Biocompatible antimicrobial cotton fibres for healthcare industries: a biogenic approach for synthesis of bio‐organic‐coated silver nanoparticles

Cotton fibres coated with biogenically fabricated silver nanoparticles (SNPs) are most sought material because of their enhanced activity and biocompatibility. After successful synthesis of SNPs on cotton fibres using leaf extract of Vitex negundo Linn, the fibres were studied using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, energy dispersive X‐ray, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The characterisation revealed uniformly distributed spherical agglomerates of SNPs having individual particle size around 50 nm with the deposition load of 423 μg of silver per gram of cotton. Antimicrobial assay of cotton–SNPs fibres showed effective performance against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The method is biogenic, environmentally benign, rapid, and cost‐effective, producing highly biocompatible antimicrobial coating required for the healthcare industry.Inspec keywords: cotton, health care, nanoparticles, coatings, silver, fibres, nanofabrication, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray chemical analysis, atomic emission spectroscopy, plasma applications, microorganisms, biotechnologyOther keywords: biocompatible antimicrobial cotton fibre coating, healthcare industry, bioorganic‐coated silver nanoparticle synthesis, biogenically fabricated silver nanoparticle, SNP, leaf extraction, Vitex negundo Linn, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, uniformly distributed spherical agglomerate, antimicrobial assay, pathogenic bacteria, fungi, Ag     

In vitro biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of chitin monomer obtain from hollow fiber membrane

This study for the first time shows the effective utilization and production of chitin monomers at laboratory level, with immense potential for its biomedical application. Low molecular weight (LMW) N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is prepared by depolymerization of chitin using chemical method coupled with a physical separation method. A novel filtration strategy exploiting polysulfone hollow fiber membrane is used for the preparation of GlcNAc particles with 94% yield within 8.5 ± 0.5 h. This high efficiency is analyzed using high-pressure liquid chromatography. The GlcNAc obtained was further analyzed using dynamic light scattering, first derivative Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The antimicrobial properties of GlcNAc, chitin, and GlcNAc/chitin mixture were investigated using minimal inhibitory concentration against S. aureus and E. coli. Bacteriostatic property was exhibited by high molecular weight chitin, while GlcNAc and GlcNAc/chitin mixture (LMW) demonstrated bactericidal activity. Blood biocompatibility below 0.25 g/ml and cytocompatibility with NIH3T3 fibroblast cells and the proliferative efficacy suggested its utilization and suitability of these particles in biological applications.     

Miscibility and fracture toughness of thermoplastic polyurethane/poly(vinyl chloride)/nitrile rubber ternary blends with special reference to the blend composition

Ternary blends of thermoplastic polyurethane and a poly(vinyl chloride)/nitrile rubber blend were investigated in this work. The blends, with weight ratios of 100/0, 80/20, 40/60, 60/40, 80/20, and 0/100, were prepared via melt blending. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that the blends with ratios of 20/80 and 80/20 were miscible, whereas the 40/60 and 60/40 blends were partially miscible. IR spectroscopy studies showed shifts in the peaks due to specific interactions in the blends. The blends showed degradation behavior between the blend components. The fracture toughness was investigated with the J‐integral by the locus method; the components and the miscible blends had good fracture toughness, whereas the other blends had lower toughness. Similar behavior was observed for the tensile properties. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed the morphological variations in the blends. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 1763–1770, 2005     

Polyaniline–CdS nanocomposites: effect of camphor sulfonic acid doping on structural, microstructural, optical and electrical properties

Nanocomposites of CdS nanocrystals with conducting polyaniline doped with camphor sulfonic acid (CSA) have been prepared by spin coating technique and investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–visible spectroscopy and electrical transport method. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed broad peaks due to formation of nanoparticles of CdS in polyaniline matrix. FESEM showed that the transformation of morphology from agglomeration to nanopetals. The FTIR spectra confirmed the interaction between CSA and polyaniline (PANi)–CdS nanocomposite. The UV–visible spectrums revealed the enhancement of doping level for the PANi–CdS nanocomposites which is assigned to the existence of greater number of charges on the polymer backbone. DC electrical conductivity studies showed an increase in conductivity of PANi–CdS nanocomposites from 6.9?×?10^?6 to 3.14?×?10^?4 due to addition of CSA (10–50?%).     

A few CMOS transconductors optimized for low power and wide band operation

Maximizing the bandwidth of operation relative to dc power dissipation in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transconductors has been addressed in this article. It is proposed that the ac transconductance-to-dc power dissipation ratio is an appropriate objective function in this case. The general nature of the objective function is examined first. CMOS transconductors with two and four MOS working transistors are analyzed next. For structures of each kind, the ac transconductance-to-dc power dissipation ratio is maximized, and the optimal set of voltage variables is evaluated. For four-MOS structures with differential input signals, it is revealed that the choice of signal phase influences the objective function. The results of theoretical analyses are exhaustively tabulated. Numerical simulations are used to bring out the significance of the analytical expressions. This facilitates a comparison among several transconductors regarding the best possible ac transconductance-to-dc power dissipation ratio. These results are combined with HSPICE simulation results to suggest a few transconductor structures that are optimum with reference to the operation over wide bandwidths with lower power dissipation, high linearity and low harmonic distortion.The research was supported by grant no. N485 awarded to Dr. R. Raut by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.     

Selective transport of radio-cesium by supported liquid membranes containing calix[4]crown-6 ligands as the mobile carrier

Facilitated transport of Cs-137 across supported liquid membranes (SLM) containing a calix-crown ligand viz. caliz[4]arene-bis(crown-6) (CC), calix[4]arene-bis(o-benzocrown-6) (CBC) or calix[4]arene-bis(napthocrown-6) (CNC) was investigated. The feed consisted of dilute nitric acid solutions while the carrier solutions contained mainly CNC in several organic diluents inside the pores of polypropylene (PP) as well as PTFE flat sheet membranes. PTFE membranes containing CNC in a diluent mixture of 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) and n-dodecane were found to have high stability. Selectivity studies were carried out using simulated high level waste (SHLW) as well as fission products obtained from an irradiated natural uranium target.     

Extraction of Uranyl Ion Using 2-Thenoyltrifluoro Acetone (HTTA) in Room Temperature Ionic Liquids

The extraction of UO₂²⁺ ion was studied using six different solvent systems containing 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (HTTA) in room temperature ionic liquids such as [C_nmim][X] (where, n = 4, 6, or 8 and X^? = PF₆^? or NTf₂^?) from low to moderate pH solutions for the first time. The extraction kinetics studies indicated rather slow attainment of equilibrium which in some cases improved if the solutions were pre-equilibrated with the aqueous phase prior to the actual experiments. The D_U values were found to increase with increasing pH and leading to a plateau like profile at higher pH values. The D values were quite high as compared to that obtained with molecular diluents. The nature of the extracted species was ascertained by slope analysis method which suggested species of the type: UO₂(TTA)⁺_IL, UO₂(TTA)_2,IL, and UO₂(TTA)₂(HTTA)_IL in different ionic liquid based solvents. Temperature variation studies on UO₂²⁺ ion extraction were also carried out and the thermodynamic parameters were calculated which indicated high endothermicity of the reactions with large positive entropy values.     

Novel method of fabrication of polyaniline–CdS nanocomposites: Structural,morphological and optoelectronic properties

Polyaniline–CdS nanocomposites have been synthesized by spin coating technique. The nanocrystalline CdS powder of particle size 40–50 nm was synthesized by sol–gel technique and the polyaniline was synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline. The composite films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field effect scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis spectroscopy and Four probe method. The results were compared with corresponding data on pure polyaniline films. The intensity of diffraction peaks for PANi–CdS composites is lower than that for CdS. The conductivity measurement shows that molecular chain constitution of polyaniline is the most important carrier in polyaniline–CdS nano composite. The optical studies showed that variation in band gap of polyaniline (3.40 eV) to 2.54 eV CdS which is attributed to the interaction of CdS nanoparticles with PANi molecular chains.     

Room temperature H2S gas sensing characteristics of platinum (Pt) coated porous alumina (PoAl) thick films

The study reports H₂S gas sensing characteristics of platinum (Pt) coated porous alumina (PoAl) films. The porous alumina (PoAl) thick layers were formed in the dark on aluminum substrates using an electrochemical anodization method. Thin semitransparent platinum (Pt) films were deposited on PoAl samples using chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The films were characterized using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thicknesses of coated and bare films were measured using ellipsometry. The sensing properties such as sensitivity factor (S.F.), response time, recovery time and repeatability were measured using a static gas sensing system for H₂S gas. The EDAX studies confirmed the purity of Pt–PoAl film and indicated the formation of pure platinum (Pt) phase. The ellipsometry studies revealed the thickness of PoAl layer of about 15–17 μm on aluminum substrates. The SEM studies demonstrated uniform distribution of spherical pores with a size between 0.250 and 0.500 μm for PoAl film and nearly spherical platinum particles with average particle size ∼100 nm for Pt–PoAl film. The gas-sensing properties of these samples were studied in a home-built static gas characterization system. The H₂S gas sensing properties of Pt–PoAl at 1000 ppm of H₂S gave maximum sensitivity factor (S.F.) = 1200. The response time and recovery time were found to be 2–3 min and ∼1 min respectively. Further, the measurement of H₂S gas sensing properties clearly indicated the repeatability of gas sensing response of Pt–PoAl film. The present study indicated the significant potential of Pt coated PoAl films for H₂S gas sensing applications in diverse areas.