Support based metal incorporated layered nanomaterials for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

An effective approach to producing sophisticated miniaturized and nanoscale materials involves arranging nanomaterials into layered hierarchical frameworks. Nanostructured layered materials are constructed to possess isolated propagation assets, massive surface areas, and envisioned amenities, making them suitable for a variety of established and novel applications. The utilization of various techniques to create nanostructures adorned with metal nanoparticles provides a secure alternative or reinforcement for the existing physicochemical methods. Supported metal nanoparticles are preferred due to their ease of recovery and usage. Researchers have extensively studied the catalytic properties of noble metal nanoparticles using various selective oxidation and hydrogenation procedures. Despite the numerous advantages of metal-based nanoparticles (NPs), their catalytic potential remains incompletely explored. This article examines metal-based nanomaterials that are supported by layers, and provides an analysis of their manufacturing, procedures, and synthesis. This study incorporates both 2D and 3D layered nanomaterials because of their distinctive layered architectures. This review focuses on the most common metal-supported nanocomposites and methodologies used for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes employing layered nanomaterials. The comprehensive examination of biological and ecological cleaning and treatment techniques discussed in this article has paved the way for the exploration of cutting-edge technologies that can contribute to the establishment of a sustainable future.

Machine learning powered CN-coordinated cobalt nanoparticles embedded cellulosic nanofibers to assess meat quality via clenbuterol monitoring.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has prohibited the use of clenbuterol (CLN) because it induces anabolic muscle growth while potentially causing adverse effects such as palpitations, anxiety, and muscle tremors. Thus, it is vital to assess meat quality because, athletes might have positive test for CLN even after consuming very low quantity of CLN contaminated meat. Numerous materials applied for CLN monitoring faced potential challenges like sluggish ion transport, non-uniform ion/molecule movement, and inadequate electrode surface binding. To overcome these shortcomings, herein we engineered bimetallic zeolitic imidazole framework (BM-ZIF) derived N-doped porous carbon embedded Co nanoparticles (CN-CoNPs), dispersed on conductive cellulose acetate-polyaniline (CP) electrospun nanofibers for sensitive electrochemical monitoring of CLN. Interestingly, the smartly designed CN-CoNPs wrapped CP (CN-CoNPs-CP) electrospun nanofibers offers rapid diffusion of CLN molecules to the sensing interface through amine and imine groups of CP, thus minimizing the inhomogeneous ion transportation and inadequate electrode surface binding. Additionally, to synchronize experiments, machine learning (ML) algorithms were applied to optimize, predict, and validate voltametric current responses. The ML-trained sensor demonstrated high selectivity, even amidst interfering substances, with notable sensitivity (4.7527 µA/µM/cm2), a broad linear range (0.002-8 µM), and a low limit of detection (1.14 nM). Furthermore, the electrode exhibited robust stability, retaining 98.07% of its initial current over a 12-h period. This ML-powered sensing approach was successfully employed to evaluate meat quality in terms of CLN level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of using ML powered system for electrochemical sensing of CLN.

Doxorubicin encapsulated blend of sitagliptin-lignin polymeric drug delivery system for effective combination therapy against cancer.

In this research, a sitagliptin-lignin biopolymer (SL) containing zinc selenide quantum dots (ZnSe QDs) and doxorubicin (doxo) was synthesized. The fabricated polymeric drug delivery system was characterized via FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, IR, and DSC. SLQD-Doxo exhibited an irregular surface with a 32 nm diameter and well-defined surface chemistry. Drug loading efficiency was assessed at different concentrations, pH levels, time intervals, and temperatures, and drug kinetics were calculated. Maximum drug release was observed at 6 µmol concentration after 24 h, pH of 6.5 and 45 °C. The maximum drug encapsulation efficiency was 81.75 %. SLQD-Doxo demonstrated 24.4 ± 1.04 % anti-inflammatory activity, and the maximum lipoxygenase inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner was 71.45 ± 2.02 %, compared to indomethacin, a standard anticancer drug. The designed system was applied to breast cancer MCF-7 cells to evaluate anticancer activity. Cytotoxicity of SLQD-Doxo resulted in 24.48 ± 1.64 dead cells and 74.39 ± 4.12 viable cells. Lignin's polyphenolic nature resulted in good antioxidant activity of LLQD-Doxo. The combination of SLQD-Doxo was appropriate for drug delivery at high temperatures and acidic pH of tumor cells compared to healthy cells.

Effect of salinity on growth and biochemical responses of brinjal varieties: implications for salt tolerance and antioxidant mechanisms.

Salinity poses significant challenges to agricultural productivity, impacting crops' growth, morphology and biochemical parameters. A pot experiment of three months was conducted between February to April 2023 in the Department of Botany, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Four brinjal (eggplant) varieties: ICS-BR-1351, HBR-313-D, HBR-314-E, and HBR-334-D were selected and assessed for the effects of salinity on various growth and biochemical attributes. The experiment was completely randomized in design with three replicates each. This study revealed that increased salinity significantly reduced the shoot length, root length, and leaf number across all varieties, with maximum adverse effects observed at a 300mM NaCl concentration. Among the tested varieties, ICS-BR-1351 demonstrated superior performance in most growth parameters, suggesting potential salt tolerance. Biochemically, salinity decreased chlorophyll content across all varieties, with the sharpest decline observed at the highest salt concentration. V4 (HBR-334-D) showed a 57% decrease in chlorophyll followed by V3 (HBR-314-E) at 56%, V2 (HBR-313-D) at 54%, and V1 (ICS-BR-1351) at 33% decrease at maximum salt levels as compared to control. Conversely, carotenoid content increased up to -42.11% in V3 followed by V2 at -81.48%, V4 at -94.11%, and - 233% in V1 at 300mM NaCl stress as compared to respective controls. V3 (HBR-314-E) has the maximum value for carotenoids while V1 has the lowest value for carotenoids as compared to the other three brinjal varieties. In addition to pigments, the study indicated a salinity-induced decrease in total proteins and total soluble sugar, whereas total amino acids and flavonoids increased. Total proteins showed a decrease in V2 (49.46%) followed by V3 (36.44%), V4 (53.42%), and V1 (53.79%) at maximum salt concentration as compared to plants treated with tap water only. Whereas, total soluble sugars showed a decrease of 52.07% in V3, 41.53% in V2, 19.49% in V1, and 18.99% in V4 at the highest salt level. While discussing total amino acid, plants showed a -9.64% increase in V1 as compared to V4 (-31.10%), V2 (-36.62%), and V3 (-22.61%) with high salt levels in comparison with controls. Plant flavonoid content increased in V3 (-15.61%), V2 (-19.03%), V4 (-18.27%) and V1 (-27.85%) at 300mM salt concentration. Notably, salinity elevated the content of anthocyanin, lycopene, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) across all varieties. Antioxidant enzymes like peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase also increased under salt stress, suggesting an adaptive response to combat oxidative damage. However, V3 (HBR-314-E) has shown an increase in anthocyanin at -80.00%, lycopene at -24.81%, MDA at -168.04%, hydrogen peroxide at -24.22%, POD at -10.71%, CAT as-36.63 and SOD as -99.14% at 300mM NaCl stress as compared to control and other varieties. The enhanced accumulation of antioxidants and other protective compounds suggests an adaptive mechanism in brinjal to combat salt-induced oxidative stress. The salt tolerance of different brinjal varieties was assessed by principal component analysis (PCA), and the order of salt tolerance was V1 (ICS-BR-1351) > V4 (HBR-334-D), > V2 (HBR-313-D) > V3 (HBR-314-E). Among the varieties studied, ICS-BR-1351 demonstrated resilience against saline conditions, potentially offering a promising candidate for saline-prone agricultural areas.

Improved Electrochemical Performance of Aqueous Hybrid Supercapacitors Using CrCo2O4 Mesoporous Nanowires: An Innovative Strategy toward Sustainable Energy Devices.

High-rate aqueous hybrid supercapacitors (AHSCs) have attracted relevant scientific significance owing to their expected energy density, supercapacitor-level power density, and battery-level energy density. In this work, a bimetallic nanostructured material with chromium-incorporated cobalt oxide (CCO, i.e., CoCr2O4) was prepared via a hydrothermal method to form a stable cubic obelisk structure. Compared with CCO materials prepared using traditional methods, CCO displayed a nanowire structure (50 nm diameter), suggesting an enhanced specific surface area and a large number of active sites for chemical reactions. The electrode possessed a high specific capacitance (2951 F g-1) at a current density of 1 A g-1, minimum Rct (0.135 Ω), and the highest capacitance retention (98.7%), making it an ideal electrode material for AHSCs. Ex situ analysis based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed a favorable stability of CCO after 10,000 cycles without any phase changes being detected. GGA and GGA + U methods employed in density functional theory (DFT) also highlighted the enhanced metallic properties of CCO originating from the synergistic effect of semiconducting Cr2O3 and Co3O4 materials.