Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles supported on amino propyl-functionalized KCC-1 as robust recyclable catalyst for one pot and green synthesis of tetrahydrodipyrazolopyridines and cytotoxicity evaluation

In this study, paramagnetic dendritic fibrous nano-silica functionalized by aminopropyltriethoxysilan (Fe₃O₄@KCC-1-nPr-NH₂) was synthesized using a novel hydrothermal protocol and used as a highly efficient, recyclable and heterogeneous nanocatalyst for the synthesis of a wide range of tetrahydrodipyrazolopyridines derivatives ( 5a-5 m ). The influence of different reaction parameters, such as the effects of solvent, temperature, time and concentration of catalyst for the synthesis of tetrahydrodipyrazolopyridine (2a) were studied. This catalyst could be reused for ten consecutive recycles without any considerable loss in its catalytic activity. This novel synthesis method offers some advantages including short reaction time, high yield and simple work-up procedure. Finally, the newly synthesized tetrahydrodipyrazolopyridines derivatives ( 5a-5f ) were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR and CHN.     

A novel construction of substitution box using a combination of chaotic maps with improved chaotic range

The influential application of substitution boxes in secure communication and multimedia security attracted researchers to construct more robust substitution boxes. The advantage of using chaos in the secure communication is to get additional unpredictability and randomness in data. In this paper, substitution boxes are constructed with the help of chaotic system and linear fractional transformation. The 256 distinct values of each substitution box are then checked with the help of different available algebraic and statistical analyses. These tests evaluate the strength and application of substitution boxes in different encryption techniques. The results indicate the strength of anticipated technique.

     

Stability and Catalytic Performance of Single-Atom Supported on Ti2CO2 for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation: A First-Principles Study

Based on first-principles calculations, the potential of Ti₂CO₂ monolayer (MXene) as a single-atom catalyst (SAC) support for 3d transition metal (TM) atoms (Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) is studied for CO oxidation. We first screen the support effect according to the stability of a single metal atom and find that Sc and Ti supported on Ti₂CO₂ have stronger adsorption energy than the cohesive energy of their bulk counterparts and therefore, we selected Sc and Ti supported on Ti₂CO₂ for further catalytic reactions. The stability and the potential catalytic reactivity are verified by electronic structure and charge transfer analysis. Both Eley–Rideal (ER) and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) mechanisms are considered in this study, and lower energy barriers of 0.002 and 0.37 eV were found in the ER mechanism compared to the LH mechanism, which are 0.25 and 0.34 eV for Sc and Ti catalysts, respectively. Moreover, kinetic ER and LH mechanisms are favorable for both Sc- and Ti/Ti₂CO₂ because of the comparable energy barrier to other metals and SAC supported on 2D materials. However, Ti/Ti₂CO₂ catalyst is thermodynamically unfavorable. Based on these calculations, we propose that Sc supported on Ti₂CO₂ is the best catalyst for CO-oxidation. The current study not only broadens the scope of the single-atom Sc catalyst but also extends the consideration of MXene support for catalyst optimization.     

Development of porous,antibacterial and biocompatible GO/n-HAp/bacterial cellulose/β-glucan biocomposite scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Due to their potential renewable materials-based tissue engineering scaffolds has gained more attention. Therefore, researchers are looking for new materials to be used as a scaffold. In this study, we have focused on the development of a nanocomposite scaffold for bone tissue engineering (using bacterial cellulose (BC) and β-glucan (β-G)) via free radical polymerization and freeze-drying technique. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (n-HAp) and graphene oxide (GO) were added as reinforcement materials. The structural changes, surface morphology, porosity, and mechanical properties were investigated through spectroscopic and analytical techniques like Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET), and universal testing machine Instron. The scaffolds showed remarkable stability, aqueous degradation, spongy morphology, porosity, and mechanical properties. Antibacterial activities were performed against gram -ive and gram + ive bacterial strains. The BgC-1.4 scaffold was found more antibacterial compared to BgC-1.3, BgC-1.2, and BgC-1.1. The cell culture and cytotoxicity were evaluated using the MC3T3-E1 cell line. More cell growth was observed onto BgC-1.4 due to its uniform interrelated pores distribution, surface roughness, better mechanical properties, considerable biochemical affinity towards cell adhesion, proliferation, and biocompatibility. These nanocomposite scaffolds can be potential biomaterials for fractured bones in orthopedic tissue engineering.     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic properties of a copper-containing polyoxovanadate nanocluster in azide–alkyne cycloaddition

A copper-containing polyoxovanadate nanocluster, [(C₂H₅)₄N]₄[V₈Cu₂O₂₄]?2H₂O (1), was synthesized through reaction between the Cu(NO₃)₂?3H₂O and [(C₂H₅)₄N]₄VO₃ in the molar ratio 1?:?4. Nanocluster 1 was characterized by IR, elemental analysis, XRD, SEM, TEM, and X-ray crystallography. The catalytic activity of 1 for the azide–alkyne cycloaddition of different terminal alkynes and organic azides generated in situ from sodium azide and different organic halides was tested. The protocol could afford the corresponding products in good to excellent yield at very low catalyst loadings (3.4 Mol%) under the optimized reaction conditions.     

Effect of acidification rate,acidification temperature,final pH,and stabilizer content on colloidal stability of whey-based pomegranate beverage

The effect of acidification rate (during 0, 30, and 60 minutes), acidification temperature (25, 50, and 75°C), final pH (3.4, 3.6, and 3.8), and pectin content (0.2, 0.4, and 0.6%) on the stabilization of whey-based pomegranate beverage was studied. Serum separation, particle size distribution, viscosity, zeta potential, pH, and acidity of beverage samples were observed during storage. Results revealed that acidification rate, acidification temperature, and pectin content had a significant effect; however, final pH (of the studied range) had no significant effect on the phase separation. The amount of phase separation decreased and the stability increased with increasing acidification rate, acidification temperature, and stabilizer content. In addition, the results of particle size, zeta potential, and viscosity confirmed the results of phase separation and also the most stable beverage had a pH near 3.8.     

Thermogravimetric analyses revealed the bioenergy potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eulaliopsis binata</Emphasis>

The present study was focused on the thermal degradation of Eulaliopsis binata biomass produced on a salt-affected soil without any fertilizer or pesticide applications. The plant biomass was subjected to thermal degradation experiments at three heating rates, 10, 30 and 50 K min^?1. The kinetic analyses were performed through isoconversional models of Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose and Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, followed by the calculation of thermodynamic parameters of activation. The high heating value was calculated as 15.10 MJ mol^?1. The activation energy values of the grass were shown to be ranging from 118 through 240 kJ mol^?1. Energy difference of enthalpies of activation between the reagent and the activated complex was in accordance with activation energies. Pre-exponential factors indicated the reaction to follow first-order kinetics. Gibbs free energy for the grass was measured to be ranging from 171 to 174 kJ mol^?1. Our data have shown that E. binata biomass offers remarkable potential as a low-cost biomass for bioenergy.     

Gold nanoparticles supported on cellulose aerogel as a new efficient catalyst for epoxidation of styrene

A new efficient heterogeneous catalyst was introduced for the epoxidation of styrene. The catalyst was obtained from deposition of gold nanoparticles on the cellulose aerogel. The catalyst was characterized with XRD, TGA, EDX, BET, FAAS and SEM. High yield and excellent selectivity were achieved for the epoxidation of styrene in solvent-free conditions at room temperature using H₂O₂ as a green oxidant during 1 h. The reaction has some advantages such as solvent-free and mild reaction conditions, low catalyst loading, high yield, excellent selectivity, green oxidant and short reaction duration. In addition, the catalyst is recyclable and applicable for six times without decrease in yield.     

High‐Performance Platinum‐Free Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells with Molybdenum Disulfide Films as Counter Electrodes

By using a radio‐frequency sputtering method, we synthesized large‐area, uniform, and transparent molybdenum disulfide film electrodes (1, 3, 5, and 7 min) on transparent and conducting fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO), as ecofriendly, cost‐effective counter electrodes (CE) for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These CEs were used in place of the routinely used expensive platinum CEs for the catalytic reduction of a triiodide electrolyte. The structure and morphology of the MoS₂ was analyzed by using Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements and the DSSC characteristics were investigated. An unbroken film of MoS₂ was identified on the FTO crystallites from field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Tafel curve measurements reveal the promise of MoS₂ as a CE with a low charge‐transfer resistance, high electrocatalytic activity, and fast reaction kinetics for the reduction of triiodide to iodide. Finally, an optimized transparent MoS₂ CE, obtained after 5 min synthesis time, showed a high power‐conversion efficiency of 6.0 %, which comparable to the performance obtained with a Pt CE (6.6 %) when used in TiO₂‐based DSCCs, thus signifying the importance of sputtering time on DSSC performance.