Efficient detection of nitric oxide a biomarker associated with COVID19 via N, P co-doped C60 fullerene: a computational study.

CONTEXT: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a novel respiratory viral infection, causing a relatively large number of deaths especially in people who underly lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary and asthma, and humans are still suffering from the limited testing capacity. In this article, a solution is proposed for the detection of COVID-19 viral infections through the analysis of exhaled breath gasses, i.e., nitric oxide, a prominent biomarker released by respiratory epithelial, as a non-invasive and time-saving approach. Here, we designed a novel and low-cost N and P co-doped C60 fullerene-based breathalyzer for the detection of NO gas exhaled from the respiratory epithelial cells. This breathalyzer shows a quick response to the detection of NO gas by directly converting NO to NO2 without passing any energy barrier (0 kcal/mol activation energy). The recovery time of breathalyzer is very short (0.98 × 103 s), whereas it is highly selective for NO sensing in the mixture of CO2 and H2O gasses. The study provides an idea for the synthesis of low-cost (compared to previously reported Au atom decorated nanostructure and metal-based breathalyzer), efficient, and highly selective N and P co-doped C60 fullerene-based breathalyzer for COVID-19 detection. METHODS: The geometries of N and P-doped systems and gas molecules are simulated using spin-polarized density functional theory calculations.

Harnessing Bio-Immobilized ZnO/CNT/Chitosan Ternary Composite Fabric for Enhanced Photodegradation of a Commercial Reactive Dye.

Growing demand for sustainable wastewater treatment drives interest in advanced photocatalytic materials. Immobilized photocatalysts hold potential for addressing industrial wastewater organic pollutants, offering substantial surface area, agglomeration prevention, and easy removal. In this study, we successfully immobilized ZnO and carbon nanotubes onto a textile substrate through bilateral esterification and explored their effectiveness as a potent photocatalyst for degrading of commercial textile colorant reactive blue 4 (RB-4) colorant. Findings demonstrated significant improvements in photocatalytic performance upon integrating ZnO and CNTs into the fabric, coupled with chitosan immobilization. The immobilization process of ZnO and CNTs onto the substrate was elucidated through a proposed reaction mechanism, while the appearance of carbonyl peaks at 1719.2 cm-1 in the composite fabric further confirmed bilateral esterification. The as-developed immobilized nano-catalyst exhibited remarkable photocatalytic efficiency with an impressive 93.54% color degradation of RB-4. This innovative approach underscores the immense potential of the ternary immobilized (ZnO/fCNT/chitosan) composite fabric for efficient photocatalytic degradation in textile coloration processes. Exploring the early-stage development of immobilized photocatalysts contributes to safer and more eco-friendly practices, addressing pressing environmental challenges effectively.