Top News of Last Week with ANA

Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows: 

Iranian Company Produces Adhesives for Brake Pads Highly Resistant against Heat

Researchers at an Iranian company have produced brake pad adhesives that offer 30% superior heat dissipation at 300 degrees temperature as compared to rivals.

“Brake pad adhesive is used in producing brake pads for light and heavy vehicles. These adhesives are to connect the two lower parts and the upper layer of the pad to each other, and we used nanoparticles to improve heat dissipation of the adhesive,” said Mohammad Alizadeh, one of directors of the newly founded firm, according to the website of the Iranian Nano Technology Headquarters.

He considered the pad as a car part that is constantly exposed to friction and endures high temperature.

“Nanoparticles in this adhesive increased the resistance of the pad against heat as the tests showed," Alizadeh added. 

The researcher added that in the test they carried out on their nano adhesives at the 300 temerature, the heat dissipation increased by 30% as compared to those available out in the market.

“In interaction with one of the brake pad manufacturing companies, we noticed the problem of the brake pad adhesive; therefore, we worked on this technology and finally succeeded in producing this adhesive. Most of the companies import these adhesives from abroad, which is a difficult job now,” Alizadeh went on to say. 

Iranian Specialists Increase Efforts to Produce More Hybrid, Summer Crops Seeds

Iranian researchers at the Center for Innovation of Seeds and Greenhouse Inputs of Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch have doubled efforts to produce more hybrid and summer crops seeds to decrease imports.

“We, at Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch, are determined to provide a significant part of the country's needs to greenhouse hybrid seeds and summer crops seeds in the next few years,” Hamidreza Javanmard, the head of the Center for Innovation of Seeds and Greenhouse Inputs of Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch told ANA.

He added that given the recent increase in the number of greenhouses due to the limited water resources in Iran and the higher yield of greenhouse products, the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad has predicted that the area of the country’s greenhouses will reach nearly 70,000 hectares in the next seven years.

“Therefore, the country's needs to greenhouse seeds is increasing day by day and we can make a great help to the country in terms of food security,” Javanmard said.

Scientists Invent Entirely New Way to Refrigerate Things

Say hello to ionocaloric cooling which is a new way developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, to lower the mercury that has the potential to replace existing methods with something that is safer and friendlier to the planet.

Typical refrigeration systems transport heat away from a space via a gas that cools as it expands some distance away. As effective as this process is, some of the choice gases we use are also particularly unfriendly to the environment, the journal Science reported.

There is, however, more than one way a substance can be forced to absorb and shed heat energy.

A new method developed by researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, in the US takes advantage of the way that energy is stored or released when a material changes phase, as when solid ice turns to liquid water, for example.

Raise the temperature on a block of ice, it'll melt. What we might not see so easily is that melting absorbs heat from its surroundings, effectively cooling it.

Iranian Company Uses Nanotechnology to Produce Vegetable Fat for Lowering Bad Cholesterol

An Iranian company active in the field of nanotechnology succeeded in producing vegetable fat that can help lower the level of bad cholesterol in the human body.

Raheleh Amiri, an associate professor at the Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran branch, referred to the product as “plant sterol”, saying that sterol is a vegetable fat, the active ingredient of which is obtained from plant seeds such as flax, sesame, sunflower, and soybean.

She explained that the substance was converted to nanoscale materials through a process without the presence of any chemical compounds and using only natural materials.

“When the material turns to the nanoscale, the level of absorption and diffusion coefficient increases, while it creates a more desirable taste.”

She went on to say that the product then turns into an emulsion to be used. For example, the obtained sterol can be used in skin creams or in dairy products such as milk and yogurt.

Iran-Made Face Mask Integrated with Nanosensor Capable of Detecting Coronavirus

A team of Iranian researchers managed to produce a special face mask integrated with a nanosensor that is able to detect the coronavirus.

In addition to detecting Covid-19 from a person's exhaled air, the mask can detect diseases such as diabetes as well as lung and kidney problems.

The service is provided with the aim of supporting new start-ups and creative ideas, in line with the goal of developing fast and innovative laboratory diagnosis methods to be used in clinical, environmental, and food safety sectors.

The products are used in the non-invasive diagnosis of respiratory diseases using the analysis of exhaled air metabolites.

Iran-Made Nano-Based Insulation Sheets Save 60 Percent of Energy in Engine Houses

The nanocomposite insulation sheets produced in an Iranian technological company save energy consumption up to 60% in the boiler room of buildings.

Elastomeric nanocomposite sound and thermal insulation sheets produced based on Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber/Polyvinyl Chloride (NBR/PVC) polymers is a foam-like elastomeric insulation sheet manufactured by an Iranian firm.

This insulation sheet is one of the most widely used insulators in industry, including the utility and industrial parts of buildings and plants like hotels, towers, hospitals, petrochemicals and refineries, and the addition of nanoparticles to these sheets has improved their mechanical properties.

Application of these acoustic and thermal insulation sheets, which are produced in different types and forms of blanket insulation (sheet) and pipe insulation, in the boiler room of buildings can effectively optimize and decrease energy consumption by nearly 60%.

Iranian Company Produces Beta-Carotene Needed to Meet Domestic Needs

An Iranian company has met domestic need of food industry for beta-carotene by domestically producing it using nanoliposome.

Saeed Abedimanesh, a biochemistry researcher, said that the focus of his research activities is the extraction of bioactive materials from natural sources, especially thrown away crops and fruits.

He said that he and his colleagues at their company produce different products one of which is beta-carotene using nanoliposome.

“We produce this material from carrots peels which are usually thrown away. This product is used to produce cooking oil, butter and dairy industries' needs in general,” he said.

The researcher added that their company’s products meets the domestic needs and the dairy and food companies no longer need to import those products.

 “To date, this product has not been industrially produced in the country yet, while we hope to achieve mass and industrial production of this product,” Abedimanesh added, saying that development of the Beta-Carotene was achieved with the support of national Iranian Nano Technology Headquarter.

Iran-Made Nanosensors Capable of Detecting Heart Attack

Researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in designing and manufacturing nanosensors that are able to detect heart attacks.

The company is the first specialized accelerator in the field of sensor and biosensor production and design in the country, Mehdi Bordbar, a member of the specialized accelerator active in the field of biotechnology, said.

Nanosensors in medicinal research are fast emerging, particularly in heart ailments.

They are able to wirelessly convey the signal to physicians for rapid diagnosis and treatment. These sensors are less costly and can be used by individuals with the cardiac disease at all times.

“One of the sensors we developed is related to the rapid and simultaneous detection kits for cardiovascular diseases based on antibodies,” Bordbar said.

He referred to heart attacks as the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Myocardial infarction or heart attack occurs when the reduction or cessation of blood flow to a part of the heart causes damage to the heart muscle.

Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kits Produced in Iran

Iranian Researchers at the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology managed to produce veterinary diagnostic test kits on a commercial scale.

Javad Mohammadi, the head of the National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, said university students and academics play a key role in the country’s great achievements.

Veterinary diagnostic test kits can be used for gene expression profiling, target DNA quantification, microbial detection, and viral or bacterial pathogen load determination, and it is very helpful in the evaluation of primer pair performance for probe-based real-time PCR.

In terms of science, the future of the country, despite the wide range of sanctions, depends on the ability of young people and brilliant students, Mohammadi added.

Iranian Nanotechnology Firm Uses Silica to Make Special Casting Powder

A nanotechnology company in Iran produced a new type of casting powder with a special formulation in which silica nanoparticles were used to improve performance and quality.

‘Mavad Gostar Roham’ company used silica nanoparticles in its special casting powder to improve the fluidity of slurry so that it can cover the entire surface of the wax sample well and take and maintain the elegance and precision of the sample’s dimensions.

Also, it prevents the sedimentation of slurry until the end of the plaster’s drying, which, as a result, maintains the better integrity of the plaster mold.

The slurry dries in such a way that it can be used by people who make metal artifacts without a machine in addition to those who work in equipped casting workshops. On the other hand, application of silica particles with nano dimensions leads to better integrity and higher resistance in the gypsum mold in thermal tensions.

Among the advantages of the product are high strength against the thermal tensions of melting without cracking and breaking, high quality approved by gold and jewelry casting workshops, and cost-effectiveness compared to foreign samples.

Iranian Expert: Bacteriophages Can Safely Replace Antibiotics

The managing director of an Iranian knowledge-based company said bacteriophages can be a safe alternative to antibiotics and reduce drug resistance.

The market survey shows that after medicines, antibiotics are of great importance, but reducing the volume of antibiotic consumption, especially in livestock and poultry, is one of the global problems, Rouhollah Dorostkar said.

The national plan of resistance and alternative methods was supposed to be implemented by the end of the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (March 2022), but the goal has not been achieved so far, he added.

Dorostkar referred to the use of bacteriophages as one of the alternative methods, saying that the United States has developed 34 products and China has developed 15 approved products being used for treatment and prevention purposes.

Iran Planning to Produce Vaccines for Meningitis, Pneumonia

The Biotechnology Development Headquarters of Iran is planning to develop and produce vaccines for meningitis and pneumonia.

Meningitis is one of the common diseases in the country, which affects over 7,000 people in Iran every year, Mostafa Ghaneyee, the secretary general of the Biotechnology Development Headquarters, said.

Pointing out that vaccine development in this field is on the agenda, he said, “Vaccination of adolescents aged 11 to 12 years and a booster dose at 16 years old is recommended.”

“Every year, 4.5 million people in the country get infected with the disease,” he went on to say.

Therefore, vaccines are being produced, he highlighted.

Meningitis targets the protective membrane of the brain and spinal cord, he said, adding that the risk of contracting this disease includes the age group of infants to adults.

Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Flour Improvers

An Iranian knowledge-based company has produced improvers for bakery products.

“After conducting research on all kinds of bakery products, especially bread, based on our exclusive formulas and technical knowledge, we succeeded in producing a special improver for bread and bakery products in general,” Mehdi Davoudi, the director general of an Iranian knowledge-based firm said according to the Samen Health Research and Technology Fund’s public relations department.

He said that the improvers help in increasing loaf volume, improving crumb structure, extending the bread's shelf life in different weather conditions, improving flavor and taste of the bread.

Davoudi further said that improvers also help in maturing the flour and assist bakers and industrial bread producers to produce fluffy baked goods with longer shelf life as they enhance dough stability through which the bread will also remain fresh for longer time.

Iran-Made System Provides Nanoparticles for Industries

A team of researchers at the University of Tehran made a system that is able to produce nanoparticles needed for the cosmetics, health, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

The ultrasonic nano-homogenizer reactor is a system for the homogenization of mixtures in the liquid phase in order to be used in the cosmetics, health, food, and pharmaceutical industries.

Mohammad-Mehdi Uchi, a Ph.D. graduate of nanotechnology from the University of Tehran, said that the project started in 2018.

“We designed a system that can produce nanoparticles in the liquid phase in a semi-industrial volume.”

He added that liquid nanoparticles are produced by homogenizers for use in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and dyeing.

With 27,000 round-per-minute speed inside a steel reactor, the system can homogenously convert particles into other micrometers, he noted.

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