Bacterial cellulose impregnated with andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium) microencapsulation as diabetic wound dressing.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus which can cause infection, amputation and even death. One of many treatments that can be applied to support the DFU healing processes is by using wound dressings. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a good material to be used as a wound dressing.

Sustainable utilization of Sedum plumbizincicola as superior hydrochar for efficient nutrients recovery.

To realize sound disposal of hyperaccumulator harvested from phytoremediation, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been employed to obtain superior hydrochar adsorbents for removal of phosphate and ammonium from water body. A series of hydrochars have been prepared under tuned HTC conditions to tailor hydrochar with desired properties. Generally, increased temperature and prolonged reaction time facilitated acidic oxygen functional groups on hydrochars, thereby improving adsorption capacity of hydrochar.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using N-Doped ZnO/Carbon Dot (N-ZnO/CD) Nanocomposites Derived from Organic Soybean.

This study reports on successful synthesis of carbon dots (CDs), nitrogen-doped zinc oxide (N-ZnO), and N-ZnO/CD nanocomposites as photocatalysts for degradation of methylene blue. The first part was the synthesis of CDs utilizing a precursor from soybean and ethylenediamine as a dopant by a hydrothermal method. The second part was the synthesis of N-ZnO with urea as the nitrogen dopant carried out by a calcination method in a furnace at 500 °C for 2 h in an N atmosphere (5 C min).

Acetylated lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunches and its electrospun nanofibres with PVA: Potential carbon fibre precursor.

The electrospinning of acetylated lignin/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibres was carried out to expand the application of lignin materials obtained from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB). Lignin was isolated by the steam explosion method and subsequently precipitated using HSO. Acetylated lignin was produced by mixing acetic anhydride and pyridine at a 2:1 v/v ratio.

Nanocomposite Foams with Balanced Mechanical Properties and Energy Return from EVA and CNT for the Midsole of Sports Footwear Application.

Polymer foam that provides good support with high energy return (low energy loss) is desirable for sport footwear to improve running performance. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) foam is commonly used in the midsole of running shoes. However, EVA foam exhibits low mechanical properties.

Conformal Noble Metal High-Entropy Alloy Nanofilms by Atomic Layer Deposition for an Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

The current synthesis methods of high-entropy alloy (HEA) thin-film coatings face huge challenges in facile preparation, precise thickness control, conformal integration, and affordability. These challenges are more specific and noteworthy for noble metal-based HEA thin films where the conventional sputtering methods encounter thickness control and high-cost issues (high-purity noble metal targets required). Herein, for the first time, we report a facile and controllable synthesis process of quinary HEA coatings consisting of noble metals (Rh, Ru, Pt, Pd, and Ir), by sequential atomic layer deposition (ALD) coupled with electrical Joule heating for post-alloying.

The New Materials for Battery Electrode Prototypes.

In this article, we present the performance of Copper (Cu)/Graphene Nano Sheets (GNS) and C-π (Graphite, GNS, and Nitrogen-doped Graphene Nano Sheets (N-GNS)) as a new battery electrode prototype. The objectives of this research are to develop a number of prototypes of the battery electrode, namely Cu/GNS//Electrolyte//C-π, and to evaluate their respective performances. The GNS, N-GNS, and primary battery electrode prototypes (Cu/GNS/Electrolyte/C-π) were synthesized by using a modified Hummers method; the N-doped sheet was obtained by doping nitrogen at room temperature and the impregnation or the composite techniques, respectively.

Sustainable Production of Molybdenum Carbide (MXene) from Fruit Wastes for Improved Solar Evaporation.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Edison Huixiang Ang at the National Institute of Education, an institute of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The image depicts the sustainable fabrication of two-dimensional MXene sheets from the upcycling of fruit waste for solar desalination. Read the full text of the article at 10.

Sustainable Production of Molybdenum Carbide (MXene) from Fruit Wastes for Improved Solar Evaporation.

Freshwater production using solar-driven interfacial evaporation is regarded as a green and sustainable strategy. The biggest barrier to practical deployment of solar desalination, however, continues to be the lack of options for renewable materials. Herein, we present a facile two-step carbonization approach that is sustainable for developing innovative two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum carbide (Mo C) materials derived from carbonized fruit wastes.

Atomic layer deposition of rhodium and palladium thin film using low-concentration ozone.

Rhodium (Rh) and palladium (Pd) thin films have been fabricated using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process using Rh(acac) and Pd(hfac) as the respective precursors and using short-pulse low-concentration ozone as the co-reactant. This method of fabrication does away with the need for combustible reactants such as hydrogen or oxygen, either as a precursor or as an annealing agent. All previous studies using only ozone could not yield metallic films, and required post treatment using hydrogen or oxygen.

Noble metal alloy thin films by atomic layer deposition and rapid Joule heating.

Metal alloys are usually fabricated by melting constituent metals together or sintering metal alloy particles made by high energy ball milling (mechanical alloying). All these methods only allow for bulk alloys to be formed. This manuscript details a new method of fabricating Rhodium-Iridium (Rh-Ir) metal alloy films using atomic layer deposition (ALD) and rapid Joule heating induced alloying that gives functional thin film alloys, enabling conformal thin films with high aspect ratios on 3D nanostructured substrate.

Nd-Nb Co-doped SnO/α-WO Electrochromic Materials: Enhanced Stability and Switching Properties.

The fabrication of Nd-Nb co-doped SnO/α-WO electrochromic (EC) materials for smart window applications is presented in the present paper. Nb is a good dopant candidate for ECs owing to its ability to introduce active sites on the surface of α-WO without causing much lattice strain due to the similar ionic radius of Nb and W. These active sites introduce more channels for charge insertion or removal during redox reactions, improving the overall EC performance.

Hierarchical Graphene/Metal-Organic Framework Composites with Tailored Wettability for Separation of Immiscible Liquids.

Membrane filtration is a promising technology for the separation of organic immiscible liquids. Surface topography has a direct impact on the wettability of membranes, and it remains largely unexplored. Here, we introduce on-demand liquid separation by coating porous graphene/metal-organic framework (MOF) composites with tunable wettability on porous substrates.

One-step construction of heterostructured metal-organics@BiO with improved photoinduced charge transfer and enhanced activity in photocatalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole under solar light irradiation.

A facile one-step assembly method was developed for the preparation of metal-organics @BiO composites for photocatalysis. Two kinds of metal-organics (Ti-bdc and Cu-btc)@BiO composites were synthesized via the coordination of btc/bdc and metal ions (Ti/Cu) as well as OH on the surface of BiO. Compared with pure BiO Ti-bdc@BiO shows a 1.

Surface-active bismuth ferrite as superior peroxymonosulfate activator for aqueous sulfamethoxazole removal: Performance, mechanism and quantification of sulfate radical.

A surface-active BiFeO nanoplates (BF-nP) was prepared using a facile hydrothermal protocol for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal via peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The catalytic activity of BF-nP was superior to other catalysts with the following order of performance: BF-nP>BiFeO (nanocubes)>>CoO>FeO (low temperature co-precipitation method)>FeO (hydrothermal method)∼BiO∼Bi∼Fe. The empirical relationship of the apparent rate constant (k), BF-nP loading and PMS dosage can be described as follows: k=0.

Magnetically recyclable Bi/Fe-based hierarchical nanostructures via self-assembly for environmental decontamination.

Pristine bismuth ferrite usually possesses weak magnetic properties (e.g., saturation magnetization Ms < 3 emu g(-1)) for practical magnetic separation applications.

Ag-decorated TiO2 photocatalytic membrane with hierarchical architecture: photocatalytic and anti-bacterial activities.

Ag-decorated TiO2 (Ag-TiO2) photocatalytic membranes have been fabricated by using Pluronic P-123 as a pore-forming and structure-directing agent. Six different hierarchical architectures were obtained by multilayer coating of different Ag-TiO2 sols. The porous structure of the resulting layers could be fine-tuned by altering the amounts of P-123 and AgNO3 added during the preparation of TiO2 sols.