M. Sh. Abdel-wahab

Carbon nanotubes of oil fly ash as lubricant additives for different base oils and their tribology performance

Oil fly ash has been reported to be a good source for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Recently, these CNTs were evaluated as lubricant additives in sunflower base oil and were found to exhibit excellent tribological properties. In this work, these CNTs were tested as lubricant additives in 100SN, 500SN and 150BS Saudi Aramco base oils. The results on other commercial carbon nanostructures like multiwall and single wall CNTs and graphene are also included in this study for comparison. Excellent tribological performance was obtained with CNTs of fly ash at a very small concentration. The observed reduction in values of the friction coefficient between two metallic surfaces using these CNTs was found to be superior to those of other carbon nanomaterials. The value of the friction coefficient was reduced by around 20% at a concentration of 0.1 wt%. These values were also investigated as a function of load, speed and temperature. The rheological behaviour showed that the viscosity of the 0.1 wt% CNTs-impregnated 500SN oil is almost invariant compared to that of the pure one. It is therefore suggested that CNTs of fly ash may be a good lubricant additive to minimize the friction and improve the fuel economy.

Lubricant Additives Based on Carbon Nanotubes Produced from Carbon-Rich Fly Ash

ABSTRACT Carbon-rich fly ash has been reported to be a suitable precursor and catalyst for carbon nanotube (CNT) growth. In this work, CNTs grown from carbon-rich fly ash were evaluated as a lubricant oil additive to reduce the friction coefficient of metallic surfaces using a ball-on-disk tribometer. Different concentrations of the as-grown CNTs in the range 0.005–0.5 wt% were dispersed in a base sunflower oil. The value of the friction coefficient was also investigated as a function of load. Excellent results were obtained for the value of the friction coefficient, where it drastically decreased to around 58% of its original value without additives. This was achieved at a very low concentration of CNTs; that is, 0.1 wt%. The obtained result was compared with that of a commercial multiwalled CNT at the same concentration and found to be superior. This superiority of CNTs produced from fly ash could be attributed to the existence of active radical sites on their side wall. Moreover, the friction coefficient value was observed to decrease with increasing load, which might be due to the formation of protective graphitic carbon layers on antagonist surfaces. The viscosity of pure and 0.1 wt% CNTs-impregnated base oil was also studied in the 25–100°C temperature range. No significant changes are observed in the viscosity of the CNTs-impregnated base oil. These results suggest that the low-cost CNTs produced from fly ash are excellent nanomaterials as additives for lubricant oil.

Correction to: Novel Control of the Synthesis and Band Gap of Zinc Aluminate (ZnAl2O4) by Using a DC/RF Sputtering Technique

Due to an oversight, the Surname of Haya Alhummiany was incorrectly spelled in the published online version. The correct surname is “Alhummiany”, instead of “Alhumminay”. The correct spelling is also shown above.

Novel Control of the Synthesis and Band Gap of Zinc Aluminate (ZnAl2O4) by Using a DC/RF Sputtering Technique

AbstractZinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) thin films have been deposited through direct current/radio frequency (DC/RF) magnetron sputtering by varying the applied power of an Aluminum (Al) target. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern showed the formation of monophase ZnAl2O4 with spinel structure. Moreover, structural analysis like grain size, dislocation density, and lattice strain was calculated through the XRD obtained data. The surface morphological analysis through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) confirmed the formation of nano-size spinel ZnAl2O4. The transmittance of the ZnAl2O4 thin film was found to be dependent on the aluminum (Al) target power. An inverse relation was noticed between the transmittance and the Al-power. The optical band gap dependent refractive index, high-frequency dielectric, and static dielectric constant were calculated. Graphical AbstractScheme of experimental work

Structural, optical, and photocatalytic investigation of nickel oxide@graphene oxide nanocomposite thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Despite the recent advancement in graphene oxide (GO) as a host material in energy and environmental sectors, its composite thin films with metal oxides such as nickel oxide (NiO) and its optical, structural, chemical state, and photocatalytic activities have been poorly explored. Herein, we have reported the GO/NiO thin films preparation by a combination of chemical and physical deposition techniques (i.e. spin coating followed by DC/RF sputtering). The as-prepared composites thin films were characterised using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction/photoelectron spectroscopy scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The surface topography confirmed the uniform deposition of NiO over thin films of GO. The XPS results showed the formation of NiC along with the partial reduction in GO into graphene with their existing four constituents, i.e. NiO, NiC, GO, in the thin film composites. The classical plasmon, Wemple and Didomenico model, was first time applied for GO/NiO to compute energy loss functions, and dispersion energy parameters. The theoretical calculated values for the deposited GO/NiO thin films were found to be in very close agreement to the standard classical plasmon values. The change in spin orbital movement of Ni is considered due to the interaction between its nanoparticles and basal planes of GO. Thin films applied for the photodegradation of recalcitrant organic pollutant 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) revealed the dependence of photocatalytic efficiency on particle size and also on the interaction of GO with NiO rather than the ratio of NiO and GO in the films.