Radiative cooling textiles are typically designed for specific indoor or outdoor conditions, limiting their environmental adaptability. Here, we report a continuously spun molecular interface-engineered silk (Mie-Silk) that integrates radiative and conductive cooling for effective body temperature regulation in diverse settings. The Mie-Silk has a natural silk yarn core with high mid-infrared (MIR) emissivity and a surface layer of ZrO2 nanoparticles (NPs) enabling strong solar scattering based on the Mie scattering principle. Natural silk fibroin acts as a robust binder, anchoring the NPs on the silk surface securely. Woven Mie-Silk achieves outdoor radiative cooling through high solar reflectivity (92.54%) and MIR emissivity (97.13%) within the atmospheric window. Indoors, where radiative cooling is less effective, its thermal conductivity (0.19watts per meter-Kelvin) facilitated by densely packed NPs provides obvious cooling capability. This Mie-Silk, with effective cooling across varied environments, represents a promising candidate for next-generation personal thermal management clothing.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the most widely used denture base material but exhibits limited fracture resistance under functional loads. This study investigates the effect of incorporating zirconia (ZrO2) and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) nanoparticles on the structural and mechanical properties of PMMA. Thirty rectangular heat-cured PMMA specimens (65 × 10 × 2.5mm) were divided into three groups: Group C (control): unmodified PMMA; Group P: PMMA with 5% PEEK nanoparticles; and Group ZP: PMMA with a hybrid of 2.5% ZrO2 and 2.5% PEEK nanoparticles. Nanoparticle morphology was analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), showing PEEK sizes between 26 and 100nm and spherical ZrO2 with a mean diameter of 47nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS) was performed on ZrO2 only. FTIR analysis confirmed interfacial bonding in the hybrid composite. Flexural strength was measured via a three-point bending test. The ZP group exhibited the highest flexural strength (mean: 139.78MPa), significantly outperforming both P and C groups (p < 0.05), with no significant difference between P and C. The synergistic addition of ZrO2 and PEEK nanoparticles significantly improved the mechanical and structural behavior of PMMA, offering a promising strategy to enhance durability and clinical performance of denture base materials in prosthodontics.

Superhydrophobic coatings show promising potential for applications in petroleum pipeline anticorrosion due to their exceptional water repellency. A core bottleneck in the development of superhydrophobic coatings is their limited mechanical and corrosion durability, which is closely linked to microstructural fragility. Inspired by the protective mechanism of leaf mineralization, a superhydrophobic coating is developed via a simple low-temperature spraying method to reduce wear and corrosion in pipelines. A micro-nano structure is obtained by the synergistic effect of polydopamine (PDA)-linked ZrO2 nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (ZrO2/CNTs@PDA). The CNTs imitate cellulose nanofibers to create a three-dimensional (3D) porous network. The ZrO2 nanoparticles simulate plant-based mineralized materials in both the internal holes of the network and the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes, thereby enhancing the mechanical strength and corrosion resistance of the ZrO2/CNTs@PDA coating. The ZrO2/CNTs@PDA coating exhibits a high water contact angle (WCA) of 165.6°, a small sliding angle (SA) of 6°, and an oil contact angle of 138.8°, demonstrating excellent superhydrophobicity and oleophobicity. The ZrO2/CNTs@PDA hydrophobic coating shifts the corrosion potential of X80 steel from -0.643 to +0.305 V and has a 7 orders of magnitude decrease in corrosion current density. The coating's corrosion resistance showed no significant change after being immersed in 3.5 wt % NaCl solution for 21 days, confirming its excellent durability. Even after 1500 cm of abrasion, the coating retained a WCA above 150°, demonstrating its remarkable wear resistance. The coating exhibits excellent self-cleaning and antifouling performance, effectively repelling the accumulation of various substances such as sand, methylene blue, oil, and milk. It is worth emphasizing that the ZrO2/CNTs@PDA hydrophobic coating can be produced efficiently on a large scale while also demonstrating effective corrosion resistance, self-cleaning, and antifouling properties even under harsh operating conditions.

Crystalline ZrO2 nanoparticles via phyto-synthesis for UV-driven dye adsorption and antimicrobial activity: A dual-functional approach

Biosynthesis of tetragonal ZrO2 nanoparticles using Andrographis paniculata leaf extract for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Engineered α-Zirconium Phosphate embedded with Defect Rich Zirconia as a High-Performance Electrochemical Sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of Diethofencarb.

Calcination temperature driven modifications in structural, optical, and dielectric characteristics of co-precipitated ZrO2 nanoparticles

Application of superfine ZrO2 nanoparticle decorated arc-graphene as sensitive electrochemical sensor for carbendazim detection

Natural fiber hybrid composites incorporating flax fibers and additives have emerged as promising materials for lightweight structural applications. This study focuses on the development, characterization, and evaluation of epoxy composites incorporating flax fiber (FF) and areca fiber (AF), both with and without zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanoparticles. Hybrid composites (comprising 50 wt.% fibers in a 1:1 ratio) and single-fiber-reinforced composites (containing 50 wt.% fibers) were fabricated using a compression molding process. The composites contained 5–10 wt.% of additives. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum revealed the crystallinity index and crystallite size of all the composites. The crystal structure exhibited monoclinic symmetry, and the surfaces of both the fibers and fillers were irregular. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical composition of the composites. Subsequently, the mechanical and thermal properties of the hybrid composites were evaluated. The results indicated that the concentration of ZrO₂ nanoparticles significantly influenced the tensile, flexural, and impact strengths of the composites. Notably, the hybrid composite with 7.5 wt.% filler exhibited a tensile strength of 105 MPa, a flexural strength of 690 MPa, an interlaminar stress of 255.1 MPa, and an impact energy of 4.82 J/m². Thermal analysis revealed that incorporating up to 7.5 wt.% filler improved composite stability by acting as a barrier to degradation. These findings indicate the potential application of the developed composites in lightweight structures.

Cinnamaldehyde crosslinked chitosan-gelatin films reinforced with Achillea millefolium-capped ZrO2 nanoparticles for wound healing applications.

The aim of this study was to produce poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/zirconium oxide (ZrO2) electrospun composite fibers and to investigate the effect of ZrO2 addition on the properties of PMMA/ZrO2 fibers. A series of fibers with 10 and 15 wt% of PMMA containing different amounts of ZrO2 nanoparticles (1, 2.5 and 5 wt%) were produced at an optimal electric field potential. The chemical structure and surface morphology of the fibers were analyzed using SEM-EDS, XRD, and FTIR. The effect of ZrO2 nanoparticles addition on the thermal properties of the fibers was studied with TGA and DTG. The morphological observations showed that 2.5 and 5 wt% ZrO2 (PMMA-10/ZrO2-2.5 and PMMA-10/ZrO2-5) nanoparticles could be well-dispersed into 10 wt% PMMA polymer matrix due to the polymer chain interaction. The formation of fibers showed improvement with the increase in the amount of ZrO2 compared to PMMA-10 fibers. A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor was utilized to evaluate the behavior of materials coated with PMMA-10, PMMA-10/ZrO2-2.5, and PMMA-10/ZrO2-5 fibers at pH 7.0. The results indicated that the QCM electrode coated with PMMA-10/ZrO2-5 fibers performed better than PMMA-10/ZrO2-2.5 fibers.

The field of nanotechnology has witnessed a paradigm shift towards eco-friendly and sustainable synthesis methods for nanoparticles due to increasing concerns over environmental toxicity and resource sustainability. Among various metal oxide nanoparticles, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles have garnered significant attention owing to their exceptional thermal stability, biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and catalytic properties. Doping ZrO2 with transition metals such as copper (Cu) further enhances its physicochemical attributes, including antibacterial activity, redox behaviour, and electronic properties, rendering it suitable for a diverse range of biomedical and industrial applications. In the present study, we report the green synthesis of copper-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles (Cu-ZrO2-CO NPs) using an aqueous extract of Calendula officinalis (marigold) flowers as a natural reducing and stabilizing agent. The complete characterization was performed using UV–vis spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, and XRD, revealing its size to be around 20–40 nm and zeta potential as −20 mV, indicating nano size and stability. The biocompatibility of the as-synthesized nanoparticle was analyzed in vitro using fibroblast cell viability and haemolysis assay, and in vivo using brine shrimp assay. The nanoparticles were safe up to a dose of 50 μg/mL, showing more than 95% cell viability and less than 2% haemolysis, which is within an acceptable range. Finally, the anticancer activity was explored for A549 cells by MTT assay and live-dead assay, with an IC50 value of 38.63 μg/mL. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model was used to assess the anti-angiogenesis potential of the Cu-ZrO2-CO NPs. The results showed that the nanoparticles could kill the cancer cells via apoptosis, and one of the reasons for the anticancer effect was angiogenesis inhibition. Further research is needed using other cancer cell lines and animal tumour models.

Industrial wastewater can be reused in other everyday processes to help combat water scarcity worldwide. One contaminant in industrial wastewater is hexavalent chromium, which is highly toxic and can cause kidney, liver, and respiratory problems, making its removal vital. In this study, PLA-based films containing modified zirconia nanoparticles were developed via a solution-mixing process for hexavalent chromium adsorption. Obtaining the films involved two stages: the first was the chemical modification of ZrO2 nanoparticles with thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1) using fixed-frequency ultrasound at an output of 750 W and 50% amplitude for 60 min. The second stage involved preparing the films by mixing them in the solution using an ultrasonic bath. The nanoparticle concentrations were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 wt%. The results obtained from characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed the characteristic bands of PLA and the characteristic peak of the Zr-O bond corresponding to the ZrO2 nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the ZrO2 nanoparticles provided thermal stability to the PLA polymer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a broad peak of amorphous PLA at 16.8° and signals corresponding to the crystalline phase of ZrO2. The morphology of a cross-section of the films was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing a rough surface with pores. Finally, hexavalent chromium adsorption tests were carried out, measuring the adsorption efficiency under the parameters of pH, concentration, and contact time. The PLAZrO2 sample achieved an adsorption efficiency of 83% at pH 2.

Synthesis, characterization and degradation of tetracycline drug in wastewater using plant-based ZrO2 nanoparticles

Biosynthesis of ZrO2 nanoparticles and their photocatalytic efficiency in degrading malachite green: batch study and RSM optimization

Challenges of Candida Albicans Adhesion to Heat Cure Acrylic Resin Denture Base Reinforced with Ag, TiO2, and ZrO2 Nanoparticles

Effect of ZrO2 and CuO nanoparticles on corrosion-induced Sn whisker grwoth from SnAgCu alloys: An experimental and quantum mechanical study

Electron trap energy distribution in triphasic ZrO2 nanoparticle and its dosimetric characteristics

Influence of ZrO2 nanoparticles on microstructure and properties of additive manufactured magnesium alloys

Coral reef-inspired hierarchical channel electrolyte: LATP framework-ZrO₂ triggering activation of amorphous fast-ion channels in PVDF-HFP.