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In this study, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) nanoparticles were synthesised following nanoprecipitation method having different solvents and surfactant (Tween 80) concentrations. In this study, PHB nanoparticles were encapsulated with curcumin and subjected for sustained curcumin delivery. Both the curcumin loaded and unloaded PHB nanoparticles were characterised using FTIR, SEM, and AFM. Sizes of the particles were found to be between 60 and 300 nm. The drug encapsulation efficiency and in vitro drug release of the nanoparticles were analysed. Antibacterial activity and anticancer activity were also evaluated. The LC50 values of most of the nanoparticles were found to be between 10 and 20 µg/100 µl, anticancer activity of curcumin loaded PHB nanoparticles were further confirmed by AO/PI staining and mitochondrial depolarisation assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This study uses a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal approach to synthesize different morphologies and phases of nickel sulfide. • The catalyst with rod-shaped geometry showed good catalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a Tafel slope of 123 mV Dec−1 and an overpotential of 62.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. • Flake shaped articles showed commendable activity towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 287 mV at the current density of 40 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 118.4 mV Dec−1. • This material could effectively drive water splitting into H 2 and O 2 at a voltage of 1.32 V in a two-electrode configuration, with long-term stability verified for 50 h. Different catalysts have been designed and synthesized using various approaches for efficient water splitting. This study uses a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal approach to synthesize different morphologies and phases of nickel sulfide. The synthesized materials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM. The relation between shape, size, phases of nickel sulfide, and their electrocatalytic behavior were studied. The catalyst with rod-shaped geometry showed good catalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a Tafel slope of 123 mV dec−1 and an overpotential of 62.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The other sample with a flake shape appearance showed commendable activity towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 287 mV at the current density of 40 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 118.4 mV dec−1. This material could effectively drive water splitting into H 2 and O 2 at a voltage of 1.32 V in a two-electrode configuration, and long-term stability was verified for 50 h with a small loss in the current density. This environment-friendly method opens up a new way to synthesize nickel sulfide and elaborates the relation between morphology and electrocatalytic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]