Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with Au–Pd bimetallic alloy nanoparticles are successfully prepared via a chemical approach consisting of reducing the metal precursors using ascorbic acid as reductant at an elevated temperature. The prepared nanocomposite is employed as a photocatalyst for the degradation of organic contaminants such as phenol, 2-chlorophenol (2-CP), and 2-nitrophenol (2-NP). The complete degradation of phenol is achieved after 300 min under natural sunlight irradiation whereas the degradation of 2-CP and 2-NP is completed after 180 min. The activity of the photocatalyst is evaluated considering several parameters such as the initial phenol concentration, the photocatalyst loading, and the pH of the solution. The degradation kinetics of all the compounds is carefully studied and found to follow a linear Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. Furthermore, the reusability of the photocatalyst is successfully achieved up to five cycles and the catalyst exhibits an excellent stability.

Mesoporous α-iron oxide@graphitized-carbon nitride nanocomposites (α-Fe₂O₃@g-C₃N₄-NCs) were synthesized using urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins at 400 °C/2 h. The mesoporous nature of the prepared nanocomposites was observed from electron microscopy and surface area measurements. The electrochemical measurements show the bifunctional nature of mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃@g-C₃N₄-NCs in electrolysis of water for oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions (OER/ORR) using 0.5 M KOH. Higher current density of mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃@g-C₃N₄-NCs reveals the enhanced electrochemical performance compared to pure Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs). The onset potential, over-potential and Tafel slopes of mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃@g-C₃N₄-NCs were found lower than that of pure α-Fe₂O₃-NPs. Rotating disc electrode experiments followed by the K-L equation were used to investigate 4e⁻ redox system. Therefore, the mesoporous α-Fe₂O₃@g-C₃N₄-NCs bifunctional electro-catalysts can be considered as potential future low-cost alternatives for Pt/C catalysts, which are currently used in fuel cells.

The polymer electrolyte system of chitosan/dextran-NaTf with various glycerol concentrations is prepared in this study. The electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study shows that the addition of glycerol increases the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte at room temperature. The highest conducting plasticized electrolyte shows the maximum DC ionic conductivity of 6.10 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) is used to investigate the effect of plasticizer on film morphology. The interaction between the electrolyte components is confirmed from the existence of the O–H, C–H, carboxamide, and amine groups. The XRD study is used to determine the degree of crystallinity. The transport parameters of number density (n), ionic mobility (µ), and diffusion coefficient (D) of ions are determined using the percentage of free ions, due to the asymmetric vibration (υ_as(SO₃)) and symmetric vibration (υ_s(SO₃)) bands. The dielectric property and relaxation time are proved the non-Debye behavior of the electrolyte system. This behavior model is further verified by the existence of the incomplete semicircle arc from the Argand plot. Transference numbers of ion (t_ion) and electron (t_e) for the highest conducting plasticized electrolyte are identified to be 0.988 and 0.012, respectively, confirming that the ions are the dominant charge carriers. The t_ion value are used to further examine the contribution of ions in the values of the diffusion coefficient and mobility of ions. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) shows the potential window for the electrolyte is 2.55 V, indicating it to be a promising electrolyte for application in electrochemical energy storage devices.

Magnetic nanoparticles gained considerable attention in last few years due to their remarkable properties. Superparamaganetism, non-toxicity, biocompatibility, chemical inertness, and environmental friendliness are some of the properties that make iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) an ideal choice for biomedical applications. Along with being easily tuneable and a tailored surface for conjugation of IONPs, their physio-chemical and biological properties can also be varied by modifying the basic parameters for synthesis that enhances the additional possibilities for designing novel magnetic nanomaterial for theranostic applications. This review highlights the synthesis, surface modification, and different applications of IONPs for diagnosis, imaging, and therapy. Furthermore, it also represents the recent report on the application of IONPs as enzyme mimetic compounds and a contrasting agent, and its significance in the field as an anticancer and antimicrobial agent.