G. Viruthagiri

Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using Solanum nigrum leaf extract and their antibacterial activity.

In the present investigation, we have described the green biosynthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by using Solanum nigrum as capping agent. The functionalization of ZnO particles through S. nigrum leaf extract mediated bioreduction of ZnO was investigated through UV-Vis DRS, photoluminescence (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and antibacterial activities. UV-Vis-DRS studies revealed that the indirect band gap 3.38 eV and photoluminescence study reveals the blue emission at 402, 447, 469 and 483 nm and the green emission at 529 nm respectively. In addition, the synthesized NPs are wurtzite hexagonal structure with an average grain size lies between 20 and 30 nm were found from XRD analysis. Further, FT-IR spectra revealed the functional groups and the presence of protein as the stabilizing agent for surrounding the ZnO NPs. The diameter of the NPs in the range of 20-30 nm was found from FE-SEM study. TEM analysis was investigated the ZnO NPs as a quasi-spherical in shape and their diameter at around 29.79 nm. Finally, the current study has clearly demonstrated that the particle size variations and surface area to volume ratios of ZnO NPs are responsible for significant higher antibacterial activities. Further, the present investigation suggests that ZnO NPs has the potential applications for various medical and industrial fields so, that the investigation is so useful and helpful to the scientific communities.

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the marine seaweed Sargassum wightii and their antibacterial activity against some human pathogens

In this paper, we have reported on biological synthesis of nano-sized silver and its antibacterial activity against human pathogens. The nanoparticles of silver were formed by the reduction of silver nitrate to aqueous silver metal ions during exposure to the extract of marine seaweed Sargassum wightii. The optical properties of the obtained silver nanoparticles were characterized using UV–visible absorption and room temperature photoluminescence. The X-ray diffraction results reveal that the synthesized silver nanoparticles are in the cubic phase. The existence of functional groups was identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphology and size of the synthesized particles were studied with atomic force microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscope measurements. The synthesized nanoparticles have an effective antibacterial activity against S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, and S. typhi.

Structural, optical and morphological analyses of pristine titanium di-oxide nanoparticles--synthesized via sol-gel route.

Pure titanium di-oxide nanoparticles (TiO2) were synthesized by sol-gel technique at room temperature with appropriate reactants. The synthesis of anatase phase TiO2 nanoparticles was achieved by tetraisopropyl orthotitanate and 2-propanol as common starting materials and the product was annealed at 450 °C for 4 h. The synthesized product was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-VIS-Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. XRD pattern confirmed the crystalline nature and tetragonal structure of synthesized composition. Average grain size was determined from X-ray line broadening, using the Debye-Scherrer relation. The functional groups present in the sample were identified by FTIR spectroscopy. Diffuse reflectance measurement indicated an absorption band edge on UV-region. The allowed direct and indirect band gap energies, as well as the crystallite size of pure TiO2 nanoparticles are calculated from DRS analysis. The microstructure and elemental identification were done by SEM with EDX analysis.

Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles prepared by biological method

Zinc oxide have been produced via a simple green method from zinc nitrate and leaf extract aqueous solutions. Prepared ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated by employing through UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. The present investigation, confirmed the estimated band gap 3.51eV and the PL intensity at 402nm in visible region are dependent upon the geometrical shape and size of the ZnO NPs. The TEM micrograph and XRD pattern confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO NPs. The presence of functional groups and the chemical bonding are confirmed by FTIR spectra. EDS shows that the highly pure ZnO nanostructures. Moreover, the catalytic activity of synthesized ZnO in the reduction of methylene blue was studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The effects of process conditions on the morphology and size of ZnO have been found from FE-SEM and TEM analyses, respectively.

Effect of annealing on the ZnS nanocrystals prepared by chemical precipitation method

Nanocrystals of ZnS have been synthesized through simple chemical precipitation method using thiourea as sulphur source. The synthesized products were annealed at different temperatures in the range of 200-800°C. The as-synthesized and annealed samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible absorption (UV-Vis), and room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The morphological features of ZnS annealed at 200 and 500°C were studied by atomic force microscope (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques. The phase transformation of ZnS and formation of ZnO were confirmed by thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves.

Luminance behavior of Ce3+ doped ZnS nanostructures.

We report the synthesis and characterization of undoped and various levels of Ce(3+) doped ZnS nanocrystal. The structure and size of the products were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The existence of functional groups was identified by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR). The UV-Visible measurements reveal that the synthesized products are blue shifted when compared with bulk phase of ZnS as a result of quantum confinement effect. The PL studies show an enhancement in the intensity of emission band in the UV region on increased Ce(3+) doping. The morphology of the products was evaluated by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and High resolution transmission electron microscopy (FESEM). The presence of Ce(3+) was confirmed by Energy dispersive spectral analysis (EDS). The thermal stability of pure and doped products was analyzed by thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA).

Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of pure and manganese doped TiO2 nanoparticles – A new NLO active material

Pure and Manganese (4%, 8%, 12% and 16%) doped titanium di-oxide (Mn-TiO2) nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel technique. The preparation of pure and Mn doped TiO2 nanoparticles were achieved by tetra-isopropyl orthotitanate and 2-propanol as common starting materials and the products were annealed at 450°C and 750°C to get anatase and rutile phases, respectively. The prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-VIS-Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and Kurtz powder second harmonic generation (SHG) test. XRD patterns confirmed the crystalline nature and tetragonal structure of synthesized materials. The functional groups present in the samples were identified by FTIR study. The allowed direct and indirect band gap energies, as well as the crystallite sizes of obtained nanoparticles were calculated from DRS analysis. Microstructures and elemental identification were done by SEM with EDX analysis. The existence of SHG signals was observed using Nd: YAG laser with fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. The products were found to be transparent in the entire visible region with cut-off wavelengths within the UV region confirms its suitability for device fabrications.

A view of microstructure with technological behavior of waste incorporated ceramic bricks

Production of ceramic bricks from mixtures of ceramic industry wastes (up to 50 wt%) from the area of Vriddhachalam, Cuddalore district, Tamilnadu, India and kaolinitic clay from Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala were investigated. The firing behavior of the ceramic mixtures was studied by determining their changes in mineralogy and basic ceramic properties such as water absorption, porosity, compressive strength and firing shrinkage at temperatures ranging from 900 to 1200 °C in short firing cycles. The effect of the rejects addition gradually up to 50 wt% was analyzed with the variation of temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the bricks. The highest compressive strength and lowest water absorption is observed for the sample with 40% rejects at 1100 °C which is supported by the results of SEM analysis. The resulting ceramic bricks exhibit features that suggest possibilities of using the ceramic rejects in the conventional brick making methods.

Optical behavior and sensor activity of Pb ions incorporated ZnO nanocrystals.

We present the synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline ZnO doped with Pb in different concentrations. The structural and chemical compositions of the products are characterized by XRD, XPS, EDS and FT-IR spectroscopy. The observed results suggest that Pb ions (Pb(2+) and Pb(4+)) are successfully incorporated into the lattice position of Zn(2+) ions in ZnO. The optical properties of the products are studied by UV-Vis and room temperature PL measurements. The PL emission spectra of ZnO:Pb, show the intensity quenching for both the UV and visible emissions. The influence of Pb on controlling the size and morphology of ZnO is studied by FESEM and confirmed by HRTEM. Amperometric response shows that ZnO incorporated with 0.075M of Pb ions has enhanced sensor activity for H2O2 than the undoped product.

Synthesis of Ce4+ ions doped ZnO electrode as a sensor for hydrogen peroxide

Abstract Ce4+ ions doped ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by the simple chemical precipitation method with different levels of cerium. The synthesized products were analyzed for X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements. The morphology of the optimum level of Ce4+ doped ZnO was studied by high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. To ascertain the sensor activity of Ce4+ doped ZnO, the electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H2O2 was studied with ZnO and ZnO: Ce4+ electrodes. Fabricated ZnO: Ce4+ sensor displays excellent performance towards the detection of H2O2 than bare ZnO.