Small Surface Area Research Articles

Preparation of high strength and rigidity carbon layer on SiO material surface by dynamic CVD method using gas carbon source C2H2

The main issue in the application of silicon-based negative electrode materials is the inevitable volume expansion, leading to negative electrode material fracture, which severely impacts the performance of batteries. This study employed Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) (C2H2@SiO), solid-phase coating method (Pitch@SiO), and liquid-phase coating method (RGFQ@SiO) to coat the surface of SiO materials with a dense amorphous carbon structure. Material property analysis revealed that C2H2@SiO has a relatively small specific surface area (1.8 m2 g−1) and surface carbon increment (2.4 %). It exhibited high reversible specific capacity (1563.4 mAh g−1), high initial Coulombic efficiency (81.45 %), and low volume expansion rate (9.3 %). Mechanical performance testing indicated that the surface carbon layer Young's modulus of C2H2@SiO was the highest (35 GPa), suggesting that using the CVD method to obtain a dense carbon layer can enhance the structural strength of the material. Based on the electrochemical-mechanical coupling theory simulation analysis of the stress during the charge-discharge process of electrode materials, the evolution of concentration and stress field during lithium insertion process was obtained, showing that the coating can further improve the electrochemical and mechanical performance of the negative electrode materials effectively. Additionally, the negative electrode sheets fabricated using sample C2H2@SiO were assembled into 18650 cylindrical batteries, exhibiting excellent cycling performance in 1000 cycles at 25 °C with a capacity retention rate of 85.7 %, along with good rate capability and high/low-temperature performance. The conclusions of this study provide certain guidance for the design and optimization of negative electrode materials for battery electrodes.

Microsphere LiMn0.6Fe0.4PO4/C cathode with unique rod-like secondary architecture for high energy lithium ion batteries

LiMnxFe1-xPO4/C is considered a promising next-generation cathode material with significant commercial potential, inheriting the safety of LiFePO4 while offering higher energy densities. However, the extremely low conductivity and the Jahn-Teller effect induced by Mn3+ limit its practical capacity and rate performance. Effective modifications can be achieved through particle nanonization and uniform carbon coating. Here, we synthesized microspherical LiMn0.6Fe0.4PO4/C cathode materials using a hydrothermal method combined with spray drying carbon coating. The cathode material exhibits a microsphere structure composed of aggregated nanorods with a uniform 3 nm carbon coating, showing good dispersibility, small specific surface area and high tap density. In-situ diffraction analysis showed that expanding the single-phase solid solution region during (de)lithiation can reduce the energy barrier for electron transport, improve the kinetics of the (dis)charge process, and enhance both cycling and rate performance. The initial capacity at 0.1C can reach 155 mAh/g, and the capacity remains at 133.5 mAh/g with a retention rate of 97.1 % after 300 cycles. The synergistic effect of particle nanonization and uniform carbon coating endows the LiMnxFe1-xPO4/C material with excellent electrochemical performance.

Development of a MOF-5/g-C3N4 nanocomposite: an effective type 2 heterojunction photocatalyst for rhodamine B dye degradation.

The field of environmental and water remediation faces a significant challenge in removing organic dyes from wastewater, particularly Rhodamine B (RhB), a stubborn dye used in various industries. Traditional treatment methods struggle with its resistance to decomposition, posing risks to water quality, human health, and aquatic life. This study demonstrates a novel approach to enhance photocatalytic efficiency for RhB degradation by constructing a MOF-5/g-C3N4 composite through a facile mechanical grinding method, which is unprecedented. The composite addresses the limitations of g-C3N4, such as rapid recombination of electron-hole pairs, low electron transfer rates, and small surface area, by forming a heterojunction with MOF-5. The composite exhibits enhanced photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of RhB under sunlight, with a degradation of 91.5% achieved within 90min. Optimization studies highlight the importance of pH and catalyst dosage in the degradation process. The reusability test shows consistent performance over five successive cycles, maintaining a degradation efficiency of over 90%. Total organic carbon (TOC) analyses confirm the mineralization of the dye solution to 82.05% after 90min of irradiation, demonstrating the environmental benignity of the composite. Trapping experiments suggest the involvement of superoxide radicals, electrons, and holes in the photocatalytic mechanism. This study introduces a promising strategy for addressing challenges in dye degradation through innovative composite materials.

Foreign Policy Priorities of European Landlocked Microstates

A ‘Microstate’ is defined in its simplest form by a very small surface area and a very small population ratio. On the other hand, a ‘Landlocked’ country, again in its simplest definition, is a state without access to the sea. These two geographical characteristics create natural disadvantages when they are combined and the states having said characteristics are expected to have a lower level of prosperity. However the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Republic of San Marino, all possessing these characteristics in Europe do not experience the expected disadvantages in the same manner. The present study, focusing on the foreign policy tendencies of these 3 states, analyses how they overcome the geographical disadvantages. As they have strong neighbours, memberships to international organisations and special relationships with EU, in our day above mentioned states do not encounter difficulties in trade, development or simply about ‘existing’. Within this framework, the study focuses on how these states overcome, thanks to their geographical situation, the disadvantages of their unfavourable conditions.

Oxygen-doped Porous Ultrathin Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Rhodamine B Degradation.

Graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a highly promising metal-free photocatalyst. However, its applicability is restricted by low activity, due to weak quantum efficiency and small specific surface area. Exfoliating bulk crystals into porous thin-layer nanosheets and introducing element doping have been shown to improve photocatalytic efficiency, but these methods are often complex, time-consuming, and costly processes. In this study, we successfully synthesized porous oxygen-doped g-C3N4 (OCN) nanosheets utilizing a straightforward method. Our findings show that OCN have much higher light absorption and visible-light photocatalytic activity than bulk g-C3N4 (BCN) and nonporous g-C3N4 (CN). The OCN photocatalyst has a remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) rate of 8.02 mmol·g-1 h-1, which is 8 times greater than BCN. Additionally, the OCN shows a high degradation rate of 97.3% for Rhodamine B (RhB). This enhanced photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the narrow band gap and superior electron transfer capacity. Our findings suggest a potential technique for generating efficient g-C3N4 photocatalysts.

H2O2 Self‐Supplying CaO2/POM@MOF Bimodal Nanogeneration Materials for Photothermal and Chemodynamic Synergistic Antimicrobials

ABSTRACTThe emergence of bacterial resistance has a negative impact on the conventional antimicrobial treatments, and research into the development of the new antimicrobial materials is of great significance. Multimodal synergistic antimicrobial materials exert better antimicrobial effects compared with a single modality. In recent years, Polyoxometalate (POM) has shown great potential in the biomedical field due to its high catalytic activity and high photothermal conversion ability. However, owing to its small surface area, its applications have been greatly limited. Herein, we designed a H2O2 self‐supplied CDT and PTT bimodal nanogeneration material (i.e., CaO2/POM@MOF) possessing a larger surface area for the treatment of the bacterial infections, in which CaO2 could release O2 and H2O2 in the weakly acidic microenvironment of bacterial infection and the dual catalytic site of POM@MOF could enhance the CDT reaction to generate ROS, resulting in the bacterial oxidative stress and the leakage of the bacterial contents, and the exposure to the NIR light generates localized high temperature that cause the rupture of bacterial cell membranes and the denaturation of their proteins. Meanwhile, the superior stability of POM@MOF can release fewer metal ions to improve its biocompatibility. The in vitro antimicrobial experiments demonstrated that CaO2/POM@MOF possessed the combined CDT and PTT effect and exhibited excellent antimicrobial efficacy. This work presents a promising strategy to combat the bacterial infections.

Mixed Crystalline Covalent Heptazine Frameworks with Built‐in Heterojunction Structures towards Efficient Photocatalytic Formic Acid Dehydrogenation

AbstractCovalent heptazine frameworks (CHFs) are widely utilized in the recent years as potential photocatalysts. However, their limited conjugated structures, low crystallinity and small surface areas have restricted the practical photocatalysis performance. Along this line, we report herein the synthesis of a kind of mixed crystalline CHF (m‐CHF‐1) with built‐in heterojunction structure, which can efficiently catalyze the formic acid dehydrogenation by visible light driven photocatalysis. The m‐CHF‐1 is synthesized from 2,5,8‐triamino‐heptazine and dicyanobenzene (DCB) in the molten salts, in which DCB plays as organic molten co‐solvent to promote the rapid and ordered polymerization of 2,5,8‐triamino‐heptazine. The m‐CHF‐1 is formed by embedding phenyl‐linked heptazine (CHF−Ph) units in the poly(heptazine imide) (PHI) network similar to doping. The CHF−Ph combined with PHI form an effective type II heterojunction structure, which promote the directional transfer of charge carriers. And the integration of CHF−Ph makes m‐CHF‐1 have smaller exciton binding energy than pure PHI, the charge carriers are more easily dissociated to form free electrons, resulting in higher utilization efficiency of the carriers. The largest hydrogen evolution rate reaches a value of 42.86 mmol h−1 g−1 with a high apparent quantum yield of 24.6 % at 420 nm, which surpasses the majority of other organic photocatalysts.

AFM-fishing technology for protein detection in solutions.

The review considers the possibility of using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a basic method for protein detection in solutions with low protein concentrations. The demand for new bioanalytical approaches is determined by the problem of insufficient sensitivity of systems used in routine practice for protein detection. Special attention is paid to demonstration of the use in bioanalysis of a combination of AFM and fishing methods as an approach of concentrating biomolecules from a large volume of the analyzed solution on a small surface area.

Spatiotemporal distribution of the non-indigenous peach blossom jellyfish Craspedacusta sowerbii in British Columbia, Canada

The introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) to exotic habitats can have tremendous impacts on native biodiversity, food webs, and ecosystem services. One globally distributed aquatic NIS is the hydrozoan Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880. The species’ northern distribution boundary in North America is situated in British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is thus of paramount interest to understand its ecology in this warming invaded habitat, allowing for insights into other regions. Specimens of the genus Craspedacusta have been reported in 34 freshwater systems since August 1990. These reported locations are generally shallow (<10 m), most often of natural origin, and have a small surface area (<0.1 km2). We observed an exponential trend of medusa observations from 1990 till the end of the 2020s. The first seasonal records are in July and the latest in October, with peak sightings reported in August and September. After 2012, regional temperature anomalies during July and August were mostly positive, which overlaps with the period of the majority of reported C. sowerbii sightings. Until this day, all examined medusae are males.

Construction of two-dimensional heterojunctions based on metal-free semiconductor materials and Covalent Organic Frameworks for exceptional solar energy catalysis

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are newly developed crystalline substances that are garnering growing interest because of their ultra-high porosity, crystalline nature, and easy modified architecture, showing promise in the field of photocatalysis. However, it is difficult for pure COFs materials to achieve excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production due to their severe carrier recombination problems. To mitigate this crucial issue, establishing heterojunction is deemed an effective approach. Nonetheless, many of the metal-containing materials that have been used to construct heterojunctions with COFs own a number of drawbacks, including small specific surface area and rare active sites (for inorganic semiconductor materials), wider bandgaps and higher preparation costs (for MOFs). Therefore, it is necessary to choose metal-free materials that are easy to prepare. Red phosphorus (RP), as a semiconductor material without metal components, with suitable bandgap, moderate redox potential, relatively minimal toxicity, is affordable and readily available. Herein, a range of RP/TpPa-1-COF (RP/TP1C) composites have been successfully prepared through solvothermal method. The two-dimensional structure of the two materials causes strong interactions between the materials, and the construction of heterojunctions effectively inhibits the recombination of photogenic charge carrier. As a consequence, the 9% RP/TP1C composite, with the optimal photocatalytic ability, achieves a photocatalytic H2 evolution rate of 6.93 mmol g−1 h−1, demonstrating a 10.19-fold increase compared to that of bare RP and a 4.08-fold improvement over that of pure TP1C. This article offers a novel and innovative method for the advancement of efficient COFs-based photocatalysts.

Photocatalytic reduction of the uranium(Ⅵ) by ultra-thin porous g-C3N4 nanosheets synthesized via microwave-assisted

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has garnered significant attention in the realm of photocatalytic reduction of U(Ⅵ) from aqueous solutions owing to its favorable bandgap and visible light responsiveness. Nevertheless, conventionally prepared bulk g-C3N4 suffers from limitations such as a small specific surface area and high recombination of photo-generated charges, consequently impeding the efficiency of photocatalytic reactions and hampering practical applications. To address these shortcomings, this study presents a novel approach wherein ultra-thin porous g-C3N4 nanosheets were successfully synthesized through the microwave-assisted calcination of urea in a single step. The resulting g-C3N4 nanosheets exhibit a multi-hollow mesh structure with a significantly enlarged specific surface area, the specific surface area and pore size of MCN90 are 170 m²/g and 17 nm, respectively, which are 2.3 times and 8 times that of the bulk g-C3N4. Photocatalytic experiments revealed that these ultra-thin porous nanosheets demonstrate superior performance in the reduction of U(Ⅵ) to U(Ⅳ), achieving a reduction rate of 100 % within 20 minutes for the optimal sample, as opposed to 78 % in 40 minutes for bulk g-C3N4. This enhanced photocatalytic activity can be primarily attributed to the unique ultra-thin porous nanosheet structure, which facilitates increased specific surface areas, improve photoelectric properties, and substantially shortened electron migration distances which reduce the recombination efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes pairs. Consequently, these findings not only offer insights into the optimization of g-C3N4 for U(Ⅵ) reduction but also provide a valuable reference for the preparation of other two-dimensional ultra-thin porous materials aimed at similar applications.

Revealing the sodium storage mechanism of cellulose separator-derived hard carbon anode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Hard carbon (HC) shows significant promise as a material for sodium-ion batteries (SIB). Cellulose-derived carbon is considered one of the most promising high-performance anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. In this study, waste cellulose separator-derived HC anode materials were rationally developed using the pre-oxidation-carbonization pyrolysis method. The as-prepared HC possessed advantageous characteristics for Na+ storage, including a unique fibrous structure, a reasonable space layer, and a small specific surface area (SSA). The optimal sample demonstrated a substantial reversible capacity of 361.29 mAh/g at 0.1C, an impressive high-rate performance with a reversible capacity of 272.93 mAh/g at 10C, and an initial coulombic efficiency of 84.85 %. Following 500 cycles at 1C, the capacity retained 96.38 % of its initial value. The sodium storage process was identified as the “adsorption-insertion-pore filling mechanism” through ex-situ XRD and in-situ Raman experiments. Moreover, the as-prepared HCs demonstrated better rate and cycle capability when evaluated as anodes in full-cell sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). This research provides valuable insights into the rational design of high-performance HC anodes for SIBs and other applications.

The effect of silver nanoparticles prepared from the aqueous extract of the fenugreek plant on some of the hormones associated with polycystic ovary syndrome in female laboratory rats

Background: This study dealt with an assessment of the effect of the nanoparticles of the fenugreek plant and the metformin of 50 mg/kg on female laboratory rats infected with the updated ovarian cyst syndrome using the letrazole with a concentration of 1 mg/kg of body weight (except for the healthy group), as ovarian affiliation is a common endocrine disorder that affects 3-13% of women at the age of pregnancy and childbearing. Objective: to assess the effectiveness of medicinal plants represented by the Fenugreek extract with nanoparticles and its ability to treat female rats infected with ovarian cyst syndrome. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four animals of white laboratory rats were tested, and the groups were randomly divided into the following ways: 1- The control group. 2- A group of animals infected with ovaries. 3- A group of animals with cysts, was given orally the nano-fenugreek extract 2 mg/ kg. 4- A group of animals infected with cysts and treated by adding metformin 50 mg/ kg of body weight. After the end of the experiment period (30 days), the blood was withdrawn using a dispensed infection with cardiovis to conduct laboratory tests for hormones that are affected by the new disease, such as Lutein hormone, Follicle-stimulating hormone, Prolactin, Progesterone, and Estrogen. Results showed the following: 1- The injection of litrazole 1 mg/ kg led to an ovarian cyst and negative effects on the animal represented in a moral increase in levels, of lutein hormone and prolactin, while the injury led to a moral decrease in the hormone concentration that stimulates follicles, progesterone, and estrogen. 2- The treatment of an oral dosage of 2 mg/ kg of body weight with the nanoparticle fenugreek extract led to positive effects in the body's hormones represented in a moral increase in FSH, progesterone, estrogen while the same treatment led to a moral decrease in the lutein hormone and prolactin in the body at a level (P> 0.05). For follicles and decrease in prolactin and lutein hormone in the body at the probability level (P> 0.05). Conclusion: The current study has found that the Nano - extract fenugreek can be prepared with the Green synthesis by the use of Nanoscopic silver particles, which is an effective treatment to reduce the strikes in the hormones of the body with ovarian stinging syndrome, as a result of the small surface area to the size of the nanoparticles, so the absorption of cells has more efficient and faster than The normal size of the plant.

Research Progress in Preparation and Modification Strategies of Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Efficient Photocatalysis: A Mini Review

With the acceleration of industrialization, energy shortage and environmental pollution are becoming more and more serious. It is urgent to develop green and sustainable new energy. Photocatalytic technology, especially the use of solar energy to convert chemical energy, has attracted much attention due to its environmental friendliness and sustainability. As an excellent photocatalyst, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) has emerged rapidly in the field of photocatalysis due to its low cost, simple preparation and nontoxicity. However, g-C3 N4 has some limitations in practical applications, such as small specific surface area, weak photogenerated carrier transport capacity and narrow visible light response range. To overcome these challenges, researchers have modified g-C3 N4 through various strategies to improve its photocatalytic performance. In this paper, the synthesis methods and modification strategies of g-C3 N4 are summarized from the structural characteristics of g-C3 N4 , and its research focus and application prospect in the field of photocatalysis are prospected.

Tuning Oxygen Evolving Catalytic Activity of a Precious Metal-Free Nickel Boride by a Cost-Effective Method

The production of hydrogen (H2) by electrochemical water splitting [Green Hydrogen (Green H2)], if driven by green electricity, has attracted considerable interest as an alternative sustainable energy carrier, e.g., in fuel cells for electricity or power and heat generation [1]. However, the lack of satisfactory and cheap electrocatalysts (ECs) to drive the vital electrochemical reactions of hydrogen evolution (HER) and oxygen evolution (OER) in water splitting is the biggest challenge for this technology.Currently, the most advanced electrocatalysts for the two half-reactions of water electrolysis (HER and OER) are noble metal-based materials [2]. Despite the excellent catalytic properties of these noble metal catalysts, their high cost, and scarcity make their commercial use both uneconomical and impractical in low temperature water electrolysis (LT-WE) systems at industrial scale for green H2 as a clean energy alternative to cheaper fossil fuels[3]. In addition to addressing this issue by the development of precious-material-based with a low-loading of precious metal elements, the development of desirable and high-efficiency electrocatalysts (ECs) based on earth-abundant metal elements materials is paramount. However, their catalytic activity is often limited by poor electron transfer, low conductivity, low stability, and small surface area of these materials. Thus, it is crucial to develop earth-abundant metal elements-based materials that are more cost-effective to reduce the high cost of active catalysts for water electrolysis. Although several low-cost materials have already been designed, the potential required for the practical application of water splitting is still very high compared to the theoretical potential (1.23 V), which means that much energy is consumed, which theoretically could be reduced. Due to their remarkable advanced charge transfer and durability for water oxidation in alkaline media, electrocatalysts derived from metal borides-based materials have received a lot of attention as new high-performance catalysts for water oxidation.[4] These properties stem from the multi-dimensional covalent bonding of the metalloid with the surrounding metal atoms.We present here an approach to tune the OER of transition metal borides (TMBs) using the cost-effective and less energy-consuming method that is nevertheless a highly efficient material for OER (Fig. 1). We have developed a low-cost, rational and easily scalable method to enhance the catalytic activity of nickel boride (Ni–B), which requires an annealing process to optimize the catalytic activity. However, this method may have limited applicability on a large scale as it requires a highly inert environment and high-temperature treatment of Ni–B catalysts. We also elucidate a structure-activity relationship using scale-bridging techniques such as TEM and electrochemical characterization. The developed based on non-noble electrocatalysts are prepared by a simple method of chemical reduction of transition metal elements with boron in aqueous solution. The production is a one-step process and the material does not require any further treatment, yet this material shows comparable activity to the state of the art (precious metal-based materials) for OER in alkaline solution at a selected current density. This improved catalytic performance is further corroborated by the microstructural investigations in the TEM. The nanoparticles obtained have an improved porous structure compared to Ni–B and thus provide more available sites for the surface reactions and hence for the catalytic performance of the material. Furthermore, it is shown that activation enables the morphological and structural changes, while some transition metal elements act as sacrificial elements to provide more accessible and stable sites for oxygen-forming centers. This paves the way for a better understanding of metal boride-derived electrocatalysts for water oxidation, a crucial chemical reaction in water electrolysis and other electrochemical energy technologies. Acknowledgements: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 945422. We acknowledge the use of the DFG-funded Micro-and Nanoanalytics Facility (MNaF) at the University of Siegen (INST 221/131-1).

Adaptation of Triboelectric Nanogenerators to the Integrated Energy Storages by a Textured Multi‐Segment Structure

AbstractHigh‐level voltage and extremely low current are the main characteristics of Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs). Despite TENGs, their Integrated Energy Storage (IES) units like supercapacitors and battery units require low‐level voltage and a high amount of current for self‐charging power applications. Using proper materials with higher triboelectric charge density is the most common approach to enhance the output current of TENGs. However, this approach alone does not satisfy the requirement of the integrated energy storage units, in which a relatively low voltage along with a sufficiently high current is needed. Consequently, alternative approaches such as employing a power management circuitry have been proposed. This paper introduces a technique based on the texture of multiple TENGs with identical small surface areas to adapt the TENGs to their IESs, specifically tailored for wearable electronics. Some experiments are conducted to evaluate the merits and limitations of the proposed approach. The experimental and analytical results are thoroughly analyzed to show the capabilities and restrictions of the method.

Ni-Based Molecular Sieves Nanomaterials for Dry Methane Reforming: Role of Porous Structure and Active Sites Distribution on Hydrogen Production.

Global warming, driven by greenhouse gases like CH4 and CO2, necessitates efficient catalytic conversion to syngas. Herein, Ni containing different molecular sieve nanomaterials are investigated for dry reforming of methane (DRM). The reduced catalysts are characterized by surface area porosity, X-ray diffraction, Raman infrared spectroscopy, CO2 temperature-programmed desorption techniques, and transmission electron microscopy. The active sites over each molecular sieve remain stable under oxidizing gas CO2 during DRM. The reduced 5Ni/CBV10A catalyst, characterized by the lowest silica-alumina ratio, smallest surface area and pore volume, and narrow 8-ring connecting channels, generated the maximum number of active sites on its outer surface. In contrast, the reduced-5Ni/CBV3024E catalyst, with the highest silica-alumina ratio, more than double the surface area and pore volume, 12-ring sinusoidal porous channels, and smallest Ni crystallite, produced the highest H2 output (44%) after 300 min of operation at 700 °C, with a CH4:CO2 = 1:1, P = 1 atom, gas hour space velocity (GHSV) = 42 L gcat-1 h-1. This performance was achieved despite having 25% fewer initial active sites, suggesting that a larger fraction of these sites is stabilized within the pore channels, leading to sustained catalytic activity. Using central composite design and response surface methodology, we successfully optimized the process conditions for the 5Ni/CBV3024E catalyst. The optimized conditions yielded a desirable H2 to CO ratio of 1.00, with a H2 yield of 91.92% and a CO yield of 89.16%, indicating high efficiency in gas production. The experimental results closely aligned with the predicted values, demonstrating the effectiveness of the optimization approach.

Enhanced specific surface area and mechanical property of silk nanofibers aerogel for potential hemostasis applications

Biopolymer aerogel is a new type of material with potential applications in the biomedical field. Silk fibroin is of particular interest as a raw material with good biocompatibility and degradable. However, the low mechanical strength and small specific surface area of silk fibroin aerogels limit its further development. Herein, a fast water absorption, highly specific surface area and mechanically strong of aerogels were prepared using low crystal silk fibroin nanofibers (SNF), sol-gel process, solvent exchange and supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) drying method. The resulting Aero-Sc displayed highly specific surface area (251 m2/g), porosity (97.6 %) and water absorption capacity (1200 %). Furthermore, with rapid water absorption and stronger erythrocyte adhesion, the Aero-Sc showed highly effective hemostasis in vitro. In vivo, animal experiments on rat liver hemorrhage model confirmed that SNF aerogels have a less blood loss (312 ± 29 mg) and faster hemostatic time (92 ± 13 s) than commercially gelatin sponge (p < 0.05). The unique properties of silk fibroin nanofibers aerogel developed in this study has great potential to be a safe and effective hemostatic medical device.

Evaluation of Gel Coating Performance in Extending the Shelf Life of Egg: The Role of Surface Area and Initial Weight.

This work investigated the impact of chicken egg size, including surface area and initial weight, on the effectiveness of cassava starch-based gel coating during storage at room temperature. The quality of a total of 540 fresh eggs in four different sizes (S, M, L and XL) was evaluated over a 4-week storage period at 25 ± 1 °C (60-65% RH). In this research, images from a scanning electron microscope revealed that the coatings maintained their integrity across all egg sizes, effectively covering pores and cracks throughout storage. The application of gel coating reduced weight loss and preserved the Haugh unit and yolk index, extending freshness by 1-2 weeks compared with uncoated eggs at 25 °C. The results indicated that the performance of the coating varied with egg size. Statistical analysis revealed that the surface area and initial weight of the egg significantly impacted the effectiveness of the coating in preserving quality (p < 0.001). Eggs with larger surface areas exhibited a reduced protective effect of the coating, resulting in higher weight loss and lower retention of Haugh unit and yolk index compared with the coated eggs with smaller surface areas. The coating application was more effective in preserving the Haugh unit of eggs with higher initial weights. Overall, the surface area and the initial weight of the egg should be considered as key factors to ensure optimal coating performance.

Unravelling the role of tumor microenvironment responsive nanobiomaterials in spatiotemporal controlled drug delivery for lung cancer therapy.

Design and development of efficient drug delivery technologies that impart site-specificity is the need of the hour for the effective treatment of lung cancer. The emergence of materials science and nanotechnology partially helped drug delivery scientists to achieve this objective. Various stimuli-responsive materials that undergo degradation at the pathological tumor microenvironment (TME) have been developed and explored for drug delivery applications using nanotechnological approaches. Nanoparticles (NPs), owing to their small size and high surface area to volume ratio, demonstrated enhanced cellular internalization, permeation, and retention at the tumor site. Such passive accumulation of stimuli-responsive materials helped to achieve spatiotemporally controlled and targeted drug delivery within the tumors. In this review, we discussed various stimuli-physical (interstitial pressure, temperature, and stiffness), chemical (pH, hypoxia, oxidative stress, and redox state), and biological (receptor expression, efflux transporters, immune cells, and their receptors or ligands)-that are characteristic to the TME. We mentioned an array of biomaterials-based nanoparticulate delivery systems that respond to these stimuli and control drug release at the TME. Further, we discussed nanoparticle-based combinatorial drug delivery strategies. Finally, we presented our perspectives on challenges related to scale-up, clinical translation, and regulatory approvals.