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The eye is a highly sensitive organ with multiple physiological barriers that limit drug bioavailability and reduce patient compliance. Research studies are still going on to discover a novel drug delivery system for ocular delivery. The current research aims to develop and compare the PLGA ocuserts of brimonidine tartrate (BT) by different methods. These BT-loaded PLGA ocuserts offer a promising alternative to commercially available BT eye drops. Ocuserts could significantly minimize the challenges encountered with eye drops like lacrimation, blinking-induced washout, dosing frequency, penetration, stability, and controlled release issues. The BT-loaded PLGA ocuserts were prepared using two methods: solvent casting method (SCM) and glass substrate method (GSM). Both SCM and GSM formulations exhibited smooth texture, pH levels within the range of 6.88±0.24 to 6.90±0.28, uniform thickness (SCM: 0.47±0.10 mm; GSM: 0.29±0.03 mm), minimal weight variation (SCM: 7.83±0.38 mg; GSM: 6.55±0.76 mg), sterility, and appropriate swelling indices (SCM: 6.69±0.33%; GSM: 5.40±0.27%). The evaluation results of SCM and GSM ocuserts revealed positive attributes for ophthalmic use. Noteworthy distinctions emerged in folding endurance, with SCM ocuserts demonstrating significantly higher endurance (87.17±4.34 folds) than GSM ocuserts (71.33±4.82 folds). Moreover, SCM ocuserts exhibited superior drug entrapment efficiency (88.26±3.33 %) to GSM ocuserts (74.91±4.39 %). Stability studies confirmed good stability over a 6-month period, while (italics) drug release study indicated better controlled release properties for SCM than GSM. Findings demonstrate that SCM emerged as an effective method for preparation of polymeric films in various pharmaceutical industries, including transdermal patches, scaffolds in tissue engineering, flexible wound healing films, biodegradable drug delivery systems, and pharmaceutical packaging as well.

Surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful sensing technique. However, the employment of SERS sensors in practical applications is hindered by high fabrication costs from processes with limited scalability, poor batch‐to‐batch reproducibility, substrate stability, and uniformity. Here, highly scalable and reproducible flame aerosol technology is employed to rapidly self‐assemble uniform SERS sensing films. Plasmonic Ag nanoparticles are deposited on substrates as nanoaggregates with fine control of their interparticle distance. The interparticle distance is tuned by adding a dielectric spacer during nanoparticle synthesis that separates the individual Ag nanoparticles within each nanoaggregate. The dielectric spacer thickness dictates the plasmonic coupling extinction of the deposited nanoaggregates and finely tunes the Raman hotspots. By systematically studying the optical and morphological properties of the developed SERS surfaces, structure–performance relationships are established and the optimal hot‐spots occur for interparticle distance of 1 to 1.5 nm among the individual Ag nanoparticles, as also validated by computational modeling, are identified for the highest signal enhancement of a molecular Raman reporter. Finally, the superior stability and batch‐to‐batch reproducibility of the developed SERS sensors are demonstrated and their potential with a proof‐of‐concept practical application in food‐safety diagnostics for pesticide detection on fruit surfaces is explored. Robust surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing surfaces are fabricated using one‐step flame nanoparticle deposition. The sensing surfaces exhibit superior stability and high batch‐to‐batch reproducibility, highlighting their potential in practical (bio)chemical sensing. The detection of pesticides on fruit surfaces demonstrates a proof‐of‐concept practical application in food safety diagnostics at the point of consumption.

Nanoparticle deposition on various substrates has gained significant attention due to the potential applications of nanoparticles in various fields. This review paper comprehensively analyzes different nanoparticle deposition techniques on ceramic, polymeric, and metallic substrates. The deposition techniques covered include electron gun evaporation, physical vapor deposition, plasma enriched chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), electrochemical deposition, chemical vapor deposition, electrophoretic deposition, laser metal deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermophoretic deposition, supercritical deposition, spin coating, and dip coating. Additionally, the sustainability aspects of these deposition techniques are discussed, along with their potential applications in anti-icing, antibacterial power, and filtration systems. Finally, the review explores the importance of deposition purities in achieving optimal nanomaterial performance. This comprehensive review aims to provide valuable insights into state-of-the-art techniques and applications in the field of nanomaterial deposition.

Microdroplet arrays (MDAs) are powerful tools for digital immunoassays, high-throughput screening and single cell analysis. However, MDAs are usually produced with cleanroom processes, which are associated with high costs and low availability. Furthermore, in order to obtain robust and stable MDAs based on hydrophilic spots surrounded by a hydrophobic background, the chemistry must be strictly controlled, which is challenging using shared equipment. Here, we developed a new method to fabricate MDA substrates independently from the cleanroom. A small and low-cost in-house built system to collimate the light source was assembled for photopatterning a negative resist, and spots with diameters down to 4 μm were obtained, with only 3% to 5% spot-to-spot variation across the same sample and high batch-to-batch reproducibility. The use of a negative photoresist enabled the formation of a hydrophobic coating in solution which yielded high-quality MDAs. The feasibility for carrying out digital assays was demonstrated by measuring anti-Tau antibody in sample buffers containing bovine serum albumin, with no noticeable surface fouling. The reported, robust, cost-effective, and fast process could hence lower the threshold to fabricate and use MDAs for digital immunoassays and other microcompartmentalization-based applications.

The ability to culture and maintain postnatal mouse hippocampal and cortical neurons is highly advantageous, particularly for studies on genetically engineered mouse models. Here we present a protocol to isolate and culture pyramidal neurons from the early postnatal (P0-P1) mouse hippocampus and cortex. These low-density dissociated cultures are grown on poly- L -lysine–coated glass substrates without feeder layers. Cultured neurons survive well, develop extensive axonal and dendritic arbors, express neuronal and synaptic markers, and form functional synaptic connections. Further, they are highly amenable to low- and high-efficiency transfection and time-lapse imaging. This optimized cell culture technique can be used to culture and maintain neurons for a variety of applications including immunocytochemistry, biochemical studies, shRNA-mediated knockdown and live imaging studies. The preparation of the glass substrate must begin 5 d before the culture. The dissection and plating out of neurons takes 3–4 h and neurons can be maintained in culture for up to 4 weeks.

In single molecule fluorescence studies, background emission from labeled substrates often restricts their concentrations to non-physiological nanomolar values. One approach to address this challenge is the use of zero-mode waveguides (ZMWs), nanoscale holes in a thin metal film that physically and optically confine the observation volume allowing much higher concentrations of fluorescent substrates. Standard fabrication of ZMWs utilizes slow and costly E-beam nano-lithography. Herein, ZMWs are made using a self-assembled mask of polystyrene microspheres, enabling fabrication of thousands of ZMWs in parallel without sophisticated equipment. Polystyrene 1 μm dia. microbeads self-assemble on a glass slide into a hexagonal array, forming a mask for the deposition of metallic posts in the inter-bead interstices. The width of those interstices (and subsequent posts) is adjusted within 100-300 nm by partially fusing the beads at the polystyrene glass transition temperature. The beads are dissolved in toluene, aluminum or gold cladding is deposited around the posts, and those are dissolved, leaving behind an array ZMWs. Parameter optimization and the performance of the ZMWs are presented. By using colloidal self-assembly, typical laboratories can make use of sub-wavelength ZMW technology avoiding the availability and expense of sophisticated clean-room environments and equipment.

Laser interference lithography (LIL) was used to fabricate gold nanodisk arrays on glass which was studied as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. The Raman response of varying array periods (250 nm, 300 nm, 344 nm, 395 nm, and 446 nm) was compared using the chemical rhodamine 6G. The 300-nm period displayed the highest SERS enhancement among the tested LIL substrates. Experimental transmission measurements and their finite element method (FEM) simulations were taken to understand the optical response of the LIL substrates. The 300-nm-period LIL substrate was used to detect urea to confirm its practical use as a SERS substrate. The enhancement factor of the 300-nm-period substrate was 2.3 × 10 6 . Furthermore, the detection limit of urea was 0.05 mM for the optimized substrate. Graphical Abstract

Despite the good performance of silicate bioactive glasses in bone regeneration, there is considerable potential to enhance their properties by chemical modifications. In this study, S53P4-based borosilicate glasses were synthesized and their dissolution profile was studied in simulated body fluid by assessing pH change, ion release and conversion to hydroxyapatite. The viability, proliferation, attachment, osteogenesis and endothelial marker expression of human adipose stem cells (hASCs) was evaluated upon direct culture on glass discs and in the extract medium. This is the first study evaluating cell behavior in response to borosilicate glasses based on S53P4 (commercially available as BonAlive®). Replacing silicate with borate in S53P4 increased the glass reactivity. Despite the good viability of hASCs under all conditions, direct culture of cells on borosilicate discs and in undiluted extract medium reduced cell proliferation. This was accompanied with changes in cell morphology. Regarding osteogenic commitment, alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly reduced by the borosilicate glass discs and extracts, whereas the expression of osteogenic markers RUNX2a, OSTERIX, DLX5 and OSTEOPONTIN was upregulated. There was also a borosilicate glass-induced increase in osteocalcin protein production. Moreover, osteogenic supplements containing borosilicate extracts significantly increased the mineral production in comparison to the osteogenic medium control. Interestingly, borosilicate glasses stimulated the expression of endothelial markers vWF and PECAM-1. To conclude, our results reveal that despite reducing hASC proliferation, S53P4-based borosilicate glasses and their dissolution products stimulate osteogenic commitment and upregulate endothelial markers, thus supporting their further evaluation for regenerative medicine.

Batch production of single-crystal two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides is one prerequisite for the fabrication of next-generation integrated circuits. Contemporary strategies for the wafer-scale high-quality crystallinity of 2D materials centre on merging unidirectionally aligned, differently sized domains. However, an imperfectly merged area with a translational lattice brings about a high defect density and low device uniformity, which restricts the application of the 2D materials. Here we establish a liquid-to-solid crystallization in 2D space that can rapidly grow a centimetre-scale single-crystal MoS 2 domain with no grain boundaries. The large MoS 2 single crystal obtained shows superb uniformity and high quality with an ultra-low defect density. A statistical analysis of field effect transistors fabricated from the MoS 2 reveals a high device yield and minimal variation in mobility, positioning this FET as an advanced standard monolayer MoS 2 device. This 2D Czochralski method has implications for fabricating high-quality and scalable 2D semiconductor materials and devices. A 2D Czochralski method is introduced for rapidly growing centimetre-scale single-crystal MoS 2 domains with low defect density and impressive electrical performance. This method shows potential for fabricating high-quality and scalable 2D semiconductor materials and devices.

This study investigates four rectenna system configurations using microstrip patch antennas with different geometries fabricated on various substrates, including glass, paper, fiberglass (FR4), and polyester fabric. A voltage doubler rectifier circuit was designed for each antenna type to enhance performance. Metamaterial cells were incorporated into the glass, FR4, and paper-based systems to improve electromagnetic wave capture. Simulations and optimizations were conducted using computer simulation technology (CST) and advanced design system (ADS) for operation at 2.45 GHz. Both the simulated and measured results that were obtained validate the potential of the proposed systems as efficient energy-harvesting solutions.