Integrated Electrochemical Conversion of Plastic Waste and CO to Formate Using Non-Noble-Metal Catalysts: Raman Study.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), a common single-use plastic, significantly contributes to CO emissions when discarded or incinerated. In this study, we have employed an innovative approach by combining electrochemical PET hydrolysate oxidation and CO reduction reaction (CORR) to simultaneously produce formate in a single electrochemical cell. Utilizing simple electrochemical methods, a porous 3D carbon felt (CF) electrode was anodically oxidized to produce activated carbon felt (aCF).

A Review on the Progress of Electrochromic Materials and Smart Device Technology.

Materials that swap their color in response to stimuli are known as chromic materials, and among such, chromic materials that switch chromaticity in response to electric stimuli, called electrochromic (EC) materials, are more beneficial due to the consistency in the stimuli. The performance of the EC materials is determined by their electrochromic contrast, coloration efficiency, response time to change color or reverse back to its original color, optical memory and cyclic stability. EC materials can be organic or inorganic; however, organic materials' synthetic diversity and processability have acquired more attention and led to the development of many organic electrochromes.

Factors associated with decision-making on fertility among rural women in the central district of Tamil Nadu.

Introduction: Fertility decision-making is an important factor affecting the Total Fertility Rate. Good communication between partners encourages shared decision-making and equal participation. Women's decision-making plays an important role in determining their reproductive health and fertility behaviour.

Zn Makes a Difference: Cubic ZnBiO as a Durable and High-Rate Anode for Rechargeable Na-Ion Batteries.

A stoichiometric cubic phase of zinc bismuth oxide ZnBiO (ZBO) is introduced as an anode for rechargeable Na-ion batteries. ZBO is synthesized using a coprecipitation method and characterized by various physicochemical techniques. Pristine ZBO shows a high cyclability in an ether-based electrolyte due to the formation of a robust interphase coupled with high Na conductivity.

Hierarchical Self-Assembly and Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement in Tetrabenzofluorene-Based Red Emitting Molecules.

The newly synthesized chiral active [5]helicene-like tetrabenzofluorene (TBF) based highly red-emitting molecules exhibit flower-like self-assembly. These molecules display photophysical and structural properties such as intramolecular charge transfer, dual state emission, large fluorescence quantum yield, and solvatochromism. In TBFID, the indandione functional group attached on both sides as the terminal group offers an A-D-A push-pull effect and acts as a strong acceptor to cause more redshift in solution as well as in solid state as compared to TBFPA (TBF with benzaldehyde functional group in terminal position).

Heterocycle- and Amine-Free Electrochromic and Electrofluorochromic Molecules for Energy-Saving See-Through Smart Windows and Displays.

Electrochromic (EC) smart windows are an elegant alternative to dusty curtains, blinds, and traditional dimming devices. The EC energy storage smart windows and displays received remarkable attention in the optoelectronic industry as they hold promise for high energy efficiency, low power consumption, reversibility, and swift response to stimuli. However, achieving these properties remains challenging.

Accessibility and availability of maternal and reproductive health care services: ensuring health equity among rural women in Southern India.

Introduction: The health of women is of particular concern because they often have greater health needs than men and many women still lack access to quality healthcare services, preventing their ability to attain the best possible level of health. Hence, this study aimed to assess the accessibility and availability of health services among rural women.

Methods: A household survey was conducted by using a multi-stage sample with 407 married women aged 18-45 years, having at least one child and living in Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu were recruited for this study.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 and the Utility of Cycle Threshold (Ct) Values in Predicting the Severity of Disease.

Objectives: Advanced molecular diagnostic methods like real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) play a vital role in the early recognition of viral infections, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, in the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to determine the correlation of cycle threshold (Ct) values with symptoms in COVID-19-positive patients.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a virus research diagnostic laboratory (VRDL) at a COVID-19-dedicated tertiary care hospital in South India.

Bacterial cellulose: A promising biopolymer with interesting properties and applications.

The ever-increasing demands for materials with desirable properties led to the development of materials that impose unfavorable influences on the environment and the ecosystem. Developing a low-cost, durable, and eco-friendly functional material with biological origins has become necessary to avoid these consequences. Bacterial cellulose generated by bacteria dispenses excellent structural and functional properties and satisfies these requirements.

Electrochemical Soft Actuator: Deciphering the Difference in the Characteristics of Polaronic and Bipolaronic Forms of Polyaniline.

Polyaniline (PANI) has been projected as an efficient electrochemical actuator due to its ease of synthesis, lightweight, biocompatibility, low cost, and possible low operating potential and high stress generation. However, challenges such as low inherent ionic and electronic conductivity of the polymer lead to small accumulation of ions and high ionic diffusion path length inside the polymer remain. In the present study, a highly conjugated, planar, conducting polaronic form of PANI with a nanofiber morphology is synthesized using in situ electrochemical polymerization on a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrode.

Ion storage performance of a polymer for mono-, di- and tri-valent metal ions in non-aqueous electrolytes.

A cost-effective quinone-pyrrole conjugated polymer is utilized as an electrode for non-aqueous Al, Zn and Li-ion batteries. Reversible capacities of 120 mA h g at 50 mA g for Al-ion batteries and 108 and 175 mA h g for Zn and Li-ion batteries, respectively, at 100 mA g are observed. Thousands of stable cycles were obtained at 1000 mA g current density, providing sufficient evidence for a range of applications of the polymer in electrochemical energy storage.

Off-Planar, Two-Dimensional Polymer Cathode for High-Rate, Durable Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries are of considerable interest due to their high theoretical capacity, and they are projected as good alternates for stationary energy storage and electric vehicles. Sluggish Mg kinetics and scarce availability of suitable cathode materials are major issues hindering the progress of rechargeable magnesium batteries. Herein, a conjugated, off-planar, two-dimensional (2D) polymer is explored for reversible magnesium storage.

Copper (0) Mediated Single Electron Transfer-Living Radical Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate: Functionalized Graphene as a Convenient Tool for Radical Initiator.

Polymer nanocomposites have been synthesized by the covalent addition of bromide-functionalized graphene (Graphene-Br) through the single electron transfer-living radical polymerization technique (SET-LRP). Graphite functionalized with bromide for the first time via an efficient route using mild reagents has been designed to develop a graphene based radical initiator. The efficiency of sacrificial initiator (ethyl α-bromoisobutyrate) has also been compared with a graphene based initiator towards monitoring their Cu(0) mediated controlled molecular weight and morphological structures through mass spectroscopy (MOLDI-TOF) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis, respectively.

Highly Crystalline Mesoporous C with Ordered Pores: A Class of Nanomaterials for Energy Applications.

Highly ordered mesoporous C with a well-ordered porous structure and a high crystallinity is prepared through the nanohard templating method using a saturated solution of C in 1-chloronaphthalene (51 mg mL ) as a C precursor and SBA-15 as a hard template. The high solubility of C in 1-chloronaphthalene helps not only to encapsulate a huge amount of the C into the mesopores of the template but also supports the oligomerization of C and the formation of crystalline walls made of C . The obtained mesoporous C exhibits a rod-shaped morphology, a high specific surface area (680 m  g ), tuneable pores, and a highly crystalline wall structure.

Clinically Profiling Pediatric Patients with Dengue.

Objective: To study the clinical profile and outcome of dengue fever in children at a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry.

Materials And Methods: All children (0-12 years of age) diagnosed and confirmed as dengue fever from August 2012 to January 2015 were reviewed retrospectively from hospital case records as per the revised World Health Organization guidelines for dengue fever. The diagnosis was confirmed by NS1 antigen-based ELISA test or dengue serology for IgM and IgG antibodies, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 16.

"Bottom-up" self-assembly and "cold crystallization" of butterfly shaped tetrabenzofluorene molecules.

Butterfly-shaped tetrabenzo[a,c,g,i]fluorene (TBF)-based molecules (1 and 2) were designed, synthesized and well characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. The single crystal X-ray structure of 1 shows the presence of intermolecular 3-D π-π stacking interaction and unprecedented "cold crystallization" in polycyclic aromatic molecules. We report for the first time, the "bottom-up" self-assembly of TBF based organic molecules.

Is Reactive Dengue NS1Antigen Test a Warning Call for Hospital Admissions?

Introduction: Dengue fever is a major public health problem worldwide. The 2011 revised World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines have emphasized on early diagnosis and intervention to reduce the case fatality rate due to dengue fever. Rapid diagnostic tests like NS1 antigen assays have improved the detection of cases in early clinical phase of illness but its role as a predictor of severe dengue infection is not very clear.

Case studies on the formation of chalcogenide self-assembled monolayers on surfaces and dissociative processes.

This report examines the assembly of chalcogenide organic molecules on various surfaces, focusing on cases when chemisorption is accompanied by carbon-chalcogen atom-bond scission. In the case of alkane and benzyl chalcogenides, this induces formation of a chalcogenized interface layer. This process can occur during the initial stages of adsorption and then, after passivation of the surface, molecular adsorption can proceed.

No More HF: Teflon-Assisted Ultrafast Removal of Silica to Generate High-Surface-Area Mesostructured Carbon for Enhanced CO2 Capture and Supercapacitor Performance.

An innovative technique to obtain high-surface-area mesostructured carbon (2545 m(2)  g(-1)) with significant microporosity uses Teflon as the silica template removal agent. This method not only shortens synthesis time by combining silica removal and carbonization in a single step, but also assists in ultrafast removal of the template (in 10 min) with complete elimination of toxic HF usage. The obtained carbon material (JNC-1) displays excellent CO2 capture ability (ca.

Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks: Highly Stable Charge-Separated States through Strut/Guest-to-Strut Electron Transfer.

Molecular organization of donor and acceptor chromophores in self-assembled materials is of paramount interest in the field of photovoltaics or mimicry of natural light-harvesting systems. With this in mind, a redox-active porous interpenetrated metal-organic framework (MOF), {[Cd(bpdc)(bpNDI)]⋅4.5 H2 O⋅DMF}n (1) has been constructed from a mixed chromophoric system.

Porphyrinic supramolecular daisy chains incorporating pillar[5]arene-viologen host-guest interactions.

A porphyrin functionalised with pillar[5]arene and a viologen at its 5- and 15-meso positions assembles in a head-to-tail manner, producing linear supramolecular daisy chains in dichloromethane. At high concentrations, it forms an organogel which has been investigated by electron microscopy and rheological measurements, paving the way for the preparation of other functional supramolecular assemblies which harness viologen⊂pillararene host-guest interactions.

Active guests in the MoS2/MoSe2 host lattice: efficient hydrogen evolution using few-layer alloys of MoS(2(1-x))Se(2x).

Few-layer transition metal dichalcogenide alloys based on molybdenum sulphoselenides [MoS2(1-x)Se2x] possess higher hydrogen evolution (HER) activity compared to pristine few-layer MoS2 and MoSe2. Variation of the sulphur or selenium content in the parent dichalcogenides reveals a systematic structure-activity relationship for different compositions of alloys, and it is found that the composition MoS1.0Se1.

The morphology dependent electrocatalytic activity of Ir nanostructures towards oxygen reduction.

Iridium nanostructures with different morphologies are synthesized by a simple, environmentally friendly approach in aqueous media under mild conditions. The morphology dependent electrocatalytic activity of Ir nanochains and nanoparticles towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been demonstrated in both acidic and alkaline media. Comparative electrochemical studies reveal that nanochains exhibit significantly enhanced ORR activities in both acidic and alkaline media as compared with nanoparticles, as a result of the continuous structure of interconnected particles.

Equiatomic ternary chalcogenide: PdPS and its reduced graphene oxide composite for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The layered ternary chalcogenide, palladium phosphorous sulphide (PdPS), and its composite with reduced graphene oxide are shown to be efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts. The Tafel slope and the exchange current density values associated with hydrogen evolution reaction are determined to be 46 mV dec(-1) and 1.4 × 10(-4) A cm(-2) respectively.

Ordered supramolecular gels based on graphene oxide and tetracationic cyclophanes.

A new strategy to form ordered hierarchical supramolecular gels that incorporate graphene oxide (GO) sheets and cationic rigid macrocyles under mild conditions via self-assembly is demonstrated. These ordered gels are stabilized by a series of non-covalent - donor-acceptor, π-π stacking, cation-π - interactions. These theoretical studies indicate that cationic macrocycles are positioned in between GO layers with a substantial binding energy.