Search Results (13)

A scalable synthesis of two-dimensional titanium nitride chloride (TiNCl) via flash Joule heating (FJH) using titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) precursor has been developed. This single-step method overcomes traditional synthesis challenges, including high energy consumption, multi-step procedures, and hazardous reagent requirements. The structural and chemical properties of the synthesized TiNCl were characterized through multiple analytical techniques. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the presence of TiNCl phase, while Raman spectroscopy data showed no detectable oxide impurities. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed characteristic Ti–N stretching vibrations, further confirming successful titanium nitride synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging revealed thin, plate-like nanostructures with high electron transparency. These analyses confirmed the formation of highly crystalline TiNCl flakes with nanoscale dimensions and minimal structural defects. The material exhibits excellent structural integrity and phase purity, demonstrating potential for applications in photocatalysis, electronics, and energy storage. This work establishes FJH as a sustainable and scalable approach for producing MXenes with controlled properties, facilitating their integration into emerging technologies. Unlike conventional methods, FJH enables rapid, energy-efficient synthesis while maintaining material quality, providing a viable route for industrial-scale production of two-dimensional materials. Full article

New materials for additive manufacturing are currently being actively studied, which both have the necessary physicochemical properties and are safe for the environment and living organisms. We have proposed a simple process for the production of composite materials based on a transparent polymethyl methacrylate-like photopolymer resin modified with metallic titanium nanoparticles. Standardized plate samples were printed from the obtained modified photopolymer resins using mask stereolithography with an LED light source array (MSLA), and their mechanical properties were evaluated. Plates were also printed, for which the surface topology, distribution of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, chemical structure, optical properties, chemical structure, and optical properties were characterized. In the context of the impact on biological systems, the ability of materials to enhance the formation of ROS and affect the main biomacromolecules was demonstrated. At the same time, the developed composite materials inhibit the growth of E. coli bacterial cells, and the bactericidal effect of the surfaces of the obtained materials was shown. Despite the significant antibacterial properties of the synthesized materials, no negative impact on the growth and development of adhesive cultures of eukaryotic cells in vitro was detected. Full article

(1) Background: In recent years, the increasing emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens in pig farms has begun to pose a severe threat to animal welfare and, by extension, public health. In this study, we aimed to explore the biological characteristics and genomic features of bacteriophages that are capable of lysing porcine multidrug-resistant E. coli, which was isolated from sewage. In doing so, we provided a reference for phage therapies that can be used to treat multidrug-resistant strains. (2) Method: Using the multidrug-resistant E. coli isolate sq-1 as the host bacterium, bacteriophages were isolated and purified from fecal samples using a double-layer agar plate method. The morphology was observed using a transmission electron microscope, and its host range, optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI), one-step growth curve, thermal stability, acid–base tolerance, and in vitro antibacterial ability were tested. Genomic features were analyzed using whole-genome sequencing. (3) Results: A lytic phage named vB_EcoS_Psq-1 (abbreviated as Psq-1) was successfully isolated. Electron microscopy revealed that Psq-1 belongs to the family of long-tailed phages, possessing clear and transparent plaques of approximately 1 mm in diameter. Psq-1 only lyses the host bacterium and does not affect other E. coli strains or other species of bacteria. The optimal MOI for phage Psq-1 was 0.1, with a latent period of 25 min, an exponential growth period of 25 min, and a lysis yield of 44.21 PFU/cell. Its activity remains stable at temperatures between 40 °C and 60 °C and from pH 4.0 to pH 13.0. Psq-1 exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on E. coli in liquid culture medium. The nucleic acid type of phage Psq-1 was dsDNA, with a total genome length of 44,183 bp and a GC content of 52.16%. No known resistance, lysogenic, or virulence-related genes were detected. The whole genome contains 55 open reading frames (ORFs). (4) Conclusions: This study isolated a bacteriophage that is capable of lysing multidrug-resistant E. coli. Characterized by a narrow E. coli lysis range, a long latent period, limited lytic ability, and stable biological properties, this bacteriophage can serve as a reference isolate for E. coli phages and can provide biological materials and data to support research on bacteriophages that are effective against multidrug-resistant porcine E. coli. Full article

Ruxolitinib (RUX) is a potent drug that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and graft-versus-host disease. This study describes the formation of colored charge-transfer complexes (CTCs) of RUX, an electron donor, with chloranilic acid (CLA) and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), the π-electron acceptors. The CTCs were characterized using UV-visible spectrophotometry. The formation of CTCs in methanol was confirmed via formation of new absorption bands with maximum absorption at 530 and 470 nm for CTCs with CLA and DDQ, respectively. The molar absorptivity and other physicochemical and electronic properties of CTCs were determined. The molar ratio was found to be 1:1 for both CTCs with CLA and CTCs with DDQ. The site of interaction on RUX molecules was assigned and the mechanisms of the reactions were postulated. The reactions were employed as basis for the development of a novel green and one-step microwell spectrophotometric method (MW-SPM) for high-throughput quantitation of RUX. Reactions of RUX with CLA and DDQ were carried out in 96-well transparent plates, and the absorbances of the colored CTCs were measured by an absorbance microplate reader. The MW-SPM was validated according to the ICH guidelines. The limits of quantitation were 7.5 and 12.6 µg/mL for the methods involving reactions with CLA and DDQ, respectively. The method was applied with great reliability to the quantitation of RUX content in Jakavi^® tablets and Opzelura^® cream. The greenness of the MW-SPM was assessed by three different metric tools, and the results proved that the method fulfills the requirements of green analytical approaches. In addition, the one-step reactions and simultaneous handling of a large number of samples with micro-volumes using the proposed method enables the high-throughput analysis. In conclusion, this study describes the first MW-SPM, a valuable analytical tool for the quality control of pharmaceutical formulations of RUX. Full article

The purpose of this work was to develop a novel topical formulation of econazole nitrate based on gel that can be easily scaled up in one pot for the potential treatment of fungal and yeast infections. Econazole nitrate, a topical antifungal, is used to treat tinea versicolor, tinea pedis, and tinea cruris. Compared to applying cream or ointment, topical gels offer numerous advantages, one of which is that the drug is released more quickly to the intended site of action. A viscous mixture of propylene glycol, Capmul^® MCM C8, methyl and propyl paraben, and econazole nitrate were mixed together before being formulated into the optimized Carbopol^® gel bases. The gel’s color, appearance, and homogeneity were assessed visually. For every formulation, the drug content, pH, viscosity, spreadability, and gel strength were characterized. The cup plate diffusion method was used to evaluate the anti-fungal activity of the prepared formulations. To assess the behavior of the developed system, studies on in vitro release and mechanism were conducted. The manufactured formulations were transparent, pale yellow, and exhibited excellent homogeneity. The pH of each formulation was roughly 6.0, making them suitable for topical use. The concentration of Carbopol^® 940 resulted in a significant increase in viscosity and gel strength but a significant decrease in spreadability. It was demonstrated that the prepared formulations inhibited the growth of Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus. In contrast, the standard blank gel showed no signs of antifungal action. By increasing the concentration of Carbopol^® 940, the in vitro release profile of econazole nitrate significantly decreased. Following the Korsmeyer–Peppas model fitting, all formulations exhibited n values greater than 0.5 and less than 1, indicating that diffusion and gel swelling control econazole nitrate release. Full article

In order to resist bubble loading, anisotropic composite materials are the development direction of the future. The objective of this paper was to experimentally investigate the hydrodynamic performance of anisotropic laminate composite plates, with a focus on the effect of its anisotropic characteristics on single bubble migration. In these experiments, the bubble was generated in a transparent water tank filled with sufficiently degassed water by Joule heating at the connecting point of the electrodes through the discharge of a 6600 μF charge to 800 V, and a high-speed camera system with a recording speed of 40,000 frames per second was used to record the temporal evolution of bubble patterns and the dynamic responses of the laminated composite plates. The results are presented for two anisotropic cantilever composite beams with different ply angles, namely, 0° and 30°. Several variables, such as the shapes of the bubble, the curved trail of motion of the bubble center, bubble collapse time, and bubble initial standoff distances were extracted from the photographic images. The results showed that bubble migration near the 30° plate presents a curved bubble trail with an evident tilted angle during the collapse and rebound stages, which is very different from bubbles that all move vertically above the 0° plate. Furthermore, a characterization method for bubble migration was proposed to quantitatively describe the curved bubble trails and the deformation of the composite beams in temporal and spatial scales. This method shows that the curved bubble trails near the 30° plate are closely related to the dynamic response of composite beams, with a focus on the bending-twisting coupling effect. Full article

In this study, optically transparent glass fiber-reinforced polymers (tGFRPs) were produced using a thermoset matrix and an E-glass fabric. In situ polymerization was combined with liquid composite molding (LCM) techniques both in a resin transfer molding (RTM) mold and a lite-RTM (L-RTM) setup between two glass plates. The RTM specimens were used for mechanical characterization while the L-RTM samples were used for transmittance measurements. Optimization in terms of the number of glass fabric layers, the overall degree of transparency of the composite, and the mechanical properties was carried out and allowed for the realization of high mechanical strength and high-transparency tGFRPs. An outstanding degree of infiltration was achieved maintaining up to 75% transmittance even when using 29 layers of E-glass fabric, corresponding to 50 v.% fiber, using an L-RTM setup. RTM specimens with 44 v.% fiber yielded a tensile strength of 435.2 ± 17.6 MPa, and an E-Modulus of 24.3 ± 0.7 GPa. Full article

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures are widely used in optical sensors and biosensors. Functionalization of these nanostructures with polymers enables optical properties of ZnO to be tailored. Polydopamine (PDA) is a highly biocompatible polymer, which can be used as a versatile coating suitable for application in sensor and biosensor design. In this research, we have grown ZnO-based nanorods on the surface of ITO-modified glass-plated optically transparent electrodes (glass/ITO). Then the deposition of the PDA polymer layer on the surface of ZnO nanorods was performed from an aqueous PDA solution in such a way glass/ITO/ZnO-PDA structure was formed. The ZnO-PDA composite was characterized by SEM, TEM, and FTIR spectroscopy. Then glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized using crosslinking by glutaraldehyde on the surface of the ZnO-PDA composite, and glass/ITO/ZnO-PDA/GOx-based biosensing structure was designed. This structure was applied for the photo-electrochemical determination of glucose (Glc) in aqueous solutions. Photo-electrochemical determination of glucose by cyclic voltammetry and amperometry has been performed by glass/ITO/ZnO-PDA/GOx-based biosensor. Here reported modification/functionalization of ZnO nanorods with PDA enhances the photo-electrochemical performance of ZnO nanorods, which is well suited for the design of photo-electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Full article

Transparent wood composites (TWCs) are a new class of light-transmitting wood-based materials composed of a delignified wood template that is infiltrated with a refractive- index-matched polymer resin. Recent research has focused primarily on the fabrication and characterization of single-ply TWCs. However, multi-ply composite laminates are of interest due to the mechanical advantages they impart compared to the single ply. In this work, 1- and 2-ply [0°/90°] TWC laminates were fabricated using a delignified wood template (C) and an acetylated delignified wood template (AC). The optical and mechanical properties of resultant C and AC TWC laminates were determined using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and tensile testing (5× replicates), respectively. In addition, the ability of classical lamination plate theory and simple rule of mixtures to predict multi-ply tensile modulus and strength, respectively, from ply-level mechanical properties were investigated and are reported herein. Experimental results highlight tradeoffs that exist between the mechanical and optical responses of both unmodified and chemically modified TWCs. Template acetylation reduced the stiffness and strength in the 0° fiber direction by 2.4 GPa and 58.9 MPa, respectively, compared to the unmodified samples. At high wavelengths of light (>515 nm), AC samples exhibited higher transmittance than the C samples. Above 687 nm, the 2-ply AC sample exhibited a higher transmittance than the 1-ply C sample, indicating that thickness-dependent optical constraints can be overcome with improved interfacial interactions. Finally, both predictive models were successful in predicting the elastic modulus and tensile strength response for the 2-ply C and AC samples. Full article

An interferogram obtained from a transparent plate contains information on the profiles of both surfaces and on the thickness variation. The present work is devoted to the processing of interferograms of this type. The processing technique is based on a 36-step algorithm developed by the authors for characterization of transparent plates having approximately equal reflections from both sides. The algorithm utilizes weighted multi-step phase shifting that enables one not only separately to extract the front and rear surface profiles together with the thickness variation of the tested plate but also to suppress the coupling errors between the higher harmonics and phase-shift deviation. The proposed measuring method was studied on a wavelength tunable Fizeau interferometer. The tested sample had an optical thickness and surface profile deviations equal to 0.51 µm, 1.38 µm and 0.89 µm, respectively. According to the results obtained using 10 repeated measurements, the root mean square (RMS) errors for determining both surface profiles did not exceed 1.5 nm. Experimental results show that the setup and presented 36-step algorithm are suitable for the measurement of a transparent plate of arbitrary thickness. Full article

The luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) is a promising concept for the integration of photovoltaic (PV) generators into the building envelope. Having the form of semitransparent plates, LSCs offer a high degree of flexibility and can be used as windows or facades, as part of the of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) industry. Existing performance characterizations of LSC devices focus almost exclusively on electric power generation. However, when used as window components, the transmitted spectrum can alter the color, potentially affecting the visual comfort of the occupants by altering the properties of the sunlight. In this study, eight different state-of-the-art nanocrystals are evaluated as potential candidates for LSC window luminophores, using Monte Carlo simulations. The transparency of each LSC window varies between 90% and 50%, and the color-rendering properties are assessed with respect to the color rendering index (CRI) and the correlated color temperature (CCT). It is found that luminophores with a wide absorption bandwidth in the visible spectrum can maintain a high CRI value (above 85) and CCT values close to the Planckian locus, even for high luminophore concentrations. In contrast, luminophores that only absorb partly in the visible spectrum suffer from color distortion, a situation characterized by low CCT and CRI values, even at high transmittance. Full article

Thin and transparent Mo₆ cluster films with significant optical properties were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass plates from the suspension of Cs₂Mo₆Br₁₄ cluster precursors dispersed in methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process. Two kinds of polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS); i.e., KF-96L-1.5CS and KF-96L-2CS corresponding to the kinetic viscosity of 1.5 and 2 centistokes, respectively, were selected to topcoat the Mo₆ cluster film after the EPD. The influence of the PDMS on the durability, chemical compatibility and light absorption property of Mo₆ cluster films were characterized by means of field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy. The stabilized PDMS-coated Mo₆ cluster film could be stored for more than 6 months under ambient conditions. Full article

We have reviewed the generation and amplification of wavelength-tunable multicolored femtosecond laser pulses using cascaded four-wave mixing (CFWM) in transparent bulk media, mainly concentrating on our recent work. Theoretical analysis and calculations based on the phase-matching condition could explain well the process semi-quantitatively. The experimental studies showed: (1) as many as fifteen spectral up-shifted and two spectral down-shifted sidebands were obtained simultaneously with spectral bandwidth broader than 1.8 octaves from near ultraviolet (360 nm) to near infrared (1.2 μm); (2) the obtained sidebands were spatially separated well and had extremely high beam quality with M² factor better than 1.1; (3) the wavelengths of the generated multicolor sidebands could be conveniently tuned by changing the crossing angle or simply replacing with different media; (4) as short as 15-fs negatively chirped or nearly transform limited 20-fs multicolored femtosecond pulses were obtained when one of the two input beams was negatively chirped and the other was positively chirped; (5) the pulse energy of the sideband can reach a μJ level with power stability better than 1% RMS; (6) broadband two-dimensional (2-D) multicolored arrays with more than ten periodic columns and more than ten rows were generated in a sapphire plate; (7) the obtained sidebands could be simultaneously spectra broadened and power amplified in another bulk medium by using cross-phase modulation (XPM) in conjunction with four-wave optical parametric amplification (FOPA). The characterization showed that this is interesting and the CFWM sidebands generated by this novel method have good enough qualities in terms of power stability, beam quality, and temporal features suited to various experiments such as ultrafast multicolor time-resolved spectroscopy and multicolor-excitation nonlinear microscopy. Full article