Europium oxide on carbon nitride for electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation coupled with hydrogen evolution reaction - Jana, Jayasmita; Sharma, Tata Sanjay Kanna; Ghanem, Mohamed A.; Choi, Won Mook; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S.; Hur, Seung Hyun (Separation and Purification Technology, 2025)
{The integration of the electrochemical glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has emerged as a promising alternative to the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting toward the development of renewable and clean energy sources. However, suitable electrodes that facilitate redox kinetics while increasing the selectivity of the desired product(s) are still required. Herein, a series of europium oxide (Eu2O3) anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanoaggregates (g-CNEux
Keywords: carbon support; electrocatalysis; Glycerol; HER; Rare earth metal

Exploring the electronic modulation in controlling the activity and selectivity of Ni-Au-In based catalyst in atmospheric pressure CO2 hydrogenation - Bajpai, Jyotsna P.; Gupta, Sharad; Goud, Devender; Deka, Diku Raj; V. Jagtap, Anuradha; Kumar, Pawan; Ahamed, Momin; Peter, Sebastian C.; Vinod, C. P. (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025)
Nickel-based catalysts are widely used for the hydrogenation of CO2 but encounter stability challenges during prolonged reactions and at elevated temperatures. At atmospheric pressure, nickel primarily promotes methane formation in CO2 hydrogenation reactions. In this work, we demonstrate that the stability and activity of nickel can be significantly enhanced through gold (Au) modification. Furthermore, we achieve a near-complete selectivity switch from methane to CO by incorporating indium (In), mediated through the formation of Au-In alloy. This catalyst exhibits excellent CO2 conversion and CO selectivity at relatively lower temperatures (400 degrees C), addressing a major bottleneck in the Reverse Water-Gas Shifts (RWGS) reaction. XPS studies demonstrate an interesting electron transfer mechanism facilitated by gold, which involves the formation of electronrich Au species (Au delta-) and the development of Au-In alloys. This process improves the reducibility of nickel oxide while allowing a fraction of nickel to remain in its metallic form, managing a facile hydrogenation process and regulating the shift in selectivity from CH4 to CO.
Keywords: Alloy formation; Bimetallic catalyst; CO2 hydrogenation; RWGS; Selectivity switch; synergy; Trimetallic catalyst; XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy)

Extraction of highly crystalline and thermally stable cellulose nanofiber from Heliconia psittacorum L.f. leaves - Paul, Sharon; Joseph, Anto; Hridhya, P. D.; Badawi, Michael; Ajithkumar, T. G.; Parameswaranpillai, Jyotishkumar; Asrofi, Mochamad; Dominic, C. D. Midhun (International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025)
Extracting cellulose nanofibers (CNF) from agro-waste is one of the promising and practical ways to develop sustainable nanocomposites. In this study, cellulose nanofibers were extracted from the leaves of Heliconia psittacorum for the first time. The combination of oxalic acid hydrolysis (5 wt%) and steam explosion was used for the isolation of CNF from the leaves of Heliconia psittacorum. The structural and chemical features of the prepared CNF were analyzed using various techniques, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Solid state 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (13C NMR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X ray analysis (EDX), Transmission electron Microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM micrographs reported 15 to 40 nm diameter for the nanofibers synthesized. XRD analysis reported 91 % crystallinity index for CNF, whereas that of the untreated sample was 76 %. The maximum degradation of the CNF is reported at 355 degrees C, exceeds the untreated sample (316 degrees C). The tensile strength of the CNF derived paper was found to be 23 MPa. The recovered nanocellulose can be further utilized for various applications such as the automobile industry for developing lightweight parts, biosensors, super capacitors, absorption of greenhouse gases, wastewater treatment, and packaging applications.
Keywords: biomass valorization; Nanocellulose; Waste to resource

Facile and eco-friendly synthesis of Mn2O3 nanoparticles via microwave-assisted glycerol-thermal method - Yadav, Akash; Jha, Ratnesh; Bhatkar, Akash; Gehlot, Bhavika; Kamble, Aditi; Manikandan, Marimuthu; Bhosale, Hritvik; Vaishnav, Vishal; Rathod, Rutik; Umbarkar, Shubhangi; Raja, Thirumalaiswamy; Bhatte, Kushal D. (Journal of Chemical Sciences, 2025)
Microwave-assisted efficient synthesis of nanosized manganese oxide (Mn2O3) is reported using glycerol and manganese acetate. Glycerol in this reported methodology acts as an efficient solvent for this nanomaterial synthesis under microwave radiation. This reported method enables the synthesis of nanosized Mn2O3 without further use of additives, stabilizers, and bases other than glycerol and manganese precursor. Glycerol is a renewable biomaterial derived nonvolatile and nontoxic, safe solvent. It has a high boiling point and dielectric constant, which makes it an ideal solvent for microwave synthesis. The synthesized nanosized Mn2O3 was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. We examined the catalytic properties of as-synthesized Mn2O3 for cinnamyl alcohol oxidation to cinnamaldehyde. In this oxidation activity experiment, nanosized Mn2O3 exhibits good conversion and selectivity towards the desired product. We also made an attempt to understand the probable mechanism of nanomaterial formation and found some conclusive evidence to support it. This research methodology is facile, energy efficient, and involves minimum chemicals for synthesis. It makes this reported methodology not only economically attractive but also environmentally friendly, which aligns well with green chemistry principles.
Keywords: Glycerol; green chemistry; Nanosized Mn2O3; nanostructured catalysis

Far-red active squaraine dye-sensitized photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells with a copper (II/I) electrolyte - Nawghare, Indrajeet S.; Deshmukh, Shivdeep Suresh; Joshi, Krati; Krishnamurty, Sailaja; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj (Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A-Chemistry, 2025)
In dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), controlling the dye-aggregation on TiO2 and charge recombination between electrons present in TiO2 and electrolyte can be achieved by wrapping the long alkyl groups around the dye structure and further introducing bulky donor on the dye is a potential approach to enhance both the open-circuit potential and short-circuit current parameters. Additionally, bulky donor containing dye structures modulates the photophysical and electrochemical properties of the sensitizer which helps reducing the over potentials required for the dye regeneration process by utilizing a multidentate ligand containing [Cu(tme)]2+/+ and I- /I3redox electrolytes. Hagfeldt donor appended far-red NIR active unsymmetrical squaraine dye (SQ-HF) has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. SQ-HF dye showed an intense absorption at 676 nm (epsilon 1.7 x 105 M- 1cm- 1). Photophysical and electrochemical studies indicated that the LUMO and HOMO energy levels of the SQ-HF dye were suited for charge injection (from the LUMO of the dye to the conduction band of TiO2) and dyeregeneration processes, respectively. The DSSC device efficiency of 5.15 % (JSC of 10.83 mA/cm2 and VOC of 0.690 V) has been achieved for SQ-HF dye by utilizing a literature reported [Cu(tme)]2+/+ and 4.11 % (JSC of 8.74 mA/cm2 and VOC of 0.702 V) in I- /I3- redox shuttles, respectively.
Keywords: aggregation of dyes; Bulky donor; dye-sensitized solar cell; Photocurrent generation; squaraine dye

From signals to sustenance: the role of biogenic amines in insect feeding behavior - Patil, Yogita P.; Joshi, Rakesh S. (Journal of Insect Behavior, 2025)
Insect feeding is a complex and finely-tuned behavior that notably impacts their physiological and metabolic processes. Chemical signals and cues, chemosensation, motor response, and physiological changes govern responses to food resources. The role of biogenic amines in regulating feeding is essential, as they significantly affect locomotory changes and nutrient assimilation. Octopamine, tyramine, dopamine, serotonin, and other biogenic amines are neuromodulators, neurotransmitters, and neurohormones. Octopamine and tyramine have contrasting effects on food-seeking and foraging behavior regulation. The interaction among biogenic amines and their respective receptors initiates diverse signaling pathways by modifying the concentrations of intracellular secondary messengers like Ca2+, AMP, and other molecules. These signal transductions regulate various physical and metabolic processes, directly influencing feeding behavior and digestive physiology. Furthermore, dopamine triggers a negative response, whereas serotonin plays a positive role in regulating feeding behavior. Biogenic amines underlie synchronized and interconnected molecular mechanisms, along with unique individual effects. It is fascinating to consider these interrelated activities and the impacts of bioamine on insect feeding behavior. In this review, we discuss the roles of insect biogenic amines and their cross-talk in insect feeding and foraging behavior.
Keywords: Biogenic amines; feeding behavior; octopamine; Signal transduction; tyramine

Is GCR1 the GPR157 of plants? - Gotkhindikar, Aditi; Chakravorty, David; Sengupta, Durba; Joshi, Manali; Assmann, Sarah M. (PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 2025)

Graphene oxide-cyclopentylamine (GO-d-CP) liquid crystals as a novel alignment medium for anisotropic nmr with analyte recovery - Jatheendranath, Sandesh Chickmagalur; Das, Akhi; Deshpande, Sudhindra H.; Nath, Nilamoni; Maier, Walter; Streitferdt, Verena; Marelli, Udaya Kiran (Chemistry—Methods, 2025)
In this study, we present graphene oxide derivatized with cyclopentylamine (GO-d-CP) as a DMSO-compatible liquid crystal alignment medium that is free from any background NMR signal for application in anisotropic NMR. This novel alignment medium facilitates optimal isotropic and anisotropic conditions within a single sample preparation, controlled by sonication, thereby enabling the measurement of anisotropic NMR parameters- residual dipolar couplings (RDC) and residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA). GO-d-CP offers several advantages, including ease of synthesis, isolation of solid GO-d-CP as a stable non-hygroscopic material, and maintenance of the anisotropic state stability >30 days, allowing for prolonged and repetitive experiments. Notably, post the analysis it allows for easy recovery of valuable analytes as well as GO-d-CP for reuse, enabling the routine application of anisotropic NMR in structural analysis of small molecules. We demonstrate its efficacy by analyzing the relative stereochemistry of four compounds - estrone, santonin, griseofulvin, and cinmethylin - using anisotropic NMR data.

Graphitic-C3N4/γ-Al2O3 composite catalyst for synthesis of 5-(Hydroxymethyl) furfural from d-Glucose - Kirdant, Swapnali P.; Ghadge, Sambhaji S.; Jadhav, Vrushali H. (Energy & Fuels, 2025)
Currently, the synthesis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), with high yields and selectivity from different renewable sources, is an important focus in the biomass conversion area. In the present study, a g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) composite catalyst was prepared using graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and acidic gamma-alumina (gamma-Al2O3), which was evaluated for its catalytic activity in converting sugars, mainly glucose, to 5-HMF. In the g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst, N-containing groups on g-C3N4 provided basicity and gamma-Al2O3 provided Lewis acidity to the catalyst. The g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) composite catalyst showed superior activity for 5-HMF synthesis compared to gamma-Al2O3 and g-C3N4 alone. The increased acidic and basic properties of the g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst significantly influenced both glucose-to-fructose isomerization and dehydration of fructose to HMF by increasing the yield of 5-HMF. In addition, the solvent DMSO:water also played an important role in the one-pot conversion of glucose to HMF by minimizing side reactions, which significantly improved the 5-HMF yield. The reaction was optimized for various solvents, temperatures, and catalyst concentrations to get a maximum yield of 91% from glucose with >99% selectivity of crude 5-HMF. Other sugars like fructose, sucrose, and lactose also provided good yields of 5-HMF. The g-C3N4/gamma-Al2O3(1:1) catalyst was stable and was effectively reused for up to four cycles.

Heteroatom-synergistic effect on anchoring polysulfides in chalcone-linked nanographene covalent organic frameworks for high-performance Li―S batteries - Ranjeesh, Kayaramkodath Chandran; Javaregowda, Bharathkumar H.; Gaber, Safa; Bhauriyal, Preeti; Kumar, Sushil; Skorjanc, Tina; Finsgar, Matjaz; Heine, Thomas; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Shetty, Dinesh (Advanced Science, 2025)
Lithium-sulfur (Li & horbar;S) batteries are an attractive option for future energy storage devices because they offer higher theoretical specific capacity, energy density, and cost-effectiveness than commercial lithium-ion batteries. However, the practical applications of Li & horbar;S batteries are significantly limited by the shuttle effect caused by intermediate lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and slow redox kinetics. In this study, the molecular engineering of chalcone-linked, sp(2)-bonded nanographene-type covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as sulfur hosts is reported to enhance interactions with LiPSs, thereby effectively suppressing the shuttle effect. The developed sulfur-hosting cathode material demonstrated outstanding battery performance, surpassing most reported materials by achieving a specific capacity of 1228 mA h g(-1) at 0.5C, with 80% retention after 500 cycles and an average Coulombic Efficiency (C.E.) of 99%. Additionally, the mechanisms of sulfur immobilization, the subsequent conversion into lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and their binding energies with COFs are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These findings offer valuable insights into the structure-property relationships essential for developing more efficient sulfur-hosting cathodes.
Keywords: anion-pi interaction; covalent organic frameworks; lithium-sulfur battery; nanographene; polysulfide shuttle

Heterolytic cleavage of the B–H bond in H3B·L (L = THF, NMe2H) by an electrophilic Ir(iii) pincer complex [Ir(H)(PMe3)(tBu4POCOP)][BAr F4] - Pradhan, Mitarani; Surati, Zeel Y.; Pal, Apurba Kumar; Vanka, Kumar; Jagirdar, Balaji R. (2025)
<div class="abstract author" id="aep-abstract-id6" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> Six- and five-coordinate iridium complexes, [Ir(H)Cl(PMe3)(tBu4POCOP)] (2) (tBu4POCOP = κ3-C6H3-2,6-(OPtBu2)2) and [Ir(H)(PMe3)(tBu4POCOP)][BArF4] (3), respectively, have been synthesized and characterized. The reactivity of the electrophilic 16-electron iridium(III) complex 3 with H2, H3B·THF, H3B·NMe2H, and H3B·NMe3 was investigated. The reaction of complex 3 with H2 resulted in the formation of trans-[Ir(H)(η2-H2)(PMe3)(tBu4POCOP)][BArF4] complex 5. Complex 3 was found to activate the B–H bonds in H3B·THF and H3B·NMe2H (DMAB) in a heterolytic fashion. The reaction of complex 3 with H3B·THF at 298 K afforded trans-[Ir(H)2PMe3(tBu4POCOP)] complex 6 and a boronium compound, [H2B(THF)2][BArF4]. Monitoring the reaction from 179 to 298 K by NMR spectroscopy revealed the formation of a σ-borane intermediate, trans-[Ir(H)(η1-HBH2·THF)PMe3(tBu4POCOP)][BArF4] (3a-Int), en route to the final products observed at 298 K. The formation of this intermediate species was also investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The reaction of complex 3 with H3B·NMe2H at 298 K yielded a mixture of complexes 3 and 5 and a cyclic diborazane [H2BNMe2]2. The reaction was found to proceed via intermediates, a σ-borane complex, trans-[Ir(H)(η1-HBH2·NMe2H)PMe3(tBu4POCOP)][BArF4] (3b), complex 6, [(NHMe2)2BH2][BArF4], and H2B<img alt="[double bond, length as m-dash]" border="0" src="https://www.rsc.org/images/entities/char_e001.gif" style="border: none; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.79); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", source-sans-pro, museo_sans300, museo-sans, Arial, sans-serif;" />NMe2. Complex 3 exhibited no reactivity with H3B·NMe3.

Heteropolyacid-assisted efficient one-pot synthesis of ethyl levulinate from biorenewable feedstocks - Jagannivasan, Gopika; Haridas, Suja; Marimuthu, Banu; Mukundan, Swathi (Energy & Fuels, 2025)
Amid rising environmental concerns over fossil fuel dependence, biomass-derived alkyl levulinates, particularly ethyl levulinate (EL), have gained prominence due to their versatility in applications ranging from biofuels to lubricants and green solvents. This study presents an efficient, one-pot catalytic conversion of various carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) into EL using a tailored Keggin-type heteropolyacid catalyst with a vanadium-to-tungsten atom ratio of 1:11. Vanadium substitution imparts higher acidity and redox properties to the catalyst, which is reflected in the catalytic performance. The catalyst demonstrated outstanding performance, achieving high EL yields of 98 +/- 1% from sucrose, 93 +/- 2% from fructose, and 82 +/- 2% from glucose under batch processing conditions (180 degrees C, absolute ethanol solvent, 27 wt % catalyst, 2 h). The high yield of EL may be assigned to the presence of both Br & oslash;nsted and Lewis acid sites, which promotes key reactions like isomerization and ethanolysis. Moreover, a significant EL yield of 85 +/- 2% was obtained from cellulose feedstock, which showcases the efficiency of this catalyst. The use of absolute ethanol as solvent enhanced esterification prospects, preventing hydrolysis and promoting higher EL yields, while the presence of water as cosolvent favored the formation of levulinic acid. These findings demonstrate the potential of vanadium-substituted heteropolyacid catalysts for efficient biomass valorization, offering a sustainable pathway for the large-scale production of EL from renewable feedstocks.

High-performance polysulfide-trapping lithium sulfur battery cathode: cubic Co3O4 catalyst within a nitrogen-doped entangled graphene framework - Manna, Narugopal; Soni, Roby; Young, R. S.; Jervis, Rhodri; Miller, Thomas S. (ChemElectroChem, 2025)
The cycling performance of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is hampered by polysulfide dissolution which impacts the overall performance of Li-S batteries. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of polysulfide trapping cathode material for Li-S batteries based on Co3O4 nanocubes supported within a nitrogen-doped entangled graphene (Co3O4/NEGF). The highly porous conductive graphene network is shown to facilitate fast electron transport and ion diffusion while the nitrogen dopants and polar Co3O4 offer both abundant active sites for polysulfide conversion while promoting intermediate polysulfide binding. The porous structure allows for high sulfur loading of 76.4 wt % (S@Co3O4/NEGF), while efficiently accommodating volumetric expansion during charge-discharge. The Co3O4/NEGF cathode composite exhibited a high specific capacity of 1143 mAh g-1 at a current density of C/20 and maintained a 79 % reversible capacity after 200 cycles at C/5.

Hot injection assisted electronically modulated twin and grain boundary rich sub-2 nm pt3co alloy resistant to phosphate ion for PEMFCs - Singh, Mayank U.; Jadhav, Swapnil D.; Shivankar, Bhavana R.; Pandikassala, Ajmal; Kumar, Yogesh; Krishnamurty, Sailaja; Vinod, C. P.; Kurungot, Sreekumar (Small, 2025)
Modulation of the electronic d-band center, structural defects (line defects), and particle size of Pt3Co alloy electrocatalyst have huge significance in elevating its electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction activity. Deviating from traditional high-temperature strategies, the current work focuses on ripening these benefits by implying a simple economically viable hot-injection-assisted modified polyol process. A conclusive control over decrementing particle size starting from 2.7 to 1.3 nm, an increasing degree of strain (twin boundary), and shifting of the d-band center away from the Fermi level are obtained via varying the temperature to which the solution is injected. The catalyst prepared via the injection at 200 degrees C (Pt3Co(1.3 t,g-b)/fVC-200) has delivered an electrochemical surface area of 84 m(2) g(Pt)(-1) with the onset and half-wave potentials of 0.980 and 0.858 V, respectively, versus RHE and a limiting current of -6.0 mA cm(-2) with stability till 20k cycles. In the high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell Pt3Co(1.3 t,g-b)/fVC-200-based cell has outperformed Pt/C rendering 600 mWcm(-2) under H-2-Air compared to 529 mWcm(-2) of Pt/C with 20% lower Pt loading and double the stability due to enhanced resistance toward phosphoric acid for accelerated voltage cycling. A similar enhancement is seen while employing the catalyst for low-temperature fuel cells.
Keywords: electrocatalyst; grain boundary; hot injection synthesis; modified polyol process; oxygen reduction reaction; proton exchange membrane fuel cell; Pt3Co alloy; twin boundary; valance band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Hydrogenation of CO2 catalyzed by thermally decomposed cobalt-containing alkaline earth metal carbonates - Gupta, Sharad; Vinod, C. P.; Poupin, Christophe; Jagadeesan, Dinesh (Energy & Fuels, 2025)
CO2 hydrogenation over Co catalysts supported on alkaline earth metal oxides was investigated. The catalysts were prepared by thermally decomposing alkaline metal carbonates CoMCO3, where M = Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba, in H2. During the thermal activation, contingent upon the thermal stability of the precursor, it transformed into a composite of metal oxides, metals, and undecomposed metal carbonates. The thermal activation temperature, the ratio of CO2 to H2, the composition, and the basicity of the catalyst all played a significant role in influencing the conversion of CO2 and the selectivity to CH4. Among the various Co-containing alkaline earth metal carbonate precursors, CoCaCO3 activated at 400 degrees C yielded the highest steady-state CO2 conversion of 54% with a CH4 selectivity of 89.8% throughout 28 h in the reaction stream containing a 1:4 ratio of CO2 and H2. Detailed characterization showed that the CaCo-400 catalyst contained metallic Co, CaO, and undecomposed CaCO3 phases. The study assumes significance in understanding the role of the composition of catalysts in the formation of CO2 hydrogenation.

Identification of genetic variations linked to buparvaquone resistance in Theileria annulata infecting dairy cattle in India - Musale, Pankaj; Khilari, Ajinkya; Gade, Rohini; Dhanikachalam, Velu; Jadhav, Santoshkumar; Bajpai, Manali; Turakani, Bhagya; Joshi, Akshay; Prajapati, Amar; Srivastava, Anand; Swaminathan, Marimuthu; Joshi, Sachin; et al. (Plos One, 2025)
Buparvaquone (BPQ) is used for the treatment of bovine theileriosis, a tickborne disease caused by parasites of the Theileria genus. Studies on T. annulata have linked the mechanism of BPQ resistance predominantly to genetic variations in the parasite cytochrome b (cytb) gene. In addition, cryptic mechanisms of resistance involving the parasite peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (pin1) and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (dhodh) genes require assessment. In India, where bovine theileriosis is endemic, and BPQ is widely used for treatment, it is necessary to establish the prevalence of genetic variations linked to BPQ resistance. In this study, multiplexed PCR amplification and nanopore sequencing method was used for genotyping the complete gene loci of the three target genes. Analysis of 454 T. annulata field samples collected from seven different states of India revealed the presence of previously reported BPQ resistance associated variations S129G, A146T and P253S in cytb gene and A53P in pin1 gene. The A146T and I203V variations in cytb were found to be prevalent and mostly co-occurring, and their role in BPQ resistance needs further evaluation. This study has revealed the presence of previously reported BPQ resistance-linked mutations in cytb and pin1 genes in T. annulata infecting dairy cattle in India and establishes an Oxford nanopore sequencing method suitable for large-scale surveillance of genetic variation in Theileria parasites from field samples.

In situ engineered triple phase boundary enhancement in 3D structured carbon supported catalyst for high-temperature PEMFC - Pandikassala, Ajmal; Jadhav, Swapnil D.; Kurian, Maria; Kurungot, Sreekumar (Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2025)
Enhancing platinum (Pt) utilization in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) requires optimizing the catalyst support microstructures to expand the triple-phase boundary (TPB). A promising method has been reported here which employs a three-dimensional (3D) catalyst support with an in situ-generated ionomer interface from preadmitted monomer molecules, potentially replacing the traditional Nafion ionomers. The small-sized monomers infiltrate the catalyst's pores, and UV curing polymerizes them into an extended interfacial network within the 3D carbon support. The single-cell analysis of the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) in high-temperature PEMFCs (HT-PEMFCs) using phosphoric acid-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes highlights the effectiveness of this approach. The strategy helps to achieve a current density of 1.06 A cm-2 and 0.49 A cm-2 at 0.60 V in H2-O2 and H2-air feed conditions, respectively. These values represent a significant improvement over the conventional Nafion ionomer-based MEAs, which exhibit current densities of 0.87 A cm-2 and 0.40 A cm-2 under H2-O2 and H2-air feeds, respectively, when utilizing a platinum-supported carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. When Pt nanoparticles are decorated on a high-surface-area, porous 3D interconnected carbon support synthesized via the carbonization of the polydopamine-coated melamine foam (Pt/3DPDC), the conventional Nafion ionomers tend to block the nanopores in the 3D carbon supports, leading to the underutilization of the Pt active sites. In contrast, the in situ ionomer approach enabled the system to deliver 0.93 A cm-2 at 0.60 V H2-O2 feed conditions, which is significantly higher than 0.38 A cm-2 obtained with the Nafion-based ionomers under similar conditions. This approach successfully makes use of the Pt active sites present in the nanopores and tackles the issues of mass transfer and reactant distribution, both of which are essential for expanding fuel cells from single cells to stacks. The exhibited method emphasizes how crucial it is to develop process-friendly electrocatalysts and complementary electrode manufacturing techniques in order to advance the PEMFC performance through a novel scientific path.

Investigations into the nucleation dynamics of the stable Na-metal anode: revealing the role of a tin-infused carbon nanofiber interlayer - Wasnik, Kundan; Yadav, Poonam; Ahuja, Manuj; Mirzapure, Vinay; Johari, Priya; Shelke, Manjusha V. (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025)
Fundamental understanding and controlling of sodium nucleation are essential for enhancing the performance, safety, and longevity of sodium metal batteries, which is not yet clearly understood in the case of sodium metal batteries. The present study showcases how a modification in the host material influences nucleation kinetics. Current-time transient studies on copper, carbon nanofiber, and tin-embedded carbon nanofiber interlayers employing the Scharifker-Hills model elucidate the mode of nucleation. This work tries to delve deep and presents a case study on how a tin-based interlayer can not only minimize the barrier for sodium nucleation but also direct the sequential progressive and instantaneous nucleation of sodium metal while reducing the overpotential substantially, resulting in crystalline, uniform Na-metal deposition. Further, to account for the complex dynamics of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation distinctly associated with alkali metal deposition, the SEI-fracture model has been included, and the quantification of electrochemical nucleation parameters is obtained. The results provide important insights into the sodium nucleation mechanism, paving the way to counter dendrite formation and SEI dissolution issues of the Na-metal anode.
Keywords: overpotential; progressiveand instantaneous nucleation; Scharifker-Hills model; SEI-fracture model; tin interlayer

LDH-dsRNA nanocarrier-mediated spray-induced silencing of juvenile hormone degradation pathway genes for targeted control of Helicoverpa armigera - Joshi, Kaumudi S.; Barvkar, Vitthal T.; Hadapad, Ashok B.; Hire, Ramesh S.; Joshi, Rakesh S. (International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025)
Helicoverpa armigera, a devastating agricultural pest, poses significant threats to global crop productivity. Targeting the Juvenile Hormone (JH) degradation pathway may offer a promising approach for pest management, given its pivotal role in insect development and reproduction. In this study, we developed a nanoclay-based formulation of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting three key JH degradation pathway genes: Juvenile Hormone Esterase (HaJHE), Juvenile Hormone Epoxy Hydrolase (HaJHEH), and Juvenile Hormone Diol Kinase (HaJHDK). Expression analysis revealed tissue and stage-specific patterns of these genes, with qRT-PCR confirming high expression levels of specific isoforms in key developmental transition: the pre-pupal stage. Treatment with bacterially expressed dsRNAs achieved >50 % silencing of target genes, resulting in delay in larval-to-pupal transitions. Bioassay demonstrated that treatment with LDH-based dsRNA nanocarrier resulted in downregulation of target genes, causing developmental delays, including prolonged larval and pupal stages. Metabolomic analysis further indicated reduced accumulation of JH degradation pathway metabolites, highlighting the pathway-specific action of dsRNAs. Furthermore, combinatorial application of dsRNAs resulted in higher mortalities compared to individual dsRNA application. These results suggest that the application of the LDH-based dsRNA nanocarrier formulation against H. armigera JH degradation pathway for spray-induced gene silencing could serve as a potential insect management strategy.
Keywords: Development; dsRNA; Helicoverpa armigera; Juvenile hormone; Layered double hydroxide; Nanocarrier

Long-term genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in campus wastewater depicts lineage trends and public health implications during and after omicron waves - Pramanik, Rinka; Rajput, Vinay; Malik, Vinita; Nannaware, Kiran; Matra, Sejal; Joshi, Sai; Kumar, Shubham; Samson, Rachel; Yadav, Rakesh Kumar; Shah, Priyanki; Shashidhara, LS; Dastager, Syed; et al. (Environment & Health, 2025)
SARS-CoV-2 transmission and detection on academic campuses in low- to middle-income countries has not been explored. The present study explored wastewater surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in a campus setting in Pune, Maharashtra, India, offering insights into variant-specific trends and their correlation with clinical cases over a 2.5 year period from November 2021 to April 2024. We collected 242 wastewater samples from the campus sewershed and processed them to extract RNA and perform RT-qPCR and sequencing, followed by lineage assignment using the LCS tool. Early signals of different SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as BA.2.X, JN.1.X, and KP.2.X, were detected in wastewater prior to its first clinical report in Maharashtra, India. Wastewater viral load strongly correlated with clinical cases during the Omicron phase (ρ = 0.73–0.81) compared to the post-Omicron phase (ρ = −0.06 to 0.31). This study also highlights that alerts and warnings issued on the basis of wastewater viral hikes have proven instrumental in preventing outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 variants on campus. However, downgrading COVID-19 from pandemic status by the WHO resulted in a subsequent decrease in public vigilance, changing the viral dynamic in the last phase of the study. This study showcases the utility of wastewater surveillance in a campus setting as an early warning system and understands the interplay of public health policy effects in viral dynamics within controlled ecosystems, such as campuses or offices.

Mechanochemical large-scale rapid synthesis of ultrapure sodium hexafluorophosphate - Senthilkumaran, Marimuthu; Javaregowda, Bharathkumar H.; Rajendran, Prakash Babu; Balasubramanian, Rajalakshmi; Ajithkumar, Thalasseril G.; Ravindranathan, Sapna; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam (ChemPlusChem, 2025)
Among the sodium battery electrolytes, sodium hexafluorophosphate (NaPF6) exhibits superior conductivity, anodic stability, and stable cathode electrolyte interface compared to other electrolytes. Therefore, the synthesis of pure NaPF6 through a simple process is very important. Usually, NaPF6 is synthesized using HF. In our approach, NaPF6 is synthesized by grinding dry ammonium hexafluorophosphate (NH4PF6) and sodium metal. Sodium injects an electron into the ammonium ion, which results in the formation of ammonia and hydrogen. The gram scale synthesis is completed in about 30 min. Purification of the product is not needed. The product purity is confirmed by various spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Usually, NaPF6 comprises NaF, HF, and solvents as impurities that affect the performance of SIBs. It has been confirmed that the NaPF6 synthesized by our mechanochemical approach in the absence of solvent is devoid of impurities despite the absence of product purification step. Furthermore, the synthesis of pure NaPF6 (250 g) is demonstrated using a grinder used as household item in cooking Indian pancakes, which costs about 300 USD. The duration of the synthesis of 250 g pure NaPF6 is 1 h. The purity of this sample is comparable to that of NaPF6 (5 g) synthesized using mortar and pestle.
Keywords: ammonium hexafluorophosphate; Batteries; carbonates; sodium hexafluorophosphate; sodium vanadium phosphate

MH-PCTpro: a machine learning model for rapid prediction of pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) isotherms - Verma, Ashwini; Joshi, Kavita (Iscience, 2025)
We present a machine-learning powered Metal Hydride's Pressure-Composition-Temperature isotherm Predictor (MH-PCTpro) for metal compositions. To train the MH-PCTpro, an experimental database of PCT isotherms is built from published literature. The database comprises over 14,000 data points extracted from 237 PCT isotherms representing 138 distinct compositions. The dataset encompasses more than 25 elements and spans a broad spectrum of absorption temperatures (263-653 K) and hydrogen pressures (0.001-40 MPa). The model is validated on a wide range of alloy families and its predictions are consistent with experimental results. The model also captures temperature-dependent variations in plateau pressure, enabling determination of enthalpy and entropy of hydride formation through Van't Hoff plots. Hence, MH-PCTpro can be used as an ML tool for guiding PCT experiments, offering PCT isotherm predictions and valuable thermodynamic insights into materials suitable for solid-state hydrogen storage.

Modification of some steps in the synthesis of Ivacaftor by mechano-chemical approach - Bankar, Shubham R.; Jadhav, Vrushali H. (Sustainable Chemistry for Climate Action, 2025)
<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Recently implementation of the mechano-chemistry approach for carrying out some of the steps in the synthesis of API’s, is considered an attractive and environment friendly approach as it permits solvent-free reactions or the use of activators for the reaction, making the process efficient and economical. In this study, we focused on the modification of some steps in the drug Ivacaftor, which is one of the most expensive drugs in the market. For the first time, a mechano-chemical approach was employed to replace some steps in the synthesis of Ivacaftor. One of the fragment 5-amino-2,4-di‑tert‑butyl‑phenol (<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">5<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) required in the synthesis of Ivacaftor was prepared in two steps from commercially available 2, 4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-5-nitrophenyl methyl carbonate (<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">6<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) by mechano-chemistry approach in good yields. In the last step, fragment 5-amino-2,4-di‑tert‑butyl‑phenol (<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">5<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) was coupled with 4-quinolone-3-carboxylic acid <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(4)<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> using mechano-chemistry to obtain Ivacaftor (<span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: bolder; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">1<span style="color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">) in good yields. The advantage of this methodology was it avoided the use of solvent in all three steps of ivacaftor synthesis, making the process efficient and economical.

Monitoring influenza A (H1N1, H3N2), RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 using wastewater-based epidemiology: A 2-year longitudinal study in an Indian megacity covering omicron and post-omicron phases - Pramanik, Rinka; Nannaware, Kiran; Malik, Vinita; Shah, Priyanki; Sangewar, Poornima; Gogate, Niharika; Shashidhara, L. S.; Boargaonkar, Radhika; Patil, Dhawal; Kale, Saurabh; Bhalerao, Asim; Jain, Nidhi; et al. (Food and Environmental Virology, 2025)
{The bourgeoning field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for the surveillance of several respiratory viruses which includes Influenza A, H1N1pdm09, H3N2, respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is of interest for public health concerns. However, there are few long-term monitoring studies globally. In this study, respiratory viruses were detected and quantified from 11 sewer sheds by utilizing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis in Pune city, India, from Jan 2022 to Dec 2023. The RNA fragments of respiratory viruses were detected in sewage samples before clinical cases were reported, underscoring the potential of WBE for early detection and monitoring within the population. The Spearman correlation of wastewater viral copies was positively and significantly correlated with the clinically positive case of H1N1pdm09 (rho = 0.55
Keywords: Influenza A; Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR; Respiratory viruses; SARS-CoV-2; Wastewater-based epidemiology

NHC-catalyzed allylation of aldehydes with MBH carbonates and their michael addition-elimination-cope rearrangement cascade: a route to rac-sacubitril - Kale, Tushar B.; Jagtap, Sayali G.; Mhaske, Santosh B. (Organic Letters, 2025)
We report herein a novel NHC-catalyzed transition-metal-free chemoselective allylation of aldehydes with Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates using an inorganic base. Fascinatingly, the use of an organic base follows a different mechanism, leading to highly functionalized 1,5-dienes via a Michael addition-elimination reaction followed by [3,3]-sigmatropic Cope rearrangement. The described method harnesses a new Csp2-Csp3 bond to access alpha-methylene-gamma-oxo-gamma-substituted ester derivatives paving a way to facile synthesis of potent natural products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). A broad range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with MBH carbonates was employed to provide a variety of interesting butanoate and dienyl ketone scaffolds in good to excellent yields. This chemistry has been extended to the efficient syntheses of rac-sacubitril API and gamma-butyrolactone scaffold, which is a privileged core present in many natural products and APIs

NHC/Phosphite Nickel(II) Precatalysts for the C-N Cross-Coupling of (Hetero)Aryl Chlorides under Mild Conditions - Darandale, Nutan R.; John, Morgan E.; Moggach, Stephen A.; Sawant, Dinesh N.; Koutsantonis, George A.; Dorta, Reto; Stewart, Scott G. (ORGANIC LETTERS, 2025)
We report the synthesis of three nickel complexes based on Ni(NHC)[P(OR)3](Ar)Cl and their application in C(sp 2)-N cross-coupling reactions. Reactions involving secondary amines proceeded at room temperature, while anilines and primary alkyl amines coupled under mild heating. The reported complexes are air-stable as solids, operate at low catalytic loading, and do not require an exogenous ligand. Mechanistic studies suggest both free and Ni-bound phosphite are present during the reaction and that an isolated [Ni(NHC)(amine)(Ar)Cl] complex could be an on-cycle, catalytically active species.

Nigericin-induced apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia via mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress - Arun, Bhavyadharshini; Gopinath, Prarthana; Jha, Anup; Tripathi, Nishtha; Dastager, Syed G.; Hasan, Syed K. (Oncology Research, 2025)
Background: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive clonal hematological malignancy with limited treatment options. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of nigericin, a polyether ionophore derived from Streptomyces DASNCL-29, as a mitochondrial-targeted agent for AML treatment. Methods: Nigericin was isolated from Streptomyces DASNCL-29 and characterized via chromatography and NMR. Its cytotoxicity was tested in MOLM13 (sensitive and venetoclax-resistant) and HL60 (sensitive and cytarabine-resistant) cells using the MTT assay. Mitochondrial dysfunction was assessed by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (Arum), and mitochondrial mass. Apoptosis was evaluated with Annexin V/PI assays and immunoblotting, while proteomic analysis was conducted using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify differentially regulated proteins. Results: Nigericin demonstrated potent cytotoxicity with IC50 values of 57.02 nM in MOLM13-sensitive, 35.29 nM in MOLM13-resistant, 20.49 nM in HL60-sensitive, and 1.197 nM in HL60-cytarabine-resistant cells. Apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin V/PI staining and caspase-3/PARP cleavage, along with MCL-1 downregulation. Mitochondrial dysfunction was evident from increased ROS, reduced Arum, and decreased mitochondrial mass. Proteomic profiling identified 264 dysregulated proteins, including a 3.8-fold upregulation of Succinate Dehydrogenase [Ubiquinone] Flavoprotein Subunit A (SDHA). Conclusion: Nigericin induces apoptosis in AML cells by disrupting mitochondrial function and enhancing oxidative stress. Its nanomolar potency highlights the need for further mechanistic studies and in vivo evaluations to explore its potential in AML treatment.
Keywords: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML); Antineoplastic agents; Apoptosis; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Nigericin

Novel bifunctional inhibitor of protease and α-amylase from Clitorea ternatea restricts the growth and development in Spodoptera frugiperda - Dongare, Pratiksha M.; Madage, Varsha A.; Deshpande, V. Neha; Joshi, Rakesh S.; Giri, Ashok P.; Pawar, Pankaj K. (International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025)
An inhibitor molecule capable of inhibiting a wide range of digestive enzymes without affecting endogenous enzymes is always desirable. We report characterization of CteTAI (M.W. 14 kDa), a bifunctional inhibitor (BFI) protein from the seeds of Clitoria ternatea capable of inhibiting trypsin and alpha-amylase. It retains trypsin inhibition activity up to 60 degrees C and alpha-amylase inhibition up to 40 degrees C. Trypsin inhibition is stable across pH 1-12, while alpha-amylase inhibition is stable between pH 3-7. CteTAI is a noncompetitive inhibitor of trypsin and an uncompetitive inhibitor of alpha-amylase. It selectively inhibits proteases and alpha-amylases from various sources, without affecting alpha-amylase from human saliva and Bacillus spp. Proteomic analysis identified CteTAI as a bifunctional inhibitor exhibiting 41 % similarity to a bifunctional inhibitor from Sesbania bispinosa. Feeding Spodoptera frugiperda larvae with CteTAI-infused diet impaired energy metabolism, resulting in undernourished larvae and malformed adults incapable of flight and mating. Key nutritional indices (RGR, RCR, %ECI, %FDI) were severely reduced, indicating that CteTAI disrupts growth and development by inhibiting multiple protease and alpha-amylase isoforms. Biochemical characterization of newly identified CteTAI suggests its potential application in crop protection.
Keywords: alpha-Amylase inhibitors; Bifunctional inhibitor; Clitoria ternatea; Protease inhibitors; Spodoptera frugiperda

Portal substituent modulations in chiral imido-Pd(II) cages for the enhanced separation of styrene oxide enantiomers - Jose, Cavya; Sarkar, Abhradeep; Khopade, Kishor V.; Boomishankar, Ramamoorthy (Inorganic Chemistry, 2025)
Sensing and separation of enantiomers are crucial for the synthesis of biologically relevant compounds as well as for applications in catalysis and pharmaceutical development. Chiral coordination cages have gained significant attention as effective platforms for enantioselective processes through their well-defined, tunable cavities that facilitate host-guest interactions. In this study, we systematically explored the enantioselective binding and separation properties of two tetrahedral Pd(II) cages, 1-R and 2-R, with the molecular formula [Pd3(PO[N(RCH(CH3)Ph)3])4(C6O4X2)6] (X = Cl for 1-R, and X = F for 2-R). Their enantioselective abilities were investigated for small chiral molecules with diverse functional groups. Notably, the 2-R cage demonstrated a high enantioselectivity value of 88 for R-styrene oxide. Chiral separation experiments further revealed impressive enantiomeric excess (ee) values of 98% for R-styrene oxide from their racemic mixtures upon desorption from 2-R. The enhanced selectivity and separation efficiency were attributed to an optimal guest-to-cavity fit and the presence of multiple interaction sites within the host framework. Remarkably, portal substituent modulation in 2-R led to a 16-fold enhancement in enantioselective separation efficiency compared to 1-R, primarily due to improved portal dimensions, tighter molecular packing, and increased hydrogen bonding interactions. These findings highlight the potential of neutral chiral coordination cages for various enantioselective applications.

Pt-based 3D electrocatalyst with process-friendly features for PEMFCs possessing fast activation and improved mass-transfer properties - Pandikassala, Ajmal; Nadumattuvayil, Varsha; Singh, Mayank U.; Jadhav, Swapnil D.; Yoyakki, Athira; Kurungot, Sreekumar (Advanced Sustainable Systems, 2025)
Polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) face the challenges like slow oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and limited mass transport at high current densities, which affects their performance. The efficient water removal from the cathode is essential to improve oxygen diffusion. Addressing this, a catalyst is presented with platinum (Pt) nanoparticles distributed within a 3D carbon network (Pt/3DPDC) derived from the polydopamine-coated melamine foam. This unique architecture enhances Pt utilization and water management due to its high porosity and ample free spaces, providing a process-friendly feature for the electrode under PEMFC conditions. The pores and accessible texture of the 3D polydopamine derived carbon (3DPDC) framework facilitate ionomer uptake during the electrode fabrication, extending the active triple-phase boundary and improving the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance. The high porosity of Pt/3DPDC is mitigated by adding a small amount of commercial fuel cell catalayst (Pt/C), which maintains the effective catalyst number density per unit area by utilizing the excess porosity of the 3DPDC framework. This controlled interplay of the unique catalyst structure and spatially confined distribution of Pt/C within the Pt/3DPDC framework offers fast activation, reduced electrode flooding, and improved current densities across the operating potential window. This carefully engineered catalyst, designed through bottom-up strategies, is a promising electrocatalyst for practical PEMFC applications.
Keywords: Oxygen Evolution Reaction; oxygen reduction reaction; rechargeable flexible zinc-air battery

A Pt-Based Carbon-Free Cathode with Embedded Oxygen Nanoreservoirs: A Promising Approach for Oxygen Buffering to Aid Oxygen Reduction Reactions of PEMFCs - Yoyakki, Athira; Kumar, Sachin; Pandikassala, Ajmal; Jadhav, Swapnil D.; Vinod, C. P.; Kurungot, Sreekumar (ACS Catalysis, 2025)
For practical applications of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), the system needs to be operated by employing air in the cathode instead of pure oxygen (O2). This makes it necessary to develop innovative electrode engineering solutions so that the system can function well even in oxygen-lean environments under the realistic working conditions of PEMFCs. Taking this into account, we introduce Pt/SiO2@CeO2-30%, an engineered electrocatalyst with potentially generated oxygen vacancies (Ov), which can immensely contribute toward the enhancement in the O2 availability in oxygen-lean conditions like the air feed conditions, allowing an effective control of the overpotential related to the oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) at the electrode level. The meticulously crafted Pt-CeO2 interface serves as one of the appreciable structural attributes of the present catalyst, facilitating oxygen spillover toward the Pt environment, aided by the creation of the immense Ov along the nano CeO2 phase of the catalyst. In addition to the benefit of addressing the oxygen-lean conditions and overcoming the limitations of the state-of-the-art catalysts, usage of a noncarbonaceous support like SiO2 to house the Pt and CeO2 nanoparticles has been anticipated to lessen the corrosion problems, a major drawback associated with the carbon-based ORR catalysts. Apart from this, a significant contribution of SiO2 to the self-humidification of the ionomer interface plays a crucial role in enabling the MEA to work under low relative humidity conditions, which can be attributed to an additional benefit of the current composition of the catalyst. The catalyst demonstrated a promising ORR performance with a substantial improvement in H2-air feed circumstances and better corrosion resistance when tested with a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a single-cell configuration, illustrating the practical feasibility in a realistic system-level validation.
Keywords: carbon corrosion; carbon-free electrocatalyst; oxygen buffering; oxygen reductionreaction; oxygen spill over; protonexchange membrane fuel cell

Rapid and sensitive rGO/AuNP-based electrochemical nano-biosensor for detection of E. coli and S. aureus in less than an hour - Sirdeshmukh, Vedashree V.; Joglekar, Shreeram S.; Joshi, Preeti Nigam; Kale, Anup A. (AIP Advances, 2025)
Improved diagnostic screening has become critical for bacterial infection identification and prevention. The sensitivity, reliability, repeatability, detection time, and specificity of a test or tool are critical for its translation to application. Electrochemical detection methods are quick and can provide point-of-care diagnosis. We report on reduced graphene oxide/gold (rGO-AuNP) nanocomposites that enabled highly sensitive and quick detection of harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and S. aureus. The technique involved employing rGO as a nano-carrier and Au as a bioactive surface to bind particular antibodies for electrochemical immunoassays. The current approach is culture-independent and does not require sample processing for bacterial detection. It is a pathogen detection technology that uses rGO-AuNP as an electrochemical transducer platform and target particular antibodies for E. coli and S. aureus to obtain improved sensitivity and speed. Differential pulse voltammetry was used to detect infections. These findings demonstrated that rGO-AuNp nanocomposites have up to three times the sensitivity of rGO and AuNP alone. Importantly, the antibody linked bioactive screen-printed electrodes remained stable for more than a month, allowing just electrochemical measurements to be performed at the time of detection. This allowed for pathogen detection in less than an hour. The limit of detection for both E. coli and S. aureus was 2 CFU/ml, making it extremely sensitive. An electrochemical sensor was showing a linear response with R2 0.98. According to the physicochemical evaluation of nanocomposites, the improved sensitivity and stability were caused by a lowered bandgap in composites and uniform distribution of AuNPs on a rGO nano-template. (c) 2025 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Rational design of hydrophobic Cu/CuO electrodes for electrochemical oxygenation of tetralin: a strategic approach - Cherukuthota, Sri Vidya; Mathew, Elizabeth; Verma, Tushar Singh; Joshi, Krati; Selvaraj, Kaliaperumal (ChemSusChem, 2025)
Electro-organic synthesis presents a sustainable and practical alternative to traditional organic synthesis methods, which typically utilize harsh reagents and require energy-intensive conditions. Nevertheless, the challenge of achieving satisfactory conversion and selectivity rates in electrocatalytic oxidation using a non-platinum group metal (PGM) catalyst pair still needs to be addressed. This study demonstrates the application of a non-PGM-based catalyst pair for the electrocatalytic oxidation of tetralin to 1-tetralone, a highly demanded raw material in the pharma industry. Copper electrodeposited on teflonated carbon paper combined with copper foam as the electrocatalyst pair has demonstrated impressive conversion and selectivity ratios to electro-synthesize 1-tetralone at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The optimal choice of a non-PGM catalyst, ideal mass loading, and a unique electrode configuration resulted in an ultimate conversion of about 99% of tetralin and 1-tetralone selectivity -93.7%, yield -92.6%. The reaction pathway associated with the electrochemical phenomena is supported by first principles-based density functional theory calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the electrocatalyst. This process has exceptional performance that can be adapted for a wide range of substrates and is straightforward, ambient, reagent-free, scalable, and therefore beneficial for industrial use. Therefore, initiatives have been taken in this direction.
Keywords: C-H activation; Copper; electrochemical oxidation; non-PGM electrocatalysts; tetralin; Tetralone

Regioisomeric π-extended nanographene with long-lived phosphorescence afterglow - Kumar, Viksit; Venugopal, Geethu; Jadhav, Ashok Badrinarayan; Dongre, Sangram D.; Gonnade, Rajesh; Kumar, Jatish; Ruer, Paul C.; Hupp, Benjamin; Steffen, Andreas; Babu, Sukumaran Santhosh (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2025)
The cutouts of graphene sheets, particularly those with a nonplanar topology, present vast opportunities for advancement. Even a slight deviation from the planar structure can lead to intriguing (chiro)optical features for helically twisted nanographenes. In this context, we introduce two regioisomeric pi-extended nanographenes that exhibit distinct excited-state characteristics. The helicene structure and the photophysical features can be easily tuned by changing the connecting position of the nanographene to the carbazole core (2,7- and 3,6-). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of nanographenes with bent and helical conformations. Both derivatives exhibited thermally activated delayed fluorescence at room temperature and phosphorescence at low temperatures. Notably, the nanographene with the bent structure displayed an impressive red afterglow lasting over 30seconds, in contrast to the very weak afterglow observed in the helical structure. DFT calculations revealed the existence of an isoenergetic higher triplet state (T-8) and comparatively weak spin-orbit coupling (T-1-S-0), thereby enabling the bent nanographene to exhibit a long-lived component and strong afterglow. Our findings highlight the significance of regioisomeric nanographenes with exceptional optical properties and offer a deeper understanding of the structure-property relationship in nonplanar nanographenes.
Keywords: Afterglow; CPL; Helicenes; nanographene; Phosphorescence; TADF

Renewable and degradable polyoxalates derived from castor oil - Menon, Abhijith Hari; Joseph, Seena; Shaikh, Maulali H.; Chikkali, Samir H. (Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 2025)
Renewable feedstocks pave the way to reduce the demand for petroleum-derived chemicals. Castor oil is one such plant-based raw material that can be used to synthesize chemicals and materials with diverse applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel monomer, 18-methoxy-18-oxooctadec-9-en-7-yl methyl oxalate (3), from castor oil-derived ricinoleic acid. The identity of the monomer 3 has been unambiguously ascertained using 1-2D NMR spectroscopic analysis. Monomer 3 was then subjected to condensation polymerization with potentially bio-renewable long-chain aliphatic diols to yield degradable linear polyoxalates having molecular weights in the range of 8000-22,000 g/mol. The polymerization reactions were performed using pTSA and [Sn(Oct)2] as catalysts, and the polymerization conditions were optimized. The structure of the polymer was confirmed by 1-2D NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and GPC analysis. The thermal characterizations of the polyoxalates were carried out by DSC and TGA analysis. The polyoxalates were found to degrade in acidic media. These renewable polyoxalates were further reacted with thiols by ``thiol-ene'' click reaction to produce a cross-linked rubbery polymer, which retained degradability.
Keywords: castor oil derivatives; hydrolytic degradations; polyoxalates

Retrieval augmented generation for building datasets from scientific literature - Maharana, Piyush Ranjan; Verma, Ashwini; Joshi, Kavita (Journal of Physics-Materials, 2025)
In this work, we show that employing retrieval augmented generation (RAG) with a large language model (LLM) enables us to extract accurate data from scientific literature and construct datasets. The rapid growth in publications necessitates the automation of extraction of structured data as it is crucial for training machine learning(ML) models. The pipeline developed is simple and can be adjusted accordingly with natural language as input. Quantization enables us to run LLMs on consumer hardware and remove the reliance on closed-source models. Both Llama3-8B and Gemma2-9B with RAG give structured output consistently and with high accuracy as compared to direct prompting. Using the newly developed protocol, we created a data set of metal hydrides for solid-state hydrogen storage from paper abstracts. The accuracy of the generated dataset was >88% in the cases tested. Further, we demonstrate that the generated dataset is ready-to-use for ML models by testing it with HYST to predict the H(2)wt% at a given temperature. Thus, we demonstrate a pipeline to create datasets from scientific literature at minimal computational cost and high accuracy.
Keywords: dataset building; Hydrogen storage; LLM; materials; RAG

Sequential nitro-michael addition and reductive cyclization cascade reaction for diastereoselective synthesis of multifunctionalized 3,3′-pyrrolidinyl-spirooxindoles - Nichinde, Chandrakant B.; Bhati, Meema; Girase, Amardipsing S.; Patil, Baliram R.; Chaudhari, Suryakant S.; Gamidi, Rama Krishna; Joshi, Kavita; Kinage, Anil K. (European Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2025)
In this investigation, we elucidated, one-pot two stage efficient synthesis of multifuctionalized spiro[oxindole -3,3 `-pyrrolidine]. The methodology proceeds via organocatalyzed nitro-Michael addition reaction between indolylidenecyanoesters and nitroalkanes to formed nitro-Michael adduct which transformed into multifunctionalized 3,3 `-pyrrolidinyl-spirooxindoles by metal catalyzed reductive cyclization cascade. DFT investigations were conducted to elucidate the mechanism underlying the preferential reduction of the nitro group, with subsequent attack on the nitrile and ester groups remain inert throughout the reaction process. The approach is operationally simple, easily scalable, exhibits compatibility with readily accessible starting material and catalysts, thereby emphasizing cost-effectiveness.
Keywords: 3 `-pyrrolidinyl spirooxindoles; DFT study for regioselective cyclization; Diastereoselective 3; organocatalysis; Pd/C catalysed partial reductive spirocyclization

Silicon incorporated tacrine: design, synthesis, and evaluation of biological and pharmacokinetic parameters - Kulkarni, Akshay S.; Ramana, Sreenivasa Rao; Nuthakki, Vijay K.; Bhatt, Shipra; Jamwal, Ashiya; Nandawadekar, Laxman D.; Jotshi, Anshika; Kumar, Ajay; Nandi, Utpal; Bharate, Sandip B.; Reddy, D. Srinivasa (RSC Medicinal Chemistry, 2025)
Tacrine, an orally bioavailable cholinesterase inhibitor, was previously used to treat Alzheimer's disease but was withdrawn due to hepatotoxicity. The unique structural features of tacrine have once again captured the interest of medicinal chemists. However, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability hampered the development of the majority of its new analogs. Herein, we employed a silicon switch approach for improving the BBB permeability of CNS drugs with tacrine as a tool compound. The replacement of C2 methylene of tacrine with dimethyl silicon yielded `sila-tacrine' that inhibits acetylcholinesterase as well as butyrylcholinesterase with IC50 values of 3.18 and 6.09 mu M, respectively. Sila-tacrine competitively inhibits acetylcholinesterase while it is a non-competitive inhibitor of butyrylcholinesterase. The molecular docking results corroborated with the in vitro cholinesterase inhibition activity of tacrine vs. sila-tacrine. Sila-tacrine demonstrated metabolic stability in HLM and MLM and exhibited superior plasma exposure in an oral pharmacokinetic study in Swiss albino mice. However, tissue distribution studies revealed lower-than-expected brain levels due to efflux pump-mediated transport. This study offers a proof-of-concept for the silicon switch approach in improving the BBB permeability of CNS-active compounds.

Simple freeze-thaw based method for efficient purification of recombinant human proinsulin from inclusion bodies - Rajesh, S.; Jathar, Swaraj; Banarjee, Reema; Sharma, Monika; Palkar, Shivani; Shankar, S. Shiva; Kulkarni, Mahesh J. (Protein Expression and Purification, 2025)
Insulin is a pivotal peptide hormone essential for regulating glucose homeostasis. It has been known for over 100 years, but its production and purification methods are still under improvement. Escherichia coli based bacterial expression system is primarily used for insulin production. The human insulin protein expressed in bacteria usually forms inclusion bodies, complicating the purification process. Traditionally, insulin purification is a timeconsuming process involving urea-based denaturation methods, and various refolding techniques, followed by extensive chromatographic methods. Here, we report an easy and efficient purification of human proinsulin involving freeze-thaw based solubilization method. The extracted proinsulin inclusion bodies are treated with different concentrations of urea, followed by a freeze-thaw based solubilization. The freezing was carried out at various temperatures, mainly -80 degrees C, -20 degrees C, and -196 degrees C to determine the optimum condition for solubilization. Highest solubilization of proinsulin from the inclusion body was achieved with 0.5M urea and -20 degrees C. Further Nickel NTA-based purification was performed, and the purified protein was characterized for disulfide mapping by high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS). We also performed glucose uptake assays to validate the functional properties of purified proinsulin. This freeze-thaw based mild solubilization approach is a fast and effective method for getting bioactive proinsulin, which will help further design better purification and processing strategies for insulin production.
Keywords: Diabetes; Disulfide mapping; glucose; insulin; Mass spectrometry

Stimulant immobilized bioactive film of functionalized egg albumin blend for wound healing - Gautam, Tripurari Rao; Patel, Pratikshkumar R.; Singam, Amarnath R.; Jagtap, Ashish S.; Desai, Prasad; Gundloori, Rathna V. N.; Pawar, Anil; Dastager, Syed G. (International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2025)
Wound healing materials with advanced properties that facilitates higher collagen deposition, improved angiogenesis and quick tissue regeneration are crucial for clinical wound management. To meet the requirement, for the first time, our studies focus on engineering bio-originated natural materials, which are tested in combination with the active agents, ascorbic acid (AA), a stimulant and metronidazole (Mtz), an anti-microbial drug. Accordingly, a dual drug (AA, and Mtz) loaded film of functionalized egg albumin (FEA)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was fabricated following the solution casting method. The film was characterized for its morphology and physicochemical properties using various analytical tools. The potential of the film as a wound healing material was evaluated, by in vitro drug release, degradation, cell viability, antimicrobial studies, in vivo wound healing, and histopathological analyses. In vitro degradation studies confirmed their degradability in enzymatic and soil burial conditions. Cytotoxicity studies demonstrated their non-toxicity, and the antimicrobial investigations showcased that the material was antibacterial. On the 14th day, the wound closure percentage of the wound induced control group, GI (without treatment) was notably higher at 95 % compared to the test formulation group, GV [FEA-PVA (30/70 w/w) loaded with Mtz and AA (10 % w/w of the total polymer weight), respectively], which exhibited a wound closure of 83 %. Furthermore, the histopathological examinations revealed that the inner wound healing in GV was comparatively better than in GI in terms of angiogenesis, epidermal remodeling, higher collagen deposition, coherency, and tissue regeneration. Consequently, the formulated film can be deemed a suitable wound dressing material.
Keywords: collagen; Dual drug release; Functionalized egg albumin; Polymer blend films; Stimulant; wound Healing

Structure and properties of the cellulose fibres spun from imidazolium-based carboxylate functionalized zwitterionic liquid - Jadhav, Sachin; Singh, Dhirendra; Gupta, Deepika; Ganvir, Vivek; Singh, Madan Kumar; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan (CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS, 2025)
Keywords: cellulose; Direct dissolution; Zwitterionic liquid

Supramolecular self-assembly of glochidonol: a renewable triterpenoid from glochidion tomentosum - Patil, Harshal S.; Jagadeesh, K. S.; Dinore, Jaysingh; Sharanappa, P.; Baviskar, Ashwini S.; Thulasiram, Hirekodathakallu V. (Chemistryselect, 2025)
Glochidonol a lupane pentacyclic (6-6-6-6-5) triterpenoid isolated from Glochidion tomentosum, exhibited exceptional gelation ability compared to the screened lupane- and oleanane-type triterpenoids. This study represents the first report on the self-assembly behavior of glochidonol in various liquids. The molecule self-assembled to form gels in all tested aromatic solvents, whereas no gelation was observed in water or phosphate buffer. The structural and physical properties of the self-assembled glochidonol were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, the glochidonol-based self-assembled fibrillar network was utilized for the encapsulation of fluorescein isothiocyanate as a model drug, highlighting its potential for biomedical applications. A glochidonol-based gel loaded with doxorubicin exhibited sustained, diffusion-mediated drug release into PBS, accompanied by partial gel degradation. Fluorescence analysis confirmed release suggesting drug-gel interactions and diffusion. The glochidonol-based gel demonstrated sustained, diffusion-controlled doxorubicin release with partial degradation under physiological conditions.
Keywords: Glochidion tomentosum; Glochidonol; Organo gelator; Self-assembly; Triterpenoids

Synthesis and structural studies of ammonium exchanged synthetic analogue of disordered aluminosilicate natrolite - Gavhane, Manjusha J.; Jha, R. K.; Nam, Kyung-Wan; Bhange, Deu S. (Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 2025)
The current article reports preparation and structural analysis of NH4+ exchanged form of synthetic natrolite zeolite (NH4-natrolite) with disordered structure wherein Si and Al occupies all the tetrahedral (T) sites in the zeolite framework. Structural data is used to gain insight into the structural parameters those influence thermal stability of its proposed H-form. NH4-natrolite is prepared by ion-exchange method from K-natrolite (which was also obtained by ion-exchange with Na-natrolite). Na-natrolite, K-natrolite and NH4-natrolite prepared in this study were tested for their structural, morphological and thermal analysis. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction data was utilized to estimate the crystal structures of hydrated forms of Na-natrolite, K-natrolite and NH4-exchanged natrolites. Thermal analysis of NH4-natrolite revealed that the dehydration is followed by removal of ammonia during calcination. The role of the size (radius) and nature (either divalent or monovalent) of the exchangeable cations present in the channels, the framework chemical content and extent of `T' atom ordering have been collectively discussed and correlated with the structural behaviour of calcined NH4-natrolite to explain its thermal stability in better way.
Keywords: Crystal structure of natrolite; Disordered framework; zeolite

Synthesis, characterization, computational and biological evaluation of pyrazole hydrazones as promising anti-inflammatory agents - Deshmukh, Hemant S.; Adole, Vishnu A.; Frit, A. Alfind Paul; Mali, Suraj N.; Yasin, Haya Khader Ahmad; Patil, Bhausaheb N.; Janani, S.; Jagdale, Bapu S. (Scientific Reports, 2025)
In this study, two pyrazole-based hydrazone derivatives, 5-methyl-1-phenyl-4-(1-(2-phenylhydrazineylidene)ethyl)-1H-pyrazole (PMPH) and 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-methyl-4-(1-(2-phenylhydrazineylidene)ethyl)-1H-pyr azole (4F-PMPH), were synthesized and the structures of the compounds were elucidated through FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR, and mass spectral methods. The anti-inflammatory potential was evaluated using the bovine serum albumin denaturation assay, with PMPH and 4F-PMPH showing maximum inhibition at 0.5 mg/mL, respectively, suggesting that fluorine substitution enhances bioactivity. Molecular docking studies against COX-II (PDB: 3LN1) revealed favorable binding energies of - 7.21 kcal/mol (PMPH) and - 8.03 kcal/mol (4F-PMPH). Molecular dynamics simulation of the best docked compound 4F-PMPH with COX-II (PDB: 3LN1) revealed a stable complex over a 100 ns simulation, supporting its potential as a promising inhibitor. In silico ADME analyses revealed pharmacokinetic behavior and drug-likeness. A comparative Density functional theory-based spectroscopic and electronic investigation was conducted using the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. Vibrational frequency analysis showed strong correlation between theoretical and experimental IR spectra. Frontier molecular orbital analysis, molecular electrostatic surface potential maps, Mulliken charges, electronic and global reactivity parameters were also studied. Besides, reduced density gradient, non-covalent interaction, electron localization function, and localized orbital locator maps were analyzed for both the compounds.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Density functional theory; Drug design; Hydrazone; Pyrazole

Synthesis of benzannulated [5,6] oxa-fused/spiro-lactones via [4+2] cycloaddition with quinone methides: new insights into deconjugated butenolide reactivity - Kumar, Manish; Kale, Someshwar B.; Jawahar, Subramani; Barkade, Apurva D.; Das, Utpal (Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2025)
In this study, we unfold a Lewis-acid-catalyzed inverse electron demand hetero Diels-Alder (IEDHDA) [4 + 2] reaction, leveraging the unique beta-selective nucleophilicity of deconjugate lactone in conjunction with quinone methides for the synthesis of polycyclic fused and spiro acetals in a one-pot process. This cascade annulation reaction efficiently generates 3/4 chiral centers with high diastereoselectivity. The developed methodology proceeds under mild reaction conditions and exhibits a broad substrate scope for fused and spiro acetal formation.

Tailoring the electrochemical properties of ZnS electrodes via cobalt doping for improved supercapacitor application - Tom, Emmanuel; Velluva, Abhijai; Joseph, Anit; Thomas, Tiju; Sha, Mizaj Shabil; Jithin, V, P.; Thomas, Deepu; Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Kurian, Joji (JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC MATERIALS, 2025)
Keywords: capacitance; Co-doped; supercapacitor; ZnS

Thrombin immobilized hemocompatible radiopaque polyurethane microspheres for topical blood coagulation - Naik, Sonali S.; Torris, Arun; Ghuge, Gorakh Hiraman; Karthika, V. K.; Joseph, Roy; Nair, Kiran Sukumaran (JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH PART A, 2025)
Keywords: ALGINATE MICROSPHERES; ENDOVASCULAR TREATMENT; PRECISE LOCALIZATION

Total biocatalytic synthesis of capsaicinoids using ferulic acid: a versatile two-step strategy for natural product diversification - Khobragade, Taresh P.; Giri, Pritam; Patil, Mahesh D.; Joo, Sangwoo; Cho, Sunga; Kim, Yechan; Ghosh, Rohan; Jeong, Sanghun; Maeng, Minyeong; Song, Min-Ho; Park, Jeong-Min; Lee, Eun Ho; et al. (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2025)
The wide-ranging application of capsaicinoids, the active compounds in chili peppers, has driven increasing interest in the development of sustainable production strategies. However, capsaicinoid synthesis remains a challenge. The objective of this pioneering study is to report the total biocatalytic synthesis of structurally diverse capsaicinoids from bio-based ferulic acids. An X-ray crystallographic study elucidated the structural basis for the exceptional potential of a novel transaminase from Phaeobacter porticola (PPTA) to transform the highest ever reported concentration of vanillin (100-200 mM) to vanillylamine, with >99% conversion and modest conversion ranging from 48% to 79% for 300 to 500 mM substrate. Using PPTA in tandem with phenolic acid decarboxylase (PAD) and aromatic dioxygenase (ADO) further enabled the direct synthesis of vanillylamine from ferulic acid with >99% conversion. Furthermore, the integration of a multi-enzymatic cascade with carboxylic acid reductases (CARs) successfully synthesized structurally diverse capsaicinoids via amide bond formation between vanillylamine and free fatty acids, with excellent conversions ranging from 72% to >88%. A 50-mM enzymatic reaction afforded 95% and 80% conversion of vanillylamine and capsaicin, respectively.
Keywords: Capsaicinoids; Carboxylic acid reductase; Transaminase; Vanillylamine

Transit of NEAT1 and MTP11 to the plasma membrane and co-localization to vesicles support a role for exocytosis-mediated export in metal homeostasis - Vetal, Pallavi V.; Jaskolowski, Aime; Poirier, Yves (Physiologia Plantarum, 2025)
Understanding the role and mode of action of nutrient transporters requires information about their dynamic associations with plant membranes. Historically, apoplastic nutrient export has been associated with proteins localized at the plasma membrane (PM), while the role of endomembrane localization has been less explored. However, recent work on the PHOSPHATE 1 (PHO1) inorganic phosphate (Pi) exporter demonstrated that, although primarily localized at the Golgi and trans-Golgi network (TGN) vesicles, PHO1 does associate with the PM when clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) was inhibited, supporting a mechanism for Pi homeostasis involving exocytosis. We explored whether CME inhibition can identify other transporters that, although primarily localized at Golgi/TGN at steady-state level, also transit via the PM and are potentially involved in export via exocytosis. We found that, similar to PHO1, Golgi-localized transporters NA EFFLUX TRANSPORTER1 (NAET1) and METAL TOLERANCE PROTEIN11 (MTP11) relocate to the PM when CME is inhibited, both transiently in Nicotiana benthamiana and conditionally in Arabidopsis thaliana. Such PM re-localization of transporters upon CME inhibition is specific, since it does not occur with several other Golgi-associated transporters, including MTP5 and BIVALENT CATION TRANSPORTER 3 (BICAT3), as well as resident Golgi/TGN membrane proteins, such as alpha-1,2-MANNOSIDASE I (Man1) and VESICLE TRANSPORT V-SNARE 12 (VTI12). Additionally, we observed that NAET1, MTP11 and PHO1 all partially co-localize to vesicles. Overall, our study supports a role for synaptic-like vesicle-mediated exocytosis for both NEAT1 and MTP11 in nutrient transport in plants and highlights the importance of assessing the transient localization of Golgi/TGN proteins to the PM.

Ultrabroad near infrared emitting perovskites - Saikia, Sajid; Gopal, Animesh; Rathod, Radha; Joshi, Aprajita; Priolkar, K. R.; Saha, Surajit; Santra, Pralay K.; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Nag, Angshuman (Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2025)
Phosphor converted light emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) have revolutionized solid-state white lighting by replacing energy-inefficient filament-based incandescent lamps. However, such a pc-LED emitting ultrabroad near-infrared (NIR) radiations still remains a challenge, primarily because of the lack of ultrabroad NIR emitting phosphors. To address this issue, we have prepared 2.5 % W4+-doped and 2.8 % Mo4+-doped Cs2Na0.95Ag0.05BiCl6 perovskites emitting ultrabroad NIR radiation with unprecedented spectral widths of 434 and 468 nm, respectively. Upon band-edge excitation, the soft lattice of the host exhibits broad self-trapped exciton (STE) emission covering NIR-I (700 nm), which then nonradiatively excites the dopants. The <img alt="mathematical equation" class="fallback__image" src="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/cbbb8722-f036-4e98-91f1-f78348f240a5/anie202415003-math-0001.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Open Sans", icomoon, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /> –donor ligand Cl− reduces the energy of dopant d–d transitions emitting NIR-II with a peak at ~950 nm. Vibronic coupling broadens the dopant emission. The large spin-orbit coupling and local structural distortion might possibly enhance the dopant emission intensity, leading to an overall NIR photoluminescence quantum yield ~40 %. The composite of our ultrabroad NIR phosphors with biodegradable polymer polylactic acid could be processed into free-standing films and 3D printed structures. Large (170<img alt="mathematical equation" class="fallback__image" src="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/62119a49-ef5d-4b17-a727-798978412727/anie202415003-math-0002.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Open Sans", icomoon, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /> 170 <img alt="mathematical equation" class="fallback__image" src="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/3d2c08c0-4ab8-436a-bc69-603df5328723/anie202415003-math-0003.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: "Open Sans", icomoon, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /> ), robust, and thermally stable 3D printed pc-LED panels emit ultrabroad NIR radiation, demonstrating NIR imaging applications.

Understanding the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of bioinspired platinum nanoparticles synthesized using ocimum tenuiflorum - Varma, Sanjana; Bamb, Aagam Lalit; Tambe, Sayali A.; Burade, Dimpal K.; Jagdale, Swati; Pande, Bharat; Vamkudoth, Koteswara Rao; Chaudhari, Bhushan P. (BioNanoScience, 2025)
The emergence of infectious diseases has highlighted the need for novel and effective antimicrobial agents. Platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) could act as a potent antimicrobial agent due to their unique physicochemical properties. However, the chemical or physical synthesis methods of PtNPs have drawbacks, like irregular shape and use of toxic chemicals. These drawbacks can be effectively overcome by using the biological method synthesis. Thus, this study presents the green synthesis of platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) using Ocimum tenuiflorum leaf extract as a bio-reductant. The study also comprehensively encompasses the role of multiple process parameters for the green synthesis of PtNPs. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) revealed spherical PtNPs with an average size of 2.36 ± 0.5 nm that exhibits excellent stability (zeta potential, −45.67 ± 2.57 mV). Phytochemical analysis of aqueous O. tenuiflorum leaf extract was performed to assess the bioactive compounds like saponins, phenols, and tannins, reducing sugars and flavonoids. The PtNPs demonstrated significant antioxidant activity of 86.9 ± 0.12% at 10 µg/mL. Further, the biosynthesized PtNPs showed efficient antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 µg/mL against Escherichia coli and 1.5 µg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of eco-friendly PtNPs for pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications.

Understanding the structural characteristics of modified ceramic hollow fiber oxygen transport membranes through in silico tomography simulation study - Jogdand, Shunottara M.; Sharma, Jyoti; Khilari, Rushikesh S.; Mahajan, Digvijay P.; Patil, Prashant; Pol, Harshavardhan V.; Torris, Arun; Agrawal, Ravi; Kharul, Ulhas K.; Devi, R. Nandini (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2025)
Design and development of integrated membrane reactor systems are gaining attention as a sustainable solution capable of performing multiple functions in a single reactor. Membrane reactors made of mixed ionic-electronic conduction materials dosing pure O to the reactions can be exploited for various catalytic processes. In this case, micro- and macrostructures of the membrane surface play a significant role in the permeation performance of membranes, and understanding these parameters prior to scaling up to modules is imperative. Here, 3D X-ray tomography imaging, a versatile nondestructive instrumental technique, is used in understanding the structural behavior of the membrane walls at different structural alignments, leading to anticipation of fouling areas upon assembling membrane reactors. La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-delta hollow fiber membranes are fabricated by the phase inversion method and further modified by the optimized acid etching technique. In silico simulations on different morphologies before and after surface modifications are carried out under varying flow rates at nonambient temperatures to mimic real experimental conditions. Critical parameters such as gas velocity, pressure exerted on cavity walls, and strain, dictating structural integrity of the fibers under experimental conditions, were evaluated. As a result of the assessment, the surface-modified structural morphology with finger-like cavities initiating from the inner wall of the membrane was found to be robust. Increase in the pore size, nonuniform pore size distribution, and irregular and interdigitated cavities formed in outer fingered membranes after multiple surface treatments led to an similar to 5 fold increase in the average pressure exerted at the cavity walls when compared to inner fingered membranes. Strain profile generated for inner fingered membranes shows homogeneous distribution of strain for the applied stress throughout the 3D geometry of the membrane. This detailed structural analysis of the membrane will help in building a more robust and efficient system for scale-up applications.
Keywords: 3D X-ray tomography; in silico simulation; oxygen transport membranes; perovskite; phase inversionmethod

Underutilization of India’s trained science and technology workforce: Impact on gender disparity - Jugran, Arun K.; Sardana, Neha; Fatima, N. Nishad; Maheshwary, Sugandha; Sengupta, Durba; Chakravorty, Nishant (Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, 2025)
The growing STEM workforce of India faces remarkable underutilization, mostly among women and early-career researchers. A survey was conducted among 106 research professionals showed that 46% of the respondents experienced career breaks while only 20–22% perceived sufficient employment opportunities across educational levels. Gender disparity has become a remarkable, associated factor, influenced by and perpetuating the underutilization of the workforce, shaped by career interruptions associated to marriage, childbirth, and societal norms, which disproportionately affect 65% of women respondents. While over 50% respondents showed their interest in developing entrepreneurship, awareness of government schemes such as Startup India and Skill India remains inadequate. The findings from the study supports the short-term actions like childcare support and flexible re-entry policies, medium-term incorporation of entrepreneurship programs with scientific careers, and long-term development of R&D through increased investment and mentorship programs. Addressing systemic and gender-based obstacles is vital for optimizing scientific workforce and promoting development driven by innovation in India. Additionally, the promotion of scientific entrepreneurship and start-up schemes is essential for boosting research sector growth. Addressing the systemic barriers and supporting gender equity in science and academia can help India fully leverage its qualified STEM talent.

Unravelling the Cu-Co nanoparticle synergy over Ceria-Zirconia support toward efficient reverse water gas shift (RWGS) conversion under H2 lean conditions - Jagtap, Anuradha Vijay; Bamnia, Mahesh Kumar; Maibam, Ashakiran; Bajpai, Jyotsna Paliwal; Gupta, Sharad; Thomas, Sharon K.; Dabke, Niteen B.; Vinod, C. P. (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025)
CO2 emissions leading to global warming and environmental and socio-economic issues have propelled the research community to develop technologies capable of capturing and converting CO2 into valuable products. Controlling the selectivity toward platform molecules like CO, methanol, or methane is a fundamental challenge in CO2 hydrogenation. Supported cobalt nanoparticles are known for hydrocarbon production through FischerTropsch (FT) reaction, and Cu-based catalysts are known for reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Here, we show that d-band centre can be carefully modulated by making bimetallic combinations of Cu and Co for a highly active RWGS catalyst. An oxygen vacancy-rich nanostructured ceria-zirconia (CZ) support with Cu nanoparticles (2 wt%) modified with as low as 0.05 wt% Co shows excellent conversion for CO2 hydrogenation and selectivity for CO below 500 degrees C. The optimized catalyst shows CO2 conversion even under hydrogen lean conditions (H2/ CO2 ratio 0.5:1), with a breakthrough rate of 206023 mmol/gmetal/h for CO at 600 degrees C, having H2 utilization of 80% for the RWGS process.
Keywords: Bimetallic catalyst; Ceria-zirconia; CO 2 hydrogenation; Cobalt catalyst; Copper catalyst; Reverse water gas shift (RWGS); synergistic effect

Utilizing nature's endowment: artificial leaf concept for methane activation to C-C coupled ethanol or ethylene - Kanungo, Subhashree S.; Mishra, Abhaya Kumar; Avani, Mangaladasan J.; Bajpai, Himanshu; Salgaonkar, Kranti N.; Javaregowda, Bharathkumar H.; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2025)
Methane activation (MA) to platform chemicals under ambient conditions still remains an open challenge to be fully realised. The present work shows the fabrication of CeVO4 quantum dots (CV-QDs) by a bottom-up approach; they are assembled from Ce3+ and metavanadate ions, and structurally and electronically integrated into the micro-/meso-pores of TiO2 (CV-QD-TiO2 (CVT)), demonstrating the conversion of MA to ethanol/ethylene by visible light-driven photocatalysis. CV-QDs in confined pores modify the quantum confinement effects and are characterized by physicochemical methods. The current synthetic strategy is potentially scalable and results in sub-quadrillion heterojunctions in a 1 mg CVT photoanode spread over 1 cm2. MA with CVT under one-sun conditions demonstrates similar to 100% selectivity to ethanol, yielding 4.36 mu mol h-1 cm-2, with a solar-to-fuel efficiency (STFE) of 0.56. Further, by employing a co-catalyst, significant STFE (5.08) and yield (39.5 mu mol h-1 cm-2) are achieved selectively towards ethylene. A deliberate addition of methanol increases the rate of ethanol production by 17.2 times, indicating that the methyl-methoxy interaction is the origin of C-C coupling. Weight is normalized to a gram of CV-QDs in a large area CVT photoanode to yield 109 mmol h-1 gCV-QD-1 of ethanol and 988 mmol h-1 gCV-QD-1 of ethylene. Enhanced activity and selectivity towards the C2-product is attributed to band-edge modulation and trillions of heterojunctions, which in turn facilitate charge separation and charge transfer for effective charge utilisation at redox sites.

Vat-based 3D-bioprinted scaffolds from photocurable bacterial levan for osteogenesis and immunomodulation - Waidi, Yusuf Olatunji; Wagh, Vasudev S.; Mishra, Shivangi; Jhunjhunwala, Siddharth; Dastager, Syed G.; Chatterjee, Kaushik (Biomacromolecules, 2025)
Emerging techniques of additive manufacturing, such as vat-based three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, offer novel routes to prepare personalized scaffolds of complex geometries. However, there is a need to develop bioinks suitable for clinical translation. This study explored the potential of bacterial-sourced methacrylate levan (LeMA) as a bioink for the digital light processing (DLP) 3D bioprinting of bone tissue scaffolds. LeMA was successfully synthesized, characterized, and used to fabricate 3D-bioprinted scaffolds with excellent printability and physicochemical properties. In vitro studies demonstrated superior cytocompatibility of 15% w/v LeMA gels compared to 20% gels. 15% LeMA gels supported osteogenic differentiation , as evidenced by alkaline phosphatase activity and mineral deposition by MC3T3 pre-osteoblasts. Importantly, the LeMA hydrogels positively modulated the macrophage phenotype, promoting the expression of the anti-inflammatory marker CD206. These findings suggest that 3D-printed LeMA scaffolds can create a favorable microenvironment for bone regeneration, highlighting their potential for tissue repair and regeneration applications.

Visible-light active π-extended unsymmetrical squaraine dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells: steric effects for controlling the aggregation of dyes - Jadhav, Avinash P.; Siby, Jesna; Pandya, Rinu; Vanka, Kumar; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Nithyanandhan, Jayaraj (ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2025)
The dye-anchored TiO2 photoanode plays a vital role in the light harvesting and charge separation processes in dye-sensitized solar cells. Aggregation of dyes (H- and J-type) on the TiO2 surface is a facile process due to the presence of a periodical dye anchoring sites on the exposed facet of titania, and such self-assembled dye structures help broadening the absorption profile. However, photocurrent generation from such aggregated structure is a challenging task in dye-sensitized solar cell devices. Hence, controlling the dye aggregation on the TiO2 surface is an important aspect. Controlling the aggregation of dyes by which (i) an enhanced photocurrent generation (J SC) and (ii) enhanced V OC can be achieved by including the steric factors to the dye design principles, the steric factor in the sensitizer may help passivate the TiO2 surface to avoid the charge recombination process between electrons present in TiO2 and the oxidized electrolyte. On the other hand, extension of pi-conjugation in a sensitizer helps enhance the light absorption in the visible region besides modulating the HOMO and LUMO energy levels. Hence, synergizing both pi-extensions along with features that control the dye aggregation has been considered in designing visible active squaraine dyes. A thiophene pi-spacer was inserted in between a visible-light active unsymmetrical squaraine unit and a cyanoacetic acid acceptor unit to provide the AJ1 and AJ2 dyes. Though both the dye molecules possess a similar pi-framework, the AJ2 dye was functionalized with both in-plane and out-of-plane alkyl groups to decrease the aggregation of dyes on the TiO2 surface compared to AJ1. The AJ1 and AJ2 dyes absorbed at 560 nm with shoulder peaks appeared at 528 nm, which can be assigned to vibronic progression (1082 cm-1), and additional characteristic peaks of thiophene appeared at 392 nm with the molar extinction coefficient of 1.16-1.19 x 105 M-1 cm-1 in CH3CN. The LUMO and HOMO energy levels are well aligned with the conduction band of TiO2 and the redox potential of iodolyte (I-/I3 -) electrolyte with sufficient overpotentials for charge injection and dye regeneration processes, respectively. The highest DSSC device efficiency of 7.37% (J SC 14.44 mA/cm2, V OC 0.771 V, ff 67.1%) was achieved for the AJ2 dye with iodolyte (I-/I3 -) electrolyte in the presence of 2 equiv of optically transparent coadsorbent chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), which showed a good IPCE response in between 400 and 700 nm. Further, cosensitization of visible-light active AJ1, AJ2, and SQA10 dyes with a complementary far-red active SQS4 dyes showed the device efficiencies of 5.53% (AJ1:SQS4:CDCA), 7.14% (AJ2:SQS4:CDCA), and 7.18% (SQA10:SQS4:CDCA) with a good IPCE response in the 400-720 nm region.
Keywords: cosensitization; Dye aggregation; Dye-sensitized solar cells; pi-extended squaraine dye; visible-lightactivedyes

Integrative transcriptomics and metabolomics reveal distinct metabolic reprogramming in luminal and triple-negative breast cancer cells - Ranawade, Preeti; Sonwane, Babasaheb; Bose, Ganesh; Jadhav, Revati; Joshi, Rakesh; Mittal, Smriti (Molecular Omics, 2026)
Breast cancer subtypes exhibit significant molecular and metabolic heterogeneity, influencing their aggressiveness and therapeutic responses. Among them, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly aggressive and often resistant to conventional therapies. To investigate the metabolic programming of this aggressiveness, we conducted an integrated transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis comparing the MCF-7 (luminal A, ER+/PR+) and MDA-MB-231 (TNBC) breast cancer cell lines. Transcriptome analysis of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 revealed the differential expression of genes involved in key metabolic pathways. Metabolomics data, further corroborated by transcriptomics, suggest pathway enrichment in beta-alanine, histidine, glutathione, nucleotide metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. MDA-MB-231 cells displayed a metabolically aggressive phenotype with enhanced oxidative phosphorylation, redox adaptation, and nucleotide turnover. In contrast, MCF-7 cells showed a more regulated amino acid and redox metabolism profile. The integration of transcriptomic and metabolite profiles highlighted potential metabolic vulnerabilities in TNBC, offering insights into subtype-specific differences at the molecular level.

Mechanistic insights in the role of trehalose transporter in metabolic homeostasis in response to dietary trehalose - Chaudhari, Bhagyashri Y.; Nichit, Vikram J.; Barvkar, Vitthal T.; Joshi, Rakesh S. (G3-Genes Genomes Genetics, 2026)
Trehalose is the major sugar in insect hemolymph and plays a diverse role. Its level is regulated by the dynamics of biosynthesis and distribution by sugar transporters. The metabolic balance between trehalose synthesis and uptake remains poorly understood, despite its critical role in homeostasis. Here, we examined the role of the putative gut-specific sugar transporter, HaST46, in regulating trehalose levels in Helicoverpa armigera, a model Lepidopteran pest. Analysis of publicly available transcriptomics, proteomics data, and qRT-PCR study suggests that HaST46 showed localization in the posterior midgut and its expression alters in response to dietary contents. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of HaST46 overexpressing Sf9 cells indicated that trehalose transport is preferred over glucose. HaST46 expression was found to be modulated tissue-specific manner in response to dietary trehalose availability. Furthermore, trehalose synthesis genes were found to be downregulated in the case of a 50 mM trehalose diet. This suggests that a potential increase in exogenous trehalose uptake may attenuate its endogenous synthesis. HaST46 overexpression and silencing lead to altered trehalose levels in the insect, while also having impact on trehalose metabolizing enzymes. Overall, our findings reveal the role of gut predominant sugar transporter, HaST46, in metabolic fine-tuning between exogenous trehalose uptake and endogenous synthesis.
Keywords: gut; Helicoverpa armigera; Metabolism; sugar uptake; transporters; trehalose

Methoxy substituted furan chalcones: an insight into anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and molecular docking studies - Ghorpade, Sujay A.; Kulkarni, Arati S.; Dandge, Padma B.; Chaugule, Hanmant N.; Ingle, Snehal S.; Bavi, Rohit S.; Bhosale, Raghunath B.; Peerzade, Nargisbano A.; Zaki, Magdi E. A.; Masand, Vijay H.; Patil, Nita R.; Jadhav, Shravan Y. (ChemistrySelect, 2026)
A series of methoxy-substituted furan-based chalcones (5a-m) were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for in vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antibacterial activities. Among the series, compounds 5l, 5j, 5h, 5a, 5g, 5f, 5c, 5k, and 5e showed remarkable anti-inflammatory activity when compared to diclofenac sodium. The compounds 5k, 5e, 5m, 5h, and 5l showed outstanding activity in the DPPH free radical scavenging experiment, along with remarkable ferric ion reducing power activity in comparison to standard ascorbic acid. Compounds 5l, 5m, and 5g demonstrated significant alpha amylase inhibitory activity, comparable to that of the standard drug Acarbose, suggesting their potential as effective antidiabetic agents along with a good antibacterial profile against S. aureus and E. coli. The molecular docking studies revealed that compounds 5f and 5c showed the best docking profiles with BSA, while 5l and 5m demonstrated superior binding characteristics with amylase, highlighting their potential as promising bioactive candidates.
Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antibacterial; antidiabetic; Antioxidant; methoxy substituted furan chalcones; Molecular docking

Novel prodrug-inspired eugenol derivatives with enhanced bioavailability, anti-diabetic and anti-glycation efficacies - Kataria, Priyanka; Vairale, Shiva; Mote, Chandrashekhar; Joshi, Kaustubh; Joshi, Rakesh; Kulkarni, Mahesh J.; Giri, Ashok P.; Kontham, Ravindar; Agawane, Sachin B. (Journal of Molecular Structure, 2026)
In this study, we present the design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel eugenol analogs aimed to overcome its limited bioavailability due to insolubility in aqueous media. Thus, we re-engineered eugenol using prodruginspired structural modifications to improve pharmacokinetic properties. First, we structurally modified eugenol and synthesized its natural amino acid conjugates as esters and carbamates. These were prepared in NBoc protected, free amine, and HCl salt forms. These modifications are expected to improve the polarity and solubility of eugenol congeners in biological systems. They can also release the parent eugenol through enzymatic hydrolysis, enhancing its therapeutic potential. Next, we comprehensively screened for these derivatives through in silico studies followed by in vitro and in vivo assays. These include DPPH radical scavenging (IC50 range: 37.7 to 103.7 mu M), inhibition of (i) alpha-amylase (IC50 23.1 to 67.3 mu M), (ii) alpha-glucosidase (IC50 43.6 to 50.4 mu M), (iii) glycation (IC50 31.9 to 110.3 mu M) along with pharmacokinetic profiling and toxicity assessments. These experiments collectively demonstrated improved activity of eugenol analogs for several important parameters. Specifically, six analogs-epoxy eugenol (39), hydroxy eugenol (43), aspartate eugenol (26), isoleucinate eugenol (24), glutamate eugenol (37), and glutamate-salt eugenol (27) exhibited superior bioavailability, absorption, and distribution over to the parent compound eugenol. These analogs were found to be non-toxic and safe for oral administration. Overall, the study establishes a mechanistic and rational framework for modifying eugenol to overcome its inherent biopharmaceutical limitations, positioning them as promising candidates for treating diabetes and glycation-related conditions.
Keywords: Amino acid conjugates; Antidiabetic activity; Bioavailability enhancement; Drug design and synthesis; Eugenol analogs; In silico and in vitro studies

One-pot tandem oxidative-wittig olefination of primary alcohols using spent battery material as a heterogeneous catalyst in green solvent GVL - Bankar, Shubham R.; Ghadge, Sambhaji S.; Jadhav, Vrushali H. (Catalysis Letters, 2026)
Extensive global utilization of dry cell batteries resulted in generation of huge amount of battery waste. Up-cycling of spent battery waste material as a heterogeneous catalyst is an emerging area of research. Cathode material from spent dry cell battery (Zinc-carbon) was isolated, acid leached and calcined to obtain BCM-2 which was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot tandem oxidative-Wittig olefination in & upsih;-valerolactone (GVL) a bio-based green solvent at a temperature of 50 degrees C. Reaction was found to proceed smoothly using an economical catalyst and environment friendly conditions to get olefins in good yield up-to 74%. The catalyst was found to be reusable for four cycles. The reaction was carried out two-steps in one pot using spent battery material as a catalyst in GVL as a solvent under mild reaction conditions and the applicability of catalyst was shown in 13 examples. The catalyst's effectiveness was also assessed in synthesis of (E)-3, 4 `, 5-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene, an intermediate for biologically active Resveratol.
Keywords: One-pot; Oxidation; Spent battery; Wittig olefination

Orthogonally Engineered Redox-Active Polyimide-Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for Long-Life Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode - Thanasekar, Chandragopal; Javaregowda, Bharathkumar H.; Veer, Sairam Dnyaneshwar; Devasia, George; Krishnamurty, Sailaja; Krishnamoorthy, Kothandam; Babu, Sukumaran Santhosh (Small, 2026)
The diverse structural tunability and engineered electronic properties of organic polymers have sparked significant interest in their use as cathode materials for lithium-ion storage. Recent advances suggest that organic cathodes can serve as promising alternatives to conventional metal oxide counterparts due to their elemental abundance, safety, and high theoretical capacity. However, developing cathode materials that simultaneously exhibit high specific capacity, long cycle life, and excellent rate performance remains a critical challenge. In this study, the synthesis and application of a redox-active polyimide based on orthogonally positioned, active site-rich mellitic trianhydride (MTA) and naphthalene diimide (NDI), integrated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), referred to as MTA-NDI@CNT are reported. The pristine MTA-NDI polymer demonstrates a specific capacity of 60 mAh g-1 at a current density of 200 mA g-1 and exhibits remarkable cycling stability over 20 000 cycles. Upon hybridisation with CNT (10 wt.%), the composite (MTA-NDI@CNT) delivers a nearly threefold enhancement in specific capacity, reaching 170 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1, along with stable cycling performance over 1300 cycles and 60.5% capacity retention.
Keywords: cathode; CNT; lithium-ion battery; orthogonality; Polyimide

Phenylpropanoid-specific glycosyltransferases from mango and their potential role in defense - Vare, Tejas; Joshi, Rakesh; Liao, Jieren; Hoffmann, Thomas; Schwab, Wilfried; Giri, Ashok (Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 2026)
Alphonso mango (Mangifera indica cv. Alphonso) is a cornerstone of India's fruit industry due to its distinct aroma and shelf-life characteristics. The uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) play a crucial role in stabilising aroma and defense-related specialised metabolites in fruits. The present study explores the potential role of UGTs during mango ripening and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides infection. Gene expression analysis indicated that UGTs showed dynamic expression in skin and pulp during ripening. Phylogenetic analysis revealed substrate-driven divergence of UGTs, with MiUGT92A14 and MiUGT95B15 forming distinct clades associated with flavonoid glycosylation. Recombinant UGTs showed a higher preference for UDP-glucose, which is corroborated by the high accumulation of UDP-glucose during ripening. Furthermore, it was observed that MiUGT92A14 prefers phenolic acids as substrates, while MiGT95B15 shows flavonoid specificity. Spore germination assays demonstrated that both aglycones and their glycosylated derivatives suppressed early fungal morphogenesis, supporting a role for UGT-mediated glycosylation in maintaining defense-related metabolites in a bioactive yet non-toxic form during fruit ripening. Additionally, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides inhibition assays demonstrated that glycosylated products of selected UGTs exhibited equal or enhanced antifungal activity compared with their aglycone forms, indicating that glycosylation promotes the safe accumulation of antifungal compounds by reducing aglycone toxicity to the plant. These findings suggest that glycosylation of specific metabolites is a key for ripening process and to potentiate defence against fungal pathogen.
Keywords: Anthracnose; defense; Flavonoid; Glycoconjugates; Uridine diphosphate-dependent glycosyl-transferase

Potential tuneable glucose oxidation to selective C6 molecules and CC cleavage, and parallel green H2 production: sustainable high current density electrolysis - Chauhan, Inderjeet; Patra, Kshirodra Kumar; Vijay, Pothoppurathu M.; Nalajala, Naresh; Mehta, Shweta; Joshi, Kavita; Ravindranathan, Sapna; Gopinath, Chinnakonda S. (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2026)
Current study elucidates the electrocatalytic efficacy of palladium-nanocubes (Pd-NCs) for the selective oxidation of glucose to value-added chemicals with concomitant hydrogen evolution. The Pd-NC catalyst demonstrated exceptional activity and product selectivity, achieving nearly quantitative glucose conversion (>99 %) with high gluconic and glucaric acid yield at low anodic overpotential (0.6 V vs. RHE) in alkaline electrolyte. At not-so-high elevated potentials (1.2 V vs. RHE), oxidative CC scission prevails, yielding shorter-chain carboxylates along with C6-acids. Reaction products are thoroughly characterized and quantitatively estimated by NMR spectral methods; NMR methods also provide CC cleavage and mechanistic pathways of glucose to various products. Complementary DFT calculations delineate the thermodynamic favorability of glucose adsorption on Pd-NC surfaces (-1.83 eV) and the exergonic oxidation pathway under applied bias, corroborating experimental product distributions. In a two-electrode electrolyzer, Pd-NC anode paired with Pt/C and Ni2P cathode demonstrates 100 mA/cm(2) at 0.99 V and 1.37 V, respectively, with 48 % reduction in energy input (26.6 kWh/kg H-2) compared to conventional alkaline electrolysis; critically, H-2 production energy is lower than the usable energy (33.3 kWh/kg H-2). Sustainable chronopotentiometric assays confirm sustainability (similar to 140 h) in alkaline as well as saline electrolytes, underscoring the system's resilience against chloride-mediated corrosion. Present work establishes a proof of concept for integrated biomass-component valorization and carbon-negative green hydrogen production, merging atomic-level mechanistic insights with scalable reactor design. Optimization of reaction parameters, including potential tuning, reaction temperature and electrolyte engineering, offers a compelling strategy to further enhance C6 and fragmented product selectivity and overall system efficiency.
Keywords: biomass valorization; electrocatalysis; energy conversion; Sustainability

Repurposed ciprofloxacin derivatives as potent autophagic-type anticancer agents - Gone, Nilu Vijay; Sharma, Tanisha; Joshi, Rakesh; Upreti, Akshita; Santra, Manas; Sanjayan, Gangadhar J. (Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2026)
Drug repurposing - also known as drug repositioning is a proven strategy for identifying new therapeutic uses for existing and pre-approved drugs with considerable success in recent years. Herein, we report the discovery of a novel class of ciprofloxacin-amino acid conjugates that are dynamically potent against different cancer cell lines. Some of the molecules reported herein displayed a strong anti-proliferative effect on MCF-7 (IC50: 6 mu M). The most active anti-proliferative molecule of this series 7a suppressed the proliferation of HCT116, A549, and MDAMB-231 cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we established that the treatment with 7a leads to DNA damage-mediated autophagic cell death in cancer cells. Our findings suggest that appropriate derivatization of the ciprofloxacin drug can yield promising anti-cancer compounds in easy synthetic operations.
Keywords: Anticancer drugs; Autophagic cell death; ciprofloxacin

Solvent-assisted chemical recycling of polycarbonate using glycerol as a renewable chemical: mechanistic insights and statistical optimization - Markandeya, Nishant; Jadhav, Mayur; Gopale, Prafulla; Ramalingam, Karthick; Kamble, Sanjay (Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2026)
The rapid accumulation of polycarbonate (PC) waste has driven the development of efficient recycling methods. This study presents a comprehensive investigation of solvent-assisted chemical recycling of PC using glycerol, a renewable chemical derived from industrial waste streams. Solvent screening highlighted the critical influence of solvent properties such as dielectric constant, dipole moment and hydrogen-bond accepting ability on depolymerization efficiency. A systematic approach combining Design of Experiments (DoE) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the depolymerization process. Using a Box-Behnken design (BBD), the effects of key process parameters, including temperature, reaction time and the glycerol (GLY:PC) and dimethylformamide (DMF:PC) weight ratios, were evaluated in terms of PC conversion and bisphenol A (BPA) yield. The optimization model predicted that a reaction temperature of 171 degrees C, a reaction time of 1 h and a PC: GLY:DMF ratio of 1:5.05:7.22 would yield 100 % PC conversion and 85 % BPA yield. Experimental validation under these conditions achieved 100 % PC conversion and 83 % BPA yield, confirming the reliability of the model. Product characterization using NMR, LC-HRMS and FTIR confirmed the purity of BPA and provided insights into the reaction mechanism. The solvent recyclability across successive reaction cycles demonstrated the environmental and economic viability of the process. Overall, the energy demand calculation based on the environmental energy impact factor (xi) highlights the industrial relevance of this work and demonstrate an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst-free route for depolymerization of polycarbonate with strong potential for industrial implementation.
Keywords: Chemical Recycling; Glycerol; Polycarbonate; Response surface methodology

When facets meet impurities: Trace gas dominance over CO2 adsorption on ZnO - Bhati, Meema; Joshi, Kavita (Applied Surface Science, 2026)
The catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol using Cu-ZnO/Al2O3 (CZA) is a key route for sustainable chemical production, when coupled with CO2-rich industrial off-gases. However, trace secondary gases, though present only at ppm levels, can poison active sites and suppress catalytic performance. In this work, we employ periodic density functional theory (DFT) to investigate interactions of H2S, SO2, NO2, NO, CO and CH4 with ZnO surfaces:(10(-)10), (10(-)11), (11(-)20), (10(-)13), and (11(-)22), and compared their adsorption pattern with CO2, the principle component of methanol synthesis. H2S dissociates on all the surfaces, SO2, and NO2 are chemisorbed, CH4 remains physisorbed, and NO, CO, and CO2 exhibit facet-dependent adsorption. Electronic structure analysis reveal that chemisorption occurs when surface energy states near the Fermi level overlap with HOMO of adsorbate, enabling charge transfer, whereas physisorption lacks such overlap. The adsorption strength follows the order: H2S SO2 NO2 NO CO CO2 CH4, suggesting that sulfur and nitrogen containing species exhibit strong chemisorption and compete with CO2 for active sites, potentially impacting the efficiency of methanol synthesis. These insights provide an atomic scale understanding of impurity-surface interactions and highlight potential role of ZnO as an efficient feed stock purifier for CO2-rich gas streams.
Keywords: CZA catalyst; flue gases; Valorization of CO2; ZnO