Synthesis of Fluorescent Nitrogen and Phosphorous Co-doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Sensing of Iron, Cell Imaging and Antioxidant Activities.

Carbon quantum dots (CQD) as the result of their exceptional physical and chemical properties show tremendous potential in various field of applications like cell imaging and doping of CQDs with elements like nitrogen and phosphorous increase its fluorescence property. Herein, we have synthesized fluorescent nitrogen and phosphorous codoped carbon quantum dots (NPCQDs) via a one-pot hydrothermal method. Sesame oil, L-Aspartic acid, and phosphoric acid were used as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous sources, respectively. UV-Vis spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectrometer (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the synthesized fluorescent NPCQDs. The as-synthesized NPCQDs with a particle size of 4.7 nm possess excellent water solubility, high fluorescence with high quantum yield (46%), high ionic stability, and resistance to photobleaching. MTT assay indicated the biocompatibility of NPCQDs and it was used for multicolor live-cell imaging. Besides, the NPCQDs show an effective probe of iron ions (Fe3+) in an aqueous solution with a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity. The DPPH assay showed its good antioxidant activity.

Hydrothermal green synthesis of MoS2 nanosheets for pollution abatement and antifungal applications.

In this study, we report a green synthesis of MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) using a facile hydrothermal technique in the presence of l-cysteine. l-Cysteine can serve as a greener source of sulfur as well as a capping agent to help the growth of MoS2 nanosheets. The prepared materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electron transmission microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS), and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) analysis. The results showed that MoS2 NSs are of high crystallinity with a lattice spacing of 0.61 nm. The optical bandgap of MoS2 NSs nanosheets prepared using l-cysteine as a source of sulfur was found to be 1.79 eV. The photocatalytic degradation of MoS2 NSs towards methylene orange (MO) and rhodamine blue (RB) dyes under sunlight was found to be promising for practical applications. The fast kinetics of degradation of MO and RhB was observed over a wide range of pH range. Moreover, MoS2 NSs showed excellent antifungal activities against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Penicillium chrysogenum fungus.

Vitamin C assisted synthesis of rGO-Ag/PANI nanocomposites for improved photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical wastes.

A highly efficient visible light active polyaniline (PANI)/Ag composites grafted reduced graphene oxide (rGO-Ag/PANI) was prepared for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of paracetamol. The structural, morphological, and light absorption properties of the as-synthesized rGO-Ag/PANI were characterized by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Paracetamol was taken as a model water pollutant to investigate the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the rGO-PANI/Ag nanocomposites under visible light radiation. The result shows the degradation of paracetamol to be 99.6% in the acidic medium (pH 5) and 75.76% in the basic medium (pH 9), respectively. The enhanced degradation efficiency is attributed to the synergetic effect of rGO, PANI, and Ag NPs in the nanocomposites. This synergy of the rGO-Ag/PANI is explained by the strong adsorption efficiency, charge separation, and light absorption in the visible region.

3D mesoporous structure assembled from monoclinic M-phase VO2 nanoflakes with enhanced thermochromic performance.

Monoclinic M-phase VO2 is a promising candidate for thermochromic materials due to its abrupt change in the near infrared (NIR) transmittance along with the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) at a critical temperature ∼68 °C. However, low luminous transmittance (T lum), poor solar energy modulation ability (ΔT sol), and high phase transition temperature (T c) can limit the application of VO2 for smart windows. To overcome these limitations, 3D mesoporous structure can be employed in VO2 films. Herein, 3D mesoporous structures assembled from monoclinic M-phase VO2 nanoflakes with a pore size of about 2-10 nm were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using Ensete ventricosum fiber (EF) as a template followed by calcination at 450 °C. The prepared film exhibited excellent thermochromic performance with balanced T lum = 67.3%, ΔT sol = 12.5%, and lowering T c to 63.15 °C. This is because the 3D mesoporous structure can offer the uniform dispersion of VO2 nanoflakes in the film to enhance T lum, ensure sufficient VO2 nanoflakes in the film for high ΔT sol and lower T c. Therefore, this work can provide a green approach to synthesize 3D mesoporous structures assembled from monoclinic M-phase VO2 nanoflakes and promote their application in smart windows.

Correction to "Fluorescent-Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Citrus Lemon Juice: Green Synthesis, Mercury(II) Ion Sensing, and Live Cell Imaging".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03175.].

Fluorescent-Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Citrus Lemon Juice: Green Synthesis, Mercury(II) Ion Sensing, and Live Cell Imaging.

In this study, we report a green and economical hydrothermal synthesis of fluorescent-nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) using citrus lemon as a carbon source. The prepared NCQDs possess high water solubility, high ionic stability, resistance to photobleaching, and bright blue color under ultraviolet radiation with a high quantum yield (∼31%). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results show that the prepared NCQDs have a narrow size distribution (1-6 nm) with an average particle size of 3 nm. The mercury ion (Hg2+) sensing efficiency of the NCQDs was studied, and the result indicated that the material has high sensitivity, high precision, and good selectivity for Hg2+. The limit of detection (LOD) is 5.3 nM and the limit of quantification (LOQ) is 18.3 nM at a 99% confidence level. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using MCF7 cells, and the cell viabilities were determined to be greater than 88% upon the addition of NCQDs over a wide concentration range from 0 to 2 mg/mL. Based on the low cytotoxicity, good biocompatibility, and other revealed interesting merits, we also applied the prepared NCQDs as an effective fluorescent probe for multicolor live cell imaging.

Magnetite nanoparticle decorated reduced graphene oxide for adsorptive removal of crystal violet and antifungal activities.

This work reports the synthesis and application of magnetic rGO/Fe3O4 NCs using a pod extract of Dolichos lablab L. as areducing agent. GO was synthesized by a modified Hummers method, however GO was reduced using the plant extract to produce rGO. The as-synthesized rGO/Fe3O4 NCs were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, FT-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy supported with energy dispersed X-ray spectroscopy (FESEM-EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The synthesis of magnetic rGO/Fe3O4 NCs was confirmed from characterization results of FT-Raman, TEM and VSM. The FT-Raman results showed the D and G bands at 1306.92 cm-1 and 1591 cm-1 due to rGO and a peak at around 589 cm-1 due to Fe3O4 NPs that were anchored on rGO sheets; TEM results showed the synthesis of Fe3O4 with an average particle size of 8.86 nm anchored on the surface of rGO sheets. The VSM result confirmed the superparamagnetic properties of the rGO/Fe3O4 NCs with a saturation magnetization of 42 emu g-1. The adsorption capacity of rGO/Fe3O4 NCs towards crystal violet (CV) dye was calculated to be 62 mg g-1. The dye removal behavior fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model implies possible chemisorption. Besides, rGO/Fe3O4 NCs showed antifungal activities against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida albicans by agar-well diffusion method with a zone inhibition of 24 mm and 21 mm, respectively. Therefore, rGO/Fe3O4 NCs can be used as an excellent adsorbent to remove organic dye pollutants and kill pathogens.

Selective synthesis of visible light active γ-bismuth molybdate nanoparticles for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, reduction of 4-nitrophenol, and antimicrobial activity.

In this study, we have reported selective synthesis of bismuth molybdate (γ-Bi2M2O6) nanoparticles (NPs) under different pH conditions for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB), reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) and antimicrobial activities. The synthesis of pure phase γ-Bi2M2O6 at pH = 3 was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman analysis. A single hexagonal morphology was obtained at pH = 3 which shows the formation of the pure phase γ-Bi2M2O6 NPs. The mixed morphologies (hexagonal and spherical) were observed at different pH values other than pH = 3. The bandgap energy of all the synthesized Bi2M2O6 NPs is found in the visible region (2.48-2.59 eV). The photocatalytic activity of bismuth molybdate (BM) NPs was examined by the degradation of MB under visible light irradiation. Results show that 95.44% degradation efficiency was achieved by pure γ-Bi2M2O6 NPs compared to mixed phases (γ-Bi2M2O6, α-Bi2M2O6 and ß-Bi2M2O6) synthesized at pH = 1.5 and 5. Moreover, the degradation efficiency of γ-Bi2M2O6 was enhanced to 98.89% by the addition of H2O2. The effective catalytic activity of γ-Bi2M2O6 was observed during the reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP by NaBH4. Potential antibacterial and antifungal activity of γ-Bi2M2O6 was observed, which gives a basis for further study in the development of antibiotics.

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures and investigation of their photocatalytic and bactericidal applications.

We report a facile one-pot green synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures using aqueous leaf extract of Dolichos Lablab L. as the reducing and capping agent. The optical properties, structure and morphology of the as-synthesized ZnO nanostructures have been characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) supported with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM analysis revealed that the as-synthesized ZnO nanostructures have an average particle diameter of 29 nm. XRD patterns confirmed the formation of phase-pure ZnO nanostructures with a hexagonal wurtzite structure. The synthesized ZnO nanostructures were used as a catalyst in the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (RhB) and orange II (OII) under visible and near-UV irradiation. The results showed the highest efficiency of photodegradation of ZnO nanostructures for MB (80%), RhB (95%) and OII (66%) at pH values of 11, 9 and 5, respectively, in a 210 min time interval. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the ZnO nanostructures using the agar well diffusion method against Bacillus pumilus and Sphingomonas paucimobilis showed the highest zones of inhibition of 18 mm and 20 mm, respectively. Hence, ZnO nanostructures have the potential to be used as a photocatalyst and bactericidal component.

Green syntheses of silver nanoparticle decorated reduced graphene oxide using l-methionine as a reducing and stabilizing agent for enhanced catalytic hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol and antibacterial activity.

Herein, we have reported a facile and green synthesis approach of Ag NP decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO) through an in situ self-assembly method in the presence of l-methionine (l-Met) as reducing and stabilizing agent. The electronic properties, crystal structure, and morphology of the as-synthesized RGO-Ag nanocomposite were investigated by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. UV-Vis and FTIR show the effective reduction of GO and the formation of Ag NPs using l-Met. FESEM, TEM, and XRD analysis show the successful impregnation of Ag NPs into RGO with a 23 nm average crystallite size. The RGO-Ag nanocomposite with NaBH4 shows a fast-catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AMP). The enhanced catalytic activity of RGO-Ag nanocomposites can be attributed to the synergistic effect of improved adsorption capacity and the absence of agglomeration of Ag nanoparticles. Moreover, RGO-Ag showed strong antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and E. coli.