Gurpreet Kaur

Pd _NC @Pd-SAC having Pd single atoms/nanoclusters on N-doped mesoporous carbon made via metallosurfactant-assisted pyrolysis show 4e ⁻ ORR pathway, reduce biofouling, and boost SCMFC power by 1700% due to synergistic electronic/spillover effects.

Interactions of cytochrome c and metallocatanionic mixtures of chromium metallosurfactants/SDS were analyzed to understand the effect of hydrophobicity, metal ion, surface charge of metallocatanionic mixtures on the protein folding/unfolding.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is a subclass of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) acquiring multifaceted applications in gas separation, catalytic activity, and directed drug delivery, renowned for its compelling thermal and chemical stability and tailorable porosity. The development of ZIF-8 crystal structure and size is highly dependent on the precursor used. The precursors used are Zinc Nitrate Hexahydrate, Zinc Acetate and Zinc Chloride to deduce the effect. The study focusses on the variation in crystallinity with particles showing rhombohedral to amorphous behavior. The effect of concentration of Zn²⁺: Hmin is also observed in the ratio 1:1, 1:5 and 1:10 with particle size variation from 180nm to 900nm. The MOF behavior changes from hydrophilic (55⁰) to slightly hydrophobic(85-90⁰) with variation in precursor salt. This study highlights that the molar ratio and precursor salt, as the key determinants of particle size and coating adhesivity, contributing to the effective tailoring of ZIF-8 morphology for specific functional uses.

Herein, a Fe-MOF-derived single iron atom impregnated on porous N-doped carbon (Fe_SAC/NC) was synthesized using an iron-based metallosurfactant (FeCTAC) as the precursor. The formation of isolated single atoms and their surrounding environment after pyrolysis at 900 °C was confirmed by XPS and EXAFS analysis. The use of FeCTAC facilitated the exposure of more single iron atoms on the porous NC matrix and prevented their aggregation, as verified by elemental analysis and HAADEF-TEM. The resulting Fe_SAC/NC was applied in the Fenton reaction for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). It achieved 92% TC removal in 40 min compared to only 23% with PMS alone. Free radical scavenging experiments indicated that a nonradical pathway, involving singlet oxygen and electron transfer, dominated the degradation process. Additionally, pyrrolic and graphitic nitrogen sites in the NC matrix contributed significantly to TC adsorption. This exceptional catalytic performance provides valuable insights for designing highly efficient catalysts for wastewater treatment.

Sterol derivatives are a crucial part of liposomes, as their concentration and nature can induce significant alternations in their characteristic features. For natural liposomal-based (phospholipid-based) studies, the bulk literature is already present depicting the role of the concentration or nature of different sterol derivatives in modulation of membrane properties. However, the studies aiming at evaluating the effect of sterol derivatives on synthetic liposomal assemblies are limited to cholesterol (Chl), and a comparative effect with other sterol derivatives, such as ergosterol (Erg), has never been studied. To fill this research gap, through this work, we intend to provide insights into the concentration-dependent effect of two sterol derivatives (Chl and Erg) on a synthetic liposomal assembly (i.e., metallosomes) prepared via thin film hydration route using a double-tailed metallosurfactant fabricated by modifying cetylpyridinium chloride with cobalt (Co) (i.e., Co:CPC II). The morphological evaluations with cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) indicated that metallosomes retained their spherical morphology irrespective of the nature and concentration of sterol derivatives. However, the size, ζ-potential, and lamellar width values were significantly modified with the incorporation of sterol derivatives in a concentration-dependent manner. In-depth studies affirmed that the extent of modulation of the bilayer in terms of hydrophobicity, fluidity, and rigidity was more severe with Chl than Erg. Such differences in the membrane properties lead to their contrasting behavior in the delivery of the broad-spectrum active compound "curcumin". From entrapment to in vitro behavior, the metallosomes demonstrated dissimilar behavior as even though Erg-modified metallosomes (at higher concentrations of Erg) exhibited low entrapment efficiency, they still could easily release >80% of the entrapped drug. In vitro studies conducted with Staphylococcus aureus bacterial cultures further revealed an interesting pattern of activity as the incorporation of Chl reduced the toxicity of the self-assembly, whereas their Erg-modified counterparts yielded slightly augmented toxicity toward these bacterial cells. Furthermore, Chl- and Erg-modified assemblies also exhibited contrasting behavior in their interaction studies with bacterial DNA.