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More people, more cities; the energy demand increases in consequence and much of that will rely on next-generation smart materials. Zn-ferrites (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) are nonconventional ceramic materials on account of their unique properties, such as chemical and thermal stability and the reduced toxicity of Zn over other metals. Furthermore, the remarkable cation inversion behavior in nanostructured ZnFe 2 O 4 extensively cast-off in the high-density magnetic data storage, 5G mobile communication, energy storage devices like Li-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and water splitting for hydrogen production, among others. Here, we review how aforesaid properties can be easily tuned in various ZnFe 2 O 4 nanostructures depending on the choice, amount, and oxidation state of metal ions, the specific features of cation arrangement in the crystal lattice and the processing route used for the fabrication.

A key factor for dental implant success is a good sealing between the implant surface and both soft (gum) and hard (bone) tissues. Surface nanotopography can modulate cell response through mechanotransduction. The main objective of this research was the development of nanostructured titanium (Ti) surfaces that promote both soft and hard tissue integration with potential application in dental implants. Nanostructured Ti surfaces were developed by electrochemical anodization-nanopores (NPs) and nanonets (NNs)-and characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, and contact angle analysis. In addition, nanoparticle release and apoptosis activation were analyzed on cell culture. NP surfaces showed nanoparticle release, which increased in vitro cell apoptosis. Primary human gingival fibroblasts (hGFs) and human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) were used to test cell adhesion, cytotoxicity, metabolic activity, and differentiation markers. Finally, cell orientation on the different surfaces was analyzed using a phalloidin staining. NN surfaces induced an oriented alignment of both cell types, leading in turn to an improved expression of differentiation markers. Our results suggest that NN structuration of Ti surfaces has great potential to be used for dental implant abutments to improve both soft and hard tissue integration.

Metal nanostructures are, nowadays, extensively used in applications such as catalysis, electronics, sensing, optoelectronics and others. These applications require the possibility to design and fabricate metal nanostructures directly on functional substrates, with specifically controlled shapes, sizes, structures and reduced costs. A promising route towards the controlled fabrication of surface-supported metal nanostructures is the processing of substrate-deposited thin metal films by fast and ultrafast pulsed lasers. In fact, the processes occurring for laser-irradiated metal films (melting, ablation, deformation) can be exploited and controlled on the nanoscale to produce metal nanostructures with the desired shape, size, and surface order. The present paper aims to overview the results concerning the use of fast and ultrafast laser-based fabrication methodologies to obtain metal nanostructures on surfaces from the processing of deposited metal films. The paper aims to focus on the correlation between the process parameter, physical parameters and the morphological/structural properties of the obtained nanostructures. We begin with a review of the basic concepts on the laser-metal films interaction to clarify the main laser, metal film, and substrate parameters governing the metal film evolution under the laser irradiation. The review then aims to provide a comprehensive schematization of some notable classes of metal nanostructures which can be fabricated and establishes general frameworks connecting the processes parameters to the characteristics of the nanostructures. To simplify the discussion, the laser types under considerations are classified into three classes on the basis of the range of the pulse duration: nanosecond-, picosecond-, femtosecond-pulsed lasers. These lasers induce different structuring mechanisms for an irradiated metal film. By discussing these mechanisms, the basic formation processes of micro- and nano-structures is illustrated and justified. A short discussion on the notable applications for the produced metal nanostructures is carried out so as to outline the strengths of the laser-based fabrication processes. Finally, the review shows the innovative contributions that can be proposed in this research field by illustrating the challenges and perspectives.

We investigated the fabrication of large-area (cm²) nanostructured glasses for solar cell modules with hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties using soft lithography and colloidal lithography. Both of these techniques entail low-cost and ease of nanofabrication. We explored the use of simple 1D and 2D nanopatterns (nanowires and nanocones) and the effect of introducing disorder in the nanostructures. We observed an increase in the transmitted light for ordered nanostructures with a maximum value of 99% for wavelengths >600 nm when ordered nanocones are fabricated on the two sides of the solar glass. They produced an increment in the efficiency of the packaged solar cell with respect to the glass without nanostructures. On the one hand, the wettability properties showed that the ordering of the nanostructures improved the hydrophobicity of the solar glasses and increased their self-cleaning capacity. On the other hand, the disordered nanostructures improved the hydrophilic properties of solar glasses, increasing their anti-fogging capacity. The results show that by selecting the appropriate nanopattern, the wettability properties (hydrophobic or hydrophilic) can be easily improved without decreasing the efficiency of the solar cell underneath., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ultra-hydrophobic bilayer coatings on a glass surface were fabricated by sol-gel process using hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (C 16 TMS) and tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) (1:4 molar ratio) as precursors. After coating, silica nanoparticles (SiO₂ NPs) functionalized with different mono-alkoxy derivatives (methoxytrimethylsilane, TMeMS; ethoxydimethylvinylsilane, DMeVES; ethoxydimethylphenylsilane, DMePhES; and methoxydimethyloctylsilane, DMeC₈MS) were added, assuring the microscale roughness on the glass surface. Influences of the functionalized SiO₂ NPs and surface morphology on the hydrophobicity of the hybrid films were discussed. The successful functionalization of SiO₂ NPs with hydrophobic alkyl groups were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The thermal stability of hydrophobic SiO₂ NPs showed that the degradation of the alkyl groups takes place in the 200-400 °C range. Bilayer coating with C 16 TMS/TMOS and SiO₂ NPs modified with alkoxysilane substituted with C₈ alkyl chain (SiO₂ NP-C₈) has micro/nano structure. Hydrophobicity of functionalized SiO₂ NPs-C₈ and its higher degree of nanometer-scale roughness gave rise to ultra-hydrophobicity performance for bilayer coating C 16 TMS/TMOS + SiO₂ NPs-C₈ (145°), compared to other similar hybrid structures. Our synthesis method for the functionalization of SiO₂ NPs is useful for the modification of surface polarity and roughness.