Explore the vast range of titles available.

In this study, cubic zinc blende ZnSe and Nd-doped ZnSe (Zn 1−x Nd x Se; x = 0.05) nanomaterials were synthesized using a co-precipitation protocol to investigate their photocatalytic performance for Congo Red (CR) dye degradation. The pH of the growth medium was adjusted to 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0 in an acidic medium using hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent to study its impact on the synthesis conditions of the semiconductor chalcogenide. The cubic structure was confirmed through structural analysis, which revealed a decrease in particle size with increasing pH. The optimal growth condition was identified based on morphological analysis. Optical studies showed a reduced band gap (2.46 eV at pH 5) due to Nd doping, facilitating visible light absorption and enhancing photodegradation activity. The neodymium doped ZnSe NPs demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic efficacy for the degrading Congo Red dye under sunlight, achieving 94.3% degradation within 80 min. Adsorption kinetics followed the first-order and Elovich models, while the Temkin isotherm provided the best fit for the synthesized catalyst, indicating strong dye-catalyst interactions. After four cycles of stability testing, the catalyst maintained over 95% efficiency, demonstrating its remarkable durability and potential for sustainable wastewater treatment.

This communication reports the preparation of glasses having chemical composition xDy 2 O 3 -0.10Li 2 O-0.15ZnO-0.10Bi 2 O 3 -(0.65-x)P 2 O 5 ( x = 0.01, 0.015, 0.020, 0.025) to develop mechanically improved material with radiation shielding features. The observed XRD patterns reveal the amorphous nature of the samples under study. The density of the resulting glassy system is increased from 3.01 to 3.06 g.cm −3 with the incorporation of Dy 2 O 3 . Investigations reveal longitudinal (L) modulus increases from 31.28to 39.32 Gpa, shear (S) moduli increase from 10.23 to 12.84 Gpa, and microhardness increases from 1.65 to 2.07 Gpa, thereby exhibiting similar increasing behaviors with the addition of dysprosium atom. The increment in the calculated values of microhardness suggests the mechanical improvement of the as-prepared glass samples. The obtained UV–visible measurements reveal decent transparency of the samples under study. By incorporating Dy 3+ ions into the glassy matrix, the refractive index (n), and the optical conductivity are all increased. Moreover, with the incorporation of Dy 3+ , the obtained energy gap values show a drop from 3.72 to 3.31 eV, while the Urbach energy values show a rise from 0.26 to 0.58 eV. The Phy-X software tool has been used to theoretically study the impact of Dy 2 O 3 content on the shielding characteristics of this glass system. The equivalent atomic number, exposure buildup factor, and energy absorption buildup factor values for photon energy in the range from 0.02 MeV to 15 MeV are determined. The glass specimen with the highest quantity of dysprosium oxide has better shielding qualities, according to the measured data.

This work effectively synthesizes α-Fe₂O₃ anchored reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO NSs) for supercapacitor (SC) electrode applications using an easy and inexpensive ex-situ synthesis method. The structural, morphological and elemental composition of the produced nanocomposite electrodes have been examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and cyclic voltammetry (C-V) experiments were used to analyze the electrochemical behavior of rGO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites in 3 M KOH electrolyte. The binary 15% rGO-α-Fe₂O₃ (RF3) nanocomposite’s electrochemical performance shows a high specific capacitance of 380.6 Fg⁻¹ at a scan rate of 30 mVs⁻¹, along with an outstanding cyclic retention of 93.40% even after 2000 cycles. The specific capacitance of rGO/α-Fe₂O₃ composite synthesized by ex-situ method is higher than rGO and α-Fe₂O₃ and rGO/α-Fe₂O₃ composites synthesiszed by differents methods which is the novelty of this research work. Because of their excellent electrochemical performance and ease of manufacture, rGO/α-Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites can be used to great advantage in supercapacitors.

Heavy metal ion remediation from water system through accumulation using external electric field is proposed. Here, graphene nano-channel is utilized for heavy metal accumulation under different magnitude of electric fields (1.0 V/Å, 1.5 V/Å, and 2.0 V/Å). Molecular dynamics simulation was carried out in three phases i.e. initiation, accumulation, and cleaning phase. Cadmium, mercury, and lead heavy metal ions were selected and relative position, distance, energy, and radial distribution function were evaluated. The results show that the electrostatic attraction between the positively charged heavy metal ions and the negatively charged graphene nano-channel significantly increases with the increase in the magnitude of the external electric field, consequently enhancing ion accumulation. The interaction of the ions with the graphene nano-channel at the external electric field of 1.5 V/Å was found to be suitable.

Sustainable and scalable Calcium zinc titanate (CaZnTi 2 O 4 (CZT)) nanomaterial were investigated. Characterizations of CZT nanomaterial reveals that, it has a polycrystalline nature with crystallite size ̴ 48 nm and band gap was estimated to be 3.25 eV. The CZT NPs material proved to be an efficient photocatalyst by degrading 80% and 78.12% respectively for congo red and MB dyes under UV light. Energy storage and heavy metal ions sensing properties of CZT nanomaterial was investigated by developing a CZT modified carbon paste electrode and found that it exhibits a specific capacitance (C sp ) of 900 F/g and 90% stable after 800 cycles. Electrochemical sensing analysis revealed that limit of detection and quantification were found to be 5.61 μM and 18.70 µM for lead, and 1.18 μM and 3.9 μM for mercury respectively. These results make the nanomaterial a promising candidate for environmental and energy applications.

Zinc is an essential element that is readily available, inexpensive, and ecologically friendly, and it will be employed in both theranostic (diagnostic and therapeutic) applications in current industrial developments. Our current work used the green chemical approach to illuminate the zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized from Couroupita guianensis (CG) flower extract. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) embedded and techniques characterize the produced CG-ZnO NPs and determine their characteristics. Following the addition of CG-ZnO NPs, the antioxidant, antibacterial, and human sperm viability followed by DNA damage inhibition may be assessed using the comet test. The characterization results show that phenols, phytosterols, aromatic nitrides, and phytosterols from the FT-IR functional groups, UV-Vis of 340 nm as ZnO NPs confirmatory, followed by XRD with a 2-theta value of 101 o shows the sample’s crystallinity and its pure phase were validated by the XRD signal and FE-SEM with 14–18 nm in size and a spherical structure, then EDX with Zn particles confirm the presence of Zn. According to the results, CG-ZnO NPs form zones with diameters of 18 mm, 15 mm, 13 mm, 11 mm, and 7 mm against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, findings from antioxidant scavenging of free radicals quenching against specified DPPH methanol reveal that CG-ZnO NPs with 100 µg/ml (71.32%) are enough to act against free radicals, approximately equal to control ascorbic acid (72%). As a first effort, CG-ZnO NPs prevent DNA damage in human sperm cells against H 2 O 2 and UV radiation compared to the negative control. CG-ZnO NPs improved sperm cell viability and inhibited DNA damage when compared to control and H₂O₂. This research evaluates the outcome of the Comet Assay Software Project (CASP) for evaluating comet photographs. The automated CASP system aids in the assessment of sperm motility and quality. Comet formation in sperm cells, indicating DNA damage, was observed, and sperm cells treated with CG-ZnO NPs were recognized and validated using CASP version 1.2.2. As a consequence, our CG-ZnO NPs may be used as cryoprotectants against the freeze/thaw of artificial reproduction technology centres, protecting them from ROS free radicals for extended periods. Overall, the comparison results are consistent in both antioxidants and antibacterials, with notable results in sperm DNA damage inhibition having the potential for usage in various therapeutic domains. Graphical abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells, owing to their high-power conversion efficiency (η %) and low-cost fabrication. In this study, we investigate the effect of Bismuth Ferrite oxide (BiFeO 3 ) in the perovskite layer of PSC to enhance the η. The aim of our study is to improve the performance of BiFeO 3 PSC by utilizing a variety of Electron Transport Layers (ETLs), including PCBM, ZnO, TiO 2 , C 60 , IGZO, SnO 2 , WS 2 , and CeO 2 , as well as Hole Transport Layers (HTLs), including Cu 2 O, CuSCN, CuSbS 2 , NiO, P 3 HT, PEDOT: PSS, Spiro-MeOTAD, CuI, CuO, V 2 O 5 , CBTS, and CFTS. Furthermore, we examined the effect of temperature, series and shunt resistances, various metal contacts, and the thickness of various layers. Future design and optimization of stable and efficient PSCs for photovoltaics may be facilitated by the proposed studies.

The ability to transform mechanical energy into electrical power is an innovative feature of Dielectric Elastomer Generators (DEGs) that have emerged as promising electromechanical devices for harvesting energy from unexpected sources. DEGs are different from conventional energy harvesting techniques in that they are compact, have an easy-to-fabricate structure, and are devoid of any revolving parts. One self-powered subclass of DEGs that excels in extracting energy from low-frequency and low-amplitude mechanical sources is the triboelectric Nano generator (TENG). In order to fully examine the performance of TENGs in practical circumstances, this work presents a modified model that accounts for variations in amplitude, frequency, and the relative permittivity of the layers of elastomer. This study investigates the performance of a modified triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) using both experimental and simulation methods. A custom-designed TENG prototype was fabricated using elastomer materials Silk fibroin as top layer and PET as bottom layer with varying dielectric constants. Experimental assessments were carried out using a low-frequency mechanical shaker, while COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB were employed for simulations. Key parameters affecting TENG performance—frequency, relative permittivity, and separation distance were analyzed. Results indicate that output voltage increases with frequency up to 65 Hz, beyond which it stabilizes. Higher relative permittivity materials significantly enhance charge storage, leading to improved voltage and power generation. An optimal separation distance of 0.2 mm was identified for maximizing electrostatic interactions. Comparative analysis with existing models confirms the predictive accuracy of the modified performance model. These findings highlight the potential of TENGs for efficient low-frequency energy harvesting in wearable and environmental applications.

Zn 2+ -doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were prepared by the solution combustion method using hexamine as fuel. The observed X-ray diffraction patterns were shifted slightly when increasing the concentration of Zn 2+ ions because the structure was shrank. The structural parameters were modified by changing the concentration of Zn 2+ ions. The porous nature of the as-synthesized samples was confirmed by scanning electron micrographs. Magnetization was increased from 42 to 63 emu/g with the increasing concentration of Zn 2+ ions in cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. Antimicrobial activity was assessed against the Co 1- x Zn x Fe 2 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles, and it was confirmed that the prepared material could be used as an antimicrobial agent. It was found that 50% of cancer cells were inhibited by using 600 μg/ml Co 0.8 Zn 0.2 Fe 2 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles (IC 50 ).

In this study the effect of annealing on structural, optical and surface morphological properties of NiO/Co/Zn thin films were investigated. NiO/Co/Zn thin films were deposited onto the glass substrate using e-beam deposition technique. The prepared thin films were then vacuum annealed at two different temperatures (300 °C and 400 °C) to assess the impact of annealing on their properties. The presence of the cubic NiO phase was verified using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, with enhanced grain growth and improved crystallinity observed at higher annealing temperature (400 °C). UV–Vis spectroscopy was revealed a notable increase in emission intensity with annealing, particularly at 400 °C, suggesting reduced non-radiative recombination and improved electron–hole pair recombination efficiency. The energy bandgap of the films decreased from 4.34 eV (as-deposited) to 4.15 eV (annealing at 400 °C). This reduction into bandgap is attributed to improved crystallinity and fewer structural defects, enhancing photon absorption in the visible spectrum. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provided insights into surface morphology. A noticeable transformation in grain size and surface features was observed as the annealing temperature increased. The FE-SEM images indicate that films were uniformly deposited across the substrate, exhibiting excellent adhesion. The presence of specific peaks in the EDX spectra for Ni, Co and Zn corroborates the successful deposition of Co and Zn alongside NiO. Hall Effect measurements were revealed the conductivity of the thin film experiences a notable rise from 1.38 Ω⁻ 1  cm⁻ 1 to 96.94 Ω⁻ 1  cm⁻ 1 after annealing. The findings confirm that annealing significantly enhances the structural, optical and surface morphological properties of NiO/Co/Zn thin films.