Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is an antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agent with significant potential for combating biofilm-associated infections and antibiotic resistance. However, owing to its high reactivity due to the possession of a free radical and short half-life (1–5 s), the practical application of NO in clinical settings is challenging. Objectives: This review explores the development of NO-releasing nanoparticles that provide a controlled, targeted delivery system for NO, enhancing its antimicrobial efficacy while minimizing toxicity. The review discusses various NO donors, nanoparticle platforms, and how NO disrupts biofilm formation and eradicates pathogens. Additionally, we examine the highly encouraging and inspiring results of NO-releasing nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant strains and their applications in medical and environmental contexts. This review highlights the promising role of NO-based nanotechnologies in overcoming the challenges posed by increasing antibiotic resistance and biofilm-associated infections. Conclusions: Although NO donors and nanoparticle delivery systems show great potential for antimicrobial and anti-biofilm uses, addressing challenges related to controlled release, toxicity, biofilm penetration, resistance, and clinical application is crucial.

Metallic materials characterization is a important part of phase transformation studies, and the sample preparation plays a crucial role in the measured properties. The methodologies available are not fully described and refer in its majority only to iron-based and aluminum-based alloys focusing in industrial analysis. In this paper the authors fully described the preparation methodology for metallic samples used by their research group. This method aims to attend different characterization techniques, producing samples of complex metallic systems from pure base materials by arc melting. •The melting of metallic ingots from pure base materials was fully described.•The correct sample cutting, sanding and polishing procedures were described.•A full detailed procedure is described to prepare the samples for different analyses.