Printed alkaline batteries based on a zinc anode and a manganese dioxide cathode using two different potassium hydroxide-based electrolytes were prepared. Inks were developed for both electrodes and electrolytes to fabricate the batteries by screen-printing techniques. Potentiodynamic electrochemical measurements allowed us to determine the electrochemical utilization of the active components of each electrode ink. Galvanostatic discharge measurements were used to characterize the printed batteries based on optimized ink formulations and to investigate the effect of the cell design. The electrochemical performance of an alkaline printed battery can be significantly improved by proper selection of the components used for the formulation of the ink of each layer of the cell and customizing its design.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and
its variants have rapidly spread worldwide, causing coronavirus disease
(COVID-19) with numerous infected cases and millions of deaths. Therefore,
developing approaches to fight against COVID-19 is currently the most
priority goal of the scientific community. As a sustainable solution
to stop the spread of the virus, a green dip-coating method is utilized
in the current work to prepare antiviral Ag-based coatings to treat
cotton and synthetic fabrics, which are the base materials used in
personal protective equipment such as gloves and gowns. Characterization
results indicate the successful deposition of silver (Ag) and stabilizers
on the cotton and polypropylene fiber surface, forming Ag coatings.
The deposition of Ag and stabilizers on cotton and etched polypropylene
(EPP) fabrics is dissimilar due to fiber surface behavior. The obtained
results of biological tests reveal the excellent antibacterial property
of treated fabrics with large zones of bacterial inhibition. Importantly,
these treated fabrics exhibit an exceptional antiviral activity toward
human coronavirus OC43 (hCoV-OC43), whose infection could be eliminated
up to 99.8% when it was brought in contact with these fabrics after
only a few tens of minutes. Moreover, the biological activity of treated
fabrics is well maintained after a long period of up to 40 days of
post-treatment.
The diseases caused by microorganisms are innumerable
existing
on this planet. Nevertheless, increasing antimicrobial resistance
has become an urgent global challenge. Thus, in recent decades, bactericidal
materials have been considered promising candidates to combat bacterial
pathogens. Recently, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have been
used as green and biodegradable materials in various promising alternative
applications, especially in healthcare for antiviral or antiviral
purposes. However, it lacks a systematic review of the recent application
of this emerging material for antibacterial applications. Therefore,
the ultimate goal of this review is to provide a critical review of
the state of the art recent development of PHA biopolymers in terms
of cutting-edge production technologies as well as promising application
fields. In addition, special attention was given to collecting scientific
information on antibacterial agents that can potentially be incorporated
into PHA materials for biological and durable antimicrobial protection.
Furthermore, the current research gaps are declared, and future research
perspectives are proposed to better understand the properties of these
biopolymers as well as their possible applications.
spreads and develops quickly worldwide as a new global crisis which has left deep socio-economic damage and massive human mortality. This virus accounts for the ongoing outbreak and forces an urgent need to improve antiviral therapeutics and targeted diagnosing tools. Researchers have been working to find a new drug to combat the virus since the outbreak started in late 2019, but there are currently no successful drugs to control the SARS-CoV-2, which makes the situation riskier. Very recently, new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is identified in many countries which make the situation very critical. No successful treatment has yet been shown although enormous international commitment to combat this pandemic and the start of different clinical trials. Nanomedicine has outstanding potential to solve several specific health issues, like viruses, which are regarded a significant medical issue. In this review, we presented an up-to-date drug design strategy against SARS-CoV-2, including the development of novel drugs and repurposed product potentials were useful, and successful drugs discovery is a constant requirement. The use of nanomaterials in treatment against SARS-CoV-2 and their use as carriers for the transport of the most frequently used antiviral therapeutics are discussed systematically here. We also addressed the possibilities of practical applications of nanoparticles to give the status of COVID-19 antiviral systems.
The exposure to extreme temperatures in workplaces involves physical hazards for workers. A poorly acclimated worker may have lower performance and vigilance and therefore may be more exposed to accidents and injuries. Due to the incompatibility of the existing standards implemented in some workplaces and the lack of thermoregulation in many types of protective equipment that are commonly fabricated using various types of polymeric materials, thermal stress remains one of the most frequent physical hazards in many work sectors. However, many of these problems can be overcome with the use of smart textile technologies that enable intelligent thermoregulation in personal protective equipment. Being based on conductive and functional polymeric materials, smart textiles can detect many external stimuli and react to them. Interconnected sensors and actuators that interact and react to existing risks can provide the wearer with increased safety, protection, and comfort. Thus, the skills of smart protective equipment can contribute to the reduction of errors and the number and severity of accidents in the workplace and thus promote improved performance, efficiency, and productivity. This review provides an overview and opinions of authors on the current state of knowledge on these types of technologies by reviewing and discussing the state of the art of commercially available systems and the advances made in previous research works.
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