Journal of Nano Structures
Volume:13 Issue: 2, Spring 2023

perovskite nanostructures are ideal model systems for fundamental studies and as convenient building blocks for proof-of-principle studies of optoelectronic device design and improvemen.Methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) and some other perovskites have drawn significant attention to the science community because of their high power conversion efficiency in solar cells. In addition, this group of semiconductors has the potential to be used in a wide range of optoelectronic devices like light-emitting diodes, lasers, field-effect transistors, photodetectors, photoluminescent, electroluminescent devices as well as light-emitting electrochemical cells. Commercialization of perovskite materials may revolutionize the global energy sector as these materials are abundant in nature and inexpensive, as a result it would be cheaper and more efficient than silicon-based technology. However, the insufficient long-term stability and toxicity of lead (Pb) are two major barriers for Pb-based hybrid perovskites to be adopted in large-scale industrial applications. Therefore, it is almost important to find non-toxic Pb-free stable perovskites for the further development of perovskites based optoelectronic technology. A detailed atomistic insight of the fundamental properties of perovskite materials can help to understand the basic characteristics of the materials and it can guide research to find non-toxic stable materials for photovoltaics and optoelectronics.Among these candidates, Sn-based perovskites have attracted the most attention due to their very similar properties, and the most promising performance achieved by their devices. This article presents investigations of the structural, electronic, optical and mechanical properties based organic-inorganic metal halid perovskites (MABI3) ( B = Pb, Sn)

There are numerous applications of nanomaterials in catalysis, biosensing, biotechnology, electronics, magnetic fluids, energy storage and also in the biomedical field, especially in gene or drug delivery and diagnostics. Nanomaterials have amazing capabilities to stimulate neu ronal cells toward neuronal cell proliferation, neuronal cell adhesion, axonal growth, and neuroprotection. Researchers have demonstrated that nanomaterials can also differentiate stem cells into neuronal cells. Recently, the impact of nanomaterials on the proliferation and differentiation of normal, cancer, and stem cells have been investigated greatly. In this study, the effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) on the differentiation of neural stem cells are examined. Our findings indicate that TiO2 nanoparticles lead to differentiation tendencies biased towards neurons from neural stem cells, suggesting TiO2 nanoparticles might be a beneficial inducer for neuronal differentiation. We found that pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12 cells) exposed to TiO2, Au/TiO2, Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles significantly increased the differentiation of neural stem cells and promoted neurite outgrowth. Our data may have resulted from the stimulation of cell adhesion molecules that are associated with cell-matrix interactions through nanoparticle. The findings of this work proposes the use of the Ag/TiO2 nanoparticles which also have antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics, as a suitable method to improve Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) activity and efficacy, thus, opening the novel window for substantial neuronal repair therapeutics.

In the present work we introduce p-type Si Nano wires (Si NWS) as a hole transport material. As is well known, CH3NH3PbI3 are extremely sensitive to moisture in air but p-type Si Nano wires could protect it from moisture and water. Highly stable CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber with the grain size up to 2 µm was prepared by dip coating method. The cell based on this stable perovskite absorber film achieves a high power conversion efficiency of 21.1%. CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber shows very high stability, it even was stable after washing with water without any encapsulation. We believe that this great stability comes from our new hole CH3NH3PbI3 materials. In this work p-type Si NWs are used as HTM which lead to stabilized CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber even under direct flow of water. Degradation of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber on mesoporous TiO2 (it was deposited on TiO2 by same method and condition) was studied to approve this hypothesis that stability comes from new HTM. CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite absorber on mesoporous TiO2 was completely degraded after 7 dayss while CH3NH3PbI3 on Si NWs as HTM was quite stable for 50 days. This stability achieved whilst it was washed with water after 41 days (see video in supporting information). XRD and Pl were used to monitoring degradation of perovskite absorber layer over the time. The results provide an important facile approach to fabricate high-efficiency, stable and large area perovskite solar cell/module which accelerate the time to market.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a widely used material in various products, including cosmetics, food additives, and medical devices. However, its small size (nanoscale) has raised concerns about its potential impacts on human health and the environment. One area of concern is the effect of nanosized TiO2 on the female reproductive system, particularly the ovaries. The purpose of this study is to look at how isoniazid-treated NMRI mice’s ovarian tissue alters in response to nanosized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) treatment. The 50 adult female mice used in this research were split into five groups of 10 at random. The experimental groups included the control group (no medication), sham group (0.5 mg/kg of normal saline), first experimental group (45 mg/kg isoniazid), second experimental group (45 mg/kg isoniazid and 0.5 mg/kg nano-TiO2), and the third experimental group (45 mg/kg isoniazid and 0.45 mg/kg nano-TiO2). All injections were given for 20 days. After that, the ovarian tissue from each animal was isolated and put in an 10% formalin solution before tissue analyses were carried out using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. In comparison to the control group, there was a reduction in the quantity of corpus luteum and secondary follicles in all experimental groups. In comparison to the first experimental group, there is a significant increase in the number of unilaminar primary follicles in the rest of the experimental groups. The damaging effects of isoniazid on ovarian tissue can be lessened by using nanoparticles in small amounts.

Increasing environmental pollution is one of the major problems in recent decades. Finding new ways to remove contaminants is critical mission for scientists.  In this research, Fe3O4/TiO2/Ag magnetic nanocomposite synthesized for investigation of degradation of methylene blue (MB). Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles was first synthesized with simple co-precipitation method. Then the magnetic nanocomposite structure of Fe3O4/TiO2 by hydrothermal methodwas shaped. After that, to improve the ability of the nanocomposite to reduction of MB, Ag nanoparticles was doped on the surface of the Fe3O4/TiO2. In fact, in this structure, we used local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) future of Ag and photocatalyst property of TiO2 to modify the ability of MB reduction. Various techniques were employed to characterize the morphology of magnetic nanocomposite such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an alternating gradient force magnetometer (AGFM). We also used ultraviolet-visible (UV) analyses to determine the band gap. The results show that the nanocomposite formed successfully in desired structure and morphology. Catalytic measurements on the samples show an excellent efficiency for the MBdegradation. After the reduction of MB, one can use a magnet bar to separate the catalyst from solution easily. Artificial neural network (ANN) models can eliminate the huge part of experimental investigations in various filed of science and technology. After gathering some information about the methyl blue degradation, the ANN modeling was carried out to calculate the optimum values of initial variables to achieve the maximum removal efficiency. In this project, we used an initial ion concentration, the amount of nanocomposite that were used in photocatalyst activity and removal time as initial variables, finally the removal efficiency of pollution (MB) was considered as the output. In this project, we used a genetic algorithm (GA) to trained models and predation.

The sulfur content in crude oil and its derivatives negatively affects all aspects of life, especially economic, environmental and industrial.  It is vital to create methods and materials that are both affordable and environmentally friendly in order to remove sulfur from crude oil. for this purpose  titanium oxide (TiO2) and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method at different temperatures and characterized by several techniques including using scanning electron microscopy (SEM),  x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to find out some physical and chemical properties of the prepared nano compounds, The results showed that (MoO3) was more efficient than (TiO2) in reducing the sulfur content of crude oil. This work presents a successful example of the preparation of TiO2 and MoO3 NPs based hydrothermal method and the successful application of these NPs as active components, for the potential sulfur compound adsorbents, supporting environmental treatment.

Metal nanoparticles (NPs), such as TiO2 NPs, have been extensively researched for their potential use in aquaculture. One of the main uses of TiO2 NPs in aquaculture is as a natural water purifier. TiO2 has photocatalytic properties that make it highly effective in breaking down organic pollutants and toxic substances in water. Additionally, TiO2 NPs have been used to improve the efficiency of aquaculture feed. However, it is important to note that while the use of TiO2 NPs in aquaculture holds promise, there are also some concerns about their safety and environmental impact. Therefore, in this study, we sought to ascertain whether penicillamine and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), two compounds used in the treatment of heavy metal poisoning and whose efficacy has been demonstrated in both warm-blooded animals and humans, may lessen the toxicity of TiO2 NPs in Nile tilapia. In this study, 280 Nile tilapia fries (3.20±0.12 g) were split into four treatments over the course of three replications. Following that, the OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals was used to evaluate and compare the acute toxicity of TiO2 NPs. In all stages of toxicity determination, the data demonstrated that the toxicity of TiO2 NPs in the control treatment was significantly higher than that of the treatments given penicillamine and EDTA. Finally, the efficiency of penicillamine is more than that of EDTA, and both of these drugs can be used orally to prevent and treat seafood poisoning caused by TiO2 NPs.

A novel pH-responsive drug delivery platform based on silica-chitosan hybrid containing quercetin drug (67 % entrapment efficiency) modified by folic acid-bovine serum albumin (BSA-FA) was developed in current study. The chemical properties, structure, specific surface area, and morphology of developed nanocarrier were evaluated by FTIR, XRD, BET, and SEM analyses. This nanocarrier was investigated in terms of pH-responsive release behavior in phosphate buffer solutions with pH of 5.6, and 7.4, near to acidic condition of cancer tissue and the normal condition of the body. The in-vitro release indicated an almost rapid release at the first 12 h, which then followed by a slower and gradual release for both media, so that 15 % and 26 of entrapped quercetin were released from nanocarrier at firs 12 h, respectively. In addition, a further cumulative drug release (54 % after 96 h) was observed in acidic medium compared to natural medium (36 % after 96 h), indicating the pH-sensitive behavior of hybrid nanocarrier, which is mainly related to greater swelling of the BSA-FA modification layer in response to changes in the pH of solution. These findings support the pH-responsive and smart function of designed hybrid nanocarrier against acidic medium of cancerous cells.

Leishmaniasis is a group of diseases caused by infection with Leishmania parasites. The lesions that develop as a result of leishmaniasis can vary depending on the species of the parasite and the type of leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of the disease and it results in skin sores or ulcers. Materials with manganese oxide (Mn2O3) nanoparticles and tellurium oxide (TeO2) nanorods have been shown to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic effects. The purpose of this study was to ascertain how Mn2O3 and TeO2 nanoparticles affected Leishmania major-caused wound healing in rats. The albino rats were separated into four groups of five once a lesion appeared on their tails. In the two treatment groups, Mn2O3 and TeO2 nanoparticles were injected every day, once a day, intra-wound in three places, and in the meglumine antimoniate group, the drug was injected intramuscularly for five weeks. The albino rats in the negative control group did not receive any medication. The size of the wounds in the group treated with Mn2O3 nanoparticles did not differ significantly from the control group that did not receive treatment, however the diameter of the wounds in the group treated with TeO2 nanorods did change significantly from the control group that did not receive treatment. It was, however, larger than the group that received meglumine antimoniate treatment. TeO2 nanorods, as opposed to Mn2O3 nanoparticles, had an in vivo anti-Leishmanial potential.

In this study, cytotoxic effects of silver-chitosan nanocomposites with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution (SCNC-ASHS) and aqueous acetic acid solution (SCNC-AAAS) were evaluated in vitro. The morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles was characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Their cytotoxicities were then evaluated using MTT in concentrations of 1.56 to 400 µg/ml, and Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining test after 24 h and 48 h. Results showed that the highest cytotoxicity was at 400 µg/ml concentration at which SCNC-ASHS respectively showed 80.57% and 84.37% toxicity on Vero and HT-29 cells after 24 h, and 82.20% and 84.84% after 48 h. While, the cytotoxicities for SCNC-AAAS on Vero and HT-29 cell lines were respectively 80.63% and 87.64% after 24 h, and 83.60% and 87.44% after 48 h. The most toxicity on HT-29 cells belonged to SCNC-AAAS with IC50 of 40.4 µg/ml. In the staining test, SCNC-AAAS revealed 41.84% HT-29 cell viability at 25 µg/ml concentration and 37.51% Vero cell viability at 6.25 µg/ml concentration. Generally, by increasing both SCNCs concentrations, the cell viabilities were decreased, and early and late apoptosis and necrosis were increased in AO/AE test. In conclusion, types of nanoparticles, synthesis methods, and different cell lines play considerable roles in inducing cytotoxicity. According to the higher significant cytotoxicity effects of both SCNCs on colon cancerous cells (HT-29) than normal cells (Vero) (p<0.05), it seems that they have anticancer effects; of those SCNC-AAAS displayed the higher effect with the IC50 of 4.4 µg/ml on HT-29 cells.