A one-step approach towards the synthesis of folic acid (FA) coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and doxorubicin (DOX) for drug delivery is proposed. The FA-AgNPs were 23±2 nm in diameter and showed good monodispersity with a characteristic surface plasmon peak at 409 nm. Taking advantage of the enhanced Raman signal of FA on AgNPs and targeting specificity of FA to folate-receptor expressing cancer cells, the as-prepared FA-AgNPs showed excellent receptor-mediated cellular uptake, as demonstrated both by surface enhanced raman scattering (SERS) imaging and fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIM). Next, a chemotherapeutic drug, DOX was attached to the FA-AgNPs surface through electrostatic bonding and the release of DOX from FA-AgNPs was monitored by FLIM. The release of DOX into the cytoplasm after 4 hours of incubation was clearly seen by FLIM. After 8 hours, the cells underwent cell death due to the release of DOX from nanoparticles. However, in control cell lines with low-expression levels of the FA receptor, no scattering signal from AgNPs could be observed from within the cells even after an incubation period of 24 hours. Our study shows that nanocarriers can be designed with various chemistries to study targeting and release of disease-specific drugs.

We demonstrate a facile, one-step, protein-directed approach to preparing a new functional reduced graphene oxide via simultaneous reduction and surface functionalization of graphene oxide sheets with herceptin and show its potential application as a novel biological imaging agent.

Gold nanoprobes have become attractive diagnostic and therapeutic agents in medicine and life sciences research owing to their reproducible synthesis with atomic level precision, unique physical and chemical properties, versatility of their morphologies, flexibility in functionalization, ease of targeting, efficiency in drug delivery and opportunities for multimodal therapy. This review highlights some of the recent advances and the potential for gold nanoprobes in theranostics.

The dynamics of hydrocyclones is complex, because it is a multiphase flow problem that involves interaction between a discrete phase and multiple continuum phases. The performance of hydrocyclones is evaluated by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and it is characterized by the pressure drop, split water ratio, and particle collection efficiency. In this paper, a computational model to improve and evaluate hydrocyclone performance is proposed. Four known computational turbulence models (renormalization group (RNG) k- $\epsilon$ , Reynolds stress model (RSM), and large-eddy simulation (LES)) are implemented, and the accuracy of each for predicting the hydrocyclone behavior is assessed. Four hydrocyclone configurations were analyzed using the RSM model. By analyzing the streamlines resulting from those simulations, it was found that the formation of some vortices and saddle points affect the separation efficiency. Furthermore, the effects of inlet width, cone length, and vortex finder diameter were found to be significant. The cut-size diameter was decreased by 33% compared to the Hsieh experimental hydrocyclone. An increase in the pressure drop leads to high values of cut-size and classification sharpness. If the pressure drop increases to twice its original value, the cut-size and the sharpness of classification are reduced to less than 63% and 55% of their initial values, respectively.

Electroactive polymers (EAPs) represent a versatile class of smart materials capable of converting electrical stimuli into mechanical motion and vice versa, positioning them as key components in the next generation of actuators and sensors. This review summarizes recent developments in both electronic and ionic EAPs, highlighting their activation mechanisms, material architectures, and multifunctional capabilities. Representative systems include dielectric elastomers, ferroelectric and conducting polymers, liquid crystal elastomers, and ionic gels. Advances in fabrication methods, such as additive manufacturing, nanocomposite engineering, and patternable electrode deposition, are discussed with emphasis on miniaturization, stretchability, and integration into soft systems. Applications span biomedical devices, wearable electronics, soft robotics, and environmental monitoring, with growing interest in platforms that combine actuation and sensing within a single structure. Finally, the review addresses critical challenges such as long-term material stability and scalability, and outlines future directions toward self-powered, AI-integrated, and sustainable EAP technologies.