Structural, dielectric, and antimicrobial evaluation of PMMA/CeO2 for optoelectronic devices.

In the current report, we have successfully synthesized nanocomposites of PMMA incorporating different doping of CeO2 through a chemical approach. XRD results reflects decent matching for CeO2 nanoparticles with 29 nm crystallite size. FTIR spectroscopy demonstrates the characteristic functional groups validating the successful formation of the composite. The optical study of PMMA and the nanocomposites has proven that the optical properties such as band gap, refractive index, optical permittivity, and loss tangent factor are affected by adding CeO2 to the PMMA matrix.The peak residing around 420 nm by UV measurements is allocated to occurring electrons photoexcitation from the valence to conduction band inherent in CeO2. The dielectric measurements were achieved using broadband dielectric spectroscopy upon a wide span of frequencies (10-1-107 Hz) and within temperatures from - 10 to 80 °C with a step of 10 °C. The permittivity decreases by adding CeO2 and the dielectric parameters are thermally enhanced, however, the temperature influence is based on CeO2 content, the higher the CeO2 amount, the higher the influence of temperature. The results of the nanocomposites revealed antibacterial activity counter to gram-positive bacteria strain (S. aureus, and B. subtilis), and gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, and K. pneumoniae), yeast (C. albicans, as well as fungi (A. niger). Inherently, the change in CeO2 concentration from 0.01 to 0.1 wt% delivers maximum influence against gram-negative bacteria. These PMMA CeO2-doped composites are beneficial for optoelectronic areas and devices.

Polyanionic electrically conductive superabsorbent hydrogel based on sodium alginate-g-poly (AM-co-ECA-co-AMPS): Broadband dielectric spectroscopy investigations.

In this study, the dielectric behavior of polyanionic electrically conductive superabsorbent hydrogel based on sodium alginate-g-poly(AM-co-ECA-co-AMPS) was investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). The dielectric spectra obtained from -70 to 70 °C showed a superposition of three distinctive processes, electrode polarization, charge carrier's transport, and a molecular relaxation process. These dynamic processes were further analyzed along with the effect of both temperature and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) content. The development of a clear electrochemical double layer (ECDL) at the electrode/hydrogel interface strongly supports its possible application in supercapacitors' forms of energy storage. TGA, DSC, rheology, and electrochemical properties were studied. Furthermore, when the composite hydrogel with rGO content of 2.5 % was assembled into a symmetric supercapacitor, it displayed a specific capacitance of 756 F.g-1 at 1 A.g-1 and 704 F.g-1 after 5000 cycles with high capacitance retention of 93.2 %. The superior conductivity and porous structure of the rGO composite hydrogel are credited with the hydrogel's excellent electrochemical capabilities.

High performance hydrogel electrodes based on sodium alginate-g-poly(AM-c o-ECA-co-AMPS for supercapacitor application.

Electrochemical conductive hydrogels are being extensively explored in the fabrication of portable batteries and high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, the rational design of a new polyanionic electrically conductive hydrogels based on sodium alginate-g-poly(AM-co-ECA-co-AMPS) are described. rGO was incorporated into the hydrogel during the polymerization process generating rGO@ sodium alginate-g-poly(AM-co-ECA-co-AMPS) composite hydrogels to study the impact of rGO on the performance of the hydrogels. FT-IR, XRD, and SEM-EDX characterized the chemical composition, crystalline, and morphological structure of the new synthesized hydrogels. The electrochemical performance of as-synthesized hydrogels was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic, charge-discharge rate, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The supercapacitor performance for ECH2.5 composite hydrogel showed a capacitance of 753 F. g-1 at 1 A. g-1 with good rate capability and cycling stability up to 5000 cycles. Thus, ECH2.5 hydrogel is a good candidate as electrode material in supercapacitor applications.

How do people form behavioral intentions when others have the power to determine social consequences?

Much literature has suggested that people who are discriminated against or are in collectivist cultures are particularly susceptible to the social consequences of society. In the present study, the authors conducted 3 experiments to test how this factor influences attitudinal versus normative control over behaviors. First, they measured males' and females' attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions with respect to a large number of behaviors. Although between-participants analyses were mostly uninformative, within-participants analyses uncovered strong evidence that behaviors are more under attitudinal control for females than for males. Similar analyses in a crosscultural experiment involving participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Mexico support the hypothesis that behaviors are more under attitudinal control for collectivists than for individualists. Finally, experimental data collected in the United States and Saudi Arabia further support this conclusion. Taken together, the findings suggest that although social consequences are both "social" and "consequences", the latter is more important than the former.