Density Functional Theory Study of Antioxidant Adsorption onto Single- Wall Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Design of New Antioxidant Delivery Systems

Mechanically robust, transparent, and UV-shielding composite of Na-Alginate and maleic acid-functionalized boron nitride nanosheets with improved antioxidant property

Maleic acid functionalized boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS-MA)/Na-Alginate composite with enhanced mechanical, UV-shielding and antioxidation properties have been fabricated for the first time by solvent evaporation from a homogeneous aqueous dispersion of BNNS-MA/Na-Alginate composite solution. The composite fabrication was driven by homogenous nano-integrations and chemistry of compatibilization of BNNS-MA with Na-Alginate through H-bonding interactions between -COOH functional group of BNNS-MA and -OH, -COONa groups of Na-Alginate. The BNNS-MA/Na-Alginate composites show significant enhancement of mechanical, UV-blocking and antioxidant properties compared to the Na-Alginate. Integrating only 1 wt% BNNS-MA improved the UV-blocking, tensile strength, and antioxidant properties of Na-Alginate film by 99.1%, 73% and 60.3%, respectively. Overall, our findings of BNNS-MA integrated Na-Alginate composite films with improved physical, mechanical, UV shielding, and antioxidant functionalities is very promising to open new insight in the field of transparent UV-protected biopolymer film for consumer products, packaging, cosmetics, and engineering applications.

Simultaneous nanocarrier-mediated delivery of siRNAs and chemotherapeutic agents in cancer therapy and diagnosis: Recent advances

Recently, investigations have revealed that RNA interference (RNAi) has a remarkable potential to decrease cancer burden by downregulating genes. Among various RNAi molecules, small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been more attractive for this goal and is able to silence a target pathological path and promote the degradation of a certain mRNA, resulting in either gain or loss of function of proteins. Moreover, therapeutic siRNAs have exhibited low side effects compared to other therapeutic molecular candidates. Nevertheless, siRNA delivery has its own limitations including quick degradation in circulation, ineffective internalization and low passive uptake by cells, possible toxicity against off-target sites, and inducing unfavorable immune responses. Therefore, delivery tools must be able to specifically direct siRNAs to their target locations without inflicting detrimental effects on other sites. To conquer the mentioned problems, nanocarrier-mediated delivery of siRNAs, using inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), polymers, and lipids, has been developed as a biocompatible delivery approach. In this review, we have discussed recent advances in the siRNA delivery methods that employ nanoparticles, lipids, and polymers, as well as the inorganic-based co-delivery systems used to deliver siRNAs and anticancer agents to target cells.

Critical Review of Advances in Engineering Nanomaterial Adsorbents for Metal Removal and Recovery from Water: Mechanism Identification and Engineering Design

Nanomaterial adsorbents (NAs) have shown promise to efficiently remove toxic metals from water, yet their practical use remains challenging. Limited understanding of adsorption mechanisms and scaling up evaluation are the two main obstacles. To fully realize the practical use of NAs for metal removal, we review the advanced tools and chemical principles to identify mechanisms, highlight the importance of adsorption capacity and kinetics on engineering design, and propose a systematic engineering scenario for full-scale NA implementation. Specifically, we provide in-depth insight for using density functional theory (DFT) and/or X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) to elucidate adsorption mechanisms in terms of active site verification and molecular interaction configuration. Furthermore, we discuss engineering issues for designing, scaling, and operating NA systems, including adsorption modeling, reactor selection, and NA regeneration, recovery, and disposal. This review also prioritizes research needs for (i) determining NA microstructure properties using DFT, XAFS, and machine learning and (ii) recovering NAs from treated water. Our critical review is expected to guide and advance the development of highly efficient NAs for engineering applications.