Effect Of Nanocarbon Research Articles

Effects of nanocarbon and nano‐calcium carbonate on soil enzyme activities and soil microbial community in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) rhizosphere soil

AbstractBackgroundNanofertilisers can enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization in crop production. Nevertheless, it is unclear how soil microbial and enzyme activities are affected by the application of nanofertilisers to wheat inter‐root soil.AimsThe study aims to investigate the influences of nanocarbon (NC) and nano‐calcium carbonate (NCC) on soil enzyme activities and microbial community in the open field setting.MethodsThe effects of nanofertilisers on soil wheat rhizosphere soil were studied through the evaluation of soil microbial quantity, enzyme activity, and microbial diversity.ResultsThe findings revealed that the combined utilization of nanofertilizers and compound fertilizers (CF) led to an augmentation in the diversity of the soil microbial community. When comparing the effects of 100% composite nanofertilizers (100% CF + 50% NC + 50% NCC) with the control (CK) (100% CF), it was observed that the activities of urease (EC 3.5.1.5), catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), sucrase (EC.3.2.1.26), as well as the number of fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria, increased by 22.4%, 7.7%, 17.8%, 9.3%, 35.9%, 27.7%, and 26.0%, respectively. Similarly, the employment of 70% composite nanofertilizers (70% CF + 35% NC + 35% NCC) also resulted in an enhancement of these aforementioned indicators. The magnitude of increase over the 100% CF was 19.0%, 6.6%, 13.6%, 6.2%, 26.8%, 21.3%, and 23.5%, respectively. Notably, there was no significant difference observed between 100% CF + 50% NC + 50 % NCC and 70% CF + 35% NC + 35% NCC within the 0–35 d after anthesis. Furthermore, both 100% CF + 50% NC + 50% NCC and 70% CF + 35% NC + 35% NCC contributed to an improvement in the species uniformity and operational taxonomic unit abundance of wheat rhizosphere microorganisms, while also increasing the abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria compared to the CK. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria was found to be elevated in the nanomaterials‐treated groups, both at 0–7 d and 14–21 d after anthesis, and positively correlated with soil enzyme activities and soil microbial populations.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the application of composite nanofertilizers can enhance the soil microenvironment in wheat fields, particularly under reduced fertilization conditions.

Effect of Nanocarbon on the Structural and Mechanical Properties of 6061 Aluminum Composites by Powder Metallurgy.

6061 aluminum composites with 0.5 and 1 vol. % graphene nanoplatelets as well as 1 and 2 vol. % activated nanocarbon were manufactured by a powder metallurgy method. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to study the morphology, structure, and distribution of nanocarbon reinforcements in the composite samples. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed to understand the aluminum-carbon bonding and the effects of hybridized networks of carbon atoms on nanocarbon aluminum matrix composites. Scanning electron microscopy showed the good distribution and low agglomeration tendencies of nanoparticles in the composites. The formation of secondary phases at the materials interface was not detected in the hot-pressed composites. Raman spectroscopy showed structural changes in the reinforced composites after the manufacturing process. The results from Density Functional Theory calculations suggest that it is thermodynamically possible to form carbon rings in the aluminum matrix, which may be responsible for the improved mechanical strength. Our results also suggest that these carbon networks are graphene-like, which also agrees with the Raman spectroscopy data. Micro-Vickers hardness and compressive tests were used to determine the mechanical properties of the samples. Composites presented enhanced hardness, yield and ultimate strength compared to the 6061 aluminum alloy with no nanocarbon reinforcement. Ductility was also affected, as shown by the reduction in elongation and by the number of dimples in the fractured surfaces of the materials.

Effect of Nano Carbon and Nano Calcium Carbonate Application on Soil Nutrient Dynamics in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

ABSTRACT The application of nanomaterials in agriculture has considerable advantages, but its impact on the dynamic change of soil nutrients is still unclear. In the two-year experiment, the effects of nanocarbon (NC) and nano calcium carbonate (NCC) on the dynamic changes of soil nutrients in the wheat field were studied by setting the ratio of different nanomaterials and fertilizers. All treatments with NC and NCC applications positively affected soil nutrient effectiveness at 0–35 d after wheat anthesis, and the effect of NC+NCC was more significant. At 35 days after anthesis, soil available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), organic matter (OM), and alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (N) were elevated by 77.9%, 21.9%, 11.7%, and 7.0%, respectively, in the first year and 44.3%, 10.2%, 9.0%, and 7.6%, respectively, in the second year of treatment with 100% CF (complex fertilizer) + 50% NC + 50% NCC compared with control. The treatment with reduced fertilizer application also demonstrated a greater advantage. At 35 d after anthesis, 70% CF + 35% NC + 35% NCC had 54.3%, 11.5%, 8.4%, and 5.8% higher soil available P, available K, OM, and alkaline hydrolysis N, respectively, compared with the control, and 41.05%, 6.4%, 7.8%, and 5.4% higher the following year, respectively. In acidic soils, positively charged NC and NCC have a lasting effect on maintaining soil nutrients by adsorbing acid ions. Therefore, NC and NCC with compound fertilizer have favorable effects in maintaining soil nutrient content and improving fertilizer utilization.

Effect of Nano-Carbon on Geotechnics Features of Gypseous Soils

A Collapsing soil usually causes problems, this kind of soil has a substantial strength while it is dry, but it loses its strength while inundating and be subjected to extreme settlement. It is impossible to predict in advance the reactions of soils subjected to inundating (i.e. landslide otherwise an important soil settlement). The reduction in irreversible volumes of collapsing soil happens quickly as well as suddenly, once the reduction starts there will be no measurement to be executed which could halt such difficulty. As a result of the soak and leach that are resulting from the dissolute and clean out of gypsum, the collapsing potentials increase during the time. There are many studies in this field that indicated the possibility of modifying this soil by using nanomaterials. In this study, the nanomaterial used is nanocarbon and the soil is gypseous soil taken from Al-Najaf city in Iraq. This work studies the effect of adding nanomaterials on the gypseous soil and investigates its behavior before and after adding nanomaterial. The results showed that adding the nanocarbon affects the collapse potential which decreases by a percent meanwhile the soil cohesion decreased partly when the nanocarbon is added with 0.8% but the friction angle increased about 19%. The best proportion of using of the nanocarbon ranges between 0.8-1.2%.

Clinical application of carbon nanoparticles suspension in operation of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Objective:The aim of this study is to evaluate the application of carbon nanoparticle lymphatic tracer in total thyroidectomy and bilateral Central District's thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Method:Sixty-four patients with cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma that primary treated were random divided into two groups: Trial group and control group. Carbon nanoparticles suspension was injected into the thyroid gland of trial group patients.After ten minutes, total thyroidectomy plus bilateral central neck dissection was performed in the all patients. The black stained tissue in the dissection specimen of trial group was separated. The control group underwent total thyroidectomy plus bilateral central neck dissection. Total lymph node and parathyroid gland in the black stained tissue，and non-black stained tissue in the central compartment dissection specimen of trial group and central compartment dissection specimen of control group were counted respectively.Total lymph node, the mis-cut parathyroid glands in the adipose tissue of central lymph node，post-operative blood calcium and parathyroid hormone（PTH）of two groups were contrasted and analyzed. Result:There are 235 lymph nodes in the black-stained tissue of central compartment dissection specimen of trial group.No parathyroid gland was found in the black-stained tissue.Five lymph nodes and 2 parathyroid glands were found in the non-black stained tissue of central compartment dissection specimen of trial group. There were 164 lymph nodes and 9 parathyroid glands in central compartment dissection specimen of control group. There is statistic difference between the number of lymph nodes in black stain tissue and that of control group（t=8.291, P=0.000）.Rate of staining lymph node were 97.9 percent. No parathyroid glands were found in the black stained tissue. Nine mis-cut parathyroid glands（7.0%） were observed in the control group，while 2（1.6%） in the trial group（P<0.05）.None permanent hypocalcemia and PTH decrease were observed in the two groups.There were 10 patients（31.3%） with temporary hypocalcemia and 9 patients（28.1%）with temporary PTH decrease respectively in the control group，and there was 1 patient（3.1%） and 1 patient（3.1%） respectively in the trial group（P<0.05）. Conclusion:The effect of nano-carbon is ideal, and the parathyroid gland can not be stained black. It can distinguish the thyroid tissue from the surrounding lymphoid adipose tissue and clearly mark the Central District lymph nodes, reduce the risk of parathyroid gland injury during thyroid cancer. Neck dissection in the central region can improve the efficiency of lymph node dissection, protect the parathyroid gland and reduce the risk of postoperative complications.

Development of NiO-Nanocarbon and MnO2-Nanocarbon Energetic Catalytic Electrode Materials to Synthesize Electrical Energy through Electrochemical Oxidation of Glucose

Automobile and transportation on land and in air are the major causes of global environment pollution through the chemical combustion of petroleum fuels. The need of the hour is to run the transportation units by fuel cells which convert fuels to energy through electrochemical oxidation, straight to pure electrical energy with no polluting substances. Development of fuel cell lies on exhaustive research on development of high energetic electrocatalytic electrodes over which the fuels break to produce free electron and ions, delivering electrical energy. The present work aims at developing two electrocatalytic materials: NiO-nanocarbon and MnO2-nanocarbon by electrosynthesis method. The performance of the materials was investigated by electrochemical characterization: cyclic voltammetry, chronoammetry, polarization tests and impedance spectroscopy. The materials were found to deliver a high current on electro-oxidation of glucose. The effect of nanocarbon on NiO and MnO2 has enhanced the current to a level of over 100 mA/cm2. XRD study showed the presence of metal oxides and carbon. The electron microscopy images revealed fine grain oxides with entrapped nanocarbon. The carbon seems to be in the form of graphene, produced during electrochemical exfoliation at anode. The SEM morphology of enhanced 3D surface area with high energetic nanocarbon phase entrapped with fine structure metal oxides accounts for the high current obtained by electro-oxidation of the fuel. The materials developed are found to be very good energetic electrodes for future fuel cell in automotive industry.

Effects of nano carbon on soil erosion and nutrient loss in a semi-arid loess region of Northwestern China

Since 2005, the application of nano carbon (NC) in agriculture and environmental remediation has received considerable attention with most of the research focusing on plant growth and heavy metal absorption. However, little is known about the potential effects of NC on soil erosion and nutrient loss. In this study, rainfall simulation tests were conducted on a soil plot (1 m × 1 m, located in a semi-arid loess region of northwestern China), in which a mixture (5-cm below the soil surface) of NC (0, 0.1%, 0.5%, 0.7% and 1.0% on a mass base) and sandy soil (same as the one in the plot) was embedded as three bands (5 cm wide, 1 m long and 5 cm thick) at the three positions (top, middle and bottom of the plot), respectively. Before the rainfall simulation test, a mixed solution of potassium bromide (1.0 mol/L KBr), potassium nitrate (1.0 mol/L KNO3), monopotassium phosphate (1.0 mol/L KH2PQ4) was sprayed on the soil surface. Results showed that the sandy soil on the Loess Plateau with 0.7% NC addition (36.47 kg/hm2 on a mass basis) could improve soil water runoff, sediment yield, and nutrient loss in the semi-arid loess region of northwestern China, in addition to preventing soil water from deep percolation. Therefore, NC may have a great potential in soil erosion control on the Loess Plateau of China. Keywords: nano carbon, soil erosion, rainfall simulation tests, runoff, sediment, nutrient loss, semi-arid loess region DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20181101.2775 Citation: Zhou B B, Chen X P, Wang Q J, Wei W, Zhang T C. Effects of nano carbon on soil erosion and nutrient loss in a semi-arid loess region of Northwestern China. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(1): 138–145.

Effect of Nano-Carbon on Water Holding Capacity in a Sandy Soil of the Loess Plateau

The poor water retention capacity of sandy soils commonly aggregate soil erosion and ecological environment on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Due to its strong capacity for absorption and large specific surface area, the use of nanocarbon made of coconut shell as a soil amendment that could improve water retention was investigated. Soil column experiments were conducted in which a layer of nanocarbon mixed well with the soil was formed at a depth of 20 cm below the soil surface. Four different nanocarbon contents by weight (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%) and five thicknesses of the nanocarbon- soil mixture layer ranging from 1 to 5 cm were considered. Cumulative infiltration and soil water content distributions were determined when water was added to soil columns. Soil Water Characteristic Curves (SWCC) were obtained using the centrifuge method. The principal results showed that the infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration increased with the increases of nanocarbon contents, to the thicknesses of the nano carbon-soil mixture layer. Soil water contents that below the soil-nano carbon layer decreased sharply. Both the Brooks-Corey and van Genuchten models could describe well the SWCC of the disturbed sandy soil with various nano carbon contents. Both the saturated water content (θs), residual water content (θr) and empirical parameter (α) increased with increasing nano carbon content, while the pore-size distribution parameter (n) decreased. The available soil water contents were efficiently increased with the increase in nanocarbon contents.

Effects of nanocarbon on the hydraulic parameters and the solute transport process for disturbed loessial soil

Due to its strong absorbability and significant specific surface area, the existence of nanocarbon in loessial soil could significantly affect the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The effects of nanocarbon on the hydraulic properties and solute transport parameters of the soil were investigated in this study. The soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) were obtained using the centrifuge method in the loessial soil with various nanocarbon contents by weight (0, 0.1, 0.5, 0.7, and 1 %). Based on the soil columns experiment (5 cm in inner diameter and 20 cm in length), the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and the solute transport process for soil with different nanocarbon contents were also measured. The primary results were shown as follows: the water retention capacity increased with an increase in nanocarbon content, whereas the Ks value and the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (K) decreased. The relationship between the Ks value and the nanocarbon content could be described by an exponential function. The Brooks–Corey and the van Genuchten models provided a good description of the SWCC of the disturbed loessial soil with various nanocarbon contents. Generally, the residual water content (θr) and the empirical parameter (α) increased with an increasing nanocarbon content, whereas the pore size distribution parameter (n) decreased. Application of nanocarbon in the soil could enhance available water capacity, and the obtained nanocarbon use amount was 0.746 % from the study. The classical convection–dispersion equation (CDE) and the mobile and immobile model (MIM) fitted the chloride transport process in the soil well. Furthermore, the average pore water velocity (v), the Peclet number (Pe), the retardation factor (R), the mobile water fraction (β), and the dimensionless mass transfer coefficient (ω) decreased, whereas the dispersion (λ) increased with the nanocarbon contents. In addition, ω could be expressed by a multiple regression equation related to the nanocarbon content and the v and β values.