Synthesis of composite gold/tin-oxide nanoparticles by nano-soldering

Composite Au–SnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized by nano-soldering of pure Au and SnO₂ NPs. The multi-step process involves synthesis of pure Au and SnO₂ NPs separately by nanosecond pulse laser ablation of pure gold and pure tin targets in deionized water and post-ablation laser heating of mixed solution of Au colloidal and SnO₂ colloidal to form nanocomposite. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) were used to study the effect of laser irradiation time on morphology of the composite Au–SnO₂ NPs. The spherical particles of 4 nm mean size were obtained for 5 min of post-laser heating. Increased mean size and elongated particles were observed on further laser heating. UV–vis spectra of Au–SnO₂ nanocomposites show red shift in the plasmon resonance absorption peak and line shape broadening with respect to pure Au NPs. The negative binding energy shift of Au 4f_7/2 peak observed in X-ray Photoelectron Spectra (XPS) indicates charge transfer in the nano-soldered Au–SnO₂ between gold and tin oxide and formation of soldered nanocomposite.     

$$Q\bar{Q}$$ ($$Q\in \{b,c\}$$Q∈{b,c}) spectroscopy using the Cornell potential

The mass spectra and decay properties of heavy quarkonia are computed in nonrelativistic quark-antiquark Cornell potential model. We have employed the numerical solution of Schrödinger equation to obtain their mass spectra using only four parameters namely quark mass (\(m_c\), \(m_b\)) and confinement strength (\(A_{c\bar{c}}\), \(A_{b\bar{b}}\)). The spin hyperfine, spin-orbit and tensor components of the one gluon exchange interaction are computed perturbatively to determine the mass spectra of excited S, P, D and F states. Digamma, digluon and dilepton decays of these mesons are computed using the model parameters and numerical wave functions. The predicted spectroscopy and decay properties for quarkonia are found to be consistent with available data from experiments, lattice QCD and other theoretical approaches. We also compute mass spectra and life time of the \(B_c\) meson without additional parameters. The computed electromagnetic transition widths of heavy quarkonia and \(B_c\) mesons are in tune with available experimental data and other theoretical approaches.     

Agarwood—The Fragrant Molecules of a Wounded Tree

Agarwood, popularly known as oudh or gaharu, is a fragrant resinous wood of high commercial value, traded worldwide and primarily used for its distinctive fragrance in incense, perfumes, and medicine. This fragrant wood is created when Aquilaria trees are wounded and infected by fungi, producing resin as a defense mechanism. The depletion of natural agarwood caused by overharvesting amidst increasing demand has caused this fragrant defensive resin of endangered Aquilaria to become a rare and valuable commodity. Given that instances of natural infection are quite low, artificial induction, including biological inoculation, is being conducted to induce agarwood formation. A long-term investigation could unravel insights contributing toward Aquilaria being sustainably cultivated. This review will look at the different methods of induction, including physical, chemical, and biological, and compare the production, yield, and quality of such treatments with naturally formed agarwood. Pharmaceutical properties and medicinal benefits of fragrance-associated compounds such as chromones and terpenoids are also discussed.     

Synergic effect of Type II ZnO/BiVO4 magnetic heterostructures for visible light-driven degradation of bisphenol A and methyl violet

Construction of an effective heterojunction for unimpeded flow of photogenerated charges and their prolonged separation is imperative for environmental photocatalysis. Herein, we have designed an efficient magnetic ZnO/BiVO₄ type-II heterostructure, which was employed for proficient degradation of persistent methyl violet dye with an efficiency of 97.6% in 90 min and a hazardous organic pollutant, namely, bisphenol A. UV-DRS and photoluminescence studies demonstrated that the fabricated nanocomposite exhibited effective light absorption and prolonged charge separation, thereby resulting in high photocatalytic efficacy under visible light irradiation. The efficacy of developed magnetic ZnO/BiVO₄ was also compared with pristine BiVO₄ and undoped magnetic ZnO, which indicated that the constructed heterostructure displayed approximately threefold and sixfold activity in contrast with bare BiVO₄ and undoped magnetic ZnO nanoparticles, respectively. Radical trapping studies, ESR analysis along with GC-MS analysis were conducted to elucidate the mechanistic pathway during the photodegradation process. This work provides a rational technical approach and research ideas for photocatalytic degradation of harmful organic pollutants in an environment-friendly manner by employing energy-efficient LEDs. Besides, good recyclability of catalyst makes it a promising candidate for large-scale applications.     

Normal- and reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography methods for the simultaneous determination of remogliflozin etabonate and metformin hydrochloride antidiabetic drugs in bulk and tablet formulation

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - Two new, simple, fast, and sensitive methods, normal- and reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography (NP-HPTLC and...     

Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol using synthesized and characterized CoS@MorphcdtH/CoS@4-MPipzcdtH nanoparticles

CoS@MorphcdtH NPs and CoS@4-MPipzcdtH NPs were synthesized by precipitation method involving three mechanisms: inclusion, occlusion, and adsorption. The synthesized NPs were characterized with the help of UV-Vis spectroscopy, FESEM-EDAX, powder x-ray diffraction, TEM, ESIMS, TG/DSC analysis. The morphology of the CoS@MorphcdtH NPs and CoS@4-MPipzcdtH NPs were hexagonal and rectangular, and the particles were in the range 7–12 nm. UV–visible spectral measurements showed surface plasmon resonance at 320 nm–340 nm with band gap of 3.65 eV–3.86 eV. The catalytically active CoSNPs called were investigated for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) via hydrogenation using sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) as a reducing agent. Both the CoS NPs successfully reduced 4-NP to 4- aminophenol (4-AP) in a short time, catalytic performances are almost unchanged for the first five cycles. Herein, we report the preparation and characterizations of efficient active CoS NPs consisting carbodithioic acid framework as a support/capping material, along with catalytic property.     

Antioxidant Polymers with Enhanced Neuroprotection Against Insulin Fibrillation

Lipoic acid (LA) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) are well established antioxidants to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, they are carboxylates with ≈4.7 pKa making them negatively charged at physiological pH (7.4) reducing their passive diffusion through cell membranes. LA is known to be capable of reducing protein fibrillation. Incorporation of LA and especially DHLA in polymer side chains are scarce. Herein, the first examples of the anti-amyloidogenic effect of LA and DHLA incorporated into the side-chain of a block copolymer with a water-soluble poly(polyethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) (PPEGMA) segment are presented. The resultant polymers show improved ROS scavenging activity and improved ability to reduce insulin fibrillation compared to free LA and DHLA. Furthermore, the resultant polymers are also capable of disintegrating preformed insulin firbrils. Interestingly, polymers with dihydro-lipoate moieties showed 93% free radical scavenging activity with 91% anti-fibrillating efficacies for insulin protein confirmed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and Thioflavin T (ThT) dye binding study, respectively. Further, the antioxidant polymers increase the cell viability against fibrillar insulin aggregates that may be involved in the etiology of several diseases. Overall, this work reveals that antioxidant polymer-based therapeutic agents can serve as a powerful modulation strategy for developing novel drugs in future against amyloid-related disorders.     

Catalytic Deactivation and Regeneration of Nickel Microparticles in a Home-Built Microchannel-Coupled Millireactor: Substrate Specificity and Multiphase Flow Dependency

Substrate-assisted product desorption often proposed in heterogeneous catalysis (nanozymes) denounces the catalytic deactivation of these catalysts. On the contrary, the catalytic deactivation of rigid heterogeneous catalyst becomes noticeable in a continuous flow reactor. Surprisingly, it has been addressed inadequately and in an isolated manner. In this study, we have developed a cost-effective non-lithographic method for the fabrication of a PDMS-based microchannel-coupled-millreactor. Immobilized nickel particles are resistant to leaching in the flow process. During continuous operation, millireactors show a strong catalytic activity for reduction of resazurin and p-nitrophenol with a conversion rate of almost 100 %. Catalytic poisoning is ubiquitous and gets gradually prominent whereas complete catalytic deactivation of magnetic Ni-microparticles is found to be an instantaneous process. Relatively large-sized resorufin binds predominantly to the surface and thereby blocks the access of the substrate to the Ni-particles. The dissociations of product molecules - resorufin and p-aminophenol are the rate-limiting steps that caused the abrupt deactivation of Ni-microparticle. The kinetic mechanism of heterogeneous derived from the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism satisfactorily explains the catalytic poisoning and deactivation of nickel microparticles. This study sheds light on the intricacies of catalytic activity and poisoning of magnetic nickel microparticles.