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The aim of the study is to carry out green synthesis of carbon nanoparticles and to study its applications in plant fortification and to analyze the bioaccumulation of minerals in the seeds. The synthesis of carbon nanoparticles was by pyrolysis of coconut milk. The average particle size and surface morphology was determined by scanning electron microscope, UV spectroscopy was used to find the optical spectra, Raman spectroscopy was conducted for comparing Raman shift and the crystallite size was calculated by (XRD) analysis. The soil used for cultivation was also analyzed before and after addition of carbon nanoparticles and the changes in pH and amount of minerals and organic matter was studied and showed improved soil characteristics after addition of carbon nanoparticles in a 1:10 ratio. The growth of a monocot and dicot plant species were analyzed as control and test for up to 22 days to study the effect of carbon nanoparticles on physical and chemical parameters of the plant. The results did show a significant rate of increase in root and shoot length of the test plants. Chemical parameters such as concentration of IAA, amount of protein and estimation of chlorophyll was determined by Salkowski test, Lowry’s test and Chlorophyll estimation test respectively which also showed positive results to the addition of carbon nanoparticles. There was also a significant increase in magnesium content in the seeds which proved mineral bioaccumulation in the soil as a result of carbon nanoparticle addition.

In this study, a facile, ecofriendly nanocomposite based on glycerol-plasticized thermoplastic potato starch (TPS) containing 0-4 wt.% cellulose nanofiber (CNF) from pineapple leaf was prepared by the solution casting technique. The nanocomposite films showed better mechanical properties compared to neat film. The tensile properties were fit with theoretical predictions. Tensile strength increased with CNF loading and reached up to 4.682 MPa (TPS+3 wt.% CNF) from 1.58 MPa (neat TPS), an improvement of ~196% over the neat polymer. The addition of cellulose nanofiber improved the barrier properties of films by creating a tortuous path for penetrant molecules. Gas transport behavior of CNF-based TPS nanocomposite films was explored using O2 gas. A 56% decrease (relative to neat TPS) in oxygen permeability of the nanocomposite membranes was achieved by adding only 3 wt.% CNF. The oxygen permeability data were fit with two theoretical models

Electrospun poly-ƹ-caprolactone/zinc oxide (PCL/ZnO) nanocomposite scaffolds were reported for tissue engineering and wound healing applications. Wound coverage materials should have good barrier property against invading microbes. Since wound coverage materials and tissue engineering scaffolds are in direct contact with blood, such materials should be blood compatible. Thus, blood compatibility of the fabricated scaffolds has been tested by RBC and WBC aggregation studies. Hemolysis assay and platelet activation study were also carried out. This study is promising in the sense that the fabricated scaffolds showed excellent microbial barrier property and were highly compatible with RBC and WBC and did not induce haemolysis. However, need to be vigilant regarding the possible platelet aggregation that can happen at higher concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles

In this study, nylon-nanoclay fibers were prepared by electrospinning. The electrospun membranes were characterized by fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction studies (XRD), contact angle and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. The incorporation of nanoclay (Cloisite 30B) to the electrospun membrane which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed improvements in the overall properties of the membrane. Antimicrobial studies carried out using Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans showed that antimicrobial activity of the membrane with higher clay loading was comparable to that of commercially available dental antiseptic, even though lower clay concentrations did not show antimicrobial effects. The incremental addition of the Cloisite 30B resulted in significant increase in the antimicrobial activity and hydrophobicity