Template free synthesis of CuO nanocomposite for catalytic hydrogenation of CO2.

Increasing CO2 emissions from industry has disastrous consequences for the environment. Effective utilization of CO2 as a carbon source can address the environmental challenges, and we can address the energy crisis caused by fossil fuel consumption. Electrochemical conversion of CO2 is a promising method recently gaining widespread popularity. Its high productivity, however, remains a major challenge. This work involved a facile novel preparation of a suitable CuO nanocomposite to reduce CO2 into useful fuels effectively. Hydrothermal synthesis was used to synthesize the nanocomposite. The synthesized NC's structure, morphology, and elemental analysis were evaluated using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM. ICP-OES analysis was performed to quantify Cu concentration in the CuO composite, confirming 98.6% of Cu of the prepared matrix. The cyclic voltammetry method has been used to study the electrochemical activity of NC for CO2 reduction. Additionally, the NMR & GC-MS analyses were performed to identify the product. Regarding CO2 reduction, the NC performed greatly better than the ordinary CuO. In addition, the NC exhibits high structural stability and durability, demonstrating its potential to reduce CO2 into fuels.

Colorimetry-Based Detection of Nitric Oxide from Exhaled Breath for Quantification of Oxidative Stress in Human Body.

Monitoring exhaled breath is a safe, noninvasive method for determining the health status of the human body. Most of the components in our exhaled breath can act as health biomarkers, and they help in providing information about various diseases. Nitric oxide (NO) is one such important biomarker in exhaled breath that indicates oxidative stress in our body. This work presents a simple and noninvasive quantitative analysis approach for detecting NO from exhaled breath. The sensing is based on the colorimetric assisted detection of NO by m-Cresol Purple, Bromophenol Blue, and Alizaringelb dye. The sensing performance of the dye was analyzed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The study covers various sampling conditions like the pH effect, temperature effect, concentration effect, and selective nature of the dye. The m-Cresol Purple dye exhibited a high sensitivity towards NO with a detection limit of ~0.082 ppm in the linear range of 0.002-0.5 ppm. Moreover, the dye apprehended a high degree of selectivity towards other biocompounds present in the breath, and no possible interfering cross-reaction from these species was observed. The dye offered a high sensitivity, selectivity, fast response, and stability, which benchmark its potential for NO sensing. Further, m-Cresol Purple dye is suitable for NO sensing from the exhaled breath and can assist in quantifying oxidative stress levels in the body for the possible detection of COVID-19.