materials in some countries, sustainable alternatives are needed. This research focused on producing eco-friendly EGC made of cheaper and more common pozzolanic waste materials that are rich in aluminum and silicon. Rice husk ash (RHA), granite waste powder (GWP), and volcanic pumice powder (VPP) were used as partial substitutions (10–50%) of GGBFS in EGC. The effects of these wastes on workability, unit weight, compressive strength, tensile strengt

In this research, we have added nano anatase TiO₂ as a partial replacement of Portland cement by a weight percentage of (0.25 to 1%) for the development of properties for protection against bacteria. The control mix was made by using "the cement to sand" proportion about (1: 2.75) with the "water to cement" proportion of (0.5) to study the structure, porosity, water absorption, density, mechanical properties, as well as anti-bacterial behavior. Inspections have been done such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) for mortar. Experimental results showed that after the addition of Nano powders in cement mortar, the structural properties improved significantly with the development of hydration o

Activated carbon derived from Ficus Binjamina agro-waste synthesized by pyro carbonic acid microwave method and treated with silicon oxide (SiO2) was used to enhance the adsorption capability of the malachite green (MG) dye. Three factors of concentration of dye, time of mixing, and the amount of activated carbon with four levels were used to investigate their effect on the MG removal efficiency. The results show that 0.4 g/L dosage, 80 mg/L dye concentration, and 40 min adsorption duration were found as an optimum conditions for 99.13% removal efficiency. The results also reveal that Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models were the best models to describe the equilibrium adsorption data.

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were prepared with different diameters by sonoelectrodeposition technique using Electrodeposition process coupled with high-power ultrasound horn (Sonoelectrodeposition). The particle diameter of the CuNPs was adjusted by varying CuSO4 solution acidity (pH) and current density. The morphology and structure of the CuNPs were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It was found that the size of the produced copper nanoparticles ranged between 22 to 77 nm, where the diameter of CuNPs increases with reduction the solution acidity from 0.5 to 1.5 pH and increasing the current density of the deposition from 100 to 400 nm. Finally the produced CuNPs were pressed to fabricate disc

A new Ni(II) nanostructured chelating system (DHN) was introduced for selective optical heavy-metal ion sensing in an aqueous medium. The cooperative chelating system comprising 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) and dimethylglyoxime (DMG) has been developed for the first time in association with fibre optic sensing for selective optical heavy-metal ion sensing in an aqueous medium. The Ni(II) nanocompound fluoresces upon 578 nm excitation, showing a highly sensitive optical response with a linear calibration curve in the range 0–100 ng/mL. The regression equation of the calibration curve is y = 0.0035x + 0.9990, which indicates very good linearity, implying R2 = 0.999 with high sensitivity (calibration slope of 0.0035) and low baseline noise (bla

Colloidal silver nanoparticles were prepared by single step green synthesis using aqueous extracts of the leaves of thyme as a function of different molar concentration of AgNO₃ (1,2,3,4 mM(. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), UV-Visible and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the resultant AgNPs. The surface Plasmon resonance was observed at wavelength of 444 nm. The four intensive peaks of XRD pattern indicate the crystalline nature and the face centered cubic structure of the AgNPs. The average crystallite size of the AgNPs ranged from 18 to 22 nm. The FESEM image illustrated the well dispersion of the AgNPs and the spherical shape of the nanoparticles with a particle size distribution be

Objective: In this work we design and evaluate a bidirectional pneumatic soft actuator made from silicone rubber (RTV2 C10) for the use in prosthetic hand. The actuator aimed to enhance flexibility and provide motion in two directions that mimic the actions of the human fingers. Materials and Methods: Two parallel air chambers are used in the actuator design where each chamber is divided into smaller internal cavities. These chambers are linked through a narrow connecting channel. The fabrication process relied on a molding technique based on 3D printed molds. Three separate mold components were designed and printed to allow accurate casting of silicone rubber into the desired shape. The completed actuators were then tested using an experim

In this study, pure Co3O4 nano structure and doping with 4 %, and
6 % of Yttrium is successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method.
The XRD examination, optical, electrical and photo sensing
properties have been studied for pure and doped Co3O4 thin films.
The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that all films are
polycrystalline in nature, having cubic structure.
The optical properties indication that the optical energy gap follows
allowed direct electronic transition calculated using Tauc equation
and it increases for doped Co3O4. The photo sensing properties of
thin films are studied as a function of time at different wavelengths to
find the sensitivity for these lights.
High photo sensitivity dope

Introduction: The current study investigated the use of acid-treated rice husks to remove heavy metals and organic pollutants from water containing heavy metals (R2C and Cd2) and organic pollutants (phenol and atrazine). Methods: The adsorption effect of acid-treated rice husks was compared with other adsorbents such as activated carbon, chitosan, and bentonite clay. Result: both acid-treated rice husks and activated carbon were highly efficient materials, and thus, rice husks were established as a cost-effective alternative. It was revealed that acid treatment of rice husks enhanced adsorption capacity by half, and lead removal was nearly doubled. The most effective pH value for optimizing organic pollutants and heavy metals while