Synthesis, structural, dielectric and optical properties of chitosan-MgO nanocomposite

Chitosan/MgO NPs/CQDs bionanocomposite coating: Fabrication, characterization and determination of antimicrobial efficacy

The development of new polymer nanocomposites or antibacterial coatings is crucial in combating drug-resistant infections, particularly bacterial infections. In this study, a new chitosan polymer based nanocomposite reinforced with magnesium oxide nanopowders and carbon quantum dots was fabricated by sol-gel technique and coated on 316 L stainless steel. In order to gaining the optimal amount of components to achieve the maximum antibacterial properties, the effect of concentration of nanocomposite components on its antibacterial properties was investigated. Crystal structure, microstructure, elemental dispersion, size distribution, chemical composition and morphology of nanocomposite and coating were characterized with various analyses. The obtained results exhibited that the carbon quantum dot and magnesium oxide nanopowders were distributed uniformly and without agglomeration in the chitosan matrix and created a uniform coating. The antibacterial properties of the synthesized samples against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (gram positive) were evaluated using disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) antibacterial tests. The inhibition growth zone formed around the antibiotic and nanocomposite 25 mg/ml under dark and light was about 32 and 14, 11 mm, respectively. Also, MIC and MBC values for final nanocomposite were 62.5 and 125 μg/ml, respectively.

Electrochemically microplastic detection using chitosan-magnesium oxide nanosheet

Microplastics, an invisible threat, are emerging as serious pollutants that continuously affect health by interrupting/contaminating the human cycle, mainly involving food, water, and air. Such serious scenarios raised the demand for developing efficient sensing systems to detect them at an early stage efficiently and selectively. In this direction, the proposed research reports an electrochemical hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) sensing utilizing a sensing platform fabricated using chitosan-magnesium oxide nanosheets (CHIT-MgO NS) nanocomposite. HMT is considered as a hazardous microplastic, which is used as an additive in plastic manufacturers and has been selected as a target analyte. To fabricate sensing electrodes, a facile co-precipitation technique was employed to synthesize MgO NS, which was further mixed with 1% CHIT solution to form a CHIT_MgO NS composite. Such prepared nanocomposite solution was then drop casted to an indium tin oxide (ITO) to fabricate CHIT_MgO NS/ITO sensing electrode to detect HMT electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques. To determine the limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity, DPV was performed. The resulting calibrated curve for HMT, ranging from 0.5 μM to 4.0 μM, exhibited a sensitivity of 12.908 μA (μM)-1 cm-2 with a detection limit of 0.03 μM and a limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 0.10 μM. Further, the CHIT_MgO NS/ITO modified electrode was applied to analyze HMT in various real samples, including river water, drain water, packaged water, and tertiary processed food. The results demonstrated the method's high sensitivity and suggested its potential applications in the field of microplastic surveillance, with a focus on health management.

Nafee S, Alamro FS, Pashameah RA, Ahmed HA, Medany SS. Zinc Nanocomposite Supported Chitosan for Nitrite Sensing and Hydrogen Evolution Applications

Nanoparticles of ZnO-Chitosan (Zn-Chit) composite were prepared using precipitation methods. Several analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmitted electron microscope (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermal analysis, were used to characterize the prepared composite. The activity of the modified composite was investigated for nitrite sensing and hydrogen production applications using various electrochemical techniques. A comparative study was performed for pristine ZnO and ZnO loaded on chitosan. The modified Zn-Chit has a linear range of detection 1–150 µM and a limit of detection (LOD) = 0.402 µM (response time ~3 s). The activity of the modified electrode was investigated in a real sample (milk). Furthermore, the anti-interference capability of the surface was utilized in the presence of several inorganic salts and organic additives. Additionally, Zn-Chit composite was employed as an efficient catalyst for hydrogen production in an acidic medium. Thus, the electrode showed long-term stability toward fuel production and enhanced energy security. The electrode reached a current density of 50 mA cm−2 at an overpotential equal to −0.31 and −0.2 V (vs. RHE) for GC/ZnO and GC/Zn-Chit, respectively. Electrode durability was studied for long-time constant potential chronoamperometry for 5 h. The electrodes lost 8% and 9% of the initial current for GC/ZnO and GC/Zn-Chit, respectively.

Nafee S, Alamro FS, Pashameah RA, Ahmed HA, Medany SS. Zinc Nanocomposite Supported Chitosan for Nitrite Sensing and Hydrogen Evolution Applications

Nanoparticles of ZnO-Chitosan (Zn-Chit) composite were prepared using precipitation methods. Several analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmitted electron microscope (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermal analysis, were used to characterize the prepared composite. The activity of the modified composite was investigated for nitrite sensing and hydrogen production applications using various electrochemical techniques. A comparative study was performed for pristine ZnO and ZnO loaded on chitosan. The modified Zn-Chit has a linear range of detection 1-150 µM and a limit of detection (LOD) = 0.402 µM (response time ~3 s). The activity of the modified electrode was investigated in a real sample (milk). Furthermore, the anti-interference capability of the surface was utilized in the presence of several inorganic salts and organic additives. Additionally, Zn-Chit composite was employed as an efficient catalyst for hydrogen production in an acidic medium. Thus, the electrode showed long-term stability toward fuel production and enhanced energy security. The electrode reached a current density of 50 mA cm-2 at an overpotential equal to -0.31 and -0.2 V (vs. RHE) for GC/ZnO and GC/Zn-Chit, respectively. Electrode durability was studied for long-time constant potential chronoamperometry for 5 h. The electrodes lost 8% and 9% of the initial current for GC/ZnO and GC/Zn-Chit, respectively.

Chitosan-Strontium Oxide Nanocomposite: Preparation, Characterization, and Catalytic Potency in Thiadiazoles Synthesis

Recently, Strontium oxide (SrO) nanoparticles (NPs) and hybrids outperformed older commercial catalysts in terms of catalytic performance. Herein, we present a microwave-assisted easy in situ solution casting approach for the manufacture of strontium oxide nanoparticles doped within a naturally occurring polymer, chitosan (CS), at varying weight percentages (2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.% SrO/chitosan). To construct the new hybrid material as a thin film, the produced nanocomposite solutions were cast in petri dishes. The aim of the research was to synthesize these hybrid nanocomposites, characterize them, and evaluate their catalytic potential in a variety of organic processes. The strontium oxide-chitosan nanocomposites were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. All the results confirmed the formation of chitosan–strontium oxide nanocomposite. FTIR spectrum of nanocomposite showed the presence of a characteristic peak of Sr-O bond. Furthermore, XRD revealed that SrO treatment increased the crystallinity of chitosan. The particle size was calculated using the Debye–Scherrer formula, and it was determined to be around 36 nm. The CS-SrO nanocomposite has been proven to be a highly efficient base promoter for the synthesis of 2-hydrazono [1,3,4]thiadiazole derivatives. To optimize the catalytic method, the reaction factors were investigated. The approach has various advantages, including higher reaction yields, shorter reaction durations, and milder reaction conditions, as well as the catalyst’s reusability for several applications.

Computational Framework of Magnetized MgO-Ni/Water-Based Stagnation Nanoflow Past an Elastic Stretching Surface: Application in Solar Energy Coatings

In this article, motivated by novel nanofluid solar energy coating systems, a mathematical model of hybrid magnesium oxide (MgO) and nickel (Ni) nanofluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stagnation point flow impinging on a porous elastic stretching surface in a porous medium is developed. The hybrid nanofluid is electrically conducted, and a magnetic Reynolds number is sufficiently large enough to invoke an induced magnetic field. A Darcy model is adopted for the isotropic, homogenous porous medium. The boundary conditions account for the impacts of the velocity slip and thermal slip. Heat generation (source)/absorption (sink) and also viscous dissipation effects are included. The mathematical formulation has been performed with the help of similarity variables, and the resulting coupled nonlinear dimensionless ordinary differential equations have been solved numerically with the help of the shooting method. In order to test the validity of the current results and the convergence of the solutions, a numerical comparison with previously published results is included. Numerical results are plotted for the effect of emerging parameters on velocity, temperature, magnetic induction, skin friction, and Nusselt number. With an increment in nanoparticle volume fraction of both MgO and Ni nanoparticles, the temperature and thermal boundary layer thickness of the nanofluid are elevated. An increase in the porous medium parameter (Darcy number), velocity slip, and thermal Grashof number all enhance the induced magnetic field. Initial increments in the nanoparticle volume fraction for both MgO and Ni suppress the magnetic induction near the wall, although, subsequently, when further from the wall, this effect is reversed. Temperature is enhanced with heat generation, whereas it is depleted with heat absorption and thermal slip effects. Overall, excellent thermal enhancement is achieved by the hybrid nanofluid.