Energy-dispersive X-ray Scanning Electron Microscope Research Articles

Antimicrobial properties of green synthesizednovel TiO2 nanoparticlesusing Iranian propolis extracts.

The oral antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of green synthesizednovel titanium dioxide nanoparticles(TiO2 NPs) using Iranian propolis extracts were investigated on oral bacteria and fibroblast cells. In this study, propolis was sampled, and alcoholic extracts were prepared. The TiO2 NPswere biosynthesized using propolis extracts. The synthesized TiO2 NPs were characterized by scanning electron microscope(SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray(EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), dynamic light scattering, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), transmission electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and zeta potential. MTT(3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide), minimal inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, minimum fungicidal concentration, biofilm formation, and degradation tests were studied to clarify the oral antimicrobial properties of green synthesized TiO2 NPs. According to the FTIR analysis, the propolis extract contained flavonoids and phenolic compounds in addition to TiO2 NPs. Additionally, UV-Vis revealed that intense bands had formed NPs. EDX spectra and SEM images revealed that the stabilizing agent was in perfect quasi-spherical shapes around 21 nm. An EDX spectrum was used to verify the presence of titanium and oxygen. There were no significant cytotoxicity effects. The antibacterial results showed that Pro1TiO2 (Khalkhal sample) had better effects than Pro2TiO2 (Gilan sample) and TiO2 NPs. The present study presents a new process for synthesizing TiO2 NPs from propolis extracts with less toxic effects and user-friendly, eco-friendly, and economical materials. Pro1TiO2 NPs may be considered the best candidate for clinical application.

Novel antifouling nanofiltration PES membranes incorporating with C‐KIT‐6 for heavy metal ions removal

AbstractThe removal of Pb2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ from contaminated water was investigated using the curcumin functionalized KIT‐6 (C‐KIT‐6) incorporated polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration (NF) membranes. The prepared C‐KIT‐6 was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), zeta potential, Energy dispersive X‐Ray (EDX), and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). EDX mapping, SEM, and FTIR were used to show that C‐KIT‐6 mixed in the membrane. Zeta potential, mechanical properties, pore radius, pore radius distribution, and overall porosity were also studied to further characterize the prepared membranes. The hydrophilicity of the membranes was determined by the water contact angle and pure water flux study, and it was increased with respect to increasing C‐KIT‐6 loading. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the C‐KIT‐6 incorporated membranes represented favorable alterations in surface roughness resulting in the amelioration of antifouling behavior. The maximum flux recovery ratio (FRR) and minimum irreversible permeability decay rate (DRir) were attained to be 95.2 and 4.8%, respectively, for the membrane with 0.3 wt% C‐KIT‐6 (M2‐C‐KIT‐6). The rejection of all testing heavy metal ions was maximum (Pb2+ = 91.4%, Ni2+ = 93.1% and Zn2+ = 98.0%) for M2‐C‐KIT‐6. Moreover, M2‐C‐KIT‐6 showed good long‐term reusability performance. The obtained results prove the antifouling C‐KIT‐6 incorporated PES NF membranes are potential candidates for heavy metal ion removal.

Improving the quality of waste-derived char by removing ash

This study characterized and removed ash from waste-derived char to improve the quality of char as fuel. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and automobile shredder residue (ASR) were carbonized at 450 °C and at 500 °C, respectively, in a rotary kiln with a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 h. MSW and ASR char were subjected to sieving and pulverization-sieving to screen incombustibles and the ash-rich fraction, after which float–sink separation, froth floatation, and oil agglomeration were applied to remove ash from the char. The established target quality was (1) less than 30% ash content and (2) more than 20,000 kJ/kg heating value. However, the rate of combustibles recovery had to be lowered to produce a good quality of char along with a high heating value. MSW char attained the targeted quality level using froth floatation or oil agglomeration, whereas, neither separation method was able to make ASR-derived char satisfy the target. Based on the assumption that particle properties of char are determined by the weight ratio of combustibles and ash, the densities of combustibles and ash in char were estimated using the results of float–sink separation, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and elemental content. To verify the above assumption, an energy dispersive X-ray/scanning electron microscope (EDX/SEM) analyzer was used to observe char particles.