Electrochromic Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered WO₃ Thin Films Prepared by Neon as Sputter Gas

Electrochromic phenomenon is an emerging technology for renewable energy applications. Several material oxides used for the electrochromic application, the tungsten oxide (WO₃) has shown good coloration efficiency (CE). Present manuscript, we are reporting the results of the coloration efficiency of DC magnetron sputtered WO₃ films for electrochromic applications (thicknesses 190 nm to 700 nm) with sputter gas neon at 300 K. Hydrogen and Lithium ions have been intercalated into WO₃ lattice for coloration. The CE value is increasing with increase of thickness of WO₃ thin films; CE for 700 nm thick films are: 87 cm²/C and 137 cm²/C for H⁺ and Li⁺ respectively. The coloration efficiency (CE) observed to be increasing with wavelength. The maximum efficiency of the hydrogen intercalated neon sputtered films achieved at 860 nm wavelength is about 129.9 cm²/C and for the lithium intercalatedWO₃ films the maximum efficiency achieved at 780 nm with 238.5 cm²/C. These neon sputtered WO₃ thin films show good stability of coloration efficiency even after 500 cycles of coloring and bleaching cycles. The work function of the colored and transparent states of WO₃ thin films are 4.513 eV and 4.755 eV respectively. Finally we have fabricated the electrochromic device (ECD) prepared with nafion thin film as an ion conducting layer and the ECD has shown a maximum coloration efficiency (CE) of 112.1 cm²/C.

Botryotrichum indicum A. Subrahm. sp.nov

Morphological characters of <i>Botryotrichum indicum</i> are presented.

Studies on Thermoascus aurantiacus Miehe

<i>Thermoascus aurantiacus</i> bas been shown to be widely distributed in India on various substrates. Its growth characters at three different temperatures and five pH values have been studied. Its carbon and nitrogen requirements have been investigated at two different temperatures. Preliminary investigations showed that none of the isolates included in the present study are pathogenic.

Thielavia achromatica A. Subrahm. sp. nov

Morphological characters and temperature relations of <i>T. achromatica</i> sp. nov. are presented.

Efficacy of titanium doped-indium tin oxide (Ti/TiO2–ITO) films in rapid oxygen generation under photocatalysis and their suitability for bio-medical application

Fabrication of novel titanium doped ITO films and understanding the mechanism for effective photocatalytic oxygen generation for artificial lung-assistive devices.

Quantification of photocatalytic oxygenation of human blood

Photocatalytic oxygenation of human blood is an emerging concept based on the principle of photocatalytic splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen. This communication reports: (i) a design of a photocatalytic cell (PC) that separates the blood from UV (incident) radiation source, (ii) a pH, temperature and flow controlled circuit designed for quantifying the oxygenation of human blood by photocatalysis and (iii) measuring the current efficacy of ITO/TiO2 nano thin films in oxygenating human blood in a dynamic circuit in real time. The average increase in oxygen saturation was around 5% above baseline compared to control (p<0.0005). We believe this is one of the first attempts to quantify photocatalytic oxygenation of human blood under controlled conditions.

Growth of InN nanocrystalline films by activated reactive evaporation

InN films are grown on silicon and glass substrates by radio frequency (rf) activated reactive evaporation. High purity indium (99.99) is evaporated by resistive heating in the presence of nitrogen plasma. X-ray diffraction shows that the film deposited at low rf plasma powers (< or =100 W) are indium rich and further increase in the rf power formation of InN take place. The average crystallite size was found varying from 8 nm to 20 nm as the power increases from 200 to 400 W. The diffraction pattern shows the polycrystalline nature of InN films. The band gap obtained from the transmission spectra show an increase in the band gap with the increase in rf power which can be attributed to variation of nitrogen: indium stoichiometry. The Raman spectra shows wurtzite nature of the film and the photoluminescence measurements show a weak peak around 1.81 eV for the film grown at 400 W. Plasma diagnostics has been carried out in order to understand the role of active species in the process. The large shift in the band gap is attributed to Moss-Burstein shift and presence of residual oxygen in the film.

Oxygenation of Human Blood Using Photocatalytic Reaction

This report, as a proof of concept, presents the results of oxygenation of human blood using photocatalytic reaction (at lambda = 352 nm) involving the semiconductor thin film junction: tin doped indium oxide (ITO)/nano titanium oxide (TiO2 in anatase structure). These thin films were prepared at room temperature (300 K) on quartz, using reactive DC Magnetron sputtering techniques from pure metallic targets. The results indicate that when 10.0 mL of blood was exposed to ITO/nano TiO2 (14.32 cm surface area) at a wavelength of 352 nm for 120 minutes, the absolute increase in the whole blood oxygen content was 10.13 mL of oxygen per 100.0 mL of blood. This experiment, to our knowledge, is the first of its kind on human blood.

Development and application of an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for aflatoxin m(1) in milk and milk-based confectionery

High-titer rabbit polyclonal antibodies to aflatoxin M(1) (AFM1) were produced by utilizing AFM1-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate as an immunogen. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was standardized for estimating AFM1 in milk and milk products. To avoid the influence of interfering substances present in the milk samples, it was necessary to prepare AFM1 standards in methanol extracts of certified reference material (CRM) not containing detectable AFM1 (< 0.05 ng/g). The reliability of the procedure was assessed by using CRM with AFM1 concentrations of < 0.5 and 0.76 ng/g. Also, assays of milk samples mixed with AFM1 ranging in concentration between 0.5 and 50 ng/L gave recoveries of > 93%. The relative cross-reactivity with aflatoxins (AF) and ochratoxin A, assessed as the amount of AFM1 necessary to cause 50% inhibition of binding, was 5% for AFB1 and much less for AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2; there was no reaction with ochratoxin A. AFM1 contamination was measured in retail milk and milk products collected from rural and periurban areas in Andhra Pradesh, India. Of 280 milk samples tested, 146 were found to contain < 0.5 ng/mL of AFM1; in 80 samples it varied from 0.6 to 15 ng/mL, in 42 samples from 16 to 30 ng/mL, and in 12 samples from 31 to 48 ng/mL. Most of the milk samples that contained high AFM1 concentrations were obtained from periurban locations. The results revealed a significant exposure of humans to AFM1 levels in India and thus highlight the need for awareness of risk among milk producers and consumers.

Thermomucor indicae-seudaticae on human skin

Thermomucor indicae-seudaticae Subrahmanyam et al. was found for the first time growing as commensal associated with pityriasis versicolor on the skin of a 25-year-old man living in a small village near Pune, Maharastra, India. The clinical observations and morphological characters are presented. A small percentage of zygospores was found to germinate in situ but further stages of development could not be found.