A surface-engineered multifunctional TiO based nano-layer simultaneously elevates the corrosion resistance, osteoconductivity and antimicrobial property of a magnesium alloy.

Magnesium biometals exhibit great potentials for orthopeadic applications owing to their biodegradability, bioactive effects and satisfactory mechanical properties. However, rapid corrosion of Mg implants in vivo combined with large amount of hydrogen gas evolution is harmful to bone healing process which seriously confines their clinical applications. Enlightened by the superior biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of passive titanium oxide layer automatically formed on titanium alloy, we employ the Ti and O dual plasma ion immersion implantation (PIII) technique to construct a multifunctional TiO based nano-layer on ZK60 magnesium substrates for enhanced corrosion resistance, osteoconductivity and antimicrobial activity.

Dual-band directional scattering with all-dielectric trimer in the near-infrared region.

A silicon trimer is explored to tailor unidirectional forward scattering at multiple wavelengths in the near-infrared region with low loss using theoretical calculations and numerical simulations, which leads to the dramatic enhancement in unidirectional forward scattering and suppression of backward scattering. The higher moments in the trimer can be properly excited and balanced by breaking the symmetry of the trimer. The generalized Kerker conditions at two different wavelengths can be achieved in the trimer to further improve the scattering directivity.

Tunable single-polarization bimetal-coated and liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber filter based on surface plasmon resonance.

A bimetal-coated single-polarization photonic crystal fiber (PCF) filter based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a liquid-filled structure is designed and calculated by the finite element method (FEM). The filter has many excellent properties. The y-polarized and x-polarized modes can simultaneously filter at 1310 nm and 1560 nm with unwanted losses 544.

Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on eccentric core photonic quasi-crystal fiber with indium tin oxide.

A sensing device composed of an eccentric core photonic quasi-crystal fiber based on surface plasmon resonance is designed using indium tin oxide (ITO) as the sensitive materials. The ITO film is deposited on the outside surface of the fiber to excite plasmonic interactions and facilitate refractive index (RI) detection. This eccentric core structure makes the evanescent field coupled effectively with analyte to achieve higher sensitivity.

Facile mass production of self-supported two-dimensional transition metal oxides for catalytic applications.

We report a novel metal-corrosion route beyond traditional top-down or bottom-up strategies for the mass production of 2D TMOs with a self-supported structure. The self-supported 2D CoO, a typical TMO, exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability in the oxygen evolution reaction surpassing those of commercial precious metal RuO catalysts at high currents.

NiFeP nanoflakes composite with CoP on carbon cloth as flexible and durable electrocatalyst for efficient overall water splitting.

High-performance and earth-abundant NiFeP is an excellent bifunctional catalyst for water splitting in acidic and alkaline environments, and NiFeP nanoflakes on CoP layer composite with a conductive carbon cloth (CC) substrate as the trunk-leaf flexible structure (NiFeP/CoP/CC) is prepared by direct high-temperature phosphorization. Overpotentials of only 96.38 and 78.

Lithiated NiCoO Nanorods Anchored on 3D Nickel Foam Enable Homogeneous Li Plating/Stripping for High-Power Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anode.

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the promising anode materials in the next-generation high-energy batteries, but Li dendrite growth and a big volume change during cycling result in low Coulombic efficiency (CE), short lifespan, and safety hazards, thereby impeding practical implementation of Li in rechargeable batteries. Herein, we report a highly stable and dendrite-free Li metal anode based on a three-dimensional (3D) conductive and lithiophilic scaffold comprising lithiated NiCoO nanorods grown on nickel foam (LNCO/Ni). The nanorods grown on 3D Ni foam with a large surface area effectively reduce the averaged electrical current in the electrode, and the conformal LiO coating produced in situ on the lithiated NiCoO nanorods provides the surface lithiophilicity enabling stable Li plating/stripping without Li dendrite growth even at a high current density of 5 mA cm.

Antibacterial and Cytocompatible Nanoengineered Silk-Based Materials for Orthopedic Implants and Tissue Engineering.

Many postsurgical complications stem from bacteria colony formation on the surface of implants, but the usage of antibiotic agents may cause antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, there is a strong demand for biocompatible materials with an intrinsic antibacterial resistance not requiring extraneous chemical agents. In this study, homogeneous nanocones were fabricated by oxygen plasma etching on the surface of natural, biocompatible Bombyx mori silk films.

Electrostatic Self-Assembly of TiCT MXene and Gold Nanorods as an Efficient Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Platform for Reliable and High-Sensitivity Determination of Organic Pollutants.

A reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate composed of two-dimensional (2D) MXene (TiCT) nanosheets and gold nanorods (AuNRs) is designed and fabricated for sensitive detection of organic pollutants. The AuNRs are uniformly distributed on the surface of the 2D MXene nanosheets because of the strong electrostatic interactions, forming abundant SERS hot spots. The MXene/AuNR SERS substrate exhibits high sensitivity and excellent reproducibility in the determination of common organic dyes such as rhodamine 6G, crystal violet, and malachite green.

A functionalized TiO/MgTiO nano-layer on biodegradable magnesium implant enables superior bone-implant integration and bacterial disinfection.

Rapid corrosion of biodegradable magnesium alloys under in vivo condition is a major concern for clinical applications. Inspired by the stability and biocompatibility of titanium oxide (TiO) passive layer, a functionalized TiO/MgTiO nano-layer has been constructed on the surface of WE43 magnesium implant by using plasma ion immersion implantation (PIII) technique. The customized nano-layer not only enhances corrosion resistance of Mg substrates significantly, but also elevates the osteoblastic differentiation capability in vitro due to the controlled release of magnesium ions.

Inherent Chemotherapeutic Anti-Cancer Effects of Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials.

Low-dimensional nanomaterials (LDNs) are receiving increasing attention in cancer therapy owing to their unique properties, especially the large surface area-to-volume ratio. LDNs such as metallic nanoparticles (NPs), hydroxyapatite NPs, graphene derivatives, and black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets have been proposed for drug delivery, photothermal/photodynamic therapies, and multimodal theranostic treatments. The therapeutic effectiveness is mainly based on the physical characteristics of LDNs, but their inherent bioactivity has not been fully capitalized.

InSe Nanosheets for Efficient NIR-II-Responsive Drug Release.

Near-infrared-II (NIR-II) biowindow is appealing from the perspectives of larger maximum permissible exposure in comparison with the near-infrared-I biowindow, so the NIR-II-responsive drug-delivery nanoplatform is highly desirable. In this work, two-dimensional InSe nanosheets (InSe NSs) are modified with poly(ethylene glycol) and evaluated as an effective NIR-II-responsive cancer treatment nanoplatform. The InSe NSs synthesized by liquid exfoliation exhibit prominent NIR-II-responsive photothermal conversion efficiency (39.

Photonic spin Hall effect: a new window in D-shaped fiber by weak measurements.

The enhanced photonic spin Hall effect (SHE) based on the D-shaped fiber with Ag-Ni alloy/silicon layers is proposed and theoretically investigated under excitation of surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In order to achieve the maximum transverse spin-dependent displacements for practical photonic devices, parameters such as the thickness of the Ag-Ni alloy and silicon layers in the D-shaped fiber are optimized. Theoretical modeling and numerical simulation demonstrate that the multilayer structure can effectively enhance the photonic SHE.

Stability and Repeatability of a Karst-like Hierarchical Porous Silicon Oxide-Based Memristor.

A memristor architecture based on porous oxide materials has the potential to be used in artificial synaptic devices. Herein, we present a memristor system employing a karst-like hierarchically porous (KLHP) silicon oxide structure with good stability and repeatability. The KLHP structure prepared by an electrochemical process and thermal oxidation exhibits high ON-OFF ratios up to 10 during the endurance test, and the data can be maintained for 10 s at a small read voltage 0.

Ecofriendly and Biodegradable Soybean Protein Isolate Films Incorporated with ZnO Nanoparticles for Food Packaging.

ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) are synthesized and incorporated into soybean protein isolate (SPI) to obtain SPI/ZnONPs (SZ) films, and the morphology, size distribution, and stability are determined. The effects of different contents of ZnONPs in the SZ films on the oxygen barrier, antibacterial activity, and thermal and mechanical properties are evaluated. A ZnONPs content of 0.

Biochar/struvite composite as a novel potential material for slow release of N and P.

For soil and environmental remediation, biochar/struvite composites are prepared by the crystallization-adsorption method. The recovery rates of N, P, and Mg in the solution increase to 99.02%, 97.

Hybrid ZnO-graphene electrode with palladium nanoparticles on Ni foam and application to self-powered nonenzymatic glucose sensing.

A self-powered nonenzymatic glucose sensor electrode boasts the advantages of both a glucose sensor and fuel cell. Herein, an electrode composed of ZnO-graphene hybrid materials on nickel foam (NF) is prepared by electrodeposition of Pd NPs. The electrode is characterized systematically and the dependence of electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose on the concentrations of KOH and glucose, temperature, and potential limit in the anodic direction is investigated.

A surface-engineered polyetheretherketone biomaterial implant with direct and immunoregulatory antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Metal ions or nanoparticles are believed to be promising additives in developing antibacterial biomaterials, owing to possessing favorable bactericidal effects against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. However, the immunomodulatory antibacterial activity of metal ions has seldom been reported. Herein, a porous microstructure designed to trap methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is fabricated on polyetheretherketone biomaterial surface through sulfonation (SPEEK), following which copper (Cu) nanoparticles, which can kill the trapped MRSA, are immobilized on SPEEK surface using a customized magnetron sputtering technique.

N-doped TiO nanotube arrays with uniformly embedded Co P nanoparticles for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction.

Efficient and stable non-precious metal based electrocatalysts are crucial to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in renewable energy conversion. Herein, Co P nanoparticles (NPs) are uniformly embedded in N-doped TiO nanotube arrays (Co P/N-TiO NTAs) by low-temperature phosphorization of the precursor of metallic cobalt NPs embedded in N-doped TiO NTAs (Co/N-TiO NTAs) which were fabricated by phase separation of CoTiO NTAs in ammonia. Owing to the abundant exposed surface active sites of Co P NPs, tight contact between the Co P NPs and TiO NTAs, fast electron transfer in N-doped TiO, and channels for effective diffusion of ions and H bubbles in the tubular structure, the Co P/N-TiO NTAs have excellent electrocatalytic activity in HER exemplified by a low overpotential of 180 mV at 10 mA cm and small Tafel slope of 51 mV dec in 0.

Controlled fiberization of dipeptide in merging phases leads to collagen-level strength and opto/electric mechanofunctionalities.

Artificial synthesis and manipulation of functional amyloid-like fibrils with both positive and negative biological roles in living organisms are still major challenges. As a kind of typical building sequences, diphenylalanine and its derivatives have attracted substantial interests due to their outstanding self-assembly ability and unique combinations of biological, physical, and chemical properties. Herein, inspired by the thermodynamic behavior of cellular fiberization, we describe a novel approach which utilizes a phase merging process in the water/hexafluoroisopropanol binary solutions to initiate and modulate self-assembly of diphenylalanine monomers.

Modification of Layered Graphitic Carbon Nitride by Nitrogen Plasma for Improved Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

As a layered nano-sheet material, layered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has attracted attention in multifunctional photocatalytic applications. However, g-C₃N₄ is electrochemically inert consequently hampering electrochemical applications. In this work, low-temperature nitrogen plasma processing was conducted to modify g-C₃N₄ to enhance the electrocatalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon embedded with cobalt nanoparticles for excellent oxygen reduction reaction.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon (CN-Co) samples embedded with cobalt nanoparticles are selectively prepared with polyethylenimine (PEI) as both the carbon and nitrogen sources. By processing at different temperature, CN-Co-800 and CN-Co-1000 are selectively prepared and the materials exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The ORR measurements show that sample processed at the higher temperature delivers better performance due to the larger Co and graphitic nitrogen concentrations.

Scalable synthesis of ant-nest-like bulk porous silicon for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes.

Although silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, scalable synthesis of silicon anodes with good cyclability and low electrode swelling remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report a scalable top-down technique to produce ant-nest-like porous silicon from magnesium-silicon alloy. The ant-nest-like porous silicon comprising three-dimensional interconnected silicon nanoligaments and bicontinuous nanopores can prevent pulverization and accommodate volume expansion during cycling resulting in negligible particle-level outward expansion.

Lithium ion trapping mechanism of SiO in LiCoO based memristors.

Pt/LiCoO/SiO/Si stacks with different SiO thicknesses are fabricated and the influence of SiO on memristive behavior is investigated. It is demonstrated that SiO can serve as Li ion trapping layer benefiting device retention, and the thickness of SiO must be controlled to avoid large SET voltage and state instability. Simulation model based on Nernst potential and diffusion potential is postulated for electromotive force in LiCoO based memristors.

Template growth of Au/Ag nanocomposites on phosphorene for sensitive SERS detection of pesticides.

We report template growth and dense packing of noble metallic nanoparticles (NPs) on few-layer phosphorene for sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. Phosphorene obtained by electrochemical exfoliation serves as both the template and reductant in the fabrication of noble metallic NPs which are dispersed on phosphorene without aggregation or pile-up. The BP/Ag/Au and BP/Au/Ag nanocomposites with a nanogap structure exhibit excellent SERS sensitivity and reproducibility with respect to Rhodamine 6G.