Advancement in functionalized luminescent frameworks and their prospective applications as inkjet-printed sensors and anti-counterfeit materials.

Supramolecular luminescent frameworks with conjugated architectures exhibits interesting photophysical properties with phenomenal chemical and thermal stability. This has instigated global researchers towards its extensive application in toxic analyte detection and the formulation of anti-counterfeit materials. In correlation with this present scenario, luminescent metal-organic frameworks (LMOFs), possessing tailorable structural and functional properties and exceptional physicochemical features, have been categorized as emerging 'smart materials'.

Solvothermal Synthesis of High-Performance d-MOFs with Hydrogel Membranes @ "Turn-On" Monitoring of Formaldehyde in Solution and Vapor Phase.

Herein, two luminescent porous networks ( & ) have been reported for the efficient detection of formaldehyde (FA) from aqueous medium. Judicious solvent screening using a high-throughput solvothermal procedure leads to two completely different metal-organic framework (MOFs) with different architectures. It is perceived that the framework shows better sensitivity with a very short response time (1 min) in the realm of FA detection due to the facile imine (-N═CH-) formation, which is restricted in the case of .

Printed oxygen gas sensor using copper-DTDTPA solid electrolyte.

We present a new method for the rapid and cost-effective fabrication of solid electrolyte-based printed potentiometric oxygen sensors working at ambient temperature using Cu-dithiolated diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid complex molecules (Cu-DTDTPA) adsorbed on Grade-1 laboratory filter paper and subsequent 3-D printing of interdigitated electrodes employing silver/silver chloride ink. The decrease in conductivity with time and frequency-dependent impedance response confirms the filter paper adsorbed Cu-DTDTPA as a solid electrolyte. A plausible structure of the Cu-DTDTPA solid electrolyte and its mechanism of reaction with oxygen are presented.

Optimization of process parameters for bio-enzymatic and enzymatic saccharification of waste broken rice for ethanol production using response surface methodology and artificial neural network-genetic algorithm.

Reducible sugar solution has been produced from waste broken rice by a novel saccharification process using a combination of bio-enzyme (bakhar) and commercial enzyme (α-amylase). The reducible sugar solution thus produced is a promising raw material for the production of bioethanol using the fermentation process. Response surface methodology (RSM) and Artificial neural network-genetic algorithm (ANN-GA) have been used separately to optimize the multivariable process parameters for maximum yield of the total reducing sugar (TRS) in saccharification process.

Coumarin functionalized molecular scaffolds for the effectual detection of hazardous fluoride and cyanide.

Fluoride and cyanide contamination in drinking water imposes detrimental impacts on human health above their permissible limits. Hence, the quantitative detection of these colourless water-soluble toxins has attracted attention. Even though a plethora of chemosensors have been reported so far for the detection of fluoride and cyanide from various matrices, still their applicability is limited to a few examples.

Conventional pyrolysis of Plastic waste for Product recovery and utilization of pyrolytic gases for carbon nanotubes production.

Inevitably increase in plastic demand has resulted in an overgrowing production on a global scale. The utilization of plastics has been applied to a number of industries as it is a durable, moldable, and inexpensive material. High exploitation of plastic had resulted in a hefty amount of waste production, which is not easy to recycle due to its non-degradable nature and results in landfills.

Microbial Symbiosis: A Network towards Biomethanation.

Biomethanation through anaerobic digestion (AD) is the most reliable energy harvesting process to achieve waste-to-energy. Microbial communities, including hydrolytic and fermentative bacteria, syntrophic bacteria, and methanogenic archaea, and their interspecies symbioses allow complex metabolisms for the volumetric reduction of organic waste in AD. However, heterogeneity in organic waste induces community shifts in conventional anaerobic digesters treating sewage sludge at wastewater treatment plants globally.

Development of 6-Thioguanine conjugated PLGA nanoparticles through thioester bond formation: Benefits of electrospray mediated drug encapsulation and sustained release in cancer therapeutic applications.

Polymeric nanoparticle-based successful delivery of hydrophobic drugs is highly desirable for its controlled and sustained release at the disease site, which is a challenge with the current synthesis methods. In the present study, an electrospray mediated facile one-step synthesis approach is explored in which a solution mixture of a hydrophobic drug, 6-thioguanine (Tg) and a biocompatible FDA approved polymer, Poly (d, l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) is injected in an applied electric field of suitable intensity to prepare drug encapsulated PLGA nanoparticles, PLGA-Tg with high yield. In order to explore the effect of external electric field on Tg loading and delivery applications, the nanoparticles are characterized using EDX, AFM, FESEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman, fluorescence, and mass spectroscopy techniques.

Exploratory studies on azido-bridged complexes (Ni and Mn) as dual colourimetric chemosensors for S and Ag: combined experimental and theoretical outcomes with real field applications.

We report two isostructural dinuclear transition metal complexes [M2(HL)2(N3)4], where M = Ni2+ (BS-1), Mn2+ (BS-2), and HL is (2-methyl-2-((pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)propan-1-ol) and investigate them as molecular sensors towards hazardous entities. BS-1 shows high selectivity towards the S2- and Ag+ ions, easily observed by the naked eye colour change and its detection limit in aqueous solutions for the S2- ion was calculated as 0.55 μM with a binding constant of 3.

Cationic Amphiphilic Peptides: Synthetic Antimicrobial Agents Inspired by Nature.

Antimicrobial peptides are ubiquitous in multicellular organisms and have served as defense mechanisms for their successful evolution and throughout their life cycle. These peptides are short cationic amphiphilic polypeptides of fewer than 50 amino acids containing either a few disulfide-linked cysteine residues with a characteristic β-sheet-rich structure or linear α-helical conformations with hydrophilic side chains at one side of the helix and hydrophobic side chains on the other side. Antimicrobial peptides cause bacterial cell lysis either by direct cell-surface damage via electrostatic interactions between the cationic side chains of the peptide and the negatively charged cell surface, or by indirect modulation of the host defense systems.

Gold-nanoparticle-embedded microchannel array for enhanced power generation.

A high streaming potential and current were generated using a gold-nanoparticle-embedded patterned PDMS microchannel array. Gold nanoparticles with dimensions of ∼70 nm were prepared inside a hydrophobic patterned PDMS microchannel. The channel array was developed on a ridge-shaped patterned surface by performing soft lithography using UV-laser micromachining with a ridge spacing of 27.

Bismuth iron molybdenum oxide solid solution: a novel and durable electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

The drive for finding active bifunctional electrocatalysts for efficient overall water splitting continues in order to extract energy in the form of hydrogen as a clean fuel. Bismuth iron molybdenum oxide solid solution, composed of orthorhombic Bi2MoO6 as the major component and monoclinic Bi3(FeO4)(MoO4)2 as the minor component, has been identified as a potential electrocatalyst for the first time.

Tandem Detection of Sub-Nano Molar Level CN and Hg in Aqueous Medium by a Suitable Molecular Sensor: A Viable Solution for Detection of CN and Development of the RGB-Based Sensory Device.

An inimitable urea-based multichannel chemosensor, [1,5-bis-(2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)carbonohydrazide], was examined to be highly proficient to recognize CN based on the H-bonding interaction between sensor -NH moiety and CN in aqueous medium with explicit selectivity. In the absorption spectral titration of , a new peak at higher wavelength was emerged in titrimetric analytical studies of CN with the zero-order reaction kinetics affirming the substantial sensor-analyte interaction. The isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiment further affirmed that the sensing process was highly spontaneous with the Gibbs free energy of -26 × 10 cal/mol.

Selective Identification and Encapsulation of Biohazardous -Xylene among a Pool of Its Other Constitutional C Alkyl Isomers by Luminescent d MOFs: A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study.

Separation of C alkyl-aromatics (-xylene, -xylene, and -xylene) remains one of the most challenging tasks to date due to their similar physical and chemical properties. Cd- and Zn-based luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been synthesized for the selective identification of -xylene in a pool of other isomers by fluorometric methods. Inhibition of the photoinduced electron transfer process is the prime reason for fluorescence enhancement, owing to the comparable molecular orbital energies for -xylene in comparison with - and -xylene.

Thermal degradation of waste plastics under non-sweeping atmosphere: Part 2: Effect of process temperature on product characteristics and their future applications.

The current energy demand and diminishing conventional fuels have forced researchers to find an alternative source of energy. Waste to energy is the current trend for converting waste materials (plastic waste) into valuable fuels. This article mainly discussed the detailed characterization of the pyrolytic products, their comparative analysis and the reaction mechanism at varying operating temperature.

Discrimination of 1- and 2-Propanol by Using the Transient Current Change of a Semiconducting ZnFe O Chemiresistor.

A semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) chemiresistor (ZnFe O ) is used for discriminating two isomeric volatile organic compounds (VOCs), namely 1- and 2-propanol. The transient current of the SMO chemiresistor is correlated with the aerobic oxidation of organic vapors on its surface. The changes in transient current of the ZnFe O chemiresistor are measured at different temperatures (260-320 °C) for detecting equal concentrations (200 ppm) of the two structural isomers of propanol.

Polypyrrole nanoparticles-based soft actuator for artificial muscle applications.

Currently, a straightforward fabrication technique for the development of soft actuators to explore their potential in robotic applications using environmentally compatible raw materials represents an important challenge. A conventional conducting polymer, such as polypyrrole (PPy), shows promising conductivity for such applications. This study presents the synthesis of PPy/polyvinyl alcohol (PPy/PVA)-based ion exchange polymer films containing PEDOT:PSS/SWNT/IL electrodes that undergo conformational changes in response to the applied voltage.

Silicon-Based Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review.

The paper highlights some of the significant works done in the field of medical and biomedical sensing using silicon-based technology. The use of silicon sensors is one of the pivotal and prolonged techniques employed in a range of healthcare, industrial and environmental applications by virtue of its distinct advantages over other counterparts in Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Among them, the sensors for biomedical applications are one of the most significant ones, which not only assist in improving the quality of human life but also help in the field of microfabrication by imparting knowledge about how to develop enhanced multifunctional sensing prototypes.

Interspecies microbial nexus facilitated methanation of polysaccharidic wastes.

Compositional variations in organic wastes influence microbial abundancy and syntrophy during anaerobic digestion (AD), impacting the normal performance of digesters for methanation. Investigation of the microbial dynamics during AD following augmentation with polysaccharidic wastes (PW) revealed the association of effective digester performance and methane yields with the microbial nexus. Dominance of the acidogenic saccharolytic genera, Prevotella, Eubacterium, and Lachnoclostridium, enhanced the utilization of carbohydrates (54%) in PW-augmented digesters.

Biodegradation of high concentration phenol using sugarcane bagasse immobilized Candida tropicalis PHB5 in a packed-bed column reactor.

Biodegradation of phenolic compounds in wastewater can be effectively carried out in packed bed reactors (PBRs) employing immobilized microorganisms. A low-cost, reusable immobilization matrix in PBR can provide economic advantages in large scale removal of high concentration phenol. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency and reusability of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as a low-cost immobilization support for high strength phenol removal in recirculating upflow PBR.

Triazole-modified chitosan: a biomacromolecule as a new environmentally benign corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in a hydrochloric acid solution.

In this work, a new inhibitor, triazole modified chitosan, was synthesized for the first time following chemical modification of chitosan using 4-amino-5-methyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol. The newly synthesized biopolymer (CS-AMT) was characterized using FTIR and NMR, and then it was evaluated as an inhibitor against corrosion of carbon steel in 1 M hydrochloric acid. The corrosion testing and evaluation were performed thoroughly employing the weight loss method, electrochemical measurements and surface analysis.

3D Printed Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review.

This paper showcases a substantial review on some of the significant work done on 3D printing of sensors for biomedical applications. The importance of 3D printing techniques has bloomed in the sensing world due to their essential advantages of quick fabrication, easy accessibility, processing of varied materials and sustainability. Along with the introduction of the necessity and influence of 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of sensors for different healthcare applications, the paper explains the individual methodologies used to develop sensing prototypes.