Nanomanufacturing

This article fundamentally reviews progress in the design and manufacturing of three-dimensional (3D) graphene-based nanocomposites for technical applications. The 3D graphene nanostructures have been manufactured using techniques like the template method, chemical vapor deposition, sol-gel, freeze-drying, hydrothermal technique, and other approaches. The nanofoam has been reinforced in polymers to achieve superior structural, morphological, and physical characteristics of the ensuing polymer/graphene nanofoam nanocomposites. The polymer/graphene nanofoam nanocomposites have been manufactured using the approaches like direct template method, in situ technique, infiltration process, and other methods. The 3D nanofoam- and polymer-based nanostructures have shown high specific surface area, suppleness, electron transport, thermal conduction, mechanical resilience, and other physical properties. The technical applications of hierarchical graphene nanofoams have been observed in the fields of radiation shielding, solar cells, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and other applications. Full article

In order to study the relationship between the rheology of a surfactant’s concentrated dispersions and the oil and water liquid crystals from which O/W nanoemulsions (NEs) can be produced by water dilution, the phase diagram of a model SOW (surfactant–oil–water) system was constructed. The dispersion’s compositions to be characterized by rheology were chosen in the diagram’s regions that contain liquid crystal phases. For this, the dilution lines S/O = 25/75, 55/45, and 70/30 with a water content of 20 and 40 wt% (corresponding to surfactant concentrations between 15 and 55 wt%) were chosen. By adding these dispersions to a water pool, NEs were obtained, and it was shown that droplet size distribution depends on the amount of the liquid crystal phase in the initial dispersion and its rheology. The study of the oscillatory amplitude of the dispersion showed a linear viscoelastic plateau (G’ > G”) and a softening deformation region (G” > G’), indicating a viscoelastic behavior of the dispersions. The study was carried out at a constant temperature of 30 °C, and the results show that rheological characterization by itself is not enough to predict that monomodal droplet distributions are obtained. However, the presence and quantity of lamellar liquid crystal phase are important to obtain monodisperse and kinetically stable NEs. Full article

This review article highlights essential manufacturing strategies for the formation of graphene reinforced polymeric nanocomposites. For graphene reinforced thermoplastic, thermosetting and conducting matrix nanomaterials have been manufactured using solution casting, melt blending, in situ polymerization, electrospinning, 3D printing, and several other techniques. Solution processing has been well thought-out as an advantageous technique, relative to melt mixing, in terms of graphene dispersion in polymeric matrices. An in situ polymerization process has also been considered valuable to form homogeneously dispersed polymer/graphene nanocomposites having superior physical characteristics. Nevertheless, the manufacturing techniques for polymer/graphene nanocomposites have relative advantages and disadvantages to be considered for graphene-based nanocomposites. Moreover, numerous challenges need to be overcome to optimize the processing parameters for the fabrication of high-performance polymer/graphene nanocomposites. Full article

3D printing is a promising technology for creating polymer objects of a given architecture with specified functional properties. In fact, the choice of filaments for 3D printing is quite limited. Here, we report a process for producing polystyrene filaments with 0.0025–2 wt.% single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by extruding crushed polystyrene composites. The resulting filaments are characterized by a high uniformity of filler distribution and the absence of air pores. Comparison of microscopy data and electromagnetic properties of base composites and composite materials printed from filaments showed that extrusion and printing improve SWCNT dispersion. The proposed method can be used to create filaments for 3D printing of objects from various base polymers containing functional fillers up to the electrical percolation threshold and above. Full article

Nanomaterials (NMs) that are created with zinc oxide are very valuable for a wide variety of applications. There is a present interest in ZnO nanoparticles in a wide range of industries. This interest may be attributed to the fact that ZnO NPs have many important features. It will be necessary for ZnO NPs to possess certain qualities in order for them to rapidly find uses in industry and for these applications to have an effect on the expansion of the economy. A large surface area, a large bandgap, photocatalytic property, biosensing, bioimaging, and other qualities are included in this list. In this article, the extraordinary characteristics of ZnO NPs, as well as their novel applications in industrial settings and the challenges that come along with their utilization, will be discussed. Full article

Direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) involves the formation of patterns of light intensity using coherent laser light beams that interfere between them. Light on the ultraviolet (<350 nm) and NIR (800–2000 nm) is absorbed in chromophores present in the polymer structure or in loaded absorbing species (dyes, polymers, nanoparticles). The absorbed light induces photothermal/photochemical processes, which alter permanently the topography of the polymer surface. The success of DLIP at different wavelengths is discussed in relation to the optical/thermal properties of the polymers and previous data on laser ablation of polymers. The size of the pattern is related directly to the wavelength of the light and inversely to the sine of the angle between beams and the refractive index of the external medium. In that way, nanometric structures (<100 nm) could be produced. Since the patterning occurs in a single short pulse (<10 ns), large surfaces can be modified. Both bacterial biofilm inhibition and human cell differentiation/orientation have been achieved. Large improvements in technological devices (e.g., thin film solar cells) using DLIP structured surfaces have also been demonstrated. Prospective application of DLIP to common polymers (e.g., Teflon^®) and complex polymeric systems (e.g., layer-by-layer multilayers) is discussed on the basis of reported polymer data. Full article

Beam splitters are widely used in various optical systems, but traditional beam splitters are bulky and heavy, which are not conducive to the integrated utilization of optical devices. Metamaterials have attracted extensive attention as a kind of miniature artificial materials, and there have been many works on the design of metasurface beam splitters. Using metasurfaces, multiple functions of traditional beam splitters can be achieved. Meanwhile, metasurface beam splitters have the advantages of small size, easy integration, flexible design of beam-splitting performance, and tunable functions. This review surveys the current work on metasurface beam splitters and provides a classification and introduction to metasurface beam splitters. Metasurface beam splitters are expected to play a huge role in interferometers, multiplexing, multi-beam communications, and more. Full article

A method to conformally coat silica nanosprings with magnesium via sublimation at 450 °C has been developed. In addition, Mg thin films were grown on Si(100) using this method to determine the effects of substrate morphology (nanoscale curvatures vs. planar) on the interfacial morphology of the Mg coating. High-resolution/powder X-ray diffraction (HRXRD/PXRD) on both the Mg-coated NS and the thin film revealed the presence of Mgand MgO due to exposure of the samples to air. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of Mg on the nanosprings. Elemental mapping with TEM-EDS verified that Mg uniformity and conformally coats the nanosprings. Nanocrystallinity of the Mg coating on the nanosprings was determined to be polycrystalline by TEM and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). In contrast, the process produces large micron-scale crystals on planar surfaces. Full article

We studied two main bioactive molecules of oregano, carvacrol and thymol, in the present work. These bioactive conformers are linked to single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and so-called functionalized SWCNT (f-SWCNT) to find their application as anti-inflammatory drugs. We use the multiscale methods and the density functional theory (DFT) of formalism to achieve this aim. We have proposed two nanocarriers based on a finite size model of a metallic single wall carbon nanotube linked to carvacrol and thymol (with a size around 2.74 nm): the main bioactives present in oregano. The results show that the proposed molecules, Carva-SWCNT-Gluc and Thymol-SWCNT-Gluc, can be synthesized with the exposed condensation reaction; with an exergonic and spontaneous behavior, Gibbs free energies of the reaction are −1.75 eV and −1.81 eV, respectively. The studied molecules are subjected to an electronic characterization, considering the global descriptors based on the conceptual DFT formalism. Moreover, the results show that the studied molecules can present a possible biocompatibility due to the higher polarization of the molecule and the increase in apparent solubility. Finally, the interaction between the studied nanodevices (Carva-SWCNT-Gluc and Thymol-SWCNT-Gluc) with cancer and anti-inflammatory targets shows that the hydrogen bond and electrostatic interactions play a crucial role in the ligand–target interaction. The proposed f-SWCNT presents higher potentiality as a carrier vector nanodevice since it can deliver the oregano bioactives on the studied targets, promoting the putative apoptosis of neoplastic cells and simultaneously regulating the inflammatory process. Full article

Early diagnosis is the key to easy, low cost, and effective treatment of breast cancer. Therefore, studies have been accelerated to identify breast cancer diagnostic biomarkers and diagnose cancer before it progresses. The use of miR-155 as a potential biomarker in breast cancer, which has different levels at different stages of the disease, provides a simple serological test for breast cancer prognosis/diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment. Nanopolymers containing different functional groups that are formed by thiol affinity technique were synthesized by mini emulsion polymerization method and advanced characterization studies were carried out in this study to be used as bioactive layers in the nanobiosensor system for miRNA detection. The working conditions of the electrochemical nanobiosensor in which nanopolymers are used as bioactive layers were optimized. Analytical measurement characteristics and validation studies of the nanobiosensor were determined and analysis was performed on commercial blood serum. The potential of the developed electrochemical biosensor to be used as a medical diagnostic kit was explained by comparing it with commercial miRNA kit currently used for the detection of miR-155. This novel nanobiosensor provide sensitive, reliable, and rapid detection of miR-155 and it can provide the potential for breast cancer early diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up. Full article

In this work, the adsorption energies and some of the main electronic properties of selected biological molecules adsorbed onto a (TiO₂)₂₀ cluster were studied. With this aim, Density-Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed using SIESTA code. The Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof (PBE) functional within the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) was used for the exchange and correlation potential. For this study, we chose molecules with very different characteristics and applications in everyday life, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, and so on. The TiO₂ substrate was considered due to its harmlessness and versatility of application in various industries. In particular, we studied the changes in some of the main electronic properties of the molecules after adsorption onto titanium dioxide. For all of the molecules studied here, we observed that this substrate can increase the stability of the adsorbed molecules, with values in the range of 12–150 meV/atom. The reliability of our calculations was verified through additional optimizations with other DFT codes, considering the hybrid functionals B3LYP and M06-L. Our results showed a reasonably good agreement among these three functionals, thereby revealing the possibility of adsorption of the selected biological molecules onto the vertex of the TiO₂ nanoclusters. Some of these molecules were considered as possible candidates for the delivery of drugs into the SARS-CoV-2 main protease, promoting the inhibition of this virus. We are not aware of any systematic study that has focused on the adsorption of the selected molecules on a (TiO₂)₂₀ substrate within the same framework, including the analysis of the differences in electronic properties through the use of different functionals. Full article

This short communication reports on the facile and scalable synthesis and characterization of molybdenum carbides/carbon nanocomposites prepared by laser pyrolysis in a one-step process. Water and commercial molybdenum oxide were used as low-cost environmentally friendly precursors. The nanocomposites are mainly composed of two types of carbides with different apparent crystallite sizes, 21 ± 1 nm and 9 ± 1 nm for Mo₂C and ${\mathrm{MoC}}_{1-\mathrm{x}}$, respectively. Thanks to a simple annealing at 500 °C under argon, it was possible to increase the specific surface area around 50 m²/g without changing the morphology of the nanocomposite. Full article

Nanostructured non-lamellar lipid particles are widely studied in various fields of application, although their self-assembled structure is sensitive to internal and external conditions, which may limit their applicability. The aim of this study was to overcome these limitations and create particles with non-lamellar nanostructures which are stable over time, upon drying and heating. This was achieved by the combination of two approaches: self-assembly of lipids and polymerization of alkoxysilanes. Precursors containing one or two unsaturated acyl chains were functionalized with trialkoxysilane headgroups. Contrarily to previous studies, the use of unsaturated acyl chains led to the formation of hybrid particles with non-lamellar internal nanostructures. These particles showed a sponge or a hexagonal arrangement and were named spongosomes and hexosomes. Due to the covalent linking of the precursors, durable structures were obtained. The particles were stable for at least several months and maintained their nanostructures even when they were dried or exposed to high temperatures. The inorganic functionalization of lipids enabled the fixation of the self-assembled nanostructures. Full article

Nano-hybrid systems are products of interactions between organic and inorganic materials designed and planned to develop drug delivery platforms that can be self-assembled. Poloxamine, commercially available as Tetronic^®, is formed by blocks of copolymers consisting of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly (propylene oxide) (PPO) units arranged in a four-armed star shape. Structurally, Tetronics are similar to Pluronics^®, with an additional feature as they are also pH-dependent due to their central ethylenediamine unit. Laponite is a synthetic clay arranged in the form of discs with a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a thickness of 1 nm. Both compounds are biocompatible and considered as candidates for the formation of carrier systems. The objective is to explore associations between a Tetronic (T1304) and LAP (Laponite) at concentrations of 1–20% (w/w) and 0–3% (w/w), respectively. Response surface methodology (RMS) and two types of machine learning (multilayer perceptron (MLP) and support vector machine (SVM)) were used to evaluate the physical behavior of the systems and the β-Lapachone (β-Lap) solubility in the systems. β-Lap (model drug with low solubility in water) has antiviral, antiparasitic, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. The results show an adequate machine learning approach to predict the physical behavior of nanocarrier systems with and without the presence of LAP. Additionally, the analysis performed with SVM showed better results (R² > 0.97) in terms of data adjustment in the evaluation of β-Lap solubility. Furthermore, this work presents a new methodology for classifying phase behavior using ML. The new methodology allows the creation of a phase behavior surface for different concentrations of T1304 and LAP at different pHs and temperatures. The machine learning strategies used were excellent in assisting in the optimized development of new nano-hybrid platforms. Full article

Many individuals suffer from myopia or hyperopia and astigmatism owing to the refractive defects of the eye optics or because of the use of inappropriate contact lenses. This study dealt with three polymers Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), Poly(Hydroxyl methacrylate) (PHEMA), and Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and doping them with TiO₂ nanoparticles to evaluate the difference between the effect of each lens on the human eye. The TiO₂ NPs were prepared in this work by the sol–gel method to obtain 70–90 nm sized particles. Modulation transfer (MTF) and spot diagram were assessed to measure ocular performance. The PGMA-TiO₂ contact lens provided the highest image quality at the lowest probability (P) of about p < 0.0001 when inserted on an aberrated eye system because of its ability to eliminate the chromatic aberrations created inside the eyes having a smaller spot size. Full article

This work presents the utilization of amphiphilic poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl methacrylate)-co-poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate), P(OEGMA-co-DIPAEMA), hyperbranched (HB) copolymers, forming polymeric aggregates in aqueous media, as building nanocomponents and nanocarriers for the entrapment of magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe₂O₄, MNPs), and the hydrophobic drug curcumin (CUR) in their hydrophobic domains. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) techniques were used to evaluate the multifunctional hybrid nanostructures formed in aqueous media by co-assembly of the components and their solution properties. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) or MNPs/CUR were co-assembled effectively with pre-existing polymer aggregates, leading to well-defined hybrid nanostructures. Magnetophoresis experiments revealed that the hybrid nanostructures retain the magnetic properties of MNPs after their co-assembly with the hyperbranched copolymers. The hybrid nanostructures demonstrate a significant colloidal stability under physiological conditions. Furthermore, MNPs/CUR-loaded aggregates displayed considerable fluorescence as demonstrated by fluorescence spectroscopy. These hybrid nanostructures could be promising candidates for drug delivery and bio-imaging applications. Full article

Labrafil M2125-CS is a non-ionic surfactant component widely used for improving the solubilization of poor water-soluble drugs and as component of lipid-based nanosystem formulation. The aim of this research work was to evaluate in depth the stability of lipid-based nanosystems when exposed at several experimental conditions, such as temperature- and pH-variations, and during a specific storage process—lyophilization. Dynamic light scattering was the main analysis carried out during this research work for investigating eventual physico-chemical variations of nanosystem properties after different storage phases. We demonstrated that many of prepared formulations were able to maintain almost unchanged mean size and polydispersity index values, resisting acid and basic pH or high and low temperature, as well as the freeze-drying process. Finally, the results showed that there are no univocal experimental conditions suitable for the storage of all formulation types, but each sample requires customized conditions. Full article