https://www.nsmsi.ir/ Nashrieh Shimi va Mohandesi Shimi Iran en daily 1 Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_733590.html This project focuses on the synthesis of a novel biocompatible nanocatalyst and evaluates its catalytic performance in the three-component synthesis of xanthene derivatives. To achieve this, Zeolite-Y was functionalized with the basic amino acid L-arginine through a linker agent, 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane (Arg@Zeolite-Y). The structural features of the nanocatalyst were confirmed using various characterization techniques including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The catalytic efficiency of this nanocomposite was assessed in the green synthesis of xanthene compounds. Initially, the feasibility of the reaction was investigated via a one-pot cyclization of dimedone and benzaldehyde under different reaction conditions. Subsequently, the general applicability of the optimized reaction for the synthesis of various xanthene derivatives was demonstrated. The key advantages of this project include the use of a non-toxic, recyclable, biocompatible nanocatalyst and solvent-free green conditions. Additional benefits comprise the cost-effective preparation of the nanocatalyst, ease of product isolation, high yield, and reduced reaction time. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_734329.html In this study, zeolite–copper oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites were synthesized and characterized as carriers for the anticancer drug Doxorubicin (DOX). The morphology, crystalline structure, and functional groups of the samples were investigated using analytical techniques such as SEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR. According to XRD analysis and the Williamson–Hall method, the crystallite size of pure copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles was found to be 15–30 nm, while that of graphene oxide (GO) ranged between 1–5 nm. In the ternary nanocomposite, the CuO crystallite size significantly decreased to 3–15 nm, indicating the strong inhibitory effect of the combined zeolite and GO matrix on nanoparticle growth, resulting in a structure suitable for controlled drug release. Drug loading efficiency was determined based on adsorption capacity, and the release profile was evaluated under physiological (pH = 7.4) and acidic (pH = 5.5) conditions over 72 hours. The results demonstrated that the zeolite–CuO/GO exhibited a more controlled release of DOX at pH=7.4, while an explosive and enhanced release was observed under the acidic pH=5.5 condition, simulating the tumor microenvironment. Cytotoxicity assessment revealed that the drug-free components (zeolite, nanocomposites, and GO) showed very low toxicity toward HS-578T cells (IC50 > 100 µg/mL). However, after loading with DOX, the toxicity of all samples increased significantly. Notably, the DOX-loaded zeolite–CuO/GO nanocomposite exhibited the highest cytotoxicity, with the lowest IC50 value (37.12 µg/mL), indicating its superior efficacy in inhibiting cancer cell growth. Apoptosis assays confirmed that the drug-loaded nanocomposite significantly induced programmed cell death. These findings collectively confirm the high potential of the developed nanocomposite for targeted drug delivery and reduced systemic side effects. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_733589.html Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disease affecting the synovial membrane and disrupting the healthy production of synovial fluid, the natural lubricant of joints. Conventional treatments based on methotrexate (MTX), despite their widespread use, are associated with limitations such as low bioavailability, high systemic toxicity, and poor tissue penetration. Furthermore, these methods primarily focus on inflammation reduction, often necessitating the concurrent administration of analgesics for pain relief. In this study, a dissolving microneedle patch was designed to co-deliver MTX and two lubricants, hyaluronic acid (HA) and glycerol. Mechanical testing revealed that the fabricated patch could withstand a force of 0.11 N per microneedle and effectively penetrate the initial four layers of Parafilm®, indicating its potential to penetrate joint tissue without fracture. In vitro release studies using rat skin demonstrated localized drug delivery, with 48.46% of MTX remaining in the tissue after release. Glycerol, in addition to contributing to lubrication, could potentially enhance the patch's flexibility, enabling conformal adaptation to joints with varying curvatures. The developed MN patch, with its potential for simultaneous treatment and pain alleviation, offers a promising avenue for improving rheumatoid arthritis therapies and presents a suitable alternative to existing market treatments. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_733142.html In this study, two polymers, polyacrylamide and carboxymethyl cellulose, were used together with magnesium oxide nanoparticles to reduce the drag of horizontal pipelines made of galvanized, copper, and 5-layer materials. In each pipeline, three parameters affecting the process, magnesium oxide nanoparticle concentration (0 to 160 mg/L), polymer concentration (0 to 64 mg/L), and Reynolds number (6400 to 25600), were investigated by the response surface method using the Design of Experiment-13 software. Then, a comparison was made between the drag reduction rates of the two polymers, polyacrylamide and carboxymethyl cellulose, in each pipeline. The drag reduction rate was predicted using the obtained model. By increasing the value of all three parameters under investigation, namely Reynolds number, polymer concentration, and nanoparticle concentration, the drag reduction rate increased significantly. Among these factors, Reynolds number had the greatest effect on drag reduction, followed by polymer and nanoparticle concentration, respectively. The results of the study in all three pipelines showed that the drag reduction using carboxymethyl cellulose polymer was less than the drag reduction using polyacrylamide polymer. Therefore, polyacrylamide showed better performance in drag reduction in three pipelines: galvanized, 5-layer, and copper. The results showed that in galvanized pipe, polyacrylamide was about 17% more effective than carboxymethyl cellulose in drag reduction, in five-layer pipe, about 16% more effective than carboxymethyl cellulose in drag reduction, and in copper pipe, about 19%. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_734971.html Recyclable solid catalysts based on hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) groups have been rarely explored for the cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides, despite their inherent advantages such as high efficiency and the absence of metal species. Herein, we report a covalent triazine framework (CTF) incorporating amide units as a recyclable organocatalyst for this reaction. The catalyst was readily synthesized via a condensation reaction between inexpensive and readily available precursors, melamine and dipicolinic acid, in dimethyl sulfoxide at 140 °C. Following structural characterization and confirmation of CTF formation, its catalytic performance was first evaluated in the model reaction between CO2 and styrene oxide. Investigation of the reaction parameters revealed that the optimal conditions were 50 mg of CTF, 0.5 mol% tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) as a co-catalyst, a CO2 pressure of 10 bar, and a temperature of 100 °C. Under these optimized conditions, a range of terminal epoxides was successfully converted into their corresponding cyclic carbonates in excellent yields. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated excellent recyclability, maintaining its catalytic activity without a significant loss in yield over six consecutive runs. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_735435.html The presence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in water sources as emerging contaminants has created significant environmental and health challenges. Among these, ibuprofen is of particular importance due to its widespread use and high chemical stability. In this study, the adsorption behavior of ibuprofen onto pristine BC₃ nanosheets and their aluminum- and gallium-doped counterparts was investigated using theoretical approaches based on density functional theory (DFT) and molecular docking simulations. Computational results revealed that ibuprofen adsorption onto pristine BC₃, with an adsorption energy of -21.8 kcal/mol, falls within the optimal range for enhanced non-covalent adsorption, primarily driven by π–π interactions and van der Waals forces. In contrast, doping with Al and Ga, while increasing charge transfer and strengthening electrostatic interactions, results in stronger adsorption energies of -32.4 and -29.7 kcal/mol, respectively, which could reduce the reversibility of the process. Analysis of electronic properties, including frontier orbitals, energy gap, density of states, and charge transfer, confirms the significant difference in adsorption mechanisms between pristine and doped surfaces. Molecular docking results also show good agreement with DFT findings, confirming the orientation pattern of ibuprofen on these surfaces. Overall, this study demonstrates that pristine BC₃ nanosheets, with their balanced adsorption energy, can be proposed as an efficient and suitable adsorbent for the removal of ibuprofen from aqueous environments. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_733447.html Given the increasing global concerns about the environmental impacts of industrial and economic activities, life cycle assessment (LCA) has gained significant importance as a comprehensive and systematic tool for quantifying and analyzing these impacts across all stages of a product's, process's, or system's life. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to investigate and assess the environmental impacts of the propane refrigeration cycle used to provide cooling for heat exchangers in the Bid Boland Persian Gulf Gas Refining Company's export facilities and tanks complex. To perform this assessment, three well-known life cycle assessment methods—IMPACT 2002+, CML baseline, and ReCiPe 2016 endpoint—were applied using SimaPro software. The results obtained from these methods in assessing the environmental impacts of the propane refrigeration cycle showed: In the IMPACT 2002+ method, among 15 impact categories, the highest impacts were related to non-renewable energy depletion (0.000512), respiratory effects due to inorganic substances (0.000132), and global warming (0.000117), respectively. In the analysis of the four final damage categories of this method (human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources), the greatest damage was related to energy resources with a value of 0.000512. Furthermore, the results of the CML baseline method indicated that the highest consequence categories were freshwater ecotoxicity with a normalized value of 2.44E-12 and fossil depletion with 2.31E-12, while global warming (2.41E-13) and acidification (3.25E-13) followed in subsequent categories. Additionally, the examination of normalization and weighting results across 22 impact categories using the ReCiPe 2016 endpoint method revealed that the categories with the highest normalization indices were global warming (human health) at 0.000159, human non-carcinogenic toxicity at 0.000055, global warming (terrestrial ecosystems) at 0.000034, fossil depletion at 0.000026, and particulate matter formation at 0.000018. The results from all three methods clearly demonstrated that the most significant contribution to the environmental impacts of this system primarily stems from the consumption of propane as a refrigerant, particularly in non-renewable resource depletion, global warming, and ecosystem toxicity. These findings emphasize the importance of optimal refrigerant selection and management in refrigeration systems, and the necessity of focusing on reducing refrigerant leakage and thoroughly evaluating alternative refrigerants with higher energy efficiency and a lower environmental footprint across their life cycle to achieve greater sustainability in the refining industries. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_734972.html In addition to physical and chemical technologies, bioprocesses have been proven to be efficient and cost-effective alternative technologies for the treatment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to prevent environmental and health problems. One of the solutions for overcoming the mass transfer limitation of VOCs and improving the biodegradation efficiency is to use non-aqueous phases or surfactants. In this study, the biodegradation of hexane, as a well- known VOC, in the concentration range of 7-55 g/m3 in the presence of saponin, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and silicone oil was investigated, as a non-ionic biosurfactant, an anionic surfactant, and a non-aqueous phase, respectively. Initial concentrations of hexane, saponin, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and silicone oil were optimized by response surface method (RSM) to achieve a maximum specific degradation rate (SDR) of hexane. Saponin had a negative effect on hexane (55 mg/L) biodegradation, especially at concentrations >1 CMC, while the optimum concentration was obtained as 0.06 CMC. The degradation of hexane was inhibited by SDS because of its high toxicity to microorganisms. Maximum SDR was observed at 54 g/m3 hexane and 2% v/v silicone oil. It should be mentioned that the average amount of removal efficiency (RE) for hexane in the presence of saponin (REavg.=83%) was more than that of silicone oil (REavg.=63%). That negative effect of silicone oil on hexane biodegradation could be due to the substrate inhibition for microorganisms. This may be attributed to the fact that hexane possesses a higher solubility in the liquid phase in the presence of silicone oil. Therefore, at elevated hexane concentrations, the presence of surfactants and silicone oil may decrease the biodegradation rate due to change of bioavailability of VOC and increasing the risk of toxicity. The correct selection of the additive with optimum concentration, regarding the biomass capability in degrading pollutants, is critical to reach maximum performance. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_735759.html Bisphosphonates, as compounds with broad applications in both medical (e.g., treatment of bone disorders) and industrial (e.g., scale and corrosion inhibition) fields, have attracted significant research interest. In this study, hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate (HEDP) was synthesized via the reaction of acetic anhydride with phosphorous acid. The novelty of this work lies in the application of ultrasonic waves as a green energy source, offering an alternative to conventional heating methods. Cavitation induced by ultrasound substantially optimized the reaction conditions, enhancing the synthesis yield from 68% to 93% while reducing the reaction time from 6 hours to 40 minutes. The product structure was characterized using FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that ultrasonic-assisted synthesis not only decreases energy and chemical consumption but also produces a higher-purity product with minimal by-products. This approach provides a novel, efficient, and sustainable strategy for the synthesis of bisphosphonate compounds. https://www.nsmsi.ir/article_737460.html Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted considerable attention in the development of electrochemical sensors due to their high porosity, large specific surface area, ordered crystalline structure, and accessible active metal sites. In this study, a novel electrochemical sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer modified with a cobalt-based metal-organic framework (Co-MOF/MIP) was designed for the selective and sensitive determination of minoxidil. The synthesized Co-MOF was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and its surface morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For sensor fabrication, para-aminobenzoic acid was employed as the functional monomer and minoxidil as the template molecule. The molecularly imprinted polymer film was deposited onto the surface of a Co-MOF-modified glassy carbon electrode via electropolymerization. The porous structure and surface-active sites of Co-MOF enhanced the effective surface area of the electrode, facilitated charge transfer, and improved the electrochemical response. The analytical performance of the sensor was evaluated by comparing the responses of Co-MOF/MIP and Co-MOF/NIP electrodes in a redox probe solution using a three-electrode system over a potential range of -0.6 to 1.0 V at a scan rate of 50 mV/s. The proposed sensor exhibited a linear response toward minoxidil in the concentration range of 80 to 450 nM, with a detection limit of 0.3 nM. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for eight replicate measurements was 1.4%, indicating acceptable repeatability. In conclusion, the integration of molecularly imprinted polymer with cobalt-based metal-organic framework creates a synergistic recognition platform with high sensitivity and desirable selectivity. The Co-MOF/MIP electrochemical sensor can be proposed as a reliable and efficient tool for the determination of minoxidil in analytical and quality control applications.