Dysprosium doped copper oxide (Cu1-xDyxO) nanoparticles enabled bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting

The production of hydrogen, a favourable alternative to an unsustainable fossil fuel remains as a significant hurdle with the pertaining challenge in the design of proficient, highly productive and sustainable electrocatalyst for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, the dysprosium (Dy) doped copper oxide (Cu_1-xDy_xO) nanoparticles were synthesized via solution combustion technique and utilized as a non-noble metal based bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. Due to the improved surface to volume ratio and conductivity, the optimized Cu_1-xDy_xO (x = 0.01, 0.02) electrocatalysts exhibited impressive HER and OER performance respectively in 1 M KOH delivering a current density of 10 mAcm^?2 at a potential of ?0.18 V vs RHE for HER and 1.53 V vs RHE for OER. Moreover, the Dy doped CuO electrocatalyst used as a bi-functional catalyst for overall water splitting achieved a potential of 1.56 V at a current density 10 mAcm^?2 and relatively high current density of 66 mAcm^?2 at a peak potential of 2 V. A long term stability of 24 h was achieved for a cell voltage of 2.2 V at a constant current density of 30 mAcm^?2 with only 10% of the initial current loss. This showcases the accumulative opportunity of dysprosium as a dopant in CuO nanoparticles for fabricating a highly effective and low-cost bi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Physico-chemical properties of ceramic pigments for high-temperature application

Heat resistant coatings are required primarily for stacks, exhaust pipes, reactors, space crafts and similar equipments that are permanently or occasionally exposed to elevated temperatures. High-temperature coatings are generally based on silicone resin with ceramic and metallic pigments. In this study, iron oxide, cobalt oxide (thermo chromic compound) and aluminum oxide are used for the preparation of four new types of coloured pigments. The thermal resistant characteristics of these ceramic pigments were studied by differential thermal analysis, thermo gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetric analysis. These ceramic pigments are found to be thermally stable up to 400 °C.     

Direct synthesis and catalytic performance of ultralarge pore GaSBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves with high gallium content

Mesoporous GaSBA-15 molecular sieves with different n_Si/n_Ga ratios have been directly synthesized using Pluronic 123 triblock polymer as a structure-directing agent by pH-adjusting method. The mesoporous materials have been characterized using ICP-AES, XRD, N₂ adsorption, ⁷¹Ga-MAS NMR, SEM and TEM. ICP-AES studies show a high amount of gallium incorporation on the silica pore walls. The structural and textural properties of calcined GaSBA-15 are characterized by XRD and N₂ adsorption. ⁷¹Ga MAS NMR results demonstrate that a high amount of tetrahedral-gallium could be substituted for Si in the framework of SBA-15. TEM and FE-SEM images show the uniform pore diameter and rope-like hexagonal mesoporous structure of GaSBA-15. These GaSBA-15 materials have been used as catalysts for vapour-phase t-butylation of 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (DHB) for selective synthesis of 4-t-butylcatechol (4-TBC) under different reaction conditions. GaSBA-15(10) gave the highest 93.2% conversion of DHB and 95.7% selectivity of 4-TBC as compared with other GaSBA-15 catalysts.     

Optimisation of metallic pigments in coatings by an electrochemical technique and an investigation of manganese powder as pigment for metal rich primers

Zinc dust and manganese powder as pigments were incorporated in epoxy-polyamide and butyl titanate medium, with different pigment volume concentration (PVC) ranging from 20 to 74. These protective coatings were coated on sand blasted mild steel substrates and immersed in 3 wt.% sodium chloride solution and the corrosion current was measured by the Tafel extrapolation method. From the corrosion current produced by these primers, the optimum level of the pigments in these binders was identified. Thus the protective performance of optimised primers was evaluated on a sand blasted mild steel surface by the Tafel polarisation method in 3 wt.% sodium chloride solution, over different periods of time. The results were found to be comparable with the salt spray test and galvanic current measurements. The manganese powder used for this investigation showed that it could be used as an alternative to zinc powder for metal rich primers.     

Seeding effects on crystallization temperatures of cordierite glass powder

The role of solid state epitaxy in the crystallization of nanocomposite cordierite glass to glass ceramic was investigated. The use of isostructural (-cordierite) seeds in cordierite glass led to a lowering in the crystallization temperature to form glass ceramic by about 50 °C compared to the unseeded glass. The use of non-isostructural seeds such as ZrO₂ and TiO₂ did not lower the crystallization temperature of cordierite glass to glass ceramic, and in the case of the TiO₂-seeded glass the crystallization temperature increased by about 50 °C compared to the unseeded-cordierite glass. The lowering in crystallization temperature by-cordierite seeding can be attributed to the nucleation and epitaxial growth mechanism.     

Foley catheters functionalised with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and silver nanoparticles resist biofilm formation

Foley catheters are inevitable in health care unit. Pathogens colonise and form biofilm on catheter causing catheter‐associated urinary tract infection. Therefore, the authors aimed to functionalise catheter to resist biofilm formation. The authors impregnated urinary catheters with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and silver nanoparticles (SNPs) to evaluate antibiofilm efficacy in vitro and in vivo. SNPs were synthesised using Spirulina platensis. Synergy between the SNPs and antibiotics was determined by the checker‐board method. In vivo efficacy of the functionalised catheters was assessed in mice. Liver and kidney function tests of mice were performed. The in vitro anti‐adherence activity of the functionalised catheters was evaluated after 2 years. Nanoparticle sizes were 42–75 nm. Synergistic activity was observed among SNPs (2 µg/ml), amikacin (6.25 µg/ml), and nitrofurantoin (31.25 µg/ml). In mice, catheters functionalised with combinations of antibiotics and SNPs exhibited no colonisation until Day 14. Blood, liver, and kidney tests were normal. After 2 years, catheters functionalised with antibiotics exhibited 25% inhibition of bacterial adhesion, and catheters functionalised with the nanoparticle‐antibiotic combination exhibited 90% inhibition. Impregnation of urinary catheters with a synergistic combination of antibiotics and SNPs is an efficient and promising method for preventing biofilm formation.Inspec keywords: catheters, drugs, silver, nanoparticles, nanomedicine, liver, kidney, blood, microorganisms, adhesion, biomechanics, cellular biophysicsOther keywords: Foley catheters, synergistic nanoparticle‐antibiotics combination, silver nanoparticles, biofilm formation resitance, health care unit, pathogens, urinary tract infection, SNP, Spirulina platensis, checker‐board method, liver function, kidney function, vitro antiadherence activity, amikacin, nitrofurantoin, blood, bacterial adhesion, size 42 nm to 75 nm, Ag     

AH-64D main transmission accessory drive spur gear installation fault detections

The US Army has launched an aggressive program to implement condition based maintenance on its rotary wing assets. Condition Based Maintenance takes advantage of technology developments in the areas of machinery monitoring, signal processing and fault modeling to reduce the cost of ownership through improved maintenance procedures. Documenting the reduction in maintenance burden, cost savings and increased safety through early detection of helicopter faults is an important step in justifying the program. This paper describes a novel technique used to detect a serious fault in the accessory section of the AH-64D Apache main transmission. The technique determines if the primary or secondary clutch system is driving the aircraft accessories through a tachometer speed ratio. The method has identified three aircraft operating on the secondary system allowing Army maintenance crews to replace the affected transmissions and quickly restore the aircraft to operational status.     

Antifungal activity of five different essential oils in vapour phase for the control of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Lasiodiplodia theobromae in vitro and on mango

Mango fruit has high commercial value; however, major postharvest losses are encountered throughout the supply chain due to postharvest diseases. These results lead to the search for natural fungicide for postharvest diseases control. The antifungal effects of five essential oils (thyme, clove, cinnamon, anise and vitex) were assessed by disc volatilisation method. Thyme oil vapours at 5 μL per Petriplate, and clove and cinnamon oil at 8 μL per Petriplate showed 100% growth inhibition of mango pathogens in vitro. GC/MS analysis of essential oil showed thymol (23.88), o‐cymol (23.88) and terpinolene (23.88) as the major constituents of thyme oil. Clove and cinnamon oils contain 3‐allyl‐2‐methoxyphenol (37.42%) and benzofuran 3‐methyl (17.97%), respectively. Thyme oil as a fumigant at 66.7 μL L^?1 showed a significant (P < 0.05) inhibition on postharvest pathogens of mango fruits stored at 25 °C for 6 days. Results of our study suggest the possibility of using thyme oil as an alternate natural fungicide to manage postharvest diseases in mango.     

Enhancing the efficiency of alternating current driven organic light-emitting devices by optimizing the operation frequency

We report efficient and bright organic light-emitting devices operated by capacitive energy coupling. In this approach, the organic layers are enclosed between sputter-deposited hafnium dioxide layers to prevent charge carrier injection. When a sinusoidal voltage signal is applied to the electrodes, the devices emit bright green light whereas no detectable emission is generated upon application of a constant voltage. The efficiency of the process depends heavily on the frequency of the applied voltage signal. By optimizing the driving scheme, a record luminous efficacy for AC driven OLEDs of 2.7 lm/W at 500 cd/m² is achieved.