Taurine-Conjugated Mussel-Inspired Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with an Elongated Shape for Effective Delivery of Doxorubicin into the Tumor Cells.

Multifunctional iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles, among them nanorods, were prepared with a mussel-inspired polydopamine (pDA) surface coating agent for cancer therapeutics. Taurine, a free sulfur-containing ß amino acid, was grafted on the pDA at the iron oxide nanoparticle surface to enhance its biocompatibility and targeted delivery action. Doxorubicin (DOX), an anticancer drug, was loaded on the prepared nanovehicles with an entrapment efficiency of 70.

Sustainable treatment of domestic wastewater through microalgae.

The present work evaluated the optimum concentration of microalgal cells for domestic wastewater treatment in terms of removal in nutrients and physicochemical parameters. In the study, three different concentrations (20, 30, and 40%) of microalgae was considered at 8 hours and 24 hours of Hydraulic Retention time (HRT). Among the different microalgal concentrations studied 30% microalgae concentration gave maximum removal at both the HRTs.

Computational study on constant and sinusoidal heating of skin tissue using radial basis functions.

This paper concerns the study of heat distribution in skin tissue with constant and sinusoidal heat flux at the skin surface. Three types of heat transfer models, i.e.

Simple hydrothermal approach for synthesis of fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots: Sensing of Cr ion and cellular imaging.

Nowadays, fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS QDs) have proven to be potential candidates in the sensing and bioimaging areas owing to their exceptional intrinsic characteristics. Here, a simple hydrothermal strategy was explored for the preparation of MoS QDs using ammonium heptamolybdate and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) as precursors. The emission peak of MoS QDs was significantly quenched in the presence Cr ion due to the selective surface chemistry on the surfaces of MoS QDs.

2D PC as a promising thermoelectric material.

In the present article, we report the thermoelectric properties of monolayer PC3 for the first time. The structural, vibrational, electronic and thermoelectric properties of PC3 are investigated in detail using a combination of density functional and Boltzman transport theory, and are compared to the carbon (graphene) and phosphorous (phosphorene) analogues. The results show that the PC3 monolayer is dynamically stable and robust upon oxygen contact as well.

Hemolysis tendency of anticancer nanoparticles changes with type of blood group antigen: An insight into blood nanoparticle interactions.

Different blood groups of ABO system have specific antigen which bestows them with different biochemical properties and hence they can show different hemolytic activity. In this report, hemolytic activity of thiol-functionalized FeO-Au nanoparticles were studied in presence and absence of doxorubicin and the effect of various thiol coatings were correlated towards their hemolysis tendency. The nanoparticles were functionalized with four different amino thiols, cysteamine (CEA), cystamine (CA), cysteine (Cys) and cystine (Cyt) to form FeO-Au CEA, FeO-Au CA, FeO-Au Cys and FeO-Au Cyt nanoparticles which were loaded with anticancer drug, doxorubicin.

Carbon dots as versatile nanoarchitectures for the treatment of neurological disorders and their theranostic applications: A review.

The development of novel methods plays a fundamental role in early diagnosis and controlling of neurological disorders (NDs). Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the most challenging barrier for the development of neuro drug delivery systems due to its inhibiting ability to enter drugs and agents into central nervous system (CNS). Carbon dots (CDs) have shown to be very promising and outstanding agents for various biomedical applications (bio imaging studies, treatment of NDs and brain tumors).

Exploration of the strain and thermoelectric properties of hexagonal SiX (X = N, P, As, Sb, and Bi) monolayers.

Materials with moderate bandgap, high carrier mobilities and high thermoelectric efficiencies show robust performance in microelectronic and thermoelectric applications. We investigated the structural, electronic and thermoelectric properties of Si-based group IV-V monolayers using density functional theory and the semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory. The electronic band structure of SiX monolayers calculated with the PBE functional indicates moderate band gap characteristics.

Lysine and α-Aminoisobutyric Acid Conjugated Bioinspired Polydopamine Surfaces for the Enhanced Antibacterial Performance of the Foley Catheter.

Microbial adhesion onto implanted devices was reduced by the immobilization of amino acid lysine and α-aminoisobutyric acid to polydopamine functionalized PET films and Foley catheters. The polydopamine functionalized film was prepared by a dip coating method followed by incorporation of biocompatible amino acids to prepared films. The purpose of development of the modified pDA film is to improve the anti-biofouling and antibacterial activity of the film which can be successfully applied for medical devices.

Acid Oxidation of Muskmelon Fruit for the Fabrication of Carbon Dots with Specific Emission Colors for Recognition of Hg Ions and Cell Imaging.

In this study, water-soluble emissive carbon dots (CDs) are effectively fabricated with specific optical properties and colors by acid oxidation of muskmelon () fruit, which are termed as CDs (CMCDs). The fluorescence properties of CMCDs were tuned by controlling the experimental conditions that allow them to emit different colors, that is, blue (B-), green (G-), and yellow (Y-) CMCDs, with different emission wavelengths at 432, 515, and 554 nm when excited at 342, 415, and 425 nm, respectively. The fabricated multicolor-emissive CDs were confirmed by various analytical techniques.

Effect of electric field on optoelectronic properties of indiene monolayer for photoelectric nanodevices.

In recent years, layered materials display interesting properties and the quest for new sorts of two-dimensional (2D) structures is a significance for future device manufacture. In this paper, we study electronic and optical properties of 2D indiene allotropes with planar and buckled structures. The optical properties calculations are based on density functional theory (DFT) simulations including in-plane and out-of-plane directions of light polarization.

An insight into biomimetic 4D printing.

4D printed objects are indexed under additive manufacturing (AM) objects. The 4D printed materials are stimulus-responsive and have shape-changing features. However, the manufacturing of such objects is still a challenging task.

Microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction of phenolic antioxidants from onion ( L.) peel: a Box-Behnken design approach for optimization.

Valorization of onion peel waste, considered to be a rich source of polyphenolic compounds, by employing green extraction techniques is the need of the hour. The aim of the present study was to optimize the microwave-assisted extraction of bioactive phenolic compounds from onion peel wastes employing ChCl:Urea:HO deep eutectic solvent. Microwave power (100-200-300 W), time (5-15-25 min) and liquid to solid ratio (40:1-50:1-60:1) were studied as the major parameters affecting the extraction efficiency.

Microwave-assisted extraction for recovery of polyphenolic antioxidants from ripe mango ( L.) peel using lactic acid/sodium acetate deep eutectic mixtures.

The present study investigates recovery of polyphenolic compounds from ripe mango ( L.) peel using deep eutectic solvents based on microwave-assisted extraction method. Lactic acid/sodium acetate/water (3:1:4) screened out from eight different types of deep eutectic solvent systems was used as extractant.

Ionic Liquid-Based Catanionic Coacervates: Novel Microreactors for Membrane-Free Sequestration of Dyes and Curcumin.

Surfactant-mediated coacervates are termed as the new age microreactors for their ability to spontaneously sequester the molecules with varied polarities and functionalities. Efforts to emulate this applicability of coacervates through synthetic control of surfactant structures are finding success; however, there is little understanding of how to translate these changes into tailor-made properties. Herein, we designed 3-methyl-1-(octyloxycarbonylmethyl)imidazolium bromide (CEMeImBr), an ester-functionalized ionic liquid-based surfactant, which shows better surface active properties than the nonfunctionalized and conventional cationic surfactant and forms complex coacervates over the broad range of concentration with sodium salicylate (NaSal).

Assembly of 6-aza-2-thiothymine on gold nanoparticles for selective and sensitive colorimetric detection of pencycuron in water and food samples.

A facile and novel nanosensor analytical strategy was developed for the colorimetric detection of pencycuron fungicide in rice, potato, cabbage, and water samples based on the pencycuron-induced aggregation of 6-aza-2-thiothymine-functionalized gold nanoparticles (ATT-AuNPs). The ATT-AuNPs exhibited good stability and were characterized with UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential techniques. The addition of pencycuron facilitated strong non-covalent interactions (electrostatic, van der Waals, and H bonding) between pencycuron and ATT-AuNPs, inducing a significant red shift in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of ATT-AuNPs along with a color change from red to blue.

Stimuli Responsive, Self-Sustainable, and Self-Healable Functionalized Hydrogel with Dual Gelation, Load-Bearing, and Dye-Absorbing Properties.

The motivation for designing low-molecular-weight gelators with self-healing characteristics originates from elegant examples in biology such as vines of the genus Aristolochia whose internal secondary growth exhibits rapid self-healing in their stems. In the present work, we had explored the stimuli-responsive dual gelation characteristics for the ester-functionalized surfactant (4-(2-(hexadecyloxy)-2-oxoethyl)-4-methylmorpholin-4-ium bromide, CEMorphBr) in aqueous medium at 7.20% (w/v) critical gel concentration and pH 7.

Glutathione conjugated superparamagnetic FeO-Au core shell nanoparticles for pH controlled release of DOX.

Glutathione (GSH) coated gold‑iron oxide core shell nanoparticles (GS-Au-FeO) were prepared by coating glutathione shell on nanoparticles to reduce the dose dependent behaviour of anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX). The resultant nanoparticles were characterized using XPS, FTIR, HR-TEM with STEM profile to analyze the GSH shell over the surface. The GS-Au-FeO nanoparticles were loaded with DOX and maximum drug entrapment capacity of 54% was observed in 48 h.

Trypsin mediated one-pot reaction for the synthesis of red fluorescent gold nanoclusters: Sensing of multiple analytes (carbidopa, dopamine, Cu, Co and Hg ions).

Herein, we fabricated fluorescent gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) by using trypsin as a ligand. The fabricated trypsin-Au NCs emit bright red color fluorescence upon the exposure of 365 nm UV light. The trypsin-Au NCs are stable and well dispersed in water, which exhibited strong red emission peak at 665 nm upon excitation wavelength of 520 nm.

Tuning of carbon dots emission color for sensing of Fe ion and bioimaging applications.

Herein, we report a facile one-step synthetic strategy for fabrication of three (blue, green and yellow) fluorescent color carbon dots (CDs) from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The as-synthesized CDs showed emission peaks at 450, 520 and 560 nm for blue, green and yellow color CDs when excited at 370, 420 and 460 nm, respectively. Using tomato as a carbon source, the fabricated three fluorescent color CDs showed good water dispersity and high quantum yield.

Progress of electrospray ionization and rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometric techniques for the broad-range identification of microorganisms.

Several non-culture molecular (multiplex polymerase chain reaction assays, DNA microarrays, massive parallel DNA sequencing, in situ hybridization, microbiome profiling, and molecular typing of pathogens) and analytical (electrophoresis, gel electrophoresis, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and mass spectrometry) tools have been developed in recent years for the identification of bacteria and diagnosis of bacterial infections from clinical samples. Among mass spectrometric techniques, electrospray ionization (ESI) and rapid evaporative ionization (REI) mass spectrometric (MS) techniques have attracted much attention in the identification of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and viruses), and in the diagnosis of various bacterial infections. This review highlights the developed ESI-MS-based methods, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with ESI-MS and capillary electrophoresis (CE) and liquid chromatography (LC)-ESI-MS, for the identification of microorganisms (pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses) in various samples.

Green synthesis of multi-color emissive carbon dots from Manilkara zapota fruits for bioimaging of bacterial and fungal cells.

Natural resources have widely been used as precursors for the preparation of ultra-small carbon dots (C-dots) due to ease of availability, low cost and C-dots with high quantum yields (QYs). Herein, water dispersible multi-color emissive C-dots were obtained from Manilkara zapota fruits. The emission of C-dots was well tuned by sulphuric acid and phosphoric acids, which results to generate blue-, green- and yellow- C-dots.

Influence of doping ion, capping agent and pH on the fluorescence properties of zinc sulfide quantum dots: Sensing of Cu and Hg ions and their biocompatibility with cancer and fungal cells.

Herein, a facile one-pot synthetic method was explored for the fabrication of glutathione capped Mn doped‑zinc sulphide quantum dots (GSH-Mn-ZnS QDs) for both fluorescent detection of Cu and Hg ions and for fluorescence imaging of two cancer (RIN5F and MDAMB231) and fungal (Rhizopus oryzae) cells. Particularly, doping of Mn into ZnS QDs nanocrystal structure resulted a great improvement in the fluorescence properties of ZnS QDs. The emission peak of undoped ZnS QDs was found at 447 nm, which is due to the large number of surface defects in the ZnS QDs nanostructures.

Si and Ge based metallic core/shell nanowires for nano-electronic device applications.

One dimensional heterostructure nanowires (NWs) have attracted a large attention due to the possibility of easily tuning their energy gap, a useful property for application to next generation electronic devices. In this work, we propose new core/shell NW systems where Ge and Si shells are built around very thin As and Sb cores. The modification in the electronic properties arises due to the induced compressive strain experienced by the metal core region which is attributed to the lattice-mismatch with the shell region.

Free-standing Pt and Pd nanowires: strain-modulated stability and magnetic and thermoelectric properties.

We studied the Lagrangian strain-induced colossal magnetism and thermoelectric performance of platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd) nanowires (NWs) using first-principles density functional calculations. Pt and Pd NWs were found to be dynamically stable for both strain-free and strained situations. Their cohesive energy and magnetic moment showed decrease and increase, respectively, with an increase in tensile Lagrangian strain (2% to 10%) in the (001) plane.