Eco‐friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles and its larvicidal property against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti

In this study, larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesised using apple extract against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti was determined. As a result, the AgNPs showed moderate larvicidal effects against Ae. aegypti larvae (LC₅₀  = 15.76 ppm and LC₉₀  = 27.7 ppm). In addition, comparison of larvicidal activity performance of AgNPs at high concentration prepared using two different methods showed that Ae. aegypti larvae was fully eliminated within the duration of 2.5 h. From X‐ray diffraction, the AgNP crystallites were found to exhibit face centred cubic structure. The average size of these AgNPs as estimated by particle size distribution was in the range of 50–120 nm. The absorption maxima of the synthesised Ag showed characteristic Ag surface plasmon resonance peak. This green synthesis provides an economic, eco‐friendly and clean synthesis route to Ag.Inspec keywords: silver, nanofabrication, X‐ray diffraction, zoology, particle size, nanoparticles, biomedical materials, nanomedicineOther keywords: time 2.5 h, size 50 nm to 120 nm, silver nanoparticle, larvicidal property, instar larvae, Aedes aegypti, larvicidal effect, larvicidal activity performance, X‐ray diffraction, nanoparticle particle size distribution, absorption maxima, silver surface plasmon resonance peak     

Efficient and 1,8-diiodooctane-free ternary organic solar cells fabricated via nanoscale morphology tuning using small-molecule dye additive

The ternary strategy for incorporating multiple photon-sensitive components into a single junction has emerged as an effective method for optimizing the nanoscale morphology and improving the device performance of organic solar cells (OSCs).In this study,efficient and stable ternary OSCs were achieved by introducing the small-molecule dye (5E,5'E)-5,5'-(4',4″-(1,2-diphenylethene-1,2-diyl)bis(biphenyl-4',4-diyl))bis(methan-1-yl-1-ylidene)bis(3-ethyl-2-thioxothia zolidin-4-one) (BTPERn) into poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiopheneco-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate] (PTB7-Th):[6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) blend films processed using a 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO)-free solvent.The incorporation of BTPE-Rn enhanced the short-circuit current density and fill factor of the ternary OSCs compared with those of binary OSCs.An investigation of the optical,electronic,and morphological properties of the ternary blends indicated that the third component of BTPE-Rn not only promoted the photon utilization of blends through the energy-transfer process but also improved the electron mobility of the blends owing to the fullerene-rich nanophase optimization.More importantly,this ternary strategy of utilizing a small-molecule dye to replace the photounstable DIO additive enhanced the operational stability of the OSCs.     

Interface evolution in the platelet-like SiC@C and SiC@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> monocrystal nanocapsules

Carbon-coated SiC@C nanocapsules (NCs) with a hexagonal platelet-like morphology were fabricated by a simple direct current (DC) arc-discharge plasma method.The SiC@C NCs were monocrystalline,120-150 nm in size,and approximately 50 nm thick.The formation of the as-prepared SiC@C NCs included nucleation of truncated octahedral SiC seeds and subsequent anisotropic growth of the seeds into hexagonal nanoplatelets in a carbon-rich atmosphere.The disordered carbon layers on the SiC@C NCs were converted into SiO2 shells of SiC@SiO2 NCs by heat treatment at 650 ℃ in air,during which the shape and inherent characteristics of the crystalline SiC core were obtained.The interface evolution from carbon to SiO2 shells endowed the SiC@SiO2 NCs with enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the hydrophilic and transparent nature of the SiO2 shell,as well as to the photosensitive SiC nanocrystals.The band gap of the nanostructured SiC core was determined to be 2.70 eV.The SiC@SiO2 NCs degraded approximately 95％ of methylene blue in 160 min under visible light irradiation.     

Low-Dimensional Halide Perovskites and Their Advanced Optoelectronic Applications

Nano-Micro Letters - A NiFe2O4/expanded graphite (NiFe2O4/EG) nanocomposite was prepared via a simple and inexpensive synthesis method. Its lithium storage properties were studied with the goal of...     

On the performance of different capability indices under normal and non-normal distributions

In this article, we have examined the performance of some useful capability indices using normal and non-normal distributions. The confidence intervals are calculated and mean coverage rates are observed for different capability indices. The effects of symmetry and kurtosis of parent distributions are examined on the mean coverage rates of different capability indices. Moreover, we have investigated the robustness (of confidence interval) using the median and percentile-based indices. We have considered the well-known distributions including normal, gamma, t, Weibull, and chi-squared. For these process scenarios, we have observed that some indices resist disturbance only in symmetry of the parent distribution, some resist the disturbance in symmetry and kurtosis of the distribution, and some indices don’t resist against either type of disturbance.     

On the Efficiency of Runs Rules Schemes for Process Monitoring

There are two main types of variations, namely, common and special causes leading to in‐control and out‐of‐control states, respectively. Control charts are popular tools used to differentiate between these two states of a process. Implementation of runs rules schemes with control charts is an attractive approach for process monitoring. This study is designed to describe the methodology of runs rules schemes and discuss their implementation for different types of control charts. We have considered memory‐less charts, namely, , S, and R charts for our study purposes. It is examined that the efficiency gain depends on the number of decision points utilized to implement a given rule. Moreover, superiority of runs rules schemes may vary for different types of location and dispersion charts. An application example using a dataset is also included in the study for practical considerations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Combined Shewhart–Cumulative Sum S Chart for Monitoring Process Standard Deviation

The combined application of a Shewhart chart and cumulative sum (CUSUM) control chart is an effective tool for the detection of all sizes of process shifts as the scheme combines the advantages of a CUSUM at detecting small to moderate shifts and Shewhart for the quick detection of very large shifts. This article proposes new combined Shewhart–CUSUM S charts based on the extreme variations of ranked set sampling technique, for efficient monitoring of changes in the process dispersion. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the combined scheme is designed to minimize the average extra quadratic loss over the entire process shift domain. The results show that the combined Shewhart–CUSUM S charts uniformly outperform several other procedures for detecting increases and decreases in the process variability. Moreover, the proposed scheme can detect changes that are small enough to escape the Shewhart S chart or fairly large to escape detection by the CUSUM S chart. Numerical example is given to illustrate the practical application of the proposed scheme using real industrial data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Low‐temperature synthesis of hierarchical structures of copper oxide and their superior biological activity

In this work, the authors report a facile low‐temperature wet‐chemical route to prepare morphology‐tailored hierarchical structures (HS) of copper oxide. The preparation of copper oxide collides was carried out using varying concentrations of copper acetate and a reducing agent at a constant temperature of 50°C. The prepared HS of CuO were characterised by powdered X‐rays diffraction that indicates phase pure having monoclinic structures. The morphology was further confirmed by field‐emission scanning electron microscope. It reveals a difference in shape and size of copper oxide HS by changing the concentration of reactants. In order to evaluate the effect of H₂ O₂ on CuO NPs, the prepared CuO are modified by treatment with H₂ O₂. In general trend, CuOH₂ O₂ collide showed enhanced protein kinase inhibition, antibacterial (maximum zone 16.34 mm against Staphylococcus aureus) and antifungal activities in comparison to unmodified CuO collides. These results reveal that CuO HS exhibit antimicrobial properties and can be used as a potential candidate in pharmaceutical industries.Inspec keywords: molecular biophysics, antibacterial activity, X‐ray diffraction, microorganisms, copper compounds, nanofabrication, nanoparticles, narrow band gap semiconductors, field emission scanning electron microscopy, enzymes, nanomedicine, particle size, semiconductor growthOther keywords: unmodified CuO collides, low‐temperature synthesis, morphology‐tailored hierarchical structures, copper acetate, reducing agent, monoclinic structures, copper oxide HS, CuO NPs, Staphylococcus aureus, biological activity, copper oxide, powdered X‐ray diffraction, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, facile low‐temperature wet‐chemical method, protein kinase inhibition, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, antimicrobial properties, pharmaceutical industries, temperature 50.0 degC, CuO     

Three-dimensional macroscale assembly of Pd nanoclusters

Construction of macro-materials with highly oriented microstructures and well-connected interfaces between building blocks is significant for a variety of applications. However, it is still challenging to confine the desired structures. Thus, well-defined building blocks would be crucial to address this issue. Herein, we present a facile process based on 1.8 nm Pd nanoclusters (NCs) to achieve centimeter-size assemblages with aligned honeycomb structures, where the diameter of a single tubular moiety is ～4 μm. Layered and disordered porous assemblages were also obtained by modulating the temperature in this system. The reconciled interactions between the NCs were crucial to the assemblages. As a comparison, 14 nm Pd nanoparticles formed only aggregates. This work highlights the approach of confining the size of the building blocks in order to better control the assembly process and improve the stability of the structures.

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