Iterative Strategy for Sorting Single-Chirality Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes from Aqueous to Organic Systems.

Significant advancements in electronic devices and integrated circuits have been facilitated by semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) sorted by conjugated polymers (CPs). However, the variety of CPs with single-chirality selectivity is limited, and the sorting results are strongly dependent on the chiral distribution of the starting materials. To address this, we develop an iterative strategy to achieve single-chirality SWCNT separation from aqueous to organic systems, based on a multistep tandem extraction technique that allows a gentle and nondestructive separation of surfactants from SWCNTs, ensuring an efficient system transfer.

Two-Dimensional MFI-Type Zeolite Flow Battery Membranes.

Vanadium flow battery (VFB) is one of the most reliable stationary electrochemical energy-storage technologies, and a membrane with high vanadium resistance and proton conductivity is essential for manufacturing high-performance VFBs. In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) MFI-type zeolite membrane was fabricated from zeolite nanosheet modules, which displayed excellent vanadium resistance (0.07 mmol L h ) and proton conductivity (0.

3D Free-Standing Ordered Graphene Network Geometrically Regulates Neuronal Growth and Network Formation.

The control of cell-microenvironment interactions plays a pivotal role in constructing specific scaffolds for tissue engineering. Here, we fabricated a 3D free-standing ordered graphene (3D-OG) network with a precisely defined pattern. When primary cortical cells are cultured on 3D-OG scaffolds, they form well-defined 3D connections.

Optoelectronic Properties of Printed Photogating Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Transistors and Their Application for Light-Stimulated Neuromorphic Devices.

Artificial synapses/neurons based on electronic/ionic hybrid devices have attracted wide attention for brain-inspired neuromorphic systems since it is possible to overcome the von Neumann bottleneck of the neuromorphic computing paradigm. Here, we report a novel photoneuromorphic device based on printed photogating single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin film transistors (TFTs) using lightly n-doped Si as the gate electrode. The drain currents of the printed SWCNT TFTs can gradually increase to over 3000 times of their starting value after being pulsed with light stimulation, and the electrical signals can maintain for over 10 min.

Oxygen-Assisted Cathodic Deposition of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks with Controlled Thickness.

Processing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as films with controllable thickness on a substrate is increasingly crucial for many applications to realize function integration and performance optimization. Herein, we report a facile cathodic deposition process that enables the large-area preparation of uniform films of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8, ZIF-71, and ZIF-67) with highly tunable thickness ranging from approximately 24 nm to hundreds of nanometers. Importantly, this oxygen-reduction-triggered cathodic deposition does not lead to the plating of reduced metals (Zn and Co).

A Fully 3D Interconnected Graphene-Carbon Nanotube Web Allows the Study of Glioma Infiltration in Bioengineered 3D Cortex-Like Networks.

Currently available 3D assemblies based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) lag far behind their 2D CNT-based bricks and require major improvements for biological applications. By using Fe nanoparticles confined to the interlamination of graphite as catalyst, a fully 3D interconnected CNT web is obtained through the pores of graphene foam (GCNT web) by in situ chemical vapor deposition. This 3D GCNT web has a thickness up to 1.

Three-Dimensional Stiff Graphene Scaffold on Neural Stem Cells Behavior.

Physical cues of the scaffolds, elasticity, and stiffness significantly guide adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of stem cells. In addressable microenvironments constructed by three-dimensional graphene foams (3D-GFs), neural stem cells (NSCs) interact with and respond to the structural geometry and mechanical properties of porous scaffolds. Our studies aim to investigate NSC behavior on the various stiffness of 3D-GFs.

Modified VEGF targets the ischemic myocardium and promotes functional recovery after myocardial infarction.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the non-targeted delivery of VEGF decreases its therapeutic efficacy due to an insufficient local concentration in the ischemic myocardium. In this study, we used a specific peptide to modify VEGF and determined that this modified VEGF (IMT-VEGF) localized to the ischemic myocardium through intravenous injection by interacting with cardiac troponin I (cTnI).

Regulation of human mesenchymal stem cells differentiation into chondrocytes in extracellular matrix-based hydrogel scaffolds.

To induce human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to differentiate into chondrocytes in three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments, we developed porous hydrogel scaffolds using the cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) components of chondroitin sulfate (CS) and collagen (COL). The turbidity and viscosity experiments indicated hydrogel could form through pH-triggered co-precipitation when pH=2-3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed the hydrogel scaffolds could controllably release growth factors as envisaged.