Pub Date : 2023-09-26DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00064-4
Leonardo Francisco Gonçalves Dias, Gabriel Junior Cavalcante Pimentel, João Pedro Costa Rheinheimer, Orisson Ponce Gomes, Bianca Gottardo de Almeida, Diogo Paschoalini Volanti, Margarete Teresa Gottardo de Almeida, Paulo Noronha Lisboa-Filho
Abstract The synthesis of trioxides offers unique properties for different applications due to the combination of multiple oxides; however, few studies have reported on the properties of these materials, especially in terms of their ability to create reactive oxygen species, which are helpful for antibacterial and antifungal activity. This study aimed to evaluate the surface properties of CuO-MgO-ZnO and CuO-Co 3 O 4 -CeO 2 trioxides synthesized via precipitation assisted by an ultrasonic bath or sonication. The structural analysis indicated the formation of micrometric particles consisting of individual phases of each oxide, with no apparent influence of the preparation method on their morphology. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed that CuO-MgO-ZnO particles have a band gap near 5.5 eV, while CuO-Co 3 O 4 -CeO 2 has a single value at 4.2 eV. Zeta potential measurements indicated changes in the materials' outermost layer composition due to the synthesis method. Additionally, biological assays showed that the materials could completely inhibit the growth of Candida species and Staphylococcus aureus but not Klebsiella pneumoniae . These results suggest that the materials may be suitable for self-cleaning surfaces and medical device coatings.
{"title":"Synthesis and characterization of CuO-MgO-ZnO and CuO-Co3O4-CeO2","authors":"Leonardo Francisco Gonçalves Dias, Gabriel Junior Cavalcante Pimentel, João Pedro Costa Rheinheimer, Orisson Ponce Gomes, Bianca Gottardo de Almeida, Diogo Paschoalini Volanti, Margarete Teresa Gottardo de Almeida, Paulo Noronha Lisboa-Filho","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00064-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00064-4","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The synthesis of trioxides offers unique properties for different applications due to the combination of multiple oxides; however, few studies have reported on the properties of these materials, especially in terms of their ability to create reactive oxygen species, which are helpful for antibacterial and antifungal activity. This study aimed to evaluate the surface properties of CuO-MgO-ZnO and CuO-Co 3 O 4 -CeO 2 trioxides synthesized via precipitation assisted by an ultrasonic bath or sonication. The structural analysis indicated the formation of micrometric particles consisting of individual phases of each oxide, with no apparent influence of the preparation method on their morphology. UV–Vis spectroscopy revealed that CuO-MgO-ZnO particles have a band gap near 5.5 eV, while CuO-Co 3 O 4 -CeO 2 has a single value at 4.2 eV. Zeta potential measurements indicated changes in the materials' outermost layer composition due to the synthesis method. Additionally, biological assays showed that the materials could completely inhibit the growth of Candida species and Staphylococcus aureus but not Klebsiella pneumoniae . These results suggest that the materials may be suitable for self-cleaning surfaces and medical device coatings.","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134886228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-23DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00062-6
Adelino Handa, Rosa M. F. Baptista, Daniela Santos, Bruna Silva, João Oliveira, Bernardo Almeida, Etelvina de Matos Gomes, Michael Belsley
Abstract Hybrid bionanomaterials were produced through electrospinning, incorporating the dipeptide Boc- l -phenylalanyl- l -leucine into nanofibers of biocompatible polymers. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the uniformity of the nanofibers, with diameters ranging from 0.56 to 1.61 µm. The dielectric properties of the nanofibers were characterized using impedance spectroscopy, assessing temperature and frequency dependencies. Notably, the composite micro/nanofibers exhibited semiconducting dielectric behavior with bandgap energies of 4–5 eV, and their analysis revealed increased dielectric constant with temperature due to enhanced charge mobility. The successful incorporation of the dipeptide was verified by Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization, and the Havriliak–Negami model disclosed insights into electric permittivity. Furthermore, the fibers demonstrated pyroelectric and piezoelectric responses, with Boc-Phe-Leu@PLLA nanofibers having the highest piezoelectric coefficient of 85 pC/N. These findings highlight the influence of dipeptide nanostructures on dielectric, pyroelectric, and piezoelectric properties, suggesting the potential of polymeric micro/nanofibers as efficient piezoelectric energy generators for portable and wearable devices. Graphical Abstract
{"title":"Dielectric and energy harvesting properties of functionalized composite nanofibers consisting of Boc-Phe-Leu self-assembled dipeptide inclusions in biocompatible polymeric matrices","authors":"Adelino Handa, Rosa M. F. Baptista, Daniela Santos, Bruna Silva, João Oliveira, Bernardo Almeida, Etelvina de Matos Gomes, Michael Belsley","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00062-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00062-6","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Hybrid bionanomaterials were produced through electrospinning, incorporating the dipeptide Boc- l -phenylalanyl- l -leucine into nanofibers of biocompatible polymers. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the uniformity of the nanofibers, with diameters ranging from 0.56 to 1.61 µm. The dielectric properties of the nanofibers were characterized using impedance spectroscopy, assessing temperature and frequency dependencies. Notably, the composite micro/nanofibers exhibited semiconducting dielectric behavior with bandgap energies of 4–5 eV, and their analysis revealed increased dielectric constant with temperature due to enhanced charge mobility. The successful incorporation of the dipeptide was verified by Maxwell–Wagner interfacial polarization, and the Havriliak–Negami model disclosed insights into electric permittivity. Furthermore, the fibers demonstrated pyroelectric and piezoelectric responses, with Boc-Phe-Leu@PLLA nanofibers having the highest piezoelectric coefficient of 85 pC/N. These findings highlight the influence of dipeptide nanostructures on dielectric, pyroelectric, and piezoelectric properties, suggesting the potential of polymeric micro/nanofibers as efficient piezoelectric energy generators for portable and wearable devices. Graphical Abstract","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135961141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract In this study, the SCAPS-1D tool has been used to numerically examine the performance of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDC) based Molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2 ) solar cells containing CdS electron transport layer (ETL) and Cu 2 O hole transport layer (HTL). Based on the photovoltaic cell parameters, including absorber layer thickness, temperature, defect density, the effects of series and shunt resistance, and electron affinity, the structure of both MoTe 2 based solar cells with and without the usage of the HTL has been analyzed. With 1.1 μm thickness of MoTe 2 and doping density of 5 × 10 15 cm −3 , Al/FTO/CdS/MoTe 2 /Cu 2 O/Ni heterojunction’s solar cell proposed structure has been optimized. The final power conversion efficiency (PCE) = 32.38%, open-circuit voltage (V oc ) = 1.07 V, short-circuit current (J sc ) = 35.12 mA/cm 2 , and fill factor (FF) = 86.32% has been determined from the optimized structure. The determined results indicate a suitable path for the realization of low cost and high efficiency MoTe 2 -based solar cell.
{"title":"Assessing the performance of MoTe2 based solar cell with Cu2O hole transport layer through device simulation","authors":"Naimur Rahman, Md. Dulal Haque, Md. Ferdous Rahman, Md. Mominul Islam, Most. Airin Nahar Juthi, Anita Rani Roy, Most. Alema Akter, Md. Foridul Islam","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00061-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00061-7","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract In this study, the SCAPS-1D tool has been used to numerically examine the performance of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDC) based Molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe 2 ) solar cells containing CdS electron transport layer (ETL) and Cu 2 O hole transport layer (HTL). Based on the photovoltaic cell parameters, including absorber layer thickness, temperature, defect density, the effects of series and shunt resistance, and electron affinity, the structure of both MoTe 2 based solar cells with and without the usage of the HTL has been analyzed. With 1.1 μm thickness of MoTe 2 and doping density of 5 × 10 15 cm −3 , Al/FTO/CdS/MoTe 2 /Cu 2 O/Ni heterojunction’s solar cell proposed structure has been optimized. The final power conversion efficiency (PCE) = 32.38%, open-circuit voltage (V oc ) = 1.07 V, short-circuit current (J sc ) = 35.12 mA/cm 2 , and fill factor (FF) = 86.32% has been determined from the optimized structure. The determined results indicate a suitable path for the realization of low cost and high efficiency MoTe 2 -based solar cell.","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135740305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-08DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00060-8
Chikadibia K.A Uche, Sani Aliyu Abubakar, S. N. Nnamchi, K. Ukagwu
{"title":"Polyethylene terephthalate aggregates in structural lightweight concrete: a meta-analysis and review","authors":"Chikadibia K.A Uche, Sani Aliyu Abubakar, S. N. Nnamchi, K. Ukagwu","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00060-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00060-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42408585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-22DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00055-5
S. Pering
{"title":"The differences in crystal structure and phase of lead-free perovskite solar cell materials","authors":"S. Pering","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00055-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00055-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47700853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-07DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00059-1
J. Rusnák, Michal Pecz, Ján Škoviera, Ivan Klbik
{"title":"Thermal DLTS study of the defect states of PELLE polymer","authors":"J. Rusnák, Michal Pecz, Ján Škoviera, Ivan Klbik","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00059-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00059-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45904300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-04DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00058-2
F. Cognigni, Mirko Sgambetterra, G. Zucca, D. Gentile, Sara Ricci, G. Testa, G. Rizzi, Marco Rossi
{"title":"Multimodal and multiscale investigation for the optimization of AlSi10Mg components made by powder bed fusion-laser beam","authors":"F. Cognigni, Mirko Sgambetterra, G. Zucca, D. Gentile, Sara Ricci, G. Testa, G. Rizzi, Marco Rossi","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00058-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00058-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41888684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-31DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00056-4
Atanu Sarker Jyoti, G. G. Biswas, Md. Rasel Rana, Shariful Islam, Md. Emran Hossain, M. I. Khan, K. Hoque, M. Ali
{"title":"Investigation of the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of vanadium substituted Mn–Zn ferrites","authors":"Atanu Sarker Jyoti, G. G. Biswas, Md. Rasel Rana, Shariful Islam, Md. Emran Hossain, M. I. Khan, K. Hoque, M. Ali","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00056-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00056-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45589082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-31DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00053-7
I. Elashmawi, A. M. Ismail, A. Abdelghany, M. M. Hegazi, A. Yassin
{"title":"Electrical investigation and enhancement of optical, structural, and dielectric properties of flexible PVDF/LiZnVO4 nanocomposites","authors":"I. Elashmawi, A. M. Ismail, A. Abdelghany, M. M. Hegazi, A. Yassin","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00053-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00053-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43335496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-19DOI: 10.1007/s43939-023-00057-3
P. J. Wibawa, Nur Farida Grafiana, Gunawan
{"title":"Fabrication, characterization, and application of the water hyacinth biochar-polyvinyl alcohol composite as an advantageous sound absorber material","authors":"P. J. Wibawa, Nur Farida Grafiana, Gunawan","doi":"10.1007/s43939-023-00057-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s43939-023-00057-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":34625,"journal":{"name":"Discover Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44463693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}