Construction of p-n-p nano heterojunction through coupling La2O3, (BiO)2CO3 and Ag3PO4 for effective photocatalytic degradation of doxycycline: Insights into mechanism, pathway and intermediate toxicity evaluation.

The present work is centred around the development of La2O3/(BiO)2CO3/Ag3PO4 (LBA), a p-n-p nano-heterojunction to photodegrade doxycycline under visible light irradiation. Here, ultrasonication assisted co-precipitation method was employed to synthesize the photocatalyst. The photocatalyst was characterized using different analysis such as SEM, TEM, elemental mapping, XRD, XPS, FTIR, Raman, BET, DRS, PL and EIS which confirmed the successful fabrication of LBA and their excellent ability to refrain the e-/h+ recombination owing to the construction of the heterojunction. LBA was found to degrade DOX by 91.75 % with the high mineralization of 87.23%. The impact of the reaction parameters influencing the photodegradation process including the concentration of the NCs and DOX, pH and the influence of the commonly present anions were studied. The stability and reusability of the LBA was assessed through subjecting it to four cycles of photodegradation of DOX. In addition, the recovered LBA was characterized through XPS and XRD analysis to confirm the particles stability and reusability. The active participation of the photogenerated charges and the reactive oxygen species were identified through the scavenging assay and ESR analysis. Further, GC-MS/MS analysis was performed to put forward a plausible photodegradation pathway. The toxicity of the end products as well as the intermediates was predicted through ECOSAR software.

Eco-friendly cubic-ZnS coupled Cu7S4 spines on chitosan matrix: Unravelling defect-engineered nanoplatform for the photodegradation of p-chlorophenol.

Novel ZnS-Cu7S4 nanohybrid supported on chitosan matrix, as an ideal photocatalyst, was fabricated by the sonochemical method wherein high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the co-existence of both ZnS and Cu7S4; presence of vacancy sites in ZnS was verified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and their introduction could promote two-photon excitation facilitated visible light response and charge transport/separation. The type II interface is formed in the ZnS-Cu7S4/Chitosan heterojunction owing to interstitial states that promote charge separation. The ZnS-Cu7S4/Chitosan was used for the photodegradation of a pharmaceutical pollutant, p-chlorophenol (PCP); over 98.8% of PCP photodegradation was achieved under visible-light irradiation where the ensued ·O2- and ·OH serve a key role in the photodegradation of PCP. In vitro cytotoxicity studies substantiated that the ZnS-Cu7S4/Chitosan is nontoxic to the ecosystem and human beings and endowed with promising photodegradation properties and accessibility via an environmentally friendly design, bodes well for its potential remediation applications.

Cytopathological study of cutaneous and subcutaneous mycosis presenting as soft-tissue swellings: A 5-year retrospective study from a tertiary care center in South India.

Objectives: Cutaneous and subcutaneous mycosis can mimic skin and soft-tissue neoplasms clinically and pose diagnostic challenge to pathologists on cytology. Since there are a limited number of studies on this topic from South India and etiological agents vary with geographic region, in this paper, we present clinical and cytological features of the same the objective of this study is to review and evaluate clinical and cytological features of subcutaneous and cutaneous mycosis with histopathological correlation wherever available. Materials and Methods: This was an observational and retrospective study of 5-year duration. All cases diagnosed as mycosis on cytology were retrieved from pathology records. Cytology slides along with special stains for fungus were reviewed. Review of histopathology slides and culture correlation was done whenever available. Statistical analysis was done using frequencies and percentages. Results: There were 39 cases during the study period (male - 34 and female - 5). On aspiration, all cases yielded pus; microscopy revealed necrotic debris in 39 cases, inflammatory infiltrate in 39 cases, epithelioid granulomas with multinucleated giant cells in 25 cases, and negative staining hyphal forms in 37 cases. Special stains for fungus showed septate hyphal forms suggestive of Aspergillus species in 34 cases, and yeast and pseudo hyphal forms of candida species in one case. A broad category as fungal infection without subtyping was given in four cases. Culture did not yield growth but fungus was identified on KOH mounts. Histopathology showed fungus in 13 of 14 cases done. Conclusion: Subcutaneous mycosis should be suspected when aspiration yields pus and appropriate special stains must be done. Aspergillus species was the most common etiological agent in our study.

Designing novel MgFe2O4 coupled V2O5 nanorod for synergetic photodegradation of tetracycline with enhanced visible-light energy harvesting: Photoluminescence, kinetics, intrinsic mechanism and bactericidal effect.

The present study focused on the enhancement of degradation of an important pharmaceutical pollutant, tetracycline with the help of nano photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. The study found that the synergetic effect of novel MgFe2O4-V2O5 enhanced the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. Here, the photocatalyst was synthesized by sonochemical technique. Scanning electron microscopy image indicates the coupling of MgFe2O4 nanocapsules on the surface of the V2O5 nanorod. The bandgap of MgFe2O4 (1.8 eV) and V2O5 (2.5 eV) was shifted to 2.32 eV in MgFe2O4-V2O5 to promote visible-light harvesting and it was depicted by the UV-visible DRS. XPS was used to identify the presence of chemical states with the existence of Mg 1s, Fe 2p, V 2p, and O 1s. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectra indicate the better separation of charge carriers owing to the formation of type II heterojunction formation. The tetracycline (25 mg/L) was degraded with MgFe2O4-V2O5 (150 mg/L) that exhibited 3.3 and 5 folds enhanced rates than its counterparts (MgFe2O4 and V2O5) owing to synergism. The possible intermediate formation and degradation pathway was determined based on GC/MS analysis. TOC analysis of end products indicated maximum mineralization of tetracycline. The MgFe2O4-V2O5 showed excellent recycling ability and reusability. The key photo-degradation of tetracycline was occurred by the generation of hydroxyl radicals. The MgFe2O4-V2O5 exhibited high antibacterial activity that ensures the dual functionality of the prepared nanocomposites (NCs). Therefore, the present study displays MgFe2O4 decorated V2O5 nanorod as an ideal candidate for environmental remediation.

CuO loaded ZnS nanoflower entrapped on PVA-chitosan matrix for boosted visible light photocatalysis for tetracycline degradation and anti-bacterial application.

Novel photocatalyst CuO loaded ZnS nanoflower supported on carbon frame work PVA/Chitosan was synthesized by co-precipitation and ultrasonic assisted method. The co-existence of ZnS and CuO and its crystallinity in nanohybrid was verified by XRD, SAED and HR-TEM analysis. The availability of defects in ZnS was identified by EPR. FTIR and TGA verified the presence of PVA and Chitosan. Defects mediated ZnS-CuO/PVA/chitosan heterojunction promote synergistic charge separation with type II interface. Zn-vacancy facilitates two-photon excitation that improves visible-light harvesting. The photocatalytic activity of ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan was 94.7% which is higher when compared to ZnS (40%) and CuO (60%). The photocatalytic mechanism was elucidated using scavenger test and both ·O2- and ·OH were found to play key role in tetracycline degradation. In addition, ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan demonstrated efficient anti-microbial effect against the both gram strains on comparing with individual ZnS and CuO. Thus, the multifunctional ZnS-CuO/PVA/Chitosan is promising for the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline and as an antimicrobial agent.

Synthesis and characterizations of hybrid PEG-Fe3O4 nanoparticles for the efficient adsorptive removal of dye and antibacterial, and antibiofilm applications.

PURPOSE: Dyes are highly toxic coloured compounds in nature that are largely applied in paper, food, textile and printing industries. Here, the adsorption technique was performed to remove methyl orange (MO) dye from water by polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs). METHODS: The method used for Fe3O4 NPs synthesis was chemical precipitation. The particles were analyzed by transmission electron microscope, magnetometer, BET analyzer, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, zetasizer and particle size analyzer. The influence of pH (4.0 to 10.0), NaCl concentration (0.01 mM to 2 M), adsorbent dosage (1 to 10 mg), and the role of surface charge on adsorptive removal were investigated. RESULTS: The NPs size, zeta potential and surface area was found to be 26 ± 1.26 nm, 33.12 ± 1.01 mV and 119 m2/g respectively. The adsorption of MO on Fe3O4 NPs agreed best to Freundlich model (R2 = 0.965) when compared with Langmuir model (R2 = 0.249). By comparing pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.937), kinetic adsorption study was better followed by pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R2 = 1). The adsorption rate decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. At pH 4, maximum adsorption was noted. The particles were also exhibited excellent antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. The ROS formation, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress were increased with increase in NPs concentration. The NPs precoated slides exhibited more than 50% growth inhibition. CONCLUSION: The investigation denotes the versatile applications of the prepared particles for removing the dye stuffs from industrial effluents and as antibacterial and antibiofilm agent.

Impact of bovine serum albumin - A protein corona on toxicity of ZnO NPs in environmental model systems of plant, bacteria, algae and crustaceans.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are widely applied in industrial, household and medical areas that lead to its discharge and accumulation in ecosystem. Here, the toxic effect of ZnO NPs in presence and absence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was analyzed. The difference in toxicity of bare ZnO and BSA interacted ZnO was studied with different environmental models. P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were used as model bacterial systems. Toxicity against bacteria was determined by employing plate count method. C. pyrenoidsa was used as algal system for evaluating toxicity and it was determined by chlorophyll estimation assay. Daphnia sp. was chosen as crustacean system model. A. cepa root cells were chosen as plant model. ZnO NPs increased the ROS formation, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress and it reduced in the presence of BSA. The cytotoxicity, chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei (MN) index of A. cepa were increased after ZnO NPs treatment. Same time the toxic effect was decreased in case of BSA coated ZnO NPs. The NPs toxic potential on the organisms decreased in the order of P. aeruginosa (LC50-0.092 mg/L) > S. aureus (LC50-0.33 mg/L) > Daphnia sp (LC50-0.35 mg/L) > C. pyrenoidosa (LC50-8.17 mg/L). LC50 in presence of BSA was determined to be 18.45, 26.24, 17.27 and 53.97 mg/L for P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, Daphnia sp and C. pyrenoidosa respectively. Therefore, the report suggests that BSA stabilized ZnO NPs could be more amenable towards applications in biotechnology and bioengineering.

Cytotoxicological evaluation of copper oxide nanoparticles on green algae, bacteria and crustacean systems.

PURPOSE: Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been utilized in several industries including textile, consumer products, medical, automobiles etc. The discharge of industrial effluents in environment increased the probability of CuO NPs contamination in the ecosystem. METHODS: The present investigation used CuO NPs to determine the toxic effect on Lyngbya species, fresh water algae isolated from natural pond, bacterial species Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and a crustacean species Daphnia magna. RESULTS: The NPs average diameter and zeta potential was estimated to be 45 ± 3 nm and 29 ± 1.78 mV respectively. The results showed that 0.1 µg/mL CuO NPs showed the growth inhibition of 47 ± 2% on Lyngbya sp. after 5 days of incubation. The CuO NPs also showed toxic effect to bacterial systems such as P. aeruginosa and S. aureus and crustacean system D. magna. Further, there was an increased lipid peroxidation and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in algal cells observed up on NPs exposure. The exposure of NPs suppressed the antioxidant defense system. The amount of glutathione was reduced after the exposure of NPs. CONCLUSION: The study suggested the role of ROS in toxicity of algal and bacterial systems. The present study pointed out the potent toxicity of CuO NPs to the organisms present in the aquatic environment.

A potent multifunctional Ag/Co-polyvinylpyrrolidone nanocomposite for enhanced detection of Cr(III) from environmental samples and its photocatalytic and antibacterial applications.

Trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) is considered to exhibit hormesis (bi-phasic dose-response) property, where low dose be beneficial and high dose shows toxic effect. The present work describe the development of a bimetallic Ag/Co-polyvinylpyrrolidone nanocomposite (Ag/Co-PVP NPs) probe to detect and quantify Cr(III) ions from aqueous samples. The hydrodynamic size and zeta potential of the particle was determined to be 29 ± 1.3 nm and -37.19 ± 2.4 mV respectively. The interaction of Cr(III) with Ag/Co-PVP probe showed drastic change in colour of NPs from dark brown to pale yellow, with corresponding blue shift, tapering width and increased peak intensity. The probe showed high specificity towards Cr(III) among the tested metal ions. A linearity was observed between various dilutions of Cr(III) ions (10 to 50 nM) and the absorbance of Ag/Co-PVP NPs at 428 nm with R2 value of 0.998. The minimum detectable limit of Cr(III) was calculated to be 0.6 nM. The influence of salinity, temperature and pH on detection was studied. The probe was found to detect Cr(III) at acidic pH effectively. Competitive metal ions did not interfere the detection of Cr(III). The water sample collected from Noyyal river was taken to estimate Cr(III) by using the prepared probe to ensure practical applicability. The sample contains 9.3 nM of Cr(III) that was cross verified with AAS analysis. Hence, it is understood that the reported probe can be used to detect Cr(III) selectively with high accuracy from aqueous samples. In addition, the particles also exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity under visible light. Ag/Co-PVP nanocomposites exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against both gram +ve (B. subtilis) and gram -ve (E. coli) bacteria.

Defect studies on short-wave infrared photovoltaic devices based on HgTe nanocrystals/TiO2 heterojunction.

Narrow bandgap (<0.5 eV) colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (e.g. mercury chalcogenides) provide practical platforms for next generation short wave infrared, mid wave infrared and long wave infrared optoelectronic devices. Until now, most of the efforts in the field of infrared active nanocrystals have been taken on synthesizing nanocrystals, determining quantum states and building different geometries for optoelectronic devices. However, studies on interface trap states in the devices made from these narrow band gap nanocrystals are mostly unexplored. Herein, we investigate the defects or traps in these nanocrystals-embedded devices, which will be critical for improving their optoelectronic performance. In this article, we fabricate HgTe nanocrystals/TiO2 based photovoltaic devices and used capacitance-voltage (C-V) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) to investigate and obtain quantitative information on deep level trap states. Interestingly, frequency dependent C-V measurements show two peaks in the capacitance at lower frequency (<40 kHz), which is attributed to the presence of trap states. However, at high frequency the presence of a weak hump-like structure almost at the center of above two peaks validate the role of interface traps. DLTS studies show that traps at the interface of HgTe nanocrystals/TiO2 acts as recombination centers having activation energies of 0.27, 0.4 and 0.45 eV with corresponding trap densities of 1.4 [Formula: see text], 1.[Formula: see text] and 1.[Formula: see text] and estimated capture cross-sections of 6.3 [Formula: see text], 7.5 [Formula: see text] and 3.7 [Formula: see text], respectively. In this work, DLTS has revealed the existence of interface trap states and the frequency dependent capacitance measurements corroborate the effect of charge storage on the heterostructures built from these nanocrystals that helps in the development of futuristic devices.