Adsorption and bacterial performance of Nd2O3 modified Ag nanoparticles with enhanced degradation of methylene blue

Our study focused on the optical behavior, methylene blue (MB) dye degradation potential, antibacterial performance, and silver and trioxide mineral interaction with different bacterial species. We found that the addition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) resulted in a significant response, with an enlargement of the inhibition zone for bacterial species such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Specifically, the inhibition zone for S. aureus increased from 9.3 ± 0.5 mm for pure Nd2O3 to 16.7 ± 0.4 mm for the Ag/Nd2O3 nano-composite, while for E. coli, it increased from 8.8 ± 0.4 mm for Nd2O3 to 15.9 ± 0.3 mm for Ag/Nd2O3. Furthermore, the optical behavior of the composites showed a clear band-gap narrowing with the addition of Ag NPs, resulting in enhanced electronic localization. The direct and indirect transitions reduced from 6.7 to 6.1 eV and from 5.2 to 2.9 eV, respectively. Overall, these results suggest that the Ag/Nd2O3 nano-composite has potential applications in sensor industries and water treatment, thanks to its enhanced optical behavior, antibacterial performance, and efficient MB degradation capabilities. In terms of MB degradation, the Ag/Nd2O3 mixed system exhibited more efficient degradation compared to pure Nd2O3. After 150 min, the MB concentration in the mixed system decreased to almost half of its starting point, while pure Nd2O3 only reached 33%.

Physical and biological changes of copper oxide and hydroxyapatite filled in polycaprolactone scaffolds: Cellular growth behavior and antibacterial activity

Burns have placed a devastating burden on public health because of leading to an increased risk of infection. Therefore, the development of an effective antibacterial dressing for wound healing is essential. The present work is mainly based on the fabrication of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) films through a simple and cheap process of polymer casting using a novel combination of hydroxyapatite (HAP), cuprous oxide (Cu2O) NPs and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets which have a great effect in preventing colonization and to modify the wound dreasing. The compositions played a key role in decreasing the contact angle of PCL from 47.02° to 11.53°. Further, the cell viability exhibited a viable cell ratio of 81.2% after 3 days of culturing. Moreover, the highest antibacterial activity was obtained from the film of Cu2O@PCl and showed high impact results in antibacterial behavior.

Optical, Thermal, and Electrical Characterization of Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone/Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend Scattered by Tungsten-Trioxide Nanoparticles

The polymeric material polyvinyl pyrrolidine/carboxymethyl cellulose (PVP/CMC) was mixed with different quantities of tungsten-trioxide nanoparticles (WO₃ NPs). The samples were created using the casting method and Pulsed Laser Ablation (PLA). The manufactured samples were analyzed by utilizing various methods. The halo peak of the PVP/CMC was located at 19.65°, confirming its semi-crystalline nature, as shown in the XRD analysis. FT-IR spectra of pure PVP/CMC composite and PVP/CMC composite incorporated with various contents of WO₃ obtained a shift in band locations and change in intensity. Optical band gap was calculated via UV-Vis spectra, which decreased when increasing the laser-ablation time. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) curves showed that samples' thermal stability had improved. The frequency-dependent composite films were used to determine AC conductivity of the generated films. When increasing the content of tungsten-trioxide nanoparticles, both (ε') and (ε'') increased. The incorporation of tungsten trioxide enhanced the ionic conductivity of PVP/CMC/WO₃ nano-composite to a maximum of 10^-8 S/c. It is expected that these studies will have a significant impact on several utilizations, such as energy storage, polymer organic semiconductors, and polymer solar cells.