This contribution reports a comprehensive investigation into the structural, electronic and thermal properties of bulk and surface terbium dioxide (TbO2); a material that enjoys wide spectra of catalytic and optical applications. Our calculated lattice dimension of 5.36 Å agrees well with the corresponding experimental value at 5.22 Å. Density of states configuration of the bulk structure exhibits a semiconducting nature. Thermo-mechanical properties of bulk TbO2 were obtained based on the quasi-harmonic approximation formalism. Heat capacities, thermal expansions and bulk modulus of the bulk TbO2 were obtained under a wide range of temperatures and pressures. The dependency of these properties on operational pressure is very evident. Cleaving bulk terbium dioxide affords six distinct terminations. Bader's charge distribution analysis for the bulk and the surfaces portrays an ionic character for Tb-O bonds. In an analogy to the well-established finding pertinent to stoichiometric CeO2 surfaces, the (111):Tb surface appears to be the thermodynamically most stable configuration in the nearness of the lean-limit of the oxygen chemical potential. For the corresponding non-stoichiometric structures, we find that, the (111):O + 1VO surface is the most stable configuration across all values of accessible oxygen chemical potentials. The presence of an oxygen vacant site in this surface is expected to enable potent catalytic-assisted reactions, most notably production of hydrogen from water
With the premise that effective use of online instructional practices is of vital importance in classrooms, the current study aimed to examine the effects of using Moodle applications to develop instructors’ skills in designing electronic tests at Dhofar University. The sample of this study consisted of (25) instructors participated in the experimental group. The researchers implemented a quasi-experimental design with one group pre- and post-test; in addition, an observation card was implemented to measure the target skills related to test design. The research instruments were subjected to validity and reliability measures to ensure valid and reliable data and results. The study results showed that those instructors who participated i
... Show MoreIn this work, the effects of solvent properties on the characteristics of absorption and fluorescence for two laser dyes was studied. Dyes used in this work include Coumarin 5400 and DCM, while the solvents include ethanol, methanol, acetone, propanol and chloroform. Coumarin 5400 dye shows sharp fluorescence peaks in the green band of visible region while the DCM dye shows relatively wide band within 590-630 nm. Therefore, the selection of any dye for random gain medium applications should be performed after determining the most appropriate solvent as the optimum fluorescence characteristics are obtained.
Glass Ionomer Cement (GIC) is one of the important dental temporary filing materials. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of adding 3, 5 and 7 wt. % of TiO2 microparticles to conventional GIC powder (Riva Self Cure) on mechanical properties and its effect on absorption and solubility processes. TiO2 particles additives improved compressive strength and biaxial flexural strength, where the compressive strength increased with increasing in the added ratio, while the highest value of the biaxial flexural strength was at 3 wt.%. The addition of TiO2 particles improved the surface Vickers microhardness values, with highest value at 5 wt. %. On other hand TiO2 addition im
... Show MoreABSTRACTObjective: The objective of this study is to develop a controlled release matrix tablet of candesartan cilexetil to reduce the frequency of administration,enhance bioavailability and improve patient compliance; a once daily sustained release formulation of candesartan cilexetil is desirable.Methods: The prepared tablets from F1 to F24 were evaluated with different evaluation parameters like weight variation, drug content, friability,hardness, thickness and swelling ability. In vitro release for all formulas were studied depends on the type and amount of each polymer, i.e. (16 mg,32 mg and 48 mg) respectively beside to the combination effect of polymers on the release of the drug from the tablet.Results: In vitro release show
... Show MoreIn this work, the effect of anodizing duration on the morphology and photoelectrochemical properties of TiO2 nanotubes arrays (NTAs) has been investigated The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) to characterize their crystalline structure and compositional. Surface morphological and their dimensional variation was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The anodizing duration played a significant role in the formation of TiO2 nanotubes arrays. Moreover, the photoelectrochemical properties (PEC) were studied through photocurrent measurements. Optimum anodizing duration of 60 min at 40 V exhibited maximum photocurrent of 0.03 mA cm-2 under illumination of hal
... Show MoreBackground: Colonization of soft denture liners by Candida albicans and other microorganisms continued to be a serious problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of incorporating silver nanoparticles into heat cured acrylic-based soft denture liner on the antifungal activity, and on water sorption, solubility, shear bond strength and color change of the soft lining material. Furthermore, evaluating the amount of silver released. Materials and methods: Silver nanoparticles were incorporated into soft denture liner in different percentages (0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2% by weight). Four hundred and twenty specimens were prepared and divided into five groups according to the test to be performed. The antifungal activity of the soft liner
... Show MorePresent study was conducted in order to assess Slabiaat water quality by measuring some physical and chemical factors of river water, the study included a choice of three stations along of Slabiaat River in Samawa city, water samples collected a monthly during the period from September 2013 August 2014. The study involved measuring the Air & water temperatures, pH, Electrical conductivity, Total dissolved solids, Dissolved oxygen, Total hardness, calcium hardness, magnesium, turbidity, and some types of bacteria in River water. The study results showed that the values of air & water temperatures have ranged between (20.1-36.6)?C , (10-21.8) in Slabiaat River, respectively . pH values ranged between (6.6-8.7). Electrical conductivity in
... Show MoreThis research aims to study the effect of microwave furnace heat on the mechanical properties and fatigue life of aluminum alloy (AA 2024-T3). Four conditions were used inside microwave furnace (specimens subjected to heat as dry for 30 and 60min. and specimens subjected to heat as wet (water) for 30 and 60 min.), and compared all results with original alloy (AA 2024-T3). Tensile, fatigue, hardness and surface roughness tests were used in this investigation. It is found that hardness of dry conditions is higher than wet conditions and it increases with increasing of time duration inside microwave furnace for dry and wet conditions. Also, tensile strength has the same behavior of hardness, but it increases with decreasing
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