Graphitic‑carbon nitride based mixed-phase bismuth nanostructures: Tuned optical and structural properties with boosted photocatalytic performance for wastewater decontamination under visible-light irradiation.

To enhance the activities of advanced semiconductor photocatalysts, the charge carriers must be separated effectively. One strategy for achieving this is the use of heterogeneous structures, which can be prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and post-synthetic thermal and ultrasonic treatment. Herein, we report a mixed-phase composite of basic bismuth nitrate/pentabismuth heptaoxide nitrate (PC) prepared by hydrothermal synthesis under basic conditions and post-synthetic thermal treatment.

Selected nanotechnologies and nanostructures for drug delivery, nanomedicine and cure.

The development of nanoparticle-based drugs has provided many opportunities to diagnose, treat and cure challenging diseases. Through the manipulation of size, morphology, surface modification, surface characteristics, and materials used, a variety of nanostructures can be developed into smart systems, encasing therapeutic and imaging agents with stealth properties. These nanostructures can deliver drugs to specific tissues or sites and provide controlled release therapy.

Bio-sorbents, industrially important chemicals and novel materials from citrus processing waste as a sustainable and renewable bioresource: A review.

Citrus waste includes peels, pulp and membrane residue and seeds, constituting approximately 40-60% of the whole fruit. This amount exceeds ~110-120 million tons annually worldwide. Recent investigations have been focused on developing newer techniques to explore various applications of the chemicals obtained from the citrus wastes.

Modern Extraction and Purification Techniques for Obtaining High Purity Food-Grade Bioactive Compounds and Value-Added Co-Products from Citrus Wastes.

Citrus contains a range of highly beneficial bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, and vitamins that show antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and help in building the body's immune system. On consumption or processing, approximately 50% of the fruit remains as inedible waste, which includes peels, seeds, pulp, and segment residues. This waste still consists of substantial quantities of bioactive compounds that cause environmental pollution and are harmful to the ecosystem because of their high biological oxygen demand.

Recent progress of algae and blue-green algae-assisted synthesis of gold nanoparticles for various applications.

The hazardous effects of current nanoparticle synthesis methods have steered researchers to focus on the development of newer environmentally friendly and green methods for synthesizing nanoparticles using nontoxic chemicals. The development of environmentally friendly methods of nanoparticle synthesis with different sizes and shapes is one of the pressing challenges for the current nanotechnology. Several novel green approaches for the synthesis of AuNPs have been explored using different natural sources, such as plants, algae, bacteria, and fungi.

Recent progress of metal-graphene nanostructures in photocatalysis.

Metal-graphene nanostructures (NSs) as photocatalysts, prepared using simple and scalable synthesis methods, are gaining heightened attention as novel materials for water treatment and environmental remediation applications. Graphene, the unique few layers sheet-like arrangement of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms, has an inimitable two-dimensional (2D) structure. The material is highly conductive, has high electron mobility and an extremely high surface area, and can be produced on a large scale at low cost.

Environmentally sustainable biogenic fabrication of AuNP decorated-graphitic g-CN nanostructures towards improved photoelectrochemical performances.

Noble-metal gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) anchored/decorated on polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN), as a nanostructure, was fabricated by a simple, single step, and an environmentally friendly synthesis approach using single-strain-developed biofilm as a reducing tool. The well deposited/anchored AuNPs on the sheet-like structure of g-CN exhibited high photoelectrochemical performance under visible-light irradiation. The Au-g-CN nanostructures behaved as a plasmonic material.

Purification of 2,3-butanediol from fermentation broth: process development and techno-economic analysis.

Background: 2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a synthetic chemical compound that also can be produced by biomass fermentation, which is gaining share in the global market as an intermediate product for numerous applications, i.e. as liquid fuel or fuel additive.

Facile Synthesis of SnS Nanostructures with Different Morphologies for High-Performance Supercapacitor Applications.

SnS is an emerging candidate for an electrode material because of the considerable interlayer spaces in its crystal structures and the large surface area. SnS as a photocatalyst and in lithium ion batteries has been reported. On the other hand, there are only a few reports of their supercapacitor applications.

Microbial fuel cell assisted band gap narrowed TiO for visible light-induced photocatalytic activities and power generation.

This paper reports a simple, biogenic and green approach to obtain narrow band gap and visible light-active TiO nanoparticles. Commercial white TiO (w-TiO) was treated in the cathode chamber of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC), which produced modified light gray TiO (g-TiO) nanoparticles. The DRS, PL, XRD, EPR, HR-TEM, and XPS were performed to understand the band gap decline of g-TiO.

Fungi-assisted silver nanoparticle synthesis and their applications.

Nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field because of its wide range of applications in science, nanoscience and biotechnology. Nanobiotechnology deals with nanomaterials synthesised or modified using biotechnology. Fungi are used to synthesise metal nanoparticles and they have vast applications in wound healing, pathogen detection and control, food preservation, textiles, fabrics, etc.

Citrus essential oils: Extraction, authentication and application in food preservation.

Citrus EOs is an economic, eco-friendly and natural alternatives to chemical preservatives and other synthetic antioxidants, such as sodium nitrites, nitrates or benzoates, commonly utilized in food preservation. Citrus based EOs is obtained mainly from the peels of citrus fruits which are largely discarded as wastes and cause environmental problems. The extraction of citrus oils from the waste peels not only saves environment but can be used in various applications including food preservation.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of nickel-cobalt-oxide@reduced graphene oxide//activated carbon asymmetric supercapacitors by the addition of a redox-active electrolyte.

Supercapacitors are an emerging energy-storage system with a wide range of potential applications. In this study, highly porous nickel-cobalt-oxide@reduced graphene oxide (Ni-Co-O@RGO-s) nanosheets were synthesized as an active material for supercapacitors using a surfactant-assisted microwave irradiation technique. The RGO-modified nanocomposite showed a larger specific area, better conductivity, and lower resistivity than the unmodified nanocomposite because the RGO facilitated faster ion diffusion/transport for improved redox activity.

Manganese dioxide nanorods intercalated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite toward high performance electrochemical supercapacitive electrode materials.

The development of manganese dioxide-based nanocomposites as materials for energy storage applications is advantageous because of its polymorphism behavior and structural flexibility. In this study, manganese dioxide (MnO) nanorod-intercalated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite was obtained through a simple hydrothermal method and their electrochemical supercapacitance was studied in a three electrode half-assembly electrochemical cell. The basic spectroscopic and diffraction data including Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were employed to characterize the resulting nanocomposite.

Ce-ion, Surface Oxygen Vacancy, and Visible Light-induced Photocatalytic Dye Degradation and Photocapacitive Performance of CeO-Graphene Nanostructures.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO NPs) were fabricated and grown on graphene sheets using a facile, low cost hydrothermal approach and subsequently characterized using different standard characterization techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance revealed the changes in surface states, composition, changes in Ce to Ce ratio, and other defects. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM revealed that the fabricated CeO NPs to be spherical with particle size of ~10-12 nm.

Mechanically exfoliated MoS sheet coupled with conductive polyaniline as a superior supercapacitor electrode material.

The development of electrically conductive metal sulfide-based polymer nanocomposites for energy storage materials has been a major focus by researchers to solve the energy crisis. In this study, a simple and facile method was used to construct a nanocomposite by combining a mechanically exfoliated MoS (M-MoS) sheet with polyaniline (Pani) using a simple and scalable in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The as-prepared nanocomposite (M-MoS-Pani nanocomposite) was characterized further by usual basic spectroscopic techniques, such as X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis.

Anion selective pTSA doped polyaniline@graphene oxide-multiwalled carbon nanotube composite for Cr(VI) and Congo red adsorption.

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT)-graphene oxide (GO) composite was combined with polyaniline (Pani) using an oxidative polymerisation technique. The resulting Pani@GO-CNT was later doped with para toluene sulphonic acid (pTSA) to generate additional functionality. The functional groups exposed on the GO, Pani and pTSA were expected to impart a high degree of functionality to the pTSA-Pani@GO-CNT composite system.

Simple and Large Scale Construction of MoS-g-CN Heterostructures Using Mechanochemistry for High Performance Electrochemical Supercapacitor and Visible Light Photocatalytic Applications.

The design of heterojunctions for efficient electrochemical energy storage and environmental remediation are promising for future energy and environment applications. In this study, a molybdenum disulfide-graphitic carbon nitride (MoS-g-CN) heterojunction was designed by applying simple mechanochemistry, which can be scaled up for mass production. The physical-chemical and photophysical properties of the as-prepared MoS-g-CN heterojunction were analyzed using a range of characterization techniques.

Converting citrus wastes into value-added products: Economic and environmently friendly approaches.

Citrus fruits, including oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tangerines, and mandarins, are among the most widely cultivated fruits around the globe. Its production is increasing every year due to rising consumer demand. Citrus-processing industries generate huge amounts of wastes every year, and citrus peel waste alone accounts for almost 50% of the wet fruit mass.

Metal-Free Carbon-Based Materials: Promising Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Microbial Fuel Cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a promising green approach for wastewater treatment with the simultaneous advantage of energy production. Among the various limiting factors, the cathodic limitation, with respect to performance and cost, is one of the main obstacles to the practical applications of MFCs. Despite the high performance of platinum and other metal-based cathodes, their practical use is limited by their high cost, low stability, and environmental toxicity.

CdS-graphene Nanocomposite for Efficient Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Applications.

This paper reports cadmium sulphide nanoparticles-(CdS NPs)-graphene nanocomposite (CdS-Graphene), prepared by a simple method, in which CdS NPs were anchored/decorated successfully onto graphene sheets. The as-synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using standard characterization techniques. A combination of CdS NPs with the optimal amount of two-dimensional graphene sheets had a profound influence on the properties of the resulting hybrid nanocomposite, such as enhanced optical, photocatalytic, and photo-electronic properties.

Facile and Scale Up Synthesis of Red Phosphorus-Graphitic Carbon Nitride Heterostructures for Energy and Environment Applications.

The development of heterostructured materials for efficient solar energy conversion and energy storage devices are essential for practical applications. In this study, a simple and relatively inexpensive method was used to improve the visible light-driven photocatalytic activity and electrochemical supercapacitor behavior of the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) by elemental red phosphorus (RPh). The as-prepared RPh-g-C3N4 was characterized in detail using a range of spectroscopic techniques to understand the structure, morphology, chemical interaction, and chemical state of the materials.

Self-Assembled 3D Flower-Like Nickel Hydroxide Nanostructures and Their Supercapacitor Applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures have attracted considerable attention because of their high surface areas and unique properties which gives outstanding performance in catalysis and energy storage applications. This paper proposes the growth mechanism of 3D flower-like β-Ni(OH)2 constructed through a two dimensional sheet framework using a one-step oleylamine-assisted solvothermal approach, where oleylamine acts as the surfactant, co-solvent, stabilizer, and reducing agent. A detailed examination of the product morphology after various reaction times suggested that the self-assembly of flower occurs through a mechanism involving nucleation, Ostwald ripening, and recrystallization.

Highly Visible Light Responsive, Narrow Band gap TiO2 Nanoparticles Modified by Elemental Red Phosphorus for Photocatalysis and Photoelectrochemical Applications.

This paper reports that the introduction of elemental red phosphorus (RP) into TiO2 can shift the light absorption ability from the UV to the visible region, and confirmed that the optimal RP loading and milling time can effectively improve the visible light driven-photocatalytic activity of TiO2. The resulting RP-TiO2 nanohybrids were characterized systematically by a range of techniques and the photocatalytic ability of the RP-TiO2 photocatalysts was assessed further by the photodegradation of a model Rhodamine B pollutant under visible light irradiation. The results suggest that the RP-TiO2 has superior photodegradation ability for model contaminant decomposition compared to other well-known photocatalysts, such as TiO2 and other reference materials.