Erratum: Interlaboratory study on SbS interplay between structure, dielectric function, and amorphous-to-crystalline phase change for photonics.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.

A melanin-like polymer bearing phenylboronic units as a suitable bioplatform for living cell display technology.

Surface display of functional groups with specific reactivity around living cells is an emerging, low cost and highly eco-compatible technology that serves multiple applications, ranging from basic biochemical studies to biomedicine, therapeutics and environmental sciences. Conversely to classical methods exploiting hazardous organic synthesis of precursors or monovalent functionalization via genetics, here we perform functional decoration of individual living microalgae using suitable biocoatings based on polydopamine, a melanin-like synthetic polymer. Here we demonstrate the one-pot synthesis of a functional polydopamine bearing phenylboronic units which can decorate the living cell surfaces via a direct ester formation between boronic units and surface glycoproteins.

Defect healing and doping of CVD graphene by thermal sulfurization.

CVD graphene layers are intrinsically polycrystalline; depending on grain size, their structure at the atomic level is scarcely free of defects, which affects the properties of graphene. On the one hand, atomic-scale defects act as scattering centers and lead to a loss of carrier mobility. On the other hand, structural disorder at grain boundaries provides additional resistance in series that affects material conductivity.

Stability of Nanometer-Thick Layered Gallium Chalcogenides and Improvements via Hydrogen Passivation.

The gallium monochalcogenides family, comprising gallium sulfide (GaS), gallium selenide (GaSe), and gallium telluride (GaTe), is capturing attention for its applications in energy storage and production, catalysis, photonics, and optoelectronics. This interest originates from their properties, which include an optical bandgap larger than those of most common transition metal dichalcogenides, efficient light absorption, and significant carrier mobility. For any application, stability to air exposure is a fundamental requirement.

Drug Delivery through Epidermal Tissue Cells by Functionalized Biosilica from Diatom Microalgae.

Diatom microalgae are a natural source of fossil biosilica shells, namely the diatomaceous earth (DE), abundantly available at low cost. High surface area, mesoporosity and biocompatibility, as well as the availability of a variety of approaches for surface chemical modification, make DE highly profitable as a nanostructured material for drug delivery applications. Despite this, the studies reported so far in the literature are generally limited to the development of biohybrid systems for drug delivery by oral or parenteral administration.

Raman, WAXS, and Solid-State NMR Characterizations of Regenerated Silk Fibroin Using Lanthanide Ions as Chaotropic Agents.

silk fibroin (SF) has been reported as a convenient natural material for regenerative medicine, optoelectronics, and many other technological applications. SF owes its unique features to the hierarchical organization of the fibers. Many efforts have been made to set up protocols for dissolution since many applications of SF are based on regenerated solutions and fibers, but chaotropic conditions required to disassemble the packing of the polymer afford solutions with poor crystalline behavior.

Boronic Acid Moieties Stabilize Adhesion of Microalgal Biofilms on Glassy Substrates: A Chemical Tool for Environmental Applications.

Photosynthetic organisms such as diatoms microalgae provide innovative routes to eco-friendly technologies for environmental pollution bioremediation. Living diatoms are capable to incorporate in vivo a wide variety of chemical species dispersed in seawater, thus being promising candidates for eco-friendly removal of toxic contaminants. However, their exploitation requires immobilization methods that allow to confine microalgae during water treatment.

Improving the In Vitro Removal of Indoxyl Sulfate and p-Cresyl Sulfate by Coating Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and Poly-vinyl-pyrrolidone-co-styrene (PVP-co-S) with Polydopamine.

Polydopamine (PDA) is a synthetic eumelanin polymer mimicking the biopolymer secreted by mussels to attach to surfaces with a high binding strength. It exhibits unique adhesive properties and has recently attracted considerable interest as a multifunctional thin film coating. In this study, we demonstrate that a PDA coating on silica- and polymer-based materials improves the entrapment and retention of uremic toxins produced in specific diseases.

Interlaboratory study on SbS interplay between structure, dielectric function, and amorphous-to-crystalline phase change for photonics.

Antimony sulfide, SbS, is interesting as the phase-change material for applications requiring high transmission from the visible to telecom wavelengths, with its band gap tunable from 2.2 to 1.6 eV, depending on the amorphous and crystalline phase.

Synthesis and Investigation of Electro-Optical Properties of H-Shape Dibenzofulvene Derivatives.

We have synthetized two classes of dibenzofulvene-arylamino derivatives with an H-shape design, for a total of six different molecules. The molecular structures consist of two D-A-D units connected by a thiophene or bitiophene bridge, using diarylamino substituents as donor groups anchored to the 2,7- (Group A) and 3,6- (Group B) positions of the dibenzofulvene backbone. The donor units and the thiophene or bithiophene bridges were used as chemico-structural tools to modulate electro-optical and morphological-electrical properties.

Interplay between Thickness, Defects, Optical Properties, and Photoconductivity at the Centimeter Scale in Layered GaS.

From the group-III monochalcogenide (MX, M  =  Ga, In; X  =  S, Se, Te) layered semiconductors, gallium monosulfide, GaS, has emerged as a promising material for electronics, optoelectronics, and catalysis applications. In this work, GaS samples of various thicknesses in the range from 38 to 1665 nm have been obtained by mechanical exfoliation to study the interplay between structural, morphological, optical, and photoresponsivity properties as a function of thickness. This interplay has been established by analyzing the structure through Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the morphology through scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, the density and optical properties through spectroscopic ellipsometry, and the photoresponsivity through current-voltage measurements under UV light.

Polydopamine coating of living diatom microalgae.

Many microorganisms produce specific structures, known as spores or cysts, to increase their resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Scientists have started to produce biomimetic materials inspired by these natural membranes, especially for industrial and biomedical applications. Here, we present biological data on the biocompatibility of a polydopamine-based artificial coating for diatom cells.

Exploring the Thickness-Dependence of the Properties of Layered Gallium Sulfide.

Group III layered monochalcogenide gallium sulfide, GaS, is one of the latest additions to the two-dimensional (2D) materials family, and of particular interest for visible-UV optoelectronic applications due to its wide bandgap energy in the range 2.35-3.05 eV going from bulk to monolayer.

Gallium Plasmonic Nanoantennas Unveiling Multiple Kinetics of Hydrogen Sensing, Storage, and Spillover.

Hydrogen is the key element to accomplish a carbon-free based economy. Here, the first evidence of plasmonic gallium (Ga) nanoantennas is provided as nanoreactors supported on sapphire (α-Al O ) acting as direct plasmon-enhanced photocatalyst for hydrogen sensing, storage, and spillover. The role of plasmon-catalyzed electron transfer between hydrogen and plasmonic Ga nanoparticle in the activation of those processes is highlighted, as opposed to conventional refractive index-change-based sensing.

Sustainable and Tunable Mg/MgO Plasmon-Catalytic Platform for the Grand Challenge of SF Environmental Remediation.

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF) is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases producing environmental risks. Therefore, developing ways of degrading SF without forming hazardous products is increasingly important. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the plasmon-catalytic heterogeneous degradation of SF into nonhazardous MgF and MgSO products by nontoxic and sustainable plasmonic magnesium/magnesium oxide (Mg/MgO) nanoparticles, which are also effective as a plasmon-enhanced SF chemometric sensor.

Optically addressing interaction of Mg/MgO plasmonic systems with hydrogen.

Magnesium-based films and nanostructures are being studied in order to improve hydrogen reversibility, storage capacity, and kinetics, because of their potential in the hydrogen economy. Some challenges with magnesium (Mg) samples are their unavoidable oxidation by air exposure and lack of direct in situ real time measurements of hydrogen interaction with Mg and MgO surfaces and Mg plasmonic nanoparticles. Given these challenges, the present article investigates direct interaction of Mg with hydrogen, as well as implications of its inevitable oxidation by real-time spectroscopic ellipsometry for exploiting the optical properties of Mg, MgH and MgO.

Silver-loaded chitosan coating as an integrated approach to face titanium implant-associated infections: analytical characterization and biological activity.

The present work focuses on the idea to prevent and/or inhibit the colonization of implant surfaces by microbial pathogens responsible for post-operative infections, adjusting antimicrobial properties of the implant surface prior to its insertion. An antibacterial coating based on chitosan and silver was developed by electrodeposition techniques on poly(acrylic acid)-coated titanium substrates. When a silver salt was added during the chitosan deposition step, a stable and scalable silver incorporation was achieved.

Gallium-modified chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) bilayer coatings for improved titanium implant performances.

A gallium-modified chitosan/poly(acrylic acid) bilayer was obtained by electrochemical techniques on titanium to reduce orthopaedic and/or dental implants failure. The bilayer in vitro antibacterial properties and biocompatibility were evaluated against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and on MG63 osteoblast-like cells, respectively. Gallium loading into the bilayer was carefully tuned by the electrochemical deposition time to ensure the best balance between antibacterial activity and cytocompatibility.

Photothermally controlled structural switching in fluorinated polyene-graphene hybrids.

Fluorination of graphene enables tuning of its electronic properties, provided that control of the fluorination degree and of modification of graphene structure can be achieved. In this work we demonstrate that SF6 modulated plasma fluorination of monolayer graphene yields polyene-graphene hybrids. The extent of fluorination is determined by the plasma exposure time and controlled in real time by monitoring the change in the optical response by spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Demonstrating the capability of the high-performance plasmonic gallium-graphene couple.

Metal nanoparticle (NP)-graphene multifunctional platforms are of great interest for exploring strong light-graphene interactions enhanced by plasmons and for improving performance of numerous applications, such as sensing and catalysis. These platforms can also be used to carry out fundamental studies on charge transfer, and the findings can lead to new strategies for doping graphene. There have been a large number of studies on noble metal Au-graphene and Ag-graphene platforms that have shown their potential for a number of applications.

Optical properties of silicon semiconductor-supported gold nanoparticles obtained by sputtering.

Gold nanoclusters are deposited directly on silicon by sputtering of a target of metallic gold using an argon plasma to provide a semiconductor-based plasmonic platform. The effects of annealing and substrate temperatures during the nanoparticles deposition and of the silicon surface energy on the shape of the nanoparticles and resulting surface plasmon resonance are investigated. The Au nanoparticles are characterized optically, structurally and morphologically using spectroscopic ellipsometry, transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to establish a correlation among the Au/Si interface reactivity, the Au nanoparticles shape and plasmonic resonance properties.

Nano- and microstructuring of graphene using UV-NIL.

In this work we demonstrate for the first time the micro- and nanostructuring of graphene by means of UV-nanoimprint lithography. Exfoliated graphene on SiO(2) substrates, as well as graphene deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on polycrystalline nickel and copper, and transferred CVD graphene on dielectric substrates, were used to demonstrate that our technique is suitable for large-area patterning (2 × 2 cm(2)) of graphene on various types of substrates. The demonstrated fabrication procedure of micrometer as well as nanometer-sized graphene structures with feature sizes down to 20 nm by a wafer-scale process opens up an avenue for the low-cost and high-throughput manufacturing of graphene-based optical and electronic applications.

Graphene CVD growth on copper and nickel: role of hydrogen in kinetics and structure.

Understanding the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) kinetics of graphene growth is important for advancing graphene processing and achieving better control of graphene thickness and properties. In the perspective of improving large area graphene quality, we have investigated in real-time the CVD kinetics using CH(4)-H(2) precursors on both polycrystalline copper and nickel. We highlighted the role of hydrogen in differentiating the growth kinetics and thickness of graphene on copper and nickel.