Loyola College is a private Catholic higher education institution run by the Society of Jesus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded in 1925 by the French Jesuit priest, Francis Bertram, along with other European Jesuits. It is an autonomous Jesuit college affiliated with the University of Madras. Loyola commerce association celebrated its 75th year in 2019. Loyola college has more than 8000 students studying as on 2021.
In this work a novel ZrO2/BiOI nanocomposite is synthesized through solvothermal method and is investigated through various characterisation techniques to study its properties in detail. Through XRD analysis the average crystallite size of the nanocomposite was found to be 46.62 nm. FE-SEM analysis revealed the nanoparticlenanosheet morphology and the bandgap of the synthesized nanocomposite was found to be in the visible region when analysed through UV-Vis analysis. Through Raman analysis the vibrations in the composite were analysed and the presence of the functional groups were confirmed through FTIR analysis. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of the elements in the desired oxidation state in the nanocomposite. Reduction in the recombination rate as confirmed through PL analysis and increase in the surface area as evident through BET analysis account for the significant photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite against Eosin Blue and Eosin yellow dyes under visible light. The synergistic interaction between ZrO2 and BiOI has resulted in notable antibacterial efficacy against the four bacteria tested (E. faecalis, S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa). Thus, the synthesized nanocomposite is a feasible option for both pollutant degradation and antibacterial treatment.
In social situations where people are close and working towards the same goal, friendships develops and flourish in the workplace. This study aims to identify the impact of workplace friendship (WPF) on job involvement, organizational commitment and employee well-being, particularly to Indian context. The study also aimed to find the moderating effect of gender on the aforementioned factors. The focus of the study is to find out whether there is any impact of workplace friendship on the employees’ life in the organization. The findings indicate that there is positive significant effect of workplace friendship on employee commitment, wellbeing and job involvement. Gender plays a vital role in this context. The finding can help managers and organizations to understand the significance of a friendly and open culture in the organization and to get a better view of the psychological needs of the employees. The study will also help to build employee friendly organizational culture.
In the search for high-performance supercapacitors, NiFe2O4 nanorods infused with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) demonstrate significant potential as an electrode material. This study explores the synthesis of NiFe2O4 nanorods using a hydrothermal method and their subsequent integration with rGO to form a composite material. The electrochemical properties of the NiFe2O4@rGO composite are systematically evaluated. The results indicate that the composite exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance, attributed to the synergistic effects of NiFe2O4 and rGO. The rGO provides a conductive matrix, facilitating rapid electron transport with the overall conductivity and stability of the electrode material. The NiFe2O4 nanorods, evenly distributed on the rGO sheets, contribute to the specific capacitance, energy density and power density of 679.62 F g-1, 60.41 Whkg-1 and 0.4 kW kg-1, respectively. The retention rate after 5000 cycles was 91.8%. This study highlights the composite's potential for application in supercapacitors, offering insights into the optimal synthesis and characterisation techniques necessary for advancing energy storage technologies.
Aluminum hydroxide (gibbsite) and magnesium hydroxide (brucite) rank among the most prevalent hydroxide minerals and function as structural prototypes for diverse layered materials, including phyllosilicates, layered double hydroxides, and emerging two-dimensional halides. An exciting feature of these materials is their novel electronic and spintronic functionalities. Gibbsite adopts a dioctahedral framework with one-third of its octahedral sites vacant and stabilized by hydrogen bonding, whereas brucite forms a fully occupied trioctahedral lattice bound by van der Waals interactions. Such structural differences critically influence their stability, reactivity, and functional versatility. The present study develops a topological framework by employing classical degree-based indices, along with face degree and degree-sum variants, to characterize their network structures and compute their properties. We employ univariate and bivariate regression models in conjunction with the quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR) approach to predict physicochemical properties of aluminum and magnesium hydroxide configurations, such as log P (base 10), molecular weight, and molar refractivity. The integrated methodology demonstrates improved structural discrimination and predictive reliability, highlighting the utility of topological indices in QSPR analysis.
Electrochemical sensing has emerged as a sensitive and reliable strategy for monitoring pesticide contaminants in environmental systems. Among organophosphorus pesticides, Diazinon (DZN) is widely used in agriculture, but its persistence in food products and environmental matrices raises concerns due to its potential ecological and health impacts. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) and Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) were synthesized from agricultural waste (neem oil cake) through a green hydrothermal route. Nickel Zincate (NiZn2O4) nanoparticles were subsequently prepared and integrated with rGO to form an NZ@rGO nanocomposite electrode. Structural and electrochemical analyses indicate that the incorporation of rGO enhances the electroactive surface area and facilitates electron transfer at the electrode interface. The NZ@rGO-modified electrode exhibited a linear response toward DZN in the concentration range of 0.01-180 mu M with a detection limit of 0.041 mu M. The electrode demonstrated good repeatability, operational stability over multiple cycles, and selective detection in the presence of common interfering species. The developed platform was further applied for the determination of DZN in environmental samples, indicating its potential as a waste-derived electrochemical sensing system for pesticide monitoring.
