Myco-synthesis of multi-twinned silver nanoparticles as potential antibacterial and antimalarial agents.

In recent days, biogenic and green approaches for synthesizing nanostructures have gained much attention in biological and biomedical applications. Endophytic fungi have been recognized to produce several important biomolecules for use in various fields. The present work describes the use of endophytic fungi isolated from Berberis aristata for the synthesis of multi-twinned silver nanoparticles (MT-AgNPs) and their successful applications in antimicrobial and antimalarial studies. TEM images reveal the formation of multi-twined structures in the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The synthesized MT-AgNPs have shown excellent antibacterial activities against five opportunistic bacteria, viz. Bacillus subtilis (MTCC 441), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 424), Escherichia coli (MTCC 443), Klebsiella pneumonia (MTCC 3384), and Aeromonas salmonicida (MTCC 1522). The synthesized MT-AgNPs also exhibit interesting antimalarial activities against Plasmodium falciparum parasites (3D7 strain) by displaying 100% inhibition at a concentration of 1 µg mL-1 against the malaria parasite P. falciparum 3D7. Overall, the results describe a green method for the production of twinned-structured nanoparticles and their potential to be applied in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, food preservation, and packaging industries.

"Adsorptive removal of Congo Red dye from its aqueous solution by Ag-Cu-CeO2 nanocomposites: Adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics".

Eliminating synthetic dyes and organic contaminants from water is crucial for safeguarding human health and preserving the environment. In this study, we explored the effectiveness of Ag-Cu-CeO2 nanocomposites as adsorbents to remove Congo Red dye from water. Three compositions of Ag-Cu-CeO2 nanocomposites (10:20:70, 15:15:70, and 20:10:70) have been synthesized by the aqueous coprecipitation method. A comprehensive analysis was performed by different techniques including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET surface area determination, Thermogravimetric analysis, Scanning electron microscopy, and TEM. The synthesized nanocomposites have a dimension of 5 ± 1 nm and a high surface area (51.832-78.361 m2g-1). Among these, the nanocomposite with composition 15:15:70 showed the highest adsorption capacity of 4.71 mg/g adsorption (96.83 % removal) from the 0.8 × 10-4 M (55.6 mg/l) Congo Red solution at pH values of 2 at 20 °C with contact time of 3h. The adsorption data is best fitted in the Freundlich adsorption isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The negative values of enthalpy variation (-27.57, -26.43, and -16.73 kJ/mol) demonstrated that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic. The cycling run showed a mere 12 % deactivation after five cycles of use thus indicating that Ag-Cu-CeO2 nanocomposites hold great potential as effective and eco-friendly adsorbents to remove Congo Red from water.

A universal green approach for the synthesis of NPS-codoped carbon quantum dots with enhanced broad-spectrum antibacterial and antioxidant activities.

Bio-inspired quantum dots have received widespread attention in recent years due to their great potential for biological applications. Herein, we report a one pot hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen-phosphorus-sulphur (NPS)-codoped carbon quantum dots from endophytic bacteria without using any additional doping precursor. The synthesized CQDs were thoroughly characterized and interestingly found to have a graphene like structure. The synthesized CQDs were then utilized in bactericidal activities against Gram-negative bacteria like Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive bacteria like the Bacillus subtilis strain. The strains were treated with different concentrations ranging from 5-100 µg ml-1. The 5 µg ml-1 concentration appeared to be the MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and 100 µg ml-1 is the MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) maintaining a short incubation period of one hour. A simple, cost-effective and eco-friendly approach to synthesize multi-elemental doped CQDs would certainly cause the method to be used in future for diverse biological applications. As compared to the broadly used antibiotics, the developed CQDs have some added advantages including lower cytotoxicity, excellent photo-stability and high selectivity.

A facile synthesis of palladium nanoparticles decorated bismuth oxybromide nanostructures with exceptional photo-antimicrobial activities.

Assessing the interaction between microbes and nanocatalysts for finding an inclusive, proactive and deep understanding of nanoparticles-based toxicity is vital for discovering their broad range of applications. Palladium based photocatalysts owing to their unique fundamental characteristics and brilliant physicochemical potential have gained immense interest in environment remediation as disinfection system. In the present study, we report synthesis of a novel palladium nanoparticles decorated bismuth oxybromide (Pd/BiOBr) nanostructures using an energy efficient solution-based method, having excellent photocatalytic antibacterial action. The synthesized nanomaterials was thoroughly characterized using various analytical techniques. The photocatalytic antibacterial efficiency of Pd/BiOBr was evaluated against some common pathogenic strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas salmonicida, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis). In our results Pd/BiOBr showed excellent photocatalytic disinfection efficacy with > 99.9% bacterial inactivation. A very low concentration of Pd/BiOBr (0.5 µg/mL) effectively inhibited the bacterial growth in response to just 2 h of visible light irradiation, while 1 µg/mL of Pd/BiOBr completely killed all the tested bacterial strains proving their magnificent bactericidal potential. The developed materials with exceptional antibacterial broad range efficiency can be used in different photocatalytic disinfection systems including water purification systems, biofilm exclusion and combating differential antibiotic resistance.

Myco-nanotechnological approach to synthesize silver oxide nanocuboids using endophytic fungus isolated from Citrus pseudolimon plant.

The current study reports the isolation of Colletotrichum plurivorum, an endophytic fungus from a Citrus pseudolimon plant and its utilization in the green synthesis of silver oxide nanocuboids (Ag2O NCs) at room temperature. The synthesized nanocrystals were thoroughly characterized by UV-vis, FTIR spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Electron microscopic images confirmed the formation of cuboid shaped particles having size 200-250 nm in length and 80-150 nm in width, whereas, XRD and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern confirms the formation of cubic Ag2O nanocrystals. Then these Ag2O NCs are applied in antibacterial activities against a pathogenic gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and found very good activities against them. Currently these types of nanocuboids have drawn great interest in the field of catalysis, photocatalysis to biomedical applications.

The room temperature synthesis of a CuO-Bi-BiOBr ternary Z-scheme photocatalyst for enhanced sunlight driven alcohol oxidation.

The room temperature synthesis of an all-solid-state Z-scheme CuO-doped BiOBr (CuO-Bi-BiOBr) photocatalyst has been described. These CuO-Bi-BiOBr ternary heterojunctions exhibit efficient photocatalytic activities for selective alcohol oxidation. The structures, morphologies, and compositions of the nanostructures were well characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the as-synthesized nanostructures confirms the formation of phase-segregated CuO and BiOBr nanocrystals, whereas X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses clearly indicate the formation of metallic bismuth nanoparticles (NPs). Next, the developed CuO-Bi-BiOBr ternary heterojunctions were applied as an efficient photocatalyst for the oxidation of alcohols into their corresponding aldehydes/ketones with high selectivity (>99%) and high conversion ratios (>99%). Herein, Bi metal NPs act as an electron mediator and bridge the connectivity between the two semiconductors, BiOBr and CuO, and, thus, a Z-scheme heterojunction is established. As expected, CuO-Bi-BiOBr has shown significantly superior activities compared to those of pure BiOBr. A possible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidation process has been proposed. Radical scavenging experiments suggest that the active species, h+, ˙OH, e-, and ˙O2-, are dominant in the alcohol oxidation process. The as-synthesized CuO-Bi-BiOBr was reused several times without any significant deterioration in the original activities and it thus possesses relatively high stability for practical applications.

Development of novel BiOBr0.75I0.25 nanostructures with remarkably High dark phase bactericidal activities.

Semiconductor materials with promising photocatalytic activities are being developed for numerous applications including their use in the development of antibacterial products. However, the light may not be available everywhere, which restrict the use of semiconductor photocatalytic materials in real applications. In this area, we report a novel nanostructure of BiOBr0.75I0.25 to show enormously high bactericidal activities even at dark. We used a solution based single step method at room temperature to produce highly porous and crystalline BiOBrxI1-x (x = 0-1) nanostructures. Next, the developed materials were thoroughly characterized by different analytical techniques, such as FESEM, XRD, XPS, etc. To evaluate the bactericidal activities Escherichia coli (gram-negative bacteria) and Bacillus subtilis (gram-positive bacteria) were selected. Interestingly we found that the solid solutions exhibited high potential towards both the bacteria and among them, BiOBr0.75I0.25 showed extremely high efficiencies even at dark. Due to their semiconductor behavior, the materials have shown higher activities in the presence of any light source. The knowledge about the behavior of these unique materials revels a new area of research and would certainly help to find out the solution for ever-increasing environmental issues.

Solar Photocatalytic Degradation of Trace Organic Pollutants in Water by Bi(0)-Doped Bismuth Oxyhalide Thin Films.

Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of Bi(0)-doped bismuth oxyhalide solid solution films for the removal of trace organic pollutants (TrOPs) in water. With the advantage of a viscous AlOOH sol, very high loadings (75 wt %) of bismuth oxyhalides were embedded within the thin films and calcined at 500 °C to develop porous alumina composite coatings. Various concentrations of Bi(0) doping were tested for their photocatalytic activity. Seven TrOPs including iopromide (IPRM), iohexol (IHX), iopamidol (IPMD), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), carbamazepine, venlafaxine, and bezafibrate (BZF) were selected for this study based on their occurrence and detection in effluents and surface waters worldwide. In all tests, with the exception of IPRM, 3% Bi(0)-doped BiOCl0.875Br0.125 showed highest activity, which can be attributed to its unique, highly organized, and compact morphology besides its well-matched energy band positions. Although IPMD, IHX, IPRM, and SMX are susceptible to photolysis, still the photocatalytic activity significantly augmented the removal of all tested compounds. In addition, analysis of the surface charge excluded electrostatic interactions and confirmed the ion-exchange adsorption mechanism for the high degradation rate of BZF in the presence of bismuth oxyhalides.

Hollow Au-Ag Nanoparticles Labeled Immunochromatography Strip for Highly Sensitive Detection of Clenbuterol.

The probe materials play a significant role in improving the detection efficiency and sensitivity of lateral-flow immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS). Unlike conventional ICTS assay usually uses single-component, solid gold nanoparticles as labeled probes, in our present study, a bimetallic, hollow Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) labeled ICTS was successfully developed for the detection of clenbuterol (CLE). The hollow Au-Ag NPs with different Au/Ag mole ratio and tunable size were synthesized by varying the volume ratio of [HAuCl4]:[Ag NPs] via the galvanic replacement reaction. The surface of hollow Ag-Au NPs was functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) for further covalently bonded with anti-CLE monoclonal antibody. Overall size of the Au-Ag NPs, size of the holes within individual NPs and also Au/Ag mole ratio have been systematically optimized to amplify both the visual inspection signals and the quantitative data. The sensitivity of optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs probes has been achieved even as low as 2 ppb in a short time (within 15 min), which is superior over the detection performance of conventional test strip using Au NPs. The optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs labeled test strip can be used as an ideal candidate for the rapid screening of CLE in food samples.

Pd-on-Au Supra-nanostructures Decorated Graphene Oxide: An Advanced Electrocatalyst for Fuel Cell Application.

We report a very easy and effective approach for synthesizing unique palladium-on-gold supra-nanostructure (Au@Pd-SprNS)-decorated graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. The SprNSs comprising Au nanorods as core and a unique close-packed assembly of tiny anisotropic Pd nanoparticles (NPs) as shell were homogeneously distributed on the GO surface via electrostatic self-assembly. Compared with the traditional one-pot method for synthesis of metal NPs on GO sheets, the size and shape of core-shell Au@Pd SprNSs can be finely controlled and uniformly distributed on the GO carrier. Interestingly, this Au@Pd-SprNSs/GO nanocomposite displayed high electrocatalytic activities toward the oxidation of methanol, ethanol, and formic acid, which can be attributed to the abundance of intrinsic active sites including high density of atomic steps, ledges and kinks, Au-Pd heterojunctions and cooperative action of the two metals of the SprNSs. Additionally, uniform dispersion of the SprNSs over the GO nanosheets prevent agglomeration between the SprNSs, which is of great significance to enhance the long-term stability of catalyst. This work will introduce a highly efficient Pd-based nanoelectrocatalyst to be used in fuel cell application.

Development of Hybrid BiOClx Br1-x -Embedded Alumina Films and Their Application as Highly Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Reactors.

A highly stable 75 wt % BiOClx Br1-x -loaded alumina composite film has been developed for the fabrication of glass-based photoreactors. A very simple approach has been adopted that does not involve the use of a special instrument and can be applied to all types of substrates irrespective to their size and shape. The structure and morphology of the films were well characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, N2 -sorption, IR, Raman, and UV/Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. BiOClx Br1-x microspheres (1-3 µm) with closely packed thin nanoplates (width ≈10 nm) were integrated within alumina to develop a hybrid film. The photocatalytic capacity of the films was evaluated for the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) and naphthalene under visible-light irradiation. The composite films showed a remarkable photocatalytic activity and stability and have been reused for several cycles without any deterioration of their original activity.

The fabrication of BiOCl(x)Br(1-x)/alumina composite films with highly exposed {001} facets and their superior photocatalytic activities.

We report the fabrication of thin films of bismuth oxyhalide solid solution with highly exposed {001} facets with the help of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and aluminium oxyhydroxide. These {001} facet exposed films showed enhanced photocatalytic activities compared to those of randomly oriented facets.

Installing logic gates in permeability controllable polyelectrolyte-carbon nitride films for detecting proteases and nucleases.

Proteases and nucleases are enzymes heavily involved in many important biological processes, such as cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis; hence, they are indicative of potential diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we demonstrate a new label free and sensitive electrochemiluminescent (ECL) sensing strategy for protease and nuclease assays that utilize target-triggered desorption of programmable polyelectrolyte films assembled on graphite-like carbon nitride (g-C3N4) film to regulate the diffusion flux of a coreactant. Furthermore, we have built Boolean logic gates OR and AND into the polyelectrolyte films, capable of simultaneously sensing proteases and nucleases in a complicated system by breaking it into simple functions. The developed intelligent permeability controlled enzyme sensor may prove valuable in future medical diagnostics.

Attomolar Level Detection of Raman Molecules with Hierarchical Silver Nanostructures Including Tiny Nanoparticles between Nanosized Gaps Generated in Silver Petals.

We developed a route for synthesizing Ag nanostructures with tunable morphologies for ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Through the consecutive addition of three reducing agents (i.e., 4-mercaptobenzoic acid, trisodium citrate, and ascorbic acid) to an aqueous solution of silver nitrate, hierarchical flower-like Ag nanostructures were produced. The nanostructures had Ag petals in which nanosized gaps were generated, and small Ag nanoparticles were incorporated within the gaps. Theoretically, the nanostructures exhibited highly enhanced electric fields in the outer-shell regions where the small Ag nanoparticles were densely located. Combining the enhanced field effect with resonance effect of a Raman-active molecule (methylene blue) at a specific wavelength, measurable Raman signals were obtained at concentrations as low as 100 attomolar (10(-16) M; corresponding to 10(-21) mol). Key factors were discussed for the synthesis of the Ag nanostructures while finely controlling the morphologies of hierarchical Ag nanostructures, thereby modulating the intensity of surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS) signals. Therefore, this synthetic method produces highly promising nanostructures for SERRS-based applications.

High-yield synthesis of triangular gold nanoplates with improved shape uniformity, tunable edge length and thickness.

We report the synthesis of uniform triangular gold nanoplates by a modified seeded growth method. The concentration of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in the growth solution and the time interval between multiple steps of growth were important factors which determined the formation of uniform triangular Au nanoplates. In addition, by further isotropic overgrowth, the thickness of triangular Au nanoplates can be finely tuned within a wide range of 10-80 nm, which at present remains a challenge using conventional seeded growth.

Covalently capped seed-mediated growth: a unique approach toward hierarchical growth of gold nanocrystals.

Hierarchical metal nanostructures have attracted increasing interest due to their unique morphology-dependent properties. Here, we introduce a new and efficient method to synthesize hierarchical gold nanostructures in different shapes using the covalently capped seed-mediated growth approach.

TiO2 nanoparticles doped SiO2 films with ordered mesopore channels: a catalytic nanoreactor.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) incorporated ordered 2D hexagonal mesoporous silica (SiO2) films on a glass substrate were fabricated for use as a catalytic nanoreactor. Films were prepared using a tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) derived SiO2 sol and a commercially available dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) in the presence of pluronic P123 as the structure directing agent. The effect of TiO2 doping (4-10 mol% with respect to the equivalent SiO2) into the ordered mesoporous SiO2 matrix was thoroughly investigated. The undoped SiO2 film showed a mesostructural transformation after heat-treatment at 350 °C whereas incorporation of TiO2 restricted such a transformation. Among all the TiO2 incorporated films, TEM showed that the 7 equivalent mol% TiO2 doped SiO2 film (ST-7) had an optimal composition which could retain the more organized 2D hexagonal (space group p6mm)-like mesostructures after heat-treatment. The catalytic activities of the TiO2 doped (4-10 mol%) films were investigated for the reduction of toxic KMnO4 in an aqueous medium. ST-7 film showed the maximum catalytic activity, as well as reusability. A TEM study on the resultant solution after KMnO4 reduction revealed the formation of MnO2 nanowires. It was understood that the embedded TiO2 NPs bonded SiO2 matrix increased the surface hydroxyl groups of the composite films resulting in the generation of acidic sites. The catalytic process can be explained by this enhanced surface acidity. The mesoporous channel of the ST-7 films with TiO2 doping can be used as a nanoreactor to form extremely thin MnO2 nanowires.

Magic sized ZnS quantum dots as a highly sensitive and selective fluorescence sensor probe for Ag+ ions.

A green and simple chemical synthesis of magic sized water soluble blue-emitting ZnS quantum dots (QDs) has been accomplished by reacting anhydrous Zn acetate, sodium sulfide and thiolactic acid (TLA) at room temperature in aqueous solution. Refluxing of this mixture in open air yielded ZnS clusters of about 3.5 nm in diameter showing very strong and narrow photoluminescence properties with long stability. Refluxing did not cause any noticeable size increment of the clusters. As a result, the QDs obtained after different refluxing conditions showed similar absorption and photoluminescence (PL) features. Use of TLA as a capping agent effectively yielded such stable and magic sized QDs. The as-synthesized and 0.5 h refluxed ZnS QDs were used as a fluorescence sensor for Ag(+) ions. It has been observed that after addition of Ag(+) ions of concentration 0.5-1 µM the strong fluorescence of ZnS QDs was almost quenched. The quenched fluorescence can be recovered by adding ethylenediamine to form a complex with Ag(+) ions. The other metal ions (K(+), Ca(2+), Au(3+), Cu(2+), Fe(3+), Mn(2+), Mg(2+), Co(2+)) showed little or no effect on the fluorescence of ZnS QDs when tested individually or as a mixture. In the presence of all these ions, Ag(+) responded well and therefore ZnS QDs reported in this work can be used as a Ag(+) ion fluorescence sensor.

Host-mediated synthesis of cobalt aluminate/γ-alumina nanoflakes: a dispersible composite pigment with high catalytic activities.

Cobalt aluminate/γ-alumina (CoAl(2)O(4)/γ-Al(2)O(3)) nanocomposite pigment with mesoporous structure has been synthesized. The method simply involves adsorption of Co(2+) ion on the surface of a commercially available boehmite (AlOOH) powder followed by the reaction of Co(2+) and AlOOH at relatively low temperature (500 °C) to obtain CoAl(2)O(4)/γ-Al(2)O(3) composite nanopowders. The formation of γ-Al(2)O(3) from boehmite induces the in situ generation of isostructural CoAl(2)O(4) (both crystallize as cubic spinel) at such a low temperature. The obtained intense blue powder of optimal composition (53.6 wt % CoAl(2)O(4) in γ-Al(2)O(3)) can be dispersed in glycerol and characterized by UV-visible, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and nitrogen sorption analyses. Raman studies confirm the formation of CoAl(2)O(4) phase in γ-Al(2)O(3). TEM studies reveal the formation of flake shaped (5-10 nm in width and 10-25 nm in length) nanopowders, and these flakes are assembled to form mesoporous structure. The specific surface area, total pore volume and average pore diameter of this powder are estimated to be ~118 m(2) g(-1), 0.1375 cm(3) g(-1), and 4.65 nm, respectively. This composite nanopowder has been used as an active catalyst for the decomposition of H(2)O(2) at room temperature and the decomposition follows the first order kinetics with rate constant value close to 2.3 × 10(-2) min(-1). This pigment nanopowder can be reused for several cycles without noticeable degradation of its original catalytic activity.

Anisotropic gold nanoparticle doped mesoporous boehmite films and their use as reusable catalysts in electron transfer reactions.

Anisotropic Au nanoparticle (NP) doped mesoporous and oriented boehmite films of about 2 microm in thickness were prepared and used as reusable catalysts. The films were characterized by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), field emission scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies, optical absorptions and surface area and pore size measurements. GIXRD of the doped films showed a preferential growth of boehmite crystallites in the (020) plane. The electron microscopy studies revealed existence of dispersed anisotropic Au NPs of approximately 15-40 nm size range and irregular Au aggregates of approximately 200-300 nm inside the mesoporous boehmite films. The optical absorption of the films showed Au-plasmon bands at 605 nm and broad absorption covering the near-infrared (NIR) region due to the anisotropic Au nanostructures. These films showed excellent catalytic activities in both the organic (p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol by sodium borohydride) and inorganic (ferricyanide to ferrocyanide by thiosulphate) electron transfer (redox) reactions in aqueous solutions with high rate constant values. The films can be easily separated after the reaction and reused several times without any significant degradation of their original catalytic activity.