First-principles prediction of the electronic and magnetic properties of nitrogen-doped ZnO nanosheets

The electronic and magnetic properties of N-doped ZnO nanosheets are investigated by density functional theory using local spin density approximation. The results show that in an isolated N-doped ZnO nanosheet, there is a clear spontaneous polarization of N 2p state with a magnetic moment 1.0 μ_B/N. We also find that the doped nitrogen atoms in ZnO nanosheets have a clustering tendency with ferromagnetic coupling between them, and thus a high room-temperature ferromagnetic nature is expected. The ferromagnetic coupling in N-doped ZnO nanosheets can be attributed to the hole-mediated double-exchange mechanism through strong p–d interaction between nitrogen and zinc atoms.     

Spectroscopic and theoretical studies on Cr (III), Mn (II) and Cu (II) complexes of hydrazone derived from picolinic hydrazide and O-vanillin and evaluation of biological potency

Trivalent Cr (III) and divalent of both Mn (II) and Cu (II) complexes containing hydrazone ligands derived from the condensation of picolinohydrazide with O-vanillin were synthesised and characterized by elemental analysis, spectral and magnetic measurements. The suggested octahedral structures were confirmed by applying DFT optimization and conformational studies. The thermal decomposition behaviour of Mn (II) complex is discussed. The evaluation of kinetic parameters (E_a, A, ∆H, ∆S and ∆G) of all thermal degradation stages have been evaluated using Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger approaches. The band gap results suggested that these complexes are semi-conductors and lie in same range of highly efficient photovoltaic materials. Antibacterial studies showed that higher activity of complexes than of ligands. Assay on the antioxidant activity (DPPH and SOD) of the above complexes revealed the high SOD-activity of Mn (II) complex and high DPPH-activity for ligand.     

Efficient synthesis,reactions, and biological activities of new thieno and furopyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrazines and their related heterocycles

In the present investigation, a simple and straightforward methodology for the preparation of novel bifunctional thienopyrazolopyrazines 4a–d has been reported. Synthesis of thieno or furopyrazolopyrazines 5a , b , e , f was achieved by the reaction of o-amino-esters 4a , b , e , f with 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran. The latter pyrrolyl derivatives 5a , b , e , f were used as starting intermediates for the synthesis of new pyrimido, pyrido, and pyrazino heterocycles fused to the thieno or furopyrazolopyrazine moiety. Furthermore, alkaline hydrolysis of the o-amino-ester 4a followed by acidification afforded the corresponding o-amino carboxylic acid 15 , which was used as a versatile precursor for the synthesis of other heterocyclic compounds fused to the thienopyrazolopyrazine ring system, namely: pyrimidine, oxazine, oxazepine, and pyridine derivatives 16–23 . The chemical structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed on the basis of elemental and spectral analyses (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy [FT-IR], ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR], and mass spectroscopy [MS] in addition to ¹³C NMR for some of them). Moreover, from the biological screening, we found that most of the tested compounds exhibited promising antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities compared with the corresponding reference drugs.     

Enhancement of 2-chlorophenol photocatalytic degradation in the presence Co<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-doped ZnO nanoparticles under direct solar radiation

The performance of Co²⁺-doped ZnO nanoparticles, prepared using the sol–gel method, for 2-chlorophenol degradation under direct solar radiation was investigated. Various parameters were investigated during the degradation process, namely solar intensity, Co²⁺ ion concentration, loading concentrations of Co²⁺-doped ZnO, and pH. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency increased when the initial concentration of 2-chlorophenol decreased; the optimum concentration was 50 mg/L under similar experimental conditions. Moreover, optimum values, established on a sunny day, were 0.75 wt% of Co²⁺, a 1 g/L loading concentration, and a pH of 6.0, respectively. The highest degradation efficiency observed was 95 %, after only 90 min of solar light irradiation. The mechanism of visible photocatalytic degradation using Co²⁺-doped ZnO was explained as a strong electronic interaction between Co²⁺, Co³⁺ and ZnO, and a promotion in the charge separation, which enhanced the degradation performance. The fragmentation of 2-chlorophenol under the optimal conditions was investigated using HPLC, comparing standards of all intermediate compounds. The pathway of the fragmentation was proposed as involving hydroxyhydroquinone, catechol, and phenol formation, which were then converted to non-toxic compounds such as oxalic acid and acetic acid with further decomposition to CO₂ and H₂O.     

Electrochemical performance of novel Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> glass-ceramic nanocomposites as electrodes for energy storage devices

The novel Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites were synthesized and investigated as electrodes for energy storage devices. They were fabricated by heat treatment (HT) of 37.5Li₂O–25V₂O₅–37.5P₂O₅?mol% glass at 450 °C for different times in the air. XRD, SEM, and electrochemical methods were used to study the effect of HT time on the nanostructure and electrochemical performance for Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites electrodes. XRD patterns showed forming Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ NASICON type with monoclinic structure. The crystalline sizes were found to be in the range of 32–56 nm. SEM morphologies exhibited non-uniform grains and changed with variation of HT time. The electrochemical performance of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites was investigated by using galvanostatic charge/discharge methods, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1 M H₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. The glass-ceramic nanocomposites annealed for 4 h, which had a lower crystalline size, exhibited the best electrochemical performance with a specific capacity of 116.4 F g^?1 at 0.5 A g^?1. Small crystalline size supported the lithium ion mobility in the electrode by decreasing the ion diffusion pathway. Therefore, the Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites can be promising candidates for large-scale industrial applications in high-performance energy storage devices.     

Grain size effects on dynamics of Li-ions in Li<Subscript>3</Subscript>V<Subscript>2</Subscript>(PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript> glass-ceramic nanocomposites

Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ glass-ceramic nanocomposites, based on 37.5Li₂O-25V₂O₅-37.5P₂O₅ mol% glass, were successfully prepared via heat treatment (HT) process. The structure and morphology were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD patterns exhibit the formation of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ NASICON type with monoclinic structure. The grain sizes were found to be in the range 32–56 nm. The effect of grain size on the dynamics of Li⁺ ions in these glass-ceramic nanocomposites has been studied in the frequency range of 20 Hz–1 MHz and in the temperature range of 333–373 K and analyzed by using both the conductivity and modulus formalisms. The frequency exponent obtained from the power law decreases with the increase of temperature, suggesting a weaker correlation among the Li⁺ ions. Scaling of the conductivity spectra has also been performed in order to obtain insight into the relaxation mechanisms. The imaginary modulus spectra are broader than the Debye peak-width, but are asymmetric and distorted toward the high frequency region of the maxima. The electric modulus data have been fitted to the non-exponential Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) function and the value of the stretched exponent β is fairly low, suggesting a higher ionic conductivity in the glass and its glass-ceramic nanocomposites. The advantages of these glass-ceramic nanocomposites as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries are shortened diffusion paths for Li⁺ ions/electrons and higher surface area of contact between cathode and electrolyte.     

Analysis of furanocoumarins from Yemenite Dorstenia species by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

A series of prevailing prenylated furanocoumarins from leaves of Dorstenia gigas and Dorstenia foetida (Moraceae) were investigated by liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The mass spectral behavior of the furanocoumarins under positive ion electrospray conditions is discussed using both an ion trap and a triple quadrupole system. It is demonstrated that both methods represent valuable tools not only for the rapid classification of this type of compounds, but also with respect to their substitution pattern. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A memetic-based fuzzy support vector machine model and its application to license plate recognition

In this paper, a novel fuzzy support vector machine (FSVM) coupled with a memetic particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm is introduced. Its application to a license plate recognition problem is studied comprehensively. The proposed recognition model comprises linear FSVM classifiers which are used to locate a two-character window of the license plate. A new MPSO algorithm which consists of three layers i.e. a global optimization layer, a component optimization layer, and a local optimization layer is constructed. During the construction process, MPSO performs FSVM parameters tuning, feature selection, and training instance selection simultaneously. A total of 220 real Malaysian car plate images are used for evaluation. The experimental results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed model for undertaking license plate recognition problems.