Azeez A . Barzinjy | Soran University (original) (raw)

Papers by Azeez A . Barzinjy

Research paper thumbnail of Overcoming the Temperature Effect on a Single Junction and Intermediate Band Solar Cells Using Optical Filter and SECs

The performance of electronic devices, especially solar cells, at high temperatures is of primary... more The performance of electronic devices, especially solar cells, at high temperatures is of primary interest to researchers. The design and construction of high-efficiency solar cells face some difficulties. One of these difficulties is the rising temperature, thus solar cells temperature assessment is essential to guarantee high performance. Normally, rising temperature, in solar cells, is associated with the normal ambient temperature and the produced internal temperature due to power dissipation. Accordingly, this investigation aims to reduce the effect of applied temperature from both sources. To reduce the destructive effect, the authors design a simple construction model that utilizes SiO2 and Si3N4 as a filtering layer. The outcomes of this study show that the power conversion is optimum. Si and SiC Solar cells both with and without using a filter are evaluated and compared. Finally, enhancement in power conversion efficiency and other characteristics has been investigated. The...

Research paper thumbnail of Solar cells efficiency enhancement using multilevel selective energy contacts (SECs)

Optical and Quantum Electronics, 2022

High-energy coming photons can be absorbed and lead to generate hot carriers. In normal solar cel... more High-energy coming photons can be absorbed and lead to generate hot carriers. In normal solar cells, these carriers are scattered, by electron-electron and electron-lattice mechanisms, and rapidly lose extra energy then approach the conduction band energy edge. This event in addition to other loss mechanisms causes the efficiency reduction in the solar cells to a limited value, theoretically 33%. Accordingly, the efficiency of solar cells can be enhanced considerably, if one makes the possibility for carriers that can be extracted rapidly before scattering and releasing extra energy to the lattice. This type of solar cell is called hot carrier solar cells (HCSCs). To this end, to improve the conversional efficiency, multilevel energy selective contacts (ESCs) as a new concept and new mechanism in solar cells can be utilized. In the other words, several appropriate energy levels as carrier extraction contacts in the conduction band are introduced. Here, we use multilevel ESCs, and based on our simulation it is shown that the maximum efficiency of 75% is achievable for low bandgap materials. For a typical material such as Si, the maximum efficiency is increased to 60% using ten ESCs.

Research paper thumbnail of Theoretical Modelling of High-efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells and Reduction of Internal Heat Generation using Hot-Electron Extraction

Perovskite single crystals have received enormous attention in recent years. This is, perhaps, du... more Perovskite single crystals have received enormous attention in recent years. This is, perhaps, due to their simplistic synthesis and excellent optoelectronic properties including the long carrier diffusion length, high carrier mobility, low trap density, and tuneable absorption edge ranging from ultra-violet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR). These distinguishing features offer numerous potential applications in energy-related fields like solar cells, photodetectors (PDs), lasers, etc. Efficiency enhancement and stability, in general, are the main challenges to obtain better solar cells. One of the main reasons for the early degradation of solar cells is heat generation due to high energy electrons and holes in the conduction and valance bands. In this study, the authors trying to introduce the concept of selective energy contacts in perovskite solar cells. Also, they investigate how this concept affects the power conversion efficiency (enhancement) and heat generation due to hot electron...

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of temperature on the internal components including portlandite, weight loss, and compression stress-strain behavior of lime-based roof and screed paste

Journal of Building Engineering

Research paper thumbnail of An environmentally friendly green synthesis of Co2+ and Mn2+ ion doped ZnO nanoparticles to improve solar cell efficiency

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Research paper thumbnail of Fear of COVID-19 as a precautionary measure to prevent the epidemic among the population of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq: based on a questionnaire survey

Journal of Public Health

Background and objectives The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the appearance of a new c... more Background and objectives The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the appearance of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei province, China, to be a public health emergency of international concern. The objectives of this study can be highlighted through classifying the information sources for identifying protective practices, death probability, gender-death associations probability and education level. Methodology This is a descriptive design study conducted among the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population via an online application between 1 March and 1 May 2020. Three hundred twenty people participated in this questionnaire study. The data were collected through an online form, relying upon a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire had three main parts. The first part is related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample, including gender, age, family status, address status and education level. The second part involves the items related to precautionary measures using none, sometimes, and always. The last part contains items related to death probability owing to other causes and this includes five categories: extremely low, low, intermediate, high and extremely high. The validity and reliability of this questionnaire were revised by the panel of experts before the data collection. Results The outcomes of the study revealed that the majority, ca. 73%, of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population depended on TV to obtain information about COVID-19. Also, this investigation showed that there is a substantial association between participants with infection prevention and control practices relevant to COVID-19. Moreover, according to this study, there is a significant relationship between the death probability and COVID-19. Concurrently, there is not any significant association between other causes, namely cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and road traffic accidents, and the death probability. Conclusion This study showed that for the majority of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population the most reliable source of information for any COVID-19 related updates is the TV broadcast. This study also indicated that there is strong association for the majority of individuals regarding their practices for prevention from COVID-19 and death probability with COVID-19. However, there is not any substantial association between the epidemic and the other deadly calamities and the death probability.

Research paper thumbnail of In vitro effects of the green synthesized silver and nickel oxide nanoparticles on the motility and egg hatching ability of Marshallagia marshalli

Emergent Materials

Background Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the serious health problems on the human socie... more Background Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the serious health problems on the human society and in the livestock industry. Marshallagia marshalli is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminant, have subtle but more significant adverse effects on the health and fitness of their hosts. Aim In this study, green synthesized nickel oxide (NiO) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) have been checked to evaluate the possible antiparasitic effects of nickel oxide and silver nanoparticles on Marshallagia marshalli. Methods The characterization of synthesized NiO NPs and Ag NPs was confirmed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–Visible spectroscopy. The adult worms were incubated with various concentrations of NiO and Ag NPs with the quantity of; 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 ppm for 24 h. Mobility and egg hatching abilities of the parasites were recorded at 4-h intervals. Results The results showed that both of the nanopartic...

Research paper thumbnail of Microstructure characterizations, thermal analysis, and compression stress–strain behavior of lime-based plaster

Construction and Building Materials

Research paper thumbnail of Green Synthesis Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles From Rhus coriaria Extract: A Characteristic Comparison With a Conventional Chemical Method

IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience

Research paper thumbnail of Green synthesis of Ni doped ZnO nanoparticles using dandelion leaf extract and its solar cell applications

Research paper thumbnail of Betaine-based deep eutectic solvents mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles at low temperature

Research paper thumbnail of Systematic Multiscale Models to Predict the Compressive Strength of Cement Paste as a Function of Microsilica and Nanosilica Contents, Water/Cement Ratio, and Curing Ages

Sustainability, 2022

Sustainable construction requires high-strength cement materials that additives with silica conte... more Sustainable construction requires high-strength cement materials that additives with silica content could provide the requirements as well. In this study, the effect of the micro and nano-size of silica on the compressive strength of cement paste using different mathematical approaches is investigated. This study compares the strength of preferentially replaced cement pastes with microsilica (MS) and nanosilica (NS) incorporation by proposing several mathematical models. In this study, 205 data were extracted from the literature and analyzed. The modeling processes considered the most significant variables as input variables that influence the compression strength, such as curing time, which ranged between 3 and 90 days, the water-cement ratio, which varied between 0.4 and 0.85, and NS ranged between 0 and 15%. MS ranged between 0 and 40% based on the weight of cement. In this process, the compressive strength of cement paste modified with NS and MS was modeled using four different ...

Research paper thumbnail of Iron oxide nanoparticles: Preparation methods, functions, adsorption and coagulation/flocculation in wastewater treatment

Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Green synthesis of the magnetite (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) nanoparticle using <i>Rhus coriaria</i> extract: a reusable catalyst for efficient synthesis of some new 2-naphthol bis-Betti bases

In this investigation, the extract of <i>Rhus coriaria</i> utilized for preparation o... more In this investigation, the extract of <i>Rhus coriaria</i> utilized for preparation of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticle using a green approach. This method is clean, non-toxic and eco-friendly. The green synthesized nano-catalyst was described by means of SEM, EDX, elemental-mapping point exploration, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, and UV-Vis analysis methods. The biosynthesized magnetite nanoparticles are affordable and reusable. Accordingly, this allows Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticle catalyst to be utilized in the synthesizing of some new 2-naphthol bis-Betti bases by condensation of substituted aromatic aldehydes, 2-naphthol and <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine by one-pot process reaction. The products have been described using FT-IR, <sup>1</sup>H-NMR, <sup>13</sup>C-NMR, and mass-spectral data. <i>In vitro</i> anti-bacterial and anti-fungi evaluation of bis Betti ba...

Research paper thumbnail of Scolicidal activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles by Mentha longifolia L. leaves against Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices

Emergent Materials, 2021

Cystic echinococcosis is a public health problem in developing countries that practice sheep bree... more Cystic echinococcosis is a public health problem in developing countries that practice sheep breeding extensively. In the current study, the protoscolicidal activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) derived from Mentha longifolia L. leaf extracts was investigated. The resultant ZnO NPs were characterized by means of various analytical techniques, such as ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The results showed that the ZnO NP had the highest scolicidal activity at 400 ppm concentration after 150 min of exposure time, showing 100% mortality rate. The treated protoscolices exhibited loss of viability with several morphological alterations. Hence, an easy and effective green synthesis of ZnO NPs, with efficient scolicidal potential, is reported in this study.

Research paper thumbnail of Ionic Liquids: Sustainable Media for Nanoparticles

In this paper, an incompressible viscous fluid flow over a flat plate is presented. In the past d... more In this paper, an incompressible viscous fluid flow over a flat plate is presented. In the past decade, ionic liquids have attracted great interest both in scientific research world and amongst the most diverse technological and industrial sectors. This fact, together with the growing contribution of the industrial sector, is turning ionic liquids into a key component for the most diverse fields of science, such as nanotechnology, electrochemistry, green chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering, among many others. First, before talking about the ionic liquids’ applications, one should answer this question; what are the main properties that make ionic liquids so attractive? In general, ionic liquids are salts formed by very asymmetric and large ions, due to which they have attractive cation-anion forces weaker than those that occur in conventional ionic salts, such as table salt, which causes them to be liquids in a wide range of temperatures, including the ambient tempe...

Research paper thumbnail of Biosynthesis of quantum dots and their usage in solar cells: insight from the novel researches

International Nano Letters, 2021

Quantum dots (QDs) are three-dimensional (3D) quantum confinement materials with confined size on... more Quantum dots (QDs) are three-dimensional (3D) quantum confinement materials with confined size on the nanoscale. They are semiconductors, possessing a tunable energy gap in the range of visible light energy. In QDs, the 3D quantum confinements of excitons result in tunable fluorescence emission relying upon the QDs size and shape when excited by monochromatic light. Besides, the attempts to improve their outstanding optoelectronic properties, i.e. superior to those of bulk, thin-film semiconductor and organic dyes, many efforts have been conducted, in recent times, regarding sustainable QDs synthesis aiming at biocompatibility and cost reduction. Among the green synthesis routes of QDs there are two distinguished; namely inorganic QDs and carbon-based QDs. The first route is made of low-bandgap metal chalcogenide either extracted from a living being, e.g. earthworm, or capped with an organic ligand. While, the second route is made of carbon-core and passivating the surface with different functional groups, namely carboxyl, hydroxyl, in addition to amine. These functional groups are derived from coke or organic carbon reservoir, i.e. fruits and their juice, animal, vegetable, spice and waste paper. Numerous fundamental applications of QDs, such as biomedicine, sensing, catalysis, and solar cells, exploit the characteristic fluorescence emission of QDs, quantum yields and their modulation upon interaction with the external environment. In this review, two prototype QDs examples are used to highlight the route to sustainable QDs synthesis and solar cells implementation and some perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of Radio Frequency Plasma Power on the Structure, Crystallinity, Dislocation Density, and the Energy Band Gap of ZnO Nanostructure

ACS Omega, 2021

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of radio frequency (RF) plasma power on the mo... more The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of radio frequency (RF) plasma power on the morphology, crystal structure, elemental chemical composition, and optical properties of ZnO nanostructure using a direct current magnetron sputtering technique. This study emphasized that the growth rate and surface morphology of the polycrystalline ZnO were enhanced as the radio frequency (RF) plasma power increased. This can be observed by fixing other parameters such as the growth time, substrate temperature, and chamber partial pressure. The RF plasma power alteration from 150 to 300 W can produce uniform nanograin, spheroid, and nanorods. Additionally, the RF plasma power alteration leads to the alteration in the ZnO nanorod diameter from 14 to 202 nm. It was observed that the XRD intensities are increased at higher plasma powers. This, perhaps, can be inferred from the transformation of the granular microcrystals to the needlelike or platelike large crystals, as already examined using SEM images. This also has an impact on the average crystalline size, which increased from 10 to 40 nm on increasing the RF plasma power. Moreover, the increase of the RF plasma power has an obvious impact upon the optical band-gap energy, which was accordingly decreased from 3.26 to 3.22 eV. Finally, the absorption band edge was shifted to a lower-energy region due to the quantum size effect at the nanorange.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of Growth Temperature on Morphological, Structural, and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods Using Modified Chemical Bath Deposition Method

Journal of Electronic Materials, 2021

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) have been investigated as a function of different growth temperat... more Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) have been investigated as a function of different growth temperature using modified chemical bath deposition (M-CBD) method. In this study, air bubbles were utilized inside the growth solution as an original modified process. The synthesis of ZnO NRs was carried out through two steps. The first step was deposition of the ZnO seed layer on the glass substrate, while the second step was growing the ZnO NRs on the seeded substrate. The impacts of the growth temperature on the morphology and crystal structure of the ZnO samples were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. UV-Vis spectroscopy was also utilized to characterize the optical properties of the ZnO NRs. The results showed that the growth of the ZnO samples is a NRs-like shape. The ZnO samples possess the hexagonal wurtzite structure with high crystal quality, and no other phases from the impurity were observed. Additionally,the ZnO NRs were found to be well oriented along te (002) planes with diameters ranging from 71 nm to 328 nm and length from 294 nm to 2475 nm, while the aspect ratio was up to 25 with different growth temperatures. However, the UV-Vis spectrum showed that the optical transmittance of the ZnO NRs dropped from $ 66% to $ 3.3%, and the absorption band edge had been shifted to a lower-energy region as the growth temperature increased from 65°C to 95°C. This is possibly due to the scattering increase and absorption light from voids, grain size, and thickness of the ZnO NRs. Therefore, it has been demonstrated that the ZnO NRs grown by the M-CBD method at a growth temperature of 95°C gives the most favorable result, since the NRs possess the optimum, homogenous, and uniform distribution with a higher aspect ratio, crystal quality, crystal size, and band gap energy.

Research paper thumbnail of Biosynthesis, Characterization and Mechanism of Formation of ZnO Nanoparticles Using Petroselinum Crispum Leaf Extract

Current Organic Synthesis, 2020

Aims: The study aimed at synthesizing ZnO NPs using Petroselinum crispum extract, commonly known ... more Aims: The study aimed at synthesizing ZnO NPs using Petroselinum crispum extract, commonly known as parsley, as a source of biosynthesis without utilizing chemical agents for reducing, capping and stabilizing agent. Background: Recently, the biosynthesis of nanoparticles has been widely explored due to the wide range of vital applications in nanotechnology. Biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles, ZnO NPs, have become increasingly important since they have many applications and are environmentally friendly. Methods: The innovation of this investigation is that the nanosized ZnO NPs can be formed from one-pot reaction without utilizing any external stabilizing and reducing agent which is not plausible via the current procedures. Results: The biosynthesized ZnO NPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to investigate the optical, chemical...

Research paper thumbnail of Overcoming the Temperature Effect on a Single Junction and Intermediate Band Solar Cells Using Optical Filter and SECs

The performance of electronic devices, especially solar cells, at high temperatures is of primary... more The performance of electronic devices, especially solar cells, at high temperatures is of primary interest to researchers. The design and construction of high-efficiency solar cells face some difficulties. One of these difficulties is the rising temperature, thus solar cells temperature assessment is essential to guarantee high performance. Normally, rising temperature, in solar cells, is associated with the normal ambient temperature and the produced internal temperature due to power dissipation. Accordingly, this investigation aims to reduce the effect of applied temperature from both sources. To reduce the destructive effect, the authors design a simple construction model that utilizes SiO2 and Si3N4 as a filtering layer. The outcomes of this study show that the power conversion is optimum. Si and SiC Solar cells both with and without using a filter are evaluated and compared. Finally, enhancement in power conversion efficiency and other characteristics has been investigated. The...

Research paper thumbnail of Solar cells efficiency enhancement using multilevel selective energy contacts (SECs)

Optical and Quantum Electronics, 2022

High-energy coming photons can be absorbed and lead to generate hot carriers. In normal solar cel... more High-energy coming photons can be absorbed and lead to generate hot carriers. In normal solar cells, these carriers are scattered, by electron-electron and electron-lattice mechanisms, and rapidly lose extra energy then approach the conduction band energy edge. This event in addition to other loss mechanisms causes the efficiency reduction in the solar cells to a limited value, theoretically 33%. Accordingly, the efficiency of solar cells can be enhanced considerably, if one makes the possibility for carriers that can be extracted rapidly before scattering and releasing extra energy to the lattice. This type of solar cell is called hot carrier solar cells (HCSCs). To this end, to improve the conversional efficiency, multilevel energy selective contacts (ESCs) as a new concept and new mechanism in solar cells can be utilized. In the other words, several appropriate energy levels as carrier extraction contacts in the conduction band are introduced. Here, we use multilevel ESCs, and based on our simulation it is shown that the maximum efficiency of 75% is achievable for low bandgap materials. For a typical material such as Si, the maximum efficiency is increased to 60% using ten ESCs.

Research paper thumbnail of Theoretical Modelling of High-efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells and Reduction of Internal Heat Generation using Hot-Electron Extraction

Perovskite single crystals have received enormous attention in recent years. This is, perhaps, du... more Perovskite single crystals have received enormous attention in recent years. This is, perhaps, due to their simplistic synthesis and excellent optoelectronic properties including the long carrier diffusion length, high carrier mobility, low trap density, and tuneable absorption edge ranging from ultra-violet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR). These distinguishing features offer numerous potential applications in energy-related fields like solar cells, photodetectors (PDs), lasers, etc. Efficiency enhancement and stability, in general, are the main challenges to obtain better solar cells. One of the main reasons for the early degradation of solar cells is heat generation due to high energy electrons and holes in the conduction and valance bands. In this study, the authors trying to introduce the concept of selective energy contacts in perovskite solar cells. Also, they investigate how this concept affects the power conversion efficiency (enhancement) and heat generation due to hot electron...

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of temperature on the internal components including portlandite, weight loss, and compression stress-strain behavior of lime-based roof and screed paste

Journal of Building Engineering

Research paper thumbnail of An environmentally friendly green synthesis of Co2+ and Mn2+ ion doped ZnO nanoparticles to improve solar cell efficiency

Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering

Research paper thumbnail of Fear of COVID-19 as a precautionary measure to prevent the epidemic among the population of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq: based on a questionnaire survey

Journal of Public Health

Background and objectives The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the appearance of a new c... more Background and objectives The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the appearance of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei province, China, to be a public health emergency of international concern. The objectives of this study can be highlighted through classifying the information sources for identifying protective practices, death probability, gender-death associations probability and education level. Methodology This is a descriptive design study conducted among the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population via an online application between 1 March and 1 May 2020. Three hundred twenty people participated in this questionnaire study. The data were collected through an online form, relying upon a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire had three main parts. The first part is related to the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample, including gender, age, family status, address status and education level. The second part involves the items related to precautionary measures using none, sometimes, and always. The last part contains items related to death probability owing to other causes and this includes five categories: extremely low, low, intermediate, high and extremely high. The validity and reliability of this questionnaire were revised by the panel of experts before the data collection. Results The outcomes of the study revealed that the majority, ca. 73%, of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population depended on TV to obtain information about COVID-19. Also, this investigation showed that there is a substantial association between participants with infection prevention and control practices relevant to COVID-19. Moreover, according to this study, there is a significant relationship between the death probability and COVID-19. Concurrently, there is not any significant association between other causes, namely cancer, heart diseases, diabetes and road traffic accidents, and the death probability. Conclusion This study showed that for the majority of the Kurdistan Region/Iraq population the most reliable source of information for any COVID-19 related updates is the TV broadcast. This study also indicated that there is strong association for the majority of individuals regarding their practices for prevention from COVID-19 and death probability with COVID-19. However, there is not any substantial association between the epidemic and the other deadly calamities and the death probability.

Research paper thumbnail of In vitro effects of the green synthesized silver and nickel oxide nanoparticles on the motility and egg hatching ability of Marshallagia marshalli

Emergent Materials

Background Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the serious health problems on the human socie... more Background Gastrointestinal nematodes are one of the serious health problems on the human society and in the livestock industry. Marshallagia marshalli is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminant, have subtle but more significant adverse effects on the health and fitness of their hosts. Aim In this study, green synthesized nickel oxide (NiO) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) have been checked to evaluate the possible antiparasitic effects of nickel oxide and silver nanoparticles on Marshallagia marshalli. Methods The characterization of synthesized NiO NPs and Ag NPs was confirmed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–Visible spectroscopy. The adult worms were incubated with various concentrations of NiO and Ag NPs with the quantity of; 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 ppm for 24 h. Mobility and egg hatching abilities of the parasites were recorded at 4-h intervals. Results The results showed that both of the nanopartic...

Research paper thumbnail of Microstructure characterizations, thermal analysis, and compression stress–strain behavior of lime-based plaster

Construction and Building Materials

Research paper thumbnail of Green Synthesis Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) Nanoparticles From Rhus coriaria Extract: A Characteristic Comparison With a Conventional Chemical Method

IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience

Research paper thumbnail of Green synthesis of Ni doped ZnO nanoparticles using dandelion leaf extract and its solar cell applications

Research paper thumbnail of Betaine-based deep eutectic solvents mediated synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles at low temperature

Research paper thumbnail of Systematic Multiscale Models to Predict the Compressive Strength of Cement Paste as a Function of Microsilica and Nanosilica Contents, Water/Cement Ratio, and Curing Ages

Sustainability, 2022

Sustainable construction requires high-strength cement materials that additives with silica conte... more Sustainable construction requires high-strength cement materials that additives with silica content could provide the requirements as well. In this study, the effect of the micro and nano-size of silica on the compressive strength of cement paste using different mathematical approaches is investigated. This study compares the strength of preferentially replaced cement pastes with microsilica (MS) and nanosilica (NS) incorporation by proposing several mathematical models. In this study, 205 data were extracted from the literature and analyzed. The modeling processes considered the most significant variables as input variables that influence the compression strength, such as curing time, which ranged between 3 and 90 days, the water-cement ratio, which varied between 0.4 and 0.85, and NS ranged between 0 and 15%. MS ranged between 0 and 40% based on the weight of cement. In this process, the compressive strength of cement paste modified with NS and MS was modeled using four different ...

Research paper thumbnail of Iron oxide nanoparticles: Preparation methods, functions, adsorption and coagulation/flocculation in wastewater treatment

Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management, 2022

Research paper thumbnail of Green synthesis of the magnetite (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) nanoparticle using <i>Rhus coriaria</i> extract: a reusable catalyst for efficient synthesis of some new 2-naphthol bis-Betti bases

In this investigation, the extract of <i>Rhus coriaria</i> utilized for preparation o... more In this investigation, the extract of <i>Rhus coriaria</i> utilized for preparation of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticle using a green approach. This method is clean, non-toxic and eco-friendly. The green synthesized nano-catalyst was described by means of SEM, EDX, elemental-mapping point exploration, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, and UV-Vis analysis methods. The biosynthesized magnetite nanoparticles are affordable and reusable. Accordingly, this allows Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticle catalyst to be utilized in the synthesizing of some new 2-naphthol bis-Betti bases by condensation of substituted aromatic aldehydes, 2-naphthol and <i>p</i>-phenylenediamine by one-pot process reaction. The products have been described using FT-IR, <sup>1</sup>H-NMR, <sup>13</sup>C-NMR, and mass-spectral data. <i>In vitro</i> anti-bacterial and anti-fungi evaluation of bis Betti ba...

Research paper thumbnail of Scolicidal activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles by Mentha longifolia L. leaves against Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices

Emergent Materials, 2021

Cystic echinococcosis is a public health problem in developing countries that practice sheep bree... more Cystic echinococcosis is a public health problem in developing countries that practice sheep breeding extensively. In the current study, the protoscolicidal activity of biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) derived from Mentha longifolia L. leaf extracts was investigated. The resultant ZnO NPs were characterized by means of various analytical techniques, such as ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The results showed that the ZnO NP had the highest scolicidal activity at 400 ppm concentration after 150 min of exposure time, showing 100% mortality rate. The treated protoscolices exhibited loss of viability with several morphological alterations. Hence, an easy and effective green synthesis of ZnO NPs, with efficient scolicidal potential, is reported in this study.

Research paper thumbnail of Ionic Liquids: Sustainable Media for Nanoparticles

In this paper, an incompressible viscous fluid flow over a flat plate is presented. In the past d... more In this paper, an incompressible viscous fluid flow over a flat plate is presented. In the past decade, ionic liquids have attracted great interest both in scientific research world and amongst the most diverse technological and industrial sectors. This fact, together with the growing contribution of the industrial sector, is turning ionic liquids into a key component for the most diverse fields of science, such as nanotechnology, electrochemistry, green chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering, among many others. First, before talking about the ionic liquids’ applications, one should answer this question; what are the main properties that make ionic liquids so attractive? In general, ionic liquids are salts formed by very asymmetric and large ions, due to which they have attractive cation-anion forces weaker than those that occur in conventional ionic salts, such as table salt, which causes them to be liquids in a wide range of temperatures, including the ambient tempe...

Research paper thumbnail of Biosynthesis of quantum dots and their usage in solar cells: insight from the novel researches

International Nano Letters, 2021

Quantum dots (QDs) are three-dimensional (3D) quantum confinement materials with confined size on... more Quantum dots (QDs) are three-dimensional (3D) quantum confinement materials with confined size on the nanoscale. They are semiconductors, possessing a tunable energy gap in the range of visible light energy. In QDs, the 3D quantum confinements of excitons result in tunable fluorescence emission relying upon the QDs size and shape when excited by monochromatic light. Besides, the attempts to improve their outstanding optoelectronic properties, i.e. superior to those of bulk, thin-film semiconductor and organic dyes, many efforts have been conducted, in recent times, regarding sustainable QDs synthesis aiming at biocompatibility and cost reduction. Among the green synthesis routes of QDs there are two distinguished; namely inorganic QDs and carbon-based QDs. The first route is made of low-bandgap metal chalcogenide either extracted from a living being, e.g. earthworm, or capped with an organic ligand. While, the second route is made of carbon-core and passivating the surface with different functional groups, namely carboxyl, hydroxyl, in addition to amine. These functional groups are derived from coke or organic carbon reservoir, i.e. fruits and their juice, animal, vegetable, spice and waste paper. Numerous fundamental applications of QDs, such as biomedicine, sensing, catalysis, and solar cells, exploit the characteristic fluorescence emission of QDs, quantum yields and their modulation upon interaction with the external environment. In this review, two prototype QDs examples are used to highlight the route to sustainable QDs synthesis and solar cells implementation and some perspectives.

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of Radio Frequency Plasma Power on the Structure, Crystallinity, Dislocation Density, and the Energy Band Gap of ZnO Nanostructure

ACS Omega, 2021

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of radio frequency (RF) plasma power on the mo... more The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of radio frequency (RF) plasma power on the morphology, crystal structure, elemental chemical composition, and optical properties of ZnO nanostructure using a direct current magnetron sputtering technique. This study emphasized that the growth rate and surface morphology of the polycrystalline ZnO were enhanced as the radio frequency (RF) plasma power increased. This can be observed by fixing other parameters such as the growth time, substrate temperature, and chamber partial pressure. The RF plasma power alteration from 150 to 300 W can produce uniform nanograin, spheroid, and nanorods. Additionally, the RF plasma power alteration leads to the alteration in the ZnO nanorod diameter from 14 to 202 nm. It was observed that the XRD intensities are increased at higher plasma powers. This, perhaps, can be inferred from the transformation of the granular microcrystals to the needlelike or platelike large crystals, as already examined using SEM images. This also has an impact on the average crystalline size, which increased from 10 to 40 nm on increasing the RF plasma power. Moreover, the increase of the RF plasma power has an obvious impact upon the optical band-gap energy, which was accordingly decreased from 3.26 to 3.22 eV. Finally, the absorption band edge was shifted to a lower-energy region due to the quantum size effect at the nanorange.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of Growth Temperature on Morphological, Structural, and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods Using Modified Chemical Bath Deposition Method

Journal of Electronic Materials, 2021

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) have been investigated as a function of different growth temperat... more Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) have been investigated as a function of different growth temperature using modified chemical bath deposition (M-CBD) method. In this study, air bubbles were utilized inside the growth solution as an original modified process. The synthesis of ZnO NRs was carried out through two steps. The first step was deposition of the ZnO seed layer on the glass substrate, while the second step was growing the ZnO NRs on the seeded substrate. The impacts of the growth temperature on the morphology and crystal structure of the ZnO samples were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. UV-Vis spectroscopy was also utilized to characterize the optical properties of the ZnO NRs. The results showed that the growth of the ZnO samples is a NRs-like shape. The ZnO samples possess the hexagonal wurtzite structure with high crystal quality, and no other phases from the impurity were observed. Additionally,the ZnO NRs were found to be well oriented along te (002) planes with diameters ranging from 71 nm to 328 nm and length from 294 nm to 2475 nm, while the aspect ratio was up to 25 with different growth temperatures. However, the UV-Vis spectrum showed that the optical transmittance of the ZnO NRs dropped from $ 66% to $ 3.3%, and the absorption band edge had been shifted to a lower-energy region as the growth temperature increased from 65°C to 95°C. This is possibly due to the scattering increase and absorption light from voids, grain size, and thickness of the ZnO NRs. Therefore, it has been demonstrated that the ZnO NRs grown by the M-CBD method at a growth temperature of 95°C gives the most favorable result, since the NRs possess the optimum, homogenous, and uniform distribution with a higher aspect ratio, crystal quality, crystal size, and band gap energy.

Research paper thumbnail of Biosynthesis, Characterization and Mechanism of Formation of ZnO Nanoparticles Using Petroselinum Crispum Leaf Extract

Current Organic Synthesis, 2020

Aims: The study aimed at synthesizing ZnO NPs using Petroselinum crispum extract, commonly known ... more Aims: The study aimed at synthesizing ZnO NPs using Petroselinum crispum extract, commonly known as parsley, as a source of biosynthesis without utilizing chemical agents for reducing, capping and stabilizing agent. Background: Recently, the biosynthesis of nanoparticles has been widely explored due to the wide range of vital applications in nanotechnology. Biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles, ZnO NPs, have become increasingly important since they have many applications and are environmentally friendly. Methods: The innovation of this investigation is that the nanosized ZnO NPs can be formed from one-pot reaction without utilizing any external stabilizing and reducing agent which is not plausible via the current procedures. Results: The biosynthesized ZnO NPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to investigate the optical, chemical...