Nanomaterials, Volume 8, Issue 7 (July 2018) – 112 articles

Nanoparticles are increasingly being developed for in vivo use, from targeted drug delivery to diagnostics, where they have enormous potential, while they are also being used for a variety of applications that can result in environmental exposure for humans. Understanding how specific nanoparticles interact with cells and cell systems is essential to gauge their safety with respect to either clinical or environmental exposure. Zebrafish is being increasingly employed as a model to evaluate nanoparticle biocompatibility. This review describes this model and how it can be used to assess nanoparticle toxicity at multiple levels, including mortality, teratogenicity, immunotoxicity, genotoxicity, as well as alterations in reproduction, behavior and a range of other physiological readouts. This review also provides an overview of studies using this model to assess the toxicity of metal, metal oxide and carbon-based nanoparticles. It is anticipated that this information will inform research aimed at developing biocompatible nanoparticles for a range of uses. Full article

A modified seed growth route was developed to fabricate the Au nanocrystals with high-density tips based on kinetically-controlled growth via adjusting the adding rate of Au seeds into growth solution. The obtained Au nanostructures were chestnut-like in morphology and about 100 nm in size. They were built of the radial [111]-oriented nanoneedles and were 30–50 nm in length. There were about 120–150 tips in each nanocrystal. The formation of chestnut-like Au nanocrystals is ascribed to surfactant-induced preferential growth of seeds along direction [111]. Importantly, the chestnut-like Au configuration displayed powerful surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance (enhance factor > 10⁷), owing to the high density of tips. Further, such film was used as a SERS substrate for the detection of lindane (γ-666) molecules (the typical organochlorine pesticide). The detection limit was about 10 ppb, and the relationship between SERS intensity I and concentration C of 666 accords with the double logarithm linear. This work presents a simple approach to Au nanocrystal with high-density tips, and provides a highly efficacious SERS-substrate for quantitative and trace recognition of toxic chlorinated pesticides. Full article

Transition metal oxides and chalcogenides have recently attracted great attention as the next generation of 2-D materials due to their unique electronic and optical properties. In this study, a new procedure for the obtaining of highly crystalline α-MoO₃ is proposed as an alternative to vapor-phase synthesis. In this approach, a first reaction between molybdate, citrate and thiourea allowed to obtain MoS₂, which—upon calcination at a temperature of 650 °C in the presence of g-C₃N₄—resulted in MoO₃ with a definite plate-like shape. The colorless (or greenish) α-MoO₃ nanoplates obtained with this procedure featured a multilayer stack structure, with a side-length of 1–2 μm and a thickness of several nanometers viewed along the [010] direction. The nucleation-growth of the crystal can be explained by a two-dimensional layer-by-layer mechanism favored by g-C₃N₄ lamellar template. Full article

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate femtosecond laser direct writing of conductive structures on the surface of native polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses modified the PDMS to black structures, which exhibit electrical conductivity. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the black structures were composed of β-silicon carbide (β-SiC), which can be attributed to the pyrolysis of the PDMS. The electrical conductivity was exhibited in limited laser power and scanning speed conditions. The technique we present enables the spatially selective formation of β-SiC on the surface of native PDMS only by irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses. Furthermore, this technique has the potential to open a novel route to simply fabricate flexible/stretchable MEMS devices with SiC microstructures. Full article

The grain size of CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) graphene was controlled by changing the precursor gas flow rates, operation temperature, and chamber pressure. Graphene of average grain sizes of 4.1 µm, 2.2 µm, and 0.5 µm was synthesized in high quality and full coverage. The possibility to tailor the thermoelectric conversion characteristics of graphene has been exhibited by examining the grain size effect on the three elementary thermal and electrical properties of σ, S, and k. Electrical conductivity (σ) and Seebeck coefficients (S) were measured in a vacuum for supported graphene on SiO₂/Si FET (Field Effect Transistor) substrates so that the charge carrier density could be changed by applying a gate voltage ($V_G$). Mobility (µ) values of 529, 459, and 314 cm²/V·s for holes and 1042, 745, and 490 cm²/V·s for electrons for the three grain sizes of 4.1 µm, 2.2 µm, and 0.5 µm, respectively, were obtained from the slopes of the measured σ vs. $V_G$ graphs. The power factor (PF), the electrical portion of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT), decreased by about one half as the grain size was decreased, while the thermal conductivity (k) decreased by one quarter for the same grain decrease. Finally, the resulting ZT increased more than two times when the grain size was reduced from 4.1 µm to 0.5 µm. Full article

Carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays 30–50 nm in diameter and with a length of several micrometers were prepared by catalytic pyrolysis of waste polyethylene in Ar at 773−1073 K using nickel dichloride as a catalyst precursor. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectrometry (Raman), a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), and nitrogen adsorption/desorption were used to investigate the effects of the pyrolysis temperature and catalyst contents on the preparation of the aligned CNTs. As results, the as-obtained CNTs had an outer diameter of 30 nm, a wall thickness of 10 nm, and a length of about 50 μm, and their aspect ratio was high up to 1500. The aligned CNTs containing 0.75 wt% Ni prepared at 973 K exhibited good adsorption performance for methylene blue (MB); furthermore, benefiting from the special magnetic properties of residual Ni catalysts, the as-obtained CNTs could be easily magnetically recycled from the treated solution after adsorption. Full article

It was demonstrated during the past decade that an ultra-short intense laser pulse tightly-focused deep inside a transparent dielectric generates an energy density in excess of several MJ/cm${}^3$. Such an energy concentration with extremely high heating and fast quenching rates leads to unusual solid-plasma-solid transformation paths, overcoming kinetic barriers to the formation of previously unknown high-pressure material phases, which are preserved in the surrounding pristine crystal. These results were obtained with a pulse of a Gaussian shape in space and in time. Recently, it has been shown that the Bessel-shaped pulse could transform a much larger amount of material and allegedly create even higher energy density than what was achieved with the Gaussian beam (GB) pulses. Here, we present a succinct review of previous results and discuss the possible routes for achieving higher energy density employing the Bessel beam (BB) pulses and take advantage of their unique properties. Full article

Stem cells derived from dental tissues—dental stem cells—are favored due to their easy acquisition. Among them, dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) extracted from the dental pulp have many advantages, such as high proliferation and a highly purified population. Although their ability for neurogenic differentiation has been highlighted and neurogenic differentiation using electrospun nanofibers (NFs) has been performed, graphene-incorporated NFs have never been applied for DPSC neurogenic differentiation. Here, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-polycaprolactone (PCL) hybrid electrospun NFs were developed and applied for enhanced neurogenesis of DPSCs. First, RGO-PCL NFs were fabricated by electrospinning with incorporation of RGO and alignments, and their chemical and morphological characteristics were evaluated. Furthermore, in vitro NF properties, such as influence on the cellular alignments and cell viability of DPSCs, were also analyzed. The influences of NFs on DPSCs neurogenesis were also analyzed. The results confirmed that an appropriate concentration of RGO promoted better DPSC neurogenesis. Furthermore, the use of random NFs facilitated contiguous junctions of differentiated cells, whereas the use of aligned NFs facilitated an aligned junction of differentiated cells along the direction of NF alignments. Our findings showed that RGO-PCL NFs can be a useful tool for DPSC neurogenesis, which will help regeneration in neurodegenerative and neurodefective diseases. Full article

Oxygen vacancy defects play an important role in improving the light-capturing and photocatalytic activity of tungsten trioxide (WO₃). However, the hydrogen treatment method that is commonly used to introduce oxygen vacancies is expensive and dangerous. Therefore, the introduction and control of oxygen vacancy defects in WO₃ remains a challenge. Here, we demonstrated that oxygen vacancies could be successfully introduced into WO_3−x while using a facile method through low temperature annealing in alcohol. The obtained WO_3−x samples with optimal oxygen vacancies showed strong absorption of light, extending from the ultraviolet to the visible and near-infrared regions, and exhibits strong plasmon resonance from 400–1200 nm peaking at approximately 800 nm. When compared to pristine WO₃, the photocatalytic activity of WO_3−x was greatly improved in the ultraviolet and visible regions. This study provides a simple and efficient method to generate oxygen vacancies in WO₃ for photocatalysis, which may be applied in the photoelectrochemical, electrochromic, and photochromic fields. Because oxygen vacancy is a common characteristic of metal oxides, the findings that are presented herein may be extended to other metal oxides. Full article

The geometrical, electronic structure, and magnetic properties of the half-metallocene of M (M = Fe, Co, Ni) adsorbed on Stone–Wales defected graphene (SWG) were studied using the density functional theory (DFT), aiming to tune the band structure of SWG. The introduction of cyclopentadienyl (Cp) and half-metallocene strongly affected the band structure of SWG. The magnetic properties of the complex systems originated from the 3D orbitals of M (M = Fe, Co, Ni), the molecular orbital of Cp, and SWG. This phenomenon was different from that found in a previous study, which was due to metal ion-induced sandwich complexes. The results have potential applications in the design of electronic devices based on SWG. Full article

Nanofibrous membranes based on polycaprolactone (PCL) have a large potential for use in biomedical applications but are limited by the hydrophobicity of PCL. Blend electrospinning of PCL with other biomedical suited materials, such as gelatin (Gt) allows for the design of better and new materials. This study investigates the possibility of blend electrospinning PCL/Gt nanofibrous membranes which can be used to design a range of novel materials better suited for biomedical applications. The electrospinnability and stability of PCL/Gt blend nanofibers from a non-toxic acid solvent system are investigated. The solvent system developed in this work allows good electrospinnable emulsions for the whole PCL/Gt composition range. Uniform bead-free nanofibers can easily be produced, and the resulting fiber diameter can be tuned by altering the total polymer concentration. Addition of small amounts of water stabilizes the electrospinning emulsions, allowing the electrospinning of large and homogeneous nanofibrous structures over a prolonged period. The resulting blend nanofibrous membranes are analyzed for their composition, morphology, and homogeneity. Cold-gelling experiments on these novel membranes show the possibility of obtaining water-stable PCL/Gt nanofibrous membranes, as well as nanostructured hydrogels reinforced with nanofibers. Both material classes provide a high potential for designing new material applications. Full article

A Ca²⁺-crosslinked wood-based nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) hydrogel was investigated to build knowledge toward the use of nanocellulose for topical drug delivery applications in a chronic wound healing context. Proteins of varying size and isoelectric point were loaded into the hydrogel in a simple soaking procedure. The release of the proteins from the hydrogel was monitored and kinetics determining parameters of the release processes were assessed. The integrity of the hydrogel and proteins were also studied. The results showed that electrostatic interactions between the proteins and the negatively-charged NFC hydrogel structure played a central role in the loading process. The release of the proteins were governed by Fickian diffusion. An increased protein size, as well as a positive protein charge facilitated a slower and more sustained release process from the hydrogel matrix. At the same time, the positively-charged protein was shown to increase the post-loading hydrogel strength. Released proteins maintained structural stability and activity, thus indicating that the Ca²⁺-crosslinked NFC hydrogel could function as a carrier of therapeutic proteins without compromising protein function. It is foreseen that, by utilizing tunable charge properties of the NFC hydrogel, release profiles can be tailored to meet very specific treatment needs. Full article

Biosensor technology has great potential for the detection of cancer through tumor-associated molecular biomarkers. In this work, we describe the immobilization of the recombinant humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (trastuzumab) on a silver nanostructured plate made by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), over a thin film of Au(111). Immobilization was performed via 4-mercapto benzoic acid self-assembled monolayers (4-MBA SAMs) that were activated with coupling reagents. A combination of immunofluorescence images and z-stack analysis by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) allowed us to detect HER2 presence and distribution in the cell membranes. Four different HER2-expressing breast cancer cell lines (SKBR3 +++, MCF-7 +/−, T47D +/−, MDA-MB-231 −) were incubated during 24 h on functionalized silver nanostructured plates (FSNP) and also on Au(111) thin films. The cells were fixed by means of an ethanol dehydration train, then characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). SERS results showed the same tendency as CLSM findings (SKBR3 > MCF-7 > T47D > MDA-MB-231), especially when the Raman peak associated with phenylalanine amino acid (1002 cm⁻¹) was monitored. Given the high selectivity and high sensitivity of SERS with a functionalized silver nanostructured plate (FSNP), we propose this method for identifying the presence of HER2 and consequently, of breast cancer cells. Full article

First Order Reversal Curve (FORC) analysis has been established as an appropriate method to investigate the magnetic interactions among complex ferromagnetic nanostructures. In this work, the magnetization reversal mechanism of bi-segmented nanowires composed by long Co and Ni segments contacted at one side was investigated, as a model system to identify and understand the FORC fingerprint of a two-step magnetization reversal process. The resulting hysteresis loop of the bi-segmented nanowire array exhibits a completely different magnetic behavior than the one expected for the magnetization reversal process corresponding to each respective Co and Ni nanowire arrays, individually. Based on the FORC analysis, two possible magnetization reversal processes can be distinguished as a consequence of the ferromagnetic coupling at the interface between the Ni and Co segments. Depending on the relative difference between the magnetization switching fields of each segment, the softer magnetic phase induces the switching of the harder one through the injection and propagation of a magnetic domain wall when both switching fields are comparable. On the other hand, if the switching fields values differ enough, the antiparallel magnetic configuration of nanowires is also possible but energetically unfavorable, thus resulting in an unstable magnetic configuration. Making use of the different temperature dependence of the magnetic properties for each nanowire segment with different composition, one of the two types of magnetization reversal is favored, as demonstrated by FORC analyses. Full article

The application of nanotechnology to the petroleum industry has sparked recent interest in increasing oil recovery, while reducing environmental impact. Nanocellulose is an emerging nanoparticle that is derived from trees or waste stream from wood and fiber industries. Thus, it is taken from a renewable and sustainable source, and could therefore serve as a good alternative to current Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies. However, before nanocellulose can be applied as an EOR technique, further understanding of its transport behavior and retention in porous media is required. The research documented in this paper examines retention mechanisms that occur during nanocellulose transport. In a series of experiments, nanocellulose particles dispersed in brine were injected into sandpacks and Berea sandstone cores. The resulting retention and permeability reduction were measured. The experimental parameters that were varied include sand grain size, nanocellulose type, salinity, and flow rate. Under low salinity conditions, the dominant retention mechanism was adsorption and when salinity was increased, the dominant retention mechanism shifted towards log-jamming. Retention and permeability reduction increased as grain size decreased, which results from increased straining of nanocellulose aggregates. In addition, each type of nanocellulose was found to have significantly different transport properties. Experiments with Berea sandstone cores indicate that some pore volume was inaccessible to the nanocellulose. As a general trend, the larger the size of aggregates in bulk solution, the greater the observed retention and permeability reduction. Salinity was found to be the most important parameter affecting transport. Increased salinity caused additional aggregation, which led to increased straining and filter cake formation. Higher flow rates were found to reduce retention and permeability reduction. Increased velocity was accompanied by an increase in shear, which is believed to promote breakdown of nanocellulose aggregates. Full article

Research in boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) has evoked significant interest in the field of nano-electronics, nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) devices, and nanocomposites due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. Despite this, there has been no reliable data on the effective mechanical properties of BNNS, with the literature reporting a wide scatter of strength data for the same material. To address this challenge, this article presents a comprehensive analysis on the effect of vital factors which can result in variations of the effective mechanical properties of BNNS. Additionally, the article also presents the computation of the correct wall thickness of BNNS from elastic theory equations, which is an important descriptor for any research to determine the mechanical properties of BNNS. It was predicted that the correct thickness of BNNS should be 0.106 nm and the effective Young’s modulus to be 2.75 TPa. It is anticipated that the findings from this study could provide valuable insights on the true mechanical properties of BNNS that could assist in the design and development of efficient BN-based NEMS devices, nanosensors, and nanocomposites. Full article

The purpose of this study was to prepare orange oil microemulsion (ME) and to investigate the antimicrobial activity of film containing orange oil ME. First, surfactants and co-surfactants were screened on their efficiency to form ME using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. The influences of surfactant and co-surfactant mass ratios were studied and optimized ME-loaded-films were prepared. Then, films containing orange oil ME were characterized by SEM and texture analyzer, and then evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Propionibacterium acnes using an agar disc diffusion method. The results showed that Tween 80 as surfactant and propylene glycol as co-surfactant at a 1:1 ratio possessed the maximum ME area. Three ME formulations of ME 20, ME 25, and ME 30, which consisted of 20, 25, and 30% w/v of orange oil were prepared, respectively. All ME formulations showed particle sizes of about 60.26–80.00 nm, with broad a polydispersity index of 0.42. The orange oil ME films exhibited higher elastic values than the control. The diameters of inhibition zones for FME 20, FME 25, and FME 30 against P. acnes were 13.64, 15.18, and 16.10 mm, respectively. Only the FME 30 had an antimicrobial activity against S. aureus with 8.32 mm of inhibition zone. Contrarily, the control film had no antimicrobial activity against both bacteria. In conclusion, the present study found that the antibacterial activity of orange oil in pectin thin film could be enhanced by preparing orange oil as an ME before loading into pectin thin film. Full article

This paper describes the preparation and the photoelectrochemical performances of visible light driven photoanodes based on novel r-GO/β-Cu₂V₂O₇/TiO₂ nanorods/composites. β-Cu₂V₂O₇ was deposited on both fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) and TiO₂ nanorods (NRs)/FTO by a fast and convenient Aerosol Assisted Spray Pyrolysis (AASP) procedure. Ethylenediamine (EN), ammonia and citric acid (CA) were tested as ligands for Cu²⁺ ions in the aerosol precursors solution. The best-performing deposits, in terms of photocurrent density, were obtained when NH₃ was used as ligand. When β-Cu₂V₂O₇ was deposited on the TiO₂ NRs a good improvement in the durability of the photoanode was obtained, compared with pure β-Cu₂V₂O₇ on FTO. A further remarkable improvement in durability and photocurrent density was obtained upon addition, by electrophoretic deposition, of reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) flakes on the β-Cu₂V₂O₇/TiO₂ composite material. The samples were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) and UV-Vis spectroscopies. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) performances of β-Cu₂V₂O₇ on FTO, β-Cu₂V₂O₇/TiO₂ and r-GO/β-Cu₂V₂O₇/TiO₂ were tested in visible light by linear voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Full article

We report forward tunneling characteristics of InGaN/GaN blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) on freestanding GaN detached from a Si substrate using temperature-dependent current–voltage (T-I-V) measurements. T-I-V analysis revealed that the conduction mechanism of InGaN/GaN LEDs using the homoepitaxial substrate can be distinguished by tunneling, diffusion and recombination current, and series resistance regimes. Their improved crystal quality, inherited from the nature of homoepitaxy, resulted in suppression of forward leakage current. It was also found that the tunneling via heavy holes in InGaN/GaN LEDs using the homoepitaxial substrate can be the main transport mechanism under low forward bias, consequentially leading to the improved forward leakage current characteristics. Full article

The one-step vacuum carbonization synthesis of a platinum nano-catalyst embedded in a microporous heterocarbon (Pt@cPIM) is demonstrated. A nitrogen-rich polymer of an intrinsic microporosity (PIM) precursor is impregnated with PtCl₆²⁻ to give (after vacuum carbonization at 700 °C) a nitrogen-containing heterocarbon with embedded Pt nanoparticles of typically 1–4 nm diameter (with some particles up to 20 nm diameter). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of this hybrid material is 518 m² g⁻¹ (with a cumulative pore volume of 1.1 cm³ g⁻¹) consistent with the surface area of the corresponding platinum-free heterocarbon. In electrochemical experiments, the heterocarbon-embedded nano-platinum is observed as reactive towards hydrogen oxidation, but essentially non-reactive towards bigger molecules during methanol oxidation or during oxygen reduction. Therefore, oxygen reduction under electrochemical conditions is suggested to occur mainly via a 2-electron pathway on the outer carbon shell to give H₂O₂. Kinetic selectivity is confirmed in exploratory catalysis experiments in the presence of H₂ gas (which is oxidized on Pt) and O₂ gas (which is reduced on the heterocarbon surface) to result in the direct formation of H₂O₂. Full article

We report a new fabrication method for a fully stretchable supercapacitor based on single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-coated electrospun rubber nanofibers as stretchable supercapacitor electrodes. The deposition conditions of SWCNT on hydrophobic rubber nanofibers are experimentally optimized to induce a uniform coating of SWCNT. For surfactant-assisted coating of SWCNT, both water contact angle and sheet resistance were lower compared to the cases with other surface treatment methods, indicating a more effective coating approach. The excellent electromechanical properties of this electrode under stretching conditions are demonstrated by the measurement of Young’s modulus and normalized sheet resistance. The superb tolerance of the electrode with respect to stretching is the result of (i) high aspect ratios of both nanofiber templates and the SWCNT conductors, (ii) the highly elastic nature of rubbery nanofibers, and (iii) the strong adherence of SWCNT-coated nanofibers on the elastic ecoflex substrate. Electrochemical and electromechanical measurements on stretchable supercapacitor devices reveal that the volumetric capacitance (15.2 F cm⁻³ at 0.021 A cm⁻³) of the unstretched state is maintained for strains of up to 40%. At this level of strain, the capacitance after 1,000 charge/discharge cycles was not significantly reduced. The high stability of our stretchable device suggests potential future applications in various types of wearable energy storage devices. Full article

The properties of nanoporous gold (NPG) were known to be dependent on the microstructure of NPG. In this study, the effects of cold rolling and annealing of the original Ag_0.7Au_0.3 alloy on the microstructure of NPG produced by dealloying under free corrosion condition were investigated. Ag_0.7Au_0.3 alloy samples were cold-rolled to different strain levels/thickness reductions up to 98% and annealed at 900 °C for 3 h before dealloying. It was found that cold rolling and annealing of the original alloy can lead to reduced ligament and pore sizes of NPG. Moreover, post-deformation annealing of the original alloy was found to facilitate the formation of a homogeneous and continuous NPG structure. The minima of pore and ligament sizes (both being ~8 nm) with uniform distribution were obtained in the annealed sample with a thickness reduction of 60% for a dealloying time of 7 h. The present study indicated the significant effect of a pre-dealloying treatment of the original alloy (by plastic deformation and annealing) on the formation and optimization of the NPG microstructure produced by dealloying. Full article

Graphene-based materials have attracted considerable interest owing to their distinctive characteristics, such as their biocompatibility in terms of both their physical and intrinsic chemical properties. The use of nanomaterials with graphene as a biocompatible agent has increased due to an uptick in dedication from biomedical investigators. Here, GO-ZnO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and Raman spectroscopy for structural, morphological, and elemental analysis. The toxic extent of GO-ZnO was noted by a methyl-thiazole-tetrazolium (MTT), while cellular morphology was observed towards the MCF-7 cells using an inverted microscope at magnification 40×. The cytotoxic effect of GO-ZnO investigated the cell viability reduction in a dose-dependent manner, as well as prompted the cell demise/destruction in an apoptotic way. Moreover, statistical analysis was performed on the experimental outcomes, with p-values < 0.05 kept as significant to elucidate the results. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) demonstrated the potential applicability of graphene in tumor treatment. These key results attest to the efficacy of GO-ZnO nanocomposites as a substantial candidate for breast malignancy treatment. Full article

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) quantum dots (QDs) are the vanguard due to their unique properties. In this work, WSe₂ QDs were fabricated via one step ultrasonic probe sonication. Excitation wavelength dependent photoluminescence (PL) is observed from WSe₂ QDs. Room-temperature lasing emission which benefits from 3.7 times enhancement of PL intensity by thermal treatment at ~470 nm was achieved with an excitation threshold value of ~3.5 kW/cm² in a Fabry–Perot laser cavity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of lasing emission from TMDCs QDs. This indicates that TMDCs QDs are a superior candidate as a new type of laser gain medium. Full article

Recyclable nanomaterials are in great need to develop clean technology for applications in the removal of water contaminants. In this work, easily separable montmorillonite/Fe₃O₄/humic acid (MFH) nanocomposites were fabricated through a facile hydrothermal route. It was found the adsorption ability and stability of MFH was significantly enhanced due to the synergistic effects between montmorillonite, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and humic acid. The MFH nanocomposites are highly efficient and recyclable as they can remove at least 82.3% of Cr(VI) and 95.1% of aniline in six consecutive runs. The adsorption mechanism was investigated by analyzing the kinetic parameters of pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, and intraparticle diffusion models and describing the equilibrium isotherms of Langmuir and Freundlich models. Results indicated different adsorption mechanisms of Cr(VI) and aniline by MFH. The readily synthesized MFH nanocomposites can act as effective and practical materials for environmental applications. Full article

Optical methods in nanolithography have been traditionally limited by Abbe’s diffraction limit. One method able to overcome this barrier is apertureless scanning probe lithography assisted by laser. This technique has demonstrated surface nanostructuring below the diffraction limit. In this study, we demonstrate how a femtosecond Yb-doped fiber laser oscillator running at high repetition rate of 46 MHz and a pulse duration of 150 fs can serve as the laser source for near-field nanolithography. Subwavelength features were generated on the surface of gold films down to a linewidth of 10 nm. The near-field enhancement in this apertureless scanning probe lithography setup could be determined experimentally for the first time. Simulations were in good agreement with the experiments. This result supports near-field tip-enhancement as the major physical mechanisms responsible for the nanostructuring. Full article

This study reports the results of experiments on periodic nanostructure formation on diamond-like carbon (DLC) films induced with 800 nm, 7-femtosecond (fs) laser pulses at low fluence from a Ti:sapphire laser oscillator. It was demonstrated that 7-fs laser pulses with a high power density of 0.8–2 TW/cm² at a low fluence of 5–12 mJ/cm² can form a periodic nanostructure with a period of 60–80 nm on DLC films. The period decreases with increasing fluence of the laser pulses. The experimental results and calculations for a model target show that 7-fs pulses can produce a thinner metal-like layer on the DLC film through a nonlinear optical absorption process compared with that produced with 100-fs pulses, creating a finer nanostructure via plasmonic near-field ablation. Full article

Bi₆Fe_1.9Co_0.1Ti₃O₁₈ (BFCTO)/NaGdF₄:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ (NGF) nanohybrids were successively synthesized by the hydrothermal process followed by anassembly method, and BFCTO-1.0/NGF nanosheets, BFCTO-1.5/NGF nanoplates and BFCTO-2.0/NGF truncated tetragonal bipyramids were obtained when 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 M NaOH were adopted, respectively. Under the irradiation of 980 nm light, all the BFCTO samples exhibited no activity in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB). In contrast, with the loading of NGF upconversion nanoparticles, all the BFCTO/NGF samples exhibited extended near-infrared photoactivity, with BFCTO-1.5/NGF showing the best photocatalytic activity, which could be attributed to the effect of {001} and {117} crystal facets with the optimal ratio. In addition, the ferromagnetic properties of the BFCTO/NGF samples indicated their potential as novel, recyclable and efficient near-infrared (NIR) light-driven photocatalysts. Full article

A novel facile process for fabrication of amorphous MnO₂/bamboo charcoal monolith hybrids (MnO₂/BC) for potential supercapacitor applications using γ-irradiation methods is described. The structural, morphological and electrochemical properties of the MnO₂/BC hybrids have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The combination of BC (electrical double layer charge) and MnO₂ (pseudocapacitance) created a complementary effect, which enhanced the specific capacitance and good cyclic stability of the MnO₂/BC hybrid electrodes. The MnO₂/BC hybrids showed a higher specific capacitance (449 F g⁻¹ at the constant current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹ over the potential range from –0.2 V to 0.8 V), compared with BC (101 F g⁻¹) in 1 M of Na₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. Furthermore, the MnO₂/BC hybrid electrodes showed superior cycling stability with 78% capacitance retention, even after 10,000 cycles. The experimental results demonstrated that the high performance of MnO₂/BC hybrids could be a potential electrode material for supercapacitors. Full article

Calcium fluoride (CaF₂) nanoparticles with various terbium (Tb) doping concentrations were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and alternating current (AC) impedance measurement. The original shape and structure of CaF₂ nanoparticles were retained after doping. In all the samples, the dominant charge carriers were electrons, and the F⁻ ion transference number increased with increasing Tb concentration. The defects in the grain region considerably contributed to the electron transportation process. When the Tb concentration was less than 3%, the effect of the ionic radius variation dominated and led to the diffusion of the F⁻ ions and facilitated electron transportation. When the Tb concentration was greater than 3%, the increasing deformation potential scattering dominated, impeding F⁻ ion diffusion and electron transportation. The substitution of Ca²⁺ by Tb³⁺ enables the electron and ion hopping in CaF₂ nanocrystals, resulting in increased permittivity. Full article