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The purpose of this paper is to introduce four new organic dyes based on naphthalimide for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).

Four new dyes based on naphthalimide with substitutions of amine and acetylamine in position C4 were designed in conjugation with substituted carbazole as donor–acceptor (D-A) architecture. The absorption and emission characteristics of the prepared dyes were evaluated in H₂O, DMF and their mixture (DMF:H₂O = 1:1). The feasibility of electron transfer in the DSSCs structure and energy levels were evaluated using electrochemical and density functional theory, which confirm the use of dyes in the DSSCs structure. The DSSCs were prepared using an individual strategy and their optical properties were investigated under the light of AM 1.5.

The prepared dyes exhibit orange color with strong emission at λem = 530–570 nm due to charge transfer with a positive solvatochromic effect. The efficiency of DSSCs based on Dye1-4 1 is: 3.69%, 3.71%, 4.69% and 4.76%. Therefore, the power efficiency increases by about 29 % in the presence of acetylamine group.

The design of new structures of organic dyes should be accompanied by the development of optical and electrical properties. In other words, in addition to the continuous production of electrons, efficient dyes must also be resistant to light to increase the life of the device.

Organic dyes play a key role in the production of electrons in the DSSCs structure. The engineering of these structures and the introduction of widely used but low cost types can play an important role in the development of clean energy production.

The application of organic dyes based on naphthalimide was evaluated in the DSSCs structure and its photovoltaic properties were investigated.

This study aims to explore the synthesis, characteristics and utilization of polymer composites integrated with cutting-edge pigments.

The incorporation of advanced pigments introduces functionalities such as enhanced mechanical strength, thermal stability, ultraviolet resistance and color stability, thus extending the range of applications in diverse fields including automotive, aerospace, electronics and construction.

This review discusses the mechanisms underlying the property enhancements achieved through the incorporation of advanced pigments and highlights recent developments in the field.

Polymer composites incorporating advanced pigments have garnered significant attention in recent years because of their potential to enhance various material properties and broaden their applications. This paper explores the fabrication methods of polymer composites reinforced with organic/inorganic advanced pigments in brief along with their characteristics and applications.

A review of sustainability challenges of flame retardants (FRs) for textiles has been conducted. Specifically, the purpose of this paper is to identify and recommend solutions to sustainability challenges emanating from the raw material, processing technology and performance of the FRs used for textiles.

The approach used in preparing this paper was based on the review of various scholarly databases about the subject matter. The review approach is designed to inform the readers about the sustainability challenges of FRs for textiles. The science of burning and FRs for synthetic and cellulosic fibres were reviewed. Both synthetic and natural biodegradable FRs for textiles has been identified. The obtained literature was then synthesised to get information about sustainable challenges of non-halogenated FRs both synthetic and natural biodegradable. Finally, possible approaches for mitigating the identified challenges have been recommended.

The sustainability challenges of the FRs in terms of raw material, processing, affordability and performance have been identified. Synthetic FRs suffer from sustainability challenges in terms of raw materials, processing and non-renewability. Despite the environmental friendliness and sustainability in terms of being renewability, processability and biodegradability, natural biodegradable FRs have poor performance compared to synthetic ones. Moreover, natural biodegradable FRs depend on geographical condition and lack economic variability data. Potentially, the challenges of FRs can be mitigated through eco-friendly synthesis, chemical modification and sustainable methods of applications. Because of its renewability and environmental friendliness, biodegradable FRs have a potential to becoming sustainable if researched more.

In this review, a collection of literature about sustainability challenges of FRs and the approaches to overcome the challenges has been provided. The collected information was analysed and synthesised to bring understanding of the science of burning, types and application of FRs for textiles and biodegradable FRs. Sustainability challenges have been identified, and mitigation approaches are provided.

This paper aims to design the nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂) coating system which has superhydrophilic property, self-cleaning mechanism and antifog property as well as strong adhesion on glass substrate.

Two hydrophilic materials have been used such as TiO₂ nanoparticles as fillers and hydrophilic copolymer, Pluronic F-127 by using simple sol–gel approach. The prepared solution was applied onto glass through dip- and spray-coating techniques and then left for drying at ambient temperature.

The nano-TiO₂ superhydrophilic coating has achieved the water contact angle of 4.9° ± 0.5°. The superhydrophilic coating showed great self-cleaning effect against concentrated syrup and methylene blue where thin layer of water washes the dirt contaminants away. The nano-TiO₂ coating exhibits great antifog performance that maintains high transparency of around 89% when the coated glass is placed above hot-fog vapor for 10 min. The fog droplets were condensed into water film which allowed the transmission of light through the glass. The strong adhesion of coated glass shows no total failure at scratch profile when impacted with scratch load of 500, 800 and 1,200 mN.

Findings will be useful in the development of self-cleaning superhydrophilic coating that is applicable on building glass and photovoltaic panel.

The developed nano-TiO₂ coating is developed by the combination of hydrophilic organic copolymer–inorganic TiO₂ network to achieve great superhydrophilic property, optimum self-cleaning ability and supreme antifog performance.

The findings will be useful for residents in building glass window where the application will reduce dust accumulation and keep the glass clean for longer period.

The synthesis of nano-TiO₂ superhydrophilic coating which can be sprayed on large glass panel and cured at ambient temperature.

The main purpose of the present work is to introduce two new Schiff bases as corrosion inhibitors (CIs) for carbon steel (CS). The anti-corrosion performance of these Schiff bases having N and S heteroatoms in their structures was investigated and compared in 2 M HCl electrolyte. The inhibitory activity of these Schiff bases was also assessed.

Common electrochemical assays like potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance measurements were used to evaluate the ability of compounds in reduction of the rate of corrosion. Quantum chemical calculations (QCCs) were also used to examine the corrosion inhibitive and the process related to the electrical and structural characteristics of the molecules acting as CIs.

The electrochemical measurements indicate that both Schiff bases acted as the efficient CIs of CS in 2 M HCl electrolyte. The adsorption of the Schiff base on the surface of the CS caused the corrosion to be inhibited. The change of Gibbs energies indicated that both physical and chemical interactions are involved in the adsorption of NNS and SNS on CS surfaces. The predicted QCCs of the CIs neutral and positively charged versions were well-aligned with those obtained by electrochemical experiments.

Using electrochemical experiments and quantum chemical modelings, two new Schiff bases, N-2-((2-nitrophenyl)thio)phenyl)-1-(pyrrole-2-yl)methanimine (NNS) and N-2-((2-nitrophenyl)thio)phenyl)-1-(thiophen-2-yl)methanimine (SNS), were evaluated as anti-corrosion agents for CS in 2 M HCl electrolyte. The DFT calculations were considered to compute the quantum chemical parameters of the inhibitors.

Regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) is understood as the world's largest trading bloc given its contribution to the world output (30%). The mega trade bloc brings together 15 countries of East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers in goods and services trade. The study suggests the importance of sector specific reforms for Malaysia to strengthen domestic capability.

The analytical framework constructs upon the partial equilibrium analysis and uses WITS SMART simulations.

The study finds that Malaysia's elimination of tariffs under the RCEP will cause a surge in imports from developed member countries of RCEP like Australia, South Korea and Japan. The study also finds a trade diversion in countries such as India. The empirical results establishes that RCEP would further strengthen intra-ASEAN trade.

The study explores select sectors of the manufacturing industry in Malaysia.

The implementation of RCEP would impact the manufacturing sector immensely, especially in sectors like electrical machinery and equipment and inorganic chemicals, which are two of the major trading commodities of the Malaysian economy.

Any trade agreement has a larger impact on the society. It may raise income, boost the consumer preferences and create or erode consumer welfare. The study reports the consumer welfare effect of the implementation of RCEP in Malaysia.

The study is the first attempt to do a partial equilibrium analysis for the electrical machinery and equipment sector and inorganic chemicals sector of Malaysia using both aggregated and disaggregated data at HS two-digit and HS six-digit level.

Hexavalent chromium has been a benchmark corrosion inhibitor before it was phased out because of its carcinogenic properties. However, because it was phased out, many alternative corrosion inhibitors have been introduced but failed to meet the performance of this benchmark inhibitor. Consequently, benzotriazole (BTA) was reported to exhibit chromate-like inhibition performance. Subsequently, Intelli-ion was reported by researchers to exhibit chromate-like performance also with claims of being a unique alternative. This paper aims to review the inhibition performance of these two alternatives. Above all, promotes the unique inhibition performance of Intelli-ion that makes it suitable for application in many sectors.

In this paper, the corrosion inhibition performances of BTA and Intelli-ion were compared systematically by reviewing some related literatures based on the opinion of the authors.

Different methodologies for measuring the inhibition performance of BTA showed that it’s an inhibitor of choice. However, the cut edge corrosion performance of Intelli-ion and BTA corrosion inhibitors on galvanized steel of 55% Wt.% Al, 44% Wt.% Zn and 1% Wt.% Si in 5 Wt.% NaCl solution was compared when subjected to scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) for 24 h. The results showed faint blue-colored region depicting negative cathodic current density for the Intelli-ion while there was a high-intensity of red-colored region depicting a positive anodic current density for BTA. In other words, the Intelli-ion inhibitor had a better overall cut-edge corrosion inhibition performance than the BTA inhibitor.

This paper compares and further, summarizes the corrosion inhibition performance of Intelli-ion and BTA by evaluating SVET results from the literature. In addition, it serves as an overview and reference for the unique inhibition performance of Intelli-ion when applied in field applications.

The main purpose of the present study is to introduce new Schiff bases as corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 1 M HCl. The inhibitory activity of Schiff base was also assessed.

2,2′-((1Z,1′Z)-((2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diyl)bis(azanylylidene))bis(methanylylidene))diphenol was synthesized and it’s performance as an inhibitor was then investigated in 1 M HCl. The inhibition of this compound was studied and evaluated by the chemical methods of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrochemical potential dynamic polarization and Atomic Force microscopy (AFM) method. The thermodynamics parameters were investigated for corrosion of carbon steel in both the absence and presence of Schiff base.

The results of the tests showed that this compound has a good performance as an inhibitor and the percentage of inhibition on steel corrosion will increase with increasing concentration and it will reach 70% in the presence of 2 × 10⁻³ M of this inhibitor. Polarization tests indicated that this compound will act as a mixed inhibitor. Nyquist curves showed that the addition of this substance to the solution increased the charge transfer resistance and decreased the capacity of the double layer. The absorption of the new Schiff base on steel follows Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the amount of free energy of adsorption indicates the spontaneous adsorption of this inhibitor. Using AFM investigations, the results of electrochemical methods were confirmed.

Incorporation of a new Schiff base into 1 M HCl is a promising approach for protecting the carbon steel against corrosive solution.

This study aims to fabricate the acrylic-based polymeric composite coating with a hydrophobic surface associated with natural oil polyol (NOP) and polydimethylsiloxane with the incorporation of 3 Wt.% SiO₂ nanoparticle (SiO₂np) against the corrosive NaCl media.

The structural properties of the formulated polymeric composite coatings were investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, water contact angle (WCA) and cross-hatch (X-Hatch) tests. The WCA measurement was used to study the surface wettability of the formulated polymeric composite coatings. The corrosion protection performance of the nanocomposite coated on the mild steel substrate was studied by immersing the samples in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution for 30 days using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

The enhanced polymeric composite coating system performed with an excellent increase in the WCA up to 111.1° which is good hydrophobic nature and very high coating resistance in the range of 10¹⁰ Ω attributed to the superiority of SiO₂np.

The incorporation of SiO₂np into the polymeric coating could enhance the surface roughness and hydrophobic properties that could increase corrosion protection. This approach is a novel attempt of using NOP along with the addition of SiO₂np.

Peanut skins are an agro-waste product with no commercial value. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate peanut skin as a natural dyestuff and to determine if this natural dye could be used in the dyeing of some Egyptian cotton cultivars.

The methodology consists of several steps; dye extraction procedure from peanut skin through aqueous extraction, then dyeing optimized using simultaneous mordanting using alum. Finally, dyed cotton has been subjected to different textile laboratory tests, for example, color measurements and mechanical properties. Color-fastness was determined on Egyptian cotton fabric. The peanut skin as a source of natural dye and the dyed cotton sample were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis.

It was found that the natural dye extracted from peanut skin has an affinity for cotton samples and showed high dyeability with a unique color shade, good color strength and very good fastness.

The novelty of this paper is the extraction of color from the peanut's outer skin which is discarded as waste such as agro-waste of the agricultural process which can be used as a natural dye in the textile industry and applied to dyeing some Egyptian cotton fibers from different genotypes.