2023 NEWS AND ANNOUCEMENTS
September 1, 2023
Dr. Mannix P. Balanay was recently appointed as an Editorial Board Member to the prestigious Nano Research Energy. Nano Research Energy is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed (single-blind) journal published quarterly by Tsinghua University Press and published exclusively on SciOpen. NRE publishes high-quality original research papers and important review articles in open-access form on advanced nanomaterials and nanotechnology for energy. It is dedicated to exploring various aspects of energy-related research that utilize nanomaterials and nanotechnology, including but not limited to energy generation, conversion, storage, conservation, clean energy, etc. The journal recently achieved a 2022 CiteScore of 13.2, placing it in the first quartile in Chemistry (miscellaneous) (5/64, 92%), Materials Science (miscellaneous) (12/120, 92%), and Energy (miscellaneous) (7/54, 87%).
For submission guidelines, click this link and to submit a manuscript, click this link. NRE is a subsidized open access journal where TUP pays for the publishing costs incurred by the journal. Authors do not have to pay any Article Processing Charge or Open Access Publication.
August 8, 2023
Our collaborative research with Prof. Capangpangan from MSU-Naawan (Philippines), conducted within the framework of the DOST-PCIEERD funded project, has been successfully published. The paper, titled "Predicting cytotoxicity of engineered nanoparticles using regularized regression models: An in silico approach" delves into an extensive study aimed at forecasting the cytotoxicity of diverse engineered nanoparticles, encompassing variations like organic, inorganic, and carbon-based compositions. This forecasting endeavor relies on the application of regularized regression models, including ridge regression, lasso regression, and elastic net regression, utilizing two distinct comprehensive datasets. A significant outcome of our study is the unequivocal demonstration that all constructed models effectively extend their predictive capabilities to uncharted data points. Moreover, our investigation spotlights the identification of the ten most influential descriptors, which encompass critical factors such as cell type, synthesis methodology, material constitution, cell source, and the presence of coatings or functional groups. These descriptors notably underscore their pivotal roles in steering nanoparticle cytotoxicity. The results of our study markedly emphasize the substantial potential of these developed models in facilitating the strategic design and selection of nanoparticles that can be considered safe for a wide spectrum of applications. You can access her paper at this link.
July 1, 2023
We are pleased to announce the publication of a paper by our Ph.D. student, Gulzat Nuroldayeva, in the journal Polymers. Titled "Flexing the Spectrum: Advancements and Prospects of Flexible Electrochromic Materials," the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of electrochromic materials. These materials can change color and transparency in response to electric stimuli and have promising applications in smart windows, displays, sensors, and wearable devices. Gulzat has done an excellent job summarizing the recent advances and challenges in this field, as well as highlighting the potential environmental and social benefits of flexible electrochromic materials. We congratulate Gulzat on her achievement and look forward to reading more of her work in the future. You can access her paper at this link.
June 13, 2023
We are thrilled to announce the publication of our 3rd book chapter in the prestigious ACS Symposium Series. In this chapter, we explore the fascinating realm of polymeric foam for sensors, highlighting its remarkable advantages. With its cost-effectiveness, flexibility, wearability, and ease of processing, polymeric foam has emerged as a compelling choice. Notably, its exceptional sensitivity has garnered significant interest from researchers across diverse scientific and technological fields. We invite you to access the chapter online at this link. By delving into the intricacies of polymeric foam for sensors, we aim to provide valuable insights and contribute to the scientific community's knowledge base. Join us in celebrating the outstanding work and contributions of Dr. Bakhytzhan and Dr. Yerbolat. Their dedication and expertise have propelled this achievement, strengthening our commitment to advancing sensor technology.
June 10, 2023
We wholeheartedly congratulate our esteemed graduates who have come from our laboratory. This memorable occasion is of special significance to us as it marks a remarkable milestone in the history of our laboratory. We are proud that for the first time a group of talented individuals have completed their academic careers under the guidance of our laboratory, which makes this achievement even more remarkable. We admire their unwavering commitment, their relentless pursuit of knowledge, and the significant contributions they have made to the research efforts of our laboratory. It is with great pride and pleasure that we celebrate this remarkable group of graduates and look forward to the extraordinary impact they will make in their respective fields as they begin the next chapter of their journey. Dr. Enoch (2nd from left) will join Prof. Lee's lab, while Dias (left) and Sherif (right) will continue their PhD work in our lab.
March 28, 2023
We are pleased to announce that our 2nd book chapter, authored by our colleagues Dr. Bakhytzhan, Dr. Yerbolat and Dr. Mannix, has been published in CRC Press under the title "Metal Oxide-Based Flexible and Wearable Sensors". This chapter reviews recent advances and challenges in the design and fabrication of metal oxide-based flexible and wearable sensors for various applications. The chapter also discusses the future prospects and opportunities of this emerging research area. You can access the chapter online at this link. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bakhytzhan and Dr. Yerbolat for their outstanding work and contribution to the scientific community.
March 24, 2023
Our co-published article with researchers from Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Tau fibril with membrane lipids: insight from computational modeling and simulations, was selected to appear in PLOS Showcase on Kudos. To read the full article, click this link.
PLOS Showcase is a selection of articles published in PLOS journals and explained by the authors in plain language.
My congratulations to Dr. Prechiel, Dr. Marvin, and Dr. Christopher for this achievement.
February 26, 2023
We would like to congratulate Dr. Prechiel Barredo, now at Mindanao State University - Main Campus, Marawi City, Philippines, for publishing an invited article entitled "Recent advances in molecular dynamics simulations of tau fibrils and oligomers" at Membranes (MDPI) as part of the special issue Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Biological Membranes. In this review paper, current MD simulation studies of tau oligomers and fibrils such as tau-NPK, tau-PHF, tau-K18 and tau-R3-R4 monomers and dimers interacting in solution, lipid bilayers or lipid membrane systems are discussed for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other tauopathies. Also discussed is the dissociation of tau fibrils, which has been studied using steered MD.
To read the full article, click this link.
February 13, 2023
We welcome Najeeb S. Abdulla II, a visiting Ph.D. student from Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, who will be conducting his experimental work in the fmc² laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Mannix. Najeeb is also a member of the Department of Chemistry, Western Mindanao State University. We would also like to acknowledge the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) under their Human Resource Development Program.
February 3, 2023
We are thrilled to announce another publication from our research group. We would like to congratulate Dr. Bakhytzhan Baptayev and Dr. Yerbolat Tashenov for publishing an article in Surfaces and Interfaces (Elsevier) entitled "Facile fabrication of ZnCo2S4@MWCNT as Pt-free counter electrode for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells". In this work, we presented a facile synthesis of ZnCo2S4@MWCNT using a two-step process: first with a spray coating on an FTO glass with MWCNT, followed by the solvothermal synthesis of the ZnCo2S4 on the MWCNT-coated FTO glass. The as-prepared film was used as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. Under 100 mW/cm2 conditions, the ZnCo2S4@MWCNT-based composite solar cell showed an efficiency of 8.55%, which is higher than the PCE of the Pt-based DSSC control (8.19%). This remarkable result can be attributed to the low charge transfer resistance and excellent electrocatalytic activity of ZnCo2S4@MWCNT in triiodide reduction. The novel ZnCo2S4@MWCNT composite material could replace Pt in the development of low- cost and high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cells.
To read the full article, click this link.
February 2, 2023
We would like to congratulate Enoch Adotey for publishing an article in Sensors (MDPI) entitled "N,Zn-doped fluorescent sensor based on carbon dots for the subnanomolar detection of soluble Cr(VI) ions." In this article, we report the synthesis of novel mixed-ligand luminescent carbon dots (N,Zn-CDs) using a microwave-assisted method under relatively low conditions (200°C, 30 min). The N,Zn-CDs showed their sensing ability toward Cr(VI) ions by effectively quenching the fluorescence intensity. The mechanism of Cr (VI) detection was attributed to the inner filter effect (IFE), in which there was an overlap between the absorption bands of Cr (VI) and the emission and excitation peaks of the N,Zn CDs. The XPS analyzes before and after the addition of Cr (VI) showed that the disappearance of O-H bonds from the deconvoluted oxygen peaks (O1s) led to free O2-/H+ species in the aqueous solutions, so that increased N-O appeared in the deconvoluted N1s peaks. More importantly, this free O2-/H+ species in the solution matrix led to the formation of (ZnH)+ groups (1023.5 eV). Thus, the zinc metal present in this nanomaterial played a crucial role by creating a coordination site for the H+ ions that were displaced into the matrix after the addition of Cr(VI) into the system. Overall, the chemoselective fluorescent probe showed a detection limit of 0.45 nM for Cr(VI) ions.
To read the full article, click this link.