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Solar chimney power plant (SCPP) technology is considered among the most viable ways to exploit solar energy on a large scale. This technology possesses several advantages, including low operation and maintenance costs, high reliability, low environmental impact, and a long lifetime. A novel configuration of the solar chimney system is proposed in this work by the integration of transparent PV cells coupled with water desalination. Transparent PV cells were incorporated within this configuration to enhance total electricity production. ANSYS Fluent software was used as a simulation tool for the steady flow and the natural convection problem within the solar chimney. A complete parametric study was also performed for conventional SCPP integrated with transparent PV to evaluate the effect of different parameters on air velocity, static pressure, mass flow rate, air temperature inside the chimney, and turbine power output under 850 W/m2 solar radiation. The effect of radiation on the turbine and PV power output was investigated. The results of the present model showed that the net output power and the freshwater production for the hybrid system could reach up to 261 kW and 8.867 kg/s, respectively. • Hybrid solar chimney-PV power plant is reported and simulated using ANSYS Fluent software. • The simulations showed the viability to use solar energy and produce fresh water. • High power and enhanced efficiency were reported as opposed to conventional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humic acid (HA) is a prominent contaminant in wastewater, and its elimination is crucial to ensure purified drinking water. A variety of sources of HA in wastewater exist, ranging from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and natural decomposition. Adsorption is a technique that has been heavily investigated in this direction. The process complexities, technological advancements, and sustainable approaches are discussed in this review. A range of adsorbents can be employed for HA removal, including modified membranes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), clay nanoparticles, and acid-modified natural materials. This work compares the effectiveness of the preceding adsorbents along with their advantages and limitations. This review also discusses the optimization of various process parameters, such as pH, ionic strength, and temperature, with an emphasis on response surface methodology for process optimization. Furthermore, the challenges and limitations associated with each removal technique are discussed, along with the potential areas for improvement and future directions in the field of wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • Recent advancements in humic acid removal via adsorption have been reported, focusing on maximizing removal efficiency. • The adsorbents' selection and structure modifications were reviewed with a focus on hybrid materials and adsorptive membranes. • Adsorption optimization via AI is promising to maximize the removal efficiency. • Novel adsorbents are carbon nanotubes, hydrogarnet/poly(lactic acid), and metal-organic frameworks. • The existing challenges in the industry and future directions for humic acid removal efficiency enhancement are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The novel developments of nanomaterials in biofuel cells' electrodes are discussed. • The use of nanomaterials in electrodes showed enhanced bio-catalytic performance. • Novel enzymatic immobilizations on nanoparticles showed promising potential. • Stability and ease of separation of nanoparticles/enzyme systems are the challenges. Biofuel cells (BFCs) convert biochemical energy into electrical energy by virtue of the biocatalyst component. They incorporate bio-catalysts composed of microorganisms and enzymes. BFCs are considered among the novel technologies for the production of potable water/electricity and self-powered biosensors simultaneously. However, BFCs, still suffer from various drawbacks, namely, the short lifetime, difficulty in optimizing the optimum operating conditions (substrate concentration and pH), and designing electrodes of sufficient surface area, hence, leading to low power densities and reduced columbic efficiencies. The utilization of nanomaterials in the bioelectrode construction of BFCs has been proposed and demonstrated promising improvement in performance, including electron transfer, thermal and mechanical stability, and conversion efficiency. The use of nanomaterials in bio-electrodes provided large active surface areas between enzymes/electrodes, thus, improving electron kinetics. Carbon-based nanostructures in particular, i.e., carbon-based nanomaterials such as graphene/fullerenes/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/carbon nanofibers (CNFs), conducting polymers/composites, and metallic nanoparticles/oxides have been extensively investigated. These studies highlighted the progress made in the use of nanomaterials/enzymatic immobilizations for improving the performances of electrodes. Challenges and opportunities related to the stability and durability of BFCs for long-term applications have been discussed for future development directions. Furthermore, recommendations on novel designs of nanomaterials possessing good electrical properties, optimized porous matrix, and ease of separation in nanomaterials/enzymes systems have been discussed for green energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study addresses the critical issue of water contamination, focusing on the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye as industrial waste. A novel method is presented to synthesize zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2) nanoparticles (NPs) using zirconium hydrogen phosphate as a precursor. The results proved the formation of spherical nanoparticles with an average particle size of about 23.24 nm, confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The structural analysis demonstrated the existence of both tetragonal and monoclinic phases, with the dominance of the tetragonal phase. The photocatalytic evaluation under sunlight irradiation showed an impressive MB degradation efficiency of about 80 % in a relatively short time of 80 min. Thus, the study highlights the potential of ZrO 2 NPs sensitized by a novel approach as highly efficient photocatalysis for water treatment. • Novel synthesis of ZrO 2 NPs with average size of 23.24 nm. • Obtaining ZrO 2 NPs with mixed tetragonal and monoclinic phases. • Exceptional photocatalytic degradation of MB by utilizing ZrO 2 NPs. • The potential of ZrO 2 NPs for efficient water treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developments in ionic liquid technology for improved refinery processes are reviewed. • Recent research on desulfurization, denitrogenation and alkylation is analyzed. • Major challenges and barriers for industrial uptake are identified and discussed. Petroleum refining has been one of the key technologies driving global economic development and technological advancement for well over a century. Although much of the technology used in refineries is considered mature, the industry is always seeking ways to make process improvements, reduce environmental impact, enhance safety, and achieve cost reductions. In particular, much focus has been placed on improving the existing technology for desulfurization, denitrogenation and alkylation. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties and environmental advantages over traditionally used solvents or catalysts, interest in ionic liquids for such refinery processes has been increasing exponentially in recent years. This review outlines the existing technology used in refineries, such as desulfurization, denitrogenation and alkylation, critically examines recent research into the use of ionic liquid-based alternatives, and discusses the major challenges that must be overcome to facilitate the widespread implementation of ionic liquid-based refinery technology on an industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy storage materials have been receiving attention during the past two decades. Supercapacitors, in specific, have emerged as promising energy storage devices, especially for flexible electronics. The development of supercapacitor materials is crucial to advance their performance and multifunctionality. Supercapacitors have been shown to possess higher energy densities than conventional capacitors and higher power densities than batteries. Advancements in electrochemical supercapacitor cells are heavily sought after. This review showed that the progress made in supercapacitors' materials led to the development of novel electrode materials, heat-resistant separators, flexible supercapacitors, and highly conductive electrolytic solutions. Therefore, supercapacitors' electrochemical performance, power density, charge storage density, specific capacitance, and charge/discharge rates were eventually enhanced. Moreover, research is being conducted to operate supercapacitors in soft electronics by improving their solid-state flexibility. This paper also provided a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in high-temperature capacitive energy storage, the various applications of supercapacitor cells in the industry, supercapacitors design, as well as the challenges involved. This work concluded that the biggest challenge of producing supercapacitors is manufacturing them at a low cost to make them economically viable energy storage options. [Display omitted] • A review of the recent developments of materials design for supercapacitors is presented. • Machine learning and 3D printing appear to be promising for flexible supercapacitors. • Novel electrolyte materials include ionic liquids and anhydrous gel electrolytes. • The challenges include the safety, the cost, and the durability of electrolyte materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper and pulp mills generate substantial quantities of cellulose-rich sludge materials that are disposed in landfills at a large scale. For sustainability purposes, sludge materials can be bioprocessed to produce renewable fuels and useful chemicals. The enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose is the process bottleneck that affects the conversion economics directly by using zero-cost raw materials. In order to study and optimize the process, the characteristics of the sludge raw materials should be first evaluated. In this work, sludge samples were obtained from paper mills located at different locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Part of the sludge samples was washed (de-ashed) with hydrochloric acid while the other part remained unwashed. The samples were subjected to multiple spectroscopic analyses techniques to evaluate the morphological properties of cellulose fibers and to estimate the total structural carbohydrate content. The results showed that the de-ashing process changed some fiber characteristics and cellulose crystallinity structure in all sludge samples. Sludge sample A (obtained from Kraft pulp and recycled paper mill region) showed a high percentage of fiber, with crystalline cellulose, compared to the other two sludge samples suggesting that sludge A is a valuable source to make value-added products. Aspen Plus mass and energy calculations performed in view of the 'zero' cost and the reliable supply of sludge raw materials producing 2 mol H 2 /mol glucose. Moreover, the results showed that extracting crystalline cellulose from these sludge samples is more profitable than crystalline cellulose made from the other lignocellulosic feedstocks. The results reported here showed that the utilization of these sludge materials would be an economically attractive and promising alternative for the production of hydrogen. Image 1 • A new method for paper mill sludge (PMS) characterization as renewable feedstock. • The deashing step has a major effect on the bioconversion of the PMS. • Studying the crystalline cellulose of the PMS. • A relation between the characterization and potential sugar yield was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising technique for CO 2 capturing (CAP CO 2) from flue gas. • CAP CO 2 process mechanisms, challenges, biodegradability, and toxicity are highlighted. • Impacts of cations/anions and ILs functional groups on CO 2 uptake were presented. • Selectivity of ILs to CO 2 is higher than H 2 , N 2 , O 2 and comparable with SO 2 and H 2 S. • FUN-AILs + amine achieved 1:1 reaction stoichiometry higher than CO 2 –amine process. Global warming triggered by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), significantly influences climate change and has become a common environmental issue recently. The current amine-based technologies (ABTs) for CO 2 capture (CAP CO 2) have high energy demand, low absorption, and desorption rates, and are less environmentally sustainable due to high emissions of volatile solvents. Therefore, the development of environmentally friendly CAP CO 2 materials and/or processes is a growing area of research. The utilization of ionic liquids (ILs) for CAP CO 2 has recently attracted attention. The unique characteristics of ILs, such as their low vapor pressure and high affinity for CAP CO 2 as well as their low volatility make them a viable substitute for the existing processes. This work provides a comprehensive overview of the accomplishments and challenges during the use of ILs for CAP CO 2. The Review also outlines the mechanisms of the CAP CO 2 with ILs at the molecular level, the properties of ILs, characterization of the CO 2 /IL systems, and the effect of operating conditions on CO 2 uptake (U P CO 2) capacity by ILs. It also emphasizes the impact of cations, anions, and functional groups on the solubility of CO 2 ((S CO 2 )) in ILs as well as the biodegradability and toxicity of ILs. Additionally, recent advances in IL membrane technology for the CAP CO 2 processes are considered. Lastly, the contribution of molecular simulations to create and assess ILs was reviewed. Protic and aprotic ILs properties have shown outstanding efficiency of U P CO 2. The interactions between the anionic part of IL and CO 2 enhance the U P CO 2 and outperform the efficiency of traditional organic solvents. Functionalized ionic liquids (FUN ILs) with tuned functional groups, supported ionic liquids membranes (SILMs) as well as reversible ionic liquids (RILs) have improved the efficiency of ILs as a promising CO 2 capturing process from industrial streams even under low CO 2 partial pressure. The relative importance of the chemical breakdown of the IL constituents (cation–anion interfacial structuring) during the CAP CO 2 process at different operating temperatures is unclear, and more research in this area is required to better inform the design of new ILs. This review provides a proper/systematic guideline to help ILs manufacturers and engineers design high-capacity ILs for appropriate CAP CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Recent advances in MXenes-derived electro and photo-catalyst are summarized. • MXene-based catalysts exhibit effective and sustainable H 2 generation (H 2,gen). • Ti 3 C 2 and TiO 2 have demonstrated their roles in the solar-driven photocatalytic H 2,gen. • Strategies for enhancing the MXene-based nanocomposites system's effectiveness are described. • Bimetal MXene should be investigated and compared with mono-metal MXene. Transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) with eccentric properties are emerging 2D nanomaterials with intriguing applications in the photo and electro-catalytic water splitting (W sp). MXenes have a regular planer structure with a large specific surface area (SSA), excellent hydrophilicity, metallic conductivity, and a wide range of functionalities and surface termination groups, making them a promising candidate for long-term hydrogen generation (H 2, gen). As a result, their use as electro and photo-catalysts in W sp to solve energy and environmental challenges has increased. MXenes were proposed to overcome major drawbacks of TiO 2 , the most commonly used photo-catalyst in solar-driven W sp , such as high band gap and fast recombination of photo-induced charge carriers. MXene has been rigorously investigated based on TiO 2 modification (i.e. in-situ derived MXene-TiO 2 and MXene/TiO 2 nanocomposite) as well as Metal-MXene co-catalyst that provides simple electron channelization to improve overall electro and photo-catalytic activity (Cat A)toward W sp and increase the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, several issues must be resolved before practical applications may be considered, such as weak environmental capabilities and limited intrinsic catalytic activities. Although there have been a few review papers on the synthesis, properties, and applications of Mxenes in various fields, this present work focuses on the most current advances in the synthetic of MXene-derived TiO 2 and MXene/TiO 2 nanohybrid composites as well as Metals-MXene nanocomposite, clarifying the charge carrier separation mechanism in connection to the formed Schottky junction at MXene- elements interface to attaining high photo-catalytic H 2, gen. Furthermore, technical challenges, and enhanced catalytic performance as well as materials design and MXenes derivative with structural features and activity were presented. MXenes' catalytic mechanism is carefully outlined, along with its photocatalytic and electrocatalytic W sp properties. According to the literature review, Ti 3 C 2 can be combined with a variety of materials to produce electro or photo-catalysis with distinct layered morphology (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D), abundant surface termination groups, and enhanced photo-electrical activities. MXene-derived TiO 2 and MXene/TiO 2 nanohybrid composites have been proposed as viable electro and photo-catalytic H 2, gen alternatives. The photo-catalytic H 2, gen rate from W sp over MXene-derived TiO 2 can range from 20 to 50, 000 mol.g-1h−1, with Co-Chl@Ti 3 C 2 Tx producing the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising world population and its corresponding energy demands pose a considerable burden on natural energy sources. The exploitation of fossil fuels at such an alarming rate blurs the goals of sustainable development and controlling global warming as pledged during the Paris Agreement. Due to the detrimental effects of exhausts from conventional diesel fuel on the environment, biodiesel has earned significant importance during the last decade. Biodiesel is produced from different feedstocks such as neem oil, palm oil, waste frying oil, vegetable oil, animal fat, microbial oil, etc. These feedstocks react with acidic, alkaline, enzymic, homogeneous, heterogeneous, and hybrid Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) catalysts, along with monohydric alcohol via transesterification reaction. The flexibility in its feedstock and the type of catalysts used, production cost, biodegradable and renewable nature makes it a promising alternative fuel than conventional diesel. The selection of apt feedstock and catalyst is the challenging task and governing factor of economic biodiesel production. Green solvents such as DES have high thermal stability and low volatility and can address the economic and green production issues significantly as compared to conventional alkali and acid catalysts. This review bridges the gap between the selection of feedstock and optimal catalyst for the respective feedstock. The exploration of DES fills the gap by attributing to 3Rs (i.e., recyclability, recovery, and reusability). This review highlights the contemporary trends and prospects in the selection of the feedstocks, synthesis routes, and catalysts for the transesterification reactions for biodiesel production. [Display omitted] • The article highlights the feedstocks' role, synthesis routes, and catalysts for biodiesel production. • The various factors which affect biodiesel production have been discussed. • The role of green solvents (DESs) as a catalyst for biodiesel production has been reviewed. • Results have shown that DESs have a great potential to produce cleaner biodiesel. • The article suggests cleaner pathways for various catalysts and feedstock for biodiesel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report a novel enzymatic biosensor based on glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), graphene oxide (GO) and nafion for the electrochemical sensing of glutathione (GSH) in body fluids. GSH-Px was immobilized covalently via 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) onto modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) decorated with GO and nafion and successfully used for sensing of GSH in the presence of H 2 O 2 as catalyst with Michaelis-Menten constant about 0.131 mmol/L. The active surface are of GCE improve from 0.183 cm2 to 0.225 cm2 after modification with GO. The introduced biosensor (GSH-Px/GO/nafion/GCE) was used for monitoring of GSH over the range 0.003–370.0 μM, with a detection limit of 1.5 nM using differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) method. The GSH-Px/GO/nafion/GCE was successfully applied to the determination of GSH in real samples. • First nanostructure enzymatic biosensor for determination of glutathione. • Pharmaceutical and biological glutathione sensing. • Simple and selective strategies for bio-sensing of glutathione. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing environmental awareness attracted research attention to the development of efficient methods in the recycling and the recovery of wastes. Microwave assisted pyrolysis (MWAP) is an alternative heating approach to convert organic waste materials into value-added products, such as biochar (BC), biogas and bio-oil. Different types of biochar materials have been produced through microwave heating technique that, in most of the cases, can be utilized for adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants. The BC have been employed as CO 2 mitigator and fertilizer for soils due to their promising physiochemical properties. In this review paper, we discuss the various aspects of Microwave assisted pyrolysis and the available case studies, as well as the mechanism of adsorption of different pollutants onto biochars. Development of microwaved biochar for other applications such as supercapacitors, batteries, electrode materials, and composite membranes are also discussed. It is believed that the development and synthesis of high potential biochar through microwave assisted pyrolysis still needs very precise adjustment of processing conditions, pre-treatment of feedstock and post treatment steps for further enhancement of properties for specific applications. The paper concludes that considering the sustainable route in development of high-performance biochar would make microwave assisted pyrolysis cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and tunable materials of great potential for wide range of applications. • Growing environmental awareness in the recycling and the recovery of wastes. • Microwave assisted pyrolysis as an energy efficient approach for waste repurposing. • Microwave synthetized biochar as a cost effective/tunable technique for different environmental applications. • Potential of MW-BC for supercapacitors, battery electrode, composites and membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of flexible electrodes triggered research on wearables and health monitoring applications. Metal-based bioelectrodes encounter low mechanical strength and skin discomfort at the electrode-skin interface. Thus, recent research has focused on the development of flexible surface electrodes with low electrochemical resistance and high conductivity. This study investigated the development of a novel, flexible, surface electrode based on a MXene/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/glycerol composite. MXenes offer the benefit of featuring highly conductive transition metals with metallic properties, including a group of carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, while PDMS exhibits inherent biostability, flexibility, and biocompatibility. Among the various MXene-based electrode compositions prepared in this work, those composed of 15% and 20% MXene content were further evaluated for their potential in electrophysiological sensing applications. The samples underwent a range of characterization techniques, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), as well as mechanical and bio-signal sensing from the skin. The experimental findings indicated that the compositions demonstrated favorable bulk impedances of 280 and 111 Ω, along with conductivities of 0.462 and 1.533 mS/cm, respectively. Additionally, they displayed promising electrochemical stability, featuring charge storage densities of 0.665 mC/cm 2 and 1.99 mC/cm 2 , respectively. By conducting mechanical tests, Young's moduli were determined to be 2.61 MPa and 2.18 MPa, respectively. The composite samples exhibited elongation of 139% and 144%, respectively. Thus, MXene-based bioelectrodes show promising potential for flexible and wearable electronics and bio-signal sensing applications.

Nano-based approaches, particularly nanogels, have recently emerged as a potential strategy for combating biofilm-related infections. Their exceptional characteristics including biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, high water content, stimuli-responsiveness, and their nano size (which enables their penetration into biofilms) make nanogels a promising technology in the biomedical field. However, exploring nanogels for biofilm treatment remains in its early stages. This review examined the status of nanogels application for the treatment of bacterial biofilms. Recent investigations studied nanogels derived from natural polymers like chitosan (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and alginate, among others, for eliminating and inhibiting biofilms. These nanogels were utilized as carriers for diverse antibiofilm agents, encompassing antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, natural extracts, and nanoparticles. Utilizing mechanisms like conventional antibody-mediated pathways, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and EPS degradation, these nanogels effectively administered antibiofilm drugs, exhibiting efficacy across several bacterial strains, notably Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa ), and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ), among others. Despite showing promise, nanogels remain relatively underexplored in biofilm treatment. This review concludes that research gaps are still present in biofilm treatment processes including (i) a better understanding of the stimuli-responsive behaviors of nanogels, (ii) active targeting strategies, and (iii) the narrow spectrum of antibiofilm agents loaded into nanogels. Hence, future studies could be directed towards the following elements: the exploration of multi-strain biofilms rather than single-strain biofilms, other endogenous and exogenous stimuli to trigger drug release, active targeting mechanisms, a broader range of antibiofilm agents when employing nanogels, and fostering more comprehensive and reliable biofilm treatment strategies. This review found that there are currently several research gaps as well in the use of nanogels for biofilm therapy, and these include: (i) very limited exogenous and endogenous stimuli were explored to trigger drug release from nanogels, (ii) the active targeting strategies were not explored, (iii) a very narrow spectrum of antibiofilm agents was loaded into nanogels, and (iv) only biofilms of single strains were investigated., Competing Interests: There are no conflics to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Sulfur dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion have been known to cause detrimental health and environmental effects. The currently used hydrodesulfurization (HDS) method employed by refineries has several drawbacks, such as excessive hydrogen consumption, high energy demand, and inability to remove complex organosulfur compounds, which have limited its ability to produce ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) at reasonable operating and capital costs. Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely studied for their potential to replace conventional HDS. However, while their success has been demonstrated at the laboratory level, studies on industrial-scale feasibility and their integration into process simulators such as Aspen Plus are limited. In this work, 26 commercially available ILs have been screened using COSMO-based models and Aspen Plus for the desulfurization of diesel fuel and several possible process configurations have been examined. In particular, the challenge of ionic liquid regeneration, which has largely been ignored in the literature, has also been addressed and several potential regeneration methods have been proposed including extractive regeneration (E-RE) and stripping regeneration using nitrogen and air as stripping media (S-RE). The results indicate that, among the 26 ILs studied, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate is the most promising as a solvent for extractive desulfurization (EDS), E-RE, and S-RE. E-RE was found to be more effective for the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT), while S-RE is more suited to the removal of thiophene and benzothiophene (BT). As a result, an optimized diesel desulfurization process using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate has been proposed that achieves ULSD with <10 ppm total sulfur in simulation studies, with complete recycling of the IL and minimal loss of the model diesel., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Flexible electrodes are becoming a topic of interest for a range of applications including implantation. They can be used for neural signal recording and for electrical stimulation of atrophying muscles. Unlike the traditionally used metal electrodes that are harsh to the body's tissues, flexible electrodes conduct electricity while preserving the delicate tissues. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a non-conductive synthetic polymer characterized by its flexibility, low cost, biocompatibility, and durability during implantation, has been explored as a matrix for flexible electrodes. This study reports the synthesis of composite boronic acid-modified carbon dots (BA-CDs)/PDMS electrode materials. The performance of the composite electrode is evaluated electrochemically (for its conductivity and charge storage capacity) and mechanically (Young's modulus). Furthermore, the effect of increasing the PDMS crosslinking density on the electrode's performance is studied based on the hypothesis that a higher crosslinking will bring the BA-CDs closer together, thereby facilitating the movement of electrons. Results of this study showed that incorporating 10% BA-CDs dispersed with 16% glycerol in 74% PDMS with a higher crosslinking density resulted in a bulk impedance of 47.7 Ω and a conductivity of 2.68×10 -3 S/cm, both of which surpassed that of the same composition with lower crosslinking. The synthesized flexible electrode material was capable of charge storage although the charge storage capacity (0.00365 mC/cm 2 ) was lower than the safe limit for some tissue activation. Furthermore, the electrode maintained a modulus of elasticity (0.2322 MPa) that is compatible with biological soft tissues.Clinical Relevance- This study reports a conductive electrode that has a flexibility compatible with that of biological tissues for future purposes such as neural signal recording and tissue electrical stimulation (e.g. atrophying muscles). The reported BA-CD/PDMS electrode overcomes the limitations of the harsh metals previously used as implantable electrodes that harm the biological tissues due to their high rigidity.

With cancer research shifting focus to achieving multifunctionality in cancer treatment strategies, hybrid nanogels are making a rapid rise to the spotlight as novel, multifunctional, stimuli-responsive, and biocompatible cancer therapeutic strategies. They can possess cancer cell-specific cytotoxic effects themselves, carry drugs or enzymes that can produce cytotoxic effects, improve imaging modalities, and target tumor cells over normal cells. Hybrid nanogels bring together a wide range of desirable properties for cancer treatment such as stimuli-responsiveness, efficient loading and protection of molecules such as drugs or enzymes, and effective crossing of cellular barriers among other properties. Despite their promising abilities, hybrid nanogels are still far from being used in the clinic, and their available data remains relatively limited. However, many studies can be done to facilitate this clinical transition. This review is critically summarizing and analyzing the recent information and progress on the use of hybrid nanogels particularly inorganic nanoparticle-based and organic nanoparticle-based hybrid nanogels in the field of oncology and future directions to aid in transferring those results to the clinic. This work concludes that the future of hybrid nanogels is greatly impacted by therapeutic and non-therapeutic factors. Therapeutic factors include the lack of hemocompatibility studies, acute and chronic toxicological studies, and information on agglomeration capability and extent, tumor heterogeneity, interaction with proteins in physiological fluids, endocytosis-exocytosis, and toxicity of the nanogels' breakdown products. Non-therapeutic factors include the lack of clear regulatory guidelines and standardized assays, limitations of animal models, and difficulties associated with good manufacture practices (GMP)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The author Amaal Abdulraqeb Ali dedicates this work to her parents: "To my parents, my role models, whose love, support and encouragement has always been my source of strength in everything I do.", (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)