Mechanical property evaluation of glass–jute fiber reinforced polymer composites

The natural fibers such as jute, coir, hemp, sisal etc. are randomly used as reinforcements for composite materials because of its various advantages such as low cost, low densities, low energy consumption over conventional fibers. In addition, they are renewable as well as biodegradable, and indeed wide varieties of fibers are locally available. In this study, glass–jute fiber reinforced polymer composite is fabricated, and the mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact behavior are investigated. The materials selected for the studies were jute fiber and glass fiber as the reinforcement and epoxy resin as the matrix. The hand lay‐out technique was used to fabricate these composites. Fractured surface were comprehensively examined in scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the microscopic fracture mode. A numerical procedure based on the finite element method was then applied to evaluate the overall behavior of this composite using the experimentally applied load. Results showed that by incorporating the optimum amount of jute fibers, the overall strength of glass fiber reinforced composite can be increased and cost saving of more than 30% can be achieved. It can thus be inferred that jute fiber can be a very potential candidate in making of composites, especially for partial replacement of high‐cost glass fibers for low load bearing applications. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and anti-brucella activity of some new 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives containing a ferrocene unit

An isocyanide-based multicomponent reaction between cinnamic acid derivatives or 3-phenyl-2-propynoic acid, (N-isocyanimino)triphenylphosphorane, ferrocenecarbaldehyde, and dibenzylamine has been reported in excellent yields for the preparation of some new ferrocenyl-containing 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives. The anti-brucella activities of the products are investigated in in vitro and in vivo assays.     

Crystalline degradation products of vancomycin as chiral stationary phase in microcolumn liquid chromatography

The ability of crystalline degradation products (CDPs) of vancomycin as a chiral stationary phase was reported in a previous study for enantioselective separation of drugs, amino acids and agrochemical toxins by conventional LC column (250 x 4.6 mm). In this work, the potential of CDP of vancomycin for the enantiomeric separation in micro-LC (200 x 1 mm) has been studied. The obtained separation results are better than in our previous study with conventional LC columns. The enantiomers of D,L-phenylalanine, D,L-alanine, methyldopa, atropine and propranolol were used for this evaluation. Experiments have been carried out in a stainless steel tube that was packed with chiral silica particles of 3 and 12 microm diameters. Also, three different ratios of 3 and 12 microm silica particles were used for packing material of chiral columns and the effect on aspect ratio and resolving powers was compared.     

A novel magnetically separable laccase-mediator catalyst system for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols and 2-substituted-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones under mild conditions

In this study, a magnetically reusable artificial metalloenzyme has been constructed by co-immobilization of palladium nanoparticles as a strong oxidizing catalyst and laccase as an oxygen-activating enzyme into the cavities of magnetic mesocellular foams silica (Pd-Laccase@MMCF). The combination of Pd-Laccase@MMCF and hydroquinone (HQ) act as electron-transfer mediator system and make stepwise electron transfer from substrate to molecular oxygen. This catalyst system was used for the aerobic (i) oxidation of alcohols to the corresponding carbonyl compounds and (ii) dehydrogenation of 2-substituted-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-ones in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 4.5, 4 mL)/THF (4%, 1 mL) as solvent under mild conditions. The co-immobilization of both laccase and Pd onto high surface area mesoporous support, high catalytic activity and magnetically separable and reusable make the present catalyst system superior to other currently available electron-transfer mediator systems.     

Orthogonality Associated with Bessel-Type Sheffer Sequences with Q-Parameters

Mathematical Notes - Certain orthogonal polynomials are involved in various problems occurring in probability, celestial mechanics, combinatorics, and other fields of theoretical and applied...     

Numerical investigation of serrated fins on natural convection from concentric and eccentric annuli with different cross sections

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this paper, the effect of internal serrated fins and eccentricity on natural convection heat transfer between annular spaces with the equivalent...     

Synthesis of Pyrazolo‐[4́,3́:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐diones Catalyzed by a Nano‐sized Surface‐Grafted Neodymium Complex of the Tungstosilicate via Multicomponent Reaction

An inorganic–organic hybrid based on lanthanide clusters and Keggin type polyoxometalates (POMs) (Na[Nd (pydc‐OH)(H₂O)₄]₃}[SiW₁₂O₄₀]) was used the first time as trinuclear catalyst for one pot synthesis of pyrazolo[4??,3?:5,6]pyrido[2,3‐d]pyrimidine‐diones, via two different four and five‐component reactions involving hydrazine hydrate, ethyl acetoacetate, aryl aldehydes, and 6‐amino‐1,3‐dimethyl uracil or barbituric acid with ammonium acetate as alternative materials in green condition. To evaluate potential application of the as‐made hybrid in adsorption and separation processes, nitrogen adsorption was performed at 77 K through simulation study. The hybrid catalyst was further characterized via powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) at room temperature which indicated the good phase purity of the catalyst. The results show that the catalytic activity of the hybrid catalyst has increased relative to each parent component due to the special interaction between Keggin anions and pydc‐OH ligands.     

Electrocatalytic Determination of Ascorbic Acid Using a Palladium Coated Nanoporous Gold Film Electrode

Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of ascorbic acid (AA) on palladium coated nanoporous gold film (PdNPGF) electrode. The deposition of palladium was done through oxidation of copper UPD layer by palladium ions. This low Pd‐loading electrode behaved as the nanostructured Pd for electrocatalytic reaction. The PdNPGF electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic behavior by enhancing the AA oxidation peak current due to synergistic influence of the Pd film and NPGF. The kinetic parameters such as electron transfer coefficient, α, was 0.47 and the voltammetric responses of the PdNPGF electrode were linear against concentration of AA in the ranges of 2.50–33.75 mM and 0.10–0.50 mM with CV and DPV respectively.     

Recent Progress in Polyaniline and its Composites for Supercapacitors

Polyaniline (PANI) has piqued the interest of nanotechnology researchers due to its potential as an electrode material for supercapacitors. Despite its ease of synthesis and ability to be doped with a wide range of materials, PANI′s poor mechanical properties have limited its use in practical applications. To address this issue, researchers investigated using PANI composites with materials with highly specific surface areas, active sites, porous architectures, and high conductivity. The resulting composite materials have improved energy storage performance, making them promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in PANI-based supercapacitors, focusing on using electrochemically active carbon and redox-active materials as composites. We discuss challenges and opportunities of synthesizing PANI-based composites for supercapacitor applications. Furthermore, we provide theoretical insights into the electrical properties of PANI composites and their potential as active electrode materials. The need for this review stems from the growing interest in PANI-based composites to improve supercapacitor performance. By examining recent progress in this field, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art and potential of PANI-based composites for supercapacitor applications. This review adds value by highlighting challenges and opportunities associated with synthesizing and utilizing PANI-based composites, thereby guiding future research directions.