Osama Saber | King Faisal University (original) (raw)

Papers by Osama Saber

Nanomaterials

Due to an escalating increase in multiple antibiotic resistance among bacteria, novel nanomateria... more Due to an escalating increase in multiple antibiotic resistance among bacteria, novel nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties are being developed to prevent infectious diseases caused by bacteria that are common in wastewater and the environment. A series of nanolayered structures and nanohybrids were prepared and modified by several methods including an ultrasonic technique, intercalation reactions of fatty acids, and carbon nanotubes, in addition to creating new phases based on zinc and aluminum. The nanomaterials prepared were used against a group of microorganisms, including E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Experimental results revealed that a nanohybrid based on carbon nanotubes and fatty acids showed significant antimicrobial activity against E. coli, and can be implemented in wastewater treatment. Similar behavior was observed for a nanolayered structure which was prepared using ultrasonic waves. For the other microorganisms, a nanolay...

Chemosensors

The rapid development of the human population has created demand for an increase in the productio... more The rapid development of the human population has created demand for an increase in the production of food in various fields, such as vegetal, animal, aquaculture, and food processing. This causes an increment in the use of technology related to food production. An example of this technology is the use of gases in the many steps of food treatment, preservation, processing, and ripening. Additionally, gases are used across the value chain from production and packaging to storage and transportation in the food and beverage industry. Here, we focus on the long-standing and recent advances in gas-based food production. Although many studies have been conducted to identify chemicals and biological contaminants in foodstuffs, the use of gas sensors in food technology has a vital role. The development of sensors capable of detecting the presence of target gases such as ethylene (C2H4), ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ethanol (C2H5OH) has received significant ...

Molecules

Industrial water has a dual problem because of its strong acidic characteristics and the presence... more Industrial water has a dual problem because of its strong acidic characteristics and the presence of heavy metals. Removing heavy metals from water in these severe conditions has special requirements. For this problem, an economic method was used for removing iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn) with extremely acidic characteristics from water. This method depends on the preparation of nanohybrids through host–guest interactions based on nanolayered structures, organic species (stearic acid), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The formation of nanohybrids was confirmed using different techniques through the expansion of the interlayered spacing of the nanolayered structure from 0.76 nm to 1.60 nm, 1.40 nm and 1.06 nm. This nano-spacing is suitable for trapping and confining the different kinds of heavy metal. The experimental results indicated that the prepared nanohybrid was more effective than GreensandPlus, which is used on the m...

Materials

This paper focuses on the fabrication of defective-induced nanotubes via the catalytic chemical v... more This paper focuses on the fabrication of defective-induced nanotubes via the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method and the investigation of their properties toward gas sensing. We have developed defective multi-walled carbon nanotubes with porous and crystalline structures. The catalyst layer used in CNTs’ growth here was based on 18 and 24 nm of Ni, and 5 nm of Cr deposited by the dc-sputtering technique. The CNTs’ defects were characterized by observing the low graphite peak (G-band) and higher defect peaks (D-band) in the Raman spectrum. The defectives sites are the main source of the sensitivity of materials toward different gases. Thus, the current product was used for sensing devices. The device was subjected to various gases such as NO, NO2, CO, acetone, and ethanol at a low operating temperature of 30 °C and a concentration of 50 ppm. The sensor was observed to be less sensitive to most gas while showing the highest response towards ethanol gas. The sensor showed the hi...

Crystals

Advanced photo-active materials have attracted attention for their potential uses in water purifi... more Advanced photo-active materials have attracted attention for their potential uses in water purification. In this study, a novel and facile route was used for designing nanohybrids to be valuable sources for producing effective photocatalysts for purifying water from the colored pollutants. Host-guest interaction and intercalation reactions used long chains of hydrocarbons of n-capric acid and stearic acid to facilitate incorporation of fine particles of cobalt iron oxide nanocomposite with the internal surface of the nanolayers of Al/Zn for building nanohybrids. The thermal decomposition of the prepared nanohybrids led to formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with multi-oxides of magnetic and non-magnetic dopants. These dopants created new optical centers causing a strong reduction in the band gap energy from 3.30 eV to 2.60 eV. This positive effect was confirmed by a complete removal of the dye of Naphthol green B from water after 15 min of light irradiation. Moreover, a kine...

Nanomaterials

Water pollution and deficient energy are the main challenges for the scientific society across th... more Water pollution and deficient energy are the main challenges for the scientific society across the world. In this trend, new approaches include designing zinc oxide nanohybrids to be very active in sunlight. In this line, organic and magnetic species intercalate among the nanolayers of Al/Zn to build inorganic-magnetic-organic nanohybrid structures. A series of nanolayered and nanohybrid structures have been prepared through intercalating very fine particles of cobalt iron oxide nanocomposites and long chains of organic fatty acids such as n-capric acid and stearic acid inside the nanolayered structures of Al/Zn. By thermal treatment, zinc oxide nanohybrids have been prepared and used for purifying water from colored pollutants using solar energy. The optical measurements have shown that the nanohybrid structure of zinc oxide leads to a clear reduction of band gap energy from 3.30 eV to 2.60 eV to be effective in sunlight. In this line, a complete removal of the colored pollutants (...

Crystals

Herein we have fabricated AuTiO2 from a one-dimensional (1D) nanocomposite by the simple oxidatio... more Herein we have fabricated AuTiO2 from a one-dimensional (1D) nanocomposite by the simple oxidation method of the Ti sheet for supercapacitor applications. We intended on fabricating a microlayer extended into the sheet body to form a selfstanding electrode. Raman spectra and XRD patterns confirmed the formation of the rutile phase of the TiO2 bulk, and FESEM confirmed the growth of the 1D nanostructure made of Au/TiO2, where the Au nanoparticles reside on the tip of the TiO2 nanorods. The growth of 1D TiO2 by this method is supported by a growth mechanism during the oxidation process. Three electrodes were fabricated based on pure and doped TiO2. These electrodes were used as a selfstanding supercapacitor electrode. The Au-doped TiO2 exhibited a great improvement in the electrochemical performance at low Au concentrations, whereas the excessive Au concentration on the TiO2 surface exhibited a negative effect on the capacitance value. The highest areal capacitance of 72 mFcm−2 at a c...

Molecules

Energy and water related problems have attracted strong attention from scientists across the worl... more Energy and water related problems have attracted strong attention from scientists across the world because of deficient energy and water pollution. Following this line, new strategy depended on preparing nanolayers of Al/Zn and magnetic nanoparticles of cobalt iron oxides nanocomposite in addition to long chains of hydrocarbons of stearic acid to be used as roofs, fillers and pillars; respectively, to design optical-active nanohybrids in sunlight for removing the colored pollutants from water in few minutes. By using long chains of hydrocarbons of stearic acid, X-ray diffraction (XRD) results and TEM images showed expansion of the interlayered spacing from 0.76 nm to 2.02 nm and insertion of magnetic nanoparticles among the nanolayers of Al/Zn. The optical properties and activities showed that the nanohybrid structure based on zinc oxide led to clear reduction of the band gap energy from 3.3 eV to 2.75 eV to be effective in sunlight. Photocatalytic degradation of the dye of acid gre...

Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, Dec 1, 2022

Separations

In this paper, the photocatalytic effect of zirconia/laser-induced graphene on the degradation of... more In this paper, the photocatalytic effect of zirconia/laser-induced graphene on the degradation of methylene blue was comprehensively studied. The average particle size measured by HRTEM is 6 nm for both ZrO2 and ZrO2/G10 samples, which explains the high-quality TEM imaging of isolated squared sections of cubic particles. The weight percentages of Zr, O, and C elements using EDX were 72.16, 18.56, and 9.28, respectively. These results confirm the formation of binary composites. Moreover, Raman scattering exhibited that the spectrum of pure ZrO2 was difficult to be detected due to the high luminescence. However, ZrO2 vibration modes were detected for ZrO2-graphene nanocomposites at 1012, 615, 246, and 150 cm−1. A shift of the D- and G-bands of graphene were observed, where D-peak and G-peak were observed at 1370 and 1575 cm−1 for ZrO2/5G and, 1361 and 1565 cm−1 for ZrO2/10G, respectively. The shift is ascribed to the incorporation of graphene into the surface of the oxide material. Co...

Nanomaterials, 2022

Controlling of morphology from nanoparticles to magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods are intere... more Controlling of morphology from nanoparticles to magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods are interesting for developing the photo-active materials and their applications in the field of photocatalysis and decontamination of aquatic effluents. In the current study, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and nanocomposites were prepared by different techniques to produce various morphologies. The nanoparticles of pure titanium dioxide were prepared by sol-gel technique. Magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods were prepared by combining titanium with di- and tri-valent iron through two stages: urea hydrolysis and solvent thermal technique. According to the Kirkendall effect, magnetic nanotubes were fabricated by unequal diffusion of Fe2+, Fe3+ and Ti4+ inside the nanocomposite to produce maghemite-titanian phase. In the same trend, hollow nanorods were synthesized by limited diffusion of both trivalent iron and tetravalent titanium producing amorphous structure of titanium iron oxides. The magnet...

Crystals, 2022

In this work, we report the development of separators coated with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) t... more In this work, we report the development of separators coated with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to improve the thermal stability of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Aiming to achieve a synergistic effect of separators and anodes on thermal stability and electrochemical performance, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method and used as potential anode materials for LIBs. The grown MWCNTs were well characterized by using various techniques which confirmed the formation of MWCNTs. The prepared MWCNTs showed a crystalline structure and smooth surface with a diameter of ~9–12 nm and a length of ~10 μm, respectively. Raman spectra showed the characteristic peaks of MWCNTs and BN, and the sharpness of the peaks showed the highly crystalline nature of the grown MWCNTs. The electrochemical studies were performed on the fabricated coin cell with a MWCNT anode using a pristine andBN-coated separators. The results show that the cell...

Materials Research Bulletin, 2021

Crystals, 2021

Doping processes for optical materials are one of the driving forces for developing efficient and... more Doping processes for optical materials are one of the driving forces for developing efficient and clean technologies for decontamination of aquatic effluents through lowering their band gap energy to become effective in sunlight. The current study has used a non-conventional technique for doping zinc oxide by multi metals, non-metals and organic dyes through a one-step process. In this trend, Zn-Al nanolayered structures have been used as hosts for building host–guest interactions. Organic dyes that have inorganic species of iron, nitrogen and sulfur have been used as guests in the intercalation reactions of Zn-Al layered double hydroxides. By intercalating green dyes, organic–inorganic nanohybrids were formed as nanolayered structures with expanding interlayered spacing to 2.1 nm. By changing the concentration of green dyes and thermal treatment, series of nanofibers and nanoplates of zinc oxides were formed and doped by aluminum, iron and sulfur in addition to colored species. The...

Water

Because of industrial water, many groundwater sources and other water bodies have a strongly acid... more Because of industrial water, many groundwater sources and other water bodies have a strongly acidic medium. Increased bacterial resistance against multiple antibiotics is one of the main challenges for the scientific society, especially those commonly found in wastewater. Special requirements and materials are needed to work with these severe conditions and treat this kind of water. In this trend, nanolayered structures were prepared and modified in different ways to obtain an optimum material for removing different kinds of heavy metals from water in severe conditions, alongside purifying water from a Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli), which is an indication for fecal pollution. An ultrasonic technique effectively achieved this dual target by producing nanolayered structures looking like nanotapes with dimensions of 25 nm. The maximum removal percentages of the heavy metals studied (i.e., iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn)) were 85%, 79%, 68%, 63%...

Nanomaterials

It is well known that layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are two-dimensional (2D) layered compounds... more It is well known that layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are two-dimensional (2D) layered compounds. However, we modified these 2D layered compounds to become one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures destined for high-performance supercapacitors applications. In this direction, silicon was inserted inside the nanolayers of Co-LDHs producing nanofibers of Si/Co LDHs through the intercalation of cyanate anions as pillars for building nanolayered structures. Additionally, nanoparticles were observed by controlling the preparation conditions and the silicon percentage. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analyses have been used to characterize the nanolayered structures of Si/Co LDHs. The electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry and galvanic charge–discharge technique in 2M KOH electrolyte solution using three-electrode cell system. The calculated specific capacitance results indicated that the change ...

RSC Advances

The present study describes a new strategy for modifying the structure of zinc oxide for removing... more The present study describes a new strategy for modifying the structure of zinc oxide for removing colored pollutants from water after a few minutes of light irradiation.

Crystals

The present study aims to enhance the optical properties of barium titanate through narrowing its... more The present study aims to enhance the optical properties of barium titanate through narrowing its band gap energy to be effective for photocatalytic reactions in sunlight and be useful for solar cells. This target was achieved through growth of the hollandite phase instead of the perovskite phase inside the barium titanate crystals. By using solvent thermal reactions and thermal treatment at different temperatures (250 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C), the hollandite phase of barium titanate was successfully obtained and confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra and scanning electron microscopy techniques. XRD patterns showed a clear hollandite phase of barium titanium oxides for the sample calcined at 900 °C (BT1-900); however, the samples at 600 °C showed the presence of mixed phases. The mean crystallite size of the BT1-900 sample was found to be 38 nm. Morphological images revealed that the hollandite phase of barium titanate consisted of a mixed morphology of spheres and ...

Journal of Chemical Sciences

Multioxide catalysts of zinc, copper and titanium with different ratios obtained from layered dou... more Multioxide catalysts of zinc, copper and titanium with different ratios obtained from layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors were used in the oxidation of carbon monoxide. The catalysts were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, thermal analyses (TG, DTG and DTA) and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction showed different phases of double hydroxide structures. On increasing the percentage of zinc, hydrotalcite structure became the main phase in these samples. SEM images confirmed the presence of layered double hydroxide as plate-like structure. Experimental results indicated a sharp increase in the catalytic activities of the calcined samples towards the oxidation of carbon monoxide at temperatures in the range of 225-275 • C. High conversion of carbon monoxide (90 ∼ 95%) was achieved at reaction temperature of 275 • C by samples having ZnTiO 3 as a main phase. These results suggested that hydrotalcite structure of Zn-Ti has a positive catalytic effect towards carbon monoxide oxidation.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2006

The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are nano-ordered layered compounds and well known for their ... more The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are nano-ordered layered compounds and well known for their ability to intercalate anionic compounds. Most LDH is prepared conventionally only with divalent and trivalent cations. In this study, Co-Zr-Si LDH, consisting of divalent, tetravalent, and tetravalent cations, was prepared and reacted with monocarboxylic acids at room temperature. The Co-Zr-Si LDH and intercalated compounds have been characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectra, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The insertion of cyanate and carbonate anions into LDH was confirmed by IR spectra. XRD patterns of the prepared Co-Zr-Si LDH showed that the interlayer spacing of the LDH is 0.78 nm. The spacing is similar to that of usual LDH in which chloride, carbonate, or bromide anion is the guest. SEM images showed that Co-Zr-Si LDH can exist as plate-like or fibrous structures.

Nanomaterials

Due to an escalating increase in multiple antibiotic resistance among bacteria, novel nanomateria... more Due to an escalating increase in multiple antibiotic resistance among bacteria, novel nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties are being developed to prevent infectious diseases caused by bacteria that are common in wastewater and the environment. A series of nanolayered structures and nanohybrids were prepared and modified by several methods including an ultrasonic technique, intercalation reactions of fatty acids, and carbon nanotubes, in addition to creating new phases based on zinc and aluminum. The nanomaterials prepared were used against a group of microorganisms, including E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Experimental results revealed that a nanohybrid based on carbon nanotubes and fatty acids showed significant antimicrobial activity against E. coli, and can be implemented in wastewater treatment. Similar behavior was observed for a nanolayered structure which was prepared using ultrasonic waves. For the other microorganisms, a nanolay...

Chemosensors

The rapid development of the human population has created demand for an increase in the productio... more The rapid development of the human population has created demand for an increase in the production of food in various fields, such as vegetal, animal, aquaculture, and food processing. This causes an increment in the use of technology related to food production. An example of this technology is the use of gases in the many steps of food treatment, preservation, processing, and ripening. Additionally, gases are used across the value chain from production and packaging to storage and transportation in the food and beverage industry. Here, we focus on the long-standing and recent advances in gas-based food production. Although many studies have been conducted to identify chemicals and biological contaminants in foodstuffs, the use of gas sensors in food technology has a vital role. The development of sensors capable of detecting the presence of target gases such as ethylene (C2H4), ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ethanol (C2H5OH) has received significant ...

Molecules

Industrial water has a dual problem because of its strong acidic characteristics and the presence... more Industrial water has a dual problem because of its strong acidic characteristics and the presence of heavy metals. Removing heavy metals from water in these severe conditions has special requirements. For this problem, an economic method was used for removing iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and manganese (Mn) with extremely acidic characteristics from water. This method depends on the preparation of nanohybrids through host–guest interactions based on nanolayered structures, organic species (stearic acid), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The formation of nanohybrids was confirmed using different techniques through the expansion of the interlayered spacing of the nanolayered structure from 0.76 nm to 1.60 nm, 1.40 nm and 1.06 nm. This nano-spacing is suitable for trapping and confining the different kinds of heavy metal. The experimental results indicated that the prepared nanohybrid was more effective than GreensandPlus, which is used on the m...

Materials

This paper focuses on the fabrication of defective-induced nanotubes via the catalytic chemical v... more This paper focuses on the fabrication of defective-induced nanotubes via the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method and the investigation of their properties toward gas sensing. We have developed defective multi-walled carbon nanotubes with porous and crystalline structures. The catalyst layer used in CNTs’ growth here was based on 18 and 24 nm of Ni, and 5 nm of Cr deposited by the dc-sputtering technique. The CNTs’ defects were characterized by observing the low graphite peak (G-band) and higher defect peaks (D-band) in the Raman spectrum. The defectives sites are the main source of the sensitivity of materials toward different gases. Thus, the current product was used for sensing devices. The device was subjected to various gases such as NO, NO2, CO, acetone, and ethanol at a low operating temperature of 30 °C and a concentration of 50 ppm. The sensor was observed to be less sensitive to most gas while showing the highest response towards ethanol gas. The sensor showed the hi...

Crystals

Advanced photo-active materials have attracted attention for their potential uses in water purifi... more Advanced photo-active materials have attracted attention for their potential uses in water purification. In this study, a novel and facile route was used for designing nanohybrids to be valuable sources for producing effective photocatalysts for purifying water from the colored pollutants. Host-guest interaction and intercalation reactions used long chains of hydrocarbons of n-capric acid and stearic acid to facilitate incorporation of fine particles of cobalt iron oxide nanocomposite with the internal surface of the nanolayers of Al/Zn for building nanohybrids. The thermal decomposition of the prepared nanohybrids led to formation of zinc oxide nanoparticles doped with multi-oxides of magnetic and non-magnetic dopants. These dopants created new optical centers causing a strong reduction in the band gap energy from 3.30 eV to 2.60 eV. This positive effect was confirmed by a complete removal of the dye of Naphthol green B from water after 15 min of light irradiation. Moreover, a kine...

Nanomaterials

Water pollution and deficient energy are the main challenges for the scientific society across th... more Water pollution and deficient energy are the main challenges for the scientific society across the world. In this trend, new approaches include designing zinc oxide nanohybrids to be very active in sunlight. In this line, organic and magnetic species intercalate among the nanolayers of Al/Zn to build inorganic-magnetic-organic nanohybrid structures. A series of nanolayered and nanohybrid structures have been prepared through intercalating very fine particles of cobalt iron oxide nanocomposites and long chains of organic fatty acids such as n-capric acid and stearic acid inside the nanolayered structures of Al/Zn. By thermal treatment, zinc oxide nanohybrids have been prepared and used for purifying water from colored pollutants using solar energy. The optical measurements have shown that the nanohybrid structure of zinc oxide leads to a clear reduction of band gap energy from 3.30 eV to 2.60 eV to be effective in sunlight. In this line, a complete removal of the colored pollutants (...

Crystals

Herein we have fabricated AuTiO2 from a one-dimensional (1D) nanocomposite by the simple oxidatio... more Herein we have fabricated AuTiO2 from a one-dimensional (1D) nanocomposite by the simple oxidation method of the Ti sheet for supercapacitor applications. We intended on fabricating a microlayer extended into the sheet body to form a selfstanding electrode. Raman spectra and XRD patterns confirmed the formation of the rutile phase of the TiO2 bulk, and FESEM confirmed the growth of the 1D nanostructure made of Au/TiO2, where the Au nanoparticles reside on the tip of the TiO2 nanorods. The growth of 1D TiO2 by this method is supported by a growth mechanism during the oxidation process. Three electrodes were fabricated based on pure and doped TiO2. These electrodes were used as a selfstanding supercapacitor electrode. The Au-doped TiO2 exhibited a great improvement in the electrochemical performance at low Au concentrations, whereas the excessive Au concentration on the TiO2 surface exhibited a negative effect on the capacitance value. The highest areal capacitance of 72 mFcm−2 at a c...

Molecules

Energy and water related problems have attracted strong attention from scientists across the worl... more Energy and water related problems have attracted strong attention from scientists across the world because of deficient energy and water pollution. Following this line, new strategy depended on preparing nanolayers of Al/Zn and magnetic nanoparticles of cobalt iron oxides nanocomposite in addition to long chains of hydrocarbons of stearic acid to be used as roofs, fillers and pillars; respectively, to design optical-active nanohybrids in sunlight for removing the colored pollutants from water in few minutes. By using long chains of hydrocarbons of stearic acid, X-ray diffraction (XRD) results and TEM images showed expansion of the interlayered spacing from 0.76 nm to 2.02 nm and insertion of magnetic nanoparticles among the nanolayers of Al/Zn. The optical properties and activities showed that the nanohybrid structure based on zinc oxide led to clear reduction of the band gap energy from 3.3 eV to 2.75 eV to be effective in sunlight. Photocatalytic degradation of the dye of acid gre...

Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, Dec 1, 2022

Separations

In this paper, the photocatalytic effect of zirconia/laser-induced graphene on the degradation of... more In this paper, the photocatalytic effect of zirconia/laser-induced graphene on the degradation of methylene blue was comprehensively studied. The average particle size measured by HRTEM is 6 nm for both ZrO2 and ZrO2/G10 samples, which explains the high-quality TEM imaging of isolated squared sections of cubic particles. The weight percentages of Zr, O, and C elements using EDX were 72.16, 18.56, and 9.28, respectively. These results confirm the formation of binary composites. Moreover, Raman scattering exhibited that the spectrum of pure ZrO2 was difficult to be detected due to the high luminescence. However, ZrO2 vibration modes were detected for ZrO2-graphene nanocomposites at 1012, 615, 246, and 150 cm−1. A shift of the D- and G-bands of graphene were observed, where D-peak and G-peak were observed at 1370 and 1575 cm−1 for ZrO2/5G and, 1361 and 1565 cm−1 for ZrO2/10G, respectively. The shift is ascribed to the incorporation of graphene into the surface of the oxide material. Co...

Nanomaterials, 2022

Controlling of morphology from nanoparticles to magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods are intere... more Controlling of morphology from nanoparticles to magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods are interesting for developing the photo-active materials and their applications in the field of photocatalysis and decontamination of aquatic effluents. In the current study, titanium dioxide nanoparticles and nanocomposites were prepared by different techniques to produce various morphologies. The nanoparticles of pure titanium dioxide were prepared by sol-gel technique. Magnetic nanotubes and hollow nanorods were prepared by combining titanium with di- and tri-valent iron through two stages: urea hydrolysis and solvent thermal technique. According to the Kirkendall effect, magnetic nanotubes were fabricated by unequal diffusion of Fe2+, Fe3+ and Ti4+ inside the nanocomposite to produce maghemite-titanian phase. In the same trend, hollow nanorods were synthesized by limited diffusion of both trivalent iron and tetravalent titanium producing amorphous structure of titanium iron oxides. The magnet...

Crystals, 2022

In this work, we report the development of separators coated with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) t... more In this work, we report the development of separators coated with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) to improve the thermal stability of Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Aiming to achieve a synergistic effect of separators and anodes on thermal stability and electrochemical performance, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method and used as potential anode materials for LIBs. The grown MWCNTs were well characterized by using various techniques which confirmed the formation of MWCNTs. The prepared MWCNTs showed a crystalline structure and smooth surface with a diameter of ~9–12 nm and a length of ~10 μm, respectively. Raman spectra showed the characteristic peaks of MWCNTs and BN, and the sharpness of the peaks showed the highly crystalline nature of the grown MWCNTs. The electrochemical studies were performed on the fabricated coin cell with a MWCNT anode using a pristine andBN-coated separators. The results show that the cell...

Materials Research Bulletin, 2021

Crystals, 2021

Doping processes for optical materials are one of the driving forces for developing efficient and... more Doping processes for optical materials are one of the driving forces for developing efficient and clean technologies for decontamination of aquatic effluents through lowering their band gap energy to become effective in sunlight. The current study has used a non-conventional technique for doping zinc oxide by multi metals, non-metals and organic dyes through a one-step process. In this trend, Zn-Al nanolayered structures have been used as hosts for building host–guest interactions. Organic dyes that have inorganic species of iron, nitrogen and sulfur have been used as guests in the intercalation reactions of Zn-Al layered double hydroxides. By intercalating green dyes, organic–inorganic nanohybrids were formed as nanolayered structures with expanding interlayered spacing to 2.1 nm. By changing the concentration of green dyes and thermal treatment, series of nanofibers and nanoplates of zinc oxides were formed and doped by aluminum, iron and sulfur in addition to colored species. The...

Water

Because of industrial water, many groundwater sources and other water bodies have a strongly acid... more Because of industrial water, many groundwater sources and other water bodies have a strongly acidic medium. Increased bacterial resistance against multiple antibiotics is one of the main challenges for the scientific society, especially those commonly found in wastewater. Special requirements and materials are needed to work with these severe conditions and treat this kind of water. In this trend, nanolayered structures were prepared and modified in different ways to obtain an optimum material for removing different kinds of heavy metals from water in severe conditions, alongside purifying water from a Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli), which is an indication for fecal pollution. An ultrasonic technique effectively achieved this dual target by producing nanolayered structures looking like nanotapes with dimensions of 25 nm. The maximum removal percentages of the heavy metals studied (i.e., iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn)) were 85%, 79%, 68%, 63%...

Nanomaterials

It is well known that layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are two-dimensional (2D) layered compounds... more It is well known that layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are two-dimensional (2D) layered compounds. However, we modified these 2D layered compounds to become one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures destined for high-performance supercapacitors applications. In this direction, silicon was inserted inside the nanolayers of Co-LDHs producing nanofibers of Si/Co LDHs through the intercalation of cyanate anions as pillars for building nanolayered structures. Additionally, nanoparticles were observed by controlling the preparation conditions and the silicon percentage. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal analyses have been used to characterize the nanolayered structures of Si/Co LDHs. The electrochemical characterization was performed by cyclic voltammetry and galvanic charge–discharge technique in 2M KOH electrolyte solution using three-electrode cell system. The calculated specific capacitance results indicated that the change ...

RSC Advances

The present study describes a new strategy for modifying the structure of zinc oxide for removing... more The present study describes a new strategy for modifying the structure of zinc oxide for removing colored pollutants from water after a few minutes of light irradiation.

Crystals

The present study aims to enhance the optical properties of barium titanate through narrowing its... more The present study aims to enhance the optical properties of barium titanate through narrowing its band gap energy to be effective for photocatalytic reactions in sunlight and be useful for solar cells. This target was achieved through growth of the hollandite phase instead of the perovskite phase inside the barium titanate crystals. By using solvent thermal reactions and thermal treatment at different temperatures (250 °C, 600 °C, and 900 °C), the hollandite phase of barium titanate was successfully obtained and confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra and scanning electron microscopy techniques. XRD patterns showed a clear hollandite phase of barium titanium oxides for the sample calcined at 900 °C (BT1-900); however, the samples at 600 °C showed the presence of mixed phases. The mean crystallite size of the BT1-900 sample was found to be 38 nm. Morphological images revealed that the hollandite phase of barium titanate consisted of a mixed morphology of spheres and ...

Journal of Chemical Sciences

Multioxide catalysts of zinc, copper and titanium with different ratios obtained from layered dou... more Multioxide catalysts of zinc, copper and titanium with different ratios obtained from layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors were used in the oxidation of carbon monoxide. The catalysts were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, thermal analyses (TG, DTG and DTA) and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction showed different phases of double hydroxide structures. On increasing the percentage of zinc, hydrotalcite structure became the main phase in these samples. SEM images confirmed the presence of layered double hydroxide as plate-like structure. Experimental results indicated a sharp increase in the catalytic activities of the calcined samples towards the oxidation of carbon monoxide at temperatures in the range of 225-275 • C. High conversion of carbon monoxide (90 ∼ 95%) was achieved at reaction temperature of 275 • C by samples having ZnTiO 3 as a main phase. These results suggested that hydrotalcite structure of Zn-Ti has a positive catalytic effect towards carbon monoxide oxidation.

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2006

The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are nano-ordered layered compounds and well known for their ... more The layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are nano-ordered layered compounds and well known for their ability to intercalate anionic compounds. Most LDH is prepared conventionally only with divalent and trivalent cations. In this study, Co-Zr-Si LDH, consisting of divalent, tetravalent, and tetravalent cations, was prepared and reacted with monocarboxylic acids at room temperature. The Co-Zr-Si LDH and intercalated compounds have been characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, IR spectra, thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The insertion of cyanate and carbonate anions into LDH was confirmed by IR spectra. XRD patterns of the prepared Co-Zr-Si LDH showed that the interlayer spacing of the LDH is 0.78 nm. The spacing is similar to that of usual LDH in which chloride, carbonate, or bromide anion is the guest. SEM images showed that Co-Zr-Si LDH can exist as plate-like or fibrous structures.