Electrochemical performance of grown layer of Ni(OH)2 on nickel foam and treatment with phosphide and selenide for efficient water splitting

Active nanocomposites synthesized by the electrochemical approach play a vital role in energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies. Recently, scientists began to explore the use of earth-rich transition metal-based materials to replace precious metal-based catalysts. Transition metals (TMs) based nickel (Ni) and their pnictides compounds such as phosphides and selenides exhibit good activity for hydrogen evaluation reaction (HER) and the entire water electrolysis process. In this study, we first prepared Ni(OH)₂ and grown its layer on Ni foam (NF) and treated it with selenide (Se) and phosphide (P) then nickel-based selenide-phosphide catalyst (Ni–P–Se) was prepared by simultaneous selenization and phosphidation process for the first time. The as-obtained composite was then analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental mapping and transmission electron microscope (TEM) means to study the composition, structure, and micro-morphology of materials. Furthermore, we also observed electrocatalytic water splitting activity using electrochemical cell. The results of electrochemical tests depicted that the selenization and phosphidation treatments significantly enhanced the electrocatalytic HER activity of the starting materials. The overpotentials required for Ni–P–Se to reach 10 ?mA ?cm^?2 and 100 ?mA ?cm^?2 were only 242 ?mV and 282 ?mV. The Tafel slope of Ni–P–Se is 151 ?mV dec^?1, which is lower than that of nickel phosphide, selenide, and hydroxide indicating that selenide-phosphide enhances the HER reaction kinetics of the material, which in turn increases hydrogen output rate as compared with previous studies.     

Covalent immobilization of protein onto a functionalized hydrogenated diamond-like carbon substrate

Hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (HDLC) has an atomically smooth surface that can be deposited on high-surface area substrata and functionalized with reactive chemical groups, providing an ideal substrate for protein immobilization. A synthetic sequence is described involving deposition and hydrogenation of DLC followed by chemical functionalization. These functional groups are reacted with amines on proteins causing covalent immobilization on contact. Raman measurements confirm the presence of these surface functional groups, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms covalent protein immobilization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of immobilized proteins is reproducible because proteins do not move as a result of interactions with the AFM probe-tip, thus providing an advantage over mica substrata typically used in AFM studies of protein. HDLC offers many of the same technical advantages as oxidized graphene but also allows for coating large surface areas of biomaterials relevant to the fabrication of medical/biosensor devices.     

Redispersible rutile TiO2 nanocrystals in organic media by surface chemical modification with an inorganic barium hydroxide

The present paper describes the synthesis of the redispersible rutile TiO2 nanocrystals in organic media by surface chemical modification reaction in an aqueous barium hydroxide solution. In our facile surface modification reactions, the surfaces of the TiO2 nanocrystals are coated by bimetallic TiOBa spices and saturated with BaOH terminal groups. The inherent characteristics such as morphology, size, crystallinity, and color of the nanocrystals remained almost unchanged after surface-treatment, but their dispersibility in organic media such as methanol and DMF were remarkably enhanced. It is ascribed that BaOH groups in the surface of the TiO2 nanocrystals prevented the formation of covalently bound agglomerates through Ti-O-Ti condensation reaction among the nanocrystals during the purification and water-elimination procedures.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance study of 3,4,5-trimethoxytetraphenyl porphyrinoxovanadium (IV) complex

3,4,5-Trimetoxytetraphenylporphyrinoxovanadium (IV) complex (3,4,5-TMVOTPP) was synthesized by a new one pot synthetic method. The complex was studied in the form of single crystal, powder (polycrystalline state), solution and frozen solution (glassy state) by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) between room temperature (RT) and liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT). Interestingly a well-resolved octet in the EPR spectrum at RT is observed in the pure paramagnetic state of the crystal. This observation is attributed to a greatly reduced dipolar interaction between paramagnetic vanadyl ions due to the large size of the molecule and the resultant stacking in the crystalline state. The line width of the EPR signals in single crystal at RT is approximately 3.3 mT which is more than the usual line width in diluted paramagnets ( approximately 1.5 mT) and is attributed to some kind of broadening effect akin to slow motion broadening. The line width in solvents is more than the crystal value but decreases appreciably at low temperatures. The decrease in line width at low temperature is attributed to the increase in spin-lattice-relaxation time and quenching of RT broadening motion. Only one octet is observed in the crystal EPR spectra which suggests only one formula unit per unit cell or a parallel/antiparallel ordering of V=O vectors in case the formula units per unit cell are more than one. This result needs verification by a detailed X-ray investigation. The crystalline field symmetry around the V(4+) metal ion is revealed to be axial by the observed angular dependence of the EPR spectrum and the powder EPR spectrum. No super hyperfine splitting of the hyperfine lines of the vanadyl ion is observed in solid state or diluted glass up to liquid nitrogen temperature. This suggests an expected weak in-plane pi-bonding with ligands. The spin Hamiltonian parameters for vanadyl ion in crystal, powder, diluted solutions and frozen glasses are evaluated and discussed.     

Recent developments in bio-molecular electronics techniques for food pathogens

Food borne illnesses contribute to the majority of infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Detection of these pathogens originating from different sources has led to increased interest of researchers. New bio-molecular techniques for food pathogen detection are being developed to improve the sensor characteristics such as sensitivity, reusability, simplicity and economic viability. Present article deals with the various methods of food pathogen detection with special emphasis on bio-molecular electronics techniques such as biosensors, microarrays, electronic nose, and nano-materials based methods.     

Piezoresistive cantilever based nanoflow and viscosity sensor for microchannels

Microfluidic channels are microreactors with a wide range of applications, including molecular separations based upon micro/nanoscale physicochemical properties, targeting and delivery of small amount of fluids and molecules, and patterned/directed growth. Their successful applications would require a detailed understanding of phenomena associated with the microscale flow of liquids through these channels, including velocity, viscosity and miscibility. Here we demonstrate a highly sensitive piezoresistive cantilever to measure flow properties in microfluidic channels. By milling down the legs of the piezoresistive cantilevers, we have achieved significantly higher mechanical sensitivity and a smaller spring constant, as determined by AFM. These cantilevers were used in microchannels to measure the viscosity and flow rate of ethylene glycol mixtures in water over a range of concentrations, as well as of low viscosity biologically relevant buffers with different serum levels. The sensor can be used alone or can be integrated in AFM systems for multidimensional study in micro and nanochannels.     

The instability of streaming Walters' viscoelastic fluid B′ in porous medium

The instability of streaming Walters' elastico-viscous fluid B in porous medium is considered. The case of two uniform streaming fluids separated by a horizontal boundary is considered. It is found that for the special case when perturbations in the direction of streaming are ignored, the system can be stable or unstable, depending upon kinematic viscoelasticity, medium porosity and medium permeability, for both potential unstable and potentially stable configurations. In every other direction, a minimum value of wave-number has been found and the system is unstable for all wave-numbers greater than this minimum wave number.     

Solutions for a Cosmic String

For a conformally flat metric ds² = a²(η)(dη² – dx² – y² – dz²) Vilenkin obtained the equation $$\frac{\partial }{{\partial _{\eta } }}\left[ {\frac{{a^2 \left( {\eta } \right)\dot y}}{{\sqrt {1 + y'^2 - \dot y^2 } }}} \right] = \frac{\partial }{{\partial _x }}\left[ {\frac{{a^2 \left( {\eta } \right)\dot y'}}{{\sqrt {1 + y'^2 - \dot y^2 } }}} \right]$$ for a cosmic string and gave some particular solutionsboth for a = const and a const. The present workcompletely solves the equation for a = const and extendthe work of Vilenkin for a ≠ const.     

Convergent synthesis and preliminary biological evaluations of the stilbenolignan (+/-)-aiphanol and various congeners

Treatment of an equimolar mixture of stilbene 7 and cinnamyl alcohol 8 with silver carbonate in acetone-benzene afforded a ca. 2:1:2:1 mixture of the stilbenolignan (+/-)-aiphanol (1) and congeners 2-4 each of which show significant anti-angiogenic and COX-2 inhibitory properties.