Publications

Amorphous iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs) possess manifold applications in biomedical field owing to their unique physiochemical properties. Herein, a feasible green synthesis of Fe NPs is described employing choline chloride (ChCl) and sucrose (SR) based deep eutectic solvent (DES) as a stabilizing as well as capping agent. Stabilized Fe NPs were attained using precursors like ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O) and ferrous chloride tetrahydrate (FeCl2.4H2O) via co-precipitation method with potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a reducing agent. UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) demonstrated characteristic broad absorption around 400–600 nm which illustrates the emergence of nanoparticles. Micrographs of the prepared material examined by electron microscopies (SEM, TEM), depicts spherical with size ranging from 80 to 180 nm. This was further reinforced with dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. Low magnetization value demonstrated the superparamagnetic behaviour of the amorphous Iron nanoparticles which is notable for biomedical applications such as magnetic hyperthermia and localized drug delivery. Additionally; the characterized Fe NPs degrades rhodamine B (Rh B), a carcinogenic dye upto 96.06% within 30 min under UV light illumination, thus evidencing its usage by scientific community as suitable nanomaterial for dye removal from contaminated water samples. Antibacterial studies of the amorphous Fe NPs showed maximum zone of inhibition and activity index against waterborne pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli. The obtained results showed that the Fe NPs are capable of inhibiting the growth of both Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, cytotoxic effects of amorphous Fe NPs against HCT 116 and CCL 241 cancer cells exhibit dose dependent antiproliferation. The results proved that the amorphous Fe NPs can endure as a potential entrant for waste water management and treatment of cancer.

A Cu₃P nanoarray acts as a durable bifunctional catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrazine oxidation reaction with 100 mA cm⁻²at 0.72 V in 1.0 M KOH.

The rational construction of heterostructures by using layered semiconductors with two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet configurations is promising to improve the efficiency of CO₂ photoreduction. Herein, the fabrication of layered heterojunction photocatalysts (PCN/ZnIn₂ S₄ ) by in situ growth of 2D ZnIn₂ S₄ nanosheets on the surfaces of ultrathin polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) layers is presented for greatly enhanced CO₂ conversion with visible light. The solution-processed self-assembly strategy renders the building of uniform and intimate junctions between PCN layers and ZnIn₂ S₄ subunits, which remarkably accelerates the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. In addition, the layered composites can also promote CO₂ adsorption and strengthen the visible-light absorption. Consequently, the optimized PCN/ZnIn₂ S₄ sheet-shaped composite shows reinforced photoactivity for deoxygenative CO₂ conversion, affording a high CO-production rate of 44.6 μmol h^-1 , which is 223 times higher than that of the pristine PCN nanosheets. Moreover, the heterojunction photocatalyst also exhibits high stability during repeated runs for five cycles.

Recent photocatalytic data for CO2 reduction by H2O using simulated sunlight have shown that, while TiO2 Evonik P25 containing Au nanoparticles (NPs; Au/P25) generates considerably higher amounts of hydrogen than methane, when P25 contains Au–Cu alloy NPs the selectivity toward methane increases dramatically. To gain insight into this photocatalytic behavior, in the present work we have performed a transient absorption spectroscopy study in the microsecond time scale of three samples, namely, Au/P25, Cu/P25, and (Au, Cu)/P25 using 355 (UV) and 532 nm (visible) lasers. The transient spectra exhibit as common features a narrower peak at about 320 nm and a broad band from 400 to 800 nm. Using oxygen as electron quencher and methanol as hole quencher, the transient signals have been assigned to charge separation. Several cases were observed, including: (i) absence of quenching attributed to the lack of accessibility of the quencher to the site, (ii) quenching of the signal, or (iii) increase of the transient signal intensity attributed to less charge recombination by removal of one of the charge carriers. Of relevance to understand the origin of the photocatalytic CO2 reduction by H2O is the quenching of the charge separated state by these two reagents. In this way, it was observed that H2O exerts a remarkable influence to the transient signal, quenching its intensity in the three samples at the two irradiation wavelengths, except for (Au, Cu)/P25 upon 532 nm excitation. Importantly, the distinctive behavior due to the presence of Cu has been attributed to the observed quenching by CO2 of the broad 400–800 nm band when excitation is performed with UV 355 nm light.

Diverticular disease is a common condition that has numerous complications. Understanding the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on these complications, especially diverticulitis, is crucial for optimizing patient care. This study aimed to determine the relationship between type II DM and the complications of colonic diverticulitis. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 158 patients complaining of diverticulitis at Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia, between January 2013 and December 2023. Data on gender, age, and chronic diseases, especially DM, were collected. Data retrieved regarding diverticulitis included the involved segment, complications, Hinchey classification, and management. We classified the patients into groups A for nondiabetics and B for diabetics. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, t tests, and analysis of variance. Diabetic patients were significantly older than their nondiabetic counterparts. Diabetic patients showed a significantly higher complication rate (62.5%) and a higher degree of Hinchey classification compared to nondiabetic patients (43.7%). Furthermore, in comparison to individuals without diabetes, they were hospitalized for a considerably extended period (8.06 ± 7.38 days vs 5.26 ± 5.90 days, respectively). In addition, surgical intervention was observed to be considerably more common in patients with diabetes (46.9%) than in those without diabetes (16.5%). The study showed that DM adversely affected patients with diverticulitis. A greater incidence of complications and a higher category of Hinchey classification were associated with DM compared to nondiabetics. Additionally, diabetics underwent more surgical interventions and had longer hospital stays. Diabetics with diverticulitis require particular care to prevent severe complications.

Building a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer of octadecanethiol on a CoP nanoarray on a titanium mesh (C18@CoP/TM) greatly enhances the N₂ reduction activity with an NH₃ yield of 1.44 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol s⁻¹ cm⁻² and a FE of 14.03% in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄.