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Biofuel cells (BFCs) are the devices made to transform the chemical energy of organic matter to electrical energy utilizing metabolic reactions occurring in microorganisms during degradation of organic contaminants. In spite of having many applications such as waste water treatment, biosensors and portable uses of BFCs, promoting the uses of BFCs is very challenging because of short life-time and low-power density. Most of the BFC developed till date is only capable to fulfill energy needs of biomedical short-term implanted devices. Use of materials with nano dimensions in the construction of BFCs has been studied extensively and reported as a worthwhile strategy to increase its efficiency. Usually, it is difficult to achieve efficient electron transfer on planar electrode from biocatalyst due to its non-specific orientational the interface. Nonmaterials provide close wiring for the electron transfer between biocatalyst and electrode. Use of various nanomaterials is the most effective way to decrease the gap between active sites (electron producing area)deep inside the enzyme or proteins and the electrodes to achieve better electron transfer. Also, various nanomaterials are utilized to improve the membrane materials for better electron barrier. Many carbon nanostructures, conducting polymers, metal and metal oxides are promising nonmaterials to enhance the current output from BFC. This review highlights recent progress registered in the development of various nanomaterials for construction of electrode and membranes of biofuel cells for better efficiency. It also emphasized the utilization of different metallic nanomaterials, inorganic nanomaterials, conducting polymer-based nanomaterials and carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes.

In the present study gelatin coated-gold nanoparticles were synthesized and release study of the drug “5-fluorouracil” (5-FU) was carried out in a controlled manner. Gelatin nanoparticles were prep...

In the present work, we have reported preparation of silver hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (AgHAPnp) and poly (ɛ-caprolactone)/poly (methyl methacrylate) (PCL/PMMA)/AgHAP nanocomposites using wet che...

In silico studies were performed using 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to explore the efficacy of template docking and facilitate designing of drug nanocarrier systems. The binding of human uridine phosphorylase (huPP1) with 5-FU was found to show the following interactions: (1) hydrogen bonds were alleviated by a network of GLN217 and ARG219, (2) hydrophobic interactions were shown by PHE213, THR141, LEU272, and ILE281 (3) positive electrostatic interactions were shown by PHE213, THR141, LEU272, SER142, GLU248, and GLY143. As an experimental supplementation and validation to the adopted computational approach, 5- FU-loaded soya protein-coated iron oxide (SPCIO) core-shell nanoparticles were prepared following microemulsion and co-precipitation techniques and subsequently characterized by FTIR, particle size and zeta potential studies, TEM, XRD, and DSC techniques. Whereas the FTIR spectra confirm the presence of the soya protein and drug 5-FU in the nanoparticles, the zeta potential was found to be suppressed due to the loading of 5-FU. The XRD study confirmed the crystalline nature of the drug-loaded nanoparticles. TEM analysis suggested that the nanoparticles have sizes up to 200 nm and the morphology and size remain almost the same even after loading of the drug 5-FU onto nanoparticles. The soya protein-coated iron oxide nanoparticles demonstrated zero cytotoxicity against fibroblast cells. The controlled release of 5-FU was studied in vitro, and the effects of pH, chemical composition of nanoparticles, extent of drug loading, and simulated biofluids on the controlled release of 5-FU were studied. The swelling of nanoparticles and release of 5-FU were found to increase with increasing strength of the externally applied magnetic field.

Cryogels of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-N-isopropylacrylamide) (P(HEMA-co-NIPAM)) were prepared by cryogelation technique. Redox polymerization method was utilized to copolymerize monomers 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), using N, N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as cross-linker. Characterization of the as-prepared cryogels was done by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques, respectively. During synthesis of cryogels, the concentrations of HEMA, NIPAM, MBA, redox initiator, and activator and the number of freezing–thawing cycles were varied to obtain different compositions of P(HEMA-co-NIPAM) cryogels. These cryogels were further evaluated for water sorption capacity through gravimetric method. The pH, temperature and nature of the swelling medium were also varied to observe their effects on water uptake capacity of the cryogels. The biocompatible nature of the materials was ascertained by blood hemolysis test. The prepared cryogels of P(HEMA-co-NIPAM) were found to be macroporous, have good water uptake potential, fair biocompatible, thermally stable nature, displayed temperature-sensitive water sorption behavior and thus showed potential to be utilized as scaffold in tissue engineering.

In the present study ginger derived nanocarriers were prepared, characterized and used for the controlled release of an anti-inflammatory drug 5-ASA (5-amino salicylic acid). The mechanism of drug targeting was based on the release of 5-ASA drug molecules from the ginger derived nanocarriers having 62.24% drug loading capacity and 80.55% drug entrapment efficiency, and undergoing swelling in aqueous release medium. The present study considered the ginger not only for preparing nanocarriers but also as a medicine with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-bacterial actions. The nanocarriers obtained as a fine powder were characterized by different techniques such as Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) based measurements of size and zeta potential, respectively. The particle size was found to be within 50 nm–100 nm range whereas the zeta potential was −29.2 mV at pH 6.9. The effect of various factors like drug loading and entrapment efficiency, pH, and nature of the release medium was observed on the release profiles of 5-amino salicylic acid. The in vitro experiments were also conducted to check the stability of carriers in different pH environments and simulated biofluids.

In the present work glutaraldehyde crosslinked gelatin (Type-A and Type-B) nanoparticles were fabricated following a microemulsion crosslinking technique. The structural, morphological, and...

In the present work, gelatin/PVA–kaolin nanocomposites were prepared by dispersing kaolin into a host matrix of gelatin/PVA to cause exfoliation of the added clay. The DSC, FTIR, AFM and XRD techniques were used to characterize the prepared bionanocomposite materials. The crystalline nature and the three-dimensional surface topology at nano-scales of the bionanocomposite films were confirmed by the XRD and AFM analysis, respectively. The morphological insights of synthesized materials were obtained by scanning electron microscopy which suggested for a compact and homogenous surface architecture. The FTIR spectral results indicated that the kaolin was exfoliated within the host matrix of gelatin–PVA. Swelling nature and water vapor transmission studies were conducted, and the results obtained suggested that the swelling ratio and water vapor transmission rate of bionanocomposite decreased with increasing amount of the kaolin content. The tensile strength measurements of the bionanocomposite film provided information about the mechanical behavior of the material. The prepared bionanocomposite films were also studied for their microhardness property. Mechanical and barrier properties were found to increase with the addition of kaolin thus indicating the suitability of the as-prepared material for applications in food packaging.

Nanocomposites of chitosan and activated carbon were prepared by emulsion crosslinking of chitosan with tripolyphosphate and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and particle size and zeta potential analysis. The nanocomposites were applied for removal of chlorophenol from aqueous solution and effect of various experimental parameters such as concentration of chlorophenol solution, chemical composition of adsorbent, adsorbent dose, pH and temperature of solution, agitation time were studied on the percent removal of chlorophenol. The progress of the adsorption process was monitored and the obtained kinetic data were analyzed to see if the adsorption process fits to pseudo first or second order kinetic processes. The static adsorption data were applied to numerous adsorption isotherm models and the applicability of adsorption process on various isotherm equations was evaluated.

Graphene coated iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared using microemulsion method for removal of Cr(VI) ions from aqueous solutions. Plausible interactions between the material and Cr(VI) ions were explored after adsorption and explained by characterizing through various analytical techniques such as Raman spectroscopy, LIBS, FTIR, TEM, EDX, SEM, particle size and zeta-potential measurements which confirmed 20% crystalline nature of GCIO, nanorange (50 nm) size of nanoparticles and great thermal stability. A simple, sensitive and highly selective direct spectrophotometric method was used for the determination of trace levels of Cr(VI) and various experimental parameters, such as the effect of time, pH, adsorbent dose, chromium concentration, temperature and composition of nanoparticles were studied on the adsorption of chromium. The equilibrium sorption data were fitted to various adsorption isotherm models and the as prepared GCIO adsorbent was found to follow the pseudo second order kinetics (R2 = 0.97) and Freundlich model isotherm (R2 = 0.97) with high adsorption capacity (352.1126 mg/g) for Cr(VI) adsorption. The nanoadsorbents were also found to be fairly reusable.

Polymeric nanomaterials are developing progressively as a more relevant material in the medical field since they provide various advantages unlike other materials, such as high surface-to-volume ratio, large synthetic flexibility, pore size is small having a high porosity, biocompatibility, appropriate mechanical properties, and biodegradation. Biodegradable polymers have good degradability and biocompatibility and are used broadly in preparing nanoparticles, microspheres, pellets, microcapsules, film preparation, and implants. The control of morphology of nanomaterial plays an important role in the improvement of their properties. For the control of size and shape of nanomaterials, several methods have been proposed such as template synthesis using a surfactant, the solvothermal method, the hot soap method, the solvothermal method, and the microemulsion method.

Glutaraldehyde crosslinked gelatin kaolin bionanocomposite films were prepared by casting method and characterized by various techniques and water vapour transmission rates and water sorption studies were performed. The FTIR study revealed the interaction between functional groups of gelatin and kaolin evidenced by shifting of some spectral peaks. The grain size of bionanocomposite films was calculated to be 29 nm from XRD analysis and the crystallinity was 62 %. The SEM and AFM analysis suggested for heterogeneous surfaces having pores and pits. The glass transition temperature of gelatin film was found to increase from 70 to 100��C as revealed by DSC technique. The thermal properties increased with increasing kaolin. The addition of kaolin marked an increase in Young���s modulus and tensile strength. The bionanocomposite films showed a fall in water sorption capacity with increasing kaolin content. The water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) decreased with increasing addition of kaolin. The films were found to show antibacterial nature against Aureus.

The performance of polymeric nanomaterials relies greatly upon their properties which are intimately related to the methods of fabrication of their materials. Among various synthetic polymers the polymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) maintains a prime position in the biomedical field due to their useful physicochemical properties and suitability for controlled drug delivery applications. Furthermore, the addition of iron oxide to PHEMA nanoparticles imparts superparamagnetism to the nanoparticles and expands the range of their uses to include magnetic drug targeting applications. Here we focus on three methods for preparation of PHEMA nanoparticles, one by suspension polymerization, a second by emulsion polymerization without the use of any surfactants, and the final one with the incorporation of iron oxide into PHEMA nanoparticles.

The performance of polymeric nanomaterials relies greatly upon their properties which are intimately related to the methods of fabrication of their materials. Among various synthetic polymers the polymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) maintains a prime position in the biomedical field due to their useful physicochemical properties and suitability for controlled drug delivery applications. Furthermore, the addition of iron oxide to PHEMA nanoparticles imparts superparamagnetism to the nanoparticles and expands the range of their uses to include magnetic drug targeting applications. Here we focus on three methods for preparation of PHEMA nanoparticles, one by suspension polymerization, a second by emulsion polymerization without the use of any surfactants, and the final one with the incorporation of iron oxide into PHEMA nanoparticles.

The present study aimed at preparing egg albumin coated iron oxide (EAIO) core shell nanoparticles and evaluating their ability to release 5-FU drug under applied external magnetic field. EAIO nanoparticles were prepared by simultaneous co-precipitation and emulsion crosslinking technique and characterized by FTIR, DSC, TEM, XRD, particle size analysis and surface potential measurements. The influence of chemical composition of EAIO nanoparticles, pH and temperature of release media, presence of simulated biological fluids as the release media, and applied magnetic field was investigated on the release profiles of 5-FU drug. The drug release was analyzed kinetically using Fickan power law, zero order, first order and Korsmeyer-Peppas models and the amount of released drug was correlated and the relation was drawn between the quantity of released drug and water holding capacity of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were judged for in vitro cytotoxicity and the chemical integrity of the drug was also accessed.

In the present work, amoxicillin drug-loaded films of poly (vinyl alcohol)-g-poly (acrylamide) of varying compositions were prepared by graft copolymerization method. The as-prepared drug-loaded grafted hydrogels were characterized by various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The grafted hydrogels were investigated for their water intake behavior under varying experimental conditions of their chemical composition, pH and temperature of the swelling bath, and simulated biological fluids. The water sorption data of hydrogels were used to calculate network parameters of the grafted hydrogel such as average molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc), crosslink density (Ve), number of elastically effective chains (qe), swelling exponent (n), and diffusion constant (D), respectively. The swelling controlled drug release behavior of amoxicillin loaded hydrogel was investigated under in vitro conditions, and the influence of various factors such as chemical composition of grafted hydrogel, percent loading of drug (amoxicillin), pH and temperature of the release media was studied on the release profiles of the drug. The amoxicillin loaded grafted hydrogels were also examined for their antibacterial activity against gram-negative bacteria.

Cypermethrin loaded calcium alginate nanocarriers were prepared and characterized by various techniques such as FTIR, FESEM, TEM, XRD, DSC, SEM-EDX, ED, particles size and zeta potential analysis. Whereas the FTIR spectral analysis confirms the presence of cypermethrin and alginate in the nanocarriers, the FESEM suggests for heterogeneous morphology of the nanocarriers surfaces when pesticide is loaded. The TEM analysis reveals that the native alginate nanocarriers have dimensions in the range of 108–127 nm while encapsulation of cypermethrin changes their sizes to fall in the range of 115–119 nm which is also accompanied by change in their shape. The loading of pesticide also results in slight shift of surface potential of nanocarriers from −25 to −21 mV. The study showed that cypermethrin is well encapsulated (encapsulation efficiency approx 95% and cypermethrin loading approx 78%) within calcium alginate nanocarriers without any chemical deformation. The release of cypermethrin from calcium alginate nanocarriers was evaluated under varying experimental conditions. The mechanism of release of cypermethrin from alginate nanocarriers was found to follow non Fickian behavior i.e anomalous transport governed by diffusion and relaxation of the alginate chains. The whole study suggested that cypermethrin loaded calcium alginate nanocarriers could be a promising and safe candidate for sustained and slow release of cypermethrin and helpful in reducing the environment pollutions caused by excessive use of cypermethrin.

The present study was undertaken to carry out modification of gelatin by grafting of poly (acrylic acid) onto the backbone of gelatin via free radical polymerization of acrylic acid using potassium persulphate (KPS) as an initiator. The modified gelatin was transformed into nanoparticles following microemulsion crosslinking method and the prepared nanoparticles were investigated as swelling controlled drug delivery system for controlled release of paclitaxel. The structure, morphology and composition of the grafted gelatin nanoparticles (gelatin-g-PAA) were studied using various analytical techniques like FTIR, TEM, SEM, XRD, and zeta potential measurements, and in vitro cytotoxicity of nanoparticles was assayed. The influence of experimental conditions such as chemical composition of poly (acrylic acid) grafted gelatin nanoparticles, pH of the release media, presence of salt and sugar solutions were also investigated on the release profiles of paclitaxel. The data of the drug release processes were analysed kinetically using Ficks power law, zero order, first order and Korsmeyer- Peppas models and a correlation was drawn between the quantity of released drugs and degree of swelling of the nanoparticles.

In the present work thermally reduced graphene oxide was reinforced into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film by the solution cast method. The structural and morphological characterization of prepared nanocomposite materials was done using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), field emission gun-transmission electron microscopy (FEG-TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The microscopic observations revealed by the SEM and TEM suggested for complete dispersion of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) into the PVA film. The XRD studies of nanocomposite revealed an enhanced crystallinity in comparison to the native PVA film. The thermal reduction process enabled homogenous dispersion of reduced graphene oxide sheets and improved the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites due to their low damage level of conjugate-structures. As a result, the percolation threshold of PVA-TRGO nanocomposites was ∼ 0.189 wt% which is lower than the presently reported one (2 to 10 wt%). At the TRGO content of 2 wt%, the electrical conductivity of PVA-TRGO nanocomposite reached from 0.2491 to 0 . 2631 S cm − 1 . The enhancement mechanism of the composite was explained by the existence of multi-hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl (-OH) groups of PVA and oxygen-containing functional groups of graphene oxide (GO). The AC electrical conductivity and mechanical studies results indicated that the performance of nanocomposites was significantly improved as compared to the native PVA and offered the possibilities to use the prepared nanocompsoite films to be used in electronic devices.

In the present study an in-situ chemical precipitation method was followed to design core–shell nanoparticles having iron oxide as the core and glutaraldehyde-crosslinked egg albumin as shell. The experimental conditions like the concentrations of Fe2+/Fe3+ ions, egg albumin, and glutaraldehyde, pH and temperature were optimized to achieve controllable and desired size of nanoparticles suitable for magnetic drug targeting applications. The nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TEM, DSC, DLS and surface charge measurements techniques. The prepared core–shell nanoparticles were also studied by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) method to seek information about their superparamagnetic nature. The suitability of nanoparticles to function as swelling controlled drug delivery system was also examined by conducting swelling experiments in PBS (pH 7.4) under varying experimental conditions and the results obtained were optimized to achieve the conditions at which an optimum swelling behavior was obtained.

Adopting a novel synthetic route the haemoglobin nanoparticles were prepared by its simultaneous microemulsion mediated crosslinking with glutaraldehyde and alkaline induced denaturation. The as prepared nanoparticles were characterized by techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning electron microcopy (SEM), Zeta potential and Dynamic Light Scattering measurements. The particle size analysis revealed that size of the nanoparticles lays in the range 60–150 nm with surface charge of −27.1 mV. The TEM images suggested for aggregated structures which confirm denaturation of haemoglobin macromolecules under alkaline conditions. The nanoparticles were assessed for water intake capacity and the effect of various factors like chemical composition of nanoparticles, pH and temperature of the swelling bath, and simulated biological fluids on water sorption capacity was investigated. The insulin was loaded on to the prepared nanoparticles and investigated for swelling controlled release of insulin in simulated gastrointestinal fluid (SGIFs). The influence of chemical composition of nanoparticles, pH and temperature of the release media, and simulated physiological fluids was studied on the released amount of insulin and an optimized formulation was achieved. The prepared haemoglobin nanoparticles were also investigated for their in-vitro cytotoxicity.

Thin films of calcium alginate (CaAlg)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and CaAlg/PVA-vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) bionanocomposites were synthesized by solution casting approach followed by impregnation of vanadium pentoxide and investigated for their structural, mechanical, optical, and electrical properties for possible use as cathode material in Li-ion batteries. The interaction of V2O5 nanoparticles with CaAlg/PVA film was investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy which suggested for strong interactions between V2O5 nanoparticles and CaAlg/PVA matrix film thus confirming successful impregnation of V2O5 into the matrix film. Crystalline nature of prepared samples was probed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique that indicated improvements in crystalline nature of the material. For evaluation of particle size and morphology, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was also used. The roughness of the surfaces of bionanocomposite films was also determined by the atomic force microscopy (AFM) which showed an increase in morphological parameters upon impregnation of vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. The thermal properties like glass transition temperature, crystalline point and crystalline melting point were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The results of tensile strength and microhardness measurements depicted that the prepared bionanocomposite films possessed good mechanical strength than the native polymer matrix. Significant enhancement in electrical conductivities was observed upon insertion of V2O5 into the native blend film.

The purpose of the present investigation was to prepare gelatin nanoparticles, capable of releasing the paclitaxel drug in a controllable fashion by regulating the extent of swelling of the nanoparticles. Gelatin nanoparticles were prepared by a single water in oil (W/O) emulsion crosslinking technique. The nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD, particle size analysis, and surface potential measurements. The influence of experimental conditions such as chemical composition of gelatin nanoparticles, pH, temperature, and presence of simulated biological fluids as the release media were investigated on the release profiles of paclitaxel. The drug release processes were analyzed kinetically using Ficks power law, zero-order, first-order, and Korsmeyer–Peppas models, and a correlation was drawn between the quantity of released drug and swelling of the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were judged for in vitro cytotoxicity and the chemical stability of the drug was also accessed.

The present study aimed to prepare soya protein nanoparticles and employ them as nanocarriers for delivery of insulin. The nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microcopy, zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering measurements. The particle size analysis revealed that the size of the nanoparticles lays in the range of 40–200 nm with surface charge of −25.3 mV. The insulin-loaded nanoparticles were investigated in simulated gastric and simulated intestinal fluids and effect of percent drug loading chemical composition of nanoparticles, pH, temperature of the release media, and simulated physiologic fluids was studied on the release of insulin.

Graphene has drawn an astounding research interest in recent years, owing to its exceptional properties. The scaled-up and trustworthy production of graphene derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO) and thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO), offer wide variety of possibilities to synthesize graphene-based polymer materials for various applications. In the present work, poly(vinyl alcohol-g-acrylic acid) films were prepared by grafting polyacrylic acid chains onto polyvinyl alcohol backbone employing a free radical polymerization system in the presence of crosslinking agent, N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA). The graphene was homogeneously dispersed into the prepared polymer using thermal mechanical agitation technique. The so prepared nanocomposites were undertaken for structural and morphological characterization using FTIR, SEM, XRD, Raman Spectroscopy, DLS, Zetasizer and AFM analysis, respectively. The electrical conductive and mechanical properties of prepared nanocomposite films were also investigated.

In the present work, thin films of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by solution casting method and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) was doped by in situ precipitation to yield CMC/PVA-V2O5 bionanocomposites. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques and AC/DC conductivity, tensile strength, and microhardness measurements, and photo-luminescence (PL) and UV–Vis spectroscopic studies were conducted. The results of AFM and XRD studies provided information about morphology and crystalline features of the bionanocomposite film, respectively. The FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of functional groups of the constituent polymers in the bionanocomposite and showed that V2O5 was successfully incorporated into CMC/PVA matrix. The AFM analysis of bionanocomposite films provided information about their morphology and roughness parameters. The PL spectroscopy indicated the appearance of blue shift after doping of V2O5 into the biopolymer film. The AC electrical conductivity was measured in the range 500–100,000 Hz and it was found that at room temperature the conductivity increases with frequency. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to look into the possible thermal transitions occurring in the bionanocomposites.

This paper describes synthesis and characterization of calcium-crosslinked nanocarriers of pectin biopolymer and examines their possible applications in controlled irrigation in agriculture. Nanocarriers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for structural characterization, while the size and surface morphology of the particles was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The water sorption capacities of nanocarriers were investigated under the influence of various experimental factors such as varying amounts of biopolymer and crosslinker, different pH and temperatures of the swelling media. The capacity of the nanocarriers to retain imbibed water was judged by conducting their deswelling experiments. The so-prepared water-loaded nanocarriers were applied to soil, and soil pot experiments were conducted to see their water-releasing potential. Soil pot studies indicated that a judicious combination of soil with pectin-like hydrophilic polymers can be used in arid and semi-arid areas to enhance the drought tolerance of plants by providing sustained irrigation. The effect of different amounts of nanocarriers was studied to evaluate the moisture retention properties of the soil.

Nanocomposite particles of chitosan and activated carbon were prepared for removal of phenols from aqueous solutions. The nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, and particle size and charge analysis. Removal of phenol from aqueous solution was optimized by varying experimental conditions like initial concentration of phenol, pH, adsorbent doses, temperature and contact time. Equilibrium adsorption studies and kinetics of adsorption process showed that adsorption process followed Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of phenol was found to be 409 mg/g.

In the present work PVA-g-PAN/ZnO nanocomposite films were prepared by free radical graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile on to PVA and subsequent in situ precipitation of ZnO nanoparticles into the polymer matrix. The films were characterized by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The size of the crystallites and extents of crystallinity were ascertained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The SEM with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) showed that the ZnO nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed within the host grafted copolymer matrix. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results clearly indicated that the size of nanoparticles varied in the range 10–30 nm. The UV-absorption properties showed that the films were capable of absorbing more than 95% of UV radiations. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed the presence of defects in the synthesized nanocomposite films. The mechanical properties of the PVA-g-PAN/ZnO nanocomposites such as microhardness and tensile strength were also studied.

Chitosan-alginate nanoparticles were prepared using microemulsion method for removal of Hg (II) ions from aqueous solutions and optimization was done in terms of two biopolymers, crosslinker concentrations. Plausible interactions between the material and Hg(II) ions were explored after adsorption and explained by characterizing by various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Particle size and Zeta-potential measurements. The adsorption capacity was evaluated by studying various parameters such as the effect of pH (optimum value 5 for adsorption and 1 for desorption), contact time (optimum value 90 min), adsorbent dose (optimum value 200 mg), initial metal ion concentration (optimum value 4 mg/L) and temperature (optimum value 30 °C). The maximum adsorption capacity of CANPs for Hg (II) was found to be 217.39 mg/g at 30 °C which is claimed to be one of the exceptionally obtained highest values reported in the literature so far. The equilibrium sorption data were fitted satisfactorily to the Langmuir adsorption model with R2 value of 0.96054. The progress of adsorption process was found to follow the second order kinetics. The results obtained in this study proved that the prepared biopolymer nanomaterial could be an effective and economically viable adsorbent for removal of Hg (II) ions. Moreover, the nanoparticles can be regenerated and reused subsequent for the metal removal.

The need to produce food in sufficient quantities for supplying to the growing population has resulted in the development of a wide range of new technologies. There is always a loss of crops due to pests and, therefore, pesticides have become an essential part of the agricultural system to prevent crop loss. In recent past, a variety of pesticides as organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, and pyrethroids have been developed to combat the insect pests, however, conventional methods of using pesticides have severe adverse effects such as reduction in the agricultural yield and undesirable health effects on human and the environment by various processes of degradation of pesticides which results in less than 0.1% of the applied pesticides to be used as active part to kill the target pests. In recent years, advanced nano-controlled delivery systems have been developed for agrochemicals based on biodegradable polymers to maintain optimal pesticide concentrations, protect and stabilize the pesticides and reduce the frequency of administration. This chapter presents an overview of the nanoformulations used as systems for controlled release of pesticides and concentrates on the modern strategies adopted for the delivery of pesticides and their limitations and potential in achieving sustainable agriculture management.

The graphene-coated iron oxide (GCIO) was used for the removal of Pb2+ and As3+ ions from aqueous solution. For the characterization of GCIO, several techniques (FTIR, XRD, EDX, SEM, TEM, TGA, DSC and vibrating sample magnetometry) were used which indicated the interaction of Pb2+ and As3+ with adsorbent. In addition, the effects of adsorbate concentration, different composition of adsorbent, temperature, pH of the solution and contact time of adsorbate–adsorbent were studied. After analysis of these experiments, it was found that GCIO offered very fast removal of Pb2+ and As3+ with small amount of GCIO (0.09 g) in 100 mg/L adsorbate solution. The maximum removal of Pb2+ ions (up to 97.62%) was achieved when 100 mg/L standard solution of metal ion was treated with GCIO for 35 min at 45°C in weak acidic medium (5 pH). The adsorption of Pb2+ ions followed Freundlich model with high correlation coefficient 0.98 R2. In case of As3+ ions, maximum removal of metal ion (up to 86.62%) was attained when 100 mg/L adsorbate solution is treated with GCIO for 25 min in slightly acidic medium (6 pH) at 25°C. The adsorption of As3+ ions followed D–R model with 0.98 R2 value. The adsorption of both metal ions (Pb2+ and As3+) follows second-order kinetic model. The high percentage removal of metal ions with little quantity of GCIO confirmed that GCIO is an excellent, effective and economic adsorbent.

The major aim of this study was to design chitosan/alginate nanoparticles as swelling controlled drug release system for anticancer drugs. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR and transmission electron microscopy analysis and their biocompatibility and in vitro cytotoxicity were evaluated. The nanoparticles were loaded with widely used anticancer drug, cisplatin, and controlled release of drug was investigated to observe the effects of various parameters such as percent loading of the drug, pH, temperature, and nature of release media on the release profiles. The release of cisplatin was also studied in various simulated biological fluids.

Drug encapsulated nanocarriers are vehicles to transport the drug molecules and release them at the immediate vicinity of the diseased sites. The aim of this study was to design poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) nanoparticles (PHEMANPs) as a swelling and diffusion controlled drug release system for achieving sustained release of (cis-dichlorodiamminoplatinum II) CDDP. The study undertakes designing and characterization of nanocarriers, optimization of drug encapsulation, and investigating release dynamics of the CDDP drug. PHEMANPs were prepared by suspension polymerization method followed by post loading of the CDDP onto the nanocarriers. The physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties were evaluated by FTIR, TEM, FESEM, EDX, DLS, surface charge, water intake studies, in vitro cytotoxicity, protein adsorption and percent haemolysis. Chemical stability of the drug was assessed and in vitro release experiments were performed to optimize formulation by UV spectral analysis. The obtained cumulative release data were fitted to zero, first and Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic models to gain insights into release kinetics and prevailing drug transport mechanisms. The successful encapsulation of CDDP was achieved in different PHEMANP formulations with maximum drug encapsulation efficiency of approx. 60% and the release kinetics was found to follow the Korsmeyer-Peppas model having non-Fickian mechanism. The results indicated that the CDDP can be formulated with a high payload of PHEMANPs which can serve as promising nanomedicine and help in achieving sustained delivery of drug for targeting tumour.

The problems of undesired surface oxidation and agglomeration of iron oxide nanoparticles have been addressed by coating of iron oxide with casein by emulsion crosslinking of casein and in situ precipitation of iron oxide nanoparticles. The study further undertook loading of cytarabine drug into casein coated iron oxide nanoparticles (CCIONPs) and evaluation of their anticancer activity under in vitro conditions. The nanoparticles were characterized by TEM for their morphology and the results revealed that the prepared nanoparticles are almost regular in geometry and have the core-shell type structure in the size range of 95 ± 0.035 nm to 150 ± 0.064 nm. Interestingly, Cyt. Loaded CCIONPs were found to inhibit the cell colony formation of liver HepG2 cells. It was found that Cyt. loaded CCIONPs significantly suppressed the relocation and invasion abilities of liver (HepG2) cancer cells. CCIONPs displayed excellent cytotoxicity against four types of cancerous cell lines like lung, breast, and liver. The obtained percentage of cells in cell cycle at G2/M stage was 8.13% and 22.29% at 50 μg/mL concentration of CCIONPs in HepG2 and SNU398, respectively. They also exhibited good apoptosis stimulation and remarkably prohibited the cell growth by arresting G2/M cell division at checkpoint. The immunoblot study affirmed significant dynamization of caspase-3 in apoptosis process, while the suppression of CDK6, PARP-1 and NF-κB were confirmed by the Western blot. The apoptosis results exhibited that Cyt loaded CCIONPs (25 and 50 μg/mL showed 0.3% and 6.33% apoptotic subpopulation in both HepG2 cells within 24 h (contact time). Immunocytochemistry also showed significant reduction in CDK6 localize protein and effectively exerted cytotoxic effect against HepG2 cells. In essence, Cyt. loaded CCIONPs prominently displayed tumoricidal effects in liver cancer cells in vitro by down regulatin of CDK6, PARP-1 and NF-κB. The study concluded that the cytarabine loaded CCIONPs could be excellent nanocarriers for the magnetically triggered release of the anticancer drug.