A review of the genus Plutodes Guene (Geometridae: Ennominae) from India with description of one new species.

In the present paper, we discuss the taxonomy of 11 species of Plutodes Guene, [1858], collected from different regions of India, including description of one new species, P. quadratus sp. nov. Herein, we provide an identification key to all the Indian species, diagnoses and updated distributions of the studied species and a consolidated global checklist of 36 species and 2 subspecies (including 13 species from India) along with their distributions and synonyms. The study also includes downgrading of P. digitata Kirti & Saxena, 2019 as a new junior synonym of P. lamisca Swinhoe, 1894. Species diagnoses are accompanied by illustrations of habitus and genitalia, including the first time illustrated diagnoses of male genitalia of four species.

Organic molecule functionalized lead sulfide hybrid system for energy storage and field dependent polarization performances.

A wet chemical route is reported for synthesising organic molecule stabilized lead sulfide nanoparticles. The dielectric capacitance, energy storage performances and field-driven polarization of the organic-inorganic hybrid system are investigated in the form of a device under varying temperature and frequency conditions. The structural analysis confirmed the formation of the monoclinic phase of lead sulfide within the organic network. The band structure of lead sulfide was obtained by density functional theory calculation that supported the semiconductor nature of the material with a direct band gap of 2.27 eV. The dielectric performance of the lead sulfide originated due to the dipolar and the space charge polarization. The energy storage ability of the material was investigated under DC-bias conditions, and the device exhibited the power density values 30 W/g and 340 W/g at 100 Hz and 10 kHz, respectively. The electric field-induced polarization study exhibited a fatigue-free behaviour of the device for 103 cycles with a stable dielectric strength. The study revealed that the lead sulfide-based system has potential in energy storage applications.

Taxonomy and ecology of genus Psyra Walker, 1860 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae) from Indian Himalaya.

The Psyra Walker, 1860, is a typical Sino-Himalayan genus of the subfamily Ennominae, currently known by 18 species/4 subspecies globally and 9 species from India. This study aims to revise the taxonomy and ecology of Indian Psyra by providing a morphology-based diagnostic key, highlighting their altitudinal, habitat and seasonal preferences, and modelling their distribution based on current and future climatic scenarios. Here, we describe a new species, P. variabilis sp. nov. and document 4 species and 1 subspecies as new to India, viz. P. gracilis, P. szetschwana, P. dsagara, P. falcipennis and P. debilis debilis, thus updating the global species count to 19 with 14 species/1 subspecies from India. We also submitted partial mitochondrial COI sequences of P. crypta, P. similaria, P. spurcataria and P. gracilis as novel to the global genetic database and calculated the overall genetic divergence was 5.17% within the genus, suggesting strong monophyly. Being a typical montane genus, most of the species of Psyra were active within 2000-2280 m altitude, 10.55-15.7°C annual mean temperature, 1200-2300 mm annual precipitation and 168-179 NDVI. Psyra species were predominant in wet temperate, mixed coniferous and moist temperate deciduous forests, their abundance and richness being at peak during post-monsoon months of October-November. The major bioclimatic variables influencing the overall distribution of the genus were mean temperature of warmest quarter, temperature seasonality and precipitation of coldest/driest quarter. While two of the modelled species were predicted to lose area occupancy under future climatic scenarios, the narrow-specialist, Trans-Himalayan species P. debilis debilis was projected to gain up to 75% additional area in the years 2041-60. The results of this study will be helpful to identify sites with maximum area loss projection in ecologically fragile Indian Himalaya and initiating conservation management for such climatically vulnerable insect species groups.

The electrical behaviour of ultrafine bismuth phosphate particles under a range of temperature and frequency conditions.

Organic-molecule-stabilized ultrafine bismuth phosphate was synthesized by applying a wet chemical complexation-mediated route. Structural analysis confirmed the formation of monoclinic-phase nanoparticles made up of four-coordinated PO4 tetrahedral and eight-coordinated BiO8 polyhedral units. The dielectric, electrical conductivity, and impedance behaviour of the synthesized material was investigated under a wide range of frequency and temperature conditions. An alternating current conductivity study confirmed that the conduction process was followed by small and large polaron tunnelling mechanisms. An electric field-induced polarization study showed the formation of a hysteresis loop, generated as a result of the strong dipolar interactions through the Biδ+-Oδ--type covalent bonds.

Future prospects and recent developments of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer; fabrication methods, structure, and electro-mechanical properties.

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a favorite polymer with excellent piezoelectric properties due to its mechanical and thermal stability. This article provides an overview of recent developments in the modification of PVDF fibrous structures and prospects for its application with a major focus on energy harvesting devices, sensors and actuator materials, and other types of biomedical engineering and devices. Many sources of energy harvesting are available in the environment, including waste-heated mechanical, wind, and solar energy. While each of these sources can be impactively used to power remote sensors, the structural and biological communities have emphasized scavenging mechanical energy by functional materials, which exhibit piezoelectricity. Piezoelectric materials have received a lot of attention in past decades. Piezoelectric nanogenerators can effectively convert mechanical energy into electrical energy suitable for low-powered electronic devices. Among piezoelectric materials, PVDF and its copolymers have been extensively studied in a diverse range of applications dealing with recent improvements in flexibility, long-term stability, ease of processing, biocompatibility, and piezoelectric generators based on PVDF polymers. This article reviews recent developments in the field of piezoelectricity in PVDF structure, fabrication, and applications, and presents the current state of power harvesting to create completely self-powered devices. In particular, we focus on original approaches and engineering tools to design construction parameters and fabrication techniques in electro-mechanical applications of PVDF.

Taxonomy and ecology of genus Phlogophora Treitschke, 1825 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Indian Himalaya with description of a new species.

The Genus Phlogophora Treitschke, 1825 (Noctuidae: Xyleninae), widely distributed in Palaearctic and Oriental realms, is especially diverse within Indian Himalaya with 12 known species till now. Current communication reports three species new to India viz. P. meticulodina (Draudt, 1950), P. nobilis Hreblay Ronkay, 1998 and P. szecsenyii Hreblay Ronkay, 1998 and a new species P. similis Bandyopadhyay, Mallick, Sanyal Chandra sp. nov., thus bringing the species number to 16 for the country, along with taxonomic key with morphology and genitalia-based diagnosis for all the Indian/Himalayan species. Out of those species, partial mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI) sequences were generated for 6 species, of which 5 were novel to the NCBI GenBank. The genus had maximum species richness and abundance in Eastern Himalayan Temperate Forest spanning 18002500 m in Central Himalayan landscape of Darjeeling-Sikkim and Nepal. Current Habitat suitability model of six Phlogophora species indicated that temperature dependent variables like Temperature Annual Range, Temperature Seasonality and Elevation are the most contributing factors for their predicted distribution range. The genus comprising of both Polycyclic and Monocyclic species became most abundant during Post-monsoon, in cold (911 C) and humid (8791%) nights, in areas with Annual Mean Temperature ranging within 4.619.9 C and Annual Precipitation of 10002800 mm.

Electrical response of organic molecule supported preformed and in situ formed antimony sulfide nanoparticles under frequency conditions.

A complexation route mediated synthesis of orthorhombic antimony sulfide nanoparticles is described in this report where uniformly distributed particles within the size range of 2-12 nm are stabilized within the aniline matrix. The organic-inorganic hybrid system was investigated for dielectric capacitance and electric field-induced polarization performances under varying temperature and frequency conditions. The AC-conductivity revealed a correlated barrier hopping conduction mechanism in the hybrid system. A fatigue free polarization was achieved under the electric field of 9 kV mm-1 for the preformed antimony sulfide system with a stable value of 0.18 µC cm-2. The in situ dielectric capacitance and field dependent polarization measurements were also performed for the in situ synthesized antimony sulfide using the antimony-aniline complex as the precursor.

Copper-azide nanoparticle: a 'catalyst-cum-reagent' for the designing of 5-alkynyl 1,4-disubstituted triazoles.

A single pot, wet chemical route has been applied for the synthesis of polymer supported copper azide, CuN3, nanoparticles (CANP). The hybrid system was used as 'catalyst-cum-reagent' for the azide-alkyne cyclo-addition reaction to construct triazole molecules using substituted benzyl bromide and terminal alkyne. The electron donating group containing terminal alkyne produced 5-alkynyl 1,4-disubstituded triazole product whereas for alkyne molecule with terminal electron withdrawing group facilitate the formation of 1,4-disubstituted triazole molecule.

Resistive switching characteristics of carbon nitride supported manganese oxysulfide: an evidence for the sweep dependent transformation of polarity.

As part of a program to investigate the materials for resistive random access memory (ReRam) applications, a study has been conducted using embedded manganese oxysulfide (MOS) nanoparticles on the thin film of carbon nitride (CN). A high-temperature in-situ route was employed to synthesis CN-MOS composite where thiourea and manganese chloride was used as the precursor. The electrical property of the CN-MOS composite system (active layer), sandwiched between two gold electrodes, was measured under different sweeping (voltage) conditions. The device displayed different types of switching patterns, unipolar, and bipolar, by changing the sweep direction. The CN-MOS based device also exhibited good endurance and memory retention performances for the period of 104 cycles and 104 s, respectively, for both the polarities.

Enhancement of dielectric and electric-field-induced polarization of bismuth fluoride nanoparticles within the layered structure of carbon nitride.

A single-pot, wet chemical method has been reported for the synthesis of bismuth fluoride nanoparticles (BF) and functionalized BF within the network of carbon nitride (BFCN). In BFCN, a structural transformation of BF, from cubic to pseudo-cubic (as evidenced by Rietveld refinement analysis), confirmed the contribution of carbon nitride (CN) on functionalization. The effect of functionalization of BF has been investigated through dielectric and field-induced polarization studies under different temperature and frequency conditions. Enhancement of dielectric constant values was noticed in BFCN as compared with BF system, in the order of 2.5 (30 °C) and 8.0 (100 °C) at 100 Hz. Fatigue-free maximum polarization values of 0.041 µC/cm2 and 0.054 µC/cm2, under the electric field of 5 kV/mm, were achieved for BF and BFCN samples, respectively, for 5 × 103 cycles.

Organic-Inorganic Complexation Chemistry-Mediated Synthesis of Bismuth-Manganese Bimetallic Oxide for Energy Storage Application.

An organic-inorganic complexation method was applied for the synthesis of bismuth-manganese bimetallic oxide (BMO) nanoparticles where highly dispersed oxide particles were stabilized in an organic matrix (hexamethylenediamine). The as-synthesized hybrid material was subjected to microscopic, optical, and structural studies to gain comprehensive insights into the system. In the X-ray diffraction pattern, the majority of the diffracted peaks are matched to the orthorhombic phase of the Bi3Mn2O7 structure. To extract the electrochemical property, the hybrid system was applied as an anode material and investigated for supercapacitive performance under alkaline conditions. The specific capacitance obtained was 612 F·g-1 at the current density of 1 A·g-1, and under the same current density, the energy density and power density achieved were 137.78 W·h·kg-1 and 0.90 kW·kg-1, respectively.

A new species of Nerice Walker, 1855 and further additions to the catalogue of Indian Notodontidae Stephens, 1829 (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea) from Himalaya with report of range extensions.

The present work deals with the additional species of Notodontidae recorded from different provinces of Indian Himalaya subsequent to the publication of Catalogue of Indian Notodontidae which provided systematic account of 242 species and 10 subspecies. Current communication comprises: (I) Description of a new species of genus Nerice Walker, 1855, Nerice (Nerice) mishmiensis Mazumder, Raha, Chandra Schintlmeister sp. nov., from Eastern Himalayan landscape of Dihang-Dibang Biosphere Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, along with a comparative diagnosis with two other congeners viz. N. aemulator Schintlmeister Fang, 2001 and N. upina Alphéraky, 1892; (II) Reporting of 3 species new to the Indian fauna from Eastern and Western Himalaya: Periergos genitale Schintlmeister, 2002, Honveda nepalina Nakamura, 1976 and Syntypistis nigribasalis tropica (Kiriakoff, 1974) with their diagnosis and genitalic illustrations; (III) Addition of 5 species and 1 more subspecies to the existing list from various literature; (IV) Additional distribution records of 40 species detected through primary sampling along with details of the materials examined; among which 3 species viz. Pseudallata laticostalis (Hampson, 1900), Baradesa lithosioides lithosioides Moore, 1883 and Ptilodon flavistigma (Moore, 1879) showed unusual altitudinal records around 3000 m. Thus, altogether Indian Notodontidae fauna has been updated to 247 species (including nominotypical subspecies) and 15 subspecies under 116 genera of 10 subfamilies.

Organic molecule stabilized bismuth iodide nanoparticles: a hybrid system with multifunctional physical properties.

An organic-inorganic hybrid system of aniline stabilized bismuth iodide nanoparticles (ABI) was synthesized and investigated for its dielectric properties, AC-conductivity, polarization hysteresis and non-volatile memory performances. The X-ray diffraction result indicates the single phase crystalline nature of the nanoparticles and a microscopic image shows the homogeneous distribution of the bismuth iodide nanoparticles within the organic matrix. The material has exhibited a moderate dielectric performance via an interfacial polarization mechanism. The decrease in dielectric constant with frequency is correlated with the carrier concentration and diffusion potential, and the behaviour revealed that the halide ion mediated polaron migration controls the overall relaxation and conductivity properties of the material. Octahedral distortion of bismuth iodide, through halide ion migration, induced a hysteresis loop in polarization-electric field (P-E) characteristics. The device fabricated with the aniline stabilized bismuth iodide nanoparticles exhibited a space-charge limited current and trap assisted tunneling mechanism for the charge transport process. The non-volatile property reveals that the device has the ability to store binary information and has potential for memory applications.

Ammonium phosphomolybdate: a material for dielectric crossover and resistive switching performance.

The yellow ammonium phosphomolybdate [(NH4)3PMo12O40] (YAPM) is a robust and elegant compound that has found innumerable field applications. Herein, we have shown that this inorganic polymer serves as a novel dielectric material and a compound for memory device fabrication. It displays changeable dielectric performance and ac conductivity under UV (∼365 nm) irradiation. Drastic lowering of the dielectric constant (ε') was observed with the increase in dielectric loss factor, which was ascertained due to electron accumulation under UV exposure producing green APM (GAPM). The contributions of the Maxwell-Wagner polarization and the dipolar relaxation are correlated with the charge transfer and dielectric contribution of the material. Interestingly, the pressure-induced reduction of Mo(vi) to Mo(v) is reported for the first time and is similar to UV-exposed mixed-valence GAPM, which was corroborated by EPR spectra. In the ac signal, the crossover from quantum mechanical tunneling to hopping conduction is an adequate explanation for YAPM under UV irradiation. The fabricated device Au‖YAPM‖Au on a flexible paper substrate shows a resistive memory behavior that is modeled as a Schottky-type emission (SE) and Poole-Frenkel (PF) carrier transport for the OFF and ON states, respectively. The device exhibited a constant ON-OFF current ratio of 2 × 102 for YAPM. The OFF state endurance of the device (with 3 V pulses having 1 s time-period) under UV showed a steady increment current strength with time. After 100 s of UV exposure, the Au‖YAPM‖Au device became Au‖GAPM‖Au, and the conductivity completely shifted to a stable ON-state (at 300 s).

Catalogue of Indian Notodontidae Stephens, 1829 (Lepidoptera: Noctuoidea).

The present communication consists of the first ever catalogue of Indian Notodontidae Stephens, 1829 comprising systematic accounts of 242 species (including nominotypical subspecies) and 10 subspecies under 116 genera of 10 subfamilies with four new records to India viz. Phalera (Phalera) birmicola Bryk, 1949, Spatalina desiccata stolida Schintlmeister, 2007, Hiradonta hannemanni Schintlmeister, 1989 and Kamalia tattakana (Matsumura, 1927). The account was prepared by compiling findings from both literature survey and field sampling carried out at various Protected Areas in the Indian Himalayas and Chhattisgarh state in the Deccan Peninsular region of India. Zoogeographic analysis of Indian Notodontidae reveals a majority of the assemblage showing Oriental (58.27%) and Palaearctic (40.49%) affinities with maximum species of Sundanian (80.00%), followed by Himalayan (77.65%) origins. In India, the majority of the species are distributed in the Himalayan (35.33%) and North-East (39.40%) biogeographic zones, reflecting maximum endemicity. Extensive surveys in the less explored southern part of the country are expected to enrich the inventory of Indian Notodontidae. The distribution map and detailed illustrations of the four new records are provided.

Carbon nitride supported copper nanoparticles: light-induced electronic effect of the support for triazole synthesis.

The composite framework of graphitic carbon nitride (gCN) supported copper nanoparticle can act as a high-performance photoreactor for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazole derivatives under light irradiation in the absence of alkaline condition. The photoactivity of gCN originates from an electron transition from the valence band to the conduction band, in the presence of photon energy, and the hot electron acts as a scavenger of the terminal proton of the alkyne molecule to facilitate the formation of copper acetanilide complex. In this study, we have performed the experiment under a different photonic environment, including dark condition, and in the presence and absence of base. A comparative study was also executed using Cu-TiO2 system, as a reference material, in the support of our proposed mechanism. The recycling performance and the photocorrosion effect of the catalyst have also been reported in this study.

Light effect on Click reaction: Role of photonic quantum dot catalyst.

Due to the light excitation, the valence band electron of the copper (I) sulfide quantum dot transfer to the conduction band and act as a scavenger of the terminal proton of the alkyne in the presence of organic azide with the formation of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles, where the copper(I) species of Cu2S act as a catalyst for the reaction. The above cycloaddition reaction between alkyne and azide is commonly known as the Click reaction. In this study, experiments were carried out under the exposure of ultra-violate and daylight and also dark environment. According to the original recommendation for the Click reaction, the role of the base was also considered for this experiment. We found that the effect of conduction band electron is more efficient than the recommended conventional base mediated reaction procedure.

Polymer immobilized Cu(I) formation and azide-alkyne cycloaddition: A one pot reaction.

During the polymerization of aniline using copper sulphate, act as an oxidizing agent, the in-situ synthesized Cu(I) ion catalyzed the cyclo-addition between azides and alkynes. This work represents the merging of two steps, synthesis of the catalyst and application of the catalyst, in a one pot reaction. The elimination of the separate catalyst synthesis step is economic in terms of cost and time. As aniline was used as one of the reactant components so there is no requirement to use additional base for this reaction that further eliminates the cost of the process. Again, the catalyst can be readily recovered by filtration and efficiently used for the several sets of reactions without any significant loss of catalytic activity.

A polymer supported Cu(I) catalyst for the 'click reaction' in aqueous media.

Polymer stabilized monovalent copper has been synthesized using an in situ chemical transformation route and was characterized by means of different microscopic, optical and surface characterization techniques, which offered information about the chemical structure of the polymer and the morphology of the complex. The supramolecular material, Cu(i)-poly(2-aminobenzoic acid), denoted Cu(i)-pABA, showed catalytic activity for the cycloaddition reaction between terminal alkynes and azides to synthesize 1,2,3-triazoles with excellent yields. The catalyst was recovered from the reaction mixture and recycled several times without an appreciable loss of catalytic activity. The whole strategy was done under ambient conditions and in the presence of water as a solvent.

In situ generation of a high-performance Pd-polypyrrole composite with multi-functional catalytic properties.

We report on a bottom up approach for the synthesis of a Pd-polypyrrole nanocomposite material. The composite material was characterized by means of different techniques, such as UV-vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, which offered information about the chemical structure of the polymer, whereas electron microscopy images provided information regarding the morphology of the composite material and the distribution of the metal particles in the polymer matrix. During the synthesis of the nanocomposite, the Pd nanoparticles act as a catalyst for a model proton-coupled electron transfer reaction. The Pd-polypyrrole nanocomposite material was also used as a catalyst for the electro-catalytic detection of tryptophan, a precursor for some neurotransmitters.