Entrapment of lipid nanoparticles in peripheral endosomes but not lysosomes impairs intracellular trafficking and endosomal escape.

The uptake and intracellular trafficking of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) along the endolysosomal pathway leading to releasing compartments is critical for delivery efficiency. How the players of the processes interact with each other to affect LNP delivery remains unclear. Here, we employed a recently developed, highly sensitive LNP labeling platform in combination with defined-state of endolysosomal activity of cells to address this outstanding question with spatiotemporal analysis.

Gaucher disease in a patient with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis: case report.

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare autosomal recessive inherited, lysosomal storage disoder that involves liver, spleen, lung, bone, bone marrow even central nervous. However, GD associated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is seldom reported.

Case Presentation: Here we described a case of 35-year-old man suffering from GD with hepatosplenomegaly, ascites, bone destruction, myelofibrosis and MPGN.

A Wrinkled Ag/CNTs-PDMS Composite Film for a High-Performance Flexible Sensor and Its Applications in Human-Body Single Monitoring.

In this paper, a flexible Ag/CNTs-PDMS (polydimethylsi-loxane) composite film sensor based on the novel design philosophy was prepared. Its force-electric effect mechanism is based on the generation of micro-cracks in the Ag film during external forcing, leading to resistance variation. Experimental results find that Ag film thickness has a strong influence on the sensor's sensitivity, which exhibits a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing the Ag film thickness, and also has an optimal thickness of 4.

Flexible photodetectors based on reticulated SWNT/perovskite quantum dot heterostructures with ultrahigh durability.

Recently, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films have been regarded as a promising channel material for flexible photodetectors due to their high intrinsic carrier mobility, conductivity, and mechanical flexibility. However, the application of SWNTs in photonic devices is limited due to their weak light absorption and the absence of a gain mechanism. Here, we demonstrate a high-performance flexible photodetector that consists of a reticulated SWNT film covered with a thin film of CsPbI3 perovskite colloidal quantum dots.

Functionalized Graphene for Mechanical Property Enhancement of Polymer Composites.

Because of its high strength and high toughness, graphene has been widely used in mechanical reinforced composites. In general, the mechanical enhancement depends mainly on the properties of graphene itself and the number of surface chemical functional groups attached on it. In this paper, we report a method to improve the mechanical performance of polymer by using a kind of functionalized reduced graphene oxide (F-RGO), i.

Synthesis and enhanced microwave absorption properties: a strongly hydrogenated TiO nanomaterial.

Due to its improved physical and chemical performances, a strongly hydrogenated TiO was designed and produced successfully by using a sealing-transfer reduction method at a relatively low temperature (425 °C). The microstructures, electromagnetic and microwave absorbing properties were investigated in detail. Experimental results revealed that: (1) the minimum reflection loss (RL) value of the hydrogenated TiO up to -53.

Present Perspectives of Advanced Characterization Techniques in TiO-Based Photocatalysts.

TiO is the most investigated photocatalyst because of its nontoxicity, low cost, chemical stability, and strong photooxidative ability. Because of the morphology- and structure-dependent photocatalytic properties of TiO, accurate characterization of the crystal and electronic structures of TiO-based materials and their performance during the photocatalytic process is crucial not only for understanding the photocatalytic mechanism but also for providing experimental guidelines as well as a theoretical framework for the synthesis of high performance photocatalysts. In this review, we focused on the advanced characterization techniques that are utilized in the studies on the TiO structures and photocatalytic performance of TiO and TiO-based materials.

Highly Sensitive, Durable, and Multifunctional Sensor Inspired by a Spider.

Sensitivity, durability, and multifunction are the essential requirements for a high-performance wearable sensor. Here, we report a novel multifunctional sensor with high sensitivity and durability by using a buckled spider silk-like single-walled carbon nanotubes (SSL-SWNTs) film as the conducting network and a crack-shaped Au film as the sensitive transducer. Its high sensitivity is inspired by the crack-shaped structure of the spider's slit organs, while the high durability is inspired by the mechanical robustness of the spider silk.

Bioinspired Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Spider Silk Structure for Ultrahigh Mechanical Property.

Due to its unique hierarchical structure, natural spider silk features exceptional mechanical properties such as high tensile strength and great extensibility, making it one of the toughest materials. Herein, we design bioinspired spider silk single-walled carbon nanotubes (BISS-SWCNTs) that combine the hierarchical structure of spider silk and the high strength and conductivity of SWCNTs. To imitate the hierarchical structure, Fe nanoparticles are embedded on the surface of directly synthesized SWCNTs skeleton followed by coating an amorphous carbon layer.

A rational design for the separation of metallic and semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes using a magnetic field.

The separation of metallic (m-) and semiconducting (s-) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) without causing contamination and damage is a major challenge for SWNT-based devices. As a facile and nondestructive tool, the use of a magnetic field could be an ideal strategy to separate m-/s-SWNTs, based on the difference of magnetic susceptibilities. Here, we designed a novel magnetic field-assisted floating catalyst chemical vapor deposition system to separate m-/s-SWNTs.

Diamond synthesis from carbon nanofibers at low temperature and low pressure.

In this article, we report a new route to synthesize diamond by converting "solid" carbon nanofibers with a Spark Plasma Sintering system under low temperature and pressure (even at atmospheric pressure). Well-crystallized diamond crystals are obtained at the tips of the carbon nanofibers after sintering at 1500 °C and atmospheric pressure. Combining with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron-energy loss spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy observations, we propose the conversion mechanism as follows: the disorder "solid" carbon nanofibers→well crystallined carbon nanofibers→bent graphitic sheets→onion-liked rings→diamond single crystal→the bigger congregated diamond crystal.

Strong magnetic field-assisted growth of carbon nanofibers and its microstructural transformation mechanism.

It is well-known that electric and magnetic fields can control the growth direction, morphology and microstructure of one-dimensional carbon nanomaterials (1-DCNMs), which plays a key role for its potential applications in micro-nano-electrics and devices. In this paper, we introduce a novel process for controlling growth of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with assistance of a strong magnetic field (up to 0.5 T in the center) in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system.

Strain induced chemical potential difference between monolayer graphene sheets.

Monolayer graphene sheets were deposited on a transparent and flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate, and a tensile strain was loaded by stretching the substrate in one direction. It was found that an electric potential difference between stretched and static monolayer graphene sheets reached 8 mV when the strain was 5%. Theoretical calculations for the band structure and total energy revealed an alternative way to experimentally tune the band gap of monolayer graphene, and induce the generation of electricity.