Novel Gas Sensing Approach: ReS/TiCT Heterostructures for NH Detection in Humid Environments.

Continuous monitoring of ammonia (NH) in humid environments poses a notable challenge for gas sensing applications because of its effect on sensor sensitivity. The present work investigates the detection of NH in a natural humid environment utilizing ReS/TiCT heterostructures as a sensing platform. ReS nanosheets were vertically grown on the surface of TiCT sheets through a hydrothermal synthetic approach, resulting in the formation of ReS/TiCT heterostructures.

Lignin-Based Platform as a Potential Low-Cost Sorbent for the Direct Air Capture of CO.

The urgent need to address the current climate crisis has led to concerted efforts to develop low-cost and sustainable methods to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and negative emissions technologies (NET's) offer the most promising paths forward to offsetting global emissions. In this study, we explore the potential of kraft lignin, a readily available biomaterial, as a low-cost alternative for the development of a CO sorbent.

Fabrication of Rhenium Disulfide/Mesoporous Silica Core-Shell Nanoparticles for a pH-Responsive Drug Release and Combined Chemo-Photothermal Therapy.

A stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanocarrier with a core-shell structure combining photothermal therapy and chemotherapy for killing cancer cells was constructed in this study. The multifunctional nanocarrier ReS@mSiO-RhB entails an ReS hierarchical nanosphere coated with a fluorescent mesoporous silica shell. The three-dimensional hierarchical ReS nanostructure is capable of effectively absorbing near-infrared (NIR) light and converting it into heat.

Lignin-Based Nanospheres as Environmental Remediation Platforms for Anionic Dye Contaminants.

Modern manufacturing of textiles, pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, plastics, paper, etc. involves the utilization of anionic and cationic dyes that lead to significant water contamination. Recent research has explored the use of nanomaterials toward developing nanoadsorbents for water decontamination caused by industrial pollution.

Size-Controlled CuVSe Nanocrystals as Cathode Material in Platinum-Free Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

In this work, we report the first single-step, size-controlled synthesis of CuVSe cuboidal nanocrystals, with the longest dimension ranging from 9 to 36 nm, and their use in replacing the platinum counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells. CuVSe, a ternary semiconductor from the class of sulvanites, is theoretically predicted to have good hole mobility, making it a promising candidate for charge transport in solar photovoltaic devices. The identity and crystalline purity of the CuVSe nanocrystals were validated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy.

Infrared-Activated Bactericide: Rhenium Disulfide (ReS)-Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

An attractive strategy for treating bacterial infection is the combination of antibiotic chemotherapy with photothermal therapy (PTT), which could be implemented using multifunctional nanomaterials. In this work, the intrinsic photothermal efficiency of two-dimensional (2D) rhenium disulfide (ReS) nanosheets is enhanced by their coating on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) to realize a highly efficient light-responsive nanoparticle endowed with controlled-release drug delivery capability, denoted as MSN-ReS. The MSN component of the hybrid nanoparticle features augmented pore size toward facilitating increased loading of antibacterial drugs.

Dietary supplementation of synbiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroide B4 and dextran improves immune regulation and disease resistance of Penaeus vannamei against Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

White shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) is an important culture species in Taiwan but often encounters disease infection by Vibrio parahaemolyticus that cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND). This study investigates the effects of dietary supplementation of Leuconostoc mesenteroide B4 and its fermentate (dextran) on the immune response, intestinal morphology, disease resistance, and immune-related gene expression in white shrimp. In comparison to the control group, the shrimp fed with a diet containing B4+dextran (10 CFU B4/g feed and 0.

Colloidal Synthesis and Photocatalytic Properties of CuNbS and CuNbSe Sulvanite Nanocrystals.

Niobium sulvanites CuNbX (X = S, Se) have been theoretically predicted as promising candidates for solar photovoltaics and photocatalytic water splitting. This report outlines the first synthesis of CuNbS and CuNbSe in a nanocrystalline form. The crystal structures were investigated by X-ray diffraction, identity was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and the optoelectronic properties and morphology of CuNbS and CuNbSe nanocrystals were examined by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively.

Photocatalytic Deposition of Nanostructured CsPbBr Perovskite Quantum Dot Films on Mesoporous TiO and Their Enhanced Visible-Light Photodegradation Properties.

Herein, we report the in situ photocatalytic deposition of cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr) perovskite quantum dots on mesoporous TiO-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO/TiO) electrodes. The mesoporous TiO layer is used as a photocatalyst to promote the following: (1) the Pb deposition from a Pb aqueous solution and (2) the in situ Pb conversion into CsPbBr perovskite in the presence of a CsBr methanolic solution without any organic capping agent. Both steps are carried out under ultraviolet light irradiation under ambient conditions without any post-treatment.

Stand-Alone CuFeSe (Eskebornite) Nanosheets for Photothermal Cancer Therapy.

Two-dimensional CuFeSe nanosheets have been successfully obtained via solution-phase synthesis using a sacrificial template method. The high purity was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and the two-dimensional morphology was validated by transmission electron microscopy. The intense absorption in the 400-1400 nm region has been the basis for the CuFeSe nanosheets' photothermal capabilities testing.

Sulvanites: The Promise at the Nanoscale.

The class of ternary copper chalcogenides CuMX (M = V, Nb, Ta; X = S, Se, Te), also known as the sulvanite family, has attracted attention in the past decade as featuring promising materials for optoelectronic devices, including solar photovoltaics. Experimental and theoretical studies of these semiconductors have provided much insight into their properties, both in bulk and at the nanoscale. The recent realization of sulvanites at the nanoscale opens new avenues for the compounds toward printable electronics.

Cascade synthesis and optoelectronic applications of intermediate bandgap CuVSe nanosheets.

Two-dimensional (2D) ternary materials recently generated interest in optoelectronics and energy-related applications, alongside their binary counterparts. To date, only a few naturally occurring layered 2D ternary materials have been explored. The plethora of benefits owed to reduced dimensionality prompted exploration of expanding non-layered ternary chalcogenides into the 2D realm.

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals.

The ternary chalcogenide Cu3VSe4 (CVSe) with sulvanite structure has been theoretically predicted to be a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications due to its suitable bandgap for solar absorption and the relatively earth-abundant elements in its composition. To realize the absorber layer via an inexpensive route, printed thin-films could be fabricated from dispersions of nano-sized Cu3VSe4 precursors. Herein, cubic Cu3VSe4 nanocrystals were successfully synthesized via a hot-injection method.

Complete Genome Sequence of Lignin-Degrading sp. Strain S6, Isolated from an Oil Palm Plantation in Malaysia.

spp. are bacteria that are responsible for the degradation of aromatic compounds and produce secondary metabolites. Here, we present a complete genome sequence of sp.

Functional characterization of two novel parvulins in Trypanosoma brucei.

Parvulins belong to a family of peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases (PPIases) that catalyze the cis/trans conformations of prolyl-peptidyl bonds. Herein, we characterized two novel parvulins, TbPIN1 and TbPAR42, in Trypanosoma brucei. TbPIN1, a 115 amino-acid protein, contains a single PPIase domain but lacks the N-terminal WW domain.

Vault nanoparticles containing an adenovirus-derived membrane lytic protein facilitate toxin and gene transfer.

Nonviral methods of gene delivery possess several advantages over that of viral-based vectors, including having increased safety. However, the ability to achieve effective transport of therapeutic molecules across host cell membranes via nonviral methods remains a significant goal. Cell-derived nanoparticles known as vaults have been proposed as novel candidate transfer vehicles for various foreign molecules.

Real-time imaging of tunable adenosine 5-triphosphate release from an MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanosphere-based delivery system.

We studied a mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN) material with tunable release capability for drug delivery applications. We employed luciferase chemiluminescence imaging to investigate the kinetics and mechanism of the adenosine 5-triphosphate (ATP) release with various disulfide-reducing agents as uncapping triggers. ATP molecules were encapsulated within the MSNs by immersing dry nanospheres in aqueous solutions of ATP followed by capping of the mesopores with chemically removable caps, such as cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles and poly(amido amine) dendrimers (PAMAM), via a disulfide linkage.

Fine-tuning the degree of organic functionalization of mesoporous silica nanosphere materials via an interfacially designed co-condensation method.

A synthetic method that can fine tune the amount of chemically accessible organic functional groups on the pore surface of MCM-41 type mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN) materials has been developed by electrostatically matching various anionic organoalkoxysilanes with the cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles in a base-catalyzed condensation reaction of tetraethoxysilane.

A polyamidoamine dendrimer-capped mesoporous silica nanosphere-based gene transfection reagent.

We synthesized a MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanosphere (MSN)-based gene transfection system, where second generation (G2) polyamidoamines (PAMAMs) were covalently attached to the surface of MSN. The G2-PAMAM-capped MSN material (G2-MSN) was used to complex with a plasmid DNA (pEGFP-C1) that encodes for an enhanced green fluorescence protein. The gene transfection efficacy, uptake mechanism, and biocompatibility of the G2-MSN system with various cell types, such as neural glia (astrocytes), human cervical cancer (HeLa), and Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells, were investigated.

Gatekeeping layer effect: a poly(lactic acid)-coated mesoporous silica nanosphere-based fluorescence probe for detection of amino-containing neurotransmitters.

We have synthesized a poly(lactic acid) coated MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanosphere (PLA-MSN) material can serve as a fluorescence sensor system for detection of amino-containing neurotransmitters in neutral aqueous buffer. Utilizing the PLA layer as a gatekeeper, we investigated the molecular recognition events between several structurally simple neurotransmitters, i.e.

A mesoporous silica nanosphere-based carrier system with chemically removable CdS nanoparticle caps for stimuli-responsive controlled release of neurotransmitters and drug molecules.

An MCM-41 type mesoporous silica nanosphere-based (MSN) controlled-release delivery system has been synthesized and characterized using surface-derivatized cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanocrystals as chemically removable caps to encapsulate several pharmaceutical drug molecules and neurotransmitters inside the organically functionalized MSN mesoporous framework. We studied the stimuli-responsive release profiles of vancomycin- and adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-loaded MSN delivery systems by using disulfide bond-reducing molecules, such as dithiothreitol (DTT) and mercaptoethanol (ME), as release triggers. The biocompatibility and delivery efficiency of the MSN system with neuroglial cells (astrocytes) in vitro were demonstrated.