Search Results (4,653)

Environmentally released carbon nanomaterials can alter polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) attenuation in agricultural soils, yet how their properties influence biodegradation in association with contaminant bioavailability and indigenous microbial responses remains unclear. This study compared nano-biochar (NBC), pristine and hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs; 4–6 nm and >50 nm) in phenanthrene-contaminated soil, using raw biochar (RBC) as parent reference material. NBC showed the strongest promotion, reaching 68.17% biodegradation at 60 d and a maximum rate of 3.00 mg/kg/d, compared with 58.31% and 2.00 mg/kg/d in the unamended phenanthrene-spiked control. RBC exerted a weaker positive effect, suggesting biochar nanosizing favored biodegradation, accompanied by moderate bioavailability reduction and stimulation of microbial abundance, enzyme activity and diversity. In contrast, MWCNTs inhibited biodegradation, with reduced β-HPCD-extractable phenanthrene, suppressed polyphenol oxidase activity and more pronounced community shifts, while higher abundance of PAH-degradation gene nidA did not correspond to enhanced biodegradation. Pristine MWCNTs showed the lowest initial β-HPCD-extractable phenanthrene and biodegradation rates, whereas small-diameter MWCNTs most strongly limited final biodegradation extent, consistent with greater surface reactivity and intensified cell-contact stress. Hydroxylated MWCNTs exhibited weaker inhibition than pristine counterparts. These findings highlight the importance of material properties in shaping PAH fate and microbial ecology in agricultural soils. Full article

The physiological and functional responses of maize seedlings imbibed with zinc sulfate, commercial zinc oxide nanoparticles, and nanoparticles synthesized with Moringa oleífera, at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 ppm, were evaluated. Vigor percentage, germination, abnormal seedlings, ungerminated seeds, plumule length and radicle length, dry plumule weight, and dry radicle weight were determined. In addition, phenolic concentration, antioxidant activity, and enzymatic activity were determined. ZnO NPs showed the highest %V and %G values (68.23% and 77.34%). ZnSO₄ limited plumule (19.30%) and radicle (23.95%) development as concentrations increased. The highest dry weight of plumule was obtained using ZnO M-NPs (42.99 mg), ZnSO₄ (48.92 mg), and ZnO NPs (51.89 mg) at 5 ppm, compared to the control (38.43 mg). ZnO M-NPs increased the content of free phenolics (9.26%) in the plumule, and ZnO NPs induced the highest accumulation of phenolics in the radicle (17.77%). Both NPs showed higher antioxidant capacity by the FRAP and ABTS methods in relation to control. ZnO M-NPs showed lower CAT activity in the plumule and radicle (1.06 and 1.39 U/g of FW at 5 and 25 ppm, respectively). ZnO NPs showed higher CAT activity in the plumule (3.85 U/g of FW at 5 ppm) and higher Apx activity in the radicle (6.15 U/g of FW at 20 ppm). The physiological and functional responses of maize seedlings depended on both the Zn source and concentration. Full article

Accurate and efficient rice pest detection is paramount for ensuring food security and enhancing agricultural production efficiency. Traditional manual pest monitoring methods fall short of meeting the precision and efficiency demands of modern agriculture. To address the challenge of deploying high-precision object detection models on resource-constrained edge devices, we propose an efficient, lightweight rice pest detection model, termed PestEdgeFeatureFusion-Net (PEFF-Net), and implement a comprehensive edge-side offline intelligent monitoring system. PEFF-Net integrates Edge Feature Extraction Stem (EFStem), the Edge Semantic Fusion Module (ESF), and the Lightweight Cross-layer Feature Fusion Output Module (LCFO). By streamlining deep feature maps and strengthening edge feature perception, the model significantly reduces parameter overhead while enhancing multi-scale feature fusion capabilities. Experimental results demonstrate that on the Z-RP12 dataset containing 5000 images, PEFF-Net has 2.12 M parameters and achieves a ${\mathrm{m}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{P}}_{0.5}$ of 90.6%, providing a favorable balance between detection accuracy and model compactness. We employ the Jetson Orin Nano Super 8 GB as the core hardware platform and leverage TensorRT for INT8 quantization acceleration. The optimized model achieves 31 FPS with a mean latency of approximately 32.1 ms on the Jetson Orin Nano Super 8 GB. An independent cross-camera field evaluation further supports the feasibility of the proposed edge-side detection system under the tested conditions. Full article

Cyanobacteria are promising platforms for bioenergy, carbon sequestration, and bioproduct synthesis, but their photosynthetic efficiency is limited by suboptimal light utilization, electron transport constraints, and environmental stress. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (n-TiO₂) have emerged as powerful photocatalytic materials that can enhance light absorption, modulate electron transport, and influence the redox balance in biological systems. This review advances the concept of photocatalytic-biological coupling, in which n-TiO₂ functions as artificial light amplifiers that augment cyanobacterial photosynthesis. Current evidence on the physicochemical properties of n-TiO₂, their interactions with cyanobacterial cells, and their effects on photosystems, electron transport chains, and downstream metabolic processes is examined. Particular emphasis is placed on the integration of photophysical and biological mechanisms, including reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated signaling, proton motive force (PMF) enhancement, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. Emerging approaches, including nano–bio interface engineering, environmental biotechnology applications, and artificial intelligence-guided optimization, are highlighted. By bridging photophysics, cellular bioenergetics, and computational design within a unified mechanistic framework, this review establishes the scientific foundation needed to translate photocatalytic–biological coupling into scalable and biotechnologically deployable nano-enabled photosynthetic systems. Full article

Aberrant cell-surface sialylation is widely associated with cancer progression and provides an accessible molecular feature for biosensing and targeted delivery. However, engineering molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) that combine selective sialic acid (SA) recognition with controlled degradability and cytocompatibility remains challenging. In this study, a simulation-guided strategy was used to develop hydrolytically degradable SA-imprinted nanoMIPs incorporating a functionalized lactose-based crosslinker with cleavable ester linkages. Molecular docking and quantum-chemical calculations identified N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), acrylamide (AAm), and N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAA) as complementary functional monomers and established an optimized SA:NIPAM:AAm:HEAA molar ratio of 1:1:2:1. The resulting nanoMIPs were spherical and nanoscale and exhibited pH-dependent hydrolytic mass loss that was more pronounced under mildly acidic conditions than at physiological pH. Compared with non-imprinted nanoparticles, the nanoMIPs displayed substantially enhanced SA binding, with a maximum binding capacity of 89.38 μmol g⁻¹ and an imprinting factor of approximately 4.2, together with preferential recognition of SA over the selected competing molecules. MTT assays using MCF-7, HeLa, and HaCaT cells showed cell viability above 80% after 24 h exposure to 500 μg mL⁻¹, indicating favorable short-term cytocompatibility. By integrating computationally optimized, multicomponent SA recognition with a carbohydrate-derived, hydrolytically degradable crosslinking strategy, this work addresses the coupled requirements of binding-site fidelity and material degradability within a single nanoMIP platform. These findings establish a materials-level foundation for future SA-directed biosensing and targeted delivery systems in cancer-relevant applications. Full article

To investigate the synergistic effects and underlying mechanisms of nano-CaCO₃ (NCC) and polypropylene fibers (PPF) on the static and dynamic mechanical properties of concrete, this study systematically examines hybrid-modified concrete with varying additive contents. Compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical responses under quasi-static and high-strain-rate impact loadings. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to elucidate the multi-scale synergistic enhancement mechanisms. The results indicate that hybrid modification significantly improves both static and dynamic performance. Specifically, the optimal hybrid proportion was identified as 1.5% NCC and 1.5 kg/m³ PPF. Under static conditions, this combined addition effectively increases compressive strength by 51.56% and enhances splitting tensile strength while also substantially improving material toughness. Under dynamic impact conditions, dynamic compressive strength is notably elevated by 62.47%, demonstrating a pronounced strain-rate strengthening effect. Microstructural analyses confirm the presence of a nano-densification and macro-crack bridging mechanism, wherein NCC chemically accelerates hydration and optimizes the cementitious matrix, thereby strengthening the fiber-matrix interfacial transition zone (ITZ). This robust ITZ maximizes the physical crack-bridging and energy dissipation capacities of the PPF network. Ultimately, this study provides critical experimental evidence and theoretical guidance for designing high-performance, impact-resistant concrete composites. Full article

To address cathode passivation, performance deterioration, and toxic stress during the removal of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in biocathode microbial fuel cells (MFCs), this study constructed nanomaterial-hybridized biocathodes to improve electricity generation and Cr(VI) removal in MFCs. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO), nano-iron sulfide (nano-FeS), and rGO/nano-FeS were separately hybridized with biocathodes to systematically investigate the effects of different hybridized biocathodes on the performance of MFCs for Cr(VI)-containing wastewater treatment. The results showed that the FeS group exhibited the best Cr(VI) removal capability, with a maximum removal kinetic constant of 0.184 h⁻¹, which was 3.60 times that of the Control group, and showed the smallest performance decline after three consecutive cycles. Mechanistic analysis indicated that nano-FeS promoted the transformation of Cr(VI) into Cr(III) and Cr(0) through its strong adsorption and reducing capacities; it also enhanced biofilm cell activity and the protein/polysaccharide ratio in extracellular polymeric substances; furthermore, it shaped a multi-taxon-dominated microbial community capable of Cr(VI) tolerance and reduction and enhanced the associated metabolic functions, thereby improving resistance to Cr(VI) stress and effectively alleviating cathode passivation. In contrast, rGO tended to enhance biocathode conductivity and electricity generation in MFCs, with the rGO + FeS group achieving the highest power density output of 51.54 ± 3.62 mW/m², which was 1.22 times that of the Control group, as well as the smallest decline in power density after three consecutive cycles. Overall, nanomaterial hybridization reshaped interfacial electron transfer and microbial stress resistance in biocathodes, enabling efficient Cr(VI) removal and stable electricity generation, and providing a new strategy to construct long-term stable bioelectrochemical systems for heavy metal-containing wastewater treatment. Full article

In this study, rapid-hardening sulfoaluminate cement (SAC) was used as cementitious material, and recycled fine aggregates (RFAs) were surface pretreated by immersion in nano-SiO₂ (NS) suspensions. NS-modified SAC recycled fine aggregate mortars were prepared at three cement–sand ratios (1:1, 1:2 and 1:3) to systematically investigate the regulatory effects of NS concentrations (0%, 1%, 2% and 3%) on macroscopic performance, hydration products and interfacial microstructure. Multi-scale characterizations, including XRD, TG-DTG, SEM-EDS and microhardness tests, were carried out. The testing results show that appropriate NS can optimize SAC hydration by heterogeneous nucleation and the pozzolanic reaction. At a cement–sand ratio of 1:1, the compressive and flexural strengths gradually increase as the NS concentration rises from 0% to 2%. Compared with the control group, the 28 d compressive and flexural strength are enhanced by 19.5% and 16.6%, respectively, the drying shrinkage decreases by 8.0%, and carbonation resistance is obviously improved. Meanwhile, the formation of AFt is promoted, amorphous C-S-H gel accumulates continuously, and the content of Ca(OH)₂ is gradually consumed by the pozzolanic reaction of NS. For specimens modified with 2% NS, the maximum microhardness reaches 1326 HV, which greatly benefits the mechanical properties of mortar. However, further increasing the NS concentration to 3% triggers nanoparticle agglomeration and reduces effective reactive silica, leading to a decline in hydration products, deteriorated interfacial compactness and reduced mechanical performance. Therefore, 2% can be determined as the optimal NS concentration which can provide a theoretical basis for high-value resource recycling of recycled fine aggregates in SAC mortar. Full article

Flexible pressure sensors serve as core sensing components for wearable health monitoring systems, electronic skins for soft robots, and flexible human–machine interaction devices. Benefiting from the interfacial electric double-layer polarization effect, iontronic sensing delivers far higher pressure response sensitivity than conventional parallel-plate capacitive sensors, endowing it with distinctive advantages in the detection of weak physiological signals. Nevertheless, current dense ionic thin-film dielectric layers suffer from limited deformation space under compression and poor low-pressure sensing capability. Mainstream high-precision micropillar arrays are fabricated via photolithography, 3D printing, and metal etching molds, which require costly equipment and complicated fabrication procedures, making large-area mass production unfeasible. Random frosted concave-convex microstructures feature disordered dimensions, leading to severe device hysteresis and narrow linear ranges, which fail to achieve ultrahigh sensitivity alongside a wide pressure detection range simultaneously. To address the aforementioned multiple bottlenecks, this paper proposes a low-cost resin template replication process to fabricate TPU-based ionic thin-film dielectric layers with ordered micropillar array microstructures. Combined with inkjet-printed silver conductive PI flexible electrodes, an iontronic flexible pressure sensor with a sandwich layered structure is constructed. Multi-dimensional investigations including microscopic morphology characterization, electromechanical sensing performance calibration, and human wearable application tests are systematically implemented to thoroughly elucidate the synergistic enhancement mechanism of the arrayed micropillars. Test results demonstrate that the effective pressure detection range of the sensor spans 0–1038 kPa, accommodating ultra-low pressures such as pulse signals as well as medium-to-high-pressure loads including joint bending. The sensitivity reaches 23.27 kPa⁻¹ within the low-pressure range of 0–200 kPa and remains stable at 3.52 kPa⁻¹ in the high-pressure range of 200–1038 kPa, with piecewise linear fitting correlation coefficients of 0.93 and 0.96 respectively. Both the response time and recovery time of the device are 40 ms, and the hysteresis error throughout the loading-unloading cycle is merely 2.62%. After 20,000 consecutive cyclic loading-unloading tests, the peak capacitance output only decays by 5.1%, verifying outstanding mechanical fatigue resistance and electrical stability. Validations in multi-scenario applications prove that the sensor can accurately capture human physiological and motion signals including radial artery pulses, laryngeal deformation induced by multi-syllable vocalization, and multi-angle bending of fingers and elbow joints, suitable for home-based health monitoring, quantitative rehabilitation training, flexible tactile interaction and other scenarios. The entire fabrication process eliminates high-precision micro-nano processing equipment such as photolithography systems, plasma etchers and 3D printers; only general chemical raw materials and conventional laboratory instruments are adopted. The reusable templates enable low manufacturing costs and large-area coating forming, offering a novel low-cost technical solution for the engineering implementation and industrialization of high-performance iontronic flexible pressure sensors. Full article

Superhydrophobic SiO₂ nanofibers were deposited on copper foam substrates via micro/nano surface modification to improve the pool boiling heat transfer performance of porous copper media. By adopting an electrospinning technique, uniform and robust superhydrophobic SiO₂ nanofibers were firmly deposited on copper foam skeletons, forming interconnected porous structures with intrinsic superhydrophobic characteristics. The fabricated superhydrophobic nanofiber structures greatly reduce bubble nucleation resistance and provide sufficient stable vaporization sites, effectively promoting boiling heat transfer enhancement. Experimental results verify that surface modification with superhydrophobic SiO₂ nanofibers significantly improves the overall boiling performance of copper foam. The sample with a nanofiber loading of 1.8 mg achieves the optimal thermal performance, presenting lower wall superheat, higher critical heat flux, and an improved heat transfer coefficient. CFD simulations were conducted, and the numerical results exhibit good consistency with experimental measurements. Full article

Eco-friendly lubricant manufacturing focuses on using biodegradable, renewable base oils, such as waste oil, and green-synthesized nanomaterials, such as agricultural residue-based nanoparticles, in order to replace conventional toxic lubricants with biodegradable alternatives and reduce environmental impact. These nanolubricants are produced through low-energy methods like mechanical, microwave, or chemical-free synthesis that can result in improvement in their performance. The produced lubricants exhibit enhanced tribological properties, including reduced friction and wear. Several formulations also raise the thermal degradation onset above that of their mineral benchmarks, although oxidative stability remains the weakest property of bio-based systems. This approach addresses industrial demands for sustainable, cost-effective, and environmentally compliant lubrication technologies. Our study reviews sustainable, eco-friendly synthesis methods for producing high-performance nanolubricants from different waste oils, including cooking and mineral oils. In addition to the incorporation of residue-based nanoparticles (e.g., eggshell) in waste oils, the performance and properties of bio-based lubricants with engineered nanoparticles, such as metal nano-oxides and carbon-based nanomaterials, are also reviewed for comparison purposes. Within bio-based fluids at moderate contact severity, residue-derived additives are found to match their engineered counterparts in terms of friction and wear, while engineered two-dimensional lamellar additives retain an advantage under extreme-pressure conditions where residue-derived particles have not yet been evaluated. Neither class has been assessed by life cycle or biodegradation testing as a finished formulation. Full article

Rolling bearings are critical components in rotating machinery, and their failures may cause unexpected downtime and safety risks. However, conventional deep diagnostic models are often difficult to deploy on resource-constrained edge devices because of their high computational cost and memory consumption. This paper proposes a lightweight time–frequency attention network (LTFANet) for multi-fault diagnosis of rolling bearings on an edge platform. The proposed model directly processes one-dimensional vibration signals and employs multi-scale depthwise separable convolutions to capture impact and periodic fault features with low computational complexity. A lightweight frequency branch is introduced to enhance fault-frequency representation, while an efficient channel attention module adaptively emphasizes fault-sensitive features. Moreover, a severity-aware multi-task extension is introduced to jointly identify the fault location and degradation level. To further improve edge inference efficiency, knowledge distillation, structured pruning, and TensorRT-based acceleration are integrated into the deployment pipeline. Experiments on CWRU-10 and Paderborn achieve 97.20% and 90.25% accuracy, respectively, while LTFANet contains only 0.020 M parameters and requires 0.610 M FLOPs. Knowledge distillation increases the CWRU-10 accuracy to 98.50%, and the severity-aware extension achieves 95.18% severity accuracy. On the NVIDIA Jetson Nano, the pruned TensorRT FP16 implementation achieves an average inference latency of 0.520 ms and a throughput of 1923.08 samples/s. The framework provides an effective solution for real-time and low-cost bearing condition monitoring at the edge. Full article

Gene delivery to target cells is required for bioengineering or medical/agricultural applications. However, the hydrophobicity of the cell membrane always makes it resistant to polar nucleic acids. This physicochemical barrier is usually overcome by a nano-formulation to hide the polarity. This study evaluated a specific formulation called star polycation (SPc) regarding its efficacy in DNA/RNA delivery to insect cells. The delivery efficiency of the SPc formulation was assessed by transient expression of green fluorescence protein (GFP) in Sf9 cells, in which SPc formulation significantly enhanced the gene expression compared with an unformulated vector. In vivo transient expression (IVTE) was performed by injection of the expression construct with the SPc formulation into larvae of S. exigua. Fluorescence was detected in all four tissues, namely, epidermis, midgut, hemocyte, and fat body, where the SPc formulation enhanced the expression in most tissues except epidermis. Under this IVTE condition, an additional injection of SPc-formulated dsRNA specific to GFP suppressed the gene expression significantly more than the unformulated vector. The enhanced RNA interference (RNAi) efficiency caused by the SPc formulation was confirmed against four endogenous genes of S. exigua, namely, Snf7, PSMB5, vATPase, and α-tubulin, by either injection or feeding of dsRNA. These RNAi treatments were lethal to S. exigua, in which dsRNA specific to vATPase formulated with SPc resulted in almost 80% mortality through oral delivery. A similar oral toxicity by SPc-formulated dsRNA was demonstrated in another lepidopteran Plutella xylostella. The oral delivery of dsRNA was applied to control sucking insects such as aphids and thrips by spraying SPc-formulated dsRNA onto plant surfaces. The sprayed dsRNA labeled with Cy3 fluorescence was detected in the internal tissues of plant leaves, in which the penetration of dsRNA into the plant tissues was further accelerated by SPc formulation. The SPc formulation of dsRNA specific to vATPase was effective at killing the sucking insects by spraying on plant surfaces. These results suggest the application of an SPc formulation to deliver DNA/RNA to insect cells. Full article

Biochar has traditionally been investigated as a soil amendment for improving fertility, carbon sequestration, and nutrient retention. However, recent advances in fine milling, colloidal stabilization, and nanotechnology have enabled the development of biochar-derived materials for foliar application. Unlike conventional soil application, foliar delivery enables direct interaction with leaf tissues, potentially providing faster physiological responses, improved resource-use efficiency, and complementary functions to existing plant biostimulants. This review critically evaluates the scientific basis, agronomic performance, and regulatory implications of foliar biochar applications across diverse crop systems. We synthesize and compare major formulation types, including finely milled suspensions, aqueous extracts, nano-biochar dispersions, and biochar-based composite carriers, based on their formulation characteristics, application methods, and reported biological effects. Across multiple crops, foliar biochar has been associated with enhanced chlorophyll content, improved gas exchange, strengthened antioxidant systems, better osmotic adjustment, and increased nutrient uptake, particularly under abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought, and heat. Mechanistically, these responses are linked to surface deposition effects, redox-active functional groups, modulation of leaf microclimate, and delivery of soluble bioactive compounds. Nevertheless, outcomes remain highly context-dependent, influenced by feedstock origin, pyrolysis conditions, particle size, formulation chemistry, dose, and crop species. Potential risks including phytotoxicity, nanoparticle exposure, environmental fate, and regulatory ambiguity especially for nano-scale formulations pose additional challenges for large-scale adoption. By integrating physiological, agronomic, environmental, and legislative perspectives, this review also highlights key barriers to commercialization, including formulation stability, limited field-scale validation, environmental safety, and regulatory uncertainty, while identifying research priorities needed to determine whether foliar biochar can become a scalable and scientifically validated biostimulant for sustainable agriculture. Full article

Red mud (RM), a highly alkaline by-product of the alumina refining process, poses significant environmental challenges due to its large-scale accumulation. This study systematically investigates the mechanical performance, thermal resistance, and durability of RM-based cement mortar, evaluating the individual effects of fly ash (FA), basalt fibers (BF), and nano zinc oxide (NZO) as separate modifying constituents introduced independently into the RM matrix. Fourteen mortar mixtures were prepared with RM replacement levels of 10–35%, a constant FA content of 15%, BF dosages of 0.5–1.5%, and NZO dosages of 0.5–2.0%. Workability, 28-day compressive and flexural strengths, residual mechanical properties after exposure to 600 °C and 800 °C, sulfate resistance, and microstructural characteristics were evaluated. Increasing RM content reduced workability and mechanical strength, with compressive and flexural reductions reaching 35.5% and 29.0% at 30% RM, respectively. FA partially compensated through its ball-bearing effect and pozzolanic reactivity. The optimal 1.5% BF dosage increased the compressive and flexural strengths by 14.7% and 37.5%, respectively, and significantly enhanced the residual performance at elevated temperatures. The optimal 0.5% NZO improved the compressive and flexural strengths by 13.2% and 18.3%, respectively; however, 2.0% NZO caused complete strength loss, which may be associated with severe nanoparticle agglomeration and possible zinc-containing reaction products reported in previous studies. The formation of specific crystalline phases was not experimentally verified in the present study. Sulfate resistance deteriorated with increasing RM, whereas 1.5% BF and 1.0% NZO reduced mass loss by 58.9% and 59.7%, respectively. SEM confirmed that RM15 + FA15 exhibited the densest microstructure with minimal voids. The results demonstrate that RM can be effectively utilized as a sustainable cement replacement, with FA, BF, and NZO each independently identified as effective performance-enhancing constituents at their respective optimal dosages; their combined quaternary application remains untested and is proposed as a direction for future validation. Full article