This review summarizes some of the recent advances related to shallow penetration conformance sealants (SPCS) based on cross-linked polymer nanocomposite gels. The cross-linked polymer nanocomposite gels formed a three-dimensional (3D) gel structure upon contact with either water or oil when placed at the downhole. Therefore, the cross-linked polymer nanocomposite gels offer a total or partial water shutoff. Numerous polymeric gels and their nanocomposites prepared using various techniques have been explored to address the conformance problems. Nevertheless, their instability at high temperature, high pressure, and high salinity down-hole conditions (HT-HP-HS) often makes the treatments unsuccessful. Incorporating inert particles into the cross-linked polymer nanocomposite gel matrices improves stability under harsh down-hole conditions. This review discusses potential polymeric nanocomposite gels and their successful application in conformance control.

Oil spill clean-up is a long-standing challenge for researchers to prevent serious environmental pollution. A new kind of oil-absorbent based on silicon-containing polymers (e.g., poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)) with high absorption capacity and excellent reusability was prepared and used for oil-water separation. The PDMS-based oil absorbents have highly interconnected pores with swellable skeletons, combining the advantages of porous materials and gels. On the other hand, polymer/silica composites have been extensively studied as high-performance functional coatings since, as an organic/inorganic composite material, they are expected to combine polymer flexibility and ease of processing with mechanical properties. Polymer composites with increased impact resistance and tensile strength without decreasing the flexibility of the polymer matrix can be achieved by incorporating silica nanoparticles, nanosand, or sand particles into the polymeric matrices. Therefore, polymer/silica composites have attracted great interest in many industries. Some potential applications, including high-performance coatings, electronics and optical applications, membranes, sensors, materials for metal uptake, etc., were comprehensively reviewed. In the first part of the review, we will cover the recent progress of oil absorbents based on silicon-containing polymers (PDMS). In the later details of the review, we will discuss the recent developments of functional materials based on polymer/silica composites, sand, and nanosand systems.

Cobalt-ion batteries are considered a promising battery chemistry for renewable energy storage. However, there are indeed challenges associated with co-ion batteries that demonstrate undesirable side reactions due to hydrogen gas production. This study demonstrates the use of a nanocomposite electrolyte that provides stable performance cycling and high Co²⁺ conductivity (approximately 24 mS cm⁻¹). The desirable properties of the nanocomposite material can be attributed to its mechanical strength, which remains at nearly 68 MPa, and its ability to form bonds with H₂O. These findings offer potential solutions to address the challenges of co-dendrite, contributing to the advancement of co-ion batteries as a promising battery chemistry. The exceptional cycling stability of the co-metal anode, even at ultra-high rates, is a significant achievement demonstrated in the study using the nanocomposite electrolyte. The co-metal anode has a 3500-cycle current density of 80 mA cm⁻², which indicates excellent stability and durability. Moreover, the cumulative capacity of 15.6 Ah cm⁻² at a current density of 40 mA cm⁻² highlights the better energy storage capability. This performance is particularly noteworthy for energy storage applications where high capacity and long cycle life are crucial. The H₂O bonding capacity of the component in the nanocomposite electrolyte plays a vital role in reducing surface passivation and hydrogen evolution reactions. By forming strong bonds with H₂O molecules, the polyethyne helps prevent unwanted reactions that can deteriorate battery performance and efficiency. This mitigates issues typically associated with excess H₂O and ion presence in aqueous Co-ion batteries. Furthermore, the high-rate performance with excellent stability and cycling stability performance (>500 cycles at 8 C) of full Co||MnO₂ batteries fabricated with this electrolyte further validates its effectiveness in practical battery configurations. These results indicate the potential of the nanocomposite electrolyte as a valuable and sustainable option, simplifying the development of reliable and efficient energy storage systems and renewable energy applications.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as tetracyclines, are used to treat and manage a range of infectious disorders. Since the kidneys are the primary organs responsible for excreting tetracyclines, clinicians should refrain from prescribing them to patients who have renal failure. Tetracyclines are one of the clinical waste products of today. One of the biggest problems in the field of pollution of the environment today is the persistence of different pharmaceutical residues, drug residues, pesticides, and metal ion species of the new-generation pollutants in surfaces and groundwater. In the present work, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-CuO nanoparticles (CMC-CuO NPs) were synthesized using CuO NPs within different amounts of CMC (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g) at 85 °C. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FT IR, SEM, and TG-DTA analysis. According to XRD and SEM, the crystallize size and morphology influenced the dosage of CMC. FT-IR analysis confines the layer of CMC to the CuO nanoparticle surface. TG-DTA results indicated that the CMC content of CMC-CuO NPs was between the range of 69% and 75% by weight. The effects of some parameters such as initial concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage, and contact time on the adsorption of tetracycline from aqueous model solutions on CMC-CuO NPs were investigated with batch studies. It was found that the removal of tetracycline was obtained about 80% with optimized parameters of 10 mg/L concentration, 180 min contact time, 5 pH, and 0.3 g/25 mL dose. The synthesized CMC-CuO NPs nanocomposite may be a promising material for the removal of tetracycline in environmental pollution and toxicology.

This work presents the evaluation of iron oxide nanoparticles obtained from the aqueous extract of Eucalyptus grandis. Twenty-three experiments were carried out where the synthesis of nanoparticles was performed by using the aqueous extract together with salts of iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate and iron (III) chloride hexahydrate. A characterization was carried out by IR, TEM and BET, where bands were presented at 3,440.77, 1,559.26 and 445.31 cm⁻¹, indicating the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles. A relatively high monodispersity was evidenced with particles around 9 nm. By means of BET analysis it was found to present a surface area of 131.897 m²/g. Obtaining nanoparticles by this green method presents yield values of 98%, with application in nanotechnology, biomedicine, environmental treatment, among others, making them highly versatile and their production cost is relatively low.