Tuneful behaviours of nano sized materials have been considered as challenge among researchers to explore the possibility of engaging in diverse applications. In particular, the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructured materials offer effective metallic behaviours to enhance the applications in the fuel oxidation, pigments, nonlinear optics and solar energy conversion. In the presented research, ZnO nanoparticles are successfully synthesised by (sol–gel and sol–gel and precipitation) techniques, respectively. The physicochemical behaviours of ZnO nanocrystals were inspected by x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, N2 physisorption and NH3 temperature-programmed desorption techniques. The results revealed that Sol–gel method at lower pH produced smaller particle sizes with larger surface area and well-established morphology in shorter time at lower temperature conditions, in comparison to precipitation method with higher pH, time and temperature conditions, showed bigger particles with smaller surface area, respectively.

Investigation of mechanical and vibrational properties of nano-structures using the analytical methods would be time-consuming. Therefore, using a semi-empirical method would reduce the time needed to investigate materials characterisation. One of the semi-empirical approaches is molecular dynamics. In this Letter, the large-scale atomic/molecular massively parallel simulator software is used to simulate the mechanical and vibrational behaviour of a nitrogen- and boron-doped 24.04 × 51.13 Å graphene nano-sheet. The natural frequencies, Young's modulus, and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are studied. By adding impurity to the nanosheet and increasing its density, Young's modulus, UTS, and natural frequencies were decreased. The decrease in tensile properties was more significant in the case of boron impurity. When the boron (nitrogen) impurity increased to about 20%, Young's modulus and the first natural frequency were decreased 7.1% (9%) and 16.8% (73%), respectively. This illustrates that Young's modulus and natural frequencies are directly related. Therefore, for the same dimensions and boundary conditions, it is obvious that the increase in impurity content has reduced the natural frequencies of the nanostructure.

A carbon-coated Magnéli phase Ti₄O₇ composite has been successfully synthesised, via modified carbonthermal reduction of amorphous TiO₂, which was prepared from hydrolysis of titanium sulphate and polyvinyl alcohol, at a relatively low temperature and fast reaction rate. Moreover, the effect of heat treatment temperature and time on the reduced phases is revealed. Despite removal of oxide ions, scanning electron microscopic images clearly show the obtained carbon-coated Ti₄O₇ composite retains well the spherical morphology of the precursor, and the high-pressure pelleted treatment effectively inhibits the growth of the final product during the heat treatment process. In addition, the prepared composite with mesopore structure exhibits a Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area as high as 84.495 m² g⁻¹ and good electrochemical stability in alkaline electrolyte, as well as some oxygen reduction reaction catalytic activity. The results presented in this work open an avenue for its potential electrochemical applications.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs) with the length and diameter of 25–35 μm and 25–35 nm, respectively, were prepared via a polyol reduction process using FeCl₃ and NaBr as reaction inhibitors. The molar ratio of FeCl₃ to NaBr has an influence on the yield of the product, but has little influence on the morphology of the product. Transparent conductive AgNWs films were fabricated on a glass slide and the optoelectronic and electrothermal properties of the film were investigated. The experimental results reveal that AgNWs heated at 25–170°C remained intact, and fused into discontinuous segments after heated at 200°C; and AgNWs films have good conductivities (51.2 to 20.5 Ω sq⁻¹), excellent transmittance values (96.3 to 95.7%), and low surface roughness values (12.7 to 18.3 nm). The transparent AgNWs film heaters show fast heat response to reach its steady-state temperature and good electro-thermal conversion behaviour at low input voltages.

Flexible electrodes have important potential applications in energy storage of multi-functional portable electronic devices because of their powerful structural properties. Here, fibrous and flexible electrodes comprising hierarchical nanostructure graphene for use in advanced supercapacitors have been fabricated with an electrochemical deposition method in one step. Excellent electrochemical performance of the fibrous and flexible nanostructure material was achieved, with the areal capacitance of 48.83 mF cm⁻², according to the galvanostatic charge/discharge analysis at a current density of 0.199 mA cm⁻². The electrodes also showed a good cycle performance, with 91.2% of the original capacity retained after 4000 cycles. Such electrodes may provide new design opportunities for wearable electronics and energy storage applications.

Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with aluminium hydroxide/iron hydroxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (AH/IH/MWCNTs) composites has been prepared by a simple method and applied for dihydro-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) detection. AH/IH can not only accelerate electron transfer but also electrostatically interact with the phosphate groups of NADH through iron hydroxide to improve the sensitivity of the sensor. Meanwhile, MWCNTs served as a bonding agent to provide a built-in conductor, which resulted in boosted electron transfer at the interface. Compared with the GCE, MWCNTs–GCE, and AH/MWCNTs–GCE, the AH/IH/MWCNTs–GCE exhibited an extraordinary electrocatalytic response towards NADH, with a wide linear concentration range from 0.5 to 220 μM with a low-detection limit of 0.30 μM, at a comparatively low potential (+0.15 V versus Ag/AgCl). Moreover, alcohol dehydrogenase was used as a model system for the design of a sensitive ethanol biosensor. The resulting biosensor exhibited an ethanol sensitivity of 9 μA/mM, a concentration range of 20–400 μM, and a detection limit of 5 μM. These results demonstrate the potential of the AH/IH/MWCNTs nanocomposite film for biosensors in combination with NADH-producing enzymes.

The existing solar cell anti-reflection film technology still cannot adequately meet the light trapping needs of solar cells. In this Letter, double-layered SiN _x :H films were prepared for c-Si solar cells by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Herein, the authors introduce a simple, convenient method to lower the reflectance in silicon solar cells by applying double-layered SiN _x :H film to increase the refractive index of such film. Compared to the single layer film devices, the reflectance of the double-layered SiN _x :H film can be significantly reduced by >30% through enhanced absorption of light in solar cells. This method has achieved an average of 0.08% conversion efficiency, with the highest being 0.18%. In addition, the double-layer film solar cells also showed a better passivation performance than that of the single-layer film, so that the minority carrier lifetime was up to 137 µs. Therefore, the improvement of solar cell efficiency mainly come from the decrease of reflectivity and the improvement in film passivation performance. The work of this Letter demonstrated the light trapping advantages and passivation enhancement performance of double-layer films applied to single crystal silicon solar cells.

Biogenetic nanocomposites research provides valuable methods for the green synthesis of nanomaterials. As a dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 is used to reduce Ag⁺ to Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) (diameter about 10 nm) under anaerobic conditions, resulting in the in-situ formation of Ag NPs immobilised on TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) (Ag/TNTs nanocomposites). The loading amount of Ag nanocrystals on the TNT surface can be controlled easily through adjusting the AgNO₃ concentration and further influence visible-light absorption efficiency of Ag/TNTs nanocomposites by decreasing the Ag loading amount. Ag/TNTs nanocomposites show superior photocatalytic efficiency under simulated sunlight than single TiO₂ nanomaterials. Moreover, the photocatalytic capacity of Ag/TNTs nanocomposites synergistic by S. oneidensis MR-1 is further enhanced and the degradation ratio of methylene blue reaches 92.3% within 30 min which attributed to a synergistic effect.

Two La _x Mn_1−x O _y (LM1, LM2) and three La _x Fe_1−x O _y (LF1, LF2, LF3) amorphous nanowire arrays (NWAs) were prepared by chemical co-precipitation in anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) templates. The concentration of the reactant plays a crucial role in determining the morphology of La _x Mn_1−x O _y NWAs. The AAO template was etched using a mixed nitrate solution that led to the exposure of La _x Fe_1−x O _y NWAs on the template surface in the process of preparation, then the length of nanowires exposed to the template depends on the etching time. The LM2 NWAs exhibited obvious magnetic anisotropy after the template is almost eliminated by etching with NaOH solution, while the magnetic anisotropy of La _x Fe_1−x O _y NWAs was manipulated by the length of nanowires outside the template. There is a regular change in the coercive force H _c and remanence ratio M _r/M _s with increasing length of nanowires outside the template. Therefore, the nanoarray materials with tunable magnetic anisotropy were obtained by controllable preparation, and they can be applied to high-density magnetic memory nano-devices.

Spherical gamma-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃) has a wide range of applications in the field of adsorption due to its low bulk density, larger pore size, higher strength and thermal stability. In this study, spherical γ-Al₂O₃ with macro-mesopores was prepared with isopropanol aluminium as the aluminium source via a sol–gel process. Spherical γ-Al₂O₃ was characterised by means of nitrogen adsorption and desorption curve, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and so on. The adsorption performance of the prepared spherical γ-Al₂O₃ was studied by probe experiment of adsorption of acid fuchsin (AF) solution. The results showed that the spherical γ-Al₂O₃, which was prepared under the condition of hydrolysis time of 1 h, hydrolysis temperature of 85°C, ageing temperature of 95°C and ageing time of 7 h, had the strongest adsorption capacity for AF, and the adsorption efficiency could reach 96.24% in 40 mg/l AF solution. In addition, after six cycles of use, the spherical γ-Al₂O₃ had no damage and the adsorption efficiency still could reach 88.40%. This work provides a feasible method for the preparation of spherical γ-Al₂O₃, and could also help to understand the connection between its textural properties and adsorption performance.

The aim of this study is to fabricate the Ti₅₀Al₄₀X₁₀ nanostructured alloy (X: V) from pure titanium, aluminium, and vanadium powders by using a high-energy planetary ball mill with increasing milling time from 10 to 80 h. Morphology, structural, and mechanical properties of this alloy were investigated by a SEM, XRD, and nano-indentation testing. The effect of milling time on structural, morphological, and mechanical properties has been investigated. Microstructural characterisation showed a decrease of average particle size during milling time. Crystallite size decreased from 49 to 6.02 nm and lattice strain increased from 0.15% to about 0.89% during mechanical alloying. In addition, the mechanical properties of Ti₅₀Al₄₀V₁₀ nanostructured materials were strongly depended on the microstructure and crystallite size of new phases that appear during mechanical milling. Microhardness of the Ti₅₀Al₄₀V₁₀ alloy increases with milling time from 261 to 738 Hv. These changes could be attributed to the crystallite size and the strain variations during milling.

The authors proposed a flexible microresonator based on nanowires composed of Ⅱ–Ⅵ compounds to detect the small strain caused by external motion. The nanowire ring resonator is embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flexibility to improve the coupling efficiency. In this work, CdS nanowire is fabricated onto a PDMS flexible substrate. With the help of a fibre tip, the single nanowire is manipulated under a microscope, allowing the curved line to be a ring and making the litter overlapping. This overlap increases coupling efficiency and sensor performance. The ring cavity has the parameters of diameter 1 µm, length 75 µm and radius ∼10 µm. Experiments demonstrated the process of fabricating a strain sensor and detected peak shifts. This resonant wavelength appeared red-shift and linear tuned when stretching the flexible substrate. The quality factor was about 2000 and the gauge factor was about 80 nm per stretching unit. Being a small structure and high sensitivity, the sensor can be integrated into the chip. This promotes the development of miniaturisation to some extent. As a result, this work is beneficial to optical manipulation, further being extended to the tunable light source.

Tin dioxide (SnO₂) photocatalyst has broad prospects for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants; however, its practical application is greatly hampered by poor activity due to the high recombination rates of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. In this work, titania (TiO₂) modified SnO₂ photocatalysts were obtained by a facile hydrothermal method to suppress the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and improve the photocatalytic activity. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis)_ diffuse reflectance spectra suggest that TiO₂–SnO₂ composite photocatalysts hold stronger UV light absorption ability than that of the pure SnO₂. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy and photoelectrochemistry results show that the separation rate of photogenerated charge pairs of TiO₂–SnO₂ photocatalysts was greatly enhanced. The photocatalytic activities of the photocatalysts were evaluated by the decay of rhodamine B (RhB) under UV irradiation illumination. The results display that modification of SnO₂ by TiO₂ can largely enhance the photocatalytic activity and the photocatalytic performance of 0.5:1-TS sample is nearly 5 times that of the pure SnO₂. Moreover, maintaining the ratio of TiO₂ and SnO₂ at 0.5:1, the amount of catalyst was 30 mg, the concentration of dye was 10 mg/l, and the pH of RhB solution was 2, the sample has the best photocatalytic activity.

The authors report a facile approach to high-purity carbon nanofibres (CNFs), by performing chemical vapour deposition on aluminium foils loaded with metal (nickel or cobalt) nitrates, and then peeling the as-grown CNFs off. The growth of CNFs was catalysed by metal nanoparticles and followed bottom-growth mechanism, and the high-purity CNFs were achieved due to detachment of CNFs from their underlying metal nanoparticles during the peeling process. This approach may pave a new way for the controlled and scalable synthesis of high-purity carbon materials.

In this Letter, flower-like η-Al₂O₃ nanostructure was synthesised via hydrothermal method without any surfactant or further calcination. A molten salt bath rose the reactor temperature as much as 500°C to achieve the supercritical condition. Such a high temperature caused a rapid one-step synthesis in two minutes. Al(NO₃)₃ and NaOH were the only precursors. Synthesised powders were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscope, and the specific surface area was also determined by N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis. Increasing reaction time >2 min caused undesired Ostwald ripening. So instead of giving more time, a small amount of NaOH was added to form the η-Al₂O₃ phase. Moreover, the morphology of η-Al₂O₃ changed to flower-like by increasing the density of the supercritical fluid. Finally, the probable mechanism of flower-like morphology formation was proposed in two steps.

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is gaining attention due to the presence of functional plant macromolecules that benefit from NPs’ synthesis and also due to their exceptional bioactive compounds. Artemisia kopetdaghensis extract acted as a reducing/capping agent. Characterisation of greener-synthesised AgNPs (Ak-AgNPs) was performed by various techniques, such as Ultraviolet (UV)−visible spectrophotometry, TEM, Fourier transform infrared, and XRD. Ak-AgNPs indicated great bactericidal properties in terms of zone of inhibition (ZI) against all of the pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus). The maximum ZI of Ak-AgNPs was 22.3 and 17.8 mm against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus, respectively. Anti-proliferative activity of Ak-AgNPs on human hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2) using the MTT test showed dosage-dependent inhibition activity of Ak-AgNPs against HepG2 cancer cells. Also, green-synthesised Ak-AgNPs showed catalytic properties under UV-light in organic dye (methylene blue) degradation. This study revealed that the green-synthesised AgNPs using A. kopetdaghensis shoots extract had antibacterial and catalytic activities. Also, Ak-AgNPs had anti-proliferative potential against human liver cancer cell lines. The green-synthesised Ak-AgNPs have the potential to be exploited in anti-bacterial, anticancer, and biocatalyst technologies.

The fabrication, by an electrochemical process, of a new battery-type electrode material, is presented. Such materials are fabricated by direct current electrodeposition of Ni(OH)₂ on lamellar Ni₃Si. Microstructure and morphology of Ni(OH)₂/Ni₃Si electrodes were characterised. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge results revealed that they are battery-type electrodes. Increasing deposition time or decreasing discharge current can significantly increase the areal capacity. The areal capacity of Ni(OH)₂/Ni₃Si-20 with a discharge current of 20 mA is only 2.8% of that with 1 mA. However, the increasing deposition time will reduce the cyclic stability of the electrodes. The initial areal capacity of Ni(OH)₂/Ni₃Si-20 is twice that of Ni(OH)₂/Ni₃Si-10 with a discharge current of 10 mA, but after 1000 cycles, it can only maintain 59.3% of the initial value. This Letter is expected to provide a powerful reference and guidance for the preparation of electrodes with large areal capacity and cycle stability.

A novel material of Ag₃PO₄–Ag–Bi₂WO₆ Z-scheme heterojunction has been successfully synthesised using a simple deposition–precipitation method. In this work, the authors used diverse techniques to characterise the structure, catalytic performance, and morphology of the prepared materials. Meanwhile, the catalytic performance of prepared materials was evaluated by degrading organic pigment. The excellent catalytic performance of the material is according to the collaboration of Ag nanoparticles in the Ag₃PO₄–Ag–Bi₂WO₆ heterojunction. Ag nanoparticles enhance the stableness and activeness of the catalyst by acting as a charge transfer bridge between Ag₃PO₄ and Bi₂WO₆, which results in improving electron–hole pairs’ separation. Compared with pure Bi₂WO₆ and Ag₃PO₄–Bi₂WO₆ materials, Ag₃PO₄–Ag–Bi₂WO₆ has higher decomposition effectiveness of methylene blue under the same conditions. The photocatalytic mechanism was put forward and the process of the hole–electron pair's separation is discussed in detail, which is due to the formation of the Z-scheme heterojunction with Ag nanoparticles acted as a charge transfer bridge.

Epoxy alumina nanocomposites were prepared to understand the space charge variations with ultra violet (UV)- and water-aged specimens. Addition of alumina nanofiller to epoxy resin had suppressed the space charge formation. A pulsed electroacoustic technique was employed to measure the space charge accumulation in epoxy–alumina nanocomposites. A marginal increase in space charge with enhanced electric field in the bulk volume of insulation was observed with UV- and water-aged nanocomposites. It was observed that 3 wt% sample showed better performance in all ageing conditions, which was confirmed through space charge studies and by the measurement of the dielectric parameters especially dielectric constant and tan(δ).

A novel combination chemotherapic strategy by co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and mitomycin C (MC) anti-cancers was reported using dual pH and temperature-responsive copolymer-modified liposomes to achieve superior therapeutic efficacy. The copolymer was prepared using temperature-responsive N-isopropylacrylamide and pH-responsive poly-acrylic acid monomers through reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation and revealed dual pH/temperature-dependent phase transitions proved by differential scanning colorimetric and cloud point measurements. With relatively high encapsulation efficiency of 81.2% for DOX and 77.3% for MC, the prepared polymer-modified responsive liposomes (PMRLs) have shown enhanced and controlled temperature/pH-dependent release profiles and significantly lower thermal dose thresholds with up to a 250-fold decrease at pH 7.4 and 1000-fold decrease at pH 5.5 compared to the traditional formulations. The temperature/pH-dependent release profile of the drugs was investigated in vitro and cytotoxicity of the carriers was evaluated using both normal and cancerous cell lines. It was found that the two drugs co-loaded PMRLs were revealed synergistic effects on cytotoxicity of the carriers against Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 breast cancer cells. The results revealed that by this combinational regimen, the prepared liposomes have the potential to dramatically decrease the risk of damage to healthy tissues normally caused by liposomal cancer therapy.