Zinc Oxide Synthesis from Extreme Ratios of Zinc Acetate and Zinc Nitrate: Synergistic Morphology

The synthesis of ZnO comprising different ratios of zinc acetate (ZA) and zinc nitrate (ZN) from the respective zinc precursor solutions was successfully completed via a simple precipitation method. Zinc oxide powders with different mole ratios of ZA/ZN were produced—80/1, 40/1, and 20/1. The crystallinity, microstructure, and optical properties of all produced ZnO powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry. The average agglomerated particle sizes of ZnO-80/1, ZnO-40/1, and ZnO-20/1 were measured at 655, 640, and 620 nm, respectively, using dynamic light scattering (DLS). The optical properties of ZnO were significantly affected by the extreme ratio differences in the zinc precursors. ZnO-80/1 was found to have a unique coral-sheet structure morphology, which resulted in its superior ability to reflect near-infrared (NIR) radiation compared to ZnO-40/1 and ZnO-20/1. The NIR-shielding performances of ZnO were assessed using a thermal insulation test, where coating with ZnO-80/1 could lower the inner temperature by 5.2 °C compared with the neat glass substrate. Due to the synergistic effects on morphology, ZnO-80/1 exhibited the property of enhanced NIR shielding in curtailing the internal building temperature, which allows for its utilization as an NIR-reflective pigment coating in the construction of building envelopes.

Administration of zinc to preterm infants with hypozincemia does not reduce serum copper concentrations in most cases: a single-center retrospective observational study

Background Zinc is an essential trace element involved in various physiological functions. In Japan, zinc acetate dihydrate is administered to neonates and infants with hypozincemia. Since serum copper concentrations are reduced by the administration of zinc, we retrospectively investigated changes in serum zinc and copper concentrations in preterm infants with hypozincemia receiving zinc acetate dihydrate. Methods Sixty-three preterm infants were included in the present study. Serum zinc and copper concentrations, doses, and other clinical characteristics were retrieved from electronic medical records. Results The medians and interquartile ranges of the dosage and duration of zinc acetate dihydrate were 2.1 (1.8–2.5) mg/kg/day and 12.0 (10.0–13.0) days, respectively. Its administration increased serum zinc concentrations in 39 patients (61.9%) and to more than 70 μg/dL in 16 patients (25.4%). The group with a serum zinc concentration of 70 μg/dL or higher after administration had a significantly higher zinc dose of 2.5 mg/kg/day than the group with a serum zinc concentration of less than 70 μg/dL. Serum copper concentrations did not decrease in 44 patients (69.8%). In the group with a decreased serum copper concentration, postmenstrual age and body weight were significantly lower, while serum zinc concentrations were significantly higher at the start of administration. Conclusion The present results showed that when zinc acetate dihydrate was administered to preterm infants with hypozincemia, it was possible to increase serum zinc concentrations without decreasing serum copper concentrations in many cases. However, caution may be required when administering zinc to preterm infants with a lower postmenstrual age or milder hypozincemia because serum copper concentrations may decrease.

Preparation ofZincOxide Nanoparticles by UV-IrradiationMethod in Two Different Media

The zinc oxidenanoparticles(ZnO NPs) were prepared in two media. The first one was in an aqueous medium resulting from the reaction of urea with zinc acetate at 0.3M concentration in both of them in deionized water. The second medium is a polymeric solution which is a dissolving of 4% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)in deionized water with zinc acetate. The nanoparticles were obtained after the two media were irradiated with ultraviolet rays for 30 min. According to the characterization of the XRD, FESEM, and UV-visible, the polymeric medium gives a less granular size in addition to its ease of use and handling.

HGCSG1902 Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study of Chemotherapy-induced Dysgeusia in Gastrointestinal Cancer

PurposeDysgeusia is an adverse event caused by chemotherapy. Although retrospective studies have shown zinc administration improves dysgeusia, there have been no prospective studies. The present study examined effects of zinc therapy on dysgeusia in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.MethodsThis multicenter, prospective, observational study enrolled patients with dysgeusia during chemotherapy treatment. Patients received treatment of no intervention (control), polaprezinc p.o., or zinc acetate hydrate p.o. and serum zinc levels were measured at 0 (baseline), 6, and 12 weeks. Dysgeusia was assessed using CTCAE v5.0 and Subjective Total Taste Acuity (STTA) criteria using questionnaires at baseline and 12 weeks.ResultsFrom February 2020 to June 2021, 180 patients were enrolled from 17 institutes. There were no differences in mean serum zinc levels in each group at baseline (67.3, 66.6, and 67.5 μg/dL in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively. P = 0.846) and the mean changes in serum zinc level in the three groups from baseline to after 12 weeks were −3.8, +14.3, and +46.6 μg/dl, respectively. The efficiency rates of dysgeusia were 33.3%, 36.8%, and 34.6% using CTCAE and 33.3%, 52.6%, 32.7% using STTA in the no intervention, polaprezinc, and zinc acetate hydrate groups, respectively. The polaprezinc group showed a significantly improved STTA score compared with the no intervention group (P = 0.045).ConclusionThere was no significant correlation between the degree of serum zinc elevation and improvement in dysgeusia, suggesting that polaprezinc, but not zinc acetate hydrate, is effective in improving chemotherapy-induced dysgeusia.Trial registration number UMIN000039653. Date of registration, March 2, 2020.

Nanofiber template-induced preparation of ZnO nanocrystal and its application in photocatalysis

Traditional preparation of ZnO nanocrystal requires heating zinc acetate to a temperature over 350 °C, whereas in this work, zinc acetate was first electrospun with PVDF to form a nanofiber, followed by thermal treatment at only 140 °C to give nanocrystalline ZnO. The much lower temperature required in thermal treatment is attributed to the high reactivity of zinc acetate at nano dimension. The as-prepared ZnO-doped PVDF nanofiber mat shows excellent effect in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B, comparable to ZnO particle thermally treated at 600 °C. Highly-oriented ZnO nanorods were obtained by further hydrothermal synthesis of the electrospun nanofiber mat, giving nanostructured ZnO of different morphologies well-aligned on the surface of organic nanofiber. Notably, the hydrothermal synthesis of the successful preparation of these nanostructured ZnO requires a processing temperature below 100 °C at atmospheric pressure, showing great potential to be scaled up for vast manufacturing.

Hybrid Pyridine Bis-Anthracene-Imidazolium Salt: NMR Studies on Zn-Acetate Complexation

We report here the design and synthesis of a new hybrid bis-anthracene-imidazolium salt, having a pyridine scaffold. NMR studies of dimer generation, as well as complexation with zinc acetate were performed.

Influence of zinc ion concentration on structure, morphology and optical properties of spray deposited ZnO thin films

<p>Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited for five different molarity (M) of Zinc acetate hydrated (0.075, 0.1, 0.125, 0.15, 0.175 M) using simple spray technique to study the effect of zinc ion concentration on structure, morphology and optical properties. The XRD patterns of deposited ZnO thin films show hexagonal crystal structure with wurtzite symmetry. The effect of molarity on morphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elemental analysis was studied by using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The optical absorption was recorded by using systronics double beam spectrophotometer (2201). Crystallite size estimated from XRD data was in nanometre (nm) range; however, films deposited for 0.15 M zinc acetate show maximum crystallite size (66 nm) as compared to other samples. All the films show low absorption in wide range (340-999 nm) of electromagnetic spectrum. However, ZnO film deposited for 0.15 zinc acetate hydrated shows maximum blue shifting of absorption edge and higher band gap (3.8 eV) as compared to other samples.</p>

Unravelling the Role of Synthesis Conditions on the Structure of Zinc Oxide-Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanofillers

The diversity of zinc oxide (ZnO) particles and derived composites applications is highly dependent on their structure, size, morphology, defect amounts, and/or presence of dopant molecules. In this work, ZnO nanostructures are grown in situ on graphene oxide (GO) sheets by an easily implementable solvothermal method with simultaneous reduction of GO. The effect of two zinc precursors (zinc acetate (ZA) and zinc acetate dihydrate (ZAD)), NaOH concentration (0.5, 1 or 2 M), and concentration (1 and 12.5 mg/mL) and pH (pH = 1, 4, 8, and 12) of GO suspension were evaluated. While the ZnO particle morphology shows to be precursor dependent, the average particle size length decreases with lower NaOH concentration, as well as with the addition of a higher basicity and concentration of GO suspension. A lowered band gap and a higher specific surface area are obtained from the ZnO composites with higher amounts of GO suspension. Otherwise, the low concentration and the higher pH of GO suspension induce more lattice defects on the ZnO crystal structure. The role of the different condition parameters on the ZnO nanostructures and their interaction with graphene sheets was observed to tune the ZnO–rGO nanofiller properties for photocatalytic and antimicrobial activities.