This research emphasizes on the growth, characterization, and comparative analysis of alkali chlorides (Cs, Rb, and Cs) doped KDP crystals with enhanced optical properties. The crystals were grown by ...the solvent vaporization technique at a constant temperature. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the single-phase nature of the resulting crystals, with subtle variations in unit cell characteristics. FT-IR spectroscopy demonstrated alterations in absorption bands due to alkali chloride doping. UV–Visible spectroscopy was employed to comprehensively study optical characteristics, transparency range, energy band gap, and extinction coefficient. The impact of doping on the thermal behaviour was explored through thermogravimetric analysis up to 600 °C. It has revealed an irreversible endothermic change within the ambient temperature range through Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Dielectric studies and complex impedance spectroscopy were conducted to probe the electrical characteristics of the grown crystals, providing insights into their alternating current behaviour. The developed crystals were also analysed using the Kurtz and Perry powder technique to study enhancement in second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency through doping. This comprehensive investigation contributes valuable insights into the structural, thermal, electrical, and optical characteristics of alkali chloride-doped KDP crystals, enriching our understanding of their nonlinear optical behaviour. Successful growth of high-quality KDP single crystals doped with alkali metals (Li, Rb, and Cs) via slow evaporation technique at room temperature, exhibiting a tetragonal structure with minimal alterations. Enhanced SHG efficiency observed in LiCl, RbCl, and CsCl doped KDP crystals (1 to 10% Wt) compared to pure KDP, promising potential applications in diverse technological domains.
This paper reports synthesis by wet chemical route for neodymium doped lanthanum arsenates nanoparticles with chemical formula Nd
x
La
1−
x
AsO
4
(
x
= 0.0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) and its ...characterization. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) confirms monoclinic structure of the prepared nanomaterials. Crystallite size decreases with increasing concentration of Nd
3+
ions. PXRD results are further validated by Rietveld refinement with low values of goodness factor (
χ
2
). Morphology has been investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) equipped with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) which shows the crystalline nature of nanomaterials. Various functional groups present have been studied by FTIR spectroscopy. The optical band gap calculated using UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is found to decrease with increasing dopant concentration. The emission spectrum studied by applying photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. At 315 nm excitation, the Nd
x
La
1−
x
AsO
4
exhibits a bright red emission with emission peaks in the range of 610–630 nm. Chromaticity plot shows that chromaticity coordinates are located in the red region. The dielectric analysis carried out to study variation of dielectric constant with frequency over range of 1–25 kHz and temperature range of 20–200 °C. The conductivity measurements are carried out and activation energy has been calculated. The variation of electrical modulus with frequency has also been observed.
The present work reports the synthesis of La
x
Nd
1−
x
VO
4
where
x
= 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 by a solution based co-precipitation method at pH = 12 calcined at 650 °C in nanoparticle form. The ...novelty of the present work is preparation and various applications of targeted materials by using a traditional liquid-based technique at room temperature without use of any surfactants. The structural, morphological, optical and luminescent properties of as-obtained compositions were characterized by various techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) followed by Rietveld refinement, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The PXRD diffraction patterns confirmed tetragonal structure with crystallite size ranging between 22 and 35 nm for all four compositions. The PXRD results are further validated by Rietveld refinement method with low values of profile parameters. HRTEM supplemented with SAED analysis revealed that with a change in doping concentration, there is a change in morphology from rod-shaped to porous hexagonal-shaped features. The optical band gap values are found to be in the range of wide-band semiconductors (2–4 eV). The dielectric properties of as-prepared La-doped NdVO
4
nanoparticles were investigated. The dielectric constant is low in
x
= 0.0 composition, whereas it increases with an increase in La
3+
concentration.
The potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) is a popular nonlinear optical material. Optically good quality LiCl doped KDP crystals have been grown by slow solvent evaporation method at room ...temperature. The structural study of grown crystals reveled single phasic nature of grown crystals with slight variation in unit cell parameters. I had done the Rietveld refinement to study the influence of dopant in the structure of KDP. The linear optical properties of grown crystals such as optical transparency energy band gap, reflectance, extinction coefficient, refractive index, etc. were studies using the UV-Visible spectroscopy. The Kurtz and Perry powder NLO technique was employed to study the nonlinear optical improvement in KDP crystal due to doping. The AC electrical study of grown crystals was done using the complex impedance spectroscopy. The theoretical study of grown crystals has been done using the Generalized Gradient Approximation pseudopotential method. The results are discussed here.
Cleaning wastewater has become one of the most serious issues for a number of scientists and researchers in recent years, as water is the most basic need for the daily life of humans. There has been ...a focus on the removal of noxious pollutants from wastewater effluents by using nanocatalysts owing to their unique physicochemical actions and stability. Herein we manufactured TiO2 nanoparticles supported by activated carbon (AC-TiO2) using a cost-effective sonochemical method. The band structures of the AC-TiO2 and TiO2 were modified from 3.2 to 3.1 eV, thus increasing the catalytic activity. The structural, optical and anatase crystal phase properties, with morphological confirmation, were studied by applying UV-DRS, PL, FESEM, XRD, along with HRTEM, respectively. The specific surface area, calculated by BET analysis, was found to be ~241 m2/gm and ~46 m2/gm for AC-TiO2 and TiO2. The degradation efficiency of the as-prepared nanocatalysts against the very toxic but rarely studied organic textile dye pollutant RO 84 was investigated and 97% efficiency were found for the AC-TiO2 as compared to pure TiO2, which is a highly appreciated finding in the catalytic dye degradation application domain. Such surface-modified nanocatalysts could be further implemented for the treatment of wastewaters/waste effluents released from chemical industries, laboratories and other sources.
The regenerative capacity of the heart after myocardial infarction is limited. Our previous study showed that ectopic introduction of 4 cell cycle factors (4F; CDK1 cyclin-dependent kinase 1, CDK4 ...cyclin-dependent kinase 4, CCNB cyclin B1, and CCND cyclin D1) promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation in 15% to 20% of infected cardiomyocytes in vitro and in vivo and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction in mice.
Using temporal single-cell RNA sequencing, we aimed to identify the necessary reprogramming stages during the forced cardiomyocyte proliferation with 4F on a single cell basis. Using rat and pig models of ischemic heart failure, we aimed to start the first preclinical testing to introduce 4F gene therapy as a candidate for the treatment of ischemia-induced heart failure.
Temporal bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing and further biochemical validations of mature human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes treated with either LacZ or 4F adenoviruses revealed full cell cycle reprogramming in 15% of the cardiomyocyte population at 48 hours after infection with 4F, which was associated mainly with sarcomere disassembly and metabolic reprogramming (n=3/time point/group). Transient overexpression of 4F, specifically in cardiomyocytes, was achieved using a polycistronic nonintegrating lentivirus (NIL) encoding 4F; each is driven by a TNNT2 (cardiac troponin T isoform 2) promoter (TNNT2-4Fpolycistronic-NIL). TNNT2-4Fpolycistronic-NIL or control virus was injected intramyocardially 1 week after myocardial infarction in rats (n=10/group) or pigs (n=6-7/group). Four weeks after injection, TNNT2-4Fpolycistronic-NIL-treated animals showed significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction and scar size compared with the control virus-treated animals. At 4 months after treatment, rats that received TNNT2-4Fpolycistronic-NIL still showed a sustained improvement in cardiac function and no obvious development of cardiac arrhythmias or systemic tumorigenesis (n=10/group).
This study provides mechanistic insights into the process of forced cardiomyocyte proliferation and advances the clinical feasibility of this approach by minimizing the oncogenic potential of the cell cycle factors owing to the use of a novel transient and cardiomyocyte-specific viral construct.
At present, chemical Si/Al sources are mainly used as precursor materials for the manufacturing of zeolites. Such precursor materials are quite expensive for commercial synthesis. Here, we have ...reported the synthesis of Ca-based zeolite from incense stick ash waste by the alkali-treatment method for the first time. Incense stick ash (ISA) was used as a precursor material for the synthesis of low Si zeolites by the alkali-treatment method. The as-synthesized zeolites were characterized by various instruments like particle size analyzer (PSA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). FTIR and XRD helped in the identification of the microstructure and crystalline nature of the zeolites and also confirmed the synthesis of Ca-based zeolite with two thetas at 25.7°. The microscopic analysis by FESEM and TEM exhibited that the size of synthesized Ca-rich zeolites varies from 200 to 700 nm and they are aggregated and cuboidal in shape. Additionally, structural, electronic, and density of states’ characteristics of gismondine (Ca2Al4Si4O16·9H2O) structures were evaluated by computational simulations (first principle, density functional theorem). The structural optimization of structures was carried out in the first stage under the lowest condition of total energy and forces acting on atoms for the lattice constant, as well as the available experimental and theoretical findings. The present research approach predicted the transformation of ISA waste into a value-added mineral, i.e., zeolite, which was further used for the removal of both heavy metals and alkali metals from fly ash-based wastewater using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).
The generalised gradient approximation (GGA) and ultrasoft pseudopotential (US PP) methods to the function of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) approach are utilised for density functional computation of ...CuInS2. It enables the prediction of thermoelectric characteristics, including Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, power factor and figure of merit by semi-classical Boltzmann approach. At 800 K, the highest magnitude of Seebeck coefficient is estimated as 6.91× 10-5 V·K-1. The maximum figure of merit (zT) is predicted as 1.04 × 10-4 at 800 K. Findings from this study suggest that CuInS2 has prospective to be used in the thermoelectric power generating sector.
Numerous scholars in the scientific and management areas have been overly focused on contemporary breakthroughs in two-dimensional objects for multiple prospective applications. Photochemical and ...electrocatalytic functions of integrated circuits associated with multi-component tools have been enhanced by designing the macro- and microstructures of the building blocks. Therefore, the current research attempts to explore a larger spectrum of layered graphitic carbon nitrides (g-C3N4) and their derivatives as an efficient catalyst. By executing systematic manufacturing, optimization, and evaluation of its relevance towards astonishing energy storage devices, adsorption chemistry, and remediation, many researchers have focused on the coupling of such 2D carbon nitrides combined with suitable elementals. Hybrid carbon nitrides have been promoted as reliable 2D combinations for the enhanced electrophotocatalytic functionalities, proved by experimental observations and research outputs. By appreciating the modified structural, surface, and physicochemical characteristics of the carbon nitrides, we aim to report a systematic overview of the g-C3N4 materials for the application of energy storages and environments. It has altered energy band gap, thermal stability, remarkable dimensional texturing, and electrochemistry, and therefore detailed studies are highlighted by discussing the chemical architectures and atomic alternation of g-C3N4 (2D) structures.
Activation of the complement cascade (CC) with myocardial infarction (MI) acutely initiates immune cell infiltration, membrane attack complex formation on injured myocytes, and exacerbates myocardial ...injury. Recent studies implicate the CC in mobilization of stem/progenitor cells and tissue regeneration. Its role in chronic MI is unknown. Here, we consider complement component C3, in the chronic response to MI. C3 knockout (KO) mice were studied after permanent coronary artery ligation. C3 deficiency exacerbated myocardial dysfunction 28 days after MI compared to WT with further impaired systolic function and LV dilation despite similar infarct size 24 hours post-MI. Morphometric analysis 28 days post-MI showed C3 KO mice had more scar tissue with less viable myocardium within the infarct zone which correlated with decreased c-kit(pos) cardiac stem/progenitor cells (CPSC), decreased proliferating Ki67(pos) CSPCs and decreased formation of new BrdU(pos) /α-sarcomeric actin(pos) myocytes, and increased apoptosis compared to WT. Decreased CSPCs and increased apoptosis were evident 7 days post-MI in C3 KO hearts. The inflammatory response with MI was attenuated in the C3 KO and was accompanied by attenuated hematopoietic, pluripotent, and cardiac stem/progenitor cell mobilization into the peripheral blood 72 hours post-MI. These results are the first to demonstrate that CC, through C3, contributes to myocardial preservation and regeneration in response to chronic MI. Responses in the C3 KO infer that C3 activation in response to MI expands the resident CSPC population, increases new myocyte formation, increases and preserves myocardium, inflammatory response, and bone marrow stem/progenitor cell mobilization to preserve myocardial function.
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