In this study, a new type of temperature sensor device was developed. The circular electrode of the thermal sensitive sensor was modified with TMT and O₂ plasma to enhance the conductivity by forming a thin SnOxCy layer on the electrode surface. The Nano-Au particles were subjected to O₂ plasma pretreatment to form peroxide groups on the surface. The thermally sensitive sensor was made by mixing the above-treated Nano-Au particles with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) to form solution and then UV-induced grafting polymerization of the NIPAAm-containing solution onto the electrode substrate. The composite hydrogels on the electrode introduce thermo-sensitive polymeric surface films for temperature sensing. Using ambient environment resistance test to measure the resistance, the LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of Nano-Au (MUA) mixed with NIPAAm hydrogel was found to be 32 °C. At ambient temperatures higher than LCST, the electrode resistance decreases linearly.

We fabricated the nano-aperture plasmonic platforms for single molecule detection and other various applications such as infrared thermal emission device. The nano-apertures including the nanopores on the pyramid, and the nano-slits on the Au flat membrane were fabricated using a Ga ion focused ion beam drilling technique, followed by high energy electron beam irradiations dependent upon the electron beam current density. The nanopores with a few nanometer size and the nanoslit array with order of ~ 100 nm width were fabricated. Optical characteristics for the various nanoslits were examined dependent upon the slit opening width and sample thickness. The broad emission spectra from the (7x 7) slit array are obtained from spp-mediated emission in the visible and infrared region. A sharp strong infrared emission peak is also obtained due to Au nanoparticle. The fabricated Au platform can be utilized as single molecule sensor and infrared thermal emission device.

This study reports the preparation of silica and nano-fructosome encapsulated Candida antarctica lipase B particles (CalB@NF@SiO2) and demonstration of their enzymatic hydrolysis and acylation. CalB@NF@SiO2 particles were prepared as a function of TEOS concentration (3-100 mM). Their mean particle size was 185 nm by TEM. Enzymatic hydrolysis was performed to compare catalytic efficiencies of CalB@NF and CalB@NF@SiO2. Catalytic constants (Km, Vmax, and Kcat) of CalB@NF and CalB@NF@SiO2 were calculated with Michaelis-Menten equation and Line-weaver Burk plot. Optimal stability of CalB@NF@SiO2 was found at pH 8 and temperature of 35 ℃. Moreover, CalB@NF@SiO2 particles were reused for seven cycles to evaluate their reusability. In addition, enzymatic synthesis of benzyl benzoate was demonstrated by an acylation reaction with benzoic anhydride. The efficiency of CalB@NF@SiO2 for converting benzoic anhydride to benzyl benzoate by the acylation reaction was 97%, indicating that benzoic anhydride was almost completely converted to benzyl benzoate. Consequently, CalB@NF@SiO2 particles are better than CalB@NF particles for enzymatic synthesis. In addition, they are reusable with high stability at optimal pH and temperature.

The effect of Localized Surface Plasmon (LSP) of 5 nm mean size Au particles deposited on TiO2 P25 was investigated during the photo-thermal water gas shift reaction (WGSR). The effects of CO concentration, excitation light flux and energy, and molecular oxygen addition during the reaction were investigated. The photocatalytic WGSR rate under light excitation with wavelengths extending from 320 to 1100 nm was found to be higher than the thermal reaction alone at the same temperature (85 oC). A ratio H2/CO2 of near unity was found at high concentrations of CO. Addition of molecular oxygen during the reaction resulted in a slight decrease of molecular hydrogen production while the rates of CO2 formation and that of CO consumption changed by one order of magnitude. More important, it was found that the WGSR rates were still high under only visible light excitation (600 - 700 nm). The results prove that Au LSP alone triggers this chemical reaction without the need to excite the semiconductor on which they are deposited.

This work presents the production and incorporation of calcium hydrolyzed nano-solutions at three concentrations (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) in alkali-activated gold mine tailings (MTs) from Arequipa, Perú. A first activator solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 10M was used. The calcium hy-drolyzed nano-solutions acted as a secondary activator and as additional calcium resource for the alkali-activated materials (AAMs) based on the low-calcium gold MTs. High-resolution trans-mission electron microscopy/energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM/EDS) analyses were carried out to characterize the morphology, size, and structures of the calcium hydrolyzed na-noparticles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses then were used to understand the chemical bonding interactions in the calcium hydrolyzed nanoparticles and in the AAMs. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and Quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) were performed to study the structural, chemical, and phase compositions of the AAMs; uniaxial compressive tests evaluated the compressive strength of the reacted AAMs; and Nitrogen adsorption-desorption analyses measured the porosity changes at nanostructure level in the AAMs. The results indicate that each increase in the concentration of the calcium hydrolyzed nano-solution had a direct/proportional effect on the mechanical properties of the AAMs samples. The AAMs with 3 wt.% calcium-hydrolyzed nano-solution had the highest compressive strength value of 15.16 MPa, which represented an increase of 62% compared to the original system without nanoparticles and aged under the same conditions of 70°C for seven days. These results provide useful information about the positive effect of calcium-hydrolyzed nanoparticles on gold MTs and their conversion into sustainable building materials through alkali activation.

Magneto-optic surface plasmon resonance (MOSPR) based sensors are highly attractive as next generation biosensors. However, these sensors suffer from oxidation leading to degradation of performance, reproducibility of the sensor surface because of the difficulty of removing adsorbed materials, and degradation of sensor surface during surface cleaning, and these limit their applications. In this paper, I propose MOSPR-based biosensors with 0 to 15 nm thick inert polycarbonate laminate plastic as a protective layer and theoretically demonstrate the practicability of our approach in water-medium for three different probing samples: ethanol, propanol, and pentanol. I also investigate microstructure and magnetic properties. The chemical composition and layered information of the sensor are investigated using X-ray reflectivity and X-ray diffraction analyses and these show distinct fcc-Au (111) phases, as dominated by the higher density of conduction electrons in Au as compared to Co. The magnetic characterization measured with the in-plane magnetic field to the sensor surface for both the as-deposited and annealed multilayers showed isotropic easy axis magnetization parallel to the multilayer interface at a saturating magnetic field of <100 Oe. The sensor showed a maximum sensitivity of 5.5 × 10⁴%/RIU for water-ethanol media and the highest detection level of 2.5 × 10⁻⁸ for water-pentanol media as the protective layer is increased from 0 to 15 nm.c

Facial expression has lots of applications in human-computer interaction. Although feature extraction and selection have been well studied, the specificity of each expression variation is not fully explored in state-of-the-art works. In this work, the problem of multiclass expression recognition is converted into triplet-wise expression recognition. For each expression triplet, a new feature optimization model based on Action Unit (AU) weighting and patch weight optimization is proposed to represent the specificity of the expression triplet. Sparse representation based approach is then proposed to detect the active AUs of testing sample for better generalization. The algorithm achieved competitive accuracies of 89.67% and 94.09% for Jaffe and CK+ databases, respectively. Better cross-database performance has also been observed.

The stepwise hydrogenation of the C=C bond and C=O group of acrolein on Au₃ and Au₅ model systems is investigated using the density functional theory(DFT) PW91 functional. Our results show that the C=C hydrogenation is more favorable than that of C=O bond on Au₃ with the barriers of the rate-determining step being 0.35 and 0.62 eV respectively. On the other hand, the C=O reduction is preferred over the hydrogenation of the C=C bond on Au₅. The corresponding barriers of the rate-determining steps are 0.45 and 0.54 eV, respectively. This demonstrated that the second hydrogenation step controls the reaction on both Au₃ and Au₅ for C=O and C=C hydrogenation and the C=O hydrogenation on Au₅ is preferred over the hydrogenation of the C=C bond, which is helpful to address the reactivity of small size-selected supported gold clusters.

Poor interlaminar fracture toughness has been a major issue in glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin (GF/EP) laminate composites. In this paper, soft carboxy-terminated liquid nitrile (CTBN) rubber particles and rigid nano-SiO2 are used to toughen the epoxy resin (EP) matrix to improve the interlayer properties of GF/EP laminate composites. The effects of adding two toughening agents on the mechanical and interlayer properties of GF/EP laminates were studied. The results showed that adding the two kinds of particles improved the mechanical properties of the epoxy matrix. When the additional amount of flexible CTBN rubber particles was 8wt%, and the rigid nano SiO2 was 0.5wt%, the fracture toughness of the matrix resin was increased by 215.8%, and the tensile strength was only decreased by 2.3% compared with the pure epoxy resin. On this basis, the effects of two kinds of particles on the interlayer properties of GF/EP composites were studied. Compared with the unmodified GF/EP laminates, the interlayer shear strength and mode Ⅰ interlayer fracture toughness is significantly improved by toughening agent, and the energy release rate GIC of interlayer shear strength and interlayer fracture toughness is increased by 109.2%, and 86.8%, respectively.

One-step oxidative esterification of 2, 5-furandiformaldehyde (DFF) derived from biomass to prepare Dimethyl Furan-2, 5-dicarboxylate (FDMC) not only simplifies the catalytic process and increases purity of product, but also avoids the polymerization of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) at high temperature condition. Gold supported on a series of acidic oxide, alkaline oxide and hydrotalcite were prepared by colloidal deposition to explore the effect of support on the catalytic activities. The Au/Mg3Al-HT catalyst exhibited the best catalytic activity in all catalysts, 97.8% selectivity of FDMC at 99.9% conversion of DFF. And this catalyst is suitable to oxidative esterification of benzaldehyde and furfural as well. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and CO2 temperature programmed desorption (CO2-TPD) were performed to characterize the catalysts. The results indicated that the medium and strong basic sites in the heterogeneous catalysts benefited for the absorption of intermediate spices, further facilitated the oxidative esterification of aldehyde groups. While, neutral or acidic support tended to aldol condensation reaction. It was worth noting that basicity on the support surface reduce electronic state of the Au nanoparticle (Auδ-), thus enhance the catalytic selectivity of oxidative esterification. This finding demonstrated the support plays crucial role in oxidative esterification.

In this study, the preparation of the composite 3% Au/graphite-C3N4 (3% Au/g-C3N4) sensing material was prepared by doping 3% Au onto the surface of graphitic carbonitride (C3N4) for detection pimobendan. By the way of sensing materials characterization, the X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and transmission electron Microscope (TEM) were performed. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to measure the concentration and redox properties of pimobendan. It can be seen that when the voltage value is 0.05 V, and a reduction peak was appeared and the pimobendan concentration (0 to 55 μM) has a relationship with the reduction current value. At low concentrations of pimobendan concentration from 0.0 to 0.8 μM, the linearity R2 = 0.9642 with a detection limit of 0.28 μM. A possible pimobendan sensing mechanism on 3% Au/g-C3N4 was proposed.

The effect of γ-ray irradiation on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing capability of refractive index (n = 1.418–1.448) of the silica glass optical fiber comprised of germano-silicate glass cladding embedded with Au nano-particles (NPs) was investigated. As the γ-ray irradiation increased from 1 hour to 3 hours with the dose rate of 1,190 Gy/h, the morphology of the Au NPs and the SPR spectrum were found to change. The average diameter of Au NPs increased with the aspect ratio from 1 to 2 and the nano-particles became grown to the clusters. The SPR peak wavelength shifted towards longer wavelength with the increase of total dose of γ-ray irradiation regardless of the corresponding refractive indices. The SPR sensitivities (wavelength/refractive index unit, nm/RIU) also increased from 407 nm/RIU to 3,553 nm/RIU, 1,483 nm/RIU, and 2,335 nm/RIU after the γ-ray irradiation at the total dose of 1,190 Gy, 2,380 Gy, and 3,570 Gy, respectively.

Nano medicine seeks to deliver a valuable set of research tools and clinically useful devices in the near future. The current medical field is in dire need of new commercial applications in the pharmaceutical industry that may include advanced drug delivery systems, new therapies, and in vivo imaging. Here in this experimental study, the nano materials used in DNA biosensors like silver nano dots were incorporated as nano biosensors are used for both therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The most important step while preparing a DNA biosensor is the immobilization of DNA probe on the surface of a sensing device such as an electrode. The amount of immobilized DNA probe will influence the accuracy sensitivity, selectivity and life of a DNA biosensor directly. Because of the high surface to volume ratio and excellent biological compatibility, nano materials can enlarge the sensing surface area to increase the amount of immobilized DNA and the DNA mixed with nano materials can keep its biologically activity well.In this study,silver nano dots created in our lab were functionalized with thio nucleides and were used as nano sensor probes in bio bar code assays.

Detecting low concentrations of thyroxine hormone (T4) is of utmost importance to prevent diseases and medical issues caused by hypothyroidism. In this work, we propose the use of a simple technique for T4 sensing, the well-known surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Spherical Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and functionalized with ascorbic acid and tannic acid, respectively. They synthesized by a seed-mediated growth method, were used as SERS substrates to quantify T4 at different concentrations. The NPs were characterized by UV-VIS spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Both, Au and Ag NPs, have an average diameter of 50 nm, the first ones have a surface plasmon resonance at 537 nm, while the latter have it at 421 nm. It was noticed the SERS substrates are composed of isolated and agglomerated NPs. From theoreti-cal-numerical calculations, we identified the hot spots |E| of the agglomerate NPs is at least 7 times more intense than that of the isolated NPs. We show the substrates can detect up to 0.01 mM and, for the range of concentration studied, the Ag substrate is more sensitive than Au. Thus, the proposed substrates and the SERS technique constitute a potential prospect for sensing hormones and organic molecules at low concentrations.

The photocatalytic degradation of two quinolone-type antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin) in aqueous solution was studied, using catalysts based on ZnO nanoparticles, which were synthesized by a thermal procedure. The efficiency of ZnO was subsequently optimized by incorporating different co-catalysts of gC3N4, reduced graphene oxide and nanoparticles of gold. The catalysts were fully characterized by electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), XPS, XRD, Raman, and BET surface area. The most efficient catalyst was 10%Au@ZnONPs-3%rGO-3%gC3N4, allowing to obtain degradations of both pollutants above 96%. This catalyst has the largest specific area, and its activity has been related to a synergistic effect, involving factors as relevant as the surface of the material and the ability to absorb radiation in the visible region, mainly produced by the incorporation of rGO and gC3N4 to the semiconductor. The use of different scavengers during the catalytic process, was used to establish the possible photodegradation mechanism of both antibiotics.

Curcumin, a polyphenol with a rich history spanning two centuries, has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent targeting multiple signaling pathways and exhibiting cellular-level activities that contribute to its diverse health benefits. Extensive preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated its ability to enhance the therapeutic potential of various bioactive compounds. While its reported therapeutic advantages are manifold, predominantly attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, its efficacy is hindered by poor bioavailability stemming from inadequate absorption, rapid metabolism, and elimination. To address this challenge, nano-delivery systems have emerged as a promising approach, offering enhanced solubility, biocompatibility, and therapeutic effects for curcumin. We have analyzed the knowledge on curcumin nano-encapsulation and its synergistic effects with other compounds, extracted from electronic databases. We discuss the pharmacokinetic profile of curcumin, current advancements in nano-encapsulation techniques, and the combined effects of curcumin with other agents across various disorders. By unifying existing knowledge, this analysis intends to provide insights into the potential of nano-encapsulation technologies to overcome constraints associated with curcumin treatments, emphasizing the importance of combinatorial approaches in improving therapeutic efficacy. Finally, this compilation of study data aims to inform and inspire future research into encapsulating drugs with poor pharmacokinetic characteristics and investigating innovative drug combinations to improve bioavailability and therapeutic outcomes.

This work emphasizes to use silver decorative method to enhance the antibacterial activity of TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles. These silver decorated nanoparticles (hybrid nanoparticles) were synthesized by using sodium borohydride as a reducing agent, with the weight ratio of Ag precursors: oxide nanoparticles = 1: 30. The morphology and optical property of these hybrid nanoparticles were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The agar-well diffusion method was used to evaluate their antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria, with or without light irradiation. The TEM images indicated clearly that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs, 5-10 nm) were well deposited on the surface of nano-TiO₂ particles (30-60 nm). Besides, smaller AgNPs (< 2 nm) were dispersed on the surface of nano-ZnO particles (20-50 nm). UV-vis spectra confirmed that the hybridization of Ag and oxide nanoparticles led to shift the absorption edge of oxide nanoparticles to the lower energy region (visible region). The antibacterial tests indicated that both oxide pure nanoparticles did not exhibit inhibitory against bacteria, with or without light irradiation. However, the presence of AgNPs in their hybrids, even at low content (< 40 mg/mL) leads to a good antibacterial activity and the higher inhibition zones under light irradiation as compared to that in dark was observed.

The three-point bending behavior of a single Au nanowire deformed with an atomic force microscope was monitored by coherent X-ray diffraction using a sub-micrometer sized hard X-ray beam. While three-dimensional reciprocal-space maps were recorded before and after deformation by standard rocking curves, they were measured by scanning the energy of the incident X-ray beam during deformation at different loading stages. The mechanical behavior of the nanowire is visualized in reciprocal space and a complex deformation mechanism is described. In addition to the expected bending of the nanowire, torsion is detected. Bending and torsion angles are quantified from the high resolution diffraction data.

The use of nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents can be one of the strategies to overcome the tendency of microbes to become resistant to antibiotics’ action. In this study, two composites ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag, having 1% wt. of noble metal content, were synthesized by simple aqueous solution methods. The structure and morphology of the resulting nanocomposites were analyzed by standard structural and optical characterization methods. The formation of Au NPs and Ag NPs in these experiments was also discussed. The antimicrobial properties of ZnO, ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag nanomaterials were investigated against Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). The electrostatic interaction between ZnO and noble metals nanoparticles have contributed to a better visible light adsorption, which led to an enhanced antimicrobial activity. The photocatalytic tests indicated an improvement in photocatalytic degradation of the methylene blue (MB) under UV irradiation using ZnO/Au and ZnO/Ag nanocomposites compared to bare ZnO. The introduction of noble metallic nanoparticles in ZnO matrix proved to be an effective strategy to increase their antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus and their photocatalytic activity evaluated through the degradation of MB dye. Comparing the enhancing effects of Au and Ag, it was found that ZnO/Au was a better antimicrobial agent while ZnO/Ag was more effective photocatalyst under UV irradiation.

Considerable attention has been given to the research field of bioorganometallic chemistry, which is a hybrid chemistry field between biology and organometallic chemistry. The introduction of biomolecules, which have hydrogen bonding sites and chiral centers, into organometallic compounds is considered to be a promising strategy to construct chirality-organized bioorganometallic conjugates. This feature paper sketches an outline of induction of helical chirality into bioorganometallic conjugates. Topics covered include control of the helical chirality of 1,n’-disubstituted ferrocene moieties in ferrocene-dipeptide conjugates and the chirality induction of the Au(I)–Au(I) axis in the dinuclear organogold(I)-uracil conjugates.

In recent years, antimicrobial resistance in many human pathogens has become a serious health concern. Since infections with resistant pathogens cannot be treated with traditional antimicro-bial drugs, new strategies are necessary to fight bacterial infections. Hybrid nano-systems may provide a solution to this problem, by combining multiple mechanisms for killing bacteria to synergistically increase the effectiveness of the antimicrobial treatment. In this review, we high-light recent advances in the development of hybrid nano-systems for the treatment of bacterial infections. We discuss the use of hybrid nano-systems for combinational therapy, focusing on various triggering mechanisms for drug release and the development of biomimetic nanomateri-als. We also examine inherently antimicrobial nano-systems and their uses in preventing infec-tions due to wounds and medical implants. This review summarizes recent advances and pro-vides insight into the future development of antimicrobial treatments using hybrid nanomateri-als.

Highly transparent, conductive nanosheets are extremely attractive for advanced optoelectronic applications. Previously, we have demonstrated that transparent, conductive Au nanosheets can be prepared by UV irradiation of Au nanoparticle (AuNP) monolayers spread on water, which serves as the subphase. In this study, we show that this UV irradiation technique can easily be extended as a nanosheet modification method by using subphases containing metal ions. That is, aqueous solutions containing Au and Ag ions are effective in modifying Au nanosheets. HAuCl4 solutions increased Au nanosheet thickness, which improved conductivity, but reduced transparency. On the other hand, use of aqueous AgNO3 and CH3COOAg solutions yielded Au-Ag hybrid nanosheets; however, their morphologies depended on the electrolytes used. Homogeneous Au-Ag nanosheets from AgNO3 and AuNPs covered with an Ag nanosheet from CH3COOAg were also produced. Further, these Au-Ag hybrid nanosheets had high conductivity without reduced transparency. Therefore, this UV irradiation method, modified by adding metal ions is quite effective at improving and diversifying properties of Au nanosheets.

The Computational theoretical techniques using first principle which make use of the density functional theory as implemented by quantum expresso as well as inter – atomic force constant (IFC) techniques (Born-von Jarman) were used to investigate the phonon dispersion curves of Silver (Ag) and Gold (Au) The results obtained show that for Au, the extension to 1 – 6^th neighbour gave slightly close agreement with the experimental phonon dispersions when compared to the 1 – 5^th neighbor at W_T and L_L symmetry points. The percentage error for Au at W_T are 2.5% and 2.9% ; at point L_L we obtained 0.6% and 0.7% respectively. The Local density Approximation (LDA) results for Ag underestimates the lattice with about 1.6% while the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) overestimates it by 1.9%.

A novel flexible humidity sensor, incorporating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and a trifunctional organosilica compound, has been developed through the integration of sol-gel processing, free radical polymerization, and self-assembly techniques. The trifunctional organosilica was initially synthesized by modifying (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (thiol-MPTMS) with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (vinyl-TMSPMA). Subsequently, a hydrophilic polyelectrolyte, [3(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAPTAC), was grafted onto the MPTMS-TMSPMA gel. The Au NPs were assembled onto the thiol groups present in the MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC gel network. The compositional and microstructural properties of the Au NPs/MPTMS-TMSPMA-MAPTAC composite film were investigated utilizing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The presence of thiol groups and mesoporous silica skeletons ensured the stability of the humidity-sensing film on the substrate under highly humid conditions, while the hydrophilic groups functioned as humidity-sensitive sites. This innovative humidity sensor demonstrated high sensitivity, acceptable linearity, minimal hysteresis, and rapid response time across a broad range of working humidity levels. Based on the complex impedance spectra analysis, hydronium ions (H₃O⁺) were determined to govern the conductance process of the flexible humidity sensor.

In the present study the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) loaded with methotrexate (MTX) has been carried out in order to obtain controlled size and monodispersed nanocarriers, around 20nm. Characterization study shows metallic AuNPs with MTX polydispersed on the surface. MTX is linked by a replacement of citrate by the MTX carboxyl group. The drug release profiles showed faster MTX release when it is conjugated, which leads to the best control of plasma concentration. Also, the enhanced release observed at pH 5 could take advantage of the pH gradients that exist in tumor microenvironments to achieve high local drug concentrations. AuNPs-MTX conjugates were tested by flow cytometry against lung (A-549) and colon (HTC-116) cancer cell lines. Results for A-549 showed a lighter dose-response effect than for colon cancer ones. This could be related to the presence of folate receptors in line HTC-116 on the contrary than line A-549, supporting the specific uptake of folate-conjugated AuNPs-MTX by folate receptor positive tumor cells. Conjugates exhibited considerably higher cytotoxic effects compared with the effects of equal doses of free MTX. Anexin V-PI test sustain as cell death mechanism apoptosis, which is normally disabled in cancer cells.

Drought is one of the leading abiotic factors limiting morphological and physiological activities in blackberry cultivation. We investigated the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on morphological and physiological processes in the boysenberry crop (Rubus ursinus Chamisso &amp; Schlenhtendal) under drought stress. The experiment was performed with three drought stress levels (0% PEG, 4% PEG and 8% PEG) and three AgNPs treatments (0, 0.1, 0.2 mg L−1) invitro conditions. The results showed that drought stress induced by PEG, reduced root and shoot development of boysenberry plants grown invitro. The addition of AgNPs is significantly alleviated the adverse effect of drought stress and increased the plant growth parameters. Antioxidant activity of SOD and CAT enzymes increased in boysenberry leaves when treated with AgNPs under drought conditions, while the amount of MDA decreased. Therefore, the results obtained in this study suggest that 0.1 mg L-1 AgNPs added to the medium improve the growth and development of invitro boysenberry plants under drought stress.

Ultra-short 230 fs laser pulses of 515 nm wavelength were tightly focused into 700 nm focal spots and utilised in opening ~ 400 nm nano-holes in a Cr etch mask that was tens-of-nm thick. Nano-holes ablated at slightly above the threshold of ablation irradiance became nano-disks and nano-rings at slightly lower pulse energies. Subtle sub-1 nJ pulse energy control was harnessed to pattern large surface areas with controlled nano-alloying of Si and Cr. This technique is extendable to vacuum-free large area patterning of nanolayers by alloying them at distinct locations with sub-diffraction resolution. Such metal masks with nano-hole opening can be used for formation of random patterns of nano-needles with sub-100 nm separation when applied to dry etching of Si.

Electro-spun ultra-fine fibers exhibit two significant properties: a high surface-to-volume ratio and a relatively defect-free molecular structure. Due to the high surface-to-volume ratio, electro-spun materials are well suited for activities requiring increased physical contact, such as providing a site for a chemical reaction or filtration of small-sized physical materials. However, electrospinning has many shortcomings, including difficulties in producing inorganic nanofibers and a limited number or variety of polymers used in the process. The fabrication of nanofiber bundles via electrospinning is explored in this analytical study, as well as the relationship between extrinsic electrospinning parameters and the relative abundance of various fiber morphologies. Numerous variables could impact the fabrication of nanofibers, resulting in a variety of morphologies; therefore, adequate ambient conditions and selecting the appropriate solvent for achieving a homogenous polymer solution and uniform electro-spun materials are examined. Finally, common polymers suitable for electrospinning and the promising applications of ultra-fine fibers achieved via electrospinning are studied in this paper.

The research progress of nano-hydroxyapatite and its composite biomaterials, which are widely used, is summarized. The preparation techniques and applications of nano-hydroxyapatite and its composites in tissue engineering scaffolds, sustained and controlled release drug carriers, targeting drug delivery and environmental functional materials show that nano-hydroxyapatite and its composites will have good prospects in the field of biomedicine. The nano-hydroxyapatite composite biomaterial is a first phase or multi-phase material added to the nano-hydroxyapatite to obtain a favorable histological reaction, satisfactory strength and rigidity, and to synthesize a scaffold material for tissue regeneration. As a scaffold for guiding bone tissue regeneration, nano-hydroxyapatite composite material can also be used as a targeted drug release system for drug delivery system. It has good biocompatibility and degradability and has become a research hotspot in bone tissue engineering. The complex is expected to be applied to medical diagnostic fields such as tumor cell detection and nano biological probes.

Field electron emission, or electron tunneling through a potential barrier under the influence of a strong electrostatic field, is of broad interest to the accelerator physics community. For example, it is the source of undesirable dark currents in resonant cavities, providing a limit to high-field operation. The classical approach to field electron emission is the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) framework, which incorporates a simplified surface potential and various assumptions. Here we build a more realistic model using the potential and charge densities derived from a density-functional theory (DFT) calculation. We examine the correction factors associated with each model assumption. Compared to the FN framework, our results can be extended up to 80 GV/m, a limit that has been reached in laser-induced strong field emission scenarios.

A supramolecular host-guest interaction and sensing between cationic pillar[5]arenes (CP5) and L-carnitine were developed by the competitive host-guest recognition for the first time. The fluorescence sensing platform was constructed by CP5 functionalized Au nanoparticles (PP5@Au-NPs) as receptor and probe (rhodamine 123, R123), which shown a high sensitivity and selectivity to L-carnitine detection. Due to the property of the negative charge and molecular size of L-carnitine, it can be highly captured by the CP5 via electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic interactions. The mechanism of host-guest between PP5 and L-carnitine was studied by ¹H NMR and molecular docking, which indicated more affinity binding force of PP5 with L-carnitine. Therefore, a selective and sensitive fluorescent method was developed. It has a linear response of 0.1–2.0 and 2.0–25.0 μM and a detection limit of 0.067 μM (S/N = 3) for L-carnitine. The fluorescent sensing platform was also used to detect L-carnitine in human serum and milk samples, which provided potential applications of detection drugs of abuse, and had path for guarding a serious food safety issues.

A theoretical analysis of haemoglobin (Hb) concentration detection is presented in this work with the objective of achieving more sensitive detection and monitoring low concentrations. Surface-enhanced SPR spectroscopy on silver nanoparticles was employed for recording Hb concentrations less than 10 g/L. In this paper, Fe₃O₄@Au core-shell, nanocomposite spherical nanoparticle consisting of a spherical Fe₃O₄ core covered by Au shell, was used as an active material for biomolecules detection in the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-based biosensor in the wavelength 632.8 nm. We present the simulation of detection amplification technique through Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) spectrum in the Kretschmann configuration. The system consists of a four-layer material i.e prism/Ag/Fe₃O₄@Au+Hb/air. Dielectric function determination of the core-shell nanoparticle (Fe₃O₄@Au) and the composite (Fe₃O₄@Au+Hb) was done by applying the Effective Medium Theory approximation and the calculation of the reflectivity is carried out by varying the size of core-shell (r₀). In this simulation, the refractive index of the BK7 prism is 1.51; the refractive index of Ag thin film is 0.13455+3.98651i with the thickness of 40 nm, and the refractive index of the composite is varied depending on the size of nanoparticle core-shell. Our results show that by varying the radius of the core and the shell thickness, the dip of the reflectivity (ATR) spectrum is shifted to the larger angle of incident light and the addition of core-shell in the conventional SPR-based biosensor leads to enhancement of the SPR biosensor sensitivity, for the core-shell radius 10 nm, the sensitivity increased by 1.35% for F = 0.1, and by 4.89% for F =0.8 compared to the sensitivity of the conventional SPR-based biosensor without core-shell addition.

In a recent paper discussing Newton’s third law in the framework of special relativity for charged bodies, it was suggested that one can construct a practical relativistic motor provided high enough charge and current densities are available. As on the macroscopic scale charge density is limited by the phenomena of dielectric breakdown, it was suggested to take advantage of the high charge densities which are available on the microscopic scale. A preliminary analysis of this option denoted "nano relativistic scale" is studied in the current paper.

Phosphorus, an essential rare element in aquatic ecosystems, plays a key role in maintaining ecosystem balance. However, an excess of phosphorus will lead to eutrophication and algal pro-liferation. To prevent eutrophication, it is crucial to pretreat and measure the concentration of total phosphorus (TP). Compared with conventional TP pretreatment equipment (autoclave), a lab-on-a-chip detection device fabricated through micro-electromechanical system technology using titania (TiO2) as a photocatalyst is more convenient, efficient, and cost-effective. However, the wide bandgap of TiO2 (3.2 eV) limits the photocatalytic activity. To address this problem, this paper describes the preparation of a TiO2/Au nanocomposite film by electron-beam evaporation and atomic layer deposition, based on the introduction of a gold film and TiO2 on a quartz substrate. The photocatalytic degradation properties of TiO2/Au nanocomposite films with thicknesses of 1, 2, 3, and 4 nm are assessed using rhodamine B as a pollutant. Experimental results demonstrate that the deposition of a gold film with different thicknesses can enhance the photocatalytic degradation efficiency through synergetic reactions in the charge separation process on the surface. The optimal photocatalytic efficiency is achieved when the deposition thickness is 2 nm, and it decreases with further increase in the thickness. When the photocatalytic reaction time is 15 min, the LOC device with a 2-nm-thick gold layer and autoclave exhibit similar TP pretreatment performance. Therefore, the proposed LOC device based on photocatalysis technology can address the limitation of conventional autoclave equipment, such as large volume, long processing time, and high cost, thereby satisfying the growing demand for on-site evaluation.

Using the colloidal method, Au NP’s were deposited onto 6 different supports (TiO2,  and -Al2O3, HFeO2, CeO2, and C), and their catalytic activity and selectivity were compared in the alkylation of aniline by benzyl alcohol. Correlations were made between the nature of the support, the Au NP size and H-binding energy.

The electronic structure of 7/9-AGNR superlattices with up to eight unit cells has been studied by means of state of the art Density Functional Theory (DFT) and also by two model Hamiltonians, the first one including only local interactions (Hubbard model, Hu) while the second one is extended to allow long-range Coulomb interactions (Pariser, Parr and Pople model, PPP). Both are solved within mean field approximation. At this approximation level, our calculations show that 7/9 interfaces are better described by spin non-polarized solutions than by spin-polarized wavefunctions. Consequently, both Hu and PPP Hamiltonians lead to electronic structures characterized by a gap at the Fermi level that diminishes as the size of the system increases. DFT results show similar trends although a detailed analysis of the density of states around the Fermi level shows quantitative differences with both Hu and PPP models. Before improving model Hamiltonians, we interpret the electronic structure obtained by DFT in terms of bands of topological states: topological states localized at the system edges and extended bulk topological states which interact between them due to the long-range Coulomb terms of Hamiltonian. After careful analysis of the interaction among topological sates, we find that the discrepancy between ab initio and model Hamiltonians can be resolved considering a screened long-range interaction that is implemented adding an exponential cutoff to the interaction term of PPP model. In this way, an adjusted cutoff distance λ = 2 allows a good recovery of DFT results. In view of this, we conclude that the correct description of the density of states around the Fermi level (Dirac point) needs the inclusion of long-range interactions well beyond Hubbard model but not completely unscreened as is the case for the PPP model.

Nano-titanium has excellent corrosion resistance and can be widely used in the field of corrosion resistant coatings. This paper introduces nano-weight titanium modified phenolic resin coatings and their anti-corrosion properties to explore the principle of nano-titanium modification and the mechanism of anti-corrosion to further develop more advanced corrosion resistant coatings. The article uses scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometer to characterise the morphology and structure of the nano-titanium modified phenolic resin coatings and to determine the corrosion resistance properties of the modified phenolic resin coatings. The results show that the 4% nano-titanium modified phenolic resin coating, nano-titanium powder and phenolic resin will maximize the dispersion and combination, and the structure is good; nano-titanium grafted on phenolic resin, the successful preparation of nano-titanium modified phenolic resin; modified nano-titanium added to improve the coating's ability of UV absorption. The corrosion resistance of the coating is much better than that of the unmodified phenolic resin coating.

It is important to add second- or third-phase materials to improve the physical, mechanical, and biodegradable properties of polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. A unique hybrid bio-nanocomposite was fabricated using microparticle cellulose powder from wastepaper with a polypropylene (PP) polymeric matrix using a low-shear chaotic mixing method. A small amount (2-5%) of layered micro clay was also added to investigate the hybrid effect of nanocomposite fabrication on the mechanical properties. A low-shear chaotic melt mixing method induces the formation of nano cellulose structures and layered clay nanoparticles by via exfoliation. The nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Mechanical properties such as the flexural strength (FS) and tensile strength (TS) were investigated using an Izod impact tester (IZ), and a dynamic mechanical testing analyzer (DMTA). Further, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the microstructure of the nanocomposite. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to investigate the crystallinity and degradation of the samples, respectively. The addition of wastepaper cellulose powder below 2.5 wt. % did not improve the mechanical properties, however, improvements were observed when more than 5wt.% wastepaper cellulose powder was added. With the addition of a small amount of nano-clay, the mechanical properties were significantly improved, and a synergistic effect could be noticed. The observed results were then compared with PP-clay nanocomposites used in automotive industries to replace cellulose nanocomposites. The application areas can also cover lead production in paper cups and vacuum foaming.

It is important to add second- or third-phase materials to improve the physical, mechanical, and biodegradable properties of polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. A unique hybrid bio-nanocomposite was fabricated using microparticle cellulose powder from wastepaper with a polypropylene (PP) polymeric matrix using a low-shear chaotic mixing method. A small amount (2-5%) of layered micro clay was also added to investigate the hybrid effect of nanocomposite fabrication on the mechanical properties. A low-shear chaotic melt mixing method induces the formation of nano cellulose structures and layered clay nanoparticles by via exfoliation. The nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Mechanical properties such as the flexural strength (FS) and tensile strength (TS) were investigated using an Izod impact tester (IZ), and a dynamic mechanical testing analyzer (DMTA). Further, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the microstructure of the nanocomposite. In addition, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were conducted to investigate the crystallinity and degradation of the samples, respectively. The addition of wastepaper cellulose powder below 2.5 wt. % did not improve the mechanical properties, however, improvements were observed when more than 5wt.% wastepaper cellulose powder was added. With the addition of a small amount of nano-clay, the mechanical properties were significantly improved, and a synergistic effect could be noticed. The observed results were then compared with PP-clay nanocomposites used in automotive industries to replace cellulose nanocomposites. The application areas can also cover lead production in paper cups and vacuum foaming.

In today’s world, it is the need of the hour to adopt new technology to sustain the production of the future. Nanotechnology is gaining popularity for its efficiency in various applied fields of science. In agriculture, nanomaterials have a huge impact on the efficiency of fertilizers pesticides, etc. As it requires very fewer quantities and has a negligible residual effect the environment is safe with the innovation of Nano fertilizer. Keeping this view into account an experimental Trial at a farmer’s field was carried out at Berui village in the Hooghly District of West Bengal during the winter (rabi) season of 2019 – 20 under the supervision of Berui Cooperative, KVK-Hooghly, BCKV, and IFFCO with nano-Urea, nano-Zn and nano-Cu using RBD design with 10 treatments and 3 replications. Experimental results revealed that the highest tuber yield was obtained in T-7 (50% N+100% P & K+ 2 spray of nano-Urea), and that was followed by T-10 (50% N + 100% P & K + 50% Zn + 1 spray each of Nano-Urea, Zn and Cu) and T-8 (100% N-P-K + 50% Zn + 2 spray of Nano-Zn). The performance of nano fertilizers, Nano- Urea, was quite promising and economically viable as compared to the 100% recommended dose with commercial fertilizers (RDF).

In this review, the following information describes the manifestation of sleep deprivation by human beings and its adverse effect on their health. Sleep deprivation has been demonstrated into namely two types known as REM sleep and NREM sleep affecting our health in so a problematic way that it is making our body immune to many diseases leading to lethal problems. Therefore, great research by many scientists has discovered that the turmeric “Curcuma longa” which is been used in every Indian kitchen since ancient times, has shown a remarkable effect on the problem caused by sleep deprivation but due to its poor solubility and low bioavailability drawn it into a great disadvantage. But the help of the study of nanotechnology and the evolution of curcumin into nano–curcumin made the possibility of the remarkable effect by making the curcumin more potent and enhancing its stability. Immunological changes due to sleep deprivation lead to Alzheimer’s disease, glioma, neuropathic pains, and many more. Therefore, this review has been summarized as it is been providing information related to curcumin and its affection for sleep deprivation.

Rubber-based composites are widely used especially in transportation. The goal of this paper is to study the mechanical properties of rubber-based composites of carbon black and Nano Aluminum trioxide additive (50 nm). Various percentage of carbon black was used (20,40, and 60 phr). The increase in Carbon black percentage shows an increase in mechanical properties of the composites (for 60 phr properties tensile test improve by 49%, for hardness resistance the improve was 21%, and for the wear test the composite improve by 22%). Various wetting percentage of nano Aluminum trioxide was used (1,1.5,2, and 2.5 %). Increasing the wetting percentage increase tensile strength (27%, hardness resistance increase by 28%, and wear resistance increase nonlinearly with a percentage reaching 70%). Selecting the optimal composition of the two fillers, then study different irradiances for it with the ultraviolet laser of moderately low energy after the vulcanization process. Post ultraviolet laser of (345 nm). Furthermore, laser vulcanization shows improvement in mechanical properties.

The thermal properties of novel nanomaterials play a significant role in determining the performance of the material in technological applications. Herein, direct measurement of the temperature diffusivity of cellulose nanocomposite films was carried out by the micro-contact method. Polymer films containing up to 2%wt. of nanocellulose were synthesised by a simple chemical process. Films of a high optical transmittance T ≈ 80 % (for a 200- μ m-thick film), which were up to 44% crystalline, were characterised. Two different modalities of temperature diffusivity based on: 1) a resistance change and 2) micro-thermocouple detected modulation of a heat wave, were used for the polymer films with cross-sections of ∼ 100 μ m thickness. Twice different in-plane α ‖ and out-of-plane α ⊥ temperature diffusivities were directly determined with high fidelity: α ‖ = 2 . 12 × 10 − 7 m 2 /s and α ⊥ = 1 . 13 × 10 − 7 m 2 /s. An amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber was measured for comparison α ‖ = 1 . 15 × 10 − 7 m 2 /s. This work provides an example of a direct contact measurement of thermal properties of nanocellulose composite films. The thermal diffusivity, which is usually high in strongly interconnected networks and crystals, was investigated for the first time in this composite.

Microbolometer is the most common uncooled infrared technique that allows to achieve 50mK-temperature resolution on the scene. However, this approach has to struggle with both the self-heating inherent to the resistive readout principle and the 1/f noise. We present an alternative approach that consists in using micro / nanoresonators vibrating according to a torsional mode, and whose resonant frequency changes with the incident IR-radiation. Dense arrays of such electromechanical structures were fabricated with a 12µm-pitch at low temperature allowing their integration on CMOS circuits according to a post-processing method. H-shape pixels with 9 µm-long nano-rods and a cross-section of 250 × 30 nm² were fabricated to provide large thermal responses, whose experimental measurements reached up to 1024 Hz/nW. These electromechanical resonators featured a noise equivalent power of 140pW for a response time of less than 1 ms. To our knowledge, these performance are unrivaled with such small dimensions. We also showed that a temperature sensitivity of 20 mK within 100ms-integration time is conceivable at a 12µm-pitch by co-integrating the resonators with their readout electronics and suggesting a new readout scheme. This sensitivity could be reached at short-term by depositing on top of the nano-rods a vanadium oxide layer having a phase-transition that could possibly enhance the thermal response by one order of magnitude.

The BRightest Target Explorer (BRITE) is the pioneering nanosatellite mission dedicated for photometric observations of the brightest stars in the sky. The BRITE CCD sensors are poorly shielded against extensive flux of energetic particles which constantly induce defects in the silicon lattice. In this paper we investigate the temporal evolution of the generation of the dark current in the BRITE CCDs over almost 4 years after launch. Utilizing several steps of image processing and employing normalization of the results it was possible to obtain useful information about the progress of thermal activity in the sensors. The outcomes show clear and consistent linear increase of induced damage despite the fact that only about 0.14% of CCD pixels were probed. By performing the analysis of temperature dependencies of the dark current, we identified the observed defects as phosphorus-vacancy (PV) pairs, which are common in proton irradiated CCD matrices. Moreover, the Meyer-Neldel empirical rule was confirmed in our dark current data, yielding E_MN=24.8 meV for proton-induced PV defects.

Europium (Eu)-doped fluorapatite (FA) nanorods has a similar biocompatibility with hydroxyapatite (HA) in terms, attracted much attention as cell imaging biomaterials due to their luminescent property. Here, we will discuss the new feature of europium doped fluorapatite (Eu-FA) nanorods as anticancer drug carrier. Eu-FA nanorods was prepared using a hydrothermal method. The morphology, crystal structure, fluorescence and composition are investigated. The specific crystal structure, enabling an effective loading of drug molecules. Doxorubicin (DOX), used as an anticancer model drug, was shown to be effectively loaded onto the surface of the nanorods. The DOX release was fairly pH-dependent, occurring more rapidly at pH 5.5 than pH 7.4 was observed. The intracellular penetration of the DOX-loaded Eu-FA nanorods (Eu-FA/DOX) can be imaged in situ due to the self-fluorescence property. Treatment of melanoma A375 cells with Eu-FA/DOX elicited a more effective apoptosis rate than direct DOX treatment. Overall, Eu-FA show great promise for tracking and treating tumor, may potentially useful as a multifunctional carrier system to effectively load and sustainably deliver drugs.

We have shown that three astrometric solar-system anomalies can be explained satisfactorily by using evolutionary gravitational constant G and speed of light c in the Einstein’s field equation. These are: a) the Pioneer acceleration anomaly; b) the anomalous secular increase of Moon-orbit eccentricity; and c) the anomalous secular change in the astronomical unit AU. The gravitational constant G and the speed of light c both increase as dG/dt = 5.4GH₀ and dc/dt = 1.8cH₀ with H₀ as the Hubble constant. We also show that the Planck’s constant ħ increases as dħ/dt = 1.8ħH₀. Additionally, the new approach fits the supernovae Ia redshift vs distance modulus data as well as the standard ΛCDM model with just one adjustable parameter H₀.

For several millennia, doctors and healers used therapeutic ingredients extracted from minerals, plants, and animals. Among the active remedies derived from animals, the placenta was among the most popular ones. The use of placenta-based remedies has retained its significance in our time. The placenta-based therapeutics are indicated for stimulating immunity, wound healing, reduction of skin pigmentation, treatment of various patients suffering from gynecological disorders, etc. By the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of specific functions and chemical ingredients of the placenta were identified and described. However, only now active proteins and peptides with molecular weight of about ten kDa were revealed. Presumably, they play an essential role during the therapeutic application of placental extract. Hopefully, this discovery will start a new era in the research and clinical application of organotherapeutic remedies, including placenta.

This study introduces an innovative integration of hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) and photonic crystals (PtCs), each possessing unique dispersion properties that effectively manipulate the propagation of light. We present a PtC waveguide consisting of arrays of HMM nanorods, denoted as HMM PtCs. This waveguide configuration enables the realization of a high figure of merit (FOM) nano-sensor. By modifying the refractive indices of the surrounding materials, the PtC waveguide exhibits alterations in absorption and transmission, allowing for the detection of temperature, pressure, and material variations. Numerical methods were employed to demonstrate the remarkable efficiency of this proposed system, achieving a sensitivity of 324.16 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) and an impressive FOM of 469.58 RIU−1. These results signify a substantial improvement over surface plasmonic sensors, which typically exhibit limited FOMs. As a consequence, the HMM PtC waveguide sensor emerges as an exceptionally appealing option for photonic sensing applications. The proposed HMM PtC waveguide holds vast potential across diverse fields, including biology, medicine, and clinics, representing an exciting advancement for both industry and scientific research.

Current spacecraft mass are mostly fuel, this is dictated by the lack of fueling stations in space and also by the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation which defines the mass ratio needed to escape earths gravity. The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation gives a relationship between the mass ratio and the final velocity in multiples of the exhaust speed, and dictates a high mass ration for current exhaust speeds. A relativistic motor exchanging momentum and energy with the electromagnetic field may mitigate such considerations, enabling efficient interplanetary travel. In this paper we will discuss the advantages and challenges of this novel mover for space transportation.

Advanced Nano structural hard coatings are thin materials films that range in thickness from a few nanometers to a few micrometers and are applied to different surfaces to increase their hardness and wear resistance. Physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods are frequently used to deposit these coatings. These coating’s distinctive characteristics result from their microstructure, which is made up of material columns or grains with a diameter of only a few nanometers. Increased hardness, higher wear resistance, and improved tribological properties result from these short dimensions. In applications with significant wear and/or high contact pressures, such as cutting tools, bearings, and engine parts, the usage of sophisticated Nano structural hard coatings is crucial. Advanced Nano structural hard coatings include, 1. Amorphous carbon coatings with high hardness, low friction, and exceptional wear resistance are known as diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. DLC coatings are frequently used in a variety of industries, including the automotive, aerospace, and biomedical ones. 2. Coatings made of titanium nitride (TiN): These metallic coatings have high hardness and wear resistance. Cutting tool, machining, and aerospace industries frequently use TiN coatings. 3. Chromium nitride (CrN) coatings: These coatings have great corrosion resistance, good wear resistance, and high hardness. Cutting tools, gears, and bearings are just a few of the objects that use CrN coatings. 4. Tungsten carbide (WC) coatings: These coatings, which have a high degree of hardness and wear resistance, are frequently employed in cutting tools and other applications that require wear resistance. Advanced Nano structural hard coatings provide many advantages over conventional coatings, including better hardness, increased wear resistance, and improved tribological qualities. The automotive, aerospace, and biomedical industries are just a few that could use these coatings. In this paper the author will explain about the design synthesis and applications of advanced Nano structural hard coating in aerospace and automotive applications.

Reaction of 2-mercapto-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one (MPQ) with both 4-vinyl benzyl chloride and allyl bromide furnished the reactive heterocyclic monomers 3-phenyl-2-((4-vinylbenzyl) thio) quinazolin-4(3H)-one (PVTQ) and 2-(allylthio)-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one (APQ), respectively. Copolymerization of PVTQ monomer with styrene and methyl methacrylate in the presence of 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) afforded the copolymers PS-co-PPVTQ and PMMA-co-PPVTQ, respectively. Similarly, copolymerization of monomer APQ with styrene and methyl methacrylate (MMA) afforded the copolymers PS-co-PAPQ and PMMA-co-PAPQ, respectively. The resulted copolymers were characterized by using FT-IR, 1H-NMR and GPC techniques. Silver nanocomposites of PS, PMMA, PS-co-PPVTQ, PMMA-co-PPVTQ, PS-co-PAPQ and PMMA-co-PAPQ were synthesized by the addition of silver nitrate into the polymer solution. The reduction of silver ions into silver nanoparticles was performed in DMF and water. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis was used to determine the thermal stability of the copolymers and their silver nanocomposites. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the amorphous structures of the co-polymers and confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles. The antitumor and antibacterial activities were screened for the copolymers and enhanced by the formation of their silver nanocomposites. In vivo antitumor activity in Ehrlich Ascitic Carcinoma (EAC) mice model showed that PS-co-PPVTQ/Ag NPs, PMMA-co-PPVTQ/Ag NPs, and PMMA-co-PAPQ/Ag NPs displayed promising inhibitory effects against EAC and induce apoptosis against MCF-7 cells.

Natural products endowed of biological activity represent a primary source of commodities ranging from nutrition to therapeutic agents, as well as cosmetic tools, and recreational principles. These natural means have been used by mankind since centuries if not millennia. They are commonly used all over the world and socio-economical contexts but are particularly attractive in disadvantaged area or economically emerging situations all over the world. This is very likely due to the relatively easy recovery of these bioactive principles from the environment, to the low if any cost as well as ease of administration and to the general popular compliance concerning their consumption/ingestion. In this concise review, we focus on some popular bioactive principles of botanical origin which find a wide use in the Madagascan populations. But, due to space limitations only some most common and largely diffused principles in this country are considered. Finally, a possible nanotechnological administration is discussed in the case where a potential therapeutic usage is envisaged.

Nowadays, we can observe a worldwide trend towards the development of synthetic biomaterials. Numerous researches have been carried out in order to better understand the cellular behavior involved in the inflammation and bone healing processes related to living tissues. The aim of this study is to evaluate the tissue behavior of two different types of biomaterials: synthetic nano-hydroxyapatite / beta-tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite in non-critical bone defects in rat calvaria. Twenty four rats underwent surgery in which two 3 mm defects in each cavity were performed. The rats were divided into 2 groups: Group 1, using xenogen hydroxyapatite (Bio oss ™); Group 2, using synthetic nano-hydroxyapatite / beta-tricalcium phosphate (Blue Bone ™). Sixty days after the surgery, the calvaria bone defect was filled with biomaterial, the animals were sacrificed and marked with Masson's trichrome and PAS staining, and immunohistochemistry (TNF-α, MMP-9) and electron microscopy analyzes were performed. Histomorphometric analysis indicates a greater presence in the protein matrix in Group 2, in addition to higher levels of TNF-α, MMP-9. The ultrastructural analysis shows an association of material with fibroblasts in the tissue regeneration stage. Paired statistical data indicates that Blue Bone ™ can improve bone formation / remodeling when compared to biomaterials of xenogenous origin.

A highly dirt resistant paint for building facades without chemicals harmful to nature and environment, is developed which resolves the unattractive disfigurement of building walls caused by dirt. The experimentation is scientifically and statistically planned with the aid of computer programming. It consists of a sequence of phases which include the selection of appropriate raw materials, adopting of Basic Language computer programming to generate a target population of paint formulations. The average PVC percentage is computed using theory and found to be 54.98% for the target population of 543143 paint formulations hence verifies the literature results. Experimentation and statistical analysis are performed to compare the classical conventional agitator with latest lab equipment like Nano mill and it is concluded that Nano mill performs better on the average than conventional agitator in preparation of paint formulations. Hence the sample of paint formulations is prepared on Nano mill and tested in laboratory using advanced available technology for the analysis and comparison of paint properties to determine the best paint formulation. The results are analyzed using Analysis Of Variance Technique (ANOVA) and it is concluded that the paint formulation named “O3” has the highest dirt resistance on the average. The final selected formula O3 is compared with three other competitor paints in market under natural environment for a period of almost one year. A regression model is also constructed to study the effect of environmental factors like time, temperature and humidity on dirt resistance of paints. It is found that O3 formulation is the best environment friendly which performs equally well with one competitor paint and has higher dirt resistance than two other competitor paint formulations containing harmful chemicals. The regression model of dirt resistance on variables including time, temperature and humidity shows that these factors are significantly affecting the dirt resistance of a given paint at 5% level of significance. 95.34% variation in the dirt resistance of a given paint is due to and explained by the given factors. The regression model is useful to predict the average dirt resistance of a given paint with a certain level of confidence. The project exemplifies the work of an applied research from conceptualization to successful commercialization for the paint industry.

In this work, pure TiO₂ and nano-magnetic of Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ were synthesized for degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2, 4-DCP) as an organic pollutant. A range of analytical techniques including XRD, DRS, FESEM, and VSM were employed to reveal the crystal structure, morphology and property of the nanocomposite. The XRD results showed the prepared samples including 100% anatase phase. We obtained the band gap energy 2.9 and 2.8 eV for pure TiO₂ and Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ respectively. VSM results demonstrate that easy, fast separation and redispersion of Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ sample can be realized. We obtained 62% and 31% degradation of 2,4-DCP in the presence of Fe₃O₄/TiO₂ and pure TiO₂ under visible light respectively.

A compact 2-DOF (two degrees of freedom) piezoelectric-driven platform for 3D cellular bio-assembly systems has been proposed based on “Z-shaped” flexure hinges. Multiple linear motions with high resolution both in x and y directions are achieved. The “Z-shaped” flexure hinges and the parallel-six-connecting-rods structure are utilized to obtain the lowest working stress while compared with other types of flexure hinges. In order to achieve the optimized structure, matrix-based compliance modeling (MCM) method and finite element method (FEM) are used to evaluate both the static and dynamic performances of the proposed 2-DOF piezoelectric-driven platform. Experimental results indicate that the maximum motion displacements for x stage and y stage are lx=17.65 μm and ly=15.45 μm, respectively. The step response time for x stage and y stage are tx=1.7 ms and ty =1.6 ms, respectively.

The present study aims at deposition of zinc phosphate coatings with the incorporation of nano Titanium dioxide particles by chemical phosphating method. Zinc phosphate coatings were developed on low carbon steel by using nano TiO2 in the standard phosphating bath. The Coated low carbon steel samples were assessed for corrosion studies using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarisation techniques in 3.5% NaCl solution. Chemical composition of the coatings was analysed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Significant variations in the coating weight, porosity and corrosion resistance were observed with the addition of nano TiO2 in the phosphating bath. Corrosion rate of nano TiO2 incorporated chemical phosphate coated samples was found to be 3.5 mpy which was 4 times less than the bare uncoated low carbon steel (~14 mpy). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies revels in the reduction of porosity in nano TiO2 phosphate coated samples. It was found that nano TiO2 particles in the phosphating solution yielded phosphate coatings of higher coating weight, greater surface coverage and enhanced corrosion resistance than the normal zinc phosphate coatings (developed using normal phosphating bath).

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can boost the pristine Raman signal by ~ 108 times that could be exploited for producing innovative sensing devices with advanced properties. However, the inherent complexity of SERS systems restricts their further applications in rapid detection, especially in situ detection in narrow aera. Here, we construct an efficient and flexible SERS-based LOP sensor by integrating Ag/Au nanocap arrays obtained by Ag/Au coating polystyrene nanospheres on the optical fiber face. We obtain rich “hotspots” at the nanogaps between neighboring nanocaps and further achieve the excellent SERS performance with the assistance of laser induced thermophoresis on the metal film that can achieve high efficiency aggregation of detected molecules. We achieve a high Raman enhancement with a low detection limitation of 10-7 mol/L for the most efficient samples based on the above sensor. This sensor also exhibits good repeatability and stability under multiple detections, revealing the potential application in situ detection based on the reflexivity of optical fiber.

In this work epitaxial Au islands have been grown on epitaxial α-Fe2O3 thin film by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO3(111) substrate. Both Au and α-Fe2O3 layer show an island-type growth with an average particle size of 40 and 62 nm, respectively. The crystallographic coupling of lattices is confirmed with a rotation of 30º between the in-plane crystallographic axes of α-Fe2O3(0001) structure and those of SrTiO3(111) substrate and between the in-plane crystallographic axes of Au(111) and those of α-Fe2O3(0001) structure. α-Fe2O3 is the only phase of iron oxide identified before and after its functionalization with Au nanoparticles. In addition, its structural character-istics are also preserved after Au deposition, with minor changes at short-range order. The func-tional character of the complex systems as gas sensor has been proven at room temperature. Con-ductance measurements of Au(111)/α-Fe2O3(0001)/ SrTiO3(111) system show that the incorpora-tion of Au islands on top of the α-Fe2O3(0001) layer induces an enhancement of the gas-sensing ac-tivity for CO and CH4 gas in comparison to a bare α-Fe2O3(0001) layer grown on SrTiO3(111).

One of the most important objectives of the studies worldwide is to improve the performance of automotive engines to reduce fuel consumption and environmental pollution. Accordingly, the principal motivation of this research study is improving the tribological behavior of the piston ring/cylinder liner interfaces as a promising and straightforward approach in automotive fuel economy and increasing engine durability using Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ nanomaterials as smart nano-lubricant additives that adapted to different operating conditions by replenishing mechanisms anti-friction and anti-wear in automotive engines.

In this study, the impact of the addition of high-aspect-ratio nano-ettringite to photocurable epoxy acrylate resin was explored, with a specific focus on the changes observed in viscosity, shrinkage, tensile strength, and elongation at the break of composites formed. Herein, the nano-ettringite samples were modified using KH-570. The 3 wt% or 6 wt% KH-570-modified and unmodified nano-ettringite were dispersed into the resin by ultrasonic treatment in conjunction with mechanical stirring. The grafting effects of nano-ettringite onto KH-570 were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results demonstrate that increased dosages of unmodified and modified nano-ettringite led to increased viscosity of the composite while reducing shrinkage. At the same dosage, the photocurable resin with modified nano-ettringite demonstrated a lower shrinkage and a higher tensile strength. Notably, when the amount of modified nano-ettringite was 3 wt%, the highest tensile strength of the composite was 64.61 MPa, presenting a 72.57% increase compared to the blank sample. Furthermore, the incorporation of modified nano-ettringite as a filler provides a new perspective for improving the performance of photocurable epoxy acrylate resin composites.

A new method is proposed for performance assessment of lubricating compositions based on industrial lubricants that contain nano-additives of different chemical composition for higher wear resistance of heavy-loaded steel friction pairs. The method is based on the joint analysis of the experimental data on the wear kinetics, change of the relative hardness, and damage in the surface layers of the metal of friction pairs. The level of structural damage to the materials in the contact zone is determined by using the statistical parameters of dispersion of the hardness values. The paper investigates the known experimental results of assessment of the level of damage to structural materials of various grades under the conditions of long-term, cyclic, static loading, and lubricated friction. It is demonstrated that the structural changes occurring in the materials during loading correlate to the changes in the statistical dispersion characteristics of hardness measurement results. Experimental substantiation of the method is carried out for steel friction pairs using lubricating compositions based on industrial oil Greaseline Lithium BIO Rail 000 by AIMOL and nano-additives of copper of M2 grade, magnesium alloy of MA2 grade, aluminum alloy of Al-Mg system, graphite of medium carbon steel grades, i.e. rail and industrial. Under system of indicators presented in the paper, the highest efficiency in terms of increase in the wear resistance of steel friction pairs is demonstrated by the lubricating composition based on industrial lubricant with the additive of nano-powder made of rail steel, as it provided the optimum value of friction coefficient, minimum damage and wear of friction surface.

Both the use of plastic and its decomposition products lead to the distribution of plastic all over the earth and finally to the uptake by all kind of living beings including humans. Still, it is widely unknown what risks harbor the widespread uptake of plastics for human health, espe-cially regarding contributing factors like size, shape and surface composition. We assessed the uptake of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-nano- and microbeads for HEK293-, A549- and MRC5 cells. Via confocal microscopy, we localized multiple PMMA-beads inside the cytosol of cells. Uptake of PMMA-beads did not alter cell growth and cell division, implying no short-term toxicity towards human cells. Further, we used a cAMP response element binding protein (CREB)-mediated reporter assay to assess whether internalized PMMA-nanobeads alter cell-signaling pathways. In contrast to the in vitro transcription, where the addition of PMMA-nanobeads abolished the transcription, no changes regarding CREB-mediated cell sig-naling are given in HEK293-cells. Our data led to the assumption that PMMA-nano-and mi-crobeads are internalized via endocytosis and end up as lysosomes within the cells cytosol. Therefore, we concluded differences regarding the surface composition of the PMMA-nanobeads mainly affect its potential to alter cell signaling. These findings emphasize the key role the sur-face composition plays regarding microplastic and its risks for human health.

Some of Iran's gas resources are known as sour gas because one of the major by-products of this gas is water. In fact, natural gas is combined with water vapor in underground reservoirs. In some areas, the amount of water vapor in natural gas is so high that it can be used as a source of drinking water. However, it should be noted that water vapor in natural gas may exacerbate corrosion in pipes and industrial equipment, and the combustion of more natural gas produces high temperatures that can lead to the production of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which They are the cause of air pollution. This is while the processed gas has a standard percentage composition in which the amount of water has the lowest position. The removal of moisture from natural gas is due to the need to prevent the reduction of the calorific value of the gas and also to purify the gas in order to achieve the necessary standards for delivering gas to petrochemicals, industries and domestic uses. The main goal of this research is to investigate the influencing parameters on zeolite TiO2 nanocomposite membranes in order to absorb moisture from gas. For this reason, with the construction of a TiZ-V membrane as a standard membrane, the result of the initial evaluation of a suitable membrane for gas dehumidification was made, and this membrane was placed as a standard for measuring the effect of the manufacturing parameters in a way that in each stage of membrane construction It was found that it was different from standard TiZ-V membrane only in terms of one parameter. This type of investigation made it possible to determine the effect of various effective parameters in membrane construction on efficiency. The findings showed that increasing the concentration of SiO2 has the greatest effect on increasing the water flux of the membrane. According to the other findings of this study, the effect of increasing the reaction time of the vapor phase carrier has been to reduce the process of paternity selectivity loss at higher pressures. Although due to the safety limitation of the equipment to measure the efficiency of the membrane at pressures higher than 7 bar, this measurement was not carried out, but charts were presented regarding the state of the water in the water, which were a measure of the superiority of the water in the water in comparison to the gas in the water, which is the higher water in the water It is an indicator of the appropriateness of the membrane's efficiency at its corresponding pressure, so that the examination of the difference between these two graphs shows the possibility of using the membrane at higher pressures

Magnesium ions play an important immune-regulatory role during bone repair. For this study, we prepared micro-nano bioactive glass containing magnesium, which can release magnesium, silicon, and calcium ions and has a positive impact on osteogenic differentiation and vascular regeneration. In this study, MgMNBG was compounded and combined with PLGA and PCL for 3D printing. Afterwards, the physicochemical properties and bone repair performance of the scaffolds were evaluated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. We also investigated the effects of MgMNBG on osteogenic differentiation, immune regulation, and vascular regeneration. The results showed that MgMNBG can inhibit inflammation and promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis by regulating macrophages. PLGA/PCL/MgMNBG scaffolds have good osteogenic and angiogenic effects, and the composite scaffolds have excellent bone repair performance and potential application value.

Nanomaterials exhibit novel properties and profound attributes as an additive in asphalt binder modification. However, the application of nano-silica in asphalt binders and mixture modification is still limited and further research is required. Along these lines, in this work, nano-silica with a content from 2% to 8% and an increment of 2% were utilized in modifying the bitumen binder type C320, which is considered the most conventional type of bitumen used in Western Australia road asphalt mixtures. Various tests were performed to assess their properties including dynamic shear rheometer, penetration, softening point, and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) test. The extracted results revealed an increase in the strength and stiffness properties by lowering the penetration, improving the softening point, and increasing the complex shear modulus of all nano-silica modified bitumen samples. Interestingly, a relatively big content of nano-silica leads to a higher rutting resistance. Nevertheless, the rutting resistance was affected by the size of the nano-silica coated with the silane coupling agent. The ideal sample of nano-silica modified C320 was determined as NS-15nm (NS-A), which can improve the rutting resistance. Nevertheless, the rutting resistance of the modified asphalt mixtures needs to be further investigated in the future to elaborate on the impact of nano-silica as modified binders on the mechanical properties of Australian asphalt mixtures.

In the current study nanocellulose was isolated from walnut shell using mechanical and chemical methods. This study highlights the particle size, morphology and these methods’ efficiency in nano structure extraction. The difference between morphology and size of the particles (of the both extracted methods) were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Walnut shell is an agro-waste material with source of lignin and cellulose. Ball mill-ing with different times, in the presence and absence of additive and acid hydrolysis were used as mechanical and chemical methods, respectively. The result showed mechanical method is unable to extract nanoparticle and just reshape the walnut shell. Milling time were also found important in morphology of fiber extracted. FE-SEM images represented that structure mean diameter of using ball mill was 1± 5 μm while hydrolysis acid method extract nano particle with mean diameter of 40± 20 nm.

In this study, grit blasting pretreatment was used to improve the adhesion and corrosion resistance and microhardness of Ni-W/SiC nanocomposite coatings fabricated using conventional electrodeposition technique. Prior to deposition, grit blasting and polishing (more commonly used) pretreatment were used to prepare the surface of the substrate and the 3D morphology of the pretreated substrates was characterized using laser scanning confocal microscopy. The coatings surface and the cross section morphology were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The chemical composition, crystalline structure, microhardness, adhesion, and the corrosion behavior of the deposited coatings were characterized using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tester, scratch tester and electrochemical workstation, respectively. The results indicated that the grit blasting and SiC addition, improved the microhardness, adhesion and corrosion resistance. The Ni-W-SiC nanocomposites pretreated by grit blasting exhibited the best adhesion strength, up to 36.5 ± 0.75 N. Its hardness was the highest and increased up to 673 ± 5.47Hv and its corrosion resistance was the highest compared to the one pretreated by polishing.

The present study examines the effect of SiO2 nano-additives on the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with soybean biodiesel. Soybean biofuel was prepared using the transesterification process. Nano-additives characterisations were done using different tests such as FESEM, XRD, EDS, etc., to study the morphology of nano-additives. For proper blending of nano-additives with biodiesel, the ultrasonication process was used. Surfactant was used for the stabilisation of nano-additives. After making all the combinations of nano fuel blends, physicochemical properties were measured as per ASTM standards. Performance and emissions readings were taken at different load conditions. It was found that with the addition of SiO2 nano-additives, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was increased by 3.48-6.39% and 5.81-9.88%, respectively. Significant reduction of CO, CO2, NOx, and smoke emissions were also observed compared to baseline fule due to better combustion efficiency with the use of SiO2 nano-additive.

The evolution of metals micro/nano-structure upon severe plastic deformation (SPD) is still far to be theoretically explained, while experimental datasets are persistently growing for several decades. Major problem associated with understanding of SPD is related to a fact that the latter is a synergetic product of several competing physical effects which alter the material micro/nano-structure. In attempt to find deformational boundaries, where predominantly one mechanism determines the micro/nano-structure, in this paper we propose a continuous piecewise model for the analysis of experiments on material hardness vs strain of SPD processed materials. The novelty of this approach lies in its ability to find, as free-fitting parameters, the strain breakpoints which separate different micro/nano-structure modes generated upon SPD process. The model is applied to analyse experimental data for polycrystalline samples of pure iron and two distinctive strain breakpoints are revealed with good accuracies. This finding is in a good agreement with our earlier results on TEM microscopy studies on pure iron polycrystals after SPD treatment.

A gold(I) complex with a triphenylphosphine and a monodentate N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamate ligand was synthesized and characterized by Raman spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. DFT calculations (Gaussian 09, PBE1PBE/Lanl2dz) were undertaken for a single complex in the gas-phase. The DFT-optimized structure is in good agreement with the crystal structure and the DFT-calculated Raman spectrum also is in excellent agreement with the experimental spectrum. Assignments of the Raman peaks are based on these DFT calculations. Frontier molecular orbitals were calculated and their nature is discussed.

In this work, nanocomposite photoelectrodes of the TiO2/ Au composition were manufactured, in which the size of plasmonic Au nanoparticles was varied, and the morphology of the TiO2 layer, depending on the thickness, changed from an island to a continuous layer. The influence of the morphology of plasmonic Au nanoparticles and the TiO2 layer on the optical and photoelectrochemical characteristics of hybrid photoelectrodes was studied. It has been shown that continuous coating of Au nanoparticles with a TiO2 layer (layer thickness 10 and 15 nm) leads to a decrease in the photoelectric response, and the decrease in photocurrent density and photoconversion efficiency decreases in proportion to the thickness of the TiO2 layer. The indicated drop in characteristics when plasmonic particles are located under the TiO2 layer is presumably associated with the scattering and recombination of charge carriers in the semiconductor layer. The best performance was shown by a system in which large Au nanoparticles (10 nm) are coated with a 5 nm thick layer of titanium dioxide; in this geometry, Au nanoparticles are decorated with TiO2 nanoparticles, as a result of which the photoelectrode-electrolyte interface has a more complex structure.

To enhance the mechanical properties (i.e. strength and elongation) of the face-centered cubic (fcc) α-phase in the Au-Cu-Al system, this study focused on the introduction of the martensite phase (doubled B19 (DB19) crystal structure of Au2CuAl) via the manipulation of alloy compositions. Fundamental evaluations, such as microstructure observations, phase identifications, thermal analysis, tensile behavior examinations, and reflectance analysis have been conducted. The presence of fcc annealing twins was both observed in the optical microscope (OM) and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Both the strength and elongation of the alloys were greatly promoted while the DB19 martensite phase was introduced into the alloys. Amongst all the prepared specimens, the 47Au41Cu12Al and the 44Au44Cu12Al alloys performed the optimized mechanical properties. The enhancement of strength and ductility in these 2 alloys was achieved while the stress plateau was observed during the tensile deformation. A plot of the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) against fracture strain was constructed to illustrate the effects of the introduction of the DB19 martensite phase on the mechanical properties of the alloys. Regardless of the manipulation of the alloy compositions and the introduction of the DB19 martensite phase, the reflectance stayed almost identical to pure Au.

The recovery of precious metals is a project with both economic and environmental significance. In this paper, it presents how to use bacterial mineralization to selectively recover gold from multi-ionic aqueous systems. The Bacillus licheniformis FZUL-63, separated from a landscape lake in FuZhou University, was shown to selectively mineralize and precipitate gold from coexisting ions in aqueous solution. The removal of Au(III) was almost happened in first hour, and FTIR data show that the amino, carboxyl and phosphate groups on the surface of the bacteria are related to the adsorption of gold ions. XPS results implied that Au(III) ions are reduced to monovalent, and then the Au(I) was adsorbed on the bacterial surface at the beginning stage(first hour). XRD results showed the gold biomineralization began about 10 hours after the interaction between Au(III) ions and bacteria. The Au(III) mineralization has been rarely influenced by other co-existing metal ions. TEM analysis shows the gold nanoparticles are polyhedral structure with a particle size of ~20 nm. The Bacillus licheniformis FZUL-63 could selectively mineralize and recover 478 mg/g(dry biomass) gold from aqua regia-based metal wastewater through four cycles. It could be of great potential in the practical application.

Plastic contamination of small dimensions (

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has revolutionized the field of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by offering hope to individuals and couples struggling with infertility. Nevertheless, traditional IVF methods are not exempt from drawbacks, such as suboptimal success rates, intrusive procedures, and ethical considerations. The introduction of micro/nanorobotics in IVF offers a revolutionary chance to tackle these difficulties. This paper presents a short review of the utilization of micro/nanorobotics in IVF, investigating progress in the manipulation of sperm, retrieval of oocytes, culture of embryos, and potential future developments in this fast progressing area. In this discussion, we explore the fundamental concepts, advantages, difficulties, and possible influence of micro/nanorobotics in transforming IVF processes and enhancing patient outcomes.

This study describes the synthesis, and characterization of lead-free organic ferroelectric perovskite N-methyl-N’-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octonium)-ammonium trichloride (MDABCO-NH4Cl3). The electrospinning technique was employed to obtain nanofibers embedded with this perovskite into PVC polymer for hybrid fiber production. The dielectric, piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of these fibers were carefully examined. From measurements of the dielectric permittivity temperature and frequency dependence, together with the pyroelectric results, a transition from a high temperature paraelectric to a ferroelectric phase that remained down to room temperature, was found to occur at 438 K. A pyroelectric coefficient as high as 290 C K-1 m-2value obtained is within the same order of magnitude as that reported for MDABCO-NH4I3 and the semiorganic ferroelectric triglycine sulfate (TGS). The hybrid nanofibers exhibited good morphological characteristics and demonstrated very good piezoelectric properties. Specifically, a piezoelectric coefficient of 42 pC/N was obtained when a periodical force of 3 N was applied. The performance of these fibers is on par with materials discussed in the existing literature for fabrication of nano energy harvesting generators. Importantly, the perovskite nanocrystals within the fibers not harmed by oxidation, making them a promising environmentally friendly platform for flexible energy harvesting.

In order to investigate both the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the impacts of organic selenium and nano-selenium on drought stress of Pak Choi (Brassica chinensis var. pekinensis. cv. ‘Suzhouqing’), we measured photosynthetic pigment, antioxidant, nutritional quality, and performed transcriptome sequencing of leaves using RNA-seq technology. Under drought conditions, the beneficial effects of organic selenium and nano-selenium on weight and quality of ‘Suzhouqing’ were primarily manifested in the following aspects. Firstly, there was an enhancement in photosynthetic capacity through upregulation of light-trapping pigment proteins: Lhca1, Lhca2, Lhca3, Lhca4, Lhcb1, Lhcb2, Lhcb3, Lhcb4 and Lhcb5. Secondly, effective regulation of reactive oxygen species homeostasis was achieved by activating the antioxidant system via up-regulation of glutathione S-transferase. Thirdly, water homeostasis was maintained through glutathione oxidase activity. Lastly, increased expression levels of ABC transporter, adenylate kinase and cysteine desulphurase contributed to elevated total selenium content. In addition, we screened hub core genes related to the above key metabolic pathways through Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis. Since the results were consistent with the up-regulated genes identified in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway of differentially expressed genes by transcriptome sequencing analysis, this confirms the accuracy and reliability of the transcriptome sequencing data.

Plastic poses a significant threat to the environment, polluting land, water, and air. It is a broad term encompassing a variety of polymers. In the form of microplastics and nanoplastics, it can induce toxicity in water bodies. Plastic debris not only physically pollutes freshwater, but also chemically, undergoing changes over time due to hydroclimatic effects. Rivers serve as conduits, transporting plastics from minor tributaries to major rivers and ultimately into the ocean, endangering marine life. India, as a developing country with the largest population and numerous rivers, generates a significant amount of plastic waste, a substantial portion of which finds its way into rivers, leading to alarming rates of plastic accumulation in the ocean. Previously, policymakers focused primarily on landfills for plastic waste, neglecting the pollution of water bodies. The consequences of this neglect are evident, with major rivers in the country severely affected by plastic waste, necessitating advanced, efficient, and sustainable solutions. This study aims to establish a comprehensive framework for managing plastic waste, understanding its transport mechanisms to the ocean, and recognizing the threats it poses to life. It also expounds on harmful plastic pollutants in water, globally adopted technologies, and emphasizes the need for further research and data collection in this field. The primary concluding point is to prevent plastics from entering waterways and to actively collect river and marine plastic pollution. Banning single-use plastics and implementing efficient collection methods are crucial in containing plastic pollution. Effluents from industries should not be overlooked, as they often contain harmful micro and nanoplastics with ecotoxicological effects. The innovative concept of the "4Rs" - Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle - stands as the cornerstone for safeguarding the environment against plastic pollution.

Background: Implant surface topography is a key element in achieving osseointegration. Nanostructured surfaces have shown promising results in accelerating and improving bone healing around dental implants. The main objective of the present clinical and histological study is to compare, at 4 and 6 weeks, (w) bone-to-implant contact in implants having either machined surface (MAC), SLA medium roughness surface or a Nanostructured Calcium-Incorporated sur-face (XPEED®). Methods: 35 mini-implants with 3 different surface treatments (XPEED® (n=16) – SLA (n=13) – Machined (n=6), were placed in the posterior maxilla of 11 patients then, retrieved at either 4 or 6w in a randomized split-mouth study design. Results: The BIC rate measured at 4 and 6w respectively, was: 16.8 % (±5.0) and 29.0 % (±3.1) for MAC surface; 18.5 % (±2.3) and 33.7 % (±3.3) for SLA surface; 22.4 % (±1.3) and 38.6 % (±3.2) for XPEED® surface. In all types of in-vestigated surfaces, the time factor appeared to significantly increase the BIC rate (p < .05). XPEED® surface showed a significantly higher values when compared to both SLA and MAC values at 4w (p < .05). Also, at 6w, both roughened surfaces (SLA and XPEED® ) showed signifi-cantly higher values (p < .05) than turned surface (MAC). Conclusion: Nanostructured Calcium titanate coating is able to enhance bone deposition around implants at early healing stages.

Presently, nano-crystallization is widely accepted for increasing the solubility and biological barrier permeability of poorly soluble drugs. It improves the bioavailability of therapeutic agents, increasing the effectiveness for treating diseased conditions, and could be safely administered by oral, parenteral, or transdermal routes. Drug nanocrystals are drug particles coated with a thin polymer layer to enhance their stability and could be decorated with ligands for active targeting. In addition, nanocrystals, due to their morphological properties, improve cell internalization. Therefore, passive targeting by high cellular uptake and retention in the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) may be expected. Drug nanocrystals are formulated by either top-down or bottom-up methods and could be scaled up for industrial manufacturing. In the past few decades, nanocrystal formulation has been increasingly studied to overcome the limitations of BCS Class II and IV chemotherapeutic agents. The study of cytotoxic effects of drug formulation on cell lines gives an insight for estimating its in-vivo biodistribution. This review highlights the role of morphology, stabilizer, and ligand conjugation on drug targeting and cellular uptake in cancer cells, as well as a brief discussion on nanocrystal production.

Graphene-oxide (G) was prepared by the Hummers’ method. A G-COOH layer was synthesised using chloroacetic acid and G. To fabricate carboxylated graphene-RuO2 (G-COORu) nano¬¬-composites, RuO2 nano particles were grown on graphene layers using a one-step thermal method, -COOH(G-COOH), and RuCl3. All materials were characterised using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance as well as X-ray photoelectron, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman. The electrochemical characteristics of the G-COORu supercapacitors were analysed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, constant current charge–discharge tests, and Nyquist impedance plots. The supercapacitors exhibit a specific capacitance of ~125 F g-1 at 100 mA cm-2 within the potential range of 0–1.0 V. The method used here provides a simple approach for the deposition of RuO2 nano particles on graphene layers and can be widened to the fabrication of other classes of hybrids based on G layers for specific technical applications.

The potential agricultural use of metal nanoparticles (NPs) for slow-release micronutrient fertilizers is beginning to be investigated by both industry and regulatory agencies. However, the impact of such NPs on soil biogeochemical cycles is not clearly understood. In this study, impacts of a commercially-available copper NPs on the soil nitrification kinetics was investigated via batch experiments. The X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy analysis showed that the NPs readily oxidized to Cu(II) and strongly retained in soils with minimum dissolution (<1% of total mass). The Cu2+ (aq) at 1mg/L showed the beneficial effect on the nitrification, an increase in the rate of nitrification kinetics (Vmax). However Vmax was negatively impacted by ionic Cu at 10-100mg/L and CuNP at 1-100 mg/L. The trace metal toxicity of soil nitrifiers seems to be critical in the soil nitrification processes. Among CuNPs, the suppressed nitrification kinetics was concentration dependent at >10mg/L. The reaction products of surface oxidation such as the release of ionic Cu seem to play an important role in suppressing the nitrification process. Considering the potential use of copper NPs as a slow-release micronutrient fertilizer, further studies are needed in heterogeneous soil systems.

The impact of nanomaterials on lung fluids or on the plasma membrane of living cells has prompted researchers to examine the interactions between nanoparticles and lipid vesicles. Recent studies have shown that nanoparticle-lipid interaction leads to a broad range of structures including supported lipid bilayers (SLB), particles adsorbed at the surface or internalized inside vesicles, and mixed aggregates. Today, there is a need to have simple protocols that can readily assess the nature of structures obtained from particles and vesicles. Here we apply the method of continuous variation for measuring Job scattering plots and provide analytical expressions for the scattering intensity in various scenarios. The result that emerges from the comparison between modeling and experimental measurements is that electrostatics plays a key role in the association, but it is not sufficient to induce the formation of supported lipid bilayers.

A series of Eu³⁺ doped CaSiO₃/SiO₂ nano-phosphor powder of controlled grain size, crystalline structure, and chemical composition were synthesized using the microemulsion technique. XRD profiles of samples sintered over 600 of suggested phase shift from amorphous powder grain to more ordered polycrystalline powder of triclinic type wollastonite, CaSiO₃, with preferred crystal phase orientation of (112) and tetragonal type cristobalites of SiO₂. The grain size, crystallinity, and chemical composition of the host matrix, activator and sensitizer strongly affected both the absorption and emission bands of these samples. The amplitude of both the orange and red emission bands significantly increased with sintering temperature. The emission band is red-shifted with decreasing grain sizes. These bands displayed good sensitivity to ionic concentration of the Si⁴⁺, Ca²⁺, and Eu³⁺. With increasing Ca²⁺ ion concentration both the intensity of the red photoluminescence (PL) band increased and a concentration quenching observed. Increase in Si⁴⁺ ion concentration led to quenching in PL intensity of both the orange and red bands whereas the amplitude of the blue-band slightly increased. With increasing Eu³⁺ ion concentration the red-band initially increased whereas it started decreasing at higher sample concentration. In the presence of Ca²⁺ ion as a sensitizer, the sample showed a remarkable PL property—including—about 100% photon conversion efficiency and a two-fold increase in excitation and emission photons.

Herein, we evaluated the electrophoretic deposition of nanohydroxyapatite/superhydrophilic multiwalled carbon nanotube composites (nHAp/MWCNT) onto stainless steel biomedical alloys for applications in bone tissue engineering. First, nHAp/MWCNT composites were dispersed into 0.042 mol L⁻¹ of Ca(NO₃)₂·4H₂O + 0.025 mol L⁻¹ NH₄H₂PO₄ electrolytes (pH = 4.8) at two different concentrations. Next, a voltage of −2 V was applied using 316L stainless steel as a working electrode and (0.27 cm²), a high-purity platinum coil wire as the auxiliary electrode, and an Ag/AgCl(3 M) electrode was used as the reference electrode. The nHAp/MWCNT composites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The deposited nHAp and nHAp/MWCNT films were characterized by profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, X-Ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy. Human osteoblast cells were cultivated with the different materials, and in vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The osteogenesis process was evaluated by mRNA levels of the three genes that are directly related to bone repair: Alkaline Phosphatase, Osteopontin and Osteocalcin. We showed that rough, crystalline apatite thin films containing phases of nHAp were successfully deposited onto 316L stainless steel alloys. Also, we noticed that nHAp/MWCNT thin films deposited onto 316L stainless steel alloys upregulated the expression of important genes related to bone mineralization and maturation. Our results strongly support the possibility of this new alternative to modify the surface of metallic biomedical alloys to promote bone tissue regeneration.

Hot rolling tests of a low-alloy steel were conducted at a rolling temperature of 850 ℃ under different lubrication conditions, including benchmarks (dry condition and water) and water-based nanolubricants containing different concentrations of nano-TiO₂ from 1.0 to 8.0 wt%. The effects of nanolubricants on rolling force, surface roughness, thickness of oxide scale and microstructure were systematically investigated through varying nano-TiO₂ concentrations. The results show that the application of nanolubricants can decrease the rolling force, surface roughness and oxide scale thickness of rolled steels, and refine ferrite grains. In particular, the nanolubricant containing an optimal concentration (4.0 wt%) of nano-TiO₂ demonstrates the best lubrication performance, owing to the synergistic effect of lubricating film, rolling, polishing and mending generated by nano-TiO₂.

The introduction of any new disruptive technology in a traditionally well-established industry, such as the road construction industry, is usually associated with considerable resistance. This is especially relevant when the new technology is based on the use of granular materials traditionally considered to be of an unacceptable quality in combination with relatively new concepts such as New-age (Nano) Modified Emulsions (NME). In such cases, the fact that the material design methods are based on fundamental scientific principles and have been proven in laboratories and through Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT), may be of little influence. However, the general acceptance of new disruptive technologies, e.g. telecommunications and Information Technologies (IT), have been based on the considerable advantages it presented. The same principles are applicable to the general acceptance and use of NME stabilisation/enhancement of materials in the road construction industry. This article is aimed at the practical cost-effective demonstration of the general application of the use of nanos-silane modified emulsions in the construction of the highest order roads, i.e. inter-city multi-lane highways, lower order roads (including Low-Volume-Roads (LVR)) and even local accesses to farms and in villages/townships. The implementation of NME technologies is directly associated with ease of use, time and cost savings and the addressing and reduction of risks applicable to the use thereof.

In this computational study, we investigate the electronic properties of zigzag graphene nano-parallelograms (GNPs), which are parallelogram-shaped graphene nanoribbons of various widths and lengths, using thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory (TAO-DFT). Our calculations reveal a monotonic decrease in the singlet-triplet energy gap as the GNP length increases. The GNPs possess singlet ground states for all the cases examined. With the increase of GNP length, the vertical ionization potential and fundamental gap decrease monotonically, while the vertical electron affinity increases monotonically. Besides, as the GNP length increases, the symmetrized von Neumann entropy increases monotonically, denoting an increase in the degree of multi-reference character associated with ground-state GNPs. The occupation numbers and real-space representation of active orbitals indicate that there is a transition from the nonradical nature of the shorter GNPs to the increasing polyradical nature of the longer GNPs. In addition, the edge/corner localization of active orbitals is found for the wider and longer GNPs.

Anthocyanins (ACNs) have attracted considerable attention for their potential to modulate the immune system. Research has revealed their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which play a crucial role in immune regulation by influencing key immune cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Moreover, ACNs contribute to maintaining a balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, thus promoting immune health. Beyond their direct effects on immune cells, ACNs significantly impact gut health and the microbiota, essential factors in immune regulation. Emerging evidence suggests that they positively influence the composition of the gut microbiome that enhance the immunomodulatory effects of ACNs. Furthermore, these compounds synergize with other bioactive substances, such as vitamins and minerals, further enhancing their potential as immune-supporting dietary supplements. However, detailed clinical studies must fully validate these findings and determine safe dosages for different populations. Incorporating these natural compounds into functional foods or supplements can revolutionize the management of immune-related conditions. Personalized nutrition and healthcare strategies can be developed to enhance overall well-being and immune resilience by fully understanding the mechanisms underlying their actions. Recent advancements in delivery methods have focused on improving the bioavailability and effectiveness of ACNs, providing promising avenues for future applications.

In the field of clinical medicine, the real-time monitoring of carbon dioxide gas exhaled by the human body is of great significance. At present, the detection devices in the market are mainly detected by sucking a small amount of gas in the nasal cavity to the detection device, and there are some problems such as too long sampling tubes, easy blockage or distortion, and abnormal gas dispersion. In this paper, a micro-nano optical fiber sensor that can directly detect the concentration of end-tidal carbon dioxide is proposed. The measurement is achieved by using the principle of high evanescent field absorption, and the operating band is 2.004 μm. The sensor uses micro-nano optical fiber as the sensing area, and then detects the presence of carbon dioxide gas exhaled by human body through optical power attenuation. The function of micro-nano fiber is to realize the transmission of signal light and also serve as the absorption medium of the gas to be measured. In addition, the variation of light power also reflects the respiratory cycle of the human body. The sensor can realize rapid real-time response to carbon dioxide gas detection, with small size, low cost, and easy to replace. It has great application potential in clinical scenarios such as Gastrointestinal Endoscopes that require real-time monitoring of human respiration.

In order to effectively utilize red mud, an aluminum industrial waste, the stabilized soil material was developed using nano-SiO2 synergistically modified red mud, and the strength characteristics of the stabilized soil were analyzed to clarify the feasibility of such stabilized soil serves as a road base material. Through different combination schemes, the effects of different nano-SiO2 and cement contents on the strength of the stabilized materials were explored. The test results show that: in the synergistic modification of nano-SiO2 and cement, nano-SiO2 can significantly improve the early unconfined compressive strength of red mud-based stabilized soil; in the synergistic modification of nano-SiO2, gypsum and cement, the 7-d unconfined compressive strength of red mud-based stabilized soil is greater than 2 MPa, which meets the strength requirements of road base materials and shows the superiority of synergism. The nominal stress-strain curves are divided into five stages: compressed and compacted stage, elastic deformation stage, plastic deformation stage, damage deformation stage and residual deformation stage. The macroscopic compressive damage pattern of the specimens shows that the modified red mud-based stabilized soil mostly exhibits brittle damage.

In order to effectively utilize red mud and reduce its occupation of land resources as well as its impact on the environment, experiments were conducted to develop stabilized soil materials using nano-SiO2 synergistically modified red mud and to investigate the curing mechanism of stabilized soil. The unconfined compressive strength, microscopic morphology and curing mechanism of the red mud-based stabilized soil materials with different amounts of modified materials were investigated. The test results show that after 7-days curing, the unconfined compressive strength of red mud-based stabilized soil meets the compressive strength requirement of road base material when nano-SiO2, gypsum and cement are synergistically modified. In such case, the soil structure has the lowest fracture rate and the best structural compactness when the amount of nano-SiO2 is 1%; It is found that the needle-like and columnar calcium alumina in the modified red mud-based stabilized soil increases, and the binding energy of hydration product ions in the modified material is improved; The chemical curing mechanism of modified red mud-based stabilized soil includes hydration reaction, volcanic ash reaction, promotion effect of nano-SiO2, and enhancement effect of gypsum. On this base, a model of early start hydration process of red mud-based stabilized soil promoted by nano-SiO2 is established.

In recent years, graphene has received so much attention because of its superlative properties and its potential to revolutionize electronics especially in VLSI. This study analyzes the effect of single event upset (SEU) in SRAM cell which employs metal-oxide semiconductor type graphene nano-ribbon field effect transistor (MOS-GNRFET) and compares the results respectively with another SRAM cell designed in PTM 10nm FinFET node. Our simulation show there is a change in data stored in the SRAM after heavy ion strike. However, it recovers from radiation effects after 0.46 ns for GNRFET and 0.51 ns for FinFET. Since the degradation observed in Q and Qb of GNRFET SRAM are 2.7X and 2.16X as compared to PTM nano-MOSFET, we can conclude that GNRFET is less robust to single effect upset. In addition, the stability of SRAM can be improved by increasing the supply voltage VDD.

Lipid nanoparticles have an interesting part of drug delivery system. In this study, the modification of the convention nano-lipid based soybean lecithin was demonstrated. Ginger oil derived Zingiber officinale was used along with lecithin, cholesterol and span 80 to fabricate nano-lipid (GL nano-lipid) using thin-film method. Through TEM and confocal microscope, GL nano-lipid exposes the liposome- like morphology. The average size of the resultant nanoparticles was 249.1nm with monodistribution (PDI= 0.021). The ζ-potential of GL nano-lipid was negative as similar to as prepared nano-lipid based lecithin. GL nano-lipid express the highly stable over 60 days of storage at room temperature in term of size, ζ-potential. A shift of pH value from alkaline to acid was detected in lecithin nano-lipid, while with the incorporation of ginger oil, pH value of nano-lipid dispersion was around 7.0. Furthermore, due to the rich of shogaol-6 and other active compounds in ginger oil, the GL nano-lipid is endowed with intrinsic antibacterial feature. In addition, the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and live/dead imaging revealed the excellent biocompatibility of GL nano-lipid. Notably, GL nano-lipid was capable to carry the hydrophobic agents as curcumin and perform a pH-dependent release profile. A subsequent characterization are a suitable potential for drug delivery system.

A novel drive current model covering the effects of source/drain voltage (VDS) and gate voltage (VGS) and incorporating drift and diffusion current on the surface channel at the nano-node level, especially beyond 28nm node is presented. The effect of the diffusion current added is more satisfactory to describe the behavior of the drive current in nano-node MOSFETs, fabricated with the atomic-layer-deposition (ALD) technology. This breakthrough in model establishment can expose the long and short channel devices together. Introducing the variables of VDS and VGS, the mixed current model more effectively and meaningfully demonstrates the drive current of MOSFETs under the operation of horizontal, vertical, or mixed electrical field. In comparison between the simulation and experimental consequences, the electrical performance is impressive. The error between both is less than 1%, better than the empirical adjustment to issue a set of drive current models.

In this paper, the far field and near field optical responses of a gold nanoparticle are studied and simulated numerically. The electromagnetic field was excited by an electric dipole located near one end of the nanorod, which is used to model the emission of a quantum dot. Another excitation method was also simulated in which an incident plane wave is used. The excitation of dark plasmon modes of the gold nanorod is presented. The Poynting equation was solved numerically to study the influence of the gold nanorod on the dipole radiative power. In addition, the extinction cross section of the gold nanoparticle illuminated by the incident plane wave was calculated to estimate the amount of the scattered and absorbed light.

This paper presents an overview of the principal structural and dynamics characteristics of reverse micelles (RMs) in order to highlight their structural flexibility and versatility, along with the possibility to modulate their parameters in a controlled-manner. The multifunctionality in a large range of different scientific fields is exemplified in two distinct directions: a theoretical model for mimicry of biological microenvironment and practical application in the field of nanotechnology and nano-based sensors. RMs represents a convenient experimental approach that limits the drawbacks of the conventionally biological studies in vitro, while the particular structure confers them the status of simplified mimics of cells by reproducing a complex supramolecular organization in an artificial system. The biological relevance of RMs is discussed in some particular cases referring to the confinement and crowding environment, molecular dynamics of water and cell membrane structure. The use of RMs in different range of applications seems to be more promising due to their structural and compositional flexibility, a high efficiency and selectivity being achieved. The advance in nanotechnology is based on developing new methods of nanomaterials synthesis and deposition. This review highlighting the advantages of using RMs in synthesis of nanoparticles with specific properties and in nano (bio)sensors design.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites processed with different morphologies, such as porous and non-porous films and fibres, have been prepared with silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) of varying diameter (17, 100, 160 and 300 nm) which in turn have encapsulated perylenediimide (PDI), a fluorescent molecule. Structural, morphological, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, with SiNP filler concentration up to 16 wt% were evaluated. Further, cytotoxicity and cell proliferation studies were performed. All SiNPs are negatively charged independently of the pH and more stable from pH 5 upwards. The SiNPs introduction within the polymer matrix increases the contact angle independently of the nanoparticle diameters and the smallest ones (17 nm) improve the PVDF Young modulus from 0.94 ± 0.04 GPa for the pristine polymer film to 1.05 ± 0.06 GPa. Varying filler diameter, physico-chemical, thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer matrix were not significantly affected. Finally, the SiNPs inclusion does not induce cytotoxicity in murine myoblasts (C2C12) after 72 h of contact and proliferation studies reveal that the prepared composites represent a suitable platform for tissue engineering applications, as they allow to combine the biocompatibility and piezoelectricity of the polymer with the possible functionalization and drug encapsulation and release of the SiNP.