Enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B using gold nanoparticles decorated on BaTiO3 with surface plasmon resonance enhancement.

This study focused on synthesizing and applying gold nanoparticle (Au NP) decorated barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles for photocatalytic purposes. BaTiO3 NPs were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Various techniques were employed to characterize the structure and morphological characteristics of the prepared materials. The photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B over the Au NPs-modified BaTiO3 photocatalysts was studied. Trapping experiments were conducted using different scavengers to elucidate the degradation mechanism and the involvement of photogenerated species. The incorporation of an appropriate amount of Au NPs into the composites resulted in a significant improvement in photocatalytic activity, attributed to the combined effect of Schottky junction at the interface and the surface plasmon resonance of Au NPs.

Gum Arabic-mediated synthesis of silver nanoparticles for their applications as colorimetric and SERS-based detection of hydrogen peroxide.

We report on the one-step green method to synthesize Gum Arabic stabilized silver nanoparticles (GA-Ag NPs). The synthesized particles are monodispersed and in the size range of 15-20 nm. The synthesized Ag NPs are used as a colorimetric sensor for the detection of H2O2 and glucose with a detection limit of 11.7 nM and 0.13 µM, respectively. The sensor has also been used for the detection of H2O2 in water samples and glucose in human blood serum samples. The GA-Ag NPs decorated on filter paper have also shown excellent SERS activity for the detection of H2O2 with a detection limit of 0.56 µM.

Metal-Immobilized Micellar Aggregates of a Block Copolymer from a Mixed Solvent for a SERS-Active Sensing Substrate and Versatile Dip Catalysis.

Here, we have reported micellar aggregations of an amphiphilic block copolymer in mixed solvent and their subsequent use as a template for the fabrication of a very dense, tunable metal nanoparticle-decorated surface for SERS and flexible dip catalysis applications. A silver nanoparticle-immobilized layer on silicon substrates shows excellent SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering)-based sensing performance for model analyte rhodamine B up to 10-6 M concentration with a well-defined calibration curve. Furthermore, a facile approach to the preparation of metal NP-immobilized BCP membranes as efficient dip catalyst for two model reactions (the reduction of nitrophenol and the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of iodobenzene or 2,7-diiodofluorene with phenyl boronic acid) is also demonstrated. The Ag NP-decorated film exhibits high efficiency and extensive reusability in a prototype reaction such as the reduction of nitrophenol by sodium borohydride with a very high turnover number, >126 (for a single use), whereas the Pd NP-immobilized film also has a high, ∼100%, reaction yield and extensive reusability and applicable for different aromatic systems. This work provides a new platform for the design and synthesis of a functionalizable, flexible, and highly mechanically stable dip catalyst which is highly demanded in the catalytic production of value-added chemicals and environmental applications such as wastewater treatment.

Starch (Tapioca) to carbon dots: an efficient green approach to an on-off-on photoluminescence probe for fluoride ion sensing.

Photoluminescent carbon dots of 4-5 nm size were prepared from starch (Tapioca Sago) through a solution method under mild conditions. The as-prepared carbon dots were used as photoluminescence probes for highly anion selective fluoride ion detection in aqueous solutions. A ready-to-use device is also demonstrated.

Controlling the self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles by competing dipolar and isotropic particle interactions.

Control over the self-assembly of magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) into superstructures due to different types of coupling is of interest in the development of "bottom-up" fabrication schemes. Here we realize a simple strategy for the systematic variation of particle interaction potential in magnetic nanoparticles. This is achieved by varying the effective surface potential by means of a co-surfactant introduced in the course of the synthesis process. As a consequence, the ability to form chain-like assemblies is affected by the resulting balance of attractive and repulsive forces. We use electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and light scattering methods to study a series of cobalt nanoparticles as a characteristic example of ferromagnetic MNP. We demonstrate experimentally and substantiate theoretically that the observed behavior results from a balance between magnetic dipole-dipole, steric, and electrostatic interactions.

Large scale synthesis of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from waste biomass and their use as an efficient and selective photoluminescence on-off-on probe for Ag(+) ions.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are synthesized from bio-waste and are further modified to produce amine-terminated GQDs (Am-GQDs) which have higher dispersibility and photoluminescence intensity than those of GQDs. A strong fluorescence quenching of Am-GQDs (switch-off) is observed for a number of metal ions, but only for the Ag(+) ions is the original fluorescence regenerated (switch-on) upon addition of L-cysteine.

Glucose oxidase conjugated H2O2 sensitive CdTe QDs: an effective fluorescence tool for glucose sensing.

Water-soluble quantum dots (QDs) are extensively used for molecular sensing because of the flexibility they offer in terms of modification of the QDs surface with a variety of functional groups using thiol chemistry and monitoring by fluorescence intensity. We describe a simple assay that allows the photoluminescence (PL) detection of H2O2 and glucose in aqueous samples and demonstrate its applicability by estimating glucose in blood. To enable the glucose detection, we functionalized the 3-mercaptopropanoic acid (MPA) capped CdTe QDs with glucose oxidase (GOx), the enzyme specific to ß-d-glucose, using carbodiimide chemistry. The fluorescence of the GOx-functionalized CdTe QDs was quenched on the interaction with glucose. The same photoluminescence quenching was also observed in gel form, when a GOx modified CdTe QDs loaded agarose gel was dipped in H2O2 and glucose solutions, respectively.

Directing the deposition of ferromagnetic cobalt onto Pt-tipped CdSe@CdS nanorods: synthetic and mechanistic insights.

A methodology providing access to dumbbell-tipped, metal-semiconductor and metal oxide-semiconductor heterostructured nanorods has been developed. The synthesis and characterization of CdSe@CdS nanorods incorporating ferromagnetic cobalt nanoinclusions at both nanorod termini (i.e., dumbbell morphology) are presented. The key step in the synthesis of these heterostructured nanorods was the decoration of CdSe@CdS nanorods with platinum nanoparticle tips, which promoted the deposition of metallic CoNPs onto Pt-tipped CdSe@CdS nanorods. Cobalt nanoparticle tips were then selectively oxidized to afford CdSe@CdS nanorods with cobalt oxide domains at both termini. In the case of longer cobalt-tipped nanorods, heterostructured nanorods were observed to self-organize into complex dipolar assemblies, which formed as a consequence of magnetic associations of terminal CoNP tips. Colloidal polymerization of these cobalt-tipped nanorods afforded fused nanorod assemblies from the oxidation of cobalt nanoparticle tips at the ends of nanorods via the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. Wurtzite CdS nanorods survived both the deposition of metallic CoNP tips and conversion into cobalt oxide phases, as confirmed by both XRD and HRTEM analysis. A series of CdSe@CdS nanorods of four different lengths ranging from 40 to 174 nm and comparable diameters (6-7 nm) were prepared and modified with both cobalt and cobalt oxide tips. The total synthesis of these heterostructured nanorods required five steps from commercially available reagents. Key synthetic considerations are discussed, with particular emphasis on reporting isolated yields of all intermediates and products from scale up of intermediate precursors.

Pd on surface-modified NiFe2O4 nanoparticles: a magnetically recoverable catalyst for Suzuki and Heck reactions.

This communication reports on the use of NiFe2O4-DA-Pd, a complete magnetically separable catalyst for Suzuki and Heck coupling reactions of aromatic halide derivatives. The catalyst efficiency for the coupling of chloro derivatives is as good as bromo and iodo derivatives. Catalytic efficiency remains unaltered even after three repeated cycles.

Pd on amine-terminated ferrite nanoparticles: a complete magnetically recoverable facile catalyst for hydrogenation reactions.

[structure: see text]. The present communication reports a facile route for Pd(0) immobilization on the surface of amine-terminated Fe3O4 and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles for a series of hydrogenation reactions. The catalysts are completely recoverable with the simple application of an external magnetic field, and the efficiency of the catalyst remains unaltered even after 10 repeated cycles for each of the reactions.