Search

Over the past few years, the photogenic fabrication of metal oxide nanoparticles has attracted considerable attention, owing to the simple, eco-friendly, and non-toxic procedure. Herein, we fabricated NiO nanoparticles and altered their optical properties by doping with a rare earth element (lanthanum) using Sesbania grandiflora broth for antibacterial applications. The doping of lanthanum with NiO was systematically studied. The optical properties of the prepared nanomaterials were investigated through UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-DRS) analysis, and their structures were studied using X-ray diffraction analysis. The morphological features of the prepared nanomaterials were examined by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, their elemental structure was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectral analysis, and their oxidation states were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the antibacterial action of NiO and La-doped NiO nanoparticles was studied by the zone of inhibition method for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus sublitis. It was evident from the obtained results that the optimized compound NiOLa-04 performed better than the other prepared compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the phytosynthetic fabrication of rare-earth ion Lanthanum (La3+)-doped Nickel Oxide (NiO) nanoparticles and their anti-microbial studies.

Visible-light-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a promising approach to addressing the problem of global warming and the energy crisis. A Z-scheme photocatalyst comprising a Re(I) complex and a polymeric semiconductor (bulk graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)) converted CO2 to CO even under the irradiation of low-intensity visible light. The electronic interaction between Re(I) and g-C3N4 units and the injection of electrons from g-C3N4 to the Re(I) complex improved the photocatalytic efficiency. The lower recombination of electron–hole pairs and the prolonged emission decay (the average emission lifetime τ = 5.8 ms) contributed to the increased overall efficiency of the hybrid system. The maximum turnover number (TON) of CO formation reached 28.56 after 240 min with a high CO selectivity (99.8%). Compared to the homogeneous photocatalyst Re(I), the TON of CO formation was increased by 5.6 times and CO selectivity was higher. Density Functional Theory (DFT) was employed to investigate the impact of the substrate-supported Re complex (Re(bpy-COOH)/g-C3N4) on the CO2 Reduction Reaction (CO2RR) activity. The results indicate that Re(bpy-COOH)/g-C3N4 presents a lower energy barrier for *CO2 to *COOH conversion, promoting *COOH formation more effectively than pure g-C3N4. Moreover, the energy barrier for *CO desorption is lower in Re(bpy-COOH)/g-C3N4 than in Re(bpy-COOH), suggesting a reduction in the strong binding of adsorbed CO intermediates, highlighting the intermediate ensemble effect at the active site. The improved CO2RR activity in Re(bpy-COOH)/g-C3N4 can be attributed to the balance between the enhancement of reaction activity and the binding energy of intermediates at the active site. The study of photocatalytic CO2 reduction (PCO2R) under low-intensity-visible-light irradiation and DFT investigation has reveal an insight into the CO2RR activity for CO2 reduction under various irradiation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable rise in global warming and the consumption of fossil fuels considerably contribute to energy and environmental issues. To address these issues, semiconductor heterostructures can be used to generate clean energy sources as alternative energy sources and to reduce environmental impacts. Herein, we report the synthesis of a ternary semiconductor of the CdS/WO3/g-C3N4 (i.e. C-CNW) nanostructured composite for hydrogen production and dye degradation under visible-light irradiation. The structural properties of the prepared materials were studied using a series of investigational analyses. The 3C-CNW nanostructure photocatalyst exhibited faster malachite green (MG) dye photodegradation within 105 min and the highest hydrogen production rate is 868.23 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light illumination. Moreover, the photocatalytic hydrogen production of the 3C-CNW nanostructure photocatalyst with various scavengers was analyzed. Its higher photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the Z-scheme mechanism, which induces rapid diffusion of photoinduced charges within the ternary photocatalyst with its optical bandgap. This proposed strategy is useful to improve photocatalysts that play a role in mitigating energy and environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binder‐free two‐dimensional mesh‐like structure of nickel‐zinc metal‐organic framework on in‐situ‐coated carbon cloth (Ni−Zn MOF/CC) and Ni−Zn MOF powder were developed via a solvo‐hydrothermal reaction for electrochemical storage application. The electrochemical properties of these electrodes show that the electrodes self‐assembled on carbon cloth substrates exhibit remarkably excellent performance. The Ni−Zn MOF/CC electrode exhibited a capacitance of 653.54 F/g at 1 A/g through a capacity retaining of 87.65% after 10000 cycles. Furthermore, the Ni−Zn MOF//AC coin‐cell asymmetric supercapacitor device (CASD) exhibited remarkable energy and power densities of 54.31 Wh/kg and 825 W/kg, respectively, with adequate capacitance retention up to 94.63% over 5000 cycles at 1.5 V. The CASD also exhibited a significant power density of 4950 W/kg at 19.67 W h/kg, which suggests that these in‐situ developed MOF‐based electrodes may discover application in energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localized magnetic hyperthermia (LMHT) cancer therapy is a much-anticipated technique along with immunotherapy. LMHT can be used as an independent or adjunct therapy to increase the efficacy of radiation and chemotherapy. The superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPNPs) create LMHT by the electron magnetic spin relaxation (EMR) mechanism in nanocolloids. Magnetic nanoparticles of MgFe2O4 doped with different concentrations of Ca2+ ions were designed to find specific heating efficiency in magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) for applications in cancer therapy. Ca2+-substituted MgFe2O4 (CaxMg1–xFe2O4, x = 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) nanoparticles with cubic spinel shapes and significant sizes were synthesized using high boiling point organic solvents. The heating efficiency or specific loss power (SLP) was determined using a calorimetric method under various amplitudes of the magnetic field. The best shape with a particular size range for nanoparticles dispersed in deionized (DI) water carriers producing the optimum heating efficiency was specified. The CaxMg1–xFe2O4 (x = 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5) nanoparticles were investigated for in vitrocytotoxicity in normal cells (the mouse muscle fibroblast cell line BLO-11 and the mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line NIH 3T3) and human cancer cells (breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-23 and prostate cancer cell line PC-3) in terms of cell viability. The excellent heating efficiency and biocompatibility along with the lack of cell cytotoxicity of Ca2+-substituted MgFe2O4 nanoparticles were observed. These outcomes propose that MgFe2O4 nanoparticles doped with Ca2+ ions are appropriate for biomedical applications, especially for MHT cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have received considerable devotion as capable electrode materials for energy storage applications. However, applying MOFs to electrodes still faces difficulties including achieving high capacitance, rate performance with good stability. Therefore, in order to further advance the electrochemical activity, it is necessary to rationally design the electrode structure and couple the metallic elements to obtain the desired structure. Here, novel three‐dimensional (3D) hollow microspheres with hierarchical structure of nickel‐zinc MOFs (NZMF) are fabricated in situ on carbon fabric (NZMF/CF) by a solvo‐hydrothermal approach used directly as binder‐free electrode for supercapacitor applications. The rate capacity of NZMF/CF sample is higher than that of NZMF. In addition, the 3D NZMF/CF electrode offered superior specific capacitance (311.11 F g−1) compared with NZMF (273.33 F g−1), ascribed good electrical conductivity of CF scaffold. As a result, a split cell asymmetric supercapacitor device (SC‐ASD) assembled using NZMF/CF//AC/CF attained a good energy density of 22.39 Wh kg−1 at 1650 W kg−1 power density with cyclic stability of 93.69% achieved even after 1000 cycles. This study offers a versatile scheme to efficiently prepare MOF‐based binder‐free energy storage materials for forthcoming hybrid and flexible electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]