Next Nanotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Green and facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using Rhamnus prinoides (Gesho) leaf extract for antibacterial, antioxidant and photocatalytic activities","authors":"Bekalu Lake Bogale ,&nbsp;Teshiwal Bizuayen Adamu ,&nbsp;Mekuriaw Assefa kebede ,&nbsp;Misganaw Tegegne Ayana ,&nbsp;Wudu Wale Kebede ,&nbsp;Tsehaynew Fetene","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100163","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100163","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current work describes a simple and environmentally friendly method of creating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by employing leaf extract from Rhamnus prinoides (Gesho) as a capping and reducing agent. This environmentally friendly process provides a sustainable substitute for biological synthesis method. By adjusting the AgNO₃ concentration, extract-to-silver nitrate ratio, pH, and incubation duration, the biosynthesis conditions were adjusted. UV-Vis spectroscopy (λ_max = 407 nm) verified the production of AgNPs, while FTIR analysis revealed the functional groups in charge of stabilization and reduction. SEM photos displayed a uniform spherical shape, TGA proved their thermal stability up to 680°C, and XRD examination showed a face-centered cubic crystalline structure with an average particle size of 9.45 nm. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes, outperforming the plant extract alone. Additionally, the AgNPs demonstrated strong antioxidant potential in a DPPH assay, with an IC₅₀ value of 48.85 μg/mL and excellent photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye (95 % efficiency under visible light for 100 min). These results suggest that AgNPs synthesized using Rhamnus prinoides leaf extract have potential applications in antibacterial, antioxidant, and photocatalytic activities, making them promising candidates for biomedical and environmental applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100163"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143776816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nitrogen-rich dendrimer-like hexamethylenetetramine grafted magnetite nanoreactor as sustainable next-generation materials for catalysis in organic reactions","authors":"Prakash B. Rathod ,&nbsp;K. S. Ajish Kumar ,&nbsp;Kalyan Yakkala ,&nbsp;Mahendra Pratap Singh ,&nbsp;Anjali A. Athawale ,&nbsp;Ashok K. Pandey","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Fe₃O₄@(TEA-HMTA)₂ magnetically retrievable nanoreactor developed in the present work has dendrimer-like branched architecture formed by grafting hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) onto magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles. This structure is synthesized through sequential reactions involving tris(2-bromoethyl)amine and HMTA with n-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine-anchored Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. The resulting nanoreactor offered abundant reactive sites and high nitrogen content in tertiary and quaternary amines, making it suitable for catalyzing the organic syntheses. The magnetic core of the nanoreactor allowed easy recovery, promoting sustainability in catalytic processes. The adaptability of the nanoreactor was demonstrated by its transformation into metallodendrimers (MDs) through selective loading of catalysts such as palladium, copper, or phosphomolybdic acid as representative examples. Its efficacy was validated in several reactions. In the aza-Michael addition, the nanoreactor achieved an 85 % yield with a turnover number (TON) of 21,546 and retained its reusability. The Cu-loaded variant gave a 90 % yield in the nitroaldol reaction with a TON of 4736, while the Pd-loaded system exhibited a 90 % yield in Heck coupling with a TON of 10,222 over four cycles. In ring-opening and phase-transfer reactions, moderate yields of 60 % and 55 % were achieved, with TONs of 789 and 6971, respectively. The magnetic nanoreactors exhibited the possibility of loading homogeneous catalysts with remarkable catalytic efficacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143551424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the liposomal encapsulation and enhanced cytotoxicity of selenium nanoparticles against lung cancer cells","authors":"Dipti Chirakara ,&nbsp;Shriya Lotlikar ,&nbsp;Mahalakshmi Nannan ,&nbsp;Nageswara Rao Dunna ,&nbsp;Sivaramakrishnan Venkatabalasubramanian","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2024.100121","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2024.100121","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lung cancer is unequivocally the most common cause of cancer-related deaths, surpassing all other types of cancer in terms of mortality rates among both men and women. Although surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are common treatments, they carry significant risks to healthy cells. The versatile benefits of using lipid-based nanocarrier systems in healthcare, combined with the therapeutic and supportive properties of micronutrients like selenium, have led to the investigation of encapsulating selenium nanoparticles in liposomes (Lip-SeNPs) as a new therapeutic strategy. Using scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the characterisation and stability of the Lip-SeNPs were compared with liposome-free SeNPs. This was followed by their cytotoxicity evaluation against lung cancer cells. The DLS results showed that the synthesised liposome-free SeNPs and Lip-SeNPs were spherical, with size distribution of around 151.2 and 163 nm. The zeta potential values were determined for Lip-SeNPs (-15.7 mV) compared to liposome-free SeNPs (-5.71 mV). FTIR analysis of SeNPs and Lip-SeNPs confirmed valuable information about their surface chemistry and potential structure functionalisation avenues. The augmented results obtained from DLS (homogenous size distribution), Zeta potential (higher negative charge), XRD (no other element interference), and SEM-EDS (53 % selenium encapsulation and negligible agglomeration) further strengthened the stability of the generated Lip-SeNPs compared to liposome-free SeNPs. Furthermore, 74.62 % of the SeNP encapsulation efficiency in liposomes was achieved in this study. In addition, dialysis membrane-based drug release profile studies revealed augmented acidic pH-responsive release profiles of Lip-SeNPs, suggesting a superior bioavailability for drug delivery against lung cancer cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Viscous heating of hybridized hydromagnetic MWCNTs-Fe3O4/water nanomaterial in a moving disk with non-uniform thermal model","authors":"S.O. Salawu ,&nbsp;T.A. Yusuf ,&nbsp;E.O. Fatunmbi ,&nbsp;A.M. Obalalu","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2024.100123","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2024.100123","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The potential usefulness of hybrid nanofluid in biotechnology, medicine, heat exchangers, thermal enhancement, and others is steadily increasing. Meanwhile, the efficiency of nanofluid depends on the based fluid, nanoparticle size and type, and other entrenched dynamical fluid properties. Thus, this research examines the viscous heating of hybridized hydromagnetic MWCNTs-Fe<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>/water (Multi-walled carbon nanotubes-Iron III oxide/water) of nanofluid in a moving disk with a non-uniform thermal model. For the theoretical analysis, 75% of H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O, 20% of Fe<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> and 5% of MWCNTs are considered with shape factors <span><math><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>n</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><msub><mrow><mi>n</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub><mo>=</mo><mn>3</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>0</mn></mrow></math></span>. The Fe<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> and MWCNTs hybridized nanoparticles in water-solvent give a promising approach to augment heat conductivity and magneto-nanofluid properties for advanced thermal distribution systems. A spatial temperature variation of a non-uniform thermal model is assumed to simulate practical phenomena. A similarity transformation of the governing model is done and solved by coupling a numerical shooting technique with a Runge–Kutta scheme. The tabulated and graphically presented results reveal that the thermal propagation rate is improved by 21.34% as 0.25 volume of NWCNTs-Fe<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>4</mn></mrow></msub></math></span> nanoparticle is distributed in 0.5 volume of H<span><math><msub><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msub></math></span>O solvent. Hence, the outcomes of this research provide noteworthy insights into the maximization and designing of thermal transport systems contributing to the advancement of thermal management efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100123"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"siRNA therapeutics for effective management of rheumatoid arthritis","authors":"Vishakha R. Chakole ,&nbsp;Tathagata Dutta ,&nbsp;Priyankar Sen","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100135","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100135","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>siRNA is a specialized type of RNA that precisely targets a mRNA, and effectively silences the respective genes. This property makes siRNA a valuable tool for developing RNAi therapeutics, particularly for managing conditions like osteoporosis, cancer, genetic disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a significant autoimmune disorder. Several treatments are available for RA, including analgesics, corticosteroids, DMARDs, biological agents, combinational therapy, epigenetic and cell therapies which play a crucial role in preventing joint function deterioration, inflammation, synovial edema, etc. Besides these numerous advantages, these treatments have several disadvantages like liver cirrhosis, interstitial lung disease, sexual health is impaired in males, neuropsychiatric adverse effects, etc. All these disadvantages engender the need for new therapy. siRNA delivery carriers like liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and siRNA polymer bio-conjugates are proving to be particularly effective with less toxicity compared to the traditional treatments. A promising addition to these carriers is wrapsome (WS), which can be used as a favorable carrier for delivery of siRNA to its specific sites, such as inflamed joints or the inflamed synovium. The incorporation of PEG liposomes in the delivery strategy allows WS to evade recognition by the RES, leading to an extended half-life. This extended half-life enables a sustained, slow release of the drug, contributing to superior recovery from pain and inflammation associated with conditions like RA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and structural, morphological, optical, and magnetic properties of rare earth Gd3+ doped Ni–Co nano ferrites","authors":"K Karunasri ,&nbsp;N. V. Krishna Prasad ,&nbsp;N. Hari Kumar ,&nbsp;K. Chandrababu Naidu ,&nbsp;J. Bhemarajam ,&nbsp;M. Prasad","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Citrate Gel-Auto Combustion method was used to create chemical descriptions of nanocrystalline Ni-Co mixed spinel ferrites doped with gadolinium (Gd³⁺)as Ni_0.8Co_0.2Fe_2-xGd_xO₄ (X = 0.00, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.06) (NCGF). The structural, morphological, infrared, and magnetic characteristics were investigated for all prepared samples. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the processed samples, free of any impurity phase,form a single-phase cubic spinel structure. The crystallite size was determined by Scherrer's formula; it was increased bydoping with Gd³⁺ content. The lattice parameter of all the samples wasraised, computed by using XRD data. The X-ray density was rising from 6.445 to 6.877 gm/cm³. The scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was used to study surface morphology, and the grain size was determined to be between 29 and 56 nm. By the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the average particle size was found to be between 35 and 45 nm. The samples' cubic spinel ferrite nature is demonstrated by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurements, which show all strong absorption bands close to 593 cm⁻¹ and 3733 cm⁻¹. The magnetic behaviour of NCGF was studied by using a Vibration Sample Magnetometer (VSM). From the study,saturation magnetisation, coercivity, and remanence magnetisation were rises; however, the X = 0.00 sample compared to others, the coercivity was found to be the highest.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100175"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899378","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}

{"title":"Retention of lead sensitized terbium dopant emission in zinc sulfide nanoparticles in presence of co-existent metal ions: Detection of lead ion in aqueous media with nanomolar concentration by a facile post-synthetic reaction under pre-cation exchange condition","authors":"Dibyendu Biswas,&nbsp;Nayan Bhunia,&nbsp;Madhumita Bhar,&nbsp;Prasun Mukherjee","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100178","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100178","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Suitable co-dopant(s) can electronically interact to tune the emission of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs). Such a case can be realized where post-synthetically added co-dopant Pb²⁺ act as a co-sensitizer (in addition to the NP’s sensitization effect) for Tb³⁺ emission in the terbium cation doped zinc sulfide [Zn(Tb)S] NPs in the pre-cation exchange reaction regimes under ambient conditions. This work evaluates possible practical utilization of this co-sensitization by this facile synthetic strategy for Pb²⁺ detection in aqueous media in presence of co-existent Mⁿ⁺ [Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Hg²⁺]. The Pb²⁺ induced Tb³⁺ emission enhancement is retained irrespective of these Mⁿ⁺ introduction in the media, with key mechanistic steps unperturbed. These outcomes ideally place using the Zn(Tb)S NPs to detect Pb²⁺ in aqueous media. A limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for Pb²⁺ is estimated to be 3 ppb (15 nM) and 10 ppb (50 nM) from the pre-cation exchange conditions. The use of discussed strategy is verified using quantitatively contaminated drinking water and tap water by a spike recovery experiment. This provides a remarkable superiority by at least 2 orders of magnitude to detect Pb²⁺, over an alternate strategy using the cation exchange reaction conditions resulting from formation of lower band gap Pb(Tb)S NPs. The strategy presented unequivocally establishes that the rich light induced processes in the pre-cation exchange reaction conditions in the quantum dots can remarkably improve the Pb²⁺ detection by virtue of accessing lower concentrations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100178"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144089617","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}

{"title":"Development of conductive thermoplastic elastomer blend nanocomposites for enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding in modern electronics","authors":"Sreeja Nath Choudhury ,&nbsp;Jasomati Nayak ,&nbsp;Aritra Mondal ,&nbsp;Aparajita Pal ,&nbsp;Soumen Giri ,&nbsp;Pallab Banerji ,&nbsp;Narayan Ch. Das","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conductive thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) nanocomposites are increasingly critical for modern electronics, combining mechanical reinforcement, electrical conductivity, and effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. This study explores a novel EPDM/HDPE blend reinforced with Vulcan XC-72 conductive carbon black (VCB) to create high-performance nanocomposites. Prepared via melt mixing, these composites exhibit uniform VCB dispersion and robust conductive networks. A percolation threshold at 20 wt% VCB enables a significant increase in DC conductivity from 10⁻¹² S/cm to 0.03 S/cm at 40 wt% VCB. Mechanical properties also improve, with tensile strength and modulus increasing by 26.42 % and 30.44 %, respectively, at minimal filler concentrations. Thermal stability is enhanced, with VCB delaying oxidative degradation and maintaining structural integrity up to 30 wt%. In EMI shielding, the composites achieve shielding effectiveness of −26.8 dB and −29.5 dB in the X- and Ku-bands, respectively, at 40 wt% VCB. The shielding mechanism more absorption dominated as VCB forms continuous conductive pathways, ensuring superior electromagnetic wave attenuation. These results establish EPDM/HDPE/VCB nanocomposites as lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective materials for advanced EMI shielding and multifunctional applications, meeting the demands of modern communication and electronic devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"7 ","pages":"Article 100193"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144222724","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}

{"title":"Eco-friendly synthesis of copper sulphide nanoparticles using rice starch water and their photocatalytic application for Congo red dye degradation","authors":"Nitin Mishra,&nbsp;U.P.S. Gahlaut,&nbsp;Y.C. Goswami","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100200","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100200","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Synthetic dye water pollution is an ongoing environmental issue, especially due to the extensive application and toxicity of dyes such as Congo Red. When released into water bodies such as rivers and lakes, these dyes cause severe damage to the environment and human health. This study seeks to solve this problem by investigating a low-cost and biocompatible method for the removal of Congo red dye from water using copper sulphide (CuS) nanoparticles as a photocatalyst. The CuS nanoparticles were prepared through a green method using rice starch water as a green reducing and stabilising agent. Several analytical methods—such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-Vis spectroscopy—were applied to examine the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of the nanoparticles. The findings indicated that the CuS samples consisted of a hexagonal crystal structure, and their shape and size depended on the copper to sulfur molar ratio used in the synthesis. For instance, the 1:1 Cu: S ratio sample (Sample A) produced larger, denser clusters, while those prepared using greater sulfur content—Samples B (1:4) and C (1:7)—were more porous and layered in shape. Photocatalytic activity under visible light showed that these nanoparticles were highly efficient in decomposing Congo red dye. Among the samples tested, Sample C (1:7) was the most active, decomposing about 89.49 % of the dye in 60 min. Sample B was second with a removal of 86.14 %, while Sample A registered 75.76 %. The increased activity in sulfur-rich samples is most likely due to an increased surface area and improved separation of photo-generated charge carriers. The response is focused on the possible use of CuS nanoparticles as a potent, effective, and sustainable method of environmental remediation, particularly the degradation of toxic dyes like Congo red from wastewater. The response addresses the optimisation of the synthesis conditions to create the structural and functional properties of nanoparticles to attain enhanced photocatalytic activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100200"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144365283","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}

{"title":"Preparation and characterization of steam-activated and green alkali-activated carbon from coconut shells","authors":"Damilola Tosin Ojo ,&nbsp;Omotayo Sarafadeen Amuda ,&nbsp;Kazeem Kolapo Salam ,&nbsp;Olarike Favour Oyediran ,&nbsp;Basirat Bayonle Yekini","doi":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100198","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nxnano.2025.100198","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study adopts the ongoing green approach to develop activated carbon from natural, eco-friendly materials offering a sustainable alternative to commercially available products. The environmental problem that arises from consistent discharge of KOH during activation can be alleviated by adopting the green synthetic route of production. This study presents the extraction of alkali from cocoa pod husks (CPHs) as less harmful alternative to toxic commercial KOH. The extracted alkali was further utilized in activation of carbon to produce novel coconut shell alkali activated carbon (CSAA). Simultaneously, coconut shell steam activated carbon (CSSA) was prepared using steam activation technique in a stainless-steel reactor at a flow rate of 120 mL/hour at 800° °C for 5 h. Both coconut shell based activated samples (CSAA and CSSA) were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis for surface functional groups identification. Their surface morphologies and elemental composition were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD) were employed for textural analysis while Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) methods examined their specific surface areas as well as pore volumes. The yield of carbon from 100 g of pre-treated precursor was estimated as 89.25 % before activation. The concentration of the extracted alkali was evaluated using the titration technique. The pH of 11.6 obtained for extracted alkali suggests alkalinity which was confirmed by observable colour change of solution to yellow on the addition of drops of methyl orange indicator. The EDX result confirms that extract is composed primarily of metals with potassium having the highest value of 53.60 %wt. The FTIR results of the activated carbons showed the presence of -OH, C-H, and C-O, C<img>O functional groups suggesting carbonization and activation was successfully conducted. Additional peaks observed for CSAA can be attributed to the presence of K-O bonds. Both activated carbons are characterized by large BET surface areas of 1200.20 m²/g for CSSA and 1250.20 m²/g for CSAA. These large surface areas invariably make them suitable adsorbents for wastewater remediation, water purification, and trapping of gases. The higher pHZC of 8.0 obtained for novel CSAA also confirms the presence of surface basic functional groups which can be attributed to successful alkali activation. Based on these analytical findings, adoption of green extracted alkali in activation of carbon is a safe alternative to the use of chemical activators. The entire procedure from extraction to activation is clean without the release of any toxic substances to the environment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100959,"journal":{"name":"Next Nanotechnology","volume":"8 ","pages":"Article 100198"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144314579","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}