In situ fabricated ZnO nanostructures within carboxymethyl cellulose-based ternary hydrogels for wound healing applications

Zinc oxide nanostructures (ZnO NS) were fabricated in situ within a ternary hydrogel system composed of carboxymethyl cellulose-agarose-polyvinylpyrrolidone (CAP@ZnO TNCHs) by a one-pot method employing moist-heat solution casting. The percentages of CMC and ZnO NS were varied in the CAP hydrogel films and then they were investigated by different techniques, such as ATR/FTIR, TGA, XRD, XPS, and FE-SEM analysis. Furthermore, the mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, swelling, porosity, and antibacterial activity of the CAP@ZnO TNCHs were studied. In-vitro biocompatibility assays were performed with skin fibroblast (CCD-986sk) cells. In-vitro culture of CCD-986sk fibroblasts showed that the ZnO NS facilitated cell adhesion and proliferation. Furthermore, the application of CAP@ZnO TNCHs enhanced cellular interactions and physico-chemical, antibacterial bacterial, and biological performance relative to unmodified CAP hydrogels. Also, an in vivo wound healing study verified that the CAP@ZnO TNCHs promoted wound healing significantly within 18 days, an effect superior to that of unmodified CAP hydrogels. Hence, these newly developed cellulose-based ZnO TNCHs are promising materials for wound healing applications.

Fabrication of Ru loaded MgB2 with guar gum hybrid for photocatalytic degradation of crystal violet

Today, dyes/pigment-based materials are confronting a serious issue in harming marine ecology. Annihilate these serious water pollutants using photoactive 2D nanohybrid catalysts showed promising comparativeness over available photocatalysts. In the present work, a facile route to decorate Ruthenium (Ru) on 2D MgB2 flower-like nanostructures was developed via ecofriendly guar gum biopolymer substantial template (MgB2/GG@Ru NFS) and its photocatalytic performance was reported. Synthesis of MgB2@Ru, MgB2/GG@Ru NFS and commercial MgB2, was studied by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, AFM, TEM, UV-vis spectra, and XPS analysis. From the results, the MgB2/GG@Ru NFS exhibited a superior photocatalytic performance (99.7 %) than its precursors MgB2@Ru (79.7 %), and MgB2 (53.7 %), with the degradation efficiency of the crystal violet (CV) within 100 min under visible light irradiation. The proposed photo-catalyst MgB2/GG@Ru NFS showed negligible loss of photocatalytic activity even after five successive cycles, revealing its reusability and enhanced stability due to the network structure. The photocatalytic mechanism for MgB2/GG@Ru NFS was evaluated by trapping experiment of active species, verifying that superoxide (O2-) and electron (e-) contributed significant role in the dye degradation.

Cellulose graphitic carbon directed iron oxide interfaced polypyrrole electrode materials for high performance supercapacitors

The rising demand for green and clean energy urges the enlargement of economical and proficient electrode materials for supercapacitors. Herein, we designed a novel electrode material by porous cellulose graphitic carbon (CC) derived from bio-waste cornhusk via the pyrolysis route, and α-Fe2O3 decorated nanostructure with CC (CCIO) was achieved in situ pyrolysis of corn-husk and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O metal salt followed by a coating of polypyrrole (CCIOP). The CC, CCIO, and CCIOP nanocomposite electrodes were characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR, FE-SEM/EDX, FE-TEM, XPS, and BET analysis. The CCIOP nanocomposite electrode exhibits an enhanced specific capacitance (Csp) of 290.9 F/g, which is substantial to its pristine CC (128.3 F/g), PPy (140.3 F/g), and CCIO (190.7 F/g). The Csp of CCIOP in a three-electrode system, using 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte exhibits excellent capacity retention of 79.1 % even at a high current density of 10 A/g. The as-fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) delivered a remarkable capacity retention of 88.7 % with a coulombic efficiency of 98.8 % even after 3000 cycles. The study shows successful utilization of cellulose from bio-waste cornhusk into a substantial template applicable in future alternative energy storage devices.

CRISPR/Cas9 and Nanotechnology Pertinence in Agricultural Crop Refinement

The CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9) method is a versatile technique that can be applied in crop refinement. Currently, the main reasons for declining agricultural yield are global warming, low rainfall, biotic and abiotic stresses, in addition to soil fertility issues caused by the use of harmful chemicals as fertilizers/additives. The declining yields can lead to inadequate supply of nutritional food as per global demand. Grains and horticultural crops including fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants are crucial in sustaining human life. Genomic editing using CRISPR/Cas9 and nanotechnology has numerous advantages in crop development. Improving crop production using transgenic-free CRISPR/Cas9 technology and produced fertilizers, pesticides, and boosters for plants by adopting nanotechnology-based protocols can essentially overcome the universal food scarcity. This review briefly gives an overview on the potential applications of CRISPR/Cas9 and nanotechnology-based methods in developing the cultivation of major agricultural crops. In addition, the limitations and major challenges of genome editing in grains, vegetables, and fruits have been discussed in detail by emphasizing its applications in crop refinement strategy.

Electrochemical investigations and theoretical studies of biocompatible niacin-modified carbon paste electrode interface for electrochemical sensing of folic acid

The modified electrode–analyte interaction is critical in establishing the sensing mechanism and in developing an electrochemical sensor. Here, the niacin-modified carbon paste electrode (NC/CPE) was fabricated for electrochemical sensing applications. The two stable structures of the niacin were optimized and confirmed by the absence of negative vibrational frequency, at B3LYP and B3LYP-GD3BJ level and 6–311 g** basis set. The physical and quantum chemical quantities were used to explain the molecular stability and electronic structure-related properties of the niacin. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was performed to disclose the donor–acceptor interactions that were a critical role in explaining the modifier–analyte interaction. The fabricated NC/CPE was used for the determination of folic acid (FA) in physiological pH by cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. The limit of detection (LOD) for FA at NC/CPE was calculated to be 0.09 µM in the linear concentration range of 5.0 µM to 45.0 µM (0.2 M PBS, pH 7.4) by CV technique. The analytical applicability of the NC/CPE was evaluated in real samples, such as fruit juice and pharmaceutical sample, and the obtained results were acceptable. The HOMO and LUMO densities are used to identify the nucleophilic and electrophilic regions of niacin. The use of density functional theory-based quantum chemical simulations to understand the sensory performance of the modifier has laid a new foundation for fabricating electrochemical sensing platforms.

Simultaneous electrochemical sensing of dihydroxy benzene isomers at cost-effective allura red polymeric film modified glassy carbon electrode

Background

A simple and simultaneous electrochemical sensing platform was fabricated by electropolymerization of allura red on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the interference-free detection of dihydroxy benzene isomers.

Methods

The modified working electrode was characterized by electrochemical and field emission scanning electron microscopy methods. The modified electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the electrooxidation of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) at physiological pH of 7.4 by cyclic voltammetric (CV) and differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) techniques.

Results

The effective split in the overlapped oxidation signal of CC and HQ was achieved in a binary mixture with peak to peak separation of 0.102 V and 0.103 V by CV and DPV techniques. The electrode kinetics was found to be adsorption-controlled. The oxidation potential directly depends on the pH of the buffer solution, and it witnessed the transfer of equal number of protons and electrons in the redox phenomenon.

Conclusions

The limit of detection (LOD) for CC and HQ was calculated to be 0.126 μM and 0.132 μM in the linear range of 0 to 80.0 μM and 0 to 110.0 μM, respectively, by ultra-sensitive DPV technique. The practical applicability of the proposed sensor was evaluated for tap water sample analysis, and good recovery rates were observed.

Graphical abstract

Electrocatalytic interaction of ALR/GCE with dihydroxy benzene isomers.

Physicochemical characterization, drug release, and biocompatibility evaluation of carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogels reinforced with sepiolite nanoclay

Polymer-clay nanocomposite hydrogel films (PCNCHFs) were prepared from caboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, agar and nanosepiolite clay (0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.5% reinforcement) by treating thermally in a simple, rapid, and inexpensive route. The PCNCHFs and its 5-fluorouracil (FU)-loaded composites (PCNCHFs@FU) were tested for FU release and characterized by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, DSC, and TGA analyses to investigate their structural, morphological, and thermal properties. The nanosepiolite-loaded polymer composites (PCNCHF1 to PCNCHF5) exhibited higher tensile strength than the pristine polymer hydrogel (PCNCHF0); consequently, the thermal properties (glass- and melting-transition) were improved. The PCNCHFs@FU demonstrated prolonged FU release at pH 7.4 for 32 h. The biocompatibility of PCNCHFs was tested against human skin fibroblast (CCDK) cells. The viability of cells exposed to all PCNCHFs was >95% after 72 h of culture. The live/dead assay show the proliferation of fibroblast cells, confirming the biocompatibility of the hydrogels. The pH-sensitive PCNCHFs@FU release could be suitable for drug release in cancer therapy, and the developed PCNCHFs may also be useful for tissue engineering, food packaging, and other biological applications.

Silver-Nanoparticles Embedded Pyridine-Cholesterol Xerogels as Highly Efficient Catalysts for 4-Nitrophenol Reduction

Two xerogels made of 4-pyridyl cholesterol (PC) and silver-nanocomposites (SNCs) thereof have been studied for their efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP) in the presence of aqueous sodium borohydride. Since in-situ silver doping will be effective in ethanol and acetone solvents with a PC gelator, two silver-loaded PC xerogels were prepared and successive SNCs were achieved by using an environmentally benign trisodium citrate dehydrate reducing agent. The formed PC xerogels and their SNCs were comprehensively investigated using different physico-chemical techniques, such as field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powdered X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The FE-SEM results confirm that the shape of xerogel-covered silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are roughly spherical, with an average size in the range of 30–80 nm. Thermal degradation studies were analyzed via the sensitive graphical Broido’s method using a TGA technique. Both SNC-PC (SNC-PC-X1 and SNC-PC-X2) xerogels showed remarkable catalytic performances, with recyclable conversion efficiency of around 82% after the fourth consecutive run. The apparent rate constant (k_app) of SNC-PC-X1 and SNC-PC-X2 were found to be 6.120 × 10^-3 sec^-1 and 3.758 × 10^-3 sec^-1, respectively, at an ambient temperature.