In the arena of material sciences, one of the burning topics for research has been biogenically synthesizing nanoparticles (NPs) from plant derivatives and studying their applicability to be used as sustainable catalysts. The contemporary work happening on nanocatalysts focuses on the scope of application of green catalysts. For devising a technology that is ecofriendly as well as rapid, it seems a very viable option to biogenically synthesize NPs from plants. The potential that plants have in synthesizing these NPs has been mostly an unexplored venture, and the massive plant diversity is the reason for this is the lack of exploration. The NPs have antioxidant, antibacterial, and antimicrobial characteristics, which make them suitable candidates for application in different biomedical applications. This review begins with a discussion about the different natural products that are used for NP synthesis and goes on to discuss the factors that affect the synthesis. The authors have aimed to provide detailed information about green NPs and their applications in different biomedical areas. Existing literature on NP-based biomedical applications focuses more on synthetic NPs, and we hope that this review will help the readers to formulate a fresh perspective by concentrating their interests toward naturally synthesized NPs and their applications.

Though conventional polyurethane foams are among the most widely used polymer materials currently, the lack of reprocessability and creep resistance ability restricts their further commercial growth. Imparting recyclability, self-healing, and creep resilience ability to segmented PU networks (PUNs) is desirable to further enhance their commercial utility and address the concern related to polymer waste accumulation. In this article, we utilize the strategy of incorporating a dynamic carboxylate linkage in the main chain of polytetramethylene oxide (PTMO)-based segmented PUNs to achieve the above. The resulting PUNs displayed adequate tensile properties (tensile strength ≈ 8−33 MPa, elongation at break ≈ 345−680%, and Young's modulus ≈ 19−270 MPa). The samples displayed typical vitrimer behavior and stress relaxed in the temperature range of 140 to 180 °C. The PUNs, thermally reprocessed at 150 °C, recovered up to 70−85% of the original tensile strength. Importantly, these vitrimers displayed improved creep resistant behavior at elevated temperature, which has been a concern with the conventional vitrimer materials. The PUNs displayed triple shape memory abilities at inflection temperatures of 60 and 130 °C. The samples also exhibited effective self-healing and self-welding ability. Overall, these PUNs with versatile properties are potential candidates for a range of applications.

The advent and subsequent development of nanotechnology in the past few years have been a boon to the healthcare industry and especially in cancer therapy. Cancer, as it is known, is one of the deadliest maladies that has been plaguing the entire world, and there are several available therapies for the treatment of cancer. In this review, we discuss some of the applications and development in nanoparticle (NP)-based therapies like gene therapy, chemotherapy, etc., and alongside the therapies, there is a detailed discussion about the five deadliest types of cancers. It has been found that NPs have been widely successful compared to the era when the drug was administered alone. However, there are some challenges associated as well. For example, one of the challenges is to make sure that the NP-based drug reaches the target site, and for that, several researchers have been working to design efficient drug-delivery systems, which are discussed in this review. In this review, our aim is to address the utility, developments, and drawbacks of NPs in cancer therapy.

Cancer cannot be controlled by the usage of drugs alone, and thus, nanotechnology is an important technique that can provide the drug with an impetus to act more effectively. There is adequate availability of anticancer drugs that are classified as alkylating agents, hormones, or antimetabolites. Nanoparticle (NP) carriers increase the residence time of the drug, thereby enhancing the survival rate of the drug, which otherwise gets washed off owing to the small size of the drug particles by the excretory system. For example, for enhancing the circulation, a coating of nonfouling polymers like PEG and dextran is done. Famous drugs such as doxorubicin (DOX) are commonly encapsulated inside the nanocomposite. The various classes of nanoparticles are used to enhance drug delivery by aiding it to fight against the tumor. Targeted therapy aims to attack the cells with features common to the cancer cells while minimizing damage to the normal cell, and these therapies work in one in four ways. Some block the cancer cells from reproducing newer cells, others release toxic substances to kill the cancer cells, some stimulate the immune system to destroy the cancer cells, and some block the growth of more blood vessels around cancer cells, which starve the cells of the nutrients, which is needed for their growth. This review aims to testify the advancements nanotechnology has brought in cancer therapy, and its statements are supported with recent research findings and clinical trial results.

Sustainability has gained momentum due to climate change and environmental pollution. Mankind is trying to look for safer fuels to meet the energy demands and conserve the world for future...