Assessment of quality and geochemical processes occurring in groundwaters near central air conditioning plant site in Trombay, Maharashtra, India

This paper summarizes the findings obtained in a monitoring study to understand the sources and processes affecting the quality of shallow and deep groundwater near central air conditioning plant site in Trombay region by making use of physicochemical and biological analyses. All the measured parameters of the groundwaters indicate that the groundwater quality is good and within permissible limits set by (Indian Bureau of Standards 1990). Shallow groundwater is dominantly of Na-HCO(3) type whereas deep groundwater is of Ca-Mg-HCO(3) type. The groundwater chemistry is mainly influenced by dissolution of minerals and base exchange processes. High total dissolved solids in shallow groundwater compared to deeper ones indicate faster circulation of groundwater in deep zone preferably through fissures and fractures whereas groundwater flow is sluggish in shallow zone. The characteristic ionic ratio values and absence of bromide point to the fact that seawater has no influence on groundwater system.

Antioxidant and oxidative stress responses of sojourners at high altitude in different climatic temperatures

High altitude (HA) is a multi-stressor environment comprising hypobaric hypoxia and cold. Climatic temperature varies with seasonal variation at HA. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ambient temperature on antioxidant profile among sojourners at HA. The study was conducted on sojourners exposed to an altitude of 4,560 m in two different seasons and categorized into two groups (SOJ 1, n=63, ambient temp. at HA: -6 degree to +10degreeC; SOJ 2, n=81, ambient temp. at HA: 3degree-22degreeC). Blood was collected at sea level (SL) and after 4 weeks of HA exposure. Antioxidant enzymes showed significant upregulation in SOJ 2 at HA. In SOJ 1, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase showed significant upregulation but catalase and glutathione reductase showed significant decrease at HA. Non-enzymatic antioxidants showed significant reduction in SOJ 1 whereas a sustained antioxidant profile was observed in SOJ 2 at HA. Oxidative stress markers showed higher levels in SOJ 1 than SOJ 2 at HA. Differences observed between SOJ 1 and SOJ 2 at HA may be the consequence of different environmental temperatures. Cold stress was higher in SOJ 1 as evidenced from the significantly lower oral temperature in SOJ 1 as compared to SOJ 2. Cold- and hypoxia-induced increase in energy expenditure was significantly high in SOJ 1 than SOJ 2. To conclude, chronic exposure to hypoxia in moderate climatic temperature has a potential preconditioning effect on antioxidant system, but exposure to both cold and hypoxia causes greater oxidative stress due to altered metabolic rate.

Barium borosilicate glass as a matrix for the uptake of dyes

Barium borosilicate (BBS) and sodium borosilicate (SBS) glass samples, prepared by the conventional melt-quench method, were used for the uptake of Rhodamine 6G dye from aqueous solution. The experimental conditions were optimized to get maximum uptake and was found to be 0.4 mg of dye per gram of BBS glass sample. For the same network former to modifier ratio, barium borosilicate glasses are found to have improved extent of uptake for the dye molecules from aqueous solutions compared to sodium borosilicate glasses. Based on 29Si MAS NMR studies on these glasses, it is inferred that significantly higher number of non-bridging oxygen atoms present in barium borosilicate glasses compared to sodium borosilicate glasses is responsible for its improved uptake of Rhodamine 6G dye. 11B MAS NMR studies have confirmed the simultaneous existence of boron in BO3 and BO4 configurations in both barium borosilicate and sodium borosilicate glasses. The luminescence studies have established that the dye molecule is incorporated into the glass matrix through ion exchange mechanism by replacing the exchangeable ions like Na+/Ba2+ attached with the non-bridging oxygen atoms present in the glass.

Antibacterial copper-nickel bilayers and multilayer coatings by pulsed laser deposition on titanium

Biofouling, especially microfouling, is a major concern with the use of titanium (Ti) in the marine environment as a condenser material in cooling water systems. Earlier, copper-nickel (Cu/Ni) alloys were extensively used in marine environments due to their high corrosion and biofouling resistance. However, the choice of condenser material for the new fast breeder reactor in Kalpakkam is Ti to avoid steam side corrosion problems, which may pose a threat to steam generator parts having sodium as the secondary coolant. This study evaluates the surface modification of Ti using nano films of copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) to utilize the antibacterial property of copper ions in reducing microfouling. The surface modification of Ti was carried out by the deposition of a Cu/Ni bilayer and (Cu/Ni)(10) multilayer films using a pulsed laser deposition technique. Various surface characterization studies revealed that the deposited Cu/Ni films were thin and nanocrystalline in nature. The antibacterial properties were evaluated using total viable count and epifluorescence microscopic techniques. The results showed an apparent decrease in bacterial attachment on multilayered and bilayered Cu/Ni thin films on Ti surfaces. Comparative studies between the two types of films showed a bigger reduction in numbers of microorganisms on the multilayers.

Surface modification of titanium using nanothin films of copper for biofouling control

Biofouling is one of the major impediment in the use of titanium, which is otherwise excellent material with respect to corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, for seawater-cooled condensers of power plants. The routine chlorination treatment and sponge ball cleaning may not be successful to keep the titanium condenser tube clean over a period extending to years. This brings into focus the relevance of surface modification of titanium to improve the antimicrobial properties, which can effectively supplement the present treatment programmes. In this study antimicrobial thin film of copper (Cu) is developed on titanium surfaces, as copper is known to be very toxic to microorganisms and effectively kills most of the microbes by blocking the respiratory enzyme system. The preparation of nanocrystalline thin films of copper on titanium surfaces was done by pulsed DC magnetron-sputtering technique. Then this thin film was characterized using Glancing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Antimicrobial properties of these specimens were evaluated by exposure studies in seawater. Results showed two order decrease in the bacterial density on copper coated surface and epifluorescence micrographs depicted very few fluorescing cells and no biofilm formation clearly demonstrating the superior antibacterial capability of this nanocrystalline copper thin film.

Self-organization of In2S3 quantum dots into fractal nanostructures by electrophoretic deposition

This paper describes the assembly of In2S3 quantum dots by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and their subsequent self-organization into fractal nanostructures over ITO substrates. The surface morphology and the organization of these dots into nanostructures were analyzed using SEM, HRSEM and AFM techniques. These analyses reveal the existence, under appropriate conditions, of very unique nanoscale structural motifs and scale invariance associated with the assembly. Formation of such a well correlated assembly, although seems to be electric field driven, appears to be dominated by self-organizing mechanism. Such self-organized nano-scale structures consisting of cavities are likely to have fascinating condensed phase transport properties. The paper reports microscopic study of such fractal assemblies using SEM, HTSEM and AFM.

Structural and morphological characterization of TiO2 thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique

Thin films of nanocrystalline TiO2 were synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique in the temperature range 300 degrees C to 550 degrees C in steps of 50 degrees C. The films were coated on glass and quartz substrates by ultrasonic nebulization of titanium-oxy-acetyl acetonate followed by pyrolysis. The structure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy (RS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), while the optical band gaps were measured by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. XRD investigations revealed distinct crystal structures of the films synthesized above and below 300 degrees C. While films grown at substrate temperature 300 degrees C were amorphous, those grown at 350 dgrees C and above showed tetragonal anatase crystal structure. The morphological investigations from SEM showed that the films deposited at 350 degrees C were porous and exhibited flower like morphology. The microstructures of the films grown on quartz at 450 degrees C were found to be uniform and dense. The nominal grain sizes evaluated from High Resolution SEM (HRSEM) studies were approximately 20 nm and compared well with the grain sizes calculated from XRD. The band gap values calculated from ellipsometry studies were approximately 3.7 eV and 3.95 eV for the films grown at 450 degrees C and 350 degrees C, respectively. This is in good agreement with those obtained from UV-Visible spectroscopy.

Effect of reactive atmosphere of synthesis on properties of nano-ceria

Ceria is an important rare-earth oxide with ever increasing applications. In nanocrystalline form, ceria exhibits novel and improved properties compared to its microcrystalline counterpart. The variation in the properties was observed to be a function of lowering particle size. This was also attributable to the presence and extent of Ce in 3+ state in ceria. Thermal decomposition of a thermally less stable cerium metal salt is an useful and simple method for the synthesis of nanocrystalline ceria. As atmosphere under which the decomposition occurs is expected to alter the Ce3+ content and thus the property, the present study is to investigate the effect of reactive atmosphere of decomposition vis-à-vis the particle size on the property of nanocrystalline ceria. Nanocrystalline ceria was synthesized by controlled thermal decomposition of cerium nitrate under four different atmospheres and the products were analyzed by X-Ray Diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Laser Raman Spectroscopy. The observed property variation was found to be more dependent on the Ce3+ content thus the synthesis atmosphere rather than the particle size.

Nanoindentation and scratch studies on magnetron sputtered Ti thin films

Ti thin films sputter deposited on D9 steel at two different temperatures were studied for their mechanical behavior under static and sliding contact conditions using nanoindentation and scratch tests. The film hardness measured at the surface of the coatings exhibited a value of 2.5 GPa, for both conditions. From the scratch test, it is understood that coatings deposited at 200 degrees C substrate temperature showed superior adhesion strength. Critical load to failure for these coatings was evaluated at 2 N.

Implantation induced hardening of nanocrystalline titanium thin films

Formation of nanocrystalline TiN at low temperatures was demonstrated by combining Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and ion implantation techniques. The Ti films of nominal thickness approximatly 250 nm were deposited at a substrate temperature of 200 degrees C by ablating a high pure titanium target in UHV conditions using a nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm. These films were implanted with 100 keV N+ ions with fluence ranging from 1.0 x 10(16) ions/cm2 to 1.0 x 10(17) ions/cm2 The structural, compositional and morphological evolutions were tracked using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), respectively. TEM analysis revealed that the as-deposited titanium film is an fcc phase. With increasing ion fluence, its structure becomes amorphous phase before precipitation of nanocrystalline fcc TIN phase. Compositional depth profiles obtained from SIMS have shown the extent of nitrogen concentration gradient in the implantation zone. Both as-deposited and ion implanted films showed much higher hardness as compared to the bulk titanium. AFM studies revealed a gradual increase in surface roughness leading to surface patterning with increase in ion fluence.

Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline Ti(1-x)Al(x)N by reactive magnetron sputtering

Ti(1-x)Al(x)N metastable films were synthesized by reactive magnetron co-sputtering with different Ti to Al ratios. XRD studies showed that as-deposited films were crystalline for concentrations of Al (35, 40, 55 and 64%) and become amorphous at 81% Al. These films were annealed at 1073 K to study the phase separation. Films up to 55% Al did not show any phase separation after annealing. But films with 64% Al splits into c-TiAIN and c-AIN, whereas films with 81% Al split into cubic-TiN and hex-AIN. Distribution of crystallites and their size were analyzed by TEM. High density of crystallites with dimensions between 3-11 nm was dispersed in amorphous matrix for 64% Al films. Nanoindentation technique was used to determine the mechanical properties of these films without substrate effect. Maximum hardness obtained for as deposited and annealed films (64% Al) were 35 GPa and 38 GPa, respectively.

Sonochemical synthesis of lanthanide ions doped CeF3 nanoparticles: potential materials for solid state lighting devices

Nanocrystalline CeF3 and CeF3 doped with Dy3+, Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions have been successfully synthesized via a mild ultrasound assisted route from an aqueous solution of cerium nitrate and potassium borofluoride. The nanoparticles obtained were characterized extensively by techniques like powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Their luminescence properties have also been studied. The nanoparticles showed characteristic emission of respective dopants (Dy3+ and Tb3+) when excited at the 4f --> 5d transition of Ce3+. The chromaticity coordinates for these samples were calculated and it was observed that the CeF3 co doped with Dy3+ and Tb3+ gave an emission very close to white light.

Nanocrystalline gadolinium doped ceria: combustion synthesis and electrical characterization

Twenty mol% gadolinium doped ceria powders were prepared by citrate-nitrate combustion synthesis technique. Two different sources of cerium viz. cerium nitrate and ammonium ceric nitrate were used in different oxidant-to-fuel ratios. The crystallite size of the synthesized powders ranged 5-27 nm was obtained depending on the preparation conditions with average particle size in the range 0.64-1.26 microm. Although, the powders were found to be agglomerated in nature, these powders were highly sinter-active as they showed very high sintered density (> or = 95%) when sintered at 1250 degrees C having grain size in the range of 200-500 nm. The electrical conductivity was found to depend on the temperature with two distinct regimes at a transition point of 350 degrees C. The grain boundary showed a significant role in the total conductivity with its activation energy dependent on the material preparation conditions. The activation energy of total conduction was found to be significantly low (-0.5 eV) in the temperature range of 400-700 degrees C, this property is unique for application as an electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cell operating in the low temperature range. It was found that a fuel-deficient combustion reaction using cerium nitrate as the oxidant yielded the best quality powder which showed a maximum electrical conductivity of -1.74 x 10(-2) S/cm at 600 degrees C.

Rare-earth doped gadolinia based phosphors for potential multicolor and white light emitting deep UV LEDs

Gadolinium oxide host and europium/dysprosium/terbium doped gadolinium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using the sonochemical technique. Gadolinium oxide nanocrystals were also co-doped with total 2 mol% of Eu(3+)/Dy(3+),Eu(3+)/Tb(3+),Dy(3+)/Tb(3+), and also Eu(3+)/Dy(3+)/Tb(3+) ions, by the same method. The nanoparticles obtained were characterized using powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The size of the particles ranged from 15 to 30 nm. The triple doped samples showed multicolor emission on single wavelength excitation. The photoluminescence results were correlated with the lifetime data to get an insight into the luminescence and energy transfer processes taking place in the system. On excitation at 247 nm, the novel nanocrystalline Gd(2)O(3):RE (RE = Dy, Tb) phosphor resulted in having very impressive CIE chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.315 and y = 0.316, and a correlated color temperature of 6508 K, which is very close to standard daylight.

Ionic transport behavior of BaO containing sodium borosilicate glasses

The present manuscript describes the preparation, characterization and electrical behavior of sodium borosilicate glasses with varying concentrations of BaO, while maintaining the SiO(2):B(2)O(3):Na(2)O ratios constant for all the samples. The effect of BaO substitution on the ionic conductivity of glasses was studied by ac impedance analyzer, below the glass transition temperature. The diffusion coefficient (D) of each sample has been determined from the values of electrical conductivity and density. The activation energy for sodium ion transport has been calculated from the values of diffusion coefficients at different temperatures. The electrical properties of the modified glass have been explained on the basis of the structural factor.

Nanocrystalline HoCrO4: facile synthesis and magnetic properties

Nanocrystalline HoCrO4 powder was synthesized by a combustion technique using glycine and citric acid as the fuels in different oxidant-to-fuel ratios. Fuel-deficient glycine-nitrate combustion reaction resulted in zircon type HoCrO4 free from HoCrO3 phase. The crystallite size for the phase pure product after calcination at 575 degrees C in oxygen atmosphere was found to be 34 nm by X-ray line broadening. The TEM observations showed highly porous structure. Magnetic measurements reveal the ferromagnetic nature of HoCrO4 nano particles with Tc = 18 K. The compound shows high remanence of 30.4 emu x g(-1) and low coercivity of -0.0343 T.

Study of dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene mutations among isolates of Pneumocystis jiroveci

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Pneumocystis jiroveci (also known as P. carinii) causes fatal pneumonia in patients with AIDS and other immunocompromised patients. Co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim + sulphamethoxazole, TMP-SMZ) is the drug of choice for treatment and prophylaxis. Widespread use of sulpha medication has raised the possible selection of resistant P. jiroveci strains worldwide. Non-synonymous polymorphisms associated with sulpha resistance have been observed in P. jiroveci dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene at codons 55 and 57. In view of this, we investigated mutation at DHPS locus amongst P. jiroveci isolates obtained at a tertiary care hospital in north India.

METHODS

Microscopic examination of P. jiroveci in 69 clinical samples obtained from patients suspected to have P. carinii pneumonia (PCP), was performed by Grocott's Gomori methenamine silver and direct fluorescent antibody staining. Molecular studies were carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using major surface glycoprotein (MSG) as the target gene. Investigations for DHPS mutations were carried at specific 55th and 57th codon using PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) assay.

RESULTS

Microscopic examination detected P. jiroveci in four cases and MSG gene was amplified in five cases. Further, amplification of DHPS gene was successful in four of the five cases positive by MSG gene PCR. No point mutation was observed and all four isolates presented wild-type sequences at DHPS gene by RFLP analysis.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION

Although our findings suggest that in Indian subpopulation, point mutations in DHPS gene of P. jiroveci are not as common as in other parts of the developed world, further studies are needed.

Synthesis and luminescence properties of alumina encapsulated InN nanorods

The present study reports a two-step procedure to synthesize InN nanorods inside the pores of an anodic alumina membrane. In the first step, pores of the membrane are filled with indium via electrodeposition. The second step involves nitridation of the as-deposited nanorods by room temperature plasma annealing. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that as-deposited nanorods consist of In, In2O3 and In(OH)3 phases which get converted to mixed hexagonal and cubic phase InN on plasma annealing. Cross sectional scanning electron microscope study reveals nanorod diameter and length to be 150 nm and 1 microm respectively. X-ray mapping results establish that uniform distribution of nitrogen throughout the length of nanorod has been achieved as a result of plasma annealing. Observation of photoluminescence peaks at 1.4 and 1.6 eV corresponding, to the absorption edges of cubic and hexagonal phases of InN show that room temperature photoemission is due to band to band recombination. The use of alumina as a template for nanorod growth prevents post-deposition agglomeration and provides mechanical strength. Possibility of total internal reflection at the InN-Al2O3 interface makes these structures ideally suitable to reduce the emitted light intensity losses.

Luminescence studies on low temperature synthesized ZnGa2O4:Ln3+ (Ln = Tb and Eu) nanoparticles

ZnGa2O4 nanoparticles doped with lanthanide ions (Tb3+ and Eu3+) were prepared at a low temperature of 120 degrees C based on urea hydrolysis in ethylene glycol medium. X-ray diffraction studies have confirmed that strain associated with nanoparticles changes as Tb3+ gets incorporated in the ZnGa2O4 lattice. Based on steady state emission and excitation studies of ZnGa2O4:Tb nanoparticles, it has been inferred that ZnGa2O4 host is characterized by a broad emission around 427 nm and there exists energy transfer between the host and Tb3+ ions. Unlike this, for ZnGa2O4:Eu nanoparticles, very poor energy transfer between the host and Eu3+ ions is observed. These nanoparticles when coated with ligands like oleic acid results in their improved dispersion in organic solvents like chloroform and dichloromethane.

Polymer embedded nanocrystalline titania sorbent for 99Mo-99mTc generator

A new sorbent material, polymer embedded nano crystalline titania (Titanium Polymer-TiP) has been developed, from titanium (IV) chloride and isopropyl alcohol, for the adsorption of 99Mo, which is a precursor to 99mTc, a workhorse in radio-pharmaceuticals. The infrared absorption spectra of the TiP showed peaks corresponding to Ti-O groups. X-ray diffraction pattern of the adsorbent corresponded to rutile TiO2. The surface area of this polymer was 30 m2/g with an average pore size of 40 nm. The average crystallite size of TiO2, embedded in polymer, was found to be 5 nm. TEM micrograph of the adsorbent revealed the network of polymer with dispersed titania phase. Potential of this adsorbent for the preparation of 99Mo-99mTc generator has been explored. 99Mo could be adsorbed on to the adsorbent column containing TiP at pH 1 from which 99mTC could be eluted with normal (0.9%) saline solution with an elution yield of approximately 80%. The quality of the 99mTcO4 obtained was in accordance with the international specifications applicable for radiopharmaceutical use. A process demonstration run was carried out with 1.1 GBq (30 mCi) 99Mo activity level making use of the above adsorbent and consistent results were obtained over a period of one week, which is generally the shelf life of 99MO-99mTC generator.

Effect of barium on diffusion of sodium in borosilicate glass

Diffusion coefficients of sodium in barium borosilicate glasses having varying concentration of barium were determined by heterogeneous isotopic exchange method using (24)Na as the radiotracer for sodium. The measurements were carried out at various temperatures (748-798 K) to obtain the activation energy (E(a)) of diffusion. The E(a) values were found to increase with increasing barium content of the glass, indicating that introduction of barium in the borosilicate glass hinders the diffusion of alkali metal ions from the glass matrix. The results have been explained in terms of the electrostatic and structural factors, with the increasing barium concentration resulting in population of low energy sites by Na(+) ions and, plausibly, formation of more tight glass network. The leach rate measurements on the glass samples show similar trend.

Effect of structure, particle size and relative concentration of Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) ions on the luminescence properties of Eu(3+) co-doped Y(2)O(3):Tb nanoparticles

Eu(3+) co-doped Y(2)O(3):Tb nanoparticles were prepared by the combustion method and characterized for their structural and luminescence properties as a function of annealing temperatures and relative concentration of Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) ions. For Y(2)O(3):Eu,Tb nanoparticles annealed at 600 and 1200 °C, variation in the relative intensity of excitation transitions between the (7)F(6) ground state and low spin and high spin 4f(7)5d(1) excited states of Tb(3+) is explained due to the combined effect of distortion around Y(3+)/Tb(3+) in YO(6)/TbO(6) polyhedra and the size of the nanoparticles. Increase in relative intensity of the 285 nm peak (spin-allowed transition denoted as peak B) with respect to the 310 nm peak (spin-forbidden transition denoted as peak A) with decrease of Tb(3+) concentration in the Y(2)O(3):Eu,Tb nanoparticles heated at 1200 °C is explained based on two competing effects, namely energy transfer from Tb(3+) to Eu(3+) ions and quenching among the Tb(3+) ions. Back energy transfer from Tb(3+) to Eu(3+) in these nanoparticles is found to be very poor.

Investigations on silicon/amorphous-carbon and silicon/nanocrystalline palladium/ amorphous-carbon interfaces

Our previous work revealed that significant enhancement in sp3-carbon content of amorphous carbon films could be achieved when grown on nanocrystalline palladium interlayer as compared to those grown on bare silicon substrates. To find out why, the nature of interface formed in both the cases has been investigated using Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) technique. It has been found that a reactive interface in the form of silicon carbide and/silicon oxy-carbide is formed at the interface of silicon/amorphous-carbon films, while palladium remains primarily in its native form at the interface of nanocrystalline palladium/amorphous-carbon films. However, there can be traces of dissolved oxygen within the metallic layer as well. The study has been corroborated further from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies.

Room temperature ferromagnetism in CoO nanoparticles obtained from sonochemically synthesized precursors

In this paper we report the magnetic properties of nanosized CoO particles, prepared from sonochemically synthesized precursors and characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning tunneling electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (STEM-EDX) techniques. The nanoparticles were faceted and the sizes varied between 30 and 60 nm depending on the time of annealing. They were stable even in the absence of any organic coating on them. Magnetic measurements reveal the presence of ferromagnetic interactions at low temperatures in the CoO nanoparticles synthesized after 2 and 4 h of annealing of the sonochemically synthesized precursor under nitrogen. However, after 6 h of annealing, the nanoparticles show hysteresis not only at low temperatures (1.5 K) but also at higher temperatures (100 K and room temperature), indicating the presence of room temperature ferromagnetism.

Borosilicate glasses modified with organic ligands: a new selective approach for the removal of uranyl ion

Barium borosilicate glass was found to have high uptake capacity for many cations. To improve its selectivity, surface modification was carried out. In order to make the glass selective towards uranyl ion, organic ligands like tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) and 8-hydroxy quinoline (Oxine) were used. It was observed that the surface modification resulted in the change in uptake property of the glass. The uptake process was faster and within 5 h, 90% of the uranyl ion could be taken up from a 0.01 mM solution. With use of the modified barium borosilicate glass and EDTA as masking agent, uranyl ion could be selectively removed from mixtures of cations.