Investigation of Solid-State Thermal Decomposition of Ammonia Borane Mix with Sulphonated Poly(ellagic Acid) for Hydrogen Release.

The utilization of hydrogen in safety conditions is crucial for the development of a hydrogen-based economy. Among all methodologies, solid-state hydrogen release from ammonia borane through thermal stimuli is very promising due to the high theoretical hydrogen release. Generally, carbonaceous or inorganic matrices have been used to tune the reactivity of ammonia borane.

Microporous Polymelamine Framework Functionalized with Re(I) Tricarbonyl Complexes for CO Absorption and Reduction.

A mixture of polymeric complexes based on the reaction between Re(CO)Cl and the porous polymeric network coming from the coupling of melamine and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxaldehyde was obtained and characterized by FTIR, NMR, SEM, XPS, ICP, XRD, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The formed rhenium-based porous hybrid material reveals a noticeable capability of CO absorption. The gas absorption amount measured at 295 K was close to 44 cm/g at 1 atm.

Evaluation of a Laboratory-Scale Gas-Atomized AlSi10Mg Powder and a Commercial-Grade Counterpart for Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processing.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing technology that implies using metal powder as a raw material. The powders suitable for this kind of technology must respect some specific characteristics. Controlled gas atomization and post-processing operations can strongly affect the final properties of the powders, and, as a consequence, the characteristics of the bulk components.

Highly Dispersed Few-Nanometer Chlorine-Doped SnO Catalyst Embedded in a Polyaniline Matrix for Stable HCOO Production in a Flow Cell.

With the spread of alternative energy plants, electrolysis processes are becoming the protagonists of the future industrial generation. The technology readiness level for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is still low and is largely based on precious metal resources. In the present work, tin ions are anchored on a polyaniline matrix, via a sonochemical synthesis, forming a few atomic layers of chlorine-doped SnO with a total loading of tin atom load of only 7 wt %.

Pressure-Responsive Conductive Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composites Containing Waste Cotton Fibers Biochar.

The development of responsive composite materials is among the most interesting challenges in contemporary material science and technology. Nevertheless, the use of highly expensive nanostructured fillers has slowed down the spread of these smart materials in several key productive sectors. Here, we propose a new piezoresistive PVA composite containing a cheap, conductive, waste-derived, cotton biochar.

A green and easy-to-assemble electrochemical biosensor based on thylakoid membranes for photosynthetic herbicides detection.

In this study, we report on an easy-to-assemble amperometric electrochemical biosensor incorporating thylakoid membranes for the detection of photosynthetic herbicides. These molecules interfere with the light-induced photosynthetic electron transport occurring at the level of the photosystems within the thylakoid membranes, thus reducing the current of the associated bioelectrode. Thylakoid membranes isolated from pea plants were adsorbed directly on a bare carbon paper working electrode and placed in the measurement cell in the absence of any electrochemical mediator, obtaining a fully environmental-friendly biodevice capable of photocurrent densities up to 14 μA/cm.

Living Bacteria Directly Embedded into Electrospun Nanofibers: Design of New Anode for Bio-Electrochemical Systems.

The aim of this work is the optimization of electrospun polymeric nanofibers as an ideal reservoir of mixed electroactive consortia suitable to be used as anodes in Single Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells (SCMFCs). To reach this goal the microorganisms are directly embedded into properly designed nanofibers during the electrospinning process, obtaining so called nanofiber-based bio-composite (bio-NFs). This research approach allowed for the designing of an advanced nanostructured scaffold, able to block and store the living microorganisms inside the nanofibers and release them only after exposure to water-based solutions and electrolytes.

High Frequency Electromagnetic Shielding by Biochar-Based Composites.

We report on the microwave shielding efficiency of non-structural composites, where inclusions of biochar-a cost effective and eco-friendly material-are dispersed in matrices of interest for building construction. We directly measured the complex permittivity of raw materials and composites, in the frequency range 100 MHz-8 GHz. A proper permittivity mixing formula allows obtaining other combinations, to enlarge the case studies.

An Automatic on Top Analysis of Single Scan Tracks to Evaluate the Laser Powder Bed Fusion Building Parameters.

The production of dense samples produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is mainly determined by the choice of the best combination of construction parameters. Parameter optimization is the first step in the definition of an LPBF process for new alloys or systems. With this goal, much research uses the single scan track (SST) approach for a preliminary parameter screening.

Electrospun Nanofibers: from Food to Energy by Engineered Electrodes in Microbial Fuel Cells.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical devices able to directly transduce chemical energy, entrapped in an organic mass named fuel, into electrical energy through the metabolic activity of specific bacteria. During the last years, the employment of bio-electrochemical devices to study the wastewater derived from the food industry has attracted great interest from the scientific community. In the present work, we demonstrate the capability of exoelectrogenic bacteria used in MFCs to catalyze the oxidation reaction of honey, employed as a fuel.

ZnO nanocrystals shuttled by extracellular vesicles as effective Trojan nano-horses against cancer cells.

The effective application of nanoparticles in cancer theranostics is jeopardized by their aggregation in biological media, rapid degradation and clearance. The design of biomimetic nanoconstructs with enhanced colloidal stability and non-immunogenicity is therefore essential. We propose naturally stable cell-derived extracellular vesicles to encapsulate zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals as efficacious nanodrugs, to obtain highly biomimetic and stable Trojan nano-horses (TNHs).

New Aluminum Alloys Specifically Designed for Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A Review.

Aluminum alloys are key materials in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies thanks to their low density that, coupled with the possibility to create complex geometries of these innovative processes, can be exploited for several applications in aerospace and automotive fields. The AM process of these alloys had to face many challenges because, due to their low laser absorption, high thermal conductivity and reduced powder flowability, they are characterized by poor processability. Nowadays mainly Al-Si alloys are processed, however, in recent years many efforts have been carried out in developing new compositions specifically designed for laser based powder bed AM processes.

Application of Reverse Micelle Sol⁻Gel Synthesis for Bulk Doping and Heteroatoms Surface Enrichment in Mo-Doped TiO₂ Nanoparticles.

TiO₂ nanoparticles containing 0.0, 1.0, 5.

Sonophotocatalytic degradation mechanisms of Rhodamine B dye via radicals generation by micro- and nano-particles of ZnO.

In this work, it is proposed an environmental friendly sonophotocatalytic approach to efficiently treat polluted waters from industrial dyes exploiting ZnO micro- and nano-materials. For the first time, we deeply investigated the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultrasound stimulation of different ZnO structures by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR). Indeed, five zinc oxide (ZnO) micro- and nano-structures, Desert Roses (DRs), Multipods (MPs), Microwires (MWs), Nanoparticles (NPs) and Nanowires (NWs), were studied for the Rhodamine B (RhB) sonodegradation under ultrasonic irradiation.

Nanoparticle-assisted ultrasound: A special focus on sonodynamic therapy against cancer.

At present, ultrasound radiation is broadly employed in medicine for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes at various frequencies and intensities. In this review article, we focus on therapeutically-active nanoparticles (NPs) when stimulated by ultrasound. We first introduce the different ultrasound-based therapies with special attention to the techniques involved in the oncological field, then we summarize the different NPs used, ranging from soft materials, like liposomes or micro/nano-bubbles, to metal and metal oxide NPs.

Thylakoid proteome modulation in pea plants grown at different irradiances: quantitative proteomic profiling in a non-model organism aided by transcriptomic data integration.

Plant thylakoid membranes contain hundreds of proteins that closely interact to cope with ever-changing environmental conditions. We investigated how Pisum sativum L. (pea) grown at different irradiances optimizes light-use efficiency through the differential accumulation of thylakoid proteins.

Corrosion Behavior of Heat-Treated AlSi10Mg Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

This experimental work is aimed at studying the effect of microstructural modifications induced by post-processing heat treatments on the corrosion behavior of silicon-aluminum alloys produced by means of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The manufacturing technique leads to microstructures characterized by the presence of melt pools, which are quite different compared to casting alloys. In this study, the behavior of an AlSi10Mg alloy was evaluated by means of intergranular corrosion tests according to ISO 11846 standard on heat-treated samples ranging from 200 to 500 °C as well as on untreated samples.

Lipid-Coated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles as Innovative ROS-Generators for Photodynamic Therapy in Cancer Cells.

In the present paper, we use zinc oxide nanoparticles under the excitation of ultraviolet (UV) light for the generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), with the aim of further using these species for fighting cancer cells in vitro. Owing to the difficulties in obtaining highly dispersed nanoparticles (NPs) in biological media, we propose their coating with a double-lipidic layer and we evaluate their colloidal stability in comparison to the pristine zinc oxide NPs. Then, using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) coupled with the spin-trapping technique, we demonstrate and characterize the ability of bare and lipid-coated ZnO NPs to generate ROS in water only when remotely actuated via UV light irradiation.

Enhanced biostability and cellular uptake of zinc oxide nanocrystals shielded with a phospholipid bilayer.

The widespread use of ZnO nanomaterials for biomedical applications, including therapeutic drug delivery or stimuli-responsive activation, as well as imaging, imposes a careful control over the colloidal stability and long-term behaviour of ZnO in biological media. Moreover, the effect of ZnO nanostructures on living cells, in particular cancer cells, is still under debate. This paper discusses the role of surface chemistry and charge of zinc oxide nanocrystals, of around 15 nm in size, which influence their behaviour in biological fluids and effect on cancer cells.

Pea PSII-LHCII supercomplexes form pairs by making connections across the stromal gap.

In higher plant thylakoids, the heterogeneous distribution of photosynthetic protein complexes is a determinant for the formation of grana, stacks of membrane discs that are densely populated with Photosystem II (PSII) and its light harvesting complex (LHCII). PSII associates with LHCII to form the PSII-LHCII supercomplex, a crucial component for solar energy conversion. Here, we report a biochemical, structural and functional characterization of pairs of PSII-LHCII supercomplexes, which were isolated under physiologically-relevant cation concentrations.