Synergic effect of aqueous extracts of Ocimum sanctum and Trigonella foenum-graecum L on the in situ green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and as a preventative agent against antibiotic-resistant food spoiling organisms.

The combination of Ocimum sanctum and Trigonella foenum-graecum L leaf water extract synergistically acts as a reducing and capping agent for the synthesis of narrow polydisperse silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with controlled sizes depending on the precursor (AgNO3) concentration in the plant extract. The toxicity of 40 nm-sized green synthesized Ag NPs is less than that of 10 nm-sized NPs. The Ag NP solution in Ocimum sanctum and Trigonella foenum-graecum L leaf water extract shows synergic antibacterial effect on Gram-negative bacteria by effecting the ester group of the lipids (hydrolysis) and also breaking the amide bonds of the bacterial chemical constituents, which leads to their rapid death.

Solution-State Long-Range Molecular Ordering in Poly(3-hexylthiophene).

A blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(n-hexyl isocyanate-block-2-vinylpyridine) (PHIC-b-P2VP) in a common solvent shows the formation of long-range (micrometer-scale) nanowires of P3HT through hydrophobic interactions between the hexyl arms of P3HT and PHIC in a parallel way, which increase the planarity that leads to the generation of vibration bands with a lower free exciton bandwidth (W = 67 meV) in the solution state, which is further decreased to 9 meV after 48 h annealing of the blend film. The resulting nanowires of the P3HT show a 100-fold increase in current in comparison to pristine P3HT.