Spontaneous Emission Enhancement of CdSe Quantum Dots Embedded in a Two-dimensional Photonic Crystal L3 Nanocavity

Two-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavities were designed to tailor cavity quantum electrodynamics. Enhancing the spontaneous emission of low-quality factor nanocavity with embedded CdSe quantum dots (QDs) emitters is the aim of this study. Low concentration layer of CdSe QDs was sandwiched between two layers of Si2 N3 membrane using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The modification rate in spontaneous emission of L3 nanocavity up to 2.3-fold has been observed at 629.5 nm in compare to bare cavities. High field confinement in the sub-wavelength regime became an interest field for quantum electrodynamics applications and good platform to study light matter interactions

Bioremediation Ability of the Local Isolate Enterobacter cloacae from Disposal Site

Illegal dumping is a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately to preserve human health and the environment as if the pollution that arises from it reaches the groundwater, complications of the remediation processes will increase. To decontaminate the organic and inorganic components, bioremediation seems to be the most environmentally friendly and economically viable technique without further treatment as reported by many studies. In this investigation, samples were taken from the soil of the main dumping area in Koysinjaq in Kurdistan Region of Iraq to determine the most potent bacteria to remediate the existed pollutants. The existence of non-essential minerals and organic compounds in the soil sample was detected using X-ray fluorescence device, and ethane and 1,2-dichloroethane solvents separating technique, respectively. Then, from the same samples, three different naturally occurring bacteria were isolated and cultured under optimized conditions then stimulated for a good result. Finally, spectrophotometer was set at wavelength of 600 nm and used to detect the heaviest growth of bacteria after incubating the cultured bacteria on a mineral salt broth medium with the extracted pollutants at pH 7.0 overnight at 32°C. Based on the highest absorbance, the most effective type of bacteria (Enterobacter cloacae) was chosen among others to remediate the organic components in which approximately 90% of them are plastics, medical waste, municipal waste, electrical items, and hydrocarbons, and some heavy metals, for instance aluminum and lead, which were found in the soil

Comparative Quality Analysis between Tap Water and Bottled Water: A Case Study of Koya City in Iraq

Recently, bottled water consumption has been increasing significantly, even when the quality of tap water is considered excellent, which contributes to plastic pollution. Besides, reducing the use of plastic generally is recommended world widely, as its consumption is in an alarming rate. Therefore, this study aims to compare the tap and bottled water and manifest the reasons behind choosing the bottled water, which is less comfortable and often more expensive over the tap water. In this study, samples have been taken from both bottled and tap water in Koya city from November 2020 to May 2021 to test their quality using PH, DO, EC, and TDS meter, hardness was determined by complexometric titration method at 21°C, and XRF spectrometers. According to the quality standards, most of the variables were in a permissible range, except for dissolved oxygen and Aluminum content in both types of water and TDS for two types of bottled water. However, the quality of tap water was much safer to be used, as compared with the bottled water.&nbsp

A chemical sensor based on a photonic-crystal L3 nanocavity defined in a silicon-nitride membrane

The application of a silicon-nitride based L3 optical nanocavity as a chemical sensor is explored. It is shown that by adjusting the thickness of an ultra-thin Lumogen Red film deposited onto the nanocavity surface, the fundamental optical mode undergoes a progressive red-shift as the layer-thickness increases, with the cavity being able to detect the presence of a single molecular monolayer. The optical properties of a nanocavity whose surface is coated with a thin layer of a porphyrin-based polymer are also explored. On exposure of the cavity to an acidic-vapour, it is shown that changes in the optical properties of the porphyrin-film (thickness and refractive index) can be detected through a reversible shift in the cavity mode wavelength. Such effects are described using a finite difference time-domain model

Toxic Metals in Some Decorative Cosmetics and Nail Products: Analysis, Evaluation, and Mitigation

Cosmetic marketing is one of the most profitable and fast increasing markets in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In recent years, the use of cosmetics has witnessed a rapid increase, especially with the emergence of social media and its impact on this trade. The market is full of different cosmetic brands and nail products. Moderate and low-quality brands of cosmetic samples that available in the local markets were selected to investigate their heavy metals and chemical composition. Samples from face foundation, eye shadow, and nail polish products were taken and examined to evaluate the concentration of metals, that is, Hg, Pb, Cd, As, Mn, Cr, Ni, Co, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Al ions, using X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence techniques. The examination results show high concentrations of Fe and Al metals in the lipstick samples whereas the Hg, Cd, Cr, and Ni were out of detection limit. Moreover, the results show contamination of Hg heavy metal in one of the examined nail polishes brands, whereas the rest of foundation and eye shadow samples show a higher concentration of Al and Fe. Curcumin, as a natural bio-friendly chelate, has been used to deplete metal ions using ultraviolet-visible Spectrophotometer

Design and Study of a Nanocavity-based One-dimensional Photonic Crystal for Potential Applications in Refractive Index Sensing

Refractive index (RI) can be used to identify a particular substance and determine its purity and concentration. The RI of glucose solution with various concentrations can be determined using a distributed Bragg reflective (DBR) device containing a nanocavity. The optical property of the reflection spectrum produced by DBR is sensitive to the variation of the refractive index. In this study, a DBR with a cavity width of 220 nm, located in the middle of the device, is designed and used to sense the variation in the refractive index of glucose at different concentrations. The proposed design showed a sharp dip pattern within the reflection spectrum. The wavelength of the absorption peak was found to be sensitive to trivial variations in the refractive index of glucose solution. Results showed that the variation in the refractive index of glucose within the order of Δn = 0.02 has led to a noticeable shift in the absorption spectrum by Δλ = 2.6 nm. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the proposed device was found to be 130 nm/RIU which is considered high compared with those reported in the literature. Hence, the proposed structure can be a promising optical device for chemical ultrasensing applications