Search Results (379)

Background: The optical losses in the form of reflections, parasitic absorption, and scattering limit photovoltaic efficiency. This review examines plasma-assisted surface engineering as an effective tool for improving light management in solar cells. Plasma-based methods, including etching, oxidation, deposition, and texturing, enable precise control of surface morphology and chemistry, lowering reflectance, enhancing light trapping, and passivating defects. Methods: In contrast to wet-chemical or high-temperature processes, plasma processes are dry, low-temperature, scalable, and can be used with silicon, perovskite, thin-film, and organic solar cells, as well as tandem structures. The fundamentals of optical losses are described, along with the principles of radio-frequency (RF), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), microwave, and atmospheric plasma systems and their distinctive advantages for controlling ion and reactive-species generation. Key applications reviewed include black-silicon texturing by ICP reactive-ion etching (ICP-RIE), anti-reflective/passivation coatings by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and interface activation by atmospheric plasma. Results: Among performance improvements are a reflectance of less than 2%, a photocurrent increase of 10–20%, and longer carrier lifetime. Conclusions: The advantages of plasma compared to lithography and sol–gel processes are in the precision and affordability of the method. The difficulties include damage caused by the processing, uniformity over extensive areas, and environmental stress resistance. Future directions rely on low-temperature plasmas for flexible PV, machine-learning-guided process optimization, and hybrid plasma–laser systems. This synthesis of otherwise fragmented studies is intended to support the implementation of plasma-based methods in next-generation, high-efficiency, and sustainable solar production. Full article

Verifying the as-built conformity of reinforcing stirrups is challenging due to occlusion and noise inherent in 3D laser scans. Addressing the limitations of manual inspection and the data dependency of deep learning, this paper proposes an unsupervised, design-driven workflow for automated quality inspection. We first introduce the pose adjustment step to refine orientation, followed by utilizing the slice-based projection to decompose the complex point cloud into candidate clusters. Subsequently, a greedy detect-and-remove strategy is applied to iteratively extract individual stirrup instances. To evaluate alignment reliability, we develop a soft similarity metric based on probabilistic volumetric overlap. This measure robustly quantifies the geometric consistency between CAD templates and noisy fragments, accommodating partial data loss where traditional methods fail. Comprehensive experiments on real-world and synthetic datasets demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms unsupervised baselines. The framework maintains high robustness even with only 25% of data retained, providing a precise, efficient solution for the digital quality control of precast components. Full article

Traditional bone plates provide reliable fracture fixation; however, their high stiffness can cause stress shielding, thereby reducing mechanical stimulation of the bone tissue and slowing its regeneration. The biomechanical performance of a titanium plate with a localized porous structure for osteosynthesis of the radial shaft was investigated in this study. Three designs were considered: a solid plate and two plates with localized porous regions measuring 10 × 10 mm and 10 × 15 mm. The finite element analysis of the bone–plate system was performed using MSC Patran/Nastran, with rigid fixation of the proximal end of the bone and sequential application of an axial compressive load of 100 N, bending, and torsion with a moment of 1 N·m. Biomechanical performance was evaluated based on von Mises equivalent stress, fragment displacement (FD), interfragmentary movement (IFM), interfragmentary strain (IFS), and strain energy density (SED). To confirm the manufacturability of the design, the plate was fabricated from Ti–6Al–4V alloy using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), and the geometry of the porous structure was verified by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the localized porous structure altered the load distribution between the plate and the bone, resulting in an increase in local stresses in the bone under the investigated loading conditions. These changes indicate an alteration in the mechanical environment within the bone, which may potentially affect conditions related to fracture healing. Among the investigated configurations, the plate with a 10 × 10 mm porous insert demonstrated the most balanced mechanical characteristics in terms of stresses in the implant, stress distribution in the bone, and structural stability. Full article

In femtosecond-laser processing of titania in water, light can induce reduction and oxidation simultaneously. We follow this redox energy partitioning, in this perspective, from colloidal titania synthesis to hot-electron devices. Femtosecond ablation/fragmentation of an aqueous anatase suspension (515 nm, 230 fs, $5\mathsf{\mu }$J, fluence $F\approx 25.5$ J cm⁻²/pulse at clamped intensity ∼${10}^{13}$ W cm⁻²) yields surface-reduced, Ti³⁺-rich bluish TiO_2−x, while the same optical breakdown generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), among them H₂O₂ and HO^• radicals, which compete by re-oxidising Ti³⁺. When the reduced titania is decorated with plasmonic nanoparticles (e.g., Au), an n-type plasmonic photo-electrode is realised: $sp$ hot electrons are injected over the Schottky barrier, while the deep d-band supplies oxidising holes. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) proceeds in stages at potentials well above the formal $1.23$ V via the two-electron peroxide route (∼$1.77$ V) or, for sufficiently energetic holes, via the one-electron HO^• route (∼$2.7$ V). In a biased cell, H₂ evolves on Pt through the adsorbed (H₂⁺)_ad intermediate. The same Au/semiconductor physics on silicon enables sub-band-gap hot-electron photo-detection. Energy-level diagrams (flat-band and in-contact) and the $sp$- vs. d-band origin of the injected carriers are discussed. Full article

As global photovoltaic (PV) installation capacity grows rapidly, the environmental pollution and resource waste from the large-scale end-of-life (EOL) wave have drawn increasing attention. Traditional disposal methods such as landfilling and incineration are no longer viable, making green recycling a logical path for the PV industry. This paper reviews recent progress in the disassembly and recycling of EOL crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV modules. It first describes the structural material composition of c-Si PV modules and summarizes global recycling policies and regulatory frameworks. It then analyzes the mechanisms and process parameters of major delamination technologies, including mechanical crushing, pyrolysis, thermal cutting, high-voltage pulse fragmentation, solvent-based approaches, and laser peeling. Methods for purifying silicon and recovering precious metals such as silver and copper are also covered. Finally, key challenges in the recycling field and future development trends are discussed, with the aim of supporting the advancement of c-Si PV recycling technologies and the sustainable development of related industrial chains. Full article

Microplastics (MPs) have been reported in commercial beverages, but substantial differences in study design make direct comparisons difficult. This non-systematic, focused narrative review critically synthesizes a purposively selected core set of 17 particle-count studies published from 2020 to 2026 on soft drinks, beer, wine, tea, coffee, juices, energy drinks, and related beverages, while considering recent complementary thermal-analysis evidence. Data were compared for study location, beverage type, analytical method, abundance, particle size, morphology, color, polymer composition, and packaging. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-based methods were most common; Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and laser direct infrared imaging were used in selected studies. Reported soft-drink concentrations ranged from approximately 0.30 particles/L to 166 ± 62 particles/100 mL (1660 ± 620 particles/L), but these values cannot support a geographic ranking because minimum particle-size thresholds, confirmation criteria, blank corrections, sample volumes, and reporting units differed. Fibers and fragments were the dominant morphologies, and polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide were frequently identified. Findings from beverages packaged in glass and aluminum, as well as plastic, indicate that source water, ingredients, processing equipment, filtration, closures, ambient deposition, and packaging can all contribute. Current intake estimates describe potential particle ingestion rather than absorbed dose or toxicological impact. Because current data largely reflect analytical sensitivity rather than true contamination gradients, this review demonstrates that reliable cross-study exposure assessments currently remain associated with considerable uncertainty, and this uncertainty will be difficult to resolve until particle-count data are normalized to harmonized size thresholds and paired with mass-based thermal analyses. Full article

Digital technologies have significantly advanced documentation, management, and dissemination of Cultural Heritage (CH) through reality capture, Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM), and Extended Reality (XR). However, the digitisation of large and historically stratified heritage sites still relies on fragmented workflows that compromise interoperability and interrupt the continuity of geometric and semantic information throughout the heritage lifecycle. This paper proposes and validates a platform-independent, ecosystem-based methodology integrating multi-scale reality capture, hybrid Scan-to-HBIM modelling, semantic information management, interoperability, and XR within a continuous digital workflow. The methodology was validated through the large-scale digitisation of the Certosa di Pavia, where more than 1500 terrestrial laser scans, over 200,000 photographs, and approximately 50 billion points were acquired across a monumental complex covering nearly 331,000 m². The proposed framework reconstructs irregular architectural geometries with millimetre-scale accuracy (σ = 0.005 m) while preserving geometric reliability, semantic consistency, and information traceability across point-cloud processing, HBIM environments, Common Data Environments (CDEs), and XR applications. The results demonstrate that the effective digitisation of complex CH depends not only on the accuracy of individual technologies but also on their coordinated integration within interoperable digital ecosystems. The proposed methodology provides a transferable framework for preserving knowledge continuity throughout the heritage lifecycle, enabling HBIM to evolve from a geometric representation into a dynamic knowledge environment supporting conservation, management, research, education, and public dissemination. Full article

When LiDAR detects underwater targets, the water severely attenuates the laser beams, making it impossible to extract valid echo information during 3D reconstruction of urban water bodies. This study proposes a Multi-Scale Spectral Adaptive Loss Generative Adversarial Network Based on Morphology-Spatiotemporal Decoupled Attention (MSAGAN) that effectively enhances far-field underwater echo signals for LiDAR. Its core components consist of three parts: Morphology-Aware Dynamic Receptive Field Attention (MADRA), Spatial-Temporal Decoupled Frequency-Enhanced Global Feature Fusion Block (STDFBlock), and Adaptive Dynamic Adjustment Loss Function Based on Frequency-Domain Decomposition and Gradient Response (FGADLoss). The model precisely identifies the narrow and curved local structures of the echo signals during the feature extraction process, improving the precise detection of subtle structural changes in the echo signals and enabling the extraction of valid echo signal features from a background of numerous invalid echo signals. The model reduces image fragmentation and center-of-mass drift during echo signal augmentation, improving the accuracy of water body environments’ 3D reconstruction. Through this model, the average point cloud density per square meter for lakes and ponds increased by 2.12 and 3.54, respectively, enabling effective reconstruction of urban water bodies information and offering a high-quality data basis for underwater object recognition and bathymetric surveying. Furthermore, this method effectively addresses the challenge of simultaneously obtaining degraded and ideal streak images that match the echo signals of underwater detection targets, and it also offers advantages in terms of training data requirements, making it particularly well-suited for real-world underwater detection scenarios where paired ideal-degraded data is scarce. Full article

MP contamination in drinking water is an emerging public health concern, yet standardized analytical workflows and exposure assessments remain limited and fragmented. This study provides an exploratory assessment of MP exposure through drinking water, combining particle-resolved analysis with consumption-based estimates. Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) spectroscopy was applied within the analytical workflow to characterize MPs across different drinking water supply types. Ten drinking-water samples (five bottled, two tap, two public dispensers, and one office dispenser) were analyzed within a 10–500 µm size window, and particle-resolved results were combined with a consumption survey to support preliminary exposure estimates. MPs in the 10–150 µm range were detected in six of ten samples, while tap waters and all blanks were particle-free, supporting analytical robustness. Bottled waters showed the highest MP abundances (6–148 particles L⁻¹) and mass concentrations (0.03–22.4 µg L⁻¹). Particle-size distributions were right-skewed and dominated by particles ≤ 30 µm. PET, PU, PA, and ABS predominated, consistent with packaging and dispensing origins. EDI estimates for bottled-water consumers ranged from 0.1008 to 0.3023 µg kg-bw⁻¹ day⁻¹ across three consumption scenarios (1–3 L day⁻¹). Despite the limited sample size, the results support LDIR for source discrimination and exposure screening, providing a basis for future research. Full article

Breast cancer remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Highly invasive HER2-positive breast cancer carries a high risk of metastasis and poses a significant therapeutic challenge. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) may be an option for patients with this severe diagnosis. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of BNCT with elemental boron nanoparticles obtained by laser fragmentation and coated Silane-PEG-COOH and conjugated with the Affibody _ZHER2:342 guide protein (BPs) against the HER2-positive breast cancer. The MTT assay after BNCT with BPs revealed an almost twofold reduction in surviving BT-474 tumor cells compared to the control group. The results of the clonogenic test showed totally death of BT-474 cells after BNCT with BPs at a concentration of 40 μg/mL in the culture medium. The same results was found for in vivo. In female SCID mice bearing BT-474 breast tumor xenografts, BNCT with intratumoral injection of BPs at a dose of 60 mg/kg led to a significant slowdown in xenograft growth beginning on the 17th day compared with control animals and the 39th day compared with irradiated females. A single intratumoral administration of BPs at a dose of 60 mg/kg did not show toxic effects. Histological examinations did not reveal systemic accumulation of the studied BPs in major organs; instead BPs was selectively retained within the xenografts and surrounding tissues. Thus, laser fragmented functionalized with Silane-PEG-COOH and the Affibody _ZHER2:342 (BPs B-PEG-AFF) represent a promising platform for boron delivery in targeted BNCT applications. Full article

The influence of hydrogenation, mechanical milling, and dehydrogenation parameters on the structure and properties of titanium powders produced from titanium sponge via the hydride–dehydride (HDH) process was investigated. The aim of the study was to compare representative HDH processing routes and identify the processing route that provided the most favorable structural characteristics for subsequent mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy applications. Commercially pure Grade 0 titanium sponge was used as the starting material and was subjected to hydrogenation at temperatures ranging from 350 to 650 °C, short-duration mechanical milling in an argon atmosphere, and vacuum dehydrogenation at temperatures between 750 and 950 °C. The resulting powders were characterized using laser particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that increasing the hydrogenation temperature promoted the formation of the TiH₂ hydride phase and enhanced powder fragmentation during subsequent mechanical milling. XRD analysis demonstrated effective dehydrogenation, as evidenced by the disappearance of detectable TiH₂ reflections and the restoration of the α-titanium phase within the detection limits of the technique. Qualitative SEM observations indicated that the investigated HDH processing routes influenced particle morphology and agglomeration behavior, whereas EDS analysis demonstrated a relatively uniform distribution of the detected elements without revealing detectable contamination within the analyzed regions. Mechanical alloying of the selected powders with aluminum and vanadium showed that, among the investigated processing routes, the H2–M2–D2 condition provided the most favorable combination of particle size distribution, phase composition, morphology, and elemental distribution for the production of a mechanically alloyed Ti–Al–V powder mixture. Full article

This paper investigates the spectral properties of colloidally ordered systems formed from 100 nm nanodiamonds (NDs) synthesized using the high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) method. Despite the polydispersity and irregular shape of the particles, aqueous ND suspensions can colloidally order via repeated centrifugation-induced sedimentation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first spectroscopic study of such ordered ND systems. In our study, we obtained colloidally ordered ND structures, evidenced by the formation of rainbow-colored layers in the centrifuge tubes. Fragments extracted from these layers were subjected to microscopic and spectroscopic characterization. Spectroscopic measurements with 488 nm wavelength laser reveal modulated emission in a narrower spectral range, lying within the characteristic broad emission band of NDs and indicating the formation of ordered structures with a characteristic micrometer scale. In view of the intrinsic luminescence of NDs, we propose that these structures are best regarded as analogous to colloidal photonic crystals with intrinsic luminescence. This concept can significantly extend the functionality of ND-based materials and offers new opportunities for fundamental optical studies and practical photonic applications. Full article

Detection of nanoplastics in drinking-water systems is only the first analytical step toward exposure interpretation; the next challenge is source attribution. This review examines molecular fingerprinting and transformation pathways that can link nanoscale polymer signals to source waters, drinking-water treatment, distribution infrastructure, packaging materials, laboratory background, or aging processes across the potable-water chain. Nanoplastics are treated here as operationally defined particles below 1 µm, including intentionally manufactured primary nanoplastics and secondary nanoplastics generated by fragmentation, abrasion, weathering, treatment, storage, or packaging stress. The synthesis evaluates how polymer identity, particle morphology, surface oxidation, additive and oligomer profiles, thermal degradation markers, matrix context, and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) can be combined into defensible source assignments. Analytical platforms considered include surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), atomic force microscopy–infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR), stimulated Raman scattering microscopy (SRS), pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation coupled to Py-GC/MS (AF4-Py-GC/MS), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and chemometric workflows. The central conclusion is that source attribution cannot be inferred from polymer identity alone; robust interpretation requires convergent evidence from particle-level chemistry, polymer-specific mass, additive or marker-ion signatures, aging state, blanks, recovery, and contextual sampling design. Full article

End-of-life photovoltaic modules represent a complex waste stream in which polyolefin elastomer (POE) encapsulants are increasingly important but insufficiently characterized after recovery. This study evaluates the structural, morphological and thermal state of POE-rich encapsulant residues obtained from laser-treated fragments of a crystalline-silicon photovoltaic module after approximately five years of field operation, focusing on material quality rather than process optimization. Reference POE and representative polymer-rich residues were examined by FTIR-ATR, TGA/DTG under nitrogen and SEM/EDS. FTIR-ATR showed characteristic polyolefin bands at approximately 2915–2847, 1463 and 718–719 cm⁻¹ in both reference POE and treated residues, indicating retention of the hydrocarbon backbone. Treated residues exhibited additional features in the 1800–1500 and 1100–1000 cm⁻¹ regions, attributed to oxygen-containing surface species and interfacial glass/silicon contributions. TGA/DTG revealed a similar main decomposition range for the POE-rich residues, with DTG peaks mainly between 471.5 and 474.3 °C, while residual mass varied from 1.94 to 23.03%, compared with 0.04% for reference POE. SEM/EDS confirmed heterogeneous surfaces and local silicon/oxygen-rich particles attached to or embedded in the polymer-rich residues. The results show that POE-rich waste fractions can preserve the main polyolefin structure, but their valorization requires control of inorganic contamination, especially for cut, cracked or mechanically damaged modules. Full article

The article investigates the role of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), surface-oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and few-layer graphene fragments (FGFs), as well as FGFs hetero-doped with N and P atoms, as anticorrosive additives in industrial paints based on polyvinyl chloride. All CNMs were characterized by thermogravimetry, transmission electron microscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Corrosion resistance was determined using electrochemical tests and impedance spectroscopy. The surface and internal 3D structure of steel and coated steel were visualized using laser confocal microscopy and computed tomography. Coatings containing polyvinyl chloride with 0.05 wt% oxidized CNTs or FGFs show the highest electrochemical resistance and the best anticorrosive properties. The corrosion rate for coatings containing CNMs decreases by an average of 5–7 times compared to uncoated steel. It is shown that the improvement in anticorrosive characteristics is determined by the texture parameters and the composition of CNMs. The pores in CNMs act as a reservoir for the electrolyte and increase the corrosion rate. Oxygen-containing surface groups prevent corrosion by increasing the resistance of the materials. Full article