In the present work, cupric oxide (CuO) films were obtained through thermal annealing of the copper (Cu) films deposited on quartz substrates by DC magnetron sputtering method. The annealing was performed in air atmosphere for different times ranging from 60-240 min at temperature of 400 oC. The influence of annealing times on structural and morphological properties of the films was investigated by different analyses. The XRD results showed that the as-deposited film was Cu, while those annealed at different times were composed of CuO. By increasing annealing times up to 180 min, the intensity of CuO diffraction peaks increased and further enhancement of annealing times led to decrease of the crystallinity. Also, the AFM images of the films conformed the dependence of surface morphology to annealing times.

Polymeric absorbents are extensively used in the separation systems. In this paper, the preparation and characterization of a polymeric absorbent is considered.For this purpose Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films were prepared and then crosslinked by radiation method using gamma-ray and chemical methods by the use of Glutaraldehyde solution. In the chemical method, the reaction with and without sulphuric acid and in the radiation method the reaction in dry and also aqueous media containing acid were carried out. The gel content, water uptake and tensile properties were measured for all samples. The results showed that the radiation method in aqueous media containing acid led to the maximum gel formation. In addition, the radiation method led to the formation of films with more flexibility. Nickel and Manganese adsorptions were measured on the crosslinked films, which were obtained by the radiation and chemical methods. These measurements were made as a function of pH and also the concentration of metal ion in the solution. The maximum metal adsorption was found at pH=7. In addition, with increasing the metal ion concentration the amount of ion adsorption was increased. In general, our studies showed that an absorbent which is prepared by the radiation method is suitable for water adsorption and another formed by the chemical method is desirable in ion adsorption processes.

Introduction: Due to ever-increasing need for diagnostic radiographs in dentistry, it is necessary to observe techniques to minimize the absorbed patient dose. The aim of this study was the comparative evaluation of inherent visual characteristics such as contrast and density and the gross fog of standard occlusal films with those of occlusal films taken with intensifying screens.Materials and Methods: In this experimental research, standard occlusal films and occlusal films prepared by cutting extraoral films to the size of occlusal films and placing them between intensifying screens were used. After determination of the most appropriate exposure time and maximum kVp and mA, radiographs were taken from one step wedge and processed using the same condition. A total of 25 radiographs were taken from each of the two film types and then the radiographs underwent densitometry at similar points. In order to evaluate the gross fog, densitometry was carried out at 5 similar points on one unexposed film from each type. Data were analyzed using SPSS 11.5 software and Mann-Whitney test (a=0.05).Results: Based on the results of this study, the density of the standard occlusal film was more than that of the occlusal film with intensifying screens (p value<0.001). The contrast of the film with intensifying screens was more than that of the standard occlusal film (p value<0.001). The gross fog of the film with intensifying screens was less than that of the standard occlusal film (p value=0.006).Conclusion: Occlusal films with intensifying screens have higher contrast and lower gross fog and density, but in the diagnostic range, in comparison with standard occlusal films; therefore, films with intensifying screens are recommended because they decrease patient absorbed dose by decreasing exposure time.

Background & Objectives: Nanotechnology is one of great important part of technology. Nanoparticles can be used in different applications for industrial, medical, military and personal use. The objectives of this study were preparation of Polystyrene/ZnO nanocomposite films via a simple method and investigation of antibacterial activity of them.Materials and Methods: Polystyrene/ZnO nanoparticle (PS/nano-ZnO) composite films were prepared via simple method with 0, 0.1, 1 and 2.5% wt concentration of ZnO and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antibacterial properties of the product were investigated against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus.Results: The survival ratio of L. monocytogenes, E. coli, S. aureus and B. cereus decreased with increase of ZnO content on PS/nano-ZnO composite films and the best antibacterial activity was obtained with 2.5% wt ZnO-PS composite films for all bacteria. Results show the larger sensitivity of the S. aureus compared to other bacteria.Conclusion: The treated fabric with ZnO NP indicates significant improve for antibacterial properties for polystyrene fabric.

The paper presents a study on the magnetoresistance (MR) and anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) properties of La0.4Pr0.3Ca0.3MnO3 (LPCMO) thin films. The thin films were grown using pulsed laser deposition method on LaAlO3 (LAO) (111) and MgO (MGO) (100) substrates, with a thickness of approximately 90 nm as estimated by X-Ray reflectometry (XRR) method. The LPCMO sample on the LAO substrate exhibited a lower metal-insulation transition than the one on the MgO substrate due to high compressive stress. The MR was found to be 57% and 98% for LPCMO/LAO and the LPCMO/MGO films, respectively. The LPCMO/MGO sample also showed a significantly higher MR (80%) compared to LPCMO/LAO sample (32%), indicating its potential application.