One-Step Synthesis of a Binder-Free, Stable, and High-Performance Electrode; Cu-O|CuP Heterostructure for the Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation Reaction (MOR).

Although direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) have been spotlighted in the past decade, their commercialization has been hampered by the poor efficiency of the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) due to the unsatisfactory performance of currently available electrocatalysts. Herein, we developed a binder-free, copper-based, self-supported electrode consisting of a heterostructure of CuP and mixed copper oxides, i.e.

Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanoflakes Coated with Glycol Chitosan, Propylene Glycol Alginate, and Polydopamine: Characterization and Cytotoxicity in Human Chondrocytes.

Recently, graphene and its derivatives have been extensively investigated for their interesting properties in many biomedical fields, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Nonetheless, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced GO (rGO) are still under investigation for improving their dispersibility in aqueous solutions and their safety in different cell types. This work explores the interaction of GO and rGO with different polymeric dispersants, such as glycol chitosan (GC), propylene glycol alginate (PGA), and polydopamine (PDA), and their effects on human chondrocytes.

Carbon nanostructures as a scaffold for human embryonic stem cell differentiation toward photoreceptor precursors.

Carbon nanomaterials have been introduced as a scaffold for various biological applications due to their unique physical and electrical properties. Here we studied carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as scaffold materials for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) towards photoreceptor precursor cells (PRPs). We report on their cytoxicity, their effect on cell morphology, cell-surface interface and the differentiation process.

Growth of Hybrid Inorganic/Organic Chiral Thin Films by Sequenced Vapor Deposition.

One of the many challenges in the study of chiral nanosurfaces and nanofilms is the design of accurate and controlled nanoscale films with enantioselective activity. Controlled design of chiral nanofilms creates the opportunity to develop chiral materials with nanostructured architecture. Molecular layer deposition (MLD) is an advanced surface-engineering strategy for the preparation of hybrid inorganic-organic thin films, with a desired embedded property; in our study this is chirality.