Nanomanufacturing, Volume 1, Issue 2 (September 2021) – 3 articles

Molecular nanomaterials are of prodigious reputation for their uses in the numerous industries. This article highlights established industrial potential application areas for nanoparticles. The success of nanomanufacturing depends on the strong cooperation between academia and industry in order to be informed about current needs and future challenges, to design products directly translated to the industrial sector. The selection of the appropriate method, combining synthesis of nanomaterials with required properties and limited impurities as well as scalability of the technique, is of paramount importance. Varieties of molecular nanomaterials and their synthesis, characterization, and important applications are of current interest in several industries. Improved synthetic routes and advanced characterization methods will be important to advance molecular nanomaterials for their rapid translation to industries, manufacturing many useful products, and their implication in global economic development. Nanomaterials have emerging applications in almost all modern industries including construction, textile, water, aeronautics, food, medicine, environment cosmetics, machinery, oil and gas and computer. In the current review, we have chosen some leading industries world-wide that use nanomaterials. Besides the important applications of nanomaterials in almost all spheres of human life and environment, their toxicological effects must be addressed properly to utilize these applications. There are also some obstacles to a greater impact of nanotechnology in industry including its toxicological effects in human and surrounding environments and regulations of nanomaterials use. This review addresses molecular nanomaterials synthesis strategies, characterization methods developments, and their novel industrial and other relevant application fields. Full article

The study of the solvent-mediated structural evolution mechanism of the Cs₄PbBr₆ powders prepared using the solvothermal method is presented. The Cs₄PbBr₆ powders with a rhombohedral structure and an intense green emission (i.e., mainly due to the presence of complex defect states in the forbidden gap), which is stable in its solid-state form, but a distinct behavior is observed in different dispersions, easily detectable when irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light. Depending on the polarity of the solvent, a change in the emission color from green to red is observed, easily detectable when irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light. Our findings suggest that the solvent polarity affects the surface decomposition process, leading to a different change in composition, structure and crystal shape. This peculiar behavior plays a pivotal role in the control of the properties of Cs₄PbBr₆, and this study, therefore, offers a fundamental understanding needed for Cs₄PbBr₆ potential future applications. Full article

The respiratory protection equipment (RPE) used by health professionals consists of an essential device to prevent infectious diseases, especially those caused by biological agents such as the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The current epidemiological panorama is worrying, and the context of creation and production of the mask has emerged as an alternative to RPE to face the public health crisis worldwide. The aim of this work is to present a low-cost alternative as an FFP2-like filter for a reusable respirator face mask. This study presents the comparison of different cellulose-based filtering materials performed by retention testing, time saturation testing, aerosol penetration testing, nanoparticle (~140 nm) filtration testing, bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), analysis of material morphology and usability. The reusable respirator face mask used in this study is an open-source innovation, using 3D printing. Cotton disc proved to be the best filter material for the reusable mask, with satisfactory results and a performance similar to that shown by the N95-type mask. The cotton disc ensured effectiveness over 6 h of use, and after that, the reusable respirator face mask (here, Delfi-TRON^®) needed to be sanitized and replenished with a new cotton disc. Upon preliminary analyses of filtration efficiency, the selected filter was shown to be a low-cost biodegradable and biocompatible alternative. Full article