Nanoscale Advances最新文献

Trimetallic nanoparticles (TMNPs) have emerged as a versatile class of nanomaterials whose multifunctional and synergistic properties surpass those of mono- and bimetallic systems. This review examines the recent advancements in TMNP synthesis, bridging conventional top-down techniques with state-of-the-art bottom-up strategies that provide precise control over atomic ordering while addressing concerns related to sustainability. This review provides a systematic discussion of the structural and synthetic innovations resulting in their rapid adoption in electrochemical applications, including fuel cells, oxygen and hydrogen electrocatalysis, supercapacitors, and electrochemical sensing. Particular emphasis on the influence of interfacial and compositional engineering in TMNPs, ameliorating superior catalytic activity and stability over conventional catalysts, has been comprehensively highlighted. Finally, key challenges, including scalability, long-term stability, biocompatibility, and miniaturization, have been outlined for future opportunities for designing sustainable, application-oriented TMNPs. By linking fundamental structure–property relationships with electrochemical performance, this review contributes a unified framework for fabricating next-generation TMNPs towards energy conversion, catalysis, and advanced sensing applications.

The engineering of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials through metallic and non-metallic doping has proven to be an intriguing strategy for achieving efficient water oxidation and high catalytic activities. The current study reveals the fabrication of a novel bifunctional Ag/Bi-doped MoS₂ catalyst with a fixed concentration (2 wt%) of bismuth (Bi) and varying concentrations (1 and 3 wt%) of silver (Ag) as dopants in MoS₂ (host) using a facile hydrothermal strategy. The Bi-doped MoS₂ catalyst with 3 wt% Ag exhibited an excellent catalytic activity of 99.57% for the elimination of RhB dye from water and flexibility in a wide pH range, signifying its catalytic dye-degradation potential in diverse pH environments. Additionally, the bifunctional catalyst demonstrated an outstanding electrocatalytic OER performance, requiring an overpotential of only 192 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² and a small Tafel slope of 65.3 mV dec⁻¹.

An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was developed using camphorsulphonic acid (CSA)-doped polypyrrole (PPY) nanorods as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode. The CSA doping and rod-like morphology enhanced the conductivity and electrochemical activity of PPY. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis revealed that CSA significantly lowers the HOMO–LUMO energy gaps of pyrrole oligomers, particularly with increasing chain length, indicating improved electronic properties favorable for charge storage. Electrochemical testing showed that the pristine CSA-doped PPY electrode exhibited a moderate specific capacitance of 180 F g⁻¹ at 2 mV s⁻¹, which decreased at higher scan rates. However, after silver nanoparticle deposition on the PPY surface, it displayed a highly reversible and rectangular-type cyclic voltammetry (CV) profile, indicating ideal capacitive behavior, with a specific capacity of 527.28 F g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹. This enhancement was attributed to the strong interaction between silver and the CSA-doped PPY nanorods, which synergistically improved the capacitive performance. The energy density value obtained from the Ragone plot was 12.57 Wh kg⁻¹. These findings demonstrated the potential of metal-doped conductive polymers for high-performance supercapacitor applications. For real-time evaluation, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) tests were performed on the assembled asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC). The ASC employed an Ag-deposited, CSA-doped polypyrrole (PPY) positive electrode and a biowaste-derived activated porous carbon negative electrode. The device delivered a specific capacitance of 208.88 F g⁻¹ at 2 mA cm⁻², with corresponding gravimetric energy and power densities of 41.78 Wh kg⁻¹ and 886.89 W kg⁻¹, respectively.

Supercapacitors (SCs) are garnering significant attention owing to their remarkable power density. Transition-metal-based MOFs have abundant valence states, which contribute to their superior stability, high energy density, and high power density. In this study, monometallic Fe-BDC MOF and bimetallic NiFe-BDC MOFs were synthesized with different molar ratios and examined for their application in supercapacitors. SEM-coupled EDX, BET, and XRD analyses were performed to determine their morphologies and microstructures. The electrodes were evaluated through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in a 1 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. The Ni₁₀Fe₁-BDC MOF electrode exhibited the highest capacitance (918.75 F g⁻¹) at 4 A g⁻¹ due to its fast ion transport and low electrical resistance, resulting from its spherical structure. The Ni₁₀Fe₁-BDC MOF//Ni₁₀Fe₁-BDC MOF symmetric supercapacitor accomplished a high energy density of 106.42 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 3720 W kg⁻¹ and exhibited a high rate capability of 137.73% after 2000 cycles, indicating its potential in supercapacitor applications.

The lack of effective virucides that can eradicate viruses under mild conditions that do not harm mammalian cells or high value biologics poses risks for the food, health care, and pharmaceutical industries. Here, we examine plasmonic nanoreactors that contain the photocatalyst [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ localized in the evanescent electric (E-) field of a silver nanoparticle (AgNP) as a selective virucide. The AgNP is passivated by a lipid coating and functionalized with annexin V to target and bind enveloped viruses with surface-exposed phosphatidylserine and localize the light-driven reactivity of the plasmonic nanoreactor virucide (PNV) in the proximity of the virus to enhance inactivation efficacy and minimize collateral damage. The lipid coating prevents premature Ag⁺ release under “dark” conditions and minimizes cytotoxicity. Upon illumination at 470 nm, plasmon-enhanced excitation of [Ru(bpy)₃]²⁺ induces photoreactivity and generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the bound virus and increase the permeability of the lipid coating around the AgNP, facilitating the release of Ag⁺ ions. Using murine leukemia virus (MLV) as a model, annexin V-functionalized PNVs achieved over 85% viral inactivation after 30 minutes of illumination with 470 nm light (65 mW cm⁻²) at a 1 : 1 virus : PNV ratio, with no measurable cytotoxicity in mammalian host cells. These results demonstrate that PNVs combine light-activated reactivity with targeting to achieve potent, selective virucidal activity under mild conditions, paving a path to safeguarding biologics and cell cultures against viral contamination.

In this study the metal-reducing bacterium, Geobacter sulfurreducens, was used to efficiently recover palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh) from solution via enzymatic bioreduction to form monometallic or bimetallic bio-PGM nanoparticles. Herein, we report the novel biosynthesis of bimetallic PdRh alloy nanoparticles (bio-PdRh), along with bimetallic PdPt nanoparticles (bio-PdPt). In monometallic solutions, G. sulfurreducens biosynthesised Pd(0), Pt(0), and Rh(0) nanoparticles supported at the cell surface, consistent with bioreduction by outer membrane c-type cytochromes. However, in bimetallic solutions, the cells preferentially bioreduced Pt(IV) over Pd(II), resulting in Pt-rich bio-PdPt nanoparticles and highly dispersed Pd(II) cell-surface clusters. In contrast, co-bioreduction of Pd(II) and Rh(III) led to the formation of PdRh alloy nanoparticles. We hypothesise that differences in the reduction potentials of the metal complexes were key to forming these different nanostructures. The reduction of 4-nitrophenol was used to assess bionanoparticle catalytic activity. Monometallic bio-Pt and bio-Rh displayed low activity for this reaction, whereas bio-Pd nanoparticles were highly active and gave the fastest initial reaction rate. Bimetallic bio-PdPt and bio-PdRh catalysts performed comparably to bio-Pd, using half the Pd content. This work highlights the ability of metal-reducing bacteria to synthesise functional nanocatalysts while recovering precious metals from mixed metal-containing wastewaters.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pathogenic bacteria remains a major challenge and critical threat to the global healthcare industry, demanding alternative therapeutic strategies. Among the various nanomaterials studied, silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) have shown promising antibacterial properties due to their broad-spectrum activity, oligodynamic effect, and reduced possibility of inducing microbial resistance. This study investigates the antimicrobial efficacy of biogenically synthesised silver nanoparticles using a cell-free extract of Enterobacter xiangfangensis Pb204 combined with antibiotics against eight pathogenic bacterial strains, including ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.), E. coli, and Vibrio cholerae. The biogenic Ag-NPs were characterised by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Disc diffusion assays demonstrated that biogenic Ag-NPs (21 µg and 25 µg) effectively inhibited the growth of all tested pathogens. When Ag-NPs were combined with antibiotics amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC), ampicillin (AMP), ciprofloxacin (CIP), meropenem (MEM), and vancomycin (VAN), most inhibition zones expanded, with the greatest synergistic effect observed in combination with vancomycin against Enterococcus faecium. These results support the potential of combined therapies using antibiotics and biogenic Ag-NPs to combat the effects of AMR in clinically significant pathogens.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious condition characterized by a sudden decrease in kidney function, often leading to chronic kidney disease. Current treatment options are limited, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies. We previously showed that microRNA-486-5p (miR-486-5p) protects against AKI by regulating cell death (apoptosis) both in vitro and in vivo. However, efficient and selective delivery remains a challenge. In this study, we designed and developed nanoparticles (NPs) to encapsulate and deliver miR-486-5p to cultured endothelial and kidney tubular epithelial cells. NPs were characterized and optimized for size, polydispersity index, surface charge, and encapsulation efficiency. The stability of NPs in long-term storage and in biological solutions was confirmed. Results indicated effective cellular uptake of NPs, cargo microRNA delivery to the intracellular environment, and the absence of cytotoxicity upon NP treatment. Functional assessments showed that miR-486-5p-encapsulating lipid-polymeric hybrid NPs (HNPs) suppressed the expression of Forkhead Box Protein O1 (FOXO1), a validated target of miR-486-5p, in all cell lines investigated, suggesting effective miR-486-5p protection and transport. Both endothelial and tubular epithelial cells were significantly protected against induced apoptosis when pretreated with miR-486-5p-encapsulating HNPs. However, selective siRNA-mediated knockdown of FOXO1 did not result in injury protection, suggesting involvement of other miR-486-5p targets. Furthermore, cell injury-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines was inhibited by HNP-delivered miR-486-5p in both cell lines. These findings demonstrate the protective and anti-inflammatory effects of miR-486-5p-HNP systems in injured endothelial and tubular epithelial cells, highlighting their capacity as a potential nano-therapy for AKI and paving the way for in vivo studies and clinical applications.

Here at Nanoscale Advances we are lucky to receive high quality research papers from across the full range of nanoscience and nanotechnology topics every year. We wanted to find a way to recognise the most significant papers published in the journal each year, judged by the expert nanoscience and nanotechnology researchers who make up our Editorial and Advisory Boards. In this article we are excited to announce the winner and runners-up of the very first Paper Prize, as well as the process that we have taken to select these excellent articles.

Here at Nanoscale Advances we are lucky to receive high quality research papers from across the full range of nanoscience and nanotechnology topics every year. We wanted to find a way to recognise the most significant papers published in the journal each year, judged by the expert nanoscience and nanotechnology researchers who make up our Editorial and Advisory Boards. In this article we are excited to announce the winner and runners-up of the very first Paper Prize, as well as the process that we have taken to select these excellent articles.