Spectroscopic characterizations of organic/inorganic nanocomposites
Abstract
In the present study, pure and 0.3 wt%, 0.4 wt%, as well as 0.5 wt% L-arginine doped potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystals were grown using solution growth techniques and further subjected to infrared (IR) absorption and Raman studies for confirmation of chemical group functionalization for investigating the incorporation mechanism of the L-arginine organic material into the KDP crystal structure. Infrared spectroscopic analysis suggests that structural changes are occurring for the L-arginine molecule as a result of its interaction with the KPD crystal. Infrared spectroscopic technique confirms the disturbance of the N-H, C-H and C-N bonds of the amino acid, suggesting successful incorporation of L-arginine into the KDP crystals. Raman analysis also reveals modification of the N-H, C-H and C-N bonds of the amino acid, implying successful inclusion of L-arginine into the KDP crystals. With the help of Gaussian software, a prediction of possible incorporation mechanisms of the organic material was obtained from comparison of the simulated infrared and Raman vibrational spectra with the experimental results. Furthermore, we also studied the effect of L-arginine doping on the thermal stability of the grown KDP crystal by employing Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA suggests that increasing the level of L-arginine doping speeds the decomposition process and it weakens the KDP crystal, which indicates successful doping of the KDP crystals with L-arginine amino acid. Urinary stones are one of the oldest and most widely spread diseases in humans, animals and birds. Many remedies have been employed through the ages for the treatment of urinary stones. Recent medicinal measures reflect the modern advances, which are based on surgical removal, percutaneous techniques and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). Although these procedures are valuable, they are quite expensive for most people. Furthermore, recurrence of these diseases is awfully frequent with these procedures and the patients have to be subjected to careful follow up for several years. In contrast, in traditional therapeutic systems, most of the remedies were taken from plants and they proved to be helpful. However, the rationale behind their use is not thoroughly established through systematic pharmacological and clinical studies. In this regard, in the present investigation, with a view towards acquiring more insights, we have performed a detailed study of kidney stone formation and growth inhibition based on a traditional medicine approach with herbal extracts. The intricacy of calculi formation (i.e. nucleation, transformation, and aggregation) in a natural system such as urine is replicated to a certain extent in the present study by using a simplified single diffusion gel growth technique. Crystals were synthesized in a static gel environment without and with the presence of 1% and 2% concentration of Rotula Aquatica Lour (RAL) herbal extracts and further subjected to Raman, infrared absorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence to analyze the effects of RAL on the growth of manganese-based calculi. Raman spectroscopy clearly provided an indication of the newberyite type of crystal as well as information on the chemical interaction between crystal and inhibitor. It also indicates the presence of organic components due to the RAL plant material. Infrared absorption spectroscopy indicates the presence of a strong reflecting component in the inhibitor as well as the newberyite type of crystal. XPS results indicated the presence of metallic zinc in the crystal with inhibitor. Furthermore, a considerable increase in the intensity of the magnesium and oxygen lines are noticed with the addition of the herbal extract, which suggest that the inhibitor chemical composition includes a substantial quantity of Mg and O. XPS analysis also demonstrates the presence of modified phosphorus oxidation states and suggest that they might make a contribution, too. The photoluminescence spectra of the crystal with inhibitor indicate the presence of chlorophyll, and hence, confirm the presence of Mg. This study provides evidence of Mg- and Zn-related inhibition of urinary calculi formation with the addition of RAL herbal extract, contributing, from the spectroscopic point of view, to an intricate subject. Our present investigation might serve as an important source of information on this tantalizing and multifaceted problem, which is not yet completely understood. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
Subject Area
Materials science
Recommended Citation
Govani, Jayesh R, "Spectroscopic characterizations of organic/inorganic nanocomposites" (2009). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI3371742.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI3371742