Biofunctionalized surface-modified silver nanoparticles for gene delivery

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) find use in different biomedical applications including wound healing and cancer. We propose that the efficacy of the nanoparticles can be further augmented by using these particles for gene delivery applications. The objective of this work was to engineer biofunctionalized stable AgNPs with good DNA binding ability for efficient transfection and minimal toxicity. Herein, we report on the one-pot facile green synthesis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) stabilized chitosan-g-polyacrylamide modified AgNPs. The size of the PEG stabilized AgNPs was 38 +/- 4 nm with a tighter size distribution compared to the unstabilized nanoparticles which showed bimodal distribution of particle sizes of 68 +/- 5 nm and 7 +/- 4 nm. To enhance the efficiency of gene transfection, the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) peptide was immobilized on the silver nanoparticles. The transfection efficiency of AgNPs increased significantly after immobilization of the RGDS peptide reaching up to 42 +/- 4% and 30 +/- 3% in HeLa and A549 cells, respectively, and significantly higher than 34 +/- 3% and 23 +/- 2%, respectively, with the use of polyethyleneimine (25 kDa). These nanoparticles were found to induce minimal cellular toxicity. Differences in cellular uptake mechanisms with RGDS immobilization resulting in improved efficiency are elucidated. This study presents biofunctionalized AgNPs for potential use as efficient nonviral carriers for gene delivery with minimal cytotoxicity toward augmenting the therapeutic efficacy of AgNPs used in different biomedical products.

Optical and dielectric study of strontium modified barium zirconium titanate ceramic prepared by high energy ball milling

Strontium modified barium zirconium titanate with general formula Ba1-xSrxZr0.05Ti0.95O3 ceramics have been prepared by solid state and high energy ball milling technique. The X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement studies show that all the compositions have single phase symmetry. The composition BaZr0.05Ti0.95O3 shows orthorhombic symmetric with space group Amm2. The structure changes from orthorhombic to tetragonal with strontium doping up to x = 0.3 and with further addition, changes to cubic. The scanning electron micrographs show that the grain size decreases with increase in strontium content. The temperature dependent dielectric behavior shows three phase transition in the parent material which merges with an increase in Sr content The transition temperature and dielectric constant decreases with an increase in Sr concentration. The phase transition becomes more diffused with increment in doping concentration. The ferroelectric behavior of the ceramics is studied by the hysteresis loop. The optical behavior is studied by the UV-visible spectroscopy and found that the optical band gap increases with Sr concentration. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ir nanoparticles-anchored reduced graphene oxide as a catalyst for oxygen electrode in Li-O-2 cells

Iridium nanoparticles-anchored reduced graphene oxide (Ir-RGO) was prepared by simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide and Ir3+ ions and its catalytic activity for oxygen electrode in Li-O-2 cells was demonstrated. Ir particles with an average size of 3.9 nm were uniformly distributed on RGO sheets. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied on an Ir-RGO catalyst in non-aqueous electrolytes using cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode techniques. Li-O-2 cells with Ir-RGO as a bifunctional oxygen electrode catalyst were subjected to charge-discharge cycling at several current densities. A discharge capacity of 9529 mA h g(-1) (11.36 mA h cm(-2)) was obtained initially at a current density of 0.5 mA cm(-2) (393 mA g(-1)). A decrease in capacity was observed on increasing the current density. Although there was a decrease in capacity on repeated discharge-charge cycling initially, a stable capacity was observed for about 30 cycles. The results suggest that Ir-RGO is a useful catalyst for rechargeable Li-O-2 cells.

A modified auxiliary excitation signal for achieving unidirectional ion ejection in quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometers operating in the resonance ejection mode

This paper proposes a technique to cause unidirectional ion ejection in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer operated in the resonance ejection mode. In this technique a modified auxiliary dipolar excitation signal is applied to the endcap electrodes. This modified signal is a linear combination of two signals. The first signal is the nominal dipolar excitation signal which is applied across the endcap electrodes and the second signal is the second harmonic of the first signal, the amplitude of the second harmonic being larger than that of the fundamental. We have investigated the effect of the following parameters on achieving unidirectional ion ejection: primary signal amplitude, ratio of amplitude of second harmonic to that of primary signal amplitude, different operating points, different scan rates, different mass to charge ratios and different damping constants. In all these simulations unidirectional ejection of destabilized ions has been successfully achieved. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A modified approach to numerical solution of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind

A modified approach to obtain approximate numerical solutions of Fredholin integral equations of the second kind is presented. The error bound is explained by the aid of several illustrative examples. In each example, the approximate solution is compared with the exact solution, wherever possible, and an excellent agreement is observed. In addition, the error bound in each example is compared with the one obtained by the Nystrom method. It is found that the error bound of the present method is smaller than the ones obtained by the Nystrom method. Further, the present method is successfully applied to derive the solution of an integral equation arising in a special Dirichlet problem. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Imprint of modified Einstein's gravity on white dwarfs: Unifying Type Ia supernovae

We establish the importance of modified Einstein's gravity (MG) in white dwarfs (WDs) for the first time in the literature. We show that MG leads to significantly sub- and super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass WDs, depending on a single model parameter. However, conventional WDs on approaching Chandrasekhar's limit are expected to trigger Type Ia supernovae (SNeIa), a key to unravel the evolutionary history of the universe. Nevertheless, observations of several peculiar, under-and over-luminous SNeIa argue for the limiting mass widely different from Chandrasekhar's limit. Explosions of MG induced sub-and super-Chandrasekhar limiting mass WDs explain under-and over-luminous SNeIa respectively, thus unifying these two apparently disjoint sub-classes. Our discovery questions both the global validity of Einstein's gravity and the uniqueness of Chandrasekhar's limit.

Amine Functionalized polyaniline grafted to exfoliated graphite oxide: Synthesis, characterization and multi-element sensor studies

An amine functionalized polyaniline (AMPANI) derivative has been grafted onto exfoliated graphite oxide (EGO). The synthesis involved the in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization of functionalized aniline monomer in the presence of EGO with diaminobenzene acting as a bridging ligand to yield EGAMPANI. The synthesized compound was characterized by FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetric and X-ray diffraction analysis. The EGAMPANI was then used to modify a carbon paste electrode (CPE), which was applied for multi-elemental sensing of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Hg2+ ions using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetty. The limits of detection achieved using the EGAMPANI modified CPE were 22 x 10(-6) M for Hg2+ ion, 1.2 x 10(-6) M for Cd2+ ion and 9.8 x 10(-7) M for Pb2+ ion. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Graphene from a Used Battery Electrode

Graphene was produced by electrochemical exfoliation of a used battery electrode. Aqueous solutions of cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide), anionic (sodium dodecyl sulphate), and nonionic (poly vinyl pyrrolidone) surfactants, along with NaCl and combinations of these surfactants with NaCl, were used as the electrolyte. The following observations were made: (I) up to several micrometer sized graphene sheets were produced, (II) the addition of NaCl into the electrolytes significantly enhanced the yield of the exfoliated graphene, (III) the type of surfactant affected the defect density of the exfoliated product, and (IV) electrochemical impedance spectroscopy provided insight into the reason for the changes in the defect density ratio between the graphene samples.

Photoelectrochemical degradation of eosin yellowish dye on exfoliated graphite-ZnO nanocomposite electrode

In the quest for harnessing more power from the sun for water treatment by photoelectrochemical degradation, we prepared a novel photoanode of exfoliated graphite (EG)-ZnO nanocomposite. The nanocomposite was characterised by X-ray diffractometry, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analyser, thermal gravimetric analyser, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The EG-ZnO nanocomposite was fabricated into a photoanode and applied for the photoelectrochemical degradation of 0.1 x 10(-4) M eosin yellowish dye in 0.1 M Na2SO4 under visible light irradiation. The degradation was monitored with a visible spectrophotometer. The photoelectrochemical degradation process resulted in enhanced degradation efficiency of ca. 93 % with kinetic rate of 11.0 x 10(-3) min(-1) over photolysis and electrochemical oxidation processes which exhibited lower degradation efficiencies of 35 and 40 % respectively.

Growth mechanism of the interdiffusion zone between platinum modified bond coats and single crystal superalloys

Pt-modified beta-NiAl bond coats are applied over the superalloys for oxidation protection in jet engine applications. However, as shown in this study, it also enhances the growth of the interdiffusion zone developed between the bond coat and the superalloy along with brittle precipitates. Location of the Kirkendall plane indicates that a precipitate free sublayer grows from the bond coat, whereas another sublayer grows from the superalloy containing very high volume fraction of precipitates. With increasing Pt content, thickness of both the sublayers increases because of an increase in diffusion rates of the components. Quantitative electron probe microanalysis indicates high concentration of refractory components in the precipitates. Transmission electron microscopy shows that Rene N5 superalloy produces TCP phases mu and P, whereas CMSX-4 superalloy produces mu and sigma in the interdiffusion zone. With increasing Pt content in the bond coat, the average size of the precipitates decreases when coupled with Rene N5. Precipitates become much finer when the same bond coats are coupled with CMSX-4. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical analysis of segmented-electrode Orbitraps

Simple geometries which are possible alternatives for the Orbitrap are studied in this paper. We have taken up for numerical investigation two segmented-electrode structures, ORB1 and ORB2, to mimic the electric field of the Orbitrap. In the ORB1, the inner spindle-like electrode and the outer barrel-like electrode of the Orbitrap have been replaced by 35 rings and 35 discs of fixed radii, respectively. In this structure two segmented end cap electrodes have been added. In this geometry, different potentials are applied to the different electrodes keeping top-bottom symmetry intact. In the second geometry, ORB2, the inner and outer electrodes of the Orbitrap were replaced by an approximate step structure which follows the profile of the Orbitrap electrodes. In the present study 45 steps have been used. In the ORB2, like the Orbitrap, the inner electrode is held at a negative potential and the outer electrode is at ground potential. For the purpose of comparing the performance of ORB1 and ORB2 with that of the Orbitrap, the following studies have been undertaken: (1) variation of electric potential, (2) computation of ion trajectories, (3) simulation of image currents. These studies have been carried out using both 2D and 3D Boundary Element Method (BEM), the 3D BEM was developed specifically for this study. It has been seen in these investigations that ORB1 and ORB2 have performance similar to that of the Orbitrap, with the performance of the ORB1 being seen to be marginally superior to that of the ORB2. It has been shown that with proper optimization, geometries containing far fewer electrodes can be used as mass analyzers. A novel technique of optimization of the electric field has been proposed with the objective of minimizing the dependence of axial frequency of ion motion on the initial position of an ion. The results on the optimization of 9 and 15 segmented-electrode traps having the same design as ORB1 show that it can provide accurate mass analysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CuIn1-xAlxSe2 Thin Films Grown by Co-Sputtering and Modified Selenization: Application in Flexible Solar Cells

Thin films of CuIn1-xAlxSe2 (CIAS) were grown on the flexible 10 micrometer thin stainless steel substrates, by dc co-sputtering from the elemental cathodes, followed by annealing with modified selenization. CuInAl alloyed precursor films were selenized both by noble gas assisted Se vapor transport in a tubular furnace and vacuum evaporation of Se in an evaporation chamber. CIAS thin films were optimized for better adhesion. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the selenized films. The composition of CIAS films was varied by substituting In with Al in CuInSe2 (CIS) from 0 <= x <= 0.65 (x = Al/Al+In). Lattice parameters, average crystallite sizes, and compact density of the films, decreased when compared to CIS and (112) peak shifted to higher Bragg's angle, upon Al incorporation. The dislocation density and strain were found to increase with Al doping. Solar cells with SS/Mo/CIAS/CdS/iZnO: AZnO/Al configuration were fabricated and were tested for current-voltage characteristics for various `x' values, under Air Mass 1.5 Global one sun illumination. The best CIAS solar cell showed the efficiency of 6.8%, with x = 0.13, Eg = 1.17 eV, fill factor 45.04, and short circuit current density J(sc) 30 mA/cm(2).

Growth mechanism of the interdiffusion zone between platinum modified bond coats and single crystal superalloys

Pt-modified beta-NiAl bond coats are applied over the superalloys for oxidation protection in jet engine applications. However, as shown in this study, it also enhances the growth of the interdiffusion zone developed between the bond coat and the superalloy along with brittle precipitates. Location of the Kirkendall plane indicates that a precipitate free sublayer grows from the bond coat, whereas another sublayer grows from the superalloy containing very high volume fraction of precipitates. With increasing Pt content, thickness of both the sublayers increases because of an increase in diffusion rates of the components. Quantitative electron probe microanalysis indicates high concentration of refractory components in the precipitates. Transmission electron microscopy shows that Rene N5 superalloy produces TCP phases mu and P, whereas CMSX-4 superalloy produces mu and sigma in the interdiffusion zone. With increasing Pt content in the bond coat, the average size of the precipitates decreases when coupled with Rene N5. Precipitates become much finer when the same bond coats are coupled with CMSX-4. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical analysis of segmented-electrode Orbitraps

Simple geometries which are possible alternatives for the Orbitrap are studied in this paper. We have taken up for numerical investigation two segmented-electrode structures, ORB1 and ORB2, to mimic the electric field of the Orbitrap. In the ORB1, the inner spindle-like electrode and the outer barrel-like electrode of the Orbitrap have been replaced by 35 rings and 35 discs of fixed radii, respectively. In this structure two segmented end cap electrodes have been added. In this geometry, different potentials are applied to the different electrodes keeping top-bottom symmetry intact. In the second geometry, ORB2, the inner and outer electrodes of the Orbitrap were replaced by an approximate step structure which follows the profile of the Orbitrap electrodes. In the present study 45 steps have been used. In the ORB2, like the Orbitrap, the inner electrode is held at a negative potential and the outer electrode is at ground potential. For the purpose of comparing the performance of ORB1 and ORB2 with that of the Orbitrap, the following studies have been undertaken: (1) variation of electric potential, (2) computation of ion trajectories, (3) simulation of image currents. These studies have been carried out using both 2D and 3D Boundary Element Method (BEM), the 3D BEM was developed specifically for this study. It has been seen in these investigations that ORB1 and ORB2 have performance similar to that of the Orbitrap, with the performance of the ORB1 being seen to be marginally superior to that of the ORB2. It has been shown that with proper optimization, geometries containing far fewer electrodes can be used as mass analyzers. A novel technique of optimization of the electric field has been proposed with the objective of minimizing the dependence of axial frequency of ion motion on the initial position of an ion. The results on the optimization of 9 and 15 segmented-electrode traps having the same design as ORB1 show that it can provide accurate mass analysis. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CuIn1-xAlxSe2 Thin Films Grown by Co-Sputtering and Modified Selenization: Application in Flexible Solar Cells

Thin films of CuIn1-xAlxSe2 (CIAS) were grown on the flexible 10 micrometer thin stainless steel substrates, by dc co-sputtering from the elemental cathodes, followed by annealing with modified selenization. CuInAl alloyed precursor films were selenized both by noble gas assisted Se vapor transport in a tubular furnace and vacuum evaporation of Se in an evaporation chamber. CIAS thin films were optimized for better adhesion. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the selenized films. The composition of CIAS films was varied by substituting In with Al in CuInSe2 (CIS) from 0 <= x <= 0.65 (x = Al/Al+In). Lattice parameters, average crystallite sizes, and compact density of the films, decreased when compared to CIS and (112) peak shifted to higher Bragg's angle, upon Al incorporation. The dislocation density and strain were found to increase with Al doping. Solar cells with SS/Mo/CIAS/CdS/iZnO: AZnO/Al configuration were fabricated and were tested for current-voltage characteristics for various `x' values, under Air Mass 1.5 Global one sun illumination. The best CIAS solar cell showed the efficiency of 6.8%, with x = 0.13, Eg = 1.17 eV, fill factor 45.04, and short circuit current density J(sc) 30 mA/cm(2).