Bishop Heber College

About: Bishop Heber College is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Band gap. The organization has 548 authors who have published 692 publications receiving 7144 citations.

Photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B using cysteine capped ZnO/P(3HB- co -3HHx) fiber under UV and visible light irradiation

Abstract: l-Cysteine capped zinc oxide (CCZ) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by the chemical precipitation method. They were immobilized onto a biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-3HHx)] by electrospinning. ZnO, CCZ and immobilized CCZ were spectrochemically characterized using X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Fourier transform infrared spectra. The surface morphology of the catalyst was studied by scanning electron microscopy technique. The as-synthesized material exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye under both UV and visible light irradiation. The higher photocatalytic activity of the immobilized CCZ in the degradation of RhB was mostly attributed to their web structure with small size. It was found that the immobilized CCZ retained its photocatalytic activity up to three successive catalytic runs, which was found difficult with bare ZnO. Thus, the P(3HB-co-3HHx) support would be useful in immobilizing metal oxide NPs for diverse applications owing to its biodegradability and biocompatibility.

Influence of Mo doping on transparent conducting properties of ZnO films prepared by a simplified spray technique

Abstract: Molybdenum doped zinc oxide films were prepared by simplified spray pyrolysis method at a deposition temperature of 350 °C. Mo doping level in ZnO films were varied from 1 to 4 at.%. X-ray diffraction results reveal that all the films exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along the (002) plane. The crystallite size is found to be varied from 29 to 59 nm with the increase in the Mo content. The film with 1 at.% Mo doping has good electrical properties among all doped samples in terms of the carrier concentration (7.5 × 1019 cm−3), charge carrier mobility (18.2 cm2 V−1 s−1), and a minimum resistivity (2.0 × 10−3 Ω cm). UV–Vis spectrometer results show that all the films are highly transparent in the visible region and the band gap energy of the films varies from 3.19 to 3.14 eV as Mo doping level is increased.

Intermodulation of gut-lung axis microbiome and the implications of biotics to combat COVID-19.

Abstract: The novel coronavirus disease pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has infected millions of people around the world with a surge in transmission and mortality rates. Although it is a respiratory viral infection that affects airway epithelial cells, a diverse set of complications, including cytokine storm, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological distress, and hyperactive immune responses have been reported. However, growing evidence indicates that the bidirectional crosstalk of the gut-lung axis can decipher the complexity of the disease. Though not much research has been focused on the gut-lung axis microbiome, there is a translocation of COVID-19 infection from the lung to the gut through the lymphatic system resulting in disruption of gut permeability and its integrity. It is believed that detailed elucidation of the gut-lung axis crosstalk and the role of microbiota can unravel the most significant insights on the discovery of diagnosis using microbiome-based-therapeutics for COVID-19. This review calls attention to relate the influence of dysbiosis caused by COVID-19 and the involvement of the gut-lung axis. It presents first of its kind details that concentrate on the momentousness of biotics in disease progression and restoration.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Visible light sensitive hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) decorated Fe2O3 photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue

Abstract: The role of the carbon-based two-dimensional (2D) structures such as graphene or graphene oxide on the properties of metal oxide/2D composites materials are extensively studied for the environmental applications like photocatalysis. However, the metal oxide/inorganic 2D structure-based composites are less explored. In this regard, we have explored the α-Fe2O3/inorganic 2D hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) composite as an efficient visible light photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). A systematic investigation on the role of varying the weight percent of hBN on the photocatalytic efficiency for MB degradation under visible light was studied. The α-Fe2O3/(x) hBN (x = 1, 5, 10 wt%) composites were characterized by various analytical and spectroscopic techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bandgap tuning with varying compositions of α-Fe2O3/(x) hBN (x = 1, 5, 10 wt%) were investigated by UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV DRS) and the bandgap values were found to decrease with addition of hBN (1.56 eV for 5 wt%) compared to bare α-Fe2O3 (2.02 eV). The composite α-Fe2O3 with 5 wt% of hBN (FB2) showed an enhanced methylene blue (MB) degradation of ~ 91% with a high rate constant value of 5.03 × 10–4 s−1. This was ~ 3.3 times higher than the rate constant observed for the MB degradation using bare hematite. The material after photocatalysis process was retrieved by simple sedimentation process and reused for four cycles with no loss in degradation efficiency. The as-prepared composite material may have application in recycling and reuse of water in textile industries.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of aminophenol-modified ZnO as electrode material for supercapacitors

Abstract: In the present work, a one-step synthetic method was implemented in an effective way to synthezise aminophenol-modified zinc oxide (Ap-modified ZnO). The as-prepared sample was characterized by various spectral and analytical tools. The electrochemical performance of Ap-modified ZnO demonstrated that the electrode material can be used in supercapacitors. The pronounced capacitive behaviour of Ap-modified ZnO was proved by cyclic voltammetric studies (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge test (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques in 1 M H2SO4. The newly developed Ap-modified ZnO electrode displayed an excellent gravimetric capacitance (Cg) of 427 Fg−1 at current density of 1 mA cm−2, which may be attributed to its unique structure, existence of abundant pores and large electroactive sites, supportive for facile electron, ion transport and enhanced electrical conductivity.