Chemical synthesis,characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial properties of Cu and its oxide nanoparticles

Cu nanoparticles were synthesized using low-temperature aqueous reduction method at pH 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 in presence of ascorbic acid and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Results demonstrated a strong dependence of synthesis pH on the size, shape, chemical composition and structure of Cu nanoparticles. While lower pH conditions of 3 and 5 produced Cu⁰, higher pH levels (more than 7) led to the formation of Cu₂O/CuO nanoparticles. The reducing capacity of ascorbic acid, capping efficiency of PVP and the resulting particle sizes were strongly affected by solution pH. The results of in vitro disk diffusion tests showed excellent antimicrobial activity of Cu₂O/CuO nanoparticles against a mixture of bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), indicating that the size as well as oxidation state of Cu contributes to the antibacterial efficacy. The results indicate that varying synthesis pH is a strategy to tailor the composition, structure and properties of Cu nanoparticles.     

Micromechanical modelling of coupled crystal plasticity and hydrogen diffusion

Hydrogen transport behaviour in metals is greatly influenced by the mechanical stress and the underlying microstructural features. In this work, a micromechanical model based on coupled crystal plasticity and hydrogen diffusion is developed and applied to model hydrogen diffusion and storage in a polycrystalline microstructure. Particular emphasis is laid on mechanical influences on hydrogen transport, invoked by internal stresses and by trapping of dislocations generated by plastic strains. First, a study of a precharged material is carried out where hydrogen is allowed to redistribute under the influence of mechanical loading. These simulations demonstrate to which extent hydrogen migrates from regions with compressive strains to those with tensile strains. In the next step, the influence of plastic prestraining on hydrogen diffusion is analysed. This prestraining produces internal residual stresses in the microstructure, that mimic residual stresses introduced into components during cold working. Lastly, a series of permeation simulations is performed to characterise the influence of hydrogen trapping on effective diffusivity. It is shown that the effective diffusivity decreases with stronger traps and the effect is more prominent at a larger predeformation, because the trapped hydrogen concentration increases considerably. The reduction of effective diffusivity with plastic deformation agrees very well with experimental findings and offers a way to validate and parameterise our model. With this work, it is demonstrated how micromechanical modelling can support the understanding of hydrogen transport on the microstructural level.     

Electrochemical preparation of luminescent graphene quantum dots from multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Green luminescent, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with a uniform size of 3, 5, and 8.2(±0.3)?nm in diameter were prepared electrochemically from MWCNTs in propylene carbonate by using LiClO(4) at 90?°C, whereas similar particles of 23(±2)?nm were obtained at 30?°C under identical conditions. Both these sets of GQDs displayed a remarkable quantum efficiency of 6.3 and 5.1?%, respectively. This method offers a novel strategy to synthesise size-tunable GQDs as evidenced by multiple characterisation techniques like transmission and scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Photoluminescence of these GQDs can be tailored by size variation through a systematic change in key process parameters, like diameter of carbon nanotube, electric field, concentration of supporting electrolyte and temperature. GQDs are promising candidates for a variety of applications, such as biomarkers, nanoelectronic devices and chemosensors due to their unique features, like high photostability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity and tunable solubility in water.     

Facile xenon capture and release at room temperature using a metal-organic framework: a comparison with activated charcoal

Two well-known metal-organic frameworks (MOF-5, NiDOBDC) were synthesized and studied for facile xenon capture and separation. Our results indicate that NiDOBDC adsorbs significantly more xenon than MOF-5, and is more selective for xenon over krypton than activated carbon.     

Nanostructured Ti(1-x)S(x)O(2-y)N(y) heterojunctions for efficient visible-light-induced photocatalysis

Highly visible-light-active S,N-codoped anatase-rutile heterojunctions are reported for the first time. The formation of heterojunctions at a relatively low temperature and visible-light activity are achieved through thiourea modification of the peroxo-titania complex. FT-IR spectroscopic studies indicated the formation of a Ti(4+)-thiourea complex upon reaction between peroxo-titania complex and thiourea. Decomposition of the Ti(4+)-thiourea complex and formation of visible-light-active S,N-codoped TiO(2) heterojunctions are confirmed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV/vis spectroscopic studies. Existence of sulfur as sulfate ions (S(6+)) and nitrogen as lattice (N-Ti-N) and interstitial (Ti-N-O) species in heterojunctions are identified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. UV-vis and valence band XPS studies of these S,N-codoped heterojunctions proved the fact that the formation of isolated S 3p, N 2p, and Π* N-O states between the valence and conduction bands are responsible for the visible-light absorption. Titanium dioxide obtained from the peroxo-titania complex exists as pure anatase up to a calcination temperature as high as 900 °C. Whereas, thiourea-modified samples are converted to S,N-codoped anatase-rutile heterojunctions at a temperature as low as 500 °C. The most active S,N-codoped heterojunction 0.2 TU-TiO(2) calcined at 600 °C exhibits a 2-fold and 8-fold increase in visible-light photocatalytic activities in contrast to the control sample and the commercial photocatalyst Degussa P-25, respectively. It is proposed that the efficient electron-hole separation due to anatase to rutile electron transfer is responsible for the superior visible-light-induced photocatalytic activities of S,N-codoped heterojunctions.     

Synthesis of organized mesoporous γ-alumina templated with polymer–colloidal complex

Mesoporous γ-Al₂O₃ materials with high surface area and a narrow pore size distribution were synthesized by facile sol–gel procedure with application of the polymer–colloid complex as a template.     

A Novel Method for Permeability Estimation from Micro-tomographic Images

Transport in Porous Media - A methodology has been developed to create a pore network model (PNM) from the geometrical/topological information extracted from the micro-tomographic images of a...     

A single reagent radioimmunoassay for thyroxine in blood samples absorbed on filter paper for mass screening of neonatal hypothyroidism

A single reagent radioimmunoassay for thyroxine in blood samples absorbed on filter paper for the mass screening of neonatal hypothyroidism is described. Blood samples were collected by pricking the heel of newborn babies (3 days old) and pressing Whatman 3 filter paper against the wound. 6 mm diameter blood spots were punched out at the time of assay and incubated with 0.4 ml of a preincubated antigen-antibody complex for six hours at 37 °C. 1 ml of 22% polyethylene glycol is used for the precipitation of antigen-antibody complex. The assay has a sensitivity of 2.2 ng/ml. 500 samples collected from newborns were analyzed in the assay and gave a mean of 117.6±31.9 ng/ml.