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In recent times, there has been a surge of interest in the unique characteristics and possible applications of nanoparticles in various fields, including environmental clean-up. The contamination of water sources with pharmaceutical and organic substances has emerged as a significant environmental concern. Semiconductor nanoparticles, particularly Bi2S3 nanoparticles, have garnered considerable attention due to their efficacy and environmentally friendly nature in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). These nanoparticles have shown remarkable photocatalytic abilities in the destruction of pollutants when exposed to UV–visible light. This study covers the production, characterization, and degradation of Bi2S3 nanoparticles in relation to organic and pharmaceutical contaminants. By utilizing co-precipitate methods, it becomes possible to precisely manipulate the size, shape, and composition of the nanoparticles, which are crucial factors in determining their catalytic effectiveness. The created nanoparticles are then examined using various analytical techniques, such as Powder X-ray Diffraction (P-XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-visible spectroscopy, Photoluminescence study (PL), colour chromaticity coordinates (CIE), and Dynamic light scattering study (DLS). The catalytic capability of the synthesised compounds was compared to the degradation of Picric acid and paracetamol as model pollutants. The observed photocatalytic activity of these nanoparticles indicates their potential in water purification and environmental clean-up. The findings suggest that incorporating these nanoparticles into practical systems for pollutant degradation is feasible and can be applied in diverse scenarios. The results shed light on the efficient utilization of Bi2S3 nanoparticles as photocatalysts for the oxidation of drugs and organic contaminants. By utilizing Bi2S3 nanoparticles, the elimination of pharmaceutical and organic pollutants from water sources becomes achievable, thereby contributing to the preservation and safeguarding of the environment and public health.

Multifunctional bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using the co-precipitation technique. pH being a key factor in co-precipitation technique was used to optimize the phase pure synthesis of BFO. The undergone structural changes were examined using XRD. The XRD result shows the distortion in rhombohedral structure of the synthesized sample. Under Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, the occurrence of d–d transition and C–T transition taking place in BFO sample was investigated. In addition, the band gap values of BFO1, BFO2 and BFO3 were determined using Tauc’s plot and the values are 2.18 eV, 2.18 eV and 2.12eV, respectively. The suppression of modes of vibration in BFO explains the structural distortion caused by reducing agent; these results are consistent with the XRD results. Finally, through electrochemical analysis the redox behavior and the electron hole transport of the samples were analyzed to identify the suitable sample for photocatalytic performance. EIS spectra were carried out to understand the charge transfer resistance of the samples. The electrostatic interaction of catalyst with Fenton reagent and target material was performed at different ranges of pH 3 to 10 which shows enhanced photocatalytic activity toward picric acid (PA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-Glycine perchlorate mono crystals were, grown from the supersaturated solution by slow evaporation technique. The unit cell parameters of the grown crystal were estimated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The functional groups present in the grown crystal was identified from FTIR spectrum. TGA/DTA analysis was performed to study the thermal stability of the grown crystal. The UV-Visual transmission and absorption spectra of this crystal show that the lower cut off wavelength lies at 295 nm. Powder Second Harmonic Generation capability of the grown crystal measured by Kurtz technique is 0.20 times that of potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystals of Ammonium Penta Borate of dimensions 1.1 × 0.7 × 1.3 cm³ were grown using de-ionized water as a solvent by slow evaporation solution growth method and subjected to optical characterization. Good optical quality of crystal was observed and the grown crystals were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction study which confirms that the grown crystal belongs to P21/c space group. The UV-Vis-NIR spectra of Ammonium Penta Borate clearly indicate the absence of absorption in the visible region. Absence of SHG (χ(2) = 0), affirms that this crystal is of Centro-symmetric class and hence the Z-scan technique is employed for THG. Through the Z-scan technique, the nonlinear refractive index n2 and the absolute value of the third order non-linear optical susceptibility χ(3) have been measured at the wavelength of 632.8nm and were found to be 1.7234 × 10-7 cm²/W and 6.7623 × 10-7 esu respectively. Also, at the same wavelength, the real χR(3) and imaginary χI(3) parts of χ(3) have been calculated as 6.7538 × 10-7 esu and 3.4025 × 10-8 esu respectively. Ammonium Penta Borate exhibits saturation absorption and self-defocusing performance and its non-linear absorption co-efficient β is determined as 9.2286 × 10-4 cm/W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum ammonium suphate dodeca hydrate crystals were grown from aqueous solution. The crystal structure of the sample was studied by X-ray diffraction. The absorption spectra indicate a good transparency between 200 and 1000 nm. The nonlinear refractive index n2 and susceptibility χ(3) have been measured through the Z-scan technique. The results indicate that the compound exhibits reverse saturation absorption and self-defocusing performance. Molecular second-order hyper-polarizability is determined as 4.49 x 10-4 cm²/W. The real and imaginary pars of χ(3) have been measured at 632.8 nm and found to be 9.43296 x 10-07 esu and 6.13878 x 10-06 esu, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a simple dual band absorber design and investigate it in the terahertz (THz) region. The proposed absorber works in dual operating bands at 5.1 THz and 11.7 THz. By adjusting the graphene chemical potential, the proposed absorber has the controllability of the resonance frequency to have perfect absorption at various frequencies. The graphene surface plasmon resonance results in sharp and narrow resonance absorption peaks. For incident angles up to 8°, the structure possesses near-unity absorption. The proposed sensor absorber's functionality is evaluated using sensing medium with various refractive indices. The proposed sensor is simulated for glucose detection and a maximum sensitivity of 4.72 THz/RIU is observed. It has a maximum figure of merit (FOM) and Quality factor (Q) value of 14 and 32.49, respectively. The proposed optimal absorber can be used to identify malaria virus and cancer cells in blood. Hence, the proposed plasmonic sensor is a serious contender for biomedical uses in the diagnosis of bacterial infections, cancer, malaria, and other diseases.

This paper presents the design of a modular point of care test platform that integrates a proprietary sample collection device directly with a microfluidic cartridge. Cell lysis, within the cartridge, is conducted using a chemical method and nucleic acid purification is done on an activated cellulose membrane. The microfluidic device incorporates passive mixing of the lysis-binding buffers and sample using a serpentine channel. Results have shown extraction efficiencies for this new membrane of 69% and 57% compared to the commercial Qiagen extraction method of 85% and 59.4% for 0.1ng/µL and 100ng/µL salmon sperm DNA respectively spiked in phosphate buffered solution. Extraction experiments using the serpentine passive mixer cartridges incorporating lysis and nucleic acid purification showed extraction efficiency around 80% of the commercial Qiagen kit. Isothermal amplification was conducted using thermophillic helicase dependant amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification. A low cost benchtop real-time isothermal amplification platform has been developed capable of running six amplifications simultaneously. Results show that the platform is capable of detecting 1.32×10(6) of sample DNA through thermophillic helicase dependant amplification and 1×10(5) copy numbers Chlamydia trachomatis genomic DNA within 10min through recombinase polymerase nucleic acid amplification tests., (Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)