In the present paper, the surface properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were modified by exposure to argon (Ar) ion beam with a fluence of 0.25 × 10
18
ion.cm
−2
to 1 × 10
18
ion.cm
−2
. ...The pristine and irradiated PDMS films were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle (CA) measurements. The SEM of irradiated films reveals a modification in the morphology due to ion irradiation. On the other hand, the CA data showed an enhancement in the adhesion wettability due to the formation of hydrophilic functional groups. In addition, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were deposited on the modified PDMS substrate using ion beam-sputtering technique. Then, PDMS and Ag/PDMS films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD (and UV/Vis optical spectroscopy. XRD showed a successful deposition of AgNPs on PDMS substrate, while the optical transmittance intensity is reduced for Ag/PDMS than PDMS, and the optical band gap
E
g
is decreased from 5.22 eV for PDMS to 5.05 eV for Ag/PDMS. The results illustrated significant modifications in PDMS due to AgNPs deposition.
This work highlights testing the polymer nanocomposite for hydrogen gas production from wastewater (sewage water). The in‐situ polymerization technique is used to prepare polypyrrole (PPy) and ...PPy/NiOx nanocomposite films on a glass substrate. The film's ability to generate hydrogen from sewage water is then evaluated. The XRD and XPS confirmed the formation of two types of NiOX: NiO and Ni2O3. The optical property of the composite is greater than the polymer under the insertion of NiOx as a core for the polymer coating shell, in which the band gap values are 2.25 and 1.81 eV, respectively. The TEM confirmed the PPy/NiOx core‐shell formation, in which the polymer shell (20 nm) coated the NiOX core (170 nm). The electrochemical testing for H2 gas production is carried out through a three‐electrode cell. The effect of light on/off, wavelengths, and temperature on the H2 production is applied. Under off/on light, the produced current density (Jph) value is enhanced from 5 to 16 μA, respectively. The effect of monochromatic light: 440, 540, and 730 nm are tested, and the produced Jph values are −1.28, −1.16, and −1.14 μA cm−2, respectively. In which, the decreasing Jph value with increasing of the monochromatic light confirmed the behavior of the photoelectrode under different optical regions. The Jph values increase from −1.6 to −5.8 μA cm−2 with a rise in temperature from 30 to 55°C. Moreover, enthalpy (ΔH*), activation energy (Ea), and entropy (ΔS*) of thermodynamic processes are determined using the photoelectrode response at different temperatures.
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•Zn, Cu, and Mn substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were synthesized by sol–gel method.•Antimicrobial activity of the ferrites against selected pathogens was studied.•Of the ...prepared ferrites, zinc cobalt ferrite (ZCFO) possessed strongest antimicrobial activity.•Irradiation at 150kGy decreased ZCFO particle size and elevated its antimicrobial potential.
Metal-substituted cobalt ferrites MxCo(1−x)Fe2O4 (M=Zn, Cu, Mn; x=0.0, 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75) were synthesized via a sol–gel technique. The ferrite structures were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface analysis using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of these ferrites against selected pathogenic microbes was determined. The structures remained cubic spinel phases after substitution of metals. Substitution strongly influenced the microstructure and homogeneous grain distribution. The particle size of the ferrites increased linearly with increase in their annealing temperature. The surface area of zinc cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (ZCFO) was 52.56m2/g, the average pore size was 1.84nm, and pore volume was 0.136mL/g. All ferrites showed antimicrobial activity toward all pathogens selected. Of these, the most powerful was ZCFO, showing zones of inhibition of 13.0mm against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus and 12.0mm against Candida albicans. Gamma-irradiated ZCFO nanoparticles (150.0kGy) maintained higher antimicrobial activity than non-irradiated particles, e.g. being active toward S. aureus (16.0mm). ZCFO is proposed as a candidate material for industrial and biomedical purposes.
In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was mixed with concentration of 5%, 7.5%, and 10% of manganese dioxide (MnO
2
) to form PVA/MnO
2
films using solution cast approach method. The X-ray ...diffraction (XRD) verified that the nanomaterials films were successfully fabricated. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) illustrates the uniform MnO
2
dispersion within the PVA host matrix. Additionally, the influence of MnO
2
on the optical properties is recorded. The refractive index (
n
0
) is improved by adding MnO
2
, from 1.29 for PVA to 1.87 for PVA/5%MnO
2
and 2.86 for PVA/10%MnO
2
. The PVA had a dispersion energy of 2.53 eV, while PVA with 5% MnO
2
had 4.86 eV, PVA with 7.5% MnO
2
had 5.74 eV, and PVA with 10%MnO
2
had 7.12 eV. In addition, the oscillation energy
E
0
decreased from 3.79 for PVA to 1.94, 1.72, and 0.99 eV, respectively for PVA/5%MnO
2
, PVA/7.5%MnO
2
, and PVA/10%MnO
2
. It is evident from the data that the incorporation of MnO
2
to the PVA polymer alters its optical properties. This proved the existence of strong interactions of PVA and MnO
2
due to the modification of the PVA/MnO
2
electronic structure. Moreover, the plasma frequency
W
p
value increased from 0.79 × 10
13
s
−1
for PVA to 2.06 × 10
13
s
−1
for PVA/10%MnO
2
. These shifts in
W
p
provided the polarization is modified for the PVA/MnO
2
. The results obtained in this study provide evidence of the advantages associated with the utilization of MnO
2
nanoparticles as a filler of improved polymeric structures. These findings also propose the potential suitability of MnO
2
nanoparticles for application in the field of optics and electronic devices.
Graphical abstract
This work attempts to modify the hydrophilic-adherence properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by exposing to oxygen beam for used in painting, printing, and clothing applications. The structural ...and morphology changes of irradiated PDMS films are analyzed using XRD and SEM, respectively. The chemical functional group is investigated by Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The contact angle for water is reduced from 81.38° to 42.50°, while the contact angle for diiodomethane is reduced from 63.20° to 25.40° by varying the irradiation time from 1.5 to 6 min. On the other hand, for water liquid, the adhesion work is enhanced from 82.75 to 125.5 mJ/m
2
, and for diiodomethane liquid, it’s increased from 73.70 to 96.68 mJ/m
2
. Moreover, the polar energy
γ
s
p
is enhanced from 6.44 to 20.25 mJ/m
2
, while, the
γ
s
d
is increased from 26.73 to 46.01 mJ/m
2
, and the total
γ
s
t
is increased from 33.18 to 66.26 mJ/m
2
by enhancing exposing time 1.5–6 min. The improvement in the adhesion and surface energy of the irradiated PDMS films is due to oxygen ion beam induced decreasing in PDMS surface hydrophobicity. The experimental data show the surface morphology, structure and surface properties of treated PDMS are modified and depend closely on the oxygen beam irradiation time.
Graphical abstract
PPy/GO composite materials formed of graphene oxide nanosheets and polypyrrole (PPy) were effectively prepared by polymerization fabrication method for optical energy applications. The measurements ...of TEM, XRD, SEM, FT-IR, and XPS showed that PPy/GO composites were successfully synthesized. The nanosheets GO were homogeneously joined into PPy as recorded by SEM images. TEM recorded that the GO nanosheets have different sizes ranging from 5 to 35 nm. The optical parameters, including the absorption edge, band gap, number of carbon clusters, and Urbach energies, were assessed by the UV–Vis method. The band gap reduced of 1.84 for PPy to 1.77 and 1.72 eV for PPy/GO-II and PPy/GO-III, and the absorption edge decreased from 1.78 for PPy to 1.60 and 1.50 eV, respectively. The optical susceptibility and refractive index were deduced for PPy and PPy/Go. Comparing the PPy/Go composites to pure PPy revealed a considerable enhancement in optical conductivity and the number of carbon clusters for PPy/Go. The outcomes of this research is the fabrication of potential flexible polymeric nanocomposite films with innovative physico-chemical properties for high-performance optoelectronics devices.
Graphical Abstract
In this study, composite films of lead sulfide nanoparticles (PbSNPs) and polyaniline (PANI) were fabricated for wearable electronic devices. The PbS/PANI samples were analyzed using FTIR, XRD, and ...SEM. Furthermore, the effects of PbSNPs on the dielectric impedance, electrical conductivity, complex modulus, and energy density of PANI were determined in the frequency range of 50–5 MHz. The FTIR and XRD confirmed the successful synthesis of PbS/PANI films. The SEM indicated homogeneous dispersion of PbS in PANI. Besides, the broadness and reduction of PANI in FTIR and XRD peaks intensity with increasing PbS is attributed to the intermolecular interactions of PANI and PbS and indicates the successful incorporation of PbS in PANI. The conductivity was enhanced from 7.39 × 10
–8
S.cm
−1
for PANI to 1.38 × 10
–6
S.cm
−1
for PANI/0.05PbS. The constant
ε
′
was increased from 20 for PANI to 111 for PANI/0.05PbS. Moreover, the relaxation time
τ
r
of PANI was reduced from 9.68 × 10
–6
s to 9.18 × 10
–6
, 6.43 × 10
–6
, and 5.98 × 10
–6
s for PANI/0.01PbS, PANI/0.03PbS, and PANI/0.05PbS, respectively. In conclusion, the obtained data confirmed that incorporating PbSNPs inside PANI modified the dielectric properties of PANI/PbS films for use in energy storage devices.
Nanocrystalline spinel ferrite nanoparticles MxCo(1−x)Fe2O4;(M = Zn,Cu,Mn;x = 0 and 0.5) like: Cobalt ferrite (CFO), Zinc Cobalt ferrite (ZCFO), Copper Cobalt ferrite (CCFO), and Manganese Cobalt ...ferrite (MCFO) modified carbon paste electrodes (CPE) were synthesized via sol–gel technique utilizing citric acid and ethylene glycol as a polymerization agent. The synthesized ferrite NPs were used as bi-functional smart biosensor, not only used to determine the drug Anagrelide-HCl (ANDH) in urine and serum samples, but also possesses antimicrobial potential against some pathogenic microbes, founded in the biological samples. The synthesized ferrite NPs were confirmed by XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, EDX, and elemental mapping images. Antimicrobial activities of ferrite NPs against selected urinary tract infected microbes were investigated. From XRD data and FTIR spectroscopy it is found that the average crystallite size is lies in the range 12.86 to 33.92 ± 1.5 nm, also the bond lengths RA and RB increase from 1.8986 to 1.9145 Å and from 2.0434 to 2.0606 Å respectively and Debye temperature θD lies in the range of 681.52–708.87 K. Our study describes the improvement of a screen-printed sensor, modified with ferrite NPs materials for rapid, sensitive and cost-effective quantification of ANDH present in the real samples such as blood serum samples, urine and in the pharmaceutical formulations. The results obtained postulate a linear regression between the ANDH charge density of peak current and its concentration in the range from (0.64–8.18 μg/ml) with DL 0.31 μg/ml and QL 0.94 μg/ml. Antimicrobial results indicated that ZCFO NPs were a novel antibacterial agent against Klebsiella pneumoniae (28.0 mm ZOI), and multidrug-resistant bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (27.0 mm ZOI). Additionally, ZCFO NPs were active against Candida albicans (18.0 mm ZOI) seems to be a smart antifungal agent. Therefore, ZCFO NPs can be used as applicant resources for industrial, medical, and biological applications.
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•Synthesis and validation of spinel ferrite NPs using citrate sol-gel technique.•The theoretical values of lattice constant for ferrite NPs are approximated to experimentally lattice parameter values.•The Debye temperature for the ferrite NPs composition lies in the range of 681.52 – 708.87 K.•ZCFO NPs possessed a novel antimicrobial activity against selected MDR pathogens.•Improvement of a novel ZCFO NPs screen-printed sensors for rapid, sensitive and cost-effective ANDH quantification.
