Journal of Cluster Science最新文献

This work systematically investigated the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) onto sodium alginate-glycerol nano-hydrogel composites (SA/G-NH), with special emphasis on the influence of glycerol content on the mechanical and adsorptive properties. Hydrogels having 20 wt% and 40 wt% glycerol were synthesized and characterized. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that the hydrogel of 20 wt% glycerol had a higher storage modulus (G′ = 2.41 ± 0.13 kPa) and exhibited more consistent viscoelastic behavior than the sample with 40 wt% (G′ = 1.78 ± 0.21 kPa), thus demonstrating enhanced mechanical stability (p < 0.99), which indicates the predominance of the chemisorption mechanism. Isotherm evaluations suggested that the Langmuir model fitted the equilibrium data well (R² = 0.9364), with maximum adsorption capacity (q_m) calculated to be 11.9332 mg/g for the 20 wt% hydrogel. Each of the experiments was performed in triplicate, and results are reported as mean ± standard deviation. It is concluded from the findings that SA/G-NH hydrogels, particularly at 20 wt% glycerol, show promise as efficient and robust adsorbents for MB removal from aqueous media. The results accentuate the pivotal effect of glycerol amount on tuning the mechanical and adsorption prowess of the hydrogels and pave the pathway toward their use for environmental remediation on a statistically validated basis.

The conformational mobility of the [8-EtO-8’-I-3,3’-Co(1,2-C₂B₉H₁₀)₂]⁻ anion, which has been chosen as a model compound for many potential drugs based on cobalt bis(dicarbollide), was studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction and quantum chemical calculations. According to the results of quantum chemical calculations, the most favourable conformation for [8-EtO-8’-I-3,3’-Co(1,2-C₂B₉H₁₀)₂]⁻ is the transoid conformation, which is stabilized by one pair of CH···I and one pair of CH···O(Et) intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the dicarbollide ligands. However, the difference in energy between the transoid and gauche conformations is rather small, while the cisoid conformation is energetically extremely unfavorable. The transoid conformation of the anion was found in the crystal structure of (Bu₄N)[8-EtO-8’-I-3,3’-Co(1,2-C₂B₉H₁₀)₂], while the ¹H NMR spectroscopy data suggest the presence of an equilibrium between the transoid and gauche conformations in solution. Both the transoid and gauche conformations of the anion have a low dipole moment, which is characteristic of most low molecular weight drugs. This may explain the ease of penetration of molecules containing this fragment through biological membranes and their observed increased biological activity.

The present study aimed to develop, characterize, and assess the effects of sodium alginate-based nanoparticles containing pequi oil (NAP) and pequi oil with eugenol (NAPE), evaluating their application in beef patties with emphasis on oxidative stability, physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory properties. The nanoparticles (NAP and NAPE) exhibited an encapsulation efficiency of 91.89%, particle sizes ranging from 244 to 255 nm, a polydispersity index between 0.40 and 0.51, and a zeta potential of − 31.4 to − 39.2 mV, indicating good colloidal stability. Morphological analysis revealed spherical, amorphous structures with nanoemulsion characteristics, and thermal analysis demonstrated stability with degradation onset temperatures up to 500 °C. Pequi oil and eugenol addition in nanoparticles improved oxidative stability, exhibiting the highest antioxidant activity. Eugenol also inhibited bacterial strains, including Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with bactericidal effects on Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Toxicity tests indicated low toxicity for pequi oil and NAPE, however, there was a higher toxicity for NAP. Beef patties added free eugenol and NAPE had better pH stability, color retention, and sensory quality, enhancing aroma, flavor, and texture. These findings suggest that pequi oil + eugenol, particularly in nanoencapsulated with alginate polysaccharide form, improve beef patty quality and shelf life, offering a natural alternative to synthetic additives in the food industry.

In this study a hyaluronic Acid (HA) based adapalene (ADP) loaded liposomal formulation was developed for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Conventional ADP topical formulation is related to additional effects such as irritation, redness, hyperpigmentation, photosensitivity, etc. A HA gel base to assimilate these liposomes for targeting skin may further accelerate the healing process as HA itself holds pharmacological activities such as wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity thus contributing in healing acne. These liposomes were prepared with different concentrations of Soy lecithin, cholesterol and Vitamin E TPGS augmented by Design Expert^®-13 software. The established formulation was extensively evaluated on in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo parameters. In mice, it masked the skin irritation from the drug when compared with the commercial formulation. The findings revealed that the prepared formulation (ADP-LIPO-HA gel) is better than the ADP-LIPO in an inert Carbopol^® gel and the commercial formulation in acne treatment.

Graphical Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) especially of minerals have wider applications in the field of medicine and therapeutics. The present study was carried out to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) using the extracts of Cymbopogon citratus (C. citratus) and investigate its synthesis characterization and in vitro biological activities. Synthesis of ZnONPs was confirmed by the absorption bands at 391 nm using an UV-vis analysis. The average particle size of ZnONPs was 8.7 nm under the DLS assay and SEM revealed the formation of spherical shaped particles with a size of 8.23 nm. The XRD diffraction indicated the crystalline nature of synthesized ZnONPs with a wurtzite hexagonal structure and a crystalline size of 5 nm. FTIR spectroscopy identified the functional groups present in the ZnONPs, including the Zn-O bonds and other biomolecules of the leaf extract. The biological evaluations demonstrated a dose-dependent anti-bacterial action against E. coli and Salmonella spp. at 1000 µg/mL. The synthesized nanoparticles were not effective against Staphylococcus aureus. The free radical scavenging assay using DPPH revealed the pro-oxidant behavior of the ZnONPs across all tested concentrations, with a significant (P < 0.05) value of -1.24 observed at 100 µg/mL and − 15.03 at 1000 µg/mL. Further, ZnONPs showed significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity, achieving 99.78% protection at 1000 µg/mL, highlighting their therapeutic potential. The study demonstrated that using the extract of C. citratus as green synthesizing agent can yield nanoparticles with ideal physical characteristics and do have potential applications in both food industry as well as in therapeutics.

The transition metal clusters are promising components of single-molecule junctions (SMJs) as they have a large number of molecular orbitals (MOs) with different symmetry and degeneracy in near-Fermi-level region, suitable for electron transmission. The chalcogenide clusters Mo₆Q₈ (Q = S, Se, Te) have high symmetry and due to the different orientations (by Mo or Q atoms to electrodes) and chalcogen variation, the transmission function (T(E)) can be tuned to achieve the desired conductive properties. In the work, the energy positions of the T(E) peaks near the Fermi level were assigned to the MOs in SMJs with Mo₆Q₈ using the nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism (NEGF) within the framework of the density functional theory. The changes of T(E) functions and MOs depending on the distances between the terminal atoms of electrodes and the embedded molecule were investigated. It is shown that for the correct assignment of MOs with T(E) peaks, it is necessary to consider long distances, even longer than those typically believed to be chemically significant. The influence of the electronic structure, symmetry of molecular orbitals, and electrodes on the SMJ transmission function was revealed. Depending on the orientation of the cluster, a different number of MOs participate in the peak of T(E) near the Fermi level, which influences the properties of the SMJs. The data obtained may be useful in the design of SMJs based on octahedral chalcogenide clusters and in tuning their conductive properties.

In this study, g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by coprecipitation and thermal pyrolysis methods to evaluate their photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. The synthesized nanocomposites were comprehensively analyzed through X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence techniques to evaluate their structural, chemical, morphological and optical properties. X-ray diffraction confirmed the successful incorporation of Zn-doped CuO and g-C₃N₄. The morphology showed a well-dispersed hybrid structure in which the components are in close interfacial contact. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed a red shift and a narrow band gap in the g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites compared to pure g-C₃N₄ and CuO, which significantly enhanced the light absorption ability. Photoluminescence analysis revealed the suppressed electron-hole pair recombination in the g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites. The g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites exhibited excellent photocatalytic performance, achieving up to 88.47% degradation of Rose Bengal dye within 120 min. Furthermore, g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites exhibited significant antibacterial efficacy with larger zones of inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae (9 ± 0.41 mm) compared to Staphylococcus aureus (8 ± 0.52 mm) at a concentration of 100 μg.mL^-1. The enhanced performance can be attributed to the synergistic interaction between g-C₃N₄ and Zn-doped CuO, which improves the charge separation efficiency and also enhances the photocatalytic performance. This work highlights the potential of g-C₃N₄/Zn-doped CuO nanocomposites as efficient and sustainable materials for environmental and biomedical applications.

Janus particles are a unique class of micro-and nanostructures featuring dual-faced asymmetry, typically composed of chemically, physically, or functionally distinct regions. This anisotropy grants them stable interfacial orientation and imparts exceptional amphiphilicity, surface activity, and self-assembly behavior. However, precisely controlling their morphology and composition remains a major synthetic challenge. In this context, microfluidic technology has emerged as a powerful platform due to its ability to finely manipulate fluid dynamics and interfacial phenomena at the microscale. Widely applied in nanomaterials and drug delivery, microfluidics also offers significant advantages for the tailored synthesis of Janus particles. This review outlines the evolution of microfluidic techniques and highlights their unique strengths in fabricating Janus structures. Based on different mechanisms, microfluidic strategies are classified into two main categories: Droplet-Templated and Flash Nanoprecipitation. Recent advances in each method are discussed with emphasis on their fabrication features. In addition, the review explores the practical relevance of these methods in diverse fields, including Optical Display Technologies, Self-Propelled and Actively Controlled Microparticle Systems, and Biomedical Systems. This work aims to provide insights and references for the future development and functional deployment of Janus particles.

Oral candidiasis is an opportunistic infection that affects 30–50% of individuals. Available antifungal therapeutics pose challenges of poor solubility, low bioavailability, and inadequate retention at the application site. The present research aimed to develop an in-situ nanoemulgel (NEG) combining nanoemulsion (NE) with stimuli-responsive hydrogel-forming polymers for miconazole nitrate for enhanced efficacy. In due course, characterization of the formulation including in-vitro and ex-vivo release patterns along with cytotoxicity study and antifungal efficacy were evaluated to establish the safety and efficacy of the optimized formulation. Optimization of the NE formulation was performed using Box-Behnken statistical design with Phosal^®50PG, Cremophor-EL and isopropyl alcohol. The optimized NE had droplets of 118.7 ± 0.64 nm, a PDI of 0.165 ± 0.05, and a surface charge of − 15.54 ± 0.35mV, while the NEG had 152.2 ± 0.21 nm droplets, a PDI of 0.193 ± 0.07, and a surface charge of − 18.3 ± 0.49mV. The formulation’s viscosity, mucoadhesive properties, spreadability, and pH were 3028 ± 192.39cP, 37.61 g.sec, 14.02 ± 0.46 cm²/g and 6.46 ± 0.130, respectively. In-vitro drug release studies showed first-order kinetics indicating concentration-dependent release. Ex-vivo permeation studies across goat oral mucosa revealed 2.05-fold higher for NEG compared to marketed gel. The NEG’s steady-state flux was 2.04-fold higher than the marketed gel due to enhanced mucosal penetration. Furthermore, the results of the cytotoxicity studies on HaCaT cell lines are comparable to ex-vivo toxicity, confirming its safety on mucosal tissues. Finally, the NEG demonstrated superior antifungal efficacy compared to the marketed formulation, highlighting its potential for advancing oral candidiasis therapy. Therefore, the NEG approach demonstrates superior efficacy and safety compared to existing treatment, conferring a promising antifungal therapy.

Graphical Abstract

Background

The production and utilization of nanomaterials has been steadily expanding. This leads to significant exposure of the workforce to these materials during their work activities.

Methods

A comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using keywords related to “occupational exposure” and “nanomaterials” was conducted. Initially, duplicates were eliminated, followed by a review based on title and abstract to exclude irrelevant items. the remaining documents underwent full-text examination for adherence to inclusion criteria. Out of 3,314 initial documents, 303 articles met the study’s criteria.

Findings

More than 30 countries had investigated the occupational exposure to nanomaterials, with the United States, Korea, and China at the top. Totally, nearly 30,000 employees were exposed to nanomaterials and more than 13,000 non-exposed employees were investigated. More than 70% of the studies were cross-sectional and the least attention was paid to long-term and cohort studies. Most of the studies were carried out, in environments producing engineered nanomaterials, environments with incidental nanomaterials, laboratory environments, and environments consuming nanomaterials, respectively. Metal-oxide, carbon-based, and metal nanomaterials were investigated more than other nanomaterials, respectively.

Conclusion

One crucial aspect of nanotechnology should be the evaluation of occupational exposure to nanomaterials. The majority of the research should focus on more hazardous nanomaterials that are produced and consumed in greater quantities. It is preferable for research to shift toward long terms and cohorts. It is advised that the safety, health, and environmental concerns of nanotechnology be given careful consideration and growth alongside other related areas.