Innovative biofilm inhibition and anti-microbial behavior of molybdenum sulfide nanostructures generated by microwave-assisted solvothermal route

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Effect of precursors on the solid-state synthesis of semiconducting PbS nanostructures

In this communication, we report facile and economical in-situ preparation of lead sulphide (PbS) nanorods and nanocubes within the Polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) matrix. PPS plays a dual role in the synthesis of the resultant nanostructures as - (i) a chalcogen source and (ii) a stabilizing matrix. We studied the effect of change of lead precursor from lead nitrate to acetate on the morphological properties of the resultant nanostructures. The effect of molar ratios of the reactants (1:1, 1:5, 1:10, 1:15 and 1:20) on the morphology of the products was also studied. The resultant nanocomposites were characterized by various physico-chemical techniques like X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), SEM equipped with EDAX, TEM and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The prima-facie observations suggest effective formation and subsequent entrapment of lead sulphide nanorods and nanocubes, respectively, when lead acetate and lead nitrate precursors were used. Additionally, simultaneous occurrence of nanocrystalline cubic lead as an impurity phase is noticed in case of heated admixtures for both the precursors

Electrochemical co-deposition of ternary Sn-Bi-Cu films for solder bumping applications

This paper reports the co-deposition of Sn-Bi-Cu films using stannic salt bath which has good stability for up to a week. The effect of current density and bath stirring on the film composition and microstructure has been studied. The deposited films are rich in the more noble metal Bi at current densities up to 5 mA cm(-2) but stabilize to about 49 wt.% Bi, 47 wt. % Sn and 4 wt. % Cu at 10 mA cm(-2) and beyond, indicating the effect of limiting current density. There is improvement in the microstructure with stirring or aeration, but the film composition reverts to the Bi rich state, with close to 90 wt.% Bi for deposition at 5 mA cm(-2). This is attributed to the dispersion of Sn2+ ions generated at the cathode during the two-step reduction of Sn4+ ions, due to stirring. The bath is suitable for near eutectic compositions of Sn-Bi with < 5 wt.% Cu content

New single-source precursor for bismuth sulfide and its use as low-cost counter electrode material for dye-sensitized solar cells

One new homoleptic Bi(dtc)(3)] (1) (dtc = 4-hydroxypiperdine dithiocarbamate) has been synthesized and characterized by microanalysis, IR, UV-Vis, H-1 and C-13 spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The photoluminescence spectrum for the compound in DMSO solution was recorded. The crystal structure of 1 displayed distorted octahedral geometry around the Bi(III) center bonded through sulfur atoms of the dithiocarbamate ligands. TGA indicates that the compound decomposes to a Bi and Bi-S phase system. The Bi and Bi-S obtained from decomposition of the compound have been characterized by pXRD, EDAX and SEM. Solvothermal decomposition of 1 in the absence and presence of two different capping agents yielded three morphologically different Bi2S3 systems which were deployed as counter-electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved