Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
In this work, chemical oxidation was used to polymerize conjugated polymer "Polypyrrole" at room temperature Graphene nanoparticles were added by in situ-polymerization to get (PPY-GN) nano. Optical and Electrical properties were studied for the nanocomposites. optical properties of the nanocomposites were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy at wavelength range (200 -800 nm). The result showed optical absorption spectra were normally determined and the result showed that the maximum absorbance wave length at 280nm and 590nm. The optical energy gap has been evaluated by direct transition and the value has decreased from (2.1 eV for pure PPy) to (1.3 eV for 5 %wt. of GN). The optical constants such as the band tail width ΔE was evaluated, the
... Show MoreThe core objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of the oils of sunflower, olive, virgin coconut and ginger oils, as well as the separation of their unsaturated fatty acids. The data indicated a significant variation in physicochemical properties (acid, saponification, ester, and iodine values) among oils. Transesterification process was carried out at a molar ratio of 1:7:0.1 of oil: methanol: KOH. Fatty acid methyl esters of oils were analyzed by infrared (IR) and gas chromatography–mass (GC-MS) spectrometry. Twelve fatty acids were identified, where the major fatty acid of olive oil was found to be oleic acid (89%), whereas those of sunflower and ging
... Show MorePetrophysical properties evaluation from well log analysis has always been crucial for the identification and assessment of hydrocarbon bearing zones. East Baghdad field is located 10 km east of Baghdad city, where the southern area includes the two southern portions of the field, Khasib formation is the main reservoir of East Baghdad oil field.
In this paper, well log data of nine wells have been environmentally corrected, where the corrected data used to determine lithology, shale volume, porosity, and water saturation. Lithology identified by two methods; neutron-density and M-N matrix plots, while the shale volume estimated by single shale indicator and dual shale indicator, The porosity is calculated from the three common po
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This research aims at examining the expected gap between the fact of planning and controlling process of production at the State Company for Electric Industries and implementation of material requirements planning system in fuzzy environment. Developing solutions to bridge the gap is required to provide specific mechanisms subject to the logic of fuzzy rules that will keep pace with demand for increased accuracy and reduced waiting times depending on demand forecast, investment in inventory to reduce costs to a minimum.
The proposed solutions for overcoming the research problem has required some questions reflecting the problem with its multiple dimensions, which ar
... Show MoreThe effect of thermal treatment on optical constants of pure PMMA and with addition (15 and 35) ml of coumarin at different temperatures (100, 110 and 120) C0 for 1 hour were investigated. Cast method used to prepares films of pure PMMA and PMMA with (15 and 35) of coumarin. UV/VIS spectrometer technique used to measure the absorption spectra for these films. The optical constant (absorption spectra and absorption coefficient) don’t changes after applied temperatures in pure PMMA film but the optical constant (absorption spectra and absorption coefficient) in PMMA with (15 and 35) ml of coumarin increased with applied temperatures. The optical energy gap of pure PMMA and PMMA with (15 and 35) ml of coumarin sl
... Show MoreIn this study the as-deposited and heat treated at 423K of conductive blende graphene oxide (GO) / poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) thin films was prepared with different PEDOT:PSS concentration (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0)wt% on pre-cleaned glass substrate by spin coating technique. The energy dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) show the existence of higher amount of carbon and oxygen related to hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as-deposited and annealed GO/PEDOT:PSS thin films blend indicated that the film prepared show broad peak around 8.24 corresponding to the (001) level refers to GO, this peak shifted to the lower 2θ with increasing PEDOT:PSS concentr
... Show MoreNuclear structure of 29-34Mg isotopes toward neutron dripline have been investigated using shell model with Skyrme-Hartree–Fock calculations. In particular nuclear densities for proton, neutron, mass and charge densities with their corresponding rms radii, neutron skin thicknesses and inelastic electron scattering form factors are calculated for positive low-lying states. The deduced results are discussed for the transverse form factor and compared with the available experimental data. It has been confirmed that the combining shell model with Hartree-Fock mean field method with Skyrme interaction can accommodate very well the nuclear excitation properties and can reach a highly descriptive and predictive power when investiga
... Show MoreThe present study included the use of the approximate semi-experimental method, the time-independent density function theory (unrestricted), the time-dependent density function theory, and Hartree-Fock method to calculate the reaction pathway of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac with its common ionic carriers (sodium and potassium). The basis sets used were STO-3G, 3-21G, 6-31G, and 6-311G. The drug was studied with two new proposed carrier ions (lithium and calcium) which were compared with common carriers. The calculations included the optimized geometrical structure and some physical properties such as standard heat of formation, dipole moment, total energies, and analytical spectra of IR, UV-VIS and 1H NMR. The biologi
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