Rajni Bala

Nanostructured Boron Nitride With High Water Dispersibility For Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Highly water dispersible boron based compounds are innovative and advanced materials which can be used in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy for cancer treatment (BNCT). Present study deals with the synthesis of highly water dispersible nanostructured Boron Nitride (BN). Unique and relatively low temperature synthesis route is the soul of present study. The morphological examinations (Scanning/transmission electron microscopy) of synthesized nanostructures showed that they are in transient phase from two dimensional hexagonal sheets to nanotubes. It is also supported by dual energy band gap of these materials calculated from UV- visible spectrum of the material. The theoretically calculated band gap also supports the same (calculated by virtual nano lab Software). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the synthesized material has deformed structure which is further supported by Raman spectroscopy. The structural aspect of high water disperse ability of BN is also studied. The ultra-high disperse ability which is a result of structural deformation make these nanostructures very useful in BNCT. Cytotoxicity studies on various cell lines (Hela(cervical cancer), human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7)) show that the synthesized nanostructures can be used for BNCT.

Preferentially grown nanostructured iron disulfide (FeS2) for removal of industrial pollutants

Preferentially grown nanostructured materials show extraordinary properties even compared with their nanostructured counterparts. The present study deals with a preferentially grown iron disulfide (FeS2) pyrite phase. Pyrite (111) shows high catalytic activity towards methylene blue (MB) and a textile dye (Synazol Yellow K-HL). In the present study, pyrite (111) was successfully synthesized using a low cost effective hydrothermal method and then employed as a photocatalyst for degradation of methylene blue as well as the textile dye Synazol Yellow K-HL. The structural, morphological and optical features of the synthesized FeS2 material were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The as synthesized powder was also characterized by Raman spectroscopy to confirm the pyrite phase formation. The dye degradation is based on a mechanism involving reactive oxygen species produced from a photo Fenton like process. The maximum degradation efficiency of a methylene blue dye solution and the textile dye Synazol Yellow K-HL was 95.90% and 99.29%, respectively, after 120 minutes with a 1 g L−1 FeS2 catalyst dose. This work proposes a vision to develop transition metal based photocatalysts for degradation of harmful organic contaminants present in waste water and for many other environment friendly applications.

Nanostructured BN–TiO2 composite with ultra-high photocatalytic activity

Boron nitride and titanium oxide composite (BN–TiO2) photocatalyst endowed with high specific surface area and large pore size was synthesized by ice bath method. These large pore sizes in the materials (pore diameter 43.88 A) were conducive to the movement of larger molecules or groups in the pore path and for effective use of active sites. The high specific surface area (BET, 103.66 m2 g−1) was beneficial for catalytic oxidation on the surface. In BN–TiO2 composite, the presence of B–O–Ti–O contributed to the pore structure optimization and higher photocatalytic activity with a narrow band gap (2.91 eV). The methylene blue photodegradation rate of BN–TiO2 is 79% in 200 min, higher than that with TiO2 only (32%) in the visible region. This study reports the synthesis of BN–TiO2 photocatalysts with high surface area, large pore size, good photocatalytic performance and reusability. BN–TiO2 has potential applications in practical environmental purification.

Experimental evidence for the potential of lycopene in the management of scopolamine induced amnesia

Dietary intake of tomatoes and tomato products containing lycopene has been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of chronic diseases. Lycopene is a potent hypocholesterolemic agent, anti-atherosclerotic and is anti-cancerous. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lycopene as a cognitive enhancer in scopolamine induced amnesic mice. A total of 108 mice divided into 18 groups were employed in the present study. Lycopene was administered orally in two different doses (5 and 10 mg kg−1) for 15 successive days. Pre-treatment with the tested dose of lycopene (5 and 10 mg kg−1) significantly improved the learning ability and retention of learned memory in elevated plus maze and Hebb–Williams maze, taken as exteroceptive behavioral models. Furthermore, scopolamine induced an increase in brain acetylcholinesterase and oxidative stress, responsible for amnesia, was significantly reduced by both the doses of lycopene. Serum cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were successfully reduced by lycopene. Moreover the anti-amnesic effects of lycopene were well supported by photomicrographs of the hippocampus and cerebral cortex part of brain, whereas severity of cell damage, number of pyknotic black neurons, formation of edema and number of neuronal cell deaths were less comparative to the scopolamine group. The observed effects of lycopene show that it appears to be a promising cognitive enhancer and it would be worthwhile to explore the potential of lycopene in the management of Alzheimers patients.

Some Characterizations of Open, Closed, and Continuous Mappings

We obtain new characterizations of open maps in terms of closures, of closed maps in terms of interiors, and of continuous maps in terms of interiors. Further open (closed) onto maps 𝑓∶𝑋→𝑌 are described in terms of images under 𝑓 of certain closed (open) sets in 𝑋. Continuity of (onto) maps is also characterized in terms of saturated sets.

Gap state related blue light emitting boron-carbon core shell structures

Boron- carbon core shell structures have been synthesized by solvo-thermal synthesis route. The synthesized material is highly pure. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the reduction of reactants in to boron and carbon. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the shell is uniform with average thickness of 340 nm. Photo luminescence studies showed that the material is blue light emitting with CIE color coordinates: x=0.16085, y=0.07554.

Fluorine-doped NiO nanostructures: Structural, morphological and spectroscopic studies

Nanostructured NiO has been prepared by co-precipitation method. In this study, the effect of fluorine doping (1, 3 and 5 wt. %) on the structural, morphological as well as optical properties of NiO nanostructures has been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has employed for studying the structural properties. Cubic crystal structure of NiO was confirmed by the XRD analysis. Crystallite size increased with increase in doping concentration. Nelson-Riley factor (NRF) analysis indicated the presence of defect states in the synthesized samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the spherical morphology of the synthesized samples and also revealed that the particle size varied with dopant content. The optical properties were studied using UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The results indicated that the band gap energy of the synthesized nanostructures decreased with increase in doping concentration upto 3% but increased as the doping concentration was further raised to 5%. This can be ascribed to the defect states variations in the synthesized samples. The results suggested that the synthesized nanostructures are promising candidate for optoelectronic as well as gas sensing applications.Nanostructured NiO has been prepared by co-precipitation method. In this study, the effect of fluorine doping (1, 3 and 5 wt. %) on the structural, morphological as well as optical properties of NiO nanostructures has been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has employed for studying the structural properties. Cubic crystal structure of NiO was confirmed by the XRD analysis. Crystallite size increased with increase in doping concentration. Nelson-Riley factor (NRF) analysis indicated the presence of defect states in the synthesized samples. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed the spherical morphology of the synthesized samples and also revealed that the particle size varied with dopant content. The optical properties were studied using UV-Visible Spectroscopy. The results indicated that the band gap energy of the synthesized nanostructures decreased with increase in doping concentration upto 3% but increased as the doping concentration was further raised to 5%. This can be ascribed to the defe...

Synthesis and characterization of nanostructured titanium carbide for fuel cell applications

Titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by carbo-thermic reaction of titanium and acetone at 800 °C. This method is relatively low temperature synthesis route. It can be used for large scale production of TiC. The synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential thermal analyzer (DTA) techniques. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of single phase TiC. XRD analysis confirmed that the particles are spherical in shape with an average particle size of 13 nm. DTA analysis shows that the phase is stable upto 900 °C and the material can be used for high temperature applications.Titanium carbide (TiC) nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by carbo-thermic reaction of titanium and acetone at 800 °C. This method is relatively low temperature synthesis route. It can be used for large scale production of TiC. The synthesized nanoparticles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential thermal analyzer (DTA) techniques. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of single phase TiC. XRD analysis confirmed that the particles are spherical in shape with an average particle size of 13 nm. DTA analysis shows that the phase is stable upto 900 °C and the material can be used for high temperature applications.