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In this proposed study, erbium (Er3+)-doped ZnO nanocomposites were prepared through the effective, basic, and green combustion method. The significant effects of Er dopants on the structural, morphological features, dielectric, and optical behaviors of the pure ZnO matrix as well as Er2O3–ZnO nanostructured materials were investigated applying X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectrophotometer techniques. These results showed that the synthesized Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites are well polycrystalline. The Er2O3–ZnO nanocomposites are almost uniformly distributed on the surface morphologies. Furthermore, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, AC electrical conductivity, and dielectric properties’ current–voltage characteristics were utilized to examine the influence of erbium doping on the optical properties, energy bandgaps of the proposed Er2O3–ZnO nanostructured powder. The tested nano-samples were applied for the visible light photodegradation of p-chlorophenol(4-CP) and p-nitrophenol (4-NP). The Er-doped ZnO ratio affects the photocatalytic activity of the ZnO matrix. This current research substantiated that more than 99.5% of 4-CP and 4-NP were photodegraded through 30 min of irradiation. Four times, the Er:ZnO nanocatalysts were used and still displayed an efficiency of more than 96.5% for 4-CP and 4-NP degradations in the specified period of 30 min. The as-prepared Er2O3–ZnO nanostructures are considered novel potential candidates in broad nano-applications from visible photocatalytic degradation of waste pollutants to the electronic varistor devices.

A simple remote aliquoting system (RAS) and a remote titration setup were developed to aid the analyses of highly radioactive samples inside a hot cell. The remote calibration of the RAS by a titrimetric method was validated and the systematic error and random error of the RAS were less than 1%. A method was developed for the determination of free acidity of solutions containing uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate without complexing agents. In this method, the first total acid was determined by a remote alkalimetric titration using a visual indicator. The free acidity was calculated by detecting the contribution of hydrolysable ions from the total acid. The relative standard deviation and recovery of free acidity for solutions having 0.092–0.56 M nitric acid using this method were

Phytochemical evaluation of the alcoholic extract of Rubia cordifolia Linn. roots resulted in the identification of two anthraquinone compounds 1a (1,4-dihydroxyanthracene-9,10(4aH,9aH)-dione) and 1b (2-methylanthracene-9,10(4aH,9aH)-dione). The isolated compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods and their structures were established. The derivatives were found to be nontoxic against Vero and HepG2 cells.

Nickel–ruthenium loaded on magnesium–aluminium hydrotalcite materials were prepared by a post-synthetic method. The textural and physicochemical properties of the materials were systematically characterised by Fourier transform infra-red (FT–IR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), nitrogen sorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The uniform distribution of bimetallic Ni-Ru on hydrotalcite support was evident from the powder XRD and HRTEM analysis of the used catalysts. The hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction profile reveals strong adsorption of hydrogen on the surface of the catalysts. The resultant materials show promising catalytic activity for nitrobenzene reduction under ambient reaction conditions. The formation of metallic nickel and ruthenium on the surface of hydrotalcite under the reaction conditions was evident through powder XRD analysis of the sample obtained under reaction condition. The reaction showed first order kinetics with respect to nitrobenzene. Furthermore, the catalytic activity remained intact for several cycles, and the catalysts also showed promising activity for the reduction of several substituted nitroarene molecules.

In the present investigation, induction furnace (IF) steel slag as coarse aggregate with 0%, 20% and 40% replaced concrete specimens of size 150 × 150 × 150 mm was prepared as an initiative to utilize iron-rich IF steel slag. The casted concrete specimens were cured for 28 days at room temperature (28 °C) in freshwater, and the obtained compressive strength is 22.5, 24.0 and 29.2 N/mm2, respectively. The blocks were then immersed in seawater under laboratory condition for 28 days, and variation in pH was monitored at regular intervals. The composition and mineralogical phases [quartz (SiO2), iscorite (Fe7SiO10), hematite (e-Fe2O3) and almandine (Fe3Al2Si3O10)] present in IF steel slag were identified using XRF and XRD analysis, respectively. Surface morphology and elemental composition were studied using FESEM with EDAX analysis for before and after immersion of concrete blocks in seawater. Structural bonding of concrete blocks before and after immersion was studied using FTIR analysis. Compressive strength of concrete specimens after the immersion in seawater was evaluated and compared with before immersion in seawater. This initiative will be a major support for induction furnace steel industries via economic benefits. Utilization of iron-rich IF steel slag in marine concrete can be a vital candidate for the betterment of marine ecosystem via primary production of marine resources.

The present study investigates the effect of precursor solution volume on the structural, morphological, compositional, optical, and electrical properties of In2S3 films. Thin films of In2S3 were deposited by a nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates with varying precursor solution volumes (4 mL, 8 mL, 12 mL, and 16 mL). X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the formation of the tetragonal phase and the compositional studies using energy-dispersive x-ray spectra showed the presence of only indium and sulfur. The energy bandgap of the films was found to be in the range of 2.51–2.4 eV. The I-V characteristics and photoresponses of the photodetectors including photosensitivity, responsivity, and detectivity were evaluated under visible light illumination. Enhanced photo-responsivity was observed with an increase in the precursor solution volume, with a maximum value of 0.213 AW−1 observed for the thin film coated with 12 mL precursor solution volume. For the thin film coated with a volume of 12 mL precursor solution, external quantum efficiency of 69% and detectivity of 20 × 109 Jones were observed. This In2S3 thin film may find application in the fabrication of efficient and cost-effective photodetector devices.

In the present work, zinc tungstate (ZnWO4) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation technique without the addition of any templates and complexing agent. The X-ray diffraction study confirmed the formation of monoclinic structure ZnWO4. The annealing temperatures play a significant role on the crystallization of the samples and the crystallite size of ZnWO4 nanoparticles are varied between 30 and 65 nm. The well dispersed spherical solid shells along with nanoplatelet like morphology was obtained from the surface morphological study. The concomitant decrease in optical energy band gap value of ZnWO4 is due to the effect of crystallite size enhancement. It was observed that the crystallinity is one of the primary factors that affect the luminescence property of ZnWO4 nanoparticles. The purity and stoichiometric nature of synthesized product was confirmed by compositional analysis. The highest degradation efficiency of 87% was observed for 300 °C annealed ZnWO4 nanoparticles in the photocatalytic study by the degradation of methylene blue dye under ultraviolet light irradiation. The photocatalytic study confirmed the decomposition of methylene blue after 1 h irradiation.

Cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films doped with different yttrium (Y) concentrations have been prepared by the cost-effective spin coating technique. The effect of Y doping on structural, morphological, linear, and nonlinear optical properties of the as-prepared CdO thin films is studied. The AFM morphology of the thin films revealed grain size increase with the increase in the percentage of Y doping. From the optical properties, it is found that the films are highly transparent and the optical band gap spreads over the range of 2.3–2.8 eV. The Y doping drastically suppresses the linear and nonlinear optical properties.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) have been widely used as bone implants for its biocompatibility, and bioactivity. Other approaches like scaffold development, drug delivery and nanomaterials preparation are explored recently. Herein, hydroxyapatite incorporated with 5-nitroisatin (HAP-5 N) were prepared and tested for its anticancer potential. The prepared HAP-5 N were found to have rod like structures as seen using scanning electron microscopic analysis. The structural elucidation of 5-nitroisatin were confirmed by performing 2D heteronuclear single quantum correlation experiment. The synthesized HAP-5 N were assessed for its possible role as an anticancer agent against cervical cancer (SiHa) cells. From the study, it was found that HAP-5 N is efficient in inhibiting the growth of cervical cancer cell lines.

The effect of Nd doping (1, 3 and 5 wt%) on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of NiO thin films deposited on glass substrates using nebulizer spray pyrolysis method are investigated. The X-ray diffraction study reveals cubic structure with an improvement in crystallinity upon the incorporation of Nd into NiO lattice. The films are > 50% transparent in the high wavelength region. The absorption spectra witnesses a sharp fall in the wavelength range, 300 nm

The determination of free acidity and uranium in a radioactive uranyl nitrate solution inside a hot cell has to be done remotely. It generally involves the addition of complexing agents or the application of sophisticated analytical methods and modelling. To make the analyses uncomplicated, a simple acid–base conductometric titration method was developed to determine the free acidity and the uranium concentration simultaneously. Uranyl nitrate solutions containing nitric acid from 0.02 to 0.83 mmol and uranium from 0.32 to 15.90 mg per aliquot were determined by this method. The precision and accuracy of the method were found to be within ± 5%. For the titrations carried out at higher temperatures, the bias was found to be within ± 10%.

The influence of polyether compound on the preparation of composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) membrane based on poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVdF) matrix via spinning cum immersion precipitation technique is investigated with different weight ratios of polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000). The addition of polyether compound into the composite polymer matrix is found to improve the physico-chemical properties such as porosity, electrolyte absorption, and ionic conductivity of the resultant membranes. The maximum ionic conductivity of the fabricated PVdF(80%)/PEG(10%)/BaTiO3(5%) based LiFePO4|B2-CPE|Li system is determined to be 9.4 mS cm−1 at room temperature that is favorable for exhibiting good electrochemical performances. The Li+ transference number is computed to be 0.23 for B2 composite polymer electrolyte based symmetric cell. At 0.2C rate, the LiFePO4|B2-CPE|Li cell showed a good discharge capacity of 144.3 mAh g−1 and improved the capacity retention up to 98.4% after 50 cycles. The findings suggest that the porous composite PVdF electrolyte is a promising candidate for lithium-ion batteries.

Increasing evidence in substantiating the roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses and their interplay is evident in various diseases. However, an in-depth mechanistic understanding of the crosstalk between the intracellular stress signaling pathways and inflammatory responses and their participation in disease progression has not yet been explored. Progress has been made in our understanding of the cross talk and integrated stress signaling network between endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress towards the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. In this present study, we studied the crosstalk between the endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress by understanding the role of protein disulfide isomerase and endoplasmic reticulum oxidase 1α, a key player in redox protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. We had recruited a total of 90 subjects and divided into three groups (control (n = 30), type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 30), and diabetic nephropathy (n = 30)). We found that endoplasmic reticulum stress markers, activating transcription factor 6, inositol-requiring enzyme 1α, protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, C/EBP homologous protein, and glucose-regulated protein-78; oxidative stress markers, thioredoxin-interacting protein and cytochrome b-245 light chain; and the crosstalk markers, protein disulfide isomerase and endoplasmic reticulum oxidase-1α, were progressively elevated in type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetic nephropathy subjects. The association between the crosstalk markers showed a positive correlation with endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress markers. Further, the interplay between endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress was investigated in vitro using a human leukemic monocytic cell line under a hyperglycemic environment and examined the expression of protein disulfide isomerase and endoplasmic reticulum oxidase-1α. DCFH-DA assay and flow cytometry were performed to detect the production of free radicals. Further, phosphorylation of eIF2α in high glucose–exposed cells was studied using western blot. In conclusion, our results shed light on the crosstalk between endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress and significantly contribute to the onset and progression of diabetic nephropathy and therefore represent the major therapeutic targets for alleviating micro- and macrovascular complications associated with this metabolic disturbance. [Figure: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12192-020-01176-z.

This is paper briefly explains the MEMS based piezoelectrically actuated micropump and its applications for the drug delivery system. The micropump is designed and it consists of four elements like electrodes, piezoelectric layer, flexible membrane and a reservoir. It is analyzed for three different materials like PZT-5H, PZT-5A and BaTiO3. Among them BaTiO3 is used as piezoelectric material. By using the FEM tool COMSOL Multiphysics, mechanical behavior of the micropump is evaluated as flow velocity and flow rate of 8.92 m/s and 0.854 ml/min at 50 V respectively. The obtained flow rate for the micropump is best suitable in cardio-vascular, hypertension cases where the drug need to be delivered with an appropriate flow rate.

The Cu-doped ZnO thin films were fabricated on glass slides by a two-step SILAR coating method. The diffraction data revealed that the prepared ZnO:Cu films were in the phase of Wurtzite geometry, and the grain size decreases from 37 to 26 nm. The morphological studies revealed uniform distribution of nanograins as well as a nanoflower structure. The doping samples exhibited an increase in transmittance and an increase in the bandgap. A room temperature ammonia vapor-sensing performance of Cu-doped ZnO films is also studied, and sensitivity for sensing ammonia vapor is increased with doping concentration. The sensitivity was remarkably enhanced to 12,300% and it has a relatively fast response/recovery time of 37/8 s for 100 ppm NH3 for the 5 wt% of ZnO:Cu film. Its high sensitivity and fast response make the ZnO:Cu film a good contender for high-quality gas sensor devices.

Many educational institutions use data mining for maintaining the student records, specifically academic performances, which are more significant. The academic performances of the students are to be analyzed for improving their results and also the overall results of the institutions. Moreover, the prediction of academic performance of students has been an important and developing research domain in educational data mining (EDM), in which data mining and machine learning techniques are used for deriving data from educational warehouse. With that, this paper develops a novel approach called hybrid educational data mining model (HEDM) for analyzing the student performance for effectively enhancing the educational quality for students. The proposed model evaluates the student performances based on distinctive factors that provide appropriate results. Furthermore, the model combines the efficiencies of Naive Baye’s classification technique and J48 Classifier for deriving the results and categorizing the student performance in precise manner. The model is evaluated with the benchmark education dataset that is available online in the WEKA environment. The results show that the proposed model outperforms the results of existing works in evaluating student performance in EDM.

Spinel ZnMn2O4 nanoparticles (ZMONPs) were successfully synthesized using a microwave-assisted chemical route. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the growth of ZMONPs along the (211) plane with a tetragonal structure. The crystallite size was ~ 14 nm, estimated using the XRD data. Vibrational analysis confirmed the tetragonal structure of ZMONPs. Scanning electron microscopy images showed nanometer-sized particles, which was in agreement with the XRD results. EDX investigation of the samples demonstrated the good stoichiometric ratio of Zn, Mn, and O (1:2:4). The surface area and pore radius were also investigated in detail through Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis and were found to be 10.385 m2/g and 16.24 A, respectively. The direct band gap for the ZMONPs was estimated using Tauc’s relation and was found to be 2.07 eV, which is larger than that of bulk ZMO (1.91 eV). Dielectric constant and loss values decreased with increasing frequency, while conductivity increased with increasing frequency. The dielectric constant was found to be in the range of 17–25 considering the entire testing range. The dielectric constant value was larger than expected, which could be the result of quantum confinement.

Carbon (C)-coated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) having different sizes and morphologies were successfully synthesized by a flash combustion biomimetic approach using different contents of gelatin as the medium. Structural and vibrational studies indicate that the NPs are grown in a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The amount of gelatin content has a strong effect on the growth mechanism and the physical and optical properties. The presence of C in the ZnO was clearly confirmed by Raman analysis in which the Raman bands corresponding to the presence of C were observed at ∼ 1343 cm−1 (G-band), 1580 cm−1 (D-band), and 2700 cm−1 (G′-band). At low concentrations, the NPs grew in the shape of spherical aggregates which arranged themselves in the form of a spherical flower-like structure. At 1 g of gelatin content, the spherical flower-like structure disappeared to be distributed at 3 g of gelatin content into a uniform planar spherical NP arrangement in the shape of a multi-aggregated cauliflower-like structure. At higher concentrations, the NPs rearranged themselves in the shape of a hexagonal disk or a prism-like structure. The band gap values were found to decrease with increasing gelatin content and were in the range of 3.18–3.26 eV, though it showed the dependency on the size, shape and presence of C in ZnO. Studies of the dielectric properties and ac conductivity on the prepared NPs were also carried out.

Voltage source converter (VSC)–high-voltage direct current (HVDC) has become a new trend for achieving an efficient and reliable bulk power transmission. The main challenges in VSC-HVDC link are the “soft-start-up” or the restoration of power after the system blackout, with over voltage and less response delay. In this paper, VSC-HVDC link with firefly Levenberg–Marquardt-trained artificial neural network (ANN), termed as ANN-FLM, is proposed to restore the power quickly. The simulation is performed by creating blackout in the system through the introduction of a three-phase fault. The performance analysis is made on VSC-HVDC with ANN-FLM in existing proportional integral controller. The simulated results provide faster restoration and independent control of real and reactive powers. The proposed method minimizes the over voltage to 98% in maximum point, 84% in phase A, 61% in phase B and 82% in phase C, when simulated.

Strontium-doped Cu2O thin films of different doping concentrations (0, 3, 5 and 7%) are deposited successfully with the help of Nebulizer spray technique. All the samples were characterized by XRD, AFM, Raman, UV–Vis, photoluminescence and Hall effect, and solar cell efficiency is calculated. From the XRD studies, the cubic structural phase of Cu2O is confirmed. The micrographs of AFM explain that the particles were uniformly distributed on the surface with homogeneous grains. The band gap value ranges from 2.17 to 1.95 eV as the doping concentration increases from 0 to 7%. The PL emission at ~ 630 nm also confirms the cuprous oxide phase. The deposited film exhibits p-type conductivity with low resistivity of 0.90 × 102 Ω cm and high carrier concentration of 22.7 × 1015 cm−3. A heterojunction solar cell of FTO/n-ZnO/p-Sr-doped Cu2O is fabricated, and the power conversion efficiency (η) is 0.75% for 7% Sr-doped film.

Nebulizer assisted spray technique has been implemented for the deposition of pure and gadolinium (Gd) doped PbS thin films at a substrate temperature of 210 °C onto glass substrate using lead nitrate and gadolinium (III) acetate as precursors. Doping percentage of Gd was varied from 0 to 5 wt% for the preparation of Gd doped films and to analyze the film property. A variety of techniques like X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, energy dispersive X- ray, UV–Visible spectrometer, and keithley source meter were used to study the influence of Gd doping in PbS thin films X-ray diffraction revealed no change in preferential orientation of the crystal planes without any secondary phases formed for all the Gd-doped films. And also it confirmed that the nature of the films were polycrystalline with simple cubic structure. It also further confirmed polycrystalline simple cubic structure with decrease of crystallite size from 21 nm to 16 nm for the increase of gadolinium doping concentration from 0 to 5 wt%. Noticeable change in the grain size was observed for the 5 wt% of gadolinium doping with uniformly distributed spherical shaped nanosize grains fully covering the entire surface. The compositional analysis confirmed the presence of Pb, S and Gd in the films. The optical parameters of Gd doped PbS thin films such as band gap energy, refractive index; extinction co-efficient, and real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant were determined using transmission, absorption and reflectance spectra in the range of 300–2400 nm. A maximum value of photo current was observed for 5 wt% gadolinium doped film.

Economic nebulizer spray pyrolysis (NSP) technique has been employed to deposit Neodymium (Nd) doped Tin disulfide (SnS2) thin films at 325 °C by varying the doping concentration of Nd (0%, 2%, 4% and 6%). The impact of Nd concentration on crystalline structure, morphology and opto-electronic properties of films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-Raman spectrophotometer, atomic force microscope (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV–Visible spectrometer and Hall Effect measurements. Structural parameters such as lattice constants, texture orientation factor, micro strain, dislocation density and crystallite size were estimated using XRD data. The SEM and AFM images of films displayed an exceptional morphology. The surface roughness of the films was found to increase with the increase of dopant concentration. Optical analysis done on the films revealed variation in band gap from 2.75 to 2.92 eV as the Nd doping concentration is increased from 2 to 6%. SnS2 thin film exhibited n-type conductivity as, confirmed from Hall Effect studies. The resistivity and concentration of the carrier in the film were found to be 4.17 × 10−2 Ω cm and 4.06 × 1017 cm−3 respectively which were then correlated to the deposition parameters. Furthermore, FTO/n-Nd-SnS2/p-SnS hetero-junction based solar cells were prepared and their current voltage curve in dark condition was obtained.

Stability study for dolutegravir bulk drug was performed and the degradation products formed were identified by chromatography (HPLC, LCMS) and spectroscopy (ESI-MS, FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR) techniques. Degradation of the drug in acidic and peroxide environment yielded one common major degradant f ((2,4-difluorophenyl) methanamine) with a mass peak at m/z = 182.44. In addition to this, five more minor degradation products (a, b, c, d and e) were formed. The structure interpretation showed that the drug degraded to its synthetic precursor and no extra structures were formed. Hence, it was suggested that drug dolutegravir should be kept away from acidic and oxygen rich conditions.

Organic electrode materials have high capacity, and environmentally friendly advantages for the next generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, organic electrode materials face many challenges, such as low reduction potential as cathode materials or high reduction potential as anode materials. Here, the influence of chemical functionalities that are capable of either electron donating or electron withdrawing groups on the reduction potential and charge-discharge performance of anthraquinone (AQ) based system is studied. The cyclic voltammetry results show that the introduction of two —OH groups, two —NO2 groups and one—CH3 group on anthraquinone structure has a little impact on the reduction potential, which is found to be 2.1 V. But when three or four—OH groups are introduced on AQ structure, the reduction potential is increased to about 3.1 V. The charge-discharge tests show that these materials exhibit moderate cycling stability.

In the present work, pure and magnesium doped Cu2O films were deposited on glass substrates by nebulizer spray pyrolysis method with doping concentrations of 0, 3, 5 and 7% at 280 °C. The as-prepared films were analyzed by XRD, AFM, laser Raman, UV–Vis, photoluminescence, Hall Effect measurements. An X-ray diffraction study clearly depicts that films are possessing polycrystalline nature with a cubic structure. The surface topological properties have been characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) which reveals nano shaped hill rock grains covered the surface of the substrate. Laser Raman spectroscopy studies confirm the peaks observed at 109, 148, 217, 416 and 514 cm−1 belong to Cu2O phase. UV–Vis spectrophotometer measurements show that the band gap is decreased from 2.25 to 1.9 eV for the increase of doping concentration Mg. Photoluminescence spectral analysis giving an emission peak at 630 nm confirmed the formation of cuprous oxide. The electrical studies showed that the films are of p-type. For the doping of 7% Mg concentration the Cu2O showed a resistivity 1.53 × 102 andhigh carrier concentration of 21.67 × 1016 cm−3. FTO/ZnO/Cu2O/Ag heterojunction was fabricated using 7% Mg doped Cu2O thin film, and found the open circuit voltage (Voc) as 0.25 V, short circuit current (Isc) as 0.225 × 10−4 A and the efficiency as 0.65% for the 7% Mg doped Cu2O thin film.

Sol–gel spin coating is applied to fabricate the pure and different concentrations of aluminum (Al)-doped ZnO films on high-quality silicon substrates. All films are showing high crystallinity in X-ray diffraction study, and lattice constants were obtained using PowderX software. The value of crystallite size was found in range of 20–40 nm. EDX/SEM mapping was performed for 2 wt% Al-doped ZnO film, which shows the presence of Al and its homogeneous distribution in the film. SEM investigation shows nanorods morphology all over the surface of films, and the dimension of nanorods is found to increase with Al doping. The E(g)dire. values were estimate in range of 3.25–3.29 eV for all films. Linear refractive index was found in range of 1.5–2.75. The χ1 value is found in range of 0.13–1.4 for all films. The χ3 values are found in range of 0.0053 × 10−10 to 6.24 × 10−10 esu for pure and doped films. The n2 values were also estimated. These studies clearly showed that the properties of ZnO have been enriched by Al doping, and hence doped films are more appropriate for optoelectronic applications.

Modern day hospital treatments aim at developing electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of diseases using unconventional human bio-fluids like sweat and saliva by monitoring the electron transfer reactions of target analytes. Such kinds of health care diagnostics primarily avoid the usage of human blood and urine samples. In this context, here we have investigated the electron transfer reaction of a well-known and commonly used redox probe namely, potassium ferro/ferri cyanide by employing artificially simulated bio-mimics of human sweat and saliva as unconventional electrolytes. Typically, electron transfer characteristics of the redox couple, [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− are investigated using electrochemical techniques like cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Many different kinetic parameters are determined and compared with the conventional system. In addition, such electron transfer reactions have also been studied using a lyotropic liquid crystalline phase comprising of Triton X-100 and water in which the aqueous phase is replaced with either human sweat or saliva bio-mimics. From these studies, we find out the electron transfer reaction of [Fe(CN)6]3−/4− redox couple is completely diffusion controlled on both Au and Pt disc shaped electrodes in presence of sweat and saliva bio-mimic solutions. Moreover, the reaction is partially blocked by the presence of lyotropic liquid crystalline phase consisting of sweat and saliva bio-mimics indicating the predominant charge transfer controlled process for the redox probe. However, the rate constant values associated with the electron transfer reaction are drastically reduced in presence of liquid crystalline phase. These studies are essentially carried out to assess the effect of sweat and saliva on the electrochemistry of Fe2+/3+ redox couple.