Honey is known for its content of biomolecules, such as enzymes. The enzymes of honey originate from bees, plant nectars, secretions or excretions of plant-sucking insects, or from microorganisms such as yeasts. Honey can be characterized by enzyme-catalyzed and non-enzymatic reactions. Notable examples of enzyme-catalyzed reactions are the production of hydrogen peroxide through glucose oxidase activity and the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen by catalase enzymes. Production of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from glucose or fructose is an example of non-enzymatic reactions in honey.

In this study, hybrid analogs of benzimidazole containing a thiazole moiety (1–17) were afforded and then tested for their ability to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase when compared to acarbose as a standard drug. The recently available analogs showed a wide variety of inhibitory potentials that ranged between 1.31 ± 0.05 and 38.60 ± 0.70 µM (against α-amylase) and between 2.71 ± 0.10 and 42.31 ± 0.70 µM (against α-glucosidase) under the positive control of acarbose (IC₅₀ = 10.30 ± 0.20 µM against α-amylase) (IC₅₀ = 9.80 ± 0.20 µM against α-glucosidase). A structure–activity relationship (SAR) study was carried out for all analogs based on substitution patterns around both rings B and C respectively. It was concluded from the SAR study that analogs bearing either substituent(s) of smaller size (−F and Cl) or substituent(s) capable of forming hydrogen bonding (−OH) with the catalytic residues of targeted enzymes enhanced the inhibitory potentials. Therefore, analogs 2 (bearing meta-fluoro substitution), 3 (having para-fluoro substitution) and 4 (with ortho-fluoro group) showed enhanced potency when evaluated against standard acarbose drug with IC₅₀ values of 4.10 ± 0.10, 1.30 ± 0.05 and 1.90 ± 0.10 (against α-amylase) and 5.60 ± 0.10, 2.70 ± 0.10 and 2.90 ± 0.10 µM (against α-glucosidase), correspondingly. On the other hand, analogs bearing substituent(s) of either a bulky nature (−Br) or that are incapable of forming hydrogen bonds (−CH₃) were found to lower the inhibitory potentials. In order to investigate the binding sites for synthetic analogs and how they interact with the active areas of both targeted enzymes, molecular docking studies were also conducted on the potent analogs. The results showed that these analogs adopted many important interactions with the active areas of enzymes. The precise structure of the newly synthesized compounds was confirmed using several spectroscopic techniques as NMR and HREI-MS.

It is of great significance to design electrochemical energy conversion and storage materials with excellent performance to fulfill the growing energy demand. Bimetallic cobalt/nickel-based electrode materials exhibit excellent electrical conductivity compared to mono oxides. However, their potential as electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors (SCs) is limited because of their poor cycling stability and high-capacity fading. This work demonstrates the synthesis of binder-free bimetallic NiCo₂O₄ nano-needles supported on CC (NCO@CC) via a facile and scalable hydrothermal process. Excellent electrical conductivity and interconnected nanostructure of NCO@CC nano-needles provide the fast transfer of electrons with numerous channels for ion diffusion. Owing to such features, the binder-free NCO@CC electrode for SC discloses excellent specific capacitance (1476 Fg⁻¹ at 1.5 Ag⁻¹) with 94.25% capacitance retention even after 5000 cycles. From these outstanding electrochemical performances, it can be inferred that NCO@CC nano-needle array-structured electrodes may be potential candidates for SC applications.

The emerging concepts of sustainable textiles and controlled production strategy demands ideally zero emissions of contaminants into the aquatic environment. However, the currently in-practiced conventional processes in textiles dispose of a number of contaminants especially super toxic synthetic dyes as effluents. In recent years, nanomaterials have become attractive choice for eco-friendly removal of organic dyestuff. Accordingly, this article reports synthesis and characterization of biocomposite wherein copolymer of polyaniline (PANI) and Polypyrrole (PPY) was grafted onto hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC). Further, adsorption properties of as-prepared composite were evaluated using textile dyes Rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl Orange (MO)- as model adsorbate. The characterization of novel biocomposite (HEC/PANI-PPy) was carried out using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyzer (BET), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The operational parameters such as dye initial concentration, adsorbent amount, pH and contact time were also studied to evaluate the efficiency level of the prepared biocomposite. Interestingly, the composite-mediated adsorption of RhB and MO followed pseudo-second order and the Langmuir isotherm. It is found that the adsorption capacity HEC/PANI-PPy is 30.06 and 29.3 for RhB and MO respectively. Thus, HEC/PANI-PPy is an inexpensive and highly efficient adsorbent that could be employed for could be employed for the separation and removal of toxic organic dyes from polluted textile effluents.

Using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as an ion-to-electron transducer, a novel disposable all-solid-state desvenlafaxine-selective electrode based on a screen-printed carbon paste electrode was created. SWCNTs were put onto the carbon-paste electrode area, which was protected by a poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane with a desvenlafaxine-imprinted polymer serving as a recognition receptor. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronopotentiometric techniques were used to examine the electrochemical characteristics of the SWCNTs/PVC coating on the carbon screen-printed electrode. The electrode displayed a 57.2 ± 0.8 mV/decade near-Nernstian slope with a 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ M detection limit. In 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 6, the ODV-selective electrodes displayed a quick reaction (5 s) and outstanding stability, repeatability, and reproducibility. The usefulness of electrodes was demonstrated in samples of ODV-containing pharmaceutical products and human urine. These electrodes have the potential to be mass produced and employed as disposable sensors for on-site testing, since they are quick, practical, and inexpensive.