Explore the vast range of titles available.

In recent years, multifunctional nanoparticles with combined diagnostic and therapeutic functions show great promise in nanomedicine. In this study, we report the environmentally friendly synthesis of fluorescent carbon nano-dots such as carbon quantum dots (CQDs) by microplasma using o-phenylenediamine. The produced CQDs exhibited a wide absorption peaks at 380–500 nm and emitted bright yellow fluorescence with a peak at 550 nm. The CQDs were rapidly taken up by HeLa cancer cells. When excited under blue light, a bright yellow fluorescence signal and intense reactive oxygen species (ROS) were efficiently produced, enabling simultaneous fluorescent cancer cell imaging and photodynamic inactivation, with a 40% decrease in relative cell viability. Furthermore, about 98% cells were active after the incubation with 400 μg mL−1 CQDs in the dark, which revealed the excellent biocompatibility of CQDs. Hence, the newly prepared CQDs are thus demonstrated to be materials which might be effective and safe to use for in vivo bioimaging and imaging-guided cancer therapy.

In this study, a gliding arc discharge (GAD) microplasma system was designed, and its decontamination effect was investigated on stainless steel (SS), silicone (Si), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces artificially contaminated with 8.15 ± 0.28 log cfu/mL of Escherichia coli and 6.18 ± 0.21 log cfu/mL of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Each of the contaminated surfaces was treated with high purity air (79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen) or nitrogen plasmas for 1–10 min at varying rates of gas flow . Significant reductions of 3.76 ± 0.28, 3.19 ± 0.31, and 2.95 ± 0.94 log cfu/mL in S. epidermidis , and 2.72 ± 0.82, 4.43 ± 0.14, and 3.18 ± 0.96 log cfu/mL in E. coli on SS, Si, and PET surfaces, respectively, were achieved after 5 min of plasma treatment by using nitrogen as the plasma forming gas ( p  < 0.05). The temperature changes of each surface during plasma generation were lower than 35 °C and were not affected by the type of plasma forming gas. Additionally, morphological changes in the structure of E. coli and S. epidermidis after GAD plasma treatments were demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

In this study, the effect of joint metallurgy on the mechanical performance and formability of dissimilar microplasma arc welding of austenitic steel (SS 316L) and Inconel 625 (IN 625) is represented. The welded blanks (WB) are stretched from uniaxial to biaxial by tensile test and limiting dome height test (LDH) in order to measure the joint efficiency and formability of the WBs, respectively. The joint metallurgy is characterized by transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that the fusion zone (FZ) consists of a homogeneous mixture of Nickel ( γ Ni ) and iron-based austenite ( γ Fe ) with different types of dendritic structure interconnected with brittle Laves phase network and some secondary phases like MC, M 6 C, and NbC. The presence of such phases increases the weld hardness and affects the formability of the WB. The obtained maximum elongation of the WB is 30.5%, which is 100.4% of IN 625 and 52.6% of SS 316L. Moreover, the achieved joint strength is 643.7 MPa, which is 67% of IN 625 and 94% of SS 316L. The maximum LDH of the WB, SS 316L and IN 625 is 6.7, 12.3 and 9.7 mm, respectively, in dry condition. During the tensile and LDH tests, the failure of the WB is taken place from the week partially melted zone. The thickness distribution profile of the WB shows that the thickness reduction of SS 316L side is higher than the IN 625 side.

CuO is a material with a great promise because of its good stability, environmental protection, low cost, easy development and manufacture, so CuO with various nanostructures has been widely used in different fields such as hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, nitrogen reduction reaction, carbon reduction, etc. In this work, the 3D ultra-thin CuO nanosheets were obtained in situ on the copper foam (CuO NS/CF) by a self-designed dielectric barrier discharge microplasma method under ambient temperature and pressure in 10 min. The ultra-thin CuO NS/CF electrode has good electrocatalytic performance for glucose oxidation, with a linear range of 2 μM–6 mM, a sensitivity of 7477 (mA mM−1 cm−2), also has excellent selectivity, reproducibility and stability. This work options for the preparation of ultra-thin CuO nanosheets and their applications in electrochemical sensing.3D ultra-thin CuO nanosheets were obtained in situ on the copper foam (CuO NS/CF) by a self-designed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) microplasma method. The CuO NS/CF electrode has excellent sensing performance for glucose with high sensitivity of 7477 μA mM−1 cm−2, low detection limit of 0.53 μM at S/N = 3.

To determine in which cases ablative radiofrequency microplasma is preferred for the treatment of lateral dermatochalasis over a surgical approach as well as discussing each method's benefits and limitations. Twenty-one patients underwent 3 interventions of plasma exeresis. Photographic and RCM images were acquired at baseline and 4 weeks after final plasma exeresis. The eyes were categorized into 3 groups based on the dermatochalasis severity (1- mild, 2- moderate, 3- severe). Additionally, a further division was conducted to assess the degree of enhancement observed after the treatment (1- slight improvement, 2- moderate improvement, 3- significant improvement). The classifications and assessments were performed by was graded by two trained dermatologists as blinded observers. A total of 21 eyes with a mean age of 54 years (range45-67 years) and 100% females were included in this study. The severity of dermatochalasis directly affects the clinical improvement (P=0.039) and the higher the severity, the more the improvement (R = -0.62). Noninvasive ablative microplasma may offer safe and effective therapy for upper eyelid dermatochalasis and can even be performed in patients at surgical risk. However, it may be suitable for grades 0 and 1 of DC. For more advanced grades a surgical solution achieves better results for the treatment of dermatochalasis of the upper eyelid.

Gain suppression induced by excess carriers in Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) has been investigated using 3 MeV protons in a nuclear microprobe. In order to modify the ionization density inside the detector, Ion Beam Induced Current (IBIC) measurements were performed at different proton beam incidence angles between 0° and 85°. The experimental results have been analyzed as a function of the ionization density projected on the multiplication layer, finding that the increase of ionization density leads to greater gain suppression. For bias voltages close to the gain onset value, this decrease in gain results into a significant distortion of the transient current waveforms measured by the Time-Resolved IBIC (TRIBIC) technique due to a deficit in the secondary holes component. For angles of incidence such that the Bragg peak falls within the sensitive volume of the detector, the formation of microplasmas modifies the behavior of the gain curves, producing an abrupt decrease in gain as the angle increases.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) naturally have the capability of high voltage output to breakdown gas easily. Here we present a concept of triboelectric microplasma by integrating TENGs with the plasma source so that atmospheric-pressure plasma can be powered only by mechanical stimuli. Four classical atmospheric-pressure microplasma sources are successfully demonstrated, including dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium plasma jets (APNP-J), corona discharge, and microspark discharge. For these types of microplasma, analysis of electric characteristics, optical emission spectra, COMSOL simulation and equivalent circuit model are carried out to explain transient process of different discharge. The triboelectric microplasma has been applied to patterned luminescence and surface treatment successfully as a first-step evaluation as well as to prove the system feasibility. This work offers a promising, facile, portable and safe supplement to traditional plasma sources, and will enrich the diversity of plasma applications based on the reach of existing technologies. Gas discharge plasma sources are bulky and of limited use in remote areas with no external power supply. Here the authors create triboelectric plasma by triggering TENGs with mechanical stimuli and discuss its application as a portable plasma source.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has become a widely used material for bone grafting and surface modification of titanium-based orthopedic implants due to its excellent biocompatibility. Among various coating techniques, microplasma spraying (MPS) has gained significant industrial relevance. However, the clinical success of HA coatings also depends on their adhesion to the implant substrate. Achieving durable fixation and reliable biological integration of orthopedic implants remains a major challenge due to insufficient coating adhesion and limited osseointegration. This study addresses challenges in dental and orthopedic implantology by evaluating the microstructure, mechanical properties, and biological behavior of bilayer coatings composed of a zirconium (Zr) sublayer and an HA top layer, applied via MPS onto titanium alloy. Surface roughness, porosity, and adhesion were characterized, and pull-off and shear tests were used to assess mechanical performance. In vitro biocompatibility was tested using rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to model osteointegration. The results showed that the MPS-fabricated Zr–HA bilayer coatings achieved a pull-off strength of 28.0 ± 4.2 MPa and a shear strength of 32.3 ± 3.2 MPa, exceeding standard requirements. Biologically, the HA top layer promoted a 45% increase in MSC proliferation over three days compared to the uncoated titanium substrate. Antibacterial testing also revealed suppression of E. coli growth after 14 h. These findings support the potential of MPS-applied Zr-HA coatings to enhance both the mechanical integrity and biological performance of titanium-based orthopedic implants.

The direct and indirect bactericidal effects of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) cold atmospheric-pressure microplasma in an air and plasma jet generated in an argon-oxygen gas mixture was investigated on Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes. An AC power supply was used to generate plasma at relatively low discharge voltages (0.9–2.4 kV) and frequency (27–30 kHz). Cultured bacteria were cultivated at a serial dilution of 10−5, then exposed to direct microplasma treatment and indirect treatment through plasma-activated water (PAW). The obtained results revealed that these methods of bacterial inactivation showed a 2 and 1 log reduction in the number of survived CFU/mL with direct treatment being the most effective means of treatment at just 3 min using air. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed that an increase in treatment time at 1.2% O2, 98.8% Ar caused a decrease in O2 concentration in the water as well as a decrease in absorbance of the peaks at 210 nm, which are attributed NO2− and NO3− concentration in the water, termed denitratification and denitritification in the treated water, respectively.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are typically synthesized using solvothermal conditions with high temperature and long reaction time (≥120 °C, >72 h). Herein, we report a general and rapid microplasma electrochemistry strategy to synthesize COFs under ambient conditions. A series of flexible imine-bond COFs with high-crystallinity were prepared in minutes via this method, which showed 1000-fold higher space-time yield than solvothermal method. This approach also achieved the preparation of COFs with diverse linkages including rigid imine, hydrazone, β-ketoenamies and azine linkages. Moreover, four types of imine-based COFs were successfully synthesized in aqueous acetic acid, which avoided the use of harmful organic solvents, indicating that microplasma method is green and versatile for COF synthesis. The obtained COFs showed higher surface area and exhibited superior performance in volatile iodine uptake compared to those COFs prepared by solvothermal method. After screening more than ten types of COFs, the iodine adsorption capacity could be promoted from 2.81 to 6.52 g g −1 . The efficiency, versatility, and simplicity of the microplasma method render it as a promising approach for the swift screening of COFs across a wide range of applications. Covalent organic frameworks are typically synthesized using solvothermal conditions with high temperature and long reaction time. Here, the authors report a general and rapid microplasma electrochemistry strategy for the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks with high crystallinity under ambient conditions in minutes, avoiding high temperature and long reaction time.