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Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) represent an interesting inorganic material widely utilized across various fields including sensing, antimicrobial applications, optical coatings, water purification, fuel additives, absorbents, and catalysis, owing to their exceptional broad energy band gap, surface affinity, and strong chemical and thermal durability. In this investigation, MgO NPs were successfully synthesized through a green approach employing fruit extract from the gingerbread tree (Hyphaene thebaica). Analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed their agglomerated quasi-spherical shape with a size range of 20–60 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern exhibited prominent peaks at planes (200) and (220), indicating the high crystallinity of MgO NPs with a crystallite size of 32.6 ± 5 nm while Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis highlighted the composition comprises 40.47% Magnesium and 48.64% Oxygen by weight. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed characteristic Mg-O bonds through peaks at 560 cm−1 and 866 cm−1, while Raman spectroscopy affirmed the cubic structure of MgO. Subsequently, the photocatalytic performance of MgO NPs under visible light irradiation was evaluated. Remarkably, the addition of 1 g/L of MgO nano-catalyst resulted in a degradation efficiency of 98% after 110 min on methylene blue dye, showcasing the high catalytic activity of MgO NPs. This remarkable photocatalytic efficiency emphasizes the potential of MgO NPs in environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis aligns with the global demand for eco-friendly and sustainable technologies, reducing the dependency on harmful chemicals and high-energy processes typically used in conventional synthesis techniques. This study highlights a novel green synthesis route for nickel cobaltite nanoparticles (NiCO2O4 NPs) utilizing Hyphaene thebaica extract as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The synthesized NiCO2O4 NPs, with sizes ranging from 20 to 30 nm, exhibited uniform diamond-like structures as confirmed by SEM and TEM imaging. XRD analysis verified the polycrystalline nature of these nanoparticles, while EDS measurements confirmed the elemental composition of Ni and Co. The presence of functional groups was subsequently verified through FT-IR analysis, and Raman spectroscopy further confirmed phase formation. Electrochemical evaluations revealed significant pseudocapacitive behavior, showing a specific capacitance of 519 F/g, demonstrating their potential for high-performance supercapacitors. To further assess the applicability of the synthesized NiCO2O4 NPs, their photocatalytic activity against methylene blue (MB) dye was investigated, resulting in a 99% degradation rate. This impressive photocatalytic efficiency highlights their potential application in environmental remediation. Overall, this work underscores the significant potential of green synthesis methods in producing high-performance nanomaterials while simultaneously reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium sulfide nanoparticles size effects on the superconducting properties of YBa2Cu3Oy compound were investigated in details. Solid-state reaction method was used for the synthesis of samples with additional amounts of CdS nanoparticles with sizes 6 nm and 12 nm and an additional amount x = 0.1 wt%. Synthesis of cadmium nanoparticles was done by using aqueous methods and they were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). Optical absorption measurement of the as-synthesized nanoparticles was carried out, and the specific surface areas of the sample were analyzed using a surface area and porosity analyzer. Electrical resistivity and transport critical current densities were measured by using the four-probe technique. The measurements revealed that CdS (6 nm) added samples exhibit higher energy pinning and current densities as compared to pure YBa2Cu3Oy and with additional CdS (12 nm). This implies that the size reduction of CdS can give rise to effective pinning centers which can enhance the superconducting properties in the Y-123 materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyphaene thebaica fruits were used for the fabrication of spherical erbium oxide nanoparticles (HT-Er2O3 NPS) using a one-step simple bioreduction process. XRD pattern revealed a highly crystalline and pure phase with crystallite size of ~ 7.5 nm, whereas, the W–H plot revealed crystallite size of 11 nm. FTIR spectra revealed characteristic Er-O atomic vibrations in the fingerprint region. Bandgap was obtained as 5.25 eV using K-M function. The physicochemical and morphological nature was established using Raman spectroscopy, reflectance spectroscopy, SAED and HR-TEM. HT-Er2O3 NPS were further evaluated for antidiabetic potential in mice using in-vivo and in-vitro bioassays. The synthesized HT-Er2O3 NPS were screened for in vitro anti-diabetic potentials against α-glucosidase enzyme and α-amylase enzyme and their antioxidant potential was evaluated using DPPH free radical assay. A dose dependent inhibition was obtained against α-glucosidase (IC50 12 μg/mL) and α-amylase (IC50 78 μg/mL) while good DPPH free radical scavenging potential (IC50 78 μg mL−1) is reported. At 1000 μg/mL, the HT-Er2O3 NPS revealed 90.30% and 92.30% inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. HT-Er2O3 NPs treated groups were observed to have better glycemic control in diabetic animals (503.66 ± 5.92*** on day 0 and 185.66 ± 2.60*** on day 21) when compared with positive control glibenclamide treated group. Further, HT-Er2O3 NPS therapy for 21 days caused a considerable effect on serum total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL as compared to untreated diabetic group. In conclusion, our preliminary findings on HT-Er2O3 NPS revealed considerable antidiabetic potential and thus can be an effective candidate for controlling the post-prandial hyperglycemia. However, further studies are encouraged especially taking into consideration the toxicity aspects of the nanomaterial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaZrO3 mono-phase and (1-x)CaZrO3-xCaTiO3 composite systems, where x = 0.2, 0.25, and 0.3, were synthesized by a conventional solid-state method. XRD patterns of the synthesized composites reveal the formation of both phases, and no secondary phase was detected. The analysis of the internal stress in the composites systems by the William-Hall equation indicates that tensile stress is applied to the CaZrO3 grains, while compressive stress is applied to CaTiO3 grains. TEM analyses show that the CaTiO3 grain is surrounded by CaZrO3 grains, confirming the presence of the CaZrO3/CaTiO3 hetero-interfaces and confirming the results obtained by the William-Hall equation. Impedance spectra were well modelled by introducing electrical equivalent circuits. The obtained results show that the incorporation of the CaTiO3 phase favors the ionic conductivity in the composite and that the 0.75CaZrO3-0.25CaTiO3 composite exhibits the highest oxide ion conductivity among all the samples, where its total conductivity value is about 1.23 × 10−4 s cm−1 at 500 °C, which is higher than that of the CZO mono-phase (1.01 × 10−6 s cm−1 at 500 °C), and than that of the CTO mono-phase (2.1 × 10−7s cm−1 at 500 °C). The conductivity enhancement was explained based on the variation of the hetero-interface CaZrO3/CaTiO3 surface area. Furthermore, the frequency and temperature dependence of dielectric constant ( ε r ′ ) and dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) were investigated in detail and the dielectric response improvement was attributed to the improvement of the space charge polarization in the hetero-interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaZrO3 nanoparticles were synthesized by biosynthesis process via Hyphaene thebaica natural extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The crystalline structure and vibration modes of CaZrO3 were investigated by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Their optical properties were studied using ultraviolet–visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. In order to study the effect of the synthesis method and the reduction of the grain size on the morphology and the electrical and dielectric properties of the material, the results obtained for CaZrO3 synthesized by the biosynthesis process were compared to those obtained for CaZrO3 prepared by the conventional solid-state method. Transmission electron microscopy shows a marked improvement in the morphology of the compound synthesized by the biosynthesis process compared to that prepared by the solid-state reaction. The ionic conductivity of both samples was measured using the electrochemical impedance technique. It was found that the contribution of grain boundary resistance to total resistance has increased significantly with size reduction and led to the improvement of the dielectric properties of the material by the increase of dielectric constant and the decrease of dielectric loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]