Near-infrared (NIR) emission has garnered significant attention due to its broad applications in future optoelectronics. Among various candidates, indium phosphide (InP) quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a promising option owing to their non-toxic composition and relatively facile synthesis. However, synthesizing NIR-emitting InP-based QDs with high luminescence efficiency remains a synthetic challenge, which is mainly attributed to the nucleation of a sufficiently large core and a complex shell process to achieve high-efficiency QDs. Herein, we present a direct synthetic strategy for NIR-I emissive core-only InP QDs with tunable emissions ranging from 683 to 742 nm through multiligand synergy. Under the competitive adsorption between ZnCl₂ and NH₄PF₆, InP QDs with sizes of approximately 6 to 10 nm are obtained within 5 minutes. In the multiligand environment, surface oxides are effectively removed by PF₆^-, and a negatively charged surface is established through the enrichment of zinc ions. This condition facilitates further adsorption and passivation of surface defects by short-chain NH₄⁺. The resulting core-only InP QDs exhibit bright NIR-I emission, achieving a quantum yield of up to 74%. Furthermore, the application potential of these core-only QDs is demonstrated through simple patterning. This work presents a straightforward, post-treatment-free synthetic strategy for high-performance core-only NIR-I InP QDs, highlighting their significant potential for practical applications in future optoelectronic devices.

Introduction: Automated nanoscale synthesis plays a pivotal role in materials science, yet the existing methods often struggle to balance efficiency and mechanistic understanding, particularly for complex systems like gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Large language models (LLMs) show promise in enhancing synthetic workflows, but their alignment with physicochemical principles remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by integrating Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with domain-specific expertise to develop an expert-level model for AuNP synthesis.
Methods: We curated a vector database from 62 high-impact research papers focusing on AuNP synthesis, emphasizing their mechanistic insights and experimental conditions. The RAG framework leverages Deepseek as the base LLM, augmented with retrievals from the vector database to contextualize the responses. The evaluation employs the confidence-based score (c-score) proposed in a prior study, which quantifies the model’s certainty in selecting correct answers based on physicochemical mechanisms, alongside the traditional accuracy metrics.
Results: The RAG model demonstrates significant improvements over the baseline Deepseek model, achieving a c-score of 0.78 and an accuracy of 82% on a benchmark of 775 multiple-choice questions derived from AuNP synthesis experiments. These metrics surpass the performance of prior LLMs, indicating a deeper grasp of the underlying mechanisms rather than superficial pattern matching. The case studies reveal the model’s ability to resolve ambiguities in the synthesis pathways, such as the ligand-induced growth directionality and surface energy effects.
Conclusions: This work establishes RAG as a robust framework for automated nanoscale synthesis, combining domain knowledge with advanced reasoning. The integration of expert-curated literature and mechanism-focused evaluation ensures reliable predictions, paving the way for AI-driven discovery in materials science. Future directions include expanding the database to other nanomaterials and refining the retrieval strategies for real-time synthesis optimization.

Environmentally benign indium phosphide (InP) quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation full-color displays. Red- and green-emitting InP QDs and their quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) have demonstrated exceptional performance, narrowing the gap with CdSe-based counterparts. In contrast, blue-emitting InP QDs and their QLED lag behind, and the challenges of their synthesis and fabrication are widely recognized in the field. Herein, based on (DMA)₃P, we propose a novel Mg-doped core/shell architecture (InP/Zn_1-xMg_xS/ZnS QDs) to achieve efficient narrow-bandwidth pure blue emission. Sustained gradient growth of Mg-doped shell layers on an initial ZnMgS monolayer achieves a dual function : (1) stepwise matching of lattice constants between core and shell, and (2) robust exciton confinement in small-size InP cores. This strategy facilitates tunable emission from 474 nm (sky blue) to 465 nm (pure blue), with a reduced full-width-at-half-maximum from 47 nm to 39 nm, alongside significantly enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield (>90%) and fluorescence lifetime (179ns). Meanwhile, to achieve much stronger storage stability, we have developed a thin ZnS shell layer in the outermost layer. This work provides a feasible and effective strategy for obtaining narrow-band pure blue-emitting InP QDs, aiming to advance environmentally friendly InP QDs and their QLEDs for full-color displays.

With the continuous expansion of the semiconductor industry, the number of discarded light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is rapidly increasing. LEDs contain a variety of valuable metals, particularly gallium (Ga), which mainly exists in the form of GaN within the light-emitting chips. As a rare and dispersed metal, gallium has been listed as a strategic resource in many countries. However, its current recycling rate remains low, and the supply security is relatively weak. Therefore, the efficient recovery of gallium from waste LEDs not only could alleviate the pressure on the resource supply but could also help reduce the potential environmental impact of electronic waste.

On the other hand, gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃), as a wide-bandgap semiconductor material, possesses excellent electrical, optical, and catalytic properties. Especially at the nanoscale, it exhibits a high specific surface area, enhanced interfacial activity, and superior electron transport characteristics, making it highly promising for applications in ultraviolet photodetectors, high-temperature electronic devices, gas sensors, and photocatalysis. Accordingly, synthesizing nanostructured Ga₂O₃ materials from recovered gallium represents a cutting-edge approach to combining resource recycling with the development of advanced functional materials.

This study proposes a resource recovery process centered on pyrolysis–ball milling–nitric acid leaching–precipitation synthesis, using nitric acid as the leaching agent to achieve selective and efficient gallium extraction from waste LEDs. Through an orthogonal experimental design, the leaching parameters are optimized to enhance the recovery performance. Furthermore, a controlled precipitation and thermal treatment strategy is employed to synthesize nanostructured Ga₂O₃ materials, providing both theoretical support and technical pathways for the resource utilization and functional reuse of electronic waste.

This study presents the development of a novel, eco-friendly magnetic nanocatalyst functionalized with graphene oxide. The magnetic nanocatalyst functionalized with graphene oxide was fabricated in five main steps under mild conditions. We evaluated the synthesized material's use as a heterogeneous base catalyst for facilitating one-pot, three-component reactions aimed at producing various phthalazine and dihydroquinazolin derivatives. These transformations were carried out under environmentally benign and mild conditions. The reactions proceeded efficiently in water, which served as an environmentally friendly solvent, and resulted in high product yields. Notable advantages of this method include its excellent yields, the use of a green solvent, a straightforward work-up process, short reaction times, and the catalyst’s ease of recovery and reuse. All the synthesized compounds have previously been reported in the literature and were identified based on their melting points and spectroscopic data, including those obtained through FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR analyses. The structure of the newly developed catalyst was thoroughly verified using a range of analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated excellent reusability; it was recovered and reused across six reaction cycles with a minimal loss in performance.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) offer a versatile and scalable energy storage solution for various applications, including grid storage and mobile devices. In this contribution, we focus on investigating the sodium deintercalation pathways in alluaudite-type Na_2.5-xFe_1.75(SO₄)₃ cathode material using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), providing surface-sensitive insights into its chemical composition, as well as the chemical states and local environments of the elements under investigation at several charging potentials. These studies are complemented by theoretical investigations and numerous experimental techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis. Na 1s core-level analysis indicates the presence of several distinct sodium components, attributed to different chemical environments within the cathode material. Analyzing the respective core-level peak areas upon charging sheds light on the desodiation process, suggesting varied chemical behavior among the components and indicating that it may be driven by local coordination asymmetry, site-dependent activation energy, and iron cation migration. The change in this latter component, associated with Na⁺ occupying Fe sites, is less prominent, consistent with its electrochemical inactivity. Complementary Fe 2p₃/₂ XPS analysis, based on a multiplet splitting approach, confirms gradual oxidation from Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ and reveals a correlation between charge compensation and Na⁺ loss. The deviation from ideal charge balance is attributed to excess Na⁺ resulting from off-stoichiometry, as well as contributions from surface layers and interfacial reactions, as indicated by detailed C 1s XPS analysis. Together, these findings suggest a kinetically regulated Na⁺ deintercalation mechanism shaped by Fe migration and site-dependent electrostatic and electronic environments, providing insights into the surface chemistry and structural evolution of SIBs.

This work is financially supported by German Research Foundation (DFG, project number 504885810) within the OPUS-22 (LAP) program, and Polish National Science Center (NCN, OPUS 22 LAP project number: 2021/43/I/ST8/01125, AGH Excellence Initiative – Research University action 4 no. 9805

The integration of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with perovskite-based ferroelectric materials offers exciting opportunities to enhance the electrical and optical properties of optoelectronic devices. In this study, rare-earth Gd-doped bismuth ferrite (Gd-BBFT) composites with rGO were synthesized using a robust solid-state method and spun calcination techniques. Their structural, morphological, dielectric, magnetic, and optical properties were systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a rhombohedral crystal structure (R3c) in both composites, with rGO appearing as a secondary phase. The functional groups in rGO facilitated nucleation, leading to increased grain formation and enhanced grain boundary density. A ferroelectric phase transition was observed in Gd-BBFT/rGO near 250°C, making it suitable for temperature-sensitive electronic applications. Impedance spectroscopy revealed non-Debye relaxation behavior, indicating complex charge transport. Magnetic and electrical remanence confirmed the material's potential for switchable states in multifunctional devices. The incorporation of rGO marginally improved the dielectric, impedance, and optical properties of both composites. The optical bandgap was found to be in the range of 2.0–1.9 eV, suggesting enhanced light-absorption capabilities. These improvements make the Gd-BBFT/rGO composites promising candidates for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic components. The findings from this study provide valuable insights into the design of advanced rGO–perovskite composites with tailored properties for energy storage, electronic, and optical applications.

Diabetic neuropathy (DN), a prevalent complication of diabetes mellitus, is characterized by nerve damage due to hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have spotlighted the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a sustainable and nontoxic approach to combat such conditions. This review explores the therapeutic potential of AgNPs synthesized using Nigella sativa (black cumin) extract in alleviating DN through its antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Experimental studies utilized 50 adult male albino rats divided into five groups: healthy controls, DN-induced untreated, and DN-induced treated with AgNPs, N. sativa extract, or green-synthesized AgNPs, respectively. Biochemical analyses revealed that DN rats exhibited elevated glucose, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), aldose reductase, and inflammatory markers, alongside reduced insulin and disrupted oxidative status compared to controls. Notably, treatment with green-synthesized AgNPs significantly ameliorated these parameters, downregulating nerve growth factor and upregulating brain tyrosine kinase receptor A (TrkA) expression, indicating neuroprotection. A histopathological examination of brain tissue corroborated these findings, showcasing reduced neuronal damage in treated groups. Complementary evidence from related studies highlights the antimicrobial efficacy of N. sativa-derived AgNPs against diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) bacterial isolates, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, with characterization via UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, XRD, and FTIR confirming nanoparticle formation. These AgNPs demonstrated potent biofilm disruption and increased reactive oxygen species, enhancing their bactericidal effects. Additionally, thymoquinone, a key component of N. sativa, encapsulated in nanoscaffolds, boosts bioavailability and therapeutic targeting. Collectively, this review underscores the multifaceted potential of green-synthesized AgNPs with N. sativa extract as a novel neuroprotective and antimicrobial agent, offering a promising, cost-effective alternative to synthetic drugs for managing DN and associated complications through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antidiabetic mechanisms.

The urgent need to address global warming has intensified research into technologies that convert CO₂ into value-added chemicals. Among the most promising products are hydrocarbons, particularly multi-carbon (C₂₊) compounds, which serve as sustainable energy carriers. Copper stands out as a key catalyst in this transformation due to its unique ability to facilitate C–C bond formation. In this study, we explore thermally evaporated copper-based alloy layers as efficient electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction in a flow reactor system. By incorporating silver in controlled amounts, we fine-tune the surface properties and electronic structure of copper to enhance catalytic selectivity and stability. The thermal evaporation technique enables precise control over catalyst thickness and morphology on gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs), which are critical for performance. Our findings highlight copper's predominant influence in the formation of C₂₊ products, whereas silver plays a key role in enhancing the structural and operational durability of the Cu–Ag@GDE system. We conducted a systematic investigation into the electrocatalytic performance of thermally evaporated copper-based alloy layers for CO₂ reduction in a flow cell setup, with particular emphasis on the role of silver as a modifying element. Copper, known for its unique ability to catalyse the formation of C₂₊ hydrocarbons, was alloyed with varying amounts of silver to examine effects on activity, selectivity, and stability. Experiments at current densities between –150 and –190 mA/cm² revealed that incorporating silver into the Cu matrix enhanced product selectivity toward multi-carbon compounds and improved catalyst durability. Faradaic efficiencies were quantified via GC-MS/TCD and charge analysis, while structural and compositional properties were characterized using XRD, WD-XRF, FTIR, SEM, and profilometry. The Cu-dominant alloy catalysts retained structural integrity and consistent CO₂ electroreduction performance over 240 minutes of continuous operation, reinforcing the central role of copper and the synergistic contribution of silver.

The photocatalytic reduction of maleic acid (MA) to succinic acid (SA)1 represents a valuable transformation in green chemistry2, as SA is a key platform chemical and a potential intermediate in greener alternative pathways toward nylon production. This study presents the synthesis, characterization and application as catalyst of a new Cu₂O/ZnO nanocomposite encapsulated in a polydopamine (PDA) shell, which plays a crucial role (thanks to its redox active properties) in overcoming the typical photodegradation of copper oxide under UV irradiation3. The catalyst was synthesized via a fast, eco-friendly, sonochemical route in water and tested in the photoreduction of MA under 254 nm UV light in water. When combined with a catalytic amount of sodium ascorbate, the system achieved up to 61% yield and 67% selectivity in SA over 72 h. PDA enhances catalyst durability and charge separation, while isotopic experiments confirmed that water—not ascorbate—is the hydrogen source, supporting a radical-mediated mechanism. The use of ZnO as a safer alternative to TiO₂, coupled with PDA's biocompatibility and the use of ascorbate as a green co-catalyst, demonstrates the potential of this system as a scalable, environmentally friendly route for value-added chemical production.

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