Various ways to strengthen the fiber‐matrix interface for enhanced composite performance

Surface treatment (ST) of carbon fibers (CF) leads to an enhancement in fiber‐matrix adhesion. However, it deteriorates the strength of a fiber which makes its reinforcing action less effective in a composite. These effects in opposite directions control the net strength of a composite, and hence, the treatment has to be judiciously applied, which would enhance the first factor and minimize the second one. Authors have recently reported on four effective techniques (using various doses) such as treatments with nanoparticles of Ytterbium fluoride (YbF₃)_, cold remote nitrogen–oxygen plasma (CRNOP), γ‐ray irradiation and nitric acid oxidation. Amongst these methods, nitric acid oxidation is studied in depth in the literature, and γ‐ray irradiation is sparingly studied. However, nano‐YbF₃ and CRNOP were first time reported in the literature by the authors. However, comparative aspects of all these methods were not addressed. In this paper, these aspects in details are discussed to lay down the right criteria for selection of a ST technique of CF to design the desired performance of a composite. The composites with polyetherimide and treated CF (including untreated) were developed and evaluated for various properties including tribological one. Treated CF based composites exhibited excellent mechanical and tribological properties (under harsh operative conditions with wear rates ≈ 1 × 10^?15 m³/Nm and μ ≈ 0.09). It was concluded that for strength and tribo‐performance, different treatments and doses are to be employed. Overall nanosized‐YbF₃ treatment of CF proved to be the most promising ST method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic and Equilibrium Studies on Adsorption of Cu(II) Ions onto Biopolymeric Cross-Linked Pectin and Alginate Beads

Binary biopolymeric beads of alginate and pectin were prepared and characterized by FTIR spectra. On to the surfaces of the prepared beads were performed static and dynamic adsorption studies of Cu(II) ions at fixed pH and ionic strength of the aqueous metal ion solutions. The adsorption data were applied to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations and various adsorption parameters were calculated. The influence of various experimental parameters such as effect of time, pH, temperature, solid to liquid ratio, and the presence of salts were investigated on the adsorption of copper ions.     

Removal of Rhodamine-B from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption onto Crosslinked Alginate Beads

The biosorption of rhodamine-B from aqueous solution using crosslinked alginate beads was studied by contact method at fixed pH ?3 and room temperature (28 ± 0.2°C). Both the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models could describe the adsorption equilibrium of the rhodamine-B onto crosslinked alginate beads. The influence of various experimental parameters such as pH, temperature, effect of concentration and time were evaluated. It was observed that the adsorption capacity of rhodamine-B onto alginate beads decreased with increase in pH and temperature above room temperature.     

Efficiency of Superparamagnetic Nano Iron Oxide Loaded Poly(Acrylamide-co-Maleic acid) Hydrogel in Uptaking Cu2+ Ions from Water

A novel superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles loaded poly(acrylamide-co-maleic acid) hydrogel (superparamagnetic PAM hydrogel) has been synthesized and cross-linked by methylene bisacrylamide for the investigation of its efficiency in uptaking copper ions from aqueous solution by batch method. The swelling behavior of the hydrogel was investigated. Metal ion uptake capacity of the adsorbent was evaluated in the light of varying pH, contact time, temperature, adsorbent dose, and different copper ion concentration. The synthesized superparamagnetic PAM was characterized by FTIR and XRD analysis. The structure and coating of the magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by XRD and FTIR analysis respectively. The adsorption data was fitted well in the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models and various static parameters were calculated. It is stated that this hydrogel could be regenerated efficiently (>97%) and used repeatedly.     

Comparative Antioxidant Study of Stem and Stem Induced Callus of Phyllanthus fraternus Webster—An Important Antiviral and Hepatoprotective Plant

Phyllanthus fraternus is widely used in the cure of various liver diseases and possess antiviral properties especially against hepatitis virus. In the present study, evaluation of the antioxidant activity of stem and calli induced from stem has been done by different assays. Extraction was done by standard method in water and ethanol. Total antioxidant capacity was measured by 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging method. Lipid peroxidation was measured in terms of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) by using egg yolk homogenates as lipid-rich media, and superoxide radical scavenging activity was measured using riboflavin–light–nitro blue tetrazolium assay. Reducing power was determined on the basis of Fe³⁺–Fe²⁺ transformation in the presence of the extract. In addition to the antioxidant activity, polyphenolic compounds like total phenolics and flavonoids were also measured by spectroscopic method. Results showed that the ethanolic extract of stem is more potent in antioxidant activity than its aqueous extract and ethanolic extract of calli. A significant correlation between antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content and reducing potential was observed, indicating that phenolic compounds and reducers present in extract are major contributors to the antioxidant potential. Thus, this plant extract could be used as a potent natural antioxidant.     

Thermoluminescence studies of UV-irradiated Y2O3:Eu3+ doped phosphor

The present paper reports thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves of Eu³⁺-doped Y₂O₃ phosphor with different ultraviolet (UV) exposure times. The glow peak shows second-order kinetics of Eu³⁺-doped Y₂O₃, and corresponding kinetic parameters were evaluated using the peak shape method. Calculations of trap depth were carried out using different methods. The kinetics order, activation energy, and frequency factor were calculated. The recorded glow curve shifts towards higher intensity with longer UV exposure. The heating rate used for recording TL was 3.0 °C s^?1. Particle size and structure were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging.     

Spectrophotometric analysis of trichloroethylene in various environmental and biological samples

A simple sensitive extractive spectrophotometric method for determination of trichloroethylene is proposed. Trichloroethylene is treated with pyridine to form glutaconic aldehyde by heterolytic cleavage of the pyridine ring. Glutaconic aldehyde is further coupled with 4-aminoacetanilide to form an orange–red dye which is extractable in 3-methyl-1-butanol. The extracted dye shows absorption maximum at 520 nm. The system obeys Beer’s law in the range of 0.05–0.8 μg mL^?1. Important analytical parameters such as time, temperature, reagent concentration, acidity etc. have been optimized for complete colour reaction. Sandell’s sensitivity and molar absorptivity for the system were found to be 0.001 μg cm^?2 and 1.2 × 10⁵ L mol^?1 cm^?1, respectively. The proposed method is satisfactorily applied to micro-level determination of trichloroethylene in various environmental and biological samples.     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5′-O-dicarboxylic fatty acyl monoester derivatives of anti-HIV nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A number of 5′-O-dicarboxylic fatty acyl monoester derivatives of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine (zidovudine, AZT), 2′,3′-didehydro-2′,3′-dideoxythymidine (stavudine, d4T), and 3′-fluoro-3′-deoxythymidine (alovudine, FLT) were synthesized to improve the lipophilicity and potentially the cellular delivery of parent polar 2′,3′-dideoxynucleoside (ddN) analogs. The compounds were evaluated for their anti-HIV activity. Three different fatty acids with varying chain length of suberic acid (octanedioic acid), sebacic acid (decanedioic acid), and dodecanedioic acid were used for the conjugation with the nucleosides. The compounds were evaluated for anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity. All dicarboxylic ester conjugates of nucleosides exhibited significantly higher anti-HIV activity than that of the corresponding parent nucleoside analogs. Among all the tested conjugates, 5′-O-suberate derivative of AZT (EC₅₀ = 0.10 nM) was found to be the most potent compound and showed 80-fold higher anti-HIV activity than AZT without any significant toxicity (TC₅₀ >500 nM).     

The development of platinum-rhodium alloy coatings on SS304 using a pulse/direct electrodeposition technique and their application to antibacterial activity

The current research focused on the development of Platinum–Rhodium alloy coating (Pt– Rh) on SS304 and its applications in antibacterial studies. Electrodeposition is considered to be one of the most suitable methods because it enhances the therapeutic effects of noble metals (Pt–Rh alloy). The electrodeposited coating is an economical and time-saving alternative to existing coating methods. The newly developed Pt–Rh coating was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Using the agar Petri plate and broth culture method, the antibacterial effect of the platinum-rhodium alloy was investigated against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus saprophytes, Bacillus Subtilis, and Enterococcus faecalis. The Pt–Rh alloy coated samples obtained by Direct current (DC) and Pulse coating (PC 50% and PC 75%) were examined for antibacterial study. The PC 75% Pt–Rh alloy coating exhibits significant antibacterial activity, demonstrating a maximum zone of inhibition while leaving the rest of the coated samples by DC and PC 50% duty cycles. The study also found that when the concentration of Pt–Rh solution rises from 5 μL to 15 μL, so does the antibacterial activity. The findings of the study showed that electrodeposited platinum-rhodium alloy metal ions may be handy bacteriostatic in the coming years.     

Numerical Investigation of Graphene as a Back Surface Field Layer on the Performance of Cadmium Telluride Solar Cell

This paper numerically explores the possibility of ultrathin layering and high efficiency of graphene as a back surface field (BSF) based on a CdTe solar cell by Personal computer one-dimensional (PC1D) simulation. CdTe solar cells have been characterized and studied by varying the carrier lifetime, doping concentration, thickness, and bandgap of the graphene layer. With simulation results, the highest short-circuit current (I_sc = 2.09 A), power conversion efficiency (η = 15%), and quantum efficiency (QE~85%) were achieved at a carrier lifetime of 1 × 10³ μs and a doping concentration of 1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ of graphene as a BSF layer-based CdTe solar cell. The thickness of the graphene BSF layer (1 μm) was proven the ultrathin, optimal, and obtainable for the fabrication of high-performance CdTe solar cells, confirming the suitability of graphene material as a BSF. This simulation confirmed that a CdTe solar cell with the proposed graphene as the BSF layer might be highly efficient with optimized parameters for fabrication.