Engineering and Technology Journal

A new oxide glass host of the form (50-x) B2O3-25TeO2-25BaO-xDy2O3 (where x was varied from 0 to 1.25 mol%) was prepared using the conventional melt-cast quenching method. The study investigated how the glasses' structural, physical, and elastic properties were affected by varying amounts of Dy2O3. The XRD patterns of the samples indicated that they possessed an amorphous nature. FTIR spectrum displayed the vibration mode of trigonal and bipyramidal units like TeO3, TeO4, BO4, and BO3 together with Te-O-Te and Te-O linkages, indicating bridging oxygen (BO). The observed increase in the density (from 4.535 - 4.772 gm.cm-3) was ascribed to the network structure contraction. The improvement in the elastic moduli of the glasses (obtained from the measured shear and longitudinal acoustic velocity) was mainly due to Dy2O3 doping with higher molecular weight. Consequently, it increased the glass rigidity by forming more BO in the glass network, altering the physical and structural characteristics. The obtained rise in the Debye temperature (from 334.0107–351.383 K) and softening temperature (from 399.6075-451848 K) was due to BO-mediated changes in CN. (coordination number) of the glass network. It was shown that the mechanical and structural characteristics of the proposed glass host can be tailored by tuning the Dy2O3 contents. These glasses may be useful for making high-strength optical fibers.

This study presents a comprehensive investigation utilizing remote sensing data and aerogeophysical datasets to identify potential economic gold mineralization sites in Zungeru, North-Central Nigeria. The research objectives include understanding the structural setting, mapping lithologic contacts, and detecting hydrothermally altered zones. Spatial suitability analysis was conducted on processed datasets. Feature-Oriented Principal Component Analysis (Crosta approach) was applied to selected Landsat 8 OLI imagery bands for mapping hydroxyl and iron oxide alterations. Additionally, regional topographic lineaments were mapped using SRTM DEM, and subsurface lineaments were identified using aeromagnetic data. Interpretation of the aeromagnetic data revealed complex anomalies associated with various structural characteristics, such as faults, folds, and fractures. The investigation of hydrothermal alteration zones through gamma-ray spectrometry data and K/eTh ratio analysis demonstrated a significant connection with igneous intrusions, further supported by ternary maps of the radioelements. Five thematic maps representing factors that control gold mineralization were integrated using GIS modeling to identify prospective zones. Five distinct mineral-prospective zones are delineated, showing varying levels of mineralization potential. The "Very Good" to "Good" zones are predominantly aligned in the NNE direction, with some occurrence in the NW quadrant. The spatial correlation with lithological characteristics and lineament features suggests their strong influence on mineral prospectivity. Around 76% of gold mineralization is within the most favorably projected zones. Both models show considerable reliability, with predictive accuracies surpassing 70%, as validated using the ROC/AUC metric. The Fuzzy Logic model showcases the highest predictive efficacy, with a prediction level of 78.3%. The validation results of gold mining sites from the models indicate a percentage agreement of 75%. The study guides future exploration efforts, directing them toward areas with the highest promise of finding gold. This work is instrumental in optimizing resource allocation and maximizing the efficiency of exploration endeavors, paving the way for more targeted and successful gold prospecting in the region.

The porous silicon (PSi) substrate was accurately synthesized using photoelectrochemical etching. A Nanofilm gallium nitride (GaN) was then precisely deposited on this PSi substrate using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The x-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation revealed the GaN layer's distinct crystalline structure along the (002) plane, with a precise crystallite size of 21.57 nm. This precision in the deposition process enhanced both the surface morphology and film quality. In the atomic force microscope (AFM), oval particles were evenly distributed across the entire surface, and the RMS of the surface was 27 nm with a 20.63 nm surface roughness. A field emission scanning microscope (FESEM) image of the gallium nitride (GaN) films deposited at a wavelength of 532 nm showed that the GaN material had an evenly covered Psi surface. This reflected the presence of a smooth and even spread of round particles. The cross-sectional area of the GaN sheet had a thickness of 2.92 μm, demonstrating the precision of the deposition technique. The resulting GaN nanofilms demonstrate UV photoluminescence (P.L.), characterized by a wavelength peak of 363.7 nanometers, indicative of the GaN material. In addition, they display a red photoluminescence peak at 723 nanometers, corresponding to the PSi substrate. Under UV-visible light and photoluminescence (P.L.), the optical energy gaps of the GaN nanofilm and the PSi substrate were determined. The PSi substrate exhibited an optical energy gap of 2.1 electron volts, whereas the resulting gallium nitride nanofilms displayed multiple energy band gaps of 3.4 electron volts and 1.7 electron volts

The over-dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, is a major setback to the economy. There is a hike in its price, hence the need to commercialize a renewable form of energy such as solar energy. Solar energy's intermittent nature is a barrier, requiring an efficient, affordable, clean energy storage mechanism such as a supercapacitor. Electrodes are a supercapacitor's basic components, and optimizing an electrode material leads to wide electrochemical applications. In this study, Ni-doped thin films were synthesized by electrochemical deposition, and the optical, morphological, and electrochemical properties were investigated through different characterization techniques. The optical properties were analyzed using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, a decrease in absorbance (25%), absorption coefficient ( ), extinction coefficient ( ), real dielectric constant ( ) and energy band gap (1.8 eV) of the film with the highest concentration of Ni was observed. The SEM result shows the films densely adhered to the substrate but unevenly distributed with imperfections (cracks and voids) as the concentration of Ni increases. The specific capacitance of the film ( ) was measured to be 410.8 F/g, 235.7 F/g, and 184.2 F/g in the presence of 6M KOH electrolyte at a scan rate of 10 mV/s, 20 mV/s, 50 mV/s, respectively at the same current density of 0.3 A/g with the highest electrical conductivity of .These results indicate the promising features of Ni-doped thin films are used as electrode material for supercapacitor applications

The use of olive leaf powder (OLP) as a filler material in unsaturated polyester composites brings a new avenue for the development of mechanical and thermal properties. The present work focuses on the impact of the relative proportions of OLP ranging from (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25%) on the structural, electrical, and thermal properties of the composites.The specimens were prepared through the hand lay molding process, and the hardness strength, impact strength as well as compressive strength examination were conducted.These findings suggest that the characteristics of these composites improve as the content of OLP increases.The maximum impact strength found is 2.52 KJ/m², and the maximum hardness is 7.24 N/mm², while the compressive strength is around 48.7 MPa. Thermal conductivity decreased on the volumetric fraction of 25%, which is within the range of 0.101 W/m·℃. Based on the analysis of the FTIR results, it can be claimed that the change in intensities and positions of the peaks may be associated with the interaction between the OLP and the polyester matrix. The SEM data suggest that the OLP is dispersed throughout the matrix, and strong interfacial adhesion exists between them. In summary, this work highlights the prospects of using OLP-filled unsaturated polyester composites for several purposes due to the improved mechanical and thermal characteristics.

Ag2O quantum dots highly versatile promising a wide range of applications from energy conversion to biomedicine making them an important area of research and development in nanotechnology. The tunibilty of the bandgab, make them highly suitable for optoelectronics device, LED, solar cell, were the band gab can be adjested by controlling the size of nanoparticles leading to different light absorbtion and emission properties. In this work, uniform and smooth quantum-sized silver oxide (Ag2O) nano-films were chemically prepared on a glass substrate using chemical bath deposition method. The study investigated the impact of interaction time before the deposition process, where the effect of three priod of time (0.5, 1 and 1.5) hrs on physical properties have been invistigated. Structural analysis confirmed the cubic silver oxide (Ag2O) structure, corresponding to the primary diffraction plane (002). The optical results discuss the time dependency of the optical band gap, revealing an energy band gap of approximately 2.25 eV. The electrical conductivity initially shows an inverse relationship with time but increases after a certain point. Additional investigations were conducted on other properties, including electrical characteristics, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).