https://journals.asianresassoc.org/index.php/nanonext <p><strong>NanoNEXT (ISSN 2582-8622, Online)</strong> is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, open access international journal publishing high-quality research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The journal primarily focuses on nanomaterials and nanoscale systems, including synthesis, characterization, theoretical modelling and simulation, nanostructures, nano thin films, nanocomposites, magnetic nanomaterials, nanoelectronics, nanoscale devices, molecular electronics, nanophotonics, plasmonics, catalysis, nanosensors, quantum-confined materials, nanotubes, biomimetic materials, nanobiotechnology, bionanomaterials, and nanomedicine.</p> Asian Research Association en-US NanoNEXT 2582-8622 https://journals.asianresassoc.org/index.php/nanonext/article/view/9166 <p>Green nanoparticle synthesis using plant extracts avoids the toxic reagents and high energy demands of chemical reduction methods, but most published work treats plant identity as interchangeable and rarely identifies which phytochemicals actually drive metal-ion reduction. Xerophytic and semi-arid medicinal flora carry measurably elevated concentrations of redox-active phenolics and flavonoids relative to unstressed vegetation, yet Indian arid and semi-arid species specifically have received little of the same nanoparticle synthesis attention already given to comparable flora in Sudan and southern Africa. This review draws together the phytochemical rationale for using such flora as synthesis precursors, the mechanism connecting specific compounds to metal-ion reduction and surface capping, and a species-level survey of eleven plants across nineteen separately reported nanoparticle systems. Particle size varied by more than an order of magnitude with no consistent relationship to plant genus or precursor metal. Antimicrobial activity was confirmed in seventeen of the nineteen systems, and the phytochemical capping layer itself contributed measurable antimicrobial activity independent of the metal core. Reaction conditions, including temperature, pH, and extract-to-metal ratio, shaped particle outcomes as much as plant chemistry did. Reproducibility, compound-level mechanistic resolution, and long-term safety evidence remain unresolved. Three species originally scoped for this review, Capparis decidua, Balanites aegyptiaca, and Tecomella undulata, lacked adequate species-specific literature. No related species were substituted in their place.</p> Harsh Bhardwaj Ruchi Chauhan Anu Vedi Raaz K Maheshwari Copyright (c) 2026 Harsh Bhardwaj, Ruchi Chauhan, Anu Vedi, Raaz K Maheshwari https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2026-09-18 2026-09-18 7 3 39 54 10.54392/nnxt2632 https://journals.asianresassoc.org/index.php/nanonext/article/view/8688 <p>High-entropy oxides (HEOs) are an important class of compositionally complex oxide materials for energy storage and electrocatalysis. Their significance does not arise solely from the presence of five or more cations; multication disorder also influences phase stability, defect chemistry, oxygen-vacancy formation, local lattice strain, redox activity, and surface reconstruction. Since the first experimental demonstration of entropy-stabilized rocksalt (MgCoNiCuZn)O, the field has expanded to include rocksalt, spinel, perovskite, fluorite, pyrochlore, layered, and mixed-anion oxide frameworks. These structures are now being explored for solid electrolytes, supercapacitors, oxygen evolution, oxygen reduction, hydrogen evolution, lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, and bifunctional water-splitting systems. This review examines the thermodynamic basis of HEO formation, the role of crystal structure in compositional design, the impact of synthesis techniques on phase purity and defect populations, and the mechanistic links between local disorder and electrochemical function. Particular attention is given to oxygen vacancies, mixed-valence cations, short-range ordering, operando surface reconstruction, and descriptor-based catalyst design. The review also assesses how density functional theory, CALPHAD, machine learning, active learning, and inverse design are accelerating HEO development. One key conclusion is that future progress will depend more on designing the right type of disorder for a specific function than on simply adding more components. Standardized terminology, reproducible synthesis protocols, improved local and operando characterization, morphology-matched benchmarking, open datasets, and device-level validation are all required for the field to advance reliably.</p> Pradeep I Balaprabhakaran S Copyright (c) 2026 Pradeep I, Balaprabhakaran S https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2026-08-08 2026-08-08 7 3 1 38 10.54392/nnxt2631