Nano-scaled polyacrylonitrile for industrialization of nanofibers with photoluminescence and microbicide performance.

Nanofibers are investigated to be superiorly applicable in different purposes such as drug delivery systems, air filters, wound dressing, water filters, and tissue engineering. Herein, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is thermally treated for autocatalytic cyclization, to give optically active PAN-nanopolymer, which is subsequently applicable for preparation of nanofibers through solution blow spinning. Whereas, solution blow spinning is identified as a process for production of nanofibers characterized with high porosity and large surface area from a minimum amounts of polymer solution. The as-prepared nanofibers were shown with excellent photoluminescence and microbicide performance. According to rheological properties, to obtain spinnable PAN-nanopolymer, PAN (12.5-15% wt/vol, honey like solution, 678-834 mPa s), thermal treatment for 2-4 h must be performed, whereas, time prolongation resulted in PAN-nanopolymer gelling or rubbering. Size distribution of PAN-nanopolymer (12.5% wt/vol) is estimated (68.8 ± 22.2 nm), to reflect its compatibility for the production of carbon nanofibers with size distribution of 300-400 nm. Spectral mapping data for the photoluminescent emission showed that, PAN-nanopolymer were exhibited with two intense peaks at 498 nm and 545 nm, to affirm their superiority for production of fluorescent nanofibers. The microbial reduction % was estimated for carbon nanofibers prepared from PAN-nanopolymer (12.5% wt/vol) to be 61.5%, 71.4% and 81.9%, against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans, respectively. So, the prepared florescent carbon nanofibers can be potentially applicable in anti-infective therapy.

Pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile derivatives as sprout for CQDs proveniences: Antitumor and anti-inflammatory potentiality.

A comparative study is proposed to show the effect of variation in the heteroatoms in the main skeleton of CQDs proveniences, on their affinity for nucleation of CQDs, as anti-inflammatory and anticancer drugs. Heterocyclic-based CQDs sprout was successfully exploited for preparation of three CQDs proveniences, named as; 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-4,6-dioxo-6,11-dihydro-4H-pyrimido[2,1-b] quinazoline-3-carbonitrile (compound A), 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-4,6-dioxo-4H,6H-benzo[e]pyrimido[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine-3-carbonitrile (compound S) and 2-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-4,6-dioxo-4H,6H-benzo[e]pyrimido[2,1-b][1,3] thiazine-3-carbonitrile (compound T). Chemical formulas of CQDs proveniences & CQDs were verified via FTIR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR & XRD. Particle size of TM-CQDs, A-CQDs, S-CQDs & T-CQDs were estimated to be 3.7 ± 1.4, 4.6 ± 1.6, 5.9 ± 1.6 nm and 3.0 ± 1.3 nm, respectively. All of CQDs proveniences & CQDs were examined for their affinity as anti-inflammatory drugs via Griess assay. CQDs ingrained from TM (TM-CQDs) were detected with the highest NO inhibition% by increasing its concentration from 10 up to 100 µM to be 40 % to 89 %, respectively. Moreover, their anti-tumor performance against MCF-7: breast Adenocarcinoma cell line was approved via sulforhodamine B assay, whereas, IC50 was evaluated for TM-CQDs, A-CQDs, S-CQDs and T-CQDs to be 38.16, 36.09, 100 and 100 µg/ml, respectively.

Involvement of silver and palladium with red peanuts skin extract for cotton functionalization.

A systematic study is currently demonstrated approach for approving the superior role of silver and palladium metallic particles in acting the role of mordant with acquiring the dyed cotton fabrics excellence in color fastness with additional functions of antimicrobial potentiality and UV-protection action. Whereas, samples were dyed with extract of red peanuts skin as natural textile colorant (RPN dye). The represented data revealed that, in absence of mordant, the samples treated with metal precursors prior to dyeing were exhibited with the excellent color strength, color fastness, antimicrobial action and UV-protection action. Color fastness (washing, rubbing and light fastness) was estimated to be in the range of very good-excellent. Sample pretreated with silver salt and dyed in the absence of mordant was graded with excellent UV-protection action (UPF 31.5, UVB T% 2.6% and UVB blocking percent 97.4%). Antimicrobial potency against E. coli, S. aureus and Candida albicans through inhibition zone and the reduction percent was approved to be in the range of excellence (93.01-99.51%) for the samples dyed in absence of mordant and pretreated with either silver or palladium precursors.

Selective separation of chlorophyll-a using recyclable hybrids based on Zn-MOF@cellulosic fibers.

Chlorophyll-a as pigments, exist in the green organelles for plants that act in photosynthesis. Different studies were considered with demonstration of an effective separation technique of Chlorophyll-a without decomposition; however, the reported methods were disadvantageous with expensiveness and low quantum yield. The current work uniquely represents an investigative method for the separation of Chlorophyll-a from spinach extract using cellulosic hybrids based on ZIF-8 @cellulosic fibers (Zn-zeolitic imidazolate frameworks@cellulosic fibers) as a cost effective and recyclable absorbents. To obtain hybrids, ZIF-8 was in-situ prepared over the cellulosic fibers (bamboo, modal and cotton). The untreated and treated fibers were well characterized via FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, in order to approve the successive impregnation of ZIF-8. Whereas, the microscopic images showed that, microcrystalline ZIF-8 rods with length of 1.3-4.4 µm were grown over the cellulosic fibers. The obtained hybrids and the untreated fibers were exploited in the separation of Chlorophyll-a via the adsorption/desorption process. The chlorophyll-adsorption was followed Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order model. The Langmuir maximum capacities of Chlorophyll-a onto hybrids were followed the order of ZIF-8@cotton (583.6 mg/g) > ZIF-8@modal (561.3 mg/g) > ZIF-8@bamboo (528.7 mg/g). After incorporation of ZIF-8, the maximum adsorption capacities of cellulosic fibers were enhanced by 1.4-1.9 times. Adsorption of chlorophyll onto the applied hybrids was lowered by 27-28%, after five repetitive washing cycles. The data summarized that; chlorophyll was effectively separated by the synthesized ZIF-8@cellulosic fibers hybrids, whereas, the prepared hybrids showed good reusability for application on wider scaled purposes.

Maillard reaction for nucleation of polymer quantum dots from chitosan-glucose conjugate: Antagonistic for cancer and viral diseases.

Polymer dots (PDs) ingrained from biopolymers are characterized by their biocompatibility & non-toxicity to be superiorly applicable for biomedicines. The point of novelty in the current study is to focus on the effect of Maillard reaction for conjugation of chitosan with glucose to enhance the affinity of chitosan as a biological resource of PDs. Chitosan-glucose conjugate was firstly prepared by Maillard reaction. PDs were nucleated from chitosan (C1 acidic, 10.6 nm & C2 basic, 11.4 nm) and chitosan-glucose conjugate (C3 acidic, 6.8 nm & C4 basic, 5.7 nm). The affinity of chitosan versus chitosan-glucose conjugate as molecular precursors for PDs as antiviral and anticancer laborers was studied. The synthesized PDs were tested against lung cancer (NSCLC, A549) and the estimated IC50 was 282.4 & 165.4 µg/mL for PDs (C3 & C4) ingrained from chitosan-glucose conjugate. The antiviral action of PDs against Coronavirus (229E) was estimated and the obtained IC50 for C3 & C4 was 43.6 and 19.3 mg/mL, respectively. PDs ingrained from chitosan-glucose conjugate showed higher anticancer and antiviral activities compared to that clustered from chitosan. Consequently, the modification of chitosan via Maillard reaction enhanced the biological affinity of the obtained PDs to be effectively applicable as antitumor and antiviral laborers.

Affinity of carbon quantum dots anchored within metal organic framework matrix as enhancer of plant nourishment.

Nano-fertilizers were ascribed to be significantly advantageous with minimizing the negative effects of requiring excessive contents in the soil and reducing the number of times for fertilization. Herein, the superior affinity of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) anchored within metal organic framework (Cu-BTC) matrix was investigated for the first time as a fertilizer for sunflower. CQDs were nucleated from alkali-hydrolyzed carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) via the hydrothermal technique. The synthesized CQDs (6.8 ± 3.7 nm) were anchored within Cu-BTC (crystalline rod-like structure) matrix, to produce CQDs@Cu-BTC composite. The obtained CQDs and CQDs@Cu-BTC were applied as nutrients for the sunflower plant. The chlorophyll a and carotenoids contents were 0.465 & 0.497 and 0.350 & 0.364 mg/g after treatment with CQDs & CQDs@Cu-BTC, respectively. The shoot length of sunflower sample was increased after feeding with CQDs and CQDs@Cu-BTC to be 38.7 and 46.5 cm, respectively. The obtained results confirmed that, the synthesized CQDs@Cu-BTC showed superiority as nutrient material via enhancing the growth and physiological properties of sunflower and consequently could be used as fertilizer for plants instead of the commercial nutrient.

Technical textiles modified with immobilized carbon dots synthesized with infrared assistance.

Carbon quantum dots "CQDs" were investigated as photo-luminescent nanomaterials as it advantageous with nontoxicity to be alternative for metallic-nanomaterials in different purposes. Therefore, the presented report demonstrates an innovative strategy for industrialization of antimicrobial/fluorescent cotton textiles via exploitation of "CQDs". Unique/novel infrared-assisted technique was currently investigated for clustering "CQDs" form carboxymethyl cellulose. The successive nucleation of "CQDs" (8.0 nm) was affirmed via infra-red, Raman spectroscopy, NMR, TEM and Zeta-potential analysis. The clustered "CQDs" showed antimicrobial and fluorescent characters. The minimal inhibition concentration for "CQDs" (100 mg/mL) against E. coli and C. albicans showed pathogenic reduction of 96% and 82%, respectively. Fluorescent emission spectra for "CQDs" showed two intense peaks at 415-445 nm. "CQDs" were loaded upon pristine and cationized cotton to prepare CQDs@cotton and CQDs@cationized cotton. While, their physical/mechanical properties (air and water vapor permeabilities, tensile strength and elongation %) and thermal stability (TGA & DTG analysis) were studied. The CQDs@cationized cotton exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity with good durability as after ten repretitive washings, inhibition zone diameter against E. coli, was diminished from 21.0 mm to 14.0 mm. The fluorescent emmision intensity was diminished from 741 to 287 after 10 washing cycles. The produced cotton fabrics could be safely used in the medical and military textiles.

Melt intercalation technique for synthesis of hetero-metallic@chitin bio-composite as recyclable catalyst for prothiofos hydrolysis.

The compatibility of homo-metallic and hetero-metallic bio-composite was promisingly investigated as recyclable catalyst for prothiofos hydrolysis. Chitin as water insoluble biopolymer was functionalized as a template for generation of homo-metallic (Ag@chitin, Au@chitin and Pd@chitin) and hetero-metallic (Au@Ag@chitin, Pd@Ag@chitin and Pd@Au@Ag@chitin) composites, by using melt intercalation technique. Investigation of the compatibility of the synthesized homo-metallic and hetero-metallic bio-composites in hydrolysis of prothiofos was performed and affirmed via HPLC results. Immobilization of Pd in the composites showed perfection in the catalytic performance for prothiofos hydrolysis. Pd@Au@Ag@chitin exhibited the highest hydrolysis result of 99% for prothiofos was hydrolyzed within 150 min with rate constant (k1) of 24.48 min-1. After five recycles for Pd@Au@Ag@chitin, the hydrolysis of prothiofos was lowered from 346 mg/g to 269 mg/g with reduction percentage of 22%. The synthesized bio-composite was highly effective as recyclable catalyst and can be easily served in the remediation of pesticides.

Antitumor/antiviral carbon quantum dots based on carrageenan and pullulan.

Requirement for medication from pathogenic human viruses and cancer diseases are urgently considered, while, numerous reports were focused on investigating easily manufactured and excellently effective therapeutic reagents. Herein, CQDs were prepared with size of 2.1 nm from both of carrageenan and pullulan. CQDs nucleated from pullulan showed higher anti-proliferative effects against cancer cells, while, treatment with 100 µg/mL of CQDs colloids originated from pullulan and carrageenan separately resulted in diminishing of cancer cell viability percent to be 42.1 & 58.7%, respectively. Plaque reduction assay was also affirmed that, 2.5 µg/L of both of pullulan and carrageenan based CQDs exhibited viral inhibition with percent of 44.3& 59.5%, respectively. As a conclusion, pullulan showed seniority over carrageenan in nucleation of CQDs with higher anticancer activities. While, estimation of antiviral performance of the prepared CQDs confirmed the priority of carrageenan compared to pullulan in preparation of CQDs as antiviral laborer.

Acacia gum versus pectin in fabrication of catalytically active palladium nanoparticles for dye discoloration.

Obedience to the aspects of green chemistry and due to its high catalytic potency, ecofriendly synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) was performed using pectin versus acacia gum as polysaccharides. The viscous solution of alkali solubilized polysaccharides acted superiorly in stabilization of MNPs by decreasing their Brownian motions and sequentially decreased their collision and coagulation. Production of PdNPs preliminary was confirmed via UV-visible spectra. Zetasizer and transmission electron microscopy data, the particle size of PdNPs were prepared by pectin (27.9 nm) is larger than that by acacia gum (5.3 nm). XRD and FT-IR data affirmed the redox reaction between biopolymers and metal ions to produce PdNPs. PdNPs synthesized by acacia gum were characterized by higher surface area (19.54 m2/g) compared to that prepared by pectin (3.67 m2/g). Additionally, PdNPs synthesized by acacia gum were exhibited by fastest rate of dye discoloration, resulting in complete reductive discoloration of dye after only 5 min and t1/2 was estimated to be 1.70 min, while, k1 was 408.8 × 10-3 min-1. The presented green technique could be successively applicable for synthesis of size regulated catalytically active PdNPs to be employable in various industrial purposes.

Environmentally exploitable biocide/fluorescent metal marker carbon quantum dots.

Carbon quantum dots are currently investigated to act as safe/potent alternatives for metal-based nanostructures to play the role of probes for environmental applications owing to their low toxicity, low cost, chemical inertness, biocompatibility and outstanding optical properties. The synthesis of biocide/fluorescent metal marker carbon quantum dots with hydrophilic character was performed via a quite simple and green technique. The natural biopolymer that was used in this study for the synthesis of carbon quantum dots is fragmented under strong alkaline conditions. Afterwards, under hydrothermal conditions, re-polymerization, aromatization and subsequent oxidation, the carbonic nanostructures were grown and clustered. Dialysis of the so-produced carbonic nanostructures was carried out to obtain highly purified/mono-dispersed carbon quantum dots with a size distribution of 1.5-6.5 nm. The fluorescence intensity of the synthesized carbon quantum dots under hydrothermal conditions for 3 h was affected by dialysis, however, the fluorescence intensity was significantly increased ca. 20 times. The synthesized carbon quantum dots were exploited as fluorescent markers in the detection of Zn2+ and Hg2+. The prepared carbon quantum dots also exhibited excellent antimicrobial potency against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. The detected minimal inhibitory concentration for the dialyzed CQDs towards the tested pathogens was 350-450 µL mL-1. The presented approach is a simple and green technique for the scaled-up synthesis of biocide/fluorescent marker carbon quantum dots instead of metal-based nanostructures for environmental applications, without using toxic chemicals or organic solvents.

pH responsive intelligent nano-engineer of nanostructures applicable for discoloration of reactive dyes.

Multifunctional polymers were commonly ascribed as intelligent materials due to the presence of different functional groups on the polymeric skeleton which causes the high sensitivity to the interchanging of physicochemical conditions. Herein, under different temperatures, monitoring the pH response of lignin as intelligent nano-engineer (reducer and stabilizer) for synthesis of size and shape regulated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) & palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) is systematically studied. The regulation of the particle size and stability of NPs were remarkably affected by acidity and basicity of the reaction medium at which they were prepared. TEM and zetasizer data showed that, highly size and shape regulated AgNPs & AuNPs is successively produced under acidic conditions with particle size of 13.8 and 5.7 nm, respectively. While basic conditions is more advisable in case of PdNPs to be produced with particle size of 4.5 nm. Catalytic performance of biphasic NPs in reductive discoloration of azo dye (reactive yellow dye 145) was followed the order of PdNPs > AuNPs > AgNPs. The half time for discoloration of dye with basic prepared NPs was dramatically decreased from 21.87 min for AgNPs and 18.34 for AuNPs to 1.45 min for PdNPs.

Metal-dependent nano-catalysis in reduction of aromatic pollutants.

Nanostructures have great potential in catalysis and their compositions may cause some interferences in the reactivity. Therefore, the present study focuses on comparison between three metallic nanoparticle-based Ag, Au, and Pd as nano-catalyst in reduction of aromatic pollutants. To neglect any interpenetration in their catalytic reactivity, the metallic nanoparticles were prepared via a consistent and reproducible one-step method with alkali-activated dextran. Interestingly, small sized/spherical AgNPs, AuNPs, and PdNPs were successively prepared with particle size of 3.4, 8.3, and 17.1 nm, respectively. The catalytic performance of the synthesized NPs was estimated for the reduction of p-nitroaniline and methyl red dye as different aromatic pollutants. Regardless of the particle size, there was a strong relation between catalytic action and the type of metal which followed the order of PdNP > AuNPs > AgNPs. Graphical Abstract.

Recruitment of various biological macromolecules in fabrication of gold nanoparticles: Overview for preparation and applications.

This review summarizes recent works for fabrication of gold nanoparticles with controlled shape, size, and functional properties using polysaccharides as superior biological macromolecules. Special consideration is paid to the synthesis of gold nanoparticles with individual (non-aggregated) nanoparticles, narrow size distribution and regulated morphologies, including the design of nanoparticles and nanocomposites that can be applied in multifunctional purposes. The current review also focused on the problem of the spatial arrangement for nanoparticles and predication of the role of polysaccharide macromolecular structure as nano-template in this process because it is a key problem in nanoparticles industrialization, and presented the synergistic role of the ingredients on the performance of gold nanocomposites.

Non-invasive route for desulfurization of fuel using infrared-assisted MIL-53(Al)-NH2 containing fabric.

Fuel purification from sulfur containing contaminants (SCCs) is concerned in the last decades. Herein, non-invasive and innovative method was carried out for synthesis of metal organic framework (MOF)@fabric composites to be applied in removing of thiophene from liquid fuel. MIL-53(Al)-NH2 as a type of MOF was selected to be in-situ prepared within fabrics (cotton & wool) by infrared-assisted technique. The contents of MOF/Al in-grown within fabrics were 81.97/9.92 mg/g for cotton and 95.70/11.58 mg/g for wool. Scanning microscope and X-ray confirmed that fluffy microcrystalline MIL-53(Al)-NH2 powder was formed directly within fabrics structure. The prepared MOF and MOF@fabric composites were exploited in adsorption of thiophene from n-heptane. Infrared spectra approved the presence of thiophene bands [CH, 833 cm-1 and CS, 706 cm-1] onto the applied materials, after adsorption. The adsorption of thiophene onto the composites found to obey Langmuir isotherm and second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacities were followed the order of MIL-53(Al)-NH2 (739.0 mg/g) > MIL-53(Al)-NH2@fabric (469.4-516.5 mg/g) ⋙ fabric (83.1-153.8 mg/g). After 4 restoration cycles, the adsorption capacities were lowered by percentage of 28.4-43.6, due to the decrement in MOF contents. The prepared MIL-53(Al)-NH2@fabric composites could be widely applicable in the cleaning of liquid fuel from SCCs with high efficient.

Comparative study between homo-metallic & hetero-metallic nanostructures based agar in catalytic degradation of dyes.

Herein, comparison between eco-friendly homo-metallic (Ag) and hetero-metallic (AgAu and Ag-Au-Pd) nanostructures in catalysis was studied. The homo-metallic and hetero-metallic nanostructures were greenly synthesized using Agar as nano-generator. The sequential reduction of metal ions to give homo- and hetero-metallic nanostructures was initially confirmed via UV-Visible spectra. Tracking of transmission electron microscope and zetasizer data showed that, all the produced nanostructures were well-dispersed and spherical in shape. Small-sized AgNPs with mean size of 9.1 nm were enlarged to 23.7 nm for AgAu bimetallic nanostructure. While, trimetallic nanoshells of Ag-Au-Pd was diminished to be 13.6 nm. The FT-IR and 13CNMR spectral analyses were detected to investigate the reaction mechanism for synthesis of nanostructures. The catalytic performance of the synthesized nanostructures in degradation of methylene blue and methyl orange dyes was a strongly correlated to the composition of nanostructures. Half time of methylene blue and methyl orange degradation was diminished from 45.90 and 47.15 to 0.97 and 0.69 min by using trimetallic nanostructures as a catalyst, respectively. The current strategy can present an environmentally benign and valuable methodology for fabrication of hetero-metallic nanostructures with desirable size and have efficient catalytic activity.

Hydroxyethyl cellulose for spontaneous synthesis of antipathogenic nanostructures: (Ag & Au) nanoparticles versus Ag-Au nano-alloy.

The current approach represents a controllable strategy for studying the antipathogenic effects against selected bacterial strains and fungi for silver nanoparticles and gold nanoparticles versus their bimetallic nano-alloys spontaneously prepared by the same technique. Spontaneous ingraining of silver and gold based monometallic and bimetallic nano-objects was carried out by employing organic polymer of hydroxyethyl cellulose which was presumed to play the dual role of nanogenerator and surfactant, via seed mediated growth technique. Revolution of UV-Visible spectroscopy revealed that, the characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak for Ag-Au bimetallic nano-alloy was detected at 480-495 nm and X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the successive role of HEC in generation of bimetallic nanostructures. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and zetasizer data were detected for clarifying the effect of the polymer concentration, addition sequencing of metal salts in reaction liquor, and reaction temperature on the morphological features and size distribution of the as-produced bimetallic nano-alloy. Referring to zetasizer analyses and TEM micrographs, small sized (10.7 nm) Ag-Au bimetallic nano-alloy was successfully produced by employing HEC as nano-producer. All the generated bimetallic nano-objects exhibited high stability with PdI ranged in 0.268-0.560. The mechanism for generation of nanostructures was confirmed according to FT-IR, 1HNMR and13CNMR spectra.

Cluster growth adaptor for generation of bactericide Ag-Au bimetallic nanostructures: substantiation through spectral mapping data.

Bimetallic nanostructures have emerged up as unique nano-objects due to the synergism between two metallic nanostructures. In the current approach, bactericide silver- gold bimetallic nanostructures have been fabricated using guar gum, which is employed as cluster growth adaptor. Silver­gold bimetallic nanostructures were initially detected with the aid of UV-Visible spectrophotometer, where, the characteristic Surface Plasmon Resonance peak for bimetallic nanostructures was detected at 480-495 nm. Size controlling of nanostructures was achieved by interchanging the concentration of nano-metal precursors, their addition sequencing with strong alkali in reaction liquor, and temperature. According to transmission electron microscopic graphs and zetasizer data, silver­gold bimetallic nanostructures are well-dispersed and spherical in shape. The as-mentioned tracking analyses confirmed that, the particle size for all the nanostructures were in range of 2.26 to 27.1 nm. All of the produced bimetallic nanostructures showed good stability with PdI ranged in 0.27-0.53. X-Ray diffraction analyses confirmed that, the manufactured bimetallic nanostructures were characterized by face cubic centered crystalline shape. According to FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectral data, the mechanism of synthesis the as-required bimetallic nano-structures was elucidated and approved. The bactericidal action of the as-synthesized nanostructures is estimated to approve its compatibility to be applicable in various medical purposes.