This study focused on the formulation and characterization of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) functionalized with d-limonene. The nanoparticles were functionalized by phase inversion and the synthesis of the nanoparticles was performed in situ; particle size was determined by laser diffraction, zeta potential and optical colloidal stability using Multiscan 20 for a period of 24 hours at 37 °C; the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the formulated material on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Klebsiella oxytoca ATCC 700324, Enterococcus casseliflavus ATCC 700327, Escherichia coli BLEE, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomona aeruginosa were determined. The nanoparticles showed colloidal stability at a d-limonene concentration of 3.93%, silver ions at 1.61 × 10⁻³%, non-ionic adjuvant at 24% and ascorbic acid at 5.88%; citric acid/citrate (1:1) 0.48M for a pH of 4.5 was used as a buffer system. The formulation was classified as a polydisperse system (PD = 0.0851), with a zeta potential of −11.6 mV and average particle size of 81.5 ± 0.9 nm. A particle migration velocity of −0.199 ± 0.006 mm∙h⁻¹, a constant transmission profile and backscattering profile with variations of 10% were evidenced, which represents a stable formulation. The nanoparticles presented an MIC and an MBC of 28 μg∙mL⁻¹ (5.6 × 10⁻²% d-limonene and 4.7 × 10⁻⁵% AgNP) against all tested bacteria.

Metamaterial perfect absorber is very important in the study of refractive index sensor. The time domain finite difference method is used to simulate the surface plasmon structure. The double nanorod periodic structure is designed, and the parameters of the top layer structure are optimized according to the impedance matching principle, and the absorption rate of the structure to the light wave reaches 99.6% when the wavelength is about 12 mm. The absorption spectroscopy of the structure is studied with the change of the refractive index of the spatial medium around the structure, and the sensitivity of the double nanorod structure is 4,008 nm/RIU, which can be used to measure the refractive index of the gas.

Seawater desalination has been studied with interest due to the scarcity of fresh water for human consumption. Solar distillation is an old method; the productivity, energy consumption of the process and the cost of the desalinated water thus obtained depend on the efficiency achieved in each of the stages of these systems. The limited capacity to absorb solar radiation and transform it into useful heat for evaporation, interaction with the surrounding medium, and heat losses restrict the overall efficiency of the thermal process and productivity. Since the energy comes from solar radiation, the maximum productivity of this process will be constrained by the magnitude of the total solar radiation available in an area of the planet due to its geographic location, time of year and local climatic conditions. The processes of this energy will be thermodynamically limited by the heat transfer coefficients achieved in the equipment, the maximum value that the evaporation heat can reach, as long as the losses to the environment by convection and radiation are minimal. Comparative analyses of several proposed models, reported data of distillers, reported data of solar radiation that reach average values of up to 7.2–7.4 kwh/m² in some regions of the planet are presented and estimates are made for productivity of these equipments that they reach between 6.7 and 6.9 kg/m² day with a theoretical maximum efficiency of about 0.16 of the total solar radiation.

Graphene oxide can be referred to as oxidized graphene. Similar to graphene, oxidized graphene possesses remarkable structural features, advantageous properties, and technical applications. Among polymeric matrices, conducting polymers have been categorized for p conjugated backbone and semiconducting features. In this context, doping, or nano-additive inclusion, has been found to enhance the electrical conduction features of conjugated polymers. Like other carbon nanostructures (fullerene, carbon nanotube, etc.), graphene has been used to reinforce the conjugated matrices. Graphene can be further modified into several derived forms, including graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and functionalized graphene. Among these, graphene oxide has been identified as an important graphene derivative and nanofiller for conducting matrices. This overview covers essential aspects and progressions in the sector of conjugated polymers and graphene oxide derived nanomaterials. Since the importance of graphene oxide derived nanocomposites, this overview has been developed aiming at conductive polymer/graphene oxide nanocomposites. The novelty of this article relies on the originality and design of the outline, the review framework, and recent literature gathering compared with previous literature reviews. To the best of our knowledge, such an all-inclusive overview of conducting polymer/graphene oxide focusing on fundamentals and essential technical developments has not been seen in the literature before. Due to advantageous structural, morphological, conducting, and other specific properties, conductive polymer/graphene oxide nanomaterials have been applied for a range of technical applications such as supercapacitors, photovoltaics, corrosion resistance, etc. Future research on these high-performance nanocomposites may overcome the design and performance-related challenges facing industrial utilization.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide. Most of the anticancer agents have been showing a variety of side effects. Recently, bacterial proteins have been investigated as promising anticancer agents. Azurin is a bacterial cupredoxin protein secreted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and has been reported as a potent multi-targeting anticancer agent, which makes it an appropriate candidate for drug delivery. Azurin may be delivered to cancer cells using different carriers like polymeric micro and nanoparticles. In the present study, azurin was extracted from the bacterial host and loaded into chitosan particles. Then its effect on MCF-7 cell line was investigated. Chitosan-azurin particles were made using the ion gelation method. Results showed that chitosan-azurin particles are about 200 nm, and the loading of the protein in particles did not affect its integrity. The MTT assay showed a significant reduction in cell viability in azurin and chitosan-azurin-treated cells. The toxicity level after 5 days was 63.78% and 82.53% for free azurin and chitosan-azurin-treated cells, respectively. It seems using an appropriate carrier system for anticancer proteins like azurin is a promising tool for developing low side effect anticancer agents.