Green and Economic Fabrication of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanorods as a Broadband UV Blocker and Antimicrobial Agent

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles have gained widespread interest due to their unique properties, making them suitable for a range of applications. Several methods for their production are available, and of these, controlled synthesis techniques are particularly favourable. Large-scale culturing of Chlorella vulgaris produces secretory carbohydrates as a waste product, which have been shown to play an important role in directing the particle size and morphology of nanoparticles. In this investigation, ZnO nanorods were produced through a controlled synthesis approach using secretory carbohydrates from C. vulgaris, which presents a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to the existing techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to characterise the nanorods. The prepared nanorods exhibited a broad range of UV absorption, which suggests that the particles are a promising broadband sun blocker and are likely to be effective for the fabrication of sunscreens with protection against both UVB (290-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm) radiations. The antimicrobial activity of the prepared nanorods against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was also assessed. The nanostructures had a crystalline structure and rod-like appearance, with an average length and width of 150 nm and 21 nm, respectively. The nanorods also demonstrated notable antibacterial activity, and 250 μg/mL was determined to be the most effective concentration. The antibacterial properties of the ZnO nanorods suggest its suitability for a range of antimicrobial uses, such as in the food industry and for various biomedical applications.

Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic N-arylation of Imidazole Derivatives and Arylboronic Acids on Cu/graphene catalyst

N-aryl imidazoles play an important role as structural and functional units in many natural products and biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a photocatalytic route for the C-N cross-coupling reactions over a Cu/graphene catalyst, which can effectively catalyze N-arylation of imidazole and phenylboronic acid, and achieve a turnover frequency of 25.4 h(-1) at 25°C and the irradiation of visible light. The enhanced catalytic activity of the Cu/graphene under the light irradiation results from the localized surface plasmon resonance of copper nanoparticles. The Cu/graphene photocatalyst has a general applicability for photocatalytic C-N, C-O and C-S cross-coupling of arylboronic acids with imidazoles, phenols and thiophenols. This study provides a green photocatalytic route for the production of N-aryl imidazoles.

A highly efficient, ligand-free and recyclable SBA-15 supported Cu2O catalyzed cyanation of aryl iodides with potassium hexacyanoferrate(ii)

SBA-15 supported Cu₂O nanoparticles (Cu₂O/SBA-15) have been fabricated and characterized. The Cu₂O/SBA-15 nanoparticles can effectively catalyze cyanation of aryl iodides using non-toxic K₄[Fe(CN)₆] as a cyanide source.