Borates were highly structured and diversed semiconducting materials having the wide band gap typically employed in optical property and distinct crystal structure offered vital research value for extending the range of applications. The current era of advancement in technological field have made more important than rationally build and discovered the novel borates with superior performance required to satisfy the impending technological milestones because of diverse and intricate architectures. Here, the research progress on efficient transitional metal borates and borate-based composites in photocatalysis has summarized. Additionally, the photocatalytic performance of transition metal borates in energy and environmental applications including water splitting, dechlorination of chlorophenols, degradation of pollutants, dyes, sensors and transition metals doped bioactive borate glasses (BBG). Generally, transitional borate materials have structural complex to reach technological benchmark to overcome these transition metals employed in the borate system. The present article reviewed the future direction of transition metal borates in versatile applications like environmental, energy and biomedical fields.
This study investigated the synergistic effects of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and bone-derived biochar amendments for chromium (Cr) remediation in contaminated soils from the heavily polluted Noyyal River sediments, India. Two bacterial strains, Rosellomorea vietnamensis and Bacillus siamensis, were isolated and characterized for their PGPR activities. Goat bone biochar was produced through pyrolysis at 350 °C and applied in combination with bacterial inoculants to Cr-contaminated soil in pot experiments using pearl millet. The combined treatments of biochar along with PGPR significantly enhanced soil chemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and soil organic carbon (SOC) compared to the control condition. Plant growth parameters significantly improved with the combined treatment of biochar and PGPR. Antioxidant enzyme activities were substantially enhanced, with peroxidase increasing by 66.7
Doping serves as a versatile strategy to modify the chemical, physical, electrical, and optical characteristics of materials, making them highly suitable for energy storage applications. This work investigates the enhancement of electrochemical performance in hausmannite Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) through doping with cerium (Ce) ions. Ce-doped Mn3O4 NPs were synthesized using a non-thermal microplasma discharge technique applied to a precursor solution containing KMnO4 and Ce(NO3)(3) & centerdot; 6H(2)O. The solution underwent air microplasma treatment for 30 mins at a discharge power of 40 W, achieving effective doping over the range of 0.5%-3.0%. Electrochemical testing performed in a standard three electrode configuration within a 1 M KCl electrolyte revealed notable improvements in energy storage performance. Specifically, 2% Ce doping resulted in a maximum specific capacitance of 234 Fg(-1) at 0.5 Ag-1. This enhancement is linked to Ce induced modifications in lattice structure and particle morphology, which favour pseudocapacitive behaviour and facilitate charge transfer. Moreover, the doped NPs showed excellent cyclic stability, retaining 86% of their capacitance and achieving 90% Coulombic efficiency after 5000 cycles at 4 Ag-1. These results demonstrate that Ce doped Mn3O4 NPs are promising pseudocapacitive materials for advanced supercapacitor applications.
Coastal cities undergoing rapid urban expansion often experience sustained conversion of agricultural and vegetated land into built-up areas under increasing development pressure. The Puducherry region represents a rapidly transforming coastal landscape where recent land-use dynamics remain insufficiently quantified. This study analysed land use and land cover (LULC) changes for 2004, 2014 and 2024 using multi-sensor satellite data. Supervised classification using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm achieved overall accuracies of 96–97
Food security remains a major global challenge due to rapid population growth, climate change and limitations of conventional agricultural practices. Seed germination and early seedling vigor are critical determinants of crop yield, yet many cereals, such as proso millet, often suffer from poor germination rates. Conventional priming strategies can partly address this issue, but they typically rely on chemical agents or water-intensive processes, raising concerns about sustainability and environmental impact. In this study, Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma treatment was explored as a sustainable alternative to enhance seed performance. Proso millet seeds were exposed to plasma at 25 kV for 10 min. Following treatment, surface wettability of the seeds improved, as evidenced by a reduction in contact angle from 107.8 degrees +/- 4 degrees to 74.8 degrees +/- 3 degrees, which promoted greater water uptake. Structural and chemical surface modifications were confirmed through FTIR and SEM analyses, indicating the plasma's effect at molecular and microstructural levels. As a result of these modifications, germination rates increased markedly from 82.5% +/- 2.7% to 95.8% +/- 3.7%. Enhanced water absorption (45.4% +/- 2.4% to 63.5% +/- 3.6%) and improvements in leaf and root protein content (14.1% +/- 0.02% to 21.4% +/- 0.04%) further demonstrated the positive effects of plasma exposure on early plant development. Overall, the findings highlight plasma treatment as a chemical-free, energy-efficient and eco-friendly priming technique capable of improving germination and early growth in millet. This approach offers significant promise for advancing sustainable agricultural practices and supporting future food security.
