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Metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) is a unique phenomenon of surface plasmons, where light interacts with the metallic nanostructures and produces electromagnetic fields to enhance the sensitivity of fluorescence-based detection. In particular, this enhancement in sensing capacity is of importance to many research areas, including medical diagnostics, forensic science, and biotechnology. The article covers the basic mechanism of MEF and recent developments in plasmonic nanostructures fabrication for efficient fluorescence signal enhancement that are critically reviewed. The implications of current fluorescence-based technologies for biosensors are summarized, which are in practice to detect different analytes relevant to food control, medical diagnostics, and forensic science. Furthermore, characteristics of existing fabrication methods have been compared on the basis of their resolution, design flexibility, and throughput. The future projections emphasize exploring the potential of non-conventional materials and hybrid fabrication techniques to further enhance the sensitivity of MEF-based biosensors.

Rising population levels exert significant pressure on available freshwater resources. Scientists and researchers from various countries are diligently seeking a long-lasting solution using solar-powered desalination. This research paper investigates the current advancements in solar desalination research by utilizing the method of “scientometrics”. Scientometrics employs traditional methodologies, including bibliometrics, which entails quantifying the number of research papers published, and citation analysis, which involves examining the frequency with which other researchers cite these papers. By integrating these two approaches, scientometrics provides invaluable information about the most influential countries, institutions, and individual researchers in the field. Utilizing the software program VOSviewer, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on 1855 research papers published between 2010 and 2024. These papers were selected based on a predetermined set of ten key search terms. The results of the analysis indicate that China is the leading country in this field, as it boasts the highest number of published papers and the most citations received overall. Notably, Egyptian research institutions have been identified as the most influential in this area. Moreover, a single author has notably amassed 3419 citations for their 54 published works on solar desalination. This analysis unveiled past and contemporary advancements in the field and identified current trends through keyword analysis. It also offers recommendations based on bibliometric findings, including suggestions for addressing the challenges faced by solar-derived systems and addressing research area saturation.

Photovoltaic assisted reverse osmosis (PV-RO) has been proven an efficient renewable energy-based desalination technique to provide drinkable water, especially in remote areas. In this manuscript, a simulation based RO design system was adopted to evaluate the desalination performance for three cities of Pakistan, that is, Lahore, Hasil Pur, and Faisalabad. The inlet concentration of Lahore, Hasil Pur, and Faisalabad was reduced from 1495, 2190, and 7683 TDS to 295.44, 237.69, and 241.98 TDS respectively, according to the WHO drinking water recommendations. The RO desalination system was integrated with the photovoltaic system to fulfill the energy requirement for desalination. The energy requirement for the RO system for the working of 10 h/day with the freshwater production rate of 0.80 m3/h for Lahore, Hasil Pur, and Faisalabad is 60, 95, and 311 kWh/month, respectively. According to PVsyst software, the energy demand can be accomplished by installing 9 PV panels in Lahore, 15 PV panels in Hasil Pur, and 40 PV panels in Faisalabad. The simulation results in PVsyst showing that the battery losses will be 52.2% in Lahore, 51.1% in Hasil Pur, and 49% in Faisalabad.

Considering the importance of alternative fuels in IC engines for environment safety, compressed natural gas has been extensively employed in SI engines. However, scarce efforts have been made to investigate the effect of compressed natural gas on engine lubricant oil for a long duration. In this regard, a comprehensive analysis has been made on the engine performance, emissions, and lubricant oil conditions using gasoline (G)92 and compressed natural gas at different operating conditions using reliable sampling methods. The key parameters of the engine performance like brake power and brake-specific energy consumption were investigated at 80% throttle opening within 1500–4500 range of r/min. For the sake of emission tests, speed was varied uniformly by varying the load at a constant throttle. Furthermore, the engine was run at high and low loads for lubricant oil comparison. Although compressed natural gas showed a decrease in brake-specific energy consumption (7.94%) and emissions content, (G)92 performed relatively better in the case of brake power (39.93% increase). Moreover, a significant improvement was observed for wear debris, lubricant oil physiochemical characteristics, and additives depletion in the case of compressed natural gas than those of (G)92. The contents of metallic particles were decreased by 23.58%, 36.25%, 42.42%, and 66.67% for iron, aluminum, copper, and lead, respectively, for compressed natural gas.

Mineral oil resources are depleting rapidly, and the slower conventional oil biodegradation process results in environmental pollution. To resolve this issue, cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles (1% wt) were introduced into a base oil to improve the lubricating capability of castor oil. In addition, 1% wt. sodium dodecyl sulfate was also blended with the base oil in order to attain the maximum dispersion stability of CuO nanoparticles in the castor oil. Afterward, thermophysical property, atomic absorption spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared radiation (FTIR) testing of the lubricant oil sample were performed before and after 100 h of engine operations at 75% throttle and 2200 rpm for each lubricant sample in order to check the capability of the novel oil with mineral oil. Compared with the natural mineral oil, the behavior of the CuO-based lubricant has essentially the same physical features, as measured according to ASTM standard methods. The physicochemical properties like (KV)40 °C, (KV)100 °C, FP, ash, and TBN decrease more in the case of the synthetic oil by 1.15, 1.11, 0.46, 1.1, and 1.2% than in the conventional oil, respectively. FTIR testing shows that the maximum peaks lie in the region of 500 to 1750 cm−1, which shows the presence of C=O, C-N, and C-Br to a maximum extent in the lubricant oil sample. AAS testing shows that the synthetic oil has 21.64, 3.23, 21.44, and 1.23% higher chromium, iron, aluminum, and zinc content. However, the copper and calcium content in the synthetic oil is 14.72 and 17.68%, respectively. It can be concluded that novel bio-lubricants can be utilized as an alternative to those applications that are powered by naturally produced mineral oil after adding suitable additives that further enhance their performance.

Solar energy is a ubiquitous renewable resource for photovoltaic (PV) power generation; however, higher operating temperatures significantly reduce the efficiency of PV modules, impacting their electrical output and increasing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE). This study aims to enhance conventional PV systems’ electrical efficiency and annual energy recovery while reducing the LCOE through thermal management using microchannel heat sinks (MCHSs) under forced convection. A 600 W monocrystalline PV module was analyzed, recognizing an efficiency reduction of ~20% under actual operating conditions due to thermal effects, with the surface temperature reaching up to 63.76°C without cooling. In addition, analytical calculations were used to determine an incident solar irradiance of 957.33 W/m 2 for an industrial location in Lahore, Pakistan. Similarly, computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) simulations were conducted using single and dual‐layer MCHSs configurations with water as the coolant at inlet velocities ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 m/s. The dual‐layer MCHSs significantly reduced the PV module’s surface temperature from 63.76 to ~25.65°C at an inlet velocity of 1.0 m/s, achieving a temperature reduction of 38.11°C. This thermal management increased the electrical efficiency from 18.33% (without cooling) to 22.27%, an efficiency gain of ~4%. The annual energy recovery improved substantially; at 1.0 m/s, the dual‐layer configuration increased the annual energy output by 227,954 kWh/year (about 21.89%) compared to the no‐cooling scenario, reaching 1,269,131 kWh/year. Furthermore, the LCOE was reduced to as low as 6.27 PKR/kWh over a 30‐year operational lifespan at lower velocities, demonstrating improved cost‐effectiveness. Meanwhile, optimal velocity was identified between 0.2 and 0.5 m/s, balancing thermal performance and economic viability. Finally, this study concludes that thermal management using dual‐layer MCHSs effectively enhances PV module efficiency, increases annual energy recovery, and reduces LCOE, contributing to sustainable and economical solar energy integration in industrial applications.

Tribological, mechanical, and chemical properties of the TiN coatings on Ti substrate were experimentally investigated for implant applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrated that the principal crystal structure of TiN coating was (111) preferred orientation with FCC structure. Experimental evaluation was conducted at two substrate surface roughness, i.e., 0.1 μm and 0.4 μm. TiN coatings having 0.4-μm substrate surface roughness and approximately 3.3-μm coating thickness demonstrated optimum results of adhesion strength, hardness, coefficient of friction, wear rate, and corrosion rate in simulation body fluid (SBF). The selected TiN-coated sample exhibited maximum of 16.585 GPa hardness, 238.7 GPa elastic modulus, approximately 20 N adhesion, and 0.088 coefficient of friction. TiN coating showed approximately 8 times more corrosion resistance and 4 times more wear resistance than the bare titanium substrate. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the wear tracks of TiN coating in SBF showed no presence of any harmful ingredients and confirmed its biocompatibility over the usage time in SBF. TiN-coated sample with higher substrate surface roughness (0.4 μm) demonstrated better tribo-mechanical properties and could reduce the cost of production than the conventionally used TiN-coated Ti implants of lower substrate surface roughness (0.1 μm).

A piperazine (PZ)-promoted methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solution for a carbon dioxide (CO2) removal process from the flue gas of a large-scale coal power plant has been simulated. An Aspen Plus® was used to perform the simulation process. Initially, the effects of MDEA/PZ concentration ratio and stripper pressure on the regeneration energy of CO2 capture process were investigated. The MDEA/PZ concentration ratio of 35/15 wt.% (35 wt. MDEA and 15 wt.% PZ) was selected as an appropriate concentration. The reboiler duty of 3.235 MJ/kg CO2 was obtained at 35/15 wt.% concentration ratio of MDEA/PZ. It was considered a reference or base case, and process modifications including rich vapor compression (RVC) process, cold solvent split (CSS), and the combination of both processes were investigated to check its effect on the energy requirement. A total equivalent work of 0.7 MJe/kg CO2 in the RVC and a reboiler duty of 2.78 MJ/kg CO2 was achieved in the CSS process. Similarly, the total equivalent work, reboiler duty, and condenser duty of 0.627 MJe/kg CO2, 2.44 MJ/kg CO2, and 0.33 MJ/kg CO2, respectively, were obtained in the combined process. The reboiler duty and the total equivalent work were reduced by about 24.6 and 16.2%, respectively, as compared to the reference case. The total energy cost saving was 1.79 M $/yr. Considering the additional equipment cost in the combined process, the total cost saving was 0.67 M$per year.

BaCe0.2Zr0.6Y0.2O3−δ (BCZY) perovskite electrolytes were synthesized for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell with a cost-effective and versatile co-precipitation method. The synthesized BCZY electrolytes were sintered at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C to observe the effects of low sintering temperature on the structural, morphological, thermal, and electrical properties of BCZY. All BCZY electrolytes materials exhibited a crystalline perovskite structure and were found to be thermally stable. The crystallinity and conductivity of BCZY electrolyte enhanced with increased sintering temperature, due to the grain growth. At the same time, secondary phases of carbonates were also observed for samples sintered at a temperature lower than 1100 °C. The BCZY sintered at 1100 °C exhibited a density >95%, and a power density of 350 mWcm−2 with open-circuit voltage 1.02 V at 650 °C was observed due its dense and airtight structure. Based on the current investigation, we suggest that the BaCe0.2Zr0.6Y0.2O3−δ perovskite electrolyte sintered at a temperature of 1100 °C is a suitable electrolyte for IT-SOFC.

BaCe0.2Zr0.6Y0.2O3−δ (BCZY) perovskite electrolytes were synthesized for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell with a cost-effective and versatile co-precipitation method. The synthesized BCZY electrolytes were sintered at 900, 1000, and 1100 °C to observe the effects of low sintering temperature on the structural, morphological, thermal, and electrical properties of BCZY. All BCZY electrolytes materials exhibited a crystalline perovskite structure and were found to be thermally stable. The crystallinity and conductivity of BCZY electrolyte enhanced with increased sintering temperature, due to the grain growth. At the same time, secondary phases of carbonates were also observed for samples sintered at a temperature lower than 1100 °C. The BCZY sintered at 1100 °C exhibited a density >95%, and a power density of 350 mWcm−2 with open-circuit voltage 1.02 V at 650 °C was observed due its dense and airtight structure. Based on the current investigation, we suggest that the BaCe0.2Zr0.6Y0.2O3−δ perovskite electrolyte sintered at a temperature of 1100 °C is a suitable electrolyte for IT-SOFC.