Zn-MOF@rGO nanocomposite: a versatile tool for highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb and Cu ions in water.

In this work, a hybrid nanocomposite material (PUC2@rGO) was prepared by integrating our previously developed Zn-MOF (PUC2) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through the wet impregnation method. The characterization of PUC2@rGO was performed using various analytical techniques, including FTIR, PXRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, zeta potential, and time-resolved FL spectroscopy. Our investigation primarily focused on assessing the composite's capability to detect water pollutants.

Nanoscale designing of metal organic framework moieties as efficient tools for environmental decontamination.

Environmental pollutants, being a major and detrimental component of the ecological imbalance, need to be controlled. Serious health issues can get intensified due to contaminants present in the air, water, and soil. Accurate and rapid monitoring of environmental pollutants is imperative for the detoxification of the environment and hence living beings.

Tungsten oxide nanostructures peculiarity and photocatalytic activity for the efficient elimination of the organic pollutant.

The WO nanostructures were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route in the presence of CTAB and gemini-based twin-tail surfactant. The impact of using these special shape and size directing agents for the synthesis of nanostructures was observed in the form of different shapes and sizes. The WO web of chains type nanostructure was obtained using CTAB in comparison to the cube-shaped nanoparticles through twin-tail surfactant.

A highly sensitive and specific luminescent MOF determines nitric oxide production and quantifies hydrogen sulfide-mediated inhibition of nitric oxide in living cells.

The synthesis of a novel carboxylate-type organic linker-based luminescent MOF (Zn(HL) (L)) (named PUC2) (HL = 2-aminoterephtalic acid, L = 1-(3-aminopropyl) imidazole) is reported by the solvothermal method and comprehensively characterized using single-crystal XRD, PXRD, FTIR, TGA, XPS, FESEM, HRTEM, and BET. PUC2 selectively reacts with nitric oxide (NO) with a detection limit of 0.08 µM, and a quenching constant (0.

Water-pluronic-ionic liquid based microemulsions: Preparation, characterization and application as micro-reactor for enhanced catalytic activity of Cytochrome-c.

Microemulsions (µEs), comprising water as polar component, pluronic (normal, L35 and reverse, 10R5) as surfactant and a hydrophobic ionic liquid (HIL) as non-polar component have been prepared and characterized. Owing to higher surface activity, pluronics have promoted the formation of µEs without the use of co-surfactant. Thus prepared µEs have been utilized as nano-reactors for the oxidation of guaiacol in the presence of Cytochrome-c (Cyt-c) at 15, 20, and 25 °C.

Mechanistic investigation of formation of highly-dispersed silver nanoparticles using sea buckthorn extract.

Nowadays, the greener pathways for the synthesis of nanostructures are being explored. The extracts of different parts of plantsleaves, stems, and roots have been investigated. However, these extracts have been prepared by simply boiling or microwaving, or sonicating the parts of plants with water.

rGO-WO Heterostructure: Synthesis, Characterization and Utilization as an Efficient Adsorbent for the Removal of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Levofloxacin in an Aqueous Phase.

Herein, the heterostructure rGO-WO was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), FESEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray diffraction), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron microscopy), nitrogen physisorption isotherm, Raman, TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and zeta potential techniques. The HRTEM and FESEM images of the synthesized nanostructure revealed the successful loading of WO nanorods on the surface of rGO nanosheets. The prepared heterostructure was utilized as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of a third-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic, i.

Highly Efficient Mesoporous Carbonaceous CeO Catalyst for Dephosphorylation.

Phosphorus is fast becoming a critical element, as the global supply and demand are reaching unsustainable levels. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and applicability of a novel biomass-derived mesoporous carbonaceous material decorated with CeO (CeO-S400) as an efficient catalyst for the dephosphorylation of 4-nitrophenyl phosphate disodium salt hexahydrate are reported. The presence and distribution of CeO are evidenced by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) (118.

Chitosan Hydrogels with Embedded Thermo- and pH-Responsive Microgels as a Potential Carrier for Controlled Release of Drugs.

We report a promising strategy based on chitosan (CS) hydrogels and dual temperature- and pH-responsive poly(-isopropylacrylamide--methacrylic acid) (PNIPAM--MAA) microgels to facilitate release of a model drug, moxifloxacin (MFX). In this protocol, first, the microgels were prepared using a free radical copolymerization method, and subsequently, these carboxyl-group-rich soft particles were incorporated inside the hydrogel matrix using an EDC-NHS amidation method. Interestingly, the resulting microgel-embedded hydrogel composites (MG-HG) acting as a double barrier system largely reduced the drug release rate and prolonged the delivery time for up to 68 h, which was significantly longer than that obtained using microgels or hydrogels alone (20 h).

Stereoisomeric PamCS based TLR2 agonists: synthesis, structural modelling and activity as vaccine adjuvants.

Lipopeptides including diacylated PamCSK as well as triacylated PamCSK act as ligands of toll-like receptor (TLR)-2, a promising target for the development of vaccine adjuvants. The highly investigated PamCSK and PamCSK, despite their aqueous solubility have not performed well as vaccine adjuvants which may be attributable to potential denaturation of protein antigens by these cationic surfactant-like lipopeptides. In the present investigation, we synthesized (), () and racemic PamCS(OMe) analogs and their -acetyl derivatives without the tetralysine component to systematically investigate the effect of stereochemistry at the thio-glycerol lipopeptide core of these lipopeptide based TLR2 agonists.

Development of nanostructured lipid carriers as a promising tool for methotrexate delivery: physicochemical and evaluation.

The aim of the present study is to fabricate the stable nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) using biocompatible excipients for the encapsulation of Methotrexate (MTX), a chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer treatment. MTX has restricted clinical applications owing to its low solubility, non-specific targeting and adverse side effects. Glyceryl Monostearate (GMS) and Miglyol 812 (MI1) were chosen as solid and liquid lipids, respectively, for the fabrication of NLCs, and the influence of variation of solid and liquid composition was investigated.

Construction of multifunctional NH-UiO-66 metal organic framework: sensing and photocatalytic degradation of ketorolac tromethamine and tetracycline in aqueous medium.

Existence of pharmaceutical residues in water has endangered environmental pollution worldwide, which makes it ineludible to develop prospective bifunctional materials which not only possess excellent fluorescence behaviour to monitor pharmaceuticals but also exhibit simultaneous photocatalytic removal efficiency. Strengthened by functionalized metal organic framework (MOF) materials, we present here an amine functionalized zirconium-based MOF NH-UiO-66 which has been successfully synthesized using solvothermal approach. The as prepared MOF was subjected to numerous structural, morphological and compositional characterizations.

A luminescent Zn-MOF for the detection of explosives and development of fingerprints.

A luminescent 3D metal-organic framework [Zn(NDA)(AMP)] = PUC1 (where, NDA = naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and AMP = 4-aminomethyl pyridine) was synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The synthesized 3D framework was fully characterized with the help of different analytical techniques such as SCXRD, FTIR, TGA, PXRD, SEM, BET, PUC1 exhibited a strong emission peak at 371 nm when excited at 290 nm and the resulting emission was efficiently quenched in the presence of various organic explosive substances like pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl--methylnitramine (Tetryl), trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazoctane (HMX). PUC1 revealed highly sensitive and selective detection of PETN and Tetryl with high quenching constant values of 0.

Combined delivery of TLR2 and TLR7 agonists by Nanostructured lipid carriers induces potent vaccine adjuvant activity in mice.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists are promising adjuvants and the combination of TLR agonists enhance immune responses by providing synergistic immune activity via triggering different signalling pathways. However, systematic cytotoxicity due to the immediate release of such immune potentiators from the site of injection hampers its clinical performance. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) offer a possibility to incorporate multiple TLR agonists with high encapsulation efficiency and slow drug release.

Development of Phosphatidylcholine/Tween 80 based biocompatible clove oil-in-water nanoemulsion as a green nanocarrier for controlled herbicide delivery.

Recently, the development of ecofriendly and biocompatible agrochemical delivery systems has garnered widespread attention because of their great potential in sustainable agri-food applications. Atrazine (ATZ) is a globally used herbicide used to control weeds, but it suffers from poor aqueous solubility, poor efficacy, and environmental loss. Herein, we report a novel, eco-friendly and biocompatible clove oil-based nanoemulsion as a green nanocarrier to enhance the solubility, bioavailability, and control release of ATZ.

The Epidemiologic Aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak: Spreading Beyond Expectations.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak started in late 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China, and quickly spread to the surrounding regions and neighboring countries. A novel coronavirus, the so-called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was found to be responsible for this outbreak potentially originating from pangolins. In China, the outbreak lasted for 1 month until it seemed to be controlled after affecting over 81,000 individuals and causing deaths in over 4200 patients.

TLR2 Agonistic Small Molecules: Detailed Structure-Activity Relationship, Applications, and Future Prospects.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in microbial species. Among the various TLRs, TLR2 has a special place due to its ability to sense the widest repertoire of PAMPs owing to its heterodimerization with either TLR1 or TLR6, broadening its ligand diversity against pathogens. Various scaffolds are reported to activate TLR2, which include naturally occurring lipoproteins, synthetic lipopeptides, and small heterocyclic molecules.

Yb(OTf)-Catalyzed and Di--butyl Dicarbonate-Mediated Decarboxylative Etherification and Esterification Reactions.

Protecting group chemistry has invariably captured the fascination of chemists because of its extensive viability in chemical synthesis. The present report describes our pioneer work of applying ytterbium triflate as a catalyst, for the reaction of alcohols with di--butyl dicarbonate (BocO) leading to the formation of -butyl ethers. There exists no recorded evidence for the use of Yb(OTf) as a catalyst for the protection of alcohols to -butyl ethers, despite its excellent utility in various reactions.

BiWO/C-Dots/TiO: A Novel Z-Scheme Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Fluoroquinolone Levofloxacin from Aqueous Medium.

Photocatalytic materials and semiconductors of appropriate structural and morphological architectures as well as energy band gaps are materials needed for mitigating current environmental problems, as these materials have the ability to exploit the full spectrum of solar light in several applications. Thus, constructing a Z-scheme heterojunction is an ideal approach to overcoming the limitations of a single component or traditional heterogeneous catalysts for the competent removal of organic chemicals present in wastewater, to mention just one of the areas of application. A Z-scheme catalyst possesses many attributes, including enhanced light-harvesting capacity, strong redox ability and different oxidation and reduction positions.

pH-Sensing Strips Based on Biologically Synthesized Ly-MgO Nanoparticles.

MgO nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in diverse areas ranging from catalysis to sensing. Besides this, there is a lack of information regarding their toxicity on fauna and flora. The venture of this work is to evaluate the toxicity behavior and pH-sensing performance of l-lysine-modified MgO (Ly-MgO) NPs synthesized by the green approach using the clove () bud extract.

Green Nanotechnology-Driven Drug Delivery Assemblies.

Green nanotechnology incorporates the principles of green chemistry and green engineering to fabricate innocuous and eco-friendly nanoassemblies to combat the problems affecting the human health or environment. Subsequently, amalgamation of green nanotechnology with drug delivery area has actually commenced a new realm of "green nanomedicine". The burgeoning demand for green nanotechnology-driven drug delivery systems has led to the development of different types of delivery devices, like inorganic (metallic) nanoparticles, quantum dots, organic polymeric nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, dendrimers, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, etc.

Correction: Understanding the role of co-surfactants in microemulsions on the growth of copper oxalate using SAXS.

Correction for 'Understanding the role of co-surfactants in microemulsions on the growth of copper oxalate using SAXS' by Sunaina et al., Phys. Chem.

Flexible plasmonic graphene oxide/heterostructures for dual-channel detection.

Graphene oxide (GO) films are deposited on flexible Kapton substrates and selectively modified to conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrodes using laser patterning. Based on this, we design, fabricate, and test a flexible sensor integrating laser-reduced GO with silver plasmonic nanostructures. The fabricated device results in dual transduction channels: for electrochemical and plasmonic nanostructure-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection.