Carbon nanomaterials are an emerging class of nano-reinforcements to substitute for metal-based nanomaterials in polymer matrices. These metal-free nano-reinforcement materials exhibit a high surface area, thermal stability, and a sustainable nature. Compared to conventional reinforcements, nano-carbon-reinforced polymer composites provide enhanced mechanical and thermal properties. While previous reviews summarized the functionality of nanocomposites, here, we focus on the thermomechanical properties of nano-carbon-reinforced nanocomposites. The role of carbon nanomaterials, including graphene, MXenes, carbon nanotubes, carbon black, carbon quantum dots, fullerene, and metal–organic frameworks, in polymer matrices for the enhancement of thermal and mechanical properties are discussed. Different from metal-based nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials offer high specific strength, abundance, and sustainability, which are of considerable importance for commercial-scale applications.

Aerogels, due to their unique features like lightweight, ultra-low thermal conductivity, and design variations, have gotten a lot of interest in thermal insulation, photocatalysis, and protective areas. Besides their superior thermal properties, aerogel thermal insulation and photocatalyst materials also possess many inherent flaws, such as handling issues, high manufacturing costs, and low strength as well as toughness. The most persuasive and successful ways to improve photocatalytic and thermal insulating qualities while lowering costs are composition optimization and microstructure reconstruction. Their high surface area and porosity make them ideal for enhancing the efficiency and capacity of these devices. Research may lead to more efficient and longer-lasting energy storage solutions. This review describes the characteristics, microstructural reconstruction, design variation, and properties of all aerogel fabrication techniques and provides a comprehensive overview of scientific achievements linked to them. The effectiveness of raw material compositions, properties, and mechanical parameters are also discussed. The major goal of this review is to highlight the aerogel-based materials and design variations and to explore the most potential development trends for photocatalysis and thermal applications. The industrial as well as technical applications of silica aerogels are also highlighted. This review highlights futuristic applications of aerogel-based textile materials to alleviate the CO₂ burden on our atmosphere, either by providing next-level thermal insulation or by employing them in CO₂ mitigating technologies such as CO₂ capture.

ZnO and TiO₂ are both well-known electron transport materials; however, an exact comparison of their performance, when fabricated under the same synthesis conditions, is missing in the literature. Considering this, we introduced a viable electrospinning route for the development of highly polycrystalline TiO₂ and ZnO nanofibers for an electron transport material (ETM) of perovskite solar cells and photocatalysts for textiles. Thanks to the effective tuning of band structure and morphology of TiO₂, a significant improvement in performance as compared to ZnO was observed when both were used as photoanodes and photocatalysts. X-ray diffraction detected polycrystalline structural properties and showed that peaks are highly corresponding to TiO₂ and ZnO. Morphological analysis was carried out with a scanning electron microscope, which revealed that nanofibers are long, uniform, and polycrystalline, having diameter in the nano regime. TiO₂ nanofibers are more aligned and electron-supportive for conduction as compared to ZnO nanofibers, which are dense and agglomerated at some points. Optoelectronic properties showed that TiO₂ and ZnO show absorption values in the range of ultraviolet, and visible range and band gap values for TiO₂ and ZnO were 3.3 and 3.2 eV, respectively. The TiO₂ band gap and semiconductor nature was more compatible for ETL as compared to ZnO. Electrical studies revealed that TiO₂ nanofibers have enhanced values of conductivity and sheet carrier mobility as compared to ZnO nanofibers. Therefore, a higher photovoltaic conversion efficiency and antibacterial activity was achieved for TiO₂ nanofibers (10.33%), as compared to ZnO (8.48%). In addition, the antibacterial activity of TiO₂ was also recorded as better than ZnO. Similarly, compared to ZnO nanofibers, TiO₂ nanofibers possess enhanced photoactivity for antimicrobial and dye degradation effects when applied to fabrics.

The release of toxic effluents and microfibers during the frequent washings of textiles poses a major threat to the environment. On the one hand, the detrimental effluents from detergents pose a threat to marine biota in peril, and on the other, microplastics have even been found in breastmilk. According to this study, functionalized metal-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles can be immobilized to create fabrics that are hygienic and antibacterial. There is a need to reduce the amount of different detergents, surfactants and chemicals used to remove stains. The manufacture of pristine and Cu-, Ag- and Zn-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles having trace molar ratios of dopant chosen with a simple sol–gel approach using pad–dry–cure silane coupling agents, firstly with the functionalization and then the immobilization of nanoparticles, was successfully performed on cotton fabric. The as-obtained fabrics were evaluated for their crystallinity, chemical functionalities, surface morphologies and elemental compositions. The photodegradation potentials of unfunctionalized materials were assessed in ambient sunshine against five commercial colors. Within three hours of sunshine exposure, according to color strength analysis and antibactericidal activities, 95–98% of the dye was degraded from the functionalized fabric surface. Additionally, the treated content kept its mechanical and comfort qualities.

Marine glaciers play a significant role in shaping landforms due to their erosive nature coupled with their surrounding environment. During this process, they pose a natural hazard threat to man-made infrastructure. The dynamic nature of these glaciers poses a particular threat, especially to railway infrastructure constructed in remote areas with glacial activity. Substantial research has been undertaken on the role of threats posed by marine glaciers to railway infrastructure. However, a detailed study of favorable glacier landforms prior to railway construction has yet to be explored. In this study, we propose a geospatial analysis-based method to determine the favorable most landforms shaped by marine glaciers for railway network route selection. This study provides a novel approach by first analyzing the availability of four major favorable landforms shaped by marine glaciers (glacier canyons, valley shoulders, moraine terraces, and ancient dammed lake basins), then proposes a railway route selection method for marine glacier distribution areas involving three steps. First, it is necessary to understand the basic situation of regional glaciers; then, to determine a feasible location for the railway based on judgment of the direct and indirect action areas of glaciers; and finally, through a thematic study of glacial geomorphology, to devise corresponding strategies for using glacial landforms to optimize the railway route. In order to verify the feasibility of the proposed method, it was implemented in the Palong Zangbo watershed of the Sichuan–Tibet railway network. Utilizing the power function method, the glacier basin areas of 22 glacier canyons along the Sichuan–Tibet railway line were identified and the maximum annual average velocity of 75 glaciers over the past ten years was calculated by offset tracking technology. The results indicate that the proposed optimization strategies utilizing glacier canyons for a short and straight route scheme and leveraging moraine terraces for a high-line scheme can provide comprehensive guidance for railway route selection in marine glacial areas.