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Polymer composites are fabricated by incorporating fillers into a polymer matrix. The intent for addition of fillers is to improve the physical, mechanical, chemical and rheological properties of the composite. This study reports on a unique polymer composite using hydrochar, synthesised by microwave-assisted hydrothermal carbonization of rice husk, as filler in polylactide matrix. The polylactide/hydrochar composites were fabricated by incorporating hydrochar in polylactide at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20 wt% by melt processing in a Haake rheomix at 170 °C. Both the neat polylactide and polylactide/hydrochar composite were characterized for mechanical, structural, thermal and rheological properties. The tensile modulus of polylactide/hydrochar composites was improved from 2.63 GPa (neat polylactide) to 3.16 GPa, 3.33 GPa, 3.54 GPa, and 4.24 GPa after blending with hydrochar at 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively. Further, the incorporation of hydrochar had little effect on storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″). The findings of this study reported that addition of hydrochar improves some characteristics of polylactide composites suggesting the potential of hydrochar as filler for polymer/hydrochar composites.

presently, one of the most important aspects for the development of enzymatic biofuel cells (eBfcs)is to synthesize the novel electrode materials that possess high current density, low open-circuit voltage (ocV) and long-term stability. to achieve the above attributes, lots of new strategies are being used by the researchers for the development of advanced materials. nowadays, nanomaterials and nanocomposites are the promising material that has been utilized as effective electrode material in solar cells, supercapacitors and biofuel cells application. Herein, we account for a novel electrocatalyst as electrode material that comprised Zno nanoparticles decorated on the surface of polyindole (pin)-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWcnt), for the immobilization of glucose oxidase (Gox) enzyme and mediator (Ferritin). The PIn-MWCNT scaffold is prepared via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of indole on the surface of MWcnt and assessed by myriad techniques. the micrograph of scanning electron microscopy (SeM) designated the interconnected morphology of MWcnts in the polymer matrix. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), confirm the crystallinity and different functional groups available in the synthesized material, respectively. the electrochemical assessment demonstrates that the Zno/pin-MWcnt/frt/Gox nanobiocatalyst exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose with a maximum current density of 4.9 mA cm −2 by consuming 50 mM glucose concentration in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) (pH 7.4) as the testing solution by applying 100 mVs −1 scan rates. the outcomes reflect that the as-prepared ZnO/PIn-MWCNTs/Frt/GOx biocomposite is a promising bioanode for the development of eBfcs.Recently, enzymatic biofuel cell (EBFC) is a modern green renewable technology that can harness hidden electrical energy present in the chemical bonds of the replicate fuels, while catalyzing them with the assistance of redox enzymes as the electrocatalyst 1 . EBFCs are exploiting a large number of biological fuels such as lactate 2 , fructose 3 , starch 4 , and glucose 5 . Moreover, favorable operating conditions like ambient temperature 6 , mild pH 7 , and use of biological catalysts make EBFCs dominant over the traditional fuel cell, which in contrast, used noble metal catalysts (Platinum, gold, and silver), variable pH and working temperature range. Because of these characteristics, EBFCs has received immense attention as power generators in portable devices and automobiles 8 .Glucose oxidase (GOx) is a commonly utilized enzyme in EBFCs, owing to possess specificity towards the glucose fuel that is abundantly available as biomass in the surrounding as well as in the physiological fluid. Fascinatingly, utilization of biofuels, particularly glucose, has drawn special attention in powering various implantable medical electronic devices such as pacemakers 9 , miniaturized sensors 5 , transmitters 10 , and artificial ability to conduct nanocomposite while th...

This study evaluates the impact of two separate incubation periods (4 and 6 weeks) on the morphology of sol–gel-fabricated ZnO nanospikes (ZNs), that is, ZN1 and ZN2, respectively. We further analyzed the inhibitory effects of ZN1 and ZN2 on quorum sensing (QS) and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) and Chromobacterium violaceum (strains 12472 and CVO26). The size of the synthesized ZNs was in the range of 40–130 nm, and finer nanoparticles were synthesized after an incubation period of 6 weeks. Treatment with ZNs decreased the production of violacein in the pathogen without affecting the bacterial growth, which indicated that ZNs inhibited the QS signaling regulated by N -acyl homoserine lactone. ZN2 had a higher inhibitory action on the virulence factor productivity than ZN1. Furthermore, ZN2-treated cells displayed a substantial decrease in azocasein-degrading protease activity (80%), elastase activity (83%), and pyocyanin production (85%) relative to untreated P. aeruginosa PAO1 cells. Treatment with ZN2 decreased swarming motility and exopolysaccharide production by 89 and 85%, respectively. ZN2 was effective against both the las & pqs systems of P. aeruginosa and exhibited broad-spectrum activity. Additionally, ZN2 was more efficient in inhibiting the biofilm formation at the attachment stage than ZN1. These findings revealed that in P. aeruginosa , ZN2 demonstrated inhibitory effects on QS as well as on the development of biofilms. Thus, ZN2 can be potentially used to treat drug-resistant P. aeruginosa infections.

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