Search Results (64)

Liquid metal (LM), which possesses unique material properties such as excellent flexibility, high thermal and electrical conductivities, and biocompatibility, has demonstrated broad application potential in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, flexible electronics, and biomedical engineering. This paper presents a systematic review of recent advances in multifunctional LM materials for biomimetic applications, with a focus on 3D printing, catalysis, sensing, and biomedical technologies. Through advanced 3D printing techniques—including direct writing, embedded printing, and extrusion/infiltration—LM has been effectively utilized in the fabrication of high-precision electronic components. In catalysis, LM-based catalysts exhibit superior performance in energy conversion and environmental remediation due to their high catalytic activity and selectivity. Moreover, LM has made notable progress in the development of high-performance sensors and biomedical devices, contributing significantly to the advancement of health monitoring and intelligent diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. This review aims to provide theoretical insights and technical references for further research and engineering applications of liquid metals. Full article

Industrial wastewater pollution has reached acute levels in the environment; consequently, scientists are developing new sustainable treatment methods. Lignocellulosic biomass (LB) stands as a promising raw material because it originates from agricultural waste, forestry residues, and energy crop production. This review examines the application of nanomaterials derived from lignocellulosic resources in wastewater management, highlighting their distinctive physical and chemical properties, including a large surface area, adjustable porosity structure, and multifunctional group capability. The collection of nanomaterials incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) with lignin nanoparticles, as well as biochar and carbon-based nanostructures, demonstrates high effectiveness in extracting heavy metals, dyes, and organic pollutants through adsorption, membrane filtration, and catalysis mechanisms. Nanomaterials have benefited from recent analytical breakthroughs that improve both their manufacturing potential and eco-friendly character through hybrid catalysis methods and functionalization procedures. This review demonstrates the ability of nanomaterials to simultaneously turn waste into valuable product while cleaning up the environment through their connection to circular bioeconomic principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review addresses hurdles related to feedstock variability, production costs, and lifecycle impacts, demonstrating the capability of lignocellulosic nanomaterials to transform wastewater treatment operations while sustaining global sustainability. Full article

Anodised metal matrices represent a versatile and multifunctional platform for the development of advanced materials with tunable physicochemical properties. Through electrochemical oxidation processes—commonly referred to as anodisation—metals such as aluminium, titanium, niobium, zinc and tantalum can be transformed into structured oxide layers with defined porosity, thickness and surface morphology. These methods enable the fabrication of ordered nanoporous arrays, nanotubes and nanowires, depending on the process parameters and the type of metal. The review introduces and outlines the various anodisation techniques and parameters. This is crucial, since each individual metal requires specified optimal conditions to obtain a stable anodised oxide layer. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the design and application of anodised metal substrates, with the focus on their role as functional platforms in catalysis, sensing, energy storage and biomedical engineering. Special attention is given to post-anodisation surface modification strategies, such as chemical functionalisation, thin-film deposition and molecular-level integration, which significantly expand the utility of these materials. The review also highlights the challenges, limitations and future perspectives of anodising technologies, aiming to guide the rational design of next-generation devices based on engineered oxide architectures. Full article

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology, leveraging its single-molecule-level detection sensitivity, molecular fingerprint recognition capability, and capacity for rapid, non-destructive analysis, has emerged as a pivotal analytical tool in food science, life sciences, and environmental monitoring. This review systematically summarizes recent advancements in SERS technology, encompassing its enhancement mechanisms (synergistic effects of electromagnetic and chemical enhancement), innovations in high-performance substrates (noble metal nanostructures, non-noble metal substrates based on semiconductors/graphene, and hybrid systems incorporating noble metals with functional materials), and its interdisciplinary applications. In the realm of food safety, SERS has enabled the ultratrace detection of pesticide residues, mycotoxins, and heavy metals, with flexible substrates and intelligent algorithms significantly enhancing on-site detection capabilities. Within biomedicine, the technique has been successfully applied to the rapid identification of pathogenic microorganisms, screening of tumor biomarkers, and viral diagnostics. For environmental monitoring, SERS platforms offer sensitive detection of heavy metals, microplastics, and organic pollutants. Despite challenges such as matrix interference and insufficient substrate reproducibility, future research directions aimed at developing multifunctional composite materials, integrating artificial intelligence algorithms, constructing portable devices, and exploring plasmon-catalysis synergy are poised to advance the practical implementation of SERS technology in precision diagnostics, intelligent regulation, and real-time monitoring. Full article

Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as advanced porous crystalline materials due to their highly ordered structures, ultra-high surface areas, fine-tunable pore sizes, and massive chemical diversity. These features, arising from the coordination between an almost unlimited number of metal ions/clusters and organic linkers, have resulted in significant interest in MOFs for applications in gas storage, catalysis, sensing, energy, and biomedicine. Beyond their stand-alone properties and applications, recent research has increasingly explored the integration of MOFs with other substrates, particularly electrodes, polymeric thin films, and glass surfaces, to create synergistic effects that enhance material performance and broaden application potential. Coating MOFs onto these substrates can yield significant benefits, including, but not limited to, improved sensitivity and selectivity in electrochemical sensors, enhanced mechanical and separation properties in membranes, and multifunctional coatings for optical and environmental applications. This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of recent advances (primarily from the past 3–5 years) in MOF coating techniques, including layer-by-layer assembly, in situ growth, and electrochemical deposition. This is followed by a discussion of the representative applications arising from MOF-substrate coating and an outline of key challenges and future directions in this rapidly evolving field. This article aims to serve as a focused reference point for researchers interested in both fundamental strategies and applied developments in MOF surface coatings. Full article

This review surveys recent advances and emerging prospects in phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) for fuel desulfurization. In response to increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the removal of sulfur from transportation fuels has become imperative for curbing SO_x emissions. Conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) operates under severe temperature–pressure conditions and displays limited efficacy toward sterically hindered thiophenic compounds, motivating the exploration of non-hydrogen routes such as oxidative desulfurization (ODS). Within ODS, PTC offers distinctive benefits by shuttling reactants across immiscible phases, thereby enhancing reaction rates and selectivity. In particular, PTC enables efficient migration of organosulfur substrates from the hydrocarbon matrix into an aqueous phase where they are oxidized and subsequently extracted. The review first summarizes the deployment of classic PTC systems—quaternary ammonium salts, crown ethers, and related agents—in ODS operations and then delineates the underlying phase-transfer mechanisms, encompassing reaction-controlled, thermally triggered, photo-responsive, and pH-sensitive cycles. Attention is next directed to a new generation of catalysts, including quaternary-ammonium polyoxometalates, imidazolium-substituted polyoxometalates, and ionic-liquid-based hybrids. Their tailored architectures, catalytic performance, and mechanistic attributes are analyzed comprehensively. By incorporating multifunctional supports or rational structural modifications, these systems deliver superior desulfurization efficiency, product selectivity, and recyclability. Despite such progress, commercial deployment is hindered by the following outstanding issues: long-term catalyst durability, continuous-flow reactor design, and full life-cycle cost optimization. Future research should, therefore, focus on elucidating structure–performance relationships, translating batch protocols into robust continuous processes, and performing rigorous environmental and techno-economic assessments to accelerate the industrial adoption of PTC-enabled desulfurization. Full article

Au-Ag alloy nanoshells (ANSs) were synthesized via chemical reduction, exhibiting superior plasmonic photocatalytic performance. TEM revealed uniform hollow structures (~80 nm), while EDS mapping confirmed homogeneous Au-Ag distribution throughout the shell. According to EDX analysis, the alloy contained 71.40% Ag by weight. XRD verified the formation of a substitutional solid solution without phase separation. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated using p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP) to 4,4′-dimercapto-azobenzene (DMAB) conversion monitored by SERS. UV-Vis spectroscopy showed LSPR peaks of ANSs between Au and Ag NPs, confirming effective alloying. Kinetic studies revealed that ANSs exhibited reaction rates 250–351 times higher than those of Au NPs and 5–10 times higher than those of Ag NPs. This resulted from the synergistic catalysis of Au-Ag and enhanced electromagnetic fields. ANSs demonstrated dual functionality as SERS substrates and photocatalysts, providing a foundation for developing multifunctional nanocatalytic materials. Full article

Magnetic zeolite nanocomposites (NCs) have emerged as a promising class of hybrid materials that combine the high surface area, porosity, and ion exchange capacity of zeolites with the magnetic properties of nanoparticles (NPs), particularly iron oxide-based nanomaterials. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the synthesis, characterization, and diverse applications of magnetic zeolite NCs. We begin by introducing the fundamental properties of zeolites and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), highlighting their synergistic integration into multifunctional composites. The structural features of various zeolite frameworks and their influence on composite performance are discussed, along with different interaction modes between MNPs and zeolite matrices. The evolution of research on magnetic zeolite NCs is traced chronologically from its early stages in the 1990s to current advancements. Synthesis methods such as co-precipitation, sol–gel, hydrothermal, microwave-assisted, and sonochemical approaches are systematically compared, emphasizing their advantages and limitations. Key characterization techniques—including X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM, TEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Nitrogen Adsorption/Desorption (BET analysis), Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM), Zeta potential analysis, Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)—are described, with attention to the specific insights they provide into the physicochemical, magnetic, and structural properties of the NCs. Finally, the review explores current and potential applications of these materials in environmental and biomedical fields, focusing on adsorption, catalysis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), drug delivery, ion exchange, and polymer modification. This article aims to provide a foundation for future research directions and inspire innovative applications of magnetic zeolite NCs. Full article

1,2-Diphenylethylenediamine (DPEDA) is a privileged chiral scaffold being used in the construction of a broad variety of organocatalysts and ligands for enantioselective organic reactions. This molecule gave a significant contribution in the synthesis of structurally different bi/multifunctional organocatalysts. DPEDA played an essential role in the development of organocatalysts capable of yielding important information on the different reaction mechanisms, like enamine, iminium, hydrogen-bonding and anion-binding catalysis. The aim of the present review is to highlight and summarize the achievements reached in the last 20 years (2004–2024) in the chemistry of DPEDA-based organocatalysts for asymmetric synthesis. Full article

Multifunctional catalysts have received considerable attention in the cascade reactions of biomass processing. A cascade (or tandem) reaction is realized when multiple reaction steps that require different catalysts are performed in a one-step process. These reactions require bi- or multifunctional catalysts or catalyst mixtures to serve successfully at each reaction step. In this review article, we discuss the major factors of the catalyst design influencing the structure–property relationships, which could differ depending on the catalyst type. The major factors include the amounts and strengths of acidic and basic sites, interactions between those and metal sites, synergetic effects, nanoparticle sizes and morphology, nanostructures, porosity, etc. The catalysts described in this review are based on zeolites, mesoporous solids, MOFs, and enzymes. The importance of continuous cascade processes is also examined. Full article

In petroleum refining, catalysts are used to efficiently convert crude oil into valuable products such as fuels and petrochemicals. These catalysts are employed in a range of processes, including catalytic cracking, hydrotreating, and reforming to meet stringent fuel quality standards. This review explores recent advancements in refining catalysts, focusing on novel materials, enhanced synthesis methods, and their industrial applications. The development of nano-, hierarchically structured, and supported metal catalysts has led to significant improvements in catalyst selectivity, yield, and longevity. These innovations are particularly important for processes such as hydrocracking, fluid catalytic cracking, and catalytic reforming, where catalysts improve conversion rates, product quality, and environmental sustainability. Advances in synthesis techniques such as sol-gel processes, microwave-assisted synthesis, and atomic layer deposition have further optimized catalyst performance. Environmental considerations have also driven the development of catalysts that reduce harmful emissions, particularly sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides while promoting green catalysis through the use of bio-based materials and recyclable catalysts. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly in scaling novel materials for industrial use and integrating them with existing technologies. Future research should focus on the exploration of new catalytic materials, such as metal-organic frameworks and multi-functional catalysts, which promise to further revolutionize the refining industry. This review thus demonstrates the transformative potential of advanced catalysts in enhancing the efficiency and environmental sustainability of petroleum refining. Full article

Anti-wear and anti-oxidation abilities are two key properties of lubricants that play a crucial role in ensuring long-term stable equipment operation. In this study, we aimed to develop a base oil with good anti-oxidation and anti-wear properties for use under extreme pressure. The as-prepared metallocene polyalphaolefin (mPAO) was chemically modified using the trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TfOH) catalysis through an alkylating reaction with triphenyl phosphorothioate (TPPT). During the experiments, when the reaction temperature exceeded 70 °C or the concentration of TfOH exceeded 2.67%, the $\beta$-scission reaction in the alkylation process became significantly more pronounced. The physical and chemical properties of TPPT-modified mPAO (T-mPAO) were evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier trans-form infrared spectroscopy, gel–permeation chromatography, and ASTM standards. T-mPAO showed significantly improved antioxidant capacity, with the initial oxidation temperature increasing by 32 °C compared to the base oil, and it exhibited the slowest increase in acid number in the 96-h oven oxidation test. The tribological tests showed that T-mPAO had the lowest friction coefficient, wear track, and wear rate (72.7% lower than that of mPAO) as well as the highest P_B (238 kg) and P_D (250 kg) among all tested samples. Compared to mPAO, the average friction coefficient of TPPT-modified mPAO in the four-ball friction test was reduced by 30.5%, and by 16.4% in the TE77 reciprocating friction test. Based on the experimental results, T-mPAO had strong anti-oxidation ability and excellent lubricating performance.The successful synthesis of multifunctional mPAO has enabled lubricant base oil additization, making it possible to use it in more demanding work scenarios, greatly broadening its application scope and making lubricant formulation blending more flexible. Full article

Mesoporous silica-based nanomaterials have emerged as multifunctional platforms with applications spanning catalysis, medicine, and nanotechnology. Since their synthesis in the early 1990s, these materials have attracted considerable interest due to their unique properties, including high surface area, tunable pore size, and customizable surface chemistry. This article explores the surface properties of a series of MSU-type mesoporous silica nanoparticles, elucidating the impact of different functionalization strategies on surface characteristics. Through an extensive characterization utilizing various techniques, such as FTIR, Z-potential, and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, insights into the surface modifications of mesoporous silica nanoparticles are provided, contributing to a deeper understanding of their nanostructure and related interactions, and paving the way to possible unexpected actionability and potential applications. Full article

The biomass filtrate of the endophytic bacterial strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Fa.2 was utilized for the eco-friendly production of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). The yellowish-brown color’s optical properties showed a maximum surface plasmon resonance at 415 nm. The morphological and elemental composition analysis reveals the formation of spherical shapes with sizes of 5–40 nm, and the Ag ion comprises the major component of the produced Ag-NPs. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline structure, whereas dynamic light scattering reveals the high stability of synthesized Ag-NPs with a polydispersity index of 0.413 and a negative zeta potential value. The photocatalytic experiment showed the efficacy of Ag-NPs to degrade methylene blue with maximum percentages of 73.9 ± 0.5 and 87.4 ± 0.9% under sunshine and UV irradiation, respectively, compared with 39.8% under dark conditions after 210 min. Additionally, the reusability of Ag-NPs was still more active for the fifth run, with a percentage decrease of 11.6% compared with the first run. Interestingly, the biogenic Ag-NPs showed superior antimicrobial activity against different pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria (MIC = 6.25 µg mL⁻¹), Gram-positive bacteria (MIC = 12.5 µg mL⁻¹), and uni- and multicellular fungi (MIC = 12.5 µg mL⁻¹). Moreover, the biosynthesized Ag-NPs could target cancer cells (Pc3 and Mcf7) at low concentrations compared with normal cell (Vero) lines. The IC₅₀ of normal cells is 383.7 ± 4.1 µg mL⁻¹ compared with IC₅₀ Pc3 (2.5 ± 3.5 µg mL⁻¹) and McF7 (156.1 ± 6.8 µg mL⁻¹). Overall, the bacterially synthesized Ag-NPs showed multifunctional features to be used in environmental catalysis and biomedical applications. Full article

Fe-S clusters are ubiquitous inorganic cofactors found in proteins across all domains of life, including viruses. Their prevalence stems from their unique redox and structural plasticity that supports functions ranging from electron transfer and catalysis to stabilization of protein structure. Although the ability of Fe-S clusters to exchange electrons is often functionally crucial, it can also act as an Achilles heel when these cofactors are exposed to oxidizing conditions, often leading to their degradation. This O₂ sensitivity has rendered certain Fe-S clusters untraceable, particularly when the nascent proteins are isolated under ambient conditions. As a consequence of this O₂ sensitivity, a growing number of proteins with roles in viral infection have been found to harbor Fe-S clusters rather than the annotated Zn²⁺ cofactor. The enigmatic protein X (HBx) of the Hepatitis B Virus is a multifunctional protein essential for viral replication and development of liver disease. Although HBx has defied biochemical characterization for over forty years, it has been shown to coordinate a redox-active Fe-S cluster that represents a significant feature for establishing its molecular function. The present review narrates the approaches to validate the HBx metallocofactor that can be broadly applied as a guide for uncovering the presence of Fe-S clusters in proteins with non-canonical sequence motifs. Full article