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.
Bending effects on the transmission of optical signal are investigated on a single mode
optical fiber (SMOF) of 10 m length, core radius of 5 μm and optical refractive index difference
0.003. The bending radii (R) were between 0.08 and 0.0015 m. A great decrease in the amplitude is
shown for radii below 0.01 m. Sudden break down occurs for radii less than 0.0015 m. Birefringence
(B) is difficult to measure for long fibers. Meanwhile, B was found by comparing with calibrated
fiber of the same properties but of length of 0.075 m. The results show an increase in propagation
constant (Δβ) and the decrease in beat length (Lb), and show that bending decreases the critical radius
of curvature (Rc) related to B. The chang
A Laced Reinforced Concrete (LRC) structural element comprises continuously inclined shear reinforcement in the form of lacing that connects the longitudinal reinforcements on both faces of the structural element. This study conducted a theoretical investigation of LRC deep beams to predict their behavior after exposure to fire and high temperatures. Four simply supported reinforced concrete beams of 1500 mm, 200 mm, and 240 mm length, width, and depth, respectively, were considered. The specimens were identical in terms of compressive strength ( 40 MPa) and steel reinforcement details. The same laced steel reinforcement ratio of 0.0035 was used. Three specimens were burned at variable durations and steady-state temperatures (one
... Show MoreIn this paper, we used two monomers, 3,3',4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and m,m'-diaminobenzophenone (m, m’-DABP), to produce polyamide acid and then converted it to polyimide (PI). The effects of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) molarity (1, 2, and 3 M) on the structural, thermal, mechanical, and electrical characteristics of the polyimides/polyaniline (PI/PANI) nanocomposites were studied. Two sharp reflection peaks were developed by the addition of PANI to PI. When 3 M H3PO4 is added, the crystalline sharp peak loses some of its intensity. The complex formation of PI/PANI-H3PO4 was confi
... Show MoreMetal oxide nanoparticles demonstrate uniqueness in various technical applications due to their suitable physiochemical properties. In particular, yttrium oxide nanoparticle(Y2O3NPs) is familiar for technical applications because of its higher dielectric constant and thermal stability. It is widely used as a host material for a variety of rare-earth dopants, biological imaging, and photodynamic therapies. In this investigation, yttrium oxide nanoparticles (Y2O3NPs) was used as an ecofriendly corrosion inhibitor through the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spe
... Show MoreBackground: Dental implant considers a unique treatment option for the replacement of missing dentition. The new trend of implants is looking for materials which accelerate bone formation in bone implant interface and enhance osseointegration to provide immediate loading directly after placement and decrease the time period which is disturbs patients and uncomfortable. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of nano zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and nano hydroxyapatite (Hap) mixture coating of screw shaped commercially pure titanium (cpTi) implants on bond strength at the bone implant interface with torque removal test and histological analysis in comparison with non coated implants. Materials and methods: Forty screws were machined from c
... Show MoreIn the present study, activated carbon supported metal oxides was prepared for thiophene removal from model fuel (Thiophene in n-hexane) using adsorptive desulfurization technique. Commercial activated carbon was loaded individually with copper oxide in the form of Cu2O/AC. A comparison of the kinetic and isotherm models of the sorption of thiophene from model fuel was made at different operating conditions including adsorbent dose, initial thiophene concentration and contact time. Various adsorption rate constants and isotherm parameters were calculated. Results indicated that the desulfurization was enhanced when copper was loaded onto activated carbon surface. The highest desulfurization percent for Cu2O/AC and o
... Show MoreA new, simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of sulfamethoxazole in both pure form and pharmaceutical preparations has been reported.The adapted technique based on utilization 4-aminobenzene sulfonic acid as a new modern chromogenic through an oxidative coupling reaction with sulfamethoxazole and potassium iodate in basic media to form orange soluble dye product with absorption maxima at 490 nm. Subject to Beer's law in the range 2–32μg mL-1. The values of molarabsorption coefficient (ε) and correlation coefficient were found to be 9.118 × 103 and0.9999 respectively whereas the Sandels index was
... Show MoreThe child spends several hours watching animated films, which affect their behavior negatively and positively. This calls parents to monitor what their children are watching, to show them the serious risks of some violent films, and to direct them toward choosing both positive and educational programs that develop their positive behavior. This study aimed to explore the positive and negative effects of watching animation films as well as to identify the role animation films in increasing the cognitive knowledge of kindergarteners. To do this, the descriptive and analytical methods were used. A questionnaire was adopted as a tool for data collection. A scale of (45) items classified into three categories was applied on the r
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