A Novel Electrochemical Sensor Based on Pd Confined Mesoporous Carbon Hollow Nanospheres for the Sensitive Detection of Ascorbic Acid, Dopamine, and Uric Acid.

In this study, we designed a novel electrochemical sensor by modifying a glass carbon electrode (GCE) with Pd confined mesoporous carbon hollow nanospheres (Pd/MCHS) for the simultaneous detection of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA). The structure and morphological characteristics of the Pd/MCHS nanocomposite and the Pd/MCHS/GCE sensor are comprehensively examined using SEM, TEM, XRD and EDX. The electrochemical properties of the prepared sensor are investigated through CV and DPV, which reveal three resolved oxidation peaks for AA, DA, and UA, thereby verifying the simultaneous detection of the three analytes.

Progress and opportunities for metal-organic framework composites in electrochemical sensors.

Metal-organic framework composites have the advantages of large surface area, high porosity, strong catalytic efficiency and good stability, which provide a great possibility of finding excellent electrode materials for electrochemical sensors. However, MOF composites still face various challenges and difficulties, which limit their development and application. This paper reviews the application of MOF composites in electrochemical sensors, including MOF/carbon composites, MOF/metal nanoparticle composites, MOF/metal oxide composites and MOF/enzyme composites.

Zein nanospheres assisting inorganic and organic drug combination to overcome stent implantation-induced thrombosis and infection.

The complication of stent implantation is the biggest obstacle to the success of its clinical application. In this study, we developed a combination way of 3D printing and the coating technique for preparation of functional polyurethane stents against stent implantation-induced thrombosis and postoperative infection. SEM, XPS, static water contact angle, and XRD demonstrated that the functional polyurethane stent had a 37 μm-thickness membrane composed of zein nanospheres (250-350 nm).

Antimicrobial Peptide MPX with Broad-Spectrum Bactericidal Activity Promotes Proper Abscess Formation and Relieves Skin Inflammation.

Bacteria have developed antibiotic resistance during the large-scale use of antibiotics, and multidrug-resistant strains are common. The development of new antibiotics or antibiotic substitutes has become an important challenge for humankind. MPX is a 14 amino acid peptide belonging to the MP antimicrobial peptide family.

Effects of the Antimicrobial Peptide Mastoparan X on the Performance, Permeability and Microbiota Populations of Broiler Chickens.

Restrictions on antibiotics are driving the search for alternative feed additives to promote gastrointestinal health and development in broiler chicken production. Proteins including antimicrobial peptides can potentially be applied as alternatives to antibiotics and are one of the most promising alternatives. We investigated whether the addition of MPX to the diet affects the production performance, immune function and the intestinal flora of the caecal contents of broiler chickens.

Ultra-Fast Construction of Novel S-Scheme CuBiO/CuO Heterojunction for Selectively Photocatalytic CO Conversion to CO.

Herein, step-scheme (S-scheme) CuBi2O4/CuO (CBO/CuO) composite films were successfully synthesized on glass substrates by the ultra-fast spraying-calcination method. The photocatalytic activities of the obtained materials for CO2 reduction in the presence of H2O vapor were evaluated under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). Benefiting from the construction of S-scheme heterojunction, the CO, CH4 and O2 yields of the optimal CBO/CuO composite reached 1599.

The Antimicrobial Peptide MPX Can Kill , Reduce Biofilm Formation, and Effectively Treat Bacterial Skin Infections in Mice.

is a common pathogen that can cause pneumonia and a variety of skin diseases. Skin injuries have a high risk of colonization by , which increases morbidity and mortality. Due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, antimicrobial peptides are considered to be among the best alternatives to antibiotics due to their unique mechanism of action and other characteristics.

The Antimicrobial Peptide Mastoparan X Protects Against Enterohemorrhagic O157:H7 Infection, Inhibits Inflammation, and Enhances the Intestinal Epithelial Barrier.

can cause intestinal diseases in humans and livestock, destroy the intestinal barrier, exacerbate systemic inflammation, and seriously threaten human health and animal husbandry development. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the antimicrobial peptide mastoparan X (MPX) was effective against infection. BALB/c mice infected with by intraperitoneal injection, which represents a sepsis model.

Core-shell GaP@C nanoparticles with a thin and uniform carbon coating as a promising anode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Transition metal phosphides are used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacity and low polarization. In this work, a core-shell GaP@C nanocomposite was successfully synthesized by a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, utilizing commercial GaP as the raw material and xylene as the carbon source. The uniform thin carbon shell could alleviate the volumetric variation and improve the conductivity of the inner GaP.

Enhancing the Efficiency and Stability of PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells through Engineering an Ultrathin NiO Nanocrystalline Interlayer.

Significant progress in PbS quantum dot solar cells has been achieved through designing device architecture, engineering band alignment, and optimizing the surface chemistry of colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). However, developing a highly stable device while maintaining the desirable efficiency is still a challenging issue for these emerging solar cells. In this study, by introducing an ultrathin NiO nanocrystalline interlayer between Au electrodes and the hole-transport layer of the PbS-EDT, the resulting PbS CQD solar cell efficiency is improved from 9.

Interfacial Instability of Emulsion Droplets Containing a Polymer and a Fatty Alcohol.

We investigated the interfacial instability of emulsion droplets via in situ measuring the oil/water interfacial tension (IFT) using the capillary suction method. The discrete phase of the oil-in-water emulsion contains a hydrophobic polymer (polystyrene, PS) and a fatty alcohol cosurfactant -cetyl alcohol (CA) or -octadecanol (OD), both of which were dissolved in an organic solvent (chloroform). The continuous phase is an aqueous solution of surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS).

Electrochemical determination of lead(II) and copper(II) by using phytic acid and polypyrrole functionalized metal-organic frameworks.

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with a composite prepared from phytic acid, polypyrrole and a ZIF type metal-organic framework (PA/PPy)/ZIF-8@ZIF-67). The nanocomposite was prepared by in-situ chemical polymerization in the presence of ferric chloride and subsequently functionalized with PA to form PA/PPy/ZIF-8@ZIF-67. The materials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, XPS, SEM and TEM.

Facile Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Copper- Foam and Electrospinning Polystyrene Fiber for Combinational Oil⁻Water Separation.

Membrane-based metal substrates with special surface wettability have been applied widely for oil/water separation. In this work, a series of copper foams with superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity were chemically etched using 10 mg mL-1 FeCl3/HCl solution with consequent ultrasonication, followed by the subsequent modification of four sulfhydryl compounds. A water contact angle of 158° and a sliding angle lower than 5° were achieved for the copper foam modified using 10 mM n-octadecanethiol solution in ethanol.

An electrochemical sensor based on electro-polymerization of caffeic acid and Zn/Ni-ZIF-8-800 on glassy carbon electrode for the sensitive detection of acetaminophen.

A new electrochemical sensor was fabricated for the sensitive and selective detection of acetaminophen (AP), based on a bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with poly caffeic acid (PCA) and Zn/Ni-ZIF-8-800 using an electro-polymerization method. The carbon material of Zn/Ni-ZIF-8-800 derived from bimetal-organic framework was synthesized by one-step pyrolysis method. Then, the as-prepared materials and the corresponding fabricated sensors were fully characterized by XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM, TEM and XPS analyses.

Metal-organic framework-based molecularly imprinted polymer as a high sensitive and selective hybrid for the determination of dopamine in injections and human serum samples.

A highly sensitive and selective molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) sensor was fabricated based on polypyrrole (PPy)/ZIF-67/Nafion hybrid modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the determination of dopamine (DA). The ZIF-67 material was facilely prepared by using hydrothermal synthesis method; subsequently, the PPy/ZIF-67/Nafion hybrid was obtained through a one-pot synthesis method. The physical properties of the materials and the modified sensors were investigated by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isothermal (BET), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Atomic force microspectroscopy (AFM) apparatus.

Assembly of Polymer-Tethered Gold Nanoparticles under Cylindrical Confinement.

The assembly of polystyrene (PS)-tethered gold nanoparticles (Au@PS NPs) in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) cylindrical nanopores was investigated. This cylindrical confined assembly strategy allows us to generate novel assemblies (e.g.

Encapsulation of pristine fullerene C60 within block copolymer micelles through interfacial instabilities of emulsion droplets.

We report a facile and versatile strategy to encapsulate pristine fullerene (C60) within spherical or wormlike block copolymer micelles through interfacial instability of emulsion droplets. C60 and amphiphilic block copolymer polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) were firstly dispersed in chloroform. The resulting solution was emulsified with aqueous sodium dodecylsulfate solution by simply shaking it.

Multifunctional biodegradable polymer nanoparticles with uniform sizes: generation and in vitro anti-melanoma activity.

We present a simple, yet versatile strategy for the fabrication of uniform biodegradable polymer nanoparticles (NPs) with controllable sizes by a hand-driven membrane-extrusion emulsification approach. The size and size distribution of the NPs can be easily tuned by varying the experimental parameters, including initial polymer concentration, surfactant concentration, number of extrusion passes, membrane pore size, and polymer molecular weight. Moreover, hydrophobic drugs (e.

Multiresponsive hydrogel photonic crystal microparticles with inverse-opal structure.

Hydrogel photonic crystal microparticles (HPCMs) with inverse-opal structure are generated through a combination of microfluidic and templating technique. Temperature and pH responsive HPCMs have firstly been prepared by copolymerizing functional monomers, for example, N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) and methacrylic acid (MAA). HPCMs not only show tunable color variation almost covering the entire wavelength of visible light (above 150 nm of stop-band shift) by simply tailoring temperature or pH value of the solution, but also display rapid response (less than 1 min) due to the small volume and well-ordered porous structure.

Shaping functional nano-objects by 3D confined supramolecular assembly.

Nano-objects are generated through 3D confined supramolecular assembly, followed by a sequential disintegration by rupturing the hydrogen bonding. The shape of the nano-objects is tunable, ranging from nano-disc, nano-cup, to nano-toroid. The nano-objects are pH-responsive.

Construction of multifunctional photonic crystal microcapsules with tunable shell structures by combining microfluidic and controlled photopolymerization.

Holey photonic crystal (PC) microcapsules are generated through a combined technique of microfluidic- and controlled-photopolymerization. This versatile route allows the fine tuning of shell structure (from well-ordered nanoporous to single-hole structures with tailored hole size) by etching or by varying UV light intensity, and endowing the PC microcapsules with multifunctional properties.

Mesoporous block copolymer nanoparticles with tailored structures by hydrogen-bonding-assisted self-assembly.

A simple, yet robust route to prepare polymer nanoparticles with tunable internal structures through supramolecular assembly within emulsion droplets is presented. Nanoparticles with various internal morphologies, including dispersed spheres, dispersed spirals, stacked toroids, and concentric lamellae, are obtained due to the 3D confinement and variation of hydrogen-bonding agent. This method also allows us to form mesoporous particles through further disassembly of the supramoleclar assemblies by rupturing the hydrogen bonding.

Biodegradable polymer microcapsules fabrication through a template-free approach.

A detailed study on the direct synthesis of biocompatible polyesters (e.g., PLA, PLGA or PCL) microcapsules and multifunctional microcapsules, which does not require any template and core removal, is presented.