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Chemical utilization of CO2 is one of the fundamental strategies to synthesize value-added chemicals and reduce the CO2 emission. N-formyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives (FTHIQs) are important chemicals for the synthesis of medical intermediates and alkaloids. N-formylation of isoquinoline derivatives (IQs) with CO2 is an ideal protocol to synthesize the FTHIQs and utilize the CO2 source. In the present work, we prepared a heterogeneous Ru/ZIF-8 catalyst with a Ru loading of 2 wt% by a simple impregnation method and assessed its performances in the N-formylation of IQs and CO2 with H2. The Ru/ZIF-8 catalyst offered high IQ conversion of 98% and FTHIQ selectivity of 93% in the reaction under relatively mild conditions (150 °C, 2 MPa CO2, and 6 MPa H2). The catalyst possessed good universality and reusability, showing a potential in wide application of N-formylation of highly unsaturated nitrogen-containing isoquinolines.

Composite electrolytes containing lithium ion conducting polymer matrix and ceramic filler are promising solid-state electrolytes for all solid-state lithium ion batteries due to their wide electrochemical stability window, high lithium ion conductivity and low electrode/electrolyte interfacial resistance. In this study, we report on the polymer infiltration of porous thin films of aluminum-doped cubic garnet fabricated via a combination of nebulized spray pyrolysis and spin coating with subsequent post annealing at 1173 K. This method offers a simple and easy route for the fabrication of a three-dimensional porous garnet network with a thickness in the range of 50 to 100 µm, which could be used as the ceramic backbone providing a continuous pathway for lithium ion transport in composite electrolytes. The porous microstructure of the fabricated thin films is confirmed via scanning electron microscopy. Ionic conductivity of the pristine films is determined via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We show that annealing times have a significant impact on the ionic conductivity of the films. The subsequent polymer infiltration of the porous garnet films shows a maximum ionic conductivity of 5.3 × 10-7 S cm-1 at 298 K, which is six orders of magnitude higher than the pristine porous garnet film., Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

The manufacturing process of robotic coreless filament winding has great potential for efficient material usage and automation for long-span lightweight construction applications. Design methods and quality control rely on an adequate digital representation of the fabrication parameters. The most influencing parameters are related to the resin impregnation of the fibers and the applied fiber tension during winding. The end-effector developed in this study allows efficient resin impregnation, which is controlled online by monitoring the induced fiber tension. The textile equipment was fully integrated into an upscaled nine-axis robotic winding setup. The cyber-physical fabrication method was verified with an application-oriented large-scale proof-of-concept demonstrator. From the subsequent analysis of the obtained datasets, a characteristic pattern in the winding process parameters was identified., Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Shear heating phenomena during injection molding of rubber compounds greatly affect product quality but are difficult to control and replicate with laboratory tests. In this work, a very fast online process control of industrial injection molding is proposed, based on the measurement of surface temperature by infrared thermal camera of the rubber as it leaves the extruder barrel. Moreover, a new technological parameter (shear heating parameter, ηSH) is calculated from the measured temperature. A robust correlation between ηSH and viscosity from rheometric laboratory measurements was achieved for different rubber compounds. This represents an operating roadmap to support the process engineer in the improvement of process control. To show the potential of this tool, it was successfully used to optimize the injection molding of industrial production of AEM rubber compound affected by scorching and thermal degradation issues. ηSH was found to be suitable for industrial practice and able to provide accurate information about thermal history and process safety.

This study presents a new dual drug delivery system (DDDS) of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different morphologies (spheres and fibers). One approach for delivering Norfloxacin-Tenoxicam (NOR-TENO) drugs based on PLA microspheres was prepared by encapsulating TENO into PLA via emulsion-evaporation method to form TENO/microspheres then NOR was then adsorbed onto the surface of these microspheres by loading process. Another approach was designed by integrating a mixture of NOR-TENO drugs into the PLA matrix, then through the electrospinning process; NOR-TENO/electrospun fibers were fabricated. The microspheres and electrospun fibers had been characterized through FTIR, XRD, and SEM. Release behaviors of NOR-TENO were determined at pH (5.4, 6.7 and 7.4), where the release of the two drugs was faster in the two systems at pH 7.4. Antimicrobial activity of NOR-TENO/microspheres and NOR-TENO/electrospun fibers against S. aureus, B. cereus, and E. coli bacteria was examined in vitro, and NOR-TENO/electrospun fibers have better potential in killing bacteria. In vitro cytotoxicity assay of NOR-TENO/microspheres against HepG2, MCF-7, and HCT116 tumor cells were tested, and NOR-TENO/microspheres was highly cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 21.87 μg・ml–1) with the lowest cytotoxic effect on WI-38 normal cells (the half maximal inhibitory concentration IC50 = 58.12 μg・ml–1). In vivo study of DMBA-induced breast cancer in rats had been accomplished for NOR-TENO/microspheres, which offer promising results in breast cancer treatment.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) is a polyester, produced naturally by microorganisms, with excellent biocompatibility. Corona and radio-frequency (RF) plasma treatment were applied in order to improve the degradation process of PHBV. Samples were subjected to an accelerated weathering test for 500, 1000, and 2000 h of weathering exposure and to natural weathering for one year. Various analytical, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques have been used to analyze the degradation process. This study revealed that corona and RF plasma treatment acted as a hydrolytic and ultraviolet light (UV) degradation promoter for PHBV. Both plasma treatments chemically modify the PHBV surface resulting in better wettability contributing to the hydrolytic degradation. Microscopic analysis revealed a rougher defects-containing surface of plasma-treated PHBV in comparison with untreated PHBV after the degradation process, promoting deeper water diffusion and UV penetration. The photo-and hydrolytic degradation caused significant surface changes of plasma-treated PHBV after 2000 h of accelerated weathering and one year of natural weathering. Moreover, deterioration in mechanical properties has been more pronounced in the RF plasma-treated samples. These results demonstrate the potential use of plasma treatment on improving the degradability of PHBV. Th is publication was supported by th e Qatar University Collaborative Grant No. QUCG-CAM 19/20-3. Th e findings ach ieved h erein are solely th e responsibility of th e auth ors. SEM analysis was accom plish ed in th e Central Laboratories unit, Qatar University. Scopus

The present work studies the effect of the addition of silver nitrate on the morphological, thermal, structural, mechanical, and electrical conductivity properties of polycaprolactone-AgNO3 membranes obtained by electrospinning, with a potential application for electrical stimulation in tissue engineering. The pure PCL membrane presented beads and fine fibers, while the PCL-AgNO3 membranes presented bead-less and greater diameter fibers than the pure polymer. Polymer crystallinity was affected by the salt due to the formation of complexes between the ions and the polymer, which affects polymer chains organization. These changes in fiber morphology and polymer chain organization affected their mechanical properties, resulting in a greater Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength with added salt. The ionic conductivity of the sample with 10% salt (2.02・10–3 S/m) is close to the conductivity of cortical bone (1.82・10–3–6.67・10–3 S/m), which indicates its potential application for electrical stimulation in bone tissue engineering.

A glucose sensor has been developed for daily diagnosis due to high level of glucose can cause diabetes. This study purposes of fabricating an electrospun fiber film of poly(3-aminobenzylamine) (PABA)/functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) composite for use as electrochemical glucose biosensor. The electrospun PABA/f-CNTs composite film was fabricated on a screen-printed electrode and characterized by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field emission–scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The presence of f-CNTs in the composite could enhance the electrochemical activities of the PABA, which was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), amperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrochemical glucose biosensor based on the electrospun PABA/f-CNTs composite film showed a sensitivity of 0.40 μA·mm–2·mM–1 with LOD of 0.067 mM in the linear range of 0.56–2.8 mM, high selectivity under the common interferences (i.e., uric acid, ascorbic acid, and dopamine) and good stability up to 1 week with the current response retained about 80%.

The use of sinter influences hot metal production substantially and significantly affects an integrated steel mill’s total emissions. Sintering of iron ores is an enormous energy-intensive and resources consuming process. Introducing a selective waste gas recirculation (SWGR) to the sintering process reduces the energy consumption, stack gas volume flow, and sulfur dioxide emissions of an iron sinter production. Simulating this complex process in flowsheet simulations of integrated iron and steelworks is a fast and cost-effective opportunity to validate new operation settings. The implementation of a sinter plant in gPROMS ModelBuilder®characterizes the sintering processes by three main sub-models. A burner model describes the gas combustion, a black-box model consider the main sintering processes, and a wind box model divides the total off-gas into a recycle gas and a stack gas. A specific temperature polynomial represents the temperature distribution across the wind boxes to allow detailed investigations on SWGR in complex flowsheet simulations. Implementing SWGR to the sintering process, the model shows a reduction of coke consumption, stack gas flow rate, and sulfur dioxide emissions by 11%, 27%, and 27%, respectively. In the SWGR scenario, the utilization rate of carbon monoxide increases and less coke is consumed. The chlorine emissions of the sintering process differ with and without SWGR insignificantly.

Pyrolysis technology has received increasing attention in recent years due to its great potential in the field of low-rank coal clean and efficient conversion. Since pyrolysis reaction is very fast and prone to overreaction, the downer-type reactor is considered as a pyrolyzer due to its unique plug flow reactor characteristics. However, the low solids holdup, which is not beneficial for the fast heat transfer, limits its industrial application. Thus, how to realize high-density operation is crucial to the successful application of the downer reactor. Herein, the definition and strategies of high-density operation in the downer were introduced at first. And then, considering the increasing influence of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the fluidization industry, the state-of-the-art progress in downer simulation was reviewed, in which the newly developed drag models for downers were carefully discussed and compared. Also, to help prediction of the pyrolysis behaviors, the widely used pyrolysis kinetic models were systematically summarized. Combined with the potential of the downer in the field of coal pyrolysis, the relevant research progress of hot-state simulation of the downer pyrolyzer were introduced and analyzed. Finally, the suggestions on how to carry out follow-up work were given. It is expected that this review could give a better understanding for designing and optimizing downer pyrolyzer.

The potential of selected Pleurotus ostreatus and P. eryngii wild-type and commercial strains to colonize and produce carposomes after solid-state fermentation of five substrates constituted of agro-residues namely wheat straw (WS), beech wood shavings (BWS), coffee residue (CR), barley and oats straw (BOS), rice bark (RB), supplemented with wheat bran was investigated. The effect of substrate composition on bioprocess feasibility was assessed for the different strains by quantitative (i.e., mushroom yield and Biological Efficiency-BE %) and carposome qualitative parameters (i.e., weight, size, colour, firmness). P. ostreatus strains produced carposomes earlier than P. eryngii ones. Early fruiting formation was promoted in WS for P. ostreatus strains, whereas for P. eryngii the lowest values of earliness were observed on BOS substrate. As for crop productivity, P. ostreatus strain AMRL 150 provided the highest BE (>70%) in all substrates except for RB, while P. ostreatus strain AMRL 144 achieved the highest yield and BE in BOS and BWS (75.30 and 64.26%, respectively). P. eryngii stains produced less number but heavier carposomes. The highest values of BE% for these strains were recorded on WS and BOS substrates. The BE was further correlated to growth parameters of fungal vegetative phase. As for mushroom colour, P. ostreatus were lighter than P. eryngii and BOS substrate promoted lightness in both strains. Firmer P. ostreatus mushrooms were produced at CR. No differences in the whiteness and firmness were detected among P. eryngii mushrooms and at any substrate used. The data included in this paper showed that Pleurotus mushrooms can be cultivated on low- or zero-value agro-industrial residues of great financial and environmental importance towards the production of value-added food products.

The influence of ten agro-residues, i.e., wheat straw (WS), poplar wood sawdust (PWS), grape pomace (GP), beech wood shavings (BWS), cotton cake (CK), corn cobs (CC), coffee residue (CR), olive pulp (OP), barley and oats straw (BOS) and rice bark (RB), used as alternative substrates for the cultivation of Pleurotus mushrooms, was examined during mycelial growth (colonization phase). Several native and commercial strains of P. ostreatus and P. eryngii were subjected to screening regarding their mycelial growth rates, biomass production and endoglucanase and laccase activities. The experimental results showed that the highest growth rates of P. ostreatus strains were noticed on BWS, BOS, CC and RB substrates, with the time of complete colonization varying between 16 and 36 days, whereas for P. eryngii a high linear growth rate was observed on CC, OP, CR and BOS with the colonization period ranging between 26 and 51 days. The maximum biomass production obtained on the various substrates for both Pleurotus species ranged from 115.32 to 454.42 mg/g d.w. for P. ostreatus and from 108.50 to 422.59 mg/g d.w. for P. eryngii. As for endoglucanase, the highest activities were observed in P. eryngii AMRL 163 cultures on PWS and BOS, i.e., 0.19 and 1.18 U/g d.w., respectively. P. eryngii AMRL 173–6 and P. ostreatus AMRL 150 cultivated on RB and BOS, synthesized significant laccase amounts, i.e., 2172.28 and 1987.25 U/g d.w., respectively. The effect of the substrate components on the growth parameters was considered and discussed. This study showed the industrial potential to convert important low-value agro-residues to fungal biomass and enzymes and eventually to valuable food products.

Superhydrophobic bagasse paper was successfully engineered by facile spray coating with a zeolitic imidazolate framework composite modified by 3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane (FAS) and used as a filter membrane with special wettability for oil/water separation. Surface characteristics such as surface morphology, surface moieties, roughness, and wettability were observed. The addition of FAS decreased the apparent surface energy between solid surfaces and liquids with a polar contribution of surface free energy as low as 0 mN m−1. The formation of the FAS layer was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy core-level spectra. Three-dimensional surface topography revealed an increase in the spray coating cycle that enhanced the hydrophobicity of the coated paper. The results confirmed that not only microstructures but also the presence of functional groups with low surface energy (such as FAS) can promote surface hydrophobicity. The spray-coated paper with FAS/ZIF in the presence of a small amount of nanocellulose provided a superhydrophobic surface after the first spray cycle. The separation efficiency was up to 85% and was slightly affected by oil viscosity. Moreover, this can be used as a filter membrane for water-in-oil emulsions. In the present work, simple spray-coated paper is a promising candidate material for gravity-driven oil/water separation and water repellent coating.

Expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (ETPU) foam materials with superelasticity for footwear application were developed and investigated. ETPU foams with different ratios of CO2/N2 as foaming agents and ETPU foams prepared by pure nitrogen foaming with different kinds of foaming additives were prepared by supercritical (Sc) foaming technology, which further made into sheet forms through the steam molding process. TPU foam exhibits better cell structure, crystallization performance, and mechanical strength with the increased CO2 proportion. Further, the foams using 25% CO2–75% N2 and 50% CO2–50% N2, showed a lower density and excellent resilience and cyclic-compression performance. However, an increase of N2 ratio improves the dimensional stability and compression set of the foam. The introduction of foaming aids enhances the interaction between Sc-N2 and TPU. The ETPU foam prepared under the same conditions has a smaller density and a larger expansion ratio. Especially the ETPU foam prepared by Sc-N2 using monofluorodichloroethane as the foaming assistant as a co-blowing agent, the decrease in cell size (from 117.9 to 19.6 μm) and density (from 0.175 to 0.139 g/cm3) has observed. The study revealed the high potential of these materials in footwear applications and offered sound evidence for mass production in the industry.

Vanillin acrylate-based thermo-responsive shape memory photopolymers with high thermal stability, tunable mechanical properties, and antimicrobial activity have been developed. Photocurable resins containing one of the three commercial vanillin derivatives, vanillin diacrylate, vanillin dimethacrylate, and vanillin hydroxypropane dimethacrylate, and 1,3-benzenedithiol were tested. The results of dual curing systems with different ratios of thiol and acrylate (1:1 and 0.5:1) were compared. The reduction of thiol content increased the rate of photocuring, improved the mechanical performance of polymers (Young’s modulus was increased from 1.4–3.5 to 3952.3–11339.4 MPa), and their heat resistance (the 10% weight loss increased from 277–327 to 294–341 °C). All polymers were able to return to their primary shape after deformation and maintain their temporary shape at a temperature lower than their glass transition temperature (–3–46 °C). Furthermore, allpolymer films exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (cell reduction reached 99.8–100% after 24 h) and antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger (cell reduction reached 72.3–100% after 24 h).

A comprehensive overview is presented to summarize the research works since 1982 on oxidative coupling of methane (OCM), a complex reaction network combining heterogeneous and homogeneous reaction steps. Fundamentals on reaction mechanisms and thermodynamics have revealed that the OCM process is highly exothermic and its C2+ selectivity and yield is critical in evaluating its commercial viability. Catalytic strategies have been put to enhance C2+ selectivity, improve C2+ yield and lower reaction temperature. The catalyst Mn-Na2WO4/SiO2 enables methane activation at a temperature of 800 °C and simultaneously a high C2+ selectivity of 70–80%, while the nanowire and La2O3-based catalysts enable to lower the reaction temperature to 200–300 °C and 500 °C, respectively. Reaction engineering aspects have also been dealt in many investigations in order to make the process technically feasible. Particularly, research works on reaction kinetics, reactor selection and reactor operating mode choice have been addressed. Intermediate cooling and distributed oxygen feed have been integrated into a multi-stage adiabatic fixed-bed reactor system to suppress the side oxidation reactions and improve the performance of the catalysts towards CH4 conversion and C2+ yield. This review paper proposes employing a circulating reactor system coupled with catalyst fine particles but having little internal diffusion resistance to maximize one-pass C2+ selectivity and yield of the OCM reaction and evaluate its industrial application potential.

Thermal oxidation of Si(113) in a monolayer regime was investigated using high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Dynamic processes during thermal oxidation were examined in three oxidation modes – oxidation, etching, and transition modes – in the third of which both oxidation and etching occur. A precise temperature–pressure growth mode diagram was obtained via careful measurements for Si(113), and the results were compared with those for Si(111) in the present work and Si(001) in the literature. Initial oxidation processes were identified based on high-resolution STM images.

Using filler and impact modifiers for balancing stiffness and toughness properties is a common strategy for modification of polymer matrices’ performance. Nanocomposites based on poly lactic acid/polyolefin elastomer/including multiwalled carbon nanotubes/carbon black nanoparticles (PLA/POE/MWCNTs/CB) were produced using an internal mixer. Fuzzy rule- based system (FRBS) was applied to predict and simulate of mechanical properties of the samples. The fieldemission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) was applied to determine the state of nanofillers distribution. The FESEM images showed that the carbon black and MWCNTs individually were well distributed. But, the simultaneous addition of nanofillers by more than 1 wt% from each one led to their agglomeration. The results illustrated that the presence of MWCNTs and carbon black separately and simultaneously led to an increase in tensile strength and Young’s modulus. The simultaneous presence of them led to an improvement in impact strength by 30%. Also, by incorporating POE into the PLA matrix, a significant increment in impact strength was obtained by 110%. The obtained surface plots from FRBS revealed that there is an interaction between nanofillers effects on the mechanical properties. Finally, a good agreement between the predicted mechanical properties using FRBS and evaluation tests led to extract accurate models with proper R2 and standard error for all responses.

Rasburicase is an expensive treatment used to control hyperuricemia caused by tumour lysis syndrome (TLS). In this study, a non-chromatographic method was designed based on nano-oil bodies for convenient and economical purification of the recombinant uricase. For this purpose, two chimaeras were synthesized with a different arrangement of the uricase, caleosin and intein fragments. After confirming the protein expression by measuring the uricase activity at 293 nm, purification was conducted through oil-body construction. The results were resolved on the 12% SDS-PAGE gel. Finally, the stability of the oil bodies was examined against different salts, surfactants, temperatures, and pH values. According to our results, the overexpression of uricase–caleosin chimaera under the T7 promoter in Escherichia coli led to the production of soluble protein, which was successfully purified by artificial oil bodies. The active uricase was subsequently released through the self-splicing of intein. Further investigations highlighted the importance of the free C-terminus of caleosin in constructing artificial oil bodies. Moreover, surfactants and low temperature, in contrast to salts, improved the stability of oil bodies. In conclusion, caleosins are an efficient purification tag reducing the cost of purification compared to conventional chromatography methods. Graphical Abstract

Polycarbonate is an attractive transparent plastic with high mechanical/thermal properties. A family of copolycarbonates of bisphenol-A (BPA), 9, 9-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene (BHPF), and diphenyl carbonate (DPC) were prepared by a transesterification polymerization. The weight-average molecular weight of the polycarbonates ranges from 65,000 to 107,000 g/mol; the copolycarbonates showed T g and T d − 5 % from 63-70°C and 100-105°C higher than the control, respectively. Meanwhile, the processing properties of polycarbonate remain unchanged. These properties endow the polymers with potential for use as high-temperature resistance materials.

In the present work, two novel coordination polymers on the basis of Cu(II) are hydrothermally produced via utilizing 2,5‐dichloroterephthalic acid (H2DCTP), a halogenated linear ligand with the existence of diverse flexible nitrogen‐donor ligands of the 1,4‐bis(5,6‐dimethylbenzimidazol‐1‐yl)‐2‐butylene (L2) and the 1,1′‐(1,4‐butanediyl)bis‐1H‐benzimidazole (L1), and their chemical formulae are [Cu(L1)(DCTP)]n (1) and [Cu(L2)(DCTP)]n (2). The evaluation of two compounds’ treatment effect against the thyroid cancer was carried out, and meanwhile, their relevant mechanism was also studied. First of all, the cancer cells proliferation was detected through Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) detection kit. Furthermore, the JAK‐STAT signalling pathway activation has been assessed through employing real time RT‐PCR assay. Finally, the toxicity of the new compounds was evaluated with MTT assay.

The current energy crisis has prompted the development and utilization of renewable energy and energy storage material. In this study, levulinic acid (LA) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO) were used to synthesize a novel levulinic acid 1,4-butanediol ester (LBE) by both enzymatic and chemical methods. The enzymatic method exhibited excellent performance during the synthesis process, and resulted in 87.33% of LBE yield, while the chemical method caused more by-products and higher energy consumption. What’s more, the thermal properties of the obtained LBE as a phase change material (PCM) were evaluated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the melting temperature, latent heat of melting, and pyrolysis temperature were 50.51 °C, 156.1 J/g, and 150–160 °C, respectively. Compared with the traditional paraffin, the prepared PCM has a superior phase transition temperature, a higher latent heat of melting, and better thermal stability. The thermal conductivity could be increased to 0.34 W/m/k after adding expanded graphite (EG). In summary, LBE has great potential in the application of energy storage as a low-temperature phase change energy storage material. Graphical Abstract

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a 1T′ layer structure have recently received intense interest due to their outstanding physical and chemical properties. While the physicochemical behaviors of 1T′ TMD monolayers have been widely investigated, the corresponding properties of layered 1T′ TMD crystals have rarely been studied. As TMD monolayers do not have interlayer interactions, their physicochemical properties will differ from those of layered TMD materials. In this study, the electronic and mechanical characteristics of a range of 1T′ TMDs are systematically examined by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results reveal that the properties of 1T′ TMDs are mainly affected by their anions. The disulfides are stiffer and more rigid, diselenides are more brittle. In addition, the 1T′ polytype is softer than 2H TMDs. Comparison with the properties of the monolayers shows that the interlayer van der Waals forces can slightly weaken the TM–X covalent bonding strength, which can further influence the mechanical properties. These insights revealed by our theoretical studies may boost more applications of 1T′ TMD materials.

Methacrylic copolymers have high potential as matrix polymers for carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTPs) due to their superior mechanical properties and the versatility of the monomers. However, the methacrylic copolymers have low solvent resistance, compared to epoxy, polyamide, and polypropylene, due to their un-cross-linked amorphous structure. Therefore, an improvement of the solvent resistance by the introduction of metal salts into methacrylic copolymer matrices for CFRTPs was investigated. Infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analyses and small-angle X-ray scattering clarified that an ionic cross-linked structure was formed. Low-viscosity mixtures of the methacrylic monomers with the metal salts, as a precursor of the matrices for CFRTPs, were easily impregnated into CF fabrics and were then copolymerized within the CF fabrics. Both the flexural strength and shear adhesive strength of the CFRTPs using the in situ polymerized methacrylic ionomer cross-linked with sodium ions were sufficiently high, even after 12 h immersion in methyl ethyl ketone.

Porous polymeric scaffolds provide a physical substrate for cells to attach and proliferate, allowing the formation of new tissue. These materials are broadly used in the tissue engineering field due to their ability to mimic native tissue. Each application requires specific morphologies and resistance, among other several features. To accomplish these requirements, various techniques are available, each one with its advantages and disadvantages. Among the most relevant techniques are salt leaching, solvent casting, gas foaming, thermally induced phase separation, freeze-drying, electrospinning, thermally induced self-agglomeration, and three-dimensional (3D) printing. In this review, a brief and simple explanation of each method is described, along with some recent results and each technique’s advantages and disadvantages. It is expected that this review will bring important guidance in the production of polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Electrospinning, being a versatile and straightforward method to produce nanofiber membranes, has shown significant advancement in recent years. On account of the unique properties such as high surface area, high porosity, mechanical strength, and controllable surface morphologies, electrospun nanofiber membranes have been found to have a great potential in many disciplines. Pure electrospun fiber mats modified with different techniques of surface modification and additive incorporation have exhibited enhanced properties compared to traditional membranes and are even better than the as-prepared electrospun membranes. In this review, we have summarized recently developed electrospun nanohybrids fabricated by the incorporation of functional specific nanosized additives to be used in various water remediation membrane techniques. The adsorption, filtration, photocatalytic, and bactericidal capabilities of the hybrid membranes in removing common major water pollutants such as metal ions, dyes, oils, and biological pollutants have been discussed. Finally, an outlook on the future research pathways to fill the gaps existing in water remediation have been suggested.

The microbial population of the dental biofilm is embedded in an extracellular matrix that contains organic polymers such as polysaccharides. The extracellular matrix promotes biofilm adhesion on surfaces of dental prostheses and acts as a protective barrier. Thus, a breakdown of the extracellular matrix is crucial for an effective mechanical biofilm removal by brushing. The purpose of this study was to develop an artificial biofilm equivalent (ABE) that is able to mimic the mechanical properties of a natural biofilm concerning abrasion resistance. It contains the two polysaccharides chitosan (ChS) and methylcellulose (MC). Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cylinders ( n = 80 ) were manufactured and coated with the ABE with varying concentration ratios of ChS and MC. Eight test series ( n = 8 each) with different mixing ratios of ChS/MC were tested for their abrasion resistance to brushing in a toothbrush simulator. For the ABE, a total of 2.0 g of polysaccharides were added to 100 ml of 2% acetic acid: 0.3–1.0 g ChS and 1.0–1.7 MC, respectively. Furthermore, two control series ( n = 8 each) with 2.0 g of ChS only or 2.0 g of MC only were performed. Coated specimens were subjected to an increasing number of brushing strokes from 5 to 45 via abrasion test. The specimens were photographed, and a computerized planimetric method (CPM) was used to calculate the percentage of remaining ABE on the brushed areas of the PMMA cylinders. The abrasion resistance of the ABE to brushing decreased with an increasing ratio of MC in the mixture. The abrasion resistance of the ABE can be adjusted by changing the ratio of ChS and MC.

A modern level of nanotechnology allows us to create conceptually new test systems for chemical analyses and to develop sensitive and compact sensors for various types of substances. However, at present, there are very few commercially available compact sensors for the determination of toxic and carcinogenic substances, such as organic solvents that are used in some construction materials. This article contains an overview of how 3D photonic crystals are used for the creation of a new test system for nonpolar organic solvents. The morphology and structural parameters of the photonic crystals, based upon a crystalline colloidal array with a sensing matrix of polydimethylsiloxane, have been determined by using scanning electron microscopy and by the results of specular reflectance spectroscopy based on the Bragg–Snell law. A new approach has been proposed for the application of this sensor in chemical analysis for the qualitative detection of saturated vapors of volatile organic compounds due to configuration changes of the photonic bandgap, recorded by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The exposure of the sensor to aromatic (benzene, toluene and p-xylene) and aliphatic (n-pentane, n-heptane, n-octane and n-decane) hydrocarbons has been analyzed. The reconstitution of spectral parameters of the sensor during the periodic detection of saturated vapors of toluene has been evaluated.

We present a microscopic magnetic domain imaging study of single-shot all-optical magnetic toggle switching of a ferrimagnetic Gd26Fe74 film with out-of-plane easy axis of magnetization by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism photoelectron emission microscopy. Individual linearly polarized laser pulses of 800 nm wavelength and 100 fs duration above a certain threshold fluence reverse the sample magnetization, independent of the magnetization direction, the so-called toggle switching. Local deviations from this deterministic behavior close to magnetic domain walls are studied in detail. Reasons for nondeterministic toggle switching are related to extrinsic effects, caused by pulse-to-pulse variations of the exciting laser system, and to intrinsic effects related to the magnetic domain structure of the sample. The latter are, on the one hand, caused by magnetic domain wall elasticity, which leads to a reduction of the domain-wall length at features with sharp tips. These features appear after the optical switching at positions where the line of constant threshold fluence in the Gaussian footprint of the laser pulse comes close to an already existing domain wall. On the other hand, we identify the presence of laser-induced domain-wall motion in the toggle-switching event as a further cause for local deviations from purely deterministic toggle switching.

In ongoing decades, material researchers and scientists are giving more consideration towards the improvement of biobased polymer composites as various employments of items arranged by natural fibres and petrochemical polymers prompt natural awkwardness. The goal of this review paper is to provide an intensive review and applications of the foremost appropriate commonly used biodegradable polymer composites. It is imperative to build up the completely/incompletely biodegradable polymer composites without bargaining the mechanical, physical, and thermal properties which are required for the end-use applications. This reality roused to create biocomposite with better execution alongside the least natural effect. The utilization of natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites is concerned with the mechanical properties that are highly dependent on the morphology, hydrophilic tendency, aspect ratio, and dimensional stability of the natural fibre. With this in-depth consideration of eco-friendly biocomposites, structural application materials in the infrastructure, automotive industry, and consumer applications of the following decade are attainable within the near future.

Friction and wear of polymers at the nanoscale is a challenging problem due to the complex viscoelastic properties and structure. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate how a graphene sheet on top of the semicrystalline polymer polyvinyl alcohol affects the friction and wear. Our setup is meant to resemble an AFM experiment with a silicon tip. We have used two different graphene sheets, namely an unstrained, flat sheet, and one that has been crumpled before being deposited on the polymer. The graphene protects the top layer of the polymer from wear and reduces the friction. The unstrained flat graphene is stiffer, and we find that it constrains the polymer chains and reduces the indentation depth.

The novel wettability switchable cellulose nanofiber- (CNF-) based aerogel was conveniently prepared by polydopamine mediated composition of CNF and n-dodecanethiol. The wettability of aerogels can be controlled by adjusting the PDA and n-dodecanethiol loading content, which leads to a variation of water contact angle from 0-149°. The PDA was coated on cellulose nanofibers via hydrogen bonds and then n-dodecanethiol was anchored onto the scaffolds by Michael addition reaction, which was revealed by XPS and FTIR spectra. The composite aerogel can selectively absorb a series of oily liquids from the oil/water mixture, with the maximum absorption capacity of 68 g/g. This work presented a facile strategy to prepare wettability switchable CNF-based heterogenous aerogel and exhibited the potential of the composite aerogel for oil/water separation.

The chemical compositions of Ginkgo biloba exocarp extracts (GBEE) and leaf extracts are similar, however, studies describing the development of GBEE biopesticides are few. In this study, the authors investigated the preparation of GBEE nanoemulsionand and characterized by transmittance, physical stability, droplet size and size distribution for the first time. Insecticidal activity and lipophilicity screening of four different solvents indicated ethyl acetate was satisfactory. Based on dispersibility, centrifugation, heating‐cooling cycle, cloud point and long‐term stability experiments, two formulations (ethyl acetate/Tween 40‐Span 60 (9:1)/water and ethyl acetate/Tween 60‐Span 60 (9:1)/water) were optimum to formulate nanoemulsions. However, the smallest droplet size and size distribution (10.93 ± 0.16 nm, PDI = 0.15 ± 0.01) was obtained using the Tween 60/Span 60 combination. The insecticidal activity of GBEE nanoemulsion was evaluated against the third instar larvae of Plutella xylostella. Lethal concentration (LC50) values of the optimized nanoemulsion were 127.38 mg/L at 12 h and 72.80 mg/L at 24 h, respectively. This indicated that GBEE nanoemulsion had higher insecticidal activity than the GBEE. The results proposed that the GBEE nanoemulsion is a potential and effective natural alternative for the management of P. xylostella.

Cancer has been a serious threat to human health. Among drug delivery carriers, protein nanoparticles are unique because of their mild and environmentally friendly preparation methods. They also inherit desired characteristics from natural proteins, such as biocompatibility and biodegradability. Therefore, they have solved some problems inherent to inorganic nanocarriers such as poor biocompatibility. Also, the surface groups and cavity of protein nanoparticles allow for easy surface modification and drug loading. Besides, protein nanoparticles can be combined with inorganic nanoparticles or contrast agents to form multifunctional theranostic platforms. This review introduces representative protein nanoparticles applicable in cancer theranostics, including virus-like particles, albumin nanoparticles, silk protein nanoparticles, and ferritin nanoparticles. It also describes the common methods for preparing them. It then critically analyzes the use of a variety of protein nanoparticles in improved cancer imaging and therapy.

Lubricants are widely used in macroscopic mechanical systems to reduce friction and wear. However, on the microscopic scale, it is not clear to what extent lubricants are beneficial. Therefore, in this study, we consider two diamond solid-state gears at the nanoscale immersed in different lubricant molecules and perform classical MD simulations to investigate the rotational transmission of motion. We find that lubricants can help to synchronize the rotational transmission between gears regardless of the molecular species and the center-of-mass distance. Moreover, the influence of the angular velocity of the driving gear is investigated and shown to be related to the bond formation process between gears.

This work examines the effects of plasticizer type and concentration on mechanical, physical, and antibacterial characteristics of sugar palm nanocellulose/sugar palm starch (SPS)/cinnamon essential oil bionanocomposite films. In this research, the preparation of SPS films were conducted using glycerol (G), sorbitol (S), and their blend (GS) as plasticizers at ratios of 1.5, 3.0, and 4.5 wt%. The bionanocomposite films were developed by the solution casting method. Plasticizer Plasticizers were added to the SPS film-forming solutions to help overcome the fragile and brittle nature of the unplasticized SPS films. Increasing plasticizer contents resulted in an increase in film thickness and moisture contents. On the contrary, the increase in plasticizer concentrations resulted in the decrease of the densities of the plasticized films. The increase in the plasticizer content from 1.5 to 4.5% revealed less influence towards the moisture content of S-plasticised films. For glycerol and glycerol-sorbitol plasticized (G and GS) films, higher moisture content was observed compared to S-plasticised films. Various plasticizer types did not significantly modify the antibacterial activity of bionanocomposite films. The findings of this study showed significant improvement in the properties of bionanocomposite films with different types and concentrations of plasticizers and their potential for food packaging applications was enhanced.

In current years, natural pigments are facing a fast-growing global market due to the increase of people’s awareness of health and the discovery of novel pharmacological effects of various natural pigments, e.g., carotenoids, flavonoids, and curcuminoids. However, the traditional production approaches are source-dependent and generally subject to the low contents of target pigment compounds. In order to scale-up industrial production, many efforts have been devoted to increasing pigment production from natural producers, via development of both in vitro plant cell/tissue culture systems, as well as optimization of microbial cultivation approaches. Moreover, synthetic biology has opened the door for heterologous biosynthesis of pigments via design and re-construction of novel biological modules as well as biological systems in bio-platforms. In this review, the innovative methods and strategies for optimization and engineering of both native and heterologous producers of natural pigments are comprehensively summarized. Current progress in the production of several representative high-value natural pigments is also presented; and the remaining challenges and future perspectives are discussed. Published version This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22108097), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20200616), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFA0901800), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M671339), and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. LZ20B060002).

The wide range of hydrogel applications is a result of the optimization of gelation. Herein, the various aminooxylinkers were synthesized to study the kinetics of gelation and mechanical properties of hydrogels prepared by crosslinking of aldehyde-modified N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) of hyaluronan (ΔHA-CHO: 4,5-anhydro-6-(GlcNAc)-oxo hyaluronan or HA-CHO: 6-(GlcNAc)-oxo hyaluronan). Structural characteristics of the linkers (length, number of functional groups and rigidity) and the polymer (effect of the –C=C- double bond) were investigated in detail and showed decreasing mechanical stiffness with increasing hydrophobic character of linker and effect of its rigidity/flexibility on imine conversion. Besides known linear bis(aminooxy)alkanes with different lengths of the chain, new multifunctional aminooxy-linkers: 1,3,5-tris(aminooxymethyl)benzene and multikis(6-aminooxy-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin were prepared and shortened the gelation time. The MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) analysis showed that despite the aminooxylinkers ´ cytotoxicity at higher concentrations, the final oxime hydrogels are non-cytotoxic and therefore are suitable for medicinal applications.

Heat regulation of the human body through textile fabrics is of great interest to the apparel industry. Herein, blends of environmentally friendly materials, including modified polylactic acid (MPLA) (polylactic acid (PLA) + acrylic acid (AA)-grafted PLA (PLA-g-AA) mixed complex) and silica aerogel (SA) composite, were used to make textiles. The tensile, thermal, heat/cold resistance and surface wettability of the novel composites were characterized. MPLA and SA improved the properties of these composites. The MPLA/SA textiles exhibited more favorable mechanical properties than the PLA/SA textiles; this effect was due to better compatibility between the MPLA and SA. Polylactic acid typically exhibits high hydrophilicity and poor thermal conductivity. Incorporating SA as a filler in the processed yarn significantly enhanced the functional performance of the PLA composite textiles. The addition of SA enhanced hydrophobicity and decreased thermal conductivity, which enabled better temperature regulation. The MPLA/SA textiles displayed superior tensile strength, insulation property, temperature adjustment, water resistance, and washing durability. Moreover, the developed MPLA/SA fabric is suitable for mass production and use in various types of textile goods.

Lung cancer (LC) has high morbidity and fatality rate that can be attributed to its poor diagnostic and monitoring facilities. Hence, there is a need to design advanced detection and monitoring systems to facilitate fast, efficient, and early diagnosis. The emerging research on novel nanotechnology-based strategies and conceptual models has made early-stage detection of LC possible by employing magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to surmount the barriers of slow diagnostic efficiency. Herein, the emphasis is on the recent advancement of MNP-based detection and monitoring systems for LC diagnosis, and future perspectives in the current scenario are discussed. The integration of MNP-based advanced diagnostic tools (microfluidic chips, artificial intelligence, biosensors, biomarkers detection, machine learning, nanotheranostics, deep learning, and internet of things platform) with conventional ones bronchoscopy, computed tomography scan, positron emission tomography, distant metastases, transthoracic biopsy, and magnetic resonance imaging might help to resolve current challenges related to early diagnosis of LC.

This study used water as the physical blowing agent as well as microwave heating (MH) and convection heating (CH) to simultaneously foam and cure natural rubber foam (NRF). Various processing methods and parameters, such as single heating and sequential heating using a mix of CH and MH; were investigated. The correlation between these processing methods as well as different water loadings was then evaluated and compared in terms of physical appearance, density, and morphology. The NRF samples produced using sequential MH and CH (SMC) heating exhibited better shape and structure than samples produced using single heating of either CH or MH only as well as sequential CH and MH (SCM) heating at all water loadings. NRF samples with water loadings of 1.5 and 2.0 phr had a density of less than 0.1 g/cm3. The potential heating mechanism of all the heating methods explored in this study was proposed and discussed to further understand the microwave heating process. The findings of this study proved that water could be utilized as a physical blowing agent in the production of NRF products with microwave-assisted foaming.

Designing energy-efficient and secure cryptographic circuits in low-frequency medical devices are challenging due to low-energy requirements. Also, the conventional CMOS logic-based cryptographic circuits solutions in medical devices can be vulnerable to side-channel attacks (e.g. correlation power analysis (CPA)). In this article, we explored single-rail Clocked CMOS Adiabatic Logic (CCAL) to design an energy-efficient and secure cryptographic circuit for low-frequency medical devices. The performance of the CCAL logic-based circuits was checked with a power clock generator (2N2P-PCG) integrated into the design for the frequency range of 50 kHz to 250 kHz. The CCAL logic gates show an average of approximately 48% energy-saving and more than 95% improvement in security metrics performance compared to its CMOS logic gate counterparts. Further, the CCAL based circuits are also compared for energy-saving performance against dual-rail adiabatic logic, 2-EE-SPFAL, and 2-SPGAL. The adiabatic CCAL gates save on an average of 55% energy saving compared to 2-EE-SPFAL and 2-SPGAL over the frequency range of 50 kHz to 250 kHz. To check the efficacy of CCAL to design a larger cryptographic circuit, we implemented a case-study design of a Substitution-box (S-box) of popular lightweight PRESENT-80 encryption. The case-study implementation (2N2P-PCG integrated into the design) using CCAL shows more than 95% energy saving compared to CMOS for the frequency 50 kHz to 125 kHz and around 60% energy saving at frequency 250 kHz. At 250 kHz, compared to the dual-rail adiabatic designs of S-box based on 2-EE-SPFAL and 2-SPGAL, the CCAL based S-box shows 32.67% and 11.21% of energy savings, respectively. Additionally, the CCAL logic gate structure requires a lesser number of transistors compared to dual-rail adiabatic logic. The case-study implementation using CCAL saves 45.74% and 34.88% transistor counts compared to 2-EE-SPFAL and 2-SPGAL. The article also presents the effect of varying tank capacitance in 2N2P-PCG over energy efficiency and security performance. The CCAL based case-study was also subjected against CPA. The CCAL-based S-box case study successfully protects the revelation of the encryption key against the CPA attack, However, the key was revealed in CMOS-based case-study implementation.

Since last decades, nanocellulose has gained much attention in nanocomposite foams owing to high stiffness and strength, renewability, sustainability and biodegradability. Nanocellulose is hydrophilic, and could be easily dispersed in hydrophilic polymer matrices; however, there are challenges to introduce nanocellulose in less hydrophilic polymers. This review addresses the development of polymer nanocomposite foams with plant-based nanocellulose (cellulose nanofibers and cellulose nanocrystals), and the chemical modification and mechanical approaches to enhance the dispersibility of nanocellulose in hydrophobic polymer matrices. The combination of nanocellulose and other nanoparticles such as graphene nanoplatelets, montmorillonite clay, carbon nanotubes and zeolites to yield multifunctional porous nanocomposite materials with promising features such as self-extinguishment, dye adsorption, microwave absorption, conductivity and biocompatibility is also discussed in this paper.

Resource utilization of chrome shavings (CS) has attracted a lot of attention from scientists and technologists in leather industry. Especially, the collagen hydrolysates extracted from CS are expected to find potential application values in agricultural field. However, there is no biotoxicity analysis of collagen hydrolysates from CS. Herein, the collagen hydrolysates with different molecular weights were produced from CS by three hydrolysis dechroming methods including alkaline hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and alkaline-enzymatic synergistic hydrolysis, and the optimal hydrolysis process of CS was designed and conducted. To evaluate their toxicity, the three collagen hydrolysates were formulated into a nutrient solution for zebrafish development. The obtained results indicated that the hydrolysates with low concentrations (less than 0.6 mg/mL) were safe and could promote the development for zebrafish embryos. Furthermore, the three collagen hydrolysates were utilized as organic nitrogen sources and formulated into amino acid water-soluble fertilizers (AAWSF) including alkaline type fertilizer (OH), enzymatic type fertilizer (M) and alkaline-enzymatic type fertilizer (OH–M) for the early soilless seeding cultivation of wheat, soybean and rapeseed. It is worth mentioning that the chromium contents in the prepared AAWSF were less than 10 mg/kg, which is far less than the limit value in the standard (China, 50 mg/kg). The growth and development of seedlings (germination rate, plant height, fresh weight of leaves, soluble sugar content and chlorophyll content) were investigated. The corresponding results showed that the growth of seedlings watered with AAWSF was better compared with the other treatments, and the OH–M fertilizer had the best promoting effect on the seedlings growth and development, followed by the M and OH fertilizers. The safe toxicity assessment of the collagen hydrolysates will expand their application scope, and the use of collagen hydrolysates extracted from CS for seedlings growth also provides an effective and reasonable way to deal with the chromium-containing leather solid waste, which is an effective way to realize its resource utilization. Graphical Abstract

Materials with desired thermal deformation are very important for various engineering applications. Here, a material with the combination of chiral structure and TiNi shape memory alloy (SMA) sheets that performs a twist during heating is proposed. The thermo-mechanical properties of these materials are experimentally investigated. Inspired by this, a car-like material performing translational and rotational motion is designed, which illustrates the potential applications for the next-generation soft robotic devices. Based on this method, one can design remotely manipulated artificial muscles, nanorobots, revolute pairs, and thermal sensors or actuators in a noncontact fashion.

The objective of the current research was to study the effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) electrospun nanofibers loaded with different concentrations of leaf extract of Moringa oleifera (MO) on butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) and monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) enzymes. The MO-loaded PVA nanofibers were investigated for their inhibitory effect on BuChE and MAO A & B enzymes. The characterization of the fabricated nanofibers was performed by using SEM, FTIR and XRD. The results showed that increasing the concentration of MO, the enzyme inhibition capability of electrospun nanofibers was greatly (p

There is a great demand for low dielectric materials as insulating interlayers in large-scale integrated circuit development. However, it is still a huge challenge to reduce the dielectric permittivity of polymers while maintaining excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties. In this work, the fluorinated polyimides (PIs) in combination with a micro-branched crosslinking structure were prepared successfully by introducing different amounts of 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl) benzene (TAPB) to obtain ultra-low dielectric permittivity. The results revealed that PI film containing 2 mmol TAPB had the lowest dielectric permittivity (2.47) and dielectric loss (0.008) at 1 MHz due to the fluorine atoms and the micro-branched crosslink structure, which not only decreased the molecular polarizability but also increased the free fractional volume. In addition, PI film containing 2 mmol TAPB had the highest tensile strength of 106.02 MPa with an elongation at a break of 15.1% because the presence of TAPB effectively promoted the connection between PI molecular chains, resulting in the inhibition of the molecular mobility. The incorporation of TAPB also enhanced the thermal stability and ultraviolet light-shielding performance of PI films. This method paves the way for the development of PIs with ultra-low dielectric permittivity for the electronic industry.

Emerging contaminants are the contaminants that newly identified their adverse effects on the environment. Pharmaceutical compounds have gained researchers’ attention among developing organic pollutants as the demand for pharmaceutical compounds has increased, implying their continuing release into the environment. Acetaminophen (ACT) is a popular drug that is wildly used without prescription for the relief of headaches and rheumatic pains. In some places, the detected values of ACT are more than the natural values, which may seriously threaten the environment. Many methods have been applied to remove ACT from water. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) based on micro and nanoparticles has shown promising results to remove ACT from an aqueous medium. This review provides a summary and an organization of the scattered available information related to studies that investigated the removal of ACT from water by an AOP based on micro and nanoparticles. Many topics investigated in this review include the influence of temperature, pH, catalyst concentration, pollutant concentration, the effects of scavengers and oxidants, the stability of the catalyst, and doping ratio. The main results obtained for the removal of ACT by using micro and nanoparticles have been discussed in this review.

Semiconducting SnO2 photocatalyst nanomaterials are extensively used in energy and environmental research because of their outstanding physical and chemical properties. In recent years, nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollutants have received particular attention from the scientific community. The photocatalytic NOx oxidation will be an important contribution to mitigate climate change in the future. Existing review papers mainly focus on applying SnO2 materials for photocatalytic oxidation of pollutants in the water, while studies on the decomposition of gas pollutants are still being developed. In addition, previous studies have shown that the photocatalytic activity regarding NOx decomposition of SnO2 and other materials depends on many factors, such as physical structure and band energies, surface and defect states, and morphology. Recent studies have been focused on the modification of properties of SnO2 to increase the photocatalytic efficiency of SnO2, including bandgap engineering, defect regulation, surface engineering, heterojunction construction, and using co-catalysts, which will be thoroughly highlighted in this review.

Increasing demands for high-speed wireless communication have stimulated the development of novel optoelectrical devices. Typically, terahertz (THz) wave, is much advantageous because of its relatively high-resolution transportation and strong penetrability property. One of the electromagnetic devices, the antenna, plays a key role in future THz devices. However, there are few review publishments related to carbon-based THz microstrip antenna designs. In this article, we list the basic figure of merits for evaluating antennas. We also show the developing microstrip antenna structures. Importantly, we summarize the current progress of THz microstrip antennas using different dimensional carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon foams. This review will lay a solid foundation for carbon-based THz microstrip antenna design, and furthermore provide novel sights for other THz antenna designs.