Italo Odone Mazali

This study investigates how gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) influence early growth and nutrient homeostasis in soybean ( Glycine max ), with emphasis on root system architecture and ionomic regulation. Plants were cultivated under controlled conditions and exposed to 160 mg L ^− 1 citrate-stabilized AuNPs (~ 19 nm). Morphophysiological parameters and elemental profiles were evaluated to assess growth responses and nutrient dynamics. AuNP exposure did not induce visible toxicity but significantly enhanced root branching and elongation, accompanied by increases in fresh biomass (ca. 24% in leaves, 20% in stems, and 33% in roots) and plant height (+ 13%). Gold accumulation was restricted to roots (1.66 mg kg ^− 1 ), with no detectable translocation to aerial tissues. Ionomic analysis revealed a selective reconfiguration of nutrient homeostasis, including increased Mg (+ 52%) and Fe (+ 17%) in roots, alongside reductions in Zn, Cu, and Mn. Multivariate analysis (PCA – Principal Component Analysis) confirmed distinct ionomic signatures between treated and control plants, primarily driven by root-associated responses. These findings suggest that AuNPs may modulate early plant development through root-centered ionomic reprogramming, potentially involving shifts in nutrient uptake and redox-related processes. The combined enhancement of root architecture and biomass, despite minimal nanoparticle accumulation, is consistent with a hormesis-like response under the tested conditions. Rather than establishing agronomic applicability, this work provides a hypothesis-generating framework linking nanoparticle exposure to coordinated changes in nutrient balance and growth regulation in plants.

Inkjet-printed paper-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates incorporating gold triangular nanoprisms (AuTNPs) and silver triangular nanoprisms (AgTNPs) were prepared to investigate how nanoparticle composition influences the SERS response of structurally related dyes, crystal violet (CV) and malachite green (MG). AuTNPs and AgTNPs were synthesized, formulated into printable inks, and deposited side by side onto hydrophobized chromatography paper. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical characterization confirmed the preservation of nanoprism morphology after printing, while revealing superior spectral reproducibility and storage stability for AuTNP-based substrates compared to AgTNP-based ones. The SERS spectra of CV and MG exhibited composition-dependent vibrational fingerprints, with AuTNPs providing higher enhancement factors and inducing systematic shifts and relative intensity variations in characteristic Raman bands. Multivariate analysis based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) was applied to binary CV/MG mixtures, yielding mean prediction errors (MSE) of 0.080 for the training set and 0.106 for the validation set, with larger deviations associated with lower-enhancement regions. Overall, the results demonstrate that nanoprism composition plays a critical role in shaping SERS spectral features and that combining signals from different plasmonic nanostructures on a printed paper substrate enhances the spectroscopic discrimination and quantitative analysis of closely related molecular species.

Chitosan-stabilized copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional copper sources in agriculture due to their potential to improve micronutrient delivery while reducing metal-associated phytotoxicity. However, their biological effects and interactions with soil-plant systems remain insufficiently understood. In this study, CuNPs were synthesized by chemical reduction within a chitosan matrix and characterized by ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealing well-dispersed, predominantly spherical nanoparticles (ca. 6 nm) with strong polymer coordination. Soybean (Glycine max) seedlings were cultivated in soil amended with CuNPs (10-100 mg L–1) or copper(II) sulfate (CuSO4; 10-50 mg L–1) to evaluate seedling vigor and anatomical responses. Ionic copper induced a significant, dose-dependent reduction in seedling vigor, with marked inhibition at 50 mg L–1 CuSO4 (p < 0.05), accompanied by severe anatomical damage, including cortical cell collapse and vascular disruption. In contrast, CuNP exposure did not significantly affect germination or seedling vigor and, at lower concentrations, produced responses comparable to the control. Anatomical analyses further revealed fewer structural abnormalities in roots and stem-root transition zones in CuNP-treated plants. Collectively, these results indicate a distinct copper availability profile for chitosan-stabilized CuNPs, consistent with reduced acute phytotoxicity while preserving the essential micronutrient function of copper. Overall, polymer-stabilized CuNPs represent a promising strategy for controlled micronutrient delivery in agriculture, although further studies addressing long-term environmental behavior and safety remain necessary.

The demand for porous sodium super ionic conductor (NASICON)-type materials with high surface area and controlled microstructure has intensified due to their potential in energy storage, sensing, and catalytic applications. However, conventional synthesis routes are often complex and poorly scalable. Here, we demonstrate that acid leaching of lithium germanophosphate-based glassceramics provides an efficient pathway for NASICON phase formation while enabling selective dissolution of soluble phases. The effects of acid type (hydrochloric acid (HCl) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 1 mol L–1) and leaching temperature (25 and 70 °C) on the phase purity, morphology, and porosity of NASICON monoliths derived from 6Li2O-24GeO2-39CaO-31P2O5 (mol%) glasses heat-treated at 658 and 750 °C were systematically investigated. Leaching in H3PO4 at 25 °C produced monoliths with high structural integrity, large interconnected pores (ca. 10 µm), and selective NASICON preservation, attributed to the phosphate-assisted removal of metaphosphate and pyrophosphate species. In contrast, HCl leaching at 25 °C generated smaller pores (ca. 1 µm) with germanium dioxide (GeO2) residues, while higher temperatures (70 °C) in either acid completely dissolved the NASICON phase. These results establish a rational framework for tuning the morphology and phase purity of porous NASICON glass-ceramics via coupled thermal and chemical processing, offering new insights for their targeted design in energy, catalytic, and sensing technologies.

This Mini-Review focus on the production of metallic copper nanoparticles trough hydrothermal synthesis, which represents the most applied method for metallic nanoparticles synthesis. These nanoparticles stand out for their diverse applications in various scientific and technological fields, and among these, copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are particularly notable for their unique properties, including catalytic, optical and electronic characteristics. These properties are influenced by the size, shape and structure of the particles. Then, the influence of precursor salts, reducing agents, and stabilizers are discussed inside this Mini-Review on the size and shape of CuNPs. Additionally, in recent years, green synthesis methods have gained prominence due to their environmental compatibility and sustainability, but require more robust methods to be implemented. Routes using metal reducing agents such as extracts from plants, flowers, stems are already found in the literature, and some examples are presented in such Mini-Review. Furthermore, we explore the potential applications of CuNPs in areas such as catalysis, antibacterial agents, medical diagnostics, and bioanalytics.

In this work, we unveil the potential of nitrogen (N₂) adsorption from Liquid Argon (LAr) through the molecular sieves (zeolites) Li-FAU Adsorbents. We report detailed studies about N₂ gas adsorption at T = 89 K using a commercial Micromeritics ASAP-2420 equipment and N₂ purification from LAr using the Purification Cryostat (PuLArC) at IFGW/Unicamp. We argue that the N₂ adsorption by the Li-FAU is possible thanks to the stronger interaction of N₂ with the lithium cations present in zeolite Li-FAU. In fact, the experiments performed in PuLArC have unequivocally shown that the Li-FAU adsorbent was capable of capturing N₂, reducing a N₂ contamination of 20–50 ppm to 0.1–1.0 ppm in 1–2 hours of circulation time in LAr for several runs. This result demonstrated the great potential of the Li-FAU adsorbent for N₂ capturing in LAr and invoke further tests of this material in larger scale LAr cryostats in order to confirm the innovative proposal of using the Li-FAU molecular sieve in replacement of Molecular Sieve 4A, currently used in LAr cryostats for neutrino experiments.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) possess unique characteristics ideal for enhancing device sensitivity, primarily due to their high surface-to-volume ratio facilitating heightened interaction with analytes. Integrating AgNPs into polymers or carbon-based materials results in nanocomposites with synergistic properties, enabling the detection of minute changes in the environment across various applications. In this study, we investigate the adsorption kinetics of AgNPs within multilayered layer-by-layer (LbL) structures, specifically examining the impact of AgNPs concentration in the LbL film formation that is further explored as sensing units in an impedimetric microfluidic e-tongue. Although absorption kinetic studies are infrequent, they are crucial to optimize the AgNPs adsorption and distribution within LbL structures, significantly influencing upcoming applications. Through systematic variation of AgNPs concentration within identical LbL architectures, we applied the films as sensing units in a microfluidic e-tongue capable of distinguishing food enhancers sharing the umami taste profile. Across all tested scenarios, our approach consistently achieves robust sample separation, evidenced by silhouette coefficient, principal component analyses, and long-term stability. This work contributes to exploring controlled nanomaterial-based developments, emphasizing the importance of precise parameter control for enhanced sensor performance across diverse analytical applications.