Fruit waste (Pulp) decorated CuO NFs as promising platform for enhanced catalytic response and its peroxidase mimics evaluation

Herein, we report for the first time, an eco-compatible hydrothermal route for the synthesis of carbon enriched mesoporous material (CuO NFs@MP) using fruit waste (Pulp) obtained from Citrus limetta’s (Mausambi) decorated irregular shaped CuO nanoflakes (NFs). The CuO NFs@MP nanocomposite was fully characterized through several spectroscopic-cum-analytical techniques such as TEM and XPS, which further confirmed the presence of CuO NFs. CuO NFs@MP could serve as an excellent catalyst for N-Arylation reaction and also paves promising peroxidase mimic activity. The preliminary results indicated that CuO NFs@MP shows the catalytic advantage of higher yields, shorter reaction time and greener conditions. Simultaneously, the oxidation of colorless TMB with H₂O₂ into blue-green colored ox-TMB was also observed in 60 s with CuO NFs@MP. The present nanocomposite is easy to synthesize, economical, retrievable and a reusable catalyst for synthesizing a varied range of N-Arylated products and could also mimic peroxidase without significant loss of activity.     

Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide composites as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells: Influence of nickel chloride concentration

Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide (NiS-rGO) composite films have been prepared via modified Hummers’s method assisted with spin coating technique. The NiS-rGO samples were then employed as counter electrode in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The main aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between the concentrations of NiCl₂ with the properties of NiS-rGO and performance parameters of the device. The dominant rGO and minor NiS phase exist in the composite. The morphology of the composite is white strips rGO and NiS agglomerate particle. The element of C, O, Ni and S present in the composite. The highest η of 1.04% and J_sc of 7.39 mA cm⁻² were obtained from the device with 0.06 M NiCl₂ resulted from the longest carrier lifetime. The photovoltaic parameters results reveal that NiS-rGO composite has potential to become as a free platinum counter electrode of DSSC.     

Engineering nanostructures of CuO-based photocatalysts for water treatment: Current progress and future challenges

Nowadays, increasing extortions regarding environmental problems and energy scarcity have stuck the development and endurance of human society. The issue of inorganic and organic pollutants that exist in water from agricultural, domestic, and industrial activities has directed the development of advanced technologies to address the challenges of water scarcity efficiently. To solve this major issue, various scientists and researchers are looking for novel and effective technologies that can efficiently remove pollutants from wastewater. Nanoscale metal oxide materials have been proposed due to their distinctive size, physical and chemical properties along with promising applications. Cupric Oxide (CuO) is one of the most commonly used benchmark photocatalysts in photodegradation owing to the fact that they are cost-effective, non-toxic, and more efficient in absorption across a significant fraction of solar spectrum. In this review, we have summarized synthetic strategies of CuO fabrication, modification methods with applications for water treatment purposes. Moreover, an elaborative discussion on feasible strategies includes; binary and ternary heterojunction formation, Z-scheme based photocatalytic system, incorporation of rare earth/transition metal ions as dopants, and carbonaceous materials serving as a support system. The mechanistic insight inferring photo-induced charge separation and transfer, the functional reactive radical species involved in a photocatalytic reaction, have been successfully featured and examined. Finally, a conclusive remark regarding current studies and unresolved challenges related to CuO are put forth for future perspectives.     

Lossy mode resonance-based uniform core tapered fiber optic sensor for sensitivity enhancement

A lossy mode resonance (LMR)-supported fiber optic sensor in which a uniform fiber core is placed among two identical tapered regions, is investigated numerically. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) are considered as LMR active materials used to excite several lossy modes and gold and silver are used as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) active materials. In this probe design, a central uniform core coated with ITO/AZO is the active sensing region, whereas tapered regions are meant for bringing the incident angle close to the critical angle. The sensitivity of the present fiber optic bio-sensor is evaluated for first two LMRs utilizing both ITO and AZO separately, along with its variation with the taper ratio (TR). For ITO, the maximum sensitivity values are observed to be 18.425 μm RIU⁻¹ (refractive index unit) and 0.825 μm RIU⁻¹, corresponding to the first and second LMRs, respectively, at a TR of 1.6 and for AZO, equivalent values are 0.79 μm RIU⁻¹ and 0.35 μm RIU⁻¹, respectively, at a TR of 2.0. The results illustrate that the first LMR is more sensitive than the second LMR and the ITO-coated probe possesses greater sensitivity than the AZO-coated probe for both LMRs. Similarly, for the fiber optic SPR sensor, the maximum value of sensitivity is 5.6425 μm RIU⁻¹, in the case of gold and 5.0615 μm RIU⁻¹ in the case of silver, at a TR of 1.6. Hence, the result shows that the sensor with the present fiber optic probe design has around a 3-fold enhancement in sensitivity compared with conventional SPR sensors. This study will have applications in many sensing schemes where the requirement of large sensitivity is vital.     

金属Al背电极二维AZO光栅的制备和陷光特性

研究了背电极金属Al膜上二维ZnO:Al光栅的制备及其反射光谱特性.在厚度为300 nm的Al膜上溅射80 nm ZnO:Al薄膜,旋涂AZ5206光刻胶,用波长为325 nm的激光进行光刻制作光栅掩模.采用溶脱-剥离法在Al衬底上制备周期(624~1250 nm)和槽深(100~300 nm)可独立调控的ZnO:Al二维光栅.表面形貌采用原子力显微镜和扫描电镜观察,反射光谱用带积分球的分光光度计测试,双向反射分布函数用散射仪测量.结果表明,300 nm Al膜上织构二维ZnO:Al光栅背电极结构,当光栅槽深为228 nm,周期从624 nm增加到986 nm时,背电极总反射率、漫反射率以及雾度均随光栅周期增大而显著增加,而当周期从986 nm增加到1250 nm时,总反射率、漫反射率以及雾度略有增加.双向反射分布函数测试结果进一步证实了上述实验结果,即随着周期增大,漫反射峰值越大,衍射峰个数也增多.提示背反电极上槽深为228 nm、周期为986 nm的二维ZnO:Al光栅具有较好的散射效果,其中漫反射占总反射的百分比为45%.     

氧化镓纳米材料的制备及其在光电探测方面的应用研究进展

近年来,半导体的纳米材料凭借其奇特的介观物理特性,成为当前研究的热点,特别是纳米金属氧化物。氧化镓纳米材料具备优异的光电、气敏、耐压且低损耗等特性,为材料学、电子学和化学等多个研究领域带来了新的机遇。本文概述了氧化镓纳米结构的制备方法,并展望了其在光电探测方面的应用。     

Mechanisms of graphene influence on cell differentiation

The graphene family of nanomaterials (GFN) have a common carbon lattice base structure but represent a diverse range of materials with distinct chemical and physical characteristics. These characteristics are determined by the fabrication method and impart each material with specific chemical properties which govern interaction with cells and biomolecules, and physical properties that give unique nanotopography, stiffness, and electrical properties. Remarkably, members of the GFN have been shown to promote tissue formation and influence cell differentiation in a variety of tissue types, including neural, bone, and cardiac muscle, making them of high interest to the biomedical field. The diverse range of materials and experimental setups in the literature make uncovering the mechanism of action challenging. Nevertheless, it is becoming clear that the ability of GFN to form non-covalent interactions (π-π, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic) with biomolecules may increase their bioavailability via sequestering/concentration/conformation protection to induce cell differentiation. In addition to the chemical properties, the stimulation of mechanosensing pathways, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and enhanced electrical activity of cells on GFN substrates demonstrates the importance of the physical properties in directing cell differentiation. The understanding of the mechanism behind the ability of GFN to enhance cell differentiation will allow the design and selection of materials with the desired properties for tissue repair and regeneration.     

基于氧化石墨烯的长周期光纤光栅的全光控制

实验验证了一种通过将氧化石墨烯分散液沉积在长周期光纤光栅的全光控制的相关研究。通过外加的垂直泵浦光的作用,氧化石墨烯吸收泵浦光产生热量,改变长周期光纤光栅的包层模式的相位差,由于热膨胀的作用改变了氧化石墨烯所覆盖部分的光栅周期,使得谐振谱发生了移动,其最大调制深度可达10.6 dB,谐振谱最大可红移12.8 nm。通过实验发现,沉积相同浓度氧化石墨烯分散液的次数影响实验结果,通过在相同光栅的相同位置分别沉积三次,发现沉积三次可以在光纤表面获得更加均匀的氧化石墨烯膜,进行了时间响应的测试,其中沉积三次后的长周期光纤光栅的响应速度可达0.61 ms,沉积多次氧化石墨烯分散液可以在光纤表面沉积得更加平整均匀,从而获得更大的导热性能。     

氧化铁纳米颗粒在磁共振成像中的应用

目前临床诊断中钆基造影剂的应用十分广泛,然而其对人体的毒性无法忽视,因此研究者致力于低毒性造影剂的研发。氧化铁纳米颗粒(Iron Oxide Nanoparticles,IONP)因其超顺磁性在磁共振成像(Magnetic Resonance Imaging,MRI)中具有良好的暗对比效果,并且具有良好的生物相容性。随着生物材料和分子影像技术的发展,IONP在MRI成像中的应用愈发广泛。近年来,IONP在多模态成像和诊断治疗一体化方面取得了进展。本文将以IONP的MRI成像机理、制备和表面修饰为基础,阐述近年来IONP在MRI成像应用的研究成果和问题,期望IONP取得更好的发展。     

Microstructure evolution of room-temperature-sputtered ITO films suitable for silicon heterojunction solar cells

Thickness influence on structural, optical and electrical properties of sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) with thickness ranging from 60 up to 430 nm films has been studied. At the increase of the film thickness crystallinity degree and grain size increased, whereas tensile structural distortion as well as resistivity decreased. It was observed that a microstructure evolution takes place: the initial amorphous layer evolved in polycrystalline phase, with a grain–subgrain surface morphology. Carrier concentration increased at the increase of the film thickness and a general relationship between electrical characteristics and structural distortion has been found. In thinner films larger tensile distortion allowed to include larger amount of interstitial O and/or Sn atoms in the lattice. An appreciable impact of the thickness was also observed on electro-optical properties in terms of changes in energy gap, resistivity and optical absorption. Silicon heterojunction solar cells have been produced and J_sc as high as 33.0 mA/cm² has been obtained.