UV-initiated crosslinking of electrospun poly(ethylene) oxide (PEO)/chitosan (CS) nanofibers doped with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) was performed using pentaerythritol triaclyrate (PETA) as the photoinitiator and crosslinker agent. The influence of the addition of PETA to the PEO/CS diameter and crosslinking of nanofibers was evaluated. The effect of irradiation time on the morphology and swelling properties of the crosslinked nanofibers were investigated. For ZnO-NPs, the minimum inhibitory concentrations were found at 1 mg/mL, and the minimum bactericidal concentrations at 2 mg/mL for all the strains tested. The nanofibrous hydrogel antibacterial effect was tested. This material enters the realm of fibrous hydrogels which have potential use in several applications as in the biomedical area.

This work demonstrated the possibility to integrate electrochemical molecularly imprinted polymers (e-MIPs) on microelectrodes to detect organic pollutants. e-MIPs are a cross-linked polymer with specific target binding cavities with a redox tracer inside. e-MIPs were obtained by precipitation copolymerization of ferrocenylmethyl methacrylate as a functional monomer and a redox tracer with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker and bisphenol A as a target molecule. FTIR and elemental analysis confirmed the presence of ferrocene inside the polymers. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption experiments and binding isotherms demonstrated the presence of binding cavities inside the e-MIP. The electrochemical properties of the e-MIP were characterized in organic/aqueous media before their patterned on microelectrode.

This research utilizes anatase TiO2 incorporated with lithium salt via a simple wet physical method to surface-modified the commercial graphite to form the lithium titanate/graphite composite coated with an amorphous carbon layer on its surface (the double core–shell structure) to enhance its surface conductivity. This double core–shell structure provides a stable specific capacity about 280 mAh/g under the high current density, 2.25 A/g with 15% capacity retention decay. Its intercalation potential is below 1 V that is much lower than that of 1.55 V, the intercalation potential of spinel Li4Ti5O12, to make higher power and energy density for a full cell.

This study compares the investigated water vapor diffusion coefficient in the neat polyurethane (PU) membrane, the silica–PU nanocomposite membrane, and two surface-modified silica–PU nanocomposite membranes. The silane first surface modifier is with an amine functional group known as N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine, while the second one is with an aniline functional group known as N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]aniline. The enhancement of water vapor diffusivity values through the polymer nanocomposite is desirable for the membrane air dehumidification application. The diffusivities were calculated via molecular dynamics simulations at the temperature of 298.15 K. The Einstein's relationship known as the mean square displacement method was used to obtain the diffusivity for the membranes. The results showed a significant effect on the diffusivity of water vapor for the surface-modified silica–PU nanocomposite membrane as compared with the neat PU and the unmodified silica–PU nanocomposite membranes. For the amine-modified silica, the diffusion coefficient increased by 80.3% compared with the unmodified silica–PU nanocomposite membrane. On the other hand, the aniline-modified silica outperformed the amine-modified one in terms of the diffusion coefficient by 22.4%.

The authors report results of the studies relating to the synthesis of nanodot zirconia that has been utilized for the fabrication of electrochemical biosensing platform for the detection of CYFRA-21-1 biomarker, secreted in saliva samples of oral cancer patients. For the synthesis of nanodot zirconia (ndZrO2), the hydrothermal process was used and further functionalized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES). Electrophoretic deposition technique was employed for its deposition onto the ITO electrode. The EDC-NHS reaction was used for anti-CYFRA-21-1 immobilization and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used for blocking of the nonspecific binding sites. The fabricated biosensing platform (BSA/anti-CYFRA-21-1/APTES/ndZrO2/ITO) exhibited a wide linear detection range (0.5–50 ng/mL) with excellent sensitivity (0.53 μA mL/ng cm2).

This work focuses on the functionalization of agave xylan-type hemicellulose functionalized with trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate and crosslinked with N-vinylcaprolactam to obtain a thermoresponsive material for potential applications in drug delivery. The hydrogels showed an interconnected and porous architecture with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) close to poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)’s (PNVCL) LCST. These materials showed a good capacity to load ciprofloxacin (in the range 9.5 × 10−3–8.4 × 10−3 mg/mL), above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC ≤ 0.004 × 10−3–0.5 × 10−3 mg/mL) for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The hybrid hydrogel inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The advancement of lead-free piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) for flexible electronics necessitates designing more efficient systems for improved energy storage capacity. In this light, the effects of patterning BaTiO3 nanotubes within PENG on the electromechanical properties of the device were investigated. The PENGs comprised a sandwich structure of Ti–BaTiO3–graphite–Ti encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane. Four patterns of vertically aligned BaTiO3 nanotubes were synthesized via the hydrothermal conversion of selectively-anodized TiO2 nanotubes. The highest output voltage reached up to 1.9 V. Decreasing the nanotube array spacing and pattern diameter increased the lateral displacement of BaTiO3 therefore, increasing the output voltage of the device.

The lifetime of cyclically loaded devices is often limited by the fatigue resistance of their individual phases. An advanced method is presented for measuring the high-cycle fatigue behavior of materials at the micrometer scale using a nanoindenter. It is based on the cyclic deflection of focused ion beam-fabricated microcantilevers using the continuous stiffness method (CSM). In line with experimental data on bulk nanocrystalline copper, the specimens exhibit grain coarsening followed by the formation of extrusions and a fatigue strength exponent of −0.10. The method is suitable for characterizing single phases and individual components of further complex systems.

To address critical energy issues in civic structures, we have developed a novel concept of optical thermal insulation (OTI) without relying on a conventional thermal intervention medium, such as air or argon, as often used in conventional window systems. We have synthesized the photothermal (PT) materials, such as the Fe3O4 and Fe3O4@Cu2−xS nanoparticles, that exhibit strong UV and near-infrared (NIR) absorptions but with good visible transparency. Upon coating the inner surface of the window glass with a PT film, under solar irradiation, the inner surface temperature rises due to the PT effect. Subsequently, the temperature difference, ΔT, is reduced between the single pane and room interior. This leads to lower the thermal loss through a window, reflected by the U-factor, resulting in considerable energy saving without double- or triple-glazing. Comparing with the Fe3O4 coatings, Fe3O4@Cu2−xS is spectrally characterized with a much stronger NIR absorbance, contributing to an increased PT efficiency under simulated solar irradiation (0.1 W/cm2). PT experiments are carried out via both white light and monochromic NIR irradiations (785 nm). The parameters associated with the thermal performance of the PT films are calculated, including PT conversion efficiency, specific absorption rate (SAR), and U-factor. Based on the concept of OTI, we have reached an optimum U-factor of 1.46 W/m2 K for a single pane, which is satisfactory to the DOE requirement (<1.7 W/m2 K).

This research focuses toward calculating the thermal conductivity of pillared-graphene structures (PGS). PGS consists of graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). These two materials have great potential to manage heat generated by nano- and microelectronic devices because of their superior thermal conductivities. However, the high anisotropy limits their performance when it comes to three-dimensional heat transfer. Nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations were conducted to study thermal transport of PGS. The simulation results suggest that the thermal conductivity along the graphene plane can reach up to 284 W/m K depending on PGS’ parameters while along the CNT direction, the thermal conductivity can reach 20 W/m K.

In this work, RF-sputtered metallic tin (Sn) film was sulfurized through di-tert-butyl-disulfide vapor at 350 °C for 150, 180, 210, and 240 min. According to the Raman spectra analysis, 210 min was sufficient to form dominantly SnS film. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of SnS film were evaluated. The n-type window layers CdS and high transmittance Cd(S,O) were deposited by chemical bath deposition through two different baths without and with TX-100 surfactant, respectively. XPS analysis of CdS and Cd(S,O) films was carried out. SnS solar cells formed in the superstrate solar cell device configuration. The photovoltaic performances were evaluated.

β-Alanine and its derivatives are important starting materials for the preparation of peptides or compounds with biological activity. In this work, the authors are presenting a new approach for the synthesis of N-alkyl-β-amino acids and N-alkyl-β-amino esters using dendrimeric intermediates in a one-pot reaction, with friendly reaction conditions. Dendrimeric compounds, with a pentaerythritol core, were easy prepared and used to obtain the β-amino acid derivatives and β-amino esters with good yields. This paper presents the first reaction where dendrimers are used for synthesizing organic compounds. Spectroscopic characterization by 1H- and 13C-NMR of dendrimers and final products is also presented.

The authors report effects of placing a very thin metallic interlayer, such as W and Ni, in between the Cu film and the Si substrate on cyclic thermal stress-induced interfacial sliding and hillock growth in Cu. Cu–Si samples with no interlayer were the most prone to both interfacial sliding and hillock growth, whereas samples with the Ni interlayer were the most resistant against these deleterious phenomena. While the rate of interfacial sliding decreased with each consecutive thermal cycle, hillocks continued to grow undeterred. The obtained experimental results are discussed, considering the compressive stress field generated in the Cu film.

Stable superhydrophobic coatings were produced from aqueous suspensions of epoxy nanoparticles. The superhydrophobic coatings demonstrated excellent mechanical robustness and chemical resistance. Aqueous solutions of ionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and small organic molecules on superhydrophobic coatings could wet the superhydrophobic coatings. However, the superhydrophobicity can be recovered by rinsing the wet surface with water. It was also discovered that, although seemed wetted, the superhydrophobic surface was separated from the solution of ionic surfactant by a layer of ionic surfactant molecules. In contrast, nonionic and small organic molecules could not aggregate on the superhydrophobic surfaces; the coatings were exposed to the solutions.

This work investigates the influence of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) within a nanocomposite coating solution constituted by silica nanoparticles and toluene on mechanical properties, surface wettability, and surface morphology. The developed coating's hardness and elastic modulus were studied in detail. A variation in mechanical properties was observed as the amount of PDMS was varied. Also, the average surface roughness, skewness, and kurtosis values show the influence of the amount of PDMS on the surface roughness characteristics of the coating. Furthermore, it was observed that the water contact angles were linked with the proportion of PDMS.

This work investigates the antifungal effect of plasma polymer films produced by low-pressure RF-generated plasma system using acrylic acid, 2–hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and diethyl phosphite (DEP). Unmodified and plasma-modified polystyrene (PS) microplate wells were tested by 30 biofilm-positive Candida spp. isolated from blood samples and two control strains using a quantitative plaque assay method. Regardless of the precursors and plasma parameters, biofilm formation was inhibited for all plasma-modified microplate wells. The most significant anti-biofilm effect was observed on PS modified by DEP at 90 W plasma power with the inhibition of all Candida species’ biofilm formation.

The development of new metalloplastic material from the combination of an alkaline-fused dehydrated glucose–copper (II) chloride, carbon soot, and polysulfone and the evaluation of its potential for the electrochemical detection of a pro-carcinogenic humic acid in water is reported. Excellent detection limit greater than 1 pico-part-per-million (order of 10–13 mg/L) was achieved, a value that proved to be first-of-its-kind till date. Transfer coefficients between 0.8 and 1.0 were realized. The new material showed some potential for splitting hydrogen peroxide to oxygen and thus may be explored for energy application in addition to its use as a water quality monitoring probe.

Nanoporous Au shows the antimicrobial activity without the release of ROS. The cell wall is hyperpolarized by npAu. Hence, the hyperpolarized cell wall may affect ATP synthase, leading to the bacterial death. In the present work, the effects of the hyperpolarized cell wall on the structure and functions of Asp61 in ATP synthase are investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and first-principles calculations. The simulations suggest that the Asp61 is more negatively hyperpolarized, which is due to the strengthened O–H bond in Asp61, in interacting with the hyperpolarized cell wall, which results in the disturbance of proton transport in ATP synthase.

In this work, the authors developed SiC(10 nm)/Ag/SiC(10 nm) thin films showing an electroforming-free resistive switching (RS) effect with a switching ratio of 102. The observed RS effect is attributed to charging and discharging of Ag nanoparticles in the film layer. Further, SiC/Ag/SiC film shows an excellent endurance and retention as well as a good thermal stability of RS characteristics. It is also identified that the switching ratio is invariant but the switching voltage of the device greatly depends on the Ag nanoparticles concentration and the operation temperature of the device. Therefore, SiC/Ag/SiC thin films are attractive for next-generation memory devices with enhanced durability.

An amorphous aluminum oxide supercapacitor can store a large amount of electric storge on the uneven surfaces with AlO6 clusters. The amount of stored electricity increases with decreasing convex diameter d and depth of valley h. The nondestructive detection of AlO6 clusters on a surface with (Al0.91Y0.09)O1.66 oxide layer at a depth of 0.5 μm was determined based on a 3505 cm−1 peak band in the Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and one 1047 cm−1 peak in the microRaman spectrum. The discharging time (T) could be expressed as T = 1.388 × 100.019 I. Thus, we can evaluate the amount of electricity by the nondestructive detection methods such as FT-IR and the microRaman spectra.