Dayananda Sagar University

This review focused on developing the nanomedicine through inclusive discussions about synthesis, physicochemical properties, in vitro and in vivo biomedical applications of different nanoparticles (NPs). Liposomal NPS encapsulates the hydrophobic drugs in a lipid bilayer allowing for targeted delivery to specific tissues while reducing toxicity. The polymeric NPs are made from biodegradable material-controlled release and deliver drugs including biomacromolecules, resulting in therapeutic applications. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) exhibit distinctive optical and electrical properties, where they are used for targeted therapy and imaging in drug delivery systems (DDS). The current advancements focus on controlling the size, shape, and surface chemistry to develop smart NPs. Nanotechnology could provide numerous benefits, such as treating long-lasting human diseases by site-specific drug efficacy and target-oriented delivery of exact nanomedicines. Different synthesized NPs affect the lifelong activities of tumor cells, breast cancer, and several other related diseases due to their outstanding capability to control chemotherapy and immunotherapy, respectively. Drug nanomaterials are designed to deliver the target tissues resulting in declining toxicity and increasing patients’ compliance with a lower dosing index. The modern novelty of NPs lies in their ability to exhibit applications, specifically sustainable green synthesis, stimuli-responsiveness, multifunctional agents in biomedicine and environmental remediation, respectively. The integration of NPs based systems into medicine highlights their potential to develop drug delivery by improving efficacy and safety profiles in future perspectives.

The Internet of Things (IoT) market experiences rapid growth, which creates a requirement for energy management systems that can independently operate in a sustainable manner. Traditional energy harvesting (EH) techniques depend on either static methods or computation-intensive processes, which limit their ability to function in changing environmental conditions. This paper presents a self-evolving energy harvesting system that uses hybrid bio-inspired scheduling algorithms to control energy harvesting and consumption throughout real-time operations. ACO creates energy source priority lists based on past harvesting performance because PSO enables operators to shift their scheduling plans between different modes without incurring heavy computational requirements. The framework uses mathematical modeling to express its energy behavior and system flexibility and environmental sustainability performance. Simulation tests conducted in a diverse smart-farm IoT environment show that our system achieves 35% better energy efficiency and 42% longer network operation time when compared to traditional static systems and learning-based methods. The current research makes an important scientific contribution by developing an energy management system that operates with minimal resource demands and can adjust to various situations, which connects bio-inspired research with actual resource-limited IoT applications.

Coupling methanol electrooxidation with water electrolysis offers a promising alternative to oxygen evolution, significantly reducing energy input while generating value-added chemicals. In this work, we report a hexagonal NiS electrocatalyst synthesized via a rapid fuel-assisted redox route, delivering bifunctional activity toward both the methanol electrooxidation reaction (MEOR) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The NiS/NF electrode achieves a current density of 100 mA cm(-2) at only 1.37 V for MEOR in 1 M KOH with methanol, substantially lower than the 1.68 V required for conventional OER, while simultaneously producing formate as a selective anodic product. For HER, NiS/NF requires just 90 mV to reach 100 mA cm(-2), demonstrating excellent hydrogen evolution kinetics. Gas-liquid product analysis confirms high Faradaic efficiencies of 90% for H-2 and 93% for formate. A symmetric NiS||NiS two-electrode cell delivers 10 mA cm(-2) at 1.57 V, which is further reduced to 1.48 V in a single-stack configuration. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the NiS (101) surface reveal Ni sites as the dominant active centers, facilitating a CO-free reaction pathway toward formate. This study establishes hexagonal NiS as an efficient earth-abundant catalyst for integrated hydrogen and chemical cogeneration, advancing sustainable electrolysis strategies beyond conventional OER-limited systems.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second most important legume crop globally, serving as a vital source of protein in human diets. However, its productivity is significantly constrained by Fusarium wilt, a destructive disease caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris (Foc). This pathogen persists in the soil and infects chickpea plants under favorable conditions, particularly in hot and humid climates. Fusarium wilt is responsible for an estimated annual yield reduction of 10%-15%, and in severe cases, it can lead to complete crop failure. The present study aimed to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of green-synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver-fluconazole (Ag-FLZ) hybrid nanoformulations against chickpea wilt disease. The AgNPs were synthesized using guava (Psidium guajava) leaf extract. Nanoformulations of FLZ capped with polyethylene glycol were synthesized using anti-solvent precipitation method. Characterization of AgNPs and FLZ nanoformulation was done using UV-visible spectroscopy, particle size analyzer, XRD, and SEM. Thus, characterized AgNPs' average size was found to be 54.9 nm and FLZ nanoformulation average size was found to be 95.6 nm. The XRD characterization technique validated the presence of crystalline nature of AgNPs. The efficacy of AgNPs and FLZ-based nanoformulations on antioxidative enzyme activity was evaluated through biochemical assays. A significant enhancement in antioxidant enzyme levels was observed following treatment. Chickpea plants infected with Fusarium wilt were treated with AgNPs and Ag-FLZ hybrid nanoformulation at varying concentrations, which effectively inhibited the growth of the pathogenic fungi. Among the treatments, the Ag-FLZ hybrid nanoformulation exhibited superior antifungal activity, conferring enhanced resistance to the pathogen. These findings highlight the potential application of Ag-FLZ hybrid nanoformulations as an effective antifungal strategy for managing Fusarium wilt in chickpea plants.

Need for high-performance, efficient, and economical devices for next-generation energy storage technologies have led researchers to explore supercapacitors (SC) as alternative. A novel hybrid composite (HC)-based device comprising polyaniline (PANI), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), zinc oxide (ZnO), and nickel oxide (NiO) was developed via in situ oxidative polymerization and hydrothermal processing for high-performance SC applications. The composite integrates the pseudocapacitive behavior of transition metal oxides with the superior conductivity of PANI and MWCNT. Structural and morphological analyses confirmed a highly interconnected hybrid network, where PANI formed a conductive polymeric matrix, MWCNTs facilitated rapid electron transport, and ZnO/NiO nanoparticles provided abundant redox-active sites. Electrochemical experiments conducted with the HC-based device exhibit a specific capacitance of 319.52 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1), surpassing individual components. The HC-based device delivered an energy density of 63.90 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 0.6 kW kg(-1), retaining 78% capacitance after 10,000 cycles at 12 A g(-1). This enhanced performance, confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis showing low charge-transfer resistance and efficient ion diffusion, underscores the synergistic interaction among its constituents. The composite's outstanding electrochemical characteristics establish it as a promising candidate for next-generation, high energy density, long cycle life SCs.