Mother Teresa Women's University, a state university of the Government of Tamil Nadu, is situated at Kodaikanal, in the Palani hills of South India. It was established in the year 1984 by the enactment of Tamil Nadu Act 15. This university aims to extend its service to women students of all communities. It strives for Academic Excellence and Personality Development and gives equal importance for promotion of employment prospects to young girls. It monitors and offers consultancy services and research in Women's Studies.The university offers distance education courses. The School of Distance Education of Mother Teresa Women's University was started in 1988 at Kodaikanal.
This study presents the synthesis, structural architecture, density functional theory (DFT) investigations, third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, and biological evaluations of two organic–inorganic hybrid compounds based on the dicationic 1-(4-pyridyl)piperazine ligand: (C9H15N3)2+.HgCl42- (Compound I) and (C9H15N3)2+.CuCl42- (Compound II) Single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that both hybrid compounds assemble into robust 3D supramolecular networks governed by extensive ionic charge-assisted (N–H···Cl, C–H···Cl) hydrogen bonds. Hirshfeld surface analysis demonstrates that H···Cl (up to 37.1) and H···H contacts dominate the crystal packing. Quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), non-covalent interaction (NCI) calculations and Time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) validate the purely non-covalent character of these lattice-stabilizing interactions. Single-beam Z-scan measurements under continuous-wave excitation show that both complexes exhibit strong reverse saturable absorption (RSA) and thermal self-defocusing behavior. Compound II demonstrates a significantly enhanced third-order susceptibility χ3 = 1.899 × 10–5 compared to Compound I χ3= 1.25 × 10–5 driven by efficient dication-to-halometalate electronic coupling and LMCT interactions. Furthermore, Compound I exhibited pronounced antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli 19 mm and S. aureus 21 mm while Compound II demonstrated superior cytotoxic potency against MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells with an IC50 of 10.96 μg/mL (compared to 25.25 μg/mL for Compound I). These results highlight the dual potential of compound I and II in photonic devices and as next-generation anti-cancer therapeutics.
Environmental monitoring for pollution control is a critical aspect of developing efficient SERS substrates and achieving sustainable wastewater treatment. This report presents a straightforward synthesis method and detailed characterization of GO-Ag nanocomposites with varying silver concentrations, aimed at both linear SERS-based detection and removal of environmental pollutants. The sensitivity of the prepared SERS substrates was initially evaluated using dyes such as methyl yellow (MY), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine 6 G (RG) at a concentration of 10-6 M. Subsequently, the substrates were applied for the linear detection of natural rubber wastewater (NRW) over a dilution range from 10-2 to 10-8 fold. Additionally, the study explores the practical application of GO-Ag nanocomposites in fabricating nanofiltration membranes. These membranes, especially at lower composite concentrations, demonstrated high pollutant removal efficiencies of 90%. Overall, this work highlights the dual role of GO-Ag nanocomposites as sensitive SERS substrates for detecting pollutants in both water and soil, and as effective materials for environmental remediation.
Cobalt aluminate (CoAl2O4) spinel has been emerging greatly for its high potential in catalysis, energy storage, and magnetic devices. However, the use of CoAl2O4 thin films in water-splitting applications are extensively unexplored. In this work, we synthesized CoAl2O4 nanoparticles and employed them as sputtering targets to deposit thin films via RF magnetron sputtering. The structural parameters, including crystallite size, dislocation density, and microstrain, are calculated using XRD analysis which has confirmed the high crystallinity of both nanoparticles and thin films. XPS analysis confirmed the oxidation states and elemental composition. The deposited films have exhibited low electrochemical activity; therefore, we applied argon and nitrogen plasma treatments to modify the film surface. FE-SEM images of the post-treatment has revealed distinct changes in surface morphology, while contact-angle and solution absorption tests indicated high wettability. The electrocatalytic performance shows that the HER overpotential was decreased from approximately 173 mV (untreated film) to similar to 108 mV after argon plasma treatment, accompanied by similar reductions in the OER overpotential and Tafel slope. Overall, argon plasma treatment has demonstrated superior efficacy for electrode surface engineering, offering a scalable production for sputtering-based fabrication of efficient CoAl2O4 thin-film electrocatalysts.
A multifunctional GO/Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized and characterized using XRD, UV-Vis, HRTEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The material exhibited outstanding (SERS) activity, enabling ultrasensitive detection of the pesticides thiodicarb (TDB) and fenpyroximate (FPM) down to 10-10 M in standard and real vegetable samples (potato, cabbage, broad beans). It also showed high selectivity for Sudan I dye in adulterated masala samples. The calculated SERS enhancement factors were 2.0 × 106 (TDB) and 2.3 × 106 (FPM), with relative standard deviations below 6%, confirming reproducibility and stability. Moreover, the nanocomposite acted as an efficient photocatalyst, achieving 75% and 56% degradation of TDB and FPM respectively under UV light, respectively, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. Total organic carbon analysis indicated effective mineralization, and reactive species studies identified superoxide radicals (O₂•-) as key oxidants. The synergistic effects of GO, Ag, and TiO₂ significantly enhanced both SERS sensitivity and photocatalytic efficiency for food safety and environmental applications.
Excessive utilization of antimicrobial agents in agricultural practices and food production results in detrimental impacts on both human wellness and environmental systems. Electrochemical detection devices serve as crucial instruments for monitoring the concentrations of these antimicrobial compounds. This research presents the fabrication of pristine and cerium-modified tin oxide nanomaterials using a straightforward co-precipitation technique for electrochemical detection purposes. The morphological and crystalline characteristics of the synthesized materials were investigated using XRD, SEM, XPS and FTIR. Among the tested compositions, tin oxide nanomaterials containing 1% cerium dopant demonstrated superior detection capabilities when compared to undoped samples and those containing 3% and 5% cerium concentrations, making it the optimal choice for cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry investigations conducted in acidic conditions (pH 2). Furthermore, the cerium-modified tin oxide detection system exhibited excellent reproducibility, long-term stability, consistent performance, and resistance to interfering substances. Practical validation was performed using authentic biological samples including human serum, honey, and poultry tissue extracts. The cerium-enhanced tin oxide sensing platform represents an economical, user-friendly, and highly sensitive solution for antimicrobial detection, contributing significantly to advancements in sensor technology development.
