Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 396 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. Parameterisation and cellular evaluation of poly(ethylene) oxide-coated erbium oxide in MCF-7 cells as MRI diagnostic nanofibres
    Jamil M, Mustafa IS, Sahul Hamid SB, Ahmed NM, Khazaalah TH, Godwin E, et al.
    Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2023 Aug;228:113423.
    PMID: 37390675 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2023.113423
    The novelty of this work is the conjugation of poly(ethylene) oxide (PEO) with the erbium oxide (Er2O3) nanoparticles using the electrospinning technique. In this work, synthesised PEO-coated Er2O3 nanofibres were characterised and evaluated for their cytotoxicity to assess their potential use as diagnostic nanofibres for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PEO has significantly impacted nanoparticle conductivity due to its lower ionic conductivity at room temperature. The findings showed that the surface roughness was improved over the nanofiller loading, implying an improvement in cell attachment. The release profile performed for drug-controlling purposes has demonstrated a stable release after 30 min. Cellular response in MCF-7 cells showed high biocompatibility of the synthesised nanofibres. The cytotoxicity assay results showed that the diagnostic nanofibres had excellent biocompatibility, indicating the feasibility for diagnosis purposes. With excellent contrast performance, the PEO-coated Er2O3 nanofibres developed novel T2 and T1-T2 dual-mode MRI diagnostic nanofibres leading to better cancer diagnosis. In conclusion, this work has demonstrated that the conjugation of PEO-coated Er2O3 nanofibres improved the surface modification of the Er2O3 nanoparticles as a potential diagnostic agent. Using PEO in this study as a carrier or polymer matrix significantly influenced the biocompatibility and internalisation efficiency of the Er2O3 nanoparticles without triggering any morphological changes after treatment. This work has suggested permissible concentrations of PEO-coated Er2O3 nanofibres for diagnostic uses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  2. Fulltext The effect of calcium silicate and ground magnesium limestone (GML) on the chemical characteristics of acid sulfate soil
    Azman EA, Ismail R, Ninomiya S, Jusop S, Tongkaemkaew U
    PLoS One, 2023;18(9):e0290703.
    PMID: 37713375 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290703
    Acid sulfate soil characterized by pyrite (FeS2) which produces high acidity (soil pH < 3.5) and release high amount of Al3+ and Fe2+. Application of 4 t ha-1 Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML), is a common rate used for acid sulfate soil by the rice farmers in Malaysia. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the integral effect of ground magnesium limestone (GML) and calcium silicate and to determine the optimal combination on acid sulfate soils in Malaysia. The acid sulfate soils were incubated under the submerged condition for 120 days with GML (0, 2, 4, 6 t ha-1) in combination with calcium silicate (0, 1, 2, 3 t ha-1) arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The soil was sampled after 30, 60, 90 and 120 days of incubation and analyzed for soil pH, exchangeable Al, Ca, Mg, K and available Si. A total of 2 out of 16 combinations met the desired soil requirement for rice cultivation. The desired chemical soil characteristics for rice cultivation are soil pH > 4, exchangeable Al < 2 cmolc Kg-1, exchangeable Ca > 2 cmolc kg-1, exchangeable Mg > 1 cmolc kg-1 and Si content > 43 mg kg-1. The combinations are i) 2 t ha-1 calcium silicate + 2 t ha-1 GML, and ii) 3 t ha-1 calcium silicate + 2 t ha-1 GML, respectively. These combination rates met the desired requirement of soil chemical characteristics for rice cultivation. Soil acidity was reduced by a gradual release of Ca2+ and SiO32- from calcium silicate continuously filling the exchange sites and reducing the potential of extra (free) H+ availability in the soil system. Combination of calcium silicate and GML, shows the ameliorative effect with; i) release of Ca, ii) binding of Al3+ making it inert Al-hydroxides and, iii) bind H+ to produce water molecules.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sulfur Oxides
  3. Graphene and graphene oxide as a docking station for modern drug delivery system
    Muthoosamy K, Bai RG, Manickam S
    Curr Drug Deliv, 2014;11(6):701-18.
    PMID: 24909150
    Motivated by the success and exhaustive research on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based drug delivery, graphene, a two-dimensional; honey-comb crystal lattice has emerged as the rising star in recent years. Graphene is a flat monolayer of carbon atoms that holds many promising properties such as unparalleled thermal conductivity, remarkable electronic properties, and most intriguingly higher planar surface and superlative mechanical strength, which are attractive in biotechnological applications. Delivery of anti-cancer drugs using graphene and its derivatives has sparked major interest in this emerging field. The anti-cancer therapies often pose a limitation of insolubility, administration problems and cell penetration ability. In addition, systemic toxicity caused by lack of selective targeting towards cancer cells and inefficient distribution limits its clinical applications. Graphene nanocomposite is a promising tool to address these drawbacks. This review will focus on various synthesis and functionalization of graphene and graphene oxide for providing better solubility and targeted drug delivery at cancer cells. A more advanced and 'smart' graphene hybrid nanostructures that have several functionalities such as stimulus-response mediated delivery, imaging at release sites as well as transfection into cancer cells are also presented. A brief description on the challenges and perspectives for future research in this field is also discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides/adverse effects; Oxides/chemistry*
  4. Geochemical and mineralogical assessment of sedimentary limestone mine waste and potential for mineral carbonation
    Mohd Isha NS, Mohd Kusin F, Ahmad Kamal NM, Syed Hasan SNM, Molahid VLM
    Environ Geochem Health, 2021 May;43(5):2065-2080.
    PMID: 33392897 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-020-00784-z
    This paper attempts to evaluate the mineralogical and chemical composition of sedimentary limestone mine waste alongside its mineral carbonation potential. The limestone mine wastes were recovered as the waste materials after mining and crushing processes and were analyzed for mineral, major and trace metal elements. The major mineral composition discovered was calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite [CaMg(CO3)2], alongside other minerals such as bustamite [(Ca,Mn)SiO3] and akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7). Calcium oxide constituted the greatest composition of major oxide components of between 72 and 82%. The presence of CaO facilitated the transformation of carbon dioxide into carbonate form, suggesting potential mineral carbonation of the mine waste material. Geochemical assessment indicated that mean metal(loid) concentrations were found in the order of Al > Fe > Sr > Pb > Mn > Zn > As > Cd > Cu > Ni > Cr > Co in which Cd, Pb and As exceeded some regulatory guideline values. Ecological risk assessment demonstrated that the mine wastes were majorly influenced by Cd as being classified having moderate risk. Geochemical indices depicted that Cd was moderately accumulated and highly enriched in some of the mine waste deposited areas. In conclusion, the limestone mine waste material has the potential for sequestering CO2; however, the presence of some trace metals could be another important aspect that needs to be considered. Therefore, it has been shown that limestone mine waste can be regarded as a valuable feedstock for mineral carbonation process. Despite this, the presence of metal(loid) elements should be of another concern to minimize potential ecological implication due to recovery of this waste material.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides/analysis; Oxides/chemistry
  5. Fulltext Stable and null current hysteresis perovskite solar cells based nitrogen doped graphene oxide nanoribbons hole transport layer
    Kim J, Mat Teridi MA, Mohd Yusoff AR, Jang J
    Sci Rep, 2016 06 09;6:27773.
    PMID: 27277388 DOI: 10.1038/srep27773
    Perovskite solar cells are becoming one of the leading technologies to reduce our dependency on traditional power sources. However, the frequently used component poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (

    PEDOT: PSS) has several shortcomings, such as an easily corroded indium-tin-oxide (ITO) interface at elevated temperatures and induced electrical inhomogeneity. Herein, we propose solution-processed nitrogen-doped graphene oxide nanoribbons (NGONRs) as a hole transport layer (HTL) in perovskite solar cells, replacing the conducting polymer

    PEDOT: PSS. The conversion efficiency of NGONR-based perovskite solar cells has outperformed a control device constructed using

    PEDOT: PSS. Moreover, our proposed NGONR-based devices also demonstrate a negligible current hysteresis along with improved stability. This work provides an effective route for substituting

    PEDOT: PSS as the effective HTL.

    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  6. PVDF-ErGO-GRC electrode: A single setup electrochemical system for separation, pre-concentration and detection of lead ions in complex aqueous samples
    Hamsawahini K, Sathishkumar P, Ahamad R, Yusoff AR
    Talanta, 2016 Feb 1;148:101-7.
    PMID: 26653429 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2015.10.044
    An effective electrode was developed based on electromembrane extraction (EME) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) for simultaneous separation, pre-concentration and determination of lead (II) (Pb(II)) ions in complex aqueous samples. Electrochemically reduced graphene oxide-graphite reinforced carbon (ErGO-GRC) was utilized in conjunction with the SWV. Pb(II) ions were extracted from an aqueous sample solution into an acidic acceptor phase (1M HCl) in the lumen of the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane bag by the application of voltage of maximum 6 V across the supported liquid membrane (SLM), consisting of organic solvent and di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (D2EHPA). The parameters affecting the EME were optimized for Pb(II) ions. The optimum EME conditions were found to be 20% D2EHPA in 1-octanol impregnated in the wall of PVDF membrane (PVDF17) as the SLM, extraction time of 20 min, pH of sample solution of 8 and a voltage of 5 V. The PVDF-ErGO-GRC electrode system attained enrichment factors of 40 times and 80% of extraction with relative standard deviations (n=5) of 8.3%. Good linearity ranging from 0.25 to 2 nM with coefficients correlation of 0.999 was obtained. The Pb(II) ions detection limit of PVDF-ErGO-GRC electrode was found to be 0.09 nM. The newly developed single setup electrochemical system was applied to complex aqueous samples such as tap, river and sea water to evaluate the feasibility of the method for applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  7. Fulltext Graphene oxide electrocatalyst on MnO₂ air cathode as an efficient electron pump for enhanced oxygen reduction in alkaline solution
    Basirun WJ, Sookhakian M, Baradaran S, Endut Z, Mahmoudian MR, Ebadi M, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2015;5:9108.
    PMID: 25765731 DOI: 10.1038/srep09108
    Graphene oxide (GO) was deposited on the surface of a MnO2 air cathode by thermal evaporation at 50°C from a GO colloidal suspension. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed the presence of GO on the MnO2 air cathode (GO-MnO2). Voltammetry and chrono-amperometry showed increased currents for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 6 M KOH solution for GO-MnO2 compared to the MnO2 cathode. The GO-MnO2 was used as an air cathode in an alkaline tin-air cell and produced a maximum power density of 13 mW cm(-2), in contrast to MnO2, which produced a maximum power density of 9.2 mW cm(-2). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results suggest that the chemical step for the ORR is the rate determining step, as proposed earlier by different researchers. It is suggested that the presence of GO and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) on the MnO2 surface are responsible for the increased rate of this step, whereby GO and ERGO accelerate the process of electron donation to the MnO2 and to adsorbed oxygen atoms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  8. Graphene oxide as a structure-directing agent for the two-dimensional interface engineering of sandwich-like graphene-g-C3N4 hybrid nanostructures with enhanced visible-light photoreduction of CO2 to methane
    Ong WJ, Tan LL, Chai SP, Yong ST
    Chem Commun (Camb), 2015 Jan 18;51(5):858-61.
    PMID: 25429376 DOI: 10.1039/c4cc08996k
    A facile one-pot impregnation-thermal reduction strategy was employed to fabricate sandwich-like graphene-g-C3N4 (GCN) nanocomposites using urea and graphene oxide as precursors. The GCN sample exhibited a slight red shift of the absorption band edge attributed to the formation of a C-O-C bond as a covalent cross linker between graphene and g-C3N4. The GCN sample demonstrated high visible-light photoactivity towards CO2 reduction under ambient conditions, exhibiting a 2.3-fold enhancement over pure g-C3N4. This was ascribed to the inhibition of electron-hole pair recombination by graphene, which increased the charge transfer.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  9. Fulltext Solid-phase electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide films in alkaline solution
    Basirun WJ, Sookhakian M, Baradaran S, Mahmoudian MR, Ebadi M
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2013;8(1):397.
    PMID: 24059434 DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-8-397
    Graphene oxide (GO) film was evaporated onto graphite and used as an electrode to produce electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) films by electrochemical reduction in 6 M KOH solution through voltammetric cycling. Fourier transformed infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of ERGO. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy characterization of ERGO and GO films in ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple with 0.1 M KCl supporting electrolyte gave results that are in accordance with previous reports. Based on the EIS results, ERGO shows higher capacitance and lower charge transfer resistance compared to GO.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  10. Fulltext Green synthesis of in situ electrodeposited rGO/MnO2 nanocomposite for high energy density supercapacitors
    Rusi, Majid SR
    Sci Rep, 2015;5:16195.
    PMID: 26537363 DOI: 10.1038/srep16195
    This paper presents the preparation of in situ electrodeposited rGO/MnO2 nanocomposite as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitor application. The work describes and evaluates the performance of prepared electrode via green and facile electrodeposition technique of in situ rGO/MnO2-glucose carbon nanocomposites. The carbon content in the composite electrode increased after GO and D (+) glucose solution has been added in the deposition electrolyte. This study found that a suitable concentration of D (+) glucose in the deposition electrolyte can slow down the nucleation process of MnO2 particles and lead to uniform and ultrathin nanoflakes structure. The optimize electrode exhibited low transfer resistance and resulted on excellent electrochemical performance in three electrolyte systems viz. Na2SO4, KOH and KOH/K3Fe(CN)6 redox electrolytes. The optimum energy density and power density were 1851 Whkg(-1) and 68 kWkg(-1) at current density of 20 Ag(-1) in mixed KOH/K3Fe(CN)6 electrolyte.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  11. A sensitive, selective and rapid determination of lead(II) ions in real-life samples using an electrochemically reduced graphene oxide-graphite reinforced carbon electrode
    Hamsawahini K, Sathishkumar P, Ahamad R, Yusoff AR
    Talanta, 2015 Nov 1;144:969-76.
    PMID: 26452915 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2015.07.049
    In this study, a sensitive and cost-effective electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) on graphite reinforced carbon (GRC) was developed for the detection of lead (Pb(II)) ions present in the real-life samples. A film of graphene oxide (GO) was drop-casted on GRC and their electrochemical properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), amperometry and square wave voltammetry (SWV). Factors influencing the detection of Pb(II) ions, such as grades of GRC, constant applied cathodic potential (CACP), concentration of hydrochloric acid and drop-casting drying time were optimised. GO is irreversibly reduced in the range of -0.7 V to -1.6 V vs Ag/AgCl (3 M) in acidic condition. The results showed that the reduction behaviour of GO contributed to the high sensitivity of Pb(II) ions detection even at nanomolar level. The ErGO-GRC showed the detection limit of 0.5 nM and linear range of 3-15 nM in HCl (1 M). The developed electrode has potential to be a good candidate for the determination of Pb(II) ions in different aqueous system. The proposed method gives a good recovery rate of Pb(II) ions in real-life water samples such as tap water and river water.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  12. Fulltext Photo-induced reduction of graphene oxide coating on optical waveguide and consequent optical intermodulation
    Chong WY, Lim WH, Yap YK, Lai CK, De La Rue RM, Ahmad H
    Sci Rep, 2016 Apr 01;6:23813.
    PMID: 27034015 DOI: 10.1038/srep23813
    Increased absorption of transverse-magnetic (TM)-polarised light by a graphene-oxide (GO) coated polymer waveguide has been observed in the presence of transverse-electric (TE)-polarised light. The GO-coated waveguide exhibits very strong photo-absorption of TE-polarised light--and acts as a TM-pass waveguide polariser. The absorbed TE-polarised light causes a significant temperature increase in the GO film and induces thermal reduction of the GO, resulting in an increase in optical-frequency conductivity and consequently increased optical propagation loss. This behaviour in a GO-coated waveguide gives the action of an inverted optical switch/modulator. By varying the incident TE-polarised light power, a maximum modulation efficiency of 72% was measured, with application of an incident optical power level of 57 mW. The GO-coated waveguide was able to respond clearly to modulated TE-polarised light with a pulse duration of as little as 100 μs. In addition, no wavelength dependence was observed in the response of either the modulation (TE-polarised light) or the signal (TM-polarised light).
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  13. Synthesis of fatty acid methyl ester from the transesterification of high- and low-acid-content crude palm oil (Elaeis guineensis) and karanj oil (Pongamia pinnata) over a calcium-lanthanum-aluminum mixed-oxides catalyst
    Syamsuddin Y, Murat MN, Hameed BH
    Bioresour Technol, 2016 Aug;214:248-52.
    PMID: 27136612 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2016.04.083
    The synthesis of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from the high- and low-acid-content feedstock of crude palm oil (CPO) and karanj oil (KO) was conducted over CaO-La2O3-Al2O3 mixed-oxide catalyst. Various reaction parameters were investigated using a batch reactor to identify the best reaction condition that results in the highest FAME yield for each type of oil. The transesterification of CPO resulted in a 97.81% FAME yield with the process conditions of 170°C reaction temperature, 15:1 DMC-to-CPO molar ratio, 180min reaction time, and 10wt.% catalyst loading. The transesterification of KO resulted in a 96.77% FAME yield with the conditions of 150°C reaction temperature, 9:1 DMC-to-KO molar ratio, 180min reaction time, and 5wt.% catalyst loading. The properties of both products met the ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standard requirements. The above results showed that the CaO-La2O3-Al2O3 mixed-oxide catalyst was suitable for high- and low-acid-content vegetable oil.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  14. Fulltext Investigation on the use of graphene oxide as novel surfactant to stabilize weakly charged graphene nanoplatelets
    Kazi SN, Badarudin A, Zubir MN, Ming HN, Misran M, Sadeghinezhad E, et al.
    Nanoscale Res Lett, 2015;10:212.
    PMID: 25995712 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-015-0882-7
    This paper presents a unique synergistic behavior between a graphene oxide (GO) and graphene nanoplatelet (GnP) composite in an aqueous medium. The results showed that GO stabilized GnP colloid near its isoelectric point and prevented rapid agglomeration and sedimentation. It was considered that a rarely encountered charge-dependent electrostatic interaction between the highly charged GO and weakly charged GnP particles kept GnP suspended at its rapid coagulation and phase separation pH. Sedimentation and transmission electron microscope (TEM) micrograph images revealed the evidence of highly stable colloidal mixtures while zeta potential measurement provided semi-quantitative explanation on the mechanism of stabilization. GnP suspension was confirmed via UV-vis spectral data while contact angle measurement elucidated the close resemblance to an aqueous solution indicating the ability of GO to mediate the flocculation prone GnP colloids. About a tenfold increase in viscosity was recorded at a low shear rate in comparison to an individual GO solution due to a strong interaction manifested between participating colloids. An optimum level of mixing ratio between the two constituents was also obtained. These new findings related to an interaction between charge-based graphitic carbon materials would open new avenues for further exploration on the enhancement of both GO and GnP functionalities particularly in mechanical and electrical domains.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  15. Fulltext Fabrication and Characterization of a CMOS-MEMS Humidity Sensor
    Dennis JO, Ahmed AY, Khir MH
    Sensors (Basel), 2015;15(7):16674-87.
    PMID: 26184204 DOI: 10.3390/s150716674
    This paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor-Microelectromechanical System (CMOS-MEMS) device with embedded microheater operated at relatively elevated temperatures (40 °C to 80 °C) for the purpose of relative humidity measurement. The sensing principle is based on the change in amplitude of the device due to adsorption or desorption of humidity on the active material layer of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles deposited on the moving plate, which results in changes in the mass of the device. The sensor has been designed and fabricated through a standard 0.35 µm CMOS process technology and post-CMOS micromachining technique has been successfully implemented to release the MEMS structures. The sensor is operated in the dynamic mode using electrothermal actuation and the output signal measured using a piezoresistive (PZR) sensor connected in a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The output voltage of the humidity sensor increases from 0.585 mV to 30.580 mV as the humidity increases from 35% RH to 95% RH. The output voltage is found to be linear from 0.585 mV to 3.250 mV as the humidity increased from 35% RH to 60% RH, with sensitivity of 0.107 mV/% RH; and again linear from 3.250 mV to 30.580 mV as the humidity level increases from 60% RH to 95% RH, with higher sensitivity of 0.781 mV/% RH. On the other hand, the sensitivity of the humidity sensor increases linearly from 0.102 mV/% RH to 0.501 mV/% RH with increase in the temperature from 40 °C to 80 °C and a maximum hysteresis of 0.87% RH is found at a relative humidity of 80%. The sensitivity is also frequency dependent, increasing from 0.500 mV/% RH at 2 Hz to reach a maximum value of 1.634 mV/% RH at a frequency of 12 Hz, then decreasing to 1.110 mV/% RH at a frequency of 20 Hz. Finally, the CMOS-MEMS humidity sensor showed comparable response, recovery, and repeatability of measurements in three cycles as compared to a standard sensor that directly measures humidity in % RH.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  16. Fulltext Enhanced Evaporation Strength through Fast Water Permeation in Graphene-Oxide Deposition
    Tong WL, Ong WJ, Chai SP, Tan MK, Hung YM
    Sci Rep, 2015;5:11896.
    PMID: 26100977 DOI: 10.1038/srep11896
    The unique characteristic of fast water permeation in laminated graphene oxide (GO) sheets has facilitated the development of ultrathin and ultrafast nanofiltration membranes. Here we report the application of fast water permeation property of immersed GO deposition for enhancing the performance of a GO/water nanofluid charged two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT). By benchmarking its performance against a silver oxide/water nanofluid charged TPCT, the enhancement of evaporation strength is found to be essentially attributed to the fast water permeation property of GO deposition instead of the enhanced surface wettability of the deposited layer. The expansion of interlayer distance between the graphitic planes of GO deposited layer enables intercalation of bilayer water for fast water permeation. The capillary force attributed to the frictionless interaction between the atomically smooth, hydrophobic carbon structures and the well-ordered hydrogen bonds of water molecules is sufficiently strong to overcome the gravitational force. As a result, a thin water film is formed on the GO deposited layers, inducing filmwise evaporation which is more effective than its interfacial counterpart, appreciably enhanced the overall performance of TPCT. This study paves the way for a promising start of employing the fast water permeation property of GO in thermal applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  17. Co3O4 nanocube-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon foam as an enhanced 3-dimensional hierarchical catalyst for activating Oxone to degrade sulfosalicylic acid
    Lin XR, Kwon E, Hung C, Huang CW, Oh WD, Lin KA
    J Colloid Interface Sci, 2021 Feb 15;584:749-759.
    PMID: 33176929 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.09.104
    As sulfosalicylic acid (SUA) is extensively used as a pharmaceutical product, discharge of SUA into the environment becomes an emerging environmental issue because of its low bio-degradability. Thus, SO4--based advanced oxidation processes have been proposed for degrading SUA because of many advantages of SO4-. As Oxone represents a dominant reagent for producing SO4-, and Co is the most capable metal for activating Oxone to generate SO4-, it is critical to develop an effective but easy-to-use Co-based catalysts for Oxone activation to degrade SUA. Herein, a 3D hierarchical catalyst is specially created by decorating Co3O4 nanocubes (NCs) on macroscale nitrogen-doped carbon form (NCF). This Co3O4-decorated NCF (CONCF) is free-standing, macroscale and even squeezable to exhibit interesting and versatile features. More importantly, CONCF consists of Co3O4 NCs evenly distributed on NCF without aggregation. The NCF not only serves as a support for Co3O4 NCs but also offers additional active sites to synergistically enhance catalytic activities towards Oxone activation. Therefore, CONCF exhibits a higher catalytic activity than the conventional Co3O4 nanoparticles for activating Oxone to fully eliminate SUA in 30 min with a rate constant of 0.142 min-1. CONCF exhibits a much lower Ea value of SUA degradation (35.2 kJ/mol) than reported values, and stable catalytic activities over multi-cyclic degradation of SUA. The mechanism of SUA degradation is also explored, and degradation intermediates of SUA degradation are identified to provide a possible pathway of SUA degradation. These features validate that CONCF is certainly a promising 3D hierarchical catalyst for enhanced Oxone activation to degrade SUA. The findings obtained here are also insightful to develop efficient heterogeneous Oxone-activating catalysts for eliminating emerging contaminants.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  18. Fulltext Experimental Study of Loop Heat Pipe Performance with Nanofluids
    Muhammad Arif Bin Harun, Prem A/L Gunnasegaran, Nor Azwadi Che Sidik
    Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2019;52(1):13-27.
    MyJurnal
    Heat pipes are widely used in various industries such as automotive, electronics, and many more. Heat pipes are used as cooling devices for electronic parts in machines that emit a large amount of heat, which can damage the devices. The heat pipes used in this investigation are loop heat pipes. These pipes can transport heat over a long distance and operate against gravity. The working fluid used in this investigation is nanofluid. Nanofluid is one of the types of working fluid that is considered to have better thermal performance than conventional fluids. Nanofluid is made of nanoparticles with base-fluid. This investigation studies the thermal performance of loop heat pipes using different types of nanofluids. Nanofluid fluids used in this study are diamond nanofluid, aluminium oxide nanofluid and silica oxide nanofluid. The effect of mass concentration of nanoparticles in the base-fluid is also studied. The results showed that as the mass concentration of nanofluids increased, the thermal resistance for diamond nanofluid and aluminium oxide nanofluid decreased, but the opposite occurred for silica oxide nanofluid but still better resultsthan pure water. This shows that diamond and aluminium oxide nanofluids shows better thermal conductivity as it has lower total thermal resistance and thermal enhancement rate compared to other nanofluids. Diamond nanofluid also had higher heat capacity than aluminium oxide nanofluid as it had a lower vapour line temperature reading.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  19. Enhancing the Efficiency of a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Based on a Metal Oxide Nanocomposite Gel Polymer Electrolyte
    Saidi NM, Omar FS, Numan A, Apperley DC, Algaradah MM, Kasi R, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2019 Aug 21;11(33):30185-30196.
    PMID: 31347822 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b07062
    To overcome the critical limitations of liquid-electrolyte-based dye-sensitized solar cells, quasi-solid-state electrolytes have been explored as a means of addressing long-term device stability, albeit with comparatively low ionic conductivities and device performances. Although metal oxide additives have been shown to augment ionic conductivity, their propensity to aggregate into large crystalline particles upon high-heat annealing hinders their full potential in quasi-solid-state electrolytes. In this work, sonochemical processing has been successfully applied to generate fine Co3O4 nanoparticles that are highly dispersible in a PAN:P(VP-co-VAc) polymer-blended gel electrolyte, even after calcination. An optimized nanocomposite gel polymer electrolyte containing 3 wt % sonicated Co3O4 nanoparticles (PVVA-3) delivers the highest ionic conductivity (4.62 × 10-3 S cm-1) of the series. This property is accompanied by a 51% enhancement in the apparent diffusion coefficient of triiodide versus both unmodified and unsonicated electrolyte samples. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on PVVA-3 displays a power conversion efficiency of 6.46% under AM1.5 G, 100 mW cm-2. By identifying the optimal loading of sonochemically processed nanoparticles, we are able to generate a homogenous extended particle network that effectively mobilizes redox-active species through a highly amorphous host matrix. This effect is manifested in a selective 51% enhancement in photocurrent density (JSC = 16.2 mA cm-2) and a lowered barrier to N719 dye regeneration (RCT = 193 Ω) versus an unmodified solar cell. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the highest known efficiency to date for dye-sensitized solar cells based on a sonicated Co3O4-modified gel polymer electrolyte. Sonochemical processing, when applied in this manner, has the potential to make meaningful contributions toward the ongoing mission to achieve the widespread exploitation of stable and low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
  20. Fulltext Hierarchical Bimetallic AgPt Nanoferns as High-Performance Catalysts for Selective Acetone Hydrogenation to Isopropanol
    Mawarnis ER, Ali Umar A, Tomitori M, Balouch A, Nurdin M, Muzakkar MZ, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2018 Sep 30;3(9):11526-11536.
    PMID: 31459253 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b01268
    A combinative effect of two or more individual material properties, such as lattice parameters and chemical properties, has been well-known to generate novel nanomaterials with special crystal growth behavior and physico-chemical performance. This paper reports unusually high catalytic performance of AgPt nanoferns in the hydrogenation reaction of acetone conversion to isopropanol, which is several orders higher compared to the performance shown by pristine Pt nanocatalysts or other metals and metal-metal oxide hybrid catalyst systems. It has been demonstrated that the combinative effect during the bimetallisation of Ag and Pt produced nanostructures with a highly anisotropic morphology, i.e., hierarchical nanofern structures, which provide high-density active sites on the catalyst surface for an efficient catalytic reaction. The extent of the effect of structural growth on the catalytic performance of hierarchical AgPt nanoferns is discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oxides
Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links