Excellent Surface Morphology Research Articles

Realization of grain growth and suppressed bulk defects for efficient solution-processed Cu2ZnSn (S, Se)4 solar cells via co-doping strategy

Environmentally benign and earth-abundant constituent’s kieserite Cu2ZnSn (S, Se)4 (Cotises) is considered as a hopeful photovoltaic material. Unfortunately, the severe tail state caused by various harmful deep defects in CZTSSe absorber prevents further development of its device efficiency. Here, we report firstly that the Co was incorporated into CZTSSe films to form the Cu2CoxZn1-xSn (S, Se)4 (CCZTSSe) films using a two-step annealing and solution-processing technique method. Through optimized the Co/(Co+Zn) ratio, the CCZTSSe film has excellent good surface morphology and single-phase composition. Appropriate amount of Co elements replacing Zn elements in CZTSSe films can effectively reduce the degree of Cu-Zn disorder, thus inhibiting [2CuZn+SnZn] defect clusters and CuZn defects. The detrimental deep defects located in the film were effectively passivated to reduce electrostatic potential fluctuations, resulting in relief of the trailing state. Therefore, a champion device having an efficiency of 7.50 % with a fill factor (FF) of 61.00 % was achieved from CCZTSSe with 3 % Co content. This work provides new insights into the impacts of Co doping in CZTSSe by a solution processed method and offers a deeper comprehension of the origin of the efficiency enhancement of CCZTSSe devices.

Polyvinyl alcohol-chitosan-polyethylene glycol-glycerol incorporated with Peganum harmala loaded in lipid nanocapsules as an elastic nanocomposite surgical sealant to control bleeding

Uncontrolled hemorrhage remains a critical threat in trauma and surgery. This study developed a novel hemostatic composite by encapsulating Peganum harmala L. seed extract (PH) with known hemostatic properties into lipid nanocapsules (PH-LNCs) and then embedding them within a polyvinyl alcohol-chitosan-polyethylene glycol-glycerol (PVA-CS-PEG-G) matrix. The composite was physically crosslinked via the dual processes of freezing-thawing and thermal crosslinking and exhibited robust mechanical properties reaching 0.434 ± 0.014 MPa and elasticity of 40.685 % ± 4.04. It also demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, surface morphology, physical stability, and ex-vivo skin deposition/permeation were assessed. The characterization of PH-LNCs revealed optimal PH-LNC formation and successful integration into the composite with particle size, zeta potential, and PDI were approximately 45.45 ± 24 nm, −16.3 ± 1.4 mV, and 0.374 ± 0.1, respectively. In vitro studies highlighted enhanced blood clotting and platelet adhesion, while in vivo experiments confirmed superior hemostatic efficacy in a mouse tail amputation model. The composite's soft texture, conformability, and mechanical strength make it a promising candidate for effective traumatic wound management.

Improved surface morphology and reduced V-pits density of lattice-matched AlInN films grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

AlInN has emerged as a promising material for advanced optoelectronic and electronic devices due to its unique properties. However, achieving AlInN layers with excellent surface morphology remains challenging. Here, Al0.83In0.17N layers lattice-matched to GaN/sapphire were grown by atmospheric-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition at 875 °C. The lowest surface roughness measured by atomic force microscopy was 0.37 nm after optimizing the growth temperature and flux of precursors. The roughness value was constant in the range of 15–72 nm film thickness. Introducing a TMI pre-flow period before AlInN growth, further reduced roughness to 0.28 nm, although a graded inclusion of Ga into the AlInN near the GaN/AlInN interface was observed. This improved surface morphology was interpreted by the In-surfactant effect enriched by the pre-flow in the early stage of AlInN. Additionally, the V-pits density was as low as 2×105 cm−2, primarily due to high growth pressure and also influenced by relatively high growth temperature. Analysis of Al incorporation using second-order reaction model suggests that the severe parasitic reactions between TMA and NH3 at atmospheric pressure can be effectively eliminated by a high total gas flow rate of 72 slm, ensuring in-plane uniformity in surface morphology and relatively good crystalline quality.

Segmented electrochemical milling of large and difficult-to-machine curved surfaces

In aerospace and other industrial manufacturing domains, the use of parts with large and difficult-to-machine thin-walled curved surfaces is widespread. Achieving good surface morphology when processing these curved structural parts is a critical research focus due to their insufficient stiffness, variability and susceptibility to noticeable tool marks. This study conducted experimental research based on the principle of electrochemical milling (EC milling) of surfaces, considering different machining sequences. The processing sequence of "first middle and then two sides" obtained a superior surface morphology. Secondly, to address the issue of tool marks, tools with different outlet surface lengths were designed. The results demonstrate that increasing the outlet surface length to 20 mm minimized machining depth deviation, roundness error, and tool marks on the machined surface. Ultimately, the experiment confirmed the feasibility of enhancing tool marks by adjusting the length of the outlet surface, thereby achieving excellent surface morphology in the processed workpieces.

Growth temperature dependence of MnSb synthesis on GaAs (111) B using molecular beam epitaxy

In this study, we employed MBE to synthesize four MnSb samples on GaAs (111) B substrate at growth temperatures 300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C for GT-300, GT-400, GT-500, and GT-600 samples respectively. Surface morphology and elemental composition were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for four prepared samples. X-ray diffraction was performed to assess the crystal formation and surface quality of all samples. Epitaxial growth confirmation was performed using electron backscatter diffraction. Magnetic properties were assessed via superconducting quantum interference device measurements. Based on these comprehensive characterizations, the GT-500 sample, grown at a temperature of 500 °C (pyrometer 410 °C), demonstrated excellent surface morphology, crystal formation, surface quality, and magnetic properties. This sample holds outstanding potential for future applications, particularly in fabricating spintronics devices as a high-quality ferromagnetic source/drain, powering remote sensors, and thermoelectric devices.

Structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of rare-earth free double-perovskite oxides Ba2Bi[formula omitted](Bi[formula omitted]Sb[formula omitted])O6

We present the structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of rare-earth free double-perovskite compounds Ba2Bi3+(Bi1−2x5+Sb2x5+)O6 (x= 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.5). All samples prepared by the solid-state reaction method were formed in the single-phase monoclinic and rhombohedral perovskite oxides. Using the First Principle calculations of density functional theory, the effect of Sb substitution on band gap broadening was examined and a reasonable correlation was found with the experimental results. The photocatalytic activities were studied from the MB and IPA decomposition experiment. It was observed that Ba2Bi3+(Bi1−2x5+Sb2x5+)O6 exhibited better MB degradation performance under Sb substitution accompanied by the formation of nanoparticles. IPA decomposition result supports this finding and suggested that smaller particles in the Sb substituted samples reasonably affect the CO2 evolution performance.The maximum MB decomposition rate (about 50%) was found for the 20% Sb-incorporated sample. In contrast to the previously reported rare-earth-based double perovskite photocatalyst, a comparable performance was obtained in this research. The excellent surface morphology associated with the smaller particle sizes and better crystallinity for the Sb substituted sample promoted more active sites that facilitated improved photocatalytic activities of Ba2Bi3+(Bi1−2x5+Sb2x5+)O6 double perovskite.

Fabrication of para-dimethylamine calix[4]arene functionalized self-assembled graphene oxide composite material for effective removal of 2, 4, 6-tri-Cholorphenol from aqueous environment

Water pollution caused by the release of organic pollutants is a major environmental concern worldwide. These pollutants can have harmful effects on aquatic ecosystems and the organisms living within them, as well as on human health when contaminated water is consumed. It is essential to implement proper treatment and management strategies to prevent and mitigate water pollution. Moreover, the major untreated industrial effluents are synthetic organic compounds especially 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) which cause several environmental issues and heath related problems in humans. To cope with this problem, an excellent 2D porous material based on p-DMAC4/GO composite has been synthesized as adsorbent material for the effective removal of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol pollutant from wastewater. In this regard, the advanced analytical tools such as Fourier-Transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were used for its characterization. The results justified the chemical composition, excellent crystalline nature, surface morphology and elemental composition of the synthesized composite material. The synthesized adsorbent material showed 95% adsorption of TCP from wastewater system at optimal conditions i.e., pH (6), adsorbent dosage (30 mg) and shaking time (60 min). The mathematical models such as isotherms, thermodynamics and kinetics studies validate the nature of adsorption process of TCP pollutant. The adsorption data found to be best fitted with Langmuir isotherms (R2 = 0.99); whereas kinetic study suggested the pseudo-second-order nature of reaction with R2 = 0.99. The thermodynamics study confirmed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the TCP pollutant onto the surface of p-DMAC4/GO material. Moreover, the results of current work were also compared with existing reported adsorbents and data suggested the higher efficiency, feasibility, and reusability of p-DMAC4/GO material to remove the TCP pollutant from the wastewater system.

Heteroepitaxial growth of GaSb interfacial misfit array on GaAs substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

Heteroepitaxy growth of antimonide-based superlattices offers new opportunities for band structure engineering in infrared optoelectronics. Due to the wafer size limitations and cost of GaSb substrates, lattice − mismatched epitaxy of antimonide-based materials on GaAs substrates presents an attractive alternative with large wafer scales, low costs, and great ohmic contacts. Herein, we report a heterostructure growth method using molecular beam epitaxy based on the interfacial misfit (IMF) array technique. The 7.8% lattice mismatch at the GaAs/GaSb interface was accommodated through a thin low temperature (LT) nucleation layer followed by a thick high-temperature (HT) GaSb buffer layer. We explain the evolution of rectangular-like defects for direct growth GaSb on GaAs substrates. Under optimized GaAs/LT-GaSb/GaSb heterostructure growth conditions, we achieved highly smooth GaSb surfaces with well-defined atomic steps as observed in atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements. Furthermore, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) characterization reveals that misfit dislocations are dominated by 90° dislocations at the GaAs/GaSb interface. We obtained a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 140.6 arcsec for a 2 μm thick GaSb layer on a GaAs substrate and achieved a high lattice relaxation of 99.7%. These results demonstrate that our proposed growth method holds great potential for achieving excellent surface morphology and high crystal quality in GaAs/GaSb heteroepitaxial system.

Superparamagnetic characteristic of surface capped Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles reinforced polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers with mixed magnetic phases

The purpose of this work is to prepare magnetic polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers from nonmagnetic polycarbonate material by electrospinning method. This was achieved by the incorporation of oleic acid capped magnesium zinc ferrite (Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) nanoparticles during the spinning process. The presence of uniformly distributed surface capped Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles in the polymer nanofibers was detected by TEM investigation. The nanocomposite fibers retained and exhibited the excellent surface morphology as that of the plane polycarbonate fibers prepared under the same solution and spinning parameters. FT-IR and XRD studies revealed that, there did not happen any degradation to the polycarbonate material even with a high nanofiller load or under a high applied potential during electrospinning. UV-Visible spectral study shows that the polycarbonate nanocomposite fibers attained attractive visible light absorption power. The increased polymer entanglement by the proper interaction with the ferrite nanoparticles attributes to the increase in the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite fibers. The VSM analysis was carried out to find the magnetic parameters like saturation magnetization, coercivity and retentivity of the composite fibers. Mossbauer spectral analysis was done to know the isomer shift, quadrupole splitting and the average hyperfine field. PC-Mg0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composite nanofibers exhibit quadrupole splitting values between 0.35 and 0.57 mm/s

Integration of lauric acid/zeolite/graphite as shape stabilized composite phase change material in gypsum for enhanced thermal energy storage in buildings

The effectiveness of Gypsum plaster loaded with Shape Stabilized Composite Phase Change Material (SSCPCM) in regulating indoor temperature of the building is experimentally investigated in this study. SSCPCM is composed of Gypsum/Lauric acid/Zeolite loaded with varying percentage of Graphite (0 wt%, 5 wt%, and 10 wt%). The SSCPCM-0, SSCPCM-5, and SSCPCM-10 were characterized for morphology, physical structure, chemical structure, thermal energy storage capabilities, thermal stability, and thermal conductivity using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermo Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and thermal conductivity meter respectively. The results suggest that SSCPCM have excellent surface morphology and shows good chemical, thermal and physical stability. Thermal energy storage capacity of 81.08 J/g, 74.02 J/g, and 54.30 J/g at thermal conductivity of 0.242 W/mK, 0.427 W/mK, and 0.774 W/mk were shown by SSCPCM-0, SSCPCM-5, and SSCPCM-10 respectively. Additionally, SSCPCM-5 has shown superior thermal reliability by maintaining the thermo-physical characteristics after 1000 thermal cycles. These SSCPCMs were used to prepare GPCM, GPCM-5, and GPCM-10 composite gypsum plaster and five day real outdoor testing was conducted by applying them on indoor roof and south wall of cubicles. GPCM has effectively improves the indoor temperature profile in comparison with GPCM-5 and GPCM-10.

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Device with a Novel Deep-Blue Emitter of a Donor-Acceptor Type, with ZnO Nanoparticles for Solution-Processed OLEDs.

Two new deep-blue emitters with bipolar properties based on an organoboron acceptor and carbazole donor were newly synthesized: 2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-5-(2,12-di-tert-butyl-5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho [3,2,1-de]anthracen-7-yl)-5H-benzo[b]carbazole (TDBA-BCZ) and 5-(2,12-di-tert-butyl-5,9-dioxa-13b-boranaphtho [3,2,1-de]anthracen-7-yl)-8-phenyl-5,8-dihydroindolo[2,3-c]carbazole (TDBA-PCZ). The two emitters showed deep-blue and real-blue photoluminescence emission in their solution and film states, respectively. The doped spin-coated films were prepared using synthesized materials and showed a root-mean-square roughness of less than 0.52 nm, indicating excellent surface morphology. The doped devices, fabricated via a solution process using TDBA-BCZ and TDBA-PCZ as the dopants, showed electroluminescence peaks at 428 and 461 nm, corresponding to the Commission Internationale de L'éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.161, 0.046) and (0.151, 0.155), respectively. The external quantum efficiency (EQE)/current efficiency (CE) of the solution-processed forward devices, with TDBA-BCZ and TDBA-PCZ as dopants, were 7.73%/8.67 cd/A and 10.58%/14.24 cd/A, respectively. An inverted OLED device fabricated using rod-shaped ZnO nanoparticles as an electron injection layer showed a CE of 1.09 cd/A and an EQE of 0.30%.

Superhydrophobic and photothermal deicing composite coating with self-healing and anti-corrosion for anti-icing applications

The phenomenon of surface ice accumulation in low temperature and high humidity environments brings significant challenges to economy, energy, and security. Superhydrophobic surfaces with micro-nano structures are considered as effective anti-icing surfaces. However, deicing can damage the micro-nano structures and increase the ice adhesion strength. Herein, a low-adhesion, superhydrophobic photothermal response coating was introduced by combining micro-nano surface and lubricated surface, which exhibits low adhesion self-healing photothermal de-icing performance. The surface temperature rises rapidly to 85 °C under 1 solar irradiation and the frozen droplet can melt within 150 s. The prepared coating has a contact angle of up to 162° and a rolling angle as low as 4.8°. The superhydrophobicity enabled the coating to have excellent anti-icing property with icing delay times up to 596 s. Ice and frost layers on the coating surface can melt and fall off illuminating with light. In addition, beeswax as phase change materials contributes to the coating's efficient self-healing properties. The coating can restore its excellent superhydrophobicity and surface morphology quickly via a simple heat treatment after suffering chemical and mechanical damage. The coating design strategy will provide inspiration for natural solar photothermal anti-icing surfaces and engineering applications.

Development of Cotton Fabrics via EVA/SiO2/Al2O3 Nanocomposite Prepared by γ-Irradiation for Waterproof and Fire Retardant Applications

Development of cotton fabric (CF) properties using nanocomposites via coating method was of considerable interest for wide applications. This article aims at developing CF properties by coating treatment using ethylene–vinyl-acetate (EVA), silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3) nanoparticles and γ-irradiation widely used in waterproof and flame retardant applications. EVA-based nanocomposites, EVA/SiO2, EVA/Al2O3, and EVA/SiO2/Al2O3, were synthesized by γ-irradiation and the highest gel content of 81.2–95.3% was achieved at 30 kGy. The physicochemical properties of EVA-based nanocomposites were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, DSC and SEM techniques. Usage of irradiated EVA and EVA-based nanocomposites for treatment of CF by coating technique was successfully achieved. This technique provides a simple and versatile method leading to excellent uniform and smooth surface morphology without aggregation. The weight gain, mechanical properties, thermal properties, water vapor permeability and flame-retardant properties of the modified CF were evaluated. Moreover, compared with control CF, the resistivity of water absorptivity and hydrophobic property and the thermal stability were gained. The flame retardant properties of CF samples were performed using limited oxygen index (LOI) and vertical burning flame tests. LOI percentages of CF/EVA/SiO2, CF/EVA/Al2O3 and CF/EVA/SiO2/Al2O3 increased to 25.3, 27.5, and 29.3%, respectively. Untreated CF ignited and burned rapidly after 5 s. Meanwhile, the treated CF hold flame resistance properties and the burning time prolonged to 25 s. The results of the treated CF providing revealed hydrophobic and protective capability of the fabrics from being destroyed by burning, and support their further use in waterproof and flame retardant applications of fabrics.

PH-Responsive Copolymeric Network Gel Using Methacrylated β-Cyclodextrin for Controlled Codelivery of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Drugs

In medical science, sometimes two drugs with different solubilities are simultaneously required in combination to treat various diseases. Herein, a pH-responsive, copolymeric, antioxidant, biocompatible, and chemically crosslinked network gel is prepared to explore its capability as a matrix for controlled release of both hydrophobic [ibuprofen (IB)] and hydrophilic [tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH)] drugs, simultaneously. This three-dimensional β-CD-Meth-cl-(PHPMA-co-PAAc) network hydrogel is synthesized via two steps: (I) methacrylation of β-cyclodextrin and (II) grafting of poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate) and poly(acrylic acid), followed by crosslinking of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate onto the backbone of methacrylated β-cyclodextrin (β-CD-Meth). The successful synthesis of the hydrogel is confirmed using several physiochemical characterizations. The β-CD-Meth-cl-(PHPMA-co-PAAc) hydrogel has an excellent network-like surface morphology. The potential pH-responsive high swelling behavior and excellent shrinking features suggest the reversible nature of the synthesized gel. Besides, rheological analyses affirm its excellent viscoelastic nature. This network gel is biodegradable and its non-cytotoxic nature toward human dermal fibroblast cells is demonstrated. Moreover, the dual drug release pattern from the copolymer under both in vitro and in vivo conditions portrays that this hydrogel has superior ability to be used as a controlled release matrix for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs (TCH and IB) with varying solubilities concurrently.

Microstructural characteristics and mechanical properties of thermally sprayed conventional ceramic coatings reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

This paper aims to develop a high-performance, cost-effective ceramic coating on AISI 1020 steel substrate. For this purpose, three kinds of conventional ceramic powders are taken in the composition Al2O3+3 wt%TiO2, WC+12 wt%Co and ZrO2+8 wt%Y2O3. The composites are coated on the steel surface using thermal spraying technology such as plasma flame for Al2O3+3 wt%TiO2 and ZrO2+8 wt%Y2O3 and high-velocity oxy-fuel for WC+12 wt%Co deposition. Recently, carbon nanotube–reinforced ceramic materials have gained more attention because of their excellent surface morphology properties. Adding nanocomposite to ceramic powders can considerably increase the microstructural characteristics and microhardness of thermal sprayed coatings. However, it is still challenging to obtain effective nanocomposite-doped conventional coating due to the elevated temperature of heat equipment. Thus, the conventional ceramic powders Al2O3+3 wt%TiO2, WC+12 wt%Co and ZrO2+8 wt%Y2O3 are combined with carbon nanotubes at a weight ratio of 1%, 3% and 5% for preparing reliable nanocomposite ceramic coating. The properties of nanocomposite mixed coatings are studied, and their performance is compared with conventional coatings. The coatings’ morphology, structure and phase composition are investigated through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, Vickers microhardness and surface roughness are also determined.

Ultrathin TiN Epitaxial Films as Transparent Conductive Electrodes.

Titanium nitride (TiN), a transition-metal compound with tight covalent Ti-N bonding, has a high melting temperature and superior mechanical and chemical stabilities compared to noble metals. With a reduction in thickness, the optical transmittance of TiN films can be drastically increased, and in combination with its excellent electrical conductivity, the ultrathin and continuous TiN film can be considered as an ideal alternative of the metal oxide electrodes. However, the deposition of ultrathin and continuous metallic layer with a smooth surface morphology is a major challenge for typical deposition methods such as thermal evaporation or reactive sputtering. In particular, defects mainly related with oxygen contents and surface scattering can significantly limit the performance of ultrathin TiN films. In this work, ultrathin TiN films with 2-10 nm in thickness are grown by using the nitrogen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) method in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Excellent surface morphology with a root-mean-square roughness of ≤0.12 nm and a high optical transparency of 75% over the whole visible regime are achieved for ultrathin TiN epitaxial films. The dielectric properties determined by the spectroscopic ellipsometry and the electrical properties measured by the terahertz spectroscopy and the Hall effect method reveal that the percolation thickness of the TiN epitaxial film is less than 2.4 nm and its electrical conductivity is higher than 1.1 × 104 Ω-1 cm-1. These features make MBE-grown ultrathin TiN epitaxial films a good candidate for robust, low cost, and large-area transparent conductive electrodes.

Isolation and characterisation of nanofibrillated cellulose from N36 Ananas comosus leaves via ball milling with green solvent

The production of valuable materials from biomass into nanosized become the principal focus of the developing industries on achieving green-based composite product, designed for extensive range of applications. This study principally, focused on discovering green method for the utilisation of N36 Ananas comosus leaves fibre (PALF) to highly potential material. Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) were successfully isolated from PALF by ball milling with presence of isopropyl alcohol. The effect of isopropyl alcohol and the milling time on nano fibrillation were analysed through characterisation of NFCs including Field Emission Scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Zeta-potential (ZP), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) and Particle size analysis (PSA). Comparatively, the 1:4─15 min NFC sample which milled for 15 mins with 1 mL of cellulose suspension and 4 mL of IPA, express desirable features in the concern of morphology, fibre size, yield, crystallinity, thermal stability, and homogeneity on disintegration of PALF fibre. High thermal degradation temperature of 323 ℃ and crystallinity index of 67%, reveal the potential on reinforcing to improve the composite's thermal stability and mechanical properties. Moreover, it exhibits excellent surface morphology, stability with low self-agglomeration, and uniformity in defibrillation with fibre diameter of 25.84 ± 8.30 nm, zeta-potential of − 32.31 ± 2.51 and PDI of 0.103. Besides, the high yield of NFC (>90%), increase the feasibility of NFC production. Hence, addition of IPA gives significant impact on defibrillation by disrupt the intermolecular hydrogen bond, so that less milling time is convenient on production of NFC without causes severe damage on other properties.

Insights on magnetic spinel ferrites for targeted drug delivery and hyperthermia applications

AbstractMagnetic spinel ferrite nanoparticles (SFNPs) attract high scientific attention from researchers due to their broad area for biomedicine applications, comprising cancer magnetic hyperthermia and targeted drug delivery. Uniquely, its excellent performance, namely, tuning size and surface morphology, excellent magnetism, extraordinary magnetically heat induction, promising biocompatibility, and specific targeting capacity, is essential for their effective utilization in clinical diagnosis and therapeutics of diseases. This review emphasizes the anticancer properties of nanoparticles of spinel ferrites with extra focus on the most recent literature. A critical review is provided on the latest applications of SFNPs in cancer therapy. Based on the results obtained from this review, SFNPs have the indefinite ability in cancer therapy through two mechanisms: (1) hyperthermia, where SFNPs, used as a hyperthermia mediator, elevated the tumor cells heat post-exposure to an external magnetic field and radiosensitizer during cancer radiotherapy; and (2) targeted drug delivery of cytotoxic drugs in tumor treatment. SFNPs induced apoptosis and cell death of cancer cells and prevented cancer cell proliferation.

Design and Morphology Characterization of Biopolymer Blend-ZnO Nanocomposites Coated Cu-Ni-Mo-based Steel Foam

Recent developments have been focused on the fabrication and application of metal–metal oxide nanocomposites coated steel foam for nanomaterials, which can have excellent surface morphology and mechanical properties than conventional materials. In this study, a novel 3 dimensional (3D) biopolymer blend-ZnO nanocomposites coated Cu-Ni-Mo-based steel foam was designed and prepared. The objective of this work was to investigate the deposition of the nanofilm by immersion of the steel foam into a solution containing ZnO nanostructures and to determine the effect of the surface coating of biopolymer blend-ZnO nanocomposites onto the Cu-Ni-Mo-based steel foam. A low-cost and easy-to-use dip-coating method was preferred to obtain uniform and high quality coating layers. With this approach, the nanocoatings were prepared at 25 °C and low contact time (≈10 min). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and stereo microscope analysis methods were used to demonstrate surface and chemical properties of the tragacanth gum / chitosan blend encapsulated ZnO nanocomposites (TG/CH/ZnO NPs) coated Cu-Ni-Mo based steel foam. According to the SEM and stereo microscope images, the prepared 3D random shape with irregular ZnO NPs on the surface of the Cu-Ni-Mo based steel foam were formed. Furthermore, the mean surface roughness values of uncoated steel foam and TG/CH/ZnO NPs coated steel foam were measured as 4.48 µm and 4.61 µm, respectively. Additionally, the RGB pixel of the SEM micrograph of the coated steel foam was analyzed to investigate the effect of coating materials on the surface. Due to cost-efficient and green fabrication of the nanocoating, it has a significant potential to be a promising nanomaterial in biomedical applications.

Mixed Halide Perovskite Films by Vapor Anion Exchange for Spectrally Stable Blue Stimulated Emission (Small 39/2021)

Blue-Emitting Perovskite Films In article number 2103169, Zhizhen Ye, Haiping He and co-workers report a facile vapor anion exchange method that can easily introduce Cl atoms into Br-based films and enables preparation of blue-emitting perovskite films with excellent surface morphology and good spectral photo-stability. Furthermore, optically pumped blue amplified spontaneous emission is realized based on the mixed-Br/Cl perovskite films.