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In this work, the authors report a facile low-temperature wet-chemical route to prepare morphology-tailored hierarchical structures (HS) of copper oxide. The preparation of copper oxide collides was carried out using varying concentrations of copper acetate and a reducing agent at a constant temperature of 50°C. The prepared HS of CuO were characterised by powdered X-rays diffraction that indicates phase pure having monoclinic structures. The morphology was further confirmed by field-emission scanning electron microscope. It reveals a difference in shape and size of copper oxide HS by changing the concentration of reactants. In order to evaluate the effect of H2O2 on CuO NPs, the prepared CuO are modified by treatment with H2O2. In general trend, CuOH2O2 collide showed enhanced protein kinase inhibition, antibacterial (maximum zone 16.34 mm against Staphylococcus aureus) and antifungal activities in comparison to unmodified CuO collides. These results reveal that CuO HS exhibit antimicrobial properties and can be used as a potential candidate in pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose is the natural biopolymer normally used as supporting agent with enhanced applicability and properties. In present study, cellulose isolated from citrus waste is used for silver nanoparticles (Ag‐NPs) impregnation by a simple and reproducible method. The Ag‐NPs fabricated cellulose (Ag‐Cel) was characterised by powder X‐rays diffraction, Fortier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The thermal stability was studied by thermo‐gravimetric analysis. The antibacterial activity performed by disc diffusion assay reveals good zone of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by Ag‐Cel as compared Ag‐NPs. The discs also displayed more than 90% reduction of S. aureus culture in broth within 150 min. The Ag‐Cel discs also demonstrated minor 2,2‐diphenyl 1‐picryl‐hydrazyl radical scavenging activity and total reducing power ability while moderate total antioxidant potential was observed. Ag‐Cel effectively degrades methylene‐blue dye up to 63.16% under sunlight irradiation in limited exposure time of 60 min. The Ag‐NPs impregnated cellulose can be effectively used in wound dressing to prevent bacterial attack and scavenger of free radicals at wound site, and also as filters for bioremediation and wastewater purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the preparation of a lead free inorganic perovskite by a facile wet-chemical method using HCl as a solvent at room temperature. The cesium perovskite CsCuCl3 material was characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Ultraviolet/Visible (UV-Vis) and steady state photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were also carried out on the material. CsCuCl3 showed promising optical properties with a band gap of 2.6 eV. The material was tested as a fluorescent sensor for the detection of metal ions and as a selective fluorescent chemodosimeter for Pb2+ ions. The substitution of Cu2+ ions by Pb2+ in CsCuCl3 proves the success of the chemodosimetry approach for the detection of Pb2+ ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus fruit processing industries produce a vast quantity of waste materials as peel and pulp that are not handled properly. In present study, waste generated from citrus has been used for extraction of cellulose and nanocellulose. The aggregated cellulose, derived after alkaline treatment, was acid hydrolysed; resulted in reduction of the size of cellulose fibre. The cellulose showed amorphous structure revealed by X‐ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron microscopy analysis explained densely packed structure of nanocellulose. High magnification revealed break points in cellulose fibre due to acidic treatment; looked like carbon nanotubes. The simple solubility test demonstrated that different solvents had different effects on the dissolution of nanocellulose. The study reveals that citrus peel is also a good candidate of cellulose that can be utilised for different applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal PbS nanocrystals (NCs) were prepared by an environmental friendly route. The as-prepared colloidal PbS nanocrystals were characterized by powdered X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The ground state excitonic transition energies determined from the position of the first excitonic absorption peaks (2.5 nm±0.2 (J1), 2.8 nm±0.15 (J2) and 3.1 nm±0.3 (J3) were 1.71, 1.35 and 1.15 eV respectively). These PbS nanocrystals were then used to sensitize a nanostructured ZnO–SnO 2 electrode by using In 2 S 3 as a buffer layer. The results showed that sensitization procedure of PbS NCs with electrode played a significant role in the charge separation and transport. The cell fabricated by PbS NCs in which linker molecules were exchanged on the surface of electrode showed considerably higher incident to photon conversion efficiency (IPCE) compared to pre-ligand modified PbS NCs. The findings presented here can potentially be applied for the design of low-cost ETA devices for commercial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-small PbSe nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized via a 'one-pot' approach in olive oil as the reaction medium and capping agent. The optical spectra showed discernible blue shifts in the absorption band edges (570-780 nm) due to strong quantum confinement effects and photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed significant strong emission peaks in the range of 780-850 nm. The broad peaks in the powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD) pattern indicate the ultra-small size of the as-prepared NCs. These NCs were used to construct an extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar device after surface modification. The preliminary results indicate their potential as light harvesting entities in nanostructure based solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe for the first time the use of a single source precursor to deposit thin films and nanocrystals of palladium selenide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (CFO) were synthesized via co-precipitation method and then gold coating (Au@CFO) was carried out by direct reduction of gold salt using citric acid and sodium citrate. Au coating was systematically observed by UV-Vis spectroscopy and afterwards confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Gel electrophoresis was used to check the dispersive stability of Au@CFO dispersion which showed no agglomeration and indicated uniform size distribution. Magnetic characteristics before and after coating were studied via hysteresis loops which indicated reduction in magnetization of CFO after Au coating. Radio frequency (RF) heating measurements were done on powder and dispersed samples to evaluate their magnetic heating. Specific loss power was calculated from RF heating, which was greater for powdered samples than the dispersion of Au@CFO nanoparticles, but temperature can be controlled to reach the therapeutic range with respect to time and concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]