In-situ and ex-situ study of crystallization behaviour of magnetron sputtered Ni63Zr37 amorphous thin film

ABSTRACT

The stages of crystallization of magnetron sputter-deposited Ni₆₃Zr₃₇ film with mostly amorphous structure have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in-situ annealing at 300°C by use of heating stage on a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). These results have been further confirmed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analyses of thin film specimens annealed ex-situ at 300°C for various durations. The temperature for crystallization found by DSC has been found to increase from 371°C to 434°C with an increase in heating rate from 3°C/min to 10°C/min, and the apparent activation energy for amorphous to crystalline transformation has been found as ～260.2?kJ/mol from the Kissinger plot. Studies on HRTEM using in-situ heating stage have shown the crystallization to occur on annealing at 300°C for ～10?min. Crystallization at a temperature lower than that found by DSC is attributed to structural relaxation with reduction of free volume due to thermal activation. It has been observed that Ni₃Zr forms first due to its large negative enthalpy of formation, and is followed by the formation of Ni-rich solid solution (Ni_ss) grains. HRTEM studies have shown grain rotation with the formation of partial dislocations at Ni₃Zr-Ni_ss interfaces as well as twinning followed by detwinning with dislocation formation in the Ni_ss matrix possibly to reduce the interfacial energy.     

The middleman as a panacea for supply chain coordination problems

The prevalence of intermediaries (middlemen) in supply chains is often seen as a dying remnant of less efficient times. Despite predictions that supply chains will rapidly “cut out the middleman” as technological advances have eased logistics, middlemen have continued to thrive. In this paper, we demonstrate a transaction role of middlemen that may help clarify their staying power. In a model with self-interested decision-making by both a manufacturer and a retailer, wherein incentive misalignment creates investment and production inefficiencies, we show that the integrated (first-best) outcome can be achieved with simple cost-based contracts if and only if a middleman is present. We further show that the approach of utilizing a middleman to fully coordinate the supply chain is robust in that it can be applied to a variety of circumstances discussed in the literature, including multilateral investment/effort choices, multiple product providers, and logistical investments made by the middleman.     

Ageratum conyzoides L. and Its Secondary Metabolites in the Management of Different Fungal Pathogens

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Family—Asteraceae) is an annual aromatic invasive herb, mainly distributed over the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It owns a reputed history of indigenous remedial uses, including as a wound dressing, an antimicrobial, and mouthwash as well as in treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, skin diseases, etc. In this review, the core idea is to present the antifungal potential of the selected medicinal plant and its secondary metabolites against different fungal pathogens. Additionally, toxicological studies (safety profile) conducted on the amazing plant A. conyzoides L. are discussed for the possible clinical development of this medicinal herb. Articles available from 2000 to 2020 were reviewed in detail to exhibit recent appraisals of the antifungal properties of A. conyzoides. Efforts were aimed at delivering evidences for the medicinal application of A. conyzoides by using globally recognized scientific search engines and databases so that an efficient approach for filling the lacunae in the research and development of antifungal drugs can be adopted. After analyzing the literature, it can be reported that the selected medicinal plant effectively suppressed the growth of numerous fungal species, such as Aspergillus, Alternaria, Candida, Fusarium, Phytophthora, and Pythium, owing to the presence of various secondary metabolites, particularly chromenes, terpenoids, flavonoids and coumarins. The possible mechanism of action of different secondary metabolites of the plant against fungal pathogens is also discussed briefly. However, it was found that only a few studies have been performed to demonstrate the plant’s dosage and safety profile in humans. Considered all together, A. conyzoides extract and its constituents may act as a promising biosource for the development of effective antifungal formulations for clinical use. However, in order to establish safety and efficacy, additional scientific research is required to explore chronic toxicological effects of ageratum, to determine the probability of interactions when used with different herbs, and to identify safe dosage. The particulars presented here not only bridge this gap but also furnish future research strategies for the investigators in microbiology, ethno-pharmacology, and drug discovery.     

Reagent-based, modular, tandem Michael approach for obtaining different indoline alkaloid-inspired polycyclic architectures

A modular, reagent-based approach to obtain different indoline alkaloid-inspired, tetracyclic architectures is developed. With the use of TBSOTf as a Lewis acid, we report here a tandem Michael-based approach that led to the synthesis of a diastereomeric mixture of tetracyclic derivatives with two additional six-membered rings. By simply changing the Lewis acid to TMSOTf, we were able to obtain a different tetracyclic compound having additional functionalized 5- and 7-membered rings with complete stereocontrol.     

Nucleic acid sensor for M. tuberculosis detection based on surface plasmon resonance

Cysteine modified NH(2)-end peptide nucleic acid (PNA) (24-mer) probe and 5'-thiol end labeled deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) probes specific to Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been immobilized onto BK-7 gold coated glass plates for the detection of complementary, one-base mismatch, non-complementary targets and complementary target sequence in genomic DNA of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. The DNA/Au and PNA/Au bio-electrodes have been characterized using contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetric (CV) techniques, respectively. It is revealed that there is a 252 millidegrees SPR angle change in the case of PNA immobilization and 205 millidegrees for DNA immobilization, indicating increased amount of immobilized PNA molecules. Hybridization studies reveal that there is no binding of the non-complementary target to DNA/Au and PNA/Au electrode. Compared to the DNA/Au bioelectrode, PNA/Au electrode has been found to be more efficient for detection of one-base mismatch sequence. The PNA/Au bioelectrode shows better detection limit (1.0 ng ml(-1)) over the DNA-Au bioelectrode (3.0 ng ml(-1)). The values of the association (k(a)) and dissociation rate constant (k(d)) for the complementary sequence in case of the PNA/Au bioelectrode have been estimated as 8.5 x 10(4) m(-1) s(-1) and 3.6 x 10(-3) s(-1), respectively.     

Monte Carlo simulation and molecular theory of tethered polyelectrolytes

We investigate the structure of end-tethered polyelectrolytes using Monte Carlo simulations and molecular theory. In the Monte Carlo calculations we explicitly take into account counterions and polymer configurations and calculate electrostatic interaction using Ewald summation. Rosenbluth biasing, distance biasing, and the use of a lattice are all used to speed up Monte Carlo calculation, enabling the efficient simulation of the polyelectrolyte layer. The molecular theory explicitly incorporates the chain conformations and the possibility of counterion condensation. Using both Monte Carlo simulation and theory, we examine the effect of grafting density, surface charge density, charge strength, and polymer chain length on the distribution of the polyelectrolyte monomers and counterions. For all grafting densities examined, a sharp decrease in brush height is observed in the strongly charged regime using both Monte Carlo simulation and theory. The decrease in layer thickness is due to counterion condensation within the layer. The height of the polymer layer increases slightly upon charging the grafting surface. The molecular theory describes the structure of the polyelectrolyte layer well in all the different regimes that we have studied.     

Cholesterol biosensor based on amino-undecanethiol self-assembled monolayer using surface plasmon resonance technique

Cholesterol oxidase has been covalently immobilized onto 11-amino-1-undecanethiol hydrochloride (AUT) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) fabricated on gold (Au) substrates using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. These ChOx/AUT/Au bioelectrodes characterized using contact angle (CA) measurements; electrochemical technique and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been utilized for the estimation of cholesterol in solution using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. These biosensing electrodes exhibiting linearity from 50 to 500 mg/dL of cholesterol in solution and sensitivity of 1.23 m0/(mg dL), can be used more than 20 times and have a shelf life of about 10 weeks when stored at 4 degrees C.     

Effect of variation of different nanofillers on structural,electrical, dielectric,and transport properties of blend polymer nanocomposites

In the present work, the effect of various nanofillers with different particle sizes and dielectric constants (BaTiO₃, CeO₂, Er₂O₃, or TiO₂) on blend solid polymer electrolyte comprising PEO and PVC complexed with bulky LiPF₆ has been explored. The XRD analysis confirms the polymer nanocomposite formation. FTIR provides evidence of interaction among the functional groups of the polymer with the ions and the nanofiller in terms of shifting and change of the peak profile. The highest ionic conductivity is ~?2.3?×?10^?5 S cm^?1 with a wide electrochemical stability window of ~?3.5 V for 10 wt% Er₂O₃. The real and imaginary parts of dielectric permittivity follow the identical trend of the decreasing value of dielectric permittivity and dielectric loss with increase in the frequency. The particle size and the dielectric constant show an abnormal trend with different nanofillers. The AC conductivity follows the universal Jonscher power law, and an effective mechanism has been proposed to understand the nanofiller interaction with cation coordinated polymer.     

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights recent advances in various approaches towards synthesis of ZnO nanostructures and thin films and their applications in biosensor technology.