Characterization of Al2O3/ZrO2 nano multilayer thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Microstructural characterization of pulsed laser deposited Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ multilayers on Si (1 0 0) substrates at an optimized oxygen partial pressure of 3 × 10⁻² mbar and at room temperature (298 K) has been carried out. A nanolaminate structure consisting of alternate layers of ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ with 40 bi-layers was fabricated at different zirconia layer thicknesses (20, 15 and 10 nm). The objective of the work is to study the effect of ZrO₂ layer thickness on the stabilization of tetragonal ZrO₂ phase for a constant Al₂O₃ layer thickness of 5 nm. The Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ multilayer films were characterized using high temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) in the temperature range 298–1473 K. The studies showed that the thickness of the zirconia layer has a profound influence on the crystallization temperature for the formation of tetragonal zirconia phase. The tetragonal phase content increased with the decrease of ZrO₂ layer thickness. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (XTEM) investigations were carried out on a multilayer thin films deposited at room temperature. The XTEM studies showed the formation of uniform thickness layers with higher fraction of monoclinic and small fraction of tetragonal phases of zirconia and amorphous alumina.     

Isopropylation of ethylbenzene over MCM-22 molecular sieve

MCM-22 materials (Si/Al ratios 24, 50 and 75) were synthesized and characterized. The catalytic activity was examined in the vapour phase isopropylation of ethylbenzene with isopropyl alcohol. Based on ethylbenzene conversion, the order of activity of the catalysts is found to be MCM-22(50) > MCM-22(24) = MCM-22(75). The selective formation of p-isopropyl ethylbenzene (p-IPEB) suggests that the reaction occurs mainly inside the 10-membered ring channel. The time on stream study over MCM-22(50) showed steady conversion for 6 h with nearly the same selectivity to p-isopropyl ethylbenzene (p-IPEB) and o-isopropyl ethylbenzene (p-IPEB).     

Molecular modeling and synthesis of polymers for use in applications requiring a low-k dielectric

As integrated circuits have become more and more complex and with smaller and smaller feature sizes several limitations have become apparent. One of these is the need for low-k dielectric materials as insulating layers. Recent work has reported promising materials for such insulators that include some fluorinated polymers. These dielectric materials were further improved by introducing porosity into the polymer films. One of the key factors in the dielectric constant of a material is its density. As the polarization of the material is related to the number of bonds, the dielectric constant will scale with the density. In this paper a series of molecular modeling calculations were conducted on various fluorine substituted polymers in order to predict their densities. A surprising result of these calculations was the prediction that some of the polymers would have densities less than 1 g/cm³. One of these polymers was synthesized and the density determined. The calculated density was in extremely good agreement with the experimental density. This paper will present the details of the molecular modeling technique as well as the synthesis and characterization of one of the polymers of interest.     

Error Free Butcher Algorithms for Linear Electrical Circuits

In this paper, an error‐free Butcher algorithm is introduced to study the singular system of a linear electrical circuit for time invariant and time varying cases. The discrete solutions obtained using Runge‐Kutta (RK)‐Butcher algorithms are compared with the exact solutions of the electrical circuit problem and are found to be very accurate. Stability regions for the single term Walsh series (STWS) method and the RK‐Butcher algorithm are presented. Error graphs for inductor currents and capacitor voltages are presented in a graphical form to show the efficiency of the RK‐Butcher algorithm. This RK‐Butcher algorithm can be easily implemented in a digital computer for any singular system of electrical circuits.     

Spray Drying for the Production of Nutraceutical Ingredients—A Review

Contributions of spray drying to food processing applications are increasing as compared to other conventional drying methods. Spray drying has not only contributed in drying of fluids but also has played a vital role in encapsulation and microencapsulation of valuable foods and functional–nutraceutical ingredients. Microencapsulation by spray drying is a cost-effective one-step process as compared to other encapsulation methods. Encapsulation using spray drying is mainly used in the food sector to protect bioactive compounds or functional foods from light, temperature, oxidation, etc. This paper reviews the work done in past years in the functional food and nutraceutical sector using spray drying. The paper focuses on the role of spray drying in vitamins, minerals, flavouring substances, antioxidant compounds and fatty acids encapsulation.     

Structural,optical and magnetic properties of Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method

Pure, Barium and Nickel doped cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films have been coated on glass substrates at 400?°C by spray pyrolysis technique. The prepared CdS and doped CdS thin films were analysed by various measurements such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, optical and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). X-ray diffraction measurements show that the coated pure, Ba and Ni-doped CdS thin films belong to the cubic crystal structure with orientation preferentially along (111) direction. The average crystallite size of pure, Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films were determined as 31, 33 and 45 nm, respectively. The average dislocation density (δ) and stacking fault (SF) of pure, Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films were also determined. The surface morphology and elemental analysis of the thin films were determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrum (SEM with EDAX). It is observed that the optical energy bandgap has been decreased from 2.43 to 2.1 eV due to the doping Ba. The luminescence spectrum shows a strong emission peak at 517 nm in the case of pure CdS thin film and a meager red shift has been observed due to the doping. VSM studies were employed to study the magnetic behaviour of Ba and Ni doped CdS thin films.     

Green synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles and its effective applications in Biginelli reaction,BTB photodegradation and antibacterial activity

Metal/metal oxide nanoparticles have gained much attention in the field of organic catalysis and photocatalysis reactions for development of greener methodology. In the present work, copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) were synthesized by a greener route using Cordia sebestena (C. sebestena) flower aqueous extract. The nanoparticles were evaluated for their catalytic efficiency. The green synthesized CuO NPs were characterized using various analytical studies. A UV–Visible spectrum with peak at 267?nm and the peaks in their FT-IR spectrum at 431 and 542?cm^?1 showed reduction by the plant metabolites. FESEM-EDX analysis of CuO NPs shows an agglomerated spherical shape with signatures of Cu and O and XRD reveals characteristic crystallinity. TEM and DLS analyses showed particle size between 20 and 35?nm and TEM-SAED pattern ensured crystallinity. A Zeta potential of ?26?mV demonstrates moderate stability. The CuO NPs acted as a catalyst in the Biginelli reaction to produce 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones rapidly and at high yield. The NPs also degraded bromothymol blue (BTB) by photocatalysis with hydrogen peroxide. 100% dye removal efficiency was achieved by 3?h exposure of BTB to natural sunlight inferring it as economy, ecofriendly and effective catalyst. This finding illustrates that the NPs could be used in photolysis to remove water pollutants. Moreover, the biological significance of green synthesized CuO NPs was assessed by antibacterial activity against selected pathogenic bacterial organisms.     

High-Performance Photodetector and Angular-Dependent Random Lasing from Long-Chain Organic Diammonium Sandwiched 2D Hybrid Perovskite Non-Linear Optical Single Crystal

3D organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites are excellent materials for optoelectronic applications due to their exceptional properties, solution processability, and cost-effectiveness. However, the lack of environmental stability highly restricts them from practical applications. Herein, a stable centimeter-long 2D hybrid perovskite (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal using divalent N1-methylpropane-1,3-diammonium (N-MPDA) cation as an organic spacer, is reported. The as-grown single crystal exhibits stable optoelectronic performance, low threshold random lasing, and multi-photon luminescence/multi-harmonic generation. A photoconductive device fabricated using (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal exhibits an excellent photoresponsivity (≈124 AW⁻¹ at 405 nm) that is ≈4 orders of magnitudes higher than that of monovalent organic spacer-assisted 2D perovskites, such as (BA)₂PbBr₄ and (PEA)₂PbBr₄, and large specific detectivity (≈10¹² Jones). As an optical gain media, the (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal exhibits a low threshold random lasing (≈6.5 µJ cm⁻²) with angular dependent narrow linewidth (≈0.1 nm) and high-quality factor (Q ≈ 2673). Based on these results, the outstanding optoelectronic merits of (N-MPDA)[PbBr₄] single crystal will offer a high-performance device and act as a dynamic material to construct stable future electronics and optoelectronic-based applications.     

Nano‐hydroxyapatite (HAp) and hydroxyapatite/platinum (HAp/Pt) core shell nanorods: Development,structural study,and their catalytic activity

The development of a new kind of material that is a nanostructured catalytic material with an environmentally benign nature that can be used for alternative energy has acquired significance in recent years. In this context, the use of heterogeneous catalysts for the transesterification of vegetable oils has gained prominence due to their eco‐friendly and reusable nature. Hence in the present study, pure hydroxyapatite (HAp) and hydroxyapatite/platinum (HAp/Pt) nanostructured particles have been prepared successfully through a facile chemical method without templates and surfactants and their catalytic activity investigated for transesterification of natural vegetable oil to bioenergy (biodiesel). The textural and structural features of pure HAp and HAp/Pt were investigated using various characterization techniques such as x‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The elements present in the prepared nanostructures were confirmed through energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The XPS analysis also confirms the metallic nature of the platinum in HAp/Pt. The specific surface area and porous nature of the prepared nanostructured catalysts were studied using the N₂ physisorption Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller‐Barrett‐Joyner‐Halenda (BET‐BJH) method. The catalytic activity of the pure HAp nanoparticles and HAp/Pt core shell nanorods with the Simarouba glauca plant seed oil was investigated. The obtained results indicate that the pristine HAp nanoparticles and HAp/Pt core shell nanorods (NRs) show 91.4% and 87.1% fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) conversion, respectively, potentially offering environmental benign biocatalysts for biofuel production from natural feed stock.     

Influence of the concentration of capping agent on synthesizing and analyses of Ceria nano-filler using modified co-precipitation technique

The pure crystalline cerium oxide (CeO₂) nanoparticles were synthesized using optimized content of Ce(NO₃)₃. 6H₂O with varying concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M) as a precipitation agent in presence of 2.5 wt% poly(vinylpyrrolidone) PVP. All the samples are prepared via the modified coprecipitation technique. The synthesized materials have been analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), laser Raman, high-resolution scanning electron microscope (HR-SEM), and photo luminescence (PL) analyses. The optimized sample was identified with the help of the above studies that could be analyzed through transverse electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. The cubic structure with the Fm-3 m space group has been confirmed through XRD (JCPDS: 81-0792) and Raman analyses. The FT-IR and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses ascertain the occurrence of Ce and O species. The as-prepared CeO₂ filler (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) is dispersed through the optimized polymer electrolyte Poly (styrene-co-methyl methacrylate) P(S-MMA) (27 wt%)–lithium perchloride (LiClO₄) (8 wt%)–ethylene carbonate + propylene carbonate (EC + PC) (1;1 of 65 wt%) complex system using solution casting technique. P(S-MMA) (27 wt%)–LiClO₄ (8 wt%)–EC + PC (1;1 of 65 wt%)–6 wt% of CeO₂ shows the high ionic conductivity 8.13 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹.