Dr. Alexis Debut has completed his PhD at the age of 25 years from Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, France. He is the director of the Nanomaterials Characterization Laboratory of the Center of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of the Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, Ecuador. He has published more than 35 research articles, patents and conference paper in the international and national level.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are known to be one of the multifunctional inorganic compounds which are widely used in everyday applications. This study aims to fabricate ZnO-NPs using Citrus paradisi peel extract with particle size ranging from 12 to 72 nm. Structural, morphological, and optical properties of the synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, TEM, DLS, and FTIR analysis. They show the significant photocatalytic degradation efficiency (>56%, 10 mg/L, 6 h) against methylene blue and antioxidant efficacy (≥80% for 1.2 mM) against 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. From the results obtained it is suggested that green ZnO-NPs could be used effectively in environmental safety applications and also can address future medical concerns.

Nebojsa Romcevic is a Research Professor at Institute of Physics Belgrade, and Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Belgrade for Nanoscience and nanotechnology, and Innovation, technology transfer and intellectual property protection. He is the founder of Krystal infiz Ltd. innovative company that deals with technology and knowledge transfer from science to industry. His main scientific interest is an experimental work in the field of spectroscopy (Raman, X-Ray and FTIR) on semimagnetic semiconductors (bulk crystals, thin films and nanodimenzional systems).

Cubic ZnS nanoparticles were obtained by high-energy milling. Milling time was 5, 10 and 20 min. Weighted crystallite size ZnS nanoparticles and their separation depend on the milling time. The morphology of samples has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while structural characteristics were obtained by XRD powder technique. The crystallite size was calculated from XRD spectra by application of Scherrer's equation. The weighted crystallite size ZnS nanoparticles was estimated as 1.9 nm (after 5 min milling time), 2.3 nm (10 min) and 2.4 nm (20 min). The optical properties were studied by Raman spectroscopy. Raman scattering spectra were analyzed using a Lorentzian function and deconvolution of the spectra to the individual Lorentzian curves. The dominant structures in our spectra are at about 157, 263 and 345 cm-1. That correspond to the second overtone of TA mode which originate from a zone boundary and TO and LO modes near the zone center, respectively. The theoretical model was used to calculate the relative contribution of the confined Raman scattering modes of the ZnS quantum dots. Satisfactory agreement with experimental results was obtained.

Katerina Klanova received her PhD degree from Komensky University in Bratislava, Department of Microbiology, Slovakia in 1994. She has been working at the National Institute of Public Health as a researcher in the field of microorganisms in the environment.

Encapsulated nanodispersion biocidal systems (ENBS) based on biocide masterbatches for controlled releases of active ingredients to extend the protection of surfaces have a potential for the development of a new generation of more environmentally friendly products. ENBS will be utilized as progressive binders for functional fabrics. Newly developed ENBS textiles can prevent damage caused by microorganisms. Antimicrobial activity of textiles finished with ENBS was tested according to CSN EN ISO 20743. At textiles with ENBS it was found that their antibacterial activity increases with time. Moreover the higher biocidal activity was exhibited even after repeated washes at 60 °C. This phenomenon can be explained by migration of biocidal components to the surface of the textile fibre. After overcoming the potential barrier due to the presence of an anionic emulsifier the particles diffuse into the aqueous phase depending on the product solubility. The concentration of the biocide on the surface of the textile fibre increases with increasing temperature and time of washing. Textiles finished with ENBS meet requirements for long term functionality.

Dr. Nezar Hassan Khdary, PhD is an Associate Professor of Nano and Environmental Technology at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia. He published many articles in the respective field and attended many conferences. He also having 1 patent on his name.

We have successfully demonstrated that by changing the synthesizing conditions, MSNs, with different morphologies can be produced. Rod shape MSNs with very high surface area was obtained by carrying out the static condensation at ambient conditions. While Spherical shape MSNs was obtained when the static conditions was performed at 100°C. Loading copper metal in the rod shape MSNs using the chemical modification with PEDA produced very uniform and well distributed nanoparticles. The XRD indicated that the formation of crystalline copper nanoparticles. The rod shape MSNs showed higher CO2 adsorption properties than the spherical counterpart thanks to high surface area and accessibility of the pores. Loading the copper nanoparticles using DAE via physical interaction between the MSNs and DAE produced very poor distribution of non-uniform aggregates of the copper nanoparticles. Therefore, the CO2 adsorption was less than that obtained when PEDA was used. This demonstrates the pre-modification of silica surface with PEDA significantly enhanced the molecular level during the synthesis and to the absence of the heat treatment during the reduction step. In addition the advantage of this method is the nanoparticles synthesis involves the complexation of Cu2+ ions with the ethylenediamine functional groups which minimizes the aggregation between the produced metal nanoparticles.

Mymona Mohseen Ahmad Abutalib is an Associate Professor at the College of Science for Girls, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. He completed PhD in 2005 and the Title of his thesis was "Uses of Neutron Capture Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy Technique for Elemental Analysis of Some Local Industrial Materials". He attended and participated in many National and International conferences. He published articles in reputed journals and has received Scientific Publishing awards. He was also a life time member in Societies like Qatif Astronomy Society, The American Physical Society, Saudi Scientific Society for Physical Sciences, Arab Association of Radiological Protection.

Samples from sheets of the polymeric material cellulose triacetate have been exposed to alpha particles in the dose range 20-100 Gy. The modifications induced in its molecular and optical properties due to alpha particles irradiation have been studied through different characterization techniques such as intrinsic viscosity, refractive index and color difference studies. The results indicated that the crosslinking is achieved at the dose range 60-100 Gy. This crosslinking led to an increase in the value of intrinsic viscosity, indicating an increase in the average molecular mass. This was associated with an increase in the refractive index. Additionally, the non irradiated cellulose triacetate samples showed significant color sensitivity towards Alpha particles irradiation. This sensitivity appeared in the change in the blue color component of the non irradiated cellulose triacetate film to yellow after exposure to alpha particles up to 100 Gy. This is accompanied by a net increase in the darkness of the samples.

Weiwei LIN is a PhD student of Florida International University, major in materials engineering. She is right now working on the multifunctional materials with both damping properties and strain sensing properties.

Polyurethane/Buckypaper was prepared by curing polyurethane upon buckypaper. Cantilever beam free vibration test method was adopt to investigate the damping properties of such composites. It was found that the damping ratio of the Polyurethane/buckypaper composites is higher than each of their single components. Also, the location of the sample vis-à-vis the location of the cantilever beam’s fixed support played a very important part in the damping ratio, as expected. Tests results showed that for both single side attached and double sides’ attachment, the damping ratios have 1.6-2.1 times higher than that when clamped to the free, uncovered end. Also, the double sides’ attachment model has higher damping ratio than the single side attachment model. Furthermore, the drift, static tensile strain sensing and the dynamic strain sensing tests results showed that the PU/buckypaper have the potential to serve as strain sensor.

J R Madrigales Ubaldo has completed his Bachelor Degree from UANL. He has worked by four years in different industries like Vitro, CEMEX and Pyosa. In 2014 he started his Master of Science.

Concrete permeability is a property directly involved in all deterioration mechanisms affecting Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. This permeability derives from the porous nature of the concrete, and it has an effect on the entrance of aggressive agents (Cl-, CO2, SO4-2), that may lead to the accelerated degradation of RC structures. The present study investigates the effect of the size of silicon nanoparticles (SN) and its application time through an electric field, in order to reduce the formation time of the barrier effect on hardened Portland cement-based materials. The SN were synthesized by Sol-Gel method using the following conditions: room temperature (25ºC +2ºC), C2H6O/Si (OC2H5)4 ratio=33.34 and different quantities of water (10-50 mL). By DRX was found the synthetic materials have a characteristic amorphous phase of SiO2. The TEM images show that the effect of the hydration level in the size and morphology of the SN, obtaining sizes in the range of 200-80 nm. The SN of 200, 180 and 80 nm were introduced in different specimens through an electric field of 20V of DC for 1 and 4 h. To verify the effect of these variables in the formation of barrier effect, the specimens were characterized by techniques of Electrical Resistivity and Porosity, in order to evaluate the formation of barrier effect. Favorable formation times starting from 28 days, using NS 200 nm.

Jae-Ik Cho has completed his MS in 1999 and PhD in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently works at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology as a principal researcher since 2004. He has published more than 25 papers and in journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of Korea Foundrymen’s Society.

The use of externally applied pressure during filling and solidification has long been used in industries. However, the effect of applied pressure on filling and solidification of aluminum casting alloys and the influence on microstructure has not been adequately studied. It is generally well known that pressure is one of essential parameters which can influence both the solidification mode of aluminum and feed metal transfer. Therefore, in this study, the effects of applied pressure during filling and solidification of A356 alloy were investigated. A356 alloy is one of the long freezing range alloys and known to exhibit dispersed porosity which is well recognized factor affecting ductility, fracture toughness and fatigue resistance. The pressure was applied at the riser by using nitrogen gas inside of pressure vessel with the pressure range of up to 10 bars. The result showed significantly improved effective feeding of aluminum by exhibiting lowered shrinkage defects near the riser. Pressure also affect the solidification of A356 alloy by forming less porosity and reduced dendrite arm spacing. While there was no notable influence of pressurization in the phase formation of A356 alloy, the porosity level of the casting was only about 0.3% which was more than 66% of reduction in porosity.

Reza Moonesi Rad has completed his DVM at the age of 25 years from Urmia Azad University and currently is a Ph.D student in the Biotechnology Department in Middle East Technical University

Barrier membranes only allow the osteoprogenitor cells to populate in the bony defect area and prevent migration of the unfavorable cells. In this study, we designed a novel bilayered membrane composed of one layer from cellulose acetate prepared by the solvent casting method and the second layer from cellulose acetate/gelatin/boron modified bioactive glass nanofibers prepared by the electrospinning method. Boron modified bioactive glass particles with mole percentages of (%51 SiO2 - %38 CaO - %4 P2O5 - %7 B2O3) were synthesized and characterized. The obtained material was amorphous and had a particle size distribution in the range of of 30-60 nm. The top surface of membrane composed of cellulose acetate was hydrophobic and had smooth non-porous structure. We prepared the bi-layered structure by incorporating the nano bioactive glass particles which generated bioactive glass gradient along the material thickness. Water-contact angles and tensile strength measurements, in vitro biomineralization test in the simulated body fluid (SBF) and in vitro biocompatibility test of the membranes using the mesenchymal stem cells and Saos-2 cell line are under investigation.

Sangappa Y is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physics, Mangalore University, India and is currently a Post Doc Fellow at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA-30332, USA. He completed his PhD in 2008 from the University of Mysore. He attended and participated in many National and International conferences. He published more than 35 articles in reputed journals and 17 articles in conference proceedings including AIP. His areas of competence for the research activity are natural polymers, fibers, biomaterials, green synthesis of nanoparticles, and ionizing radiation effects on polymers.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized in situ under white light at room temperature using aqueous Silk Fibroin (SF) solution obtained from Bombyx mori silk. SF acted as the reducing, dispersing and stabilizing agent for the resulted silver nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Photoluminescence (PL) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) techniques. The UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed the formation of AgNPs by showing a typical Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) band at 422 nm from the UV-Vis spectrum. The TEM images show that formed nanoparticles were roughly spherical in shape with smooth edges. The particle diameter was around 35-40 nm. Further, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms the nano-crystalline phase of silver with FCC crystal structure.

Suresh Raj Pant has completed his masters degree at the age of 27 years from Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea and presently, he is associated with Research Institute for Next Generation (RING) Nepal as a research associate.

One of the major concerns of scientific community with electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds is the densely packed fibers in 2-D array which impedes their applicability in tissue regeneration. To overcome these problems, a three-dimensional nanofibrous scaffold was fabricated using a noble gas foaming technique and studied for biomedical applications. In this novel approach, polycaprolactone (PCL) nonwoven membrane was fabricated by electrospinning process and treated with sodium borohydride (SB) solution (0.1M solution prepared in methanol) to modify into 3-D scaffold. We have purposed the mechanism for the fabrication of 3-D scaffold. As the PCL mat was put into the SB solution interconnected pores of a mat are filled with that solution driven by capillary forces where it undergoes hydrolysis to produce hydrogen gas. The in-situ generated gas molecules form clusters to minimize the free energy resulting in pore nucleation that reorganizes the nanofibers to form a low density, macroporous, spongy and multi-layered 3-D scaffold. The scaffolds were characterized in terms of porosity, density and biocompatibility. Large pore size and multilayered structure of as fabricated scaffold improved the cell infiltration and growth compared to 2-D electrospun mat. This simple and facile process will reveal a new approach for the fabrication of a three-dimensional, low-density, nanofibrous materials for biomedical and industrial applications using a wide variety of polymers.

Dr. Asmah A Hendi has completed her PhD at the age of 42 years from King Abdulaziz University (KAAU) and postdoctoral studies from same University. She is the director of Physics, a premier Bio-Soft service organization. She has published more than 22 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an lecturer and member of several physics associations in Saudi Arabia

In present study, graphene oxide: zinc oxide nanocomposites will be synthesized by hydrothermal or sol gel method. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscope results confirm the nanostrcture of, graphene oxide: zinc oxide nanocomposites. The graphene oxide: zinc oxide nanocomposites. based on photodiodes will be prepared and sensing properties of the photodiodes were analyzed under various solar light illuminatons.. The photoresponsivity of the photodiodes will be determined. The photodiode exhibited a high performance is due to the absoption between zinc oxide graphene oxide. The prepared photodiodes can be used as a sensor in optoelectronic applications.

Dr. Miguel Ángel Vallejo Hernández has completed his PhD at the age of 34 years from Centro de investigaciones en óptica (CIO) México. He is associate Professor “B” of Universidad de Guanajuato in División de Ciencias e Ingenierias (DCI) León Gto, México. He has published more than 3 papers in reputed journals and has applied for membership in the National System of Researchers (SIN) in Mexico, He is an expert in materials synthesis, in his work we can find photonic crystals, crystal growth with LHPG, glasses doped with rare earth containing Ag nanoparticles.

The fabrication and characterization of crystals of LiF with and without Ag is reported. We used chemical co-precipitation route for the synthesis of well-crystallized micro- and nanocrystalline cubes of pure and silver (Ag)-doped LiF. All samples were subjected to x-ray emission and were analyzed results. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by Thermoluminescence (TL), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), absorption spectrum, photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. Size of the produced cubes could be controlled in the range 10μm–70 nm by varying the solvent: co-solvent ratio. Micro-sized cubes could be grown in the presence of water as a solvent, while ethanol, which acts as a co-solvent, is found to be effective in reducing the size to the nanoscale. XRD results show complete crystalline structures, while that doped with Ag shows a prominent band at 420 nm.

Babak has completed his M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) at the age of 26 years from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran and received his M.E. (Master of Engineering) from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2012. He is Ph.D. Candidate in Biomedical Engineering department at Stevens Institute of Technology. His work has been published in 4 peer-reviewed journal articles, a book chapter, patent and numerous conference paper and posters.

The wound healing and management of full-thickness skin defects such as chronic ulcers remains a major clinical challenge. In recognition of the essential pathophysiological functions of hair follicles, which are often missed from the healed skin, it would be a viable approach to fabricate tissue-engineered skin grafts with hair-regeneration capacity. However, the difficulty of culturing and developing follicular structures from isolated cells in vitro determines the need to develop an effective and innovative strategy. The aim of this study is to investigate the use of a novel and highly controllable, layer-by-layer nanofiber scaffold assembly method that is able to generate uniformly seeded 3D constructs with additional pre-cultured dermal papillae (DP) cells aggregates to produce functional hair follicles. DP cells isolated from rat vibrissa were expanded in vitro and then cultured into aggregates via hanging droplets. Aggregates were placed between 3D construct in different depth and were seeded with fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Upon extended culture, proto-hair-like structures were observed in the skin grafts, but were closely related to the spatial organization of different cell types. A pilot study was also designed using the 3D L-b-L construct with addition of DP aggregates which was grafted into full-thickness skin defects on the backs of nude mice. Results represent that novel 3D constructs has great potential to produce a proto-hair in in-vitro culture. Proto-hair formation was seen where aggregates be placed at the interface of the keratinocytes and fibroblasts. The grafted DP cells in-vivo produced full sized hairs.

Dulce Kristal Becerra Paniagua is a chemical engineer graduate in Technological Institute of Tuxtla Gutierrez in 2014. In this moment she is studying the master in Materials and Renewable Energy Systems in the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas. She is working in the development of an autonomous H2O purifier for rural and disaster areas integrating one filter of zeolite for remove heavy metals in the water.

It was investigated the ions exchange of Hg (II), Pb (II) and Cd (II) from aqueous solution on clinoptilolita-K without modifying and modified by cation exchange with NaCl and NaOH solutions, To observe exchange capacity of the exchangeable Ca and K ions by Na ions, which are more accessible in the exchange of Hg (II), Pb (II) and Cd (II). For know the morphology of the zeolite was characterized with techniques of x-ray and x-ray fluorescence. The ion exchange isotherm experimental data for these ions were obtained in a batch experimental exchanger at different pH values and temperatures. Were performed removal tests with different amounts of zeolite at a same concentration and different concentrations of heavy metals in aqueous solution at a same amount zeolite. For know the removal percentage in the aqueous solutions was measured concentration before and after being in contact with the zeolite in a plasma atomic adsorption equipment.

Adriana de Souza Medeiros Batista graduate at Radiology Technology from Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais (2004) and master's at Nuclear Engineering from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2007). Has completed his PhD from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (2012) and postdoctoral studies from Universidad de Salamanca, Spain (2014). She is the teacher of Medicine School from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Has experience in Nuclear Engineering, focusing on Polymers Materials, acting on the following subjects: high gamma dosimetry, PVDF, Composites Materials.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) homopolymers [PVDF] homopolymers were irradiated with gamma doses ranging from 0.5 to 2.75 MGy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FTIR spectrometry were used in order to study the effects of gamma radiation in the amorphous and crystalline polymer structures. The FTIR data revealed absorption bands at 1730 and 1853 cm-1 which were attributed to the stretch of C=O bonds, at 1715 and 1754 cm-1 which were attributed to the C=C stretching and at 3518, 3585 and 3673 cm-1 which were associated with NH stretch of NH2 and OH. The melting latent heat (LM) measured by DSC was used to construct an unambiguous relationship with the delivered dose. Regression analyses revealed that the best mathematical function that fits the experimental calibration curve is a 4-degree polynomial function, with an adjusted R-square of 0.99817.

Jheison Lopes dos Santos has PhD in progress at Materials Science at the Military Institute of Engineering (IME), master in Materials Science also at IME (2013), and bachelors at Physics at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) in 2010. Graduate professor since 23 years old (2013), actually working in two private universities. He has experience in the areas of Physics, with emphasis on Physics and Physics Teaching, and in Materials Science and Engineering, acting on the following topics: 6351 T6 Aluminum Alloy, Ballistic Armors, Computer Simulation, Dynamic Behavior of Materials, and Ceramic Materials.

Ballistic impacts on metal targets have been exhaustively studied. However, the trajectory of the projectile within the target, as well as its change, has been less studied. The present work aims to analyze the behavior of the trajectory during the penetration of a projectile in a target of aluminum alloy. The impacts were made with 7.62 mm AP (Armor Piercing) projectile at cylindrical targets (billets) of 7” (177.8 mm) diameter and 100 mm thick of 6351 T6 aluminum alloy. Cuts on the billets were performed on the plane of incidence of the projectiles. The regions crossed by the projectile were analyzed by electronic microscopy. The pressure generated by the impact were estimated. Considerable deviations of the trajectory of the projectile were observed, mainly driven by thermal and contact factors.

Ph.D. candidate Mustafa Kocabaş was born in 1986 and is currently working as a Research Assistant at Yıldız Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. His primary research interest is materials science, focusing on surface treatment. Kocabas began his PhD studies at Yıldız Technical University, Turkey, in 2012.

In this study, the effects of annealing temperature of Ni-P electroless coating on anodized aluminium surfaces were investigated. For this purpose, anodic oxidation was applied onto the 1050 Al alloy surface in sulphuric acid solution. Later, standard electroless Ni-P coating was carried out. The heat treatment of the electroless nickel coated specimens is carried out by heating the specimens at various temperatures for same time period. Heat treatments were performed in a furnace, under a controlled atmosphere at 250, 350, 400 and 450°C for 1h. To analyze the structure of the coatings XRD (X-ray Diffraction) analyses was carried out. And also the samples were investigated by SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) and optical microscopy for linking their mechanical properties to their composition, structure and morphology. At low temperatures, no fundamental changes in the deposit structure were observed. On the other hand, at higher temperatures structural changes were determined. The hardness values were measured by nanoindentation and micro vickers hardness tests. The hardness of electroless nickel coatings increased with applying heat treatment. Annealing temperature dependence of the corrosion resistance was investigated by potentiodynamic polarisation measurements with 3.5% NaCl solution at room temperature.

Richa Singh received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degree from Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 2006 and 2008, respectively. She is currently working towards the Ph.D. degree under the Supervision of Prof. P. C. Pandey, in the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India. She is the Senior Research Fellow of the Teaching Assistantship, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India. She has four publications in International journals and One Indian Patent. Her present research interests include Synthesis of Silver and Palladium nanoparticles and their application in chemical sensing.

We report herein the role of functional alkoxysilane in the synthesis of palladium and its bimetallic nanoparticles. It has been found that 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane capped palladium ions are converted into palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) in the presence of organic reducing agents like Tetrahydrofuran hydroperoxide (THF-HPO) and Cyclohexanone. The process also enable efficient synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles (Pd-Au/Au-Pd) through both sequential and simultaneous methods of metal ions reduction. In addition to that 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) also allow the formation of Pd-C nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are characterized by TEM, AFM and UV-Vis spectroscopy. A comparative study on the performance of these nanoparticle for catalytic applications would be discussed.

Cristina Stoicescu has completed her PhD in 2009, Department of Applied Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, She is junior researcher at the “Ilie Murgulescu” Institute of the Physical Chemistry. Areas of competence of the research activity are thermodynamics of liquid mixtures, phase equilibria, correlation and prediction of experimental data.

The aim of the present work was to obtain and characterize new compounds which exhibit antimicrobial properties and are efficient in the treatment of multidrug resistant infections. The first stage of the synthesis of the compounds N-(p-chlorophenyl)-N’-(2-thenoyl)-thioureas (1), N-(p-iodophenyl)-N’-(2-thenoyl)-thioureas (2), N-(p-bromophenyl)-N’-(2-thenoyl)-thioureas (3), N-(p-methoxyphenyl)-N’-(2-thenoyl)-thioureas (4), N-(p-methylphenyl)-N’-(2-thienyl)-thioureas (5), N-(p-methylphenyl)-N’-(2-thenoyl)-thioureas (6), N-(p-methylphenyl)-N’-(3-thenoyl)-thioureas (7) takes place in anhydrous medium for the prevention of acids chloride decomposition in the presence of water trace. In the second stage, the samples were treated with ammonium thiocyanate which was priory dried at 100ºC. The inclusion compounds between 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and some new 2-thiophene carboxylic acid thioureides were also obtained. HP-β-CD is designed to have a high solubility and ability to complex a wide range of molecules with different degree of hydrophobicity. Complexation in organic solvent method was used to obtain the solid complexes with 1:1 stoichiometry. The solid powders of pure thioureides, HP-β-CD and complexes HP-β-CD/thioureide were analyzed by thermal methods (TG/DSC), UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The fusion enthalpies of the all pure compounds are: 26.0 kJ/mol (1), 27.6 kJ/mol (2), 22.6 kJ/mol (3), 29.5 kJ/mol (4), 27.3 kJ/mol (5), 22.1 kJ/mol (6), 27.4 kJ/mol (7). Pharmacologically, the analgesic effect by chemical stimulus test and the anti inflammatory effect after intra-plantar administration of dextran and caolin have been performed. Sample (3) has a slightly less analgesic effect compared to acetylsalicylic acid and the sample (4) shows the most intense anti inflammatory action, probably through a cyclooxygenase inhibition mechanism.

Priscila Chaves Panta is the faculty of Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Nanoparticles of iron oxide (Fe3O4) were obtained by coprecipitation with synthesis time of 30, 60 and 90 min. The morphology of the samples was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and structural characteristics were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The crystallite size was calculated from the spectrum X-ray diffraction with the application of the Scherrer equation and Winfit. The crystallite size varied from 4.6 to 14.4 nm when calculated by Scherrer equation and when calculated by the single line ranged from 7.5 to 22.3 nm Winfit. The degree of graphitization was studied by Raman spectroscopy where spectrums were analyzed with different lasers: 514 nm (0.75 mW power used) and 785 nm (1.2 mW power used). The dominant structures of the spectra are in 215, 276, 398, 487, 654 and 1300 cm-1 when using the laser 514 nm. The spectrum produced with laser 514 nm is characteristic peak of magnetite in 654 cm-1. The spectrum produced by laser 785 nm has a peak at 670 cm-1, shifted relative to the laser 514 nm. The spectrum generated by laser 785 nm peaks characteristic of maghemite encountered due to possible oxidation of the sample caused by the high power laser. The experimental results were satisfactory and are according to the survey

Marinescu Cornelia has completed her PhD in 2009 from University of Bucharest. She is junior researcher at the “Ilie Murgulescu” Institute of the Physical Chemistry. She has participated at more than 27 national and international projects.

Hydroxyapatite-based composite was obtained by powder metallurgy technology. HA commercial (Aldrich) was used in ratio HA : TiH2 = 3 :1 to prepare the HA-TiO2 composite. In order to obtain a material free of hydride, the powder was sintered by TSS (two steps sintering) [1] for 600 minutes and the HA-TiO2 ceramic with composition 77.7% HA and 22.3% TiO2 rutile was obtained. The constitution of the products was further confirmed by the FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis) analysis. The DLS (dynamic lighting scattering) measurements correlate well with the morphology observed in the SEM (scanning electron microscopy) images. HA and HA-TiO2 particles are bidispersive with size values between 59-531 nm and 106-955 nm, respectively. The smaller particles fill the pores between the larger particles. Thermal stability and mechanical properties for pure HA, TiH2, HA-TiH2 and HA-TiO2 ceramic composite were investigated by DSC/TG (differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetric analysis) and TMA (thermomechanical analysis). HA-TiO2 composite is stable up to 900ºC, mass loss corresponding dehydroxilation process starting at 912ºC. CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) values of HA (9.44 • 10-6/ºC) is comparative to that of HA-TiO2 composite (11.65 • 10-6/ºC) in the thermal stability range. The MTT (microculture tetrazolium) assay [2] showed that both HA and HA-TiO2 samples are biocompatible, even at high concentration of the samples (50mg/ml). The addition of TiH2 to hydroxyapatite followed by TSS sintering may lead to the formation of a composite with improved thermal properties and without affecting the material biocompatibility.

Anil Shantappa is the Head of the Department of Physics at Veerappa Nisty Engineering College, India. He has published numerous articles in reputed journals.

This work was carried out to study the nature of mass attenuation of bioactive glasses for gamma or X-rays. Bioactive glasses are a group of synthetic silica-based bioactive materials with unique bone bonding properties. In the present study, we have calculated the effective atomic number, electron density for photon interaction of some selected bioactive glasses viz., SiO2-Na2O, SiO2-Na2O-CaO and SiO2-Na2O-P2O5 in the energy range 1 keV to 100 MeV. We have also computed the single valued effective atomic number by using XMuDat program. It is observed that variation in effective atomic number (ZPI, eff) depends also upon the weight fractions of selected bioactive glasses and range of atomic numbers of the elements. A biomaterial is a synthetic material used in intimate contact with living tissue. A more precise definition of a biomaterial was given in 1986 as "a nonviable material used in a medical device, intended to interact with biological systems". Gamma rays and X-rays are commonly used for diagnostic in nuclear medicine, computed tomography scanning, radiography, mammography, radiotherapy, gamma knife radio surgery, radiology, etc and for treatment of many diseases. Bioactive glasses are widely used in joint replacements, bone plates, etc. As a consequence, various hu¬man organs and bioactive material are exposed to X-rays and gamma rays. Once some parts of the human body is replaced by bioactive material, it is very important to know that how these material can be affected by exposing with X-or gamma radiation. In the present study, we calculated the ZPI, eff and Nel for photon interaction of some selected bioactive glasses viz., SiO2-Na2O, SiO2-Na2O-CaO and SiO2-Na2O-P2O5 in the energy region 1 keV-100 MeV by using WinXCom programme. We also computed the single valued effective atomic number using the XMuDat programme and compared with ZPI,eff. Energy dependence of effective atomic number for total photon interaction shows the dominance of different interaction processes in different energy regions. The XMuDat calculates Zeff, XMuDat by assuming photoelectric absorption as the main interaction process. The results shown here on ZPI,eff may be useful in the estimation of penetration of energy.

Dr. Joel Pantoja Enriquez is the faculty of Center for Research and Technological Development of Renewable Energy at the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Mexico.

Cadmium sulfide films were deposited onto glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD) from a bath containing cadmium acetate, ammonium acetate, thiourea, and ammonium hydroxide. The CdS thin films were annealed in air, argon, hydrogen and nitrogen for 1 h at various temperatures (300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 °C). The changes in optical and electrical properties of annealed treated CdS thin films were analyzed. The results showed that, the band-gap and resistivity depend on the post-deposition annealing atmosphere and temperatures. Thus, it was found that these properties of the films, were found to be affected by various processes with opposite effects, some beneficial and others unfavorable. The energy gap and resistivity for different annealing atmospheres was seen to oscillate by thermal annealing. Recrystallization, oxidation, surface passivation, sublimation and materials evaporation were found the main factors of the heat-treatment process responsible for this oscillating behavior. Annealing over 400 °C was seen to degrade the optical and electrical properties of the film.

Monika has completed her B.Sc. and from R.G.(P.G.) College, Meerut and M.Sc. (Biotechnology) from Chaudhary Charan Singh University campus, Meerut (Uttar Pradesh, India) in 2004 and 2007 respectively. She is pursuing doctoral studies from School of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi; India. Her present research interests include synthesis and characterization of Functionalization of polymers and their composites for biomedical applications.

Free radicle polymerization of methyl methacrylate is one of the most successful methods to polymerize widely explored biomaterial because of its biocompatibility. Polymerization of methyl methacrylate with thiourea can be prepared by free radical polymerization reaction. Thiourea is also added during the polymerization as functional end group in poly(methyl methacrylate). Ferric chloride initiator has been used to initiate polymerization reaction and to attach thiourea group at the end of chain through radical addition process. The chemical structure of synthesized polymer has been characterized by 1H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FTIR) and UV-spectra. Incorporation of thiourea at the end of polymer chain which is bonded to the carbon atom of PMMA was demonstrated by 1H-NMR and FTIR.

Mr. Basyooni completed his M.Sc. at the age of 26 years in Nanophotonics and Applications (NPA) Lab, Department of Physics,faculty of science, Beni-Suef University and currentlly he is a PhD candatate in nanocomposites for satellie and space applications.

CO2 is considered as one of the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth`s atmosphere, Nevertheless; environmental and emissions monitoring. There is a highly significant need for CO2 sensors for space and commercial application, as well. Those applications include low-false-alarm fire detection which detect chemical species indicative of a fire (e.g., CO2 and CO). In this work, we are focusing on the carbon dioxide chemiresistive sensor under practical environment, i.e., atmospheric pressure,oxgygen free environment and room temperature by ZnO and ZnO: Na wrinkle net-work structure. The structural, optical, electrical properties, scan electron microscope and X-ray diffraction of the prepared film was studied. Sensor parameters such as dynamic response, response magnitude, response time and recovery time where studied at room temperature for different concentrations of CO2 gas. The detection limit of the sensor form the sensor’s signal processing performance was calculated to be 0.42 sccm. The dynamic response curves for ZnO and ZnO: Na for gas volumes; 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm3 of CO2 for 5 minutes in an inert environment at room temperature have been demnostrated. It can be observed for both cases that upon exposure to CO2, the increased resistance of the ZnO film confirmed its n-type semiconducting behavior. For such new technique of gas sensing in room temperature, the sensor response mechanism can be attributed to direct charge transfer on metal conductivity with additional electron hopping effects on intertube conductivity through physically adsorbed molecules between the network nanostructur, another reson is the smaller particle size and thus larger surface-to-volume ratio of ZnO:Na in addition to the small band gap which enable ZnO: Na sensor to operate at room temperature.

Boniface Yeboah Antwi completed his MPhil degree in Polymer Science and Technology as the pioneering student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He is a proud winner of the Government of Ghana Mathematics, Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme for 2011/2012 academic year. He is currently a PhD candidate with the Chemistry Department of University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. His research borders on novel materials for improved efficiency of organic solar cells.

Demand for carbon free energy is growing over the years as the world fight climate change. It is estimated that, by 2050, global demand for carbon free energy would have been increased to about 20 terawatts in the form of electricity and other fuels. In addition, current reports show that, conventional energy production has several environmental and economic challenges associated with it. And so, lots of attention has been directed to harvesting solar energy for electricity generation. This is expected to be a better alternative to sustainable and greener sources of energy. Even though progress has been made in this direction, there is more room for improvements. For instance, the prevailing high cost of silicon based solar cells has necessitated varied research into affordable alternative photoactive materials with high power conversion efficiencies. This work aims at investigating the preparation and characterization of photoactive organic materials from natural pigments and novel low bandgap semiconducting polymers for application in photovoltaic devices.

Caglar Yuksel received BS degree at the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Firat University in 2008 and received his master degree in 2011 from Yildiz Technical University (YTU). He worked in several foundries and now has been occupied at Yildiz Technical University Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering as a Research Assistant. He is also co-researcher in Balkan Centre of Advanced Casting Technologies (BCACT). Presently, he is a PhD student in the casting of non-ferrous metals.

Aluminum and its alloys are widely using in automotive, aeronautical and packing industries. One of the most important aluminum alloys is Al7Si0,3Mg, which also known as A356. This alloy is preferred to use in automotive industry especially wheel rim for its low density, high fluidity and strength. After producing wheel rim, typically the cast subject to machining process for final surface finish is where chips are produced. In this study chips were remelted. Samples were collected before and after degassing process to measure the melt quality with bifilm index by using reduced pressure test.

Chirag Patel is a Research Fellow at the Department Of Physics in Gujarat University, India.

Composites of Hard (Sr2Co2Fe12O22) and Soft (CoFe2O4) ferrite are prepared. First individual ferrite powder prepared using co-precipitation technique. The prepared precursors were pre-heated at 500ºC followed by final sintering at 1000ºC for 4 hrs. The prepared powder sub-sequent mixed in different mass ratio and final heated at 1150ºC for 5 hrs in a muffle furnace in order to get composites of hard-soft ferrites. The prepared composite powders were characterized using different experimental techniques like XRD, FTIR, Dielectric measurements & Ac-Susceptibility measurements. FTIR spectra were recorded at room temperature to confirm the formation of ferrites and also to understand the nature of the residual carbon in the samples. Structural characterizations of prepared composites were analyzed by X-Ray diffraction. The dielectric measurement was carried out at room temperature in a frequency range of 20Hz to 2MHz using inductance capacitance resistance meter-bridge (Agilent E4980A precision LCR meter). AC-susceptibility measurement is carried out at constant magnetic field of 10 Oe with temperature variation from room temperature to 600ºC.

Erkul Karacaoglu is from Aksaray, Turkey and has completed his MSc from Anadolu University at Materials Science and Engineering and is pursuing his PhD studies at Selcuk University, department of metallurgy and materials engineering. He is a Research Assistant at Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has published papers more than 11 papers in reputed journals about inorganic based luminescence materials.

The pyrochlore (A2B2O7) compound which is related to the fluorite structure and it is well known that many rare earth compounds have photo luminescent characteristics for various applications. So the Eu1.90La0.10Zr2O7 pyrochlore phosphor was synthesized through a solid state reaction method under open atmosphere. The thermal analysis (DTA/TG) was carried out to determine optimization of reaction conditions. The phase properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and the effects of rare earth ion (La3+) that is activator on the luminescence properties of the Eu2-xLaxZr2O7 host were investigated by using a photoluminescence spectrometer (Figure 1.) under room temperature. In the photoluminescence investigations, under the excitation of 290 nm, Eu3+ ions showed different emissions in the yellowish-red region at this host lattice. The emission bands at 586, 604-623 and 700 nm belong to typical 5D0 → 7F1, 5D0 → 7F2, and 5D0 → 7F4 transitions of the Eu3+ ions, respectively. Especially the most intense emissions between 580 and 610 nm are due to magnetic dipole transitions between the 5D0 → 7F1 states.

Esra Öztürk has completed her PhD from Erciyes University. She is currently working in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University. Her research areas are inorganic solid state materials, luminescent materials and piezoelectric smart materials. She has published 20 papers in reputed journals.

Germanates constitute a group of ternary oxides with several properties of interest in the fields of sensing, optical and electro-optical applications and others. The Eu2-xDyxGe2O7 (x: 0.10) was synthesized via high temperature solid state reaction method under open atmosphere. The reaction conditions and phase forming process were investigated by thermo gravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was carried out to get phase properties of the powder sample. The luminescence properties of the Eu1.90Dy0.10Ge2O7 phosphor were determined by a photoluminescence spectrometer (Figure 1) under room temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) results showed that the excitation under ultraviolet region (395 nm) gave different intense emissions in the red region. The emission bands at 589, 611, 645 and 697 nm concern the typical 5D0 → 7F1, 5D0 → 7F2, 5D0 → 7F3 and 5D0 → 7F4 transitions of the Eu3+ ions, respectively. The most intense emission peak, 611 nm, belongs to red region transition of Eu 3+ ions.

Gonzalez Zapatero Walter Francisco is a Metallurgical Engineer studied at the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. He is finishing his Master in Science studies in Failure Analysis and Fracture. He has been working at Pipeline Analysis Integrity Group since 2012 as Integrity analyst and research team collaborator, directed by PhD. Jorge Luis Gonzalez Velazquez who is one of the most recognized analysts in Mexico; recently he has been incorporated as Professor at National Polytechnic Institute in subjects as Mathematical Modeling and Numerical Methods. He is developing software applied to Fitness-for-Service Assessment.

Fitness-for-service assessment are applied in mechanical integrity for damaged components, grounded in determine remaining strength and remaining life using quantitative methodologies, this work is focused in study of RL, it depends on the rate of progression of damage and service degradation mechanisms. Standards as API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, indicate that there is currently no widely accepted methodology for assessing the RL of components with HIC. In this study is presented an alternative method to determine RL of a pressure vessel damaged. The cracking growth is related with flow of hydrogen atoms through material, which is associated with the corrosion current system that is a result of electrochemical reaction between the metal and a sulfide environment. The diffusion of hydrogen atoms through the material occurs in cathode sites generated during corrosion, even more favored by the presence of elements known as poison. Lazcano et al, have developed an experimental arrangement where growth of HIC cracks was monitored until a time of 720 hours. This experiment reproduced the phenomenon as it occurs in nature, monitoring the cracked area evolution in time. The proposal procedure considers the average cracked area in component, obtained from ultrasonic phase array. After, the mathematical model proposal by Rivas et al is applied to calculate the growth rate, it is grounded in Lazcano’s experimental results, the model describes the increment of area in the time at different system current values and it uses a double Gumbel’s exponential. To determine the RL time, use is made of Failure Analysis Diagrams (FAD), applying a parametric analysis increasing the crack size at the rate previously calculated, the time in the cracked area exceeds the security limit at the FAD corresponds with RL. In addition, damaged area should be evaluated as a local metal loss.

Guillermo Valdes Mesa Born in Havana, Cuba in 1962, graduated in Physics in 1985, working for the Microelectronics Industry, as head of final control investigations degradation production of electronic components, working for the Electronics Industry, department of reliability, characterization work performed Luma-Chroma plate worker Research Institute of Metrology, work Challenges of Metrology in Cuba in the era of nanotechnology. Work published in the ISO TC 229, ISO TC229 / IEC 113, required for conformity assessment of research and nano-scale productions Tool page.

Nanotechnology breaks as generator of welfare in all areas of our lives, can be seen that new technology is creator of synergy and brings with it various risk that must be properly addressed in the regulations. The objective of this word is to present recommendations to be considered for the introduction of regulation in our country on the important aspects as the conformity assessment of the research and production thorough the relations among metrology, standardization and accreditation. The nano medicine is a discipline that generates extraordinary possibly from the point of view of the interfaces NANO-BIO-INFO, COGNO which will contribute to individualized treatment of patients. For example regenerative medicine is very important the increased the surface area and quantum effect he greatest advantage of using nanotechnology in tissue engineering is that the novel properties of nanomaterials make the cell interaction and other cellular functions much more efficient than tradition but materials. These used guidance on the determination of potential health effects of nanomaterials used in medical devices (is Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks SCENIHR), the thorough the relations for TC 210 and ISO TC 229 and IEC TC 113.

Dr. Maha Sultan is a researcher at the Packaging Materials Department, National Research Centre, Egypt.

The aim of this study to utilize cellulosic material from agriculture wastes as super absorbent and biodegradable hydrogels and improve nutrients use efficiency by using slow release hydrogel packed with fertilizers and targeted root delivery system. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/cellulose hydrogels was efficiently prepared throughout two–step synthesis consists of cellulose dissolution in NaOH/urea aqueous solution and is mixing with CMC, followed by cross linking with epichlorohydrin (ECH). Verification of functional structure and topography of the hydrogel was characterized by FT-IR and SEM analysis techniques. In addition, the effect of varying CMC/cellulose components ratios on swelling behaviors, urea packing percentage, and slow release rate of urea was investigated. The results revealed that, increasing CMC/ cellulose component ratios contributed to enhance the properties of the resultant hydrogel. CMC/cellulose weight ratio 5:1 exhibited the maximum swelling ratio to be more than 10 times of its dry weight in both aqueous and saline solution, the maximum percentage of urea loading achieved more than 80 % loading at 16 % urea concentration solution. However, urea entrapment percent was 65% at the same urea concentration solution (w/v). The urea release showed dramatically controlled and slow behavior in both water as release medium and soil. The cumulative urea release achieved 14.34 % after 12 hours based on its oven dry weight in water. However, cumulative urea release within soil was 886.56 ppm after three weeks.

Nur Farhana M. Yunos is a Faculty at the School of Materials Engineering, University Malaysia Perlis. She completed her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering in 2012 from UNSW, Australia. She published numerous articles in reputed journals.

Iron and steel consumption is expanding in developing country making challenges to produce more sustainable and new technologies in steel making production. One of the key is to lower the usage of fossil fuel and reduce greenhouse gas emission from its production process by recycling agricultural waste. Agricultural waste had given an interesting way to replace the energy and carbon source in steel making that contributes in lowering energy consumption and emission. In the present study, the agricultural waste from palm shells (activated carbon) are used to reduce the coal and coke consumption, blended with recycled EAF (composite pellet) to improve the reduction behavior in steel making. The composite pellet reduced in a horizontal tube furnace under inert oxygen atmosphere at high temperatures (1500áµ’C). To understand the structural transformation and chemical conversion during reduction reaction, analytical tools such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) are used. An increased in reduction was seen when using agricultural wastes char as carbon resources compared to coke.

Adigun Oluwole Daniel is currently an academic staff of the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. He had previously worked with the University as a non-academic staff in the Physical Planning Unit as Engineer I and Clerk of Works. Adigun Oluwole graduated with B. Eng. degree from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, in 2007 and currently winding up on his M. Eng. Degree in Mineral Processing.

Several attempts have been made to design comminution plants by the determination of crushing or grinding energy of solid minerals deposits using the Bond work index. In this research however, Bond work index was used in predicting aggregate quality of selected rock samples. Samples of granite gneiss, granite, charnockitic rock and feldspathic granite from Itaji-Ekiti State, Ikere-Ekiti State, Akure-Ondo State and Itaogbolu-Ondo State respectively; all in south western Nigeria were tested for hardness (aggregate crushing value, ACV and aggregate impact value, AIV). The Bond work index of these samples was also determined. The Bond work index of the granite gneiss was found to be 13.72kWh/t, that of the feldspathic granite 12.76kWh/t and that of the granite and charnockite rock were found to be 13.64kWh/t and 17.12kWh/t respectively. In order to predict aggregate quality, Bond work index (Wi) of samples were correlated with aggregate crushing value (Xacv) and aggregate impact value (Xaiv) and a fine correlation was found between Bond work index (Wi) and aggregate crushing value (Xacv) according to equation Wi=1775e-0.17xacv with correlation coefficient (Racv) of 0.98. Hence, the Bond work index values ranging between 0-7kWh/t, 7-10kWh/t, 10-14kWh/t, 14-18kWh/t and >18kWh/t were acknowledged as ‘very easy’, ‘easy’, ‘medium’, ‘difficult’ and ‘very difficult’ respectively, in ability to resist crushing. From these results, the resistances of the selected samples to crushing were observed to range between “medium” for granite gneiss, feldspathic granite and granite to “difficult” for charnockite rock which has the best strength properties for aggregate production. In essence, aggregates falling within the ‘medium’, ‘difficult’ and ‘very difficult’ classification in ability to resist crushing are qualified for use in flexible road pavement.

Punita Mourya received the B.Sc. degree and M.Sc. degree from Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, in 2007 and 2009, respectively. She is currently working towards the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India. She is the senior research fellow of the UGC, India. She has five publications in international journals. Her present research interests include inhibition of acid corrosion of mild steel using heterocyclic organic compounds.

The effect of iodide ions on the inhibitive performance of 2-ethoxy-4, 6-dimethylnicotinonitrile (EDNN) in 0.5 M H2SO4 for mild steel (MS) corrosion has been studied using gravimetric, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. EDNN inhibits the corrosion of MS and its inhibition efficiency increases on increasing the concentration of the inhibitor at 298 K. The adsorption of EDNN on MS leading to inhibition was found to follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibition efficiency of EDNN increased on the addition of 2.0 mM KI. The synergistic effect of KI was determined by calculating the synergism parameters. The value of synergism parameter which is more than unity indicates the fact that the enhanced inhibition efficiency in the presence of iodide ions is only due to synergism. This synergism showed that a cooperative mechanism exists between the iodide anion and EDNN cations. The increase in surface coverage in the presence of iodide ions indicates that iodide ions enhance the adsorption of EDNN on the negatively charged metal surface. Surface morphology of corroded/inhibited MS has been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the inhibited MS surface has been carried out to determine the composition of the adsorbed surface film. Some quantum chemical parameters and the Mulliken charge densities for EDNN were calculated by the density functional theory (DFT) method to provide further insight into the mechanism of inhibition of the corrosion process.

Dr. Zineb Hamlati is an Assistant Professor at the Aeronautic Department, University of Blida 1. She earned her PhD from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of USTHB (Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene), her Master of Aeronautic degree from the Aeronautic Institute of Blida 1 University (Blida, Algeria) in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Mohamed Azzaz and my BSc (State Engineer) from same university in 2000.

In the current study, the microstructure and magnetic properties of FeAlSn powders synthesized by mechanical alloying was investigated. Elemental Fe, Al and Sn powders were milled in a planetary ball mill for 1 h to 24 h. The effect of the milling on structural parameters, such as crystallite size, lattice parameter and lattice strain was evaluated by X-ray diffraction. Typically, these values were 5.56 nm, 2.8847Ã… and 1.18 % for the disordered Fe (Al, Sn) solid solution milled for 24 h. The coercivity and saturation magnetization values after 24 h milling are about 40.46 Oe and 161.75 emu/g, respectively.

MOHD AMIRUL SYAFIQ MOHD YUNOS was born at Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia on October 26th, 1986. He received his primary education at Sek. Rendah Tunku Mahmood(1) – Kluang, Johor. His secondary education was at Sek. Men. Keb.Jalan Batu Pahat– Kluang, Johor. He completed his Matriculation studies in Physical Science at Kolej Matrikulasi Pahang – Gambang, Pahang. In July 2005, he then continued his higher education at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang and obtained his Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Materials Science (2008). In May 2009, he continued his education in materials science as a Master postgraduate student at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia. In the same university, he was pursuing Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng) in Material Science and Engineering at Department of Chemical Engineering and Environment, Faculty of Engineering start from September 2012. Since October 2009, he has employed as a government research officer and chief scientific investigator by the Plant Assessment Technology Group, Industrial Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency. His main area of interest is structural and electrical characterizations of materials, radiation protection, nuclear science, radiotracer technology, and radioactive nanoparticles. His field of study for Doctor of Engineering programme is in Materials Science and Engineering. He contributed several papers/articles at seminar/conference/exhibition during his doctorate’s studies.

Ternary compound of semiconductor poly crystals Copper Tin Selenide, Cu2SnSe3, thin films have been prepared by vacuum thermal evaporation technique on well-cleaned glass substrate and annealed in purified nitrogen atmosphere from room temperature to 500°C for different annealing temperature. The annealing effects on surface morphologies, elemental compositions, and electrical behaviour of these films have been investigated using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX), and Van der Pauw techniques. EDX studies showed that increasing the annealing temperature resulted in drastic loss of Cu content. It is observed that elemental compositions of the Cu2SnSe3 thin films were close to the ideal stoichiometric value 2:1:3. The annealed Cu2SnSe3 thin films were found to be p-type semiconductor with activation energy, ΔEa, of 0.018 eV obtained from I-V characteristic analysis.

Huseyin Murat LUS was graduated from Yildiz Technical University (YTU) in 1995 and got his Ph.D. degree in 2007 in material science field. After working as research staff at Department of Material Science and Engineering in YTU for 12 years, Dr. Lus is working currently as Assist.Prof. in the area of solidification and casting technologies. Dr. Lus is also the member of Balkan centre of advanced casting technologies (BCACT)

This paper investigates the role of TiBAL as a refiner on the ductility of the eutectic Al-Si alloy processed by squeeze casting method. Gravity casting and squeeze casting were carried out on an aluminium alloy with 12 wt % silicon with the addition of different amount of of TiBAL refiner. Investigations on mechanical and microstructural characteristics were done on specimens drawn directly from cast components, Although significant improvements were noticed in mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics with the increase of pressure, remarkable increase were not oberved with the addition of grain refiner in the case of squeeze casting.

Ms. Shital Vasant Kahane is currently doing her Ph.D. in physics under the guidance of Professor Shailaja Mahamuni at Department of Physics, S. P. Pune University, India. She has completed her master degree from the same department in 2008. Her research topic is ‘Preparation, Properties and Application of Metal-Semiconductor Nanostructures’. She has published three papers in international journals on i) study of charge transfer mechanism and optical properties of Au–CdS core–shell nanocrystals (2014), ii) CdO-CdS nanocomposites with enhanced photo-catalytic activity for hydrogen generation from water (2013) and iii) optical behaviour of Au-ZnO nanojunctions (2011). She has also presented her work in national and international conferences. She has achieved the award of JRF and SRF through Pune-BARC (Mumbai) MOU collaborative programme.

ZnO being a direct band gap, chemically inert material with larger excitonic binding energy is one of the promising materials for optoelectronic devices. Metal-Semiconductor heterostructures on the nanoscale are evolved as novel multifunctional composites. The exchange of excitation energy in metal-semiconductor nanostructures can occur through transfer of photo-induced charges from semiconductor to metal. In the present paper, implications of charge transfer from semiconductor to metal in nanostructures comprising of pyramidal ZnO-Au (Au located on the basal plane) are studied. The charge transfer between chemically prepared ZnO-Au nanostructures is vivid from the blue shift in optical absorption spectrum of ZnO-Au nanostructure compared to bare ZnO nanocrystals (NCs). Quenching of photoluminescence intensity of ZnO-Au NCs corroborate the charge transfer from ZnO to Au. Amplified Raman signal in ZnO-Au nanostructures with an appearance of additional peaks at 322 cm-1 and 661 cm-1 (second order multiphonon Raman signal) is observed. The intensity of peak at 519 cm-1 increases and red shifts by 51 cm-1 than that of (first order optical phonon mode: 570 cm-1) bare ZnO NCs. The substantial shift in the Raman feature is partially attributable to heating of ZnO NCs caused by visible light absorption of Au nanocrystals and thereby heating nanostructures. The feature at 438 cm-1 (E2 high) is a characteristic of Wurtzite phase of ZnO NCs. This peak shifts to 425 cm-1 in ZnO-Au nanostructures. Enhanced Raman scattering in case of ZnO-Au is due to amplified local electric field and transfer of electrons from ZnO to Au. The charge transfer from ZnO to Au has also considerable implications on the electrical conductance.

Tanveer Ahmad Dar received M.Sc degree in Physics from Barkatulla University Bhopal M.P India and pursued M.Phil (Physics) with special focus on material science from Devi Ahilya University, Indore India. Currently, he was enrolled as a PhD student in school of Physics Devi Ahilya University Indore, under the supervision of Prof. (Mrs.) Pratima Sen. His area of research include electronic and spin transport in Diluted magnetic semiconductor surfaces and Interfaces and coauthored about 7 papers in international reputed journals.

The possibility of manipulation of electron spin or spin polarized current is a key issue for examining the utility of the material in making spintronic devices. The presence of the spin polarized current can be evident from the magnetotransport/magnetoresistance study of the material. In view of this, the present paper deals with the magnetotransport properties of Mg doped ZnO film prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique. Quite interestingly, we observe both negative as well as positive magnetoresistance (MR) in the MgZnO film. The decreasing behaviour of resistance with increasing temperature reveals the semiconducting nature of film. The presence of negative MR was described on the basis of localized magnetic moments which are provided by the magnetically active defect like oxygen and zinc interstitials while the positive MR was described by two band model where the applied magnetic field induces changes in the relative populations in the two conduction bands with different conductivities. At 7K temperature, a change in sign of MR from negative to positive has been observed revealing the presence of spin polarization of charge carriers in the film. The response of the material to the magnetic fields can be monitored by intentional introduction of Oxygen or zinc interstitials, by varying the temperature or magnetic field and this property can be exploited in making spintronic devices.

Arpana Agrawal received Master’s degree in Physics in the year 2011 from School of Physics from Devi Ahilya University Indore, India with distinction. M.Phil physics in the year June 2012 from school of Physics Devi Ahilya University Indore. She is doing her PhD from School of Physics Devi Ahilya University Indore India. Her area of research is Optical, Transport and magnetotransport studies of ZnO based multilayer structures. She coauthored about 7 papers in International peer reviewed journals.

The demand for new generation devices warrants the integration of electronic, magnetic and optical properties in the device material. Transition metal ion doped ZnO materials are well known for their spintronic applications. Apart from this, these materials can also be important for nonlinear (NL) device applications like optical limiting devices, optical switches etc, if their NL optical properties are well understood. In the present paper, we report the optical nonlinearity in the pulsed laser deposited Ni0.03Zn0.97O film at excitation energy much smaller than the energy band gap of the film. We have employed the standard z-scan technique to determine the imaginary part of third order NL susceptibility and the NL absorption coefficient of Ni doped ZnO thin film. Good NL optical response has been observed in NiZnO film in the off-resonant regime. In the open aperture z-scan experiment, a dip is found at the focus indicating the decrease in absorption of light with increasing light intensity. The NL absorption coefficient and the imaginary part of third order NL susceptibility were found to be 0.74 m/W and 7.6x 1 0-10 m2/V2, respectively. The observed NL in Ni0.03Zn0.97O film is ascribed to the two photon absorption followed by the free carrier absorption provided by the oxygen vacancy defects. Such a large value of NL absorption coefficient indicates that NiZnO material has a very good optical limiting behaviour.

The growing need for energy by the human society and depletion of conventional energy sources demands a renewable, safe, clean, infinite, and low–cost energy source. One of the most suitable ways to solve the foreseeable world’s energy crisis is to use the power of the sun. Photovoltaic devices are especially of wide interest as they can convert solar energy to electricity. However the cost effectiveness and performance of the PV cells are the challenges in the PV market. Luminescent Solar Concentrator Systems (LSCs) are giving hope to overcome the cost effectiveness of PV cells, since they are made from low cost polymers and the manufacturing process of polymers is advanced and it is cheap. In this work, 5 mm outer diameter of Sylgard 184 and 22% DiPhenyl fibers homogenously doped with LR305 were manufactured and characterized optically. Finally the performance of the fibers coupled with silicon solar cell and multijunciion solar cell were measured using ray trace software under solar simulator and the resulted I-V, P-V and Pmax-concentration curves presented.

Clement Appiah, age 29 is a final year PhD student at Martin-Luther University, Germany. He completed his master’s degree in macromolecular chemistry with distinction, and received the DAAD price for the best international student in 2012. He has published more than 4 papers in reputed journals.

Understanding the physical and chemical properties of polymer crystallization processes and structural organization phenomenon is an important prerequisite for successful material design. Crystallization studies of supramolecular block copolymers where an additional dynamic effect exerted by the supramolecular interactions (such as e.g. H-bonding elements, ionic liquids, pi-pi stacking) tends to be more complex in their behavior. Thus as now the supramolcular interactions holding the individual blocks are subjected to breaking and reformation [1,2], a more complex crystallization-behavior in such systems results, leading to behavior situated between those of polymer blends (in case of partial miscibility) and block copolymers (in case of immisciblity). Thus to fully understand the aforementioned behaviors, we have synthetically addressed different supramolecular block copolymers [3] having a crystallizable PCL and an amorphous PS chains linked together via an H-bonding interactions. Two constraints are present in these blocks: i.e., one constraint is formed by an hydrogen bonding system connecting two microphase-segregating polymers, and the second constraint is formed by the phase boundary of the segregating (PS)-polymer block. Studies of their crystallization behavior using DSC, IR and SAXS methods, showed confinement behavior by the PS block leading to an ordered arrangement of the blocks even when the supromolecular H-bonds were opened, thus leading to microphase segregated structures.