The urgent need for integrated science to fight COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the leading societal concern. The pandemic has shown that the public health concern is not only a medical problem, but also afects society as a whole; so, it has also become the leading scientifc concern. We discuss in this treatise the importance of bringing the world’s scientists together to fnd efective solu‑ tions for controlling the pandemic. By applying novel research frameworks, interdisciplinary collaboration promises to manage the pandemic’s consequences and prevent recurrences of similar pandemics

Core‐shell nanofibers for developing self‐healing materials: Recent progress and future directions

The knowledge of self‐healing was developed to ensure more durable and reliable engineering materials. Healing agent encapsulation has shown to be one of the most promising approaches in self‐healing technology. The healing agents were encapsulated within micro/nanocapsules, micro/nanofibers, and vascular‐based networks. Among the methods, using core‐shell nanofibers showed a compromising potential for the development of self‐healing nanofibers with the minimum drawbacks and limitations. The aim of the present paper is to report the recent contributions on the recent progress of self‐healing materials using core‐shell nanofibers to provide insights for the further development of self‐healing polymeric materials both in academic research and scalable fabrication of polymeric parts in the industries

Biomass Derived Biofluorescent Carbon Dots for Energy Applications:Current Progress and Prospects

Biomass resources are often disposed of inefficiently and it causes environmental degradation. These wastes can be turned into bio-products using effective conversion techniques. The synthesis of high-value bio-products from biomass adheres to the principles of a sustainable circular economy in a variety of industries, including agriculture. Recently, fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) derived from biowastes have emerged as a breakthrough in the field, showcasing outstanding fluorescence properties and biocompatibility. The C-dots exhibit unique quantum confinement properties due to their small size, contributing to their exceptional fluorescence. The significance of their fluorescent properties lies in their versatile applications, particularly in bio-imaging and energy devices. Their rapid and straight-forward production using green/chemical precursors has further accelerated their adoption in diverse applications. The use of green precursors for C-dot not only addresses the biomass disposal issue through a scientific approach, but also establishes a path for a circular economy. This approach not only minimizes biowaste, which also harnesses the potential of fluorescent C-dots to contribute to sustainable practices in agriculture. This review explores recent developments and challenges in synthesizing high-quality C-dots from agro-residues, shedding light on their crucial role in advancing technologies for a cleaner and more sustainable future.</p

Graphene oxide encapsulated forsterite scaffolds to improve mechanical properties and antibacterial behavior

It is very desirable to have good antibacterial properties and mechanical properties at the same time for bone scaffolds. Graphene oxide (GO) can increase the mechanical properties and antibacterial performance, while forsterite (Mg2SiO4) as the matrix can increase forsterite/GO scaffolds' biological activity for bone tissue engineering. Interconnected porous forsterite scaffolds were developed by space holder processes for bone tissue engineering in this research. The forsterite/GO scaffolds had a porosity of 76%-78% with pore size of 300-450 µm. The mechanism of the mechanical strengthening, antibacterial activity, and cellular function of the forsterite/GO scaffold was evaluated. The findings show that the compressive strength of forsterite/1 wt.% GO scaffold (2.4 ± 0.1 MPa) was significantly increased, in comparison to forsterite scaffolds without GO (1.4 ± 0.1 MPa). Validation of the samples' bioactivity was attained by forming a hydroxyapatite layer on the forsterite/GO surface within in vitro immersion test. The results of cell viability demonstrated that synthesized forsterite scaffolds with low GO did not show cytotoxicity and enhanced cell proliferation. Antibacterial tests showed that the antibacterial influence of forsterite/GO scaffold was strongly correlated with GO concentration from 0.5 to 2 wt.%. The scaffold encapsulated with 2 wt.% GO had the great antibacterial performance with bacterial inhibition rate around 90%. As results show, the produced forsterite/1 wt.% GO can be an attractive option for bone tissue engineering

Melt-electrospun fibers for advances in biomedical engineering, clean energy, filtration, and separation

10.1080/15583724.2011.594196Polymer Reviews513265-28

Analysis of bovine-derived demineralized bone extracts

10.1007/s10856-007-3111-9Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine1962423-2426JSMM

Morphologically Robust NiFe₂O₄ Nanofibers as High Capacity Li-Ion Battery Anode Material

In this work, the electrochemical performance of NiFe₂O₄ nanofibers synthesized by an electrospinning approach have been discussed in detail. Lithium storage properties of nanofibers are evaluated and compared with NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles by galvanostatic cycling and cyclic voltammetry studies, both in half-cell configurations. Nanofibers exhibit a higher charge-storage capacity of 1000 mAh g^–1 even after 100 cycles with high Coulmbic efficiency of 100 % between 10 and 100 cycles. Ex situ microscopy studies confirmed that cycled nanofiber electrodes maintained the morphology and remained intact even after 100 charge–discharge cycles. The NiFe₂O₄ nanofiber electrode does not experience any structural stress and eventual pulverisation during lithium cycling and hence provides an efficient electron conducting pathway. The excellent electrochemical performance of NiFe₂O₄ nanofibers is due to the unique porous morphology of continuous nanofibers

Nanolignin in materials science and technology— does flame retardancy matter?

International audienceDevelopment of green flame retardants has become a core part of the attention of material scientists and technologists in a paradigm shift from general purpose to specific sustainable products. This work is the first report on the use of coffee biowastes as sustainable flame retardants for epoxy, as a typical highly flammable polymer. We used spent coffee grounds (SCG) as well as SCG chemically modified with phosphorus (P-SCG) to develop a sustainable highly efficient flame retardant. A considerable reduction in the peak of heat release rate (pHRR) by 40% was observed in the pyrolysis combustion flow calorimeter analysis (PCFC), which proved the merit of the used coffee biowastes for being used as sustainable flame retardants for polymers. This work would open new opportunities to investigate the impact of other sorts of coffee wastes rather than SCG from different sectors of the coffee industry on polymers of different family