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At the forefront of advanced material technology, radiation-induced hydrogels present a promising avenue for innovation across various sectors, utilizing gamma radiation, electron beam radiation, and UV radiation. Through the unique synthesis process involving radiation exposure, these hydrogels exhibit exceptional properties that make them highly versatile and valuable for a multitude of applications. This paper focuses on the intricacies of the synthesis methods employed in creating these radiation-induced hydrogels, shedding light on their structural characteristics and functional benefits. In particular, the paper analyzes the diverse utility of these hydrogels in biomedicine and agriculture, showcasing their potential for applications such as targeted drug delivery, injury recovery, and even environmental engineering solutions. By analyzing current research trends and highlighting potential future directions, this review aims to underscore the transformative impact that radiation-induced hydrogels could have on various industries and the advancement of biomedical and agricultural practices.

The rapid expansion of flexible and wearable electronics has necessitated a focus on ensuring their safety and operational reliability. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have become preferred alternatives to traditional liquid electrolytes, offering enhanced safety features and adaptability to the design requirements of flexible lithium-ion batteries. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of recent advancements in GPE technology, highlighting significant improvements in its physicochemical properties, which contribute to superior long-term cycling stability and high-rate capacity compared with traditional organic liquid electrolytes. Special attention is given to the development of smart GPEs endowed with advanced functionalities such as self-protection, thermotolerance, and self-healing properties, which further enhance battery safety and reliability. This review also critically examines the application of GPEs in high-energy cathode materials, including lithium nickel cobalt manganese (NCM), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA), and thermally stable lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). Despite the advancements, several challenges in GPE development remain unresolved, such as improving ionic conductivity at low temperatures and ensuring mechanical integrity and interfacial compatibility. This review concludes by outlining future research directions and the remaining technical hurdles, providing valuable insights to guide ongoing and future efforts in the field of GPEs for lithium-ion batteries, with a particular emphasis on applications in high-energy and thermally stable cathodes.

Hydrogels and microgels are emerging as pivotal platforms in biomedicine, with significant potential in targeted drug delivery, enhanced infection management, and tissue repair and regeneration. These gels, characterized by their high water content, unique structures, and adaptable mechanical properties, interact seamlessly with biological systems, making them invaluable for controlled and targeted drug release. In the realm of infection management, hydrogels and microgels can incorporate antimicrobial agents, offering robust defenses against bacterial infections. This capability is increasingly important in the fight against antibiotic resistance, providing innovative solutions for infection prevention in wound dressings, surgical implants, and medical devices. Additionally, the biocompatibility and customizable mechanical properties of these gels make them ideal scaffolds for tissue engineering, supporting the growth and repair of damaged tissues. Despite their promising applications, challenges such as ensuring long-term stability, enhancing therapeutic agent loading capacities, and scaling production must be addressed for widespread adoption. This review explores the current advancements, opportunities, and limitations of hydrogels and microgels, highlighting research and technological directions poised to revolutionize treatment strategies through personalized and regenerative approaches.

Conducting polymers are extensively researched due to their remarkable characteristics, including adaptable and tunable electrical conductivity, straightforward manufacturing process, enhanced mechanical strength, lightweight composition, affordability, and convenience in handling. Furthermore, they demonstrate outstanding chemical stability and elevated thermal conductivity. Conducting polymers can be easily modified with other substances to create composites with improved performance. They are easy to integrate with other materials, such as metal oxide, metal sulfide, and metal nitride. In the energy sector, especially concerning electrochemical energy storage systems such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), conducting polymer composites with metal oxide, phosphate, and sulfide have shown considerable promise as electrode materials. These composites leverage synergistic effects that improve electrical conductivity, increase surface area, and prevent electrode pulverization, ultimately resulting in faster charge and discharge cycles, higher energy density, and enhanced cycling performance. This review offers a comprehensive examination of different types of conducting polymers used in LIB electrodes, provides hints regarding several synthesis methods for producing conducting polymer composites with metal oxide, phosphate, and sulfide, and discusses how the morphology of these composites influences their electrochemical performance.

Hydrogels have garnered significant attention as multifunctional materials in next-generation rechargeable batteries due to their high ionic conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and structural tunability. This review presents a comprehensive overview of hydrogel types—including natural, synthetic, composite, carbon-based, conductive polymer, and MOF hydrogels—and their synthesis methods, such as chemical crosslinking, self-assembly, and irradiation-based techniques. Characterization tools like SEM, XRD, and FTIR are discussed to evaluate their microstructure and performance. In rechargeable batteries systems, hydrogels enhance ionic transport and mechanical stability, particularly in lithium-ion, sodium-ion, zinc-ion, magnesium-ion, and aluminum-ion batteries. Despite their advantages, hydrogels face challenges such as limited mechanical strength, reduced stability under extreme conditions, and scalability issues. Current research focuses on advanced formulations, self-healing mechanisms, and sustainable materials to overcome these limitations. This review highlights the pivotal role of hydrogels in shaping the future of flexible, high-performance, and environmentally friendly secondary batteries.

Hydrogels are rapidly emerging as a versatile and promising platform for advancing energy storage and conversion technologies. Their intrinsic properties—such as high water content, excellent ionic conductivity, and inherent mechanical flexibility—position them as key materials for a wide range of applications, including supercapacitors, flexible membranes, and components in fuel cells and solar cells. Despite significant progress, challenges remain in enhancing their mechanical durability, developing scalable fabrication methods, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Recent breakthroughs in composite hydrogel systems, innovative manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, and self-healing strategies are driving substantial improvements in device performance and operational lifespan. Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and innovative material design, this review highlights the transformative potential of hydrogel-based energy systems in shaping a sustainable and flexible energy future. The advancements discussed herein have promising implications for the development of high-performance, environmentally friendly, and adaptable energy devices capable of meeting the demands of next-generation applications.

Nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollutants have a significant impact on both the environment and human health. Photocatalytic NOx removal offers a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to combatting these pollutants by harnessing renewable solar energy. Photocatalysis demonstrates remarkable efficiency in removing NOx at sub-scale levels of parts per billion (ppb). The effectiveness of these catalysts depends on various factors, including solar light utilization efficiency, charge separation performance, reactive species adsorption, and catalytic reaction pathway selectivity. Moreover, achieving high stability and efficient photocatalytic activity necessitates a multifaceted materials design strategy. This strategy encompasses techniques such as ion doping, defects engineering, morphology control, heterojunction construction, and metal decoration on metal- or metal oxide-based photocatalysts. To optimize photocatalytic processes, adjustments to band structures, optimization of surface physiochemical states, and implementation of built-in electric field approaches are imperative. By addressing these challenges, researchers aim to develop efficient and stable photocatalysts, thus contributing to the advancement of environmentally friendly NOx removal technologies. This review highlights recent advancements in photocatalytic NOx removal, with a focus on materials design strategies, intrinsic properties, fundamental developmental aspects, and performance validation. This review also presents research gaps, emphasizing the need to understand the comprehensive mechanistic photocatalytic process, favored conditions for generating desired reactive species, the role of water concentration, temperature effects, inhibiting strategies for photocatalyst-deactivating species, and the formation of toxic NO2.

A few drugs need non-aqueous gels for release in the specific region of the intestine. The present work focuses on preparing N,N-Dimethyl acrylamide-Diallyl Maleate (DMAA-DAM) gel in Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent by applying different doses of gamma radiation and then characterization. The blend solution of 10%: 10%—DMAA: DAM was prepared in DMSO and irradiated at 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 kGy doses from the Co-60 gamma source. After extraction, it was observed that all of the radiation doses yielded more than 95% gel content. The best gel content was found for 10 kGy dose, which was 97%. The equilibrium swelling was optimized 1800% of the dried gel for 5 kGy dose. Gel formation was confirmed by analyzing characteristic functional groups and the environment of protons in the gel structure by using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The thermal stability was tested using DSC and TGA which showed the glass transition temperature at 86.55 °C and the degradation started at 320 °C. The XRD pattern analysis revealed the semi-crystalline nature of the gel. Therefore, DMAA-DAM gels can be a good candidate for use in different fields of study, especially in drug delivery.

High-temperature structural materials face severe degradation challenges due to oxidation and corrosion, leading to reduced long-term stability and performance. This review comprehensively examines the interfacial migration mechanisms of reactive elements (REs) such as Ti, Al, and Cr in Ni/Fe-based alloys, emphasizing their role in forming and stabilizing protective oxide layers. We discuss how these oxide layers impede ion migration and mitigate environmental degradation. Key findings highlight the importance of selective oxidation, oxide layer healing, and the integration of novel alloying elements to enhance resistance under ultra-supercritical conditions. Advanced insights into grain boundary engineering, alloy design strategies, and quantum approaches to understanding charge transport at passive interfaces are also presented. These findings provide a foundation for developing next-generation high-temperature alloys with improved degradation resistance tailored to withstand extreme environmental conditions.

Hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) have garnered growing interest for their ability to combine the high energy storage capability of batteries with the rapid charge–discharge characteristics of supercapacitors. This review examines the evolution of HSCs, emphasizing the synergistic mechanisms that integrate both Faradaic and non-Faradaic charge storage processes. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are highlighted as promising battery-type electrodes owing to their notable energy storage potential and compatibility with various synthesis routes, including hydro/solvothermal methods, electrospinning, electrodeposition, and sol–gel processes. Particular attention is directed toward Ti-, Co-, and V-based TMOs, with a focus on tailoring their properties through morphology control, composite formation, and doping to enhance electrochemical performance. Overall, the discussion underscores the potential of HSCs to meet the growing demand for next-generation energy storage systems by bridging the gap between high energy and high power requirements.