Mercapto propyltrimethoxysilane- and ferrous sulfate-modified nano-silica for immobilization of lead and cadmium as well as arsenic in heavy metal-contaminated soil.

Nano-silica as an important part of soil is an ideal carrier of passivator material. In this paper, nano-silica was modified by silane coupling agent containing mercapto group and iron (II) salt to afford an organic-inorganic hybrid containing -S-Fe-S functional group (coded as RNS-SFe) on the surface of nano-silica. Results demonstrate that the RNS-SFe nanoparticle has network-like spheroidal shape and a primary particle size is about 18.

A porous nano-adsorbent with dual functional groups for selective binding proteins with a low detection limit.

In this study, porous silica nanoparticles functionalized with a thiol group (SiO-SH NPs) were synthesized a one-pot method. Subsequently, iminodiacetic acid was modified, and further adsorption of Ni ions was conducted to obtain a SiO-S/NH-Ni nano-adsorbent. Then, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize its morphology and composition.

SrNiWO Double Perovskite Oxide as a Novel Visible-Light-Responsive Water Oxidation Photocatalyst.

Screening of stable visible-light-responsive water oxidation semiconductor photocatalysts is highly desired for the development of photocatalytic water splitting systems. Herein, a visible-light-absorbing SrNiWO double perovskite oxide photocatalyst was successfully prepared via a conventional solid-state reaction method. The intrinsic SrNiWO shows photocatalytic oxygen evaluation reaction (OER) activity of 60 μmol h g, even without loading any cocatalysts.

Graphene oxide functionalized biomolecules for improved flame retardancy of Polyamide 66 fabrics with intact physical properties.

A plant derived bio-macromolecule namely lignin (L) and a green phosphorus compound like phytic acid (PA) were functionalized with graphene oxide (GO) and subsequently, used to enhance the flame retardant properties of polyamide 66 (PA66) fabrics in a one pot deposition method. Meanwhile, we also considered pure phytic acid and one more bio-derived charring agent like chitosan (CS) to formulate a series of GO-based flame retardant finishing by altering the applied compounds in the formulation. The applied finishing with a minimum loading % (i.

Heterogeneous iron-nickel compound/RGO composites with tunable microwave absorption frequency and ultralow filler loading.

We fabricated heterogeneous iron-nickel compound/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites to obtain lightweight and high-efficiency microwave absorption materials with tunable absorption frequency. Using a facile hydrothermal route in combination with calcination at varying temperatures of 500-700 °C, the magnetic components Fe0.64Ni0.

Ultralight reduced graphene oxide aerogels prepared by cation-assisted strategy for excellent electromagnetic wave absorption.

In this work, to maximize the unique attributes of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) for excellent microwave absorption, the ultralight RGO aerogels with improved dispersion and interface polarization performance were fabricated via a facile cation-assisted hydrothermal treatment process. The prepared RGO/paraffin composite exhibits excellent microwave absorption (MA) performance in a wideband frequency range of 8.0 ∼ 18.

Hydrophobic Silica with Potential for Water-Injection Augmentation of a Low-Permeability Reservoir: Drag Reduction and Self-Cleaning Ability in Relation to Interfacial Interactions.

An aqueous nanofluid containing superhydrophobic silica nanoparticles with a high surface activity and an average size of 7 nm was used to enhance the water injection of a low-permeability well. The mechanism for the aqueous nanofluid to enhance water injection was discussed. Findings indicate that the silica aqueous nanofluid can greatly increase the effective water permeability even after injecting water for 2100 pore volumes.

Super-robust superamphiphobic surface with anti-icing property.

Compared with superhydrophobic surfaces, superamphiphobic surfaces have a wider commercially availability. However, the initially fragile nature of micro or nano-structures hinders the large-scale applications of superamphiphobic surfaces. In this work, we report free-standing monoliths with durable superamphiphobic properties not only in the outer layer surfaces but also extending throughout the whole volume, which will demonstrate permanent superamphiphobicity.

Preparation of hydroxyapatite nanostructures with different morphologies and adsorption behavior on seven heavy metals ions.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanostructures with different morphologies have been successfully synthesized in a facile method and the pH value of the solution has an important effect on morphology. Among them, the porous HAP nanospheres (NSs) with an average diameter of 76 nm were further employed as adsorbent to remove the heavy metal ions in solution. The BET surface area, pore size and pore volume of porous HAP NSs were 45.

Efficient and scalable high-quality graphene nanodot fabrication through confined lattice plane electrochemical exfoliation.

Reported is a confined lattice plane electrochemical exfoliation method that exploits the electrochemical reaction of face (basal) or side (edge) planes of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) while other planes are blocked using wax, based on the anisotropy of HOPG for efficient and effective fabrication of graphene nanodots with uniform size distribution.

Synthesis of silver nanoparticle-decorated hydroxyapatite (HA@Ag) poriferous nanocomposites and the study of their antibacterial activities.

Herein, we demonstrate a facile and green rapid approach for the synthesis of uniform poriferous hydroxylapatite [Ca(PO)(OH), HA] and poriferous silver nanoparticle (Ag NPs)-decorated hydroxylapatite (HA@Ag) nanocomposites with excellent antibacterial properties. All the nanocomposites were fully characterized in the solid state various techniques such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), automatic specific surface area and porosity analysis (BET) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results show that HA has a porous rod-like structure, which the HA@Ag nanocomposites retained, and the surface of HA was loaded with globular-like Ag NPs with an average diameter of about 5.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Prospective and Promising Approach for Drug Delivery and Biomedical Applications.

Background: With the development of nanotechnology, nanocarrier has widely been applied in such fields as drug delivery, diagnostic and medical imaging and engineering in recent years. Among all of the available nanocarriers, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have become a hot issue because of their unique properties, such as large surface area and voidage, tunable drug loading capacity and release kinetics, good biosafety and easily modified surface.

Objective: We described the most recent progress in silica-assisted drug delivery and biomedical applications according to different types of Cargo in order to allow researchers to quickly learn about the advance in this field.

Multifunctional Porous and Magnetic Silicone with High Elasticity, Durability, and Oil-Water Separation Properties.

Frequent oil spills and industrial emissions of organic solvents cause serious environmental problems. Therefore, finding a high-performance absorbent material is necessary but also challenging. Here we present a very simple method to fabricate a magnetic porous silicone that exhibits excellent absorbency, fast magnetic responsiveness, high elasticity, stretchability, and high chemical stability.

Synthesis of superhydrophobic surfaces with Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter state: experimental evidence and theoretical insight.

We demonstrate surfactant- and template-free synthesis of superhydrophobic thin films by controlling surface morphology. The surface morphology evolution process was determined from time-dependent studies. The relationships between the water contact angle, sliding angle, water droplet size, and surface microstructures were investigated.

Formulation, Pharmacokinetic Evaluation and Cytotoxicity of an Enhanced- penetration Paclitaxel Nanosuspension.

Background: Improving poorly soluble drugs into druggability was a major problem faced by pharmaceutists. Nanosuspension can improve the druggability of insoluble drugs by improving the solubility, chemical stability and reducing the use of additives, which provided a new approach for the development and application of the insoluble drugs formulation. Paclitaxel (PTX) is a well-known BCS class IV drug with poor solubility and permeability.

Functionalized Nano-adsorbent for Affinity Separation of Proteins.

Thiol-functionalized silica nanospheres (SiO-SH NSs) with an average diameter of 460 nm were synthesized through a hydrothermal route. Subsequently, the prepared SiO-SH NSs were modified by SnO quantum dots to afford SnO/SiO composite NSs possessing obvious fluorescence, which could be used to trace the target protein. The SnO/SiO NSs were further modified by reduced glutathione (GSH) to obtain SnO/SiO-GSH NSs, which can specifically separate glutathione S-transferase-tagged (GST-tagged) protein.

Constructing a ZnInS nanoparticle/MoS-RGO nanosheet 0D/2D heterojunction for significantly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H production.

A zero-dimensional (0D)/two-dimensional (2D) heterojunction has an excellent advantage of boosting the photo-generated carrier separation and obtaining enhanced photocatalytic activities. Here, a ZnIn2S4 nanoparticle/MoS2-RGO nanosheet 0D/2D heterojunction was prepared by a rapid and low temperature hydrothermal method. TEM characterization results reveal that ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed on the surface of MoS2-RGO nanosheets, which can provide abundant active sites and shorten the charge-migration distance, while the MoS2-RGO nanosheet acts as a support to avoid the aggregation of 0D ZnIn2S4 nanoparticles and also serves as a low-cost cocatalyst for effective hydrogen evolution.

PtNi Alloy Cocatalyst Modification of Eosin Y-Sensitized g-CN/GO Hybrid for Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

An economic and effective Pt-based alloy cocatalyst has attracted considerable attention due to their excellent catalytic activity and reducing Pt usage. In this study, PtNi alloy cocatalyst was successfully decorated on the g-CN/GO hybrid photocatalyst via a facile chemical reduction method. The Eosin Y-sensitized g-CN/PtNi/GO-0.

Computational Intelligence-Assisted Understanding of Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Behavior.

In recent years, state-of-the-art computational modeling of physical and chemical systems has shown itself to be an invaluable resource in the prediction of the properties and behavior of functional materials. However, construction of a useful computational model for novel systems in both academic and industrial contexts often requires a great depth of physicochemical theory and/or a wealth of empirical data, and a shortage in the availability of either frustrates the modeling process. In this work, computational intelligence is instead used, including artificial neural networks and evolutionary computation, to enhance our understanding of nature-inspired superhydrophobic behavior.

Preparation of Graphene Sheets by Electrochemical Exfoliation of Graphite in Confined Space and Their Application in Transparent Conductive Films.

A novel electrochemical exfoliation mode was established to prepare graphene sheets efficiently with potential applications in transparent conductive films. The graphite electrode was coated with paraffin to keep the electrochemical exfoliation in confined space in the presence of concentrated sodium hydroxide as the electrolyte, yielding ∼100% low-defect (the D band to G band intensity ratio, I/I = 0.26) graphene sheets.

Formulation and characterization of biocompatible and stable I.V. itraconazole nanosuspensions stabilized by a new stabilizer polyethylene glycol-poly(β-Benzyl-l-aspartate) (PEG-PBLA).

Amphiphilic block copolymers, PEG-PBLA with different molecular weights, were synthesized and used as new stabilizers for Itraconazole nannosuspensions (ITZ-PBLA-Nanos). ITZ-PBLA-Nanos were prepared by the microprecipitation-high pressure homogenization method, and the particle size and zeta potential were measured using a ZetaSizer Nano-ZS90. Morphology and crystallinity were studied using TEM, DSC and powder X-ray.

Titanate Nanotubes Decorated Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites: Preparation, Flame Retardancy, and Photodegradation.

Most polymers exhibit high flammability and poor degradability, which restrict their applications and causes serious environmental problem like "white pollution." Thus, titanate nanotubes (TNTs) were adopted to decorate graphene oxide (GO) by a facile solution method to afford TNTs/GO nanocomposites with potential in improving the flame retardancy and photodegradability of flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Results show that the as-prepared TNTs/GO can effectively improve the thermal stability and flame retardancy than TNTs and GO, especially, the peak heat release rate and total heat release were reduced by 20 and 29% with only 2.

Electrospinning of Ag Nanowires/polyvinyl alcohol hybrid nanofibers for their antibacterial properties.

In order to developing a sort of flexible fibrous mats with outstanding and durable antibacterial activates, silver nanowires incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were fabricated by electrospun method. Uniform Ag nanowires (NWs) were synthesized through a template-free method of solvothermal combined with polyol process, and then, they were dispersed in PVA solution. At last, Ag NWs embedded in PVA (Ag NWs/PVA) hybrid nanofibrous films were gained by electrospun of the mixed solution.

Fabrication of silver nanoparticles embedded into polyvinyl alcohol (Ag/PVA) composite nanofibrous films through electrospinning for antibacterial and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activities.

Silver nanoparticle-embedded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were prepared through electrospinning technique, using as antimicrobial agents and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in liquid phase, followed by evenly dispersing in PVA solution. After electrospinning of the mixed solution at room temperature, the PVA embedded with Ag NPs (Ag/PVA) composite nanofibers were obtained.

Photocatalytic Oxidation of Propylene on Pd-Loaded Anatase TiO2 Nanotubes Under Visible Light Irradiation.

TiO2 nanotubes attract much attention because of their high photoelectron-chemical and photocatalytic efficiency. But their large band gap leads to a low absorption of the solar light and limits the practical application. How to obtain TiO2 nanotubes without any dopant and possessing visible light response is a big challenge nowadays.