Nanomaterials最新文献

The memristor has long been known as a nonvolatile memory technology alternative and has recently been explored for neuromorphic computing, owing to its capability to mimic the synaptic plasticity of the human brain. The architecture of a memristor synapse device allows ultra-high-density integration by internetworking with crossbar arrays, which benefits large-scale training and learning using advanced machine-learning algorithms. In this review, we present a statistical analysis of neuromorphic computing device publications from 2018 to 2025, focusing on various memristive systems. Furthermore, we provide a device-level perspective on biomimetic properties in hardware neural networks such as short-term plasticity (STP), long-term plasticity (LTP), spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and spike rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP). Herein, we highlight the utilization of optoelectronic synapses based on 2D materials driven by a sequence of optical stimuli to mimic the plasticity of the human brain, further broadening the scope of memristor controllability by optical stimulation. We also highlight practical applications ranging from MNIST dataset recognition to hardware-based pattern recognition and explore future directions for memristor synapses in healthcare, including artificial cognitive retinal implants, vital organ interfaces, artificial vision systems, and physiological signal anomaly detection.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a common chronic disease that significantly increases the risk of bone fractures. Pharmacotherapy uses, among others, 17beta-estradiol (E2), which has been replaced in recent years by raloxifene hydrochloride (RLX). The need for long-term, high-dose therapy with these drugs is associated with serious adverse effects. The aim of this review is to analyze the current state of knowledge over the last 5 years (2020-2025) regarding the use of nanoparticles (NPs) in the delivery of E2 and RLX, with particular emphasis on their impact on bioavailability, pharmacokinetic profile, reduction in adverse effects, and improvement in the effectiveness of postmenopausal osteoporosis therapy. Preclinical studies show that combining E2 or RLX with various types of NPs reduces cytotoxicity, improves pharmacokinetic parameters, and enhances the therapeutic effects of drugs used in postmenopausal osteoporosis. These effects are mainly attributed to improved pharmacokinetics and controlled drug release, rather than confirmed active tissue targeting. However, these findings are based on preclinical models and require further validation in clinical studies. The analysis concludes that while NP systems significantly enhance the pharmacokinetic profile and safety of E2 and RLX in preclinical models, claims of true bone-specific targeting remain largely unsubstantiated, highlighting a key area for future research.

Chlorella vulgaris is a microalga with well-established nutritional, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial potential. The current study aimed to explore the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the ethanolic extract of C. vulgaris and to assess how nanoparticle formation affects the chemical composition, antimicrobial potential, antioxidant capacity, and spasmolytic activity of the extract, building on earlier evidence for its modulatory effects on gastrointestinal smooth muscle. Even though AgNPs from Chlorella have been obtained previously, to the best of our knowledge, their spasmolytic activity has not been evaluated. To assess their properties and stability, ATR-FTIR, TEM images, XRD, DLS, and zeta potential were used. The obtained AgNPs were mostly spherical (with a diameter between 10 and 50 nm) and showed good colloidal stability. The synthesis of AgNPs resulted in significant changes in lipid composition, pigment content, and fatty acid profiles, including a decrease in total chlorophylls and an increase in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed moderate to strong antibacterial activity against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, and fungi. The most pronounced inhibitory effect was observed against A. niger and P. chrysogenum. In ex vivo organ bath experiments, AgNPs modulated the contractile activity and the spasmolytic profile of isolated rat gastric smooth muscle compared with C. vulgaris extract. These results demonstrate that green-synthesized AgNPs present systems with altered smooth muscle activity and improved antibacterial qualities, underscoring their potential for use in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and gastrointestinal therapeutics.

Photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC) is considered a viable technology due to its stable molecular structure and resistance to absorption by biological organisms. As a promising photocatalyst, TiO₂ suffers from a wide bandgap and rapid charge recombination rates. In this work, the S-scheme heterojunctions of g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ (CNTOx, x = 10, 30, and 70) were synthesized via solvothermal, calcination, and impregnation methods. Furthermore, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were incorporated into the CNTO30 samples, resulting in yCQDs-CNTO30 (y = 0.5, 1, and 3). The 1CQDs-CNTO30 demonstrat an impressive TC degradation efficiency of 76.7% in 60 min under visible light, which is higher than that of CNTO30 (59.8%). This enhanced efficiency is ascribed to the effective charge separation induced by the dual-effect of S-scheme heterojunction and the CQDs. The built-in electric field within the heterojunction drives the separation of electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the highly conductive CQDs accelerate the electron transport, thereby promoting the charge separation. Additionally, the CQDs improve the ability of absorption light. This research provides critical insights into the strategic development of efficient ternary photocatalytic S-scheme heterojunctions for environmental remediation.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are extensively employed for their antimicrobial and biomedical properties, yet concerns persist regarding their potential toxicity. While AgNPs can induce oxidative stress, membrane disruption, and DNA damage, in vivo data remain inconsistent. This study investigated whether batch-to-batch variability in nominally identical AgNPs of 10 nm size contributes to divergent in vivo toxicity outcomes. CD-1 (ICR) mice were intravenously injected with a single 10 mg/kg bw dose of spherical, citrate-coated 10 nm AgNPs from three different batches purchased from the same manufacturer. The mice were euthanized 24 h post-exposure for quantitative silver determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and histopathological evaluation of liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and brain. Autometallography and immunofluorescence were used to assess silver distribution and cellular localization in the hepatobiliary system. All the batches induced hepatobiliary toxicity, characterized by hepatocellular necrosis and gallbladder wall hemorrhage, of differing severity. The most toxic batches contained higher proportions of smaller AgNPs, suggesting that differences in size distribution influence toxicological outcomes. Silver agglomerates were localized within multiple cell types, indicating internalization and cell-specific cytotoxicity. These findings highlight that minor physicochemical variations affect in vivo results, underscoring the importance of nanoparticle characterization to improve reproducibility in nanotoxicological research.

Estimating the adsorption data and understanding the adsorption behavior and mechanism of organic pollutants on nanoplastics are crucial for assessing their ecological risks. Herein, in silico techniques, i.e., grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, density functional theory computations, and quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) modeling, were integrated to examine the adsorption of 39 representative aliphatic and aromatic compounds and nine emerging pollutants (brominated flame retardants and phosphorus flame retardants) onto 12 different nanoplastics under atmospheric conditions. Three QSAR models were constructed to predict the adsorption equilibrium constant (logK) for polyethylene, polyoxymethylene, and polyvinyl alcohol nanoplastics individually, along with 12 QSAR models for separately estimating adsorption capacities (C_m) on different nanoplastics. Furthermore, a novel multi-dimensional prediction model was developed, enabling simultaneous, high-throughput prediction of adsorption capacities across multiple nanoplastics and pollutants with a single input. These results revealed that van der Waals and electrostatic interactions serve as the primary driving forces for the adsorption. The novel multi-dimensional prediction model facilitates rapid and comprehensive assessment of pollutant-nanoplastic interactions with one-click, and paves the way for improved risk evaluations and advancing predictive environmental research.

Nanomedicine changes our lives by impacting diagnostics and therapeutics. In the biomedical domain, core-shell nanostructures have significant potential for photothermal therapy, diagnostics, sensing, drug delivery, and imaging. This work reviews the synergistic photothermal and photochemical effects of core-shell nanocomposites in the biomedical field. Several historical points in the development of nanostructures and fundamental core-shell plasmonic nanocomposites are provided in the introductory sections. Further, we analyzed the core-shell construction and its main biomedical applications: antimicrobial, cancer therapy, wound healing, and tissue regeneration. Moreover, we present relevant design considerations, performance optimization, and toxicity studies focused on synergistic photothermal-photochemical effects. Despite the promising biomedical research, several challenges remain before core-shell nanocomposites are widely translated into clinical settings and highlight the potential from technological and legal perspectives. The review concludes by outlining the pathways by which the synergistic photothermal-photochemical response of the core-shell nanocomposites plays a key role in nanomedicine and personalized medicine.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and dendritic cells (DCs) play pivotal roles in shaping the tumor immune microenvironment, often contributing to immunosuppression and therapy resistance. Recent advances in nanotechnology have enabled precise modulation of these immune populations, offering a promising avenue to enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Nano-enabled platforms can reprogram TAMs from a pro-tumorigenic M2-like phenotype to an anti-tumorigenic M1-like state, thereby restoring their capacity to phagocytose tumor cells and produce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Concurrently, nanomaterials can enhance DC activation and antigen presentation, promoting robust T-cell priming and adaptive immune responses. Various nanocarriers, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and inorganic nanostructures, have been engineered to deliver immune modulators, nucleic acids, or tumor antigens selectively to TAMs and DCs within the tumor microenvironment. These strategies have demonstrated synergistic effects when combined with immune checkpoint blockade or cytokine therapy, resulting in improved tumor regression and long-term immunological memory in preclinical models. Despite these promising outcomes, challenges remain regarding nanomaterial biocompatibility, targeted delivery efficiency, and potential off-target immune activation. Ongoing research is focused on optimizing nanoparticle physicochemical properties, surface functionalization, and multi-modal delivery systems to overcome these limitations. This review highlights recent advances in nano-enabled modulation of TAMs and DCs, emphasizing mechanistic insights, therapeutic outcomes, and translational potential. By integrating nanotechnology with immunotherapy, these approaches offer a powerful strategy to overcome tumor immune evasion, paving the way for more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

To address the frequent faults (e.g., bird-related hazards, wind deviation) of transmission lines under extreme environments and the limitations of traditional insulating materials (insufficient dielectric properties, poor interface compatibility, etc.), this study synthesized a disulfide-containing polyurea (DPU) with dynamic covalent bonds and prepared Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) modified by aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) to form the HNTs/DPU composite. Methods included characterizations like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and performance tests such as contact angle measurement, breakdown strength, arc resistance, dielectric constant tests, and a tower gap breakdown test. Results showed that APTES modification enhanced interface compatibility, leading to a uniform and dense microstructure. Compared with commercial polyurea (CPU) and commercial insulating sheath (CIS), HNTs/DPU exhibited superior performance: higher glass transition temperature (Tg) and thermal stability, excellent hydrophobicity, improved breakdown strength and dielectric constant, longer arc resistance time by blocking microcrack propagation, and optimal insulation effect at 4 mm coating thickness in the tower gap test with a significantly higher breakdown voltage. In conclusion, HNTs/DPU provides a new technical solution for transmission line insulation protection under extreme conditions, with comparative data demonstrating advancements over existing materials.

Precise control over nanostructure evolution is critical for optimizing the electrochemical performance of pseudocapacitive materials. In this work, Nb₂O₅ nanostructures were synthesized via a time-engineered hydrothermal route by systematically varying the reaction duration (6, 12, and 18 h) to elucidate its influence on structural development, charge storage kinetics, and supercapacitor performance. Structural and surface analyses confirm the formation of phase-pure monoclinic Nb₂O₅ with a stable Nb⁵⁺ oxidation state. Morphological investigations reveal that a 12 h reaction time produces hierarchically organized Nb₂O₅ architectures composed of nanograin-assembled spherical aggregates with interconnected porosity, providing optimized ion diffusion pathways and enhanced electroactive surface exposure. Electrochemical evaluation demonstrates that the NbO-12 electrode delivers superior pseudocapacitive behavior dominated by diffusion-controlled Nb⁵⁺/Nb⁴⁺ redox reactions, exhibiting high areal capacitance (5.504 F cm^-2 at 8 mA cm^-2), fast ion diffusion kinetics, low internal resistance, and excellent cycling stability with 85.73% capacitance retention over 12,000 cycles. Furthermore, an asymmetric pouch-type supercapacitor assembled using NbO-12 as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode operates stably over a wide voltage window of 1.5 V, delivering an energy density of 0.101 mWh cm^-2 with outstanding durability. This study establishes hydrothermal reaction-time engineering as an effective strategy for tailoring Nb₂O₅ nanostructures and provides valuable insights for the rational design of high-performance pseudocapacitive electrodes for advanced energy storage systems.