The influence of the reaction gas composition during the DC magnetron sputtering process on the structural, chemical and optical properties of Ce-oxide thin films was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed that all thin films exhibited a polycrystalline character with cubic fluorite structure for cerium dioxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed that cerium is present in two oxidation states, namely as CeO2 and Ce2O3, at the surface of the films prepared at oxygen/argon flow ratios between 0% and 7%, whereas the films are completely oxidized into CeO2 as the aforementioned ratio increases beyond 14%. Various optical parameters for the thin films (including an optical band gap in the range of 2.25–3.1 eV) were derived from the UV–Vis reflectance. A significant change in the band gap was observed as oxygen/argon flow ratio was raised from 7% to 14% and this finding is consistent with the high-resolution XPS analysis of Ce 3d that reports a mixture of Ce2O3 and CeO2 in the films. Density functional theory (DFT+U) implemented in the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) was carried out to simulate the optical constants of CeO2 clusters at ground state. The computed electronic density of states (DOSs) of the optimized unit cell of CeO2 yields a band gap that agrees well with the experimentally measured optical band gap. The simulated and measured absorption coefficient (α) exhibited a similar trend and, to some extent, have similar values in the wavelength range from 100 to 2500 nm. The combined results of this study demonstrate good correlation between the theoretical and experimental findings.
This study computationally investigates to examine the impacts of repeated loading on L-shaped spandrel beams made of reinforced concrete, which were strengthened by externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced plastic sheets. The object of the research is to evaluate the following three aspects of structural behavior: degradation of reaction forces, evolution of inertia forces, and residual performance. Ayad and Oukaili's experimental impact-loading program, which featured midspan drop-weight loading on RC spandrel beams before and after strengthening, was used to validate a comprehensive three-dimensional finite element model created in ABAQUS. A sequence of 25 impacts before and 25 impacts after CFRP application was simulated to tra
... Show MoreBiodiesel can be prepared from various types of vegetable oils or animal fats with the aid of a catalyst.
Calcium oxide (CaO) is one of the prospective heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis. Modification
of CaO by impregnation on silica (SiO2) can improve the performance of CaO as catalyst. Egg shells and rice
husks as biomass waste can be used as raw materials for the preparation of the silica modified CaO catalyst.
The present study was directed to synthesize and characterize CaO impregnated SiO2 catalyst from biomass
waste and apply it as catalyst in biodiesel synthesis. The catalyst was synthesized by wet impregnation
method and characterized by x-ray diffraction, x-ray fluorescence, nitr
In this work the design and construction of optical pumping system was presented. The parameters of the pumping source to obtain discharge current density sufficient to shift the flash lamp spectrum towards uv portion of spectrum were measured.The current density was supplied to the flash lamp must be greater than 4000Amp./cm2 to obtain the spectral range wavelength lies between 0.2 and 0.35?m. The current density was obtained by a capacitor 50?F, at 7KV discharge voltage. The applied electrical energy to the flash lamp was more than 1200 J, and the current density was around 5000 Amp./cm2.The electrical parameters of the flash lamp were calculated. The impedance parameters(K0) from the voltage and the peak current pulse was measured in ran
... Show MoreLinking adverbials are used to organize and bridge together extended stretches of discourse to make the text coherent. They are explicit indicators of the communicative function of the sentence and writers use them to let their readers follow what has already been said and to help them anticipate what is about to follow.
Linking adverbials include those relations of addition, enumeration, summation, apposition and so on. Through the use of these adverbials, the writer is able to organize and develop his ideas and help the reader follow him from one sentence to another. Thus, a linking adverbial is a semantic relation used to show the way in which what is to follow is systematically connected to what has gone before. So, they have anap
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are events that suddenly, inadvertently and unexpectedly occur under unforeseen circumstances that involve at least one moving vehicle and result in one or more road users being killed or injured. Unfortunately, Iraqi governorates suffer from higher rates of traffic accident casualties compared with the rates of casualties from terrorist attacks; this situation reveals a serious and growing problem. Road traffic accidents are not easy to eradicate. However, their prevalence can be reduced to the barest minimum via periodic assessments of traffic accident characteristics and the most important aspects for road authorities to consider when designing and evaluating the performance of a road to improve traf
... Show MoreTigris River is the lifeline that supplies a great part of Iraq with water from north to south. Throughout its entire length, the river is battered by various types of pollutants such as wastewater effluents from municipal, industrial, agricultural activities, and others. Hence, the water quality assessment of the Tigris River is crucial in ensuring that appropriate and adequate measures are taken to save the river from as much pollution as possible. In this study, six water treatment plants (WTPs) situated on the two-banks of the Tigris within Baghdad City were Al Karkh; Sharq Dijla; Al Wathba; Al Karama; Al Doura, and Al Wahda from northern Baghdad to its south, that selected to determine the removal efficiency of turbidity and
... Show MoreThis study was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding diets containing different levels of parsley on the hematological traits of local Iraqi geese. A total of twenty-four local geese, one year old, were used in this experiment. The birds were allocated into four treatment groups, consisting of six geese each. Treatment groups were: control diet (C) (free from parsley); T1: control diet + 80 g/d parsley; T2: control diet + 160 g/d parsley; and T3: control diet + 240 g/d parsley. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were obtained from all geese from the brachial vein by venipuncture. Hematological traits included in this study were red blood cells count (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean cell
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