The current study is a field experiment set out to comprehend significance of the iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles for use as seed priming agents and their subsequent impact in alleviating water stress and improving agronomic profile of flax plants. The experimental layout consisted of a split-plot factorial design with one main plot divided into two subplots corresponding to drought and well-irrigated environment. Each of the subplots was divided into five rows of the flax plants raised from iron oxide primed seeds. The seed priming concentrations were 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm. Seed priming increased stem diameter, stem length, height, fresh weights, and dry weights of plant. The yield attributes, such as number of fruit branches, capsules, seeds per capsule, total fresh and dry stem’s fiber production, were also predominantly improved. The levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were found to decline by 66% and 71%, respectively, upon seed priming, and an enhancement in activity of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) was also observed by 28%, 56%, and 39%, respectively, documenting the potential of iron oxide particles in mitigating the water stress.

The mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] grown in arid lands experiences yield losses due to the non-availability of water at pod filling and flowering stages which may be moderated by seed priming use of nanomaterials. The present study was based on the hypothesis that seed priming with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO_NPs) can moderate the adverse effects of aridity on mung bean plants by improving crop performance in terms of growth, antioxidant defence, and yield. The hypothesis was tested in field trials in a split plot factorial design. The seed priming with 75 ppm ZnO_NPs improved the growth of water-stressed mung bean plants in terms of shoot length, root length, number of leaves, number of vegetative branches per plant, and number of reproductive branches per plant by 32%, 24%, 43%, 39%, and 30% respectively compared to control. Furthermore, the seed priming with 75 ppm ZnO_NPs caused the accumulation of osmolytes such as proline, total soluble sugars, and total soluble protein by 18%, 14%, and 81% respectively. The levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were depressed significantly and antioxidant defence functioning was improved by seed priming treatments with ZnO_NPs. The yield profile of water-stressed plants improved significantly in terms of pod length, number of grains per pod, number of pods per plant, seed yield, biological yield, and harvest index by 37%, 50%, 39%, 16%, 9%, and 6% respectively. The yield and production of mung bean plants can be improved through seed priming with ZnO_NPs when grown in arid lands.

The erosion resistances of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) insulations are often inadequate for advanced solid rocket motor (SRM) applications. EPDM modification by blending secondary matrixes is a feasible approach to improve the ablative properties of EPDM insulations. The addition of flexible inorganic hybrid rubbers as a secondary matrix, such as silicones and polyphosphazenes, may impart EPDM insulations with better ablative performance. The blends of EPDM/hybrid rubbers represent the state-of-the-art heat-shielding materials for SRM. In the present work, methyl-phenyl silicone/EPDM and poly(diaryloxyphosphazene)/EPDM insulation systems with various blending ratios of secondary matrixes have been prepared. The ablative properties of the insulations were examined by oxy-acetylene ablation tests, and the results showed that these properties could be enhanced accordingly by blending with hybrid rubbers under appropriate proportions. The unique charred layers resulting from the hybrid rubbers contributed to their excellent ablation properties. For example, the silicone/EPDM insulations exhibited a more significant improvement of ablation resistance properties. With a 1:1 blending ratio of silicone/EPDM, the linear ablation rate was 0.06 mm s⁻¹ after 20 s of oxy-acetylene ablation. The enhancement in the ablative resistance was attributed to the charred layers with bunches of embedded compact microtubes with a length of 2–3 mm, which consisted of silicon carbide, silicon dioxide, and Si–O–C ceramics.

A hierarchical excavated iron-nitrogen codoped mesoporous carbon (Ex-FeN-MC) electrocatalyst has been successfully synthesized by pyrolysis of the unique ureidopyrimidinone containing organic precursor MAMIS by using silica as the mesoporous template and iron nitrate as the source of iron. The selected organic precursor has multifunctionalities with diverse distribution of nitrogen and oxygen species which constitute interesting features to prepare the Ex-FeN-MC electrocatalyst. The as-prepared Ex-FeN-MC material shows unexpectedly higher catalytic activities towards ORR/OER performances with an overpotential of 250 mV for OER in alkaline solution at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², while the ORR activity is almost similar to that of commercial Pt/C. It is believed that the excellent electrochemical performance results from the synergic contribution of the hierarchical uniform mesoporous structure, evenly distributed iron nanoparticles and high density of Ex-FeN-MC catalytically active sites. The presence of the hierarchical uniform mesoporous structure considerably accelerates the mass transfer and efficiently promotes the full utilization of active sites. Furthermore, it also possesses amorphous carbon in coexistence with lattice graphitic carbon which also enhanced the ORR/OER performances. Our research findings can surely provide a new insight to design highly active ORR/OER electrocatalysts by utilizing more novel organic precursors to provide interesting characteristics to electrocatalysts, as well as open up a route for constructing unique multifunctional materials with mesoporous architectures for electrocatalysis and supercapacitor applications.

Bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.), grown in semi-arid and fragile soil, exhibits poor growth, yield loss, and reduced quantity of bioactive compounds which may be improved by seed priming with bio-rationale materials. A field experiment was undertaken from March to June 2022 to determine the efficacy of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on bitter gourd growth, yield, and some phytochemical contents through seed priming. Plants of bitter gourd were divided into five sets. The first set served as a control and was not treated with ZnONPs. The plants of sets 2, 3, 4, and 5 were treated with ZnONPs primed seed at 0.5, 0.10, 0.15, or 0.20 mL∙L⁻¹ concentrations, and priming duration of 24 h. Seed priming with 0.20 mL∙L⁻¹ improved vine length, number of leaves, and number of branches per plant by 46, 21, and 39% compared to the control. Days to plant emergence and flowering were reduced and yield attributes improved by seed priming. Total phenolic, total flavonoids, and charantin, a steroidal saponin, contents as major secondary metabolite of fresh fruit of bitter gourd improved by 47, 36, and 52% treated with 0.20 mL∙L⁻¹ of ZnONPs primed seed. Seed priming with ZnONPs could be used to improve growth, germination, important metabolites and yield of bitter gourd.