A facile synthesis of visible light driven Ni3V2O8 nano-cube/BiVO4 nanorod composite photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity towards degradation of acid orange 7

NiCo2V2O8@NC Spheres with Mesoporous Yolk- Bilayer Hierarchical Structure for Enhanced Lithium Storage

Metal vanadates as negative electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries have attracted widespread attention, attributed to their substantial capacity, broad availability, and exceptional safety. In this study, NiCo2V2O8@NC microspheres featuring a yolk-double shell structure were successfully synthesized via ion exchange reactions and surface deposition techniques, employing metal glycerolate as a template. Owing to the bimetallic cobalt-nickel synergistic effect and the N-doped carbon network, this configuration not only optimizes the pore structure but also enhances conductivity, thereby augmenting the stability of the overall structure. The unique yolk-double shell design significantly enhances the utilization of active components and reduces the ion transport distance, thereby achieving high capacity. Thanks to the synergistic effects of this bimetallic and intricate structure, the material demonstrates exceptional capacity and cycle stability in lithium storage. The initial discharge capacity possesses 1522 mAh g-1 at a current density of 0.2 A g-1, with the reversible capacity still maintained at 1197 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. In addition, at a high current density of 0.5 A g-1, the initial discharge capacity is 1487 mAh g-1, with a reversible capacity of 747 mAh g-1 maintained after 500 cycles. This study offers a perspective and methodology for the design and fabrication of complex porous double shell nanostructures.

A review of recent advances in the use of complex metal nanostructures for biomedical applications from diagnosis to treatment

Complex metal nanostructures represent an exceptional category of materials characterized by distinct morphologies and physicochemical properties. Nanostructures with shape anisotropies, such as nanorods, nanostars, nanocages, and nanoprisms, are particularly appealing due to their tunable surface plasmon resonances, controllable surface chemistries, and effective targeting capabilities. These complex nanostructures can absorb light in the near-infrared, enabling noteworthy applications in nanomedicine, molecular imaging, and biology. The engineering of targeting abilities through surface modifications involving ligands, antibodies, peptides, and other agents potentiates their effects. Recent years have witnessed the development of innovative structures with diverse compositions, expanding their applications in biomedicine. These applications encompass targeted imaging, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared II imaging, catalytic therapy, photothermal therapy, and cancer treatment. This review seeks to provide the nanomedicine community with a thorough and informative overview of the evolving landscape of complex metal nanoparticle research, with a specific emphasis on their roles in imaging, cancer therapy, infectious diseases, and biofilm treatment. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Infectious Disease Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices.

Non-noble-metal TiC-nanoparticle-promoted charge separation and photocatalytic degradation performance on Bi2O3 microrods: degradation pathway and mechanism investigation

In the present work, a promising binary TiC/Bi2O3 photocatalyst was obtained via a simple hydrothermal route. In the photodegradation experiment of acid orange 7 (AO7) and tetracycline (TC) irradiated by simulated sunlight, the attachment of TiC nanoparticles on the Bi2O3 microrods leads to an obvious improvement in the photocatalytic removal properties of the Bi2O3 microrods. The optimal removal efficiency of AO7 was achieved by the 7.5%TiC/Bi2O3 sample, which results in about 91.5% dye removal within 75 min of reaction. Meanwhile, the 7.5%TiC/Bi2O3 sample also exhibits favorable photodegradation performance for the degradation of TC, leading to about ∼76.9% TC being degraded after 75 min of irradiation. More importantly, the degradation pathways of AO7 and toxicity analysis of the intermediate products were performed based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry detection and theoretical simulation. The superior photocatalytic behavior of the TiC/Bi2O3 composite is attributed to the effective separation and migration of photoexcited electrons and holes in the heterojunction, where the TiC nanoparticles act as an acceptor of photoexcited electrons.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles using different capping agents and their photocatalytic application

This investigation reports the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles from various sources of zinc salts via a microwave-assisted method. Furthermore, the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were capped with different capping agents such as sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) to examine the stability and characteristics of ZnO nanoparticles. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized with sophisticated analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, UV-vis DRS, Raman, and PL to understand their properties. From these studies, the XRD depicts the decrease in crystallinity of ZnO nanoparticles with the addition of different capping agents, and the morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles was influenced by capping agents as evidenced by SEM. The band gap of the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles is found to decrease with different capping agents confirmed by UV-Vis DRS studies. Furthermore, the photocatalytic degradation performance of the prepared samples is assessed by the degradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. The ZnO nanoparticles synthesized from the Zinc nitrate source with SHMP capping agent show a greater extent of photocatalytic degradation efficiency than other Zinc sources. After 60 min of light, MB was observed to have degraded by about 80%, and hence, zinc nitrate is a suitable source to synthesize ZnO.