Nanoparticles: a promising tool against environmental stress in plants.

With a focus on plant tolerance to environmental challenges, nanotechnology has emerged as a potent instrument for assisting crops and boosting agricultural production in the face of a growing worldwide population. Nanoparticles (NPs) and plant systems may interact molecularly to change stress response, growth, and development. NPs may feed nutrients to plants, prevent plant diseases and pathogens, and detect and monitor trace components in soil by absorbing their signals.

A novel 2D-GO@WS2 electrochemical platform for the determination of thiram fungicide.

In this paper, the determination of Thiram fungicide by a novel modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) fabricated modifying the working electrode (WE) with 2D-GO/WS2 nanohybrid composites, is reported. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and fluorescence analysis (PL) were used to reveal the morphological and microstructural characteristics of the 2D-GO/WS2 nanohybrids with different graphene oxide:tungsten disulphide (GO:WS) ratio. Electrochemical characterization demonstrated that the 2D-WS2/GO nanohybrids having a GO:WS ratio = 2:1 shows the highest electrocatalytic activity towards oxidation of Thiram.

Anticorrosion Superhydrophobic Surfaces on AA6082 Aluminum Alloy by HF/HCl Texturing and Self-Assembling of Silane Monolayer.

In this paper, the tailoring of superhydrophobic surfaces on AA6082 aluminum alloy by chemical etching in an HF/HCl solution, followed by silane self-assembling, was applied for enhanced corrosion protection in the marine field. In particular, different etching times were considered in order to optimize the treatment effect. The results indicate that all the prepared surfaces, after silanization, were characterized by superhydrophobic behavior with a contact angle higher than 150°.

Effect of Chemical Surface Texturing on the Superhydrophobic Behavior of Micro-Nano-Roughened AA6082 Surfaces.

Superhydrophobic surfaces on 6082 aluminum alloy substrates are tailored by low-cost chemical surface treatments coupled to a fluorine-free alkyl-silane coating deposition. In particular, three different surface treatments are investigated: boiling water, HF/HCl, and HNO/HCl etching. The results show that the micro-nano structure and the wetting behavior are greatly influenced by the applied surface texturing treatment.

Synthesis, Characterization and Photocatalytic Behavior of SiO @nitrized-TiO Nanocomposites Obtained by a Straightforward Novel Approach.

We report on the facile synthesis of SiO @nitrized-TiO nanocomposite (NST) by calcination of TiO xerogel with OctaAmmonium POSS® (N-POSS; POSS=polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes). The as-obtained nanoporous mixed oxide is constituted by uniformly distributed SiO and nitrized-TiO , where the silica component is present in an amorphous state and TiO in an anatase/rutile mixed phase (92.1 % vs.

Effect of the Compositions on the Biocompatibility of New Alumina-Zirconia-Titania Dental Ceramic Composites.

Dental implant biomaterials are expected to be in contact with living tissues, therefore their toxicity and osseointegration ability must be carefully assessed. In the current study, the wettability, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity of different alumina-zirconia-titania composites were evaluated. The surface wettability determines the biological event cascade in the bioceramic/human living tissues interface.

Thermo-Physical Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Composite Foam for Oil Recovery Applications.

To meet the increasing demands for effective cleanup technologies to deal with the oil spill accidents that significantly affect the ecological and environmental systems, promising composite materials based on carbon nanotubes containing silicone foams were investigated. Pump oil, kerosene, and virgin naphtha had been used to assess, during sorption tests, foams behavior. Test results highlighted the advantage of the hydrophobic and oleophilic behavior of carbon nanotubes, and their high mechanical strength for oil spill recovery application was studied.