Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology

In this study, sodium bismuth titanate ferroelectric ceramics with a nanoscale structure and low iron content (NBTF) were prepared, providing an alternative to lead-based materials. Lead poses environmental and health risks due to its toxicity. NBTF aims to develop a more sustainable ferroelectric composition. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of Na0.5Bi0.5Ti1-xFexO3-0.5x (x=0.06) were investigated. X-ray diffraction revealed the material crystallizes in the rhombohedral phase, with crystallite size of approximately 19.1 nm in size. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of a perovskite structure containing Fe ions, evidenced by Ti-O stretching and O-Fe-O bending vibrations. Raman spectroscopy also identified a broad peak at high frequencies, suggesting the generation of oxygen vacancies induced by the dopant. Electrical characterization demonstrated semiconductor behavior with a bandgap of 1.84 eV, showing potential for optoelectronic applications. The study focused on the effect of oxygen vacancies on electrical conductivity. Furthermore, a nano-perovskite heterojunction photodiode comprising Al/p-Si/NBTF/Ag was successfully fabricated and evaluated. Under reverse bias, photocurrent increased compared to the dark state with rising illumination intensity. Device parameters including reaction order, ideality factor, and carrier lifetime were calculated. Collectively, these results indicate promise for integrating this heterostructure photodiode into electronic circuitry applications.

Bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6) is an aurivillius oxide with potential as a visible light-active photocatalyst. However, its wide band gap limits absorption of visible light. Decoration with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been shown to enhance photocatalytic properties. This study reports the hydrothermal synthesis of pure Bi2WO6 and Bi2WO6-MWCNT nanocomposites using a 1:2.5 molar ratio of Bi2WO6:MWCNTs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis were used to characterize the morphology, chemical bonding, and composition. Adding MWCNTs reduced particle size, increased surface area, and prevented aggregation. Antibacterial testing showed the Bi2WO6-MWCNT nanocomposite inhibited Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a multidrug-resistant bacterium, more effectively than pure Bi2WO6. Investigation of morphology and bonding revealed the influence of decorated and embedded MWCNTs on bismuth components and particle size. Enhanced antibacterial and anti-biofilm activity of the nanocomposite may be due to increased oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species generation. This facile hydrothermal method synthesizes a Bi2WO6-MWCNT nanocomposite combining the properties of both materials, showing promise for biomedical applications.

This study characterized the physicochemical properties and predicted the structure, function, and protein-protein interactions of bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) using bioinformatics tools. BMP15 was found to have a molecular weight of 45055.01 Daltons, sequence length of 392 amino acids, and an extinction coefficient of 55390 at 280 nm with a basic isoelectric point. Secondary structure analysis revealed BMP15 consists mostly of random coil (63.78%), followed by alpha helix (20.66%) and extended strand (15.56%) as well as beta turns. Amino acids with high coil structure like glycine and alanine, which are hydrophobic and flexible, represented the highest concentrations. Transmembrane helix prediction identified four helices located from inside to outside and three from outside to inside. SWISS-MODEL generated four protein structure models corresponding to sequences (Q6PX77.1. A, 5vqf.2. A, 5ntu.1. A, and 5hly.1. A) with sequence identities of (75.38%, 20.83%, 20.77% and 20.33%) respectively. Results correlate BMP15 with oocyte maturation and granulosa cell activation in follicular development. This comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of BMP15 properties, structure, and interactions provides a framework for further study of genetically inherited infertility, drug design, and new protein analysis.

Bone diseases are a serious health problem such as arthritis and osteoporosis. Their effects on the bones, structures, and tissues affect human life. Therefore, developing novel materials to evolve bone damage therapy is required. Bio-ceramic synthesis witnessed increased interest and attention due to the progression of bio-ceramic as high-quality materials to enhance bone healing, replacement, or regeneration. Among the inorganic materials, bioglasses and ceramics showed promising applications in medicine fields due to their several biological properties; for example, biocompatible, their compositions are similar to those in bones osteoinductive and osteoconductive. Thus, they considered promising materials for scaffold manufacturing to promote bone healing. This review aims to present the recent advancements in various classes of bio-ceramics, including inert-ceramics, bioactive ceramics, and bio-resorbable ceramics, and their wide medical applications in bone regeneration, overhauling skeletomuscular, as well as their mechanical issues.