Muberra Andac

The limitations of Li-ion mobility and thermal stability are critical concerns in advanced Li-ion batteries. This study proposed a core-shell nanofibrous separator utilizing a coaxial electrospinning method to merge several properties in the same design. The shell was a composite of a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) copolymer and CaCO₃ nanoparticles, while the core was a composite of a sulfonated polyether ether ketone (sPEEK) polymer and Al₂O₃ nanoparticles. The physical and thermal properties as well as ionic conductivity and electrochemical performance at room temperature and 45 °C were examined in detail. Membranes display an entangled fibrous structure with high porosity and excellent thermal stability up to 200°C. The sample with 0.4 wt% of CaCO₃ and 0.25 wt% of Al₂O₃ (COX2) exhibits effective electrolyte wettability (440%), a high lithium-ion (Li⁺) transport number (0.72) and considerable electrochemical stability. At room temperature, COX2 demonstrates specific discharge capacities of 168 mAh g⁻¹ and 140 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2 C and 5 C, respectively, whereas those of the pure sample (COX1) were only 150 mAh g⁻¹ and 107 mAh g⁻¹. COX2 also shows remarkable stability after 300 cycles at 2 C, maintaining over 95.7% of its capacity compared to more degradation behavior for COX1. Interestingly, the sample with 1.2 wt% of CaCO₃ and 1.5 wt% of Al₂O₃ (COX4) delivers optimized performance at 45°C, maintaining a capacity of 157 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 C, compared to only 98 mAh g⁻¹ for COX1. The results show that the ideal composition of the separator might be temperature-dependent, not fixed.

Nowadays, organic dyes are prevalent components in wastewater discharges due to their extensive use in various industries, posing a significant threat to public health across different organisms. As a result, wastewater treatment has become an indispensable requirement. In this study, we synthesized supermagnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄ NPs) and gold-iron oxide bimetallic nanoparticles (Au@Fe₃O₄ BNPs) using an eco-friendly method that involved natural compounds extracted from brown Egyptian propolis. We employed UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, VSM, SEM, HRTEM, EDX, Zeta potential and XPS techniques to examine the optical characteristics, chemical structure, crystalline structure, magnetic properties, morphology, size, and chemical composition of these biosynthesized nanoparticles. Furthermore, these nanoparticles were used as nanocatalysts for the removal of cationic dyes. The photocatalytic results indicated high efficiency in the removal of methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and malachite green (MG) dyes from aqueous solutions using Fe₃O₄ NPs and Au@Fe₃O₄ BNPs. The removal rates of MB, CV, and MG were about 95.2% in 70 min, 99.4% in 50 min, and 96.2% in 60 min for Fe₃O₄ NPs, and 97.1% in 50 min, 99.1% in 30 min, and 98.1% in 50 min for Au@Fe₃O₄ BNPs, respectively. The study also assessed the potential anti-radical properties of the extract, Fe₃O₄ NPs, and Au@Fe₃O₄ BNPs using the DPPH assay, and the results demonstrated their antioxidant activity. Finally, these Fe₃O₄ NPs and Au@Fe₃O₄ BNPs have the potential to serve as efficient antioxidants and photocatalysts for removing basic dyes from water. Graphical abstract

Nanoparticles are organic and inorganic structures ranging in size from 1-100 nm. They are a part of our daily life and attract great attention in various fields such as agriculture, environment, and medicine. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are among the metal nanoparticles that have been the most widely researched and used for their optical, electrical, and antimicrobial properties. Today, in advanced food technology applications, nanoparticles and additives containing nanoparticles are used to improve the nutritional content of foods and to increase the stability of food components or final food products by extending their shelf life. Thanks to their unique properties, AgNPs are regarded as leaders in the fight against pathogenic microbial activity, solving current problems in the food industry. AgNPs have a strong effect on slowing the antimicrobial activities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as well as being active against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria. In this review, the physical, chemical, and biological methods used in the production of silver nanoparticles, the functions and mechanisms of action of the particles, and the use of AgNPs as a preservative in meat and meat products and their new generation packaging systems are explained in detail.

Background:: pH sensitive dendrimers attached to nanocarriers, as one of the drug release systems, have become quite popular due to their ease of manufacture in experimental conditions and the ability to generate fast drug release in the targeted area. This kind of fast release behavior cannot be represented properly in most of the existing kinetic mathematical models. Besides, these models have either no pH dependence or pH dependence added separately. Therefore, they remained one dimensional. Objective:: The aim of this study was to establish the proper analytic equation to describe the fast release of drugs from pH sensitive nanocarrier systems. Then, to combine it with the pH dependent equation for establishing a two-dimensional model for whole system. Methods:: We used four common kinetic models for the comparison and we fitted them to the release data. As a result, only Higuchi and Korsmeyer-Peppas models show acceptable suitable results. None of these models have pH dependence. To get a better description for pH triggered fast release, we observed the behavior of the slope angle of the release curve. Then we proposed a new analytic equation by using relation between the slope angle and time. Result:: By adding a pH dependent equation, we assumed the drug release is “on” or “off” above/below specific pH value and we modified a step function to get a desired behavior. Conclusion:: Our new analytic model shows good fitting, not only one-dimensional time dependent release, but also two-dimensional pH dependent release, that provides a useful analytic model to represent release profiles of pH sensitive fast drug release systems.

In this study, locust bean gum/polyvinyl alcohol (LBG/PVA) hydrogels were synthesized by the gel casting method without using toxic crosslinking agents. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods were used for characterization of the synthesized hydrogels. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for observation surface morphology of the hydrogel and swelled hydrogels. The Swelling behavior of prepared hydrogels was investigated and the data were interpreted by various kinetic models. The prepared hydrogels showed pH and temperature‐responsive behavior. The maximum swelling ratio was evaluated as 607.72 at 37°C. The diffusional exponent values (n) were found as 0.5946, 0.5028, and 0.2785 at 4, 25, and 37°C, respectively. According to the n values, it was found that non‐Fickian diffusion dominates the swelling process. The obtained diffusion prediction curves were fitted to three different models: Higuchi, Peppas, and Elmas models. Among the results, Elmas model has better fits at 277 K and 298 K while Peppas model is better at 310 K. The results indicated that LBG/PVA hydrogels could be a candidate biomaterial for drug delivery applications.

Evaluation of nano sized Mg@BTC metal organic framework as a drug carrier: A long term experimental and predictive theoretical study