Optimization of Lithium Content and Sintering Aid for Maximized Li+ Conductivity and Density in Ta‐Doped Li7La3Zr2O12

Ta‐doped cubic phase Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZ) lithium garnet received considerable attention in recent times as prospective electrolyte for all‐solid‐state lithium battery. Although the conductivity has been improved by stabilizing the cubic phase with the Ta⁵⁺ doping for Zr⁴⁺ in LLZ, the density of the pellet was found to be relatively poor with large amount of pores. In addition to the high Li⁺ conductivity, density is also an essential parameter for the successful application of LLZ as solid electrolyte membrane in all‐solid‐state lithium battery. Systematic investigations carried out through this work indicated that the optimal Li concentration of 6.4 (i.e., Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂) is required to obtain phase pure, relatively dense and high Li⁺ conductive cubic phase in Li_7?xLa₃Zr_2?xTa_xO₁₂ solid solutions. Effort has been also made in this work to enhance the density and Li⁺ conductivity of Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂ further through the Li₄SiO₄ addition. A maximized room‐temperature (33°C) total (bulk + grain boundary) Li⁺ conductivity of 3.7 × 10^?4 S/cm and maximized relative density of 94% was observed for Li_6.4La₃Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂ added with 1 wt% of Li₄SiO₄.     

Nitroarenes as Antitubercular Agents: Stereoelectronic Modulation to Mitigate Mutagenicity

Nitroarenes are less preferred in drug discovery due to their potential to be mutagenic. However, several nitroarenes were shown to be promising antitubercular agents with specific modes of action, namely, nitroimidazoles and benzothiazinones. The nitro group in these compounds is activated through different mechanisms, both enzymatic and non‐enzymatic, in mycobacteria prior to binding to the target of interest. From a whole‐cell screening program, we identified a novel lead nitrobenzothiazole (BT) series that acts by inhibition of decaprenylphosphoryl‐β‐d ‐ribose 2′‐epimerase (DprE1) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The lead was found to be mutagenic to start with. Our efforts to mitigate mutagenicity resulted in the identification of 6‐methyl‐7‐nitro‐5‐(trifluoromethyl)‐1,3‐benzothiazoles (cBTs), a novel class of antitubercular agents that are non‐mutagenic and exhibit an improved safety profile. The methyl group ortho to the nitro group decreases the electron affinity of the series, and is hence responsible for the non‐mutagenic nature of these compounds. Additionally, the co‐crystal structure of cBT in complex with Mtb DprE1 established the mode of binding. This investigation led to a new non‐mutagenic antitubercular agent and demonstrates that the mutagenic nature of nitroarenes can be solved by modulation of stereoelectronic properties.     

Experimental investigation on the effect of charge temperature on ethanol fueled HCCI combustion engine

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to study by varying the charge temperature on the ethanol fueled Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion engine. Ethanol was injected into the intake manifold by using port fuel injection technique while the intake air was heated for achieving stable HCCI operation. The effect of intake air temperature on the combustion, performance, and emissions of the ethanol HCCI operation was compared with the standard diesel operation and presented. The results indicate that the intake air temperature has a significant impact on in-cylinder pressure, ringing intensity, combustion efficiency, thermal efficiency and emissions. At 170°C, the maximum value of combustion efficiency and brake thermal efficiency of ethanol are found to be 98.2% and 43%, respectively. The NO emission is found to be below 11 ppm while the smoke emission is negligible. However, the UHC and CO emissions are higher for the HCCI operation.

     

External stimulus-responsive biomaterials designed for the culture and differentiation of ES,iPS, and adult stem cells

The physical and chemical characteristics of biomaterial surface and hydrogels can be altered by external stimuli, such as light irradiation, temperature changes, pH shifts, shear stress forces, electrical forces, and the addition of small chemical molecules. Such external stimulus-responsive biomaterials represent promising candidates that have been developed for the culture and differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, and adult stem cells. Biomaterials that are designed to respond in a reversible manner to specific external signals can be formed on micropatterned or non-micropatterned surface, in hydrogels, or on microcarriers. Stem cells and the cells differentiated from them into specific tissue lineages can be cultured and/or differentiated on dishes with immobilized external stimulus-responsive polymers. Cells can be detached from these dishes without using an enzymatic digestion method or a mechanical method when the appropriate external stimulus is generated on the surface. This review discusses the polymers and polymeric designs employed to produce surface and hydrogels for stem cell culture, differentiation, and/or cell detachment using various external stimuli.     

Synthesis,characterization and demonstration of self-cleaning TiO2 coatings on glass and glazed ceramic tiles

An effort was made not only to demonstrate the performance of the self-cleaning coatings on building materials such as ceramic glazed tiles and glass windows, but also to understand the fundamental issues that are still alive in the field of self-cleaning surfaces based on photocatalysis. Nano TiO₂ transparent thin films were generated by dip, spray and flow coating method. The present results indicate that the inconsistent results in the self-cleaning studies may be due to the effect of aggregation of model pollutant (methylene blue) dye on TiO₂ surface. The effect of aliovalent metal ion (Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, Nb⁵⁺) doping on phase formation, polymorphic transition, visible light absorbance and optical transparency of TiO₂ film were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV visible absorption spectroscopy. The improved visible light activity of doped TiO₂ thin film was correlated to the Ti(Ni/Fe)O₃ phase formation, UV and visible light absorbance, variation in the optical energy band gap and the probable light scattering associated with grain size.     

A conflict-based priority dispatching rule and operation-based approaches to job shops

Job shop scheduling (JSS) problems consist of a set of machines and a collection of jobs to be scheduled. Each job consists of several operations with a specified processing order. In this paper, a job shop model problem is scheduled with the help of the Giffler and Thompson algorithm using a priority dispatching rule (PDR). A conflict based PDR is used to schedule the job shop model by using Genetic Algorithms (GAs). An iterative method is applied to the job model to find the optimal conflict-based PDR order and the operation sequence. The same job shop model is also scheduled based on an operation using simulated annealing (SA) and hybrid simulated annealing (HSA). A makespan of the job model is used as an objective. These four methods are considered as different solutions for each problem. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is applied to test its significance.     

New nanohybrids from poly(propylene imine) dendrimer stabilized silver nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotubes for effective catalytic and antimicrobial applications

Five types of multiwalled carbon nanotubes noncovalently functionalized with poly (propylene imine) dendrimer (PPI (G2))-silver nanoparticle hybrids were prepared by varying the [Ag⁺] load from 2 to 6 mM. These nanohybrids were characterized with FTIR, UV-Vis, FESEM, EDS, HRTEM and Raman analyses. The catalytic potential was studied through the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as a model reaction under pseudo first-order reaction conditions. The calculated k_obs value (16.94 × 10^?2 min^?1) reveals that the 4 mM [Ag⁺] loaded catalyst showed higher efficiency than with rest of the catalysts. Further, the in vitro antimicrobial activities of all nanohybrids were inspected against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.     

Thermal cracking and combustion kinetics of asphaltenes derived from Fosterton oil

Thermal behavior of crude oil (Fosterton) asphaltenes mixed with reservoir sand was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), in nitrogen and air atmospheres for different heating rates up to 800 °C. In this study, four sets of TGA runs were performed to examine the thermal behavior of Fosterton asphaltenes and the coke derived from the asphaltenes. The parameters studied were heating rate (10, 15 and 20 °C min^− 1) and the type of purge gas (N₂ and air) employed for the process of thermal degradation of asphaltenes. Distributed activation energy model (DAEM) has been applied to study the asphaltene pyrolysis kinetics. It was observed that the activation energy was distributed from 46.16 to 72.17 kJ/mol, for the conversion range of 0.1 to 0.4. The general model for nth order reaction was used to obtain the kinetic parameters of coke oxidation reaction from the TGA data. From the model, the calculated activation energy, E, was 93.46 kJ/mol and the pre-exponential factor was 9.59 × 10⁵ min^− 1 for the coke combustion. The apparent order of combustion reaction gradually increased from 0.7 to 0.8 for different temperatures.     

Influence of in situ formed ZrB2 particles on microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6061 metal matrix composites

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (PMMCs) have gained considerable amount of research emphasis and attention in the present era. Research is being carried out across the globe to produce new combination of PMMCs. PMMCs are prepared by adding a variety of ceramic particles with monolithic alloys using several techniques. An attempt has been made to produce aluminium metal matrix composites reinforced with zirconium boride (ZrB₂) particles by the in situ reaction of K₂ZrF₆ and KBF₄ salts with molten aluminium. The influence of in situ formed ZrB₂ particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6061 alloy was studied in this work. The in situ formed ZrB₂ particles significantly refined the microstructure and enhanced the mechanical properties of AA6061 alloy. The weight percentage of ZrB₂ was varied from 0 to 10 in steps of 2.5. Improvement of hardness, ultimate tensile strength and wear resistance of AA6061 alloy was observed with the increase in ZrB₂ content.