The Impact of Matrix Cross-Linking Degree on Chemo-Resistive Properties of Natural Rubber-Carbon Nanostructure Composite

The aim of this work is to investigate chemo-resistivity properties of natural rubber-carbon nanostructure composite, that’s why a change of diffusion characteristics and reversibility of electro-chemical properties of the composite with different degree values of crosslinks have been analysed. The composites are made from natural rubber (polyisoprene) as matrix material and high structure carbon black as electro-conductive filler. In order to investigate diffusion characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in relation to chemo-resistive response of composites simultaneous mass, length and electrical resistance change measurements of the samples, when samples are held in VOC and after exposures to VOC were carried out. Electrical resistance increase mechanism in the composite advances with the composite structure development during vulcanization.

Carbon Nanotubes: Current Perspectives on Diverse Applications in Targeted Drug Delivery and Therapies

Current discoveries as well as research findings on various types of carbon nanostructures have inspired research into their utilization in a number of fields. These carbon nanostructures offer uses in pharmacy, medicine and different therapies. One such unique carbon nanostructure includes carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are one-dimensional allotropes of carbon nanostructure that can have a length-to-diameter ratio greater than 1,000,000. After their discovery, CNTs have drawn extensive research attention due to their excellent material properties. Their physical, chemical and electronic properties are excellent and their composites provide great possibilities for enormous nanometer applications. The current study provides a systematic review based on prior literature review and data gathered from various sources. The various research studies from many research labs and organizations were systematically retrieved, collected, compiled and written. The entire collection and compilation of this review concluded the use of CNT approaches and their efficacy and safety for the treatment of various diseases such as brain tumors or cancer via nanotechnology-based drug delivery, phototherapy, gene therapy, antiviral therapy, antifungal therapy, antibacterial therapy and other biomedical applications. The current review covers diverse applications of CNTs in designing a range of targeted drug delivery systems and application for various therapies. It concludes with a discussion on how CNTs based medicines can expand in the future.

Carbon nanostructure growth: new application of magnetron discharge

Purpose: The application of a common magnetron discharge to the growth of carbon nanostructures is studied. The simplicity of the proposed technique can be beneficial for the development of new plasma reactors for large-scale production of carbon nanostructures. Design/methodology/approach: Graphite cathode was treated by carbon-containing powder accelerated by use of nozzle, and then aged in hydrogen. Superposition of glow and arc discharges was obtained, when putting the cathode under the negative biasing with respect to the walls of a vacuum chamber. The pulsed discharge was preserved through the whole time of treatment. This process was explained in terms of interaction of glow discharge plasma with a surface of the cathode made of non-melting material. Findings: The plasma treatment resulted in generation of the diverse nanostructures confirmed by SEM and TEM images. Spruce-like nanostructures and nanofibers are observed near the cathode edge where the plasma was less dense; a grass-like structure was grown in the area of “race-track”; net-like nanostructures are found among the nanofibers. These findings allow concluding about the possible implementation of the proposed method in industry. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation is conditioned by an explosive nature of nanostructure generation in arcs; thus, more elaborate design of the setup should be developed in order to collect the nanospecies in the following study. Practical implications: High-productivity plasma process of nanosynthesis was confirmed in this research. It can be used for possible manufacturing of field emitters, gas sensors, and supercapacitors. Originality/value: Synthesis of carbon nanostructures is conducted by use of a simple and well-known technique of magnetron sputtering deposition where a preliminary surface treatment is added to expand the production yield and diversity of the obtained nanostructures.

A Review on Conventional and Advanced Methods for Nanotoxicology Evaluation of Engineered Nanomaterials

Nanotechnology can be defined as the field of science and technology that studies material at nanoscale (1–100 nm). These nanomaterials, especially carbon nanostructure-based composites and biopolymer-based nanocomposites, exhibit excellent chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical, and many other properties beneficial for their application in many consumer products (e.g., industrial, food, pharmaceutical, and medical). The current literature reports that the increased exposure of humans to nanomaterials could toxicologically affect their environment. Hence, this paper aims to present a review on the possible nanotoxicology assays that can be used to evaluate the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials. The different ways humans are exposed to nanomaterials are discussed, and the recent toxicity evaluation approaches of these nanomaterials are critically assessed.