Facile synthesis of MoS@red phosphorus heterojunction for synergistically photodynamic and photothermal therapy of renal cell carcinoma.

The therapy of the clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is crucial for the human healthcare due to its easy metastasis and recurrence, as well as resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this work, we propose the synthesis of MoS@red phosphorus (MoS@RP) heterojunction to induce synergistic photodynamic and photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) of ccRCC. The MoS@RP heterojunction exhibits enhanced spectra absorption in the NIR range and produce local heat-increasing under the NIR laser irradiation compared with pure MoS and RP.

A Sustainable Route to Ruthenium Phosphide (RuP)/Ru Heterostructures with Electron-Shuttling of Interfacial Ru for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

Ruthenium (Ru) is a promising electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), despite suffering from low activity in non-acidic conditions due to the high kinetic energy barrier of HO dissociation. Herein, the synthesis of carbon nanosheet-supported RuP/Ru heterostructures (RuP/Ru@CNS) from a natural polysaccharide is reported and demonstrates its behavior as an effective HER electrocatalyst in non-acidic conditions. The RuP/Ru@CNS exhibits low overpotential (106 mV at 200 mA·cm) in alkaline electrolyte, exceeding most reported Ru-based electrocatalysts.

Mesoporous zinc oxide-based drug delivery system offers an antifungal and immunoregulatory strategy for treating keratitis.

Fungal keratitis is a refractory eye disease that is prone to causing blindness. Fungal virulence and inflammatory responses are two major factors that accelerate the course of fungal keratitis. However, the current antifungal drugs used for treatment usually possess transient residence time on the ocular surface and low bioavailability deficiencies, which limit their therapeutic efficacy.

Preparation of high-strength photochromic alginate fibers based on the study of flame-retardant properties.

Color-changing fibers have attracted much attention for their wide applications in camouflage, security warnings, and anti-counterfeiting. The inorganic color-changing material tungsten trioxide (WO) has been widely investigated for its good stability, controllability, and ease of synthesis. In this study, photochromic alginate fibers (WO@Ca-Alg) were prepared by incorporating UV-responsive hybrid tungsten trioxide nanoparticles in the fiber production process.

Electron-rich palladium regulated by cationic vacancies in CoFe layered double hydroxide boosts electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination.

Palladium (Pd) is regarded as a promising electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (EHDC) catalyst for the detoxification of halogenated phenols. Nevertheless, its intrinsic EHDC activity is seriously restricted by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), consuming the active hydrogen (H*) for EHDC. Here, we report a defect regulation strategy using cationic vacancies rich CoFe-LDH with coupling ultrafine Pd nanoparticles that induces optimized electron distribution of Pd to promote EHDC.

Precise Modulation of Carbon Activity Sites in Metal-Free Covalent Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis.

Metal-free carbon-based materials have gained recognition as potential electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in new environmentally-friendly electrochemical energy conversion technologies. The presence of effective active centers is crucial for achieving productive ORR. In this study, we present the synthesis of two metal-free dibenzo[a,c]phenazine-based covalent organic frameworks (DBP-COFs), specifically JUC-650 and JUC-651, which serve as ORR electrocatalysts.

Quasi-Three-Dimensional Cyclotriphosphazene-Based Covalent Organic Framework Nanosheet for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

Metal-free carbon-based materials are considered as promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts for clean energy conversion, and their highly dense and exposed carbon active sites are crucial for efficient ORR. In this work, two unique quasi-three-dimensional cyclotriphosphazene-based covalent organic frameworks (Q3CTP-COFs) and their nanosheets were successfully synthesized and applied as ORR electrocatalysts. The abundant electrophilic structure in Q3CTP-COFs induces a high density of carbon active sites, and the unique bilayer stacking of [6 + 3] imine-linked backbone facilitates the exposure of active carbon sites and accelerates mass diffusion during ORR.

Low temperature-resistant superhydrophobic and elastic cellulose aerogels derived from seaweed solid waste as efficient oil traps for oil/water separation.

Aerogel has excellent application potential in adsorption, heat preservation, and other areas due to its typical advantages of low density and high porosity. However, there are several issues with the use of aerogel in oil/water separation, including weak mechanical qualities and challenges in eliminating organic contaminants at low temperature. Inspired by cellulose Iα, which has excellent performance at low temperature, this study used cellulose Iα nanofibers extracted from seaweed solid waste as the skeleton, through covalent cross-linked with ethylene imine polymer (PEI) and hydrophobic modification of 1, 4-phenyl diisocyanate (MDI), supplemented by freeze-drying technology to form three-dimensional sheet, and successfully obtained cellulose aerogels derived from seaweed solid waste (SWCA).

Fabrication of a lamellar alginate-based aerogel decorated with carbon quantum dots for controlled fluorescence behaviors.

This study aimed to construct an alginate aerogel doped with carbon quantum dots and investigate the fluorescence properties of the composites. The carbon quantum dots with the highest fluorescence intensity were obtained using a methanol-water ratio of 1 : 1, a reaction time of 90 minutes, and a reaction temperature of 160 °C. The fluorescent carbon quantum dot sodium alginate-based aerogel (FCSA) obtained by compounding alginate and carbon quantum dots exhibited excellent fluorescence properties when the concentration of nano-carbon quantum dot solution was 10.

Theoretical study of local S coordination environment on Fe single atoms for peroxymonosulfate-based advanced oxidation processes.

Tuning the electronic structure of single atom catalysts (SACs) is an effective strategy to promote the catalytic activity in peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Herein, a series of Fe-based SACs with S-coordination numbers on graphene were designed to regulate the electronic structural of SACs at molecular level, and their effects on PMS activation were investigated via density function theory (DFT). The calculation results demonstrate that the electron structure of the active center can be adjusted by coordination environment, which further affects the activation of PMS.

Alginate Fiber-Grafted Polyetheramine-Driven High Ion-Conductive and Flame-Retardant Separator and Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Batteries.

Traditional polymer-based separators and solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) often suffer from inherent poor flame retardancy and unsatisfied ionic conductivity, which seriously affect the safety and energy storage performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Inspired by the mechanism of Li conductivity, an alginate fiber (AF)-grafted polyetheramine (AF-PEA) separator with efficient Li transport and excellent flame retardancy is dedicatedly designed, which also can act as the backbone for PEO-based SPEs (PEO@AF-PEA). Based on the intrinsic flame retardancy of the AF, the AF-PEA shows self-extinguishing ability, and its Li transport ability (1.

Drug-loaded mesoporous carbon with sustained drug release capacity and enhanced antifungal activity to treat fungal keratitis.

Fungal keratitis is a severe infectious corneal disease with a high rate of incidence and blindness. Since traditional treatments natamycin (NATA) eye drops, exhibit poor dissolution and bioavailability, and the efficacy of current therapeutic approaches remains limited. In this study, we innovatively utilized mesoporous carbon (Meso-C) and microporous carbon (Micro-C) as nanocarriers loaded with the antifungal drug NATA and silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs).

Electrostatic Interaction in Amino Protonated Chitosan-Metal Complex Anion Hydrogels: A Simple Approach to Porous Metal Carbides/N-Doped Carbon Aerogels for Energy Conversion.

In the face of the increasingly serious rapid depletion of fossil fuels, exploring alternative energy conversion technologies may be a promising choice to alleviate this crisis. Transition metal carbides (TMCs)/carbon composites are considered as prospective electrocatalysts due to their high catalytic activities and structural stability. In this work, we report the simple synthesis of TMCs/N-doping carbon aerogels (TMCs/NCAs, including FeC/NCA, MoC/NCA, and FeC-MoC/NCA) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using protonated chitosan/metal complex anion-chelated aerogels.

Crystal Phase-Related Toxicity of One-Dimensional Titanium Dioxide Nanomaterials on Kidney Cells.

One-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials are widely used in different fields, and the increased application of 1D nanomaterials has drawn concerns about their unknown toxicity. 1D titanium oxide (TiO) nanomaterials in different crystal phases are commonly applied in environmental remediation and solar energy conversion fields, but these materials pose a threat to human health, especially to the kidneys, an organ with abundant blood flow. To systematically evaluate the cytotoxicity to the kidneys, TiO nanofibers with TiO(B), anatase, and rutile phases, as well as nanorods with anatase and rutile phases were synthesized and added to the culture medium of HK2 cells.

Controlled Asymmetric Charge Distribution of Active Centers in Conjugated Polymers for Oxygen Reduction.

Active center reconstruction is essential for high performance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts. Usually, the ORR activity stems from the electronic environment of active sites by charge redistribution. We introduce an asymmetry strategy to adjust the charge distribution of active centers by designing conjugated polymer (CP) catalysts with different degrees of asymmetry.

Red Phosphorus Decorated TiO Nanorod Mediated Photodynamic and Photothermal Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a serious and tenacious disease. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) are effective means of cancer treatment. However, PDT combined with PTT has been rarely reported in ccRCC treatment.

Hydrogen Bond Interpenetrated Agarose/PVA Network: A Highly Ionic Conductive and Flame-Retardant Gel Polymer Electrolyte.

The gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is the key to assembling high-performance solid-state supercapacitors (SSCs). The commercial poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) GPE has developed a reputation due to low ionic conductivity endowed by its high crystallinity and poor water retention capacity. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) calculations first revealed that the high crystallinity of PVA can be greatly disrupted by forming hydrogen bonds with natural agarose macromolecules.

Gradient-Concentration Design of Stable Core-Shell Nanostructure for Acidic Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis.

Manipulating the surface structure of electrocatalysts at the atomic level is of primary importance to simultaneously achieve the activity and stability dual-criteria in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Here, a durable acidic ORR electrocatalyst with the "defective-armored" structure of Pt shell and Pt-Ni core nanoparticle decorated on graphene (Pt-Ni@Pt /G) using a facile and controllable galvanic replacement reaction to generate gradient distribution of Pt-Ni composition from surface to interior, followed by a partial dealloying approach, leaching the minor nickel atoms on the surface to generate defective Pt skeleton shell, is reported. The Pt-Ni@Pt /G catalyst shows impressive performance for ORR in acidic (0.

Metal-Free Thiophene-Sulfur Covalent Organic Frameworks: Precise and Controllable Synthesis of Catalytic Active Sites for Oxygen Reduction.

Defective or heteroatom-doped metal-free carbon materials (MFCMs) have been regarded as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts in the past decade. However, the active centers for ORR in MFCMs are hard to confirm precisely and synthesize controllably through common methods such as high-temperature pyrolysis or heteroatom doping. To verify the precise structure acting as the active center for the ORR, we first report two crystalline metal-free thiophene-sulfur covalent organic frameworks (MFTS-COFs) as ORR catalysts.

Exfoliated Mesoporous 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks for High-Rate Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors.

The electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are highly demanded electrical energy storage devices due to their high power density with thousands of cycle life compared with pseudocapacitors and batteries. Herein, a series of capacitor cells composed of exfoliated mesoporous 2D covalent organic frameworks (e-COFs) that are able to perform excellent double-layer charge storage is reported. The selected mesoporous 2D COFs possess eclipsed AA layer-stacking mode with 3.

Three-Dimensional Tetrathiafulvalene-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Tunable Electrical Conductivity.

The functionalization of three-dimensional (3D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is essential to broaden their applications. However, the introduction of organic groups with electroactive abilities into 3D COFs is still very limited. Herein we report the first case of 3D tetrathiafulvalene-based COFs (3D-TTF-COFs) with non- or 2-fold interpenetrated topology and tunable electrochemical activity.

Heterocyclization Strategy for Construction of Linear Conjugated Polymers: Efficient Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction.

Exploring cost-effective and efficient metal-free electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for the development of energy conversion and storage technologies. Reported here is a novel heterocyclization strategy to construct efficient ORR catalysts based on linear conjugated polymers (LCPs), which are composed of N-, S-, or Se-heterocycles. Among these polymers, the covalently linked pyridine and thiophene molecule (P-T) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) exhibits a remarkable half-wave potential of 0.

Three-dimensional Salphen-based Covalent-Organic Frameworks as Catalytic Antioxidants.

The development of three-dimensional (3D) functionalized covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) is of critical importance for expanding their potential applications. However, the introduction of functional groups in 3D COFs remains largely unexplored. Herein, we report the first example of 3D Salphen-based COFs (3D-Salphen-COFs) and their metal-containing counterparts (3D-M-Salphen-COFs).