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The opto-thermal properties of Au- and Ag-coated core–shell hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) have been thoroughly investigated by using the PyMieLab V1.0 simulation tool based on electrodynamics modelling. We, specifically, investigated the plasmonic resonance tunability and spatial temperature profiles of Au- and Ag-coated composed hybrid core–shell nanospheres as optimized combinations of alloy core (viz. Au0.25Ag0.75, Au0.25Cu0.75, Au0.75Al0.25, Ag0.75Cu0.25 and Ag0.75Al0.25) immersed in the local water (n = 1.33) media. In the present core–shell nanostructure configuration, the alloy core radius (r ) has been changed from 5 to 50 nm (with 5-nm step-size) and shell thickness, t = 5 , and 10 nm is kept the same with varying core radii. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Au- and Ag-coated optimized alloys composed of hybrid core–shell nanospheres is tuned between 238–545 nm and 347–531 nm, respectively, and lies under the ultraviolet–visible segment of the electromagnetic band. The temperature recorded at the surface of core–shell NPs (i.e. alloy core@gold/silver shell) lies between the range of 0.20 and 2.38 °C (for Au-coated alloys) and 0.64–2.44 °C (for Ag-coated alloy) with different core/shell size ratios. The present results are of paramount importance for using these alloy core–plasmonic shell NPs in several types of thermoplasmonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison to single Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), bimetallic nanoparticles allow fine-tuning of the optical and photothermal properties. Considering the fact that both Au and Ag plasmonic NPs exhibit strong and enhanced optical absorption in the visible spectrum, the composition of these two materials is notably intriguing. Therefore, the combination of these two metals as an alloy of Aux–Ag(1−x) will provide better control of optical and thermoplasmonic properties by changing the size and composition. The proposed computer simulation work examines the thermal effects of Au–Ag alloy nanospheres under surface plasmon resonance (SPR) due to the coherent oscillation of conduction electrons within the NPs. It is demonstrated that the SPR of Aux–Ag(1−x) alloy nanospheres could be easily altered by varying the radius and also the composition of alloys (in water ambience). The rise of steady-state temperature is calculated by the integration of Ag into spherical Au NPs, as demonstrated by photothermal heat transfer research. Absorption of light by metallic alloy nanospheres was studied by changing the composition of such alloy spheres with a possibility to alter the SPR absorption range, which is tuned from 392 to 580 nm. This investigation of the optical and photothermal properties of bimetallic Au–Ag alloy nanospheres offers a thorough scientific understanding towards the synthesis of new custom plasmonic nanostructured materials. Schematic of the photo-thermal conversion process in spherical NPs along with its temperature profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the plasmonic properties of magnetic and liquid nanoparticles coated with aluminium are studied for egg-like/multilayer structures. The optical spectra of multilayers nanoparticles under core–shell or bi-layer (Fe/FeO/Fe2O3/Fe3O4@Al, Cs/Cs2O@Al) and egg-like or multilayer (Fe/FeO/Fe2O3/Fe3O4@Cs/Cs2O@Al) nanostructures are theoretically investigated. Variations in materials types and size parameters including inner core, shell, and outer shell have shown their significant influence on enhancement in LSPR peak position, intensity, and broadening. It is observed that the LSPR peak position effectively increased with pure materials and the peak's intensity along with line-width or broadening increased with oxide materials in core–shell configuration. In an egg-like/multilayer configuration, varying sizes of oxide materials in the core, as well as shell, have their direct impact on line-width as well as the intensity of peaks. It is found that the LSPR peaks get red-shifted with increasing core size and blue-shifted with increasing shell thickness and enhanced spectra are seen for Fe2O3-core with varying Al-shell thickness. The plasmonic LSPR peaks at λmax are revealed in the range of 221–1004 nm wavelengths and tuned in the deep UV–visible-NIR region of core–shell and visible region of egg-like (multilayer) nanostructures. Such response of core–shell and egg-like/multilayer nanostructures for optical-absorption properties opens new potential in stretchable plasmonic devices, solar cells, and therapeutic as well as appropriate light absorption-based applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of plasmonics, the nanogap effect is often related to one aspect like the far-field resonance shift or near-field enhancement. In this study, we present a details analysis of the nanogap effect on plasmonic behaviours of the magneto-plasmonic dimer Ni–Ag and Ni–Au nanoparticles by taking the full advantages of DDA simulation. The sets of non-spherical dimer nanostructure viz. edge-to-edge (EE) and face-to-face (FF) and spherical dimer nanoparticles for plasmonic properties like LSPR peak position's tunability as well as peak intensity at the maximum wavelength (λmax.) and near-field enhancement in Ni–Ag and Ni–Au heterodimer nanoparticles is studied. It is observed that the emerging spectra are found between the UV–visible regions (357–586 nm) for spherical dimer nanostructure while prolate dimers are in the UV–visible-Near Infrared region (345–817 nm) under both EE and FF configurations. The emergent wavelength-dependent spectra with varying nanogap between the dimer are red-shifted. The maximum plasmonic field enhancement is observed for Ni–Ag as compared to Ni–Au dimer nanoparticles under spherical and prolate geometry. It is found that the FF configuration of Ni–Ag and Ni–Au dimers nanoparticles has maximum field enhancement in comparison to the EE configuration. These results could have a big impact on how surface-enhanced spectroscopies and related plasmonic instruments based on E-field hot spots or intensity are being utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is centered around investigating the thermo-optical features and the performance concerning the inflection points (IFs) in hybrid composite nanostructures, focusing on Au- and Ag-decorated alloy configurations, and their response in diverse refractive index (RI) conditions (n = 1.30 to 1.55). Au-decorated alloys demonstrate intriguing localized plasmonic resonance (LSPR) exhibiting LSPR shifts in response to various RI’s, indicating improved response with notable red and blue shifts (λmax=\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{max}=$$\end{document} 502–564 nm) indicating effective absorption efficiency. In contrast, Ag-decorated alloys exhibit enhanced absorption efficiency at higher RI’s, presenting minimal LPSR shifts (λmax=\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{max}=$$\end{document} 398–449 nm) among various RI’s. In the context of thermoplasmonics, the surface temperature of Au/Ag-decorated nanocomposites exhibits ranges of 2.39 to 3.03 ∘C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$^\circ{\rm C}$$\end{document}, and 2.09 to 3.55 ∘C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$^\circ{\rm C}$$\end{document} for specific optical flux, respectively. Furthermore, an improvement in RI sensitivity is achieved, ranging from 144 to 308 nm/RIU for Au-decorated and 164 to 180 nm/RIU for Ag-decorated alloy nanocomposites. Detailed scrutiny of Au and Ag-layered alloy nanostructures suggests new opportunities towards ultra-sensitive biosensors and precise biomedical uses.Graphical Abstract: The present study is centered around investigating the thermo-optical features and the performance concerning the inflection points (IFs) in hybrid composite nanostructures, focusing on Au- and Ag-decorated alloy configurations, and their response in diverse refractive index (RI) conditions (n = 1.30 to 1.55). Au-decorated alloys demonstrate intriguing localized plasmonic resonance (LSPR) exhibiting LSPR shifts in response to various RI’s, indicating improved response with notable red and blue shifts (λmax=\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{max}=$$\end{document} 502–564 nm) indicating effective absorption efficiency. In contrast, Ag-decorated alloys exhibit enhanced absorption efficiency at higher RI’s, presenting minimal LPSR shifts (λmax=\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$${\lambda }_{max}=$$\end{document} 398–449 nm) among various RI’s. In the context of thermoplasmonics, the surface temperature of Au/Ag-decorated nanocomposites exhibits ranges of 2.39 to 3.03 ∘C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$^\circ{\rm C}$$\end{document}, and 2.09 to 3.55 ∘C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\usepackage{amsmath}\usepackage{wasysym}\usepackage{amsfonts}\usepackage{amssymb}\usepackage{amsbsy}\usepackage{mathrsfs}\usepackage{upgreek}\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}\begin{document}$$^\circ{\rm C}$$\end{document} for specific optical flux, respectively. Furthermore, an improvement in RI sensitivity is achieved, ranging from 144 to 308 nm/RIU for Au-decorated and 164 to 180 nm/RIU for Ag-decorated alloy nanocomposites. Detailed scrutiny of Au and Ag-layered alloy nanostructures suggests new opportunities towards ultra-sensitive biosensors and precise biomedical uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical properties of magneto-plasmonic nanostructures are a current subject of research with fast-growing experimental and theoretical activities. The coexistence of iron (Fe) and noble metal (Ag/Au) nanoparticles in the same nanostructure is interesting for biomedical applications, as well as low-cost photonic devices. In this article, we investigated the optical response of Ag–Fe, Au–Fe, and Ag–Fe–Au bimetallic and trimetallic alloy nanostructures as a function of size, shape, and composition by using discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method. We observed that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak position in considered alloy nanostructures is enhanced by changing the particle size and shape, further strongly affected by rectangular shape in comparison to prolate, cube, triangular, and spherical shapes. The absorption and scattering spectra are found between 200 and 647 nm wavelength ranges and can be tuned in UV-visible-near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum in accordance with desired applications. It has been found that the rectangular shape nanostructure show enhancement to LSPR peaks and their corresponding efficiencies in comparison to prolate, cube, triangular, and spherical shapes. The effect of size and shape on relative efficiency has also been studied. An increasing number of peaks appear in the optical spectra of considered nanostructures with higher gold concentration and show a broadening of LSPR peaks. Furthermore, it has been found that the optical response of alloys can be enhanced by varying the metal composition. The comparison of the considered nanostructure of different shape and size shows the LSPR at λmax have the ordering as rectangular > prolate > cube > triangular> spheres. The obtained results indicate the potential use of suitable magnetic-plasmonic nanostructures in medical diagnostics and biological imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a thin film solar cell structure consisting of thin GaAs layer, metallic nanoparticle array and aluminum back reflector is proposed and studied to calculate optical absorption and current density using finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical simulation method. Simulation results show that in comparison to other metallic nanoparticles, aluminum nanoparticles have strong plasmonic scattering effect at optimized period of 100nm and radius 40nm to improve the efficiency of thin film GaAs solar cells through enhancement of current density integrated over solar spectrum by 31% compared to bare thin film GaAs solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present investigation was carried out with fifty six genotypes involving 10 parents, their 45 F1s hybrids and one check hybrid in tarai region of Uttarakhand. The presence of more amount of variance due to SCA effects than GCA effects in our experimental material indicated that heterosis breeding is better choice. The good general combiners were P1, P3 and P4 for ear length; P8 for ear diameter; P5 and P8 for number of kernel rows per ear; P1 and P4 for number of kernels per row, P8 and P9 for100-kernel weight and P5 for grain yield, which can be utilized directly or indirectly in breeding programme. The best eight specific combiners for grain yield were P1xP8, P4xP10, P7xP8, P5xP8, P5xP9, P4xP9, P1xP2 and P5xP10 involving average x average, good x average, good x poor and average x poor parental combinations of generalcombining ability indicating the presence of non-additive gene action. The nine crosses, P1xP2, P1 xP5, P1xP8, P4xP9, P4xP10, P5 xP8, P5xP9, P5xP10 and P7xP8 had positive significant per cent heterosis for grain yield, and crosses namely P1xP4, P1xP5 and P1xP8 for ear length; P1xP3 and P1xP5 for number of kernels per row and P1xP8 and P9x P10 for 100-kernel weight were having positive significant per cent heterosis at 1% and/or 5% level of significance for respective traits. The crosses, P1xP2, P1xP8, P4xP9 andP7 xP8 manifested high SCA effects along with excellent standard heterosis and per se performance for grain yield and also for most of the studied characters, therefore, classified as potential hybrids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was undertaken on maize (Zea mays L.) under two abiotic stress conditions viz. low-nitrogen (low soil fertility) and excess soil moisture conditions (waterlogging) during kharif 2010. Studies were carried out for developing suitable selection indices in relation to multiple abiotic stress tolerance. The experimental material consisted of twelve lines and four testers and their 48 single crosses planted in Randomized Block Design. Analysis of variance revealed significance for all the traits studied in both the conditions, indicating there by the existence of high genetic variability in the genotypes. In low-N conditions, the best performing line was L5 followed by and among testers T3 ranked highest. Among the crosses, L11×T4 ranked highest followed by L8×T1 and L11×T3. In waterlogging conditions, L6 performed better followed by L5. Among the crosses L6×T4 ranked highest. Economic weights were assigned to various traits under low-nitrogen and excess soil moisture (ESM) conditions. Among the crosses, aggregate score were higher in most of the cases but general trend was that ESM traits had the lower score values. Crosses L11×T4, L8×T1, L11×T3, L7×T2 and L6×T2 performed well in low-nitrogen conditions for the assigned selection criteria. In waterlogging trials, L6×T4, L7×T2 and L4×T1 performed excellent while crosses L5×T1, L12×T2, L5×T4, and L3×T3 ranked very low in ESM trials. Thus for ESM tolerance, the crosses L6×T4 and L7×T2 are the best available crosses according to the given selection criteria and for low-nitrogen tolerance, L11×T4 and L8×T1 were the best crosses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasmonic coupling between the interacting noble metal nanoparticles plays an important role to influence the optical properties of arrays. In this work, we have extended the Mie theory results of our recent communication to include the effect of particle interactions between the alloy nanoparticles by varying interparticle distance and number of particles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak position, full width at half maxima (FWHM) and scattering efficiency of one dimensional (1D) bimetallic alloy nanosphere (BANS) arrays of earlier optimized compositions i.e. Ag0.75Au0.25, Au0.25Cu0.75 and Ag0.50Cu0.50 have been studied presently by using discrete dipole approximation (DDA) simulations. Studies have been made to optimize size of the nanosphere, number of spheres in the arrays, material and the interparticle distance. It has been found that both the scattering efficiency andFWHM (bandwidth) can be controlled in the large region of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum by varying the number of interacting particles and interparticle distance. In comparison to other alloy arrays, Ag0.50Cu0.50 BANS arrays (each of particle radius 50 nm) shows larger tunability of LSPR with wide bandwidth (essential condition for plasmonic solar cells). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the authors' view on the progress and future prospects of plasmonics in generation of wave communication. They mention the two main components of plasmonics including surface plasmon (SP) polaritons and localized surface plasmons (LSPs), and also the applications of plasmonics including plasmonic lasers, plasmonic switches and plasmonic waveguides. Reduction in electron confinement, structural imperfections and metal heating losses in plasmonics are also suggested.

The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectrum of noble metal nanoparticles is studied by quasi-static approximation. Taking the sensitivity of LSPR shape to the size and shape of nanoparticle along with surrounding refractive index, parameters like refractive index sensitivity and sensing figure of merit have been determined. In the present analysis from the sensing relevant parameters, it is concluded that Ag represents a better sensing behavior than Au and Cu over the entire visible to infrared regime of EM spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) for longitudinal mode of gold nanorod is simulated by using Gans theory. The parameters like surface scattering, radiation damping, and dynamic depolarization of radiation across the surface of nanorod affecting response of free electrons towards optical excitation are considered. Simulation results show that refractive index sensitivity linearly rises with size and aspect ratio, whereas this leads to the broadening of resonant line width also. Therefore, to optimize the size of nanorod, figure of merit (FOM) is calculated and observed that optimized width is 15 nm for an aspect ratio of 2, whereas it is 12 nm for aspect ratios 3 and 4. Further, optimization by using newly modified figure of merit (MFOM) shows that optimized width is 39 nm for aspect ratio of 2 and 24 nm for 3 and 4 aspect ratios. It is also found that at aspect ratio 2, both FOM and MFOM are higher than the aspect ratios 3 and 4. The quality factor calculation for LSPR response of nanorod explains its dependence with aspect ratio and optimized dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To study the epidemiological data of paediatric burn patients to determine the role of demographic distribution and epidemiological parameters for assessment of mortality rate and development of burn prevention strategy. Materials and Methods: Epidemiological data of 500 patients admitted to the Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit of B.J. Wadia Hospital, Mumbai over a period of six years (2000-2005) was reviewed from medical records. Age, sex, demographic distribution, seasonal variation, total body surface area (TBSA) involved, type and place of burn injury, parental occupation, family size, first aid and mortality rate were studied. Result: Median age group for patient was 3.44 years (range one month to 14 years). The majority (24%) of burns occurred in children between the one to two years age group. Male to female sex ratio was 1.38:1. Most of the patients were from the defined demographic region served by the hospital. A significant number of patients however were from outside this region. Burn injury occurred predominantly during winter. Most common type of burn was scalds which occurred mainly in domestic circumstances. In the majority of patients, less than 10% TBSA was involved. All patients were managed as per the unit protocol. Mortality rate was 10.4%. Mortality rate was high in patients having more than 40% TBSA involvement. Seventy-three per cent of the total deaths occurred in the patients coming from regions outside the demographic region served by the hospital. Parental occupation, family size and the first aid did not affect the mortality rate. Conclusion: Availability of a burn care unit in the vicinity can decrease the mortality rates in the paediatric burn patients. An intense and focused burn prevention campaign to educate the general population about dangerous aetiological factors will decrease the incidence of paediatric burns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body height and weight were found to contribute significantly in linear regression equations established to estimate lean body weight, body density and leg muscle volume from anthropometric measurements. These two measurements were also found to contribute significantly in linear regression equations established to estimate the body measurements including chest circumference at sea level and high altitude locations. To ascertain whether body weight and height could also be significant predictors of chest circumference of healthy young males in different states of India, the anthropometric data on these three body measurements (viz. chest circumference, height and weight) were collected on 1.00.293 young healthy Indian males aged 16-21 years of 18 states of India using standard anthropometric techniques. Separate multiple linear regression equations for predicting chest circumference were constructed for 18 states of India using height and weight as predictors because these multiple linear regression equations differed significantly from each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) have attracted the attention of the researchers due to their fascinating properties which are analogous to that of three-dimensional graphene. The density functional theory (under generalised gradient approximation (GGA) without spin-orbit coupling, GGA with spin-orbit coupling (GGA + SOC) and GGA with Hubbard correction (GGA + U )) in combination with the stress–strain approach have been utilised to investigate the elastic and mechanical properties of ZrS and ZrTe. The thermodynamic properties have been evaluated using the quasi-harmonic approximations by incorporating GGA, GGA + SOC and GGA + U approaches. The polycrystalline elastic moduli have been calculated using the single-crystal elastic constants and the mechanical stabilities have also been established. Physical parameters, such as Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, Debye temperature and sound velocities, are also calculated. In addition, the anisotropic elastic properties such as Young's modulus, linear compressibility, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio as well as the anisotropic factors have been visualised in three dimensions (3D) using GGA, GGA + SOC and GGA + U approaches. The theoretical computation of thermodynamic properties such as specific heat, entropy, vibration energy and internal energy as a function of temperature for both Weyl semimetals are investigated and discussed for the first time. The calculated values of Debye temperature for ZrS (ZrTe) are 470.103 K (287.744 K), 486.572 K (298.295 K) and 442.0 K (234.346 K) using GGA approximations without SOC, with SOC and by implementing GGA + U calculations, respectively. Further, it is shown that the value of Debye temperature for ZrS is more than that of ZrTe. Hence, the present study of thermodynamic properties suggests their potential thermoelectric applications at high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined optical and magnetic properties of magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles makes them ideal candidates for various applications in biomedical fields. In the present work, the optical properties of Ni–Ag and Ni–Au bimetallic alloy nanoparticles with varying sizes 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 nm of spherical and aspect ratio 2, 3, and 4 of non-spherical nanostructures are studied by the discrete dipole approximation method in the water surrounding medium. Moreover, optical absorption spectra are studied to see the effect of polarization and different alloy compositions. The optical spectra is observed in the range of 371–1280 nm wavelengths and merged in visible-near-infrared region on the electromagnetic spectrum. The result shows that absorption spectra of bimetallic alloy nanoparticles can be well tuned by changing the particle size, aspect ratio's, shapes, and compositions. Furthermore, Ni–Au nanoparticles have enrich optical absorption spectra as compared to Ni–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles. Our study provides a way to analyze and broaden the applications of bimetallic alloy nanoparticles in optical imaging, biomedical field, and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmonic effects of various sized Al nanospheres non-embedded on Ta2O5 antireflective–coated single-junction GaAs solar cells are analyzed by finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. The impact of optimized plasmonic nanoparticles is further analyzed for embedded Al nanospheres in GaAs and compared with nanoparticles at back contact. It is found that the nanoparticles of radius 30 nm show superior spectral response in comparison with other radii for non-embedded design. Further, non-embedded optimized nanoparticles show better spectral response when embedded in GaAs layer 10 nm below the Ta2O5 antireflection layer, which yields a maximum current density of 28.17 mA/cm2. Moreover, photovoltaic current–voltage characteristics were studied to confirm the performance enhancement induced by Al nanoparticle plasmons. The power conversion efficiency enhancement of 5.4, 11.5, and 2.3% for optimized radius of 30 nm in non-embedded, embedded (at optimized depth of 10 nm), and at rear surface, respectively, were found compared to Ta2O5-coated single-junction GaAs solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the important Rabi season food legume crop ranked third after common bean and field pea. The degree and extent of trait variability, genetic relationship and genetic diversity in promising chickpea genotypes should be known for possible yield improvement. Realizing the importance of genetic relationships and genetic diversity in key economic traits, the present investigation envisaged to measure the genetic relationships in the yield component traits to make effective selection for yield improvement in chickpea breeding programme. Methods: The experimental material comprised of 60 chickpea genotypes (both Desi and Kabuli types), grown in RBD with three replications at Pulses Section of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, CCSHAU, Hisar during Rabi 2014-15. The data on 11 quantitative traits was analysed for ANOVA, correlation coefficient, path coefficient, regression and principle component analysis. Result: The present study has led the understanding of many inter-related traits involved in the genetic variation of chickpea seed yield. This would certainly provide guidelines for selection of parents as well as effective selection of promising chickpea genotypes, and also have paramount importance in formulating plant model for selection of segregating generations in chickpea breeding programmes for development of high yielding varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the structural, electronic, and dynamical properties of novel half-Heusler (HH) alloy AlNiP are studied by applying first-principles density functional theory (DFT). The structural properties of AlNiP in the LiAlSi-type crystal structure with three different phases (α-phase, β-phase, and γ-phase) in different atomic arrangements are explored. The 'γ-phase' of AlNiP is found to be energetically stable among three. Moreover, the calculated ferromagnetic (FM), non-magnetic (NM) and anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) state for AlNiP favours the 'NM' state. The overlapping of the valence band and conduction band signifies the metallic characteristics of the alloy at 0 GPa and high pressure 38 GPa. The lattice dynamics of novel HH alloy AlNiP have also been investigated by applying DFT followed by density functional perturbation theory (DFPT). The phonon calculation suggests the face-centred cubic phase of HH alloy AlNiP is stable at ambient condition and also at high pressure of 38 GPa. For the confirmation of this stability, the phonon density of states has also been calculated at zero and higher value of pressure. The calculated results are further interpreted in the light of the similar type of alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is believed that the effectual scattering by earth-abundant Al nanoparticles in combination with photoelectric conversion-efficient GaAs material may help for cost-effective solar cells. Al nanoparticles of various radii embedded at different depths in a Ta2O5-coated GaAs semiconductor have been studied by finite-difference time-domain method for their influence towards spectral absorption rate and photocurrent in GaAs solar cells. The calculated spectral absorption rate and photocurrent show a significant enhancement at the optimal depth for a particular radius of Al nanoparticles, which is explained on the basis of surface plasmon resonance. Al nanoparticles of radius 80 nm embedded just below the antireflection layer of Ta2O5 result a maximum spectral absorption rate of 0.95 that leads to a photocurrent of 30.43 mA/cm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have looked into quaternary Heusler (QH) compounds for their potential use in futuristic gadgets like photovoltaic cells, optical fibres, thermoelectric modules and spintronic sensors. As per such motivations and research interests, here we are presenting two recently reported Li-based QH compounds LiNbCoAl and LiNbCoGa which are stabilized into face-centred cubic structure of space group F-43m with semiconducting nature. These compounds exhibit high melting temperatures, showing the p-type semiconducting nature and are found to have advantageous thermoelectric capabilities in the high-temperature range. Additionally, the dynamical stability and appropriate elastic and mechanical characteristics for the foundation of effective thermoelectric modules in the temperature range of 1600 K enhance their scientific and technical scope. The electronic band structure is discussed along with the density of states for the better understanding of the electrical properties. The thermodynamic response up to a temperature of 1600 K is also examined for understanding in terms of free energy, specific heat at constant volume and entropy. The special dependences in the two and three dimensions are applied and investigated to characterize the anisotropic nature. However all the required thermoelectric properties are calculated and presented, and the highest figure of merit value at 1600 K for both materials is 0.47 for LiNbCoAl and 0.56 for LiNbCoGa, respectively. As per their excellent practical properties, the current study asserts that both QH compounds should really be considered for energy conversion techniques in high-temperature environments. For the complete study prospectus, these materials are being disclosed for the first time here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In the present work, we have used the first principles approach combined with semi classical Boltzmann Transport equations to calculate the structural, mechanical, electronic, and thermoelectric properties of LiTiCoX (X = Si, Ge). These materials are indirect band gap semiconductors with band gap 1.22 eV for LiTiCoSi and 1.09 eV for LiTiCoGe, respectively. Both materials are mechanically and dynamically stable. At room temperature, the value of Seebeck coefficient is 2016 μV/K (1799 μV/K) for LiTiCoSi (LiTiCoGe) and the electrical conductivity is in the order of 106 S/m for both materials. The highest value of figure of merit recorded is 0.14 (LiTiCoGe) and 0.10 (LiTiCoSi) for p‐type doping at 700 K temperature in both the materials. Hence, the theoretical results can be the compelling evidences to investigate the present materials experimentally in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]