Ceria (CeO₂) nanoparticles were grown on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via the in situ reduction of graphene oxide (GO) in the presence of cerium nitrate and CTAB, followed by a one step hydrothermal treatment. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Raman spectroscopy (RS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to characterize the samples. The characterization suggests that the ammonia-assisted hydrothermal method is a facile and advantageous route to synthesize CeO₂–RGO nanocomposites compared to the widely used method utilising hydrazine hydrate as the reducing reagent. TEM investigations revealed that the CeO₂ nanoparticles with an average size of ∼14 nm were dispersed on the layers of RGO. The catalytic activity of the CeO₂–RGO nanocomposites towards the electrooxidation of hydrazine was further investigated by cyclic voltammetry measurements. The results obtained suggest that compared to bare CeO₂ nanoparticles, the CeO₂–RGO nanocomposite exhibits remarkably enhanced electrocatalytic activity, due to the synergistic effects between the CeO₂ nanoparticles and RGO.

The biomass to biofuels production process is green, sustainable, and an advanced technique to resolve the current environmental issues generated from fossil fuels. The production of biofuels from biomass is an enzyme mediated process, wherein β-glucosidase (BGL) enzymes play a key role in biomass hydrolysis by producing monomeric sugars from cellulose-based oligosaccharides. However, the production and availability of these enzymes realize their major role to increase the overall production cost of biomass to biofuels production technology. Therefore, the present review is focused on evaluating the production and efficiency of β-glucosidase enzymes in the bioconversion of cellulosic biomass for biofuel production at an industrial scale, providing its mechanism and classification. The application of BGL enzymes in the biomass conversion process has been discussed along with the recent developments and existing issues. Moreover, the production and development of microbial BGL enzymes have been explained in detail, along with the recent advancements made in the field. Finally, current hurdles and future suggestions have been provided for the future developments. This review is likely to set a benchmark in the area of cost effective BGL enzyme production, specifically in the biorefinery area.

The nanostructured rare earth metal oxide (samarium oxide, n-Sm₂O₃) nanorods, prepared using a forced hydrolysis technique, have been electrophoretically deposited (EPD) onto an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass substrate. This novel platform has been utilized for co-immobilization of monoclonal antibodies of aflatoxin B₁ (Ab-AFB₁) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) via electrostatic interactions for food toxin (AFB₁) detection. Thus prepared n-Sm₂O₃ nanorods have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques. The results of electrochemical response studies of the BSA/Ab-AFB₁/n-Sm₂O₃/ITO immunoelectrode obtained as a function of aflatoxin concentration reveal a linearity of 10–700 pg mL⁻¹, a detection limit of 57.82 pg mL⁻¹ cm⁻², a response time of 5 s and a sensitivity of 48.39 μA pg⁻¹ mL⁻¹ cm⁻² with a regression coefficient of 0.961. The association constant (K_a) for antigen–antibody interactions obtained is 47.9 pg mL⁻¹, which indicates high affinity of antibodies towards the antigen (AFB₁). The application of n-Sm₂O₃ modified electrode for immunosensor analysis offers a novel platform and efficient strategy for the application of rare earth metal oxide materials in bioelectronics.