Nano-graphitic clustering and break down of phonon selection rule in diamond-like carbon films

Diamond-like carbon films are deposited on silicon substrates at different substrate bias using ECR-CVD technique. Raman spectroscopic studies show the presence of broad G and D peaks. In contrast to the position of D peak, the G peak shows a systematic red-shift with increase in the bias voltage. From the analysis it is found that an increase in bias voltage decreases the sp² cluster diameter. Furthermore, two additional Raman peaks at around 690 and 880 cm^?1 are also observed. These peaks, forbidden in the first order Raman scattering, arise due to the breakdown of phonon selection rule in graphitic nanoclusters.     

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate Production by Fast-Growing Rhizobia Cultivated in Sludge and in Industrial Wastewater

In our study, the potential of producing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) by cultivating fast-growing rhizobia (Sinorhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae, R. leguminosarum bv. phaseoli and R. leguminosarum bv. trifolii) in sludge and in industrial wastewater was evaluated. Results confirmed the possibility of using sludge as media for rhizobial growth. During growth, substantial quantity of PHB was accumulated and yields varied depending on the media and rhizobial species. Growing in sludge, PHB production did not exceed 3.7% w/w for all strains at the end of experiment (after 72 h). During the growth of S. meliloti, PHB yield varied and the maximum value reached 7.27% w/w after 60 h, with 1% Total Suspend Solid (TSS) sludge. Alkaline sludge pre-treatment affects rhizobial growth but did not improve the PHB accumulation. While growing S. meliloti in industrial wastewater, the PHB yields varied and the highest value was obtained with slaughterhouse wastewater (10.7% w/w) after 35 h of growth. Therefore, this work shows the potential of exploiting PHB production by rhizobia growing in wastewater or sludge which could be applied to bioplastic industry, and confirms the potential of these recyclable wastes for high production of rhizobial cells useable for legumes inoculants production. This study provides an environmentally sound way of sludge and wastewater management and use in diverse biotechnological applications.     

Absorption and emission spectroscopic characterisation of 8-amino-riboflavin

The flavin dye 8-amino-8-demethyl-d-riboflavin (AF) in the solvents water, DMSO, methanol, and chloroform/DMSO was studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The first absorption band is red-shifted compared to riboflavin, and blue-shifted compared to roseoflavin (8-dimethylamino-8-demethyl-D-riboflavin). The fluorescence quantum yield of AF in the studied solvents varies between 20% and 50%. The fluorescence lifetimes were found to be in the 2–5 ns range. AF is well soluble in DMSO, weakly soluble in water and methanol, and practically insoluble in chloroform. The limited solubility causes AF aggregation, which was seen in differences between measured absorption spectra and fluorescence excitation spectra. Light scattering in the dye absorption region is discussed and approximate absorption cross-section spectra are determined from the combined measurement of transmission and fluorescence excitation spectra. The photo-stability of AF was studied by prolonged light exposure. The photo-degradation routes of AF are discussed.     

Structural phase transitions in Zn(CN)2 under high pressures

High pressure behavior of zinc cyanide (Zn(CN)₂) has been investigated with the help of synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction measurements. Our studies reveal that under pressure this compound undergoes phase transformations and the structures of the new phases depend on whether the pressure is hydrostatic or not. Under hydrostatic conditions, Zn(CN)₂ transforms from cubic to orthorhombic to cubic-II to amorphous phases. In contrast, the non-hydrostatic pressure conditions drive the ambient cubic phase to a partially disordered crystalline phase, which eventually evolves to a substantially disordered phase. The final disordered phase in the latter case is distinct from the amorphous phase observed under the hydrostatic pressures.     

Dual function of rare earth doped nano Bi(2)O(3): white light emission and photocatalytic properties

Undoped Bi(2)O(3) and single and double doped Bi(2)O(3)?:?M (where M = Tb(3+) and Eu(3+)) nanophosphors were synthesized through a simple sonochemical process and characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), EDS, diffuse reflectance (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectrophotometry. The TEM micrographs show that resultant nanoparticles have a rod-like shape. Energy transfer was observed from host to the dopant ions. Characteristic green emissions from Tb(3+) ions and red emissions from Eu(3+) ions were observed. Interestingly, the Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of the double doped Bi(2)O(3)?:?Eu(3+)(0.8%)?:?Tb(3+)(1.2%) nanorods lie in the white light region of the chromaticity diagram and it has a quantum efficiency of 51%. The undoped Bi(2)O(3) showed a band gap of 3.98 eV which is red shifted to 3.81eV in the case of double doped Bi(2)O(3)?:?Eu(3+)(0.8%)?:?Tb(3+)(1.2%) nanorods. The photocatalytic activities of undoped nano Bi(2)O(3) and double doped nano Bi(2)O(3)?:?Eu(3+)(0.8%)?:?Tb(3+)(1.2%) were evaluated for the degradation of Rhodamine B under UV irradiation of 310 nm. The results showed that Bi(2)O(3)?:?Eu(3+)(0.8%)?:?Tb(3+)(1.2%) had better photocatalytic activity compared to undoped nano Bi(2)O(3). The evolution of CO(2) was realized and these results indicated the continuous mineralization of rhodamine B during the photocatalytic process. Thus double doped Bi(2)O(3)?:?Eu(3+)(0.8%)?:?Tb(3+)(1.2%) nanorods can be termed as a bifunctional material exhibiting both photocatalytic properties and white light emission.     

Click strategies for single-molecule protein fluorescence

Single-molecule methods have matured into central tools for studies in biology. Foerster resonance energy transfer (FRET) techniques, in particular, have been widely applied to study biomolecular structure and dynamics. The major bottleneck for a facile and general application of these studies arises from the need to label biological samples site-specifically with suitable fluorescent dyes. In this work, we present an optimized strategy combining click chemistry and the genetic encoding of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) to overcome this limitation for proteins. We performed a systematic study with a variety of clickable UAAs and explored their potential for high-resolution single-molecule FRET (smFRET). We determined all parameters that are essential for successful single-molecule studies, such as accessibility of the probes, expression yield of proteins, and quantitative labeling. Our multiparameter fluorescence analysis allowed us to gain new insights into the effects and photophysical properties of fluorescent dyes linked to various UAAs for smFRET measurements. This led us to determine that, from the extended tool set that we now present, genetically encoding propargyllysine has major advantages for state-of-the-art measurements compared to other UAAs. Using this optimized system, we present a biocompatible one-step dual-labeling strategy of the regulatory protein RanBP3 with full labeling position freedom. Our technique allowed us then to determine that the region encompassing two FxFG repeat sequences adopts a disordered but collapsed state. RanBP3 serves here as a prototypical protein that, due to its multiple cysteines, size, and partially disordered structure, is not readily accessible to any of the typical structure determination techniques such as smFRET, NMR, and X-ray crystallography.     

Dynamic crossover in hydration water of curing cement paste: the effect of superplasticizer

The influence of a new comb-shaped polycarboxylate-based superplasticizer (CSSP) on the hydration kinetics and transport properties of aged cement pastes has been investigated by high-resolution quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) and low temperature differential scanning calorimetry (LT-DSC). A new method of analysis of QENS spectra is proposed. By applying the refined method we were able to access to four independent physical parameters including the self-diffusion coefficient of the hydration water confined in the cement paste. Mean squared displacement (MSD) of the hydrogen atom for mobile water molecules displays a dynamic crossover temperature in agreement with DSC data. The experimental results indicate that CSSP polymer added into cement paste moderates the hydration process and decreases the dynamic crossover temperature of the hydration water.     

Comparative experimental study of solar cookers using exergy analysis

This communication presents the comparative experimental study of solar cookers based on the exergy analysis. In this study two different types of solar cookers viz. paraboloid type and box type have been evaluated using exergy analysis. The experiments have been carried out with cookers filled with different volume of water viz. one and two liters along with the suitable quantity of rice. Data of temperatures and solar radiation have been measured for different food stuff on clear sky day of the month. It is found that the exergy efficiency increases as the volume of water increases, however, the exergy efficiency of paraboloid solar cooker is found to be higher than that of the box-type solar cooker for all the cases mentioned above. However, it is also found that the exergy efficiency vary with the cooking stuff and water which is due to the fact that the requirement of heating vary with the food stuff.     

Synthesis of dypnone by solvent free self condensation of acetophenone over nano-crystalline sulfated zirconia catalyst

Nano-crystalline sulfated zirconia catalyst, prepared by two-step sol–gel method, has been studied for the solvent free self condensation of acetophenone to dypnone. The influence of calcination temperature on the structural, textural and catalytic activity of sulfated zirconia has been analyzed. The surface acidity along with the structural and textural features of the catalyst influenced its activity. The conversion of acetophenone was found to be effected by the variation in the reaction and calcination temperature, however, the dypnone selectivity was not affected much. The catalyst calcined at 650 °C, showed maximum dypnone selectivity of 92% with 68.2% acetophenone conversion at 170 °C after 7 h. The catalyst was reused up to five cycles with marginal decrease in acetophenone conversion, however, without losing its selectivity for dypnone.