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Not AvailableA field experiment was conducted to investigate the soil microbial growth and enzymatic activity of TreatedDistillery Effluent (TDE) and Bio-compost (BC) applied in Vertisols having clay loam texture grown with Maize crop (Zea mays). Under split plot design with five main and sub plots with addition of organics viz., No organics; application of TDE @ 0.5 lakh litres ha-1 ; TDE @ 1.0 lakh litres ha-1 ; BC@ 5 t ha and FYM @ 12.5 t ha + biofertilizers. subplot treatments viz., addition of inorganic fertilizers at different levels of recommended dose of NP fertilizers (0 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 %) compared with 100% recommended dose of NPK @ 150 : 75: 75 of kg N, P2 ,O5 and K2O ha-1 . Application of TDE 1.0 lakh litres ha resulted higher bacterial, fungal and actinomycetes population over control at all stages. The soil enzyme activities as phosphatase, dehydrogenase andurease recorded the highest values with the application of TDE @ 1.0 lakh litres ha-1 over control. The soilmicrobial population and enzyme activities increased with the application of TDE over control. Soil microbialactivity had a direct impact on the plant nutrient availability as well as other favorable properties associated with soil productivity.Not Availabl

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of MXene@antimony nanoneedle composites for toxic pollutants removal

A new 2D transition metal carbides family noted that MXene with antimony (Sb) nano-needles composites have demonstrated potential applications for photocatalytic dye degradations applications. Single-step synthesis of novel structures two/one-dimensional MXene@antimony nanoneedle (MX@Sb-H) nanocomposite-based photocatalysts is produced employing hydrothermal technique. The preparations and characterizations were compared with hand mixture preparations of pure TiO2@Sb and MXene (MX@Sb-M). The crystallographic structure was identified employing X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and main sharp XRD peaks were observed with diffraction angle with orientations planes for all three samples TiO2@Sb, MX@Sb-M and MX@Sb-H. The micro-Raman spectroscopy explored key vibration modes centered at 151.72 and 637.52 cm-1 corresponding to Ti and Sb hybrid composites respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectrum of functional group peaks at 609.16 and 868.80 cm-1 revealed Ti-OH/Sb-O-C stretching. The morphological investigations of horizontal growth for "Sb" nanoneedle on MXene nanosheets were explored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The degradation efficiency was calculated. The efficiency calculated were 27%, 38%, 68% and 82% for MB solution, TiO2@Sb added MB, MX-Sb-M added MB and MX-Sb-H added MB solution and the efficiency were 32%, 38%, 50% and 65% for pure RhB solution, TiO2@Sb added RhB, MX-Sb-M added RhB and MX-Sb-H added RhB solution. The photocatalytic activity of TiO2@Sb, MX@Sb-M and MX@Sb-H was examined. Among these MX@Sb-H nanocomposite was demonstrated the high photocatalytic action in expressions of rate stability of photocatalytic dye degradations.This work was supported by MHRD RUSA - Phase 2, UGC-SAP, DST FIST, PURSE grants

Pure and Ce-doped spinel CuFe₂O₄ photocatalysts for efficient rhodamine B degradation

Wastewater management is becoming a serious issue worldwide. To enhance the reuse of wastewater, one has to remove toxic pollutants present in it. High amount of dye is present in wastewater, and to remove these dyes is the large scope of this research. Herein, we report production of pure and Ce-doped copper ferrite via hydrothermal route. The synthesized nanoparticles were collected and analyzed by basic characterization techniques. The bandgap energy calculated for pure, 1% Ce, and 2% Ce-doped CuFe2O4 was found to be 2.77, 2.57, and 2.36eV, respectively. Reduction in bandgap was attributed to the doping element. The shape and size of pure and Ce-doped products were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Agglomeration was observed in the pure copper ferrite sample. In the Ce-doped sample, agglomeration was clearly reduced and the 2% Ce-doped CuFe2O4 sample showed growth of small nanoparticles. They showed complete growth and were arranged in a uniform manner without agglomeration. The surface area of the 2% Ce-CuFe2O4 sample was found to be 65.89 m2/g with 7.02 nm pore diameter. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared material was observed for rhodamine B degradation. The pure and catalyst-added dye was exposed under visible light. The samples were tested for UV. The efficiency obtained for pure dye solution, pristine CuFe2O4-added, and 1% Ce and 2% Ce-doped CuFe2O4-added dye solutions were 48%, 50%, 66%, and 88% within 2 h of irradiation. The 2% Ce-doped CuFe2O4 sample showed excellent photocatalytic activity as the bandgap and morphology were enhanced by doping an appropriate ratio of Ce ions.This work was supported by UGC-SAP, DST-FIST, DST-PURSE, MHRD-RUSA grants

Pure and cobalt-substituted zinc-ferrite magnetic ceramics for supercapacitor applications

Pure and cobalt-substituted zinc ferrites were successfully synthesized employing a simple co-precipitation route. CoxZn0.04−xFe2O4 (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02) physical properties have been investigated employing comprehensive characterization studies. XRD results confirmed the cobalt substitution in zinc-ferrite magnetic ceramics. SEM analysis revealed non-uniform cluster formation with large agglomeration and more number of spherical grain nanoparticles in the range of 30–150 nm. Raman phonon vibration modes [F2g(1) + F2g(2) + A1g] revealed cubic zinc-ferrite phase and cobalt substitution. Product-predominant blue–green emission was observed in PL studies. IR results confirmed ferrite tetrahedral (~ 540–565cm−1) and octahedral sites’ (~ 428 cm−1) metal oxygen vibrations. Electrochemical studies confirmed an appreciable increase in specific capacitance of Co0.02Zn0.02Fe2O4 around 377 F/g at 10 mV/s scan rate. Cobalt substitution in zinc spinel ferrite structure revealed dominant influence on structural, optical, and electrochemical properties of the obtained product

Electrochemical energy storage and conversion applications of CoSn(OH)₆ materials

Supercapacitors are a boon in today's modern world. The role of a supercapacitor is important in providing electrical energy in the most efficient way for the usefulness of the society. Herein, co-precipitation technique was adapted to prepare electrodes for energy storage and water-splitting purposes. Role of ammonia at different concentrations was deliberated. Better 269 and 364 F/g capacitance was attained for best electrode from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) curves, respectively. The capacitive and diffusion contribution of all electrodes were estimated and found to be 91.88 and 8.12 for the best sample. A better diffusion contribution of the higher-concentration ammonia sample revealed a higher specific capacitance. In this study, 91.33% capacitive retention and 90.38% columbic efficiency were calculated after 5000 cycles of charge and discharge. Further electrochemical method like linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and chronoamperometry (CA) was explored for water-splitting applications and 367 mA/g current density with 264 mV overpotential was achieved in the LSV plot. CA test was carried out for 10 h to reveal 189 mA/g current density and delivered 74% stability. Therefore, the present study describes different technique to extend electrochemical supercapacitor and water-splitting purposes.This work was supported by UGC-SAP, DST-FIST, DST-PURSE, MHRD-RUSA grants

Understanding the Roles of Anionic Redox and Oxygen Release during Electrochemical Cycling of Lithium-Rich Layered Li4FeSbO6

International audienc

Reversible Li-Intercalation through Oxygen Reactivity in Li-Rich Li-Fe-Te Oxide Materials

Lithium-rich oxides are a promising class of positive electrode materials for next generation lithium-ion batteries, and oxygen plays a prominent role during electrochemical cycling either by forming peroxo-like species and/or by irreversibly forming oxygen gas during first charge. Here, we present Li-Fe-Te-O materials which show a tremendous amount of oxygen gas release. This oxygen release accounts for nearly all the capacity during the first charge and results in vacancies as seen by transmission electron microscopy. There is no oxidation of either metal during charge but significant changes in their environments. These changes are particularly extreme for tellurium. XRD and neutron powder diffraction both show limited changes during cycling and no appreciable change in lattice parameters. A density functional theory study of this material is performed and demonstrates that the holes created on some of the oxygen atoms upon oxidation are partially stabilized through the formation of shorter O-O bonds, i.e. (O2)n– species which on further delithiation show a spontaneous O2 de-coordination from the cationic network and migration to the now empty lithium layer. The rate limiting step during charge is undoubtedly the diffusion of oxygen either out along the lithium layer or via columns of oxygen atoms

Shock Processing of Amino Acids Leading to Complex Structures—Implications to the Origin of Life

The building blocks of life, amino acids, are believed to have been synthesized in the extreme conditions that prevail in space, starting from simple molecules containing hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. However, the fate and role of amino acids when they are subjected to similar processes largely remain unexplored. Here we report, for the first time, that shock processed amino acids tend to form complex agglomerate structures. Such structures are formed on timescales of about 2 ms due to impact induced shock heating and subsequent cooling. This discovery suggests that the building blocks of life could have self-assembled not just on Earth but on other planetary bodies as a result of impact events. Our study also provides further experimental evidence for the ‘threads’ observed in meteorites being due to assemblages of (bio)molecules arising from impact-induced shocks