Polymeric goods have been instrumental due to its versatility, properties like hygienic, lightweight, flexible, and highly durable and hence it accounts for the largest usage of applications worldwide in sectors like electrical, electronic, packaging, automotive, energy generation, furniture, marine, aerospace, military, consumer goods, construction, medical and healthcare, and so forth. However, as the demand for consumer goods continues to grow-from smartphones, smart watches to automobiles, home appliances, food packaging, pharmacy, and so forth; disease transmission (especially during the outbreak of epidemic/pandemic) via tangibility has emerged as a major hurdle to cater the out breaking microbial transmission through touch. The surfaces of these goods/products are required to suffice antimicrobial properties to prevent such contagious surface transmission. Considering the current challenges and need for antimicrobial polymer, a review is presented to collectively enlist the theoretical fundamental; commercial, R&D activities, economic performance, and challenges on large-scale practice of antimicrobial polymeric products. The review also enumerates the potential antimicrobial nanofillers used for the fabrication of polymer nanocomposites with biostatic and biocidal properties along with expected property enhancement.

Current manuscript describes porous alumina (PA) template assisted electrodeposition of high aspect ratio nanowires and dense hierarchical structures of CdTe. We demonstrate here for the first time that simple structural engineering of a PA template can lead to electrochemical growth of diverse shapes of CdTe nanostructures. Facile and cost-effective modifications have been implemented for the fabrication of self-organized through-hole PA membrane and its transfer onto any rough substrate. These modifications have facilitated extended duration (30 minute to 1 hour) electrodeposition of CdTe nanostructures at high bath temperature of 60 • C without delaminating the PA membrane. High aspect ratio nanowires of 60 nm diameter and 2.8 μm length were growth through the self-ordered PA membrane without any underlying metal coating i.e. without altering its optical properties. An average of 56% optical absorption (within 350 nm -1400 nm wavelength) and a moderate photoluminescence was observed for the CdTe nanowires. Minor variation in the anodization process resulted into a non-uniform/branched PA template that enabled the formation of dense 3D hierarchical structures of CdTe using similar electrodeposition conditions as that used for CdTe nanowires. The hierarchical CdTe nanostructures exhibited very high total optical absorption of ∼90% within 350 nm -1400 nm wavelength and a strong photoluminescence was also demonstrated that was almost 10 fold more intense than the CdTe nanowires. CdTe, CdS, CdSe are well established II-VI periodic group optically active chalcogenide semiconductor materials with immense applications in optoelectronic, photonics and bio-labelling applications. Intervention of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology has enabled realization of low dimensional nanostructures of Cadmium chalcogenides (CdS, CdSe, or CdTe) with enhanced surface area to volume ratio that have attracted major appreciation with their unique and enhanced electronic and optical properties.1-3 Specifically, 1D Cadmium chalcogenide nanowires/nanorods have demonstrated highperformance optoelectronic applications such as optical waveguides, lasers, photoluminescence, photodetectors (visible, NIR), solar cells, etc. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] It is realized that a precise control over the size and the structure of nanostructures enables vast tuning of the energy band gaps and generates unique optical properties.16 Unlike 2D structures, nanowires can accommodate large amount of mismatch related strain via radial expansion or contraction. It is known that nanowires with high aspect ratio can provide efficient absorption even with smaller depth that can increase the efficacy of photovoltaic devices.17 Especially, CdTe nanowires holds potential for low-cost photovoltaic due to its high absorption coefficient, with a capability of absorbing significant amount of sunlight in a layer thickness of only ∼1 μm, as compared to ∼10 μm for Si. Overall, it is apparent that there has been a major focus onto controlling the structural param...

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This article presents a new method for transferring and enhancing the adhesion of thin nanoporous alumina (NPA) membranes onto non-atomically flat substrates like fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass. The study reports use of glycerol as an additive to reduce the brittleness of the polystyrene filler that was used to fill the pores of the NPA membrane. Additionally, a new reflux-based method is reported here for the complete removal of the polystryrene filler from the porous channels of alumina. The adhesion between an NPA membrane and an underlying electrode was enhanced by electrodepositing a thin (∼40 nm) intermediate layer of the conducting polymer polyaniline (PANI). The PANI layer acts as an efficient electrostatic adhesive between the NPA and the conducting glass electrode and ensures ultra-strong adhesion of the NPA membrane, which can survive the harsh conditions of CdTe nanowire electrodeposition (60 °C temperature and an acidic electrolyte) without delamination for 30 min. The resulting nanowires clearly templated the structure of NPA and displayed free-standing nanowires over a large area with a diameter of around 60 nm, a length of approximately 2.8 μm (aspect ratio ∼47) and an areal density of 5.9 × 1012 nanowires cm−2. Total optical absorption measurement on the free-standing CdTe nanowires exhibited a 45% enhancement over a wavelength range of 350–1400 nm as compared to a CdTe planar thin film of same thickness.