Synthesis of a Fe3O4-rGO-ZnO-catalyzed photo-Fenton system with enhanced photocatalytic performance

In this work, we designed a magnetically-separable Fe₃O₄-rGO-ZnO ternary catalyst, ZnO anchored on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-wrapped Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, where rGO, as an effective interlayer, can enhance the synergistic effect between ZnO and Fe₃O₄. The effects of three operational parameters, namely irradiation time, hydrogen peroxide dosage, and the catalyst dosage, on the photo-Fenton degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange were investigated. The results showed that the Fe₃O₄-rGO-ZnO had great potential for the destruction of organic compounds from wastewater using the Fenton chemical oxidation method at neutral pH. Repeatability of the photocatalytic activity after 5 cycles showed only a tiny drop in the catalytic efficiency.     

Silicon Mitigates Drought Stress in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Through Improving Photosynthetic Pigments,Biochemical and Yield Characters

Silicon - Feeling prone to stress differs with plant production stage, water scarcity near commencement of grain filling phase has a significant reduced grain yield through fewer endosperm and sink...     

Hydrophobizing polyether sulfone membrane by sol-gel for water desalination using air gap membrane distillation

ABSTRACT

The hydrophobic polyether sulfone membranes were prepared by the sol-gel method to be applied in an air gap membrane distillation setup for desalination. The surface modifications were carried out using Trimethylsilyl chloride (TMSCl) and Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) solutions. The membranes were characterized using Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Optical Contact Angle (OCA) methods. The effects of membrane preparation as well as operating conditions such as temperature difference, salt concentration, feed rotation speed, and cold-side temperature on membrane performance were investigated using central composite design method. It was found that feed temperature has the largest effect among the parameters on the permeation flux. The flow rate and salt rejection of the membrane in the optimum conditions were 4.47 Kg m^?2 h^?1 and 99.37%, respectively.     

Synthesis,characterization and charge transport properties of Pr–Ni Co-doped SrFe2O4 spinel for high frequency devices applications

Ferrites are materials of interest due to their broad applications in high technological devices and a lot of research has been focused to synthesize new ferrites. In this regard, an effort has been devoted to synthesize spinel Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrites with a nominal formula of Sr_1-xPr_xFe_2-yNi_yO₄ (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, 0.0 ≤ y ≤ 1.0). The cubic structure of pure and Pr–Ni co-substituted strontium ferrite samples calcinated at 1073 K for 3 h has been confirmed through X-ray diffraction (XRD). Average sizes of crystallites (18–25 nm) have been estimated from XRD analysis and nanometer particle sizes of synthesized ferrites have been further verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results have also shown that particles are mostly agglomerated and all the samples possess porosity. It has been observed that at 298 K, the values of resistivity (ρ) increase, while that of AC conductivity, dielectric loss, and dielectric constants decrease with increasing amounts of Pr³⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions. The values of dielectric parameters initially decrease with frequency and later become constant and can be explained on the basis of dielectric polarization. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies show that the charge transport phenomenon in ferrite materials is mainly controlled via grain boundaries. Overall, synthesized ferrite materials own enhanced resistivity values in the range of 1.38 × 10⁹–1.94 × 10⁹ Ω cm and minimum dielectric losses, which makes them suitable candidates for high frequency devices applications.     

A new promising electrochemiluminescence probe based on ruthenium nanobeads/silver nanoparticles/graphene oxide modified electrode for ultra-trace analysis of bisphenol A

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - In this paper, a novel signal-off electrochemiluminescence sensor based on a ternary nanocomposite of ruthenium nanobeads/silver nanoparticles/graphene oxide...     

Computational Fluid Dynamics versus Experiment: An Investigation on Liquid Weeping of Nye Trays

The weeping phenomenon was investigated using some experimental tests and a numerical model. The tests were performed within a 1.22‐m‐diameter pilot‐scale column including two chimney trays and two Nye test trays with an air‐water system. The rates of weeping were measured in the Nye trays with two heights of the weir and a hole area of 5 %. Moreover, the weeping rates in the outlet and inlet halves of the Nye tray and the total weeping rate were calculated. In the next step, an Eulerian‐Eulerian computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique was used. The results show good agreement between the attained CFD findings and the experimental data.     

Characterization of the structure and properties of processed alumina-graphene and alumina-zirconia composites

The onset of hybrid alumina-based composites, which combines two or more nano-particles within the alumina matrix has already shown promising improvements in the matrix material. However, variations in mechanical properties including the optimum compositions that give improved properties faced with the development of alumina-based composites require further studies to understand the underlying mechanisms and synergistic effects of the nano-particle additions on the alumina matrix. In the current study, the structure and properties of Al?O?-graphene (0.5 wt%) and Al?O?–ZrO? (4 wt% and 10 wt%) composites fabricated via hot-pressing was studied as a baseline for multiple combinations. Even though the addition of 10 wt%ZrO? resulted in a 23% reduction in the grain size of the alumina matrix, the 4 wt%ZrO? addition resulted in a 14% increase in grain size as compared to the parent alumina matrix. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that there was approximately 85% monoclinic (m-ZrO₂) vs. 15% tetragonal (t-ZrO₂) crystal structures in the A4ZrO? sample whilst the A₁₀ZrO? had approximately 93% m-ZrO₂ vs. 7% t-ZrO₂. The high-volume fraction of the monoclinic crystal structures in the A₁₀ZrO? accounts for the induced microcracks in the sample since the transition from the ductile-tetragonal to brittle-monoclinic is associated with the exertion of compressive stresses on the alumina matrix by the associated elastic volume expansion of m-ZrO₂. Also, the addition of 0.5 wt%graphene resulted in about 37% reduction in the grain size of the alumina matrix, and approximately 10% increase in hardness as a result of the distribution of graphene along the grain boundaries of the parent alumina matrix, which restricts grain coalescence and growth during processing. Furthermore, an increase up to 115% and 164% were observed in the fracture toughness (K_IC) with the inclusion of 0.5 wt%graphene and 10 wt%ZrO? respectively, which was primarily ascribed to the fine-grained microstructures and toughening mechanisms of the intergranular graphene and ZrO? particles.     

Salt-assisted solution combustion synthesis of NiFe2O4: Effect of salt type

The effects of three types of salt including NaF, KCl, and NaCl on the properties of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles using salt-assisted solution combustion synthesis (SSCS) have been investigated. The synthesized powders were evaluated by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, and VSM analysis. Also, the specific surface area (SSA), as well as size distribution and volume of the porosities of NiFe₂O₄ powders were determined by the BET apparatus. The visual observations showed that the intensity and time of combustion synthesis of nanoparticles have been severely influenced by the type of salt. The highest crystallinity was observed in the synthesized powder using NaCl. The SSA has also been correlated completely to the type of salt. The quantities of SSA was achieved about 91.62, 64.88, and 47.22 m²g^-1 for the powders synthesized by KCl, NaCl, and NaF respectively. Although the magnetic hysteresis loops showed the soft ferromagnetic behavior of the NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles in all conditions, KCl salt could produce the particles with the least coercivity and remanent magnetization. Based on the present study, the salt type is a key parameter in the SSCS process for the preparation of spinel ferrites. Thermodynamic evaluation also showed that the melting point and heat capacity are important parameters for the proper selection of the salt.     

Mangiferin Inhibits Apoptosis in Doxorubicin-Induced Vascular Endothelial Cells via the Nrf2 Signaling Pathway

Doxorubicin increases endothelial permeability, hence increasing cardiomyocytes’ exposure to doxorubicin (DOX) and exposing myocytes to more immediate damage. Reactive oxygen species are major effector molecules of doxorubicin’s activity. Mangiferin (MGN) is a xanthone derivative that consists of C-glucosylxanthone with additional antioxidant properties. This particular study assessed the effects of MGN on DOX-induced cytotoxicity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells’ (HUVECs’) signaling networks. Mechanistically, MGN dramatically elevated Nrf2 expression at both the messenger RNA and protein levels through the upregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, leading to an increase in Nrf2-downstream genes. Cell apoptosis was assessed with a caspase-3 activity assay, transferase-mediated dUTP-fluorescein nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was performed to assess DNA fragmentation, and protein expression was determined by Western blot analysis. DOX markedly increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, PARP, caspase-3, and TUNEL-positive cell numbers, but reduced the expression of Bcl-2 and antioxidants’ intracellular concentrations. These were effectively antagonized with MGN (20 μM), which led to HUVECs being protected against DOX-induced apoptosis, partly through the PI3K/AKT-mediated NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway, which could theoretically protect the vessels from severe DOX toxicity.     

Targeted Delivery of Anesthetic Agents to Bone Tissues using Conductive Microneedles Enhanced Iontophoresis for Painless Dental Anesthesia

Pain management during dental procedures is a cornerstone for successful daily practice. In current practice, the traditional needle and syringe injection is used to administer local anesthesia. However, the appearance of long needles and the pain associated with it often leads to dental anxiety deterring timely interventions. Microneedles (MNs) have emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to hypodermic needles and shown to be effective in transdermal drug delivery applications. In this article, the potential use of MNs for local anesthesia delivery in dentistry is explored. The development of a novel conductive MN array that can be used in combination with iontophoresis technique to achieve drug penetration through the oral mucosa and the underlying bone tissue is presented. The conductive MN array plays a dual-role, creating micro-conduits and lowering the resistance of the oral mucosa. The reduced tissue resistance further enhances the application of a low-voltage current that is able to direct and accelerate the drug molecules to target the sensory nerves supplying teeth. The successful delivery of lidocaine using this new strategy in a clinically relevant rabbit incisor model is shown to be as effective as the current gold standard.