Functionalized graphitic carbon nitrides for environmental and sensing applications

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a metal-free semiconductor that has been widely regarded as a promising candidate for sustainable energy production or storage. In recent years, g-C3N4 has become the center of attention by virtue of its impressive properties, such as being inexpensive, easily fabricable, nontoxic, highly stable, and environment friendly. Herein, the recent research developments related to g-C3N4 are outlined, which sheds light on its future prospective. Various synthetic methods and their impact on the properties of g-C3N4 are detailed, along with discussion on frequently used characterization methods. Different approaches for g-C3N4 surface functionalization, mainly categorized under covalent and noncovalent strategies, are outlined. Moreover, the processing methods of g-C3N4, such as g-C3N4-based thin films, hierarchical, and hybrid structures, are explored. Next, compared with the extensively studied energy-related applications of the modified g-C(3)N(4)s, relatively less-examined areas, such as environmental and sensing, are presented. By highlighting the strong potential of these materials and the existing research gaps, new researchers are encouraged to produce functional g-C3N4-based materials using diverse surface modification and processing routes.UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) ; Royal Society-Newton Advanced Fellowship Grant ; Leverhulme Trus

Identification of novel and safe fungicidal molecules against fusarium oxysporum from plant essential oils: in vitro and computational approaches.

Phytopathogenic fungi are serious threats in the agriculture sector especially in fruit and vegetable production. The use of plant essential oil as antifungal agents has been in practice from many years. Plant essential oils (PEOs) of Cuminum cyminum, Trachyspermum ammi, Azadirachta indica, Syzygium aromaticum, Moringa oleifera, Mentha spicata, Eucalyptus grandis, Allium sativum, and Citrus sinensis were tested against Fusarium oxysporum. Three phase trials consist of lab testing (MIC and MFC), field testing (seed treatment and foliar spray), and computer-aided fungicide design (CAFD). Two concentrations (25 and 50 μl/ml) have been used to asses MIC while MFC was assessed at four concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 μl/ml). C. sinensis showed the largest inhibition zone (47.5 and 46.3 m2) for both concentrations. The lowest disease incidence and disease severity were recorded in treatments with C. sinensis PEO. Citrus sinensis that qualified in laboratory and field trials was selected for CAFD. The chemical compounds of C. sinensis PEO were docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain of F. oxysporum by AutoDock Vina. The best docked complex was formed by nootkatone with -6.0 kcal/mol binding affinity. Pharmacophore of the top seven C. sinensis PEO compounds was used for merged pharmacophore generation. The best pharmacophore model with 0.8492 score was screened against the CMNP database. Top hit compounds from screening were selected and docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain. Four compounds with the highest binding affinity and hydrogen bonding were selected for confirmation of lead molecule by doing MD simulation. The polyketide synthase-CMNPD24498 showed the highest stability throughout 80 ns run of MD simulation. CMNPD24498 (FW054-1) from Verrucosispora was selected as the lead compound against F. oxysporum

Assessment of mechanical properties and shape memory behavior of 4D printed continuous fiber-reinforced PETG composites

Additive manufacturing (AM) has transformed composite structure production with continuous fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs). Integrating shape memory polymers (SMPs) into AM enables 4D printing, holding promise across industries. Despite SMP brittleness at low temperatures, most studies focus on high-temperature shape memory behavior. Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), known for good printability, shape memory, and room temperature flexibility, is reinforced with carbon fiber in this study and its chemical and thermo-mechanical properties are systematically evaluated. The investigation extends to assessing the influence of printing parameters on CFRC printability and mechanical properties to identify optimal settings. Mechanical property enhancement is significant, especially with 7% carbon fiber, resulting in 474% and 386% improvement in tensile and flexural modulus, respectively. Shape-recovery tests at room temperature show 98% recovery for pure PETG and 94% for composites. PETG CFRC's high mechanical properties, room temperature flexibility, and promising shape recovery position them for potential load-bearing applications in various industries

Microwave-promoted continuous flow synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethane-silver nanocomposites and their antimicrobial performance

Thermoplastic polyurethane-silver nanocomposites (PU-Ag NCs) have considerable potential in many medical applications due to their superior mechanical and antimicrobial properties. Herein, a microwave-promoted flow system is successfully employed for continuous in situ manufacturing of PU NCs having spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) without any reducing agent at ∼40 °C in approximately 4 minutes. The main experimental parameters, including microwave power, metal salt concentration, polymer concentration, and flow rate, are optimised for the reproducible synthesis of AgNPs (∼5 nm) in the PU matrix, characterised by HRTEM-EDS and DLS analysis. XRD patterns indicate an increase in PU crystallinity with decreased particle size. Conventional heating flow synthesis at ∼50 °C or microwave-batch synthesis (MWB) at ∼44 and ∼50 °C is ineffective in preparing AgNPs, and only large AgNPs (>100 nm) are synthesised at 70 °C in the MWB reactor. PU-Ag NC films bearing small AgNPs (∼5 nm) exhibit superior antibacterial activity (>97%) against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus compared to large NPs (∼218 nm). The proposed method may manufacture other metal-polymer matrix composites

Numerical investigation of heat transfer and temperature distribution in a microwave-heated heli-flow reactor and experimental validation

Microwave-heated flow systems (MWFSs), offering improved process control, enhanced product yields, and the potential for scalable and sustainable manufacturing routes, have gained significant popularity in continuously manufacturing nanomaterials and their hybrids. Temperature control in a microwave zone can maintain fine control over the manufactured materials' properties; however, the current state-of-the-art designs lack monitoring of the temperature distribution throughout the flow reactor. Herein, a unique model of numerical estimations of temperature distribution in a microwave-heated system featuring a helical flow milli-reactor, Heli-Flow, is described and validated by experimentally acquired temperature profiles. The proposed numerical model accurately predicts the temperature profile along the Heli-Flow and the steady-state outlet temperature at the MW cavity's exit. The helical design of the reactor promotes homogeneous heating and eliminates orientation-related discrepancies. The maximum outlet temperatures achieved at different microwave powers and FRs align well with expected trends. The modeled temperatures closely match the experimental and analytical measurements, indicating the effectiveness of the simulation approach. This research contributes to understanding temperature distribution in MWFSs and offers insights for optimizing nanomaterial synthesis and other applications

Application of nanomaterials in food quality assessment

The food industry has a significant role to play in governing local economies all over the world. This sector includes some processes such as storage of raw materials, food production, and preservation. Food processing, food quality, and safety are vital to protect public health. Thus, food safety monitoring, for example, early detection of food pathogens, food-related toxins, allergens, chemicals, and enterotoxins, is of great significance. Nanoscience-based sensing platforms have become alternatives to conventional food safety monitoring techniques. Over the past few years, scientists have designed various novel nanosensors with high sensitivity and selectivity to detect a wide variety of hazardous substances. The nanomaterials, such as carbon-based nanoparticles, plasmonic/metallic nanoparticles, and inorganic fluorescent nanomaterials, have been extensively used to develop various detection platforms over the past few decades. The surface functionalization of nanoparticles using target-specific biological agents, such as aptamers and antibodies, has contributed to improving the efficiency of those nanoparticle-based diagnostic tools. In this chapter, general structural, physicochemical, and optical features of the nanoparticles were described, and their applications in food safety monitoring were reviewed. Following this, affinity agents and fundamental sensing principles employed in developing food-related hazardous substance detection tools were elaborated based on the recent publications in the literature. Finally, we expect to pave the way for enhancing the efficiency and applicability of nanosensors in the initial sensing of food-related targets that cause a significant risk for humankind worldwide

A GBS-Based GWAS Analysis of Leaf and Stripe Rust Resistance in Diverse Pre-Breeding Germplasm of Bread Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.)

Yellow (YR) and leaf (LR) rusts caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst) and Puccinia triticina, respectively, are of utmost importance to wheat producers because of their qualitative and quantitative effect on yield. The search for new loci resistant to both rusts is an ongoing challenge faced by plant breeders and pathologists. Our investigation was conducted on a subset of 168 pre-breeding lines (PBLs) to identify the resistant germplasm against the prevalent local races of LR and YR under field conditions followed by its genetic mapping. Our analysis revealed a range of phenotypic responses towards both rusts. We identified 28 wheat lines with immune response and 85 resistant wheat genotypes against LR, whereas there were only eight immune and 52 resistant genotypes against YR. A GWAS (genome-wide association study) identified 190 marker-trait associations (MTAs), where 120 were specific to LR and 70 were specific to YR. These MTAs were confined to 86 quantitative trait loci (QTLs), where 50 QTLs carried MTAs associated with only LR, 29 QTLs carried MTAs associated with YR, and seven QTLs carried MTAs associated with both LR and YR. Possible candidate genes at the site of these QTLs are discussed. Overall, 70 PBLs carried all seven LR/YR QTLs. Furthermore, there were five PBLs with less than five scores for both LR and YR carrying positive alleles of all seven YR/LR QTLs, which are fit to be included in a breeding program for rust resistance induction

Microwave-promoted continuous flow systems in nanoparticle synthesis-A perspective

Microwave-promoted continuous flow systems have emerged as a game-changer in nanoparticle synthesis. Owing to the excellent compatibility between fast, sustainable microwave heating and one-step, efficient flow chemistry, this promising technology is meant to enhance the synthetic abilities of nanoscientists. This Perspective aims to present a panoramic view of the state of the art in this field. Additionally, the effect of various microwave and flow parameters on the properties of nanoparticles is discussed along with a comparative glance at the features that make flow reactors more practical and sustainable than their batch counterparts. The overview has also analyzed various microwave continuous flow reactors available in the literature, with an acute emphasis on the nanosynthesis route and design features. Moreover, a discussion on the numerical modeling of microwave flow systems has been made a part of this perspective to reiterate its significance and encourage research in this domain. The Perspective also briefly comments on existing challenges and future prospects of this technology

Nanoplasmonic biosensors: Theory, structure, design, and review of recent applications

Nanoplasmonic biosensing shows an immense potential to satisfy the needs of the global health industry -low-cost, fast, and portable automated systems; highly sensitive and real-time detection; multiplexing and miniaturization. In this review, we presented the theory of nanoplasmonic biosensing for popular detection schemes -SPR, LSPR, and EOT -and underline the consideration for nanostructure design, material selection, and their effects on refractometric sensing performance. Later, we covered the bottom-up and top-down nanofabrication methods for nanoplasmonic biosensors. Subsequently, we reviewed the recent examples of nanoplasmonic biosensors over a wide range of clinically relevant analytes in the diagnosis and prognosis of a wide range of diseases and conditions such as biomarker proteins, infectious bacteria, viral agents. Finally, we discussed the challenges of nanoplasmonic biosensing toward clinical translation and proposed strategic avenues to be competitive against current clinical detection methods. Hopefully, nanoplasmonic biosensing can realize its potential through successful demonstrations of clinical translation in the upcoming years

Koexistence magnetických fází v dvourozměrném MXenu

Tato studie uvádí první syntézu koexistujících magnetických fází odvozených od MXenu. Nová rodina dvourozměrných (2D) materiálů, jako je Ti3C2, jmenovitě MXene, mající přechodný kov vytvářející hexagonální strukturu s atomy uhlíku, přitahovala nyní obrovský zájem. Uváděli jsme strukturální, optické a magnetické vlastnosti nedotovaného a La-dotovaného Ti3C2Tx MXene, syntetizovaného pomocí metody koprecipitace. Parametr mřížky (LP) vypočtený pro La-MXene je a = 5,36 Å, c = 18,3 Å, které se mírně liší od rodičovského nedopovaného MXenu (a = 5,35 Å, c = 19,2 Å), počítáno z rentgenové difrakce data. Doping iontů La3+ zmenšuje vrstvy Ti3C2Tx kolmo k rovinám. Pásová mezera pro MXene je vypočtena na 1,06 eV, která je zvýšena na 1,44 eV po dopingu iontu La3+, který vykazuje dobrou polovodivou povahu. Byly prezentovány a diskutovány výpočty experimentálních výsledků a hustoty funkční teorie (DFT) pro magnetické vlastnosti obou vzorků, což ukazuje na koexistenci feromagneticko-antiferomagnetických fází. Zde prezentované výsledky jsou nové a jsou první zprávou o koexistenci magnetických vlastností 2D karbidů pro potenciální aplikace v twodimenzionální spintronice.This study reports first synthesis of MXene-derived co-existing magnetic phases. New family of twodimensional (2D) materials such as Ti3C2 namely MXene, having transition metal forming hexagonal structure with carbon atoms have attracted tremendous interest now a days. We have reported structural, optical and magnetic properties of un-doped and La-doped Ti3C2Tx MXene, synthesized using coprecipitation method. The lattice parameter (LP) calculated for La-MXene are a= 5.36 Å, c= 18.3 Å which are slightly different from the parent un-doped MXene (a= 5.35 Å, c= 19.2 Å), calculated from X-ray diffraction data. The doping of La3+ ions shrinks Ti3C2Tx layers perpendicular to the planes. The band gap for MXene is calculated to be 1.06 eV which is increased to 1.44 eV after doping of La3+ ion that shows its good semiconducting nature. The experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations for magnetic properties of both the samples have been presented and discussed, indicating the coexistence of ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic phases. The results presented here are novel and is first report on co-existence of magnetic properties of 2D carbides for potential applications in twodimensional spintronics