Journal of Nano Structures
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Winter 2021

In the present study, Anionic polymerization of Butyl Methyl acrylate has been carried out in oxygen atmosphere over different heterogenic prepared catalytic systems which is composed of a group of three metal oxides ( Ti, Mn Cu ) assembled on thin layers of clay ( Bentonite ) as hydrogenating/dehydrogenating activation for the polymerization reaction. The prepared catalysts and polymeric products were distinguished by different spectroscopic techniques such as XRD , 1HNMR, ,energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), SCN TEM, IR, and gel permeation chromatography(GPC). we deduced that the dimensions of the efficiency of each catalyst as well as whole composites on the polymerization of Butyl Methyl acrylate of process, also, we approach the reaction mechanism of the polymeric process, furthermore, studying the variation and factors affecting on anionic polymerization like polydispersity index and tactility properties, we approached more details and discussion were deeply investigated in blow throughout figures and applicable data analysis.

An ablative pulsed laser is an efficient physical technique for nanomaterial synthesis, particularly ablation of solids in liquid environments. This method is much simpler than chemical methods and produces highly purified nanoparticles with weak agglomeration effects. This study aimed to fabricate new nanoparticles with unique biological activity. Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) were prepared striking platinum plate with Nd-YAG (1064 nm) laser pulses in double deionized water (DDW) for a total number of pulses of (100 and 150). NPs samples were characterized using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and UV-Visible, double beam spectrophotometer. To evaluate the biological activity, three types of pathogenic microorganisms (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Candida albicans) and two cell lines (Hepa 1-6) hepatoma and MDCK cells were used. High-purity platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) with two particle sizes (10 and 20 nm) have been successfully synthesized. The antimicrobial assay showed high anti-pseudomonas activity of these nanoparticles while it showed no effects on other organisms. PtNPs with a particle size of 10 nm showed higher toxicity than PtNPs with a particle size of (20 nm) at the same concentrations used. MTT assay showed that PtNPs have high cytotoxic effects on carcinoma cell lines at low concentrations. As a conclusion, PtNPs showed promising selective antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa as well as an inhibitory effect on the cancer cell line. These nanoparticles can be used to treat complicated pseudomonas infections.

In this research, a facile and clean sonochemical synthesis was described for Fe/ZnO hollow spheres nanostructures as high-efficiency UV-Vis light photocatalyst through an environmentally-friendly procedure. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were utilized for the investigation of the produced Fe/ZnO hollow spheres nanostructures. Then, the photocatalytic activities of the catalysts were evaluated on the degradation of Methylene Blue and Congo Red in an aqueous solution under both UV and visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm). Also, to illustrate the influence of morphologies on the degradation of these organic dyes, the Fe/ZnO nanostructures with the wood-like, flower-like, rod-like, and nanoparticle morphologies were synthesized and the photocatalyst efficiency of them was determined. The obtained results confirmed that the Fe/ZnO hollow spheres have significant photocatalytic activity compared to other morphologies and could be used as outstanding potential photocatalyst materials for removing dye pollutants from water.

In this work firstly magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) and aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) were prepared using sono-chemical reaction at solvent of water without applying any surface active agent. Effect of various sono-chemistry parameters such as power, cycles, time and volume on the size and shape of nanostructures were investigated. Secondly nanoparticles were modified and coated by ethyl cellulose capping agent. Modified nanoparticles were added to cellulose acetate and surface of wood for investigation of flame retardancy. Thermal stability were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Flame retardancy were examined by UL-94 and heat release tests.

In this paper, the effects of synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on mechanical, morphological, and thermal properties of unsaturated polyester (UPE) based nanocomposites were studied. The TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method. The UPE/PEG/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared at various concentrations of synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles and PEG by direct mechanical mixing technique. The synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles were mixed with UPE resin through ultra-sonication in different weight fractions (wt%), namely, 0 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt%, and 1 wt%. The PEG was considered in different wt% fractions such as 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt% for preparing UPE/PEG/TiO2 nanocomposite. Consequently, chemical structure of nanocomposite was investigated with FT-IR analyses. Also, the TiO2 nanoparticles and optimized samples were characterized by TGA, SEM and XRD analyses. The results obtained by TGA, FT-IR, SEM and XRD analyses exhibited an improvement of thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites containing synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles (0.5 wt%) and PEG (10 wt%) compared to pristine polyester.

We reported that the ultrasonically synthesized nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) from microcrystalline cellulose has the capacity for use as natural and green matrices for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was employed as a modifier and stabilizer for NCC. The structure of as-synthesized composite (Ag/CTAB/NCC) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR); field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM); Transmission electron microscopy (TEM); Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD pattern confirmed the single cubic phase of Ag nanoparticles with a crystallite size of about 30 nm. The catalytic activity of Ag/CTAB/NCC has been analyzed by performing the reduction of certain toxic azo methyl orange dye (MO) (by two methods) and aromatic nitro compound of 4- nitrophenol (4-NP) in shorter time. The reduction of MO to hydrazine derivatives and 4-NP to 4-aminophenol takes place with pseudo-first-order rate constants. The reduction time regularly decreased and the rate of reduction (k) increases (3 fold) with increasing catalyst amount in method (2) (mmol NaBH4/mmol MO = 250 and 42 mg catalyst) compared to the method (1) (mmol NaBH4/mmol MO = 400 and 5 mg catalyst). The results indicated that spherical AgNPs immobilized CTAB-adsorbed NCC showed better catalytic activity and shorter reduction time towards the removal of methyl orange (k = 14.2 × 10-3 s-1, t =150 s) and 4-nitrophenol (k = 5.4 × 10-3 s-1, t = 180 s) compared with previous works that could be introduced as an effective method for the catalytic treatment of wastewater.

In the last decades, metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as inexpensive efficient heterogeneous catalysts in different chemical reactions, due to their favorable properties such as high available surface area, small loading of catalyst, convenient catalyst recycling, and degradation of environmental pollutants. An efficient synthesis of xanthenones and [1]benzopyrano[d]pyrimidinediones are achieved by cyclocondensation reaction of 3,4-methylenedioxyphenol, aromatic aldehydes, and active methylene compound including dimedone or 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid using CdO NPs as a robust catalyst under ultrasonic irradiation in water at room temperature. The described catalyst was prepared successfully by a simple precipitation method and characterized by the Fourier transformed infrared absorption (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analytical technique, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All synthesized compounds were well characterized by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, and also by elemental analyses. The remarkable advantages of this protocol are high yields of products, short reaction times, use of simple and readily available starting materials, experimental simplicity, and applying the sonochemical method as an efficient method and innocuous tool for the synthesis of heterocycles.

Nanostructured tin sulfide (SnS) films were grown by chemical bath deposition (CBD) employing trisodium citrate (TSC) as complex agent. Investigation of the effect of different molar concentrations of TSC (0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 M) on the phases of  SnS was done. Structure, morphology and optical properties were studied through the use of x-ray diffraction XRD, which proves that the as-prepared SnS films orthorhombic polycrystalline structure. XRD displays that peak of maximum intensity corresponds to the preferred orientation (002) of SnS films at TSC concentration 0.20 M. The decrement of average crystalline size values was due increment of TSC content. A study of SnS morphology indicates the presence of homogeneous grains, while when concentration of TSC of 0.20 M, the grains were not homogeneous and have different sizes. The AFM image showed that the grain size was observed in the area of 72.57 nm to 60.35 nm with concentration of TSC from 0.10 M to 0.20 M respectively. The results showed excellent optical transparency. The optical transmittance reduced from 95 to 80% with increasing TSC content. The ban gap was also reduced of 1.45 to 1.25 eV with increasing TSC content. The results refer that TCS act as a  crucial role in the grown of SnS films.

There are several sources of water contamination. One of the most important pollutant of water is azo dyes-based waste which produced by textile, paper and dye industrials. At this work, the morphological engineered CuMoO4/ ZnO Nanocomposites are prepared via simple and fast hydrothermal-microwave method and applied it as a photocaalyst for degradation of water pollutants. Prepared products is characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Ultra violet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The results confirms that size and shape of prepared products is homogenous wih narrow size distribution. In the next step, prepared ZnO, CuMoO4, and ZnO/CuMoO4 nanocomposites were used as catalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue and Rhodamine B. Results showed that ZnO/CuMoO4 nanocomposites have excellent photocatalytic performance. Results indicated that prepared ZnO/CuMoO4 nanocomposites can be degraded 92 and 84% of methylene blue and Rhodamine B under UV irradiation after 70 minutes. The charge transfer from CuMoO4 to ZnO is confirmed by the optical characteristics of ZnO/CuMoO4 nanocomposites. As a result, the potential of electron-hole recombination in CuMoO4 decreases, resulting in holes in the valance band that combine with OH groups on the surface of nanocomposites to form highly reactive OH• radicals. The radicals are damaged when they come into contact with Rhodamine B and Methylene blue.

The medicinal plant, Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC (Waterberry) mediated green copper oxide nanostructures (SyG-CuO NSs) were successfully synthesized for the first time in Ethiopia. The antibacterial activity of CuO NSs capped by biomolecules of the plant leaf extract has been investigated. The UV-visible, UV-DRS, FT-IR, XRD, TGA-DTA, SEM, EDXA, TEM, HRTEM and SAED techniques were employed to characterize the NSs. The presence of two absorbance maxima, λmax1 and λmax2 at 423 nm and 451 nm, respectively confirms a mixture of copper oxide (Eg=1.93 eV). FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of biomolecules with SyG-CuO NSs. The XRD patterns of NSs confirmed the presence of CuO with high crystallinity. The purity of the NSs was confirmed by SEM-EDAX analysis. In addition, TEM-HRTEM-SAED analysis revealed the d-spacing value of 0.2854 nm which corresponds to CuO (111) lattice fringe. SyG-CuO NSs showed good antibacterial effect against both Gram-positive bacteria, S. aureus (12 mm), and Gram-negative bacteria, E. coli (12 mm), P. aeruginosa (10 mm), and E. aerogenes (12 mm). The bioactive compounds capped around the CuO NPs served the effective role in disrupting the cell wall of bacterial strains. The CV and EIS studies confirmed the better electrochemical properties for SyG-CuO with low charge transfer resistance value of 49 Ω. These CuO NSs exhibited multifunctional applications.

ZnS and iron oxide nanoparticles were first synthesized via precipitation and hydrothermal methods respectively. Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites were then prepared using precipitation method. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to study the magnetic property of the products. The photo-catalytic behaviour of Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites was evaluated using the degradation of three azo-dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results illustrate super paramagnetic and ferromagnetic behaviour of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The photo catalytic behaviour of Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites was evaluated using the degradation of three various azo dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that, the prepared nano-composites are applicable for magnetic and photo catalytic performance.ZnS and iron oxide nanoparticles were first synthesized via precipitation and hydrothermal methods respectively. Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites were then prepared using precipitation method. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) was used to study the magnetic property of the products. The photo-catalytic behaviour of Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites was evaluated using the degradation of three azo-dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results illustrate super paramagnetic and ferromagnetic behaviour of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The photo catalytic behaviour of Fe3O4/ZnS nano-composites was evaluated using the degradation of three various azo dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation. The results show that, the prepared nano-composites are applicable for magnetic and photo catalytic performance.

The V2O5 nanoparticles were synthesized from VCl3 precursor via a rather facile sol-gel route in gelatin medium followed by calcination at different temperatures of 400, 500 and 600 °C. The prepared samples were studied for their structural, morphological, optical and magnetic properties. The results showed that the synthesized particles consist mainly of crystalline α-V2O5 orthorombic phase. The calcination at higher temperatures caused an increment in the amount of other vanadium oxides minor phases, namely β-V2O5, and also increased the crystallite size from about 22 to 29 nm. The lattice contraction observed on calcination at higher temperatures may be associated to the the lower density of oxygen vacancies. The optical studies revealed the effect of raising the calcination temperature as an red shift in their direct band gap energy from 2.92 to 2.77 eV due to the size effects. The magnetic characterization of the sample calcined at 400 °C demonstrated a weak ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of about 0.14 emu/g induced probably by the oxygen vacancies.

The use of core-shell nanoparticles as controlled drug delivery vehicles has proven successful, yet their production and application require costly and toxic chemicals. We hereby use a natural glycosylated flavonoid (rutin) for synthesis of a nanocarrier for doxorubicin delivery. For this target, a convenient two-step synthesis was processed including a synthesis of bio-zinc ferrite nanoparticles without N2 gas and chitosan coating (CS; bio-zincferrite@chitosan). The as-synthesized magnetic nanogel was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and electro-analytical methods including cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. The collapse/swell potential of the coated CS layers of the bio-NPs were found to be responsible for the observed pH dependence of doxorubicin delivery. Results exhibited the drug release of bio-nanogel can be induced at pH ranging from 6 to 7. Therefore, capacity and efficiency parameters of the anti-cancer drug onto the NPs were obtained as equal to 43.5% and 78.6%. The present work provides a simple method to fabricate smart pH-responsive nanogel for cancer therapy.

There is a huge scope for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. In this study, mesoporous silica materials, (MSMs), functionalized with (3-Mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane, (MPTS/MSMs), were prepared and used for adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The synthesis of MPTS/MSMs adsorbent was done using one-pot hydrothermal method by immobilizing 3-Mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane onto mesoporous silica surface. The structure and properties of the adsorbent were explored using different techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The adsorption applicability of prepared nanostructure for removal of the Pb(II) ions from the aqueous solution was investigated and the results showed a good selectivity in the absorption of Pb(II) ions over other ions in aqueous solution. The effect of different parameters including the solution pH, Pb(II) concentration, sorbent amount, ion interfering effect, and the contact time onto the removal efficiency of the adsorbent was investigated systematically. The maximum adsorption efficiency (~ 97%) was found for the solutions with pH = 6, the best contact time was seen as 30 min for 50 mg L−1 of the analyte under the optimal conditions. The adsorbent was triumphantly used for the removal of Pb (II) ions from the three real water samples, including tap water, well water, and lake water with the removal efficiency of > 95%.

Pure and doped TiO2 with Eu3+ nanoparticles were prepared by a novel and simple preparation method. The pure TiO2 nanoparticles and the doping TiO2 with the Eu3+ ions prepared at room temperature by the sol-gel method via the reaction of Titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) with an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acidic in the presence of ethanol. The crystal structure of the prepared nanoparticles was investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) while the morphology of the samples was investigated by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). All the prepared samples having excellent crystalline. As well, XRD proved that doping TiO2 with Eu3+ reduced the crystallite size. The FESEM images showed that the doping of TiO2 with Eu3+ results in larger particle sizes. In the present work, the effects of doping, particle size, and stabilization of the anatase phase were studied. As well as the deceleration of crystal growth by the rare-earth-doped into TiO2 host was investigated.

Betulinic acid (BA) is an antileishmanial herbal drug with low solubility and high toxicity. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which betulinic acid is loaded into Anionic Linear Globular Dendrimer (ALGD) in order to resolve the toxicity and insolubility problem. In order to solve mentioned problems, BA was loaded into ALGD nanocarrier. The formulation was characterized in terms of chemical bonds and morphology using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1HNMR) methods. According to our study insoluble BA could loaded well into ALGD. This loading caused an increase in the solubility rate of BA by more than 700-fold and a decrease in the toxicity effects to zero in vivo environment. Overall, BD at a dose of 40 mg/kg caused a significant decreased in the number of parasite (leishmania major (L. major)) in vitro and in vivo without inducing any toxic effect.

CdSe and CdTe quantum dots were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method using ammonia and hydrazine in a short time period of 5 hours. In another phase, Znq2 complex nanostructures were prepared using a green environmentally friendly method, in which saffron extract was used as surfactant. The purity of the nanoparticles was investigated by X-ray diffraction and their dimensions and morphology were studied by scanning electron microscopy. In the next step, CdSe and Znq2 complexes were synthesized and their synergistic effects on each other was investigated. The photoluminescence results show the luminescence of all three nanostructures in the visible light range, and it was concluded that upon compositing these nanostructures, their luminescence properties remained intact. Their optical and structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet and visible light (UV-Visible) spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and electron imaging (SEM).Key Words: Synthesis of Quantum Dots, Znq2 Complex, Organic Light Emitting Diode

Photocatalytic oxidation using novel photo-catalysts has been considered as an effective method for destruction of recalcitrant organics. In this study, photocatalytic degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) using lanthanum Oxide nanoparticles (LONPs) was investigated under UVC/Vis irradiation. Effect of operational parameters including pH (2 – 11), catalyst content (250-3000 mg L-1), contact time (20 - 180 min) 4-CP concentration (25- 400 mgL-1) were investigated according to one factor at the time experimental procedure. Highest removal efficiency of 4-CP was observed at pH =7. Result was indicated that the removal of 4-CP was increased from 76% to 92%, with increasing catalyst dosage from 0.25 to 1 g L-1. Then, a decrease was observed in 4-CP removal with an enhancement in catalyst dosage from 1 to 3 g L-1. Highest 4-CP removal (98%) was observed at the initial concentration of 25 mg L-1. At the contact time from 20 to 60 min, removal efficiency of 4-CP was increased from 24% to 64%, respectively. The contact time was increased to 120 min, removal efficiency of 4-CP was increased to 100%. Therefore, the optimal reaction time was 100 min. The AOS indices was showed an increasing trend of mineralization. In other words, the process of degradation of 4-CP was improved with photocatalytic degradation by UVC-La2O3. Among the kinetic models, the pseudo-first order model due to the highest correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.991 for the La2O3-UVC process.

The human life is faced with bacterial infections which are one of the major cause of prevalence and mortality. Antibiotics have long been the preferred therapy for bacterial infections due to their cost-effectiveness and efficacy. In the field of overcoming microbial issues, new and emerging nanostructure-based materials have gotten a lot of attention. In this Study, NiO and sulfur, and nitrogen co doped-graphene quantum dots-decorated NiO nanocomposites (S,N-GQDs/NiO) are prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. Structural and morphological properties of products are determined via XRD, SEM, UV-Vis, and FTIR analysis. The prepared products are applied for the investigation of antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The results showed that prepared S,N-GQDs/NiO nanocomposites have high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus among a wide range of microorganisms. For S,N-GQDs/NiO nanocomposites nanoparticles, the disk diffusion test proved that the highest growth inhibition zone was related to Staphylococcus aureus (17 mm). The presence of graphene quantum dots in S,N-GQDs/NiO nanocomposites facilitates reactive oxygen species (ROS) mechanism which lead to bet antibacterial activity.

In general, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is widely used in various technologies of the food industries. The aims of this study were preparation, characterization and optimization of a novel nanosize formulation of β-CD NPs loaded with GR. In the current study optimum conditions for maximum encapsulation efficiency and loading of geraniol using response surface methodology (RSM) was assessed. Furthermore, the in-vitro antimicrobial activities against S. aureus, B. cereus, S. enteritidis, E. coli, C. albicans and A. niger were studied. The present study is the first to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the GR inclusion complexes in nanosize formulations. The GR complexes were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared (IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, antimicrobial activity of the inclusion complexes (IC) against bacteria and fungi were assessed. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and inhibition zones of the GR-β-CD inclusion complexes were calculated using agar/broth dilution and agar well-diffusion methods. The EE and loading values of the optimized formulation included 87.25 and 10.45%, respectively, with a size distribution of 117 nm ±1 and appropriate particle size distribution (PDI). Moreover, SEM, IR and DSC verified fabrication of inclusion complexes between GR and β-CD. The inhibition zones of β-CD-GR complexes were recorded as the following order: Bacillus cereus > Staphylococcus aureus > Salmonella entritidis > Escherichia coli. The RSM technique allowed to prepare geraniol nanoinclusion complexes using β-cyclodextrin with optimum responses. The antimicrobial activity of GR highly enhanced after efficient complexation. This study generates appropriate information for application of inclusion complexes of GR.