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Packaging must have a good commercial appearance and is generally obtained by ink transferred to its substrate. It is important that the ink used in packaging printing is produced from environmentally friendly and sustainable raw materials as well as being suitable for the printing system. The increasing demand in the field of printed packaging and the scarcity of resources to meet this demand have accelerated the search for new sources for inks. For this purpose, inks produced in the laboratory using a modified cellulose-based binder, a commercial acrylic resin and a commercial soybean protein were compared with a commercial ink. As a result of the study, it was determined that the printability properties of the ink obtained by using the modified cellulose-based binder were better than the ink obtained with commercial soybean protein. It was determined that it showed printability properties close to the ink produced with commercial acrylic binders. By using modified cellulose-based water-based flexographic ink instead of other commonly used binders, more environmentally friendly sustainable inks can be produced.

Elevated humidity levels in medical, food, and pharmaceutical products may reduce the products’ shelf life, trigger bacterial growth, and even lead to complete spoilage. In this study, we report a humidity indicator that mechanically bends and rolls itself irreversibly upon exposure to high humidity conditions. The indicator is made of two food-grade polymer films with distinct ratios of a milk protein, casein, and a plasticizer, glycerol, that are physically attached to each other. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis and microstructural characterization, we hypothesize that the bending mechanism is a result of hygroscopic swelling and consequent counter diffusion of water and glycerol. Guided by this mechanism, we demonstrate that the rolling behavior, including response time and final curvature, can be tuned by the geometric dimensions of the indicator. As the proposed indicator is made of food-grade ingredients, it can be placed directly in contact with perishable products to report exposure to undesirable humidity inside the package, without the risk of contaminating the product or causing oral toxicity in case of accidental digestion, features that commercial inedible electronic and chemo-chromatic sensors cannot provide presently.

This review discusses the developments in CO separation techniques in the last few decades and the gaps in knowledge it leaves, as well as sources of CO, both traditional and emerging, which would benefit from improved CO separation.

The quest for sustainable monomers and \"green\" synthetic pathways for the design, fabrication, and modification of various polymers is of great importance and attracts a great deal of attention. Here, a highly versatile and novel bio-based platform was developed by reacting castor oil with propiolic acid for performing amino-yne click reactions. Owing to the electron-deficient nature of the propiolic acid esters, amino-yne click reactions were conducted with ease at room temperature, in the absence of any catalyst and solvent (as long as the amines were low-viscosity liquids at room temperature), and within 5 min. Several primary and secondary amines were shown to react readily with the developed platform. Furthermore, thermosets were prepared by using the propiolated castor oil and multifunctional amines. The prepared thermosets displayed improved thermal properties and elastomer-like mechanical properties.

Corneal ulcer, which is brought on by a breach in the epithelial barrier, is a dangerous infection of the avascular corneal stroma. New treatment strategies are needed, suppressing the aggressive nature of the disease and including a combination of different drugs. In this study, vancomycin (VAN) and fluconazole (FLU) dual-drug loaded dual-layered polyvinyl alcohol and gelatin (PVA/GEL) nanofibrous patches are produced by electrospinning. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show smooth surfaces are obtained for both pure and drug-loaded nanofibrous patches. The tensile test results report that loading the FLU and VAN separately into the PVA/GEL patches decrease both the tensile strength and elongation at break and it is further reduced when combining two drug-loaded layers in one patch. According to drug release results, the FLU and VAN-loaded nanofibrous patches show a controlled release profile extending up to 96 h. Moreover, PVA/GEL/FLU, PVA/GEL/VAN, and PVA/GEL/FLU/VAN nanofibrous patches display significant antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. SEM, 4\"-6diamidynofenyloindol (DAPI) staining, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay show that PVA/FLU and PVA/GEL/FLU/VAN nanofibrous patches have a superior effect on NIH3T3 cell spreading and proliferation. The novelty of this study lays in the development of a potential dual drug rapid treatment for corneal ulcers of aggressive nature.

The purpose of this work was the development of an alternative ocular tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride (THZ) microemulsion for the management of allergic conjunctivitis. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were used to produce the microemulsions. For the formulation of the microemulsions, isopropyl myristate was selected as oil. Furthermore, various surfactants were applied for the determination of their suitability; ME-1 and ME-4 were developed using Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and Polysorbate 80, for ME-2 and ME-5 Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and macrogolglycerol ricinoleate while for ME-3 and ME-6 Sorbitan monolaurate 80 and Polysorbate 20. For ME-1, ME-2, and ME-3 propylene glycol and ethanol, for ME-4, ME-5, and ME-6 ethanol and polyethylene glycol were used as co-surfactants. Various characterization parameters of microemulsions were evaluated such as droplet size, conductivity, zeta potential, viscosity, and pH. In addition, the drug release, stability, sterility, safety, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments were studied. The characterization showed that the formulations can act as suitable carriers for eye application. In addition, it was revealed that microemulsions were found stable and sterile. The formulations released the drug in a sustained manner. Ex vivo diffusion studies exhibited that the microemulsions can be used for topical delivery to the eye. Assessment of in vitro ocular irritation was conducted by an in vivo prediction model, EpiOcular™ eye irritation test. Based on the in vivo studies, the chosen ideal microemulsion showed longer contact time to the cornea than the commercial product. Moreover, the developed ocular carrier was found to be safe from the viewpoint of in vitro ocular irritancy and mutagenicity. In conclusion, according to characterization results, the THZ microemulsions can act as a hopeful approach for topical eye application.

© 2022 Elsevier LtdIntegrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a power generation technology that partially oxidizes solid feedstocks to produce syngas, drives high-efficiency gas turbines (GT), recovers waste heat and uses it to generate electricity, etc. In this study, a new IGCC model for an entrained bed gasifier/GT/Kalina cycle for CO2 co-gasification was developed for the first time using Aspen HYSYS, and an energy and exergy analysis of this model was performed to provide decision makers with a comprehensive overview of whether the energy conversion system is designed to be sustainable from a variety of perspectives. The newly proposed integrated system was used to study the CO2/air gasification process of the biochar/waste tyre blend. Although entrained bed gasifiers have been modelled using different software and different fuels, no study on the Kalina cycle integrated biochar/waste tyre co-gasification process using Aspen HYSYS has not been reported yet. In addition, most parametric studies on integrated Kalina combined cycles focus on the influence of the Kalina cycle or a few operating factors. However, in this study, the effects of a variety of gasification process operating conditions on the performance of the combined cycle are considered. The equivalence ratio (ER) for a high-efficiency integrated system ranged from 0.23 to 0.25, and the CO2 content in the gasifying agent was in the range of 5–7%. While increasing the waste tyre content in the feedstock enhances H2 production, operating the entrained bed gasifier at relatively low temperature is more efficient. Increasing the ammonia content in the working fluid also improves efficiency, and the inlet pressure of the Kalina turbine should be maintained at 28 bar to maximize performance. While the integration of the GT enables significant power generation, optimizing the operating conditions of the gasifier, which has the highest exergy dissipation, is critical to the performance of the integrated system.

The recurrent evolution of resistance to cardiotonic steroids (CTS) across diverse animals most frequently involves convergent amino-acid substitutions in the H1-H2 extracellular loop of Na+, K + -ATPase (NKA). Previous work revealed that hystricognath rodents (e.g. chinchilla) and pterocliform birds (sandgrouse) have convergently evolved amino-acid insertions in the H1-H2 loop, but their functional significance was not known. Using protein engineering, we show that these insertions have distinct effects on CTS resistance in homologs of each of the two species that strongly depend on intramolecular interactions with other residues. Removing the insertion in the chinchilla NKA unexpectedly increases CTS resistance and decreases NKA activity. In the sandgrouse NKA, the amino acid insertion and substitution Q111R both contribute to an augmented CTS resistance without compromising ATPase activity levels. Molecular docking simulations provide additional insight into the biophysical mechanisms responsible for the context-specific mutational effects on CTS insensitivity of the enzyme. Our results highlight the diversity of genetic substrates that underlie CTS insensitivity in vertebrate NKA and reveal how amino-acid insertions can alter the phenotypic effects of point mutations at key sites in the same protein domain.

In this study, two novel silicon phthalocyanines (SiPc) having axial anchoring groups (3: SiPc carrying bis-dibutyl phenoxy acrylic acid and 5: SiPc carrying bis-dibutyl phenoxy carboxylic acid) are synthesized as the photosensitizers of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The obtained novel photosensitizers are elucidated by using 1H NMR, MALDI-TOF, FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Moreover, the electrochemistry of SiPcs is investigated with voltametric and in-situ spectroelectrochemical analysis. Both SiPcs illustrate similar two reductions and one oxidation Pc based redox processes. In-situ spectroelectrochemical results support the Pc based characters of the voltametric responses. The chromaticity diagrams and optical responses of the anionic and cationic moieties are recorded with the in-situ spectroelectrochemistry to determine the viability of them for various photoelectrochemical usage. Finally, SiPcs are investigated as dyes in DSSCs in order to investigate the influence of bis-dibutyl phenoxy acrylic acid and bis-dibutyl phenoxy carboxylic acid anchoring groups to the photovoltaic performance of SiPcs. DSSCs sensitized with SiPc (3) and SiPc (5) illustrate good photovoltaic performance with 1.48 and 1.99 mA/cm2 short circuit current density, 0.751 and 0.657 V open circuit potential, 0.52 and 0.57 fill factor, and 0.57% and 0.75% power conversion efficiency respectively.

© 2022 Elsevier B.V.This work aims to design and develop a photocatalyst with the main three properties: i) reduced bandgap for solar activation of the photocatalyst, ii) retarded e- / h+ recombination rate for the enhanced photocatalytic activity, iii) magnetic separability from the reaction medium. In this study, NiFe2O4/TiO2-Ag+ photocatalysts were synthesized to modify the structural properties of TiO2. Firstly, NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by a conventional co-precipitation method, then in the presence of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles, TiO2 was synthesized by a novel complex-assisted vapor thermal (VT) method via slow hydrolysis of Ti-complex. After the best wt% amount of NiFe2O4 in the NiFe2O4/TiO2 had been determined for photocatalytic activity, Ag+ was added by wet-impregnation. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL), vibrating sample magnetometer analysis (VSM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Photocatalytic hydrogen production reactions were carried out in methanol/water solution under solar light illumination. Consequently, the best configuration of the photocatalyst was determined as 12 wt% NiFe2O4/TiO2-0.5 wt% Ag+ (12NFT-0.50Ag+) which had shown the maximum hydrogen (H2) production rate as 137 µmol/g-cat after 5 h owing to its reduced bandgap energy and delayed e- / h+ recombination.

In this study, a laboratory-scale cooling system, simulating a household refrigerator, was examined experimentally for an average cabinet temperature of 4 degrees C with two different types of phase change materials (PCMs) (water and eutectic solution). The system was tested with various amounts of water and different concentrations of sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) in water. The influence of different amounts and types of the PCMs on the cabinet air temperature and compressor power consumption was analyzed during the running period. The cabinet air temperature change over time was also observed during the power failure period. The examinations suggest using 1.0 wt.% Na2SO4 solution as the PCM in the cooling systems. This solution provides the lowest energy consumption (19.5 kJ), and the running time percentage (21.7%); while maximizing the energy saving (14.2%). In addition, integrating it as PCM could allow preserving products for long periods without significant quality loss during a power failure; because it prevented the rapid increase of the cabinet air temperature in this scenario. Lastly, when the cycle frequency is considered, it has the best time interval and the number of cycles (5.3). Thus, it has a positive effect on reducing the compressor cycling frequency, which eventually increases the compressor lifespan.

Cadmium zinc sulfoselenide, CdZnSSe, and reduced graphene oxide-cadmium zinc sulfoselenide (RGO)-CdZnSSe composite-based photoelectrodes are fabricated using a facile, simultaneous co-electrodeposition by repetitive cyclic voltammetric (rCV) for the first time in literature. With this method, CdZnSSe particles are homogeneously decorated among the RGO sheets by controlling the composition of the composite structure and the film thickness with rCV. Photoelectrochemical, optical, and structural properties of photoelectrodes are evaluated to investigate their usability in photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution. Decorating Cd0.8Zn0.2S0.2Se0.8 among RGO sheets leads to a slight red-shift of the absorption edge because of the less transparency of fabricated photoelectrode which decreases the band gap of composites. Among all Cd0.8Zn0.2SxSe1-x (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0) photoelectrodes, Cd0.8Zn0.2S0.2Se0.8 demonstrates the sharp rise in photocurrent density (4.08 mA cm−2). Decorating Cd0.8Zn0.2S0.2Se0.8 with RGO at an optimum composition jumps the photocurrent density up to 5.00 mA cm−2 in addition to the improved stability. The long-term stability of RGO(0.25)-Cd0.8Zn0.2S0.2Se0.8 is reported as 89.8% at the end of the 48th hour. The applied bias photon to current efficiency (ABPE) and Faradaic efficiency are obtained as 3.07% and 89.9%. Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance indicates the superiority of the proposed rCV technique for the fabrication of well-controlled photoelectrodes consisting of RGO[sbnd]CdZnSSe composites.

Designing new photoanodes with high efficiency provides an effective route to develop photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. In this work, quaternary metal chalcogenides (CdZnMSSe (M: Ni, Cu, Mo)) and reduced graphene oxide- quaternary metal chalcogenide (RGO-CdZnMSSe) composite films are fabricated by simple one-step electrodeposition process. The photoanodes formed of quaternary metal chalcogenides and the incorporation of RGO in these composite films increase charge transfer capability and separation ability compared to cadmium-based photoanodes, leading to enhancement of the photoelectrochemical hydrogen production activity. A superior photocurrent response is recorded for RGO(0.25)-Cd0.8Zn0.2Ni0.2S0.2Se0.8 (5.34 mA cm−2 at 0.8 V vs RHE). In addition, the maximum ABPE value of RGO(0.25)-Cd0.8Zn0.2Ni0.2S0.2Se0.8 is determined as 1.95%. The achieved results offer a new insight into highly efficient next generation-photoanodes to convert solar energy to hydrogen.

Researchers are focusing their efforts on renewable energy sources to avoid future global energy and environmental crises. One of the renewable energy sources, biomass, can be processed using a variety of techniques and thermodynamic cycles. Biomass gasification, for example, has several environmental and technical benefits. Biochar, on the other hand, is produced by the use of a thermal pretreatment technique to biomass, and it can be used to overcome the drawbacks of biomass in gasification operations. Despite the fact that biochar improves the quality and volume of syngas, there is a few research on this topic in the literature. Although researchers have used a variety of process simulators, the number of gasification systems developed in the Aspen HYSYS simulator is very limited, and no circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasification model for biochar gasification has ever been reported to our knowledge. Based on the non-stoichiometric equilibrium technique, a unique CFB gasifier model was developed in this work. The impacts of various operating parameters on the syngas were evaluated. In addition, the gasification performance of 10 biochar samples with varying physicochemical features was compared to the physicochemical qualities of solid fuels in a steam and CO2 mixture. As a result, biochar samples with a high carbon content formed an H2-rich syngas with a high calorific value during steam gasification. According to parametric studies, the optimum gasification temperature is about 700 ◦C, the optimum gasification pressure is 1 bar, and the optimum ratios of steam/biochar and CO2/biochar are between 0.2–0.3 and 0.5–1.0, respectively.

In this study, the optimization of the medium components used for the production of lipase enzyme from Cryptococcus albidus D24 was performed using the Plackett-Burman statistical design method (PBD), and the most important nutrients affecting the production of lipase enzyme from D24 strain were determined as the first step. According to PBD, the highest lipase activity (19.34 U/ml/min) was obtained with medium including Tween 80 (X2) 2.5% (v/v), and (g/L) Peptone (X4) 8.0, Yeast Extract (X6) 7.5, Beef Extract (X7) 7.5, Malt Extract (X8) 7.5, NH4Cl (X9) 6.0, NaNO3 (X10) 1.5, (NH4)NO3 (X12) 6.0, (NH4)HCO3(X13) 6.0, MgSO4.7H2O (X15) 1.0, and KH2PO4 (X16) 2.0 at the end of 144 h cultivation. Regarding the concentration effect (CE) values obtained from PBD, NH4Cl (CE=7.1587), olive oil (CE=3.5544), (NH4)HCO3 (CE=3.0747), and tryptone (CE=2.1427) were evaluated as the more effective nutrients among the sixteen compounds studied. After that, the optimum concentrations of these effective compounds were experimented with Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Experimental results showed that the medium containing olive oil (X3) 1.5% (v/v), and (g/L) tryptone (X5) 3.0, NH4Cl (X9) 7.5, and (NH4)HCO3 (X13) yielded maximum lipase activity (12.03 U/ml/min) compared to other studied compounds. Although the maximum lipase activity obtained with RSM methodology was lower than that obtained by PBD, the cost of the nutrients used to produce one-unit enzyme is 0.104 Euro in the PBD, while only 0.0277 Euro is spent in RSM. In other words, the production of lipase using compounds coded X3, X5, X9, and X13 provides a cost-effective process. Bu çalışmada, Cryptococcus albidus D24'ten lipaz enzimi üretimi için kullanılan besiyeri bileşenlerinin Plackett-Burman İstatistiksel Tasarım Yöntemi (PBD) kullanılarak optimizasyonu gerçekleştirilmiş ve ilk adım olarak D24 suşundan lipaz enzimi üretimine etki eden en önemli besin maddeleri belirlenmiştir. PBD'ye göre en yüksek lipaz aktivitesi (19,34 U/ml/dk), Tween 80 (X2) %2,5 (h/h) ve (g/L) Pepton (X4) 8.0, Maya özütü (X6) 7.5, Et ekstraktı (X7) 7.5, Malt Ekstrakt (X8) 7.5, NH4Cl (X9) 6.0, NaNO3 (X10) 1.5, (NH4)NO3 (X12) 6.0, (NH4)HCO3 (X13) 6.0, MgSO4.7H2O (X15) 1.0 ve KH2PO4 (X16) 2.0 bileşenlerini içeren ortam ile 144 saat sonunda elde edilmiştir. PBD'den elde edilen konsantrasyon etkisi (CE) değerlerine göre incelenen on altı bileşik arasında, NH4Cl (CE=7.1587), zeytinyağı (CE=3.5544), (NH4)HCO3 (CE=3.0747) ve tripton (CE=2.1427) daha etkili olarak bulunmuştur. Daha sonra belirlenen bu etkili bileşiklerin optimum konsantrasyonları, Yanıt Yüzey Yöntemi (RSM) ile belirlenmiştir. Deneysel sonuçlara göre, zeytinyağı (X3), tripton (X5), NH4Cl (X9) ve (NH4)HCO3 (X13) bileşenleri, sırasıyla %1,5 (h/h), 3.0 g/L, 7.5 g/L ve 12.0 g/L konsantrasyonlarında maksimum lipaz aktivitesi (12.03 U/ml/dak) elde edildiği ve bir (1) ünite enzim aktivitesi elde etmek için, hammadde maliyetinde bir azalma sağlanabileceği gösterilmiştir.

It is a challenging task for determining the emissions and energy-saving options for counties and countries. In order to overcome this issue, two new concepts are introduced in this study. These are residential base electricity consumption and residential base natural gas consumption. A new model that estimates the total energy consumption of urban residential buildings from the available electricity consumption data is developed. The model employs heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD) parameters to predict the energy consumption for heating and cooling purposes. A month with zero or almost zero values of both HDD and CDD is considered as \"base month.\" These months when there is neither heating nor cooling, plays a key role in this study. The proposed model is applied to a county with a population of over 62,000 located in Southern Turkey, and the total electricity consumption is calculated with 1.24% accuracy. The validity and accuracy of the model are tested by theoretical electricity calculations, coal, and wood consumption. Accordingly, while annual electrical heating is equal to 2618 kWh/year for an average house of 96 m(2), for the coal and wood burning households, the annual energy consumption values are 2190 and 2616 kWh/year, respectively.

The use of energy storage systems (ESS) and distributed generators (DGs) to improve reliability is one of the solutions that has received much attention from researchers today. In this study, we utilize a multi-objective optimization method for optimal planning of distributed generators in electric distribution networks from the perspective of multi-objective optimization. The objective is to improve the reliability of the network while reducing the annual cost and network losses. A modified version of the multi-objective sine–cosine algorithm is used to determine the optimal size, location, and type of DGs and the optimal capacity, location, and operation strategy of the ESS. Three case studies of IEEE 33-bus, 69-bus and 141-bus test systems with Turkish DG and load data were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The distribution of the Pareto front solutions and the optimal objective functions are compared with the other known algorithms. The simulation results show that the average energy not supplied and annual energy losses for the test systems are reduced by up to 68% and 64%, respectively. Moreover, the Pareto fronts of the proposed method show a better distribution and dominate those obtained by MOGWO, MOSMA, NSGA-II, MOPSO and MOEA-D according to three different Pareto optimization metrics. Finally, the computational effort result shows faster convergence of MOSCA compared to MOGWO, MOSMA, NSGA-II, MOPSO and MOEAD.

This study aims to explore the recovery of palladium (Pd(II)) ions using Lewatit TP 214 resins. Waste Pd(II) ions with ammonia complex procured from a precious metal plating were selected as the source solution. In the experimental studies, two stock solutions of 60 ppm Pd(II) with a pH value of 4.0 and 7.5 were prepared as initial solutions. The experiments were performed by altering four parameters: solution pH, time 15-180 min, temperature 25 degrees C-60 degrees C, and amount of resin 100-400 mg. It was proved that the recovery percentage increased with higher temperature and resin at lower pH values. The Pd(II) recovery percentage increased with a temperature rise, reaching 100% after 40 min at pH 4.0 and 60 degrees C. On the other hand, a bit lower efficiency (95%) was attained after 180 min at pH 7.5 and 60 degrees C. Using Lewatit TP 214, the computed activation energies for Pd(II) recovery are 17.73 and 15.62 kJ/mol at pH 4.0 and 7.5, respectively. Considering these activation energy values, a mixed mechanism dominated the recovery of Pd(II).

With the development of the manufacturing industry, machining parameters and material processing efficiency are important due to cost, sustainability, and other parameters, which are determining factors for usage width, material choice, and production rate. Machinability and optimization are among the scientists\" and industry workers\" timely objectives, guiding the manufacturing industries. Thus, the study and analysis of parameters such as surface roughness, tool wear, and force application in superalloy machining would be beneficial in various fields of the manufacturing industry. In this work, RSM (surface response method) modelling and analysis of relationship Fx, Fy, Fz forces between surface roughness of Inconel-718 material, which is a very unique alloy in terms of corrosion resistance, high-temperature elevation, and fatigue values, is examined. From this work, it was found that an experimental design was prepared using the Taguchi method, and the required number of measurements and parameter values were determined with a small number of experiments. Then, the most ideal values were determined using the Response Surface Methodology and ANOVA method to determine the best parameter levels after the surface roughness and cutting forces measurements.

© 2022 Elsevier B.V.A novel route was developed for cation exchange membrane (CEM) fabrication by using GO reinforced styrenated oil polymeric structure and the impact of polymer type (PS/PS-oil), graphene oxide amount (0.5,1,3, and 5 wt%), and sulfonation time (6,12, and 24 h) on the characteristics of prepared membranes (contact angle, water uptake, ion exchange capacity, DS(%), electron conductivity) were investigated for the first time in the current study. The results showed that higher values of water absorption, ion exchange capacity, and electron conductivity were obtained for GO-PS-oil-based membranes compared to GO-only PS based membranes under all experimental conditions. Also, it was seen that ion-exchange capacity and water uptake capacity were directly related to the GO amount and sulfonation time of the polymer. The maximum value obtained for ion exchange capacity was 7.7 meq/g for 5%GO incorporated-PS-oil based membrane sulfonating for 24 h. The obtained IEC values for all experimental conditions in this study are relatively high compared to other PS based membranes studied in the literature. The membrane\"s electrochemical characteristics (conductivity, flux and permeability) were also determined in an electrodialysis test cell. All obtained results indicated that CEM fabricated by this new approach could be utilized for electrodialysis applications in the future.

The struvite crystals constitute one of the common types of urinary stones. Such stones are also referred as \"infection stones\" due to their tendency to cause infections in urinary tract. A considerable effort has been placed to identify natural or synthetic crystal-growth modifiers for this kind of urinary stone in literature, yet macromolecules commonly found in urine have been underexplored. In the present study, we experimentally focus on how hyaluronic acid, a protein commonly found in urine, alters the struvite crystallization in aqueous solution and in an artificial urine media. By gradually adding ammonium dihydrogen phosphate to a solution containing magnesium chloride hexahydrate, reactive crystallization is carried out in a well-mixed and thermostated vessel at 37 degrees C. The resulting struvite crystals are characterized structurally by XRD and FTIR as well as morphologically and in terms of their surface charge. In addition, the thermal decomposition behavior of the struvite with and without hyaluronic acid and released volatile products were simultaneously investigated using a TGA/FTIR system. The average activation energy calculated using the Friedman method was 49.2 +/- 5.1 kJ/mol. The results of the kinetic and thermodynamic analyses showed that decomposition of the struvite crystals was endothermic and followed the multiple stage reaction mechanism.

© 2022 Elsevier LtdThermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is a widely used technique to determine the activation energy (Ea), which is an important parameter for thermochemical processes. Thus, researchers have recently developed computational methods to minimize the experimental effort. While there are some studies on estimating kinetic parameters such as Ea using artificial neural networks (ANN), these are insufficient for generalization because they involve only one or two operational parameters. Therefore, in this study, Ea estimation was performed by creating a realistic ANN model as a machine learning approach, including operating parameters that were not previously considered. TGA experiments were performed with biomass, coal, and blends under different operating conditions for the training and test data sets of the model. In order for the ANN to give a satisfactory result, the experimental results were enriched with the data from the literature. The dataset was analyzed using statistical tools like correlation map, feature importance etc. Then a feedforward neural network was developed using Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm. As a result, by using an appropriate number of input variables and a sufficient amount of data, it was possible to conduct a reliable TGA simulation to calculate the Ea values, with R2 values greater than 0.96 and mean absolute percentage error values

Peripherally tetra-4-carboxyethylphenoxy substituted oxotitanium (IV), cobalt(II), zinc(II) and metal free phthalocyanines were synthesized to research the sensitizing abilities of these dye molecules in standard dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). All the synthesized phthalocyanine complexes have been characterized by using elemental analyses, UV-Vis, FT-IR, H-1 NMR and MALDI-TOF MS spectroscopic techniques. Electrochemistry of metallo phthalocyanines (MPcs) were studied with electrochemical and in-situ spectroelectrochemical measurements. H2Pc (7) and ZnPc (5) illustrated similar Pc based electron transfer reactions. Differently, CoPc (6) and TiOPc (4) illustrated metal based redox reactions, which enhanced the redox functionality of these complexes. Metal based reductions for CoPc (6) and TiOPc (4) were recorded in addition to the Pc based one. In-situ spectroelectrochemical measurements supported the proposed voltametric mechanism. Moreover, the color and spectra of the electrogenerated species were determined with the in-situ spectroelectrochemical analyses to predict possible optoelectrochemical application of the complexes. Pronounced optical and color changes during the electrolysis of the complexes indicated electrooptical and possible solid state electrochemical functionality of the complexes. TiO2 semiconductor on the fluoride doped indium tin oxide coated glass electrode (FTO) was decorated with H2Pc (7) and TiOPc (4) bearing four carboxyl anchoring groups and they were first of all tested as possible dye for the DSSC. H2Pc (7), TiOPc (4), CoPc (6) and ZnPc (5) dyes used in DSSCs showed 2.9%, 3.3%, 1.02% and 2.2% of power conversion efficiencies respectively.

In this study, a new Donor-Acceptor-Donor (D-A-D) electroactive molecules (HCQM1 and HCQM2) containing 9H-carbazole and 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole as donor along with quinoxaline (HQ) as acceptor were synthesized and then coated on Indium Tin Oxide/Glass (ITO/Glass) surface by the electrochemical oxidation process. The HOMO-LUMO band gap values obtained by electrochemical oxidation and reduction onsets were calculated as 2.64 and 2.68 eV, respectively. On the other hand, UV-Vis absorption measurements showed that the charge transfer band of HCQM1 was detected at 500 nm with 50 nm red shift upon compared with the HCQM2. According to AFM results, it is seen that the roughness of the poly(HCQM2) film is higher than the poly(HCQM1) film. Finally, the polymer film of HCQM2 showed multi-electrochromic color change (yellow, green, and dark blue) upon the oxidation process. When the electrochromic performance of the HCQM1 and HCQM2 polymer films was compared, it was discovered that the HCQM2 with phenylene spacer unit has better stability and a higher percentage transmittance change (& UDelta;T%) between neutral and oxidized states.

In this study, metal and metal-free novel phthalocyanines containing peripheral and non-peripheral tetra 2-ben-zylphenoxy groups were synthesized. The compounds were characterized by UV-Vis, FT-IR, H-1 NMR, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as well as elemental analysis. These new phthalocyanines exhibited excellent solubility in most organic solvents, and their redox behavior was investigated in different solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dichloromethane (DCM). The redox behavior of the peripheral and non-peripheral phthalocyanine compounds 1a -c and 2a -c was determined by cyclic voltammetry and in situ spec-troelectrochemistry. According to organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) measurements, the peripheral and non-peripheral phthalocyanine-cobalt complexes which have higher mobility than others were utilized top-gate bottom-contact OFETs fabrication. The output characteristics of the device show that its mobility is approximately 5 x 10(-2) cm(2)/Vs with p-type accumulation.