Harnessing the photocatalytic potential of bismuth ferrite-activated carbon nanocomposite (BFO-AC) for Staphylococcus aureus decontamination under visible light.

In response to the escalating global issue of microbial contamination, this study introduces a breakthrough photocatalyst: bismuth ferrite-activated carbon (BFO-AC) for visible light-driven disinfection, specifically targeting the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Employing an ultrasonication method, we synthesized various BFO-AC ratios and subjected them to comprehensive characterization. Remarkably, the bismuth ferrite-activated carbon 1:1.5 ratio (BA 1:1.5) nanocomposite exhibited the narrowest band gap of 1.86 eV. Notably, BA (1:1.5) demonstrated an exceptional BET surface area of 862.99 m2/g, a remarkable improvement compared to pristine BFO with only 27.61 m2/g. Further investigation through FE-SEM unveiled the presence of BFO nanoparticles on the activated carbon surface. Crucially, the photocatalytic efficacy of BA (1:1.5) towards S. aureus reached its zenith, achieving complete inactivation in just 60 min. TEM analysis revealed severe damage and rupture of bacterial cells, affirming the potent disinfection capabilities of BA (1:1.5). This exceptional disinfection efficiency underscores the promising potential of BA (1:1.5) for the treatment of contaminated water sources. Importantly, our results underscore the enhanced photocatalytic performance with an increased content of activated carbon, suggesting a promising avenue for more effective microorganism inactivation.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modeling studies of modulated benzyloxychalcones as potential acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) have become a significant target in the search for an efficient treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Chalcone-based compounds display a strong potency to hinder AChE. So, this study focused on the synthesis of a series of new chalcone derivatives with anti-cholinesterase potential and their structures were characterized based on spectroscopic methods including IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. Chalcone derivatives were screened against AChE. Most of them exhibited potent inhibitory activity against AChE. Compound 11i showed the most potent activity toward acetylcholinesterase compared to the positive compound, Galantamine. Docking studies into the active site of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme ravealed the significant docking score of the synthesized compounds with docking score of -7.959 to -9.277 kcal/mol when compared to the co-crystallized ligand, Donepezil (-10.567 kcal/mol). The interaction's stability was further assessed using a conventional atomistic 100 ns dynamics simulation study, which revealed the conformational stability of representative compound 11i in the cavity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

A review of research trends on the usage of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment: bibliometric analysis.

Photocatalysis is seen as a viable alternative to treating water pollution, due to its flexibility, low cost, and ability to use visible light which is a plentiful and free energy source. Hence, determining the topics of interest and widening collaboration networks will go a long way in improving research in this field. In this study, we aimed to analyze the global research trends on the usage of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment using bibliometric analysis, centered on the outputs of publications, co-authorships, countries of affiliation, and author's keyword co-occurrences. Bibliometric analysis is a review method that is well-known and more conversant to Social Science. Employing it in Physical Science, which is rarely seen, will provide an avenue and yet another method of determining common research topics as well as the potential opportunities and future research in the field. A potential hybrid review paper of great importance to future research in the area will be produced. A total of 1373 articles published within 27 years between 1993 and 2020 were extracted from the Scopus database. In the beginning, less attention was given to the said topic, because after the oldest article was published in 1993, there was no record of other publications until after 5 years (1998). However, from 2002 there was a growing interest in research in that field, with a cumulative increase every year to date, except for a few years with fewer publications. Meanwhile, the number of publications has risen significantly from 2017 to 2020, with an increase of more than 70 publications every year; this is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years. Recently researchers are focusing on developing efficient photocatalysts for contaminants of emerging concern, like pharmaceutical and refinery wastewater, however, the usage of conducting polymers to produce nanocomposite which was found to be very effective is still lagged in wastewater treatment, as such it will be a good area of future research on effective photocatalysts for wastewater treatment. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40899-023-00868-5.