Increasing ZnO Content Research Articles

Polycaprolactone-zinc oxide biocomposite membranes for wastewater treatment by ultrafiltration process: Synthesis, characterization and removal of inorganic pollutants

The severe droughts impacting North Africa have intensified the pressure on potable water supplies and agricultural irrigation, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable water management solutions. This study explores the potential of poly(ε-caprolactone)/zinc oxide (PCL/ZnO) biocomposites as ultrafiltration membranes for treating urban wastewater, with the goal of enabling water reuse in agriculture. PCL/ZnO membranes, fabricated using the solvent-casting method, were thoroughly characterized using FTIR, XRD, EDAX, SEM, AFM, DSC, TGA, and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. Key findings revealed that increasing ZnO content (1–4 wt%) significantly enhanced membrane thickness, crystallinity, mechanical robustness, and surface roughness, while lowering WCA values to improve hydrophilicity. These enhanced properties are critical for ultrafiltration, as they contribute to higher contaminant rejection and improved water permeability. Performance tests demonstrated ion retention rates of 32–61 % post-filtration, including for toxic metals, effectively reducing pollutant levels. Notably, the treated water met the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) standards for irrigation quality, indicating its suitability for agricultural applications. This work highlights the efficacy of PCL/ZnO membranes in facilitating sustainable wastewater recycling under drought conditions, presenting a promising, adaptable solution for water reclamation in water-scarce regions. The results underscore the potential of these biocomposite membranes to advance sustainable water treatment practices, supporting both environmental resilience and agricultural productivity.

Impact of ZnO content in BAS glass–ceramics and pre‐oxidation temperature on Kovar alloys to their sealing strength

AbstractThis work studied the effect of Si/Zn ratio on the structure of B2O3–Al2O3–SiO2 (BAS) parent glass and the microstructure, properties of the resulting glass‐ceramics after heat treatment. Additionally, the effects of different pre‐oxidation temperature of Kovar alloys and sealing temperature on the shear strength of these sealed glass–ceramics‐to‐Kovar samples were studied. First, the parent glass precipitated three kinds of crystals Al0.52Zr0.48O1.74 (PDF#53‐0294), ZrO2 (PDF#37‐1484), and ZnAl2O4 (PDF#05‐0669) in BAS glass–ceramics. The coefficient of thermal expansion of glass–ceramics increased from 48.17 × 10−7 to 54.92 × 10−7°C−1 with the gradual increase of ZnO content. With an optimizing pre‐oxidized temperature of Kovar at 950°C, a champion sample with the highest sealing strength of 6.086 MPa was achieved when BAS glass–ceramics sealed to Kovar at 1000°C for 30 min. Moreover, the sealing interface was observed to consist of four distinct regions: the matrix alloy, the alloy iron‐deficiency area, the iron‐rich glass–ceramics, and the matrix glass–ceramics.

A Study on the Relationship between the Thermoelectric Properties and Infrared Emission Performance of ZnO/SrTiO3 Composite Materials.

The thermoelectric properties and infrared emissivity of materials may seem unrelated, but both are influenced by electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. The photothermal effect of SrTiO3 can establish a connection between the Seebeck coefficient and infrared absorption in the 8-14 μm range. However, there is currently limited research on the relationship between thermoelectric performance and infrared emissivity. In this study, ZnO/SrTiO3 composites were prepared using a hydrothermal method combined with spark plasma sintering. The intrinsic relationship between the thermoelectric and infrared emission performance of the composites was investigated by varying the ZnO content. As the ZnO content increased, the grain boundary barrier of the samples changed, affecting both electrical and thermal conductivities. The infrared emissivity initially decreased and then increased with increasing ZnO content, which contrasted with the trend observed in electrical conductivity, in accordance with the Hagen-Rubens relationship. The ZT value and infrared emissivity exhibited opposite trends, with the ZnO-5 sample having the highest thermoelectric performance and the lowest infrared emissivity, making it the most representative sample. The relationship between the thermoelectric performance and infrared emissivity of SrTiO3 is of significant importance for developing multifunctional materials with both thermoelectric and infrared properties.

Investigation of physico-mechanical, thermal, morphological, and antibacterial effects of bio-based epoxidized soybean oil plasticizer on PLA-ZnO nanocomposites as flexible food packaging

Polylactic acid (PLA) has attracted considerable attention because of its excellent properties compared to petroleum-based materials. However, improving its toughness, crystallization, and functionalities is challenging. Using a laboratory internal batch mixer, we produced unique blended nanocomposites comprising polylactic acid (PLA) as the host matrix, epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) as the plasticizer, and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as the reinforcements. The SEM-EDS test showed that neat PLA had a smooth surface, but the PLA-ZnO nanocomposite had rough micrographs and a uniform dispersion state of the nanoparticles. It was also found that adding ESO to the blend nanocomposites created a matrix droplet structure, and the size of the oil domains decreased as the ZnO content increased. All results derived from FTIR, XRD, and DSC tests were consistent with the morphological features in which ZnO NPs acted as the blend’s compatibilizer and heterogeneous nucleating agent. Our team observed that adding ESO decreased the PLA-ZnO nanocomposites’ glass transition temperature (Tg) by an average of 2 °C and increased the crystallization rate. It was also confirmed that the presence of ESO improved the flexibility and reduced the strength of the PLA. The tensile strength was further enhanced by incorporating ZnO into the blend. Adding 5 wt% of ZnO NPs increased the tensile strength of the PLA containing 10 wt% ESO by approximately 3.5 MPa. Furthermore, the tensile modulus was predicted using theoretical models; for example, the Paul model fitted with experimental findings. The addition of ESO increased the overall surface free energy of the nanocomposites. On the other hand, increasing ZnO content resulted in high contact angles and antibacterial properties of the blended nanocomposites. The favorable characteristics of the resulting films emphasized the potential use of these nanocomposite films as a promising choice for food packaging materials.

Impact of incremental zinc-oxide incorporation on optical, magnetic, mechanical and photon transmission properties of K2O, SrF2, PbO containing borate-glasses

This study examines the radiation shielding properties of borate glass systems, with a focus on the simultaneous enhancement of optical, mechanical, and magnetic characteristics. The glass composition is represented by formula (55-x)B2O3+25PbO+10SrF2+10K2O + xZnO (where x: 0.0–10.0 mol%). By manipulating the ZnO concentration, we aimed to investigate its role as a radiation attenuator and its effects on the glass's optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties. Using traditional melt-quenching techniques, we produced the glass samples and examined their density, molar volume, linear attenuation coefficients (GLAC), mean free paths (GMFP), half-value layers (GHVL), and optical and magnetic properties. Our findings demonstrate that higher ZnO concentrations lead to a significant increase in density and a corresponding decrease in molar volume, thereby enhancing the glasses' ability to shield against gamma radiation. The radiation attenuation analysis revealed that increasing ZnO content substantially improves GLAC values across the energy range of 356–1333 keV. Additionally, ZnO incorporation decreases the optical bandgap, shifting the UV absorption edge to shorter wavelengths and enhancing UV dielectric capacity. Magnetic properties were assessed using vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements, showing a strong correlation between ZnO content and the effective atomic number (Zeff). It can be concluded that ZnO not only contributes to radiation shielding but also modifies the electronic structure of the glass, impacting its optical absorption properties.

The role of ZnO in the radiation shielding performance of newly developed B2O3–PbO–ZnO–CaO glass systems

Glasses with varying compositions were prepared using the melt-quenching process within the 40B2O3–20PbO-xZnO-(40-x)CaO system, where x = 20, 25, 30 and 35 mol%. ZnO's influence on the prepared glasses' radiation shielding properties was studied in the 0.015–15 MeV energy range. The results demonstrated that ZnO has a significant shielding effect at low energies, where there is an increased in the linear attenuation coefficient from 279.96 to 319.17 cm−1 at 0.015 MeV due to the 20-to-35 mol% increase in ZnO. The values of the mean free path (MFP) for the prepared glasses are very small when the energy is less than 0.1 MeV, in the order of 0.013–0.015 cm at 0.03 MeV, 0.051–0.055 cm at 0.05 MeV and 3.051–3.248 cm at 1 MeV, which revealed an enhanced attenuation efficiency with increasing ZnO content. According to the MFP results, the Zn35Ca5 sample (which contains 35 mol% ZnO) offers the best shielding performance. The half value layer (HVL) was also evaluated, and we found that the HVL is in order of 1.5 cm at 0.6 MeV, and in order of 3 cm at 2 MeV, while at 15 MeV, the HVL is 4.30 cm for Zn20Ca20 and 3.74 cm for Zn35Ca5.

Influence of ZnO and Pr6O11 incorporation on the structural, thermal, optical, mechanical, and magnetic properties of calcium lithium borate glasses

A new glass of calcium lithium borate with the chemical formula (62.75-x)B2O3 + 20CaO + 0.25Pr6O11 + 17Li2O + xZnO, where x = 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 (mol%) have been prepared by conventional melt-quenching process. The amorphous character has been confirmed by the very short-range ordering structural matrices demonstrated through X-ray diffraction.The Raman spectra of the prepared glass revealed an enhancement of host lattice distortions. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) estimated the glass transition temperature (Tg), the onset temperature of crystallization (Tc), and the melting temperature (Tm). The glass transition decreased from 441 °C to 431 °C with increasing ZnO content up to 10 mol%. The criteria of glass samples up to 10 % ZnO have higher strength, rigidity and higher level of thermal stability. The physical quantities as density, molar volume, inter-atomic distance, polaron radius, packing density, and oxygen packing density were calculated. The glass density increases while the molar volume decreases with ZnO content. The optical properties of glasses were investigated using UV–Vis spectrophotometer. The addition of ZnO enhances the light absorption in UV–Vis. The results of the calculated direct and indirect optical band gaps decrease from 3.663 eV to 3.233 eV for and from 3.167 eV to 2.648 eV for direct and indirect transitions respectively with the increment of ZnO addition. Additionally, the dispersion energy and static refractive index clearly increase while the oscillator energy declines. The Makishima-Mackenzie’s (M−M) method was employed to ascertain mechanical parameters, including elastic moduli, and Poisson’s ratio. The study revealed an enhancement to the mechanical properties as the content of ZnO increased. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to investigate the magnetic properties of the prepared glass and all samples exhibited a ferromagnetic behavior. The incorporation of ZnO act as glass modifier controlling their physical, optical and mechanical properties making the investigated glasses suitable for various applications.

Preparation, properties and formation mechanism of transparent anorthite-based glass-ceramic glaze with high hardness

The transparent anorthite-based glass-ceramic glaze was prepared at 1200 °C by mineral raw materials. The effect of ZnO content on the structures and properties of the anorthite glass-ceramic glaze was studied by XRD, SEM-EDS, HR-TEM, high temperature microscope, micro-Vickers hardness tester and comprehensive thermal analyzer. Furthermore, the formation mechanism of anorthite was investigated systematically. The results reveal that the introduction of ZnO results in the decrease of melting temperature, elimination of the diopside, reduction of the thermal expansion coefficient, and improvement of the mechanical properties of the glazes markedly. The major crystalline phases of glazes change from the coexistence of anorthite and diopside to single anorthite with the increase of ZnO content from 0 wt% to 6.45 wt%, and the relative anorthite content increases from 26.87 wt% to 49.83 wt%. Both the size and number of anorthite grains with a distribution of the card structure gradually increases as increasing the ZnO content. The increase of anorthite improves the scattering ability of visible light and then reduces the transparency of the glaze. The Vickers hardness and flexural strength of glazes improve from 5.26 GPa and 45.95 MPa to 7.20 GPa and 72.79 MPa, respectively. The thermal expansion coefficient decreases from 6.328 × 10−6/°C to 5.781 × 10−6/°C (600 °C). Anorthite crystal generates from the reaction of genhlenite, SiO2 and Al2O3 at 1100 °C, and the gehlenite forms through the reaction of metakaolin and CaO. The study shows that the plate-like anorthite crystallizes when the content of ZnO is 3.33 wt%, the Vickers hardness of glass-ceramic glaze is 6.56 GPa with a great transparency.

Effect of substituting Li2O with ZnO on the crystallization and properties of Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 transparent glass ceramics

The transparent glass ceramic Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 (LAS) was successfully prepared through a melting method. The impact of ZnO substitution for Li2O on the crystallization and properties of LAS glass ceramics was investigated. The results revealed that with the increase in ZnO substitution from 0% to 4%, the Q4 structural units in the base glass increased, reinforcing the integrity of the glass network structure. This led to an elevation in the glass transition temperature (from 533.5°C to 545.7°C), crystallization temperature (from 728.6°C to 832.3°C), and Vickers hardness (from 5.98 to 6.44 GPa). Additionally, the primary crystalline phases in the glass ceramics transformed from Li2Si2O5 and LiAlSi4O10 to cristobalite, and the multiphase crystalline structure transitioned to a single phase with a spherical morphology of the crystalline grains. The discussion delved into the size distribution of crystals in the glass ceramics, revealing that the increase in ZnO content refined the size and homogenized the distribution of the cristobalite crystals. Glass ceramics with 0% and 4% ZnO substitution, nucleated at 570°C for 4 h and crystallized at 700°C for 2 h, yielded lithium disilicate glass ceramic and cristobalite glass ceramic, respectively, with maximum transmittances (at 550 nm) of 86.92% and 88.79%. The study indicated that the type and size of precipitated crystalline phases significantly influenced the whiteness of the glass ceramics, with minimal impact on other color parameters. Moreover, the presence of fine grains in the glass ceramics, compared with the base glass, imparted a higher hardness. The addition of ZnO exhibited an increasing trend in the toughness of the glass ceramics. At a ZnO substitution of 4% and a crystallization temperature of 700°C, the glass ceramic with cristobalite as the crystalline phase demonstrated optimal comprehensive performance.

An in vitro cytotoxicity study on PANI/ZnO nanocomposites against HCT- 116 cancer cells using MTT assay

Polyaniline/ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized with different weight percentage of ZnO (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) using an in situ chemical polymerization method. The prepared composite samples were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SEM with EDAX, UV-Vis, PL, electrical conductivity, photocatalytic properties, antibacterial and anticancer activity. The presence of functional groups in PANI-ZnO NCs is identified by FTIR spectral analysis. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the nanocomposites exhibit preferential orientational growth along the (002) plane with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The intensity of the maximum reflection (101) increases with increasing ZnO doping concentrations. The TEM analysis indicates that the spherical shape,the particle size was found to be 36.8 nm. SAED pattern closely matched the peaks of the XRD pattern, confirming that the relevant SAED patterns correspond to hexagonal Wurtzite crystals of ZnO. SEM image shows a spherical morphology and ZnO nanoparticles are homogeniously mixed with PANI matrix. EDAX analysis showed the presence of Zn, C and O.UV-vis absorption spectra reveals increasing wavelength leads to the redshift in which there is a strong interaction between PANI and PANI/ZnO. The band gap energy of PANI/ZnO NCs is decreased to 1.30 eV by adding different concentrations of ZnO. PL analysis showed that the addition of ZnO dopants reduced the bandgap and increased oxygen defect vacancies of PANI/ZnO composites. An increase in ZnO content in the PANI matrix was also seen to cause a decrease in electrical conductivity. This alteration might be connected to ZnO’s doping and dedoping activity in the PANI matrix. Photocatalytic activity of 80 wt%ZnO-doped PANI-NPs through the degradation of methylene blue (MB) pigment studied under UV-A light and had detected 95% of degradation throughout 260 min. The lowest bandgap of 80 wt% ZnO shows the highest photocatalytic MB degradation performance. PANI/ZnO nanocomposite with high concentration of ZnO had good antibacterial activity against both P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. An in vitro study was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of PANI and PANI/ZnO NPs on the HCT-116 cell line. The results of the MTT test reveal that PANI/ZnO NPs have a significantly greater cytotoxic effect on the HCT-116 cell line than PANI.

Nitrophenol compounds photoreduction by MnO2/ZnO thin film with impact on reducing agents

In this work, a thin layer of manganese dioxide/zinc oxide (MnO2/ZnO) was deposited on a glass substrate using a two-stage chemical bath deposition (CBD) method to optimize the photocatalytic activities in the reduction of 2-nitrophenol. The effects of ethanol and butanol as reducing agents on the surface morphology, wettability, thermal insulation, and photocatalytic activities were investigated. At 100 kX magnification, the micrographs clearly showed the MnO2 nanoparticles embedded in the thin film for the single and two-stage CBD, with the particle agglomeration being more pronounced for the two-stage CBD. ZnO has been diffused into MnO2 for both reducing agents, albeit with lower integration. In addition, the images show that the prepared catalyst in butanol gradually granulates with increasing ZnO content compared to ethanol, affecting its particle size and the active surface. The thermal insulation test reveals that the sample with 10 % ZnO reduces the temperature by 4 °C, which improves the durability and stability of the catalyst. The exact composition of the sample demonstrates the optimum photodegradation of 2-nitrophenol with an efficiency of 94.96 % (0.0301 min−1). The measurement of the water contact angle also showed an increase in the contact angle (CA) with a value of 55.6°. Based on the findings, it was found that photocatalysts using butanol as a reducing agent demonstrate higher efficiency in reducing of 2-nitrophenol as compared to ethanol due to its homogeneous distribution and large surface area. This study brought a new direction in impact of reducing agent on void free and dense thin film of the MnO2/ZnO catalyst in reducing of persistent water pollutants under visible light irradiation.

Effect of ZnO content on structure and properties in high refractive index BaO-ZnO-TiO2-SiO2 glass system

In this study, BaO-ZnO-TiO2 SiO2 was used as the research system, and IR, XRD and DTA analysis were used to study the structure, thermal behavior, crystallization phenomenon and chemical stability of the glass when different proportions of ZnO gradually replaced BaO in this system. The results indicate that replacing BaO with ZnO does not change the amorphous structure of the glass, and the density of the glass increases with the increase of ZnO content. With the increase of ZnO content in glass, the tendency of devitrification increases during cooling, indicating an increased tendency for surface crystallization of glass. The glass with high ZnO content has the highest density and refractive index, and has the best water resistance. However, at this time, the glass is easier to crystallize after heat treatment.

DC conductivity mechanism in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO)-ZnO nanocomposites

La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO)-ZnO nanocomposites with varying concentrations of ZnO have been synthesized using the solution combustion method. A bimodal particle size distribution has been formed in all the samples. The crystallite size increases in the composites as compared to LSMO. The study on electrical resistivity reveals that LSMO exhibits a metal-to-insulator transition at 359 K, while the inclusion of ZnO suppresses the metallic behavior in the composites and increases the resistivity. Transport behavior of the samples in metallic and semiconducting regions has been explained with a known polynomial equation and a two-channel conduction model obeying the small polaron hopping mechanism, respectively. A very low activation energy in the range of 10–12 meV is observed due to smaller-sized particles. The presence of ZnO drives the hopping mechanism from adiabatic in LSMO to become non-adiabatic in the composites and enhances the maximum temperature coefficient of resistance. 80% LSMO-20% ZnO (by weight ratio) composite shows a maximum TCR of −29.81%/K at 248 K, which makes it a potential candidate for several applications in sensing devices. The Curie temperature of the material decreases with the increase in ZnO content in the sample. The results of this study also confirm the existence of correlation between the electrical and magnetic properties of LSMO.

The effect of ZnO on the structural and radiation shielding properties in borophosphate glasses

In this work, the influence of ZnO content in the structural and radiation shielding parameters of zinc borophosphate glass were studied. The glass batch was prepared by using the melt-quenching technique. The structural analyses have been carried out using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, 11B and 31P solid state MAS NMR. Density and glass transition temperature (Tg) were measurements and band gap were determined. XRD confirms the non-crystalline nature of the prepared samples. Changes in the structural characteristics with composition are associated with a replacement of BO4 by BO3 units and the replacement of PO4 phosphorous units by PO4−1 and PO4−2 units, leading to an increase of the average number of non-bridging oxygen (NBO). Density values revealed an increase of up to 43% and Tg shows reduction followed by stability with the replacement of P2O5 by ZnO. Band gap energies were measured as a function of ZnO content. Photon interaction parameters of the zinc borophosphate glasses have been investigated by the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), half value layer (HVL), and mean free path (MFP). For radiation in the X-ray range (40 KeV), the MAC value for glass is 887% higher than for concrete and the HVL decreases almost four times, from 20 to 6 mm thickness, with the increase of ZnO content. The rise in ZnO content also improves all radiation attenuation parameters and the results reported here show that zinc borophosphate glasses present better results than ordinary concrete and is comparable to lead-based glasses. These characteristics make this glass system an excellent choice as a high-energy ionizing radiation attenuator.

Dielectric and photoelectric properties of Sm2O3 regulated by ZnO

With the trend of electronic information technology towards miniaturization, integration and intelligence, higher requirements are put forward for the performance of dielectric ceramic materials. In this paper, a series of doped samples Sm2O3-xZnO (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) were successfully prepared by the traditional solid state reaction method, and the complex dielectric properties of the ceramic samples were investigated as a function of temperature (100 K–400 K) and frequency (102–106 Hz) separately. A new phase Zn6.76Sm2.58O10.6 was found in all samples, and all samples were complex. At a higher temperature, 350 K, with the increase of ZnO doping content, the maximum dielectric constant is 434.7, the dielectric loss is as low as 0.0098, and the dielectric performance is significantly increased compared with room temperature. UV–Vis DRS test showed that the absorbance of the sample increased with the increase of ZnO content, and the side reaction showed that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the sample were improved under the action of UV light. These provide an experimental basis for the application of samarium based dielectric ceramics.

Influence of ZnO on the structural, optical, ligand field and antibacterial characteristics of sodium borosilicate glasses containing minor Cr2O3 additions

In this work, the structural, optical, ligand field, and antibacterial properties of Cr2O3, ZnO and Na2O borosilicate glasses were studied. A glass system of the compositions 70B2O3−14.8 SiO2-(15-x)Na2O-0.2Cr2O3-xZnO, where x = 0, 3, 5 and 7 mol% was prepared via melt-quenching technique. In this study, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra were used to check the amorphous state of the prepared glass specimens. Infrared (IR) spectra were used to study the internal structure of the formed units and groups within the glass matrix. Moreover, the optical absorbance spectra were used to study the optical parameters, such as optical band gap and ligand field parameters. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of the glass samples were investigated against different antibiofilm activities, for example, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The optical studies showed that Eg values increased from 3.06 to 3.62 with further ZnO doping. Furthermore, values increased and B values decreased with the increase in ZnO content. The 10Dq increased values reflect the increased interactions between the Cr3+ cations and their environments, such as oxygen anions. Further, the decreased values of B refer to the tendency of the bonds of Cr3+ cations and their environments toward the covalent nature. On the other hand, the results showed that the investigated glasses are promising materials owing to high antibacterial activity on a large scale (food covering, wound curing, and surface coatings), especially the glass sample that contains the highest concentrations of ZnO. Furthermore, it demonstrated antioxidant activity using DPPH and H2O2 free radical scavenging activities.

The effect of zinc oxide on the physical and optical characteristics of calcium oxide containing boro-tellurite glasses

Glassy system with a chemical compositions of xZnO-10CaO-30TeO2-(60-x)B2O3 (x = 0 to 20 mol% with stepwise 5 mol%) was synthesized by conventional melt quenching method. The non-crystallinecharacter of the produced glasses was verified by X-ray diffraction analysis. Variations in the molar concentration of additional ZnO resulted in a densityrange of 3.19–3.77 g/cm3 for the current glasses. Through analysis of Ultraviolet Absorption spectrum, optical properties like cut-off (λc) optical energy band gap (Eopt), Urbach energy (ΔE),refractive index were determined. The cut-off wave length (λc) was increased, whereas, indirect band gap energy decreased with addition of ZnO content. The Urbach energy (ΔE) of the present glasses increased with ZnO content which confirms more disorderness. As the amount of ZnO in the glass system changed, the refractive index shifted from 2.23 to 2.30 with changing of ZnO content. The FTIR spectra confirmed the structural changes with increasing ZnO content. The higher refractive index values of the studied glasses and the presence TeO2 and ZnO enables the prominence of the glasses for NLO and antimicrobial applications.

Analyses the Scope of Solar Radiation Transmittance and Physical Properties of Polymethyl Methacrylate/Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Films

Films of poly (methyl methacrylate) PMMA and PMMA doped with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) with different amounts were created using the solution casting technique. Different amounts of zinc oxide ranging from (0.001-0.005) g in step 0.001g were investigated and added to a polymer of constant amount (0.5) g of PMMA in 15ml Tetrahydrofuran (THF). It is known that increasing the amount of ZnONPs in this technique contributes to the appearance of ZnONP peaks within the polymer. The differences in the XRD spectrum show that the nanomaterial changed the microstructure of the polymer. This was discovered using a nanoscale scanning electron microscope (SEM). SEM revealed that the PMMA polymer surface exhibit an amorphous nature with a smooth surface. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy demonstrates that there was no chemical reaction between the PMMA polymer and ZnONPs. Spectrophotometric measurements of absorbance and transmittance in the wavelength range 200- 900 nm were used to evaluate the optical characteristics of all films. Increased amounts of ZnONPs improve the absorbance, absorption coefficient, and extinction coefficient of PMMA polymer. With increasing ZNO content, the variance in computed optical energy gap values has been interpreted, the optical energy gap dropped from 4.65 eV to 4.10 eV. The solar radiation intensity in Baghdad for the pure PMMA films and PMMA/ZnO nanocomposites was measured at a rate of 1 hour for seven days in beginning in early September 2021, from 6 A.M to 6 P.M (13 h). As can be observed, almost all films have the same ratio of intensity of transmitted radiation to intensity of sunlight for all hours and days.

Dramatical improvement in temperature stability of ZnO modified PNN-PZT ceramics via synergistic effect of doping and composite

In this work, doping and composite are simultaneously utilized to improve the Tm of 0.55 Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.135PbZrO3-0.315PbTiO3 ceramic by adding ZnO (PNN-PZT:xZnO). It is found that Zn ions prefer to substitute for Ni ions, making Ni ions spontaneously crystallize at grain boundaries in the form of an oxide. Moreover, limited by the solid solubility, superfluous ZnO particles also stay at grain boundaries with the increasing ZnO content. Thus, triple contribution of ions substitution, local stress fields and electric fields coexist in the PNN-PZT:xZnO ceramics with high ZnO content, dramatically improving the Tm from 102 °C to 171 °C. The excellent comprehensive electromechanical performance is obtained in the sample with x = 0.05: d33 ∼ 824 pC/N, d33* ∼1059 p.m./V, Tm ∼140 °C, Ec ∼5.2 kV/cm, Qm ∼87. As the ceramic is heated to 125 °C, its k33 and d33 values still remain ∼67% and ∼80% of the corresponding room temperature values as evidenced by in-situ temperature stability measurement. Our results indicate that PNN-PZT:xZnO ceramics are the most promising candidates to develop high-performance medical ultrasound transducers for imaging, meanwhile, provide a fresh design strategy to optimize the performance of the piezoelectric ceramics.

Effects of CeO2 Nanomaterial on Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Mediated Bronchiectasis Inflammation Response

There are many researches on the preparation of rare earth metals (REM) materials and bactericidal materials, but there are few researches on the preparation of REM oxides based on the laser evaporation (LE) method in the field of bactericidal. In this research, ZnO–CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained by the LE method with 100 W single-mode CW CO2 laser as the light source and cerous carbonate and zinc acetate as the target materials. While physical characterization of the ZnO–CeO2 NPs, Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Bacillus subtilis var niger (BSVN), and pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAE) were undertaken as test objects to verify the bactericidal performance of the nanomaterial. A PAE mediated inflammation model of bronchiectasis rats was established, and 40 SD rats were screened and rolled into 4 groups: a control (Ctrl) group, a sham group, a model group without nano solution injection (Model group), and a model group injected with nano solution (Model +NPs group). The effects of nanomaterials on inflammation were analyzed. The results suggested that ZnO–CeO2 NPs were scattered rod particles with uniform morphological distribution. XRD tests revealed that with the increase of ZnO content, its characteristic peaks in the NPs also increased. The preparation of NPs exhibited good bactericidal performance against SA and BSVN, and increasing the concentration of NPs greatly inhibited the activity of PA. By comparing with the model group, the upregulated IL-17 and IL-6 were inhibited (P <0.01), while the downregulated IL-10 and TGF-β were reversed (P <0.01). It meant that the NPs alleviated the inflammation of bronchiectasis mediated by PA, and thus improved the lung function damaged by inflammation.