Sputtering thin films: Materials, applications, challenges and future directions.

Sputtering is an effective technique for producing ultrathin films with diverse applications. The review begins by providing an in-depth overview of the background, introducing the early development of sputtering and its principles. Consequently, progress in advancements made in recent decades highlights the renaissance of sputtering as a powerful technology for creating thin films with varied compositions, structures, and properties. For the first time, we have discussed a thorough overview of several sputtered thin film materials based on metal and metal oxide, metal nitride, alloys, carbon, and ceramic-based thin film along with their properties and their applicability in various fields. We further delve into the applications of sputter-coated thin films, specifically emphasizing their relevance in environmental sustainability, energy and electronics, and biomedical fields. We critically examine the recent advancements in developing sputter-coated catalysts for eliminating water pollutants andhydrogen generation. Additionally, the review sheds light on advantages, shortcomings, and future directions for developing sputter-coated thin films utilized in biodegradable metals and alloys with enhanced corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. This review is a comprehensive integration of recent literature, covering diverse sputtering thin film applications. We delve deeply into various material types and emphasize critical analysis of recent advancements, particularly in environmental, energy, and biomedical fields. By offering insights into both advancements and limitations, the review provides a nuanced understanding essential for practical utilization.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of CaCu3Ti4O12/reduced graphene oxide composites for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceutical products: Ibuprofen and Ciprofloxacin.

The objective of this research is to create a highly effective approach for eliminating pollutants from the environment through the process of photocatalytic degradation. The study centers around the production of composites consisting of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using an ultrasonic-assisted method, with a focus on their capacity to degrade ibuprofen (IBF) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) via photodegradation. The impact of rGO on the structure, morphology, and optical properties of CCTO was inspected using XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM, XPS, BET, and UV-Vis. Morphology characterization showed that rGO particles were dispersed within the CCTO matrix without any specific chemical interaction between CCTO and C in the rGO. The BET analysis revealed that with increasing the amount of rGO in the composite, the specific surface area significantly increased compared to the CCTO standalone. Besides, increasing rGO resulted in a reduction in the optical bandgap energy to around 2.09 eV, makes it highly promising photocatalyst for environmental applications. The photodegradation of IBF and CIP was monitored using visible light irradiation. The results revealed that both components were degraded above 97% after 60 min. The photocatalyst showed an excellent reusability performance with a slight decrease after five runs to 93% photodegradation efficiency.

CA19-9 and CEA biosensors in pancreatic cancer.

Cancer is a complex pathophysiological condition causing millions of deaths each year. Early diagnosis is essential especially for pancreatic cancer. Existing diagnostic tools rely on circulating biomarkers such as Carbohydrate Antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA). Unfortunately, these markers are nonspecific and may be increased in a variety of disorders. Accordingly, diagnosis of pancreatic cancer generally involves more invasive approaches such as biopsy as well as imaging studies. Recent advances in biosensor technology have allowed the development of precise diagnostic tools having enhanced analytical sensitivity and specificity. Herein we examine these advances in the detection of cancer in general and in pancreatic cancer specifically. Furthermore, we highlight novel technologies in the measurement of CA19-9 and CEA and explore their future application in the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

S-Scheme ZIF-67/CuFe-LDH Heterojunction for High-Performance Photocatalytic H2 Evolution and CO2 to MeOH Production.

The S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst holds potential for better photocatalysis owing to its capacity to broaden the light absorption range, ease electron-hole separation, extend the charge carrier lifespan, and maximize the redox ability. In this study, we integrate zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs-67) with the CuFe-LDH composite, offering a straightforward approach towards creating a novel hybrid nanostructure, enabling remarkable performance in both photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution and carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol (MeOH) conversion. The ZIF-67/CuFe-LDH photocatalyst exhibits an enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 7.4 mmol g-1 h-1 and an AQY of 4.8%. The superior activity of CO2 reduction to MeOH generation was 227 µmol g-1 h-1 and an AQY of 5.1%, and it still exhibited superior activity after continuously working for 4 runs with nearly negligible decay in activity. The combined spectroscopic analysis, electrochemical study, and computational data strongly demonstrate that this hybrid material integrates the advantageous properties of the individual ZIF-67 and CuFe-LDH exhibiting distinguished photon harvesting, suppression of the photoinduced electron-hole recombination kinetics, extended lifetime, and efficient charge transfer, subsequently boosting higher photocatalytic activities.

Magnetic Nitrogen-Rich UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework: An Efficient Adsorbent for Water Treatment.

The postsynthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has opened up a promising area to widen their water treatment application. However, their polycrystalline powdery state still restricts their widespread industrial-scale applications. Herein, the magnetization of UiO-66-NH2 is reported as a promising approach to facilitate the separation of the used MOFs after water treatment. A two-step postmodification procedure employing 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (TCT) and 5-phenyl-1H-tetrazole (PTZ) agents was introduced to level up the adsorption performance of the magnetic nanocomposite. Despite a decrement in porosity and specific surface area of the designed MOFs (m-UiO-66-TCT) compared to neat UiO-66-NH2, it outweighs in adsorption capacity. It was observed that m-UiO-66-TCT has an adsorption capacity of ≈298 mg/g for methyl orange (MO) with facile MOF separation using an external magnet. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm models suitably interpret the experimental data. Thermodynamic studies showed that MO removal using m-UiO-66-TCT is spontaneous and thermodynamically favorable at higher temperatures. The m-UiO-66-TCT composite exhibited easy separation, high adsorption capacity, and good recyclability, rendering it an attractive candidate for the adsorptive removal of MO dye from aqueous environments.

Lifting the Veil: Characteristics, Clinical Significance, and Application of ß-2-Microglobulin as Biomarkers and Its Detection with Biosensors.

Because ß-2-microglobulin (ß2M) is a surface protein that is present on most nucleated cells, it plays a key role in the human immune system and the kidney glomeruli to regulate homeostasis. The primary clinical significance of ß2M is in dialysis-related amyloidosis, a complication of end-stage renal disease caused by a gradual accumulation of ß2M in the blood. Therefore, the function of ß2M in kidney-related diseases has been extensively studied to evaluate its glomerular and tubular functions. Because increased ß2M shedding due to rapid cell turnover may indicate other underlying medical conditions, the possibility to use ß2M as a versatile biomarker rose in prominence across multiple disciplines for various applications. Therefore, this work has reviewed the recent use of ß2M to detect various diseases and its progress as a biomarker. While the use of state-of-the-art ß2M detection requires sophisticated tools, high maintenance, and labor cost, this work also has reported the use of biosensor to quantify ß2M over the past decade. It is hoped that a portable and highly efficient ß2M biosensor device will soon be incorporated in point-of-care testing to provide safe, rapid, and reliable test results.

Amino-Functionalized MXene Nanosheets Doped with Ce(III) as Potent Nanocontainers toward Self-Healing Epoxy Nanocomposite Coating for Corrosion Protection of Mild Steel.

MXene sheets, as new 2D nanomaterials, have been used in many advanced applications due to their superior thin-layered architecture, as well as their capability to be employed as novel nanocontainers for advanced applications. In this research, intercalated Ti3C2 MXene sheets were synthesized through an etching method, and then they were modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). Cerium cations (Ce3+) as an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor were encapsulated within Ti3C2 MXene sheets to fabricate novel self-healing epoxy nanocomposite coatings. The corrosion protection performance (CPP) of Ce3+-doped Ti3C2 MXene nanosheets (Ti3C2 MXene-Ce3+) in a 3.5 wt % sodium chloride (NaCl) solution was studied on bare mild steel substrates using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The self-healing CPP of epoxy coatings loaded with 1 wt % undoped and doped Ti3C2 MXene was evaluated using EIS, salt spray, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques. The introduction of Ti3C2 MXene-Ce3+ into the corrosive solution and artificially scribed epoxy coating enhanced the total impedance from 717 to 6596 Ω cm2 and 8876 to 32092 Ω cm2, respectively, after 24 h of immersion compared to the control samples.

Room temperature LPG resistive sensor based on the use of a few-layer graphene/SnO2 nanocomposite.

A nanocomposite consisting of a few layers of graphene (FLG) and tin dioxide (SnO2) was prepared by ultrasound-assisted synthesis. The uniform SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) on the FLG were characterized by X-ray diffraction in terms of lattice and phase structure. The functional groups present in the composite were analyzed by FTIR. Electron microscopy (HR-TEM and FE-SEM) was used to study the morphology. The effect of the fraction of FLG present in the nanocomposite was investigated. Sensitivity, selectivity and reproducibility towards resistive sensing of liquid propane gas (LPG) was characterized by the I-V method. The sensor with 1% of FLG on SnO2 operated at a typical voltage of 1 V performs best in giving a rapid and sensitive response even at 27 °C. This proves that the operating temperature of such sensors can be drastically decreased which is in contrast to conventional metal oxide LPG sensors. Graphical abstract Schematic of a room temperature gas sensor for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It is based on the use of a few-layered graphene (1 wt%)/SnO2 nanocomposite that was deposited on an interdigitated electrode (IDEs). A sensing mechanism for LPG detection has been established.

A Short Review on Copper Calcium Titanate (CCTO) Electroceramic: Synthesis, Dielectric Properties, Film Deposition, and Sensing Application.

Electroceramic calcium copper titanates (CaCu3Ti4O12, CCTO), with high dielectric permittivities (ε) of approximately 105 and 104, respectively, for single crystal and bulk materials, are produced for a number of well-established and emerging applications such as resonator, capacitor, and sensor. These applications take advantage of the unique properties achieved through the structure and properties of CCTO. This review comprehensively focuses on the primary processing routes, effect of impurity, dielectric permittivity, and deposition technique used for the processing of electroceramics along with their chemical composition and micro and nanostructures. Emphasis is given to versatile and basic approaches that allow one to control the microstructural features that ultimately determine the properties of the CCTO ceramic. Despite the intensive research in this area, none of the studies available in the literature provides all the possible relevant information about CCTO fabrication, structure, the factors influencing its dielectric properties, CCTO immobilization, and sensing applications.