Free-standing powder of zinc sulphide quantum particles has been synthesized using a chemical route. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the diameter of the particles is ∼21±2 Å which is smaller than the Bohr exciton diameter for zinc sulphide. UV absorption shows an excitonic peak centered at ∼300 nm corresponding to an energy gap of 4.1±0.1 eV. These particles show a luminescence band at ∼424 nm. The quantum particles could be doped with copper during synthesis without altering the UV absorption or x-ray diffraction pattern. However, doping shifted the luminescence to 480 nm, green wavelength in the visible region.

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SUMMARY Plasmodium falciparum pathogenesis is affected by various cell types in the blood, including platelets, which can kill intraerythrocytic malaria parasites. Platelets could mediate these antimalarial effects through human defense peptides (HDPs), which exert antimicrobial effects by permeabilizing membranes. Therefore, we screened a panel of HDPs and determined that human platelet factor 4 (hPF4) kills malaria parasites inside erythrocytes by selectively lysing the parasite digestive vacuole (DV). PF4 rapidly accumulates only within infected erythrocytes and is required for parasite killing in infected erythrocyte-platelet cocultures. To exploit this antimalarial mechanism, we tested a library of small, nonpeptidic mimics of HDPs (smHDPs) and identified compounds that kill P. falciparum by rapidly lysing the parasite DV while sparing the erythrocyte plasma membrane. Lead smHDPs also reduced parasitemia in a murine malaria model. Thus, identifying host molecules that control parasite growth can further the development of related molecules with therapeutic potential.

Zinc sulphide nanoparticles in the size range ∼10–40 Å diameter have been synthesized using the aqueous chemical method. Scanning tunneling microscopy showed that particles are indeed nanosize particles. The size dependent band gap could be varied from a bulk value of 3.68 to 4.5 eV. X-ray diffraction indicated that nanoparticles are crystalline except for those with band gap ∼4.5±0.1 eV. Nanoparticles with particle size ∼21×2 Å diameter or energy gap 4.1×0.1 eV were doped with manganese. The photoluminescence peak at ∼600 nm corresponding to yellow light emission was observed. Atomic absorption studies show that maximum luminescence intensity is achievable with 0.12 at. wt % of Mn doping.

Correlation between atomic positional shift, oxygen vacancy defects, and oxide ion conductivity in doped ceria system has been established in the gadolinium doped ceria system from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy study at operating temperature (300–600 °C) of Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (IT-SOFC). High temperature XRD data are used to quantify atomic positional shift from mean position with temperature. The Raman spectroscopy study shows additional vibration modes related to ordering of defect spaces (GdCe′−Vo••)* and (2GdCe′−Vo••)x generated due to association of oxygen vacancies and reduced cerium or dopant cations site (Gd3+), which disappear at 450 °C; indicating oxygen vacancies dissociation from the defect complex. The experimental evidences of cation-anion positional shifting and oxygen vacancies dissociation from defect complex in the IT-SOFC operating temperature are discussed to correlate with activation energy for ionic conductivity.