SAED Techniques Research Articles

Development of MnWO4:Ag nanodilute magnetic semiconductors with tunable magnetic and optoelectronic properties

The bandgap engineered MnWO4 nanoparticles doped with Ag were developed using a facile one-pot synthesis method. The impurity doping concentration of Ag was varied from 1 to 5 wt percentages to tune the interactions between manganese tungstate and silver ions to obtain desirable magnetic and optoelectronic properties. The structural properties of the MnWO4 particles with various concentrations of Ag were investigated using X-ray diffraction. The optical properties of the pristine and Ag-doped MnWO4 particles were determined using UV‒Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The impurity concentration-dependent structural transformations and changes in the vibrational modes, lattice dynamics, electronic transitions and optoelectronic properties of the prepared materials were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy. The topology, morphology and elemental analysis of the synthesized nanoparticles were elucidated using HRTEM, SAED, SEM and EDX techniques. The magnetic properties of the MnWO4:Ag nanoparticles were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The obtained results suggested that Ag-doped MnWO4 nanosystems show enhanced and tunable magnetic properties suitable for nanodilute magnetic semiconductor (nDMS) applications. The presented work opens a range of possibilities for the development of advanced materials with applications in optoelctronics, nanomedicine, energy-efficient electronic devices and energy conversion.

Evaluation of Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities for Pluronic F-127 Encapsulated Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles Using Alstoniayunnanensis Leaf Extract

Primary brain tumors caused by gliomas are most frequently found in the neurons of the central nervous system. The present study explores the effects of Pluronic F-127 coated magnesium oxide nanoparticles (PF-127 MgO NPs) using Alstonia yunnanensis leaf extract (A. yunnanensis) on C6 glioma cells (C6 cells). The vital part of nanotechnology is the formulation of environmentally friendly methods for making NPs. Because of their small size, NPs can pass easily through the holes in intracellular cell membranes and into living tissue. Numerous integrated protein therapies have shown enhanced medicinal qualities and thermo stability owing to PF-127. MgO is employed in cell therapy, tissue repair and the creation of cancer medicines. In this research, we synthesized PF-127 MgO NPs using A. yunnanensis leaf extract to study the activity of their anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activities on C6 cells. We examined the synthesized NPs by the UV-Vis, FT-IR, PL, TEM, SAED, FE-SEM, EDAX, XRD, and DLS techniques. The anti-bacterial effectiveness and anti-cancer activity C6 cells on MTT assay, AO/EtBr, DAPI, DCFH-DA and Rh-123 staining methods of synthesized PF-127 MgO NPs. Moreover, the synthesized NPs characterization studies can be used high activity anti-bacterial and significant anti-cancer activity were noticed. The study finds that the NPs increased ROS accumulation and resulting in apoptotic cell death. Overall, our findings show that synthesized PF-127 coated MgO NPs using A. yunnanensis leaf extract possess anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties in C6 cells.

A comparison of distal triceps tendon repair outcomes by surgical technique

Distal triceps tendon ruptures are an uncommon injury with several reported repair techniques. Outcomes research between the repair techniques is complicated by the rarity of the injury as most published materials are based on small sample sizes and specific surgical techniques. This study compared surgical complications, reoperations, and range of motion between all suture transosseous tunnel only (TT), suture anchor only (SA), and transosseous tunnel plus suture anchor (TTSA) repair techniques. We retrospectively identified patients who underwent a distal triceps repair at our tertiary-care institution from 2011 to 2021. The electronic medical record was reviewed for patient demographics, triceps rupture characteristics, repair technique, and postoperative complications. This study includes 199 patients who underwent a repair by TT (82), SA (69), or TTSA (48) techniques. No differences were identified between groups with regards to demographics and medical comorbidities. Patients treated by SA technique were more likely to have a loss of elbow extension (SA: 14 [26.4%], TT: 6 [8.57%], TTSA: 4 [10.0%], P= .014) postoperatively with an average loss of 9° for the patients in all groups. However, no differences were identified between the groups with regards to postoperative complications (TT: 15.9%, SA: 17.4%, TTSA: 18.8%, P= .911), including triceps rerupture (TT: 6.10%, SA: 4.35%, TTSA: 12.5%, P= .260), and reoperation (TT: 11.0%, SA: 11.6%, TTSA: 14.6%, P= .822) rates. Regardless of repair technique, distal triceps tendon repair surgery has a relatively high complication and reoperation rate. However, given the similarities between the various methods of repair, surgeons can be confident in repairing this type of injury by whichever modality they deem appropriate.

Biogenic fabrication of a gold nanoparticle sensor for detection of Fe3+ ions using a smartphone and machine learning.

In recent years, smartphones have been integrated into rapid colorimetric sensors for heavy metal ions, but challenges persist in accuracy and efficiency. Our study introduces a novel approach to utilize biogenic gold nanoparticle (AuNP) sensors in conjunction with designing a lightbox with a color reference and machine learning for detection of Fe3+ ions in water. AuNPs were synthesized using the aqueous extract of Eleutherine bulbosa leaf as reductants and stabilizing agents. Physicochemical analyses revealed diverse AuNP shapes and sizes with an average size of 19.8 nm, with a crystalline structure confirmed via SAED and XRD techniques. AuNPs exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity in detection of Fe3+ ions through UV-vis spectroscopy and smartphones, relying on nanoparticle aggregation. To enhance image quality, we developed a lightbox and implemented a reference color value for standardization, significantly improving performance of machine learning algorithms. Our method achieved approximately 6.7% higher evaluation metrics (R 2 = 0.8780) compared to non-normalized approaches (R 2 = 0.8207). This work presented a promising tool for quantitative Fe3+ ion analysis in water.

Characterization of the interfacial structure and fracture behavior of in situ synthesized ceramics to reinforce Ni-based composite coatings

This work used the in-situ synthesis of molten-state nitride ceramic phase-reinforced Ni-based alloy coatings, aiming to improve the phase-interface bonding through the interdependent co-solidification between molten droplets. The XRD was used to analyze the physical phases of the composite coatings. The microstructure and phase-interface structure were characterized in detail by combining SEM, TEM, HRTEM, FFT, and SAED techniques. Microhardness tester and microforce microhardness tester were employed to measure the surface hardness and elastic modulus of the composite coatings. The fracture behavior of the composite coatings was characterized by observing the fracture morphology of the coatings using SEM combined with the EDS technique. It was found that the formation mechanisms of interfacial misfit dislocation assistance, lattice distortion, aggregation of stacking faults, and specific growth orientation between the γ-Ni matrix phase and each ceramic phase in NiCrBSi-TiCrN composite coatings improved the lattice matching between the two-phase interface, which resulted in the formation of atomically corresponding coherent lattice relations and stepped interfacial semi-coherent lattice relations, and enhanced the degree of phase-interface bonding. On this basis, the composite coatings with high Cr content further inhibited the expansion of interphase penetration cracks due to the existence of Cr-rich zones at the phase interface, thus exhibiting high fracture toughness. This work provides new opinions on the improvement of phase-interface bonding and composition design of Ni-based composite coatings.

Pseudo-water-soluble Fe2O3 as Nanozyme catalyzed chemiluminescent reaction for detection of brilliant blue in gelatin and beverages

Converting solid iron oxide nanoparticles into a “pseudo-water-soluble” form before applying them to chemiluminescent reactions leads to enhance the chemiluminescence intensity. Using 8-hydroxyquinoline as a colloidal agent, a new, fast, and simple method of synthesizing pseudo-water-soluble Fe2O3 nanoparticles was developed. SEM, VSM, SAED, HRTEM, XRD, FTIR, and EDS techniques were used to characterize the synthesized Fe2O3 nanoparticles. Fe2O3 nanoparticles synthesized in this study have superior peroxidase-like activity (POD-like) and are stable under a wide range of pH and temperature. The chemiluminescence reaction of luminol-H2O2 is intensified and accelerated by a colloidal solution of Fe-nanoparticles/8-hydroxyquinoline. Reverse-flow injection analysis was employed to determine brilliant blue. A chemiluminescent sensing method based on iron oxide nanozymes was utilized for sensitive detection of the brilliant blue synthetic dye, achieving a limit of detection of 0.06 mg/L and a dynamic linear range of 0.1 to 50 mg/L. The recovery and relative standard deviations of real samples were found to be 97.83–99.93% and 0.09–3.07%, respectively. An analysis of a sample, from injection to obtaining the maximum peak, could be performed in less than one minute.

Syntheses of diphenolic resin based anti-corrosion coating material and reinforce its performance through MWCNT-Ag and MWCNT-Ag/PANI nanofillers

In the present work, a novel anti-corrosion coating material was developed using diphenolic resin and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) based nanofillers. In this concern, phenylmethylene diphenolic resin (PMD) and its 2-(4-methylbenzyl) oxirane derivative (PMDD) were synthesized using phenol and benzaldehyde. Silver-decorated MWCNT (MWCNT-Ag) and polyaniline (PANI) synthesized on MWCNT-Ag (MWCNT-Ag/PANI) were also fabricated and employed as filler materials to enhance the anti-corrosion performance of PMDD. The resins were analyzed by LC-MS and FT-IR, and the nanofillers were characterized using XRD, SAED, EDX, TEM, and XPS techniques. The synthesized PMD and PMDD and different weight percentages of fillers blended PMDD were coated on the mild steel (MS) sample using doctor blade method. The surface morphology and roughness of the coatings were examined by SEM and AFM analyses. The anti-corrosion ability of the coated samples was assessed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray testing (SST). All the results showed an excellent anti-corrosion performance of PMDD by the incorporation of 0.2 wt% of MWCNT-Ag/PANI. Withstanding the 5 wt% NaCl salt spray atmosphere for about 144 h and >460 days in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution reflects its strong barrier property and long-term durability. The cross-linking of resins, blockade of defects by nanofiller and an additional protective layer developed by conductive PANI make the coating material efficient and durable in highly corrosion environments.

Crystal structures and photoluminescence properties of undoped and Fe3+ doped Li2Ba3(P2O7)2 pyrophosphate nanopowders

Undoped and Fe3+ doped Li2Ba3(P2O7)2 pyrophosphate nanopowders were produced by a solid-state reaction process. The prepared samples underwent characterizations using XRD, SEM with EDS, HR-TEM with SAED, FTIR, Raman, UV-Vis, EPR and PL techniques. The XRD analysis confirms the orthorhombic crystal structure of the prepared samples and unit cell parameters were evaluated. The samples exhibited stone-like structures with low aggregation based on the micrographs obtained from SEM and HR-TEM images. Additionally, the grain and particle sizes of the powder samples were evaluated. The elements Li, O, P, Ba and Fe were confirmed to be present in the produced samples by EDS spectra. FT-IR and Raman spectral investigation revealed the fundamental vibrational and bending modes of various phosphate groups. The energy bands, identified as characteristic bands of Fe3+ ions, were produced in the UV–visible region of the optical absorption spectrum for the doped sample. The crystal field and inter-electronic parameters (Dq = 915, B = 700 and C = 2715 cm−1) were also evaluated. Furthermore, the refractive index and metallization criteria properties were calculated using energy bandgap values of 4.46 and 4.38 eV of the produced samples. The doping of Fe3+ ions led to a reduction in the bandgap energy, resulting in a red-shift. A resonance signal was observed in the EPR spectrum at g = 2.05, which can be ascribed to iron ions entering the host lattice at a distorted octahedral symmetry sites and this was also supported by optical absorption studies. The produced sample showed emission peaks at 354, 440 and 530 nm in the ultraviolet, blue and green regions of its photoluminescence spectrum. Photometric parameters, such as CCT, CRI and CIE chromatic coordinates, reveal that the prepared samples could bee used in LEDs applications. This work offers novel visions into diphosphate compounds doped with transition metal ions.

CuO nanoparticles passivated 2D MXene-based voltammetric sensor for detecting environmental hazardous pollutant

This research explores a novel method for electrochemical sensing of the organic pollutant diclofenac sodium. Glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) were modified with ultrasonically prepared MXene/CuO nanoparticle composites, demonstrating a wide linear detection range of 0.34 µM–31.67 µM for the contaminant. The study involved synthesizing 2D MXene via HF etching and DMSO delamination, and CuO nanoparticles through a hydrothermal process. Powder XRD, FE-SEM, EDAX, HR-TEM, and SAED techniques characterized the synthesized materials and composites. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were employed to analyze the electrochemical behaviour of the nanocomposites. Furthermore, the binding interaction between the MXene/CuO composite and diclofenac sodium was investigated using molecular modelling and semi-empirical approaches. The results revealed that CuO nanoparticle incorporation significantly enhances the sensitivity of MXene towards diclofenac. This novel sensor exhibited satisfactory performance, suggesting its potential application as a robust platform for environmental monitoring systems.

Sustainable and reusable probe-encapsulated porous poly(AMST-co-TRIM) monolithic sensor for the selective and ultra-sensitive detection of toxic cadmium(II) from industrial/environmental wastewater

This study focuses on a new type of fast responsive solid-state visual colorimetric sensor, custom engineered with dual-entwined porous polymer imbued with chromoionophoric 4-(sec-butyl)− 2-((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)diazenyl)phenol (SMDP) probe for selective and ultra-sensitive colorimetric sensing of Cd(II). The polymer monolith, i.e., poly(aminostyrene-co-trimethylolpropanetrimethacrylate) denoted as poly(AMST-co-TRIM), is designed through a stoichiometric blending of monomer, crosslinker, and porogens leading to superior surface area, pore and adsorption properties for the voluminous incorporation of SMDP probe for target specific ion sensing. The porosity, surface and structural characteristics of the poly(AMST-co-TRIM)monolith and poly(AMST-co-TRIM)SMDP sensor are investigated using p-XRD, XPS, TG-DTA, FT-IR, BET/BJH, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, EDAX, and SAED techniques. The poly(AMST-co-TRIM)SMDP sensor reveals a frozen geometrical orientation of SMDP molecules to bind selectively with Cd(II), forming stable charge-transfer complexes by exhibiting transitional visible color shifts from light yellow to dark green (λmax 608 nm). The sensor imposes a linear response from 0–200 ppb, with quantification and detection limits of 0.95 and 0.28 ppb. The fabricated sensor material is cost-effective and versatile in its solid-state naked-eye sensing, with excellent reusability. The sensor performance has been verified using various environmentally contaminated water and commercial cigarette samples, with a recovery of ≥ 99.12% and an RSD of ≤ 1.95%, thus reflecting exceptional data reproducibility/reliability.

Thespesia lampas mediated green synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles for enhanced biological applications

The present study investigated the synthesis and biological applications of green, economical, and multifunctional silver and gold nanoparticles (TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs) using the ethnomedical important medicinal plant Thespesia lampas for biological activities. Relatively higher levels of antioxidant components were measured in T. lampas compared to the well-known Adhatoda vasica, and Diplocyclos palmatus suggested the potential of T. lampas for the study. Synthesized TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs were characterized through UV-Vis, XRD, SEM-EDS, HR-TEM, SAED, and FTIR techniques. SEM revealed that TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs were predominantly spherical in shape with 19 ± 7.3 and 43 ± 6.3 nm crystal sizes. The sizes of TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs were found to be12 ± 4.8 and 45 ± 2.9 nm, respectively, according to TEM measurements. The FTIR and phytochemical analyses revealed that the polyphenols and proteins present in T. lampas may act as bio-reducing and stabilizing agents for the synthesis. Synthesized NPs exhibited enhanced scavenging properties for ABTS and DPPH radicals. TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs were able to protect DNA nicking up to 13.48% and 15.38%, respectively, from oxidative stress. TSAgNPs possessed efficient antibacterial activities in a concentration-dependent manner against human pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, B. subtilis, P. vulgaris, and S. typhi. Furthermore, TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs showed significant cytotoxicity against FaDu HNSCC grown in 2D at 50 and 100 μg mL-1. Tumor inhibitory effects on FaDu-derived spheroid were significant for TSAgNPs > TSAuNPs at 100 μg mL-1 in 3D conditions. Dead cells were highest largely for TSAgNPs (76.65% ± 1.76%), while TSAuNPs were non-significant, and Saq was ineffectively compared with the control. However, the diameter of the spheroid drastically reduced for TSAgNPs (3.94 folds) followed by TSAuNPs (2.58 folds), Saq (1.94 folds), and cisplatin (1.83 folds) at 100 μg mL-1. The findings of the study suggested the bio-competence of TSAgNPs and TSAuNPs as multi-responsive agents for antioxidants, DNA protection, antibacterial, and anti-tumor activities to provide a better comprehension of the role of phytogenic nanoparticles in healthcare systems.

Picomolar level sensorial dual colorimetric gold nanoparticle sensor for Zn2+ and Hg2+ ions synthesized from bark extract of Lannea Grandis Coromandelica and its wide range applications in real sample analysis

In this work a facile, rapid, reproducible and non-toxic approach has been demonstrated for synthesis of most stable AuNPs from bark extract of Lannea Grandis Coromandelica. UV–Visible spectroscopy, FTIR, TEM, SAED, EDX, XRD, DLS, Zeta Potential, FE-SEM, AFM and XPS techniques were employed for the characterization of synthesized LGC-AuNPs. The UV–Vis spectra of LGC-AuNPs gave SPR peak at 536 nm while the TEM analysis revealed LGC-AuNPs have 20.75 nm size with spherical in shape. DLS study showed the AuNPs have average diameter 50.18 nm. The synthesized AuNPs exhibited very high selectivity, rapid response in recognition towards Zn2+ and Hg2+ ions by changing its color within 20 sec. This proposed sensor can detect very low picomolar level of Zn2+ and Hg2+ ions (LOD value for Zn2+ and Hg2+ were found 1.36 pM and 24.60 pM respectively). Here we also studied effect of several factors such as variation of conc of gold, temperature, incubation time, pH, salt, solvent (polar protic and polar aprotic) to know in which condition AuNPs have high stability and sensitivity. The data revealed that synthesized AuNPs was stable up to two years at pH 6.5 at room temperature in water media and under this condition, it shows maximum sensitivity and reactivity. Moreover, here interference study was carried out to identify high selectivity of synthesized LGC-AuNPs probe in presence of different metal ions. The real sample analyses also revealed the great applicability of this probe. Therefore, this simple, rapid, low-cost, sensing activity appeared to hold great sensibleness for detection of heavy metal ions in real sample.

Syzygium cumini (L.) Extract-Derived Green Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induce Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis in Hepatic Cancer Cells.

An aqueous extract of Syzygium cumini seeds was utilized to green synthesize titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). UV-Visible, DLS, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, SAED, EDAX, and photoluminescence spectroscopy techniques were employed to characterize the prepared TiO2 nanoparticles. The rutile crystal structure of TiO2 NPs was revealed by XRD study. The TEM and FESEM images of the TiO2 NPs revealed an average particle size of 50-100 nm. We employed EDAX to investigate the elemental compositions of TiO2 NPs. The O-Ti-O stretching bands appeared in the FTIR spectrum of TiO2 NPs at wavenumbers of 495 cm-1. The absorption edge peaks of TiO2 NPs were found in the UV-vis spectra at 397 nm. The MTT study revealed that TiO2 NPs effectively inhibited the growth of liver cancer Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. The results of the corresponding fluorescent staining assays showed that TiO2 NPs significantly increased ROS generation, decreased MMP, and induced apoptosis in both liver cancer Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. TiO2 nanoparticles lessened SOD, CAT, and GSH levels while augmenting MDA contents in Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells. In both Hep3 and Hep-G2 cells treated with TiO2 NPs, the Bax, CytC, p53, caspase-3, -8, and -9 expressions were remarkably augmented, while Bcl-2 expression was reduced. Overall, these findings revealed that formulated TiO2 NPs treatment considerably inhibited growth and triggered apoptosis in Hep3 and HepG2 cells.

Ni–Au magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles with a unique intertwined crystal structure showing excellent reduction and tunability of the superparamagnetic blocking temperature

Magnetoplasmonic bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) are inevitable components of several research domains that have widespread applications. However, bimetallic NPs that possess simultaneous magnetic and optical properties are often tremendously hard to synthesize. We report an extremely straight-forward, facile, quick, cost effective and easily scalable chemical method for the synthesis of magnetoplasmonic bimetallic nickel–gold (Ni–Au) NPs possessing a unique intertwined crystal structure, exhibiting excellent magnetic and plasmonic properties. The chemical method employs minimal number of precursors and eludes the necessity of inert gas atmospheres, high temperature refluxing procedures and templates. Through extensive crystal structure, compositional and surface characterizations by combining XRD, HR-TEM, EDX, SAED and XPS techniques, the bimetallic NPs were seen to possess an interesting structure where the atomic planes of Ni and Au were intertwined within the whole of each NP, unlike conventional core–shells or alloys. Specifically, an exhaustive HR-TEM analysis methodology applied to each visible Ni–Au NP proved vital in disclosing the intertwined nature of the Ni and Au atomic planes. The Ni–Au NPs exhibited magnetization properties that were drastically different from those of the pure metallic Ni NPs. While Ni NPs showed superparamagnetism (SPM) at temperatures much higher than room temperature, Ni–Au NPs showed an SPM blocking temperature, TB, as low as 47 K. SPM in the bimetallic system also exhibited appreciable tunability, that was demonstrated by further decreasing the TB value in the Ni–Au NPs that were synthesized using smaller sized Ni NP seeds. In addition to showing the much desired SPM behaviour at room temperature, the broad plasmonic resonance in the visible wavelength region due to the presence of Au makes the Ni–Au NPs multifunctional and thus promising for various applications. The developed synthesis method highlights the possibilities towards synthesizing magnetoplasmonic bimetallic systems with unique property-specific architectures through much less expensive, unconstrained chemical synthesis pathways.

Antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxicity and photocatalytic performance of Co doped ZnO nanoparticles biosynthesized using Annona Muricata leaf extract.

In the present study, ZnO nanoparticles doped with 3%, 5% and 7% of cobalt have been synthesized by green method using Annona muricata leaf extract. The obtained nanopowder was characterised by XRD, FTIR, XPS, HRTEM, SAED, SEM, EDAX and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques. XRD patterns confirm the formation of pure and Co doped ZnO nanoparticles with a hexagonal wurtzite structure with high phase purity. FTIR spectra indicate the stretching vibration of Zn-O at 495cm-1. The incorporation of Co2+ ions into the ZnO lattice was identified by XPS analysis. EDX spectra confirm the existence of Co, Zn and O elements. The SEM and HRTEM micrographs show morphology of nanoparticles. The optical study specifies a decrease in energy band gap with an increase in Co-doping concentration. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO and Zn0.93Co0.07O has been examined for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under sunlight irradiation. The antimicrobial activity of synthesized nanoparticles against s.aureus, p.aeruginosa, b.subtilis bacterial strains c.albicans and a.niger fungal strains as investigated. The Zn0.93Co0.07O nanoparticles exhibit good antioxidant properties. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of ZnO nanoparticles was evaluated against L929 normal fibroblast cells. So, this work suggests that Annona muricata leaf extract mediated pure and Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles are a potential candidate for biomedical and photocatalytic applications.

Mechanical and antibacterial properties of praseodymium and PLA codoped hydroxyapatite nanobiomaterials

In this research, chemical precipitation technique used to create a novel Pr/HA and Pr/PLA codoped nanohydroxyapatite composite and characterized using like TEM, SAED, SEM, AFM, XRD and FTIR techniques. Sample binding strengths for Pr/HA and Pr/PLA were extremely similar to 17.65 MPa and 24.65 MPa, respectively. Hv values of 322 and 332 were obtained from the Vickers micro-hardness test on samples of as-developed Pr/HA and Pr/HA/PLA, respectively. Antibacterial activity against K.pneumoniae and S. epidermidis aureus was tested using the synthesized Nano biomaterials. These results show that HA/Pr/PLA with improved antibacterial activity and mechanical qualities may be useful in medical settings.

Biofabrication of Silver Nanoparticles for Selective and Sensitive Colorimetric Detection of Hg(II) Ions

The current study explored a green, simple, selective and cost-effective method for the detection of Hg2+ ions in the aqueous medium using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from marine macroalgae Sargassum duplicatum. The biosynthesized AgNPs were further characterized by using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, HR-TEM, SAED and XRD techniques. The synthesized AgNPs were almost spherical in shape and polydisperse in nature. Due to the intense SPR absorption band, the biosynthesized AgNPs solution is seen as dark brown colour. In the presence of Hg2+, the brown coloured AgNPs solution becomes colourless coupled with the disappearance of absorption maxima at 419 nm. The selectivity and sensitivity of AgNPs towards Hg2+ were also investigated and the minimum detection limit was found to be 0.1 μM. Furthermore, a test strip technique for the rapid detection of Hg2+ was also devised. Thus, the biogenic AgNPs are expected to be a promising candidate for developing low-cost Hg2+ sensors.

Combustion synthesis of nanocrystalline porous CoFexAl2-xO4 spinels: Structural, textural, magnetic, and electrical properties

A simple ammonia fueled combustion route was used to synthesize a series of nanocrystalline porous CoFexAl2-xO4 spinel samples with different Fe concentration (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 2.00) at 400 °C. The structural, morphological, and textural properties of the synthesized powders were analyzed by using XRD, FT-IR, FESEM, TEM, SAED, and N2-physisorption techniques. The electrical and magnetic properties of the spinels were also studied using electrical conductivity and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques. The XRD and SAED analyses results revealed that the synthesized samples possessed partially inverse cubic spinel structure with Fe3+ and Al3+ cations distribution. The crystallite size was observed in the range of 14–45 nm, whereas the diameter of the particles obtained from FESEM analysis is in the range of 143–284 nm. The CoAl2O4 sample exhibited low saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity (Hc) values, however the magnetic parameter and conductivity values increased monotonically with incorporation of Fe3+ ions. In addition, N2 adsorption isotherm change, Type IV to Type II was observed with increase of Fe concentration in the spinel structure. The achieved results indicate that the ammonia fueled combustion method could be a promising method to produce nanosized porous ferrite spinels.

Single crystalline manganite (γ‒MnOOH) rods enclosed with high index facets and its excellent catalytic conversion of lignin‒derived feedstock

Single crystalline manganite (γ‒MnOOH) materials with rod shape have been synthesized via hydrothermal method. Interestingly, the extent of the hydrothermal duration of the syntheses had a significant impact on the crystal's growth of manganite rather than morphogical or phase tuning. Hydrothermal duration and amount of SDS had a significant impact on the crystal's growth. During synthesis, SDS template preferentially bind on the (111) than (101) surface. The rod shaped manganite has been identified by powder X‒ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, high‒resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field‒emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X‒ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. PXRD and HR TEM techniques were shown that the rod shaped manganite are single crystalline in nature. FESEM, HRTEM and SAED techniques revealed that the rod shaped manganite were enclosed with {11‒1}, {‒111}, {111} and {110} exposed facets. XPS analysis revealed that Mn exhibits a mixed‒valence state (Mn3+ and Mn4+) at the surface of the rods. The rods exhibit good catalytic activities towards the oxidation of isoeugunol (lignin‒derived feedstock) to vanillin.

Novel noble metal-free and recyclable Co-CoOx-FeNiCo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for selective hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran or 2,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)furan

The efficient production of the liquid fuel 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is very complicated because of the presence of the aldehyde group, hydroxyl group, and CC bond. In this study, a novel Co-CoOx –FeNiCo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was developed for selective hydrogenation of HMF to DMF. The catalyst was characterized by using XRD, TEM, SAED, BET, XPS, NH3-TPD, and H2-TPR techniques. The catalyst reduced at 500 °C exhibited excellent catalytic performance and the highest DMF yield (>99.9%) was obtained at 190 °C and 4 h. During the reaction, metal sites selectively hydrogenated the CO bond while acid sites (CoOx acid sites) selectively hydrogenolyzed CO bond. Appropriate surface acidity of the catalyst and the balance between metal and metal oxide species are the main factors for achieving a high yield of DMF. At reaction temperatures below 150 °C, DMF was not produced and HMF has completely converted into 2,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF), an important furan diol for polymers production. 100% BHMF yield was also obtained for the HMF hydrogenation over 300 °C reduced catalysts due to the high concentration of strong acid sites. The catalyst recyclability exhibited excellent stability and the original activity was maintained after six reuses. A reaction mechanism was also proposed.