IgG4-related kidney disease complicated with retroperitoneal fibrosis: A case report.

Background: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a chronic fibrotic disease mediated by immunity recognized by clinicians in recent years. When the kidney is involved, it is called IgG4-related kidney disease (IgG4-RKD). IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (IgG4-TIN) is a representative manifestation of IgG4-RKD.

One-Pot Fabrication of TiO₂ Rutile Nanorods/Anatase Nanoparticles: Mixed Crystal Phase and Morphology-Control for Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance.

The formation of nanocrystals with a controlled composition and desirable nanostructure is a prominent challenge in many science and technology fields. In this study, rutile TiO₂ nanorods coexisting with anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles were fabricated via a mild one-pot hydrothermal process. Results indicate an interesting phenomenon wherein adding an appropriate amount of oxalic acid can realize proportional regulation of anatase and the rutile phase.

Microsphere assembly of TiO2 mesoporous nanosheets with highly exposed (101) facets and application in a light-trapping quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell.

The morphology of nano-titania has a significant effect on the photoelectric properties of dye-sensitized solar cells. In this study, microsphere assembly of a TiO2 mesoporous nanosheet constructed by nanocuboids was conducted via a simple hydrothermal process. The XRD pattern indicated that the hierarchical mesoporous microspheres are anatase phase with decreased (004) peaks.

D-D-π-A organic dyes containing 4,4'-di(2-thienyl)triphenylamine moiety for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are currently under intense academic and industrial investigations, because of their environmentally-friendly, efficient, and low-cost features. The photosensitizer plays a key role in determining DSSCs' performance. The 4,4'-di(2-thienyl)triphenylamine moiety, included in dye TTC102, has been demonstrated before as a novel and efficient electron donor fragment.

Construction of hollow and mesoporous ZnO microsphere: a facile synthesis and sensing property.

Mesoporous and hollow structure have been attracting increasing attention for their special properties and potential applications. Here we show a facile fabrication of hollow and mesoporous ZnO microsphere via a one-step wet chemical process using polyethylene glycol (PEG, MW 200) as the solvent and soft template. The morphology and structure of the products were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction techniques.

Improvement of dye-sensitized solar cells' performance through introducing suitable heterocyclic groups to triarylamine dyes.

Dye-sensitized solar cells are currently under intense academic and industrial investigation, owing to their great potential to serve as a low-cost alternative to existing photovoltaic technologies. This paper puts forward a method, which adopts heterocyclic substituted triarylamine units as electronic donor moieties, to design triarylamine dyes for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. Three novel triarylamine dyes named TTC101, TTC102 and TTC103, were synthesized economically through modification of the structure of a simple triarylamine dye (TC105) using three kinds of heterocyclic groups (4-pyridyl, 2-thienyl and 1-pyrazolyl).

Fabrication of rutile TiO2 tapered nanotubes with rectangular cross-sections via anisotropic corrosion route.

We demonstrate here for the first time the fabrication of a novel morphology of rutile TiO(2) tapered nanotubes with rectangular cross-sections via a facile hydrothermal method using TiO(2) nanorod as the precursor. A plausible anisotropic corrosion mechanism for the formation of TiO(2) nanotubes is also proposed.

Temperature-induced solid-phase oriented rearrangement route to the fabrication of NaNbO3 nanowires.

We proposed here a temperature-induced solid-phase oriented rearrangement route to the fabrication of NaNbO(3) nanowires by using sandia octahedral molecular sieves (SOMS) Na(2)Nb(2)O(6) x H(2)O as a precursor. The SOMS precursor was prepared by using metal Nb powder as a raw material through the hydrothermal approach.

Mechanistic investigations of PEG-directed assembly of one-dimensional ZnO nanostructures.

Mechanistic investigation on spherical assembly of the unique one-dimensional ZnO nanorods, solid nanocones, or hollow prisms with the closed -c end, directed by poly ethylene glycol (PEG) with different molecular weights, has been carried out using spectroscopic methods. The single crystalline ZnO nanoprisms, hollow along the c axis but closed at the -c end, aggregate to urchin-type globules in the microscale when PEG 2000 is used as directing reagent, while spherical aggregates of single crystalline ZnO nanocones are obtained under the direction of PEG 200. Studies reveal that both the PEG molecules aggregate to globules by interacting with zinc species in suitable solvents and englobe the zinc species.

Microsphere organization of nanorods directed by PEG linear polymer.

We demonstrate the sphere organization of ZnO, Bi2S3, MnO2, and La(OH)3 nanorods directed by PEG linear polymer. Our study shows that zinc, bismuth, manganese, or lanthanum species added to PEG solutions, in which PEG molecules are well dissolved in a coil state, convert the polymer coils to aggregate structures, which further aggregate into micrometer-sized M(n+)-PEG globules. The concentration of metallic species is higher in the globules than in bulk solutions.