Understanding the Effects of Surface and Edge Functionalization on the Mechanical Properties of Graphene and Graphene Oxide.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a widely used 2D material employed in various applications due to its tunable properties. Understanding its mechanical properties is crucial to develop polymeric nanocomposites. We employ reactive molecular dynamics simulations to understand the effects of surface and edge functionalization of carbon atoms on the mechanical strength and fracture morphology of graphene and GO.

The Impact of Pore Geometry on Frictional Properties of hBN and MoS Nanomaterials.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials hold significant promise for reducing energy consumption in water desalination. This study investigates the influence of pore size and shape on the slip behavior of saline water at the interface of two promising 2D nanomaterials: hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS). Slip length, a key parameter governing fluid flow at the nanoscale, is highly dependent on interfacial properties.

Holistic insights into carbon nanotubes and MXenes as a promising route to bio-sensing applications.

Essential biosensor use has become increasingly important in drug discovery and recognition, biomedicine, food safety, security, and environmental research. It directly contributed to the development of specialized, reliable diagnostic instruments known as biosensors, which use biological sensing components. Traditional biosensors have poor performance, so scientists need to develop advanced biosensors with promising selectivity, sensitivity, stability, and reusability.

A buffering PVDF-HFP-based gel polymer electrolyte for stable and flexible lithium batteries.

Flexible lithium batteries (FLBs) are highly regarded as potential candidates for next-generation batteries due to their versatility in various applications. However, the main focus in the development of FLBs lies in addressing mechanical challenges such as crack propagation under conditions of flexibility and stretchability. Herein, this work presents a novel design of a gel polymer electrolyte (GPE112) film prepared by solution-casting methods.

Modulating the Water Contact Angle Using Surface Roughness: Interfacial Properties of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Surfaces.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibits immense potential in HO-related technologies, but its interaction with HO, especially on rough surfaces, remains unclear. This study unravels the influence of surface roughness and force field selection on hBN wettability using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We leverage quantum mechanical calculations to accurately capture the hBN surface charge distribution and combine it with free energy calculations via MD simulations for the hBN-HO interfaces.

Electrospun Polymeric Nanofibers: Current Trends in Synthesis, Surface Modification, and Biomedical Applications.

Electrospun polymeric nanofibers are essential in various fields for various applications because of their unique properties. Their features are similar to extracellular matrices, which suggests them for applications in healthcare fields, such as antimicrobials, tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, bone regeneration, and biosensors. This review focuses on the synthesis of electrospun polymeric nanofibers, their surface modification, and their biomedical applications.

Sodium Niobate Nanowires Embedded PVA-Hydrogel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Versatile Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered CO Gas Sensor.

The surging demand for sustainable energy solutions and adaptable electronic devices has led to the exploration of alternative and advanced power sources. Triboelectric Nanogenerators (TENGs) stand out as a promising technology for efficient energy harvesting, but research on fully flexible and environmental friendly TENGs still remain limited. In this study, an innovative approach is introduced utilizing an ionic-solution modified conductive hydrogel embedded with piezoelectric sodium niobate nanowires-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator (NW-TENG), offering intrinsic advantages to healthcare and wearable devices.

Experimental and Theoretical Insights into Interfacial Properties of 2D Materials for Selective Water Transport Membranes: A Critical Review.

Interfacial properties, such as wettability and friction, play critical roles in nanofluidics and desalination. Understanding the interfacial properties of two-dimensional (2D) materials is crucial in these applications due to the close interaction between liquids and the solid surface. The most important interfacial properties of a solid surface include the water contact angle, which quantifies the extent of interactions between the surface and water, and the water slip length, which determines how much faster water can flow on the surface beyond the predictions of continuum fluid mechanics.

Room-temperature response of MOF-derived Pd@PdO core shell/γ-FeO microcubes decorated graphitic carbon based ultrasensitive and highly selective H gas sensor.

With the current upsurge in hydrogen economies all over the world, an increased demand for improved chemiresistive H sensors that are highly responsive and fast acting when exposed to gases is expected. Owing to safety concerns about explosive and highly flammable H gas, it is important to develop resistive sensors that can detect the leakage of H gas swiftly and selectively. Currently, interest in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for gas-sensor applications is increasing due to their open-metal sites, large surface area, and unique surface morphologies.

Triazole based Schiff bases and their oxovanadium(IV) complexes: Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial assay, and computational assessments.

The synthesis and characterization of two new Schiff base ligands containing 1,2,4-triazole moieties and their oxovanadium(IV) complexes have been reported. The ligands and their complexes were studied by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), conductivity measurement, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and elemental analyses. The molar conductance of oxovanadium(IV) complexes were found to be relatively low, depicting their non-electrolytic nature.

COVID Associated Invasive Aspergillosis.

To study the possible association between invasive fungal sinusitis (aspergillosis) and coronavirus disease. An observational study was conducted at a tertiary care centre over 6 months, involving all patients with aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses suffering from or having a history of COVID-19 infection. 92 patients presented with aspergillosis, all had an association with COVID-19 disease.

Metal Organic Framework-Derived ZnO@GC Nanoarchitecture as an Effective Hydrogen Gas Sensor with Improved Selectivity and Gas Response.

Although they are not as favorable as other influential gas sensors, metal-oxide semiconductor-based chemiresistors ensure minimal surface reactivity, restricting their gas selectivity, gas response, and reaction kinetics, particularly when functioning at room temperature (RT). A hybrid design, which includes metal-oxide/carbon nanostructures and passivation with specific gas filtration layers, can address the concerns of surface reactivity. We present a novel hierarchical nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO), decorated with graphitic carbon (GC) and synthesized via a wet-chemical strategy, which is then followed by the self-assembly of a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8).

Proportionate clinical burden of respiratory diseases in Indian outdoor services and its relationship with seasonal transitions and risk factors: The results of SWORD survey.

Background: The Global Burden of Disease data suggest that respiratory diseases contribute to high morbidity in India. However, the factors responsible for high morbidity are not quite clear. Therefore, the Seasonal Waves Of Respiratory Disorders (SWORD) study was planned to estimate the point prevalence due to respiratory diseases in Indian OPD services and its association with risk factors and change in seasons.

Electrospun carbon nanofibre-assisted patterning of metal oxide nanostructures.

This work establishes carbon nanofibre-mediated patterning of metal oxide nanostructures, through the combination of electrospinning and vapor-phase transport growth. Electrospinning of a suitable precursor with subsequent carbonization results in the patterning of catalyst gold nanoparticles embedded within carbon nanofibres. During vapor-phase transport growth, these nanofibres allow preferential growth of one-dimensional metal oxide nanostructures, which grow radially outward from the nanofibril axis, yielding a hairy caterpillar-like morphology.

Exsolution Catalyst: An Innovative Approach to Develop Highly Selective and Sensitive Gas Sensors.

The gas sensing characteristics of oxide semiconductors can be enhanced by loading noble metal or metal oxide catalysts. The uniform distribution of nanoscale catalysts with high thermal stability over the sensing materials is essential for sensors operating at elevated temperatures. An exsolution process, which can be applied to catalysts, batteries, and sensors, provides a facile synthetic route for developing second-phase nanoparticles with uniform distribution, excellent thermochemical stability, and strong adhesion to the mother phase.

How Grain Boundaries and Interfacial Electrostatic Interactions Modulate Water Desalination via Nanoporous Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

To fulfill the increasing demand for drinking water, researchers are currently exploring nanoporous two-dimensional materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), as potential desalination membranes. A prominent, yet unsolved challenge is to understand how such membranes will perform in the presence of defects or surface charge in the membrane material. In this work, we study the effect of grain boundaries (GBs) and interfacial electrostatic interactions on the desalination performance of bicrystalline nanoporous hBN using classical molecular dynamics simulations supported by quantum-mechanical density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Mucormycosis - resurgence of a deadly opportunist during COVID-19 pandemic: Four case reports.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who suffer severe infection or comorbidities have an increased risk of developing fungal infections. There is a possibility that such infections are missed or misdiagnosed, in which case patients may suffer higher morbidity and mortality. COVID-19 infection, aggressive management strategies and comorbidities like diabetes render patients prone to opportunistic fungal infections.

Support Vector Regression for Mobile Target Localization in Indoor Environments.

Trilateration-based target localization using received signal strength (RSS) in a wireless sensor network (WSN) generally yields inaccurate location estimates due to high fluctuations in RSS measurements in indoor environments. Improving the localization accuracy in RSS-based systems has long been the focus of a substantial amount of research. This paper proposes two range-free algorithms based on RSS measurements, namely support vector regression (SVR) and SVR + Kalman filter (KF).