Rapid one-step scalable microwave synthesis of Ti3C2Tx MXene

MXene-based electrochemical devices applied for healthcare applications

The initial part of the review provides an extensive overview about MXenes as novel and exciting 2D nanomaterials describing their basic physico-chemical features, methods of their synthesis, and possible interfacial modifications and techniques, which could be applied to the characterization of MXenes. Unique physico-chemical parameters of MXenes make them attractive for many practical applications, which are shortly discussed. Use of MXenes for healthcare applications is a hot scientific discipline which is discussed in detail. The article focuses on determination of low molecular weight analytes (metabolites), high molecular weight analytes (DNA/RNA and proteins), or even cells, exosomes, and viruses detected using electrochemical sensors and biosensors. Separate chapters are provided to show the potential of MXene-based devices for determination of cancer biomarkers and as wearable sensors and biosensors for monitoring of a wide range of human activities.

A Review on Recent Progress in Preparation of Medium-Temperature Solar-Thermal Nanofluids with Stable Dispersion

Direct absorption of sunlight and conversion into heat by uniformly dispersed photothermal nanofluids has emerged as a facile way to efficiently harness abundant renewable solar-thermal energy for a variety of heating-related applications. As the key component of the direct absorption solar collectors, solar-thermal nanofluids, however, generally suffer from poor dispersion and tend to aggregate, and the aggregation and precipitation tendency becomes even stronger at elevated temperatures. In this review, we overview recent research efforts and progresses in preparing solar-thermal nanofluids that can be stably and homogeneously dispersed under medium temperatures. We provide detailed description on the dispersion challenges and the governing dispersion mechanisms, and introduce representative dispersion strategies that are applicable to ethylene glycol, oil, ionic liquid, and molten salt-based medium-temperature solar-thermal nanofluids. The applicability and advantages of four categories of stabilization strategies including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic stabilization, steric stabilization, and self-dispersion stabilization in improving the dispersion stability of different type of thermal storage fluids are discussed. Among them, recently emerged self-dispersible nanofluids hold the potential for practical medium-temperature direct absorption solar-thermal energy harvesting. In the end, the exciting research opportunities, on-going research need and possible future research directions are also discussed. It is anticipated that the overview of recent progress in improving dispersion stability of medium-temperature solar-thermal nanofluids can not only stimulate exploration of direct absorption solar-thermal energy harvesting applications, but also provide a promising means to solve the fundamental limiting issue for general nanofluid technologies.

State-of-the-art: MXene structures in nano-oncology

Cancer nanomedicine has been investigated widely and boomed in the last two decades, resulting in designing nanostructures with biofunctionalization, giving rise to an "All-in-One" multifunctional platform. The development of rational design technology with extended functionalities brought interdisciplinary researchers to work continuously, aiming to find a prevent or effectively treat the deadly disease of the century. Thus, it led to some Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approving nano-based formulations for cancer treatment and opening a vast area of promising discoveries by exploiting different nanomaterials. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have recently gained tremendous interest among scientists because of their outstanding structural, optical, electronic, thermal, and mechanical characteristics. Among various 2D nanomaterials, MXenes are a widely studied nanosystem because of their close similarity to graphene analogs. So, it is synthesized using multiple approaches and exploits their inherited properties. But in most cases, surface functionalization techniques are carried out for targeting, site-specific drug clearance, renal clearance, and biocompatible with healthy cells. Thus, fabricating a multimodal agent for mono or combined therapies is also an image-guided diagnostic agent. This review will explain the recent and emerging advancements of MXenes-based composites as a multifunctional theragnostic agent and discuss the possibilities of transferring laboratory research to clinical translation.

An in situ study of the thermal decomposition of 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) radical chemistry using a dual-mode EPR resonator

A custom-built dual-mode EPR resonator was used to study the radical chemistry of AIBN thermal decomposition. This resonator enables both simultaneous in situ heating using microwaves and EPR measurements to be performed. The thermal decomposition of AIBN was compared following conventional heating methods and microwave-induced (or dielectric) heating methods. Under both heating conditions, the radicals formed and detected by EPR include the 2-cyano-2-propyl (CP●) and 2-cyano-2-propoxyl (CPO●) radicals. Under aerobic conditions, the observed relative distribution of these radicals as observed by EPR is similar following slow heating by conventional or dielectric methods. In both conditions, the kinetically favoured CPO● radicals and their adducts dominate the EPR spectra up to temperatures of approximately 80–90 °C. Under anaerobic conditions, the distribution can be altered as less CPO● is available. However, the observed results are notably different when rapid heating (primarily applied using a MW-induced T-jump) is applied. As the higher reaction temperatures are achieved on a faster timescale, none of the ST●-CPO adducts are actually visible in the EPR spectra. The more rapid and facile heating capabilities created by microwaves may therefore lead to the non-detection of radical intermediates compared to experiments performed using conventional heating methods.

MXenes: state-of-the-art synthesis, composites and bioapplications

MXenes have proven significant potential in a multitude of scientific domains as they provide substantial benefits over carbon graphene, such as ease of production and functionalization, large surface area, adjustable...