Wearable, Machine Washable, Breathable Polyethylenimine/Sodium Alginate Layer-by-Layer-Coated Cotton-Based Multifunctional Triboelectric Nanogenerators.

Cotton-based textiles are ubiquitous in daily life and are prime candidates for application in wearable triboelectric nanogenerators. However, pristine cotton is vulnerable to bacterial attack, lacks antioxidant and ultraviolet (UV)-protective abilities, and shows lower triboelectric charge generation against tribonegative materials because it is present in the neutral region of the triboelectric series. To overcome such drawbacks, herein, a facile layer-by-layer method is proposed, involving the deposition of alternate layers of polyethylenimine (PEI) and sodium alginate (SA) on cotton. Such modified fabric remains breathable and flexible, retains its comfort properties, and simultaneously shows multifunctionalities and improved triboelectric output, which are retained even after 50 home laundering cycles. Also, the modified fabric becomes more tribopositive than nylon, silk, and wool. A triboelectric nanogenerator consisting of modified cotton and polyester fabric is proposed that shows a maximum power density of 338 mW/m2. An open-circuit voltage of ∼97.3 V and a short-circuit current of ∼4.59 µA are obtained under 20 N force and 1 Hz tapping frequency. Further, the modified cotton exhibits excellent antibacterial, antioxidant, and UV-protective properties because of the incorporation of PEI, and its moisture management properties are retained due to the presence of sodium alginate in the layer. This study provides a simple yet effective approach to obtaining durable multifunctionalities and improved triboelectric performance in cotton substrates.

Polishing performance of a magnetic nanoparticle-based nanoabrasive for superfinish optical surfaces.

Superfine optical components are necessary for advanced engineering applications such as x-ray optics, high-power lasers, lithography, synchrotron optics, laser-based sensors, etc. Fabrication of such superfine surfaces is one of the major challenges for optical and semiconductor industries. This research focuses on the development of a magnetic nanoparticle-based nanoabrasive for superfine optical polishing. The superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-based nanoabrasive is synthesized via a hydrothermal route by employing cost-effective precursors. Detailed characterizations of the prepared nanoabrasive are presented. Transmission electron microscopy results confirm the irregular cubic and spherical shaped morphology of the SPION nanoabrasive along with particle size distribution varying from 10-60 nm, enabling the homogenous cutting effect of the aqueous slurry for polishing. Furthermore, the high surface area and pore size are determined by Brunauer-Emmet-Teller analysis and found to be 30.98m2/g and 6.13 nm, respectively, providing homogenous distribution of the nanoabrasive on the surface of a BK7 substrate for material removal. Application of the developed SPION abrasive is demonstrated for superfinish optical polishing on a BK7 optical disc. The experimental polishing results show superfine surface finishing with an average roughness value of 3.5 Å. The superparamagnetic property of the developed nanoabrasive is confirmed by alternative gradient magnetometry, and it helps in recovering the used nanoabrasive after polishing. Moreover, the polishing performance of the SPION nanoabrasives is compared with a cerium nanoabrasive, which is also synthesized in this study.

Development of highly efficient magnetically recyclable Cu2+/Cu0 nano-photocatalyst and its enhanced catalytic performance for the degradation of organic contaminations.

This work reports the successful functionalization of l-proline on the surface of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) synthesized via a simple, cost-effective hydrothermal method. Moreover, the chemical attachment of Cu2+/Cu0 nanoparticles on the surface of SPION@l-proline was done by an in-situ deposition method. The developed nano-photocatalyst was characterized in detail by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, BET, TGA, and VSM. XRD of SPION@l-proline-Cu reveals peaks of both SPION and copper nanoparticles which confirms the formation of nanophotocatalyst. TGA demonstrates a major weight loss between 250 and 310 °C due to l-proline which ensures the successful immobilization of SPION on the surface of l-proline. The band energy at 932 eV suggests a complete reduction of Cu2+ ion to Cu0 metal on the surface of SPION@l-proline nanocomposite as confirmed by the XPS technique. Under UV light irradiation, the photocatalytic reduction performance of the developed Cu2+ metal ion-based and Cu0 nanoparticle-based magnetic nano-photocatalysts was demonstrated and compared for the first time for the photocatalytic reduction of 4-NP, 4-NA, NB, MO, MB, and CR. The results show that Cu0-based magnetic nanophotocatalyst has slightly enhanced catalytic activity. Furthermore, solar-driven photocatalytic degradation of CR azo dye by synthesized nano-photocatalyst was also investigated, with a 95 % degradation efficiency in just 40 min. The developed magnetic nano-photocatalyst can easily be separated by using an external magnet due to the superparamagnetic nature of core material (SPION) at room temperature as confirmed from VSM and can be reused for multiple cycles without losing considerable catalytic activity. Because of its high photocatalytic efficiency, cost-effectiveness, good magnetic separation performance, non-toxicity, and strong thermal and chemical stabilities, Cu2+/Cu0-based magnetic nano-photocatalyst has potential application in wastewater treatment.