Energy Sensor Research Articles

Leveraging the influence of amino acid in tuning the crystal phase of nylon 11: A novel soft material for piezoelectric energy harvesting

The growing concerns about environmental health and energy crisis, have led to the emergence of ecofriendly energy materials. Flexible piezoelectric polymers allow scope for miniaturization and integration, that render them appropriate materials as energy harvesters and sensors. Nylon 11, an odd-numbered nylon with a high dipole moment has attracted the attention of the research community. Tailoring the appropriate crystal phase of this polymer for the desired application has now become a subject of extensive research. This article provides insight on the influence of glycine, an amino acid, in tuning the crystal phase of nylon 11. It further explores this novel combination of nylon 11 and glycine, as a soft material for designing piezoelectric nanogenerator. A detailed analysis of the novel soft material suggests the stabilization of δ’ phase of nylon 11 and β phase of glycine in an optimized combination ratio of the two constituents. Piezoelectric nanogenerators fabricated from the optimized combination ratio of 80/20 nylon 11/glycine, produces an open circuit voltage and short circuit current of 11.2 V and 11.57μA, respectively. The optimized combination increases the open circuit voltage and short circuit current by 160 % and 48.5 %, respectively, compared to pristine nylon 11. Further, the ability of this soft material to harvest energy from human motions hints at its feasibility to be integrated into wearables in the form of sensors and energy harvesters.

Flexible Centrifugally Spun N, S-Doped SnS2-Including Porous Carbon Nanofiber Electrodes for Na-Ion Batteries.

Carbon nanofibers are promising for various applications such as energy storage, sensors, and biomedical applications; however, the brittle structure of nanofibers limits the usage of carbon nanofibers. For the first time, a facile and effective strategy is reported to fabricate flexible carbon nanofibers via a fast and safe nanofiber fabrication technique, centrifugal spinning, followed by heat treatment. Moreover, sulfidization was employed to fabricate high-performance flexible N, S-doped SnS2-including porous carbon nanofiber electrodes for sodium ion batteries via centrifugal spinning. Binder-free flexible centrifugally spun N, S-doped SnS2-including porous carbon nanofiber electrodes delivered a high reversible capacity of over 460 mAh/g at 100 mA/g. Furthermore, at a high current density of 1 A/g, the electrodes showed a reversible capacity of over 300 mAh/g with excellent cycling stability in 2000 cycles. This work reports a fast, low-cost, and facile way to prepare flexible carbon nanofibers with tunable morphology and various compositions, which could be applicable for different energy storage applications.

Energy and throughput efficient mobile wireless sensor networks: A deep reinforcement learning approach

AbstractThe efficient development of Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks (MWSNs) relies heavily on optimizing two key parameters: Throughput and Energy Consumption. The proposed work investigates network connectivity issues with MWSN and proposes two routing algorithms, namely Self‐Organising Maps based‐Optimised Link State Routing (SOM‐OLSR) and Deep Reinforcement Learning based‐Optimised Link State Routing (DRL‐OLSR) for MWSNs. The primary objective of the proposed algorithms is to achieve energy‐efficient routing while maximizing throughput. The proposed algorithms are evaluated through simulations by considering various performance metrics, including connection probability (CP), end‐to‐end delay, overhead, network throughput, and energy consumption. The simulation analysis is discussed under three scenarios. The first scenario undertakes ‘no optimisation’, the second considers SOM‐OLSR, and the third undertakes DRL‐OLSR. A comparison between DRL‐OLSR and SOM‐OLSR reveals that the former surpasses the latter in terms of low latency and prolonged network lifetime. Specifically, DRL‐OLSR demonstrates a 47% increase in throughput, a 67% reduction in energy consumption, and a CP three times higher than SOM‐OLSR. Furthermore, when contrasted with the ‘no optimisation’ scenario, DRL‐OLSR achieves a remarkable 69.7% higher throughput and nearly 89% lower energy consumption. These findings highlight the effectiveness of the DRL‐OLSR approach in wireless sensor networks.

The interaction between 20-hydroxyecdysone and AMPK through PI3K activation in Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis

In crustaceans, the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) initiates molting, and the molting process is also regulated by energy metabolism. AMPK is an energy sensor and plays a critical role in systemic energy balance. Here, the regulatory mechanism in the interaction between 20E and AMPK was investigated in Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis. The results showed that the 20E concentration and the mRNA expression levels of 20E receptors in hepatopancreas were down-regulated post AMPK activator (AICAR) treatment, and were up-regulated after AMPK inhibitor (Compound C) injection in crabs. Besides, the molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) gene expression in eyestalk showed the opposite patterns in response to the AICAR and Compound C treatment, respectively. Further investigation found that there was a significant reduction in 20E concentration post PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) treatment, and the phosphorylation level of PI3K was increased in hepatopancreas after AMPK inhibitor injection. On the other hand, the positive regulation of PI3K-mediated activation of AMPK was also observed, the phosphorylation levels of AMPKα, AMPKβ and PI3K in hepatopancreas were significantly increased post 20E injection. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of AMPKα and AMPKβ induced by 20E were decreased after the injection of PI3K inhibitor. Taken together, these results suggest that the regulatory cross-talk between 20E and AMPK is likely to act through PI3K pathway in E. sinensis, which appeared to be helpful for a better understanding in molting regulation.

Degradable piezoelectric biomaterials for medical applications

The energy harvesting technology based on piezoelectricity promises to achieve a self-powered mode for portable medical electronic devices. Piezoelectric materials, as crucial components in electromechanical applications, have extensively been utilized in portable medical electronic devices. Especially, degradable piezoelectric biomaterials have received much attention in the medical field due to their excellent biocompatibility and biosafety. This mini-review mainly summarizes the types and structural characteristics of degradable piezoelectric biomaterials from degradable piezoelectric small-molecule crystals to piezoelectric polymers. Afterward, medical applications are briefly introduced, including energy harvester and sensor, actuator and transducer, and tissue engineering scaffold. Finally, from a material perspective, some challenges currently faced by degradable piezoelectric biomaterials are proposed.

AMPK and glucose deprivation exert an isoform-specific effect on the expression of Na+,K+-ATPase subunits in cultured myotubes

In skeletal muscle, Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA), a heterodimeric (α/β) P-type ATPase, has an essential role in maintenance of Na+ and K+ homeostasis, excitability, and contractility. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy sensor, increases the membrane abundance and activity of NKA in L6 myotubes, but its potential role in regulation of NKA content in skeletal muscle, which determines maximum capacity for Na+ and K+ transport, has not been clearly delineated. We examined whether energy stress and/or AMPK affect expression of NKA subunits in rat L6 and primary human myotubes. Energy stress, induced by glucose deprivation, increased protein content of NKAα1 and NKAα2 in L6 myotubes, while decreasing the content of NKAα1 in human myotubes. Pharmacological AMPK activators (AICAR, A-769662, and diflunisal) modulated expression of NKA subunits, but their effects only partially mimicked those that occurred in response to glucose deprivation, indicating that AMPK does not mediate all effects of energy stress on NKA expression. Gene silencing of AMPKα1/α2 increased protein levels of NKAα1 in L6 myotubes and NKAα1 mRNA levels in human myotubes, while decreasing NKAα2 protein levels in L6 myotubes. Collectively, our results suggest a role for energy stress and AMPK in modulation of NKA expression in skeletal muscle. However, their modulatory effects were not conserved between L6 myotubes and primary human myotubes, which suggests that coupling between energy stress, AMPK, and regulation of NKA expression in vitro depends on skeletal muscle cell model.

Phloretin prolongs lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via inhibition of NDUFS1 and NDUFS6 at mitochondrial complex Ⅰ

Phloretin has been widely perceived as an antioxidant. However, the bioavailability of phloretin in vivo is generally far too low to elicit a direct antioxidant effect by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we showed that administration of phloretin of apple polyphenols extended lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans and promoted fitness. Specially phloretin enhanced the survival rates of nematodes under oxidants in an inverted U-shaped dose-response manner. The lifespan-extending effects of phloretin were mediated by ROS via mitochondrial complex I inhibition. The increase of ROS stimulated p38 MAPK/PMK-1 as well as transcription factors of NRF2/SKN-1 and FOXO/DAF-16. Consistent with the involvement of NRF2/SKN-1 and FOXO/DAF-16 in lifespan-extending effects, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were enhanced by phloretin. The exogenous application of antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole and N-acetylcysteine abolished the increase of ROS, the enhancement of SOD and CAT activities, and the lifespan extending effects of phloretin. Meanwhile, with the inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, ATP was instantly decreased. Both energy sensors of AMPK/AAK-2 and SIRT1/SIR-2.1 were involved in the lifespan extension by phloretin. Transcriptomic, real-time qPCR and molecular docking analyses demonstrated that the binding of phloretin at complex I located at NDUFS1/NUO-5, NDUFS2/GAS-1, and NDUFS6/NDUF-6. The molecular dynamic simulation and binding free energy calculations showed that phloretin had high binding affinities towards NDUFS1 (−7.21 kcal/mol) and NDUFS6 (−7.02 kcal/mol). Collectively, our findings suggested phloretin had effects of life expectancy enhancement and fitness promotion via redox regulations in vivo. NDUFS1/NUO-5 and NDUFS6/NDUF-6 might be new targets in the lifespan and wellness regulations.

Morphologically tailored NiMn2O4nanocubic material for high energy-power density asymmetric supercapacitor and non-enzymatic H2O2 sensing

Developing an advanced material for energy storage and sensors is considered a key solution to meet future energy demands and economic challenges. The inverse spinel-structured NiMn2O4 emerges as a promising electrode material for next-gen energy storage due to its notable power capability, high energy density, and excellent cyclic stability. Nanostructuring enhances features not achievable in bulk materials, with a mixed morphology of nano-cubic and nanoflakes optimizing surface-to-volume ratio for effective use in energy storage devices. The addition of PVP as a surfactant, transforms the diffusion-controlled behavior to a capacitive mechanism, enhancing energy density and cyclic stability. Electrodes exhibit a specific capacitance of 816 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and stable cyclic behavior over 5000 cycles in 1 M KOH. The constructed ASC device shows 96% cyclic stability over 10,000 cycles, maintaining an energy density of 8.8 Wh kg−1 at 6400 W kg−1 and reaching a maximum of 36.55 Wh kg−1 at 400 W kg−1. Electronic structural characteristics explained through density functional theory (DFT) contribute insights. Furthermore, the non-enzymatic NiMn4/GCE H2O2 sensor demonstrates high sensitivity, a low detection limit, and remarkable selectivity against various biological interferences across a broad concentration range.

Expression of the TGF-β Target Gene Mss51 Is Induced in Muscle From Tumor-Bearing Mice and Attenuated by Treatment With the AMPK Activator AICAR

Cachexia is a severe complication of cancer characterized by skeletal muscle atrophy and loss of function and is associated with a poor prognosis. AMPK is a cellular energy sensor that is upregulated in cancer cachexia. AMPK activation is well-established in promoting catabolic cell signaling in skeletal muscle, partly through the induction of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases MAFBx and MuRF-1 expression. Despite AMPK’s acute catabolic effects, chronic treatment with the AMPK-activating drug 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) has been reported to preserve muscle function and metabolism in various muscle-wasting conditions, including cancer cachexia. Elevated TGF-β during cancer cachexia is known to disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis and lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. Mss51 is a skeletal muscle-specific mitochondrial gene that is upregulated through TGF-β signaling. Although the role of Mss51 in skeletal muscle cancer cachexia has not been studied as of yet, its expression is associated with mitochondrial and metabolic impairment. Therefore, we hypothesized that Mss-51 expression would be elevated in cachexic skeletal muscle and attenuated by chronic AMPK activation. To test this, we inoculated mice (n=4) with either Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells or PBS. Mice were injected daily with 350 mg/kg AICAR or an equivalent volume of saline beginning seven days after inoculation. Twenty-four days after inoculation, the mice were euthanized, and tissues were harvested and weighed. RNA was isolated from the gastrocnemius-plantaris-soleus complex and analyzed by RT-PCR for Mss51, MuRF-1, and MAFBx expression. Protein expression for hexokinase II (HKII) was measured by western blotting. AICAR treatment did not attenuate muscle atrophy in tumor-bearing mice. Compared to the control, Mss-51 was elevated in LLC mice treated with saline and decreased in LLC mice treated with AICAR, consistent with the known effects of AMPK in blocking TGF-β signaling. Similarly, MuRF-1 and MAFBx tended to be elevated in LLC-saline. Still, this increase was attenuated in LLC-AICAR mice, though we were likely underpowered to detect significance in this measure. In conclusion, based on previous work, the rise in Mss51 in tumor-bearing mice may contribute to mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction in cancer cachexia. The prevention of this increase by AICAR suggests that AMPK may benefit dysfunctional metabolism in the cachexic muscle through inhibition of Mss51. Funding for these experiments was from a BYU Widtsoe Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Investigating ZMP Accumulation in C2C12 Myotubes with AICAR and Prodrug-39

5’Adenosine monophosphate (AMP) is a signaling molecule and a known regulator of enzymes in glycolysis, glycogen breakdown, and may play a role in regulating protein synthesis. It is also a known activator of AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK), a key energy sensor within the cell. Activation of AMPK has been linked to the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, upregulation of BCAA catabolism, and increased skeletal muscle glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation. AMPK can be activated pharmacologically with 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR), an adenosine analogue. AICAR enters the cell through adenosine transporters and undergoes phosphorylation by Adenosine Kinase forming AICAR monophosphate (ZMP). Unfortunately, the poor bioavailability of AICAR limits its use pharmacologically. Prodrug-39 (P39) is comprised of ZMP with a 4-nitrophenol group to allow membrane permeability and subsequent ZMP formation without the need of membrane transporters. We investigated the ZMP accumulation in C2C12 myotubes following exposure to different concentrations of P39 or AICAR. Based on preliminary data, we hypothesized that AICAR treatments would be more effective at producing ZMP over short periods of time and when treatment concentrations were high, but that P39 treatments would result in greater and more consistent ZMP accumulation over longer periods of time when treatment concentrations were low. We first measured the absorbance of 4-nitrophenol (4NP) within the cell media to determine phosphodiesterase cleavage of P39. Nitrophenol absorbance was 3.9 times higher at 1000 μM compared to 100 μM treatment of P39 after 15 minute incubation, and 13.3 times higher at 11 hours. The nitrophenol absorbance per hour increased linearly between 250 μM to 1000 μM of P39. Adenine nucleotide content and ZMP accumulation in treated cells was determined following organic protein extraction and UV-Vis ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). After 13 hours of treatment with 500 μM AICAR or P39, ZMP accumulation was 14 fold higher following AICAR treatment compared to P39 (59.7±5.0 vs 4.2±0.1 μmol/g protein). Interestingly, ZMP accumulation was not different between 100 μM treatments (5.6±1.3 vs. 5.7±1.5 μmol/g protein). This suggests that phosphodiesterase cleavage of P39 is likely the limiting factor for ZMP accumulation. Interestingly, while ZMP accumulation following 13 hour incubation with 100 μM AICAR or P39 was not different, ATP content was approximately 50% higher in P39 treated cells (33.7±5.8 vs. 51.0±5.8 μmol/g protein). While the measurement of ZMP accumulation at very low treatment concentrations (10 μM) is very diffcult, P39 exposure for 1 to 1.5 hours resulted in a 3 to 8 fold increase in ZMP content compared to AICAR. This data illustrates the potential for P39 as a drug capable of accumulating greater ZMP than AICAR at very low treatment concentrations, however the capacity of phosphodiesterase activity may limit the application of this drug. This work was funded by a grant from Skylark Biosciences. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Pemanfaatan Serat Bambu Apus Sebagai Bahan Pembuatan Helm Safety

The use of apus bamboo fiber material as an alternative material to fiber glass in the materials sector, especially in safety helmets, is now becoming increasingly well known to people. This is because the advantages of this natural fiber reinforced composite material are environmentally friendly, lighter weight, relatively cheap price, excellent mechanical properties, and easy to obtain. So the aim of this research is to determine the process of making safety helmets using the vacuum infusion method and to determine the strength of free fall test specimens reinforced by apus bamboo fiber. As a result of the vacuum infusion method, the safety helmet that is made has a smoother surface with the same thickness. The resulting helmet has a bottom length of 30 cm, width 22 cm, height 14 cm and top length 24 cm. The free fall test uses variations in height from a fall distance of 1 meter, 2 meters and 3 meters. Meanwhile, the loads are 0.694 kg and 1.563 kg. The results of the potential energy sensor for a load of 0.694 kg at a height of 1 meter is 5.59 joules, a load of 0.694 kg at a height of 2 meters is 12.39 joules, and a load of 0.694 kg at a height of 3 meters is 19.18 joules. Meanwhile, sensor data for a load of 1,563 kg at a height of 1 meter is 14.11 joules, a load of 1,563 kg at a height of 2 meters is 29.42 joules, and a load of 1,563 kg at a height of 3 meters is 44.74 joules.

Car Accident Detection and Alert System

Due to the high death and property damage rates from traffic accidents, road safety is a serious problem. This study suggests a novel traffic accident detection and warning system in response to this difficulty, with the goals of enhancing prompt response and minimizing damage. This system is made up of many different parts, such as an energy sensor, accelerometers, Arduino microcontrollers, GPS modules, and GSM modules. Combining these characteristics allows the system to differentiate between minor and severe occurrences, recognize and categorize collisions according to impact severity, and detect overturned vehicles. The system notifies designated projects in the precise accident zone of any serious accidents detected. The process includes developing algorithms, designing hardware, and implementing the system. Thorough testing is then done to assess the system's dependability and performance. The outcomes demonstrate how well the suggested approach works for precise accident detection and quick emergency response. This research uses technology to lessen the effects of traffic accidents and save lives, which advances road safety legislation.

Hydrophobic sisal cellulose paper-based TENG for collecting rain energy and raindrop-based sensor

Hydrophobic Sisal cellulose paper (SCP) was obtained by surface modification of SCP via physical adsorbing polymer and chemical grafting monomer, respectively. The influence of surface modification conditioning on the hydrophobicity, dielectric constant and dipole moment of the SCP was investigated. The results showed that the hydrophobicity and dielectric constant of the modified SCP increased with the concentration and amount of the modifiers. The output electrical performance of the TENGs assembled by the two types of hydrophobic SCP for rain energy collection was compared. The output electrical performance of the chemically modified hydrophobic SCP-TENG is higher than that of the physical modified. The maximum power density of the former reaches 8.2 mW/m2. Furthermore, based on the linear relationship between the output performance (output voltage intensity and output current intensity) of hydrophobic SCP-TENG and the droplet velocity, a raindrop-based sensor based on hydrophobic SCP-TENG was successfully constructed and estimated.

Modeling of semiconductor heterostructures for energy converters and sensors

A set of modeling programs for constructing a sequence of energy zones of heterojunctions is presented for analyzing the distribution of charge carriers in the heterostructure and internal characteristics, for describing the processes of charge transfer and accumulation. Wolfram Mathematica analytical system and Delphi programming language were used. The main elements of materials are semiconductors, metals of contact structures and injection regions of nonequilibrium carriers. The programs allow determining the structural characteristics of materials, active zones and spatial charge regions, calculating quasi-Fermi levels and built-in potentials, as well as the efficiency of heterostructures in general and for separation-charge collection, charge accumulation, determining the type of metallization of barrier or ohmic contact.

Effect of layered transition metal dichalcogenide hybrid nanomaterials on the piezoelectric performance of non‐solvent induced phase separated polyvinylidene fluoride

AbstractLayered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with high aspect ratios enhance the alignment of polymer chains and induce a preferred orientation of the polymeric crystallites when incorporated into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In addition to offering an effective charge‐transfer mechanism, TMDs give PVDF more rigidity and piezoelectric qualities. This work reports the non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) introduced while developing the PVDF/MoS2 composites. During the NIPS, the PVDF chains become phase‐separated, which induces high polarization in the PVDF matrix. Phase‐separated PVDF/MoS2 composites show high porosity and charge distribution attributed to the enhanced piezoelectric output voltage. While the neat PVDF demonstrated very feeble output voltage generation, the hybrid composite containing 2 wt.% of MoS2/ZnO facilitated almost 20 times higher performance (peak‐to‐peak voltage of 2.4 V). This work yielded a phase‐separated composite that finds uses in energy harvesting, sensors, and actuators, among other fields.Highlights NIPS creates high‐porosity composites with improved charge distribution. Layered TMDs improve charge‐transfer mechanism and PVDF's electrical properties. 2 wt.% MoS2/ZnO exhibits nearly 20 times higher voltage generation than neat PVDF.

AICAR confers prophylactic cardioprotection in doxorubicin-induced heart failure in rats

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent that can cause serious cardiotoxic side effects, leading to heart failure (HF). Impaired mitochondrial function is thought to be key factor driving progression into HF. We have previously shown in a rat model of DOX-HF that heart failure with reduced ejection fraction correlates with mitochondrial loss and dysfunction. Adenosine monophosphate-dependent kinase (AMPK) is a cellular energy sensor, regulating mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism, including fatty acid oxidation. We hypothesised that AMPK activation could restore mitochondrial function and therefore be a novel cardioprotective strategy for the prevention of DOX-HF. Consequently, we set out to assess whether 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), an activator of AMPK, could prevent cardiac functional decline in this chronic intravenous rat model of DOX-HF. In line with our hypothesis, AICAR improved cardiac systolic function. AICAR furthermore improved cardiac mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, independent of mitochondrial number, and in the absence of observable AMPK-activation. In addition, we found that AICAR prevented loss of myocardial mass. RNAseq analysis showed that this may be driven by normalisation of pathways associated with ribosome function and protein synthesis, which are impaired in DOX-treated rat hearts. AICAR furthermore prevented dyslipidemia and excessive body-weight loss in DOX-treated rats, which may contribute to preservation of myocardial mass. Though it is unclear whether AICAR exerted its cardioprotective effect through cardiac or extra-cardiac AMPK-activation or via an AMPK-independent effect, these results show promise for the use of AICAR as a cardioprotective agent in DOX-HF to both preserve cardiac function and mass.

Synthesis and formation mechanism of Ti3C2Clx MXene by molten salt method

MXene is a novel two-dimensional nano material with exceptional performance, which can be applied in the fields of energy storage structural materials, optics, catalysis, and sensors etc. However, its synthesis is a challenge to date. From the perspective of environmental friendliness, the method of Lewis salt etching can effectively avoid the use of dangerous reagents and has been seen as a pollution-free economic approach. In this article ZnCl2 molten salt was chosen as corrosive agent to etch Ti3AlC2 MAX phase and investigated the synthesis mechanism of Ti3C2Clx MXene. The influence of main process factor, like raw materials, sintering temperature, and holding time on synthesis product were studied and discussed. The synthesis route was investigated by XRD and thermal analysis. SEM and TEM technology was used to analyze the microstructure and lattice of synthesis product. The results showed that the optimal process conditions: the molar ratio of raw materials was 1:6 (Ti3AlC2: ZnCl2), the synthesis temperature and holding time were 600～700 °C and 4 h, respectively. Ti3C2Clx MXene material prepared by this method has a complete layered structure and uniform composition, and its synthesis mechanism can be concluded to two steps: the first step was the reaction between Ti3AlC2 MAX phase and ZnCl2 to generate Ti3ZnC2 MAX phase; In the second step, the Ti3ZnC2 MAX phase reacted with the remaining ZnCl2 to generate Ti3C2Clx MXene material.

Multifunctional application of different iron oxide nanoparticles

Abstract Iron oxide nanoparticles have found wide applications in different fields of biomedicine and advanced catalytic applications. Several studies have suggested using iron oxide nanoparticle (Fe2O3-NPs) be a potential candidate for antibacterial activity assessment. Iron oxide nanoparticles, apart from being available extensively and cheap, also plays a vital part in multiple biological processes, making it an interesting choice of selection. The aim of the present study revolves around synthesis and characterization of iron oxide Fe2O3-NPs, followed by assessment of its antimicrobial activities and its catalytic behaviour. Synthesis of Fe2O3-NPs was performed by co-precipitation approach, and commercial iron oxide samples were studied for the comparison. The silver nanoparticles were also doped to the iron oxide nanoparticles and studied for the synergic effect. The samples characterization was done by UV-visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy (RAMAN). Antimicrobial activity was checked by agar diffusion assay against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The electrode performance of the iron oxide samples was done by cyclic voltammetry to explore their application in the energy storage and sensor.

Pure MnO2, Ni/MnO2, Ni/MnO2@PVA and Ni/MnO2@PVP polymetrix nanocomposites for energy storage device

In the last few years, there have been a great deal of discoveries and research made that has contributed to the development of Metal-based polymer nanocomposites. Electromagnetic shielding, energy storage devices, fuel cells, membranes, sensors, and actuators are just some of the many intriguing uses for Metal-based materials and their composites. Experiments using cyclic voltammetry investigated the super capacitive qualities of MnO2 nanoparticles, MnO2 nanoparticles that had been doped with nickel, and MnO2 nanoparticles that had been combined with Poly-vinyl-alcohol (PVA) and Polyvinyl-Pyrolidone (PVP). A method known as hydrothermal synthesis was used in the production of both the polymer nanocomposites and the nanoparticles. Analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the structural changes that occurred as a result of the interaction between MnO2/Ni and the PVA/PVP mix matrix. Examining the surface morphology of synthesized nanocomposite films was carried out with the assistance of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Through the use of cyclic voltammetry, it was discovered that the values of capacitance for MnO2, nickel doped MnO2, and nickel doped Polymer capped MnO2 nanoparticles, respectively, were 164F/g, 293F/g, 304F/g, and 471.9F/g. In contrast to nickel doped MnO2 nanoparticles that were assisted by PVP, nickel doped MnO2 nanoparticles that were assisted by PVA were shown to be a more effective super capacitor.

Intermolecular Forces Regulating the Phase-Transition Temperatures in Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials.

Organic-inorganic hybrid phase-transition materials have attracted widespread attention in energy storage and sensor applications due to their structural adaptability and facile synthesis. However, increasing the phase-transition temperature (Tc) effectively remains a formidable challenge. In this study, we employed a strategy to regulate intermolecular interactions (different types of hydrogen bonds and other weak interactions), utilizing bismuth chloride as an inorganic framework and azetidine, 3,3-difluoro azetidine, and 3-carboxyl azetidine as organic components to synthesize three compounds with different Tc values: [C3H8N]2BiCl5 (1, 234 K), [C3H6NF2]3BiCl6 (2, 256 K), and [C4H8O2N]3BiCl6 (3, 350 K). 1 is a one-dimensional chain structure and 2 and 3 are zero-dimensional structures. Analysis of the crystal structure and the Hirshfeld surface and 2D fingerprints further suggests that the intermolecular forces are efficiently modulated. These findings emphasize the efficacy of our strategy in enhancing Tc and may facilitate further research in this area.