In the present work, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were synthesized in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) which is a biocompatible agent in living systems. The sub-chronic effects of ZnO-NPs were investigated based on biochemical parameters and histological changes applied to Rattus norvegicus. The structural, morphology, and size characterization of nanoparticles were studied by applying techniques as XRD, SEM, FTIR, and TEM. 8-week intraperitoneal injection of ZnO-NPs at a dose of 100 mg/kg leads to significant changes in liver enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and tissue histopathological changes. The animal group which was treated with 50 mg/kg of ZnO-NPs presented elevated blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels, but the liver enzymes and liver histopathology were found to be in normal level. The rats exposed to increasing dose of ZnO-NPs (100 mg/kg) showed necrosis of germinal epithelium and sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules. The current study clearly demonstrated the dose-dependent toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles.
Hydrogen is one of the cleanest ways to store energy in a post-fossil fuel economy. However, it can be dangerous as bulk gas and additional methods for hydrogen storage are needed. Physisorption on graphene sheets and nanotubes has been proposed as an effective approach due to their exceedingly high surface area and storage capacity similar to, or exceeding, highly compressed gas. Magnesium-doping has been demonstrated to significantly enhance hydrogen storage on boron-doped graphene sheets, but Mg-doped boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT), a potentially far more promising material due to the inherent dipoles in the surface providing stronger affinity for hydrogen, remain unexplored. In this in silico investigation, both the armchair (3,3) and zigzag (5,0) BNNT architectures, doped with Mg atoms, were examined for hydrogen storage capacity using first-principles density functional theory. Our calculations revealed that highly Mg-doped armchair and zigzag polymorphs of BNNTs could adsorb up to 9.65 and 8.77 weight percent hydrogen respectively, above the targets sought by the US Department of Energy for future hydrogen storage materials.
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