Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline by Modifying UiO-66 via Different Regulation Strategies.

Wastewater containing organic pollutants cause potential harm to the environment and human health. A series of zirconium-organic frameworks (UiO-66) and their composites were synthesized by solvothermal methods, including band gap adjustment, heterojunction construction, and metal ion doping. For the model pollutant tetracycline (TC), all of the prepared catalysts could achieve effective degradation of it.

g-CN-modified Zr-Fc MOFs as a novel photocatalysis-self-Fenton system toward the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol.

In order to explore a green, economic, and sustainable phenol production process, a heterojunction semiconductor materials g-CN/Zr-Fc MOF was synthesized an synthesis method. With the synergistic effect of photocatalysis and the Fenton effect, the composite could effectively catalyze the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol under visible light irradiation. The yield of phenol and the selectivity were 13.

Evaluating the effects of hydrophobic and cationic residues on antimicrobial peptide self-assembly.

Antimicrobial peptides typically contain hydrophobic and cationic residues, which allow them to interact with microbial cells and induce cell death. In a previous study, we found that the hydrophobic and cationic residues could also help antimicrobial peptides self-assemble into hydrogels, and this could be used as a novel approach for the preparation of hydrogel wound dressings. Therefore, in this work, four PAF26 peptide derivatives with different hydrophobic and cationic residues were used to study the effects of hydrophobic and cationic residues on self-assembly behaviours.

HPO enhanced catalytic activity of N, S, B, and O-codoped carbon nanosphere-armored CoS nanoparticles for organic pollutants degradation peroxymonosulfate activation: critical roles of superoxide radical, singlet oxygen and electron transfer.

In this study, we report a facile synthesis of a novel N, S, B, and O-codoped carbon nanosphere-armored Co9S8 nanoparticle composite (Co9S8@NSBOC) and its superior activation performance toward peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for methylene blue (MB) and ofloxacin degradation. The effects of various experimental parameters and the general applicability of the catalyst were investigated. Particularly, Co9S8@NSBOC exhibited high catalytic activity in a wide pH range of 3-12 and HPO42- exhibited a synergic catalytic effect with Co9S8@NSBOC in the degradation system.

Co nanoparticle-embedded N,O-codoped porous carbon nanospheres as an efficient peroxymonosulfate activator: singlet oxygen dominated catalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

In this study, Co nanoparticle-embedded N,O-codoped porous carbon nanospheres (C@Co) with abundant N and O doping, high graphitization, large specific surface area (319 m g) and a well-developed mesoporous structure were synthesized and characterized thoroughly, and were applied to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Various influential factors affecting the catalytic performance including C@Co dosage, PMS dosage, MB concentration, initial pH, temperature, and co-existing common anions and humic acid (HA) on the MB degradation were systematically investigated. The increase of the C@Co dosage (15-60 mg), PMS dosage (25-100 mg) and reaction temperature (278-308 K) promoted the MB degradation in the C@Co/PMS system.

Silkworm cocoon derived N, O-codoped hierarchical porous carbon with ultrahigh specific surface area for efficient capture of methylene blue with exceptionally high uptake: kinetics, isotherm, and thermodynamics.

Dyes are typical water contaminants that seriously affect water quality. In this study, silkworm cocoon derived N, O-codoped hierarchical porous carbon was successively developed a facile pre-carbonization and chemical activation method, and characterized thoroughly by SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD, Raman, N adsorption and XPS. The as-prepared N, O-HPC showed a well-developed porous structure with an ultra-high specific surface area of 2270.

An injectable molecular hydrogel assembled by antimicrobial peptide PAF26 for antimicrobial application.

Wound infection is a crucial factor that inhibits wound recovery. A feasible measure to solve this problem is using antimicrobial biomaterials to suppress the microbial growth. In this work, an amphipathic antimicrobial peptide (Ac-RKKWFW-NH, PAF26) was investigated to form the antimicrobial hydrogel.

Evolution from Classical to Non-classical Aggregation-Based Crystal Growth of Calcite by Organic Additive Control.

Aggregation-based crystal growth is distinct from the classical understanding of solution crystallization. In this study, we reveal that N-stearoyl-l-glutamic acid (C18-Glu, an amphiphile that mimics a biomineralization-relevant biomolecule) can switch calcite crystallization from a classical ion-by-ion growth to a non-classical particle-by-particle pathway, which combines the classical and non-classical crystallization in one system. This growth mechanism change is controlled by the concentration ratio of [C18-Glu]/[Ca(2+)] in solution.

Robust glucose oxidase with a FeO@C-silica nanohybrid structure.

Biomolecules, especially enzymes, usually have poor thermal and operational stability as well as limited reuse cycles, which greatly limit their industrial practices. Inspired by the biomineralization strategy evolved by natural organisms, we suggest nanohybrid enzyme formulation by in situ encapsulating enzyme loaded functional FeO@C nanoparticles with silica. By using glucose oxidase (GOD) as an example, we demonstrate that the obtained enzyme-material hybrids are featured by their significantly enhanced operational and thermal stabilities, which exhibit a relatively steady catalytic ability in a board range of 25 °C to 65 °C.

Realignment of Nanocrystal Aggregates into Single Crystals as a Result of Inherent Surface Stress.

Crystallization by particle attachment is widely observed in both natural and synthetic environments. Although this form of nonclassical crystallization is generally described by oriented attachment, random aggregation of building blocks to give single-crystal products is also observed, but the mechanism of crystallographic realignment is unknown. We herein reveal that random attachment during aggregation-based growth initially produces a nonoriented growth front.

Multifunctional Gd,Ce,Tb co-doped β-tricalcium phosphate porous nanospheres for sustained drug release and bioimaging.

Multifunctional Gd,Ce,Tb co-doped β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) porous nanospheres are prepared by a facile solvothermal strategy with trimethyl phosphate as the phosphorus source. The as-prepared nanomaterial (average diameter of 100 nm) has a multiple level pore size distribution with the specific surface area of 124.33 m g, which benefits drug loading.

Silicification-induced cell aggregation for the sustainable production of H2 under aerobic conditions.

Photobiological hydrogen production is of great importance because of its promise for generating clean renewable energy. In nature, green algae cannot produce hydrogen as a result of the extreme sensitivity of hydrogenase to oxygen. However, we find that silicification-induced green algae aggregates can achieve sustainable photobiological hydrogen production even under natural aerobic conditions.

High efficient multifunctional Ag3PO4 loaded hydroxyapatite nanowires for water treatment.

Organic, inorganic, and biological pollutants are typical water contaminants and they seriously affect water quality. In this study, we suggested that a novel multifunctional Ag3PO4 loaded hydroxyapatite (HAP) material can remove the typical pollutants from water. The Ag3PO4/HAP composites were synthesized facilely via in-situ precipitation of Ag3PO4 on the pre-existing HAP nanowires.

The effect of amorphous calcium phosphate on protein protection against thermal denaturation.

The hybrid nanoparticles of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP)-catalase (CAT) developed by in situ biomineralization can create a stable semi-aqueous nanoscale environment for entrapped proteins against thermal denaturation. This finding indicates the importance of an amorphous mineral phase in the preservation of organic macromolecules.

Virus capture and destruction by label-free graphene oxide for detection and disinfection applications.

Graphene oxide (GO) can efficiently capture viruses, destroy their surface proteins, and extract viral RNA in an aqueous environment by using the superficial bioreduction of GO. It follows from these phenomena that GO is an excellent nanomaterial for the high-throughput detection and disinfection of viruses, demonstrating its great potential for the prevention of environmental infections.