Synthesis of aligned hematite nanoparticles on chitosan–alginate films

Iron oxide nanoparticles are being viewed with interest owing to the great potential they have in the biomedical applications like MRI contrast enhancement, targeted drug delivery, hyperthermia and recently in magnetic separation of cancer cells from the body. Templated synthesis has been considered ideal for synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles as particles are attracted magnetically, in addition to usual flocculation through van der Waals attraction. Biological templates are attractive owing to their biocompatibility and the attractive porosity and surface chemistry that nature provides. Polysaccharides like chitosan and alginate have been employed in the synthesis of a polyion complex, which provided the active-binding sites for iron(II) ions in solution to bind. The natural organization of chitosan and alginate into a porous film has been exploited to synthesize spherical iron oxide nanoparticles through careful calcination of the iron(II) conjugate film. Our experiments indicate that the formed nanoparticles are highly crystalline, confirm to the hematite structure and have a superparamagnetic response with a low coercivity of 116 Oe. Particles thus synthesized were highly monodisperse with hydrodynamic diameter of 1.8 nm. The symmetric porosity of the film translates into the synthesis of well-aligned nanoparticles of iron oxide. Compared to synthesis in solution, the film-assisted synthesis offered a greater degree of control over the particle size distribution pattern, with the chitosan–alginate template providing the needed spatial separation to prevent the aggregation due to magnetostatic coupling. Such hematite nanoparticles can either be used directly or converted to paramagnetic magnetite by reduction. Zeta potential measurements indicate highly stable nanoparticles, which can therefore be conjugated to cationic liposomes carrying drugs and magnetically guided to target sites.     

Non-resonant microwave absorption studies of superconducting MgB2 and MgB2 + MgO

Non-resonant microwave absorption (NRMA) studies of superconducting MgB₂ and a sample containing ∼10% by weight of MgO in MgB₂ are reported. The NRMA results indicate near absence of intergranular weak links in the pure MgB₂ sample. A linear temperature dependence of the lower critical field H _c1 is observed indicating a non-s wave superconductivity. However, the phase reversal of the NRMA signal which could suggest d wave symmetry is also not observed. In the MgB₂ + MgO sample, much larger low field dependent absorption is observed indicating the presence of intergranular weak links. The hysteretic behavior of NRMA is compared and contrasted in the two samples. In the pure MgB₂ sample, a large hysteresis is observed between the forward and the reverse scans of the magnetic field indicating strong pinning of flux lines. This hysteresis saturates a few degrees below T _c while in the MgB₂ + MgO sample, a much slower increase of hysteresis with decreasing temperature is observed, a signature of weaker pinning.     

Titanium Nanorods Loaded PCL Meshes with Enhanced Blood Vessel Formation and Cell Migration for Wound Dressing Applications

Proper management of nonhealing wounds is an imperative clinical challenge. For the effective healing of chronic wounds, suitable wound coverage materials with the capability to accelerate cell migration, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and wound healing are required to protect the healing wound bed. Biodegradable polymeric meshes are utilized as effective wound coverage materials to protect the wounds from the external environment and prevent infections. Among them, electrospun biopolymeric meshes have got much attention due to their extracellular matrix mimicking morphology, ability to support cell adhesion, and cell proliferation. Herein, electrospun nanocomposite meshes based on polycaprolactone (PCL) and titanium dioxide nanorods (TNR) are developed. TNR incorporated PCL meshes are fabricated by electrospinning technique and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, and X‐Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. In vitro cell culture studies, in ovo angiogenesis assay, in vivo implantation study, and in vivo wound healing study are performed. Interestingly, obtained in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that the presence of TNR in the PCL meshes greatly improved the cell migration, proliferation, angiogenesis, and wound healing. Owing to the above superior properties, they can be used as excellent biomaterials in wound healing and tissue regeneration applications.     

Watching the Methanol-to-Olefin Process with Time- and Space-Resolved High-Energy Operando X-ray Diffraction

The movement of reactants in a large methanol-to-olefin reactor bed was visualized by fast scanning synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Changes in the structure of the catalyst showed the formation of reaction intermediates and coke, which can be tracked along the reactor bed. The observations lead to a new model for the progress of the reaction and explain the role of methanol in coke formation.     

In situ XPS investigation of Pt(Sn)/Mg(Al)O catalysts during ethane dehydrogenation experiments

Calcined hydrotalcite with or without added metal (Mg(Al)O, Pt/Mg(Al)O and Pt,Sn/Mg(Al)O) have been investigated with in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) during ethane dehydrogenation experiments. The temperature in the analysis chamber was 450 °C and the gas pressure was in the range 0.3-1 mbar. Depth profiling of calcined hydrotalcite and platinum catalysts under reaction, oxidation and in hydrogen-water mixture was performed by varying the photon energy, covering an analysis depth of 10-21 Å. It was observed that the Mg/Al ratio in the Mg(Al)O crystallites does not vary significantly in the analysis depth range studied. This result indicates that Mg and Al are homogeneously distributed in the Mg(Al)O crystallites. Catalytic tests have shown that the initial activity of a Pt,Sn/Mg(Al)O catalyst increases during an activation period consisting of several cycles of reduction-dehydrogenation-oxidation. The Sn/Mg ratio in a Pt,Sn/Mg(Al)O catalyst was followed during several such cycles, and was found to increase during the activation period, probably due to a process where tin spreads over the carrier material and covers an increasing fraction of the Mg(Al)O surface. The results further indicate that spreading of tin occurs under reduction conditions.A PtSn₂ alloy was studied separately. The surface of the alloy was enriched in Sn during reduction and reaction conditions at 450 °C. Binding energies were determined and indicated that Sn on the particle surface is predominantly in an oxidised state under reaction conditions, while Pt and a fraction of Sn is present as a reduced Pt-Sn alloy.     

Line profile study of transitions in the 30012 ← 00001 and 30013 ← 00001 bands of carbon dioxide perturbed by air

In this work we present a line profile study for air-broadened carbon dioxide transitions in the 30012 ← 00001 and 30013 ← 00001 vibrational bands. The room temperature spectra were recorded at a resolution of 0.008 cm⁻¹ using a Fourier Transform spectrometer. The air-broadening, air-shift, and air-line mixing coefficients were derived from a simultaneous fitting of spectra using the Voigt model and a Speed-Dependent Voigt lineshape model. The results obtained are consistent with other studies in addition to the theoretically calculated values. Exponential Power Gap (EPG) and Energy Corrected Sudden (ECS) scaling laws were used to calculate the relaxation matrix elements.     

An e.p.r. study of tetradentate Schiff base copper complexes with an N–(CH2)n–N,n = 3–6 backbone

Cu^II complexes of Schiff-base ligands with a general formulation o-HOC₆H₄CH=N–(CH₂) _n –N=CHC₆H₄OH-o, where n = 3–6 have been prepared and their e.p.r. spectra investigated in order to determine the effect of the flexible methylene backbone length on the structure. The room temperature and 77 K e.p.r. spectra of the compounds, n = 3 and 4, are typical of the axially symmetric ground state with g > g . When n = 5, on the other hand, the complex gives an isotropic spectrum at room temperature. For n = 6, g appears to be greater than g . The g _iso value increases gradually from n = 3 to n = 6 indicating deviation from planarity. Simulation of the 77 K spectrum for n = 6 shows the presence of two distinct Cu²⁺ sites of equal probability. The Q-band spectrum of this compound exhibits a narrowed g signal indicative of exchange coupling. The spectrum is a consequence of intermolecular electron exchange giving a pseudo d² _z state.     

Determination of chlorine in silicate rocks by neutron activation analysis

A simple radiochemical neutron activation analysis scheme has been developed for the determination of chlorine in silicate rocks. The method involves a 15-min thermal neutron irradiation of rock powder followed by a quick separation of ³⁸Cl as AgCl, and Ge(Li) spectrometry. Chemical yield, normally ranging between 95% and 100%, is monitored gravimetrically through the recovery of AgCl. The procedure has been tested on several geochemical standards to assess its accuracy and precision. The values obtained for standard rocks agree with the literature values. At the 100-ppm level, the analytical precision for chlorine is within ±5% (2σ).     

Compact standing wave thermoacoustic generator for power conversion applications

In the past decade, a variety of thermoacoustic engines (TAEs) were devised to convert thermal energy to acoustic power. In this paper, we optimized the design of a standing wave thermoacoustic generator that can provide high intensity acoustic pressure and convert it into electrical power output using a low cost alternator. Three prototypes of standing wave thermoacoustic generator (TAG) were designed to optimize the overall efficiency. The first prototype of standing wave TAG could produce an acoustic pressure of 0.9 kPa (153 dB) with an input thermal power of 210 W. Further, the maximum heat to electrical conversion efficiency was 0.045% with an input thermal power of 250 W. However, the performance of this system was not fully optimized. The performance of TAE depends upon various parameters including stack position, stack length and resonator length. Hence, a new second prototype of tunable TAG was developed to tune these critical parameters in order to improve the overall efficiency. A compact third prototype of TAG was successfully built with optimized parameters and has been tested. In the improved design, high intensity acoustic pressure of 2.9 kPa (163.5 dB) was observed for the same 210 W input thermal power. The maximum heat to electrical energy conversion efficiency was 0.084% with an input of 250 W which is 87% higher as compared to the first prototype. The major reason for the lower conversion efficiency is due to the low efficiency of the alternator. In future, high efficiency alternator designs can be employed along with careful impedance matching to obtain higher conversion efficiencies. The results described in this paper demonstrate the potential of developing compact portable acoustic power and electricity generators for decentralized power applications.