The work includes fabrication of undoped and silver-doped nanostructured nickel oxide in form thin films, which use for applications such as gas sensors. Pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique was used to fabricate the films on a glass substrate. The structure of films is studied by using techniques of x-ray diffraction, SEM, and EDX. Thermal annealing was performed on these films at 450°C to introduce its effect on the characteristics of these films. The films were doped with a silver element at different doping levels and both electrical and gas sensing characteristics were studied and compared to those of the undoped films. Reasonable enhancements in these characteristics were observed and attributed to the effects of thermal annealing as well as doping with silver. Gas sensing measurements were carried out using NO2 as a gaseous species to be detected. The results showed that the electrical conductivity, density as well as mobility of charge carriers, and gas sensitivity were affected by the doping level and annealing treatment.
Oil well drilling fluid rheology, lubricity, swelling, and fluid loss control are all critical factors to take into account before beginning the hole's construction. Drilling fluids can be made smoother, more cost-effective, and more efficient by investigating and evaluating the effects of various nanoparticles including aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and iron oxide (Fe2O3) on their performance. A drilling fluid's performance can be assessed by comparing its baseline characteristics to those of nanoparticle (NPs) enhanced fluids. It was found that the drilling mud contained NPs in concentrations of 0,0.25, 0. 5, 0.75 and 1 g. According to the results, when drilling fluid was used without NPs, the coeff
... Show MoreCrop yield prediction is a critical measurement, especially in the time when parts of the world are suffering from farming issues. Yield forecasting gives an alert regarding economic trading, food production monitoring, and global food security. This research was conducted to investigate whether active optical sensors could be utilized for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield prediction at the mid.le of the growing season. Three potato cultivars (Russet Burbank, Superior, and Shepody) were planted and six rates of N (0, 56, 112, 168, 224, and 280 kg ha−1), ammonium sulfate, which was replaced by ammonium nitrate in the 2nd year, were applied on 11 sites in a randomized complete block design, with four replications. Normalized difference ve
... Show MoreNitrogen (N) fertilizer rate is important for high yield and good quality of potato tubers. In this dissertation, I seek to study the response of different potato cultivars under different N fertilizer rates and how that can impact tuber quality, examine the performance of active optical sensors in improving a potato yield prediction algorithm, and evaluate the ability of active optical sensors (GreenSeeker (GS) and Crop Circle (CC)) to optimize a N recommendation algorithm that can be used by potato growers in Maine. This research was conducted at 11 sites over a period of two years (2018–2019) in Aroostook County, Maine; all sites depended on a rainfed system. Three potato cultivars, Russet Burbank, Superior, and Shepody, were planted u
... Show MoreThe removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater by sorptive flotation using Amberlite IR120 as a resin, and flotation column, was investigated. A combined two-stage process is proposed as an alternative of the heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions. The first stage is the sorption of heavy metals onto Amberlite IR120 followed by dispersed-air flotation. The sorption of metal ions on the resin, depending on contact time, pH, resin dosage, and initial metal concentration was studied in batch method .Various parameters such as pH, air flow rate, and surfactant concentration were investigated in the flotation stage. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and Hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (HTAB) were used as anionic and cationic surfactant re
... Show MoreA.C electrical conductivity and dielectric properties for poly
(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) /poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) blends undoped
and doped with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) with
different concentrations (1, and 3 wt %) in the frequency range
(25x103 - 5x106 Hz) were investigated. Samples of (PVA/PEO)
blends undoped and doped with MWCNTs were prepared using
casting technique. The electrical conductivity measurements showed
that σA.C is frequency dependent and obey the relation σA.C =Aωs for
undoped and doped blends with 1% MWCNTs, while it is frequency
independent with increases of MWCNTs content to 3%. The
exponent s showed proceeding increase with the increase of PEO
ratio (≥50%) for undope
Sensing insole systems are a promising technology for various applications in healthcare and sports. They can provide valuable information about the foot pressure distribution and gait patterns of different individuals. However, designing and implementing such systems poses several challenges, such as sensor selection, calibration, data processing, and interpretation. This paper proposes a sensing insole system that uses force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) to measure the pressure exerted by the foot on different regions of the insole. This system classifies four types of foot deformities: normal, flat, over-pronation, and excessive supination. The classification stage uses the differential values of pressure points as input for a feedforwar
... Show MoreA comparative investigation of gas sensing properties of SnO2 doped with WO3 based on thin film and bulk forms was achieved. Thin films were deposited by thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates. Bulk sensors in the shape of pellets were prepared by pressing SnO2:WO3 powder. The polycrystalline nature of the obtained films with tetragonal structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The calculated crystalline size was 52.43 nm. Thickness of the prepared films was found 134 nm. The optical characteristics of the thin films were studied by using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer in the wavelength range 200 nm to 1100 nm, the energy band gap, extinction coefficient and refractive index of the thin film were 2.5 eV , 0.024 and 2.51, respective
... Show MoreThis work presents an investigation on the fabrication and characterization of Fe doped zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) of 1:1 M ratio of Zn:Fe (Fe/Zn-ZIF-8) and adsorption performances of acquired materials. The synthesized Zn-ZIF-8, Fe-ZIF-8, and Fe/Zn-ZIF-8 materials were characterized for the phase structure, morphology, elemental analysis and surface area by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX), and BET surface area, respectively. The results revealed the adsorption capacity was enhanced by incorporation of Fe into ZIF-8 structure. The CR dye adsorption capacities were 287, 219, and 412 mg/g for Zn-ZIF-8, Fe-ZIF-8, and Fe/Zn-ZIF-8 adsorbers, respectivel
... Show MoreThis work investigates the effect of the gas nitriding process on the surface layer microstructure and mechanical properties for steel 37, tool steel X155CrVMo12-1 and stainless steel 316L. Nitriding was conducted at a temperature of 550 °C for 2 hours during the first stage and at 750 °C for 4 hours during the second stage. SEM and X-ray diffraction tests were performed to evaluate the microstructural features and the major phases formed after surface treatment. SEM and X-ray diffraction tests were performed to assess the microstructural features and the primary phases formed after surface treatment. The new secondary precipitates were identified as γ′-Fe4N, ε (Fe2–3N), and α-Fe, exhibiting an uneven chain-like pattern wit
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