The synergistic performance of redox couples enhanced with phase inter-grown ceria-zirconia-alumina mixed oxides: A robust three-way catalyst for diesel exhaust abatement Varuna Jayachandran, Priyadharsini Natesan, Balaji Chettiannan, Jet-Chau Wen, Talat Ali, Mohd Shkir, Elango Muniappan, Sambasivam Sangaraju Environmental Technology and Innovation, 2026 The CeO 2 -ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 (75 wt% and 25 wt%) were prepared by co-precipitation route, calcined at 500 °C for 5 h and mechanically mixed. Three compositions of Ce/Zr (20:80, 50:50, and 80:20) were synthesized and their microstructural properties was observed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman analysis. The CeO 2 -ZrO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Ce/Zr-50:50) sample reveals the mixed phase formation of cubic and tetragonal, which facilitates the catalytic activity via oxygen ion diffusion from O 2- sub-lattice to the sample surface. The CeO 2 -ZrO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Ce/Zr-50:50) was further investigated using High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The surface area of CeO 2 -ZrO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Ce/Zr −50:50) was 91.2 m 2 g −1 , which provides surface active oxygen species to participate in diesel exhaust treatment via redox reactions. The XPS spectra of CeO 2 -ZrO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Ce/Zr −50:50) sample confirms the Ce 3+ reduction along with the formation of oxygen vacancies. To perform catalytic reaction, the CeO 2 -ZrO 2 /Al 2 O 3 (Ce/Zr −50:50) sample was coated on the perforated stainless-steel substrates by a unique and cost-effective technique, which could be economically advantageous to produce the catalyst for commercial uses on a large scale. The sample was tested at different load conditions. At maximum load condition, the sample exhibited substantial reduction in CO, HC, CO 2 , NO x , and smoke.
pH-tuned Mn-doped MoO3 Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfanilamide in Pharmaceutical Effluents K. Kalaivani, N. Priyadharsini, S. S Boobesh, L. Jayanthi, M. Elango Journal of Environmental Nanotechnology, 2025 Molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) holds significant promise in fields such as photocatalysis, optoelectronics, and pharma effluent applications owing to its distinct structural, optical, and photocatalytic characteristics due to its tunable characteristics. Here, MoO₃ was synthesized with Manganese dopant through a simple wet-chemical method, with pH levels adjusted to 9.0, 10.0, and 11.0. Characterization techniques, including Structural analysis (XRD), field emission morphological analysis, photoluminescence, and optical spectroscopy, were employed to assess the material's properties. XRD results indicated minor changes in crystallite dimensions and lattice strain across different pH conditions, while FE-SEM images revealed morphological evolution from layered architectures to distributed nanoscale particles. PL and UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed that the optical bandgap and defect-related emissions varied with pH, illustrating tunable optical behavior. Furthermore, the efficiency of degrading the Sulfanilamide was assessed using UV-Vis spectroscopy. To better understand the degradation mechanism, scavenger experiments were conducted, revealing that EDTA-2Na, a hole (h⁺) scavenger, played a significant role, indicating that photogenerated holes are the primary active species in the process. Under UV light exposure, the Mn-doped MoO₃ nanocomposite demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic activity, achieving 84.7% degradation of Sulfanilamide – a removal of pharmaceutical effluent within 90 minutes.
Investigation of the Influence of pH on the Microstructure, Morphology, Optical Properties, and Environmental Remediation Efficacy of Molybdenum Trioxide (MoO3) Nanoparticles K. Kalaivani, S. S. Boobesh, P. Janardhanan, J. Raffia Baseri, N. Priyadharsini, M. Elango Journal of Environmental Nanotechnology, 2025 Molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) is a versatile transition metal oxide with promising applications in photocatalysis, optoelectronics, and antimicrobial systems due to its unique structural, optical, and electronic properties. In this study, undoped MoO3 was synthesized using a facile wet-chemical approach under varying pH conditions (9, 10, and 11). The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Photoluminescence (PL), Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, and antibacterial activity tests. The structural and optical properties, including crystallinity, defect states, and bandgap energy, were investigated in detail. The XRD analysis revealed a slight variation in crystallite size and strain with pH, while the FE-SEM analysis highlighted the morphological transformations from layered structures to dispersed nanoparticles. PL and UV-Vis analyses demonstrated pH-dependent bandgap tuning and defect-mediated optical transitions. Finally, the antibacterial activity of MoO3 against Escherichia coli was evaluated, demonstrating enhanced bactericidal effects over time. These findings underscore the potential of MoO3 as a multifunctional material for environmental and biomedical applications.
Effect of nickel substitution on structural, optical and dielectric properties of lead chalcogenide (PbSe) nano particle Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Rapid Communications, 2016
Effect of neodymium substitution on structural, optical, magnetic and antibacterial activity of zinc selenide nanoparticles Journal of Ovonic Research, 2016
Nd-doped MoO₃@ SiO₂ nanocomposites for sustainable dye degradation of congo red and crystal violet: Insights into structural, optical, and catalytic properties J Panneerselvam, P Natesan, V Jayachandran, E Muniappan, ... Journal of Water Process Engineering 87, 109986 , 2026 2026
Calcination-Driven Phase Evolution of YFeO3 Nanostructures as a Bi-functional Linking of Supercapacitor and Photocatalytic Performance for Sustainable Energy and Environmental … M Aparnna, N Priyadharsini, VG Krishnan, K Tamilarasan, N Anandhan, ... Environmental Research, 124041 , 2026 2026
Investigation on photodegradation of methylene blue and carbol fuchsin using green synthesized zinc/titanium/graphene oxide nanocomposites S Saranya, R Arumugam, N Priyadharsini, M Rajkumar Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 37 (2), 162 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
The synergistic performance of redox couples enhanced with phase inter-grown ceria-zirconia-alumina mixed oxides: A robust three-way catalyst for diesel exhaust abatement SS Varuna Jayachandran a , Priyadharsini Natesan b , Balaji Chettiannan a ... Environmental Technology & Innovation 41, 104708 , 2026 2026
Color center defects on modulating magnetic, optical, and catalytic behavior of zinc ferrites CKK Deepannita Chakraborty, N Priyadharsini Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 628, 173183 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Exploring the physicochemical and quantum chemical investigation on N, N-dimethyl-4-aminopyridinium-2, 4-dihydroxybenzoate monohydrate: An organic salt crystal for biological … M Ramanathan, R Madhu, P Natesan, M Athianna, K Ponnusamy Journal of Molecular Liquids 437, 128378 , 2025 2025
pH-tuned Mn-doped MoO₃ Nanoparticles for Photocatalytic Degradation of Sulfanilamide in Pharmaceutical Effluents ME K. Kalaivani, N. Priyadharsini, S. S Boobesh, L. Jayanthi J. Environ. Nanotechnol 14 (2), 208-215 , 2025 2025
Enhanced photoconductivity in SnO 2 -ZnS nanocomposites: nano-structural, optical, and electrical investigations AC Fernandez, S P, GK V, P N Journal of Nanoparticle Research 27 (7), 183 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Visible light-driven Nd-ZnSe: Structural insights and enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Congo red dye P Kavitha, R Menaka, J Jayaprakash, V Nijarubini, N Priyadharsini APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING 131 (6) , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Investigation of the Influence of pH on the Microstructure, Morphology, Optical Properties, and Environmental Remediation Efficacy of Molybdenum Trioxide (MoO3) Nanoparticles ME K. Kalaivani, S. S. Boobesh, P. Janardhanan, J. Raffia Baseri, N ... J. Environ. Nanotechnol 14 (1), 582-589 , 2025 2025
Zinc positioning’s impact on electrochemical stability of γ-Al 2 O 3 for supercapacitor efficiency D Chakraborty, S Maruthamuthu, T Ramachandran, N Priyadharsini, ... Ionics 30 (11), 7365-7380 , 2024 2024 Citations: 18
A systematic evaluation of physiochemical properties and solar-driven photocatalytic activity of nanosized Mn doped CdS on Methylene Blue dye N Priyadharsini, J Manikandan, M Elango, AA Razan Journal of Alloys and Compounds 1002, 175393 , 2024 2024 Citations: 21
Prevention of ion migration in lead halide perovskites upon plugging the anion vacancies with PbSe islands S Khurana, P Yadav, P Natesan, MS Hassan, DK Pradhan, S Sapra Chemical Communications 60 (47), 6031-6034 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Synthesis of Pure and Ni doped TiO2 NPs using Papaya lead Extract, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publisher PNDC Sakthivel P 2023
Plant mediated synthesis of Zno and Mn doped Zno nanoparticles using carica papaya leaf extract for antibacterial applications N Priyadharsini, N Bhuvaneswari, J Joshy Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology (AJAST) 5 (4), 69-81 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
Growth, vibrational, optical, thermal, magnetic and dielectric behavior of organo-metallic tetramethylammonium cadmium chloride crystal. N Bhuvaneswari, N Priyadharsini, S Sivakumar, K Venkatachalam, V Siva Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 136 (1), 411-418 , 2019 2019 Citations: 15
Sintering treatment effects on structural, dielectric and magnetic properties of Sn substituted NiFe2O4 nanoparticles V Manikandan, N Priyadharsini, S Kavita, J Chandrasekaran Superlattices and Microstructures 109, 648-654 , 2017 2017 Citations: 23
Effect of nickel substitution on structural, optical and dielectric properties of lead chalcogenide (PbSe) nano particle N Priyadharsini, M Thamilselvan, S Vairam Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials-Rapid Communications 10 (11-12), 916-920 , 2016 2016 Citations: 1
Effect of temperature and pH on structural, optical and electrical properties of Ni doped ZnSe nanoparticles N Priyadharsini, M Elango, S Vairam, T Venkatachalam, M Thamilselvan Optik 127 (19), 7543-7549 , 2016 2016 Citations: 37
Effect of nickel substitution on structural, optical, magnetic properties and photocatalytic activity of ZnS nanoparticles N Priyadharsini, M Elango, S Vairam, M Thamilselvan Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 49, 68-75 , 2016 2016 Citations: 30
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Effect of temperature and pH on structural, optical and electrical properties of Ni doped ZnSe nanoparticles N Priyadharsini, M Elango, S Vairam, T Venkatachalam, M Thamilselvan Optik 127 (19), 7543-7549 , 2016 2016 Citations: 37
Effect of nickel substitution on structural, optical, magnetic properties and photocatalytic activity of ZnS nanoparticles N Priyadharsini, M Elango, S Vairam, M Thamilselvan Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 49, 68-75 , 2016 2016 Citations: 30
Sintering treatment effects on structural, dielectric and magnetic properties of Sn substituted NiFe2O4 nanoparticles V Manikandan, N Priyadharsini, S Kavita, J Chandrasekaran Superlattices and Microstructures 109, 648-654 , 2017 2017 Citations: 23
A systematic evaluation of physiochemical properties and solar-driven photocatalytic activity of nanosized Mn doped CdS on Methylene Blue dye N Priyadharsini, J Manikandan, M Elango, AA Razan Journal of Alloys and Compounds 1002, 175393 , 2024 2024 Citations: 21
Effect of sintering on structural, morphological, magnetic properties and Cr (VI) adsorption of cobalt substituted MnFe2O4 nanoparticles K Ahalya, N Suriyanarayanan, N Priyadharsini Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Letters 7 (2), 134-139 , 2015 2015 Citations: 19
Zinc positioning’s impact on electrochemical stability of γ-Al 2 O 3 for supercapacitor efficiency D Chakraborty, S Maruthamuthu, T Ramachandran, N Priyadharsini, ... Ionics 30 (11), 7365-7380 , 2024 2024 Citations: 18
Growth, vibrational, optical, thermal, magnetic and dielectric behavior of organo-metallic tetramethylammonium cadmium chloride crystal. N Bhuvaneswari, N Priyadharsini, S Sivakumar, K Venkatachalam, V Siva Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 136 (1), 411-418 , 2019 2019 Citations: 15
Structural and optical properties of neodymium doped lead chalcogenide (PbSe) nanoparticles N Priyadharsini, S Vairam, M Thamilselvan Optik 127 (12), 5046-5049 , 2016 2016 Citations: 11
Plant mediated synthesis of Zno and Mn doped Zno nanoparticles using carica papaya leaf extract for antibacterial applications N Priyadharsini, N Bhuvaneswari, J Joshy Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology (AJAST) 5 (4), 69-81 , 2021 2021 Citations: 6
Prevention of ion migration in lead halide perovskites upon plugging the anion vacancies with PbSe islands S Khurana, P Yadav, P Natesan, MS Hassan, DK Pradhan, S Sapra Chemical Communications 60 (47), 6031-6034 , 2024 2024 Citations: 5
Enhanced photoconductivity in SnO 2 -ZnS nanocomposites: nano-structural, optical, and electrical investigations AC Fernandez, S P, GK V, P N Journal of Nanoparticle Research 27 (7), 183 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Visible light-driven Nd-ZnSe: Structural insights and enhanced photocatalytic degradation of Congo red dye P Kavitha, R Menaka, J Jayaprakash, V Nijarubini, N Priyadharsini APPLIED PHYSICS A-MATERIALS SCIENCE & PROCESSING 131 (6) , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Fabrication and physical characterization of Zn (OH) 2/PVA and ZnO nanofibers using Electrospinning nanofiber generator K Thangavel, A Balamurugan, N Priyadharsini, M Elango International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Electronics and … , 2015 2015 Citations: 4
Investigation on photodegradation of methylene blue and carbol fuchsin using green synthesized zinc/titanium/graphene oxide nanocomposites S Saranya, R Arumugam, N Priyadharsini, M Rajkumar Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 37 (2), 162 , 2026 2026 Citations: 2
Color center defects on modulating magnetic, optical, and catalytic behavior of zinc ferrites CKK Deepannita Chakraborty, N Priyadharsini Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 628, 173183 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Effect of nickel substitution on structural, optical and dielectric properties of lead chalcogenide (PbSe) nano particle N Priyadharsini, M Thamilselvan, S Vairam Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials-Rapid Communications 10 (11-12), 916-920 , 2016 2016 Citations: 1
Nd-doped MoO₃@ SiO₂ nanocomposites for sustainable dye degradation of congo red and crystal violet: Insights into structural, optical, and catalytic properties J Panneerselvam, P Natesan, V Jayachandran, E Muniappan, ... Journal of Water Process Engineering 87, 109986 , 2026 2026
Calcination-Driven Phase Evolution of YFeO3 Nanostructures as a Bi-functional Linking of Supercapacitor and Photocatalytic Performance for Sustainable Energy and Environmental … M Aparnna, N Priyadharsini, VG Krishnan, K Tamilarasan, N Anandhan, ... Environmental Research, 124041 , 2026 2026
The synergistic performance of redox couples enhanced with phase inter-grown ceria-zirconia-alumina mixed oxides: A robust three-way catalyst for diesel exhaust abatement SS Varuna Jayachandran a , Priyadharsini Natesan b , Balaji Chettiannan a ... Environmental Technology & Innovation 41, 104708 , 2026 2026
Exploring the physicochemical and quantum chemical investigation on N, N-dimethyl-4-aminopyridinium-2, 4-dihydroxybenzoate monohydrate: An organic salt crystal for biological … M Ramanathan, R Madhu, P Natesan, M Athianna, K Ponnusamy Journal of Molecular Liquids 437, 128378 , 2025 2025