Browsing by Author "Skandani, Amir A."

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    Enhanced vibration damping of carbon fibers-ZnO nanorods hybrid composites
    Skandani, Amir A.; Masghouni, N.; Case, Scott W.; Leo, D. J.; Al-Haik, Marwan S. (AIP Publishing, 2012-08-01)
    In this study, ZnO nanorods are grown on the surface of polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibers using a low temperature hydrothermal synthesis technique. Bi-layered carbon fiber-ZnO nanorod hybrid composite with epoxy matrix is prepared and tested for vibrational attenuations using dynamic mechanical analysis. Results revealed that the growth of ZnO nanorods on top of carbon fiber increases the damping performance by 50% while causing a slight decrease (similar to 7%) on the storage modulus. The enhanced damping of the hybrid composites can be related to the frictional mechanisms between the ZnO nanorod/epoxy and nanorod/nanorod interfaces combined with piezoelectric effect of ZnO. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4746398]
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    Reciprocal effects of the chirality and the surface functionalization on the drug delivery permissibility of carbon nanotubes
    Skandani, Amir A.; Al-Haik, Marwan S. (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013-10-24)
    The drug delivery admissibility of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and their uncertain interactions with live tissues and organs have sparked ongoing research efforts. To boost the selective diffusivity of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), surface functionalization was adopted in several experimental attempts. Numerous studies had identified polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a bio-compatible surfactant to carbon nanotubes. In this study, a large scale, atomistic molecular dynamic simulation was utilized to disclose the cellular exposure and uptake mechanisms of PEG-functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNTs) into a lipid bilayer cell membrane. Results showed that with PEGs attached to a SWCNT, the penetration depth and speed can be controlled. Also, the simulations revealed that the adhesion energy between the nanotube and the lipid membrane is affected considerably, in the presence of PEGs, by the chirality of the SWCNTs.