CuSO4/sodium ascorbate catalysed synthesis of benzosuberone and 1,2,3-triazole conjugates: Design,synthesis and in vitro anti-proliferative activity

A novel series of conjugates of benzosuberone and 1,2,3-triazole i.e. 3-(4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)propyl-9-chloro-2,3-dimethyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-benzo[7]annulene-8-carboxylic acids (8a-j) were synthesized in good to excellent yields catalysed by CuSO₄ under milder reaction conditions and evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity. The structural elucidation of the prepared compounds was carried out using IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and Mass spectral analysis. The newly synthesized derivatives (8a-j) were evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against four human cell lines and the novel derivatives showed moderate to excellent activity. The obtained results suggest that these compounds can be considered as new hits for anti-proliferative drug development programme and further SAR studies can help obtain better anticancer agents.     

Structural Evolution and Electronic Properties of Au2Gen-/0 (n=1-8) Clusters: Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

Investigating the structures and properties of Au-Ge mixed clusters can give insight into the microscopic mechanisms in gold-catalyzed Ge films and can also provide valuable information for the production of germanium-based functional materials. In this work, size-selected anion photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations were used to explore the structural evolution and electronic properties of Au₂Ge_n^-/0 (n=1-8) clusters. It is found that the two Au atoms in Au₂Ge_n^-/0 (n=1-8) showed high coordination numbers and weak aurophilic interactions. The global minima of Au₂Ge_n^- anions and Au₂Ge_n neutrals are in spin doublet and singlet states, respectively. Au₂Ge_n^- anions and Au₂Ge_n neutrals showed similar structural features, except for Au₂Ge₄^-/0 and Au₂Ge₅^-/0. The C_2v symmetric V-shaped structure is observed for Au₂Ge₁^-/0, while Au₂Ge₂^-/0 has a C_2v symmetric dibridged structure. Au₂Ge₃^-/0 can be viewed as the two Au atoms attached to different Ge-Ge bonds of Ge₃ triangle. Au₂Ge₄^- has two Au atoms edge-capping Ge₄ tetrahedron, while Au₂Ge₄ neutral adopts a C_2v symmetric double Au atoms face-capping Ge₄ rhombus. Au₂Ge_5-8^-/0 show triangular, tetragonal, and pentagonal prism-based geometries. Au₂Ge₆ adopts a C_2v symmetric tetragonal prism structure and exhibits σ plus π double bonding characters.     

Green Synthesis of CeO2 Nanoparticles from the Abelmoschus esculentus Extract: Evaluation of Antioxidant,Anticancer, Antibacterial,and Wound-Healing Activities

Metal oxide nanoparticles synthesized by the biological method represent the most recent research in nanotechnology. This study reports the rapid and ecofriendly approach for the synthesis of CeO₂ nanoparticles mediated using the Abelmoschus esculentus extract. The medicinal plant extract acts as both a reducing and stabilizing agent. The characterization of CeO₂ NPs was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The in vitro cytotoxicity of green synthesized CeO₂ was assessed against cervical cancerous cells (HeLa). The exposure of CeO₂ to HeLa cells at 10–125 µg/mL caused a loss in cellular viability against cervical cancerous cells in a dose-dependent manner. The antibacterial activity of the CeO₂ was assessed against S. aureus and K. pneumonia. A significant improvement in wound-healing progression was observed when cerium oxide nanoparticles were incorporated into the chitosan hydrogel membrane as a wound dressing.     

Fabrication and microstructural characterization of functionally graded porous acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and the effect of cellular morphology on creep behavior

The ability to control material properties in space and time for functionally graded viscoelastic materials makes them an asset where they can be adapted to different design requirements. The continuous microstructure makes them advantageous over conventional composite materials. Functionally graded porous structures have the added advantage over conventional functionally graded materials of offering a significant weight reduction compared to a minor drop in strength. Functionally graded porous structures of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) had been fabricated with a solid‐state constrained foaming process. Correlating the microstructure to material properties requires a deterministic analysis of the cellular structure. This is accomplished by analyzing the scanning electron microscopy images with a locally adaptive image threshold technique based on variational energy minimization. This characterization technique of the cellular morphology is analyst independent and works very well for porous structures. Inferences are drawn from the effect of processing on microstructure and then correlated to creep strain and creep compliance. Creep is strongly correlated to porosity and pore sizes but more associated to the size than to porosity. The results show the potential of controlling the cellular morphology and hence tailoring creep strain/compliance of ABS to some desired values. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 795–803     

Organometallic assembling of chitosan‐Iron oxide nanoparticles with their antifungal evaluation against Rhizopus oryzae

The ever‐increasing resistance of plant microbes towards fungicides and bactericides has been causing serious threat to plant production in recent years. For the development of an effective antifungal agent, we introduce a novel hydrothermal protocol for synthesis of chitosan iron oxide nanoparticles (CH‐Fe₂O₃ NPs) using acetate buffer of low pH 5.0 for intermolecular interaction of Fe₂O₃ NPs and CH. The composite structure and elemental elucidation were carried out by using X‐ray power diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X‐ray (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Ultraviolet Visible Absorption Spectroscopy (UV–vis spectroscopy). Additionally, antifungal activity was evaluated both In vitro and In vivo against Rhizopus oryzae which is causing fruit rot disease of strawberry. We compared different concentrations (0.25%, 0.50%, 075% and 1%) of CH‐Fe₂O₃ NPs and 50% synthetic fungicide (Matalyxal Mancozab) to figure out suitable concentration for application in the field. XRD analysis showed a high crystalline nature of the NPs with average size of 52 nanometer (nm). SEM images revealed spherical shape with size range of 50–70 nm, whereas, TEM also revealed spherical shape, size ranging from 0 nm to 80 nm. EDX and FTIR results revealed presence of CH on surface of Fe₂O₃ NPs. The band gap measurement showed peak 317–318 nm for bare Fe₂O₃ NPs and CH‐Fe₂O₃ NPs respectively. Antifungal activity in both In vitro and In vivo significantly increased with increase in concentration. The overall results revealed high synergetic antifungal potential of organometallic CH‐Fe₂O₃ NPs against Rhizopus oryzae and suggest the use of CH‐Fe₂O₃ NPs against other Phyto‐pathological diseases due to biodegradable nature.     

Influence of laser irradiation on the optical properties of nano-sized powder of metal oxide

ZnO Nano powders were prepared by co-precipitation method which includes post-oxidation and annealing in air. Influence of laser irradiation was carried out using 355 nm laser on the physical properties of ZnO nanoparticles. SEM studies reveal agglomeration of grains resulting into enlargement and deformation of the nanoparticles. XRD pattern exhibited decrease in FWHM which is a clear evidence of the increase in crystallite size due to laser irradiation. Optical properties showed decrease in the band gap of the laser irradiated Nano powders. The observed results indicated the UV laser irradiation increases the ZnO nanoparticles crystallinity that affects the optical properties of the ZnO.     

Influence of chitosan and epoxy cross-linking on physical properties of binary blends

In this study, blends of chitosan (Cs) and bisphenol-F-diglycidyl ether (3.80 × 10^?3 to 3.80 × 10^?2 mol) were cast by the solution route. FT-IR results suggested that chitosan was cross-linked at terminal amino groups through diepoxide linkage. The chitosan films became less flexible and stiffer upon reaction with epoxy. Blending improved percentage elongation (31%) and toughness (10 MPa), whereas Young’s modulus (145 MPa) and tensile strength (45 MPa) were decreased. Extent of weight loss in Cs/BPFDGE was lower (15%) than that of original precursors (chitosan 33%). Moreover, blending of chitosan with BPFDGE increased water absorption properties due to generation of hydrophilic ?OH groups.     

Magnetic nanoparticles (Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> &amp; Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>) and their applications in urea biosensing

Nanobiotechnology has opened a new and exciting opportunities for exploring urea biosensor based on magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) mainly Fe₃O₄ and Co₃O₄. These NPs have been extensively exploited to develop biosensors with stability, selectivity, reproducibility and fast response time. This review gives an overview of the development of urea biosensor based on Fe₃O₄ and Co₃O₄ for in vitro diagnostic applications along with significant improvements over the last few decades. Additionally, effort has been made to elaborate properties of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in biosensing aspects. It also gives details of recent developments in hybrid nanobiocomposite based urea biosensor.