A novel insertable and pseudocapacitive Li⁺ ion material of highly ordered layered montmorillonite/carbon is explored.

The one-pot process, which combines the polymerization of polyaniline (i.e., PANI) with subsequent reduction of iron nanowire (i.e., Fe NW) under a magnetic field, was developed to produce Fe@PANI core–shell nanowires. The synthesized nanowires with various PANI additions (0–30 wt.%) were characterized and used as microwave absorbers. Epoxy composites with 10 wt.% absorbers were prepared and examined using the coaxial method to reveal their microwave absorbing performance. Experimental results showed that the Fe NWs with PANI additions (0–30 wt.%) had average diameters ranging from 124.72 to 309.73 nm. As PANI addition increases, the α-Fe phase content and the grain size decrease, while the specific surface area increases. The nanowire-added composites exhibited superior microwave absorption performance with wide effective absorption bandwidths. Among them, Fe@PANI-90/10 exhibits the best overall microwave absorption performance. With a thickness of 2.3 mm, effective absorption bandwidth was the widest and reached 3.73 GHz, ranging from 9.73 to 13.46 GHz. Whereas with a thickness of 5.4 mm, Fe@PANI-90/10 reached the best reflection loss of −31.87 dB at 4.53 GHz.

Mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) is an advanced biomaterial widely recognized for its application in bone regenerative engineering. This study synthesized an MBG powder (80 mol% SiO₂, 5 mol% P₂O₅, and 15 mol% CaO) using a facile sol-gel method with the non-ionic surfactant Pluronic^® P123, which acted as a pore-forming agent. MBGs form bioactive surfaces that facilitate HA formation, and the presence of Pluronic^® P123 increases the surface area and promotes HA nucleation. Various percentages of strontium (Sr) doping were examined to improve bioreactivity, biological response, and bone formation, with 3SMBG (3 mol% Sr) showing the highest specific surface area. In vitro biocompatibility tests revealed HA formation on all glass surfaces after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), indicated by sheet-like HA morphologies, the presence of PO₄³⁻ and CO₃²⁻ functional groups, and the amorphous structure along with SrCO₃ crystalline phases corresponding to HA and Sr-HA structures. Sr doping resulted in delayed initial degradation and sustained release of Sr²⁺, achieving over 95% cell viability. Surfactant-induced mesoporous structure and Sr incorporation synergistically enhance osteocyte induction and formation in vitro. These findings suggest that Sr-doped MBG, particularly with P123-assisted Sr/Ca substitution, optimizes the material’s properties for advanced bone regenerative applications.

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BTO), conventionally used for dielectric and ferroelectric applications, has been assessed for biomedical applications, such as its utilization as a radiopacifier in mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA) for endodontic treatment. In the present study, BTO powders were prepared using the sol-gel process, followed by calcination at 400–1100 °C. The X-ray diffraction technique was then used to examine the as-prepared powders to elucidate the effect of calcination on the phase composition and crystalline size of BTO. Calcined BTO powders were then used as radiopacifiers for MTA. MTA-like cements were investigated to determine the optimal calcination temperature based on the radiopacity and diametral tensile strength (DTS). The experimental results showed that the formation of BTO phase was observed after calcination at temperatures of 600 °C and above. The calcined powders were a mixture of BaTiO₃ phase with residual BaCO₃ and/or Ba₂TiO₄ phases. The performance of MTA-like cements with BTO addition increased with increasing calcination temperature up to 1000 °C. The radiopacity, however, decreased after 7 days of simulated oral environmental storage, whereas an increase in DTS was observed. Optimal MTA-like cement was obtained by adding 40 wt.% 1000 °C-calcined BTO powder, with its resulting radiopacity and DTS at 4.83 ± 0.61 mmAl and 2.86 ± 0.33 MPa, respectively. After 7 days, the radiopacity decreased slightly to 4.69 ± 0.51 mmAl, accompanied by an increase in DTS to 3.13 ± 0.70 MPa. The optimal cement was biocompatible and verified using MG 63 and L929 cell lines, which exhibited cell viability higher than 95%.

The performance of Pd electrocatalysts for formic acid electrooxidation was improved by application of metal oxide-multiwall carbon nanotubes composites as a catalyst support. Hybrid oxides/MWCNTs were synthesized by two different methods: chemical reduction method and impregnation method. Pd based catalysts were synthesized by polyol method on the MWCNTs or oxide/MWCNTs composites. The In₂O₃was deposited on MWCNTs by impregnation method (In₂O₃/MWCNTs-IM support) and in the presence of NaBH₄(In₂O₃/MWCNTs-NaBH₄support). The physical properties of the Pd/In₂O₃/MWCNTs-IM, Pd/In₂O₃/MWCNTs-NaBH₄, Pd/SnO₂/MWCNTs, and Pd/MWCNTs catalysts were characterized and their electrocatalytical performance in formic acid oxidation was compared. During Pd deposition on In₂O₃/MWCNTs-NaBH₄support, InPd₂structure was formed as observed by XRD. The electrochemical tests indicate that the two Pd/ In₂O₃/MWCNTs electrocatalysts have higher electrocatalytic activity than those of Pd/SnO₂/MWCNTs and Pd/MWCNTs. The best performance was observed for the catalyst obtained by In₂O₃impregnation of MWCNTs denoted by Pd/In₂O₃/MWCNTs-IM.