Volume 238, Issue 3

In this study, we describe the creation of linked semiconductor nanomaterials, which represents a significant development for photocatalytic applications. A Bi 2 O 3 –ZnO hetrostructured thin film was created using the SILAR-CBD deposition technique. In comparison to pure ZnO and Bi 2 O 3 , the produced heterostructured thin film showed greater photocatalytic (PCD) activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light. The formation of Bi 2 O 3 (monoclinic lattice phase) and ZnO (hexagonal wurtzite phase) are the heterostructured nanomaterials that were generated, according to a powder XRD inspection. An image taken with HR-TEM demonstrates the mixing of nanoparticles and nanorod formations in the Bi 2 O 3 /ZnO. The vectorial movement of electrons (e − ) and holes (h + ) between ZnO and Bi 2 O 3 is responsible for the boosted photocatalytic efficiency, which is in turn, accountable for the enhanced photocatalytic activities.

A hydrothermal technique was used to successfully synthesize tetragonal Cu 2 CoSnS 4 (CCTS) nanoparticles and investigate the effect of various thiourea concentrations on structural, morphological and optical properties. XRD analysis revealed the formation of tetragonal CCTS nanoparticles and the average crystallite size (nm) varied from 26 to 40 nm. The Raman studies confirmed the vibrational modes of the CCTS nanoparticles. The FE-SEM images revealed that the thiourea concentrations induced morphological changes in the CCTS nanoparticles, which exhibited the nanosheets changing into spherical structures. TEM images indicated that the CCTS sample had a spherical structure and the SAED pattern demonstrated a polycrystalline nature. The valance states of metallic species, such as Cu + and Co 2+ were further confirmed by XPS. The optical band gap (1.53 eV) was calculated from UV–Visible data and the obtained bandgap value from the literature. The electrochemical measurements of the CCTS TU-10 electrode exhibited pseudocapacitive behavior with a notable specific capacitance of 198 Fg −1 at a scan rate of 10 mV/S along with favorable electrocatalytic activity. In the photocatalytic application, when compared to MB dye (78 %), the CCTS catalyst was found to have a higher degradation efficiency toward CV dye (84 %). For antibacterial studies, the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria exhibited the maximum zone of inhibition at 20 mm for 100 μg/ml. Finally, the experimental results suggested that the synthesized CCTS nanoparticles had better electrochemical, photocatalytic, and antibacterial properties.

The Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass (30B 2 O 3 +35P 2 O 5 +5TiO 2 +10ZnO+9LiCO 3 +10 BaCO 3 +1NbO 2 ) has been synthesized successfully using melt-quenching method. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to find the glass nature of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass. The functional group of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass was recognized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Linear optical properties of the Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass were studied using UV–vis–NIR spectrum in the room temperature. Mechanical behaviour of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass was examined through Vicker’s hardness method. The mechanical properties of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass was examined with various loads. The emission transitions of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass was studied using Photoluminescence analysis. The CIE diagram of the Photoluminescence was examined. Gamma ray shielding parameters such half value layer, mean free path and mass attenuation coefficient of Nb 3 ⁺ doped Zinc Borophosphate glass were studied using Phy-X software.

The present research is characterized by ecofriendly, low cost and robust methods to synthesize calcium hydroxide (CH) nanoparticles using clove oil as capping and reducing agent and nonionic block copolymers as surface modifiers and particle size reducers. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized using UV–visible spectroscopy, dynamic laser light scattering, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The average effective diameter and crystallite size of particle calculated from DLS and XRD were 97–178 and 22–36 nm respectively. The synthesized NPs showed excellent catalytic activities against Allura red and Fast green dye. They also showed improved anti-bacterial and antifungal activities against Staphylococcus aureus , Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory concentration of 50 μl ml −1 . The prepared nanocrystals were also incorporated into gum Arabic to be used as consolidant for archaeological bone fragments to fill the cracks, reinforce their mechanical features and save them from further decay. The SEM images of all the bone fragments before and after treatment clearly specify the effectiveness of this treatment.

The complexation between fumaric acid (FA) and 1-phenylpiperazine (1 PP) is a fruitful cooperation that allowed the preparation of a new organic crystal entitled (4-phenylpiperazin-1-ium) hydrogenfumarate denoted by 4PPHFUM, which is reported in the present manuscript. This new substance is created by the slow evaporation that occurs when 1-phenylpiperazine and fumaric acid are combined in a stoichiometric 1:1 ratio. The stacking of the crystal is provided by O–H⋯O, N–H⋯O and C–H⋯O hydrogen bonds, also supported by C–H⋯π interactions between the organic cations. The importance of these interactions in the formation of this new crystal is confirmed by the Hirshfeld surface analysis which showed that H-bonds and supramolecular C–H⋯π interactions account for about half of the non-covalent interactions existing in this compound. These non-covalent bonds that encompass the synthesis and design of this supramolecule have also been analyzed in detail using a quantum chemical computational study. Using the docking – based drug design strategy, we investigated the therapeutic effect of this cooperative outcome between fumaric acid and 1-phenylpiperazine to demonstrate the improved therapeutic property of this novel non-covalent compound as a tyrosinase inhibitor. 4PPHFUM was found to be a potent tyrosinase inhibitor with high interaction energy with its protein, higher than that of the most potent tyrosinase inhibitors (thiamidol, hydroquinone, resorcinol, hexylresorcinol and kojic acid).

An inventive analytical model for a dual material gate-all-around tunnel FET with possible applications in biosensors is described in this study. The semiconductor device considered in this study has a gate-all-around configuration built with two distinct materials. Short-channel effects are avoided with the help of the surrounding gate to achieve flexibility. A breakthrough dual-material design with a nanocavity has been developed to render it viable for biosensing applications. To figure out Poisson’s equation and to derive its surface potential, the Finite Differentiation Method is used in this work. The electric field, subthreshold swing, drain current, and threshold voltage of the suggested structure are then determined using this potential. Furthermore, the device’s biosensor sensitivity is examined and the results are verified by two-dimensional TCAD simulations.

The utilization of inorganic cubic perovskite semiconductors has increased their prominence within industrial applications pertaining to optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Lead-free materials are currently receiving significant attention among many perovskite compounds, mostly due to their environmentally non-toxic nature. In the present work, the structural, optical, electronic, thermodynamic and mechanical properties of inorganic perovskites FrBO 3 (B = Ta, Nb) are discussed via generalized gradient approximation based on density functional theory. The band structure, density of states, absorption, dielectric function and reflectivity are calculated to describe electronic and optical properties of the compounds. The ground states lattice parameters are found to be 4.292 Å and 4.194 Å with direct band gap of 1.175 eV and 0.90 eV, respectively. The elastic constants and Debye temperature of FrBO 3 showed that the compounds are mechanically and thermodynamically stable. The results obtained by this study reveal that FrTaO 3 has superior absorption and conductivity making it a more suitable candidate for various optoelectronic devices.

The detergent formulations and the ingredients used in the formulations are variable in the entire world depending on the climate, cost, results, laundry trends and other multiple factors. The impact of detergent components on lipase (enzyme) activity was evaluated after incubation at 20 °C for 1 h and 2 h. Tween-80 demonstrated the highest residual activity, with percentages of 90.3 % and 74.6 %, respectively, inhibiting lipase activity by approximately 10 %–25 % compared to the control. Testing five laundry detergents for lipase production over various time intervals (12–16 h) and temperatures (4 °C, 20 °C, and 50 °C) indicated that “brite” detergent displayed the highest residual activity, with percentages of 84.2 %, 82.5 %, and 80.8 %, respectively, inhibiting lipase activity by approximately 15 %–20 % compared to the controls. These findings suggest that laundry detergents have a slight inhibitory effect on lipase production compared to the crude enzyme, and longer incubation periods result in decreased lipase production.

A combined theoretical and experimental approach has been used to study the influence of a biopolymer sodium alginate (NaAlg) on the aggregation, interfacial, and thermodynamic phenomena of two surface active ionic liquids (SAILs), 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (DMeImCl), and 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (HDMeImCl) with a view to explore the effects of the tail lengths of the SAILs and the temperature. Density Functional Theory (DFT) in conjunction with conductometry, tensiometry, and vapor pressure osmometry has been employed. DFT studies indicate that the geometries of the SAIL–NaAlg coordinated structures become more stabilized compared to the geometries of NaAlg, DMeImCl and HDMeImCl themselves, and that an increase in the alkyl chain length of the SAILs results in a lowering in the optimization energy for SAIL–NaAlg coordinated structures. Surface activity of the SAILs in presence of NaAlg has been found to be improved as the tail length of the SAILs increases. Evaluation of the Gibbs minimum free energy demonstrates a poorer thermodynamic stability of the interfacial growth of the SAIL molecules as the temperature is elevated. SAIL monolayer has been found to become more compact for the HDMeImCl–NaAlg system compared to the DMeImCl–NaAlg system arising from improved van der Waals attraction among the hydrophobic tails. The pC 20 values also indicate more interfacial adsorption in the HDMeImCl system within the investigated temperature range. Two characteristic concentrations, e.g., the critical aggregation concentration ( cac ) and polymer saturation concentration ( psc ), prior to the appearance of free SAIL micelles above the critical micellar concentration ( cmc ) in each of the SAIL–NaAlg solutions have been identified. Micellization of both the SAILs has been found to be thermodynamically spontaneous in presence of NaAlg. As the temperature increases or the surfactant tail gets longer, micellization becomes more spontaneous. The geometrical shapes of both DMeImCl and HDMeImCl micelles in presence of the NaAlg have been predicted to be spherical irrespective of the experimental temperatures. The results have been discussed to elucidate the SAIL–NaAlg interactions considering diverse forces prevailing in these mixed systems.

Electrocoagulation is an efficient treatment for the concurrent elimination organic and inorganic contaminants from tannery wastewater. The batch electrocoagulation investigations were carried out using mild steel and aluminium as sacrificial anodes and stainless steel as the cathode. Various operating constraints, such as the electrolyte pH, realistic current density, electrolysis time, effluent concentration and supporting electrolyte concentration were appraised to study their effects on electro-coagulation efficiency. The maximum Total Organic Carbon (TOC) removal has been observed was 90 % and 77 % under optimum operating conditions, and the maximum chromium removal has been recorded was 99 % and 90 % using mild steel and aluminium anodes respectively. The experimental data was also fitted with the first order kinetic model. The experimental data were investigated with the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. The result shows that the experimental data fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model, with a rate of confidence of 0.98, using mild steel as an anode. The solid sludge and the liquid samples were characterized using the SEM (scanning electron microscopy) EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectrometer) and UV–Visible (Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy) analyses. All experimental results show that mild steel was an efficient anode, for the instantaneous elimination of organic and inorganic contaminants from tannery wastewater.