Muhammad Amir Aslam

Financial Development, International Trade and Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

The study utilizes the Autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL) approach for cointegration and Granger causality test, to explore the long run equilibrium relationship and the possible direction of causality between international trade, financial development and economic growth for the Pakistan economy. Imports plus exports of goods and services is used as a proxy for international trade, while broad money (M2) and gross domestic product (GDP) are used as the proxies for financial development and economic growth, respectively. Result explores a long run relationship between the variables. In case of Pakistan, economy supply leading hypothesis is accepted. Moreover, unidirectional causality is observed from international trade to economic growth and from financial development to international trade.

Fabrication of ZnO incorporated chitosan nanocomposites for enhanced functional properties of cellulosic fabric

This study concerns the fabrication of chitosan/zinc oxide nano-composites (CZNCs) by using a facile preparation method. The optical, structural and morphological features of nano-composites were investigated by using advanced analytical techniques. The developed CZNCs were coated on to woven cotton fabric by using the pad-dry-cure method. The coated fabric specimens were characterized for surface, functional and textile properties including antibacterial activity and (ultra violet) UV-blocking. The spectral and optical properties demonstrated that the nano-composites developed exhibited hexagonal structural pattern with an average particle size of about 50 nm. The resulting nano-composites were characterized by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy; scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray, dynamic light scattering technique and so forth. The incorporated concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles affected both crystallite size and crystallinity of the nano-composites. The nano-composite coated cotton fabric exhibited durable antibacterial, UV-blocking and textile properties with a fair whiteness index.

Graphene oxides nanosheets mediation of poly(vinyl alcohol) films in tuning their structural and opto-mechanical attributes

Herein, we report successful incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix by employing solution casting method. The effect of GO loadings on structural, optical and mechanical properties of PVA films was investigated. Most of the optical properties of such films are reported for the first time in the present study. On incorporating GO nanosheets into PVA matrix, the properties of nanocomposites were changed entirely. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of nanocomposites were enhanced. Alongside, a variation in absorption edge, direct/indirect band gap, Urbach energy, refractive index, optical dielectric constant, optical conductivity and dispersion parameters were noticed. The band gap and dispersion parameters were calculated using Tauc’s and Wemple–DiDomenico models, respectively. Helpin–Tsai and mixture rule models were employed to calculate Young’s modulus. The applied models reinforced the experimental results in the present study. Advanced analytical techniques were employed to characterize the nanocomposites films. The prepared nanocomposites might be used in designing the opto-electronic devices.