Nanomaterials Research Articles

The effects of different nano materials on the strain and crack length sensing performance of smart concrete: Phenomenological models

Nineteen concrete mixtures with multi wall carbon nano tube (MWCNT), graphene, nano scale (waste of steel industry, iron oxide) and suspensions of nano sized iron, zinc, and a composite suspension of nano sized iron, silver, copper, zinc were designed with different volume percent. The electrical resistivity decreased 229%, 176%, 113%, 251% with additions of graphene, MWCNT, nano scale, composite suspension of nano-sized iron, silver, copper, zinc, respectively. The compressive strain sensitivity of the mixtures increased 244%, 211%, 311% with addition of graphene, MWCNT, nano zinc suspension, respectively. Tensile strain and crack length sensitivities of reference and graphene added mixtures which had the highest compressive strain sensitivity were determined. Strong linear relationships between compressive strain, tensile strain and crack length versus electrical resistance change were observed. Detailed phenomenological models were presented for relationship between the graphene amount, tensile strain and crack sensitivities.

Behavior of clayey soil treated with nano magnesium oxide material

Clayey soils are spread in many countries and require significant improvement. Recently, nanomaterial have been entered to the geotechnical research as a treatment material. Current study utilized magnesium oxide (MgO) as an additive to enhance swelling potential, compressibility characteristics, and index properties of clayey soil from Mosul city using different content of nano-MgO and under varies curing periods. The results showed that the free swell and swell pressure of the soil specimens have been reduced by 25%, and 19%, respectively for 0.25, and 0.75% content of nano material under 3 days of curing time at 25C. Results also showed that the compressibility characteristic represented by the compression index parameter has been reduced by 20.3% for 0.75% of nano-MgO material. Moreover, the soil plasticity index exhibited a maximum increase at 0.75% of nano content. Moreover, results showed that the pH value increased while the electrical conductivity (EC) decreased with the nano-MgO content. To evaluate the curing time effect, specimens were cured for varies curing time under curing temperature of 25 ºC. Then, the free swell, swell pressure, compression index, and Atterberg limits were measured. The results revealed that the free swell and swell pressure for both untreated and treated specimens were reduced during different periods of curing time. Furthermore, the compression index of treated soil was reduced by approximately half for curing time of 28 days. In sum, the swelling and consolidation reduction with curing brought significant improvement and promising results for the treated samples.

Synergistic enhancement of the mechanical properties of cement-based materials by using microcrystalline cellulose and nano-silica composites

The flexural strength and compressive strength are the two most important parameters that characterize the mechanical properties of cement-based materials, but the two are usually mutually exclusive or negatively correlated. The flexural strength of cement-based materials cannot be effectively improved by a single nanomaterial without reducing their compressive properties. Therefore, compounding various micro–nano materials, fully utilizing their respective advantages, and developing composite materials with new properties and application characteristics are important techniques for enhancing the mechanical properties of cement-based materials. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic enhancement of the mechanical properties of concrete by using microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and nano-silica (NS) composites. MCC and NS were mixed and modified to synthesize MCCNS materials, which were added to cement slurry for experiments. Results indicated that the flexural strength and compressive strength of the cement paste with MCCNS materials were significantly increased compared with those of the cement pastes without MCCNS or with only NS. The flexural strength of the cement paste with MCCNS-1 was increased by 47%, 20%, 6.3%, and 6.8% after curing for 1, 7, 28, and 56 days, respectively. Meanwhile, compressive strength was also increased by 14.4%, 6.3%, 6.8% and 6.5%, respectively. In addition, the reaction mechanism was speculated through a variety of test results. The addition of MCCNS material facilitated the formation of additional C-S-H, which also contributed to enhancing the mechanical properties of cement paste.

Resveratrol-Encapsulated Glutathione-Modified Robust Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as an Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Coating Agent for Medical Devices.

The emergence of various lethal bacterial infections and their adherence to medical devices are major public health concerns. The increased bacterial exposure and titer are accompanied by the inappropriate use of antibiotics that sometimes lead to antibiotic resistance, and therefore, a drug-free antibacterial approach is required. Several nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed as antibacterial and antibiofilm coating agents, which can overcome different drug resistance mechanisms by inhibiting the important processes related to bacterial virulence potential. However, developing safe and biocompatible nanomaterials (NMs) for these applications has remained a major challenge due to their poorly understood mechanism of action. In this work, biogenic silica NPs were modified with glutathione (GSH) to form GSH@SNP (∼80 ± 15 nm) for targeting the bacterial cell surface and biofilm. GSH@SNP was loaded with resveratrol to obtain Res_GSH@SNP (∼124 ± 15 nm) that enhances the antibacterial activity of the NPs against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by ∼51 and ∼49%, respectively, compared to GSH@SNP. Res_GSH@SNP is responsible for binding to the bacterial cell surface receptors that interrupt the cell membrane potential, leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, membrane disruption, and DNA damage and eventually resulting in antibacterial activity. Moreover, the antibiofilm activity of Res_GSH@SNP has been found to result from the interaction of the NPs with the abundant carbohydrates present on the biofilm surface. To check the practical utility of Res_GSH@SNP, these were further evaluated as an antibacterial and antibiofilm coating agent for urinary catheters and were found to be effective even after multiple washes. Res_GSH@SNP has been found to exhibit ∼80 ± 1.4% cytocompatibility toward fibroblast NIH-3T3 cells. Overall, this study is expected to pave the way for the development of biocompatible NP-based coating agents for medical devices.

MWCNTs Alleviated saline-alkali stress by optimizing photosynthesis and sucrose metabolism in rice seedling

ABSTRACTSaline and alkali stress affects the growth and development, survival rate, and final yield of rice, while new nano materials can have a positive effect on rice growth. In order to investing the effects of carboxymethyl multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the growth and development of rice seedlings under salt alkali stress, rice seedlings were cultured using rice variety “Songjing 3” using nutrient solution water culture method. The effects of MWCNTs on water absorption capacity, leaf photosynthesis, and sucrose metabolism of rice seedlings under 50 mmol/L saline-alkali stress (1NaCl: 9Na2SO4: 9NaHCO3: 1Na2CO3) conditions were investigated. The results showed that MWCNTs can improve the water use ability of roots and leaves, especially the water absorption ability of roots, which provides a guarantee for the improvement of rice biomass and the enhancement of leaf photosynthetic capacity under adverse conditions. After treatment with MWCNTs, the photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) of leaves increased significantly, and the photochemical quenching value (qP), photochemical quantum efficiency value (Fv/Fm), and electron transfer rate value (ETR) of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters increased significantly, which is beneficial to the improvement of the PSII photosynthetic system. MWCNTs treatment promoted the increase of photosynthetic pigment content in leaves under salt and alkali stress, improved the ratio of Chla and Chlb parameters, increased the activities of key photosynthetic enzymes (RUBPCase and PEPCase) in leaves, increased the value of total lutein cycle pool (VAZ), and significantly enhanced the deepoxidation effect of lutein cycle (DEPS), which can effectively alleviate the stomatal and non stomatal constraints on leaf photosynthesis caused by salt and alkali stress. MWCNTs treatment significantly enhanced the activities of sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrose synthase (SS) under salt and alkali stress, and decreased the activities of soluble acid invertase (SAInv) and alkaline/neutral invertase (A/N-Inv), indicating that MWCNTs promoted sucrose synthesis while inhibiting sucrose decomposition, thereby promoting sucrose accumulation in rice leaves. This study can provide theoretical and experimental basis for the application of MWCNTs to the production of rice under salt and alkali stress, and can find a new way for rice production in saline and alkaline lands.

Scolicidal and apoptotic effects of phyto- and chemically synthesized silver/boehmite nanocomposites on Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces

Cystic hydatid disease (CHD) is a zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus). This study aimed to synthesize silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs), silver boehmite nanocomposite (Ag/Bhm NC), and silver boehmite nanocomposite modified with chitosan (Ag/Bhm/Chit NC) using Rosmarinus officinalis (R. officinalis) extract and chemical method, and to evaluate their scolicidal and apoptotic effects on protoscoleces (PSCs) in vitro. The nanomaterials (NMs) were characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDS, DLS, PDI, and zeta potential (ZP). The NMs were tested against PSCs at different concentrations (0.2–1.6 mg/mL) and exposure times (10–60 min). The size of Ag NPs, phytosynthesized Ag/Bhm NC, Ag/Bhm/Chit NC, and chemically synthesized Ag/Bhm NC were 25.55, 43, 72.3, and 60.8 nm, respectively. Ag NPs and phytosynthesized Ag/Bhm NC showed the highest scolicidal effect, with 65.34 % and 51.60 % mortality rate at 1.6 mg/mL and 60 min, respectively. Caspase-3 mRNA expression was higher in PSCs treated with Ag NPs and Ag/Bhm NC than in control groups (P < 0.05). Phytosynthesized Ag/Bhm NC had stronger scolicidal and apoptotic effect than chemically synthesized Ag/Bhm NC. Ag/Bhm/Chit NC had a weaker scolicidal effect but higher gene expression than Ag/Bhm NC. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the potential of phytosynthesized Ag NPs and Ag/Bhm NC as effective scolicidal and apoptotic agents against PSCs of hydatid cysts, which may be useful for the treatment of this disease.

Synthesis of cost-effective Si-CQD for effective oil separation from core rock

Nanomaterials (NMs) based on carbon are suitable candidates for separating oil from core rock. Nowadays, the application of carbon-based NMs to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is far less. The production of NMs based on carbon (water-wet) is of great importance due to the high recovery they create in reservoirs. The purpose of this study was to change the wettability of oil-wet (OW) carbonate rock (CR) towards water-wet (WW) conditions using cheap synthetic materials. In this regard, the effect of three quantum carbon dots (CQDs) on saltwaters has been used. The CQDs were synthesized by hydrothermal procedure and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the initial source of carbon. In this regard, Si-CQDs indicated great colloidal sustainability in saltwaters solutions. Therefore, to determine the morphological characteristics and structure of the synthesized NMs, Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were done. The stability of NMs was investigated using the zeta potential (ZP). The new compound showed acceptable results at a very low concentration of 100 ppm. The findings indicated that the nanofluid (100 ppm Si-CQDs + Seawater (SE)) reduced the interfacial tension value from 23.34 mN/m to 7 mN/m. Also, the results showed the solution of SE + 100 ppm Si-CQDs improved the oil recovery by 24 % and 23 %. Generally, this paper opens the door for the development of carbon-based NMs with the ability to absorb sediments in the porous media of the reservoir for the efficient separation of oil from core rock. Generally, our analysis supports the use of Si-CQDs as an efficient and economical additive for further oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs.

A comprehensive review of nano materials in geopolymer concrete: Impact on properties and performance

Geopolymerization in concrete production is a sustainable approach that utilizes industrial waste materials in conjunction with alkaline activators, such as sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative, addressing the pressing concern of CO2 emissions associated with conventional cement manufacturing. However, GPC often exhibits suboptimal ambient-cured strength, necessitating the incorporation of nanomaterials to enhance its mechanical properties. This study delves into the investigation of diverse nanomaterial ratios and their profound impact on GPC properties. The research explores the application of engineering-favored additives, including nano-silica, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, to bolster GPC attributes on a global scale. Notably, nanomaterial-modified GPC surpasses the strength of conventionally heat-cured GPC. In-depth microstructural and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses shed light on the intricate nature of nanomaterial-infused GPC, offering a comprehensive understanding of this pioneering composite. This paper serves as an extensive analysis of nanomaterial integration in GPC, unraveling its effects on the material’s characteristics and presenting valuable insights for future application. Incorporating nanomaterials in GPC yields impressive strength gains even under ambient curing conditions, overcoming the limitations of heat curing. Nano material infusion leads to improved concrete densification, reducing sorptivity and water absorption (%) of GPC. Durability against acidic conditions is enhanced by approximately 2–2.5% after the incorporation of nanomaterials in GPC.

Study on effects of TiO2 Nano particles on properties of concrete

Civil Engineering is one of the vast specializations that required an advanced research to utilize the current trend in Nano technology especially utilizing eco-friendly Nano materials for various constructions such as roads, building, soil stabilization and backfill material treatment. Nanomaterials enhance the strength, durability against aggressive chemical compounds and elements that extend the effective service life of the structure. Nanomaterials can also help to reduce the need for raw materials for upkeep and repair. In particular for heavy-duty applications, Nano materials are crucial in the development of high-strength and low-energy buildings. The outcomes of laboratory and field experiments on the effects of Nano materials on the environment are also thoroughly analyzed. There are many different types of Nano particles accessible nowadays, but TiO2 was chosen for this investigation. There are several civil engineering applications for this, to investigate how mechanical properties (compressive strength and flexure strength) are affected by TiO2 Nano particles (NT). In this investigation, M30grade concrete with TiO2 at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 percent by adding to the weight of cement was used.

The Effects of Some Antibacterial Nano Materials on Varnish Layer Hardness

Bu çalışmada, bazı antibakteriyel nano malzeme katkılı verniklerin ahşap malzemede katman sertliğine etkisi araştırılmıştır. Sarıçam (Pinus sylvestris L), Doğu kayını (Fagus orientalis Lipsky), sapsız meşeden (Quercus petraea Liebl.) hazırlanan örneklere, %0,1, %0,3 nano bor (NaB) ve nano gümüş (NaAg) ilave edilmiş su bazlı ve sentetik vernik ile ASTM D-3023’e göre verniklenmiştir. Vernikleme işleminden sonra örneklerin yüzey sertliği (salınım) ASTM D 4366-95’e uyularak yapılmıştır. Sonuç olarak; yüzey sertlik değeri malzeme çeşidi bakımından en yüksek, Doğu kayını, sentetik vernik, nano bor ve %0,1’de, en düşük sarıçam, su bazlı vernik, nano gümüş ve %0,3’de tespit edilmiştir. Çoklu etkileşimde en yüksek Doğu kayını+sentetik vernik+%0,1 nano bor (28,00)’de, en düşük sarıçam+sentetik vernik+%0,3 nano gümüş (11,20)’ de elde edilmiştir. Kontrol örneklerine göre, nano malzemeler verniklerin yüzey sertliğine azaltıcı etki gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu durum, vernik sertliğinin önemli olduğu uygulama alanlarında dikkate alınması avantaj sağlayabilir. Antibakteriyel özelliği yüksek olan nano malzemelerin ahşap üst yüzey işlemlerinde kullanılması ile yeni fikirler ortaya çıkacak ve aşınma riski yüksek olan kullanım alanlarında avantaj sağlayacaktır.

Influence of single and multi-walled CNT on the mechanical performance of glass fiber hybrid polymer composites

The structural materials of the twenty-first century have evolved with the inclusion of nano scale materials which can be utilized to improve the performances of the materials significantly. One of such widely adopted nano material is carbon nano tubes (CNTs) which can further be categorized as single walled and multi walled CNTs (SWCNT and MWCNT). Similarly, glass fiber reinforced polymer composites (GFRP) are a promising material for a wide range of applications, including automotive parts, aircraft components, boat hulls, wind turbine blades, and construction materials. Research by material designers continues to explore new avenues for further improving properties of GFRP composites by using nanomaterials and other advanced materials. In the present work, a new class of polymeric composite material is developed with different filler loading (i.e., 1% to 5% with a step of 1%) of single and multi-walled CNT with glass fiber as reinforcement phase. The tensile and flexural strengths of the hybrid nano composites were determined. The incorporation of CNT with glass fiber epoxy composites strengthened the matrix phase thereby enhancing the tensile and flexural strengths of the developed composites. Further, the obtained experimental findings outlined that the multi walled carbon nano tube filler provided optimum tensile and flexural strength among developed composites due to the better interphase bonding with multi walled structure of MWCNT filler structure. Further, the microscopic analysis of the fractured surfaces was conducted to analyze different mechanisms leading to failure of composite materials during loading.

Solving complex nanostructures with ptychographic atomic electron tomography

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is essential for determining atomic scale structures in structural biology and materials science. In structural biology, three-dimensional structures of proteins are routinely determined from thousands of identical particles using phase-contrast TEM. In materials science, three-dimensional atomic structures of complex nanomaterials have been determined using atomic electron tomography (AET). However, neither of these methods can determine the three-dimensional atomic structure of heterogeneous nanomaterials containing light elements. Here, we perform ptychographic electron tomography from 34.5 million diffraction patterns to reconstruct an atomic resolution tilt series of a double wall-carbon nanotube (DW-CNT) encapsulating a complex ZrTe sandwich structure. Class averaging the resulting tilt series images and subpixel localization of the atomic peaks reveals a Zr11Te50 structure containing a previously unobserved ZrTe2 phase in the core. The experimental realization of atomic resolution ptychographic electron tomography will allow for the structural determination of a wide range of beam-sensitive nanomaterials containing light elements.

Improving the Efficiency of Cement Mortar to Immobilize Sulfate in Industrial Wastewater Using Different Nanoparticles

The disposal of industrial wastewater (IWW) discharged from factories is a significant topic in the environment field, and the use of cement-based materials is a useful way to treat materials with unexpected ions. In this work, IWW with abundant SO42− collected from a factory was utilized to prepare cement mortar (IWWCM), and three kinds of nanomaterials (NMs), including nano-SiO2 (NS), nano-CaCO3 (NC), and nano-metakaolin (NMK), were used to improve the performance of IWWCM. The compressive strengths, hydration degree, hydration products, and micropore structure of the specimens were investigated. The test results showed that IWW reduced the strength of the specimens, and the use of NMs could compensate for this strength reduction. To be specific, the 28-day strength of the freshwater (FW) mixed specimen was 44.6 MPa, and the use of IWW decreased this value to 41.8 MPa. However, the strengths of the specimens with NMs were all higher than 50 MPa, indicating the advantage of NMs for the strengths of the IWWCMs. Moreover, the IWWCM showed a lower hydration degree with a poor pore structure, whereas the use of NMs in IWWCMs refined these properties, explaining the strength increase in the specimens. The results of the SO42− content measurements also showed that the use of NMs could improve the SO42− binding ratio, which is conducive to relieving the pressure of IWW disposal for industrial factories.

A Proportional–Integral Feedback Controlled Automatic Flow Chemistry System to Produce On‐Demand AgAu Alloy Nanoboxes

Mixed‐metal nanoparticles present a challenging task for synthesis with high precision and reproducibility due to the complex interplay of compositional and reaction condition factors. The present study demonstrates a highly precise and automated flow chemistry technique for synthesizing AgAu alloy nanoboxes with tailored optical properties. The synthesis process involves a proportional–integral (PI) feedback control mechanism that enables accurate regulation of reaction parameters, such as the flow rate, to achieve the target AgAu nanoboxes having a desired UV–vis absorbance wavelength. The PI control algorithm is built on the first‐order plus dead‐time model, which correlates the flow rate of the precursors with the maximum absorbance peaks of the resultant nanoalloy products. Based on the difference between the real‐time measured UV–vis absorbance wavelength and the target wavelength, the flow rate of the precursor (i.e., reagent concentration) is tuned via an iterative process until the real‐time absorbance wavelength of the AgAu alloy nanoboxes is matched with the target setpoint. The implementation of a PI feedback control mechanism in a flow chemistry system can offer a highly versatile and universal strategy for generating on‐demand complex nanomaterials with significantly enhanced consistency and reliability by mitigating concentration variations and minimizing the need for human intervention.

Optimization and surface functionalization of carbon nanotubes using different hierarchical metal oxide nanoparticles

ABSTRACT The metal oxide surface-functionalized CNTs have attracted the interest of many researchers worldwide because of their different and feast important applications. In this investigation, two different hierarchical metal oxide nanoparticles Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) have been loaded on the external surface of multi-walled carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs) following the hydrothermal process by using the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant. To assess the quality of preparation, the prepared nano composites were verified by utilizing various techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. It was proven by the obtained results that, ZnO and Co3O4 are uniformly and homogenously loaded on the surface of MWCNTs, as presented in the SEM and HR-TEM images. Also, The FTIR confirms the presence of absorption bands related to the presence of CNTs, ZnO and Co3O4 nano materials. in addition, The HRTEM imgaes and corresponding SAED demonstrate the presence of nano particles (ZnO and Co3O4) on the external surface of MWCNTs. furthermore, ZnO particles have a hexagonal platelet structure, and their thickness increases as the amount of CTAB increases. Moreover, the XRD diffraction pattern confirms the crystalline structure of the loaded nanoparticles.

Green mediated sol-gel auto combustion and solution combustion synthesis of calcium magnesium aluminate (CMA) nanoparticles: Modified carbon paste and nickel mesh electrodes for supercapacitor and sensor applications

Calcium Magnesium Aluminate (CMA) nanomaterials (NMs) were designed using a density functional theory (DFT) based materials project. Sol-gel and combustion techniques were used to prepare CMA nanoparticles and compared with characteristics and electrochemical studies with different electrodes like modified carbon paste and nickel mesh in this article. Structural characterizations using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra were performed. Morphological characterizations using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were carried out. Modified carbon paste electrodes and nickel mesh electrodes were developed using CMA NMs via sol-gel and combustion method, its electrochemical techniques such as Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) were compared for the sensitive detection of biomonitoring samples (i.e. uric acid, creatinine, ascorbic acid, riboflavin) and environmental contaminants (i.e. Lead nitrate and Cadmium nitrate). Specific capacitance (Csp) was calculated using CV curves for both modified carbon paste and nickel mesh electrodes found that, prepared nickel mesh electrodes by CMA NMs via sol-gel method exhibits comparatively maximum Csp value. Nickel mesh electrodes were further analysed galvanometric charge-discharge process via sol-gel and combustion technique. This report paves the way for tri-metal aluminate (CMA) design and development for electrochemical applications such as supercapacitors and sensors for the detection of various analytes.

Application of Nanotechnology in Soil Stabilization

Nano-technology is expanding its horizon in various science and technology fields. In civil engineering, soil is a complex material and used for various functions and applications. Meanwhile, sometimes an effective soil stabilization technique is needed to fulfil the site criteria and can be achieved by adopting various methods e.g., physical, chemical, thermal or reinforcement using geotextiles and fabrics. The mechanism of soil stabilization using nanomaterials is still unexplored and open to prospective researchers. The present article attempts to touch and explore the possibilities of nano-technology in soil improvement and its applications in various civil engineering works. Microstructural analysis of the nanomaterials treated soils using the latest equipment has also been discussed. The study interprets that the use of nano materials is still limited, due to their high cost and sophisticated handling procedures. Though the use of nanoparticles in soil stabilization results in extraordinary improvements in various soil properties, the improved soil properties could be utilized for various geotechnical projects. The present study bridges the past findings to the present scenario of nanomaterials in soil improvement.

Recent Updates on Multifunctional Nanomaterials as Antipathogens in Humans and Livestock: Classification, Application, Mode of Action, and Challenges.

Pathogens cause infections and millions of deaths globally, while antipathogens are drugs or treatments designed to combat them. To date, multifunctional nanomaterials (NMs), such as organic, inorganic, and nanocomposites, have attracted significant attention by transforming antipathogen livelihoods. They are very small in size so can quickly pass through the walls of bacterial, fungal, or parasitic cells and viral particles to perform their antipathogenic activity. They are more reactive and have a high band gap, making them more effective than traditional medications. Moreover, due to some pathogen's resistance to currently available medications, the antipathogen performance of NMs is becoming crucial. Additionally, due to their prospective properties and administration methods, NMs are eventually chosen for cutting-edge applications and therapies, including drug administration and diagnostic tools for antipathogens. Herein, NMs have significant characteristics that can facilitate identifying and eliminating pathogens in real-time. This mini-review analyzes multifunctional NMs as antimicrobial tools and investigates their mode of action. We also discussed the challenges that need to be solved for the utilization of NMs as antipathogens.

A novel fabrication and characterization of PEGylated hydroxyapatite-zirconia oxide nanoparticles for biomedical application

Calcium phosphate-based nanomaterials (NMs) have garnered substantial attention for their potential applications in addressing bone-related diseases. However, the production of nanomaterials with optimal bioactivity and minimal toxicity remains a challenging endeavor. Hence, the current study focused on the synthesis and characterization of PEGylated hydroxyapatite-zirconia oxide nanoparticles (PHAP-ZrO2 NPs) and assessed their cytotoxicity on both HEK-293 cells and red blood cells, with a specific emphasis on their suitability for applications in bone tissue engineering. PHAP-ZrO2 NPs were synthesized employing both the sol-gel and grinding methods, enabling a comparative assessment of their physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the properties of the synthesized PHAP-ZrO2 NPs were thoroughly examined utilizing techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Notably, TEM analysis revealed the distinctive oval shape of the PEG-HAP-ZrO2 NPs. The zeta size and zeta potential of PHAP-ZrO2 NPs were 122.8 ± 0.16 nm and − 25.7 ± 6.6 mV, respectively. The in-vitro cytotoxicity analysis confirmed that the PHAP-ZrO2 NPs (1 mg/mL) have 71.5 ± 5.3% of cell viability with minimal toxicity. Similarly, PHAP-ZrO2 NPs did not cause substantial toxicity (5.76 ± 0.057%) to red blood cells (RBCs) compared to PBS (2.27 ± 0.119%). Overall, the high throughput characterization and cytotoxicity results of this study demonstrate that the synthesized PHAP-ZrO2 NPs could be developed as potential drug delivery carriers for therapeutic applications.

SciRAPnano: a pragmatic and harmonized approach for quality evaluation of in vitro toxicity data to support risk assessment of nanomaterials.

Large amounts of nanotoxicity data from alternative non-animal (in vitro) test methods have been generated, but there is a lack of harmonized quality evaluation approaches for these types of data. Tools for scientifically sound and structured evaluation of the reliability and relevance of in vitro toxicity data to effectively inform regulatory hazard assessment of nanomaterials (NMs), are needed. Here, we present the development of a pragmatic approach to facilitate such evaluation. The tool was developed based on the Science in Risk Assessment and Policy (SciRAP) tool currently applicable to quality evaluation of chemical toxicity studies. The approach taken to develop the tool, referred to as SciRAPnano, included refinement of the original SciRAP in vitro tool through implementation of identified NM-relevant criteria, and further refined based on a set of case studies involving evaluation of 11 studies investigating in vitro toxicity of nano-sized titanium dioxide. Parameters considered cover key physicochemical properties as well as assay-specific aspects that impact NM toxicity, including NM interference with test methods and NM transformation. The final SciRAPnano tool contains 38 criteria for reporting quality, 19 criteria for methodological quality, and 4 guidance items to evaluate relevance. The approach covers essential parameters for pragmatic and harmonized evaluation of NM in vitro toxicity studies and allows for structured use of in vitro data in regulatory hazard assessment of NMs, including transparency on data quality.