Nanomanufacturing, Volume 3, Issue 2 (June 2023) – 9 articles

Silver nanoparticles (SNPs) can be produced by active and inactive forms of biomass, but their properties have not been compared. Recent research is attempting to reveal their differences in shape, size, amount, antibacterial activity, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis induction. The biomass of Fusarium oxysporum was divided into four groups and pretreated in the following devices: room temperature (RT) and refrigerator (for preparation of active biomass forms), autoclave, and hot air oven (for preparation of inactive biomass forms). Samples were floated in ddH₂O, and SNPs were produced after the addition of 0.1699 g/L AgNO₃ in the ddH₂O solution. SNP production was confirmed by visible spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SNPs were washed, and their concentration was determined by measuring atomic emission spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). For antibacterial activity, the plate-well diffusion method was used. MTT and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide assays were used for cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction, respectively. The maximum absorbance peaks for SNPs pretreated in RT, refrigerator, autoclave, and hot air oven were 404, 402, 412, and 412 nm, respectively. The SNPs produced were almost the same shape and size, and the XRD results confirmed the presence of SNPs in all samples. Due to the differences in the type of bacterial strains used, the SNPs produced showed some differences in their antibacterial activity. The MTT assay showed that the amounts of SNPs in their IC₅₀ dose based on the results of ICP-OES were 0.40, 0.45, 0.66, and 0.44 ppm for the samples pretreated in the hot air oven, autoclave, and refrigerator, and RT, respectively. The apoptosis induction results showed that the biologically engineered SNPs induced more apoptosis (about 34.25%) and less necrosis (about 13.25%). In conclusion, the type and activity of SNPs produced by the active and inactive forms of fungal biomass did not change. Therefore, use of the inactive form of biomass in the future to avoid environmental contamination is reccommended. Full article

Mixed micelles from copolymers in aqueous media have emerged as a valuable tool for producing functional polymer nanostructures with applications in nanomedicine, including drug delivery and bioimaging. In this review, we discuss the basics of mixed copolymer micelles’ design, structure, and physicochemical properties. We also focus on their utilization in biomedical applications using examples from recent literature. Full article

Recently, several strategies have been adopted for the cesium lead halide, CsPbX₃ (X = Cl, Br, and/or I), crystal growth with a perovskite-type structure, paving the way for the further development of innovative optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. The optoelectronic properties of advanced materials are controlled, in principle, by effects of morphology, particle size, structure, and composition, as well as imperfections in these parameters. Herein, we report a detailed investigation, using theoretical and experimental approaches to evaluate the structural, electronic, optical, and electrical properties of CsPbX₃ microcrystals. The microcrystals are synthesized successfully using the hydrothermal method without surfactants. This synthetic approach also offers an easy upscaling for perovskite-related material synthesis from low-cost precursors. Lastly, in this direction, we believe that deeper mechanistic studies, based on the synergy between theory and practice, can guide the discovery and development of new advanced materials with highly tailored properties for applications in optoelectronic devices, as well as other emergent technologies. Full article

Chloride–iodide perovskites have received substantial interest due to their better photovoltaic performance compared to pure iodide ones. The superior properties of chloride–iodide perovskites boost photovoltaic performance. However, quantifying the Cl composition in perovskite films remains challenging. Hence, it is not easy to correlate the Cl quantity with the improved photovoltaic performance. Considering this critical issue, it is still necessary to determine the correlation between the Cl quantity and the improved photovoltaic performance to solve this puzzle. Here, a critical review is presented showcasing the significant impacts of the Cl quantity on chloride–iodide perovskites and related solar cell devices. This review provides an up-to-date picture of different strategic methods to overcome the challenges of Cl incorporation in I-based perovskites, aiming to improve photovoltaic performance. Finally, some valuable remedies are prescribed for potential future research strategies to study the photovoltaic performance of chloride–iodide perovskite solar cells. Hopefully, this review will be a noteworthy scientific contribution to the advancement of the continuous progress of perovskite solar cells. Full article

It has been shown that defect-free Stone–Wales (SW) free few-layer graphene (FLG) can be obtained by carbonizing lignin under conditions of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). The obtained few-layer graphene was used as a modifying additive for pyrotechnic compositions. It was found that the addition of 2.5 mass % of few-layer graphene synthesized from lignin to a pyrotechnic complex based on porous silicon and fluoropolymer leads to a significant increase in the combustion intensity of pyrotechnic compositions. Full article

The second most significant cause of cancer-related mortality and morbidity in the United States is colorectal cancer (CRC), the third most diagnosed malignancy. People over 50 have an increased risk of CRC everywhere in the world. Genetic and environmental risk factors significantly influence CRC development. Early detection is critical in the treatment and prevention of CRC. The population’s incidence rate of CRC is currently reduced by screening techniques and medicines, although recurrence of the disease may result from the cancer’s ability to spread locally. Consequently, the difficulty is in finding a different treatment for CRC. Nanotechnology is crucial for cancer treatment because it allows for the delivery of targeted chemotherapies to cancer cells directly and with greater therapeutic potency. Nanoemulsions have broad application in pharmaceutics, cosmetics, and food; their outstanding properties include enhanced dispersion of active hydrophobic components, small size, high surface area per unit volume, and improved absorption in cancer treatment. The present review highlights formulation aspects, preparation methods, and characterization techniques. We also provide a critical analysis of recent developments in nanoemulsions in colorectal cancer treatment that hold promise in delivering nanoemulsions in colorectal treatment. Full article

Nowadays, Y-shaped non-fullerene acceptors become increasingly important in organic photovoltaics (OPV). Their use in binary and ternary bulk heterojunction composites continuously pushes up the efficiency of OPV devices. However, the mechanism of OPV performance enhancement by the third component of a ternary composite is rarely understood. In the present work, pulse EPR technique was used to reveal the similarities and the differences of photoinduced charge separation process in binary PM6/Y6 and ternary PM6/Y6:Y-T composites, where PM6 is polymer donor, Y6 and Y-T are different non-fullerene acceptors. Out-of-phase electron spin echo signal was detected for both composites, which is the signature of the charge-transfer state (CT state) formed at the donor/acceptor interface upon exciton splitting. Nearly identical distribution of the distances between the electron and the hole constituting the CT state was obtained for these composites from the analysis of this signal. In both cases the average electron-hole distance was 3.5 nm. It implies that OPV efficiency increase with Y-T addition is not caused by the increased probability of CT state dissociation followed by free charge generation for PM6/Y6:Y-T composite. Full article