Mesoporous metal-organic framework NH-MIL-101(Cr) as an efficient photocatalyst for the epoxidation of styrene.

Oxidation of styrene is a key reaction in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals, and therefore oxidizing styrene with selective, efficient, and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts is significant from an environmental and economic standpoint. In this study, we report the transition Cr-based metal-organic framework [NH-MIL-101(Cr)] as a heterogeneous photocatalyst, which efficiently promotes styrene epoxidation using HO as a green oxidant, achieving high conversion efficiency (98%) and excellent selectivity (82%) under ambient conditions. Radical detection and quenching experiments reveal that the superoxide radical anion (O˙) acts as an active oxygen species, selectively promoting the oxidation of styrene to its oxidized form.

Facile Fabrication of Hollow Nanoporous Carbon Architectures by Controlling MOF Crystalline Inhomogeneity for Ultra-Stable Na-Ion Storage.

Hollow nanoporous carbon architectures (HNCs) present significant utilitarian value for a wide variety of applications. Facile and efficient preparation of HNCs has long been pursued but still remains challenging. Herein, we for the first time demonstrate that single-component metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) crystals, rather than the widely reported hybrid ones which necessitate tedious operations for preparation, could enable the facile and versatile syntheses of functional HNCs.

A portable CRISPR-Cas12a triggered photothermal biosensor for sensitive and visual detection of Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes.

The detection of foodborne pathogens is crucial for ensuring the maintenance of food safety. In the present study, a portable CRISPR-Cas12a triggered photothermal biosensor integrating branch hybrid chain reaction (bHCR) and DNA metallization strategy for sensitive and visual detection of foodborne pathogens was proposed. The sheared probes were utilized to block the locker probes, which enabled preventing the assembly of bHCR in the absence of target bacteria, while target bacteria can activate the cleavage of sheared probes through CRISPR-Cas12a.

Polymeric engineering of AIEgens for NIR-II fluorescence imaging and detection of abdominal metastases of ovarian cancer .

A polymeric engineering design principle is proposed for the construction of small-sized (∼20 nm) NIR-II AIEgen-doped nanodots (AIEdots) with high brightness and prolonged circulation time in blood vessels. With the utilization of the as-designed NIR-II AIEdots, the successful achievement of high-resolution NIR-II fluorescence imaging of tumor vessels and precise detection of abdominal metastases of ovarian cancer has been attained.

NAD(P)H Activated Fluorescent Probe for Rapid Intraoperative Pathological Diagnosis and Tumor Histological Grading.

Rapid and accurate intraoperative pathological diagnosis (IOPD) is essential for intraoperative decision-making to improve patients' outcomes and avoid reoperations. In this study, using a NAD(P)H-activated fluorescent probe, a multifunctional fluorescent indicator has been developed to selectively identify tumor cells from normal tissue and to achieve cancer grading identification. This rapid response probe, CyQ-1, features unprecedented sensitivity and rapid response toward NADH at low nanomolar levels under physiological conditions.

A General Strategy for Developing Ultrasensitive "Transistor-Like" Thermochromic Fluorescent Materials for Multilevel Information Encryption.

Thermochromic fluorescent materials (TFMs) exhibit great potential in information encryption applications but are limited by low thermosensitivity, poor color tunability, and a wide temperature-responsive range. Herein, a novel strategy for constructing highly sensitive TFMs with tunable emission (450-650 nm) toward multilevel information encryption is proposed, which employs polarity-sensitive fluorophores with donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) type structures as emitters and long-chain alkanes as thermosensitive loading matrixes. The structure-function relationships between the performance of TFMs and the structures of both fluorescent emitters and phase-change molecules are systematically studied.

Ultrabright AIEdots with tunable narrow emission for multiplexed fluorescence imaging.

AIEgen doped fluorescent nanodots (AIEdots) have attracted lots of attention, due to their superior characteristics as fluorescent probes, such as excellent photostability, large Stokes shift, high brightness and tunable emission. Unfortunately, most of the currently available AIEdots exhibit broad emission bandwidth, which limits their applications in multiplexed fluorescence imaging and detection. In this work, the strategy of designing and fabricating narrow emissive AIEdots (NE-AIEdots) with tunable wavelengths was presented by constructing a light-harvesting system with high energy transfer efficiency.

Functionalized graphene-based electrochemical array sensors for the identification of distinct conformational states of Amyloid Beta in Alzheimer's disease.

Aβ oligomers have been widely accepted as significant biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection, monitoring, and therapy since they are highly correlated with AD development. In this work, an electrochemical array-based sensing platform was successfully built using a group of functionalized graphene with different physicochemical features. Since the electro-insulated Aβ peptide species severely interfered with the electron transport on the electrode surface, the presence of Aβ led to a significant change in the electrochemical impedance signal.

Target Recognition- and HCR Amplification-Induced In Situ Electrochemical Signal Probe Synthesis Strategy for Trace ctDNA Analysis.

An electrochemical-DNA (E-DNA) sensor was constructed by using DNA metallization to produce an electrochemical signal reporter in situ and hybridization chain reaction (HCR) as signal amplification strategy. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique was used to characterize the electrochemical solid-state Ag/AgCl process. Moreover, the enzyme cleavage technique was introduced to reduce background signals and further improve recognition accuracy.

Precisely controlled and deeply penetrated micro-nano hybrid multifunctional motors with enhanced antibacterial activity against refractory biofilm infections.

The biofilm resistance of microorganisms has severe economic and environmental implications, especially the contamination of facilities associated with human life, including medical implants, air-conditioning systems, water supply systems, and food-processing equipment, resulting in the prevalence of infectious diseases. Once bacteria form biofilms, their antibiotic resistance can increase by 10-1,000-fold, posing a great challenge to the treatment of related diseases. In order to overcome the contamination of bacterial biofilm, destroying the biofilm's matrix so as to solve the penetration depth dilemma of antibacterial agents is the most effective way.

Bifunctional Pdots-Based Novel ECL Nanoprobe with Qualitative and Quantitative Dual Signal Amplification Characteristics for Trace Cytokine Analysis.

In this work, a novel methodology to design bifunctional ECL-luminophores with self-enhanced and TSA-amplified characteristics was proposed for improving the sensing performance of ECL-immunosensor toward trace cytokine analysis. Thanks to the qualitative- and quantitative- dual signal amplification technique, the as-prepared ECL biosensor demonstrated excellent detection performance. By analyzing the prospective cytokine biomarkers (IL-6), the ECL immunosensor exhibited a broad examination range with quite low detection limit and quite high selectivity, which was far superior to commercial ELISA kits and ever reported works.

A highly sensitive electrochemical cytosensor based on a triple signal amplification strategy using both nanozyme and DNAzyme.

The development of a sensitive cytosensor is beneficial for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Herein, highly sensitive cytosensing was achieved by applying triple signal amplification strategies with FeO@Au nanozymes and DNAzyme hybrids as electrochemical nanoprobes and toluidine blue (Tb) as the electron transfer medium. The FeO@Au nanocomposites not only acted as nanozymes with excellent catalytic performance towards HO reduction but also served as promising scaffolds to carry massive electroactive substances and DNA probes.

pH-Dominated Selective Imaging of Lipid Droplets and Mitochondria via a Polarity-Reversible Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe.

Elucidating the intrinsic relationship between mitochondrial pH (pH) fluctuation and lipid droplets (LDs) formation is vital in cell physiology. The development of small-molecular fluorescent probes for discrimination and simultaneous visualization of pH fluctuation toward LDs has not yet been reported. In this work, utilizing pH-driven polarity-reversible hemicyanine and rhodamine derivatives, a multifunctional fluorescent probe is developed for selectively identifying mitochondria and LDs under specific pH values via dual-emission channels.

Innovative strategies for enhanced tumor photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an approved and promising treatment approach that utilizes a photosensitizer (PS) to produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) through irradiation to achieve tumor noninvasive therapy. However, the limited singlet oxygen generation, the nonspecific uptake of PS in normal cells, and tumor hypoxia have become major challenges in conventional PDT, impeding its development and further clinical application. This review summarizes an overview of recent advances for the enhanced PDT.

Superoxide Ion and Singlet Oxygen Photogenerated by Metalloporphyrin-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient and Selective Photooxidation of a Sulfur Mustard Simulant.

The exploration of highly efficient materials for the degradation of chemical warfare agents has been a longstanding task for preventing human exposure. Herein, we report a series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) M-TCPP-La based on metallo-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin and La, which were applied to selectively oxidize 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES, a sulfur mustard simulant) as heterogeneous photocatalysts. After irradiation from a commercial blue light-emitting diode (LED), both superoxide ion and singlet oxygen were generated by M-TCPP-La and involved in selective oxidization of CEES to 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfoxide (CEESO).

Ultrasensitive DNA methyltransferase activity sensing and inhibitor evaluation with highly photostable upconversion nanoparticle transducer.

Sensitive and accurate detection of DNA methyltransferase (MTase) is conducive to the understanding of the fundamental biological processes related to DNA methylation, clinical disease diagnosis, and drug discovery. Herein, a new fluorescence transducer based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the donor upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and the efficient acceptor gold nanorods (AuNRs) for MTase activity analysis and its inhibitor screening is presented. A double-strand DNA linker between UCNPs and AuNRs could be digested by restriction endonuclease HhaI, preventing the FRET process and recovering the upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity.

Dysfunction of pulmonary epithelial tight junction induced by silicon dioxide nanoparticles via the ROS/ERK pathway and protein degradation.

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are one of the most widely used types of nanoparticles across many industrial sectors, and are known to be present in the air year-round. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential adverse effects of SiNP exposure on pulmonary epithelial tight junctions, which serve as a critical barrier between the respiratory system and the circulatory system. In vivo studies confirmed that SiNPs decreased the protein expression levels of zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), zonula occludens 2 (ZO-2), and occludin in the lungs of C57BL/6 mice.

An ultrasensitive fluorescent nanosensor for trypsin based on upconversion nanoparticles.

Trypsin and its inhibitors are relevant to many physiological processes and diseases. In this study, a nanosensor capable of detecting trypsin and its inhibitors was designed based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) and gold nanoparticle (AuNP). UCNP and AuNP were linked by a trypsin-sensitive peptide DDDDARC, forming the non-fluorescent UCNP-peptide-AuNP nanosensor.

Sequence-specific detection of cytosine methylation in DNA via the FRET mechanism between upconversion nanoparticles and gold nanorods.

A general detection method for DNA methylation is developed based on the FRET mechanism between upconversion nanoparticles and gold nanorods, which can recognize the cytosine methylation in a known DNA strand at a concentration as low as 7 pM.