R.V. Mangalaraja

ZnO supported CoFe2O4 nanophotocatalysts for the mineralization of Direct Blue 71 in aqueous environments.

In this study, an attempt was made to render both the magnetic and photocatalytic properties in a semiconductor material to enhance the efficiency of degradation and recycling possibility of magnetic nanophotocatalysts. CoFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 loaded ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by a simple co-precipitation method and characterized using various analytical tools and in addition to check its visible light assisted photocatalytic activity. CoFe2O4/ZnO nanocatalyst coupled with acceptor, peroxomonosulphate (PMS) showed 1.69-fold enhancement in Direct Blue 71 (triazo dye; DB71) mineralization within 5h. The accomplished enrichment in decolorization was due to the production of more number of non-selective and active free radicals at the catalyst surface.

Studies on the evolution of ZnO morphologies in a thermohydrolysis technique and evaluation of their functional properties.

The transformation of ZnO morphologies in an in situ thermohydrolysis technique using hexamethylene tetramine is studied with and without surfactants. The photocatalytic and photoluminescence properties of these morphologically tuned ZnO morphologies are studied and the results presented. In the absence of any surfactants, the HMTA assisted in situ hydrolysis resulted in microtube and multipod morphologies. The addition of nonionic [Span-80] and cationic [CTAB] surfactants transforms the morphologies to microspheres, microdiscs and nanorods. The photoluminescence analysis shows a red luminescence in nanorods and green-indigo and blue-green emissions in microtubes and other morphologies. Photocatalytic reaction efficiency in UV light follows the order microtubes>nanorods>microdiscs>microspheres>multipods.

Enhanced blue light emission in transparent ZnO:PVA nanocomposite free standing polymer films

ZnO:PVA nanocomposite films were prepared and their fluorescence and time resolved photoluminescence properties were discussed. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy results confirmed the ZnO:PVA interaction. Optical absorption spectra showed two bands at 280 and 367nm which were ascribed to PVA and excitonic absorption band, respectively. Fluorescence spectra showed that the blue emission of ZnO was enhanced about tenfold through chemical interface electron transfer. The electron transfer from ZnO to PVA and its decay dynamics were experimentally analyzed through time resolved fluorescence measurements. The study revealed that the excited electrons found pathway through PVA to ground state which was slower than the pure ZnO nanoparticles.

Low frequency ultrasound (42 kHz) assisted degradation of Acid Blue 113 in the presence of visible light driven rare earth nanoclusters loaded TiO2 nanophotocatalysts

An attempt has been made to render the visible light driven photocatalytic activity to the TiO2 nanocatalysts by loading 1 wt% of rare earth (RE) nanoclusters (Gd(3+), Nd(3+) and Y(3+)) using a low frequency (42 kHz) producing commercial sonicator. The STEM-HAADF analysis confirms that the RE nanoclusters were residing at the surface of the TiO2. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirm that the loading of RE nanoclusters cannot make any significant changes in the crystal structure of TiO2. However, the optical properties of the resulted nanocatalysts were significantly modified and the nanocatalysts were employed to study the sonocatalytic, photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic decolorization as well as mineralization of Acid Blue 113 (AB113). Among the experimented nanocatalysts maximum degradation of AB113 was achieved in the presence Y(3+)-TiO2 nanocatalysts. The decolorization of AB113 in the presence and absence of Y(3+) loaded TiO2 ensues the following order sonolysis<photocatalysis<sonocatalysis<sonophotocatalysis. The sonophotocatalytic decolorization of AB113 shows 1.4-fold (synergy index) enhanced rate when compared with the two corresponding individual advanced oxidation processes. The sonophotocatalytic mineralization shows that 65% of total organic carbon (TOC) can be removed from AB113 after the 5h of continuous irradiation however the mineralization cannot be able to show the synergetic effect.

Enhanced ultraviolet fluorescence in surface modified ZnO nanostructures: Effect of PANI.

ZnO:polyaniline nanocomposite (ZnO:PANI) films were prepared and their steady state fluorescence and time resolved photoluminescence properties were discussed. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy analyses confirmed the interaction and formation of ZnO:PANI composite films. Optical absorption spectrum of pure PANI showed two bands at 325 and 625 nm which were ascribed to π→π(∗) transition in the benzoid and exciton formation in the quinoid rings, respectively. Pure ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a band at 369 nm was due to their exciton absorption and the composite films showed a broad band in the visible region and small intensity band at the UV region. Fluorescence spectra showed that the ultra violet emission of ZnO was enhanced about tenfold due to the electron transfer from PANI to ZnO nanoparticles and the suppression of visible emission was attributed to the surface passivation effect. The transfer of electron from PANI to ZnO and its decay dynamics were experimentally analyzed through time resolved fluorescence measurements.

Room temperature synthesis and optical studies on Ag and Au mixed nanocomposite polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer films.

Optical properties of silver, gold and bimetallic (Au:Ag) nanocomposite polymer films which are prepared by chemical method have been reported. The experimental data was correlated with the theoretical calculations using Mie theory. We adopt small change in the theoretical calculations of bimetallic/mixed particle nanocomposite and the theory agrees well with the experimental data. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as reducing and capping agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study reveals the presence of different functional groups, the possible mechanism that leads to the formation of nanoparticles by using PVP alone as reducing agent. Optical absorption spectra of Ag and Au nanocomposite polymers show a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band around 430 and 532 nm, respectively. Thermal annealing effect on the prepared samples at 60 °C for different time durations result in shift of SPR band maximum and varies the full width at half maximum (FWHM). Absorption spectra of Au:Ag bimetallic films show bands at 412 and 547 nm confirms the presence of Ag and Au nanoparticles in the composite.

Sonochemical synthesis of Cu2O nanocubes for enhanced chemiluminescence applications

A facile one-step sonochemical synthesis of Cu2O nanocubes has been developed by ultrasound irradiation of copper sulfate in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and ascorbic acid at pH 11. During sonication, the reaction between acoustic cavitation-generated radicals and CuSO4 produced Cu(OH)2 intermediate which then reacted with ascorbic acid to generate Cu2O nanocubes. The products were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, HRTEM, AFM and particle size analyzer. The prepared Cu2O nanocubes were found to be very effective for enhancing chemiluminescence in the presence of luminol-H2O2 system.

Wear Behavior of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/AZ31 Composite Obtained by Friction Stir Processing

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were homogenously dispersed into a magnesium alloy (AZ31) using friction stir processing. The microstructural features, mechanical behaviors including microhardness, and wear properties were investigated. The results showed a significant improvement in wear resistance in the friction stir-processed AZ31 alloy containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes compared to that of the as-received alloy. This was attributed to its higher microhardness and lower coefficient of friction due to the presence of finer matrix grains and uniform dispersion of multiwalled carbon nanotubes.

Fabrication and characterization of a diluted magnetic semiconducting TM co-doped Al:ZnO (TM=Co, Ni) thin films by sol-gel spin coating method.

Effect of transition metal oxides (TM=Co and Ni) co-doping on the crystallinity, surface morphology, grain growth and magnetic properties of nanostructure Al:ZnO thin films has been studied for diluted magnetic semiconductor applications. Al:ZnO thin films were fabricated by sol-gel spin coating on p-type Si (100) substrates. Fabrication of hexagonal wurtzite TM co-doped Al:ZnO thin films having thickness 2μm was successfully achieved. The Raman spectra of the TM co-doped Al:ZnO thin films showed a broad vibrational mode in the range 520-540cm(-1) due to crystal defects created co-doping elements in the ZnO host lattice. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the films are composed of uniform size, polycrystalline dense ZnO particles with defect free, smooth surfaces. The surface roughness was further verified with atomic force microscopy (AFM). The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis (EDX) confirmed the stoichiometric compositions of the TM co-doped Al:ZnO films. The magnetic measurements exhibited that the Co, Al:ZnO and Ni, Al:ZnO thin films were ferromagnetic at room temperature.

Sonochemical synthesis of porous NiTiO3 nanorods for photocatalytic degradation of ceftiofur sodium

Porous NiTiO3 nanorods were synthesized through the sonochemical route followed by calcination at various temperature conditions. Surface morphology of the samples was tuned by varying the heat treatment temperature from 100 to 600°C. The synthesized NiTiO3 nanorods were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, diffused reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The characterization studies revealed that the NiTiO3 nanomaterial was tuned to porous and perfectly rod shaped structure during the heat treatment at 600°C. The porous NiTiO3 nanorods showed visible optical response and thus can be utilized in the photocatalytic degradation of ceftiofur sodium (CFS) under direct sunlight. The photoluminescence intensity of the porous NiTiO3 nanorods formed while heating at 600°C was lower than that of the as-synthesized NiTiO3 sample owing to the photogenerated electrons delocalization along the one dimensional nanorods and this delocalization resulted in the reduction of the electron-hole recombination rate. The photocatalytic degradation of ceftiofur sodium (CFS) was carried out using NiTiO3 nanorods under the direct sunlight irradiation and their intermediate products were analysed through HPLC to deduce the possible degradation mechanism. The porous NiTiO3 nanorods exhibited an excellent photocatalytic activity towards the CFS degradation and further, the photocatalytic activity was increased by the addition of peroxomonosulfate owing to the simultaneous generation of both OH and SO4-.