Search

In this study, we examine the possibility of electrode-barrier interactions in modifying the electrical characteristics and current switching behavior of a trilayer junction with silver sulfide as the barrier layer. A series of Al–Ag2S–Ag crossbar junction is fabricated by thermal evaporation technique varying the thickness (30–110 Å) of the sulfide layer. Current-voltage characteristics of the junctions are studied as a function of barrier layer thickness, which can suggest any role that electrode-barrier interaction may have in tuning their electrical behavior. To fully understand the performance of the barrier layer, structure and physical properties of Ag2S films are independently investigated. The microstructure of Ag2S films strongly depends on the deposition conditions that, in turn, affect their electrical and optical characteristics. The polarization of the lattice prevalent in Ag2S is shown to affect the charge carrier conduction in their films and dominates their electrical behavior and that of the junctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we designed an amperometric catechol biosensor based on α-Fe2O3nanocrystals (NCs) incorporated carbon-paste electrode. Laccase enzyme is then assembled onto the modified electrode surface to form a nanobiocomposite enhancing the electron transfer reactions at the enzyme’s active metal centers for catechol oxidation. The biosensor gave good sensitivity with a linear detection response in the range of 8–800 μM with limit of detection 4.28 μM. We successfully employed the sensor for real water sample analysis. The results illustrate that the metal oxide NCs have enormous potential in the construction of biosensors for sensitive determination of phenol derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the n-SnO 2 /p-CuFe 2 O 4 (p-CFO) complex was prepared by a two-step process. p-CFO synthesized by the molten salt method was coated with SnO 2 synthesized by a facile in situ chemical precipitation method. The formation of n-SnO 2 /p-CFO was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the sharp edges of uncoated pyramid-like p-CFO particles were covered by a thick layer of n-SnO 2 on coated p-CFO particles. The complete absence of Cu and only 3 wt% Fe on the surface of the n-p complex observed in the elemental analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) on the n-p complex confirmed the presence of a thick layer of SnO 2 on the p-CFO surface. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was employed to elucidate the bandgap engineering. The n-SnO 2 /p-CFO complex and p-CFO showed 87% and 58.7% methylene blue (MB) degradation in 120 min under sunlight, respectively. The efficiency of the n-p complex recovered after 5 cycles (73.5%) and was found to be higher than that of the uncoated p-CFO (58.7%). The magnetically separable property of the n-p complex was evaluated by using vibration sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements and it was confirmed that the prepared photocatalyst can be easily recovered using an external magnet. The study reveals that the prepared complex could be a potential candidate for efficient photodegradation of organic dyes under sunlight due to its efficient recovery and reusability owing to its magnetic properties., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Thiazole based receptor 3, was designed and synthesized by condensation reactionof5-chlorosalicylaldehyde with 4-(4-phenylthiazol-2-yl)semicarbazide for colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of fluoride ion. Receptor 3 was characterized by 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and HRMS, and shows absorption in 280-400 nm region with emission at 442 nm in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Addition of fluoride ion to the THF solution of receptor 3 results in color change from colorless to yellow with significant change in UV-Visible absorption. The receptor-anion interaction occurs via hydrogen bonding followed by deprotonation which results in large bathochromic shift in absorption spectra and naked-eye color change. The colorimetric changes show selective response for fluoride ions over other anions. Fluorescence studies exhibit remarkable enhancement in emission intensity upon addition of fluoride ion with a limit of detection (LOD) of 8.6 nM. The 1 H NMR titration studies exhibit deprotonation of the -OH proton of the salicylaldimine moiety resulting significant colorimetric and fluorimetric changes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)