Search Results (40)

The present study involves the synthesis of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-stabilized iron-based trimetallic nanoparticles with different metal addition sequences (Fe/Ag/Zn, Fe/Zn/Ag and Fe/(Zn/Ag)) using the sodium borohydride reduction method. In order to investigate the catalytic reactivity of the nanoparticles, a series of batch experiments were performed using methyl orange dye as a model pollutant. It was found that the Fe/Ag/Zn system showed the maximum catalytic activity compared to the other studied trimetallic systems. About 100% of the methyl orange dye was removed within 1 min and the second-order rate constant obtained was 0.0744 (mg/L)⁻¹ min⁻¹; the rate of reaction was higher than that of the other trimetallic systems. Furthermore, the effects of pH, initial dye concentration and nanoparticle dosage on the degradation of methyl orange were investigated. The results showed that the reactivity of the Fe/Ag/Zn trimetallic nanoparticles was highly dependent on the aforementioned parameters. Higher reactivity was obtained at lower pH, lower initial methyl orange dye concentration and higher nanoparticle dosage. Lastly, liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) was used to elucidate the reaction pathway and identify by-products from methyl orange degradation. The developed catalyst demonstrated exceptionally rapid and apparent degradation of methyl orange within one minute, outperforming previously reported bimetallic and trimetallic systems. This work reports a cost-effective nZVI-based trimetallic system containing minimal silver, which shows promising reactivity toward azo dye degradation and may be suitable for future application in textile wastewater treatment. Full article

The microbial resistance era prompts researchers to find new effective antimicrobial agents. Trimetallic nanocomposites consisting of AuAg nanostructures and iron oxide nanoparticles can represent an efficient tool to inhibit bacterial growth as demonstrated here. The trimetallic nanocomposites, prepared by green chemistry approach, are grafted on a modified, plasma-treated, flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Spectroscopic and microscopic characterization of the trimetallic nanocomposites grafted on modified PET together with antibacterial tests confirm the successful applicability of the newly developed material: a statistically significant antibacterial effect against E. coli is proven. This effect is further pronounced by a short time (5 min) UVA light (365 nm) irradiation. The present work thus reports on the feasible preparation of the brand-new material that is successfully used in E. coli colony growth regulations. The impact of small noble metal nanostructures containing Ag and UVA light-activated iron oxide particles on the bacterium can be combined and results in the improved antibacterial performance of the final material. Employing such material may represent a potential strategy for fighting against the development of bacteria resistance. Full article

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) with enzyme-mimicking activities, known as nanozymes, are being actively explored for biomedical and analytical applications. Enhancing their catalytic activity and metal utilization efficiency is crucial for advancing these technologies. Here, we report an aqueous-phase, room-temperature synthesis of tetra-metallic Au@Ag-Pd-Pt NPs that exhibit superior peroxidase-like activity compared to their mono-, bi-, and trimetallic counterparts. The synthesis involves a sequential, seed-mediated approach comprising the formation of Au NP seeds, the overgrowth of a Ag shell, and the galvanic replacement of Ag with Pd and Pt ions. We systematically investigated the effects of the Au core diameter (15, 40, 55 nm), Ag precursor concentration (50–400 µM), and the Pd-to-Pt ratio on the optical and catalytic properties. By changing the particle composition, we were able to tune the absorbance maximum from 520 nm to 650 nm while maintaining high extinction coefficients (10⁹–10¹⁰ M⁻¹cm⁻¹) comparable to that of the initial Au nanoparticles. Mapping of chemical element distributions in the nanoscale range confirmed a core–shell–shell architecture with surface-enriched Pd and Pt. This structure ensures the surface-exposed localization of catalytically active atoms, yielding a more than 10-fold improvement in specific peroxidase-like activity while utilizing up to two orders of magnitude less Pt and Pd than bimetallic particles. The synthesized NPs thus combine high catalytic activity with tunable optical properties, making them promising multifunctional labels for biosensing. Full article

Chemical sensors, relying on electrical conductance changes in a gas-sensitive material due to the surrounding gas, have the (dis-)advantage of reacting with multiple target gases and humidity. In this work, we report CMOS-integrated SnO₂ thin film-based gas sensors, which are functionalized with mono-, bi-, and trimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) to optimize the sensor performance. The spray pyrolysis technology was used to deposit the metal oxide sensing layer on top of a CMOS-fabricated micro-hotplate (µhp), and magnetron sputtering inert-gas condensation was employed to functionalize the sensing layer with metallic NPs, Ag-, Pd-, and Ru-NPs, and all combinations thereof were used as catalysts to improve the sensor response to carbon monoxide and to suppress the cross-sensitivity toward humidity. The focus of this work is the detection of toxic carbon monoxide and a specific hydrocarbon mixture (HC_mix) in a concentration range of 5–50 ppm at different temperatures and humidity levels. The use of CMOS chips ensures low-power, integrated sensors, ready to apply in cell phones, watches, etc., for air quality-monitoring purposes. Full article

We demonstrate the systematic optimization of SnO₂-based thin-film chemical sensors by using mono-, bi- and tri metallic nanoparticles (NPs) composed of Ag, Pd, and Ru, which are deposited via magnetron sputtering inert gas condensation. The ultrathin SnO₂ films are integrated on CMOS-based micro-hotplate devices, where each chip contains 16 sensor devices in total. We found that the response of the sensor device can be significantly tuned to specific target gases, such as CO and VOCs, by using various types of NPs. Full article

The superior properties of electrodeposited trimetallic CuZnCo nanoparticles, arising from the synergistic effect of combining the unique features of metallic components, were confirmed using voltametric measurements. The surface morphology and structure of the as-prepared electrocatalysts were determined using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques. Here, the trimetallic CuZnCo nanoparticles were synthesized as a powerful redox probe and highly efficient signal amplifier for the electrochemical oxidation of tryptophan. Differential pulse voltammetry studies showed a linear relationship with a tryptophan concentration of 5–230 μM, and the low detection limit was identified at 1.1 μM with a sensitivity of 0.1831 μA μM⁻¹ cm⁻². Full article

The contamination of industrial water sources with synthetic dyes, such as methylene blue (MB), remains a persistent environmental concern, demanding effective remediation techniques. In response, this research centers on the utilization of trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs) composed of Fe-Ni-Cr, Fe-Ni-Cd and Fe-Ni-Cu as a promising solution to address color-related pollution in aquatic ecosystems. These nanoparticles were synthesized using the wet chemical precipitation method and rigorously characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), energy-dispersive X-rays (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Armed with these trimetallic nanoparticles, our primary objective was to harness their photocatalytic prowess when exposed to direct sunlight in aqueous environments for the degradation of MB. The progress of photodegradation was meticulously monitored using a reliable visible spectrophotometer, providing insights into the degradation kinetics. Remarkably, within just six hours of solar irradiation, the TMNPs exhibited a remarkable capacity to degrade MB, achieving an impressive degradation rate ranging from 77.5% to 79.4%. In our relentless pursuit of optimization, we conducted a comprehensive examination of various parameters including catalyst dosage, dye dosage, and pH levels, focusing specifically on the Fe-Ni-Cr TMNPs. Through systematic experimentation, a trifecta of optimal conditions emerged: a pH level of 10 (resulting in a 79.35% degradation after 1.5 h), a catalyst amount of 0.005 g (yielding 43.5% degradation after 1.5 h), and a dye concentration of 40.0 ppm (culminating in a 42.54% degradation after 1.5 h). The study also extended its scope to explore the regeneration potential of the catalyst, shedding light on its sustainability in long-term applications. Amidst the vibrant interplay of color and water, TMNPs emerged as a symbol of optimism, offering a promising avenue for the removal of synthetic dyes from the water system. With each experiment and investigation, we inch closer to realizing clearer waters and brighter environmental horizons. Full article

The generation of H₂ via the catalytic hydrolysis of sodium borohydride (SBH) has promise as a practical and secure approach to produce H₂, a secure and environmentally friendly energy source for the foreseeable future. In this study, distinctive trimetallic NiCoPd nanoparticle-supported carbon nanofibers (NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs) is synthesized via sol-gel and electrospinning approaches. The fabricated trimetallic catalysts show an excellent catalytic performance for the generation of H₂ from the hydrolysis of SBH. Standard physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs. The results show that NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs is formed, with an average particle size of about 21 nm. When compared to NiCo bimetallic NP @CNFS, all NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs formulations demonstrated greater catalytic activates for the hydrolysis of SBH. The improved catalytic activity may be due in the majority to the synergistic interaction between the three metals in the trimetallic architecture. Furthermore, the activation energy for the catalytic hydrolysis of SBH by the NiCoPd tri-NPs@CNFs was determined to be 16.30 kJ mol⁻¹. The kinetics studies show that the reaction is of a first order with respect to the catalyst loading amount and a half order with respect to the SBH concentration [SBH]. Full article

An electrochemical sensor based on AuPtPd trimetallic nanoparticles functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes coupled with chitosan modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE/CS/MWCNTs-AuPtPd) was proposed for the rapid detection of bisphenol A (BPA). AuPtPd trimetallic nanoparticles were first assembled on MWCNTs to obtain MWCNTs-AuPtPd nanocomposite. Then, the MWCNTs-AuPtPd was further dispersed on the chitosan-modified electrode surface to fabricate the GCE/CS/MWCNTs-AuPtPd sensor. Due to the superior catalytic properties of MWCNTs-AuPtPd and the good film formation of chitosan, the constructed sensor displayed good performances for BPA detection. The structural morphology of CS/MWCNTs-AuPtPd was characterized in many ways, such as SEM, TEM and UV-vis. The designed sensor showed a linear relationship in concentration range from 0.05 to 100 µM for BPA detecting, and the detection limit was 1.4 nM. The GCE/CS/MWCNTs-AuPtPd was further used to realize the detection of BPA in food samples, and the recovery was between 94.4% and 103.6%. Those results reflected that the electrochemical sensor designed by CS/MWCNTs-AuPtPd nanocomposites was available, which could be used for the monitoring of food safety. Full article

Metal nanoparticles are assumed to be a new generation of biologically active materials. The integrations between more than one metal are synergetic multifunctional features. In the current study, trimetallic copper–selenium–zinc oxide nanoparticles (Tri-CSZ NPs) were successfully mycosynthesized using Aspergillus niger through an ecofriendly method for the first time. The biosynthesis of the particles was characterized using physiochemical and topographical analysis. The physiochemical analysis included Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which affirmed that the biosynthesis of Tri-CSZ NPs relies on the functional groups of fungal filtrates. Additionally, the UV–visible and X-ray diffraction patterns were proposed for the formation of Tri-CSZ NPs; moreover, topography analysis confirmed that the micromorphology of the nanoparticles were similar to a stick, with ends having a tetragonal pyramid shape, and with an average nanosize of about 26.3 ± 5.4 nm. Cytotoxicity results reveled that the Tri-CSZ NPs have no cytotoxicity on the human normal cell line Wi 38 at low concentrations, where the IC50 was 521 µg/mL. Furthermore, the antifungal activity of the Tri-CSZ NPs was evaluated. The antifungal results revealed that the Tri-CSZ NPs have promising antifungal activity against Mucor racemosus, Rhizopus microsporus, Lichtheimia corymbifera, and Syncephalastrum racemosum, where the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were 1.95, 7.81, 62.5, and 3.9 µg/mL, and the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) were 250, 62.5, 125, and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, Tri-CSZ NPs were successfully mycosynthesized using A. niger, which have a promising antifungal activity against fungi causing mucormycosis. Full article

The biological synthesis of nanoparticles with copper, silver, and zinc (Cu, Ag, Zn) is reported in this study, adopting a greener, safe, reliable, and eco-friendly approach by using an aqueous leaf extract of Catharanthus roseus. The synthesised trimetallic nanoparticles were characterised using different characterisation techniques. The UV–visible spectroscopic technique was initially used to assess nanoparticle formation, in which absorption bands were observed at 220, 270, and 370 nm for Cu, Zn, and Ag nanocomposites, respectively. XRD revealed that the average crystalline size of the nanocomposites was 34.67 nm. The roles of reducing and capping/stabilising agents in the synthesis of Cu/Ag/Zn nanoparticles were confirmed by FTIR analysis, and the successful biosynthesis of the same was also confirmed by X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. Potential applications of these synthesised trimetallic nanoparticles were evaluated by assessing their antioxidant and catalytic dye degradation activities. The antioxidant activity of the synthesised nanomaterial was studied using the DPPH assay. The catalytic breakdown of the harmful dyes phenol red and eosin yellow was examined using NaBH₄ as a reducing agent. The results showed that the nanomaterial’s radical scavenging capacity at 1000 ug/mL was 75.76% and the degradation of these dyes was up to 78% in the presence of NaBH₄. Furthermore, the biogenic trimetallic nanomaterial exhibited effective catalytic degradation activity against methyl red and phenol red dyes. Full article

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) need newly designed novel affordable catalysts for commercialization. Additionally, unlike bimetallic systems, trimetallic catalytic systems are not extensively investigated in terms of their catalytic potential toward redox reactions in fuel cells. Furthermore, the Rh potential to break the ethanol rigid C-C bond at low applied potentials, and therefore enhance the DEFC efficiency and CO₂ yield, is controversial amongst researchers. In this work, two PdRhNi/C, Pd/C, Rh/C and Ni/C electrocatalysts are synthesized via a one-step impregnation process at ambient pressure and temperature. The catalysts are then applied for ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR). Electrochemical evaluation is performed using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). Physiochemical characterization is pursued using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Unlike Pd/C, the prepared Rh/C and Ni/C do not show any activity for (EOR). The followed protocol produces alloyed dispersed PdRhNi nanoparticles of 3 nm in size. However, the PdRhNi/C samples underperform the monometallic Pd/C, even though the Ni or Rh individual addition to it enhances its activity, as reported in the literature herein. The exact reasons for the low PdRhNi performance are not fully understood. However, a reasonable reference can be given about the lower Pd surface coverage on both PdRhNi samples according to the XPS and EDX results. Furthermore, adding both Rh and Ni to Pd exercises compressive strain on the Pd lattice, noted by the PdRhNi XRD peak shift to higher angles. Full article

Nanoparticles are materials whose size is less than 100 nm. Because of their distinctive physical and chemical characteristics, nanoparticles have drawn considerable interest in a variety of fields. Biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a green and environmentally friendly technology, which requires fewer chemical reagents, precursors, and catalysts. There are various types of nanomaterials, out of which trimetallic nanoparticles are receiving considerable interest in recent years. Trimetallic nanoparticles possess unique catalytic, biomedical, antimicrobial, active food packaging, and sensing applications as compared to monometallic or bimetallic nanoparticles. Trimetallic nanoparticles are currently synthesized by various methods such as chemical reduction, microwave-assisted, thermal, precipitation, and so on. However, most of these chemical and physical methods are expensive and toxic to the environment. Biological synthesis is one of the promising methods, which includes the use of bacteria, plants, fungi, algae, waste biomass, etc., as reducing agents. Secondary metabolites present in the biological agents act as capping and reducing agents. Green trimetallic nanoparticles can be used for different applications such as anticancer, antibacterial, antifungal, catalytic activity, etc. This review provides an overview of the synthesis of trimetallic nanoparticles using biological agents, and their applications in different areas such as anticancer, antimicrobial activity, drug delivery, catalytic activity, etc. Finally, current challenges, future prospects, and conclusions are highlighted. Full article

Multimetallic systems, instead of monometallic systems, have been used to develop materials with diverse supported species to improve their catalytic, antimicrobial activity, etc., properties. The changes in the types of nanospecies obtained through the thermal reduction of ternary Ag⁺-Cu²⁺-Zn²⁺/mordenite systems in hydrogen, followed by their cooling in an air or hydrogen atmosphere, were studied. Such combinations of trimetallic systems with different metal content, variable ratios (between them), and alternating atmosphere types (during the cooling after reducing the samples in hydrogen at 350 °C) lead to diversity in the obtained copper and silver nanospecies. No reduction of Zn²⁺ was evidenced. A low silver content leads to the formation of reduced silver clusters, while the formation of nanoparticles of a bigger size takes place in the trimetallic samples with high silver content. The cooling of the reduced trimetallic samples in the air causes the oxidation of the obtained metallic clusters and silver and copper nanoparticles. In the case of copper, such conditions lead to the formation of mainly copper (II) oxide, while the silver nanospecies are converted mainly into clusters and nanoparticles. The zinc cations provoked changes in the mordenite matrix, which was associated with the formation of point oxygen defects in the mordenite structure and the formation of surface zinc oxide sub-nanoparticles in the samples cooled in the air. Full article

The influence of metals with different redox properties and a carbon carrier on the activity of mono-, bi- and trimetallic Pt-Ni-Cr/C catalysts has been studied in the bicyclohexyl dehydrogenation reaction as the hydrogen release stage in hydrogen storage. An increase in the conversion (X > 62%) of bicyclohexyl and selectivity for biphenyl (S > 84%) was observed on trimetallic catalysts Pt-Ni-Cr/C compared with the monometallic catalyst Rt/C (X > 55%; S > 68%). It has been established that the increase in the conversion of bicyclohexyl and selectivity for biphenyl in the dehydrogenation reaction on trimetallic catalysts is due to an increase in the activity of Pt nanoparticles in the vicinity of local Cr-Ni clusters of solid substitution solutions. Full article