Browsing by Author "Smruti B. Bhatt"

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Cellulose Based Aerogels Derived From Rice Agro Wastes with Enhanced Antifungal Activity for Topical Management of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2025) Rahul Ranjan; Smruti B. Bhatt; Rohit Rai; Shabnam Kumari; Ragini Tilak; Prodyut Dhar
With the increased cultivation of rice crop, the problem of accumulating waste biomass after harvesting is becoming a huge challenge, disposal of which through land filling and burning leads to global warming. In this work, abundantly available rice straw waste is strategically functionalized through delignification-cum-phosphorylation route to produce smart-responsive and ultra-light weight aerogels for topical management of vulvovaginal candidiasis. The prepared aerogels show low density (0.028 g cm−3), high water absorption capacity ∼2381.71%, and charge content (1850 mmol kg−1) of phosphate groups covalently linked to cellulose backbone as evident from XPS and FTIR spectroscopy studies. The aerogels with porous morphology also show cyclic mechanical compressibility and thermal stability due to presence of phosphate groups as evident from high char content (28.5% at 700 °C). The negatively charged aerogels show prolonged storage and release profile of clotrimazole with synergistically strong antifungal response against several Candida species with lowered MIC of ∼0.02µg ml−1. Interestingly, post-phosphorylation the functionalized aerogels show improved biodegradation of ∼83% within 92 days under soil conditions. This study proposes a low-cost, facile, eco-friendly, sustainable approach to convert waste rice biomass into functionalized high-performance aerogels for potential treatment of vaginal infections improving female reproductive health. © 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Functionalized jute with high-water absorption, low thermal conductivity and efficient radiative cooling for the preservation of perishable green vegetables with reduced cold storage energy requirements
(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024) Smruti B. Bhatt; Rahul Ranjan; Sandeep Dahiya; Bhola Nath Pal; Prodyut Dhar
Jute bags, traditionally used for storing fruits, vegetables and cereals, lack temperature resilience and catch fire, making the contents inside the bag vulnerable to deterioration. In this study, normal jute fibres (NJFs) were strategically modified via a delignification-cum-phosphorylation route to produce phosphorylated jute fibres (PJFs) using low-cost agro-based chemicals. PJFs exhibit a high water absorption capacity and a lower evaporation rate with prolonged moisture retention capabilities. Interestingly, PJFs also show an ultra-low thermal conductivity of 0.076-0.078 W m−1 K−1, slow rate of burning (0.058 cm s−1), high reflectance to light in the IR region (76%) and high thermal stability. PJF bags used for the storage of perishable vegetables, such as coriander leaves, show an extension in shelf life by ∼2 days, along with flame resistance to heat-sensitive vegetables such as chilies on exposure to high temperature. Life cycle assessment (LCA) shows that the production of PJFs generates 49.4% less global warming potential impact as compared to PET production with improved biodegradation within ∼21 days. Further, the utilization of PJFs reduced the time for cold storage of coriander leaves to 8 days, which led to reduced energy requirements and lowered environmental impacts by 11% in the terrestrial ecotoxicity and climate change category. The present study provides a strategic, scalable and green route for the production of functionalized jute bags required for the storage of perishable agricultural harvests, reducing global issues associated with food loss and improving human health and the economy. © 2024 The Royal Society of Chemistry.