With increasing gap in the demand and supply of vital organs for transplantation there is a pressing need to bridge the gap with substitutes. One way to make substitutes is by tissue engineering which involves combining several types of synthetic or biomaterials, cells and growth factors cross-linked together to synthesize a functional scaffold for repair or replacement of non-functional organs. Nanoparticle based composites are gaining importance in tissue engineering due to their ability to enhance cell attachment and proliferation. The current study focuses on synthesizing agarose composites embedded with chitosan-coated silver nanoparticles using glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The synthesis of chitosan coated silver nanoparticles within the scaffold was confirmed with UV-visible spectroscopy. Physical and chemical characterization of the synthesized nanoparticles were done by XRD, FTIR, TGA and SEM. DMA showed higher mechanical strength of the scaffolds. The scaffolds showed degradation of ∼37% within a span of four weeks. The higher physical support provided by the synthesized scaffolds was shown by in-vitro cell viability assay. Broad spectrum anti-bacterial activity and superior hemocompatibility further showed the advantage it offered for growing cells. Thus a biopolymer based nanocomposite was synthesized, with intended widespread use as scaffold for engineering of soft tissues due to its enhanced biocompatibility and greater surface area for cell growth.

CoFe ₂ O ₄ supported Ag nanoparticles were investigated as a catalyst for the decolorization of 4-nitrophenol, Congo red, rhodamine B and dye mixtures.

In this paper, we report a simple aqueous solution based chemical method for preparation of mesoporous γ-Al₂O₃ which can be used for removal of fluoride ions from water. The synthesized Al₂O₃ and commercial Al₂O₃(Grade AD101-F, ACE Manufacturing and Marketing, Baroda, India) were characterized by using powder x-ray diffractometer, N₂ adsorption–desorption surface area and pore size analyzer, and high resolution transmission electron microscope. Synthesized Al₂O₃ contains a wormhole-like mesoporous structure with 358.7 m² g⁻¹ Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and 0.8 cm³ g⁻¹ pore volume. Batch adsorption studies were performed to determine the fluoride adsorption capacity of Al₂O₃. The effect of different parameters such as contact time, initial fluoride concentration, pH, and adsorbent dose was studied to understand the fluoride adsorption behavior of the synthesized Al₂O₃ under various conditions. The kinetics results showed that the fluoride adsorption on synthesized Al₂O₃ followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Freundlich equation and indicated multilayer adsorption of fluoride on the surface of Al₂O₃. Synthesized Al₂O₃ demonstrated significantly improved fluoride adsorption capacity and faster kinetics than commercial Al₂O_3.

Here we report the synthesis of TiO₂ nanoparticle loaded mesoporous MCM-41 photocatalysts for degradation of methyl orange dye in aqueous medium under sunlight exposure. TiO₂ loaded MCM- 41 was synthesized by impregnationmethod. Anatase form of TiO₂ nanoparticles were formed in the porous matrix of the silicate MCM-41. The synthesized materials were characterized using powder X-ray diffractionmethod, surface area and porosimetry analysis; diffuse reflectance analysis, particle size analysis and transmission electron microscopy. The photocatalytic property of the synthesized materials were investigated towards the degradation of methyl orange under sunlight exposure and monitored by UV-visible spectrophotometer. Synthesized catalysts showed high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange.