Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) nanoparticles in zeolite A were synthesized by two steps: (i) ion-exchange of copper ions into the zeolite and (ii) reduction of copper ions in cages of the zeolite by hydrazine hydrate in base medium. The Cu 2 O nanoparticles/zeolite product was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The particle size of Cu 2 O nanoparticles was of 40 nm. The antibacterial activity of the as-synthesized Cu 2 O nanoparticles/zeolite against Escherichia coli was also investigated. Cu 2 O NPs/zeolite product can be favorably produced on large scale for water treatment and agricultural application as antimicrobial agent.
The development of cockle shell-based calcium carbonate aragonite polymorph nanoparticle synthesis method using the technique of mechanical stirring in the presence of dodecyl dimethyl betaine (BS-12) incorporated with surface functionalization demonstrated high homogeneity of sample product with good nanoparticles dispersion. The cockle shell-based calcium carbonate aragonite nanoparticle with functionalized surface was characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), particle size distribution, pH measurement analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface functionalization was proven to improve the overall size and shape of the nanoparticles and enhance their dispersion properties, preventing coarse agglomeration among nanoparticles in general. The improved method was verified to retain its aragonite crystalline nature. Additionally, surface functionalization did not increase the size of nanoparticles throughout the modification process. This facile preparation using naturally occurring cockle shells as the main source is environmentally friendly because it provides relatively low cost of raw material source as it is abundantly available in nature and has good mineral purity content. Hence, high quality production of surface functionalized cockle shell-based calcium carbonate aragonite polymorph nanoparticles can potentially be exploited and produced on a large scale for various industrial applications, especially for biomedical purposes in the near future.
Vitis vinifera extract assisted silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized that was confirmed primarily by color change and a sharp plasmon absorption band was found at 449 nm. Biosynthesized AgNPs shape was spherical and the particle size of 17 nm in average was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Functional groups of AgNPs were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Streptococcus aureus was the most sensitive bacteria towards the assisted V. vinifera AgNPs as their growth was 90% inhibited at 100 μg/mL concentration. That was also confirmed by the zone of inhibition study. Up to 96 h, no biofilm was observed for K. pneumoniae at 40 μg/mL of AgNPs. Although AgNPs showed a mild toxicity against brine shrimp nauplii, it showed a remarkable level of antiproliferative activity against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells.
In the present investigation structural, electric, magnetic, and frequency dependent dielectric properties of Ni1-xCdxFe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles (NPs) (where x=0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8) prepared by sol-gel autocombustion method were studied. The crystallite size (t) (46.89~58.40 nm) was estimated from X-ray diffraction data with the postconfirmation of single phase spinel structure. Spherical shaped, fused grain nature with intergranular diffusion in Ni1-xCdxFe2O4 NPs was observed in scanning electron micrographs. The value of loss tangent (tanδ) decreases exponentially with an increasing frequency indicating normal Maxwell-Wagner type dielectric dispersion due to interfacial polarization. Decreasing values of Curie temperature (TC) from 860°C to 566°C with increasing Cd2+ content x in Ni1-xCdxFe2O4 NPs were determined from AC-Susceptibility. Activation energy ΔE ranges within 0.03~0.15 eV. Decreasing magnetic saturation Ms, coercivity Hc, and magneton number nB values show the effect on nonmagnetic Cd2+ ions over magnetic Ni2+ and Fe ions.
α-Mn2O3 microspheres with high phase purity, crystallinity, and surface area were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of precipitated MnCO3 microspheres without the use of any structure directing agents and tedious reaction conditions. The prepared Mn2O3 microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The complete thermal transformation of MnCO3 to Mn2O3 was clearly shown by the FTIR and XRD analysis. The electron microscopic images clearly confirmed the microsphere-like morphology of the products with some structural deformation for the calcined Mn2O3 sample. The mesoporous texture generated from the interaggregation of subnanoparticles in the microstructures is visibly evident from the TEM and BET studies. Moreover, the Mn2O3 microstructures showed a moderate photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue dye pollutant under UV light irradiation, using air as the potential oxidizing agent.
Effect of uniformly and nonuniformly coated Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles over plain glass tube heater on pool boiling heat transfer was studied experimentally. A borosilicate glass tube coated with Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle was used as test heater. The boiling behaviour was studied by using high speed camera. Result obtained for pool boiling shows enhancement in heat transfer for nanoparticle coated surface heater and compared with plain glass tube heater. Also heat transfer coefficient for nonuniformly coated nanoparticles was studied and compared with uniformly coated and plain glass tube. Coating effect of nanoparticles over glass tube increases its surface roughness and thereby creates more nucleation sites.
This paper aims to reveal the effects of odium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) on dispersion of TiO2 (P25) nanopowder in de-ionic water through ultrasonic horn. We characterized TiO2 suspension by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, and surface contact angle instruments. As shown in the results, particularly, it were noticed that (1) the SHMP has better dispersion than PAA due to electronegativity effect, resulting in that the average particle size of the dispersed titanium dioxide in de-ionic water was roughly 92 nm, and (2) the zeta potential of TiO2 suspension with SHMP can be achieved by 54 mV at pH value of 7.7, causing stronger electrostatic repulsion in the suspension solution, compared with PAA.
The thermal effect developed due to the heating of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in presence of external magnetic field can be precisely controlled by the proper selection of magnetic absorption properties of the MNPs. The present paper deals with the numerical simulation of temperature field developed within or outside the tumor, in the presence of an external alternating magnetic field, using a thermofluidic model developed using ANSYS FLUENT®. A three-layer nonuniform tissue structure with one or two blood vessels surrounding the tumor is considered for the present simulation. The results obtained clearly suggest that the volumetric distribution pattern of MNPs within the tumor has a strong influence on the temperature field developed. The linear pattern of volumetric distribution has a strong effect over the two other types of distribution considered herein. Various other important factors like external magnetic field intensity, frequency, vascular congestion, types of MNP material, and so forth are considered to find the influence on the temperature within the tumor. Results show that proper selection of these parameters has a strong influence on the desired therapeutic temperature range and thus it is of utmost importance from the efficacy point of view of magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH).
Present contribution describes modified Stöber synthesis of silica nanoparticles in oil-in-water microemulsion, formulated using heptane, 2-ethylhexanol, Tween® 85 nonionic surfactant, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). After some specified incubation time, ammonium hydroxide was added and the reaction mixture was stirred for 24 hours at room temperature. Prior to synthesis, pseudoternary diagram was created for oil-rich area and Winsor IV region was identified. These microemulsions were used for synthesis of silica particles. Resulting particles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, electrokinetic measurements, specific surface area measurements, and powder diffraction. Particles’ diameter was ranging between ca. 130 and 500 nm; usually monodisperse distribution was obtained. The specific surface area of nanoparticles was ranging between 250 and 300 m 2 /g. Notably, productivity per unit volume of solution was 3 to 5 times higher than for previously reported procedures. Our method can be extended, because polymeric materials can be added to dispersed aqueous phase. In our studies, β -cyclodextrin and hydroxyethylcellulose have been used, giving particles between 170 and 422 nm, with the surface area larger than 300 m 2 /g.
Cube-shaped cadmium oxide (CdO) nanoparticles were deposited by a novel low cost microwave evaporation technique. High purity cadmium (Cd) flakes were placed in a microwave susceptor inside a commercial microwave oven. Metallic Cd was evaporated in less than 2 minutes and it was oxidized due to ambient oxygen. The CdO nanoparticles were deposited on a glass substrate placed few centimeters above the susceptor. The surfaces with nanoparticles were treated with a solution containing ethanol and phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES), and the hydrophobic properties of the as-synthesized and post-PTES-treated surfaces were studied. Morphological and structural information of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were investigated via SEM and XRD analysis. Contact angles ( ) for the as-synthesized CdO surfaces were about 112°, whereas, for ethanol/PTES-treated CdO nanoparticles surfaces, contact angles were improved to about 158°. Thus, ethanol/PTES-treated CdO nanoparticles obtained by this simple procedure showed superhydrophobicity properties of potential use in micro fluidic devices and some other applications in the future.
Antimicrobial efficacy of nickel nanoparticles synthesized using leaf extract of Ocimum sanctum (NiGs) was investigated against pathogenic Gram-negative ( E. coli , K. pneumoniae , and S. typhi ), Gram-positive ( B. subtilis , S. epidermidis ) bacteria and fungi ( C. albicans , C. tropicalis, A. fumigatus , A. clavatus , and A . niger ). 100 µ g/mL NiGs showed maximum antimicrobial activity against tested pathogens compared to leaf extract and antibiotics. E. coli (25 mm) and C. albicans (23 mm) exhibited higher zone of inhibition at 100 µ g/mL NiGs. MIC, MBC, and MFC values of NiGs against all tested pathogens ranged between 25 and 50 µ g/mL. Growth of bacterial and fungal cells (10 5 cfu/mL) was completely inhibited at 50 µ g/mL NiGs. E. coli and C. albicans have showed strong antimicrobial activity with 81% and 50% reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, 30 and 16 µ g/mL protein leakage, and 95 and 82 U/L LDH leakages, respectively. Gram-negative bacteria and Candida species showed more sensitivity to NiGs at all concentrations tested (25–100 µ g/mL) than Gram-positive bacteria and Aspergillus species, respectively. Microbial growth in the presence of NiGs and ascorbic acid confirmed the involvement of ROS in antimicrobial activity. Hence, NiGs induced ROS generation was attributed to the protein and LDH leakage from microbial membranes.
Dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) doped polyaniline (PANI-DBSA) has been synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer in the presence of DBSA. The UV-visible spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements confirm the formation of PANI and its doping by DBSA. SEM images show the formation of submicron size rod shaped PANI particles. A vibrating capacitor based ammonia gas sensor was prepared by spin coating PANI-DBSA film over copper (Cu) substrate. The sensor exploited Kelvin probe technique to monitor contact potential difference between PANI and Cu as a function of time and ammonia concentration. Upon exposure to 30 ppm ammonia, the sensor displays response time of 329 s, recovery time of 3600 s, and sensitivity value of 1.54 along with good repeatability.
Si nanocrystal grains were prepared by pulsed laser ablation with different laser fluence in Ar gas of 10 Pa at room temperature. The as-formed grains in the space deposited on the substrates and distributed in a certain range apart from target. According to the depositing position and radius of grains, the nucleation locations of grains in the space were roughly calculated. The results indicated that the width of nucleation region broadened with increasing of ion densities diagnosed by Langmuir probe, which increased with laser fluence from 2 J/cm2 to 6 J/cm2; that is, width of nucleation region broadened with addition of laser fluence. At the same time, the width broadened with the terminal formation position moving backward and the initial formation position of grains moving toward ablated spot. The experimental results were explained reasonably by nucleation thermokinetic theory.
In the present study, nanocrystalline Ni50Al50-xMox (X = 0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5) intermetallic compound was produced through mechanical alloying of nickel, aluminum, and molybdenum powders. AlNi compounds with good and attractive properties such as high melting point, high strength to weight ratio and high corrosion resistance especially at high temperatures have attracted the attention of many researchers. Powders produced from milling were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The results showed that intermetallic compound of NiAl formed at different stage of milling operation. It was concluded that at first disordered solid solution of (Ni,Al) was formed then it converted into ordered intermetallic compound of NiAl. With increasing the atomic percent of molybdenum, average grain size decreased from 3 to 0.5 μm. Parameter lattice and lattice strain increased with increasing the atomic percent of molybdenum, while the crystal structure became finer up to 10 nm. Also, maximum microhardness was obtained for NiAl49Mo1 alloy.
Hematite nanorods doped with ruthenium were successfully deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates using aqueous chemical growth. Using complementary surface/interface investigation techniques, the Ru incorporation in the Ru-α-Fe2O3 nanorods was evidenced. The optical band gap was found to be Ru doping concentration dependent: varying from 2.32 (2) to 2.47 (2) eV. These band gap values are well suited for the targeted water splitting process without application of an external bias.
The preparation of a coating procedure was studied, from the washcoating with γ-alumina to the deposition of palladium by excess solvent or incipient wetness impregnation. The powder and the washcoat layers were studied by different characterisation techniques such as SEM, BET surface area, and XRD. Vibration-resistance and heat-resistance were also evaluated. It was shown that the alumina layer is quite well deposited on the channel walls (SEM images). However, a detachment of the washcoat layer was observed after ultrasound treatment. It was proved that the monolith Pd impregnation method by incipient wetness impregnation is more efficient. The presence of palladium was confirmed using HRTEM, the palladium was present under the Pd (II) oxidation state, and the size of PdO particles varies between 2.5 and 3.1 nm. The catalytic properties of the monolith catalyst were carried out using temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR). The efficiency of the procedure of the monolith catalyst preparation was confirmed by comparing the activity of the prepared catalyst with the one of a model catalyst.
The paper titled “Green Chemistry Approach for Efficient Synthesis of Schiff Bases of Isatin Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial Activities” [1], published in Journal of Nanoparticles, has been retracted as it was accepted for publication on the basis of peer review reports that were submitted from fraudulent reviewer accounts. In late 2014, a number of publishers discovered widespread abuse of the peer review process, including cases of identity theft and faked review reports. In July 2015, Hindawi concluded an extensive investigation into peer review fraud and identified a number of articles that had been accepted on the basis of fraudulent peer review reports. In accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Hindawi sent thesemanuscripts for re-review using independent Editorial Board Members. Following this re-review process, this article has been retracted as it was deemed unsuitable for publication.
Ternary Mn-Zn ferrite (MnxZn1-xFe2O4) nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared by the thermal decomposition of an oleate complex, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) mediated hydrazine decomposition of the chloride salts, and triethylene glycol (TREG) mediated thermal decomposition of the metal acetylacetonates. Only the first method was found to facilitate the synthesis of uniform, isolable NPs with the correct Mn : Zn ratio (0.7 : 0.3) as characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Scaling allowed for retention of the composition and size; however, attempts to prepare Zn-rich ferrites did not result in NP formation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the incomplete decomposition of the metal-oleate complexes prior to NP nucleation for Zn-rich compositions is the cause.
A simple electrochemical method of synthesis of polypyrrole/silver (PPy/Ag) nanocomposite is presented. The method is based on potentiodynamic polymerization of pyrrole followed by electrodeposition of silver employing a single potentiostatic pulse. The synthesized PPy film has embedded Ag nanocubes. The morphology and structure of the resulting nanocomposite were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies showed that silver nanoparticle deposition on polypyrrole leads to an increase in carrier density, indicative of enhanced conductivity of the resulting composite. Electrocatalytic performance of the prepared composite was examined for reduction of hydrogen peroxide and was compared with corresponding PPy film and bare glassy carbon electrode.
The adsorption of naphthalene on graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in presence of Paecilomyces cateniannulatus (P. cateniannulatus) was conducted by the batch techniques. The morphology and nanostructure of GO were characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS, and Raman. The adsorption kinetics indicated that the adsorption of naphthalene on GO and GO + P. catenlannulatus can be satisfactorily fitted pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, respectively. P. catenlannulatus inhibited the adsorption of naphthalene on GO at pH<4.0, whereas the increased adsorption was observed at pH>4.0. The adsorption of naphthalene on GO and GO + P. catenlannulatus can be better fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich model, respectively. The change in the conformation of GO was responsible to the increased adsorption of naphthalene by SEM and TEM images. According to FTIR analysis, naphthalene was absorbed by the oxygen-containing functional groups of GO, especially for –COOH. The finding in the study provides the implication for the preconcentration and removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environment cleanup applications.
