The discovery of novel antiviral materials is important because many infectious diseases are caused by viruses. Silver nanoparticles have demonstrated strong antiviral activity, and graphene is a potential antimicrobial material due to its large surface area, high carrier mobility, and biocompatibility. No studies on the antiviral activity of nanomaterials on non-enveloped viruses have been reported. To investigate the antiviral activity of graphene oxide (GO) sheets and GO sheets with silver particles (GO-Ag) against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, feline coronavirus (FCoV) with an envelope and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) without an envelope were chosen. The morphology and sizes of GO and GO-Ag were characterized by transmission, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. A virus inhibition assay was used to identify the antiviral activity of GO and GO-Ag. Go-Ag inhibited 25% of infection by FCoV and 23% by IBDV, whereas GO only inhibited 16% of infection by FCoV but showed no antiviral activity against the infection by IBDV. Further application of GO and GO-Ag can be considered for personal protection equipment to decrease the transmission of viruses.

Rechargeable batteries are attractive power storage equipment for a broad diversity of applications. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used the superior rechargeable battery in portable electronics. The increasing needs in portable electronic devices require improved Li-ion batteries with excellent results over many discharge-recharge cycles. One important approach to ensure the electrodes’ integrity is by increasing the storage capacity of cathode and anode materials. This could be achieved using nanoscale-sized electrode materials. In the article, we review the recent advances and perspectives of carbon nanomaterials as anode material for Lithium-ion battery applications. The first section of the review presents the general introduction, industrial use, and working principles of Li-ion batteries. It also demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of nanomaterials and challenges to utilize nanomaterials for Li-ion battery applications. The second section of the review describes the utilization of various carbon-based nanomaterials as anode materials for Li-ion battery applications. The last section presents the conclusion and future directions.

Tunable photoluminescent nitrogen-doped graphene and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) quantum dots are synthesized via a facile solid-phase microwave-assisted (SPMA) technique utilizing the pyrolysis of citric acid and urea precursors.

Access to safe drinking water and a hygienic living environment are the basic necessities that encourage healthy living. However, the presence of various pollutants (especially toxic heavy metal ions) at high concentrations in water renders water unfit for drinking and domestic use. The presence of high concentrations of heavy-metal ions (e.g., Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cd²⁺, or Cu²⁺) greater than their permissible limits adversely affects human health, and increases the risk of cancer of the kidneys, liver, skin, and central nervous system. Therefore, their detection in water is crucial. Due to the various benefits of “green”-synthesized carbon-dots (C-dots) over other materials, these materials are potential candidates for sensing of toxic heavy-metal ions in water sources. C-dots are very small carbon-based nanomaterials that show chemical stability, magnificent biocompatibility, excitation wavelength-dependent photoluminescence (PL), water solubility, simple preparation strategies, photoinduced electron transfer, and the opportunity for functionalization. A new family of C-dots called “carbon quantum dots” (CQDs) are fluorescent zero-dimensional carbon nanoparticles of size < 10 nm. The green synthesis of C-dots has numerous advantages over conventional chemical routes, such as utilization of inexpensive and non-poisonous materials, straightforward operations, rapid reactions, and renewable precursors. Natural sources, such as biomass and biomass wastes, are broadly accepted as green precursors for fabricating C-dots because these sources are economical, ecological, and readily/extensively accessible. Two main methods are available for C-dots production: top-down and bottom-up. Herein, this review article discusses the recent advancements in the green fabrication of C-dots: photostability; surface structure and functionalization; potential applications for the sensing of hazardous anions and toxic heavy-metal ions; binding of toxic ions with C-dots; probable mechanistic routes of PL-based sensing of toxic heavy-metal ions. The green production of C-dots and their promising applications in the sensing of hazardous ions discussed herein provides deep insights into the safety of human health and the environment. Nonetheless, this review article provides a resource for the conversion of low-value biomass and biomass waste into valuable materials (i.e., C-dots) for promising sensing applications.