Nanoscience & Nanotechnology-Asia - Volume 13, Issue 4, 2023

Nanotechnology is a major area of research entitling the production of an utmost different class of materials. There are various types of nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, nanocrystals, nano spores, nanorods, nanowires, nanoribbons, nanotubes, nano scaffolds, dendrimers, quantum dots, nanospheres, and nanocapsules. These are size-dependent; thus, altering their size and shape to the nanoscale can alter their properties. Also, they can be manufactured via various different methods. On a wider scale, in combination, nanostructured materials and nanotechnology can have profound impacts, including biomedical applications with advanced research in the delivery of biomolecules, the delivery of drugs, the diagnosis of cancer, tissue engineering, the detection of biomarkers and imaging. These materials have numerous applications in fabricating biotechnology, an advanced area of research.

The terms nanoscience and nanotechnology are associated with almost every major industry in today’s fast growing and fast-moving world. Along with the intense growth of nanotechnology, an extensive number of newer formulations developed to contribute to the futuristic demands. Nanofluid is a fluid containing nanometre sized particles which enhance the particular properties of that liquid designed for a particular purpose. From automobiles to simple cosmetics, the use of nanotechnology has significantly increased productivity and effectiveness. As every coin has two sides, the advancement of nanotechnology is a boon, but it is also leading to future disasters. Nanofluids have extensive applications in today’s life. The use of nanofluids has increased significantly. For example, without lubricants, the heavy industrial machinery or common automobile like bicycle, car and truck, their efficiency will reduce to a massive extent. Nanofluids are found in the forms of cosmetics and detergents in every household. As nanofluids have become an essential part of human life, for which nanoparticals, get easily released and disposed of into the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. This alarming rate of release and disposal of nanoparticles leads to environmental pollution and imbalance in the biosphere. This imbalance and high rate of emission of nanoparticles in the atmosphere is eventually entering the interstitium and thus affect the lungs and other organ systems. This study aims to highlight the major effects of nanoparticles on the environment and human health.

For biomass production and bioremediation, Algae have been extensively exploited for biosensing in wastewater monitoring. Their advantages include the coupling of suitable bioreceptor for monitoring photosynthesis oxygen, their potential to be integrated into dual transduction miniaturized devices and detect the effect due to pollutants present in water with continuous monitoring of the environment. Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that are very sensitive and reactive toward any change in the environment. And also able to detect any trace amount of pollutants. The performance of algal biosensors towards pollutants represents a good alternative to other developing sensors. In the algal biosensor, the algal cell is entrapped in galling material (Alginate, Carrageenan) and immobilized cells for stabilization with ions (Ca²⁺, K⁺). Genetically modified biosensor overcomes the limitation of natural biosensor. Whole-cell biosensors are highly sensitive to herbicides in wastewater, and many other bioreceptor of algal cells those sensitive to different types of pollutants. The present algal sensor is much smaller, valid support in smart agriculture, environmentally friendly and less expensive, the easily accessible.

Transdermal Drug Delivery (TDD) is a non-painful way of systemically delivering medications by applying a drug formulation to intact, healthy skin. The drug particles’ limitations, including the molecular weight and hydrophilicity, preclude TDD from being exploited extensively. Microneedle arrays (MNA) are an efficient way for medication delivery via the skin. Microneedles enhance medication administration. Microneedles are either long, hollow, or coated. They are designed to target the skin as quickly and safely as possible, without the use of chemical, nanoparticle, or hypodermic injections and without requiring micro-pen or physical strategies. Solid microneedles include micropores, whereas hollow microneedles provide a more profound passage into the dermis. Investigations have been conducted on the use of dissolving microneedles for the delivery of vaccines, while coated microneedles have been utilized to efficiently deliver vaccines. This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive summary of the current state of MNA science, with a focus on methodologies, issues, implementations, and the types of materials lately dispersed by such devices. In addition, some information regarding the components and manufacturing methods is provided. Metals, silicone, ceramics, synthetic materials, and biodegradable polymers, such as carbohydrates, can be utilized to manufacture microneedles.

Background: The applications bas ed on IoT are nearly boundless, and the integration of the cyber world and the physical world can be done effortlessly. TFET Based IoT applications may be the future alternative to existing MOSFET-based IoT because of the faster switching speed of TFET devices. Objectives: Prospects and challenges in a simulation study of different Geometries of TFET devices for IoT Applications. Methods: In this manuscript, the detailed study of IoT evolution, IoT applications and challenges faced by IoT industries based on different TFET geometries have been elaborated and analyzed. Results: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new prototype that provides a set of new services for newgeneration technological innovations. IoT has seized the entire technological world as it can be used in every application like health, security, environmental and biomedical applications etc. The semiconductor TFET devices operating at low supply voltage and consuming the least power are most suitable for IoT applications. The devices like digital inverter, memory, adiabatic circuit, and different shaped TFET are explained as well as compared in tabular form thoroughly. Conclusion: In next-generation devices, TFET can be widely used for low-power IoT applications because of the superior switching characteristics performance.

Aim: The Finite Difference Time Domain approach has been used to assess the localised surface plasmon resonance and field enhancement for Al nanostars. The structure's potential as a refractive index sensor has been demonstrated. Background: Research on plasmonics has been possible in a variety of domains, including sensors, SERS, solar cells, and others, due to a tenability in the plasmon wavelength caused by a simple change in shape, size, or external environment. The growth of plasmonics has been greatly aided by the creation of novel ways for creating metallic nanostructures and a large deal of work on the creation of numerical algorithms to cope with arbitrarily shaped metallic nanostructures. The LSPR and field enhancement of an Al nano-star were the main topics of this paper. A larger RIS factor is obtained after adjusting the refractive index sensitivity parameter, making it appropriate for refractive index-based sensor nanostructures. Objective: This study's primary goal is to provide a comparative analysis of the refractive index sensitivity factor for Al nanostars dependent on their size and number of arms. Methods: Al nano star's LSPR and field enhancement have been assessed using the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD). Results: By altering the size and number of arms of the nano star, the tenability of the plasmonic peak has been assessed, and it has been found that the peak is sensitive to the ambient dielectric constant. A study has been done on the refractive index sensitivity parameter. A higher sensitivity of about 370 nm/RIU, which is significantly higher than that of other metallic Nanostar (NS), is seen after adjusting the size and number of arms. A wide range of applications is covered by the Al NS field enhancement pattern, which exhibits stronger enhancement with no aggregation at the plasmon peak. Conclusion: For LSPR sensing applications, the impact of modifying the environmental dielectric constant is examined. By changing the size and quantity of the Al NS's arms, we were able to compare the refractive index sensitivity parameter. The bigger size NS exhibits more peaks due to the contribution of the multipole; however, after tuning a number of parameters, better sensitivity in comparison to Au and Ag nanostar has been attained. Al NS can therefore be a promising sensing material for refractive index sensing employing LSPR properties.

Introduction: The current research involved the study of chondroitin sulfate polymer to prevent moisture loss, which was formulated to treat dry eye. Methods: The ophthalmic formulation was prepared with 5% liquid paraffin wax, 10% carbowax, and 1% glycerine. Furthermore, its usefulness in ophthalmology was analyzed by measuring parameters like pH, isotonicity, turbidity, viscosity, % moisture loss, vapor pressure, and in vitro and in vivo corneal damage. Results: We successfully adjusted the pH and osmolality of the F2 formulation to the desired physiological levels, providing the opportunity to reduce the harmful reaction as well as inflammation and dehydration. In addition, viscosity plays an important role in ophthalmic preparation. Consequently, the stability studies of optimized formulation indicated no remarkable changes in physical properties, including pH, viscosity, phase separation, and turbidity. Furthermore, a vapor pressure manometer studied the percentage of moisture loss. Interestingly, the HET-CAM test correlated properly with the findings of the Draize eye inflammation test. Moreover, the in vivo irritation test of the optimized system showed that it was tolerable, with no signs of irritation in the rabbit eye compared to the marketed formulation. In addition, the F2 formulation demonstrated better results than the marketed corneal preparation. Thereby, from the results, it can be concluded that the simple manometer apparatus can be the best method for evaluating moisture loss prevention for dry eyes. No study or investigation has been reported before for ophthalmic preparation. Conclusion: Altogether, chondroitin sulfate with carbowax 1000 and liquid paraffin-based ophthalmic preparation can be considered a promising approach for preventing dryness of the eye.

Aims: Formulation and evaluation of quercetin-loaded nanoparticles. Background: Nowadays, polymeric nanoparticles are one of the most chosen drug delivery systems for the treatment of life-threatening diseases such as cancer. Drug loading, drug entrapment, and drug release have been the challenges in nanoformulations till now. Various researchers are working to improve these limitations. Objective: Formulation of quercetin-loaded starch nanoparticles .Evaluation of drug loading, entrapment, size release, and activity of prepared starch nanoparticles. Methods: In the present study, starch was isolated from a novel source, i.e., unripe banana fruit. Banana starch contains amylose and amylopectin in a certain ratio. Quercetin-loaded banana starch nanoparticles were prepared using the nano-precipitation method. Drug loading and drug entrapment were determined by different methods. Results: The enhanced water absorption capacity of prepared nanoparticles proved the breaking of intramolecular bonding of amylopectin. In vitro drug release of quercetin was found to be sustained for up to 12 hours from prepared nanoparticles. SEM was used to determine the particle size and morphology of prepared particles, which were found to be 67.67-133.27 and spherical, respectively. The antioxidant activity of prepared nanoparticles was evaluated by the DPPH scavenging model. The MTT assay for cytotoxicity studies was done using H661 lung cancer cell lines. Conclusion: In this research work, banana as a new source of starch was used to prepare quercetin nanoparticles by nano-precipitation method. The various factors of starch that affect the properties of nanoparticles such as water/oil absorption capacity, drug entrapment/loading, and drug release profile were studied. This study also revealed the effect of starch on particle morphology and size. The yield of prepared nanoparticles was lower than expected but particle size and shape were satisfactory. Prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for their antioxidant and cytotoxic potential. Finally, researchers felt the ratio of amylase and amylopectin were considerable factors in the selection of any starch for the formulation of any drug delivery system. This ratio affects the precipitation of nanoparticles, their properties such as oil/water absorption, drug entrapment, and loading as well as the drug release profile of the formulation.