Volume 12, Issue 1

Thiosulfate is a green leaching agent used in the hydrometallurgical process because it is both environmentally benign and can form the required soluble ion complexes. In this article, a novel method for the synthesis of CdS–Ag 2 S nanocomposites from a solution of relevant ion complexes via ultrasound-assisted ultraviolet (UV) photolysis was proposed. An analysis of the mechanism revealed that the complexes undergo a series of photochemical reactions. The CdS–Ag 2 S nanocomposites were synthesized by photochemical co-precipitation under UV-C irradiation. The microstructure, chemical composition, optical and electrochemical properties of the prepared nanocomposites were analyzed to verify the synthesis and investigate the product. The photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under a xenon lamp was performed to determine the photocatalytic activity. Under visible light irradiation, the CdS–Ag 2 S nanocomposites undergo the electrons transition (from valence band to conduction band) to form photogenerated electron–hole pairs realizing the effective separation of carriers and finally promote the degradation of MO to water and carbon dioxide. The subsequent degradation efficiency of the CdS–Ag 2 S nanocomposites was found to be 87% after 90 min, and it was larger than 78% for pure CdS prepared via UV photolysis, indicating that the as-developed novel method can effectively fabricate CdS–Ag 2 S photocatalyst with superior performance.

The study of nanofluid flow over a rotating disk has significant importance because of its enormous range of implementations, including cancer treatments, chemotherapy, nanomedicines, fermentation sciences, selective drug delivery, food sciences, biosensors, biomedicines, and electronics. Due to these applications of nanofluid, the present problem investigates the magnetohydrodynamic flow of nanofluid with nonlinear thermal radiation and viscous dissipation. In this analysis, the aluminum oxide nanoparticles are mixed with water. Furthermore, the mechanism for inter-particle spacing and radius of aluminum oxide nanoparticles on the dynamics of the two-dimensional flow of nanofluid are investigated. The present problem is modeled in the form of partial differential equations (PDEs), and these PDEs are converted into ordinary differential equations with the help of suitable similarity transformations. The analytical solution to the current modeled problem has been obtained by using the homotopy analysis technique. The main purpose of the present research work is to analyze the behavior of the velocity and temperature of the nanofluid for small and large radius of the aluminum oxide nanoparticles and inter-particle spacing. Also, the role of heat transport is computed for linear and nonlinear thermal radiation cases. The major findings and principal results of this investigation are concluded that the primary velocity of nanoliquid is augmented due to the intensification in suction parameter for both the small and larger radius of aluminum oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, it is perceived that the heat rate transfer is larger when the Eckert number and nanoparticle volume fraction are higher for both nonlinear and linear thermal radiation cases.

Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects brain function, is associated with cancer progression, thus making it a potential biomarker. Despite the increasing efforts and ideas for gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based colorimetric detection over the years, preparing AuNPs and sensing targets are separate processes, and this incurs more time to operate and produces excess waste. Herein, we report a simple, sensitive, and rapid colorimetric detection method for serotonin based on the in situ formation of AuNP. When only the aptamer is present, it can prevent chloride-induced aggregation of AuNPs because it easily binds to the freshly synthesized AuNPs through its exposed bases to increase the positive charge of the AuNP surfaces. When a complex of serotonin and its aptamer is formed, this complex disturbs the adsorption between aptamers and AuNPs, resulting in reduced stability of AuNPs and easy aggregation of nanoparticles. Therefore, serotonin was measured by color change, consistent with the change in peak intensity in the UV-vis absorption spectrum. The sensor demonstrated good sensitivity with a detection limit of 1 ng/mL (5.7 nM) for serotonin, which is comparable to or better than that of other aptamer-based colorimetric detection methods, further exhibiting the requisite selectivity against possible interferents. These results serve as a basis for developing other biosensors using aptamer-mediated in situ growth of AuNPs.

In this work, the nucleation and growth behavior of Ti 2 AlC and Ti 3 AlC nano-precipitates in Ti–44Al–1.2C alloys were systematically studied by observing their distribution, morphology, and interface atomic structure. The experiment results show that the needle-like C atom segregation zones in TiAl alloys are the nucleation site of Ti 2 AlC, and the long axis direction of segregation zones is parallel to the TiAl(111) plane. The rod-like Ti 2 AlC nano-precipitates mainly distribute at the TiAl/Ti 3 Al interface, and the orientation relationship between them is [ 1 ̅ 01 \bar{1}01 ]TiAl//[ 11 2 ̅ 0 11\bar{2}0 ]Ti 2 AlC//[ 11 2 ̅ 0 11\bar{2}0 ]Ti 3 Al, (111)TiAl//(0001)Ti 2 AlC//(0001)Ti 3 Al. The needle-like Ti 3 AlC nano-precipitates distribute in TiAl with the orientation relationship of [001]Ti 3 AlC//[001]TiAl, (100)Ti 3 AlC//(100)TiAl, (020)Ti 3 AlC//(020)TiAl, and (110)Ti 3 AlC//(110)TiAl during the nucleation stage. After growing into the rod-like, the orientation relationship between Ti 3 AlC precipitates and TiAl is [ 1 1 ̅ 0 1\bar{1}0 ]Ti 3 AlC//[ 1 1 ̅ 0 1\bar{1}0 ]TiAl, (001)Ti 3 AlC//(001)TiAl, (220)Ti 3 AlC//(220)TiAl, and (111)Ti 3 AlC//(111)TiAl. Both the needle- and rod-like Ti 3 AlC precipitates preferentially grow along the [001]TiAl direction. The crystal structure and lattice mismatch between Ti 2 AlC and Ti 3 AlC nano-precipitates and the TiAl matrix determine their distribution, morphology, and interface atomic structure.

Thermal deformation can improve the properties of aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) prepared by powder metallurgy (P/M) due to the dense and uniform microstructures. And the final microstructure of the AMCs is related to the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior and nucleation mechanism in the thermal forming process. In this regard, the hot compression tests of dual-scale SiC particles reinforced A356 (SiC p /A356) composites prepared by P/M method were carried out at temperatures of 460–520°C and strain rates of 0.01–5 s −1 on a thermal simulation tester. The corresponding microstructure evolution was analyzed by electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the stress–strain curve was a typical DRX unimodal stress curve. The comprehensive influences of the strain rate and deformation temperature on the stress were investigated using the Zener–Hollomon parameter ( Z ), where the deformation activation energy was 443.204 kJ/mol. The DRX critical strain model and DRX volume fraction model were established. DRX behavior of the SiC p /A356 composites was sensitive to the deformation temperatures and strain rates. The micro and nano SiC p can promote the DRX nucleation of Al matrix due to the particle-stimulated nucleation.

Epoxy-based sandwich composites with improved economic efficiency were developed to better utilize composite components with functions such as high mechanical performance and light weight, which influenced quality for load-bearing applications. Herein, an epoxy-based sandwich composite was made by laminating woven basalt fibers (WBFs) as a face sheet on 3D carbon felt foam (3D CFs) as a core material. The cast-in-place process was used to infuse the epoxy solution within the sandwich, resulting in bicontinuous composites with outstanding mechanical characteristics and high performance. In addition, the epoxy solution was combined with a silane coupling agent to boost the composite’s toughness by enhancing the adhesion between the fibers and the epoxy. The mechanical properties of epoxy composites were also found to be much improved when WBFs were used as a face on 3D CF foam. Compared to the epoxy/3DCFs/WBFs composite sandwich to pure epoxy, the flexural and tensile strengths improved by 298.1 and 353.8%, respectively, while the impact strength rose to 135 kJ/m 2 . This research shows a new way to make a new process for making sandwich composites with epoxy that is cheap and strong.

The polyurea elastomer (PUA) powder modifier was prepared by the method of spraying–initial crushing–fine grinding, and then, the PUA-modified asphalt was produced. The typical functional structure of PUA was identified and characterized. The apparent viscosity of PUA-modified asphalt was tested at different temperatures. The impact of particle size and content of PUA on creep and recovery properties of asphalt at high temperature was investigated through the multiple stress creep recovery test. The mesothermal fatigue behavior of PUA-modified asphalt was evaluated by means of time sweep and linear amplitude sweep. Results indicated that the high elastic properties of PUA materials might depend on the spherical structure inside PUA material. The diameter of functional structure was around 20 µm and presented as 3D ball structure. The increase in PUA particle size would lead to the increase in cracks and folds in the bonding surface PUA modifier could improve by about 50% of the apparent viscosity significantly. Furthermore, PUA modifier could promote the high-temperature rutting resistance and middle-temperature fatigue property of asphalt. The improving effect on R could reach almost 28% and the 0.075 mm could be the best application size of PUA.

Fe-based stents have been made a figure in biodegradable stents by their good mechanical capacity and biocompatibility, appropriate strength–ductility combination. Although the iron corrosion rate was not ideal, which had been optimized by iron alloy and polymer coating introduction. As a long-term implanted biodegradable material, the real concern about iron-based stents mainly laid in long-term biosafety. In this work, rats were used as an animal model to study the chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity of iron-based stents. Two years later, the changes in body weight and the physiological status during the experiment were monitored, and the blood routine and blood analysis combined with the health of major organs and histopathological tests were performed. The results demonstrated that there was no significant difference compared with the control group (316L SS) in body weight, blood routine index, blood biochemical index, and carcinogenic rate that further confirmed the biosafety of iron-based material.

Processing and formation of Ag–Cu–Zn–Sn filler metals with high Sn content are difficult owing to their high brittleness. A composite flux-cored silver (Ag) filler metal of a CuSn + XB alloy powder was designed using the principle of in situ synthesis. Copper–Copper (Cu–Cu) joints were obtained using a novel Ag-based filler metal (at B contents of 0, 2, and 3%). The microstructure and evolution of the mechanical properties of the Cu–Cu brazed joints were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microscope, electron backscattering diffraction, tensile testing, and nanoindentation tester. The brazed joints mainly consisted of Ag-based solid solution (Ag(s.s)) and Cu-based solid solution (Cu(s.s)). Due to the addition of 3% B, (Ag + Cu) eutectic network structures were formed in the brazing seam. At the same time, the grain size, texture strength, misorientation distribution, and deformation of Ag(s.s) and Cu(s.s) in the brazing seam changed significantly. The overall microhardness of the brazing seam significantly increased as the B content increased in the filler metals. The tensile strength of the joints followed a parabola. At the B content of 2%, the ultimate tensile strength of the Cu–Cu joints was 248.0 MPa. The brazed joints featured intergranular, dimple, and cleavage fractures.

Mono, hybrid, and ternary nanofluids were tested inside the plain and twisted-tape pipes using k-omega shear stress transport turbulence models. The Reynolds number was 5,000 ≤ Re ≤ 15,000, and thermophysical properties were calculated under the condition of 303 K. Single nanofluids (Al 2 O 3 /distilled water [DW], SiO 2 /DW, and ZnO/DW), hybrid nanofluids (SiO 2 + Al 2 O 3 /DW, SiO 2 + ZnO/DW, and ZnO + Al 2 O 3 /DW) in the mixture ratio of 80:20, and ternary nanofluids (SiO 2 + Al 2 O 3 + ZnO/DW) in the mixture ratio of 60:20:20 were estimated in different volumetric concentrations (1, 2, 3, and 4%). The twisted pipe had a higher outlet temperature than the plain pipe, while SiO 2 /DW had a lower T out value with 310.933 K (plain pipe) and 313.842 K (twisted pipe) at Re = 9,000. The thermal system gained better energy using ZnO/DW with 6178.060 W (plain pipe) and 8426.474 W (twisted pipe). Furthermore, using SiO 2 /DW at Re = 9,000, heat transfer improved by 18.017% (plain pipe) and 21.007% (twisted pipe). At Re = 900, the pressure in plain and twisted pipes employing SiO 2 /DW reduced by 167.114 and 166.994%, respectively. In general, the thermohydraulic performance of DW and nanofluids was superior to one. Meanwhile, with Re = 15,000, DW had a higher value of η Thermohydraulic = 1.678.

This article aimed to compare various mechanical properties of epoxy/graphene and epoxy/halloysite nanocomposites. Graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were used as fillers at different concentrations. The studied fillers were dispersed in the epoxy resin matrices. Elastic–plastic mechanical behavior modulation was observed utilizing the fillers’ nanoparticles and carboxyl-terminated butadiene–acrylonitrile copolymer rubber-modified epoxy resin. The hypothesis of the possible preceding inter-particle gliding of the individual GnPs in the complex resin nanocomposite matrix during mechanical testings was also confirmed. Increased ductility (elongation at break increased from 0.33 mm [neat matrix] to 0.46 mm [1 wt% GnPs] [39% increase]) and plasticity of the GnP nanocomposite samples were observed. In contrast, the decreasing mechanical stiffness as reflected in the decreased Young’s modulus of elasticity (from 3.4 to 2.7 GPa [20% decrease]) was found for the epoxy/HNT nanocomposites. The obtained dynamic stiffness of the investigated nanocomposites confirmed the complexity of the mechanical response of the studied material systems as a combination of the ductile and brittle phenomena.

CuW composite fabricated by powder metallurgy using ultrafine metal powders as raw materials has the disadvantages such as uneven microstructure and low compactness. A novel method of synthesizing an as-cast CuW composite ingot via an aluminothermic coupling with silicothermic reduction is presented; a low-melting-point CaO–Al 2 O 3 –SiO 2 slag is formed by adding CaO as a slag former, effectively reducing Al 2 O 3 inclusion in the CuW composite. In this study, the effects of CaO addition on the novel synthesis of the CuW composite via the aluminothermic coupling with silicothermic reduction are investigated. The result shows that CaO affects the removal of large particles (≥6 µm) but not the removal of small particles (≤4 µm). With the increase in the ratio of CaO ranging from 0 to 1.0, the inclusions in the CuW composites gradually transform from Al 2 O 3 to calcium aluminates, which are conducive to the separation of the metal and slag. The contents of Si and O in the CuW composites gradually decrease from 9.40 and 14.00% to 6.10 and 3.50%, respectively, while those of Al and Ca gradually increase from 2.54 and 0.02% to 3.83 and 0.26%, respectively.

In this study, the (Cu and Al 2 O 3 /water) hybrid nanofluid flow is carried out in a porous cavity. The thermophysical structures of solid materials are used from the available literature to improve the thermal performance of the base fluid. The mathematical model as a porous cavity is mainly used in the distillation process and is vital for the storage of thermal energy. The magnetic field is also employed perpendicular to the flow field and the impact of the magnetic parameter examined versus fluid motion. Similarity variables are used to transform governing equations as simplified partial differential equations. The model is solved using the control volume-based finite element method. Boussinesq–Darcy force is employed for the motion of the fluid flow, and the Koo–Kleinstreuer–Li model is used to assess the characteristics of the hybrid nanofluids. The roles of the Hartmann number, Rayleigh number, porosity factor in the porous medium, and drag fin improve traditional fluids’ thermal distribution presentation. Recent results predict that the two different kinds of nanoparticles speed up the heat transfer through the porous cavity. The percentage analysis shows that the hybrid nanofluids (Cu and Al 2 O 3 /water) are prominent in improving traditional fluids’ thermal distribution. Finally, the grid sensitivity test is also carried out for hybrid nanoparticles to demonstrate that the results are asymptotically coherent.

The treatment of infectious bone defects has become a troublesome issue in orthopedics. The disease requires effective anti-infective and bone-reconstruction therapeutic functionalities. In this study, we prepared a novel antibacterial material (vancomycin-impregnated periosteal extracellular matrix [Van-PEM]) by embedding vancomycin in a periosteal extracellular matrix (PEM)-derived hydrogel via physical stirring for the treatment of infectious bone defects. The microstructure, porosity, degradation, and release properties of this antibacterial hydrogel were characterized. The in vitro hemolytic reaction, cytotoxicity, osteogenic ability, and antibacterial properties were also carefully studied. The results showed that the Van-PEM hydrogel possessed a fibrous network structure with high porosity. Moreover, the hydrogel demonstrated slow degradation in vitro and could release vancomycin for at least 1 week. The hydrogel showed no cytotoxicity and possessed good biocompatibility with blood cells. It also promoted osteogenesis and exerted a significant bactericidal effect. Subsequently, the anti-infection and bone-healing abilities of the antibacterial hydrogel were investigated in a rat model of infectious calvarial defects, and the infectious skull defect was successfully cured in vivo . Therefore, Van-PEM hydrogels may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treating infectious bone defects.

In this work, we study the corrosion performance of coatings prepared by electrical explosion spraying of metal wires. 316L metal wire with a diameter of 1.5 mm is used as spray material, and the coating is prepared on the 45 # steel substrate by electrical explosion spraying. The oil–water corrosion experiment of the coating is carried out in a constant temperature water bath of 60°C for 168 h. The scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy results of the experimental samples have shown that some metal oxides are found inside the coating, most of which are distributed at the grain boundaries with a size range of 30–50 nm. The corrosion rate of the coating is measured by weight loss method with a corrosion rate of 0.079 mm/annum. XRD results show that the corrosion generates CaCO 3 , Fe 3 O 4 , and MgFe 2 O 4 . Coating corrosion is mainly caused by the formation of electrochemical corrosion between oxides and non-oxides in the coating, and pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion in the presence of chloride ions.

The addition of nano-silica to ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) to increase its toughness has been proposed to obtain ultra-high-performance nano-concrete (UHPNC). This work mainly studies the reinforcement effect of UHPNC on concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns under long-term load. Ten CFST columns strengthened with UHPNC were selected and reinforced with UHPNC. The influences of different thicknesses of UHPNC reinforcement layer and different nano-silica contents on the axial compression properties of specimens were mainly studied, by loading specimens in two steps: long-term load and ultimate load. This study discussed the failure modes, compressive toughness, ultimate bearing capacity, initial stiffness, and ductility coefficient of the specimens. The results show that the outsourced UHPNC reinforcement method is an effective method to improve the performance of CFST columns during service period. With the increase in the thickness of UHPNC reinforced layer, the ultimate bearing capacity of CFST column increases greatly. The compression toughness is increased with the increase in nano-silica content and UHPNC reinforcement layer thickness. The decrease rate of initial stiffness increases with the increase in nano-silica content.

This work demonstrates the employment of tungsten trioxide/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite saturable absorber (WO 3 /PDMS-SA) in realizing mode-locked conventional soliton (CS) and noise-like pulse (NLP) laser generation in net anomalous dispersion. The switching formation from CS regime of 970.0 fs pulse duration to NLP regime of 182.0 fs coherent spike with 65.3 ps pedestal was achieved by varying its pump power. The pulse laser exhibited good stability of 50.76 and 49.82 dB signal-to-noise ratio at 9.09 MHz fundamental repetition rate and trivial variation during stability test for CS and NLP regime, respectively. This work expresses the feasibility of WO 3 /PDMS-SA in attaining various types of mode-locked pulse phenomena using a fixed cavity configuration conceivably beneficial for compact dual-purpose laser systems.

With the rapid development of the copper-based composite in the field of electrical contact material industry, the problem of poor arc erosion resistance of the copper-based material becomes more and more prominent. Improving the arc erosion resistance of the copper-based composite is an urgent problem to be solved. Cu-Al 2 O 3 /30Mo/3SiC and 0.5Y 2 O 3 /Cu-Al 2 O 3 /30Mo/3SiC electrical contact composites were prepared in a fast-hot-pressing sintering furnace. The microstructure and phase structure of the composites were analyzed by using a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction meter, respectively. The arc erosion properties of the composites at 25 V, DC and 10-30 A were investigated by using a JF04C electric contact tester. The mass loss of the composites was reduced by 77.8%, and the arc erosion rate was reduced by 79.6% after the addition of nano-yttrium oxide under the experimental conditions of 25 V, DC and 30 A. At the same time, the arc energy and welding force of the composite after switching operations decreased, indicating that the addition of nano-yttria improved the arc erosion resistance of the composite. This work provides a new method for improving the arc erosion resistance of the copper-based composite contact material.

More effective and lengthy energy storage systems have been highly desired by researchers. Waste heat recovery, renewable energy, and combined heating and power reactors all utilize energy storage technologies. There are three techniques that are more effective for storing thermal energy: Latent heat storage is one type of energy storage, along with sensible heat storage and chemical heat storage. Latent thermal energy storage is far more efficient and affordable with these methods. A method of storing heat energy in a substance is melting. The substance is frozen to release the heat energy it had been storing. A ground-based pump’s heat exchanger coils around the soil freezing, tundra melting, magma solidification, and semiconducting processes are examples of melting phenomenon. Due to the above importance, the present study scrutinizes the behavior of third-grade nanofluid in a stagnation point deformed by the Riga plate. The Riga plate, an electromagnetic actuator, is made up of alternating electrodes and a permanent magnet that is positioned on a flat surface. Graphene nanoparticles are put in the base fluid (Mineral oil) to make a homogenous mixture. Mathematical modeling is acquired in the presence of melting phenomenon, quadratic stratification, viscous dissipation, and slippage velocity. Suitable transformations are utilized to get the highly non-linear system of ODEs. The remedy of temperature and velocity is acquired via the homotopic approach. Graphical sketches of various pertinent parameters are obtained through Mathematica software. The range of various pertinent parameters is 1 ≤ B 1 ≤ 4 , B 2 = 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , B 3 = 0.1 , 0.5 , 0.9 , 1.3 , 0.8 ≤ A ≤ 1.2 , Re = 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , S 1 = 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , M 1 = 1 , 6 , 11 , 16 , 0.1 ≤ ϑ ≤ 0.4 , 0.1 ≤ Q ≤ 0.4 , Ec = 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 0.1 ≤ S ≤ 0.4 and Nr = 1 , 6 , 11 , 16 1\le {B}_{1}\le 4,\hspace{.5em}{B}_{2}=1,3,5,7,{B}_{3}=0.1,0.5,0.9,1.3,\hspace{.5em}0.8\le A\le 1.2,\mathrm{Re}=1,3,5,7,\hspace{.2em}{S}_{1}=1,3,5,7,\hspace{.5em}{M}_{1}=1,6,11,16,\hspace{.25em}0.1\le {\vartheta }\le 0.4,\hspace{.33em}0.1\le Q\le 0.4,\text{Ec}=1,3,5,7,\hspace{.5em}0.1\le S\le 0.4\hspace{.65em}\text{and}\hspace{.65em}\text{Nr}=1,6,11,16 . Skin friction (drag forces) and Nusselt number (rate of heat transfer) are explained via graphs. The velocity is enhancing the function against melting parameter while temperature is the decelerating function as melting factor is amplified. The temperature field reduces with the accelerating estimations of stratified parameter. The energy and velocity profiles de-escalate with intensifying values of volume fraction parameter.

This article re-examines the nonlinear vibration and nonlinear bending responses of porous sandwich cylindrical panels reinforced by graphene platelets resting on elastic foundations in thermal environments. The graphene platelet-reinforced composite (GPLRC) core is assumed to be of multilayers, and each layer may have different porosity coefficient values to achieve a piece-wise functionally graded pattern. By introducing an inhomogeneous model instead of the equivalent isotropic model (EIM), the Young’s moduli along with the shear modulus of the porous GPLRC core are predicted through a generic Halpin–Tsai model in which the porosity is included. The thermomechanical properties of metal face sheets and the porous GPLRC core are assumed to be temperature-dependent. Governing equations of motion for sandwich cylindrical panels with porous GPLRC core are formulated based on Reddy’s third-order shear deformation theory coupled with von Kármán nonlinear strain–displacement relationships. In the modeling, the panel–foundation interaction and the thermal effects are also considered. The analytical solutions for the nonlinear vibration and nonlinear bending problems are obtained by applying a two-step perturbation approach. Numerical studies are performed to compare the results obtained from the present model and the EIM. The results confirm that the EIM is not suitable for linear free vibration analysis of sandwich cylindrical panels with the porous GPLRC core, but the EIM may be valid for the cases of nonlinear vibration and nonlinear bending analyses of the same panel resting on Pasternak elastic foundations. Graphical abstract

This study explores the unsteady hybrid nanofluid (NF) flow consisting of cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) and copper (Cu) nano particulates with natural convection flow due to an expanding surface implanted in a porous medium. The Cu and CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) are added to the base fluid water to synthesize the hybrid NF. The effects of second-order velocity slip condition, chemical reaction, heat absorption/generation, temperature-dependent viscosity, and Darcy Forchheimer are also assessed in the present analysis. An ordinary differential equation system is substituted for the modeled equations of the problem. Further computational processing of the differential equations is performed using the parametric continuation method. A validation and accuracy comparison are performed with the Matlab package BVP4C. Physical constraints are used for presenting and reviewing the outcomes. With the increase in second-order velocity slip condition and unsteady viscosity, the rates of heat and mass transition increase significantly with the variation in Cu and Fe 2 O 4 NPs. The findings suggest that the uses of Cu and Fe 2 O 4 in ordinary fluids might be useful in the aerodynamic extrusion of plastic sheets and extrusion of a polymer sheet from a dye.

Graphical abstract Abstract Herein, we report on the development of chitosan-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs-CHI) with an intrinsic activity against breast cancer cells. Following chemical synthesis via a simple, one-pot reaction, the chitosan coating of AgNPs was verified using Fourier-transform infrared and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopies. The physicochemical properties and morphology were characterized using dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The shelf stability of the optimized platform was tracked for 3 months upon storage at either room temperature or 4°C. Then, the anticancer activities of AgNPs-CHI on human breast cancer cells, MCF-7, versus normal human cells, human skin fibroblasts (HSF), were evaluated via 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cytotoxicity assay and tumor-associated biomarkers determination by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in comparison with plain silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ) solution. AgNPs were successfully coated with chitosan and demonstrated acceptable physicochemical properties, with a spherical morphology and high stability upon long-term storage. Although AgNPs-CHI and AgNO 3 demonstrated comparable cytotoxicity to MCF-7 cells, AgNPs-CHI resulted in 10-fold lower toxicity to HSF cells, suggesting a higher selectivity. In addition, AgNPs-CHI lowered IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in MCF-7 cells by 90 and 30%, respectively, compared to 60 and 10% in the case of plain AgNO 3 . The interesting therapeutic modality presented in this study is promising for potential clinical applications.

Poor high-temperature stability (HTS) and weak microwave absorption performance (MAP) are a major restriction for wave-absorbing materials in elevated temperature ambient. Consequently, the Stöber process and the sol–gel method are first devised and used to create multi-core/shell SiO 2 @Al 2 O 3 nanostructures (MCSNs) on Ti 3 AlC 2 (TAC). The MCSNs with a thickness of 135–215 nm raise the starting oxidation temperature of the matrix by 400°C. Furthermore, the weight gain drops from 17.44 to 2.32% within 1 h at 800°C. The effective absorption bandwidth with a reflection loss (RL) ≤ −10 dB of the MCSNs-coated TAC is 3.25 GHz (8.68–11.27 and 11.63–12.29 GHz) at a thickness of 2.0 mm, which is 4.7 times that of the matrix. The minimum RL is reduced by a factor of 2.77 from −10.68 to −29.55 dB. The enhanced MAP is due to the introduced multiple reflection events and scattering mechanism as well as the enhanced electronic polarization, interface polarization, and polarization relaxation. The growth of the MCSNs provides a reference for the design and preparation of bifunctional materials with good HTS and MAP.

TiO 2 is an important component of photoelectric devices. How to broaden the light absorption of TiO 2 and accelerate the separation of photo-generated electrons and holes is the focus of the current research. Building heterojunction with narrow band gap semiconductor and TiO 2 is one of the important measures to improve its photoelectric performance. We prepared BiVO 4 /TiO 2 binary heterojunction by the simple hydrothermal method and analyzed the effect of BiVO 4 precursor solution concentration on the microstructure and photoelectric performance of the heterojunction. BiVO 4 /TiO 2 binary heterojunction can effectively improve the photoelectric performance of TiO 2 , and the transient current density reaches 85 μA/cm 2 . To further boost the photocurrent of BiVO 4 /TiO 2 , Bi 2 S 3 was in situ grown on the heterojunction to form Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 ternary heterojunction. The results show that the band gap of Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 composites is significantly narrowed compared with that of TiO 2 . The light absorption has been expanded to the visible range, and the photogenerated current density is also greatly boosted (0.514 mA/cm 2 ). This Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 ternary heterojunction accelerates the separation of photo-carriers and improves the photoelectric performance of the device. The possible transport mechanism of photo-carriers in ternary heterojunction is analyzed. The current study provides an effective strategy for in situ construction of novel multicomponent heterojunction and provides a basis for the application of Bi 2 S 3 /BiVO 4 /TiO 2 in the optoelectronic field.

It is quite necessary to develop a safe and efficient technique for disinfection of drinking water to avoid waterborne pathogens of infectious diseases. Herein, ZnO nanoarray electrodes with different sizes were investigated for low-voltage and high-efficiency electroporation disinfection. The results indicated that the ZnO nano-pyramid with small tip width and proper length exhibited over 99.9% disinfection efficiency against Escherichia coli under 1 V and a flow rate of 10 mL/min (contact time of 1.2 s). The suitable size of the nanoarray for electroporation disinfection was optimized by establishing the correlation between four kinds of ZnO nanoarrays and their efficiency of electroporation disinfection, which can guide the preparation of next-generation electroporation-disinfecting electrodes.

The graphene-based materials have been used as a potential coating material for nanoparticles due to their excellent passivation. Herein, we report for the first time the colloidal stability, photothermal profile, thermal stability, cytotoxicity, and photo-cytotoxicity of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) coupled with the second infrared window (NIR-II) absorbing gold nanorods (AuNRs/GQDs) and compare it to graphene oxide (GO)-coated NIR-II absorbing AuNRs (AuNRs/GO). The composites were achieved by electrostatic interaction of the GO or GQDs with AuNRs. The results revealed that (i) AuNRs/GQDs were more stable in the aqueous phosphate buffer and cell culture media than AuNRs/GO and AuNRs; (ii) GO enhanced the photothermal efficiency of the AuNRs, whereas GQDs reduced it; (iii) GQDs enhanced the photothermal stability of AuNRs than GO; (iv) both AuNRs/GO and AuNRs/GQDs were biocompatible with mouse colon carcinoma (C26) cell lines and malignant fibrous histiocytoma‐like, expressing a fusion of the luciferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein genes (KM-Luc/GFP) cell lines; and (v) photo-cytotoxicity of AuNRs/GO and AuNRs/GQDs conducted against C26 cell lines showed significantly improved cell death compared to laser irradiation alone; however, AuNRs/GO exhibited high photo-toxicity than AuNRs/GQDs. This study shows that AuNRs/GO and AuNRs/GQDs composites possess unique properties to improve AuNRs and be utilised in photothermal applications.

Through reduction of thickness value in nanostructures, the features of surface elasticity become more prominent due to having a high surface-to-volume ratio. The main aim of this research work was to examine the surface residual stress effect on the three-dimensional nonlinear stability characteristics of geometrically perfect and imperfect cylindrical shells at nanoscale under axial compression. To do so, an unconventional three-dimensional shell model was established via combination of the three-dimensional shell formulations and the Gurtin–Murdoch theory of elasticity. The silicon material is selected as a case study, which is the most utilized material in the design of micro-electromechanically systems. Then, the moving Kriging meshfree approach was applied to take numerically into account the surface free energy effects and the initial geometrical imperfection in the three-dimensional nonlinear stability curves. Accordingly, the considered cylindrical shell domain was discretized via a set of nodes together using the quadratic polynomial type of basis shape functions and an appropriate correlation function. It was found that the surface stress effects lead to an increase the critical axial buckling load of a perfect silicon nanoshell about 82.4 % 82.4 \% for the shell thickness of 2 nm 2{\rm{nm}} , about 32.4 % 32.4 \% for the shell thickness of 5 nm 5{\rm{nm}} , about 15.8 % 15.8 \% for the shell thickness of 10 nm 10{\rm{nm}} , and about 7.5 % 7.5 \% for the shell thickness of 20 nm 20{\rm{nm}} . These enhancements in the value of the critical axial buckling load for a geometrically imperfect silicon nanoshell become about 92.9 % 92.9 \% for the shell thickness of 2 nm 2{\rm{nm}} , about 36.5 % 36.5 \% for the shell thickness of 5 nm 5{\rm{nm}} , about 17.7 % 17.7 \% for the shell thickness of 10 nm 10{\rm{nm}} , and about 8.8 % 8.8 \% for the shell thickness of 20 nm 20{\rm{nm}} .

The mechanisms of thermal conductivity enhancement and the factors influencing viscosity are of great interest in the study of nanofluids, while molecular dynamics (MD) simulations considering nanofluids provide more accurate predictions of microscopic properties than conventional experimental studies. MD simulations of non-equilibrium molecular dynamics and reversing perturbation non-equilibrium molecular dynamics methods were used to study thermal conductivity and viscosity, taking into account a variety of influencing factors, as well as nanoparticle material and volume fraction. Through the analysis of the number density distribution, radial distribution function (RDF), and mean square displacement (MSD), the influences of different nanoparticles (Ag, Cu, Au, and Fe) were described and investigated: Ag particles contribute to 47.0% increase in thermal conductivity of 2.5 vol% nanofluids; Au particles improved the viscosity of 2.5 vol% nanofluids by 20.2%; the number density distribution showed positive linear relationship with the atomic mass; the results of MSD and RDF (mean square displacement and radial distribution function) in combination indicated a positive effect of interfacial nanolayer. The results of this research provide important perspectives for comprehending the impacts of multiple nanoparticles on the micro-thermal properties of nanofluids and also highlight the simulation potential of Au–Ar nanofluids.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade persistent organic contaminants has received increasing attention in wastewater purification. In this study, Cu 2 O catalysts with different exposed crystal facets were prepared, characterized, and evaluated for acetaminophen (ACE) degradation through PMS activation. The experimental results showed that cubic Cu 2 O with {100} facets exhibited remarkable activity on ACE removal by PMS activation in wide pH range of 3–11. DFT calculations indicated that Cu 2 O-{100} displayed higher electron transfer efficiency and PMS adsorption ability, further improving PMS activation. The radicals quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results illustrated that singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) was dominant reactive oxidative species (ROSs) during oxidation reactions and the relevant generation pathways were distinctly elucidated. Finally, the possible PMS activation mechanisms were discussed for ACE degradation in a wide pH range. This study will provide new insights to disclose PMS-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and offer a new approach for wastewater purification by non-radical reactions.

Nanofluids have many applications in industries as well as engineering such as biomedicine, manufacturing, and electronics. Nanofluid is used for improvement of thermal and mass transmission. Based on the aforementioned applications, in the present study, a two-dimensional Maxwell nanofluid with thermal radiation effect on the existence of motile microorganisms over a vertically stretchable surface is explored. The consequence of heat absorption, the efficiency of heat flux in a porous medium, viscous dissipations, and Joule heating impacts are considered. The Brownian and thermophoretic diffusion effects have been evaluated. In addition, the binary chemical reaction is taken into account to evaluate the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) mixed convection flow. Graphene nanoparticles are suspended in so-called engine oil (base fluid). The proposed liquid model depends on the governing nonlinear equations of velocity, temperature, the concentration of nanoparticles, and motile gyrotactic microorganisms. In order to transform highly nonlinear partial differential equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, an appropriate similarity transformation is exploited. For the solution of the present study, the homotopy analysis method-technique in Mathematica-12 is used. The fluctuation of velocity, temperature, concentration, and gyrotactic microorganisms’ characteristics for numerous flow parameters is discussed in detail. Some important fallouts of the existing study are that the Maxwell liquid parameter, Eckert number, and magnetic parameter lessen the nanoliquid velocity. But the fluid temperature becomes higher for growing estimates of the Brownian motion and thermophoretic factors. The radiation and chemical reaction parameters have declining impacts on the solutal profile. The motile microorganism profile shows a decrement in bioconvection Lewis and Rayleigh numbers. The nanofluid thermal profile is improved but the nanofluid velocity declined through the augmentation of volume fraction. Also, the coefficient of skin friction and Nusselt number are obtained versus various flow parameters.

The aim of this research is to measure the dielectric properties and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of silicone rubber reinforced with graphene nanoplates. In a two-roll mill, different amounts of graphene are mixed together. This is followed by compression moulding at 170°C and post-curing for 4 h at 200°C. Between 1 MHz and 1 GHz, the waveguide transmission line method and a vector network analyser are used to measure the dielectric and EMI SE parameters. As the amount of graphene is increased from 0 to 7 wt%, AC conductivity goes up, reaching 1.19 × 10 −3  S/cm at 7 wt%. The same composition gives the highest EMI SE of 43.22 dB at 1 GHz. The high-frequency structural simulation of different compositions shows how shielding works, and the results agree with what has been seen in experiments.

In recent years, nanoparticles have emerged as an important player in a broad range of applications, especially thanks to recent advances in their synthesis. The silver and copper nanoparticles are often used due to their antibacterial and fungicidal activities, and this article presents the results of the nanoparticle synthesis using electrical glow discharge generated directly in a volume of their salt solutions. Therefore, there is no influence of air ( i.e . reactive nitrogen species) as it is usual in other commonly used approaches. Nanoparticles were prepared under various experimental conditions, and they were characterized by ultraviolet/visible spectrometry, dynamic light scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. Particles were produced without any surfactant or stabilizing agent, and some of them showed higher resistance against agglomeration during their short-term (days) storage. The nanoparticle formation mechanism was confirmed by the fast camera imaging. Thus, the developed approach can be applied for simple environmentally friendly nanoparticle production for various applications.

Developing high-efficiency and low-cost visible light photocatalyst is a great challenge for degrading both air and liquid pollutants. Herein, we developed a large-scale preparation of ultrafine TiO 2 @C hybrid visible light photocatalyst for high-performance degradation of formaldehyde and methyl orange (MO) at low cost using the ultra-low temperature (<200°C) air calcination method. The as-designed TiO 2 @C hybrids are at the scale range of 2–5 nm and modified by ultrafine carbon layers enabling the strong physical adsorption and narrowing the corresponding band gap. Specifically, the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 @C hybrids for formaldehyde and MO degradation was investigated both in the air and liquid pollutant. After optimization, the TiO 2 @C hybrid obtained at 175°C possesses relatively better photocatalytic degradation performance than other parallel control composites under visible light irradiation. The enhanced photodegradation ability of TiO 2 @C-175°C hybrid with visible light response attributes to novel hybrid structure with rich defect active sites and narrow band gap (2.51 eV), favoring dual functions of physical adsorption and chemical degradation. This ultra-low temperature air calcination approach can open a low-cost and scalable pathway to design TiO 2 @C hybrids for green environment.

Significant self-glazed glass-ceramic was obtained from a natural pozzolan and external glass cullet. Natural pozzolan with/without glass cullet was fused to glass melt that quenched in water to glass frits. The dried glass frits were pulverized (<0.083 mm) and then shaped in a stainless mold. The thermal behavior of the glasses shows a widening of the crystallization temperature with the incorporation of the glass cullet between ∼800 and 950°C. Sintering of the shaped glass powder at 1,050°C/2 h lead to the crystallization of augite, enstatite, cristobalite, and hematite. The microcrystalline structure shows massive texture with pores in-between; however, at high magnification regular euhedral to subhedral crystals in submicron to nearly submicron size was developed in the glassy matrix and their microanalysis indicates the dominant augite. The density of the glass-ceramic samples decreases from 2,706 to 2,539 kg/m 3 with the incorporation of glass wastes. The sample surfaces show, through force electron microscopy, the fineness and smoothness of the grains with the incorporation of the glassy portion. The microhardness values were between 6.43 and 6.11 GPa. The coefficient of thermal expansion increased from 32.87 (25–300°C) to 66.89 (25–500°C) × 10 −7 °C −1 . The chemical resistance of samples in water (0.0002–0.0016) is better than in an acidic medium (0.0011–0.0017). These glass-ceramic enjoy good density, hardness, and thermal expansion and can be used in the ceramic industry and cladding walls and floors.

Date palm fiber (DPF) is an easily processed, low cost, and accessible natural fiber. It has mostly been used in composites for non-structural applications. For DPF to be utilized in cementitious composites for structural applications, ways to reduce its harmful effect on compressive strength must be devised. Therefore, in this study, nano-activated carbon (NAC), due to its filler effects, was used as an additive to produce the DPF-reinforced concrete (DPFRC). To produce the DPFRC, 0, 1, 2, and 3% by cement weight of DPF and NAC were added. The fresh properties, strength, and microstructure of the concrete were examined. The findings revealed that DPF decreased the consistency, density, and compressive strength. Additionally, it increases the porosity in the concrete microstructure. The addition of up to 1% NAC significantly improved the compressive, flexural, and split tensile strengths of the concrete, while it decreased the harmful impact of up to 2% DPF on the DPFRC’s strength. The split tensile and flexural strengths of the concrete were enhanced with the addition of up to 2% DPF without any NAC. The addition of up to 2% NAC densified the DPFRC’s microstructure by refining and filling the pores generated by the DPF. The multivariable statistical models developed to estimate the mechanical properties of the DPFRC containing DPF and NAC were very significant with a very high degree of precision.

A coupled process of ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and lyophilisation was used for the synthesis of dried gold nanoparticles. Two methods were applied for determining their melting temperature: uniaxial microcompression and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. Uniaxial microcompression resulted in sintering of the dried gold nanoparticles at room temperature with an activation energy of 26–32.5 J/g, which made it impossible to evaluate their melting point. Using DSC, the melting point of the dried gold nanoparticles was measured to be around 1064.3°C, which is close to pure gold. The reason for the absence of a melting point depression in dried gold nanoparticles was their exothermic sintering between 712 and 908.1°C. Graphical abstract

Energy poverty is a global challenge that demands sustainable and affordable solutions. This study investigates the use of commercial graphene nanofibers (GNFs) as a reinforcing agent in gypsum composites for energy-efficient building retrofitting. The GNFs were manually dispersed in the gypsum matrix, and the composites were fabricated by casting and curing. The thermomechanical properties were systematically studied using various characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis. The results show that the addition of 1% GNFs reduces the thermal conductivity of the composites by more than 40% and improves their flexural and compressive strength by up to 23 and 42%, respectively, compared to neat gypsum. The enhancements are attributed to the effective phonon scattering of the GNFs and their ability to act as crystal seeding sites, resulting in a denser and more homogeneous structure. The dynamic thermal analysis further demonstrates that the GNF-reinforced composites could reduce heating and cooling requirements by 14 and 11%, respectively, indicating their potential for energy-efficient building retrofitting. However, the cost effectiveness and safety issues of the GNF-reinforced composites should be carefully considered before their large-scale implementation. Achieving uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in high concentrations is also a significant challenge that will be addressed in future studies.

Tri-hybrid nanofluid (THNF) can achieve a higher heat transfer rate than conventional hybrid nanofluid by combining three different nanoparticles with synergistic effects. It can have more diverse physical and thermal properties by choosing different combinations of nanoparticles. That is why it has more potential applications in various fields such as solar thermal, biomedical, and industrial processes. On the other hand, vortices are circular motions of liquid or gas that occur when there is a velocity difference. They are important for understanding how fluids mix and transport mass. They can be found in nature, such as in tornadoes and hurricanes. The aim of the current study is to mainly investigate the complex interaction of Lorentz force with the tri-hybrid nanoparticles inside a lid-driven square cavity. It can be seen that the magnetic field has caused the evolution of new vortices (which are very important while analyzing any flow model due to their importance in interpreting fluid mixing and mass transport phenomena) in the flow field, thus adding much more significance to our work. Most of the scientific literature is enriched with investigations dealing with the problems assuming a uniform magnetic field occupying the flow field, but in this research, a vertical strip of magnetism within the flow field will be introduced. It may be the first effort to interpret the role of the applied magnetic field in the formation of the new vortices in the flow field. A single-phase model is utilized to describe THNF whereas a numerical solution to the governing differential equations has been obtained by employing an algorithm based on the central difference discretization and the alternating direction implicit method. The analysis reveals that the magnetic field intensity may result in up to 13 and 119% increase in the skin friction and Nusselt number, respectively. Similarly, a remarkable change in the Nusselt number and the skin friction is also observed by raising the Reynolds number Re. Moreover, the localization or confinement of the magnetic field does not always increase or decrease the Nusselt number. Thus, it is concluded that there will be a certain width of the magnetic corridor for which the Nusselt number would be optimal. Further, the THNF containing Al 2 O 3 , Ag, and TiO 2 outperforms in terms of enhancing the average Nusselt number, compared to the simple nanofluid containing the abovementioned particles.

In nanofluids, the effect of convection in the presence of double diffusivity on a magneto couple stress fluid with the peristaltic flow of a model in a non-uniform channel (MCSFM) is reviewed in this article. This research discusses MCSF in a non-uniform channel by applying the Levenberg–Marquardt procedure via an artificial backpropagated neural network (LMP-ABNN). For two-dimensional and two-directional flows, mathematical formulations of double-diffusivity convection of a magneto couple stress fluid in nanofluids are developed. The partial differential equations are reduced to ordinary differential equations by using appropriate transformations. The assessment of the Hartmann number, thermophoresis parameter, Dufour parameter, Soret parameter, and magnetic Reynolds number over concentration profiles and temperature profiles is made by generating a dataset for LMP-ABNN based on the ND solve method for different variations of MSCFM. To examine the approximate solution validation, training and testing procedures are interpreted, and the performance is verified through error histogram and mean square error results. The extremely nonlinear equations are reduced by employing a long-wavelength approximation and a low but finite Reynolds number. To describe the behavior of flow quantities, graphical representations of a variety of physical characteristics of importance are shown. The impact of the Hartmann number and magnetic Reynolds number over axial magnetic field and current density is also studied. The concentration increases as the thermophoresis parameter and Dufour parameter values increase. This occurs because the concentration and both these parameters have a direct relationship. We observed opposite behavior for both the magnetic Reynolds number and the Hartman number. The behavior of current density J z increases with increasing values of R m . Both the temperature distribution and solute concentration increase. The final outcome of this study is to provide the potential for these techniques to provide new insights and solutions to challenging problems in nanofluids and other areas of fluid mechanics and to facilitate the design of more efficient and effective microfluidic devices.

The microorganisms’ concept has appealed substantial consideration of modern researchers because of its utilization in commercial and industrial products, for illustration, biofuel (prepared from the waste), drug delivery, and fertilizers. Keeping such utilizations of microorganisms in mind, an analysis based on gyrotactic microorganisms featuring the mixed convective nonlinear radiative Maxwell nanoliquid stagnation point flow configured by permeable stretching surface is presented. Boundary layer stretching flow subjected to transpiration effects is formulated. Modeling is based on Buongiorno’s nanoliquid model. This model captures Brownian diffusion along with thermophoresis aspects. Energy expression is formulated under nonlinear version of radiative heat-flux, heat source, thermal Robin conditions, and heat sink. Mass transport analysis is presented considering solutal Robin conditions and chemical reaction. In addition, the Robin conditions for motile microorganisms are also considered. The complex mathematical expressions of Maxwell liquid are simplified utilizing the Boundary layer concept and then suitable transformations assist to obtain the mathematical problems in ordinary differential forms. The analytical approach (that is homotopy analysis methodology) is utilized for computational analysis. The outcomes obtained are presented graphically and numerically. The detailed description of emerging physical non-dimensional parameters is included. Our findings indicate that the motile density field strongly boosted with the increment in Peclet number and microorganisms Biot number; however, they are suppressed with the increase in the values of bioconvection Schmidt number and motile microorganism concentration difference parameter.

Porous structures and surface morphology of bone tissue scaffolds play an important role in improving the biocompatibility and antibacterial properties for bone repair. In this study, we investigated the effect of different anodic oxidation parameters on the nanotubes morphology in 3D printed porous titanium scaffolds. Micron-scale pores were fabricated by 3D printing first, and then the nano-scale tubes were obtained via anodizing treatments. The results demonstrated that the morphology of the nanotubes depended on the anodic oxidation time and voltage, respectively. Longer anodic oxidation led to the formation of circle-like nanotubes, and the diameter of the nanotubes increased with the voltage. The scaffolds anodized at 30 V showed the best cell proliferation potential. The presence of nanotubes on the surface of scaffold altered the adhesion of bacteria so that it improved the antibacterial properties of scaffold. The formation of nanotubes improved the drug-loading ability of the scaffold, which are used for loading of minocycline antibacterial drugs. The proposed 3D printed porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with nanotubes surface modification showed obvious antibacterial effect, which is expected to have a promising application in antibacterial bone prosthesis.

The primary goal of this work was to develop a cost-effective, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and simple approach for the green synthesis of CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) using Aloe vera leaf extract by the sol–gel auto-combustion method. In order to figure out their structural, morphological, and magnetic properties, the synthesized NPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD analysis showed that particles had a single-phase spinel crystalline structure with an average crystalline size of 33.5 nm. Under VSM studies, the produced NPs exhibit a soft ferromagnetic property. SEM revealed that the as-prepared NPs were agglomerated due to their magnetic behavior. To the best of our knowledge, the anticandidal, antibiofilm, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of CoFe 2 O 4 NPs toward drug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungal strains, have been comprehensively investigated for the first time. The synthesized NPs had a minimal inhibitory concentration of 0.25–0.75 mg/ml against the tested pathogens. CoFe 2 O 4 NPs inhibited the biofilm formation by 37.3–61.8% in selected strains at concentrations of 0.125–0.5 mg/ml. It was observed that the NPs not only suppress biofilm formation but also eradicate established mature biofilms by 50.9–64.49% that was further supported by SEM. SEM analysis shows that NPs significantly inhibit the colonization and aggregation of tested biofilm strains. Light microscopic analysis revealed that NPs completely inhibit the development of hyphae and filaments in Candida albicans , which significantly attenuates their pathogenicity. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining demonstrate that NPs significantly inhibit the proliferation of HCT-116 and HeLa cells. Furthermore, the SEM images of treated cells showed wrinkled and damaged cell walls, indicating the disruption and disorganization of the membrane. This study showed that the synthesized NPs were effective in inhibiting the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, candida, and their preformed biofilms as well. Thus, these NPs with broad-spectrum applications could be exploited in medical settings to diminish biofilm-based infections caused by these pathogenic strains.

In the current study, we numerically analyze the significance of motile microbes on the magnetohydrodynamic steady convective streams of tangent hyperbolic (TH) nanofluid flow across an elastic nonlinearly stretching surface of an irregular thickness. The consequences of an external magnetic field, thermal radiation, and thermal conductivity are also examined on the TH nanofluid. The governing system of equations (nonlinear set of partial differential equations) is transfigured into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by using the similarity variable conversions. Furthermore, the reduced form of nonlinear ODEs is numerically computed through the parametric continuation method (PCM) using MATLAB software. The relative evaluation is carried out to authenticate the numerical outcomes. It has been observed that the energy field accelerates with the Rayleigh number, Weissenberg number, and Brownian motion. The mass propagation ratio improves with the effect of activation energy and decreases with the influence of chemical reactions. Furthermore, the motile microbes’ profile declined with the outcome of the Peclet and Lewis numbers. The skin friction increases up to 7.3% with various magnetic values ranging from 0.5 to 1.5. However, the energy transfer rate declines to 5.92%. The thermal radiation boosts the energy propagation rate and flow velocity by up to 11.23 and 8.17%, respectively.

The performance of polycarboxylate superplasticisers (PCE) in cement blended with seawater (SW) depends on its molecular structure since large ions in SW significantly influenced its mechanism. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the molecular structure of PCE on the fresh properties of SW-blended cement pastes. A series of six PCEs with different charge densities, side chain lengths, and anchor groups were modified by introducing nanosilica and their physicochemical properties were characterised, and the performance was evaluated by determined by minislump, rheological behaviour and setting time. Finally, the potential mechanism was proposed via measurement of adsorption amount and layer thickness, and water film thickness (WFT). The results showed that the PCE with longer side chains and higher AA:HEPG ratio provided a significant improvement in the workability of cement pastes mixed with SW. According to the flow curves from the rheology experiments, analysis of the rheological behaviour of polycarboxylate superplasticisers in SW-blended cements paste by three rheological models. By adsorption measurement and WFT testing, high higher AA:HPEG ratio exhibits high sorption and WFT indicating less inhibition by ions in SW. Graphical abstract

The aim of this study is to provide numerical solutions to magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) cross flow with heat and mass transfer over a stretching sheet in a hybrid nanofluid with suction/injection and convective boundary conditions. This will be accomplished by presenting numeric solutions. Nanoparticles of graphene oxide and silver were suspended in kerosene oil as the base fluid taken into consideration is a nanofluid hybrid. After that, the physical flow problem is modeled as a set of partial differential equations, which are then transformed into an equivalent system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by making use of the relevant similarity transformations. To gain different graphical and numerical results for analyzing the influence of numerous physical restrictions on velocity, heat, and mass profiles, the system of ODEs is solved using the computing power of the Lobatto IIIA technique. The plot of the velocity profile, temperature, concentration, entropy generation and Bejan number with separating magnitude like that power index number ( 0.1 < n < 2.0 0.1\lt n\lt 2.0 ), Weissenberg number ( 0.1 < We < 1.0 0.1\lt {\rm{We}}\lt 1.0 ), Suction/injection ( 0.1 < S < 1.0 0.1\lt S\lt 1.0 ), Magnetic parameter (0.1 < M < 1.0), Biot number ( 0.1 < Bi < 0.3 0.1\lt {\rm{Bi}}\lt 0.3 ), Radiation parameter ( 0.1 < Rd < 2.0 0.1\lt {\rm{Rd}}\lt 2.0 ), Schmidt number ( 1.1 < Sc < 2.0 1.1\lt {\rm{Sc}}\lt 2.0 ), and Chemical reaction parameter ( 1.1 < Sc < 2.0 1.1\lt {\rm{Sc}}\lt 2.0 ). We noted that when the Weissenberg parameter ( We {\rm{We}} ) increases, the flow speed will increase as well. Also, the increasing values of M M slows the flow speed but the opposite effect is observed in the temperature profile. Moreover, the greater values of M M , We, and S reduced in the local skin friction. It is concluded that hybrid nanofluid is better than ordinary nanofluid by percentage values. The results are used in industry and technology in fluid-based systems with shrinkable or flexible materials, MHD flow meters, pumps, and the drawing of plastic strips. Because hybrid nanoparticles speed up the cooling process, they are important in cutting and production.

Electrohydrodynamic-jet (E-jet) printing is an on-demand additive manufacturing method that allows various functional materials to be directly deposited on the target substrate. Many theoretical and experimental results indicate that E-jet has scale effect, and reducing the inner diameter of the nozzle can effectively improve printing resolution. Herein, a method for fabricating SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle by oxygen plasma assisted room temperature bonding was proposed. It can prevent channel deformation and blockage caused by excessive bonding temperature. The surface modification parameters of silicon nano-mold were optimized, the influence of hot embossing parameters on the replication precision of nano patterns was investigated, the effect of UV lithography parameters on the micro and nanochannel was analyzed, the relationship between the oxygen plasma treatment parameters on the contact angle of SU-8 was revealed, the influence of bonding pressure on the morphology of the nanochannel was discussed, and the bonding principle at room temperature was deeply analyzed. This method can fabricate SU-8 polymer micro/nanoscale nozzle with low cost and high precision, and provide a new idea for the realization of room temperature bonding to manufacture SU-8 polymer nozzle.

In the process of CO 2 reduction with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)-coupled catalysis, the existing material presents unsatisfactory synergy, such as high cost, complicated preparation processes, and low conversion rates. An inexpensive and environmentally friendly mesoporous SiO 2 with different morphologies by gel–sol method was synthesized and then introduced for synergistic conversion of CO 2 with DBD. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized mesoporous SiO 2 materials were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method, indicated the prepared mesoporous materials manifested large specific surface areas, ordered pore channels and pore size, and good stability. The CO 2 reduction performance, CO selectivity, and energy efficiency of DBD alone and DBD-coupled mesoporous SiO 2 were investigated at different input powers. The SiO 2 prepared with 1.05 g cetyltrimethylammonium bromide addition had the highest activity, in which the conversion of CO 2 , CO yield and energy efficiency were increased by 56.73, 68.41, and 122.31%, respectively, compared with DBD alone. The primary CO 2 conversion mechanism of the mesoporous SiO 2 -coupled DBD was analyzed. It is shown that the suitable pore capacity structure, the large specific surface area, and the presence of filament discharge within the pore size of suitable mesoporous material can promote the decomposition of CO 2 on its surface.

In this work, mussel-inspired surface functionalization of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were coated by in situ self-polymerization of polydopamine (PDA) to synthesize core-shell structural composites (HNTs@PDA), and then incorporated into polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) matrix. Due to the strong adhesion of the PDA modification layer and the formation of hydrogen bonds between the polar nitrile group of PEN and the catechol group of PDA, the dispersion and interfacial compatibility of HNTs@PDA in the PEN matrix are improved. The results show that the dielectric constant of PEN/HNTs@PDA 20 nanocomposites reaches 11.56 (1 kHz), which is 3.2 times that of pure PEN. In addition, after heat treatment, a chemical cross-linking reaction occurred between the PEN matrix to form a cross-linked PEN (CPEN) based nanocomposites, which further improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. The results show that the T g of CPEN/HNTs@PDA 20 nanocomposites reaches 215.5°C, which is 47.7°C higher than that of PEN/HNTs@PDA 20. Moreover, the dielectric constant-temperature coefficient of all CPEN nanocomposites is less than 7 × 10 −4 °C −1 at the temperature range of 25–180°C. All in all, this work provides a simple and environmentally friendly strategy to adjust the dielectric properties of polymer-based ceramic nanocomposites, which provides a pathway for its application as a dielectric material in the film capacitors field.

Dusty Casson fluids and tetra-hybrid nanofluids are complex phenomena that find their extensive uses in engineering and industrial applications. For instance, dusty fluids are used in gas-freezing systems and nuclear power reactors. The main objective of this article is to focus on the characterization of generalized two-phase free convection magnetohydrodynamic flow of dusty tetra-hybrid Casson nanofluid among parallel microplates: dusty Casson fluid and tetra-hybrid nanofluid exhibit free movement and electrical conductivity. The Caputo–Fabrizio fractional derivative recently discovered generalizes the partial differential equations governing the flow. Highly accurate temperature and velocity distributions can be obtained using finite sine Fourier and Laplace transform together. This study examines the relationships between temperature, dust particle velocity, and Casson fluid velocity, along with the effects of magnetic parameter, Grashof number, dusty fluid parameter, Peclet number, Reynold number, and particle mass parameter. The Mathcad-15 software provides Casson, dusty, and temperature profiles graphically. The Nusselt number and skin friction are also examined for the tetra-hybrid nanofluid. The fractional Casson fluid model is more accurate than the classical model in terms of velocity, temperature, heat transfer, and skin friction. Graphical results conclude that the fractional Casson fluid model describes a more realistic aspect of both (fluid and dust particle) velocities and temperature profiles, heat transfer rate, and skin friction than the classical Casson fluid model. Furthermore, the heat transfer rate enhanced from 0 to 39.3111% of the tetra-hybrid nanofluid.

The bending of sandwich nanoplates made of functionally graded (FG) porous core and electromagnetic layers is explored for the first time through a nonlocal strain gradient theory and a four-unknown shear deformation theory. The proposed model can account for both nonlocal and strain gradient impacts. Therefore, the stiffness enhancement and stiffness reduction processes of sandwich nanoplates are observed. The porosities in the nanoplate are modeled with even and uneven distribution patterns. Six equations of equilibrium are constructed by using virtual work principle. The effects of the porosity factor, externally applied electric and magnetic fields, nonlocal parameter, strain gradient parameter, temperature and moisture parameters, aspect ratio, and side-to-thickness ratio on the static behaviors of FG sandwich nanoplates for simply supported boundary conditions are demonstrated using a parametric study. This article offers comparison treatments for the bending investigation of smart sandwich nanoplates, which can be used in a variety of computational methods. According to the results, deflections induced by negative electric and magnetic potentials behave differently than those brought on by positive electric and magnetic potentials. Other important findings are reached that should aid in the development and implementation of electromagnetic sandwich nanoplate structures.

Microwave absorbers have many applications in medical, industrial, and military devices. Polymeric composites including carbon-based filler can be used as lightweight absorbers with high electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance. Hence, multilayer microwave absorbers were designed using titanium dioxide (TiO 2 )/reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/epoxy nanocomposites with different weight percentages manufactured using refluxing and annealing methods. The characterization of nanocomposite indicated thin layers of TiO 2 /RGO as divided sheets in epoxy. The EM properties of the nanocomposites were examined using the Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) detection method. The S-parameters were measured using PNA-N5222A Microwave Network Analyzer. The multilayer absorber software was designed based on the modified local best particle swarm optimization algorithm by MATLAB software, in which the material and thickness of layers were optimized with two cost functions in X-band frequencies. The first cost function seeks to reach the best absorption bandwidth, and the second cost function seeks to reach the maximum average return loss (RL) of the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz. A maximum bandwidth with an RL of less than −12.81 dB was obtained with a thickness of 2.4 mm. A maximum average RL of −22.1 dB was obtained with a thickness of 2.6 mm. The maximum absorption peak was observed with a thickness of 2.5 mm with −62.82 dB at a frequency of 10.86 GHz. Graphical abstract

In this work, brick aggregates were immersed in nano-SiO 2 solution for 2 days, and the effects of nano-SiO 2 on the brick aggregate properties, mechanical properties (compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength), frost resistance (apparent phenomenon, mass loss, relative dynamic modulus of elasticity, and compressive strength) of recycled brick aggregate concrete and the microstructure of recycled brick aggregate concrete were investigated. The results show that nano-SiO 2 can effectively improve the performance of recycled brick aggregate and the mechanical properties of recycled brick aggregate concrete, mainly by reducing the water absorption and crushing index and improving the compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength. With increasing nano-SiO 2 solution concentration, the compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength of recycled brick aggregate concrete first increase and then decrease. The frost resistance of recycled brick aggregate concrete is superior to that of ordinary aggregate concrete, while the frost resistance of nano-SiO 2 -modified recycled brick aggregate concrete is inferior to that of recycled brick aggregate concrete. In addition, the freeze‒thaw damage mechanism of recycled brick aggregate concrete is analyzed, and a freeze‒thaw damage life prediction model of nano-SiO 2 -modified recycled brick aggregate concrete based on the Weibull distribution is proposed. Graphical abstract

A method was proposed to synthesize hollow flower-like NiCo 2 O 4 composed of porous nanosheets using a self-template approach. The unique structure is attributed to the synergistic effect of the Kirkendall effect and the Ostwald ripening mechanism. The sheet-like and porous structure endowed the material with a specific surface area of 137.1 m 2  g −1 and a pore volume of 0.418 cm 3  g −1 . The distinctive structure and high-density active sites imparted excellent catalytic performance in oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions. Electrochemical tests showed that the limit current density of ORR reached 5.58 mA cm −2 , comparable to that of the noble metal Pt/C (20 wt%). The overpotential of OER at a current density of 10 mA cm −2 was only 380 mV, significantly lower than that of the noble metal RuO 2 . These results indicate that the synthesized hollow flower-like NiCo 2 O 4 has the potential to replace noble metals in ORR and OER catalytic applications.

Wearable flexible strain sensors have attracted considerable attention in recent years, while it is still a significant challenge to fabricate wearable flexible strain sensors with high sensitivity and wide sensing range simultaneously. In this work, a high-performance wearable flexible strain sensor based on a thermoplastic polyurethane electrospun nanofibers (TPUNFs) film embedded with a silver nanowires/reduced graphene oxide (AgNWs/rGO) composite conductive material was fabricated via a simple drop-coating technique. The effect of the amount of AgNWs/rGO composite conductive material on the strain sensing range of the AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor was investigated, the strain sensing range of AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor was compared with that of the AgNWs/TPUNFs and GO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor, and the strain sensing properties of the AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor were measured. The results showed that the AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor with high sensitivity and wide sensing range simultaneously was achieved by compounding AgNWs and the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) conductive material. The strain sensing range of the AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor could be improved by increasing the amount of the AgNWs/rGO composite conductive material, and it was obviously better than that of AgNWs/TPUNFs and the rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor. The obtained AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor possessed high sensitivity (the gauge factor could reach a maximum of 2513.23.) as well as a wide sensing range (∼187%). Furthermore, the obtained AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor had a fast response/recovery time (200 ms/300 ms) and good cycling stability (∼3,000 cycles). Benefitting from the outstanding strain sensing performance, the AgNWs/rGO/TPUNFs film flexible strain sensor could detect large human motions such as finger, wrist, and knee bending as well as expression, which demonstrates great potential applications in wearable devices.

Biomass-derived porous carbon displays a great potential for lithium–selenium (Li–Se) batteries owing to its green resource and inherent structural advantages, which can effectively restrict the shuttle effect of Se cathode. Peanut meal, by-product of the extraction of peanut oil, is a promising precursor for N-doped porous carbon. However, peanut meal is difficult to be activated in solution due to its high hydrophobicity. Thus, non-reports have been available for peanut meal-derived porous carbon used as Li–Se battery cathode host. In this work, we have innovatively proposed a very simple method of activating peanut meal by directly physically grinding the activator with the peanut meal and then annealing it to convert it into nitrogen-doped three-dimensional porous carbon (N-PC) with rich nanoscale pore size structures, which is then used as the Se host for Li–Se batteries. The N-PC shows a high specific surface area of 938.872 m 2  g −1 . The Se/N-PC composite cathode delivers a specific capacity of 461.4 mA h g −1 for 250 cycles at 0.2 C, corresponding to a high-capacity retention of 97.2%. Moreover, the Se/N-PC composite maintains a high capacity over 340.1 mA h g −1 after 1,000 cycles at a high current density of 2 C. Our work effectively resolves the hydrophobic biomass activation problem and manufactures abundant and low-cost Se host for Li–Se batteries.

This work investigates the ternary hybrid nanofluid flow over an extending curved surface. The surface is impermeable and convective with hot working fluid water. Additionally, TiO 2 {\text{TiO}}_{\text{2}} , CoFe 2 O 4 {\text{CoFe}}_{\text{2}}{\text{O}}_{\text{4}} , and MgO \text{MgO} nanoparticles are suspended with water to form a tri-hybrid nanofluid. The modeled equations are presented in the partial differential equation form and are then converted to ordinary differential equations with appropriate similarity variables. The semi-analytical solution is determined by homotopy analysis method. The impacts of magnetic field, Joule heating, chemical reaction, Brownian motion, and thermophoresis on flow profiles, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number are determined using tables and figures. The findings of this study demonstrated that as the magnetic parameter upsurges, the velocity distribution shrinkages, while the temperature distribution escalates. The greater curvature factor boots the velocity, thermal, and volumetric fraction distribution. The thermal and volumetric fraction distributions are the increasing functions of thermophoresis factor. The higher magnetic factor, Eckert number, and thermal Biot number increase the Nusselt number, while they reduce the higher Brownian and thermophoretic factors. The higher thermophoresis and Brownian motion factors heighten the Sherwood number. Furthermore, it has been noted that using nanofluid (TiO 2 -water) and hybrid nanoliquid (TiO 2 -CoFe 2 O 4 /water), the transfer of energy rate increases by up to 17.31 and 31.72% as the nanoparticle parameter increases from 0.01 to 0.04, respectively. However, the energy transference rate in case of ternary hybrid nanoliquid (TiO 2 -MgO-CoFe 2 O 4 /water) is 47.972%.

The goal of this work was to assess the cytotoxicity, chemical characteristics, thermal stability, and antioxidant activity of green-synthesized MgO nanoparticles (MgO NPs) produced from pumpkin seed extract for their potential therapeutic implications in cancer treatment. The shape, chemical properties, and thermal stability of MgO NPs made with green synthesis were looked at with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), ultraviolet-visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis. Three cell lines, HCT-116, HT29, and Vero, were used to test the cytotoxicity of MgO NPs. The AlamarBlue® assay was used for HCT-116 and Vero cells, and the Neutral Red (NR) Uptake Assay was used for HT29 cells. A molecular docking study was done to find out how MgO nanoparticles and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), a protein linked to cancerous cells growing out of control, interact. The morphological properties, size, aggregation, shapeless pores, and high surface-to-area volume ratio of biosynthesized MgO NPs were shown using SEM and TEM imagings. The elemental composition of Mg and O in green-synthesized MgO NPs was validated using EDX. The AlamarBlue ® assay did not yield IC 50 values for HCT-116 and Vero cells, suggesting minimal cytotoxicity in these cell lines. However, the NR Uptake Assay showed an IC 50 of 164.1 µg/mL for HT29 cells, indicating a significant impact. The DPPH experiment revealed that MgO nanoparticles had high antioxidant activity, with a scavenging capacity of 61% and an IC 50 of 170 μg/mL. In conclusion, MgO nanoparticles produced utilizing green chemistry demonstrated a wide range of biological features, including antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity against three cell lines. According to molecular docking studies, these nanoparticles may interact with CDK2, a protein implicated in cancer cell growth. These findings emphasize MgO nanoparticles’ potential for cancer treatment. However, further study is needed to understand the underlying processes and investigate therapeutic applications.

In this study, we conducted the hydrothermal synthesis of cobalt (Co)–doped NiWO 4 , resulting in the formation of Co–NiWO 4 nanoparticles (NPs), followed by calcination at 550℃ for 12 h. Comprehensive analyses were performed to characterize the composition, structure, and morphology of the synthesized material. X-ray diffraction results confirmed the successful inclusion of Co in the NiWO 4 lattice, with the presence of characteristic peaks of CoWO 4 . The crystallite size, determined using the Scherrer equation, was measured to be 22 nm. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy and Tauc’s equation, we calculated the band gap energy ( E g ) to be 3.75 eV for NiWO 4 and 1.75 eV for Co–NiWO 4 . The potential application of the synthesized material as a photocatalyst was investigated for the degradation of the diazo dye Congo red (CR). Under optimized reaction conditions, Co–NiWO 4 NPs demonstrated outstanding efficiency, degrading a total of 95% of CR. The degradation kinetics were well-described by the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) kinetic model, indicating that photoabsorption played a crucial role in the rate-controlling step. These encouraging results suggest that Co–NiWO 4 NPs hold promise as a viable option for addressing other pollutants in various applications.

The pollution of silver ion (Ag( i )) has become a serious environmental threat and hazard to ecosystem and human health. Thus, the nanoscale zero valent iron (nZVI)-doped polypyrrole-based carbon nanotube (nZVI/CNT) composites were synthesized by a facile method to remove Ag( i ) from wastewater due to the toxicity and scarcity nature of Ag( i ). In this process, Fe 3+ initiated the self-assembly of polypyrrole tubes in the presence of methyl orange, while it also served as an iron source generated nZVI/CNTs by carbothermal reduction method. The nZVI/CNT composites exhibited a homogeneous tubular structure, and the nZVI formed were uniformly dispersed in the nZVI/CNT composites. The nZVI/CNT composites were used as an adsorbent for the removal of Ag( i ) and showed a higher adsorption capacity compared to nZVI and CNTs, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 522.41 mg g −1 . Ag( i ) was adsorbed on nZVI/CNT composites by ion exchange and chelation, where Ag( i ) was reduced to non-toxic Ag due to the redox reaction among pyrrolic-N, nZVI, and Ag( i ). The adsorption process of Ag( i ) on nZVI/CNT composites was dominated by monolayer adsorption. According to our results, nZVI/CNT composites can be used as economical treatment for wastewater containing Ag( i ).

Improvement of poor implant osseointegration under diabetes is always a poser in clinics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of TiO 2 nanotubes (TNTs) and self-assembled minTBP-1-IGF-1 on implant osseointegration in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. There were four groups, the control group, the TNTs group, the minTBP-1-IGF-1 group, and the minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs group. The atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed that 500 nm nanotubes were formed by anodic oxidation and minTBP-1-IGF-1 could self-assemble into almost all nanotubes. ELISA assay confirmed that more protein was adsorbed on TNTs surface. The contact angle of the minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs group was the lowest, confirmed that the hydrophilicity was the highest. The double fluorescence staining was used to evaluate the mineral apposition rate (MAR) at early stage and the MAR of the minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs group was the highest. Micro-CT images displayed that bone formed around the minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs implant was the most homogeneous and dense, and the quantitative analysis of these images at 12 weeks also confirmed these results. The cross-section SEM results showed that the connection between bone and minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs implant was the tightest. All results demonstrated that minTBP-1-IGF-1-TNTs can significantly improve low implant osseointegration under T2DM condition. Graphical abstract

Hybrid nanomaterials with unique physiochemical properties have received a lot of attention, making them attractive for application in different fields like cancer treatment. This study was designed to investigate the combined effects of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) hybridized with silver titanium dioxide composite (SWCNTs@Ag–TiO 2 ). Transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated the accumulation of SWCNTs with Ag–TiO 2 due to an increased main grain size with functionalization to 40 nm. The D and G bands in SWCNTs @Ag–TiO 2 shifted to 1,366 and 1,534 cm −1 , respectively. SWCNTs@Ag-TiO 2 were assessed for their cytotoxicity and autophagy induction in liver cancer cells (Hep-G2) using the lactate dehydrogenase assay, MTT assay, and flow cytometry methods. The results showed that SWCNTs and SWCNTs@Ag–TiO 2 exhibited strong anti-cancer activity in vitro against Hep-G2 cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy in liver cancer cells via controlling the AKT and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. The results show that SWCNTs and SWCNTs coated with silver/titanium dioxide (SWCNTs@Ag–TiO 2 ) reduce the cells’ viability and proliferation. It was shown that an excessive amount of reactive oxygen species was a crucial mediator of both the cell death caused by SWCNTs and the cell death caused by SWCNTs combined with Ag–TiO 2 . Based on these findings, it appears that SWCNTs and SWCNTs@Ag–TiO 2 have the potential to be developed as nanotherapeutics for the treatment of liver cancer cells.

Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) has strong application potential in collecting nano energy and detecting micro motion. In this study, a TENG based on a water droplet spring with a concave spherical surface was proposed. The dispersive-aggregative triboelectric nanogenerator (DA-TENG) added the water droplet to the concave spherical surface which was covered with circular copper foil electrode and polytetrafluoroethylene. External loading/unloading caused water droplet dispersion/aggregation. Therefore, the solid and liquid electrodes could generate voltage by contacting and separating. Meanwhile, DA-TENG design parameters were optimized to find optimal output conditions, including the water droplet volume, the cross-sectional radius of the concave spherical surface, the force area of the elastic membrane, and the excitation frequency of the shaker. In addition, the voltage signal generated by volunteers pressing DA-TENG could show the keyboard usage habits of different people and thus serve as a basis for personnel identification, which suggested DA-TENG could be used as a self-powered pressure detector. Finally, DA-TENG was designed as a harvesting wave energy device. Under a 6 MΩ load, a unit of work could produce a peak current of 1.7 μA and an effective power of 8.82 μW; three units could produce a peak current of 5.3 μA. Graphical abstract

A mathematical model has been suggested for the numerical study of blood flow in a vessel due to the pumping action of the heart. Blood is assumed to contain some impurities in the form of chemically reactive species (undergoing a first-order irreversible reaction) and, being a hybrid nanofluid, also contains the nano-sized solid particles, thus forming a homogeneous mixture which is subjected to a pressure gradient (of trigonometric nature) in the horizontal direction. Human vessel is subjected to a transverse magnetic field and is presumed to be filled with plaque which is considered as a porous medium, and is mathematically modeled by applying the Darcy–Forchheimer theory. The nonlinear nature of the governing equations steered toward the decision of using the numerical approach to obtain the solution of the governing system, which led to the discovery of a linear concentration variation across the vessel at higher values of the Reynolds number. Finally, a 38% rise in the heat transfer has been noted due to the presence of solid particles in the human blood.

This study delves into the mechanism of dynamic sliding friction between layers of graphene and its strain effect, through numerical analysis using molecular dynamics simulations. To eliminate the influence of commensurability and edge effect, a friction pair model with annular graphene as a slider is established. The research explores the quantifying effects of temperature, normal load, sliding velocity, support stiffness, and axial strain on the friction between graphene layers. The coupling effect of temperature and other influencing factors is also clarified. The results indicate that the interlayer friction increases with normal load by decreasing the interlayer spacing and increasing the atomic vibration amplitude. The ploughing phenomenon does not appear since the edge effect is eliminated by the model. Friction is initially enhanced at higher sliding velocities, but is later reduced by severe residual deformation and lattice resonance frequency. The support stiffness regulates interlayer friction by affecting the atomic vibration amplitude of the graphene lattice. Mechanism analysis shows that the number of effective contact atoms increases under axial strain, and the lattice vibration frequency is the main way to regulate the interlayer friction by strain effect. Our findings provide a fundamental understanding of the strains engineering of nanoscale friction and reveal the influence mechanism of affecting factors on the dynamic friction of graphene.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) tagged with peptides are pioneers in bioengineered cancer therapy. The aim of the current work was to elucidate the potential anticancer interactions between doxorubicin and GNPs loaded with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). To investigate whether GNPs loaded with TNF and doxorubicin could stimulate autophagy and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and AMJ-13, as well as different apoptotic and autophagy markers, were used. In both cell types, treatment with TNF-loaded GNPs in conjunction with doxorubicin increased the production of apoptotic proteins including Bad, caspase-3, caspase-7, and p53 with upregulation of the LC3-II and Beclin1 proteins. In addition, the findings showed that the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway was dramatically affected by the GNPs loaded with TNF-α and combined with doxorubicin. This had the effect of decreasing p-AKT while simultaneously increasing p-JNK1/2. The findings demonstrated that GNPs loaded with TNF-α and combined with doxorubicin can induce both autophagy and apoptosis in breast cancer cells. These results suggest that TNF- and doxorubicin-loaded GNPs provide a therapeutic option as a nanomedicine to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer.

Marine engineering structures are often faced with complex environmental factors. It is the focus of current research to modify cement-based composites (CBCs) to achieve their high durability in complex environments such as seawater. In this study, the effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers on durability of nano-SiO 2 (NS)-reinforced cement-based composites was investigated by simulating seawater environment and taking PVA fiber content as variable. In addition, based on the Weibull probability distribution model, the damage degree of NS and PVA fiber-reinforced cement-based composites (NFRCCs) subjected to wet-thermal and chloride salt-coupled environment (WTCSE) after 300 freeze–thawing cycles (FTCs) was predicted. The test results demonstrated that the NFRCC exhibited the most excellent durability subjected to WTCSE when the content of PVA fibers was 1.2%. Compared with the reference group only doped with NS subjected to WTCSE, its impermeability pressure increased by 150%, the chloride ion electric flux decreased by 31.71%, the compressive strength loss rate decreased by 19.00% after 125 FTC, and the compressive strength corrosion resistance coefficient of chloride salt erosion increased by 9.15% after 25 wetting–drying cycles. The predicted results of the Weibull probability distribution model indicated that the damage degree of NFRCC subjected to WTCSE after 300 FTC would not exceed 0.35. The microscopic test analysis showed that the incorporation of PVA fibers reduced the proportion of large pores and the overall porosity of NFRCC subjected to WTCSE. PVA fibers bridged microcracks while adsorbing NS and its hydration products, thus enhancing the adhesion of the substrate. This study provides a reference for the research of high-performance CBC in complex environment.

Buildings in service are severely affected by the complex environment with multiple coupled factors such as high temperatures, humidity, and inorganic salt attack. In this work, the mechanical properties of nano-SiO 2 -reinforced geopolymer composites (NSGPC) incorporated with varying dosages of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers were investigated under a complex environment. A simulated environmental chamber was employed to simulate the complex environment with relative humidity, temperature, and NaCl solution concentration of 100%, 45°C, and 5%, respectively. Fly ash/metakaolin geopolymer composites (GPCs) were fabricated by utilizing 1.5% nano-SiO 2 by weight and five various dosages of PVA fibers by volume (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8%). The compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and impact resistance of NSGPC eroded in a simulated environmental chamber for 60 days were determined. Then, the impact of the PVA fiber dosage on the mechanical properties of NSGPC under complex coupled environments was analyzed. In addition, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to evaluate and analyze the microstructural behavior of NSGPC under complex environments. Results indicated that the compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and impact resistance of NSGPC increased with increasing PVA fiber to 0.6% and then decreased with a continuous increase to 0.8% but remained higher than those of the reference specimen. NSGPC exhibited the best performance at a PVA fiber dosage of 0.6%, which increased by 13.3, 12.0, 17.2, and 522%, respectively. The outcomes of SEM analysis indicated that the usage of PVA fiber and NS remarkably improved the mechanical properties and microstructural behavior of GPC by making the inner structure of GPCs more robust and compact under a complex environment. The outcomes of this work can provide theoretical guidance for buildings serving under a complex environment.

This article addresses issues related to the use of nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers, with a particular focus on titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles. The aim of this study was to obtain TiO 2 nanoparticles modified with glutathione in order to inhibit the release of titanium ions and reduce the toxic effects of TiO 2 when used as a drug carrier. XRD analysis showed that some of the prepared samples had a crystalline structure, while others were amorphous. The size of crystallites was between 4.1 and 6.2 nm. The presence of glutathione in the structure of TiO 2 particles was confirmed through attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared analysis (1,385 and 1,516 cm −1 for δ N–H and ν C═O stretching bands in NH 3 + and carboxylic groups). The size and stability of the nanoparticles assessed using the DLS technique revealed that the particles had a size range of 20–50 nm, and the electrokinetic potential of their suspensions was between −40.7 and −50.8 mV. The specific surface area, pore volume, and size were determined using nitrogen sorption. The measured specific surface area was equal to 230–390 m 2 /g. The amount of titanium ions released from the modified carriers was determined. It was lower by even over 70% compared to the not-modified sample. Also, the study involved the synthesis and characterisation of modified TiO 2 nanoparticles loaded with tadalafil. It was found that the release of an active substance from the modified material was less, even 82% compared to the not-modified nanoparticles. Cytotoxic and mutagenic properties in relation to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were investigated. Titanium oxide nanoparticles modified with glutathione-enhanced CHO cell proliferation at over 60% compared to the reference material. Also, they had a less cytotoxic effect of over 37% compared to the reference material. The obtained materials show satisfactory purity and surface morphology, allowing the formation of carrier–drug interfaces. The results of in vitro studies let us claim that the prepared modified TiO 2 nanoparticles have a great potential for being applied as a drug carrier. Graphical abstract

Nanofluid performed well and produced good results in heat transport phenomena, attracting scientists to suspend other combinations of nanoparticles, called “hybrid nanofluid. Hybrid nanofluids are superior than nanofluids due to their thermal capabilities and emerging benefits that contribute to the boost in the rate of heat transmission. Applications for these nanoparticles, including sophisticated lubricants, are increasing in the fields of bioengineering and electricity. The main prospective of this research is to inquire about the water-based dual nature nanofluid stream numerical simulation through the irregular stretched sheet with heat transfer. In this perspective, silver with base fluid water is used as nanoparticles for nanofluid, and for making hybrid nanofluid, copper oxide and silver particles are used with water-based fluid. Modified Fourier and Fick’s model for heat flux utilized the above phenomenon and observed the heat and mass transport. Similarity variables are needed to transform the partial differential equations into associated nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are then computationally resolved by the technique of bvp4c which is a built-in function in MATLAB mathematical software. Based on the concurrent approximations, reformations are performed to determine the impact of various quantities on flow variables. The predicted outcomes are depicted in velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles through graphical depiction. The factors indicate that the hybrid nanofluid is more powerful in the transfer of heat than a basic nanofluid because of its superior thermal characteristics. The velocity profile decays for the increasing values of Darcy-Forchheimer parameter. The thermal profile increases for the higher magnitude of Darcy-Forchheimer parameter. The velocity distribution profile increases for the higher values of curvature parameter, while the thermal profile decreases. This unique work might benefit nanotechnology and related nanocomponents. This safe size-controlled biosynthesis of Ag and CuO nanoparticles has resulted in a low-cost nanotechnology that may be used in a variety of applications. Biosynthesized Ag and CuO particles have been used successfully in a variety of applications, including biomedical, antibacterial agents, biological, food safety, and biosensing, to mention a few. Graphical abstract

Copper-based wire has excellent comprehensive performance and is widely used in integrated circuit packaging, electronic communication, connectors, audio and video transmission, and other fields. Based on the crystal plasticity finite element method, the crystal plasticity finite element model of multi-pass continuous drawing deformation of pure copper micro wires was established, and the reliability of the model was proved. The continuous drawing deformation behavior of micro wires under high-speed deformation and micro wire diameter scale effect was studied. The research shows that there is a fracture risk zone under the alternating action of positive and negative stress values in the deformation zone of the drawn wire. The changing drawing force and contact stress during the continuous drawing process of the wire will also reduce the stability and surface quality of the wire during the drawing process. The shear deformation and slip degree of the surface grain of the drawn wire are greater than those of the core grain, and the drawing die has a greater impact on the slip system state of the surface of the wire. With the increase in drawing passes, the mechanical characteristics inside the wire increase accordingly, and the deformation uniformity inside the grains is improved. The established model can demonstrate the deformation history characteristics and structure inheritance of the continuous wire drawing process.

Utilizing waste materials to produce sustainable concrete has substantial environmental implications. Furthermore, understanding the exceptional durability performance of ultra-high-performance concrete can minimize environmental impacts and retrofitting costs associated with structures. This study presents a systematic experimental investigation of eco-friendly ultra-high-performance self-compacting basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced concrete by incorporating waste nanomaterials, namely nano-wheat straw ash (NWSA), nano-sesame stalk ash (NSSA), and nano-cotton stalk ash (NCSA), as partial substitutes for Portland cement. The research evaluates the effects of varying dosages of nanomaterials (ranging from 5 to 15% as cement replacements) in the presence of BFs. Rheological properties were analyzed, including flow diameter, L-box, and V-funnel tests. Additionally, the study investigated compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths, load-displacement behavior, ultrasonic pulse velocity, and durability performance of the ultra-high-performance self-compacting basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced concrete (UHPSCFRC) samples subjected to sulfate attack, freeze-thaw cycles, autogenous shrinkage, and exposure to temperatures of 150, 300, 450, and 600°C. Microstructural characteristics of the mixtures were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The findings reveal that self-compacting properties can be achieved in the UHPSCFRC by incorporating NWSA, NSSA, and NCSA. The presence of 10% NWSA significantly improved the mechanical properties of the UHPSCFRC, exhibiting more than 27.55% increase in compressive strength, 17.36% increase in splitting tensile strength, and 21.5% increase in flexural strength compared to the control sample. The UHPSCFRC sample with 10% NWSA demonstrated superior performance across all extreme durability tests, surpassing both the control and other modified samples. XRD analysis revealed the development of microcracking at temperatures of 450 and 600°C due to the evaporation of absorbed and capillary water and the decomposition of ettringites.

In this study, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and titanium dioxide nanofillers were added to epoxy resin P-5005 at five different weight percentages (wt%), viz ., 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%. The tensile properties of the nanocomposites were experimentally tested following ASTM D638-14. Then, the above-mentioned nanocomposites were applied as adhesives for an overlap joint of two A5055 aluminum sheets. The apparent shear strength behavior of joints was tested following ASTM D1002-01. Moreover, experimentally obtained results were applied to train and test machine learning and deep learning models, i.e. , adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system, support vector machine, multiple linear regression, and artificial neural network (ANN). The peak tensile strength (TS) and joint failure load (FL) values were observed in epoxy/GNP samples. The ANN model exhibited the least error in predicting the TS and FL of the considered nanocomposites. The epoxy/GNP nanocomposites exhibited the highest TS of 28.49 MPa at 1 wt%, and the peak overlap joints exhibited an FL of 3.69 kN at 15 wt%.

Nanofluidics have better thermal properties than regular fluids, which makes them useful for heat transfer applications. This research investigated the complex dynamics of confined magnetic forces that influence the rotation of nanostructures and vortex formation in a tri-hybrid nanofluid (Ag, Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 ) flow regime. The study shows that the magnetic field can change the flow and heat transfer of nanofluidic, depending on its direction and strength. The study also provides insights into the complex physics of nanofluid flow and heat transfer, which can help design devices that use nanofluids more efficiently for cooling electronics, harvesting solar energy, and generating power from fuel cells. We used a single-phase model to model the nanofluids while the governing partial differential equations were solved numerically. An alternating-direction implicit approach has been employed to analyze the impact of confined magnetic fields on the nanofluid flow and thermal properties. Unlike previous studies that assumed uniform magnetic fields, we introduced multiple confined magnetic fields in the form of horizontal and vertical strips. Using our custom MATLAB codes, we systematically examined various parameters, including the magnetic field strength, number of strips and their position, and nanoparticle volume fraction, to assess their effects on nanofluid flow and thermal characteristics. Our findings revealed that the confined Lorentz force induced the spinning of tri-hybrid nanoparticles, resulting in a complicated vortex structure within the flow regime. In the absence of a magnetic field, a single symmetric vortex can be seen in the flow field. However, the introduction of magnetic sources stretches this vortex until it splits into two smaller, weaker vortices in the lower cavity, rotating clockwise or counterclockwise. Furthermore, the magnetic field strength significantly reduces both skin friction and the Nusselt number, while Reynolds numbers mainly affect the Nusselt number.

Novel CuO–FeS nanocomposites were synthesized to exert anticancer effects on HepG2 cells. The formation was initially demonstrated using UV–Visible spectrophotometry analysis, which indicated two peaks at 335 and 370 nm. Characteristic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy peaks for Cu–O and Fe–S bonds were observed at 516, 577 and 619 cm −1 in addition to other notable peaks. The Miller indices correspond to the lattice spacing of monoclinic CuO and FeS as observed by selected area diffraction rings concurrent with the X-ray diffraction observations. The morphology was interpreted by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, indicating a particle size of 110 nm. As per energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, strong peaks for Cu (0.9, 8 and 9 keV), Fe (6–7 keV), O (0.5 keV) and S (2.5 keV) indicated the formation of CuO–FeS blend with no impurities. A mean particle size of 121.9 nm and polydispersity index of 0.150 were displayed by dynamic light scattering analysis and the zeta potential was −29.2 mV. The composites were not toxic to normal 3T3-L1 cells and were not haemolytic even at higher doses. In addition, the stable composites exerted cytotoxic effects on HepG2 cells (IC 50 = 250 ± 5.7 μg/mL) and induced cell death by creating a loss in mitochondrial membrane potential and induction of mitochondrial apoptosis in a ROS-independent manner.

Due to its widespread applications in areas including heat exchangers, cancer therapy, heat storage devices, biomedicine, and biotechnology, nanofluid has become one of the most important fluids in thermal engineering. One difficulty with these applications of nanofluids is the improvement of heat conductivity via nanoparticles. This aims to illustrate the bioconvectional cross-flow of a nanofluid in the existence of swimming gyrotactic microorganisms over a vertical stretching cylinder. We consider the chemical reaction and thermal radiation in the energy and concentration equations. Through the use of appropriate dimensionless variables, a nonlinear system of partial differential equations has been transformed into ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The BVP4c method is applied to construct the resultant governing ODEs. The significance of physical variables is demonstrated through plots and tabular data. Our finding explains that the temperature intensifies due to larger curvature parameters and Weissenberg variables, while the opposite effect is examined in the velocity profile. With upsurge in thermophoresis parameter, the temperature upsurges accordingly. As the bioconvection Lewis number rises, microbial concentration falls. The results obtained in this investigation could be useful in practical applications like numerous areas of engineering, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and medical sciences etc .

Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP)/chitosan (Cs) composites (BCP/Cs) were assessed for reinforcement in vitro bone regeneration. BCP ceramics have been used to overcome the limitations of single-phase biomaterials. In this study, composite samples were prepared using solvent casting and the evaporation technique. The BCP powder at different concentrations (20, 30, 40, and 50%) was added to the Cs solution to obtain the composite samples. The morphologies and physicochemical properties of the prepared composites were investigated using physical methods. The biocompatibility of composites (BCP/Cs) was studied in vitro by immersion in simulated body fluid. Additionally, the cytotoxicity and viability of the composite samples were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of BCP improves the apatite-forming ability and enhances the bioactivity and biomineralization of the BCP/Cs composites. The mechanical stability of the composite sample was improved essentially by the strong interaction between BCP and the Cs matrix. In addition, the higher the amount of BCP added (50 wt%), the higher the amount of adsorbed protein, and the suitable bioactivity of composites was enhanced. Furthermore, BCP/Cs composites boosted the cell viability and cell proliferation of normal human osteocyte cells. Hence, BCP/Cs composites could be an excellent alternative to bone implants in tissue engineering applications. Graphical abstract

It is very significant and practical to explore a triple hybrid nanofluid flow across the stuck zone of a stretching/shrinking curved surface with impacts from stuck and Lorentz force factors. The combination (Ag–TiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 /blood) hybrid nanofluid is studied herein as it moves across a stagnation zone of a stretching/shrinking surface that curves under the impact of pressure and Lorentz force. Exact unsolvable nonlinear partial differential equations can be transformed into ordinary differential equations that can be solved numerically by similarity transformation. It was discovered that predominant heat transfers and movement characteristics of quaternary hybrid nanofluids are dramatically affected. Numerous data were collected from this study to illustrate how parameters of flow affect the temperature, velocity, heat transmission, and skin friction characteristics. The axial and radial velocities for both fluids (Newtonian and ternary hybrid nanofluid) are increased due to the increasing function of the curvature parameter, magnetic field, and suction parameter. Additionally, the direct relationship between the temperature and heat transfer decreases the heat transfer rate by the curvature parameter, magnetic field, suction parameter, Prandtl number, and heat source/sink. The higher the values of the curvature parameter, the higher the shear stress and velocity.

Fly ash and slag are commonly used precursors in alkali-activated concrete. However, they suffer from high brittleness, poor toughness, and susceptibility to cracking. To address these limitations, this experimental study investigates the effects of different contents of nano-silica (SiO 2 ) additives on the workability, mechanical properties, and microstructure of carbon fiber-reinforced fly ash–slag geopolymer composites (CFSGs). The results indicate that owing to its large specific surface area, nano-SiO 2 significantly increases the water demand of the geopolymer, thereby considerably decreasing the fluidity and shortening the setting time of the geopolymer. However, nano-SiO 2 improves the porosity, water absorption, and mechanical properties of the CFSG. The optimal mechanical strength is obtained by using 2% nano-SiO 2 . In addition, appropriate nanodoping can relatively improve the bearing capacity and fracture toughness of the specimen. Compared with that of undoped CFSG, the peak load, fracture toughness, unstable fracture toughness, and elastic modulus of the 2%-SiO 2 -doped CFSG increased by 8.78, 5.0, 9.6, and 9.8%, respectively. The incorporation of nano-SiO 2 increases the shrinkage of the geopolymer, with a more significant impact on early shrinkage. Moreover, nano-SiO 2 improves the microstructure of the cement matrix and interface through the filling, volcanic ash, and crystal nucleus effects as well as interface regulation. This increases the bonding force between the matrix and carbon fibers (CFs), which results in good bonding between the CFs and geopolymer matrix, accelerated geopolymerization reaction, and denser geopolymer paste, thus improving the mechanical strength of the CFSG.

The primary purpose of this research is to examine how the presence of thermal features variation affects the velocity and heat transfer rate of nanofluids composed of sodium alginate and molybdenum disulfide [Na-Alg/MoS 2 ] m and sodium alginate and molybdenum disulfide and graphene oxide [Na-Alg/MoS 2 + GO] h , respectively, flowing between two rotating, permeable plates. Both centripetal and Coriolis forces, which act on a spinning fluid, are taken into account. The impacts of magnetized force, thermal radiative flux, heat source (sinking), and varied pressure in the Darcy–Forccheimer material are considered. Using the physical vapor deposition method, single and hybridity nanofluid thin films of thickness 150 ± 5 nm may be created. The controlling mathematical equations of the suggested model are solved using the Keller-box technique in MATLAB software. The surface friction coefficient of a hybrid nanofluid is less, and the heat transfer rate is greater than that of a regular nanofluid. The rate of heat transmission is slowed by the rotational parameter. The thermal efficiency of mono nanofluids is as low as 6.16% and as high as 21.88% when compared to those of hybrid nanofluids. In particular, the findings of density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the energy bandgap Δ E g Opt \Delta {E}_{{\rm{g}}}^{{\rm{Opt}}} drops from 1.641 eV for conventional nanofluid to 0.185 eV for hybridity nanofluid. Based on the findings, the addition of graphene oxide nanoparticles to the base nanofluid converts it from a semi-conductor to a hybridity nanofluid as a superconductor.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to pose a significant challenge to healthcare systems, despite considerable advancements in the fields of medicine and pharmaceuticals. Palladium complexes, considered potential alternatives to platinum-based drugs for treating CRC, are being explored. Additionally, green chemistry, which enables the safe, reproducible, and environmentally friendly synthesis of drugs from natural sources, presents a promising avenue for oncological therapy. This study delves into the synthesis, characterization, and physicochemical properties of oxali-palladium nanoparticles (OxPd NPs) as a novel treatment for CRC using a green synthesis approach. Ginger extract, renowned for its antioxidant and anticancer properties, serves as the source material. The obtained results demonstrate that the synthesis and encapsulation of nanoparticles using ginger extract were conducted with an efficiency of 98%. The nanoparticles exhibited a size of approximately 30 nm and displayed a high level of stability. OxPd NPs were more lethal than ginger extract and free oxaliplatin, and this lethality was attributable to the elevated apoptosis rate. Furthermore, the addition of OxPd NPs to CRC cells resulted in significant alterations in the expression of two cancer-related genes, namely catalase and REG4. The pronounced lethal effect on the CRC cell line and the resulting modulation of gene expression highlight OxPd NPs as promising candidates for further investigation as potential drugs in the treatment of CRC.

Ag–Mo films with different thicknesses were prepared on polyimide substrate by magnetron sputtering and annealed at different temperatures. The effects of film thickness and annealing temperatures on the resistivity and microstructure of Ag–Mo alloys were investigated. Results show that many Ag nanoparticles were self-formed on Ag–Mo films’ surface. As the thickness of the Ag–Mo film increased from 163 to 409 nm, there was a significant decrease in its resistivity, dropping from 485.44 to 237.12 μΩ cm. Resistivity of the Ag–Mo film is dependent on the annealing temperature. When temperature rises from room temperature to 180℃, the resistivity decreases from 390.62 to 339.37 μΩ cm, with little change. After annealing above 270℃, a sudden increase of resistivity of the Ag–Mo film was attributed to the growth of Ag particles on the film surface contributing to the increase in surface roughness, which hindered electron transport and caused severe surface scattering. High-resistivity Ag–Mo films are expected to be candidates for high-resistivity thin-film devices.

Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were prepared by chemical co-precipitation, modified with dextran, and dispersed in water to form a magnetic fluid (MF) for use in biomedical areas. The analyses of stability and magnetic property demonstrate that the prepared functional MF possesses outstanding stability (stability index within 60 days, high dilution stability, and autoclaved stability) and high magnetization (the values χ and M s of MF are 5.87 × 10 −4 and 20.57 emu/g, respectively). Due to the coating of dextran, the toxicity of MF is minimal ( in vitro survival rate of MCF-7 cells, blood compatibility, and in vivo toxicity). In addition, although the outer layer is coated with dextran, the M s intensity remains high, so the Fe 3 O 4 MF owns a fast magnetic temperature response (when the MF concentration is 55 mg/mL, it can rapidly rise to 55°C within 800 s), which plays an extremely vital role in MF hyperthermia. So, the MF can effectively cause necrosis of human lung A549 cells, which shows a certain application potential. Graphical abstract

Several industrial applications include the use of nanoparticles in base fluids to improve the thermal performance of numerous mechanisms. The current inspection covers the investigation of trihybrid nanoparticles mixed in the cross-fluid model part of a rotating stretched surface in the presence of a heat source/sink, radiation effect, and nonlinear/linear convection. A trihybrid fluid is a unique type of fluid that surpasses hybrid nanofluids, conventional fluids, and nanofluids. Moreover, acetone and engine oil interchange energy in comparison to other liquids. Trihybrid fluids are now widely used in facilities such as electrical chillers, biotechnology, power pumps, the automotive industry, and air cleaners. The flow presenting model equations are derived in a rotating frame to study the momentum and thermal transportation in a nanofluid. The modeled problem was simplified by considering the boundary layer principle, which resulted in the formation of complex coupled partial differential equations (PDEs). The derived PDEs were converted into the corresponding nonlinear ODEs using suitable similarity transformations. Then, the converted ordinary differential equations (ODEs) were solved numerically via a strong and authentic procedure called finite element procedure from the current inspection; it is recoded that finite element method is a powerful method to handle complex problems arising in modeling of several mechanisms.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with their high strength, modulus, and large aspect ratio, have emerged as a frontrunner in nano-reinforcements. In this study, CNT films (CNTFs) were inserted between carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) prepregs and were cured together to form interleaved composite laminates. The influence of CNTF interleaves on the flexural and interlaminar properties of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) laminates is investigated. Three different types of FRP specimens were tested, namely, 0CNTs-CFRP, 2CNTs-CFRP, and 4CNTs-CFRP. The surface and internal damage characteristics and mechanism of CNTF were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and computed tomography testing methods. The results showed that the flexural strength of 0° CNTs-CFRP beams increased by 3.79 and 14.34% for 2CNTs-CFRP and 4CNTs-CFRP, respectively, while the flexural modulus increased by 7.33 and 13.76%, respectively. It was also found that the damage area and overall deformation after impact with the energy of 5 J was reduced in the CNTF interleaved composite beams. This work has confirmed that the mechanical properties of FRP laminates can be improved by conveniently inserting CNTF during stacking prepregs in the manufacturing process. However, there is a reduction in the flexure after impact properties of the CNTF-CFRP composites, suggesting that the interface between CNTF and FRP layers should be optimized for high residual strength.

Thymoquinone (TMQ), present in Nigella sativa L., exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties. Poor aqueous solubility, low oral bioavailability, hepatic first-pass metabolic constraints, and pH instability have limited TMQ’s in vivo use in clinical settings. This study designed and prepared thermodynamically stable, self-emulsified, nanoscale vesicles with the ternary diagram assistance to produce self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS). The TMQ-SNEDDS preparations used clove oil, isopropyl myristate (IPM) (1:1), Labrasol, and Transcutol-P. The SNEDDS mean droplet size varied between 72.85 and 98.42 nm, and approximately >70% TMQ was released within the first 4 h. The peak plasma concentration values of TMQ SNE3 and TMQ suspension were 420.31 ± 35.23 and 98.51 ± 9.97 μg/mL, respectively, whereas time to achieve the peak plasma concentration values were 0.75 ± 0.12 and 1.0 ± 0.30 h, respectively. The area under the curve from time 0 to t (AUC 0– t ) and the area under the moment curve from time 0 to t (AUMC 0– t ) of TMQ SNE3 were found to be 1838.63 ± 55.73 µg h/mL and 1909.59 ± 382.81 µg h/mL, respectively, which were highly significant ( p < 0.05) in comparison with AUC 0– t (389.36 ± 87.08 μg h/mL) and AUMC 0– t (390.31 ± 184.55 μg h/mL) of the TMQ suspension. The relative bioavailability of TMQ was enhanced by 4.7-folds for the optimized TMQ SNEDDS than that of the free drug suspension. The SNEDDS enhanced the bioavailability, which, in turn, positively affected the therapeutic efficacy of this naturally bioactive compound, TMQ, which has delivery and bioavailability problems owing to poor aqueous solubility.

Complex microstructures can be produced from different base materials by combining three-dimensional (3D) printing technology and ink formulations. The surface wettability of the 3D-printed porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), particularly its superhydrophobic property, strongly depends on its physical structure. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of the microporous structure on the mechanical properties is not understood, which seriously constrains the structural–functional integration design of the 3D-printed superhydrophobic porous PDMS. To solve this problem, we studied the influence of the printing parameters on the mechanical properties in the compression and tension directions using a finite element method. The results showed that the load transfer path of the 3D-printed porous PDMS was along the overlapping area of the adjacent filaments. As the filament spacing decreased or the filament diameter increased, the elastic modulus of the porous PDMS was enhanced, improving its resistance to tensile and compressive deformation. A quantitative relationship was established between the relative densities of the porous PDMS films and their relative elastic moduli. This study provides theoretical guidance for the structural–functional integration design of 3D-printed superhydrophobic porous PDMS. Graphical abstract This study presents a numerical simulation of the structure–mechanical relationship of 3D-printed porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films with superhydrophobic properties. The influence of the printing parameters (filament spacing and filament diameter) on the mechanical properties was studied in the compression and tension directions using a finite element method. The results showed that the load transfer path of the 3D-printed porous PDMS was along the overlapping area of the adjacent filaments. As the filament spacing decreased or the filament diameter increased, the elastic modulus of the porous PDMS was enhanced, improving its resistance to tensile and compressive deformation.

This theoretical work suggests a novel nonlinear thermal radiation and an applied magnetic feature-based three-dimensional Casson nanomaterial flow. This flow is assumed in the rotating frame design. Gyrotactic microorganisms (GMs) are utilized in the Casson nanofluid to investigate bioconvection applications. The altered Buongiorno thermal nano-model is used to understand the thermophoretic and Brownian mechanisms. Convective boundary conditions must be overcome to solve the flow problem. With suitable variables, the dimensionless pattern of equations is obtained. The solutions to the nonlinear formulations are then obtained using semi-analytical simulations using a homotopy analysis mechanism. It was found that the velocity outline is enhanced with the enhancing estimations of the buoyancy ratio, rotation factor, and Casson parameter while it is reduced with mixed convection, porosity, slippery parameters, and Rayleigh number. The temperature profile is increased with radiation, the temperature ratio, the thermophoretic parameter, the Brownian parameter, and the Biot number. The Brownian parameter reasons an improvement in the concentration outline contrary to the thermophoretic parameter. The concentration of GMs is decreased with the Peclet number inversely to the Lewis number effect, which causes an increase in the microorganisms’ concentration.

The construction industry commonly employs concrete as a construction material, which sometimes may be subjected to fire exposure. It is important to adopt fire safety measures while planning and constructing such structures to ensure the safety of the occupants and the structural integrity of the concrete. So, determining its performance at elevated temperatures is of utmost importance. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of mineral incorporations, namely, nano bentonite clay (NBC) and nano fly ash (NFA), on the retained properties of concrete at normal (27°C) and at elevated temperatures. The feasibility of partly substituting ordinary Portland cement utilizing a mixture of NBC (0–5%) and NFA (0–50%) in concrete was assessed under the exposure to an elevated temperature ranging from 200 to 600°C. Several parameters were examined, including compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile capacity, water penetration, loss of mass, ultrasound pulse velocity, and microstructure properties. After the experimental analysis, it was observed that the fire endurance was shown to be improved with the inclusion of nanoparticles (BC and FA). A reduction in the loss of mass by samples subjected to elevated heat was observed with the addition of nano bentonite and NFA. The mechanical strength results were obtained as maximum for the concrete specimens with 2% NBC and 20% NFA and further, the specimens performed better when exposed to elevated temperature as compared with normal concrete specimens. The microstructure of the concrete also upgraded with better impermeability owing to the use of NBC and NFA.

In the present analysis, we have analyzed the three-dimensional flow of an electromagnetohydrodynamic copper–aluminum/water hybrid nanofluid flow on a Riga plate. The heat and mass flux model proposed by Cattaneo-Christov is deliberated here. Thermal radiation, thermophoretic diffusion, Brownian motion, and chemical reaction phenomena are considered in analyzing the flow problem. Thermal convective, mass convective, and velocity slip conditions are adapted in this analysis. Suitable resemblance variables are implemented for the conversion of the model equations to dimension-free form. The homotopy analysis method is adopted to solve the modeled equations. The obtained results show that the velocity profiles are reduced with an increasing estimation of the slip factors. Additionally, the nanoparticles’ concentration and the temperature of the hybrid nanofluid increase with higher values of thermal and solutal Biot numbers. The Nusselt number is increased with an increase in the radiation factor and thermal Biot number.

The proliferation of electronic devices and the widespread adoption of microwave-based technologies have resulted in a notable rise in electromagnetic radiation pollution. In present work, a novel flexible lightweight polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN)-based composite for efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding was prepared by introducing dual-loss hybrid material (PKMWCNT@Fe 3 O 4 ) into PEN via non-solvent induce phase separation method and assembling it layer-by-layer with carbon fiber (CF) fabric. The porous morphology of the PEN layer, the electrical conductivity of the CF fabric, and the dual-loss property of the filler enable the material to reflect and absorb electromagnetic waves multiple times, resulting in superior electromagnetic shielding performance. With the addition of PKMWCNT@Fe 3 O 4 at a mass fraction of 50%, the EMI SE T and specific shielding effectiveness SSE/ t can reach up to 47.08 dB and 617 dB cm 2 /g, respectively, indicating absorption dominated shielding mechanism. Furthermore, the material exhibits a lightweight nature with a density of 0.55 g/cm 3 , and excellent mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 43.98 MPa and elongation at break of 43.32%. This work presents a new approach to prepare high-performance composites that are both lightweight and resistant to secondary contamination by electromagnetic waves. Graphical abstract

In line with the global recognition of waste-to-wealth concept aiming for circular economy, scientific articles are published in greatly increasing number on the eco-friendly and sustainable utilization of carbon nanocomposites. However, control on the structure and properties of waste-derived carbon nanomaterials still requires substantial future research. In this review, recycling materials into nanocomposites containing graphene are narrated by overviewing all the 120 publications currently available in the literature including their pioneering study in 2012 and their recent developments until 2022, focusing on energy-related aspects of functional graphene-based nanocomposites. Interestingly, almost all currently available sources report on composites in which graphene is a high value-added filler or matrix, and only the other phase originates from wastes. Flexibility of process parameters of pyrolysis methods enables the synthesis of biomass-derived graphene composites for virtually any kind of industrial applications. Biomass often acts both as carbon and SiO 2 source, while only a few percentages of graphene material induce significant changes in their physicochemical properties. Utilization of wastes for energetic composites increases abruptly due to their outstanding price-to-value ratio and reusability. Future perspectives and current green chemistry or human health related challenges are also discussed to pave ways for new developments using unexplored waste sources.

Thermoset and biothermoset applications have been advancing tremendously in recent years due to their easy processing, versatility, and exceptional mechanical and thermal properties. Biothermoset is a type of thermoset that is produced using biological resources, either in portions by blending with the conventional resin, or completely. Various research has been employed to accommodate their high and rapidly growing demands and broaden their functions and implementation in numerous fields. One of these attempts is the reinforcement of nanofillers. Nanofillers such as nanoclay, graphene nanoplatelets, carbon nanotubes, nanodiamond, etc. , possess diverse and outstanding properties and are also easily accessible. Recently, there has been a developing trend of hybridizing two or more types of nanofillers as a hybrid reinforcement system to address the limitations of single-filler reinforcement systems and to establish better-supporting properties of the nanocomposites. In this review, we discussed the use of hybrid nanofillers in different thermoset and biothermoset applications. Emphasis is given to the types of hybrids, their interactions with each other and the host polymer, and the effects of their contents and ratios. Limitations from the previous works are also discussed and the future undertaking of research on hybrid nanofillers is also proposed.

Over the past two centuries, most pandemics have been caused by zoonotic RNA viruses with high mutation, infection, and transmission rates. Due to the importance of understanding the viruses’ role in establishing the latest outbreak pandemics, we briefly discuss their etiology, symptomatology, and epidemiology and then pay close attention to the latest chronic communicable disease, SARS-CoV-2. To date, there are no generally proven effective techniques in the diagnosis, treatment, and spread strategy of viral diseases, so there is a profound need to discover efficient technologies to address these issues. Nanotechnology can be a promising approach for designing more functional and potent therapeutics against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other viral diseases. Moreover, this review intends to summarize examples of nanostructures that play a role in preventing, diagnosing, and treating COVID-19 and be a comprehensive and helpful review by covering notable and vital applications of nanotechnology-based strategies for improving health and environmental sanitation. Graphical abstract Nanotechnology is a promising approach for preventing, diagnosing, and treating COVID-19 and related viral diseases.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), the spheroidal-shaped, colloids state lipophilic-natured, innovative nanoscale particulate materials, are being concurrently prepared by the quality-by-design approach for cellular and sub-cellular delivery of drugs and other payloads with facilitated physicochemical characteristics for targeted delivery. The delivery of drugs, other pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceutical materials, and genes to the diseased body organs, tissues, and cellular mass have been developed as promising nanocarriers for different high-incidence cancers and other disease therapies, including the Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and tuberculosis. SLNs have evolved as favorable lipid-based formulation, and have served as oral and intravenous carriers that targeted the drug with stable and sterile transport, sustained delivery, controlled drug/payload deloading, and requisite biodistributions. SLNs advantages, shortcomings, and bottlenecks have been discussed with plausible remediation strategies. The laboratory-scale and bulk preparations, use of different lipids in various preparation, surface coatings, physicochemical properties of the final product, and characterization protocols are also encompassed, as are the routes of administrations, specific-sites-targeting, and on-site outreach with biocompatibility, bioavailability, and the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion and pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics inputs with relevance to the therapy. Plausible applications in complex and genetic disorders, and as personalized medicine, also of traditional and alternative medicine prospects, are also discussed. Graphical abstract

In this critical review, we call attention to a widespread problem related to the vast disagreement in elastic moduli values reported by different authors for nanostructures made of the same material. As a particular example, we focus on ZnO nanowires (NWs), which are among the most intensively studied nanomaterials due to their remarkable physical properties and promising applications. Since ZnO NWs possess piezoelectric effects, many applications involve mechanical deformations. Therefore, there are plenty of works dedicated to the mechanical characterization of ZnO NWs using various experimental and computational techniques. Although the most of works consider exactly the same growth direction and wurtzite crystal structure, reported values of Young’s modulus vary drastically from author to author ranging from 20 to 800 GPa. Moreover, both – diameter dependent and independent – Young’s modulus values have been reported. In this work, we give a critical overview and perform a thorough analysis of the available experimental and theoretical works on the mechanical characterization of ZnO NWs in order to find out the most significant sources of errors and to bring out the most trustable results.

The application of micro-/nano-capsules in construction industries has been rising over the past decade. Polyurea with tunable chemical and morphological structure are of interesting polymers to prepare micro-/nano-capsules used in construction. The structure of polyurea micro-/nano-capsule is capable to be tailored via bulk emulsion or microfluidic method. Important factors for production of micro/nano-capsules are the rate of fabrication and having control over mean size, dispersity, and wall thickness. The bulk emulsion method provides higher yield of production with less control over sizes and dispersity in comparison to microfluidic technique. The main applications of polyurea micro-/nano-capsules in construction industries are categorized as thermal energy saving, self-healing concrete, self-healing polymers, and fire retarding. Polyurea showed appropriate thermal conductivity and mechanical properties which is required for encapsulation of phase change materials. Titanium dioxide polyurea microcapsules possess energy storage efficiency of 77.3% and thermal storage capacity of 99.9%. Polyurea microcapsules with sodium silicate cargo provided self-healing abilities for oil well cement in high temperature and showed higher self-healing abilities compared to gelatin microcapsules. Graphene oxide polyurea micro-/nano-capsules demonstrated 62.5% anti-corrosive self-healing efficiency in epoxy coating, and steel coated via dendritic polyurea microcapsules embedded polyurethane remained unchanged after long time immersion in salt water.

COVID-19 is a contagious syndrome caused by SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that requires rapid diagnostic testing to identify and manage in the affected persons, characterize epidemiology, and promptly make public health decisions and manage the virus present in the affected person and promptly make public health decisions by characterizing the epidemiology. Technical problems, especially contamination occurring during manual real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), can result in false-positive NAAT results. In some cases, RNA detection technology and antigen testing are alternatives to RT-PCR. Sequencing is vital for tracking the SARS-CoV-2 genome’s evolution, while antibody testing is beneficial for epidemiology. SARS-CoV-2 testing can be made safer, faster, and easier without losing accuracy. Continued technological advancements, including smartphone integration, will help in the current epidemic and prepare for the next. Nanotechnology-enabled progress in the health sector has aided disease and pandemic management at an early stage. These nanotechnology-based analytical tools can be used to quickly diagnose COVID-19. The SPOT system is used to diagnose the coronavirus quickly, sensibly, accurately, and with portability. The SPOT assay consists of RT-LAMP, followed by pfAgo-based target sequence detection. In addition, SPOT system was used to detect both positive and negative SARS-CoV-2 samples. This combination of speed, precision, sensitivity, and mobility will allow for cost-effective and high-volume COVID-19 testing.

Catalytic synthesis of value-added chemicals from sustainable biomass or biomass-derived platform chemicals is an essential strategy for reducing dependency on fossil fuels. As a precursor for the synthesis of important polymers such as polyesters, polyurethanes, and polyamides, FDCA is a monomer with high added value. Meanwhile, due to its widespread use in chemical industry, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) has gained significant interest in recent years. In this review, we discuss the electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and summarize the most recent advances in electrode materials from the past 5 years, including reaction mechanisms, catalyst structures, and coupling reactions. First, the effect of pH on the electrocatalytic oxidation of furfural is presented, followed by a systematic summary of the reaction mechanism (direct and indirect oxidation). Then, the advantages, disadvantages, and research progress of precious metal, non-precious metal, and non-metallic HMF electrooxidation catalysts are discussed. In addition, a coupled dual system that combines HMF electrooxidation with hydrogen reduction reaction, CO 2 reduction, or N 2 reduction for more effective energy utilization is discussed. This review can guide the electrochemical oxidation of furfural and the development of advanced electrocatalyst materials for the implementation and production of renewable resources. Graphical abstract

In recent years, silica-based polymer nanofluids (NFs) have attracted more and more attention because they can enhance temperature and salt tolerance. This study summarized the research progress and prospects of silica-based polymer NFs in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). First, the synthesis method and the effect on silica-based polymer NFs were studied. Research progress in rheology, wettability, viscoelasticity, interfacial tension, adsorption, porous media flow, and emulsion stability were reviewed, and the mechanism for EOR was expounded. Then, the mechanical properties of silica-based polymer NFs and the interaction between silica and polymer were discussed by molecular dynamics simulation. And the progress of research on macroscopic reservoir simulation was explored. Finally, the related auxiliary technologies were introduced, and future research directions were put forward. The results of this study will help researchers better understand the mechanism and research progress of silica-based polymer NFs in EOR.

Nanodrug delivery systems (NDDSs) are a hotspot of new drug delivery systems with great development potential. They provide new approaches to fighting against diseases. NDDSs are specially designed to serve as carriers for the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients to their target sites, and their unique physicochemical characteristics allow for prolonged circulation time, improved targeting, and avoidance of drug resistance. Despite remarkable progress achieved in the preparation and efficacy evaluation of NDDSs, the understanding of the in vivo pharmacokinetics of NDDSs is still insufficient. Analysis of NDDSs is far more complicated than that for small molecular drugs; thus, almost all conventional techniques are inadequate for accurate profiling of their pharmacokinetic behaviour in vivo . In this article, we systematically reviewed the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of NDDSs and summarized the advanced bioanalytic techniques for tracing the in vivo fate of NDDSs. We also reviewed the physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of NDDS, which has been a useful tool in characterizing and predicting the systemic disposition, target exposure, and efficacy/toxicity of various types of drugs when coupled with pharmacodynamic modelling. We hope that this review will be helpful in improving the understanding of NDDS pharmacokinetics and facilitating the development of NDDSs.

The development of architectured nanomaterials has been booming in recent years in part due to their expanded applications in the biomedical field, such as biosensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, and cancer therapeutics. Nanomaterials exhibit a wide variety of shapes depending on both the intrinsic properties of the materials and the synthesis procedures. Typically, the large surface areas of nanomaterials improve the rate of mass transfer in biological reactions. They also have high self-ordering and assembly behaviors, which make them great candidates for various biomedical applications. Some nanomaterials have a high conversion rate in transforming the energy of photons into heat or fluorescence, thus showing promise in cancer treatment (such as hyperthermia) and bioimaging. The nanometric dimension makes them suitable for passing through the biological barriers or interacting with the natural molecules (such as DNA, protein). Nanoflowers, nanotrees, nanostars, and nanodendrites are examples of nano-sized structures, which exhibit unique geometry-dependent properties. Here we reviewed the fabrication methods, features, properties, and biomedical applications of four nano-structured materials including nanoflowers, nanotrees, nanostars, nanodendrites, and nanoleaves. We further provided our perspectives on employing these novel nanostructures as advanced functional materials for a broad spectrum of applications. Graphical abstract

Asherman syndrome (AS) refers to the loss of endometrial stem cells and matrix hyperplasia caused by endometrial basal layer injury. Its common clinical manifestations include narrowing of the uterine cavity, reduction in menstrual volume, abdominal pain, amenorrhea, and infertility. According to the cause of AS, treatment includes a mechanical barrier and functional recovery. Because the functional recovery of the endometrium depends on the regeneration of endometrial epithelial cells, in the absence of cell involvement, the effect of repair by mechanical removal of adhesions is limited. Recently, tissue engineering and stem cell therapy have achieved promising progress in the recovery of organ function. Biological scaffolds have been applied to encapsulated stem cells as a therapeutic strategy for repairing endometrial damage. This review explains the progress of intrauterine materials and stem cell combined biopolymers in the study of AS and emphasizes the evidence from animal and clinical trials. Graphical abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced cementitious composite (CNRC) with excellent electrical and self-sensing properties, which enables it to serve as an intrinsic sensor for structural health monitoring (SHM). However, the requirements of modern industry for accurate calculation and performance design of engineering materials are not met by traditional experimental studies alone. The finite element method (FEM) has the advantages of simplicity of operation, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, and it has been widely used in the property verification and prediction of various composite materials. In this article, the constitutive model, FEM modeling method, and simulation process of CNRC along with existing model types, innate relations, and model parameters are reviewed, and the corresponding mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical coupling properties of CNRC under different parameters are systematically analyzed by FEM method. By combining different uncertainty parameters and model types, the advantages and disadvantages of FEM for mechanical, electromechanical coupling, and SHM applications of CNRC modeling are explored. The results are in good agreement with those in the existing CNRC experiment, which effectively proves the reliability of the FEM method in CNRC research. This work is important to develop a sound theoretical model verification and performance prediction for early applications in SHM of CNRC.

Antifouling technologies have attracted considerable attention in recent years, as numerous fouling phenomena pertaining to inorganic, organic, bio-, and composite foulants substantially affect daily life. Poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) has several practical applications; however, it possesses limited resistance to inorganic, organic, or biofoulants such as proteins or bacteria. Among the antifouling strategies reported thus far, antifouling induced by surface wettability (AFISW) is an exceptional strategy with considerable potential. It presents numerous advantages such as a physical working mechanism, eco-friendliness, and facile material fabrication process. To achieve AFISW, PDMS can be modified with several nanomaterials to tune its surface wettability to meet antifouling requirements. This article presents a systematic review of the existing research on AFISW in PDMS to achieve improved antifouling performance. Specifically, we first provide a background on fouling, focusing on the different types of fouling and antifouling mechanisms. Then, we provide a comprehensive review of AFISW based on four types of surface wettability, namely, superhydrophilicity, hydrophilicity, hydrophobicity, and superhydrophobicity. Finally, we discuss suitable AFISW strategies for different types of fouling mechanisms based on PDMS and its nanocomposites. This review will help researchers design and fabricate various polymeric materials and their nanocomposites with tailored surface wettability for AFISW applications.

Photocatalysis is a new type of renewable energy technology used in environmental treatment and hydrogen energy production. In this regard, a new class of photocatalysts, TiO 2 aerogels, are attractive for having the chemical characteristics of TiO 2 nanomaterials such as high catalytic activity, good stability, non-toxic, and non-polluting, and the structural characteristics of aerogels such as large specific surface area, high porosity, the 3-dimensional interconnected network structure composed of relatively uniform nanoparticles, and high light transmittance. Here we review the recent progress in TiO 2 aerogels for photocatalysis, focusing on preparation techniques, the crystalline phases’ influence on photocatalytic properties, the modification of photocatalytic properties, and the analysis and discussion of future development. In particular, we first summarize various preparation techniques, including sol–gel method, nanoparticles self-assembly synthesis, and high-temperature aerosol technique, then detail the structure and composition of TiO 2 crystalline phases that affect the photocatalytic properties. Subsequently, we discuss strategies to further enhance the photocatalytic properties of TiO 2 aerogels by the composite of SiO 2 aerogel semiconductors, the doping of metal dopants, and the doping or composite of non-metallic substances, and elaborate the modification mechanism and the modification effect achieved. Finally, combined with the research status of TiO 2 aerogels and the development experience of other aerogels, we conduct a reasonable analysis and discussion on their further research directions and industrialization roads.

Alumina oxides have been widely utilised as independent catalysts or as support materials for other catalysts. From an environmental perspective, alumina nanoclusters dispersed on surfaces of particulate matter PM 12 , generated from various combustion processes, play a critical role in the synthesis of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs). Of particular importance are phenoxy-type EPFRs that often act as building blocks for the formation of notorious pollutants. Herein, we present a systematic review of the literature pertinent to structural features of alumina surfaces at the nano-scale and their well-established role in the synthesis of EPFRs. Central to the capacity of alumina surfaces in mediating the formation of EPFRs are their active Lewis acid–base sites. The nature of these sites is very sensitive to hydration scenarios. As evident in electroparamagnetic resonance measurements, more than one category of EPFR forms on alumina surfaces. This generally entails the co-existence of various surface terminations, varying degrees of hydrations, and distinct underlying reaction pathways. The mechanisms for the formation of EPFRs over alumina surfaces involve interactions with terminal OH groups followed by creating genuine chemical bonds with Al 3+ sites. Higher concentrations of EPFRs were often detected on alumina surfaces, in reference to other transition metal oxides. We envisage that future studies may focus on the generation of EPFRs from potential precursors other than phenols and catechol, such as brominated species and substituted thiophenols.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative central system disease with a high prevalence among the elderly and is the most common form of dementia. Oxidative stress is crucial on AD pathogenesis and leads to deposition of neurofibrillary tangles and Aβ plaques; therefore, the use of natural antioxidants or ROS scavengers could help avoid the formation of these aggregates. Similarly, Aβ-degrading/anti-aggregating molecules could help arrest AD progression. Otherwise, traditional anti-Alzheimer drugs such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors help improve memory and attention deficits. Nevertheless, all these drugs are extensively metabolized, have low plasma concentration, and cannot cross the blood–brain barrier freely. This review discusses different strategies for nanocarrier conjugation of these drugs for brain targeting and delivery, and new approaches on AD treatment according to the most accepted hypotheses of AD pathogenesis. Although none of the existent compounds or drugs can completely arrest the disease’s progression, nanocarrier development of anti-Alzheimer drugs could help delaying the initial or late stages of neurodegeneration. The discovery of new and more complex nanosystems with multiple approaches in AD treatment is needed and will be the next step in AD treatment in the near future.

Thermo-resistant nanoalloys are a new class of materials that combine high-temperature refractory compounds (such as carbides, nitrides, borides, and oxides) with nanoscale particles of metals, ceramics, or carbon. These composites exhibit remarkable thermal stability and anti-ablation/oxidation properties, making them highly attractive for various high-temperature applications in aerospace, energy, and high-temperature manufacturing. Despite their potential, the fabrication of these materials is challenging due to their complex synthesis and processing. Many researchers have summarized the challenges and suggested solutions to produce high-density, superior physicochemical properties of nano refractory materials for specific applications. Thus, in view of these perspectives, the present review provides an overview of the production criteria, processing, and synthetic routes for producing high-temperature nano refractory material composites with exceptional thermal and anti-ablation/oxidation properties. The review also highlights the challenges encountered by researchers and their solutions for fabricating these materials. Potential applications of high temperature refractory materials are found in various industries, such as refractory ceramics, high-temperature components in wear resistant, neutron shielding, and high power-density microelectronics manufacturing to name a few.

The smart membrane is a new type of functional membrane. The performance of this membrane is changed according to the variations in external physical and chemical signals. This membrane has become an essential focus in specific recognition, catalysis, selective permeation, and other fields. However, the problems of this membrane are weak anti-pollution ability, poor response performance, and inability of mass production. Therefore, scholars have done a lot of research on improving this membrane by modification, grafting polymerization, phase transformation, and in situ cross-linking copolymerization. This review provides a comparative investigation and summary of smart membranes, including temperature, light, electric field, magnetic field, pH, and specific molecular and ion-responsive membranes. Moreover, the authors also introduce the preparation process, selectivity, optimization and improvement of membranes, and their application fields. Finally, the authors’ perspective on the current key issues and directions of these fields for future development are also discussed.

In this review, the research reports on the dispersion processes of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in aqueous cementitious materials are intensively introduced and summarized. The main processes for the CNTs dispersion in aqueous systems include high shear emulsification, ultrasonic treatment, covalent modification, and non-covalent modification. The influences of various factors on the dispersity of CNTs are evaluated, and the pros and cons of dispersion processes of CNTs are analyzed, along with the dispersion mechanism of CNTs in aqueous materials. Several novel techniques are also introduced, including arc thermal excitation and electromagnetic field-induced method, etc. In addition, the challenges when CNTs dispersion are further involved in cementitious alkali pore solution and the improvement means are also described in detail. And, the direct dispersion process ( in situ growth process) of CNTs in cementitious materials has also been discussed in depth.

DNA nanostructures constructed under the guidance of DNA nanotechnology have developed rapidly for the last two decades, standing at the forefront in the biomedical field. Among them, DNA tetrahedron nanostructure (DTN) has emerged as one of the most representative DNA nanostructures. DTN was easily formed by one-step annealing of four single-stranded DNA. Due to its unique advantages such as simple and stable structural composition, high synthesis efficiency, uniform nanometer size, high programmability, and good biocompatibility, DTN has been widely used in biological detection, biological imaging, drug delivery, and other fields, and shows a great potential. Especially in the detection of cancer-related biomarkers and the delivery of anticancer drugs, nano-platforms based on DTN has achieved great success. In this review, we focus on the applications of DTN in cancer diagnosis and therapy, as well as the challenges and prospects. Graphical abstract DNA tetrahedron-based cancer diagnosis and anticancer drugs delivery

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have recently attracted considerable attention, mainly due to their unique magnetic properties and biocompatibility. Although MNPs have been extensively studied for biomedical applications, there are still very few studies on them as part of three-dimensional (3D)-printed scaffolds. Thus, this review aims to show the potential of MNPs to modulate various properties of 3D-printed scaffolds. 3D Printing is for itself a contemporary method in biomedicine, owing to its ability to produce versatile scaffolds with complex shapes enabling a homogeneous distribution of cells or other entrapped compounds, as well as possible precise control of pore size and shape, porosity, and interconnectivity of pores that contribute to structural stability. All mentioned properties can be upgraded or complemented with the specific properties of MNPs (e.g., biocompatibility and positive effect on cell proliferation). Considering the latest related literature and a steadily increasing number of related publications, the fabrication of magnetically responsive scaffolds is among the most interesting strategies in tissue engineering. According to the literature, incorporating MNPs into scaffolds can improve their mechanical properties and significantly affect biological properties, such as cellular responses. Moreover, under the influence of an external magnetic field, MNPs significantly promoted cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation.

Recently, silicon carbide–boron carbide composite ceramics have attracted more and more attention. The most important achievements of the silicon carbide–boron carbide composite ceramics should be applied in terms of mechanical, physical, and chemical for use in various advanced industries, such as armor plates, nozzles, abrasive tools, mechanical seals, etc. To prepare silicon carbide–boron carbide composite ceramics with good performance, the synthesis of silicon carbide–boron carbide composite powders is the basis. The synthesis approaches of silicon carbide–boron carbide composite powders are systematically summarized in this review, including ball milling, high-energy ball milling, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), and sol–gel. Particularly, nanosized silicon carbide–boron carbide composite powders can be in situ synthesized by high-energy ball milling, SHS, or sol–gel. When commercial silicon carbide and/or boron carbide powders are used as raw materials to synthesize silicon carbide–boron carbide composite powders, the pretreatment of acid etching can significantly remove oxide layers existing on the surfaces of initial powders. Graphical abstract

About 13 TW of energy is needed to sustain the lifestyle of people worldwide but an additional 10 TW clean energy will be required by 2050. The increase in the world population and the demand for energy that rely on fossil fuels has resulted in global warming that necessitates the need for alternative energy such as solar. Solar energy is abundant and readily available, and its use will contribute to sustainable development. Metal halide perovskites are promising materials for the development of next-generation solar cells. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.8% obtained for organolead halide perovskite is close to the polycrystalline solar cell’s efficiency at 26.3% and these materials offer great prospects for future photovoltaic development. To approach the theoretical efficiency limit, it is very important to study the development of perovskite solar cells in terms of material composition, fabrication techniques, and device architectures with emphasis on charge transport layers and electrodes. Limitations to PCE and stability of perovskites, optoelectronic properties, lifetime and stability, wide-scale applications, components of the perovskites solar cell, the standard for testing conditions for good stability and its evolution into the lower layered perovskite solar cells were examined in the current review.

Wood and bamboo are the greenest renewable materials used for construction, furniture, and decor from the ancient ages. However, wood and bamboo have intrinsic faults like durability, ductility, physical and mechanical strength, and stability, limiting their applications in the industry. On the other hand, nanotechnology is a popular technology having numerous applications in different fields, resulting in a significant increase in expectations among academics, investors, the government, and industries. In contrast, nanotechnology can protect wood and bamboo from extreme conditions (bacteria, climate, etc. ) by improving physicochemical characteristics because of its unique features. Nowadays, the trend of merging nanotechnology and forest industries to overcome the limitations mentioned above and get economically sustainable materials for construction, furniture manufacturing, flexible sensors developments, energy storage, battery manufacturing, and many more is increasing. Presently, several reviews on wood and bamboo modification by nanoparticles and nanomaterials have already been published. But, at this time, this study is essential because it aims to provide a brief guide about the recently developed eco-friendly sustainable materials from wood and bamboo, their uses, and how they can affect people’s daily life and helps to point out the gap of the current knowledge. In addition, we briefly describe the conventional and modern modification methods, including the influence of nanomaterials on wood and bamboo structures. This article is outlined as follows: The first phase of the review deals with wood and bamboo modification methods. The second phase explains how the modification method improves the properties of wood and bamboo materials, and the last step will describe the recent innovation of wood and bamboo materials.

Cancer is one of the most important causes of human death. Early diagnosis and treatment can make patients live longer. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop early and accurate diagnosis method for tumors. Molecular imaging technology can be used for qualitative and quantitative analyses at cellular and molecular levels, which provides a new technology for accurate diagnosis of tumors. In recent years, various nanomaterials with unique properties have been used for tumor molecular imaging. Meanwhile, aptamers are becoming an indispensable element in the design of functional nanomaterials because of their small size, high stability, and convenient modification, especially giving nanomaterials the ability to recognize specific targets. Therefore, aptamer-functionalized nanomaterials (AFNs) provide unprecedented opportunities for the field of tumor diagnosis. Here we focus on the latest development of AFNs in the molecular imaging of tumors. First, we introduce the characteristics and advantages of common aptamer-modified organic nanomaterials and inorganic nanomaterials. Then, the applications of AFNs in fluorescence imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, radionuclide imaging, ultrasound imaging, photoacoustic imaging, and multimode fusion imaging are discussed. Finally, we provide some perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that have arisen from this promising area. Graphical abstract Elaborated AFNs used in molecular imaging

For components serving in high temperature, humidity, and salinity marine corrosive environment, it is vital to analyze the causes of corrosion behavior and corrosion mechanisms. Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are commonly used materials for offshore equipment. In this work, the corrosion factors of MMCs in marine environments are analyzed from the characteristics of high temperature, humidity, and salinity service environment, and the corrosion mechanisms are summarized. Graphene (Gr) has excellent comprehensive properties and great potential for applications in metal protection materials. In recent years, research into Gr anti-corrosive applications encompasses two aspects: pure Gr coatings and Gr composite coatings. Gr applied in MMCs is yet to be extensively studied. Therefore, this study analyzes the corrosion resistance of Gr–metal composites and discusses the corrosion resistance mechanisms of Gr-reinforced MMCs, which provides a reference for the design of Gr-reinforced metal composites and the optimization of corrosion resistance performance. Finally, future development directions for Gr–metal composites are proposed, and the critical factors such as defects, dispersion, content, size, arrangement, interface, and conductivity of Gr in the composites affecting their anti-corrosion properties are discussed. Graphical abstract

Phenolic aerogel is a type of nanoporous resin-based material with low density, high specific surface area, excellent thermal insulation performance, and a high carbon residue rate which has been widely used in the field of thermal protection. However, the development of phenolic aerogel is limited by the complex and expensive preparation technique, inadequate oxidation/ablation resistance, and excessive brittleness. As a result, academic research is constantly concentrated on low-cost preparation methods and efficient modification of phenolic aerogel. This review gives a description of the preparation technology, modification techniques, and application fields of phenolic aerogel and summarizes the limitations. Now, phenolic aerogel is not applied widely due to its complex and expensive preparation technique. Moreover, phenolic aerogel shows greater brittleness and insufficient mechanical property. The prospective future developments of the materials were prospected, and the phenolic aerogel with environmental protection, efficient thermal protection, and low cost will be the mainstream research direction.

Early diagnosis of cancer is beneficial to improve the outcomes of clinical treatment and reduce cancer mortality. Nanomaterials (NMs) have exhibited significant advantages in early diagnosis of cancer. Due to the integrated structure and features of NMs, they can easily penetrate the tissue for the in vivo diagnosis and identify cancer cells after specific conjugation with unique markers expressed on or within the cancer cells based on the biological imaging such as Raman imaging, fluorescence imaging, and near-infrared imaging, whereas the NMs for the in vitro diagnosis can detect signals based on the electrochemical reactions, immune reactions, and colorimetric reactions, analyzing cancer markers such as small molecules, proteins (or enzymes), genetic materials or cells in the blood, urine, and saliva. NMs with novel physical properties facilitate the detection and imaging of low concentrations and enable the sensitive capture of small cancer biomarkers, achieving early cancer detection. However, a comprehensive summary of such NMs has not been reported. This article provides a detailed review of the types and diagnostic mechanisms of NMs for early cancer diagnosis, emphasizing new perspectives on the use of the in vivo and the in vitro NMs for early cancer diagnosis and proposing the development prospects of such NMs. This will provide new ideas and scientific references for the application of NMs in early cancer diagnosis. Graphical abstract

Green synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) using various plant extracts as reducing and capping agents has gained attention in recent research. The green synthesis of ZnO NPs offers several advantages such as being simple, eco-friendly, safe, cost-effective, and reproducible approach with high stability. Hence, this article provides an overview of zinc metal and ZnO compounds, and traditional chemical and physical synthesis of ZnO NPs with primary focuses on the green synthesis of ZnO NPs. This study discusses various plant extracts used and the proposed mechanisms in the green synthesis of ZnO NPs. Additionally, it explores the cytotoxic mechanisms of the green-synthesized ZnO NPs and addresses the various biomedical applications of ZnO NPs, including antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing. Moreover, the review critically discusses the toxicity of ZnO NPs and emphasizes the need for more toxicological studies to ensure the safety and facilitate the risk assessments and risk management of ZnO NPs. Furthermore, this review underlines the challenges associated with the translation process of ZnO NPs from bench to market, including the complex and time-consuming regulatory approval process for ZnO NPs, which requires a multidisciplinary approach involving scientists, regulators, and manufacturers.

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade laser (QCL) is an electrically pumped unipolar photonic device in which light emission takes place due to electronic transitions between subbands formed by multiple strongly coupled quantum wells. THz QCL is arguably the most promising solid-state source to realize various THz applications, such as high-resolution spectroscopy, real-time imaging, chemical and biological sensing, and high-speed wireless communication. To date, THz QCLs have covered emitting frequency from 1.2 to 5.4 THz when operating without the assistance of an external magnetic field. The highest output power is in hundreds milliwatt and watt levels continuous-mode and pulsed-mode operations, respectively. THz QCL-based local oscillators have been implemented in astronomy for the identification of atoms and ions. However, there are also limitations, including under room-temperature operation, large divergent beam, narrow single-mode frequency tuning range, incomplete polarization control, and narrow-range frequency comb operation that hinder the widespread applications of THz QCLs. Continuous efforts have been made to improve those THz QCL properties in order to satisfy the requirements of different THz applications. This report will review the key output characteristic developments of THz QCLs in the past few years, which aim to speed up THz QCLs toward practical applications.

Flexible optoelectronic devices have a broad application prospect in the field of wearable electronic devices, among which the superior transparent electrode is the core problem in achieving high-performance flexible optoelectronic devices. The brittle indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrode, which is currently commonly used, is difficult to be compatible with the flexible substrate. Multilayer dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) structure films are attracting attention as next-generation ITO-free electrodes. High optical transmittance, super electrical conductivity, and mechanical flexibility of DMD electrodes make them promising for highly efficient optoelectronic devices. Despite substantial research on the optimization of DMD electrodes, a large gulf still exists in obtaining foldable and transparent conductive electrodes and applying them to light-emitting devices, including organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), quantum dot LEDs, and perovskite LEDs. In this perspective, we review the superiority of DMD electrodes in terms of optical and electrical performance, and mechanical flexibility, and summarize their applications in LEDs. Furthermore, we also give future research directions for DMD electrodes regarding physical properties, mechanism stability, and application reliability.

The manufacturing of ballistic impact-resistant (BIR) body armours has evolved over the years with the aim of reducing their weight and enhancing their energy-absorbing capacity upon ballistic impacts. The incorporation of nanoparticles into advanced BIR body armour systems is considered one of the promising techniques. The methods employed in incorporating various nanoparticles in the manufacturing of textile-based body armour systems face a research gap in the optimisation of the associated parameters. This article discusses the mechanism involved in the energy absorption of composites and nanocomposites upon ballistic impact. The current review article highlights the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of various nanoparticles incorporated into BIR body armour systems. BIR nanocomposites consisting of carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoplatelets, nano-silica, nanoclays, nano-alumina, etc ., have been discussed herein. In addition, the significance of various techniques for the dispersion of these nanoparticles was also highlighted. Various methods, such as sol–gel, PVD, CVD, thermal spray, and electroless methods for coating the nanoparticles on the surface of the fibre/fabric were also discussed.

This review provides comprehensive studies of molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) for water desalination. The most recent molecular dynamics simulation and experimental work on the design, fabrication, ion rejection, and water flux of MoS 2 were summarized. Since MoS 2 has excellent properties such as physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties compared to other 2D materials such as graphene-based nanomaterial, it is necessary to have a critical study on MoS 2 -based membranes. Hence, a critical review of MoS 2 -based membranes has been found essential for us to investigate and evaluate the findings in this field and objectively assess the current state-of-the-art in water desalination. The advantages of desalination technology and the primary approaches that have been used up until now are first outlined in this study, deeply emphasizing membrane technology. The primary mechanism of salt rejection in membrane technology is explained. Then, the types of MoS 2 -based membranes for water desalination are reviewed based on the different published works while critically reviewing the performance of each type of MoS 2 -based membranes.

The repair and remodeling of injured tissues, known as wound healing, is a multifaceted process. The use of nanotechnology to speed up the healing process of wounds by promoting the right kind of mobility through different mechanisms has shown a lot of promise. Several nanotechnologies with novel properties have emerged in recent years, each of which targets a different issue associated with wound-healing processes. Through their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and angiogenic actions, nanomaterials may alter the wound microenvironment from a non-healing to a healing state. Wound dressings including hydrogels, gelatin sponges, films, and bandages may all benefit from the use of nanoparticles (NPs) to keep harmful microbes out. The addition of bioactive substances like antibiotics, NPs, and growth factors to certain dressings may further boost their efficacy. In conclusion, this review sheds light on wound healing that may be aided by the special features of materials based on nanotechnology. Although nanomaterials for wound healing show great promise, further study is needed before this promising area can convert its findings into consumer-friendly solutions.

The elucidation of the structural characteristics of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by Watson and Crick, the advent of polymerase chain reaction technology, and the development of primer-synthesis methods, enable DNA to be replicated and transformed in an increasingly easy manner, such that it is among the most directed and evolving nanomaterials in molecular biology. Traditional cancer diagnosis methods are somewhat limited and are unable to meet existing needs; consequently, DNA nanostructures with wide ranging properties are receiving increasingly more attention because a number of DNA materials have been shown to exhibit diagnostic properties. Some DNA materials can functionally alter the biological behavior of cells, such as cell migration, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, autophagy, and anti-inflammatory effects. Some single-stranded DNA or ribonucleic acid with secondary structure through self-pairing, called aptamer, systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), have targeting capabilities and can be applied to tumor targeted diagnosis and therapy. Several DNA nanomaterials with three-dimensional nanostructures and stable structures are being investigated as drug carrier systems to act on a variety of antitumor drugs or gene therapy agents. This article reviews the use of functionalized DNA nanostructures in cancer diagnosis and treatment applications. Various biosensors and carriers based on DNA nanostructures are introduced and chemical reactions related to the preparation of the carrier and the signal transduction mechanism of the sensor are discussed. Efficient carrier/biosensor platforms based on various structural developments and current DNA nanomaterial developments are also presented.

In this focused review, we examine the influence of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) on physiological processes and the induction of oxidative stress, with particular emphasis on the brain and neuronal systems. We discuss the formation mechanisms of ROS and RNS, their significance in the brain, and various detection methods. The review investigates the latest advancements in nano-engineered electrochemical biosensors designed for in vivo monitoring of ROS and RNS in the brain tissue. We explore the electrochemical measurement of specific species, such as H 2 O 2 , superoxide, NO, and peroxynitrite, while providing a comparative evaluation of sensor designs for ROS and RNS detection in the brain. Finally, we offer an outlook and conclusion on the future of this field.

“All in one” organic–inorganic nanocomposites with high biocompatibility and excellent physicochemical properties have recently attracted special attention in cancer imaging and therapy. Combination of organic and inorganic materials confers the nanocomposites with superior biocompatibility and biodegradability of organic materials, as well as magnetic, mechanical, and optical properties of inorganic materials. Increased endeavors have been made to produce diverse organic–inorganic nanocomposites and investigate their potential applications in cancer treatment. Thus, a systematic review of research progresses of diverse organic–inorganic nanocomposites in cancer imaging and therapy is indispensable. Following a brief overview of nanocomposites synthesis, classification, and functionalization, the current review is focused on comprehensively summarizing representatives of both organic–inorganic nanoscale nanocomposites (including organic-silica, organic-carbon, organic-quantum dots, organic-platinum family metals, organic-gold, organic metal oxides, and other nanocomposites) and organic–inorganic molecular nanocomposites (including metal-organic frameworks, organosilica nanoparticles, and amorphous metal coordination polymer particles), and further analyzing their working mechanism in cancer imaging and therapy. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of organic–inorganic nanocomposites are addressed for promoting their developments and clinical application in cancer treatment.

Automotive and aircraft industries are advancing swiftly, creating a constant need for innovative and trustworthy materials. Aluminum composites (aluminum matrix composites [AMCs]) exhibit enhanced mechanical and tribological behaviors when contrasted to their conventional equivalents and as a result have superior potential to be widely accepted for automotive and aircraft engineering and other component applications. This study aims to provide a thorough and critical analysis of the most recent research initiatives concerning the processing, characteristics, and applications of AMCs. It covers the recent advancements in the aluminum-based composites reinforced with SiC, TiC, and graphene, fabrication methods, and mechanical properties of AMCs. Graphene nanoplatelets are many times stronger and yet lighter than steel and other metals, and thus a good contender for reinforcing them. However, the homogeneous distribution of graphene into the metal or aluminum is a challenging aspect for material researchers. The fabrication techniques for AMCs for achieving homogeneous distribution of graphene are critically reviewed. The mechanical properties, specifically microhardness, wear behavior, and tensile strength of aluminum-based composites, are reviewed and analyzed. Finally, a way forward for fostering further development in this area has been discussed.

Nanosilica (NS) may be obtained as a by-product in several industrial processes and is associated with high availability and affordability among other nanoadditives. NS has been used for asphalt modification, and improvement in high-temperature performance and several other physical properties has been reported. However, due to the wide varieties and intrinsic variability of asphalt materials, concerns have been raised about the reproducibility of some conclusions, and therefore, a review was conducted. According to the results, NS additives with a purity of over 99% were usually used for modification and the specific surface area was over 100 m 2 /g, leading to the superior absorption of asphalt and thus improvement in rutting resistance of the mixtures. Due to a lack of guidance for the blending procedures, inconsistency exists among studies in the shear speed, blending duration, and temperature, leading to possible excessive blending and unnecessary energy and time consumption. Rises in NS concentration would cause higher softening point and rotational viscosity, and therefore elevated temperatures for mixing and paving, but penetration would be reduced. According to rheological evaluations, with the rise of NS concentration, the rutting parameter would increase, indicating an improvement in the high-temperature performance, but the low-temperature performance may deteriorate.

The emergence of tissue engineering provides an alternative therapeutic strategy for various regeneration. It is the crucial step for choosing an ideal scaffold to support the cellular behaviors of various functional cells. Various biomaterials have been found or synthesized and applied to tissue repair. Among these biomaterials, as a natural-derived material, decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) derived from cells, tissues, and organs is attracting more and more interest due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and the ability to mimic a microenvironment similar to extracellular matrix. More and more researchers utilized dECM derived from cells, tissues, and organs to fabricate tissue-engineered scaffolds to repair musculoskeletal tissues, since the bioactive molecules of dECM, such as fibrous proteins, proteoglycans, and adhesive glycoproteins, could provide various bioactive cues for tissue regeneration and remodeling. The physiochemical properties of dECM can be enhanced by changing decellularization and modification techniques. In addition, dECM can act as carriers of drugs, factors, or exosomes, delivering agents to injured tissues and promoting tissue repair and regeneration. Therefore, we conduct this review to discuss the current status and challenges of dECM in repairing the musculoskeletal system. Furthermore, the fabrication and modification of dECM were also discussed in our study.

Application of nano titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) in various fields such as advanced oxidation process (AOP) has led to the development of its preparation technologies. The sol–gel process is a widely used chemical wet method for preparing nanoscale TiO 2 gels. This technique offers numerous advantages, such as the potential to produce large quantities of homogeneous materials with high purity, surface area, porosity, and reactivity, as well as being cost-effective, simple to implement, and capable of controlling the size and shape of the resulting particles. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the chemicals, reaction conditions, and procedures required for preparing nano TiO 2 using the sol–gel method. It covers the selection of necessary compounds, such as TiO 2 precursors, solvents, hydrolysis agents, and additives, along with their composition and sequences of adding, reaction order, and impact on the final product. Additionally, it provides detailed information on the routes of gel formation and ambient conditions, including temperature, humidity, stirring speed, injection rates of compounds, aging process, and storage conditions. This information serves as a basic reference for understanding the sol–gel process and the relative contribution rates of the influencing factors, which is essential for controlling the size, morphology, crystallinity, and other physicochemical properties of the resulting TiO 2 gel/powder for targeted applications. Graphical abstract

The aircraft surface is prone to icing when flying under windward conditions. It is required to protect the aircraft surface from icing for flight safety. The anti-/deicing performance of aircraft surface is affected by the surface morphology and surface wettability. The hydrophobicity of aircraft surface with anti-/deicing performance is closely related to the surface energy. To satisfy the requirements of anti-/deicing surface processing, the micro/nano manufacturing technologies have been developed to fabricate anti-/deicing functional aircraft surfaces. The icing time and deicing efficiency for aircraft surfaces fabricated with micro/nano manufacturing technologies are dozens of times more than those manufactured by conventional anti-/deicing methods. In this study, the recent technologies of micro/nano manufacturing of anti-/deicing functional surfaces are reviewed. First, the extreme conditions during aircraft flight and the huge potential safety hazards of icing are introduced. Then, the principle of aircraft icing and mechanism of both anti-icing and deicing are summarized. Then, the current micro/nano manufacturing technologies for preparing anti-icing and deicing surfaces, including electrochemical, chemical, laser and wire-cut etching chemical, electrochemical, vapor and plasma deposition, and other processing methods are described. By summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of different preparation methods, guidance is provided for new methods of preparing anti-icing and deicing surfaces, in order to avoid disadvantages and promote advantages. Fabrication and characterization of nanocomposite materials and composite coatings/thin films with anti-icing and deicing properties are discussed. Finally, the development trend and application prospect of micro/nano manufacturing in the field of anti-icing and deicing are presented.

Effective and safe pharmacotherapies for central nervous system (CNS) disorders remain a major obstacle to human health worldwide. Nanotechnology offers promise in addressing this challenge by enabling the transport of large molecules across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and the delivery of multiple drugs. Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of nanodrugs in animal models of various CNS disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, lysosomal storage disease, and gliomas. Nanoparticles (NPs), tailor-made to enhance drug enrichment locally and promote extended drug release, can prevent neuronal death, decrease neurotoxicity, and inhibit tumor growth. In addition to drug delivery, gene therapy using nanotechnology has emerged as a potentially curative option for neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we summarize how NPs have successfully crossed the BBB and specifically targeted different cells in various CNS disease models over the past decade. Although nanotechnology holds great promise, several drawbacks and challenges must be addressed before its effective implementation in the treatment of CNS diseases.

A profound overview of the recent development for on-time, on-demand hydrogen production from light metal-based hydrolysis is presented. Hydrogen energy is one of the clean and renewable energy sources which has been recognized as an alternative to fossil fuels. In addition, aluminum is the most suitable light activity metal for hydrolysis materials attributed to its safety, environmental friendliness, high-energy density, inexpensive, and low density with high strength ratio. In general, dense oxide films formed act as a barrier on aluminum surfaces. Accordingly, effective removal of the oxide film is a key measure in solving the Al–water reaction. In this review, recent advances in addressing the main drawbacks including high-purity aluminum with acid–alkali solutions, nano-powders of aluminum or composite with acid–base solutions, ball-milled nano-powders, alloying blocks, and gas atomization powders are summarized. The characteristics of these three technologies and the current research progress are summarized in depth. Moreover, it is essential to promote low-cost aluminum-based materials based on effective hydrogen production efficiency and explore ways for practical large-scale applications.

Melamine foam (MF), a promising development in light materials, finds application in construction, agriculture, aviation, transportation, electronic message, and other fields due to its excellent thermal insulation performance, sound absorption and noise reduction capabilities, safety and health benefits, as well as easy processing. However, its own shortcomings such as hardness, poor toughness, fragility, and slag removal greatly limit its application scope. In this review, a survey of the literature from two aspects of toughening of melamine resin and regulation of MF pore structure are reviewed to explore the research progress of toughening modification of MF. The principle, merit, and demerit of different modification methods are analyzed. In addition, owing to the extensive literature available, this article also summarizes the representative achievements of the nanotechnology modification of MF derivatives (carbon foam and carbon aerogel). Eventually, based on an assessment of current application status for both MF and its derivatives while considering existing challenges in their modification processes using nanotechnology approaches, we discuss future prospects for their application.

Impact loads lead to the failure of structures and significantly diminish their operational lifespan. The necessity to enhance impact performance has shown gradual progress, resulting in utilising nano-fillers as an additional reinforcement within the matrix. Despite the significant number of studies that have been done on this unique hybrid material, there have only been a few reviews published that discuss the effect of production processes on mechanical properties and performance in these hybrid composites under projectile impact. There have been conflicting results obtained in experimental results from the literature. The disparity is related to the variation in dispersion, bonding states, and inconsistent fabrication processes. This work defines the pros and cons of carbon nanotube (CNT)-based composites along with a systematic representation of the development of CNT-reinforced composites under projectile impact using experimental, analytical, and numerical techniques. The potential of CNT reinforcement on fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) and its effect on mechanical properties have been discussed. Furthermore, different impact test setups are explored to determine the effective method to determine the impact performance of CNT-reinforced laminates. Moreover, the impact of surface treatment is discussed using different non-destructive methods, and the influence of CNT reinforcement is determined. In addition, mechanical and impact response with varying configurations of fibres is gathered from the available literature, and optimal design based on the required application is suggested. Also, analytical methods developed to determine the impact response of laminates are discussed to determine the parameters dominating the impact response of the laminate. This review will help researchers find the right combination of FRP materials for a given application.

With the great success of graphene, two-dimensional (2D) materials, thanks to their fascinating electronic and optoelectronic properties, have aroused extensive attention among the scientific community. Broad research efforts have proven the enormous potential of 2D materials in optoelectronics, electrochemistry, spintronics, energy storage, catalysis, biomedicine, and many other fields. Driven by the promising applications of 2D materials, there has been an emerging trend toward nanofabricating 2D materials with customized parameters, which are essential for tailor-making controllable artificial nanostructures used in building sophisticated 2D material systems. As the most commonly used solid probe lithography technique, atomic force microscopy (AFM) integrates visualization and multi-mode fabrication within one system, demonstrating its superior capability in the nanofabrication of 2D materials. In view of this, in this review article, we offer a brief introduction to how AFM nanofabrication works and the classification of AFM nanofabrication techniques by the tip-sample surface interaction. Following that, we discuss the results of 2D material nanofabrication by mechanical, thermal, electrical, and other AFM techniques in which external stimulations are applied on special AFM probes.

Efficient and sustainable thermal management of buildings is critical since the building sector is considered as the largest energy contributor contributing around 40% of the total energy consumption which is responsible for about 38% of greenhouse gas emission. Utilisation of phase-change material (PCM) in building energy systems can enhance the overall energy performance of buildings, thereby making drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The major shortcoming of organic PCM is their leakage problem; however, this can be overcome through the employment of either encapsulation or shape stabilisation technology. Numerous papers have prepared unlimited number of form stable PCMs for various applications ranging from textiles to thermal energy storage (TES); however, the factors to consider when selecting PCM for an intended application are not clear and the influence of synthesis techniques and processing parameters on the performance of stabilised PCM is yet to be understood. Also, majority of the publications have focused mainly on the encapsulation of paraffins for TES by employing different encapsulation techniques. Therefore, selecting a suitable technique for the synthesis of form stable PCM is the most challenging. This review aims at providing a comprehensive database addressing these issues, focusing mainly on PCMs, processing techniques, performance of encapsulated and composite PCMs, and phase change building materials prepared in previous studies, since this is the most critical information required to widen the potential usage of PCM technology in building applications. A concise summary of environmentally friendly poly(ethylene glycol)-based composite PCMs is also included.

Research on the application of graphene (G) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for biomedical engineering has attracted much attention over the last decade. Graphene and its derivatives have shown great biocompatibility, solubility, selectivity, large surface area, high purity, biofunctionalization, high drug loading capacity, and cell membrane penetration capability potential to be applied in biomedical engineering areas. The unique physical and chemical properties of GQDs, including small size, chemical inertness, high photoluminescence stability, low cytotoxicity, and good biocompatibility, made them a promising candidate for biomedical engineering applications. The recent progress related to the development of G and GQDs toward biomedical engineering applications is presented in this work. This study reviews and discusses the development of G and GQDs, both top-down and bottom-up synthesis methods, for biomedical engineering applications, such as biosensing, tissue engineering, drug delivery, bioimaging, antibacterial, and antiviral. Graphical abstract

Metals with high atomic weights and gravity are considered heavy metals (HMs). Rapid industrialization increases the content of harmful HMs in an ecosystem by affecting soil, water, and living organisms. One growing concern is a buildup of HMs in food crops including vegetables either by irrigation with wastewater containing HMs or from contaminated soil. Consumption of vegetables has potentially serious effects on living organisms. Various physical and chemical strategies are used but such methods have certain limitations. Nanoremediation, a combination of bioremediation and nanotechnology. represents an innovative way for sustainable removal of contaminants such as HMs. Nano-level understanding of cellular and molecular pathways is essential for treating HMs. Although the eco-toxicity of nanotechnology is a recent issue of concern, it is a promising strategy to deal with the pollution of the environment. These strategies can make the vegetables consumable with fewer HMs. Nanoparticles (NPs) are potentially adaptable for both in situ and ex situ HM treatment. This review provides a critical overview of recent nanoremediation technologies and the properties of NPs. Furthermore, considerable valuation of nanoremediation techniques was considered for dealing with contamination with special attention on health and the environment. The review further illustrates the ecological implementation of nanotechnology and provides a strong recommendation for the utilization of nanoremediation to improve the recent situation and justifiable future. Graphical abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a noninvasive therapeutic modality, has significantly revolutionized the contemporary management of oral and dental health. Recently, PDT has witnessed significant technological advancements, especially with the introduction of biomaterials and nanotechnologies, thus highlighting its potential as a multi-functional tool in therapeutics. In this review, our objective was to provide a comprehensive overview of the advancements in nanotechnology-enhanced PDT for the treatment of oral diseases, encompassing dental caries, root canal infection, periodontal disease, peri-implant inflammation, tooth staining, and whitening, as well as precancerous lesions and tumors. Furthermore, we extensively deliberated upon the persisting challenges and prospective avenues of nanotechnology-enhanced PDT in the realm of oral diseases, which will open up new possibilities for the application of nanotechnology-enhanced PDT in clinical implementation. Graphical abstract

The biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles by plants, bacteria, and cells has been receiving considerable attention in recent years. The traditional synthesis of metal nanoparticles always needed high temperatures, high pressure, and toxic agents. However, the biosynthesis process (including bioreduction and biomineralization) is simpler, safe, economical, and green. The process of biosynthesis can insulate toxic agents, streamline flux, increase the transition efficiency of interactants, and improve the product yield. The biosynthesized metal nanoparticles share similar characteristics with traditional ones, serving as photosensors to achieve light-to-heat/energy transduction, or a drug delivery system. The biosynthetic metal nanoparticles thus could be widely applied in the medical field for disease diagnosis and treatment. It contributed a novel modality for the facile and green synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Increasing studies have been exploring the mechanism for the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles, devoted to a controllable biosynthesis process. Combined with our previous studies on the biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles with green tea, tumor cells, and cell components, we reviewed the green methods of bioreduction and biomineralization of metal nanoparticles including the internal mechanism, aimed to make a comprehensive introduction to the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles and relevant biomedical applications, and inspired further research.

COVID-19 was the most devastating pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918, affecting 700 million individuals and causing 6.8 million fatalities globally. COVID-19 vaccines are currently in the research and development phase. There is a need to investigate strategies pertaining to expanding the testing capacity, developing effective medicines, and creating safer vaccinations for long-lasting protection. Nanoparticles are frequently employed in a variety of medicine-oriented applications. The employment of nanotechnology in the development of novel medications has improved the treatment outcomes for several illnesses. The discovery of novel nanomaterials and the elucidation of their physicochemical features in connection to their cellular destiny and the relevant biological activities have received considerable attention. Hence, this review gives an updated analysis and data on clinical trials that are currently on-going for the development of drugs and the existing ones that are in use to combat the COVID-19 virus. This article also discusses the clinical management of COVID-19 at this juncture and highlights the influence of nanotechnology on the improvement of conventional COVID-19 treatments in the way of diagnosis and integrated therapy with pharmacology and advanced science. This review also brings to light on the limitations of nanotechnological strategies in combating viral diseases.

The efficient healing of skin wounds and tissue wounds has been the focus of clinical research. The complex process of body wound healing and various influencing factors make it more important to construct multifunctional composite wound tissue engineering materials that can meet all requirements. Black phosphorus (BP) is a multifunctional two-dimensional material with good biocompatibility, oxidative stress regulation ability, photothermal effect, and antibacterial ability. It has been widely used in biomedical engineering. In this review, the pathophysiological process and influencing factors of wound healing will be briefly introduced. On this basis, the properties, preparation methods, application status, and mechanism of action of BP in wound tissue engineering will be introduced in detail. This study will provide a reference for the further application of BP in wound tissue engineering materials by subsequent researchers.

Lithium/fluorinated carbon (Li/CF x ) primary battery is a promising energy supply device with high energy density. However, poor electrochemical capabilities such as the initial voltage delay phenomenon and the large polarization have obstructed their applications. The electrochemical performance of CF x primarily depends on the feature of the carbon source and the corresponding fluorination technique. Herein, we developed a high energy density Li/CF x battery by employing helical carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) as the carbon source. In detail, the precise control of the fluorination temperature was designed at the range of 250–400°C to tune the F / C ratio of CF x . Furthermore, the high F / C ratio of fluorinated HCNTs (F-HCNTs) reaches about 1.43, which surpasses the highest theoretical value in fluorinated crystalline carbon materials. Due to the active rich fluorination sites provided by the periodical insertion of the carbon pentacyclic (C 5 ) and heptacyclic (C 7 ) rings, HCNTs exhibited a defect-rich feature and F-HCNTs have a nodular shape. These features favor to enhance the transport of lithium ions and allow more C–F bonds to react with lithium ions, leading to a high energy density of 2133.13 W h/kg. This novel material offers an alternative approach for lithium primary battery being great potential in actual applications.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), a promising energy storage device in the large-scale energy storage market, have attracted extensive attention in recent years due to their high safety, low cost, environmental friendliness, and excellent electrochemical performance. Despite the rapid development of AZIBs technology, challenges such as insufficient energy density and limited cycling life still exist, which hinders the practical application of AZIBs. Due to the critical role that cathode materials play in the electrochemical performance of AZIBs, it is necessary to summarize the progress of cathode materials for AZIBs. In this review, the Zn 2+ storage mechanisms of the cathode materials are analyzed. Subsequently, the representative cathode materials are introduced, and their structures and electrochemical performances are compared. The existing problems and improvement strategies of these cathode materials are summarized in detail. Finally, the future challenges and promising prospects for cathode materials are proposed. This review will guide researchers and manufacturers, benefiting them in designing advanced AZIBs for grid-scale energy storage.

Abstracts Wasted clay bricks as coarse aggregate of recycled concrete is an effective solution to save energy and reduce CO 2 emissions in the construction industry. However, the mechanical properties and frost resistance of recycled brick aggregate (RBA) concrete are inferior to those of ordinary concrete, which limits its widespread application. In this research, the effects of RBA, polypropylene fiber (PPF) and nano-silica (NS) on the mechanical properties and frost resistance of concrete were investigated. The effect of RBA, PPF, and NS on the compressive strength was quantitatively analyzed, and microstructural analysis and fractal dimension calculation of the concrete were performed. The results show that the concrete compressive strength decreased with the increase in RBA replacement rate, and it was effectively improved by adding PPF and NS (PPF-NS). The compressive strength first increased and then decreased with the increase in PPF and NS. The improvement effect of 0.12% PPF and 2% NS on the compressive strength of 50% replacement rate of RBA concrete was most effective. The gray relational degrees between the compressive strength and RBA, PPF, and NS were 0.6578, 0.8297, and 0.5941, respectively. The frost resistance of PPF-NS modified concrete was better than that of ordinary concrete, mainly manifested in its superior apparent phenomena, mass loss, and strength loss. Compared with normal concrete, the microstructure was denser and the fractal dimension of the cross-section was higher for RBA concrete modified with PPF-NS before and after freeze–thaw cycles.

Mechanochemistry emerged as an effective tool for the synthesis of nanomaterials, with potentially scalable prospects. This contribution aims to provide an overview of the most recent potential of mechanochemical routes in designing advanced nanomaterials including zeolites, metal oxides, and mixed metal oxides because of their catalytic applications. In the present review, the role of mechanochemistry in material design, the effect of mechanical energy on the surface area/surface properties, and recent trends in the field are discussed. A comparison of catalytic activities in selected cases for the materials prepared using conventional vs mechanochemical route has been provided.