Bulk Particles Research Articles

Nanotechnology innovations for increasing the productivity of poultry and the prospective of nanobiosensors.

Nanotechnology is an innovative, promising technology with a great scope of applications and socioeconomic potential in the poultry industry sector. Nanoparticles (NPs) show the advantages of high absorption and bioavailability with more effective delivery to the target tissue than their bulk particles. Various nanomaterials are available in different forms, sizes, shapes, applications, surface modifications, charges and natures. Nanoparticles can be utilised in the delivery of medicines, targeting them to their right effective site in the body and, at the same time, decreasing their toxicity and side effects. Furthermore, nanotechnology can be beneficial in the diagnosis of diseases and prevention of them and in enhancing the quality of animal products. There are different mechanisms through which NPs could exert their action. Despite the vast benefits of NPs in poultry production, some concerns about their safety and hazardous effects should be considered. Therefore, this review article focuses on NPs' types, manufacture, mechanism of action and applications regarding safety and hazard impact.

Manufacturing of an effective, eco-friendly nano insecticide with aiding of green alga Chlorella vulgaris in contrast with the traditional insecticide.

This study aims to establish an aqueous extract of Chlorella vulgaris as a green factory to manufacture titanium nanoparticles and to apply these nanoparticles to control the house flies (Musca domestica). Since the crystallite size of prepared titanium nanoparticles was 27.39 nm. Furthermore, the observed size for bulk particles ranged (from 92.33-249.6) nm through SEM. While for nanocrystalline the size ranged (from 9.395- 206) nm. Several phytochemicals were detected within algal extracts such as phenols, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, resins, and saponins. All these active compounds participated in nano-synthesis by acting as reducing and stabilizing agents. finally, titanium nanoparticles were used as a controlling agent against house flies (Musca domestica) and compared with traditional insecticides (Imidacloprid). High mortality percentages reached 100% against 1st larval stage, 70% against 3rd larval stage, and 93.3% in adult flies. These fatalities were higher after using Imidacloprid for all tested stages. Many phenotypic distortions were also caught in houseflies treated with TiO2 NPs prepared by Chlorella, such as; failure in pupal emergence and maturity, incomplete development in the head, legs, and wings, and disappearance in genital organs. It has shown that Chlorella Vulgaris is a good candidate for nanomanufacturing and a rich naturally derived Nanopesticide.

Small-Molecule Organic Cathodes with Carbon Coating for Highly Efficient Potassium-ion Batteries.

Small-molecule organic cathodes face dissolution in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). For the first time, an interesting and effective strategy is unveiled to resolve this issue by designing a new soluble small-molecule organic compound namely [N,N'-bis(2-anthraquinone)]-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxdiimide (NTCDI-DAQ, 237 mAh g-1 ): Through the precise manipulation of carbonization temperature and time, the molecules on the surface of NTCDI-DAQ particles can be transformed into amorphous carbon with controllable thickness. This strategy called surface self-carbonization can form a carbon protective layer on organic cathodes and significantly increase their insolubility against liquid electrolytes without affecting the electrochemical behavior of bulk particles. As a result, the as-obtained NTCDI-DAQ@C sample displays significantly improved cathode performance in PIBs. In half cells, NTCDI-DAQ@C shows superior capacity stability of 84 % compared to 35 % of NTCDI-DAQ during 30 cycles under the same conditions. In full cells with a KC8 anode, NTCDI-DAQ@C delivers a peak discharge capacity of 236 mAh g-1 cathode and a high energy density of 255 Wh kg-1 cathode in 0.1-2.8 V, with 40 % capacity retention during 3000 cycles at 1 A g-1 . To the best of our knowledge, the integrated performance of NTCDI-DAQ@C is among the best of soluble organic cathodes reported in PIBs.

The toxicity and uptake of bulk and nano-sized ZnO particles in wheat (Triticum aestivum) seedlings

The effect of synthesized nano-sized ZnO particles (ZnO NPs) on wheat germination and growth parameters (Triticum aestivum L.) was studied compared to bulk Zn. Results showed that adding bulk Zn resulted in no significant differences in germination parameters compared to the control samples. On the other hand, the addition of ZnO NPs showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in all germination parameters in comparison to the blank (control) samples. Moreover, the general average Zn concentrations in the plant were 141 and 253 mg kg−1 (dry weight) for bulk Zn and ZnO NPs treated plants, respectively, indicating preferential uptake of ZnO NPs. The addition of c. 10 mg L−1 of ZnO NPs to the wheat shoot system promoted chlorophyll formation equal to 100 mg L−1 addition of bulk Zn. Adding bulk Zn and ZnO NPs reduced root growth substantially compared to the control samples. The effective toxic dose (so-called EC50) for ZnO NPs and bulk Zn was 20.7 and 522 mg Zn L−1, respectively, indicating much higher toxicity of ZnO NPs and highlighting the nano-specific toxicity of nano-sized Zn. The wheat uptake of ZnO NPs was well fitted to a nonlinear Freundlich-like expression, suggesting that our model could effectively predict mass production fertilization procedures. The present study may thus help to increase Zn biofortification in cereals by using ZnO NPs, which may in turn be very helpful for populations suffer from Zn malnutrition.

Finite-Size Effects on Cs3Cu2I5 0D Electronic Nanostructures for Ultraviolet-Emitting Applications

The potential to produce ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting devices has attracted significant interest in interdisciplinary fields, particularly in the use of 0D halide nanostructures due to their straightforward synthesis methods and exceptional efficiency in optoelectronics. Here, we present a systematic study involving nanostructure synthesis and significant changes in the electronic structure caused by finite-size effects. We have focused on the investigation of size effects on the UV-light emitting properties of all-inorganic Cs3Cu2I5 halide. We observe that bulk particles present a pronounced bright-blue emission at 440 nm with a high quantum yield of 80%. Very small quantum dots nanostructures (6–10 nm) reveal a significant shift of the photoluminescence peak down to ∼395 nm, close to the UV-A region, but with a quantum yield reduction of 10%. Surface engineering to obtain very small nanoparticles free from defects at the nanocrystal surface is crucial for maintaining a high quantum efficiency, allowing their use in UV-emitting devices.

Mechanistic investigation of enhanced bacterial soft rot resistance in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with elemental sulfur nanomaterials

Crop diseases significantly threaten global food security and will worsen with a changing climate. Elemental sulfur nanomaterials (S NMs) were used to suppress bacterial pathogen Pectobacterium carotovorum on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Foliar application with S NMs at 10–100 mg/L statistically decreased the occurrence of bacterial soft rot, where 100 mg/L exhibited the best performance with alleviating disease severity by 94.1 % as relative to infected controls. The disease suppression efficiency of S based materials (100 mg/L) and a conventional pesticide (thiophanate-methyl) followed the order of S NMs ≈ pesticide > S bulk particles (BPs) > sulfate. The disease control efficiency of S NMs was 1.33- and 3.20-fold that of S BPs and sulfate, respectively, and the shoot and root biomass with S NMs was 1.25- and 1.17-fold that of the pesticide treated plants. Mechanistically, S NMs (1) triggered jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) mediated systematic induced resistance and systemic acquired resistance, thereby upregulating pathogenesis-related gene expression (enhanced by 29.3–259.7 %); (2) enhanced antioxidative enzyme activity and antioxidative gene expression (improved by 67.5–326.6 %), thereby alleviating the oxidative stress; and (3) exhibited direct in vivo antibacterial activity. Metabolomics analysis demonstrated that S NMs also promoted the tricarboxylic acid cycle and increased SA and JA metabolite biosynthesis. Moreover, S NMs application increased nutritive quality of lettuce by 20.8–191.7 %. These findings demonstrate that S NMs have potential to manage crop disease, thereby reducing the environmental burden due to decreasing use of conventional pesticides.

Environmentally friendly buff cleaning of ceria nanoparticles using bubbles in gas-dissolved water

Buff cleaning serves as a crucial preparatory step following chemical mechanical polishing, aimed at removing bulk particles from wafer surfaces present in slurries. Most cleaning solutions comprise a variety of complex chemical compounds. Conventional cleaning solutions typically consist of complex chemical compounds, including toxic or carcinogenic substances, which hinder wastewater recycling and exacerbate environmental impacts. Here, an eco-friendly buff-cleaning solution, oversaturated gas-dissolved water, is proposed for effective elimination of colloidal ceria nanoparticles. The growth of inherent bubbles that accompanies heating and shear in buff cleaning is associated with the particle-cleaning process and contributes to particle-removal efficiency (PRE). Various optical methods were employed to examine the size and quantity of bubbles, revealing nitrogen (N2) bubbles to be approximately 1 µm in diameter, while carbon dioxide (CO2) bubbles varied from 1 to 10 µm. Gas-dissolved water demonstrated improved PRE, with CO2 exhibiting superior performance in comparison to N2. Negatively charged bubbles were found to effectively capture positively charged ceria particles from oxide film surfaces, cleaning solutions, and pad asperity surfaces. Additionally, bubbles enhanced particle dispersion, as evidenced by a colloidal ceria slurry displaying an average size of 162.5 nm in water, 158.1 nm in N2 water, and 149.8 nm in CO2 water. Well-dispersed particles can easily be flushed from the pad-wafer gap to minimize the risk of recontamination.

Toxicity evaluation of iron oxide nanoparticles to freshwater cyanobacteria Nostoc ellipsosporum.

The extensive usage of iron oxide nanoparticles (FeO NPs) in commercial and biomedical applications raises the risk of releasing their remains into the aquatic ecosystems and this could possibly cause cytotoxic effects on aquatic organisms. Thus, the toxicity assessment of FeO NPs on cyanobacteria, which are primary producers at the bottom of food chain in aquatic ecosystems, is essential to gain information about the potential ecotoxicological threat on aquatic biota. The present study investigated the cytotoxic effects of FeO NPs on Nostoc ellipsosporum using different concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50 and 100mg L-1) to track the time-dependent and dose-dependent effects and compared with its bulk equivalent. In addition, the impacts of FeO NPs and bulk counterpart on cyanobacterial cells were assessed under nitrogen as well as nitrogen-deficient conditions, because of ecological role of cyanobacteria in nitrogen fixation. The study revealed that the highest protein content was observed in the control in both types of BG-11 media compared to treatments of nano and bulk particles of Fe2O3. A 23% reduction in protein in nanoparticle treatment and a 14% reduction in bulk treatment at 100mg L-1 was observed in BG-11 medium. At same concentration, in BG-110 media, this decline was even more intense with 54% reduction in nanoparticle and a 26% reduction in bulk. Catalytic activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase was found to be linearly correlated with the dose concentration for nano and bulk form in BG-11 as well as BG-110 media. The increased levels of lactate dehydrogenase act as biomarker of the cytotoxicity brought on by nanoparticles. Optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy all demonstrated the cell entrapment, nanoparticle deposition on the cell surface, cell wall collapse and membrane degradation. A cause for concern is that nanoform was found to be more hazardous than bulk form.

Holographic cameras: an eye for the bulk

We consider four-point correlators in an excited quantum state of a field theory. We show that, when the theory and state are holographic, a judiciously applied Fourier transform produces high-quality images of point-like bulk particles, revealing the geometry in which they move. For translation-invariant states, the bulk Einstein’s equations amount to local differential equations on correlator data. In theories or states that are not holographic, images are too blurry to extract a bulk geometry. We verify this for gauge theories at various couplings and the 3D Ising model by adapting formulas from conformal Regge theory.

Nanomaterial Size and Surface Modification Mediate Disease Resistance Activation in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus).

Crop disease represents a serious and increasing threat to global food security. Lanthanum oxide nanomaterials (La2O3 NMs) with different sizes (10 and 20 nm) and surface modifications (citrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone [PVP], and poly(ethylene glycol)) were investigated for their control of the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum (Schl.) f. sp cucumerinum Owen on six-week-old cucumber (Cucumis sativus) in soil. Seed treatment and foliar application of the La2O3 NMs at 20-200 mg/kg (mg/L) significantly suppressed cucumber wilt (decreased by 12.50-52.11%), although the disease control efficacy was concentration-, size-, and surface modification-dependent. The best pathogen control was achieved by foliar application of 200 mg/L PVP-coated La2O3 NMs (10 nm); disease severity was decreased by 67.6%, and fresh shoot biomass was increased by 49.9% as compared with pathogen-infected control. Importantly, disease control efficacy was 1.97- and 3.61-fold greater than that of La2O3 bulk particles and a commercial fungicide (Hymexazol), respectively. Additionally, La2O3 NMs application enhanced cucumber yield by 350-461%, increased fruit total amino acids by 295-344%, and improved fruit vitamin content by 65-169% as compared with infected controls. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that La2O3 NMs: (1) interacted with calmodulin, subsequently activating salicylic acid-dependent systemic acquired resistance; (2) increased the activity and expression of antioxidant and related genes, thereby alleviating pathogen-induced oxidative stress; and (3) directly inhibited in vivo pathogen growth. The findings highlight the significant potential of La2O3 NMs for suppressing plant disease in sustainable agriculture.

Development and evaluation of force balance based functions for dust detachment from bulk particles stressed by fluid flow

Development and evaluation of force balance based functions for dust detachment from bulk particles stressed by fluid flow

Liquid metal enabled conformal electronics.

The application of three-dimensional common electronics that can be directly pasted on arbitrary surfaces in the fields of human health monitoring, intelligent robots and wearable electronic devices has aroused people's interest, especially in achieving stable adhesion of electronic devices on biological dynamic three-dimensional interfaces and high-quality signal acquisition. In recent years, liquid metal (LM) materials have been widely used in the manufacture of flexible sensors and wearable electronic devices because of their excellent tensile properties and electrical conductivity at room temperature. In addition, LM has good biocompatibility and can be used in a variety of biomedical applications. Here, the recent development of LM flexible electronic printing methods for the fabrication of three-dimensional conformal electronic devices on the surface of human tissue is discussed. These printing methods attach LM to the deformable substrate in the form of bulk or micro-nano particles, so that electronic devices can adapt to the deformation of human tissue and other three-dimensional surfaces, and maintain stable electrical properties. Representative examples of applications such as self-healing devices, degradable devices, flexible hybrid electronic devices, variable stiffness devices and multi-layer large area circuits are reviewed. The current challenges and prospects for further development are also discussed.

Preparation of B/ZnO Nanocomposite by Simple Mechanical Combustion Method for Removal of Antibiotics in Aqueous Environments

In this study, the B/ZnO nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a simple mechanical combustion method. This material was used as a photocatalyst to degrade tetracycline, a representative of the commonly used antibiotics today. The B/ZnO composite became tighter than that of pure ZnO and formed bulk particles. The band gap energy of B/ZnO (3.05 eV) was slightly lower than that of ZnO (3.10 eV), resulting that it being easier to absorb visible light to create electron-hole pairs (h+ and e−). Therefore, the B/ZnO composite had higher photocatalytic activity than pure ZnO. The ratio of boron-doped to ZnO affecting the photocatalysis efficiency was investigated and the optimal boron content was 3 wt%, its degradation efficiency (DE) value for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in 90 min and the rate constants were 90% and 0.054 min−1, respectively. The factors affecting the photocatalytic process like initial antibiotic concentration, catalyst content, and pH of the initial antibiotic solution were studied. In addition, the recovery and reuse of B/ZnO after photocatalytic treatment were also studied. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Fe-Modified Activated Carbon Affecting the In Vitro Growth of Date Palm Plantlets cv. Medjool

The survival and growth of in vitro plantlets are still problematic for the date palm; thus, the application of nanotechnology may provide date palm plantlets that develop faster with enhanced growth and biochemical parameters. Moreover, the usage of Fe-modified activated carbon (Fe-AC) prepared from date palm pits instead of activated charcoal (AC) in tissue culture media during the current investigation can be considered an innovative approach. Furthermore, the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and bulk particles (ZnO-BPs) on the rooting and growth of date palm plantlets and on some physiological indices was also investigated. X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize Fe-AC and ZnO-NPs. As detected from the characterization, the particle size was 720 nm for Fe-AC and 60 nm for ZnO-NPs. The obtained results indicated that AC significantly enhanced plantlet growth, plantlet height, number of leaves/plantlet, root length, number of roots/plantlet, and the concentrations of IAA, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b compared with Fe-AC. On the other hand, sugars and phenols concentrations, and POD and PAL activities were highly increased with Fe-AC. There was no significant difference in terms of plant fresh weight (FW), leaf length, leaf width, protein, amino acids, and carotenoids. ZnO nanoparticles significantly improved plant height, leaf length, leaf width, root length, and the concentrations of IAA, chlorophylls a and b, and carotenoids; in contrast, the bulk form increased roots/plantlet, amino acids, and total sugars. Supplying the MS medium with combinations of ZnO-NPs or ZnO-BPs and AC or Fe-AC significantly increased all growth and physiological parameters. Plant height, leaf length, leaf width, root length, and the concentrations of IAA, protein, and chlorophylls a and b significantly increased when ZnO-NPs were combined with AC. Amino acids, total sugars, carotenoids, and phenols concentrations and the activities of POD and PAL increased when ZnO-BPs and Fe-AC were added together.

Ecofriendly nanoparticles derived from water industry byproducts for effective removal of Cu (II) from wastewater: Adsorption isotherms and kinetics

• Water treatment residuals nanosorbent (nWTR) were characterized and used for copper removal. • The efficient of nWTR was 3.7 times higher than bulk WTR in adsorption copper ions. • nWTR maintained its high adsorption potential (98.7 %)at pH 6. • The adsorption process of copper from wastewater can be repeated for.4 times using the same sorbent(nWTR). Water Treatment Residual nanoparticles (nWTR) has been identified as an adsorbent for the efficient elimination of copper (II) from wastewater. Adsorption parameters pH, dosage, contact time, initial concentration, and temperature were assessed to detect the optimum adsorption conditions for purification contaminated wastewater. The equilibrium between liquid and solid phase occurred rapidly after (120 min) . nWTR was found to have high adsorption capacity for Cu (II). From Langmuir isotherm, the adsorption capacity for Cu (II) was 71.9 mg g −1 , which is about 3.7 times higher than that of bulk particles of WTR. The kinetics data for Cu (II) adsorption followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. The thermodynamic parameters investigated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the Cu (II) adsorption activity. High removal percentage (91%) was obtained after five cycles of reusing nWTR indicating the capability of using the sorbent more than four times.

Thiol, volatile and semi-volatile compounds alleviate the stress of zinc oxide nanoparticles of the pomegranate callus

Pomegranate trees are tropical and subtropical shrubs with nutritional benefits and pharmaceutical and therapeutic uses. Antioxidative systems protect the structure and function of cellular membranes. This study demonstrated the connection between oxidative stress generated by excess nanoparticles ZnO (ZnO-NPs) accumulation in pomegranate calli and the involvement of thiol groups and volatile and semi-volatile compounds in alleviating this stress. The effect of the non-enzymatic antioxidant system was studied using callus treated with three levels of ZnO-NPs or bulk particles (ZnO-BPs). With rising ZnO levels in the media, callus growth was gradually decreased by ZnO in both forms (NPs and BPs). Malondialdehyde (MDA) measurements revealed that different concentrations of both forms promoted lipid peroxidation. The supply of both forms had a considerable stimulatory influence on the cysteine (Cys) content in calli. Raised ZnO-NP concentrations increased glutathione (GSH) and non-protein thiols (NPTs) content in calli, but higher ZnO-BP concentrations lowered their content. Conversely, ZnO-NP levels reduced the protein thiols (PTs) content in calli, but ZnO-BP concentrations increased their content. GC-MS analysis was employed to investigate the volatile and semi-volatile chemical profiles within calli following exposure to 0 and 150 μg mL−1 of ZnO in both forms. GC-MS analysis detected 77, 67, and 83 compounds in ZnO-treated calli, of which 14, 16, and 20 with a similarity value greater than 70%, based on a NIST library, were recognized as metabolites for ZnO untreated and NPs- and BPs-treated calli, respectively. Six substances, including five alkanes and one morphinan, showed similarities in metabolite composition between control and NPs- or BPs-treated calli. ZnO-NPs-treated calli contained two alkane compounds only similar to the control, but ZnO-BPs-treated calli had six metabolites, including four alkanes, one carboxylic acid, and one ester. However, eight alkanes were similar within the callus treated with NPs and BPs.

Microscopic plugging adjustment mechanism in a novel heterogeneous combined flooding system

In this study, novel pre-crosslinked gel particles were synthesized to form a new heterogeneous composite system with a weak alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) system. The microscopic visualization model is used for oil flooding and macroscopic core flooding experiments and advanced testing methods to describe the microscopic morphology of the pre-cross-linked gel particles and their retention state in the porous medium, revealing the microscopic plugging mechanism of the novel heterogeneous composite system in the porous medium. Scanning electron microscope images showed a uniform force on the pre-crosslinked gel particle network structure during the stressing process, with no mechanical weak points and improved tensile properties. The maximum pressure induced by the pre-cross-linked gel particles passing through the 0.5 mm diameter pore plate was 4.8 times higher than that of the conventional bulk particles. The elasticity factor of the pre-cross-linked gel particles was eight times higher than that of the conventional body expansion particles. Adding pre-cross-linked gel particles to the composite system improves the interfacial tension stability and effectively reduces the amount of chemicals under the same interfacial tension level. In a three-tube parallel core flooding experiment, the final heterogeneous composite flooding recovery after polymer flooding was 7.3% higher than that of ASP. The heterogeneous composite flooding system improves the recovery of crude oil after polymer flooding by blocking pore flow steering, wetting reversal, co-emulsification, and poly merging oil zone mechanisms. Thus, the implementation of heterogeneous composite flooding after polymer flooding can achieve the synergistic effect of blocking the dominant seepage channel and improving the oil washing efficiency, which can significantly improve the degree of remaining oil utilization. To clarify the microscopic blocking mechanism of the heterogeneous composite system, it is important to guide the development of post-polymer flooding composite flooding technology and research its microscopic flooding mechanism.

Structural analysis and characterization of lead oxide

In this study, different nano sizes of lead oxide particles are prepared using high-speed planetary ball milling over a range of grinding times (15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes). The characterization of the prepared nanoparticles is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The XRD pattern reveals a phase transition from β-PbO to α-PbO with increasing the milling time. The PbO particles milled for 30 and 60 minutes and termed PbO(A) and PbO(B), respectively, are chosen for this research as they display less agglomeration and achieve nano sizes of 78 and 52 nm, respectively. The following stage utilizes PbO(Bulk), PbO(A) and PbO(B) as fillers and incorporates them independently into PS with a concentration of 10, 15, 25 and 35 wt % using roll mill mixing and compression molding techniques to create a novel polystyrene composite (PS/PbO). PS/PbO composites were then characterized by XRD, which shows a decrease in the phase percentage of PS to α-PbO with increasing PbO content. Extensive research of thermal characteristics employing thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) enables the evaluation of decomposition rates and activation energies. The analysis reveals that the addition of bulk and nano PbO particles shifts Tini and T50% to higher temperatures, and reduces the decomposition rate as well as the activation energy. This means that the thermal stability of PS is increased, especially using a small PbO nano size. This study emphasizes the role of particle size in enhancing the thermal properties of polystyrene, allowing it to withstand elevated temperatures in applications such as coating, insulation and radiation shielding.

Correlation between grain boundary coating and chemomechanics in Ni-rich layered Li cathodes

Ni-rich NCM, which has high discharge capacity, is attracting worldwide attention as a cathode material for lithium–ion batteries. However, during cycling, anisotropic lattice variation occurs and the structure becomes unstable, which causes problems in both electrochemical performance and stability. Herein, grain boundary Li3PO4 coating was applied via drop-wise coating to suppress the microcracks occurring between primary powder particles during cycling. A study combining experiments and calculations was conducted to allow systematic and deep understanding of the grain boundary coating mechanism between primary particles. As a result of the experiment, Ni-rich Ni0.88Co0.08Mn0.04O2 coated with grain boundary Li3PO4 coating (PC88_P1) showed better electrochemical performance than uncoated Ni-rich Ni0.88Co0.08Mn0.04O2 (PC88). In addition, SEM−EDS confirmed that the phosphate material was present both on the surface of the bulk particles, and inside the cross-section of the treated PC88_P1, resulting in the suppression of intergranular microcracks. This was theoretically elucidated by the intriguing “suspension bridge” concept using first principles calculations. Our systematic understanding of grain boundary Li3PO4 coating provides insight into facile strategies that apply to advanced cathodes for the LIB with long-term cycling stability.

Comparative study of growth responses, photosynthetic pigment content, and gene expression pattern in tobacco plants treated with ZnO nano and ZnO bulk particles

Comparative study of growth responses, photosynthetic pigment content, and gene expression pattern in tobacco plants treated with ZnO nano and ZnO bulk particles