Journal of Nanomaterials

The engine piston is subjected to very high temperature during the combustion process, and it is very difficult to control the stability of the geometry at elevated temperature. The stability of the engine piston was analysed by finite element method with steady-state conditions for three different types of approach to control it, where the influence of the alloying element of aluminum piston, influence of surface coating, and its impact on the thickness variation followed by the influence of holes on the coating surface have been analysed in detail. It is observed that the coating with holes shows good agreement with requirement compared to the influence of the alloying element and coated piston. The conduction mode of heat transfer is controlled, and also, the heat transfer to the adjacent components is facilitated by holes on the coated piston.

Nanoparticles of titanium diboride (TiB₂) coated with a conductive polymer and subjected to an oxidizing agent was carried out in this research. TiB₂ nanoparticles coated with polypyrrole (PPy) were studied using XRD and TEM techniques. Nitrogen adsorption and desorption properties of nanoparticles are covered with modified polypyrrole to understand better the surface zone, structural features, and pore geometries of the nanoparticles. The water-based hazardous anionic Congo red (CR) dye was removed using polypyrrole-coated titanium diboride (PPy@TiB₂) nanoparticles. Numerous cutting-edge experimental techniques, including FTIR, FE-SEM, EDXS, and element mapping analysis, were used to confirm the CR color’s adhesion to the PPy@TiB₂ nanoadsorbent study. While conducting batch experiments, coated TiB₂ nanoadsorbents with polypyrrole enhanced the adsorption behaviour. One of the factors evaluated in the adsorption tests was pH; another was contact time, and a third was dose. At , 98.75% of Congo red dye was detached using 60 mg of PPy-coated TiB₂ nanoadsorbent. Several sorption-desorption cycles were performed on this nanoadsorbent to determine its reusability. An excellent adsorption capacity for water treatment is reported in PPy-coated TiB2 nanoadsorbent.

The present work aims to develop Cu/ZrO₂ surface composite by friction stir processing and analyse the effect of zirconia incorporation on microstructure, mechanical, and tribological behaviour of developed copper matrix composite. Microstructural observations indicated that grains were equiaxed and fine in the stir zone of the composite and zirconia particles were uniformly dispersed in the copper matrix with excellent bonding. The test results for mechanical and wear behaviour showed increment in hardness and wear resistance as compared to copper which may be because of the effect of zirconia presence and grain refinement. The fabricated composite displayed higher value of average friction coefficient in comparison to as received copper. The worn surface observed by SEM revealed the predominance of adhesion and delamination wear mechanism in base copper.

Metal nanoparticles (MNPs) are popular in different research fields due to their unique physical and chemical properties and superior antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, larvicidal, and catalytic potentials. Although conventional wet methods like colloidal synthesis, calcination, and spark ablation for synthesizing MNPs are effective, their synthesis uses an array of reducing and stabilizing agents and gases, making the process tedious. Additionally, metal nanoparticles induce oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS), showing high toxicity. Research and development in green chemistry have gained momentum and massive attention because of being efficient, clean, economical, environment-friendly, and free of hazardous byproducts. Recently, seed extracts in-lieu of chemical stabilizers and reducing agents have become popular because of the single-step green synthesis of MNPs. Seeds provide the researchers with a cost-effective alternate to other biological methods due to low maintenance costs, culture/growth independence for biomass, and diversity of phytochemicals as reducing and capping agents. Thus, effective green synthesis approaches are considered sustainable for MNP synthesis. This review depicts the literature on the challenges associated with metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and discusses their synthesis using seed extracts. The application section of the review discusses the antimicrobial, anticancer, and larvicidal activities of seed extracted-synthesized metallic nanoparticles. Furthermore, insights into the different biological potentials of the synthesized green MNPs have also been discussed.

Production of green energy by using environment friendly and cost-effective components is attracting the attention of the research world and is found to be a promising approach to replace nonrenewable energy sources. Among the green energy sources, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are found to be the most alternative way to reduce the energy demand crises in current situation. The efficiency of DSSCs is dependent on numerous factors such as the solvent used for dye extraction, anode and cathode electrodes, and the thickness of the film, electrolyte, dye, and nature of FTO/ITO glasses. The efficiency of synthetic dye-based DSSCs is enhanced as compared to their counterparts. However, it has been found that many of the synthetic sensitizers used in DSSCs are toxic, and some of them are found to cause carcinogenicity in nature by forming a complex agent. Instead, using various parts of green plants such as leaves, roots, steam, peel waste, flowers, various spices, and mixtures of them would be a highly environmentally friendly and good efficient. The present review focuses on and summarizes the efficiency affecting factors, the various categories of natural sensitizers, and solvent effects. Furthermore, the review work assesses the experimentally and computationally obtained values and their progress in development.

The consequence of the unstoppable growth of plastic production and inadequate waste disposal is plastic pollution, which is becoming a global challenge. Large quantities of discarded plastics in the environment are under the direct influence of biotic and abiotic factors, leading to the fragmentation of particles and the formation of tiny particles of plastics or nanoplastics. Nanoplastics are a fast-growing pollutant that, due to ubiquity in the environment, causes great public concern. It also attracts the attention of scientists in detecting harmful effects on health and the environment. This review is aimed at summarizing all adverse effects of nanoplastics on human health and the environment. Due to their toxic effects, it is necessary to reduce the disposal of plastics in the environment, develop or improve existing methods, and implement legislation that would reduce the release of nanoplastics into the environment. A possible ban or reasonable regulation of nanoplastics in cosmetics or food can be expected only after a critical mass of scientific objections has been created.