A viable hydrothermal technique has been explored for the synthesis of copper doped Zinc oxide nanoparticles (Cu-doped ZnO-NPs) based on the precursor's mixture of Copper-II chloride dihydrate ...(CuCl2.2H2O), Zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and potassium hydroxide (KOH). X-ray diffraction (XRD) reported the hexagonal wurtzite structure of the synthesized Cu-doped ZnO-NPs. The surface morphology is checked via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), whereas, the elemental compositions of the samples were confirmed by Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The as-obtained ZnO-NPs and Cu-doped ZnO-NPs were then tested for their antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia) bacteria via agar well diffusion method. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) for Cu-doped ZnO-NPs was found to be 24 and 19 mm against S. Aureus and S. pyogenes, and 18 and 11 mm against E. coli and K. pneumoniae, respectively. The synthesized Cu-doped ZnO-NPs can thus be found as a potential nano antibiotic against Gram-positive multi-drug resistant bacterial strains.
Electron cyclotron resonance heating method of Particle-in-Cell code was used to analyze heating phenomena, axial kinetic energy, and self-consistent electric field of confined electron plasma in ...ELTRAP device by hydrogen and helium background gases. The electromagnetic simulations were performed at a constant power of 3.8 V for different RF drives (0.5 GHz- 8 GHz), as well as for 1 GHz constant frequency at these varying amplitudes (1 V-3.8 V). The impacts of axial and radial temperatures were found maximum at 1.8 V and 5 GHz as compared to other amplitudes and frequencies for both background gases. These effects are higher at varying radio frequencies due to more ionization and secondary electrons production and maximum recorded radial temperature for hydrogen background gas was 170.41 eV. The axial kinetic energy impacts were found more effective in the outer radial part (between 0.03 and 0.04 meters) of the ELTRAP device due to applied VRF through C8 electrode. The self-consistent electric field was found higher for helium background gas at 5 GHz RF than other amplitudes and radio frequencies. The excitation and ionization rates were found to be higher along the radial direction (r-axis) than the axial direction (z-axis) in helium background gas as compared to hydrogen background gas. The current studies are advantageous for nuclear physics applications, beam physics, microelectronics, coherent radiation devices and also in magnetrons.
•BMIMOAc ionic liquid was used to extract the HAp from waste fish scales.•The HAp was characterized for its physical and chemical structure.•FTIR, XRD, TGA and EDX analysis confirmed the structure of ...extracted HAp.•MTT cell viability showed the bio-compatibility of HAp.
In this study the waste fish scales (FS) were dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ionic liquid to obtain a valuable product of hydroxyapatite (HAp). The HAp was obtained in the yield of 32±2%. The obtained HAp was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Powder X-rays Diffraction (PXRD), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Field Emission Scanning Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-rays spectroscopy (EDX), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The results of FTIR and XRD showed the characteristic peaks of the HAp. The thermal degradation temperature of the extracted HAp was relatively high. Furthermore, low weight loss was measured which confirmed the removal of organic part of FS during ionic liquid treatment. The FE-SEM result showed the particles with different morphologies and EDX analysis showed a Ca/P ratio of 1.60 for the extracted HAp. The biocompatibility of the extracted HAp was assessed through MTT cell viability assay using known Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cells (HEK cells) and epidermoid carcinoma cells (A431 cells).
Acrylic resins-based artificial teeth are frequently used for the fabrication of dentures has and contribute a very strong share in the global market. However, the scientific literature reporting the ...comparative analysis data of various artificial teeth is scarce. Focusing on that, the present study investigated various types of commercially available artificial teeth, composed of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Artificial teeth are characterized for chemical analysis, morphological features, thermal analysis, and mechanical properties (surface hardness, compressive strength). Different types of artificial teeth showed distinct mechanical (compression strength, Vickers hardness) and thermal properties (thermal gravimetric analysis) which may be attributed to the difference in the content of PMMA and type and quantity of different fillers in their composition. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results exhibited that vinyl end groups of PMMA degraded above 200 °C, whereas 340–400 °C maximum degradation temperature was measured by differential thermal analysis (DTA) for all samples. Crisma brand showed the highest compressive strength and young modulus (88.6
MPa
and 1654
MPa)
while the lowest value of Vickers hardness was demonstrated by Pigeon and Vital brands. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs showed that Crisma, Pigeon, and Vital exhibited characteristics of a brittle fracture; however, Artis and Well bite brands contained elongated voids on their surfaces. According to the mechanical analysis and SEM data, Well bite teeth showed a significantly higher mechanical strength compared to other groups. However, no considerable difference was observed in Vickers hardness of all groups.
Graphical abstract
Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty cell envelopes derived from Gram-negative bacteria. They not only represent a potential platform for development of novel vaccines but also provide a tool for ...efficient adjuvant and antigen delivery system. In the present study, we investigated the interaction between BGs of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and bovine monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs). MoDCs are highly potent antigen-presenting cells and have the potential to act as a powerful tool for manipulating the immune system. We generated bovine MoDCs in vitro from blood monocytes using E. coli expressed bovine GM-CSF and IL-4 cytokines. These MoDCs displayed typical morphology and functions similar to DCs. We further investigated the E. coli BGs to induce maturation of bovine MoDCs in comparison to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We observed the maturation marker molecules such as MHC-II, CD80 and CD86 were induced early and at higher levels in BG stimulated MoDCs as compared to the LPS stimulated MoDCs. BG mediated stimulation induced significantly higher levels of cytokine expression in bovine MoDCs than LPS. Both pro-inflammatory (IL-12 and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines were induced in MoDCs after BGs stimulation. We further analysed the effects of BGs on the bovine MoDCs in an allogenic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). We found the BG-treated bovine MoDCs had significantly (p<0.05) higher capacity to stimulate allogenic T cell proliferation in MLR as compared to the LPS. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the E. coli BGs induce a strong activation and maturation of bovine MoDCs.
Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials are rapidly being investigated for potential applications in biomedical sciences due to their exceptional physico-chemical characteristics. However, their safe use ...demands a thorough understanding of their possible environmental and toxicological effects. The cytotoxicity of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) was explored to see if they could be used in living cell imaging. It was observed that the cytotoxicity of BNNTs is higher in cancer cells (65 and 80%) than in normal cell lines (40 and 60%) for 24 h and 48 h respectively. The influence of multiple experimental parameters such as pH, time, amount of catalyst, and initial dye concentration on percentage degradation efficiency was also examined for both catalyst and dye. The degradation effectiveness decreases (92 to 25%) as the original concentration of dye increases (5-50 ppm) due to a decrease in the availability of adsorption sites. Similarly, the degradation efficiency improves up to 90% as the concentration of catalyst increases (0.01-0.05 g) due to an increase in the adsorption sites. The influence of pH was also investigated, the highest degradation efficiency for MO dye was observed at pH 4. Our results show that lower concentrations of BNNTs can be employed in biomedical applications. Dye degradation properties of BNNTs suggest that it can be a potential candidate as a wastewater and air treatment material.
Photocatalytic degradation studies of methyl orange using BNNTs.
In this study, zinc-oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) doped with cobalt (Co) were synthesized using a simple coprecipitation technique. The concentration of Co was varied to investigate its effect on ...the structural, morphological, optical, and dielectric properties of the NPs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of both undoped and Co-doped ZnO-NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the morphology of the synthesized NPs, while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used to verify their purity. The band gap of the NPs was evaluated using UV-visible spectroscopy, which revealed a decrease in the energy gap as the concentration of Co2+ increased in the ZnO matrix. The dielectric constants and AC conductivity of the NPs were measured using an LCR meter. The dielectric constant of the Co-doped ZnO-NPs continuously increased from 4.0 x 10.sup.-9 to 2.25 x 10.sup.-8, while the dielectric loss decreased from 4.0 x 10.sup.-8 to 1.7 x 10.sup.-7 as the Co content increased from 0.01 to 0.07%. The a.c. conductivity also increased with increasing applied frequency. The findings suggest that the synthesized Co-doped ZnO-NPs possess enhanced dielectric properties and reduced energy gap, making them promising candidates for low-frequency devices such as UV photodetectors, optoelectronics, and spintronics applications. The use of a cost-effective and scalable synthesis method, coupled with detailed material characterization, makes this work significant in the field of nanomaterials and device engineering.
Application of nanomaterials is becoming the most effective strategy of elicitation to produce a desirable level of plant biomass with complex medicinal compounds. This study was, designed to check ...the influence of commercial iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) on physical growth characteristics, antioxidant status and production of steviol glycosides of in vitro grown
Stevia rebaudiana
. Results indicated that lower concentrations of FeNPs (45 µg/L) had a positive influence on morphological growth parameters. At a higher dose (90, and 135 µg/L) FeNPs in culture media were found detrimental to growth characteristics and development. Furthermore, the stress caused by FeNPs at 135 µg/L in cultures produced higher levels of total phenolic content (3.2 ± 0.042 mg/g dry weight: DW), total flavonoid content (1.6 ± 0.022 mg/g DW and antioxidant activity (73 ± 4.6%). In addition, plants grown in the presence of FeNPs at 90 µg/L resulted in higher enzymatic antioxidant activities (SOD = 3.2 ± 0.042 U/mg; POD = 2.1 ± 0.026 U/mg; CAT = 2.6 ± 0.034 U/mg and APx = 3.3 ± 0.043 U/mg), respectively. Furthermore, exposure to a low dose of FeNPs (45 µg/L) exhibited the maximum amount of stevioside (stevioside: 4.2 ± 0.058 mg/g (DW) and rebaudioside A: 4.9 ± 0.068 mg/g DW) as compared to high doses. The current investigation confirms the effectiveness of FeNPs in growth media and offers a suitable prospect for commercially desirable production of
S. rebaudiana
biomass with higher sweet glycosides profiles in vitro
.
Key message
Lower concentrations of Iron nano particles (FeNPs) had a positive influence on morphological growth parameters, production of antioxidant secondary metabolites and natural calorie free steviol glycosides in
Stevia rebaudiana
.
In this study, successful synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), CuO NPs, and ZnO/CuO nanocomposite through an eco-friendly method using Corriandrum sativum leaf extract as a capping agent is ...reported. Using XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, and SEM techniques, the synthesized materials were characterized for structural analysis, functional groups identification, spectroscopic measurements, and morphological analysis. The percentage composition and purity of the samples were determined by using Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), which showed the synthesis of materials. Morphological analysis was done by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) which reflected that the CuO NPs, ZnO NPs and ZnO/CuO nanocomposite were spherical, and the average size calculated by using Image J software was around 25 nm, 55 nm, and 11 nm, respectively. FTIR and UV-Vis analyses were used for synthetic confirmation through characteristic peaks of materials. The synthesized (ZnO, CuO, and CuO/ZnO) nanomaterials were evaluated for photocatalytic activity using methylene blue (MB) dye. Among all three photocatalysts, the composite showed maximum photodegradation compared to the other two materials. The present work could lead to a pathway for the decontamination of harmful dyes of wastewater released from different industries.
Cobalt (Co) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) microcrystals (MCs) are prepared by using the hydrothermal method from the precursor's mixture of zinc chloride (ZnCl
), cobalt-II chloride hexahydrate (CoCl
·6H
...O), and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The smooth round cylindrical morphologies of the synthesized microcrystals of Co-doped ZnO show an increase in absorption with the cobalt doping. The antibacterial activity of the as-obtained Co-doped ZnO-MCs was tested against the bacterial strains of gram-negative (
,
) and gram-positive bacteria (
,
) via the agar well diffusion method. The zones of inhibition (ZOI) for Co-doped ZnO-MCs against
and
were found to be 17 and 19 mm, and 15 and 16 mm against
and
, respectively. The prepared Co-doped ZnO-MCs were thus established as a probable antibacterial agent against gram-negative bacterial strains.