Eco-friendly synthesis of an α-Fe2O3/rGO nanocomposite and its application in high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

This work presents an innovative and environmentally friendly biological synthesis approach for producing α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) and the successful synthesis of α-Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites (NCs). This novel synthesis route utilizes freshly extracted albumin, serving as both a reducing agent and a stabilizing agent, rendering it eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable. A combination of characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was employed to predict and confirm the formation of the as-synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs and α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) verified the anisotropic nature of the synthesized nanoparticles. To gain insight into the enhanced capacitance of the α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs, a series of electrochemical tests, namely cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and stability assessments, were conducted in a conventional three-electrode configuration. Furthermore, a two-electrode asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was fabricated to assess the practical viability of this material. The α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs exhibited a remarkable potential window of 2 V in an aqueous electrolyte, coupled with exceptional cycling stability. Even after undergoing 10 000 cycles, the capacitive retention exceeded 100%, underlining the promising potential of this material for advanced energy storage applications.

Facile synthesis of a three-dimensional Ln-MOF@FCNT composite for the fabrication of a symmetric supercapacitor device with ultra-high energy density: overcoming the energy storage barrier.

In order to quench the thirst for efficient energy storage devices, a novel praseodymium-based state-of-the-art three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF), {[Pr(pdc)2]Me2NH2}n (YK-1), has been synthesized by using a simple solvothermal method employing a readily available ligand. YK-1 was characterised by single-crystal XRD and crystallographic analysis. The electrochemical measurements of YK-1 show that it exhibits a specific capacitance of 363.5 F g-1 at a current density of 1.5 A g-1 with 83.8% retention after 5000 cycles. In order to enhance its electrochemical performance for practical application, two composites of YK-1 with graphene oxide (GO) and functionalised multi-walled carbon nanotubes (FCNTs), namely YK-1@GO and YK-1@FCNT, were fabricated by employing a facile ultrasonication technique. The as-synthesized MOF and the composites were characterized by PXRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM techniques. YK-1@GO and YK-1@FCNT offer enhanced specific capacitances of 488.2 F g-1 and 730.2 F g-1 at the same current density with 93.8% and 97.7% capacity retention after 5000 cycles, respectively (at 16 A g-1). Fascinated by the outstanding results shown by YK-1@FCNT, a symmetric supercapacitor device (SSC) based on it was fabricated. The assembled SSC achieved a remarkable energy density (87.6 W h kg-1) and power density (750.2 W kg-1) at a current density of 1 A g-1, along with very good cycling stability of 91.4% even after 5000 GCD cycles. The SSC device was able to power up several LED lights and even operated a DC brushless fan for a significant amount of time. To the best of our knowledge, the assembled SSC device exhibits the highest energy density among the MOF composite-based SSCs reported so far.

Insight into the molecular interaction between the anticancer drug, enzalutamide and human alpha-2-macroglobulin: Biochemical and biophysical approach.

The drug pharmacokinetics is affected upon binding with proteins, thus making drug-protein interactions crucial. This study investigated the interaction between enzalutamide and human major antiproteinase alpha-2-macroglobulin (α2M) by using multi spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques. The spectroscopic techniques such as circular dichroism (CD), intrinsic fluorescence, and UV-visible absorption were used to determine the mechanism of enzalutamide-α2M interaction. Studies on the quenching of fluorescence at three different temperatures showed that the enzalutamide-α2M complex is formed through static quenching mechanism. The change in microenvironment around tyrosine residues in protein was detected through synchronised fluorescence. The secondary structure of α2M was slightly altered by enzalutamide according to far UV-CD spectral analysis. Changes in position of amide I band in FTIR spectra further confirm the secondary structural alteration in α2M. According to thermodynamic characteristics such as fluorescence quenching and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions were involved in the interaction machanism. The ITC reiterated the exothermic and spontaneous nature of the interaction. The lower proteinase inhibitory activity of the α2M-enzalutamide conjugate as reflects the disruption of the native α2M structure upon interaction with enzalutamide.