LOW TEMPERATURE SOL-GEL SYNTHESIS OF TIN OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL SOLAR CELL APPLICATION

A renewable energy has been always a topic of interest for researchers. The aevances in solar cells from first generation to third generation solar cells have seen many materials. The low cost gratzel cells have made an impact on the solar cell manufacturing although the low efficiency as compared to silicon solar cells the low cost manufacturing and abondant material availability for large production makes it a potential candidate.The tin chloride precursor initiated sol-gel chemical method for synthesizing tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles electrode is envisaged in dye-sensitized solar cells. Three steps; synthesis of nanoparticles, formation of paste using suitable surfactants and film development using doctor-blade method, are adopted for obtaining SnO2 electrode. The films of SnO2 nanoparticles formed onto glass and indium-tin-oxide substrates are annealed at 450 °C for 3 h. Influence of indium-tin-oxide on the structural elucidation, morphological evaluation, grain size confirmation and Raman shift analysis of the SnO2 nanoparticles is eliminated by considering glass as the depositing substrate. Enhanced light absorbance at 500 nm due to the N719 dye molecules adsorption compared to pristine SnO2 electrode has showed 1.62% solar-to-electrical conversion efficiency

Modelling the Effect of Temperature on Respiration Rate of Fresh Cut Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Fruits.

A respiration rate (RR) model based on Peleg’s equation was developed for predicting RRs of fresh cut papaya. Respiration data for fresh cut papaya at 3/4 maturity were generated at temperatures 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C using a closed system. RRs was found to be significantly influenced by storage temperature and increased from 0.021 to 0.289 mL[O2]/kg·h and 0.063 to 0.393 mL[CO2]/kg·h as a function of O2 and CO2 gas concentrations, respectively. Peleg’s constant K 1 and K 2 were obtained from linear regression analysis using GraphPad Prism 5.0 software and regression coefficients have good fit with values close to unity. The model was verified to assess the capability of its predictability of the RRs over the temperatures. There was good agreement with the experimentally estimated RRs. Information derived from the model can contribute in the design of successful modified atmospheric systems for storage of fresh cut papaya

Isostructural second-order phase transition of b-Bi2O3 at high pressures: an experimental and theoretical study

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Physical Chemistry C, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp507826jWe report a joint experimental and theoretical study of the structural and vibrational properties of synthetic sphaerobismoite (beta-Bi2O3) at high pressures in which room-temperature angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering measurements have been complemented with ab initio total energy and lattice dynamics calculations. Striking changes in Raman spectra were observed around 2 GPa, whereas X-ray diffraction measurements evidence no change in the tetragonal symmetry of the compound up to 20 GPa; however, a significant change exists in the compressibility when increasing pressure above 2 GPa. These features have been understood by means of theoretical calculations, which show that beta-Bi2O3 undergoes a pressure-induced isostructural phase transition near 2 GPa. In the new isostructural beta' phase, the Bi3+ and O2- environments become more regular than those in the original beta phase because of the strong decrease in the activity of the lone electron pair of Bi above 2 GPa. Raman measurements and theoretical calculations provide evidence of the second-order nature of the pressure-induced isostructural transition. Above 20 GPa, XRD measurements suggest a partial amorphization of the sample despite Raman measurements still show weak peaks, probably related to a new unknown phase which remains up to 27 GPa. On pressure release, XRD patterns and Raman spectra below 2 GPa correspond to elemental Bi-I, thus evidencing a pressure-induced decomposition of the sample during downstroke.Financial support from the Spanish Consolider Ingenio 2010 Program (MALTA Project CSD2007-00045) is acknowledged. This work was also supported by Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) under Project 201050/2012-9, Spanish MICINN under Projects MAT2010-21270-004-01/03/04 and MAT2013-46649-C4-2/3/4-P, Spanish MINECO under Project CTQ2012-36253-C03-02, and from Vicerrectorado de Investigacion de la Universitat Politecnica de Valencia under Projects UPV2011-0914 PAID-05-11 and UPV2011-0966 PAID-06-11. Supercomputer time has been provided by the Red Espanola de Supercomputacion (RES) and the MALTA cluster. JAS. acknowledges Juan de la Cierva fellowship program for financial support.Pereira, ALJ.; Sans Tresserras, JÁ.; Vilaplana Cerda, RI.; Gomis, O.; Manjón Herrera, FJ.; Rodriguez-Hernandez, P.; Muñoz, A.... (2014). Isostructural second-order phase transition of b-Bi2O3 at high pressures: an experimental and theoretical study. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 118(40):23189-23201. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp507826jS23189232011184

REVIEW ON EXTRACTION AND ISOLATION OF CASHEW NUT SH ELL LIQUID

ndia is the largest producer and processor of cashews (Anacardic occidental L) . Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is a by-product from cashew nut processing. CNSL is a dark brown viscous liquid present inside a soft honey comb structure of the cashew nut shell. It contains phenolic compounds, mainly cardanol. Cardanol is a monohydroxyl phenol with a long carbon chain in the metaposition. It has the potential as a substitute for phenol in resin phenolic-base chemical products. The present review discusses various application of CNSL as well as the applications of constituents of CNSL. Various methods of extraction of CNSL are available in the literature. This review highlights various methods of extraction of CNSL and isolation of major constituents. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of CNSL is also pr esented in this review. Scope for future work is also discussed

Perspectives of contraceptive choices for men

1042-1047Apart from condoms and vasectomy, which have several limitations of their own, no other methods of contraception are available to men. Various chemical, hormonal, vas based and herbal contraceptives have been examined and few of them have reached the stage of clinical testing. Promising leads have been obtained from testosterone buciclate/undecanoate, alone or in combination with levonorgestrel butanoate or cyproterone acetate, RISUG, an injectable intravasal contraceptive and a few herba1 products, particularly the seed products of Carica papaya. It is feasible that an ideal male contraceptive, that meets out all the essential criteria will be made available to the community in the near future

Review on Extraction and Isolation of Cashew Nut Sh Ell Liquid

Ndia is the largest producer and processor of cashews (Anacardic occidental L) . Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) is a by-product from cashew nut processing. CNSL is a dark brown viscous liquid present inside a soft honey comb structure of the cashew nut shell. It contains phenolic compounds, mainly cardanol. Cardanol is a monohydroxyl phenol with a long carbon chain in the metaposition. It has the potential as a substitute for phenol in resin phenolic-base chemical products. The present review discusses various application of CNSL as well as the applications of constituents of CNSL. Various methods of extraction of CNSL are available in the literature. This review highlights various methods of extraction of CNSL and isolation of major constituents. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of CNSL is also pr esented in this review. Scope for future work is also discussed

Role of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 in mouse sperm capacitation

A tyrosine phosphoproteome study of hamster spermatozoa indicated that glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (GPD2), is one of the proteins that enables tyrosine phosphorylation during sperm capacitation. Further, enzymatic activity of GPD2 correlated positively with sperm capacitation. Therefore, understanding the function of GPD2 would help to unravel the molecular mechanism of sperm capacitation. In this study, involving the use of spermatozoa from Gpd2+/+ and Gpd2-/- mice, it has been demonstrated that in the absence of Gpd2, hyperactivation and acrosome reaction were significantly altered, and a few changes in protein tyrosine phosphorylation were also observed during capacitation. Evidence is provided to demonstrate that GPD2 activity is required for ROS generation in mouse spermatozoa during capacitation, failing which, capacitation is impaired. These results imply that GPD2 is involved in sperm capacitation