Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries are among the most promising energy storage technologies, offering high energy density, low cost, and intrinsic safety. However, their practical deployment is hindered by the polyiodide shuttle effect, leading to rapid capacity fading and poor cycling performance. This work demonstrates the application of a crystalline viologen-based covalent organic framework (TAB-DNP-BP COF), synthesized via a one-pot Zincke reaction, as an efficient iodine host material. The cationic backbone of the TAB-DNP-BP COF effectively confines iodine (I2) species and electrostatically traps polyiodides, suppressing their migration and protecting the zinc anode. Zinc-iodine batteries assembled with an I2-enriched TAB-DNP-BP COF (TAB-DNP-BP COF@I2) cathode deliver a high specific capacity of 337 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C, surpassing the performance of most reported COF-, MOF-, and cage-based systems, while exhibiting excellent cycling stability over 5000 cycles. This work highlights the potential of ionic COFs for stabilizing iodine chemistry and offers a promising strategy toward the development of high-performance, durable aqueous Zn-I2 batteries.

Cryosurgery represents a transformative approach in the treatment of resistant tumors, utilizing extreme cold to selectively ablate malignant tissue. However, the clinical success of this technique is constrained by the limited ability of current imaging techniques to differentiate effectively between cancerous and healthy tissues with high spatial resolution. To overcome this challenge, we present a nanoscale Covalent Organic Framework, nTG-DFP-COF, specifically designed to enhance fluorescence-guided cryo-imaging. This framework exhibits a unique temperature-dependent luminescence, that results in enhanced fluorescence emission under cryogenic conditions, enabling precise tissue differentiation during surgical procedures. Engineered for biocompatibility and water dispersibility, nTG-DFP-COF demonstrates minimal cytotoxicity and exceptional specificity toward cancer cells. Comprehensive in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo evaluations confirm its structural stability and functional efficacy under cryogenic conditions. This innovation not only enhances the precision and safety of cryosurgical procedures but also advances the integration of diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities into a unified platform. By substantially improving tumor targeting accuracy, the use of nTG-DFP-COF will reduce the need for repeat surgeries, facilitate faster recovery, and minimize healthcare costs, thus setting a new standard in oncologic imaging and intervention.

Membrane technology plays a central role in advancing separation processes, particularly in water treatment. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have transformative potential in this field due to their adjustable structures and robustness. However, conventional COF membrane synthesis methods are often associated with challenges, such as time-consuming processes and limited control over surface properties. Our study demonstrates a rapid, microwave-assisted method to synthesize self-standing COF membranes within minutes. This approach allows control over the wettability of the surface and achieves superhydrophilic and near-hydrophobic properties. A thorough characterization of the membrane allows a detailed analysis of the membrane properties and the difference in wettability between its two faces. Microwave activation accelerates the self-assembly of the COF nanosheets, whereby the thickness of the membrane can be controlled by adjusting the time of the reaction. The superhydrophilic vapor side of the membrane results from -NH2 reactions with acetic acid, while the nearly hydrophobic dioxane side has terminal aldehyde groups. Leveraging the superhydrophilic face, water filtration at high water flux, complete oil removal, increased rejection with anionic dye size, and resistance to organic fouling were achieved. The TTA-DFP-COF membrane opens new avenues for research to address the urgent need for water purification, distinguished by its synthesis speed, simplicity, and superior separation capabilities.

In this study, bio-derived natural agar powder was used as an electrocatalyst for application as an electrode in all-vanadium redox flow batteries. Different concentrations of agar solution were tested, and cyclic voltammetry studies confirmed that agar loaded felts have good catalytic activity toward both redox couples V4+/V5+ at the positive and V2+/V3+ at the negative side. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the presence of higher amount of oxygen-functional groups on the surface of the fibers. Contact angle measurements demonstrated an enormous increase in hydrophilicity of the felts treated with agar. Long-term charge/discharge profiles revealed 6 % higher energy efficiency and 13 % better discharge capacity retention for agar modified felts when compared to thermally treated carbon felts at a relatively high current density of 150 mA cm-2.

Superhydrophobicity is a fundamental characteristic that plays a vital role in various applications, such as selfcleaning coatings, water vapor barriers for flexible electronics, and microfluidic chip fabrication. In this study, we developed a superhydrophobic surface coating on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using Linde Type A (LTA) zeolite crystals, employing a silane coupling strategy. As part of this study, the LTA-zeolite-coated PDMS surface is characterized using various techniques to elucidate its superhydrophobic behavior, and a functionalization mechanism is proposed. The resulting substrate exhibited high surface roughness, with a water contact angle exceeding 155 degrees, a sliding angle below 1 degrees, and a contact angle hysteresis under 10 degrees. This superhydrophobic surface coating effectively repelled water, confirming its excellent self-cleaning properties. Furthermore, the coating withstood three cycles of the Kapton adhesive tape peeling test, 5 h of water-jet hitting, and 72 h of UV light exposure, demonstrating its robustness and strong adhesion to PDMS.

Tung oil (TO) microcapsules (MCs) with a poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) shell were synthesized via one-step in situ polymerization, with the addition of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) (1–5 wt. %). The synergistic effects of emulsifiers between gelatin (gel) and Tween 80 were observed, with gel chosen to formulate the MCs due to its enhanced droplet stability. SEM images then displayed an increased shell roughness of the TO-GNP MCs in comparison to the pure TO MCs due to the GNP species on the shell. At the same time, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images also confirmed the presence of GNPs on the outer layer of the MCs, with the stacked graphene layers composed of 5–7 layers with an interlayer distance of ~0.37 nm. Cross-sectional TEM imaging of the MCs also confirmed the successful encapsulation of the GNPs in the core of the MCs. Micromanipulation measurements displayed that the 5% GNPs increased the toughness by 71% compared to the pure TO MCs, due to the reduction in the fractional free volume of the core material. When the MCs were dispersed in an epoxy coating and applied on a metallic substrate, excellent healing capacities of up to 93% were observed for the 5% GNP samples, and 87% for the pure TO MC coatings. The coatings also exhibited excellent corrosion resistance for all samples up to 7 days, with the GNP samples offering a more strenuous path for the corrosive agents.

This study presents the use of nanoscale covalent organic frameworks (nCOFs) conjugated with tumor-targeting peptides for the targeted therapy of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). While peptides have previously been used for targeted delivery, their conjugation with COFs represents an innovative approach in this field. In particular, we have developed alkyne-functionalized nCOFs chemically modified with cyclic RGD peptides (Alkyn-nCOF-cRGD). This configuration is designed to specifically target αvβ3 integrins that are overexpressed in TNBC cells. These nCOFs exhibit excellent biocompatibility and are engineered to selectively disintegrate under acidic conditions, allowing for precise and localized drug release in tumor environment. Doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic agent, has been encapsulated in these nCOFs with high loading efficiency. The therapeutic potential of Alkyn-nCOF-cRGD has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo models. It shows significantly improved drug uptake and targeted cell death in TNBC, highlighting the efficacy of receptor-mediated endocytosis and pH-controlled drug release. This strategy leverages the unique properties of nCOFs with targeted drug delivery to achieve significant advances in personalized cancer therapy and set a new standard for precision chemotherapeutic delivery.

Graphene is a 2D material with promising commercial applications due to its physicochemical properties. Producing high-quality graphene economically and at large scales is currently of great interest and demand. Here, the potential of producing high-quality graphene at a large scale via water-phase exfoliation methods is investigated. By altering exfoliation parameters, the production yield of graphene and flake size are evaluated. Pretreatment of the precursor graphite powder using acidic solutions of H2SO4 at different concentrations is found to increase further the yield and structural quality of the exfoliated graphene flakes. These findings are confirmed through various spectroscopy and surface characterization techniques. Controlling flake size, thickness, and yield are demonstrated via optimization of the sonication process, centrifuge time, and H2SO4 pretreatment.

The proper design of a polysaccharide/hydrocolloid modifier significantly affects the conductivity, self-healing, and viscoelastic properties of nanocomposite hydrogels. Due to the presence of different functional groups, these hydrogels can participate in the covalent, hydrogen and dynamic bonding of a system. The improvement of interactions in this system can lead to the development of high-performance nanocomposite hydrogels. In this study, resilient, self-healing and self-adhesive conductive nanocomposite hydrogels were produced by multiple and diverse coordination connections between various polysaccharide-based modifiers (Arabic gum, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, and xanthan), the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) network and different graphene-based fillers. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), activated carbon black (ACB), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have distinct functionalized surfaces, which were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the introduction of fillers balanced the hydrogels’ viscoelastic properties and electrical conductivity, providing the hydrogels with resilience, improved electrical conductivity, and extreme stretchability (5000%). The self-healing properties were analyzed using time-dependent measurements in a shear strain mode using an RSO Rheometer. The improvement in electrochemical and conductivity properties was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The obtained conductive nanocomposite hydrogels design opens new possibilities for developing high-performance polysaccharide-based hydrogels with wearable electrical sensors and healthcare monitoring applications.

Polystyrene (PS)/Gold (Au) is used for a wide range of applications, including composite nanofibers, catalysis, organic memory devices, and biosensing. In this work, PS films were deposited on silicon substrates via a spin coating technique followed by treatment with argon (Ar) plasma admixed with ammonia (NH3), oxygen (O2), or tetrafluoroethane (C2H2F4). X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed modified surface chemistry for Ar/O2, Ar/NH3, or Ar/C2H2F4 plasma treatment through the incorporation of oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine groups, respectively. Size-controlled magnetron sputter deposition of Au nanoparticles (NP) onto these plasma-treated PS films was investigated via XPS and AFM techniques. The interaction of the Au NPs, as probed from the XPS and AFM measurements, is discussed by referring to changes in surface chemistry and morphology of the PS after plasma treatment. The results demonstrate the effect of surface chemistry on the interaction of Au NPs with polymer support having different surface functionalities. The XPS results show that significant oxygen surface incorporation resulted from oxygen-containing species in the plasma itself. The surface concentration of O increased from 0.4% for the pristine PS to 4.5 at%, 35.4 at%, and 45.6 at% for the Ar/C2H4F4, Ar/NH3, and Ar/O2, respectively. The water contact angle (WCA) values were noticed to decrease from 98° for the untreated PS to 95°, 37°, and 15° for Ar/C2H2F4, Ar/NH3, and Ar/O2 plasma-modified PS samples, respectively. AFM results demonstrate that surface treatment was also accompanied by surface morphology change. Small Au islands are well dispersed and cover the surface, thus forming a homogeneous, isotropic structure. The reported results are important for exploiting Au NPs use in catalysis and sensing applications.

Superhydrophobic coatings are gaining popularity because of their low maintenance requirements, high durability, and wide range of potential uses. Such coatings, for instance, may provide beneficial resistance to fouling, icing, smear, and corrosion, and can separate oil from water. Therefore, the creation of superhydrophobic materials is a topic of great interest to academics all around the world. In this paper, a spray-coating deposition technique is used to deposit silica nanoparticles on glass while using a sol–gel as a base. The applied coating increased the transmittance to 99% at 600 nm. Water contact angle (WCA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations of the coated layer’s grade index and induced porousness led to superhydrophobic behavior with a water contact angle that was higher than 158°.

In the context of sustainable development, the photocatalytic conversion of CO2 represents an appealing approach to mitigate climate change while also helping the economy. In this regard, numerous catalysts have been tested for the photoreduction of gaseous CO2; however, the photoconversion of pure liquid CO2 has rarely been investigated. This work provides a novel approach for the application of photocatalytic CO2 conversion through the utilization of CO2 in its pure liquid state. Experimental results show much higher CO yields during the photoreduction of liquid CO2 when compared to gaseous CO2. This is ascribed to stronger interactions between CO2 and TiO2 when considering the solvation effect, as confirmed by DFT calculations. Results also show the positive effect of doping TiO2 with copper. The CO yields obtained with liquid CO2, which range from ca. 92-206 mmol center dot g(cat)(-1), are the highest ever reported.

The impact of a titania (TiO2) support film surface on the catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles (Au NP) was investigated. Using the reactive dc-magnetron sputtering technique, TiO2 films with an amorphous, anatase, and nitrogen-doped anatase crystal structure were produced for a subsequent role as a support material for Au NP. Raman spectra of these TiO2 films revealed that both vacuum and NH3 annealing treatments promoted amorphous to anatase phase transformation through the presence of a peak in the 513–519 cm−1 spectral regime. Furthermore, annealing under NH3 flux had an associated blue shift and broadening of the Raman active mode at 1430 cm−1, characteristic of an increase in the oxygen vacancies (VO). For a 3 to 15 s sputter deposition time, the Au NP over TiO2 support films were in the 6.7–17.1 nm size range. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) analysis, the absence of any shift in the Au 4f core level peak implied that there was no change in the electronic properties of Au NP. On the other hand, spontaneous hydroxyl (–OH) group adsorption to anatase TiO2 support was instantly detected, the magnitude of which was found to be enhanced upon increasing the Au NP loading. Nitrogen-doped anatase TiO2 supporting Au NP with ~21.8 nm exhibited a greater extent of molecular oxygen adsorption. The adsorption of both –OH and O2 species is believed to take place at the perimeter sites of the Au NP interfacing with the TiO2 film. XPS analyses and discussions about the tentative roles of O2 and –OH adsorbent species toward Au/TiO2 systems corroborate very well with interpretations of density functional theory simulations.

A one-step technique for the deposition of superhydrophilic TiO2@carbon nanocomposites is described in this study. The nanocomposites are synthesized by injecting TiO2 nanoparticles suspended in isopropanol into a dielectric barrier discharge operating at atmospheric pressure (AP-DBD) generated in an N-2/N2O gas mixture. The influence of the voltage (3-8 kV) applied to a 2-kHz-operated AP-DBD on the wettability of the as-deposited TiO2@C nanocomposites is examined. The water contact angle is drastically reduced from 93 degrees for the reference TiO2 powder to <5 degrees for the deposited nanocomposite. This superhydrophilicity is not caused by the increase of the surface roughness determined by atomic force microscopy measurement but rather by the higher density of graphitic compounds at the surface, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements.

A numerical simulation study on elastic wave propagation of a phononic composite structure consisting of epoxy and tungsten carbide is presented for low-frequency elastic wave attenuation applications. The calculated dispersion curves of the epoxy/tungsten carbide composite show that the propagation of elastic waves is prohibited inside the periodic structure over a frequency range. To achieve a wide bandgap, the elastic composite structure can be optimized by changing its dimensions and arrangement, including size, number, and rotation angle of square inclusions. The simulation results show that increasing the number of inclusions and the filling fraction of the unit cell significantly broaden the phononic bandgap compared to other geometric tunings. Additionally, a nonmonotonic relationship between the bandwidth and filling fraction of the composite was found, and this relationship results from spacing among inclusions and inclusion sizes causing different effects on Bragg scatterings and localized resonances of elastic waves. Moreover, the calculated transmission spectra of the epoxy/tungsten carbide composite structure verify its low-frequency bandgap behavior.

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma was used to functionalize cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films. The plasma was induced in different gas mixtures: argon/methane (Ar/CH4), argon/ammonia (Ar/NH3) and argon/silane (Ar/SiH4). The functionalized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The wettability of the cellulose nanocrystals depends on the gas mixture while XRD demonstrate that plasma exposure does not affect the quality of the CNC films in terms of crystallinity. The WCA measurements indicate the presence of a hydrophobic surface after Ar/CH4 plasma exposure. XPS reveals that this hydrophobic behavior is related to an increase of the CC/CH bond concentration. In contrast, Ar/NH3 plasma exposure of the CNC films increases their hydrophilicity, which is due both to the formation of polar groups such as OCO/NCO and to an increase of the film surface roughness. Finally, exposing the CNC films to an Ar/SiH4 plasma yields a superhydrophobic coating due to the formation of SiO2 bonds on the film surface. These results demonstrate that plasmas with the appropriate chemistry can modify the degree of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of CNC films.

Nanocomposite thin films of TiO2 in a polymer-like matrix are grown in a filamentary argon (Ar) dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) from a suspension of TiO2 nanoparticles in isopropanol (IPA). The sinusoidal voltage producing the plasma is designed to independently control the matrix growth rate and the transport of nanoparticle (NP) aggregates to the surface. The useful FSK (frequency shift keying) modulation mode is chosen to successively generate two sinusoidal voltages: a high frequency of 15 kHz and a low frequency ranging from 0.5 to 3 kHz. The coating surface coverage by the NPs and the thickness of the matrix are measured as a function of the FSK parameters. The duty cycle between these two signals is varied from 0 to 100%. It is observed that the matrix thickness is mainly controlled by the power of the discharge, which largely depends on the high-frequency value. The quantity of NPs deposited in the composite thin film is proportional to the duration of the low frequency applied. The FSK waveform has a double modulation effect, allowing us to obtain a uniform coating as the NPs are not affected by the high frequency and the matrix growth rate is limited when the low frequency is applied. When it is close to a frequency limit, the low frequency acts like a filter for the NP aggregates. The higher the frequency, the smaller the size of the aggregates transferred to the surface. By changing only the FSK modulation parameters, the thin film can be switched from superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic, and under suitable conditions, a nanocomposite thin film is obtained.

The synthesis of composites thin films made by injecting an aerosol suspension of 20nm-size TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and isopropanol (IPA) in a filamentary argon Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) is studied as a function of the DBD frequency from 1 to 50kHz. The plasma is modulated to get homogeneous coatings. The deposition rate and morphology of the composite thin films are determined from SEM images of both surface and cross section. Their chemical composition is investigated by XPS, Raman spectroscopy and FTIR measurements. The structural composition of the NPs is examined by XRD. All the deposited composites show the chemical signature of the NPs as well as of the polymer-like coating resulting from the plasma polymerization of IPA. No mixed phase is observed and the sizes of the NPs as well as of their aggregates are not affected by the plasma. With this method aerosol droplets are evaporated before entering the plasma and the NPs inside a same droplet are aggregated. Results show that the DBD frequency controls the composite composition by independently influencing the NPs transport and the matrix growth rate. At 1kHz, the coating is essentially made of NPs with a low carbon coating. From 1 to 50kHz, the Ti/C ratio is divided by two orders of magnitude. As the frequency increases the quantity of NPs decreases and since 10kHz the matrix thickness increases. The decrease of the NPs is explained by the numerical modeling of the NPs trajectory. It is found that from 10 to 1kHz, the lower is the frequency, the higher is the transport of the NPs to the surface due to the electrostatic force. On the other hand the matrix growth rate increases from almost zero at 10kHz up to 19nmmin(-1) at 50kHz because of the linear increases of the DBD power with the frequency.

Silica and graphite sputtering have previously been reported as novel solid stationary phase deposition techniques for micro gas chromatography columns. As a conventional solid stationary phase in gas chromatography, compatible with sputtering yet so far unreported, alumina was evaluated in this study. Alumina sputtered semi-packed micro columns were fabricated (including an activation step) and proved able to separate a mixture of volatile alkanes (C1–C4 with isomers) in less than 1 min. Kinetic and a thermodynamic evaluation led to calculation of 4,500 theoretical plates for ethane in 1.1 m (HETPmin = 250 μm) and a Gibbs free energy for propane of 30.2 kJ mol−1, making this stationary phase’s properties very close to those observed with silica-sputtered micro columns.