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2% of MWCNTs, implying a superior viscoelasticity of polyurea nanocomposite films. The results were benchmarked with anti-corrosive polymer coatings from the literature, revealing that the production of nonporous polyurea coatings with robust strength, elasticity, and thermal properties was achieved. Electrospun polyurea coatings are promising candidates as flexible anti-corrosive coatings for heat exchanges and electrical wires.Research has increasingly focused on the delivery of high, often excessive amounts of drugs, neglecting negative aspects of the carrier's physical preconditions and biocompatibility. Among them, little attention has been paid to "small but beautiful" design of vehicle and multiple cargo to achieve effortless targeted delivery into deep tissue. The design of small biopolymers for deep tissue targeted delivery of multiple imaging agents and therapeutics (mini-nano carriers) emphasizes linear flexible polymer platforms with a hydrodynamic diameter of 4 nm to 10 nm, geometrically favoring dynamic juxtaposition of ligands to host receptors, and economic drug content. Platforms of biodegradable, non-toxic poly(β-l-malic acid) of this size carrying multiple chemically bound, optionally nature-derived or synthetic affinity peptides and drugs for a variety of purposes are described in this review with specific examples. The size, shape, and multiple attachments to membrane sites accelerate vascular escape and fast blood clearance, as well as the increase in medical treatment and contrasts for tissue imaging. High affinity antibodies routinely considered for targeting, such as the brain through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), are replaced by moderate affinity binding peptides (vectors), which penetrate at high influxes not achievable by antibodies.In this study, the B3LYP hybrid density functional theory was used to investigate the electromechanical characteristics of C70 fullerene with and without point charges to model the effect of the surface of the gate electrode in a C70 single-electron transistor (SET). To understand electron tunneling through C70 fullerene species in a single-C70 transistor, descriptors of geometrical atomic structures and frontier molecular orbitals were analyzed. The findings regarding the node planes of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of C70 and both the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) and the LUMO of the C70 anion suggest that electron tunneling of pristine C70 prolate spheroidal fullerene could be better in the major axis orientation when facing the gate electrode than in the major (longer) axis orientation when facing the Au source and drain electrodes. In addition, we explored the effect on the geometrical atomic structure of C70 by a single-electron addition, in which the maximum change for the distance between two carbon sites of C70 is 0.02 Å.In this study, we report a low cost, fast and unexplored electrochemical synthesis strategy of copper oxide nanoneedles films as well as their morphological and chemical characterization. The nanostructured films were prepared using electrochemical anodization in alkaline electrolyte solutions of ethylene glycol, water and fluoride ions. The film morphology shows nanoneedle-shaped structures, with lengths up to 1-2 μm; meanwhile, high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) and spectroscopy Raman analyses indicate that a mixture of Cu(II) and Cu(I) oxides, or only Cu(I) oxide, is obtained as the percentage of water in the electrolyte solution decreases. A preliminary study was also carried out for the photocatalytic degradation of the methylene blue (MB) dye under irradiation with simulated sunlight in the presence of the nanoneedles obtained, presenting a maximum degradation value of 88% of MB and, thus, demonstrating the potential characteristics of the material investigated in the degradation of organic dyes.The results of the research of a composite based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with CuO/Cu2O/Cu nanoparticles deposited by the cupric formate pyrolysis are discussed. The study used a complementary set of methods, including scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Raman, and ultrasoft X-ray spectroscopy. The investigation results show the good adhesion between the copper nanoparticles coating and the MWCNT surface through the oxygen atom bridge formation between the carbon atoms of the MWCNT outer graphene layer and the oxygen atoms of CuO and Cu2O oxides. The formation of the Cu-O-C bond between the coating layer and the outer nanotube surface is clearly confirmed by the results of the O 1s near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the Cu/MWCNTs nanocomposite. The XPS measurements were performed using a laboratory spectrometer with sample charge compensation, and the NEXAFS studies were carried out using the synchrotron radiation of the Russian-German dipole beamline at BESSY-II (Berlin, Germany) and the NanoPES station at the Kurchatov Center for Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology (Moscow, Russia).The effect of unmodified and functionalized Spirulina platensis biomass silver nanoparticles on rats during prolonged oral administration was assessed. Silver nanoparticles were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, while their uptake by the biomass was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis. The content of silver in the different organs of rats after a period of administration (28 days) or after an additional clearance period (28 days) was ascertained by using neutron activation analysis. In animals administrated with the unmodified nanoparticles, the highest content of silver was determined in the brain and kidneys, while in animals administrated with AgNP-Spirulina, silver was mainly accumulated in the brain and testicles. After the clearance period, silver was excreted rapidly from the spleen and kidneys; however, the excretion from the brain was very low, regardless of the type of nanoparticles. Hematological and biochemical tests were performed in order to reveal the effect of nanoparticles on rats. The difference in the content of eosinophils in the experimental and control groups was statistically significant. The hematological indices of the rats did not change significantly under the action of the silver nanoparticles except for the content of reticulocytes and eosinophils, which increased significantly. Changes in the biochemical parameters did not exceed the limits of normal values. Silver nanoparticles with the sizes of 8-20 nm can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and their persistence after a period of clearance indicated the irreversibility of this process.The immune system contributes to maintaining the body's functional integrity through its two main functions recognizing and destroying foreign external agents (invading microorganisms) and identifying and eliminating senescent cells and damaged or abnormal endogenous entities (such as cellular debris or misfolded/degraded proteins). Accordingly, the immune system can detect molecular and cellular structures with a spatial resolution of a few nm, which allows for detecting molecular patterns expressed in a great variety of pathogens, including viral and bacterial proteins and bacterial nucleic acid sequences. Such patterns are also expressed in abnormal cells. In this context, it is expected that nanostructured materials in the size range of proteins, protein aggregates, and viruses with different molecular coatings can engage in a sophisticated interaction with the immune system. Nanoparticles can be recognized or passed undetected by the immune system. Once detected, they can be tolerated or induce defensive (inflammatory) or anti-inflammatory responses. This paper describes the different modes of interaction between nanoparticles, especially inorganic nanoparticles, and the immune system, especially the innate immune system. This perspective should help to propose a set of selection rules for nanosafety-by-design and medical nanoparticle design.The quantitative characterization of microstructure is most desirable for the establishment of structure-property relationships in polymer nanocomposites. In this work, the effects of graphene on the microstructure, mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of the obtained graphene/polyethylene (PE) composites were investigated. In order to reveal the structure-performance relationship of graphene/PE composites, especially for the effects of the relative free volume fraction (fr) and interfacial interaction intensity (β), positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) was employed for its quantitative description. The relative free volume fraction fr gives a good explanation of the variation for surface resistivity, melting temperature, and thermal stability, and the variation of tensile strength and thermal conductivity agree well with the results of interfacial interaction intensity β. The results showed that fr and β have a significant effect on the properties of the obtained graphene/PE composites, and the effect on the properties was revealed.Seawater splitting represents an inexpensive and attractive route for producing hydrogen, which does not require a desalination process. Highly active and durable electrocatalysts are required to sustain seawater splitting. Herein we report the phosphidation-based synthesis of a cobalt-iron-phosphate ((Co,Fe)PO4) electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) toward alkaline seawater splitting. (Co,Fe)PO4 demonstrates high HER activity and durability in alkaline natural seawater (1 M KOH + seawater), delivering a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at an overpotential of 137 mV. Furthermore, the measured potential of the electrocatalyst ((Co,Fe)PO4) at a constant current density of -100 mA/cm2 remains very stable without noticeable degradation for 72 h during the continuous operation in alkaline natural seawater, demonstrating its suitability for seawater applications. Furthermore, an alkaline seawater electrolyzer employing the non-precious-metal catalysts demonstrates better performance (1.625 V at 10 mA/cm2) than one employing precious metal ones (1.653 V at 10 mA/cm2). https://www.selleckchem.com/ The non-precious-metal-based alkaline seawater electrolyzer exhibits a high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency (12.8%) in a commercial silicon solar cell.A tunable infrared optical switch based on a plasmonic structure consisting of aluminum nanoarrays with a thin film of vanadium dioxide is proposed. This optical switch can realize arbitrary wavelength-selective optical switching in the mid-infrared region by altering the radii of the aluminum nanoarrays. Furthermore, since vanadium dioxide transforms from its low-temperature insulator phase to a high-temperature metallic phase when heated or applied voltage, the optical switch can achieve two-way switching of its "ON" and "OFF" modes. Finite-difference time-domain software is used to simulate the performance of the proposed infrared optical switch. Simulation results show that the switch offers excellent optical performances, that the modulation depth can reach up to 99.4%, and that the extinction ratio exceeds -22.16 dB. In addition, the phase transition time of vanadium dioxide is on the femtosecond scale, which means that this optical switch based on a vanadium dioxide thin film can be used for ultrafast switching.