Search Results (24)

This research presents the synthesis of Fe-doped ZnS nanocomposites via a chemical route, exploring their photocatalytic activity against amoxicillin (AMX) and evaluating their hydrogen production potential. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by several state-of-the-art analytical techniques, such as XRD, SEM, PL, UV adsorption, Raman, TEM, and AFM. The photocatalytic performance revealed significant degradation of AMX under optimal conditions. Specifically, Fe-doped ZnS nanocomposites achieved a degradation efficiency of 94% within 120 min at a photocatalyst dosage of 110 mg. The pristine ZnS nanoparticles exhibited a hydrogen production rate of 23.6 µmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹, whereas Fe doping substantially enhanced this rate to 526.6 µmol·g⁻¹·h⁻¹ under optimized conditions. The optimal temperature for hydrogen production was 200 °C, with maximum efficiency at pH 7. Furthermore, the recyclability tests demonstrated that the photocatalyst maintained a considerable hydrogen production rate over multiple cycles, underscoring its potential for commercial nanotechnology and environmental science applications. Full article

Antimicrobial compounds have been gaining paramount importance in recent years since there has been a lot of concern over the increasing threats from microbial infections. Medicinal smoke has always been received with warmth and positivity, and being an age-old traditional process, it has been practiced down the generations. Nanomaterials have become highly promising when it comes to antimicrobial applications, and carbon nanomaterials have also gained preeminence. In the following study, carbon nanodots were extracted and characterized from benzoin resin smoke and tested for their antibacterial, anti-oral bacterial, and anti-biofilm properties. 2–15 nm-sized carbon nanodots were isolated, and their antibacterial activity was validated. Carbon coatings were made on glass using the benzoin resin-extracted carbon nanodots using a simple dip–dry technique. These coatings were confirmed to possess antibiofilm activity against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. With rising concerns over chemically synthesized nanomaterials, green extraction of carbon nanodots from benzoin smoke will come in handy for multiple biomedical applications. Full article

Sustainable energy has always been the top-priority research discussion, and nanomaterials in energy applications have facilitated the achievement of this goal. For the first time, this review highlights the subtle, overlooked, unaccounted expenditure of energy going into nanomaterial synthesis. In the present article, we give a brief overview of the various nanomaterials used in energy applications and present their general synthesis methods. The lack of data/information on the energy expended on nanomaterial synthesis has been critically pointed out. The alternative, energy-saving, energy-efficient methods, considering sustainability even at the nanomaterial synthesis level, have been put forth as recommendations. This article aims at creating an awareness towards planning of holistic sustainable energy-efficient nanomaterial synthesis processes that will conserve energy. The question projected is: what is the purpose of losing energy during synthesis of energy producing and energy storing nanomaterials? Full article

Antibiotic resistance is a major crisis that the modern world is confronting. This review highlights the abundance of different types of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in two major reservoirs in the environment, namely hospital and municipal wastewater, which is an unforeseen threat to human lives across the globe. The review helps understand the current state of affairs and the whereabouts on the dissemination of ARGs in both these environments. The various traditional wastewater treatment methods, such as chlorination and UV treatment, and modern methods, such as electrochemical oxidation, are discussed, and the gaps in these technologies are highlighted. The need for the development of newer techniques for wastewater treatment with enhanced efficiency is urgently underscored. Nanomaterial applications for ARG removal were observed to be less explored. This has been discussed, and prospective nanomaterials and nanocomposites for these applications are proposed. Full article

Perovskites can absorb solar energy and are extensively used in various catalytic and photocatalytic reactions. However, noble metal particles may enhance the catalytic, photocatalytic, and antibacterial activities. This study demonstrates the cost-effective green synthesis of the photocatalyst perovskite LaMnO₃ and its modification with noble metal Ag nanoparticles. The green synthesis of nanocomposite was achieved through a hydrothermal method employing aqueous extract derived from Citrus limon (L.) Burm peels. The properties of fabricated perovskites LaMnO₃ and LaMnO₃-Ag nanocomposites were evaluated and characterized by Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area techniques. The particle size distribution % of LaMnO₃ and LaMnO₃-Ag was observed to be 20 to 60 nm after using TEM images. The maximum percentage size distribution was 37 nm for LaMnO₃ and 43 nm for LaMnO₃-Ag. In addition, LaMnO₃-Ag nanocomposite was utilized as a photocatalyst for the degradation of Rose Bengal (RB) dye and its antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The surface area and band gap for perovskite LaMnO₃ nanoparticles were calculated as 12.642 m²/g and 3.44 eV, respectively. The presence of noble metal and hydrothermal-bio reduction significantly impacted the crystallinity. The BET surface area was found to be 16.209 m²/g, and band gap energy was calculated at 2.94 eV. The LaMnO₃ nanocomposite with noble metal shows enhanced photocatalytic effectiveness against RB dye (20 PPM) degradation (92%, R² = 0.995) with pseudo-first-order chemical kinetics (rate constant, k = 0.05057 min⁻¹) within 50 min due to the ultimate combination of the hydrothermal and bio-reduction technique. The photocatalytic activity of the LaMnO₃-Ag nanocomposite was optimized at different reaction times, photocatalyst doses (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 g/L), and various RB dye concentrations (20, 30, 40, and 50 ppm). The antibacterial activities of green synthesized LaMnO₃ and LaMnO₃-Ag nanoparticles were explored based on colony-forming unit (cfu) reduction and TEM images of bacterial and nanoparticle interactions for S. aureus and E. coli. An amount of 50 µg/mL LaMnO₃-Ag nanocomposite was sufficient to work as the highest antibacterial activity for both bacteria. The perovskite LaMnO₃-Ag nanocomposite synthesis process is economically and environmentally friendly. Additionally, it has a wide range of effective and exclusive applications for remediating pollutants. Full article

Crossbreeding in dairy cattle with exotic breeds continues to be an appealing practice to the dairy farmers of Bangladesh. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of crossbreeding on both the physical attributes and milk quality traits of crossbred cattle in Bangladesh. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of crossbreeding Bangladeshi local cattle with the exotic Holstein breed on their body characteristics and milk quality. To achieve the goal, data pertaining to body traits and milk samples were gathered from a total of 981 cows from 19 dairy farms located in the northwestern region of Bangladesh. A trained evaluator measured body condition score (BCS), udder score, locomotion score, and body conformation traits. Milk yield information was acquired from official records, while milk composition details were determined through milk analysis. Notably, crossbred cows (Holstein × Local cattle) exhibited greater values for wither height (141 vs. 135, cm), body length (157 vs. 153, cm), heart girth (211 vs. 204, cm), BCS (3.69 vs. 3.27), and udder score (3.29 vs. 2.08) than their Bangladeshi local counterparts. Furthermore, crossbred cows produced 42.4% and 35.3% more milk (10.89 vs. 7.65, kg/d) and fat-corrected milk (10.35 vs. 7.54, kg/d) than Bangladeshi local cattle. However, milk from crossbred cows displayed lower fat and protein content, although their somatic cell score (SCS) and energy-corrected milk remained similar. Additionally, milk from crossbred cows exhibited a longer coagulation time when compared to that of Bangladeshi local cattle. In conclusion, crossbred cows (Holstein × Local cattle) had improved body characteristics with greater milk yield than Bangladeshi local cattle; however, lower fat and protein contents in milk with longer coagulation time were noted. Full article

The issue of organic contaminants in water resulting from industrial, agricultural, and home activities makes it necessary to effectively address the problems of water scarcity. Using modern technologies that can effectively remove pollutants from wastewater is the way to address this key problem. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) has been advocated due to their unique physical and chemical characteristics and advantageous applications. NPs’ surface stability and synthesis routes are core concerns for environmental remediation and biological applications. In this work, we demonstrated the biogenic synthesis of silver NPs (Ag-CS NPs) by using Caralluma subulata (CS) aqueous extract as a reducing and capping/template agent. The synthesized Ag-CS NPs were characterized by UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, powdered X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Zeta potential. The performance of Ag-CS NPs was evaluated on methylene blue (MB) dye degradation and antibacterial activity tests against bacterial and fungal isolates. The results showed that Ag-CS NPs (0.05%, 20.0 μL) reduced MB by 95.52% within 28 min in the presence of NaBH₄ (10.0 mM, 0.980 μL). The degradation of MB followed pseudo zero-order chemical kinetics (R² = 0.9380), with the reaction rate constant 0.0508 mol L⁻¹ min⁻¹. In addition, Ag-CS NPs were applied as antibacterial agents against 19 bacterial isolates. Ag-CS NPs showed inhibition in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial, as well as fungal isolates. As a greener ecofriendly approach, multifunctional Ag-CS NPs make a promising candidate for the remediation of contaminated water, as well as for important bioapplications. Full article

Hydrogen is considered a good clean and renewable energy substitute for fossil fuels. The major obstacle facing hydrogen energy is its efficacy in meeting its commercial-scale demand. One of the most promising pathways for efficient hydrogen production is through water-splitting electrolysis. This requires the development of active, stable, and low-cost catalysts or electrocatalysts to achieve optimized electrocatalytic hydrogen production from water splitting. The objective of this review is to survey the activity, stability, and efficiency of various electrocatalysts involved in water splitting. The status quo of noble-metal- and non-noble-metal-based nano-electrocatalysts has been specifically discussed. Various composites and nanocomposite electrocatalysts that have significantly impacted electrocatalytic HERs have been discussed. New strategies and insights in exploring nanocomposite-based electrocatalysts and utilizing other new age nanomaterial options that will profoundly enhance the electrocatalytic activity and stability of HERs have been highlighted. Recommendations on future directions and deliberations for extrapolating information have been projected. Full article

Diabetes mellitus is a life-threatening disorder affecting people of all ages and adversely disrupts their daily functions. Despite the availability of numerous synthetic-antidiabetic medications and insulin, the demand for the development of novel antidiabetic medications is increasing due to the adverse effects and growth of resistance to commercial drugs in the long-term usage. Hence, antidiabetic phytochemicals isolated from fruit plants can be a very nifty option to develop life-saving novel antidiabetic therapeutics, employing several pathways and MoAs (mechanism of actions). This review focuses on the antidiabetic potential of commonly available Bangladeshi fruits and other plant parts, such as seeds, fruit peals, leaves, and roots, along with isolated phytochemicals from these phytosources based on lab findings and mechanism of actions. Several fruits, such as orange, lemon, amla, tamarind, and others, can produce remarkable antidiabetic actions and can be dietary alternatives to antidiabetic therapies. Besides, isolated phytochemicals from these plants, such as swertisin, quercetin, rutin, naringenin, and other prospective phytochemicals, also demonstrated their candidacy for further exploration to be established as antidiabetic leads. Thus, it can be considered that fruits are one of the most valuable gifts of plants packed with a wide spectrum of bioactive phytochemicals and are widely consumed as dietary items and medicinal therapies in different civilizations and cultures. This review will provide a better understanding of diabetes management by consuming fruits and other plant parts as well as deliver innovative hints for the researchers to develop novel drugs from these plant parts and/or their phytochemicals. Full article

The study of intermolecular interactions between ethanol (E-OH), cinnamaldehyde (CAD) with anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in non-aqueous media has been examined by utilizing conductometric and spectroscopic techniques. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) values have been determined. The experimental conductance data were analyzed against temperature and concentration using standard relations. The pseudo phase separation model has been adopted to calculate various thermodynamic parameters like standard free energy, ∆G°_mic, enthalpy, ∆H°_mic, and entropy, ∆S°_mic, of micelle formation. Fourier transforms infrared analysis (FTIR), and Fluorescence spectra were taken out to assess the possible interactions prevailing in the micellar systems. The findings demonstrated that the presence of SDS, and the composition of CAD + ethanol might affect the thermodynamic parameters. The discrepancy in these parameters with the surfactant concentration or with the temperature change indicates the manifestation of different interactions prevailing in the studied systems. Full article

Biogenic synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extract is a promising trend in research to reduce chemical consumption and avoid wastewater treatment complications. In this work, the zero-valent Fe/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe⁰/Fe₃O₄ NPs) were synthesized using Caralluma acutangula (CA) plant, widespread in the Jazan region in Saudi Arabia. The synthesis process involves hydrothermal treatment of plant extract and iron (III) mixture at 80 °C to facilitate the reduction reaction of iron (III) cations. The Fe⁰/Fe₃O₄ NPs were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, XPS, TGA, UV, and S_BET. The obtained data support the formation of Fe⁰/Fe₃O₄ NPs crystal structure with an average particle size of 9.6 nm and surface area of 89 m².g⁻¹. The biosynthesized Fe⁰/Fe₃O₄ NPs were then applied for the photodegradation of Methylene blue (MB) dye as one of the most common organic dyes in wastewater due to several industrial human activities. Different parameters for MB degradation were performed, such as kinetics and thermodynamics studies. The data obtained reflect the nonspontaneous endothermic process with 87.8 KJ. mol⁻¹ activation energy (E_a). Full article

(1) Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the most frequent causes of biofilm-associated infections. With the emergence of antibiotic-resistant, especially methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), there is an urgent need to discover novel inhibitory compounds against this clinically important pathogen. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity of 11 compounds, including phenyl propenes and phenolic aldehydes, eugenol, ferulic acid, sinapic acid, salicylaldehyde, vanillin, cinnamoyl acid, and aldehydes, against drug-resistant S. aureus isolates. (2) Methods: Thirty-two clinical S. aureus isolates were obtained from Alkhidmat Diagnostic Center and Blood Bank, Karachi, Pakistan, and screened for biofilm-forming potential, and susceptibility/resistance against ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, amikacin, cephalothin, clindamycin, streptomycin, and gentamicin using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Subsequently, 5 representative clinical isolates were selected and used to test the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm potential of 11 compounds using both qualitative and quantitative assays, followed by qPCR analysis to examine the differences in the expression levels of biofilm-forming genes (ica-A, fnb-B, clf-A and cna) in treated (with natural compounds and their derivatives) and untreated isolates. (3) Results: All isolates were found to be multi-drug resistant and dominant biofilm formers. The individual Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of natural compounds and their analogues ranged from 0.75–160 mg/mL. Furthermore, the compounds, Salicylaldehyde (SALI), Vanillin (VAN), α-methyl-trans-cinnamaldehyde (A-MT), and trans-4-nitrocinnamic acid (T4N) exhibited significant (15–92%) biofilm inhibition/reduction percentage capacity at the concentration of 1–10 mg/mL. Gene expression analysis showed that salicylaldehyde, α-methyl-trans-cinnamaldehyde, and α-bromo-trans-cinnamaldehyde resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) downregulation of the expression of ica-A, clf-A, and fnb-A genes compared to the untreated resistant isolate. (4) Conclusions: The natural compounds and their analogues used in this study exhibited significant antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activity against S. aureus. Biofilms persist as the main concern in clinical settings. These compounds may serve as potential candidate drug molecules against biofilm forming S. aureus. Full article

Due to the growing demand for hydrogen, the photocatalytic hydrogen production from alcohols present an intriguing prospect as a potential source of low-cost renewable energy. The noble metals (Ag, Au, Pd and Pt) deposited LaMnO₃ nanocomposites were synthesized by a non-conventional green bio-reduction method using aqueous lemon peel extract, which acts as both reducing and capping agent. The successful deposition of the noble metals on the surface of LaMnO₃ was verified by using powder XRD, FTIR, TEM, N₂-physisorption, DR UV-vis spectroscopy, and XPS techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized nanocomposites was tested for photocatalytic H₂ production under visible light irradiation. Different photocatalytic reaction parameters such as reaction time, pH, catalyst mass and reaction temperature were investigated to optimize the reaction conditions for synthesized nanocomposites. Among the synthesized noble metal deposited LaMnO₃ nanocomposites, the Pt-LaMnO₃ nanocomposite offered superior activity for H₂ production. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Pt-LaMnO₃ was found as a result from low bandgap energy, high photoelectrons generation and enhanced charge separation due to deposition of Pt nanoparticles. The effective noble metal deposition delivers a new route for the development of plasmonic noble metal-LaMnO₃ nanocomposites for photocatalytic reforming of aqueous methanol to hydrogen. Full article

Nanomaterials, today, are an integral part of our everyday lives, industrial processes and appliances. Biosynthesis, because of its environmental sustainability, is now becoming a hot topic. The biosynthesis of nanomaterials using plant phytochemicals enhances the nanomaterial’s biocompatibility and its compatibility with the environment too. Hence, forthe first time, this study uses Caralluma acutangula (CA) plant extracts to synthesize silver nanoparticles (CA-AgNPs) and characterize them using UV–visible spectroscopy, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, TEM, TGA, SEM, EDX, zeta potential, and bandgap analysis. The particle size distributions of CA-AgNPs were observed to fall in the range of 2–6 nm predominantly using TEM images. High crystallinity % was calculated as 86.01 using XRD data. Extracted phytochemicals from CA were characterized and analyzed using GC-MS. The bandgap (Eg) of CA-AgNPs was calculated as 3.01 eV and zeta potential was found to be −16.1 mV. The biosynthesized CA-AgNPs were confirmed for their degradation efficiency of two toxic water pollutant dyes: Congo red, CR (95.24% degradation within 36 min), and methylene blue, MB (96.72% degradation within 32 min), in the presence of NaBH₄. Different doses of CA-AgNPs and NaBH₄ were checked for their chemical kinetics and rate constant analysis. The chemical kinetics were explored on the basis of integrated rate law model equations and confirmed as pseudo-zero-order reactionsfor CR and MB dyes. The rate constant ‘k’ for CR and MB was calculated as 0.0311 and 0.0431 mol.L⁻¹.min⁻¹, respectively. Full article

Chitosan has come a long way in biomedical applications: drug delivery is one of its core areas of imminent application. Chitosan derivatives are the new generation variants of chitosan. These modified chitosans have overcome limitations and progressed in the area of drug delivery. This review briefly surveys the current chitosan derivatives available for biomedical applications. The biomedical applications of chitosan derivatives are revisited and their key inputs for oral drug delivery have been discussed. The limited use of the vast chitosan resources for oral drug delivery applications, speculated to be probably due to the interdisciplinary nature of this research, is pointed out in the discussion. Chitosan-derivative synthesis and practical implementation for oral drug delivery require distinct expertise from chemists and pharmacists. The lack of enthusiasm could be related to the inadequacy in the smooth transfer of the synthesized derivatives to the actual implementers. With thiolated chitosan derivatives predominating the oral delivery of drugs, the need for representation from the vast array of ready-to-use chitosan derivatives is emphasized. There is plenty to explore in this direction. Full article