Search

The interaction of metal oxide nanoparticles with plants has not been extensively studied. An attempt has been made to examine the potential variation in peanut plant leaves due to the application of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle by pre-sowing technique and to compare with its bulk counterpart. Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle was synthesized by chemical route and characterized using X-ray diffraction, atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. The Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle and its bulk counterpart are applied to the peanut seeds by pre-soaking method at two different concentrations: 500 and 4000 ppm. A total of three replicates were chosen for each morphological and physiological measurement (at an average of three plants per replica). The Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis shows the most prominent peaks at 2923 and 1636 cm −1 , and other peaks vary due to Fe 2 O 3 stress, which was confirmed by the calculated mean ratio of the peak intensities for various frequency regions. All leaf samples show considerable increase in glycoprotein, with 500 ppm bulk and 4000 ppm nano-Fe 2 O 3 samples exhibiting a maximum increase of 73.86% and 71.45%, respectively. The total amide I and II protein content of leaf sample soaked in 500 ppm bulk Fe 2 O 3 suspension decreased to a greater extent compared with other leaf samples. The leaf samples soaked in 500 ppm concentration of both bulk and nano-Fe 2 O 3 suspension exhibited lower lipid content with total band area of 76.97 ± 0.832 and 76.31 ± 0.468, respectively. The cumulative percentage of explained variance in secondary structure of protein of all leaf samples is 83.888% in which factor 1 accounts for 51.870% and factor 2 accounts for 32.018% of the total data variance. The principal component (PC) loadings plot for the spectral range 1600–1700 cm −1 clearly shows that the PC1 factor might establish the maximum variation of the secondary structure of protein in leaf samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique was used for the synthesis of the Nickel Sulphide (NiS) thin films. The prepared NiS thin films were found to be polycrystalline and the crystals had hexagonal structure as revealed in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The surface morphology of these films was studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optical properties of the NiS thin films were determined using UV-Visible absorption spectrum. The electrical studies were carried out at different frequencies and at different temperatures for the prepared NiS thin films. Further, electronic properties, such as valence electron plasma energy, average energy gap or Penn gap, Fermi energy and electronic polarizability of the NiS thin films were calculated. The AC electrical conductivity measurements revealed that the conduction depended on both the frequency and the temperature. Photoconductivity measurements were carried out to reveal the positive photoconductivity of the NiS thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Gallium nitride (GaN) nanocrystals were synthesized by nitridation of Ga-EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid) complexes at different temperatures starting from 600 to 900°C. X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman studies revealed that the compound synthesized at 900°C consists of single-phase GaN nanocrystals with wurtzite structure. The change in morphology of the GaN crystals at different temperatures was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The transmission electron microscopy showed the average size of the crystalline particles to be ∼20nm. The room temperature photoluminescence exhibits band-edge emission of GaN at 3.46eV for all the samples. The present study demonstrates that the nitridation of Ga-EDTA complex method has significant potential for the synthesis of GaN nanocrystals as a simple and inexpensive method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multi-component CaF 2 −ZnO–Bi 2 O 3 −P 2 O 5 glasses doped with different concentrations of CoO (ranging from 0 to 1.0 mol %) were crystallized by heat treatment. These samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDS and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques. The XRD patterns have indicated the presence of various phases viz., Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , Bi 3 PO 7 , CaZn 2 (PO 4 ) 2 , Bi(PO 4 ), Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , ZnCo(P 2 O 7 ), CaCoP 2 O 7 , ZnCo 2 O 4 , CoF 2 , Co 3 O 4 and CoF 3 . Conventional spectroscopic studies such as optical absorption, FTIR and Raman were also carried out on these glass ceramic samples. The analysis of these results has indicated that cobalt ions exist in both Co 2+ and Co 3+ states in the glass ceramic network. These studies have further revealed that the rigidity of the glass ceramic network decreases up to 0.6 mol% of CoO. Beyond this concentration the insulating strength of the prepared samples is found to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structure development of jojoba-like esters incorporating either 1-decenoic acid and/or 1-decenol, namely octadec-9-enyl dec-9-enoate (JLE-281), and its isomer dec-9-enyl oleate (JLE-282) was investigated to reveal the effect of symmetry about the ester group on crystallization of aliphatic fatty monoesters. The phase transformation path was investigated with temperature-time resolved X-ray diffraction during stepped isothermal crystallization, and while cooling from the melt at a fixed rate. Startling differences in phase behavior were uncovered between the isomers. When stepped isothermals were used, selective extinctions occurred at a transition temperature for JLE-281 but not for JLE-282. The extinctions, which are due to dramatic changes in the electronic density of certain families of planes, indicate a phase transition attributed to a brusque rearrangement of the oxygen atoms in the crystal subcell. The phase transition did not occur when the JLEs were cooled continuously. The crucial role played by the position of the alkyl chain and its orientation relative to the easy rotation site of the C-O bond in the phase trajectories of the JLEs was particularly highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]