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Aim: To evaluate the apoptosis-inducing properties of undoped and silver-doped-zinc-oxide nanoparticles (SDZONs) synthesized using Boswellia serrata against MCF-7 (Luminal-A) and MDA-MB-231 (Triple-negative) breast cancer cell lines. Methodology: Nanostructures were developed by facile biohydrothermal method and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The comparative effect of doping and dose concentration of nanostructures on cytotoxicity was measured using MTT and trypan-blue-exclusion assay. Results: SDZONs exhibited greater cytotoxicity (20.71%, 27.31% cell viability) as compared with undoped nanostructures (35.81%, 37.08% cell viability) against MCF 7 and MDA-MB-231, respectively. Conclusion: The activity of biogenic nanostructures was highly dependent on doping, dose, and type of cell lines used. The novel biogenic SDZONs could be exploited as a promising, cost-effective, and environmentally benign strategy to curb breast cancer. Article highlights Undoped zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZONs) and silver-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (SDZONs) were synthesized by biogenic method utilizing Boswellia serrata. The formations of nanostructures were initially confirmed by the formation of precipitates. x-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) pattern confirms the crystallinity of nanoparticles. FTIR analysis exhibited the presence of various functional groups like phenols, amines, acids, etc. Bioactivity test for in vitro cytotoxicity efficacy against MCF-7 and MDA MB 231 cells. MTT assays and Trypan-blue dye exclusion assay for cytotoxicity was carried out at different concentration of the biogenic nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity activity of 2% SDZONs is higher than undoped ZONs against both the cell lines. The effect of SDZONs is more pronounced in MCF-7 as compared with MDA MB 231. Cytotoxic propensity of nanostructures toward oncogenic cells is influenced by morphology, doping and dose of nanostructure. Novel biogenic silver-doped zinc oxide nanostructures have remarkable cytotoxic potential which enables its application in biomedical attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intermittent nature of renewable energy generation can be tackled by integrating them with electrochemical energy storage, which can also close the gap between supply and demand effectively. It has recently been demonstrated that Si3N4‐based negative electrodes are a promising option for lithium‐ion batteries due to their large theoretical capacity and appropriate working potential with extremely low polarization. In the present work, Si3N4 was utilized as anode material in all‐solid‐state lithium‐ion battery with lithium borohydride as a solid electrolyte and Li foil placed as a counter electrode. The electrochemical properties were investigated using galvanostatic charge/discharge profiling whereas the mechanism of lithiation delithiation was investigated in detail using x‐ray diffraction (XRD). The highest capacity of the composite materials was obtained as 1700 mAhg−1 at 0.05 C current rate in the first cycle, which is reduced to 370 in 5 cycles. However, a stability in the capacity was observed in subsequent cycles and a retention of almost 88% could be achieved in 150 cycles. The interfacial resistance before and after the electrochemical cycling was observed as 326 Ω and 13 kΩ, respectively which is also supported by the microstructural investigations where the cracks are observed because of thermochemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Commercialization of Li–S in present scenario is obstructed by poor performance of cathode and its compatibility with electrolyte used. Here in this work, in order to improve the electrochemical performance all solid state Li–S battery, solid electrolyte (SE) formed by composition of lithium sulfide (Li2S) and phosphorus pentasulfide (P2S5) combinedly called LPS is used. The modified carbon in the form of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as additive is used to provide better electron conduction pathway. High conductivity of the order 10−4 S cm−1 of prepared LPS overcomes the major drawback of insulating nature of sulfur. The coin cells are fabricated by using above mentioned material as a cathode material, LPS as SE, and lithium foil as anode. The prepared nanocomposites are characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study structural and morphological properties. Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) images of the cathode surface confirms the uniform spreading of material. The electrochemical performance of coin cell is studied by Galvanostatic charge‐discharge plot at 0.1 C to check the compatibility of composite and electrolyte prepared. The cells having additive material GO and rGO with host sulfur show better results as compared to the cell having pristine sulfur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The irradiation-induced effects of Ni7+ ion irradiation on the structural and electrical properties of e-beam evaporation synthesized Bi2Te3 thin films have been examined. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) results revealed that the films possessed a polycrystalline rhombohedral (R-3 m) crystal structure. No appreciable change was observed in lattice parameters a = b while c varied non-monotonically indicating an anisotropic variation of the unit cell under different ion fluences. X-ray peak profile analysis indicated a slight reduction in average crystallite size and an increase in lattice strain due to irradiation. Raman spectra of the films demonstrated the effect of irradiation on A 1 u 1 modes evolved from c-axis vibrations with ion fluence. The observed decrease in surface roughness through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images up to 3 × 1012 ions/cm2 might be due to the formation of nanocrystallites with small sizes on the surface. The composition of the as-prepared thin films was found to be near stoichiometry of Bi2Te3 as revealed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The resistivity of films gets increased up to 3 × 1012 ions/cm2 as evident from the low-temperature transport measurements. The variation correlation of electrical resistivity with the Hall coefficient is examined as a function of ion fluence. The irradiation-induced crossover behavior is resulted in films with ion fluence from the n to p-type carriers. Interestingly, the bulk charge carriers are compensated with tunning of the Fermi level in ion-irradiated thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]